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Renewable energy sources (RESs) offer key transformative potential from a societal point of view due to their modularity and ability to generate energy at the local level, allowing for the development of grassroots democratic and participatory initiatives. The paper aims to share insights into the processes of creating RES cooperatives in Poland. One of the first cooperatives to be established in the Upper Silesian region in Poland was the energy cooperative (EC) "Our Energy". This study presents an in-depth empirical analysis of a community-based renewable energy cooperative. The study employed a case study methodology, including a SWOT analysis framework, to describe the research subject and identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Key findings indicate that members benefit from stable energy prices and full recovery of the energy produced, and the cooperative is at the forefront of energy-sharing practices that minimize costs through direct transactions with the local municipality. The strategic goals of the EC focus on expanding membership, increasing the number of photovoltaic installations, implementing energy balancing, combating energy poverty, and reducing emissions. Challenges such as financial constraints and a lack of real-time monitoring of energy distribution are acknowledged, and carbon footprint reduction innovations and stakeholder engagement are highlighted as forward-looking approaches. The study highlights the role of cooperatives as a model for community-led sustainable energy initiatives. However, the study acknowledges the limitations of its small sample size, suggesting the need for broader research to understand the impact of collaborative energy on decarbonization. Future research directions are proposed, focusing on the long-term sustainability and socioeconomic impacts of energy cooperatives. This study contributes to the scholarly discourse on renewable energy cooperatives by offering insight into their potential to bridge the gap between energy producers and consumers and support sustainable community development. The main novelty of this paper lies in its detailed examination of a specific renewable energy cooperative, incorporating SWOT analysis, stakeholder perspectives, quantitative assessments, and a forward-thinking approach. This multifaceted analysis contributes to the existing literature on renewable energy initiatives, providing a valuable reference for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the changing impact of renewable energy and green innovation on the carbon footprint of eight MENA nations between 2000 and 2020. We investigate this by using the panel Q-ARDL model for the first time, and we find that, with various impacts across different quantiles, a rise in green innovation and renewable energy greatly boosts environmental sustainability in the short run. In the long run, this effect becomes increasingly more noticeable. According to our analysis, the chosen MENA countries quickly embraced energy storage, solar hydrogen, and other technology pathways to diversify their energy mix, which was a turning point in the fight against climate change. Although these factors have been separately examined in different studies, our research merges them into a single non-parametric model. This research is significant as it provides empirical evidence on the efficiency of green innovation and renewable energy policies, and it will guide policymakers and energy stakeholders in developing strategies to achieve sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the urgent global need to limit warming to 2 °C as well as a localized need in our case study to address rising energy demand amid electrical and thermal network limitations, a critical examination of demand-side energy reductions and the concept of energy sufficiency is needed. This paper contributes to the sparse literature on bottom-up analysis by utilizing Iceland—a leader in renewable energy generation—as a case study to explore the socio-economic factors influencing energy footprints. Our findings reveal significant energy footprints across various consumption domains, particularly housing and mobility, influenced by income levels, urbanization, and lifestyle choices. The study highlights the paradox of a high renewable energy supply leading to potential misconceptions regarding abundant and low-cost energy, resulting in substantial energy consumption-related environmental impacts. Using detailed household consumption survey data, this research provides insights crucial for developing sustainable energy policies that not only target technological advancements but also address the need for a reduction in energy demand and a shift towards energy sufficiency. This work marks a contribution to the literature through the provision of a case study of low income inequality and high energy footprints in a highly renewable energy system context. Further, this work is useful for Icelandic and international policymakers to understand in such high-demand contexts which consumption domains would be most relevant for sufficiency policies. This comprehensive analysis opens pathways for future research to further explore the intersections of energy consumption, socio-economic factors, and well-being, offering a nuanced understanding necessary for crafting sufficiency and demand-side policies aimed at a sustainable energy future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global transition toward sustainable energy gains momentum, integrating electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage, and renewable energy sources has become a pivotal strategy. This paper analyses the interplay between EVs, energy storage, and renewable energy integration with Indonesia's grid as a test case. A comprehensive energy system modeling approach using PLEXOS is presented, using historical data on electricity generation, hourly demand, and renewable energy, and multiple scenarios of charging patterns and EV adoption. Through a series of scenarios, we evaluate the impact of different charging strategies and EV penetration levels on generation capacity, battery storage requirements, total system cost, renewable energy penetration, and emissions reduction. The findings reveal that optimized charging patterns and higher EV adoption rates, compared to no EVs adoption, led to substantial improvements in renewable energy utilization (+4%), emissions reduction (−12.8%), and overall system cost (−9%). While EVs contribute to reduced emissions compared to conventional vehicles, non-optimized charging behavior may lead to higher total emissions when compared to scenarios without EVs. The research also found the potential of vehicle to grid (V2G) to reduce the need for battery storage compared to zero EV (−84%), to reduce emissions significantly (−23.7%), and boost penetration of renewable energy (+10%). This research offers valuable insights for policymakers, energy planners, and stakeholders seeking to leverage the synergies between EVs and renewable energy integration to pursue a sustainable energy future for Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth of population and industries has brought about an increase in energy consumption, causing severe climatic and environmental problems. Therefore, the move towards green renewable energy is being ever more intensified. This study aims at estimating the rooftop solar power production for Tehran, the capital city of Iran, using a Geospatial Information System (GIS) to assess the big data of city building parcels. Tehran is faced with severe air pollution due to its excessive fossil fuel usage, and its electricity demand is increasing. As a result, this paper attempts to provide the quantified solar power potential of city roof tops for policymakers and authorities in order to facilitate decision-making in relation to integrating renewable energies into the power production infrastructure. The results shows that approximately 3000 GWh (more than 14% of the total electric energy consumption) of solar power can be produced by the rooftop PV installations in Tehran. The potential nominal power of rooftop PV installations is estimated to be more than 2000 MW, which is four times the current installed PV capacity of the whole country. The findings of the study suggest that there is great potential hidden on the rooftops of the city, which can be utilized to assist the power systems of the city in the longer run for a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating electricity from renewable energy instead of fossil fuels brings great benefits to the environment and sustainable development. Thus, assessing the potential of wind and solar energy in agricultural coastal areas can identify sustainable energy solutions for meeting energy demand and producing fresh water for agricultural applications and domestic use. However, it is difficult to accurately assess the wind and solar energy potential in Libya due to the civil war, lack of measured data, and its limited availability. Consequently, this concise work is unique because it is the first to use daily measurement data from Az-Zāwiyah, Libya, for evaluating wind and solar energy based on one year of measured data for 2022. Moreover, the present study aims to investigate the potential of wind and solar energy as promising renewable sources for meeting energy demand in coastal agricultural regions in Libya using multiple datasets for the first time. In this paper, five satellite products (TerraClimate, ERA5, ERA5-Land, MERRA-2, and CFSR) were assessed and compared against measured data for January 2022–December 2022 to understand their suitability, accuracy, and reliability. The results showed that CFSR and ERA5-Land demonstrate the most favorable performance for assessing the wind resource, while all satellite products can be utilized for preliminary solar resource assessment. Then, the assessment of wind and solar resources was evaluated in five agricultural coastal regions (Aljmail, Az-Zāwiyah, Castelverde, Msallatah, and Sabratah) based on the best satellite product for the period of 2000–2022. Furthermore, the performance of the wind and solar power systems was investigated for typical farms, which were chosen to estimate the required energy demand according to daily electrical consumption. The results show that the positive outcomes of implementing these systems were highlighted, with an emphasis on their potential benefits to the entire Libyan agricultural sector. Accordingly, scaling up and generalizing the proposed systems and generalizing them to include all farms in Libya could have a significant impact on national electricity generation, mitigate greenhouse gases, and contribute to the development of the agricultural sector and the country's economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]