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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ventilation in buildings was not always given its due importance. The World Health Organization has highlighted the important role of air exchange with the outdoors in improving the air quality in buildings; buildings should, therefore, be equipped with mechanical ventilation or adequate air conditioning systems. This paper aims to investigate different retrofit solutions for air conditioning, evaluating them in terms of energy consumption and cost and the impact of increased outdoor air exchange rates on countering the propagation of COVID-19; the latter is the main novelty of the paper. As a case study, we take an existing office building located in Central Italy that was previously not equipped with a mechanical ventilation system (a system with primary air was introduced during the study). The energy analysis was conducted using dynamic simulation software after validation through energy bills; energy and economic analyses were conducted considering different external-air exchange rates. An optimal number of outdoor air changes was found to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection, a finding in line with the international literature. The increase in air changes with outdoor air leads to a rise in energy consumption and costs. These values were evaluated for different air conditioning systems and operational schedules. These drawbacks can be made less significant by combining interventions in the system with energy-efficiency measures applied to the building envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal is to examine the efficiency of different intraday electricity markets and if any of their price prediction models are more accurate than others. This paper includes a comprehensive review of Germany, France, and Norway's (NOR1) day-ahead and intraday electricity market prices. These markets represent different energy mixes which would allow us to analyze the impact of the energy mix on the efficiencies of these markets. To draw conclusions about extreme market conditions, (i) we reviewed the market data linked to COVID-19. We expected higher volatility in the lockdowns than before and therefore decrease in the efficiency of the prediction models. With our analysis, (ii) we want to draw conclusions as to whether a mix based mainly on renewable energies such as that in Norway implies lower volatilities even in times of crisis. This would answer (iii) whether a market with an energy mix like Norway is more efficient in highly volatile phases. For the analysis, we use data visualization and statistical models as well as sample and out-of-sample data. Our finding was that while the different price and volatility levels occurred, the direction of the market was similar. We could find evidence that our expectations (i–iii) were met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems play a crucial role in either increasing or decreasing the risk of airborne disease transmission. High ventilation, for instance, is a common method used to control and reduce the infection risk of airborne diseases such as COVID-19. On the other hand, high ventilation will increase energy consumption and cost. This paper proposes an optimal HVAC controller to assess the trade-off between energy consumption and indoor infection risk of COVID-19. To achieve this goal, a nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) is designed to control the HVAC systems of a university building to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission while reducing building energy consumption. The NMPC controller uses dynamic models to predict future outputs while meeting system constraints. To this end, a set of dynamic physics-based models are created to capture heat transfer and conservation of mass, which are used in the NMPC controller. Then, the developed models are experimentally validated by conducting experiments in the ETLC building at the University of Alberta, Canada. A classroom in the building is equipped with a number of sensors to measure indoor and outdoor environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, and CO 2 concentration. The validation results show that the model can predict room temperature and CO 2 concentration by 0.8%, and 2.4% mean absolute average errors, respectively. Based on the validated models, the NMPC controller is designed to calculate the optimal airflow and supply air temperature for every 15 min. The results for real case studies show that the NMPC controller can reduce the infection risk of COVID-19 transmission below 1% while reducing energy consumption by 55% when compared to the existing building controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surveyof traffic intensity is used to obtain information on the number of vehicles on roads during the day. Subsequently, it is possible to derive from this the daily, weekly, and other road traffic intensity information. This survey represents the basis for the calculation of the annual average daily traffic volume and the basic characteristics of traffic flow. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused extensive economic and social damage around the world. These damages have also affected traffic. Changes in traffic behavior have mainly affected the reduction in traffic intensity on road networks. Thanks to the reduction in the demand for transport, there has also been a significant reduction in traffic delays, fuel consumption and emissions. An examination of changes in traffic intensity took place at a selected intersection in 2019, 2020 and 2021. This paper describes the effects of reducing the traffic intensity, fuel consumption and emissions obtained by microsimulation. The results obtained confirmed the reduction in traffic, which also contributed to a significant reduction in vehicle delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 epidemic to be a global pandemic. This was a consequence of the rapid increase in the number of people with positive test results, the increase in deaths due to COVID-19, and the lack of pharmaceutical drugs. Governments introduced national lockdowns, which have impacted both energy consumption and economies. The purpose of this paper is to answer the following question: do COVID-19 lockdowns affect the business cycle? We used the cycle clock approach to assess the magnitude of decrease in electricity consumption in the three waves of the epidemic, namely, April 2020, November 2021, and April 2021. Additionally, we checked the relation between energy consumption and GDP by means of spectral analysis. Results for selected 28 European countries confirm an impact of the introduced non-pharmaceutical interventions on both energy consumption and business cycle. The reduction of restrictions in subsequent pandemic waves increased electricity consumption, which suggests movement out of the economic recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly reoriented the lives of billions of people across the globe toward working, learning, and subsisting from home. This paper examines the consequences of this disruption of electricity use in Australian households. Using high-frequency electricity monitoring from 491 houses and per-circuit monitoring and in-depth interviews with 17 households, the paper (1) compares changes in energy use before and during COVID-19 lockdown, (2) quantifies the key drivers of changes in energy use experienced by households during lockdown, and (3) tracks households' interactions with energy use feedback. The findings identify significant increases in certain aspects of household electricity use directly related to COVID-19, including increased cooking and digital device use. Yet despite the government mandate requiring a large proportion of the population to remain at home, overall energy use among the majority of Queensland households monitored actually decreased during lockdown versus prior, driven primarily by a reduction in air conditioner use during lockdown as the weather cooled. Further, despite significant quantified and self-reported changes in energy use, users who had energy use feedback installed accessed their dashboards less during lockdown than they did prior. The paper discusses these results in the context of statistics on COVID-19 related energy demand fluctuations elsewhere, and the implications for the provision of energy use information to residents during significant disruptions such as lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on the energy industry, leading to shifts in energy demand and generation patterns worldwide. This has created challenges for the energy sector, including disruptions in energy markets and the need for robust healthcare and electricity infrastructures. The pandemic has also resulted in changes in residential energy consumption, with some communities increasing their energy usage while others saw a decrease. Additionally, the adoption of virtual education during the pandemic has led to energy savings in educational institutions. The pandemic has also impacted electricity systems and grids, requiring ongoing research to address the challenges posed. In other sectors, such as transport and tourism, the pandemic has necessitated innovative measures to ensure passenger safety and has led to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the tourism sector. Overall, the pandemic has brought about a new era for the energy industry, highlighting the need for coherent energy policies and the transition to clean energy. [Extracted from the article]

The recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy, causing major shifts in energy use and output patterns. For some countries, this has had a significant effect on energy demand and carbon emissions, at least in the short term. Since the United Arab Emirates is currently exerting many efforts towards sustainability, it is important to assess and understand the impacts of the pandemic and the lockdown measurements on the local energy sectors. Data for this analysis were gathered by the Sharjah Electricity Water & Gas Authority (SEWA) for Sharjah City which is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah. The changes in electricity after the implementation of quarantine and lockdown-like measures were assessed, and the results indicate that the electric power demand in Sharjah City was reduced in the commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors, whereas the residential and government sectors witnessed a higher power demand. The overall electricity consumption in the year 2020 was reduced by 1.04% in comparison with previous years including 2016 to 2019. The results of this study indicate that the changes in electricity consumption were minimal in Sharjah City as compared to other cities around the world. However, this paper highlights the importance of governmental response during and after a pandemic, and the possible impacts that lockdowns could potentially have in the energy industry worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the energy sector. The new behavior of industrial and non-commercial consumers changes the energy consumption model. In addition, the constraints associated with the coronavirus crisis have led to environmental effects from declining economic activity. The research is based on evidence from around the world showing significant reductions in emissions and improved air quality. This situation requires rethinking the energy development strategy, particularly the construction of smart grids as a leading direction of energy development. Evaluating the efficiency of smart grids is a vital tool for disseminating successful experience in improving their management. This paper proposes an approach to a comprehensive assessment of smart grids based on a comparative analysis of existing methods, taking into account the changes that need to be considered after the experience gained from the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach provides an accurate set of efficiency indicators for assessing smart grids to account for the direct and indirect effects of smart grids' implementation. This evaluation approach can be helpful to policymakers in developing energy efficiency programs and implementing energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous analyses of the PV market (and the impact of the pandemic on it) have focused on the market as a whole. The literature does not contain analyses of selected services sectors (e.g., catering, hotel services) in terms of the use of photovoltaics. There are no studies that would show in which segments the demand profile for electricity most closely matches the production from photovoltaic installations (not to mention the impact of the pandemic). The authors analyzed selected service sectors (catering and hotel) in terms of the use of photovoltaics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper proposes a comparative methodology for the use of photovoltaics for self-consumption, including statistical analyses and calculations of the self-consumption index for representatives of various selected services sectors. The highest value of the self-consumption ratio at the level of 52% was shown for cafes and restaurants (during the pandemic). Surprisingly, in the pandemic, the self-consumption rate increased for restaurants and cafes for the same size of installations (compared to pre-pandemic times). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The e-commerce industry has been developing extremely dynamically for many years. This development was intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research conducted by the authors of this paper, in Poland, during the pandemic, the number of delivered parcels increased 20–100%, depending on the courier company. The research of the authors of this article focused on the energy efficiency of the last mile, which is very important for the efficiency of the entire delivery process to customers. As the authors calculated, the last mile can consume over 70% of energy of the whole distribution channel. The article presents the results of research concerning the energy efficiency of deliveries performed by couriers and express companies in Poland. Two models of distribution used Poland have been compared—direct deliveries to final customers, and deliveries to parcel lockers. The research methods are interviews with the managers and couriers, analysis of the literature, and the simulation method. According to the results of the simulations performed by the authors, distribution with the use of parcels lockers can help reduce the consumption of fuel even by 74–87% per parcel or 36% per m3. Apart from this, the authors calculated the impact of scale of operations on the energy efficiency of the transport processes on the last mile, which is an indirect effect of the growth of the e-commerce market, caused by the pandemic. Based on the results of the original research of the authors, it can be assessed that the growth of the number of the delivered parcels during the pandemic resulted in the consumption of fuel per one parcel being reduced in some cases by over 36%. The novelty of the authors' research is that the conducted simulations regarded not only the efficiency of the processes, but also the energy consumption in delivering parcels at the last mile and during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes methodological approaches to assessing the impact of renewable energy and energy efficiency development on emerging economies' energy security. It is suggested to supplement the current methodology for assessing energy security with the decoupling index of the renewable energy financial burden on the state budget, the energy efficiency decoupling index, the households' energy poverty indicator, the index of capacity development for balancing electricity generation volumes, and the energy fluctuations indicator. These indices provide a comprehensive assessment of energy security under the latest challenges. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic in the Ukrainian energy sector led to the "green and coal paradox", when the government decided to keep green electricity generation but limit nuclear generation. It required increased flexible capacities (thermal generation) and led to a rise in electricity prices and environmental pollution. Forecasting energy fluctuations with Butterworth filters allows minimizing the risks of maximum peak loads on the grid and timely prevention of emergencies. The energy fluctuations within the 20% range guarantee energy security and optimal energy companies' operation. It is proposed to smooth out energy consumption fluctuations through green energy development, smart grids formation, energy efficiency improvements, and energy capacities balancing to ensure energy and economic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The built environment is the global sector with the greatest energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, building energy savings can make a major contribution to tackling the current energy and climate change crises. Fluid dynamics models have long supported the understanding and optimization of building energy systems and have been responsible for many important technological breakthroughs. As Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, fluid dynamics models are proving to be more essential than ever for exploring airborne transmission of the coronavirus indoors in order to develop energy-efficient and healthy ventilation actions against Covid-19 risks. The purpose of this paper is to review the most important and influential fluid dynamics models that have contributed to improving building energy efficiency. A detailed, yet understandable description of each model's background, physical setup, and equations is provided. The main ingredients, theoretical interpretations, assumptions, application ranges, and robustness of the models are discussed. Models are reviewed with comprehensive, although not exhaustive, publications in the literature. The review concludes by outlining open questions and future perspectives of simulation models in building energy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in electricity demand and, consequently, electricity consumption profiles. Given the rapid changes in energy prices, it is significant from the perspective of energy companies, and forecasting consumed energy volume. A necessity for accurate energy volume planning forces the need for analyzing consumers' behaviors during the pandemic, especially under lockdowns, to prepare for the possibility of another pandemic wave. Many business clients analyzed in the paper are economic entities functioning in sectors under restrictions. That is why analyzing the pandemic's impact on the change in energy consumption profiles and volume of these entities is particularly meaningful. The article analyzes the pandemic and restrictions' impact on the total change of energy consumption volume and demand profiles. The analysis was conducted basing on data collected from a Polish energy trading and sales company. It focused on the energy consumption of its corporate clients. Analyzed data included aggregated energy consumption volumes for all company's customers and key groups of economic entities under restrictions. The analysis demonstrates the influence of pandemic restrictions on energy consumption in the group of business clients. Significant differences are observable among various sectors of the economy. The research proves that the largest drops in energy consumption are related to shopping centers and offices. Altogether, the restrictions have caused a 15–23% energy consumption drop during the first lockdown and a maximum 11% during the second against expected values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy waste is one of the primary concerns facing Remote Industrial Plants (RIP) and, in particular, the accommodations and operational plants located in remote areas. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to attack the health of workforce, managing the balance between energy efficiency and Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) in the workplace becomes another great challenge for the RIP. Maintaining this balance is difficult mainly because a full awareness of the OHS will generally consume more energy while reducing the energy cost may lead to a less effective OHS, and the existing literature has not seen a system that is designed for the RIPs to conserve energy usage and improve workforce OHS simultaneously. To bridge this gap, in this paper, we propose an AI Empowered Cyber Physical Ecosystem (AECPE) solution for the RIPs, which integrates Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), artificial intelligence, and mobile networks. The preliminary results of lab experiments and field tests proved that the AECPE was able to help industries reduce the corporate annual energy cost that is worth millions of dollars, optimise the environmental conditions, and improve OHS for all workers and stakeholders. The implementation of the AECPE can result in efficient energy usage, reduced wastage and emissions, environment-friendly operations, and improved social reputation of the industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to define the factors influencing the level of energy poverty among students. The analysis of these factors is based on the results of a survey conducted among a group of 937 students at the Cracow University of Economics. The study takes into consideration the changes in the attitudes and behavior of students resulting from the introduction of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The switch to distance learning resulted in a significant increase in the number of responses related to feeling ill or sick due to inadequate temperature (from 24% before a lockdown to 32% after the introduction of a lockdown). Students experienced temporary surges in their overall living costs due to the pandemic, especially during the first wave. The respondents who experienced inappropriate temperatures (inadequate heating) due to excessive costs felt ill or became sick more often than others. The study demonstrated that those who pay more for energy (defined as a surplus payment in excess of 10%) tended to be, on average, less energy-aware than others. The following indicators of energy poverty among the students were distinguished: high living costs, small degree of influence over the choice of living quarters, as well as concerns over energy efficiency and environment. The conclusions drawn from the conducted studies may be utilized to design public policies aimed at curtailing the phenomenon of energy poverty among students. This issue is particularly prominent in large urban agglomerations where the costs of living are high and result in the feeling of pressure regarding the need to save money on thermal energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is one of the most important aspects of urban development and technological advancements. As its production and consumption are connected to several environmental, social, and economic issues covering all three sustainability pillars, strategic and targeted energy planning is vital to the smooth transition towards a more efficient and greener society. In accordance with the specific priorities of every state, sustainable energy planning should also satisfy the international trends, requirements, and targets, including the global commitments for sustainable development. As of this time, energy transition with further deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement are the priorities for a sustainable future. However, due to recent global events, a new situation has been established. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine have caused new circumstances challenging the recognized approaches for an effective sustainable energy strategy. While the global pandemic led to a temporary reduction of energy use and created habits for further savings, the war caused energy security issues, especially for Europe, and an increase in energy prices. Moreover, both questioned the implementation of green energy strategies and policies and initiated energy poverty. In this framework, the perspectives of the criteria, on which the energy planning and the relevant research could lean, are investigated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the electricity peak load and power generation in the State of Kuwait during the partial and full curfews imposed in March, April and May 2020 using historic data measured data and the predictions provided by a statistical genetic algorithm model. A quantitative assessment is made of the economic and environmental impacts caused by partial and full lockdowns. Comparison of measured peak demand for 2019 and 2020 with predicted peak demand for 2020 has: (i) enabled an accurate evaluation of residential energy consumption in the state of Kuwait at nearly 18 MWh yearly the highest energy consumption per capita in the world, (ii) shown that the imposition of the curfews to reduce the spread of COVID-19 caused a fall in the demand for electrical power of 17.6% compared with the expected demand and (iii) quantified the reduction in CO2, NOx and CO pollutant emissions produced by power plants due to less fuel being consumed. A mathematical model has been developed to predict the peak electric load in the national grid according to climatic data supplied by the Meteorological Department of Civil Aviation of Kuwait and National Control Center (NCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis caused first by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued by the Russo-Ukrainian War has demonstrated that energy is a determining factor in the conduct of activities of any state. Several studies have examined the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth, developing various theories, but there is no consensus. This study investigates relationships by analyzing several regression models and choosing the fittest. Then, the verification of its validity is performed through the neural network, which gives greater credibility to the results obtained. Furthermore, using a structural analysis, the investigation is expanded to ranking the impact of sector-specific energy consumption on economic growth. The research includes data from 1995 to 2020 for the European Union (EU) and Romania. The results indicate that short-term energy consumption can have a positive or negative impact on economic growth, both in the EU and Romania. The structural analysis highlights the direct and indirect effects, with different intensities, of sector-specific energy consumption on economic growth. This study is interested primarily in the conditions of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian War, to enable the EU and each member state to take effective energy policy measures to ensure their energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector consumes as much as 80% of generated electricity in the UAE; during the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy consumption of two sub-sectors, i.e., commercial (50%) and residential (30%), was significantly impacted. The residential sector was impacted the most due to an increase in the average occupancy during the lockdown period. This increment continued even after the lockdown due to the fear of infection. The COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdown measures can be considered experimental setups, allowing for a better understanding of how users shift their consumption under new conditions. The emergency health measures and new social dynamics shaped the residential sector's energy behavior and its increase in electricity consumption. This article presents and analyzes the identified issues concerning residential electricity consumers and how their behaviors change based on the electricity consumption data during the COVID-19 period. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority conducted a voluntary survey to define the profiles of its residential customers. A sample of 439 consumers participated in this survey and four years of smart meter records. The analysis focused on understanding behavioral changes in consumers during the COVID-19 period. At this time, the dwellings were occupied for longer than usual, increasing their domestic energy consumption and altering the daily peak hours for the comparable period before, during, and after the lockdown. This work addressed COVID-19 and the lockdown as an atypical case. The authors used a machine learning model and the consumption data for 2018 to predict the consumption for each year afterward, observing the COVID-19 years (2020 and 2021), and compared them with the so-called typical 2019 predictions. Four years of fifteen-minute resolution data and the detailed profiles of the customers led to a better understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on residential energy use, irrespective of changes caused by seasonal variations. The findings include the reasons for the changes in consumption and the effects of the pandemic. There was a 12% increase in the annual consumption for the sample residents considered in 2020 (the COVID-19-affected year) as compared to 2019, and the total consumption remained similar with only a 0.2% decrease in 2021. The article also reports that machine learning models created in only one year, 2018, performed better by 10% in prediction compared with the deep learning models due to the limited training data available. The article implies the need for exploring approaches/features that could model the previously unseen COVID-19-like scenarios to improve the performance in case of such an event in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on society. Scientists are working to mitigate the impact in many ways. As a field closely related to human life, building engineering can make a great contribution. In this article, we started with the concept of the smart building as our guide. The impact of COVID-19 on daily energy consumption, information and communication technology, the ventilation of the interior environment of buildings, and the higher demand for new energy technologies such as electric vehicles is an entry point. We discuss how the concept of the smart building and related technologies (refrigeration, measurement, sensor networks, robotics, local energy generation, and storage) could help human society respond to the pandemic. We also analyze the current problems and difficulties that smart buildings face and the possible future directions of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, we are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in connection with the huge amount of waste generated. However, the reuse of the produced waste in other processes requires energy consumption. This article deals with the reuse of face masks FFP2, which were added as an admixture to spruce or beech sawdust and then processed into pellets. During the production process of the pellets, energy consumption was measured and further converted to one ton of pellets, and also the consumption was reflected in the price of electricity. After storage, the mechanical durability and dimensions of the individual pellets were measured, and their density was calculated. Based on the results, it can be concluded that spruce pellets with 10% face masks FFP2 (consumption 747.41 kWh; durability 97.53%) and beech pellets with 5% face masks FFP2 (consumption 721.27 kWh; durability 97.38%) achieved higher values of mechanical durability and also consumed more energy than the remaining samples with lower values of durability without considering the sample with spruce sawdust and 5% FFP2 face masks (consumption 872.63 kWh; durability 91.68%). The production of spruce pellets with 5% FFP2 face masks was affected mainly by cold outside weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide spread of new variants of coronavirus that cause the infectious disease COVID-19, governments around the world typically respond by imposing restrictions on people's activities that range from partial to full lockdowns. This has severe implications on all economic activities, which is manifested by the changes in energy demand. In this study, the impact of COVID-19 on the electricity sector in Jordan is analysed through quantifying the strictness of the government response measures to contain the spread of the pandemic, as calculated by the stringency index, with the electricity demand by the different sectors. Results showed that the minimum peak load in 2020 decreased by 13% as compared to that of 2019. The most affected sectors were the domestic sector, whose share in consumption increased by 8%, and the commercial and hotel sector, whose share decreased by 19%. The concept of an energy-weighted stringency index was introduced to account for the impact of government response measures on the different sectors. The analysis was applied for all Jordan as well as for the three electricity distribution regions. Results also showed that despite measures taken to contain spread of the pandemic, the share of electricity generation by renewables increased from 15% in 2019 to 24% in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide increasing awareness of energy sustainability issues has been the main driver in developing the concepts of (Nearly) Zero Energy Buildings, where the reduced energy consumptions are (nearly) fully covered by power locally generated by renewable sources. At the same time, recent advances in Internet of Things technologies are among the main enablers of Smart Homes and Buildings. The transition of conventional buildings into active environments that process, elaborate and react to online measured environmental quantities is being accelerated by the aspects related to COVID-19, most notably in terms of air exchange and the monitoring of the density of occupants. In this paper, we address the problem of maximizing the energy efficiency and comfort perceived by occupants, defined in terms of thermal comfort, visual comfort and air quality. The case study of the University of Pisa is considered as a practical example to show preliminary results of the aggregation of environmental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A report released by the WHO indicates that aerosols from infected people are one of the major sources of the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, as the COVID-19 infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, it has become necessary to reconsider the design and operation of buildings. Inside school buildings in cold regions, not only is it not easy to increase ventilation during the winter, but it may also be difficult for students to attend classes while wearing masks during the summer because such buildings are not equipped with air-conditioning systems. In short, school buildings in cold climates have more problems than those in warm climates. We report on the results of indoor environmental measurement using our developed CO2-concentration meters, a questionnaire survey on students' feeling of being hot or cold (i.e., 'thermal sensation'), and a comparison of energy consumption before and after the spread of COVID-19 infection in schools in Sapporo, Japan, a cold-climate area. The results indicate that (1) more than 70% of the students participated in window ventilation by the CO2 meter, and (2) a relatively good indoor environment was maintained through the efforts of teachers and students. However, we also found that (1) 90% of the students felt hot in summer and (2) 40% felt cold in winter, (3) energy efficiency worsened by 7% due to increased ventilation, and (4) air quality was not as clean as desired during the coldest months of the year. Therefore, investment in insulation and air conditioning systems for school buildings is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures taken by the public administration to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to drastic consequences for the economy. The full identification of its effects is hindered due to the delay in publishing the results of public statistics. The use of financial reports prepared by self-government authorities of all municipalities in Poland made it possible to obtain preemptive information in relation to the public statistics regarding the impact of COVID-19-related limitations on the energy expenditures incurred by local government units (LGUs), as well as an assessment of to what extent the LGUs had rationalized the energy consumption. By contrast, data from reports of energy companies made it possible to determine the impact of restrictions arising from the pandemic on the amount of energy sold and revenues from sales made by these companies. The analyses use indexes of the dynamics of changes in energy prices as well as indexes of the dynamics of changes in energy expenditures incurred by LGUs. Additionally, distributions of these indexes for the populations of municipalities are analyzed. To assess the effect of economic activity on energy expenditures incurred by LGUs, classification trees are utilized. It is established that the total production and sales of energy in Poland, in volume, in each quarter of 2020 were lower than in the corresponding period of the preceding year. However, as a result of an increase in energy prices by approximately 25%, the sales of electric power generating companies, in amounts, were higher in 2020 than in 2019. The increase in energy prices was also a cause of slightly increased total expenditures for purchasing energy in LGUs in Poland, which increased by 2.15% in 2020 compared to 2019. However, a substantial diversity in expenditure indexes was observed. That concerned both total expenditures and expenditures within individual sections of the budgets of municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union has set itself ambitious emission-reduction targets—becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The member states' energy systems are increasingly switching to renewable and decentralized configurations, in line with the EU guidelines. This is accompanied by the support for "prosumers"—entities that both consume and generate renewable energy. In parallel, a number of prosumer support schemes are emerging as a result of the search for optimal development paths. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the power market, causing huge anomalies mainly in demand and billing. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of the proposed changes in the prosumer schemes on the level of benefits prosumers obtained, including the performance of sensitivity analyses reflected in different levels and stability of electricity consumption resulting from extreme situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerical computer simulations for five predefined prosumer support schemes were carried out in the R-project environment. The basic conclusion is that the prosumer benefits most from participating in the applicable discount mechanism, in which the unused energy is fed into a network storage, from which the prosumer can take 70% or 80% of the stored volume. The research also allows us to conclude that in Poland the COVID-19 pandemic has had a very significant impact on the level and profile of energy demand due to the introduction of restrictions on selected areas and economic sectors. The reduced demand is particularly visible in services (−58%), tourism and sport (−39%), and education (−19%). The analysis is an important contribution to the search for an optimal model of prosumer market development in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both aggregate and per capita energy consumption in Bangladesh is increasing rapidly, its per capita consumption is still one of the lowest in the world. Bangladesh gradually shifted from petroleum-based energy to domestically sourced natural-gas-based energy sources, which are predicted to run out within next two decades. The present study first identified the determinants of aggregate commercial energy and its three major components of oil, natural gas, and coal demand for Bangladesh using a simultaneous equations framework on an annual database covering a period of 47 years (1972–2018). Next, the study forecast future demand for aggregate commercial energy and its three major components for the period of 2019–2038 under the business-as-usual and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic scenarios with some assumptions. As part of a sensitivity analysis, based on past trends, we also hypothesized four alternative GDP and population growth scenarios and forecast corresponding changes in total energy demand forecast. The results revealed that while GDP and lagged energy demand are the major drivers of energy demand in the country, we did not see strong effects of own- and cross-price elasticities of energy sources, which we attributed to three reasons: subsidized low energy prices, time and cost required to switch between different energy-mix technologies, and suppressed energy demand. The aggregate energy demand is expected to increase by 400% by the end of the forecasting period in 2038 from its existing level in 2018 under the business-as-usual scenario, whereas the effect of COVID-19 could suppress it down to 300%. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the highest increase will occur for coal (3.94-fold), followed by gas (2.64-fold) and oil (2.37-fold). The COVID-19 pandemic will suppress the future demand of all energy sources at variable rates. The ex ante forecasting errors were small, varying within the range of 3.6–3.7% of forecast values. Sensitivity analysis of changes in GDP and population growth rates showed that forecast total energy demand will increase gradually from 3.58% in 2019 to 8.79% by 2038 from original forecast values. Policy recommendations include capacity building of commercial energy sources while ensuring the safety and sustainability of newly proposed coal and nuclear power installations, removing inefficiency of production and distribution of energy and its services, shifting towards renewable and green energy sources (e.g., solar power), and redesigning subsidy policies with market-based approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a drop-in economic activity and energy consumption of the United States. This work aims to investigate the spillover effects of the United States' COVID-19 economic recession on economic growth and energy consumption in other nations using a global vector autoregressive (GVAR) approach and quarterly data between 1990 and 2013 from 41 major countries/regions. On the one hand, the simulation results indicate that the US COVID-19 recession has a negative impact on other countries' economic growth through trade ties, reducing the economic growth of other countries, especially for countries which have a close trade relationship with the US. In addition, the spillover effects of the US economic recession have different impacts on other countries' energy consumption. Countries with the closest trade ties to the US are most affected, such as Japan and China. In addition, the impact of the US' economic shock on energy consumption in developing countries is significant in the short term, while its impact on developed countries is significant in the long term. On the other hand, the simulation results of energy spillover effects indicate a reduction in US energy consumption slightly reduces economic growth in other nations. In addition, a reduction in energy consumption in the US does not have a significant negative impact on energy consumption in other developed countries. Furthermore, the spillover effect of declining energy consumption in the US on energy consumption in developing countries is significant in the short term. However, the spillover effects of falling energy consumption in the US on developing countries are different. The spillover effect of the decline in energy consumption in the US causes a slight decline in energy consumption in China and Brazil, whereas the spillover effect of the decline in energy consumption in the US does not cause a decline in energy consumption in India and Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the ideal storage conditions for multiple vaccine brands, such as Pfizer, Moderna, CoronaVac, Oxford–AstraZeneca, Janssen COVID-19 and Sputnik V. Refrigerant fluid options for each storage condition, thermal load to cool each type of vaccine and environmental impacts of refrigerants are compared. An energy simulation using the EUED (energy usage effectiveness design) index was developed. The Oxford–AstraZeneca, Janssen COVID-19 and CoronaVac vaccines show 9.34-times higher energy efficiency than Pfizer. In addition, a TEWI (total equivalent warming impact) simulation was developed that prioritizes direct environmental impacts and indirect in refrigeration. From this analysis, it is concluded that the cold storage of Oxford–AstraZeneca, Janssen COVID-19 and CoronaVac vaccines in Brazil generates 35-times less environmental impact than the Pfizer vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]