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• A life cycle assessment (LCA) of solid recovered fuel (SRF) was conducted. • SRF production process contributes to about 35.6 kg CO 2 -eq per ton. • A maximum of −1752.03 kg CO 2 -eq was obtained with about 80 % of SRF biogenic carbon. • A footprint of −542.09 to −1729.05 kg CO 2 -eq can be found due to coke substitution. • The study recommended SRF production to mitigate the global carbon footprint. Solid recovered fuel (SRF) from non-recyclable waste obtained from source separation and mechanical treatments can replace carbon coke in cement plants, contributing to the carbon neutrality. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the SRF production from non-recyclable and selected waste was conducted in an Italian mechanical treatment plant to estimate the potential environmental impacts per ton of SRF produced. The analysis would contribute to evaluate the benefits that can be obtained due to coke substitution in best- and worst-case scenarios. The avoided impacts achieved were assessed, together with an evaluation of the variables that can affect the environmental benefits: SRF biogenic carbon content (in percentage of paper and cardboard); transportation distances travelled from the treatment plant to the cement kiln; the renewable energy used in the mechanical facility. On average, about 35.6 kgCO 2 -eq are generated by the SRF transportation and production phase. These impacts are greatly compensated by coke substitution, obtaining a net value of about −1.1 tCO 2 -eq avoided per ton of SRF. On balance, the global warming potential due to SRF production and consumption ranges from about −542 kgCO 2 -eq to about −1729 kgCO 2 -eq. The research recommended the use of SRF to substitute coke in cement kilns also in low densely-populated areas to mitigate environmental impacts and achieve carbon neutrality at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global energy issue is undergoing transformation owing to various factors, such as climate change and geopolitics. In the long term, the primary pathways to achieve sustainable energy development remain the clean energy and global cooperation. As the largest energy consumption centers, the Asia Pacific and North America possess complementary energy profiles and developmental needs for cooperation. This paper analyses various electricity or hydrogen transmission technologies suitable for the Pacific Rim energy system. The liquid hydrogen superconducting energy pipelines possess the potential to fulfill the demands of long-distance and large-scale energy transmission. Building upon this technology, a super energy pipeline project connecting East Asia and North America across 12 time zones was proposed. It is composed of pipelines and relay energy stations, which can realize large-scale storage and transportation of renewable energy as well as the diversified energy supply at terminals. The techno-economic evaluation of the project has been comprehensively conducted, and the investment can be recovered within 10 years. The project is expected to boost the progress of renewable energy, ensure regional energy security and promote the sustainable development of global energy. [Display omitted] • Proposes cross-continental energy transmission scheme for Pacific Rim. • Highlights the potential of liquid hydrogen superconducting energy pipelines. • Identifies the future requirements for the energy storage and transmission. • Presents a review of the existing global energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of large-scale sustainable energy has affected the security of electricity systems. Virtual power plant (VPP) realize multi-energy synergistic complementation and efficient operation mainly with electricity. The paper proposed a flexible resource dynamic aggregation regulation method of VPP to ensure more renewable energy generation, which enables the efficient operation of multiple energy sources with electricity as the main source through collaborative and complementary measures. Firstly, the operating mode of VPP under market mechanisms is proposed, and the operating mechanism for VPP's participation in the market is established. Secondly, the types of flexible resources are identified, a cooperative game relationship between multiple autonomous agents within the power grid and VPP is formed to support an intelligent control method for VPP considering the complementarity of multiple energy sources and carbon emissions. Finally, a novel inverse cotangent compound differential evolution (NICCDE) algorithm is proposed by combining the innovative composite differential evolution algorithm with the tangent function, which realizes the flexible synergistic utilization of multiple energy sources. and reduces the training cost of the algorithm. Case studies from the conducted case study demonstrate the significant cost reduction achieved by the proposed method in comparison to conventional approaches when applied to VPP. Moreover, the utilization of this method enhances the precision and comprehensiveness of the search outcomes, thereby augmenting the overall effectiveness of the VPP system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper probes the effectiveness of competitive industrial performance (CIP) and renewable energy in enhancing load capacity factor in top-10 CIP economies for the period 1990–2018. We run panel econometric techniques that address cross-sectional dependence, endogeneity and heterogeneity to provide policy recommendations with the applications of industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9), which is linked to affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and climate action (SDG 13). In the empirical analysis, two different environmental quality indicators such as CO 2 emissions and load capacity factor are used. While cointegration between variables cannot be detected in the emissions model, evidence for the existence of cointegration is presented in the load capacity factor model. The findings in the paper suggest that economic growth and competitive industrial performance adversely impact environmental quality, while renewable energy consumption and human capital can improve load capacity factor. The result shows that human capital and renewable energy consumption can be strong tools for stimulating load capacity factor in top-10 CIP economies. Countries with high competitive industrial performance need to return to a green economy without losing their competitiveness. • SDG-based environmental policies was presented for the top-10 CIP economies. • A battery of second generations methods was employed. • Investigating the impacts of Competitive industrial performance on environmental quality. • Competitive industrial performance has a negative impact on environmental quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the editorial for the virtual special issue (VSI) of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER) dedicated to three Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Conferences held in 2022, namely: (i) the 5th South East European Conference SEESDEWES 2022 held from May 22 to 26, 2022 in Vlore, Albania; (ii) the 3rd Latin American LASDEWES 2022 held from July 24 to 28, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil and (iii) the 17th SDEWES 2022 held from November 6 to 10, 2022 in Paphos, Cyprus. The VSI collected both high quality review papers and original research articles presented at these conferences, aligning with the aims and scope of RSER. Following a rigorous peer review process, seventeen articles were accepted and published. These articles explore techniques and technologies essential for advancing feasible Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. Spanning multidisciplinary topics, many of them address almost all the Sustainable Development Goals, offering feasible solutions for much-needed decarbonization pathways. • The VSI SDEWES 2022 presents the ready solutions for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. • Five clusters for presenting the Renewable and Sustainable energy cutting edge solutions. • The positioning in the scientific context of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. • Feasible solutions for much-needed decarbonization pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of autonomous vehicles for marine and submarine work has risen considerably in the last decade. Developing new monitoring systems, navigation and communications technologies allows a wide range of operational possibilities. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are being used in offshore missions and applications with some innovative purposes by using sustainable and green energy sources. This paper considers an AUV that uses a hydrogen fuel cell, achieving zero emissions. This paper analyses the life cycle cost of the UAV and compares it with a UAV powered by conventional energy. The EN 60300-3-3 guidelines have been employed to develop the cost models. The output results show estimations for the net present value under different scenarios and financial strategies. The study has been completed with the discount rate sensibility analysis in terms of financial viability. • This paper considers an AUV that uses a hydrogen fuel cell, achieving zero emissions. • This paper analyses the life cycle cost of the UAV and it is compared with a UAV powered by conventional energy. • The EN 60300-3-3 guidelines have been employed to develop the cost models. • The output results show estimations for the net present value under different scenarios and financial strategies. • The study has been completed with the discount rate sensibility analysis in terms of financial viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the potential of 15 RCEP (The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) member countries to advance green investments from 2000 to 2021. Based on the results from the Panel Pooled Mean Group (PMG) technique, the investment potential has positive short- and long-term coefficients. The EKC (Environmental Kuznets Curve) hypothesis exists, indicating that gross domestic product per capita in the short term is the factor that inhibits the growth of renewable energy consumption. The financial development index has a non-significant coefficient in the short term. However, it has a positive coefficient in the long term. The climate policy uncertainty negatively impacts renewable energy deployment in the short- and long-term. The conclusions provide some policy implications, such as the support of green SMEs, the establishment of a digital green financing market, and the creation of green multilateralism through the establishment of a green investment network. • Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis exists in RCEP economies. • Financial development index has a positive and significant effect coefficient. • The climate policy uncertainty negatively impacts renewable energy deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By considering the significant role economic growth has played in environmental function between 1990 and 2019, this paper examines the relationships between renewable energy development, trade openness, and institutional quality in the development of green finance in South Asian countries. The effectiveness of institutions and trade transparency are factors in green finance. We use a panel data model to ascertain the cointegration among the variables. The study employs the OLS fixed pool method along with a quantile regression to assess the model and reveal that, although growth in renewable energy development and trade openness worsen the ecological environment, institutional quality and the use of renewable energy promotes green finance development. The findings indicate that trade openness and institutional quality have a positive link with green financing. Institutional quality drives the use of renewable energy, whereas gross domestic product (GDP) drives the environmental impact. In light of these findings, policymakers can put in place beneficial policies for renewable energy development as an economic instrument to minimize ecological footprints and enhance green finance development. • Trade openness. • Renewable energy development. • Green finance. • Institutional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impact of green finance and renewable energy on energy efficiency in E−7 economies. We analyzed the nonlinear and asymmetric effects of green finance and renewable energy on energy efficiency. We collected data from 1985 to 2017 and applied the NARDL and 2SLS methods. The results reveal that the differences in green finance development in the E−7 region are as follows: China (0.61), Brazil (0.55), India (0.53), Indonesia (0.49), Mexico (0.37), and Russia (0.39). In 2019, the Gini coefficient was the largest in Russia (0.57), followed by Turkey. Based on empirical findings, the largest barrier to green energy efficiency is insufficient private and governmental investment in the energy sector to improve access to power, to increase energy security and promote economic growth in an environmentally sustainable manner. The findings point to a promising but vulnerable future for renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment in E−7 countries. This paper emphasizes that green financing and renewable energy policy limitations must be addressed to realize the funding potential of energy efficiency in E−7 countries. • We have analyzed the barrieres for renewable energy and energy efficiency. • Non-linear and asymmetric effects is observed on energy efficiency. • We have applied NARDL model to examine the relationship among variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the connectedness among the climate change index, green financial assets, renewable energy markets, and geopolitical risk index from June 1, 2012 to June 13, 2022, using Quantile Vector Autoregressive (QVAR) and wavelet coherence (WC). The Total connectedness index (TCI) varies as long as the highest TCI originates in the upper quantile. We also note that the higher TCI decreases after the second wave of COVID-19 and increases during the first 100 days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Moreover, the results show that Geopolitical risk (GPR) is a net transmitter of the climate change index during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The green bond and clean energy markets are negatively connected to the GPR at extreme 10 th and 90 th quantiles. The wavelet coherence confirms the QVAR results that the climate change market can be a safe haven against GPR during the Russian invasion. The climate change index, green financial assets, and clean energy are strong influencers in the financial markets and are vital to international peace, reducing geopolitical risk. The study reports a few novel conclusions and implications from a sustainable development perspective. • Connectedness among climate change index, green financial assets, renewable energy markets. • Daily data was used from June 1, 2012 to June 13, 2022. • Role of geopolitical risk for green financial assets and renewable energy market. • Climate change index, green financial assets, and clean energy are strong influencers in the financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth in population and economic development in Iran and its neighboring countries has resulted in a dramatic increase in electricity demand over the past few years. A substantial amount of electricity must be produced to meet this growing demand in this region. By installing conventional fossil power plants, using renewable energy, and interconnecting with neighboring countries, this growing demand can be accomplished. The main aim of this research is to identify prospects and challenges in the electrical sector around Iran. To this end, this paper evaluates the existing and future state of the electrical sector in Iran and its neighboring countries. Despite the fact that there is still a long way to go in terms of renewable energy in this region, there are some promising targets for the future that will allow fossil fuels to be replaced effectively. Notwithstanding this, we should point out that a number of cross-border interconnection projects are being pursued by Iran and its neighbors in order to integrate their networks and supply this growing demand. Finally, this study presents an overview of the future prospects and challenges of electricity capacity expansion, cross-border interconnections, and electricity transmission corridors in this region. The review results provide comprehensive background knowledge to all the researchers in order to investigate further into the field. This paper assists energy policy makers regarding the development of sustainable energy planning. • •In addition to providing a general overview of the geographical location, population growth, and economic indicators of Iran and its neighboring countries, this paper presents the current state of the Iranian electricity sector and its neighboring countries in light of the trends in electricity production, energy mix, price, and exports and imports. • •This paper explores the existing and future states of electricity capacity expansion in the region, specifically focusing on renewable energy sources. • •The existing and future states of cross-border electricity interconnections are examined to present a comprehensive overview of the cross-border interconnections in this region. • •This region's potential electricity transmission corridors are proposed to create the opportunity to transmit electricity across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global economic costs of environmental pollution increase the importance of renewable energy sources. This paper analyzes the impact of financial development on renewable energy consumption in 34 upper middle income developing countries from 1994 to 2015. The long-term relationship between variables is estimated by applying Panel Pedroni cointegration and Kao cointegration tests. The long run effect of financial development on renewable energy consumption is investigated by using Fully-Modified OLS (FMOLS) approach. The empirical results indicate the presence of long run relationship between renewable energy consumption and financial development. Moreover, financial development increases the demand for renewable energy. Economic growth has a negative effect on renewable energy consumption, but consumer prices have a statistically insignificant impact on renewable energy consumption. The empirical evidence reveals that financial development triggers in increasing demand for environmentally friendly energy sources, i.e., renewable energy. Renewable energy consumption reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in nature as opposed to fossil energy consumption. Therefore, to achieve sustainable development goals, governments should implement incentives and tax policies that increase the demand of enterprises for renewable energy resources. In addition, investment opportunities in renewable energy resources to be created by public-private cooperation via financial arrangements should be increased. - This paper examines how financial development affects renewable energy consumption? - The panel Pedroni cointegration and Kao cointegration approaches are applied. - The Fully-Modified OLS (FMOLS) approach is employed for long run association. - Financial development promotes renewable energy demand. - Economic growth declines renewable energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern lifestyle and economic development of the European Union countries are closely connected to high energy consumption and environmental pollution. Renewable energy has arisen as one solution to this problem, even though the obstacles and challenges regarding the deployment of renewable energy lie in high costs, technology and legislation. The investigation of the determinants of renewable energy has become very attractive and popular because of the Sustainable Development Goals and COP26 targets. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the role of energy taxes and environmental taxes in addition to that of economic and environmental indicators in renewable energy development for the panel of EU countries by applying reliable and robust econometric techniques to the annual data from 1995 to 2019. The empirical results suggest that an increase in economic growth and oil prices supports renewable energy while environmental taxes and energy taxes have a negative impact on renewable energy deployment in EU countries. Thus, it is crucial to reform the structure of taxes to support the use of renewable energy. In addition, increasing environmental taxes to transform EU countries into energy-efficient economies will require additional EU policy adjustments. [Display omitted] • The nexus between energy and environmental taxes, and renewable energy is analyzed. • Several reliable and robust econometric techniques are employed for estimations. • Environmental taxes negatively impact on renewable energy deployment. • Energy taxes decrease renewable energy. • Economic growth and oil prices support renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy communities based on the integration of microgrids make it possible to gain economic, environmental, technical, and social benefits. The paper aims to propose a unified multi-criteria approach covering both the planning stage and the stage of managing the energy community, in the context of various interests of its participants. Planning stage should take into account the long-term goals of the community and possible changes in external conditions. Therefore, we suggest an approach relying on the multi-attribute value theory considering the uncertainty of decision makers' preferences. Interval estimators used to express preferences enable a choice of community configuration with robust performance under changing conditions within some limits. In the operation stage, the new multi-criteria model of an intelligent "energy community operator" is proposed. It is based on bi-level programming and reinforcement learning, implementing the structure of a fair local market for sustainable development of the community. To optimize the operation of individual microgrids within the community, the multi-objective Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) algorithm is used, which helps to improve the convergence in the Stackelberg game. The multi-criteria version of the MCTS algorithm allows implementing an adaptive local automation model to solve a multi-objective lower-level problem: minimize operating costs, risk of power shortage, and CO2 emissions; smooth load peaks, and optimize power exchange between microgrids. At the top level, a management strategy that will be beneficial to all members of the community is chosen to guarantee their long-term aggregation. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by the example of an energy community created for three remote villages located on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The natural and climatic conditions of the area allow the efficient use of wind, solar, and biomass resources. Building the community involves the consideration of three scenarios, in which priority is given to economic efficiency, environmental efficiency, or balanced development. • The practical multi-criteria approach for development a sustainable energy community. • Energy community sizing under uncertainty of decision makers' preferences. • Bi-level programming for a "fair" community operator model. • Monte-Carlo Tree Search algorithm for multi-criteria community management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, energy represents a key element in the social and economic development of a territory. This is particularly true for fragile territories that are not interconnected, such as small island states. As is true for many of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) worldwide, the energy situation of the Comoros is substantially based on fossil fuel imports. The socioeconomic development of this archipelago is overwhelmingly dependent on energy security from sustainability, availability and affordability perspectives. As a forward-looking response to energy vulnerability, the deployment of renewables to diversify the generation of electricity appears to be an essential prerequisite for guaranteeing a sustainable future. Nevertheless, despite a high potential for renewable energy, only 3.8% of the electricity supply in the Comoros is provided by hydropower. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the energy situation throughout the Comoros and focuses on renewable energy opportunities to facilitate the supply of green power. This study ultimately shows that renewable energies are rarely exploited despite the powerful potential of different resources. Finally, this paper attempts to provide recommendations for the Comoros to pursue a more sustainable future. • Analysis of the current energy situation of Comoros. • Defining renewable potential and ongoing actions. • Analysis of the specific barriers and policy to the development of RES in the Comoros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of economic growth has recently become a major objective for the global economy. Innovation is a newly emerged key factor for an efficient energy market and sustainable development. It can reduce pollution by increasing production efficiency (the first effect of CO 2 e reduction) and direct involvement in renewable energy development (the second effect of CO 2 e reduction) by replacing fossil fuel instruments with their counterparts that rely on renewable energy. The main question of this research is: Will the impact of innovation on per capita CO2e be the same on a threshold with different levels of renewable energy consumption? This paper explores the impact of innovation on CO 2 emissions in a panel of 29 selected EU countries from 2000 to 2019 using the fixed-effect panel threshold model. The results indicated that innovation had a significantly negative effect on per capita CO 2 e. In the early levels of the use of renewable energy, innovations have been directed more towards clean energy (the second effect on CO 2 e). Innovations were directed more towards clean energy in using renewable energy at early levels. It can be concluded that this policy has led to more innovation in clean energy production and more use of renewable energy, thus reducing CO2e considerably (the second effect). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

— Seasonal and location dependence of renewable energy resources have limited their applications in power generation. Energy storage systems are promising solutions to the intermittence of renewable energy resources. Rural electricity grids are faced with economic sustainability challenges due to low power demand and poverty. A rural grid design around economic drivers like agriculture and micro industries can mitigate poverty and improve economic sustainability of rural grids. This paper presents an integrated design for photovoltaic power generation with a pumped hydro storage system for irrigation and community utilization. The design explored the natural availability of water body in an elevated settlement area that offers a natural storage height for hydro energy storage. A photovoltaic generation plant was designed to power a pump as a turbine system for water storage and generation. HOMER® energy simulation software was deployed in the simulation. The result shows a satisfactory net present cost for the possible integration of a pumped hydro storage system in a photovoltaic generation plant as the most viable option to provide power at a power supply probability of 99.9% and water for irrigation. The benefits from the irrigation and water supply will enhance the community's socio-economic development and sustain the investment. [Display omitted] • We proposed a strategy to help an African community to have access to electricity. • The scheme will provide irrigation facilities and water supply to the community. • Photovoltaic Generation System was deployed as the primary energy source. • Intermittence of renewable energy was addressed through pumped hydro storage. • The result shows a satisfactory net present cost and 99.9% power supply probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of sustainable development, the renewable energy technology innovation (RETI) may have a potential impact upon the industrial structure upgrading, while green finance will play a moderating part. This paper studies the role of green finance and renewable energy technological innovation on industrial structure in China. We found that RETI has contributed significantly to the adjustment of industrial structure. The research results of PVAR (Panel Vector Autoregressive) model further prove this dynamic and continuous positive promotion. The threshold regression results indicate that with the improvement of green finance, there is a non-linear relationship between RETI and industrial structure. In areas where green finance is relatively low, RETI can inhibit the upgrading of industrial structure. When the degree of green finance development is relatively high, the influence of RETI on industrial structure is remarkably positive. Heterogeneity analysis shows that in eastern China, renewable energy technological innovation has significantly promoted the industrial structure upgrading. Therefore, policy makers should take various measures to expedite the green finance development and strengthen the green finance support to renewable energy technology innovations. Chinese government has the need to continue to implement related green credit policies and expand the source of green funds. • Study the impact of renewable energy technology innovation on industrial structure. • Green finance is a moderating variable. • Threshold regression model is used to study nonlinear relationship. • Renewable energy technology innovation positively impacts industrial structure. • Green finance has a positive moderating effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green economic growth and sustainable development are inextricably linked, and encouraging green economic growth has practical implications in today's world. In this context, this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on renewable energy development and China's green economy from 1990 to 2018. We look at how environmental regulations affect green economic growth and renewable energy technologies. Using the Meta frontier SBM model's super-efficient data envelopment analysis, it is possible to determine the relative level of green economic growth in China's provinces based on their energy efficiency. Environmental regulations were also assessed using an improved fuzzy inclusive appraisal method. Finally, we investigate the possible mechanism and discuss our findings. The study discovered an unreliable indicator of green growth during the research period, attributed to the non-serious nature of government strategies. The results show that the DEA method consistently confirms how the piece is put together. On the other hand, the sub-results models invariably affect countries with high GDP per capita. Finally, the impact of environmental regulations on the growth of renewable energy sources was studied. Green economic growth depends on environmental regulation policies, which contribute significantly to renewable energy development. Population size, economic development level, technological innovation, industrial structure, urbanization, environmental regulation, and FDI influence green economic growth, but the spatial effect of each influencing factor varies. The findings of this paper form the basis for China's pursuit of green economic growth and the development of renewable energy policies. • Proposed a novel framework on R & D expenditures, low carbon energy transition and green economic growth. • Study analyzes the effects of the multiple R & D expenditures in the context of Belt & Road Initiative economies. • Dynamic linking is considered when the connections of players' change. • Established vibrant empirical model and suggested implications for green economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, a worldwide economic slump has reduced the depletion of natural resources, lowering their costs. The loss of renewable energy profitability might hinder the attainment of specified goals of sustainable development goals. By using Chinese provinces data from 1995 to 2020, this research examined the relationships between renewable energy investment (REI), green finance (GFI), growth of the economy (GDP), renewable energy production (REP), and private sector participation (PSP) in China. According to this analysis, REI, REP, and GFI are more variable throughout the given period than GDP. And PSP. A bidirectional substantial causal correlation between REI and REP was identified using the Generalized method of moments (GMM). Still, the regression coefficient between GDP and REI and REI. and GFI has a one-way causal relationship. There was no evidence that the PSP directly impacted the REI. Based on the empirical findings of this research, we propose that policies be designed to reduce volatility in REI GFI, and REP and increase support to improve sustainable economic development and environmental and renewable energy production. Examine between green financing and environmental conservation for long-term environmental quality. • There is a dire need to measure the examined the relationships between renewable energy investment (REI), green finance (GFi). • Bidirectional substantial causal correlation between REI and REP was identified using the Generalized method of moments (GMM). • There was no evidence that the PSP had a direct impact on the REI. • This paper improve sustainable economic development as well as environmental and renewable energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As countries implement renewable energy policies, it's important to understand the impacts of policies on sustainability. Population, economic and production changes affects in land use, water consumption and emissions along with trade-offs for limited resources to achieve food and energy security. Thailand faces increasing electricity imports and agricultural production, causing residue burning, a resource utilized for electricity generation. Thailand implemented a renewable energy policy and another to curb sugarcane residue burning addressing above challenges. The paper uses an extended input-output model in Thailand and the Northeast to understand impacts of these policies on output, labor income, employment, land and water use, etc. The study concludes these policies lead to supplementary increase in income, employment and value added contributing towards achieving SDGs through energy security, climate action, decent work and economic growth. At a national level, renewable energy policy is unable to capture a large potential of biomass electricity, while the no burn policy is better able to achieve sustainability through total output, income, employment, and water use. The renewable energy policy in Northeast Thailand is better able to capture the electricity potential. The Northeast also sees land use shifts from rice to cane, which could cause food security challenges. • Thailand faces growing challenges with energy security and crop residue burning. • To address the challenges, they implemented RE policies and crop burning policies. • The study uses extended input-output models in Thailand and Northeast Thailand. • We see positive effects of the policies on the economy, society and environment. • The policies fall short in capturing the full potential of biomass electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the banner of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), governments, industry, and civil society organisations have supported many energy access projects since 2015. Notably, funding and investments allotted to renewable energy are regarded not only to provide 'energy for all' but also support the delivery of other SDGs related to climate change, food security, health, and poverty reduction, among others. With less than 10 years left to meet the SDG 7 targets, it is timely to take stock and examine how the provision of access to energy is driving development initiatives, impacting local communities, and influencing governance processes. This paper offers a critical review and analysis of the impact of access to energy projects based on empirical work from eight country case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It interrogates how these projects contribute towards achieving SDG 7 and other sustainable development goals, highlights challenges, and then draws lessons for research, policy, and development practice. To advance SDGs, it recommends action in four areas: addressing rural-urban disparities, ensuring that energy is linked to sustainable outcomes, balancing top-down and bottom-up agendas, and appraising implications of techno-economic factors. [Display omitted] • Energy access has been constrained by multiple factors outside of policy decisions. • Governance decisions have overlooked local actors who are key to project sustainability. • Improved efficiency is more vital to energy security and access than increased generation. • Alignment between policies, governance processes, and institutional commitments is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating renewable energies into district heating systems has a large potential to reduce CO 2 -emissions in the heating sector. As district heating systems offer the possibility of incorporating renewable energies into the heat supply, new systems have to be built and the existing networks must be maintained. This study investigates ways to optimize existing district heating systems in order to ensure economic sustainability in the long-term. Previous case studies have elaborated on a variety of optimization measures. However, to date, these measures have neither been collected nor consistently assessed for a wider application range. Therefore, in the study presented here a system for assessing the ecological and economic benefits of optimization measures was developed and applied. The assessment method utilized showed that optimization of district heating consumer substations and adding of a central buffer storage tank has a high optimization potential in comparison to intermittent operation strategy, which has a significantly lower optimization potential. From this information and the transferability data, a district heating operator can determine which optimization measure should be prioritized, which is shown at the end of the paper on an example case. • A method was developed to assess benefits of optimizing district heating systems. • A survey was conducted to assess the ecological and economic value. • Optimization measures for DH systems were compared using the new method. • A guideline is provided to offer operators a suggested approach to take. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU has committed to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Reaching this objective requires massive changes in the region. The biggest challenge is that the green transition happens without sacrificing economic progress and guaranteeing justice and inclusiveness. This pledge implies that every country be capable of addressing the trade-offs between targets while remaining committed towards the common decarbonisation goal. Our paper analyses the success with which countries are carrying out the energy transition. We propose an enhanced hyperbolic distance function and a stochastic frontier analysis approach to model the joint attainment of economic development, environmental sustainability, and energy equity. We apply our model to an unbalanced panel dataset of 29 European countries for the period 2005–2018. Our estimates show that the average performance of the economies has improved over time. The results also highlight the pivotal role of a sustainable economic development with clean energies for both slashing CO 2 emissions and fostering energy equity. Moreover, we find convergence in countries' performance, being this convergence slightly higher for the EU-15 countries compared to the rest. Finally, we show that a higher share of renewable energy sources helps countries that are lagging behind to reach their optimal performance level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energies (RE) are rapidly reforming the power sector because they have become more economically competitive, thereby enabling nations to overcome high dependence on energy imports (i.e. reducing energy security concerns), as well as reducing their negative environmental footprints. Therefore, both the public and private sectors need to uncover the future technological trajectory of renewable energy. As part of an entity-linking approach, this paper examines REs developments from 2000 to 2021 and explores high-potential topics by analyzing hot topics during the period to identify evolutionary trends of relevant research interests (using published research papers). The results are analyzed and classified to determine how and when RE development issues "burst" into the public eye. The article tells the story of RE development from the past, the present, and the likely future hot topics for research. We analyze the results and cluster them into five categories: (1) energy sources, (2) sustainable development, (3) technological developments, (4) supply chains, and (5) energy management systems.se Findings reveal signals about the potential future energy market shifts and how REs evolve and contribute to the market. Signals are converted to policies and future market interpretations using an expert-based process. Analysis and methodology outcomes reveal that digital technologies have become an important factor in market changes. The findings of the study highlight how sustainable development actions and digital technologies will likely transform RE supply and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation is a feasible and potential option that governments can adopt to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and speed the transition to renewable energy sources. This study analyzes the relationship between green finance development and green innovation using listed Chinese companies to investigate the role of green finance. In the preliminary analysis, it employs Poisson and negative binomial distributions based on the sample characteristics. The additional research considers enterprises' internal and external characteristics and adds a zero-inflated factor with enterprise-scale and bank competition. Our main findings suggest that green finance positively improves green technological innovation, and zero-inflated factors can significantly lower the possibility of enterprises refusing to engage in green innovation. By using a representative green finance policy in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper also demonstrates the promoting effect of green finance development. The above results are still valid by the robustness test. Furthermore, this paper applies the panel threshold model and finds that the enterprise scale and bank competition not only affect the choice of the enterprise but also stimulate the promotion intensity in different development stages. This paper contributes to targeted policy implications for the renewable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and global warming create considerable problems for people, such as intense droughts. One of the biggest causes of global warming is the preference for fossil fuels in energy production. In this context, renewable energy has been considered an effective way to promote environmental quality. Several empirical studies have evaluated the impact of economic growth and energy on environmental quality. However, the possible influence of banking development on carbon emissions in South Africa has been ignored. Thus, this study contributes to the extant literature by assessing the impact of banking sector development on the environmental quality in South Africa over the period 1986–2017. For this purpose, the linkage between energy, economic growth, banking sector development and C 0 2 emissions are assessed by using the new technique of bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag. The findings from the ARDL estimations affirm that renewable energy consumption affects negatively C 0 2 emissions. However, the main conclusion of this study is that banking sector development has a negative influence on the environmental quality in South Africa through GDP and energy factors. The finding reveals that an increase in credit from banks to markets will lead to a rise in projects and investments, as well as strengthen risk management systems, potentially affecting economic growth and energy consumption and therefore increasing C 0 2 emissions. Hence, the outcome suggests that policymakers in South Africa must use the growth of the banking sector to enhance environmental quality by promoting investment in energy and production through renewable energy. • This paper examines the impact of banking sector development and renewable energy on environmental quality. • Renewable energy promotes environmental quality. • Banking sector development reduces environmental quality. • South Africa must increase the usage of renewable energy to have economic growth accompanied by a sustainable environment. • South Africa must use the growth of the banking sector to minimise environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Philippines is exploring different alternative sources of energy to make the country less dependent on imported fossil fuels and to reduce significantly the country's CO 2 emissions. Given the abundance of renewable energy potential in the country, green hydrogen from renewables is a promising fuel because it can be utilized as an energy carrier and can provide a source of clean and sustainable energy with no emissions. This paper aims to review the prospects and challenges for the potential use of green hydrogen in several production and utilization pathways in the Philippines. The study identified green hydrogen production routes from available renewable energy sources in the country, including geothermal, hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and ocean. Opportunities for several utilization pathways include transportation, industry, utility, and energy storage. From the analysis, this study proposes a roadmap for a green hydrogen economy in the country by 2050, divided into three phases: I–green hydrogen as industrial feedstock, II–green hydrogen as fuel cell technology, and III–commercialization of green hydrogen. On the other hand, the analysis identified several challenges, including technical, economic, and social aspects, as well as the corresponding policy implications for the realization of a green hydrogen economy that can be applied in the Philippines and other developing countries. • A green hydrogen economy could be feasible in the Philippines. • Renewable energy potential from geothermal, hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and ocean for green hydrogen production. • Utilization pathways for transport, industry, utility, and energy storage. • The hydrogen economy faces challenges from technical, economic, and social perspectives. • Green hydrogen economy can be achieved by transforming the energy and other sectors to 100% renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strategies for achieving sustainable development goals is to close the gap between environmental vulnerability and economic progress (SDGs). The significance of renewable energy in harmonizing environmental and economic conditions is becoming a touchy subject in current debates. Against this backdrop, the major objective of this paper is to assess whether economic growth and environmental sustainability can promote renewable energy consumption in the Indian economy by using ARDL and Novel Dynamic ARDL estimation techniques. The results obtained from both the methodology shows that rising efficiency in the economic growth coupled with environmental sustainability leads to an increase in renewable energy consumption. We also find, from the frequency domain causality test, that there is a unidirectional causality between renewable energy consumption and economic growth & renewable energy consumption and environmental sustainability in both the short- and long run. The former causation validating the conservation hypothesis for the Indian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to present renewable energy market development with particular regard paid to biofuels in the EU. The analysis included data on the share of renewables in Gross Island energy consumption, changes of renewable energy in the years 2004–2016 and the amount of liquid biofuels. The authors of the paper used descriptive and statistical methods to describe the changes in bioenergy development in the European Union (EU). The biggest share of biofuels and renewable waste can be seen in Latvia (31.2%), Finland (26.7%) and Sweden (24.8%). The highest percentage of wind energy in 2015 was found in: Denmark (7.2%), Portugal (4.3%), Ireland (4.0%) and Spain (3.5%). The highest share of solar energy in 2015 was found in Cyprus (3.5%), Spain (2.6%) and Greece (2.2%). The highest contribution of geothermal energy was found in 2015 in Italy (3.5%), Portugal (0.8%) and Slovenia (0,7%). Hydropower was the biggest in 2015 in Sweden (14.2%), Austria (9.6%) and Slovenia (5.0%). The highest coefficients of variation of the share of electricity from renewable energy sources were found in the years 2004–2017 in Malta (140.3%), Cyprus (101.1%) and United Kingdom (71.9%). In addition, the highest coefficients of variation of share of renewable energy sources in heating and cooling in the years 2004–2017 were found in Malta (72.4%), United Kingdom (69.81%) and Hungary (44.91%). Moreover, the highest coefficients of variation of share of renewable energy sources in transport in the years 2004–2017 were found in Finland (113.78%), Malta (115.52%) and Belgium (96.53%). The biggest producers of ethanol and biodiesel in EU were Germany, France and Poland. Cluster analysis data show that Germany and France are of key importance in the production of biodiesel and ethanol. The biodiesel production increased in the years 2003–2017 from 719,32 million liters to 13323 million liters (increase 1852.2%). However, in the years 2014–2017 a stagnation in biofuel production was observed from 13673 million liters to 13323 million liters (−2,56%). The situation on the market and the increasing demand for green energy suggest that the production of ethanol and esters of vegetable oils will increase by 2030, which will contribute to the development of this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh has encountered several challenges, including issues like overpopulation, energy shortage, and global warming for the last few decades. Addressing the increasing energy demand has become a crucial concern because of rapid increase in population and lack of growth in the economic. The electricity production of a country heavily relies on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, which makes up approximately 54% of the current installed capacity. Bangladesh is an agrarian nation and biomass stands out as a source of renewable energy having significant potential to mitigate the demand for heat and electricity. Biomass resources in the country mainly comprise animal dung, agricultural crop residuals, solid waste from municipalities and forest residues. The existing biomass resources contribute to producing a high amount of energy and content of around 1574.16 PJ of energy equivalent to 437.28 TWh of electricity in which agricultural residues, animal manure, municipal solid waste, and forest residues impart around 852.32 PJ, 399.04 PJ, 112.16 PJ, and 210.64 PJ of energy respectively. This paper explores the extent, possibilities, and technologies associated with biomass energy conversion. Additionally, the study delves into the several biomass projects that the government, as well as non-governmental groups, are working on for environmental sustainability along with plans, challenges, and methods that are being utilized to encourage biomass technologies across Bangladesh. [Display omitted] • The biomass potentiality in Bangladesh for heat and electricity generation is emphasized. • The energy scenario and necessity of alternative energy sources in Bangladesh are discussed. • The available energy conversion technologies from biomass in Bangladesh are presented. • The existing biomass resource content of around 1574.16 PJ (437.28 TWh of electricity) of energy. • The economic aspects and challenges of biomass conversion into energy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual power plants possess the capability to effectively manage the inherent conflict between dispersed electricity generation and user demand, hence optimising market advantages. Nevertheless, the presence of severe weather conditions, geopolitical factors, the phenomenon of global warming, and several other global concerns greatly enhance the level of uncertainty related to the establishment of sustainable energy sources and the corresponding demand from users. Consequently, these factors expose the limitations of virtual power plants in effectively controlling power supply. The active involvement of community members has the potential to invigorate the process of development. This study presents a novel model, referred to as the CE-based cVPP (CE-cVPP) model, that combines the principles of circular economy (CE) and community-based virtual power plant (cVPP). The objective of this model is to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable development efforts. This research redefines the concept of a CE-cVPP, elucidates its defining features, scopes, and classification, and constructs a technological framework, together with an explanatory community case structure. The CE-cVPP energy life cycle framework is constructed based on the principles of the circular economy paradigm. This study investigates the enduring and sustainable benefits of the CE-cVPP across four dimensions: energy, environment, economics, and society. In conclusion, this paper provides a comprehensive examination of the energy, digital, and circular economy perspectives, encompassing critical analysis, problems, prospective analysis, and future directions. • Circular economy and community-based Virtual Power Plant (CE-cVPP) is a paradigm for the future energy sector. • CE-cVPP is a novel sustainable pattern that combines circular economy and community virtual power plants. • CE-cVPP features renewable energy, electricity, gas, cold, heat, and biodegradable waste. • CE-cVPP promotes economic, social, and ecological sustainability. • CE-cVPPs enhance the power and energy system's adaptability, versatility, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global call to address climate change and advance sustainable development has created rapid growth in research, investment, and policymaking regarding the renewable energy transition of Indigenous communities. From a rightsholder perspective, Indigenous Peoples' vision of sustainability, autonomy, and sovereignty should guide research on their energy needs. In this paper, we present a multi-method, inductive examination to identify gaps between Indigenous communities' expressed needs and rights, and the questions researchers and policymakers investigate in energy transition research conducted in the context of Indigenous communities located in Canada. We combine a systematic review of the extant literature, a scoping review of the grey literature on off-grid communities by Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and non-governmental policy bodies, qualitative primary data collected via fieldwork, and an in-depth study of an Indigenous-led renewable energy transition study conducted by Haíɫzaqv Nation's Climate Action Team. We holistically examine these different perspectives and identify emergent themes to recommend ways to bridge the gaps between off-grid renewable energy research and stated Indigenous community priorities. Specifically, we recommend designing equitable research practices, understanding community worldviews, developing holistic research goals, respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, and sharing or co-developing knowledge with communities to align with community priorities closely. • There is a research-practice gap in Indigenous communities' energy transitions. • We used a multi-method inquiry integrating Indigenous and Western approaches. • Renewable energy literature diverges from the Indigenous community vision and goals. • Indigenous research methods can reduce the research-practice gap in high-tech fields. • Community-based approaches can use traditional laws to yield actionable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green financing is essential because it guarantees that initiatives that seek to reduce the world's reliance on fossil fuels receive the necessary funding to be successful. Green financial metrics can be simultaneously made possible by specialized technological innovation and natural resource rent, thereby encouraging the adoption of sustainable energy. In this paper, we investigate the mediating mechanisms underlying the relationship between green financial indicators and renewable energy consumption RNEC and we contribute to the ongoing discussion surrounding this relationship. Our observational example is derived from data collected for 66 countries between 2004 and 2019 using a panel threshold regression model defined with the difference generalized method of moments (GMM). We find that green funding initiatives have accelerated the adoption of renewable energy sources by encouraging increases in the proportion of renewable energy in the fuel supply. Multiple analyses of reliability corroborate the existence of this link. Green funding has been shown to have an encouraging effect on the transition to renewable energy, and our findings indicate that technological advancement and natural resource leasing serve to mitigate this effect. To assist policymakers in reducing the world's reliance on polluting energy, our study demonstrates how green financial markets can be established through improved technological innovation and natural resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, Governments of South Asia have faced the challenge of achieving the goal of sustainable development. On the one hand, they must satisfy the ever-growing demand for energy and, on the other hand, the interminable deterioration of the environment is causing great concern among political economists. The widening gap between the demand and supply of energy, over-reliance on the use of fossil fuels, and increasing import bills due to rising global prices are the challenges that South Asia is facing. These can be overcome by using its great potential in renewables. This paper uses SWOT methodology to identify that the poor financial situation of the distribution companies, due to power losses and non-cost-reflective tariffs, and the lack of credit opportunities, due to high interest rates and inaccessibility of loans for the long-term, are the major impediments to the growth of the renewable energy sector of the region. Moreover, there is a conflict of interest between the manufacturers of renewable energy equipment and the developers of renewable energy projects in terms of Government policy concerning the imposition of import duties. India is moving towards protection of the former, while the latter see opportunities in the renewable energy sector of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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 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 Canary Islands are still largely dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, are stressed by the increasing touristic impact and are extremely vulnerable to climate change due to water scarcity. Water desalinisation is an energy-demanding process and is essential to the sustainable development of these islands. The aim of this study is to explore the potential advantages of a hybrid installation, exploiting two different renewable energy sources, specifically waves and solar, to supply a large desalination plant in Tenerife. The paper ultimately provides a generally applicable procedure for the design of hybrid installations, including three steps: the assessment of available renewable energy sources, the optimal combination of these sources and finally the economic assessment. The wave and solar resources are assessed first, then the hybrid installation is conceptually designed, proposing a criterion for the optimal mixing of the renewable energy sources that can be applied to other resources and other sites. The basic idea is to maximise the exploitation of the renewable power, minimizing the need of the fossil-based back-up system. The costs of the hybrid installation are finally assessed considering the sensitivity to government incentives, showing that the project parity point is reached within the lifetime of typical desalination plants (i.e. 40 years) and can be significantly more attractive in case of Feed-In-Tariffs available in other European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, conventional and renewable energy sources for sustainable development of energy sector in India are evaluated from multiple perspectives including economic, technical, social, environmental, political, and flexible criteria. An integrated Shannon's entropy multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method has been used for the evaluation and assessment of these sources. Thermal, gas, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and hydro energy options are used as the alternatives in the decision model. Shannon's entropy method is applied to determine the weights of decision criteria, and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is applied to prioritize sustainable energy alternatives. The output of the proposed model was compared with six different fuzzy MCDM techniques for the establishment of correlation index. Solar energy was shown to be particularly well suited for India followed by wind and hydro energy sources. Later, the study has developed fourteen scenarios, considering the first five sustainable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and gas power), to evaluate the optimal energy mix scenario for the sustainable development of energy sector in India. An optimal energy mix scenario carries the heroic development of solar, wind, and hydro energy with cross border import-export facility for the time frame of the year 2030. • Reviewed the overview, challenges and development of Indian energy sector. • Developed integrated Shannon entropy fuzzy MCDM approach. • Evaluated the most sustainable energy alternatives in India. • Results validated with six fuzzy MCDM approaches and correlation coefficients. • Evaluated the optimal energy mix scenario in India for the time frame of 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While auctions are becoming increasingly popular for tendering renewable energy projects to private developers in Africa, their specific project risk implications are not yet fully understood. This paper identifies project risks arising from two types of auction schemes. It compares an approach where the government pre-selects the sites for future renewable energy plants in Zambia's Scaling Solar initiative to one where project developers choose, secure and conduct due diligence on their sites before bidding in South Africa's Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REI4P). Semi-structured interviews with developers who have participated in both schemes reveal notably different risk profiles. Despite contrary intentions, site-specific risks have been perceived as the highest overall project risk in the government-led site selection process in Zambia. Specifically, site-specific risks were driven by several severe technical issues such as geotechnical, grid connection and solar irradiation uncertainties. In contrast, in South Africa's developer-led site selection process, site-specific risks have been reported to be important, but less pronounced, and more evenly distributed among technical, economic, legal, permitting and social risk factors. This paper recommends an auction design which minimises project risks for all stakeholders. Where governments pre-select sites, closely consulting the private sector is advisable prior to bidding to identify and mitigate technical and other site-specific risks. Highlights • Explores risk impact of two site selection & preparation strategies for solar PV project procurement in sub-Saharan Africa. • The widely used strategy in the region is for a government institution or utility to select and prepare the project site. • The second strategy is where the private sector developers are responsible for selecting & preparing the site before bidding. • We find that a government-led site selection strategy can lead to increase risks, costs and timelines if poorly executed. • It is argued that more private sector involvement in the site selection & preparation process might reduce these risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small islands are fragile and dependent territories in many sectors, especially energy. Hence, renewable energy microgrids (MGs) can offer an opportunity for environmentally sustainable energy supply but also a driver for new development strategies in these territories. This paper aims to analyse the role that MGs can play in insular spaces for the achievement of more sustainable communities. Initially, MGs played a crucial role in ensuring energy supply in spaces characterised by a difficult supply. However, with technological improvements in both generation and storage, as well as institutional and legislative changes, MGs can play a fundamental role in achieving more socially cohesive and environmentally sustainable spaces beyond their role as energy suppliers. We discuss three main topics after a meta-analysis of 18 MGs, both on-grid and off-grid, located in insular spaces: 1) the characteristics of MGs built in insular territories in the last 25 years; 2) MGs influence islanders' well-being and lifestyle; and 3) how MGs can encourage responsible consumption and promote postgrowth strategies. Thus, this paper explores the role that MGs have played in the past and present and what role they could play in the future of small island spaces. It might be concluded that MGs are a key factor in the development of more sustainable societies. However, they must be accompanied by changes in our economies, societies and lifestyles in a direction other than the pursuit of economic growth traditionally understood as a limitless increase in consumption and production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational planning for remote integrated energy systems is of great importance for demand guarantee and sustainable development of remote areas. A critical challenge is that comprehensive factors, e.g., technical, economic, environmental, and social, which are inherently intertwined, should be properly evaluated and balanced in terms of social benefits. In addition, the feasibility of each planning scheme can only be verified based on their local electrical conditions by employing multi-energy flow calculations. Thus, this paper develops a comprehensive methodology for the optimal planning of remote integrated energy systems taking into account the uncertainty of renewable energy, where a multi-criteria decision-making procedure is designed, including the candidate set construction, remote integrated energy systems modeling, multi-energy flow calculation of the candidates, index definition and selection, and the optimal scheme determination. The methodology is applied to a case study in Lankao County, China. The optimal scheme, selected by the proposed multi-criteria decision-making procedure from 432 candidates, shows the best comprehensive performance, which is verified by different ranking methods. The optimal scheme can rank in the top 13% of each aspect on average, with economic and environmental aspects ranking in the top 2%. The methodology can help decision-makers find reasonable solutions for energy system planning in remote areas. • A comprehensive methodology for planning remote integrated energy systems is proposed. • Refined multi-energy flow calculation fitting with remote area characteristics is presented. • Multi-criteria decision-making procedure realizes high social benefits. • A real case in Lankao is performed to verify the rationality of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presenting of the solar PV potential in Turkey and its future prospects. • Performing the PESTLE analysis to study the solar energy potential in Turkey. • A comparative analysis of the solar energy potential using the PVsyst program. Renewable energy sources have a tremendous amount of potential in Turkey. In the previous year, 43.2% of the country's electricity was generated from renewable energy sources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy accounted for 4.7% of the electricity generation and the installed capacity was 9.425 GW with 9353 solar power plants of various types. This paper provides an overview of the current state of solar PV potential in Turkey, evaluates its capacity to meet the country's energy demand, and discusses its future prospects. The PESTLE analysis is performed based on political (P), economic (E), social (S), technological (T), legal (L), and environmental (E) factors to study the sustainable development of solar energy potential in Turkey. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the solar energy potential between the Konya and Diyarbakır regions which are recognized as promising areas for harnessing the country's abundant solar resources has been conducted using the PVsyst software. The electricity consumption in Turkey will be 380.2 TWh in 2025, 455.3 TWh in 2030, and 510.5 TWh in 2035, according to the Turkey National Energy Plan. Hence, it is essential to maximize the use of solar energy capacity in the production of electricity to meet the increased energy demand. The main objective of this study is to help strategic and systematic evaluation of the solar energy resource potential affecting large and small-scale solar power projects in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that emphasizes sustainable and affordable energy presents a practical pathway to achieve sustainable growth. Moreover, this goal aligns with SDG 13, which focuses on climate action. Nonetheless, it is important to consider factors such as political and financial risk, as they can influence climate action efforts and the renewable energy sources adoption. Hence, this study broadens the conversation surrounding CO 2 emission reduction and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It accomplishes this by investigating the interplay between renewable energy, political risk, financial risk, and CO 2 emissions in Finland spanning from 1990/Q1 to 2021/Q4. Notably, this research distinguishes itself through its exploration of these complex connections, employing a wavelet-based quantile methodology. Unlike traditional quantile regression, which can only reveal connections between variables within each quantile, the wavelet-based quantile approach enables the simultaneous capture of correlations across quantiles and periods. The results show that in the long-term and across all quantiles (0.01–0.99), energy efficiency, specifically gas and oil efficiency, lessens CO 2. In addition, low financial and political risks improve ecological quality by lessening CO 2 across all periods and quantiles (0.01–0.99). The paper outcomes serve as a basis for formulating a policy framework aimed at achieving SDG 7 and SDG 13 in Finland. • We explore the impact of energy efficiency and country risk on CO 2 emissions. • The role of renewable energy and economic growth are also analyzed. • The Time series data of the Finland is used from 1990/Q1 to 2020/Q4. • Various wavelet-based quantile correlation is applied. • Renewable energy, oil and gas efficiency decrease CO 2 emissions in each quantile and across periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is an effective solution to alleviate the energy crisis and achieve sustainable development, and is gradually growing into an important energy source to support economic and social development. Different renewable energy technical plans have different characteristics under multiple criteria. Therefore, before the further exploitation of renewable energy sources, it is of great significance to evaluate the comprehensive performance of different plans and then determine the best renewable energy sources. Given this background, this paper proposes a novel evaluation method for renewable energy technical plans based on improved rough set theory and grey cloud model. Firstly, based on the normalized evaluation data, self-organizing map (SOM) clustering algorithm and system clustering analysis are adopted to discretize the evaluation attributes indexes and decision attributes indexes, respectively. Next, the improved rough set conditional information entropy method is used to calculate the index weights. Finally, the grey cloud model is employed to determine the grade classification of each evaluated plan. At the same time, each grade is quantified by assigning a corresponding score, and the comprehensive performances of renewable energy plans can be calculated, and then the ranking of different plans is achieved. Based on the actual renewable energy development data from a province in China, experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method performs better than some evaluation methods for renewable energy technical plans. [Display omitted] • Propose a novel evaluation method for renewable energy technical plans. • Use self-organizing map clustering algorithm to discretize the attributes indexes. • Apply improved rough set theory to determine the index weights. • Achieve the complete ranking of plans, and classify the plans into different levels. • Compared with the existing evaluation method, the proposed method performs better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-generated energy supply has been applied as a solution to address the increasing global population, global warming challenges, and the search for alternative sources of renewable and clean energy supply. Regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean have a significant rural population that lacks access to electricity, impeding their development, and increasing unemployment rates. This paper presents a system dynamics model (SD) for assessing the implementation of a solar energy supply chain (SESC), combining the analysis with the national industry's development for the manufacture of solar modules used in the implementation of solar farms and individual solution projects, especially in the non-interconnected zones of Colombia. This case study examines three scenarios in Colombia: national government-implemented solar farm projects; development of national supply chain implementation; and development of the solar energy market. These scenarios are evaluated using performance indicators for supply chain variables, including coverage, diversification, emissions, and job creation. The results indicate that implementing a supply chain and developing solar module production in Colombia can positively impact the proposed indicators, resulting in improvements of 5.9% in coverage, 6.3% in diversification, 6.7% in emission reductions, and 13% in job creation. • A novel model is developed for the solar energy supply chain. • The solar energy supply chain modeled prospectively and sustainably. • Analysis of energy, economic, environmental and social sustainability performance indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the deployment and penetration of renewable energy is considered to be the fundamental way to solve environmental problems, but whether higher penetration of renewable energy means higher energy efficiency remains to be empirically tested. To reveal the relationship between cleanliness and efficiency in the energy sector, this paper first uses the three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA)method to measure the total factor energy efficiency (TFEE) of 30 provinces in China, and then applies static and dynamic panel threshold regression (PTR)models to estimate the nonlinear effect of renewable energy share on TFEE. The results show that renewable energy is usually beneficial for improving TFEE, but there are prominent heterogeneity and nonlinear characteristics in net electricity exporting and net electricity importing provinces. Renewable energy in low rather than high regimes can significantly improve energy efficiency, indicating that provinces with lower levels of economic development and energy consumption receive higher marginal energy efficiency and are more likely to achieve sustainable development goals. More renewable energy quotas should be given to economically developed and high energy consuming provinces, and comprehensive energy efficiency guarantees and improvement measures must be provided to achieve optimal emission mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport is one of the sectors of the energy consumption where the presence of renewable energies is lower and its increase is hard to achieve especially in countries that import all the fuels that they consume. This paper addresses the progress that Portugal is making toward a more sustainable transport sector. A near- and medium- term scenario analysis is performed, based on the energy consumption in the past and on a detailed evaluation of the trends for renewable energy in the transport sector. The near-term scenarios aim at portraying the conditions that allow the country to fulfill the target of 10% renewable share in transportation established by the European Union. The medium-term scenarios highlight the implications, in terms of emission reduction and of energy independence, deriving from the use of electric vehicles and natural gas, synthetic and fossil, as alternatives to liquid fuels. The results show that electric vehicles would substantially reduce the total energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions, while the promotion of routes for synthetic natural gas would contribute to taking advantage of local resources. The paper also provides some insights about the design of future policies to build a more sustainable transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]