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It has been established that the needs of mankind in fuel are growing every day. The full energy balance of the countries of the European Union is analyzed and the place and share of alternative energy sources are determined. It is determined that trends in the development of society require the adoption of new, non-traditional solutions that can quickly increase the efficiency of using alternative energy sources, solve the problem of insufficient energy capacity, reduce the harmful impact on the environment and carry out modernization in the shortest possible time and at the lowest cost. The main reasons for this are the expected depletion of fossil fuel reserves, the rapid rise in prices for it, incomplete use and low efficiency, as well as the harmful impact on the environment. The problems of the energy sector of economy are determined. The use of alternative energy sources by EU countries is evaluated, which saves billions of euros on gas purchases. It is proved that despite the rapid changes in demand and oil prices, the tendency to increase the consumption of fuel and energy resources will continue, although the distribution of consumption by industries and countries may change somewhat. A review of theoretical approaches to defining the essence of the concept of «alternative energy» is made and the author's definition of this economic category is provided. Each type of alternative energy sources is characterized, their advantages and disadvantages, which positively or negatively affect the energy sector of the economy and the economy as a whole, are outlined. The problematic issues of using alternative energy sources in modern conditions of management are outlined. It is noted that in recent years, the cost of building small hydropower plants has been significantly simplified by simplifying their design and operation, standardizing design solutions, unifying equipment and full automation of HPP operation, as well as through the use of new materials and finished products. It is proposed to use new unconventional energy technologies that we have explored and can lead the world towards a sustainable energy supply.

In this research article, we uphold the principles of the No Free Lunch theorem and employ it as a driving force to introduce an innovative game-based metaheuristic technique named Golf Optimization Algorithm (GOA). The GOA is meticulously structured with two distinctive phases, namely, exploration and exploitation, drawing inspiration from the strategic dynamics and player conduct observed in the sport of golf. Through comprehensive assessments encompassing fifty-two objective functions and four real-world engineering applications, the efficacy of the GOA is rigorously examined. The results of the optimization process reveal GOA's exceptional proficiency in both exploration and exploitation strategies, effectively striking a harmonious equilibrium between the two. Comparative analyses against ten competing algorithms demonstrate a clear and statistically significant superiority of the GOA across a spectrum of performance metrics. Furthermore, the successful application of the GOA to the intricate energy commitment problem, considering network resilience, underscores its prowess in addressing complex engineering challenges. For the convenience of the research community, we provide the MATLAB implementation codes for the proposed GOA methodology, ensuring accessibility and facilitating further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current threats connected to the ongoing depletion of fossil resources and elevated levels of greenhouse gases accelerating climate change and global warming provoke a renaissance of biotechnological production of various organic bulk chemicals, which, particularly during the second half of the 20th century, were almost exclusively produced from fossil resources via chemosynthetic processes.

The countries of the European Union are experiencing the first real global energy crisis in history, bearing in mind that reliability and the possibility of receiving the required amount of energy resources are the basis of full functioning and further sustainable social and economic development of countries. The purpose of the study is to analyse European Union energy and environmental security regulatory measures in terms of unpredictable actions of the main supplier of energy resources. A set of general scientific and special methods of scientific cognition was used: the historical method with a systematic analysis of energy law; the structural and functional method; synthesis; deduction and induction. As a result of the conducted study, the main areas of increasing energy security in the European Union were determined based on scientific programmes using renewable energy sources, which gradually reduce the demand for organic fossil fuels (natural gas, oil, coal, peat, oil shale). The situation of dependence of EU states on the export of russian energy resources was also characterised and the process of changing the EU energy policy was illustrated. This research contains an analysis of the ecological aspect of the change in the situation with energy security in the EU, and forecasts regarding the situation on the international energy market of russia. The primary theoretical principles, conclusions, and practical recommendations in the industry of the energy market would help accelerate the diversification of the natural gas market in Ukraine in terms of joining the European Union energy market

The article is devoted to the definition and research of environmental and economic criteria for the assessment of energy carriers used for the buildings heating. The criteria for the comparison are based on the amount of heat and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Various options for the use of energy carriers and corresponding design schemes of heating systems, the most often used in residential buildings, are considered. Calculations of the cost of thermal energy received for heating the building using common types of fuel (coal, firewood, pellets), electricity, and centralized heat supply were made. Also, a comparative assessment of the specific emissions of pollutants for boilers operating on natural gas, hard coal, firewood, and pellets was carried out based on the averaged indicators. It has been established that the minimum cost of a unit of heat is achieved when burning pellets, firewood, but the use of such energy sources leads to additional labor costs, and the most comfortable and least time-consuming is the use of central heating services, a gas or electric boiler with a water heating system. It was determined that considering the impact on the environment at the heated object location, the most safe are a boiler running on natural gas, a centralized heat supply, an electric boiler. Ways to reduce the cost of a thermal energy unit supplied to the building are proposed by using heat pumps. An assessment of the cost of thermal energy supplied to the building using a heat pump was carried out, which showed a significant reduction in the cost of thermal energy supplied to the building in the case of using a heat pump in various variants of the design features of the heating system considering climate conditions compared to options without the use of a heat pump

The effective usage of renewable energy sources requires ways of storage and delivery to balance energy demand and availability divergences. Carbon-free chemical energy carriers are proposed solutions, converting clean electricity into stable media for storage, long-distance energy trade and on-demand electricity generation. Among them, hydrogen (H2) is noteworthy, being the subject of significant investment and research. Metal fuels, such as iron (Fe), represent another promising solution for a clean energy supply, but establishing an interconnected ecosystem still requires considerable research and development. This work proposes a model to assess the supply chain characteristics of hydrogen and iron as clean, carbon-free energy carriers and then examines case studies of possible trade routes between the potential energy exporters Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Australia and the energy importers Germany and Japan. The work comprises the assessment of economic (levelized cost of electricity - LCOE), energetic (thermodynamic efficiency) and environmental (CO2 emissions) aspects, which are quantified by the comprehensive model accounting for the most critical processes in the supply chain. The assessment is complemented by sensitivity and uncertainty analyses to identify the main cost drivers. Iron is shown to be lower-cost and more efficient to transport in longer routes and for long-term storage, but potentially more expensive and less efficient than H2 to produce and convert. Uncertainties related to the supply chain specifications and the sensitivity to the used variables indicate that the path to viable energy carriers fundamentally depends on efficient synthesis, conversion, storage, and transport. A break-even analysis demonstrated that clean energy carriers could be competitive with conventional energy carriers at low renewable energy prices, while carbon taxes might be needed to level the playing field. Thereby, green iron shows potential to become an important energy carrier for long-distance trade in a globalized clean energy market.

The pandemic and the war have had a negative economic impact on the world economy. The current structure of the energy market poses a major challenge to national governments, businesses, and households alike, and new strategies need to be developed to focus on energy efficiency. Hungary has also been strongly affected by this situation, which has had an impact on all areas of residential consumption. The present study, based on a primary questionnaire survey carried out in October-November 2022 with 273 evaluable responses, aims to explore the opinions and perceptions of students at a business university in Hungary regarding the energy crisis. The goal is to establish their knowledge about the gas situation and how it is reflected in their consumption practices and savings. The results of a survey of students at the Budapest University of Economics and Business show that young people studying economics are not really aware of the gas market situation in Hungary, but their gas saving habits are characterized by awareness and not primarily motivated by their financial situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methanol and ammonia emerge as two of the most important energy carriers in a new decarbonized society. In this work, a systematic assessment of the power generation based on these chemicals is performed using two different alternatives: direct utilization as green fuels in fuel cells or as carriers for hydrogen. Despite the need for a previous stage for hydrogen production, the use of these chemicals as hydrogen carriers demonstrates higher efficiencies (around 40%), mainly due to the higher degree of maturity of the hydrogen fuel cells. This is reflected in the cost of electricity for the different alternatives with around 700 €/MWh for hydrogen carrier options and about 1200 €/MWh for the direct utilization as green fuels. Compared to hydrogen, the use of methanol or ammonia has a higher electricity production cost. However, future improvements in the efficiency of fuel cell units could convert these fuels is competitive options. In addition, for different scenarios combining transportation and power generation, methanol and ammonia emerge as technically and economically feasible alternatives, especially for distances over 3000 km. Consequently, both hold a pivotal role in addressing the challenges associated with hydrogen within a future energy systems characterized by high renewable penetration. • A techno-economic evaluation of using methanol/ammonia in fuel cells is performed. • The use of methanol/ammonia as hydrogen carriers is the preferred option. • The cost of electricity for the best alternatives ranges around 600–800 €/MWh. • To achieve competitive levels, the efficiency of direct fuel cells must be doubled. • For distances greater than 3000 km, methanol and ammonia show great potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research article, we uphold the principles of the No Free Lunch theorem and employ it as a driving force to introduce an innovative game-based metaheuristic technique named Golf Optimization Algorithm (GOA). The GOA is meticulously structured with two distinctive phases, namely, exploration and exploitation, drawing inspiration from the strategic dynamics and player conduct observed in the sport of golf. Through comprehensive assessments encompassing fifty-two objective functions and four real-world engineering applications, the efficacy of the GOA is rigorously examined. The results of the optimization process reveal GOA’s exceptional proficiency in both exploration and exploitation strategies, effectively striking a harmonious equilibrium between the two. Comparative analyses against ten competing algorithms demonstrate a clear and statistically significant superiority of the GOA across a spectrum of performance metrics. Furthermore, the successful application of the GOA to the intricate energy commitment problem, considering network resilience, underscores its prowess in addressing complex engineering challenges. For the convenience of the research community, we provide the MATLAB implementation codes for the proposed GOA methodology, ensuring accessibility and facilitating further exploration.

The use of fossil fuels (methane, oil, etc.) is undergoing an unprecedented crisis now. There is the urgent need to search for alternative energy sources. A wide range of degraded organic materials can be effectively used to provide energy together with environmental protection. Soapstock is a hazardous waste containing a high concentration of toxic organic compounds of man-made origin (fatty acids, surfactants, dyes, etc.). To prevent environmental contamination such substances require an effective treatment approach. The goal of the study was to isolate the adapted-to-fatty-acids methanogenic microbiome and investigate the patterns of sodium acetate and soapstock degradation with simultaneous biomethane synthesis. The effectiveness of the degradation of sodium acetate and soapstock by non-adapted and adapted microbiomes was evaluated by decreasing the concentration of dissolved organic compounds. The effectiveness of the fermentation process was determined by the biogas (mixture of CH4 and CO2) yield. The most effective degradation occurred in the variant with sodium acetate and adapted methanogens and amounted to 77.9%. In other variants, the patterns and the efficiency of purification were similar ranging from 60.6 to 68.0%. The biomethane was mostly synthesized by adapted methanogens on the soapstock and sodium acetate as substrates. Thus, the CH4 yield was 368.4 L/kg of dissolved organic compounds or 127.5 L/kg of soapstock. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of methanogenic microorganisms in the biodegradation of soapstock with simultaneous biogas synthesis. The results can serve as a basis to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels by generating biomethane via the fermentation of toxic organics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the definition and research of environmental and economic criteria for the assessment of energy carriers used for the buildings heating. The criteria for the comparison are based on the amount of heat and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Various options for the use of energy carriers and corresponding design schemes of heating systems, the most often used in residential buildings, are considered. Calculations of the cost of thermal energy received for heating the building using common types of fuel (coal, firewood, pellets), electricity, and centralized heat supply were made. Also, a comparative assessment of the specific emissions of pollutants for boilers operating on natural gas, hard coal, firewood, and pellets was carried out based on the averaged indicators. It has been established that the minimum cost of a unit of heat is achieved when burning pellets, firewood, but the use of such energy sources leads to additional labor costs, and the most comfortable and least timeconsuming is the use of central heating services, a gas or electric boiler with a water heating system. It was determined that considering the impact on the environment at the heated object location, the most safe are a boiler running on natural gas, a centralized heat supply, an electric boiler. Ways to reduce the cost of a thermal energy unit supplied to the building are proposed by using heat pumps. An assessment of the cost of thermal energy supplied to the building using a heat pump was carried out, which showed a significant reduction in the cost of thermal energy supplied to the building in the case of using a heat pump in various variants of the design features of the heating system considering climate conditions compared to options without the use of a heat pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of particular locations of large-scale energy producers and increases in energy demand, transporting energy has become one of the key challenges of energy supply. For a long-distance ocean transportation, transfer of energy carriers via ocean tankers is considered as a decent solution compared to pipelines. Due to cryogenic temperatures of energy carriers, heat leaks into storage tanks of these carriers causes a problem called boil-off gas (BOG). BOG losses reduce the quantity of energy carriers, which affects their economic value. Therefore, this study proposes to examine the effects of BOG economically in production and transportation phases of potential energy carriers produced from natural gas, namely; liquefied natural gas (LNG), dimethyl-ether (DME), methanol, liquid ammonia (NH3), and liquid hydrogen (H2). Mathematical approach is used to calculate production and transportation costs of these energy carriers and to account for BOG as a unit cost within the total cost. The results of this study show that transportation costs of LNG, liquid ammonia, methanol, DME, and liquid hydrogen from natural gas accounting for BOG are 0.74 $/GJ, 1.09 $/GJ, 0.68 $/GJ, 0.53 $/GJ, and 3.24 $/GJ, respectively. DME and methanol can be more economic compared to LNG to transport the energy of natural gas for the same ship capacity. Including social cost of carbon (SCC) within the total cost of transporting the energy of natural gas, the transportation cost of liquid ammonia is 1.11 $/GJ, whereas LNG transportation cost rises significantly to 1.68 $/GJ at SCC of 137 $/t CO2 eq. Consequently, liquid ammonia becomes economically favored compared to LNG. Transportation cost of methanol (0.70 $/GJ) and DME (0.55 $/GJ) are also lower than LNG, however, liquid hydrogen transportation cost (3.24 $/GJ) is still the highest even though the increment of the cost is about 0.1% as SCC included within the transportation cost.

Due to the necessity of cognizance of demand for the various forms of energy in the agricultural sector in Iran’s economy and considering the effects of price liberalization policies on forms of energy, analysis of the main energy carriers’ demand is very important. This study used the LA-AIDS approach and ISUR technique to estimate the demand and elasticities for various energy carriers. Also, the welfare effects of increasing energy prices under the 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% scenarios are evaluated using the compensating variation (CV). The uncompensated and compensated own-price demand elasticities for oil products, electricity and, natural gas carriers were −1.21, −0.85 and −0.55, and −0.98, −0.32 and −0.30, respectively, confirming the demand theory. The cross-price elasticities showed that electricity has substitutability and complementarity relationship with oil products and natural gas, respectively, while the relationship between natural gas and oil products is a substitutability relationship. The income elasticities of energy usages estimated to be 0.64, 1.2 and 1.05. Agricultural producers’ welfare would experience a further decrease in oil products and electricity price liberalization, though the welfare impacts of natural gas are trivial. As price elasticity is different in the agricultural sector, price policies, then price liberalization and omitting energy subsidy should be applied based on the elastic or inelastic of energy carriers. The price policies effectiveness on oil products is more than electricity and natural gas. Given the prevalence of consumption and high price elasticities of oil products and pollutants, rising oil prices can reduce their consumption and environmental pollution.

Motivation: The concept of sustained development has been implemented on an increasingly large number of areas of human activity. Energy is one of those areas in the European Union in which this idea is used.Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the energy generation development in Poland and in the other EU countries in the context of sustainable development policy.Results: Considering the highly diverse environmental circumstances, not all countries are likely to meet the ambitious objectives of the EU energy policy in the area of environmental conservation without having to make sacrifices in the socio-economic area. Taking into account the EU’s enormous dependence on external supplies of energy carriers, it seems justified to use the concept of sustainable energy security, taking into account the social and technical conditions of individual countries.

Objectives. The synthesis of high-viscosity oils is a fundamental aspect of oil refinement and contributes toward improvements in their production technologies. However, current methods of oil extraction are characterized by the inefficient use of energy resources. Therefore, refinement costs continue to increase. Furthermore, high production emissions affect the environment. For example, the Duosol-type process uses a large quantity of gas used in solvent recovery units in existing furnaces, and excess heat is wasted. Additionally, oil dewaxing plants use water steam, whose condensate can be contaminated with petroleum products or ketone-aromatic solvents. The purpose of this study was to identify ways of improving the efficiency of high-viscosity oil production technologies for energy efficiency and environmental safety as well as prove the feasibility of computational methods of oil production plants’ improvement.Methods. The heat quantity required for high-viscosity oil production is calculated using a thermal equation and data obtained from industrial equivalents, empirical dependencies, and reference data. The heat capacities and heat quantities of Duosol and dewaxing plants are calculated using conventional methods based on the heat recovery principle.Results. At the solvent regeneration unit of a Duosol plant, excessive heating of the cube in one of the distillation columns was measured, leading to excessive heat consumption. This may result in contamination of the low boiling distillation component with water—one of the still bottom mixture components. Calculations show that the furnace should be divided into two chambers to lower the temperature of the column cube to help solve this problem. Water steam is currently used in the raw material preparation unit of the dewaxing plant. It has been found, however, that the quantity of heat carried away by the flue gases of the furnaces is sufficient to heat the raw material preparation unit of the oil dewaxing plant if water steam is completely excluded from this operation.Conclusions. Technology improvement at Duosol and dewaxing plants, which are part of the process of obtaining high-viscosity oils at refineries, is possible through the effective redistribution of energy resources.

The purpose of the presented research is to analyse possible methods of thickening of the Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing cyanobacteria using the obtained concentrate as a biomass for the production of energy carriers and biologically valuable substances. Method of cyanobacteria thickening under the action of electric current and in the electric field, as well as the method of coagulation–flocculation and gravity thickening, was experimentally investigated in labscale conditions. Electrical methods didn't show positive results for the Microcystis aeruginosa thickening, despite the reports of their potential efficiency in a number of previous studies. The high efficiency of the method of coagulation– flocculation and gravity thickening of Microcystis aeruginosa suspensions was obtained. The optimum concentrations of industrial polymeric coagulants and flocculants for the thickening of Microcystis aeruginosa suspensions were defined in the range of about 10 ppm for the coagulants and about 1 ppm for the flocculants. Negative effect of the previous cavitational treatment of the diluted suspensions of Microcystis aeruginosa on the effectiveness of the coagulation–flocculation and gravitational thickening was confirmed experimentally. Hydrodynamic cavitation should be recommended to use after the thickening as the next step of processing of concentrated suspensions of Microcystis aeruginosa to achieve maximum extraction of energy carriers and biologically valuable substances.

The use of fossil fuels (methane, oil, etc.) is undergoing an unprecedented crisis now. There is the urgent need to search for alternative energy sources. A wide range of degraded organic materials can be effectively used to provide energy together with environmental protection. Soapstock is a hazardous waste containing a high concentration of toxic organic compounds of man-made origin (fatty acids, surfactants, dyes, etc.). To prevent environmental contamination such substances require an effective treatment approach. The goal of the study was to isolate the adapted-to-fatty-acids methanogenic microbiome and investigate the patterns of sodium acetate and soapstock degradation with simultaneous biomethane synthesis. The effectiveness of the degradation of sodium acetate and soapstock by non-adapted and adapted microbiomes was evaluated by decreasing the concentration of dissolved organic compounds. The effectiveness of the fermentation process was determined by the biogas (mixture of CH4 and CO2) yield. The most effective degradation occurred in the variant with sodium acetate and adapted methanogens and amounted to 77.9%. In other variants, the patterns and the efficiency of purification were similar ranging from 60.6 to 68.0%. The biomethane was mostly synthesized by adapted methanogens on the soapstock and sodium acetate as substrates. Thus, the CH4 yield was 368.4 L/kg of dissolved organic compounds or 127.5 L/kg of soapstock. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of methanogenic microorganisms in the biodegradation of soapstock with simultaneous biogas synthesis. The results can serve as a basis to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels by generating biomethane via the fermentation of toxic organics.

Purpose. In the present article, a new approach of the energy grid studies is introduced to program energy carriers. In this view, a proper plan is designed on the use of energy carriers considering the energy optimum use. Indeed, the proper energy grid is designed by applying Iran energy balance sheet information. It is proper to mention that, the energy grid modelling is done in a matrix form. The electrical energy distribution among power stations is achieved by using the particle swarm optimization algorithm. In the present paper, concerning the dynamic programming method, it is tried to determine a suitable combination of energy carriers.

The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of consumption of different kinds of energy carriers in Iran, which caused poverty and inequality in the process of economic, social and cultural development of countries. For this purpose, we use annual data from 1984 to 2010 through a simultaneous equations model using Two-Stage Least Square (2SLS) and Three-Stage Least Square (3SLS) estimators. The results indicate that the effect of various energy carriers on inequality is different. Gasoline consumption leads to inequality enhancement but natural gas and electricity consumption lead to inequality reduction. Fuel oil, kerosene and gasoil have the different effects on inequality due to different indexes of inequality. On the other hand, energy carrier consumption leads to poverty reduction and natural gas and electricity are more effective to reduce poverty. Thus, the direct effect of energy consumption on poverty is confirmed. Totally, the results indicate that the indirect effect of all energy carriers on poverty trough inequality reduction is not confirmed, though all energy carriers on economic growth has a positive effect, and the indirect effect of economic growth on poverty reduction is confirmed.

Regular assessments of events taking place around the globe can be a conduit for the development of new ideas, contributing to the research world. In this study, the authors present a new optimization algorithm named doctor and patient optimization (DPO). DPO is designed by simulating the process of treating patients by a physician. The treatment process has three phases, including vaccination, drug administration, and surgery. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm in solving optimization problems compared to eight other optimization algorithms on a benchmark standard test function with 23 objective functions is been evaluated. The results obtained from this comparison indicate the superiority and quality of DPO in solving optimization problems in various sciences. The proposed algorithm is successfully applied to solve the energy commitment problem for a power system supplied by a multiple energy carriers system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the necessity of cognizance of demand for the various forms of energy in the agricultural sector in Iran's economy and considering the effects of price liberalization policies on forms of energy, analysis of the main energy carriers' demand is very important. This study used the LA-AIDS approach and ISUR technique to estimate the demand and elasticities for various energy carriers. Also, the welfare effects of increasing energy prices under the 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% scenarios are evaluated using the compensating variation (CV). The uncompensated and compensated own-price demand elasticities for oil products, electricity and, natural gas carriers were −1.21, −0.85 and −0.55, and −0.98, −0.32 and −0.30, respectively, confirming the demand theory. The cross-price elasticities showed that electricity has substitutability and complementarity relationship with oil products and natural gas, respectively, while the relationship between natural gas and oil products is a substitutability relationship. The income elasticities of energy usages estimated to be 0.64, 1.2 and 1.05. Agricultural producers' welfare would experience a further decrease in oil products and electricity price liberalization, though the welfare impacts of natural gas are trivial. As price elasticity is different in the agricultural sector, price policies, then price liberalization and omitting energy subsidy should be applied based on the elastic or inelastic of energy carriers. The price policies effectiveness on oil products is more than electricity and natural gas. Given the prevalence of consumption and high price elasticities of oil products and pollutants, rising oil prices can reduce their consumption and environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: The concept of sustained development has been implemented on an increasingly large number of areas of human activity. Energy is one of those areas in the European Union in which this idea is used. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the energy generation development in Poland and in the other EU countries in the context of sustainable development policy. Results: Considering the highly diverse environmental circumstances, not all countries are likely to meet the ambitious objectives of the EU energy policy in the area of environmental conservation without having to make sacrifices in the socio-economic area. Taking into account the EU's enormous dependence on external supplies of energy carriers, it seems justified to use the concept of sustainable energy security, taking into account the social and technical conditions of individual countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to energy, including electricity, determines countries’ socio-economic development. The growing demand for electricity translates into environmental problems. Energy is therefore a crucial element of the European Union’s sustainable development strategy. This article aims to present the changes taking place in the electricity market in Poland considering the goals of the energy policy until 2040. This is the basis for the determination of the scale of processes taking place in the Polish energy sector from two perspectives, i.e., the production of electricity considering its level and energy carriers used, and the consumption of electricity in households depending on their location (rural vs. urban areas). The research was conducted at the regional level (NUTS 2 until 2017) in Poland. Secondary data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) contained in the Local Data Bank were used, along with information from the European Commission and Eurostat websites. Results of the study made it possible to identify areas in which a greater environmental load is observed due to increasing electricity consumption. The coefficient of localization and concentration (by Florence) and the rate of change were applied. These results indicate that, in Poland, it is now the rural areas that have a greater negative environmental impact than urban areas, resulting from differences in unit energy consumption. Compared to the other provinces, rural areas of Podlaskie province had the highest rate of growth in energy consumption in the years 2004–2019, with an annual average of almost 20%.

This study investigates the causal linkages between consumption of energy carriers and value added in the Iranian economic sectors for the period 1974-2013 by using the granger causality test in heterogeneous mixed panels. For this, the panel causality testing approach, the method developed by Emirmahmutoglu and Kose (2011) based on the vector autoregressive (VAR) model and Wald tests with the country specific bootstrap critical values, is applied. This test, accounts cross dependency and heterogeneity among the members of the panel and also, co-integration between variables. Based on the results, the existence of a unidirectional causality relation of oil and gas to value added and the existence of a bidirectional causality relation between electricity and value added in the service sector and the entire sectors is confirmed. In agriculture sector, there is only a causal relation of electricity on value added. In industry sector, the existence of a bidirectional causality relation between gas and electricity with value added and the existence of a unidirectional causality relation of value added to oil is confirmed. In transportation sector, there is a causal relation of gas and electricity to value added and there is a bidirectional causality relation between the oil and the value added. The results can provide important policy recommendations in planning and explaining energy sector policies at the level sector in country.

Regular assessments of events taking place around the globe can be a conduit for the development of new ideas, contributing to the research world. In this study, the authors present a new optimization algorithm named doctor and patient optimization (DPO). DPO is designed by simulating the process of treating patients by a physician. The treatment process has three phases, including vaccination, drug administration, and surgery. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm in solving optimization problems compared to eight other optimization algorithms on a benchmark standard test function with 23 objective functions is been evaluated. The results obtained from this comparison indicate the superiority and quality of DPO in solving optimization problems in various sciences. The proposed algorithm is successfully applied to solve the energy commitment problem for a power system supplied by a multiple energy carriers system.

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Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel obtained from biomass, accounting for 10% of the biodiesel production. In the context of a green economy, aiming for a reduction of the emission of atmospheric greenhouse gases emissions, the demand of biodiesel is expected to increase vastly, in parallel with a side glut supply of glycerol. Given the high cost of biodiesel compared with its fossil congener, upgrading of glycerol into added-value products can represent a secondary income source and turn the production of such alternative fuels economically sustainable in the long term. The glycerol obtained as by-product of biodiesel from biomass is in a crude form and must be purified. Some industrial solutions and applications were therein geared. The survey presented in this work, based on a reviewing of the existing literature, examines three routes for the valuing glycerol into energy carriers and chemicals, namely, carbonation, acylation, and steam reforming to hydrogen. The latter is embodied of great interest and importance, insofar that hydrogen by itself is considered as straighforward clean fuel for transportation uses, due to its high calorific power and to recent advances in fuel cells. We also have focused on the chain value from biomass to energies carriers through these pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to define the character and features of economic relations between Russia and ASEAN in the sphere of energy carriers in the modern period. Method: abstract-logical. Results: basing on the estimations and analysis of economic relations between Russia and ASEAN in the sphere of energy carriers, possibilities for the further cooperation strengthening are revealed. Scientific novelty: the current condition and possibilities for the further cooperation strengthening are researched concerning Russia and ASEAN relations in the development of their nature complexes under the lack of systematized statistical data in the mentioned sphere of mutual trade. The probably influence of the Russia phenomenon is shown on the established relations of ASEAN with other states of Asian-Pacific region in the sphere of energy carriers. Practical value: The research data can be used to deepen the understanding of the poorly-studied energy complex of ASEAN. The marked possibilities for cooperation will allow to continue the bilateral dialogue under competition for the access to the markets of China, Japan, and Korea.

In this study, we survey the effect of increase in energy carrier prices on Iran’s economic sectors using input - output (I-O) table of energy in 2006. This investigation is done in two stages including direct and indirect effects and two scenarios. These scenarios consist of a) the price of energy carriers adopted in 2010, and b) prices based on forecasts of the International Institute of Energy. Calculations of the first scenario and the first stage (direct effects) indicated that the brick and cement industries and transportation, warehousing and telecommunications services have been affected by 138, 86 and 65 percent in price increases, respectively. Also, the highest growth in product prices in the second scenario obtained in brick, cement and ceramic and tile industries by 473.68, 347.74 and 199.81 percent respectively. Furthermore, with defining maximum prices of energy carriers in the second scenario, the highest increase in marginal cost according to direct and indirect effects devoted to the brick, cement and ceramic and tile industries equivalent to772.54, 599.9 and 431.52 percent respectively. These industries ranked in the first to third places due to increase in product prices.

This article focuses on the development of peaceful nuclear power. The author draws attention to the fact that nuclear power is a rather young branch of national economy. However, over recent decades, it has already seen rises and falls, and a number of states have had tragic experiences of nuclear emergencies. Nevertheless, many countries — including the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — express a strong interest in development, generation, and application of nuclear power. In the Baltic States, nuclear power dates back to the Soviet times, but its development was suspended pursuant to the EU regulations (the Ignalina NPP). Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have been striving for energy independence from Russia — the principal supplier of energy carriers to these countries. For a long time, the three Baltic States have been proclaiming their unanimity on the general European path of development. However, the reality proved to be different. The touchstone for achieving common goals was the idea of constructing a new NPP at the site of the closed Ignalina NPP. The author concludes that the joint construction of a new NPP is quite questionable. When it comes to politics, each of the three Baltic States is ready to build its own NPP. Thus, the development of nuclear power in the Baltic Sea region requires joint coordinated actions independent of any bloc-inspired interests of the states involved. Moreover, this success may prove sustainable if the actions are based on innovative decisions and modern technologies.

In this research, energy carriers’ demand of different consumption sectors has been forecasted on regression and fuzzy linear regression approaches considering economic and social indicators. It should be noted that energy carriesr are petroleum products, natural gas and electricity and consumption sectors are residential and commercial sectors, transport, industry, agricultur and powerplants. Actual data of Iran from 1993 to 2010 are used to select suitable models and to illustrate capability of the approach in this regard. Furthermore, the energy carriers’ demand of different sectors for the period of 2012 to 2021 is estimated.

This article focuses on the development of peaceful nuclear power. The author draws attention to the fact that nuclear power is a rather young branch of national economy. However, over recent decades, it has already seen rises and falls, and a number of states have had tragic experiences of nuclear emergencies. Nevertheless, many countries — including the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — express a strong interest in development, generation, and application of nuclear power. In the Baltic States, nuclear power dates back to the Soviet times, but its development was suspended pursuant to the EU regulations (the Ignalina NPP). Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have been striving for energy independence from Russia — the principal supplier of energy carriers to these countries. For a long time, the three Baltic States have been proclaiming their unanimity on the general European path of development. However, the reality proved to be different. The touchstone for achieving common goals was the idea of constructing a new NPP at the site of the closed Ignalina NPP. The author concludes that the joint construction of a new NPP is quite questionable. When it comes to politics, each of the three Baltic States is ready to build its own NPP. Thus, the development of nuclear power in the Baltic Sea region requires joint coordinated actions independent of any bloc-inspired interests of the states involved. Moreover, this success may prove sustainable if the actions are based on innovative decisions and modern technologies.

In Northern China, due to the high penetration of coal-fired cogeneration facilities, which are generally equipped with extraction-condensing steam turbines, lots of wind power resources may be wasted during the heating season. In contrast, considerable coal is consumed in the power generation sector. In this article, firstly it is revealed that there exists a serious divergence in the ratio of electrical to thermal energy between end users’ demand and the cogenerations’ production during off-peak load at night, which may negate active power-balancing of the electric power grid. Secondly, with respect to this divergence only occurring during off-peak load at night, a temporary proposal is given so as to enable the integration of more wind power. The authors suggest that if the energy carrier for part of the end users’ space heating is switched from heating water to electricity (e.g., electric heat pumps (EHPs) can provide space heating in the domestic sector), the ratio of electricity to heating water load should be adjusted to optimize the power dispatch between cogeneration units and wind turbines, resulting in fuel conservation. With this proposal, existing infrastructures are made full use of, and no additional ones are required. Finally a numerical simulation is performed in order to illustrate both the technical and economic feasibility of the aforementioned proposal, under ongoing infrastructures as well as electricity and space heating tariff conditions without changing participants’ benefits. The authors aim to persuade Chinese policy makers to enable EHPs to provide space heating to enable the integration of more wind power.

With the mass introduction of wind power in Northern China, wind power variability has appeared. In this article, both existing electric heat pumps (EHPs) and coal-fired combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, which are generally equipped with extraction-condensing steam turbines coupled with district heating for space heating purposes, are proposed to incorporate the variability of wind power equivalently. The authors’ proposal arises from the facts that: (1) EHPs can provide space heating in the domestic sector with little thermal comfort change (e.g., energy carriers for space heating purposes can be switched from heating water to electricity); (2) coal-fired CHP units in Northern China can usually generate more electrical power corresponding to a shaved thermal power production. Thus, it is suggested that heating water from CHP units be shaved when the wind generation is low due to the variability of wind power, so as to enable more electrical power production and compensate for the corresponding insufficient wind generation. Following this, in the future and for some space heating loads at appropriate distances, electricity used as energy carrier should be converted by electric heat pumps for space heating. Thus, more electricity consumption will be achieved so as to avoid wasting wind power when the wind generation it is high. A numerical simulation is performed in order to illustrate the authors’ proposal. It is shown that the impact of variability of wind generation can be equivalently reduced to a great extent, which enable more wind power integration instead of curtailment and potential energy conservation. Moreover, in contrast to before, both the thermal and electrical power of coal-fired CHP units are no longer constants. In addition, the ratio of electrical to thermal power of CHP units is no longer constant either, and results in less energy consumption compared with fixed ratio. Finally, electricity consumed by end users’ EHPs, which are devoted to space heating for various spatial distances and time points, is figured out.

The methodological framework for assessing adaptability of the economy to changes in energy prices and risks to energy markets was developed. The study proposes indicators for assessing the level of adaptability of the economic sectors to changes in prices for energy carriers and to risks of energy markets. The model of decomposition of adaptability level of the economy sectors to changes in energy prices has been developed. The theoretical and empirical analysis of the influence of energy prices on adaptability level of enterprises and households is carried out. Based on the empirical analysis, it was found that adaptability level of the sectors of Ukrainian economy significantly differs both in the years of the investigated period and in sectors of the economy. At the same time, most indicators of the level of adaptability vary from 0.4 to 0.7. Consequently, the actual decline in the profit of enterprises was 40⁻70% lower than the potentially possible decrease in the profit of these enterprises due to the prices rising for energy carriers. Moreover sectors which are less vulnerable to the growth of prices show higher adaptability level.The possibility of using the obtained results in developing a state energy saving strategy is substantiated.

En este artículo se presentan los primeros resultados obtenidos de la aplicación de la Metodología de las Técnicas de Gestión Total Eficiente de la Energía en el Centro Internacional de Salud “La Pradera”. Se realizó una caracterización energética del Centro, determinándose la estructura de consumo de los portadores energéticos. Se efectuó una investigación estadística de los datos del Centro durante los años 2010 y 2011, obteniéndose que el portador energético más influyente en el consumo de la instalación es la energía eléctrica. Se analizó la relación entre el índice de consumo kilowatt hora vs habitación-día-ocupada (kWh/HDO) para evaluar correctamente la eficiencia energética del centro, determinándose que la temperatura ambiente es un factor significativo en los consumos de electricidad, lo cual conllevó a la obtención de un nuevo índice de consumo que refleja acertadamente el comportamiento del consumo de energía eléctrica en función de los servicios prestados por esta entidad. This article presents the first results of the application of the Methodology for Total Management Techniques of Energy Efficiency at the International Health Centre "La Pradera". It was realized an energetic characterization of the Centre, determining the structure of energy carriers consumption. It was conducted a statistical investigation of the data Centre during the years 2010 and 2011, giving the electricity as the more influential energy consumption of the facility. It was analyzed the relationship between kilowatt hour consumption rate vs day-occupied-room (kWh / HDO) to assess correctly the energy efficiency of the Centre concluding that the room temperature is a significant factor in the consumption of electricity, which led to the award of a new index that accurately reflects the consumption behaviour of electric energy consumption based on the services provided by this entity.

Production of transportable and environmentally friendly synthetic chemical fuels using hydrogen produced by water splitting, using renewable energy will facilitate energy storage and incorporation of renewable energy into the grid. Both carbon and nitrogen can serve as hydrogen carriers leading to carbon- or nitrogen-based fuels carriers. Although the carbon route is vastly reported, the nitrogen-based analog is only scarcely described in the literature, and its economic potential is completely overlooked. Using levelized cost of storage analysis, this work evaluates for the first time the economic feasibility of a nitrogen economy, where liquid nitrogen-based fuels serve as alternative hydrogen carriers. The results indicate that an aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide and urea is competitive with other future large-scale energy storage solutions such as methanol and batteries. At a hydrogen price below 2.5 $/kg, this fuel can be competitive with currently-used mature technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption & economic activities in such a way that are highly correlated. Gas and electercity account for more than 98 percent of total energy consumption in Iran. In this paper an attempt is made to study the consumptions pattern of energy carriers in Iran, using Vector-Auto Regression and Granger Causality Test. The results indicate that price variable is not important determinant of the consumption pattern of energy carriers in the country. However, there are some tendeney to change the energy consumption on the long – run.

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel obtained from biomass, accounting for 10% of the biodiesel production. In the context of a green economy, aiming for a reduction of the emission of atmospheric greenhouse gases emissions, the demand of biodiesel is expected to increase vastly, in parallel with a side glut supply of glycerol. Given the high cost of biodiesel compared with its fossil congener, upgrading of glycerol into added-value products can represent a secondary income source and turn the production of such alternative fuels economically sustainable in the long term. The glycerol obtained as by-product of biodiesel from biomass is in a crude form and must be purified. Some industrial solutions and applications were therein geared. The survey presented in this work, based on a reviewing of the existing literature, examines three routes for the valuing glycerol into energy carriers and chemicals, namely, carbonation, acylation, and steam reforming to hydrogen. The latter is embodied of great interest and importance, insofar that hydrogen by itself is considered as straighforward clean fuel for transportation uses, due to its high calorific power and to recent advances in fuel cells. We also have focused on the chain value from biomass to energies carriers through these pathways.

In this paper we deal only with the demographic and energy issues associated with China's metabolic patterns and present several serious problems that China would face in the future. For this purpose we use our general multi-scale methodology, Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM for short). The second section briefly presents the basic ideas behind this methodology. MuSIASEM is shown to be a combination of (i) Georgescu-Roegen's flow-fund production theory in economics; (ii) hierarchy theory in ecology and (iii) hypercycle theory in chemical reaction cycles. The third section deals with China's population size and its structural problems associated with the metabolic patterns of the country and presents a few potential problems. A shortage of labor hours would be a serious threat to China's economic prospectus unless labor productivity per hour increases dramatically. It is shown that the hourly monetary return in 2050 must be 24.5 US dollar (for 1800 yearly working hours) and 27.6 US dollar (for 1600 yearly working hours), to maintain China's GDP levels predicted for 2050. The fourth section first presents the metabolic patterns of China by four of four quadrants-four angles figure for the secondary and tertiary sectors. This section also discusses a prospect of China's oil import depending on three plausible scenarios. Oil import “guestimates” are 1290, 2010, and 2730 (million tonnes) in the year 2050 based on the three scenarios. Since the world total oil production in 2010 is 3945 million tonnes, the import oil burden for China will be alarming in the near future. The fifth section concludes the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]