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Energy efficiency is, in principle, a simple idea: an output of human value, for example, vehicle-km traveled, divided by the needed input energy. Efficiency improvements are regarded as an important means of mitigating not only climate change, but also other environmental problems. Despite the vast number of articles published on energy efficiency, a few people question whether it is a useful or accurate measure in its present form; nearly all papers are either engineering studies, or address barriers to efficiency improvements. This review addresses this issue via a critical review of the literature, including not only papers on energy efficiency, but those on adjacent areas of research that can help broaden the scope, both geographically and conceptually. These shortcomings are illustrated in case studies of buildings/cities and road passenger transport. The main findings of this review are that (1) energy efficiency inevitably has an ethical dimension, as well as a technical one, in that feedbacks are more widespread than they have generally considered to be, and (2) that conventional efficiency measures omit important energy input items, particularly those concerned with the mining the materials needed for renewable energy plants. The key conclusions are that present efficiency measures are not adequate, and future research is needed to overcome these shortcomings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main problem confronting the world is human-caused climate change, which is intrinsically linked to the need for energy both now and in the future. Renewable (green) energy has been proposed as a future solution, and many renewable energy technologies have been developed for different purposes. However, progress toward net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the role of renewable energy in 2050 are not well known. This paper reviews different renewable energy technologies developed by different researchers and their potential and challenges to date, and it derives lessons for world and especially African policymakers. According to recent research results, the mean global capabilities for solar, wind, biogas, geothermal, hydrogen, and ocean power are 325 W, 900 W, 300 W, 434 W, 150 W, and 2.75 MWh, respectively, and their capacities for generating electricity are 1.5 KWh, 1182.5 KWh, 1.7 KWh, 1.5 KWh, 1.55 KWh, and 3.6 MWh, respectively. Securing global energy leads to strong hope for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as those for hunger, health, education, gender equality, climate change, and sustainable development. Therefore, renewable energy can be a considerable contributor to future fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper describes seaside renewable energy resources. The motivation and need behind this work are to give background literature on the use of climate change effects as a resource support for shallow geothermal-energy (seaside energy solutions) production. This leads to combating and mitigating climate change by using its effect to our advantage. As a part of my literature review as a report series, this report gives some background about seaside energy solutions relating to water quality and climate change. This review paper addresses all aspects of renewable energy. The methodology implemented in this review paper and other series was a systematic literature review process. After searching and collecting articles from three databases, they were evaluated by title, abstract and whole article then synthesized into the literature review. The key conclusion is that seaside renewable energy is mainly shallow geothermal-energy and most of the methods use climate change effects to their advantage such as sediment heat energy production. The main recommendation is to use the effects of climate change to combat and mitigate its causes and further consequences. The overall conclusions are built on the relationships between different aspects of the topics. The paper contributes a precise current review of renewable energy. It is the last part of a series of four review papers on climate change, land uplift, water resources, and these seaside energy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Africa, switching to renewable energy sources with low carbon emissions is becoming more popular. In the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS), the low-carbon energy transition must overcome significant obstacles, including those posed by policies put in place and their implementation. In order to replace the current fossil fuel-driven economy with low-carbon development that also advances the regional aims and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this paper analyzes the current policy landscape in the region. A total of 75 policies from four categories (energy access, energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change) were chosen for the policy review. Multicriteria decision analysis and a thorough review of the literature have shed light on how well the policies of the ECOWAS countries could promote low-carbon development and what the main challenges to overcome are. The last step was the comparison of the progress of the two key policies in the region: the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) and National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP). The results illustrate the amount of work still needing to be done in the region, with only 26 of the 75 policies receiving a score above 50. However, the prospect of a better energy strategy that adequately considers the difficulties of the energy transition is possible, given the progress made by the region's nations since the creation of national action plans for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE). Our analysis has also shown that countries like Senegal have obtained quite promising results, as evidenced by the best scores of 76.88 and 73.25, respectively, obtained by its NREAP and NEEAP policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Within a city, there is a lack of space for the installation of photovoltaic panels, especially in cities with significant artistic heritage. Hence, there is a need to identify new spaces for the installation of renewable energy systems capable of supplying part of the city's energy demand. Large infrastructures for public use such as stadiums, because of their characteristics, can become an essential resource for surrounding communities by installing photovoltaic panels on their roofs. This innovative approach can supply renewable electricity to the local community, aligning with the concept of renewable energy communities (RECs). This study focuses on the Olympic Stadium in Rome, exploring a new way to produce and share the electricity generated. An energy simulation of the photovoltaic plant was carried out by means of a transient calculation tool System Advisor Model (SAM). Then, the energy output from photovoltaics was correlated with the stadium, streetlight, and household electrical energy demands. The results highlight the suitability of the photovoltaic plant and the energy, economic, and environmental advantages derived from its exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy has a crucial role in facing climate change. One promising strategy is the creation of energy communities that require active involvement from a bottom-up perspective. Their implementation is difficult, as they currently rely on local policies, community readiness, and technological availability. The objective of this paper is to provide a qualitative overview of energy community concepts and strategies at the European level. The aim is to identify common approaches that are framing the development of energy communities, and to understand the most successful steps leading to their creation and growth. To achieve this objective, a threefold methodology is provided: (1) an updated review on policies dealing with energy communities at the European and Italian level; (2) a qualitative overview of European-funded projects under the Horizon 2020 work program; and (3) a qualitative overview of some of the most successful existing energy communities in Europe. The results outline a series of considerations and lessons learned that are useful for implementing this transition pathway in a real case, which is also presented in the paper. The conclusions will identify some future directions of this research, particularly in relation to the results coming from the implementation of actions in the real case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is crucial to economic progress, but the contemporary worldwide population increase that demands greater energy generated from conventional exhaustible resources, an energy price upsurge, and environmental concerns, imperils sustainable economic growth. Nevertheless, switching to renewable energy produced from naturally replenished resources promotes energy security, likewise addressing issues such as global warming and climate change. This paper aims at exploring the influence and causal relation between renewable energy, both overall and by type, and sustainable economic growth of European Union (EU)-28 countries for the period of 2003-2014. We notice that the mean share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption is 15%, while the mean share of renewable energy in transport fuel consumption is 3%, which are below the thresholds of 20% and 10%, respectively, as set by the EU Directive 2009/28/EC. By estimating panel data fixed-effects regression models, the results provide support for a positive influence of renewable energy overall, as well as by type, namely biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind power, and solar energy on gross domestic product per capita. However, biomass energy shows the highest influence on economic growth among the rest of renewable energy types. In fact, a 1% increase of the primary production of solid biofuels increases GDP per capita by 0.16%. Besides, cointegrating regressions set on panel fully modified and dynamic ordinary least squares regressions confirm the positive influence related to the primary production of renewable energies on economic growth. A 1% increase in primary production of renewable energies increases GDP per capita by 0.05%-0.06%. However, the results of Granger causality based on panel vector error correction model indicate both in short-run and long-run a unidirectional causal relationship running from sustainable economic growth to the primary production of renewable energies, being supported the conservation hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis and the exacerbation of climate change, along with the associated geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine, are accelerating the energy transition in Europe. A transition from fossil energy sources to renewable energy sources that have a low Energy Return Rate, involves, among many other issues, the use of wide areas to locate the necessary infrastructure for production, transport and storage, altering territories with agricultural, cultural and ecological values. This process is based on the deployment of renewable energy megaprojects in peripheric areas of the continent, mostly in the southern states creating a wide range of social conflicts and resistances. We analyse this process in the case study of the province of Granada, a peripheric territory of south-east Spain considering the category of energy colonialism and the six dimensions that characterise it, arguing that this is a proper approach to address internal colonialism related to the corporate energy transition. We also want to demonstrate the importance of using participatory methodologies for this analysis, so we have developed an online survey, semi-structured interviews and participatory cartography workshops, always focusing on the citizens and stakeholders who are resisting the deployment of renewable energy megaprojects in the province of Granada. The obtained results allow us to confirm the necessity of using participatory methodologies and the colonial aspect of this deployment, including the characteristics of social resistance, the territorial impacts, the land-grabbing process and the inequalities in the production, distribution and use of energy. We conclude with the need to articulate a decolonial energy transition where participatory methods constitute a fundamental tool both to attend the resistances and to build the alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the imperative global shift towards renewable energy to mitigate climate change, Latin America (LATAM) emerges as a region of immense untapped potential. However, there is no formal quantification of the effects of developing this potential. This study analyzes the economic and climate impacts of developing renewable energy in LATAM and the Asia–Pacific region using an integrated economic and climate assessment model (IAM). The key findings are as follows. First, exporting renewable energy from LATAM and the Asia–Pacific region yields economic benefits across all regions. However, this surge in renewable energy exacerbates rather than alleviates global warming. Second, the implementation of policy measures accompanying renewable energy exports, aimed at discouraging the use of polluting energy sources, proves effective in mitigating global warming while sustaining significant economic gains globally. Third, LATAM stands to gain substantially from this development. Fourth, due to the gradual process of capital accumulation, any delays in initiating the development of renewable energy exports not only diminish economic gains during the postponement but also in the years following the commencement of exports. These results are robust to several additional simulations and sensitivity analyses. The results align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change as a challenge we all are facing, varying degree of economic development as a result of COVID-19, the volatility in energy prices and political as well as other factors, most countries have restructured their electricity markets in order to facilitate the use of green renewable energy. The right energy mix in a period of energy transformation is the best strategy for achieving reduction of carbon emissions. Bulgaria is a special case because it has expanded the use of solar and wind energy exponentially, without conducting an adequate preliminary forecast analysis and formulating a parallel strategy for the development and expansion of the energy storage infrastructure. In this regard, the article is focused on how the power energy market is structured with the increasingly large-scale and global penetration of renewable energy sources as primary energy sources, observing several key factors influencing the energy transition. Due to the cyclical nature of energy production and the necessity for a smooth and efficient transition, a long-term seasonal storage plan should be considered. Furthermore, solar energy production facilities have a greater share of installed power, but wind power facilities generate a roughly equivalent amount of electric energy over the course of a year. One of the aims of this research is to discover an appropriate model for predicting the electricity output of wind and solar facilities located in Bulgaria that can be used to ease the transition process. Based on thorough data analysis of energy production over the past 11 years and 5 months, our findings suggest that a SARIMA model might be appropriate, as it takes into account the seasonal cycles in the production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suvilahti, a suburb of the city of Vaasa in western Finland, was the first area to use seabed sediment heat as the main source of heating for a high number of houses. Moreover, in the same area, a unique land uplift effect is ongoing. The aim of this paper is to solve the challenges and find opportunities caused by global warming by utilizing seabed sediment energy as a renewable heat source. Measurement data of water and air temperature were analyzed, and correlations were established for the sediment temperature data using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Enterprise Guide 7.1. software. The analysis and provisional forecast based on the autoregression integrated moving average (ARIMA) model revealed that air and water temperatures show incremental increases through time, and that sediment temperature has positive correlations with water temperature with a 2-month lag. Therefore, sediment heat energy is also expected to increase in the future. Factor analysis validations show that the data have a normal cluster and no particular outliers. This study concludes that sediment heat energy can be considered in prominent renewable production, transforming climate change into a useful solution, at least in summertime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perspective of natural hydrogen as a clear, carbon-free, and renewable energy source appears very promising. There have been many studies reporting significant concentrations of natural hydrogen in different countries. However, natural hydrogen is being extracted to generate electricity only in Mali. This issue originates from the fact that global attention has not been dedicated yet to the progression and promotion of the natural hydrogen field. Therefore, being in the beginning stage, natural hydrogen science needs further investigation, especially in exploration techniques and exploitation technologies. The main incentive of this work is to analyze the latest advances and challenges pertinent to the natural hydrogen industry. The focus is on elaborating geological origins, ground exposure types, extraction techniques, previous detections of natural hydrogen, exploration methods, and underground hydrogen storage (UHS). Thus, the research strives to shed light on the current status of the natural hydrogen field, chiefly from the geoscience perspective. The data collated in this review can be used as a useful reference for the scientists, engineers, and policymakers involved in this emerging renewable energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The climate crisis we are facing increasingly requires us to achieve zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Green hydrogen is a gas produced from the electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable sources (e.g., photovoltaics, wind power, etc.). It represents a viable alternative to fossil fuels, without generating polluting effects. The agro-livestock sector produces about one third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since more energy is needed to meet the growing demand for food and the industrial revolution in agriculture, renewable energy sources could improve access to energy resources and energy security, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce GHG emissions. Hydrogen production is a promising energy technology, but its deployment in the global energy system is lagging. Here, we analyzed the theoretical and practical application of green hydrogen generated by electrolysis of water, powered by renewable energy sources, in the agro-livestock sector. Green hydrogen is at an early stage of development in most applications, and barriers to its large-scale deployment remain. Appropriate policies and financial incentives could make it a profitable technology for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal and terrestrial fisheries communities in Europe, often economically marginalised, are likely to face severe impacts as climate change becomes more acute. Although progress on climate mitigation and adaptation from national governments remains slow, local development actions can also address these impacts from the bottom up. In this paper we analyse the Fisheries and Sea Operational Programme 2014–2020 and 36 Local Development Strategies prepared within the framework of this programme for the case of Poland. The strategies, which were prepared by cross-sectoral, area-based partnerships known as Fisheries Local Action Groups, are analysed using a content analysis approach. The aim was to assess the degree to which local stakeholders sought to address the climate challenge. We found that the mitigation of climate impacts and the development of renewable energy did not feature prominently in the analysed documents, suggesting that both central policymakers and local stakeholders in Polish fisheries regions had a low level of awareness about the climate problem and their potentially important role in addressing it. Transformation to a post-carbon society undoubtedly requires additional, targeted support and extensive educational activities at the local level, in Poland and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests provide a range of ecosystem services, including bioenergy supply and carbon sequestration, both contributing to significant climate change mitigation. Oleaginous trees have potential to provide bioenergy supplies through biodiesel-producing seed yield as well as contributing to carbon sequestration. This paper aims to show the provisions of bioenergy and carbon savings through forest rotation management and it will investigate the potential of oleaginous forest management in China. We use the land expectation value (LEV) model to calculate the optimal joint values of timber, seed and total carbon savings, including carbon sequestration from forest and carbon reductions through energy substitutions. The results indicate that combining both values of seeds and carbon savings increase the LEV and rotation age (167,611 Yuan/ha, 78 years) compared to sole timber value (26,053 Yuan/ha, 55 years). The optimization of the LEVs and the resulting optimal rotation ages are significantly sensitive to the discounting rate. Annual biodiesel potential production from Pistacia chinensis can take up 1.7% of the national diesel consumption in China. We conclude that China can use improved forest rotation management as an effective means for achieving goals in its low-carbon energy strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green bonds have increasingly been utilized around the world as a source of financing for renewable energy development, designed with compliance requirements and measurable economic returns to investors, while mitigating climate change. However, the efficacy of green bond arranged in the emerging economies for financing renewable energy assets and how the underlying risks are managed have remained to be explored. The paper aims to examine the evolving green financial system sponsored by both public and private institutions in managing such risks within China's emerging economy. A case study of green financing for a bundle of wind power assets led by a state-owned enterprise (SOE) reveals an alternative approach by structuring public–private collaboration while stipulating market-based financial incentives to institutional stakeholders under a political economy. This institutional consortium is composed of a state development bank, a commercial bank, credit rating agencies, institutional and private investors, regional power purchasers, and carbon trading entities. Financial stakeholders' risk in such emerging sustainable investment is moderated by these participating institutions and structured "upsides" from carbon trading aligned with the framework of green finance and standards for green bond development. The results reveal the potentials of scaling up the development of renewable energy by adequately managing and sharing key risks, while allocating substantial funding into renewable energy projects under such a green financial system that is to be complementary with a scalable post COVID-19 economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate changes necessitate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The European Union's climate and energy policy places particular emphasis on the development of renewable energy, considered to be the primary mean in achieving the climate neutrality goal by 2050. Having in mind the aforementioned, the study was conducted to determine time delay in the development of renewable energy sources between the Visegrad Group (V4) countries and Germany, considered the most advanced country in developing renewable energy and having the greatest impact on shaping European Union climate and energy policy. The time delay econometric method was used in four of its variants. The research results show that, despite the existence of support mechanisms, the development of renewable energy sources (RES) in the V4 countries has a high mutual correlation. There is a hight correlation between RES penetration in energy mix and UE goals of the climate and energy policy until 2020. At the same time, the available data from the analysed period 2004–2019 indicate growing time delay between the reference facility—Germany and the surveyed group. The paper identifies the primary factors behind the identified time delay and proposes research areas that could direct the future research of those aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy technologies can help us combat climate change and hydrokinetic energy conversion systems could play a major role. The simplicity of hydrokinetic devices helps us to exploit renewable sources, especially in remote locations, which is not possible with conventional methods. A new type of hydrokinetic device called the Energy Conveyor Belt was designed, which works on the concept of conveyor belt technology. Numerical simulations are performed on the design of the Energy Conveyor Belt with Ansys FLUENT to optimize its performance. Some of the optimized models produced a maximum power slightly above 1 kW. The numerical results are then compared to the experimental results of other hydrokinetic turbines. The compactness and flexibility of the design give the Energy Conveyor Belt an advantage over other hydrokinetic devices in regions with fluctuating water levels. Further research has to be undertaken into cascading systems to increase the overall power generated by the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of renewable energy remains Sub-Saharan Africa's best option to achieve sustainable growth and mitigate climate change. The essence of this study is to examine the factors that determine the adoption of renewable energy adoption in Africa by employing the System Generalized Methods-Of-Moment (GMM) to analyze data sourced from 1990 to 2019 on some selected African economies. The study examined the tripartite role of the economic, environmental, and socio-political factors on renewable energy adoption in Africa and noted that a positive relationship exists between economic and renewable energy adoption, supporting the validity of the feedback hypothesis. Hence, a policy that supports simultaneous growth of the economy and renewable energy could be adopted. The results further show that environmental factors such as carbon emission and ecological footprint negatively impact renewable energy (RE) adoption in Sub-Saharan African economies. The impact of socio-political factors is, at best mixed; for instance, the result of urbanization is positive and significant, suggesting that urbanization helps in the quick adoption of renewable energy in the studied economies, while the results of corruption show otherwise. To account for single-country dynamics, the study employed the full PMG and noted that the pollution haven hypothesis holds for a number of African economies. The results offer some policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence indicates that various countries around the world set renewable energy targets in an effort to promote clean and sustainable energy sources at the expense of polluting, fossil fuel-based energy systems. While scholars have discussed extensively how these targets affect the promotion of renewable energy sources, their effect on fossil fuel policy at the national level has been neglected. The current study addresses this research lacuna, examining the impact of renewable energy targets on decision making vis à vis fossil fuels, given that these energy sources are considered substitutes. This is achieved by focusing on intra-governmental discussions in Israel during 2020–2021 that sought to formulate the country's natural gas export policy as a function of its ambitious renewable energy targets. The study demonstrates how renewable energy targets, which are often set by politicians, can significantly influence decision making concerning fossil fuels, even when they contradict professional regulators' positions and from their perspective represent a risk to national energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation from renewable sources has increased significantly worldwide, mainly driven by the need to reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases, decelerate climate changes, and meet the environmental, social, and governance agenda (ESG). The main characteristics of variable renewable energy (VRE) are the stochastic nature, its seasonal aspects, spatial and time correlations, and the high variability in a short period, increasing the complexity of modeling, planning, operating, and the commercial aspects of the power systems. The research on the complementarity and dependence aspects of VREs is gaining importance, given the development of hybrid generation systems and an array of VREs generators spread over a large region, which could be compounded by different renewable sources, such as hydro, solar, and wind. This review is based on a systematic literature review, providing a comprehensive overview of studies that investigated applied methodologies and methods to address dependence and complementarity. It is a recent field of interest, as 60% of the articles were published in the last five years, a set of methods that have been employed to address this issue, from conventional statistics methods to artificial intelligence. The copulas technique appears as an important approach to modeling renewable energy interdependence. There is a gap in articles comparing the accuracy of the methods employed and the computational efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for energy and the impacts generated by CO2 emissions make it necessary to harness all possible renewable sources of energy, like wave power. Nevertheless, climate change may generate significant variations in the amount of wave energy available in a certain area. The aim of this paper is to study potential changes in the wave energy resource in the Mediterranean coast of Morocco due to climate change. To do this, wave datasets obtained by four institutes during the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment in the Mediterranean Region (Med-CORDEX) project are used. The future conditions correspond to the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results show that projected future wave power is very similar to that of the present considering the whole area, although at some specific points there are slight changes that are more evident for the RCP8.5 scenario. Another remarkable result of this study is the significant increase of the temporal variability of wave power in future scenarios, in particular for RCP8.5. This will be detrimental for the deployment of wave energy converters in this area since their energy output will be more unevenly distributed over time, thus decreasing their efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's ever-increasing population, combined with economic and technological growth and a new, modern way of life, has led to high energy demand and consumption. Fossil fuels have been the main energy source for many years, but their use has many negative impacts on the environment. This has made the transition to renewable energy sources necessary in order to address climate change and meet the 1.5 °C goal. This paper is a review of the different types of renewables, their potentials and limitations, and their connection to climate change, economic growth, and human health. It also examines consumers' willingness to pay for renewables in different countries, based on the existing literature. IEA (International Energy Agency) data are analyzed, concerning renewables' current use, the evolution of their usage, and forecasts about their future usage. Finally, policies and strategies are recommended in order to address climate change and fully integrate renewables as a sustainable energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the share of renewable energy in the power generation mix plays a pivotal role in the decarbonisation of power systems, thus facilitating the achievement of international and national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change. Due to the intermittent nature of variable renewable energy, the integration of these sources in power systems requires investments in additional solutions and setting strategies to ensure grid stability and reliability. For that purpose, a prospective modelling was applied to the relatively isolated island named Procida, located in the gulf of Naples in Italy, through the bottom-up optimization model TIMES-Procida for a long-term energy plan where technical solutions, i.e., deployment of photovoltaics on rooftops and storage, and policy scenarios, i.e., energy efficiency, were used to analyse the evolution of the energy system. The introduction of renewable energy could be much more relevant when dealing with islands; they appear as decisive territories for experimentation and analysis of the transformation of all power systems. At year 2050, our results address decarbonisation and energy autonomy. They show that only with high shares of renewable energy will the territory see a noticeable decarbonisation of its economic sectors (up to 24%) and a decreasing dependency on imports (−16.6% compared to low renewable integration). By comparing the results of scenarios including or lacking storage solutions, we showcased how this reflected on the investments in PV and on grid congestion relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the changes that have taken place in energy-related technologies, the United States has been less affected by the geopolitical risks associated with the supply of fossil fuel energy resources, especially crude oil. When the price of oil is low, the geopolitical situation of U.S. energy contrasts with that of other oil-producing countries, which are facing financial pressure due to low oil prices and a high domestic energy demand. Many other countries have been supplying crude oil compared to half a century ago, reducing the strategic importance of major oil exporters, such as key OPEC members in the Persian Gulf. The shale oil revolution in the United States and the transition of energy in countries around the world to more sustainable energy sources, especially renewable energy, have reduced the importance of security in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf for U.S. politicians, which will be intensified in the future. Especially from the middle of the Carter administration period, U.S. politicians saw the security of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf as a prerequisite for securing energy supplies for the U.S. economy, but that has changed. Despite the disruption of Russia's fossil fuel energy supply, as one of the main energy suppliers, due to sanctions from February 2022, the global energy carriers' prices are relatively under control. Energy transition is one of the main contributors to lowering the impact of fossil fuel energy supply disruptions on the global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts the electric power system by affecting both the load and generation. It is paramount to understand this impact in the context of renewable energy as their market share has increased and will continue to grow. This study investigates the impact of climate change on the supply of renewable energy through applying novel metrics of intermittency, power production and storage required by the renewable energy plants as a function of historical climate data variability. Here we focus on and compare two disparate locations, Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands and Cordova, Alaska. The main results of this analysis of wind, solar radiation and precipitation over the 1950–2020 period show that climate change impacts both the total supply available and its variability. Importantly, this impact is found to vary significantly with location. This analysis demonstrates the feasibility of a process to evaluate the local optimal mix of renewables, the changing needs for energy storage as well as the ability to evaluate the impact on grid reliability regarding both penetration of the increasing renewable resources and changes in the variability of the resource. This framework can be used to quantify the impact on both transmission grids and microgrids and can guide possible mitigation paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The use of renewable energy to reduce the effects of climate change and global warming has become an increasing trend. In order to improve the prediction ability of renewable energy, various prediction techniques have been developed. The aims of this review are illustrated as follows. First, this survey attempts to provide a review and analysis of machine-learning models in renewable-energy predictions. Secondly, this study depicts procedures, including data pre-processing techniques, parameter selection algorithms, and prediction performance measurements, used in machine-learning models for renewable-energy predictions. Thirdly, the analysis of sources of renewable energy, values of the mean absolute percentage error, and values of the coefficient of determination were conducted. Finally, some possible potential opportunities for future work were provided at end of this survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources (RESs) are able to reduce the European Union (EU)'s dependence on foreign energy imports, also meeting sustainable objectives to tackle climate change and to enhance economic opportunities. Energy management requires a quantitative analysis and the European Commission follows the performance of each Member State (MS) in order to define the corrective measures towards 2020 targets. Starting from historical data reported in the Eurostat database and through a mathematical model, this work proposes future trajectories towards 2020 of the share of energy from renewables (REs) in terms of gross final energy consumption (GFEC). Furthermore, a quantitative analysis based on two indices--(i) the share of REs in GFEC, and (ii) gross final renewable energy consumption (GFREC) per capita--permits a comparison among 28 MSs. The share of REs in GFEC in EU 28 varies from 19.4% to 21.8% in future trajectories towards 2020. Sweden and Finland occupy the top part of the ranking, while six MSs (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) are not able to reach the 2020 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change could pose a significant threat to the energy sector in various countries. The objective of this study is to analyze the long-term impact of changes in precipitation and water availability on hydroelectric production. To do so, the study focuses on three hydroelectric power plants in Southern Spain combining climatological, technical and economic data and projections. A physical model has been designed that reproduces the plants' operations and incorporates various scenarios for the evolution of contributions to the basin. The results predict a 10 to 49% drop in production by the end of the century, depending on the plant and scenario. This decrease in production, in accordance with our economic and operational hypotheses, would significantly affect the operating margins of the facilities and, in certain scenarios, could reach an economically unsustainable level by the end of the century. An investment analysis has been carried out as well, showing that climate change may jeopardize future investments in similar facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international diffusion of environmental innovations is getting increasing attention as an opportunity to improve competitiveness. Especially in the energy sector, countries use policy support to this end. A recent goal in this context is the formation of "lead markets", which represents the idea that countries can build up first-mover advantages that will increase their competitiveness. Taking the lead in international diffusion of a particular innovation benefits a country's industry through creating increasing returns of technological development and stimulating exports to expanding international markets. Interaction between national and international forces affecting renewable energy innovation and its diffusion has received fairly little attention so far. Here, we investigate the formation of lead markets for wind power technologies in China, Germany and the USA to see whether policy support of renewable energy innovation is capable of improving competitiveness. An extension of the current lead market framework is developed to include supply side factors and technology policy issues. The comparative analysis of lead market potential for wind power indicates a high level of internationalization of the industry with countries holding lead positions in specific parts the supply chain. Competitive advantages were built upon policy support but tended to shift among countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combatting climate change necessitates a substantial global increase in renewable electricity capacity. Many low-income and lower-middle-income countries suffer from unfavorable green financing conditions. Fifteen of these countries possess substantial natural gas reserves. To overcome green financing constraints in such countries, we propose an integrated energy contract that awards a renewable energy project in parallel with an upstream natural gas project to interested energy companies. The state returns from the natural gas project provide a guarantee for renewable energy investments, reducing their associated risks. We conduct Monte Carlo simulations for each of the targeted countries after populating the input parameters for the upstream natural gas and renewable energy projects, including forecasting country-specific natural gas prices. When accounting for 10% of their existing natural gas reserves in the proposed contract, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Indonesia can achieve more than 60% of their 2030 renewable energy target capacity additions while countries with low access to electricity can significantly upscale their installed capacities. The guarantee mechanism provides protection levels exceeding 96% on renewable energy investments. The proposed contract enables the considered countries to increase their renewable energy capacities while inducing economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A harmful impact of climate change and global warming has concerned various sectors of the international community. Numerous energy policies aiming at climate change mitigation have been implemented on a national and global scale. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) play a critical role in enhancing sustainable solutions that significantly limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such innovative technologies can facilitate energy transition through providing, e.g., energy security, sustainable development, and effective usage of indigenous resources. However, the commercialization of RETs is extremely challenging. The barriers can be of a different nature, although this study focused on socioeconomic and regulatory issues. There is ample evidence that energy policies play a central role in supporting adoption of renewables. It is also claimed that RETs require the whole ecosystem to support their successful diffusion. In this study, we explored multifarious barriers for widespread RET diffusion in two European Union countries, Finland and Poland, indicating the most common barriers existing in the literature as well as analyzing major bottlenecks from the viewpoint of renewable energy companies' executives. We also present statistics of the most commonly used RETs in these countries in order to express the diffusion issues more appropriately. The research shows that inflexible, ineffective, and excessive regulatory frameworks; limited financing options; as well as an insufficient level of societal awareness have been seen as the main bottlenecks for RET diffusion in both countries. The outcomes of this study provide useful insights for the researchers in the energy transition field as well as practical managerial and regulatory implications aimed at overcoming these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, there has been a positive trend in world politics in the field of promoting territories' sustainable development. At the same time, one of the most relevant areas is to promote the transition to renewable energy sources (RES), which correspond to one of the UN's goals—Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) "Ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for all". This article is devoted to the study of the renewable energy sources' impact on the sustainable development of the Russian Arctic zone. The authors chose the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as an indicator reflecting the impact of RES on sustainable development, since this factor is one of the main factors for assessing trends in the activities of countries aimed at achieving progress on most of the Sustainable Development Goals of territories. The hypothesis of the relationship between the use of renewable energy sources and the achievement of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, one of the indicators of which is the level of CO2 emissions, was tested and confirmed. An econometric analysis of panel data for 15 countries that are actively implementing the concept of sustainable development, including decarbonizing policies, was carried out, where the resulting indicator for achieving progress on the SDG was the amount of CO2 emissions. The factors influencing the resulting variable were indicators selected based on a review of existing models, as well as indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals' achievement. Using an econometric analysis of interdependence, the indicators of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals that are more likely to have an impact on the level of CO2 emissions were identified. These are electricity consumption, the share of renewable energy sources in the energy balance, the average per capita income of the population, and carbon intensity. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that renewable energy sources are a factor contributing to the achievement of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The results obtained are also applicable to the Arctic region, since all countries that have territories in the Arctic zone adhere to the policy of decarbonization and try to reduce the use of fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of renewable energy is imperative as a countermeasure to climate change. As with conventional electricity generation technologies, public acceptance of renewables is an important issue, and willingness to pay (WTP) is a widely used indicator to assess such public attitudes. Unfortunately, the literature to date mostly covers developed countries, with few WTP surveys in developing countries. Tackling climate change is an urgent issue for these developing countries; therefore, understanding of public attitudes toward renewables in developing countries is crucial. This study conducted the first survey on WTP for introducing renewable energy in Myanmar. Although Myanmar boasts abundant renewable energy resources, including solar power and biomass in addition to large-scale hydro plants, its resources are not being properly utilized to generate electricity. This study surveyed WTP for power generation by solar photovoltaics, small hydropower, and biomass facilities. The results showed the highest WTP for solar power (USD 1.92) with 10% share in the energy mix, and lower WTP for biomass and small hydropower electricity generations (USD 1.13 and USD 1.17, respectively). Careful public communication is thus crucial for expanding biomass and small-scale hydro power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuing various sustainable development goals is posing new challenges for societies, policymakers, and researchers alike. This study implements an exploratory approach to address the complexity of food security and nuance its relationship with other grand challenges, such as energy use and climate change, in Central European countries. A multiple factor analysis (MFA) suggests that the three pillars of food security relate differently to climate change: food affordability and food accessibility positively correlate with climate change, while food quality has a negative association with temperature rise. However, if countries switched to renewable energy resources, all three pillars of food security could be achieved simultaneously. The study also underlines regional inequalities regarding grand challenges and emphasizes the need for innovative local solutions, i.e., advances in agriculture systems, educational programs, and the development of environmental technologies that consider social and economic issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean wave energy is one of the cleanest renewable energy sources around the globe, but wave energy varies widely from place to place and from time to time. The long-term variability of wave power at 20 locations in the Indian shelf seas from 1979 to 2018 is described here using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts recently released ERA5 reanalysis hourly data. The variability is calculated on a yearly and monthly basis for the locations based on the coefficient of variation. The annual average wave power varied from 2.3 (at location 16 in the western Bay of Bengal) to 11 kW/m (at location 2 in the northeastern Arabian Sea). Along the western shelf seas, the maximum value of wave power is during the southwest monsoon period and along the east coast, it is during the tropical cyclone period. The standard deviation in wave power is more than the mean value at locations along the northern shelf seas of India, indicating a large variability in wave power in an annual cycle. The west coast locations are shown to have a slightly higher increasing trend with an average of 0.024 kW/m per year, while the increasing trend in wave power of east coast locations is with an average of 0.015 kW/m per year. The study also examines the variation in wave power from deep to shallow water at 2 locations using the wave characteristics obtained from the numerical model SWAN. The electric power output from a few wave energy converters are calculated for all the locations and found that the southernmost locations have a steady and higher percentage of power production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China and India are not only the two most populous nations on Earth, they are also two of the most rapidly growing economies. Historically, economic and social development have been subsidized by cheap and abundant fossil-fuels. Climate change from fossil-fuel emissions has resulted in the need to reduce fossil-fuel emissions in order to avoid catastrophic warming. If climate goals are achieved, China and India will have been the first major economies to develop via renewable energy sources. In this article, we examine the factors of projected population growth, available fossil-fuel reserves, and renewable energy installations required to develop scenarios in which both China and India may increase per capita energy consumption while remaining on trach to meet ambitious climate goals. Here, we show that China and India will have to expand their renewable energy infrastructure at unprecedented rates in order to support both population growth and development goals. In the larger scope of the literature, we recommend community-based approaches to microgrid and cookstove development in both China and India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European climate change objectives aim to reduce CO2 emissions, promote the spread of renewable energy sources (RES), and stimulate energy efficiency (EE). The situation of local and regional governance is crucial in the implementation of community objectives. A multi-year research project was implemented in East Hungary by the University of Debrecen and Eszterházy University. It focuses on the relevance of local communities in the formation of adequate responses to the fore-mentioned challenges. A broad range of primary data collections (questionnaires and interviews) were implemented in two rural counties of the country. The first objective was to elicit existing plans concerning RES and EE at the municipality level and to measure the rate of public participation in the elaboration of them. Secondly, the scopes of the implemented projects were examined in the target area. According to the results, local leaders seem to be committed to environmental issues, but communities rarely possess energy/climate-change plans and projects. The main motivators of project implementation are financial. Because of poor financial conditions, only EU co-financed projects are realized. As subsidies come through the national government, political factors are crucial. From a governance point of view, national and county levels are decisive, and local specialties are not taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-arid regions have historically suffered from low water availability. In addition, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events credited to global climate change has made it increasingly clear that among the challenges faced by society water resource management is extremely necessary. In this context, desalination based on renewable energy resources integrated with production systems that make use of the waste resulting from this process becomes a socio-environmentally indicated alternative to expand existing supply strategies and sustainable water use in isolated locations, and/or areas distant from large urban centers, thus addressing local potential and reducing environmental impacts. This study assesses the use of Photovoltaic Solar Power Plants (PSPPs), as well as of residues generated in a Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis System (BWRO), in productive units linked to fish and family farming. This is as an alternative way to reduce water vulnerability in the Brazilian semi-arid area (BS), adhering to climate change adaptation measures in the light of Brazilian public policies through the Freshwater Program (Programa Água Doce—PAD), which aims to promote access to good quality water to approximately 500 thousand people in the Brazilian semi-arid region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]