Search

• We examine the role of circular economy and inclusive green growth in promoting energy transition and carbon neutrality in Europe. • We used three-pronged empirical strategy framed in advanced dynamic econometrics. • The results reveal that lagged of CO 2 emissions is a positive predictor of CO 2 emissions. • We show that embracing circular economy and inclusive green growth will be highly beneficial towards the attainment of carbon neutrality. • We recommend policy measures that considers both current and past emissions to promote environmental quality. This paper examines the role of the circular economy and inclusive green growth in promoting energy transition and carbon neutrality for several European countries during 2009–2021, using an advanced econometric strategy. To achieve this objective, we employed a three-pronged empirical strategy. The first strategy involved standard panel specifications, such as pooled ordinary least squares, Fixed Effects, Roger panel regression, white panel regression, and Driscoll–Kraay standard errors. The second strategy explored the long- and short-term dynamics of the relationships using the dynamic specifications of the Generalised Method of Moments, comprising the augmented Arellano–Bond, Ahn–Schmidt, Arellano–Bond, and Arellano–Bover/Blundell–Bond estimators. It further controls for endoegeneity using the Two stages Lease Square (2SLS and Lewbel 2SLS). The third strategy employed the Machado and Silva quantiles via moments to re-evaluate the heterogeneity drivers of carbon neutrality. Furthermore, an alternative and complementary strategy based on the statistical procedures of Hausman–Taylor and Feasible Generalized Least Squares was employed to verify robustness. The findings suggest that prior carbon emissions positively predict future emissions. Also, our results reveal that the adoption of a circular economy, including green growth and renewable energy, can significantly contribute to reducing carbon emissions. In contrast, domestic economic drivers, and eco-innovation increase carbon emissions. We propose that policymakers mandate producers to oversee the entirety of their product life cycles as a means to mitigate carbon emissions. Furthermore, endorsing training programs and educational initiatives aimed at cultivating the requisite skills for the energy transition and the adoption of circular economy practices is imperative for ensuring the realization of a successful low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of electricity in the transition to renewable energy to mitigate climate change. A systematic literature review with the Scopus database identified 92 papers relevant to the renewable electricity transition. A PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) review of the papers provided a multidisciplinary analysis. The Paris Agreement created a global movement for carbon neutrality to address the threats of climate change, calling for a transition to renewable electricity to lead the way and expand into new sectors and regions. Although smaller renewable technologies are ramping up, complexities thwarting the transition include locked-in assets, high upfront costs, variability of solar and wind energy, infrastructure, difficulty in decarbonizing transportation and industry, material resource constraints, and fossil fuel support. This research found that renewables are not replacing fossil fuels to date but adding further energy demands, so that greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2021 despite an increased renewable electricity share. Without a major shift in the trillions of dollars of subsidies and investment away from fossil fuels to renewables, catastrophic climate change is predicted. This paper found that the Paris Agreement's commitment to net-zero carbon and the transition to renewable electricity are undermined by record-high levels of subsidies and financing for fossil fuel industry expansion. Transitioning to a climate-neutral economy requires an investment away from fossil fuels into renewable energy ecosystems. Renewable electricity provides possibilities to realize sustainable development goals, climate stabilization, job creation, a green economy, and energy security with careful planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guangxi is a typical developing region on the southern coast of China. The current issues encountered in the region's development are that fossil energy accounts for about 80% of the energy structure, fossil fuels are heavily dependent on imports, and the self-sufficiency rate of resources is only 32%. These challenges have created a disparity between the current regional development state and the country's dual carbon target. Under the premise of comprehensively considering the multi-sectors of electricity, industry, transportation, and heating, this paper presents a study on the energy system transition towards low-carbon development for Guangxi in four steps. Firstly, to demonstrate EnergyPLAN's capability in energy modeling, a reference scenario for Guangxi is created using official yearbook data from 2020. Then, a short-term scenario is formulated to analyze the development of Guangxi's energy system during the 14th Five-Year Plan. Furthermore, two mid-term scenarios are established, revealing that Guangxi is anticipated to reach its carbon emission peak between 2025 and 2030. Finally, three long-term scenarios are proposed for Guangxi's energy system for 2050. These scenarios encompass the expansion of photovoltaics, nuclear, and wind power in the electricity system and emission reduction policies in the industrial, transportation, and heating sectors. As a result, compared with the 2020REF scenario, Guangxi can achieve a carbon emission reduction exceeding 57% and the share of non-fossil energy consumption can reach about 70% in the 2050 scenarios, despite a substantial increase in energy consumption, which makes it possible to achieve carbon neutrality in 2060 and to establish an energy system with less than 20% of fossil energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EMERG: Energy. Environment. Efficiency. Resources. Globalization is the property of Romanian National Committee of World Energy Council and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to the recent climate change, organizations all over the globe are developing plans for reducing carbon emissions by developing clean energy technologies and energy efficient devices. However, the path for transition to green energy system is still unclear and in general, the representation of green energy supply for transition pathways is limited. Therefore, this study outlines a plan for getting Swedish energy sector completely carbon neutral by 2050. The approach can also be applicable to the majority of nations worldwide. Computer based simulations are performed on Energy PLAN software for making clean, green and sustainable energy system that can balance every component of entire energy system during the study period 2022 to 2050. This study takes into account the sustainable use of renewable sources for all economic sectors as well as the interchange of energy with nearby nations under the two scenarios. Additionally, the energy system works in tandem with other industries to create a fully carbon-free environment. The results revealed that, 50% de-carbonization is possible till 2035 and 100% de-carbonization is possible till 2050. This enables a discussion of how ambitious 10-year goals might serve as a first step toward the mid-century elimination of fossil fuels from the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality is one of the most important goals for the Chinese government to mitigate climate change. Coal has long been China's dominant energy source and accounts for more than 70–80% of its carbon emissions. Reducing the share of coal power supply and increasing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in coal power plants are the two primary efforts to reduce carbon emissions in China. However, even as energy and water consumed in CCUS are offset by reduced energy consumption from green energy transitions, there may be tradeoffs from the carbon–energy–water (CEW) nexus perspective. This paper developed a metric and tool known as the "Assessment Tool for Portfolios of Coal power production under Carbon neutral goals" (ATPCC) to evaluate the tradeoffs in China's coal power industry from both the CEW nexus and financial profits perspectives. While most CEW nexus frameworks and practical tools focus on the CEW nexus perturbation from either an external factor or one sector from CEW, ATPCC considers the coupling effect from C(Carbon) and E(Energy) in the CEW nexus when integrating two main carbon mitigation policies. ATPCC also provides an essential systematic life cycle CEW nexus assessment tool for China's coal power industry under carbon-neutral constraints. By applying ATPCC across different Chinese coal industry development portfolios, we illustrated potential strategies to reach a zero-emission electricity industry fueled by coal. When considering the sustainability of China's coal industry in the future, we further demonstrate that reduced water and energy consumption results from the energy transition are not enough to offset the extra water and energy consumption in the rapid adoption of CCUS efforts. However, we acknowledge that the increased energy and water consumption is not a direct correlation to CCUS application growth nor a direct negative correlation to carbon emissions. The dual effort to implement CCUS and reduce electricity generation from coal needs a thorough understanding and concise strategy. We found that economic loss resulting from coal reduction can be compensated by the carbon market. Carbon trading has the potential to be the dominant profit-making source for China's coal power industry. Additionally, the financial profits in China's coal power industry are not negatively correlated to carbon emissions. Balance between the carbon market and the coal industry would lead to more economic revenues. The scenario with the most rapid reduction in coal power production combined with CCUS would be more sustainable from the CEW nexus perspective. However, when economic revenues are considered, the scenario with a moderately paced energy transition and CCUS effort would be more sustainable. Nevertheless, the ATPCC allows one to customize coal production scenarios according to the desired electricity production and emission reduction, thus making it appropriate not only for use in China but also in other coal-powered regions that face high-energy demands and carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring that electricity systems maintain reliable power supplies is critical to sustaining political support for the low-carbon energy transition. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the recent electricity disruptions in China and evaluate the government's response. Since 2020, China has faced three unprecedented power outage affecting multiple provinces for weeks. This study investigates the interplay of various factors contributing to China's power crisis and examines the government's policies aimed at addressing immediate issues while advancing broader reforms. Key policy measures involve adjusting the electricity market to allow greater price fluctuations for coal-fired electricity and opening the wholesale market to industrial and commercial users. While this reform is expected to boost market competitiveness, the present market structure falls short of what is likely needed to ensure that power sector dispatch, pricing, and investment can work together to ensure reliable electricity supply in the context of China's transition towards carbon neutrality. To create an advanced, resilient, and flexible renewable energy grid, more intricate reforms across the electricity system, market, regulatory framework, and institutions will be essential. [Display omitted] • Power reliability is critical to keeping political support for energy transition. • A combination of factors led to power curtailments in China in recent times. • Policy responses to address China's power crisis are examined. • Implications of these policy changes are assessed. • An integrated solution framework is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration of low-carbon technology must be accelerated to achieve carbon neutrality, but can be restricted by the material supply required for the production of such technology. In this study, we analyzed the diffusion of energy technologies from energy transition and sustainable resource use perspectives. An energy system analysis was performed to evaluate the future technology stock, energy balance, and CO 2 emissions in Japan. Simulation results show that 79.4% of the energy consumed and 94.4% of the CO 2 emitted by passenger vehicles could be reduced from 2010 levels by 2050, if the maximum growth rate of electrified vehicles is 17% per year. Meanwhile, for that scenario, material flow analysis suggests that cobalt demand in 2050 would increase to 93.9–174.0 kt, which is 20.9–35.8 times of that in 2020. Recycling of cobalt waste will reduce the cobalt supply and demand gap therefore is critical for sustainable resource use. • Energy system and dynamic material flow analyses were performed on xEVs in Japan. • Vehicle electrification is necessary for energy transition in Japan by 2050. • A cobalt shortage may occur in the high-growth rate scenario (35%/y). • Recycling can avoid the cobalt shortage in the low-growth rate scenario (17%/y). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel data-driven platform to predict and evaluate energy transition policies. • Quantitatively evaluate impacts of energy transition policies. • Make effective forecasting and timely adjustment in energy policies. • Powerfulness of platform is demonstrated in representative metropolitan regions. • Adjustment recommendations for different stakeholders in energy industry. To meet widely recognised carbon neutrality targets, over the last decade metropolitan regions around the world have implemented policies to promote the generation and use of sustainable energy. Nevertheless, there is an availability gap in formulating and evaluating these policies in a timely manner, since sustainable energy capacity and generation are dynamically determined by various factors along dimensions based on local economic prosperity and societal green ambitions. We develop a novel data-driven platform to predict and evaluate energy transition policies by applying an artificial neural network and a technology diffusion model. Using Singapore, London, and California as case studies of metropolitan regions at distinctive stages of energy transition, we show that in addition to forecasting renewable energy generation and capacity, the platform is particularly powerful in formulating future policy scenarios. We recommend global application of the proposed methodology to future sustainable energy transition in smart regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing major challenges such as climate change and carbon neutrality requires a transition to new low-carbon energy carriers and improvements in energy efficiency. The majority of previous studies adopted a one-directional approach to examine the factors affecting energy transitions and did not quantitatively estimate the driving effects of different factors on low-carbon energy transition from the two perspectives of energy mix and energy efficiency. This study aimed to explore which mechanisms can effectively drive the low-carbon energy transition under the current setting and what cross-cutting insights might be gained from energy transition dynamics observed in a large and emerging economy such as China. After employing Baron and Kenny's three-step procedure to identify the mediating effects, we found that policy factors constitute the main forces behind the transition of the energy structure toward natural gas, and that technical knowledge stock mediates the impact of both energy-saving goals and new energy subsidy policies on energy intensity. Furthermore, under the pressure of energy-saving target assessment, local governments have adopted a "campaign-style" energy-saving approach. Moreover, state-owned capital may assume greater importance in the advancement of energy transition relative to other ownership types. Finally, this study put forward several policy implications, including the need to promote long-term mechanisms, low-carbon technologies, and renewable energy. • The driving effects of policy, technological, and economic factors on low-carbon energy transitions are estimated. • Policy factors constitute the main forces behind the transition of the energy structure toward natural gas. • Technical knowledge stock mediates the impact of carbon-abatement policies on energy intensity. • Local governments have adopted a "campaign-style" energy-saving approach. • State-owned capital may assume greater importance in the advancement of energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • H 2 , above all the green H 2 , will play a key role in the future energy transition. • Many countries are adopting hydrogen policies towards the net-zero GHG. • Storage and distribution are key enabling technologies for widespread H 2 deployment. • Hydrogen deployment in a real CCGT proves a remarkable reduction of CO 2 emissions. • H 2 leads to carbon footprint reduction in Power to Gas and Gas to Electricity fields. Hydrogen is gaining momentum in the current global energy transition framework. In fact a great and widespread enthusiasm is growing up towards it, as indicated by the current worldwide economic and political strategies, which endorse the carbon neutrality by 2030 and a fast transition to clean energy. Green hydrogen has the potential to create a virtuous cycle for the future renewables-based electricity grids, as it can provide the much-needed flexibility to power systems, acting as a buffer to non-dispatchable renewable generation. Indeed, the excess energy, provided by conventional and renewable power plants, can be stored as hydrogen and then employed to produce electricity (fuel cells or power systems), heat (combustion) or both (co-generation), abating drastically the greenhouse gas production. In this scenario, it is important to understand what benefits could derive from the use of hydrogen. For this reason, the present work not only aims at reviewing the recent updates on hydrogen economy (in terms of the main advantages and drawbacks) but also focuses on determining the impact that this hydrogen may have in various sectors (transport, industry and power generation). Different assessments have been carried out showing how hydrogen can effectively contribute to the carbon neutrality goal. This work points out that hydrogen can be really sustainable if produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energies. Furthermore, for the mobility, the use of fuel cells currently turns out to be less efficient than the adoption of Li-ion batteries, but at the same time far less polluting ( CO 2 , eq ) and labor intensive. Finally, a near-term solution to contrast the power generation carbon footprint, namely the blending of fossil fuels with hydrogen, has been investigated. Thus, a real Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power plant has been selected as a case study, in order to assess the impact of the hydrogen employment in terms of power output and emissions with respect to the current status of the plant fueled with 100% natural gas. As a result, using a mixture with 70% CH 4 and 30% H 2 a remarkable reduction of CO 2 can be achieved (0.28 Mt CO 2 / year). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Past energy transitions are characterized by both substitution and accumulation phenomena. • Past energy transitions were mostly driven by new benefits and can be characterized as open-loop processes. • The future energy transition towards carbon neutrality differs greatly from past energy transitions as it must happen rapidly and rely only on low-carbon fuels. • The future low-carbon transition should be guided by governments through a closed-loop process. This paper provides a retrospective analysis to apprehend the challenges entailed by a future energy transition aiming to achieve carbon neutrality. This low-carbon transition will not boil down to a new Industrial Revolution and the lessons learned from past events will not necessarily be usable as they stand. Namely, we draw attention to the spontaneous nature of past energy transitions. Unlike past transitions, the low-carbon energy transition will not happen spontaneously and will require active coordination between all actors at global, national and local levels, coupled with controls to effectively target a carbon neutrality goal. The role of governments will be crucial to steer this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 110 countries, including 500 cities worldwide, have set the goal of reaching carbon neutrality. Heating contributes to most of the residential energy consumption and carbon emissions. The green energy transition of fossil-based heating systems is needed to reach the emission goals. However, heating systems vary in energy source, heating technology, equipment location, and these complexities make it challenging for households to compare heating systems and make decisions. Hence, a decision support tool that provides a generalized ranking of individual heating alternatives is proposed for households as decision makers to identify the optimal choice. This paper presents an analysis of 13 heating alternatives and 19 quantitative criteria in technological, environmental, and financial aspects, combines ideal solution-based multi-criteria decision making with 6 weighting methods and 4 normalization methods, and introduces ensemble learning with a fuzzy membership function derived from Cauchy distribution to finalize the ultimate ranking. The robustness of the proposed method is verified by three sensitive analyses from different aspects. Air-to-water heat pump, solar heating and direct district heating are the top three rankings in the final result under Danish national average data. A framework is designed to guide decision makers to apply this ranking guideline with their practical, feasible situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]