Search

Green hydrogen is crucial for society's access to peaceful, secure, and stable energy sources to flourish sustainably and get universal government support. To protect the environment and provide energy security, it is essential to use hydrogen as a sustainable fuel and energy source to cover the energy baseload. This paper investigates the developments of renewable energy (RE) and the potential for green hydrogen in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. There is a considerable chance to use RE because of the MENA region's excellent solar radiation. On the other hand, many countries in the MENA region are classified as one of the poorest in water resources and are known to have water-energy challenges. This paper focuses on the water needed to produce hydrogen in countries with water scarcity. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was performed for green hydrogen generation in the MENA, where recommendations for countries with a water-energy nexus can be made. Additionally, this paper offers suggestions for creating a sustainable hydrogen economy, such as cutting back on the domestic use of fossil fuels, subsidizing the renewable production industry, and supporting hydrogen manufacturing. • Green hydrogen production is highly affected by water scarcity. • SWOT analysis was performed on green hydrogen generation in the MENA. • Recommendations were provided on a country-by-country basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to transition from fossil energy sources, a major contributor to greenhouse gases has become more critical than ever in the face of rising climate threats. Consequently, there has been a wider acceptance and deployment of renewable energy sources. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), on the other hand, is a standardized tool that has been deployed to comprehend the environmental effects of these alternative energy systems. Most studies conducted in LCA on renewable energy are mostly featured in regions like Europe, Asia, North and South America. While leaving a substantial gap in the volume of work conducted so far in Africa, especially concerning North African countries, a region that shares the largest energy-related CO₂ emissions in the continent. Thus, an in-depth review article is required to discuss the state-of-art on life cycle assessment of renewable energy technologies in North Africa, highlighting the region's peculiarities, outlook, and future prospects. Aspects including the study's overview, goal, scope, kind of renewable energy sources, functional unit, system boundary, and impact categories are included in this review. Results from this review reveal that studies on LCA in this area of work are still at their early stages, accounting for only 2% of the total LCA research in the continent, with solar and bioenergy constituting most of the case studies with 27% and 33% of the total research outlook. In terms of GWP contribution, bioenergy and wind energy recorded the most and least impact in the region, respectively. Findings from this review can help policymakers and researchers have a broader understanding of the environmental contributions of various renewable energy deployed in the region while seeking to improve and regularize the LCA methodology as a standard tool for evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between technological innovation, renewable energy, economic growth, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in a group of six specific Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries from 1990 to 2019. The study utilizes the modified innovation environmental Kuznets curve model (ICC) theory to examine the potential existence of an inverted U-shaped curve between innovation and environmental quality in these selected MENA countries. Various econometric methods are employed to analyse the data. The results show a positive and significant impact of patents for residents on CO2 emissions, affirming the influence of patents on environmental quality. Additionally, the square of patents demonstrates a significant negative relationship with carbon emissions, providing evidence for the inverted U shape of Claudia's theory. These findings imply that the ICC is relevant to the selected countries, with the quadratic patent variable suggesting that the use of innovative technology initially increases emissions but reaches a turning point after a certain threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The issue of energy efficiency is becoming increasingly prevalent globally due to factors such as the expansion of the population, economic growth and excessive consumption that is not sustainable in the long run. Additionally, healthcare facilities and hospitals are facing challenges as their operational costs continue to rise. The research aim is to develop strategic frameworks for managing green hospitals, towards energy efficiency and corporate governance in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Design/methodology/approach: This research employs a qualitative case study approach, with a sample of ten hospitals examined through interviews with senior management, executives and healthcare facilities managers. Relevant data was also collected from literature and analysed through critical appraisal and content analysis. The research methodology is based on the use of grounded theory research methodologies to build theories from case studies. Findings: The research developed three integrated conceptual strategic frameworks for managing hospitals and healthcare facilities towards energy efficiency, green hospital initiatives and corporate governance. The research also outlined the concepts of green hospitals and energy efficiency management systems and best practices based on the conclusions drawn from the investigated case studies. Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to the initiatives and experiences of the healthcare facilities studied in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Originality/value: The research findings, conclusions, recommendations and proposed frameworks and concepts contribute significantly to the existing body of knowledge. This research also provides recommendations for hospital managers and policymakers on how to effectively implement and manage energy efficiency initiatives in healthcare facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review on the status of renewable energy developments and hydrogen economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. This region is heavily reliant on fossil fuels for its domestic energy supply and is also considered a global energy exporter. In this regard, an overview of the current state of energy sector in the region is provided. Moreover, the region possesses great potential for renewable energy exploitation due to its climatic advantages. Therefore, the current status of renewable energy utilization within the region's various countries is reviewed by presenting several operational renewable energy-based plants and future projects for deployment of renewable power in the region. Green hydrogen is an important sustainable clean fuel, and its utilization is essential for both environmental preservation and energy security. Thus, the status of hydrogen production and utilization in the region is discussed considering the various operational systems and future hydrogen generation projects. The concept of source, system and service is also incorporated which considers the utilization of clean energy sources for sustainable hydrogen production through environmentally benign pathways. The potential deployment opportunities for the renewable hydrogen production are also discussed based on available renewable sources in the region. Moreover, this paper discusses the challenges of increasing renewable energy utilization in the region. Furthermore, this paper provides a road map for achieving renewable hydrogen economy including a reduction in domestic utilization of oil and gas sources, subsidization of renewable production sector, and financial support to hydrogen production and transportation infrastructure. • Providing an overview of the status of energy sector in the region. • Providing an overview of the status of renewable energy utilization in the region. • Discussing the challenges and opportunities of renewable and hydrogen energy development in the region. • Providing a road map for renewable hydrogen development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle East and North African countries are rapidly shifting towards adopting desalination techniques to overcome the shortage of freshwater reservoirs. Climatic conditions of the region showed that these areas are arid or semi-arid with higher solar flux, making them highly suitable for harnessing solar energy. Hence, the technology of solar photovoltaic cells coupling with desalination unit is investigated extensively to treat brackish water in the Middle East and North Africa region. The large-scale usage of this technology can only happen by government quick action and subsidies to encourage installing and commissioning PV desalination plants or coupling the existing ones. This solar desalination technique is highly environmentally friendly with no greenhouse gas emissions. This review study will provide a road map for the future solar-powered desalination plants in the Middle East and North Africa region. It will also identify obstacles in the applicability of the technique and how to overcome these to ensure a sustainable future water production in the Middle East and North Africa region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Applied Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)