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A successful and just energy transition is subject to policies that adhere to a multi-dimensional approach to renewable energy development. To achieve success in renewable energy development, well-thought-out and efficient policies must be implemented. This paper aims to address a major shortcoming in renewable energy development in terms of understanding and recognising the policy space that promotes or hampers renewable energy growth. The paper examines the relevant literature to identify major themes and factors in renewable energy development. A thematic analysis was conducted using a hybrid inductive and deductive approach and resulted in the identification of 5 major themes namely Institutional, Environmental, Financial, Socio-cultural, Technical and 144 factors. The identified themes and factors will assist to make a policy action decisive, just, and sustainable. Recommendations including comprehensive incentivisation, regulatory support for renewable energy technologies in developing nations, environment impact assessment programs, promotion of financial transparency and opting for a just transition to benefit local and vulnerable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores Coastal Energy-Based Industrial Clusters (EBICs) and their role in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability through collaborative innovation. Economic growth theory and energy sustainability have been introduced into industrial clusters to illustrate indicators that have a greater impact on the development of EBICs. This paper proposes an EBICs development model based on the Cobb-Douglas function, in which accounts for various factors that drive the progress of such clusters. The outcomes of the economic model also provide insights into how the interaction of various factors affects the economic growth of EBICs and their eventual dominance in the energy market of coastal regions, dependent on gradually investing in areas such as research and development (R&D). Different development strategies demonstrate that the final development of a cluster has low dependence on the cluster's initial advantages. The study also illustrates how clusters can gradually monopolize the energy market, even with initial disadvantages. Through quantitative analysis, it showcases the transformation process of developing advantageous clusters into sub-clusters. Next, an energy symbiosis framework for coastal is proposed, which places greater emphasis on the multi-energy complementary system and reduces production costs. Finally, this paper also sheds light on shaping energy strategies for public authorities who shape economic policies at various levels of aggregation and in diverse dimensions. • Multi-energy complementarity provides a new path for sustainable development of coastal energy. • Hardware investment is critical to the development of energy-based industry clusters. • Clusters with better natural advantages may become sub-clusters due to incorrect development strategies. • The essence of energy cluster development is the result of the interaction of multiple influencing factors. • The economic growth of energy clusters depends on the proportion of investment in software and hardware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional petrol vehicles emit a substantial quantity of greenhouse gases, leading to increasingly serious global warming problems. The expansion and development of renewable power generation technologies is conducive in promoting the use of electric vehicles, which are more environmentally friendly. This paper proposes a multi-objective power expansion model considering renewable energy policy objectives. The model regards the problem as a multi-period optimisation task, taking the newly installed capacity and the power generation capacity of each power generation technology as decision variables, and simulating the uncertain factors in the planning process using Geometric Brownian Motion and Monte Carlo approaches. The optimisation objective of the model is to minimise expected costs, reduce risk and environmental impacts, and incorporate changing policy objectives into the constraints to meet policy makers' expectations for renewable energy development. Then, a decentralised target search-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed to solve the model. Its effectiveness is verified by a numerical example using real data from the Chinese power system. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits improved performance compared with benchmark algorithms and provides high quality and diverse Pareto-optimal solutions to decision makers. Finally, the optimal plans for power expansion and generation mix under different preferences and policy objectives are discussed and corresponding recommendations are made. [Display omitted] • Planning for the expansion of power generation under uncertainties is determined. • Strategies for the expansion of power generation towards renewable energy are optimised. • A novel multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with a constraint handling method is developed. • The impact of multiple renewable energy policies on power generation expansion planning is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of effective energy policy interventions on reducing energy poverty in the emerging nations of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Existing literature lacks a detailed investigation into the connection between energy policy and sustainable energy development for addressing energy poverty. Consequently, this work explores the dynamics of energy policy interventions in alleviating energy poverty in 42 emerging economies in the APAC region by engaging enhanced econometric approaches and panel estimates covering the period of 2000–2019. Analyzing the accessibility of energy, clean cooking fuel and technologies, and energy consumption level, this paper investigates energy poverty from a macro standpoint considering energy policy interventions in APAC emerging nations. The results suggest that energy policies, comprising laws, regulations, and strategies, are negatively associated with energy poverty. Among these, well-planned, forward-looking strategies are more successful in alleviating energy poverty. The implications of this study provide a framework for formulating necessary energy policies to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG7, which focuses on affordable and clean energy for all. Role of Energy policies interventions on energy poverty. [Display omitted] • Effective energy policy intervention in alleviating energy poverty is evaluated. • Energy policies, comprising laws, regulations, and strategies, are negatively associated with energy poverty. • Well-planned strategies are more effective in eradicating energy poverty. • The right energy policies contribute to accomplishing SDG-7, which is affordable and clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the research topics of China's energy transition policy and predicting future research trends are crucial for policymakers to make informed decisions and advance the energy transition. This study applied the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to extract 26 major research topics from the 13,976 abstracts of Chinese policy research papers in web of science (WOS), conceptualized the five most popular topics and used the ARIMA model to predict trends over the next 36 months. The results show that except for Economic and Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Consumption (Topic13), which will first experience unanticipated fluctuations and then show strong growth capacity, all other topics will continue to remain positive growth trend. Research and Development (Topic3) is driven by the urgency of China's energy transformation. Economic and Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Consumption (Topic13) is driven by the potential for the development of renewable energy. Economic Impact of Climate Change (Topic26) is driven by the climate change debate. Economic Growth, Urbanization, and Energy Consumption (Topic7) is driven by a discussion of their relationship and the mechanisms influencing them. Regional Efficiency and Productivity Analysis (Topic19) is driven by regional differences in China's energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effect of geopolitical risk on renewable energy deployment, assuming that geopolitical uncertainty stimulates nations to be independent and rely on their renewable energy sources in order to reduce the geopolitical risk concomitant to fossil fuel inflows. The current paper's data sample covers 10 net crude oil importer countries during the period 1985–2017. It employs panel cointegration analysis and estimate an autoregressive distributed lag model. The results show that geopolitical risk has a significant and positive effect on renewable energy diffusion. Therefore, this work determines that it is an incentive, not an obstacle, to renewable energy deployment. The present study's policy implication is that renewable energy development is expected to increase if the geopolitical risk rises, all else being equal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Energy systems are quickly evolving through the development of new technologies and the emergence of new operational and market design paradigms. In particular, the global push for sustainability is driving the transition towards a pronounced redesign. In fact, renewable energy integration is occurring at a massive scale, and several other exciting developments are finding their place in modern energy systems, such as distributed energy resources, demand response, energy storage technologies, and local energy markets. In this dynamic context, the process of energy policy design and implementation has found new challenges, and in supporting this key process, expansion planning models and tools can play an essential role. For example, these models can be employed to estimate the impact of a multitude of policy instruments. Thus, there is a wide interest in these tools and a variety of such models, as evidenced by a rich literature and a fast-paced evolution of this research area. Motivated by this, this work presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review on expansion planning models and tools with emphasis on their application to energy policy analysis. In particular, this paper reviews the most significant policy instruments, with an emphasis in renewable energy integration, the optimization models that have been developed for expansion planning, and existing decision-support tools for energy policy analysis. Finally, this paper also discusses the trends in the literature and the most pressing current challenges in the development and use of expansion planning models for energy policy analysis. Highlights • Provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview on expansion planning models. • Reviews the most significant policy instruments with an emphasis in renewable energy integration. • Describes the salient features of using expansion models on energy policy analysis. • Discusses the future trends and challenges of smart grid technologies on expansion models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a discussion on the paper titled “Assessing feed-in tariffs on wind power installation and industry development in Taiwan” published by Hsu et al. In the discussed paper, there were several missing variables in the historical test of the system dynamics (SD) model, and thus the test was not integrated and valid. Additionally, the simulated results of the missing variables were used as important indexes to observe the behavior of the SD model. Therefore, it was highly likely that the solution and related policy analysis based on the simulated results were incorrect. Accordingly, the present study illustrated the structure characteristics of the SD model with respect to the fore-mentioned problems, discussed the reason for missing variables and proposed a method to assess whether or not the historical test was integrated. Finally, after a careful analysis, this study offered suggestions to perfect the historical test proposed in the discussed paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2017, the Chinese government released the first special plan for the development of geothermal energy, named “ The 13th five-year plan for geothermal energy development and utilization (2016–2020) ”, which promotes the development of geothermal energy to the national energy strategic level. As a stable and low-carbon renewable energy, it is significant to develop geothermal energy to relieve air pollution and supply continuous base load power. This paper first introduces the resource endowments of geothermal energy in China, the current status and development targets of geothermal energy use, as well as series of related policies on China's geothermal energy. Then the economic, environmental and social benefits of geothermal energy development are analyzed respectively. Next, based on the PESTEL framework, this paper analyzes the unfavorable factors in the development of geothermal energy in China. Fourth, based on the PESTEL analysis results, we give some countermeasures and solutions for the future development of China's geothermal energy from two aspects of technology and policy. Finally, based on the above analysis, the corresponding conclusions and policy recommendations are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty alleviation and environmental improvement are two important targets which most developing countries try to achieve. In order to promote the poverty alleviation by using clean energy sources, this paper develops a joint poverty alleviation project including the green energy investment company (GEIC), solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant (SPP) and wind power plant (WPP). By using a tripartite evolutionary game model, evolutionary stable strategies are evaluated. Influence estimate results of key factors show that longer annual operation time and higher on-grid electricity price will increase the participating intention of all the three participators. The government should increase the on-grid electricity price of the SPP properly, but control that of the WPP as the joint poverty alleviation project can also progress well even with relatively low on-grid electricity price of the WPP. A reasonable investment ratio of the SPP and WPP is the guarantee for the smooth development of the joint poverty alleviation project. In this study, the investment ratio of the SPP and WPP of 6:4 is relatively proper and can make the three participators all have relatively high increasing rates of participating intention simultaneously. The results will be of reference value for formulating relevant governmental policies on the poverty alleviation and clean energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies targeting energy efficiency and renewable energy are sometimes viewed as more politically feasible than carbon pricing in pursuit of emission reduction goals. This paper assesses underlying drivers of energy policy development. These factors include economic, social, environmental, and institutional variables. The between estimator for panel data is an appropriate method for our focus on some exogenous variables that vary more across countries than over time. We find that larger oil reserves per capita have a negative relationship with renewable energy policy development. Education and political globalisation have strong positive relationships with both energy-efficiency and renewable-energy policy development. These results suggest that greater participation in global political groups can be an indirect approach toward energy policy development, in cases where direct and immediate policies are hard to implement. OECD countries have higher policy scores by 33 and 25 points in energy efficiency and renewable energy respectively. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis shows that these higher scores are primarily due to social and political institution predictors rather than economics and physical endowments. • Large-n cross country international sample on continuous policy score measurement. • Political globalisation is positively linked with renewables and energy efficiency policies. • Education is positively linked to energy policy development, especially for efficiency. • Higher OECD countries' policy scores are primarily due to social and political predictors. • Higher incomes are unlikely to lead to automatic improvements in energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cointegration levels among life expectancy and its determinants have explored. • The structural breaks stemming in the data has been investigated with ARDL. • Economic growth is positively associated with life expectancy. • Energy consumption lowers life expectancy via environmental degradation. This paper tends to investigate the linkage between economic growth and life expectancy by considering the potential role of financial development and energy consumption using data of Pakistan. Traditional as well as advanced unit root tests for observing the stationary properties of the variables were applied. For exploring the cointegration levels among life expectancy and its determinants, ARDL bounds testing technique in the existence of structural breaks which were stemming in the data has been investigated. The empirical results provide the confirmation for the presence of cointegration between the variables. Further, economic growth is positively associated with life expectancy. Financial development is revealing a negative effect on life expectancy in the scenario of Pakistan. Energy consumption lowers life expectancy via environmental degradation. Furthermore, this empirical analysis provides new insights to policymakers for using financial development and energy consumption as economic tools to improve life expectancy by directing energy and finance policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary frequency control (PFC) has become increasingly important for the stable operation of power systems due to the development of renewable energy resources, and the thermal power units still need to provide satisfactory PFC services. The energy stored in metal and working fluid are the main impact factors for PFC. This paper proposed a universal assessment mechanism to evaluate PFC capability for thermal power plants under various working conditions by decomposing and quantifying the energy state, especially under flexible operating processes. A transient heat current model describes the dynamic process by constructing the relation of different parameters in overheated components at various energy states. In this study, the PFC dynamic response ability of a 600 MW supercritical power plant under various working conditions is quantified based on the proposed modeling. The maximum load regulation amount decreases from 6.0% to 1.69% with a decrease in the load. Compared to the theoretical calculation results with the experimental data of actual PFC tests, the proposed mechanism of the dynamic response of PFC assessment is more precise, with an accuracy of 97.85%, which has a significant meaning in guiding the PFC services in the power grid and regulating the power plants. • Constructed a new energy state-based model by heat current method. • Proposed a novel PFC capability assessment model under dynamic processes. • Considered the boiler and the turbine sides in the PFC simultaneously. • Validated the new model with various frequency deviations by field experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A cyber-physical model is proposed for plant-wide energy monitoring/diagnosis. • The proposed model describes the cause-effect relationship with in-depth analysis. • The distributed monitoring mechanism and statistics aims to detect energy states. • An abnormal variable is used to trace the root cause of the abnormal energy state. • The accurate energy monitoring and explicable energy diagnosis are analyzed. In the large-scale plant-wide chemical process, energy monitoring and diagnosis have a great impact on energy management and sustainable development. Most monitoring and diagnosis methods focused on the construction of the global model with process data, regardless of the meaningful process knowledge and in-depth analysis. Due to the multi-dimensional, correlative, and uncertain characteristics of the collected industrial data, it is laborious to obtain accurate and reliable energy monitoring and diagnosis results. To address these problems, a novel cyber-physical energy monitoring and diagnosis scheme is proposed in this paper. This scheme constructs a cyber-physical model based on process knowledge and data to describe the cause-effect relationships among the energy variables. For energy monitoring, a distributed monitoring approach is developed for energy state estimation based on the constructed monitoring statistics in both variable and residual spaces. For energy diagnosis, a faulty contribution degree index is further addressed and the corresponding root cause location strategy is discussed. The effectiveness and practicality of the proposed scheme are demonstrated via a numerical simulation example and practical ethylene oxide production. Two preset simulated faults and one practical process fault are used and all the abnormal states and root variables are monitored and diagnosed by the proposed scheme. The energy monitoring and diagnosis results provide great support for energy management and development in large-scale chemical plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper is devoted to elaborating the status of different energy policy planning studies and the evaluation of various GHG mitigation studies. It includes, some of the major developments in global energy scenario, status of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, issues in the implementation of Kyoto protocol and GHG mitigation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and energy scenario especially pertaining to the residential, industrial and commercial energy sector in the initial sections. The later part of this paper highlights the salient contributions in various literatures pertaining to energy demand forecasting in residential, commercial and industrial sector, GHG estimation methodologies, and GHG mitigation studies in various sectors. The success and difficulties in implementing various policy planning practices were also discussed in the paper. Most of the prominent literature in the area of energy demand and consumption analysis towards effective implementation of GHG mitigation is described. In the end, a comprehensive comments and recommendations based on the study were furnished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Worldwide, the demand for energy has increased significantly in last two decades, leading to an increased use of non-renewable energy resources. The global agenda aims to reduce the carbon intensity of energy in long-term climate change mitigation strategies, and to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG-7) on affordable and clean energy. Use of renewable energy (RE) can contribute to reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while providing incremental financial resources to stimulate clean development mechanisms. Hydropower continues to be the leading RE option and has the additional benefits of water storage for agriculture and other uses. Drawing on the position of four Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) countries – Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan – this paper investigates the current status of hydropower generation and related policies, and attempts to identify the key challenges to and opportunities for hydropower development in the region. Collectively, four HKH countries have commercially feasible hydropower potential of nearly 190 GW. However, only one-third of this potential has actually been tapped so far. Nepal and Pakistan have tapped 2% and 12%, respectively, of their hydropower potential. The current hydropower supply has not been able to fulfill the electricity demand in the region, where 26–37% of the rural population is living without access to electricity, and future demand for electricity is likely to increase sharply. There are several economic, social, technical, environmental, ecological and political challenges to hydropower production in the HKH countries. Despite these challenges, hydropower remains an important option for achieving renewable energy goals in the region. To achieve these goals, we suggest capitalizing on emerging opportunities such as large hydropower development using a 'smart approach', micro-hydropower promotion, energy trade, and regional cooperation for collective energy development programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The European Union has set specific targets for reducing energy consumption, shifting the main focus of European energy policy towards a firm commitment to enhancing energy efficiency. In light of the limited progress reported in Greece's energy efficiency action plan, the objective of this paper is to help redesign the near-term national policy framework. In this respect, a risk-oriented optimisation model is developed to support the optimal budget allocation to energy efficiency measures, with a view to achieving the 2020 national targets. The transdisciplinary methodological framework initially builds on the Energy Efficiency Action Plans for Greece and involves stakeholder engagement, multiple-criteria decision making and portfolio analysis. The evaluation of the policy instruments is based on two criteria, namely energy savings and implementation risk, under a set of technical and financial constraints. Finally, the robustness of both the optimal policy portfolios and the individual policies composing these portfolios is assessed. The results indicate that, given the financial and technical constraints, the 2020 target cannot be achieved. By stochastically analysing the impact of external uncertainty, three policies emerge as the most robust, while portfolios achieving savings of more than 1000 kTOE until 2020 are found highly vulnerable to underlying uncertainties. Highlights • Greece strives to achieve its national energy efficiency targets in the near-term. • We propose a risk-oriented framework to support the redesign of the national policy. • Given the financial and technical constraints, the 2020 target cannot be achieved. • Three policies appear to be robust and contribute the most in the optimal portfolios. • Policy portfolios achieving more than 1000 kTOE are highly vulnerable to uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to identify factors which determine energy policy in the EU countries in the middle of 1990s. This objective is achieved in three stages. First, the changes in the distribution of RES in 26 EU countries in the period between 1995 and 2014 are investigated. The analysis demonstrates that over the last 20 years the EU countries diversify the RES they use, which results in substantial changes in their distribution. Second, the distribution of energy sources in 1995 is described, as it is assumed that the distribution might be a crucial factor influencing energy policy in each country. Third, several other factors related to energy security, environmental concerns, economy and politics are considered as potential determinants of renewable energy development. Two statistical methods of variable selection, namely, the best subset regression and the LARS method, reveal that the present (in 2014) share of RES in the energy mix significantly depends on the condition of the EU countries in the middle of 1990s. The distribution of energy sources in 1995 is the crucial determinant of renewable energy development. Countries without their own fossil fuel sources are the ones which develop renewable energy to the greatest extent. Other important factors boosting RE development include: GDP per capita, concentration of energy supply (SWI), and the costs of consumption of energy obtained from fossil fuels in relation to GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of thermal performance of a solar air heater can be obtained by enhancing the rate of heat transfer. Thermal efficiency of matrix solar air heater is higher in comparison to conventional type. Number of studies has been reported in the literature on the performance of matrix air heater with different material packing and elaborated various parameters such as design; heat transfer enhancement, flow phenomenon and pressure drop in the duct. Majority of the studies revealed an increase in the thermal efficiency for matrix collector as compared to conventional plane solar air heater. This review paper presents an extensive study of the research carried out on matrix solar air heater. Based on literature review, it is concluded that the solar air heaters performed well when packed with porous medium and this is due to the geometrical parameters of porous material. In addition double pass porous bed solar air heaters performed better than single pass. Various types of matrix materials used in the literature and correlations developed for heat transfer and friction factor by different researchers have been presented. Much attention has been devoted in this paper to portrait the development of various types of solar air heaters over the years. The merits and demerits of different models evolved by many researchers have been critically analyzed. Finding in a nut shell is that the drawbacks associated with conventional nonporous solar air heaters such as high heat loss to the ambient, decreased convective heat flow from plate to air, etc. can be overcome by the use of an effective design of porous bed solar air heater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to UNDP Policy Note 2014, only 23% of Yemen rural community have access to electricity – having connected to national grid or use small isolated generating units – while the country is one of the richest in solar energy with over 3000 h per year clean blue sky. The objectives of this paper is to concentrate on the utilization and the cost effectiveness of photovoltaic solar energy for electrification of Yemeni rural and desert communities, which will result in enhancing education, culture, science, medical services, and improve the living conditions in rural areas. Otherwise, energy poverty that is a facet of a multidimensional poverty in Yemen will persists because the possibility of connecting rural communities to the national grid, even in the next ten years, is invisible due to major political and financial problems that the country is facing. Moreover, PV energy is environmentally clean and has proved to be one of the best solutions for rural electrification in many countries worldwide due to noticeable drop of PV systems prices with the advance in PV technology. Accordingly, it should be the best solution for rural electrification in Yemeni as well. The paper demonstrates the cost effectiveness and the design procedure of utilization of solar energy for rural and desert communities in Yemen using a number of subsequent cases typical to Yemeni communities and provides also a practical study to support Bedouin backpackers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review on various maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms based on Perturb and Observe, Incremental Conductance, Soft Computing and other techniques along with the real time hardware implementation of photovoltaic (PV) system. In this review, the complete procedure, the implementation methodology and their effects in the PV output were discussed in detail for each algorithm. Further, MPPT algorithms for PV systems with partial shading condition were reviewed and reported. This paper is intended to serve as a suitable reference for future work in PV based power generation and its related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand response (DR) is regarded as an important method in the economic and secure operation of the power system, which has attracted great attentions from both industry and academia. With increasing integration of distributed energy resources (DER), demand-side resources become more active and diversified. Moreover, developments of the smart grid (SG) technology provide better environment for DR application. This paper presents an overview of demand-side resource developments from controllable loads to generalized demand-side resources (GDR) including distributed generation (DG) and electric energy storage (EES). Besides, aggregation technologies such as virtual power plant (VPP) and load aggregator (LA) are summarized here. Advantages of GDR application and its development prospects are presented at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh being a developing country is struggling for the self-sufficiency of electric power for a very long time. In this run renewable energy can play an important role for electricity generation. Bangladesh abuts by Bay of Bengal, as a result the southern areas face around 2∼5 m of tidal head/height rise and fall and as it is in the tropical region it gets an average daylight of 7∼8 hper day. Thus the hydro (tidal) energy and solar energy can be the key points to meet the scarcity of power. This paper discusses a model of possible small hybrid power generation system consisting of a PV generation unit with storage and a micro-hydro generation unit and a diesel generator which can mitigate the rising energy demand at the southern areas of Bangladesh. In this paper the economic viability is discussed along with the technical aspects to set up such system via HOMER analysis. Moreover the system cost was analyzed together with a comparison of other system costs of similar capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with environmental issues caused by fossil fuel burning in the industrial and transportation sectors, innovations towards cleaner solutions to replace the ever diminishing fossil fuels have been the focus of not only researchers but governments all around the world. The hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology is the result of the desire to have vehicles with a better fuel economy and lower tailpipe emissions to meet the requirements of environmental policies as well as to absorb the impact of rising fuel prices. The objectives are met by combining a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) with one or more electric motors powered by a battery pack that can be charged using an on-board generator and the regenerative braking technology to power the transmission. The challenge is to develop an efficient energy management strategy (EMS) to satisfy the objectives while not having a reduced vehicle performance. In this paper, EMSs that are proposed and developed in the recent years are revisited and reviewed. Additionally, the Plug-in HEV is discussed in a new perspective from the EMS point of view. The through-the-road (TtR) HEV with in-wheel motors (IWM) is a fairly new concept in the HEV design that features less complicated configuration with reduced hardware requirements and lower cost. Recent research findings are evaluated throughout this paper leading to a hypothetical TtR HEV materialization. A thorough discussion is made encompassing the advantages and disadvantages of the concept, its performance compared to conventional HEVs and the way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the conventional energy resources are limited and environmental problems are becoming increasingly prominent, new energy resources, being environmental friendly and renewable, are paid more and more attention by all the countries. At present, the development and utilization of new energy resources in China has made progress. However, due to the factors such as the international energy competition situation, China׳s productivity level and its development phase, and the lagging of related system and mechanism reforms, China׳s new energy has been faced with constraints in the aspects of the system, efficiency, supply, region and technology. If related reforms were not implemented, the development of new energy in China would be severely hindered for a long period of time in the future. In view of this, this paper reviewed the development status of China׳s new energy industry, and analyzed five aspects of constraints. Moreover, a discussion was carried out from four aspects of the system, consumption, production, technology reforms in order to break the corresponding constraints. Finally the future development planning of new energy was presented. All in all, the deep investigation into China׳s new energy development status, constraints, reforms and planning in this paper is aimed at promoting the reform of new energy resources production and utilization modes, improving the policy system continuously, addressing the deep-rooted institutional contradictions of the new energy industry, and providing the reference and advice for the transformation of China׳s energy structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an enquiry into the role of State policies in influencing wind installed capacity. The paper studies the impact of policies on deployment of wind potential across the States of India over two decades. Aggregate indices are computed for each of the seven wind resourceful States of India indicating attractiveness for installed capacity of wind energy. For computing the indices, four policies, Feed-in-Tariff, Renewable Purchase Obligation, Banking facility, and Wheeling charges are considered. Panel data techniques are then employed to investigate the impact of the policy differences on wind potential deployment over the 19 year period (1993–2012) after controlling for three State-specific factors. The controlling factors include per-capita income of the State, power deficit, and ratio of installed capacity of wind to geographic potential indicating unmet capacity. The results show that that policy index positively impacts wind deployment whether control variables are included or not. Moreover, the control factors like the per-capita income of the State and unmet capacity have positive influence over the investment in wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy plays a vital role in the modern lifestyle of any country, understanding how sustainable the energy system of a country remains an important policy issue. This paper reviews the comprehensiveness of existing metrics in tracking and tracing energy sustainability and finds that the existing multi-dimensional indicators do not capture the sustainability dimension adequately. This paper proposes a composite index, SEDI (Sustainable Energy Development Index), to fill the gap. SEDI focuses on establishing the sustainability level of both intra- and inter-generational needs. The paper discusses the methodology, data availability and initial country comparisons. It is found that SEDI has a positive correlation with both the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Energy Development Index (EDI) but provides a better understanding of the different dimensions of energy sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand-side management (DSM) is an effective means to construct low-carbon electricity system, improve energy efficiency and fastly enhance the sustainable development of economy. DSM in China has entered a period of rapid development. A series of policies and regulations related to DSM have been issued by some national ministries in China. However, some problems exist in the implementation of DSM. In view of that, the current situation of DSM development in China is analyzed in this paper from the three aspects of policies and regulations related to DSM, DSM organizational management and DSM development of representative regions. Following that, the challenges faced in DSM implementation are discussed and feasible measures are proposed based on the challenges. This paper is conducive to give impetus to the development of DSM in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement and other agreements which have been signed after, sustainable energy development is becoming the major goal in many countries. EU have set the targets to reduce the annual greenhouse gas emission by 40% in 2030 and 80% for 2050 compared with 1990 levels. For achieving this ambitious energy policy, three major technological changes are available: energy savings on the demand side, efficiency improvements in the energy production, and replacement of fossil fuels by various sources of renewable energy. Also, for realization cited three major technological changes the support of the multi-disciplinary scientific knowledge is needed. Therefore, from the beginning of the 21st century, since 2002, a series of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Conferences were founded. This paper presents an overview of published researches in special issues of leading journals dedicated to the series SDEWES Conferences, including also the papers in current special issue. The focus is on five main fields: (1) energy policy and analysis of smart energy systems; (2) energy savings in the building sector; (3) co/polygeneration - integrated heating, cooling and electricity systems and district heating; (4) biomass for energy; and (5) measurement of energo-environmental sustainability of processes and systems. Researchers are focused on the development of methods, policies and technologies for both efficient production of energy, mainly from renewable sources, and consumption in industry, buildings and transport. Undoubtedly, the researches presented in the papers in this special issue as well as in previous ones, dedicated to SDEWES conferences, will contribute to the promotion of sustainable development and thus to the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the editorial for the virtual special issue (VSI) of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER) dedicated to 4 SDEWES Conferences held in 2020, namely: (i) the 2nd Latin American Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (LASDEWES 2020) held from February 9 to 12, 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; (ii) the 1st Asia Pacific Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (APSDEWES 2020) held from April 6 to 9, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia; (iii) the 4th South East European Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SEESDEWES 2020) held from June 28, 2020 to July 2, 2020 in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina, and (iv) 15th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES 2020) held from September 1 to 5, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. The VSI collected both high quality review papers and original research articles presented at the 4 SDEWES conferences in 2020 belonging to the aims and scope of RSER. After a scrutinizing peer review process, 20 articles were accepted and published. These articles fall into four main areas: renewable energy cutting edge technologies, energy storage, energy modelling techniques and, climate and energy policy and impacts. Cross-areas articles belong to this Special Issue covering almost all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • The VSI SDEWES 2020 covers four main areas. • An overview of the renewable and sustainable energy challenges to be dealt. • Cross-areas studies help addressing SDGs. • The advances and the novel findings for the successful achievements of ambitious policy targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an analysis of renewable energy feed-in tariffs (REFIT) for the selected regions of the globe is done with the aim of drawing lesson for Saudi Arabia. A brief background and status of renewable energy sources (RES) utilization in Saudi Arabia is given at the beginning of this paper, followed by a review of the feed-in tariff (FIT) design models reported in literature. The application of the policy in Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia and Africa is then reviewed. Some observations from the analysis of the FIT application in different countries have been discussed and finally, lessons have been drawn from the study. Some policy recommendations have been given for Saudi Arabia. The analysis of the lessons identified shows that the application of FIT scheme in Saudi Arabia is likely to speed up the development of renewable energy resources within the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China faced the greatest challenge in balancing its economic growth, energy and resource security as well as environmental pollution. The energy-intensive industries, which used to be the major force driving China׳s economic growth, had seriously exhausted the countries׳ natural resources and energy, and at the same time polluted the environment because of the severe surplus of low-efficiency production capacities. As a result, the Chinese government had initiated multiple economic and administrative policies to eliminate these low-efficiency production capacities intended to improve the energy efficiency of energy-intensive industries. These policies are summarized in this paper, along with export tax rebating rate, resource tax, administrative audit and approvals, differential electric power pricing and shutting down the low-efficiency production capacities. The paper also evaluates the effects of these policies by analyzing several key indicators about the energy-intensive industries, including fixed asset investment growth rate, energy-intensity of industrial added-value, waste gas emission-intensity of industrial added-value. The VALDEX methodology is selected to examine the improving trends of energy-efficiency for energy-intensive industries. The analyzing results show that firstly the development of low-efficiency capacities tends to be more sensitive to the policies, so the policies that China had enacted really exert very important effects on improving the energy-efficiency of energy-intensive industries. However, the effects of economic policies seem more faster and obvious than the fiscal policies. Besides, the results also show that polices which are designed to reserve energy may not necessarily exert the same effects on reducing emissions. There is still large room for improving the energy efficiency of energy-intensive industries, substantial improvement still needs to be done for current policies’ system. Some suggestions for future work are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: bCHP (Biomass combined heat and power) systems are highly efficient at smaller-scales when a significant proportion of the heat produced can be effectively utilised for hot water, space heating or industrial heating purposes. However, there are many barriers to project development and this has greatly inhibited deployment in the UK. Project viability is highly subjective to changes in policy, regulation, the finance market and the low cost fossil fuel incumbent. The paper reviews the barriers to small-scale bCHP project development in the UK along with a case study of a failed 1.5 MWel bCHP scheme. The paper offers possible explanations for the project's failure and suggests adaptations to improve the project resilience. Analysis of the project's: capital structuring; contract length and bankability; feedstock type and price uncertainty, and; plant oversizing highlight the negative impact of the existing project barriers on project development. The research paper concludes with a discussion on the effects of these barriers on the case study project and this industry more generally. A greater understanding of the techno-economic effects of some barriers for small-scale bCHP schemes is demonstrated within this paper, along with some methods for improving the attractiveness and resilience of projects of this kind. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

While growing electricity consumption in residential sectors worldwide will draw more attention in economic and policy related decisions, the fast-growing developing world still requires enormous amounts of electric power to achieve better living conditions. This dilemma can hardly be addressed without a thorough understanding of the relationship between economic development and residential electricity demand. Based on a country-level panel data set covering 133 countries or regions over four decades, this paper aims to investigate how the historical relationship between economic development and residential electricity use evolved. Different to previous studies, we are not assuming the curve shape of the electricity use and economy in advance. A flexibly piecewise spline model is employed rather than the commonly used linear, quadratic, cubic polynomial or S shape saturation curve model. We capture an inverted-U relationship, and the turning point is at about $20,000 (purchasing power parity, 2005 constant price). This pattern is robust in the sense that it is not sensitive to eliminating any special countries or to alternative model specifications. These results are important for understanding the future trend of electricity consumption in the less developed world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because industrial sectors in China are energy-intensive, improving energy efficiency and promoting energy savings in these sectors are of great importance for the further sustainable development of China’s economy. Using a proposed meta-frontier data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper analyzes the total-factor energy efficiency and energy savings potential in China’s provincial industrial sectors for the years 2000–2014 from three perspectives, namely, the technology gap, management, and scale. The results indicate that (1) driven by technological progress, energy efficiency during the sample period was greatly improved, though the expansion of technology gaps between regions and the decline in scale efficiency represented two significant handicaps; (2) the current energy efficiency in China’s industrial sectors remains extremely low, indicating that there is considerable potential for energy efficiency improvement and energy savings; and (3) the sources of energy inefficiency and energy savings potential in China’s industrial sectors exhibit spatially distinct characteristics. Accordingly, it is determined that most of China’s eastern provinces should focus on improving scale and management efficiency, whereas most of its central and western provinces should concentrate on three factors: narrowing the regional technology gap, improving management efficiency, and optimizing the industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of the dynamic dual credit policy on the development of new energy vehicles is discussed. • Assumptions about the market for vehicle manufacturers using the Hotelling model. • Propose dynamic dual credit and regulatory policy coordination. • Analysis of factors related to the new energy vehicle industry. To discuss how to promote the rapid development of new energy vehicles (NEVs) through low regulatory costs after the removal of financial subsidies, in this paper, an evolutionary game model between local governments and vehicle manufacturers is developed. In the model, we suppose a series of parameters based on academic research and practical situations. Then the model and its parameters are analyzed and verified by system dynamics simulation. The study shows that: (1) Compared with the static, the dynamic dual credit policy enables the system to have an equilibrium stability point, which helps the development of NEVs. (2) The cost of local government regulation is reduced by the effective implementation of the dynamic dual credit policy. (3) After the removal of financial subsidies, consumers focus on personal experience. Therefore, government and enterprises should focus on technological breakthroughs and infrastructure development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reviewed the history of the evolution of low-carbon development strategies and the establishment of low-carbon targets in China, over the past 30 years. The climate policy development in China has been classified into four stages and the key strategies of the Chinese government adopted towards low-carbon development were analysed. The results showed the changing view of the government regarding the climate issue, was the underlying reason for the establishment of low-carbon development targets, whilst a low-carbon economy is now receiving increasing attention in the governance of China. Some recommendations for future improvement were given at the end of the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper examines the key features of the renewable energy development environment in Sri Lanka which led to sector's rapid expansion. The recent development framework of the renewable energy sector was based on the importance of using indigenous resources, recognizing the positive environmental impacts and the avoidance of high cost alternative thermal generation. This framework also recognized the pioneering effort of the developers in site identification by giving rights to develop on a first-come first-served basis. The policy framework was later extended with a renewable energy portfolio standard to achieve 10% of power generation through renewable energy. The standard power purchase arrangements reduced the transaction costs. The feeding tariffs originally based on avoided costs later shifted to cost based, technology specific tariffs encouraging diversification of the renewable energy portfolio. The introduction of net-metering for renewable energy based distributed generation and the limited interventions in the form of green-tariffs also assisted the renewable energy development. The paper concludes that the policy and regulatory frameworks and different approaches to implementing them have been mostly successful experiences in Sri Lanka and they would provide useful lessons for similar countries when formulating and implementing related polices, regulations and legal frameworks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Energy Act of 2020 authorizes $1 billion over five years from 2021 to 2025 to support energy storage development in the United States. In addition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders 841 and 2222 opened the wholesale energy markets for distributed energy resources, including energy storage. The statute and orders pave the way for novel energy storage technologies to participate in electricity markets as the qualifying facilities, thereby expanding opportunities for energy storage development. However, the existing policy, legal, and regulatory regime, including these much-welcomed newcomers, fails to recognize and support the entire spectrum of benefits that some forms of energy storage create. In this paper, we focus on Pumped Underground Storage Hydro (PUSH), a variant of pumped hydro storage (PHS), which currently provides over 90% of the world's energy storage capacity. PUSH operates with the same principle as PHS; however, it is an entirely underground variant of PHS. In addition to becoming competitive in the wholesale electricity market, PUSH facilities can be developed as community infrastructure in the postindustrial landscape, particularly in abandoned underground mines. Given federal energy law and policy development, this paper identifies how communities with abandoned mines, technically feasible for PUSH facilities and operating as municipal-owned utilities or cooperatives, can participate and take advantage of federal legislation. We further look into the implications through the lens of technical, economic, and social aspects of energy justice. We consider energy justice as a conceptual framework that seeks to explain the occurrence of injustice within energy system decisions and outcomes and how policymakers can respond to these injustices. We use it as a conceptual tool for understanding policy formulation and detailing the energy system's missing ethical and justice dimension. We argue that as a technically mature technology, PUSH facilities can act as a potential means to speed up the energy transition in the United States. The federal and state law along with utility market structures are vital in shaping the potential opportunities and barriers for energy storage facilities like PUSH. We show that although it supports PUSH development, there are gaps in the current market structure, specifically in the regulatory framework, when seen through the lens of justice and valuation of just energy services. These gaps limit the realization of utility-scale energy storage technology's potential to fully contribute to a decarbonized energy system that is more resilient and more just than the incumbent system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid vehicle and powertrain development has become essential to for the design and implementation of vehicles that meet and exceed the fuel efficiency, cost, and performance targets expected by today’s consumer while keeping pace with reduced development cycle and more frequent product releases. Recently, advances in large-scale additive manufacturing have provided the means to bridge hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experimentation and preproduction mule chassis evaluation. This paper details the accelerated development of a printed range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, by paralleling hardware-in-the-loop development of the powertrain with rapid chassis prototyping using big area additive manufacturing (BAAM). BAAM’s ability to accelerate the mule vehicle development from computer-aided design to vehicle build is explored. The use of a hardware-in-the-loop laboratory is described as it is applied to the design of a range-extended electric powertrain to be installed in a printed prototype vehicle. The integration of the powertrain and the opportunities and challenges it presents are described in this work. A comparison of offline simulation, HIL and chassis rolls results is presented to validate the development process. Chassis dynamometer results for battery electric and range extender operation are analyzed to show the benefits of the architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper measures the policy effectiveness of power purchasing agreements, capital grants, tax incentives, preferential loans, and research, development, and demonstrations for photovoltaic (PV) and wind power development in the member countries of the European Union (EU). The empirical findings confirm that the feed-in tariff is more efficient than renewable portfolio standards (RPS) for PV and wind power development, although RPS does have an effect on wind power development. However, the other economic instruments are all inefficient for PV development but are efficient for wind power development, except for tax incentives. Moreover, the economic growth required, serious financial deficits, and dependence on imported energy that discourage PV development are unrelated to wind power development. The energy intensity of the economy will have a negative impact on both PV and wind power development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are omnipresent in energy policy analysis. Even though IAMs can successfully handle uncertainty pertinent to energy planning problems, they render multiple variables as outputs of the modelling. Therefore, policy makers are faced with multiple energy development scenarios and goals. Specifically, technical, environmental, and economic aspects are represented by multiple criteria, which, in turn, are related to conflicting objectives. Preferences of decision makers need to be taken into account in order to facilitate effective energy planning. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tools are relevant in aggregating diverse information and thus comparing alternative energy planning options. The paper aims at ranking European Union (EU) energy development scenarios based on several IAMs with respect to multiple criteria. By doing so, we account for uncertainty surrounding policy priorities outside the IAM. In order to follow a sustainable approach, the ranking of policy options is based on EU energy policy priorities: energy efficiency improvements, increased use of renewables, reduction in and low mitigations costs of GHG emission. The ranking of scenarios is based on the estimates rendered by the two advanced IAMs relying on different approaches, namely TIAM and WITCH. The data are fed into the three MCDM techniques: the method of weighted aggregated sum/product assessment (WASPAS), the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method, and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). As MCDM techniques allow assigning different importance to objectives, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to check the impact of perturbations in weights upon the final ranking. The rankings provided for the scenarios by different MCDM techniques diverge, first of all, due to the underlying assumptions of IAMs. Results of the analysis provide valuable insights in integrated application of both IAMs and MCDM models for developing energy policy scenarios and decision making in energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China''s PV industry has developed rapidly in recent years due to the dramatic demand from the world market. In contrast, until 2010 China''s domestic PV market has been very small due to lack of sufficient incentives in the country to promote domestic PV deployment. However, since early 2009 many incentives have been implemented in China. The paper makes an analysis on China''s solar PV incentive policies, particularly the national FIT scheme. Policy recommendations are made with regard to the promotion of the domestic solar PV market, including the construction of an effective national FIT scheme, the imposition of renewable portfolio system as well as the establishment of sound technical and administration standards for the grid-connection of PV systems. The paper contributes to the academic literature over China''s solar PV power policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews the developments of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in The Netherlands. Despite the recent boom in PV industries and its global deployment, The Netherlands has up to now not experienced major growth in the diffusion of PV electricity generation. But this is only part of the story. This paper focuses on the question why PV is still around in The Netherlands at all despiteits, at times, harsh policy and socio-economic contexts. It builds upon a recently developed framework from the field of transition studies that distinguishes between shielding, nurturing and empowerment of sustainable innovations. A descriptive historical review is combined with an analysis of niche space that shows how PV advocates have been able to strategically secure and shape protective measures over four decades in the context of harsh regime selection environments. The paper suggests how further analyses using this shielding-nurturing-empowerment framework can benefit from this exploratory study into PV innovation in The Netherlands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to advance research into the effectiveness of policies for encouraging technological transition in the energy sector (in general) and wind power (in particular). It contends that the ineffectiveness of wind power development policy in most nations stems from a linear approach to policy design that is unsuited to complex adaptive markets. The paper argues that in complex adaptive markets, policies are required that foster competition on a level playing field. Insights are extracted from complexity theory to advance four principles for effective wind power policy in such markets. These principles include establishing policy initiatives to: encourage technological diversity, establish clear and progressive short to medium-term targets, enhance environmental monitoring systems and establish a malleable policy regime that directly resolves emergent challenges while simultaneously sustaining market momentum to ensure long-term targets are met. In order to demonstrate the applied relevance of these principles, the paper applies these concepts to a historical analysis of Denmark''s wind power development policies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sustained policy support is necessary in order to drive a transition toward renewable energy (RE). The ability to realize RE policy objectives is constrained by a range of geographic factors related to resource potential, the distribution of resources, land availability/suitability, the absorptive capacity of proximal infrastructure, and local socio-political acceptance. With this in mind, this paper provides a systematic review of how geographic information science and remote sensing techniques have been applied to reduce uncertainties surrounding renewable energy development, with emphasis on policy and planning needs. The concept of a ‘geo-information infrastructure’ is used to bring coherence and direction to this growing body of literature. The review highlights four underdeveloped research areas, including: Resolving issues of scalar discordance through comprehensive analysis at local and regional scales; mapping interactions in space of multiple supply options to deliver more accurate and sophisticated estimates of RE potential in an area and to identify competitive and symbiotic land-use situations; using energy resource maps as primary inputs into the development of technology road-maps; and developing geographically explicit indicators which can signal priority areas for RE recovery based on social and environmental returns on investments. In each case, suggestions moving forward are provided. The paper identifies knowledge-based institutional networking as a pathway through which local and regional public authorities can be equipped with the resources necessary to build and mobilize a geo-information infrastructure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is a growing consensus that universalization of modern energy services is central to reducing major elements of poverty and hunger, to increase literacy and education, and to improve health care, employment opportunities, and lives of women and children. In India, as per 2011 census, over 700 million people lack access to modern energy services for lighting, cooking, water pumping and other productive purposes. Devoid of these services people, mostly women, are forced to spend significant amounts of their time and effort on subsistence activities like firewood collection, carrying these head load for miles, and then burning these hard earned fuels inefficiently in traditional chullas. These adversely affect the health and standard of living for women and act as a barrier to gender development (here ‘gender’ means women unless otherwise specified). Although the links between gender inequity, poverty, and energy deprivation have been studied by many, not many practical solutions to the above problems have emerged. The present paper explores the nexus among gender–energy–poverty, highlights areas of gender concern, and suggests actions. We analyze how women from rural areas and low income households are at the receiving ends of energy poverty. We then analyze the roles women as an important stakeholders in universalizing modern energy services. We show how women self-help groups can be a vital link in large-scale diffusion of energy-efficient and renewable technologies. The paper concludes with policy pointers for sustainable development and gender empowerment through energy solutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The goal of this paper is to analyze recent developments in the renewable energy sector in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. In order to achieve this goal, existing knowledge gaps regarding the use of renewable energy as a share of the region׳s final energy consumption had to be filled in. This was done by creating a reliable model for the calculation of these shares for the years 2010 and 2011. The results were then put together with the official data for the years 2009, 2012, and 2013, and a linear trend forecast was included based on the combined data. In this way it was possible to make an estimation of the time frame in which the countries with positive linear trend results would reach their renewable energy use targets. The results of the analysis show inconsistent development of renewable energy sources for countries outside of the EU. Combined with political challenges, such as the natural gas crisis of 2009, this creates increased volatility in the proportion of renewable energy in final energy consumption. Additionally, regulatory and market issues ranging from a lack of appropriate legislation and complicated administrative procedures, to poor coordination between various institutions act as barriers to increased investment in renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceptance plays an important role in the successful adoption of wind energy technology. This article identifies factors influencing the acceptance of wind energy and selects those factors which have the highest relevance for wind energy acceptance in Bavaria. We decided to analyze the Federal State of Bavaria in Germany as its current policy governance decelerates the building-up of wind turbines in this federal state. Using a qualitative approach, the results indicate that the perception of political processes, such as the recent enacting of the 10-H regulation in Bavaria, influences the acceptance towards wind energy, as trust and transparency in political processes are essential. In addition, the paper reveals the importance of the distributive justice, focusing in particular on the subitem envy, which can be considered on a neighboring or regional level. Additionally it reveals additional factors which are relevant for wind energy acceptance in the specific case of the analyzed federal state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]