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The transport sector emits 18% of global CO2. Industry and consumers must adopt green mobility to reduce emissions and climate change. This will help achieve sustainability by improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, smart electric vehicles (SEVs) have emerged. Digital twins concept and technology may help launch SEVs to the market by analysing and optimising supporting infrastructure. This work aims to fill in the gaps between different pieces of research by giving a full review from a technical and scientifically neutral point of view. The study looks at how digital twin technology can be used in smart car systems by looking at its promise and the hurdles faced. Based on a comprehensive literature survey, this is the first in-depth look at how digital twin technology can be used in smart electric cars. The review has been organised into specific areas of the smart vehicle system, such as drive train system battery management system, driver assistance system, vehicle health monitoring system, vehicle power electronics. This review goes into detail about each component of the car to provide an overall view of the smart vehicle system as a whole. This review makes it easier to understand how digital twin technology can be utilized into each area from a scientific point of view. Lastly, the work looks at the technological and economic impact of digital twin technology, which will make considerable changes in car manufacturing processes, as well as help address current obstacles in utilizing advanced technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport sector emits 18% of global CO2. Industry and consumers must adopt green mobility to reduce emissions and climate change. This will help achieve sustainability by improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, smart electric vehicles (SEVs) have emerged. Digital twins concept and technology may help launch SEVs to the market by analysing and optimising supporting infrastructure. This work aims to fill in the gaps between different pieces of research by giving a full review from a technical and scientifically neutral point of view. The study looks at how digital twin technology can be used in smart car systems by looking at its promise and the hurdles faced. Based on a comprehensive literature survey, this is the first in-depth look at how digital twin technology can be used in smart electric cars. The review has been organised into specific areas of the smart vehicle system, such as drive train system battery management system, driver assistance system, vehicle health monitoring system, vehicle power electronics. This review goes into detail about each component of the car to provide an overall view of the smart vehicle system as a whole. This review makes it easier to understand how digital twin technology can be utilized into each area from a scientific point of view. Lastly, the work looks at the technological and economic impact of digital twin technology, which will make considerable changes in car manufacturing processes, as well as help address current obstacles in utilizing advanced technologies.

This paper examines the role of entrepreneurship in energy engineering education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating entrepreneurial skills into the curriculum. Given the global challenges associated with sustainable energy, entrepreneurship is identified as a crucial driver for developing innovative technologies in the energy sector. The paper addresses the obstacles and challenges of integrating entrepreneurship into energy engineering education programs and highlights the need for curriculum reform, enhanced industry collaboration, and the utilization of appropriate resources to foster entrepreneurship. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of balancing technical and entrepreneurial content within energy engineering courses, and the necessity of providing suitable incentives and opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The societal demand for sustainable energy solutions and the pressing global challenges underscore the need for energy engineering students to develop entrepreneurial skills. This development is presented as a vital strategy for driving economic growth and fostering innovation in the energy industry. In conclusion, the paper argues that the integration of entrepreneurship into energy engineering education is essential for preparing students to contribute effectively to the energy sector’s evolution and to address the urgent need for sustainable and innovative energy solutions

This paper examines the role of entrepreneurship in energy engineering education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating entrepreneurial skills into the curriculum. Given the global challenges associated with sustainable energy, entrepreneurship is identified as a crucial driver for developing innovative technologies in the energy sector. The paper addresses the obstacles and challenges of integrating entrepreneurship into energy engineering education programs and highlights the need for curriculum reform, enhanced industry collaboration, and the utilization of appropriate resources to foster entrepreneurship. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of balancing technical and entrepreneurial content within energy engineering courses, and the necessity of providing suitable incentives and opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The societal demand for sustainable energy solutions and the pressing global challenges underscore the need for energy engineering students to develop entrepreneurial skills. This development is presented as a vital strategy for driving economic growth and fostering innovation in the energy industry. In conclusion, the paper argues that the integration of entrepreneurship into energy engineering education is essential for preparing students to contribute effectively to the energy sector's evolution and to address the urgent need for sustainable and innovative energy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A thermoradiative diode is a device that can generate power through thermal emission from the warm Earth to the cold night sky. Accurate assessment of the potential power output requires knowledge of the downwelling radiation from the atmosphere. Here, accurate modeling of this radiation is used alongside a detailed balance model of a diode at the Earth’s surface temperature to evaluate its performance under nine different atmospheric conditions. In the radiative limit, these conditions yield power densities between 0.34 and 6.5 W.m−2, with optimal bandgaps near 0.094 eV. Restricting the angles of emission and absorption to less than a full hemisphere can marginally increase the power output. Accounting for non-radiative processes, we suggest that if a 0.094 eV device would have radiative efficiencies more than two orders of magnitude lower than a diode with a bandgap near 0.25 eV, the higher bandgap material is preferred.

One of the present major issues for industrialised societies is the environmental impact of energy production. Nuclear power is identified as a possible sustainable opportunity to provide a technological answer to this problem. This review aims to overview the physical bases of accelerator-driven systems, focusing on spallation and transmutation phenomena. A discussion on the possible use of these nuclear devices is developed in the context of sustainable energy production, showing a possible new approach to nuclear energy, based on the developments of accelerator physics and technology during the last century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study models the geomechanical deformation of a depleted gas field, wherein gaseous hydrogen is stored in a North Sea reservoir, and is cyclically injected and withdrawn. A fault is modeled within the underburden, and its slip is investigated during a three year storage period. Parametric simulations are conducted to study the influence of the underburden mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and permeability on induced seismicity. The fault is predominantly in stick during the bulk of the injection, storage, and withdrawal periods, but minor fault slip (0.25), low Biot coefficient, and low permeability (

Summary: Selecting a suitable photocatalyst to establish the Z-scheme heterojunction which is accompanied by effective photogenerated hole and electron separation, is one of the advantageous strategies for efficient photocatalytic solar energy conversion. Therefore, we prepared a ZnIn2Se4 nanoparticles photocatalyst to build a double Z-scheme heterojunction with mixed-phase TiO2 nanofibers, boosting photocatalytic solar fuel preparation. The result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the existence of interfacial chemical bonds and internal electric fields. The interfacial Ti-Se bond is regarded as a channel and the internal electric field serves as the driving force for electron transfer. And the composite photocatalyst exhibits a great hydrogen evolution rate of 0.11 mmol g−1 h−1. From a forward-working perspective, this work proposes a ZnIn2Se4 nanoparticles photocatalyst for efficient solar fuel conversion, promoting the application of bimetallic selenide photocatalyst in the field of photocatalysis.

Summary: A well-designed and managed electricity supply infrastructure system is essential for integrated energy market. This paper tracks progress on infrastructure for electricity trading in East Africa integrated electricity market. Using data on electricity infrastructure targets in Master Plan 2013–2023 and actual infrastructure delivered by 2022, we conducted earned value analysis (EVA) to establish whether the completed generation and transmission infrastructure can adequately facilitate electricity trading across EAC countries. Findings show that by 2022 the region had realized 54% of the 12,567MW planned generation capacity and 211% of transmission network targets. Investment inflows for infrastructure have been faster than anticipated with actual variance of 325%. This triggered 47% earned value in surplus load worth US$357million of trade, despite actual electricity trading not happening at the same pace. We construed some merit-order conditions for iterative planning to synchronize generation infrastructure with transmission infrastructure for trade efficiency.

Summary: Wearable devices realize health monitoring, information transmission, etc. In this study, the human-friendliness, adaptability, reliability, and economy (HARE) principle for designing human energy harvesters is first proposed and then a biomechanical energy harvester (BMEH) is proposed to recover the knee negative energy to generate electricity. The proposed BMEH is mounted on the waist of the human body and connected to the ankles by ropes for driving. Double-rotor mechanism and half-wave rectification mechanism design effectively improves energy conversion efficiency with higher power output density for more stable power output. The experimental results demonstrate that the double-rotor mechanism increases the output power of the BMEH by 70% compared to the single magnet-rotor mechanism. And the output power density of BMEH reaches 0.07 W/kg at a speed of 7 km/h. Furthermore, the BMEH demonstrates the excitation mode detection accuracy of 99.8% based on the Gate Recurrent Unit deep learning model with optimal parameters.

Thermal fluids are used as heat transfer fluids and thermal energy storage media in many energy technologies ranging from solar thermal heating to battery thermal management. The heat capacity of state-of-the-art thermal fluids remains ∼50% of that of water (which suffers from a limited operation range between 0°C and 100°C), and their viscosities are typically more than one order of magnitude higher than that of water. Our results demonstrate that the heat capacity of the proposed thermochemical fluid is significantly higher than that of state-of-the-art thermal fluids over a broad temperature range and is also higher than that of water between 60°C and 90°C. The viscosity of our liquid is only 3 times higher than that of water, and the operating temperature range is between -90°C and 135°C. Furthermore, a model was developed allowing for novel design of thermochemical thermal fluids in the future with even higher heat capacity.

The energy-only-market implemented in China cannot strongly support large-scale renewable energy expansion because the renewable energy expansion may disorderly phase out non-renewable power capacity. However, non-renewable power capacity, particularly the coal-fired power capacity in China, can provide vital power system adequacy needed by renewable energy expansion. We introduce capacity payments to orderly retire current coal-fired power capacity by transforming some of it into reserve capacity in order to support renewable energy expansion. Using generation and transmission expansion results from the SWITCH-China model, this paper proposes an orderly retirement path based on the assumption of implementing capacity payments. Our results show that roughly 100-200 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power capacity can continue to serve through 2050, and most of it is used as reserve capacity. Capacity payments of 400-700 billion yuan are needed to achieve this retirement path, and a higher adequacy requirement needs higher payments.

The conversion of CO2 to value-added products powered with solar energy is an ideal solution to establishing a closed carbon cycle. Combining microorganisms with light-harvesting nanomaterials into photosynthetic biohybrid systems (PBSs) presents an approach to reaching this solution. Metabolic pathways precisely evolved for CO2 fixation selectively and reliably generate products. Nanomaterials harvest solar light and biocompatibly associate with microorganisms owing to similar lengths scales. Although this is a nascent field, a variety of approaches have been implemented encompassing different microorganisms and nanomaterials. To advance the field in an impactful manner, it is paramount to understand the molecular underpinnings of PBSs. In this perspective, we highlight studies inspecting charge uptake pathways and singularities in photosensitized cells. We discuss further analyses to more completely elucidate these constructs, and we focus on criteria to be met for designing photosensitizing nanomaterials. As a result, we advocate for the pairing of microorganisms with naturally occurring and highly biocompatible mineral-based semiconductor nanomaterials.

Abstract Given the challenges in managing large deformation disasters in energy engineering, traffic tunnel engineering, and slope engineering, the excavation compensation theory has been proposed for large deformation disasters and the supplementary technology system is developed accordingly. This theory is based on the concept that “all destructive behaviors in tunnel engineering originate from excavation.” This paper summarizes the development of the excavation compensation theory in five aspects: the “theory,” “equipment,” “technology,” the design method with large deformation mechanics, and engineering applications. First, the calculation method for compensation force has been developed based on this theory, and a comprehensive large deformation disaster control theory system is formed. Second, a negative Poisson's ratio anchor cable with high preload, large deformation, and super energy absorption characteristics has been independently developed and applied to large deformation disaster control. An intelligent tunnel monitoring and early warning cloud platform system are established for remote monitoring and early warning system of Newton force in landslide geological hazards. Third, the double gradient advance grouting technology, the two‐dimensional blasting technology, and the integrated Newton force monitoring––early warning––control technology are developed for different engineering environments. Finally, some applications of this theory in China's energy, traffic tunnels, landslide, and other field projects have been analyzed, which successfully demonstrates the capability of this theory in large deformation disaster control.

Summary: A forgotten thermosiphon scheme is found in Montreal’s former Royal Victoria Hospital and traced back to the original Center Block of Canada’s Parliament Hill. This discovery inspires an investigation into the fluid mechanics of heat recovery with buoyancy ventilation, where interior spaces are arranged in an open thermal loop with heat exchange through partition walls. Flow visualizations with physical models are used to corroborate the archival evidence and show how the historical scheme worked. The scheme is then generalized, defining a criterion for steady unidirectional flow (λ>1) and a heat recovery limit when room temperatures upstream and downstream reach equilibrium (ε≤50%). This mathematical model is validated experimentally, demonstrating steady flow (λ∼2.21) close to the efficiency limit (ε∼0.40) with a balanced thermal design (NTU∼1). Further analysis shows significant heating savings are possible in mildly cold seasons compared to natural displacement (74%) and natural mixing (60%) ventilation.

The chemical industry needs to significantly decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in order to meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. Utilization of CO2 as a chemical feedstock for bulk products is a promising way to mitigate industrial emissions; however, CO2-based manufacturing is currently not competitive with the established petrochemical methods and its deployment requires creation of a new value chain. Here, we show that an alternative approach, using CO2 conversion as an add-on to existing manufactures, can disrupt the global carbon cycle while minimally perturbing the operation of chemical plants. Proposed closed-loop on-site CO2 recycling processes are economically viable in the current market and have the potential for rapid introduction in the industries. Retrofit-based CO2 recycling can reduce annually between 4 and 10 Gt CO2 by 2050 and contribute to achieving up to 50% of the industrial carbon neutrality goal.

Summary: This paper presents a data-driven methodology combining simulation and multi-objective optimization to efficiently implement transportation policy commitments, using as a case study the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. The methodology leverages a baseline simulation model developed by our industry partner, Arup Group Limited, to estimate EV demand and quantities from 2020 to 2050. Four future energy scenarios are considered, and a multi-objective optimization approach is employed to determine the optimal types, locations, and quantities of charging points, along with the corresponding total capital and operational expenditures and charging point operating hours. Quantitatively, the variations of the portions of different types of charging points for the four scenarios are relatively small and within 3% range of the total number of charging points. The optimal solutions put priority on the slower charging points, with faster charging points having smaller portions each around 10%–13%.

Summary: The energy crisis in Europe requires cost-effective evaluations of residential heating strategies to reduce costs and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This research studied different heating systems in China and Europe. Based on heating energy surveys, simulation models were developed and further expanded for European cities. Monte Carlo analyses were conducted to understand the heating demand and utility costs in Rome, Madrid, and Athens. The sensitivity analysis found that electrifying heating systems with heat pumps can reduce household heating costs and mitigate European cities’ dependence on natural gas. However, the high upfront investment may hinder the cost-effective deployment of high-performance heat pump systems. Building envelope retrofits can also provide plausible energy savings despite relatively long payback periods. Financial incentive analyses were conducted to quantify how fiscal measures can improve technologies’ techno-economic performance. Finally, the paper provided policy recommendations on future building cost-effective retrofits and heating electrification in Europe.

We use 36 years (1980-2015) of hourly weather data over the contiguous United States (CONUS) to assess the impact of low-cost energy storage on highly reliable electricity systems that use only variable renewable energy (VRE; wind and solar photovoltaics). Even assuming perfect transmission of wind and solar generation aggregated over CONUS, energy storage costs would need to decrease several hundred-fold from current costs (to ∼$1/kWh) in fully VRE electricity systems to yield highly reliable electricity without extensive curtailment of VRE generation. The role of energy storage changes from high-cost storage competing with curtailment to fill short-term gaps between VRE generation and hourly demand to near-free storage serving as seasonal storage for VRE resources. Energy storage faces "double penalties" in VRE/storage systems: with increasing capacity, (1) the additional storage is used less frequently and (2) hourly electricity costs would become less volatile, thus reducing price arbitrage opportunities for the additional storage.

Analog instruments are widely used in energy engineering. However, an analog instrument is only human-readable because it does not have a built-in digital communication interface. In power system, it is necessary not only to record the final output value but also to monitor the associated dynamic power process. The present paper develops an analog instrument pointer monitoring and parameter estimation system via line scan vision. A line scan camera is used to collect the dynamic process data of the analog instrument. The captured images can be regarded as a discrete temporal sequence. The light-spot centroid method is implemented to extract the initial pointer position. Data normalization is used to process the initial data. By analysing the system step response function, we construct a cost function, and Least-squares identification algorithm is used to estimate the damp and natural frequency. The proposed method monitors the dynamic process of the analog instrument with various inputs, such as sine signals and random signals, thereby enabling condition monitoring. Experimental prediction results show that the proposed estimation method is effective and robust.

The high demand for hydrogen has led to the development of various production methods. This study examines the use of synthetic and natural catalysts in the generation of hydrogen and biohydrogen. A bibliographic analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer and ScientoPy tools. The research focuses on hydrogen synthesis, purification, separation, and storage, based on the findings. Hydrogen and biohydrogen can be produced through processes such as reforming, decomposition, hydrolysis, gasification, photolysis, and fermentation. The most studied approach is natural gas steam reforming, using Ni and Ce as catalysts and Al₂O₃, Al₂O₄, and BaTiO₃ as support materials, resulting in a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 2880 h−1 and an average stability of 100 h. In contrast, ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis with Pt/Co₃O₄ catalysts may achieve a high TOF of 15 times faster than steam methane reforming (SMR). Additionally, HY‐zeolite containing nickel has a maximum stability of 578 h. Enhancing hydrogen and biohydrogen generation could be achieved by incorporating two or more metals that work synergistically and by building hierarchical structures in zeolite. In photocatalysis, it is important to design catalysts that improve light absorption. Using activated natural zeolites in the gasification process (conventional, supercritical, or hydrothermal) requires various raw materials and advanced chemical processes, which poses challenges for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper proposes a novel clustering and dynamic recognition–based auto-reservoir neural network (CDbARNN) for short-term load forecasting (STLF) of industrial park microgrids. In CDbARNN, the available load sets are first decomposed into several clusters via K-means clustering. Then, by extracting characteristic information of the load series input to CDbARNN and the load curves belonging to each cluster center, a dynamic recognition technology is developed to identify which cluster of the input load series belongs to. After that, the input load series and the load curves of the cluster to which it belongs constitute a short-term high-dimensional matrix entered into the reservoir of CDbARNN. Finally, reservoir node numbers of CDbARNN which are used to match different clusters are optimized. Numerical experiments conducted on STLF of an actual industrial park microgrid indicate the dominating performance of the proposed approach through several cases and comparisons with other well-known deep learning methods.

Summary: The solar-driven desalination is seen as a sustainable way to combat water scarcity. However, the solar steam generation efficiency has long been restricted by the high vaporization enthalpy of water and low energy density of natural sunlight. We introduced graphene oxide (GO) cross-linked with polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the photothermal material, with the enriched ammonic functional groups in modified GO membrane (GPM) activating water molecules to evaporate with much lower energy consumption. The vaporization enthalpy at the air-film interface is reduced up to 42% in GPM film by tuning the thermodynamic states of water. Consequently, GPM film enables a high evaporation rate of 2.48 kg m−2 h−1 with 95.7% energy conversion efficiency under 1 sun. With the aid of positive charges introduced by hydrolysis of PEI, the GPM exhibits excellent salt resistance and delivers an evaporation rate around 1.8 kg m−2 h−1 when treating 20 wt % NaCl solution.

Summary: Blue and green ammonia production have been proposed as low-carbon alternatives to emissions-intensive conventional ammonia production. Although much attention has been given to comparing these alternatives, it is still not clear which process has better environmental and economic performance. We present a techno-economic analysis and full life cycle assessment to compare the economics and environmental impacts of blue and green ammonia production. We address the importance of time horizon in climate change impact comparisons by employing the Technology Warming Potential, showing that methane leakage can exacerbate the climate change impacts of blue ammonia in short time horizons. We represent a constrained renewable electricity availability scenario by comparing the climate change impact mitigation efficiency per kWh of renewable electricity. Our work emphasizes the importance of maintaining low natural gas leakage for sustainability of blue ammonia, and the potential for technological advances to further reduce the environmental impacts of photovoltaics-based green ammonia.

Summary: Despite the world’s relentless efforts to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable energy target by 2030, the current pace of progress is insufficient to reach the objective. Continuous support and development across various domains of the energy sector are required to achieve sustainability targets. This article focuses on the potential of dynamic operating limits to drive the world’s sustainability efforts, specifically in addressing critical challenges of distribution networks of the power system by progressively setting the nodal limits on the active and reactive power injection into the distribution network based on data-driven computer simulation. While the importance of dynamic operating limits has recently been recognized, its crucial role in the residential energy sustainability sector, which requires a significant push to provide universal energy access by 2030, has not been adequately investigated. This perspective explains the fundamental concepts and benefits of dynamic operating limits in encouraging the adoption of distributed renewable energy resources in the residential sector to support the United Nation’s sustainable energy objective. Additionally, we discuss the limitations of computing this limit and applying it to the electricity network and some motivational models that can encourage electricity customers to come forward to address the challenges. Finally, we explore new research and implementation prospects for designing comprehensive, dependable, accountable, and complementary dynamic operating limit programs to accelerate the attainment of sustainable energy targets.

Solar Architecture represents the confluence of the two disciplines of energy engineering and architecture. The concept of Solar Architecture defines a decision-making process to select, design, deploy, and operate solar energy-enabled solutions for environments where solar energy resources are part of the energy mix. The principles of Solar Architecture include maximizing solar energy harvesting from solution’s surfaces with a positive balance of energy, carbon, and cost provided by the solution. Solar Architecture application selection is built on two major cornerstones, features and groups, defining the best options in energy engineering of a solar solution. Solar surfaces are key to solar architecture. They are the “heart”, and balance-of-system components are the “muscles” of solar solutions. Addressing energy losses in photovoltaic, solar to thermal, and solar to chemical energy conversion allows for increasing energy harvesting yield. Life Cycle Assessment and solar energy harvesting methodologies based on solar surface characteristics define Solar Architecture Balance. This balance allows for defining energy, carbon, and cost return on investment for solar solutions and selecting the best solution for related assets/environment.

Summary: Decreasing costs of distributed generation and storage, alongside increasing network charges, provide consumers with a growing incentive to defect from the main grid. On a large scale, this may lead to price inflation, hindrance of the energy transition, and even a “death spiral” – a domino effect of disconnections. Here, we develop a game-theoretic framework that demonstrates how conflicting interests among consumers — an aspect that previous studies overlooked — may lead to complex dynamics of grid defection. Our results reveal that although individual consumers benefit from staying connected at the distribution level, the defection of small energy communities from the grid may lead to the defection of larger communities. We also demonstrate that centralized design approaches may lead to inefficient outcomes, e.g., redundant grid expansions, because of the inherent inability to predict potential defections. However, we indicate how, by properly incorporating defection considerations into the grid’s design, social welfare can be improved.

The dynamic viscoelastic theory of soil–pile interaction dominates the initial impedance calculation during the pile dynamic design and analysis. Further, it provides a firm theoretical ground for the wave propagation simulation, which could be the basis of seismic analysis and some geotechnical testing approaches. This review traces the development history and key findings of viscoelastic soil–pile interaction theory and expounds on the advantages and limitations of various theoretical advances in terms of dynamic design and wave propagation modeling. The review consists of three sub-divisions, which are the longitudinal, horizontal, and torsional viscoelastic soil-pile theories. The development and implement of multi-phase soil constitutive equations, multi-dimensional soil–pile interaction modeling methods, pile–soil–pile mutual interactions in pile groups, and the fluid–structure interaction problems in offshore piles are especially remarked and concluded. Finally, the shortcomings and deficiencies of the present development are pointed out with a view to addressing them in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have sparked research interest because a better understanding of SDG co-benefits may enable faster progress on multiple sustainability fronts. However, SDG linkages are typically analyzed without considering the technologies used to implement a primary SDG, which may have secondary effects on other SDGs. Here, we outline an approach to study this problem by connecting the industries and services required to produce a technology to the United Nations SDG indicator framework, using SDG7 and four energy technologies as an illustrative case. We find that all technologies in our set involve potential co-benefits with SDGs 1, 8–10, 12–13, and 17, and trade-offs with SDGs 6, 8–9, 11–12, and 14–15. Deployment services primarily induce co-benefits; manufacturing has mixed impacts. Our work sheds light on the technology characteristics (e.g., scale, high- or low-tech) that influence linkages while also pointing to SDG-relevant characteristics not captured by UN indicators.

Summary: In recent years, sustainable energy development has become a major theme of research. The combination of solar heating and daytime radiative cooling has the potential to build a competitive strategy to alleviate current environmental and energy problems. Several studies on the combination of daytime radiative cooling and solar heating have been reported to improve energy utilization efficiency. However, most integrations still have a low solar/mid-infrared spectrum regulation range, low heating/cooling performance, and poor stability. To promote this technology further for real-world applications, herein we summarize the latest progress, technical features, bottlenecks, and future opportunities for the current integration of daytime radiative cooling and solar heating through the switch mode (including electrical, thermal-responsive, and mechanical regulations) and collaborative mode.

Summary: In recent years, a variety of wind forecasting models have been developed, prompting necessity to review the abundant methods to gain insights of the state-of-the-art development status. However, existing literature reviews only focus on a subclass of methods, such as multi-objective optimization and machine learning methods while lacking the full particulars of wind forecasting field. Furthermore, the classification of wind forecasting methods is unclear and incomplete, especially considering the rapid development of this field. Therefore, this article aims to provide a systematic review of the existing deterministic and probabilistic wind forecasting methods, from the perspectives of data source, model evaluation framework, technical background, theoretical basis, and model performance. It is expected that this work will provide junior researchers with broad and detailed information on wind forecasting for their future development of more accurate and practical wind forecasting models.

Summary: Global warming threatens the entire planet, and solutions such as direct air capture (DAC) can be used to meet net-zero goals and go beyond. This study investigates using DAC in a 5-step temperature vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) cycle with adsorbents’ Li-X and Na-X, readily available industrial zeolites, to capture and concentrate CO2 from air in cold climates. From this study, we report that Na-X in cold conditions has the highest known CO2 adsorption capacity in air of 2.54 mmol/g. This combined with Na-X's low CO2 heat of adsorption, and fast uptake-rate in comparison to other benchmark materials, allowed for Na-X operating in cold conditions to have the lowest reported DAC operating energy of 1.1 MWh/tonCO2. These findings from this study show the promise of this process in cold climates of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica to be part of the solution to global warming.

Definition: Solar Architecture represents the confluence of the two disciplines of energy engineering and architecture. The concept of Solar Architecture defines a decision-making process to select, design, deploy, and operate solar energy-enabled solutions for environments where solar energy resources are part of the energy mix. The principles of Solar Architecture include maximizing solar energy harvesting from solution's surfaces with a positive balance of energy, carbon, and cost provided by the solution. Solar Architecture application selection is built on two major cornerstones, features and groups, defining the best options in energy engineering of a solar solution. Solar surfaces are key to solar architecture. They are the "heart", and balance-of-system components are the "muscles" of solar solutions. Addressing energy losses in photovoltaic, solar to thermal, and solar to chemical energy conversion allows for increasing energy harvesting yield. Life Cycle Assessment and solar energy harvesting methodologies based on solar surface characteristics define Solar Architecture Balance. This balance allows for defining energy, carbon, and cost return on investment for solar solutions and selecting the best solution for related assets/environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluates the energy engineering students' perception and insights concerning the use and usefulness of AR technology in online engineering education during COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment is based on the following criteria: usefulness, suitability, advantages for different activities, types of overlays. Results show an increased interest for AR applications in all types of teaching activities, and its usefulness for a better understanding of studied topics. Among the most important advantages of using AR are considered closer connection to practice, speeding and deepening learning. Overall, these results indicate an improved user perception of AR from acceptance to high interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The priority of developing countries in the clean energy transition is to attain industrialization primarily with low-carbon energy sources; this presents challenges that industrialized nations did not experience. Developing economies need to grapple with the question: “Should sustainable human development be achieved at the price of economic growth?” Therefore, this article brings perspective to the theme of clean energy transition for development. We highlight three peculiarities of developing economies which will strongly influence their approach to the clean transition: low grid capacity and inefficiency, lower rates of urbanization, and youth demographics. Owing to these, effective low-cost technologies and novel pathways that can facilitate clean transition in a sustainable socio-economic framework are needed. In particular, we propose that mature dispatchable low-carbon energy sources should be prioritized as a strategy to harness local natural resources, and maximize existing indigenous skilled labor. The perspective also highlights several recommendations to help researchers and policy makers look more critically into possible solutions for the Global South’s timely participation in the clean energy transition without sacrificing economic growth potentials.

Summary: Solar photovoltaics, with sufficient power generation potential, low-carbon footprint, and rapidly declining costs, could supplant fossil fuels and help produce lower-cost net-zero emissions energy systems. Here we used an idealized linear optimization model, including free lossless transmission, to study the response of electricity systems to increasing prescribed amounts of solar power. Our results show that there are initially great benefits when providing solar power to the system, especially under deep decarbonization scenarios. The marginal value of additional solar power decreases substantially with increasing cumulative solar capacities. At costs near today’s levels, the modeled zero-emission electricity system with free solar generation equaling twice the annual mean demand is more costly than a carbon-emitting natural-gas-based system supplying the same electricity demand with no solar. Taking full advantage of low-cost solar will depend on developing and deploying low-cost approaches to temporally shift either energy supply (e.g., storage) or electricity loads (e.g., load-shifting).

Summary: We estimate the effect of heightened temperature sensitivity on electricity demand in Texas during the February 2021 blackout event. Using 20 years of hourly data, we estimate the relationship between temperature and electricity demand; finding demand has become more responsive to cold temperatures over time. This is consistent with the fact electric heating has similarly increased over the past 20 years in Texas. We find during the February 2021 event, average electricity demand was 8% higher, and approximately 10,000 MW higher during the peak hour, than it would have been had temperature sensitivity remained unchanged at early 2000s levels. Our results highlight that Texas’s increased sensitivity to cold weather extremes is not limited to the supply side, but the demand side as well. These findings have implications to other regions that are seeking to reduce carbon emissions through the electrification of heating.

Jet breakup during droplet impacted on heated surface has received wide concerns due to its regularity. The Weber number (We) is a common used dimensionless parameter to classify and analyze the phenomenon, but it is unable to summarize all detailed phenomenon variations and related theory. Thus, the effect of droplet size on jet breakup was investigated by considering its significant difference in various scenarios. The behavior of n-butanol droplets with diameter range from 1.71 mm to 2.84 mm impacts a heated surface with jet breakup was recorded by backlit technology. Three parameters, the jet breakup time, the jet breakup length and the jet ligament diameter, were analyzed to illustrate the phenomenon. The results showed that these parameters are affected by the droplet size largely at 10 < We

Summary: Demand response (DR) is rapidly gaining attention as a solution to enhance the grid reliability with deep renewable energy penetration. Although studies have demonstrated the benefits of DR in mitigating price volatility, there is limited work considering the choice of locations for DR for maximal impact. We reveal that very small load reductions at a handful of targeted locations can lead to a significant decrease in price volatility and grid congestion levels based on a synthetic Texas grid model. We achieve this through exploiting the highly nonlinear nature of congestion dynamics and by strategically selecting DR locations. We demonstrate that we can similarly place energy storage to achieve an equivalent impact. Our findings suggest that targeted DR at specific locations, rather than across-the-board DR, can have substantial benefits to the grid. These findings can inform energy policy makers and grid operators how to target DR initiatives for improving grid reliability.

Summary: Thermal switches are advanced heat-management devices that represent a new opportunity to improve the energy efficiency and power density of caloric devices. In this study we have developed a numerical model to analyze the operation and the performance of static thermal switches in caloric refrigeration. The investigation comprises a parametric analysis of a realistic ferrofluidic thermal switch in terms of the maximum temperature span, cooling power, and coefficient of performance. The highest achieved temperature span between the heat source and the heat sink was 1.12 K for a single embodiment, which could be further developed into a regenerative system to increase the temperature span. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to correlate the relationship between the input parameters and the results. We show that thermal switches can be used in caloric devices even when switching ratios are small, which greatly extends the possibilities to implement different types of thermal switches.

Summary: In view of the continuous debates on the environmental impact of blockchain technologies, in particular, cryptocurrency mining, accompanied by severe carbon dioxide emissions, a technical solution has been considered assuming direct monetization of associated petroleum gas currently being flared. The proposed approach is based on the technology of low-temperature steam reforming of hydrocarbons, which allows flare gas conditioning toward the requirements for fuel for gas piston and gas turbine power plants. The generation of electricity directly at the oil field and its use for on-site cryptocurrency mining transform the process of wasteful flaring of valuable hydrocarbons into an economically attractive integrated processing of natural resources. The process is not carbon neutral and is not intended to compete with zero-emission technologies, but its combination with technologies for carbon dioxide capture and re-injection into the oil reservoir can both enhance the oil recovery and reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The produced gas can be used for local transport needs, while the generated heat and electricity can be utilized for on-site food production and biological carbon dioxide capture in vertical greenhouse farms. The suggested approach allows a significant decrease in the carbon dioxide emissions at oil fields and, although it may seem paradoxically, on-site cryptocurrency mining actually may lead to a decrease in the carbon footprint. The amount of captured CO2 could be transformed into CO2 emission quotas, which can be spent for the production of virtually “blue” hydrogen by steam reforming of natural gas in locations where the CO2 capture is technically impossible and/or unprofitable.

Summary: Thermal fluids are used as heat transfer fluids and thermal energy storage media in many energy technologies ranging from solar thermal heating to battery thermal management. The heat capacity of state-of-the-art thermal fluids remains ∼50% of that of water (which suffers from a limited operation range between 0°C and 100°C), and their viscosities are typically more than one order of magnitude higher than that of water. Our results demonstrate that the heat capacity of the proposed thermochemical fluid is significantly higher than that of state-of-the-art thermal fluids over a broad temperature range and is also higher than that of water between 60°C and 90°C. The viscosity of our liquid is only 3 times higher than that of water, and the operating temperature range is between −90°C and 135°C. Furthermore, a model was developed allowing for novel design of thermochemical thermal fluids in the future with even higher heat capacity.

Summary: Renewable forms of electricity generation like solar and wind require low-cost energy storage solutions to meet climate change deployment goals. Here, we explore the use of depleted hydraulically fractured (“fracked”) oil and gas wells to store electrical energy in the form of compressed natural gas to be released to spin an expander/generator when electrical demand is high. Our reservoir model indicates that the same dual-porosity geological environment of fracked wells used to liberate hydrocarbons is also suitable for storing and releasing gas in a diurnal or seasonal cycle. Round-trip storage efficiency is calculated to be 40%–70% depending on the natural reservoir temperature. Levelized cost of storage is estimated to be $70–270/MWh, on par with pumped hydro storage. This study indicates that repurposed “fracked” wells could provide a much-needed low-cost seasonal energy storage solution at the TWh scale.

The evident seasonal variations in photovoltaic output as well as electric and thermal loads will result in significant energy wastage and carbon emissions. In order to address the problem, a two-stage sizing cooptimization method considering economy-safety characteristics is proposed for the integrated energy system combined power-hydrogen-heat cogeneration (CPHH-IES), with seasonal hydrogen storage. Subsequently, an economic-durability-safety optimized objective is introduced, assessing the total cost throughout the sizing cycle, equipment degradation during operation, and safety indicators of the hydrogen energy system. Finally, a two-stage sizing framework based on heat-determined hydrogen is established, and a combined configuration-scheduling double-layer strategy is put forward within the framework to accommodate seasonal hydrogen storage and multi-energy coupling. The feasibility of the method was validated using data from a site in northwest China, demonstrating its capacity to ensure the safety of the hydrogen energy system and enable seasonal hydrogen storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study models the geomechanical deformation of a depleted gas field, wherein gaseous hydrogen is stored in a North Sea reservoir, and is cyclically injected and withdrawn. A fault is modeled within the underburden, and its slip is investigated during a three year storage period. Parametric simulations are conducted to study the influence of the underburden mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and permeability on induced seismicity. The fault is predominantly in stick during the bulk of the injection, storage, and withdrawal periods, but minor fault slip ( < 4 mm) occurs shortly after a change in operational regime. The Young's modulus of the underburden unit has the strongest control on fault slip. To reduce the seismic hazard, an underburden with low Young's modulus ( < 15 GPa), high Poisson's ratio ( > 0.25), low Biot coefficient, and low permeability ( < 1 × 10 - 19 m 2 ) is found to be most suitable for hydrogen storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

The dynamic viscoelastic theory of soil–pile interaction dominates the initial impedance calculation during the pile dynamic design and analysis. Further, it provides a firm theoretical ground for the wave propagation simulation, which could be the basis of seismic analysis and some geotechnical testing approaches. This review traces the development history and key findings of viscoelastic soil–pile interaction theory and expounds on the advantages and limitations of various theoretical advances in terms of dynamic design and wave propagation modeling. The review consists of three sub-divisions, which are the longitudinal, horizontal, and torsional viscoelastic soil-pile theories. The development and implement of multi-phase soil constitutive equations, multi-dimensional soil–pile interaction modeling methods, pile–soil–pile mutual interactions in pile groups, and the fluid–structure interaction problems in offshore piles are especially remarked and concluded. Finally, the shortcomings and deficiencies of the present development are pointed out with a view to addressing them in the future.

Selecting a suitable photocatalyst to establish the Z-scheme heterojunction which is accompanied by effective photogenerated hole and electron separation, is one of the advantageous strategies for efficient photocatalytic solar energy conversion. Therefore, we prepared a ZnIn 2 Se 4 nanoparticles photocatalyst to build a double Z-scheme heterojunction with mixed-phase TiO 2 nanofibers, boosting photocatalytic solar fuel preparation. The result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the existence of interfacial chemical bonds and internal electric fields. The interfacial Ti-Se bond is regarded as a channel and the internal electric field serves as the driving force for electron transfer. And the composite photocatalyst exhibits a great hydrogen evolution rate of 0.11 mmol g -1 h -1 . From a forward-working perspective, this work proposes a ZnIn 2 Se 4 nanoparticles photocatalyst for efficient solar fuel conversion, promoting the application of bimetallic selenide photocatalyst in the field of photocatalysis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

This paper aims to report the experience from the project named "Energy Efficiency in the School" with seven-year-old students in a Second Grade classroom in a school located in Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. In 2019, university extension activities were promoted by students, professors, and technical-administrative employees who work in the education field at the Undergraduate Degree in Energy Engineering at the Federal University of Pampa, Bagé Campus. The project goal is to sensitize Basic Education students to build a culture based on the efficient use of electric energy. In cooperation with the classroom teachers, the proposed activities embrace presentations, discussions, games, and in-class practical demonstrations on energy efficiency and conservation, as well as applied electricity. This paper details the procedures performed by the project team and the learning strategies used in the classroom, such as the tutorial, small-group, and game-based learning techniques. Results are discussed, emphasizing the lifestyle changes for the efficient use of electric energy verified during and after the university extension activities were carried out. This project motivates elementary school students to pursue Higher Education; enhances the collaboration between University and schools; and supports the Basic Education. Thereby, scientific and technological knowledge is disseminated, demonstrating the role played by the University in the local and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]