Search

In recent decades, the detrimental impacts of climate change have been increasingly felt worldwide. This is due to the extreme consumption of natural resources to fuel economic activity. Confronting a widening ecological deficit, humanity must urgently accelerate its journey toward sustainable development goals (SDGs). This demands active efforts to curb environmental pollution and protect natural resources, safeguarding the planet for future generations. Since Brazil has high biocapacity and ecological areas, the impact of energy resources on ecological sustainability policies cannot be excluded. Moreover, Brazil holds a vital position in the world for global foreign direct investment flows. In this regard, this paper considers the asymmetric impact of mineral rents and foreign direct investments when investigating Brazil's environmental sustainability. In addition, it evaluates elements like economic growth and low‐carbon energy consumption from 1970 to 2021. To this end, the research applies the Fourier nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model and draws three significant conclusions. First, resource extraction undermines environmental sustainability. Second, the inflow of foreign direct investment reduces the load capacity factor, implying that the pollution haven hypothesis holds for Brazil. Third, low‐carbon energy consumption contributes to environmental sustainability. Our findings highlight the critical role of regulating mineral resource rents in achieving SDGs in Brazil. Moreover, increasing investment in clean energy sources and transitioning toward low‐carbon energy can promote sustainable development in Brazil. The Brazilian government should abandon mineral extraction, focus on low‐carbon energy consumption, and prevent companies from destroying nature by introducing strict environmental regulations for foreign investment flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, coal, natural gas, and oil stand as primary contributors to carbon emissions. The transition toward carbon-free energy sources has significantly reduced the demand for conventional fossil fuels while also significantly altering its labor market environment. This concurrently opens a good number of job prospects in low-carbon energy production sectors. Consequently, navigating this labor force transition requires informed decisions. This research aims to explore the economic impacts of this transition using the state of Wyoming as a case study, a state at the forefront of moving from fossil fuel reliance to embracing low-carbon energy sources. Through an in-depth analysis, including autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling, this paper explored the retraining needs of workers in each sector, the associated costs, and the current state of Wyoming's workforce. The results of the analysis showed that the coal mine sector and oil and gas industries face significant workforce migration pressures with a relatively higher number of workers who need to be migrated, whereas coal power plants are less affected. With Wyoming found to be at the "take-off" phase, ready to accelerate into a new energy paradigm, a relatively modest investment ranging from $3,060 to $7,201, per worker, can facilitate this transition. This research provides critical insights into managing workforce transitions, informing strategic decisions for a sustainable shift from fossil fuels energy production to low-carbon energy production. This research could assist government agencies in the establishment of workforce transition initiatives in the energy production industries and beyond. This research potentially offers a practical framework for understanding the intricacies of workforce transitioning that could be utilized for other sectors such as the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to adapt the world's industry and economy to constantly tightening climatic standards, as well as a constant growth of energy consumption, facilitate the development of carbon-free electricity generation technologies. Renewable energy and nuclear power plants are referred to energy sources having almost zero carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. However, in view of an insufficient amount of renewable energy resources near large electricity consumers, NPPs play the most important role in the potential transition to the carbon-free economy of Russia. However, they do have certain drawbacks, such as comparatively low energy efficiency, poor maneuverability, and also high specific capital outlays. Combined use of nuclear and fossil fuel may become one of ways for partially removing these drawbacks. The article addresses a thermodynamic analysis of using fossil fuel at an NPP in an external steam superheater with subsequently expanding a part of the steam in a high-temperature turbine. A process circuit solution is proposed whose use makes it possible to obtain an expanded power unit load adjustment range. It has been shown from thermodynamic analysis results that, by subjecting a certain amount of steam from the steam generator to external superheating, it becomes possible to increase the nuclear power unit's power output and efficiency: the maximal increase in the electric power output can total 338, 382, and 426 MW and that of net electrical efficiency of 0.73, 1.08, and 1.43% at steam superheating temperatures equal to 560, 600, and 640°С, respectively. The hybrid unit employing nuclear and hydrocarbon fuel that operates according to the proposed process cycle circuit includes a smaller amount of main equipment and features wider load adjustment ranges in comparison with standalone NPP and steam turbine thermal power plant: 102.3–132.7, 103.0–136.9, and 103.6–141.2% with respect to the reference process cycle circuit at steam superheating temperatures equal to 560, 600, and 640°С, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality as well as the construction of a new energy system, the integrated development and intelligent regulation of fossil energy with new energy resources such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy has become a new pattern for the future energy system. The oil and gas industry is undergoing digital and intelligent transformation, and the development of smart oil and gas fields will reduce exploration and development costs and increase social and economic benefits. This study elucidates the concept and implications of smart oil and gas fields with multi-energy synergy and the critical role of new smart oil and gas fields in enhancing oil and gas reserves and production and in promoting the green, low-carbon, and intelligent transformation of the oil and gas industry. It reviews the current development status of the wind-solar-geothermal-energy storage multi-energy synergy system, the integration of oil and gas fields with the multi-energy synergy system, and the smart oil and gas fields. The study also identifies the challenges and key issues faced by the development of smart oil and gas fields in China. It summarizes future scenarios for smart oil and gas fields with multi-energy synergy: (1) utilization of green electricity, (2) new geothermal systems for thermal recovery of abandoned heavy oil reservoirs, (3) production optimization of oil well clusters based on wind/solar power microgrids, (4) in-situ conversion of natural gas and utilization of associated gas for power generation, (5) comprehensive energy management systems for efficient and low-carbon oil and gas production, and (6) intelligent collaboration and optimization of electricity, geothermal energy, and hydrogen energy storage. The core output of the construction of smart oil and gas fields with multi-energy synergy is low-carbon oil fields and super energy basins. Under the premise of ensuring oil and gas production, future development should focus on supplementing fundamental shortcomings, increasing technological advantages, strengthening application capabilities, and achieving independence, thereby achieving breakthroughs in key core technologies to form practical development solutions.

The active development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route determines the importance of the rapid development of energy-supply systems for remote regions. A key component of isolated power systems are low-power energy sources. The high cost of fossil fuels in remote regions, coupled with tightening environmental regulations, brings to the fore the challenge of implementing carbon-neutral energy generation technologies. Promising power plants, the performance of which is little dependent on weather conditions, and whose operation is not associated with the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, are low-power nuclear power plants. Currently, some countries are developing and implementing new types of reactor plants whose electrical power does not exceed 300 MW: according to the IAEA, there are more than 70 different projects. Modularity, versatility (in addition to power generation, many projects also provide for the production of thermal energy and hydrogen), increased compactness, and lower capital costs for construction compared to traditional high-power power units make it promising to create low-power reactor plants. This review presents an analysis of the current state of the problems in the design and implementation of such power plants. The technical level of domestic and foreign projects of small modular reactors (SMR) was assessed. Promising areas for the use of thermal energy from small modular installations have been identified, taking into account current trends in energy, including low-carbon and nuclear-hydrogen areas. Possible circuit solutions for the production of electricity based on advanced cycles, including the use of nontraditional working fluids, have been studied. The potential for commercialization of low-power nuclear power plant projects has been considered; the question of successful business implementation of power plants of this type remains open. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the intensification of global climate change, low-carbon energy has become a hot topic, and governments around the world are implementing corresponding policies to promote its use. This research first establishes a Multi-universe Quantum Harmony Search-Algorithm Dynamic Fuzzy System Ensemble (MUQHS-DMFSE) composite model for carbon emission prediction. This model combines the MUQHS algorithm with the DMFSE method by designing the workflow of the MUQHS algorithm, creating a DMFSE composite prediction model, introducing a sliding factor matrix, and using the MUQHS algorithm to search for the optimal sliding factors, thus obtaining optimized prediction values. In the research on low-carbon economic development, the research applies the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method and establishes Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) and Banker-Charnes-Cooper (BCC) models to assess the technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency, and scale efficiency of decision-making units. This research also uses the BCC model to project the production frontier and calculate input redundancy and output gap rates, and evaluate low-carbon economic development. Through the establishment and application of these two models, the research achieves carbon emission prediction and low-carbon economic analysis, validating the feasibility of the research methodology. The results show that the composite model can effectively predict carbon emissions, with a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) below 3.5% and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) below 200 tons, demonstrating the feasibility and accuracy of the model. The research on low-carbon economic development in S Province based on the DEA method reveals the need for energy structure adjustment, clean and renewable energy promotion, control of carbon emissions, and optimization of industrial structure with a focus on developing the tertiary industry. Therefore, the use of artificial intelligence and big data analysis can provide more precise insights into the trends and patterns of low-carbon economic development, as well as more effective predictions of future energy demand and resource supply, offering high practical value and scientific significance.

With the increasing emphasis on low-carbon energy development, reducing carbon emission in the energy production process has become a top priority. In recent years, low-carbon power generation technologies such as solar and wind power have made significant progress, gradually replacing traditional fossil-fuel-fired power generation methods. The large-scale integration of renewable energy into the grid has become mainstream, but the intermittent issues it poses to the power grid affect the stability of the power system. The rapid development of energy storage systems has become a bridge between renewable energy and the grid, providing flexibility and scheduling capabilities to the power system. In this study, we developed a communication platform based on the DNP3.0 communication protocol rules specified in Taiwan Power Company's Enhanced Dynamic Regulation Reserve Service (E-dReg). The platform realizes multiple protocol conversions including DNP3.0, Modbus TCP, OPC DA, and VPN. Additionally, to enhance overall reliability, a redundant station startup mechanism based on transmission control protocol/internet protocol connection detection is proposed. This mechanism makes decisions based on the status of the master station, enabling redundant stations to rapidly start, automatically take over the master station, or determine whether to return authority to the master station. The results demonstrate that the communication platform can facilitate communication between Taiwan Power Company and users, ensuring the high reliability of the communication platform operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Fukushima disaster, several European countries revisited their policies and decided to phase out nuclear energy production. More recently, however, the EU taxonomy proposed a classification system of environmentally sustainable economic activities and consequently reopened the debate regarding nuclear energy. This study analyses public comments about the inclusion or exclusion of nuclear energy as a response to climate change, in the conceptual frameworks of ecological modernization, sustainability and technological neutrality. The study highlights the challenge of shaping energy policies amid dynamic circumstances and diverse viewpoints. Proponents of nuclear energy emphasised its low‐carbon emissions and climate change mitigation potential, while opponents focused on issues of radioactive waste and environmental risks. The study reveals that sustainability emerges as a potential reconciling framework to match arguments to influence the EU's decision‐making, while it reflects the political primacy of this process. Finally, this research recommends improving feedback visibility and enhancing clear communication, and suggests further research directions to understand future EU nuclear energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and regional development is indispensable from energy systems that function in a sustainable and resilient manner. The generation of renewable energy has seen significant upturn in the last decade. Renewables can be exploited to meet the global energy needs and climate change mitigation goals. Therefore, development of urban and regional energy systems must take into account the possibilities and challenges posed by the increasing penetration of the renewable. The achievement of goals of the energy system in the context of transition to low-carbon energy society rises numerous complex decisions over development of infrastructure and technologies. Although renewable energy devices generate clean energy, they also change landscape. The term of energy-scape encourages discussion about interactions between the energy system and the environment, and other ecosystem services at local level. The paper reviews previous studies analysing energy-scape elements and provides the insights towards the transition to low-carbon energy and low-carbon society in general. The systematic literature review allows clearly outlining the problem and gives reliable background for further studies. The main contribution of the article to the existing literature is the creation of framework for the analysis and assessment of new renewable energy technologies installation and infrastructure. The presented framework can be applied for all renewable energy technologies and infrastructure in both urban and rural areas and allows to attain a decision acceptable to the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the challenges associated with the adaptation of energy policies in the Caspian region to the principles of sustainable development. In the contemporary context, the oil and gas resources of Caspian countries play a vital role in national economic development and ensuring energy security for key importing nations amidst the global reshuffling of energy flows. The author analyzes the transformative changes brought about by the energy transition within the structure of the global fuel and energy complex.The study contributes to the field by proposing an integrated approach to promoting energy sustainability in energy-exporting countries. This approach entails the adaptation of the oil and gas sector to decarbonization processes, while simultaneously embracing the development of carbon-free energy sources within a dynamically evolving geopolitical landscape. The research endeavor seeks to determine the main directions for transforming the energy policies of oil and gas producing countries in the Caspian region in response to imperatives of sustainable development.At present, the most relevant aspects of energy policy in the Caspian countries involve the further development of oil and gas projects, strict adherence to environmental standards and regulations, ensuring energy efficiency across the entire production chain, and the implementation of "operational decarbonization" measures and carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of the fuel and energy complex. Additionally, to mitigate climate risks in the Caspian region, strategic energy policy priorities should encompass resource diversification towards the advancement of carbon-free generation based on renewable energy sources.The study assesses the potential of the Caspian countries not only in implementing "operational decarbonization" measures but also in developing renewable and low-carbon energy sources. Furthermore, it examines the prospects for realizing ambitious "green" projects in the region.

Ammonia (NH3) is an attractive low-carbon fuel and hydrogen carrier. However, losses and inefficiencies across the value chain could result in reactive nitrogen emissions (NH3, NOx, and N2O), negatively impacting air quality, the environment, human health, and climate. A relatively robust ammonia economy (30 EJ/y) could perturb the global nitrogen cycle by up to 65 Mt/y with a 5% nitrogen loss rate, equivalent to 50% of the current global perturbation caused by fertilizers. Moreover, the emission rate of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting molecule, determines whether ammonia combustion has a greenhouse footprint comparable to renewable energy sources or higher than coal (100 to 1,400 gCO2e/kWh). The success of the ammonia economy hence hinges on adopting optimal practices and technologies that minimize reactive nitrogen emissions. We discuss how this constraint should be included in the ongoing broad engineering research to reduce environmental concerns and prevent the lock-in of high-leakage practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the main properties of the modular design of small nuclear power plants (SNPPs), shows the possibility of reducing the cost and construction time of this class of plants through factory production, the effect of serialization, and the reduction of redundant safety systems. The prospects for significant expansion of the field of application of nuclear technologies due to their modularity and the possibility to ensure high safety performance are presented. Possible areas of SNPP use for power supply of remote territories including the Arctic area, production of high-potential heat and hydrogen for industrial consumers, and other applications are analyzed. It shows the need to develop and implement a new nuclear energy technology platform based on SNPPs to solve the problems of global decarbonization of the world economy by significantly expanding the scope of nuclear energy technologies in addition to the currently developed technological platform of a closed nuclear fuel cycle with fast neutron reactors and the technological platform of controlled thermonuclear fusion. The authors propose to create a pilot site for testing technologies for captive production of hydrogen (heat) for an industrial consumer, as well as other technologies for the utilitarian use of SNPPs based on a pilot demonstration of a nuclear power plant with a high-temperature (about 1100°C) fast neutron reactor with a gas coolant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has announced its ambitious targets of attaining a carbon peak before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Although China is a developing country, its oil sector plays a key role in carbon emissions and thus has a responsibility toward climate change. It is very important to understand the role of the oil industry of China in climate governance. This raises the following question: how have oil companies in China framed and tailored their climate strategies? By employing the concept of ecological modernization as a theoretical framework, this study observes the driving forces of climate policies, low-carbon energy, advanced technologies, and market mechanisms by collecting and analyzing reports published by three oil companies. The main findings are that state-owned oil companies in China have adopted the ideas and institutions of national climate strategies, low-carbon energy systems, and emerging financial and market tools. The analysis of the reports reveals that the main motives for the climate strategies of the companies are China’s administrative system, international climate cooperation, the transformation of the energy mix, and emerging market mechanisms.

Single-stage grid-interfaced PV topologies have challenges with high grid fault currents, despite being more efficient, simpler to implement, and less expensive than two-stage ones. In such systems, a single inverter is required to perform all grid-interface tasks. i.e., maximum power point tracking (MPPT), DC voltage stabilization, and grid current control. This necessitates a hardware-based fault current limitation solution rather than a software-based one to avoid adding to the inverter's control complexity and to mitigate the implications of PV system tripping. Therefore, in this study, a dual-functional non-superconducting saturated-core inductor-based (SCI) reactor is proposed to be applied at the output of a single-stage PV inverter. It involves two operation modes: a grid pre-fault mode where it filters the line current, hence minimizing its THD, and a grid-fault mode where it acts as a fault current limiter (FCL). Controlling the DC saturation current flowing into its control winding terminals alters the core magnetization of the SCI to vary its impedance between a low value during normal utility operation and a maximal value during faults. Consequently, the system is protected against inverter failures or unnecessary circuit-breaker tripping, which preserves service continuity and reduces system losses. Moreover, compared to existing FCLs, the proposed topology is an appealing candidate in terms of cost, size, reliability, and harmonic filtering ability. The bi-functionality and usefulness of the proposed reactor are confirmed using simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting financial sustainability is the focus of current state policies while addressing the concerns of environmental pollution. The alarming impacts of climate change on economies motivate us to revisit an intensive empirical study to explore the dynamic relationships of low-carbon energy, current account balance, and reserves with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the most polluted countries across the globe for the years 1981–2020. We applied the dynamic autoregressive distributive lag (D-ARDL) simulation model to investigate the short and long-run connection. The empirical outcomes of the study uncover that in the short run, a 1% increase in renewable energy reduces CO2-based emissions by 0.417%, 0.169%, and 0.619% in China, the USA, and India, respectively. We further explored that China's and the USA's economic growth causes environmental deterioration. In contrast, a 1% increase in current account balances improves the environmental quality of China and India by 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively. This research concludes that model variables significantly impact the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to draw policy implications to increase the consumption of low-carbon energy to sustain economic growth by limiting the adverse impacts of economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐value, renewable, carbon‐rich resources, with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples, represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon‐related energy on Earth. Upon conversion to higher‐value forms (referred to as "up‐carbonization" here), these abundant feedstocks provide viable opportunities for energy‐rich fuels and sustainable platform chemicals production. However, many of the current methods for such up‐carbonization still lack sufficient energy, cost, and material efficiency, which affect their economics and carbon‐emissions footprint. With external electricity precisely delivered, discharge plasmas enable many stubborn reactions to occur under mild conditions, by creating locally intensified and highly reactive environments. This technology emerges as a novel, versatile technology platform for integrated or stand‐alone conversion of carbon‐rich resources. The plasma‐based processes are compatible for integration with increasingly abundant and cost‐effective renewable electricity, making the whole conversion carbon‐neutral and further paving the plasma‐electrified up‐carbonization to be performance‐, environment‐, and economics‐viable. Despite the chief interest in this emerging area, no review article brings together the state‐of‐the‐art results from diverse disciplines and underlies basic mechanisms and chemistry underpinned. As such, this review aims to fill this gap and provide basic guidelines for future research and transformation, by providing an overview of the application of plasma techniques for carbon‐rich resource conversion, with particular focus on the perspective of discharge plasmas, the fundamentals of why plasmas are particularly suited for up‐carbonization, and featured examples of plasma‐enabled resource valorization. With parallels drawn and specificity highlighted, we also discuss the technique shortcomings, current challenges, and research needs for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Low‐value, renewable, carbon‐rich resources, with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples, represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon‐related energy on Earth. Upon conversion to higher‐value forms (referred to as “up‐carbonization” here), these abundant feedstocks provide viable opportunities for energy‐rich fuels and sustainable platform chemicals production. However, many of the current methods for such up‐carbonization still lack sufficient energy, cost, and material efficiency, which affect their economics and carbon‐emissions footprint. With external electricity precisely delivered, discharge plasmas enable many stubborn reactions to occur under mild conditions, by creating locally intensified and highly reactive environments. This technology emerges as a novel, versatile technology platform for integrated or stand‐alone conversion of carbon‐rich resources. The plasma‐based processes are compatible for integration with increasingly abundant and cost‐effective renewable electricity, making the whole conversion carbon‐neutral and further paving the plasma‐electrified up‐carbonization to be performance‐, environment‐, and economics‐viable. Despite the chief interest in this emerging area, no review article brings together the state‐of‐the‐art results from diverse disciplines and underlies basic mechanisms and chemistry underpinned. As such, this review aims to fill this gap and provide basic guidelines for future research and transformation, by providing an overview of the application of plasma techniques for carbon‐rich resource conversion, with particular focus on the perspective of discharge plasmas, the fundamentals of why plasmas are particularly suited for up‐carbonization, and featured examples of plasma‐enabled resource valorization. With parallels drawn and specificity highlighted, we also discuss the technique shortcomings, current challenges, and research needs for future work.

在"双碳"目标的驱动下, 能源系统的低碳转型已是大势所趋。作为支撑低碳能源技术的物质基础, 稀 土、锂、钴、镍、铂等关键金属的供需矛盾和战略争夺将不断加剧。文章阐述了关键金属对能源低碳技术的支 撑作用, 识别了我国关键金属供应的风险和卡点;建议将关键金属与低碳能源进行协同管理, 通过科技和产业 的进步, 以及建立由我国主导的国际合作体系, 提升关键金属的安全供应水平与支撑"双碳"目标的能力。. The grand transition to low-carbon energy system is essential to bend the growing carbon emission and further achieve the dual carbon goals. Critical metals such as rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and platinum are widely considered as the material base to support low-carbon technologies. However, given the supply of those metals are scarce and risky, the emerging conflicts between their supply and demand have spurred global attention and competition among countries. This study aims to explore the linkage between critical metals and low-carbon energy systems with a particular focus on the bottlenecks of China's supply chains of those critical metals. Accordingly, this study urges to form national strategies, together with China-oriented global governance system, to promote the simultaneous innovations and management of critical metals supply and low-carbon energy transition under the dual carbon goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For half a century now, the concept of decarbonization has dominated the global political and economic agenda, and Russia, despite the incompleteness of its scientific justification and the obvious threats to the development of the country's economy and energy, has recently joined it. A basic (extrapolation of the most optimistic of the latest approved by the government) scenario for the development of the country's economy until 2050 is presented, and it is transformed into a scenario of accelerated energy decarbonization (intensive). For these scenarios, forecasts have been developed for the consumption of the main types of fuel and electricity, and the required volumes of production of all types of primary energy have been optimized, taking into account the transformation of world energy markets. The rates and volumes of phasing out oil and especially coal production, the role of gas in the transition to low-carbon energy, the achievable volumes and the structure of noncarbon energy production are shown. Calculations of the required volumes of investments in the fuel and energy complex (FEC) and the contribution of the value added of its industries to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) showed that, in the intensive scenario, the fuel and energy complex loses its leading role in the Russian economy from the 2030s. Dominance in it in terms of contribution to the economy is moving from the oil and gas complex to the power industry, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced to carbon neutrality by the mid-2050s (while maintaining the existing absorptive capacity of forests). The decarbonization of the energy sector will slow (relative to the baseline case) the growth of the Russian economy for 3 years in 2030–2050, and its cost to complete the energy transition will be even higher. The demolition of the geopolitical situation that occurred after the completion of the study and the preparation of the article will seriously change the scenarios for the development of the Russian economy and energy and, possibly, even the accepted paradigm of climate warming. But the methodology outlined here for the study and assessment of the degree of influence of the main factors of low-carbon policy on the energy and economy of the country will remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) is a promising form of CAES technology, which can realize multi-energy cascade storage and supply. Given the characteristics of cooling, heating, and power (CHP) load demand of regionally integrated energy system (IES) and the overall need to control the total carbon emission, this study first establishes the AA-CAES multi-energy storage model; second, based on analyzing the multi-energy characteristics of AA-CAES, a ladder-type carbon trading mechanism is introduced; furthermore, aiming for minimal system operating costs and carbon trading costs, an optimal dispatch model of an integrated energy system with AA-CAES as the energy hub for coupling multiple energy forms is established. Finally, an empirical study was conducted based on the energy use scenario of a provincial and ministerial university in Qinghai Province. This study analyzes the impact of the operation of AA-CAES and the introduction of ladder-type carbon trading on the operating costs and carbon trading costs of IES. The simulation results show that the total operating cost of the proposed model is reduced by 23.9%, and carbon emission is decreased by 14.5% compared to the conventional IES. It proves the validity of coupling AA-CAES and stepped carbon trading mechanisms to facilitate low-carbon economy in IES.

Single-stage grid-interfaced PV topologies have challenges with high grid fault currents, despite being more efficient, simpler to implement, and less expensive than two-stage ones. In such systems, a single inverter is required to perform all grid-interface tasks. i.e., maximum power point tracking (MPPT), DC voltage stabilization, and grid current control. This necessitates a hardware-based fault current limitation solution rather than a software-based one to avoid adding to the inverter’s control complexity and to mitigate the implications of PV system tripping. Therefore, in this study, a dual-functional non-superconducting saturated-core inductor-based (SCI) reactor is proposed to be applied at the output of a single-stage PV inverter. It involves two operation modes: a grid pre-fault mode where it filters the line current, hence minimizing its THD, and a grid-fault mode where it acts as a fault current limiter (FCL). Controlling the DC saturation current flowing into its control winding terminals alters the core magnetization of the SCI to vary its impedance between a low value during normal utility operation and a maximal value during faults. Consequently, the system is protected against inverter failures or unnecessary circuit-breaker tripping, which preserves service continuity and reduces system losses. Moreover, compared to existing FCLs, the proposed topology is an appealing candidate in terms of cost, size, reliability, and harmonic filtering ability. The bi-functionality and usefulness of the proposed reactor are confirmed using simulation and experimental results.

Repurposing coal power plants in the United States may provide significant opportunities to incentivize low-carbon and renewable electricity generation created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Re-using coal sites for their existing electric grid interconnections and infrastructure could reduce costs and provide benefits to coal-based communities experiencing energy transitions. This study estimates local employment, labor income, and tax revenue effects from renewable and low-carbon generation options repurposing coal power plants and meeting their economic impacts at existing coal plant sites in North Carolina. The study bridges gaps in energy transition studies by including site feasibility assessment of advanced reactors for former coal power plant sites, renewable electricity generation, and thermal energy storage. It also considers cost advantages of reusing existing power plant interconnections, IRA discounts, and generation technology economic impacts using IMPLAN. A least-cost quadratic optimization model considers different site-specific electricity generation portfolios to analyze site-based economic impacts and associated technology costs meeting or exceeding site-based coal generation and its economic impacts. This study finds that replacing coal generation costs less than maintaining the current coal fleet, a technology-inclusive portfolio provides the least-cost pathway, and benefits may exceed site-based impacts of existing coal plants. Local tax revenues from advanced reactors and thermal energy storage systems may increase revenues by at least $28 million. Across all repurposing scenarios, replacing existing coal plants with energy storage, renewable, and low-carbon generation leads to net employment growth and tax revenues, indicating further benefits to a rapid and more equitable decarbonization through economic development. • Repurposing meets existing regional coal fleet economic impacts at lower costs. • Each scenario demonstrates net employment growth and increased tax revenues. • A mix of generation technologies unique to each site lowers repurposing costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China announced a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. As one of the most promising pathways to minimize carbon emissions, the low-carbon electricity supply is of high consideration in China's future energy planning. The main purpose of this study is to provide a comparative overview of the regional siting potential of various low-carbon power plants in the Yangtze River Delta of China. First, unsuitable zones for power plants are identified and excluded based on national regulations and landscape constraints. Second, we evaluate the spatial siting potential of the seven low-carbon energy power plants by ranking their suitability with geographic information system (GIS)-based hierarchical analysis (AHP). The results revealed that around 78% of the area is suitable for power plant siting. In summary, biomass power plants have high siting potential in over half of the spatial areas. Solar photovoltaic and waste-to-electricity are encouraged to establish in the long-term future. The maps visualize micro-scale spatial siting potential and can be coupled with the sustainability assessments of power plants to design an explicit guiding plan for future power plant allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topical legal aspects of the development and regulation of nuclear power with account for the low-carbon agenda are discussed. There are no doubts about the broad possibilities of nuclear power in terms of implementing the tasks set by the Paris Climate Agreement. The electrical energy generated by nuclear power plants is environmentally friendly (low carbon). Hydrogen production using nuclear power plants will also be responsible for decarbonization. In this context, it becomes necessary to analyze the legal regulation of the use of nuclear power facilities from the point of view of compliance with new realities. The study of the current legal framework for the operation of nuclear facilities has shown that it is the most detailed in comparison with other branches of the energy sector. At the same time, the provisions governing relations in the field of production, supply, transportation, and storage of hydrogen obtained at nuclear power plants have not been unified thus far. The need to improve legal regulation in the field of the use of atomic energy at the international and national levels is substantiated, and the areas requiring unification are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of biomass as an alternative fossil fuel can be realized mainly through biomass consumption. This paper examines the growth rate and spatial patterns of biomass consumption in the United States (hereafter US) during the period 2000–2012, using the SLOPE index, Moran's I and local Moran's I. Results indicate that US States show either slow growth or slow decline in biomass consumption during the period 2000–2012. The number of States that have slow growth in biomass consumption is slightly larger than the number of States showing slow decline. The pattern of growth rate of biomass consumption revealed by the SLOPE index and the observed pattern of the temporal variation of biomass consumption ensures that the SLOPE index can catch the growth rate of biomass consumption. This pattern does not align with the increased annual investment in biomass, indicating that the investment in biomass does not flow down to the biomass industry effectively. The pattern of growth rate of biomass consumption will provide additional evidence for the debates about the effectiveness of State renewable energy policy, and demonstrates an urgent need for appropriate State renewable energy policies. There is a High-High spatial cluster around the Southeast of the US and a Low-Low spatial cluster in the Middle of the US in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The regional spatial cluster in biomass consumption has somewhat relationship with the growth rate of biomass consumption, which can help the understanding of the growth rate of biomass consumption. • The SLOPE index is used to investigate the growth rate of biomass consumption. • The pattern of growth rate does not align with the increased annual investment. • There is an urgent need for appropriate State renewable energy policies. • There are regional clusters in biomass consumption in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. • The regional spatial cluster has somewhat relationship with the growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent UN climate agreement has the potential to shift global energy consumption from a mix dominated by fossil fuels to one driven by low-carbon technologies. It is clear that if this happens, fossil-fuel-producing countries will have to adjust their economies to reflect lower export earnings from oil, coal, and natural gas. The rise of renewable energy may also create new centers of geopolitical power. As renewable resources become widely distributed, supply-side geopolitics are expected to be less influential than in the fossil-fuel era. Instead of focusing on just two major resources, oil and natural gas, low-carbon energy geopolitics may depend on many additional factors, such as access to technology, power lines, rare earth materials, patents, storage, and dispatch, not to mention unpredictable government policies. Despite uncertainty, there is no question that the balance of power in energy geopolitics is shifting from fossil-fuel owners to countries that are developing low-carbon solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ethiopia has an estimated >10,000 MW of geothermal energy potential, more than double its current power generating capacity (4,400 MW). Electricity access stands at 44% of the total population, with 31% in rural areas, so effective development of this low‐carbon resource could make a significant impact to equitable delivery of electricity. However, geothermal energy exploitation must be done responsibly to protect valuable water resources under stress from climate‐change driven drought conditions and competing uses across agricultural, domestic, and industrial sectors. Our review provides progress updates on geothermal developments—which soon aim to deliver more than 1,000 MW of electricity—and performs a high‐level assessment of hydrochemical data for ground and surface waters across Ethiopia. A water quality database was built using publicly available information and three quality control criteria: well‐defined sample location, cation‐anion balance (CAB) of ±10%, and clear fluid type definition. Ethiopia hosts two major geothermal water types, sodium‐alkalinity dominated in the Main Ethiopian Rift and sodium‐chloride dominated in the Afar Depression, separated by sodium‐mixed waters between Dofan‐Fantale and Meteka. H and O stable isotopes suggest a largely meteoric source for geothermal waters, with δ18O enrichment adding to evidence of a high enthalpy resource at Tendaho. Hydrochemical investigations provide critical information for successful delivery of sustainable geothermal energy developments. However, the current lack of data available for Ethiopia poses a significant challenge for completion of predevelopment baselines and ongoing environmental impact assessment. We encourage the release of unpublished findings from private companies and government agencies to build upon our database and demonstrate social and environmental responsibility in the development of Ethiopian geothermal resources. This article is categorized under:Engineering Water > Methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electric Power Automation Equipment / Dianli Zidonghua Shebei is the property of Electric Power Automation Equipment Press 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.)

[Display omitted] • Nanoparticles are crucial in enhancing the effectiveness of low-carbon technology. • Huge specific surface area makes nanoparticles a good sorbent for CO 2 capture. • CO 2 gas can be converted into value-added products using nanocatalysts. • The combustion properties of low-carbon fuels are enhanced with nano-additives. • Nanoparticles enhanced renewable energy harvesting and energy storage technologies. • Green synthesis of nanoparticles with reduced carbon footprint is needed. The alarming climate change that has occurred on Earth has increased the urgency of reducing global CO 2 emissions. In response to this longstanding issue, many countries and organizations have been actively strengthening the implementation of low-carbon strategies as a crucial step toward achieving the larger goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Nanoparticles, extremely tiny particles with at least one of their dimensions ranging from 1 nm to 100 nm, played a significant role in advancing diverse low-carbon technologies. While it was not emphasized previously, the present article serves as the first note to look into the utilization of this unique matter, specifically in (i) carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, (ii) catalytic conversion and upcycle of CO 2 into value-added fuels and chemicals, (iii) the development of low-carbon and carbon–neutral fuels with improved combustion properties, (iv) the enhancement of low-carbon energy harvesting technology, (v) the development of lithium-ion batteries for low-carbon mobility, and their applications in (vi) improved crude oil extraction technology. Nanoparticles have gained favour in low-carbon technologies primarily because of their significantly larger specific surface area, which leads to better interfacial interaction, reactivity, adsorption capacity, sensitivity, and other properties. Here, the status and progress in the aforementioned nanoparticle-enabled low-carbon technologies are discussed and reviewed. Considering that it is essential to attain carbon neutrality in the long run, the future outlook in this study area is proposed to be focused on the pursuit of manufacturing/synthesis of nanoparticles in an environmentally friendly, reduced carbon footprint manner. It is envisaged that this study will offer a holistic view as well as new insights into the role of nanoparticles in paving the way towards a low-carbon future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-abatement strategies that can reduce both CO 2 and air pollutants emissions are essential for the green and low-carbon transition of China's iron and steel industry. Most previous studies analyzed CO 2 and air pollutants reduction policies independently, but the synergies and tradeoffs between the two types of policies have rarely been investigated. By establishing a bottom-up simulation model that considers combinations of different policy objectives, crude steel demand and technology development options, this study couples air pollutants reduction into the carbon neutrality pathways to evaluate the synergistic effects of different abatement strategies in China's iron and steel industry. The study also incorporates the indirect CO 2 and air pollutants emissions from the upstream energy production sectors into pathway analysis, in order to avoid cross-sectoral carbon and air pollution leakages. The results show that the current emissions reduction policies in the iron and steel industry are far from achieving the carbon neutrality goals. To achieve synergistic reduction in CO 2 and air pollutants emissions, the short term policies should mainly rely on increasing the share of the scrap-electric arc furnace (EAF), while reducing crude steel demand and promoting breakthrough technologies, particularly hydrogen-based direct reduction, should play a major role in the long term. Meanwhile, China should promote the decarbonization of power generation and hydrogen production to reduce indirect CO 2 and air pollutants emissions from the upstream sectors. [Display omitted] • Explore pathways for CO 2 and air pollutants co-abatement in iron and steel industry. • Evaluate contributions and synergistic effects of different abatement strategies. • Stronger policy measures are needed to achieve carbon neutrality target. • Decarbonization of upstream energy sectors is critical to reduce indirect emissions. • Material efficiency and structural adjustment have greater synergistic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports evidence for substantial public support for the large-scale deployment of three renewable energy options in Kenya: wind, solar PV, and geothermal energy. With these renewable technologies, the government of Kenya could make a large contribution to reaching its national commitment under the Paris Agreement. Prices, infrastructural needs, and land-use requirements importantly contribute to shaping public opinion about these renewable energy alternatives, in different ways and directions for wind, PV, and geothermal energy. While overall the evaluation of these technologies is positive, public authorities should be wary of the possible inconveniences and drawbacks associated with them. Anticipating and, where possible, mitigating these shortcomings in national climate and energy development plans could preclude some of them becoming possible hindrances for broad-scale adoption of wind, PV, and geothermal energy. Furthering quantitative public acceptance studies, like the one presented here based on (semi-)expert elicitation and information-choice questionnaires, can assist in Kenya fully reaching its national climate and energy ambitions. More generally, we argue that the establishment of affordable, clean, and secure energy systems, as well as the mitigation of global climate change, can benefit from stakeholder engagement and public survey analysis like the one performed in our study – in developing countries as much as in the developed part of the world.

With rising energy demand in Asia, the high potential for hydropower development and the need for low-carbon energy development, hydropower would seem to have a significant role in South Asia's energy future. However, the extent of hydropower development will depend on several risk factors, including the cost of alternative energy sources, the environmental sustainability of hydropower and social issues of equitable development. Using a risk-analysis framework, it is concluded that the future of hydropower will depend on how well policies and institutions manage the risks, facilitate efficient financial markets, and promote fair and friendly cross-border electricity trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China announced a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. As one of the most promising pathways to minimize carbon emissions, the low-carbon electricity supply is of high consideration in China’s future energy planning. The main purpose of this study is to provide a comparative overview of the regional siting potential of various low-carbon power plants in the Yangtze River Delta of China. First, unsuitable zones for power plants are identified and excluded based on national regulations and landscape constraints. Second, we evaluate the spatial siting potential of the seven low-carbon energy power plants by ranking their suitability with geographic information system (GIS)-based hierarchical analysis (AHP). The results revealed that around 78% of the area is suitable for power plant siting. In summary, biomass power plants have high siting potential in over half of the spatial areas. Solar photovoltaic and waste-to-electricity are encouraged to establish in the long-term future. The maps visualize micro-scale spatial siting potential and can be coupled with the sustainability assessments of power plants to design an explicit guiding plan for future power plant allocation.