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The research problem of this paper is related to numerous open questions in the field of energy, its understanding, its use, and the challenges of the energy future. After the introductory part, in which a brief historical overview of energy literacy is provided, the paper focuses on energy literacy, its emergence, and the different approaches to its definition and measurement. The paper analyzes the energy literacy of students at the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka based on their cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills. Their knowledge about energy, energy processes, and the energy efficiency of the objects they encounter on a daily basis is examined. Their personal attitudes and values are examined through various forms of personal initiatives and active participation in energy sustainability projects. Finally, the habits and behavioral patterns that the respondents have in their daily lives and their tendencies to save energy resources and find energy-efficient solutions are examined. Despite some positive findings, the current results are not satisfactory and point to the creation of adequate public policies with a particular focus on education and the role of the corrective mechanisms of the state, but also the need for joint negotiations between policy makers, regulators, scientists, representatives of civil society, and the business community. The particular contribution of this work is reflected in being the first research of its kind conducted among Croatian economics students, as well as among Croatian students in general; in the creation of a research instrument that is conceptually consistent with the findings from the existing literature, but with an original set of questions within each energy literacy skill adapted to the cultural and sociological background of the respondents; and in a kind of progress from previous research by taking into account the quantitative aspect (in addition to the qualitative) assessment of the respondents' energy literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the heat demand of existing buildings is an essential prerequisite for achieving a greenhouse gas-neutral energy supply. Numerous studies and open-source tools deal with heat demand mapping. It is not uncommon that estimated heat demands deviate from real heat consumption, so existing approaches should be improved by including in-depth building information. Some tools have recognised this problem and offer built-in functions for factoring various parameters into their assessments. Nevertheless, the necessary information is usually missing and should be obtained first. In this paper, we analyse the impact of thermal refurbishment and climate on building heat demand; hence, generate public datasets with corresponding key figures for each building type in different efficiency states and years. Accounting for already performed refurbishments in methodologies for assessing the actual state heat demand for cities will result in a reduction of at least 8% up to more than 21%, depending on whether conventional or passive house components were installed. As a result of climatic differences within Germany, a building's heat demand can be up to 39% higher or up to 21% lower than the heat demand of an identical building in the reference climate of Germany. By further developing the approaches of the tools Hotmaps and Heat Cadastre Hamburg, we could improve the estimated heat demand of Hamburg to a value approximating the real consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency programs funded by utility customers provide an electricity resource in most U.S. states, but their scale and cost of saving electricity varies significantly by state. In this paper, we explore the drivers of the cost of saved electricity in these programs with an econometric model and nearly a decade of data reported by efficiency program administrators. We found strong evidence for economies of scale and weak evidence for diseconomies of scale, which suggests that states with low levels of efficiency savings relative to retail sales can increase the size of their efficiency programs without large increases to the cost of saved electricity. We discuss examples of energy efficiency forecasting and potential modeling in light our econometric analysis and identify methodological improvements relevant to utilities and grid operators. This paper provides insights into the economics of customer-funded efficiency programs that will support regulators, utilities, and policymakers to utilize energy efficiency as a resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy keeps the global economy alive, while also being extensively exposed to various climate change impacts. In this context, severe business competition (e.g., the building sector) and the unwise use of natural resources and ecosystem services (e.g., fossil fuel energy sources) seem to sharpen the relevant effects of climate change. Indicatively, contemporary issues at the interface of building energy performance and environmental quality levels include consequences from global warming, the increasing release of carbon dioxide to peak electrical loads, power grids, and building planning, and energy demand and supply issues. In light of such concerns, the present review paper attempts to disclose the multifaceted and multidisciplinary character of building energy use at the interface of the economy, the environment, and society against climate change. This review highlights energy efficiency concepts, production, distribution, consumption patterns, and relevant technological improvements. Interestingly, the reviewed contributions in the relevant literature reveal the need and necessity to alter the energy mix and relevant energy use issues. These include developments in climate-proof and effective systems regarding climate change impacts and shocks. Practical implications indicate that the sustainable development goals for clean energy and climate action should be followed if we wish to bring a sustainable future closer and faster to our reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing facilities use about 35% of the domestic energy in the United States every year. Implementing an effective energy management system (EnMS) is one of the most important approaches to improve energy efficiency. However, the implementation of EnMS is low for many countries (including the US) and even for energy-intensive sectors. The reasons for the low implementation rate of energy management systems had been investigated by multiple researchers, but very few studies have focused on the barriers and challenges of implementing ISO 50001-based energy management systems. To contribute to this understudied area, this paper discusses the implementation and outcomes of the first Better Plants 50001 Ready Virtual In-plant Training. This paper first provides an overview of 50001 Ready and the 50001 Ready Navigator Tool. Then, it provides details on this training event and its outcomes. Finally, it discusses findings from the responses to 40 live polling questions about the status of the 25 tasks of the 50001 Ready Navigator for participating companies, key components of the participating manufacturing companies' energy management systems, and challenges and barriers that these companies are facing. The findings suggest that although many companies understood the importance of an effective energy management system, about half of them do not understand the required resources for building energy management systems, and most of them have only just begun establishing these systems and need more assistance and resources in multiple areas. More specifically, more assistance is necessary for the following: (1) improving corporate management's understanding of the time and resources needed to build an EnMS as well as the benefits; (2) creating linear regression models for more accurate energy performance tracking; (3) understanding energy use, collecting and analyzing energy performance data; (4) optimizing equipment operational controls, and creating action plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU countries declared the strategic goal to achieve energy independence and increase energy efficiency. In this case, EU countries have provided a vast range of incentives, mechanisms, and directives to promote energy efficiency. Ukraine as a potential candidate should provide a convergent policy with EU countries to increase energy efficiency. The paper aims to estimate energy efficiency based on the revealed convergent and divergent determinants of energy policies among the EU and Ukraine. The data are compiled from the World Energy Statistics Yearbook, the European Statistical Office, the International Energy Agency, SolAbility agencies, and State Statistics Service of Ukraine. The study applies σ- i β-convergence theory to determine the convergent and divergent determinants of the country's energy efficiency. The empirical results allow concluding that Ukraine has an average level in the integrated energy efficiency index of the national economy, and the highest value of this index was in 2008. The highest values of energy efficiency were in Sweden and Denmark among EU countries. Besides, the findings confirm that the Ukrainian government should pay attention to divergent determinants (expenditure for environmental protection, pricing for energy resources, etc.) to improve the country's energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency represents a key resource for economic and social development, providing substantial benefits to different stakeholders, ranging from the entities which develop energy efficient measures to everyone in society. In addition to cost savings, multiple benefits can be achieved by supporting a better alignment between energy issues and strategic business priorities: e.g., improved competitiveness, profitability, quality, etc. Thus, energy efficiency can be a strategic advantage, not just a marginal issue, for companies. However, most firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), face many problems and, in some cases, hostility when trying to effectively implement energy efficiency actions. The most dominant barriers are the access to capital and the lack of awareness (especially in terms of life cycle cost effects). The supply chain viewpoint represents one of the main opportunities for overcoming those barriers and improving energy performance even for weaker companies. Since the current literature on energy efficiency and practical approaches to ensure energy efficiency mainly focus on energy performance on a single-firm basis, this paper aims to provide a systematic review of papers on the integration of energy efficiency in supply chain design and management published in academic journal, thereby defining potential research streams to close the gaps in the literature. A number of literature reviews have been published focusing on specific aspects of sustainable or on green supply chain management; however, to the best of our knowledge, no review has focused on the energy efficiency issue. Firstly, the present paper shows how considering energy consumption in supply chain management can contribute to more energy-efficient processes from a systemic point of view. Then, the review methodology used is defined and the sampled papers are analyzed and categorized based on the different approaches they propose. From these analyses, potential future research streams are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the energy used to operate a cellular network is consumed by a base station (BS), and reducing the transmission power of a BS can therefore afford a substantial reduction in the amount of energy used in a network. In this paper, we propose a distributed transmit power control (TPC) algorithm inspired by bird flocking behavior as a means of improving the energy efficiency of a cellular network. Just as each bird in a flock attempts to match its velocity with the average velocity of adjacent birds, in the proposed algorithm, each mobile station (MS) in a cell matches its rate with the average rate of the co-channel MSs in adjacent cells by controlling the transmit power of its serving BS. We verify that this bio-inspired TPC algorithm using a local rate-average process achieves an exponential convergence and maximizes the minimum rate of the MSs concerned. Simulation results show that the proposed TPC algorithm follows the same convergence properties as the flocking algorithm and also effectively reduces the power consumption at the BSs while maintaining a low outage probability as the inter-cell interference increases; in so doing, it significantly improves the energy efficiency of a cellular network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the technical–economic, operational and environmental feasibility of four off-grid hybrid power systems to supply energy to the Cerrito de los Morreños community in Ecuador. These configurations consist of combinations of diesel generators, solar photovoltaic systems, and battery energy storage systems. Each configuration was simulated and the results were analyzed for two different load conditions: (1) the existing load profile and (2) a reduced load profile by incorporating an energy efficiency initiative. Homer Pro software was used to perform the simulations. The planning horizon for the simulations was selected to be 15 years. The results showed the diesel/photovoltaic/battery configuration with energy efficiency showed the best performance, which was achieved with a photovoltaic system of 160 kWp, the existing generator of 165 kW and a storage system of 283 kWh. The stand-alone diesel generator and photovoltaic/diesel configurations showed higher Net Present Costs, instability problems and higher CO2 emissions. Additionally, the configurations without energy efficiency had increases of between 15% and 40% higher costs compared to their respective energy-efficient scenarios. The information in this work could be useful for some organizations in Ecuador who are interested in investing in rural electrification projects with renewable energy to reduce and/or compensate their CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration of renewable energy is one of the main challenges for sustainable energy development. Local governments across the European Union commit to development and implementation of the Sustainable Energy (and Climate) Action Plan. This paper focuses on the case of Lithuania—a Central and Eastern European country. Almost one-third of Lithuanian municipalities have joined the Covenant of Mayors and prepared the plans that include SWOT analysis. However, there is a lack of information on how those plans contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable energy development. This study identifies the links between key policy financial instruments, increasing energy efficiency. The Strategic Action Plans aimed at reducing GHG emissions and energy consumption in Lithuanian municipalities are analyzed. The challenges in promoting the renewable energy generation in Lithuanian rural regions are discussed. Moreover, the importance of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats identified is elicited at the local level. The study uses a combination of methods, such as expert surveys and SWOT analysis, that complements the tools used for regional energy climate planning and allows for overarching analysis. The expert survey shows that priority is given for renovation of buildings and modernization of energy infrastructure, making them more sustainable and more energy efficient. The results also show that, in the case of Lithuania (and possibly elsewhere in the post-Soviet countries), conditions and opportunities should be created beforehand to increase energy efficiency. Once this is achieved, the policies should focus on energy transition by switching to sustainable energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of energy abundance for industrial applications, industrial systems are exploited with minimal attention to their actual energy consumption requirements to meet the loads imposed on them. As a result, most of them are used at maximal capacity, regardless of the varying operational conditions. First, the paper studies pneumatic conveying systems and thoroughly reviews previously published work. Then, we overview simulations and operating data of the experimental parameters and their effects on the flow characteristics and transport efficiency. Finally, we summarize with a conclusion and some suggestions for further work. The primary goal of this study is to identify the parameters that influence the energy consumption of industrial dust collector systems. It is differentiated from previously published overviews by being concentrated on wood particles collection systems. The results will permit a better selection of an appropriate methodology or solution for reducing an industrial system's power requirements and energy consumption through more precise control. The anticipated benefits are not only on power requirement and energy consumption but also in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This aspect shows more impacts in regions that rely on electricity supplied by thermal power stations, especially those that use petrol or coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-driving is one of the most important strategies for significantly reducing the energy consumption of railways with low investments. It consists of designing a way of driving a train to fulfil a target running time, consuming the minimum amount of energy. Most eco-driving energy savings come from the substitution of some braking periods with coasting periods. Nowadays, modern trains can use regenerative braking to recover the kinetic energy during deceleration phases. Therefore, if the receptivity of the railway system to regenerate energy is high, a question arises: is it worth designing eco-driving speed profiles? This paper assesses the energy benefits that eco-driving can provide in different scenarios to answer this question. Eco-driving is obtained by means of a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm, combined with a detailed train simulator, to obtain realistic results. Eco-driving speed profiles are compared with a standard driving that performs the same running time. Real data from Spanish high-speed lines have been used to analyze the results in two case studies. Stretches fed by 1 × 25 kV and 2 × 25 kV AC power supply systems have been considered, as they present high receptivity to regenerate energy. Furthermore, the variations of the two most important factors that affect the regenerative energy usage have been studied: train motors efficiency ratio and catenary resistance. Results indicate that the greater the catenary resistance, the more advantageous eco-driving is. Similarly, the lower the motor efficiency, the greater the energy savings provided by efficient driving. Despite the differences observed in energy savings, the main conclusion is that eco-driving always provides significant energy savings, even in the case of the most receptive power supply network. Therefore, this paper has demonstrated that efforts in improving regenerated energy usage must not neglect the role of eco-driving in railway efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a novel approach to modeling electrified transportation systems. The proposed solution reflects the mechanical dynamics of vehicles as well as the distribution and losses of electric supply. Moreover, energy conversion losses between the mechanical and electrical subsystems and their bilateral influences are included. Such a complete model makes it possible to replicate, e.g., the impact of voltage drops on vehicle acceleration or the necessity of partial disposal of regenerative braking energy due to temporary lack of power transmission capability. The modeling methodology uses a flexible twin data-bus structure, which poses no limitation on the number of vehicles and enables modeling complex traction power supply structures. The proposed solution is suitable for various electrified transportation systems including suburban and urban systems. The modeling methodology is applicable i.a. to Matlab/Simulink, which makes it broadly available and customizable, and provides short computation time. The applicability and accuracy of the method were verified by comparing simulation and measurement results on an exemplary trolleybus system operating in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Simulation of daily operation of an area including four supply sections and maximal simultaneous number of nine vehicles showed a good conformance with the measured data, with the difference in the total consumed energy not exceeding 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency of systems of water pumping is a complex problem since efficiency of two distinct interacting systems needs to be combined: water and power supply. This paper introduces a non-intrusive method of calculating the so-called "collective losses" of a cage induction motor. The term "collective losses", which the authors define, allows for accurate estimation of motor efficiency. Control system of a pump determines operating point of a pumping station, and thus its efficiency. General estimated performance characteristics of a motor, components of a control system, are assumed to serve selection of a range of pumping speed variations. Rotational speed has a direct effect on motor load torque, pump power and head, and thus on motor performance. Hellwig's statistical method was used to specify characteristics of estimated collective losses on the basis of experimental studies of 21 motors rated at up to 2.2 kW. The results of simulations and experiments are used to verify validity and efficiency of the suggested method. The method is non-intrusive, simple to use, and requires minimum data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency programmes (EEPs) are schemes operated by utilities or other bodies in order to incentivize energy efficiency improvement, in particular by adoption of energy-efficient products and typically by means of an economic reward. Ample experience has been gained, especially in the U.S., where EEPs have been in use for decades, with the rationale of avoiding additional energy supply by improving energy efficiency. More recently, EEPs have been implemented in Europe and in Switzerland. This review paper presents insights from the U.S., the EU and especially from Switzerland, with a focus on levelised programme cost of saved energy (LPC) as a key performance indicator. These LPC values, which take the perspective of the programme operator, are typically low to very low compared to the cost of electricity supply, thereby representing an important argument in favour of their use. The country examples show that EEPs are being effectively and successfully put into practice, for example, in Switzerland both as (i) a national tender-based scheme (called ProKilowatt) and in the form of a (ii) utility-operated obligation-based scheme (in Geneva). EEPs not only call for diligent implementation but also for suitable legal settings, e.g., in the form of mandatory energy efficiency savings targets (as realised for energy efficiency obligations, EEOs) in combination with programme cost recovery. The main criticism of EEPs is the free-rider effect, which needs to be minimised. On the other hand, EEPs are accompanied by significant co-benefits (environmental, health-related and social) and spillover effects. In their currently prevalent form, EEPs allow one to effectively save energy at a (very) low cost ("low-hanging fruit"). They can hence play an important role in fostering the energy transition; however, they should be implemented as part of a policy portfolio, in combination with other policy instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has attained a growing popularity in observing the environment due to its dynamic factors. Sensor data are gathered and forwarded to the base station (BS) through a wireless transmission medium. The data from the BS is further distributed to end-users using the Internet for their post analysis and operations. However, all sensors except the BS have limited constraints in terms of memory, energy and computational resources that degrade the network performance concerning the network lifetime and trustworthy routing. Therefore, improving energy efficiency with reliable and secure transmissions is a valuable debate among researchers for critical applications based on low-powered sensor nodes. In addition, security plays a significant cause to achieve responsible communications among sensors due to their unfixed and variable infrastructures. Keeping in view the above-mentioned issues, this paper presents an energy-aware graph clustering and intelligent routing (EGCIR) using a supervised system for WSNs to balance the energy consumption and load distribution. Moreover, a secure and efficient key distribution in a hierarchy-based mechanism is adopted by the proposed solution to improve the network efficacy in terms of routes and links integrity. The experimental results demonstrated that the EGCIR protocol enhances the network throughput by an average of 14%, packet drop ratio by an average of 50%, energy consumption by an average of 13%, data latency by an average of 30.2% and data breaches by an average of 37.5% than other state-of-the-art protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU is moving towards a climate neutrality goal in 2050 with heating of buildings posing a major challenge. This paper provides a deep understanding of the historical development, path dependency and current status of the EU-28 residential heat sectors to inform strategy and policy makers and to open up this black box. Data is combined for buildings, installed technologies, fuel consumption and energy supply for Member States from 1990 to 2015, to analyse the importance of large-scale infrastructures and supply chains. Primary energy supply for residential heating is mainly based on fossil fuels; 70% in 2015 with 69% imported. The building level technologies are dominated by non-condensing boilers and stoves. Primary and final energy consumption decreased in spite of an increase in the total occupied living area in most countries. Path-dependency effects are found in the residential heat supply in EU. The analysis show path-dependent trajectories are present in most Member States, especially regarding natural gas infrastructure. The period shows many options for decarbonisation are not used to the full potential, e.g., energy efficiency in buildings, district heating, heat pumps. Past experiences should be considered when developing new decarbonisation strategies in Member States and on the EU level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of renewable energy and optimization of energy use are key enablers of sustainable energy transitions and mitigating climate change. Modern technologies such the Internet of Things (IoT) offer a wide number of applications in the energy sector, i.e, in energy supply, transmission and distribution, and demand. IoT can be employed for improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy, and reducing environmental impacts of the energy use. This paper reviews the existing literature on the application of IoT in in energy systems, in general, and in the context of smart grids particularly. Furthermore, we discuss enabling technologies of IoT, including cloud computing and different platforms for data analysis. Furthermore, we review challenges of deploying IoT in the energy sector, including privacy and security, with some solutions to these challenges such as blockchain technology. This survey provides energy policy-makers, energy economists, and managers with an overview of the role of IoT in optimization of energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy supply is becoming an important issue and electricity system reliability is sometimes difficult to ensure. Energy efficiency in buildings in use is a key element in the search for solutions to current energy problems. Many buildings in use can improve their energy consumption performance by implementing simple energy efficiency measures (EEM) in their facilities. After carrying out such actions, savings may be continued with just minimal maintenance. An additional key phase in classical energy studies is to define EEM to be implemented by the intervention of an external energy expert, since resident staff may not have the time, sufficient knowledge, nor experience in EEM. The energy expert intervention is of short duration (several days), and the total cost of the action may be moderate. In this paper, authors present several real examples implemented in three buildings on the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) campus after an external energy expert review. Savings, certified using real measured consumption before and after the action, represent around 10% of the total annual energy consumption in the buildings, and the payback of the EEM is approximately a few months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power consumption is a primary concern in modern servers and data centers. Due to varying in workload types and intensities, different servers may have a different energy efficiency (EE) and energy proportionality (EP) even while having the same hardware configuration (i.e., central processing unit (CPU) generation and memory installation). For example, CPU frequency scaling and memory modules voltage scaling can significantly affect the server's energy efficiency. In conventional virtualized data centers, the virtual machine (VM) scheduler packs VMs to servers until they saturate, without considering their energy efficiency and EP differences. In this paper we propose EASE, the Energy efficiency and proportionality Aware VM SchEduling framework containing data collection and scheduling algorithms. In the EASE framework, each server's energy efficiency and EP characteristics are first identified by executing customized computing intensive, memory intensive, and hybrid benchmarks. Servers will be labelled and categorized with their affinity for different incoming requests according to their EP and EE characteristics. Then for each VM, EASE will undergo workload characterization procedure by tracing and monitoring their resource usage including CPU, memory, disk, and network and determine whether it is computing intensive, memory intensive, or a hybrid workload. Finally, EASE schedules VMs to servers by matching the VM's workload type and the server's EP and EE preference. The rationale of EASE is to schedule VMs to servers to keep them working around their peak energy efficiency point, i.e., the near optimal working range. When workload fluctuates, EASE re-schedules or migrates VMs to other servers to make sure that all the servers are running as near their optimal working range as they possibly can. The experimental results on real clusters show that EASE can save servers' power consumption as much as 37.07%–49.98% in both homogeneous and heterogeneous clusters, while the average completion time of the computing intensive VMs increases only 0.31%–8.49%. In the heterogeneous nodes, the power consumption of the computing intensive VMs can be reduced by 44.22%. The job completion time can be saved by 53.80%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]