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Physical oil and gas abundance, turned in market scarcity, do prices of oil and gas spike and cashed rents mount. For the years 1970-2020, the rents from crude oil and natural gas sales are expressed in US$-2020, revealing the magnitude and volatility of the money flows. Peak rents coincide with turmoil implying particular oil & gas exporting countries. Oil & gas geopolitics metamorphosed from conquering oil deposits to precluding oil & gas exports by 'hostile' nations. Such preclusions turn physical abundance in market scarcity, boosting oil & gas prices [1,2] and rents (also called royalties, windfall, super profits). Rent skimming is also a part of the 2022 Ukraine war. Climate change mitigation intensifies geopolitical efforts to curtail the exports of 'hostile' nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The backstop level concept used by developed economies for controlling electricity supply and demand is discussed.

Segmentation of markets may be the best method of controlling green emission certificate trading in Flanders, Belgium, for the next few years.

The article discusses energy efficiency and barriers to price reduction.

Combined heat and power (CHP) plants' economic feasibility was analyzed using variables including electricity and heat load, the size and characteristics of the plant and electricity tariff conditions. The CHPs studied were for non-utilities use, or for use by commercial, industry and local authorities. The economic feasibility is also aided by governmental financial support and a friendly regulatory atmosphere. It was found that the length of time it takes most viable CHPs to recoup their original investment is between three to six years.

Combined heat and power (CHP) generation plants are widely regarded as a means by which industrialized nations can reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Although this is true in general, the CO2 reduction capability of CHPs can be affected by two factors: the characteristics of the CHP process and the structure of the electricity generation sector. A diagram based on these two factors can be used as a tool for evaluating the CO2 performance of CHP under different conditions.

Combined heat and power generation plant (CHP) technology offers a viable alternative to conventional energy sources. CHP is not a single concept; it actually covers a wide range of technologies and applications. However, they all have in common characteristics such as fuel flexibility, high availability, high efficiency and excellent heat-power ratio. The only drawback to CHP technology is its somewhat prohibitive cost.

Byline: Aviel Verbruggen Converting a low-quality brick construction into a low-energy solar house takes five steps. First, avoid spillage by optimal space allocation. Second, apply natural and/or somatic energy wherever and whenever possible. Third, integrate passive and semi-passive solutions. Fourth, harvest renewable commodity energy. Fifth, efficiently complement previous steps with commercial energy. Twelve percentage of the retrofit budget made the house largely independent from commercial supplies (energy, water, sanitation). Benefits exceed costs several times. Thermal and living comfort levels are exceptionally high. The owner-occupier was intensely involved, adapting designs and solutions to personal preference while gaining understanding, familiarity and security with the house.

Byline: Aviel Verbruggen 'CHP essentials' introduces the concept of power and heat 'production possibility sets', starting at the cradle of CHP, i.e., the thermal power generation plant. The latter always occasions 'fatal' heat that is either recovered (the 'merit' of CHP) or wasted (condensing). This split paves the way to defining the production possibility sets of CHP plants, shown for steam turbines, internal combustion engines and gas turbines as main CHP technologies. Three indicators are widely used to monitor CHP performance: the overall conversion efficiency (quantity indicator), the (mostly ill-defined) power to heat ratio (quality indicator), the 'quality norm' advertised by the EU Directive 2004/8/EC. The paper levels the field for discussing the crucial issue of identifying and quantifying CHP activity.

Byline: Aviel Verbruggen The EU 2002 draft and 2004 final CHP Directives propose qualifying CHP activity with the quality norm. This norm benchmarks the energy efficiency of CHP plant outputs on external reference power and heat efficiencies. Because the quality norm amalgamates cogeneration and condensing activity its application entails particular perverse effects for high-quality and adapted scale investment in CHP capacities and for operating available units. Operators get incentives to part-load or shut down their capacities and to avoid condensing activity (lucrative at spiky price conditions in the power market). The formula of the quality norm is only useful when CHP activity (heat recovery, cogenerated electricity, fuel consumption for cogeneration) is first quantified reliably.

The negative impacts of climate change are experienced at the global, regional and local levels. However, rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa face additional socio-political, cultural and economic challenges in addition to climate change. Decision support tools have been developed and applied to assist rural communities to cope with and adapt to climate change. However, poorly planned participatory processes and the lack of context-specific approaches in these tools are obstacles when aiming at strengthening the resilience of these rural communities. This paper uses an integrated literature review to identify best practices for involving rural communities in climate change adaptation efforts through the application of context-specific and culturally-sensitive climate change adaptation tools. These best practices include the use of a livelihoods approach to engage communities; the explicit acknowledgement of the local cultural do's and don'ts; the recognition of local champions appointed from within the local community; the identification and prioritisation of vulnerable stakeholders; and the implementation of a two-way climate change risk communication instead of a one-sided information sharing approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing climate change requires de-carbonizing future energy supplies in an increasingly energy-dependent world. The IEA and the IPCC (2014) mention the following as low-carbon energy supply options: 'renewable energy, nuclear power and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage'. Positioning nuclear power in the decarbonization transition is a problematic issue and is overridden by ill-conceived axioms. Before probing these axioms, we provide an overview of five major, postwar energy-related legacies and some insight into who is engaged in nuclear activities. We check whether low-carbon nuclear power passes the full sustainability test and whether it is compatible with the unfettered deployment of variable renewable power sourced from the sun and from wind and water currents, which delivers two negative answers. We show that the best approach of the sustainable energy transition was Germany's 2011 decision to phase out nuclear power for a fast development and full deployment of renewable power. This is the best approach for the sustainable energy transition. We offer five practical suggestions to strengthen and accelerate carbon- and nuclear-free transitions. They are related to institutional issues like the role of cost-benefit analysis and the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to the costs of nuclear risks and catastrophes, and to the historical record of nuclear technology and business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction-condensing steam turbines mix cold-condensing and cogeneration activities making the respective power and fuel flows not directly observable. A flawed assessment of the flows is causing confusion and bias. A steam expansion path on a Mollier diagram reveals the design characteristics of a thermal power plant and of its embedded combined heat and power (CHP) activities. State variable data on a unit mass of steam, entering the turboset as life steam and leaving it at one of the heat extraction exhausts, provide the roster of the power-heat production possibility set of the plant. The actual production It possibilities are drawn from the roster by applying capacity data and constraints on the f heat extraction points. Design power-to-heat ratios of CHP activities are univocally idenf tified, allowing accurate assessments of cogenerated power. This information is needed for proper incentive regulation of CHP activities, pursuing maximization of CHP quality and quantity. Quality is gauged by the power-to-heat ratio, principally a design (investment) decision. Quantity is gauged by the operational amounts of recovered heat exhausts. Optimal regulatory specificity is attained through setting generic frameworks by technology, accommodating investment and operational decisions by plant owners. Our novel method is explained and applied with numerical data, also revealing the flaws in present regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "The Allocation of Energy Resources" by William Nordhaus that was published in the previous issue.

Recognizing the urgent need for sustainability, we argue that to move beyond the rhetoric and to actually realize sustainable development, it must be considered as a decision-making strategy. We demonstrate that sustainability assessment and sustainability indicators can be powerful decision-supporting tools that foster sustainable development by addressing three sustainability decision-making challenges: interpretation, information-structuring, and influence. Particularly, since the 1990s many substantial and often promising sustainability assessment and sustainability indicators efforts are made. However, better practices and a broader shared understanding are still required. We aim to contribute to that objective by adopting a theoretical perspective that frames SA and SI in the context of sustainable development as a decision-making strategy and that introduces both fields along several essential aspects in a structured and comparable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The article unveils the mystery of cogeneration. Cogeneration is an add-on or embedded activity in thermal power plants, with as merit the use of part or whole of their point source heat exhausts. EU's talk of “high-efficiency cogeneration” is an unfounded transfer of responsibility from the hosting thermal power generation plant onto CHP (Combined Heat & Power) activity. The quality of a CHP activity is univocally defined by its design power-to-heat ratio σ , a tombstone parameter derived from the design characteristics of the power plant. A thermal power plant may house more than one cogeneration activity. Identifying σ requires positioning the bliss point in the electricity–heat production possibility set of the cogeneration activity. The bliss point is where after electric output is maximized, the sum of that output and the maximum recoverable quantity of heat occurs. Once CHP's mystery of virtual bliss points is unveiled, the proper σ are found. With known σ by CHP activity, the quantity of cogenerated electricity is reliably assessed as best indicator of cogeneration performance. Our analysis is applicable on all relevant thermal power cycles that host CHP activities, and illustrated with a numerical example. Our lean method is necessary and sufficient for proper CHP regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A building investment is a real decision because the allocated resources are typically irrevocable for long times. Investment appraisal is a logic method to process elapsing time, uncertain benefits and costs, and irrevocability related to decisions. Most analysts stop halfway the appraisal process when they carefully assess net present values and their sensitivity to uncertain future events. But sidelining irrevocability and the dynamic sequential analysis of future events and actions cause wrong decisions when the energy performance endowment of a new building is decided. Irrevocability and preclusion are explained, and their impact illustrated with a case study. Adopting realistic assumptions about the uncertain future and applying the proper methodology reveal as financially best choice the immediate investment in passive attributes and items. Irrevocability is of high relevance for building efficiency investments and for the implementation of the EU-2010 buildings directive. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Copenhagen Accord performed a seizure in the COP ungainly crawl. The Accord's urgent combat against climate change and deep cuts in emissions require a policy reversal, ending the zero sum games on pledged caps, creating clarity on immediate marching directions and eliciting worldwide action by today's operational institutes at all levels. For reducing energy-related CO2 emissions, all turbo drive components are available. First the global 2 °C ceiling needs translation into, by country, marching directions and indicative future paths of their national average CO2 emissions per person. The latter intensity indicator is the product of three driving intensities: wealth per person, energy used for wealth production, and CO2 emissions of energy use, all observed annually for virtually all countries in the world. Second, parties should commit to nearby year improvements on the three driving intensities. Third, transfers from rich to poor countries depend on ability to pay and on ability to spend, and on countries' mitigation progress. The approach dissolves main barriers to mitigation progress, like: outdated emissions baselines; illusory global instruments; bureaucratic MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) concepts; blocked graduation of parties; unclear transfer mechanisms. In revamping the jammed COP rituals, UNFCCC now leaves operations to established global institutes and mainly to the parties acting in common resolve, stimulated and verified by a lightweight, transparent global framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cheap fossil fuel supplies have deeply transformed the industrial economies since World War II. The growing material affluence, distributed very unequally, is destroying life-support systems such as bio and cultural diversity, climate, water systems. 'Sustainable development' is the formal answer, but imprisoned by the economic logic of wealth growth. People's preference for affluence is our society's dominant driving force and should be openly recognized as such in designing climate policy instruments. Real sustainability needs fundamental reversals, only feasible when commercial energy end-use prices (taxes) are ever increasing in the future. An efficiency revolution would be triggered by the human nature of self-interest and perhaps develop just in time to prevent disastrous climate loss. Such ethics of deeds instead of words is refused by the dominating economic powers of the world and by politicians. E.g. the European Tradable Scheme of free carbon rights shows necessary change is postponed for the short-run interests of corporate business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]