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Purpose: The aim is to analyze the European eco-management because the global warming has become a topical issue impacting the whole world. Individual countries are trying to minimize all the catalysts of global warming, such as carbon emissions. This paper addresses this issue and analyzes the performance of European eco-management for the purpose of future energy investments being environmentally. Design/methodology/approach: This paper develops a fuzzy decision-making model to study the performance indicators of selected countries based on EMAS III standard. It employs interval type-2 fuzzy DEMATEL to evaluate the performance factors and TOPSIS methodology to assess five selected European countries' performance in relation to eco-friendly, emission and renewable energy. Findings: Eco-friendly energy plays the most critical role in this respect followed by emissions and renewable energy which constitute significant factors. The novelty of this study is identifying significant criteria regarding environmental and energy efficiency of investments and making performance assessments of European countries with a new fuzzy decision-making model. Both expert opinions and datasets are used for the analysis. This paper supports previous research about energy efficiency investments in Europe. Research limitations/implications: The innovative feature of this study is identifying significant criteria regarding environmental and energy efficiency of investments and assessing the performance of European countries with a new fuzzy decision-making model. The fact that the analysis only concerns the European region is an important limitation. In future analyses, other groups of countries can be examined. Innovations can be made regarding the method applied. In this context, analyses can be done utilizing different fuzzy numbers. Finally, the importance of the criteria can be calculated with other methods such as SWARA. Practical implications: The paper fills the gap in performance analysis of European eco-management for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments is done in this manuscript. Originality/value: Analysis of European eco-management performance was done for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments. A fuzzy decision-making model is constructed. The paper fills the gap in performance analysis of European eco-management for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an electric servo actuator implementation scheme with an energy recovery link is proposed to address the potential energy being wasted when a load falls. The new electric servo actuator recovers the potential energy dissipated during the load-falling progress by using an accumulator. The accumulator can also provide extra thrust when the load is lifted. Moreover, a dynamic model is established based on the theory of power bond graphs to analyze the dynamic and energy consumption characteristics of the new electric servo actuator. The simulation results show that the new electric servo actuator can significantly reduce the required motor power and effectively recover the potential energy of the load. This achievement is very significant for improving the energy efficiency of electric servo actuators and mitigating global warming. In addition, the modeling method used in this paper has important reference significance for the energy consumption analysis of other mechanical systems with complex energy domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a list of academic articles and research papers related to carbon emissions and their effects. The articles cover various topics such as the analysis of carbon emissions in different regions, the driving factors of carbon emissions, and the impact of carbon emissions on the environment. The articles provide valuable insights into the complex issue of carbon emissions and can be useful for library patrons conducting research on this topic. [Extracted from the article]

The unflinching upsurge in global warming has put the world into a state of disarray, and policymakers are not sure of what the future holds for the ecosystem. To get the global environment back on track of sustainability, efforts are relentlessly emanating from both developed and developing economies to identify the hindering and enhancing factors. Given the preceding narratives, this paper investigates the tripartite impacts of renewable and nonrenewable energy, trade openness, and institutions on sustainable environment in 54 African countries from 1996 to 2019. The study employs the two-step system generalized methods of moment (SYS-GMM) in estimating the effects of the regressors on four indicators of sustainable environment. Six findings are prominent from the study. First, nonrenewable energy (NRE) and trade openness (TO) hinder sustainable environment, while renewable energy enhances it. Second, the unconditional impacts of institutions drive the path to a sustainable environment. Third, the interaction of institutions with NRE and TO hinders sustainable environment. However, after conducting institutional enhancement estimations, the interactive terms became supportive of sustainable environment. Fourth, the thresholds are policy-relevant across the specifications. Specifically, a 31.11% utilization of nonrenewable energy and 43.75% openness to trade contribute to a sustainable environment. Sixth, the impacts of economic growth and its square empirically support the inverted U-shaped EKC. This study suggests the adoption of carbon-taxing on nonrenewable energy products, price-subsidization for renewable energy goods and services, and institutional quality reforms as pathways towards achieving a sustainable environment in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the effort to limit global warming to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, decarbonization of supply chains is crucial. Companies will need to reduce not only their direct and indirect emissions (scope 1 and 2) but also their indirect emissions (scope 3). In some sectors, the upstream scope 3 emissions can actually be larger than the companies' direct emissions. Therefore, a systematic literature review was carried out to understand how previous research in the field of supply chain management (SCM) approached energy efficiency and energy management in the upstream supply chain. The results indicate that only a few studies have addressed energy efficiency within SCM, and the majority assess energy solely as total energy use, without exploring opportunities to reduce final energy use among upstream suppliers. Moreover, results show that there is a lack of standards and methods to assess suppliers' energy use, making it difficult for suppliers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to overcome barriers to implementing energy management. In conclusion, even though energy efficiency is a cost-effective means to reduce CO2 emissions, only a limited number of studies in the field of SCM have integrated energy efficiency, revealing a vast knowledge gap in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globe is now in ecological turmoil as a result of the unrelenting increase in global warming. As a result, governments worldwide are committing to decarbonizing the environment, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) playing an important role in this effort. Hence, this paper evaluates the nonlinear (asymmetric) impact of natural gas consumption on renewable energy consumption and economic growth in the KSA and the UAE utilizing data stretching from 1990 to 2020. The study also considers other drivers of renewable energy consumption and economic growth, such as trade openness and CO2 emissions. The study utilizes nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) to evaluate these associations. The outcomes of bounds nonlinear ARDL (NARDL), affirm the long-run association between the variables in both countries. The nonlinear results show that positive and negative shocks in natural gas consumption have a negative impact on renewable energy in both UAE and KSA. In contrast, positive and negative shocks in natural gas consumption impact economic growth positively. The study proposed vital policy recommendations based on these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing renewable energy (RE) sources can provide a realistic answer to the problem of many nations' energy needs. This paper reviews the current status of using RE to produce electricity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The primary aim of the review is to identify and analyze the solar- and wind-energy utilization, problems, and future trends in KSA while taking into account all relevant aspects, associated development hurdles, and suggested solutions. All involved parties will receive useful results and conclusions from a thorough examination and analysis of the pertinent literature that can assist them in understanding the potential of solar and wind energy, considering all the linked issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe global warming issue currently threatens humans' existence and development. Countries and international organizations have effectively implemented policies to reduce carbon emissions and investigate low-carbon growth strategies. Reducing carbon emissions is a hot topic that academics and government policy-making departments are concerned about.Through necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA), this paper investigates local governments' configuration linkage effect and path choice to improve carbon emission performance from six dimensions: energy consumption, industrial structure, technological innovation, government support, economic development, and demographic factors. The research findings include the following: (1) Individual condition does not represent necessary conditions for the government's carbon performance. Among the two sets of second-order equivalence configurations(S and Q) (five high-level carbon performance configurations), those dominated by economic development or low energy consumption can produce high-level carbon performance. Therefore, the six antecedent conditions dimensions work together to explain how the government can create high levels of carbon performance. (2)According to the regional comparison, China's eastern, central, and western regions exhibit similarities and differences in the driving forces behind high carbon emission performance. All three regions can demonstrate carbon emission performance when all the factors are combined. However, when constrained by the conditions of each region's resource endowment, the eastern region emphasizes the advantage of economic and technological innovation, the central region favors government support and demographic factors, and the western region prefers upgrading industrial structure based on a specific level of economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of the global warming process, the clean energy crisis is becoming serious; conventional energy is unlikely to solve the current crisis, so people pay attention to new energy. As wave energy is widely distributed, renewable, and clean, hundreds of wave energy converters emerge. In order to understand the research progress of wave energy converters better, this paper divides wave energy converters into overtopping type, oscillating water column type, and oscillating body type according to the working principle and divides the oscillating body type into oscillating float type and oscillating pendulum type by different ways of energy capture. Based on the classification, various types of engineering cases, physical tests and digital simulation, and other academic research results are summarized, especially the generation power and energy conversion efficiency of various devices, and some shortcomings and suggestions are put forward, hoping to provide help for readers to study wave energy generation converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the challenges of global warming and the development of A low-carbon economy, the integrated electricity and natural gas energy system (IEGES) is known as an important structure for future energy supply; thus, its planning and design must take low-carbon and environmental protection factors into account. Regarding carbon emissions as an optimization criterion, this paper built life-cycle carbon emission models of IEGES components. Then, taking the capacities of the energy resources, storage and conversion units of IEGES as the optimization variables, a multi-objective optimization configuration model was established considering the annual investment operation cost and the life-cycle carbon emissions. The multi-objective model was transformed into a single-objective one by an ε-constraint approach and the polynomial fitting method was employed to obtain the value of ε for obtaining uniformly distributed Pareto sets. Based on the fuzzy entropy weight method and the fuzzy affiliation degree approach, the obtained Pareto sets were ranked and the solution with the highest ranking value was selected as the optimal solution for the original problem. Finally, the configuration schemes were analyzed from the perspectives of economy, carbon emission and renewable energy utilization, and the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed optimization method were verified through MATLAB simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive use of energy has caused a rapid increase in global carbon dioxide emissions, resulting in a series of environmental problems such as climate warming. Investment in the energy industry can guide funds into green and clean production, reduce carbon emissions in the energy industry, and promote the green development of the energy industry. This paper considers the energy, the environment, the economy, and other factors and focuses on energy consumption and investment structure. Taking 30 provinces in China as research samples, a dynamic spatial Durbin model is established. The results show that the first-order term of carbon emissions has a driving force of 0.5068% for current carbon emissions at a significance level of 1% and that the increase in current carbon emissions will lead to a continued increase in carbon emissions in the next period. The increase in the carbon emissions of neighbouring provinces will increase their carbon emissions through the spatial spillover effect. Whether in the short term or long term, the increase in energy investment and the optimization of the energy investment structure can reduce carbon emissions. The above conclusions can provide a reference for the formulation of government environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EV development is being prioritized in order to attain the target of net zero emissions by 2050. Electric vehicles have the potential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which contribute to global warming. The driving range of electric vehicles is a significant limitation that prevents people from using them generally. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for calculating the amount of energy needed to charge EVs for a scheduled trip. The model contains anticipated consumption energy for the whole trip as well as contingency energy to account for unpredictable conditions. The model is simple to apply to various types of electric vehicles and produces results with sufficient precision. A number of driving tests with different road characteristics and weather conditions were implemented to evaluate the success of the proposed method. The findings could help the users feel more confidence when driving EVs, promote the usage of EVs, and advocate for the increased use of green and renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overheating in school buildings can negatively affect the cognitive learning performance of particularly young students whose thermoregulation systems are still developing. However, currently, in schools, issues related to overheating have been addressed by limiting the exposure time to thermal discomfort. In this paper, the development of a general procedure that combines building and bioheat simulations to evaluate overheating risk in schools and generate health-based overheating limit criteria that may be applied in Canadian schools is described. General school building models, having either old or new constructions, were created based on a primary school building and successfully calibrated using field measurements of indoor temperature and humidity and published building energy use intensity data. Three sets of two limit criteria (exposure duration and severity of overheating) that account for the personal exposure conditions of students in primary, middle, and secondary schools were developed by limiting the body dehydration of students during extreme overheating events. Comparing the proposed limit criteria with the hour of exceedance criterion revealed interesting relationships between them, suggesting the proposed limit criteria as a benchmark for the comfort-based criteria, particularly for the more vulnerable primary and middle schools. The proposed procedure with the obtained overheating limit criteria is intended to be applied in any field or simulation study to assess the risk of overheating in similar school buildings under any local prevailing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the serious threat of global warming caused by carbon emissions, commercial refrigeration systems that generate cooling are unable to adjust their usage time. Therefore, it is essential to enhance the energy efficiency of refrigeration systems themselves. Recently developed refrigeration systems offer improved energy consumption efficiency as they utilize inverter-type outdoor units that can communicate with indoor units. However, traditional legacy refrigeration systems still suffer from poor energy efficiency because the existing indoor units cannot communicate with inverter-type outdoor units. Hence, this paper introduces a heuristic energy efficiency improvement algorithm for commercial refrigeration systems using legacy indoor units when an inverter-type outdoor unit is installed. In particular, to reduce the computational complexity of the process of selecting the optimal temperature difference and target low-pressure variables that can enhance energy efficiency, the algorithm employs the Monte Carlo method. Finally, the performance of the proposed heuristic energy efficiency improvement algorithm was evaluated in a laboratory environment to confirm its applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ejector cycles achieved higher performance than booster cycle within the gas cooler outlet temperature range of 31 and 50°C. • Multi-ejectors can be applied to ejector cycles with different configurations. • Up to 17% annual energy consumption reduction was found using ejector cycles. • Unit product exergy costs of ejector cycles are up to 28% lower than booster cycle. Restrictions on high-GWP refrigerants have made the use of transcritical CO 2 refrigeration systems widespread. Using transcritical booster refrigeration cycle in warm climates is unsatisfactory due to its high energy consumption. This paper presents theoretical analysis and performance comparison of three different transcritical CO 2 supermarket refrigeration cycle configurations with ejector expansion in Türkiye, which has different climatic regions. Bin-hour data were derived using hourly dry-bulb temperature values for provinces from 7 different regions in Türkiye. The applicability of multi-ejectors to each modeled cycle was also investigated. Annual energy consumption and environmental impact reductions of up to 17% were obtained using ejector expansion cycle compared to booster cycle. Ejector expansion cycles achieved higher performance than booster cycle up to 46% in terms of exergy efficiency at investigated ambient temperatures. Unit product exergy costs of the ejector cycles were found up to 28% lower than booster cycle. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The country's energy demand is experiencing rapid growth, and fossil fuels remain the primary resources to meet this increasing need. However, global warming poses a significant challenge for governments and industries worldwide. To address this issue, utilizing methane as a fossil fuel and implementing CO2 capture and sequestration can prove to be effective mitigation strategies. This paper presents an innovative idea to utilize unmineable coal seams in the Singrauli coal field for CO2 sequestration while extracting associated CBM to offset the cost of the sequestration process. The findings reveal that the field has great potential for CO2 sequestration. The estimated average maximum sorption capacities of CO2 and CH4 in the coal seams under in situ conditions of the basin are 39.50 m3/t and 11.15 m3/t, respectively. The total maximum sorption capacities of CO2 and CH4 in the potential coal seams are estimated to be 10,758.00 Mm3 and 3,215.00 Mm3, respectively. These results indicate that the unmineable coal seams in the Singrauli coalfield hold potential for CO2 sequestration and the extraction of available CBM from the coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In temperate climates, such as in most parts of Italy, it is necessary to limit both winter heat losses of buildings and their overheating in other periods. Moreover, in warmer Mediterranean climates the convenience of insulation against the building's thermal inertia must also be evaluated. Therefore, when the energy renovation of an old building with heavy masonry is performed the problem is to optimize the position and the thickness of the additional insulation. In presence of extended glazed surfaces, the most appropriate solar control strategy should be defined too. Both issues are present in many old Italian public buildings. This paper deals with a computerized methodology for optimizing these choices by taking into account the interactions between thermal mass, additional insulation as well as internal and solar gains. The case study consists in a typical school building from the early 1900s. Building's thermal behavior was simulated in different Italian climates: Bologna, Roma and Palermo. The effects of various solutions on energy demand and comfort were compared. The possible effects of different types of masonry, different building's orientations and various intended uses were also explored. Simulation results show that the optimal intervention strategy, for the considered type of building, depends not only on the climate but also on the building's intended use, which determines the internal gains and the time profile of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses, as a case study, various balcony glazing arrangements in a typical tourist apartment building on the Mediterranean coast of south-eastern Spain, and their effects on the energy performance. The glazing of terraces has been very common in this type of flat over the last 40 years. The objective is to determine qualitatively and quantitatively how the glazing of terraces in such buildings influences their energy efficiency and indoor thermal comfort, considering the specific characteristics of the dry Mediterranean climate (BShs) within a warm semi-arid climate (BSh). The scientific novelty of the work consists of demonstrating that the installation of glazed enclosures on terraces allows the houses to be heated for free in winter, taking advantage of the greenhouse effect, and allows excess heat to be dissipated in summer by using natural ventilation. The results of the work enable the determination of appropriate terrace glazing solutions to improve the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of the dwelling, obtaining a reduction of more than 58% in annual energy demand and annual energy consumption. The work demonstrates the advantages that glazing systems for terraces can have in improving the energy efficiency of houses by using systems like glass curtains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The globally increasing trend of fossil fuel consumption has culminated in a historical degradation of the environment and the rising threat of global warming. Researchers and policymakers aim at examining critical relationships between energy productivity and environmental degradation to make recommendations for global policy action. This paper aims to capture the effect of energy productivity on environmental degradation in Poland from 1990Q1 to 2019Q4, using novel Fourier-bases ADF unit root and Fourier-based ARDL approaches. First, outcomes of the Fourier ARDL bounds test indicate that variables are integrated; second, outcomes of the Fourier ARDL long-run estimates indicate that (i) energy productivity has long-run negative effects on CO2 emissions; and (ii) economic growth, globalization, and primary energy consumption have positive effects on CO2 emissions. Among the options available to Polish policymakers are (i) liberalizing domestic energy markets to offer an opportunity for electricity consumers to switch companies and (ii) continuing to pursue a policy of decarbonizing energy supply by investing heavily in renewable energy, nuclear power, e-mobility, and energy productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology is being looked at to solve numerous real-world problems that demand transparency by meeting sustainable goals. Do we ponder whether this technology is a boon or a bane for the environment? This paper analyses blockchain's dominant consensus method, Proof-of-Work (PoW), which consumes more energy than Malaysia and Sweden and further deteriorates the environment through carbon emissions. This study is the first systematic evaluation of PoW consensus-based blockchain applications' environmental consequences. We found 11 significant Theories, 6 Contexts, and 26 Methodologies (TCM) in 60 reviewed articles. We propose an Antecedents, Drivers, and Outcomes (ADO) model, which depicts that marginal profits drive high energy consumption and carbon emissions, with non-renewable energy proportionally responsible for carbon emissions. The article distinctively uses an integrated TCM-ADO framework for literature synthesis and the PESTLE framework for reporting future research areas. This is the first study to use the following four frameworks: PRISMA; TCM; ADO; and PESTLE for systematic literature review. Profit is identified as one of the most significant drivers of energy consumption and further carbon emissions. The article proposes 65 future research areas and makes theoretical contributions to the literature that may interest academicians, practitioners, and social stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the effect of certain factors on electricity consumption in Spain at a sectoral level. An electricity consumption function has been estimated by using panel data, depending on gross value added (GVA), temperatures, capitalization, and human capital. This function is obtained for total productive electricity consumption and for the agricultural, construction, industrial, service, and public administration sectors, referring to the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain for the 2000–2013 period. The obtained results show important sectoral differences in the effect that GVA has on electricity consumption, indicating a positive and increasing effect of temperatures above 22 °C in the total economy and in the tertiary sector, and a negative effect of temperatures below 18 °C in some sectors. These results may indicate that global warming may induce an electricity demand growth in Spain, especially related to cooling needs. The results also highlight the positive effects of capitalization in all sectors, and the negative effects of human capital, except for the public administration sector. In this context, it may be appropriate to carry out policies that mitigate this consumption growth, reinforcing energy efficiency measures, and human capital investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving energy efficiency is regarded as a key path to tackling global warming and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2020, the energy consumption of the world's ten major energy-consuming countries accounted for 66.8% of the global total. This paper applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate these ten major energy-consuming countries' total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) at national and sectoral levels from 2001-2020, and explored the influencing factors of total-factor energy efficiency with the Tobit regression model. The results showed significant difference in the ten countries' energy efficiency. The United States and Germany topped the list for total-factor energy efficiency, while China and India were at the bottom. Meanwhile, the energy efficiency of the industrial subsector has increased significantly over the past two decades, while that of the other subsectors has been relatively flat. The industrial structure upgrading, per capita GDP, energy consumption structure, and foreign direct investment had significant impacts on energy efficiency with national heterogeneity. Energy consumption structure and GDP per capita were determinative factors of energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do neurons communicate through spikes? By definition, spikes are all-or-none neural events which occur at continuous times. In other words, spikes are on one side binary, existing or not without further details, and on the other, can occur at any asynchronous time, without the need for a centralized clock. This stands in stark contrast to the analog representation of values and the discretized timing classically used in digital processing and at the base of modern-day neural networks. As neural systems almost systematically use this so-called event-based representation in the living world, a better understanding of this phenomenon remains a fundamental challenge in neurobiology in order to better interpret the profusion of recorded data. With the growing need for intelligent embedded systems, it also emerges as a new computing paradigm to enable the efficient operation of a new class of sensors and event-based computers, called neuromorphic, which could enable significant gains in computation time and energy consumption—a major societal issue in the era of the digital economy and global warming. In this review paper, we provide evidence from biology, theory and engineering that the precise timing of spikes plays a crucial role in our understanding of the efficiency of neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioethanol is expected to have a major contribution to transportation fuel consumption; hence, environmental analyses are crucial tools to evaluate its environmental performances. In this paper, a life cycle assessment is carried out to study the environmental performance of a bioethanol production system from Tunisian waste dates. The life cycle foreground data were derived from process simulation, while the background data were provided by the Ecoinvent 3.3 database. The impact assessment method applied is the ReCiPe midpoint (H). Seven environmental impact categories are discussed in detail in the interpretation section: global warming, acidification, eutrophication, agricultural land occupation, water depletion, cumulative energy, and cumulative exergy demands. The results indicate that 1 MJ of bioethanol produced from waste dates generates approximately 0.07 kg CO2-eq, which appears comparable with second-generation bioethanol production. One MJ of bioethanol requires approximately 1.087 MJ-eq of primary energy consumption of which 1.065 MJ is nonrenewable. The electric power generation process is the main contributor to most of the environmental impact categories (process hot spot). Therefore, it is strongly recommended to rely on renewable electricity generation to ensure relevant environmental improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to global warming, China has formulated the "double carbon" strategic goals of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality before 2060. The problem of rural carbon emissions is often ignored due to underdeveloped industries and services. In this paper, the carbon emission pathways in the rural areas of Guangdong Province are investigated. Since energy consumption is the main source of carbon emissions, the factor analysis was used to analyze the main factors affecting rural household energy consumption and agricultural production energy consumption. Multiple linear regression was conducted to predict the rural energy consumption demand in Guangdong. Furthermore, the current situation and development trend of rural energy supply, demand and consumption structure, and the potential of renewable energy development were considered to predict carbon emissions in the rural areas of Guangdong. Moreover, the carbon emission pathways in the rural areas of Guangdong were discussed under two scenarios: the base scenario and the radical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a comparison of the fuel oil (FO) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of a container ship's 8000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) during oceanographic navigation. The evaluation has two types of FOs: a 3.4% heavy fuel oil with desulfurization (HFOWD) and a 0.5% very-low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), based on the sulfur cap policy of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The results show the average FO consumption at 130 tons/day of HFOWD and 141 tons/day of VLSFO, which means shifting to VLSFO increases fuel consumption 8.4% more than the HFOWD. The average CO2 emissions are 429 tons/day of the HFOWD and 471 tons/day of the VLSFO, indicating an 9.5% increase in CO2 emissions when the IMO adopts the low-sulfur fuel policy. Moreover, the VLSFO blending of various chemicals further deteriorates and wears out the main engine of the ship. IMO's low-sulfur fuel policy significantly reduced the emission of sulfur oxides (SOX) and particulate matter emissions. Still, we should not ignore the fact that adopting VLSFO may cause more CO2 emissions. Therefore, while switching to low-sulfur fuels, the maritime industry should improve the related energy efficiency to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy need is predicted to increase by 48% in the next 30 years. Global warming resulting from the continuously increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is becoming a serious and pressing issue that needs to be controlled. CO2 capture and storage/use (CCS/CCU) provide a promising route to mitigate the environmental consequences of CO2 emission from fossil fuel combustion. In recent years, hollow fiber membrane contactors are regarded as an advanced technique with several competitive advantages over conventional technologies such as easy scale-up, independent control of flow rates, more operational flexibility, absence of flooding and foaming as well as high interfacial area per unit volume. However, many factors such as the membrane material selection, proper choice of solvent, and membrane module design are critical to success. In this regard, this paper aims at covering all areas related to hollow fiber membranes, including membrane material, membrane modification, membrane surface modification, shape, solvent characterization, operating parameters and costs, hybrid process, membrane lifetime, and energy consumption as well as commercially available systems. Current progress, future potential, and development of pilot-scale applications of this strategy are also assessed carefully. Furthermore, pore wetting as the main technical challenge in membrane contactor industrial implementation for post- and pre-combustion CO2 capture processes is investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war on Ukraine have impacted the global economy, including the energy sector. The pandemic caused drastic fluctuations in energy demand, oil price shocks, disruptions in energy supply chains, and hampered energy investments, while the war left the world with energy price hikes and energy security challenges. The long-term impacts of these crises on low-carbon energy transitions and mitigation of climate change are still uncertain but are slowly emerging. This paper analyzes the impacts throughout the energy system, including upstream fuel supply, renewable energy investments, demand for energy services, and implications for energy equity, by reviewing recent studies and consulting experts in the field. We find that both crises initially appeared as opportunities for low-carbon energy transitions: the pandemic by showing the extent of lifestyle and behavioral change in a short period and the role of science-based policy advice, and the war by highlighting the need for greater energy diversification and reliance on local, renewable energy sources. However, the early evidence suggests that policymaking worldwide is focused on short-term, seemingly quicker solutions, such as supporting the incumbent energy industry in the post-pandemic era to save the economy and looking for new fossil fuel supply routes for enhancing energy security following the war. As such, the fossil fuel industry may emerge even stronger after these energy crises creating new lock-ins. This implies that the public sentiment against dependency on fossil fuels may end as a lost opportunity to translate into actions toward climate-friendly energy transitions, without ambitious plans for phasing out such fuels altogether. We propose policy recommendations to overcome these challenges toward achieving resilient and sustainable energy systems, mostly driven by energy services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The share of wind-based electricity generation is gradually increasing in the world energy market. Wind energy can reduce dependency on fossil fuels, as the result being attributed to a decrease in global warming. This paper discusses and reviews the basic principle parameters that affect the performance of wind turbines. An overview presents the introduction and the background of energy consumption, following the order of the elaboration of wind turbines, including mathematical models, categories of wind turbines were critically discussed. Moreover, it also focuses on materials that are commonly considered for wind turbine manufacturing, and the process used to recycle them. The scale of recycling methods for fiberglass and thermoplastic is presented in the respective section. Various parameters that reduce the function of wind turbines are explained in depth. This review also discusses various environmental impacts of wind turbines. Future research studies are suggested in the conclusion section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential increase in the number of daily traveling vehicles has exacerbated global warming and environmental pollution issues. These problems directly threaten the continuity and quality of life on the planet. Several techniques and technologies have been used and developed to reduce fuel consumption and gas emissions of traveling vehicles over the road network. Here, we investigate some solutions that assist drivers to follow efficient driving tips during their trips. Advanced technologies of communications or vehicle manufacturing have enhanced traffic efficiency over road networks. In addition, several advisory systems have been proposed to recommend to drivers the most efficient speed, route, or other decisions to follow towards their targeted destinations. These recommendations are selected according to the real-time traffic distribution and the context of the road network. In this paper, different high fuel consumption scenarios are investigated over the road networks. Next, the details of efficient driving techniques that were proposed to tackle each case accordingly are reviewed and categorized for downtown and highway driving. Finally, a set of remarks and existing gaps are reported to researchers in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption is steadily increasing with the ever-growing population, leading to a rise in global warming. Building energy consumption is one of the major sources of global warming, which can be controlled with renewable energy installations. This paper deals with an advanced evacuated hybrid solar photovoltaic–thermal collector (PVT) for simultaneous production of electricity and domestic hot water (DHW) with lower carbon emissions. Most PVT projects focus on increasing electricity production by cooling the photovoltaic (PV). However, in this research, increasing thermal efficiency is investigated through vacuum glass tube encapsulation. The required area for conventional unglazed PVT systems varies between 1.6–2 times of solar thermal collectors for similar thermal output. In the case of encapsulation, the required area can decrease by minimizing convective losses from the system. Surprisingly, the electrical efficiency was not decreased by encapsulating the PVT system. The performance of evacuated PVT is compared to glazed and unglazed PVTs, and the result shows a 40% increase in thermal performance with the proposed system. All three systems are simulated in ANSYS 18.1 (Canonsburg, PA, USA) at different mass flow rates and solar irradiance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is resulting in higher summer indoor temperatures in the severe cold region and cold region of China, and this is affecting thermal comfort. Local building design codes consider these regions as cool in summer, and do not consider the phenomenon of overheating or propose countermeasures. This paper studied the possibility of overheating in residential buildings in these areas. It suggested alleviating this phenomenon using external horizontal shading, and discussed how to integrate thermal comfort into the building design and save energy consumption. The IESVE software was used to simulate 18-storey residential buildings with natural ventilation in Yichun, Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, and Beijing, and to calculate the change in indoor operative temperature. Horizontal shading was designed for case study building to attempt to alleviate the overheating phenomenon in summer. The results showed that the case study building in the five cities experienced different degrees of overheating. External horizontal shading was successful in reducing indoor overheating, especially in the severe cold B and C zones and the cold A and B zones. The relevant building codes should be modified to take this into account. Reasonable design of horizontal shading can effectively reduce energy consumption, particularly when compared with air-conditioned buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption in buildings is a major contributor to global warming and therefore has become a field of intensive research. This type of energy consumption can be described in two dimensions: an appliance‐based dimension and a behaviour‐based dimension. To address the behaviour‐based dimension a recent study proposed a cognitive human‐building interaction model that builds on the instance‐based learning paradigm. However, since the values of the standard cognitive parameters commonly used for modelling lab‐based behaviours are not suitable for the 'real‐world' domain of human‐building interaction, this paper aims to identify cognitive parameter values adapted to and suitable for the specific character of this application domain. To achieve this goal, a virtual test environment—consisting of an occupied room and a corresponding model task—was designed to test the performance of the model and its dependence on a set of fundamental cognitive parameters. A test criterion was developed that did not depend on empirical data but used the predictive consistency of the model as reference. A range of values was pre‐selected for each parameter based on theoretical and empirical considerations, which was then tested against the evaluation criterion. The performance of the model was improved significantly throughout the parametrisation process and yielded plausible results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impacts of decarbonisation in three energy-intensive sectors/institutions (electricity generation, road transport, and household consumption) on four economic and environmental variables (value added, employment, energy consumption, and emissions). In our basic scenario, the EU is supposed to complete the decarbonisation of the selected sectors in 30 years, whereas in the rest of the world these sectors will be 30% decarbonised. We hypothesise that emissions and employment will fall once renewable sources of energy replace fossil fuels. Yet, in the meanwhile, massive investments are needed to build the required infrastructure. To compute the full impact, we apply a multiplier-accelerator model to a global multiregional hybrid input–output table derived from EXIOBASE3. In the EU, such a decarbonisation reduces yearly energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and employment by 22%, 19%, and 4%, respectively. Thus, additional measures are necessary to avoid global warming and absorb unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising concerns about global warming have motivated the international community to take remedial actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is believed to be one of the largest air polluters. The quantity of greenhouse gas emissions is directly linked to the fuel consumption of vehicles. Eco-driving is an emergent driving style that aims at improving gas mileage. Real-time fuel estimation is a critical feature of eco-driving and eco-routing. There are numerous approaches to fuel estimation. The first approach uses instantaneous values of speed and acceleration. This can be accomplished using either GPS data or direct reading through the OBDII interface. The second approach uses the average value of the speed and acceleration that can be measured using historical data or through web mapping. The former cannot be used for route planning. The latter can be used for eco-routing. This paper elaborates on a highly pipelined VLSI architecture for the fuel estimation algorithm. Several high-level transformation techniques have been exercised to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. Three competing architectures have been implemented on FPGA and compared. The first one uses a binary search algorithm, the second architecture employs a direct address table, and the last one uses approximation techniques. The complexity of the algorithm is further reduced by combining both approximated computing and precalculation. This approach helped reduce the floating-point operations by 30% compared with the state-of-the-art implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart technology has potential in tracking the key challenges based on population based on the sustainable future. In today's cultures, a smart approach enables for the integration of information needed to address crucial concerns. The critical challenge is to limit the effects of global warming while maintaining a balanced economic growth. The impact of global warming mitigates the fundamental problem while ensuring the balance economic development. Intense research efforts should be directed toward balanced resource utilization, renewable energy system integration, efficient energy conversion technologies, effective process integration, effective techniques to enable a circular economy framework, and other issues that are important to the population. This paper finds the latest technology in the field of smart grid technologies which focused on the effective enhancement and efficient utilization of resource. The issues and challenges in using sustainable future are discussed and bring new ideas towards the sustainable future base on the application of smart technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Car ownership and use is a main contributor to the deterioration of air quality in cities and to global warming. There is thus a pressing need to understand their determinants in this era of increasing demand for mobility. This paper studies car ownership and use decisions in a car-dominant developing country context, and quantifies the effect of public transportation availability on these decisions. A discrete–continuous modeling framework that estimates car ownership and use simultaneously is presented. People's latent attitudes towards public transportation and the private car are also assumed to influence these decisions. The model is applied to the case of Lebanon, a developing country characterized by a high car ownership rate, a high percentage of trips made by car, and an informal public transportation system. Five policy scenarios involving potential improvements to the public transportation system, land use densification, or increase in fuel taxes were tested. The findings show that the current public transportation accessibility level has a minor impact on car ownership, but none on car usage. Only if major improvements to the public transportation services are enacted would a decrease in car ownership and usage be achieved. In such a case, model outcomes show that car ownership will be reduced in households with two cars by 5.88% and usage in general will be reduced by 15.22%. As a result, emissions and fuel consumption will be reduced by around 15%. Densification of zones outside Municipal Beirut is also a promising strategy for reducing car usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TeMA Journal of Land Use Mobility and Environment focuses on the integration of urban transformation studies and mobility governance for environmental sustainability. The 2024 volume addresses various challenges faced by cities in the 21st century, including global warming, an aging population, energy consumption reduction, immigration flows, land use optimization, and technological innovation. The articles cover topics such as land use changes in coastal wetlands in Sri Lanka, gender analysis of urban mobility behaviors in Tunisia, sustainable development and the role of new public spaces, spatial attractiveness for industrial placement, planning the transition of cities, and the cost of shopping in physical and virtual spaces. The journal also includes review notes on energy transition policies, strategies for active mobility, climate change adaptation, and urban safety for women. [Extracted from the article]

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report said that without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C is beyond reach. According to a new IEA (International Energy Agency) analysis, CO2 emissions rose by 6% in 2021 to 36.3 billion tonnes, their highest ever level, as the world economy rebounded strongly from the Covid-19-pandemic crisis. The direct greenhouse gas emissions (COx, CH4, NOx) come mostly from agriculture (crops cultivation) and the livestock sector. Indirect reduction of CO2 emissions in livestock farms and the food and beverage industry can involve using electric motors with high energetic efficiency. Electric motors represent worldwide, around 50% of electricity consumption. A recent study highlights that if the world's 300 million industrial motor-driven systems were replaced with optimized, high-efficiency equipment, global electricity consumption could be reduced by 10%. This paper analyses the International and European Commission Regulations for efficiency and the new Ecodesign measures for electric motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even if it seems that some goods (e.g. oil and gas) are infinite, they are not, and their usage can irreversibly damage our planet. Exploiting the planet's resources means fighting against global warming and carbon emissions. Therefore, we are constrained to find better, more sustainable ways of life through eco-friendly brands and companies. Environmentally sustainable businesses are gaining a powerful reputation for their commitment to the environment and their ability to inspire sustainable practices. Companies are discovering sustainable strategies that give them the power to grow and the opportunities to scale marketplaces. Becoming an eco-friendly company means reducing the pressure of law, diminishing costs of utilities (energy or workspaces), and cultivating a credible business image. 90% of CEOs believe that sustainability is essential for businesses' market growth. Moreover, a company's longevity highly depends on how employees engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies and actions. Today, companies must adopt sustainable views and evaluate products or services. Hence, also publications and sustainability reports are crucial to ensure end-to-end transparency. A sustainable company requires attention, awareness, debate, and research in the environmental, economic, and social fields. Moreover, sustainable businesses are related to ethics and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues by maintaining and reinforcing a positive image, credibility, and reputation within the environment. The main contribution of this paper lies in the study of literature reviews of peer-reviewed scientific journals, in the analysis of the available data, and in the formulation of a framework designed for bringing a structured view for sustainable companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-source heat pumps are strongly influenced by outdoor conditions, it is expected that ongoing climate changes may impact their operation. This paper presents a predictive analysis of the behaviour of air-source heat pumps in two cities with extremely cold and warm climates in the short, medium, and long term. The seasonal coefficient of performance and heat pump seasonal energy efficiency index are evaluated over the years, considering climate change for both locations. Climate change will shorten the winter period and prolong the summer. In winter, this results in a slight softening of the seasonal coefficient of performance and a reduction in operating hours. In summer, there is a slight increase in seasonal energy efficiency ratio values and hours of operation. The work highlights how the performance of the air-source heat pump, on average, will improve in winter due to an average increase in temperature. Heat pumps are expected to be used in the future and in geographical areas where they are not currently used due to the extreme winter temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-duty trucks emit >25% of the CO2 of the European road transport sector despite representing ≈2.5% of its fleet. Escalating temperatures associated to global warming will increase the use of air-conditioning (AC) in heavy-duty trucks, further raising their fuel consumption and emissions. Thus, sustainable solutions are needed to reduce the thermal loads affecting the truck cabins, to minimize the need for AC and decrease the sector's costs and environmental footprint. We assessed the economic and environmental impact of AC use in the European heavy-duty transportation fleet, for realistic environmental conditions throughout the year, across the different European regions. Potential reductions were estimated for various changes in the optical properties of the cabin external paints and glazing elements (windshield and side-windows). The use of high-reflectivity paints in the cabin external surfaces and low-transmissivity glazing can reduce fuel costs by ≈€195 million/year across Europe (i.e., ≈0.1% of the total fuel costs of the European heavy-duty fleet), and decrease CO2 emissions by 1% of the reduction target set for 2025. These potential reductions highlight the importance of engaging with transportation stakeholders (e.g., workers unions, vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and regulating bodies), to raise awareness about the potential benefits for the European transportation sector and the environment, and to promote the necessary adaptation in the transportation fleets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a concept that utilizes historical time-series data from transmission system operators (TSOs) to estimate the optimal day-ahead energy-mix proportion for a power system dominated by converters. • This paper employs a long short-term memory (LSTM) network as a data-driven model to forecast the day-ahead values of key parameters. • To ensure secure system functioning, an energy-mix operation and reserve scheduling model is developed. • This paper emphasizes the importance of power system security in incorporating inverter based resources (IBRs). Advancements in various scientific fields have encouraged the development of novel tools, techniques, components, methodologies, and innovations aimed at addressing the challenges encountered in modern power systems dominated by inverter-based resources (IBRs). This paper focuses on a concept that leverages historical time-series data obtained from transmission system operators (TSOs) to enhance the secure management and operation of power systems. By employing a data-driven model, the day-ahead values of power generation and load consumption are estimated and integrated with a dynamic model of the power system for further analysis. To optimize energy generation and ensure grid stability, an energy-mix operation and reserve scheduling model is utilized. This model optimally combines different power-generating technologies, including synchronous generators (SGs), grid-following converters (GFLs), and grid-forming converters (GFMs), to meet the energy demands of the day while enhancing the overall system strength. The findings are supported by quantitative analysis utilizing variables such as frequency, power production, terminal voltages, and system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP). Simulation results demonstrate that implementing the proposed concept enables the power system under consideration to operate securely, even in the face of a 38% increase in immediate load, with a maximum SNSP ratio of 59%. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the proposed approach in addressing the reliability, system dynamics, stability, control efficiency, and security challenges posed by IBR-dominated power systems. Furthermore, it is believed that this research contributes to the ongoing efforts in decarbonization, renewable energy integration, and combating global warming by facilitating the secure and optimized operation of renewable energy-dominated power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]