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Although the airline sector contributes to just 3% of the world's CO 2 emissions, air travel is a highly CO 2 -intensive activity. Unlike other energy-related household decisions, there is little standardised, comparable, regulated information available to consumers regarding the environmental impacts of different airlines. Imperfect information in this market therefore appears very likely. This paper presents the results of a discrete choice experiment which uses a nationally representative sample of 209 participants in Ireland to explore how point-of-sale flight emission labelling influences choice. There are two keys findings: first, a comparative CO 2 label, similar to existing EU colour-coded labels (appliances, for example), leads to a shift to lower emission flight choices, even when they cost more; second, the effect is very large: on average, households are willing to pay €77 more for each tonne of CO 2 reduced. Unlike other household energy efficiency decisions (appliances, cars and buildings, for example), choosing more energy efficient flights has no private monetary return in the form of lower future energy bills. It therefore represents a purer test of willingness to pay for a public good (a low CO 2 environment). Results provide evidence to support policy recommendations of emission labelling in the short-run and environmental education in the long-run. • Flight emissions information is valued by households when making flight choices. • Flight emissions information leads to lower-emission flight choices. • This effect is strongest for households which are aware, knowledgeable and concerned about climate change. • Results indicate a compelling case for emission labelling in the short-run and environmental education in the long-run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia, a developing region housing almost a quarter of the world population, faces stringent energy and environmental problems including acute vulnerability to climate change. To improve their socioeconomics and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is imperative for South Asian countries to address their energy and environmental challenges. A thorough review of the national and regional achievements and challenges concerning SDGs is important for finding fast and sustainable solutions. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the energy and environmental outlook for the region taking into account the faced challenges and their potential solutions. It also aims to examine the prospects of the relevant SDGs taking into account the accomplishments and the faced challenges. It maps the progress South Asian countries have made towards the concerned seven SDGs - SDG6, SDG7, SDG11, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14, and SDG15-also identifying the challenges ahead. The article undertakes a thorough review of the literature including national and regional reports on energy and environmental scenarios and the SDGs. It finds that although South Asian countries have made considerable progress in power generation capacity and rural electrification, they face serious challenges with regard to SDG6, SDG7, and SDG11. South Asian countries need to benefit from their vast renewable energy potential and align their energy sectors with the trends of the unfolding sustainable energy transition. To achieve the targeted SDGs, concentrated efforts are required especially in terms of governmental support, budget allocation, and robust policy formulation and implementation. • The paper provides a comprehensive account of energy and environmental outlook for South Asia. • It examines South Asian countries' progress towards seven Sustainability Development Goals: SDG6, SDG7, SDG11, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15. • One billion people in South Asia lack access to clean cooking fuels while 350 million people are not connected to electric grid. • Regional energy trade is critical for these countries to duly benefit from their rich renewable energy resources. • South Asia needs to align itself with the trends of the unfolding sustainable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a substantial need to accelerate the advancement and implementation of advanced clean energy technologies to solve challenges of the energy crisis, climate change, and sustainable processes. Solar heating and cooling technologies are feasible solutions among clean energy technologies. This paper presents a detailed literature review on studies performed around the solar district energy systems with integrated thermal storage. They are mainly either for heating or cooling. The combined district heating and cooling system with both systems integrated with borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) has not been fully explored. A low-temperature distribution fluid, suitable for use in distributed heat pumps around the community with BTES, has also not been practically installed yet. Such system, could reduce the transmission/distribution heat loss within the community, and lower the required amount of energy production and storage, compared to the other systems. This could make the entire system techno-economically more attractive while not compromising energy efficiency of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review of latent heat storage in building elements was conducted to establish the current knowledge base and reveal key design and performance factors that could be used to define technologies available for immediate implementation and for specific applications. All relevant literature published by April 2014 was critically evaluated and a data extraction procedure was used to organise, analyse and report design and performance parameters of Phase Change Material (PCM) elements. The review of a total of 120 papers revealed that published information on these aspects is diverse and in many cases insufficient. The diversity of test conditions and variety of reported values indicate that physical properties and performance data concerning materials and complete PCM elements are not directly comparable. Therefore matching technologies and applications for specific climates and building typologies is not possible solely through published information. However evidence was collected which shows that, with appropriate design, PCM elements can contribute to reducing loads and achieving energy savings in buildings, while securing a comfortable indoor environment. Key design factors to this end were found to be the climate and target season, the design of appropriate controls for active and passive systems used in combination with the PCM elements and cost-related factors. The review also mapped the research foci to date, revealing the range of variations previously examined and potential research gaps worth pursuing in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground coupled heat exchanger (GCHE) systems are used for space heating/cooling across the globe. Hybrid GCHE systems are being preferred over unitary system due to higher efficiency. GCHE system can be classified as earth air heat exchanger (EAHE) and ground source heat pump (GSHP). Fast depleting stocks, recent rise in costs of fossil fuels and its serious impact on climate makes it imperative to adopt renewable and environment friendly sources of energy and energy conservation. The aim of this study is to review the current status of hybrid GCHE systems with passive renewable systems. The paper concisely explains EAHE, GSHP and various passive techniques commonly used for space heating/cooling and review state of the art of hybrid EAHE and GSHP systems. A comparative study of various technologies has been presented and their role in energy conservation highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many countries striving to be responsible consumers of energy and conscious of the need to mitigate the impact of climate change, the Philippines has, in both policy and practice, shown a bias towards Renewable Energy (RE) sources. The country׳s proportion of RE production in primary energy and distribution in electricity is significantly higher than those of many Asian and European countries. However, the Philippine National RE Program has adopted a strategy of aggressively amassing RE capacity to the extent of tripling the capacity over the period 2011 to 2030. The preoccupation with more megawatts rather than the value of RE beyond clean energy has erected a bias against off-grid RE applications. Off-grid RE applications can displace more expensive diesel generation and can enhance the livelihood opportunities for communities. The insistence on focusing on megawatts is threatening to bloat the current Feed-in-Tariff structure by causing large, grid-connected applications to be seriously oversubscribed. This paper reviews the current RE status in the Philippines and presents a simple alternative planning paradigm in which the ability of RE technology to affect the livelihood of the residents and the effectiveness of its energy delivery are used to distinguish the utility of different RE technologies in off-grid and grid-connected areas. The authors also describe an actual kW scale, off-grid application that addresses both energy and economic poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the UNFCCC, governments have adopted a universal climate change agreement, the Paris Agreement, near the end of 2015 covering nearly all countries from 2020, and will endeavor to find ways to scale up efforts before 2020 beyond the existing pledges to curb emissions, so that the world can stay below the agreed maximum 2 °C temperature rise. In view of long-term planning strategy, many countries have adopted the year 2050 goals, and science strongly indicates that any further delay in appropriate global mitigation efforts will increase the pressure towards our low-carbon future. This paper discussed the multiple challenges and searches for the optimal pathways in promoting the transformation of future renewable energy systems in Taiwan, especially its practical implementation aspects. While developing Taiwan׳s climate legislation and strategies, in addition to having the participation of both the public and private sectors in order to act aggressively to overcome policy obstacles, active dialogues with the stakeholders and the general public were also promoted which helped to improve public awareness and build up consensus. The end result is the promulgation of the 2015 Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act which stipulates Taiwan׳s short and long term climate goals and development of corresponding measures, and the formulation of Taiwan׳s Nationally Determined Contribution which serves to foster a facilitative environment and create tremendous business opportunities for the booming green industry in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy sustainability and environmental preservation have become worldwide concerns with the many manifestations of climate change and the continually increasing demand for energy. As cities and nations become more technologically advanced, electricity consumption rises to levels that may no longer be manageable if left unattended. The Smart Grid offers an answer to the shift to more sustainable technologies such as distributed generation and microgrids. A general public awareness and adequate attention from potential researchers and policy makers is crucial. This paper presents an overview of the Smart Grid with its general features, functionalities and characteristics. It presents the Smart Grid fundamental and related technologies and have identified the research activities, challenges and issues. It demonstrates how these technologies have shaped the modern electricity grid and continued to evolve and strengthen its role in the better alignment of energy demand and supply. Smart Grid implementation and practices in various locations are also unveiled. Concrete energy policies facilitate Smart Grid initiatives across the nations. Interestingly, Smart Grid practices in different regions barely indicate competition but rather an unbordered community of similar aspirations and shared lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitigation of global energy demands and climate change are the most important factors in the modern days. Development and application of solar energy have been regarded by the government of India and common people, and they thought that solar photo voltaic energy can provide more energy in future compare to other renewable energies. In the last decade, solar photovoltaic energy research and development has supported by the central government and state governments. This paper discusses the progress of current solar photovoltaic energy in India. It highlights the renewable energy trend in India with major achievements, state wise analysis of solar parks and industrial applications. Finally, it discusses the Indian government policies and initiatives to promote solar energy in India. This review on solar photovoltaic energy will help decision makers and various stakeholders to understand the current status, barriers and challenges for better planning and management in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World climate change occurring mainly due to human activities has led to an environmental concern all over the planet. Global CO 2 emission has reached an alarming level which is regarded as the most lethal anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. To have a check on the carbon emissions, many clean coal technologies were proposed out of which Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) technology came out as the most promising technology of all. The process of CLC avoids direct contact between the fuel and the air. It is based on the transfer of oxygen from air to fuel by means of a metal based oxygen carrier and this process is blessed with inherent sequestration of CO 2 . This paper presents a review of the CLC technology and it׳s all round advancement during last 10-15 years. The all round development of the process include progress in terms of the use of gaseous, solid as well as liquid fuels, the evolution in the oxygen carriers and the reactor systems being used in the process. The development in the oxygen carriers has gained maturity, the use of solid fuels is gaining momentum, and the liquid fuels need further attention for its development. Recently, a fair number of hours of continuous operation in pilot plants have instilled the confidence required in further development of this process towards commercialization. The big stride that the CLC technology has taken in such a small duration of time, there leaves no doubt that this technology has the potential to grow manifolds with further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The share of renewable energy generation has been increasing as a result of the world-wide concern on environmental deterioration and climate change associated with burning fossil fuel. Due to the stochastic and intermittent characteristics of renewable energy resources, assessing the reliability of power systems with renewables has become challengeable and been widely studied for the past several decades. This paper provides a review of the studies on the reliability and economic evaluation of power system with renewables. It starts from a summary of the key indicators and models for assessing the reliability and economics of power systems. Different studies are then compared in terms of type of renewables, evaluation method, application area, level of study and country involved, through which the main features of past studies are identified. We also discuss the relationship between economics and reliability that shows the necessity of evaluating reliability and economics of power system with renewables simultaneously. A case study is finally proposed to illustrate the differences between alternative system settings in reliability and economic evaluation. It is found that the types and scales of renewable energy generation have significant impacts on system reliability and economics, which needs to be taken into account in the development of renewable energy power systems. [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]

Falling costs and supportive government policies have seen remarkable growth in residential photovoltaic systems in jurisdictions around the world. While there have been detailed studies of the financial attractiveness of PV for home owners under different policy and retail market arrangements, there has been less consideration of the impacts of such systems on some other key industry participants. In this paper we undertake an investigation of the annual short-term revenue impacts of PV systems for those households installing them, for their electricity retailers and network service providers (NSPs), and for all electricity customers more in general, in the Australian State of NSW. We use actual half-hourly PV generation and electricity consumption for 80 households in Sydney to estimate the ‘real world’ impacts of a range of former, current and possible future PV policy and retail tariff arrangements including gross and net Feed-in-Tariffs (FiT). We found that the short-term revenue impacts differ significantly for different commercial arrangements and, are highly variable and largely driven by the PV performance and its match with household consumption patterns. Results highlight that current net metering policies in Australia with low net FiT rates may provide only moderate revenue incentives to households, yet quite adverse revenue impacts on NSPs and retailers depending on the level of PV export. While NSP short-term revenue losses will likely involve increasing electricity tariffs in the longer term, losses for retailers may add risks to the profitability of household customers with PV. The challenge for policy makers is to facilitate socially valuable PV deployment whilst appropriately managing the impacts on all key electricity industry stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of papers on energy demand modeling has offered different dimensions both in terms of methodology and estimation. While this development has strengthened our understanding of the subject, it may render the identification of gaps in the literature arduous for future research. Thus, this study sets out to document some emerging issues that seem to have engendered new directions on energy demand modeling ranging from asymmetric price responses, time varying demand parameters, triangulation analyses to seasonal and climate change effects. It is hoped that access to this review complemented with the previous ones will facilitate the comprehension of the extant literature as well as areas of future research in energy demand modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae as a renewable and alternative energy feedstock have come under increased research interest, in response to the energy crisis, global warming and climate changes. Microalgal growth needs large amounts of chemical or organic fertilizers, causing substantial costs and risking the environment due to nutrient release. Using nutrient-rich wastewaters to cultivate microalgae appears a promising choice for the removal of nutrients and production of biofuels. Meanwhile, livestock production is rapidly increasing, especially in developing countries, because of increased consumption demands for meat. As a result, large quantities of animal wastes are left over, threatening environmental hygiene and becoming a barrier for development if not disposed of appropriately. Hence, the efforts to seek for an effective way to manage livestock wastes are also extremely important. This paper evaluates the feasibility of microalgal cultivation with livestock waste compost for continuous production of multiple bioproducts such as high values, biodiesel and biogas. A feasibility framework is proposed to fulfill this target. System integration and engineering is highlighted and main challenges are also discussed. Through careful microalgal biorefinery, the improvement of the economics of microalgal biofuels can be potentially achieved. Applying livestock waste compost to cultivate microalgae appears as a sustainable solution to realize both livestock waste management and bioproducts recovery, thus driving the industry towards sustainable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconciling economic growth and energy supply with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other goals for environmental protection is a major challenge for emerging economies such as Brazil. Establishing energy security standards consistent with realistic economic growth projections while considering climate change requires complex calculations and relies upon risky assumptions. Yet, such calculations and decisions must be made to avoid future energy shortages and economic crises. This paper discusses the current dilemma concerning planning and decision-making for the Brazilian electric sector considering the construction of hydroelectric power plants in the Amazon region, energy security requirements, projected economic growth and climate change feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability and reliability of renewable energy sources are highly dependent on climate conditions, which may vary due to possible global climatic changes. Long-term energy planning, however, does not normally take into account future threats of climate change on energy security. This paper shows the impacts of drought, as one of the main features of climate change, on the technology of electricity generation and on CO 2 emissions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-6 (ASEAN-6). We provide insights into the extent of the vulnerability of electricity generation options to drought. The findings increase awareness for future planning of the energy generation mix and emphasizes on an integrated and collaborative management plan based on drought planning initiatives and measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we estimate the potential marine energy available from different types of resources in Colombia: waves, tides, currents, salinity gradients and thermal gradients, focussing on specific locations. The main constraint on this analysis is the lack of long-term marine instrumentation and data. In order to overcome this difficulty, we use oceanic numerical modelling with data from reanalysis models, climatic data from remote sensors, and primary data from existing instrumentation and fieldwork. The models were calibrated and run to calculate—based on existing marine systems—the potential nationwide marine power resources, on different time and spatial scales, for both the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific coasts. For each marine resource, we first explain the method used to assess the power potential; then we present the potential marine energy result. Further, we carry out a policy analysis where we discuss not only the power potential but also the barriers (mainly cost) faced by marine energy. Given the potentials found by earlier studies, these results define for Colombia, and also for Central and South America generally, the road map for future pre-feasibility analysis, taking into account the energy demands of the populations, existing technologies, and the environmental, social and geographical characteristics of the regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the transition towards a low carbon economy, the Scottish Government has adopted ambitious energy-related targets, including generating all electricity from renewable sources by 2020. To achieve this, continued investment will be required across a range of sustainable technologies. Hydropower has a long history in Scotland and the present-day operational capacity of ~1.5 GW already makes a substantial contribution to the national energy budget. In addition, there remains potential for ~500 MW of further development, mostly in the form of small to medium size run-of-river schemes. Climate change is expected to lead to an intensification of the global hydrological cycle, leading to changes in both the magnitude and seasonality of river flows. There may also be indirect effects on water flows, such as changing land use, enhanced evapotranspiration rates and an increased demand for irrigation, all of which could affect the water available for energy generation. In this paper we describe Scotland׳s currently installed hydropower capacity and present a review of the scope for future development. We also review the potential impacts of climate change, highlighting possible adaptation measures as well as key factors likely to determine financial viability over the coming decades. We present a summary of the present state of knowledge regarding the resilience of Scotland׳s hydropower resource to a changing climate, and identify key areas where further research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triggered by debates on climate change and energy security, renewable energy sources are presently high on the political agenda in many countries. In this regard Russia seems to stand aside worldwide developments. Until recently Russia׳s enormous potential in renewable energy sources remained poorly utilised. However, Russia׳s formal commitment to the global climate change regime, its new Energy Strategy 2030, and an increase in wood pellet production suggest a discontinuity. This paper investigates and explains the (limited) progress in the solid bioenergy sector in Northwest Russia. With little Russian experience in this sector, poor technological knowledge on renewables, and inadequate domestic market structures, the development of a domestic solid bioenergy sector is far from easy. Hence, Northwest Russian wood pellet developments cannot be traced back to new federal policies, only partly to local demand and stimulation, and significantly to foreign drivers. Major EU demand for wood pellets and intensified collaboration with foreign companies and organisations leading in the field of solid bioenergy research, technology and trade have triggered these developments. But it is a long way before Russia will be released from its fossil fuel addiction, as repeatedly promised by governmental officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy communities have multiplied the last years in many countries, even in contexts that the structural conditions are not favorable. The paper analyses individual motivations for partaking in local renewable projects and generating energy jointly in an investment community, in order to inform policy debates on how to support such communities. To do so, we applied a socio-psychological approach for studying renewable energy communities in Germany and the Netherlands. Our results show that mainly gain (such as decreasing energy costs) and normative (such as addressing climate change) considerations played a role in the decision, but in the background hedonic motivations were also present, such as having fun and integrating in a community. Each of the groups examined emerged in already existing strong communities, where trust was relatively high, which seems to be an important condition for the realization of local energy projects. Consequently, we argue that tailor-made incentives addressing the different types of motivations can be more effective for the support and spread of renewable energy communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New renewable energy needs flexibility, which can be provided by storage-hydropower. Climate change affects the potential of this technology in both a negative and a positive way, on one hand by altering runoff, and on the other hand by creating new investment opportunity. This paper provides an economic and financial analysis of a future project in a pumped-storage facility that may be initiated in the Swiss Alps following the glacier retreat. The area released may be considered for building a new reservoir. A complete and integrated model is developed based on the tools of analysis provided by econometrics, finance and operational research. The results show that under the present market conditions such an investment is not profitable. Unexpectedly, the sensitivity analysis shows that most of the time higher price volatility reduces annual revenue. Furthermore, the project׳s lifetime only has a marginal impact on the Net Present Value. The value of the concession, which is the right to use water, is also assessed on the basis of a real option analysis including a long-term horizon. Its present value is substantial even if the project is currently unprofitable. In the discussion, we go beyond the Swiss case study and highlight the implications for energy policy and market design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrifying transportation is a promising approach to alleviate the climate change issue. The adoption of electric vehicle into market has introduced significant impacts on various fields, especially the power grid. Various policies have been implemented to foster the electric vehicle deployment and the increasing trend of electric vehicle adoption in the recent years has been satisfying. The continual development of electric vehicle power train, battery and charger technologies have further improved the electric vehicle technologies for wider uptake. Despite the environmental and economical benefits, electric vehicles charging introduce negative impacts on the existing network operation. Appropriate charging management strategies can be implemented to cater for this issue. Furthermore, electric vehicle integration in the smart grid can bring many potential opportunities, especially from the perspective of vehicle-to-grid technology and as the solution for the renewable energy intermittency issue. This paper reviews the latest development in electric vehicle technologies, impacts of electric vehicle roll out and opportunities brought by electric vehicle deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftops have significant potentials for reducing reliance on conventional energy source and enhancing energy security in response to emergency situations or in remote areas. Widespread adaptation of solar PV rooftops can also help address climate change issue via lower overall emission of Greenhouse Gases. This paper reviewed the latest situation of solar PV rooftop implementation, expansion and execution strategies in Thailand. The review examined factors impacting adoption rate of solar PV rooftops. Supporting factors include optimum solar radiation intensity, active renewable energy development policy and Feed-In Tariff (FIT). Increasing urbanization rate also resulted in an increase in potential space suitable for solar panel installation. Barriers of solar PV rooftop implementation in Thailand were carefully analyzed. Limitation in domestic technology and technical experiences in manufacturing sector is one of the major barriers inhibiting progress in solar rooftop adoption. In addition, government subsidy and support are still needed for solar PV rooftops to be competitive with other forms of energy generation. Increasing public awareness and reforming of energy and related regulations are necessary to promote meaningful implementation of solar energy in Thailand. To enhance rate of solar PV rooftop installation in Thailand, a short-term strategy could be in a form of providing financial supports such as low interest rate loans, tax credits and development of renewable portfolio standards together with the current FIT scheme. In the longer-term, to achieve grid parity, the government and private sectors need to rely less on financial subsidies and focus on establishing R&D centers to develop and strengthen domestic solar energy industry and introduce cost-effective solar PV solutions. With effective policies and credible solutions with a viable market, public demand in solar rooftop implementation in urban areas will naturally increase and create sustainable progress in solar rooftop industry in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of carbon neutrality provides a new opportunity for the development of renewable energy, especially for wind power. In this paper, 11 regional climate models (RCMs) including CORDEX-EA and PRECIS at two different resolutions are used to evaluate the performance in simulating the spatio-temporal characteristics for wind speed and energy potential from 1981 to 2005. The results show that most models can reproduce the spatio-temporal patterns, and the simulation of the eastern region is better than that of the western region. Besides, most of the higher-resolution models had better simulation performance for spatial-temporal patterns and inter-annual variation. Then, the weighted multi-model ensemble is used to project the changes of the wind speed and the wind power density over China's mainland during the mid-21st century under the RCP8.5 scenario. In future, a decrease in wind speed is projected by most RCMs over China, although some regions, such as the southern parts of China, are projected to have more wind energy potential. The percentage variation of annual mean wind speed will remain in the range of ±4%. The wind power density will decrease in the north and the largest decrease will be found in the northwest. However, the annual mean wind power density in the southeast China will have an increase of 2.21% in the middle of this century. The inter-annual variation of the wind power density in most regions will increase by more than 20%. However, intra-annual variation in the wind power density is likely to decrease in most regions of China, ranging from about −20% to −50%. • A weighted multi-model ensemble was used to project the changes of wind power density over China. • The changes of annual mean wind power density vary in different sub-regions of China, ranging from −3.21% to 2.21%. • The inter-annual variation of the WPD in most regions will increase by more than 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent energy systems have witnessed a large number of extreme weather events due to the global climate change, resulting in severe damages and economic losses. To address this problem, this paper proposes a multi-stage stochastic programming model for resilient integrated electricity and natural gas distribution systems under typhoon natural disasters. A three-stage modeling is employed to quantify the system resilience against the dynamic process of a typhoon, where the network reinforcement, network reconfiguration, and network repairing are coordinated. Moreover, the interaction between the power system and natural gas system during a typhoon attack is reflected in this model. To address the uncertainties introduced by the typhoon moving paths, non-anticipativtity constraints are adopted in the proposed multi-stage stochastic programming model. Case studies on a 33-bus-48-node and a 144-bus-85-node integrated electricity and natural gas distribution systems verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results of the case studies show that the current IEGDS is still fragile when facing natural disasters, and building a resilient IEGDS to recover from natural disasters rapidly is meaningful in recent vigorous trends of developing integrated energy systems. By applying the proposed model, the proposed model and strategies can enable the IEGDS to reduce the load curtailment by about 52%, and the total economic loss will be reduced by 54%. • A resilient integrated electricity and natural gas distribution system modeling is proposed. • A three-stage modeling is proposed to quantify the system resilience of a dynamic typhoon. • A multi-stage stochastic programming characterizes the uncertain typhoon paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and its usage constitute one of the most important environmental issues nowadays that substantially affect economic and social development and the improvement of the quality of life in all countries. The risk of climate change and environmental degradation is real with the global development process and human intervention being the key components in dictating the nature of environmental problems. Education on energy issues should be the means for helping students cope with present and future energy needs and the adoption of appropriate, attitudes, lifestyle practices and behavior is deemed necessary. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complex of student׳s views and attitudes about energy and its usage related to the environment. A questionnaire has been used as a research tool most appropriate to these research׳s goals. The results expose the need for a radical change in patterns of human behavior towards an environmentally sustainable orientation and the dominant role that environmental education possesses in realizing this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights a method for natural heating and cooling of systems in areas of moderate climate. Movement of air is generated in the system by an underground piping system. In this paper, we discuss a feasibility study in Algeria of air-conditioning using a ground source heat pump (GSHP) with vertical mounting, coupled with a solar collector. This study consists of modeling ground temperature at different depths, for a clay soil in the city of Tlemcen. Our model is developed from the non-stationary heat equation for a homogeneous medium and takes into consideration the soil thermal diffusivity. It uses the daily ambient temperature during a typical year for the locality of Tlemcen. The study shows the feasibility of using a heating/cooling GSHP in the town of Tlemcen for the particular soil type, and indicates that the duration of air flow in the borehole has a major influence on the outgoing temperature drilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfills all around the world are one of the major sources that contribute towards global warming and climate change. Although landfilling should be prioritized last in the waste management hierarchy due to highest greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other waste management systems it is still very common around the world. In this study, methane emissions are estimated by applying First Order Decay model to landfills in Pakistan over the latest data available by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency. Results demonstrate that nearly 14.18 Gg of methane is emitted from the landfills in Pakistan each year. By combusting this methane in the form of biogas collected from the landfills as a waste management scheme we can reduce greenhouse effect up to ~88%. Same percentage is observed when we apply the similar analysis over the potentially improved practice. Also, Pakistan is facing severe economic crises due to continuous increasing gap between energy demand and supply. Demand is increasing exponentially while supply is observed to remain constant over the last few years due to frozen capacity in spite of having significant renewable/alternate energy resources. Current electricity shortfall has reached up to 6000 MW. Present operational landfills in Pakistan can only contribute up to ~0.1% to cater the total deficit which does not make any significant difference but if 75% of the total waste generated today is collected and 50% of it landfilled then Pakistan has the potential to produce ~83.17 MW of power that can contribute up to 1.4% to overcome the current power shortage. The outcomes of this paper may also be applicable to other developing countries having similar resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The built environment is responsible for significant use of final energy (62%) and is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (55%). Achieving environmental goals, including climate change mitigation, requires comprehensive methodologies to accurately assess the impacts from this sector. Research to date focuses on either individual buildings or on the urban level (e.g., metropolitan regions). Robust and accurate methodologies have been developed to quantify environmental impacts at both scales. While methodologies overlap between the building and urban levels, assessment remains largely confined within each scale. At the building level, research focuses on materials, architectural design, operational systems, structural systems, construction, and analysis methods. At the urban scale, urban form, density, transportation, infrastructure, consumption, and analysis methods are the main research focuses. The paper presents the major findings at each scale. The work then argues for an expanded analysis framework to account for the interplay between the building and city level captured through a new impact category: induced impacts. This new framework is necessary to address actual patterns of construction (new buildings or retrofits within existing cities) and to quantify currently missing impacts. Based on the findings, a new methodology to capture induced impacts in the built environment is outlined. Finally, practical and policy implications are discussed. Inclusion of induced impacts is critical to achieve environmental objectives within the building sector and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dealing with the climate change externality of the fossil-fuel dominated transport sector, bio-fuels are widely seen as a solution. Through its Bioenergy Policy, Ghana seeks to improve oil supply security, save foreign exchange, create jobs and reduce emissions from the transport sector by integrating 20% biofuels into the transport fuel mix by 2030. This paper systematically analyses the transport fuel demand in Ghana to determine the biofuel supply target in 2020 and 2030 and evaluates the resource input requirements for integration of biofuels into the transport fuel mix. It provides a detailed picture of bio-fuel prospects in Ghana in the 2030 horizon. The research concludes that though significant yield improvement is required to meet the target, the target is achievable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, Japan pledged to reduce its GHG emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020 (“Copenhagen Pledge”). The achievement of the target depended largely on a large expansion of nuclear power. However, this ambitious plan became unfeasible after the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 2011. This paper conducted a comprehensive review of Japan’s recent energy and climate policy developments since 2009 and particularly after March 2011 to assess where Japan stands today with regard to the achievement of the long-term global 2 °C goal. Japan achieved its mitigation target for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, but it was unsuccessful in reducing domestic GHG emissions in the residential and commercial sectors, and consequently relied more heavily on purchased Kyoto units. With regard to the revised 2020 mitigation target (“Warsaw Target”), when expected emissions reductions through nuclear power is factored out, domestic mitigation under the Warsaw Target was found to be only marginally more ambitious than the target that preceded the Copenhagen Pledge (9% reduction from 1990 levels). Japan cannot make secondary acquisitions of Kyoto units up to 2020 and thus, a bilateral offset scheme (JCM) could become an important credit source. However, its development regarding the additionality of the emissions reductions needs to be tracked carefully. Moreover, the legal underpinning of national mitigation targets and actions was currently found to be very weak in Japan. The review of currently implemented policy measures revealed that among the three key measures considered for achieving the Copenhagen Pledge, only the renewable Feed-In-Tariff scheme was found to be relatively successful to date, but even this is currently under critical scrutiny. Recent new coal-fired power plant construction plans could jeopardize the achievement of both mid-term and long-term mitigation goals. The impact of nuclear power plant restarts on future CO 2 emissions was found to be limited around 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and global warming as the main human societies’ threats are fundamentally associated with energy consumption and GHG emissions. The residential sector, representing 27% and 17% of global energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, respectively, has a considerable role to mitigate global climate change. Ten countries, including China, the US, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Iran, and the UK, account for two-thirds of global CO 2 emissions. Thus, these countries’ residential energy consumption and GHG emissions have direct, significant effects on the world environment. The aim of this paper is to review the status and current trends of energy consumption, CO 2 emissions and energy policies in the residential sector, both globally and in those ten countries. It was found that global residential energy consumption grew by 14% from 2000 to 2011. Most of this increase has occurred in developing countries, where population, urbanization and economic growth have been the main driving factors. Among the ten studied countries, all of the developed ones have shown a promising trend of reduction in CO 2 emissions, apart from the US and Japan, which showed a 4% rise. Globally, the residential energy market is dominated by traditional biomass (40% of the total) followed by electricity (21%) and natural gas (20%), but the total proportion of fossil fuels has decreased over the past decade. Energy policy plays a significant role in controlling energy consumption. Different energy policies, such as building energy codes, incentives, energy labels have been employed by countries. Those policies can be successful if they are enhanced by making them mandatory, targeting net-zero energy building, and increasing public awareness about new technologies. However, developing countries, such as China, India and Iran, still encounter with considerable growth in GHG emissions and energy consumption, which are mostly related to the absence of strong, efficient policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the comprehensive life cycle climate performance (LCCP) assessments are detailed from various influencing parameters for the packaged air source heat pumps. The seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating for heat pump systems has a far greater impact on lowering carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 -eq.) emissions. 13 SEER R410A has a 1–7% CO 2 -eq. emission reduction as compared with the 13 SEER R22, and 14 SEER R410A depicts a 7–19% reduction. In general, for all three categories, from cold areas (such as Minneapolis) to hot areas (such as Phoenix), the cooling demand is increasing and heating demand is decreasing. There are no back up heat in hot areas, especially in San Antonio and Phoenix. Due to the comfortable weather itself, balmy area such as Los Angeles, has the lowest emissions. Among the emission contributors, the energy consumption accounts for appropriately 90% of the total emissions. When the COP is improved by 5%, 10% and 15% as compared with the baseline 14 SEER R410A, the corresponding LCCP is decreased by 4%, 8%, and 12%, respectively. Therefore, to achieve the efficient CO 2 -eq. emission reductions, more attentions should be paid for energy efficiency improvements. The refrigerant recovery rate has the negligible effects on the LCCP results. The cycle degradation coefficient has the slightly larger influence than the refrigerant recovery rate on the CO 2 -eq. emission reductions. In addition, due to the better load matching (few cycles and less temperature and humidity swing), the 14 SEER two capacity heat pump product has appropriately a 5% CO 2 -eq. emission reduction as compared with the current single speed 14 SEER R410A heat pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative impact of human activities on the environment receives tremendous attention, especially on the increased global temperature. To combat climate change, clean and sustainable energy sources need to be rapidly developed. Solar energy technology is considered as one of the ideal candidates, which directly converts solar energy into electricity and heat without any greenhouse gas emissions. In both areas, high-performance cooling, heating and electricity generation is one of the vital needs. Modern nanotechnology can produce metallic or nonmetallic particles of nanometer dimensions which have unique mechanical, optical, electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties. Studies in this field indicate that exploiting nanofluid in solar systems, offers unique advantages over conventional fluids. In this paper, the applications of nanofluids on different types of solar collectors, photovoltaic systems and solar thermoelectrics are reviewed. Beside the wide range of energy conversion, the efforts done on the energy storage system (ESS) have been reviewed. In the field of economics, nanotech reduces manufacturing costs as a result of using a low temperature process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heating represents the largest proportion of energy use as supplied to consumers across all end energy uses. Therefore, there is huge potential for energy savings in the heating sector in order to reduce the emission of CO 2 . District heating (DH) has been considered an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for heating in buildings, and is playing an important role in the mitigation of climate change. In the interest of fairness and in the highly competitive market the DH companies operate, there is a strong need to develop a novel heat pricing mechanism in order to promote sustainable development of DH systems. In this paper, existing methods and models regarding heat pricing have been reviewed. The features of different pricing mechanisms have been analysed, including advantages and disadvantages. Insights into developing an advanced pricing mechanism for DH systems have been offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change in the world at the global level, various actions are taken for the development of renewable Energy and particularly solar energy which have potential for future energy applications. The current popular technology converts solar energy into electricity and heat separately. The photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system is designed to generate thermal and electrical energy simultaneously. A major research and development work on the photovoltaic thermal (PVT) hybrid technology has been done since last 30 years. Different types of solar thermal collector and new materials for PV cells have been developed for efficient solar energy utilization. The photovoltaic (PV) cells suffer efficiency drop as their operating temperature increases especially under high insolation levels. The overall electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) module can be increased by reducing the temperature of the PV module by withdrawing the thermal energy associated with the PV module. Both water and air either by forced or natural flow has been used for PV cooling through a thermal unit attached to the back of the module yielding photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector. The main purpose of heat extraction unit is to extract heat from the photovoltaic system and keep its temperature at satisfactory level so that it can work efficiently. Till date many researchers have done a lot of work and number of studies have been carried out in designing, simulation, modeling, and testing of these systems. This paper reviews on the state and development of PVT technology around the world but the studies includes experimental and analytical are mainly focused on photovoltaic thermal technologies at the Indian subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evidence of relationships between climate change induced by greenhouse gases of anthropogenic origin, and energy-economic issues (inappropriate use of fossil fuels and technologies, uncertainty in fuels price and demand trends, etc.) asks for the adoption of a holistic approach in order to re-orient the anthropogenic activities’ system towards a configuration that harmonizes environmental protection, economic growth and security of energy supply. In this framework, energy system sustainability represents one of the major challenge the EU is facing and its implementation passes through a path of coordinate actions carried out by local governments in which objectives of sustainable development become integral part of strategic programming. The aim of this research is to provide local administrations with an analytical support tool to guide key strategic decisions in energy and climate planning on the medium-long term, assessing the possible role of local energy systems in the achievement of sustainable objectives at national/European scale. This paper focuses on the implementation of a partial equilibrium TIMES-generated model in a real case study, the regional energy system of Basilicata region (Southern Italy). First, it describes the adopted methodology. Second, it is provided a step-by-step description and characterisation of the reference energy system and the model’s data input which represents the first step for an in-depth knowledge of the present energy system on which to build effective and sustainable local energy and climate plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security has been an actively studied area in recent years. Various facets have been covered in the literature. Based on a survey of 104 studies from 2001 to June 2014, this paper reports the findings on the following: energy security definitions, changes in the themes of these definitions, energy security indexes, specific focused areas and methodological issues in the construction of these indexes, and energy security in the wider context of national energy policy. It is found that the definition of energy security is contextual and dynamic in nature. The scope of energy security has also expanded, with a growing emphasis on dimensions such as environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. Significant differences among studies are observed in the way in which energy security indexes are framed and constructed. These variations introduce challenges in comparing the findings among studies. Based on these findings, recommendations on studying energy security and the construction of energy security indexes are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent energy independence and climate change policies encourage development and utilization of renewable energy such as bioenergy. Biofuels in solid, liquid, and gaseous forms have been intensively researched, produced, and used over the past 15 years. This paper reviews the worldwide history, current status, and predictable future trend of bioenergy and biofuels. Bioenergy has been utilized for cooking, heating, and lighting since the dawn of humans. The energy stored in annually produced biomass by terrestrial plants is 3–4 times greater than the current global energy demand. Solid biofuels include firewood, wood chips, wood pellets, and wood charcoal. The global consumption of firewood and charcoal has been remaining relatively constant, but the use of wood chips and wood pellets for electricity (biopower) generation and residential heating doubled in the past decade and will increase steadily into the future. Liquid biofuels cover bioethanol, biodiesel, pyrolysis bio-oil, and drop-in transportation fuels. Commercial production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic materials has just started, supplementing the annual supply of 22 billion gallons predominantly from food crops. Biodiesel from oil seeds reached the 5670 million gallons/yr production capacity, with further increases depending on new feedstock development. Bio-oil and drop-in biofuels are still in the development stage, facing cost-effective conversion and upgrading challenges. Gaseous biofuels extend to biogas and syngas. Production of biogas from organic wastes by anaerobic digestion has been rapidly increasing in Europe and China, with the potential to displace 25% of the current natural gas consumption. In comparison, production of syngas from gasification of woody biomass is not cost-competitive and therefore, narrowly practiced. Overall, the global development and utilization of bioenergy and biofuels will continue to increase, particularly in the biopower, lignocellulosic bioethanol, and biogas sectors. It is expected that by 2050 bioenergy will provide 30% of the world’s demanded energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental concern in light of anthropogenic climate change is directly concerning the building sector as one of the major energy consumers and CO 2 producers. To reduce the environmental impact of new and refurbished buildings, one of the most promising policies is the widespread adoption of Building Energy Regulation Codes (BERC), since they have a direct impact on the everyday work of local planners, architects, engineers and building companies. This article will look at how BERCs were implemented in Italy, where Regions and municipalities have developed in recent years a number of local regulations trying to drive the market towards more energy efficient practices. This happened in a legislative vacuum because the Italian Government implemented the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (2002/91/EC) only in 2005 and defined the related National Guidelines only in 2009. This article provides an overview on EPBD implementation in Europe and a Geocluster Italian distribution of BERCs in order to show their geographical distribution and their influence on the construction sector practices, focusing in particular on the region of Lombardy. Then the article describes the methodology followed for the definition of BERCs in nine municipalities in the same region. In conclusion, the paper presents the practical application of one of the nine BERCs to a NZEB residential case study as an example of what the EBPD recast define as nZEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns over climate change (global warming) are driving innovation for stabilizing and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) as well as renewable energy sources including wind and solar have been increasingly used and integrated into existing energy systems. The global installed renewable energy capacity booms, but many problems regarding grid integration appears due to the variability and uncertainty in the output of renewable energy generation. Therefore, large amount of curtailed electric energy (CEE) exists, which means some of the renewable energy generation must be wasted to keep real-time balance between load and generation in power system. In this paper, the definition of CEE is introduced, and the main causes for CEE are discussed. Then, the worldwide CEE is estimated, especially in China. Moreover, to evaluate the utilization priority of various generation resources, the potential of reducing fossil fuel consumption, GHG emissions and air pollutants as well as the potential of capturing CO 2 with CEE are analyzed. Possible CEE reduction strategies are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas-linked agro-ecosystems provide economic and environmental benefits by using resources in a multipurpose manner. They utilize an energy consumption pattern that has prominent advantages in relieving energy shortages and reducing environmental pollution. To better understand the effects of these multiple aspects, it is important to study how much of the energy flow is extracted and available through the biogas-linked agro-ecosystem using an economic input–output evaluation or ecological and social influence assessments. It is also equally important to understand the conversion efficiency during the life cycle of biogas production, and how humans influence the whole process of the biogas-linked agro-ecosystem. This paper attempts to establish a life cycle-based accounting model of a household biogas system using different economic and ecological metrics for multiple objective considerations, to provide a powerful and comprehensive perspective to illustrate sustainability problems. In this study we use a typical household biogas system in Gongcheng Autonomous County (Guangxi Province, China) as a case study to reveal an effective route and strategy to relieve energy shortage, reduce environmental pollution, and improve human productivity. In this way, we can construct an exemplary example of how to realize sustainable development in a rural area with positive objective conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study found that promising algae biofuels R&D breakthroughs (hydrothermal liquefaction technology, high-frequency magnetic impulse cavitation reactors, etc.) and industry milestones (technologies of hydrorefining and catalytic selective oxidation among others), in order to move forward, require for implementation of new synergies and further innovations needed to improve economical production of advanced biofuels that are not applicable today. It seems that already viable state-of-the-art findings must be re-examined extensively in all of the different aspects in order to hasten the commercialisation of algal biofuels production in sustainable biorefineries. The same could be said about the feedstock selection for algal biomass production and its cultivation. It is the first step to successful large-scale algae cultivation in new regions of the world. Based on the above mentioned we identified fourteen promising algae species that can successfully grow in various regions of Russia under local climatic conditions. Samples collected during expedition were analysed at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Providing predetermined alternate periods of light and darkness and for temperature control of the different mediums to improve photosynthetic responses we investigated two different microalgal production systems: open ponds of the volume V =500 l and closed bioreactors of the volume V =1.0 l. Later on, a review on interdisciplinary synergies between biology and technology to open up new avenues of R&D in the field of algae-for-transport was carried out by leading universities of Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine. In summary, we found that it is already possible to reduce the price of the 3rd and 4th generation biodiesel fuel from algae by applying the synergistic approaches to sustainable energy production highlighted in this paper, and probably some other ones as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has tremendous potential for generating clean electricity through Renewable Energy Sources (RES) namely Hydro, Wind and Solar. This potential has been duly recognized and shows India׳s consciousness for reducing carbon footprint as a developing nation. Government of India with an aim to promote clean energy launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) on 11th January 2010, which is one of the eight missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC–2008). This mission visions to install 22,000 MW through grid connected and off grid power plants. Achieving an installed capacity of this quantum is a task full of challenges. To list the possible challenges and suggest a way forward, there is a need to study solar energy sector in India in the past, which has motivated the authors to discuss the evolution of solar energy in India since independence. Through this paper authors have tried to outline the journey of solar energy in India since 1950 till date and highlight the potential issues as barriers and challenges which could impact the ambitious mission taken up by Government of India. This study will help decision makers and various stakeholders to understand the current status, barriers and challenges for better planning and management in the field of solar energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis and climate change are being the global challenge for the present debate since the world is in need of a green, efficient, carbon-neutral energy source to replace fossil fuels. Bio- gas, produced by biomethanation from organic materials, contributes to durable, reliable and renewable energy. Production of bio methane from vegetable wastes provides a flexible carrier for renewable energy; methane can be used as a substitute fuel for both heat and power production. In this context, the Indian Government invited the support of the private sectors as before, for the development and utilization of Eco-friendly new and renewable sources of energy to cover the demand. The paper also reviews the current state of vegetables purposes for bio methane production, including their preparation methods and performance. The vegetable wastes for bio methane production are presented and their main advantages described in comparison with the other available method of mixture of vegetable wastes for methane production. The waste generated may cause health hazards, so, setting up a waste treatment plant based on biomethanation process is the solution to use the technology to generate electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy development is a major response to address the issues of climate change and energy security. The utilization of renewable resources, however, highly depends on the climate conditions, which may be impacted in the future due to global climate change. Based on literature analysis, this paper presents a general framework for renewable energy vulnerability assessment and applies grey cluster analysis method to demonstrate the features of vulnerability, and then employs the Simple Additive Weighting Approach to address the multiple-attribute decision problems of vulnerability assessment in China. The categorized results imply that the proposed index system is suitable for decision-making analysis and comparative analysis of renewable energy vulnerability to climate change in China. In terms of exposure part, the cluster results are complex and varied due to the unique combination of natural factors, social factors and the energy structure. In the sensitivity section, the results are presented on the distribution of areas rich in hydropower, wind power and solar energy potential. Moreover, the main results of this study are the higher renewable energy vulnerability of the poorer regions of China to climate change and the relative higher importance of adaptive capacity building in vulnerability management. Finally, policy recommendations on regional renewable energy vulnerability management are also made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, food crisis, energy generation and environmental pollution are among the greatest threats and challenges faced by mankind today. Biochar production from various biomass sources has gained a lot of interests since its addition to degraded agricultural soils not only improve soil fertility and biomass yield, but also mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. There are enormous amounts of oil palm biomass generated along with the main palm oil production streams. A lot of research has been carried out to convert oil palm biomass into value-added products, but none except biochar has come close to be labeled as carbon negative products. In this paper, a review about production and application potential of biochar from oil palm biomass in Malaysia is given. Besides, some of the challenges in promoting biochar production and application, such as nature of the feedstocks, economic and logistical factors and market acceptance are highlighted as well. Producing biochar from oil palm biomass can potentially lead to a healthier environmental, societal and economic growth for the oil palm industry specifically, and enhances sustainability in worldwide context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming and climate change concerns have triggered global efforts to reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is considered a crucial strategy for meeting CO 2 emission reduction targets. In this paper, various aspects of CCS are reviewed and discussed including the state of the art technologies for CO 2 capture, separation, transport, storage, leakage, monitoring, and life cycle analysis. The selection of specific CO 2 capture technology heavily depends on the type of CO 2 generating plant and fuel used. Among those CO 2 separation processes, absorption is the most mature and commonly adopted due to its higher efficiency and lower cost. Pipeline is considered to be the most viable solution for large volume of CO 2 transport. Among those geological formations for CO 2 storage, enhanced oil recovery is mature and has been practiced for many years but its economical viability for anthropogenic sources needs to be demonstrated. There are growing interests in CO 2 storage in saline aquifers due to their enormous potential storage capacity and several projects are in the pipeline for demonstration of its viability. There are multiple hurdles to CCS deployment including the absence of a clear business case for CCS investment and the absence of robust economic incentives to support the additional high capital and operating costs of the whole CCS process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper organizes and summarizes the literature on Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS) when used as passive tool for energy savings in buildings. First, with the information obtained in the reviewed literature some key aspects to consider when working with VGS are clarified, such as the classification systems, the climate influence, the plant species used and the different operating mechanisms. Then, the main conclusions of this literature, sorted by construction system (Green Walls or Green Façades) and climatic situation, are summarized. In general, it can be concluded that VGS provide great potential in reducing energy consumption in buildings, especially in the cooling periods. However, a lack of data on operation during the heating period as well as during the whole year has been found. On the other hand, results show that the investigations of VGS are not equally distributed around the world, being basically concentrated in Europe and Asia. Moreover, the review concludes that some aspects must be studied in depth, such as which species are the most suitable for each climate, influence on energy savings of the façade orientation, foliage thickness, presence of air layers, and finally, substrate layer composition and thickness in the case of green walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]