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An increase in the demand for the next generation of "Internet‐of‐Things" (IoT) has motivated efforts to develop flexible and affordable smart electronic systems, in line with sustainable development and carbon neutrality. Cellulose holds the potential to fulfil such demands as a low‐cost green material due to its abundant and renewable nature and tunable properties. Here, a cellulose‐based ionic conductive substrate compatible with printing techniques that combines the mechanical robustness, thermal resistance and surface smoothness of cellulose nanofibrils nanopaper with the high capacitance of a regenerated cellulose hydrogel electrolyte, is reported. Fully screen‐printed electrolyte‐gated transistors and universal logic gates are demonstrated using the engineered ionic conductive nanopaper and zinc oxide nanoplates as the semiconductor layer. The devices exhibit low‐voltage operation (<3 V), and remarkable mechanical endurance under outward folding due to the combination of the robustness of the nanopaper and the compliance of the semiconductor layer provided by the ZnO nanoplates. The printed devices and the ion‐conductive nanopaper can be efficiently recycled to fabricate new devices, which is compatible with the circular economy concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MC2020, with sustainability and performance‐based design at its core, is the model code for future thinking. It is designed so that both new construction and interventions can be completed based on this model code, bringing together the world's most advanced technologies. In this paper, the basic stance of fib toward sustainability is firstly described. Then, as the future envisioned by MC2020, examples of low‐carbon concrete structures will be presented. The paper also discusses the form and uses of conceptual design that MC2020 emphasizes and presents examples of new construction and the extension of service life/adaptation/upgrading of existing structures. New technologies for a circular economy will also be proposed. Sustainability has economic, social, and environmental aspects, and the optimization of each will eventually lead to carbon neutrality. It can be said that MC2020 will help us to arrive at solutions to those complex challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting carbon prices is crucial for the growth of China's carbon trading industry. This paper proposes a residual correction model that considers multiple influencing factors. First, the best historical data and main external factors input by the model are determined by using the partial autocorrelation function and Spearman correlation analysis, and the carbon price forecasting index system is constructed. Second, the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is utilized to determine the optimal parameters of the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and the WOA‐XGBoost model is built to perform preliminary carbon price forecasts and obtain the residual series. Finally, the carbon price residual series undergoes decomposition into multiple components utilizing the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition for subsequent forecasting and the aggregation of outcomes. Experiments are conducted to predict two carbon trading markets in Hubei and Guangzhou, and a feature importance analysis is performed. The results indicate that the proposed hybrid model consistently outperforms the comparative models in terms of prediction accuracy. Furthermore, it is revealed that historical carbon prices and European Union carbon prices are the key factors influencing the prediction of carbon market prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the demand for carbon emission reduction and environmental protection, battery swapping stations (BSS) with battery energy storage stations (BESS) and distributed generation (DG) have become one of the key technologies to achieve the goal of emission peaking and carbon neutrality. Therefore, this paper proposes a strategy to optimize the operation of BSS with photovoltaics (PV) and BESS supplied by transformer spare capacity. Firstly, it introduces the operation mechanism of BSS and uses the spare capacity of building special transformers and the roof PV to supply power to BSS to avoid the investment of transformers. Secondly, this paper establishes the load model of BSS and proposes the charging rules of battery swapping. Thirdly, a segmented pricing mechanism for the rental price of special transformers is formulated to guide BSS operators to preferentially rent spare capacity during low load rate periods. Aiming at the maximum daily profit of BSS, an optimization model is established to optimize the number of batteries to be charged and the charging status of BESS in each period; on this basis, the demand response model is further proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy can improve the daily profit of BSS through shifting load. And the configuration of BESS can improve the battery swapping capacity and peak‐shaving ability. Moreover, the exponential segmented pricing mechanism can greatly reduce the number of high load periods and reduce the burden on the power supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin, the most prevalent natural source of polyphenols on Earth, offers substantial possibilities for the conversion into aromatic compounds, which is critical for attaining sustainability and carbon neutrality. The hydrogen-transfer method has garnered significant interest owing to its environmental compatibility and economic viability. The efficacy of this approach is contingent upon the careful selection of catalytic and hydrogen-donating systems that decisively affect the yield and selectivity of the monomeric products resulting from lignin degradation. This paper highlights the hydrogen-transfer technique in lignin refinery, with a specific focus on the influence of hydrogen donors on the depolymerization pathways of lignin. It delineates the correlation between the structure and activity of catalytic hydrogen-transfer arrangements and the gamut of lignin-derived biochemicals, utilizing data from lignin model compounds, separated lignin, and lignocellulosic biomass. Additionally, the paper delves into the advantages and future directions of employing the hydrogentransfer approach for lignin conversion. In essence, this concept investigation illuminates the efficacy of the hydrogen-transfer paradigm in lignin valorization, offering key insights and strategic directives to maximize lignin's value sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, companies are increasingly making claims about their current climate efforts and their future mitigation commitments. These claims tend to be underpinned by carbon credits issued in voluntary carbon markets to offset emissions. Corporate climate claims are largely unregulated which means that they are often (perceived to be) misleading and deceptive. As such, corporate climate claims risk undermining, rather than contributing to, global climate mitigation. This paper takes as its point of departure the proposition that a better understanding of corporate climate claims is needed to govern such claims in a manner that adequately addresses potential greenwashing risks. To that end, the paper reviews the nascent literature on corporate climate claims relying on the use of voluntary carbon credits. Drawing on the reviewed literature, three key dimensions of corporate climate claims as related to carbon credits are discussed: 1) the intended use of carbon credits: offsetting versus non‐offsetting claims; 2) the framing and meaning of headline terms: net‐zero versus carbon neutral claims; and 3) the status of the claim: future aspirational commitments versus stated achievements. The paper thereby offers a preliminary categorization of corporate climate claims and discusses risks associated with and governance implications for each of these categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of intelligent distribution networks and the proposal of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the importance of demand‐side management for the improvement of flexible power operation systems is becoming increasingly prominent. To solve the problems of the excessive peak–valley load differences, the insufficient utilization of demand‐side resources, and the unreasonable pricing of aggregators, this paper proposes a three‐stage economy optimization method for the aggregator based on EV(electric vehicle) user response volumes. To gain the advantages of different types of EVs while increasing the dispatchable capacity, the contract mode between the aggregator and EVs is divided into three categories: complete dispatching, rolling reward and punishment mechanism dispatching, and free dispatching. Based on the cloud model, considering loss aversion, the user's own time flexibility, and the impact of the tariff set by the aggregator on the user's decision‐making, we introduced indicator weights to obtain the improved cloud model. Based on the improved cloud model, a user response volume model is obtained. Then, the aggregator performs a three‐stage pricing optimization operation for EVs based on the bid‐winning peak shaving capacity. In the first stage, the attraction between EVs and charging stations is determined based on the law of gravity, and the charging and discharging reward electricity price is set. In the second stage, the dynamic electricity price of three types of EVs and the charging punishment electricity prices of the rolling reward and punishment mechanism dispatching type are determined. In the third stage, the electricity price of the rolling reward and punishment dispatching EVs is further optimized based on their lack of peak shaving capacity. The method proposed in the paper has been verified to be effective in increasing aggregator profits, increasing EV dispatch capacity, and reducing EV charging costs through the example analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) plays an important role in promoting developing countries to reduce carbon emission and meet the requirement for carbon reduction under carbon neutral and carbon peak targets. To evaluate the incentive effect of subsidization mechanisms on CCS investment, the paper incorporates two incentives into the model, considers the effects of the carbon trading price, electricity price, and other uncertain factors on the investment behaviors for CCS projects under uncertainty and explores incentive intensity of two policies on investment based on the real option method. The results show that even in the case of full operating cost subsidies and double electricity price subsidies, the power plant still delays CCS investment due to the imperfection of carbon market. The most appropriate policies for supporting immediate investment in CCS project are identified in the paper by considering the critical carbon price and electricity price in different scenarios. Additionally, the findings show that it is more efficient for the electricity price subsidy than cost subsidy with same subsidy proportion under single policy condition, while the minimum subsidy amount required to invest immediately is 32.86 million CNY in the combination of the two policies. This provides environmental policymakers with valuable insights on promoting CCS deployment under the context of carbon reduction. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the urgent challenge of CO2 emissions and the need for sustainable energy sources. It emphasizes CO2 hydrogenation as a promising solution for large‐scale long‐term energy storage, converting CO2 into valuable fuels using green hydrogen generated from renewable sources. The study concentrates on exploring pathways leading to oxygenated compounds, such as alcohols or ethers, for their utilization as sustainable fuels. The investigation encompasses methanol, dimethyl ether, ethanol, and higher alcohols. The paper investigates catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation, ranging from traditional metal‐based to advanced materials, aiming to identify efficient and stable catalysts for synthesizing oxygenated compounds. Catalysts are indispensable in CO2 hydrogenation for the synthesis of oxygenated compounds, contributing to improved reaction kinetics, selectivity, economic viability, reduced environmental impact, and the overall sustainability of the process. The goal is to contribute to a fully renewable, carbon‐neutral system powered by excess solar and wind electricity, where recycled CO2 and green hydrogen are used to produce fuels, to be stored and then used to produce energy, electricity, heat, or mechanical energy, on demand, with the capture of the CO2, in a system which is overall carbon neutral. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing trend of energy generation and management systems towards decentralized structures such as using renewable energy resources makes it necessary to use digital and smart platforms for exchanging information and even conducting financial transactions in a decentralized manner, known as the peer‐to‐peer model. The decentralized transaction verification of cryptocurrencies makes it possible to use these encrypted currencies and decentralized blockchain networks in energy management systems and carry out financial transactions related to carbon trading. Carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trading systems reduce the competitiveness of fossil fuel projects in the market and accelerate investment in low‐carbon energy sources such as wind and photovoltaic power generation units. This market mechanism allows large entities such as countries and companies that emit GHGs into the atmosphere to buy and sell these gases. This paper reviews the blockchain solutions developed for carbon markets. Studies related to the design of smart contracts in the platform of blockchain are investigated. Special cryptocurrencies that are used in the field of green energy transactions and carbon trading are introduced. In addition, the application of artificial intelligence and game theory in energy trading is stated. The study of different blockchain frameworks for carbon trading shows that the use of decentralized platforms in carbon trading can have a significant impact on the trend towards low‐carbon measures and achieving the goals of the Kyoto Treaty, increasing the value of green cryptocurrencies and the volume of transactions. These technologies offer a promising avenue for creating a more decentralized, efficient, and environmentally conscious energy ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North‐Rhine Westphalia is the center of the German and European steel production. Its steel industry is heavily based on the primary production route and emits up to 30 Mt CO2 annually. One possible and increasingly prominent alternative to reduce these emissions is the hydrogen‐based direct reduction. While this technology allows for a near climate‐neutral production of primary steel, it poses substantial impacts on regional energy and material flows. Hence, the aim of this paper is to quantify the alterations in energy and material flows over time via integrating top‐down energy and material flow models with bottom‐up process models. The resulting values of emissions, energy, and material flows are then used to develop prospective scenarios that depict the requirements and consequences of potential pathways toward a climate‐neutral steel production by 2045. The outcomes show that decarbonizing the North Rhine‐Westphalian steel industry leads to an additional demand for renewable energies of up to 52.5 TWh per year, which represents 10% of the current electricity production in Germany. As securing the green electricity demand is a large challenge, the study also analyzes the impact of a partial recourse to natural gas as a reducing agent in combination with other measures like carbon capture and utilization/storage. The results show that such a recourse would reduce the electricity demand to 36.8 TWh. Hence, the paper illustrates relevant implications of the different scenarios, which can be used by policymakers to develop more realistic and resilient strategies for reaching carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual power plant (VPP) can aggregate distributed energy resources (DER) and controllable loads to participate in the bidding of electricity market and carbon trading market. However, the uncertainty of renewable power production brings high transaction risks to VPP. Given this background, this paper proposes a novel Wasserstein‐distance based two‐stage distributionally robust chance constrained (DRCC) bidding model for VPP participating in the electricity‐carbon coupled market. The uncertainties are modelled as an ambiguity set based on Wasserstein distance, in which the two‐sided chance constraints are guaranteed satisfied. In the first stage, VPP's revenue is maximized according to the forecast information. In the second stage, the re‐dispatch measures are determined to hedge against the perturbation of uncertainties under the worst‐case distribution within the ambiguity set. Finally, a reformulation approach based on strong duality theory and conditional value‐at‐risk (CVaR) approximation is proposed to transform the DRCC problem into a tractable mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) framework. Case studies are carried out on the IEEE 30‐bus system to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, micro‐firms contribute significantly to both the economy and the environmental impact on ecosystems. Helping them become greener and stimulating innovation toward new sustainable and circular solutions could substantially contribute to the European goal of achieving carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability, as promoted by the European Green Deal and Next Generation EU programs. Nevertheless, eco‐innovation (EI) by micro‐firms is studied little in the literature. In this paper, we analyze the main determinants of conventional and EI adoption by micro‐firms. We used an ad‐hoc survey developed for enterprises in Emilia‐Romagna (Italy), an important region in terms of innovation where micro‐firms play a significant role in the economy. The paper analyzes whether human capital, training, R&D activities, collaboration activities to improve learning, and the environmental culture within the firm act as main determinants of innovation adoption, in addition to other standard drivers and barriers to innovation adoption studied in the extant literature. Moreover, we compare innovation adoption strategies between micro‐firms and SMEs. While our results highlight differences in the determinants of EI and conventional innovation adoption, there are important heterogeneities when it comes to innovation adoption strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement used in structural concrete accounts for 60% of all cement. Thus, the amount of CO2 emission by cement in structural concrete in a year is about 5% of the amount emitted by mankind. However, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of structural concrete emits CO2 not only at the product stage but also at the use stage after construction. In this paper, carbon neutrality is viewed from an economic point of view. Then a rough indicator is presented to grasp the CO2 emissions of structural concrete. This paper also shows that LCA of structural concrete should consider not only the materials but also the maintenance phase. And low‐carbon technologies currently in use is introduced. Then the need for multi‐cycle structural concrete with a circular economy is presented. Moreover, it is estimated that CO2 emissions due to disasters in the use stage could be enormous. The carbon neutrality of concrete is not a risk but an opportunity for us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing a time‐varying difference‐in‐differences model and a data set collected from 2,735 counties in China from 2003 to 2017, this study examines the causal relationship between Chinese government transfer payments to resource‐exhausted cities (TPREC) and carbon emissions for the first time. Our results show that TPREC could significantly reduce carbon emissions of resource‐exhausted cities in China. A variety of robustness tests supports our findings. Our further mechanism analysis shows that TPREC mainly affects carbon emissions through the following three channels: (a) promoting technological progress and industrial upgrades; (b) increasing vegetation carbon sequestration; (c) strengthening government environmental regulations. Finally, this paper analyzes the spatial heterogeneity of the carbon emission reduction effect of TPREC and finds that the most significant reduction effect of TPREC is in the western region and coal‐exhausted cities. This paper provides new empirical evidence for the role of transfer payments in promoting low‐carbon development using a unique set of data. Our findings provide new insights for decision‐makers to facilitate the low‐carbon development of resource‐exhausted cities. Plain Language Summary: By employing a time‐varying difference‐in‐differences model, we examine the causal relationship between central government transfer payments to resource‐exhausted cities and carbon emissions for the first time. We find China's TPREC can significantly reduce carbon emissions by promoting technological progress and industrial upgrades, increasing vegetation carbon sequestration, and strengthening government environmental regulations. Key Points: China's transfer payments to resource‐exhausted cities (TPREC) could significantly reduce carbon emissions, and this conclusion has also been supported by multiple robustness testsThe TPREC could achieve carbon emission reduction by promoting technological progress, industrial upgrading, and economic efficiencyThe most significant carbon emission reduction effect of TPREC is in the western region and coal‐exhausted cities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals background in China, cities are the main force of energy consumption and carbon emission, and their low‐carbon transition development has become the primary task of urban planning. The transitional development of cities not only puts forward higher requirements for the output proportion of new energy, but also puts forward higher requirements for the flexibility of energy system. This paper proposes an optimization model of urban energy system considering the uncertainty output of new energy and new energy vehicles. The uncertainty and operational flexibility of electric vehicles are taken into account at the planning level by using stochastic optimization method. The model considers the expansion and retirement of new energy units and various conversion devices in urban energy system, and ensures the achievement of carbon peaking and carbon reduction goals by imposing constraints on electric vehicles. The case results show that this model can effectively improve the economy and new energy consumption rate of urban energy system, and can meet the carbon reduction demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the global carbon neutrality initiative, carbon emissions from the transportation sector are becoming increasingly prominent due to the growth in vehicle ownership. And electric mobility may be a potentially effective measure to reduce road traffic carbon emissions and achieve a green transformation of transportation. This paper systematically collates the relevant carbon accounting standards for the automotive industry and elaborates the current status of road transport greenhouse gas emissions by combining the data from the International Energy Agency. And by comparing the lifecycle carbon footprint of various energy types of vehicles, the necessity and feasibility of electric mobility to reduce carbon emissions are discussed. However, the comparison of vehicle lifecycle carbon footprints shows that electric vehicles (EVs) are not as environmentally friendly as expected, although they can significantly reduce road traffic carbon emissions. The high carbon emissions from the manufacturing process of the core components of EVs, especially the power battery, reduce the low‐carbon potential of electric mobility. Therefore, the carbon emission reduction strategies and outcomes of automakers in the automotive industry chain have been further reviewed. Finally, focusing on vehicle power batteries, this article reviews the technologies such as refined management and echelon utilization that can make EVs more environmentally friendly and promote carbon neutrality in the transportation sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, microgrid clusters have attracted widespread attention due to their high stability and energy efficiency. This article proposes a scheduling architecture for microgrid clusters that integrates blockchain smart contracts, consensus mechanisms, and encryption technologies to address the issues of data trust, privacy protection, and security reliability in microgrid clusters. An economic adjustment model for microgrid clusters is constructed that combines economic and environmental objectives. Finally, based on the RPBFT (Rotating Proof of Believability) algorithm and group architecture of FISCO BCOS blockchain technology, an economic scheduling method for microgrid clusters is designed. The authors built a microgrid cluster model on the FISCO BCOS blockchain platform and conducted experiments on the effectiveness, economy, fault tolerance, and scalability of economic scheduling methods. The experimental results showed that the economic scheduling method proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the risk of nodes tampering with data in a microgrid cluster system, ensure the privacy of submicrogrids, and support the deployment of large‐scale microgrid clusters, the realization of multiparty collaborative autonomy and the stable, low‐carbon, economic operation of microgrid clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the path to achieve carbon neutrality in the construction field, which is divided into five parts: (1) China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and consensus on the development of the construction industry; (2) The sustainable green building development trend and relevant policies in China; (3) The green building evaluation system and common software in China; (4) Building carbon emission evaluation model and the decarbonizing tools for the whole life cycle of construction projects; (5) Carbon emission reduction technology evaluation framework of autoclaved aerated concrete production in China. Through the discussion of this paper, we will jointly provide intellectual and technical support for the exploration and implementation of building carbon neutralization path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electroreduction of CO2 to high‐value products is a promising approach for achieving carbon neutrality. Among these products, formic acid stands out as having the most potential for industrialization due to its optimal economic value in terms of consumption and output. In recent years, the Faraday efficiency of formic acid from CO2 electroreduction has reached 90~100 %. However, this high selectivity cannot be maintained for extended periods under high currents to meet industrial requirements. This paper reviews excellent work from the perspective of catalyst stability, summarizing and discussing the performance of typical catalysts. Strategies for preparing stable and highly active catalysts are also briefly described. This review may offer a useful data reference and valuable guidance for the future design of long‐stability catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biophotovoltaics (BPV), which exploits the natural oxygenic photosystem for energy production, provides a sustainable solution to produce carbon neutral or negative energy from sunlight to meet the growing global energy demand. BPV integrates oxygenic photoautotrophic microorganisms in an electrochemical cell, and harvests the water‐splitting derived photosynthetic electrons to an electrical circuit. Here e. g. electricity or H2, etc, can be produced, thus directly coupling sunlight and water to energy. Despite of the rapid development in the past decade, the system efficiency of BPV still needs magnitude‐level improvement for practical applications. In this perspective paper, we aim to address the electron transfer pipeline in BPV starting from the water splitting by the living whole‐cell catalysts to external electron sinks (i. e. mediator/anode) and eventually to the cathode, from multidisciplinary aspects. We calculated the electron leaks along the electron transfer pipeline to different metabolic electron sinks, and prospectively predicted an untapped potential for extracellular electron transfer rate. BPV could potentially reach an energy efficiency that is two orders of magnitude higher than its current status. An interdisciplinary research approach, that should combine systems and synthetic biology, bioprocess engineering and material science, among others, is proposed to broach the upper boundary of BPV technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Finnish government has set a target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2035 and renewable energy is playing an increasingly important role in the Finnish energy sector. Bioenergy from forest biomass is currently the most utilized renewable energy resource. European Union regulations are imposing limitations on the use of forest biomass for environmental reasons, however, and the energy sector is having to look for alternative renewable energy options to reach carbon neutrality. This paper reviews the latest changes in the energy industry in Finland and evaluates prospective renewable energy development and fossil fuel replacement in the future Finnish energy system. The study shows that only a combination of all available renewable energy forms can enable the carbon neutrality target to be achieved by 2035. There is a good possibility that Finland can replace fossil fuels fully in the energy sector; wind energy will increase its share of electricity production, and biomass will continue to play a crucial role in the heating sector. Industry and the transport sector, however, face greater challenges and should be studied in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a supply chain network that considers both economic and environmental factors. The network faces challenges related to multi‐item products and non‐homogenous vehicle types with different costs. Additionally, the production process involves multiple energy sources that emit different levels of air pollution. The main objective is to maximise profits while adhering to different carbon policies. To achieve this goal, the paper presents several supply chain models that are compared under different schemes: no carbon policy (basic one), carbon tax policy, carbon emission policy and carbon trading policy. These models were coded and solved to demonstrate their effectiveness for different conditions and scenarios. The results provide valuable insights for supply chain managers, enabling them to make well‐established decisions for executive planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both the carbon emission trading market (CETM) and government regulatory actions promote companies' green technology innovation (GTI), little research has considered whether such innovation is substantial. In this paper, we categorize companies' GTI strategies into substantial innovation and strategic innovation. Considering market powers, the heterogeneity of companies, and the mutual influence of governments and companies, we construct a tripartite evolutionary game model that involves large and small companies and the government and conduct a simulation utilizing data on China's CETM. Our findings reveal that carbon trading prices, innovation subsidies, and the government's verification mechanism are the main factors that affect companies' choices regarding substantial innovation. However, the current carbon trading prices in China are relatively low, and companies are still likely to choose strategic innovation. Moreover, we find that when the substantial innovation of large companies exerts a greater impact on the product revenues of small companies, small companies are more inclined to choose substantial innovation. Therefore, in an effort to induce companies to choose substantial innovation, the CETM should play the leading role in this situation, and the government should implement different innovation subsidies and improve the verification mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a guest editorial for a virtual special issue titled "Structural Integrity in the Context of Carbon Neutrality." The issue focuses on the importance of structural integrity in achieving carbon neutrality and features twelve papers that highlight breakthroughs in structural integrity research related to carbon neutrality. The papers cover topics such as suppressing hydrogen embrittlement, improving the reliability of conventional energy conversion systems, understanding fatigue failure mechanisms in gas turbine engines, investigating material properties and damage mechanisms, studying crack growth behavior, and enhancing the fatigue life of welded joints. The authors express their gratitude to the session chairs, reviewers, and authors for their contributions to the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

CO2 electrolysis system (CES), as a type of carbon capture, utilization, and storage, has significant potential for achieving carbon neutrality. By utilizing surplus renewable energy, CES can convert CO2 into valuable electrochemical products. This paper studies the advantages brought by the application of CES to the green economic operation of multi‐energy system. Firstly, a linear model based on the CES's operation data is developed to characterize its dynamic behaviour. In addition, a two‐stage stochastic programming model for the operation of CES within multi‐energy system is studied. Finally, a creative optimal‐operation‐based end‐of‐life net present value (OENPV) is proposed to assess the long‐term investment of CES. The results of the cases in different seasons and electrochemical products show that the application of CES not only brings significant carbon reduction to the multi‐energy system, but also alleviates the curtailment of renewable energy. Additionally, according to the OENPV analysis outcome, the production of formic acid gives the system the shortest return on investment, which is the fourth year of the 20‐year assessment cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The air‐hardening ductile forging steels belong to the third generation of advanced high‐strength steels and achieve their final, martensitic microstructure simply by air cooling from the forging heat. The present conference paper reviews the 15 years of development, different alloying strategies, and metallurgical throwbacks like manganese embrittlement. Furthermore, the most recent results concerning microstructure, mechanical properties, and cyclic material behavior obtained from an industrial trial melt are discussed together with the implications of these results on the carbon footprint (CF) and their impact on the resource efficiency of forged steel components. It is demonstrated that the CF of a steel product needs to be discussed on different levels, as the material‐, process‐, and product‐level contributions need to be considered. Furthermore, a case is made for new high‐strength steels in the context of circular economy, as increase fatigue resistance enables lightweighting potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of carbon neutrality, environmental innovation has become an important way for companies to achieve sustainable development and gain a competitive advantage. To systematically grasp the current status of the environmental innovation literature, this study conducted a thematic modeling and coding analysis of 19,936 papers published between 2000 and 2022 using an unsupervised thematic model. The research content pertaining to environmental innovation was sorted following the logic of "influencing factors, boundary conditions, and influencing outcomes." The results showed that previous scholars had classified the factors driving environmental innovation based primarily on five theories, including stakeholder theory, resource‐based theory, institutional theory, informal institutional theory and upper echelons theory. Green absorptive capacity, firm size, and slack resources played a moderating role in the influence of other factors on environmental innovation, but the relationship between environmental innovation and firm performance remained uncertain. Finally, combining the limitations of previous studies, we outline several directions for future research to achieve breakthroughs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon trading downstream, as a key strategy for decreasing carbon emissions, has the potential to hasten the entire society's decarbonization. Taking the government, household, and carbon trading management center as stakeholders, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model, examines and stimulates evolutionary stability strategies, and then proposes some policy implications. Findings show that the downstream carbon market faces a complex evolutionary process. The promotion of the policy can be split into two periods: policy promotion and policy stability implementation. And proper household size management is a crucial and effective strategy to encourage downstream carbon trading programs and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the rapid development of carbon trading market, the volatility trend of carbon emission trading price (CETP) becomes one of the factors that cannot be ignored in energy system planning. Based on this, this paper proposes a multi‐objective expansion planning model for park‐level integrated energy system (PIES) that takes into account the volatility trend of CETP. First, the influencing factors of CETP prediction are filtered and downscaled, and a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) model based on the improved multi‐objective grey wolf algorithm optimizer (IMOGWO) is used for probabilistic interval prediction of CETP. Next, the operational characteristics of each carbon emission device are analysed and a model for calculating the cost of carbon trading is proposed. Then, a two‐layer PIES planning model is developed with the objective of minimizing the annualized system cost and carbon emissions during the expansion planning cycle, the upper‐layer model is a planning model for solving equipment expansion scenarios, and the lower‐layer model is an operation model for calculating typical operation schemes. Finally, the simulation effect of the prediction model is verified by the European carbon trading data, and the planning schemes are compared and analysed to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity, as a sustainable energy carrier, plays a central role in the transition scenarios for carbon neutralization of energy systems. Expanding the potential of electricity requires intelligent integration of electricity infrastructures and electricity markets with distributed energy resources (DERs) including roof‐top solar photovoltaics (PVs), controllable loads, and storage batteries. This integration will advance the management of power distribution grids, resulting in harmonization of the distribution grids and variable renewable generation. In the foreseeable future, the DERs will be actively used to perform advanced management of power distribution grids and compensate fluctuation in variable renewable power generation such as PVs and wind power. Market‐based coordination mechanisms are already practiced in large‐scale electricity production, electricity trading and transmission around the world. Using these mechanisms at the distribution grid level to integrate numerous flexible devices into the grids remains an important research topic. This paper reviews the role of DER integration toward carbon‐neutral power systems, the state‐of‐art and challenges associated with market‐based approaches for integrating flexible demand, distributed generation, and storage. Methods for assessing the value of DER aggregation such as virtual power plants and microgrids are also explored. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality will be important policies to constrain China's economic and social development in the future. Based on the theory of computable general equilibrium, CGE model of carbon emission was constructed in this paper to simulate the influence of different scenarios of carbon emission reduction on economic and social development. The major contribution is to subdivide the energy sector according to primary energy and secondary energy, and construct the macro SAM table and micro SAM table of 21 energy sectors in 2017 to quantitatively simulate the impact of carbon emission reduction policies on China's economy and society, and put forward some policy suggestions based on this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth in the number of electric vehicles (EVs), driven by the 'double‐carbon' target, and the impact of uncontrolled charging and discharging behaviour and discharged battery losses severely limit electric vehicles' low carbon characteristics. Existing research on systemic low‐carbon emissions and electric vehicle charging and discharging issues is usually determined by considering only carbon trading markets or charging and discharging management on the source side. In this regard, a coordinated and optimized operation model that considers the participation of electric vehicle clusters in deep peaking and the source network load and storage adjustable resources is proposed. The upper layer establishes a real‐time price‐based demand response mechanism for the load side with the minimum net load fluctuation as the objective function; the middle layer establishes a comprehensive operation mechanism for the source and storage side that includes an orderly charging and discharging peaking compensation mechanism for electric vehicles, and a deep peaking mechanism that takes into account clean emission, and constructs an optimal operation model with the minimum comprehensive operating cost as the objective function; the lower layer establishes a distribution network loss minimization model for the network side that takes into account the orderly charging and discharging of electric vehicle as the objective function. The optimal load model with the objective function of minimizing the distribution network loss is established at the lower level. Finally, the original problem is transformed into a mixed integer linear programming problem, and the model's effectiveness is verified by setting different scenarios. The model reduces the total cost by 22.22%, improves the wind power consumption rate by 19.55%, reduces the actual carbon emission by 16.66%, and reduces the distribution network loss by 13.91% compared to the basic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" is an important strategic goal for the sustainable development of human society. Typically, a key means to achieve these goals is through electrochemical energy storage technologies and materials. In this context, the rational synthesis and modification of battery materials through new technologies play critical roles. Plasma technology, based on the principles of free radical chemistry, is considered a promising alternative for the construction of advanced battery materials due to its inherent advantages such as superior versatility, high reactivity, excellent conformal properties, low consumption and environmental friendliness. In this perspective paper, we discuss the working principle of plasma and its applied research on battery materials based on plasma conversion, deposition, etching, doping, etc. Furthermore, the new application directions of multiphase plasma associated with solid, liquid and gas sources are proposed and their application examples for batteries (e. g. lithium‐ion batteries, lithium‐sulfur batteries, zinc‐air batteries) are given. Finally, the current challenges and future development trends of plasma technology are briefly summarized to provide guidance for the next generation of energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern power grid is evolving towards carbon neutrality by deploying increasing amount of renewable energy resources. However, the impact of renewable generation on power system planning and operation is not sufficiently investigated, especially the capability of renewable penetrated power systems to resist and recover from major disturbances, which is a critical concern for system operators. Novel metrics and evaluation methodologies are needed to depict systems' ability in response to events caused by natural disasters, and quantitatively evaluate system performance in various time scales. In this paper, operational resilience metrics are proposed for power systems with penetration of renewable energy resources based on transient stability principles. A systematic methodology is proposed to quantitatively assess the evolution of system performance during various stages of the disaster process. Based on the proposed metrics, a resilience‐oriented disaster management strategy is designed and validated using the modified IEEE 39‐bus test system. The simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed metrics and strategy, and show that the system resilience is enhanced during the mitigation of fault conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paying Indigenous communities to conserve land for carbon sequestration is a controversial way of tackling climate change. Critics argue that paying for ecological services (or 'PES') in the form of carbon offset programmes reduces land and social relations to an economic transaction that devalues Indigenous livelihoods and communities. At the same time, empirical studies have shown that Indigenous communities have accepted and even embraced the idea of being paid to conserve land for climate change mitigation. This paper explores this apparent contradiction by investigating the implementation of Programa Socio Bosque (PSB), a PES carbon sequestration programme in Ecuador. Drawing upon primary fieldwork in the highland province of Chimborazo, it makes the case that PES programmes need to be understood as form of state power that reconfigures and reinforces the ways in which Indigenous peoples engage with the state. Particularly important in this regard is the role of the state in reinforcing the agrarian conditions under which Indigenous communities use and interpret PES payments while at the same time reconfiguring new forms of land conservation. Empirically, the research reveals important complementarities between the goals of carbon sequestration PES programmes and Indigenous land‐use practices. Methodologically, it highlights the importance of situating the study of PES programmes in a context of land struggles, community–state relations and agrarian change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research at the biophysical level constitutes the main approach to study the path through which climate influences infectious diseases, but the influence of socioeconomic factors on climate change and the spread of infectious diseases also cannot be ignored. In the current context, with its emphasis on carbon emission reduction, countries have begun to adopt "total control and trading" methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper is based on the monthly relevant data of various provinces and cities from 2015 to 2019, adds the moderating variable of "carbon emission trading volume" based on current research results, establishes a static model of unbalanced panel fixed effects and a dynamic panel model, and deeply analyzes the impact of climate change on infectious disease popularity and the moderating effect of the carbon trading market. The study found that climate warming, frequent precipitation, and shortened sunshine duration will lead to an increase in the number of infectious disease cases and that the "carbon emission trading volume" variable plays a negative role in the positive correlation between climate change (temperature/precipitation) and the number of infectious disease cases. There are seasonal differences, and the moderating effect in summer/autumn is more obvious than that in winter/spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon trading mechanism is an effective means to control greenhouse gas emissions. This paper focuses on the low‐carbon economic operation of the integrated energy system under carbon trading mechanism in China. The integrated energy system includes the energy storage, ground source heat pump, and other equipment. The objective of this paper was to minimize the annual total cost of the system considering the carbon trading cost and study the operation modes under different carbon trading prices by commercial optimization software. The simulation results show the operation modes in summer are changed obviously with the increase of the carbon trading prices, while the operation modes in winter basically are not changed with the fluctuation of the carbon trading prices; under the carbon trading mechanism, the integrated energy system can not only reduce the carbon emissions, but also reduce the annual total cost through carbon trading, which shows its advantages and good development prospect. In addition, the setting of the carbon emission quota has a direct impact on the economy of the enterprises. Furthermore, the ground source heat pump and the electric refrigeration units can stabilize the fluctuation of the equipment output caused by the change of natural gas prices in this integrated energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the influencing factors of energy consumption in underground production processes of coal mine is the premise and foundation for the coal mining industry to control the energy consumption and intensity to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This paper aims to investigate and compare the differences in energy consumption and carbon emissions between a mining‐separating‐backfilling integrated coal mine (MSBICM) and a traditional coal mine and explore the effects of the main production links underground on carbon emission intensity in coal mines. Hence, taking an MSBICM in Henan province as an example, this study constructed an energy consumption and carbon emission model of the mine using system dynamics (SD) method. Based on this model, the energy consumption of the main production logistics system and auxiliary production system in MSBICM was simulated and analyzed. In addition, this study made a comparative analysis of the energy consumption of the different production links in the two types of coal mines. The results showed that: (1) the comprehensive mechanized coal mining with solid filling system and ventilation system were the subsystems with the highest and lowest energy consumption in MSBICM respectively. (2) The influence rates of raw coal mining, gangue filling, coal‐gangue separating, and material transportation on carbon emission intensity in coal mine were 1.09%, 1.34%, 1.09%, and 5.13%, respectively. (3) Under the same production and filling targets, energy consumption of underground transportation systems in MSBICM was found to be 336.66 tons of standard coal less than that in traditional coal mine. This study has helped clarify the complex relationships among the factors that influence energy consumption in coal mines and provided a reference for implementing dual control of energy consumption to promote low‐carbon mining of coal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy and energy storage are essential technologies for decarbonizing energy systems. Expansion planning of the two technologies considering source‐side carbon responsibility has been well studied. However, expansion planning considering both source‐side and load‐side carbon responsibility, which may simultaneously stimulate the carbon reduction potential of source and load, has been rarely studied. To fill this research gap, this paper proposes a bi‐layer wind turbine generator (WTG) and demand‐side battery (DSB) coordinated planning framework considering wind power and load uncertainties. Moreover, a novel source‐load bilateral carbon trading (BCT) mechanism based on the Aumann–Shapley method is proposed to stimulate the WTG and DSB configuration. In the bi‐layer planning framework with BCT mechanism, WTG and DSB capacity planning with the two‐stage stochastic optimization are conducted in the upper and lower layer, respectively. Finally, test results on a modified IEEE 24‐bus system demonstrate that the proposed framework with BCT mechanism can effectively motivate the planning configuration of WTG and DSB and carbon mitigation. Compared with the models with unilateral carbon trading mechanisms, the proposed model has advantages in stimulating configuration of WTG and DSB, reducing carbon emissions, and balancing source‐load economic burden from carbon trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the challenges and solutions for the energy-intensive chemicals industry in reducing reliance on the grid and decarbonizing to meet net-zero targets. Topics include implementing on-site energy solutions for improved efficiency and resilience, embracing new technologies like smart grids and waste energy recovery, and utilizing zero-capex financial agreements to incentivize investment in sustainable solutions.

The paper investigates the capacity of welfare policies to support sustainability transitions. Welfare policy involves the discussion on public and private responsibilities and choices in public spending. The Finnish government's decision to turn Finland into a carbon neutral welfare society by 2035 is interpreted as a possible sustainability transition. The government launched a social security reform at the same time as the carbon neutrality target was announced. It was assumed that one of the major reforms would be utilised to achieve the carbon neutrality target. The research material consists of administrative, policy and political documents. The chosen documents describe how the issues are presented in policymaking. The qualitative analyses focused on the frames. It was examined how the current problems of the system were framed because the frames guide the possible solutions. According to our analysis, the Finnish government showed strong political will for sustainability transition. However, one of its major reforms was not utilised to create policies to support the shift towards a carbon neutral welfare society. The political will did not convert into action on the social security reform. The main reason seems to be related to the strongly guiding legislative frame in the reform. The legislative frame impacted on the utilised knowledge, which focused solely on the system level of social security. It could have been useful to utilise research knowledge about large‐scale reforms and how to formulate them cross‐sectionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the amount of the photovoltaic (PV) system has been rapidly increasing from the viewpoint of carbon neutral. There are concerns about voltage rises and grid congestion in the electrical distribution network because of large‐scale PV increases. In order to address these issues, we focused on the control of water supply pumps in the water distribution system, which is infrastructure equipment for consumers. By controlling the start/stop of the water pump, it is expected to contribute to the power distribution system by increasing Demand Response (DR) and reduce CO2 emission from the electricity used by the pump. In this paper, with the aim of constructing an optimal operation planning method for water pumps that can evaluate DR and CO2 reduction effects, the optimal operation plan is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem. We numerical evaluated impact of water pump operation for CO2 emission and electrical distribution network. © 2023 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of green carbon science is to promote the goal of achieving carbon neutrality, the importance and urgency of which have been well‐recognized and received worldwide attention. Carbon neutrality has become the focus of research work in many fields, and correspondingly, a growing number of papers and publications have been published over the last few years. However, since carbon neutralization is a real problem that urgently requires technical solutions, the transition from fundamental research to practical applications must be accelerated. A number of research teams are bold in putting things into practice and blazing new trails. This Review summarizes the recent technological developments within the framework of green carbon science, focusing on conducted pilot tests, industrial demonstrations, and commercial applications beyond the laboratory stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In Japan, the Goal of Carbon Neutral in 2050 was declared by Prime Minister in October, 2020. In order to achieve the goal, the Japanese government positioned Renewable Energy Source (RES) such as PV and wind power as 'main power supply resource' and is expanding its introduction by taking various types of countermeasures to solve the problems induced by massive integration of the RES into the grid. In recent years, the power system was damaged many times by a lot of natural disaster such as strong earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rains. The situation of the Japanese power system is drastically changing due to low demand growth, massive introduction of the RES as well as evolution of the power system reform that is introduction of power markets such as energy spot market, capacity market and balancing market. In this paper, our activities toward deregulated, smart and resilient power systems are presented. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new polygeneration processes co‐producing electricity, methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), and Fischer–Tropsch (FT) fuels from different feedstock ratios of biomass, natural gas, and nuclear hydrogen generated through a copper‐chlorine (CuCl) cycle are analyzed for operation in Canada to produce transportation fuels. This combination of carbonless heat and a 'carbon neutral' biomass feedstock would contribute to the net reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Part I of this work, the model for this biomass‐gas‐and‐nuclear‐to‐liquids (BGNTL) process was developed. This work expands on it and evaluates the economic and environmental impacts this plant would have in both Ontario and Alberta based on their local costs and resource availability. The analysis demonstrates that an increase in the ratio of biomass to natural gas in feedstock reduces the emissions of the process but increases the cost of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) avoided. The results show that the BGNTL concept can be an economically attractive way of reducing net transportation sector GHG emissions in both Ontario and Alberta in meaningful quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]