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The integration of renewable energy sources (RES) is essential for steering our energy systems towards sustainability. This transition, though, coupled with emerging trends such as digitalisation and decentralisation, introduces a number of new challenges and vulnerabilities to our energy infrastructure. To strengthen our energy systems against the uncertainties arising from intermittent RES and decentral organised power grids, battery energy storage systems (BESSs) integrated into sector‐coupling strategies might play a crucial role. Such BESSs can enhance system resilience by providing increased flexibility in the face of disruptive events. Yet, the assessment of their resilience contribution is still a nascent field, particularly within the context of multi‐energy systems. To address this gap, our study presents an assessment scheme utilising the open source energy system model electricity grid optimisation. We apply this scheme to evaluate the impact of sector‐coupled BESS installations with a local district heating network in a mid‐sized German city. Our analysis encompasses various scenarios, considering diverse BESS sizes, quantities, seasonal influences, system scales, siting, and the severity of disruptive events. The principal findings are threefold: for energy systems that exhibit high inherent robustness, such as those with existing adaptive capacities and redundancies, hybrid BESS (hBESS) has a low impact on the resilience against single disruptive events. In contrast, for less prepared systems or during simultaneous events, hBESSs can substantially strengthen the resilience of the energy infrastructure, particularly regarding the 'security of supply' and 'cost efficiency'. For instance, during short‐lasting disruptive events, hBESS can potentially avert up potential power outages from 1.4% to 45% increasing the security of supply. However, the resilient design principle 'spatial diversity' could not improve the system's resilience in all scenarios. This holistic approach is essential for identifying resilient strategies capable of effectively countering unforeseen disruptive events, thereby ensuring the continued stability and sustainability of our energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: DIW-Wochenbericht is the property of DIW Berlin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The challenge of providing water, energy, food, and managing the environment (WEFEN) is widely recognized as a significant barrier to global advancement in light of the increasing population. The interconnections among water, energy, food, and the environment constitute a comprehensive framework for achieving sustainability. Based on projections, it is anticipated that the global community will encounter crises pertaining to water, energy, food, and the environment in the foreseeable future. The objective of this paper is to analyze global research endeavors pertaining to the interconnections among water, energy, food, and the environment. Additionally, it aims to address the challenges and imperatives of investigating this nexus within the context of the world. This framework aims to achieve a harmonious equilibrium by considering the diverse objectives, interests, and requirements of both human societies and the natural environment. The correlation established by WEFEN has the potential to provide valuable insights for informing future global sustainable development policies in relation to environmental and water crises. This review study critically analyzes the existing body of research pertaining to the interplay between water, energy, food, and the environment in Iran and globally. Additionally, it highlights the challenges encountered in studying this intricate relationship and underscores the imperative for further investigation in this domain. This study reveals that the main barriers to achieving global integration of water, energy, food, and the environment are sector‐specific policies and a dearth of integrated management approaches. The findings of this study encompass recommendations for enhancing the interplay between water, energy, food, and the environment. Additionally, establishing a dedicated policy‐making institution and reaching a consensus on a comprehensive plan are crucial steps. Furthermore, it is imperative to develop and enhance the infrastructure of the clearing market to address pertinent matters effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean transition increases the demand for reliable electricity distribution, but while the capacity can be improved through investments, responding to the demand increases costs for the customers. This study presents a methodological improvement to the assessment of the reasonability of pricing, by comprehensively analyzing pricing regulation data to define the total cost of electricity distribution by clustering. A novel systematic view on the volume and distribution of economic steering shows that according to the regulation data in Finland, the total annual cost of distribution for the present level of reliability varies from EUR 490/a in an urban environment to EUR 1220/a per customer in sparsely populated areas. The majority of the total costs of distribution stem from actual utility expenses. The approach and results may be used for implementing TOTEX models for future pricing regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean transition increases the demand for reliable electricity distribution, but while the capacity can be improved through investments, responding to the demand increases costs for the customers. This study presents a methodological improvement to the assessment of the reasonability of pricing, by comprehensively analyzing pricing regulation data to define the total cost of electricity distribution by clustering. A novel systematic view on the volume and distribution of economic steering shows that according to the regulation data in Finland, the total annual cost of distribution for the present level of reliability varies from EUR 490/a in an urban environment to EUR 1220/a per customer in sparsely populated areas. The majority of the total costs of distribution stem from actual utility expenses. The approach and results may be used for implementing TOTEX models for future pricing regulation.

Abstract The increasing adoption of electric vehicles is expected to substantially raise electricity demand. This could require significant grid investment to maintain secure electricity supply, which has traditionally been provided through infrastructure upgrades. The potential of smart technologies like Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to contribute to security of supply has prompted the need to quantify their impact. We hypothesize that the F-Factor methodology can effectively quantify V2G’s security of supply contribution. Applying F-Factor analysis to V2G through optimization modeling and sensitivity studies, we find that key parameters like V2G charger ratings, EV battery capacities, and load profile peakiness significantly influence the results. We conclude that the F-Factor provides a valuable tool for assessing V2G’s potential to enhance security of supply, with implications for more efficient grid planning in the context of transport electrification.

Distributed generation and sector coupling are key factors for economic decarbonization. Because gas networks have a large storage capacity, they have attracted the attention of power engineers to use them to increase the flexibility and security of supply in the presence of renewable and distributed energy resources. This paper makes the first attempt to integrate the electricity and gas systems to fill available gas storage facilities with synthetic natural gas on a large scale. This synthetic natural gas can then be used to operate gas turbines and to compensate for the fluctuating production of renewable energy sources. The LINK-holistic architecture, which integrates renewable and distributed energy resources, is used in this work. It facilitates sector coupling, which means power-to-gas and gas-to-power, throughout the entire power grid and at the customer level. This work is limited to investigating the power-to-gas process at the prosumer level. The electricity surplus of rooftop PVs is used to produce synthetic natural gas, fed into the gas grid after covering the local gas load. The behaviors of the electricity and gas grids are investigated. Results show that electricity prosumers may also become prosumers of synthetic natural gas. The current unidirectional gas grids should be upgraded with compressors at pressure reduction groups to turn them bidirectional, allowing synthetic natural gas storage in the existing large gas storage appliances after considering the pipes' linepack effect. The proposed solution could make it possible to fill the underground storage plants in summer, when the electricity and synthetic natural gas production exceed electrical and gas demand, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles is expected to substantially raise electricity demand. This could require significant grid investment to maintain secure electricity supply, which has traditionally been provided through infrastructure upgrades. The potential of smart technologies like Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to contribute to security of supply has prompted the need to quantify their impact. We hypothesize that the F-Factor methodology can effectively quantify V2G's security of supply contribution. Applying F-Factor analysis to V2G through optimization modeling and sensitivity studies, we find that key parameters like V2G charger ratings, EV battery capacities, and load profile peakiness significantly influence the results. We conclude that the F-Factor provides a valuable tool for assessing V2G's potential to enhance security of supply, with implications for more efficient grid planning in the context of transport electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of e & i Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of the hydrogen system in the EU is part of a larger strategy to transition into an integrated, sustainable, and decarbonized energy system. This article argues that two crises that the EU is facing, the first environmental and climatic and the second revolving around security of supply, are influencing the planning of the hydrogen system. These crises have increased the urgency with which the EU seeks to make the energy sector sustainable and to bolster energy security in the region. However, the implementation of the internal market for hydrogen is liable to run into several challenges. This article focuses on Hydrogen System Planning and the challenges that the EU Hydrogen Backbone may face from a regulatory perspective. The EU institutions and the Member States must confront those challenges as robustly as possible if they are to avoid hindering the development of an integrated, carbon-neutral, and sustainable hydrogen system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global energy sector undergoes a transition amidst concerted efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so are financing demands shifting towards cleaner, low-carbon technologies, while policies of many banks, government lenders and development financing institutions shift away from the financing of fossil fuel projects. At the same time, geopolitical events have caused some regions to refocus on energy security and diversity of supply. However, a difference in policy focus is emerging between the two key energy import markets of East Asia and Europe, whilst other jurisdictions that are forecast to experience steep and sustained population growth over the next decade (such as India and many countries across Africa) are understandably focused on energy growth ahead of energy transition. While some commentators see a long-term alignment between the achievement of energy security for all and a transition away from fossil fuels, tension remains in the near-term between competing policy objectives, which is reflected in the approaches of different financial institutions to the energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, daily and hourly natural gas demand for Istanbul's Anatolian and European sides are estimated by using Artificial Neural Networks. Parameters affecting natural gas usage such as the number of consumers, average daily temperature, minimum daily temperature, official holidays, and heating degree days have been determined. By means of the data obtained from the year 2008 to the end of 2018, the forecasting model created by the MATLAB software estimates the natural gas demands up to 2027 according to the coldest day of Istanbul in the last century, which occurred on 9 February 1929, with the minimum daily temperature of -16°C and the average daily temperature of -7°C. As a result of this study, it is decided which natural gas city gate station will be constructed with natural gas demand forecast. When we view it from the perspective of a natural gas distributor, correct predictive values reduce the errors and make gas distribution planning correctly. In this way, gas systems become much more realistic and profitable. Also, from the customer's point of view, because the correct predictive values reduce the errors that may occur in the system, the model minimizes the probability of being out of gas. Moreover, with Synergi Gas Software, new solutions can be produced for possible bad scenarios in advance, taking into account the velocity and pressure criteria of the distribution network located on İstanbul's Anatolian and European sides where the natural gas city gate station will be constructed. According to the obtained results, the project of the natural gas city gate stations has been performed by İstanbul Gas Distribution Co. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In support of the global green transition, numerous policies have been introduced to efficiently address the increasing demand for reliable electricity. However, the impacts of these policies have received limited attention, despite the potential for unsuccessful policy targets to introduce inefficiencies into the energy system, subsequently diminishing societal wealth. This study bridges this research gap by conducting a comprehensive examination of a supply reliability incentive within electricity pricing regulation, aiming to contribute new insights for policy assessments. Analyzing data from all electricity distribution operators within a single jurisdiction, the study investigates the volume and distribution of economic steering to elucidate the overall societal impact. The findings suggest a rewarding system for positive developments in indices, regardless of the absolute interruption index levels, highlighting the importance of precise variable definitions in implementing incentive mechanisms. The assessment tools developed for this study will be valuable for further regulation and policy assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's vegetable oil industry has historically relied heavily on imports, which poses a substantial risk not only to national oil supply security but also across various domains including politics and economics. Given the intricate dynamics of global power competition, it is strategically imperative to optimize domestic land resource utilization efficiently while fostering ongoing advancements in agricultural science and technology. These measures are essential for bolstering vegetable oil production capacity domestically as well as diversifying import sources. By doing so effectively addresses potential security risks linked to edible vegetable oil supply chain disruptions while simultaneously safeguarding political stability, ensuring economic resilience, and promoting public welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is anticipated that the global community will encounter crises pertaining to water, energy, food, and the environment in the foreseeable future. The objective of this paper is to analyze global research endeavors pertaining to the interconnections among water, energy, food, and the environment. This paper presents critiques on the water–energy–food-environment nexus (WEFEN).Furthermore, this study analyses current innovations on the WEFEN nexus concept, applications, and impacts during the period of 2015–2023. Additionally, it aims to address the challenges and imperatives of investigating this nexus within the context of the world. This review critically analyzes the existing body of research pertaining to the interplay between water, energy, food, and the environment. Additionally, it highlights the challenges encountered in studying this intricate relationship and underscores the imperative for further investigation in this domain. This study reveals that the main barriers to achieving global integration of WEFEN are sector-specific policies and a dearth of integrated management approaches. Also named as big problems were the lack of money for projects that integrate WEFEN, the lack of information sources, and the lack of laws that cover the development of the WEFEN nexus as a whole. The findings of this study encompass recommendations for enhancing the interplay between WEFEN. These measures encompass enhancing collaboration and coordination among various entities, including governmental ministries, councils, universities, associations, and businesses. Additionally, establishing a dedicated policy-making institution and reaching a consensus on a comprehensive plan are crucial steps. By employing effective management strategies and formulating appropriate policies, the research and discoveries presented in this review article possess the potential to address the anticipated challenges that lie ahead for the global community.

Copyright of EMERG: Energy. Environment. Efficiency. Resources. Globalization is the property of Romanian National Committee of World Energy Council and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Security of supply refers to governmental policies that aim to secure the availability of critical products at all times. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to fore the importance of such policies, as suddenly there was an overwhelming need for critical medical supplies that the markets were not able to fulfil. Following the pandemic, the EU has started to construct its own security of supply policy, although lacking an explicit competence for it. This Article shows how competence on security of supply is actually split between the EU and the Member States, and highlights the consequences of this division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security has clear relationships with national security - historically, semantically, and practically. This exploratory study offers a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 43 academic articles focused on energy issues, published in five international security studies journals - International Security, Security Dialogue, Security Studies, Contemporary Security Policy and Survival - from 2001 to 2020. The study identifies the main energy themes covered in the articles and the authors' demographics. The paper concludes that the coverage of energy issues has been quite sporadic and largely underexplored in security studies. The essence of the debates over energy issues has not changed much since the energy crises of the 1970s - it remains predominately state- and Western-centric with a primary focus on oil and nuclear power. The crude oil price surge because of supply disruptions from the Middle East is still viewed as a main threat to energy security. Similarly, international armed conflicts, domestic instability and nuclear proliferation are prioritised among the most critical outcomes of energy insecurity. The primary public policy responses to threats to energy security still focus on foreign policy, diversification of suppliers and energy sources, domestic energy efficiency and strategic energy stockpiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global competition to ensure a secure supply of critical raw materials ('CRMs') is driven by two principal factors: the burgeoning global demand for CRMs deemed critical to the green and digital transition, as well as the defence sector; and supply chain characteristics accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The EU has entered the CRM arms race with the EU Commission's proposed CRM Act, which sets non-binding targets aimed at bolstering domestic production of strategic raw materials by 2030. As the EU is significantly reliant on third country imports of these materials, these targets are particularly ambitious, not least in light of the EU's limited industrial policy remit. Changes to permitting processes, the creation of Strategic Projects based on sustainability criteria and stronger international cooperation are key factors likely to shape the extent to which the CRM Act will enable the EU to compete for these naturally finite but critical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the economy in China is changing from high speed growth in the past few years to high quality development, which raises higher requirements for the security of technical supply. This study defines the concept and connotation of technology supply security, and analyzes the influencing factors of technology supply security as well as the formation mechanism of technology supply "insecurity". In order to improve the security of technology supply, we must adhere to the basic idea of high level science and technology self-reliance, improve the system of relay research institutions and its cohesive mechanism, and clarify the ideas and methods to overcome the "bottleneck" technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore a major European competition decision, the 2012-18 Gazprom case, using a global gas market simulation model. We find that access to LNG markets alone is insufficient to counterbalance Gazprom's strategic behaviour; central and eastern Europe (CEE) needs to be well interconnected with bidirectional flow capability. 'Swap deals' created by the decision facilitate CEE market integration, while limiting Gazprom's potential market power. Such deals may increase the diversity of contracted gas and number of market players, but do not improve physical supply diversity. In the next five years, swap deals could marginally impact negatively the utilization of strategic assets in CEE, but since Gazprom's commitments expire by mid-2026, utilization of these strategic assets may fall considerably, especially if Gazprom withholds supplies. As an unintended consequence, CEE markets may disintegrate from the rest of Europe. Avoiding such outcomes will require further gas market reforms, particularly, market design for gas transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Safety & Security Sciences Review / Biztonságtudományi Szemle is the property of Obuda University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Aussen- und Sicherheitspolitik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The importance of energy security for the successful functioning of private companies, national economies, and the overall society cannot be underestimated. Energy is a critical infrastructure for any modern society, and its reliable functioning is essential for all economic sectors and for the well-being of everybody. Uncertainty in terms of the availability of information, namely reliable data to make predictions and to plan for investment as well as for other actions of stakeholders in the energy markets is one of the factors with the highest influence on energy security. This uncertainty can be connected with many factors, such as the availability of reliable data or actions of stakeholders themselves. For example, the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed negative impacts of uncertainty on decision-making processes and markets. At the time point when the market participants started to receive real-time information about the situation, the energy markets began to ease. This is one scenario where Big Data can be used to amplify information to various stakeholders to prevent panic and to ensure market stability and security of supply. Considering the novelty of this topic, our methodology is based on the meta-analysis of existing studies in the area of impacts of energy security on private companies, the national economy, and society. The results show that, in a fast-paced digital world characterized by technological advances, the use of Big Data technology provides a unique niche point to close this gap in information disparity by levering the use of unconventional data sources to integrate technologies, stakeholders, and markets to promote energy security and market stability. The potential of Big Data technology is yet to be fully utilized. Big Data can handle large data sets characterized by volume, variety, velocity, value, and complexity. Our conclusion is that the challenge for energy markets is to leverage this technology to mine available socioeconomic, political, geographic, and environmental data responsibly and to provide indicators that predict future global supply and demand. This information is crucial for energy security and ensuring global economic prosperity.

Copyright of Informacion Comercial Espanola Revista de Economia is the property of S.G.E.E.I.P.C., Secretaria de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of hydrogen is expected to be critical to secure energy supply in the EU in the coming years. In the context of the Paris Agreement, low-carbon hydrogen represents a relevant part of the demand, and some purchases will be based on imported certified low-carbon hydrogen. In this article, we analyse the implications of the EU certification schemes on the potential for imports of low-carbon hydrogen from outside the EU. Facilitating market entry, and hence security of supply, implies the comparability of guarantees of several sources for hydrogen production and several international certification schemes. The latter is especially new regarding hydrogen produced from electrolyzers, because electricity guarantees of origin were typically developed independently in each jurisdiction. We identify impacts on technological diffusion and innovation, on supply and demand, and on interaction among international energy markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the European energy policy is to achieve climate neutrality. The long-term energy strategies of various European countries include additional targets such as the diversification of energy sources, maintenance of security of supply, and reduction of import dependency. When optimizing energy systems, these strategic policy targets are often only considered in a rudimentary manner and thus, the understanding of the corresponding interdependencies is lacking. Moreover, hydrogen is considered as a key component of a fully decarbonized energy system, but its role in the power sector remains unclear due to the low round-trip efficiencies.This study reveals how fully decarbonized European power systems can benefit from hydrogen in terms of overall system costs and the achievement of strategic policy targets. We analyzed a broad spectrum of scenarios using an energy system optimization model and varied model constraints that reflect strategic policy targets. Our results are threefold. First, compared to power systems without hydrogen, systems using hydrogen realize savings of 14–16% in terms of the total system costs. Second, the implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure reduces the number of infeasible scenarios when structural policy targets are considered within the power system. Third, the role of hydrogen is highly diverse at a national level. Particularly, in countries with low renewable energy potential, hydrogen plays a crucial role. Here, high levels of self-sufficiency and security of supply are achieved by deploying hydrogen-based power generation of up to 46% of their annual electricity demand, realized via imports of green hydrogen.

Abstract The comprehensive evaluation of strategies for decarbonizing large‐scale energy systems requires insights from many different perspectives. In energy systems analysis, optimization models are widely used for this purpose. However, they are limited in incorporating all crucial aspects of such a complex system to be sustainably transformed. Hence, they differ in terms of their spatial, temporal, technological, and economic perspective and either have a narrow focus with high resolution or a broad scope with little detail. Against this background, we introduce the so‐called granularity gaps and discuss two possibilities to address them: increasing the resolutions of the established optimization models, and the different kinds of model coupling. After laying out open challenges, we propose a novel framework to design power systems in particular. Our exemplary concept exploits the capabilities of power system optimization, transmission network simulation, distribution grid planning, and agent‐based simulation. This integrated framework can serve to study the energy transition with greater comprehensibility and may be a blueprint for similar multimodel analyses.

Important attributes of a transportation chain are the costs of their operation, the security of supply they provide, and reducing carbon emissions throughout the chain. When making managerial decisions about the chain configuration, shippers consider the optimal choice of means of transport, carriers, or ports. Seaports, as transport nodes, determine the functioning of supply chains they serve. A constant process observed in the world shipping is the consistent increase in the average size of ships. Adapting the port and port access infrastructure to the changes observed in the world shipping is a prerequisite for maintaining the competitive position of the port, and consequently of the entire transport chain. Adequate hydrological conditions ensuring safe access to ports for increasingly larger ships are necessary for the stable functioning and development of a port and the entire region. For shippers, the certainty that the handling of larger vessels is assured regardless of any fluctuating hydro-meteorological conditions and temporary vessel entry permits is a guarantee of security of supply. This study aims to demonstrate the impact of fairway deepening on port-oriented supply chain costs and security of supply, as well as verification of the importance of these factors for cargo shippers' decision-making. The article used the case study method based on the port of Szczecin, for which the investment of deepening the fairway to 12.5 m is being implemented. The article estimates the transport costs of five transport chains served by the port of Szczecin. Our research showed that a 2.5 m increase in the permissible draught of ships results in a decrease of up to 25% in transport costs resulting mainly from the reduction in specific fuel consumption throughout the chain. The analysis of the results showed that a secondary benefit of deepening the fairway can change the structure of the port's foreland. This conclusion was validated by means of in-depth interviews held with selected shippers cooperating with the port of Szczecin. An additional outcome of the interviews was identification of the remaining conditions that should be met to take full advantage of improved port accessibility. The research is the first step to broader studies assessing whether improving quality of port infrastructure can contribute to a reduction in emissions from ships in a port and thus facilitate the transition to zero-emission ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas is relatively clean energy source, which emits less greenhouse gases (hereinafter – GHG), compared to other fossil fuels, such as hard and brown coal, and therefore it may be the most feasible resource to ensure smooth energy transition towards Europe's climate neutrality by 2050. Traditional natural gas can be easily transported and used in liquefied (hereinafter – LNG) or compressed form. As for biomethane, in future it also can be used in liquefied (hereinafter – bioLNG) and compressed form, as well as transported by means of the current natural gas infrastructure. It can also significantly enhance regional and national energy security and independence, which has been challenging for the European Union (hereinafter – EU) over at least several decades. Issue on energy independence, security of supply, alternative natural gas sources has been in a hotspot of the Baltic energy policy makers as well. Now, considering Russia's invasion in Ukraine, since late February 2022, a problem of the EU natural gas dependency on the Russian Federation has escalated again and with force never before experienced. The European natural gas prices also hit records, as the natural gas prices in the Netherlands Title Transfer Facility reached 345 euros per megawatt-hour (hereinafter – EUR/MWh) in March 2022. Therefore, LNG import terminal is the only viable option to reduce national dependency of the so-called pipe gas which in some cases, due to the insufficient interconnections, may be delivered from very limited number of sources. The European policy makers and relevant institutions are currently working towards radical EU natural gas supply diversification, where LNG deliveries coming from outside of Russia will certainly take a central stage. In case of Latvia, the potential benefits of the LNG terminal development in Skulte were evaluated in order to reduce energy independence of the Russian natural gas deliveries in the Baltic region and to introduce new ways and sources of the natural gas flows to the Baltics. LNG terminal in Skulte could ensure significant capital investment cost reduction comparing to other projects proposed for Latvia in different periods, due to already existing natural gas transmission infrastructure and the relative closeness to the Incukalns underground gas storage (hereinafter – UGS). Various aspects, such as technical, political and economic ones, were analysed to assure that Skulte LNG terminal would be a real asset not only to customers of Latvia, but also to those of the whole Baltic region, where in future it would be possible to use biomethane for efficient utilisation of existing and developing natural gas infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric power sectors around the world have changed dramatically in the last 25 years as a result of sector liberalization policies. Many electricity sectors are now pursuing deep decarbonization goals which will entail replacing dispatchable fossil generation primarily with intermittent renewable generation (wind and solar) over the next 20–30 years. This transition creates new challenges for both short-term wholesale market design and investment incentives consistent with achieving both decarbonization commitments and security of supply criteria. Thinking broadly about the options for institutional change from a Williamsonian perspective – thinking like Williamson – provides a useful framework for examining institutional adaptation. Hybrid markets that combine 'competition for the market' that relies on competitive procurement for long-term purchased power agreements with wind, solar, and storage developers, ideally in a technology neutral fashion, and 'competition in the market' that relies on short-term markets designed to produce efficient and reliable operations of intermittent generation and storage, is identified as a promising direction for institutional adaptation. Many auction, contract, and market integration issues remain to be resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ingeniería del Agua is the property of Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)