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Furthermore, very complicated multiphase and thermal processes are the corner stone in modern industry, high technology development, energy conversion and utilization, renewable and sustainable energy technologies, just to name a few here. Therefore, it is essential to develop new technology to improve energy utilization efficient, sustainable energy and low carbon/zero carbon technology to reduce carbon footprint. [Extracted from the article]

Despite the harmonisation process within the EU area, there are many economic and political differences among European countries in promoting energy policies. Moreover, the status of implementation of environmental tax reforms in the new EU countries is very different from that in the old EU countries, and the economic and environmental impacts of such taxation are diverse. The objective of this paper was therefore to investigate whether the role of environmental taxes in reducing final energy consumption is the same in old and new EU countries. The analysis was conducted for 16 old and 11 new EU member states over the period 1995–2020 using Pooled Mean Group (PMG) and Mean Group (MG) estimators. The results indicate that environmental taxes have a negative long-term impact on final energy consumption in both groups of countries. However, this impact is much smaller in the new EU countries. Moreover, economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions increase final energy consumption. These results also suggest that in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the new EU countries need to apply some stringent regulations and introduce further institutional and environmental reforms that support increasing the share of clean energy sources in the energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saudi Arabia intends to reduce GHG emissions by 278 million tons of CO2eq annually by 2030 through Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to UNFCCC. Among many policies, mass transit system and transit-oriented development are being developed with the expectation to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions in Riyadh. To what extent such initiative can reduce energy consumption and GHG emission is an important question. In this paper, a methodology to systematically measure the impact of mass transit and transit-oriented development in Riyadh city on the energy demand has been developed. For Riyadh, a comprehensive travel demand model considering the impact of mass transit and transit-oriented development is still missing. To this end, this paper aims to fill the gap. This methodology considers the state-of-the-art in travel demand analysis and the local context by combining traditional four-step model and activity-based model for modal-shift. This paper describes the methodology and its application for Riyadh by analyzing modal-shift only between car and metro. The results suggest that metro can reduce energy consumption, but the reduction varies with varying accessibility, car, and metro situations. At high urban density and higher car travel cost, we may achieve as high as 13% reduction in fuel demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the process of adapting the Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit to develop a course specifically for the archive sector, Carbon Literacy for Archives, Records and Special Collections. This toolkit was launched to the sector in spring 2024. It discusses why carbon literacy (CL) is important, covering the benefits, co-benefits and what CL is. It examines the impact of carbon literacy training (CLT) on greenhouse gas emission and energy use reduction, and why CLT is so effective in generating the transformational behavioural change that is needed to create a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the Hybrid desalination and power generation through parabolic trough collectors. This study aims to examine the feasibility, performance optimization, and economic viability of power-generation plant and hybrid-desalination using multi-stage flash (MSF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies assessed by using the parabolic trough collectors (PTC). The objective is to discover the posibilities of this innovative approach in addressing water scarcity and clean energy demands. The studies usually focus on several key aspects. Firstly, it resolves the technical feasibility of integrating MSF and RO technologies with parabolic-trough-collectors to optimize energy efficiency and freshwater production. This involves evaluating the system design, heat transfer mechanisms, and operational parameters.Secondly, performance optimization is a key area of investigation. By optimizing these parameters the aim is to maximize freshwater production while minimizing energy consumption. Thirdly, the economic viability of the hybrid plant will be assessed. This involves considering capital investment, conducting a comprehensive cost analysis, maintenance costs, and operational expenses. The study also evaluates the potential for revenue generation through the sale of excess electricity produced by the system. The potential outcomes of this research include demonstrating the technical-feasibility as well as economic-viability of the hybrid desalination and power generation plant. The findings may indicate that this approach can effectively address water scarcity challenges while contributing to clean energy production. The study may also highlight the environmental benefits of integrating renewable energy sources (RESs) and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional desalination methods.The proposed method is executed in MATLAB platform and compared to various existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to top-notch vehicle testing and internationally standardized inspections, the modes of transportation are cleaner and more efficient today. Though the development for conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) has almost saturated today, yet it retains the commercial/heavy-duty (trucks and buses) automobile market. Thus, it becomes of utmost importance to analyze the well-to-wheel efficiency for determining the overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while transitioning toward sustainable transportation. Electric vehicles (EVs) do have environmental impacts that are directly related to the country's electricity generation, as they may involve fossil burning where other alternative sources of energy are not adequately present. This paper presents the overall energy efficiencies and GHG emissions from commercial/heavy-duty ICEVs and EVs. The study also briefly compares the other vehicle segments like 2 Wheeler, 3 Wheeler, and cars. Finally, the results show that commercial/heavy-duty ICEVs are advantageous over heavy-duty EVs when the GHG emissions are considered as of today. The commercial/heavy-duty ICEVs emit over 405 g CO2e/km, and counter EVs produce 706 g CO2e/km. The GHG emissions from 2 Wheeler ICEV were 46 g CO2e/km and by the same segment, EV is 13 g CO2e/km. Moving toward the car segment, an ICEV car produces around 158 g CO2e/km and an EV of a similar model emits 67 g CO2e/km. Furthermore, the 3 Wheeler ICEV emits around 99 g CO2e/km and a 3 Wheeler EV produces lesser at 24 g CO2e/km. Moving further on well-to-wheel energy efficiency, ICEVs have a maximum overall energy efficiency of 28%. Since EVs use various sources of energy for charging the battery, the overall efficiency was found to be at least 21% and maximum up to 39%. Thus, on an average EVs presently have a well-to-wheel efficiency of 32% when electricity generation mix is used for charging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new bottom-up white-box building stock energy modelling approach is presented in this paper. The model is a physics simulation-based stock model that can be used to compare the base case building stock with technological variations for comparative assessments. The model accuracy is compared to known stock data for a variety of categories, including end-use, energy source and building type. The model predicts the energy use of a building stock in a Canadian region with good agreement across all categories, with the total energy consumption of the model within 1.5% of the real stock energy use. Our analysis shows that modelling a sufficiently large sample of stock is required to reduce the expected deviation for lesser-represented portions of the stock. A case study illustrates how the model can be applied to compare different heating system distributions, in order to assess their impact on greenhouse gas emissions and peak electricity demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strict regulations imposed by the European Union (EU) with the target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions oblige the biogas plant operators to manage digestate properly. Digestate is a by-product of biogas plants and is used extensively as an organic fertilizer. Digestate drying is a commercially available technology. According to the Fachverband Biogas (German Biogas Assiciation) (2018), 500–700 dryers are in use in Germany's biogas industry. Thermal drying can meet the requirements for hygienization and produce a transportable and storable fertilizer as well. Moreover, the GHG emissions from dried digestate are considerably lower than emissions from moist digestate. In addition to the high energy demand of the drying process, emissions occur during drying, resulting in both a decrease in the digestate's fertilizing value and some negative effects on the environment. Consequently, accurate investigation of the drying kinetics is needed in order to optimize the process with regard to energy consumption, drying time, and the amount of emissions. Drying of digestate faces many difficulties because of material specific properties as well as environmental issues. Digestate tends to stick to the dryer in high moisture content. In spite of additional energy requirements, back-mixing or additives is usually utilized to cope with this problem. These methods also have a positive effect on drying rate and considerably reduce drying time. However, they should be investigated exactly because they can sometimes have negative effect in case of excessive usage. Drying rate and also ammonia emission can be controlled by operational conditions, as well. On account of wide variety of digestate, availability of a generalized reliable model will be of benefit as it allows the engineers and designers to develop and optimize the drying processes. However, determination of primary data should be regarded as the first step. It should be noted that even though obtaining an efficient drying process with regards to both energy consumption and emission is not possible, a relative commitment can be achieved. Thanks to the advances of computational resources, numerical modeling could be considered a key instrument for future progress in designing and optimization of drying process provided that reliable input data are obtainable. This paper aims to review the literature on drying techniques, drying kinetics, and emission behavior of digestate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since energy efficiency provisions were introduced into the National Construction Code in 2003, there have been increased requirements for energy-efficient measures with each iteration of the code, particularly around insulation. This is based on the often-repeated objective of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions in the light of climate change. However, there is limited evidence whether the code achieved its stated objectives and whether these will continue to be suited to a changing climate. In fact, there is evidence that the intended and achieved goals are substantially different. This paper is a critical essay, set in the context of the Australian Building Codes Board's scoping study into "Energy efficient measures for 2022 and beyond", and makes the case that current insulation requirements are already excessive against considerations that should be made, as a higher priority, for fire safety, thermal bridging, condensation, heat stress resilience and thermal comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, originating from greenhouse gas emissions, yields profound implications such as escalated temperatures, severe storms, disruptions in food supply chains, and amplified seismic activity, particularly impacting arid regions. As the world's largest economy and the second-largest CO2 emitter, the United States actively leads initiatives aimed at addressing environmental challenges and aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13. This study delves into the determinants shaping renewable energy consumption and CO2 emissions within the United States, aiming to elucidate their pivotal role in advancing carbon neutrality efforts. Using quarterly data spanning from 1990 to 2020, this investigation employs the time-varying TVP-SV-VAR model to dissect the dynamic interplay among these variables. The findings reveal intricate connections across short, medium, and long-term periods: renewable energy adoption, eco-innovations, and uncertainties in climate policy were observed to mitigate CO2 emissions. Conversely, financial development exhibited a consistent association with increased CO2 emissions across all timeframes. Additionally, the progression of renewable energy sources showcased responsiveness to climate policy uncertainties, eco-innovations, and financial development across each timeframe. These outcomes hold substantial implications for the United States' pursuit of carbon neutrality goals, emphasizing the pivotal role of promoting renewable energy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Earth's population of seven billion consume varying amounts of planetary resources with varying impacts on the environment. We combine the analytical tools offered by the socio-ecological metabolism and class theory and contribute to a novel social stratification theory to identify the differences in individual resource and energy use. This approach is applied to German society, we use per capita greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as a proxy for resource and energy use and investigate socio-metabolic characteristics of individuals from an economic, social and cultural perspective. The results show large disparities and inequalities in emission patterns in the German society. For example, the GHG in the lowest and highest emission groups can differ by a magnitude of ten. Income, education, age, gender and regional differences (Eastern vs. Western Germany) result in distinct emission profiles. We question the focus on individual behavioral changes and consumption choices to reduce carbon emissions instead of structural changes through political decisions. We argue that emission differences are directly linked to the effects of inequalities and class differences in capitalist societies. Our research results show that natural resource and energy consumption are important for explaining social differentiation in modern societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main concerns for nations worldwide in accomplishing long-term development goals are avoiding the adverse effects of climate change, lowering emissions, and enhancing environmental sustainability. This study examines the effects of 53 nations' use of renewable energy, trade openness, global tourism, and innovation on carbon emissions from 1990–2019 by using FMOLS, DOLS, GMMSystem estimator. The results demonstrate that renewable energy, trade openness, and innovation reduce emissions, whereas global travel increase environmental degradation. The findings have major policy implications for adopting trade openness policies to enhance environmental quality. Innovation that enhances the environment's quality for both country groups may be a remarkable discovery for the authorities. Findings suggest that renewable energy and technological innovation are essential for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current time, the most distressing issue is emissions control and environmental recovery. All developed and developing economies are rapidly expanding their industrial sector and increasing energy use while struggling for environmental sustainability. This study aims to analyse whether renewable energy helps BRICS economies reduce energy related emissions. Also, the role of economic growth, research and development, and public–private partnership investment in energy is investigated during the period from 1990 to 2020. Using various panel data instruments, the results illustrate the slopes heterogeneity, panel cross-section dependence, and the long-run co-integration association between the variables. Using the novel method of moment quantile regression, this study found that economic growth adversely affects environmental quality by triggering energy related emissions. However, renewable energy consumption, research and development, and public–private partnership investment in energy significantly reduce energy related emissions in the region at all quantile (25th, 50th, 75th and 90th). Besides, this study found bidirectional causal nexus between economic growth, renewable energy, research and development, and the energy related greenhouse gas emissions, while unidirectional causality from public–private partnership investment to energy related emissions. Some relevant policies are suggested that could help tackle the issue of energy related emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined renewable energy, energy efficiency which is very essential to boost up environmental quality. This research also takes other factors which has impact on greenhouse gas emissions in the BRICS nations between 2000 and 2019. On the other hand, this research differs from previous research in that it considers the impact of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Electricity on greenhouse gas emissions in BRICS economies, despite the fact that Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Electricity have the greatest impact on greenhouse gas emissions in BRICS economies. The influence of GDP and political risk index on energy-related greenhouse gas emissions also comes under the scope of this study. Further, the order of unit root was determined using cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity. The results were achieved utilising moment quantile regression (MMQ). The analysis shows that GDP causes an increase in Energy-Related Greenhouse Gases (ERGHG) at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th quantiles. At the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th quantiles, however, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Electricity reduce Energy-Related Greenhouse Gases. Furthermore, political risk index reduces Energy-Related Greenhouse Gas emissions. Moreover, policymakers should investigate the asymmetric behaviour of Energy Efficiency, Electricity from Renewable Energy and GDP when adopting BRICS economies energy, environment and growth policies based on empirical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study looked at the influence of fossil-fuel energy (E.U.) consumption, renewable power generation and greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (B.R.I.C.S.) between 1990 and 2020. The latest study also takes into account the influence of gross domestic product (G.D.P.) and technological innovation on carbon emissions. Using cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity, the order of the unit root is also determined. The findings acquired by the application of moment quantile regression. The research finds that G.D.P. and the usage of E.U. increase carbon emissions at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th quantiles. On the other hand, renewable energy generation and technical innovation reduce carbon emissions at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th quantiles. Furthermore, while implementing B.R.I.C.S. economies' energy, environment, and growth policies based on empirical data, policymakers should analyse the asymmetry behaviour of G.D.P., E.U. consumption, renewable power output and technological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the greenhouse gas emission regulations have strengthened, establishing a sustainable transportation system has become more essential. Thus, studies on the transportation system using electric vehicles have received more research attention. However, operation using electric vehicles has obstacles such as technical limitations of vehicle batteries and insufficient number of charging stations, which can be much affected by the traffic flow changes. Therefore, we propose a robust electric vehicle routing model under road traffic flow uncertainty. An arc segmentation method is used to apply the road traffic flow uncertainty more realistically and mitigate the conservativeness of the solutions. We also use the genetic algorithm with three-layer chromosome encoding schemes. Three-layer chromosome encoding schemes guarantee the feasibility of the solutions by checking the product and battery capacity of electric vehicles. The experiments show that the solutions of the robust electric vehicle routing model tend to visit charging stations more often due to the uncertain road traffic flow. However, simulation experiments show that the robust electric vehicle routing model provides better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation agriculture (CA) is believed to improve the soil properties. The question whether transplanted rice adapts to CA alike is not answered. Furthermore, the role of genotypes/varieties in CA is not clearly established. We compared two CA-based cropping systems i.e. ZT-direct seeded rice (DSR) followed by ZT-green gram (GG), (ZT-DSR-ZT-GG) and ZT-transplanted rice (TPR) followed by ZT-GG, (ZT-TPR-ZT-GG), vis-à-vis. conventional tillage (CT) system, (CT-DSR-CT-GG) with respect to soil structure, nutrient status, carbon sequestration potential, GHG emissions, energy saving and yield. Additionally, relative performance of green gram varieties under CA was evaluated. After five years, OC, N and P increased significantly in ZT-DSR-ZT-GG system. The increase in TOC was 16.90% and 11.86% in ZT-DSR-ZT-GG and ZT-TPR-ZT-GG, respectively, over CT-DSR-CT-GG. Similarly, in ZT-DSR-ZT-GG, the MBC, DHA, FDA, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase were 2.7, 1.9, 1.4, 1.03 and 1.07 fold higher over CT-DSR-CT-GG. The cumulative seasonal emission of N2O was 73% and 35% higher in CT-DSR-CT-GG over ZT-DSR-ZT-GG and ZT-TPR-ZT-GG, respectively. Overall energy saving was 32% and 25% in ZT-TPR-ZT-GG and ZT-DSR-ZT-GG cropping systems, respectively, compared to CT-DSR-CT-GG. The system productivity was at par in CA (ZT-TPR-ZT-GG)- and CT-based cropping system. The interaction between the CA practices and the crop variety was non-significant for most of the tested parameters indicating flexibility in choosing a variety for crop cultivation under CA. It may be concluded that the associated benefits of CA without compromise in yield are highly recommended to sustain soil and environmental health in rice-pulse cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of airports is considered as particularly energy intensive and with the use of conventional energy sources, significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted, fueling the existential crisis of global warming. Hence, this study investigates the energy management system (EnMS) of Midtjyllands Airport with respect to its energy consumption, energy sources, and energy-related GHG emissions. The intention is to develop a sustainable energy strategy to close the gaps in their energy and carbon management by applying the methods of ISO 50001 EnMS and Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. The findings reveal a total energy consumption of about 1 GWh including electricity (53%), natural gas (47%), and others (0.1%) while emitted GHGs account for in total 203 tCO2e. With regard to the developed baseline trends, the designed objectives comprise (1) net zero GHG emissions without offsetting by 2030, (2) 40% reduction in energy consumption by 2025, and (3) 40% reduction of two energy performance indicators (EnPIs) by 2030. The achievement of the objectives is summarized in a nine-point action plan including the major actions of identifying significant energy users (SEUs), improving thermal state of total building envelope and heating system, as well as replacing the current electricity and natural gas contract with a renewable electricity and biogas contract, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh—recently graduated to developing nation category from a least developed country with an emerging economy also is one of the severely affected countries by climate change—is heading towards a coal-intensive electricity generation mix contrary to global decarbonisation efforts. It is facing formidable challenges in achieving universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity, decarbonising the energy mix by 2030 to achieve the objective of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, despite a 285% increase of installed capacity between 2008–09 and 2020–21 and aiming at achieving 40 GW and 60 GW by 2030 and 2041 with planned expansions, respectively. This study reviewed Bangladesh's electricity sector developments—demand, generation, transmission, and distribution (T&D)—to identify progress in policies, drivers, and challenges behind the Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-intensive future direction. The rapid population and economic growth and shift towards industry-based economy drove the exponential growth in energy demand, eventually influencing the rapid generation capacity and T&D infrastructure development. However, Bangladesh has targeted transitioning from natural gas to coal dominating fuel mix due to the lower renewable potential, energy, and food security challenges, because of the anticipated substantial future electricity demand for becoming an Upper Middle and a High-income country by 2031 and 2041, respectively. We also recommended nuclear energy, (renewable) electricity import and floating solar plants to decarbonise the current trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon taxation affects carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through the price of fossil fuels, and hence can also affect emissions of air pollutants. Based on this fact, this study aims at exploring the impact of the carbon tax in Japan on various pollutants' emissions, using a regression-based approach. The main contribution of this study is to assess the impact of a tax that is mainly directed at cutting CO2, on other gases, namely sulphur dioxide (SO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOX), as well as analyzing the impact of this tax on different sectors of the Japanese economy. Our results imply that the introduction of the carbon tax in Japan effectively reduced non-CO2 greenhouse gases (GHGs) and pollutants, even when controlling for demographic and economic variables. The results of this study can be explained by a partial decoupling of fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions, possibly through investment in anti-pollution measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study calculated the carbon footprint of a local pizza restaurant chain in Izmir, Turkey, based on its operational energy consumption. In Turkey, country-specific greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have not yet been determined and based on legislation, only industrial companies with high emissions are compelled to develop GHG inventory reporting. The study faced several limitations. First, suppliers lack usable carbon footprint information. Second, there are three other local pizza chains in Izmir, which are similar to the one in this case study having more than 10 branches and offering take-home delivery. However, it was also not possible to obtain data from them to make comparisons. Finally, since the case restaurant did not integrate environmental management systems into its organizational structure, it was not possible to use carbon emission assesments under ISO 14064 or PAS 2050. Consequently, because the only reliable data were for the restaurant's energy consumption our results should be interpreted cautiously when comparing with other types of restaurants in other countries and unavoidable errors should be considered. The Tier 1 approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was used to calculate the restaurant's carbon footprint. Five years of data (2015–2020) were collected from utility bills and purchasing records, which were then converted into CO2 equivalents. Based on this energy consumption data, the restaurant's carbon footprint was calculated as 1,919.818 tCO2e. To offset this, afforestation was proposed. Specifically, 3,062 trees would have to be planted to make its operations carbon neutral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]