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Featured Application: This review subscribes to the MiDiNA project as a part of the European Union-African Union partnership for renewable energy, 'LEAP-RE'. This review will shed light on the energy transition in North African countries and the resilient controls for improving power availability in microgrids. It seeks to draw attention to the advantages and drawbacks of each type of control as well as discuss the specifications for resilient controls that are necessary for microgrids in the North African environment. The ambition of making North Africa a hub for renewable energies and green hydrogen has prompted local governments and the private sector to work together towards boosting the growth of locally available, sustainable energy resources. Numerous climate and energy challenges can be addressed by microgrid technologies, which enable cost-effective incorporation of renewable energy resources and energy storage systems through smart management and control infrastructures. This paper discusses the ongoing energy transition in the countries of North Africa, highlighting the potential for renewable energy sources as well as regional obstacles and challenges. Additionally, it explores how robust and stable controls and advanced management strategies can improve microgrids' performances. Special attention is given to assessing the advantages and disadvantages of conventional and advanced controllers, with an emphasis on resilience needed within the harsh North African environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the global issues being combatted in recent times. One of the measures is a worldwide cutdown on carbon emissions. This has brought about the rapid development of technologies that can best actualise this goal. The decentralised energy system is designed to harness the strengths of small power-generating sources such as renewable energy sources in a noncentralised manner to help meet the global need for clean energy. Renewable energy sources are faced with the challenge of intermittency, which brings about instability in the grid. Another source of clean energy is nuclear energy, which is traditionally large and not flexible; however, the recent development of technology has resulted in a scaled-down version of the large nuclear plants that are more flexible yet provide clean and stable electricity. This paper explores the possibility of deploying nuclear microreactors in the decentralised energy system and describes the features and the challenges of a decentralised energy system. The features of the small modular reactor that make it a viable candidate for the generating source in the decentralised energy system are explored. A case study for a DES system with a microreactor was conducted for a rural area in Nigeria. The HOMER software was used in simulating the optimum system, while TOPSIS was used in ranking the systems. The result showed that the PV/nuclear/battery system ranked first, followed by the PV/nuclear/wind and battery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass use for energy and materials is, on the one hand, one of the key mitigation options to reach the 1.5 °C GMT target set in the Paris Agreement, as highlighted by the IPCC and many other key analyses. On the other hand, particularly in parts of the EU, a strong negative connotation has emerged in public debate and EC policy, with a particular emphasis on the (presumed) displacement effect in markets and land use. This is a remarkable contrast because the reasons to use sustainable biomass, on the one hand, and the possibilities and synergies for supplying sustainable biomass, on the other, are underpinned with strong evidence, also providing insights on how displacement issues can be avoided. Sustainable biomass supplies can contribute 20–30% of the future global and European energy supply, leading to reduced overall mitigation costs, including realizing the net CO2 removal from the atmosphere using BECCS concepts. This paper highlights which options, pathways and preconditions are key to achieving such a substantial contribution of sustainable biomass in future (2050) energy and material supply (with a focus on the European setting). By pinpointing how "biomass can be done right" and how important synergies can be achieved via better agricultural methods, the restoration of marginal and degraded lands and the adaptation of climate change, a different policy agenda emerges in sharp contrast to how a biobased economy has been framed in recent years. It is recommended that future policy priorities, particularly at the EU level, take a more integral view on the synergy between the role of biomass in the energy transition, climate adaptation and mitigation, better agriculture and the better use of land in general. Strategies to achieve such positive results typically require an alignment between renewable energy, and agricultural, environmental, mitigation and adaptation policies, which is a largely missing nexus in different policy arenas. Resolving this lack of alignment offers a major opportunity, globally, to contribute to the European Green deal and improve energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of increasingly severe global climate change, achieving zero-carbon development goals has gradually become a consensus across various industries. Enhancing the electrification level of building energy use and increasing the proportion of renewable energy applications are primary means to achieve zero-carbon development in the construction sector, which also imposes higher demands on energy system planning and operation. This study focuses on urban building clusters and district energy systems, proposing coordinated optimization methods for energy supply and demand. On the demand side, strategies such as utilizing energy storage from electric vehicles are applied to enhance the flexibility of building energy use, along with methods to improve building load leveling rates and increase renewable energy penetration rates. On the supply side, a dual-layer planning method is proposed for the optimal configuration and operation of district energy systems considering the construction of shared energy storage stations. Results indicate that the optimization methods for urban building clusters significantly improve the flexibility of building energy use, and different functional compositions of building clusters can enhance load leveling and renewable energy penetration rates to a certain extent. The dual-layer optimization method for district energy systems can further exploit the potential of building energy flexibility, thereby achieving a balance between economic and environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's energy system, the diffusion of renewable-based technologies is accelerating rapidly. Development of mechanisms that support the large-scale deployment of renewables towards global warming and climate change mitigation continues to remain an issue of utter importance. The most important challenges the energy system of Kosovo faces today is the difficulty to meet all the demand for electricity, low operating efficiency and high release of greenhouse gas emissions, but specifically a large source of carbon dioxide (CO2). Consequently, this influences not only the stability of the system but the society as a whole. This paper addresses several possibilities for designing an adaptable energy system in Kosovo with the ability to balance electricity supply and demand which will meet the requirements for a more efficient, reliable and secure system. A new way of energy generating through integration of new renewable and non-renewable technologies is developed using the EnergyPLAN model. The system is based on available technologies: existing hydro, wind, photovoltaic (PV), combined heat and power (CHP) and new solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass. The baseline scenario 2015 was expanded by four additional scenarios, two for the year 2030 and two for the year 2050. The contribution of renewable sources in the primary energy supply (PES) in the performed scenarios was 14.8%, 34.1%, 38.4%, 69.7% and 68.3% respectively. Further, a very important component of this paper is the investigation of integrating carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology in the coal-based power plant as part of the analysis in the second scenario for 2050. The shift to zero-carbon energy system in Kosovo requires additional research and assessment in order to identify the untapped potential of renewable sources. However, from the results obtained it can be concluded that the goal of a secure, competitive and sustainable energy system in Kosovo state which will meet its long-term energy needs can be certainly achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some advanced countries' rapid population, economic growth, and energy consumption expansion contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions. And while developed countries have achieved 100% universal access to electricity, mainly from non-renewable sources, many developing countries still lack it. This presents challenges and opportunities for achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13 of generating all energy from cleaner or low-carbon sources to reduce CO2 emissions in all countries and combating climate change consequences. Renewable energies have been widely acknowledged to greatly advance this endeavour, resulting in many studies and about 30 countries already with over 70% of their national electricity mix from RE. It has birthed a new paradigm and an emerging field of 100% RE for all purposes, recently receiving much attention from academia and in public discourse. The major challenge with this idea is that achieving such a feat requires a more diverse approach. This study emphasises the need to meet technical and non-technical requirements for working towards a 100% RE for all purposes. Therefore, our work introduces six methodological or evaluation mechanisms (herein, identified as 100% RE evaluation metrics) suitable for existing and future 100% renewable energy analysis. It then reviews energy modelling tools to identify their applicability to 100% RE analysis. The review and perspectives presented in this study will be valuable in developing a common integrated methodology and modelling tool for analysing full renewable energy adoption in countries or regions with best trade-offs, using performance indices that have not been previously used. It will also help with proper national and regional energy resources and system planning for new energy projects and installations, contributing to sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Tracking the trend of restricted access to natural fossil energy resources determines the need to search for alternative energy sources, introducing energy-efficient technologies, and optimizing the energy supply system based on intelligent networks. Understanding district heating enterprises' readiness to work with innovative renewable resources based on climate neutrality plays a unique role. Thus, this article is devoted to the study of the features of providing and determining the district heating enterprises' capacity to integrate climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The research methodology is based on a combination of systemic, process and cybernetic approaches to determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises for implementing climate innovations. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive assessment of the ability of district heating enterprises to use renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy) for the production of thermal energy according to such indicators as: an indicator of balanced resource use, an indicator of climate neutrality and an indicator of economic feasibility. The results became the basis to apply the set-theoretical approach to calculate the district heating enterprises' coefficient of resource sustainability, based on the climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The innovation of the fuzzy sets method lies in achieving the set goal without the deep formation of a data dynamics series, particularly interval models. The added scientific value of the method to determine the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises is used to justify the feasibility of integrating climate management with the use of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production. The prospects for such results are the basis for future research to develop intersectoral clustering enterprises in the green energy production chain based on a closed cycle of renewable energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Geothermal energy, as one of the more well-known renewable energy sources (RES), is used in many operating installations around the world. Depending on the temperature of the geothermal waters in question, the choices range from installations for generating electricity (high-temperature geothermal energy), to the production of thermal energy for use in recreational complexes, to fish farming (low-temperature geothermal energy). Lindal's diagram determines the possibilities of using warm groundwater for many investment projects. In light of the drive to avoid climate change, it seems that the conventional "one-way" use of geothermal water resources is insufficient. Therefore, this article presents an optimal innovative solution wherein geothermal water is fully utilized in a geothermal cogeneration installation to produce heat and electricity and to provide cooling. In addition, it was proposed to expand the investment with photovoltaic and hydropower plants to ensure greater energy independence by diversifying energy sources and increasing the share of energy supplies based on renewable energy sources. Such a broad approach allows for the implementation of a sustainable development strategy in the field of environmental protection. The proposed solution involves the modernization and expansion of the existing energy generation sources by a heating plant and a geothermal power plant in Chochołowskie Termy (South Poland), as well as the construction of a power plant based on a photovoltaic installation, hydropower setup, and energy storage. The presented innovative solution may be an excellent example of implementation for similar geothermal facilities in the world. The novelty of the system is the approach of assessing and combining the different RES in one project, based on a geothermal plant. Popularizing this solution in the wider scientific environment may have a real impact in terms of the reduction of pollutant emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Hydropower (potential and kinetic energy) is one of the most important renewable energy sources in the world. This energy is directly dependent on water resources and the hydrological cycle. Ongoing climate changes are likely to influence the availability/amount of this energy resource. The present study explores the relationship between climate changes and river runoff, projects future runoff in both gauged and ungauged river catchments, and then assesses how these alterations may affect the future hydropower resources in Lithuania. Runoff projections of the gauged rivers were evaluated applying Swedish Department of Climate hydrological model, and runoff of ungauged river catchments were estimated by created isoline maps of specific runoff. According to an ensemble of three climate models and two Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios, runoff and hydroelectric energy projections were evaluated for two future periods (2021–2040, 2081–2100). The results demonstrated a decrease in future river runoff. Especially significant changes are expected according to the most pessimistic RCP8.5 scenario at the end of the century. The projected changes are likely to bring a negative effect on hydropower production in the country. These findings could help understand what kind of benefits and challenges water resource managers may face in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold, remote, northern regions of Canada constitute a challenging environment for the provision of reliable energy and food supply to communities. A transition from fossil fuels to renewables-based sources of energy is one positive step in reducing the greenhouse gases from the energy supply system, which currently requires long-distance transport of diesel for electricity and heating needs. Geothermal energy can not only displace diesel for part of this energy need, it can provide a base-load source of local energy to support food production and mitigate adverse impacts of food insecurity on communities. In this proof-of-concept study, we highlight some potential benefits of using geothermal energy to serve Canada's northern communities. Specifically, we focus on food security and evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of producing vegetables in a "controlled environment", using ground sources of heat for energy requirements at three remote locations—Resolute Bay, Nunavut, as well as Moosonee and Pagwa in Ontario. The system is designed for geothermal district heating combined with efficient use of nutrients, water, and heat to yield a diverse crop of vegetables at an average cost up to 50% lower than the current cost of these vegetables delivered to Resolute Bay. The estimates of thermal energy requirements vary by location (e.g., they are in the range of 41 to 44 kW of thermal energy for a single greenhouse in Resolute Bay). To attain adequate system size to support the operation of such greenhouses, it is expected that up to 15% of the annually recommended servings of vegetables can be provided. Our comparative analysis of geothermal system capital costs shows significantly lower capital costs in Southern Ontario compared to Northern Canada—lower by one-third. Notwithstanding high capital costs, our study demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of producing vegetables cost-effectively in the cold northern climate. This suggests that geothermal energy systems can supply the heat needed for greenhouse applications in remote northern regions, supplying a reliable and robust source of cost-competitive sustainable energy over the long-term and providing a basis for improved food security and economic empowerment of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the increase of annual average temperature and the decrease of annual precipitation in Beijing, the fragility of Beijing's energy system has become more and more prominent, especially the balance of electricity supply and demand in extreme weather. In the context of unstable supply of new and renewable energies, it is imperative to strengthen the ability of the energy system to adapt to climate change. This study first simulated climate change in Beijing based on regional climate data. At the same time, the Statistical Program for Social Sciences was used to perform multiple linear regression analysis on Beijing's future power demand and to analyze the impact of climate change on electricity supply in both the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (representative concentration pathway 4.5 and 8.5) scenarios. Based on the analysis of the impact of climate change on energy supply, a multi-objective optimization model for new and renewable energy structure adjustment combined with climate change was proposed. The model was then used to predict the optimal power generation of the five energy types under different conditions in 2020. Through comparison of the results, it was found that the development amount and development ratio of various energy forms underwent certain changes. In the case of climate change, the priority development order of new and renewable energies in Beijing was: external electricity > other renewable energy > solar energy > wind energy > biomass energy. The energy structure adjustment program in the context of climate change will contribute to accelerating the development and utilization of new and renewable energies, alleviating the imbalance between power supply and demand and improving energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water–energy–food nexus (WEF nexus) concept is a novel approach to manage limited resources. Since 2011, a number of studies were conducted to develop computer simulation models quantifying the interlinkage among water, energy, and food sectors. Advancing a nationwide WEF nexus simulation model (WEFSiM) previously developed by the authors, this study proposes an optimization module (WEFSiM-opt) to assist stakeholders in making informed decisions concerning sustainable resource management. Both single- and multi-objective optimization modules were developed to maximize the user reliability index (URI) for water, energy, and food sectors by optimizing the priority index and water allocation decisions. In this study, the developed models were implemented in Korea to determine optimal resource allocation and management decisions under a plausible drought scenario. This study suggests that the optimization approach can advance WEF nexus simulation and provide better solutions for managing limited resources. It is anticipated that the proposed WEFSiM-opt can be utilized as a decision support tool for designing resource management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]