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Integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the electric power system poses significant challenges to grid operation and planning due to the potential constraints on the power system. To minimize grid congestion, the best option is to increase the production of photovoltaic (PV) energy for domestic use and EV charging stations. This paper addresses the nexus of technical, financial, and environmental effects of customer involvement in economic development and load management. In this paper, a new model design of solar-powered EV charging stations is proposed and implemented in HOMER Grid, and a case study has explored how economic, technical, and energy management benefits can be achieved through customer energy involvement and the integration of PV-based charging stations. The proposed PV-based charging stations contribute toward the energy management of the region, and the study observes the real-time optimal charging and discharging strategy of PV-based grid-connected charging stations. The case study results show that the investigated area can produce 1,070,804.096 MWh/year of energy through maximum customer involvement, consequently reducing overall energy costs. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the selected region can produce 86,961,688 kWh/year through the PV system, achieving 363,899 charging sessions per year, offering maximum advantages and facilitation for EV charging. The proposed model applicability shows that large-scale customer involvement can bring significant techno-economic benefits and attract regional investments. • This paper proposes a new design of a grid-tied renewable energy system. • It investigates the energy economics and environmental effects for a practical location. • The research examines energy management including PV systems and electric vehicles. • The results of proposed model are compared with other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper we identify a concept of countries' biomass-related sustainability through a revision of the literature and the opinion of professionals, and identify the main reasons that prevent biomass from being a major source of energy production (adversities and constraints). The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) methodology was used for establishing the causal and hierarchical relationships among the variables linked with the adversities and constraints associated with the production of biofuel from biomass and their impact on countries' biomass-related sustainability. At the base of the concept of biomass related countries' sustainability we identify an important constraint associated with the high energy production costs, but also the necessity of supporting new investments, which will drive technological innovations in this sector and allow for an increase in efficiency. The paper presents an innovative approach to the research of biofuel production from biomass by suggesting not only a concept of countries' biomass-related sustainability but also by exploring causal and hierarchical relationships between adversities/constraints of biofuel production and impact on countries' sustainability. Highlights • We develop a new concept of biomass-based sustainability of countries. • We implement an interpretive structural modeling approach. • We identify government policies and market costs as essential to innovation. • Economic may imply Social Sustainability. • There are interdependencies between Economic and Environmental Sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of electrical energy is always a substantial contributor to a country's economy; in particular, integrating renewable energy sources into the existing power system has tremendous techno-economic implications. However, the optimal penetration of renewables and dynamic loads management is highly complex while considering the multiple variables, time-varying characteristics, and operational uncertainties. This paper proposes a new model design of a grid-tied renewable system. It investigates energy economics and forecasts for the practical locality of the Muzaffarabad area in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The proposed research examines the annualized energy estimation concerning varied customer PV system participation. The impact of consumer feedback on energy production is briefly examined. Various aspects, such as energy economics, including annual revenue generation, energy prices, and energy sell-back, are demonstrated in detail. The proposed study also looks at the connection between the rising usage of renewable energy and falling greenhouse gas emissions and energy prices. Moreover, it shows how customer input has altered energy economics via each district taking part in energy sharing. Also, it illustrates the relationship between energy bought and sold and how the grid and PV's share of energy interact. Based on the research study findings, PV systems can provide 61% of the total region's energy needs with maximum consumer involvement. The study found that when PV is integrated at a maximum level, grid energy purchases fall to 52%. Polluting gas emissions were reduced by 64% courtesy of the recommended approach, and energy cost was cut from $0.20 per kWh to $0.09 per kWh. The recommended system produces 81,635,608 dollars in revenue yearly and achieves a renewable part of 46.17% with the highest level of customer interaction. [Display omitted] • This paper proposes a new model design of a grid-tied renewable system. • It investigates the energy economics and forecasts for a practical location. • The research examines annualized energy estimation concerning PV systems. • The results of proposed model are compared with other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of China's economy has accelerated its energy demand. The exploitation of renewable energy is essential because of limited conventional energy sources, high energy consumption, unstable and escalating oil prices, and detrimental environmental pollutions. Firms in the renewable energy industry are currently facing challenges to maintain competitiveness and productivity while minimizing environmental impacts. The ability to manage knowledge is a key feature in the process for firms to obtain competitive advantages. In addition, interactive learning framework provides a platform that can respond to the need for adjustment in time of great uncertainty. This paper adds evidence to the literature of interactive learning environment based on China context. It examines critical characteristics of interactive learning framework in the renewable energy industry, and then investigates suitable organization forms for knowledge management at different levels of a supply chain. On this basis, this paper proposes suitable organizational forms under different situations for sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has surpassed the United States to be the world's largest energy consumer, but a lot of energy was used to produce products for exporting to other countries. Presently, China faces a great challenge in energy security and environmental protection. This paper focuses on the energy embodied in China's foreign trade with a multi-regional input–output approach. Three versions of the GTAP (Global Trade Analysis Project) database were used to capture the trend and distribution of the embodied energy flows for China during 2001–2007. The results indicate that the energy embodied in the global trade is increasing rapidly, growing faster than the total direct energy exported in the same period. China is shown as an energy exporter in terms of embodied energy, and the embodied energy trade surplus increased from 156 million tons of oil equivalents (Mtoe) in 2001 to 514 Mtoe in 2007, with a proportion of domestic energy consumption increased from 14% to 23%. This paper also studies the effects of the energy-intensive industry restrictive export policy of China, and we find that this policy could reduce the national energy consumption and promote industrial structure upgrades effectively. However, the expansion of energy-intensive industries in other countries may reduce China's efforts for global energy saving and global warming alleviation. Our simulation shows that carbon leakage is about 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper is based on dynamic optimization methodology to investigate the economic energy efficiency issues in developing countries. The paper introduces some definitions about energy efficiency both in economics and physics, and establishes a quantitative way for measuring the economic energy efficiency. The linkage between economic energy efficiency, energy consumption and other macroeconomic variables is demonstrated primarily. Using the methodology of dynamic optimization, a maximum problem of economic energy efficiency over time, which is subjected to the extended Solow growth model and instantaneous investment rate, is modelled. In this model, the energy consumption is set as a control variable and the capital is regarded as a state variable. The analytic solutions can be derived and the diagrammatic analysis provides saddle-point equilibrium. A numerical simulation based on China is also presented; meanwhile, the optimal paths of investment and energy consumption can be drawn. The dynamic optimization encourages governments in developing countries to pursue higher economic energy efficiency by controlling the energy consumption and regulating the investment state as it can conserve energy without influencing the achievement of steady state in terms of Solow model. If that, a sustainable development will be achieved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between hydroelectricity consumption and economic growth in China, while controlling for fossil fuel consumption, financial development, capital, institutional quality and globalization and its components for the period, 1970–2014. We have employed the Bayer and Hanck, (2013) combined cointegration test to examine the long-run relationships between those variables as well as the autoregressive distributed lag method with structural breaks as a robustness check. The empirical findings demonstrate a long-run relationship between those variables. Hydroelectricity consumption, fossil fuel consumption, capital, financial development and globalization and its components have a positive influence on GDP in China. The findings also provide predominant evidence on the long-run feedback hypothesis between the variables. The findings suggest that policies should be implemented to increase the role hydropower in the energy mix for sustainable economic growth in the country. Highlights • We examine the relationship between hydropower consumption and economic growth in China. • We control for fossil fuel consumption, financial development, capital, institutions and globalization. • We employ the Bayer and Hanck, (2013) cointegration test and ARDL bounds-testing method with structural breaks. • The findings demonstrate a long-run relationship between those variables. • The explanatory and control variables have positive influence on GDP in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent electricity management systems such as Smart Grids and Virtual Power Plants help to better integrate distributed generation renewable resources (RDG), such as photovoltaic, small hydro or micro wind in electricity markets. In this context, an important increase of small-scale power generation technologies is expected in Spain by 2020, according to the Spanish Action Plan for Renewable Energy. This paper analyses the environmental and economic impacts of the massive integration of RDG in Spain for 2020 by using an Input-Output approach. The induced production and employment effects in every sector due to new RDG project investments as well as the CO 2 reductions attributed to a decline in conventional electricity consumption are estimated. The results indicate that investments in RDG based on photovoltaic and small-hydro have the greatest impact on employment generation. The RDG investments will lead to a decrease in emissions of 21.67% in 2020 compared with 2013. The RDG technologies become an alternative to reach a sustainable economic growth in Spain. In future research, a multi-regional input-output model and the study of the links between energy consumption, standard of living and consumption patterns will aid to delve deeper into the relationship between economic growth and the environmental impacts of small-scale renewable technologies. Highlights • RDG will be over half of total installed electricity generation capacity in 2020. • The impact of RDG deployment is quantified on Spanish economy in 2020. • The IO methodology is used to study the environmental and economic impacts. • Photovoltaic and small-hydro have the highest impact on employment generation. • RDG becomes an alternative to reach a sustainable economic growth in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Availability of gaseous alternatives enhances the diversification of fuel choices for the road transport sector in a country. Additionally, these fuels being environment-friendly may also contribute to the sustainable development. Pakistan has a number of gaseous fuels available for the road transport sector with a varying level of economic, environmental and social significance. It is still required to study the suitability of these gaseous resources from different perspectives. This paper utilizes a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis approach based on Analytical Hierarchy Process for evaluating the three gaseous alternatives namely Compressed Natural Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas. Initially, four main criteria, technical, economic, environmental and social aspects and eleven sub-criteria were identified from a comprehensive literature review. Then an appropriate decision model was formulated consisting of goals, criteria, sub-criteria and alternatives. The empirical data for criteria was collected from various government and academic sources. The results revealed Compressed Natural Gas as a most favorable fuel choice for the road transport sector of Pakistan. Besides the ranking and prioritization of three fuel technologies, the results of the proposed decision framework are significant for formulating a policy on the usage of different fuels in the transportation sector of Pakistan. Highlights • Three gaseous alternatives CNG, LPG and LNG are evaluated. • MCDM and AHP are utilized for evaluating. • Analysis reveals that CNG is more suitable. • Its technical, economic, social and environmental acceptability favors it as an alternative fuel. • Provision of CNG to road transport from local production and cross-border trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India''s energy challenges are multi-pronged. They are manifested through growing demand for modern energy carriers, a fossil fuel dominated energy system facing a severe resource crunch, the need for creating access to quality energy for the large section of deprived population, vulnerable energy security, local and global pollution regimes and the need for sustaining economic development. Renewable energy is considered as one of the most promising alternatives. Recognizing this potential, India has been implementing one of the largest renewable energy programmes in the world. Among the renewable energy technologies, bioenergy has a large diverse portfolio including efficient biomass stoves, biogas, biomass combustion and gasification and process heat and liquid fuels. India has also formulated and implemented a number of innovative policies and programmes to promote bioenergy technologies. However, according to some preliminary studies, the success rate is marginal compared to the potential available. This limited success is a clear indicator of the need for a serious reassessment of the bioenergy programme. Further, a realization of the need for adopting a sustainable energy path to address the above challenges will be the guiding force in this reassessment. In this paper an attempt is made to consider the potential of bioenergy to meet the rural energy needs: (1) biomass combustion and gasification for electricity; (2) biomethanation for cooking energy (gas) and electricity; and (3) efficient wood-burning devices for cooking. The paper focuses on analysing the effectiveness of bioenergy in creating this rural energy access and its sustainability in the long run through assessing: the demand for bioenergy and potential that could be created; technologies, status of commercialization and technology transfer and dissemination in India; economic and environmental performance and impacts; bioenergy policies, regulatory measures and barrier analysis. The whole assessment aims at presenting bioenergy as an integral part of a sustainable energy strategy for India. The results show that bioenergy technology (BET) alternatives compare favourably with the conventional ones. The cost comparisons show that the unit costs of BET alternatives are in the range of 15–187% of the conventional alternatives. The climate change benefits in terms of carbon emission reductions are to the tune of 110T C per year provided the available potential of BETs are utilized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, gate-fee changes of the waste-to-energy plants are investigated in the conditions set by European Union legislation and by the introduction of the new heat market. Waste management and sustainable energy supply are core issues of sustainable development of regions, especially urban areas. These two energy flows logically come together in the combined heat and power facility by waste incineration. However, the implementation of new legislation influences quantity and quality of municipal waste and operation of waste-to-energy systems. Once the legislation requirements are met, waste-to-energy plants need to be adapted to market operation. This influence is tracked by the gate-fee volatility. The operation of the waste-to-energy plant on electricity markets is simulated by using EnergyPLAN and heat market is simulated in Matlab, based on hourly marginal costs. The results have shown that the fuel switch reduced gate-fee and made the facility economically viable again. In the second case, the operation of the waste-to-energy plant on day-ahead electricity and heat market is analysed. It is shown that introducing heat market increased needed gate-fee on the yearly level over the expected levels. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed approach can make projects of otherwise questionable feasibility more attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean-Green is a concept that associates value aggregation and efficiency in operational and environmental terms. This concept arises as a corollary effect of companies’ challenges for rethinking their goals and strategies in order to add more value while contributing to social equity and prevent environmental burdens. The eco-efficiency concept translates the idea of “creating more with less”, in order to reduce ecological impacts and resource intensity. Lean is a strategy that encompasses a wide variety of management practices, in an integrated system, to streamline business processes, minimize waste and improve financial performance. When Lean and Green are associated in the so called Lean-Green link, many of those savings also result in environmental benefits. This paper reports the ongoing effort to provide models for the Lean-Green integration. A comparative analysis of the few models identified is provided, and the most frequently used KPI acknowledged. Findings show the existence of a limited number of Lean-Green models, published from 2012, denoting a narrow breadth of dissemination. The fundamental goal of Lean-Green models was mostly found to be related to improve the systems productivity while reducing the environmental impacts. Integrate Lean-Green initiatives constitute a valuable approach to sustain and endure a greener industrial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the terms “Smart Energy” and “Smart Energy Systems” have been used to express an approach that reaches broader than the term “Smart grid”. Where Smart Grids focus primarily on the electricity sector, Smart Energy Systems take an integrated holistic focus on the inclusion of more sectors (electricity, heating, cooling, industry, buildings and transportation) and allows for the identification of more achievable and affordable solutions to the transformation into future renewable and sustainable energy solutions. This paper first makes a review of the scientific literature within the field. Thereafter it discusses the term Smart Energy Systems with regard to the issues of definition, identification of solutions, modelling, and integration of storage. The conclusion is that the Smart Energy System concept represents a scientific shift in paradigms away from single-sector thinking to a coherent energy systems understanding on how to benefit from the integration of all sectors and infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local climate action is not only a domain of large cities, but also smaller urban areas that increasingly address climate change mitigation in their policy. The Danish municipality of Helsingør can achieve a substantial CO 2 emissions reduction by transforming its heat supply and deploying heat savings. In this paper, we model the heating system of Helsingør, assess it from a simple socio- and private-economic perspective, develop future scenarios, and conduct an iterative process to derive a cost-optimal mix between district heating, individual heating and heat savings. The results show that in 2030 it is cost-optimal to reduce the heating demand by 20–39% by implementing heat savings, to deploy 32%–41% of district heating and to reduce heating-related CO 2 emissions by up to 95% in comparison to current emissions. In 2050, the cost-optimal share of district heating in Helsingør increases to between 38 and 44%. The resulting average heating costs and CO 2 emissions are found to be sensitive to biomass and electricity price. Although the findings of the study are mainly applicable for Helsingør, the combined use of the Least Cost Tool and modelling with energyPRO is useful in planning of heating and/or cooling supply for different demand configurations, geographical region and scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost effective pretreatment is key to commercial success of use of lignocellulosic material (LCM) as feedstock for production of bioethanol. The seasonal nature and annual variability of LCM may enforce the use of different biomass sources as feedstock to ensure round the year production. However, different processing requirements of each material may limit the success of such development and impair the use of many feedstocks due to logistic and economic reasons. The selection of pretreatment technology for different LCM sources in cost effective manner is a major challenge. The recent review articles have provided the details of different pretreatment operations. This article has tried to establish a strong connection between pretreatment options and their combination with prior and post pretreatment processes, which is pre-requisite to success of establishing the commercial facility. The key is lessening number of operations and operating cost of each unit of operation. This paper suggests ways towards appropriate pretreatment processes through process intensification leading to the prospects of sustainable biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows a study on energetic consumption of BTSs (Base Transceiver Stations) for mobile communication, related to conditioning functions. An energetic “thermal model” of a telecommunication station is proposed and studied. The results have been validated with a BTS in central Italy, showing good agreement. Findings show a substantial high internal-external temperature difference in the containing shelter, particularly during daytime and warm months, due to sources of heat (equipment, external temperature and sun radiation) and to the difficulty in spread the warmth out. The necessity to keep the operating temperatures within a given range for the correct functioning of the electronic equipment requires the use of conditioning setups, and this significantly increases the energetic demand of the whole system. The analysis of thermal flows across the shelter can help to gather further data on its temperature behavior and to devise practical measures to lower the power demand, while keeping the operating parameters in the suggested ranges. The investigation of some operating parameters of the equipment and of the shelter, such as threshold set-points, air vent area, external wall transmittance and reflectivity, suggests annual energy savings between 10% and 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the metallurgical industry, large amounts of waste called slag are accumulated besides the production of iron and steel. One part, considered as by-product, is recycled but the other part, considered as waste, is still landfilled with potential bad consequences for environment. In this paper, two electric arc furnace slag samples (most common steel production technology in Europe), have been considered and characterized to be used in medium and high temperature thermal energy storage systems. These slags have demonstrated relevant properties to store thermal energy by sensible heat from ambient temperature up to 1000 °C, and their representativeness of the worldwide produced slag in a wide EAF (electric arc furnace) steelmaking process range. The objective is to develop sustainable and low-cost thermal energy storage systems for industry waste heat recovery and in renewable energy applications. At the same time, this new valuable market for slag in the energy field could solve a big part of the waste management problem in the iron and steel sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the Lotka–Volterra model to investigate the competitive interactions among energy, environment, and economy (3 E s) in the U.S. The proposed LV-COMSUD (Lotka–Volterra COmpetition Model for SUstainable Development) has satisfactory performance for model fitting and provides a useful multivariate framework to predict outcomes concerning these interactions. Our key findings include a pure competition between emissions and GDP (Gross Domestic Product), neutralisms between renewable and fossil/nuclear energy, and commensalisms between GDP and renewable/fossil energy and between nuclear energy and fossil energy/emissions. These results indicate that renewable/fossil energy use contributes to GDP and interacts indirectly with emissions, that an environmental Kuznets curve exists, and that the amount of produced nuclear energy correlates with emission. The U.S. is dependent on non-clean energy sources and its energy efficiency has room for improvement. The results provide unique insights for policy makers to craft up sustainable economic development plans. Overall, it is suggested that for developed markets such as the U.S., to enhance energy security and mitigate climate changes, improving energy efficiency and developing low-carbon clean energy should be top priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multistage stochastic programming model to address sustainable power generation and transmission expansion planning. The model incorporates uncertainties about future electricity demand, fuel prices, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as possible disruptions to which the power system is subject. A number of sustainability regulations and policies are considered to establish a framework for the social responsibility of the power system. The proposed model is applied to a real-world case, and several sensitivity analyses are carried out to provide managerial insights into different aspects of the model. The results emphasize the important role played by sustainability policies on the configuration of the power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reported the current status of the energy sector and its future challenges in Morocco. Recent strategies deployed by the government for sustainable development were reviewed and discussed. These strategies put the transition to renewable alternatives on the top of the national policy implications for energy security and low-carbon economy. We have also suggested a methodological tool to prioritize energy alternatives for power generation. It was found that wind energy is the most appropriate power generation alternative in Morocco at the current level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of limited natural resources on Earth, linkage among environment, energy, and economy (3Es) becomes important perspectives for sustainable development. This paper proposes to use Lotka–Volterra model for SUstainable Development (LV-SUD) to analyse the interspecific interactions, equilibria and their stabilities among emissions, different types of energy consumption (renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel), and real GDP, the main factors of 3Es issues. Modelling these interactions provides a useful multivariate framework for prediction outcomes. Interaction between 3Es, namely competition, symbiosis, or predation, plays an important role in policy development to achieve a balanced use of energy resources and to strengthen the green economy. Applying LV-SUD in Mexico, an emerging markets country, analysing results show that there is a mutualism between fossil fuel consumption and GDP; prey-predator relationships that fossil fuel and GDP enhance the growth of emissions, but emissions inhibit the growth of the others; and commensalisms that GDP benefits from nuclear power, and renewable power benefits from fossil fuel. It is suggested that national energy policies should remain committed to decoupling the relevance between non-clean energy and GDP, to actively developing clean energy and thereby to properly reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions without harming economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas hydrates are considered as a potential strategic energy source for sustainable development. The thermal properties of hydrate-bearing sediments govern the hydrate dissociation behavior and gas production process that accompany phase transformation and multiphase flow. This paper presents a thermistor-based measuring method to obtain the effective thermal conductivity of tetrahydrofuran hydrate-bearing sediments. The effects of different porosities, hydrate saturations and porous materials on the effective thermal conductivity were investigated. The porosity and the hydrate saturation were obtained using an X-ray CT (computed tomography) apparatus. The findings indicated that the effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments increased from 0.6468 W/(m K) to 0.7318 W/(m K) with porosity decreasing from 42.5% to 37.2%. Increasing hydrate saturations from 0% to 100% decreased the effective thermal conductivity from 0.7876 W/(m K) to 0.7318 W/(m K). Additionally, existing effective medium correlations were examined using the experimental data. The results showed that none of the existing correlations can suitably predict the measured data. Therefore, a hybrid correlation was proposed by optimizing the weighting parameters of the Parallel correlation and the Series correlation using the PIKAIA genetic algorithm. The agreement of the fitting correlation with the experiments is given, and the effective prediction of other researchers' work confirms the feasibility of our correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, China faces a number of serious environmental problems that significantly affect economic and social sustainable development. In this paper we quantify the CO2, SO2, NOx, COD (chemical oxygen demand) and ammonia–nitrogen emissions resulting from household consumption, based on an input–output model used to identify which consumption items appear mainly responsible for environmental impacts and which consumption items can lead to different environmental impacts in 2007. Using a 2007 input–output table, we found that CO2, SO2, COD, NOx, and ammonia–nitrogen emissions from household consumption in 2007 accounted for approximately 42.17%, 33.67%, 33.11%, 28.83% and 30.38% of China's total emissions, respectively. Each environmental impact arises from the consumption of a mix of goods and services. “Agriculture” and “Food and Tobacco Manufacture” consumption contributed more than 50% of COD and ammonia nitrogen emissions; “Electricity and Heating Generation” and “Food and Tobacco Manufacture” accounted for more than 50% of SO2, NOx and CO2 emissions. We classified consumption items into different types, with Type 1 and Type 3 countering each other, illustrating a trade-off between stimulating household consumption, mitigating COD and Ammonia nitrogen emissions and mitigating CO2, SO2 and NOx emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Buildings account for a significant proportion of the total energy and carbon emissions worldwide, and play an important role in formulating sustainable development strategies. There is a growing interest in ZEBs (zero energy buildings) in recent years. Several countries have adopted or considering establishing ZEBs as their future building energy targets to help alleviate the problems concerning the depletion of energy resources and the deterioration of the environment. Broadly speaking, ZEBs involve two design strategies – minimizing the need for energy use in buildings (especially for heating and cooling) through EEMs (energy-efficient measures) and adopting RETs (renewable energy and other technologies) to meet the remaining energy needs. This paper reviews the works related to these two strategies. EEMs include building envelopes, internal conditions, and building services systems; RETs cover photovoltaic/building-integrated photovoltaic, wind turbines, solar thermal (solar water heaters), heat pumps, and district heating and cooling. Issues pertaining to sustainable development implications and further research work required are also highlighted. These include life-cycle cost and environmental impacts, climate change and social policy issues. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: European energy policy pursues the objective of a sustainable, competitive and secure supply of energy. In 2007, the European Commission adopted an energy policy for Europe, which was supported by several documents on different aspects of energy and included an action plan to meet the major energy challenges Europe has to face. A farsighted diversified yearly mix of energies was suggested to countries, aiming at increasing security of supply and efficiency, but a wide and contemporary view of energy interchanges between states was not available. In a previous work of the same authors, energy import/export interchanges between European States were used to develop a geographic overview at one-glance. In this paper, the enhanced Interchange Energy Network (IEN) is investigated from a modelling point of view, as a Small-World Net, by supposing that connections can exist between States with a probability depending also on economic/political relations between countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Indicators for sustainable development, such as: Dow Jones sustainability group indices, life cycle index, ecological footprint, sustainability cities index, Well-Being Index, are acknowledged evaluation instruments in the international development policy. They are used to evaluate dematerialization introduced in order to identify environmental efficiency. While these indicators describe the performance of single products on the market or the life style of societies, they do not provide exact information on product (resource) and sector dematerialization, which is one of the major objectives of the current development policies. In this paper, we present a new concept - ‘product generational dematerialization’ (PGD) indicator with the aim of extending the available sustainable development methodology and to cover the existing methodological gap. We show advantages of the practical application of this indicator for management policies on the national and international level by analyzing dematerialization of crude oil in the global economy during the time period 1972–2010. The implementation of the product generational dematerialization indicator for analyses of single products or branches can help to determine consumption areas characterized by the most significant consumption changes, as well as identify necessary actions to be taken to diminish environmental pollution and resource depletion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]