Search

The transition to renewable energy is key for sustainable development. Therefore, one of the sustainable development goals (SDG) of United Nations (UN) is to shift towards clean energy. However, in many resource-rich countries several factors can stand as barriers towards the transition process. In this regard, this paper examines the influence of higher oil price, CO 2 emissions, and income on renewable energy consumption in Iran from 1980 to 2019, employing General to Specific (Gets) modeling approach. Estimation results indicated that oil price and CO 2 emissions both have statistically significant and negative impact on renewable energy consumption. The negative influence of higher oil prices on renewable energy consumption may be interpreted as sign of satisfaction coming from higher oil prices, which postpones the transition from traditional energy sources to renewable for Iran. Furthermore, we concluded that income does not have a statistically significant influence on renewable energy use. The paper discusses alternative policies to promote renewable energy consumption. • The effect of higher oil price on renewable energy consumption was studied. • A novel version of General to Specific (Gets) modeling approach was employed. • We found significant, negative impact of oil price on renewable energy use in Iran. • The paper discusses alternative policies for Iran to promote renewable energy use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Application of solar energy according to land use/land cover map. • Electrification of transportation sectors based on local renewable energies. • Comparison of conversion and storage efficiencies of different energy forms in transportation. • Reducing transportation and urban environmental impacts. • Multi-criteria decision-making of sustainable transportation based on sustainable development pillars. The main aim of this paper is the decarbonization of the transportation sector in Tabriz City regarding sustainable development aims and beyond-2-degrees-scenario by focusing on electric vehicles, as well as on appropriate infrastructures. Quantitative and simulation research methods are used to analysis of total energy, exergy, and losses analysis according to different resources and vehicles. Next, the solar potential of the city is simulated using the Grasshopper plug-in-Rhino simulator and PVsyst software. A LULC analysis has been done using ArcMap 10.8. With renewable electrification, energy consumption will plunge from 15.5 TWh input-energy content of different carbon-based resources to 3.7 TWh with 0.17 MtonCO 2 /year instead of 2.13 MtonCO 2 /year emissions. In this paper, the overall system efficiency of electric vehicles is around 55% which is significantly higher than internal combustion engines. Fully electrification of the transportation systems based on renewable resources mitigates CO 2 emissions of internal combustion engines 15 times, besides reducing the emissionsa variety of harmful pollutants. In terms of multi-criteria decision-making, the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution was used to rank 50 popular vehicles according to interconnected sustainable development criteria. This paper highlights that conventional internal combustion engines can be replaced by electric vehicles by applying combination of appropriate taxes, tariffs, and incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy subsidies can incentivise the overconsumption of energy resources and contribute to other economic or social distortions. In this paper, an ex-post analysis is presented that explores the extent to which electricity subsidy reform could have reduced Iran's energy demand during the period 1984–2017. It also quantifies the techno-economic and environmental benefits that could have been achieved through such reforms. A time-varying econometric model is linked to an energy systems optimisation model. The former estimates electricity demand under different subsidy removal scenarios, and the latter identifies the cost-optimal generation mix to meet the demand. The results of cost-optimal transition pathways under subsidy removal scenarios are compared with the real-world energy system development during the study horizon. The comparison reveals that the subsidy reform could have reduced the total cumulative electricity consumption by 22%. Renewable share in power generation could have increased from 5% to 15%. Moreover, the reform combined with a cost-optimal generation pathway would have saved $69 billion and avoided 944 million tons of CO 2 emissions. The analysis also shows that every five-year delay in subsidy removal causes about 100 million tons of additional CO 2 emissions. Finally, the paper presents lessons learnt for future energy modelling. • An ex-post analysis quantifies the benefits of energy subsidy reform in the power sector. • The total cumulative electricity consumption could have been reduced by 22%. • Renewable share in power generation could have tripled. • Subsidy reforms combined with cost-optimal generation could have saved $69 billion. • The paper presents lessons learnt for future energy modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orosi is a traditional Iranian window which is made of colorful glasses embedded in wooden latticed frame. This window was designed in traditional courtyard houses located in central Iran and behaved as a passive strategy to control light intensity, provide privacy and aesthetics. However, this type of window is rarely used nowadays due to a lack of acoustic and thermal insulation and high construction costs. This paper explores the possibility of using double-glazed window with colored microalgae inspired by Orosi to improve its light performance and energy consumption compared to the traditional Orosi window design A series of experimental tests and a set of computer simulations are conducted to evaluate and compare the two designs. The experimental results showed that while the light intensity in the indoor space is approximately equal to the corresponding magnitude measured for the Orosi window, the inside temperature witnessed a small increase approximately 1° Celsuis. Likewise, relative humidity, which has a significant impact on thermal comfort perceived by occupants, increased from 25% to nearly 70% in the algae window. Based on results obtained, nearly 500 ppm of CO 2 was absorbed due to the low height of the photobioreactor. Results of computer simulations indicated that the amount of annual energy consumption in terms of cooling electric energy, heating fuel energy and electric equipment within the two simulated models were similar. However, the best performance of the colored algae window in terms of UDI was observed when the microalgae concentration was between 40% and 50%. • For the first time, a colored microalgae window inspired by Iranian Orosi is evaluated as an energy efficient design. • Using this window could result in reviving Iranian architecture and absorb CO 2 emissions and decrease energy consumption. • Indoor lux levels are found to be very similar for both designs. • Indoor temperature and RH value of the double-glazed algae photobioreactor window was higher. • Energy consumption for heating and cooling were similar for both window designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]