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Abstract Whilst a plethora of literature has viewed technological progress as one of the critical influencing factors in relation to energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, little effort has been made to identify the sectoral differences in the relationship between technological progress and CO 2 emissions. Thereby, this paper remedies the inadequacies in the extant literature by empirically investigating the impact of technological progress on CO 2 emissions, specifically taking into account its heterogeneous effect in various economic sectors. This paper first decomposes the effect of technological progress as taking place in heavy industry, in light industry, in construction industry, and in service industry. A panel quantile regression approach and a balanced city panel data model are then applied, covering the period 2001–2013 in China. The empirical results show that technological progress in heavy industry and light industry surprisingly facilitates a higher level of CO 2 emissions, despite its prominent contribution to energy efficiency improvement. Meanwhile, as distinct from the effect it shows in the heavy and light industries, technological progress in construction and service industries exerts a negative effect on CO 2 emissions. Additionally, this paper further discovers that the strength of the multiple impacts of technological progress also varies with the level of emitters. By studying the heterogeneous effect brought about by technological progress in different economic sectors and emitters, this paper provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between CO 2 emissions and technological progress. Highlights • The study considers the sectoral and scale heterogeneity of technological progress in relation to CO 2 emissions. • We apply a panel quantile regression approach to balanced city-level panel data. • Technological progress within different economic sectors exerts different effects on CO 2 emissions. • The role of technological progress in moderating energy intensity varies across emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Simulation and modelling allow a range of offshore wind farm stakeholders to test and improve a project's viability in a cost-effective and safe manner. This paper presents a model developed to conduct detailed financial analysis of an offshore wind farm. It extends the current state of the art by employing stochastic time-series simulation modules performing in-depth analysis of the technologies, strategies and procedures applied during the installation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning phases of a wind farm lifecycle. The model was designed for versatility and can consider both fixed and floating technologies, a wide variety of strategies, and any site specified by the user. Results include energy production, costs and the duration of activities at each stage. These populate financial spreadsheets, which calculate key performance indicators including the Levelised Cost of Energy. The model has been successfully validated against real-life case-studies where possible; published data; and uses sensitivity analysis to ensure the model is working as expected. Through a case-study, the paper demonstrates how 1) the model enables the identification of key cost and time drivers, facilitating scenario optimisation; 2) the stochastic nature of the model considers the impact of uncertain variables on results such as weather conditions and wind turbine failure rates; 3) the model can be used to assess different business models and financing structures. This comprehensive range of abilities means that the model is suited to a variety of end-users and meets the demands of a growing industry, striving to achieve further cost-reductions across a range of site conditions, technologies and markets. Highlights • A validated model that performs in-depth financial analysis of offshore wind farms. • Designed for versatility, it can consider both fixed and floating technologies. • The model identifies key cost and time drivers, facilitating scenario optimisation. • It considers the impact of uncertain variables on results such as weather conditions. • With a comprehensive range of abilities, it is suited to a variety of end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Demand response programs offer efficient solutions for many power system problems, such as high generation cost, high demand's peak to average ratio, high emissions, reliability issues and congestion in generation, transmission and distribution systems. Their main function is to assist power systems during peak demand hours and also during contingencies. They are a subcategory of the family of demand side management (DSM) strategies. DR programs are classified into two broad categories; price-based DR programs and incentive-based DR programs. In order to exploit their full potential, DR programs must be implemented optimally. Such a problem, which here is referred to as "DR optimisation problem", is a hot research topic and has been frequently researched in the literature. This paper aims to review different research works on DR optimisation problems. Based on the conducted review, some directions for future research are proposed. Highlights • Demand response programs offer efficient solutions for many power system problems. • Their main function is to assist power systems during peak hours and contingencies. • To exploit their full potential, DR programs must be implemented optimally. • This paper reviews different research works on DR optimisation problems. • Based on the conducted review, some directions for future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The world is faced with various societal challenges related to e.g. climate change and energy scarcity. To address these issues, complex innovative systems may be developed such as smart grids. When these systems are realized challenges pertaining to renewable energy and sustainability may, in part, be solved. To implement them, generally accepted common standards should be developed and used by firms and society so that the technological components can be connected and quality and safety requirements of smart grids and their governance can be guaranteed. This paper studies a subcomponent of the smart grid. Specifically, the paper studies competing technologies for a standard means of interface between the smart meter and the concentration point for collecting meter data. Three types of communication technologies for the interface are currently battling for standard dominance: Power line communication, Mobile telephony, and Radio frequency. Nine relevant standard dominance factors were found: operational supremacy, technological superiority, compatibility, flexibility, pricing strategy, timing of entry, current installed base, regulator, and suppliers. The Best-Worst Method was applied to calculate the factors' relative weights. The results show that experts believe that Power line communication has a high chance of becoming dominant and that the most important factor affecting standard success is technological superiority. The relative weights per factor are explained and theoretical and practical contributions, limitations, and areas for further research are discussed. Highlights • This paper focuses on factors for technology dominance. • The focus lies on the interface between the smart meter and the central database. • Nine factors appear to be especially important in this specific battle. • Weights are calculated by applying the best worst method. • Power line communication has the highest chance of achieving technology dominance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Plate heat exchangers have been widely applied in numerous industrial applications since their first commercial exploitation in the 1920s. Enhancing the thermal-hydraulic performance of plate heat exchangers is of crucial importance for the energy conversion as well as for the improvement of the system economy, through savings in the capital investment. The efficiency of a plate heat exchanger can be improved either by optimizing its geometry or using heat transfer enhancement techniques. This paper provides a comprehensive review of previous works regarding the effects of chevron corrugation geometrical parameters on the performance of plate heat exchangers, and the application of heat transfer enhancement techniques in plate heat exchangers, focusing on passive surface techniques and the use of nanofluids. The objective of the paper is not only to describe relevant studies, but also to provide an understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms governing the results, and to evaluate and compare the different heat transfer enhancement techniques. In addition, prospective directions for future research are provided. The review indicates that for the chevron-type plate heat exchanger, the chevron angle is the most influential geometrical parameter by changing the flow structures in the single-phase heat transfer; meanwhile the chevron angle has a significant influence on the heat transfer regions characterized by convection in the two-phase heat transfer. An analysis based on the performance evaluation criteria suggests that the thermal-hydraulic performances of the studies with different geometrical parameters and enhancement techniques are generally higher at low Reynold numbers. Furthermore, the review and analysis indicate that the capsule-type embossing surface and the microstructured surface with a nano- and microporous layer are the enhancement techniques that present the highest performance in single-phase and two-phase heat transfer, respectively. Highlights • Analysis of the effects of geometrical parameters on the performance. • Analysis of the use of diverse heat transfer enhancement techniques. • Use of passive surface techniques and nanofluids are most commonly investigated. • Performance evaluation criteria are calculated based on the available data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the technical, economic and environmental benefit of meeting the water requirements of some selected communities in 3 regions of Oyo state, using off-grid wind energy conversion system. The study is conducted using 16 years (2000–2015) daily average wind speed data obtained from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Oshodi, Lagos. The data are observed at anemometer height of 10 m and extrapolated to turbine hub height. The water requirements of the locations are estimated using water consumption data obtained from Nigeria Population Commission (NPC). The wind power analysis of the sites are conducted using 2-parameter Weibull probability distribution to ascertain the wind power potential for water pumping application. The complete system is designed in such a way that the energy requirement of the pumps matches the wind power of the sites. The annualized life cycle cost of the system over 20 years lifetime and the cost per cubic meter of pumped water are evaluated. The results show that the wind power densities of the 3 divisional areas range from 165.75to207.2 W/m 2 and it is sufficient to provide for the water requirements between 1987 m 3 /day to 2333 m 3 /day) for the areas. It is also revealed that Polaris P50 with rated power of 50 kW, cut-in, rated and cut-out wind speed of 2.7 m/s, 9 m/s and 25 m/s, respectively is the most suitable wind turbine. The water pumps that match the requirement of the sites are identified to be 320 L series Goulds model submersible pumps in the range of 30–50 hp. The annualized life cycle cost of the system ranges from $7,985-$11,594 and the unit cubic cost of pumped water ranges from $0.014–0.025 m 3 /day. This paper provides first-hand scientific information to the investors, government officials and policy makers at alleviating the water poverty in Nigerian communities. This would impact positively on the well-being of the local residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an assessment of the obstacles to the development of non-conventional renewable energy sources in Colombia. In the study, eleven barriers were included in three clusters: technical, social and economic. These barriers obstruct renewable energy sources from contributing to the electricity market in Colombia, mainly in its non-interconnected areas. The energy sources analysed are solar photovoltaic power, wind power, biomass, geothermal and small hydroelectric power (less than 20 MW electricity). Obstacles and energy alternatives are included in an assessment model by means of Analytical Network Process. The method permits ranking the barriers and energy sources according to their influence in the network. That means, the more conflictive the obstacles and the more obstructed the energy sources, the higher their values. Four experts participated in the procedure representing different stakeholders in the electricity market of Colombia. The research showed the most important barriers are costs of investment and operating, lack of public and private coordination and lack of development planning for renewable energy sources. The most influenced (hindered by barriers) sources are wind power and geothermal power. However, the experts did not fully agree on those results and differences are discussed. The paper ends with some recommendations for overcoming the main obstacles against the participation of renewable energy sources in the Colombian electricity market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong consensus that carbon emissions attributed to buildings are a major contributor to global warming. Reducing buildings’ carbon emissions becomes a matter of urgency and importance. However, despite the burgeoning body of knowledge of addressing buildings’ carbon emissions in the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the system boundaries of buildings’ carbon emissions and actually of their relevant research had never been made explicit systemically. As a result, the definitions of buildings’ life cycle differ considerably and the methods and models of analyzing buildings’ life cycle carbon emissions (LCCa) vary; all these lead to discrepancies in reported buildings’ LCCa and suggest a significant knowledge gap in effectively addressing the complex socio-technical features of buildings’ LCCa. This paper aims to provide a fundamental rethink of the boundaries of buildings’ LCCa for achieving meaningful benchmarking and learning in the future. The paper proposes a conceptual framework of system boundaries of buildings’ LCCa, and develops a regression model to predict such LCCa with strategies for enhancing the validity and reliability of the prediction. The framework elaborates the boundaries of buildings’ LCCa in the temporal, spatial, functional and methodological dimensions which together contain twelve variables, namely, life cycle stage, lifespan, climatic zone, geographic scope, LCA method, research method, unit of analysis, sources of emissions, building typology, level of prefabrication, building material, and density. The regression model is validated utilizing six representative cases of buildings’ LCCa selected globally. Inconsistent system boundaries adopted were found to have contributed to the discrepancies between the resultant buildings’ LCCa. The reconstructed system boundaries and developed regression model should facilitate a paradigmatic improvement in the body of knowledge of buildings’ LCCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to provide the latest research information through atomic power literature analysis for people who are interested in research advancement on nuclear power, and to motivate more discussion and attention on nuclear power. The research on nuclear power has attracted much attention and the literature expanding substantially. This paper characterizes the nuclear power literature during 1996 and 2015 by archiving the data from Science Citation Index Expanded and its implications applying the bibliometric method at country level. Using the bibliometric techniques, we first investigate general spatial distribution, and then explore cross-country comparisons of scientific production, focusing on the country productivity distribution analysis, and institution analysis and research topics analysis. Furthermore, using the bibliometric indicators of the activity index and attractive index, we calculated citation score to further explore research efforts, influence and quality among the 10 most productive countries. First, the results indicate that the USA, Germany and Japan are the three top countries contributing to nuclear power literature, which published 24.34%, 11.04%, 10.87% of all literature, respectively. The great majority of countries come from America and Europe, and there are no African countries significantly involved in this area in the top 30 countries. Second, performance ranking of these countries by institutions echoes the countries’ publication performances. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the leading institution by contributing/sponsoring 1061 articles. Overall, American, Japanese and South Korea institutions are the major ones, publishing nuclear power papers. Third, the correlation network and pattern of research topics forms five clusters, the hot and core research topic is model representing simulation. Fourth, we find that Japan holds the leading position with the highest research production, impact and citation score. England and France balance their cost and benefit situation. However, the USA is the only country whose research effort and impact has been continuously declining. China shows a sharp increase in research production but with declining citation score. China should improve production quality and citation score in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating solar power (CSP) seems to be a promising solution for rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Small scale CSP plant appears to be most appropriate because it is suitable to the needs of rural communities: most of components can be found to be of low cost in the African market and there are available qualified local human resource to build the systems. A state of art of small scale CSP plants in the range of 1–500 kW e are reviewed in this paper to showcase previous and current works undertaken throughout the world. 35 small scale CSP plants are identified and reviewed in the paper. Technical analysis is conducted on the identified plants to understand their operating principles. The technical analysis highlighted reasons behind the choices made for every component from the solar field to the power block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cleaner and renewable energy sources are necessary so that fossil fuel dependency and global warming can be reduced. Present communication is an attempt to explore the available literature on Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) air collectors and PVT air collector integrated greenhouse drying system. Solar drying is one of the best method to preserve crops for a long time. In developing and under developed countries; per capita electricity production is low; therefore the electricity uses for heating purpose cannot be economically and environmentally justified option. In previous studies, it was found that forced drying is better in terms of controlling drying parameters and PVT air collector is better than standalone PV module in terms of energy storage. In present review paper, combination of PVT air collector and drying system has been discussed. Moreover, thermal modelling of PVT air collector integrated greenhouse drying system has been presented in detail. Average thermal efficiency, electrical efficiency and overall thermal efficiency for PVT air collector are found to be 26.68%, 11.26% and 56.30% respectively at 0.01 kg/s mass flow rate of air. This review paper may be very helpful for researchers and scientists to develop thermal models for different hybrid solar systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical econometric assessment of environmental policy effectiveness is capable of demonstrating which tools have been helping to achieve the desired effect of reducing harmful emissions or stimulating technological change. This paper employs an econometric approach to analyse the effectiveness of energy and carbon taxes in Sweden, the country, which was one of the first to introduce a CO 2 tax as well as an extensive environmental tax reform. The results showed that taken in isolation a CO 2 tax was not sufficient to result in a significant change in CO 2 emissions in Sweden, except in the case of petrol. On the other hand, energy taxes for coal and LPG have been statistically significantly effective. It was also clear that a technological innovation in the form of development of nuclear and hydro energy played a significant role in reducing CO 2 emissions and higher oil price was also important in reducing national CO 2 emissions in Sweden. At the same time, renewable energy (excluding hydro), a more recent innovation, has not been a statistically significant driver of CO 2 emissions reduction, perhaps due to the fact that wind and solar play a much lesser role in Sweden at the moment. The net electricity imports from other countries have contributed positively towards reducing CO 2 emissions in Sweden, while the use of coal and biomass tended to increase CO 2 emissions. Compared to the ex-ante modelling results from the literature review, the findings confirm the role of environmental taxation as a viable policy instrument effective in reducing CO 2 emissions in Sweden, although point towards a more nuanced picture. The paper raises important policy questions focused on the effectiveness of environmental policy tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the green roof has been raised expeditiously over the past decade. Green roof have been proposed as the sustainable practice to mitigate the adverse effects of urbanization. This review paper includes the history of the green roof, green roof components and multiple benefits (environmental, social and economical) associated with the green roof technology. This paper also emphasizes how the green roof works in different areas, their performance in reducing the stormwater and energy costs, improving air and ecological performance. The benefits of green roof show that it plays an important role in making cities safe, sustainable and resilient to climate change. Therefore, many countries are giving incentives to the house owners for the application of green roof. However, initial high construction costs, high maintenance costs and roof leakage problems are the main challenges associated with the application of green roofs. These challenges can be overcome with the of new cost effective green roof design that can work more effectively and efficiently in any area. Advanced modification and trends of green roof application are also included in this paper. The paper also highlights the research challenges and research gap of the green roof. At the end, for the better performance of the green roofs, some of the recommendations are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a secondary energy, electricity is an important channel between original energy and energy consumers. Electricity price is a critical factor for the interests of all involvers in the electric power market. It also plays an important role for the sustainable development of energy and environment. Smart grid is a new conception proposed in recent years to improve the intelligent level and increase the efficiency of electric power system operation. Smart grid combines and integrates information technology, communication technology and intelligent control technology with tradition power system. To achieve the many objectives of smart grid, Demand response (DR), as an effective technique of demand side management (DSM), refers to the changes in electricity consumption behavior of users in response to the dynamic price or incentive rewards. Price based demand response (PBDR) is one of the two major DR programs. In this paper, we first introduce the pricing theories in economics, the pricing of electricity and the development of electricity pricing in China. Then, we present a detailed discussion on the PBDR strategies in the DSM of smart grid. Also, the research status of PBDR is reviewed. Finally, it gives a summary of the whole paper in the last Section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries worldwide have set national targets for energy production from renewable sources. Yet, while many governments are committed to more renewable energy, obtaining permission to site installations is becoming increasingly difficult. With large tracts of land for renewables becoming intensely contested, countries seeking to meet their renewables targets are directing attention also towards tapping the potential in the urban environment through smaller-scale facilities. These entail other challenges, and countries are seeking ways to overcome them. The focus of this paper is on one, still evolving, type of renewable energy technology: small-scale wind turbines (SSWT). The paper presents a review of current but limited international academic knowledge on the land-regulation aspects of siting SSWT in countries that already have experience with such installations, including the USA, UK and New Zealand. The paper also reports on a comparative analysis of the land-related regulations and practices in two selected Mediterranean jurisdictions – Spain (Catalonia) and Israel. The approach of this study is exploratory, relying on analysis of legal and policy documents complemented by field work through in-depth interviews with key-stakeholders in both jurisdictions. The overall aim of this study is to examine different approaches of planning systems to new technologies. The findings show that despite their shared objective factors, the two jurisdictions have adopted almost opposite approach to regulating SSWTs. The findings, therefore, suggest that the incorporation of an unknown technology within the city requires a change of mindset both among the officials and among the city residents. A more effective regulatory framework might therefore entails a combination of strategic thinking, an experimental approach and the capacity to learn from cross-national comparative experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important energy base of China, Xinjiang is the key part of the “Silk Road” economic belt development strategy and is in an superior position. This paper analyzes the problems exist in the sustainable energy industry based on the distribution status of sustainable resources of Xinjiang. The evaluation index system of the application level of Renewable Energy Systems (RESs) is discussed using the wind farm as an example. Besides it investigates the advantages and disadvantages of the development process of each node in the “Silk Road” economic belt areas according to the current situation of the resources, economic and social development. Suggestions for the development of each area are proposed in the end. This paper will contribute to the sustainable development of renewable energy industry and economy in Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional powertrain has seen a continuous wave of energy optimization, focusing heavily on boosting and engine downsizing. This trend is pushing OEMs to consider turbocharging as a premium solution for exhaust energy recovery. Turbocharger is an established, economically viable solution which recovers waste energy from the exhaust gasses, and in the process providing higher pressure and mass of air to the engine. However, a turbocharger has to be carefully matched to the engine. The process of matching a turbocharger to an engine is implemented in the early stages of design, through air system simulations. In these simulations, a turbocharger component is represented largely by performance maps and it serves as a boundary condition to the engine. The thermodynamic parameters of a turbocharger are calculated through the performance maps which are usually generated experimentally in gas test stands and used as look-up table in the engine models. Thus, the operational of the engine is dictated by the air flow thermodynamic parameters (pressure, temperature and mass flow) from the turbocharger compressor; this in turn will determine the thermodynamic parameters for the exhaust gas entering the turbocharger turbine. The importance and its sensitivity dictate that any heat transfer affecting the experiments to acquire the performance maps will cause errors in the characterization of a turbocharger. This will consequently lead to inaccurate predictions from the engine model if the heat transfer effects are not properly accounted for. The current paper provides a comprehensive review on how the industry and academics are addressing the heat transfer issue through advancing researches. The review begins by defining the main issues related with heat transfer in turbochargers and the state-of-the-art research looking into it. The paper also provides some inputs and recommendations on the research areas which should be further investigated in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are both economic and environmental urges for transition from the current outdated power grid to a sensor-embedded smart grid that monitors system stability, integrates distributed energy and schedules energy consumption for household users. Especially with the proliferation of intelligent measurement devices, exponential growth of data empowers this transition and brings new tools for the development of different applications in power system. Under this context, this paper presents a holistically overview on the state-of-the-art of big data technology in smart grid integration. First, the features of smart grid and the multisource of energy data are discussed. Then, this paper comprehensive summarizes the applications leveraged by big data in smart grid, which also contains some brand new applications with the latest big data technologies. Furthermore, some mainstream platforms and knowledge extraction techniques are looked to promote the big data insights. Finally, challenges and opportunities are pointed out in this paper as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to assess the current trend, implementation and future possibilities of solar home systems (SHS) at the non-electricity provided study area in Bangladesh. The study also suggests an applicable plan to solve the problems and assure the proper availability and using compatibility of SHS to the poor and helpless rural people. The study area of the research is Lechraganj Char Union, Harirampur subdistrict of Manikganj district in Bangladesh. The trends and implementation strategies of solar home system (SHS) would be available in the Section 3.1 and Section 3.2 ; the future possibilities described in the Section 4 . One of the major rational of this research is to provide a sample plan of SHS implementations, future propagation process, prospects and issues to be solved can be useful for the whole non grid zones of the country Bangladesh. This could bring more country progress by renewable technology and the lower order citizens of the country by the supply of electricity and also future analysis of SHS. The primary data sources to shape the paper were- personal field observation, field documentation, taking photographs, qualitative household survey, household questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, FGD etc. Secondary data sources were from different books, articles, journals, magazines, newspaper, Government and NGO Organizations, unpublished reports and thesis etc. Various cartographic techniques as like- Produced tables, flow charts, pie-diagrams, graphs, histograms were used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of implementation of SHS in Harirampur Subdistrict. Proper direction by the government authority and NGOs can improve the current condition and support the off grid citizens of Bangladesh for the penetrating them under the coverage of SHS technology.Further assessment on the implementation of SHS, quality of SHS devices, environmental impacts of SHS, detailed economic advantages can be done for the proper expansion of SHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the changing concerns over energy security in the last decades, it is important to investigate the perception of different segments of society in order to understand how they view the challenges and opportunities in contemporary energy issues. Being one of the most dynamic energy economies globally, Turkey is continuously increasing both its electricity generation and consumption. Since the industrial sector accounts for higher ratios in this growth, this article explores the perception and awareness within Turkish industrial companies related to energy security, Turkish energy policy, and compatibility of corporate strategy with governmental energy and industrial policies. The study is based on the exploration of nine suppositions relating to the following issues: importance of energy costs in supply chain management, energy efficiency priority, effectiveness of legal infrastructure for energy efficiency, import dependency awareness, renewable energy awareness, the compatibility of energy strategy, climate change awareness, the level of Kyoto Protocol awareness, and compatibility between firm-specific targets and strategy papers. The study tests these suppositions with a survey based on the existing academic literature and three strategy documents related to industrial and energy policies, namely papers on Energy Efficiency Strategy, Turkish Industrial Strategy, and Electricity Energy Market and Security of Supply Strategy. These papers provide the research background and give insight for each of the suppositions. A survey was distributed to the top 500 Turkish industrial companies listed in ISO500. The results show that six suppositions are supported, one is unsupported, and two is neither supported nor unsupported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar home systems (SHSs) are the real hope for electrification of the off-grid areas in Bangladesh by utilizing the solar energy in renewable and sustainable basis. This paper demonstrates the solar energy prospect, the present status and dissemination schemes of SHSs in off-grid and coastal areas of Bangladesh by several government and Non-government organizations (NGOs). The country has an average daily solar radiation ranges between 4–6.5 kWh/m 2 . Currently, more than 3.8 million SHSs of capacity range 10–135 Wp (watt peak) with a total capacity of 150 MW have been disseminated in rural and isolated areas in Bangladesh. In this paper, ten case studies of capacity 20 Wp, 30 Wp and 42 Wp were investigated to evaluate economic viability at two randomly selected villages in Sirajgonj district and Jessore district, Bangladesh. The analysis showed that the SHSs for small business enterprise and household with small income generation are economically viable rather than only household lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of natural resources and the growing need for electricity requires the development of new technologies that can provide alternatives to traditional energy sources in a sustainable fashion. One of the promising opportunities currently under development is Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology. The aim of our study was to analyze the relevant literature related to MFCs through a scientometric approach in order to produce a comprehensive synthesis, something that is lacking. We identified 19671 relevant studies in the field and examined 3427 papers in detail in a systematic review performed in the ISI database Web of Science. Our primary goals were to: (i) determine the temporal evolution of publications, (ii) reveal which journals publish on the subject, (iii) show the global distribution of MFC research and funding perspectives, (iv) uncover the scales of application of the technology, (v) account for the most commonly used substrates, (vi) find out whether pure or mixed cultures of microorganisms are involved and (vii) determine the major species used. We detected a substantial increase in publications after 2006. We found that the US and East Asia are the most promising locations for the development of MFCs, given both the number of publications and the amount of financial investment in research and development. The main technological barrier to the wide-spread use of MFCs is the scale of application, restricted to small prototypes insufficient to generate electricity for practical purposes. The most cited substrate was wastewater, both domestic and industrial, demonstrating the great potential of MFCs in wastewater treatment. Finally, our results demonstrated that there is a wide variety of microorganisms capable of generating electricity, although the great majority of papers focus on a few well-established species. Taken together, our results can help research and application in this field on a global level perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran's energy system is extremely dependent on fossil fuels which, in turn, have led to problems such as fossil fuels depletion, social, economic and environmental damage and territorial imbalance. The country should therefore design a sustainable energy system based on clean energy a s well as renewable energy. Accordingly, and given that Iran's rural areas suffer from the unsustainable energy system, it is necessary to integrate renewable energy into comprehensive development programs in general, and into rural development programs, specifically. This review paper answers the following questions: Why is renewable energy important for Iran at national and rural levels? How is renewable energy related to sustainable rural development? and What are the challenges in the promotion of renewable energy technologies in Iran? The paper concludes that although renewable energy has potential for development in Iran's rural areas due to environmental, social and economic advantages, it could face some infrastructural, managerial, socio-cultural and economic challenges. Accordingly, aggressive and innovative policy making is required to meet these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a broad spectrum of BR (Biofuel Related) models. However the models are highly specific. Such models cannot flexibly support complex decision making activities to identify feasible trade-offs among many objective functions. They represent just one point of view; e.g. engineering, company economics. Therefore CBRMs (Complex Biofuel Related Model) are studied in this paper. CBRMs must cover additional aspects, e.g. macroeconomic, ecology, sociology and politics. Such models are inevitably unique, partially subjective, inconsistent, vague and multidimensional. AI (Artificial Intelligence) has developed a number of tools to solve such problems. Qualitative reasoning is one of them. It is based on the least information intensive quantifiers i.e. trends. There are just three trend / qualitative values: plus/increasing; zero/constant; negative/decreasing . There are many CBRM items related to soft aspects e.g. politics, taxation etc. which cannot be quantified by numbers. They are too vague. For example – if the political/sociological sensitivity of land ownership is increasing then the cost of biofuels is increasing . Such verbal knowledge item cannot be incorporated into a traditional numerical model. The paper describes developments of CBRMs based on expert knowledge and common sense. A consensus among experts is often not reached because of substantial subjectivity of experts’ knowledge. A qualitative intersection of CBRMs developed by several experts is simple. The case study presents a model based on integration of 10 heuristics using 9 variables e.g. Refinery Capacity, Cost of Biofuel Production, and Biofuel Demand . The result is represented by 13 scenarios. The paper is self-contained, no a prior knowledge of qualitative models is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and other sectors, policymakers are increasingly seeking to mobilise investment in renewable electricity with support mechanisms. The objective of this paper is to assess the value of utility-scale solar PV using a multidisciplinary approach. In many cases renewable energy strategies are developed by investors and policymakers on the basis of a relatively narrow analysis of costs. However, as policies should be designed to maximise societal welfare, a wider paradigm is needed in decision-making. This paper argues for an impact assessment of renewable electricity generation that integrates its value from investor, utility, policy maker and end-user perspectives. We propose a multidisciplinary approach to the assessment, combining engineering production cost estimation with financial and market analysis of utility-scale solar PV in Ireland. The results show that while from an investor's perspective solar PV generation is, and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future, relatively expensive in a country with low solar irradiation such as Ireland, there are benefits for the electricity system in terms of reduced wind curtailment and, to a lesser extent, CO 2 emissions. This demonstrates why the wider costs and benefits of integrating a renewable electricity technology to the system need to be considered in assessment of renewable policy support mechanism. Policy makers can then seek to maximise the system benefits while minimising the cost of any policy supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy crisis and high emission of fossil fuels are major driving forces for developing renewable energy based technologies. In order to meet growing demand for energy, hydropower can be one of the sustainable alternatives. Further, the hydrokinetic turbine is considered as one of the most emerging technologies which harness energy from flowing water. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review hydrokinetic energy theory for energy conversion system from water currents analogous to wind power system. The most widespread classes of hydrokinetic turbines are discussed in detail with respect to their benefits, drawbacks and desirable conditions for applications. It has been found that in spite of some prevailing downsides of vertical axis turbine like of self-starting and lower efficiency, vertical axis turbines are appealing for many riverine applications. One of the prominent turbines of its kind is the Savonius hydrokinetic turbine that has the capacity to self-start at a very low fluid velocity in the river, canal etc. However, Savonius type hydrokinetic turbine inherently has poor efficiency. A number of experimental and numerical studies with a large number of physical designs and parameters have been carried out in the area of Savonius rotor to enhance its efficiency. Under this study, review of different parameters affecting the performance of Savonius hydrokinetic turbine has been carried out and presented in this paper which may be useful for future studies to improve the efficiency of such turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper examines pathways towards solar energy in China by examining two different solar energy technologies, namely solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heaters (SWH). The paper investigates these two case studies to understand how different pathways for low carbon innovation are promoted and challenged by China's changing financing and policy-making, and how they relate to changing practices among producers and consumers. The paper finds two distinct approaches to solar energy. Chinese solar PV is predominantly produced for the export market, relies on intellectual property-intensive technology and has received much financial and political support from the central and provincial governments. On the other side, solar water heaters are an indigenous Chinese technology that is found everywhere across China, especially in rural areas. They have developed from grass-roots levels to mass products with very little central government support. Although being largely absent from high-level discussions and policies, solar water heaters could contribute a lot to China's low carbon transitions that are driven at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we focus on understanding the rapid rise of the Chinese PV industry and its profound impact on the global PV industry. We investigate how it is possible that a nation that is still focusing on catching up in terms of industry, innovation and technology has been able to bring manufacturers from leading industrialized nations to their knees. This paper applies the framework of the Technological Innovation System (TIS), and also takes the context into account, in terms of the Chinese national innovation system (NIS) and the global PV TIS. It concludes that the rise of the Chinese PV TIS can be explained by the interaction of three context factors (the change in Chinese institutions, technology transfer, and the large European market) and specific PV TIS dynamics. The study empirically shows the importance of extending the national TIS studies by including the influences of context factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper is devoted to elaborating the status of different energy policy planning studies and the evaluation of various GHG mitigation studies. It includes, some of the major developments in global energy scenario, status of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, issues in the implementation of Kyoto protocol and GHG mitigation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and energy scenario especially pertaining to the residential, industrial and commercial energy sector in the initial sections. The later part of this paper highlights the salient contributions in various literatures pertaining to energy demand forecasting in residential, commercial and industrial sector, GHG estimation methodologies, and GHG mitigation studies in various sectors. The success and difficulties in implementing various policy planning practices were also discussed in the paper. Most of the prominent literature in the area of energy demand and consumption analysis towards effective implementation of GHG mitigation is described. In the end, a comprehensive comments and recommendations based on the study were furnished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources have a huge potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the dependence on fossil fuels in the energy sector. However, the energy output of these sources is variable and raises concerns regarding the electric grid reliability. Therefore, the deployment of energy storage would play a key role in enabling the integration of these sources in the electric grid. This paper proposes methods for determining the optimal operation and sizing of energy storage systems. The main purpose of the operation strategy is to maximize the revenues of the renewable farm. The sizing model, on the other hand, has a purpose to minimize the cost of the hybrid system while meeting the service requirement. Both methods were formulated as non-linear programming optimization models. To verify the effectiveness of these methods; case studies have been presented. Finally, this paper proposes an economical analysis to determine the cost added by the storage to each KWh of stored energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, combined heat and power (CHP) systems have gained more attention from the U.S. government. Both the federal government and the state government have proposed many incentive policies to promote CHP systems. This paper focuses on analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of existing incentive policies for CHP systems in various U.S. states. In this paper, the existing incentive policies for CHP systems in different states are classified in four categories: capital cost rebate, tax credits, low tax loan, and utility credits. Four types of buildings including hospitals, large offices, large hotels, and primary schools, located in different U.S. regions, are selected and analyzed for the CHP incentives. Using the EnergyPlus simulation software, the energy consumption of each building is obtained. Then the simulation models of a CHP system are established for each building type. From the simulation results, the payback period of the CHP systems in different locations is calculated according to local incentive policies. This payback period is then compared with the one without regard for incentive policies. The results show that most of the incentive policies could obviously shorten the payback period in various U.S. regions, however some of them seem meaningless because some incentives were not effective enough to give a favorable payback period. This paper reveals that the type and level of incentives to promote CHP systems need to be carefully determined because the effectiveness and usefulness of incentive policies are highly dependent on the CHP performance due to the capacity of the power generation unit, the operational strategy of CHP system, the climate location, and the ratio of electricity cost to fuel cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear power has gradually become one of the key parts in power supply structure due to its environmental benefits, effective productivity and steady operation. However, complicated system, high investment and derivative security issues make it difficult to develop in a large scale. Nowadays, faced with serious challenges from environment protection, fossil fuel lacking and upgrading of industrial structure, China are taking measures to promote nuclear power industry to realize sustainable development. China׳s nuclear power industry has achieved large achievements in industrial policy, technical and economic condition during the last three decades. However, there still exist problems impeding its future development. Therefore, this paper first analyzes the external environment and historical stages of nuclear power industry in China. Then, it summarizes its current situation and points out the existing problems. In the end, to deal with the above problems, this paper proposes relative solutions from the aspects of industrial distribution optimization, regional resources integration, technical standard system, industrial organization mode and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most cost-effective means of emission reduction, carbon tax has attracted considerable attention from economists and international organizations and has led to a large number of related research. Using the bibliometric method, this paper characterizes the carbon tax literature from 1989 to 2014 based on the Network Database Platform of Web of Science. The results indicate that the USA occupies a leading position in the carbon tax field. The Vrije University Amsterdam, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University were the most productive research institutes. Energy Policy (143) has been the most productive journal followed by Energy Economics (44) and Energy (38). In general, the cooperation of authors, institutes and nations are continuing to strengthen; however, the growth rate at the author level was significantly higher than the others. In addition, the current key research areas in the carbon tax field based on Co-Keyword Analysis are as follows: climate change and relevant policy, carbon emissions trading, socio-economic effects of carbon tax, renewable energy, endogenous technological change and carbon capture and storage. The results of this paper will help researchers grasp the current research in the carbon tax field but also provide a supporting role for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an updated review of the literature on the power system frequency response due to a large generator loss with the increasing penetrations of wind and PV generations. At present, these wind/PV generators continue to increase their visibility as a source of cleaner electricity generation, and play a significant role in the electricity market׳s energy plans. Along with the increasing levels of wind/PV penetration in power system networks, there is an increasing concern over the network frequency response especially under the loss of a large synchronous generator. It is widely agreed upon that the frequency response has become more susceptible with the increase of wind/PV generation due to the lack of inertial support from these generators. This paper aims to review the recent literature into the system frequency response in the likelihood of the sudden loss of a large conventional generator with the increasing penetration of wind/PV generation. This literature review attests that existing primary control support schemes may not provide adequate frequency support for some networks with an increase of wind/PV generation. The prominent finding is that system operators do not have access to any specific tool that would allow them to determine the required frequency support on a real-time basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of thermal performance of a solar air heater can be obtained by enhancing the rate of heat transfer. Thermal efficiency of matrix solar air heater is higher in comparison to conventional type. Number of studies has been reported in the literature on the performance of matrix air heater with different material packing and elaborated various parameters such as design; heat transfer enhancement, flow phenomenon and pressure drop in the duct. Majority of the studies revealed an increase in the thermal efficiency for matrix collector as compared to conventional plane solar air heater. This review paper presents an extensive study of the research carried out on matrix solar air heater. Based on literature review, it is concluded that the solar air heaters performed well when packed with porous medium and this is due to the geometrical parameters of porous material. In addition double pass porous bed solar air heaters performed better than single pass. Various types of matrix materials used in the literature and correlations developed for heat transfer and friction factor by different researchers have been presented. Much attention has been devoted in this paper to portrait the development of various types of solar air heaters over the years. The merits and demerits of different models evolved by many researchers have been critically analyzed. Finding in a nut shell is that the drawbacks associated with conventional nonporous solar air heaters such as high heat loss to the ambient, decreased convective heat flow from plate to air, etc. can be overcome by the use of an effective design of porous bed solar air heater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the photovoltaic technology, the world’s market trends in the past few years and its future map till 2050. The paper shows the PV market development in the world in terms of cumulative installed PV capacity from 2000 to 2013 as actual PV installation in all the world in terms of total installed PV capacity (135 GW), annual installed PV capacity (37 GW) and PV electricity energy generated in each year. According to the forecast of global PV generation, China is expected to be the largest producer of PV electricity soon after 2020. By contrast, the United States’ share is expected to remain at about 15% starting 2020 onwards, while Europe’s share is expected to decrease constantly from 2015 to 2045. The paper also shows that almost all of the energy consumption in Egypt was met by oil and natural gas at 41% and 46% respectively. The remainder was supplied by coal and renewable energy sources. The current demand forecast expects a six percent demand growth per year over the next seven years. Egyptian Electric Holding Company is currently implementing new generation projects to produce 7000 MW over the next few years. For the purpose of designing and sizing PV systems the paper presents the five relevant economic methods of financial analysis that are often used for making building investment decisions. These methods are payback analysis, net benefit analysis, saving-to-investment ratio, adjusted internal rate of return and life-cycle cost. In the same manner, the paper presents two case studies of the financial assessment analyzing PV systems in Egypt. The first case is relates to the on-grid PV 10 MW power plant for different sites, while the second paper describes the finance analysis of a standalone off-grid PV system generating electricity to feed a residential house in rural area of Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With respect to the application of upgraded oils derived from biomass materials, the goal is to produce either high yields of transportation fuel compounds ( e.g. aromatics, olefins) and specialty chemicals ( e.g. phenolics), or just a drop-in refinery feedstock to be blended with the feed streams of existing petroleum refineries. It has already been recognized in the early days of fast pyrolysis R&D that the application of catalysis could be of major importance in controlling the quality and chemical composition of bio-oil. For this purpose catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of biomass, which is a single step process based on the use of heterogeneous catalysts in the fast pyrolysis process, can be put in service. While the literature on CFP of biomass – mainly focused on catalyst screening – is rapidly expanding, there is an urgent need for the translation of laboratory results to viable process concepts and pilot plant trials by addressing key issues like the most suitable processing mode, reactor technology, and the way of heat integration of the process. The present paper discusses the CFP of lignocellulosic biomass in a process oriented way that may initiate a useful process technology development in near future. The final goal is to come up with recommendations and suggestions on how to realize this technique at a commercial/industrial scale. That requires a better understanding of the precise effects of the essential process parameters ( e.g. processing mode; in - or ex situ ) and design elements ( e.g. reactor type, catalyst type) on one hand, and definitions and outcomes of possible obstacles ( e.g. successive regeneration of the catalyst, effect of biomass ash) on the other. In this paper, the efficient and economical use of the primary and secondary products, and the heat integration of the process is discussed. Moreover, some process alternatives for an efficient CFP operation are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PV/T technology attracted numerous researchers and professionals during the last decades. There are many review papers in the literature evaluated the R&D aspects of PV/T collectors. In fact, there are abundant of case studies discussed the parameters of climate, design and operational conditions affected the PV/T collector performance. But, a comprehensive compilation of the information of those case studies is still a missing link in the literature. Hence, this paper intended to review thoroughly the information regarding the parameters affecting the PV/T collector performance mainly and PV module performance partially. The parameters are supported with the most available R&D to measure the accurate influence of each parameter on the performance. The outcomes from the study are highlighted in lessons learned section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cumulative advancements on high voltage high current fully controlled semiconductor switching technology have led to positive progress for high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems for management and optimization of future power systems with large penetration of renewables in the form of distributed generation (DG). Inter-area oscillation is a natural power system phenomena that can be resulted from the oscillation of two distant groups of generators against each other with low or negative damping, causing to avoid maximum power transfer and system blackout at the worst case. Moreover, high penetration of DG can positively or negatively change the dynamic characteristics of power systems and affects system stability in terms of low frequency inter-area oscillations. Due to its flexibility and almost instant response, HVDC applications with a modified control scheme can offer a great advantage to transmission system control such as damping inter-area oscillations. This paper focuses on supplementary control strategies for damping inter-area oscillations with HVDC systems in the context of renewable DG penetration. First, detection methods for inter-area oscillations are summarized with a brief mathematical framework for each. Later on up-to-date HVDC transmission technology, including its development, converter topologies, operating configurations, and some recent HVDC projects are discussed from its preliminary historical development. HVDC converter modelling approaches and converter control techniques available in recent stability studies are also addressed. Finally, state of the art HVDC damping strategies are classified according to the way of generating damping signals with an emphasis on input signal selection, study system, and simulation tool. It is found that besides many simulation based validations for inter-area oscillation damping of HVDC systems, few practical application examples also exist, which are detailed to some extend paper by paper. Suggestions for future research directions are also incorporated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the specificities of the patterns of low carbon energy technological innovations in selected Asian emerging economies. China and the members of ASEAN-4 (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines) are included in this analysis for their identical structure of developing economy. We outline a synthetic framework to cluster together the technologies with similar characteristics and analyse the changes of these characteristics over time. This is in order to elucidate the scope of sectoral composition and specialisation of the selected economies, and thereby understand the relative impact of science-based low carbon energy technologies on the niches of technological excellence. The findings show that China was keen to pursue its diversification strategy and develop its capability in low carbon energy technologies since the turn of the millennium. However, China has been gradually losing its momentum in more traditional areas like biomass, hydroelectric power, natural gas and fossil fuels. The ASEAN-4 economies, on the other hand, are showing interest in building a number of niches of technological excellence. This highlights a contrasting relative technological advantage between larger and smaller economies. Our findings also indicate that many of the low carbon technologies in selected economies have yet to attain strong scientific grounding for development. The findings of this paper are expected to provide some insights into low carbon energy technological development of emerging economies, and be useful for other developing economies to establish their strategic moves for energy technology development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review on various maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms based on Perturb and Observe, Incremental Conductance, Soft Computing and other techniques along with the real time hardware implementation of photovoltaic (PV) system. In this review, the complete procedure, the implementation methodology and their effects in the PV output were discussed in detail for each algorithm. Further, MPPT algorithms for PV systems with partial shading condition were reviewed and reported. This paper is intended to serve as a suitable reference for future work in PV based power generation and its related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric energy transport theories are still a debatable subject regarding their validity and applicability in various aspects. This paper includes a comparative study of the group of theories which are categorized as instantaneous theories as opposed to periodic-averaged ones. As a preliminary review this paper presents first the three apparent power definitions in order to emphasize the difference between them. A discussion regarding their accuracy for energy metering of various conditions such as multiphase and non-sinusoidal environments is presented. Instantaneous theories are then reviewed and compared with periodic averaged theories. The review focuses mainly on p-q theory ( PQT ) and its derivative, instantaneous multi-phase theory. The legacy application of this theory for active filtering is briefly presented and the new idea of using the theory for multi-load and multi-source theory is presented as well. The comparison identifies the similarities and differences between the instantaneous and periodic averaging theories, and their inter-relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to UNDP Policy Note 2014, only 23% of Yemen rural community have access to electricity – having connected to national grid or use small isolated generating units – while the country is one of the richest in solar energy with over 3000 h per year clean blue sky. The objectives of this paper is to concentrate on the utilization and the cost effectiveness of photovoltaic solar energy for electrification of Yemeni rural and desert communities, which will result in enhancing education, culture, science, medical services, and improve the living conditions in rural areas. Otherwise, energy poverty that is a facet of a multidimensional poverty in Yemen will persists because the possibility of connecting rural communities to the national grid, even in the next ten years, is invisible due to major political and financial problems that the country is facing. Moreover, PV energy is environmentally clean and has proved to be one of the best solutions for rural electrification in many countries worldwide due to noticeable drop of PV systems prices with the advance in PV technology. Accordingly, it should be the best solution for rural electrification in Yemeni as well. The paper demonstrates the cost effectiveness and the design procedure of utilization of solar energy for rural and desert communities in Yemen using a number of subsequent cases typical to Yemeni communities and provides also a practical study to support Bedouin backpackers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 2005 Kyoto protocol, developed countries made commitments to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, mostly by integrating renewable energy technologies into their power production systems. It is a more challenging procedure for third world countries, including Lebanon, that have limited means and potential to achieve such goals. This paper assesses the status of renewable energy systems in developing countries, and concentrates on the solar photovoltaic energy production due to its abundant availability in these countries relatively to other clean energy production methods. Comparisons of developing countries׳ achievements and goals each according to their economical, political and social considerations are conducted. Projects ranging from small scale standalone systems such as microgrids and minigrids to large scale energy production stations will be presented by dividing the countries into categories that share similar constraints and limitations in the integration of such installations. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the state of energy generation based on photovoltaic systems in Lebanon in contrast to other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is among the 10 countries that face the worst energy crisis of the world. As the country struggles with a number of financial, political and social issues, the transition from a conventional fuels based economy to a green economy is not an easy one. Pakistan has been blessed with immense potential of clean renewable sources of solar, wind and biomass but they have not been exploited yet. Renewable energy technology sector has not penetrated the energy mix and is currently an emerging market. This paper highlights the steps the country has taken in the past and the steps that are being taken at present to emerge out of the prevailing energy crisis when even the most urban areas suffer from power outages of 12 h per day. Until 2009, no single grid interconnected wind farm existed but now the situation has changed considerably and wind farms contributing to the national grid are a reality now. Three grid interconnected farms have been inaugurated and many others are in pipeline. The national policy regarding wind power systems has recently changed after unexpected setbacks to ongoing projects. This paper reviews the developments in the wind power sector of the country and lists some suggestions that can help improve the wind power penetration in the national energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the first industrial revolution was based on Steam Engine (coal as energy source), and the second on oil and electricity, where both these revolutions are actually "high carbon" revolutions, it is logical to expect that the third industrial revolution should be based on systems of renewable energy sources (RES), in order to minimize the problems arising from climate changes and to achieve sustainable development. However, the usage of the RES technologies and daily/weekly storage of energy and their connection to smart grids is not enough for the expected third industrial revolution. The start of this revolution would require technologies that have a great potential for further development and ability to supply, at any time, the necessary energy and power to a settlement/city, as well as drinking water, meeting the peak load requirements, continuously throughout the year, and independently of external sources of energy and drinking water. This would be provided from intermittent RES energy (solar, wind, etc.) and sea or other unclean source of water as natural resources. In that context, this paper presents a radically new technological solution: Key Engine which uses only natural resources: the sun, sea and gravity, in order to continuously and simultaneously supply a consumer with energy, power and drinking water. This solution has all the essential features required to start a third industrial revolution. The basic unit of Key Engine consists of the solar thermal (ST) generator with parabolic trough collectors through which sea water flows directly, absorbing thermal energy of solar radiation. After the separation of steam from seawater, the steam drives turbines and generators and produces electricity that is delivered to Pump Storage Hydroelectric (PSH) facility with seawater, which balances the daily and seasonal surpluses and shortages of energy, thus ensuring a continuous supply of electric power and energy to a consumer. At the same time, the water that comes out of the turbine, passes through the water treatment unit and is stored in drinking water reservoir, enabling continuous supply of the same consumer with drinking water. The paper presents theoretical aspects of Key Engine, model for optimal sizing and practical formulas for the calculation of characteristic values of the system, which could be the basis for further scientific research, development and innovative solutions that would help engineers in practice for numerous and diverse applications of Key Engine. In order to verify the derived mathematical relationships and models for optimizing the Key Engine in real conditions, the case study of the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, has been considered, along with total annual irradiance of 1575 kW h/m 2 a, total annual electric energy consumption of 20 GW h and drinking water consumption of 453,382 m 3 . The obtained results: power of ST generator of 52 MW, working volume of the upper reservoir of 7 hm 3 , total annual electric energy production of 62 GW h/a, and drinking water production of 480,754 m 3 /a, clearly show that the new technology can fully meet the needs of the considered consumer for energy and drinking water. As the basic idea of Key Engine relies on the use of natural resources, i.e. RES energy and sea, the paper presents only the starting solution, whereby, apart from the sun, RES can be wind, or other renewable sources, that can perform separation of vapor from seawater and thus produce drinking water, as well as energy simultanously. Also, energy storage may not be performed solely by the PSH technology, but also by any other technology that can provide seasonal balancing of energy. All this suggests that the Key Engine can be understood as an open-source for RES technology development and thus bring changes in all three aspects of sustainable development: economy, society and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a three-year low valley caused by Fukushima nuclear accident, China finally restarted the approval of new coastal nuclear projects followed by the gradually matured new generation nuclear reactor technology and increasingly more supporting policies. Under this major shift of policy environment, China׳s nuclear power development would certainly stride on a new stage. This paper simulated the growth rate, development scale and evolvement path of China׳s nuclear power by establishing system dynamics models in the new-round construction. Under the background of changing nuclear power policy, this paper is helpful to master the dynamic development pattern of China׳s nuclear power system. These dynamic analyses also have reference meaning to the prediction of nuclear installed-capacity, nuclear generation, uranium import and other relevant factors. Further, the simulation results of this paper provide the Chinese government with suggestions of planning China׳s nuclear push, and deciding the strategy of uranium supply in order to secure the safe and steady nuclear power supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the impact assessment of optimally placed different types of distributed generations (DGs) such as DG-1(T 1 ), DG-2 (T 2 ), DG-3 (T 3 ), and DG-4 (T 4 ) with different load models (DMLs) by using genetic algorithm (GA) in distribution power systems (DPSs) from minimum total mega volt ampere (MVA) intake viewpoint of main substation. This paper also presents the impact assessment of optimally placed same kind of DGssuch as DG-2(T 2 ) and DG-4(T 4 ) operating at different power factors (varies from 0.80 to 0.99 leading and lagging, respectively) with DLMs by GA in DPSs from minimum total MVA intake viewpoint of main substation. Different power system (PS) performance indices such as minimization of real power loss, minimization of reactive power loss, improvement of voltage profile, reduction of short circuit current or MVA line capacity and reduction in the emission of environmental greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxide (NO x ) and particulate matters and in emergency like conditions such as under fault, sudden change in field excitation of alternators or load increased in DPSs are calculated. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is illustrated on IEEE-37 bus distribution test system. This research article is very much useful for practitioners working on the implementation of renewable and building of future electricity grids and also includes the different PS performance indicators from better social welfare, reduced in the environmental pollutants emission, improved the technical issues, reduced the economical burden, and betters the security viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy not only can effectively alleviate the depletion of traditional energy sources, but also meet the need for building development. At present, the applications of renewable energy in buildings are still facing many problems. This paper presents a review of the application of renewable energy systems in buildings, and describes how to make good use of renewable energy for the sustainable development in the hot-summer and warm-winter region of China. The effective measures would improve the calculation methods, design the building and energy system with locality, develop integrated design of renewable energy systems, establish evaluation indexes of renewable energy applicability in buildings, and strengthen project management. Discussion results presented in the paper can provide a guideline for better to apply renewable energy systems to buildings in the hot-summer and warm-winter region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the impact of electricity market opening on sustainability of electricity market models. The paper aims to identify what electricity market organization models are the best ones based on the established sustainability criteria. The sustainability criteria include the main sustainability aspects of power sector (economic, social, and environmental). The methodology has been designed to evaluate organisational models of electricity market, which allows performing an extensive evaluation, encompassing all aspects of sustainable development. The evaluation methodology, which has been designed for the evaluation of energy market organisation model, provides the basis for the identification of indicators that have the most significant impact on sustainability; also it lays down the premise for the establishment of critical values and possible changes and the analysis of reasons for the changes in sustainability. The paper applies developed model for sustainability assessment of electricity market models in several world countries having different electricity market organisation structures. The selection of 12 developed world countries (11 of them are OECD countries) from various continents was made based on availability of fully liberalized electricity markets in these countries. The proposed assessment allows to review and compare electricity market models in terms of achieving main targets of sustainable power sector development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]