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Ensuring that electricity systems maintain reliable power supplies is critical to sustaining political support for the low-carbon energy transition. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the recent electricity disruptions in China and evaluate the government's response. Since 2020, China has faced three unprecedented power outage affecting multiple provinces for weeks. This study investigates the interplay of various factors contributing to China's power crisis and examines the government's policies aimed at addressing immediate issues while advancing broader reforms. Key policy measures involve adjusting the electricity market to allow greater price fluctuations for coal-fired electricity and opening the wholesale market to industrial and commercial users. While this reform is expected to boost market competitiveness, the present market structure falls short of what is likely needed to ensure that power sector dispatch, pricing, and investment can work together to ensure reliable electricity supply in the context of China's transition towards carbon neutrality. To create an advanced, resilient, and flexible renewable energy grid, more intricate reforms across the electricity system, market, regulatory framework, and institutions will be essential. [Display omitted] • Power reliability is critical to keeping political support for energy transition. • A combination of factors led to power curtailments in China in recent times. • Policy responses to address China's power crisis are examined. • Implications of these policy changes are assessed. • An integrated solution framework is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global imperative of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 to mitigate climate change has intensified the focus on the energy sector, given its significant contribution to GHG emissions. Like many other countries, Bolivia has set official goals for transitioning its energy sector. However, these still require robust planning and technical documentation to become a reality. To better understand the effects of the transition process, a long-term optimization model (OSeMOSYS) was developed for the period 2020–2050. This model analyses the evolution of energy consumption, emissions, and required investments under alternative conditions. Additionally, a dispatch optimization model (Dispa-SET) was used to validate the technical feasibility of these scenarios periodically. Linking results from both models helps address limitations in the long-term model and determine a margin of error in its simulations. This study explores three scenarios: Business as Usual (BAU), Mixed Policies (MP), incorporating policy-based measures, and Carbon Neutrality (CN), assuming a 95 % reduction of carbon emissions. Results suggest that adopting energy transition measures could reduce the system's overall cost in the long term. However, achieving this would require major investments, especially at the power generation level. Relative to BAU conditions, the MP scenario expects an 80 % reduction in emissions by 2050, but requiring discounted investments 3.5 times higher. The CN scenario would require even larger investments, with an average yearly undiscounted cost of 2700 million USD between 2020 and 2050, similar to 7 % of the current national GDP of Bolivia. These results highlight the significant challenge of transitioning Bolivia's energy sector. [Display omitted] • Alternative energy transition scenarios are explored for the future of Bolivia (2050). • The energy system is modeled with a soft-linking process between two open-source tools. • Explored transition pathways are expected to be more cost-effective in the long term. • To facilitate the transition large investments are expected at the power generation level. • Reducing 80 % of sectorial emissions would require investments 3.5 higher than a BAU scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon pricing is expected to meet COP26 targets and carbon neutrality goals by promoting energy transition. However, the role of carbon pricing in energy transition has been challenged largely because of limited empirical evidence. Most empirical studies draw on samples with low-to-moderate carbon prices, which might underestimate the potential impact of carbon pricing with much higher prices. Accordingly, this study takes energy prices as proxies for carbon prices to estimate the price elasticity of energy consumption. It employs a mapping relationship between carbon and energy prices to conduct simulations under various carbon price scenarios. Using China's industry as an example, the following main findings were obtained. First, the price elasticities of energy consumption are heterogeneous across sectors, implying that the role of carbon pricing may be underestimated if sector heterogeneity is not considered. Second, carbon pricing could considerably decrease energy consumption, particularly in high-energy-consuming sectors, such as ferrous metals, petroleum processing, chemicals, non-metal products, as well as power and heat. Third, by adopting China's Emissions Trading Scheme, the eight planned covered sectors could achieve reductions of 8% or 19% in energy consumption with carbon prices set at 100 or 300 Yuan/tCO2, respectively, which would significantly contribute to the phasedown of coal. Therefore, carbon pricing could play an important role in achieving energy transition in the post-COP26 era. • The effectiveness of carbon pricing on energy transition in the post-COP26 era are studied. • Carbon pricing could generate a considerable decrease in energy consumption. • Heterogeneous price elasticities avoid underestimation of energy conservation. • China's ETS could reduce energy consumption by 19% with a carbon price of 300 Yuan/tCO2. • China's ETS would also significantly contribute to the phasedown of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To keep temperature rise well below 2 °C, production systems should be synthesised in a way that are regenerative, climate-resilient, and equitable, and to maintain biodiversity to preserve life and meet future human needs with the integrity of nature. In line with this approach, this paper presents a stepwise transition to a regenerative energy system in the EU by 2050, with the aim of going beyond carbon neutrality and achieving annual net negative emissions. A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed with the goal of maximising the Sustainability Net Present Value while achieving a balanced solution between all the three basic sustainability pillars. In order to obtain a regenerative system design, the annual self-sequestration of CO 2 by the Earth was evaluated based on the amount of CO 2 released into the atmosphere and the change in atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The impact of different CO 2 emission reduction scenarios on the atmospheric CO 2 concentration until 2050 was evaluated. The results show that carbon neutrality at the global level could be achieved by 2050 with a 1.63% annual reduction in anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Moreover, the results indicate that if carbon emission neutrality is achieved at the global level in 2050, it could be achieved in the EU as early as 2039, given the Earth's self-sequestration capacity. To go beyond carbon emissions neutrality at the EU level, electricity demand is expected to nearly double, particularly due to the electrification of road transport, the use of heat pumps for heating residential and the tertiary sectors, 6G and IoT widespread out etc. • A critical review of sustainable heat production technologies. • A MILP model to achieve carbon emissions neutrality or negative net emissions in the EU by 2050. • Cross-sectoral synthesis of regenerative energy systems – beyond sustainability. • Assessment and prediction of Earth's self-sequestration in the synthesis of regenerative energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve the goal of a carbon neutral EU by 2050 and meet the climate targets of the Paris Agreement, a sustainable, efficient, competitive and secure energy system needs to be developed. This paper presents the synthesis of sustainable renewable energy supply networks within the EU-27, proposing a stepwise energy transition in the transport and power sectors, achieving a carbon net neutral target by 2050. A multi-period mixed-integer programming model is developed, with the objective of maximizing sustainability net present value, considering different biomass and waste resources for the production of biofuels, renewable electricity, hydrogen, food and bioproducts, employing different types of technologies. The results show that, with further development of existing technologies, the goal of a carbon-neutral EU can be achieved without compromising food production. Wind farms have proven to be the most promising solution at present for the rapid expansion of electricity generation from renewable energy sources, while the importance of solar photovoltaics is increasing over the years, reaching the 43% share of electricity generation from RES in 2050. Moreover, the energy transition within the EU could have a significant positive impact on the economic, environmental and also social aspects of sustainability, with more than 1.5 million new job opportunities created across the EU over the next 30 years. [Display omitted] • Mathematical programming approach for the transition to carbon-neutral EU by 2050. • Critical review of technologies and synthesis of renewable energy supply networks. • Sustainable multi-period selection of locations, products and types of technologies. • Large economic, eco and social benefits if optimization is carried out at EU level. • Carbon-neutral EU can be achieved through further development of technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]