Search

The current non-renewable energy-based transportation system is getting us places while simultaneously killing us. The global oil and gas markets are the most sizeable - 4677.45 billion-dollar industries - in the world in terms of revenue due to human dependency on fast transportation. In pre-industrial revolution times, the average rate of global temperature increase was 0.13-degrees Fahrenheit. The introduction of fossil fuel-based vehicles has more than doubled those numbers, thus resulting in accelerated global warming. Electrical vehicles have a few challenges of their own that we have discussed in this paper, finding solutions to them are based on Yoichi Hori's paper to make our model more energy efficient. Our model has been validated by researches done in the past, this paper combines the findings of formerly published papers to produce a working model of our current design with proof of concept. To reduce the carbon footprint of coal and fossil fuel-based electricity production, solar energy has been considered to charge the vehicle. It is not only an efficient choice, but it is also economical. It saves the consumer around $1778 annually in fuel cost and 38.5g/km in carbon emissions. Using a wireless charging station solves a major UX design problem, making charging an effortless experience. This method is 88.05% efficient at 31.5A. Supercapacitors have high power densities, therefore, being a good power source for the EV in theory, however, research shows that current supercapacitor technology is unable to perform as a standalone power source. Hence our model combines supercapacitors with conventional batteries to power the EV, additionally a break recovery system stores energy in the supercapacitor. This powers the car's acceleration. Our model priorities the use of materials that can be repurposed hence carbon-based electrodes are used - Graphene is a potential choice as it consists of high energy cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for renewable energy sources is recently necessitated by attaining sustainability and climate change mitigation. Accordingly, the use of renewable energy sources has been growing rapidly during the last two decades. Yet, the potentials of renewable energy sources are generally influenced by several climatic factors that either determine the source of energy such as wind speed in the case of wind power or affect the performance of system such as the reduction in solar PV power production due to temperature increase. This highlights the need for assessing climate change impacts on renewable energy sources in the future to ensure their reliability and sustainability. This paper is intended to assess impacts of climate change on wind and solar potential energy in Egypt by the year 2065 under RCP 8.5 scenario. For this purpose, a GIS-based methodology of three main steps was applied. The results revealed that solar energy potential in Egypt is expected to be relatively less vulnerable to climate change compared to wind energy. In this respect, it was found that while wind energy potential was estimated to range ± 12%. By the year 2065 under RCP 8.5 scenario, PV module power is expected to decrease by about 1.3% on average. Such assessment can assist in developing more sustainable and flexible renewable energy policy in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar Irradiance depicts the light energy produced by the Sun that hits the Earth. This energy is important for renewable energy generation and is intrinsically fluctuating. Forecasting solar irradiance is crucial for efficient solar energy generation and management. Work in the literature focused on the short-term prediction of solar irradiance, using meteorological data to forecast the irradiance for the next hours, days, or weeks. Facing climate change and the continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the use of fossil fuels, the reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, is expanding. Consequently, governments and practitioners are calling for efficient long-term energy generation plans, which could enable 100% renewable-based electricity systems to match energy demand. In this paper, we aim to perform the long-term prediction of daily solar irradiance, by leveraging the downscaled climate simulations of Global Circulation Models (GCMs). We propose a novel Bayesian deep learning framework, named DeepSI (denoting Deep Solar Irradiance), that employs bidirectional long short-term memory autoencoders, prefixed to a transformer, with an uncertainty quantification component based on the Monte Carlo dropout sampling technique. We use DeepSI to predict daily solar irradiance for three different locations within the United States. These locations include the Solar Star power station in California, Medford in New Jersey, and Farmers Branch in Texas. Experimental results showcase the suitability of DeepSI for predicting daily solar irradiance from the simulated climate data, its superiority over related machine learning methods, and its ability to reproduce the daily variability. We further use DeepSI with future climate simulations to produce long-term projections of daily solar irradiance, up to year 2099. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review explores the question: should the world rely wholly or partially on solar geoengineering (SG) to mitigate climate change (CC), or on renewable energy, together with deep energy reductions? Recent thinking is for SG to only supplement more conventional climate change mitigation methods. However, we first show that conventional mitigation methods are not working., given that global annual CO2 emissions are still rising, so it is far more likely that SG will be called upon to counter most anthropogenic CC, as early research proposed. The paper next examines the various SG proposals that have been considered and their objectives. Future choices could be between an increasingly unpredictable climate, and SG, with its own risks and unknowns, or deep energy reductions and RE. The claim is that SG has far lower costs for a given climate forcing reduction compared with more conventional methods, and equally important, could be quickly implemented, producing temperature reductions in a year or so, compared with decades needed for more conventional mitigation approaches. SG implementation would affect not only the technical potential for key RE sources but also the actual uptake of RE and energy reductions. However, a fair comparison of RE and SG must recognise that the SG option also requires a solution to rising ocean acidification (OA). Because the material quantities needed annually to counter OA are orders of magnitude larger than for SG, its costs and energetic requirements will also be far higher, as will the time for implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper is concerned with innovative approaches to renewable energy sources computation methodologies, which provide more refined results than the classical alternatives. Such refinements provide additional improvements especially for replacement of fossil energy usages that emit greenhouse gas (GHG) into the atmosphere leading to climate change impact. Current knowledge gap among each renewable energy source calculation is rather missing fundamentals of plausible, rational, and logical explanations for the interpretation of results. In the literature, there are rather complicated and mechanically applicable methodologies, which require input and output measurement data match with missing physical explanations. The view taken in this review paper is to concentrate on quite plausible, logical, rational, and effectively applicable innovative energy calculation methodologies with simplistic fundamentals. For this purpose, a set of renewable energy methodological approaches is revisited with their innovative structures concerning solar, wind, hydro, current, and geothermal energy resources. With the increase in the renewable energy utilizations to combat the undesirable impacts of global warming and climate change, there is a need for better models that will include physical environmental conditions and data properties in the probabilistic, statistical, stochastic, logical, and rational senses leading to refined and more reliable estimations with application examples in the text. Finally, new research directions are also recommended for more refined innovative energy system calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is becoming an essential element when it comes to climate change greenhouse issues. To aid in reducing the CO2 emission into the environment, numerous governments support individual investments in solar system on their residential rooftop. A set of regulations were established by the local utilities to control and manage the input energy power into the grid from the rooftop-installed solar system. One of the main regulation is the maximum allowable size of the single-phase solar inverter. The solar inverter size has direct impact on the maximum PV panels installed on the house rooftop, which control the house maximum electrical output power. In addition, the solar panels are solidly fixed on the house roof, which doesn’t allow to track the sun energy during the day. This also reduces the house output power during a nominal period throughout the day. The study in this paper introduces the maximum power point box that allow the house owner to maximize the output energy during the morning, midday and afternoon period without the need to upgrade the inverter or the single phase system for the house. Also the proposal allows for more efficient building integration between solar panels and building design, which reduces the cost of the proposed system. Case study is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of Renewable Energy (RE) production to fight the climate crisis is posing new technological and financial challenges, due to the availability and variability of RE Sources (RES). These challenges can be addressed by selecting the most suitable mix of RES to optimise power production, to assure grid resilience and to promote local energy use. To facilitate the selection of such combination, this paper presents an original methodology that allows to compare mixing scenarios with different RES, also in presence of batteries and backup system. It simultaneously optimises the energy surplus with respect to the eventual external electrical load and the missing energy with respect to the same electrical load. This method, which can cope with isolated or plugged-to-grid systems, is here applied to a novel case study, an oil&gas platform under decommissioning, located in the Adriatic Sea (Italy). The RE production from wind, wave and solar panels is supposed to support other activities for the platform reuse, such as aquaculture, monitoring and mineral deposition. In this case, solar energy is providing the greatest contribution to the optimal mix in terms of production, while wave energy assures the most relevant contribution in terms of continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using clean energy sources instead of traditional methods of energy production is important to tackle global warming and climate change. As in the rest cities of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, the national electricity outage crisis continues in Duhok Governorate and the production of energy via different sources is still needed. This paper studies the simulation of two different types of solar energy systems on school roofs using the Homer Pro software. The first is a grid-connected system and the second, is an off-grid system for six different regions of Duhok Governorate, using the solar radiation data for each site. Our findings confirm the preference for on-grid PV over an off-grid PV system at all sites. As the cost of energy in USD per kWh in both grid-tied and stand-alone models varies from one region to another, which is as follows: Amedi (0.089, 0.339), Kani Masi (0.091, 0.0338), Bamarni (0.093, 0.338), Mangesh (0.095, 0.349), Semel (0.107, 0.341), and Akre (0.127, 0.347). The net present cost NPC in both grid-connected and grid-independent for 160 kW PV systems is as follows: Kani Masi ($217303, $260504), Amedi ($217621, $260710), Bamarni ($219007, $260587), Mangesh ($220167, $261239), Semel ($227566, $261222), and finally Akre ($238671, $262203). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planet Earth is facing challenge of Environment degradation which could be checked by usage of Green technology in order to achieve Energy Conservation. Usage of Renewable energy resources would meet energy demand without compromising the need of future generation and would replace conventional fuels. Adoption of decentralized approach such as solar thermal technology based products like Solar Water Heating System (SWHS). MNRE had introduced SWHS scheme under National Solar Mission as the economic benefits of the utilization of SWHS in both domestic and industrial sectors can lead to savings in fuel costs for water heating and by reducing environmental issues. The main objective of paper is to explore the development of SWHS in Punjab state installed under subsidy provided by State Nodal Agency of Punjab i.e. Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA). This paper had examined the assessment of role played by PEDA in process and functioning of installation and release of subsidies for SWHS and also analyzed the perspective of beneficiaries towards use of SWHS from three districts of Punjab. The analytical study showed that the installation of SWHS has saved energy in providing hot water supply in domestic and commercial areas. The results of study highlighted that there is lack of maintenance provision by private companies. There is need to monitor Private companies, initiate feedback mechanism, provide more government rebates and benefits which will help the small scale manufacturers to flourish more by maintaining quality assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The produced energy from varied sources in modern power systems is to be optimally planned for planning and operating of power system under the determined limit conditions. Recently, the rising overall people population of the world, the increasing of people requirements, improvements of technology, and ecosystem and global climate changes have caused with the increasing of electric energy demand. One of the most important solution methods to meet this energy demand is considered as utilization of renewable energy sources (RESs) in power systems. The structure of power systems has become with the usage of RESs more complex. The optimal power flow (OPF) from planning and operation problems has converted to difficult problem with RESs integrated into modern power systems. This paper presents the OPF problem of power systems with a high penetration of controllable renewable sources. These kinds of sources are able to inject a determined power since they have a back‐up unit (storage). Uncertain solar irradiance and wind speed are simulated via log‐normal and Rayleigh probability distributions, respectively. The proposed OPF problem with controllable renewable sources is solved by the differential evolutionary particle swarm optimization (DEEPSO) algorithm. Simulations conducted on various test systems illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of DEEPSO as compared with other algorithms including moth swarm algorithm, backtracking search algorithm, and differential search algorithm. In addition, the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test is applied to show the supremacy, effectiveness, and robustness of DEEPSO algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is the key component to the development of a society. The demand for energy is increasing day by day. Around 16 percent of the global population does not have access to electricity. Around 64.96% of the population of Bangladesh lives in the rural area. This large portion often suffers from substandard quality of electricity. But electricity production by conventional fossil fuel power plant gives rise to greenhouse gas emission including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. These gases cause global warming and climate change. This has a detrimental effect on every living thing on the planet. Such consequences put Bangladesh in a perilous position, as most of the land is less than 10 m above the sea-level. As lands become more prone to be inundated, this poses a threat to our agriculture, health, sanitation and causes scarcity of clean water. Initiatives must be taken to popularize low carbon climate resilient energy sectors for sustainable development. A brief study of different forms of renewable energy sources is dealt in this paper. In this study, the present scenario and future prospects of renewable energy in Bangladesh has been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper proposes a novel multi-model approach, integrating the CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM framework, to assess the combined impacts of climate change and land use change on the potential of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems. By considering both climatic variables and land use patterns, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these factors influence CPV performance in the context of a changing environment. The proposed methodology offers valuable insights into the future viability and sustainability of CPV technology, enabling informed decision-making for policymakers, energy planners, and investors in the Middle East and Africa. As a result, the ability of the hybrid evolutionary CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM to predict the potential of CPV energy output for assessing the impacts of climate change on it was investigated in Alice Springs, the Middle East, and Africa. The outcome showed that the hybrid model significantly outperformed the other machine learning approaches. The fitted model was used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on CPV generation in Alice Springs, Australia, as well as the Middle East's and Africa's comparable climatic conditions. According to the study, climate change had the greatest impact on solar CPV energy production in Alice Springs, where it decreased the most by 8.577% under moderate forcing scenarios (SSP245) during the boreal summer season; moderately in the Middle East, where it decreased the mode by 2.316% under mitigation scenarios (SSP126) during the boreal summer season; and extremely minimally in Africa, where it decreased the mode by 1.263% under the far future sequencing period (2051–2099). Climate change also increased solar CPV energy production significantly in the Middle East in the far future sequencing period (2051–2099), as well as in Alice Springs, Australia, and Africa in the near future sequencing period (2015–2050). The strongest forcing scenario (SSP585) increased by 7.644% during the boreal autumn season in Africa; moderately increased by 6.502% during the boreal spring season in the Middle East; and had the least beneficial effects in Alice Springs, Australia, with increases of 5.538% during the boreal winter season. On an annual basis, all three regions showed a similar trend. Climate change (CLC) and urban expansion (URE) were also investigated in the Middle East and Africa for their effects on changes in solar CPV energy output. URE had a greater impact in Africa than the Middle East under the effective scenario, with a URE value of 45.45% for Africa and 20.15% for the Middle East, whereas CLC had a greater impact in the Middle East than Africa, with a CLC value of 29.01% compared to 5.47% for Africa. CLC and CPV residual factors, on the other hand, have a greater impact in the Middle East than in Africa, with effects of 29.01% and 50.83%, respectively, compared to 5.47% and 49.09%. The potential difference that drives the remediation of specific pollutants lies in the application of advanced technologies and sustainable practices. By exploring innovative solutions, such as using renewable energy sources like concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems, we can effectively mitigate the impacts of climate change and land use changes on pollutant concentrations. These technologies have the potential to significantly reduce pollution levels and create a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations. Assessing the CPV potential in different regions like Alice Springs, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa allows us to identify areas with high solar energy resources that can be harnessed for efficient pollutant remediation. Implementing prompt climate mitigation and adaptation measures is crucial for achieving a net-zero energy transition in the Middle East and Africa by 2050. In this context, prioritizing solar energy as the primary source of renewable energy is imperative for successful low-carbon economic planning in these regions. • CARIMA-SARIMA-GPM outperforms other applicable models • By 2100, the CPV potential in Alice Springs could increase by 0.082–5.338% at 1.5 °C • By 2100, the Middle East's CPV potential could increase by 0.021–0.221% at 1.5 °C. • By 2100, Africa's CPV potential could increase by 0.133–7.644% at 1.5 °C. • Climate change has harmed Alice Springs and the Middle East more than Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The main goal in this paper is to supply a national load by multiple renewable power connections to utility grid at different geographic locations. The national load demand of the country of Jordan is supplied in this case study by finding the optimal configurations and locations (near cities). Cities of higher potential for wind and/or photovoltaic (PV) energy location are selected for connecting to renewable power. The annual system cost of energy (ASCE) for this optimized renewable energy system is shown to be 32.57% less than the conventional grid energy price. Further, the Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) emissions are reduced by 80.13%. These are excellent indications for the feasibility and environmental benefits of retrofitting conventional grid with renewable power in developing countries. Multi-figure of merits (MFOM) based on a Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithms (NSGA) optimization cases are investigated which include annual emission indicator (AEI), ASCE, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and renewable penetration (RP). Results are either two dimensions (2D) or three dimensions (3D) Pareto frontier, where various competitive non-dominant solutions exist. A sweet spot selection (triple-S) procedure is proposed to help select the best point in the two (figure of merits) FOMs Pareto frontier to have both environmental and feasible solutions. Highlights • The contributions of this paper are multi-point connection to a national grid, holistic definition and modeling of the engineering and financial problems, optimal design tool solutions to the multi-point connection problem definition and model, suggesting this as a case study of the concept of "local solutions for a global problem." Such a holistic approach is recommended especially in the developing countries. • The importance of moving toward sustainable energy stems from global climate change and the need to provide access to affordable energy to all of humanity. The ultimate goal is to satisfy a country's national load demand by establishing multiple utility grid connections to various geographic locations of high wind or solar energy resources. This is done by building a new optimization design tool which investigates economic feasibility and environmental impacts. Then, Single figure of merit and multi-figure of merits optimizations have been investigated. • A mathematical modeling is developed for each component, and the optimal configuration is determined for each city. The annual system cost of energy (ASCE) is optimized to be 32.57% less than grid energy price, and the CO 2 emissions (AEI) are reduced by 80.13%. These are excellent indications for the economic feasibility and the environmental benefits of the designed system. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE), total net present cost, renewable penetration (RP) and AEI are 0.058212 $/kWh, $8.713857 billion, 59.49817% and 4.576 Megatonne/year respectively. • A new equation to calculate the salvage cost has been developed in this paper. Moreover, a new procedure in a multi-optimization problem was developed in this paper, which is the Sweet Spot Selection (triple-S) procedure. It is developed to help select the sweet point in the two FOMs Pareto frontier to have both environmental and economic feasible solutions. • Multi-figure of merits (MFOM) optimization cases based on a non-sorting genetic algorithm are investigated such as: AEI vs. ASCE, AEI vs. LCOE, AEI vs. RP and (RP, LCOE, AEI). The MFOM optimization results are either 2D or 3D Pareto frontier, where exists various competitive non-dominant solutions. The sweet spot selection (triple-S) procedure is proposed to help select the sweet spot in the two figure of merits Pareto frontier in order to have both environmental and feasible solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • This paper presents a detailed review of sustainable water desalination by using solar membrane distillation. • The fundamental of membrane distillation and the different configuration of solar membrane distillation have been discussed. • The recent developments and potential improvement of solar membrane distillation have been discussed in this paper. • The research gaps are highlighted for future improvement. Abstract As the water demand increases continuously, large capacities of desalination plant are added every year to meet freshwater demand. The higher carbon footprint of desalination raises concern on global climate change. The integration of desalination and renewable energy source could mitigate this water-energy nexus. Membrane distillation (MD) is a non-isothermal desalination process in which the low-grade heat is used as the driving force. Many researchers have tried to integrate solar energy and MD for sustainable water desalination. This article presents a comprehensive review of solar MD desalination to understand its current state of development. Solar powered MD systems have been investigated for last few decades. However, its commercialization is very limited due to low flux, high specific energy consumption and large collector area requirement. Further, this review presents the recent developments in MD membrane, innovative MD modules and the importance of optimization, which was able to improve the performance of solar MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources have received much attention in recent years due to concerns about global climate and environmental changes. Solar energy appears to be a promising alternative, especially dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), which, according to the literature, can achieve a power conversion efficiency in excess of 11%, depending on the semiconductor oxide used in their fabrication. The aim of this paper is to investigate the performance of DSSCs using cerium oxide (CeO2), titanium oxide (TiO2), and commercial dye N719. CeO2 was obtained using the Pechini and precipitation methods. The characterization techniques employed were x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and photoelectrochemical measurements. The results indicate that the efficiency of the DSSC CeO2/TiO2 obtained using the precipitation method was about 20% higher than that of the DSSC TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planet Earth is simultaneously approaching a number of ecological and resource limits. The resulting uncertainties will heavily impact future energy choices, both the level of primary energy used globally and the shares of fossil, renewable and nuclear fuels in the energy mix. This paper reviews the possible futures for the various types of renewable energy. To be viable, all potential energy sources must be assessed on their energy return on energy invested (energy return). Given that renewable energy RE growth is considered important for sustainability reasons, renewable energy must be assessed on its ecologically sustainable or 'green' energy return, which includes the energy costs of ecosystem maintenance as input energy costs. The green energy return is accordingly much lower than the conventional value, so that ecologically sustainable renewable energy is unlikely to deliver anything near existing global energy use. The paper further argues that such constraints on renewable energy growth rates mean it cannot be a timely response to global climate change. The paper concludes that energy reductions will be essential, mainly in high energy use countries.

This paper processes data disclosed by the former and modern sources of literature and presents a study of the current state of art in the field of automotive drives. The paper goes through the different possibilities of storage the alternative energy on a vehicle: electrical energy in lithium based batteries, transformation of solar energy by photovoltaic panels, using of nuclear energy, but each of them presents a lot of disadvantages. Recently promising results appeared using the hydrogen in combination with fuel cells. This is not a new think, but the way of the realization of safety passenger cars offered on the market gives us the hope of a real green engineering solution. We hope this paper contributes to the spread of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy and climate crises are driving renewable energy, but it is currently facing obstacles in leading countries. Balancing environmental, social and economic interests has become complex at the regional level due to spatial trade-offs in a contested space. To investigate stakeholder willingness to compromise on a joint ranking on wind and solar energy sites, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) planning support was explored. Using a two-part stakeholder survey, four groups were identified: 'advocates' who were satisfied with the site ranking (66%), 'realists' who were willing to compromise despite previous disagreement (13%), 'dissenters' not accepting (35%), and 'dogmatists' not engaging. Planning decisions and stakeholder engagement are underpinned by distinct attitudes towards the role of (democratic) planning and sustainable development. The use of trade-off analysis can ensure transparency and trace back stakeholder interests in making planning decisions. However, decision quality factors also need to be considered to ensure a thorough planning reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change are one of the most significant and urgent challenges confronting humanity today, which pose a risk to all the aspects of the natural environment. Due to the large quantities of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emitted in different sectors worldwide, which is difficult to be controlled as it is correlated with the requirements of daily life, it is essential at least to reduce emissions through the implementation of clean or low pollution energy sources utilization. The atmosphere is widely recognized as a very susceptible ecosystem to GHG pollution. However, there is a concerning lack of attention given to this issue by individuals, despite its direct impact on other environmental systems and consequential disruptions to the overall ecosystem. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the direct impacts of GHG emissions on climate change, specifically focusing on the implications on the environment, economy, and community. Moreover, it is important to assess the effects of these greenhouse gases on the overall ecosystem. This study proposes a set of solutions aimed at mitigating the substantial volumes of GHG emissions. It also explores strategies for managing and regulating GHG production to curb the accumulation of emissions that have occurred over the preceding decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several theoretical studies have been reported in recent years which have indicated that large-scale wind farms can have an impact on local and regional meteorology, possibly on climate. Now evidence of it based on field observations has also begun to emerge. The present paper traces the evolution of this knowledge. It discusses the theoretical studies on the possibility of wind turbines effecting climate change, and summarizes the emerging confirmation of those predictions. The concluding part of the paper assesses the implications of these findings in the context of the world׳s past experience on global warming and its present thrust to meet substantial portions of its energy needs with renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes large scale tests conducted on a novel unglazed solar air collector system. The proposed system, referred to as a back-pass solar collector (BPSC), has on-site installation and aesthetic advantages over conventional unglazed transpired solar collectors (UTSC) as it is fully integrated within a standard insulated wall panel. This paper presents the results obtained from monitoring a BPSC wall panel over one year. Measurements of temperature, wind velocity and solar irradiance were taken at multiple air mass flow rates. It is shown that the length of the collector cavities has a direct impact on the efficiency of the system. It is also shown that beyond a height-to-flow ratio of 0.023 m/m³/hr/m 2 , no additional heat output is obtained by increasing the collector height for the experimental setup in this study, but these numbers would obviously be different if the experimental setup or test environment (e.g. location and climate) change. An equation for predicting the temperature rise of the BPSC is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is clear that developing countries will have to be part of the global mitigation effort to avoid ‘dangerous climate change’, and, indeed, many of them are already undertaking significant actions on multiple fronts to help address this problem, even if they have not yet taken on legally binding commitment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since the deployment of GHG-mitigating technologies is already a significant part of this effort and likely to be even more so in the future, drawing lessons from existing programmes can help accelerate and enhance the effectiveness of this deployment process. Accordingly, this article aims to examine the deployment of wind and solar power in India, paying specific attention to the role of public policy in incentivizing and facilitating this deployment, how these policies have evolved over time, what has shaped this evolution, and what the learning has been over this period. Through this analysis, the intention is to draw out key lessons from India's experience with deployment policies and programmes in these two sectors and highlight the issues that will need to be given particular consideration in the design of future domestic policies and international cooperation programmes to enhance the move towards climate-compatible development in India. Many of these lessons should also be relevant for other developing countries that are attempting to balance their climate and developmental priorities through the deployment of renewable energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a structural property for a power system to continue a safe operation under power fluctuation caused by fluctuating power sources and loads. Concerns over global climate change and gas emissions have motivated development and integration of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to fulfill power demand. The energy generated from these sources exhibits fluctuations and uncertainty which is uncontrollable. In addition, the power fluctuations caused by power loads also have the same consequences on power system. To mitigate the effects of uncontrollable power fluctuations, a power flow control is presented which allocates power levels for controllable power sources and loads and connections between power devices. One basic function for the power flow control is to balance the generated power with the power demand. However, due to the structural limitations, i.e., the power level limitations of controllable sources and loads and the limitation of power flow channels, the power balance may not be achieved. This paper proposes two theorems about the structural conditions for a power system to have a feasible solution which achieves the power balance between power sources and power loads. The discussions in this paper will provide a solid theoretical background for designing a power flow system which proves robustness against fluctuations caused by fluctuating power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the most essential phenomena studied by several researchers in the last few decades. The main reason this phenomenon occurs is greenhouse gases (GHG), chiefly CO2 emissions. About 30% of the created GHG emissions are achieved by electricity generation. This article investigates the role of renewable energy projects in Jordan, specifically wind and solar energy, in mitigating climate change and water consumption reduction using RETScreen software. It was found that the cumulative water consumption reduction from 2017 to 2021 due to the use of wind and solar projects is equal to 6.9491 × 109 gallons. Finally, the results show that the future dependence on renewable energy projects in Jordan to meet the growth in demand by the year 2030 reduces the expected increment in the climate temperature by 1.047 °C by that year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current global context of climate change and environmental pollution, the development of renewable energy sources is essential. One of the most abundant sources, with promising potential for sustainable development, is the solar energy. Conventionally, solar collectors can be used for separate production of electrical and thermal energy in individual equipments. In order to increase the energy efficiency, the competitiveness of the energy production solutions and to improve the solar energy conversion rate, photovoltaic micro-cogeneration (PVT) systems have been developed. PVT systems can simultaneously generate both electricity and heat, and are particularly beneficial in limited spaces as they increase the share of energy extraction per square meter and lead to increased energy efficiency of photovoltaic cells by avoiding overheating. This paper produces a technical and economical comparative analysis various equivalent configurations of solar energy systems for a prosumer with a small annual energy consumption (6kWh / year) in various subsidy scenarios. The results indicate the benefits of traditional PV panels due to reduced costs compared to novel PVT panels in the absence of a bonus subsidy scheme. On the other hand, if there is the possibility of injecting into the grid the excess electricity for fixed tariff, the investment in PVT, although currently high, becomes justified, and the profitability increases by 50% compared to PV. Finally, a summary of the positive and negative aspects related to the PVT technology was made, in the form of a SWOT analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With ever-increasing demands for energy and gradual climate changes, development and advancements of renewable energy have become a major priority of every country. The applications of renewable energy increase many folds when coupled with wireless power transfer (WPT) technology. About a century ago the advents of Tesla provided us with the principles of WPT. Since then a lot of research has been done in this field. Many efforts have been put to transmit power of renewable energy wirelessly. In this paper, the basic principles and various methods of WPT are reviewed and also discuss the recent developments in wireless transmission of renewable energy. An update for application and limitations of WPT has been presented. The possible systems produced with the coupling of WPT are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe problems of climate change, inequality, poverty, and unemployment have compelled the South African government to pass legislation that introduced programmes aimed at achieving energy security, promoting economic development, and realising environmental protection. The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme objective is to increase the share of renewable sources in the national energy mix, deliver jobs and economic empowerment for black communities (Africans, Coloureds, and Indians) and cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Independent power producers (IPPs) must demonstrate that their projects contribute to job creation and broad-based black economic empowerment during the bidding process. To date, studies suggest that IPPs are missing this government target. This study investigated this phenomenon through face-to-face interviews with key informants involved in the IPP process at two solar parks in Limpopo province. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse and interpret the field notes. Findings reveal that the process of involving local communities in the governance of the IPP process is highly fragmented, leaving room for powerful stakeholders to thrive over vulnerable community members. The lack of monitoring by the government IPP office enables a prominent not-for-profit organisation to abscond from its responsibility of setting up a community trust for the benefit of local residents. Also, limited skills in the local communities mean that young people are employed in low-paying construction jobs that end after project commissioning. Lack of awareness and knowledge about IPP commitments made during the bidding process are responsible for the ‘wait and see' approach of local leaders and community members. In the short-term, awareness and capacity-building interventions for local leaders and community members are urgently required to conscientise beneficiaries. It is imperative to create a participatory governance framework that prioritises vulnerable stakeholders as a long-term solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployments of renewable energy technologies in the current century represent a critical approach to sustainable development. Renewable energy can be generated from sources with the backdrop to restock themselves based on timescale. The most important sources of renewable energy include solar photovoltaic conversion technologies, biomass and biofuel energy systems, wind energy turbines, geothermal energy technologies and hydroelectric power systems. Considerable investment in renewable energy in a country can lower the nation's dependency on imported fuels and purchase of energy from foreign market. It also drives technological innovation and generate employment scheme while enhancing clean development mechanism. Consequently, this paper presents the existing renewable energy technologies in the Nigeria and as well makes some critical recommendations to further induce development of renewable and sustainable energy systems based on autonomous energy systems and microgrid (µgrid) technologies. The recommendations are made based on varieties of energy technologies for solar power generation, biomass and bioenergy, wind energy, hydropower generation and the combined generation systems using hybrid energy mechanism. The structure of the study is concluded based on suggestions on how to pursue some impending socio-political, technological, investment policy and legislative issues for effective renewable energy development in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration of renewable energies has increased during the last decades since it has become an effective solution to the world's energy challenges. Among all renewable energy sources, photovoltaic (PV) technology is the most immediate way to convert solar radiation into electricity. Nevertheless, PV power output is affected by several factors, such as location, clouds, etc. As PV plants proliferate and represent significant contributors to grid electricity production, it becomes increasingly important to manage their inherent alterability. Therefore, solar PV forecasting is a pivotal factor to support reliable and cost-effective grid operation and control. In this paper, a stacked long short-term memory network, which is a significant component of the deep recurrent neural network, is considered for the prediction of PV power output for 1.5 h ahead. Historical data of PV power output from a PV plant in Nicosia, Cyprus, were used as input to the forecasting model. Once the model was defined and trained, the model performance was assessed qualitative (by graphical tools) and quantitative (by calculating the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and by applying the k-fold cross-validation method). The results showed that our model can predict well, since the RMSE gives a value of 0.11368, whereas when applying the k-fold cross-validation, the mean of the resulting RMSE values is 0.09394 with a standard deviation 0.01616. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, climate change has become a vital issue prompting investigations for increasing the share of renewable energy employment in power generation industry. Solar energy is arguably the most favorable solution for a greener power generation technology. With the current level of maturity, solar energy contribution is limited due to intermittency and storage issues. A possible solution to the aforementioned difficulties is power plant hybridization. In this paper, thermo-economic optimization of a hybrid air bottoming cycle (ABC) power plant is accomplished with the objective of minimizing the levelized cost of electricity. The aforementioned hybrid ABC optimization results are compared with a hybrid conventional combined cycle power plant to identify the most cost effective combined cycle configuration for a 50 MWe hybrid power plant. Finally, an already existing ABC power plant hybridization is investigated utilizing payback period, life cycle saving, and levelized cost of electricity approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source and solves today's energy and climate emergency. Near-perfect broadband solar absorbers can offer necessary technical assistance to follow this route and develop an effective solar energy-harvesting system. In this work, the metamaterial perfect absorber operating in the ultraviolet to the near-infrared spectral range was designed, consisting of a periodically aligned titanium (Ti) nanoarray coupled to an optical cavity. Through numerical simulations, the average absorption efficiency of the optimal parameter absorber can reach up to 99.84% in the 200–3000 nm broadband range. We show that the Ti pyramid's localized surface plasmon resonances, the intrinsic loss of the Ti material, and the coupling of resonance modes between two neighboring pyramids are highly responsible for this broadband perfect absorption effect. Additionally, we demonstrate that the absorber exhibits some excellent features desirable for the practical absorption and harvesting of solar energy, such as precision tolerance, polarization independence, and large angular acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of climate forecasting, the Mediterranean region is among the most difficult. It is correlated with the five significant subtropical high pressure belts of the oceans and is symbolized by dry and hot summer and cold and rainy winter. Due to its location in the area, Albania is particularly susceptible to climatic changes. It has been noted that summertime sees the greatest temperature increases. More intense heat waves that stay longer and occur more frequently are anticipated in the eastern Mediterranean. The seasonal patterns of precipitation have not changed, but the amount of rain has become more intense. The effects of climate change have drawn attention to various renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power. In this study, the changes and prospective in average temperature, rainfall, humidity, CO2 emission and their impact in energy production were investigated. Several different models such as Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average method; Prophet algorithm; Elastic- Net Regularized Generalized Linear Model; Random Forest Regression models; Prophet Boost algorithm; have been built for the study and prediction of each variable. The appropriate models are used to determine the anticipated values of the indicators for a period of four years. The prediction shows an increase in CO2 emission which leads to a decrease in energy production by hydropower. These findings suggest the use of other renewable sources for energy production in the country and the Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermittent and stochastic nature of solar energy generation systems, climate change, and the inefficiency of modern power systems due to zero inertia have created many challenges for on-grid operators. Solar forecasting systems based on machine learning algorithms are an emerging and effective solution that uses Big Data related to weather phenomena. However, the predictive ability of these algorithms is hampered by the sporadic nature of solar energy generation. In this article, a robust hybrid machine learning system that utilizes multiple linear regression (MLR) and a Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was tested on solar power plant sites of varying capacities in Germany (100–8500 kW). The volume of Big Data features can be reduced by focusing on the features that significantly improve the reliability of the mid-term forecasting system. In this way, drastic fluctuations in the prediction of photovoltaic (PV) power generation can be avoided. The results of our approach are evaluated regarding real-world data using the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) with feature engineering, and principal component analysis (PCA), in order to forecast PV energy, rank, and track the importance of feature engineering for different PV capacities. Furthermore, we found that the need for selectivity and reduction of performance error was supported by ridge regression. In addition, the proposed novel XGBoost forecast system decreased the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) by 30% and 18%, respectively, compared to the Autoencoder and long short-term memory (LSTM) for same datasets. Furthermore, the CoD determination coefficient ($R^{2}$) increased by 85% compared to the statistical model's autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking the trend of restricted access to natural fossil energy resources determines the need to search for alternative energy sources, introducing energy-efficient technologies, and optimizing the energy supply system based on intelligent networks. Understanding district heating enterprises' readiness to work with innovative renewable resources based on climate neutrality plays a unique role. Thus, this article is devoted to the study of the features of providing and determining the district heating enterprises' capacity to integrate climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The research methodology is based on a combination of systemic, process and cybernetic approaches to determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises for implementing climate innovations. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive assessment of the ability of district heating enterprises to use renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy) for the production of thermal energy according to such indicators as: an indicator of balanced resource use, an indicator of climate neutrality and an indicator of economic feasibility. The results became the basis to apply the set-theoretical approach to calculate the district heating enterprises' coefficient of resource sustainability, based on the climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The innovation of the fuzzy sets method lies in achieving the set goal without the deep formation of a data dynamics series, particularly interval models. The added scientific value of the method to determine the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises is used to justify the feasibility of integrating climate management with the use of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production. The prospects for such results are the basis for future research to develop intersectoral clustering enterprises in the green energy production chain based on a closed cycle of renewable energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian government advocates for a major shift from national reliance on coal to more renewable energy sources. While these aspirations are laudable, a political ecology review reveals the uneven power relations associated with the introduction of renewable energy in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Drawing from fieldwork, research traces how Kerala government solar projects, including schemes to promote rooftop solar, prioritize middle- and upper-class consumers. Historically marginalized communities, including people living below the poverty level and Adivasis (indigenous peoples), are not a priority for the state agency implementing renewable energy and thus are not beneficiaries of cleaner energy. This disconnected approach builds from and exacerbates historical political and resource inequalities and enables the persistence of social and environmental injustices, even while moving towards a lower-carbon future. This model does not allow for all residents to actively engage in decision-making about energy processes and proves to be a missed opportunity to think holistically about development and energy in tandem. Energy democracy provides ideas to disturb this uneven power structure, with cooperatives being one possible way to implement this change. As the case of Kerala underscores, India may undergo an energy transition, but it will not be a just energy transition without significant changes. [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]

The paper presents a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment for two domestic solar hot water systems. The first consists of polypropylene unglazed solar panels coupled with a 300-l storage tank; the second one consists of a traditional system with glazed solar panels coupled with a thermal storage of the same volume. Life cycle assessment was conducted according to the Eco-Indicator 99 methodology, Egalitarian Approach, yielding 49.7 and 18.3 eco-indicator points for the glazed and unglazed panels systems, respectively. In addition, for each domestic solar hot water system, the energy, CO 2 and economic payback times were calculated. In order to take into account the influence of local climate on the solar panels yield evaluate, the systems performance was simulated for three different locations: Rome, Madrid and Munich. The payback times were evaluated with respect to both natural gas and electrical boilers. The Energy Payback Time of the unglazed panel system ranges between 2 and 5 months, that of the glazed panel between 5 and 12 months. The CO 2 Payback Time of the unglazed panel system ranges between 1 and 2 months, that of the glazed panel between 12 and 30 months. The economic payback time, if compared with natural gas boiler, is in the range 9–11 years/8–13 years for the system with unglazed/glazed panels, respectively; if compared with the electrical boiler, it is in the range of 3–4 years for the system with unglazed panels and 4 years for that with glazed panels. The different national costs of natural gas and/or electricity play an important role in the economic payback times. Indeed, in Munich, the smaller energy savings achieved with the renewable systems are offset by the higher costs of these commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy harvesting using Photovoltaic (PV) systems is one of the most popular sources of renewable energy, however the main drawback of PV systems is their low conversion efficiency. An optimal system operation requires an efficient tracking of the Maximum Power Point (MPP), which represents the maximum energy that can be extracted from the PV panel. This paper presents a novel control approach for the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) based on the differential flatness property of the Boost converter, which is one of the most used converters in PV systems. The underlying idea of the proposed control approach is to use the classical flatness-based trajectory tracking control where a reference voltage will be defined in terms of the maximum power provided by the PV panel. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is assessed through numerical simulations and experimental tests. The results show that the controller based on differential flatness is capable of converging in less than 0.15 s and, compared with other MPPT techniques, such as Incremental Conductance and Perturb and Observe, it improves the response against sudden changes in load or weather conditions, reducing the ringing in the output of the system. Based on the results, it can be inferred that the new flatness-based controller represents an alternative to improve the MPPT in PV systems, especially when they are subject to sudden load or weather changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy constitutes one of the most effective alternative energy sources for combating climate change. However, the solar potential in a city can vary depending on the urban morphology. The purpose of this paper is to perform a directional statistical analysis of the distribution of the monthly solar potential of rooftops in the city of Cáceres, Spain, in relation to the orientations and slopes of the rooftops. Two residential areas, one in the city center and one on the outskirts of the city, and an industrial zone, all of which exhibit different urban morphologies, have been evaluated. Statistics have been assessed in consideration of the orientation and slope values of the rooftops as circular data, and the radiation values as linear data. The three dissimilar urban morphologies result in different solar potential values, and the monthly disaggregation of the data enables the ability to detect the differences existing in the solar potential between each zone, during each month. The proposed analysis could also be extrapolated to urban planning for the design of more sustainable cities to face the challenges associated with climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slowing and reversing climate change and keeping energy prices at affordable levels are the main important achievements of the use of renewable energy. About 210% increase in energy consumption from 1990 to 2018, reduction in fossil fuel reserves, and high capacity of renewable energy in Arab countries encourage them to increase the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources as a key way to supply the energy in future and have a sustainable economy. There is no a comprehensive review study to focus on the capacity and strategies of renewable energy in Arab countries at the transnational level until 2030. To fill this gap, this article investigates the current and future capacities and strategies of renewable energy production by 22 Arab countries, which are the center of fossil energy production in the world, until 2030. Indeed, it provides a roadmap for advancement towards energy production from renewable sources in these countries. It is observed that Egypt and Morocco with an installed capacity of 5980 and 3447 MW, respectively, had the highest installed renewable energy capacity among the Arab countries in 2020. The results also showed that most ambitious goal is related to Djibouti, where it is targeted to supply 100% of energy from renewable resource by 2035. Finally, it should be mentioned that most Arab countries focus on solar and wind energy, and very little attention is paid to geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric energy. [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]

Solar energy use in the UK is increasing dramatically, providing both heat energy and generation of electricity. This trend is expected to continue due to solar technologies becoming cheaper and more readily available along with low carbon government legislation such as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) supporting solar energy deployment. However, the effects of climate change on the solar resource remain largely unstudied. Climate change affects cloud cover characteristics and consequently directly affects the performance of solar energy technologies. This paper investigates the UK solar irradiation resource for both the present and future climates. The present solar irradiation level was assessed through the conversion of 30 years of observed historical monthly average sunshine duration data. The method and results are validated by comparing the converted solar irradiation levels to actual solar irradiance measurements at weather stations with significant historical records of solar irradiance data. The impact of climate change is investigated across different regions of the UK by using the UKCP09 probabilistic climate change projections. We find that the current average UK annual solar resource is 101.2 Wm −2 , ranging from 128.4 Wm −2 in the south of England to 71.8 Wm −2 in the northwest of Scotland. It seems likely that climate change will increase the average resource in the south of the UK, while marginally decreasing it in the Northwest. The overall effect is a mean increase of the UK solar resource, however it will have greater seasonal variability and discrepancies between geographical regions will be reinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of renewable energy technologies (RETs) such as biogas, improved cooking stoves (ICSs), micro hydro (MH) and solar power (SP) in helping rural communities in Nepal to adapt to climate change. The analysis considers the energy efficiency of different RETs as well as their socio-economic and environmental impacts. The efficient use of biomass in new technology, such as biogas and ICSs for cooking, has increased energy security and reduced the negative effects of traditional biomass usage. MH and SP systems are replacing candles and kerosene lamps, and are the most promising RET models for electricity generation in rural Nepal. The improved illumination from these technologies also produces better education, health, environments, and social harmony in rural communities. This study uses the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model (LEAP) model to develop a plan for long-term RETs use in Nepal, and specifically focuses on household energy use in rural areas. It assesses the role of biogas and ICSs in rural communities and climate change adaptation in Nepal, along with the potential role of MH and SP technologies. According to the LEAP analysis, the planned implementation of MH for 20-year long-term will result in the reduction of 2.553 million tons of CO2 emissions. Similarly SP, biogas, and ICSs will result in a reduction in CO2 emissions of 5.214 million tons, 35.880 million tons, and 7.452 million tons, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The current editorial summarized some of the scientific works presented in the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Protection (SEEP) conference-held at the University of the West of Scotland, UK, 2018. The selected work was directly related to the scope of the Renewable, Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER) journal. During the conference activities, experts from all around the world in the subjects of: renewable energy, climate change, optimization, and economics presented and discussed the progress made in renewable energy sources, as well as the new strategies for protecting the environment from the hazards connected with fossil fuel utilization. The methods presented in the conference focused on several directions: the development of efficient energy conversion systems with low/no environmental impacts; the suggested policies to widespread renewable energies; the restriction in the emission of greenhouse gases, and the recent progresses in CO 2 capture. This editorial focused on the renewable energy developments and their positive effect on the climate change, and briefly summarized the accepted manuscripts in this issue. • Effects of renewable energy on climate change. • Background on the International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Protection SEEP. • Summary of selected papers of SEEP 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free and open-source hardware (FOSH) development has been shown to increase innovation and reduce economic costs. This article reviews the opportunity to use FOSH as a sanction to undercut imports and exports from a target criminal country. A formal methodology is presented for selecting strategic national investments in FOSH development to improve both national security and global safety. In this methodology, first the target country that is threatening national security or safety is identified. Next, the top imports from the target country as well as potentially other importing countries (allies) are quantified. Hardware is identified that could undercut imports/exports from the target country. Finally, methods to support the FOSH development are enumerated to support production in a commons-based peer production strategy. To demonstrate how this theoretical method works in practice, it is applied as a case study to a current criminal military aggressor nation, who is also a fossil-fuel exporter. The results show that there are numerous existing FOSH and opportunities to develop new FOSH for energy conservation and renewable energy to reduce fossil-fuel-energy demand. Widespread deployment would reduce the concomitant pollution, human health impacts, and environmental desecration as well as cut financing of military operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

First, we recognize the valuable previous studies which model renewable energy growth with complete termination of fossil fuels along with assumptions of the remaining carbon budgets to reach IPCC warming targets. However, these studies use very complex combined economic/physical modeling and commonly lack transparency regarding the sensitivity to assumed inputs. Moreover, it is not clear that energy poverty with its big present impact in the global South has been eliminated in their scenarios. Further, their CO2-equivalent natural gas emission factors are underestimated, which will have significant impact on the computed greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we address this question in a transparent modeling study: can the 1.5 °C warming target still be met with an aggressive phaseout of fossil fuels coupled with a 100% replacement by renewable energy? We compute the continuous generation of global wind/solar energy power along with the cumulative carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in a complete phaseout of fossil fuels over a 20 year period. We compare these computed emissions with the state-of-the-science estimates for the remaining carbon budget of carbon dioxide emissions consistent with the 1.5 °C warming target, concluding that it is still possible to meet this warming target if the creation of a global 100% renewable energy transition of sufficient capacity begins very soon which will likely be needed to power aggressive negative carbon emission technology. The latter is focused on direct air capture for crustal storage. More efficient renewable technologies in the near future will make this transition easier and promote the implementation of a global circular economy. Taking into account technological improvements in 2nd law (exergy) efficiencies reducing the necessary global energy demand, the renewable supply should likely be no more than 1.5 times the present level, with the capacity to eliminate global energy poverty, for climate mitigation and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaics (PV) plays an essential role in decarbonizing the European energy system. However, climate change affects surface solar radiation and will therefore directly influence future PV power generation. We use scenarios from Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) for a mitigation (SSP1-2.6) and a fossil-fuel-dependent (SSP5-8.5) pathway in order to quantify climate risk for solar PV in Europe as simulated by the Global Solar Energy Estimator (GSEE). We find that PV potential increases by around 5 % in the mitigation scenario, suggesting a positive feedback loop between climate change mitigation and PV potential. While increased clear-sky radiation and reduced cloud cover go hand in hand in SSP1-2.6, the effect of a decrease in clear-sky radiation is outweighed by a decrease in cloud cover in SSP5-8.5, resulting in an increase in all-sky radiation. Moreover, we find that the seasonal cycle of PV generation changes in most places, as generation grows more strongly in winter than in summer (SSP1-2.6) or increases in summer and declines in winter (SSP5-8.5). We further analyze climate change impacts on the spatial variability of PV power generation. Similar to the effects anticipated for wind energy, we report an increase in the spatial correlations of daily PV production with large inter-model agreement yet relatively small amplitude, implying that PV power balancing between different regions in continental Europe will become more difficult in the future. Thus, based on the most recent climate simulations, this research supports the notion that climate change will only marginally impact renewable energy potential, while changes in the spatiotemporal generation structure are to be expected and should be included in power system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]