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Energy transitions break geographic monopolies on fossil fuel resources and are expected to redistribute economic benefits to new actors, from local communities to developing countries. At the same time, basing energy systems around renewables increases the importance of intangible assets such as data and artificial intelligence (AI). As different IPE approaches have shown, such intangibles can be monopolized by lead firms and especially Big Tech, which increasingly provide crucial digital infrastructures. This paper therefore asks what role Big Tech firms may play in energy systems, and whether their access to intangibles enables them to expand to the energy sector. The case study of Amazon illustrates that data-driven intellectual monopolies are well-positioned to expand into energy, benefitting from their position as providers of data infrastructures, and capacities in data harvesting and analysis. Amazon is both developing and marketing its own innovations, and investing in energy systems businesses. As intangibles gain importance in energy systems, possible implications for the IPE of energy include power and economic value flowing towards Big Tech, rather than countries or communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investors are increasingly resorting to investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses in investment treaties between states, claiming compensation for the financial impact of state regulatory action to address pressing natural resources, energy and other environmental problems. This trend is controversial, triggering calls for reform of the ISDS system. But reform will not happen overnight. In the meantime, ISDS claims need to be managed. This article analyses how best to resolve investor–state disputes in natural resources, energy and other environmental cases. This article builds on an article published in a previous issue of this journal, ‘Investor–state dispute settlement in natural resources, energy and environmental cases’, which examined the nature, history and types of investor–state disputes in environmental cases; the controversies ISDS claims have attracted; and the calls for reform of the ISDS system. This issue examines the available dispute resolution processes and how they can be organised and conducted to best resolve these disputes. It does so by characterising the fuss of ISDS claims, building on the earlier article, and then analysing the possible forums and forms of resolving the fuss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What determines whether technological innovations are adopted or abandoned? We leverage comparative data from three competing alternative fuel technologies to explore the conditions under which social movement organizations and industries support or challenge the adoption of emerging technologies. Empirically, we examine the diffusion of three technologies – electric, ethanol, and compressed natural gas – in the United States between 1994 and 2015. The comparison of results from quantitative analyzes of each case shows that environmental organizations can have different effects on the adoption of technologies that challenge fossil fuel dominance and that the effects change over time. The results also indicate that an incumbent industry that has an opportunity for diversification can positively influence the adoption of the technology, and that partial abandonment results when a technology is not supported by either environmental organizations or an incumbent industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to investigate how Germany's energy transition has affected environmental quality by considering natural resources, economic growth, financial development, and financial globalization for the period from 1980 to 2021. It is also aimed to discover that the interactions alter with different levels of load capacity factor and explanatory variables using novel quantile-based approaches. Thanks to the unique approaches utilized, the environmental efficacy of the energy transition process can be determined for different quantiles and time periods. The results reveal that although financial globalization and financial development enhance environmental quality, economic growth and increasing natural resource rents harms environment. In addition, the increase in energy transition in all quantiles also has a positive effect on the load capacity. This impact is weak in quantiles with high and low environmental quality, but it becomes more pronounced in middle quantiles of load capacity. Our study offers various policy recommendations to increase the short- and long-term low-level environmental effectiveness of the energy transition process in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity load prediction plays a vital role in energy management. The necessity of combining scattered power generation channels of sustainable energy and other substitute resources into distribution grid networks is increasing because of the 4.1 percent rise in world electricity since 2021. The utilization of probability power generators and energy storage is maximized by short-term load prediction methods, which make it possible to anticipate potential energy usage. To facilitate the growth of energy systems in quite a sustainable way, urban energy planners utilize a range of methods and technological advances, including simulation, probability optimization, comprehensive improvement, and modelling techniques for predicting power requirements. Predicting energy consumption at granular time scales (e.g., hourly or sub-hourly intervals) is common practice for short-term energy load prediction. For similar time-series forecasting challenges, the authors have decided to use transfer learning (TL) with light gradient-boosting machine (LightGBM).1 This model can benefit from models trained on larger data sets through TL, which might boost prediction accuracy. Energy prediction and effective resource utilization largely support the accurate transition of energy systems. In this paper, the authors propose a hybrid model for short-term energy load prediction. Based on TL to optimize LightGBM (OLGBM) for smart grids, The proposed model first applies data pre-processing using an abnormal supplement strategy with an immediate deviation selection technique. This phase eliminates the missing values and extracts the required features.The second phase uses a TL-OLGBM with hyperparameters. The TL method helps to learn the dynamic time scale and complex data patterns, and the hyperparameters are tuned via the Bayesian optimization technique, which addresses the challenge of short-term load forecasting (STLF) and increases forecasting accuracy. Finally, an optimized LightGBM model is applied, combining the time and energy features to predict effective energy forecasting. The proposed model gained a 2.834589 mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) value and a 0.9706495 GINI index after execution on the prescribed data set. We compare the performance of the proposed model with other comparable models, and the simulation outcomes show that the model can generate the best results for MAPE, accuracy, and root-mean-square deviation (RMSE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, states are increasingly taking regulatory action, especially in the natural resources and energy sectors, to address these pressing environmental problems. This regulatory action can impact financially on investments in the host state. In response, investors are resorting to investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses in investment treaties between states, claiming compensation for the financial impact of the regulatory action. This increase of ISDS claims is controversial. Amongst other criticisms, the bringing of ISDS claims, or even the threat of ISDS claims, has a chilling effect on states taking needed regulatory action to address pressing environmental problems. There have been calls for reform of the ISDS system, including its application to environmental regulation. This article maps the nature, history and evolution of ISDS claims in natural resources, energy and other environmental cases and the controversies these ISDS claims have attracted. The article canvasses the calls for reform of the ISDS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aotearoa New Zealand electricity sector is undergoing a transition to more distributed electricity generation, largely driven by the private sector. Local actors, however, are increasingly interested in playing a role in the energy transition, and addressing their resilience, with community renewable energy (CRE). These projects often have a wide range of impacts, dependent on the community’s motivations, as well as the design and operation of the project. However, there is a lack of tools that can accurately quantify the impacts derived from CRE projects, and guide communities to build a portfolio of projects. This study used system dynamics modelling to analyse the impacts of CRE projects over a 40-year time span. The Energise Ōtaki community group in Aotearoa New Zealand was used as a case study given their already established CRE project and goals to expand their project portfolio. The system dynamics model showed if the community reinvested 80% of the profits from the first project into a second project would provide the greatest long-term benefit for the community in terms of the impact areas important to them. System dynamics modelling proved a useful tool in evaluating the wide range of impacts, and how they interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy systems transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources, energy infrastructure will become a predominant land use, especially in rural areas. This poses a challenge for municipalities who need to adapt land use planning frameworks to more renewable energy. Using plan quality evaluation, this paper assesses how 57 rural official plans in Manitoba (Canada) are attempting to integrate energy planning. Consideration of energy within plans is poor, especially for implementation mechanisms and fact base. While rural communities are the forefront of the energy transition, existing land use planning frameworks are maladapted to enable it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of climate action to meet net-zero targets has triggered the call for a global energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources. However, this global energy transition does not entirely recognise all countries' social, economic and technological capacities as well as emission contributions as envisaged under the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle, which underlies international climate policy. It is concerned more with the outcome of transitioning to clean energy than with justice in the transition process. Recognition justice, an element of energy justice, enables us to identify the inequalities that global energy paradigms (such as the energy transition) can create and how a justice framework can help us understand the implications of energy injustice and address the inequities across energy systems. Recognition justice acknowledges the divergent perspectives rooted in social, economic and racial differences and the varied strengths of developed and developing countries. The energy transition process ought to recognise these differences so that they are reasonably expected to benefit everyone. Implementing the energy transition in the Global South (GS) in the same way as it is being advanced in the Global North will have security, justice, economic, resource-stranding, and sustainable development implications. This issue (of injustice in the energy transition) is aggravated by two dichotomous realities: many countries in the South will be most impacted by climatic changes, yet there remains political and social opposition to climate action through the energy transition. As a solution, this paper relies on the notion of recognition justice with support from the Rawlsian justice concept to argue that a delayed transition represents justice and recognises the peculiar nature and different circumstances of the GS. It identifies that learnings from the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the notion of CBDR under international climate treaties can be mainstreamed into energy transition research and policies to achieve justice for countries of the GS. The paper further finds that a delayed transition for the GS will (i) enable the region to address sustainability-related issues of hunger and multidimensional poverty, essential to realising other Sustainable Development Goals, whilst gradually implementing energy transition policies; (ii) present an attractive case against political and social opposition to energy transition in the GS; (iii) advance the goal of CBDR already recognised under international climate treaties and the bifurcated approaches established in such treaties; and, finally, (iv) ensure that developed countries contributing the most to greenhouse gas emissions take the lead now and act while the GS effectuates national contributions sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, energy justice and energy transition are converging, particularly in Africa. This intersection is crucial for achieving sustainable development and addressing the challenges of climate change. The context of energy transitions in Africa necessitates a thorough examination of the continent's unique challenges and opportunities. Mainstreaming the justice dimension and adopting comprehensive policy frameworks that balance developmental concerns and market creation are crucial for achieving a clean energy transition and sustainable development in Africa. Despite the increasing research on energy justice, the emphasis has been predominantly on energy transitions in the Global North, leaving Global South contexts, including Africa, underrepresented. However, considering that fast-growing regions in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia are expected to contribute significantly to future energy demand, this article investigates how energy justice principles can be used to guide and shape the energy transition in Africa. The goal is to ensure that the transition is inclusive, sustainable and beneficial for all segments of society. It highlights the need for comprehensive policy frameworks that balance developmental concerns and market creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has earmarked 56 shale gas fracking projects as part of its coal-to-gas transition plan. However, fracking poses peculiar risks to the environment and public health. This paper examines whether India's fracking-based energy transition pathway ensures procedural justice for its citizens by evaluating its regulatory framework on three key aspects of procedural justice: information, inclusion and influence. In doing so, this paper posits that procedural rights are considered part of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights in India. To address the procedural justice issues, this paper argues that the Indian government should conduct scientific inquiries into the environmental impact of the proposed fracking projects. Additionally, the paper suggests establishing communication channels to inform local communities about fracking-related risks through decentralised regulatory mechanisms, creating regulatory structures to involve various stakeholders in decision-making, and analysing how fracking will affect the socio-economic conditions of local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of energy justice has been reflected and implemented in China's energy policy system over years. However, the existing normative basis of energy justice remains imperfect. China's special political system and Confucian concept of justice, and its particular focus on energy security, have made its energy transition practices highly efficient but also prone to violating recognition, distributional and procedural justice, resulting in a victim structure that sacrifices the few for the well-being of the many. It is essential to introduce energy justice to achieve sustainable development of China's energy system and policy transformation in the new era, as energy justice will provide insights for policy stakeholders regarding how to address complex and interrelated energy production and acquisition issues. In doing so, the first step is to comprehensively examine the existing energy injustice in China's energy life cycle and then apply systemic energy justice to optimise China's future energy policies. Specifically, policymakers should first reaffirm recognition justice by recognising energy rights, including the fundamental rights of energy vulnerable groups and the natural environment together with the rights of consumers as energy producers. Secondly, procedural justice should be strengthened from three perspectives, namely decision-making participation, information disclosure and judicial relief. Thirdly, distributive justice can be effectively promoted by establishing benefit-sharing mechanisms, setting fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory energy prices, and developing compensation mechanisms between regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the trilogy framework of decarbonisation, decentralisation and democratisation and its relevance in the implementation of just energy transition agendas in rural communities of Global South countries (GSCs). It argues that just energy transition should be implemented via developing nationally independent but locally driven renewable energy projects in GSCs. To corroborate the trilogy framework, the paper discusses case studies of India's Panchayat institutions, Nepal's community renewable projects, and Bhutan's hydro projects. The paper recommends that the trilogy framework be implemented in GSCs through the concept of 'energy prosumer communities'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the discursive and material politics of energy transition, focusing on promotion of Australian industrial regions as 'green hydrogen hubs'. Regions are key spatial imaginaries in transition projects promoted by state-capitalist coalitions. First-to-market investments target regions with suitable infrastructures and workforces, anticipating future decarbonised energy markets. Yet, far from an orderly transition, such projects confront competing regional imaginaries and conflicts across governance scales, with hydrogen's troublesome material limitations precipitating hedging tactics among established energy-intensive firms. Scholars of decarbonisation, 'green capitalism' and energy transitions must pay closer attention to materiality and the complexity of regional contestations and asymmetries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployment of wind and solar electricity technologies is crucial for the energy transition, yet anticipated deployment rates differ widely often underestimating actual deployments. This issue is significant for countries like Aotearoa New Zealand, leading the way in major energy transitions. This study addresses two main issues: the historical underestimation of deployment rates and the need to synthesise various future scenarios to assess their potential impacts on the energy system. To address these problems, an empirical modelling approach based on logistic growth is adopted to create and analyse scenarios for the deployment of solar and wind technologies in New Zealand. We propose two scenarios: a reference growth scenario, which represents prevailing estimations for the deployment of solar and wind from previous forecasts; and a disruptive scenario, which anticipates a more rapid deployment pace. Both scenarios envision phasing out fossil fuels by 2030 but differ in the remaining electricity supply. In the disruptive scenario, the installed electricity generation broadens, in which solar and wind generation could represent 72% of the electricity generation capacity by 2050. Our findings emphasise the transformative potential of rapid wind and solar technologies deployment and highlight the importance of preparing for a disruptive future that challenges conventional expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the case of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we examine the role of local politics in critical mineral sourcing and its implications for the lead processing and battery manufacturing industry in China. We propose a pericentric and multiscalar analysis of cobalt extraction to understand the connections and contingencies within the cobalt supply chain and DRC’s place within it. Pericentricity acknowledges geopolitics while emphasizing localized power dynamics that shape cobalt supply, as seemingly peripheral actors in the DRC influence core extractors, processors, and traders. Our analysis contributes to scholarship on African agency amid resource extractivism, highlighting Chinese dependency on foreign extractive political economies. While Chinese firms remain central in cobalt mining, processing, and battery manufacturing, the complex dependencies on local, provincial, and national systems must be understood in their intricacy and flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental innovation is pivotal in tackling climate change by offering diverse and practical solutions to reduce carbon footprints, promote resource conservation, and enhance ecological sustainability. As anthropogenic activities continue to accelerate global environmental degradation, innovative solutions are imperative for mitigating the impacts of climate change and fostering sustainability. However, the effectiveness of these innovations is threatened by global uncertainties and rising income inequalities. Uncertainties in geopolitical landscape and economic disparities may impede the development and widespread adoption of eco-friendly technologies and practices. Given the above background, this study empirically investigates the influences of environmental innovation, world uncertainty and income inequality on renewable energy generation for a balanced panel of 58 countries between 1990 and 2020. The estimated models also control for the effects of globalisation and economic growth. After diagnosing for necessary panel diagnostic tests including cross-sectional dependence, heterogeneity, and panel unit-root, the Westerlund cointegration test confirms a significant long-run relationship between the variables of the study. Using panel Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimation, the results reveal that while environmental innovation continues to promote the renewable energy generation, global uncertainty and income inequality hamper it. More importantly, the moderating effects of world uncertainty and income inequality reduce the favourable impact of environmental innovation on renewable energy generation. Besides, economic growth and globalisation continue to play critical roles in speeding up the quest for renewable energy. The PCSE estimation technique confirms the significance of these baseline findings. Potential policy implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity industry in Guadeloupe has undergone a rapid transition. In this paper we analyse how this energy transition concretely occurred and what are the implications for industrial players and their accumulation strategies? Energy transition policies are configured by political struggles involving power producers (both incumbents and challengers) to ensure their profitability. We focus specifically on financial relationships and circuits underlying the Guadeloupean electricity industry, arguing that the political (de)construction of these circuits by (public and private) actors is key to better understand the transition process and/or its path-dependence. We identify three different and successive sequences of energy transition, from 2000 to 2023, characterized by different financial circuit architectures and distributive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transition in hydrocarbon-rich regions like Qatar is crucial for addressing climate change. This study, acknowledging gaps in our understanding of societal perspectives on this transition, specifically investigates public views on renewable energy (RE) in Qatar. A mixed-methods questionnaire was employed to capture a broad spectrum of public knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and behaviors regarding RE. A distinctive feature of this research is its integrative approach, which encompasses environmental, economic, and policy alongside public perception and media influence. This methodology effectively bridges the research gaps in Qatar, providing a comprehensive understanding of the country’s energy transition. Multiple analyses of responses (n = 604) revealed significant trends and sociodemographic factors influencing these detailed societal opinions on RE. The findings demonstrate a cautious yet optimistic public viewpoint toward RE, with substantial support for increasing its usage over traditional oil and gas. They also highlight the importance of governmental initiatives and the global shift toward sustainable practices, along with the need for enhanced public education to bridge gaps in understanding various RE sources. The study uncovers complexities in public attitudes, shaped by sociodemographic factors, and underscores the discrepancy between initial enthusiasm for RE and its sustained daily use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive electrification of kitchens that still place gas cookers center stage raises important questions about the relationship between energy, technology, and culinary practices that emphasize the relevance of more deeply understanding past transitions. This research explores material culture and culinary technology, examining the link between culinary practices and the shift to gas usage in Lisbon households during the 1930s. Seeking to understand this Gaztronomy, we analyzed the programs and recipes from the cooking courses sponsored by the main Lisbon gas utility company during the period 1931–1939, considering aspects such as the stages in the energy transition, diffusion of gas stoves and the characteristics of Portuguese culinary literature. The nearly four hundred recipes presented in the cooking lessons featured in these materials highlight the association between the cosmopolitan nature of the proposed selection and the modernity of gas cooking, leading to an attempt to understand the role of this “modern energy” as an inducer of new culinary practices in the domestic and family sphere. Culinary expertise proved to be an appealing and powerful tool for overcoming resistance to change and consumer anxieties over adopting a new fuel, indeed, as observed by the main Lisbon supplier at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the disproportionate power of corporate and state fossil fuel interests to influence energy and climate policy is now well known, questions remain about the groups that enthusiastically consume such narratives, with far-reaching political consequences. Fossil fuel workers are one such group. Their positions within these debates are highly relevant to policy outcomes, yet their political positions are often assumed to oppose decarbonizing the economy to the detriment of otherwise well-intended interventions. We offer a more nuanced understanding of the sentiments of fossil fuel workers invoked through their public and political engagements. We use the Twitter profiles of 160 self-identified oil and gas workers to explore the nature of oil workers' masculinity and its implication in climate obstruction and far-right politics. We advocate for engaging workers in the energy transition through meaningful collaboration with workers to build trust and investment in a shared future narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article adopts an institutionalist perspective in order to address the energy transition process and to consider, in particular, the alternative financing mechanisms that would be able to support a structural transformation that is sustainable in the long term. It argues that such a transformation can be regarded in a holistic and broader way as an eco-transition process that involves the whole society and economy and requires a societal public organization. A relevant holistic approach to eco-transition should focus on the institutional conditions that are required for a new sustainable and structural change framework. In this aim, the article points to the features of the transition process that display the characteristics of a public good. The durable provision of such a good calls for the transformation of the financing schemes in force to support green investments beyond the usual opposition between market-friendly and government-guided economic policies. A relevant avenue is to organize the financing of the eco-transition under the supervision of public institutions even though the contribution of private bodies might be valuable according to the rules of long-term non-speculative financial support of markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates on technologies for harnessing renewable energies tend to generate a polarized arena in which critical voices are automatically denounced as defenders of fossil energy. This has created a difficult situation for activists and scholars voicing concerns about the comparatively low power density, low net energy, and environmental justice concerns of such technologies. In this paper, we highlight the contradictions and ambivalences underlying Promethean arguments for solar power, which are currently dividing the political left. Through a critical reading of three proponents of classical Marxism, we address the structural coherence and paradoxes of the discourses within which the faith in such "green" technology is mobilized. We illustrate how Promethean visions of solar power tend to suffer from a pervasive ontological separation of human ingenuity and global social metabolism. This raises important questions about the ambiguous and theoretically underdeveloped role of technology in historical materialism, and about how capital, once converted into the material form of technology, becomes exempt from political critique. Rather than accepting such an immaterial and ultimately depoliticized position on technology, we argue that Marxist scholarship should concede that Promethean approaches must be abandoned if we are to effectively address climate change and other challenges of the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union, like many other nations and governments, is counting on hydrogen to play a big role in the energy transition. The EU has set ambitious import targets for hydrogen. This article will examine and comment on select parts of the EU framework that impact the EU’s plan for importing 10 million tonnes of hydrogen. This framework could have the effect of frustrating trade with third countries. Using the United States as an example of an importer, this article looks at (i) guarantees of origin, (ii) electricity market design, (iii) state aid, (iv) eligible carbon dioxide rules, and (v) the carbon border adjustment mechanism, with a view to ascertaining their effect on imports into the EU. The article finds that the EU framework causes unnecessary barriers to trade and may need to be tweaked to enable trade to fulfil its legislative targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's has been battling with energy crisis for many years, and with the ongoing power cuts, the nation has been plunged into darkness experienced almost every day in major cities such as Johannesburg. This paper conceptualises and positions the role of electrical and mechanical energy in food processing and preparation within South Africa's low-income households. The study aims to understand how households' choices and decisions made around food access, preparation and storage are affected by energy infrastructure. Urban studies on informality show that energy is a key input in food processing, preparation, and storage. This study focused on the intersection of infrastructure systems and sought to understand the energy needs and livelihoods strategies of South Africa's low-income households. A secondary focus of this study was on indigent energy policies that supports the provision and access of energy services to indigent households in South Africa. The study adopted a case study approach, low-income households' energy needs in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. This study utilised in-depth interviews and policy document reviews. Data was analysed using correlation and cross-tabulation methods. Findings reveal that measures adopted by the city authorities in the provisioning and access to infrastructure are largely fragmented and uncoordinated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how declining oil revenue might shape the amount of international conflict initiated by major oil producers (petrostates). We analyze four potential mechanisms through which variation in oil prices could affect petrostate conflict initiation: emboldenment, battling over a smaller market, signaling strength, and diversionary conflict. The empirical findings suggest that higher oil prices are associated with lower rates of petrostate conflict initiation. From one standard deviation below the mean oil price to one standard deviation above it, the predicted number of militarized interstate disputes declines twofold, from.025 [95% CI:.016–.034] per petrostate per year to.012 [.007–.016]. Moreover, the evidence suggests that petrostates are more likely to target other petrostates when oil prices are low. This suggests that the energy transition may not be a boon for international peace among petrostates, and for a time, it may even prove to be the opposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery production plays a crucial role in Europe's electrification of mobility and production facilities are expected to play an essential role in European value chains in the future. However, this new trend in energy transition raises the question of how individual places and regions can tap into these developments and operationalise multilevel transitions based on their existing capabilities and assets. The purpose of the article is to advance the nascent theorising on the concept of transition space in the geography of transitions literature by studying place-based factors and their various interactions with transition levels. The authors studied the ongoing development of the GigaVaasa battery factory site located in Finland's Vaasa region to explore which factors appeared most relevant in transitions and at which transition levels those factors manifested. The results indicate that place-based factors connect with different transition levels in a transition space, thus enhancing their possibilities for leveraging transition pathways. The authors conclude that strategic planning and the ability to mobilise stakeholders for systemic agency form a critical starting point for successful transition space management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looks at the case of industrial energy transition campaigning by a traditional conservation group in a regional city that hosts coal- fired power and emissions-intensive industry. We ask, what tensions do metropolitan campaigners find when communicating the idea of just transition and building alliances in regional places? How do they deal with those tensions? What does this mean for the task of developing ‘useable useful theories of environmental justice’ ? Our results illustrate the need to navigate three principal tensions: inclusivity, recognition, and equity. The case of the Australian Conservation Foundation in Gladstone reveals that as these tensions get worked through, the campaign goal is reframed as something other than ‘just transition’ and more akin to a local environmental justice campaigning. Ultimately, the ENGO now wrestles with the local difficulties of building energy justice politics on the scale and time-frame that climate science implies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy literacy is a developing field of research and practice that provides a comprehensive way of understanding how energy functions in the universe, on the earth, and in our social and personal lives. This literature review, building on an increasing momentum of research across various disciplines, outlines current energy literacy scholarship focused on a range of educational contexts (i.e., K-12, higher and post-secondary, teacher education and professional programs, and informal education). This review aims to show how energy literacy serves as a multifaceted way of developing knowledge and experiences about energy, which is an integral part of environmental and sustainability education, and that links to educational research and scholarship that supports energy transition in society more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores the trade-offs in the decarbonisation of the energy sector by analysing the legal arguments in favour of and against hydropower in EU law. It contends that the EU regimes in climate, energy and environmental law each value the advantages and disadvantages of energy production in different ways. In contrasting the approaches in these three areas of EU law, the article analyses how EU law governs the decarbonisation process in the context of hydropower. The analysis reveals a promising opportunity to reconcile the friction among climate, energy and environmental law while improving the ecological sustainability of hydropower production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The G7 nations is a major global consumers of natural resources and energy. These nations are confronted with substantial obstacles in their pursuit of sustainable growth through energy transition, while upholding their status as global economic leaders. As a result, this current study conducted an aggregated and disintegrating analysis on the heterogeneous role of green energy innovation on energy transition in G7 nations. Green energy innovation was disintegrated into hydro, solar and wind energy. Moreover, the heterogeneous effects of green innovation in solar, hydro and wind on energy transition was investigated, an analysis that has not been previously examined. For the econometric estimation, we adopted the Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR) and the quantile causality method. The results of the QQR indicates that the positive role of green energy innovation on energy transition in all of the G7 nations. However, this positive role is more dominant in five G7 nations, namely Italy, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. Additionally, the result also highlights that the connection between green energy innovation and energy transition is differs across the various quantiles for different nations. Moreover, the quantile causality analysis indicates that green energy innovation has the potential to predict future values in energy transition within the G7 nations. The study emphasizes various policy considerations for promoting energy transition through green energy innovation in G7 nation, which help realizing sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the paradox of 'noxious deindustrialisation' – employment deindustrialisation in areas where significantly noxious industries are still operating – in the context of an extractivist economy in the Global South. Analysing the copper-centred industrial area of Quintero-Puchuncaví (Chile), we argue that a key element shaping patterns of local noxious deindustrialisation is the mode of insertion of the affected area in the international division of labour and noxiousness. The latter refers to the global socioecological hierarchy constituted by interconnected differentials in technological capabilities, wage levels, and environmental degradation. In countries marked by extractivism, the simple closure of polluting industries deepens the dependence of their economies on rent-bearing primary product exports, while the permanence of such industries often results in the perpetuation of 'sacrifice zones', where communities are exposed to severe noxiousness while receiving only meagre benefits in return. In our view, tackling the ecological crisis requires a more balanced international division of labour, as a step towards decommodifying production and nature. Without transformations in this direction, the current attempts at an energy transition risk provoking an unsustainable deepening of extractivism and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2022, the EU and Morocco signed an unprecedented Green Partnership on Energy, Climate, and the Environment. The new deal aims to advance the external dimension of the European Green Deal and is expected to become a model for similar partnerships with other countries. In this study, we aim to explore the Moroccan perceptions of the Partnership. We utilize a thematic and content analysis of 31 official documents, including media, along with semi-structured interviews with 22 key Moroccan stakeholders, not only representing the official authorities, but also businesses and academia. Results reveal that while the official political narrative emphasises the Partnership’s benefits, divergent opinions emerged from our analysis, raising various concerns, especially regarding perceived benefits for Morocco and its sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia's commitment to ecological quality is evident in its agendas for achieving a sustainable environment by 2030. However, hindrances like challenges towards energy transition efforts, stable political institutions, unclean economic globalization practices, and transiting to a complex economy could potentially delay the nation's attainment of its environmental goals. Against this backdrop, the current study focuses on examining the roles of political risk, economic globalization, energy transition, and economic complexity on ecological sustainability in Malaysia. In contrast to previous studies, this study innovatively incorporates a dummy variable to account for potential structural breaks that may occur during the study period. Furthermore, this study used an innovative environmental proxy which incorporates both the demand and supply aspect of the environment during computation. Using the time series data from 1984 to 2018 and employed the ARDL estimator method, the empirical results indicate that economic globalization is associated with ecological deterioration in Malaysia in the long run. On the other hand, economic complexity, political stability, and energy transition are shown to promote ecological sustainability in Malaysia in the long run. Moreover, the bootstrap time varying causality method demonstrates that each of the regressors has the capacity to predict the load capacity factor during distinct sub-periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to analyse organisations in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), working in the field of energy provision, and their contribution to the so-called energy transition from the perspective of social innovation. By showing the practical application of the concept of social innovation and its convergence and synergies with the SSE, we review the extent to which Basque Renewable Energy SSE alternatives are experiences that incorporate socially innovative elements. In addition, we study three cases through these approaches in order to observe the real and potential benefits that experiences based on social innovation can bring to energy transition. The main contribution of our research is to analyse the means by which certain initiatives are implemented through projects framed using the most prominent theoretical models focused on energy transition, social innovation and a social and solidarity-based economy, all aimed at achieving a low-carbon society.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition required to remove coal from the global energy mix will have major implications across coal producing regions. There is limited work, however, that explores how this transition is being received by communities with multi-generational connections to the industry. This paper explores understandings and responses to transition in the Australian community of Singleton. Located 145 km north of Sydney in the Upper Hunter Valley, the local area has been a site of coal mining activity since the 1850s – helping foster a strong connection between industry and place. Using an emotional geographies framework, we uncover various local feelings associated with the prospect of a future without coal. While these emotional responses can stem from the anticipated material losses of mines and jobs, they have also been found to stem from the mutually imbricated threats posed by a 'hidden dimension of loss'. This dimension of loss positions mining as much more than an emotionless economic activity. Instead, it is uncovered as an activity – a tradition – that can define understandings of place. Whilst set in Australia, this study holds relevance for mining communities internationally faced with the disruption of existing ways of life, identities, and understandings of place as the energy transition unfolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we evaluate the synergy between variable renewable energy (VRE), electric mobility, and Vehicle to Grid (V2G) deployment for a small community transitioning to a low-carbon economy. We propose an integrated deterministic modeling approach that accurately describes electric mobility activity within the electric grid in the ETEM-SG long-term capacity expansion model. This approach allowed us to keep the entire approach in the linear programming domain. We then perform a scenario analysis on the Isle of Pines case. The results show that V2G is essential for electric vehicles to make a positive contribution to the electric system by providing a supply–demand balance service. The deployment of electric vehicles allows reaching a VRE penetration rate of up to 94%, at no additional cost compared to a solution without electric vehicles, and even with a global-cost reduction of up to 5.3% thanks to a decrease of the capacity of stationary battery packs needed for storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary aims to frame human rights due diligence as a key instrument in risk management of a mining company with a focus on Chile. To this end, we analyse the challenges faced by the industry in a scenario of clean energy development that involves a high demand for minerals such as copper and lithium. It is concluded that human rights due diligence is a requirement for exporting products to certain markets, serves to improve the reputation of companies, and can be an important instrument for risk-management decisions in the mining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the escalating urgency of addressing climate change and the surge of a pro-environmental discourse during the last three to four decades, the international imperative of low-carbon societies voiced in the Paris Agreement and reiterated in the parties' conferences call for 'transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems' has gained traction. However, it remains unclear to what extent this imperative addresses the entrenched extractivist and rentier practices that underpin today's carbon-intensive economy. This article turns the case of green hydrogen, often hailed as the fuel of the future, to discern whether current actions are enabling a 'just transition' towards the same mode of natural resource exploitation, or one that seeks to overcome the extractivist and rentier dynamics. Taking a case study of Colombia, where debates surrounding hydrogen development swirl around what could be seen as a continuity of extractivism and a more reindustrialization-oriented trajectory, this study examines some of the possible conditions that just transitions would have to comply with if they are to overcome both fossil fuel dependence and the politico-economic behaviours that have turned swathes of Global South countries into natural resource repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global effort to reduce carbon emissions, driven by industrialised countries in the north is increasingly perceived as an unfair imposition by countries in the south. Wind turbine technology importantly contributes to the energy transition and its introduction has produced new players in energy systems, for instance through financial citizen participation in wind farms. The shape and degree of citizen participation is geographically variegated even within countries. Taking a multi-scalar perspective inspired by institutional theory, we explore the micro, meso and macro institutional and regulatory frameworks perceived as supportive or restrictive in the development of citizen participation in Germany and South Africa. Our findings highlight the importance of citizens' ability and will to create legal structures for inclusive collective action and their ability to access affordable investment capital through local banks and other financing arrangements. Under the right institutional conditions decentralised energy systems, such as small-scale wind farms, provide an opportunity for fostering emotive and economic ownership by citizens in the global north and south alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wyoming is the epicentre of the coal transition in the United States. The coal industry is critical to the state's economy, both in terms of jobs and a state revenue model dependent on federal coal leasing payments, mineral royalties, and mining severance taxes. However, due to economic, regulatory, and political pressures, the U.S. is currently on track to retire half of its coal-fired electricity generation capacity by 2026. Accordingly, Wyoming faces an uncertain future. Despite the difficult path ahead, many Wyoming policymakers, industry officials, and residents express hostility toward the idea of transition. This often manifests in opposition to renewable energy through policies that double down on investments in fossil fuel energy, despite the increased availability of federal resources and programmes to ease the burden of change. I refer to this phenomenon as transition obstructionism. While transition obstructionism is detrimental to residents across the state, harm is also distributed downstream in the fossil fuel lifecycle, particularly in historically marginalised communities. This article reviews recent efforts by state lawmakers and institutions to actively disincentivize transition and prolong the fossil fuel economy in Wyoming. It then considers how transition obstructionism contributes to 'embodied energy injustices' both within and beyond Wyoming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, heating accounts for half of the final energy consumption and is still based mainly on fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the transition to renewable heat has been widely criticized for progressing too slowly. To accelerate the heat transition, an increased use of biogenic residues and waste is discussed as a possible approach, as model calculations show considerable potential for these materials. This paper examines the barriers to an increased use of biogenic residues and waste in the context of municipal heat transition, including their use in district heating networks. The results are based on qualitative stakeholder and expert interviews and focus groups in rural municipalities in Germany. As a central finding, this study identifies the main barriers as multiple fragmentations in different areas (material, utilization paths, actor structure, framework conditions and knowledge) and their interdependencies. These findings contribute to a better understanding of structural obstacles of heat transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the urgency to limit global warming has intensified, negative emissions technology such as direct air capture and carbon sequestration are increasingly considered in climate mitigation scenarios. When Iceland opened the commercial-grade direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) facility in 2021, this marked a breakthrough for DACCS technology as a scalable climate mitigation solution. This study investigates the adoption of DACCS in Iceland and the potential for diffusion into other contexts as a global decarbonization solution. We implement expert interviews to analyze the adoption of technology, and to identify the various requirements of scaling DACCS into local and global contexts. Using inductive thematic analysis, we characterize the diverging perspectives on the role of carbon dioxide removal as a climate mitigation solution and also identify pathways toward technology upscaling at national, regional, and global scales. Despite the successful technology demonstration of DACCS, we find that experts hold different mental models of climate mitigation generally, characterized as "nature vs. technology." We also find that experts clearly articulate the necessary conditions for the diffusion of DACCS more broadly, including explicit regulatory measures as guardrails against a "license to pollute" as well as bilateral governance structures that include financial investment. Finally, we find that the importance of public acceptance of the technology was noted among all expert groups. Limited data exist on the acceptance of DACCS paired with renewable energy and this is a future research recommendation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure the consumption of clean and affordable energy by all by the close of 2030. Over the last decade, calls for energy transition from unclean energy to clean ones have intensified. Consequently, the price of clean energy has been subsidised in Ghana but this is not enough as energy transition still entails considerable costs for households. The receipt of inward remittance improves households' income which can aid their transition but literature in this regard is scanty. Applying the Special Regression Method to household data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey, we examine how the receipt of income remittance influences the choice of households' cooking fuels. We found an increase in income remittance increases the odds of households adopting clean cooking fuels. We recommend that the government of Ghana undertake policies that improve household income to encourage the adoption of clean fuels and reduce environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We shed light on wicked problems in the German energy transition. Our methods consist of a multiple-case study and multi-criteria analysis, utilising the wicked problems theoretical framework introduced by Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber [1973. "Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning." Policy Sciences 4 (2): 155–169. Accessed August 20, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01405730]. Results from the energy supply, heating/cooling, transport, and industry sectors illustrate where and how the 10-point frame of wicked problems manifests in the German energy transition. The four cases exhibit more wicked tendencies in the governance domain than the technical domain and differ in their degrees of technology maturity, policy regulation, and knowledge states. We do not find that the German energy transition is inherently wicked. However, wickedness unfolds through the social setting into which technical solutions of the energy transition are embedded. We aim to highlight these intricacies and encourage scrutinising these wicked facets early on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smart grid is a product of the advances in computer and communication technology and power electronics that creates a more resilient, reliable and one that supports a two-way flow of electricity and information. The smart grid enables more uptake of the variable renewables like wind, solar and variable loads like the plug-in cars and improves the efficiency of power systems and facilitate several products and services supported by the grid like automatic healing and re-routing of power in case of a fault and demand side management. The deployment and use of smart grids will enhance the realization of shared goals of grid stakeholders, promote energy security, enable economic growth, and help in the mitigation of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia does not have 'carbon democracy', but a 'carbon oligarchy,' in which the State defends the established and self-destructive relations of order, wealth and power built around fossil fuel energy. The article sketches interaction with carbon oligarchy in three NSW country towns of Lismore, Narrabri, and Bega, in relation to renewable energy. The aim is to uncover some problems of energy transition, and to suggest possible courses of action. In one town, a Local Council program to become self-supporting on renewables ran into problems of regulation and neoliberal economic values. In the second, transition was constrained by local fossil fuel supplies. In the third, some people embraced a form of 'climate generosity' which enabled support for transition against the requirements of carbon oligarchy. Climate generosity could usefully supplement Climate Justice, by circumventing demands for fairness and by providing an exemplar of action to help build community, support and meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public acceptance is central to the success of a transition agenda but with the increasing uptake of renewable energy technology, achieving and sustaining the public legitimacy for accelerating the energy transition is at risk. This study provides an updated account of the energy transition development in Germany and Australia with a focus on institutional legitimation. Drawing on the distinction between input and output legitimacy, we query how enabling community participation can enhance the legitimacy of policy instruments. We employ two case studies of energy transitions - those of Germany and Australia - to explain where and how community participation has supported the legitimacy of policy interventions. While input legitimacy remains high in both Germany and Australia, both examples illustrate how policy instruments can lack legitimacy if decision-makers lose sight of or never properly consider the output dimension of legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the winners and losers of the energy transition playing out around the Pavagada solar park in Karnataka, India. We analyse how the innovative land leasing and competitive tendering mechanisms of the 'Pavagada model' have shaped the socio-ecological relations and outcomes of the project. We show the solar park has provided investors with low-risk returns, state electricity distributers with low-cost power, and larger landowners with new income streams. However, we find that the model is entrenching colonial, gender, and caste-based inequalities and oppressions, particularly for landless agricultural labourers who have lost their sources of livelihood. We argue that when renewable energy policy is primarily concerned with reducing costs and managing risks for private investors and state actors, the potential benefits of energy transition will not be equitably shared. The case of Pavagada demonstrates the need for democratic ownership and control of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]