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

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

Development of alternative energy sources has become a necessity as fossil energy resources are declining. At the same time, energy demand is rapidly increasing, putting the world on the verge of a global energy crisis. Moreover, the extensive use of conventional energy sources is polluting the environment and causing global warming. On the other hand, wind and other renewable energy sources are viable and clean alternatives to fossil fuels. Low operating cost and extensive availability make wind one of the most advantageous and effective renewable energy sources. This paper provides an exposure to the necessity for deployment of renewable energy sources and the worldwide installed capacity of wind power as well as a review of various wind technologies in conjunction with their applications and devices of operation. Furthermore, this paper discusses the cost of electric generation in wind power plants as well as the economic and environmental policies that advocate the installation of wind energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy plays a vital role in the modern lifestyle of any country, understanding how sustainable the energy system of a country remains an important policy issue. This paper reviews the comprehensiveness of existing metrics in tracking and tracing energy sustainability and finds that the existing multi-dimensional indicators do not capture the sustainability dimension adequately. This paper proposes a composite index, SEDI (Sustainable Energy Development Index), to fill the gap. SEDI focuses on establishing the sustainability level of both intra- and inter-generational needs. The paper discusses the methodology, data availability and initial country comparisons. It is found that SEDI has a positive correlation with both the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Energy Development Index (EDI) but provides a better understanding of the different dimensions of energy sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current state of the art of the economics and socio-economics of ocean renewable energy (ORE); the many ways in which the viability and impacts of an ORE project are assessed, and an analysis of the current weaknesses, issues or inappropriateness of the metrics and methodologies used in their definition and presentation. The outcomes of this paper are anticipated to benefit the ORE and wider renewable sector as a whole. The review revealed that, for the most part, the current study of economics and socio-economics of ORE remain separate and discrete areas of research. The economic methods utilised appear to be comprehensive but are limited to project (or private investor) level. The methods identified for socioeconomic assessment fall between traditional, and now routine, environmental assessment approaches and more novel holistic approaches such as ecosystem services and life cycle assessment. The novel section of the paper explored the connectivity between the economics and socio-economics of ORE in relation to project developments and policy/planning. A visualisation method was created of concentric rings intersected by related axis of economic, socio-economic and environment, and enabled the examination of the benefits arising from the connectivity between the two spheres. The concept of sustainable development process and the integration of environmental assessment for ORE was also explored and how it responds to differing stakeholder aspirations and interpretations. The analysis revealed that there was a divergence between public and private economic and socioeconomic assessments for ORE: environmental assessment is primarily a public responsibility but with significant inputs from the private developer involved while economic assessments are conducted primarily by the developer and/or investor at their own behest. However, the two spheres of economic and socio-economic for ORE are highly connected and synergistic and must be examined in a holistic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the environmental sustainability performance of a nation is complex. This paper considers the merits of environmental indices, and how effective they are when assessing the environmental sustainability of any nation. The simplicity and generic qualities of environmental indices currently necessitates a much broader analysis in order to evaluate any nation׳s genuine environmental sustainability credentials – ultimately the development of a synthetic Environmental Sustainability Index is required to fulfil this task. Using Iceland as a case study, this paper reviews the usefulness of four selected environmental indices (Environmental Vulnerability Index, Environmental Performance Index, Ecological Footprint and Happy Planet Index) for governance institutions when formulating reasoned responses to challenges. By adopting a holistic methodology, Iceland׳s environmental sustainability credentials are critically examined in this paper, with particular focus given to the impacts deriving from expanded renewable energy utilisation in recent years. Abundant geothermal and hydropower energy resources have been increasingly used to power heavy industry, particularly aluminium production. The wider health implications and long-term environmental sustainability consequences of renewable energy utilisation have not been analysed in depth within any of the indices. Socio-economic progress in Iceland has also been attained alongside the imposition of the highest ecological footprint of any nation in the world. As such, economic activities in Iceland have not occurred in accordance with commonly accepted notions of sustainable development, which is focused upon the reconciliation of economic, environmental and social objectives, together with recognition of current and future need across these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of the Malawi energy situation and the potential of renewable energy resources including solar, wind, biomass, hydro and geothermal. Despite a range of efforts by local and international stakeholders to increase access to modern energy sources in the country, 89 per cent of Malawi׳s energy is still sourced from traditional biomass mainly fuel wood. Only 8 per cent of the population in Malawi have access to electricity but installed capacity of electricity generation is lower than demand. This leads to load shedding by the electricity supplier; consequently electricity supply in Malawi is unreliable and micro and macroeconomic activities are significantly affected. Solar, non-traditional biomass (crop residues and forest residues not burnt on three stone fireplaces, and biogas), hydro, wind and geothermal are potential energy resources that could enhance Malawi׳s energy security. However, unreliable financing mechanisms for large scale energy projects; shortage of trained human resource; lack of coordination among local institutions; unclear regulation enforcement; and sometimes political governance impede sustainable delivery of energy projects. The Malawi energy policy targets and drivers are also discussed in the paper. Based on the prevailing energy situation, a PESTLE analysis is provided in this paper outlining a novel thinking for addressing the political (P), economic (E), social (S), technological (T), legal (L), and environmental (E) challenges that constrain the development of renewable energy technologies in Malawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With rapid urbanization and industrialization, China has become both the largest energy consumer and CO2 emitting country in the world. As a clean and low-carbon energy source, renewable energy is a good choice to substitute for the exhausted fossil energy. The Chinese central and local governments have made a series of policies and optimistic plans to promote a rapid development of renewable energies. China′s renewable energy development has become a key to the sustainable development of socio-economic system. Unlike most of the current studies which mainly identified the challenges regarding policies and technologies around renewable energy or performed specific analyses for a certain kind of renewable energy, this paper summarizes the spatial disparity and consistency among the major renewable energies, coal resources, energy consumption and its major influencing factors in China, and reviews the positive and negative environmental impacts of major renewable energies. Based on the geographical and environmental perspectives, this paper recommends that the Chinese government: constructs the national energy production bases according to the resource distribution; integrates different energies on the basis of their natural features and spatial consistency; adjusts the overall layout of socio-economic development consistent with renewable energies; and promotes a moderate renewable energy development to maximize the environmental benefits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ecological protection project of substituting small hydropower for fuel (SSHF) in China is to consolidate the achievements of conceding the land to forestry and natural forest protection, solve the problems of the peasants' fuel and rural energy, protect the ecological environment, and promote the comprehensive development of rural economy and society. It is of great importance to the sustainable development of China in the 21st century. This paper provides a survey of substituting small hydropower for fuel in China. Over the last ten years, using small hydropower to replace the rural living fuel in China has resulted in great fruits. By the end of 2013, 252 SSHF projects had been completed in China, and the newly installed capacity of the SSHF power plants had reached 564 MW (MW). The demand of 1.593 million rural residents for living fuel and energy had been met in a long term, 6.29 million ac-res of the forest area had been protected, and the emission of a large amount of pollutants had been decreased. Moreover, many SSHF projects all over the country are still under construction. With regard to the challenges existing in the development course, some suggestions have been proposed. Implementation of the SSHF project will help realize the harmonious coexistence between human beings and the nature in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale hydroelectricity (hydel) currently receives worldwide attention as a clean, green, and socially just energy technology. People generally assume that downsizing hydel plants reduces harmful impacts. However, recent debates call for careful circumspection of small hydel’s environmental, social, and economic sustainability, if we are to avoid conflicts, costly setbacks, and hype-disappointment cycles. This paper provides such a circumspect case for the Netherlands, an interesting country thanks to its highly institutionalized water sector. We highlight the importance of studying hydel power as part of a larger, interconnected Large Technical System. For selected cases, we identify what tensions small hydel ‘system builders’ are facing and discuss which strategies they use to address these problems. We distinguish ‘yield to fit in’, ‘confirmative policy focus’, and ‘hydel legitimation’ strategies for the development of small-scale hydropower in the Dutch highly-institutionalized wet network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran is rich in energy resources and oil has dominated the politico-socio-economic life of this country, but nevertheless Iran has no documented policy and vision for its massive resources. This poses a major challenge to policy makers and the society. It is necessary to have a clear picture of Iran׳s energy status in recent years showing the flow of energy supply, demand, consumption, import and export to know how the energy situation in Iran is and identify its weaknesses and strengths. This paper is the first step in that direction and presents an overview of Iran energy situation and the potential and current state of renewable energy application. The status of energy in Iran is compared to world’s energy status via five key factors, and finally this comparison shows hints for designing roadmap of energy for Iran to attain sustainable and secure energy in long term. The novel contribution of this work is the STEEP analysis of Iran energy situation for designing the long-term supporting mechanisms for sustainable and secure energy for Iran based on Social (S), Technological (T), Economical (E), Environmental (E) and Political (P) criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron and steel industry is the largest energy consuming manufacturing sector in the world. It is responsible for emitting 4–5% of the total anthropogenic CO 2 . Due to consistently increasing demand of iron and steel products for human needs, fossil-fuel energy use and CO 2 emission will continue to grow in this industry. So there is a strong motivation to develop and implement energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies as well as carbon reduction programs for this industry. Enhancing the development and deployment of high-temperature waste heat energy recovering technologies along a desired combination of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies will be the effective solution to reducing CO 2 emissions from iron and steel production. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the worldwide carbon reduction programs and new CO 2 breakthrough technologies for energy saving and carbon capture and storage in iron and steel making processes by collating updated information from a wide range of sources. Also, a discussion on the selection of the appropriate technology and their barriers and stages of development and deployment is presented. It is found that lots of factors that limit the role of using biomass in CO 2 abatement, so implementation of CCS technology in coal-based integrated steel plant would be an efficient means for sustainable green iron and steel manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is believed to be the central issue in sustainable development. Literatures on renewables׳ costs are rather sparse, especially on costs of integration and system balancing. The objective of this paper is to fill the research gap by providing an assessment for the cost of China׳s grid-connected renewable energy development and analyze its sharing between different stakeholders. Due to China׳s pricing mechanism of renewable energy and their cost decreasing potential, the pricing model of feed-in tariff and dynamic technological learning processes are employed. In the estimation of purchasing cost, the positive bias is overcome by considering China׳s energy-saving dispatching policy. The results suggest that purchasing cost would be 32.57–40.80 billion Yuan over 2012–2020, and peak in 2017. Grid integration costs which further involve costs of grid infrastructure and system balancing are also investigated. We find that grid infrastructure will cost 27.88 billion Yuan by 2015 and soar to 45.32 billion by 2020, while system balancing will cost 31.49 billion Yuan in 2015 and 63.97 billion Yuan in 2020 among which a substantial part (over 60%) comes from electricity loss in energy transfer. The different parts of these costs are underwritten by disparate participants due to China׳s renewable energy policies and its institutional arrangement. Purchasing cost is shared by power consumers through RES; the cost of grid infrastructure is mainly covered by grid enterprises; and there is no mechanism to specify how to share the cost electricity loss during system balancing which might become a major obstacle for system balancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving sustainable energy development in a region requires rational use of energy resources and technologies, and the development of appropriate policies. Three concerns are therefore required to achieve these issues: (i) to acquire a picture of the local current energy situation, (ii) to measure the state of development and the progress towards a sustainable energy system, and (iii) to have energy decision- and policy-makers fully aware of the implications on sustainable development of selected policies. It is in this perspective and in the frame of activities on sustainable energy for all and access to energy in developing countries carried out by the UNESCO Chair in Energy for Sustainable Development, that we developed this review. The objective of this paper is to depict the current energy situation of Africa by using the most up to date data, describing it as far as the concept of sustainable development is concerned, and to see if and how energy policies promoted by local players fit with this asset. We assess the energy situation of Africa by combining (i) data, mainly by the International Energy Agency, about national energy balances for primary and electric energy, the Energy Development Index and energy resources, with (ii) a more comprehensive analysis of the African energy system, accomplished by the Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development. An overview of the energy-related policies and action plans developed by different local players in the African continent is also carried out with the goal of providing remarks by coupling such plans with the above mentioned energy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, renewable energy plays a vital role in the sustainable development of a society. In China, renewable energy power has developed rapidly since the implementation of Renewable Energy Act. Through a series of specific incentive measures, especially subsidy policies, China's renewable energy power has made great achievements both in technology and application. Based on the state-of-the-art of renewable energy power, this paper comprehensively analyzed the costs and benefits of renewable energy power subsidy in China. The analysis results show the cost of renewable energy power subsidy was 0.248 CNY/kWh between 2006 and April 2011, which was distributed among different renewable energy power types (including wind power, biomass power, and solar PV power) or categories (including electricity price, accessing-grid projects, and public independent renewable energy power system). On the other hand, the renewable energy power subsidy also brings benefits to different aspects of the society. Specifically, the environmental benefit amounted to 17.88 billion CNY, and the benefits of guaranteeing energy security, advancing technology innovation and promoting economic development were also noteworthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Korea relies on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy consumption demands. As such, there is a need to investigate alternative energy resources such as renewable energy. In this paper, assessments of the potential of various ocean renewable energy resources in the sea around Korea; potential sources of energy including wave energy, tidal energy, tidal current energy and ocean thermal energy. Tidal energy and tidal current energy are likely to play an important role in meeting the future energy needs of Korea, whereas the potentials of wave energy and ocean thermal energy for the same are relatively low. The level of technical development and the renewable energy market in Korea is currently in an early stage. The government will have to be more aggressive in the promotion of renewable energy to achieve sustainable development in Korea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Increasing the share of renewable energy in the national energy mix remains one of the major energy policy goals across many economies. This paper assesses the roles and potentials of renewable energy sources in less-developed economies while citing Nepal as an example. Renewable energy has a significant role to play in the electrification of rural areas in developing economies and contribute towards sustainable development. Realizing full potentials of renewable, however, requires addressing both the associated demand-side and supply-side constraints. Innovative subsidies and tax incentives, adequate entrepreneurial support, strengthening institutional arrangement and promoting local community-based organizations such as the cooperatives are the necessary factors in promoting the green technologies in countries like Nepal. International factors such as large scale investment and adequate technology transfer are equally crucial to create a rapid spread and increase affordability of decentralized renewable energy technologies in less-developed economies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Engaging communities to action under the new climate change regime and fostering citizens to adopt sustainable energy patterns, remains still a challenge. A new impetus for commitment was put in place for local regions, through the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) initiative by the EU communities. The key challenge is the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), since most rural communities have vast unexploited RES potential (solar, wind, biomass, etc.). RES promotion could also specifically support rural communities’ challenges as regards growth, jobs and sustainability, which are also aggravated by the current financial and economic crisis. One of the most significant steps throughout participating in this initiative is the evaluation of the community''s sustainable energy status. Aim of this paper is to assess rural communities’ energy sustainability using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), based on the outputs of two European “Intelligent Energy For Europe” projects on the following regions: Mountainous and Agricultural Communities and Islands. Appropriate customization of the PCA will be elaborated, to aggregate sustainability indicators, capture related interactions and interdependences. The results of this study can support the monitoring of such communities’ progress, which is an especially valuable parameter as concerns the development and mainly implementation of their Sustainable Energy Action Plans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanotechnology is generating a lot of attention these days and therefore building great expectations not only in the academic community but also among investors, the governments, and industry. Its unique capability to fabricate new structures at atomic scale has already produced novel materials and devices with great potential applications in a wide number of fields. Among them, significant breakthroughs are especially required in the energy sector that will allow us to maintain our increasing appetite for energy, which increases both with the number of people that join the developed economies and with our demand per capita. This needs to be done in a way that includes the environment in the wealth production equation as we gather more evidences of the human impact on the climate, biodiversity and quality of the air, water and soil. This review article does not cover in detail all the specific contributions from nanotechnology to the various sustainable energies, but in a broader way, it collects the most recent advances of nanotechnology to sustainable energy production, storage and use. For this review paper, solar, hydrogen and new generation batteries and supercapacitors are described as the most significant examples of the contributions of nanotechnology in the energy sector. The aim of this review article is to present some significant contributions from many research groups who are mainly unconnected and are working from different viewpoints, to find solutions to one of the great challenges of our time, i.e., the production and use of energy, without compromising our environment, from one of the most exciting and multidisciplinary fields, nanotechnology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Academics, practitioners, and policy makers continue to debate the benefits and costs of alternative sources of energy. Environmental and economic concerns have yet to be fully reconciled. One view is that decisions that incorporate both society''s concern with the environment and investors’ desire for shareholder value maximization are more likely to be truly sustainable. We coin the term dual sustainability to mean the achievement of environmental and financial sustainability simultaneously. Many experts believe that wind energy can help to meet society''s needs without harming future generations. It is clean and renewable. Because the fuel is free it provides the ultimate in energy independence. Wind energy has emerged as a leading prospect, in part, because it is considered by many to be environmentally sustainable. However, a key question that remains is whether wind energy is financially sustainable without the extensive government support that has helped to create and nurture this growth industry. Using reliable, proprietary data from field research, our analysis employs a capital budgeting framework to evaluate the financial economics of investments in wind energy. We find that because of the convergence of improved technology, greater efficiency, and with the increasing cost of traditional, competing sources such as oil and natural gas, wind energy is close to becoming self-sustaining financially without the extensive federal government support that exists today. Wind energy can provide the best of both worlds. It is sustainable from an environmental perspective and it is becoming sustainable financially. In short, those companies investing in wind energy will be able to do well by doing good. Perhaps the achievement of dual sustainability is true sustainability. Our research findings and dual sustainability have several interesting and important implications for public policy towards wind energy. All imply that public policy can now be executed in a more effective and efficient manner. In the paper we outline and offer these better and cheaper public policy alternatives for consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]