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Community microgrids hold significant promise to address the challenges posed by the growing electrification of transportation and other energy-intensive demands, such as the electrification of heating. This potential is further supported by rigorous scientific research, which highlights their capacity to enhance energy resilience, reliability, and sustainability. In the specific context of Aotearoa New Zealand, community microgrids exhibit the potential to significantly improve energy resilience and self-sufficiency. This article outlines the evidence-based benefits, challenges, and high-potential use cases of community microgrids in Aotearoa New Zealand, drawing on both domestic and international research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cost-effectiveness of the hybrid design of microgrids for determining if a hybrid MG system is necessary is taken into consideration as the study focuses on improving power access in an optimal and economical manner. Both the cost of electricity (COE) and the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) of the hybrid MG design are optimized. The hybrid microgrid design including the photovoltaic (PV)-wind systems with battery storage and diesel generators are modeled and optimized for technical and economic feasibility using MATLAB. The energy management technique is applied between hybrid energy sources and loads. For this hybrid microgrid energy management system, an optimisation approach called spider monkey optimization (SMO) is employed. Using their distinct fission and fusion techniques, spider monkeys always engage in natural foraging behavior. Here, a variety of common constraints related to PV, wind, energy storage elements, inverters, and diesel generators with a variety of cost functions and dimensions are resolved by the proposed optimization method. The SMO optimization method is used to find a utilitarian optimal hybrid energy system configuration with a minimum COE, minimum LPSP, and leading renewable factor to meet the customer load throughout the entire time horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal access to electricity is beneficial for the socio-economic development of a country and the development of smart communities. Unfortunately, the electrification of remote off-grid areas, especially in developing countries, is rather slow due to geographic and economic barriers. In the Philippines, specifically, many electrified off-grid areas are underserved, with access to electricity being limited to only a few hours a day. This is mainly due to the high dependence on diesel power plants (DPPs) for electrifying these areas. To address these problems, hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) have been considered good electrification alternatives and have been extensively studied for their techno-economic and financial feasibility for Philippine off-grid islands. In this work, articles published from 2012 to 2023 focusing on off-grid Philippine rural electrification were reviewed and classified based on their topic. The taxonomical analysis of collected studies shows that there is a saturation of works focusing on the technical and economic aspects of off-grid electrification. Meanwhile, studies focusing on environmental and socio-political factors affecting HRES off-grid electrification are lagging. A bibliographic analysis of the reviewed articles also showed that there is still a lack of a holistic approach in studying off-grid electrification in the Philippines. There are only a few works that extend beyond the typical techno-economic study. Research works focusing on environmental and socio-political factors are also mainly isolated and do not cross over with technical papers. The gap between topic clusters should be addressed in future works on off-grid electrification.

Industrial electrification is a crucial strategy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and tackling the challenge of renewable energy consumption. With the advancement of low-carbon electricity, chemical process electrification has garnered extensive attention. This work focuses on the electrification reconfiguration and carbon emission reduction of traditional chemical process, which mainly concerns the indirect electrification of processes and direct electrification of utilities, using the state-of-the-art Coal-to-Ethylene glycol (CtEG) process as a case study. The conventional CtEG process results in high CO 2 emissions due to water gas shift reaction. The indirect electrification path of the conventional CtEG process is achieved by introducing green hydrogen from solid oxide electrolysis cell technology (SOEC-CtEG). Electric heaters are directly used for the hot utility in SOEC-CtEG process to form a semi-electrification scenario (SES). To investigate the performance of different electrification levels, the full-electrification scenario (FES) is also designed. The results showed that the total CO 2 emissions for the four scenarios are 3.047, 0.576, 0.278 and 0.334 t/t EG, with energy efficiencies of 47.86%, 50.11%, 50.07% and 46.74%, respectively. Production costs are 3024.4, 3497.4, 3869.4, and 6147.8 CNY/t EG, respectively. The present work will contribute to the carbon reduction and process electrification of the CtEG process. • Four scenarios with different levels of electrification for CtEG are being investigated. • Electrification results in an increase in the carbon efficiency of CtEG to 90.24%. • Energy efficiency of the indirect electrification process is the highest at 50.11%. • Semi-electrification process achieves a significant 90.88% reduction in CO 2 emissions. • Full-electrification scenario is not the ideal choice when comparing performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Off-grid solar technologies have emerged as one of the remedies to Africa's severe lack of access to electricity. Evidence from Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya suggests that these systems positively affect income generation, education, health, and safety and security. Despite its potential, off-grid solar power's technical limitations, combined with concerns about durability and environmental impact, underscore the need for more comprehensive solutions. Addressing Africa's electrification crisis requires a multifaceted approach involving collaboration among various stakeholders to ensure sustainable, reliable, and inclusive energy access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a goal for practical renewable electrification and renewable energy investments in underdeveloped regions. Indonesia's experience underscores the complexities and challenges in implementing such projects effectively. A study on the effects of various socio-economic factors on Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Indonesia highlights the significant impact of forest area, urbanization, and industrialization on carbon emissions. A hybrid system consists of PV, a Biogas Generator, and a Wind Turbine that are successfully deployed. However, no economic analysis has been conducted to obtain the best configuration of the hybrid system. We propose to delve into the effective integration combination of hybrid power systems. In this study, we thoroughly analyzed hybrid power systems in underdeveloped areas using the HOMER software. We examined five different hybrid system configurations: Solely biogas, complete generator integration, a biogas and hydrogen combo, biogas coupled with a PV system, and biogas combined with a wind turbine. Our findings indicated varying levels of economic viability, operational performance, and environmental impact across the configurations, providing crucial insights for policymakers and stakeholders in underdeveloped regions like Indonesia. The results showed the Wind-Hydrogen and Hydrogen Only schemes as the most cost-effective, with a Total Net Present Cost (NPC) of, 969.27 and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) at ＄0.218. Moreover, while CO2 emissions were similar across all schemes, around 27,744 kg/year, the All-Generator scheme had slightly higher emissions at 27,667 kg/year but led in electricity production with 29,101 kWh/year. These results underscore the importance of balancing cost, energy output, and environmental impact in hybrid power system schemes for underdeveloped regions.

This article proposes a conceptual model for integrating and categorizing urban projects aimed at achieving carbon neutrality. This model comprises five interconnected levers: energy efficiency, renewable energy production and consumption, electrification of end use, circular economy, and CO2 ensnaring (capture). Each lever encompasses projects and initiatives capable of directly or indirectly capturing urban CO2 and accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These levers are interlinked, providing a road map for constructing a coherent and sustainable municipal model. Referred to as the "5-E levers", this conceptual framework derives its name from the fact that all levers begin with the letter "E", facilitating memorization and dissemination among policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global push for net-zero emission and the power system’s decarbonization, there are still a lot of developing countries (especially in sub-Saharan Africa) with electricity crises or inadequate electrification. Coincidentally, these countries have enormous renewable energy potential. Therefore, this paper presents a brief summary of the electricity incapacitation and renewable energy potential in many sub-Saharan African countries. This study is novel as it presents a techno-analysis of 100% renewable electrification in Chad which is one of the countries with the least electricity access globally. Also, the models developed are simulated using the EnergyPLAN tool with targeted implementation years set as 2030, 2040, and 2050 based on different global decarbonization targets. From the result of this study, the use of biomass power plants is the only scenario that does not have critical excess electricity production (CEEP) in the power system. Also, these scenarios require the least power capacities (270 MW for 2030, 650 MW for 2040, and 1600 MW for 2050) out of all the scenarios in this study. Solar PV and wind power can be categorized as the most probable options as they are matured technologies and in application in many countries, however, they will require pumped hydro storage integration.

The electrification of construction machinery is being phased in through the electrification of small compact machines, including mini excavators, small wheel loaders and dumpers. This is because these machines are deployed in urban environments and cities are increasingly looking for solutions to reduce exhaust emissions and noise. In order to make the use of electric machinery as efficient as possible, it is necessary to know the charging infrastructure options on site. The current calculation model for determining the electrical power needs for a construction site does not account for the needs for charging electric construction machinery. However, this component can have a significant impact on the sizing of the electrical connection for the construction site. A possible solution is to generate and store electricity in a battery storage facility on site, which can then provide a given amount of power immediately within its capacity. At the same time, this component can eliminate unstable power draws and the occurrence of unauthorised withdrawals. Because of the system's renewable solar energy source combined with on-site storage, such energy is the most planet-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original feature of this paper is the development of a toolkit for the decarbonisation of Mediterranean islands. The defined methodology was aimed to develop framework, skills and capabilities, coordinating and tailoring predictive assessment tools, analysing three alternative scenarios for the penetration of renewable sources into the energy system by 2030, consistently with a rationale of integration between technologies, production sectors and available funds. The findings of the research cofinanced by the European Programme Interreg Med (2014-2020) support Local Authorities by developing more effective methods and databases to plan and manage interventions in favour of the energy and cultural transition also through energy communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of carbon emissions in the transportation sector will be aided by the electrification of transportation in RES-based energy systems. However, the inactive addition of electric vehicles is expected to hinder sustainability efforts owing to the rise in power consumption and the significant peak impacts of charging. The three main charging methods for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Europe are: Smart Charging (SC), Power Charging (PC), and Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) that give varying degrees of flexibility are examined in this research. This flexibility is compared to the flexibility provided by interconnections. We depict immediate action and future planning in the power organization using the Balmorel optimization tool, and we advance the state of the art by creating new approaches to stand for battery deterioration & at-home charging. Our results show that, up to the year 2050, any rise in charging flexibility reduces system costs, modifies the energy mix, affects spot prices, and reduces CO2emissions. We quantify the reciprocal benefits of flexible charging and variable generation, which limits the economics of permanently installed batteries and causes solar energy to take the place of wind energy in passive charging. The framework that includes and lacks connection development highlights the interplay between European countries in terms of the power price framework of electric mobility. The condition of the nations with the cheapest and most decarbonizes power mix is harmed beneath the most bendable situation at the EU level, even if the best result is achieved. This necessitates an adjusted coordinating strategy at the EU level. [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.

This dataset includes high resolution, detailed end use data from a net-zero occupied home that demonstrates zero-carbon living and transportation capacity. The house is located in Davis, California, U.S., and the dataset includes full year data from 2020 with 1 minute time resolution. The data has been monitored with more than 230 sensors installed in the house, and there are total 332 channels available. The data includes detailed end use electricity data (e.g., HVAC system, lighting, plug load including major appliances), building's interior thermal conditions (e.g., indoor air temperatures in multiple rooms and relative humidity), HVAC system operation data (e.g., soil temperatures around ground bores and supply water temperatures), on-site power generation system data (e.g., PV power supply and PV surface temperatures) and etc. The original dataset from the house has been curated, and the data has been carefully reviewed for quality check. The data quality check revealed there are 156 minutes of data were missing in the month of April, and around 1,404 minutes of data was missing in August. The data gap was filled with linear interpolation in case the gap is less than continuous 6 hours. Otherwise, the data is filled with -9999. The data curation has been processed using the Tsdat framework (https://github.com/tsdat/tsdat). In addition, a semantic description for the dataset was generated by leveraging the Brick (https://brickschema.org/). The final curated and processed data as well as raw data are currently available through https://bbd.labworks.org/ds/bbd/hshus.

This article offers three instruments to effectively mitigate climate change in the context of the Conference of the Parties (COP)26 and beyond. The first is the interaction between the climate and trade regimes. To that end, this article presents a thought-provoking premise - that mega-regional trade agreements (RTAs) can take a significant role in climate change mitigation. It argues that mega-RTAs can go further to galvanize climate change mitigation, in particular in the energy sector. The energy sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with the majority of energy consumption being supplied by fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. As such, there are two main arguments made herein. First, mega-RTAs, as tangible indications of what is acceptable to major economies, are the impetus to influencing greater coherence on energy efficiency standards. This contributes to climate action by creating, even if to some extent, the harmonization of an otherwise fragmented status of energy governance. Second, mega-RTAs can create substantive provisions that redirect support from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This is the very essence of the energy transition. It is envisaged that these two roles conveyed effectively through mega-RTAs can substantially support the energy transition and amounts to action that mitigates climate change and promotes sustainable energy. The second instrument to effectively mitigate climate change is the role of two major Asian countries that are key in the fight against climate change, namely India and China. Both countries can play a major role in effectively mitigating climate change in the future, following the agreement at COP26 that coal must be phased down. Lastly, the third instrument is visualizing what a decarbonized future would look like. Two of many possible pathways for decarbonization are examined: clean-energy technologies and shale gas as a bridge to sustainability. The article argues that these pathways can be meaningful for effective climate action and are in alignment with the Glasgow Climate Pact. [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]

Hybrid renewable integration, electrification, hydrogenation, spatiotemporal energy sharing and migration, and optimisations are necessary roadmaps for the transition towards low-carbon airport transportation systems. In this study, a comprehensive review on sustainable airport energy ecosystems with hydrogen-based renewable-grid-storage-flexibility, has been conducted, from perspectives of airport energy ecosystem constitutions, renewable supported power supply chain, novel spatiotemporal energy migration paradigms, single and multi-objective optimisations, together with multi-criteria decision-making approaches. Hydrogenation in jet aircraft systems has various advantages, such as lightweight with low fuel transportation load, high specific energy, zero CO2 emissions, and low NOx emissions, reduced air pollution, and environmental sustainability. Depending on different energy sources, liquid hydrogen (LH2) can be produced by solar energy, wind energy, coastal ocean energy, and bioenergy, through chemical technologies and water electrolysis from renewable power. Synergistic operation between land and air transportation systems can promote net-zero emissions. Novel energy interaction frameworks have been formulated, for inter-city/inter-country energy sharing and trading, spatiotemporal compensation on uneven distributed renewable energy resources, and high penetration of renewables. Results showed that power characteristics in airport energy systems include lightweight, high-energy density, energy-intensive, fast power response, safety, stochastic, nonlinear, and dynamics. Coastal energy resources are full of huge potentials to support airport energy systems, through off-shore wind turbines, floating PV panels, current turbines, wave energy converters, tidal stream generators, and ocean thermo-electric generators. Research results can provide conceptional frameworks, prospects, and technical challenges, on electrification and hydrogenation in both land and air transportation sectors, paving path for transition towards sustainability and carbon neutrality.

The non-interconnected islands in Greece are electrified primarily with diesel generators. According to the Greek National Energy and Climate Plan, several islands that are not scheduled to connect to the mainland grid will be converted into green energy islands. A flagship green energy transition project is on the island of Agios Efstratios with the project "Ai Stratis – Green Island". This study modelled the proposed design of the public call (Scenario 1) with the software HOMER Pro and compared it with two other designs in respect to RES penetration missions and economics. The proposed design of the public call projected excellent performance in respect to RES penetration with 82.8%. This study proposed Scenario 2 that was significantly less expensive than the public call, with an initial investment of €1.45M vs €3.00M of the public call. In addition, Scenario 2 had an LCOE of 0.149 €/kWh in comparison to the LCOE of 0.271 €/kWh for Scenario 1 and the sensitivity analysis showed that the LCOE of Scenario 2 has very small fluctuations. This study can provide a blueprint for the expansion of green energy transition projects since the lower cost of the initial installation may allow more projects to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy improves energy security, provides reliable power supply, and ensures fuel diversification. It also offers a solution to the problem of circular debt which has lately become a major concern for the power sector of Pakistan. At present, the share of renewable energy resources in the energy mix is significantly low and the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is urging the drivers and enablers to boost clean and green energy generation and distribution. The power sector, especially the distribution companies, are facing numerous issues in transmission and distribution of power, and recovery of losses. Distributed generation (DG) can play a vital role in overcoming these issues. The effectiveness of solar PV systems, the active role of the capital market, and environmental concerns are among the major factors that prompt the adoption of net-metered solar systems. Apart from traditional alternate energy sources through sunlight and wind, Pakistan has enormous potential for biomass fuel if it could develop proper facilities for biomass-based electrification. For issues related to grid coverage and technical losses in far-flung rural areas, mini-, and micro-hydro power-based distributed generation can serve the purpose. Distributed generation can play a vital role in steering the national power sector toward power sources that offer clean, green, and cheap energy. Huge opportunities for prosperity in rural areas can be also created through carbon-free atmosphere and a sustainable energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the upper and lower bounds for the levelized cost of high-temperature industrial process heat, supplied from electricity generated with solar-photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines in combination with either thermal or electric battery storage using hourly typical meteorological year (TMY) data, in systems sized to supply between 80% and 100% of continuous thermal demand at a site in the northern part of Western Australia. The system is chosen to supply high-temperature air as the heat transfer media at temperatures of 1000 °C, which is a typical temperature for an alumina or a lime calcination plant. A simplified model of the electrical energy plant has been developed using performance characteristics of real PV and wind systems and TMY data of renewable energy resources. This was used to simulate a large sample of possible system configurations and find the optimal combination of the renewable resources and storage systems, sized to provide renewable shares (RES) of between 80% and 100% of the yearly demand. This allowed the upper and lower bounds to be determined for the cost of heat based on two scenarios in which the excess energy is either dumped (upper bound) or exported to the electricity grid (lower bound) at the average generating cost. The lower bound of the levelized cost of energy ( L C O E L ), which occurs for the system employing thermal storage, was estimated to range from USD 10/GJ to USD 24/GJ for RES from 80 to 100%. The corresponding upper bound (L C O E U ), also estimated for the system using thermal storage, are between USD 16/GJ and USD 31/GJ, for RES between 80% and 100%. The utilization of electric battery storage instead of thermal storage was found to increase the LCOE values by a factor of two to four depending on the share of renewable energy. Compared with current Australian natural gas cost, none of the systems assessed configurations is economical without either a cost for CO2 emissions or a premium for low-carbon products. The estimated cost for CO2 emission that is needed to reach parity with current natural gas prices in Australia is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to investigate using biodiesel for rural electrification in a rural community in Ghana. A model electrification system was set up to run on biodiesel to evaluate the technical parameters of the power system and compare it with fossil diesel system. The fuel properties for both JCME and PKME and their blends in this study were comparable to commercial diesel and within the limit set by ASTM/EN for biodiesel standards. It was realised that the difference in consumption and engine performance characteristics of biodiesel was not significant at 95% confidence level from fossil diesel. The difference of between 7 and 15% of all technical parameters evaluated gave support that biodiesel could be used instead of fossil diesel for rural electrification in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Nigerian living in the rural areas lack access to electricity due to lack of connectivity to the national grid network. The national grid expansion strategy to rural areas has not yielded much result due to financing and centralised approach. Off-grid electricity is considered more suitable for rapid electrification of rural areas. This paper examined the American and Indian approach to rural electrification and derived suitable lessons for Nigeria. While America ensured a robust national grid network to service rural areas, India adopted the renewable energy based off-grid options, thereby becoming the fastest developing country in rural electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of a Net Zero energy system by 2050 requires a ramp-up in energy efficiency, electrification and flexibility from within the power sector and other energy carriers. The pan-European Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) plays a pivotal role in guiding decision makers and industry organizations. To put efficient low-carbon electricity at the centre, a coordinated effort across countries and across sectors is key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a feasibility study of utilizing an on-grid photovoltaic (PV) system for electrification of Cedars hotel located in Amman in Jordan as a case study. The PV system has been designed, keeping in view the required electrical load and energy available from the sun in Jordan. The actual energy consumption of the hotel is estimated (444 MWh/year) for the design and simulation of the on-grid PV system using Photovoltaic Geographical Information System software (PVGIS) and photovoltaic software (PVsyst). The results showed that PV system required 912 panels distributed over 12 inverters, with a required area of 1757.3 m2. In addition, the on-grid PV system produced a total yearly energy of 541 MWh, with an average performance ratio of 0.828. The economic study for the proposed PV system showed that the system's payback period was 4.1 year. Moreover, life cycle savings (LCS) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) analysis have been carried out. The LCS and LCOE of the system were found to be $51,493 and $0.0199 /kWh, respectively. Therefore, installing a proposed on-grid PV system on the Cedars hotel will save $38,718/year. It is concluded that an on-grid PV system is a technically and economically viable technology for the electrification of residential hotel applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From solar lanterns to home systems and minigrids, distributed renewable energy (DRE) has become increasingly competitive as an alternative to grid extension in household electrification across many parts of the emerging world. We explore how DRE use in Indian households has evolved against the backdrop of massive public investment in grid extension. Using two rounds of the 2015–2018 ACCESS household data from six Indian states, we estimate the impact of household electrification via grid extension on DRE ownership and use. We find that demand for solar microgrids and minigrids has all but disappeared, whereas demand for solar home systems and lanterns as backup solutions to intermittent grid electricity supply continues to grow. Most notably, while grid electrification has increased from 66% to 85%, solar lantern ownership has grown from 1.2% to 5%. The use of DRE as a backup solution to government electrification schemes seems driven by changes in quality of electricity supply. These analyses confirm that intermittent grid electricity supply is key to understanding the solar lantern's continued popularity. The results show that where population density, household income, and government commitment all favor grid extension, the most affordable DRE technologies can still play an important role. These lessons offer insights into the development of solar-based lighting markets in other regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where grid extension continues but grid electricity remains intermittent in supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to investigate the potential role of renewable energy-based rural electrification to reduce poverty in remote non-grid villages and outermost islands, through the use of the renewable energy-based village-grids (RVGs) program in Indonesia. As the geographical characteristics of such areas are often the main inhibiting factors for electricity supply, this study assesses whether renewable-based off-grid electrification is able to reduce the number of poor and vulnerable people in the remote villages and through what intermediary mechanism it may play its role. Using a difference-in-differences (DID) approach, this study analyzes the effect of renewable energy-based plants in 217 remote villages in Indonesia by comparing outcomes for treated and untreated villages within one sub-district where the remote villages are located. The results show that the program has significantly reduced the number of poor and vulnerable people in the treated village by 91 people. Furthermore, this study also finds that the program was able to significantly increase the number of small-scale industries in the treated village by three units, suggesting that small-scale industries could potentially be the intermediate mechanism through which electricity has a positive effect on poverty alleviation. These results highlight the importance of an off-grid renewable energy-based electrification roll-out in reducing poverty in remote areas and outer islands of Indonesia. • Renewable energy-based village grid (RVG) electrification offers a promising solution to energy poverty in remote areas. • The RVG electrification roll-out significantly decreased the number of welfare recipients in remote areas in Indonesia. • The potential intermediary mechanism of the effects is the growth of small-scale industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Still a lot of Indonesia’s population lacks access to electricity, and a large number of those people live in remote areas or on islands. Traditionally, electrification of areas not yet connected to the main electricity grid and too remote for grid extension has mainly been achieved through installation of decentralized generation units with diesel generators. However, with decreased cost of renewable energy technologies, renewable hybrid mini-grid systems are becoming economically viable options in an ever-increasing number of places. This paper analyzes the economic viability of renewable hybrid mini-grid systems with solar Photo-Voltaic cells, batteries, and diesel generators in a typical un-electrified village in Indonesia employing local data. The analysis is conducted by utilizing HOMER simulation techniques to design the optimal renewable hybrid mini-grid systems and the economic viability assessment of the system is performed by comparing the levelized cost of energy of the system with that of the conventional diesel system under different financial scenarios. Further financial analyses, such as Internal Rate of Return and Net Present Value, are performed for the hybrid systems to investigate what kind of financial scenarios (debt/equity ratios) and public aid (international aid and government fund), would make the hybrid systems attractive to private investors. The analysis has clarified that even at the most conservative scenario with 100% equity finance, the levelized cost of energy of the renewable hybrid mini-grid system is lower than that of the diesel system. Further analysis has shown that grant finance that covers 35% of the total project cost could make the hybrid system a profitable investment project for private investors even in the most conservative scenario. The paper also demonstrates that the profitability of renewable hybrid mini-grid systems is highly affected by financial scenarios (debt/equity ratios) in comparison with that of diesel systems, concluding with policy recommendations.

Due to heavy fuel dependence, the "renewable energy system" idea is an important issue in South Korea. The government of South Korea is endeavoring to convert its energy infrastructure into renewable energy generation. As such, numerous studies have evaluated the economic feasibility of various renewable energy sources in South Korea. This study differs from those studies as it is focused on a smaller scale in terms of self-supporting nanogrid and microgrid energy. The purpose of this study is to determine which type of grid is more economical. To conduct a comparative study on the economic feasibility of nanogrids and microgrids, three substations on Jeju Island were randomly selected. We then suggested two scenarios. The first scenario is , which changes each substation into a nanogrid, and the second is , which connects the three nanogrids to share electricity. This study identifies the optimal combination of hybrid energy resources using HOMER (hybrid optimization model for electric renewables) software to change the substations into an self-supporting energy nanogrid or microgrid. According to the net present cost and cost of energy results for each scenario through HOMER simulations, the scenario is more economical than the scenario. However, this study also shows that microgrids can be the better option, depending on the distance between nanogrids. Finally, implications and limitations are discussed in the last section of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restricted by conventional energy resources and environmental space, the sustainable development of urban power sector faces enormous challenges. Renewable energy generation and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are attractive technologies for reducing conventional energy resource consumption and improving CO2 emission mitigation. Considering the limitation of expensive investment cost on their wide application, a stochastic optimization model for the optimal design and operation strategy of regional electric power system is proposed to achieve conventional resource-consumption reduction and CO2 emission mitigation under costrisk control. The hybrid method integrats interval two-stage stochastic programming with downside risk theory. It can not only effecttively deal with the complex uncertainties expressed as discrete intervals and probability distribution, but also help decision-makers make cost-risk tradeoff under predetermined budget. The proposed model is applied in the electric power system planning of Zhejiang Province, an economically developed area with limited fossil energy resources. The influences of different resource and envir onmental policies on the investment portfolio and power system operation are analyzed and discussed under various scenarios. The results indicated that different policies would lead to different generation technology portfolios. The aggressive CO2 emission reduction policy could stimulate the development of CCS technology, and the electric power system would still heavily rely on coal resource, while the tough coal-consumption control policy could directly promote regional renewable energy development and electric power structure adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking advantage of the electrification strategy, Northwest China has made full use of its natural resources endowment, to develop renewable energy as the substitution of thermal power. To evaluate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electric power sector, an extended Kaya identity equation and the Logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition method are applied to Northwest China from 1998 to 2017. Six explaining factors are analyzed, including carbon intensity, energy mixes, generating efficiency, electrification, economy and population. The results show that driving forces of CO2 emissions from electricity system varied greatly among provinces. Generally, economic growth has mainly contributed to increase CO2 emission, while the improvement in the power‐generating efficiency has crucially decreased CO2 emission. In 2017, Promoting electrification directly increased CO2 emissions from electric system, but indirectly reduced CO2 emissions from the whole region by 5.10% through the estimation of a clean development mechanism method. Therefore, local governments are suggested continuing to promote electrification to guide future emission reduction, while enterprises and individuals need to make their own contributions to low‐carbon development. Recommendations for Resource Managers:Variations of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of all five provinces in Northwest China are analyzed.Logarithmic mean Divisia index analysis is used to study the main drivers of CO2 emission change.Improvements in the generating efficiency significantly reduced CO2 emissions.Due to electrification effects, CO2 emissions from electric power increased, but CO2 emissions from the region decreased.Economy effects were still the biggest drivers affecting CO2 emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The objective of this study was to redesign and refinance a rural microgrid on the small island of Koh Jik in Thailand. A series of microgrid scenarios were modeled and evaluated using HOMER software with the aim of providing techno-economic insights on the sustainable redesign of a rural and resilient system. Existing assets were analyzed and integrated into a new system design, whereby the addition of extra PV panels and replacement of current lead-acid (LA) battery by a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery increased the renewable fraction of electricity generation from an estimated 55%–83%. The system was optimized holistically to provide the lowest cost of electricity (LCOE) combined with the highest renewable fraction in order to attract private investment for such electricity access projects. A LCOE as low as 0.220 €/kWh was obtained for Li-ion, compared to 0.307 €/kWh for the LA basis translating into a project payback as low as 6.3 years (IRR 15.28%). All the modeling economics were cross-checked with a cash flow statement model using the island's financial books and current price of electricity (a common practice amongst private investors) and showed that the HOMER modeling results were within a range never exceeding 4%. Comparison of scenarios clearly outlined the advantages of Li-ion microgrids over LA in all aspects except capital expenditure, explaining why as of today, rural electrification projects still commission less sustainable LA systems due to initial capital constraints. While the battery CAPEX price per kWh storage was found still considerably lower for LA, in order to reach high renewable fractions (60% and up) larger battery banks are required, thus driving project costs higher and closer to Li-ion prices. Positive lessons learned from Koh Jik case study can increase the confidence of both investors and governments while accelerating such initiatives in neighboring Southeast Asian countries or other territories around the world struggling with island electrification. Fully redesigned micro-grid system and cost breakdown incurred by investors. Image 1 • Size of storage capacity directly dictates the renewable fraction of systems. • Very high Li-ion CAPEX, hinders the deployment of rural electrification projects. • HOMER model economics and financial model cash flows results within 4% deviation. • Payback period as low as 6.3 years was obtained for a Li-Ion battery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In Colombia, electrification in hard-to-reach areas remains an unsolved problem, for which reason alternative energies such as wave energy present a possible solution for obtaining the energy resource; However, this energy has little development in the country. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the wave energy potential of the department of Córdoba. Methodology: For that, an on-shore type point-absorbing device was designed capable of transforming the potential energy of the waves into electricity to quantify it, validating its operation in a wave channel that allows manipulating variables such as height and wave period. Results: The results obtained show that the maximum power produced by the device was 5.16 W with a height of 0.3 meters and a period of 3.5 seconds. Conclusions: It was demonstrated that theoretically there are 1058.4 Wm (- 1) of usable wave energy potential in Córdoba, of which with the designed device one could obtain about 7.2 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new H 2 -battery compensation operation for high intermittent renewable penetration. • Dynamic LiFePO 4 degradation model and stack voltage FC degradation model. • New indicator to quantify the techno-economic performance of battery-H 2 systems. • Design, operating, and control parameters for techno-economic analysis. • Frontier guideline on carbon–neutral transformation for multi-energy sharing system. Considering the distinct differences in intrinsic characteristics (e.g., energy efficiency, power density, and response time), the synergy operation of combined hydrogen (H 2) and battery systems within the source-grid-load-storage framework offers a promising solution to stabilize intermittent renewable energy supply, mitigate grid power fluctuations, and enhance system independence. However, the idling power of the H 2 system (fuel cell and electrolyzer) poses significant limitations on H 2 charging/discharging from intermittent renewable power sources, thereby affecting overall system performance. However, the current literature provides little progress on how to effectively self-consume onsite renewable energy and supply the electricity demand with high energy/power density in a fast response. To address these challenges, this study proposes and applies the H 2 -battery compensation operation in the hybrid H 2 -battery energy storage system to mitigate the adverse effects of idling power during low-carbon transformations. Additionally, transient degradation models for the battery and fuel cell (FC) are integrated into the system to dynamically quantify real-time aging, thereby avoiding performance overestimation. Moreover, the study also includes a comparative analysis of the pre-estimation on the H 2 tank pressure level, and a parametrical analysis of the HV number and battery capacity. Results show that, compared to the isolated H 2 energy storage system, the H 2 -battery synergy operation reduces the grid demand shortage coverage ratio from 91.01% to 57.8%. Furthermore, the proposed H 2 -battery compensation operation effectively overcomes the limitations of idling power during power charging/discharging of the H 2 system, resulting in an increase of H 2 demand shortage coverage ratio from 8.9% to 17.29%, and the decrease in battery degradation ratio from 1.73% to 1.65%. Afterward, a novel indicator, degradation cost per kWh energy, is proposed to quantify the techno-economic performance of the combined battery and H 2 system. According to the results, the techno-economic feasibility is dependent on the proportion of battery and H 2 capacities, with the FC ranging from 0.49 to 1.15 CNY/kWh and the battery ranging from 0.82 to 0.91 CNY/kWh. The research results provide valuable frontier guidelines for the design and operation of multi-energy systems, as well as innovative energy-sharing strategies, to achieve sustainable and carbon–neutral transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrification using renewable energy sources is the key to paving a sustainable and cleaner future for the oil and gas sector, which is known to be a significant carbon dioxide emitter. Nevertheless, the suitability of the electrification designs heavily depends on the seasonal availability of renewable energy sources. This work proposes to use a multi-period graph-theoretical (P-graph) approach to determine the optimal retrofit strategy to achieve electrification with consideration of economic and environmental factors. Both single-period and multi-period models are considered via a graph-theoretical approach to rank and evaluate all the combinatorically feasible electrification pathways based on the overall performance. The effectiveness of the proposed method is developed using a crude distillation unit (CDU) case study adopted from a multinational company. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated using a crude distillation unit (CDU) case study shown in three different scenarios that include prioritizing economic aspect (Scenario 1), prioritizing environmental aspect (Scenario 2), and considering equal importance of both aspects (Scenario 3). For single-period operation, the results showed a mix of natural gas and hydropower energy, exclusive use of onshore wind energy, and a mix of onshore wind energy and biogas cogeneration energy for Scenario 1, Scenario 2, and Scenario 3, respectively. In contrast, the multi-period model also utilized nuclear energy for Scenario 2 and Scenario 3 given the seasonal availability constraint. Following that, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to see the effect of the absence of the most influential energy sources on the optimal solution of each scenario and the top solutions under budget and CO 2 emission constraints. Pareto analysis is outlined to offer an understanding of tradeoffs between differently prioritized solutions that decision-makers can select. The combination of the proposed analysis provides a systemic approach towards transforming traditional industries towards a cleaner future via electrification. [Display omitted] • Graph theoretical approach is proposed for electrification of oil and gas industries. • Multi-objective considerations offer understanding of cost-environment trade-offs. • Multi-period model provides seasonality and flexibility considerations. • Pareto front is used to analyse trade-off for single period and multi-period operations. • Multi-period operations avoid significant profit loss by improving energy flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Successful scale-up of the electrified steam methane reforming technology to industrial representative size. • eSMR enables fast thermal start-up and turndown with high stability and control. • An expanded operating envelope is possible with eSMR compared to fired reformers. • ≥99 % energy efficiency at industrial scale. • Simplified eSMR design enables practically zero-emission plants. Electrification of the traditional steam methane reforming (SMR) technology for syngas manufacturing has a significant CO 2 reduction potential and make it more feasible to operate in combination with carbon capture/utilization, especially if renewable electricity is used. This pilot plant study demonstrates the first operational experience with industrial-scale electrified steam methane reforming (eSMR) technology using biogas as sustainable carbon feedstock. Across an operating envelope spanning from combinations of 5 to 20 bar g and 750 °C to 1000 °C, the eSMR produces syngas as expected from thermodynamics. However, without the thermal restrictions inherent in the SMR design, the eSMR can achieve higher temperatures, enables fast transient operation, with high stability and control, thereby increasing the overall performance and design flexibility. Initial thermal responses of the eSMR were tested, demonstrating fast start-up from an idle state to operating conditions, within 2.6 h, including heating from 630 °C to 900 °C. Furthermore, dynamic temperature control was also demonstrated with heating rates up to 330 °C/h. Experimental energy efficiency of the pilot reactor was quantified between 72 % and 80 %, with the residual being heat loss to the surroundings due to the relatively small scale. With further scale-up to ≥1 MW reactor capacity, efficiencies of ≥99 % are predicted with a specific electrical energy consumption of 1.0 kWh/Nm3 H 2. Overall, the efficiency and operational flexibility are improved due to the direct electrical heating of the catalytic system. Combined with biogas as feedstock, this paves the way for attractive and competitive plant designs for sustainable and renewable production of chemicals and fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether an enormous untapped hydropower resource should be utilized domestically by heavily electrifying energy end-uses or should be exported to neighboring countries is often debated in Nepal. This study attempts to bring both policy options together and justifies with evidence the need to integrate end-use electrification and cross-border electricity trade policies in the energy transformation of Nepal. We found out that Nepal will continue to import electricity till 2027 to meet its electricity demand throughout the year though it has already started exporting its surplus electricity during the wet season because of the full availability of run-of-river type hydropower. The run-of-river will continue to dominate Nepal's least-cost generation mix with a two-thirds share resulting in considerable surplus electricity during the high-flow season. Such surplus will exceed one-third of its total energy generation capacity in long-run in all end-use electrification scenarios (low to high). Nepal can use its existing cross-border electricity trade mechanism to sell its surplus electricity and can generate revenue of 67 billion USD in the high electrification scenario, which, combined with savings from fossil fuel import savings, can provide 85 % of total electricity generation investment needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that cause environmental impacts on climate change. Net Zero Energy (NZ) buildings would reduce greenhouse gases. The current definition of NZ lacks consensus and has created uncertainties, which cause delays in the adoption of NZ. This paper proposes a Process for Clarification to Accelerate the Net Zero (PC-A-NZ) through three integrated steps: variations, strategies, and requirements. We expand on the results in published NZ literature to clarify the differences in definition and strategy. The objective of this review is to (1) distinguish current variable parameters that are slowing the acceptance of NZ, and (2) focus the discussion internationally on moving faster toward applying NZ to a larger common agreement. The publications of global NZ target assessment and energy efficient strategies will be reviewed to address the main requirements in expediting NZ’s successful progress. Our NZ review analysis highlights (1) how the existing NZ definitions and criteria differ, (2) how calculation strategies vary, and (3) how standards and requirements are often localized. The proposed PC-A-NZ will help policymakers and stakeholders to re-evaluate the existing definitions, standards, and requirements to optimize the use of renewable technologies, improved energy efficiency and electrification to speed up achieving the NZ targets. Definition: There are multiple NZ definitions that vary in source and supply requirement, timescale, emission source, and grid connection.

The chemical and petrochemical sector relies on fossil fuels and feedstocks, and is a major source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The techno-economic potential of 20 decarbonisation options is assessed. While previous analyses focus on the production processes, this analysis covers the full product life cycle CO2 emissions. The analysis elaborates the carbon accounting complexity that results from the non-energy use of fossil fuels, and highlights the importance of strategies that consider the carbon stored in synthetic organic products—an aspect that warrants more attention in long-term energy scenarios and strategies. Average mitigation costs in the sector would amount to 64 United States dollars (USD) per tonne of CO2 for full decarbonisation in 2050. The rapidly declining renewables cost is one main cause for this low-cost estimate. Renewable energy supply solutions, in combination with electrification, account for 40% of total emissions reductions. Annual biomass use grows to 1.3 gigatonnes; green hydrogen electrolyser capacity grows to 2435 gigawatts and recycling rates increase six-fold, while product demand is reduced by a third, compared to the reference case. CO2 capture, storage and use equals 30% of the total decarbonisation effort (1.49 gigatonnes per year), where about one-third of the captured CO2 is of biogenic origin. Circular economy concepts, including recycling, account for 16%, while energy efficiency accounts for 12% of the decarbonisation needed. Achieving full decarbonisation in this sector will increase energy and feedstock costs by more than 35%. The analysis shows the importance of renewables-based solutions, accounting for more than half of the total emissions reduction potential, which was higher than previous estimates.