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Renewable energy has demonstrated a significantly greater increase in its share of total energy consumption than carbon emissions in recent decades. This rise in renewable energy consumption did not effectively mitigate climate change, as evidenced by the accelerated rate of climate change. This paper aims to determine the cause of this failure by examining the total effect centrality and mediating effects of renewable energy in economic systems in the short run and long run. The total effect centrality and mediating effects of renewable energy illustrate the evolution of its overall impact on the major variables of an economic system and its role in mediating the indirect effects of these variables on carbon emissions, respectively. The study employs a recently developed network analysis that is a pioneer in the estimation of the time-varying total effect centrality and time-varying mediating effects of renewable energy, while also accounting for its cross-associations among all variables in a network. The study derives three conclusions by examining the three countries with the highest carbon emissions in their respective regions: the United States in North America, China in Asia, and Germany in Europe. First, renewable energy has become an essential element of economic systems, having a substantial total effect centrality on macroeconomic systems and, by way of its mediating effects, substantially mitigating the indirect effects of major macroeconomic variables on carbon emissions in the short run. Second, the total effect centrality and mediating effects of renewable energy diminish in the long run, indicating that its capacity to effectively mitigate climate change remains constrained in structural terms. Third, the long-term decline in total effect centrality rises by 0.3, 0.7, and 0.4 for the United States, Germany, and China, respectively. In the same nations, the long-term decline of mediating effects rises by 0.2, 0.4, and 0.2, respectively. The study provides pertinent policy recommendations on how to augment the total effect centrality and mediating effects of renewable energy in economic systems. [Display omitted] • Explains why renewable energy failed in curbing the accelaration of climate change. • Introduces the 'total effect centrality' of renewable energy in economic systems. • Illustrates the time-varying mediation role of renewable energy in economic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present situation, renewable energy has become a vital source to mitigate energy crises and environmental threats. In order to ensure that women's contributions, knowledge and opinions represent a significant portion of the expanding energy sector, it is crucial to approach the development of renewable energy from a gender perspective. Bibliometric analysis was performed to identify prior research on two primary terms, "Gender" and "Renewable Energy", from 1995 to 2022. Identifying the most influential countries, authors, publications, journals, and co-occurrence of keywords helps to understand the evaluation and trends of the research through network visualisations by bibliometric approach. This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric review of the influence of gender on renewable energy. The result of this paper gives details picture of the gender impact on renewable energy during the period from 1995 to 2022. The paper centred on bibliometric and cluster analysis based on the two most important databases, Web of Science and Scopus. The study involved utilising various bibliometric tools, including R Studio, VOSviewer, and Biblioshiny. The study revealed an increase in publications and citations during the third period since 2017, after the United Nations set the target of the Sustainable Development Goal. Most influential countries and productive authors belong to China, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science are predominated in publications on the research topic. In addition, the co-occurrence of keywords found major keywords related to this topic, such as renewable energy, gender, women, knowledge, sustainability, climate change and sustainable development. Finally, the study observed a huge research gap because developing nations are more affected by the lack of gender-influencing policies on the growth of renewable energy. Thus, the study provides a comprehensive overview of research in this field that can help researchers and stakeholders identify potential ways for future research in gender considerations on renewable energy access by formulating effective policies to change society and reach the Sustainable Development Goals. • Gender has become a focal point of interest within the renewable energy sector. • Using network visualisation, bibliometric analysis examines research trends by keyword occurrence and country collaborations. • Publication, citation, journal, and authorship contribution trends are to be analysed. • The research growth across different periods was discussed for potential future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way forward clearly orients us towards the decarbonisation of energy systems. Sustainable energy systems ensure fewer burdens on the environment and consequently provide success when fighting climate change. Energy policy provides support in addressing the present energy challenges. Municipal policy has often been neglected, with greater emphasis being concentrated at the centralised level. In addition, another identified problem has been the insufficient quality of the municipal policy performance with lack of acknowledging various features within the municipality. Therefore, the presented paper focuses on the constitution of municipal energy policies that include all aspects of municipalities' energy systems and lead towards less environmentally burdened energy systems. The main objective is to enhance sustainable development within municipalities through constitution and integration of suitable municipal energy policies. The proposed paper presents an entirely inclusive process for a municipal energy policy's institutional, implementation and evaluation phases. Municipal energy policy has to enable maximum efficiency of energy systems by implementing customised targets and measures. This novel methodology for integrated municipal energy policy constitution and integration has, in fact, been applied within the Podlehnik municipality, representing one of the small municipalities in Slovenia. This work proposes an important step towards formalising a municipal energy policy constitution and integration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Lithuania has seen extensive social and political transformations, there is still a gap in the literature on environmental performance of Lithuanian economy. Specifically, the environmental pressures stemming from economic activities have never been analysed in lines with the principles of production economics. This paper, therefore, aims to estimate the environmental performance index (EPI) for Lithuanian economic sectors. The paper presents the underlying trends in greenhouse gas emissions in Lithuania. The environmental performance index is estimated by employing the data envelopment analysis in the spirit of the Hicks-Moorsteen indices. The present analysis is based on the data from the World Input-Output Database. Specifically, the environmental technology is defined in terms of the value added, carbon and nitrous oxide emissions, labour, capital and energy. Results of the analysis imply that the analysed economic sectors can be grouped into the four clusters with respect to the mean EPI and its rate of growth. Pulp, paper and agricultural sectors fall into the best-performing group, featuring the highest mean EPI and the highest growth rate. Petroleum production and air transport sectors are those featuring the lowest environmental performance. Therefore, the latter sectors should be given an especial importance when developing strategies for increase in sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swedish municipalities have traditionally had significant powers and played a major role in implementing national energy strategies. This paper describes the factors influencing development of municipal climate and energy plans in five Swedish municipalities and assesses the relevance and importance of these factors from theoretical and practical perspectives. The questions raised in the paper are: what are the characteristics of municipal climate and energy planning processes in the five municipalities, do these municipalities include stakeholders in the process, if so how? Results suggest that a number of factors influence the development of municipal climate and energy strategies and their content. These include the importance of a clear, shared vision and engaged politicians; the size and organisational structure of the municipality and its willingness and capability to act; the organisation of the process and extent to which stakeholders have been involved; the need for clarity about financial aspects, such as planned financing of implementation; and the need for greater clarity concerning selection of targets and their relevance to global climate and energy trends. The study and its results may be used to inform policy-makers on the national and local levels about factors influencing municipal energy planning and also contribute to a discussion on benefits and problems of involving stakeholders and citizens in the strategic work to reduce climate impacts and energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of renewable energy nowadays is particularly important not only to mitigate the climate change but also to increase the energy independence. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse the impacts of attitudes and perception of the war in Ukraine and environmental aspects on selection of green electricity in Lithuania. The survey analysis conducted in early 2023 showed that only 35% of respondents have selected green electricity. Analysis of the main determinants of green electricity selection showed that attitudes towards energy consumption together with the perception of renewable energy environmental impacts (B = 0.13, p < 0.01), as well as attitudes towards the war impact together with the perception of the renewable energy role in solving energy crisis (B = 0.09, p < 0.01), positively and statistically significantly influenced selection of green electricity. Meanwhile, the interaction of attitudes towards the war impact and the perception of the renewable energy role in achieving energy independence insignificantly (B = −0.05, p = 0.06) determined selection of green electricity. From the socio-demographic variables, only age (B = −0.02, p = 0.003) and gender (B = 0.36; p < 0.01) had a significant effect on this behaviour. Thus, this study gives an additional insight for policymakers and green electricity suppliers on how to increase green electricity selection in the context of the war in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biomass has often been regarded as a promising renewable energy resource to mitigate climate change. However, what will be the impact on global surface temperature if biomass replace fossil fuel remain unclear. This paper, through a case study in Uttar Pradesh, India address this issue by assessing biomass resource potential to reduce fossil fuel demand and mitigate climate change. Impact of biomass power related GHG emissions on global surface temperature is estimated using the Absolute Global Temperature change Potential (AGTP) climate metric. Uttar Pradesh can produce 71 Mt surplus biomass annually, equivalent to 7298 MW power. Power density of biomass range between 0.10 and 0.25 Wm-2. Significant amount of GHG emissions reduction is possible if biomass replace fossil fuel as a power source in the region. Annual GHG emissions associated with 1 MWh of power derived from coal, natural gas and biomass would cause 4.10 × 10−7, 2.40 × 10−7 and 1.25 × 10−7 mK rise in global surface temperature, 100 years after an initial emission, indicating potential of biomass power to mitigate climate change. Variation in spatio-temporal distribution and low power density could be delimiting factors in large-scale deployment of biomass power. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Biomass resources and power potentials are assessed for Uttar Pradesh, India. • GHG emissions from biomass power is assessed and compared with fossil fuels. • Climatic impact of power generation is assessed via novel climate metric. • Biomass power can mitigate climate change by replacing fossil fuels. • Spatio-temporal variability and low power density are limitations of biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This special issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production focuses on “Energy for Sustainable Future”. It is designed to mirror the increasing relevance of renewable energy sources and improved efficiency as crucial topics for practitioners in industry, for governmental policy makers, as well as for civic service providers, researchers, and educators. The purpose of this special issue is to serve as a catalyst for dialogue. The global warming related to CO2 emissions, coupled with steeply rising energy prices and the recent global financial institutional melt-down are causing massive societal concerns and give rise to increasing demand for ways to improve societal and individual energy efficiency and for ways to shift increasingly to alternative, low or non-carbon based energy systems. Until recently, industrial energy efficiency improvements have focused on improvements on efficiency rather than on the integration of renewable sources. The aim of this special issue is the identification of policies to support the development and implementation of technologies and management approaches we can employ to make the transition to more sustainable societies. The collection of papers in this special issue provide a foundation for students, researchers, scholars, practitioners and policy makers interested in making sustainable development more than a metaphor. The papers include focus upon ways for: [(a)] Improving industrial process to achieve improvements in energy efficiency. [(b)] Minimising waste disposals and reducing their impact through better management. [(c)] Reducing CO2 emissions by making progress toward lower carbon, renewable energy based systems, [(d)] Improving production of biofuels and hydrogen production systems, facilitated by employing cleaner production and novel LCA tools. [(e)] Improving integration of advanced materials and energy efficient equipment in different industrial sectors. Current and future developments in national and world economies are closely connected to sustainable, efficient and safe usage of raw materials and upon energy based on cleaner production concepts and approaches that are ecologically and economically appropriate for the short and for the long-term future of society. These challenges have received considerable attention in the media and scientific journals over the last several years. The idea of developing a specialised conference focussed upon them was put forward on various occasions. Focus upon them became reality on the 5th and 6th May 2008 in the historic Castle of Veszprém, Hungary, the current premises of the Hungarian Academy of Science which hosted the Workshop. The Workshop was a stimulating event and an overwhelming success, with nearly 100 contributors from Africa, North America, Asia and Europe, representing 28 countries. After a comprehensive selection and thorough reviewing procedure 11 papers were selected for this special issue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Policies targeting energy efficiency and renewable energy are sometimes viewed as more politically feasible than carbon pricing in pursuit of emission reduction goals. This paper assesses underlying drivers of energy policy development. These factors include economic, social, environmental, and institutional variables. The between estimator for panel data is an appropriate method for our focus on some exogenous variables that vary more across countries than over time. We find that larger oil reserves per capita have a negative relationship with renewable energy policy development. Education and political globalisation have strong positive relationships with both energy-efficiency and renewable-energy policy development. These results suggest that greater participation in global political groups can be an indirect approach toward energy policy development, in cases where direct and immediate policies are hard to implement. OECD countries have higher policy scores by 33 and 25 points in energy efficiency and renewable energy respectively. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis shows that these higher scores are primarily due to social and political institution predictors rather than economics and physical endowments. • Large-n cross country international sample on continuous policy score measurement. • Political globalisation is positively linked with renewables and energy efficiency policies. • Education is positively linked to energy policy development, especially for efficiency. • Higher OECD countries' policy scores are primarily due to social and political predictors. • Higher incomes are unlikely to lead to automatic improvements in energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and energy security have emerged as the biggest concerns of the present century. Renewable energy sources are not continuous, dependent upon geographical location as well as climatic conditions, and require a very large land footprint. Future of nuclear energy is also uncertain because of public apprehensions and subsequent government policies. To overcome the issues derailing these two virtually carbon-free energy sources, a new hybrid or integrated nuclear-renewable energy system is being proposed and seen as an attractive option. Such integrated energy systems are conceived as a nuclear power reactor coupled with renewable energy generation and industrial processes that may simultaneously tackle the concerns regarding grid flexibility, climate change, energy security, optimal return on invested capital, and settling public concerns. Apart from highlighting the key challenges associated with nuclear energy and renewable energy sources while operating as an independent power generation system, the present paper delineates the various aspects associated with integrated nuclear-renewable energy systems. It may be speculated that integrating nuclear energy and renewable energy into a single hybrid energy system, coupled through informatics linkages, would enable to overcome the demerits present when they operate individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve the targets underlined in the European Strategy for climate change and energy efficiency, the so called 20-20-20 package, the European Commission launched the Covenant of Mayors to endorse and support the efforts deployed by local authorities in the implementation of sustainable energy plans, and at the same time contribute to greenhouse gases emissions mitigation. This paper explores how the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) has been adopted in Portugal, and which type of measures are being defined and implemented by the municipalities. For that, all Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) submitted by Portuguese municipalities (124) have been examined, for which a detailed analysis was performed, including the Baseline Emission Inventory (70, i.e., around 50%). The municipalities that submitted SEAP cover 60% of the total population of the country because the main urban centres are a part of the 30% that have signed the CoM. Most common measures are related with changes on behaviour and infrastructure related to energy (such as renewable energies, energy efficiency in buildings, public lighting, etc.), waste and transport (for example optimization of: transport infrastructures, used vehicles and road operations). Public lighting is one of the energy measures present in all submitted SEAP, which plays a key role in energy consumption, reaching values of upwards of 12%, particularly in coastal areas due to higher population density and urban residential areas. Besides all efforts there is still a long way to go in terms of energy consumption reduction at local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition towards low-carbon economy requires a number of specific actions by a multiplicity of actors in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, entailing energy efficiency, production of energy from renewable resources as well as the diffusion of more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Among the actors, local authorities can play a leading role for climate action. However, properly accounting for GHG emissions at local scale and identifying actions for GHG reduction are still an open challenge in many contexts. In this paper, we propose a method for GHG emissions accounting to support the identification of proper actions to achieve GHG reduction targets. The method widens the classical production-based approach to accounting, by proposing an extension of the accounting to three main areas: waste management and recycling, consumption patterns, and local land management. Life cycle thinking is applied as methodological basis for such extension. To illustrate the benefit of the proposed approach, the method has been applied to 16 municipalities (in Northern Italy), which were signatories of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) initiative. CoM is a European initiative by which local authorities voluntarily commit to reduce their GHG emissions through the implementation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans. A comparison of the emission profile of the different municipalities helps identifying common patterns and local peculiarities to be addressed to achieve the reduction target. For the analysed case studies, the biggest contribution to GHG emissions comes from the consumption of the natural gas and electricity by the household sector. Emissions from waste generation play a minor role in the selected case studies. However, the inclusion of avoided emissions coming from waste recycling highlights the reduction potential if an appropriate waste management system is in place. Consumption patterns, as well, may play a relevant role. For example, assessing GHG emissions related to food consumption on top of those due to other drivers, the total municipal emissions change by increasing for an average of 22.6% for the selected case studies. Moreover, local land use planning and management should be included in the assessment, being crucial not only for the emissions uptake but also for climate mitigation and adaptation. The proposed approach to GHG accounting, including consumption-based aspects, may help identifying a wider set of climate actions to be implemented by local authorities to reduce environmental burdens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy is the key to deal with climate change and low-carbon economy development in China. Here, based on a balanced panel dataset of 30 provinces in China cover the period of 1996–2013, this paper explores the effect of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade (exports or imports) and urbanization on renewable energy consumption at the national and regional levels by using a dynamic system-GMM panel model. The empirical results show that the influence of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade and urbanization on the renewable energy consumption is heterogeneous across regions. First, economic development has an important positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region, follows by the national, central and western regions. Second, CO 2 emissions have a significant positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the central and national regions. However, CO 2 emissions have a weak negative impact on the consumption of renewable energy in the eastern region, and have no impact in the western region; Third, per capita exports are found to have a positive effect on the renewable energy consumption, with the greatest impact in the central region, followed by the eastern and national regions and have a weak negative impact in the western regions; Fourth, per capita imports have a negative effect on renewable energy consumption in the eastern, western and national regions and have a weak positive effect in the central region; Finally, the changes in the urbanization level significantly affect the renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region with high level of urbanization, follow by the central and western regions. On the basis of this study, we put forward the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions to achieving sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a methodology to determine the installation costs of a floating wind farm installed offshore, the value of which depends on the type of floating offshore wind platform installed. In this context, several costs in the installation process have been defined: installation of the offshore wind generators, installation of the floating offshore wind substructures, installation of the anchoring and mooring, installation of the electric systems and the commissioning or start up of the floating offshore wind farm. Furthermore, several installation scenarios have been taken into consideration regarding the shipyard surface and draught, the number of lifts, the transport, the mooring strategy and the substation configuration. The method, tested for the region of Galicia and for three sorts of floating substructures: spar, semisubmersible and tensioned leg, allows to compare different alternatives of installing a floating offshore and the most important aspects of the costs proposed. It can be useful for investors who decide to use this type of offshore renewable energy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews climate change impacts on the production, physiology, yield, and product quality of vegetables affected by shifting CO 2 and O 3 concentrations, precipitation and temperature conditions, as well as subjected to extreme weather events. The emphasis is on the temperate cool climate of Western Europe. Physiological processes such as respiration and photosynthesis can acclimate to increasing atmospheric CO 2 and temperatures. The effect of increased CO 2 on vegetables is mostly beneficial for production, but may alter internal product quality, or result in photosynthetic down-regulation. Heat stress reduces fruit set of fruiting vegetables, and speeds up development of determinate vegetables, shortening their time for photoassimilation. In both cases, yield losses result with an impaired product quality, thereby increasing production waste. A longer growing season, arising from warmer temperatures, allows a greater number of plantings to be cultivated, contributing to greater annual yields. However, some vegetables need a period of cold accumulation to produce a harvest. Despite the increasing potential for winter cultivation in the future, perennials like asparagus might increasingly suffer from a lack of winter chilling. In cauliflower, higher temperatures will likely cause insufficient vernalization delaying head induction. This review may contribute in improving the adaptation strategies of vegetable production to climate change for a sustainable horticulture due to an effective risk management by meeting the problems of possible waste increase; breeding of new heat, drought and pest tolerant cultivars; secure water resources; increase the use of renewable energy sources; stimulating new ideas in innovative technologies; development of new approaches to secure stable yields and improve the product quality of vegetables for a cleaner production. © Elsevier. All rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, climate change, and resource depletion have forced us to reconsider energy usage and efficiencies over the last few decades. Residential and commercial buildings are both large energy consumers, so improving energy and material usage efficiency in this sector is a common research topic. According to a recent study, the Building Sector (BS) accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. The primary objective of this paper is to examine and assess the potential of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and their combinations for enhancing energy efficiency in the BS. Specifically, the focus will be on converting low energy-efficient buildings into highly efficient ones. The potential of the RES and their combinations for the BS is evaluated based on payback durations, energy generation, and reduction of CO 2 emissions. The optimization flow charts for the RES, feasibility studies, commercialization road maps of energy storage systems and the necessity of control mechanisms for enhancing RES efficiency were discussed. Additionally, the technology drawbacks are discussed, along with various innovative techniques recommended to direct future study in this area. Finally, this article assists the audience clear idea in the selection of the right combination of potential RES based on different conditions to achieve deep decarbonization in BSs. • Buildings sector (BS) responsible for 40% of GHG emissions. • Study assesses potential of Renewable Energy System (RES) in BS. • RES evaluated on payback, energy generation, and CO 2 reduction. • Optimization, feasibility and commercialization studies were discussed. • Article recommends right RES combinations for deep decarbonization in BS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent climate change, global warming, environmental disasters and the economic crisis are only the first signs of the failure of an economic system that, for too long, shows an uncontrolled utilization of the planet wealth. The Italian electricity market, which is strongly dependent on hydrocarbons, only in recent years has seen a first attempt to change towards renewable resources for electricity production aimed at self-consumption and for feeding into the grid. This paper presents an economic analysis whose purpose is to evaluate the profitability of investments in renewable technologies for the production of electricity. Each renewable source has its own profitability dependent on a number of factors and subject to market fluctuations, cost and frequent changes in the incentive policies. Applying Portfolio Theory is possible to select the right mix of renewable energy sources and simulate its evolution. Moreover the presented analysis can be useful for energy planners to select future green scenarios finalized to the reduction of emissions and energy imports through the increasing use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central strategy for climate change mitigation is expanding electricity generation from renewable energy sources, with an increasing share of decentralized generation. Some of these sources are variable renewable energy (VRE) sources, such as wind and solar resources. Measures have to be enacted to integrate VRE into an existing power supply system. One approach is switching from grid electricity supply towards direct demand of VRE generation to reduce grid transportation requirements and variable electricity grid feed-in. Within this context, energy flexibility control of manufacturing systems can be used to match energy demand of manufacturing systems with on-site VRE generation. Nonetheless, due to their inherent dynamic behavior, interlinked manufacturing systems provide additional operational and technical challenges such as maintaining throughput when energy control actions are executed. Further, stochastic influences from, for example, VRE generation and manufacturing system behavior constitute the requirement for a real-time approach on the level of manufacturing execution systems. Consequently, this paper presents a method for real-time control of manufacturing systems with several processes and intermediate buffers to increase utilization of (on-site) generated VRE without compromising system throughput. An initial method for an energy flexibility control logic is presented and a simulation prototype to evaluate its effectiveness is implemented. A case study is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and to test sensitivities to system parameter changes. Impact on direct VRE demand and additional operational indicators is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the reality of climate change facing the planet, industry is being challenged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Due to the large number of industrial parks around the world, they are an important and arguably, an appropriate level at which to manage GHG. The question being considered in this paper is whether a multi-disciplinary, muti-dimensional and integrated approach could result in a practical and cost-effective management plan for a carbon neutral eco-industrial park. Taking Debert Air Industrial Park (DAIP), Nova Scotia as an example, a combination of tenant and park strategies, which companies can adopt both individually and collectively in concert with industrial park planners and management are identified and are already being implemented in parks to reduce GHG emissions. The study also involved a survey of business managers. While we agree that some individual strategies such as enhancing renewable energy sources and energy efficiency initiatives will have significant impact, we conclude that a wider mix of strategies including land use planning will be necessary to result in a low carbon, resilient and ecologically sustainable park. Implementing these strategies will be helpful to reduce or offset GHG emissions at an industrial park level and facilitate the transition of industrial parks towards an eco-industrial development in both regenerative and preventative ways through planning, design and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In an effort to diversify economies and reduce high oil dependency, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries plan to increase the use of renewable energy sources to meet the challenges of a post-oil future. The Accession to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, which require a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has started a process of environmental awakening in the GCC countries. This paper reviews the publications on renewable energy with reference to the GCC countries since 2005. The objective was to investigate the benefits of funding and investing in renewable energy projects in the GCC countries. The article shows that the GCC countries have begun to adopt a more pro-active approach toward renewable energy that will help progress the GCC countries towards sustainability. The reorientation of strategies and policies toward renewable energy is evolving in the GCC countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Modern agriculture is heavily based on the energy supply obtained mainly from fossil fuels. In this sense, it can be defined as a technology that transforms fossil fuels into food. However, the available amount of fossil hydrocarbons is not infinite and climate change is creating a critical necessity of reducing their use. Therefore, it is not too early to start considering how agriculture could be adapted to sustainable sources of energy which do not cause climate change. In the present paper, we discuss how agriculture could be restructured in order to utilize the electric power provided by renewable energy technologies such as wind and photovoltaics. In this sense, the problem can be stated as the need of developing technologies able to turn electricity into food. In our analysis, we find that renewable electric power could provide some of the services for the farm produced today by fossil fuels at costs which are not outside reasonable ranges. However, not all the problems of modern agriculture can be solved simply shifting from one power source to another and the limited availability of mineral fertilizers, such as phosphates, remains a fundamental limitation. We conclude that renewable electric power in the farm should be seen as part of a more general transition that will require considerable transformations and adaptation of the current agricultural process in order to develop a truly sustainable agriculture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study focuses on the ecological design between traditional Diyarbakır houses and their physical environment (topography and climate) and structural environment (building form, spatial organization, material, landscape and planting, and technical infrastructure). The basic principle was to identify the criteria that would use natural energy sources and provide the most benefit to the inhabitants. The influence of different seasons on thermal perception was investigated. The average temperature differences between the outdoor and indoor environment of the houses were 7°C in winter, 6°C in summer and ±2°C in spring and autumn. Consequently, this paper discusses ecological design solutions used in traditional houses and their applicability to modern buildings and recognizes that architecture should coexist and maintain harmony with nature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Climate change has recently become a major focus for industry and government agencies. Some recent works have been reported on the use of pinch analysis techniques for carbon-constrained energy planning problems. This paper discusses a new application of graphical technique based on pinch analysis for company-level visualization and analysis of carbon footprint improvement. The technique is based on the decomposition of total carbon footprint into material- and energy-based components, or alternatively, into internal and external components. The decomposition facilitates the evaluation and screening of process improvement alternatives. Two industrial case studies on the production of phytochemical extracts and bulk chemicals are used to illustrate the new extension. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The emission of greenhouse gases and global warming are the major environmental concerns that has affected the normal geochemical cycles and climate conditions on the earth. However, a controlled production, conversion and utilization of these gases for energy generation in day to day activities of human beings can solve the problem of climate change effectively. Biogas has been recognized as a source of renewable energy available to considerably accelerate the socio-economic development. It is a multifaceted fuel containing methane, carbon dioxide and water vapors with multiple utilization options. Biogas can be valorized either directly or indirectly for various applications like the production of value-added chemicals or as a replacement of natural gas. This review article provides an in-depth analysis of various biogas valorization methods (physical, chemical and biological) for its efficient and eco-friendly utilization. The review intends to fill-up the knowledge gap through critically reviewing biogas cleaning and upgrading methods for biomethane and bio-CO 2 production for various applications including power plants, transport and value-added chemicals. The review article also highlights the conversion of biogas into fine chemicals and products of commercial importance. Chemical, biological and hybrid systems of biogas utilization are described in detail. The opportunities and impediments associated with the valorization of biogas, biomethane and bio-CO 2 have also been discussed. The paper highlights that most of the approaches to the implementation of biogas are in their infancy stage. It also identifies the bottlenecks, policies and future research and developments that are still needed in this relatively emerging field. Image 1 • Biogas is a multifaceted fuel with multiple utilization options. • Direct and indirect biogas valorization avenues. • Critical review of biogas cleaning and upgrading methods. • Conversion of biogas into value added products. • Role of microbes in biogas valorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass power is one of the most important renewable energy sources in China. In order to provide a reference for China's biomass power planning, this paper builds a power sector-planning model using the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP). The results show that in the base scenario, the installed capacity of agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid waste and biogas will increase to 22350 MW, 21150 MW, and 4900 MW, respectively by 2030. From the point of view of total volume, biomass supply is not a constraining factor for biomass power source. However, there are some social and economic factors that impede the development of the biomass power industry, some of which may not be addressed in the short term. Therefore, the development of the biomass power industry in China is a long-term process. Some policy suggestions were proposed, including reasonable planning and more subsidies for biomass supply value chain. • An optimal power-planning model focused on bio-energy in China was developed. • Agricultural and forestry power, waste power and biogas power were all analyzed. • Social and economic factors that impede biomass power were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]