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Nowadays, China's economy and energy structure are deeply adjusting to the direction of low-carbonization and non-carbonization with unprecedented efforts. This paper considered carbon emissions and energy endowments, adopted SBM-Undesirable model and spatial Durbin model to calculate the energy efficiency of 30 provinces and municipalities in China from 2015 to 2019 and analyze the direct effect, indirect effect and total effect on energy efficiency of 7 variables. Empirical results show that: Energy efficiency has spatial positive correlation and agglomeration characteristics; The main influencing factor of China's energy efficiency is energy consumption structure; Regions with strong energy endowment bear the environmental pollution cost of energy consumption areas in China; Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) exists in China, but different provinces and municipalities are distributed in disparate stages; Research and development (R&D) investment only affects local energy efficiency, and has no spillover effect on surrounding areas in China; Foreign direct investment (FDI) has negative impacts on China's energy efficiency, and there is a phenomenon of pollution paradise. The valuable conclusions obtained in this study deepens the insights about the influencing factors of China's energy efficiency under the constraints of carbon emission and energy endowment. Energy efficiency has spatial positive correlation and agglomeration characteristics; The main influencing factor of China's energy efficiency is energy consumption structure; Regions with strong energy endowment bear the environmental pollution cost of energy consumption areas in China; Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) exists in China, but different provinces and municipalities are distributed in disparate stages; Research and development (R&D) investment only affects local energy efficiency, and has no spillover effect on surrounding areas in China; Foreign direct investment (FDI) has negative impacts on China's energy efficiency, and there is a phenomenon of pollution paradise. [Display omitted] • Energy efficiency has spatial positive correlation and agglomeration characteristics. • Energy consumption structure mainly affects energy efficiency. • Environment Kuznets Curve exists in China. • "Pollution paradise hypothesis" exists in foreign direct investment. • Environmental pollution is transferred to surrounding provinces through resource trades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressed air systems have a high energy transfer capacity. They are widely used in the manufacturing industry due to being clean, dependable, and simple-to-use. On the other hand, these systems are among the most significant energy consumers in the manufacturing sector because they are inefficient with high electricity usage and high CO 2 emissions. As a result, all kinds of the energy efficiency enhancements in these systems promote cleaner production by lowering total energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in factories. In this paper, the energy-saving potential and carbon emissions of Compressed Air Systems are investigated using data from in-situ energy audits. A simple set of equations is proposed to calculate the mass flow rate of air leakage. The sound intensity (dB) obtained from ultrasonic flow measurements were used as the input of the equation set. Furthermore, two new Energy Performance Indicators have been proposed to guide energy audit evaluation and continuous monitoring of the energy efficiency of Compressed Air Systems in industrial facilities. The new evaluation criteria "Specific Compressed Air Savings" and "Specific Leakage Savings" provide a comparison tool to help decision-makers with their compressed air system investment decisions. Using the "Specific Compressed Air Savings" and "Specific Leak Savings" parameters, the analysis method is demonstrated for an example industrial plant. The facility's specific compressed air and leakage savings are calculated as 0.0067 TOE/ton and 0.0035 TOE/ton, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many measures for decarbonisation of maritime transport, however only a few of such measures have been applied in practice. The method for the assessment of the potential energy savings due to the application of antifouling coatings with lower roughness in terms of decrease in fuel consumption and consequently greenhouse emission is proposed within this paper. Using the proposed method, detailed analysis of the potential benefits of the application of antifouling coatings with lower roughness in terms of fuel savings and greenhouse emission reduction is performed for the first time. In addition, an economic analysis related to the implementation of this technical energy-saving measure is carried out. This study quantifies the fuel savings and carbon dioxide emission reduction that can be attained by applying antifouling coatings with lower roughness on the example of crude oil and bulk carriers. The results have shown that 138 t of fuel can be saved per route with a decrease in carbon dioxide emission up to 430 t for the investigated crude oil carrier. Furthermore, 20.4 t of fuel can be saved per route with a decrease in carbon dioxide emission up to 63.6 t for the investigated bulk carrier. In addition, the return on investment related to the application of antifouling coatings with lower roughness varied approximately from 1.5 to 3 years, which is lower than the usual dry-dock period. Based on these findings, it has been shown that antifouling coatings with lower roughness can be applied even for ships sailing at a lower speed, and that notable savings in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emission can be attained. • A new method for the assessment of potential energy savings is presented. • Energy savings related to the application of AF coatings are quantified. • Significant savings in FOC and CO 2 emission are identified even at lower speeds. • The return on investment varied approximately from 1.5 to 3 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]