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Access to decentralized energy solutions is critical for the development of rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). One form of decentralized energy technology, agrivoltaics (AV), has gained attention in the last decade as a means to tackle energy poverty in off-grid communities. The success of renewable energy (RE) projects of any kind, however, depends on existing challenges and risks that may be faced at different stages. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify and analyze the main risk factors when implementing agrivoltaics on a community level in SSA. Based on the PESTLE framework, the paper develops a first risk classification system for international agrivoltaic projects in rural farming communities in SSA. By making use of a mixed-methods approach, the research enables the prioritization of potential risks in terms of their occurrence and significance; furthermore, it discusses mitigation strategies. Results indicate that there are various multifaceted risks associated with agrivoltaics, primarily including financial challenges and regulatory barriers. In addition, the study emphasizes the importance of stakeholder involvement as well as a need for long-term community engagement and capacity building to ensure a successful implementation and sustainability of agrivoltaic projects. • Development of the first risk classification system for international agrivoltaic projects in rural communities in SSA. • A mixed-methods approach was used for identifying, classifying and rating potential risks. • Financial risks and regulatory barriers appear to be highly critical. • In addition, stakeholder involvement and long-term community engagement were considered essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research has highlighted the pros and cons of the use of (a) competition and (b) positive (peer) pressure as two mechanisms for invoking peer effects to bring about long-term behavior change. However, these mechanisms have been studied separately and in different contexts. In this paper, we compare the differential impacts of competition versus positive pressure-induced pro-environmental behavior change in the same target population. This study spans a seven-year horizon between 2013 and 2019 (pre-COVID) during which the workforce of about 2500 employees in the Stephan P. Clark Government Center in Miami, Florida, was split into four groups - one control and three treatment groups. Each treatment group was subjected to (a) a healthy inter-group competition through tracking, benchmarking, and comparing monthly group level electricity saving, and (b) positive pressure through the appointment of champions who encouraged pro-environmental behavior among their group members. Studying these mechanisms concurrently in the same population allows for a nuanced comparison of their differential impacts on pro-environmental behavior change. • In this paper, we compare the differential impacts of competition-induced spillover and supervision-induced peer pressure in affecting pro-environmental behavior change in the same target over a seven-year analysis horizon. • The study spans 2013-2019 during which the workforce of about 2500 employees in a building was split into four groups (one control and three treatment) and was subjected to both peer pressure and healthy competition. • The study spans 2013-2019 during which the workforce of about 2500 employees in a building was split into four groups (one control and three treatment) and was subjected to both peer pressure and healthy competition. • These results have implications for the design of pro-environment campaigns that could leverage peer effects through fostering an environment of intragroup pride and healthy inter-group rivalry sprinkled with intermittent supervisory interventions for making long-term impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating CO 2 emissions in recent years underlined the need for advanced Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies. This context has spurred the exploration of novel materials for promoting CCU efficiency, among which electrospun nanofibers have emerged as a promising candidate. Electrospinning coupled with various post-treatment (such as heat-treating, in-situ growth, selective removal, etc.) offers a versatile approach to fabricate diverse nanofibers, including polymeric, carbonaceous, metallic, and composite fibers, with tunable surface morphologies and chemical properties. This paper provides a comprehensive review of electrospun nanofibers in CCU processes, including adsorption, membrane separation and absorption, electrochemical and photo-electrochemical reduction, thermal catalytic hydrogenation, and more. Each CCU technology is examined in depth to cover the recent research achievements with a specific focus on the contributions of electrospun nanofibers. Lastly, a critical discussion and a list of potential future research directions for this evolving field are provided. • Latest electrospun nanofiber-based CCU technologies are thoroughly reviewed. • Electrospinning enables creating various nanofibers, aiding multiple CCU technologies. • Provide critical discussion and future directions for this evolving research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is driving the adoption of sustainable energy, with low-cost solar photovoltaics and wind power at the forefront. However, land-constrained regions and islands have a limited onshore renewable energy potential. Wave power may prove useful for such regions, supported by growing literature in the field. This study delves into wave power's techno-economic potential, addressing a gap in previous assessments focused solely on theoretical or technical prospects. Utilising hourly wave data and a wave energy converter manufacturer's power matrix, global wave electricity yield is estimated. Considering projected costs, levelised cost of electricity is used to gauge economic viability. Although wave power is currently expensive, the results suggest that it could become cost-competitive with offshore wind power in the 2030s, with levelised cost of electricity below 70 €/MWh by 2035 in areas with good wave energy resources. Finally, the paper contributes openly accessible, hourly capacity factor data of global wave power generation, empowering further energy system modelling research. This study paves the way for informed decision-making on wave power's role in a diversified, sustainable energy future. • Global-local wave power potential is estimated. • Economic potential estimation is presented with projection until 2050. • Point absorbers have a wide operating range leading to high yields and low costs. • Wave power is a feasible alternative for power supply in coastal regions and islands. • Energy systems can benefit from the complementarity of wave power and solar PV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the viability of utilizing agricultural biomass-based energy potential, employing mathematical, engineering, and economic modeling techniques. Moreover, the potential of a biogas-based co-digestion (CD) system, integrating its techno-economic performance and environmental sustainability in terms of electricity generation, has also been studied. In this investigation, the categorization of 25 different plant species into two groups: arable field crops (AFCs) and horticultural plants (HPs), was performed. Data was collected during the 2021‐–2022 cropping season in Bangladesh from various sources, including literature reviews, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. The findings revealed that the available agricultural biomass residues, totaling 1,02,585.75 KT, have the capacity to generate 1,33,815 million m3/year of biogas. This energy potential corresponds to 291,125.85 TJ/year or 9231.60 MW of electricity, which can fulfill 88% of the national total energy demand. In terms of levelized cost, the proposed approach is more competitive and shows a greater promise compared to other technologies. Furthermore, it demonstrates environmental friendliness by reducing CO 2 emissions by 156 tons at a cost of $7/ton while earning $1092 annually from the potential carbon-credit market. This approach presents a potential solution to address Bangladesh's energy crisis. The payback period of the system ranged from 2.93 to 3.75 years, with and without the inclusion of a slurry, respectively. The recommended methods hold significant promise for meeting national energy demands. A case study was provided as a proof-of-concept (PoC) to validate the approach. This study is the first of its kind, providing valuable insights into the renewable energy potential in Bangladesh. The results will assist policymakers in formulating sustainable energy policies. • Mathematics, engineering, economics and environmental modeling explored renewable energy. • Techno-economics and environmental sustainability validated the proposed methodology. • Bioenergy-based electricity could supply 88% of the national energy demand of Bangladesh. • A case study was provided as a proof-of-concept (PoC) to validate the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition towards sustainable practices and a reliable electricity grid accommodates the rising electrification of the heating and transportation sectors. Aging, environmental factors, and operational conditions of electrical grid infrastructure contribute to a higher likelihood of faults. This leads to a reduced level of reliability, emphasizing the importance of renewing electrical grid infrastructure, particularly underground cables. Optimally replacing cables is essential, taking into account various factors like reducing the fault probability, minimizing the cost of power outages, and enhancing reliability within the budgetary constraint. This paper introduces an innovative methodology to predictive asset management for replacing underground cables using multi-objective optimization approach. Three objective functions are formulated: number of replaced cables, cost of power outages, and interruption-related index, which is determined through metrics like SAIFI, SAIDI, and ASIDI. These objectives are modeled as mixed-integer programming creating a multi-objective optimization problem, which is addressed using the epsilon-constraint approach. The optimization model identifies the cables that should be replaced within the budget constraint, aiming to optimize the objectives. The effectiveness of this approach is assessed using a real Danish distribution grid. The findings indicate that, compared to methods based on the cable age, fault vulnerability, and risk assessment, the proposed method demonstrates superior performance in terms of reliability metrics and power outage cost. • Proposing a novel predictive asset management for distribution networks. • Considering different fault consequences and population density. • Proposing a novel multi-objective optimization model. • Applying proposed method on a Danish distribution network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemp-based building envelopes have gained significant popularity in developed countries, and now the trend of constructing houses with hemp-clay blocks is spreading to developing countries like Morocco. Investigating the hygrothermal behavior of such structures under actual climate conditions is essential for advancing and promoting this sustainable practice. This paper presents an in-depth experimental characterization of a commercial hemp-clay brick that has been exposed to the outdoor environment for four years, in addition to field measurements on a building scale demonstration prototype. Additionally, the study simulates 17 representative cities to assess the hygrothermal performance and energy-saving potential in each of Morocco's six existing climate zones, using the EnergyPlus engine. The experimental campaign's findings demonstrate excellent indoor air temperature and relative humidity regulation within the hemp-clay wall building, leading to satisfactory levels of thermal comfort within hemp-clay wall buildings. This is attributed to the material's good thermal conductivity and excellent moisture buffering capacity (found to be 0.31 W/mK and 2.25 g/m2%RH), respectively). The energy simulation findings also point to significant energy savings, with cooling and heating energy reductions ranging from 27.7% to 47.5% and 33.7% to 79.8%, respectively, as compared to traditional Moroccan buildings. [Display omitted] • Experimental characterization of thermal conductivity, sorption isotherm, and moisture buffering capacity of hemp bricks. • Assessment of indoor thermal comfort and energy demand in a hemp-based building across 17 cities in Morocco. • Hemp-clay bricks demonstrated excellent humidity regulation with a moisture buffer capacity of 2.25 g/m2%RH. • Hemp-clay walls can achieve energy savings ranging from 27.7%–47.5% for cooling and 33.7%–79.8% for heating in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the application of distributed energy resources (DERs) at water resource recovery facilities (WRRF). The DERs considered include solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, biomass electricity generation, and energy storage systems (ESS). The financial and demand management implications of the deployment of various DER combinations are analyzed. The load profile of a single plant is studied in order to draw conclusions regarding the optimal size for energy storage solutions based on the goals of the WRRF. A case study of a Medium sized WRRF, located in a large metropolitan area, is used to compare different financial and technical implementation strategies. An ideal combination of DERs is determined based on analysis of various scenarios for nine distinct use cases. The overarching goal of this paper is to understand the potential of various combinations of DERs for managing peak demand and resilience at WRRFs. Elements in the financial models are compared to determine the combination that creates a financially viable project while providing tangible benefits in resilience and/or demand management to the WRRF. • Energy efficiency is key for urban regions to combat global warming. • Distributed energy resources (DERs) improve resiliency during power failures. • Energy efficiency is possible through deployment of DERs and better use of biogases • Distributed energy resources (DERs) improve resiliency during power failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A data-driven optimization algorithm is developed for reliable PtX design. • Constraint of grid utilization prevents overuse of grid for sustainable production. • The trade-off between variations and means of performance indicators is revealed. • Results offer insights into design decision-making under renewable uncertainty. Designing a reliable power-to-X (PtX) process that uses renewable energy and grid electricity as backup power is challenging due to the uncertain nature of renewables and potential limits on grid usage. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a data-driven, reliability-based optimization approach for designing a grid-assisted PtX process and understanding how the uncertainty of time-series renewable profile affects its design and optimal sizing. This approach uses generative adversarial networks (GANs) to capture the complex patterns of renewables in temporal and spatial dimensions, rather than simply treating uncertainty as a probabilistic range as in conventional methods. The optimization considers both the mean and variance of production cost as objectives, while also taking into account the level of grid energy penetration as a probabilistic constraint through the reliability analysis. A power allocation and performance evaluation model is developed and used in conjunction with the optimization to assess uncertainty propagation through the PtX process and evaluate the impact of renewable uncertainty on process performance. A case study involving the production of methanol on Jeju Island in South Korea demonstrates how the mean and variance of production cost and other performance indicators can be balanced in the reliable design of PtX processes under renewable energy uncertainty, providing insights for decision-making in such situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study depicts societal issues associated with the development projects. • A road map developed that focuses on avenues related to establishment of new development projects. • The SEETA model, based on Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques is proposed. • Model is demonstrated using comparison of fourteen hydropower plants. • The hydropower plants are compared around five main and fifteen sub-criteria. Selecting an appropriate location for a large infrastructure project poses difficult situations. It shall satisfy sustainability indicators and establish harmony among multiple goals of multiple stakeholders. In such a situation, Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques allow assessing qualitative and quantitative attributes, analysing and removing subjective biases and help in arriving at objective decisions. However, a single Multi-Criteria Decision Making technique may not be an effective tool to generate concrete results as there is no validation of the results. By utilising hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Making methods, one can incorporate, gauge, and assess the range of social, economic, and environmental impacts precisely and achieve an accurate result by validating results by other methods. Therefore, this paper develops a model called as Social, Economic, Environmental and Technical Assessment model. It combines four fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques viz. Fuzzy Stepwise Weighted Assessment Ratio Analysis, Fuzzy Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis, Fuzzy Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. This paper utilises the case of hydropower plants in India, how the policy and decision-makers can arrive at the selection of the best location for an infrastructure project. According to the assessment value, Teesta Low Dam IV (Darjeeling, West Bengal) is the preferred hydropower plant for all selected methods. The State could bring social justice, ecological stability; achieve economic benefits and sustainability by appropriating this proposed model in other development fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel multicriteria (MCDM) framework using AHP and q-ROLPBM operator is presented. • We incorporate stakeholders' degree of pessimistic and optimistic rate for all criteria. • Environmental and economic are the most crucial dimensions followed by social and technical ones. • e-fuel and e-biofuel are found to be the two top ranked production pathways. • Findings are valuable for policy/investment development for sustainable fuel production. It is widely believed that alternative low carbon fuels (ALCF) can be instrumental in achieving the transportation sector's decarbonization goal. Unlike conventional fossil-based fuels, ALCF can be produced through a combination of different chemical processes and feedstocks. The inherent complexity of the problem justifies the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to support decision-making in the presence of multiple criteria and data uncertainty. In this paper, we propose a novel stakeholder participation-based MCDM framework integrating experts' perspectives on ALCF production pathways using the analytics hierarchy process (AHP) and the q-rung orthopair linguistic partition Bonferroni mean (q-ROLPBM) operator. The key merit of our approach lies in treating criteria of different dimensions as heterogeneous indicators while considering the mutual influence between criteria within the same dimension. The proposed framework is applied to evaluate four ALCF production pathways against 13 criteria categorised under economic, environmental, technical, and social dimensions for the case of the United Kingdom (UK). Our analysis revealed the environmental and the economic dimensions to be the most important, followed by the social and technical evaluation dimensions. The e-fuel followed by the e-biofuel are found to be the two top-ranked production pathways that utilise the electrochemical reduction process and its combination with anaerobic digestion. These findings, along with our recommendations, provide decision-makers with guidelines on ALCF production pathway selection and formulate effective policies for investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the link between investment in renewable energy technologies on environmental quality. • Our methodological approach utilises an interactive-fixed effects model to deal with endogeneity issues. • Our findings show that R&D investment in renewables has a significant positive effect on environmental quality. In this paper, we investigate the impact of public investment in R&D in renewable energy technologies on environmental quality using a spectrum of environmental emissions. We employ new and innovative panel data methods to address the existing econometric issues in estimating the effect of R&D on greenhouse gas emissions. Then, using data from advanced and emerging economies that span the period from 1980 to 2020, we find that R&D investment in renewable technologies has a significant positive effect on environmental quality by reducing a range of pollutants, including carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity tests. The findings have important policy implications for climate change and various recent environmental initiatives, including the transition to net-zero emissions and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Stakeholders see great potential in PEDs for energy poverty reduction. • Energy poverty mitigation needs to be included in PEDs from the onset. • PED replication can synergistically address both decarbonization and energy poverty mitigation. • Increasing levels of energy poverty makes PEDs more financially viable as mitigation tools. • More consideration needs to be given to the social dimension in decisions on new PED creation. 100 Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are to be created in Europe by 2025, with a stated goal of urban decarbonization. These are highly energy efficient residential urban areas, powered entirely through renewables. PED creation is to be guided by principles of quality of life, sustainability, and inclusiveness (specifically focusing on affordability and energy poverty prevention). Although there is research into the decarbonization aspects of PEDs, there has been little focus on the guiding principles, and their potential to reduce energy vulnerability. Using energy vulnerability factors and an energy justice framework, this article examines how the topic of energy vulnerability mitigation is perceived by professional PED stakeholders. Stakeholders from multiple countries were interviewed in order to determine how and to what extent they approached the topic of inclusivity and energy vulnerability. The contribution of this paper to academic research is in helping to frame energy vulnerability in European smart city urban areas, focusing on the perceptions of key stakeholders. This contributes to research on the identification and evaluation of innovations such as PEDs which offer a potential model for an inclusive transition. Furthermore, this article offers a contribution for policymakers, informing PED replication policies with a focus on the synergistic aims of decarbonization and energy vulnerability mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A social impact assessment framework for energy technologies is proposed. • The impacts of wind energy plants on both global and local well-being are assessed. • Results are presented in a social sustainability dashboard covering 23 indicators. • Offshore wind shows higher impacts than onshore ones in most global categories. • Onshore wind case offers better local working conditions than offshore operations. A transition to renewable energy sources is needed in the EU countries to achieve their goal of a low-carbon economy. This transition may come with potentially negative impacts on the well-being of the population, both globally and locally. Such social impacts are not yet systematically assessed for renewable energy technologies. In this paper, a social impact assessment framework for renewable energy technologies is developed and applied for a wind energy case study. The assessed social categories comprise impacts on human health, human rights infractions, working conditions, local job creation, quality of residential life, landscape quality. In order to cover this broad field of social impacts, four distinct social impact assessment methods were combined in a common social impact assessment framework. The application of the framework was demonstrated by means of the wind energy case study. The results are presented in the form of a social sustainability dashboard comprising 23 social impact indicators covering both global and local well-being impacts. The analysis showed that the life cycle material demand of offshore wind projects has larger impacts on global well-being than the onshore alternatives. For the local dimension, the offshore case was found to be less intrusive for the local population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We evaluate the carbon intensity of human well-being of 125 countries from 1990 to 2017. • We identify the effects of urbanization on the carbon intensity of human well-being. • The two-way fixed Prais-Winston regression approach is applied to examine the grouped impacts. • Urbanization negatively affects the CIWB in countries with low urbanization countries, while contrary in highly urbanized countries. • Five cooperation organizations reinforced previous findings of different urbanization level groups. While scholars have widely discussed the relationship between urbanization, economic development and environmental degradation, little is known about how urbanization affects human well-being. This paper examines the effects of urbanization on the carbon intensity of human well-being (CIWB) in 125 countries in the period of 1990–2017. The CIWB is an indicator that reflects the nexus between environmental pressure and humans living standards. According to the principle of the CIWB, our results reveal that CIWB values declined over the study period, which represents an optimistic outcome in that it indicates that human well-being increased at a faster rate than increases in per capita CO 2 emissions. By employing a two-way fixed effects of Prais-Winsten regression approach, we evaluated the influence of urbanization on the CIWB in countries with various urbanization levels. Our study further selected five international cooperative organizations, each characterized by their own urbanization levels, in order to further understand whether different urbanization levels exert different impacts on the CIWB. The empirical results showed the existence of obvious differences in these effects: urbanization is shown to have prominently reduced the CIWB in countries with low and medium levels of urbanization, while it may increase the CIWB in highly urbanized countries. The empirical results obtained in relation to the cooperative organizations approximately accord with the results obtained in relation to the countries when grouped by urbanization level. The study reinforces the importance of scientific urban planning, environmental and population policies for the sustainable development of countries at different stages of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integration model for biomass to methanol supply chain is built. • Using an agent-based simulation–optimization is recommended in analyzing and reporting results. • Two different technological pathways of producing methanol from biomass are benchmarked. • Major decision making is included in the agent-based simulation–optimization model. • Methanol from biogas is more favorable than gasification technology. Methanol is a key product in the chemical industry, not only for producing other higher economic value chemicals, but also serves as a source of renewable energy that can substantially reduce carbon emissions. However, limited data are available on methanol total supply chain costs that consists of production, biomass cost, investment cost and the efficiency of the conversion processes. This paper recommends using an agent-based simulation–optimization in analyzing and reporting results by system elements (techno-economic assessment) or unit processes (life cycle assessment) as well as by the overall product system, of methanol supply chain. Major decision making are included in the agent-based simulation–optimization model to evaluate methanol synthesis pathways. This evaluation includes biomass and methanol ordering policy, capital budgeting during the lifetime of the methanol supply chain, carbon emissions per metric ton of methanol with specific focus on contribution to Indonesia Gross Domestic Product. The principal results obtained from the agent-based simulation show a better conversion technology pathway that leads to lower carbon emissions, higher internal rate of return, shorter payback period, and less price sensitivity of the methanol supply chain. The article proposes methanol from biogas as the chosen conversion technology pathway by considering its capability of sequestering carbon dioxide from bio-digester and lower capital investment, as well as its economic attractiveness to methanol production investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examine preference heterogeneity for renewable home heating systems. • Combined psychological construct statements and a discrete choice experiment. • Identify four types of viewpoints towards heat pumps using latent class analysis. • Estimate willingness to pay for non-monetary attributes of new home heating systems. This paper aims to understand heterogeneity in preferences for renewable home heating systems such as heat pump systems, using a combination of psychological construct statements and a discrete choice experiment. We employ a latent class analysis for a nationally representative sample of Irish households to identify and characterize distinct respondent classes based on their responses to statements on attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to install a heat pump that are constructed based on the theory of planned behavior. This allows us to identify four types of people with different viewpoints towards heat pumps. Furthermore, we conducted a discrete choice experiment with a subsample of randomly selected respondents to estimate preferences for different attributes of a new home heating system and the corresponding marginal willingness to pay. Our estimated results show that, in addition to upfront cost and bill savings, non-monetary attributes such as installation hassle, environmental sustainability, and an increase in home comfort of use are important determinants of the uptake of new home heating systems, including heat pumps. The findings of this study should provide useful information to policymakers and companies on end-user profiles, heterogeneity in preferences, and willingness to pay estimates for new home heating alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated community energy systems (ICESs) are a modern development of local energy systems by integrating distributed energy resources and local communities. Cost allocation is one of the key issues affecting the success of ICESs. Costs should be allocated to those who cause them, and benefits to those who make the investments. A well-designed cost allocation approach will therefore contribute to a successful implementation and sustainable development of ICESs. This paper presents a general framework for designing cost allocation schemes in ICESs. Various cost allocation methods are proposed to compute the energy bills for local community members in an ICES. In addition, the cost reflectiveness of different cost allocation methods has been computed based on a case study of an ICES to gain insights into how well the costs are allocated. Next to this, the same is also done for the cost predictability to investigate how the energy costs would change in the long term. The results showed that methods with a single energy charging component perform the best in terms of the two criteria. Our assessment can facilitate local community members in selecting a method that satisfies their requirements. Overall, this research contributes to a successful implementation of cost allocation in an ICES. • A framework is designed for cost allocation in ICESs. • Various methods are proposed for cost allocation in ICESs. • Cost allocation methods are assessed by cost reflectiveness and predictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Techno-economic model of 72-apartment residential complex with rooftop solar. • Tariffs for cost and benefit distribution between stakeholders in embedded network. • Cost-recovery, incentivising efficient behaviour and ensuring consumer acceptance. • Cost-reflective demand charges unacceptable and cannot sustain embedded network. • Implications for tariff design, network regulation and policy. Deployment of rooftop solar photovoltaics on multi-family buildings lags behind other residential buildings sectors, despite the benefit of significantly higher self-consumption achievable by applying on-site generation to aggregated building load. This is, in part, because of challenges in developing suitable business models to ensure the fair allocation of costs and benefits between different stakeholders. Embedded networks can provide a mechanism for consumers to co-ordinate their engagement in the energy market, as well as to distribute on-site generation between multiple households. However, to succeed, an embedded network must deliver benefits to all households as well as providing returns to investors. This paper uses a case-study of a 72-apartment complex in Sydney Australia to explore different ways to distribute the costs and benefits of a potential shared photovoltaic system between apartment owners and residents. A range of tariff structures, including demand or capacity charges as well as fixed and time-varying volumetric charges, are compared for their ability to recover investment costs, incentivise efficient energy behaviour and achieve customer acceptance through fairness and transparency. The analysis demonstrates the tension between these desired outcomes and the significant challenge of designing a mechanism to deliver them all. In particular, tariff structures incorporating peak demand charges, while cost-reflective and efficient, are unable to deliver benefits to all stakeholders and thereby ensure the sustainability of the embedded network. The findings have implications for market design and for policy approaches to support embedded networks and energy communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy trilemma objectives are not always conflicting in network design. • Stand-by fossil generators combined with batteries as backup for blackouts. • Required external grid capacity ranges between 43% and 228% of peak load. • Changes in capital expenditure and self-supply could affect business models. • No consensus between 4 multi-objective decision making methods. A significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions entails complex trade-offs among economic, environmental and security objectives of the energy trilemma. The associated proliferation of distributed energy resources in power distribution networks requires optimized planning to ensure economic efficiency and security, where security is defined as the ability to withstand outages (reliability) and imbalances between generation and load (flexibility). This paper investigates the trade-offs among active distribution network design solutions in the energy trilemma. Storage, renewable and dispatchable generators are installed to minimize cost, interruptions and emissions via epsilon-constraint mixed integer linear program. The ramping capability of distributed energy resources is harnessed to provide flexible capacity to the surrounding grid, and to enable the transition from active distribution networks into microgrids with islanding capability. Decision-making strategies for selecting the best design from a Pareto-optimal set are contrasted based on the economic, sustainability and security of the design and operations. Applying these strategies to a Californian distribution network shows nonlinear trade-offs between the trilemma objectives, reducing both emissions and interruption durations by up to 64%. Remarkably, energy supply is diversified with up to 47% of local generation entailing a strong reduction in operating expenditures. While the increase in local generation can reduce the peak imports from the surrounding grid by 56% compared to a network without distributed energy resources, enforcing strict emission limits can lead to renewable exports that exceed the peak load by 130%. Sensitivity analyses identify the performance indicators which strongly influence the selection of the best design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon dioxide recharge and limnic eruption processes in deep lakes are reviewed. • Novel system associating pumped-hydro storage and deep lakes degassing is analysed. • The proposed system gives way to sustainable and useful gas removal from deep lakes. • Technical arrangements for pumped-hydro storage at natural deep lakes is provided. • The levelised cost of storage for the proposed system is analysed. Nowadays, pumped-hydro storage is the most established large-scale energy storage technology, but its implementation is seriously constrained by the availability of favourable sites. The geographical symbiosis between mountainous areas and deep lakes offers good prospects for the detection of such sites. In these areas, the generally meromictic structure of such lakes causes carbon dioxide saturation in the deep waters and, in order to mitigate the risk of lethal limnic eruptions as the world has already experienced, the gas-lift technique is being applied although it has a serious environmental drawback. This paper proposes an innovative and sustainable symbiotic match between pumped-hydro energy storage with the ideal deep lake degassing solution, providing removal of toxic gases from deep layers without polluting the surface waters of the lake. Considering the two Cameroonian "killer lakes" Nyos and Monoun taken as cases studies, the feasibility of the proposed system is analysed as well as conditions for participation in the local power market. As a result, the threat posed by these two hazardous water bodies is transformed into an opportunity to store about 756 MWh of electrical energy. In terms of installed capacity, this can achieve as much as 80 MW available for harnessing variable renewable energy and contributing to peak power supply. Finally, thanks to the number and distribution of deep lakes around the world, the proposed system shows capability to significantly contribute to the global energy storage potential in a context marked by an ever increasing need for flexibility in power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy management system that uses P2X demand response to improve system operation. • Two operational objectives for minimizing system cost or maximizing green hydrogen. • A detailed model of ammonia plant participating in the P2X demand response. • Cost-benefit analysis regarding economic viability of the ammonia plant. Hydrogen production is the key in utilizing an excess renewable energy. Many studies and projects looked at the energy management systems (EMSs) that allow to couple hydrogen production with renewable generation. In the majority of these studies, however, hydrogen demand is either produced for powering fuel cells or sold to the external hydrogen market. Hydrogen demand from actual industrial plants is rarely considered. In this paper, we propose an EMS based on the industrial cluster of GreenLab Skive (GLS) that can minimize the system's operational cost or maximize its green hydrogen production. EMS utilizes a conventional and P2X demand response (DR) flexibility from electrolysis plant, hydrogen storage tank, electric battery, and hydrogen-consuming plants to design the optimal schedule with maximized benefits. A potential addition to the existing components at GLS - an ammonia plant is modelled to identify its P2X potential and assess the economic viability of its construction. The results show a potential reduction of 51.5–61.6% for the total operational cost of the system and an increase of the share of green hydrogen by 10.4–37.6% due to EMS operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A microwave fluidizing bed reactor was developed and reported for the first time. • High-temperature pyrolysis of polypropylene was investigated for syngas production. • An optimal syngas yield of 76.1 wt% was obtained. • The syngas was rich in H 2 (36.5 vol%), C 3 H 6 (34.8 vol%) and CH 4 (19.6 vol%). Conversion of plastic wastes into value added fuels is a good way for sustainable development. In this study, microwave-assisted fluidized bed reactor pyrolysis of polypropylene plastic for pyrolysis gas production was experimentally investigated, and the effects of pyrolysis temperature (700, 800, 900, 1000 and 1100 °C), fluidizing velocity (1.18, 2.36, 3.54, 4.72 and 5.90 × 10-3 m/s) and microwave power (600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 W) on the pyrolysis gas products were analyzed. The results showed that when the pyrolysis temperature increased from 700 °C to 900 °C, the pyrolysis gas yield was increased from 65.2 wt% to 76.1 wt%, and then decreased to 60.7 wt% at 1100 °C. The pyrolysis gas yield was increased from 60.2 wt% to 76.1 wt% and then decreased to 42.0 wt% as the fluidizing velocity increased from 1.18 × 10-3 m/s to 5.90 × 10-3 m/s. The pyrolysis gas yield was increased from 52.2 wt% to 76.1 wt% and then decreased to 68.9 wt% as the microwave power increased from 600 W to 1000 W. An optimal pyrolysis gas yield of 76.1 wt% was obtained when the pyrolysis temperature was 900 °C, fluidizing velocity was 2.36 × 10-3 m/s and microwave power was 800 W, and the pyrolysis gas was rich in C 3 H 6 (68.6 wt%), CH 4 (15.5 wt%), and C 3 H 8 (7.1 wt%) with a higher heating value of 51.8 MJ/m3. The pyrolysis gas produced with high heating value and abundant propylene has great potentials in applications, i.e., fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]