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In recent years, interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) has been considered a potential solution to the current energy crisis and lack of freshwater. In ISSG, a novel solar interfacial evaporator is allowed to float on the bulk water. It has the ability to supply adequate water to the evaporative surface, suppress heat loss and improve light-to-vapour conversion efficiency. Since 2014, innovative photothermal materials as well as different types of advanced structural designed interfacial evaporators have been introduced in ISSG. This rapid development of evaporators has resulted in the evaporation efficiency of 100 % with least energy consumption. In this review, ultrahigh evaporation performance of ISSG with different types of solar evaporators (foam, wood, hydrogel, aerogel, membrane, 3D printing, paper and plant-based evaporators), fabrication process and vapour formation mechanisms are explored. After examining the latest technologies and advancements in research, potential methods to enhance the efficiency of ISSG under different levels of solar irradiation are described. Further, the challenges such as salt rejection technique, minimizing heat loss, water transport technique and condensation process are reviewed. Subsequently, the applications of ISSG in dye removal, water desalination, microorganism removal and power generation are explored. Eventually, the summary and outlook for improving this technology for real-world applications are summarized. [Display omitted] • We summarize the recent development of different types of solar evaporators. • Fabrication and vapour formation processes of different evaporators are reviewed. • Salt removal and other potential applications of ISSG are discussed. • We provide future suggestion to improve the ISSG performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates drivers or hindrances to households' adoption of behavioural changes concerning energy efficiency at home. A Choice Experiment survey has been conducted to elicit households' preferences regarding adoption of innovative heating/cooling systems in Ireland and Italy. The choice data is analysed through a Latent Class model, and posterior analysis is used for class profiling, aimed to detect the emergence of factors identified in the literature. In both country samples respondents could be grouped in three classes according to their preferences and willingness to pay for adoption of innovative heat pump systems. Early adopters, younger and with higher education, exhibit strong pro-innovation attitudes. Conversely, Laggards, typically older and less educated, display hesitancy, and may require substantial subsidies for adoption. Late adopters value trialability and rely less on social networks. Information processing varies according to individual capabilities and social contexts. Hence, we recommend targeted information to enhance awareness of benefits and on feasibility of installation in different types of dwelling. Technical information and support, possibly complemented by demonstration activities, is suggested to foster innovation, especially among less advantaged households. • Assessment of drivers and barriers to adoption of energy efficient heating systems. • A survey with Choice Experiments in Ireland and Italy. • Willingness to pay for innovative systems is assessed through a Latent Class model. • Three classes identified with specific preferences and willingness to pay. • Profiling confirms the importance of attitudinal factors and trialability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing volume of electric vehicles in automotive markets and the limited lifetime of onboard lithium-ion batteries, the large-scale retirement of batteries is imminent. The battery packs retired from electric vehicles still own 70%–80% of the initial capacity, thus having the potential to be utilized in scenarios with lower energy and power requirements to maximize the value of batteries. However, spent batteries are commonly less reliable than fresh batteries due to their degraded performance, thereby necessitating a comprehensive assessment from safety and economic perspectives before further utilization. To this end, this paper reviews the key technological and economic aspects of second-life batteries (SLBs). Firstly, we introduce various degradation models for first-life batteries and identify an opportunity to combine physics-based theories with data-driven methods to establish explainable models with physical laws that can be generalized. However, degradation models specifically tailored to SLBs are currently absent. Therefore, we analyze the applicability of existing battery degradation models developed for first-life batteries in SLB applications. Secondly, we investigate a representative process of dealing with retired batteries and discuss the regrouping standards for cell-to-cell variation for the first time to guide the classification procedure and enhance the performance and safety of SLBs. Thirdly, we scrutinize the economic analysis of SLBs and summarize the potentially profitable applications. Finally, we comprehensively examine and compare power electronics technologies that can substantially improve the performance of SLBs, including high-efficiency energy transformation technologies, active equalization technologies, and technologies to improve reliability and safety. [Display omitted] • Detailed review of key technological and economic aspects of second-life batteries. • Analysis of battery degradation models for second-life applications. • Overview of processes, challenges, and standards in battery retirement assessment. • Scrutiny of economic feasibility and profitable uses for second-life batteries. • Examination and comparison of power electronics for second-life battery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual power plants possess the capability to effectively manage the inherent conflict between dispersed electricity generation and user demand, hence optimising market advantages. Nevertheless, the presence of severe weather conditions, geopolitical factors, the phenomenon of global warming, and several other global concerns greatly enhance the level of uncertainty related to the establishment of sustainable energy sources and the corresponding demand from users. Consequently, these factors expose the limitations of virtual power plants in effectively controlling power supply. The active involvement of community members has the potential to invigorate the process of development. This study presents a novel model, referred to as the CE-based cVPP (CE-cVPP) model, that combines the principles of circular economy (CE) and community-based virtual power plant (cVPP). The objective of this model is to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable development efforts. This research redefines the concept of a CE-cVPP, elucidates its defining features, scopes, and classification, and constructs a technological framework, together with an explanatory community case structure. The CE-cVPP energy life cycle framework is constructed based on the principles of the circular economy paradigm. This study investigates the enduring and sustainable benefits of the CE-cVPP across four dimensions: energy, environment, economics, and society. In conclusion, this paper provides a comprehensive examination of the energy, digital, and circular economy perspectives, encompassing critical analysis, problems, prospective analysis, and future directions. • Circular economy and community-based Virtual Power Plant (CE-cVPP) is a paradigm for the future energy sector. • CE-cVPP is a novel sustainable pattern that combines circular economy and community virtual power plants. • CE-cVPP features renewable energy, electricity, gas, cold, heat, and biodegradable waste. • CE-cVPP promotes economic, social, and ecological sustainability. • CE-cVPPs enhance the power and energy system's adaptability, versatility, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used battery type in commercial electric vehicles due to their high energy densities and ability to be repeatedly charged and discharged over many cycles. In order to maximize the efficiency of a li-ion battery pack, a stable temperature range between 15 °C to 35 °C must be maintained. As such, a reliable and robust battery thermal management system is needed to dissipate heat and regulate the li-ion battery pack's temperature. This paper reviews how heat is generated across a li-ion cell as well as the current research work being done on the four main battery thermal management types which include air-cooled, liquid-cooled, phase change material based and thermo-electric based systems. Additionally, the strengths and weaknesses of each battery thermal management type is reviewed in this study. It was determined that air cooled systems are suited for short-distance travel electric vehicles, liquid cooled are for electric vehicles that require long-distance travel, larger battery packs and for high thermal loads, phase change material based are for electric vehicles with constant thermal loads and stable ambient temperatures and thermo-electric battery thermal management systems are best best suited in conjunction with the other types for better control. • Present simplified heat generation model for li-Ion batteries. • Review of upcoming PCM Cooling BMS models. • Analysis of strengths and weaknesses of air, liquid, PCM, and thermoelectric BMS. • Recommendation on appropriate BTMS type for different EV models. • Identified main attributes required for an effective BMS for EV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative scaled suction caisson (SSC) for fixing offshore wind turbines (OWTs) to enhance its anti-overturning bearing capacity. The outer wall of the SSC is constructed with a scaled bionic structure referring to snakeskin scales, reducing resistance to installation and increasing pullout capacity, which is verified by model tests that the SSC requires less applied suction and provides higher horizontal bearing capacity in sandy soil compared with the traditional suction caisson (TSC) under the same caisson diameter and height. Also, model test results reveal that the SSC can reduce the height of soil plug and the scaled structure can effectively limit the SSC inclination in comparison to the TSC. Additionally, numerical results show that the ultimate bearing capacity for the SSC increases rapidly when the friction factor λ between the caisson wall-soil interface ranges from 0 to 0.2. Moreover, the sidewall of the SSC dissipates less energy than that of the TSC due to the small displacement of soil near the sidewall. This study confirms that the SSC can eliminate grouting in the space between the top of the soil plug and the bottom of the cap, thus reducing the construction period, construction costs and avoiding marine pollution. [Display omitted] • Bionic design concept of the SSC is proposed. • Penetration behavior of the SSC is revealed. • Bearing capacity and failure mechanism of the SSC are obtained. • SSC can eliminate grouting, and at the same time compensate the bearing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community renewable energy is increasing globally, but many northern and remote Indigenous communities remain energy insecure. Community appropriate sustainable energy solutions requires more than building renewable energy projects – it requires local socio-technical capacity to design, implement, and maintain renewable energy projects. Yet, notwithstanding advances in renewable energy technology there is limited understanding of the socio-technical capacity of northern and remote Indigenous communities to engage in energy transitions. Based on a review of energy transitions scholarship and northern contexts and informed by a workshop engaging northern and Indigenous community members from Canada and Alaska, this paper presents foundational pillars for assessing the socio-technical capacity needs of communities to pursue and sustain local energy transitions. These pillars are inter-dependent and emphasize the importance of local energy champions and inter-local energy networks to enable innovation and capacity building; community values that articulate immediate and longer-term goals for energy transition, including the social and economic opportunities to be realized by a more sustainable energy system; community knowledge of local energy resources, technologies, and opportunities, and embedded skills to support transitions; and the skills innovation to pursue and manage new energy systems, coupled with youth engagement as future community energy leaders. The proposed framework is intended to support the early stages of community energy transition planning. • Energy transition in remote communities involves more than building new projects. • Socio-technical capacity is critical to renewable energy security in remote off-grid areas. • Seven pillars are proposed to guide local capacity assessment for community energy. • Renewable energy in remote communities means self-sufficiency and self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical transmission hubs in global supply chain networks have great potential to reduce carbon emissions, yet this has not received much attention from existing studies. This research combines the structural path betweenness, an extended structural path analysis, and a multi-level modularity optimization algorithm to identify key transmission sectors, paths, and carbon communities in a global supply chain network using the environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis. The results show that (1) China's metal industry, power industry, and non-metallic industry are the most crucial transmission centers, and some sectors, such as the paper industry and textile industry in China, are also key transmission hubs, yet they are ignored by traditional accounting methods. From a national viewpoint, China is the most key transmission hub, and its high betweenness is mainly caused by domestic demand. Meanwhile, the CO 2 emissions transferred by China to satisfy foreign demand are mainly related to the US, ROW (especially the Asia-Pacific region), and Japan. (2) The transmitted carbon emission is mainly concentrated in the first four production layers, accounting for 69.46 % of the total. (3) The global carbon emission network can be divided into 20 carbon communities. And the largest communities are mainly led by mainland China. Most of the communities contain various national sectors, which offer evidence for international cooperation strategies. The results offer policymakers a new perspective on mitigating environmental stress. [Display omitted] • Critical sectors having higher betweenness are identified from a global level. • Key supply chain paths causing the high betweenness are identified. • Some critical carbon communities in the global carbon emission network are detected. • An extended structural path betweenness is proposed to find key supply chain path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread adoption of distributed generation (DG) is changing the operation of distribution networks. To increase the control of power flows and avoid the detriments of DG intermittency, active distribution networks (ADN) emerge as a feasible solution. In this paper, we propose a convex model for ADN expansion planning. Four active network management (ANM) schemes are considered: DG active power curtailment, DG reactive power control, on-load tap changer (OLTC) tap adjustment, and shunt compensation device control. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer second-order cone programming problem (MISOCP) using the distflow equations and second-order cone relaxations (SOCR). By scenario analysis, we address the uncertainty associated with power demand, renewable generation, and electricity prices. The proposed model is used to study the benefits of different combinations of ANM schemes to a modified IEEE 33-bus system and compare them with the individual benefits of each scheme. The results indicate that ANM schemes can reduce total network costs, reduce losses, delay network reinforcement, and improve the voltage profile. In addition, some combinations of schemes develop synergies in which the combined economic benefits are greater than the sum of the individual benefits. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art on Hardware-In-The-Loop simulation methodologies and technologies applied in the research field of wave energy converters. It reveals important issues, such as an unclear taxonomy and representations of these methodologies, which are critical for the success of the approach, mostly during the design of experiments and presentation of results. Moreover, a classification approach to these methodologies is not found in the literature. Thus, a generic taxonomical and classification framework is developed to support the review process. This framework is built based on three taxonomic subsystems that the review shows to be effective in organizing the reviewed methodologies: simulated, real and interface subsystems. In particular, the definition of the interface subsystem is key to overcoming the limitations found in the methodological representations. Furthermore, this review borrows the term actionability to this approach to better describe the nuances and gaps between the reviewed case studies. It is found that the different technical implementations are easily organized with the proposed framework, and the results cover a wide range of wave energy converter development phases. Likewise, this review shows opportunities for improvements in the methodology and application to a wider number of new case studies. [Display omitted] • Hardware in the loop approach is currently described with unclear methodology. • Few case studies of the approach on wave energy converters have been published. • Review reveals research opportunities for methodological improvements. • Taxonomic framework proposed for systematic and clear methodological descriptions. • Technical information is provided for a wide range of device development phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for enhanced batteries with higher energy density and safety is pushing lithium-ion battery technology towards solid-state batteries. Replacing the liquid with a solid electrolyte significantly improves safety by removing the possibility of leaking flammable organic solvents. Solid electrolytes also enable the use of lithium metal as anode material to obtain battery cells with higher energy density. This review summarizes the classification of all three state-of-the-art solid electrolyte types (inorganic, polymer and composite solid electrolytes) and their governing lithium ion transport mechanisms. Nevertheless, to make solid-state batteries applicable, improvements in ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte, low electrode-electrolyte interfacial resistance and high compatibility of the solid electrolyte with the electrodes are required. This review paper discusses improvement strategies for solid electrolytes to achieve high ionic conductivity, good flexibility, and high electrode compatibility. Enhanced ionic conductivity can be obtained by suppressing the polymer phase's crystallization (e.g., copolymerization, inorganic fillers, adjusting polymer matrix) and optimizing the physicochemical parameters and the surface of the inorganic phase. Interfacial stability can be improved by using multilayered electrolytes or applying coatings and passivation layers on electrolyte or electrode particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption carbon capture has shown its superiority in energy consumption and cost investment when compared with common amine scrubbing technologies. However, high regeneration energy demand of adsorbents is still a challenge for large-scale application. This paper proposes a temperature vacuum swing adsorption system integrated with auxiliary heating and cooling technology. Absorption chiller and double-stage absorption heat transformer (DAHT) are introduced from the perspective of adsorption and desorption process of CO 2 capture system. Results indicate that when the duration of each step increases from 25 min to 45 min, the CO 2 recovery rate decreases from almost 100 %–75.7 %, and CO 2 purity increases slightly from 89.6 % to 91.1 %. Considering the temperature grade of waste heat, heat consumption of the absorption chiller assisted system is lower than that of DAHT for original and adjusted cases at a generation temperature of 58 °C. If the desorption temperature decreases from 120 °C to 100 °C, heat consumption of the absorption chiller decreases from 1.90 GJ·ton−1 to 1.76 GJ·ton−1, but the average capture capacity decreases from 306.3 ton·ton−1 ad to 272.1 ton·ton−1 ad. It is demonstrated that both absorption chiller and absorption heat transformer could be promising solutions to reducing the energy consumption of CO 2 capture system. Absorption chiller has a priority over DAHT in regions with low temperature heat sources. Moreover, a tradeoff between adsorbent loss and heat consumption should be found when choosing the appropriate heat pump for practical application. [Display omitted] • Adsorption carbon capture integrated with absorption chiller is initially proposed. • Absorption chiller is beneficial for reduction of heat consumption of capture. • Decrease of desorption temperature has great influence on system performance. • Heat pump assisted adsorption capture is a promising way for energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems are becoming increasingly popular in commercial and residential buildings due to their flexibility and efficiency. Building design and operational parameters play an important role in the process of predicting cooling loads, and these variables contain a variety of uncertainties that must be taken into account when seeking to obtain a reliable prediction. It is common practice to oversize the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system installed in a building in order to reduce uncertainties in its performance. However, oversizing is undesirable due to additional capital and operating costs, inefficient space utilization, and excessive emissions of greenhouse gases. This study provided a comprehensive literature review on previous uncertainly analysis studies from six perspectives: classification of uncertainty factors, sensitivity analysis methods, building energy model for uncertainty analysis, sampling method, the most effective parameter, and distribution of uncertainty parameters., and then developed a framework to investigate the effects of uncertainty of operational and design parameters on annual cooling load, total energy consumption, HVAC electricity use per conditioned floor area, VRF system cost, and the cooling-to-total electricity consumption ratio (R) in residential buildings equipped with VRF systems located in the Middle East (ME) region (Kuwait City, Tehran, and Istanbul). Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was also developed to predict output parameters in residential building. Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) simulation was also applied to generate near-random samples of uncertainty parameter values from a multidimensional distribution. It should be mentioned that a correlation was derived in this study to predict VRF cost. The study evaluated thirteen uncertainty parameters related to building characteristics, occupants, building energy systems, VRF variables, and lighting conditions. Several methods were used to evaluate the effects of input uncertainty parameters on the output variables, namely, the Standardized Regression Coefficient (SRC), Partial Correlation Coefficient (PCC), and Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (SRCC) or Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC). The results indicated that VRF cost and HVAC electricity use per area have a greater coefficient of variation compared with other output parameters. The density distribution of output parameters indicated that uncertainty parameters had the greatest impact on output parameters in Kuwait (hyper arid climate), whereas in Istanbul (humid subtropical climate), they were the least. Among the variables examined in the Sensitivity Analysis (SA), cooling setpoint had the greatest impact on residential building energy consumption in ME climates. Finally, this paper highlights emerging trends and offers recommendations for advancing future research in the realm of building energy uncertainty analysis. • Comprehensive review of previous uncertainty analysis studies was provided. • VRF systems operational and design parameters effect on cooling load were reviewed. • Investigate an impact of uncertainties on building performance in various climates. • Energy consumption in building was most influenced by cooling setpoints. • Results show a more significant impact of uncertainty in hyper-arid climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is a highly sophisticated system that involves multiphysical dynamics that includes hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, structural dynamics, servo dynamics, and mooring dynamics. Hydrodynamics is one of the most critical aspects directly related to the stabilization and safety of FOWTs. As the turbine capacity keeps growing and the target depth of the water becomes deeper, the nonlinear hydrodynamic effect becomes more significant, especially under extreme conditions that occur more frequently in recent years. In this paper, theoretical challenges and state-of-the-art research progress regarding the nonlinear hydrodynamic problems related to FOWTs and their stationkeeping systems are introduced from both numerical and physical point of view. Nonlinear wave characteristics and nonlinear hydrodynamics of wave–structure interactions are addressed with different theories ranging from linear, weakly nonlinear to fully nonlinear. A number of nonlinear phenomenon such as low-frequency resonance, transient impacts, hydroelastic coupling, current effects and shallow water effect are discussed. Theoretical inconsistency due to large horizontal motions and challenges in accounting for the viscous drag loads in the state-of-the-art engineering tools are addressed. Future perspectives are finally brought up. • Nonlinear hydrodynamics fundamentals and development for FOWT. • Relevant design consideration and implication in nonlinear hydrodynamics. • Challenges of nonlinear hydrodynamics for FOWTs and their stationkeeping systems. • Summary and challenges of the numerical code to investigate the FOWT. • Technical challenges conclusion and future perspectives of FOWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving high sustainability levels in the energy sector is at the heart of the United Nations and European Union goals. One of the main paths to achieve this is to adopt sustainable practices in energy supply chains (SCs). In this study, a systematic literature review has been carried out to analyze the triple-bottom-line of sustainability in the SCs of energy production. The main results show that the literature on the topic is scarce and unbalanced. For instance, the analysis of different energy sources is biased towards biomass. Moreover, key SC management aspects like inter-organizational coordination and certain stakeholder involvement i.e., customers, universities and/or research centers, are underrepresented in the analyzed literature. The study's main contribution is to identify and critically review the current key topics and gaps in the literature on sustainability in energy SCs. Based on the findings, a two-level research agenda is proposed that outlines six critical avenues that bring research, private actors, and decision-makers altogether to enhance the sustainability of energy SCs. The suggestions for future research included in the agenda are based on the gaps presented in the results of the literature review, as well as on the research directions highlighted in the analyzed literature. This study offers guidance to managers regarding best practices and fields of improvement, as well as to scholars by suggesting paths to fill gaps in the current body of literature and elaborate more sustainable energy SCs. [Display omitted] • The first holistic systematic literature review on SSCM in energy production. • Identifying and categorizing ninety-seven papers on the topic. • Outlining a set of key topics and gaps and proposing a future research agenda. • Helping decision-makers to assess and benchmark sustainability in the energy SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African continent is endowed with massive energy resources such as hydropower, solar, wind, natural gas, wave energy, and many more, yet it is the continent with the least energy supply in the world thereby resulting in a lack of sufficient energy to meet its growing energy demand. Though the continent holds 100 GW of wind capabilities, the current installed capacity as at 2018 was 5.7 GW with countries in northern Africa as well as South Africa capturing over 90% of the wind energy share on the continent. Therefore, this paper reviews the wind energy industry in Africa by identifying the current installed and potential capacity of wind energy on the continent. The challenges faced by the wind energy industry such as policy, competition, technical and economic are also reviewed. Transitions, technological innovation systems, and strategic niche management theoretical sustainability transition framework as well as proposed pathways to overcome these prevailing challenges hindering the full exploration of the wind energy sector in Africa are also highlighted in order to uplift the continent's socio-economic status. Basically, this can be achieved through the adoption of strong 'political-will' by African national governments to drive wind energy development. There is also the need for institutional frameworks to ensure the practical adoption of new wind energy technologies. Furthermore, the major benefits Africa stands to gain from investment in wind energy are enumerated by comparing with the benefits realized by other countries' economies as a result of investing in the wind energy industry. For instance, cheap electricity, job creation, industrial growth, and eco-friendly energy source. • Reviewing wind energy industry in Africa and existing challenges. • The challenges faced by African's wind energy industry can be categorized under policy, competition, technical and economic. • Framework for transiting Africa's wind energy industry from small-scale production to large-scale commercial industry.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas hydrate (NGH) is a source of energy that has attracted significant interest for the secure and effective extraction of CH 4 gas from permafrost and marine regions. CH 4 gas can be produced and greenhouse gases (GHG) sequestrated by injecting flue gas into NGH, minimizing environmental threats. This paper provides a complete summary of the advancement of CH 4 recovery from NGH by CO 2 replacement. The CH 4 –CO 2 exchange mechanisms are examined in different types of hydrates concerning their cage structure and formation in geological layers. The gas composition of CO 2 injected with H 2 , N 2 , and air, thermodynamic pressure and temperature, hydrate and water saturations, and concentration of CO 2 are factors influencing the efficiency of the CH 4 –CO 2 exchange. The structural integrity of the sedimentary film throughout the exchange process is evaluated, and the evaluation indicates that the hydrate formed by CO 2 gas is stronger than the layer formed by CH 4 gas and that the mechanical integrity of the reservoirs can be maintained after the exchange process. The replacement effect of CH 4 –CO 2 combined with depressurization, thermal stimulation, and other factors is discussed. Restrictions and further studies of the CH 4 –CO 2 exchange process are also analyzed in light of current findings. This article offers information for future NGH extraction and CO 2 storage applications by providing an overview of recent advances in CH 4 –CO 2 replacement. • Mechanism of CH 4 –CO 2 replacement comprises CH 4 extraction and CO 2 sequestration. • Using different compositions of N 2 and H 2 gases with CO 2 enhances CH 4 –CO 2 exchange. • Combination of thermal stimulation with CO 2 exchange improves CH 4 recovery rate. • Mechanical properties of CH 4 –CO 2 hydrates maintain the mechanical integrity of rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the interactions between the generators/power electronic devices and the grids, wideband oscillation events have occurred frequently in renewable power systems with frequencies from several Hz to several kHz. Wideband oscillation monitoring techniques have been emerging in recent years to identify and analyze these events. Unlike existing review papers that concentrate on fundamental synchrophasor technology, this paper reviews the wideband monitoring technology. Specifically, the synchronized wideband phasor measurement techniques and the synchronized waveform measurement techniques are first reviewed. Next, the measurements' applications on wideband oscillation identification, early warning, and mitigation, and other applications in power system operation are carefully introduced. Also, the challenges in wideband phasor estimation and waveform data compression are discussed, and possible solutions are highlighted. Finally, future research opportunities on new applications in wideband oscillation and power quality are highlighted. [Display omitted] • This review focuses on wideband phasor and waveform measurements and applications. • This is the first paper that concentrates on the wideband oscillation monitoring. • The challenges on wideband measurements are discussed. • Future researches on new applications of wideband measurements are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is considered one of the most promising clean energy technologies. Dust accumulation on the surface of photovoltaic modules is one of the important reasons for the decline of photovoltaic system performance, and the influence of rainfall is particularly significant. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of rainwater on the output power of photovoltaic modules under different rainfall conditions. In this paper, a prediction model for dust density under different inclination angles is established based on outdoor test data, and the control variable method is used to design three different PV module performance testing schemes under different rainfall conditions, and a dimensionless model for output power is proposed. Empirical models of global solar radiation are combined, and thus output power prediction models under different rainfall conditions are developed. It is found that rainstorm conditions (Rainfall 50–100 mm) increased the peak PV module output power by 16.1%–28.2% compared to light rainfall conditions (Rainfall less than 10 mm), with the rain showing better cleaning effects for PV modules with higher dust densities. It is worth noting that PV module surface dust does not necessarily have only a negative effect on system performance. The influence mechanism of rainwater on the output power of photovoltaic modules and the prediction model established in this paper is helpful in improving the prediction accuracy of the output power of photovoltaic modules under rainfall conditions, and thus the efficient cleaning strategy is formulated. • Research on the performance of dust accumulating photovoltaic modules is summarized. • A prediction model of dust density at different inclination angles is developed. • The effect of rainfall on the performance of photovoltaic modules has been quantitatively studied. • The prediction model of output power under different rainfall conditions (ROPP model) is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which can be integrated into the surface of a building (roof or facade), replacing conventional building materials, offer significant contributions to the achievement of net-zero energy buildings. However, fire safety is of vital concern in using BIPV as a construction system in buildings, and it is essential that the application of BIPV as building facades and roofs does not adversely affect the safety of construction products, building occupants and firefighters. As multifunctional products, BIPV modules must satisfy the fire safety requirements of both electrical and building-related sectors. This paper provides a comparison of normative frameworks applicable to BIPV modules in different countries. The comparisons show that IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 are the PV standards used in almost all countries, while the USA and Canada comply with UL1703. Regarding building regulations, the fire safety requirements of BIPV must comply with national/local building regulations. In the countries investigated, each country has fire regulations to guide the fire performance of building elements to which BIPV modules could be applied, including external walls, roofs/skylights, windows and other openings, and ancillary elements/attachments. This report also points out future research directions which would help develop BIPV fire prevention strategies globally. The review of regulations and standards in this paper makes a contribution to the clarification of the performance requirements of fire safety for BIPVs in the investigated countries for BIPVs, which remain barrier to the development of BIPV around the world. Furthermore, the future research directions suggested in this paper will inspire further research in this field. [Display omitted] • BIPV fire hazards include ignition, fire propagation, and hazards to building occupants and rescue operations. • The electrical fire safety requirements of PV modules are based on the same international standards. •The studied countries have different fire safety requirements for building elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquavoltaic is an essential tool in overcoming the ground-based photovoltaic (PV) development barrier and achieving China's carbon neutrality target. After summarizing aquavoltaic technologies and global cases, this paper assesses the effectiveness of 292 aquavoltaic plants in China using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. Six essential input and output variables are included: installed capacity, power generation, occupied water area, construction cost, PV modules, and global horizontal irradiation to offer an appropriate measure of aquavoltaics efficiency in China. This study also performed correlation analysis for PV module type, PV mounting mode, and ownership based on a Tobit regression model. The results show that the efficiencies of China's aquavoltaics have improved significantly between 2014 and 2022, with the emergence and popularity of high-power PV modules playing a pivotal role. Furthermore, the regional study discovered provincial efficiency varies substantially. This paper also gives two reference indicators for new aquavoltaics in the future. • The global aquavoltaic technologies and cases were summarized. • The history and status quo of aquavoltaics in China were reviewed. • Aquavoltaics' energy efficiency has increased significantly in China. • The high-power PV modules have a positive impact on efficiency growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are playing an important role in power systems due to their significant mobility and flexibility features. Nowadays, the increasing penetration of renewable energy resources has been observed in modern power systems, which brings many benefits for improving climate change and accelerating the low-carbon transition. However, the intermittent and unstable nature of renewable energy sources introduces new challenges to both the planning and operation of power systems. To address these issues, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has been gradually recognized as a valid solution to provide various ancillary service provisions for power systems. Many studies have developed model-based optimization methods for EV dispatch problems. Nevertheless, this type of method cannot effectively handle the highly dynamic and stochastic environment due to the complexity of power systems. Reinforcement learning (RL), a model-free and online learning method, can capture various uncertainties through numerous interactions with the environment and adapt to various state conditions in real-time. As a result, using advanced RL algorithms to solve various EV dispatch problems has attracted a surge of attention in recent years, leading to many outstanding research papers and important findings. This paper provides a comprehensive review of popular RL algorithms categorized by single-agent RL and multi-agent RL, and summarizes how these advanced algorithms can be applied to various EV dispatch problems, including grid-to-vehicle (G2V), vehicle-to-home (V2H), and V2G. Finally, key challenges and important future research directions are discussed, which involve five aspects: (a) data quality and availability; (b) environment setup; (c) safety and robustness; (d) training performance; and (e) real-world deployment. [Display omitted] • State-of-the-art reinforcement learning algorithms are reviewed. • Both single-agent and multi-agent reinforcement learning frameworks are discussed. • Three key applications of reinforcement learning to EV dispatch problems are reviewed. • Challenges and future directions of applying reinforcement learning to EV problems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schroeder's paradox discovered by Schroeder in 1905 refers to the phenomenon that polymers have different maximum water uptake in the liquid and saturated vapor phases. For more than a hundred years, people have often debated whether this phenomenon conforms to thermodynamics. As proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) gradually becomes a promising renewable energy utilization device, its impact on the physical properties of the proton exchange membrane has been studied widely. This paper reviews the theory and experiments on Schroeder's paradox over more than 100 years, especially the exploration of perfluorosulfonic acid membranes and PEMFCs in recent decades. Since membrane water content determines the operational performance of the PEMFC, this paper discusses and analyzes the effect of Schroeder's paradox on the PEMFC performance, including mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and water transport mechanism. The effect of this phenomenon on the non-equilibrium operation of PEMFC has been highlighted, such as cold start-up, because of the different properties of membranes in contact with liquid water and air. This review gives an introduction to critical aspects of Schroeder's paradox to serve governments and organizations to promote the application of PEMFC in different regions. [Display omitted] • Schroeder's paradox in proton exchange membrane fuel cells is reviewed. • Mechanisms and experimental methods of Schroeder's paradox are critically analyzed. • Evaluated the effect of Schroeder's paradox on membrane performance. • The existence of Schroeder's paradox lower freezing point is discussed. • Future research directions of Schroeder's paradox are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent push for renewable electrical energy sources has resulted in a significant increase in the installation of the offshore wind farms. These farms become much bigger than their earlier counterparts and the generated power is much larger. This puts additional performance requirements on the export cables. Long submarine export cables are not only subjected to changing laying conditions along the route, including depth and seabed material variations, but also the loading patterns vary significantly over time. Additionally, applied reactive power compensation measures and the time-dependent grid situation change the distribution of the current along the route. These unique features of long submarine power cables necessitate a new type of approach to their design and construction optimization. This paper introduces a new approach for ampacity calculations of long submarine power cables. As the ampacity calculations form a basis for the design of a cable route, it is of paramount importance that they are performed as accurately as possible. The approach can be applied to general-purpose circuit solvers, and this paper describes how to implement it using the ATP-EMTP software, which is extended to the consideration of concurrent electrical and thermal effects. The approach permits considering all the important local and time-dependent parameters of the analysis simultaneously. In particular, the approach allows simultaneous analysis of the varying laying conditions along the route including changes in the depth of burial and thermal resistivity of the soil together with the temporal variations of the cable loading. Additionally, current characteristics in long AC cable conductors are strongly affected by the reactive power flow, which in turn depends on the location of the reactive power compensation, the reactive power demand for grid operation, and the wind farm voltage reactive power control strategy. Such analysis cannot be performed with any existing analytical tool. Also, numerical tools cannot handle such problems because a 3-dimensional time-dependent analysis of a cable route which is 100 km long would encounter convergence problems as the size of such model would be prohibitive. Hence, at present, the proposed approach is the only one available to solve this complex electro-thermal problem. Several numerical examples illustrate an application of the proposed methodology. • Larger and more remote wind farms result in a need for larger and longer export cables. • Sound submarine cable design criteria should be established. • Long submarine power cables are subjected to locally and temporally varying electrical and thermal conditions on the route. • New calculation methods require new specialized computer tools taking into account the reactive compensation. • The proposed approach considers local parameters together with temporal variations of the load and reactive compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the European Green Deal and the Recovery Plan for Europe, CSP can play its role, by providing dispatchable and flexible energy when other renewable technologies cannot. The aim of this paper is to identify the potential socioeconomic, social and environmental impacts associated to the future deployment of CSP projects in Spain, taking into account the global value chain. Based on an extended multiregional input-output model developed by the authors, this paper identifies the country and sector-origin of nine sustainability indicators for the two dominant CSP technologies (parabolic trough and central receiver). The research considers the deployment of a 200 MW CSP power plant in Spain to compare the sustainability impacts of these two technologies under three different scenarios regarding the country-origin of the main components. The results show that central receivers have more positive economic impacts, both in terms of value added and employment creation, and lower negative environmental and social impacts than the parabolic trough alternative. The economic and environmental impacts of the CSP deployed in Spain depend on the origin of components, with the highest negative environmental impacts occurring when the components come from China and the lowest when they come from Germany. The same occurs for the social impacts and supply risks, which are lower when Germany supplies the main components. The scenario in which Spain supplies all the components performs better than the Chinese supply scenario in terms of social risks, whereas no major differences among them were found on supply risks. • CSP deployment in Spain will have socioeconomic benefits, mostly retained in Europe. • CSP electricity has low silver extraction and carbon and water footprints compared to other energy sources. • Chinese penetration in the European CSP market worsens the sustainability of plants. • The best sustainability performance occurs in the European cooperative scenario. • There are tradeoffs between the sustainability impacts driven by the CSP investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing demand to develop new energy conversion devices with high efficiency and very low emissions for both power and propulsion applications in response to the net zero-carbon emission targets by 2050. Among these technologies, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have received attention due to their high electrical efficiency (above 60%), fuel flexibility, low-emission, and high-grade waste heat, which makes them particularly suitable for a large number of applications for power and propulsion systems. The higher operating temperatures make SOFCs suitable candidates for integration with an additional power generation device such as an internal combustion engine (ICE) by (a) using the residual fuel of the anode off-gas in the engine, which further increases overall system efficiency to values exceeding 70%, (b) decreasing combustion inefficiencies and (c) increasing waste heat recovery. This paper reviews the published work on hybrid SOFC-ICE systems considering various configurations. It has been found that integrated SOFC-ICE systems are promising candidates over conventional engines and stand-alone SOFCs to be used in stationary power generation and heavy-duty applications (e.g., marine and locomotive propulsion systems). The discussion of the present review paper provides useful insights for future research on hybrid electrochemical-combustion processes for power and propulsion systems. • A critical review of the latest progress in research and development of hybrid SOFC-ICE systems. • Various design and operating characteristics of the hybrid systems are reviewed. • Hybrid SOFC-ICE systems are promising candidates for stationary power generation and marine applications. • Future trends and challenges on technological aspects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data centers have attracted increasing attention worldwide over the last decades due to their high energy consumption. Cooling accounts for about 30–40% of the total energy consumption of data centers. High-temperature data centers could save large amounts of cooling energy by changing their cooling mechanism. More effective use of "free cooling" is the basic and effective means for high-temperature data centers to reduce cooling energy consumption. It is possible to build chiller-less or even chiller-free data centers. They require less capital investment for cooling and allow more hours of "free cooling". However, a few essential concerns need to be addressed before the wide application of high-temperature data centers, particularly the technical bottlenecks and the reliability and performance of servers and IT equipment. Though many reviews on data centers exist in the existing research, a systematic review of high-temperature data centers, particularly on the above essential concerns, is still unavailable. This paper is intended to fill in these gaps and provide a comprehensive review of these critical aspects. The main benefits and the major bottlenecks for implementing high-temperature data centers as well as the existing efforts and latest technologies to tackle the bottlenecks are categorized and analyzed systematically. In addition, a through review of the main temperature-sensitive IT components (e.g., hard disk drives and CPU) is done, and their current states and potential solutions are analyzed. Finally, the paper elaborates on future perspectives for the development and applications of the high-temperature data center. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive review of high-temperature data center development is done. • Bottlenecks and benefits for implementing high-temperature data centers are analyzed. • Existing efforts and latest technologies to tackle the bottlenecks are analyzed. • A review of temperature-sensitive IT components & technology development is given. • Future perspectives for high-temperature data center development are elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today several trends, such as liberalization, decarbonization, renewable energy sources (RES) growth, electrification, and digitalization, are putting more and more pressure on the way the energy sector operates. This has resulted in ongoing transformation into smart grids (SG) and spreading of energy communities (EC), making use of new digital technologies and renewable sources. Within this paper we aimed to compare the conceptual designs of EC energy market topologies with some of their practical applications in Europe. Although previous studies have already examined selected SG topologies, our work provides an umbrella view of all potential designs of energy market configuration in which a community plays an active role. In addition, we follow a pragmatic approach, comparing theory with practice, and showing how the theoretical EC concept is currently embedded in reality. This paper answers two research questions: (1) Which of the theoretical EC network topologies are currently used in practice (2) How and which network topologies of EC have the greatest chance for the implementation in the future projects? To answer these questions, we conduct a literature review together with a comparison analysis of three case studies from the Netherlands and Denmark. This comparison allowed us to formulate some observations and further recommendations on formal structure, communication, and management, which, in our opinion, are significant for organizations planning to set up their first smart EC initiative, especially in countries where the EC concept has not gained popularity yet. • Microgrid connection, centralized or decentralized business models of EC connection are the most common. • The participation of community members is crucial to succeed. • Technology advanced projects must focus on maintaining good relationship with the EC members. • Scrum framework may prove useful in the pursuit of designing tailor-made solutions. • The replication of the projects in another location is rather limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside the concern for environmental sustainability, the concept of Circular Economy, a term for an economic system designed to regenerate itself, has gained momentum. Circularity finds full expression in Local Energy Communities (LEC), a newly emerging setup wherein the local energy needs of a community are met independently, through the choice of shared solutions for energy production from renewable sources. Erstwhile the use of stationary energy storage systems for self-consumption optimization, load management, peak shaving, backup power and ancillary services, would foster the value of these Local Energy Communities. In this paper, we design a techno-economic analysis to assess the impact of the usage of Second-life Batteries for increasing the energy self-independence of those communities. A cost-minimization approach with technical and economic constraints is used for the analysis and is applied to a use case of Italy. This paper assesses the benefits that a Local Energy Community can entail while considering self-consumption maximization of PV generation, load shifting and grid balancing needs, while addressing the problem of high storage costs through the exploitation of second-life electric vehicles (EV) batteries, adding an extra layer for circularity. Scenarios related to maximizing the self-consumption of photovoltaic generation and demand side management are designed considering four different LEC technology configurations. The results confirm LEC viability, showing lower energy bills for each scenario and greater benefits coupling a solar generation system with a storage solution. • Development of a techno-economic tool for Local Energy Community. • A feasibility analysis of Second Life Batteries is performed for the energy community. • Increased economic and energy savings are observed with second life batteries. • Second life of batteries are economically feasible for the community at 150€/MWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building envelope has an important role in regulating the energy exchanges between the internal and external environment. In recent years, various studies on technological solutions for responsive and intelligent envelopes have been carried out. The purpose of this paper is to investigate climate-adaptive building envelopes and related biomimetic solutions, providing a critical review of the state of the art. Various examples of the adaptive envelopes are analysed and compared with examples of biomimetic envelopes. This paper demonstrates the potential of the broad database of nature to provide solutions that can be implemented in architecture to achieve design solutions that are sustainable, energy efficient, and able to adapt to environmental changes. After an initial critical review of nature's adaptation strategies, a methodological approach has been proposed: the bio-adaptive model (bio-AM). Starting from the definition of the context and the relative abiotic factors, the bio-AM identifies the essential phases to transfer the functions of plants to building technologies, using adaptive materials capable of self-activation in response to environmental factors, thus potentially emulating the adaptation of plants in technological solutions for the future of sustainable buildings. • A comparative analysis of adaptive and biomimetic envelopes was developed. • Six responsive functions of the adaptive envelope were defined. • The potential of biomimetics in the architectural field was highlighted. • Plants adaptation mechanisms can be implemented in the field of construction technologies. • The bio-AM identifies the essential phases to transfer the functions of plants to building technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have been conducted on the distribution network expansion planning (DNEP) problem in recent years. The primary goal of this issue is to satisfy electric load demand, taking into account economic and technical considerations. In the past, this planning was done in a centralized manner with all the information available. The restructuring of power networks and the emergence of renewable energy sources (RESs), energy storage systems (ESSs), and new market players with different interests have led to extensive changes in the DNEP issue. Subsequently, the solving methods of the DNEP problem will be important because many new goals, constraints, and other factors have caused the problem to become non-linear and non-convex. This paper prepares a comprehensive study on the DNEP problem from different aspects such as objective functions and constraints, design variables, planning horizon and phases, planning and system types, uncertainty, distributed generations (DGs) and storage units, planning level, solving methods, load models, and environmental issues. Finally, future research trends such as handling the conflicts, solving approaches, and other points facing the DNEP problem are suggested. • A comprehensive survey of studies that address the distribution network planning. • Proposing posterior approaches for the solving the DNEP problem. • Proposing bi-level model to consider medium and low voltage networks, simultaneously. • Providing suggestions for further research works. • A discussion about future work/research/challenge trends for the DNEP models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, numerous studies have explored the green synthesis of ethylene. Within this context, the focus of this perspective shifts toward plasma technology, which has demonstrated the capability to convert methane into ethylene. Plasma catalysis creates distinctive physical and chemical environments, particularly at normal temperature and pressure, distinguishing it from alternative methods. Nevertheless, the utilization of atmospheric pressure plasma is intricate, posing scientific challenges in the realms of physics and chemistry. In this viewpoint, various key performance aspects are evaluated, encompassing methane conversion efficiency, ethylene selectivity, and specific energy input. These scientific pros and cons are then assessed for their readiness for industrial-scale implementation. Initially, the potential for small-scale ethylene production is examined, leveraging existing robust process technologies to unlock fresh market and supply chain opportunities. Subsequently, the sustainability of plasma technology for green ethylene production is compared to conventional ethylene production and alternative green ethylene production methods, including biomass-based approaches. Contrary to perhaps optimistic expectations, current literature evidence does not uniformly favor the latter, indicating the potential for plasma-based green ethylene processes. Additionally, this paper underscores the importance of considering Environmental, Social, and Governance factors that influence business decisions. Finally, this review underscores plasma technology as a potentially promising approach for green ethylene synthesis from methane, offering unique advantages under normal conditions while simultaneously presenting scientific challenges. It assesses its viability for small-scale production and benchmarks its sustainability against conventional and alternative methods, emphasizing the importance of a sustainable future for the green petrochemical industry. • Potentials of plasma catalytic methane conversion are compared with other green methods. • Conversion efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability are reviewed in terms of specific energy input. • Small-scale plasma technology enables robust ethylene production and opens new market opportunities for green synthesis. • Green ethylene is analyzed in relation to green hydrogen and ammonia from different aspects. • Plasma-based green ethylene processes are more sustainable than conventional and biomass-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly evolving renewable energy generation technologies and the ever-increasing scale of renewable energy installations are driving the need for more accurate, faster, and smarter health monitoring methods. Machine learning (ML) has been widely used for defect identification and fault diagnosis (DIFD) in renewable energy systems (RES) due to its excellent data analysis and pattern recognition capabilities. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive and in-depth research to summarize the progress of ML in RES DIFD. Considering their diversity and evolution, this research systematically reviews the application of ML to DIFD in photovoltaic and wind power systems, providing a detailed analysis of key points, including defects and faults in RESs, available data for DIFD, and ML-based solutions. For each ML application, the model and structure, input and output settings, sample size, equipment technology and scale, target defects/faults, performance, and limitations are discussed. In addition, based on the statistics, analysis, and summary of representative works on RES DIFD, several commonly used ML algorithms are compared. The main trends, challenges, and prospects of applying ML to RES DIFD are extracted and presented. This research is of great significance in guiding further improvements of ML techniques to address the problems of RES DIFD. [Display omitted] • Review of papers applying ML techniques to RES DIFD. • Common defects, faults, and their severity in RESs are discussed. • Available data when applying ML to RES DIFD are summarized. • Performance and limitations of various ML applications are investigated. • Challenges and prospects for RES DIFD using ML techniques are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a systematic review to align current and future research in smart grids (SG) and smart urban energy systems (SUES) and unify the diverse but fragmented research in urban energy management. First, the common research themes repeatedly appearing in the SG and SUES literature are categorized into logical physical, cyber, and social energy processes. Critical findings are summarized for each part, i.e., the advances and trends in physical energy generation, transmission, consumption, and storage processes of cities for energy interventions, the cyber process chain of energy sensing, modeling, forecasting, scheduling, coordinating, and adapting for enhancing the "smartness" of power and urban energy systems, and the social energy processes of understanding, protecting, engaging, and governing human to be a new smartness dimension. Second, the process-based framework provides insights on the design and implementation of SG and SUES for engineers, planners, and policymakers, such as optimizing the system performance by upgrading individual processes and exploring new links among identified physical, cyber, and social energy processes. The upscaling barriers and strategies of sustainable energy technologies in the development and deployment stages are also summarized to scale up sustainable energy processes to a higher level. Finally, future research directions are envisioned, including developing data markets, privacy-preserving data sharing and analytics for urban-scale energy modeling, refining policy and standards for safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and interoperability issues, assessing technology maturity and energy system success factors, and removing regulatory and structural barriers. [Display omitted] • A systematic review intersecting smart grid and smart urban energy systems is done. • A holistic multi-scale multi-process cyber-physical-social framework is developed. • Advances and trends in physical/cyber/social energy processes are reviewed. • Sustainable upgradation, integration, and scale-up of energy processes are suggested. • Guidelines and future directions are given for smart grid and urban energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops quantitative predictions for residential electricity demand and the potential for load shifting for Europe at a fine spatial scale for years 2022–2050. To date only theoretical and spatially coarse measurements of this potential exist for a subset of technologies used in the residential sector. As the EU moves towards an 'Energy Union', it will be increasingly necessary to consider the whole integrated energy system across the EU and thereby databases with large spatial coverage are needed. To fill this need, we generate hourly load profiles for the residential sector for key electricity consuming devices that take into account the most recent empirical studies of usage patterns, and of the cost and willingness of households to participate in load shifting programs. Additionally, we extend the list of investigated technologies by the important classes of electric mobility and heat pumps for electric space heating. Predictions and insights provided in our article serve multiple use cases, i. they can be used in energy system models to assess the value of load shifting for the future energy system including system costs, ii. they enable infrastructure planners and grid operators to calibrate their expectations of the future role of load shifting in the electricity systems and iii. enable policy makers and to include load shifting in their considerations of future market designs. • Quantitative predictions for residential electricity demand and the potential for load shifting for Europe at a fine spatial scale for years 2022–2050. • Residential coverage of electric vehicles, heat pumps, storage heaters, water heaters, air conditioners, refrigeration, and washing equipment. • Substantial potentials are identified for electric vehicles and heat pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy offers over 2,945,926 TWh/year of global Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) potential, that can be used to substitute fossil fuels in power generation and mitigate 2.1 GtCO 2 of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission to support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). Thermal energy storage (TES) is required in CSP plants to improve dispatchability, reliability, efficiency, and economy. Of all TES options, the latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) together with phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit the highest potential in terms of efficiency and economy. PCM properties thus become the ultimate decider of CSP performance. This paper reviews over 200 of published articles and websites to describe the history, identify the technologies, economics, and current trends of PCM as LHTES material for CSP plants. A list of 163 PCM candidates suitable for LHTES systems in low-temperature (T < 220 °C), medium-temperature (220 °C < T < 420 °C), and high-temperature (T > 420 °C) applications is presented for the first time. Research gaps are identified to determine the future directions. • CSP shows remarkable potential in global electricity generation. • Intermittency of solar has made the requirement of a TES for CSP system. • We evaluate the advantages of LHTES for storing thermal energy. • LHTES shows 5–14 times the energy density of SHTES allowing for more compact storage and lower inventory requirements. • Selection of a compatible PCM is crucial for operating the LHTES at desired performance level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet environmental goals while maintaining economic competitiveness, worldwide ports have increased the amount of renewable energy production and have focused in optimizing performances and energy efficiency. However, carbon-neutral operation of industrial port areas (IPA) is challenging and requires the decarbonization of industrial processes and heavy transport systems. This study proposes a comprehensive review of decarbonization strategies for IPA, with a particular focus on the role that green hydrogen could play when used as renewable energy carrier. Much information on existing and future technologies was also derived from the analysis of 74 projects (existing and planned) in 36 IPAs, 80 % of which are in Europe, concerning hydrogen-based decarbonization strategies. The overall review shows that engine operation of ships at berth are responsible of more than 70 % of emissions in ports. Therefore, onshore power supply (OPS) seems to be one of the main strategies to reduce port pollution. Nevertheless, OPS powered by hydrogen is not today easily achievable. By overcoming the current cost-related and regulation barriers, hydrogen can also be used for the import/export of green energy and the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors. The technical and economic data regarding hydrogen-based technologies and strategies highlighted in this paper are useful for further research in the field of definition and development of decarbonization strategies in the IPA. • Comprehensive review of decarbonization strategies for industrial port areas. • Hydrogen-powered cold ironing can have a great impact in reducing emissions. • Hydrogen FC is an emission-free option for port heavy-duty vehicles/equipment. • Hydrogen hubs in ports can help decarbonize heavy industry and shipping sectors. • 74 projects considering hydrogen production/use to decarbonize IPA are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy justice is often approached through the four tenets of procedural, distributive, restorative and recognition justice. Though these tenets are important placeholders for addressing what type of justice issues are involved, they require further normative substantiations. These are achieved by using principles of justice to specify why – normatively speaking – something is just or unjust within each category or tenet of justice. In addressing the principles of justice, it is important to acknowledge normative uncertainties, or the fact that different (incompatible) conceptions of justice might be morally defensible, leading to different normative conclusions or policy recommendations. This paper reviews the definitions of tenets in energy justice scholarship, the occurrence of normative claims, and how these claims are justified. The review shows that the scholarship ignores to a large extent normative uncertainties. In response, we propose a revisited energy justice framework, focusing on four aspects that help us to articulate the normative uncertainties in both the principles and the tenets of energy justice. These aspects are (i) the scale of justice (i.e. whether justice is considered at a local, national, regional, multinational or global scale), (ii) the subject of justice, (iii) the body of knowledge that is assumed and (iv) the time frame in which justice issues are being considered. We hope to provide a conceptual framework that make explicit the different types of normative assumptions underlying claims of justice, which will ultimately improve the quality and legitimacy of normative conclusions such as policy recommendations that follow. • Tenets of justice are in need of further normative substantiations. • Most articles that apply the tenets do not explicitly justify normative claims. • Justifications that were provided considered one interpretation of justice. • The energy justice scholarship ignores to a large extent normative uncertainties. • Normative uncertainty pertains to principles, scale, subject, knowledge, and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electronic devices and electric vehicles. With the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries, it is necessary to develop safe LIBs with high energy density. Nanofibers prepared by electrospinning have many advantages, including small diameters, large specific surface area, small pore sizes, high porosity, and good pore connectivity. Therefore, electrospun nanofibers are extensively used in energy-related applications, while electrospun films exhibit excellent ductility and can be potentially utilized in flexible batteries. This paper focuses on the recent advances in electrospinning nanomaterials for the anodes and separators of LIBs. In addition, electrospinning can be performed to produce materials for sodium/potassium-ion batteries and solid-state batteries. Finally, the commercialization of electrospinning technology and prospects of battery industrialization as well as the future development of LIBs and other alternative materials are discussed. • Recent progress on separators and anodes of LIBs fabricated by electrospun and industrialization prospects are reviewed. • Methods for enhancing electrospinning materials for LIBs are summarized. • Challenges for the development of electrospinning materials as anode and separator are outlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, society must undertake a comprehensive green transformation and build a decarbonization roadmap. Model simulation is a primary method for designing and analyzing long-term low-carbon roadmaps. This paper aims to examine the various capabilities of Energy-Economy-Environment (3E) models to gain an intuitive understanding of the current status, as well as future development directions and potential, from a low-carbon analysis perspective. By reviewing various existing 3E models considering their modeling approach, theoretical framework and spatiotemporal resolution, the 10 most representative models are selected for an in-depth analysis. According to the evaluation results of the selected models while considering five challenges for future model development, most models perform well in terms of techno-economic resolution and transparency. However, there is still potential for improvement regarding spatiotemporal resolution and the consideration of social factors. Moreover, to bridge the gap between top-down models and the real-world context, it is recommended to combine them with bottom-up models to form hybrid models. Generally, the PRIMES model demonstrates the best overall performance, although it cannot be regarded as perfect. The review and assessment results can provide references for modelers to improve 3E models and serve as a basis for users to choose the most suitable model. • Ten typical 3E models with the highest use frequency are summarized and classified. • Challenges of 3E models for long-term low-carbon roadmaps research are discussed. • An evaluation framework is established for 3E models considering five abilities. • The prospects for future development of 3E models are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storing CO 2 and H 2 in underground reservoirs represents an effective approach to sequester increasing amounts of captured CO 2 for carbon neutrality and to store H 2 to promote clean energy revolutions. However, commercial/pilot-scale CO 2 /H 2 storage sites are mainly restricted to conventional oil reservoirs or salt caverns – both capacity and geographic-location limited. This paper presents a systematic review of the feasibility and prospects of CO 2 and H 2 storage in fractured shale reservoirs as secure repositories. Both field pilot and laboratory studies of CO 2 injection in shales are cross-analyzed across various spatial and time scales, to provide a reliable and substantial basis to support new findings. The presence of suitable injectivity and adequate sealing capacity in shale are demonstrated. The fracture networks are shown to provide major storage space in shales, contrasting with the pore system in conventional reservoirs. This difference in storage mechanisms results in an overestimation in the storage capacity of shales when applying porous-medium-based methods. An underestimation in the mass of injection, however, is apparent from a single well for the reported cases due to unknown characteristics of underground fracture networks. The symbiotic storage of CO 2 and H 2 in shale is discussed in its feasibility and ability to improve both CO 2 storage but principally H 2 recovery – due to the presence of a gas cushion. A new equivalent-fracturing method is proposed as a supplement to recalibrate the over- and under-estimated prospects of CO 2 /H 2 storage in shales – a necessary component in reducing carbon emissions and accelerating the energy transition. [Display omitted] • Field pilots and laboratory studies are cross-analyzed and validated. • Fracture networks in shale reservoirs dominate CO 2 and H 2 storage. • Over- (in shales) and under- (in wells) estimations of CO 2 storage are revealed. • New estimation method is proposed for the technically achievable storage capacity. • Symbiotic storage of CO 2 and H 2 in shales is feasible and promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood chips are the primary sources of raw materials for numerous industries, including pelleting mills, biorefineries, pulp-and-paper industries, and biomass-based power generation facilities. Unfortunately, when wood chips are utilized as a renewable and environmentally friendly resource, industries are constantly challenged by the consistency of the wood chip qualities (e.g., moisture/ash contents, size distributions) - a historically recognized problem on a global scale. Among other wood chip quality attributes, the moisture content is considered the most pressing one as it directly impacts the energy content, storage stability, and handling properties of the raw and finished products. Therefore, accurate wood chip moisture content prediction can help optimize the drying process and reduce energy consumption. In this review, a survey was conducted on various techniques and models employed for predicting wood chip moisture content. The advantages and limitations of these approaches, as well as their potential applications and future directions were also discussed. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in wood chip moisture content prediction and to highlight the challenges and opportunities for further research and development in this field. • Oven drying is the most used method despite being slow and prone to sampling errors. • Indirect methods are fast but have individual shortcomings based on applications. • Due to reliance on direct method for data labeling, wood chip datasets are small. • Box-based data collection methods and regression-based models are prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal-fired power plants still dominate the electricity market in Southeast Asia, supplying around 30 % of the total demand, and the demand trend for this sector will continue to be high for decades to come. As a result, coal fly ash (CFA) production has also increased rapidly. However, most countries in this region consider them hazardous waste due to the immense potential for destroying living things and the environment. An increase in the utilization rate of CFA will undoubtedly result in numerous economic and environmental benefits. This article provides an intensive update regarding the current development of CFA utilization research and its realization. This article also provides a specific summary of its use as a medium for valuable materials. Recent studies have proven that CFAs have significant potential due to their physical and chemical characteristics. CFA can be further utilized as an adsorbent, catalyst, mesoporous, and synthesis material for high-efficiency zeolite. By working out the strategies proposed in this paper and the latest research results, the possibility of their utilization can be increased. Thus, the potential of CFA can be utilized to its fullest extent as one of the instruments for Southeast Asia to become a better and more sustainable region. [Display omitted] • Intensive updates regarding the current research developments on using coal fly ash and its realization in Southeast Asia. • Provide information on the potential utilization of coal fly ash due to its physical and chemical properties. • Coal fly ash can be further utilized as adsorbents, catalysts, and in the synthesis of high-efficiency zeolites. • The potential for optimal utilization of coal fly ash can make Southeast Asia a better and more sustainable region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global demand for raw materials in technology, combined with environmental regulations and growing social awareness about the negative impacts of traditional metal extraction processes, has led to a shift towards green technology. Green technology has been defined as the use of science and technology to create less harmful products that protect the environment. Since biogenic cyanide (bio-CN) is naturally produced by microorganisms and is biodegradable, its use in precious metals (PMs) recovery from metal-bearing resources can be considered a viable and green alternative to chemical cyanidation. Several microorganisms are known to produce bio-CN, however, only a few such as Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum), Pseudomonas fluorescence (P. fluorescence), Bacillus megaterium (B. megaterium), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Pseudomonas chlororaphis (P. chlororaphis) have been quantified. The present review summarizes research on cyanogenic microorganisms known to produce bio-CN, the mechanism and metabolic pathways involved in bio-CN production, and the genetics of cyanide production. This paper also discusses the factors influencing bio-CN production and the methods used for its quantification. The application of bio-CN in leaching PMs i.e., gold (Au), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh) from primary and secondary resources, pre-treatment approaches used, and the mechanism of residual bio-CN detoxification are systematically and comprehensively reviewed and provided. Further, the review provides essential insights into challenges faced during bio-CN production and its application in PMs leaching and offers insight into new ways of thinking to move the process towards commercialization. [Display omitted] • Bio-CN is a natural, eco-friendly, and green alternative to chemical cyanide for a sustainable future. • A comprehensive review of the microbiology and chemistry of bio-CN production. • Discussion on the feasibility of bio-cyanidation in precious metal extraction from metal-bearing resources. • Review of the bio-CN analytical methods and the mechanism of biological detoxification of cyanide. • Challenges in bio-CN production and its application, and suggestions on the way forward to mitigate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the use of effectively unlimited energy from the environment, contemporary heat pump installations have proven to be a highly efficient means for satisfying both heating and cooling needs. As such, they are often regarded as a key driver in the electrification process of the thermal domain. Keeping in mind the significant share of the thermal demand in building energy requirements, this aspect in particular is projected to have a great impact on the overall energy efficiency improvement of buildings and increase of demand-side flexibility. The latter point is considered crucial for improving the precarious balance against the contemporary intermittent power supply obtained from a variety of renewable sources. However, in the process of increasing their efficiency, heat pump systems are becoming significantly more complex with combinations of various different sources of energy from the ground, air and the Sun. By extension, the complexity of managing their operation has also increased and proves to be a challenge even for experienced plant operators. In order to aid in this regard, relevant literature suggests that optimization algorithms can be considered as a viable tool. This paper explores the limited extent of existing state-of-the-art approaches for hybrid heat pump control via metaheuristic optimization and broadens the subject matter with a comparative study that analyzes and benchmarks several metaheuristic approaches found in the literature on similar problems. A real-world multisource heat pump installation in Ferrara is utilized as the basis for the study. [Display omitted] • Novel systematization of optimization applications for heat pump operation and design. • Modeling approach suitable for novel optimization-assisted control algorithms. • Optimization as an enabler for increased operational efficiency of future HP systems. • Comparative analysis of optimization performances for a selection of metaheuristics. • Analysis of reference tracking and convergence results in GA being the best algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing participation of intermittent renewable energy sources (RES) in modern power systems makes expansion and operational planning an even more complex task, especially in hydro-based systems. To properly assess the impact that intermittent generation may have on generation expansion planning (GEP) decisions, higher temporal resolution methodologies for GEP are required that take into consideration the system operation as well. This paper proposes a soft-linking methodology for the GEP problem of large hydrothermal power systems with increasing expansion of RES. The proposed methodology coordinates power system models ranging from expansion planning to hourly hydrothermal scheduling. It has been applied to a ten-year expansion planning of the Brazilian power system: the importance of considering the short-term wind generation intermittency is demonstrated by the necessity of changing the original expansion plan both in terms of installed generation and interconnection capacity. • Soft-linking of mature tools for expansion planning of hydrothermal systems with RES • Quantifies changes needed in expansion plan due to uncertainty and variability of RES • Results for large-scale actual hydro-thermal system of engineering practice interest [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By exploiting the 3 K coldness of outer space as heat sink of terrestrial thermal radiation, passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) can achieve sub-ambient temperatures without any energy consumption, and thus exhibiting extraordinary application potentials. By pursuing the dual-band (solar and atmosphere window) optical properties to approach ideal 100 %, PDRC can maximize dissipating long wavelength infrared radiation to space and minimize absorbing sunlight simultaneously. PDRC technology can reach146 W/m2 theoretical cooling power and up to 120 W/m2 during application. This article focuses on the fundamental physics mechanism of radiative transfer and natural radiative cooling phenomena. Methodologies of infrared absorption functional group selection, optical band gap selection for solar reflection, photon and phonon enhanced resonance by micro-structure were discussed in detail to give a comprehensive instructing strategy of radiative cooling power improvement. Although PDRC technology can achieve sum-ambient temperature cooling without consuming any energy, its drawbacks such as single function of cooling and high whiteness requirement needed to hinder its large-scale application. This article also outlines the current primary applications of PDRC technology, along with summarizing the challenges and potential opportunities it encounters in practical implementation. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the fundamental physical mechanisms, methods for enhancing its power output, as well as the current state and future developments of PDRC applications, providing potential guidance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. • Advancements of radiative cooling technology were reviewed comprehensively. • Fundamental physics of passive radiative cooling was reviewed comprehensively. • Material selection methodology and optical mechanism were discussed in detail. • The recent application of passive daytime radiative cooling was reviewed. • Some current challenges and potential applications were presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patent bases are still underused in academic studies. On the other hand, the development and implementation of cleaner production requires innovative solutions. The present paper aims to analyze the state of the art that uses the information in patents for scientific production and technological monitoring in cleaner production. Its construction is based on applying bibliometric techniques using the Scopus database, considering 1993–2022, and analyzing the basic characteristics of fifty identified publications. This analysis shows that the relationship between scientific production and technological monitoring of cleaner production through patents is still incipient. In contrast, most studies identified used patent data for statistical, economic and production evaluations, but not exactly on clean technologies and their evolution and application concerning the state of the art contained and available in patents. Patent documents present detailed information regarding products and processes, becoming a valuable data and knowledge source for sustainability research, where, among several possibilities, it is possible to identify sustainable technologies, emerging trends, environmental impact assessments of various processes, technical and economic viability, research opportunities, among others. • Necessary to promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, encouraging innovation based on the patents monitoring. • A reduced number of authors are part of the co-inventors network. • Patents should be used in academic and industrial studies to create research networks. • Patent monitoring is not yet being used to increase the quality of cleaner production studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia is a promising alternative for the storage and transport of renewable hydrogen over long distances. In this paper, a techno-economic assessment was conducted to evaluate the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) produced from renewable ammonia feedstocks. Both thermal and electrochemical pathways were analyzed. For the thermal pathway we investigated the decomposition using fixed bed reactor and membrane technology, while alkaline electrolysis was studied for the electrochemical route. We evaluated different process scales corresponding to stationary reconversion in a hydrogen refueling station (1000 kgH 2 /day) or an ammonia import terminal (1500 tNH 3 /year) and mobile on-board reconversion for a heavy-duty truck (22 kgH 2 /day). The results show that currently the cheapest option to produce hydrogen from ammonia is the thermal decomposition with membrane technology for import terminal, fixed bed for the hydrogen refueling station, and electrolysis on-board a truck. The levelized cost of hydrogen for the thermal decomposition methods in an ammonia import terminal lie in the range of hydrogen prices produced from today's mix of renewable energy and water as feedstock in Europe. A sensitivity analysis shows that, regardless of the process scale, the parameters with the highest impact on the levelized cost of hydrogen are the reactor temperature for the membrane technology, and ammonia price for fixed bed and electrolysis technologies. The reconversion costs in the latter case are most sensitive to the cell voltage. A future scenario analysis indicates that ammonia electrolysis reconversion costs can be reduced between 14% and 44%, depending on the process scale. [Display omitted] • Currently, the lowest LCOH for NH 3 reconversion in to H 2 is achieved with a membrane reactor in large scale applications. • Electrolysis is the cheapest option to reconvert hydrogen on-board a truck. • In the future scenario ammonia electrolysis continues to be the cheapest option to reconvert hydrogen on-board a truck. • Long distance transportation of H 2 using NH 3 can be cost competitive when reconversion takes place in an import terminal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind turbine nacelles are complex machines that are designed to operate under extreme loads and harsh environments. Extensive tests are performed throughout their development process to ensure that they can operate with high reliability. As both onshore and offshore wind turbine systems have rapidly evolved, so have the methods for testing the nacelle systems and subsystems. This paper presents the state of the art in wind turbine nacelle testing and the development trends in this field. It discusses the existing test requirements for certification and the different levels of testing that form part of a nacelle system's development. The latest changes to the nacelle certification requirements are highlighted, along with several important research activities related to drivetrain testing. Future challenges for nacelle testing are identified and their potential solutions are proposed. [Display omitted] • The state of the art of nacelle system and subsystem testing are described. • The current industrial approach on nacelle testing during the development process is discussed. • Advances made in nacelle system testing and certification relevant tests are described. • Major challenges in nacelle testing of modern wind turbines are highlighted. • Solutions to tackle some of the identified challenges in nacelle testing are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]