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This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for green energy and environment transition in South Asia, a region that faces the dilemma of meeting its growing energy demand while reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and environmental vulnerability. The region has rich renewable energy sources and potential for energy efficiency improvement, but it also relies heavily on fossil fuels and suffers from various barriers and constraints that hinder its green energy development. The region needs policies that can achieve economic growth, social welfare, and environmental sustainability coherently and effectively. Utilizing the thematic literature review approach, this paper examines the literature on four main topics: (1) the estimation of green energy resources potential and scenarios in South Asia; (2) the comparison of green energy targets and policies in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries; (3) the evaluation of green energy deployment and performance in different sectors; and (4) the identification of green energy transition challenges and opportunities in South Asia. This paper fills some research gaps in the literature by providing a comprehensive, comparative, holistic, and integrated analysis of green energy and environment policies in South Asia, using various data sources, methods, frameworks, criteria, indicators, scenarios, impacts, trade-offs, drivers, barriers, best practices, lessons learned, and policy recommendations. This paper also develops a conceptual model for the green energy transition in South Asia, which consists of five key variables: green energy potential, green energy policies, green energy deployment, green energy performance, and green energy transition. The main findings and implications of this paper are that South Asia has a huge opportunity to pursue a green energy and environment transition that can address its multiple challenges and aspirations, but this requires overcoming various obstacles and constraints that hinder its progress. This paper suggests some policy options and strategies to enhance the green energy and environment policies in South Asia, such as developing a clear and consistent policy framework, enhancing regional cooperation and collaboration, leveraging information technology and data analytics, emphasizing sustainability and resilience, and engaging with other stakeholders and partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of decarbonizing the electricity sector in the Dominican Republic, pivotal for addressing climate change and fostering economic growth. Employing the robust-decision making methodology, we studied multiple scenarios via computational models, capturing inputs from stakeholders and evaluating each scenario across 1,000 futures to capture deep uncertainty. Four scenarios were examined: baseline, reference, natural gas, and renewable. The renewable scenario emerged as the most advantageous, proposing the replacement of coal-fired power generation with renewable sources, primarily solar and wind, coupled with batteries. A significant investment, averaging US$3.3 billion, is necessary for this shift toward renewable energy; however, these investments are overcompensated by savings in operational costs. Crucially, this transition promises substantial benefits by 2050: an estimated cumulative average net economic gain of US$2.7 billion, an 8% reduction in average generation costs in 2050, the creation of 160,000 direct jobs, and the avoidance of circa 140 million tons of C02. The findings underscore the feasibility and economic viability of transitioning to a 55% renewable energy generation by 2050. The study offers a critical roadmap for policymakers, highlighting renewable energy expansion, transmission grid strengthening, and strategic coal generation replacement, thus offering a comprehensive blueprint for the nation's energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development (SD) can indicate the direction of the development of modern organizations' transition and transformation strategies in the energy sector. Currently, in most countries, the main challenge for the energy sector's strategies is to deal with energy security. The implementation of SD induces changes both in strategy and technology. The strategies are based on the technological transition toward renewable energy sources (RES). The aim of this paper is to explore business management literature dedicated to the transformation and transition strategies in the energy sector. The adopted methods are a systematic literature review (SLR) accompanied by a classical literature review (CLR) in Scopus database exploration. A literature review is developed in VOSviewer software and keyword co-occurrences analysis allowed to identify the main changes of direction in energy sector transformation strategies. The literature was explored by the 26 queries which resulted with 11 bibliometric maps. The analysis of the bibliometric maps was a challenge due to the cross-disciplinary strategic directions of development presented in indexed publications in the Scopus database. The identification of the changes in energy sector strategies is important because of its reliance on depleting resources and natural environment degradation. As a result of this paper, there is a visible shift of the trend in explored scientific publication from not only technological-based solutions but also towards managerial and organizational practices to achieve sustainability in the energy sector. This paper, besides the results, presents the theoretical contribution and managerial recommendations for business practices and addresses future research avenues. There are discussed implications of the presented analysis for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the world's experience in developing the solar industry. It discusses the mechanisms of state support for developing renewable energy sources in the cases of five countries that are the most successful in this area—China, the United States, Japan, India, and Germany. Furthermore, it contains a brief review of state policy in producing electricity by renewable energy facilities in Kazakhstan. This paper uses statistical information from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), British Petroleum (BP), and the Renewable Energy Network (REN21), and peer-reviewed sources. The research methodology includes analytical research and evaluation methods to examine the current state of solar energy policy, its motivators and incentives, as well as the prospects for its development in Kazakhstan and in the world. Research shows that solar energy has a huge development potential worldwide and is sure to take its place in gross electricity production. This paper focuses on the selected economic policies of the top five countries and Kazakhstan, in what may be considered a specific research limitation. Future research suggestions for the expansion of Renewable Energy (RE) in Kazakhstan could include analysing the impact of introducing dedicated policies and incentives for solar systems and exploring the benefits and challenges of implementing large RE zones with government–business collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods: Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results: The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion: The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with improving the feed-in tariff policy for green energy advancement in Ukraine's households based on assessing the economic efficiency of investment project implementation under the current state support mechanisms. This study was conducted for solar and wind power plants with different installed capacities. The Levelized Cost of Electricity and the payback period for such power plants were calculated considering the ongoing feed-in tariffs and discount rates determined by various equity and debt capital ratios. The results showed that the state support provides attractive payback periods for solar and wind power plants with an installed capacity of ≥30 kW. In comparison, 5 kW solar power plants and wind power plants with a capacity of up to 10 kW are not paid off during the power plants' lifecycle. It confirmed that the ongoing energy policy in Ukraine's residential sector is still designed to obtain profits by the owners of generating facilities by selling the excess electricity. In the meantime, its main goal—providing households energy independence—has been levelled. To resolve the issues caused by such a state support model, a methodical approach to improve the feed-in tariff calculation is proposed. In addition, recommendations for reconsidering other policy measures to ensure effective renewable energy development in the residential sector have been made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy's integral role in addressing the global climate crisis underscores the importance of crafting coordinated policies to bolster its growth. Shandong Province, as China's largest carbon emitter, presents an intriguing case study. Leveraging policy text analysis and the coupling coordination model, this research investigates the interplay among the diverse policy instruments within Shandong Province's renewable energy policies. The findings reveal a harmonious and varied array of policy instruments. Yet, notable disparities emerge when examining secondary policy instruments across different types of renewable energy. Consequently, this paper offers strategic recommendations to improve the coupling coordination and utilization of policy instruments across various types of renewable energy. The ultimate aim is to strengthen policy synergies, overhaul the energy structure, and make a meaningful contribution to global climate change mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) into energy systems requires a meticulous assessment of various factors, spanning renewable energy potential, legal frameworks, technical considerations, community engagement, and consumer preferences. This article synthesizes a multifaceted discussion on the subject, focusing on the need for comprehensive analyses before deciding to implement SMRs. Drawing insights from geographic information systems (GIS) and lessons from renewable energy development in Poland, this paper underscores the significance of aligning energy strategies with local needs, emphasizing stakeholder participation. This study examines the factors influencing location attractiveness for various energy technologies, including small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), wind, solar, and hydroelectric power plants, within Poland. Employing 17 indicators sourced from Statistics Poland and URE, coupled with the application of the k-means algorithm, we outline four distinct clusters that delineate the zones of location attractiveness for SMRs and other renewable energy sources. While large and medium-sized cities exhibit optimal location attractiveness, coastal counties in northern Poland emerge as more suitable for renewable energy sources than for SMRs. The study outlines four distinct energy development strategies based on typologies of regions, each tailored to maximize the utility of available resources and minimize environmental impact. The strategies encompass renewable energy utilization, energy efficiency enhancement, energy diversification, and adaptation through innovation. Emphasizing the interplay between renewable energy potential, energy demand, and local conditions, the research suggests the strategic deployment of SMRs as part of an energy mix in areas where renewable energy resources are limited. By leveraging SMRs' continuous energy production, these reactors can complement intermittent renewables, bolstering energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of renewable energy actively takes part in decarbonizing the fossil-fuel-based energy system. It reduces carbon emissions, carbon footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions and increases clean energy. The usage of renewable resources reduces and solves several problems, such as increasing temperature, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy waste. Every sector contributes to increasing the above-mentioned factors in the environment. One of the main reasons for this biodegradation and climate change is energy resources. Using renewable energy instead of fossil fuel can solve the problem. This paper aims to find open research problems about the application of renewable energy and to initiate new innovative ideas regarding renewable energy. A detailed state of the art includes trends for renewable energy resources, their theoretical evolution, and practical implementations. Methodologies used for decision analysis in renewable energy are discussed in detail. The time frame for this analysis of renewable energy is 2010 to >2022. An extensive literature review finds a huge research scope in applying renewable energy in other research, such as logistics, smart production management, and advanced inventory management. Then, major changes in the profit/cost of that system due to renewable energy can be analyzed. This research proposes some innovative new ideas related cost formulas for renewable energy for the corresponding open problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for improved energy security in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. Currently, energy security is rather poor, while access to energy is fundamental to socio-economic development and poverty alleviation. Renewable energy could potentially contribute to resolving this because renewable sources such as solar radiation are more available and sustainable, and can be set up in small generation units, meaning that it is suitable for community management and ownership. In theory, a community energy approach could well apply. In this paper, the main research question is: In what ways can community energy initiatives contribute to increasing the use of renewable energy sources and improving energy security in Nigeria according to selected stakeholders and households? A mixed methods research approach was used to answer this question, with stakeholder interviews and survey data from 124 residents in two case studies of selected housing estates in Lagos. The results show that 58% of the households and most of the stakeholders express support for community renewable energy as a viable approach for increasing energy access and greening energy supply. The present study shows that there is a need to raise awareness and support projects for effective and supportive renewable energy policy to encourage local renewable energy community formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current legal and policy system of renewable energy in China has set up a framework of policy instruments, which provides an important foundation for dealing with climate change and promoting the healthy development of the renewable energy industry with the goal of "carbon neutrality" and "emission peak". However, the current policy instruments cannot meet the needs for rapid development of the renewable energy industry. This paper investigates, analyzes, and concludes the status of renewable energy development along with related policy instruments in different renewable energy sources by literature and points out the problems of current policy instruments, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures. Moreover, from the perspective of energy consumption market transformation, the authors carried out an analysis of China's challenges of policy instruments, pointing out that China's renewable energy policy instruments have the potential to take one step further in the areas of the regulatory system, legal system and legal security system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is taking place on a global scale and it is substantially affected by human activity, including increasing greenhouse gas emissions. One of the thematic objectives of EU's new financial objective is a more environmentally friendly low-emission Europe that promotes clean and fair energy transformation, green investments, and a circular economy, among others. The Polish economy is mainly based on energy production from conventional sources (fossil fuels). Considering that the demand for electricity in Poland is predicted to increase by as much as 50% until 2040, it is necessary to take action aimed at increasing the share of renewable energy sources. The subject of analysis is the Opolskie Voivodeship (a NUTS 2 type region), the capital of which features the biggest Polish coal power plant. In 2014–2019, it was expanded by two units with 1800 MW in total capacity, thereby indicating that investments in energy obtained from conventional sources are still implemented and to a large extent at that (the expansion has been the biggest infrastructural investment in Poland since 1989). The Opolskie region is characterised by substantial excess in acceptable environmental burden (dust pollution, among others). The aim of the paper is to evaluate the key environmental conditions for the Opolskie region's development in terms of the assumptions of the domestic and EU energy policies. The Opolskie region's developmental challenges in the environmental area were determined on the basis of selected indicator estimations up to 2030. The research hypothesis assumes that the environmental conditions for the Opolskie region's development are unfavourable. The methodological part features an analysis of the cause and effect dependencies in the "environment" area, which enabled an assessment of the Opolskie Voivodeship's current situation as well as an analysis of the dependencies relevant to the region's development. This was followed by an estimation of selected indicators in the "environment" area until 2030, which allowed for an assessment of their probable levels and thereby a specification of the region's development conditions. The estimation was conducted using the data available in public statistics, i.e., Statistics Poland's data. The indicators estimated for 2030 were presented using three forecasting methods: (a) the monotonic trend, (b) the yearly average change rate, and (c) the logarithmic trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuwait's policy of achieving 15% renewable energy by 2030, announced in 2012, has been diverted from its original intent. Today, Kuwait's renewable energy goal is to meet 15% of its projected peak load by 2030. To examine the actual outcomes, a comparison is offered between the original policy: annual energy share, the current policy: peak capacity share, and two other policies: installed capacity share and peak load share. The results demonstrate how these policies lead to drastically different outcomes. The total installed renewable energy capacity ranges from 4 GW to 27 GW; the total produced energy from renewables ranges from 8 TWh to 44 TWh; and the flexibility requirements ranges from 1.6 GW to 20 GW per hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian renewable energy sector has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 15.51% in the last five years, where wind growth is about 8%. The Indian government has been adopting changes to create a safe, cheap, and sustainable energy system to fuel vigorous economic growth. The government has made significant efforts in ensuring universal access to energy, giving power to its residents. It is implementing a large-scale deployment of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. This paper examines the country's wind sector in-depth, including the government policy, financial incentives, and accomplishments. The study goes on to discuss the prospects and problems of the wind sector, as well as solutions to overcome them to reach the estimated target of 140–150 GW by 2030. Wind power growth in the country has weakened in the last few years which may hamper the country's ambitious renewable energy targets. Wind industry is facing several hindrances ranging from discontinuation of incentives, land acquisition, DISCOM's poor health, change in bidding scheme, old wind sites, etc. Certain steps, such as repowering outdated wind farms, giving generation-based incentives, tax concessions, reassessing the country's wind potential, and constructing competitive renewable energy zones could aid in reviving the wind energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To overcome the negative impacts of unsustainable exploitation of forest resources, the Mozambican government has been trying to regulate the supply and demand of biomass, the main source of energy for the majo rity of the population. This paper reviews pol icies implemented in Mozambique aimed at increasing domestic energy production while promoting a sustainable use of biomass. Despite the efforts to reduce the level of biomass energy use, it remains the most attractive to local populations and, therefore, still has great importance in the national energy mix. Thus, rather than looking at woodfuels as an environmental problem, regulations should also recognise the dependence of local communities on these resources. Firewood remains the main energy source in rural areas, and approximately 0.36% of the forest in Mozambique is lost every year. The replacement of firewood and charcoal by other renewable sources of energy is still far from reality. Charcoal production continues to be carried out in traditional low-yield ovens and the levels of forest degradation are still alarming. As such, improvements to the existing regulation framework are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impact of global geopolitical changes on new/renewable energy (NRE) policies and their roles in enhancing national energy security, elevating international stature, and influencing the global energy market. Using game theory, it reveals how NRE policies promote technological innovation, diversify energy supply, and strengthen international collaboration, thus advancing the global energy system towards a low-carbon transition and improving international energy governance. NRE policies significantly enhance national energy security by reducing dependency on single energy sources, facilitate the global shift to low-carbon energy, and intensify international cooperation. The effectiveness of these policies in driving energy transformation is notable, and they are expected to remain crucial for global energy security and sustainable transition. Recommendations include strengthening the stability and security of energy supply chains through enhanced oversight, increasing investment in R&D and innovation to reduce costs, fostering international cooperation for better policy coordination, and implementing diversified energy policies to encourage the adoption of NRE. These measures will address challenges from global geopolitical dynamics and drive the global energy system towards sustainability and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the utilization of small‐scale solar systems for houses has increased significantly around the globe. The rise of electricity prices due to elevated prices of fossil fuels coupled with the global concerns about the increased emission of greenhouse gases has fueled the increased application of renewable energy systems. However, such policies have been ineffective in particular countries where the electricity prices are kept too low to control social atmosphere and enhance the people's well‐being for political purposes—in this case, solar systems have witnessed no growth as they have rendered not economically justifiable. In this respect, the present research considers Iran as a country with very low electricity prices coupled with very large potentials for utilizing solar energy in the presence of imbalanced electricity supply and demand, with the research objective being an investigation of the required incentive policies to promote the utilization of distributed solar photovoltaic (DSPV) systems in the country. According to the results, it was figured out that, under the current conditions, escalating the price of electricity for houses (even to as high as 10 times the current prices) cannot cover the costs of the equivalent DSPV systems, indicating a need for another cluster of policies. As an option, one may consider buying the generated electricity by the customer (from renewable sources) at a higher price than that at which the electricity is offered to households via the grid (by a margin of 15 folds), which is supposed to provide the required incentive to expand the utilization of DSPV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon emissions of the power industry account for over 50% of China's total carbon emissions, so achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the power sector is crucial. This study aims to simulate the impacts of three energy policies—carbon constraints, the development of a high proportion of renewable energy, and carbon trading—on China's energy transition, economic development, and the power sector's energy mix. Through the construction of a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for China and its integration with the SWITCH-China electricity model, the impact of diverse energy policies on China's energy transition, economic progress, and the power mix within the electricity industry has been simulated. The integration of the SWITCH-China model can address the limitations of the CGE model in providing a detailed understanding of the specific intricacies of the electricity sector. The results indicate that increasing the stringency of carbon restrictions compels a reduction in fossil energy use, controlling the output of coal-fired power units, and thereby reducing carbon emissions. The development of a high proportion of renewable energy enhances the cleanliness of the power sector's generation structure, further promoting the national energy transition. Implementing a carbon trading policy, where the entire industry shares the burden of carbon reduction costs, can effectively mitigate the economic losses of the power sector. Finally, the policies to further enhance the implementation of carbon trading policies, strengthen effective governmental regulation, and escalate the deployment of renewable energy sources are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the integration of renewable energy expands, effective energy system management becomes increasingly crucial. Distributed renewable generation microgrids offer green energy and resilience. Combining them with energy storage and a suitable energy management system (EMS) is essential due to the variability in renewable energy generation. Reinforcement learning (RL)-based EMSs have shown promising results in handling these complexities. However, concerns about policy robustness arise with the growing number of grid intermittent disruptions or disconnections from the main utility. This study investigates the resilience of RL-based EMSs to unforeseen grid disconnections when trained in grid-connected scenarios. Specifically, we evaluate the resilience of policies derived from advantage actor–critic (A2C) and proximal policy optimization (PPO) networks trained in both grid-connected and uncertain grid-connectivity scenarios. Stochastic models, incorporating solar energy and load uncertainties and utilizing real-world data, are employed in the simulation. Our findings indicate that grid-trained PPO and A2C excel in cost coverage, with PPO performing better. However, in isolated or uncertain connectivity scenarios, the demand coverage performance hierarchy shifts. The disruption-trained A2C model achieves the best demand coverage when islanded, whereas the grid-connected A2C network performs best in an uncertain grid connectivity scenario. This study enhances the understanding of the resilience of RL-based solutions using varied training methods and provides an analysis of the EMS policies generated. [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]

This study presents a meticulous examination of the solar energy potential of five selected metropolitan cities (Abakaliki, Awka, Enugu, Owerri, and Umuahia) in Eastern part of Nigeria using deep learning algorithm, specifically the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model. These cities, despite being characterized by extended rainy seasons and a high level of cloudiness, are suitable environment for solar power generation and investment opportunities. The employed methodology capitalized on the LSTM deep learning approach to analyze and predict energy generation, utilizing comprehensive hourly weather data from the National Airspace Agency (NASA). The data set comprised various parameters, such as date/time, solar azimuth angle, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, cloud cover, and power, enabling a thorough analysis of each city. To ensure accuracy, energy prediction capabilities were benchmarked against real-time datasets from a solar power plant in Ulsan, South Korea, thereby training and fine-tuning the model for precision. The LSTM model's performance metrics were maintained at a learning rate of 0.07, a batch size of 150, and a train-test split ratio of 0.8 to 0.2. Data validation exhibited a mean square error (MSE) of 0.01, demonstrating the model's reliability. Results showed Enugu as having the highest solar energy potential, averaging 6.25 kWh/day, while Awka registered the most substantial electricity demand across various sectors. These findings highlight the substantial potential for photovoltaic (PV) power systems and advocate for the immediate implementation of renewable energy policy in the selected cities. These are expected to bring about significant implications for future renewable energy environmentally friendly investments in Nigeria and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clean energy transition has entered the policy discourse and government agenda of the Caspian oil-producing countries of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Both countries have set a target to increase the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in total energy production by 2030. This article presents a comparative analysis of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in their paths to a low-carbon sources of energy covering the status of RES, renewable energy targets, and the role of government policy schemes in promoting renewable energy (RE) deployment. The study shows that despite some commonalities in the initial conditions (such as Soviet-era legacies of fossil-fuel-based infrastructure, a high degree of dependence on oil and gas rents, and dominance of state-owned enterprises), Kazakhstan adopted a more targeted regulatory framework and more elaborate policy schemes with regards to renewables than Azerbaijan did. In the latter case, the introduction of relevant renewable legislation has been significantly delayed or implemented only partially. As a result, Kazakhstan has performed relatively more successfully on advancing non-conventional renewable energy targets: non-hydro renewable sources accounted for 3% of total electricity generated in Kazakhstan and made up only 1% of electricity produced in Azerbaijan (as of 2020). This article highlights the following factors that stand out in explaining these variable outcomes: the degree of economic liberalization, quality of governance of the oil and gas sector, regulatory frameworks, and policy support schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of renewable energy in achieving necessary reductions in emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is widely acknowledged. However, there is growing concern over the allocation of land for constructing the required new infrastructure. Nowhere is this conflict more apparent than in India, where renewable energy targets are ambitious and land use conflicts are already significant. India intends to increase renewable energy to 500 GW by 2030. This would require an additional 42 GW of renewable energy to be installed every year. Although renewable energy can provide the solution to both India's growing need for cheap energy and climate change mitigation, the sustainable future of renewable energy deployment is far from simple due to its associated land use impacts and socio-ecological risk. While others have highlighted challenges to India's renewable energy targets, here we focus on the land use change issues that will need to be addressed for India to meet its targets. We introduce a series of recommendations and highlight how these could contribute to mainstreaming land values and facilitate the implementation of India's 2030 renewable energy targets. These recommendations include suggested planning approaches that would guide the development of standard siting guidelines, identification of preferential "go-to" areas for renewable energy, and the development of tools that allow access to data and information to site renewable right. Policy recommendations highlight utilizing converted lands and existing built infrastructure for renewable energy development, and adapting existing policies so they address land use impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies targeting energy efficiency and renewable energy are sometimes viewed as more politically feasible than carbon pricing in pursuit of emission reduction goals. This paper assesses underlying drivers of energy policy development. These factors include economic, social, environmental, and institutional variables. The between estimator for panel data is an appropriate method for our focus on some exogenous variables that vary more across countries than over time. We find that larger oil reserves per capita have a negative relationship with renewable energy policy development. Education and political globalisation have strong positive relationships with both energy-efficiency and renewable-energy policy development. These results suggest that greater participation in global political groups can be an indirect approach toward energy policy development, in cases where direct and immediate policies are hard to implement. OECD countries have higher policy scores by 33 and 25 points in energy efficiency and renewable energy respectively. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis shows that these higher scores are primarily due to social and political institution predictors rather than economics and physical endowments. • Large-n cross country international sample on continuous policy score measurement. • Political globalisation is positively linked with renewables and energy efficiency policies. • Education is positively linked to energy policy development, especially for efficiency. • Higher OECD countries' policy scores are primarily due to social and political predictors. • Higher incomes are unlikely to lead to automatic improvements in energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution offers a thorough analysis of challenges and opportunities related to the adoption of sustainable energy policies in specific developing countries (i.e., Albania, Brazil, India, Kenya). The use of renewable energy sources must be increased if the world is to meet its climate goals and alleviate the negative effects of fossil fuel consumption. However, due to fiscal restrictions, institutional barriers, and technology limitations, developing countries face particular challenges in adopting such policies. In order to help these countries move towards a sustainable energy future, this study analyses these issues and suggests viable solutions for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU power sector is under increasing pressure due to rising electricity demand and the need to meet decarbonisation targets. Member states have been active in investing in renewables and building capacity to increase their share of renewables in electricity generation. However, it is important to examine what progress each member state has made in the deployment of renewable energy for electricity generation and what factors influence gross electricity generation from renewable energy. In this study, logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) analysis was used to examine the changes in EU-27 countries' gross electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES), wind, and solar PV from 2012 to 2021. The results show that the RES deployment per capita effect and the RES share effect were the main positive factors for the total gross electricity generation from RES in the EU. In contrast, the RES capacity productivity effect and the energy intensity effect had negative contributions. Population growth had a positive influence but was less significant than the other factors. The deployment of RES per capita effect was the main factor in the overall growth of gross electricity generation from RES in Northern Europe, Central Western Europe, and Central Eastern Europe, according to comparisons between the regional groups. RES share effect was the main driver in Southern Europe. The decrease in RES capacity productivity was the second most important factor influencing the variation in the amount of energy generated by RES in Northern Europe and Central Western Europe. The results could be used to develop more effective and tailored renewable energy policies that take into account the existing main drivers of RES, wind, and solar energy in each of the EU-27 member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to encourage energy saving and the adoption of renewable sources, this study provides a comprehensive experimental framework that integrates socioeconomic and behavioral objectives for the local energy community. The experiment aims to find out how successfully using behavioral interventions might encourage customers to save electrical energy and encourage them to adopt renewable energy, e.g., solar photovoltaic energy, in the present case. Using this method, we can calculate the causal impact of the intervention on consumer participation in the local electricity sector. The study uses consumer data on the import and export of electrical power from retailer electricity utilities at a predetermined power exchange price and a midmarket price for local energy community power transactions. The local energy community model simulates the consumption, storage, and export of 20 residential customers who, in different scenarios, are the test subjects of an empirical experiment and embrace electricity conservation and renewable energy. We address the optimization issue of calculating the power exchange cost and revenue in various scenarios and comparing them with the base case cost. The cases are built on the customers' behavioral interventions' empirical response. The findings demonstrate that the interaction of socioeconomic and behavioral objectives leads to impressive cost savings of up to 19.26% for energy utility customers. The policy implication is suggested for local energy utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to create a theoretical framework for a local energy innovation system based on renewable energy sources. For this purpose, four types of clusters were outlined based on energy-generation capacity and socio-economic factors such as "local wealth", "relational capital", "scientific and research capital" and "energy demand". This classification revealed areas of Poland that have diverse features in terms of energy-generation capacity and innovation abilities. For each type of area, energy potentials combined with innovation abilities were established. To understand how areas with insufficient energy and innovation capacities could be supported in their development of local energy sovereignty, the concept of the regional innovation system has been adjusted. The results of the research can serve as an aid in the development of national and regional energy policies focused on the specificity and capacity of energy generation and innovation of each area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence indicates that various countries around the world set renewable energy targets in an effort to promote clean and sustainable energy sources at the expense of polluting, fossil fuel-based energy systems. While scholars have discussed extensively how these targets affect the promotion of renewable energy sources, their effect on fossil fuel policy at the national level has been neglected. The current study addresses this research lacuna, examining the impact of renewable energy targets on decision making vis à vis fossil fuels, given that these energy sources are considered substitutes. This is achieved by focusing on intra-governmental discussions in Israel during 2020–2021 that sought to formulate the country's natural gas export policy as a function of its ambitious renewable energy targets. The study demonstrates how renewable energy targets, which are often set by politicians, can significantly influence decision making concerning fossil fuels, even when they contradict professional regulators' positions and from their perspective represent a risk to national energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is increasingly mobilizing more investment around the globe. However, there has been little attention to evaluating economic and regulatory (E&R) uncertainties, despite their enormous impact on the project cashflows. Consequently, this review analyzes, classifies, and discusses 130 articles dealing with the design of renewable energy projects under E&R uncertainties. After performing a survey and identifying the selected manuscripts, and the few previous reviews on the matter, the following innovative categorization is designed: sources of uncertainty, uncertainty characterization methods, problem formulations, solution methods, and regulatory frameworks. The classification reveals that electricity price is the most considered source of uncertainty, often alone, despite the existence of six other equally influential groups of E&R uncertainties. In addition, real options and optimization arise as the two main approaches researchers use to solve problems in energy system design. Subsequently, the following aspects of interest are discussed in depth: how modeling can be improved, which are the most influential variables, and potential lines of research. Conclusions show the necessity of modeling E&R uncertainties with currently underrepresented methods, suggest several policy recommendations, and encourage the integration of prevailing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Energy Council ranks the Danish energy system among best in the world judging by the energy trilemma criteria: energy security, energy equity, and sustainability. District heating (DH) and CHPs are pivotal for this ranking. This brief historical account illustrates how a mix of historical events, collective societal experiences, cultural and political values inform the Danish history of DH and CHPs. After the global energy crisis in the 1970s, public and political sentiment called for energy independence, alternatives to imported fuels, and alternatives to nuclear power. National-scale collective heat infrastructure planning initiatives targeted the energy policy objectives: energy independence, fuel diversification, and energy efficiency, and a political culture of broad coalition agreements made the necessary long-term planning possible. In the following decades, growing environmental awareness and concern called for renewable energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels. Research considered the role of collective memories and temporal distance (i.e., time) for this sociotechnical journey; it notes the innovative thinking, re-use/re-cycling and energy efficiency focus that still characterize the Danish DH communities today, and it suggests that the intangible, yet reliable nature of heat could lead to the rebound effect in end-user heat-consumption behaviours. The methodological question of how, and to what extent, historical insights and lessons learnt may be translated across contexts is raised and discussed. Although sociotechnical trajectories may have granted the Danish energy system a head-start in the global race towards low-carbon energy transitions, perhaps the route was less direct than popularly portrayed. The Danish DH sector currently faces challenges of growing biomass import dependency, but also the potentials of sector coupling and energy flexibility. Energy efficiency and energy flexibility potential may be harvested via DH and district cooling solutions in future 'smart' energy systems globally. Hopefully, insights and lessons learnt from this brief history of Danish DH and CHPs prove informative elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A model is proposed to maximize market performance including tradable certificates. • The long-term impacts of regulations on market are discussed by fine and subsidy. • Three important objectives for government are investigated under four scenarios. • The obtained results are validated by Turkey's energy data as a real case study. • Fine policy is more effective than a subsidy to empower renewable electricity. In the last decades, due to the increasing environmental concerns such as energy-resource depletion and global warming, energy efficiency instruments and renewable energy production has been promoted more than ever. This paper investigates a comprehensive comparison between two energy markets, i.e., the tradable white certificate (TWC) market and the tradable green certificate (TGC) market. How to coordinate the two energy markets and what the coordination impacts become the main issues under a reward-penalty mechanism. This multi-agent problem is discussed in an electricity supply chain consisting of two populations of traditional energy suppliers who want to decide about using one of them under government intervention. In this regard, the behavior of the suppliers is analyzed under three different Scenarios, including traditional power generation, energy efficiency program (EEP), and renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). An evolutionary game is applied to formulate the problem. The results show that a mandatory fine policy is more useful than an energy-saving subsidy to motivate the traditional suppliers to move toward sustainable energy generation. This policy also helps governments to meet their sustainable-oriented goals, as we discussed in this work. The findings can be applied to extend sustainable-based energy projects in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues related to safe and abundant energy production have been prominent in recent years. This is particularly true when society considers how to increase the quality of life by providing low-cost energy to citizens. A significant concern of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relates to the environmental effects of energy production and energy use associated with climate change. Efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and increase the use of renewable energy, together with the price volatility of fossil fuels, have seriously impacted the economics of many oil-producing countries, particularly the Gulf States, which has led to efforts to make their economies more diverse and less dependent on oil production. In this article, we introduce a multidisciplinary energy economics course developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology that can be easily adopted by GCC universities to enhance future generations' understanding of energy challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strategic goals of developed countries is to significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources in electricity generation. However, the process may be hindered by, e.g., the storage and transport of energy from renewable sources. The European Union countries see the development of the hydrogen economy as an opportunity to overcome this barrier. Therefore, since 2020, the European Union has been implementing a hydrogen strategy that will increase the share of hydrogen in the European energy mix from the current 2 percent to up to 13–14 percent by 2050. In 2021, following the example of other European countries, the Polish government adopted the Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with an outlook until 2040 (PHS). However, the implementation of the strategy requires significant capital expenditure and infrastructure modernisation, which gives rise to question as to whether Poland is likely to achieve the goals set out in the Polish Hydrogen Strategy and European Green Deal. The subject of the research is an analysis of the sources of financing for the PHS against the background of solutions implemented by the EU countries and a SWOT/TOWS analysis on the hydrogen economy in Poland. The overall result of the SWOT/TOWS analysis shows the advantage of strengths and related opportunities. This allows for a positive assessment of the prospects for the hydrogen economy in Poland. Poland should continue its efforts to take advantage of the external factors (O/S), such as EU support, an increased price competitiveness of hydrogen, and the emergence of a competitive cross-border hydrogen market in Europe. At the same time, the Polish authorities should not forget about the weaknesses and threats that may inhibit the development of the domestic hydrogen market. It is necessary to modernise the infrastructure; increase the share of renewable energy sources in hydrogen production; increase R&D expenditure, and, in particular, to complete the negotiations related to the adoption of the Fit for 55 package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free and open-source hardware (FOSH) development has been shown to increase innovation and reduce economic costs. This article reviews the opportunity to use FOSH as a sanction to undercut imports and exports from a target criminal country. A formal methodology is presented for selecting strategic national investments in FOSH development to improve both national security and global safety. In this methodology, first the target country that is threatening national security or safety is identified. Next, the top imports from the target country as well as potentially other importing countries (allies) are quantified. Hardware is identified that could undercut imports/exports from the target country. Finally, methods to support the FOSH development are enumerated to support production in a commons-based peer production strategy. To demonstrate how this theoretical method works in practice, it is applied as a case study to a current criminal military aggressor nation, who is also a fossil-fuel exporter. The results show that there are numerous existing FOSH and opportunities to develop new FOSH for energy conservation and renewable energy to reduce fossil-fuel-energy demand. Widespread deployment would reduce the concomitant pollution, human health impacts, and environmental desecration as well as cut financing of military operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject matter discussed in the article concerns the problem of the energy transformation of the European Union (EU) countries. In the case of the EU, the energy transformation has specific characteristics due to formal legal and institutional provisions. This means that the member states are obliged to implement the adopted Community Energy Strategy, which was defined under the European Green Deal. According to the EU policy, all member states are to have climate-neutral and zero-gas-emission economies by 2050. The energy transformation is to be largely based on the diversification of the energy sources used, with a dominance of renewable energy sources (RES). The article presents a research problem, where the question was asked whether achieving climate-neutral energy independence based solely on RES is possible at the regional level. It seems that the positive answer is an important argument in the discussion about the possibility of all member states achieving the goals set under the European Green Deal. Additionally, stating the possibility of energy independence from RES for a selected region is an important argument to promote just and bottom-up initiatives in order to carry out the energy transformation more effectively. The assessment of the energy potential from renewable sources at the regional level was carried out on the example of a selected NUTS 2 region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. The main objective of the study is to analyze the possibility of obtaining independence from RES by the selected Greater Poland Voivodeship. The implementation of the objective consists of determining the energy potential from RES in the Voivodeship under study on the basis of the methods of a geographic information system (GIS). GIS methods were selected due to the fact that they allow for the spatial positioning of point, line, and surface structures in relation to the potential of RES, thus ensuring high accuracy of the obtained estimates. The analysis carried out in the study shows that the technical potential of RES in the Greater Poland Voivodeship is higher than the current electricity and heat usage. This means that by focusing solely on RES in the region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship can fully meet the energy demand thanks to its green resources. It should be emphasized that the Greater Poland Voivodeship is one of the coal-dependent regions in Poland that has already prepared a structured plan of just transformation. A locally and bottom-up prepared strategy assumes the conversion of the region from a "Coal Energy Region" into a "Green Energy Valley" in which economic development will be strictly connected to RES energy independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ (InS) server systems are typically deployed in special environments to handle InS workloads which are generated from environmentally sensitive areas or remote places lacking modern power supply infrastructure. This special operating environment of InS servers urges such systems to be powered by renewable energy. In addition, the InS systems are vulnerable to soft errors due to the harsh environments they deploy. This article tackles the problem of allocating harvested energy to renewable powered servers and assigning the InS workloads to these servers for optimizing throughput of both the overall system and individual servers under energy and reliability constraints. We perform the energy allocation based on system state. In particular, for systems in low energy state, we propose a game theoretic approach that models the energy allocation as a cooperative game among multiple servers and derives a Nash bargaining solution. To meet the reliability constraint, we analyze the reliability optimality of assigning tasks to multiple servers and design a reliability-aware task assignment heuristic based on the analysis. Experimental results show that with a small time overhead, the proposed energy allocation approach achieves a high throughput from perspectives of both the overall system and individual servers, and the proposed task assignment approach ensures an increased system reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial parks may be high pollutants of the local environment, but also engines of regional development, employment, and economic value added. To make them more sustainable, regional planning often purports to promote a transition to a greener approach, but in reality, many green measures oppose business logic and profitability, while those companies that do invest in sustainable solutions do so without having a clear strategy. This complicated setup is to be explored and modelled in this article which is focused on a remarkable area, the urban region of Székesfehérvár, an industrial city in Hungary having an impressive economic development and hosting significant domestic and international companies. The disharmony between greening policies, intentions and actions is observable in Székesfehérvár, despite the considerable local and regional potentials of renewable energy resources. Findings indicate that systemic thinking and future-oriented decision making will be necessary to achieve true sustainability, which also requires a mutually proactive attitude and the cooperation of different sectors. A legitimate strategy aiming at greening the local and regional economy (with renewable energy concerns), implemented by both public and business actors can be the key element of a successful transition. This strategy needs to be stimulated by local governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We simulate renewables pathways under different support phase-out scenarios. • We extend an investment algorithm by preferences and calibrated returns. • Our improved algorithm incorporates more heterogeneity resulting in stronger effects. • Further auction support is necessary for most capacity targets in the case countries. • Countries should coordinate policy changes due to cross-border effects. Support schemes have been central to the expansion of renewable electricity globally and in the European Union. As technologies mature, individual member states may decide to phase out these policies. While previous research has shown that such policy changes affect investors' decisions, we investigate how they affect pathways and electricity prices by simulating investment decisions in an agent-based model in two case countries. This paper contributes and applies an adapted investment decision algorithm that incorporates empirically observed technology and return preferences and is calibrated by return observations. The new algorithm yields more refined and stronger effects compared to its predecessor. Results show that the phase-out of auctions in Germany and the Netherlands slows down their deployment of renewable capacity by up to ∼60% and ∼35%, respectively. With the exception of photovoltaics and onshore wind projects in the Netherlands, the targeted capacities can only be reached by continuing support in both countries. Furthermore, ending support in a large country like Germany leads to higher electricity prices and fosters a market-driven but insufficient capacity expansion in smaller neighbours like the Netherlands. As the electricity grids in many countries are strongly interconnected, such cross-border effects are of international relevance. Our findings suggest that continued auctions may be necessary and that countries should coordinate policy changes to stay on track for meeting their renewables targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain has become one of the leading countries in the world in promoting electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES), due to their positive socioeconomic and environmental impacts, through highly favorable regulatory frameworks and public incentives set by Spanish governments mainly during the first decade of 2000s, i.e., Royal Decree (RD) 2818/1998, RD 436/2004 and RD 661/2007. Conversely, the highly favorable regime applicable to RES, and specifically to solar power plants during the 1998–2008 promotion period turned into an extremely unfavorable scenario during the 2008–2020 cost-containment stage, characterized by the dismantling of the previous promotion schemes so as to reduce the skyrocketing electricity system tariff deficit, in which regulations such as RD 1578/2008, Royal Decree Law (RDL) 6/2009, RDL 14/2010, RDL 1/2012, Law 15/2012, RDL 9/2013, Law 24/2013 and RD 413/2014 stood out. Nonetheless, the Spanish renewable sector, and especially the solar power sector, has shown great dynamism in its energy policy in the period 1998–2020. This academic contribution provides a comprehensive review of the energy policy evolution for the whole solar power sector in Spain, specifically both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, over the last 23 years. Thus, considering both the boom in the solar power sector as well as the solar sector's bust, a survey of the different legislation in force during the 1998–2020 period, as well as of the existing academic literature dealing with this issue, is conducted to first contextualize and describe, and then carefully assess, the last 23 years of solar energy policy in Spain. In brief, the decisive role of the Spanish government in developing the RES sector, and especially the solar power sector, in recent years has been noted. In this vein, a good planning of the energy development model, the regulatory stability, the simplicity and agility of the corresponding administrative process, the appropriate design of support mechanisms, as well as security and predictability of support levels in the mid and long term, play an important role in providing certainty to all the stakeholders. During the 1998–2008 promotion stage, even with a stable, quite favorable and easily predictable RES support mechanism in place, the Spanish solar system behaved as an open-loop system without any control structure detecting and reacting to problematic situations. The fact that the Spanish government was compelled to implement ex-post measures during the period 2008–2020, seriously jeopardizing the viability of the power plants in operation, as well as compromising the legal–economic stability of the renewable energy sector, clearly indicated a malfunctioning of the energy policy control mechanism. In essence, it is hoped that the lessons extracted from this 23-year comprehensive review of the Spanish solar power sector pathway could be quite useful for other countries either in the initial development stage or fully immersed in the promotion of solar power sector or any other renewable technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A harmful impact of climate change and global warming has concerned various sectors of the international community. Numerous energy policies aiming at climate change mitigation have been implemented on a national and global scale. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) play a critical role in enhancing sustainable solutions that significantly limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such innovative technologies can facilitate energy transition through providing, e.g., energy security, sustainable development, and effective usage of indigenous resources. However, the commercialization of RETs is extremely challenging. The barriers can be of a different nature, although this study focused on socioeconomic and regulatory issues. There is ample evidence that energy policies play a central role in supporting adoption of renewables. It is also claimed that RETs require the whole ecosystem to support their successful diffusion. In this study, we explored multifarious barriers for widespread RET diffusion in two European Union countries, Finland and Poland, indicating the most common barriers existing in the literature as well as analyzing major bottlenecks from the viewpoint of renewable energy companies' executives. We also present statistics of the most commonly used RETs in these countries in order to express the diffusion issues more appropriately. The research shows that inflexible, ineffective, and excessive regulatory frameworks; limited financing options; as well as an insufficient level of societal awareness have been seen as the main bottlenecks for RET diffusion in both countries. The outcomes of this study provide useful insights for the researchers in the energy transition field as well as practical managerial and regulatory implications aimed at overcoming these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many hydrocarbon-rich countries have recognized the global shift towards renewable energy sources, and Russia is not an exception. Drawing on two strands of literature—technological innovation systems and the advocacy coalition framework—we investigate the roles of actors and coalitions in shaping the Russian renewable energy policy and explore why particular renewable energy sources have progressed more than others, and what the main reasons are for their sudden development. The results show that the more successful renewable energy industries are those that were promoted by influential actors from traditional energy industries. Moreover, these actors also promoted the specific design of support schemes for renewable energy policy in Russia. We discuss the importance of policy process theories for understanding energy transition studies and provide specific policy recommendations for policy creation in the renewables industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]