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Abstract: Dust accumulation is one of the natural phenomena that adversely affects the performance of solar systems. Since 1942, many efforts have been made to address the severity of deposited particles like dust, water stains, carbon from smoke, pollen in agricultural regions, etc. on the efficiency reduction of solar devices, which results in additional costs either from oversizing the system or from cleaning it. Although various innovative methods have been employed to clean the surface of grimy PVs, a holistic approach needs to show the cleaning mechanism under different climate conditions. This review highlights the findings from several references in three time periods and focusing on their similarities. For scaling up the appropriate mitigation method, four different global zones are explored based on suspended particles in the air. Consequently, the pattern of dust distribution in different parts of the world is assessed and it was found that the Middle East and North Africa have the worst dust accumulation zones in the world. Finally, a set of recommendations and guidelines with regard to the different climatic zones and their characteristics are presented especially for the installers of PV or other solar devices to implement a suitable cleaning system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Integrated energy systems for multi-purpose applications are garnering increased interest in the international nuclear energy community, energy system designers and planners and decision makers in the context of deep decarbonization and net zero targets. They are expected to reduce costs and increase flexibility in operation of nuclear reactors when coupled with intermittent renewable energy sources, while also producing various commodities such as hydrogen or potable water. Adaptive solutions must be considered for each geographical area and based on the involved components of the energy system, available infrastructure, and policy in place. This paper provides an in-depth look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of such systems, while addressing different aspects related to the creation of the business case for such systems including decentralization and digitalization of future energy systems. The regulatory aspects are the ones that impose challenges on the emerging hybrid energy systems and this paper highlights some of the considerations that are needed for the couplings involved, in terms of licensing procedures and safety analysis. The potential contribution of such integrated energy systems towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are also discussed. Concerning the stakeholders, special attention should be paid to building social acceptance and trust as this lays the foundation for successful implementation of such projects. By focusing on areas such as research and development, integration of technologies, policy support, market development, grid integration, energy storage, efficiency improvement, system modelling and simulations, significant advances in integrated/hybrid energy systems deployment can be achieved. • Role of integrated energy systems in deep decarbonization for climate change mitigation. • Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of multigeneration energy systems. • Decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization based business models. • Integrated systems can help achieving sustainable development goals (SDG7,11,13). • Hybrid energy systems can address the challenges of intermittency and grid stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Setting targets and normalising them are two of the most important elements in the recently introduced market-based climate-change mitigation policy―Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT)―in India. The scheme permits, in the monitoring and verification phase, normalisation of the efficiency realisation against unfavourable working conditions. On the one hand, such normalisation brings the energy efficiencies of plants operating in different conditions to a common level, on the other hand, adjustments resulting from normalisation are likely to provide free-riding benefits, and in addition, results in alteration of efficiency realisation. This may be a source of distortion in the market expectation, resulting in trading phase uncertainties. This paper examines the effects of normalisation on the specific energy consumption in the context of the PAT scheme in the coal-based power sector. The paper makes a cross-sectional analysis involving data envelopment analysis and Tobit regression. The results indicate that effect of variation in system demand, planned maintenance time, forced outage, fuel quality, and fuel mix on specific energy consumption is substantial. However, the effect of the variability in coal quality and fuel mix is significantly higher than the other variables. Therefore, use of clean-coal is suggested to stabilise the specific energy consumption for a stable certificate market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of empirical analysis of macro-level energy policy through a gender lens, and there exists a research gap in tools for such analysis. This paper proposes a novel empirical approach to explore the gender dimension of the language used in energy policy documents such as the National Energy and Climate Action Plans (NECPs) of European Union (EU) member states. We first review the literature to identify existing approaches that analyse the energy/gender nexus. We then describe how we adapt Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to quantify the degree to which the language used in the NECPs is male or female associated. Our work shows the gap in suitable tools. We demonstrate using NLP that all EU NECPs tend to use more male associated language than female. In a ranking of EU member states, the Portuguese NECP demonstrated the most bias, while the Slovenian demonstrated the least. Our work provides novel insights using NLP to understand the genderised use of language, and contributes a methodology to conduct empirical analysis of energy policy documents. [Display omitted] • Review of methods used in energy/gender nexus analysis. • Empirical approach to analyse energy/gender concepts in the Global North. • Measurement of a gender dimension (bias) of the language used in European Union National Energy and Climate Plans. • Identification of Energy Domain NLP training corpora and vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithuania has developed several important climate change mitigation policy documents however there are no attempts in Lithuania to develop local climate change mitigation policies or to decentralize climate change mitigation policy. The aim of the paper is to analyse climate change mitigation policies in households. The paper presents the framework for the assessment of reasonably achievable GHG emission reduction (RAER) potential in households based on behavioral changes related to energy consumption. The paper presents the results of empirical application of developed framework in Lithuanian households. Community based social marketing approach was implemented and GHG emission reduction potential was assessed in focus groups of Kaunas region county during preparation of sustainable development strategy and long-term strategic development plan for Kaunas region county. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy is a mature and cost-effective solution to greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change mitigation. Wind resource assessment is the most pivotal activity before wind farm development since it determines the bankability of the wind project. Based on the joint use of a Doppler wind sodar (sonic detection and ranging) system and a microwave radiometer, this paper investigates the wind and thermal characteristics and wind energy resources in a coastal region of Hong Kong. First, wind climatology and variability, as well as their correlation with large-scale and local meteorological and geographical conditions, are analyzed and discussed. Then, statistical distributions of wind speed are evaluated, and the goodness-of-fit of the Weibull, Kappa, Wakeby, Normal-Weibull mixture, and Weibull-Weibull mixture distributions is assessed. Subsequently, the probability distribution and variation of atmospheric stability are examined, and their effects on vertical wind shear, wind profile, and wind speed at turbine hub height are revealed. Lastly, the spatiotemporal variation of wind power density is investigated with attention paid to air density. The results presented in this paper are expected to offer insights into coastal wind and thermal characteristics, provide references for vertical extrapolation of wind speed and wind turbine load evaluation, and facilitate wind farm development in coastal regions. • Investigation of coastal wind climatology and variability in Hong Kong. • Evaluation of statistical distributions of wind speed, gradient Richardson number, and air density. • Exploration of vertical variation of wind speed, air density, and wind power density. • Analysis of wind shear coefficient under different atmospheric stability conditions. • First known study of wind resources that jointly uses sodar and microwave radiometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many ports and terminals endeavor to enhance energy efficiency as energy prices have increased through years and climate change mitigation is a key target for the port industry. Stricter environmental regulations are adopted by authorities to limit pollutants and GHG emissions arising from energy consumption. Increasingly, port operational strategies and energy usage patterns are under scrutiny. To ingrain sustainability and environmental protection of ports, the use of innovative technology appears as a critical conduit in achieving a transition from a carbon-intensive port industry (dependent on fossil fuels) to a low-carbon port model by harnessing renewable energy, alternative fuels (e.g. LNG, hydrogen, biofuel), smarter power distribution systems, energy consumption measurement systems. In this context, this paper conducts a systematic literature review to analyze operational strategies (e.g. peak shaving, operations optimization), technology usage (e.g. electrification of equipment, cold-ironing, energy storage systems), renewable energy, alternative fuels and energy management systems (e.g. smart grid with renewable energy) for improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of ports and terminals. Research gaps and future research directions are identified. Analysis shows that there is a great potential for ports to achieve further energy efficiency and researchers have many impactful research opportunities. • A detailed literature review on energy efficiency in ports and container terminals is conducted. • Operational strategies such as optimization of port operations and peak shaving methods are presented. • Technologies such as electrification of equipment, cold-ironing, energy storage systems, smart grid, microgrid are reviewed. • Renewable energy and clean fuel use in ports are presented. • Methods regarding energy consumption and emission measuring/assessment are detailed for ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides firstly a comprehensive review of studies on measuring the impacts of different biodiesel blends on exhaust emissions characteristics of urban busses under real-world operating conditions. Secondly, this paper discusses the errors that can be made in conducting case studies. Thirdly and finally, it shows lessons learned and provides guidelines to setup case studies, conduct the measurements, perform the statistical analysis and report the results to policy makers and the wider audience. To achieve climate change mitigation targets, using alternative fuels, e.g., biodiesel, hydrogen or electricty (EVs) for the urban fleets requires an in-depth analysis of the impacts under real-world operating conditions. Such experiments are generally very complex as numerous factors could directly or indirectly interfere with the results produced and potentially jeopardize the integrity of the research and the conclusions drawn. Results of the present research show that some vital parameters were ignored by many of the studies performed including the statistical uncertainties, driving cycle uncertainties and fuel uncertainties. Lack of appropriate experimental designs or clear assertions about the level of significance for differences in emissions/fuel consumption between alternative fuels (i.e. biodiesel) and the reference fuel used (i.e., diesel) could be regarded as the main weaknesses. Moreover, many other overarching and very influential factors (e.g., covariates/confounders) can interfere with the research outcomes as these were mostly overlooked by the reviewed studies. A careful and complete experimental design for assessments of alternative fueled vehicles (are critical when conducting real-world operating condition tests. The study findings help to formulate the guidelines for assessing real-world operating condition experiments to achieve the most feasibly and meaningful research outcomes that will have significant implication for local and global policy makers. The guidelines are of use for all types of research studies that want to evaluate the effects of alternative fuels for any transportation fleet. Image 1 • Real-world driving tests on urban buses were examined and discussed. • Key issues were uncertainties related to statistical design, driving cycle, and fuel. • Lack of appropriate experimental design was the main weakness in most studies. • Covariate/confounder factors were mostly overlooked. • Guidelines to perform more complete real-world diving test studies were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly increasing catastrophic environmental incidents and changes in global climate have compelled researchers to take proactive measures for climate change mitigation. Consequently, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become one of the most significant global targets. The transportation sector has a massive carbon footprint accounting for 22% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. In this regard, road transport contributes the largest fraction of the total emissions within the transportation sector. Conversely, the railway which is the cleanest form of transportation contributes slightly more than 1% of the total emissions. Moreover, since most of the rail systems are operated by government or private companies, it is relatively convenient to implement policies and replace conventional technology with environmentally friendly ones. This could be achieved by taking certain measures from technical and operational viewpoints for conserving energy to lower the carbon intensity of all transport modalities. Hence, this review paper focuses on investigating the railway sector to encourage a modal shift to the least carbon-intensive option. This study provides a critical review of the past and present rail technologies in terms of the environmental, economic, social, and technical perspectives. Moreover, a comparative assessment of the various locomotive types has been performed. The results reveal that battery-hydrogen hybrid locomotives are the best choice to be considered as a future locomotive technology. Hydrogen locomotives have the potential to be a promising alternative to diesel railway locomotives. However, certain technical barriers need to be overcome to enhance the overall system's performance and reliability to further improve the viability of its deployment in the railway sector. [Display omitted] • A critical review of the various rail technologies is provided through different viewpoints. • The assessment constitutes environmental, economic, social, and technical perspectives. • A decision-support tool for comparison of four rail technologies is also developed. • Battery-hydrogen hybrid locomotive results in the highest score of 1.47. • Standalone hydrogen locomotive results in the second highest score of 1.38. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy sources (RES) is considered to be a key instrument in addressing climate change. However, different RES have different potential and economic feasibility depending on country-specific conditions and mitigation ambitions. Understanding the relative importance of each RES could help policymakers focus their efforts on the most promising options. In this paper, we focus on Ukraine and explore the potential of biomass use under two mitigation scenarios – with 68% and 83% of greenhouse gas emissions reduction in 2050 relative to the 2010 level. First, using the TIMES-Ukraine energy system model, we show that biomass would play a major role in the future climate mitigation. If constrained at the baseline scenario level (due to political or other reasons), mitigation costs would be substantially higher – by 14.0–19.6 B € or 10.8–14.3 €/tCO 2 -eq., over the 2020–2050 time frame. Second, we quantify the importance of each biomass source. We show that woody biomass and bioliquids are the most important biofuels under the high-ambition climate scenario, while biowaste and bioliquids play a key role in the lower ambition pathway. Finally, we analyse the current policy environment in the context of future biomass development and conclude with a set of policy recommendations toward the realization of the biomass potential in Ukraine. We believe that findings presented in the paper would be relevant not only for supporting the decision-making process in Ukraine, but could also provide useful insights for other countries with similar conditions. • Two scenarios with 68% and 83% reduction in GHG emissions in 2050 relative to 2010. • Over 50% of all renewable energy is coming from biomass under both scenarios. • Bioenergy constraint increases mitigation costs by 10.8–14.3 EUR/tCO 2 or 2.4–3.2 times. • No significant impact of the biogas availability on the mitigation costs. • Constraining biowoods , bioliquids or biowaste increases costs by at least 35% each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Global climate change is a change in the long-term weather patterns that characterize the regions of the world. Scientists state unequivocally that the earth is warming. Natural climate variability alone cannot explain this trend. Human activities, especially the burning of coal and oil, have warmed the earth by dramatically increasing the concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. The more of these gases humans put into the atmosphere, the more the earth will warm in the decades and centuries ahead. The impacts of warming can already be observed in many places, from rising sea levels to melting snow and ice to changing weather patterns. Climate change is already affecting ecosystems, freshwater supplies, and human health. Although climate change cannot be avoided entirely, the most severe impacts of climate change can be avoided by substantially reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere. However, the time available for beginning serious action to avoid severe global consequences is growing short. This paper reviews assessing of such climate change impacts on various components of the ecosystem such as air, water, plants, animals and human beings, with special emphasis on economy. The most daunting problem of global warming is also discussed. This paper, further reviews the mitigation measures, with a special focus on carbon sequestration and clean development mechanism (CDM). The importance of synergy between climate change mitigation and adaptation has been discussed. An overview of the relationship between economy and emissions, including Carbon Tax and Emission Trading and the policies are also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Fourth generation biofuel (FGB) uses genetically modified (GM) algae to enhance biofuel production. Although GM algae biofuel is a well-known alternative to fossil fuels, the potential environmental and health-related risks are still of great concern. An evaluation of these concerns and accordingly devising appropriate mitigation strategies to deal with them are important to a successful commercialized production of FGB. While extensive research has been carried out on genetic modification and other technologies that aim to increase the productivity of algae strains, only a handful of them deal with the legislative limitations imposed on exploiting and processing GM algae. This paper examines this legislation and the mitigation strategies to meet potential risks associated with the exploitation and processing of FGB. Open-pond system is an economic solution for large-scale cultivation of microalgae; however, the concern regarding the health and environmental risk of cultivating GM algae and the associated stringent regulations is considered as the main barrier of FGB production. Disposal of the residue is another important issue that should be considered in FGB production. The byproducts obtained from energy extraction step and residual water from the harvesting process may contain plasmid or chromosomal DNA that may cause the risk of lateral gene transfer. Hence an appropriate mitigation practices should be used for replacement of the hazardous water residue and by-products with more environmentally friendly alternatives. The results obtained from several field testing projects for open-environment exploitation of GM algae show that under the various conditions used, there was no apparent proof to support possible horizontal gene transfer in release of GM algae. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Focuses on the risks involved in production of fourth generation biofuel. • Focuses on strategies to deal with risks in the exploitation and processing stages. • Discusses the water footprint in FGB production. • Discusses the mitigation strategies for health and environmental risk of FGB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biochar-based carbon management networks (CMNs) offer a means of achieving negative net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such systems rely on relatively mature technologies for biochar production, distribution and application by tillage; thus, the prospects for near-term scale-up, especially in developing countries with agriculture-intensive economies, are promising. The main technological gap lies in the capability to predict, optimize and monitor the actual climate change mitigation benefits. Computer-aided planning of biochar-based CMNs will be needed to maximize GHG reductions while minimizing any potential adverse environmental impacts. Such models can help decision-makers to understand and optimize the cost/benefit aspects of such systems to accelerate their commercial deployment. This paper gives a brief review of the available scientific literature, and discusses prospective areas for further research to facilitate the large-scale use of biochar as a negative emissions technology (NET). Highlights • Biochar application to soil is a potentially scalable negative emissions technology. • Biochar-based carbon management networks can be operated based on this concept. • Computer-aided planning, optimization and monitoring are required. • An integrated modelling framework should be developed for effective decision support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Global advocacy to mitigate climate change impacts on pristine environments, wildlife, ecology, and health has led scientists to design technologies that harness solar energy with remotely sensed, freely available data. This paper presents a study that designed a regionally adaptable and predictively efficient extreme learning machine (ELM) model to forecast long-term incident solar radiation (ISR) over Australia. The relevant satellite-based input data extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (i.e., normalized vegetation index, land-surface temperature, cloud top pressure, cloud top temperature, cloud effective emissivity, cloud height, ozone and near infrared-clear water vapour), enriched by geo-temporal input variables (i.e., periodicity, latitude, longitude and elevation) are applied for a total of 41 study sites distributed approximately uniformly and paired with ground-based ISR (target). Of the 41 sites, 26 are incorporated in an ELM algorithm for the design of a universal model, and the remainder are used for model cross-validation. A universally-trained ELM (with training data as a global input matrix) is constructed, and the spatially-deployable model is applied at 15 test sites. The optimal ELM model is attained by trial and error to optimize the hidden layer activation functions for feature extraction and is benchmarked with competitive artificial intelligence algorithms: random forest (RF), M5 Tree, and multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS). Statistical metrics show that the universally-trained ELM model has very good accuracy and outperforms RF, M5 Tree, and MARS models. With a distinct geographic signature, the ELM model registers a Legates & McCabe's Index of 0.555–0.896 vs. 0.411–0.858 (RF), 0.434–0.811 (M5 Tree), and 0.113–0.868 (MARS). The relative root-mean-square (RMS) error of ELM is low, ranging from approximately 3.715–7.191% vs. 4.907–10.784% (RF), 7.111–11.169% (M5 Tree) and 4.591–18.344% (MARS). Taylor diagrams that illustrate model preciseness in terms of RMS centred difference, error analysis, and boxplots of forecasted vs. observed ISR also confirmed the versatility of the ELM in generating forecasts over heterogeneous, remote spatial sites. This study ascertains that the proposed methodology has practical implications for regional energy modelling, particularly at national scales by utilizing remotely-sensed satellite data, and thus, may be useful for energy feasibility studies at future solar-powered sites. The approach is also important for renewable energy exploration in data-sparse or remote regions with no established measurement infrastructure but with a rich and viable satellite footprint. Highlights • Solar energy from Australia's 41 metro, remote, & regional sites modelled with ELM. • ELM enriched with geo-temporal input (periodicity, latitude, longitude, elevation). • ELM (Random Forest, M5 Tree, & MARS) accuracies follow distinct geographic signatures. • ELM can predict solar energy in data-sparse regions with viable satellite footprints. • ELM can greatly benefit sites with unestablished measurement infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1.1 billion of the world's population still does not have access to electricity in the 21st century. Most of that population resides in the rural communities in developing countries in South Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to electricity can eliminate existing problems related to health, education, social life, economy and the environment, and can increase the income of underserved communities. Most of the yet to be energized regions are in remote, isolated areas, that cannot be serviced through the central grid. While decentralized diesel generators can potentially be installed in these areas, they have a poor effect on climate change mitigation. Clean renewable energy alternatives for off-grid systems are being deployed to reduce the non-electrification rate in the world, and The United Nation Foundation's 2030 Agenda has the objective of universal access to electricity by 2030. While there has been some progress towards that goal, the challenges are countless. If no changes in models, policies and practices are made, the universal access objective will not be achieved, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa that has a level of electrification projection of 30% by 2030. To determine the necessary changes, this paper reviews the rural electrification initiatives in eight developing countries, from Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa to Latin America, and aims to provide an assessment of their success and to discuss the lessons that can be learned and applied on future initiatives. Highlights • Different approaches to first-access systems have been studied. • The role of policy-making and its impact on project success is highlighted with real examples. • Experiences of different countries and different regions have been compared. • Lessons learned from these experiences are shared and keys parameters for more effective project development have been shared. • The research direction of this field and possible future work are documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Canadian province of Quebec has set for 2030 a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 37.5% below 1990 levels. Meeting such a reduction target requires in particular a rapid transition to a low-carbon energy system. This paper proposes prospective energy scenarios for Quebec up to 2030, under different GHG emission reduction constraints (up to a 40% reduction). The main objective is to explore the role of bioenergy in achieving the reduction targets. Our analysis is based on the North American TIMES Energy Model (NATEM). It belongs to the MARKAL/TIMES family of models supported by the International Energy Agency, and includes a detailed bioenergy sector. Compared to the reference case (baseline), our results indicate a larger share of bioenergy in 2030 (up to a threefold increase in the most stringent GHG reduction scenario), with up to a fourfold increase in the total amount of feedstock used for bioenergy production. Our study envisions thus a much larger penetration of bioenergy than the one proposed by the government of Quebec in its 2030 Energy Policy. Highlights • Prospective energy scenarios for the Province of Quebec under GHG reduction targets. • Use of a TIMES optimization energy model to derive socially optimal solutions. • Explore the role of bioenergy in achieving the reduction targets. • Results indicate a larger penetration of bioenergy than the one proposed by the government of Quebec in its 2030 Energy Policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global firms are increasingly adopting greenhouse gas mitigation targets in response to climate change. These targets serve as a spur for carbon mitigation initiatives, provide guidelines to select appropriate mitigation actions, and set the standards to measure the progress of the mitigation efforts. Despite their important functionalities, firm-level mitigation targets have rarely been studied. In this paper we aim to provide a comparative view on mitigation targets set by global firms across different countries and industrial sectors. The analysis focuses on four dimensions, i.e., adoption, metric, scope, and stringency. We find Japan far leads the other major countries in terms of target adoption, but the targets of Japanese firms are generally less stringent. Canadian firms are laggards in both target adoption and target stringency. The mitigation targets are also considerably uncommon among Australian firms. Firms in developing countries fall behind in target stringency and display a significantly greater divergence than developed countries in sectoral adoption rate. The European Union firms are most likely to cover the emissions in their supply chains in targets. Target stringency has substantially tightened from 2005 to 2012. For all the countries in this study, around 95% of the firm-level targets are more stringent than the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the Paris Agreement. Setting mitigation target has a significant positive impact on both the likelihood of investing in renewable energy and the amount of investment in renewable energy. However, there is no evidence that more stringent targets lead to higher investment. These findings point to the most pressing issues with regard to corporate mitigation target-setting that policymakers and corporate management should address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are at the forefront of the climate change issue and are responsible for about 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions. They can form their own climate which is often characterized by higher temperatures and pollution levels, less wind, and solar access compared to their surroundings. This paper presents a systematic review of publications on cities in cold and polar climate regions as defined by the Köppen-Geiger climate classification to determine the most-researched topics, identify sparsely incorporated research areas, synthesize research evidence and summarize the most important results. In total, 101 papers have been included, categorized, and analyzed according to their publication year, country, climate, topic, method, keywords, citations, and publication channels. The articles were classified into nine main topics: urban heat island (UHI) magnitude, UHI mitigation, other UHI related, biometeorology, air pollution, urban boundary layer and atmospheric boundary layer, time series analysis, other urban meteorological phenomena, and research not falling under the previous eight categories. The most-covered topic was the UHI effect. The outweighing part of studies used on-site measurements for obtaining data, while some studies were dedicated to understanding the structure, or the temporal and spatial variability of the UHI, often by using numerical tools. The review reveals significant gaps in the research of microclimatic characteristics and physical properties of the materials in urban design. Ongoing climate change and the particular vulnerability of cold and polar climate regions makes it especially important to review, develop, and adopt climate adaption and mitigation strategies for sustainable urban development. • Growing attention given to urban climate research in cold and polar climate types. • Most covered topic of included articles was the urban heat island effect. • Outweighing part of studies used on-site measurements as method for obtaining data. • Significant gaps in research of microclimatic characteristics of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is considered a critical carbon dioxide reduction technology for climate change mitigation. More recently, it has been attracting significant attention from the Chinese government, industry and academia in relation to its research, development and deployment. This paper screens 1,202 unique scientific articles from Web of Science related to China's CCUS and employs Citespace to conduct a knowledge mapping of the domain. The results show that the number of publications have increased and CCUS has become a multidisciplinary area of study. The paper visually demonstrates the most productive institutions, main authors, and primary sources of China's CCUS research domain. Moreover, the paper explains how the research topics have changed over time and discovers the current research frontiers including "pipeline", "shale gas" and "steel". Of significant interest is the finding that China's CCUS research progress appears to be directly related to the increasing policy support through China's five-year planning process. However, research regarding public perception, financial mechanisms and appropriate business models for CCUS deployment is found to be less prevalent. Recommendations to improve research in these areas are provided from the perspective of government intervention. This paper also highlights the importance of continued government support for CCUS as part of the national development strategy for carbon emissions reduction and transitioning towards a low carbon future. • The evolution of China's CCUS research is identified using a bibliometric method. • Outlines research foci, most productive organizations, main authors and top-tier journals. • Government intervention appears the most significant driver for CCUS development in China. • Three research areas−"pipeline", "shale gas" and "steel"− are receiving strongest policy support. • The topics "public perception", "financial mechanisms", and "business models"− lack sufficient focus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is an efficient tool to support China's endeavors to keep energy independence and mitigate climate change. This paper applies a Divisia index approach to investigate the factors governing renewable energy development in China, including the supply mix, energy security, carbon emission, and to forecast these requirements for the year 2020 and 2030. Grey relational model is employed to verify the relationships between renewable energy and its drivers. The results of the forecasts reveal the challenges of long-term deployment for renewable energy technologies. Other results show that during the research period, energy security makes a major contribution to renewable energy development. Energy security and substitution rate have relatively closer relationships with new and total renewable energy consumption respectively than that of other factors. Scenario analyses suggest that strong and continuing renewable energy policies will be helpful to achieve sustainable energy development in China and a strong synergy between renewable energy and energy security would emerge in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union launched a set of policies as part of its 2020 climate and energy package aimed at meeting its 20/20/20 headline targets for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. This paper evaluates how successful new-to-the-market climate change mitigation technologies (CCMT) are in helping EU member states (MS) reach these goals and, furthermore, whether there are differences between sectors subject to EU-wide polices. To do so, we relate CCMT patent counts to two specific headline targets: (1) achieving 20% of gross final energy consumption from renewables, and (2) achieving a 20% increase in energy efficiency. Our results provide the first ex-post evaluation of the effectiveness of these technologies for combating climate change. Moreover, our sectoral impact assessment points to significant differences in the way in which these technologies contribute to policy goals across the sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia has a plethora of biomass that can be utilized in a sustainable manner to produce bio-products for circular green economy. At the 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen, Malaysia stated to voluntarily reduce its emissions intensity of gross domestic product by upto 40% by 2020 from 2005 level. Natural resources e.g. forestry and agricultural resources will attribute in achieving these goals. This paper investigates optimum bio-based systems, such as bioenergy and biorefinery, and their prospects in sustainable development in Malaysia, while analyzing comparable cases globally. Palm oil industry will continue to play a major role in deriving products and contributing to gross national income in Malaysia. Based on the current processing capacity, one tonne of crude palm oil (CPO) production is associated with nine tonnes of biomass generation. Local businesses tend to focus on products with low-risk that enjoy subsidies, e.g. Feed-in-Tariff, such as bioenergy, biogas, etc. CPO biomass is utilized to produce biogas, pellets, dried long fibre and bio-fertilizer and recycle water. It is envisaged that co-production of bio-based products, food and pharmaceutical ingredients, fine, specialty and platform chemicals, polymers, alongside biofuel and bioenergy from biomass is possible to achieve overall sustainability by the replacement of fossil resources. Inception of process integration gives prominent innovative biorefinery configurations, an example demonstrated recently, via extraction of recyclable, metal, high value chemical (levulinic acid), fuel, electricity and bio-fertilizer from municipal solid waste or urban waste. Levulinic acid yield by only 5 wt% of waste feedstock gives 1.5 fold increase in profitability and eliminates the need for subsidies such as gate fees paid by local authority to waste processor. Unsustainable practices include consumable food wastage, end-of-pipe cleaning and linear economy that must be replaced by sustainable production and consumption, source segregation and process integration, and product longevity and circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a prime element both for sustaining life on Earth and for complex human activity. In 2015 in Romania the average electricity production was of 7343 MW h and the average consumption was of 6590 MW h. The average hydropower generated was of 1894 MW h, which is equal to 26% of the total production. In this paper, we aim at reviewing the hydropower system in Romania from its beginnings, in 1884, to its present development. The first hydropower plant in Romania was in Sinaia and had an installed capacity of 4×250 kW. Now, Romania has more than 200 HPPs, with a total installed capacity of 6.443 MW. In Romania, hydropower is the first main source of energy among RES, followed by wind energy. Between 1950 and 1990 were built 115 hydropower stations. This period is characterized by the construction of most of the hydroelectric power plants in Romania, including the largest. The development of the hydro potential has begun in Bistrița basin. After 1990, in the transition period, after the fall of communism, the number of installed hydropower plants decreased, by 2010 totaling an installed capacity of only 838 MW, which means less than 14% of what was done before 1990. About 54% of Romania's hydropower potential is now arranged, and there are plans to reach 63.5% by 2025. The largest artificial lake of Romania is Lake Iron Gates I (Porțile de Fier I), constructed between 1964 and 1972 behind a 60 m’ dam. Iron Gate I rank position 52 out of 66, in the list of largest hydroelectric power stations in the world. Iron Gates I system is one of the largest hydro constructions in Europe and the largest on the Danube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar amendment has been proposed as a promising solution to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and sustainably enhance crop yield. However, the net GHG mitigation potential of biochar remains uncertain, especially the controversial results from field and laboratory experiments. Using 9970 published observational data derived from 592 peer-reviewed papers, this study highlighted the effects of biochar in field experiments on crop yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) fluxes, and soil nitrogen (N) dynamics (i.e., soil inorganic N stocks, nitrous oxide [N 2 O] emissions, ammonia [NH 3 ] volatilization, and inorganic N leaching). Overall, field data indicated that biochar significantly increased gross SOC stocks (26.6%) and crop yield (15.7%), reduced soil CH 4 (−14.8%) and N 2 O (−23.1%) emissions, and ammonium (−24.9%) and total inorganic N leaching (−23.2%) but had no effect on soil CO 2 emissions. Whereas laboratory data generally showed greater effect sizes of biochar on these indictors. Global warming potential was decreased only in field experiments, but both experiments showed similar reductions in GHG intensity. Both experiments suggested that soil and biochar cation exchange capacity, pH, biochar application rate, and nitrogen fertilization interactively regulated biochar effects on crop yield and GHG emissions. The unrealistically high rates of biochar in laboratory experiments may overestimate its benefit on soil C sequestration and/or underestimate its mitigation potential. These findings provide a comprehensive view that biochar amendment may serve as a viable climate-smart agricultural practice that can help in partial achievement of multiple sustainable development goals. • Biochar is an effective strategy for climate-smart agriculture. • Biochar added to field (∼20 Mg ha−1) can increase gross SOC stock by ∼27%. • Biochar can decrease global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity. • Unrealistically high biochar rates in lab overestimated soil carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable creation of renewable energy is being fervently debated. The biofuels, produced from food crops are restricted in their capacity to accomplish biofuel generation targets, mitigation of climate change and socio-economic development. These issues have exaggerated the curiosity in flourishing biofuels generated from non-food feedstocks like agricultural wastes, forest wastes, municipal wastes, and microalgae, which substantially offer golden opportunities in the longer run. The anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural residues is the potential alternate of energy production (357.85 bcm biomethane) and has the capability of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (979 Mt CO 2 eq. per year). This makes it a potential contributor to attain climate neutrality by 2050. However, the various physical, structural and compositional factors impeding the hydrolysis of agricultural residues in AD are to be eliminated. Conjoint application of biological pretreatment with other pretreatment approaches has proven to be more efficacious than applying individually. Furthermore, the well-planned policies are vital in making the AD technology adoption viable and successful. The policies regarding bioenergy production must make sure to supply food and feed items sustainably by the agricultural sector. This paper reviews the utilization of lignocellulosic agricultural wastes for biogas production, various aspects of biomethanation process like inhibitions and possible solutions for their alleviation, enhancement of biogas production, its environmental and techno-economic and policy aspects. Value addition of biodigested slurry by the production of industrial enzymes, vermicompost, fertilizer and mushroom cultivation, are also included in the paper. • Biomethanation purveys a practicable route for the management of agricultural residues. • Combination of biological pretreatment with other approaches efficiently degrades biomass. • Anaerobic co-digestion improves methane yield and process kinetics of AD. • AD technology can potentially abate GHG emissions (979 Mt CO 2 eq. per year). • Enzyme production from biodigested slurry offers an efficient route for its management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture and Storage is a technology of paramount importance for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Climate Action). The European Union is moving rapidly towards low carbon technologies, for instance via the Energy Union Strategy. Coupling biofuels and carbon capture and storage to decarbonize the power and the industrial sector can be done through the development of BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage). Chemical Looping combustion is one of the cheapest way to capture CO 2. A Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) plant can be coupled with a turbo expander to convert energy to power, but it has to work in pressurised conditions. The effect of pressure on the chemical reactions and on fluidised bed hydrodynamics, at the moment, is not completely clear. The aim of this review is to summarize the most important highlights in this field and also provide an original method to optimize power plant efficiency. The main objective of our research is that to design a pressurised Chemical Looping Combustion plant which can be coupled to a turbo expander. To achieve this we need to start from the characteristics of the turbo expander itself (eg. the Turbine Inlet Temperature and the compression ratio) and then design the chemical looping combustor with a top down approach. Once the air and the fuel reactor have been dimensioned and the oxygen carrier inventory and circulation rate have been identified, the paper proposes a final optimization procedure based on two energy balances applied to the two reactors. The results of this work propose an optimization methodology and guidelines to be used for the design of pressurised chemical looping reactors to be coupled with turbo expanders for the production of power with carbon negative emissions. • BECCS technology can be developed by coupling PCLC with a gas turbine. • Efficiency of a chemical looping combined cycle plant can range between 42.1% and 52.4%. • Pressure can affect minimum fluidization velocity in the fluidised bed reactor. • The influence of pressure is dependent on the type of bed particles and their dimension. • Circulation rate is one of the most critical factors in PCLC design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With nearly 70% of the world population expected to live in cities by 2050, assessing the sustainability of urban systems, both existing and future ones, is becoming increasingly relevant. Making cities more sustainable is a global priority, which is highlighted by 'Sustainable Cities and Communities' being listed as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015. This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) explores the implementation and assessment of policies and technologies that contribute to the transition to a sustainable, energy efficient and regenerative society. We organized the issue according to four main research themes: 1) Renewable Energy Systems (i.e., different types of systems, qualitative assessments and public acceptance); 2) Sustainable Built Environment (which includes construction, operation and refurbishment); 3) Multi-Scale Models (considering urban sustainability transition from building to districts, or cities and regions to multi-country comparisons and their scaling across different countries); and 4) Governance and Policy (climate change mitigation and adaptation plans/policies that are reported across countries, urban services and infrastructures). This paper serves two purposes. The first is to provide an analysis about patterns, correlations and synergies found across the different topics that have been addressed over the last 20 years in the literature about cities' sustainability paths. A bibliometric analysis and a contingency matrix show the degree of correlation between scientific journals and main topics addressed by published articles. Secondly, the paper acts as an Editorial to the VSI, introducing the wealth of research articles and topics included in it. Both the bibliometric analysis and the papers published in this VSI demonstrate the interconnectedness of energy consumption, pollutant emissions and the competition for finite resources. The aim is to present advances and challenges of this exciting and ever-evolving research field to inform and guide future studies of urban sustainability. • We carried out a bibliometric analysis of the literature using the Cortext Manager platform· Using network analysis of a corpus of paper spanning 20 years we identified 8 major clusters. • The paper serves also as editorial for a virtual special issue dealing with urban sustainability pathways. • The virtual special issue is organised in four main themes, which touch upon different Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic global climate change has large and mounting negative economic impacts. Companies and nations responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are thus acquiring considerable potential liabilities. If litigation becomes widespread, renewable energy technologies (RETs) potentially offer emitters reduced liability for climate change. This benefit has been ignored because of the lack of knowledge of potential liabilities. To overcome this information deficit, this paper reviews recent literature on the potential for climate change litigation and methods to quantify liability for climate change. Next, the top 10 emitters in the U.S. are identified and their potential liability is quantified using standard GHG emission costs. Potential liabilities are explored in depth with a single case study company comparing the results of the fractional liability from only natural disasters within the U.S. for a single year to a sensitivity of the future costs of carbon emissions from other sources of emission-related liability. Then classes of potential climate change litigants are identified and their capacity to bring such lawsuits is evaluated. The results show that the net income available to shareholders of large companies could see a significant reduction from the emissions liability related to only natural disasters in the U.S. from a single coal-fired power plant. Finally, a rough estimate of the economic risk associated with future scenarios and existing organized international potential litigants is quantified. The results show that potential liability for climate change for the Alliance of Small Island States is over $570 trillion. It is concluded that as emitters begin to be held liable for damages resulting from GHG emissions resulting in climate change, a high value for liability mitigation would provide additional powerful incentives for deployment of renewable energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a post-2015 blueprint recently agreed upon by the United Nations, to address the energy poverty problem in the global community. This plan, coupled with the need to mitigate climate change and also find alternative energy options to fossil fuels, is expected to continuously lead to increased interests in the development of renewable energy systems, around the world. Such systems have the potential to address the energy deficit in the world’s energy poor regions, e.g. sub-Saharan Africa, where about 50% of the 1.2 billion people in the world live without access to electricity. This paper first discusses the state-of-the-art of photovoltaic (PV) technologies worldwide. It then presents the development of solar panel plant, using the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) 7.5 MW solar panel plant in Nigeria as a case study, which is established to build local capacity in PV technologies and also promote their widespread applications. The plant layout design, materials, equipment and production line are discussed. A new technique called Fundamental PV Module Performance Analysis (FPVMPA) is employed to assess the performance of a single NASENI 190 W module in terms of power output, energy yield, capture losses, fill factor, and efficiency, allowing the prediction of the module performance pre-installation, based on IEC 61724 standards. Furthermore, emphasis is laid on the impact of temperature on the module, which affects its efficiency and overall outputs. These analyses are then used to evaluate the performance of a 54.72 kW Photovoltaic Electric Power Generation Plant (PEPGP) that is proposed for a remote mini-estate in Kutunku, Nigeria. Future research directions are also provided on module life cycle analysis, end-of-life management and recycling. Results show the module performance under varying irradiance and temperature conditions, which can be useful for design, planning and application purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of climate change and other risks for ecosystems and human health require a transition of the energy system from fossil fuels towards renewable energies and higher efficiency. The European geographical periphery, and specifically Southern Europe, has considerable potential for renewable energies. At the same time it is also stricken by high levels of public debt and unemployment, and struggles with austerity policies as consequences of the Eurozone crisis. Modeling studies find a broad optimum when searching for a cost-optimal deployment of renewable energy installations. This allows for the consideration of additional policy objectives. Simultaneously, economists argue for an increase in public expenditure to compensate for the slump in private investments and to provide economic stimulus. This paper combines these two perspectives. We assess the potential for renewable energies in the European periphery, and highlight relevant costs and barriers for a large-scale transition to a renewable energy system. We find that a European energy transition with a high-level of renewable energy installations in the periphery could act as an economic stimulus, decrease trade deficits, and possibly have positive employment effects. Our analysis also suggests that country-specific conditions and policy frameworks require member state policies to play a leading role in fostering an energy transition. This notwithstanding, a stronger European-wide coordination of regulatory frameworks and supportive funding schemes would leverage country-specific action. Renewed solidarity could be the most valuable outcome of a commonly designed and implemented European energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates Nigeria biogas potential from livestock manure and its contribution to climate change mitigation. Findings reveal that Nigeria biogas potential from livestock manure represents a minimum of 1.62×109 m3 of biogas per annum. Replacing diesel fuel with methane derived from biogas to produce electricity as well as inorganic nitrogen fertilizer with organic nitrogen from the anaerobic digester for agricultural use will lead to carbon dioxide (CO2) emission savings of 683,600 t per annum. This amount represents the minimum contribution of biogas derived from livestock manure to climate change mitigation if harnessed for electricity and agricultural use in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-to-water heat pumps are regarded as a fundamental part of many proposed climate action plans in heating dominated climates. However, individual studies have concluded that this technology generally underperforms in practice when compared to its rated performance. This study aims to harmonise these conclusions and propose reasons for this reported underperformance. The European standards used to rate the performance of heat pumps are first reviewed and deconstructed, a review and analysis of all past research that report air-to-water heat pump performance is then conducted. Finally, a novel in-situ monitoring study of an air-to-water heat pump in Ireland is presented. Of the 378 heat pumps reviewed, it was found that the average seasonal performance was 2.59, significantly lower than typical product rated performances. Three reasons for this underperformance include, misrepresentative weather data for certain locations, unaccounted for losses in the distribution pipes and unaccounted for effects of cycling. The measured seasonal performance factor of the case study heat pump monitored in this paper was 2.49 for space heating. This 40% reduction in performance, when compared to the product rated performance of 4.12, was attributed to the three reasons identified. Because these reasons are largely due to inadequate installation practice, environmental policy should focus not just on the quantity of these technologies to be installed but critically also on the quality of the installation itself. • Review of heat pump field studies evidences consistent underperformance. • Heat pump rating in the EU and heat pump in-use performance are analysed. • Heat pump performance metrics are defined, compared and evaluated. • A case study analysis reports ∼40% lower performance in-use than product rating. • The difference is primarily due to losses in the pipe run and unaccounted for cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demand by the public and shareholders for substantial actions against the climate crisis is forcing organisations of all sectors to manage their greenhouse gas emissions more effectively. One method for organisations to reduce their emissions is Internal Carbon Pricing (ICP). So far, a comprehensive overview on ICP, especially on the impacts and barriers to its implementation, is missing. This paper closes the knowledge gap by summarising the motives for organisations to use ICP, by discussing the different ICP methods and by describing their impacts as well as identifying key implementation barriers. The work condenses the findings into a flow chart for easy identification of promising ICP methods while accounting for implementation barriers. The discussed ICP methods are emissions trading systems, proxy prices, carbon fees and hybrid systems. The review also discusses ICP methods which are not that common such as revenue-neutral carbon fees. The developed flow chart underlines two common barriers for implementing ICP. These are, 1) frequent difficulty allocating emissions to the responsible cost center within an organisation; 2) the challenge cost centers face reacting to the ICP by changing processes, technologies or products. Nevertheless, the results underline a variety of methods that allow the effective use of ICP under different organisation-specific circumstances. The literature review also emphasises the need for more in-depth case studies on the implementation of ICP within organisations. • Concise overview on the motivation, the methods, impacts and implementation barriers of internal carbon pricing. • Review of case studies where the impacts and problems of ICP are described. • Frequently used internal carbon pricing method is proxy prices. • First main implementation barrier is the ability to allocate emissions to the emission-responsible cost center. • Second main implementation barrier is the ability of cost centers to react to the ICP by changing processes or products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There are a number of advantages to small-scale biogas production on farms, including savings on firewood or fossil fuels and reductions in odour and greenhouse gas emissions. For these reasons, governments and development aid agencies have supported the installation of biogas digesters. However, biogas digesters are often poorly managed and there is a lack of proper distribution systems for biogas. This results in methane being released inadvertently through leaks in digesters and tubing, and intentionally when production exceeds demand. As methane has a global warming potential 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, this compromises the environmental advantages of digesters. Calculations performed in this paper indicate that the break-even point at which the released methane has as great an impact on global warming as the fuel that has been replaced occurs when between 3% and 51% of the produced biogas is released, depending on the type of fuel that has been replaced. The limited information available as regards methane leaking from small-scale biogas digesters in developing countries indicates that emissions may be as high as 40%. With the best estimates of global numbers of small-scale digesters and their biogas production, this corresponds to methane losses of 4.5 Tg yr−1 or about 1% of global emissions or 10% as much as emissions from rice production. Further poliferation of small-scale digesters could therefore contribute significantly to global emissions of methane. It is therefore important that governments and development aid agencies place stricter requirements on digester maintenance and biogas handling before incentives are created and legislation introduced for the installation of small-scale biogas digesters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Heat island phenomenon rises the temperature of cities, increases the energy demand for cooling and deteriorates comfort conditions in the urban environment. To counterbalance the impact of the phenomenon, important mitigation techniques have been proposed and developed. Pavements present a very high fraction of the urban areas and contribute highly to the development of heat island in cities. The use of cool pavements presenting substantially lower surface temperature and reduced sensible heat flux to the atmosphere, appears to be one of the most important proposed mitigation solutions. The present paper investigates and describes the actual state of the art on the field of cool pavements. The main thermal and optical parameters defining the thermal performance of pavements are analyzed. Almost all of the developed technologies, where data and results are available, are considered while emphasis is given on the presentation of reflective and permeable/water retentive pavements. The main technological achievements on both fields are reviewed while existing applications are described and performance data are given when available. The existing results clearly show that the mitigation and cooling potential of cool pavements is very significant and can highly contribute to decrease temperature on the urban environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Building stock models (BSMs) are essential for simulating the contributions of regional and national building sectors to climate change under different policy scenarios, and for identifying pathways to climate change mitigation. To date, BSMs have focused on the operational life-cycle impacts of domestic dwellings; there has been less emphasis either on non-domestic buildings (NDBs) or full life-cycle analysis. This paper provides a first review of the theory and practice of NDB stock modelling which considers life-cycle energy, emissions and costs. A meta-analysis of the literature was undertaken involving a structured search of relevant articles in key scientific repositories. 98 in-scope studies were identified and data collected on their aims and objectives, methodologies, data sources, system boundaries, considered impacts, representativeness, uncertainty analysis, validation and verification techniques, further research identified, model transparency and software tools employed. The review necessitated the classification of modelling methodologies. The existing 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' groups were found to be ambiguous and led to confusion. Therefore, an alternative methodology classification is proposed, considering both the modelling technique and model simulation data used. The findings of the analysis indicate that most approaches use engineering models employing archetype data. However, almost all current life-cycle models of NDB stocks are incomplete. Only one study considered the full building life-cycle and most did not include uncertainty analysis. The reproducibility of study results is poor since most do not provide sufficiently-detailed information on the models and data used. Critically, there is a lack of representative input data which limits their usefulness as evidence in policymaking. • Existing stock modelling methodology categories are ambiguous and lead to confusion. • Non-domestic stock modelling is underdeveloped due to data limitations. • Most studies of do not include uncertainty analysis. • Consequently, their usefulness for evidence-based policymaking is limited. • This is a fragmented research field utilizing many diverse methods and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy plays a crucial role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation in highly climate-vulnerable nations such as Nepal. This paper reviews various types of renewable energy technologies and their status, potential for adoption, relationship to climate change, and mitigative and adaptive roles in Nepal. Nepal has installed micro-hydro projects, solar power, improved cooking stoves, biogas technology, improved water mills, and wind energy to mitigate and adapt to climate change. There is a growing potential for renewable energy development in Nepal, such as hydropower, solar, wind energy, biogas, and improved cooking stoves. Roughly 70% of Nepal's energy consumption is generated from traditional energy sources while renewable energy accounts for approximately three percent. The gradual increase in the use of renewable energy has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced carbon sequestration. By adopting renewable energy technologies, Nepal has reduced emissions by 221,129 tCO 2 e from 2017 to 2018. Nepal's second Nationally Determined Contribution targets a 15% increase in national energy use from renewables with a reduction of 23% of CO 2 emissions by 2030 using biogas and improved cooking systems. Furthermore, a significant increase in the adoption of renewable energy has become a pivotal strategy in adaptation to climate change in social, health, and economic sectors resulting in time savings, alternative income sources, improved health and educational status, local job opportunities, and the promotion of social capital. The benefits of adapting to climate change and mitigating CO 2 emissions via renewable energy are significant at the local, national, and international levels. This study recommends that the government of Nepal focus work on energy policy reviews to address local energy demand and climate change issues by utilizing renewable energy resources at the local level, which has global implications. • Suitable, potential renewable energy technologies in Nepal. • The relationship between energy and climate change. • Relevant data on energy and climate change in tables and figures. • Social, economic, and environmental benefits of renewable energy. • Climate change adaptation and mitigation via renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the article is to develop technique for climate change mitigation policies assessment based on priorities of sustainable energy development. There is a close relationship between energy policies and tools aiming at sustainable energy development targets, i.e. promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures and climate change mitigation tools. Therefore ranking of climate change mitigation tools based on their impact sustainable energy development targets is necessary seeking to ensure harmonization of policies and their synergy effect. The main tasks of the article are: (i) to define EU sustainable energy development targets, (ii) to analyze EU energy and climate change mitigation policies and their interactions, (iii) to propose a multi-criteria framework for climate change mitigation policies assessment and ranking, and (iv) to apply multi-criteria decision making methodology for climate change mitigation policies ranking in Lithuania. The main findings of paper are related with proposed technique for climate change mitigation policies assessment and application of this technique for ranking of climate change mitigation policies in Lithuania. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Within the framework of achieving the European environmental targets towards climate change mitigation, as well as decreasing the fossil fuel dependence and its negative effects on global warming, renewable energy sources (RES) promotion has become a major issue of concern in most European Union (EU) countries. In the above context, most EU countries have endorsed initiatives to foster RES implementation development and inclusion in the energy mix, aiming to endeavor and further impel the benefits deriving from RES and harmonize to the EU Directive or Kyoto Protocol. Nevertheless, only few sporadic efforts have been examining countries and compare the requirements for promoting RES implementation that lack specific RES obligations or a framework set by the Kyoto Protocol or the EU Directive, and particular Balkans countries with great RES potential, such as BiH and Serbia. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the conditions and modalities for RES progress within the economic, political and institutional dimension, in these two neighboring countries located in the vicinity of EU Member States (MS), which appear to have a similar historical, political and economical background and an extensive RES potential. The analysis indicated that RES development in BiH seems to be a slow process, its institutional framework is partly established and further strengthening is required. In Serbia, the institutional framework is efficiently established, are in the process of developing new legislation to facilitate renewable energy development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of comparative assessment of future road transport technologies is to find the cheapest motor vehicles in terms of private and external Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission costs under various international climate change mitigation scenarios in 2020 and 2050. The comparative assessment of the main road transport technologies ranging from conventional vehicles to hybrid electric vehicles was performed. The main indicators for comparative future motor vehicles assessment are: private costs and life cycle external costs of GHG emissions. The obtained ranking of road transport technologies allows to identify the most perspective future motor vehicles taking into account international climate change mitigation constraints and to promote these road technologies by policy tools. The cheapest road transport technologies in 2020 and 2050 are: the main results presented in this paper were obtained during EU financed Framework 7 project “PLANETS” dealing with probabilistic long-term assessment of new energy technology scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Climate change is fast becoming the major environmental and energy concern worldwide. There is a major dilemma between the continued reliance on fossil fuel for our energy supply and the pressing need to address the problem of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from combustion process. This paper reviews the potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a part of the climate change mitigation strategy for the Malaysian electricity sector using a technology assessment framework. The nation''s historical trend of high reliance on fossil fuel for its electricity sector makes it a prime candidate for CCS adoption. The suitability and practicality of the technology was reviewed from a broad perspective with consideration of Malaysia-specific conditions. It is apparent from this assessment that CCS has the potential to play an important role in Malaysia''s climate change mitigation strategy provided that key criteria are fulfilled. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The long-term assessment of new electricity generation was performed for various long-run policy scenarios taking into account two main criteria: private costs and external GHG emission costs. Such policy oriented power generation technologies assessment based on carbon price and private costs of technologies can provide information on the most attractive future electricity generation technologies taking into account climate change mitigation targets and GHG emission reduction commitments for world regions. Analysis of life cycle GHG emissions and private costs of the main future electricity generation technologies performed in this paper indicated that biomass technologies except large scale straw combustion technologies followed by nuclear have the lowest life cycle GHG emission. Biomass IGCC with CO2 capture has even negative life cycle GHG emissions. The cheapest future electricity generation technologies in terms of private costs in long-term perspective are: nuclear and hard coal technologies followed by large scale biomass combustion and biomass CHPs. The most expensive technologies in terms of private costs are: oil and natural gas technologies. As the electricity generation technologies having the lowest life cycle GHG emissions are not the cheapest one in terms of private costs the ranking of technologies in terms of competitiveness highly depend on the carbon price implied by various policy scenarios integrating specific GHG emission reduction commitments taken by countries and climate change mitigation targets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bioenergy is considered a promising alternative to achieve carbon neutrality and emission reduction. There is a debate over the role of bioenergy in climate change mitigation because of carbon emissions from the production and utilization of biofuels. Recently, studies on emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) have substantially increased as they have a significant impact on human health and climate change due to large emissions and high reactivity. A scientometric analysis of 2895 journal papers during 1991 and 2020 related to BVOC emissions from the Web of Science Core Collection was conducted by CiteSpace and Carrot2. Results showed that three main knowledge domains were BVOC emissions and drivers, BVOCs and their oxidation products in biosphere-atmosphere exchange, and soil BVOCs in plant-microbe interactions during the period under study. Generally, the relationships between plant BVOC emissions and environmental variables (e.g., temperature, drought, light solar radiation, humidity, availability of nutrients, carbon dioxide, ozone, etc.) can be investigated by measurement techniques (i.e., chamber) or models (i.e., Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature). Soils could work as both the sink and source of BVOCs through various processes that are affected by soil temperatures, pH, organic matter, and moisture. Anthropogenic activities might affect the emission of BVOCs and promote the formation of BVOC-derived pollutants (e.g., ozone, particles, etc.). Incorporating BVOC emissions and their relationships with pollutants, biomass, and energy into environmental management and decision-making is a promising direction. [Display omitted] • A scientometric analysis was conducted on the research evolution of BVOC emissions. • Ten clusters generated by CiteSpace were logically reclassified into three hotspots. • MEGAN is the most frequently empirical model for BVOC emission assessment. • BVOC-derived pollutants like SOA are likely affected by anthropogenic activities. • Soils in terrestrial ecosystems can act as both the source and sink of BVOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the economic impacts of a national emissions trading scheme in 31 Chinese provinces. The emissions trading system is assumed to accomplish China's emissions reduction targets set under the Paris Climate Agreement. A multi-regional, multi-sectoral, recursive-dynamic computable general equilibrium model is developed for the analysis. The results show that the emissions trading scheme would reduce provincial CO 2 emissions by 4%–22% relative to the baseline levels in 2030. It would cause the provincial GDP to change from −4.6% to 1.8% relative to the 2030 baseline levels. The magnitudes of the impacts on provincial economies and CO 2 emissions are sensitive to initial emissions allocation rules. Some provinces that face GDP loss under one rule of emissions allocation would experience GDP gains under the other rules, and vice versa. However, emissions-intensive provincial economies—Neimenggu, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Shaanxi—are found to experience higher GDP loss irrespective of the allowance allocation rules. Meanwhile, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Liaoning are found to experience higher GDP under all the rules of allowances allocation. [Display omitted] • National emission trading is the main pricing instrument for meeting China's NDC. • Multi-regional, multi-sector, dynamic CGE model used for the analysis. • Some provinces gain whereas most other lose under the emission trading. • Emission intensive industries suffer the most from the emission trading. • Economic impacts depend on allowance allocation rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy conservation and transition to a low carbon system require energy research and development (R&D) policies due to the underinvestment in private R&D. Employing a panel dataset for 18 members of the International Energy Agency from 1980 to 2015, we empirically assess the contributions of energy R&D policies to energy conservation and energy mix. This paper uses the accumulative energy R&D per capita as a proxy variable to reflect the energy R&D policies and constructs a simultaneous equations model to describe the relationships between energy efficiency, energy mix, and public energy R&D. The results show that public energy R&D decreased the overall energy intensity by 12% and contributed 39% to the decarbonisation of the energy mix during the sample period. The mechanism of the impact of public energy R&D can be explained through the channel of patents on climate change mitigation. Moreover, the effectiveness of energy R&D policies present the heterogeneity across countries. Although the results of this study are based on empirical analysis, it is necessary to establish a theoretical framework to analyse the effects of energy R&D policies in the future. • The effects of energy R&D policies in IEA countries are investigated. • Energy R&D policies decreased the overall energy intensity by 12%. • Energy R&D policies contributed 39% to the decarbonisation of energy mix. • Factors of national heterogeneity affect the effectiveness of energy R&D policies. • R&D policies affect energy efficiency and transition through energy innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of the effects of local actions for climate change mitigation is essential for the assessment and design of effective policies, as well as for the adequate diffusion of good practices. However, existing methodologies based on the comparison of the total energy use and/or accountable greenhouse gas emissions of two different years do not lead to an isolated quantification of the effects of local policy actions. This happens because many causes of change in the local energy use and accountable emissions are not designed and/or controlled by the local authorities, namely economic dynamics, and national policies. This paper proposes a new model for disaggregating the total observed changes into a number of sources of change, thus enabling an estimated quantification of the effects originating from local policies alone. The applicability of the model is demonstrated by a concrete case study, the municipality of Porto in Portugal. • Proposed method quantifies the effect of local actions on climate change mitigation. • Local changes in GHG emissions are disaggregated into different contributing causes. • The methodology is based on a sequential decomposition analysis. • Advancement towards better evaluation of municipal or local policy actions. • Validation achieved by applying the method to the municipality of Porto (Portugal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the energy system of the Basilicata region (southern Italy) to highlight, through a scenario analysis, its possible future development in compliance with the European Commission's long-term vision. The IEA-ETSAP methodology was utilized to model and analyse the Basilicata energy system in a business- as -usual scenario, based on the assumptions of the 2010 Regional Energy and Environmental Policy Plan, and in two low-carbon scenarios, decarbonisation and high energy efficiency, which, in line with the long-term European strategy, foresee an 85% carbon dioxide emission reduction and a 20% energy efficiency increase in 2050. The results highlight that electricity production from renewable energy sources (in particular wind energy), strongly supported by the regional policy, goes beyond the Basilicata Regional Energy-Environmental Plan forecast, with a further increase in the decarbonisation scenarios. In addition, solar thermal and highly efficient technologies are adopted in commercial and residential end-use sectors. An additional 9% reduction in energy consumption is achieved in the high energy efficiency scenario by passive houses. The proposed approach shows the usefulness of a modelling framework typically used for national and supranational analyses to support regional authorities in their decision-making process to obtain results in line with the European and national strategies. Application to the Basilicata region shows the usefulness of a consolidated framework for policy assessment at a local scale to assess regional contribution to the achievement of national climate mitigation targets that tend towards climate neutrality. • The role of regional authorities is essential to reach national decarbonisation goals. • TIMES can be advantageously used for regional energy system modelling and analysis. • Scenario analysis can be a powerful tool for policy evaluation. • A cap on carbon dioxide emissions leads to a 28% increase of electricity production. • Passive houses in Residential allow a further 5% reduction of energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities across the globe recognise their role in climate mitigation and are acting to reduce carbon emissions. Knowing whether cities set ambitious climate and energy targets is critical for determining their contribution towards the global 1.5 °C target, partly because it helps to identify areas where further action is necessary. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the mitigation targets of 327 European cities, as declared in their local climate plans. The sample encompasses over 25% of the EU population and includes cities of all sizes across all Member States, plus the UK. The study analyses whether the type of plan, city size, membership of climate networks, and its regional location are associated with different levels of mitigation ambition. Results reveal that 78% of the cities have a GHG emissions reduction target. However, with an average target of 47%, European cities are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement: they need to roughly double their ambitions and efforts. Some cities are ambitious, e.g. 25% of our sample (81) aim to reach carbon neutrality, with the earliest target date being 2020.90% of these cities are members of the Climate Alliance and 75% of the Covenant of Mayors. City size is the strongest predictor for carbon neutrality, whilst climate network(s) membership, combining adaptation and mitigation into a single strategy, and local motivation also play a role. The methods, data, results and analysis of this study can serve as a reference and baseline for tracking climate mitigation ambitions across European and global cities. • 78% of cities have a mitigation plan with targets (avg. 47% GHG reduction). • Only 25% of cities strive for carbon neutrality, most by 2050, avg. By 2045. • 90% of cities striving for carbon neutrality are members of a climate network. • Ambition is driven by city size, climate networks, M-A combination, local motivation. • European cities must double their ambitions to meet the aims set by the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful transformation from conventional to renewable energy can contribute to climate change mitigation and regional development. As the co-host city of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the only National Renewable Energy Demonstration Zone in China, Zhangjiakou urgently needs to transform its conventional energy-dependent industries. This paper establishes a Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP)-Zhang model to examine the environmental and socio-economic effects of renewable energy development in Zhangjiakou by projecting the energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions by various sectors over the 2016–2050 period. Two scenarios are designed, i.e., the business as usual scenario (BAU) and the integrated scenario (INT) (including three sub-scenarios, i.e., renewable energy alternatives scenario (REA), industrial structure optimization scenario (ISO) and energy saving facility scenario (ESF)). Results indicate that under the INT scenario, Zhangjiakou's greenhouse gas emissions would peak in 2030 with 13.23% of lower energy consumption when compared with the BAU scenario. Compared with the conventional energy, renewable energy shows competitive advantages in terms of greenhouse gas reduction, employment opportunities and economic costs. The total number of employees would reach 0.15 million by 2050 under the INT scenario, 1.71 times more than that in the BAU scenario. Feasible low-carbon pathways and co-benefits strategies associated with industrial transformation and renewable energy substitution should be pursued in future actionable plans. Results found in this study could provide importance information for achieving renewable energy transformation and associated socio-environmental benefits within and beyond China. • A LEAP-Zhang model is established to analyze energy-related socio-environmental dynamics. • The energy-related GHG emissions are estimated for the Olympic year and peak year. • The environmental, economic and employment effects of renewable energy transition are estimated. • Feasible energy transition pathways are proposed for achieving socio-environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean nation of Suriname has historically depended on a mix of hydropower and oil-based fossil fuels for meeting electricity needs. Continued reliance on fossil fuels poses challenges both for climate change mitigation and for energy security. This paper explores the potential for increasing the share of renewables in Suriname's electricity mix, with a special focus on the complementary role of existing hydropower and future wind power infrastructure. We show that these resources have great synergetic potential for displacing fossil fuel-based power generation. Flexible operation of the Afobaka hydropower plant, newly in full possession of Suriname, allows significant wind power integration without violating grid stability and associated power quality requirements. Considering the trade-off between displacing expensive fossil fuels and limiting wind power curtailment on Suriname's island-like grid, our results suggest that integrating wind power in the Surinamese electricity mix is economically advantageous up to a share of 20–30%, independently of near-term demand growth. These results have wider relevance for climate policy in various Caribbean countries and other island states with existing hydropower infrastructure and substantial wind/solar power potential, for which this study fills an important literature gap. • Suriname's hydropower plant can support substantial grid integration of wind power. • Thermal power could be cost-effectively displaced by hydro-supported wind power. • Suriname could, on average, reach 20%–30% penetration of hydro-supported wind power. • Such strategies could benefit various island states and regions with isolated grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]