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Repurposing coal power plants in the United States may provide significant opportunities to incentivize low-carbon and renewable electricity generation created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Re-using coal sites for their existing electric grid interconnections and infrastructure could reduce costs and provide benefits to coal-based communities experiencing energy transitions. This study estimates local employment, labor income, and tax revenue effects from renewable and low-carbon generation options repurposing coal power plants and meeting their economic impacts at existing coal plant sites in North Carolina. The study bridges gaps in energy transition studies by including site feasibility assessment of advanced reactors for former coal power plant sites, renewable electricity generation, and thermal energy storage. It also considers cost advantages of reusing existing power plant interconnections, IRA discounts, and generation technology economic impacts using IMPLAN. A least-cost quadratic optimization model considers different site-specific electricity generation portfolios to analyze site-based economic impacts and associated technology costs meeting or exceeding site-based coal generation and its economic impacts. This study finds that replacing coal generation costs less than maintaining the current coal fleet, a technology-inclusive portfolio provides the least-cost pathway, and benefits may exceed site-based impacts of existing coal plants. Local tax revenues from advanced reactors and thermal energy storage systems may increase revenues by at least $28 million. Across all repurposing scenarios, replacing existing coal plants with energy storage, renewable, and low-carbon generation leads to net employment growth and tax revenues, indicating further benefits to a rapid and more equitable decarbonization through economic development. • Repurposing meets existing regional coal fleet economic impacts at lower costs. • Each scenario demonstrates net employment growth and increased tax revenues. • A mix of generation technologies unique to each site lowers repurposing costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly 96% of the world's current hydrogen production comes from fossil-fuel-based sources, contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is often discussed as a critical lever in decarbonizing future power systems. Producing hydrogen using unsold offshore wind electricity may offer a low-carbon production pathway and emerging business model. This study investigates whether participating in an ancillary service market is cost competitive for offshore wind-based hydrogen production. It also determines the optimal size of a hydrogen electrolyser relative to an offshore wind farm. Two flexibility strategies for offshore wind farms are developed in this study: an optimal bidding strategy into ancillary service markets for offshore wind farms that build hydrogen production facilities and optimal sizing of Power-to-Hydrogen (PtH) facilities at wind farms. Using empirical European power market and wind generation data, the study finds that offshore-wind based hydrogen must participate in ancillary service markets to generate net positive revenues at current levels of wind generation to become cost competitive in Germany. The estimated carbon abatement cost of "green" hydrogen ranges between 187 EUR/tonCO 2 e and 265 EUR/tonCO 2 e. Allowing hydrogen producers to receive similar subsidies as offshore wind farms that produce only electricity could facilitate further cost reduction. Utilizing excess and intermittent offshore wind highlights one possible pathway that could achieve increasing returns on greenhouse gas emission reductions due to technological learning in hydrogen production, even under conditions where low power prices make offshore wind less competitive in the European electricity market. • Optimize ancillary service revenues for hydrogen production without subsidy. • Lowest cost occurs when electrolyser is 87% of wind farm capacity. • Carbon abatement cost between 187 EUR/tonCO 2 -265 EUR/tonCO 2. • Ancillary service market is key to hybrid offshore wind and hydrogen business model in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are, and will remain for decades to come, a critical source of domestic energy for households in East Africa. Deforestation threatens to alter the supply of biomass available to households. We use remote sensing and longitudinal household data to understand the relationship between agriculture-led deforestation and household energy choices in Uganda. Our hypothesis is that rapid deforestation and associated biomass stock depletion affects the type, quantity, and quality of fuels used by households. We analyze land use changes characterizing deforestation and forest degradation at 500-m spatial resolution. Using two waves of survey data for 451 households, we describe changes in the type, quantity, and source of biomass fuels used. We estimate net losses of 4.51 billion kg or 26% of available air-dry biomass over an 8-year period in 5-km buffers surrounding the study villages. We estimate a series of panel mixed-effect regression models to test whether reduction in biomass availability affects fuel choice and find that lower biomass availability is associated with an increase in fuel sourced from non-forest areas, use of crop residues as a cooking fuel, and time to collect fuel. We find that households are transitioning from fuelwood sourced from forests to fuelwood sourced from areas with much less available and lower quality biomass. We find limited evidence that investment in tree planting is replacing natural forests as a source of high quality biomass fuel. Our findings have implications for both human and environmental health particularly in biomass dependent and population dense settings in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With dramatic cost declines and performance improvements, both mini-hydropower and solar photovoltaics (PV) now serve as core options to meet the growing demand for electricity in underserved regions worldwide. We compare the net energy return on energy invested (EROI) of mini-hydropower and solar electricity using five existing mini-hydropower installations in northern Thailand with grid-connected solar PV simulations. Both assessments use a life cycle perspective to estimate the EROI. We find that distributed mini-grids with penetrations of solar PV up to 50% of annual generation can exceed the EROI of some fossil-based traditional centralized grid systems. The analysis will help planners and engineers optimize mini-grids for energy payback and utilize local resources in their design. The results suggest higher EROI ratios for mini-hydropower plants than solar PV, though mini-hydropower plants typically yield lower EROI ratios than their large-scale hydropower counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technologies are gaining influence as a potential supplemental electricity source in Thailand. This study assesses the environmental and economic benefits of two types of photovoltaic technologies — single-crystalline and amorphous silicon thin-film systems. The advantages of building-integrated PV are also analyzed. The assessment considers embodied energy, CO2 payback, and economic investment. Solar PV currently provides less than 1% of Thailand's electricity; however the government aims to generate 25% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2021. Different policy scenarios affecting life cycle performance, including manufacturing processes and geographic differences are explored. The results indicate that solar electricity can serve as a promising, untapped renewable energy source for Thailand to pursue in its efforts to wean away from imported natural gas and other fossil fuel energy sources. Amorphous silicon thin-film panels yield a greater net environmental benefit than single-crystalline technologies. Even if panels are made in a high electricity emissions country, like China, PV reduces GHG emissions. A sustainable grid-connected photovoltaic system would combine appropriate solar photovoltaic technologies. An economic comparison is included to contextualize the findings. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides an invaluable tool for policymakers to evaluate such opportunities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • A human-Earth systems model is applied to explore impacts of EVs on emissions. • Four electric sector pathways are examined out to 2050. • Net emission impacts are affected by how electricity is produced. • CO 2 and NO x emissions decrease through 2050 with additional EVs. • Coal plant retirement and fuel switching drive PM 2.5 and SO 2 responses. While large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) globally would reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2) and traditional air pollutant emissions from the transportation sector, emissions from the electric sector, refineries, and potentially other sources would change in response. Here, a multi-sector human-Earth systems model is used to evaluate the net long-term emission implications of large-scale EV adoption in the US over widely differing pathways of the evolution of the electric sector. Our results indicate that high EV adoption would decrease net CO 2 emissions through 2050, even for a scenario where all electric sector capacity additions through 2050 are fossil fuel technologies. Greater net CO 2 reductions would be realized for scenarios that emphasize renewables or decarbonization of electricity production. Net air pollutant emission changes in 2050 are relatively small compared to expected overall decreases from recent levels to 2050. States participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative experience greater CO 2 and air pollutant reductions on a percentage basis. These results suggest that coordinated, multi-sector planning can greatly enhance the climate and environmental benefits of EVs. Additional factors are identified that influence the net emission impacts of EVs, including the retirement of coal capacity, refinery operations under reduced gasoline demands, and price-induced fuel switching in residential heating and in the industrial sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, policies designed for high penetration of distributed photovoltaics (DPV) primarily have shifted from mainly encouraging investment through subsidies to addressing equity and stakeholder concerns on retail tariffs and utility revenue impacts. Net metering and feed-in tariffs now serve as the main policy mechanisms to support distributed PV in the U.S. and Europe, although modifications are ongoing to alleviate concerns over consumer inequity and the financial health of utilities. Retail tariff design and utility revenue impacts are now at the forefront of the debate for ASEAN countries formulating new policies and incentives for PV deployment. This paper discusses experiences of DPV development in the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. These countries have ongoing efforts to adjust their DPV programs to match a rapidly dynamic and evolving DPV market and incorporate new technology capabilities such as blockchain-based peer-to-peer solar energy trading platforms. The paper also presents a quantitative analysis of customer economics under various competing compensation mechanisms and analyzes the remaining barriers to DPV market expansion in these three countries. Net billing could achieve more economically equitable policy design for other Southeast Asian countries looking to make solar electricity broadly accessible for all. • Evolving financial support mechanisms for distributed PV are reviewed in three countries. • Policy changes respond to multi-faceted factors, especially utility revenue and rate impacts. • The economics of residential and commercial customers under different compensation mechanisms are compared. • Current design of compensation mechanisms in these countries incentivize PV undersizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fleet electrification is just a starting point to reduce logistic emissions. • Spatial charging management can untap more decarbonization potential. • A logistic optimization model demonstrates CO 2 reductions via smart charging. • Corporate internal carbon policy can incentivize grid decarbonization. Companies have made significant progress in decarbonizing product manufacturing, but transportation decarbonization lags as focus area. Battery advancements enable decarbonization in logistics through electric vehicle adoption. Yet, without managed charging, the total potential for freight electrification to reduce carbon emissions remains constrained. Using a route optimization and production reallocation model, this analysis demonstrates how fleet managers could actively reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% based on a Chinese case study. If data are available, the model could be applied to other countries and especially the international supply chains. Optimizing fleet charging in locations with the lowest grid emission factors achieves the greatest emission reductions. Companies seeking to decarbonize their logistics should explore novel fleet charging strategies. Meanwhile, cities with clean electric grids can attract electric vehicle charging and stimulate job growth, further incentivizing decarbonization of public utilities. This initiates a virtuous cycle of business-led emission reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public acceptance and support are crucial to increasing the adoption of renewable energy technologies and establishing new renewable energy policies. In Vietnam, where plans to rapidly scale-up electricity generation are among the fastest globally, one question of interest is what would motivate people to pay more for electricity generated by renewable energy sources? As part of its national Power Development Plan, Vietnam targets a future electricity mix consisting of at least 21% renewable energy by 2030. This study assesses the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for increasing renewable energy share and corresponding motivating factors in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Drawing from a valid sample of 294 households, this study uses a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM) to evaluate the public perception of renewable energy. On average, respondents are willing to pay about $4.39 USD more on their monthly electric bill to support renewable energy, which represents a 9.48% increase. Notably, respondents most concerned with air quality and the utility's profitability indicated their support to pay more for renewable energy. This study suggests the importance of communicating health-related air pollution mitigation benefits for emerging economies and building support among customers so that electric utilities can increase renewable energy targets. From a policy perspective, improved and transparent disclosure of air pollution data and utility financial statements could expedite the transition to renewable energy in emerging economies, such as Vietnam. • Willingness to pay for renewable energy and its influencing factors in Vietnam. • A double-bounded dichotomous choice CVM was used to analyze data from 294 households in Ho Chi Minh City. • Household mean WTP is estimated at USD $4.39 per month. • Public perception of air quality was an important factor affecting WTP. • The WTP for renewable energy in Vietnam is higher than in many emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review candidate long duration energy storage technologies that are commercially mature or under commercialization. We then compare their modularity, long-term energy storage capability and average capital cost with varied durations. Additional metrics of comparison are developed including land-use footprint and equivalent efficiency based on idle losses to account for emerging long-duration storage applications and use cases. The technology landscape may allow for a diverse range of storage applications based on land availability and duration need, which may be location dependent. These insights are valuable to guide the development of long-duration energy storage projects and inspire potential use cases for different long-duration energy storage technologies. This analysis also lays the foundation for future relevant modeling and decision-making studies that implement emerging long-duration energy storage. [Display omitted] • Review commercially emerging long-duration energy storage technologies (LDES). • Compare equivalent efficiency including idle losses for long duration storage. • Compare land footprint that is critical to market entry and project deployment. • Compare capital cost-duration curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]