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Continued growth of distributed solar energy capacity in urban environments is expected to create intersectional, spatial challenges for electricity grid stakeholders. This paper assesses how spatial decision-support systems produce reliable data that can facilitate planning between multiple stakeholder groups. A review of SDSS tools that already exist demonstrates weaknesses in functional capacity, spatial capabilities and/or transparency. We propose a workflow that models a suitable solar SDSS and demonstrate its application with a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration rates of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology have growth exponentially and are expected to continue growing. Consequently, in the medium term, the volume of PV panels to be decommissioned will also increase, thus creating a massive amount of waste with resulting negative environmental implications. Among the methodologies that tackle the challenges for reducing the use of non-renewable abiotic resources and the level of waste, the novel cradle-to-cradle (C2C) manufacturing approach states that we can maintain our current levels of economic growth without damaging the environment and promoting a shift in the concept of re-cycling. While the possibility of applying C2C principles within a closed-loop material cycle (CLMC) looks promising, it still requires further research and improvement, particularly to support robust business decisions and policy development. This paper first presents the main challenges and opportunities for C2C implementation for silicon-based solar PV modules, given the complexity of creating and maintaining a true CLMC system. It then calls for urgent development of a credible scientific framework for system modelling, based on thermodynamics and mathematics, in order to truly move from re-cycling to up-cycling. As an initial step, a conceptual model and a suitable time-space scale for the required C2C-CLMC system is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A national energy strategy in Mexico to 2028, derived from the recent energy reform, projects a considerable shift in the national power generation mix leading to changes on its environmental profile. Therefore, this paper aims to compare the potential environmental impacts of the electricity generation under previous, current and projected energy mixes in Mexico at a national and regional scale considering the Yucatan state as the regional case study. These were estimated with a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) following the CML–IA 2000 V2.05 methodology and including the baseline environmental impact categories. Results indicate that the environmental impacts per generated kWh of electricity have decreased in Mexico from 2007 to 2013 and would keep decreasing at a faster rate until 2028 according to current projections. In Yucatan, the environmental impacts increased from 2007 to 2013 due to an increased diesel consumption, but would decrease by 2028 reaching lower levels than in 2007. From 2007 to 2013 almost all the environmental impacts in Yucatan were lower than the country average due to a higher contribution of natural gas in the power generation mix, while in 2028 they would be similar. Overall, there is a significant difference between the national and regional estimations of the potential environmental impacts due to differences in their power generation mix. Furthermore, the potential introduction of shifts derived from the energy reform in Mexico will have a strong positive influence on the environmental impacts from the electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience in the light of an energy crisis is the capacity to successfully deal with energy related disruptions while continuing to deliver affordable energy services to society. A resilient energy system can rapidly recover from a shock as it is able to reinvent itself. But what happens if an energy crisis hits us? Which functions and structures will be affected? Shall we protect something in particular? Do we need to consider further aspects concerning the energy system? And how can we address and operationalise these complex considerations? These are the questions to be answered within this paper. By identifying types of energy crises, protective commodities, and framework conditions, a proposal is introduced to systematically deal with this topic. A new approach for assessing the community resilience in case of a fossil energy crisis is originated and presented: the regional energy resilience assessment (RERA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because industrial sectors in China are energy-intensive, improving energy efficiency and promoting energy savings in these sectors are of great importance for the further sustainable development of China’s economy. Using a proposed meta-frontier data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper analyzes the total-factor energy efficiency and energy savings potential in China’s provincial industrial sectors for the years 2000–2014 from three perspectives, namely, the technology gap, management, and scale. The results indicate that (1) driven by technological progress, energy efficiency during the sample period was greatly improved, though the expansion of technology gaps between regions and the decline in scale efficiency represented two significant handicaps; (2) the current energy efficiency in China’s industrial sectors remains extremely low, indicating that there is considerable potential for energy efficiency improvement and energy savings; and (3) the sources of energy inefficiency and energy savings potential in China’s industrial sectors exhibit spatially distinct characteristics. Accordingly, it is determined that most of China’s eastern provinces should focus on improving scale and management efficiency, whereas most of its central and western provinces should concentrate on three factors: narrowing the regional technology gap, improving management efficiency, and optimizing the industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large increase in population growth, energy demand, CO 2 emissions and the depletion of the fossil fuels pose a threat to the global energy security problem and present many challenges to the energy industry. This requires the development of efficient and cost-effective solutions like the development of micro-grid networks integrated with energy storage technologies to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources, provide localized electricity production, and smooth out power demand and supply curve. Among other energy storage systems, the cryogenic energy storage (CES) technology offers the advantages of relatively large volumetric energy density and ease of storage. This paper concerns the thermodynamic modeling and parametric analysis of a novel power cycle that integrates air liquefaction plant, cryogen storage systems and a combined direct expansion with closed Rankine power recovery system using two cryogens, liquid nitrogen, and liquid air. This cycle is part of a micro-grid system that provides electricity for a typical 50 unit residential building using either renewable energy sources or national grid off-peak electricity. This power cycle was modeled using MATLAB integrated with REFPROP software to investigate its performance at various operating conditions. Results showed that using liquid air as the working cryogen can significantly improve the cycle performance compared to that of liquid Nitrogen at all operating conditions, yielding maximum round trip efficiencies of 63.27% and 84.15% respectively. Also results showed that as the cryo-turbine efficiency and recovery expansion ratio are increasing the cycle round trip efficiency and network will increase, while as the compressor efficiency increases the round trip efficiency increases and the network decreases to reach the best value at 84% to produce round trip efficiency 80.62% and work 397 kJ/kg for the liquid air condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Site suitability assessments are at the heart of renewable energy planning. • A collaborative approach enables developing a fit for purpose decision-support tool. • Stakeholder-driven site suitability criteria supports transparent decisions. • The tool supports informed discussions and fosters consensus on deployment areas. • Data and technological limitations signal action areas for advancing practice. Competing land-use demands associated with planning for renewables is resulting in growing social and political challenges. Spatial decision-support tools are being developed and applied to tackle some of these challenges by facilitating systematic identification of suitable development sites based on technical, environmental and socio-economic criteria. Nevertheless, decision-support tools are often developed with limited input from stakeholders affecting participative and accountable planning and decision-making. This paper aims to address this shortcoming and foster greater transparency in the development of support tools for renewable energy planning, and thus in siting decisions. It present and discusses a stakeholder-driven approach to the co-creation of an online decision-support tool that attends to planning policy, technical considerations, environmental protection and social concerns influencing renewable energy planning decisions in Ireland. This bottom-up approach, easily transferable to other jurisdictions, fosters proactive expert input, awareness raising and greater comprehensibility and acceptance of siting decisions. It also enables developing an interface that responds to users' needs. The paper contributes to advancing renewable energy planning practice through effective and meaningful stakeholder engagement that supports transparent and accountable decisions from the outset. It also highlights ongoing data and technological shortcomings affecting the integration and operationalisation of stakeholders demands and needs, which signal priority areas of action to further advance the development of renewable energy decision-support tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing environmental pollution, developing and utilizing low-carbon integrated energy system, making economic development maintain a good momentum of sustainable development, has become hot issues of energy research around the world. The Multi-energy Complementary Distributed Energy System (MCDES), that can not only meet the changing energy supply structure and user demand, but also promote the efficient use of resources in the energy system and low-carbon environmental protection, has become the main direction of future energy development. The energy units in MCDES often have large time scale difference and strong uncertainty, which makes the planning and operation of the system more complex than the traditional energy system. Research on the characteristics of system configuration and operation optimization is one of the key measures to ensure the sustainable development and effective utilization of MCDES. Therefore, from three aspects of low-carbon, life cycle and optimization method, the MCDES life cycle low-carbon optimization method is studied in this paper. By reviewing the low-carbon optimization, life cycle optimization and system optimization methods of MCDES, the main problems in the current research status of MCDES life cycle low carbon optimization are pointed out. On this basis, according to low carbon measures and life cycle coordination theory, a multi-objective collaborative optimization method for MCDES life cycle planning and operation is proposed. The research content of this paper provides theoretical guidance for MCDES design optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IETB framework for green clean hydrogen energy development in the low-carbon transition. [Display omitted] • Most of the countries agree to consider renewable energy-based hydrogen generation as their long-term strategy. • Primary driving reasons for the growth of hydrogen energy in BRICS-US are economic, institutional and behavioural factors. • Key aspects of hydrogen are reviewed i.e. production cost, application, production and delivery in BRICS-US. • This study focuses on the qualitative inflection point through IETB framework in the development of hydrogen energy. Carbon dioxide (CO 2) levels in the atmosphere have grown rapidly (by 50% since the 1750 industrial revolution) due to natural processes, the use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other factors. Carbon dioxide contributes to global warming, which causes climate change and extreme weather events. Because of technological advancement and use, the world's energy consumption has skyrocketed. The novelty of the study as it focuses on the present state of carbon emissions (in terms of sectors and fuel) as a result of current hydrogen production projects, applications, cost, and delivery, as well as government policy and structural changes in the BRICS-US (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and the United States) relationship throughout time. A conceptual model has been established for multi-dimensional debate for logical comparison analysis in institution-economic-technology-behavior (IETB). This paper has three main findings. First, in terms of horizontal comparison, each country has its advantages but distinct underlying driving causes. Second, in terms of vertical comparison, each country's hydrogen energy development is still in the quantitative stage, with the qualitative inflection point still to be reached. Third, in terms of a strategic goal, producing hydrogen energy benefits the energy transition from a primary mission aspect. However, studies have revealed that China is the leader in CO 2 emissions, followed by the US. China is the largest producer and consumer of hydrogen (24 million tonnes). Even though the world's largest green hydrogen plant is being developed in California (United States) (11,000 kg of green hydrogen per day and 3.8 million kilograms per year). This study highlights potential future development despite existing challenges and opens doors for enlightening the core researchers for establishing programs in transition (emerging and frontier) economies to strengthen state energy, efficiency, and conservation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) has contributed to the alleviation of environmental pollution in the transportation sector. Although NEVs have some advantages, such as energy saving, being environmentally friendly, and low noise, they are restricted by their cruising range or recharging-related problems. To minimize such disadvantages, an optimal plan for the charging station site is necessary. This paper proposes a Large-Scale Group Decision-Making (LSGDM) method to select the best location for such charging stations. This method involves a large group of experts providing their preferences according to their knowledge and background. To facilitate the elicitation, our method uses Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets (HFLTS) and Extended Comparative Linguistic Expressions with Symbolic Translation (ELICIT) model to improve the elicitation process, guarantee precise computing processes and obtain interpretable results. A social network is then constructed based on experts' preference similarity and trust relationships, which reflects both their relationship and its strength simultaneously. Afterwards, a social analysis-based clustering process groups the experts, and a Three-Way Decision (TWD)-based Consensus Reaching Process (CRP) is introduced to improve the group's agreement. Finally, a selection of charging station site case studies is conducted, and a comparative analysis is carried out to illustrate the quality of the proposal. • Employ ELICIT information for Computing with Words and managing hesitancy. • Construct social network based on preference similarity and trust relationships. • Define a new consensus reaching process based on three-way decision. • Propose a LSGDM method to select the best location for charging stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of primary energy consumption and global climate change are encouraged air conditioning chillers to conventional air-conditioning methods. In the last previous couple of decades, several absorption technologies are introduced for absorption cooling systems and solar cooling to achieve higher chiller performance. In this paper, an efficient and optimal chiller performance prediction mechanism, named Spider monkey Bat Algorithm (SMBat)-based Generative adversarial network (SMBat-based GAN), is proposed. It is exploited to predict the chiller performance from time-series data. The proposed SMBat algorithm integrates the Spider Monkey Optimization (SMO) and the Bat algorithm. The GAN classifier is used to predict the chiller performance using the time series data based on the fitness function. In addition, extraction of the feature is achieved using the chilled water supply temperature, chilled water return temperature, condenser water return temperature, chiller water flow, cooling capacity, and power utilization. The features are selected by the wrapper method for selecting the appropriate features for better chiller performance prediction. Then these features are forwarded to the prediction module, where the prediction is done based on the proposed SMBat-based GAN. Finally, the experimental analysis exhibits that the proposed model offered better performance based on the metrics, such as Mean Square Error (MSE), R2-score, and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) when considering four datasets. The developed SMBat-based GAN attained better results for dataset-3 with a minimal MAE of 0.008, a minimal MSE of 0.0001, and a maximal R2-score of 0.999. The R2-score of the proposed method is 5.905%, 0.4%, 0.2%, and 1% higher when compared to the existing approaches, namely, regression model, ANN+ Bat, ANN, and Multi obj GA+NN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread development of renewable energy sources, collective self-consumption (CSC) has been increasingly considered over recent years to sell the surplus of generated power to nearby consumers. However, appropriate energy allocation rules must be designed to efficiently share the energy among consumers. This paper aims to study two kinds of repartition keys for a CSC operation with multiple producers in the framework of an industrial multi-energy microgrid located in France. The default key considered in French regulations is compared to an optimized key based on the maximization of the income for the producers, in such a way as to maximize profitability by allocating the energy according to the consumers' electricity purchase price. The simulation results show that a CSC with an optimized key decreases the total electricity bill by 11.7%. For some producers, a reduction in the payback period between 6 months and 5 years is observed, compared to the case without CSC. A sensitivity analysis on economic assumptions is also proposed. The results show that the grid use tariff exemption is a key lever and makes it possible to find a more profitable selling price for producers and consumers, and to significantly reduce the payback period for investors. • A collective self-consumption (CSC) operation for an industrial microgrid is studied. • Two kinds of energy allocation rules are proposed and compared. • An optimization problem allocates the energy to increase the producers' income. • The CSC allows electricity bill savings and improves the profitability. • The results are sensitive to the CSC tariff and a grid use tariff exemption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Energy Act of 2020 authorizes $1 billion over five years from 2021 to 2025 to support energy storage development in the United States. In addition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders 841 and 2222 opened the wholesale energy markets for distributed energy resources, including energy storage. The statute and orders pave the way for novel energy storage technologies to participate in electricity markets as the qualifying facilities, thereby expanding opportunities for energy storage development. However, the existing policy, legal, and regulatory regime, including these much-welcomed newcomers, fails to recognize and support the entire spectrum of benefits that some forms of energy storage create. In this paper, we focus on Pumped Underground Storage Hydro (PUSH), a variant of pumped hydro storage (PHS), which currently provides over 90% of the world's energy storage capacity. PUSH operates with the same principle as PHS; however, it is an entirely underground variant of PHS. In addition to becoming competitive in the wholesale electricity market, PUSH facilities can be developed as community infrastructure in the postindustrial landscape, particularly in abandoned underground mines. Given federal energy law and policy development, this paper identifies how communities with abandoned mines, technically feasible for PUSH facilities and operating as municipal-owned utilities or cooperatives, can participate and take advantage of federal legislation. We further look into the implications through the lens of technical, economic, and social aspects of energy justice. We consider energy justice as a conceptual framework that seeks to explain the occurrence of injustice within energy system decisions and outcomes and how policymakers can respond to these injustices. We use it as a conceptual tool for understanding policy formulation and detailing the energy system's missing ethical and justice dimension. We argue that as a technically mature technology, PUSH facilities can act as a potential means to speed up the energy transition in the United States. The federal and state law along with utility market structures are vital in shaping the potential opportunities and barriers for energy storage facilities like PUSH. We show that although it supports PUSH development, there are gaps in the current market structure, specifically in the regulatory framework, when seen through the lens of justice and valuation of just energy services. These gaps limit the realization of utility-scale energy storage technology's potential to fully contribute to a decarbonized energy system that is more resilient and more just than the incumbent system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, firstly, investigates the relationship between clean energy and economic growth using satellite remote sensing data to proxy economic activities. Then, this paper constructs a spatial autoregressive model, spatial error model, and spatial Durbin model to study the spatial spillover effects of financial development and clean energy. Further, this paper adopts the difference-in-differences (DID) model and the propensity score matching-DID (PSM-DID) method to conduct quasi-natural experiments on clean energy and examine whether China's energy policy can promote clean energy, thereby promoting economic growth. The analysis results reveal a positive correlation between clean energy and economic growth; local financial development promotes clean energy in the region but negatively impacts the clean energy in surrounding areas. Moreover, the findings confirm a significant positive relationship between the "policy treatment effect" and clean energy. Finally, we put forward relevant policy recommendations based on the empirical results. • Satellite remote sensing data acquired by DMSP/OLS is used to proxy GDP. • Clean energy has a significant role in promoting economic growth. • Spatial econometric models are constructed to study the spatial spillover effects. • The DID model and PSM-DID method are used to conduct quasi-natural experiments. • China's energy policy has a significant promoting effect on clean energy and GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes the development of a simple hybrid desalination system of a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and an adsorption (AD) cycle operating at sub-atmospheric pressures and temperatures. By hybridizing the conventional MED with an AD cycle, there is a symbiotic enhancement of performances of both cycles. The performance enhancement is attributed to (i) the cascade of adsorbent’s regeneration temperature and this extended the usage of thermal energy emanating from the brine heater and (ii) the vapor extraction from the last MED stage by AD cycle which provides the effect of lowering saturation temperatures of all MED stages to the extent of 5°C, resulting in scavenging of heat leaks into the MED stages from the ambient. The combined effects of the hybrid cycles increase the water production capacity of the desalination plant by nearly twofolds. In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid cycle by simulating an 8-stage MED cycle which is coupled to an adsorption cycle for direct vapor extraction from the last MED stage. The sorption properties of silica gel is utilized (acting as a mechanical vapor compressor) to reduce the saturation temperatures of MED stages. The modeling utilizes the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorbent+adsorbate (silica-gel+water) pair along with the governing equations of mass, energy and concentration. For a 8-stage MED and AD cycles operating at assorted temperatures of 65–90°C, the results show that the water production rate increases from 60% to twofolds when compared to the MED alone. The performance ratio (PR) and gain output ratio (GOR) also improve significantly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In March 2011, China’s central government set a new challenging target of reducing its energy intensity by 16% during 2011–2015, after it had achieved a reduction of 19.1% during 2006–2010. And this new target was assigned to provincial authorities in August 2011. However, China’s provincial energy-economic developments are unbalanced and different provinces have different key sectors for energy conservation. Most previous studies focused on provincial energy efficiency at the aggregate level, or the three-industry level (or one-digit level). However, whether for policy decision or academic research, it is necessary to further subdivide the sectors. In this paper, we use three indicators (Gini Coefficient, energy consumption share and energy intensity) to compare provincial energy conservation potentials at the two-digit sector level. To our knowledge, this paper is the first one to identify the keys for energy conversation across the 31 provinces×65 sectors. And the results are shown in visualized maps and matrix tables to help identify the key province×sectors for energy conservation easier. This also helps the central and provincial governments to distinguish key sectors when they monitor the energy conservation progress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Coal mills play an important role in the overall dynamic response of coal fired power plants and there is significant potential to improve the load ramp rates of coal fired power plants through improvements of coal mill control strategies. This potential can be employed to compensate for the power fluctuations generated by renewable but intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar in a more efficient way. In this paper a three state coal mill model based on heat and mass balances as well as a single step coarse to fine particle grinding relationship is presented with the purpose of predicting the dynamic behavior of coal mills during both start-up and in normal operation. The parameters of the model were identified and later validated with measurements obtained from a hard coal fired power plant. During these studies several parameters were found to be time varying. In order to estimate the values of these time varying parameters and the internal states of the coal mill an extended Kalman filter was designed. The proposed solution is observed to achieve very good agreement with measurements and can be used for various applications such as model-based control, performance monitoring, fault detection, and maintenance scheduling. In order to demonstrate one of these use cases a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) application was developed based on the coal mill model and the performance of the NMPC was compared to a conventional coal mill control strategy for tracking load change references and for rejecting disturbances caused by variations in coal moisture. The results demonstrate that the coal mill control system performance can be significantly improved through the use of the model presented in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: HCCI combustion can substantially reduce NOx and soot emissions of diesel engines. However it is hard for diesel HCCI to obtain the same level of fuel economy as traditional diesel engines. This paper presents a way to improve the fuel economy of diesel HCCI by adopting Integrated Starter Generator (ISG). A set of diesel parallel hybrid power system (in this article, we name it “hybrid engine”) is constructed by installing an ISG motor on a diesel engine, which applies HCCI–CI combined combustion. Based on a lot of investigation on diesel HCCI, this paper is focus on improving HCCI engine performance, especially the fuel economy, by adopting ISG motor assist control. The coordination control strategies of engine and ISG motor in HCCI transient states, HCCI–CI transition, engine quick start and braking energy regeneration are developed. The results of equivalent New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) tests show that, by using ISG assistance, the fuel consumption of the diesel HCCI engine is greatly reduced. Meanwhile the NOx and soot emission are also improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The main aim of this paper is to review of the current state of energy systems in the Western Balkans countries. The paper gives a review of the individual parameters relating to energy development, defines the current state of the achieved level of sustainable energy development as a whole and defines possible strategic directions for energy development in the region. The paper also examines the possibility for implementation of the adopted EU target of 20% RES energy production. The main characteristics in the region are high energy consumption, high values of carbon emission, fossil fuels import dependency, constant production and electric energy supply, and high potential but minimal RES energy production. Further development of regulation framework and market liberalization is are basic preconditions of demanding energy reform in all countries. Increasing energy the second energy development priority. The third long term strategic goal is increasing the amount of the energy obtained from hydro and transition to clean coal technologies. Intensifying RES production is currently the fourth strategic priority. The analysis shows that production of energy from wind is priority for the region, but currently it is constrained by too great investment requirements for developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs) are becoming a development trend of new vehicles. Energy management is one of the core problems in REEVs. The structure and control method of the auxiliary power unit (APU) is determined based on the configuration analysis in this paper. An energy management optimization problem is proposed to solve the power distributions of APUs and batteries in the charge-sustaining (CS) stage of REEVs, which are determined by dynamic programming and pseudo-spectral optimal control, respectively. The results show that different limits of the APU power changing rate significantly influence fuel consumption. To obtain the power changing rate of APUs and to evaluate the energy management optimization method of REEVs, a model of the APU control system is built and verified by a platform test; the dynamic response characteristics and control parameters of the APU are obtained by step-changing conditions. Two types of strategies for tracking APU power are proposed for different power changing rates, and the fuel consumption of REEVs is analyzed in four types of driving cycles. The effect on fuel consumption caused by the power changing rate of the APU is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires production of cellulosic biofuel, such as ethanol produced from switchgrass. However, the bioenergy industry faces a well-established “chicken and egg” conundrum where biorefineries cannot be built until adequate farmers' participation in cellulosic biomass production is ensured; on the other hand, farmers will not commit to growing cellulosic biomass until a market is established. We assume that individual farmers in a future biofuel market are boundedly rational, and will endure the risk of growing switchgrass if they are likely to receive a better payoff in the future. After the number of switchgrass farmers reaches a certain threshold, sufficient biomass can be procured to build an economically viable biorefinery. If a biorefinery is built in a region, the reductions of logistics costs and economies of scale lead to the realization of a public good, and all farmers can be benefited from it; otherwise, the efforts of early switchgrass adopters could be unsuccessful. In this paper, an appropriate biorefinery capacity and the corresponding incentives provided to the farmers are determined by balancing the impact and the risk of the public good. Our incentive model is more efficient than a program that incentivizes all switchgrass growers equally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid vehicle and powertrain development has become essential to for the design and implementation of vehicles that meet and exceed the fuel efficiency, cost, and performance targets expected by today’s consumer while keeping pace with reduced development cycle and more frequent product releases. Recently, advances in large-scale additive manufacturing have provided the means to bridge hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experimentation and preproduction mule chassis evaluation. This paper details the accelerated development of a printed range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, by paralleling hardware-in-the-loop development of the powertrain with rapid chassis prototyping using big area additive manufacturing (BAAM). BAAM’s ability to accelerate the mule vehicle development from computer-aided design to vehicle build is explored. The use of a hardware-in-the-loop laboratory is described as it is applied to the design of a range-extended electric powertrain to be installed in a printed prototype vehicle. The integration of the powertrain and the opportunities and challenges it presents are described in this work. A comparison of offline simulation, HIL and chassis rolls results is presented to validate the development process. Chassis dynamometer results for battery electric and range extender operation are analyzed to show the benefits of the architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipping is a major contributor to global CO 2 emissions. Various operational and technical measures have been proposed to reduce ship emissions. However, these emission reduction measures may not be all economically feasible to implement. Therefore, it is important to rank all these measures and select the most cost-effective measures for emissions reduction. Moreover, there are various uncertainties in evaluating emission reduction measures, such as uncertainties of implementation cost, fuel consumption, abatement potential and fuel price. These uncertainties may significantly influence the ranking of the emission reduction measures, which further result in an inappropriate selection of the measures for implementation. In this paper, a ranking algorithm with a new criterion is proposed to rank all the emission reduction measures by considering the preference between cost and abatement. Furthermore, a ranking under uncertainty method is developed which takes into account various uncertainties of the impact factors. This method can support policy makers in ranking and selecting emission reduction measures more appropriately by better quantifying and reflecting the uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are omnipresent in energy policy analysis. Even though IAMs can successfully handle uncertainty pertinent to energy planning problems, they render multiple variables as outputs of the modelling. Therefore, policy makers are faced with multiple energy development scenarios and goals. Specifically, technical, environmental, and economic aspects are represented by multiple criteria, which, in turn, are related to conflicting objectives. Preferences of decision makers need to be taken into account in order to facilitate effective energy planning. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tools are relevant in aggregating diverse information and thus comparing alternative energy planning options. The paper aims at ranking European Union (EU) energy development scenarios based on several IAMs with respect to multiple criteria. By doing so, we account for uncertainty surrounding policy priorities outside the IAM. In order to follow a sustainable approach, the ranking of policy options is based on EU energy policy priorities: energy efficiency improvements, increased use of renewables, reduction in and low mitigations costs of GHG emission. The ranking of scenarios is based on the estimates rendered by the two advanced IAMs relying on different approaches, namely TIAM and WITCH. The data are fed into the three MCDM techniques: the method of weighted aggregated sum/product assessment (WASPAS), the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method, and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). As MCDM techniques allow assigning different importance to objectives, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to check the impact of perturbations in weights upon the final ranking. The rankings provided for the scenarios by different MCDM techniques diverge, first of all, due to the underlying assumptions of IAMs. Results of the analysis provide valuable insights in integrated application of both IAMs and MCDM models for developing energy policy scenarios and decision making in energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The coal was used for the development of a low-cost and energy efficient water desalination system. • The pulverized coal membrane exhibited a water evaporation rate as 0.94 kg m−2 h−1 (0.265 mg cm−2). • A portable solar evaporation device is designed based on the APC membrane. Given the current crisis of freshwater resources facing humankind, solar evaporation has attracted a lot of interest as a promising means of seawater desalination. Although numerous photothermal materials have been investigated in previous literature, there remain challenges to explore economically viable materials with high efficiency of photothermal conversion. In this paper, an eco-friendly and low-cost activated pulverized coal-based (APC) membrane is developed based on an industrial raw material, Zhundong coal, through KOH activation. A considerable water evaporation rate as high as 0.94 kg m−2 h−1 was achieved with a minimal loading capacity of 0.265 mg cm−2. In addition, the mechanism of the enhancement effect of activation on photothermal properties of the pulverized coal is identified by experiment and characterization. Moreover, APC shows superiority in terms of sewage treatment and excellent economic potential in seawater desalination. Based on this, a portable solar evaporation device is designed for the exploration of the practical application. The present work is an innovative attempt to employ pulverized coal as a solar–thermal material, which extends the possible applications of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollution are becoming increasingly prominent, research on the optimization of energy systems and environmental pollution is imperative. Exergy, economic, and environmental (3E) analysis of a cascade LiBr-H 2 O absorption refrigeration/dehumidification system driven by low-grade waste heat is developed in this paper. Ecological Indicator 16 (EI16), total exergy destruction (ED total), and total annual cost (TAC) are considered as the objective functions of the 3E optimization model, and then, the optimal solution is obtained by TOPSIS and Shannon entropy method. Finally, life cycle assessment (LCA) of the cascade system is performed using EI16 and the environmental benefits of the cascade system are assessed in four stages, further enriching the evaluation criteria of this coupled system. The results shows that with the refrigeration temperature elevated from 2 °C to 10 °C, the ED total of cascade system increases from 336.90 kW to 339.14 kW, an increase of 0.66%, and the exergy efficiency decreased from 10.34% to 10.06%. At the same time, the cascade system TAC was reduced from 5.97 × 105$ to 5.77 × 105$, a 3.35% reduction. Economic analysis indicates that the investment cost increases with the increase of the refrigeration temperature, and the operating cost decreases with the increase of the refrigeration temperature. The optimal solution of the cascade system is obtained, and the EI16, ED total , TAC, and exergy efficiency are 2.6, 336.90 kW, 112.32 × 104 $ and 10.34%, respectively. The LCA illustrates that the construction process has serious impact on the environment, accounting for 95%, followed by the recovery phase. And improvements during the use phase determine the environmental benefits of the cascade system. In this work, multi-objective optimization and LCA are combined to provide a viable solution for the multi-angle analysis and evaluation of the cascade energy systems, and further refines the evaluation criteria for the cascade energy systems. [Display omitted] • A cascade system driven by low-grade waste heat is proposed. • Exergy, economic, and environmental (3E) are used to analyze the system. • The life cycle assessment using integrated Ecological Indicator 16 is carried out. • The environmental benefits of the cascade system are improved. • The evaluation system of refrigeration/dehumidification system has been enriched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Design of a multi-product solar grade silicon refinery considering environmental and economic indexes. • Sensitivity analysis of the multi-product refinery considering variations in sales prices. • Search for efficient processes for the production of clean energy precursors, such as silicon. • Generalized methodologies for other types of multi-product industrial factories. Today, one of the main lines of solar energy development is the creation of environmentally friendly, waste-free and inexpensive solar grade silicon production technologies. Presently, the main solar grade silicon production technologies are based on the reduction of silicon hydrogen chloride compounds (trichlorosilane, tetrachlorosilane and silane). This paper will examine the results of the optimization of a multi-product silicon refinery, where the objective functions are Profit and Eco-indicator99. Seven scenarios are considered for the work. The best scenario (S4) showed a tendency to maintain a balance between Profit (98.66 M$/y) and the environmental indicator Eco99 (6.04 MP/y). Similarly, a sensitivity analysis was carried out by varying the market prices of each of the products obtained (solar grade silicon, TEOS at different purities, and chlorosilanes) with an increase of 10% and a decrease of 10%, resulting in multiple production scenarios depending on what the market dictates. By increasing the cost of solar grade silicon by 10%, the multi-product refinery achieves the highest profit (151.84 [M$/y] with an environmental impact of 9.8 [MP/y]), and by decreasing the cost of the same silicon by 10%, the lowest environmental impact is achieved (36 [M$/y] with an environmental impact of 3 [MP/y]). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper the energy and exergy performance of a social dwelling of a multi-family building from the 1960s in Bilbao (Spain) is presented and various improved energy concepts based on exergy principles are proposed and investigated. The aim of this paper is to explore and demonstrate the usefulness of the exergy approach in the assessment and development of an energy system for the dwelling under consideration. The total energy supply system is analysed, including the demand (space heating, domestic hot water and electricity), the system components (for conversion, storage and distribution) and the energy input from energy resources (primary energy and renewable resources). The study includes a comparison of the primary energy input of all cases considered and an analysis of the energy and exergy losses of each system component. The study has shown that the exergy analysis reveals thermodynamic losses that are not revealed using energy analysis and secondly, that the development of an improved energy system based on exergy principles has resulted in a significantly reduced primary energy input compared to the reference situation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper presents an investigation on the development of energy security level assessment technology. The system of energy security indicators, covering technical, economic and socio-political aspects, is introduced. The security indicator is a special index which gives numerical values to important issues for security of energy sector. In the paper, each indicator is described by presenting the title, comments, factual and threshold, pre-critical and critical state values. The integral characteristics of these indicators show the level of energy security and in order to identify it, a point system assessment scale is used. The methodology developed in this paper is applied for the assessment of the Lithuanian energy security level in different scenarios. At first, indicator groups are constructed and group weights are determined. The weights of indicators within each group are established in two ways: when all weights are equal and one indicator is dominating. Taking into consideration the assessment of indicators by points, their weights in groups and group weights, the Lithuanian energy security level was determined according to separate indicator blocks. The security level of each indicator and each indicator block, and total security level are presented as the results. The indicators that have the highest impact on the security level increase or decrease are determined as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The series hybrid electric tracked bulldozer (HETB)’s fuel economy heavily depends on its energy management strategy. This paper presents a model predictive controller (MPC) to solve the energy management problem in an HETB for the first time. A real typical working condition of the HETB is utilized to develop the MPC. The results are compared to two other strategies: a rule-based strategy and a dynamic programming (DP) based one. The latter is a global optimization approach used as a benchmark. The effect of the MPC’s parameters ( e . g . length of prediction horizon) is also studied. The comparison results demonstrate that the proposed approach has approximately a 6% improvement in fuel economy over the rule-based one, and it can achieve over 98% of the fuel optimality of DP in typical working conditions. To show the advantage of the proposed MPC and its robustness under large disturbances, 40% white noise has been added to the typical working condition. Simulation results show that an 8% improvement in fuel economy is obtained by the proposed approach compared to the rule-based one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Envisioning a sustainable biorefinery requires reliable information on the sustainable availability of biomass, optimal plant location and delivered cost. In this paper, we have developed an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) based sustainable biomass assessment, site optimization and supply logistics cost model to assess the spatial and temporal availability of crop residues, to identify optimal plant sites and to calculate the delivered cost. The grid-level (30 × 30 m) assessment model was developed for crop residues using three primary sustainability indicators: (1) Soil Erosion (SE), (2) Soil Conditioning Index (SCI) and (3) Crop residue yield ⩾2.5 dry Mg/ha. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) prediction models for each indicator were developed and implemented in the GIS platform to assess sustainably available crop residues. A multi-criteria geospatial analysis was used to identify suitable plant sites. GIS-based location-allocation model was used to site biorefineries/plants at optimal locations and generate feedstock supply curves. The developed model was demonstrated with the sustainable assessment of cotton stalk (CS) to produce fuel pellets in the study region (Georgia, USA). The model has estimated that about 1.6 million dry Mg of CS is available annually to support seven pellet plants with an average annual plant capacity of 200,000 dry Mg. The average delivered cost of CS ranged between 68 and 75 $/dry Mg delivered as large rectangular bales with the transport radii ranged from 31 to 60 km. The spatial and temporal variations in the topology and crop yield directly influenced the sustainable availability of CS, the optimal plant location and its capacity and the delivered cost. However, the changes in the optimal plant location and delivered cost were minimal for large capacity plants (>400,000 dry Mg). The developed model can be used to assess multiple crop residues, to manage and control feedstock supply risks and delivered cost variations for a sustainable biorefinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar aided (coal fired) power generation (SAPG) is the synergy of solar thermal energy and fossil power plant technologies by using solar thermal energy to replace extraction steam to preheat feed water. SAPG combines environmental benefits of the former and large capacity, high efficiency and reliability of the latter. However, there are no appropriate criteria for evaluating the thermal performance of the system now. In this paper, a new evaluation method of SAPG system is proposed based on the exergy analysis and the characteristics of exergy flows crossing the boundary of the system. In the established evaluation method, a new ideal cycle is constructed in the perspective of external heat sources, and the difference of solar proportion among the exergy input, work output and exergy output in the same subsystem is considered. With the evaluation method, the contribution proportion of solar energy in a SAPG system can be determined. To illustrate applications of the new method, a parabolic trough solar field aided 600 MW coal-fired power generation system is discussed as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impacts of active suspension with energy regeneration capability on the fuel economy of a power split Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Models of HEV powertrain and suspension are established and, based on their interactions, unified. The impacts of control parameters on the suspension performance are synthetically analyzed. The analyses form a basis for the design of suspension controller. High-level supervisory controller and low-level sub-controllers for HEV powertrain and suspension are designed. Low-level sub-controllers can ensure the performance of each system, whose control parameters are updated by the supervisory controller. The equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS), superior in maintaining charge sustainability, is improved for better application in the proposed system. Simulation results under different conditions demonstrate that both HEV fuel economy and ride comfort are improved. Comparative analyses of various scenarios validate the positive effect of suspension energy regeneration on the energy conservation performance of power split HEV. Meanwhile, the improvement of HEV fuel economy can be highlighted by applying ECMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model predictive power management strategy for a novel anti-idling system, regenerative auxiliary power system (RAPS), designed for service vehicles. RAPS is able to utilize recovered braking energy for electrified auxiliary systems; this feature distinguishes it from its counterparts - auxiliary power unit (APU) and auxiliary battery powered unit (ABP). To efficiently operate the RAPS, a power management strategy is required to coordinate power flow between different energy sources. Thus, a model predictive controller (MPC) is developed to improve the overall efficiency of the RAPS. As an optimization-based approach, the MPC-based power management strategy usually requires the drive cycle or the drivers’ command to be known a priori. However, in this study, an average concept based MPC is developed without such knowledge. MPC parameters are tuned over an urban drive cycle; whereas, the robustness of this MPC is tested under different drive cycles (e.g. highway and combined). Analysis shows that, the presented MPC has a comparable performance as the prescient MPC regarding fuel consumption, which assumes knows the drive cycle beforehand. Meanwhile, with the help of the proposed MPC and RAPS, the service vehicle saves up to 9% of the total fuel consumption. The proposed MPC is independent of powertrain topology such that it can be directly extended to other types of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and it provides a way to apply the MPC even though future driving information is unavailable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing negative effects of fossil fuel combustion, many countries have paid more attention on supporting environmentally friendly energy generation, particularly renewable and sustainable energy sources (RES). However, renewables still cannot economically compete with fossil-fuels and are facing new challenges. Appropriate electricity pricing mechanism plays a vital role on mitigating the stress of limited fossil fuels and can promote renewable energy consumption. As one major type of renewable energy, wind power has been globally promoted. In order to promote the application of wind power, appropriate wind power prices (WPP) should be established by considering the local conditions. This paper targets such a field and conducts a bibliometric and network analysis based on the data from Scopus. The results show that the numbers of total related publications are gradually increasing, with the US as the leading country. European countries also have outstanding achievements. Moreover, both the most cited articles and keywords distribution offer future research directions. In general, this study provides valuable insights to both wind power researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a data-validated power-efficiency model of a diesel-powered fuel-cell-based auxiliary power unit (APU) system is used to investigate the various sizes of the power unit and the battery and to evaluate the optimal choices for specified load profiles. The challenge comes from the FCGEN (Fuel Cell-based power GENeration) EU FP7 project, where such an APU was developed. The system consists of a fuel processor, a PEM stack, and a battery providing power for the startup, shutdown, and for covering load transients; however, the developed prototype system is not optimised. Before redesigning it for mass production, the optimal size of the main components needs to be identified to enable the best possible exploitation of the technology. In this work a case-specific load profile was used and a mesh grid of scenario simulations has been performed using various sizes of the fuel cell with fuel processor as a power unit and the batteries of various capacities as an energy storage unit. For this purpose a scalable APU model, including the BoP component consumption, has been developed. Upon the analysis results, the relation for optimal combinations in terms of efficiency and degradation is proposed and the confronted tradeoffs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop a more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. The results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a key solution in the context of sustainable energy development from organic material. Their implementation for real applications is still limited because of economic issues and low power densities. Several efforts have been done both to improve the economic performances by selecting low-cost materials and to increase the power output by realizing stacked configurations. The development of more complex configurations increases the difficulty of predicting the behavior of these bioenergy systems and their performances. In this contest numerical models, supported by the experimental activities, are very useful tools for forecasting the main biological, electrochemical and mass transfer processes occurring within MFCs during their operation in different conditions. In this paper, an electrical transient model, devoted to perform the stacked MFCs voltages and currents on equivalent electric circuits has been developed. The model, that is the superposition of an exponential pattern over a linear trend, is able to define the transient time domain of the voltage and current solutions of a specific electric circuit, enabling the scalability of the estimation of the electrical variables in stacked MFCs systems. The model calibration has been carried out by means of the experimental activities on a single MFC reactor as well as on a stacked MFCs configuration connected in parallel/series. The experimental activities have been performed by using a test bench consisting of the Agilent Digit Multimeters and a Resistance Box. The experimental tests have allowed to assess: i) the steady-state and transient behaviors of a single MFC; ii) the steady-state and transient behaviors of the stacked MFCs configurations. Results have highlighted that the developed model has proved to be an interesting tool for predicting the transient behavior of output currents and voltages after a step perturbation demonstrating how the MFCs evolve towards stable conditions as the load varies. • The development, modeling and testing of MFCs stacked configurations is proposed. • Configurations based on series and parallel/series electric connections are studied. • An electrical model for assessing the stacked MFCs transient behavior is set up. • The steady-state behavior of the MFCs with the direct monocyclic method is assessed. • The steady-state behavior of the MFCs with the inverse monocyclic method is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DSM mechanism in SMG is introduced where cost and PAR constraints are minimized. • Integrates PID-MSH∞ model for optimal regulation of frequency and voltage. • Introduces a new Modified Cat Swarm Algorithm for carrying out optimization. • Least value was attained by developed approach for utility emission cost. The amplified use of power applications by customers is a rising concern in the energy field every day, which leads to an imbalanced ratio of supply and demand. The integration of renewable energy sources and increasing greenhouse gas emission leads to power demand and affects the climate. Shortage of power supply is the major issue in remote areas, to rectify this issue microgrids have become the best solution. Demand side management (DSM) is a very important means for avoiding major deficits from the supply side and improving energy efficiency (EE). The development in the management of energy mainly focuses on minimizing the entire cost of electricity with no limitation in the utilization part and instead, it chooses to lessen the power utilization at peak hours. This paper intends to introduce a sophisticated DSM and controlling scheme for an Efficient Energy Management system (EMS) in Smart Microgrids (SMG). Initially, an optimal cost-efficient EMS operation is established depending on Modified Cat Swarm Algorithm (M-CSA) model and is augmented via time-of-use pricing (ToU) theory. Subsequently, the SMG frequency and voltage are optimally controlled via an improved PID-based Mixed Sensitivity H-infinity (PID-MSH∞) model while functioning in islanded mode. Thus, the developed approach exploits the massive IoT (Internet of Things) aptitudes for ensuring a secure and economic operation of SMG. The energy cost value of the proposed method is 8138.9 which is 33.67%, 37.94%, 35.42%, and 32.27% superior than the traditional approaches such as CSA, IDE, GA and JA. Thus, several analyses are used to demonstrate the created approach's superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two model buildings are specially built for comparative study. • Dynamic monitoring of external insulation for improving thermal environment and energy saving during heating. • The time for EPS building to approach the air temperature set value has no obvious advantage. • The energy saving effect of short-time heating operation of EPS building is very weak. • A dynamic index is proposed to evaluate the improvement effect of external insulation on indoor thermal environment. In this paper, two identical model buildings were built, one of which adopted 38 mm Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) board as the external insulation. Under the same heating set-point temperature, the dynamic change process of indoor thermal environment and heating energy consumption of EPS insulation building and non-insulation Reference building was compared and monitored. Results show that under the same heating set-point temperature, the indoor temperature of the two buildings can quickly approach the set value in about 20 min. However, the temperature rise of the internal surface of the wall lags behind. After several hours, the advantage of the temperature rise of the internal surface of the EPS building gradually appeared. The energy consumption of the two buildings is similar in the initial heating period of 20 min, and the energy saving rate of EPS building increases slowly with the increase of the heating duration. The energy saving rate is about 1%–26% in the range of 0.5–8 h intermittent heating in hot summer and cold winter zone. The change curve of cumulative temperature rise ratio with heating time is proposed to evaluate the dynamic improvement effect of external insulation on indoor thermal environment. This research provides a reference basis for the development of energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: “Green biorefinery” (GBR) could be an alternative option for using grassland biomass. GBR involves applying technology to chemically and physically fractionate (split) biomass such as grass and grass silage into marketable products. From the grass fibre fraction insulation materials can be produced. From the grass juice fraction, proteinaceous products for animal feed and lactic acid (LA) for plastic production (polylactic acid – PLA) can be produced. This paper is the first part in the analysis to develop a blueprint for a first generation Irish GBR system. The focus of this paper is on the technical aspects of developing three GBR system models and subsequent scenario analyses. The three GBR system models were a combination of feedstock system and biorefinery technology; Grass/silage–basic technology (GS), Silage–basic technology (S) and Silage–High Tech (AT). The models, which were integrated mass and energy balances, were then assessed at the three different input volumes, to generate nine scenarios. The scenarios which required further economic analysis in a companion paper to determine their overall feasibility (technical and economic) in the development of blueprint for a first generation Irish GBR system were identified. From the technical analysis outlined in this paper six scenarios were identified which require further economic analysis. These were scenarios generated for the GS, S and AT GBR systems, at two input volume rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objective of this paper was to provide a preliminary analysis of energy utilization from industrial waste in Taiwan, a densely populated island country with high dependence on imported energy. The discussion thus focused on the status of industrial waste generation and its management since the year 2002. This paper also presented the updated information about the new/revised regulations concerning the governmental regulations and policies for promoting industrial waste as energy source as well as controlling the emissions of hazardous air pollutants from industrial waste-to-energy facilities. It showed that the main types of combustible waste in the industrial sector of Taiwan include pulp sludge, scrap wood, sugarcane bagasse, textile sludge and scrap plastics, which were being reused as auxiliary fuel in the utilities (e.g., boiler and incinerator). Based on their reported quantities, the energy potential and the environmental benefit of mitigating CO2 emissions were also analyzed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding sources of mercury emission in Poland. Due to the large quantities of coal burned at present, as well as taking into account existing reserves, coal remains the main energy source of energy in Poland. The data on coal consumption in Poland in the past, at present and in the future are discussed in the paper. Information on the content of mercury in Polish coals is presented. Coal combustion processes for electricity and heat production are the main source of anthropogenic mercury emission in Poland. It is expected that the current emissions will decrease in the future due to implementation of efficient control measures. These measures for emission reduction are described in the paper. Results of estimated mercury emission from coal-fired power station situated in the Upper Silesia Region, Poland are investigated. A relationship between mercury emission to the air and the mercury content in the consumed coal in power station equipped with the electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The theoretical framework and methodology of a water ecological–economic system (WEES) assessment based on emergy synthesis are proposed in this paper. Through calculating ecological and economic inputs and outputs within and outside the complex system, this paper discusses the system''s economic situation, water resources development and system sustainability based on a series of emergy indicators. Besides traditional indices, following the principle of system assessment, four new indices, water emergy ratio (WER), water emergy utilization ratio (WEUR), water emergy self-support ratio (WESR), and water emergy density (WED) are formulated to assess the state of water resources development quantitatively. Taking the Zhengzhou water ecological–economic system as a study area, through the comparison of the systematic indicators of Zhengzhou with those of the selected Chinese cities, the general status of the Zhengzhou water ecological–economic system in China is identified. The results also show that most indicators of Beijing are located at middle levels among the selected Chinese cities. In particular, the sustainability, expressed by the indicators emergy-based sustainability index (ESI) and water resources population carrying capacity (WPC) were 1.34 and 1.94 million, respectively, in Zhengzhou in 2005, which indicates that the Zhengzhou WEES is in heavy pressure of water resources and is located at low levels of sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The carbon emission from major sectors and key industries is the main source of regional carbon emission, which has caused severe climate anomalies. Decoupling analysis and prediction of carbon emissions are helpful to formulate effective carbon emission reduction targets and coordinate the relationship between carbon emission and economic development. Considering the differences between sectors, this paper selects 12 major industrial carbon emitting sectors in Henan Province as the research object, decomposes the carbon emission driving factors by Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method, analyzes the decoupling relationship of carbon emission and economic development by Tapio decoupling model, constructs a decoupling effort model by combining the LMDI method and Tapio decoupling model to analyze the influence of each effect on the decoupling relationship, and sets up baseline scenario, low carbon scenario and enhanced low carbon scenario to forecast carbon emission and its decoupling state with economic development by the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system (LEAP) model. It is concluded that the restraining effects of energy structure, energy intensity and industrial structure are increasing. The decoupling index between carbon emission and economic development of 12 sectors shows a downward trend. Both energy structure effect and energy intensity effect have made weak decoupling efforts, and the decoupling efforts of industrial structure effect were relatively small, especially in Ferrous metal smelting and calendering industry and other five sectors. In 2035, four sectors will achieve carbon neutralization and the overall decoupling effect of carbon emissions will be obvious. Finally, this paper puts forward some recommendations to promote carbon emission reduction. • Decomposition, decoupling and forecasting analysis of carbon emission. • Combining decomposition and decoupling analysis to construct decoupling effort model. • Differences between sectors of industry are considered. • The decoupling efforts of industrial structure effect were relatively small. • Four industrial sectors will achieve carbon neutralization in 2035. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the economic development of various countries in the world, the traditional energy supply has been unable to meet the demand of current economic development, and the environmental problems caused by the use of traditional energy are also a major issue that needs to be urgently solved in all countries in the world, so the development and use of clean energy is an important measure to alleviate these two problems. This paper mainly studies the coupling mechanism and development prospect of the innovation ecosystem of clean energy under the smart agriculture based on blockchain. This paper first analyzes the coupling mechanism between the blockchain smart agriculture and the clean energy innovation ecosystem; secondly, it establishes the evaluation index system of the clean energy innovation ecosystem, and measures the development efficiency of the clean innovation ecosystem by using the SBM model, super efficiency SBM model and the global principal component method; thirdly, it uses the development efficiency of the clean energy innovation ecosystem through coupling and coordination The model calculates the coupling coordination of clean energy innovation ecosystem in different regions, and analyzes the spatial-temporal differences, regional differences and spatial agglomeration of the coupling coordination degree. The calculation results show that the average coupling coordination degree of green innovation development in the East, the middle, the West and the whole country is consistent with the development trend of provinces, autonomous regions and cities, showing an upward trend. The results show that the eastern region increases from 0.62 to 0.70; the average coupling coordination degree of the central region is lower than the national average coupling coordination degree, and the distance is gradually increasing; the western region has been in a serious maladjustment level, the global Moran index I value of the coupling coordination degree of clean energy innovation ecosystem is greater than 0, and the Z statistics are greater than the critical value of normal distribution function at the level of 5 %, P values are all less than 0.05 Local Moran index I and Z statistics have been growing steadily, and the significance of spatial positive correlation is getting higher and higher. The research results of this paper can provide a useful reference for the development of clean energy innovation ecosystem under the smart agriculture based on blockchain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Supercapacitors represent a promising alternative to replace Flywheel Generators. • This paper provides the conceptual design of a Supercapacitors-based power supply for ASDEX Upgrade toroidal field coils. • Stored energy is distributed among the submodules of a MMC-like topology. • Redundancy is required to ensure reliability in case of fault of some modules. ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) electrical power is provided with three Flywheel Generators (FGs) that are charged up before the start of each plasma pulse with 15 MW for 30 minutes. The stored energy is then used to satisfy the high power needs during the pulse of up to 400 MW. The biggest FG ('EZ2') in case of a major fault could not be replaced by any other FG of such size because no comparable devices are available on the free market. Therefore, the development of an alternative energy storage with high power and energy density and fully controllable output is planned. Supercapacitors (SCs) are well known for their high specific power. The combination of this technology and a proper power converter topology such as the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) represent a promising alternative to be explored to replace Tokamaks FGs. The MMC topology allows a discrete-leveled output voltage and, thanks to its high cells number, it can operate continuously even in case of fault of some cells, while a FG could not. In this paper the concept of a SCs-based power supply for AUG's Toroidal Field (TF) Coils is presented, highlighting the main advantages and challenges of this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsustainable and uncontrolled development of urbanization, as well as the expansion and increase of environmental challenges, has caused extensive activities in recent years to reduce environmental pollution and efficient use of energy resources, worldwide. One of the appropriate solutions to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2) emission and the optimal use of energy sources is the construction of an industrial energy park (IEP). Given the pivotal role of energy parks in different energy networks, accurate techno-economic-environmental assessment of energy parks, along with the promoted energy conversion facilities and flexibility options has become a challenging task. To address this open issue, this paper focuses on the coordinated operation of IEPs with a variety of thermal, electrical, and cooling loads to satisfy economic and environmental benefits. The proposed combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP)-based energy park is equipped with multiple energy conversion facilities, such as absorption and electric chiller, power-to-heat facility, multi-energy storage, as well as demand response (DR) program as the flexibility option to supply energy demands, while has energy exchanging (power and heat exchanged) with the corresponding markets. The main objectives of this paper are to minimize the total operation cost of the energy park and decrease CO 2 emission rates. The coordinated model is exposed to the fluctuation of wind power, electrical and heat loads, and power prices, so the hybrid stochastic/information gap decision theory (IGDT)-based robust approach is used to handle them. The technical implications of using the proposed strategy are: (1) Creating a robust platform for industrial park operators to actively participate in different energy markets and take advantage of existing economic opportunities to meet the required energy demands at the lowest cost; and (2) Encouraging industrial park operators to participate in DR programs to reduce operating costs, increase energy efficiency, and contribute to the development of energy network plans. The proposed stochastic-IGDT multi-objective model is examined on the sample park and numerical results are discussed for different cases. Results reveal that under the proposed coordinated approach, total operation cost and emission pollution are decreased up to 3.1%, and 2.2%, respectively. • Evaluating the operation of the CCHP-based IEP under coordinated strategy • Providing a hybrid IGDT/stochastic approach for operation of the IEP • Developing economic-environmental scheduling for IEP under hybrid approach • Integrating multi-carrier storage, DR, boiler, CHP, chiller, P2H, and RES in IEP [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of new energy represented by wind power and photovoltaic power generation necessitates higher requirements for the flexibility of traditional thermal power generation units. The role of thermal power units will change from conventional main power to auxiliary power, not only because of the need for the survival and development of thermal power enterprises, but also because of the inevitable requirement for promoting the revolution of power energy production and consumption in China. The economy of thermal power unit flexibility transformation is an important constraint factor for decision-making in thermal power unit transformation. How to consider the economic factor of the thermal power unit transformation is a key problem for decision-making. In this paper, a nonlinear programming model is proposed to solve the problem. By introducing greedy strategy and improved reproduction strategy, an improved invasive weed optimization (IWO) algorithm is also proposed to solve the problem. Finally, a case study with three different scenario assumptions was conducted according to the most used transformation schemes of thermal power units in China, and the results were derived by using the proposed model and the improved IWO method. The comparative analysis of the results showed that the more the thermal power units participated in deep peak shaving, the greater the risk of the flexibility transformation of the thermal power units. In addition, under the condition of the same proportion of peak shaving, the risk of transformation without oil peak shaving was lower than that of oil peak shaving. Thus, the improved IWO algorithm can provide a stable and satisfactory solution. The research in this paper can provide a more scientific basis for decision-making on the flexibility transformation of the thermal power unit and can provide a reference for the selection of the flexibility transformation scheme of the thermal power unit. • Various cost and benefit effects are considered of the thermal power unit's flexibility transformation. • An economic risk optimization model of the thermal power unit's flexibility transformation is constructed. • Invasive weed optimization (IWO) algorithm is proposed to solve the optimization model. • The greater the proportion of thermal power units participating in deep peak shaving, the more economic risk of the units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, there have been significant developments in the field of intelligent energy management systems (IEMSs), with various methods and new solutions proposed for managing the energy resources intelligently. An important issue related to finding the desired outcomes remains unexplored, i.e., how to determine key insights from the sparse academic literature in the age of digital publishing. To mitigate the issue, this study proposes a novel strategy to systematically survey the relevant studies by converting the sparse literature into visual presentations. We first apply a systematic approach called a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses) statement to provide the insights from the published literature of the past decade (2010–2020). Then, VOSviewer experiments are conducted to transform these sparse scholarly data into visual representations. In total, eighty-one papers published in high-impact journals are identified based on their scientific soundness and relevance, and a VOSviewer analysis is applied. The analysis revealed the existence of three research clusters focused on the following main thematic areas: the energy management in smart homes and smart grids (35 journal papers); the emerging concept of context-awareness (26 journal papers); and the role of privacy preservation in IEMSs (20 journal papers). This analysis uncovers the current state of IEMSs and explores existing issues, methods, findings, and gaps. Thus, future research directions have been recommended to fill the existing gaps. This systematic literature review is to assist both researchers and industry practitioners to understand the research gaps of previous studies. • Latest developments in energy management systems are compiled from scientific and practical perspectives. • A new way to conduct systematic reviews is presented by combining PRISMA approach and VosViewer analysis. • The sparse literature is converted into visual representations to quickly identify the research gaps from published literature. • Emerging topics such as context-aware energy management, smart homes and smart grids, and the role of privacy preservation in energy management systems are explored. • Existing research gaps are highlighted with potential solutions. • New perspectives in the field are proposed to fill the existing gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]