Search

Background: To reduce the effects of climate change, the current fossil-based energy system must transition to a low-carbon system based largely on renewables. In both academic literature and non-academic discourse concerning the energy transition, resilience is frequently mentioned as an additional objective or requirement. Despite its frequent use, resilience is a very malleable term with different meanings in different contexts. Main text: This paper seeks to identify how resilience is understood in the field of the energy system and whether there are similar aspects in the different ways the term is understood. To this end, we review more than 130 papers for definitions of energy system resilience. In addition, we use different aspects to categorize and examine these. The results paint a diverse picture in terms of the definition and understanding of resilience in the energy system. However, a few definition archetypes can be identified. The first uses a straightforward approach, in which the energy system has one clearly defined equilibrium state. Here, resilience is defined in relation to the response of the energy system to a disturbance and its ability to quickly return to its equilibrium. The second type of resilience allows for different equilibriums, to which a resilient energy system can move after a disruption. Another type of resilience focuses more on the process and the actions of the system in response to disruption. Here, resilience is defined as the ability of the system to adapt and change. In the papers reviewed, we find that the operational definition of resilience often encompasses aspects of different archetypes. This diversity shows that resilience is a versatile concept with different elements. Conclusions: With this paper, we aim to provide insight into how the understanding of resilience for the energy system differs depending on which aspect of the energy system is studied, and which elements might be necessary for different understandings of resilience. We conclude by providing information and recommendations on the potential usage of the term energy system resilience based on our lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) relies mainly on fossil fuels in their energy supply, leading to higher CO2 emissions, pollution, and further environmental degradation. This paper uses the panel vector autoregressive and the Granger non-causality test in the heterogeneous panels, together with long-run estimation techniques, to examine the dynamic link among energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions with the focus on renewable energy for the ASEAN countries in the past three decades. Results: The findings from this paper indicate that carbon emissions are associated with energy consumption. In contrast, renewable energy usage reduces CO2 emissions, improving environmental quality. Economic growth is associated with increased energy consumption and carbon emissions in the ASEAN countries. The findings also indicate that the effects of energy consumption on economic growth are more significant than those of renewable energy in ASEAN. When considered together, these findings form a vicious circle regarding the energy–growth–emission nexus for the ASEAN economies. In addition, a bidirectional Granger causality among energy consumption, economic growth, CO2 emissions and renewable energy usage is confirmed. Conclusions: Renewable energy has emerged as an important viable option for the ASEAN nations to achieve their dual objectives of enhanced economic growth, reduced CO2 emission, leading to improved environmental quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biodiesel is a renewable and ecofriendly fuel for internal combustion engines. However, fuel standards need to be adapted for efficiency and commercial use. This paper deals with a novel process of its production using a purification step that counters the high costs of production and experimental analysis using multiresponse optimization. Methods: Soybean oil was chosen as a biodiesel of 5%, 10%, and 15% blend with common diesel fuel and is experimentally tested in a variable compression ratio compression ignition engine. The biodiesel is blended with common diesel fuel to run the engine without any modification in its setup, which also solves most of the operational problems. The functional relationship between the input parameters and the performance characteristics of the engine is evaluated by statistical response surface methodology using the Box–Behnken design model, which generates a design of experiment resulting in an optimum experimental run that reduces the overall cost of the experimental investigation. Uncertainty analysis is done to minimize the gap between the results considering the errors of each piece of equipment. Validation of the results is also carried out. Results: The analysis of variance is used to measure the acceptability of the model and the competency of the model to predict output performance. The optimum value of input parameters which are obtained are 4.5 kg for the load, the compression ratio of 18, and B05 for the fuel blend, which results in maximum performance of brake power of 3 kW, minimum fuel consumption and emissions of CO and NOx, which are 0.39 kg/kWh, 0.01%, and 50 ppm. Conclusions: Cost analysis reveals that biodiesel produced from the novel process of transesterification is reasonable as compared with the conventional process. It is also environmentally more sustainable, which cannot be ignored. This technique can be used in future research for cost-effective production fields such as combustion parameters and biofuels produced from waste, which need to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition to energy-sustainable systems is a globally accepted concept, but it is implemented with various degrees of success around the world. The aim of this paper is to determine the status of green transition in five Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic) that are among the highest energy consumers globally and the most vulnerable to climate change. Despite a notable improvement in living conditions across all countries over the past two decades, the region remains underdeveloped. Economic growth is based on the export of natural resources and remittance inflows, but the structure of the economy is monolithic. Main findings: Upon analysing transition indicators for the period 2000–2020, no evidence of significant changes towards a sustainable energy transition is found. All countries in the region (except Uzbekistan) have recorded an increase in carbon emissions, while the carbon intensity of the energy mix is almost the same. While there has been visible progress in reducing energy intensity, the countries in the region remain among the most energy-intensive economies. Despite the region's substantial potential for renewable energy production, it remains underutilized. Conclusions: A multitude of varied problems accompanies the green transition in Central Asian countries. The energy market that has not yet been liberalised, along with significant subsidies and low energy tariffs, discourages investments in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency initiatives. A high level of corruption, rigid legislative and institutional infrastructure, and insufficient capital are additional factors that determine the speed, scope, and effectiveness of the green transition. Thus far, the primary focus in these countries has been on ensuring energy security. However, there has been a discernible surge in investments (particularly from China) in renewable energy projects. Although energy efficiency and climate change issues are formally defined, the energy transition goals are often declarative without an action plan that provides concrete steps in transition process. Strategic planing of economic development that includes all related sectors (not only the energy sector) and paying attention to socio-economic and environmental indicators of sustainable development are prerequisites for successfully implementating the energy transition in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas offer an opportunity to improve environmental conditions and to reduce CO2 emissions towards establishing climate-neutral cities in the next few decades. Furthermore, the implementation of NBSs—vertical or horizontal green infrastructures on public facilities—could in particular improve both climate, including outdoor thermal conditions on a micro-scale (especially during the summer season) and the energy demand of buildings as well as save heating energy during the winter period. Results: On both selected buildings, extensive green roofs were implemented as an NBS intervention. The analysed data were obtained using the monitoring systems (from 2019 to 2022) installed on two public buildings in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia), with a focus on climate/bioclimate characteristics and thermal transmission capacities. Four automatic weather stations (AWS) were used for microclimate monitoring, along with the heat flow meter (HFM) method, to measure the alterations in the thermal transmittance (U value) of a flat concrete roof before and after energy refurbishment and the installation of a green roof. The outcomes of this study show that the air temperatures (Ta) and globe temperatures (Tg) near the green roof are lower by 0–3 °C for Ta and by 0–16.5 °C for Tg than the values captured by the AWSs at other locations. An even more interesting fact is that the green roof has a constant cooling potential during tropical nights, and based upon this research, the cooling value is around 2 °C for Tg (the Ta value is not distinct). The thermal transmittance results show that more savings can be achieved by applying a green roof with an 8 cm thick substrate: U values decreased by 50–69%, as measured by two different heat flux sensors. Conclusions: Nature-based solutions, such as the implementation of an extensive green roof, have positive effects on diverse aspects of urban environments and building energy savings, which are particularly evident in extreme seasons, both summer and winter. Applying the proposed monitoring and assessment system could help local communities in their efforts to reduce carbon-based emissions. This paper provides a good example of the implementation of NBSs on a local- and a micro-scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main goal of the paper is to define the level of energy efficiency in the economies of selected countries in the Balkan region that have opted for the EU Green Deal, a circular economy, and a transition to carbon neutrality. Energy efficiency, as a determinant of carbon neutrality, was selected as an indicator for analysis because it records particularly unfavorable indicators in the region under observation. The research was carried out on a sample of seven Balkan countries and their surrounding areas. An initial qualitative analysis was followed by a quantitative analysis based on a combination of statistical methods and soft computing. Six indicators were selected for the analysis covering a period of 30 years (1990–2020). Results: A significant obstacle to the green transition and the region's transition to a circular economy and carbon neutrality is energy efficiency and energy related pollution—the reliance of most countries on coal-fired thermal power plants for electricity generation. The research results showed the following: (a) the degree of economic development and membership in the European Union are not significantly related to the level of energy efficiency; (b) most of the sampled countries are in the initial stages of introducing activities to achieve carbon neutrality; and (c) only Slovenia has documented consistent indicators and evident advancements in its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. Based on the research findings, proposals for improvements were made in the direction of policymaking and in a methodological sense. Conclusions: The implementation of circularity and carbon neutrality as a long-term goal of the European Union is not necessarily related to the level of economic development, nor can its trajectory be exclusively ascertained by means of data processing and monitoring. A more precise understanding of a carbon-neutral future can be achieved through the incorporation of qualitative data to a greater extent, a realistic evaluation of historical facts and their repercussions, as well as projections of the effects that reality and global developments after 2022 will have on each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Republic of Serbia (RS) is strategically oriented towards sustainable development, but the implementation thereof faces different limitations and problems. RS emits substantial pollution caused by fossil fuels, and pollution from agricultural sector characterized by inefficient use of energy and intensive use of fertilizers. Bearing in mind the significant agricultural capacities and the orientation towards rural development, a special green transformation must be implemented in this domain. Taking into account the specificities and tradition, the introduction of the circularity concept can be considered the most acceptable. Research on readiness for transition to circularity in RS rural areas has not been conducted; therefore, the goal of the paper is to develop a concept for assessing the capacity of rural areas for circularity. This study is the first scientific proposal that aims to provide input for policymakers, thus contributing to the creation of a new identity of RS, whose development is based on the principles of sustainability. Methods: The study was conducted as conceptual research, with the objective of examining an undiscovered phenomenon without empirical evidence and incorporating the targeted phenomenon into a conceptual framework, while providing a proposal for a solution model based on an interdisciplinary approach—the application of qualitative and quantitative methods (aggregation of composite indicators and Delphi method). Results: Paper results can be summarized as follows: (a) qualitative analysis of policy framework related to RS transition towards circularity (which shows that regulation is insufficient or non-existent, so conceptual research at this stage is necessary and only possible); (b) research questionnaire; (c) original set of indicators for measuring capacity for circularity (derived from the questionnaire); (d) concept of index of capacity of agriculture and rural areas for circularity (based on a set of indicators); and (e) concept of the monitoring of circularity implementation. Conclusions: The main research findings presented in this paper could be beneficial for countries at early stages of introducing circularity, having both low and high agricultural potential. With slight modifications, they can also be applied to other economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this paper is to reconsider the necessity for the green transition and the key preconditions for the implementation of a circular economy in Western Balkan countries. With the objective of the research in mind, the method of analysis and synthesis was applied to determine (1) regulatory and institutional prerequisites for the green transition; (2) the need for the Western Balkan countries to redefine the model of sustainable economic growth towards the green transition; (3) the development opportunities for recovery defined in the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans; and (4) the possibility of implementing the circular economy in the Western Balkans. Main text: The main findings of the research indicate that: (1) the countries of the Western Balkan region, following the example of the EU, should define a national strategic approach to the green transition with an accompanying action plan and regulatory framework; (2) the biggest challenge of the green transition is the reform of the energy sector and the restructuring of the energy-intensive economy; (3) the countries have untapped potential in renewable energy sources and report the improvement of energy efficiency; (4) the circular economy can boost the green transition, because the countries of the region have a five-time lower value of resource productivity than the average of the EU, while the generation of waste (excluding major mineral wastes) per GDP unit is lower compared to the EU; (5) cross-sectoral governance should be more coordinated. Conclusions: The green transition might be a development opportunity for the Western Balkans, which should enable sustainable economic growth as well as energy security and environmental protection. However, the implementation of the Green Agenda is not easy, because the region faces the problem of underdeveloped regulatory and institutional capacities that might provide not only the base for long-term planning but also financial resources for the efficient implementation of projects. In addition, it is essential to understand the principles of the Green Agenda and the interaction of all activities that should enable the achievement of defined goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The urgency to pursue sustainable consumption or use energy in a manner that does not negatively impact the environment has become an important theme in recent times. As a major fluctuation in the atmosphere, climate change will be one of the major challenges faced by youth. As a result, there have been a growing number of young South Africans advocating for environmental justice. Surprisingly, their effort has not yielded the expected result as the country continues to emit a high amount of greenhouse gases. The notion of youth may be construed as those between the ages of 15 and 24. The age bracket suggests that the adult lives of this population will be shaped by environmental crises such as famines, vector-borne diseases, and hikes in commodity prices which may impinge on their basic rights to life, health, and property. This development triggers an ancient discourse, what role can youth play towards decarbonization? In other words, which effective avenue could be used by young people for capping emissions? Methods: An analysis of South Africa's energy policy documents relevant to sustainability was conducted through the application of desktop research. We use (inter)national instruments and jurisprudence to understand how a state structure, like the judiciary, could nudge the executive to cap rising green gas emissions. South Africa is used as a case study because of its over-reliance on coal for electricity, and how young people could use the existing legal framework to cap rising emissions. Drawing from existing literature, the paper interrogates the lack of activism around climate litigation and under what conditions this pattern could be reversed in South Africa. Results: The paper found that while litigation has an important role to play in mitigating climate change, it ought to be complemented with other forms of advocacy. Conclusions: The study concludes that given the government's perceived slow steps towards shifting from coal to renewables, youth (who will bear the brunt of high emissions) ought to use both courtrooms and advocacy to trigger political action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy–environment–growth nexus has been examined for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, mainly using time series data. However, the important role of renewable energy and population has largely been ignored in previous studies. As such, this study is conducted to investigate a causal link between renewable energy usage, population, carbon dioxide emissions, and economic growth. In addition, a relatively new and advanced panel vector autoregressive model and the Granger non-causality test for heterogeneous panels are utilized with a sample of seven ASEAN countries for almost three decades since 1990. Key findings from this paper are as follows. First, renewable energy usage responds to population growth and leads to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Second, economic growth and renewable energy usage explain a substantial proportion of the change in energy consumption. Third, a bidirectional Granger causality does exist in each pair among energy consumption, economic growth and CO2 emissions. We argue that moderating population growth and extending renewable energy usage are vital to achieving sustainable economic growth in the ASEAN region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The European Commission (EC), based on the European Green Deal (2019) and the Recovery plan for Europe (2021), envisages investing 30% of the budget in climate-related programs, projects, and initiatives, which clearly shows Europe's commitment to becoming the first climate-neutral region by 2050. Activities are also planned for countries that are not members of the European Union (EU), which require complex changes in the field of legislation, strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring. To successfully plan short-term and long-term activities on these grounds, it is necessary to have a realistic picture of the state of climate change in each country—as they spill over into the entire region of Europe. The main objective of this paper is to answer the following questions: (i) is climate change observed in Western Balkans? (ii) how are certain sectors vulnerable to climate change in Western Balkans? (iii) what are the climate change adaptation strategies in the six countries of the Western Balkans? The answers to these questions can help in planning activities and initial alignment of Western Balkan countries with the EU plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Main body: The main results of the research show that in all countries of the region, the average annual temperature increased by 1.2 °C compared to 1970, with stabilization and the beginning of the decline which can be expected around 2040. The main reasons for climate change in the region are: industry, energy, and heating sector based on coal exploitation, low energy efficiency, etc. Conclusions: It can be concluded that Croatia as a member of the EU has adopted, and other five Western Balkans countries are in the process of adopting the necessary regulations and strategies towards climate change mitigation, but the implementation of specific activities is at a low level. The reason for this most often lies in the insufficient commitment of decision-makers to make significant changes in the field of climate change transition (lower level of economic development, lack of investment, and preservation of social peace). Finally, this paper provides an overview of climate change by country, scenario analysis, and policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Active citizen participation, especially as collective prosumers in energy communities or as individual prosumers, is vital for a sustainable energy transition. As such, it is explicitly supported by European Union policy. It is the aim of policy-makers that a large proportion of the residential energy demand will be met in this way. At present, there is limited analysis on the macroeconomic impacts of such an increase in prosumers. In this study, we develop and apply an approach for assessing the macroeconomic impacts of transformation pathways, which depict potential developments of individual and collective prosumers. Results: The paper methodologically demonstrates how to macroeconomically assess scenarios and transformation pathways originating from cross-impact balance analyses by means of an input–output analysis. In particular, it is shown how qualitative data on future developments can be transformed into financial flows so as to enable an input–output analysis. Based on the assessment of two transformation pathways, our main findings suggest that there might be positive regional and national effects on net value added and employment as well as reductions in CO2 emissions. We find that the scale of the effects strongly depends on the spatial distribution of heterogeneous households and the underlying economic structure. Conclusions: Our study represents a methodological advancement by showing how scenarios and transformation pathways can be assessed in terms of their macroeconomic consequences. This study shows that energy communities and individual prosumers might generate positive effects on value added and on employment. Given that households fix their energy supply options for decades, political decisions to support the energy transition in the residential sector should be taken as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the increasing concerns on the energy shortage and carbon emission issues worldwide, sustainable energy recovery from thermal processes is consistently attracting extensive attention. Nowadays, a significant amount of usable thermal energy is wasted and not recovered worldwide every year. Meanwhile, discharging the wasted thermal energy often causes environmental hazards. Significant social and ecological impacts will be achieved if waste thermal energy can be effectively harnessed and reused. Hence, this study aims to provide a comprehensive review on the sustainable energy recovery from thermal processes, contributing to achieving energy security, environmental sustainability, and a low-carbon future. Main text: To better understand the development of waste thermal energy utilization, this paper reviews the sustainable thermal energy sources and current waste energy recovery technologies, considering both waste heat and cold energy. The main waste heat sources are prime movers, renewable heat energy, and various industrial activities. Different waste heat recovery technologies to produce electricity, heating, and cooling are analyzed based on the types and temperatures of the waste heat sources. The typical purposes for waste heat energy utilization are power generation, spacing cooling, domestic heating, dehumidification, and heat storage. In addition, the performance of different waste heat recovery systems in multigeneration systems is introduced. The cold energy from the liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification process is one of the main waste cold sources. The popular LNG cold energy recovery strategies are power generation, combined cooling and power, air separation, cryogenic CO2 capture, and cold warehouse. Furthermore, the existing challenges on the waste thermal energy utilization technologies are analyzed. Finally, potential prospects are discussed to provide greater insights for future works on waste thermal energy utilization. Conclusions: Novel heat utilization materials and advanced heat recovery cycles are the key factors for the development of waste high-temperature energy utilization. Integrated systems with multiply products show significant application potential in waste thermal energy recovery. In addition, thermal energy storage and transportation are essential for the utilization of harnessed waste heat energy. In contrast, the low recovery rate, low utilization efficiency, and inadequate assessment are the main obstacles for the waste cold energy recovery systems. Highlights: Industrial waste heat supply technologies and their exhaust features are reviewed. Waste thermal heat recovery technologies are summarized and reviewed. Thermal cold energy recovery technologies are summarized and reviewed. Challenges and prospects of sustainable energy recovery are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Energy consumption is inextricably linked with the economy and the environment. The interlinkages are particularly important in low-income countries such as Ethiopia where biomass fuels account for more than 85% of the total energy consumed. This paper aims to assess the energy and economic values, and environmental emissions of solid biomass fuels in Ethiopia. Methods: The study considered four common solid biomass fuels (firewood, charcoal, crop residues, and cattle dung) in Ethiopia. The amount of biomass fuels during the Ethiopian fiscal year 2015/2016 was compiled from various data sources. Prices, net calorific values, and emission factors per mass of fuels were then used to calculate the economic, energy, and emission values of the solid biomass fuels. Results: The study showed that, in 2015/2016, the consumption of the four solid biomass fuels contributed between 33,327 and 44,547 ktoe to the total energy consumption with an estimated economic value of 4.4–7.7% of the GDP at current market prices. The stationary combustion of the biomass fuels could result in 165–219 Mt of CO2eq emissions, whereas the fuelwood consumption could potentially impinge on the size or quality of 730 thousand ha of forest, woodlands, and shrublands. Conclusions: The results suggest that the country should scale-up its policy measures aimed at increasing households' access to modern energy sources and energy-efficient cooking stoves while at the same time strengthening its afforestation and reforestation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concentration of knowledge work in cities generates innovations entailing economic development. This paper addresses the challenge of turning around the present trend of urban sprawl toward the concentrated knowledge work in cities. The assumption is that dislocation of office and residential housing entailing longer commuting mileage is the main cause of urban sprawl. Methods: The life cycle costs method is used for comparison of office systems. The present offices system is compared to the concentrated mega offices system outside cities, as well as the local and home offices within cities. The life cycle costs are assessed with statistical data on space, materials and energy, and information services. These are the main resources of the offices systems given labor and capital. Results: Commuting costs about 22% of the annual average wage and causes congestion, fragmentation of districts, health risks and pollution. These high costs can be reduced by changes in the office systems. The present office system with commuting adds 40% to the average labor costs. The innovative office systems reduce these costs by 15 to 28% of the present offices. Sensitivity analyses underpin the findings for nearly all urban conditions. The local office systems are particularly cost-effective. The local office system can also save nearly 78% energy and reduce 74% CO emission of the present offices along with less space use. Congestion, as well as fragmentation of communities and nature caused by commuting can be avoided. Conclusions: Some project developers invest in the distributed offices. Policies encourage such investments if they reallocate funds from infrastructure into refurbishing of the available housing and internalize the external effects of land use in the costs of real estate development. These policies increase smartness of cities, reduce energy use, and improve living qualities in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There have been numerous research papers focusing on improving energy consumption and energy behaviour in domestic and residential contexts. However, workplaces and especially industry settings have gained less attention in scientific literature, even though the industry sector is one of the largest energy consumers in the world. This article introduces a methodological framework that utilizes the energy culture concept, to support understanding the factors that influence energy culture at business industry companies. Methods: Building on the concept of energy culture, we introduce an interdisciplinary method, which assesses organizations' energy culture from different perspectives and recognizes the possibilities for sustainability transitions. To validate this method, the developed energy culture survey has been verified by 27 expert participants from different industry-related companies located in Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany France, and Austria. Results: Our analysis highlights the need to consider diverse, interdisciplinary aspects to create a successful method for enhancing energy culture in the industrial sector. This will take into consideration human aspects, related to cognitive norms, beliefs, and aspirations, as well as to human interaction with the material world. Conclusions: Industrial energy cultures context differs from domestic and residential contexts, and the knowledge from one context cannot be transferred to another context as such. Based on investigated studies undertaken for residential, office, and other sectors and the lessons learned, we developed a systematic method for energy culture understanding in industries. Energy managers may use it, as well as other individuals involved in energy culture issues in the industrial business sector, to evaluate the state of energy culture and engage employees towards new energy-related practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, most of the world's population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services. To effectively design policies for urban sustainability, it is important to understand the trends of flows in energy and materials as they enter and leave a city. This knowledge is essential for determining the key elements characterizing future urban growth and addressing future supply challenges. Methods: This paper presents an analysis of the energy and material flows in the city of Bogotá over the time span from 2001 to 2017. Urban flows are also characterized in terms of their temporal evolution with respect to population growth to compare and identify the changes in the main input flows, wealth production, emissions and waste in the city. Results: The results of the analysis are then compared with those for other selected large urban agglomerations in Latin America and worldwide to highlight similarities and make inferences. The results show that in Bogotá, there was a decrease in some of the material flows, such as the consumption of water and the generation of discharge, in recent years, while there was an increase in the consumption of energy and cement and in the production of CO2 emissions and construction materials. Solid waste production remained relatively stable. With respect to the other large cities considered, we observe that the 10-year growth rates of the flows with respect to population growth are lower in Bogotá, particularly when compared with the other urban agglomerations in Latin America. Conclusions: The findings of this study are important for advancing characterizations of the trends of material and energy flows in cities, and they contribute to the establishment of a benchmark that allows for the definition and evaluation of the different impacts of public policy while promoting the sustainability of Bogotá in the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In China, traditional energy planning is subordinate to city planning, with a primary purpose of meeting the energy demand in urban areas by planning and designing an energy system. However, most of the current energy planning in China pertains to a low-efficient system and proves to be unfriendly to the environment, which is no longer appropriate for the future development of modern industrial parks and cities. Methods: A combined cooling, heating, gas and power energy network with distributed cogeneration units and renewable energy sources provides an effective solution to the related problems. In this paper, a new energy planning method for the Eco-City is proposed, which is based on a Distributed Energy Network (DEN) system. The designed method of a four-stage energy integration mode is implemented, which includes prediction of the energy demand, optimization of the energy utilization, matching of the energy supply and the recovery side. Based on the planning and designing of the DEN, the technical and economic analysis draw reasonable results. Results: As implemented in the practical case of the Sino-German Eco-Park, the procedure of the proposed energy planning method is comprehensively explained. Finally, by reviewing the planning, design and operation, the current state and problems of the Sino-German Eco-Park are described. Conclusions: A new energy design for Eco-Parks is developed as a result of a thorough analysis of the planning process, which integrates city planning and energy planning together and provides energy solutions for high-level cities and industrial parks. The four-stage integrated energy model provides a guideline for the entire process and its detailed steps. Relevant experiences and lessons from the energy planning of the Sino-German Eco-Park are of significance for supporting similar projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of traditional energy sources such as wood, animal dung and agricultural residue by households has been in practice since time immemorial. This has however been identified as a cause of environmental problems such as excessive deforestation and the cause of the premature death of about 4.3 million people yearly; it caused the death of about 396,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa, where Nigeria is located, in 2002. It was also responsible for 2.7 % of the global burden of disease in that year. The reasons for fuel choice are different for different locations. This paper presents the results of a study in the factors affecting the cooking energy choice of households in Bauchi metropolis, North-east Nigeria. The aim of the study was to provide site-specific information that will aid the formulation of an effective energy policy which will result in safer and sustainable energy behaviour among households in Bauchi and Nigeria as a nation. The study therefore determined the cooking energy consumption pattern of the household and whether it follows the energy ladder model and also determined the factors that influence cooking energy choice. Methods: Two-step random sampling was used along with a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data. Descriptive statistics, T test and regression analysis were used to analyse the data through the help of Microsoft excel™ and SPSS. Results: The results show that biomass fuel is still being used heavily while the use of LPG has improved. Electricity and solar energy are only used by households as secondary cooking energy. The fuel use pattern is characterized by multiple fuel use, conforming more to the fuel stacking hypothesis than energy ladder hypothesis. Change in household size, dwelling ownership status, change of season, income, level of education, dwelling location, availability and affordability are the factors that were found to influence household cooking energy choice. Conclusions: This paper concludes that the heavy use of biomass for cooking in Bauchi metropolis is not environmentally healthy and requires serious attention. The major recommendation of the study is that policies encouraging the availability and use of efficient and environmentally friendly energy sources should be formulated and implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achieving zero-energy targets in residential buildings is challenging due to improper energy design and the selection of energy-related systems. Moreover, the absence of benchmarks for zero-energy residential buildings, along with the scarcity of studies tailored to diverse climates and building characteristics, highlights the urgent need for further research. This study aimed to address these gaps by designing zero-energy buildings to suit diverse climate zones in Jordan, acting as benchmarks to enhance energy efficiency and promote renewable energy use in the residential sector. Methods: Energy simulation tools were employed to design and verify zero-energy systems. The energy use intensity (EUI) results from the IDA ICE tool were compared with the reported targets and OpenStudio tool outcomes, ensuring that deviations among the proposed designs within the same climate zone consistently remained within acceptable limits, averaging 2, 1, and 1 kWh/m2 year in 1B (very hot dry), 2B (hot dry), and 3B (warm dry), respectively. Additionally, an economic evaluation was conducted by comparing the cost estimates of a Jordanian code-compliant house and the most acceptable proposed zero-energy design. Results: The proposed designs exhibited average EUI values of 64.4, 64, and 60 kWh/m2 in diverse climate zones. Outperforming typical Jordanian houses by 56%, 55%, and 60% in 1B, 2B, and 3B, respectively, these designs surpassed national and international benchmarks by at least 35%. Notably, the proposed zero-energy designs achieved substantial cost savings of 1938 USD, equivalent to 11 USD per square meter, throughout the construction phase. Conclusions: Considering Jordan's ambitious energy strategy for 2030 and the significant energy consumption in the residential sector, the proposed zero-energy building designs play a crucial role in advancing the national transition towards zero-energy buildings. This study provides valuable insights by presenting precise designs, benchmarks, and a comprehensive guide tailored to Jordan's distinctive building and climate characteristics with potential applications beyond its immediate context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is a crucial issue in the cassava starch processing industry. In this study, the integrated system combining livestock, cassava cultivation and cassava production in the same area leads to both a zero emission goal and economic efficiency, a typical example of an effective agro-industrial symbiosis. A heat exchange/recovery system was applied including the economizer, heat exchanger tank, biogas tank, and boiler. The economizer attached to the boiler's chimney transfers heat from exhaust gases for pre-heating feed water entering the boiler. The biogas tank recovers energy from the wastewater of starch production and livestock, and the generated biogas was used as fuel for the boiler. Results: The energy and exergy efficiency, energy losses, and exergy destruction for the heat recovery system were analyzed. The specific energy consumption was used to evaluate the overall energy efficiency for a cassava starch factory with a capacity of 20 tons/day. The results show that there is a high potential to recycle waste into energy in the cassava starch industry. The total energy saving and reduced greenhouse gas emissions per year of the cassava starch factory were 0.054%/year and 123,564 kgCO2/per year, respectively. Conclusions: Cassava starch factories can save energy and reduce emissions when applying a heat recovery system in the integrated agro-industrial system. Excess heat from the production was used for evaporating (removal of) NH3 in wastewater flow from the biogas tank, and for heating the biogas system to enhance the efficiency of methane production. A biochar filter was attached to the economizer for adsorption of released ammonium, and the biochar after adsorption was combined with sludge from the biogas tank to produce a solid biofertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Energy landscapes; Germany's "Energiewende"; Renewable energy sources (RES); Sustainable development; Transition of energy systems EN Energy landscapes Germany's "Energiewende" Renewable energy sources (RES) Sustainable development Transition of energy systems 1 3 3 12/24/20 20201222 NES 201222 The transition of energy systems toward renewable energy sources (RES) is a key issue for sustainable development. Thus, new energy landscapes will emerge changing energy provision from "energy for space" to "energy from space". Energy landscapes, Germany's "Energiewende", Renewable energy sources (RES), Sustainable development, Transition of energy systems. [Extracted from the article]

Background: An increasing production of renewable energy requires planning strategies that are able to coordinate the higher-level energy goals with local-level land use interests. While the spatial scope of energy objectives is usually set up on a federal state or national scale, decisions to allocate and implement renewable energy sites are often taken on a municipal scale. This leads to a lack of regional coordination, as the task to achieve a balanced regional energy demand and renewable energy production cannot be solved by individual municipalities alone and calls for cooperation on a regional level. This paper focuses on a recently applied method to support decisions that are committed to empowering the production of renewable energy on a regional scale. In addition, it reflects the generic use of this method, which should be manageable and repeatable under the conditions of an input of only a few quantitative data. At the same time, it addresses the question of how planning decisions, both in spatial and energy planning, may be empowered. Methods: The research team applied a cardboard games approach that required several steps of analysis. First, energy data and spatial attributes of different renewable energy sources were collected from reference projects and the literature. The end product was a catalogue of renewable energy generators, which also included the estimated energy output (kWh/a) and land consumption (m) per source. A measuring unit of m/kWh/a was developed that represented an inverse value for the consumption of heat (kWh/m/a). Second, the current and future (2030) energy demand of the Austrian region of Vorderland-Feldkirch was estimated for this the pilot study area to which the cardboard games method should be applied, which resulted in two energy demand scenarios for 2030-a 'business-as-usual' and an 'optimum' scenario. The two scenarios were then related to the current renewable energy goal of the federal state (Vorarlberg) in order to calculate the required share of renewable energy for both the year 2030 and the chosen pilot study area. As a third step, a scenario-building workshop was organized for regional stakeholders and experts in energy planning. About 30 people joined the workshop. There were different backgrounds among the workshop participants: local experts and mayors, researchers from the project itself, and energy and planning experts from Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The three workshop groups had to develop spatial scenarios for Vorderland-Feldkirch to reach the required share of renewable energy. And as a final step, the resulting strategies derived from the workshop scenarios were evaluated by using a GIS analysis. Results: The cardboard games method produced interesting spatial strategies for achieving an equivalent between energy demand and renewable energy production. The main advantage of the method is that it produces quick results and creates awareness of the land consumption of renewable energy. Furthermore, the cardboard games method worked as a participatory approach to simulating a decision-making process in regional (energy) planning. Conclusions: The estimated energy scenario (2015-2030) is based on several factors that are unfortunately greatly simplified and/or difficult to verify-where the latter is mainly caused by an almost total lack of useable data. On the other hand, the simplification represents the strength of the method bundle, as it ensures a 'generic' quality as well as repeatability of the workflow of standard planning situations for many regions, which is also an important part of the research module profile. Still, an in-depth GIS pre-assessment would further enhance and refine the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policymakers are tasked with both driving the rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies and, additionally channelling the limited national potential of biomass into areas where it can provide the greatest benefit to the energy system. But do current policy instruments promote the use of biomass in these areas? As biomass is limited, its use must be sustainable without leading to further biodiversity loss or depleting forest or soil resources. In this study, short-term energy scenarios are generated using the BenOpt model, which take into account both current and alternative policy instruments under limited biomass utilisation. The results are compared with long-term, cost-optimal energy scenarios for the use of biomass. Results: The analysis reveals that the instrument of a GHG quota does not promote the use of biofuels in hard-to-electrify areas of the transport sector, where they should be cost-optimally allocated according to long-term energy scenarios. Biofuels are promoted for use in passenger road transport and not in the shipping or aviation sector. In contrast, alternative policy scenarios indicate that the sole instrument of a high CO2 price is more conducive to direct electrification and could displace more fossil fuels by 2030 than the GHG quota alone. This instrument also promotes the optimal use of biogas plants in the power sector in accordance with long-term cost-optimal developments. Conclusions: The instrument of a GHG quota might lead to counterproductive developments in passenger road transport, but it also helps to ramp up the biofuel capacities required in shipping and aviation in the long term. However, it does not provide the necessary incentives for the ramp-up of battery electric vehicles, which would be the cost optimal solution in passenger road transport according to the long-term scenarios. Even though alternative policy scenarios show that the sole instrument of a high CO2-price is more conducive to direct electrification, a high CO2 price alone is not enough (e.g. in the heat sector) to promote the efficient use of biomass instead of simply covering the base load demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study draws motivation from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and explores the nexus between access to modern cooking energy sources, responsible energy consumption, climate change mitigation, and economic growth. Using 2018 demographic and health survey data, the study examines the influence of key socioeconomic and demographic factors on household choice of cooking energy in Nigeria. Results: The empirical results show that traditional energy sources are dominant among Nigerian households (74.24%) compared to modern energy sources (25.76%). Regarding energy demographics, male-headed households show more usage of modern energy sources (19.86%) compared to female-headed households (5.90%). Regional analysis reveals that the northwest region predominantly uses traditional energy sources (18.60% of the share of total traditional energy sources), while the southwest region shows the greatest usage of modern energy sources (10.52% of the share of total modern energy sources). Binary logistic regression analysis reveals the positive and statistically significant influence of wealth index, education, and geopolitical region on the likelihood of utilizing modern energy sources. Conversely, household size and place of residence indicate an inverse relationship with the likelihood of adopting modern energy sources. Conclusions: These findings have important policy implications for energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and improving the quality of life in Nigeria, which is currently plagued with significant energy poverty, especially in rural communities. Highlights: Examination of household energy utilization in Nigeria. We found that traditional energy utilization is accounted for by 74.24% of households. Clean energy source is accounted for by 25.76% of the household. 19.86% and 60.86% of male-headed households utilize clean and traditional energy, respectively. 5.90% and 13.38% of female-headed households utilize clean and traditional energy, respectively. 18.60% and 7.14% of Northwestern region and Southwest region has the highest traditional and cleaner energy sources, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Tanzania, firewood, charcoal, and agricultural waste play a crucial role in daily life as sources of cooking energy, especially in rural areas. Using these energy sources contributes to deforestation and the emission of harmful substances, leading to health problems. This study highlights the potential of faecal sludge briquettes as an innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources to meet the increasing demand for cooking energy in Tanzania. The process involved sludge characterization, drying, sorting, carbonization, milling, briquette making, and characterization. Results: A study was conducted to assess the presence of zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in faecal sludge collected from households. The results indicates that the levels of these metals were all within the acceptable limits set by the Tanzanian Standards (TZS) for sludge disposal and use in the environment, which are 5.00 mg/L, 5.00 mg/L, and 30.00 mg/L, respectively. Septic tanks and pit latrines sludge had a concentration of 0.5 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L for Zn, 0.55 mg/L, and 0.6 mg/L for Cd, and 10.01 mg/L and 4.87 mg/L for Pb, respectively. Adding 75% charcoal dust improved the gross and net heating values from 10.47 and 10.16 to 19.29 and 18.86 MJ/kg, respectively. Similarly, adding 50% charcoal dust improved the gross and net heating values to 19.24 and 18.78 MJ/kg. The emission of particulate matter (micrograms/m3) was reduced from 30.4 and 35 to 10.3 and 11.8 for PM2.5 and 7 and 8 for PM10, while carbon monoxide emission decreased from 51.2 to 19.7 ppm. Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that briquettes made of carbonized faecal sludge mixed with other biomass materials could offer an alternative to traditional solid fuels, with the added benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and longer burning times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Injera is food consumed daily by Ethiopians like bread and rice in other parts of the world. Biomass stoves are used to bake Injera in most rural households. The unsustainable use of fuelwood causes deforestation. Improved cook stoves such as Mirt (name in local language) were introduced to replace traditional stoves and save fuel wood. This study presents a performance comparison of three newly developed prototype biomass stoves with traditional and Mirt stoves. The prototype stoves were made with a clay pan (designated MUC: Mekelle University prototype with clay pan), with a glass pan (MUG) and with an aluminum pan (MUA). Controlled cooking tests were conducted for each type of stove to determine the thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption. Results: The thermal efficiencies of the traditional, Mirt, MUC, MUA and MUG stoves were found to be 14%, 17%, 21%, 29% and 32%, respectively. Similarly, the percentage fuel wood savings by Mirt, MUC, MUA and MUG compared to the traditional stove were 32%, 48%, 64% and 67%, respectively. The results indicate that the prototype stoves had significantly better performance compared to the traditional and Mirt stoves. Conclusion: The prototype stoves have the potential to reduce fuel wood consumption by more than half of that currently consumed employing traditional stoves. In addition to the economic benefit of saving fuel wood, the improved stoves will have significant environmental implication. Based on the fuel saving figures, it is estimated that 0.4, 0.5 and 0.52 tons/year of fuel wood may be saved per household adopting MUC, MUA and MUG stoves, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The need for greenhouse gas abatement measures grows as climate change threatens life on earth. Negative emission technologies, such as carbon capture and utilization (CCU), can reduce emissions from the transport sector, particularly aviation. However, the lack of support and low public acceptance can impact the successful introduction of new technologies. This study analyzes the factors that influence acceptance of the single production steps (capture, purification, conversion, and transport of CO2) of production of CO2-based jet fuels to identify acceptance hot spots and potential roll-out barriers. Results: In a quantitative survey with n = 543 German respondents, we find that transport of CO2 in comparison with capture, purification, and conversion of CO2 into hydrocarbons is perceived as less acceptable, efficient, and useful, more expensive as well as damaging for the environment and health. Furthermore, product-step specific risk perceptions, as well as benefit and barrier perceptions for CCU mainly predict people's attitude towards the four production steps. A cluster-analysis revealed two groups, "Approvers" and "Sceptics", which were characterized by distinctive perception profiles. Further analysis showed that sustainability (e.g., use of renewable energy) and efficiency (e.g., carbon removal and resource use) were of greater importance to Approvers. Conclusions: The study's results suggest the need for further research and information provision to enhance public understanding of the technology and its role as a part of circular economy approaches. Risk perceptions play a central role in determining attitudes towards CCU, which should be considered in future studies and communication strategies. The findings can inform policymakers, industry stakeholders, and communication experts working to promote sustainable aviation fuel technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Highly carbonized energy use in ecologically fragile areas of Northwest China seriously endangers the health of residents and the ecological environment. However, poor energy affordability remains a major obstacle to the promotion of clean energy use in rural households in this region. Methods: Based on survey data of 1118 households in ecologically fragile areas of Northwest China, this study constructed a household-level database of energy use, measured energy affordability in two dimensions: endogenous income (annual per capita household income) and external inputs (government energy subsidies). It uses logistic and threshold regression to empirically test the impact, threshold, and heterogeneity of energy affordability on the decision-making of rural households regarding clean energy use for cooking, heating, and heating water. Results: (1) The energy use structures of rural households in different ecologically fragile areas differ because of different household characteristics. (2) Energy affordability affects cooking significantly more than it affects heating and subsidy growth is a stronger incentive than income growth. Moreover, for both cooking and heating, energy affordability has a greater impact on electricity use than on gas use. (3) The thresholds for energy transformation for heating are greater than those for cooking and heating water. When the subsidy increases by 2400 yuan/year, heating can catch up to other types of use, whereas, based on the current level of income growth, it requires more than 5 years. (4) This effect is higher in high-income, purely agricultural, highly educated, young, and middle-aged households. Conclusions: Promoting the use of clean energy in rural households only by increasing income will be a slow process. Subsidies should be used to accelerate this process by improving the energy affordability of rural households and a compensation policy should be implemented considering the energy types and periods. Taking into account the differences in the basic characteristics of rural households in different ecologically fragile areas, clean energy policies should be adopted from various perspectives to better leverage the enhancement effect of energy affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition towards a more sustainable energy system is urgent for addressing global environmental and social challenges, and will require transformative changes including improved energy efficiency in the built environment. To reach identified efficiency potentials, various policy instruments have been introduced but their effects are often unclear. In this paper, we argue that the outline of transformative policy strategies will require well-designed evaluations. The objective is to present a theory-based evaluation framework that can be used to assess existing evaluations, in order to support transformative policy strategies. The framework is also applied to provide insights from current Swedish evaluation practices. Methods: The theory-based evaluation framework presented builds on evaluation theory, policy analysis and transition research and is arranged around methods, value judgements and use of the evaluations. Moreover, key aspects from transition research are included to provide guidance for transformative efforts in the evaluations. The systematic review presented in the paper is qualitative, covering 33 policy evaluations for energy efficiency in buildings in Sweden, commissioned by Swedish governmental authorities over a decade. Results: The results of the review reveal a wide range of evaluations undertaken, using a sound methodological evaluation base that builds on a variety of methods for analysis, and application of multi-criteria analyses. Commonly, however, a rather narrow scope was applied and we note a missed opportunity for triangulation of findings. Key aspects for capturing transformative efforts, such as system-, scale- and multi-actor approaches, as well as visioning, experimentation and learning, were considered to varying extents, but could be more explicit and elaborate. Conclusion: In all, we find the proposed theory-based evaluation framework useful for assessing and discussing both robustness and transformative efforts of current policy and evaluation practices. The review of the Swedish policy evaluations further indicates sound evaluation practices, and a foundational structure for identifying and analysing transformative efforts. To fully support transformative changes, we suggest a wider system perspective and a more thorough multi-actor approach and actor involvement in the evaluations. We also stress the need to further link evaluation theory with transition research to design evaluations that can support transformative changes in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the past two centuries, energy consumption per capita has significantly increased. At the same time the fundamentals of energy provision have continuously developed towards fossil energy sources. This extended use of finite, unequally distributed and emission-intensive energy sources poses a challenge to both the energy, the climate and therefore the socio-ecological systems. Consequently, solutions are needed to reduce the fossil energy demand while fulfilling our daily energy services. District heating systems powered by renewable energy can contribute to this societal mission. Methods: This paper presents the co called Eco.District.Heat-kit, a novel planning model supporting future decision-making processes regarding grid-bound heating. The interdisciplinary approach assesses the feasibility of district heating systems at different locations from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. Given the lack of quick and simple planning tools in this field, the Eco.District.Heat-kit provides a time-efficient pre-evaluation on the basis of widely available input data. Results: The decision support model rates district heating networks regarding the thematic areas of (1) integrated spatial and energy planning (2) costs, (3) resources, and (4) environment and climate. In addition, it involves a long-term planning horizon by including spatial development and climate scenarios until 2050. Finally, the Eco.District.Heat-kit identifies parameters both positively and negatively influencing the overall rating. This enables end-users to sort out non-optimal configurations before entering a more detailed planning stage. Conclusions: Due to the straightforward methodological approach and the focus on basic parameters of district heating system planning, the Eco.District.Heat-kit supports energy suppliers, urban-planners and decision-makers at the beginning of planning processes. In order to increase both transparency and applicability of the model, its functionality and input parameters are disclosed within this paper, enabling the recreation and adaptation towards user-specific needs and local situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alternative fuels made from biomass or CO2 and water using renewable energy can reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions compared to fossil-based mobility and thus support a transition to a more sustainable transport. The adoption of alternative fuels in transport will ultimately depend on public acceptance and drivers' willingness to use them. Little is known if and under which circumstances people would accept alternative fuels and which narratives and cognitive beliefs might underlie these usage intentions. Moreover, it is unclear if and how laypeople distinguish between different alternative fuel types in their perceptions, e.g., between fuels made from biomass (biofuels) and fuels produced using electricity (e-fuels). To address the research gap, this study empirically investigated laypeople's beliefs and expectations towards alternative fuels and preferences for different fuel types. Understanding preferences for fuel types could help in steering public information, support managerial decisions and communication pathways, and promote the roll-out process of fuel innovations. Results: Laypeople expected alternative fuels to be made using renewable feedstocks and to not contain gasoline or diesel. Whereas alternative fuels were believed to have advantages concerning environmental and toxic effects and safety compared to diesel and gasoline, they were associated with practical disadvantages for drivers. It was shown that although e-fuels and biofuels both fall under the definition of "alternative fuels", laypeople distinguish between them in evaluations of safety, costs, and resource competitiveness: E-fuels were preferred over biofuels and believed to have a lower competition for resources than biofuels. They were also evaluated to be more expensive and comparably less safe to use. Moreover, different adopter groups were identified for both fuels. Conclusions: The study has highlighted both adoption drivers and barriers for alternative fuels: Reduced environmental impact could be an important positive factor. In contrast, drawbacks feared by laypeople regarding a low range and an expensive fuel price could be barriers for alternative fuel adoption because they reflect current technical challenges for these fuels. Thus, a more cost-efficient production and higher fuel efficiency should be considered in an acceptance-optimized alternative fuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The need to balance renewable energy supply with biodiversity conservation has become increasingly urgent in light of current climate, energy, and biodiversity crises. However, the development of wind and solar energy often presents trade-offs such as competing for land use and potentially impacting species and habitats. To address these concerns, 'priority zones' for bird and bat species have been proposed as spatial designations for early species protection in the regional planning process. However, there are concerns that the areas suitable for wind and solar energy may be limited further, making it difficult to meet state- and regional-specific spatial targets for renewable energy sites. Results: To help decision-makers deal with this challenge, a Multi-Criteria Scenario Framework has been developed and analyzed. It involves a habitat model of priority zones for species conservation and techniques from the intuitive logic scenario planning method. Through a regional case study, various planning criteria were analyzed according to scenarios, such as priority zones for species protection, settlement buffers, and forests. The framework indicates how criteria could be balanced to achieve wind energy spatial targets as well as targets for ground-mounted solar energy with the least possible impact. Results show that compared to other planning criteria, species priority zones had limited competition with spatial wind energy targets. Achieving these targets may require minimal adjustments, such as allowing wind energy in 1–3% of completely protected recreational landscapes. To reconcile land use demands in the energy transition, a balance between 'green' protected areas is necessary. Additionally, ground-mounted solar energy could replace some of the wind energy spatial targets while also meeting the overall solar development goals. Conclusions: The framework provides transparency in assessing trade-offs between multiple objectives and helps quantify the 'costs' and 'benefits' in renewable energy planning. Adapting more flexible planning methods could help resolve the conflict between wind energy and species protection. Joint analysis of the areas needed for wind and solar energy and determining the optimal energy mix are gaining in importance. However, how the benefits of multi-criteria scenarios can be achieved within the confines of preoccupied and siloed organizations remains an ongoing research topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Science popularization resources development is an important means to improve public scientific literacy and has a crucial influence on the formation of public consumption habits, patterns and concepts, and ultimately on the energy consumption carbon footprint.Methods: Based on panel data from the provincial regions in China from 2010 to 2014, this paper measures the energy consumption carbon footprint in provincial regions using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods and builds a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to evaluate the levels of science popularization resources development in provincial regions by using the global entropy method. Then, the mechanisms of influence on the energy consumption carbon footprint and the levels of science popularization resources development in the provincial regions of China are analyzed and measured.Results: The results showed that science popularization resources development could significantly lower the energy consumption carbon footprint; from 2010 to 2014, the lowering effect of science popularization resources development on the energy consumption carbon footprint in the major east, middle, and west provincial regions showed a weakening trend, with a greater lowering amplitude in the east than in the middle and west regions and narrowing spatial differences among them; at present, this influence works best in the west region followed by the middle and east regions.Conclusions: The results imply that we should give full attention to science popularization resources development to lower the energy consumption carbon footprint in China. In addition, focus should be given to the west region of China and construction mechanisms for science popularization resources that are built with flexible adoptions of means such as a combination of government guidance and market mechanisms, as well as joint construction by government and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The wind energy industry is an important part of the renewable energy industry. Helpful financial support plays an essential role in the process of its development. This study analyzes the financial support efficiency not only from the aspect of capital raise, but also from the aspect of the allocation of up-, middle- and down-stream of the Chinese wind power industry chain (which includes the fan component manufacturing enterprises, the fan production enterprises, the wind farm generation and operation enterprises). Methods: Based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model, this study selected 30 representative public companies which sampled and extracted their financial data in a panel analysis from 2010 to 2015, in which the financial support efficiency for the Chinese wind power industry was investigated from the aspect of capital raise and allocation. Results: In terms of capital raise, the comprehensive efficiencies of these three streams all reached their peak in 2011, and then indicated a slight decline, whereas the fan component manufacturing enterprises had both the largest pure technical efficiency value in 2011 and a relatively high scale efficiency value during the sampling period. In terms of capital allocation, the fan component manufacturing enterprises and the wind farm generation and operation enterprises indicated both the highest comprehensive efficiency in 2011, which is merely the expansion period of the new energy industry. The wind farm generation and operation enterprises showed the lowest pure technical value in 2012, which is also the depression period of the new energy industry. The scale efficiency of the fan production enterprises as well as the wind energy generation and operation enterprises had a relatively high scale efficiency value from 2010 to 2015. Conclusion: The overall efficiency of financial support in the Chinese wind power industry has a close relationship to the macro-economic environment and capital raise while the allocation efficiency of up-, middle-and down-stream show different characteristics. Moreover, the lag of the core technology is the biggest barrier to the financial support efficiency of the wind power industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transport and mobility contribute a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions, and fossil fuel consumption must be reduced for mobility to meet sustainable development goals. Strengthening public transport is a key element of the required mobility transition, including technological innovation. To address the related institutionalisation processes, we analyse the interplay between technological development and the intensifying mobility transition debate. We focus on the challenges for the roles of public transport professionals, who are essential for the implementation of sustainable mobility measures at the local level. Case selection and methods: We present two cases: First, we address urban ropeways as an incremental option to extend public transport networks. In a series of three expert workshops (23 participants in total), local public transport professionals discussed the potential of urban ropeways, and challenges concerning the related institutional framework. Second, we chose an exploratory approach to understand how public transport professionals engage in the debate on the potentially disruptive role of automated driving in the future of public transport. This included an analysis of strategy documents and experimentation, as well as observations at sectoral events and stakeholder forums. In both cases, we focus on the specific context in Germany, which ensures a coherent institutional framework and a consistent analysis. Results: We found a general openness among public transport professionals to consider the potential of mature urban ropeway technology. However, critical gaps remain in planning instruments and the densely regulated public transport planning regime. Concerning automated driving, a strong technological focus can be observed in the related transport policy debate. At the local level, despite numerous technical tests, there is hardly any discussion of more far-reaching requirements regarding integration of the technology into the mobility system in a way that ensures sustainability-oriented goals are met. Conclusions: Beyond both incremental and potentially disruptive technological drivers, the proactive and targeted design of corresponding institutionalisation processes proves to be a key challenge for achieving a sustainable mobility transition. Institutionalisation and the related roles of public transport professionals must be considered in relation to the mobility transition's substantive goals and the associated political discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity is considered a fundamental service which is highly correlated with sustainable development. Nigeria will serve as a case study that has been experiencing an energy deficit, and severely needs a strong adoption of alternative energy sources. This paper provides a detailed assessment of a grid-connected photovoltaic/wind/biogas hybrid energy system in the northern part of Nigeria using a combined Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER), Microsoft Excel, and Ganzleitliche Bilanz (GaBi) tools. They are based on techno-economic modeling and optimization as well as comparison with the same configuration in its off-grid form. Sensitivity analysis as well as an energy efficiency assessment of the proposed grid-connected system was carried out, followed by a supplementary economic benefit assessment of a system switch over and an evaluation of the impacts of life cycle emissions. A wrap-up reliability assessment based on the utility grid status quo and policy implications was also carried out. The results of the analysis for the grid-connected system showed a 3% increase in the overall energy supply, and a 68% and 85% decrease in net present costs (NPC) and levelized costs of energy (LCOE), respectively, with avoided emissions as compared to its comparable off-grid configuration. Moreover, the energy efficiency (EE) determined for the proposed grid-connected system resulted in a massive reduction in the component sizing, energy supply, and an ultimate 88% and 81% reduction in overall NPC and LCOE, respectively. The sensitivity analysis as well as the other supplementary evaluations indicated clear impacts on the different performance measures. This approach is worthy of adoption coupled with expansions for an effective solution to the energy deficit and its sustainability in the case study country. This could be successfully provided if all the reliability concerns for the utility grid and policy measures are addressed significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study revisits the energy-growth-environment nexus in the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by examining the role of trade openness, financial development, and urbanization. The cross-sectional augmented distributed lag (CS-ARDL) approach is employed to address the presence of slope homoskedasticity and cross-sectional dependence in the data set. Results: Our empirical findings fail to confirm the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the period researched. CO2 emissions have bidirectional causality with income, the share of renewable energy, and the share of nonrenewable energy. Trade openness, financial development, and urbanization play different roles in the energy-growth-environment nexus. Whereas trade openness increases CO2 emissions, financial development reduces consumption of renewable energy. Urbanization plays a limited role in this nexus. Conclusions: These findings lead to some policy implications. The close relationship between economic growth, CO2 emissions, and energy consumption is highlighted, which suggests that a policy targeting one component needs to consider the impacts on the other components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Energy efficiency in buildings must be increased in order to reduce both energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions. This study proposed the replacement of existing diesel boilers with biomass boilers, using four fuels (bulk pellets, wood chip, olive kernel and milled nutshell) to meet the energy demands of educational buildings in the region of Extremadura (Spain). High uncertainty surrounds biomass price prediction affecting the accuracy of economic feasibility analyses; thus, stochastic processes are suitable to support an improvement in the accuracy of predictions. The objective of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility of replacing diesel boilers with biomass boilers in order to revalorize agroforestry residues. Results: A stochastic simulation of the feasibility of replacing oil-fired boilers with biomass-fired boilers was carried out in this research. Up to 20 million possible scenarios of 10 years of fuel price evolution were simulated by Monte Carlo method based on empirical price trends data. Regression models were built to relate Net Present Values with discount rates, whose statistical dependency was significant. Predictions on financial indicators showed biomass fuels as the most profitable investment, rather than fuel oil. Specifically, in this study, milled nutshell was found the most profitable fuel in the simulation runs, with Net Present Value = 27,151.09 € (standard deviation = 7939.88 €) and Internal Rate of Return = 16.9% (standard deviation = 3.4%). Conclusions: Continuing to use oil-fired boilers costs more than the purchase and operation of new biomass-fired boilers, since the latter produce a higher cumulative cash flow than the initial investment within the next years. The payback period lies within the range of 4 to 6 years depending on the type of biomass fuel. Getting on the path to sustainability in education buildings can reduce up to 94.4% GHG emissions. This research contributes to promoting the use of low-emission fuels to meet the energy demand of educational buildings. Its results will have a positive effect in the region of Extremadura (Spain), as it boosts the appreciation of agro-industrial waste and economically strengthens the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing attention and policy debate about the sharing of personal information that the modernization of electricity grids requires. This is particularly important for big data management in smart grids that needs access to data generated and sent through devices such as smart meters. Using the Nordic Countries as a case study, this study investigates the willingness of people to share personal information for energy efficiency. The study builds upon data from the Eurobarometer survey and binary logistic regressions. Results: Nordic countries exhibit a higher willingness to share personal information compared to the rest of the EU countries. However, despite high levels of concern for climate change and other pro-environmental attitudes found overall among Europeans, the willingness to share personal information is not as prevalent and is still mainly shaped by socio-demographic features such as gender and age. Key predictors also included climate change perception and congruence of citizen engagement with environmentally friendly behaviors. Several contextual and market-specific issues framing these findings are discussed (e.g., trust, energy use). Conclusions: Even when high levels of pro-environmental attitudes in certain countries are found, let alone the Nordics, this does not mean people are willing to share personal information that would support pro-environmental energy efficiency behaviors and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Ethiopia, biomass contributes to about 92% of the household fuel consumption. As a result, deforestation rate has alarmingly increased associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land degradation. The concerned government agencies have been widely making concerted efforts to reverse the situation by of promotion of improved cookstoves (ICS). However, the performance of these technologies in terms of saving fuelwood and their contribution to CO2 emission reduction in a real kitchen was not studied systematically. Thus, this research was initiated to address the knowledge gap. Methods: The study was conducted in Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The study households were selected following cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs. A kitchen performance test (KPT) was carried out based on 3 days of repeated fuelwood use measurements to compare the wood-saving performance of ICS in comparison with the traditional cookstove (TCS). The emission reduction potential of both ICS and TCS was calculated based on the Clean Development Mechanism and United Nation's Framework of Convention on Climate Change and presented in CO2 equivalent (CO2e). Results: The result suggests significant differences in total and per capita wood consumption (p < 0.05) between improved and TCS. The use of Mirt and Tikikil compared to the traditional stove has reduced the household wood consumption by 35% and 18%, respectively. Furthermore, ICS stoves also reduced CO2e emission per stove per year by 0.65 and 0.27 tons, respectively. Conclusion: The study deals with the significant contribution that the shift from TCS to the ICS brought in terms of reducing the amount of fuelwood used at household level and the carbon emission per capita. It addresses the crucial roles of such technologies in reducing forest degradation and the associated ecosystem loss. Therefore, policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries at household level should at least start via promotions of ICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Almost 80% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa relies on traditional biomass for cooking, which is typically associated with negative environmental, health, economic, and social impacts. Thus, many stakeholders, including development agencies and national governments in the Global South are promoting the use of the improved cookstove in order to save cooking time, save financial assets, maximize fuel efficiency, and reduce indoor air pollution. However, little attention is paid to the heating practices among households, which can determine food safety levels. Specifically, cooked food should be kept at temperatures above the danger zone (from 5 to 57 °C) prior to its consumption to prevent its contamination by bacteria and other unhealthy contaminants. In general, many studies address food preparation and storage separately, despite being complementary. In this study, we attempt to understand whether, the use of improved cookstove combined with heat retention box would result in improvements with regard to fuel and time saving, and adequate food storage temperatures. Furthermore, we examine the acceptability of food prepared with these two systems based on consumers' preference analysis. Involving 122 participants, the study was conducted in Gurué district, central Mozambique. Results: The use of improved cookstove resulted in energy savings of 9% and 17% for cooking maize porridge and beans curry, respectively. The overall time consumption for cooking decreased by 14% (beans curry) and 24% (maize porridge). The use of heat retention boxes shows a better heat retention ability as compared to the locally used heat retention systems (leftovers, banana leaves). Conclusions: The study concludes that improved cookstove is a sustainable mean for saving cooking time and fuel. Heat retention box has a potential to maintain adequate food storage temperatures. Both improved cookstove and heat retention box present a superior performance compared to traditional technologies; thus, can easily be diffused for not affecting the quality of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Economic benefit has been analyzed for the yield of farming products when designing a farming system, while waste treatment also generates profitable energy products for this system. The economic factor is decisive in decision-making for applying waste treatment solutions for a small-scale farming system. A household farming system in the Mekong Delta generates many kinds of organic wastes, but most of the agricultural waste resources are disposed of into the environment. Methods: This study approaches an analysis of economic–environmental–energy (EEE) efficiency for waste treatment of an integrated livestock-orchard (LO) system on a household scale in the Mekong Delta. This novel analysis method is based on the energy content of biomass and its cost. The EEE efficiency is optimized to gain objective functions regarding energy yield efficiency, system profit, and CO2 sequestration for the treatment model. The algorithms are built for optimizing these objective functions. Results: The optimization results show the treatment model of pyrolysis and pelleting gain all the objective functions with high efficiency. The model is efficiently applied for the LO system that generates more than 100 kg of orchard residues and 3000 kg of pig manure. The system with a charcoal oven and pellet machine is capable to gain energy efficiency due to its potential biofuel products, such as biochars and pellet products. A treatment model of composting, pyrolysis, and pelleting gives the best performance of overall EEE efficiency. Conclusions: This work has proven economic benefits from integrating biogas tank, charcoal oven, and pellet machine in an integrated LO system. The system contributes not only for reducing CO2 emissions but also for supplementing secondary renewable bioenergy, as well as for increasing incomes and thus supporting livelihoods for the local farming households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The research field of energy system analysis is faced with the challenge of increasingly complex systems and their sustainable transition. The challenges are not only on a technical level but also connected to societal aspects. Energy system modelling plays a decisive role in this field, and model properties define how useful it is in regard to the existing challenges. For energy system models, evaluation methods exist, but we argue that many decisions upon properties are rather made on the model generator or framework level. Thus, this paper presents a qualitative approach to evaluate frameworks in a transparent and structured way regarding their suitability to tackle energy system modelling challenges.Methods: Current main challenges and framework properties that potentially contribute to tackle these challenges are derived from a literature review. The resulting contribution matrix and the described application procedure is then applied exemplarily in a case study in which the properties of the Open Energy Modelling Framework are checked for suitability to each challenge.Results: We identified complexity (1), scientific standards (2), utilisation (3), interdisciplinary modelling (4), and uncertainty (5) as the main challenges. We suggest three major property categories of frameworks with regard to their capability to tackle the challenges: open-source philosophy (1), collaborative modelling (2), and structural properties (3).General findings of the detailed mapping of challenges and properties are that an open-source approach is a pre-condition for complying with scientific standards and that approaches to tackle the challenges complexity and uncertainty counteract each other. More research in the field of complexity reduction within energy system models is needed. Furthermore, while framework properties can support to address problems of result communication and interdisciplinary modelling, an important part can only be addressed by communication and organisational structures, thus, on a behavioural and social level.Conclusions: We conclude that the relevance of energy system analysis tools needs to be reviewed critically. Their suitability for tackling the identified challenges deserves to be emphasised. The approach presented here is one contribution to improve current evaluation methods by adding this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Large-scale fusion reactors using hydrogen isotopes as fuel are under development at several places in the world. These types of fusion reactors use tritium as fuel for the T + D reaction. However, tritium is not a sustainable fuel, since it likely will require fission reactors for its production, and since it is a dangerous material due to its radioactivity with main risks of release to the environment during tritium production, transport and refuelling operations. Thus, widespread use of fusion relying on tritium fuel should be avoided. At least two better methods for producing the nuclear energy needed in the world indeed already exist, using deuterium or ordinary hydrogen as fuel, and more methods need to be developed. It should be noted that the first experiments with sustained laser-driven fusion above break-even using deuterium as fuel were published already in 2015. Similar results for T + D fusion do not exist even after 60 years of development, which gives no confidence in this approach. Main text: The well-known muon-induced fusion (often called muon-catalyzed fusion) can use non-radioactive deuterium as fuel. With the recent development of a high intensity muon source (1013 muons per laser shot) (patented), this method is technically and economically feasible today. Due to the low energy cost of producing muons at < 1 MeV with this new source, the length of the so-called catalytic chain is unimportant. This removes the 60-year-old enigma, concerning the so-called alpha sticking process. The recently developed annihilation energy generation uses ordinary hydrogen in the form of ultradense hydrogen H(0) as fuel and is thus sustainable and has very high efficiency. Conclusions: Muon-induced fusion is able to directly replace most combustion-based power stations in the world, giving sustainable and environmentally harmless power (primarily heat), in this way eliminating most CO2 emissions of human energy generation origin. Annihilation-based power generation has the potential to replace almost all other uses of fossil fuels within a few decades, also in mobile applications, including spaceflight, where it is the only method able to give relativistic rocket propulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, the monitoring of occupant presence patterns has become an imperative for building energy optimization. Very often, there is a significant discrepancy between the building energy performance predicted at the design stage and the actual performance rendered during the building operation. This stems from the difference in user occupancy. In spite of this, user interaction and feedback are rarely taken into account and evidence of the impact of occupant presence patterns on energy consumption is still scarce. Thus, the purpose of this study is to apply crowd-sensing techniques to understand how energy is consumed and how appropriate performance indicators should be defined to provide inputs for building operations regarding more efficient use of resources. Methods: Monitoring strategies were implemented in an office lab with controlled variables to collect quantitative data on occupancy patterns, ambient factors and energy consumption. In addition, crowd-sensing techniques were applied to model user activity in different ambient conditions over time and to contrast their occupancy with energy consumption patterns in combination with new inquiry tools to identify how occupants perceive their comfort level. In addition, a set of energy efficiency indicators was used to compare energy performance over different periods. Results: It was discovered that there is a strong relation between user occupancy patterns and energy consumption. However, more than 50% of energy was consumed when no user activity was registered. Energy performance indicators revealed that measuring energy efficiency in terms of kWh per surface area encourages a less efficient use of space and, therefore, including a coefficient of person hours is advisable. It was also discovered that users do not fully rely on feedback mechanisms and they prefer to take action to adapt the ambient conditions rather than simply expressing their opinion. Analysis of energy usage during the Covid-19 lock down revealed substantial use of energy contrary to what was expected. This was because home computers were used as terminals only, while the actual tasks were performed on the lab computers, using remote desktop connections, which were turned on 24/7. In addition, energy consumed by each employee at his/her home should be taken into account. Moreover, a set of practical recommendations was formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The widespread use of sustainable energy technologies is a key element in the transformation of the energy system from fossil-based to zero-carbon. In line with this, technology acceptance is of great importance as resistance from the public can slow down or hinder the construction of energy technology projects. The current study assesses the social acceptance of three energy technologies relevant for the German energy transition: stationary battery storage, biofuel production plants and hydrogen fuel station. Methods: An online survey was conducted to examine the public's general and local acceptance of energy technologies. Explored factors included general and local acceptance, public concerns, trust in relevant stakeholders and attitudes towards financial support. Results: The results indicate that general acceptance for all technologies is slightly higher than local acceptance. In addition, we discuss which public concerns exist with regard to the respective technologies and how they are more strongly associated with local than general acceptance. Further, we show that trust in stakeholders and attitudes towards financial support is relatively high across the technologies discussed. Conclusions: Taken together, the study provides evidence for the existence of a "general–local" gap, despite measuring general and local acceptance at the same level of specificity using a public sample. In addition, the collected data can provide stakeholders with an overview of worries that might need to be addressed when planning to implement a certain energy project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urban energy systems are responsible for 75% of the world's energy consumption and for 70% of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Energy system models are used to optimize, benchmark and compare such energy systems with the help of energy sustainability indicators. We discuss several indicators for their basic suitability and their response to changing boundary conditions, system structures and reference values. The most suitable parameters are applied to four different supply scenarios of a real-world urban energy system. Results: There is a number of energy sustainability indicators, but not all of them are suitable for the use in urban energy system optimization models. Shortcomings originate from the omission of upstream energy supply chains (secondary energy efficiency), from limited capabilities to compare small energy systems (energy productivity), from excessive accounting expense (regeneration rate), from unsuitable accounting methods (primary energy efficiency), from a questionable impact of some indicators on the overall system sustainability (self-sufficiency), from the lack of detailed information content (share of renewables), and more. On the other hand, indicators of absolute greenhouse gas emissions, energy costs, and final energy demand are well suitable for the use in optimization models. However, each of these indicators only represents partial aspects of energy sustainability; the use of only one indicator in the optimization process increases the risk that other important aspects will deteriorate significantly, eventually leading to suboptimal or even unrealistic scenarios in practice. Therefore, multi-criteria approaches should be used to enable a more holistic optimization and planning of sustainable urban energy systems. Conclusion: We recommend multi-criteria optimization approaches using the indicators of absolute greenhouse gas emissions, absolute energy costs, and absolute energy demand. For benchmarking and comparison purposes, specific indicators should be used and therefore related to the final energy demand, respectively, the number of inhabitants. Our example scenarios demonstrate modeling strategies to optimize sustainability of urban energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital technologies have unique characteristics for achieving radically disruptive transitions within the energy sector. They provide opportunities for new production and consumption models between micro-producers and consumers of electricity within communities in a way that transforms the traditional energy generation and consumption model. The study critically assessed the digitalisation of energy systems in Africa within the context of existing policy frameworks in the quest to achieve sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It investigated how digital technologies such as blockchain, digital platforms and smart grids were adopted and implemented within the energy sector to achieve new energy production and consumption models that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. This assessment was done within the context of existing policy and regulatory frameworks of the society where the use cases were domiciled. Methods: The aim of the research was to investigate how sustainable energy transitions are being achieved in Nigeria and South Africa through the digitalisation of energy systems. A qualitative methodological approach was done in three stages—a document analysis that reviewed relevant literature on the energy sector policies in Nigeria and South Africa; the next step involved a comparative case study conducted to assess the characteristics of digital technology deployment in each country's energy transition. Finally, outcomes of the comparative case studies were then situated within the context of existing policies within the countries covered by the study. Results: Results from the research indicate that Africa is still in the early stages of adoption and application of digital technologies such as blockchain and smart grids within the energy sector. The results also showed a disconnect between the policy environment and industry efforts at achieving this. The current applications as exemplified in the use cases by the three companies covered in this study indicates that Africa's sustainable energy transition is in a rudimentary or early adoption stage, and they are not currently aided by the policy environments in which such projects are domiciled. Conclusions: The research provides deep insights into the current state and developments within the energy sector especially in relation to how digital technologies are being adopted and implemented in solving the energy poverty prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital technologies have unique characteristics for achieving radically disruptive transitions within the energy sector. They provide opportunities for new production and consumption models between micro-producers and consumers of electricity within communities in a way that transforms the traditional energy generation and consumption model. The study critically assessed the digitalisation of energy systems in Africa within the context of existing policy frameworks in the quest to achieve sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It investigated how digital technologies such as blockchain, digital platforms and smart grids were adopted and implemented within the energy sector to achieve new energy production and consumption models that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. This assessment was done within the context of existing policy and regulatory frameworks of the society where the use cases were domiciled. Methods: The aim of the research was to investigate how sustainable energy transitions are being achieved in Nigeria and South Africa through the digitalisation of energy systems. A qualitative methodological approach was done in three stages—a document analysis that reviewed relevant literature on the energy sector policies in Nigeria and South Africa; the next step involved a comparative case study conducted to assess the characteristics of digital technology deployment in each country's energy transition. Finally, outcomes of the comparative case studies were then situated within the context of existing policies within the countries covered by the study. Results: Results from the research indicate that Africa is still in the early stages of adoption and application of digital technologies such as blockchain and smart grids within the energy sector. The results also showed a disconnect between the policy environment and industry efforts at achieving this. The current applications as exemplified in the use cases by the three companies covered in this study indicates that Africa's sustainable energy transition is in a rudimentary or early adoption stage, and they are not currently aided by the policy environments in which such projects are domiciled. Conclusions: The research provides deep insights into the current state and developments within the energy sector especially in relation to how digital technologies are being adopted and implemented in solving the energy poverty prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]