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Cheap Production of bioethanol from renewable lignocellulosic waste has the imperative potential to economically cut burgeoning world dependency on fossils while reducing net emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2), a principal greenhouse gas (GHGs). This paper highlights key benefits and status of bioethanol production technologies, aiming mainly on recent developments and its key potentials in Pakistan. Most sector of Pakistan economy heavily rely on the energy and power that is being produced using traditional approaches like from oil and hydel. However, the sedimentation in dams cut-down the energy generation and overwhelmed severe energy crisis that are witnessed since last decade. Thus, Pakistan must go to avail alternative sources of energy like hydro, biomass and solar so that energy security can be ensured to recover the tremendous loss of economy. Renewable biomass is abundantly available in Pakistan which can be used to produce bioethanol and electricity. Currently, 22 distilleries are producing the ethanol from sugar cane bagasse and out of these only 8 distillation units are producing motor fuel grade ethanol. The current bioethanol production of country is about 403,500 tons/year along with 2423 tons of biodegradable waste available in major cities. In addition, Pakistan produces 6.57, 0.5, 0.66, and 2.66 million tons of sugarcane, corn, rice, and wheat straw per annum, respectively. This biomass can produce 1.6 million liters of bioethanol which can produce approximately 38% of Pakistan's electricity annually. Despite having large potential, Pakistan is still producing a few volumes of ethanol from sugarcane bagasse. The production of bioethanol can be boosted using (I) pretreatment of agricultural biomass by alkali (II) enzymatic and bacteria-based hydrolysis of the biomass (III) post-hydrolysis using pressurized steam above 100 °C (IV) Fermentation of the biomass@ 7–10 h and (V) and (VI) distillation of bioethanol. This study recommends (1) increase R&D capacities mainly in the west and central regions of Pakistan, (2) initiate mega-projects to promote integrated bio-ethanol production at agriculture farms by providing 1/3 subsides, (3) purchase of bioethanol directly from the major agricultural farms, (4) produce bioethanol related manpower from the key research institutes as specified in this study. • Upgradation of inefficient biogas to bioethanol can solve energy crisis. • Study witnessed huge potential of bioethanol (403,500 tons/year) from cheap biomass. • Key technical barriers in the green development of ethanol is emphasized fact-sheet. • Study implementation will replace inefficient biomass burn into ethanol combustion. • Study will definitively help policy makers to sustain lives of Pakistan people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at better understanding of the opportunities and potentials of the deployment of clean energy in the region of highest fossil fuel reserves in the world, the gulf cooperation council (GCC) states, by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the seventh sustainable development goal (SDG7) in the GCC states context including a detailed description of its targets, indicators as well as interrelatedness with the other SDGs. In line with that, the paper evaluated the renewable energy potential in the GCC states, its readiness to deploy and the constrains still to overcome. Analysis showed that GCC region has got a high potential of solar and wind energy, and good readiness for its deployment. The potential of solar energy resources in GCC states varies between 5.1 to 5.9 kWh/m² year. The average wind speed in GCC countries is between 3.5 -6 m/s, with the highest average of 6 m/s in Qatar and lowest average of 3.5 in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of biomass as an alternative fossil fuel can be realized mainly through biomass consumption. This paper examines the growth rate and spatial patterns of biomass consumption in the United States (hereafter US) during the period 2000–2012, using the SLOPE index, Moran's I and local Moran's I. Results indicate that US States show either slow growth or slow decline in biomass consumption during the period 2000–2012. The number of States that have slow growth in biomass consumption is slightly larger than the number of States showing slow decline. The pattern of growth rate of biomass consumption revealed by the SLOPE index and the observed pattern of the temporal variation of biomass consumption ensures that the SLOPE index can catch the growth rate of biomass consumption. This pattern does not align with the increased annual investment in biomass, indicating that the investment in biomass does not flow down to the biomass industry effectively. The pattern of growth rate of biomass consumption will provide additional evidence for the debates about the effectiveness of State renewable energy policy, and demonstrates an urgent need for appropriate State renewable energy policies. There is a High-High spatial cluster around the Southeast of the US and a Low-Low spatial cluster in the Middle of the US in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The regional spatial cluster in biomass consumption has somewhat relationship with the growth rate of biomass consumption, which can help the understanding of the growth rate of biomass consumption. • The SLOPE index is used to investigate the growth rate of biomass consumption. • The pattern of growth rate does not align with the increased annual investment. • There is an urgent need for appropriate State renewable energy policies. • There are regional clusters in biomass consumption in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. • The regional spatial cluster has somewhat relationship with the growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Renewable energy targets announced in 2014 present an opportunity to reform Indonesia's electricity sector which is dominated by fossil fuels. In this paper we discuss Indonesia's current renewable energy policies and future outlook for achieving the targets. This paper serves as a literature review of Indonesia's changing energy policy landscape, as part of a broader research investigating renewable energy targets and the role of the private sector. Despite Indonesia's wealth of renewable energy resources, numerous studies have identified multiple constraints to the development of renewable energy, including geographical, institutional and investment factors. Influential groups are calling for the Indonesian Government to put in place a clear policy framework that facilitates private sector investment. Therefore, interventions to facilitate investment in energy infrastructure in Indonesia must address the monopolised power market system that oversees a changing, complex malaise of electricity pricing regulations which make investment risky and uncertain. This study will enrich the existing literature on renewable energy policy which emphasises the importance of engaging the private sector. It is based on a rigorous qualitative assessment of Indonesia's changing policy that affects the progress of the renewable energy targets. The lessons from Indonesia's experience may provide insights for policymakers notably in developing countries.Keywords: energy in Indonesia, private sector investment, renewable energy Highlights • Indonesia's renewable energy targets show awareness of the need for renewable energy to solve the energy trilemma challenge. • The targets represent forward thinking policy that moves from the abstract to measurable targets. • Private sector participation is imperative to address today's under investmentin Indonesia's electricity infrastructure. • Indonesia needs to reinforce its commitment to renewable energy to resolve constraints impeding private sector investment. • Indonesia needs to embark on electricity sector reform that encompasses decarbonisation as part of its strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of the power generation in India is carried out by conventional energy sources, coal and fossil fuels being the primary ones, which contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emission and global warming. The Indian power sector is witnessing a revolution as excitement grips the nation about harnessing electricity from various renewable energy sources. Electricity generation from renewable sources is increasingly recognized to play an important role for the achievement of a variety of primary and secondary energy policy goals, such as improved diversity and security of energy supply, reduction of local pollutant and global greenhouse gas emissions, regional and rural development, and exploitation of opportunities for fostering social cohesion, value addition and employment generation at the local and regional level. This focuses the solution of the energy crisis on judicious utilization of abundant the renewable energy resources, such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and ocean tidal energy. This paper reviews the renewable energy scenario of India as well as extrapolates the future developments keeping in view the consumption, production and supply of power. Research, development, production and demonstration have been carried out enthusiastically in India to find a feasible solution to the perennial problem of power shortage for the past three decades. India has obtained application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors too. There are ample opportunities with favorable geology and geography with huge customer base and widening gap between demand and supply. Technological advancement, suitable regulatory policies, tax rebates, efficiency improvement in consequence to R&D efforts are the few pathways to energy and environment conservation and it will ensure that these large, clean resource bases are exploited as quickly and cost effectively as possible. This paper gives an overview of the potential renewable energy resources in Indian context while evaluating the present status, the energy demand of the country and forecast consumption and production, with the objective to evaluate and assess whether India can sustain its growth and its society with renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the positive momentum achieved by the renewable energy sector in recent years, there are substantial challenges that need the attention of the global community, and one of the more pressing issues is dealing with the deleterious external costs of power generation. One of the parameters to compare costs of energy across various technologies is levelised cost of energy (LCOE), but it has been conventional practice to neglect the external costs in estimating the LCOE of power generation technologies. Furthermore, as LCOE is a critical indicator for policy and decision makers, there is a need to juxtapose actual costs of renewable and conventional power generation technologies. This research paper attempts to internalise some of these external and GHG emission costs across various power generation and storage technologies in all the G20 countries, as they account for 85% of global power consumption. As future investment decisions are largely influenced by costs, estimates in this research prove renewables and storage to be far cheaper than fossil and nuclear sources by 2030, even without considering external costs. The myth that renewables are ‘way too expensive’ has been debunked repeatedly, and the cost decline of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies have outpaced most industry expectations. The results of this research not only substantiate this trend, but also statistically display that all the G20 countries have the opportunity to decrease their energy costs significantly, between now and 2030. Renewable energy technologies offer the lowest LCOE ranges across G20 countries in 2030. Utility-scale solar PV generally shows the lowest values ranging from 16 to 117 €/MWh el and onshore wind LCOE range is from 16 to 90 €/MWh el . Rooftop solar PV generally offers the next lowest LCOE ranging from 31 to 126 €/MWh el , followed by LCOE of offshore wind power ranging from 64 to 135 €/MWh el . Solar PV and battery systems are highly competitive on an LCOE basis at utility-scale ranging from 21 to 165 €/MWh el and at residential scale from 40 to 204 €/MWh el . The G20, as well as other countries, can continue to develop their economies in a sustainable manner, along with substantial co-benefits in adjacent policy fields such as higher national welfare, better health of citizens, lower respective health costs and improved energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have economically and politically been dominated by the exploitation of fossil fuels, recent years have seen an increasing adoption of renewable energy technologies, the reasons of which are not yet sufficiently understood. This paper argues that the recent adoption of renewable energy technologies in the Gulf and its striking variation can be explained by theories of policy transfer. In addition, we find some support for the alternative hypothesis of endogenous policy development regarding political leadership. Yet there is no support for the alternative hypothesis of a strong direct influence of the international climate regime. Furthermore, the policy transfer hypothesis and political leadership stand as coexisting influences on renewable energy adoption, rather than competing ones. Based on an extensive study of primary and secondary sources, local reports and country analyses of international organizations, and personal interviews with key experts, this paper lays out in detail how transfers of renewable energy policies take place in the Gulf; their drivers; and their impacts. We also discuss the factors that lead countries to lag behind, which can be helpful for prospective research on a more extensive utilization of renewable energy in the region and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia, as a developing country and a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is looking into inexhaustible and repeatable alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, mini-hydro and biomass. The estimated GDP at 2010 is $15,385 per capita and the economic and industrial growth of the country implies that energy demand is growing very fast. In addition, the growing prices of fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, make inevitable renewable energy solutions for the country. Geographically, Malaysia is located in a region of tropical and humid climate which provides easy access to a variety of renewable energy sources. The government of Malaysia has initiated renewable energy policies to encourage industries and individuals to employ renewable-energy-powered systems in power applications. This paper first gives a brief overview of the current status of renewable energy in Malaysia. Then it provides the energy policies, specifically the renewable energy policies in Malaysia, in Section 2 . The renewable energy programs are reviewed in Section 3. The building energy efficiency program with green aspect is provided in Section 4. Lastly, the conclusion and forecasts of this paper are given in Section 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting from fossil to renewable energy sources is a major global challenge, and in this context, the European Union has promoted sustainable and environmentally friendly growth as early as the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. To date, European institutions have promulgated a series of environmental regulations and directives aimed at promoting and imposing adoption by member states of internal regulations. This paper is focused on Western Europe, and it explores, for each state under analysis, energy policies adopted, the results achieved and recommendations for the future growth of renewable energy. The results show that in countries where energy policy is not fragmented, the yield in renewable energies has been higher, and also in the states where more and various forms of subsidies are foreseen, growth seems to be greater. Finally, the paper provides useful recommendations and future policy implications for states that have not met the 2020 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quota obligations represent a policy instrument to reduce carbon emissions and incentivize renewable-based electricity generation. This support scheme places an obligation on generating companies to comply with a quota of renewable-based production. Eligible renewable units receive one certificate for each MWh, while fossil-based generating companies must buy certificates to comply with the requirement. This paper proposes a family of generation expansion models that include both an electricity and a certificate market to investigate to which degree a given quota obligation and non-compliance penalty incentivize the capacity expansion of renewable-based generation. Two market players are considered, namely, a renewable-based generating company with null operating cost and a weather-dependent capacity factor; and a fossil-based generating company with a fixed capacity and known fuel cost function. First, a complementarity model that determines the optimal capacity of the renewable-based producer considering a perfectly competitive market is proposed. Next, market players are assumed to compete in quantities à la Cournot to maximize their profits, being the generation expansion model formulated as a mathematical problem with equilibrium constraints. The relevance of properly setting the non-compliance penalty for each level of competition to comply with a given quota obligation is quantified and discussed using an stylized example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the state-of-the-day for non-renewable and renewable energy in Ukraine and state policy of its development in the long-term perspective. Despite total dependence on imported energy resources and complex natural conditions to develop new own deposits of fossil fuels; the state does not pay enough attention to RE development. The article investigates the advantages and usefulness of the development of renewable energy sources, which are considered along with analysis of the most economically profitable directions of their use. The key obstacles, which reduce the effectiveness of RE deployment and barriers to the realization of RE projects by investors are analyzed. Considering Russia׳s military intervention, we paid attention to the peculiarities of the functioning of green power plants in the occupied Crimea and the loss of Ukrainian renewable energy sector from the annexation of the peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]