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This paper presents an in-depth analysis of decarbonizing the electricity sector in the Dominican Republic, pivotal for addressing climate change and fostering economic growth. Employing the robust-decision making methodology, we studied multiple scenarios via computational models, capturing inputs from stakeholders and evaluating each scenario across 1,000 futures to capture deep uncertainty. Four scenarios were examined: baseline, reference, natural gas, and renewable. The renewable scenario emerged as the most advantageous, proposing the replacement of coal-fired power generation with renewable sources, primarily solar and wind, coupled with batteries. A significant investment, averaging US$3.3 billion, is necessary for this shift toward renewable energy; however, these investments are overcompensated by savings in operational costs. Crucially, this transition promises substantial benefits by 2050: an estimated cumulative average net economic gain of US$2.7 billion, an 8% reduction in average generation costs in 2050, the creation of 160,000 direct jobs, and the avoidance of circa 140 million tons of C02. The findings underscore the feasibility and economic viability of transitioning to a 55% renewable energy generation by 2050. The study offers a critical roadmap for policymakers, highlighting renewable energy expansion, transmission grid strengthening, and strategic coal generation replacement, thus offering a comprehensive blueprint for the nation's energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power generation integrated microgrids have become a promising choice for power utilities, despite their susceptibility to future climatic conditions. This is partly due to the high cost to be paid to meet the rapid increase in loads and the newly built transmission systems. This paper proposes a framework to assess the long-term impacts of climate change on the reliability performance of a microgrid system connected to an offshore wind farm through an HVDC link. The reliability performance is investigated under different CO2 emission scenarios and time spectra, ranging from medium to long term. The degradation of wind farms of various ages is also examined considering the climate change effects. The study incorporates EURO-CORDEX high-resolution climate projections, which are simulated using high-resolution regional climate models. A hybrid method that includes an analytical and simulation-based sequential Monte Carlo technique is implemented to assess the reliability performance of the microgrid. The assessments revealed that the impacts on microgrid reliability due to the climate change and aging effects were not uniform over the long run which further emphasizes the need of a quantitative assessment in order to expose true impacts of climate change on microgrid extending to the entire power system reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses whether a new paradigm is necessary for independent economic regulation of electricity land closely associated natural gas) systems. We begin by summarizing the nature of the traditional model of electricity reform and the place of economic regulation within it. Next we outline the drivers for changing the current model of electricity regulation, namely, the maturity of the existing model, the reality of changing circumstances, and the coming of age of climate change concern. We go on to discuss the premises on which a new model of regulation should be based. These are: remembering the successes of the current system of regulation; a new focus on processes not just outcomes; a recognition of the economics of climate change; and the appropriate management of uncertainty. We then highlight the key elements of a new model for regulation: new processes of regulation; new models of competition and the issues raised by focus on climate change. The paper draws heavily on the experience of the UK, but has direct implications for the rest of the European Union countries and for other countries whose regulatory systems mirror them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate policy measures aimed at power markets influence the cost structure of producers and price patterns, and are therefore likely to influence the production decision of power plants, even in the short run. When power plants have costs related to starting and stopping, decisions on short-term production are intertemporal, and the conventional 'price vs. marginal cost' rule is not sufficient to predict production in thermal power plants. This paper analyzes how the optimal production decision is influenced by climate policies: namely, CO2 trading mechanisms, the expansion of renewables and the interaction between these policies. The main result is that higher power price variation (as a result of increased wind power production) makes the thermal power producer less flexible, but the effect on emissions is ambiguous. A CO2 cost (as a result of an emission trading system) increases the flexibility of the producer and the operation decision resembles the conventional 'price vs. marginal cost' rule more. This implies lower emissions. However, when the CO2 price is coupled with higher power price variation, the positive effects may be reversed since the two policies have opposing effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the regulatory authority of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in light of the lawsuit West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and suggests that FERC can do what EPA cannot with respect to generation shifting program. Topics include the danger of climate change and the effects of the U.S. electric sector on climate change, description of FERC's jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act and factors that may invoke a major questions issue.

The main aim of this paper is to diagnose the impact of climate change with the analysis of its scenario, causes and its solutions in relation to energy sector. Initially, this paper discusses the scenario of climate change in India. Afterward, a comparative difference analysis of selected climatic variables is performed on the chosen areas and also determines the relationships among these variables. Both these objectives are performed by ANOVA, post-hoc, correlation and linear regression analysis. Subsequently, the forecasting of several climatic variables is performed from 2021 to 2025 by time series analysis utilizing the ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model. Then, this paper investigates the interdependency scenario between the climate change and the electricity sector. Afterward, this paper discusses some major impacts of climate change on the electricity sector. Then, this paper presents the present electricity scenario of India and the renewable power potential of India. Subsequently, this paper suggests some open research challenges with recommendations for improving the energy sector of India. Results of this diagnoses analysis concludes that the climate change and energy sector are mutually connected, and the climate change impacts can be reduced with the improvement in energy sector using renewable energy. • A comparative difference analysis of selected climatic variables is performed on the chosen seven areas and also determines the relationships among these variables. • Forecasting of selected climatic variables is performed from 2021 to 2025 by time series analysis. • Interdependency scenario between the climate change and the electricity sector is analyzed. • Present electricity scenario of India and the renewable power potential of India are illustrated. • Open research challenges with recommendations are suggested for improving the energy sector of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the benefits to human health that would occur in the United States (US) due to reductions in local air pollutant emissions stemming from a federal policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to measure the impacts of reduced emissions of local pollutants, this study considers the Warner-Lieberman bill (S.2191) of 2007 and the paper considers the impacts of reduced emissions in the transport and electric power sectors. This analysis provides strong evidence that climate change policy in the US will generate significant returns to society in excess of the benefits due to climate stabilization. The total health-related co-benefits associated with a representative climate policy over the years 2010-2030 range between $103 billion and $1.2 trillion in present value terms. Much of the co-benefit stems from between 32,000 and 189,000 avoided premature mortalities associated with exposure to PM and O. Most of the co-benefits are due to reduced emissions of SO from coal-fired power plants since these are an important contribution to ambient concentrations of PM. Among the most important determinants of co-benefits is the relationship between climate policy and existing policies governing SO discharges from coal-fired power generation capacity. If SO emissions are permitted to remain at current levels, total co-benefits are cut by 65%. We find that the co-benefit per ton of CO emissions ranges between $1 and $77 depending on modeling assumptions and year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the climate change threat and rising oil prices, some states, such as Oregon, New York and California, have adopted stronger renewable energy instruments than others. This paper analyzes the variation in instrument strength across states using the Tobit method of analysis. Three instruments are analyzed here: tax incentives, renewable portfolio standards and public benefit charges. Three models of policy adoption are estimated: needs/responsiveness, interest group and innovation-and-diffusion model. The paper finds that electric utilities oppose strong measures to stimulate renewable energy. Variables such as state wealth, electric restructuring programs and opinion liberalism also explain instrument strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the electricity dependence has increased and is still increasing, many major disturbances have taken place in distribution networks. Because most of the disturbances in the overhead network are weather-related, the probable climate change may have its own impact, too, in the future. Thus, a higher reliability of electricity distribution is required. In this paper, a few major disturbances and their societal consequences, mainly in Finland, are presented. Moreover, the present state of preparedness for major disturbances of both Finnish utilities and some critical end users is described. Although the consequences of wide and long-lasting interruptions are realized, the preparation for those events is not always adequate. This paper gives a few proposals for improving the current situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper estimates the potential contribution of Miscanthus × giganteus (Miscanthus) and short rotation coppice (SRC; in Great Britain often willow and poplar species, e.g. Salix. viminalis L. x S. viminalis var Joruun) to the heat and electricity needs in Great Britain to 2050 under climate change, using a model system which is composed of a partial equilibrium model and two process-based terrestrial biogeochemistry models. If the whole available area of land suitable for Miscanthus and SRC of 8 Mha is considered, results show that the contribution of Miscanthus and SRC to the heat and electricity supply would be significant. Under the projected climate and an imposed energy policy to 2050, the potential contribution would range from 139, 291 GWh to 230, 605 GWh for heat and from 112, 481 GWh to 127, 868 GWh for electricity by 2050. This would provide over 60 % of total heat and electricity needs in Great Britain. Using realistic implementation scenarios on just 0.4 Mha of land, Miscanthus and SRC could still contribute more than 5 % of heat and electricity needs in Great Britain. We conclude that Miscanthus and SRC have the potential to form part of a diverse renewable energy portfolio for Great Britain. In addition to climate and energy policy, the contribution of Miscanthus and SRC to heat and electricity will be impacted by the efficiency of combined heat and power (CHP) and alternative energy crops, and the area of land eventually used for dedicated bioenergy crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success in achieving the Europe 2020 national objectives depends on the implementation at national level of structural reforms needed to accelerate a growth that is smart, sustainable and favourable to inclusion. The national reform programmes (PNR) represent an obligation for each Member State to "translate" at national level the Europe 2020 objectives. In the Romanian National Reform Programme were established, among other priorities, the improvement of the quality of life through sustainable management of renewable resources and mitigation of climate change effects, increasing the energy efficiency, the management of natural resources and pollution reduction. In this paper there will be analyzed the general objectives of the climate change limitation and combating, the strategies to reduce climate change, implemented at the global, european and national level, and also directions for development of the electricity sector. In terms of global strategies, the main measures adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and through the major Conferences of Parties will be analyzed. At the European level, will be examined the Community objectives relating to the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and the adopted measures to meet the proposed targets, and at the national level there will be evaluated the measures through which Romania implements the policies set at the global and community level. Regarding the directions of development of the energy sector at the European level there will be exposed and analyzed the measures imposed by the European Commission and the Member States, and at the national level, the main directions for action of the energy sector in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on organizations and their management of climate risks. Climate risks stem from continued changes in climate means and the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. We ask whether companies also apply the usual process of corporate risk management to climate risks. In seeking to answer this question, we review several literature streams in order to set out an initial theoretical reflection. Based on this we conducted an exploratory case study with 11 electric utilities. Our results illustrate that these companies perceive climatic changes as a material issue for their business. However, management has restricted knowledge about such climatic changes and thus cannot precisely determine the potential negative impacts on business activities. As a consequence, the companies have implemented a climate risk management that does not differ from the usual process of managing other business risks. Our results further illustrate that there is some variation in how individual firms manage climate risks: While risk identification and risk assessment are equally important for all electric utilities, there are differences in how management determines the direction of the individual response to climate risks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in temperatures induced by climate change may have important implications for Thailand's electricity demand. This paper investigates how changing climate will affect Thailand's daily, seasonal, and long-term electricity demand. Regression models are applied to capture daily load patterns across each month in the year. Temperature projections from the UK Hadley Centre climate model are then used to assess hourly sensitivity to changes in mean temperatures and diurnal temperature range. These are combined with four representative socioeconomic scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios to project absolute changes in Thailand's electricity demand. The specific climate and socioeconomic scenarios considered here indicate that mean annual temperatures in Thailand will rise by 1.74 to 3.43° C by 2080, implying increases in Thai peak electricity demand of 1.5%-3.1% in the 2020s, 3.7%-8.3% in the 2050s, and 6.6%-15.3% in the 2080s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how bottom-up activity analyses within a dynamic computable general equilibrium framework can be undertaken for the longer-term analysis of energy and climate policies using the model SCREEN [25]. In particular we demonstrate for the case of Switzerland how the impact of policy measures to reduce the carbon intensity of the energy sector can be assessed with such a model for various socio-economic and environmental dimensions (e.g., C02 emissions, GDP, employment, foreign exchange rate). The results can provide valuable insights for the appropriate design of energy or climate policies that allow for the targeted fostering of a more sustainable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of a trend-setting company in the electricity sector in the Netherlands and its innovative response to the combined influence of liberalization and climate change. The company became a first mover through its invention of the concept of green electricity and the development of a new facility for biomass combustion. The successful introduction of these innovative practices was facilitated by corresponding changes in corporate culture and strategy. These changes also enabled the company to develop new networks that bridged gaps in knowledge and gave legitimacy to enable the successful adoption of the new practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of greenhouse-gas credit borrowing in global or national context faces severe problems such as international and intergenerational equity issues. Though the merit of cost reduction is obvious, the possibility is small for such a scheme to be massively allowed in future international negotiations. Still, there is a good chance for each specific player to use the idea of time flexibility. Through analytic and numerical model analysis, this paper demonstrates the merits of time flexibility on a sector base. First, the derived analytic solution for time paths of marginal mitigation costs gives an insight to the relation between timing and costs of mitigation action. Second, the numerical model analysis for the Japanese electricity supply sector shows that time flexibility can drastically reduce costs for mitigation in the sector. Time flexibility is important specifically to the Japanese electricity supply sector because (1) the sector is capital intensive and has long capital turnover time and (2) available mitigation option is limited for the near future. A sector like the Japanese utility sector needs some kind of mechanism to virtually realize the merits of using time flexibility. Domestic and international emission trading systems are the most promising candidate to date. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 131(1): 68–77, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The application of the ISO 14000 Standard for environmental management in Cuban companies, demonstrates the high degree of concern of the Cuban State, to achieve sustainable development, with an impact on the economic and social, without prejudice to what the generations present can bequeath to future generations. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the progress achieved through the results of the application of this rule in three companies of the Electric Union of the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Cuba. Methods: Diagnostic of the problem of study and characterization of companies. The guide prepared by the Electric Union was applied to evaluate the implementation of the ISO 14000 Standard. Results: In the three cases of study; The Electric Company of the Island of Youth, Hydroenergy and the Maintenance Company to Power Plants, evidenced the importance of applying the ISO 14000 Standard on Environmental Management Systems, to diagnose the variables that affect the efficiency of the company and contribute, to preserve the environment, with the consequent proposal of corrective measures to amend the damage caused by industrial waste and achieve savings of raw materials, water and fuel. Conclusions: The consistent application of the ISO 14000 Standard in Cuban companies constitutes a guarantee to achieve the objectives of sustainable development with impact on the economic and social, in the Electric Union on Cuba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper Kenya’s climate change mitigation ambitions are analysed from an energy system perspective, with a focus on the role of renewable and other low-carbon energy technologies. At COP-21 in 2015 in Paris, Kenya has committed to a ‘nationally determined contribution’ of reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in 2030 in comparison to a business-as-usual projection. An efficient exploitation of the country’s renewable energy resources is key to achieving this target. We use the TIAM-ECN model to characterize plausible development pathways for the Kenyan energy mix until 2050 under different climate change mitigation scenarios. We conclude that the power sector can expand with mostly renewable energy options even in the absence of stringent greenhouse gas abatement targets. On the contrary, on the demand side a substantial deployment of low-carbon technologies is triggered only when ambitious emission reduction objectives are in place. The introduction of these technologies entails additional energy system costs, ranging in 2050 from 0.5% to 2% of the country’s GDP. Our analysis supports the feasibility of Kenyan climate management goals, provided that adequate investments in renewable and other low-carbon energy technologies are timely made available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonising electricity systems is essential for mitigating climate change. Future systems will likely incorporate higher penetrations of intermittent renewable and inflexible nuclear power. This will significantly impact on system operations, particularly the requirements for flexibility in terms of reserves and the cost of such services. This paper estimates the interrelated changes in wholesale electricity and reserve prices using two novel methods. Firstly, it simulates the short run marginal cost of generation using a unit commitment model with post-processing to achieve realistic prices. It also introduces a new reserve price model, which mimics actual operation by first calculating the day ahead schedules and then letting deviations from schedule drive reserve prices. The UK is used as a case study to compare these models with traditional methods from the literature. The model gives good agreement with and historic prices in 2015. In a 2035 scenario, increased renewables penetration reduces mean electricity prices, and leads to price spikes due to expensive plants being brought online briefly to cope with net load variations. Contrary to views previously held in literature, a renewable intensive scenario does not lead to a higher reserve price than a fossil fuel intensive scenario. Demand response technology is shown to offer sizeable economic benefits when maintaining system balance. More broadly, this framework can be used to evaluate the economics of providing reserve services by aggregating decentralised energy resources such as heat pumps, micro-CHP and electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is projected to cause an increase in the severity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves and droughts. Such changes present planning and operating challenges and risks to many economic sectors. In the electricity sector, statistics of extreme events in the past have been used to help plan for future peak loads, determine associated infrastructure requirements, and evaluate operational risks, but industry-standard planning tools have yet to be coupled with or informed by temperature models to explore the impacts of the “new normal” on planning studies. For example, high ambient temperatures during heat waves reduce the output capacity and efficiency of gas-fired combustion turbines just when they are needed most to meet peak demands. This paper describes the development and application of a production cost and unit commitment model coupled to high resolution, hourly temperature data and a temperature-dependent load model. The coupled system has the ability to represent the impacts of hourly temperature on load conditions and available capacity and efficiency of combustion turbines, and therefore capture the potential impacts on system reserve and production cost. Ongoing work expands this capability to address the impacts of water availability and temperature on power grid operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power sector is a key target for reducing CO2 emissions. However, little attention has been paid to the sector's vulnerability to climate change. This paper investigates the impacts of severe weather events and changes in climate variables on the power sector in developing countries, focusing on Indonesia as a country with growing electricity infrastructure, yet being vulnerable to natural hazards. We obtain empirical evidence concerning weather and climate impacts through interviews and focus group discussions with electric utilities along the electricity supply chain. These data are supplemented with reviews of utilities' reports and published energy sector information. Our results indicate that severe weather events often cause disruptions in electricity supply—in the worst cases, even power outages. Weather-related power outages mainly occur due to failures in distribution networks. While severe weather events infrequently cause shutdowns of power plants, their impact magnitude is significant if it does occur. Meanwhile, transmission networks are susceptible to lightning strikes, which are the leading cause of the networks' weather-related failures. We also present estimates of financial losses suffered by utilities due to weather-related power disruptions and highlights their adaptation responses to those disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major portion of total captive power comes from thermal power from coal, oil, natural gas, etc., of which coal-fired units contribute 41% of global electricity. The overall efficiency of such power plants is 33% due to variations in power plant design, use of wide fuel ranges, different steam turbines, and lack in modeling and control configurations. To improve this efficiency, knowledge on material and energy flows across subsystems, including fuel handling, boiler, turbine, and air management need to be known properly. In addition, there is a widespread lack in measurement and instrumentation systems in power plants across the fleet and operators. This scenario makes the operational adjustments more difficult. Again, the strictness in environmental compliances (sulfur and nitrogen components) is met at the cost of limiting thermal efficiency. Moreover, to comply with faster load change, less fuel consumption and more efficient supercritical boilers have been studied. Hence, to improve the efficiency level, more research starting from the state-of-the-art review on modeling, identification, and control methods of coal-fired boilers and the integrated plant is aimed in this work. This will also address the issue of global climate change and reduction in emission of greenhouse gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgrids with renewable power are becoming a widespread alternative for decarbonizing the electrical sector in light of climate change and global warming. However, such widespread penetration of renewables degrades some parameters of power quality along the low voltage utility grid. This research conducts an experiment with an advanced metering infrastructure of a power utility grid with hundreds of thousands of smart grid devices. The experiment identifies the location of the power quality disturbances. The results of the measurements have shown that the power quality parameters are mainly degraded along the downstream section of the low voltage power utility grid, despite the fulfillment of the regulatory quality requirements in the upstream high voltage substation. Thus, the novelty of the approach presented in the paper consists in the use of relatively low capacity energy storage units to locally mitigate the power quality disturbances, keeping them as close as possible to their source in the low voltage grid, instead of using large energy storage units connected to the medium voltage grid. Moreover, the research evaluated the parameters of power capacity, charge–discharge rate, weight, size, and the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) implemented with five types of energy storage technology. Lithium-Ion Capacitor (LIC) presents the lowest LCOE. However, service type and location parameters also play an essential role in selecting other different types of energy storage technology. This research shows that locating small energy storage units close to the source of power quality disturbance is cost-effective and offers excellent potential for widespread implementation in the low voltage distribution grid. [Display omitted] • High penetration of renewables causes power quality degradation. • The advanced metering system locates low voltage disturbances. • Control methods for mitigation of disturbances with energy storage are proposed. • Fluctuation of low voltage profile decreases with energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Climate change-induced reduction in the extent and duration of sea ice cover, as well as an increase in energy demands, has caused renewed interest in exploring and drilling for oil in Arctic waters. Superstructure icing from sea spray and atmospheric icing in the Arctic may impact offshore platform operations. Though icing has not caused the loss of an offshore platform, it can reduce safety, operational tempo, and productivity. Historically, many ice protection technologies were tested on offshore platforms with little success. However, new technologies and modern versions of old technologies used successfully in aviation, the electric power industry, and ground transportation systems, may be adapted to an offshore environment. This paper provides a framework for assessing the relative threat of ice accumulation types, such as superstructure ice, glaze, rime, frost, and snow, to the safety of platform functions. A review of ice protection strategies for functional platform areas is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia's residential peak electricity demand is escalating rapidly and causing major distribution and generation challenges for the industry. This rise is largely attributed to converging and rising expectations of comfort in the home, which are being satisfied by Australians' increasing reliance on air-conditioning. Residential demand-management strategies seek to address this by either actively managing consumer demand, or encouraging consumers to act as co-managers of their demand, during peak times. Drawing on interviews with demand-management practitioners from electricity distributors and retailers, the impact of several residential demand-management techniques is considered in relation to comfort expectations. It is argued that utilities delivering demand-management trials are shaping, and being shaped by, 'normal' expectations of comfort. Further social research is called for to assess the impact of demand-management techniques on escalating comfort expectations, and to design and implement strategies that address this fundamental issue. En Australie, le pic de la demande d'electricite residentielle augmente rapidement, provoque des perturbations importantes et est a l'origine de difficultes pour l'industrie. Cette augmentation est due, en grande partie, a la convergence et a de nouvelles attentes en matiere de confort au foyer qui sont satisfaites par une dependance de plus en plus importante des Australiens vis-a-vis de la climatisation. Les strategies de gestion de la demande d'electricite residentielle cherchent a relever ces defis soit en gerant de maniere active la demande des consommateurs soit en encourageant ces derniers a agir comme des co-gestionnaires de la demande pendant les heures de pointe. S'appuyant sur des interviews de specialistes de la gestion de la demande des distributeurs d'electricite et des detaillants, l'auteur analyse l'impact de plusieurs techniques de gestion de la demande d'electricite residentielle par rapport aux attentes des consommateurs en matiere de confort. Il ressort de cette etude que les services proposant des essais de gestion de la demande donnent forme aux attentes normales en matiere de confort mais sont aussi formes par ces dernieres. Il est necessaire de mener d'autres recherches sur le plan social pour evaluer l'impact des techniques de gestion de la demande sur l'augmentation des attentes en matiere de confort et de concevoir et mettre en œuvre des strategies pour resoudre cette question fondamentale. comportement adaptatif, climatisation, changement climatique, confort, gestion de la demande, qualite de l'environnement interieur, habitants, pic de la demande, consommation d'energie residentielle, compteurs intelligents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The concept of generating electricity using satellite solar power (SSP) has recently enjoyed renewed interest as a source of non-fossil fuel energy. First proposed in the 1960s, then studied sporadically in the past decade, SSP offers a potentially large supply of power but without the carbon emissions associated with evidence of global climate change. SSP faces challenges: competition from other non-fossil renewable energy, such as wind power, and the lead-time and costs required to assemble, test, and deploy an SSP system. At the request of a consortium of electric utilities, of NASA, and of the US National Science Foundation, this paper estimates the value of SSP in four distinct geographic regions, each differing in terms of their resource base for conventional renewable energy. Because deployment of SSP would be sometime in the future, we explicitly incorporate uncertainty in the model. We find the cost-effectiveness of SSP is highly sensitive to geographic region, to the reliability of SSP, and to the cost of carbon damages avoided by its use. The results offer guidance for decision makers in space, energy, and environment programs who must allocate scarce budgetary resources among competing public investment alternatives for clean energy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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

The South African Power Sector which since inception, over the years has come to be monopolized by the behemothic South African Utility Companies, has been undergoing some supply stress due to increased demand for electricity in the face of death of investment, corruption, climatic change due to gas emission; and its inability to meet these demands. Since their establishment the utility companies, are facing one of their toughest transition from a majorly coal-powered generating business to alternative sources of energy. These are not unconnected to the numerous challenges, which range from aging plants, lack of adequate investment to climatic change; particularly so when 26 % of South African electricity is powered and anchored coal-fuelled technology. Power is a critical component and factor in the developmental process of every nation, more so when every country owes it to its citizens a fundamental duty to provide a safe environment in the developmental trajectory of its economic and social programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well established that fossil fuel companies contributed to undermining climate science and action. In this paper, we examine the extent to which American electric utilities and affiliated organizations’ public messaging contributed to climate denial, doubt, and delay. We examined 188 documents on climate change authored by organizations in and affiliated with the utility industry from 1968 to 2019. Before 1980, electric utilities’ messaging was generally in-line with the scientific understanding of climate change. However, from 1990 to 2000, utility organizations founded and funded front groups that promoted climate doubt and denial. After 2000, these front groups were largely shut down, and utility organizations shifted to arguing for delayed action on climate change, by highlighting the responsibility of other sectors and promoting actions other than cleaning up the electricity system. Overall, our results suggest that electric utility industry organizations have promoted messaging designed to avoid taking action on reducing pollution over multiple decades. Notably, many of the utilities most engaged in communicating climate doubt and denial in the past currently have the slowest plans to decarbonize their electricity mix.

This paper describes management practices of a model resilient electric utility that can serve as a framework for advancing planning and preparation for extreme weather and climate hazards. The framework focuses on practices grouped into eight domains progressing through five levels of maturity. For each domain, a discussion of resilience management practices is provided along with examples. By assessing its maturity level and taking steps to increase it, a utility can realize increased resilience benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex relationship between the duration and size of forest fires is important in order to better predict these key characteristics of fires for fire management purposes in a changing climate. Describing this relationship is also important for our fundamental understanding of fire science. Here, we develop and utilize novel techniques for characterizing the distribution of multiple outcomes related to a specific event, placed in the fire science context. In this framework, we jointly model time spent (duration), in days, and area burned (size), in hectares, from ground attack to final control of a fire as a bivariate survival outcome using two broad methodologies: a copula model that connects the two outcomes functionally and a joint modeling framework that connects the two outcomes with a shared random effect. We compare these two methodologies in terms of their utility and predictive power. We also consider how longitudinal environmental variables (e.g., precipitation, drought indices) are best incorporated in this context and the challenges related to the complexity of computation associated with the analysis of two outcomes considered jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Avoiding dangerous climate change necessitates the decarbonization of electricity systems within the next few decades. In Germany, this decarbonization is based on an increased exploitation of variable renewable electricity sources such as wind and solar power. While system security has remained constantly high, the integration of renewables causes additional costs. In 2015, the costs of grid management saw an all time high of about € 1 billion. Despite the addition of renewable capacity, these costs dropped substantially in 2016. We thus investigate the effect of natural climate variability on grid management costs in this study. We show that the decline is triggered by natural wind variability focusing on redispatch as a main cost driver. In particular, we find that 2016 was a weak year in terms of wind generation averages and the occurrence of westerly circulation weather types. Moreover, we show that a simple model based on the wind generation time series is skillful in detecting redispatch events on timescales of weeks and beyond. As a consequence, alterations in annual redispatch costs in the order of hundreds of millions of euros need to be understood and communicated as a normal feature of the current system due to natural wind variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My late colleague and friend Alfred Kahn relayed how President Jimmy Carter hired him in 1977 to head the Civil Aeronautics Board to reform and ultimately deregulate the US airline industry. Accepting the job, he told a group of airline executives (to their fury), 'I really don't know one plane from the other. To me they are all marginal costs with wings.' He used that term to signal his intention of reforming the industry in keeping with economic principles, uninfluenced by the romance of air travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like a few other states, California is working to decarbonize the electric utility industry and the ground transportation sector by 2050 as part of efforts to stabilize the global climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) was created in 1972 as a nonprofit research organization, funded primarily by the US electric power industry. Managing a broad public-private collaborative research program, EPRI was to prepare the industry for change by addressing major issues related to electric power production. Among other things, EPRI initiated an ambitious environmental research program in relation to acid rain and, later, climate change. Partly in consequence of the lessons learned in acid rain research, EPRI’s Environment Division around 1990 developed grand plans to show industry leadership on how to address climate change. However, as this article shows, EPRI gradually realized that natural science research alone was not an adequate response to environmental and social changes. Two vocabularies for change resulted: one in which change would be addressed by means of assessments in which future developments in the nature-society-technology system could be delineated, predicted, and ameliorated, and one in which change was essentially unpredictable and potentially dangerous. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Brazil's status as a rapidly developing country is visible in its need for more energy, including electricity. While the current electricity generation mix is primarily hydropower based, high-quality dam sites are diminishing and diversification to other sources is likely. We combined life-cycle data for electricity production with scenarios developed using the IAEA's MESSAGE model to examine environmental impacts of future electricity generation under a baseline case and four side cases, using a Monte-Carlo approach to incorporate uncertainty in power plant performance and LCA impacts. Our results show that, under the cost-optimal base case scenario, Brazil's GHGs from electricity (excluding hydroelectric reservoir emissions) rise 370% by 2040 relative to 2010, with the carbon intensity per MWh rising 100%. This rise would make Brazil's carbon emissions targets difficult to meet without demand-side programs. Our results show a future electricity mix dominated by environmental tradeoffs in the use of large-scale renewables, questioning the use tropical hydropower and highlighting the need for additional work to assess and include ecosystem and social impacts, where information is currently sparse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increased energy demand, Turkey is continuing to explore the possibilities of introducing nuclear power. Gaining acceptance from local populations, however, may be problematic because nuclear power has a negative image and risk perceptions are complicated by a range of psychological and cultural factors. In this study, we explore the views about nuclear power of school students from three locations in Turkey, two of which have been proposed as sites suitable for nuclear power plants. About half of the student cohort believed that nuclear power can supply continuous and sufficient electricity, but approximately three quarters thought that nuclear power stations could harm organisms, including humans, living nearby. Rather few students realized that adoption of nuclear power would help to reduce global warming and thereby limit climate change; indeed, three quarters thought that nuclear power would make global warming worse. There was a tendency for more students from the location most likely to have a nuclear power plant to believe negative characteristics of nuclear power, and for fewer students to believe positive characteristics. Exploration of the possible nuclear power programmes by Turkey offers an educational opportunity to understand the risk perceptions of students that affect their decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of new power plants in the United States carries the risk of significantly contributing to global climate change. After concluding that the current federal regulatory response to climate change risks from power plants is inadequate, this Article examines three potential roles for state energy regulators to play as a bridge climate mitigation strategy until a cohesive federal policy is enacted. State energy regulators have received relatively little attention as potential climate change regulators, but they are well positioned to analyze and mitigate climate change risks from new power plants. The Article considers the advantages and drawbacks of state energy regulators considering greenhouse gas risks in traditional utility regulatory proceedings. It describes an innovative strategy used by the State of Michigan to incorporate state energy regulators into state environmental permitting proceedings. Finally, the Article considers a more dramatic proposal to merge energy and environmental considerations into a single power plant siting regulatory process where state energy regulators affirmatively decide what type of power plant to build and use a competitive bidding process to select a private owner of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community narratives are increasingly important as people move towards an ecologically sustainable society. Global climate change is a multi-faceted problem with multiple stakeholders. The voices of affected communities must be heard as we make decisions of global significance. We document the narratives of long-term anti-nuclear activists near the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant who speak out in the dawn of a nuclear renaissance/relapse. While nuclear power is marketed as a “green” solution to global warming, their narratives reveal three areas for consideration; (1) significant problems with nuclear technology, (2) lessons “not” learned from the TMI disaster, and (3) hopes for a sustainable future. Nuclear waste, untrustworthy officials and economic issues were among the problems cited. Deceptive shaping of public opinion, nuclear illiteracy, and an aging anti-nuclear movement were reasons cited for the lessons not learned. However, many remain optimistic and envision increased participation to create an ecologically-balanced world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the future role of energy efficiency as a resource in the Western US and Canada, as envisioned in the most recent resource plans issued by 16 utilities, representing about 60% of the region’s load. Utility and third-party-administered energy-efficiency programs proposed by 15 utilities over a 10-year horizon would save almost 19,000 GWh annually, about 5.2% of forecast load. There are clear regional trends in the aggressiveness of proposed energy savings. California’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) had the most aggressive savings targets, followed by IOUs in the Pacific Northwest, and the lowest savings were proposed by utilities in Inland West states and by two public utilities on the West Coast. The adoption of multiple, aggressive policies targeting energy efficiency and climate change appears to produce sizeable energy-efficiency commitments. Certain specific policies, such as mandated energy savings goals for California’s IOUs and energy-efficiency provisions in Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, had a direct impact on the level of energy savings included in the resource plans. Other policies, such as revenue decoupling and shareholder incentives and voluntary or legislatively mandated greenhouse gas emission reduction policies, may have also impacted utilities’ energy-efficiency commitments, though the effects of these policies are not easily measured. Despite progress among the utilities in our sample, more aggressive energy-efficiency strategies that include high-efficiency standards for additional appliances and equipment, tighter building codes for new construction and renovation, as well as more comprehensive ratepayer-funded energy-efficiency programs are likely to be necessary to achieve a region-wide goal of meeting 20% of electricity demand with efficiency in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the impact of climate change on the people. According to environmentalist Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, several people who have been evacuated from their homes for the impact of hurricane Katrina in 2005, are being called the first climate refugees of the world. An accurate climate forecast will be presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate. Ningxia Helanshan, the largest wind farm of China will start operations in 2008, by producing 240 GWh power.The project had been approved by the governments of Great Britain and China in 2005.