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The Energiewende (energy transition) is the dynamic and contested project of energy transition in Germany. It encompasses both the sociotechnical transformation of the German electricity system and the reorganization of the sector's ownership structure. In this paper, we present a Capital-as-Power (CasP) based analysis, investigating industrial path-dependency and innovation as part of the dialectics of power and sociotechnical change in capitalism. According to CasP, dominant capital seeks to increase its differential accumulation, i.e., accumulation relative to a benchmark. Energiewende policies initially decreased the differential accumulation of dominant electricity firms in Germany. However, we find that by concentrating their control over the shrinking conventional generation capacity, while variable generation expanded, dominant firms gained the leverage needed to increase differential prices and profits, thus managing to regain sectoral control by increasing their threat to reliable power supply. We find that these processes coincide with spatial centralization, ownership concentration, and decreasing penetration rates of renewable energy resources in Germany. By presenting new conceptual tools and empirical findings, we trace the ways in which the recovery of dominant capital in the German electricity sector shapes and restricts energy transition processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no doubt that the transition towards renewable energies is generating many changes on different continents, some with greater impacts than others, but the development that has occurred is recognized and widely accepted. The progress has been significant but it is necessary to analyze the roadmaps that have been proposed so far at the island level so that decision makers have sufficient tools to commit the much-needed economic resources to transform their energy systems into 100% renewable ones. These approaches are not simple and the hard work of the authors who have disseminated their research is recognized. The roadmaps are planned based on the energy potential available in the territories and the future energy demand. Within countries, it is important to increase the economic resources to allocate to investments in environmentally friendly renewable energies. In this review of 100% renewable smart systems on islands, the situation of the American continent, its challenges and its long-term approaches in the different geographical areas facing 2050 are analyzed. This article shows that research into the design of 100% renewable energy systems in scientific articles is fairly new but has gained more and more attention in recent years. In total, 175 articles published since 2002 were identified and analyzed. Many of these articles have a predominant focus on the electricity sector. As a general result, it has been determined that although there has been significant progress towards an orderly energy transition, this has not been consistent with the international agreements signed since the Paris Summit, which is a real challenge in complying with the new commitment of the COP28 of Dubai in tripling the participation of renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transformation in Poland, including the need to accelerate the shift away from hard coal and lignite in the power system, has been taking place in the face of the energy crisis. Ambitious climate and economic goals force the development of renewable energy sources, but they require legislative changes for the benefit of socially vulnerable consumers. This is important from the point of view of counteracting energy poverty. Energy transformation is not only a change in the fuel used, but most of all, the path and basis of low-carbon development that changes many socio-economic systems. The aim of this study is to link the development and environmental challenges in the studied subject matter with social challenges. The analyses show that it is necessary to strengthen the use of local energy potential and resources, and to activate local communities. The construction of nuclear power plants is also crucial. The results of the presented theoretical and empirical studies can be the basis for a revision of the energy policy in Poland in the area of the social dimension of the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyse two phenomena. First, the relationship between greenhouse gases emission and effectiveness of the European Union energy policies and second the transition from the fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. We run two-step data analysis concerning 25 European Union member states in the period from 1990 to 2018. We use information on greenhouse gases emission, introduction of new energy policies, source of energy supplied and merge it with macroeconomic data on the countries' structural characteristics. We assess their long-run relationship and direction of causality using panel cointegration tests and dynamic panel data models. We identify a statistically significant effect of energy supply source, energy policy introduction and greenhouse gases emission. However, we were not able to confirm that European Union energy sector is in transition. Thus, obtained results confirm that the EU energy policies are effective however not sufficient enough in decreasing use of fossil fuels to call it a transition towards renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Conversion of a DHN to diversified and decentralized renewable supply. • Fully physical digital twin of real DHN used to compare five renewable scenarios. • Implementation of up to 11 different generation and storage technologies at once. • Thermal energy storages with high charging/discharging power are essential. • Results show that at least 98 % renewable supply is possible. Due to the tremendous effects of climate change, the goal of a climate-friendly energy supply has developed into the main task of the energy sector. Today climate neutrality is a central issue at social, political and economic levels. It is a sector coupling issue, requiring renewable energies in electricity, mobility and heat supply. While the heat sector contributes the largest share to final energy demand of German municipalities, it is also the sector for which the path towards climate neutrality will be most challenging. This study presents pathways for large cities for the transition from fossil to renewable heat supply based on the example of Rostock. A detailed, fully-physical simulation model for Rostock's district heating was developed considering different potential heat sources including heat pumps, industrial and process heat, incineration of sewage sludge, waste and solid biomass as well as geothermal and solar thermal plants. Additionally, thermal energy storages have been integrated into the model. The study highlights the importance of simulation models in evaluating the feasibility of energy systems and emphasizes the need for incorporating detailed information in these models to obtain accurate results. Multiple scenarios have been investigated in order to analyse the interplay of heat generation, storage and the annual course of heat consumption. Five final concepts were derived meeting the requirement of climate-neutral heat supply. Although the results show that each variant has advantages and disadvantages, heat generators that make technical and economic sense in all cases were identified. The implementation of these is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a structured approach to the implementation of diversification in the energy sector during the energy transition, accompanied by crisis phenomena in the economy. On the basis of the study of the unique features of the electric power industry, it is proved that diversification is an effective tool ensuring sustainable operation and development in the course of transformation. The specific directions of diversification to achieve technical, environmental and economic results are considered. The authors demonstrate that diversification can manifest itself in different forms: as a way to implement a systematic approach to energy transition management, as a complex set of organizational and technical changes in the electric power industry, and as an institutional mechanism to support innovations. Tools for managing diversification during the energy transition have been identified. In particular, the experience of implementing systems of integrated planning of energy resources is systematized, representing a set of legal and economic procedures that contribute to minimizing public costs for energy services to consumers. The key provisions of the structural maneuver have been formulated. These include specific directions of diversification, consisting of a certain increase in the specific market share of thermal power plants, in the structure of generation capacities of renewable energy sources in order to compensate for their increased production costs, and nuclear power plants under advanced development. The advantages and limitations of the developed principles of diversification in the context of the global energy crisis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuba's power supply is characterized by the dependence on imported oil, outdated power plants and frequent power curtailment. Cuba's government aims at changing this situation through the National Economic and Social Development Plan, which targets a renewable share of 37 % in 2030. In the longer term, the Cuban government has already acknowledged the goal of 100 % renewable electricity supply. This work reviews the current ambitions of the Cuban government and provides a scientific approach to identifying the most cost-effective 100 % renewable energy system in 2030. First, we study whether the generation mix proposed by the Cuban government to reach 37 % renewables is the most cost-effective. Second, we run a simulation that considers fossil and renewable energy technologies purely to optimize costs. Third, we investigate the renewable future for Cuba with a simulation under the constraint of a 100 % renewable energy share. Our results suggest that energy sector plans should be reconsidered from a techno-economic point of view: With the overall cost-optimization, we find that much higher renewable energy shares of over 80 % are possible at lower overall costs. Finally, we analyze that the cost viability of a 100 % renewable electricity depends largely on the ability to use Cuba's biomass resources to balance solar generation. • The Cuban expansion plan for 2030 can achieve the targeted 37 % RE with reduced LCOE. • A larger share of wind power capacities can reduce costs to achieve the 37 % target. • Optimization shows that higher RE shares of above 82 % are possible at lower costs. • The cost-optimal system is dominated by wind power and biomass power generation. • In the long term (reaching 100 % RE) a large solar PV capacity is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key to the necessary decarbonization of energy systems is the large-scale expansion of renewable energy sources and their integration into the electricity system. This integration is challenging because the feed-in from renewable energy sources is highly intermittent and largely dependent on uncontrollable factors such as weather patterns. To maintain grid stability, which refers to the required balance between demand and supply in the electricity system, flexibility is key. Large flexibility potentials can be found on the electricity demand side. However, current electricity market design in Europe, while providing major flexibility incentives, often neglects small-scale electricity consumers and distributed energy resources. We contribute to shape future electricity markets with consumers at the heart by developing six design principles for a consumer-centric electricity market design. We proceed by conducting a systematic literature review and evaluate the findings by expert interviews. Based on the developed design principles, we define a consumer-centric electricity market design as a set of market rules that align with the rules of other relevant energy markets and allow for the efficient matching of electricity demand and supply, with consumers having nondiscriminatory market access, being exposed to fine-grained price signals, being able to express their preferences, and having sufficient possibilities to protect themselves against unexpected price spikes. By actively incorporating consumers into electricity markets, we contribute to the overarching goal of integrating renewable energy sources while promoting energy justice, i.e., supporting a balanced mix of economic, political, environmental, and social interests. • We define six design principles for a consumer-centric electricity market design. • This electricity market design enables consumers to actively engage in market interactions and to react to price signals. • Consumers with small-scale assets can sell their own generated electricity on the market, i.e., the integration of DER. • Consumer-centricity enhances the system's ability to increase flexibility by adapting electricity consumption patterns. • Consumer-centric electricity market design contributes to different forms of energy justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses research demands for a more critical empirical assessment of the innovation capacity of the decentralised, sub-national level. In Germany, the extensive involvement and contributions of new locally-rooted renewable energy initiatives have been one of the most striking features of the country's energy transition process. This study analyses the enabling conditions, current challenges and future prospects of decentralised experimentation in the German energy system. It finds that whereas the national support scheme has for a long period protected decentralised deployment of renewable energies by locally-rooted actors in the energy field, recent reforms of the scheme now threaten their further participation in the energy market. The paper observes that decentralised initiatives not only struggle to adjust to the new framework conditions. They have also not yet sufficiently addressed the new governance challenges arising from the fact that renewable energies have reached a stage of systemic importance for the whole power system, which requires decentralised initiatives to make their own efforts compatible with overall energy system transition needs. The study concludes that in order to remain an important innovator in the German energy transition, decentralised initiatives have to prove their ability to provide solutions to the systemic challenges of the energy transition process, such as horizontal and vertical multi-level coordination and decentralised contributions to the security of supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Renewable energy sources (RES) are playing an increasingly important role in energy markets around the world. It is necessary to evaluate the benefits from a higher level of RES integration with respect to a more active cross-border transmission system. In particular, this paper focuses on the sustainable energy transitions for Finland and Italy, since they have two extreme climate conditions in Europe and quite different profiles in terms of energy production and demand. We developed a comprehensive energy system model using EnergyPLAN with hourly resolution for a reference year for both countries. The models include electricity, heat and transportation sectors. According to the current base models, new scenarios reflecting an RES increase in total fuel consumption have been proposed. The future shares of renewables are based on each nation's potential. The outcomes of the new scenarios support the future national plans, showing how decarburization in an energy system can occur in relation to the European Roadmap 2030 and 2050. In addition, possible power transmission between Italy and Finland were investigated according to the vision of an integrated European energy system with more efficient cross-border activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]