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

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

Abstract: Sustainable development requires methods and tools to measure and compare the environmental impacts of human activities for various products (goods and services). Providing society with goods and services contributes to a wide range of environmental impacts. Environmental impacts include emissions into the environment and the consumption of resources as well as other interventions such as land use, etc. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing environmental loads of a product or a system. The aim of this paper is to review existing energy and CO2 life cycle analyses of renewable sources based electricity generation systems. The paper points out that carbon emission from renewable energy (RE) systems are not nil, as is generally assumed while evaluating carbon credits. Further the range of carbon emissions from RE systems have been found out from existing literature and compared with those from fossil fuel based systems, so as to assist in a rational choice of energy supply systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The cost of desalination is mainly based on the energy cost since the process is very energy-intensive. Previous reviews have considered individual topics such as renewable energy sources, membrane materials, and the energy-environment nexus. However, there are few thermal-based desalination studies for systems using renewable energy resources and waste heat that give low-carbon footprints. This paper reviews the use of renewable energy resources and waste heat for desalination with a particular interest in analyzing the energy efficiency and cost. Cost-effective roadmaps are presented for thermal-based desalination plants with energy storage for renewable energy, a heat pump for low-grade waste heat, and an integrated energy system for various energy sources. This paper summarizes integrated system designs and energy storage materials for desalination for renewable energy. Various heat pump systems are evaluated to improve low-grade waste heat utilization. Recent developments in using multiple energy resources for desalination, such as energy internet systems, integrated energy utilization systems, and coastal multi-source multi-load energy systems, are also reviewed. Finally, this review presents a guideline for reducing energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions in the thermal-based desalination industry. • A review to show the roadmap for reducing desalination cost. • A guideline for reducing CO 2 emissions in the thermal-based desalination. • An outlook for the development of green, portable, multi-functional desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: While the dominant role of hydrogen in a sustainable energy future is widely accepted, the strategies for the transition from fossil-based to hydrogen economy are still actively debated. This paper emphasizes the role of carbon-neutral technologies and fuels during the transition period. To satisfy the world''s growing appetite for energy and keep our planet healthy, at least 10TW (or terawatt) of carbon-free power has to be produced by mid-century. Three prominent options discussed in the literature include: decarbonization of fossil energy, nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. These options are analyzed in this paper with a special emphasis on the role of hydrogen as a carbon-free energy carrier. In particular, the authors compare various fossil decarbonization strategies and evaluate the potential of nuclear and renewable energy resources to meet the 10TW target. An overview of state-of-the-art technologies for production of carbon-free energy carriers and transportation fuels, and the assessment of their commercial potential is provided. It is shown that neither of these three options alone could provide 10TW of carbon-neutral power without major changes in the existing infrastructure, and/or technological breakthroughs in many areas, and/or a considerable environmental risk. The authors propose a scenario for the transition from current fossil-based to hydrogen economy that includes two key elements: (i) changing the fossil decarbonization strategy from one based on CO2 sequestration to one that involves sequestration and/or utilization of solid carbon, and (ii) producing carbon-neutral synthetic fuels from bio-carbon and hydrogen generated from water using carbon-free sources (nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal). This strategy would allow taking advantage of the existing fuel infrastructure without an adverse environmental impact, and it would secure a smooth carbon-neutral transition from fossil-based to future hydrogen economy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Smart and sustainable campuses demand three components. First, there is the need to have a Strategic Master Plan (SMP) for all infrastructures that include energy, transportation, water, waste and telecommunications along with the traditional dimensions of research, curricula, outreach and assessments. Secondarily, there is the array of issues pertaining to the sitting of buildings and overall facility master planning which must be addressed from the perspective of “green” energy, efficient orientation and be designed for multiple-use by the academic and local community. Thirdly, the development of sustainable buildings in one area that is compact and walkable campuses thus enable a range of transportation choices leads to reduced energy consumption. Historically, college campuses were often like towns and villages in that they are self-sustaining for family, business and recreational activities. Any sustainable smart campus is a vibrant, “experiential” applied educational model that should catalyze creative learning. More significantly, today, campuses and communities must be secure in terms of not only their own energy use and needs, but also for the resource demands of their power. Otherwise, the community(s) will never be secure economically or politically. Recognizing global warming and climate change, in the spring of 2001, the Board of Trustee (BOT) for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) took the critical initial policy steps to turn these sustainable developments into goals. For example, the LACCD decided to have new “green” buildings to replace or renovate existing ones. The building program led to sustainable communities that included recycling, product reuse from waste as well as smart growth in terms of reduced energy use, efficiency and the use of telecommunication and wireless systems. The paper focuses primarily on the energy programs for the LACCD campuses. The paper considers the overall energy situation in California and the Southern California region, primarily Los Angeles. Then the paper looks at the state and regional energy contexts which lay the ground work and rationale why LACCD and other communities must act on their own to counteract climate change and global warming. Finally, the paper discusses how a community becomes sustainable, and hence “energy independent”. By doing so, any community can generate its own energy through the production or acquisition of its energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind or biomass among other local resources. Even more significant consequences come in terms of carbon control, lower impact on the environment and reduced global warming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This virtual special issue published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews contains 25 high-quality selected extended papers presented at the HERAKLION 2019 7th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management held in Heraklion, Crete in Greece from 26th to June 29, 2019. The articles published in this special issue focus on recent developments in sustainable waste-to-energy systems and waste management practices and highlight the critical challenges and potential solutions. The editorial paper aims to give a brief overview of the key findings and future perspectives proposed in these 25 selected papers. It is worth noting that although the articles presented in this special issue covered a wider range of topics, they are categorized into five categories. These include the latest developments in 1) waste-to-energy technologies, 2) biofuels and bioenergy, 3) waste valorization, 4) emerging renewable and sustainable energy systems, and finally, 5) biorefineries and circular economy. • Twenty five high quality peer-reviewed papers were selected from HERAKLION 2019 Conference. • The mian theme of sustainable waste-to-energy systems catogorised into five topics. • It will support advancement of waste-to-energy technologies and circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On the remote and geographically fragmented atolls of Kiribati (Republic of), imported petroleum products are the main sources of energy. The other sources of energy utilised include biomass, solar energy and wind power. Of these three renewable energy sources, biomass is the most, and wind power is the least, exploited in terms of the contribution it makes to the total primary energy supply. Solar energy makes a very insignificant contribution to the total primary energy supply in Kiribati. Petroleum products, biomass and solar energy contribute approximately 75%, 25% and less than 1%, respectively to the total primary energy supply annually. Solar energy has been exploited mostly in the form of photovoltaic (PV) technologies for the provision of lighting. The geographical, social, economic and political situation in Kiribati is considered in this paper to give an overview of the country. The current energy situation in Kiribati is presented with emphasis on the application of PV technologies. Some recommendations that will promote sustainable development of the rural and remote communities on the outer atolls of Kiribati, through the use of PV technologies, are also presented in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bhutan''s energy and environmental situation and approaches to development are reviewed and analyzed in this paper. Conservation of natural resources and human happiness have been placed as central strategic policy themes and have been given high priority in the national development plans of Bhutan. Bhutan''s unique approach to development via Gross National Happiness (GNH) or the Middle Path of development is being facilitated by the Royal Government of Bhutan as a tool to balance poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and development. However, challenges exist due to the constraints of resources, good governance, legal frameworks, and human capacity. This paper reviews selected sustainable energy projects (e.g. energy from renewables or energy conservation) in Bhutan and finds that in fact, Bhutan''s renewable energy resources (e.g. water and forests) which have proved to be indispensable for development are vulnerable due to the adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. Appropriate measures in order to reduce potential environmental degradation and mitigate climate change impacts have been acknowledged globally and these have potential for application in Bhutan. For example, implementation of sustainable energy projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol could offer an opportunity for mitigating climate change impacts and also contributing to sustainable development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There are considerable biomass resources in the European Union (EU) and mature conversion technologies to exploit the potentials of bioenergy. The challenge confronting the EU and member states is how to accelerate the implementation of bioenergy systems. This paper contributes to the identification, analysis, and discussion of barriers for bioenergy in the EU. Adopting an innovative methodology involving industry interactions, research workshops, and case studies, this paper identified economic conditions, know-how and institutional capacity, and supply chain co-ordination as the key barriers obstructing the expansion of bioenergy. The case studies expose four points about barriers to bioenergy. First, there are no absolute barriers to realising the potentials of bioenergy in the EU. Second, it is non-technical challenges that are hindering bioenergy rather than technical issues. Third, barriers for bioenergy are dynamic and depend on the context. Fourth, there are consistent strategies and interventions in the case studies to overcome barriers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses the perspective of renewable energy (wind, solar, wave and biomass) in the making of strategies for a sustainable development. Such strategies typically involve three major technological changes: energy savings on the demand side, efficiency improvements in the energy production, and replacement of fossil fuels by various sources of renewable energy. Consequently, large-scale renewable energy implementation plans must include strategies for integrating renewable sources in coherent energy systems influenced by energy savings and efficiency measures. Based on the case of Denmark, this paper discusses the problems and perspectives of converting present energy systems into a 100% renewable energy system. The conclusion is that such development is possible. The necessary renewable energy sources are present, and if further technological improvements of the energy system are achieved the renewable energy system can be created. Especially technologies of converting the transportation sector and the introduction of flexible energy system technologies are crucial. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas (GHG) responsible for climate change. The energy sector accounts for approximately 75 % of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the world. The main options for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in energy systems are energy efficiency, and utilization of renewable energy and nuclear energy. In the present global energy scenario, the share of modern renewables in the total primary energy use is marginal (about 4.5 %). This paper assesses the sustainability of renewables for the world using the criteria of life-cycle cost, net energy ratio, resource constraint and greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable options for electricity generation and hydrogen generation for vehicles are assessed on the basis of these criteria. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is carried out using SimaPro 6 LCA software. For electricity generation the base case considered is thermal power generation using coal. The options considered are wind energy, solar photovoltaics and biomass gasification. For hydrogen production three methods based on renewables (photovoltaic (PV)-electrolysis, wind energy conversion systems (WECS)-electrolysis and biomass gasification) are compared with the steam methane reforming (SMR) method. The renewable-based technologies seem to be sustainable on the basis of all criteria except the high life-cycle cost. In some cases, e.g., in biomass-based systems, land availability may constrain sustainability. Biomass is likely to be a sustainable solution only if marginal/scrub lands can be used for biomass plantation with adequate yield. However, this option needs to be studied to see if the net energy ratio is greater than one. It is found that hydrogen production by photovoltaic-electrolyzer can be a non-renewable method at low load factor (~0.15) and PV module efficiency (10 %). However, this method is renewable for higher values of load factor and PV module efficiency. The framework developed in this paper can form the starting-point for sustainability analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

“We recognize the importance of renewable energy for sustainable development, diversification of energy supply, and preservation of the environment. We will ensure that renewable energy sources are adequately considered in our national plans and encourage others to do so as well. We encourage continuing research and investment in renewable energy technology, throughout the world”.Communique from the G8 Leaders’ Summit, Genoa, July 2001.The Third Assessment Report of the IPCC confirmed that the Earth’s climate is changing as a result of human activities, particularly from energy use, and that further change is inevitable. Natural ecosystems are already adapting to change, some are under threat, and it is evident that human health and habitats will be affected world-wide. Such climate changes could also affect the present supplies of renewable energy sources and the performance and reliability of the conversion technologies. This paper concentrates on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the role that the global renewable energy industry might play in this regard. (The five other major greenhouse gases are given less emphasis here.) The paper compares the costs of renewable energy systems with fossil fuel-derived energy services and considers how placing a value on carbon emissions will help provide convergence. The move towards a de-carbonised world, driven partly by climate change science and partly by the business opportunities it offers, will need to occur sooner rather than later if an acceptable stabilisation level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to be achieved. Government policy decisions made now will determine the sort of future world we wish our children to inherit. The renewable energy era has begun. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Different from the existing studies, this study find the two paths that green finance development (GFD) affects renewable energy development are the clean biased technical progress path and financial constraint path, and at its different stages, there are significant differences in driving effects of GFD and government policies. Through empirically analyzing impact of GFD on renewable energy development with mediation effect model and China's provincial panel data in 2007–2019, this study obtains following conclusions: On the one hand, GFD can promote energy technology innovation to bias to clean energy technology. On the other hand, it can ease the enterprises' finance constraint, thus promotes renewable energy development. In initial stage of renewable energy development, government's supporting policy is the key driving factor, and role of GFD is weak. In growth stage of renewable energy development (accounting for more than 20%), GFD significantly promotes renewable energy development, and driving role of government supporting policy has gradually weakened. In view of above results, the policy recommendations of this paper are, first, government departments and financial institutions should form joint force to promote the growth of green finance scale. Second, balance administrative means and market tools according to the regional renewable energy development stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its strong ties to the European Union, Germany is well-positioned to assist many countries achieve sustainability goals. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to examine how renewable energy intensity and renewable energy share improve environmental sustainability, the load capacity factor (LCF) in Germany from 1970 to 2018. To this end, the study uses the autoregressive distributed lag model, with the effects of the Kyoto Protocol included as a dummy variable. The study contributes to the literature by considering and testing for the first time the impact of renewables on the LCF in terms of intensity and share for Germany. The empirical results show that (i) economic growth lowers the LCF faster in the early stages of economic development than in later periods; therefore, the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is valid in Germany. (ii) A 1% upsurge in renewable energy intensity has no statistically significant effect on the LCF, while a 1% rise in the share of renewables in the total energy mix increases LCF by 0.48%. (iii) A 1% rise in urbanization reduces the LCF by 6.52%. (iv) A 1% augment in human capital enhances the LCF by 3.49%. These outcomes suggest that the German government should use human capital development and increasing the share of renewable energy as policy instruments to achieve the sustainable development goals. [Display omitted] • The EKC hypothesis is valid for Germany. • Renewable energy intensity has no influence on the load capacity factor. • A higher renewable share in the energy mix is associated with an improvement in LCF. • Human capital plays a key role in solving environmental challenges. • The urbanization process has a devastating effect on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of infrastructures in a sustainable manner ensures the preservation of human life. It means that societies should have constant access to clean energy and water resources. The focus on nexus planning and operation including renewable energy sources has covered the requirements for the development of sustainable integrated systems to provide secure energy and water while minimizing carbon footprint. However, the uncertainty of renewable energy resources challenges the operation of such integrated nexuses. In this regard, this paper proposes a risk-constrained operation of a sustainable energy-water nexus with the aim to reduce operational costs as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions amount (t CO2). To supply the energy and water demands, a combination of renewable energy sources and desalination systems are considered. The downside risk constraint is proposed to investigate the impacts of risks of uncertainties associated with renewable energy production and electricity consumption as well as water demands. Electrical and water storage infrastructures are involved to increase the flexibility of scheduling and ensure affordability and sustainability. The problem is modeled as a mixed-integer programming problem resulting in optimal decision-making to manage the energy/water resources and storage systems to provide clean and safe energy and water with the minimum CO2 emission. For the emission sector, the carbon capturing and storing (CCS) technology is proposed to capture the CO2 defusing by the energy sector and resolve the carbon-related issues. To restrict carbon production, both CO2 taxes and cap policies are examined and the results showed that the latter has a considerable effect to incentivize the decision-maker to use CCS technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An agent-based three-tier framework is developed to analyze the HRES system. • The PV/WT/BS/DE system is the best resource scheduling scheme in Zhoushan. • Renewable energy power supply can account for 98.5% of the total supply. • CCUS helps the system achieving carbon neutrality with an additional cost of $1200. • Wind speed is showed to have the greatest influence on system performance. Given the increasing global consensus on carbon neutrality for sustainable development, a key related challenge is to build a hybrid renewable energy system that simultaneously ensures stable power supply and carbon neutrality. This paper proposes a complete framework for designing, scheduling optimization, evaluation and analysis of hybrid renewable energy systems at the village scale. The framework integrates zero-carbon system design based on agent-based modeling, comprehensive evaluation of scheduling schemes under a multi-index system, and analysis of the impact of policy parameters, implemented through programming on the AnyLogic platform. The proposed framework was applied to a simulated region in Zhoushan, China. The results show that among the seven scheduling schemes, the photovoltaic/wind turbine/battery/diesel system is the best resource scheduling scheme in the region, with renewable energy power supply accounting for 98.5% of the total supply, the net present cost of $42,108.174, the cost of energy of $0.072/kWh, and the annual carbon dioxide emission of 5,064.346 kg. Installing carbon capture, utilization, and storage equipment can achieve carbon neutrality without significantly affecting system costs, with only an additional net present cost of $1,200. Among all meteorological factors, wind speed has the greatest impact on system performance and should be given priority in wind power generation. In terms of micro-behavioral management, discrete gear setting for diesel engines is better than continuous gear setting and more helpful in reducing system economic costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Karanja biodiesel blends has been tested with hydrogen in the diesel engine. • 10% and 20% blends with hydrogen have been examined for combustion duration and mass fraction burnt. • Combustion duration has been decreased for the biodiesel blends. • Karanja biodiesel increased the total accumulation of NOx due to cylinder temperatures. Although the combustion of petroleum-based fuels currently satisfies the majority of our energy needs, rapid industrialization has spurred the utilization of alternative energy sources to meet the growing demand for electricity. With the global population on the rise and increasing awareness of the dangers of climate change, there is a greater need to find sustainable and eco-friendly fuels. Utilizing biodiesel derived from non-edible sources is the most efficient and appealing option for meeting energy needs while mitigating environmental impacts. This paper focuses on the preparation and experimental analysis of biodiesel from Karanja oil. Various blends of Karanja biodiesel and regular diesel were produced and stirred to create KB10 (Diesel 90% + Karanja Biodiesel 10%) and KB20 (Diesel 80 % + Karanja Biodiesel 20%). Hydrogen was incorporated into the biodiesel to enhance fuel characteristics, delivered at a rate of 5 L per minute. The emissions and combustion results of the biodiesel blends were compared to those of pure diesel. At full load condition, KB10H5 reported the minimum combustion duration of 25.8°CA with mass fraction burnt of 17.8%. However, the biodiesel blend with 10% and 20% reported the reduced BTE. Highest brake power has been observed at 4.95 kW. The combination of Karanja biodiesel and hydrogen improves fuel quality and reduces the harmful gases emissions such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. It is crucial to ensure that the operation is both efficient and comfortable, and this approach achieved both objectives. In addition, hydrogen energy can also be applied to the railway transportation industry, as a new direction for the green and low-carbon development of intercity transportation, driving the virtuous cycle and innovative development of the hydrogen energy-related industrial chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Renewable heating technologies are prioritized • Multiple criteria analysis is carried out • The BWM-WASPAS-IN framework is proposed • The wood pellet boilers and solar heating are the most attractive This paper proposes a multi-criteria decision framework for promotion of the heating systems based on the renewable energy sources. The objective and subjective data are taken into consideration by the virtue of the relevant quantitative techniques. The paper integrates the Best-Worst method (BWM) and modifies the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method. The BWM is utilized for eliciting the weights of the criteria during the expert survey. We apply the interval-normalized WASPAS for the multi-criteria ranking of the heating technologies. Thus, the uncertainty is taken into consideration. The empirical application deals with the case of Lithuania where modernization of the heating system is rather important in order to reduce energy poverty and increase the quality of life. Three heating technologies (i.e. heat pumps, solar heating and wood pellet boilers) are assessed through the expert survey and multi-criteria evaluation methods. The multi-criteria analysis suggests wood pellet boilers and solar heating dominate the heat pumps in terms of the overall utility and could be promoted as the most suitable renewable heating technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sun is the primary energy source for all life on Earth. Solar energy is clean and is available all over the world. The total energy produced, in 2016, was 7236 MWh, while the total consumed was 6660 MWh. The average photovoltaic energy generated was 255 MWh, which accounts for 3.5% of the total production and 8.2% of the RES (3096 MWh). Investments in renewable energy in Romania began in late 2008, when Green Certificates were granted by Law no. 220. In this paper, we review the photovoltaic system development in Romania, from 2011, when the market began to develop, to the present day. The climate change and air pollution have to be slowed down and reduced by implementing renewable and sustainable solutions in order to generate electricity. The photovoltaic industry has an important role in Romania's development, both economically and environmentally and by having the “unlimited resource” advantage, it is a good alternative to fossil fuels. Now, the largest solar park in Romania, with 332,000 operational PV units, located in Ucea de Sus, Brasov County and commissioned in 2013, has an installed capacity of 82 MW, and covers a land surface of 200 ha. 178 years ago, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photoelectric effect, in 1839. At the moment, the typical power of solar PV modules is less than 500 W, depending on efficiency and temperature sensitivity. Currently, long-term research on photovoltaic cells focus on increasing the power output, increasing the efficiency and reducing the temperature sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global firms are increasingly adopting greenhouse gas mitigation targets in response to climate change. These targets serve as a spur for carbon mitigation initiatives, provide guidelines to select appropriate mitigation actions, and set the standards to measure the progress of the mitigation efforts. Despite their important functionalities, firm-level mitigation targets have rarely been studied. In this paper we aim to provide a comparative view on mitigation targets set by global firms across different countries and industrial sectors. The analysis focuses on four dimensions, i.e., adoption, metric, scope, and stringency. We find Japan far leads the other major countries in terms of target adoption, but the targets of Japanese firms are generally less stringent. Canadian firms are laggards in both target adoption and target stringency. The mitigation targets are also considerably uncommon among Australian firms. Firms in developing countries fall behind in target stringency and display a significantly greater divergence than developed countries in sectoral adoption rate. The European Union firms are most likely to cover the emissions in their supply chains in targets. Target stringency has substantially tightened from 2005 to 2012. For all the countries in this study, around 95% of the firm-level targets are more stringent than the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the Paris Agreement. Setting mitigation target has a significant positive impact on both the likelihood of investing in renewable energy and the amount of investment in renewable energy. However, there is no evidence that more stringent targets lead to higher investment. These findings point to the most pressing issues with regard to corporate mitigation target-setting that policymakers and corporate management should address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper aims to analyze Iran's long-term power sector development from economic, environmental, social, and sustainable perspectives. For this purpose, a linear programming model is developed, which includes three objective functions: minimization of costs, minimization of CO 2 emissions, and maximization of created jobs. To provide a sustainable plan, analytical hierarchy process is employed to allocate expert-based weights to the objective functions. Moreover, to support the decision-makers, Pareto-optimal alternatives are explored by varying the weights of objectives. The multi-objective model is solved by applying a weighted method based on fuzzy membership functions. The results show that a sustainable scenario leads to high technology diversification. Furthermore, the combined cycle would be the dominant option in Iran's long-term generation mix. In addition, power generation from non-hydro renewables, solar PV in particular, should grow faster than the total electricity demand. The findings indicate that the economic scenario fulfills Iran's commitment to 4% reduction of emissions compared to the current trend; however, the sustainable and environmental scenarios would cause achievement of the superior 12% reduction goal. Multi-objective analysis shows that moving away from one's objective optimum value leads to significant improvements in other objective values. Highlights • A multi-objective model is developed to explore the sustainable power plan of Iran. • Optimal power development plans based on economic, environmental, and social objectives are surveyed. • Moving away from one's objective optimum value leads to significant improvements in other objective values. • The international emissions mitigating targets are met by the sustainable plan. • The sustainable plan leads to high diversification in the generation mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geothermal energy is a constant and independent form of renewable energy and plays a key role towards the world's future energy balance. In particular, deep geothermal resources are largely available across continents and can help countries become less dependent on energy imports and build a broader base in their future energy mix. However, despite its significant potential, the total contribution of the geothermal sector to global power generation remains relatively small. The International Energy Agency has recommended devising plans to address technology-specific challenges to achieve faster growth and improving policies tackling pre-development risks for geothermal energy. Reaching considerable depths is a requirement to exploit deep geothermal resources, but experience gained to date from the implementation of complex, engineered deep geothermal projects has unveiled technical and economic challenges, lower-than-expected performance and poor public image. There is therefore an urgent need for alternative, more sustainable well designs. This paper critically assesses conventional and unconventional deep geothermal well concepts, focusing on the basic Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE) concept. The discussions are supported by numerical simulations of a BHE design that includes heat conductive fillers to enhance the heat exchange with the surrounding formation, while avoiding direct fluid interaction with the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissemination of distributed electric power generation is increasing despite some current technical, commercial and regulative limitations. Its development is a new reality which proper consideration is required in the planning of the expansion of the electric matrix. The use of renewable sources, smaller generation units and local availability of energy are characteristics that need to be considered in the planning process due to their impacts beyond the grid and energy supply when aspects of sustainable development are regarded. In order to strengthen distributed generation's contribution for sustainable development, this paper introduces additional social and environmental variables that are evaluated in conjunction with the technical and economic aspects in the indication of potential sites for deployment of wind turbines. Therefore, selected indicators corresponding to each of the dimensions of the sustainable development were used as inputs for multi-criteria evaluation techniques such as Rank Sum, Analytical Hierarchy Process and Weighted Linear Combination, and fuzzy logic. The techniques were applied and then compared in a case study for screening appropriate locations which are favorable to the wind turbines installation under the perspective of sustainable development. Actual data and wind characterization of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were used and as a result state's municipalities with higher potential for installation of wind generators at 50 and 100 m height were identified according to each evaluation technique. It was noted that each technique promotes a specific trade-off between the criteria while balancing the evaluation output, however with a significant result convergence. Thus, the use of an objective methodology to incorporate dimensions involved in the sustainable development is effective and a valuable tool to support important decisions during the planning process in the generation expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Three models for the projection of long-term electricity generation for Pakistan are developed in this paper. Baseline (BL), Coal and Renewable Energy (RE) scenarios are used to analyze current and future electricity generation. From an environmental perspective, both the BL and RE scenarios are found to be superior to the Coal scenario, but a cost-benefit analysis indicates that the RE scenario is most expensive though it brings the benefit of effectively reducing dependence on imports of primary fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past three decades, the notion of sustainable cities has become central in planning and managing urban areas in the world and the large-scale city formation has been formed in big cities. As a result of economic growth and urban transformation, Shanghai, a major Chinese international metropolis, faces ongoing issues with resource waste and low energy utilization. Therefore, this paper aims to consider the availability of water for energy production from a consumption-based perspective and estimate the water footprint of the energy supply using a regional input-output analysis approach for Shanghai. As a result, we conclude that the water footprint of the energy supply of Shanghai is about 1.28 billion m 3 in 2007, with 46.1% of water used for electricity and heat supply. The total water withdrawal by the energy sector is about 2.35 billion m 3 and additional water withdrawal needed is about 35% of the total water withdrawals by the energy sector in Shanghai. Furthermore, an energy self-sufficiency scenario was developed, and the scenario analysis reveals that 55% more water would be required to ensure a self-sufficient energy sector. To guarantee future regional energy security, it is important to manage water resources effectively by allocating water resources among sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy resources are currently being deployed on a large scale to meet the requirements of increased energy demand, mitigate the environmental pollutants, and achieve socio-economic benefits for sustainable development. The integration of such distributed energy sources into utility grid paves the way for microgrids. The microgrid concept is introduced to have a self-sustained system consisting of distributed energy resources that can operate in an islanded mode during grid failures. In microgrid, an energy management system is essential for optimal use of these distributed energy resources in intelligent, secure, reliable, and coordinated ways. Therefore, this review paper presents a comparative and critical analysis on decision making strategies and their solution methods for microgrid energy management systems. To manage the volatility and intermittency of renewable energy resources and load demand, various uncertainty quantification methods are summarized. A comparative analysis on communication technologies is also discussed for cost-effective implementation of microgrid energy management systems. Finally, insights into future directions and real world applications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the use of renewable energy sources is one of the keys to achieve the sustainable development of societies. The intensive use of fossil fuels has caused effects in the environment and the human health. Greenhouse gas emissions and the carcinogenic effect of diesel are widely demonstrated. The production of clean energy based on renewable sources and the use of hydrogen as an energy vector in general and as an alternative fuel in particular represent a technically feasible reality. However, it is necessary to study the economic variables of centralized or distributed production of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. The aim of this paper is to analyze the technical and economic viability of a centralized generation hydrogen plant for mobility use. It was performed a sensitivity analysis of main parameters such as size of hydrogen production plant, operating hours of the plant, investment costs of the main equipment and electricity price. A NPV of 1,272,692 and a 9-year pay-back were obtained for a centralized hydrogen production plant of 2 MW, considering commercial values of the main evaluation parameters. The sensitivity analysis determines that the main variables affecting the NPV are the price of electricity and the operating hours of the plant. With 95% of confidence, the NPV will be positive with an 80.19% of certainty. Therefore, centralized hydrogen production represents a technically viable, environmentally friendly and economically attractive process that can rapidly position hydrogen as an alternative fuel for mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores opportunities for the built environment to fulfill a far-reaching greenhouse gas (GHG) emission target in Sweden in 2050, in a context of low or no economic growth. A spreadsheet model was created, allowing for a quantitative estimation of GHG emissions and operational energy use for the built environment. Building on previous qualitative descriptions of four future scenarios, the model was run to investigate what reaching the target would require in each scenario. The results can inform policy discussions and provide insights on what strategies appear to be significant, and what they entail in terms of operational energy use in 2050 and cumulated embodied emissions from investments prior to 2050. It thus appears particularly important to decarbonate the energy mix and reduce floor areas through space sharing and optimization. When emission factors for heat and electricity are very low, the climate impact of construction materials becomes an important issue, on par with operational energy use, and strategies aimed at improving construction processes or avoiding new construction gain relevance. Extensive renovation for energy efficiency exhibits in this case a tradeoff between embodied emissions from prior investments and energy use, as decreasing one means increasing the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated power systems present high levels of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) curtailment as intermittency and isolation impose challenging difficulties regarding the integration of this energy into the electrical grid. The recent developments in electrical vehicles have decreased the kWh cost of lithium-ion batteries below a threshold value that was previously prohibitive for grid-scale applications. Therefore, the integration of RES considering the installation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) into an isolated power grid is an up-to-date research topic and is assessed in this paper. The BESS is inserted into the Unit Commitment and Economic Dispatch (UC + ED) platform and regarded as another dispatchable generator. To keeps the costs down, the BESS is mainly used to provide a portion of the spinning reserve needs and secondly to alleviate the load of the thermal generators, using the free modules. The BESS configurations that maximises the economic viability and minimises the RES curtailment are presented. The results suggest that the investment in this technology may be profitable and considerably decreases the levels of RES curtailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive design strategies are important for achieving building sustainability given their proved influences over the building performance in both energy and indoor environmental aspects. The building layout, envelope thermophysics, building geometry and infiltration & air-tightness are major passive architectural parameters to improve the building energy efficiency. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review on simulation-based approaches to optimize passively designed buildings is conducted and corresponding research gaps are identified. Based on existing research methods, modelling experiments on a generic building are conducted to integrate robust variance-based sensitivity analyses with an early-stage design optimization process. Proposed mixed-mode ventilation and lighting dimming control algorithms are applied to the EnergyPlus model to simulate the total lighting and cooling energy demands by incorporating the related design criteria in a local green building assessment scheme. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is then coupled with the modelling experiment to obtain the Pareto frontier as well as the final optimum solution. Different settings of NSGA-II are also investigated to improve the computational efficiency without jeopardizing the optimization productivity. Furthermore, the sensitivity of optimum design solutions to external environmental parameters in hot and humid areas are explored. Findings from this study will guide decision-makers through a holistic optimization process to fulfill energy-saving targets in a passively designed green building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable urban development, especially in disadvantaged regions, has increasingly gained a major strategic priority. New settlements and urban regeneration programs have to achieve an improvement of social life quality, promote economic growth and increase environmental protection practices and proper use of local resources. In this framework, building environment development must exploit natural resources with responsible approach by using local materials and traditional techniques. In this end, indoor comfort and energy consumption have to match the territories needs. Low energy and passive heating/cooling techniques should be considered as a valid option in many building projects. The paper reviews some models evaluating thermohygrometric comfort in natural ventilated buildings, based on adaptive approaches. A focus is given on Mozambican building traditions, and, finally it proposes a case study where, by the recovery of Mozambican old traditions, a new healthcare facility is designed to be energy autonomous also including large use of natural ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is the inevitable choice for the sustainable development of society and economy. How to select the most appropriate renewable energy for a region is a complex multi-criterion decision making (MCDM) problem. Taking Jilin Province as an example, this paper proposes a new MCDM method. In order to better express the hesitancy, inconsistency and uncertainty of decision makers’ preferences, linguistic hesitant fuzzy set (LHFS) is proposed. On the basis of cloud model, the rule of transforming LHFS to quantitative values is defined. Subsequently, the distance measure and support measure are established. In consideration of the interdependency of criteria, an LHFS aggregation operator based on improved Choquet integral is proposed. Finally, the ranking result of the aggregated LHFS corresponding to each renewable energy alternative is obtained according to the expectation values. The result shows that the preferred renewable energy for Jilin is biomass energy, followed by wind energy, hydro energy and solar energy. The validation analysis and comparison analysis are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade the demand of power in India has increased manifold, therefore Government has announced the National Solar Mission of generating 100 GW of solar power up to 2022. Around 60% of the total National Solar Mission target is allotted to the national/international large-scale solar power developers/investors. Hence, it becomes important to know the ground reality of large-scale solar PV developers/investors. This paper deeply analyzes the key barriers and bottlenecks faced by solar power developers in achieving the target and their growth. This article also suggests some motivational factors of solar energy which play an important role in attracting large solar players around the world to invest in Indian subcontinent. It concludes by highlighting some key policies of the Government that can help in addressing some identified barriers in order to ensure a secured sustainable energy future of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing of the effects and the determinants of the energy paradigm changes on influencing the economic growth in European Union starts from the assumption that the economy is highly dependent of energy consumption in achieving of the economic growth and welfare for population. Consequently, the changes in the energy paradigm imply significant transformations in the production structures and their evolution. The aim of the paper is to present and evaluate the effects and determinants of the energy paradigm changes on assuring economic growth in European Union, by using the panel data approach and its subsequent techniques. In this respect, there was considered the evolution of nine economic variables across 30 countries, representing the EU member States during the examined period, plus Iceland and Norway, in order to revile direct and irrefutable connections among these variables in shaping the new energetic paradigm in European space. The results obtained during the research confirm that all nine variables are determinant and significant elements in shaping a new and proactive energy policy and it undoubtedly contribute in achieving of the sustainable economic development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors determining the choice of energy policy setting in favor of renewable energy sources. We investigate if such determinants are different between countries at different stage of development. Finally, we study if the adoption of green energy policies is characterized by complementary or substitution effects. Our analysis aims at responding at two research questions: what are the factors influencing a country's choice for a specific type of energy policy? Is it possible to identify either complementary or substitute policy interventions based on a country's level of economic development? Moreover, are developing systematically different from developed countries in manage public and private resources for renewable energies? The empirical analysis employs a panel probit model estimated over a sample of 56 countries observed between 2004 and 2011. The results show that while context variables have the same impact in developed and developing countries, public operational variables play a different role. Governments in richer countries are bound to play only a role of an arbiter. On the contrary, governments of developing countries are more directly involved in the management of energy policies. Hence, a greater impact is recognized to policies with direct involvement of the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are abundant renewable energy sources in Iran such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass. However, Iran is fully dependent on fossil fuels for industrial, residential and transportation sectors. It results in the country to be in top 10 producers of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. GHGs can be controlled by incorporating renewable sources to produce energy. Therefore, renewable energy resources are becoming more attractive to develop sustainable energy development in Iran. However, the transformation from traditional fossil fuel infrastructures to advanced renewable technologies needs many considerations, such as strategic and core planning. In this regard, this paper covers the current state of Iran's energy market focusing on both fossil fuels and renewable energy resources. A general review is offered over the renewable energy production status in Iran and the production potentials. Finally, in conclusion, a comparisons are made over the current state, plans and also potential opportunities of Iran over each sort of energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a review of the classifications of power system oscillation modes, as well as power system stabilizer (PSS) design structures, is proposed. Four major oscillation modes and their effects on power system stability have been investigated and analyzed, and the critical elements affecting each mode, frequency range, and PSS application have been summarized using important published work. Next, the PSS's structure has been classified according to the number of inputs and compensation filters, and a combination of the PSS with the intelligent systems, optimal evolutionary-based, and non-intelligent adaptive-based PSS has been highlighted. The effect of the oscillation modes in Great Britain's (GB) power system has been identified, as well as the possible solutions to damp this oscillation. It was found that the inter-area and the local machine modes have a greater impact on wide area power system stability and sustainability. Integrating new Renewable Energy Resources (RESs) can lead to more transient and dynamic instability. Therefore, more research is required to design solutions to tackle this grave problem. Four PSSs presented in the literature have been applied and tested in two different multi-machine Benchmark systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is important for sustainable development, yet multidimensional challenges exist for policy makers in transformations to sustainable energy systems. Sustainable development is generally recognised as having a three-lens approach: development must balance impacts in the economic, environmental and cultural dimensions. While cultural themes such as governance, motivation, and social values are widely acknowledged in the literature as critical for transformations to sustainability, however, research on these themes has been scant. Culture influences many aspects of society; hence it is important to consider culture when developing policies for sustainable development. Understanding national cultures can lead to greater understanding of what shapes national policy and strategies for transformations to sustainable energy systems. Understanding cultural influences on policy can help other countries to overcome similar challenges in policy making, planning or local resource management. Comparisons between countries serve to further advance the understanding of approaches to such challenges. This paper examines transformations towards sustainable energy through the lens of culture, through a case study of geothermal development in Iceland and Japan. Using Hoftsede's cultural theory framework, we highlight cultural variables relevant to sustainability transformations, with particular emphasis on the challenges of the management of geothermal energy resources, and the management of related conflicts and public participation. We present our findings garnered from interviews with key players in the energy industry in both countries reinforced by an extensive literature review. We find that culture clearly influences the approach to geothermal energy development in both countries and we identify benefits and disadvantages to approaches on overlapping issues and challenges in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is experiencing an unprecedented transition towards a low-carbon and renewable-based energy system, driven by the imperatives of mitigating climate changes, building climate resilience and ensuring sustainable development. Recently, polygeneration systems based on renewable energies have emerged as a viable solution to support the energy transition since they can improve resource utilization and energy efficiency, thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and the environmental impacts on ecosystems. Renewable polygeneration systems can play a significant role in the decarbonization of the food processing industry due to its high thermal energy demand at low and medium temperature levels. This paper presents a detailed analysis of a renewable polygeneration system integrating solar, geothermal and biomass energies and able to produce electricity, heat and cold water. The novelty of this study is the analysis of polygeneration system configurations relying solely on renewable energies and the optimization of the strategy to control the energy exchange between power systems, storage facilities and utilities. Two system configurations based on different power technologies and control strategies are investigated and compared, considering as end-user a milk production process with hot and cold water requirements at different temperature levels and load profiles. To this end, a dynamic model in Matlab/Simulink has been developed to simulate the behaviour of the polygeneration system over time and evaluate its overall energy performance parameters. For each system configuration, the optimal operating strategy has been identified by maximizing the energy conversion efficiency and minimizing the unmet thermal and cooling loads. Simulation results highlighted that, compared to polygeneration systems relying only on fluctuating renewable energies, those including a backup heat source (i.e., a biomass boiler) were able to meet the thermal energy needs of larger and more complex milk production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of globalization on progress toward SDG 7, with a particular focus on electricity access, renewable energy consumption, and energy intensity. Data are on 42 African countries over the 2000 – 2015 period. Findings from the fixed-effects model with the Driscoll-Kraay estimator show that overall globalization improves electricity access, while its effect on renewable energy consumption and energy intensity is insignificant. Additional findings show that economic globalization improves electricity access and energy efficiency; social globalization undermines renewable energy consumption while improving energy efficiency; political globalization increases electricity access and renewable energy consumption. Some recommendations are provided. • The contribution of globalization to the progress toward SDG 7 is investigated. • The data are based on a sample of 45 countries over the 2000–2019 period. • Globalization increases electeicity access with no relevant effects on renewable energy consumption and energy intensity. • Distinguishing between various dimensions and aspects of globalization provides more specific findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of civic participation in issues directly or indirectly related to environmental quality is reputed to be on the rise globally. Bottom-up grassroots movements can be conducive to powering socially acceptable, smooth, and hence, more efficient transitions toward low-carbon energy futures. This factor can also unlock the potential of communities, improving the adaptation and social acceptability towards major changes and providing possible policy instruments. On contrary, bottom-up grassroots movements are unfavorable to the extension of renewable energy capacities, especially in the case of wind energy, if this causes costs for the local communities, which outweigh the corresponding benefits. Determining these dynamics is pivotal for addressing public ecological concerns and calls for quantitative regional studies. This paper addresses the nexus between civic engagement and energy transition in 11 countries of the Nordic-Baltic Sea Region. The study detects a strong positive relationship between civic engagement within environmental organizations and the share of renewable energy sources in the domestic electricity mixes of the countries of the Nordic-Baltic Sea Region. Nonparametric panel estimator with fixed effects reveals that the impact of civic engagement has been continuously rising – i.e. the significance of civic engagement as a factor in the energy transition has risen. Nevertheless, the study also finds that the magnitude of civic engagement over the years has been relatively stable in most countries of the region since 1981. In a few of them, civic engagement has been declining. The work argues that this decline could be attributed to the fact that politics, especially since 2005, deemed environmental issues as an important aspect of public policy – a factor that contributed to mainstreaming the phenomenon. • Civic engagement and energy transition are analyzed for 11 Nordic-Baltic Sea Region countries. • Civic engagement in environmental NGOs has a strong positive relationship with renewables share. • Civic engagement significance as a factor of energy transition is on the rise. • The magnitude of civic engagement has been stable in most countries. • Especially since 2005, politics deemed environmental issues as important in public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous years, much research has been carried out to specify eco-innovations determinants. In most studies, eco-innovation was analyzed at a general level. From the perspective of climate change and the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal objectives, the issue of innovations that replace the share of fossil fuel energy with renewable energy sources in the European Union appears to be particularly important. Therefore, this paper has two purposes. First, using a systematic literature review, it examines the key factors driving decisions taken by European Union enterprises to create innovations with environmental benefits. Second, it estimates the impact of these factors on introducing innovations that replace the share of fossil fuel energy with renewable energy sources. Specifically, using the logistic regression model, it analyses microdata from thirteen European Union Member States collected during the 2014 Community Innovation Survey. The effects show that six out of seven drivers under assessment positively affect the introduction of innovations that replace fossil fuel energy with renewable energy sources. These are (1) the high cost of energy, water, or materials, (2) environmental regulations or taxes expected in the future, (3) existing environmental taxes, charges, or fees, (4) government grants, subsidies, or other financial incentives for environmental innovations, (5) current or expected market demand for environmental innovations, and (6) voluntary actions or initiatives for good environmental practice within a sector. • Innovations that replace fossil fuel energy depend on a few drivers. • The most important is the high cost of energy, water, or materials. • Existing environmental regulations have no effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Interaction of Microalgae and bacteria on EPS discussed thoroughly. • Environmental and operational factors influencing the EPS and biomass production. • Patterns of mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism in MB-AGS discussed. • EPS bio-product as a valuable source pave the way to sustainable development. • Green-blue energy could be produced by converting/utilizing MB system. The algal/bacterial biomass and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) existing in microalgal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (MB-AGS) offer a promising bioresource. The current review-based paper presents a systematic overview of the compositions and interactions (gene transfer, signal transduction, and nutrient exchange) of microalgal and bacteria consortia, the role of cooperative or competitive partnerships of MB-AGS in the treatment of wastewater and recovery of resource, and the environmental/operational factors affecting their interactions and EPS production. Moreover, a brief notes is given on the opportunities and major challenges of utilizing the microalgal-bacterial biomass and EPS for phosphorus and polysaccharides chemical recovery, renewable energy (i.e. biodiesel, hydrogen, electricity) production. Overall, this compact review will pave the way for developing MB-AGS future biotechnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increasing the reliability of the EPS probabilistic characteristics is obtained. • The optimization algorithm provides full accounting of probabilistic characteristics. • The optimal WPP capacity and placement with the lowest power losses is determined. Due to the trend of increasing electricity consumption that has observed over the past decades, the sustainable development of electric power systems is a relevant task. Taking into account the desire of the leading countries for energy independence, low-carbon energy based on renewable energy sources is being actively penetrated nowadays. One of the main tasks for the renewable energy sources installation into existing electric power systems with no additional changes in network is to maximize power generation with the lowest power losses and to comply with the grid requirements. Considering the stochastic nature of renewable energy, various optimization algorithms are being developed and used for this task. In this regard, numerical methods of deterministic and probabilistic modeling of power systems with, e.g., wind turbine generators are used to determine the optimal placement and capacity. The main problem is that obtaining a reliable result by actual statistical and heuristic methods, based mostly on a group of Monte Carlo methods, does not have a full solution in the whole range of functional dependence, due to the complexity of modeling the input arguments of rare repeatability. As part of the solution to the optimal power flow problems, namely, not exceeding the specified probability density functions of the state parameters, it can lead to false conclusions. This paper proposes a methodology for calculating the probabilistic characteristics of steady-state parameters, increasing the reliability and speed of their calculation by taking into account the values of rare repeatability. The results of research is the refinement of the power flow values (compared with the Monte Carlo method) using the developed method based on selection of interval boundaries of input and output probabilistic data (SIBD method), and the definition of minimum possible power losses as part of the problem of determining the optimal wind power capacity and placement in power system for IEEE-14 and IEEE-57 schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy sectors of all the countries around the world are faced with a big challenge: the energy transition under the imperative of continuous reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The energy transition and the sustainability constraints pose a significant challenge for engineers, researcher and scientists developing new and clean energy-efficient technologies. Energy production and transformations, along with its storage, distribution and consumption, are achieved by utilising new and clean energy technologies, with the goal of the continuous increase of energy efficiency, the growth of renewable energy sources utilisation, the uninterrupted switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, and the continued reduction of CO2 emissions. This editorial paper addresses the latest progress and the findings in research and developments in the sustainable energy technologies, energy and environment systems from selected papers of the conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems held in 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Central Africa possesses important renewable energy potential that continues to suffer from poor development. The primary cause of the poor use of renewable energy is the poor commitment and dedication among the region's governments who have not taken the necessary measures to support the sector. The primary purpose of this paper is to emphasize the renewable energy resources of Central Africa that they may be used optimally. The report also describes the availability of renewable energy resources and suggests actions to promote and sustain their development by improving access to sustainable, environmentally friendly, and affordable energy services, making significant improvements to energy infrastructure in Central Africa, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. The work presents the potential for solar, biomass and hydropower, indicating where development is available. Next, the identified obstacles of clean energy promotion are targeted. Finally, suggestions are offered to help countries develop a vision aimed at developing good clean energy policy that increases the status of environmentally friendly energy. A Cameroon case study is examined as an illustration. Several documents are cited from institutions in the region and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an assessment of alternative, long-term energy supply strategies for the Ethiopian power sector, during 2015–2045, using the MARKAL energy system model. This study also identifies alternative, sustainable energy supply options to meet Ethiopia's rising demand for energy, while also achieving the policy goals of universal electrification, zero greenhouse gas emissions, increased electricity exports, and improved energy security. In all scenarios, the results show a large potential for renewable energy technologies, such as hydropower, solar PV and wind. These technologies have implications for neighboring countries in the region and will also affect the agriculture sector in Ethiopia. Hydropower, for example, is a renewable energy source that can contribute to rural electrification, while also providing water to support irrigation expansion. An alternative policy scenario prioritizing renewable energy technologies reduces dependence on fossil fuel completely at minimal cost, while providing long-term environmental benefits. Expansion of electricity access to the entire population entails large investments in power generation capacity as well as substantial increases in the total system cost of energy production. Such a scenario would also increase the country's reliance on fossil fuels and geothermal energy sources. Most alternative policy options show higher investment costs will be required to achieve policy goals in the near term (with the exception of the export scenario). However, the analysis shows long-term benefits from investing in energy supply including sustainable energy system development, expansion of access to modern sources of energy, and the development of a low carbon society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there is no specific legal basis for the development and utilisation of marine renewable energy, nor legal protection for the developers in China. The consequence is that the Chinese Government is unable to provide institutional support for the substantive development of marine renewable energy, resulting in slow development of China's marine energy industry. This paper provides an institutional framework for the establishment of relevant laws in China and legislative proposals in legal perspective, for the better development of marine renewable energy. The Chinese Government should optimise the administrative management system, strengthen financial regulation such as tax and emphasise sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]