Search

Global energy security is a growing worldwide concern in the presence of high economic policy uncertainty (EPU) that can be addressed by advancing sustainable energy diversification (ED) practices. Energy security can be estimated by combining ED and EPU indices; hence, this study uses a dataset covering three continents and 26 countries from 1995 to 2023 to measure energy security employing this approach. The study employs quantile regression and panel data analysis, finding a positive relationship between EPU and ED. The results reveal that when EPU increases, the spectrum of energy sources declines, negatively impacting energy security. Other factors of globalization, Gross Domestic Product, gross capital formation, and the labor force also have an impact on the spectrum of energy sources. To obtain a sustainable level of ED, policymakers should increase investment in gross capital formation because economic growth and openness via pro-global policies have less impact on ED. This study also demonstrates that labor capital shifts have a significant effect on ED. The quantitative results reveal the importance of clear and precise economic policies for increasing investment in carbon-free energy security. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The work examines the results and conclusions of the roundtable held on May 24, 2023, within the framework of the research project. The participants of the event discussed the main challenges that the Ukrainian government will face after the war when restoring the economy. The war and Ukraine's expected victory should significantly change the geopolitical and economic situation in the world, change the understanding of energy as a weapon, and thus, create a guarantee of energy independence for the entire European continent. Scholars, policy makers, scientists, and practitioners joined together in discussion about addressing the needs of Ukraine after the victory, during the reconstruction phase. The participants noted the inevitability of institutional changes in the Ukrainian state, which is required by the future accession to the EU and NATO. However, in addition to economic challenges, Ukraine will face a complex of significant post-war problems: ensuring social stability, restoring infrastructure, ensuring the integration of the military into peaceful life, restoring the ecology of the territories where military operations were conducted, and significantly reforming the judicial system. Results and Conclusions: The policy paper concerning Ukraine's reconstruction efforts was announced as a result of the roundtable. It was highlighted that, to establish a future regional infrastructure and foster a win-win business perspective, it is crucial to engage in practical discussions with the Romanian government and private companies. Creating a shared business platform would facilitate the transition from expressing interests to direct participation in the recovery process. To achieve broader reconstruction goals, it is essential to involve other Western industry actors from countries like Germany, France, Italy, the U.S., the UK, Poland, Norway, etc., with their financial, technological, and implementation capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tries to explain the economic significance of “pursuing green development and promoting harmony between humanity and nature” in the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the following eight aspects. First, it explains how to respect, adapt to, and protect nature through the confirmation of ownership, valuation classification and incentive. Second, it analyzes why China should work actively toward the goals of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality from the new security concept, new challenges, new situations, and new tasks brought by the urgency and severity of climate change risks. Third, it expounds on the difficulty and complexity of addressing climate change from multiple aspects, such as the ratchet effect, Giddens’s paradox, prisoner’s dilemma, lock-in effect, asset stranding, intergenerational equity, and the Wandering Earth scenario. Fourth, it recognizes the importance of stability, overall planning, and coordination based on the overall planned and coordinated triangle of high-quality development, carbon neutrality, and energy security. Fifth, it emphasizes the importance of green and low-carbon technological innovation by means of the IPAS equation. Sixth, it explains the essence of carbon neutrality as the industrial transition based on the energy transition, which is an economic logic. Seventh, taking the carbon market as an example, it explains the economic principle that the market mechanism plays an important role. Eighth, it explains how finance empowers the goals of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality as well as high-quality development. Finally, this paper is of guiding significance for economics, finance, international trade, and policy research, and in the meantime, provides new research tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Understanding the intricate relationship between energy and wellbeing in informal urban settlements is essential for developing effective interventions that address the diverse needs of residents. This paper explores this nexus through a multi-dimensional lens, examining the complexities and dynamics involved in off-grid renewable energy interventions, focusing on solar microgrids in an informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: The paper is based on empirical research analysed through a theoretical framework articulating the pathways through which energy insecurity influences various dimensions of wellbeing, encompassing economic, physical, social, and environmental aspects. By applying this framework to our empirical research, the paper reveals the intricate interplay between neighbourhood factors, housing conditions, social processes, and economic insecurities, shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities associated with off-grid energy interventions. Results: The understanding of wellbeing presented in the paper is based on what we term the energy-wellbeing-informality nexus. Understanding the nexus necessitates: (a) moving past universalist and technocratic understandings of wellbeing, and towards a relational and networked basis for wellbeing analysis; (b) moving beyond conventional narratives of off-grid electrification as mere technical fixes, emphasizing the importance of recognizing informal settlements as sites of innovation and experimentation; (c) understanding the multi-sectoral nature of energy-related wellbeing impacts, extending beyond energy provision to encompass broader dimensions such as education, health, and social cohesion. Discussion: The paper not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical insights for policymakers and practitioners. It emphasizes the need for context-sensitive policymaking that acknowledges the complexities of informal settlements and fosters innovative approaches to energy service provision. By integrating energy interventions into broader development strategies and adopting a multi-sectoral perspective, stakeholders can work towards more equitable and resilient solutions that enhance the overall wellbeing of residents in informal urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is facing an incredibly complex set of global risks, from conflict in Europe and the Middle East, to climate change and food and energy insecurity. As we progress into 2024, we are seeing an intensification of recent trends: geopolitical instability is accelerating the use of economic statecraft and asymmetric tools of financial conflict. These tools are used as both alternatives and additions to hard power. This paper argues that risks to global financial institutions are increasingly characterised by this nexus. Against a backdrop of multiplying wars, the geopolitical activities of treasury departments are becoming more pronounced. This paper addresses how some of these financial and economic tools are deployed and the nature of the risks that have emerged as a result, particularly as the targets of economic statecraft seek to counter them. The paper also considers how financial institutions can build resilience in their organisations by situating geopolitics effectively within financial crime compliance frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Kingdom (UK) shipping industry is facing calls to set out more robust decarbonisation plans. In light of the economic challenges facing the country, including the cost-of-living crisis and energy security considerations, the UK government has outlined plans to spearhead several 'green' developments. It is of paramount importance to understand how best to integrate the domestic maritime sector into this process by promoting the adoption of low-carbon marine fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. However, there is a limited understanding of what are the most suitable locations for the early adoption of such fuels in the UK. The sustainability transitions literature offers interesting insights into how marine fuel transitions can unfold, by combining the study of market factors with various non-market socio-technical forces. Previous academic work has shown the importance of location and proximity in facilitating alternative marine fuel transitions. This paper builds onto that work by applying a socio-technical transitions framework to develop a set of indicators to ascertain the suitability of potential locations for the early adoption of hydrogen and ammonia as marine fuels in the UK. This paper explores these dynamics by combining evidence from documentary sources, a UK ship voyages database, and interviews with key stakeholders. Furthermore, three specific case studies are analysed in detail to outline key drivers for the adoption of hydrogen and ammonia. The findings show that there is a significant difference across the UK in regional viability for the early adoption of hydrogen and ammonia, with some of the best suited sites being in the north of Scotland (Orkney), south of England (the Solent-Isle of Wight), and east of England (Felixstowe-Harwich). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key scientific problem to be solved in this paper is the optimal development and utilization model and the economic evaluation model of China's land-phase shale oil and gas resources, and the purpose of the research is to promote the large-scale commercial development and utilization of China's shale oil and gas resources, and to safeguard China's oil and gas energy security and the sustainable development of the economy. The article proposes to adopt the small surface element volume method (oil content rate method) to evaluate the pure shale oil resources, adopt the Cobb–Douglas production function model as the optimization model to measure the boundary production capacity of shale oil and gas, construct the optimal development and utilization model for shale oil and gas resources considering the five first-level safeguard indexes, namely, science and technology (A), capital (K), talents (L), reserves (S) and ecological environment (E), and establish the basic constraint model for the optimal development and utilization of shale oil and gas resources. The basic constraint model, as well as the evaluation model of economic coefficients for the development and utilization of shale oil and gas resources were established. The pure shale oil resources are mainly calculated based on the movable oil content of shale. In the paper, the S1 of normal pyrolysis (300 °C) is regarded as movable oil, and the sum of S1 and evaporated hydrocarbon (light hydrocarbon) loss is the movable oil content of shale. The integrated geological-physical exploration-engineering comprehensive evaluation of China's land-phase shale oil-rich and high-yielding "sweet spot" is an important prerequisite for the realization of shale oil and gas resources to build production scale and effective development, and the least-squares method is used to estimate the average production function, the distance to the maximum value of the residuals, and the boundary capacity production function. The average production function and residual maximum distance are estimated by the least squares method, and the production function of the boundary capacity is derived, and the quotient of the boundary capacity and the actual capacity is calculated to get the capacity utilization rate, which can be used to analyze the potential of future shale oil and gas growth. The development of shale oil and gas resources in a target block requires comprehensive consideration of the first-level guarantee indicators such as science and technology (A), capital (K), talents (L), reserves (S) and ecological environment (E), as well as more than 10 s-level indicators and a number of third-level indicators, in order to ensure that the oil companies maximize their profits by organizing the development and production. The economic coefficient can be expressed as the ratio of economically recoverable resources to geological reserves. The larger the economic coefficient for the development and utilization of shale oil and gas resources is, the better the economy of the area is, and the larger the proportion of shale oil and gas resources that can be exploited. There is little special literature on the optimal development and utilization model of shale oil and gas resources and energy security among many research results at home and abroad. The evaluation of pure shale oil using the small surface element volume method (oil content rate method) and the construction of the boundary capacity calculation model, the optimal development of the basic constraints model and the economic evaluation model that we have determined, although they can not yet fully cover all the links and factors related to the development and utilization of shale oil and gas resources, are not yet fully covered by our research work. However, our research work has given the model more geological and economic theoretical connotations, and provided an economic basis and technical reference for the large-scale and commercial development and utilization of shale oil and gas resources as an effective alternative to oil imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geothermal energy is a unique energy source in the energy policy mix that would help the clean energy transition and energy independence, supporting the energy needs in heating and electricity. Although there have been studies on the opportunities and challenges of renewable energy, this paper is the first paper that concentrates on geothermal energy for three distinct countries, Italy, Belgium, and Iceland, for the first time. Using semi-structured interviews that will cover the stakeholders representing the quadruple helix (academia, citizens, policymakers, and industry), this paper aims to find the unique and common opportunities and barriers the geothermal sector has. Shared challenges include financial barriers, regulatory complexities, environmental issues, and the need for improvement in the social acceptability of geothermal energy. Despite these challenges, geothermal energy, a promising energy source for clean transition, could create opportunities like improved household welfare through combined uses in district heating and electricity and have the potential to generate employment opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines 16 years (2004–2019) of research on energy in eleven Central and Eastern European countries. The findings are based on an analysis of 3534 academic articles indexed in the Web of Knowledge database. The paper presents a systematic overview of the authorship, journal of publication, countries covered, and article content. The main conclusion is that the discussion is fragmented, because most of the journals (800 were identified) published only one paper on energy in the region. About one-fourth of the research was published in a handful of major journals. Male researchers dominated our dataset and there has been a visible increase in the average number of authors per article. The country most often covered by the research was Poland and energy efficiency was the most-discussed issue and renewables the most-frequently researched energy source. Surprisingly, nuclear energy and energy security, considered to be the dominant features of the CEE region energy picture, were studied only minimally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a legal analysis of the direct line in the legislation of the European Union. The direct line, serving as a legal instrument to implement off-grid solutions, plays a crucial role in amplifying competition within the energy market. Compared to other instruments introduced by the First Liberalization Package in 1992, the direct line is not a subject commonly brought about by legal literature. The core part of legal analyses is divided into two parts, which focus on different approaches of direct line, i.e., European Union and selected Member States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland). The motives of the Union in establishing the direct line instrument was to support opening the energy market to increase energy generating units. During the transposition of the direct line into national laws, analysed countries have directed the usage of this mechanism to promote renewable energy sources. The presented case studies create a rare pattern of how the Member States form their own interpretations and hence use the Union law in practice, which differs from the direction established in the Union forum. The research focused on legal dogmatic examining of regulations at both European and national levels, with a particular emphasis on the definition part while figuring a crucial role in shaping the direct line concept. The paper also presents other convoluted legal schemes, such as the permit issuance process for direct line construction. The conclusions assess the modifications in the European Union regime, but also their impact on electricity prices and green investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's energy challenges are multifaceted. Over the past 30–40 years, energy issues have been discussed and published on an extensive scale. The green transition involves concrete actions related to increasing energy efficiency, replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels, producing energy using renewable resources, creating various means of transport that use electric motors, identifying technical solutions that generate an increased energy yield in the case of buildings, and waste reduction, reuse and recycling. In order to attain a climate-neutral environment, it is mandatory to impose regulations, measures and actions to help decarbonize the energy sector. The analysis of published articles on these issues is the subject of this large and information-dense review. Concretely, the transition to climate neutrality will generate obvious advantages at an economic, social and technological level, for example, the opportunity for economic growth, new business models and new markets, and the generation of new jobs or technological development. At the same time, this paper underscores the need for a multifaceted approach, integrating technological innovation, policy intervention and global cooperation for an effective energy transformation. The review suggests future issues and research directions, focusing on viable strategies for energy transition and its socio-economic environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the status of energy decentralization in three key Arab League countries, namely, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia. It specifically focuses on decentralization in their electricity markets. The paper analyzes the regulatory environment in these three countries and then looks at how things stand regarding new tools and technologies to facilitate decentralization. It explores the progress in deployment of these tools and technologies, and the specific regulatory barriers in the three nations. The paper also offers recommendations for how regulations can be more encouraging and discusses electricity interconnections as a vital step towards decentralization that will boost energy security and energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between environmental innovations (EI) and energy security (ES). This article examines ES from four perspectives: accessibility, acceptability, developability, and sustainability, while different measures are used to reflect EI. A panel-corrected standard errors model and a feasible generalized least square estimates model are employed to study this relationship, while the pooled mean groups estimator is applied to the autoregressive distributed lag method to measure both the short-term and long-term effects of EI. This paper indicates that EI implementation has a beneficial influence on the energy system, but only in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the current challenges to solar energy capacity building in the EU in attempting to achieve both, the sustainable development goals and bigger energy independence from third countries. One particular challenge concerns the risks to investors in solar energy industry, deriving from the fastgrowing number of solar installations across the Member States while the existing electricity cross-border grid cannot meet the needs of the EU energy market. This leads to wasting green energy and negative prices that affect the return on investment, apart from existing bureaucratic obstacles and regulatory difficulties. The paper argues that this and other socio-economic and political uncertainties and flaws such as occupational issues and the lack of long-term EU and state policies supporting solar energy investments in some countries do hinder the energy transition. Therefore, it is necessary that investments in solar energy address all these challenges otherwise finding alternatives to energy dependence on Russia and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals will be jeopardized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to swiftly transition to clean energy and expand electricity access is pressing; however, the goals of SDG7 are unlikely to be met by 2030, with the UN specifically mentioning land‐locked states as being off track. Through the conceptual lens of 'leapfrogging' fossil fuels, straight from traditional fuel sources to renewable energy, this paper discusses the relationship between electricity production and independence. It makes a conceptual contribution by introducing the term 'energy independence through leapfrogging', which is used to characterise the process of reducing dependency on another country – in the case of Eswatini, electricity is supplied by South Africa. Drawing from empirical research in Eswatini involving document analysis and in‐depth interviews, this paper discusses the potential for the country to move from being primarily an importer of electricity to generating its own supply from renewable sources. With Eswatini's current electricity supply from South Africa at risk/expiring in 2025, this research argues that the country faces a moment of opportunity for Eswatini to build further generation capacity, with a recommended focus on solar energy. The paper identifies potential challenges/barriers to this energy transition, examining power generation, storage, maintenance and affordability as key areas for intervention. Drawing on previous theories of electricity access, the paper argues that 'access' to electricity requires consideration of the affordability and reliability of energy systems. Eswatini is an understudied geographical area, and this paper makes a contribution to the literature on energy transitions by examining the specific circumstances attending this transition and examining these with relevance for other land‐locked nations in sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy insecurity poses a global challenge with far-reaching social equity and health implications. This paper provides a comprehensive perspective on the relationship between energy insecurity and health outcomes in developed countries. Existing research has identified associations between energy insecurity and various physical and mental health outcomes. Moreover, climate change can exacerbate the adverse health consequences of energy insecurity, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. Based on a review of existing literature, this paper identifies several knowledge gaps, proposes future research directions, and discusses data challenges faced by researchers in measuring energy insecurity and assessing the health impacts of existing programs that tackle energy insecurity. Furthermore, the paper highlights the importance of fostering collaboration among different governmental agencies and other sectors to enhance energy insecurity program management and data collection for program evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy transition introduces new technical standards, laws and regulations regarding the stability and reliability of energy grids and systems. Due to the non-existence of a measuring standard, key performance indicators (KPIs) were developed to enable the measurement and comparison of individual energy grid (namely electricity, heat and gas grid) and system supportabilities while also promoting well-founded decision-making and optimization efforts. Inconsistencies in definitions concerning fundamental energy terms and the correlations between them inhibit the effective usage of the KPIs. Therefore, the overarching issue of the security of energy supply and its related subjects were also approached. The primary subject of this paper is the development of two new KPIs to measure and compare the energy grid and system supportability. These KPIs are based on spatio-temporal conditions in their respective grids. The usage and benefits of the developed KPIs are exemplarily highlighted by analyzing the impact of a scenario with the integration of a large-scale heat pump into the electricity and heat grid. The energy grid supportability is determined for each grid, whereas the energy system supportability takes the interactions of the electricity and heat grid into account. The developed KPIs are intended to enable stakeholders to identify areas with optimization potential in energy grids and systems. Moreover, the KPIs can be used to create a standardized evaluation method for regulatory requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global narrative around domestic energy security is dominated by the paradigm of import-dependent countries, and as a result the interactions of energy export activities with domestic energy systems are not generally considered. In this paper, we apply a systems approach to establish two potential blind spots in evaluating the whole-of-system energy security of energy resource exporters (actual primary energy self-sufficiency and export exposure of the domestic energy system), and examine some case studies, primarily in the Australian context, to validate the existence of these blind spots. The commencement of LNG exports from the state of Queensland is examined in detail. Furthermore, we propose two novel quantitative indicators to mitigate the blind spots established. First, a revised method is proposed to calculate energy self-sufficiency, showing for the exporters studied a less secure position than shown by the traditional method. Second, an indicator is proposed to quantify the extent of exposure of the domestic energy system to international markets through export linkages, which we have applied to Australia's domestic energy system, showing the extent of the increase in international exposure since LNG exports from Queensland commenced in 2015–2016. Conclusions of this paper include the realization that domestic energy security for energy exporters, such as Australia and the other countries examined, is more complex and, in the cases examined, less secure than importer-oriented energy security frameworks have previously recognized. A further conclusion is established that the decoupling of energy resource exports from the domestic energy system through transition to a zero-carbon energy system based on domestic renewable energy sources can be an effective means of improving Australia's energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of energy supply for wireless sensors is becoming increasingly severe with the advancement of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Thus, this paper proposed a thermoelectric self−powered wireless sensor that can harvest industrial waste heat for self−powered operations. The results show that this self−powered wireless sensor can operate stably under the data transmission cycle of 39.38 s when the heat source temperature is 70 °C. Only 19.57% of electricity generated by a thermoelectric power generation system (TPGS) is available for use. Before this, the power consumption of this wireless sensor had been accurately measured, which is 326 mW in 0.08 s active mode and 5.45 μW in dormant mode. Then, the verified simulation model was established and used to investigate the generation performance of the TPGS under the Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin boundary conditions. The minimum demand for a heat source is cleared for various data transmission cycles of wireless sensors. Low−temperature industrial waste heat is enough to drive the wireless sensor with a data transmission cycle of 30 s. Subsequently, the economic benefit of the thermoelectric self−powered system was also analyzed. The cost of one thermoelectric self−powered system is EUR 9.1, only 42% of the high−performance battery cost. Finally, the SEPIC converter model was established to conduct MPPT optimization for the TEG module and the output power can increase by up to approximately 47%. This thermoelectric self−powered wireless sensor can accelerate the process of achieving energy independence for wireless sensors and promote the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of climate neutrality requires global systemic actions involving the use of solutions aimed at reducing emissions. Changes must be introduced in all sectors affecting climate change, namely power engineering and district heating, construction, transport, and industry, as well as agriculture and forestry. Analyzing the structure of final energy consumption in the EU by sector, it can be stated that households account for 27% of the total energy consumption. Comprehensive actions are needed to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. The aim of this paper was to indicate aspects of improving energy efficiency in buildings and their equipment, taking into account the striving for climate neutrality. Analyzed possibilities and conditions of using various solutions of energy-efficient systems aimed at increasing energy resilience and security and preventing environmental degradation. Particular attention was paid to construction and material solutions, as well as installation solutions, which increased the accumulation and energy efficiency of the building. These activities are closely related to the conditions and dynamics of the heat exchange process in the applied solutions and are also related to the factors influencing thermal comfort and energy consumption in buildings. Due to the growing popularity of modern information technologies and artificial intelligence in energy management in recent years, this article reviews the latest research in this area. One of the directions of future research indicated by scientists is autonomous building control in real time, adapting to the momentary needs of users. The analysis of the possibilities of using modern energy efficiency solutions in buildings conducted in this work may be useful for optimizing heat and energy management models and models of society's consumption as an element of energy transformation towards climate neutrality and counteracting the deepening of energy poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat straw (WS) is a promising substrate for biogas production by anaerobic digestion (AD) due to its high carbohydrate content. An estimated 0.603 million t yr−1 of WS are generated from wheat production systems in South Africa. This is equivalent to an energy potential of 11 PJ. Despite this, WS is still undervalued as a bioenergy resource in South Africa due to its structural complexity and low nitrogen content. WS disposal methods, such as use in livestock bedding, burning and burying into the soil, inter alia, are not sustainable and may contribute to global warming and climate change. The commercialization of the AD of WS needs to be further developed and promoted. Pre-treatment (i.e., physical, chemical, biological and hybrid methods) and anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) are novel strategies that can support the conversion of WS into biogas and other value-added products. Current and future research should focus on optimizing pre-treatment and AcoD conditions towards industrialization of WS into valuable products. This paper focuses on the potential use of WS for biogas production in South Africa. The aim is to create information that will promote research and development, and encourage policy makers and stakeholders to participate and invest in WS biogas technology. Were WS biogas technology fully adopted, we believe that it would alleviate energy insecurity and environmental degradation, and sustain the livelihoods of citizens in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pace of good quality retrofit must be urgently scaled up across the UK, in order to tackle fuel poverty, improve the health and comfort of our homes, increase energy security and build climate resilience. Currently, however, incomplete information is used when designing retrofit policies and plans. There are barriers to the scale-up of good quality retrofit including citizen engagement, finance, supply chain uncertainty, a lack of trust and low uptake of quality assurance frameworks. This paper discusses the potential of enhanced, interoperable and democratised building, local and systems data to unlock many of these barriers. It will explore how the adoption of property logbooks across the UK can enable the aggregation of projects and drive access to finance. A retrofit plan for every home has the potential to engage and empower citizens and small to medium enterprise (SME) builders to act locally. This paper describes how the right packages of data can inform better decisions, what work has already been done to date, and how you can get involved in creating transformational change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's world, the concept of security is incomplete without the concept of energy security. Unless a country has access to uninterrupted flow of energy resources, its massive stockpile of weapons and ammunition is unlikely to keep it safe. Therefore, contemporary security studies include concerns about energy security as one of the key components of non-traditional security issues. Ensuring free access to energy for all – is a top priority in the BIMSTEC region. Trans-border cooperation can help diversify energy sources, reduce average supply costs, and meet peak demands as the gap between supply and demand grows in BIMSTEC countries. The paper examines the current energy scenario in BIMSTEC, evaluates the scope of cross-border energy trade in the region. Energy security and maritime security are intertwined with each other in today's world. The paper also addresses the broader geopolitical, geostrategic, and geoeconomic aspects of the Bay of Bengal, illustrating how maritime security is integral to ensuring energy security in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the economic, social and political three-dimensional driving effects of new energy substitution for fossil energy under the joint action of market, government and international competition from three perspectives: profit motive, mutual benefit and responsibility motive, combined with the relevant data of 78 countries from 1965 to 2021. The results show that fossil energy prices and energy security positively influence the process of new energy substitution, and environmental pollution negatively affects the process of new energy substitution, and the pushback effect of energy security on new energy substitution is more significant in the study interval, indicating that at the beginning of the new energy revolution, global environmental governance and willingness to reduce emissions drive the development of new energy industry, but the "carbon emission reduction" of each country has increased the complexity of new energy substitution, especially in some developed countries in taking responsibility for global environmental governance divergent views. Further heterogeneity analysis reveals that each country's energy strategy affects the degree of substitution of "quality" and "quantity" of new energy, and the speed, areas and corrective ability of new energy development vary among countries under different strategic choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of carbon peak and carbon neutralization, the Energy Impossible Tri‐ angle may be the key variable that restricts the high-quality energy development in China. Tak‐ ing 30 provinces in China as the research object, this paper established an evaluation index sys‐ tem of energy security and reliability, economic feasibility, green and low-carbon (hereinafter re‐ ferred to as "Security-Economy-Green"). By using the entropy method, coupling coordination degree model and kernel density estimation method, this paper comprehensively studied the de‐ velopment level of energy "Security-Economy-Green" in China from 2005 to 2019, as well as the temporal evolution, spatial differentiation and convergence characteristics of the coupling co‐ ordination degree. The results show that: ① In the aspect of the temporal evolution, from 2005 to 2019, the coupling coordination degree of energy "Security-Economy-Green" has been steadi‐ ly increasing, gradually rising from the mild imbalance level to the near imbalance level, and the polarization phenomenon has gradually weakened, but most of the periods are in the state of "mild imbalance". ② In terms of spatial differentiation, our country energy "Security-Economy)Green" coupling coordination degree shows certain spatial heterogeneity, presenting the spatial differentiation pattern of "high in eastern and western regions, low in central and northeast re‐ gions". No significant rank transition occurred in each region and energy spatial pattern has cer‐ tain locking characteristics or path dependence. ③ As for the space convergence, the nation and four regions have absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence characteristics, and en‐ ergy "Security-Economy-Green" coupling coordination degree will eventually converge to the same steady state level over time. The region with a low coupling coordination degree grows faster compared to the high, and the regional gap is narrowing. Taken together, there is indeed a certain Energy Impossible Triangle problem in our country at present, but according to the trend, this problem is being gradually alleviated. Finally, from the perspective of dialectics and coun‐ termeasures, we put forward some thoughts on the Energy Impossible Triangle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously published studies on Australia's energy security did not examine the country's domestic energy security situation in tandem with its international energy statecraft. This paper fills this research gap. In order to provide a robust analysis of a country's strategic options in the energy sector, it is paramount to balance domestic and international dimensions, along with internal and external factors. The paper utilizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) method to review Australia's strategic options by balancing the inward-looking, domestic risk minimization dimension (energy security), with the outward-looking, international power projection dimension (energy statecraft). The paper also applies the 4A framework (availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptance) to assess Australia's energy security performance. On the one hand, the results demonstrate that Australia has many strengths and opportunities as a reliable and stable energy supplier, endowed with traditional and renewable energy resources, and critical minerals. On the other hand, numerous internal weaknesses and external threats may affect Australia's strategic options in the future. The most pressing issue is the historical lack of strategic government intervention in the energy market, which has, paradoxically, resulted in domestic energy accessibility and affordability crisis. The market-based approach is also the main reason why Australia has not transformed its energy resources into capabilities to be used as instruments of statecraft. The paper uses the SWOT analysis and the 4A assessment as the basis for discussion on how Australia can transform its energy sector weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities, to benefit the national interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In these last decades, especially after the Russia–Ukraine war, the impact of energy related to issues, such as energy poverty, energy transition, and energy security have been heavily debated. To comprehend the conceptual development of this subject in the academic literature, few studies tackle the problems above by reviewing earlier research on the subject. Inspired by this interest and literature ago in this field, this study aimed to address the past, present, and future advancements of critical issues in this regard. Thus, in this review paper performed during February–April 2023, we employed the PRISMA method selecting and checking the review papers articles indexed in the three databases of Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and JSTOR. Then, the research was followed by extending it and adding some other articles discovered on the gray literature. After a detailed classification of articles, a total of 2615 review articles were deemed valid for this analysis. The study's key contributions is the classification of the some cluster themes for the metasynthesis analyses, which point to potential future directions with a special focus on governmental policies to pursue some macrolevel goals concerning energy poverty, energy transition, and energy security in our daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable heat and power supply are among the basic household needs nowadays. It is especially topical in rural or distant locations that may be cut off from the energy grid due to extreme weather or other events. Nonetheless, the sustainability of our power production systems has to be considered to sustain our planet's long-term abilities to provide energy resources and a viable environment. Renewable energy resources must be prioritized in rural and remote areas, simultaneously strengthening distributed production ability and self-sufficiency. In this context, the use of the Stirling engine for heat to power generation in households, on the scale of small communities, and by using only renewable resources is becoming increasingly topical. Therefore, this research aims to identify the current state-of-the-art for Stirling engine applications using biomass as a renewable energy source, in the context of sustainability and energy security. The paper summarizes the current research tendencies at the household level in the use of biomass-based Stirling engines for renewable heat and power generation in decentralized energy systems. The methodology applied is a structured literature review and content analysis. The research results corroborate the progress towards the use of renewable resources and towards increased energy efficiency because the keyword and overlay analysis showed more frequent publishing in these areas. The content analysis on two more specific sub-directions of interest, i.e., biomass-fuelled Stirling engine use in households and Stirling engine implications on energy security, showed that though research activity in these directions has increased lately, more profound research is needed, especially on aspects of energy security and independence. The content analysis revealed a lack of in-depth analysis on the effects of Stirling engine use on energy security or energy independence, which is suggested as a topical subject for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the interplay between blockchain technology and the energy sector, focusing on security limits, barriers, and challenges. The authors discusses the primary components of cyber risks, including threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts that plague blockchain systems and their application, network, and data layers. Further, anonymity is a key feature of blockchain, ensuring that blockchain users, nodes, and miners remain unidentifiable by any measure. Therefore, perpetrator-focused measures are not viable when assigning responsibility for dangerous and illegal conduct. There are concerns that the concealment of identity will broaden blockchain attack surfaces and pose risks to energy security. The authors also emphasises the need for a well-defined and consistent legal and regulatory framework to address the complexities of blockchain development in the energy sector and assert that the maturity of blockchain in this industry will depend on balancing security and user rights and suggest implementing ex-ante and ex-post measures. This paper is novel; the author seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of the security challenges faced by blockchain-based energy applications and offer practical solutions for mitigating these cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing energy security is a crucial component of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Three main factors influence energy security: (1) the efficiency of resource use in energy production, (2) the extent of energy losses, and (3) the use of new energy sources. Novel food products can impact these factors, and this paper explores whether they are being studied in the context of reducing energy consumption. Specifically, we investigate the role of technical progress and know-how in the creation and development of novel food products and whether novel methods of food production using artificial intelligence aim to reduce energy expenditures while improving product quality, variety, and the use of new energy sources. This paper seeks to examine the impact determinants of novel foods on energy security, considering economic, technological, social, and environmental aspects of knowledge about new food. To implement the study, the relevant international literature published in the past ten years have been reviewed and methods of modeling, visualization, and descriptive statistics applied. The review is structured into three sections: the first section presents ways to save energy and other resources in the food production chain through the intensive use of artificial intelligence tools; the second section presents the development of novel food products; and the last section presents marketing challenges for novel foods. The findings show that the topic addressed by this paper is currently critical, with many authorities, research centers, food producers, and energy producers interested. However, the research problem remains open, as a systematic review of secondary sources revealed little knowledge of the topic under study, and each author's study presents a new solution. The conclusion is that utilizing new foods and innovative production techniques that require less energy not only enhances production diversity but also improves its quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, several achievements have been made in power generation and optimising hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) to achieve nature conservation, achieve energy security, and reduce carbon emissions. However, there are many complexities in Renewable energy (RE) conversion, sizing, design, and implementation, that require optimisation techniques to achieve optimal results in terms of reliability, cost, and environmental protection over time. This paper presents an overview of research trends in Optimization methods in HRES which are classified into modern and conventional methods. These two classifications are further divided into control methods, Artificial intelligence, Iterative and mathematical operations. However, all mentioned techniques have inherent advantages and disadvantages which will be discussed in this survey. In addition, the review paper explored different types of research in computing intelligence (CI), an aspect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that involves the development of nature-inspired algorithms for optimisation. Finally, general optimisation criteria, system sizing methods used in RES, Mathematical modelling of RES, and gaps for future work to achieve sustainability were also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]