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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]

The article deals with the issue of modern challenges in the development of the fuel and energy complex, including the oil and gas industry as its basis in terms of the volume of tax revenues to the budget. Industry technological priorities have been identified: the creation of domestic equipment and technologies for the traditional upstream fuel and energy complex, digital transformation and the development of Industry 4.0 technologies, the development of technological competencies in key areas of energy transition, and the development of technologies in terms of ecology and industrial safety. The world experience of supporting the development of scientific research in industry is analyzed on the example of the USA, Norway and China. An analysis of the challenges of the institutional development of the fuel and energy complex at all stages from research to serial production is presented. The covenants of the state in the field of developing human resources for the implementation of the energy transition of the domestic fuel and energy complex, independent of external circumstances, have been determined. Proceeding from the analysis of internal barriers and successful international practices, proposals were made for the development of state technology policy. The National Program of the Russian Federation formulates directions for the development of the industry in the medium term. The technological development of the Russian Federation in the medium term will be influenced, on the one hand, by a number of external and internal threats of technological backwardness and degradation of the Russian economy, and on the other, by emerging new opportunities. Russia has a serious scientific and technical foundation in the field of hydrogen energy, scientific and technical personnel, operating facilities in the hydrogen industry, intellectual property, standard base, design and operational documentation, experience in creating the world's largest hydrogen filling station for launch vehicles and spacecraft ("Energy- Buran") guarantee the successful completion of assigned tasks in the medium term. Huge reserves of biomass, hydro resources, wind resources, geothermal resources, wave energy of the seas and oceans, solar energy provide enormous opportunities for the export of hydrogen to all interested countries, as well as the widespread use of hydrogen in the national economy, primarily for converting aviation to environmentally friendly fuel and preserving the environment megacities and large urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive Energy Districts can be defined as connected urban areas, or energy-efficient and flexible buildings, which emit zero greenhouse gases and manage surpluses of renewable energy production. Energy storage is crucial for providing flexibility and supporting renewable energy integration into the energy system. It can balance centralized and distributed energy generation, while contributing to energy security. Energy storage can respond to supplement demand, provide flexible generation, and complement grid development. Photovoltaics and wind turbines together with solar thermal systems and biomass are widely used to generate electricity and heating, respectively, coupled with energy system storage facilities for electricity (i.e., batteries) or heat storage using latent or sensible heat. Energy storage technologies are crucial in modern grids and able to avoid peak charges by ensuring the reliability and efficiency of energy supply, while supporting a growing transition to nondepletable power sources. This work aims to broaden the scientific and practical understanding of energy storage in urban areas in order to explore the flexibility potential in adopting feasible solutions at district scale where exploiting the space and resource-saving systems. The main objective is to present and critically discuss the available options for energy storage that can be used in urban areas to collect and distribute stored energy. The concerns regarding the installation and use of Energy Storage Systems are analyzed by referring to regulations, and technical and environmental requirements, as part of broader distribution systems, or as separate parts. Electricity, heat energy, and hydrogen are the most favorable types of storage. However, most of them need new regulations, technological improvement, and dissemination of knowledge to all people with the aim of better understanding the benefits provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no doubt that the transition towards renewable energies is generating many changes on different continents, some with greater impacts than others, but the development that has occurred is recognized and widely accepted. The progress has been significant but it is necessary to analyze the roadmaps that have been proposed so far at the island level so that decision makers have sufficient tools to commit the much-needed economic resources to transform their energy systems into 100% renewable ones. These approaches are not simple and the hard work of the authors who have disseminated their research is recognized. The roadmaps are planned based on the energy potential available in the territories and the future energy demand. Within countries, it is important to increase the economic resources to allocate to investments in environmentally friendly renewable energies. In this review of 100% renewable smart systems on islands, the situation of the American continent, its challenges and its long-term approaches in the different geographical areas facing 2050 are analyzed. This article shows that research into the design of 100% renewable energy systems in scientific articles is fairly new but has gained more and more attention in recent years. In total, 175 articles published since 2002 were identified and analyzed. Many of these articles have a predominant focus on the electricity sector. As a general result, it has been determined that although there has been significant progress towards an orderly energy transition, this has not been consistent with the international agreements signed since the Paris Summit, which is a real challenge in complying with the new commitment of the COP28 of Dubai in tripling the participation of renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transformation in Poland, including the need to accelerate the shift away from hard coal and lignite in the power system, has been taking place in the face of the energy crisis. Ambitious climate and economic goals force the development of renewable energy sources, but they require legislative changes for the benefit of socially vulnerable consumers. This is important from the point of view of counteracting energy poverty. Energy transformation is not only a change in the fuel used, but most of all, the path and basis of low-carbon development that changes many socio-economic systems. The aim of this study is to link the development and environmental challenges in the studied subject matter with social challenges. The analyses show that it is necessary to strengthen the use of local energy potential and resources, and to activate local communities. The construction of nuclear power plants is also crucial. The results of the presented theoretical and empirical studies can be the basis for a revision of the energy policy in Poland in the area of the social dimension of the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of green industrial policy strategies around the world is taking place within a broader global context of a turn toward deglobalization and the pursuit of national self-sufficiency. The political economy of domestic renewable energy support and the basic principles of global trade regimes are in direct conflict, with direct implications for nations' abilities to transition to low-carbon economies. Many are calling for decoupling clean energy supply chains from China, yet such responses could slow the global clean energy transition, increasing the cost of deployment in developing countries. [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]

Nowadays, one of the biggest challenges faced by EU countries is the pursuit of zero-emission economies. Certainly, it is crucial to determine the role of fossil fuels in the energy transformation. In light of the European Green Deal, EU countries should cease the consumption of hydrocarbons, i.e. coal, crude oil and natural gas, by 2050. Nevertheless, there are significant differences regarding the possibility of decarbonizing the energy sectors of the different EU Member States. For many years, Romania has been successively implementing an energy transformation, the main goal of which is the significant reduction of fossil fuels in the energy mix. Just a few years ago, one of the most important energy resources was coal, which is to be eliminated within the next decade. However, a much greater challenge is the reduction and subsequent abandonment of natural gas and crude oil. The key task facing Romania is to ensure energy security, which is why decarbonization will be strongly coupled with the country's economic and political capabilities. The exclusion of fossil fuels in power engineering means that there is a need to develop alternative generation capacities, in particular in nuclear, wind and solar energy. This article presents the current condition of the energy sector in Romania, with a particular emphasis on the role of fossil fuels in its transformation. An analysis of documents and field research shows that there will be a dynamic decarbonization in the coming years, which will result in a significant reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels. The priority of Romania's energy policy is to achieve a zero-emission economy, but ensuring stability and security in the energy sector will be of key importance in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of methane to value‐added chemicals by traditional reforming processes suffers from intensive energy consumption due to its particularly strong C─H bonds. Thus, it is urgent to optimize the driving force structure for methane conversion by accelerating the integration of sustainable energy. In this review, the advances in sustainable energy‐driven methane conversion are systematically summarized to provide a scientific understanding of methane conversion in operation/storage concepts, reactor design, technological maturity, system optimization, and remaining issues. Furthermore, the essence, economic evaluations, energy balance, and social impacts of methane conversion driven by sustainable energy are carefully discussed, paving a path for the future course of research and development. Diversifying the energy mix can play an important role in the future of sustainable energy‐driven methane conversion industries, being used as a crucial step for the transition to sustainable energy, especially the combination of solar/nuclear energy with fossil fuels to produce value‐added chemicals. Additionally, this review intends to bridge the studies of methane conversion and sustainable energy‐driven development, with the ultimate goal of offering a robust framework to understand the current status of sustainable energy‐driven methane conversion and provide guidance for the design of sustainable solutions for a greener future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of greenhouse gases has led to increases in global temperatures and triggered an unprecedented array of environmental disasters. The aim of net-zero emissions is to increase the share of the world's energy supplied by renewable sources as well as to influence consumer behavior to improve the balance between energy supply and demand. Appropriate energy policies can encourage consumers to take a proactive role in the transition to more sustainable forms of energy. Given the circumstances, an increasing number of demand-side users now function as prosumers who produce, store, consume, utilize, and manage energy. To understand the state of the energy prosumers' business model in this changing sector, a review of the literature related to energy prosumers is made, with a focus on energy efficiency, net-zero emissions, Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), energy management efficiency, and Energy prosumer systems. The purposes of this review are (1) to explore the shared models of the energy prosumers, (2) to gain insight into the energy prosumer in different areas, and (3) to identify any gaps in the energy management efficiency research. Finally, we examine the major difference between energy prosumers and their respective relationships to energy sources. The results reveal that for energy prosumer systems, there is still some room regarding how they will financially, equitably, and efficiently adapt to the impact of the new increased renewable energy prosumer business model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homo sapiens has evolved to reproduce exponentially, expand geographically, and consume all available resources. For most of humanity's evolutionary history, such expansionist tendencies have been countered by negative feedback. However, the scientific revolution and the use of fossil fuels reduced many forms of negative feedback, enabling us to realize our full potential for exponential growth. This natural capacity is being reinforced by growth-oriented neoliberal economics—nurture complements nature. Problem: the human enterprise is a 'dissipative structure' and sub-system of the ecosphere—it can grow and maintain itself only by consuming and dissipating available energy and resources extracted from its host system, the ecosphere, and discharging waste back into its host. The population increase from one to eight billion, and >100-fold expansion of real GWP in just two centuries on a finite planet, has thus propelled modern techno-industrial society into a state of advanced overshoot. We are consuming and polluting the biophysical basis of our own existence. Climate change is the best-known symptom of overshoot, but mainstream 'solutions' will actually accelerate climate disruption and worsen overshoot. Humanity is exhibiting the characteristic dynamics of a one-off population boom–bust cycle. The global economy will inevitably contract and humanity will suffer a major population 'correction' in this century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is urgent to make a change of strategy that successfully faces the energy transition to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goals, the armed conflict in Europe, the high price of energy supply and the high energy dependence at European and national level. In this scenario, the energy community, as a new legal entity, driven by European regulations, can be considered an effective tool to fight against climate change, accelerating the energy transition and guaranteeing a fair and inclusive energy system so necessary in our country. At the national level, the legal framework that regulates energy communities is insufficient. Thus, is it necesary a legal, technical and financial development to promote the constitution of such entities. In this paper, we study their legal nature, proposing, within the framework of Social Economy organisations, the associations and cooperatives as suitable legal formula. They have similar characteristics, provide environmental, social and economic benefits for their members, under principles of voluntary, inclusive and democratic participation; in order to improve the quality of life of citizens; in short, to work on behalf of people and our planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the United Kingdom reduces its CO2 emissions in order to meet its 2050 net zero greenhouse gas targets, there will be a significant evolution of the UK's energy mix. The reliance on hydrocarbons will decrease while there is predicted to be an increase in low carbon energy sources such as renewables and nuclear. In order to decarbonise and achieve the net zero emissions targets while concurrently producing enough energy to provide for national energy needs, large‐scale, low carbon energy generation projects need to be developed alongside energy storage facilities to provide flexibility within a low carbon energy supply. Robust CCUS programmes will need be developed in order to capture and store unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions. The subsurface geology of the UK provides opportunities for the development of low carbon energy generation, energy storage and CCS, and the Upper Permian Zechstein Supergroup deposited in eastern England and offshore in the Southern North Sea is a potential host for these new developments. In NE England, salt cavern gas storage sites have been developed in thick Zechstein evaporites since the mid 20th centrury. In this paper we present new isopach maps and well correlation panels which will help to outline optimal locations for the development of additional salt caverns for gas storage. A review of the Zechstein Supergroup indicates that it does not exhibit great potential for the development of CCS, due both to its complex reservoir characteristics and to difficulties with both subsurface imaging and monitoring. However thick Zechstein evaporites could provide an excellent seal for CO2 storage in the underlying Lower Permian Rotliegend Group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formulating energy policies at national, European, and global levels is extremely challenging. The move away from fossil fuels is associated with a variety of technological, economic, and social implications, each of which is subject to dynamic changes and societal scrutiny and can hardly be predicted with certainty. Therefore, a fact-based assessment for the path to a sustainable green energy future is sought out in this paper, using the road-based mobility sector of the Federal Republic of Germany as an example. The analysis performed in this paper is built on publicly accessible, reputable sources like DESTATIS and EUROSTAT. In addition, some very simple calculations were made, e.g., on the potential for wind and photovoltaic energy within Germany. Such an analysis needs to start with the overall energy consumption of any one country. A basic assumption of the paper is that the energy system of the future will be based to a large extent on electricity and its storage in chemical energy. It is assumed that, in addition to hydrogen, liquid energy sources will play a significant role due to the simplicity of their logistics and the subsequent implications on cost. Examples of green, electricity-based fuels with great potential are methanol, methane, and ammonia. Additionally, biomass plays an important role, either for direct use as a fuel or as a source of non-fossil carbon. Today, biofuels, i.e., biodiesel and bioethanol, deliver the largest contribution to climate protection in the EU transport sector. The main goal—the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—often collides with geopolitical circumstances or national political necessities. This includes, for example, the current world market situation and its national impacts caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine. The prospect for a green, sustainable, and defossilized energy supply are discussed in this context. The paper concludes that a defossilized world energy supply and trade based on renewable electricity and its derivatives, eHydrogen and refuels, and on biomass, is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are spreading under the pressure of climate change mitigation plans and the framework, recognized as the most suitable to exploit DER diffusion, is the Energy Community (EC). Understanding the role of energy companies, especially Aggregators, in this context, is still an open topic, as it is not clear how they can support members in the aggregation process and how they create value through their business. The aim of the study is therefore to revise whatever is currently present in the research agenda and consequently a systematic literature review has been carried out. The contribution of this work consists of illustrating the main features of Aggregators, pointing out how they implement their strategies in the energy markets, with which services they capture value, who their partners and customers are, what the financial aspects are of their activities with respect to the size of the aggregated clusters, and, in conclusion, which are the main business model structures currently deployed. Then, considerations are made concerning EC context, identifying the areas where an Aggregator could usefully support communities' establishment and management, solving well-known hindrances, and what gaps future research should fill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Conversion of a DHN to diversified and decentralized renewable supply. • Fully physical digital twin of real DHN used to compare five renewable scenarios. • Implementation of up to 11 different generation and storage technologies at once. • Thermal energy storages with high charging/discharging power are essential. • Results show that at least 98 % renewable supply is possible. Due to the tremendous effects of climate change, the goal of a climate-friendly energy supply has developed into the main task of the energy sector. Today climate neutrality is a central issue at social, political and economic levels. It is a sector coupling issue, requiring renewable energies in electricity, mobility and heat supply. While the heat sector contributes the largest share to final energy demand of German municipalities, it is also the sector for which the path towards climate neutrality will be most challenging. This study presents pathways for large cities for the transition from fossil to renewable heat supply based on the example of Rostock. A detailed, fully-physical simulation model for Rostock's district heating was developed considering different potential heat sources including heat pumps, industrial and process heat, incineration of sewage sludge, waste and solid biomass as well as geothermal and solar thermal plants. Additionally, thermal energy storages have been integrated into the model. The study highlights the importance of simulation models in evaluating the feasibility of energy systems and emphasizes the need for incorporating detailed information in these models to obtain accurate results. Multiple scenarios have been investigated in order to analyse the interplay of heat generation, storage and the annual course of heat consumption. Five final concepts were derived meeting the requirement of climate-neutral heat supply. Although the results show that each variant has advantages and disadvantages, heat generators that make technical and economic sense in all cases were identified. The implementation of these is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift from large-scale centralised energy systems to smaller scale decentralised systems based on Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is likely to cause a sector-wide replacement of current electricity management practices and business models—creating a new energy paradigm. If handled well, such a transition will not be inherently disruptive; however, it can cause major disruption if long-held views and assumptions are not rapidly reconsidered and renewed, and new supporting structures are not swiftly put in place—hence, if disruption is experienced it will be due to a lack of strategic responses rather than the nature of the technology. This paper clarifies the nature of DERs and outlines key issues and opportunities associated with a range of associated service configurations and business models. The paper outlines key factors affecting the viability of such approaches and identifies leverage points for accelerating uptake. The paper concludes by considering how shifting landscape factors and related opportunities in the coming decades will shape the transition to a decentralised energy system. This paper contains findings from research performed at the Renewable, Affordable, Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre (RACE CRC) in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind farms are a current area of interest in Australia due to their ability to support its transition to renewable energy. Climate reanalysis datasets that provide simulated wind speed data are frequently used to evaluate the potential of proposed offshore wind farm locations. However, there has been a lack of comparative studies of the accuracy of wind speed predictions from different reanalysis datasets for offshore wind farms in Australian waters. This paper assesses wind speed distribution accuracy and compares predictions of offshore wind turbine power output in Australia from three international reanalysis datasets: BARRA, ERA5, and MERRA-2. Pressure level data were used to determine wind speeds and capacity factors were calculated using a turbine bounding curve. Predictions across the datasets show consistent spatial and temporal variations in the predicted plant capacity factors, but the magnitudes differ substantially. Compared to weather station data, wind speed predictions from the BARRA dataset were found to be the most accurate, with a higher correlation and lower average error than ERA5 and MERRA-2. Significant variation was seen in predictions and there was a lack of similarity with weather station measurements, which highlights the need for additional site-based measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of optimizing energy production is becoming increasingly important with the development and use of RES and energy efficiency measures. Given that these are optimization processes that require taking into account several indicators according to which the set of optimal technologies for energy production will be ranked, and take their percentage share in the total percentage of energy supply. Indicators describing the process of energy production and utilization include technological, environmental, economic, energy, and limiting domains of their application. From that aspect, when the energy supply process is optimized from several possible alternatives according to the optimization factors defined in this way and the percentage of participation from each is calculated, a very realistic picture of the optimal energy mix of a state or local community is obtained. In this paper, a comparison of the energy mix for Copenhagen, Denmark and Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina is made. The process of comparing energy mixes was made possible by a previously developed mathematical model for optimizing and searching for an optimal energy mix based on the compromise ranking method, also known as the VIKOR, as well as entropy and analytic hierarchy process methods for defining weight values of criteria describing energy mix. Since we know that the introduction of new RES and the replacement of fossil fuels with them is a process of transition of existing energy sectors, the approach presented in this paper would greatly facilitate the transition process itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) assessment report highlighted how actions to reduce CO2 emissions have not been effective so far to achieve the 1.5 C limit and that radical measures are required. Solutions such as the upgrading of waste biomass, the power-to-X paradigm, and an innovative energy carrier such as hydrogen can make an effective contribution to the transition toward a low-carbon energy system. In this context, the aim of this study is to improve the hydrogen production process from wet residual biomass by examining the advantages of an innovative integration of anaerobic digestion with thermochemical transformation processes. Furthermore, this solution is integrated into a hybrid power supply composed of an electric grid and a photovoltaic plant (PV), supported by a thermal energy storage (TES) system. Both the performance of the plant and its input energy demand—splitting the power request between the photovoltaic system and the national grid—are carefully assessed by a Simulink/Simscape model. The preliminary evaluation shows that the plant has good performance in terms of hydrogen yields, reaching 5.37% kgH2/kgbiomass, which is significantly higher than the typical value of a single process (approximately 3%). This finding demonstrates a good synergy between the biological and thermochemical biomass valorization routes. Moreover, thermal energy storage significantly improves the conversion plant's independence, almost halving the energy demand from the grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government considers natural gas the preferred transition energy resource and is attempting to increase its proportion in China's primary energy mix. In recent years, the reform of China's natural gas sector has been steered towards breaking down vertical integration and developing a more market-based pricing system, the latter of which has long been subject to decisive government intervention. This article provides a comprehensive study of China's gas pricing system through an analysis of policy and regulation. It shows that the previous reform was parochial and incremental, driven by the critical developmental conditions of China's gas market. The gradual reform exemplifies the lack of systematic planning for the pricing reform and a relatively weak regulatory system. The latest reform has demonstrated a more systematic approach to restructuring China's natural gas market with the improved political will to introduce competition into China's gas market. However, the political imperative to reform natural gas pricing is challenged by the regulatory uncertainty rooted in the pre-existing conditions of China's natural gas sector and the vested interest of industrial stakeholders. This article analyses the challenges of the latest reform to understand the limitations of the reform measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of a cost-effective and low-carbon electricity generation environment is critical to achieving Ghana's economic and industrial ambitions. Ghana's development agenda calls for an average electricity consumption of about 5,000 kWh per capita by 2030. To this end, the effective harnessing of energy resources requires the implementation of robust policies for sustainable electricity generation. This study employs the IAEA MESSAGE analytical tool to conduct a quantitative assessment of electricity generation in Ghana from 2020 to 2048. The findings show that, by 2048, a diversified electricity generation scenario will result in a 32.30% decrease in cost and a 55.27% reduction in CO2 emissions, compared to an accelerated economic growth (AEG) scenario, which will increase cost and CO2 emissions by 12.21% and 21.10%, respectively. The results underscore the importance of ensuring that electricity generation policies balance economic, environmental, and social concerns. Achieving a green energy transition agenda in Ghana and other developing nations will require a long-term commitment to a generation mix that is both sustainable and economically viable. The implementation of such a policy will require an informed and dedicated effort from all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy policy is becoming a key aspect of the everyday worldwide agenda, and the decisions in this field are directly affecting many aspects, such as energy security, energy supply, and consumer final prices, as well as environmental aspects, among others, and will also affect conditions in the coming years with regard to aspects such as energy resource availability decay, climate change effects, or air contamination. During the last decades, many specific efforts in energy planning research have been carried out by different scientists around the world, but very few of their scientifically based conclusions and recommendations have been transferred into energy planning and energy policy. As a consequence, the energy availability and the environmental situation of the world are worsening; the objectives which aim to achieve a maximum of a 1.5 °C increase are far from being achieved, and many different regions are suffering energy supply disruptions and lack of accessible and secure energy access. This paper analyzes how current energy policy is based more on the direct influence of stakeholders, energy politics, and citizens' beliefs or preferences than on a scientific approach. It also proposes a different approach that would combine scientific energy planning as a driver for stakeholders and the political decisions which are necessary to consider as soon as possible; this is the only possible way to ensure a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful energy transitions, also referred to as leapfrog development, present enormous prospects for EU nations to become carbon neutral by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Along with climate change, EU countries must address energy security and dependency issues, exacerbated by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, rising energy costs, conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and political instability. Diversifying energy sources, generating renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, preventing energy waste, and educating the public about environmental issues are proposed as several strategies. The study draws the conclusion that central European countries may transition to a clean energy economy and become carbon neutral on economic and strategic levels by locating alternative clean energy supply sources, reducing energy use, and producing renewable energy. According to the study, the EU energy industry can be decarbonised and attain energy security using three basic strategies, such as supply diversification, energy savings, and quicker adoption of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. The energy transformation industry still needs to improve energy efficiency, incorporate a circular and sustainable bioeconomy, and support renewable energies, including solar, wind, hydropower, nuclear, and hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is currently undergoing the energy transition from heavily fossil fuel-dependent energy to cleaner sources of energy in order to achieve its net-zero emissions by 2060. In addition to reducing fossil fuel dependency, as one of the countries with the most geothermal reserves, the optimization of geothermal energy in Indonesia could be key to facilitating the energy transition. The objective of this paper is to elaborate on the transition process, which incorporates the destabilization of fossil fuel and the growth of geothermal energy, by analyzing the impact of both exogenous and endogenous factors on the supply chain structures of both sectors. This study employs workshop involving geothermal stakeholders in Indonesia, combined with the application of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework as the theoretical lens. The study found that energy demand, environmental awareness, energy regulations, energy supply chain, and geothermal potential breakthroughs are important aspects pertinent to the MLP components, namely the socio-technical landscape, socio-technical regime and niche innovations. The socio-technical landscapes are exogenous factors that pressurize the energy sector regime allowing the niche innovation, in the form of geothermal innovation, to penetrate the fossil fuel regime, allowing it to transition to a geothermal regime. The transition pathways include several measures that could break down the fossil fuel and build up geothermal energy, through a number of schemes and incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With concerns about global warming and energy security, people are reducing fossil fuel use and turning to clean energy technologies. Mineral resources are used as materials for various energy technologies, and with the development of clean energy technologies, the demand for mineral resources will increase. China is a large country with various mineral resources, but its structural supply problem is severe. For China to reach the targets of carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, they have set specific milestones for developing each clean energy industry; thus, the demand for mineral resources in clean energy will increase. We first summarise the mineral resources supply for China's development of clean energy technologies. We analyse the demand for various mineral resources in specific clean energy technology sectors under the stated policies scenario and sustainable development scenario through scenario setting. Finally, we combine current domestic mineral resource reserves and overseas import channels to analyse China's mineral resource supply and demand for developing the clean energy industry. Our results show that the surge in clean energy generation and electric vehicle ownership in China between 2020 and 2050 will lead to a significant increase in demand for mineral resources for these technologies and a shortage in the supply of some mineral resources. In particular, the supply of copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium will be a severe constraint for clean energy development. We also find that secondary recycling of power battery materials in the electric vehicle sector could alleviate China's resource constraints. The findings of our study provide a better understanding of the kinds of mineral elements that are in short supply on the path of clean energy development in China under carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets and the future channels that can be used to increase the supply of minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many promising renewable energy (RE) technologies that could help increase the contribution of RE in energy supply but which are not yet commercially available. The development rate of new RE technologies depends on many factors, such as Research and Development (R&D) efforts and policies. This study focuses on comparing China's efforts regarding the development of new RE technologies (e.g., wave and tidal, binary geothermal power, floating solar, micro hydro, osmotic energy, floating offshore wind and vertical axis wind turbines) with those of the European Union (EU). For this purpose, we collected data from publications and databases and analysed several indicators: e.g., the development of renewable electricity generation and capacity, demonstration projects, investments in R&D and patent applications. The results show that China has become a big player globally for mainstream renewable electricity (hydropower, wind and solar PV). This development is due to China's industrial policy and prioritization of effectiveness over cost efficiency. The main developments in China occurred in the 2010s, while the EU was a frontrunner in the 2000s. For the newer or less mainstream technologies, the application in China is still low, compared to the EU, except for floating solar, where China is a lead player. Regarding patent applications, China has shown a higher application amount compared to the EU since 2006. However, only a small share of China's patents are valid internationally. We conclude that China has emerged as a big player in mainstream renewable energy technologies over the last decade. In regard to new renewable energy technologies, China is predominantly involved in solar energy and, in comparison to the EU, less in other new technologies (e.g., binary geothermal systems and ocean energy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the changes that have taken place in energy-related technologies, the United States has been less affected by the geopolitical risks associated with the supply of fossil fuel energy resources, especially crude oil. When the price of oil is low, the geopolitical situation of U.S. energy contrasts with that of other oil-producing countries, which are facing financial pressure due to low oil prices and a high domestic energy demand. Many other countries have been supplying crude oil compared to half a century ago, reducing the strategic importance of major oil exporters, such as key OPEC members in the Persian Gulf. The shale oil revolution in the United States and the transition of energy in countries around the world to more sustainable energy sources, especially renewable energy, have reduced the importance of security in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf for U.S. politicians, which will be intensified in the future. Especially from the middle of the Carter administration period, U.S. politicians saw the security of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf as a prerequisite for securing energy supplies for the U.S. economy, but that has changed. Despite the disruption of Russia's fossil fuel energy supply, as one of the main energy suppliers, due to sanctions from February 2022, the global energy carriers' prices are relatively under control. Energy transition is one of the main contributors to lowering the impact of fossil fuel energy supply disruptions on the global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the phase-out of lignite, the Rhenishmining area is at the beginning of a transformation process that will take decades. Structural funds of almost 15 billion euros are to be allocated as project funding until 2038. The basis for this is the economic and structural programme and a regional consensus with representatives of the region. The aim of this paper is to investigate to what extent the funding project selection helps to establish green development paths and move closer to the ambitious goal of a sustainable model region for energy supply and production. For this purpose, the characteristicsof 22 submitted projects in the "Zukunftsfeld" energy and industry are analysed with regard to a typology of green paths. With the help of nine interviews, framework conditions (design of the funding process and resource endowment of the actors) that influence green path development processes in the Rhenish Revier could be identified. Path renewal processes of the regional industry as well as path creation dynamics especially in the hydrogen sector can be found. Overall, the project se-lection is determined by a high proportion of knowledge institutions, whose participation is favoured by the framework conditions. The participation of small and medium sized enterprises and municipalities, on the other hand, is hampered by the framework conditions, whichmeans that existing regional potentials are not utilized optimally and the transformation process as a whole can be compromised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clean hydrogen in the prioritized value chain platform could provide energy incentives and reduce environmental impacts. In the current study, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis has been successfully applied to the clean hydrogen value chain in different sectors to determine Japan's clean hydrogen value chain's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as a case study. Japan was chosen as a case study since we believe that it is the only pioneer country in that chain with a national strategy, investments, and current projects, which make it unique in this way. The analyses include evaluations of clean energy development, power supply chains, regional energy planning, and renewable energy development, including the internal and external elements that may influence the growth of the hydrogen economy in Japan. The ability of Japan to produce and use large quantities of clean hydrogen at a price that is competitive with fossil fuels is critical to the country's future success. The implementation of an efficient carbon tax and carbon pricing is also necessary for cost parity. There will be an increasing demand for global policy coordination and inter-industry cooperation. The results obtained from this research will be a suitable model for other countries to be aware of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in this field in order to make proper decisions according to their infrastructures, potentials, economies, and socio-political states in that field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient and sustainable exploitation of energy resources may secure a sustainable economic growth for different regions. However, the peripheries are subject to social, economic, and political constraints, with limited power over energy management. The present work examines regional convergence in exploitation efficiency as synopsized in the GDP generated by energy and minerals in an era of the country's efforts to shut down the lignite-run power production. With the assistance of panel unit root tests, we confirm non convergence of the variables employed, an expected result given the fact that different energy sources are being used for energy production by each different periphery, generating different economic results. In the second stage the methodology employed is a Bayesian vector auto-regressive model (BVAR) with an informative prior on the steady state. The particular methodology outperforms the conventional VAR methodology due to limited degrees of freedom. The Impulse response analysis and the Variance Decomposition analysis confirmed interlinkages among the regions studied. This result implies that the growth generated by different energy and mineral resources are interconnected. Furthermore, the energy transition taking place in Megalopoli and West Macedonia, where the two greatest lignite industries were located until recently, affects the growth generated by energy and resource exploitation for all the other peripheries, according to our findings. The novelty of the present work stands on the concept to detect interlinkages of energy and resources-based growth for the peripheries in Greece with the assistance of the Bayesian Var. The results of the present work are significant, since our findings suggest to policy makers tools to promote economic growth generated by energy based on alternative energy sources, including the environmentally friendly ones, by taking into consideration the interlinkages established by the existing infrastructure and the conventional energy sources used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The energy crisis caused by the Russia–Ukraine war (RUW) has affected the energy supply chain. The countries most impacted by the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine focused on replacing the countries they import their energy from in the short term and switching fuel, for example, from natural gas to coal in Germany. The objective of this article is to verify how the war has impacted energy trade and electricity generation in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). The results indicate that the RUW had consequences on these countries' energy sector, significantly affecting fuel trade and electricity generation in the immediate aftermath of the war. • Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a global crisis in energy supply chains. • The Russia–Ukraine war led countries, such as Germany, to reactivate coal plants. • The UK replaced Russian fuel imports with those from other countries, like the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

A review of different energy components is detailed, as a baseline of fundamentals for the new integrated energy concept idealization. This innovative solution is a Hybrid for Renewable Energy Network (Hy4REN) based on well-studied elements to produce the best final solution. This proposal has the objective of improving energy system sustainability, facing fossil fuel and climate change restrictions, and increasing energy network flexibility. The most mature energy storage technology, pumped hydropower energy storage (PHES), is used to support both the grid connection and stand-alone modes, as an integrated hybrid energy system. The hybrid system idealization is modular and scalable, with a complementary nature among several renewables, using sea water in offshore mode to build an integrated solution. By evaluating a variety of energy sources, complemented with economic analysis, the benefits associated are evidenced using this sustainable methodology based only on renewable sources. Combined production of hydropower, using sea water, with pumped storage and water hammer events to create potential energy to supply hydropower in a water loop cycle, without consuming electrical energy, is explored. Other renewable sources are also integrated, such as floating solar PV energy and an oscillating water column (OWC) with coupled air-venting Wells and wind turbines, all integrated into the Hy4REN device. This complementarity of available sources allows us to improve energy storage flexibility and addresses the energy transition toward net-zero carbon emissions, inducing significant improvements in the sustainability of the energy network as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-system scenarios are widely used to relate the developments of the energy supply and the resulting carbon-emission pathways to political measures. To enable scenario analyses that adequately capture the variability of renewable-energy resources, a specialised type of power-sector model (PSM) has been developed since the beginning of this century, which uses input data with hourly resolution at the national or subnational levels. These models focus on techno-economic-system optimisation, which needs to be complemented with expert socioeconomic knowledge in order to prevent solutions that may be socially inacceptable or that oppose political goals. A way to integrate such knowledge into energy-system analysis is to use information from framework scenarios with a suitable geographical and technological focus. We propose a novel methodology to link framework scenarios to a PSM by applying complexity-management methods that enable a flexible choice of base scenarios that are tailored to suit different research questions. We explain the methodology, and we illustrate it in a case study that analyses the influence of the socioeconomic development on the European power-system transition until 2050 by linking the power-sector model, REMix (renewable-energy mix), to regional framework scenarios. The suggested approach proves suitable for this purpose, and it enables a clearer link between the impact of political measures and the power-system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents a completely decarbonized system structured with renewable energies for the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, with a horizon to the year 2050. The transition process begins with clear legal actions and allocating economic resources that clearly promote a change in the energy matrix and the transition would be achieved until the year 2050. The Galapagos Islands are the second largest marine reserve on the planet, declared a World Heritage Site in 1978 for UNESCO. The archipelago, a beautiful ecological attraction, has tourism as its main economic source. The biggest problem is in the supply of energy that mainly comes from fossil fuels, in addition to that, the smell of fuel in several places is out of tune with the harmonious nature and its species. The efforts began to be noticed when in the Archipelago the new implementations of renewable energy began to become a reality with the purpose of stopping using fossil fuels. In this sense, there is the potential to take advantage of the resources available in specific sites, especially the photovoltaic and wind solar considered in the National Plan All a Life. The change in the productive matrix from the national level also implies a change in demand, including at the transportation level with the use of electric vehicles and the use of electric stoves in homes. The purpose is that energy services in the Galapagos Islands progressively increase, on the one hand, replacing fossil fuels and on the other, supplying the growing demand with a view to 2050, taking advantage of renewable energies until reaching 100%. • The scenario outlined is 100% renewable energy by 2050 in the Galapagos Islands. •The Galapagos archipelago has great renewable energy potential. •The decarbonization in Galapagos will have a positive impact on the socioeconomic and environmental aspects. •Decarbonization is feasible by 2050 depending on the economic situation. •The electricity system of Galapagos will allow it to maintain its status as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adequate recognition of the offshore wind energy potential may help coastal states frame proper energy policies for replacing nuclear and fossil fuel energy. In this study, we examined the application potential of the offshore wind energy generated by 31 offshore wind farms designated by the Taiwanese government for future exploitation. Our findings indicate that offshore wind energy (through its substantial power generation volume and capacity factor) can play the most pivotal role in future power generation for Taiwan. A total of 59.3 TWh of electricity produced from offshore wind energy and solar photovoltaics (PVs) each year could replace the power generated from nuclear energy by 2025. Coal-fired power generation could be replaced by offshore wind energy and other renewables by 2032. The full exploitation of offshore wind farms as detailed in this study (103.4 TWh/year), together with other renewables, could reduce the share of liquefied natural gas-fired power generation to 5.6% of the total Taiwanese power supply by 2040. Realizing the ultimate target of 100% carbon-neutral power generation would rely mainly on a further decrease in electricity consumption per unit of gross domestic product and the expansion of offshore wind energy and geothermal energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany represents a new and unconventional actor in the field of energy foreign policy. Based on its reputation as an energy transition frontrunner, it is pursuing a soft power strategy aimed at promoting its Energiewende policy approach abroad. Germany's bilateral energy partnerships, this paper argues, represent the government's central policy instrument for this purpose. After a discussion of the German energy transition as a soft power resource, the paper provides an in-depth empirical analysis of Germany's bilateral energy partnerships. The paper argues that the partnerships have been deliberately designed as instruments for mobilizing the Energiewende narrative as soft power. Linking it to concepts in the soft power debate, it discusses the main channels through which the partnerships aim to boost the attractiveness of German policy solutions and persuade partners to consider their adoption. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for further research on the international political economy of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of efficient technologies, renovation of buildings and construction of new passive buildings, replacement of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants with "clean" technologies such as photovoltaics and wind, transition to 4-D in industry, and electrification are parts of the objectives set out in the Green Deal of the EU. The Green Deal foresees a transformation to a "green" economy while maintaining economic growth, as well as creating new "green" jobs. To meet these goals, each country needs to develop its own strategic documents that will guide the transition, taking into account its own specific conditions, the current state of the energy sector as well as geographical location. This paper aims to present a vision for the energy transition of a developing country, a member of the Energy Community, and a country that expects to join the EU. The vision of the development of the energy system of North Macedonia foresees a transformation from a system based on fossil fuels, where the share of RES in the gross final energy consumption is about 18%, to a 43% share of RES in 2040, while maintaining import dependence at the current level and guaranteeing the security of energy supply. For exploring the way and the pace at which such a vision can be achieved it is necessary to develop different models and simulations, including different technologies on the generation and consumption side. Such alternatives, packaged in different scenarios, allow policymakers to assess the effects of taking certain actions and the direction in which such decisions will lead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroeconomic evolution since the beginning of 2022, worldwide, but also at regional and national level, marks major imbalances, caused by several factors, among which the vulnerability of the energy system as a whole is a major one. Demand and supply in all forms of energy, both in terms of production and distribution, have unsustainable gaps, which implies the need the need for public authorities to intervene through the design and implementation of appropriate strategies to address the challenges of the transition in energy resources and, at the same time, to remove the effects of the crisis of the energy system, a crisis that is felt in the vast majority of the states of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, Governments of South Asia have faced the challenge of achieving the goal of sustainable development. On the one hand, they must satisfy the ever-growing demand for energy and, on the other hand, the interminable deterioration of the environment is causing great concern among political economists. The widening gap between the demand and supply of energy, over-reliance on the use of fossil fuels, and increasing import bills due to rising global prices are the challenges that South Asia is facing. These can be overcome by using its great potential in renewables. This paper uses SWOT methodology to identify that the poor financial situation of the distribution companies, due to power losses and non-cost-reflective tariffs, and the lack of credit opportunities, due to high interest rates and inaccessibility of loans for the long-term, are the major impediments to the growth of the renewable energy sector of the region. Moreover, there is a conflict of interest between the manufacturers of renewable energy equipment and the developers of renewable energy projects in terms of Government policy concerning the imposition of import duties. India is moving towards protection of the former, while the latter see opportunities in the renewable energy sector of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of energy systems with a high share of renewables is a challenge for grid planners and operators, as weather and energy demand do not always coincide. Investigating the energy autonomy of cities and their local energy resources can help to overcome this challenge. To this end, real energy demand data from the city of Loja, Ecuador, and wind energy generation from a nearby wind farm were compared. This showed that wind energy provides 53% of the city's demand. It is exposed that despite the excess energy, the wind farm's ability to supply the city with electricity is limited to about 74% when the wind farm is expanded to twice its rated capacity. The results show that in order to improve the autonomy, other energy sources, such as photovoltaic, as well as useful size energy storage are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a representative region with poor energy resource endowment in China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region poses a pressing and vital issue for research on energy security. This study offers a comprehensive assessment of energy security levels (ESL) in the YRD region of China from 2000 to 2019, emphasizing the pivotal role of electricity indicators in energy transition using a combination optimization model of the entropy method and CRITIC method. Subsequently, we employed a coupling synergy degree model to further quantify the energy synergy among different YRD provinces and to verify the effects of energy synergy and renewable energy generation (REG) on the ESL of the YRD region. The findings highlight supply security as the central concern for safeguarding energy security. The YRD region's ESL ranking is as follows: Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Shanghai. There is a significant linear correlation between energy synergy and ESL, with Zhejiang and Jiangsu experiencing a notably greater effect of energy synergy on ESL than Anhui. A pronounced U-shaped relationship between REG and ESL is evident in the Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. The impact of REG on ESL is significant in Zhejiang province but negligible in Shanghai. • Investigated the energy security of China's Yangtze River Delta region. • Estimated the energy synergy of China's Yangtze River Delta region. • Examined how energy synergy and renewable energy generation affect energy security. • Renewable energy generation's effect on energy security shows a clear U-shaped pattern. • There is a significant linear correlation between energy synergy and energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology for assessing sustainable performance in hybrid systems, facilitating the gradual energy transition. • Demonstrated feasibility of the energy transition through the study of three hybrid systems tailored to Colombia's emerging energy markets. • Achievement of demand-meeting power and low-emission hydrogen production in the full hybrid process. • Exploration of low-emission hydrogen generation aligned with the just transition, aiding in emissions reduction and introducing new energy vectors to markets reliant on non-renewable generation. To explore sustainable alternatives to meet the growing energy demand worldwide, it is necessary to analyze strategies promoting the efficient use of energy, the mitigation of environmental impact, the diversification of power resources, and the orientation toward energy transition. Due to their location, Latin America and the Caribbean have a significant renewable energy potential. For instance, Colombia has an installed thermoelectric capacity accounting for over 40% of its total power generation resources. Nevertheless, its legislation promotes the fair transition toward alternative sources while leveraging the installed infrastructure. Additionally, worldwide projections show that hydrogen-based power generation will foster the hybridization of power generation systems. This research addresses the evaluation of four increasingly complex systems, starting with a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT), successfully adding subsystems up to a hybrid system comprising a CCGT, a photovoltaic field, a methane reformer with carbon capture, a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, and a hydrogen compression-storage stage. The appraisal is performed with the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), using technical, economic, sociopolitical, and environmental indicators. We used the Colombian energy market as a case study. The evaluation found that the scenario incorporating all the subsystems achieves the best trade-off across all considered criteria. In nominal conditions, this scenario achieves an overall efficiency of 63.67%, a levelized cost of energy of 0.032 USD/kWh, a carbon footprint of 0.047 kgCO 2 /kWh, and a conventional-to-total power ratio of 70.77%. Integrating electrolysis, reforming with carbon capture for hydrogen generation, and using surplus gas and power reduce CO 2 emissions while increasing profits. Additionally, the combination of hydrogen storage and solar energy enhances overall power generation capabilities. The proposed assessment methodology can be extended to evaluate the viability of similar hybrid systems in other regions and energy markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving carbon neutrality is probably one of the most important challenges of the 21st century for our societies. Part of the solution to this challenge is to leverage renewable energies. However, these energy sources are often located far away from places that need the energy, and their availability is intermittent, which makes them challenging to work with. In this paper, we build upon the concept of Remote Renewable Energy Hubs (RREHs), which are hubs located at remote places with abundant renewable energy sources whose purpose is to produce carbon-neutral synthetic fuels. More precisely, we model and study the Energy Supply Chain (ESC) that would be required to provide a constant source of carbon-neutral synthetic methane, also called e-NG (electric Natural Gas) or e-methane (electric methane), in Belgium from an RREH located in Morocco. To be carbon neutral, a synthetic fuel has to be produced from existing carbon dioxide (CO 2) that needs to be captured using either Direct Air Capture (DAC) or Post Combustion Carbon Capture (PCCC). In this work, we detail the impact of three different carbon sourcing configurations on the price of the e-methane delivered in Belgium. Our results show that sourcing CO 2 through a combination of DAC and PCCC is more cost-effective, resulting in a cost of 146 €/MWh for e-methane delivered in Belgium, as opposed to relying solely on DAC, which leads to a cost of 158 €/MWh. Moreover, these scenarios are compared to a scenario where CO 2 is captured in Morocco from a CO 2 emitting asset that allow to deliver e-methane for a cost of 136 €/MWh. • Model energy supply chain from Morocco to Belgium for electric methane; • Explore three CO2 sources for electric methane synthesis; • Analyse the pros and cons of each CO2 source on price and energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Geothermal power of an open geothermal system is enhanced. • A multiphase numerical model was created. • Different absorber types were compared. • The time-dependent enhancement was evaluated. • Further research questions were defined. The symbiotic use of underground infrastructure among the improvement of transport routes and the generation of geothermal power, is increasingly gaining momentum. Geothermal systems can be divided into open and closed systems, which differ from each other by the circumstance that closed systems have a closed circuit and open systems do not. For the application of geothermally closed tunnel systems, elegant solutions have been developed, while geothermally open tunnel systems are still dictated by the characteristics of the water entering the tunnel. In order to address this issue, concepts for tunnels under design as well as existing tunnels, were developed. The concepts allow the temperature of the inflowing water to be risen, and thereby increasing the geothermal power. The presented approach is based on the channeling of cold tunnel water inflows through absorber sections in areas of high overburden to supply them with additional energy before diverting them back into the drainage system. In order to obtain indications on the effectiveness as well as on the sensitivity of the components and influencing parameters, numerical models were created and subsequently compared, since no empirical data are available. The results show that it is possible to enhance the geothermal performance, but with decreasing efficiency over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, climate change is a major global societal challenge that significantly increases environmental stress. Most international organizations and policies have promoted initiatives to minimize emissions, reduce fossil fuel dependence and increase renewable energy resource integration into different sectors. An energy transformation towards more renewable systems is thus a priority. Under this scenario, the present paper describes and evaluates an alternative energy conversion matrix-based model to combine sector electrification, power generation units from renewables, and new clean technologies. The proposed green matrix-based model allows analyzing future scenarios, including electricity participation in end-use consumption and electric power generated by renewables – potentially integrated into different sectors –. The proposed model is evaluated in the state of Maine (United States). This case study is focused on decarbonizing both residential heating and transport sector through the integration of large offshore wind power plant. Results and discussion is also included in the paper, providing expected energy demand reductions and decreasing emissions through the integration of renewables. This energy transition integration case study is proposed in three road-maps with different penetration rates and time scales. The proposed green matrix-based model can be also applied to other areas and energy resources, as an alternative way to analyze and estimate renewable integration into different sectors. • Green Electrical Matrix to link electricity supply and end-use for energy transition. • Assesses renewable potential and electrification tech for end uses, e.g., transport. • Applies model to Maine, USA to show reductions in fossil fuels and emissions. • GIS and MCDM for optimal offshore wind location, maximizing electricity generation. • Short, medium, and long-term projections of renewable integration into energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of energy transition on energy security risk for 41 BRI during 1995–2018 using second generation panel econometric techniques. First this study computes total energy share from renewable resources and then analyses their effects on energy security risk. According to the results of augmented mean group (AMG) and common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) estimates, renewable resources significantly decrease energy security risk. Energy transition as variable of interest significantly decreases energy security risk with renewable energy resources. This study recommends that a structural change in the form of energy transition reduce energy security risk for selected BRI countries. This is because non-renewable resources although fulfil domestic energy requirements but degrades the environment and still there exists energy security in the form of energy demand and supply, affordability, cleanability sustainability and availability. Corresponding to these findings, BRI countries must implement policies to invest more in renewable energy resources and less utilization of non-renewable resources to prevent themselves from energy security risk in the long run. • Role of energy transition in reducing energy security risk for BRI countries. • Total renewable energy contribution towards energy security risk. • Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common correlated effect (CCEMG) estimates. • Dealing Cross-sectional dependence in panel analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]