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Based on a study of policy-induced changes in the Swedish pulp and paper industry, this paper follows a process of socio-technical regime destabilisation. Results from the study show that in industries where established firms have significant power, processes of endogenous renewal are more likely to destabilise established regimes than processes based on niche solutions. Further, the study shows how policy measures aimed to destabilise the current regime may result in different responses, owing to the different capabilities of individual firms. The analysis suggests that heterogeneous capabilities within established industries provide possibilities for policy makers to initiate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have investigated the implications of the threshold effect of changes in FDI inflows for the nexus between energy consumption and economic growth in eight under-researched sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1971--2016. The countries are Benin, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Zambia. Using the lag-augmented VAR (LAVAR) model (corrected for cross-sectional dependence), we develop an empirical framework tightly linked to the endogenous growth model that allows for a threshold effect of changes (strength and weakness) in FDI inflows on the nexus. Our findings show that the FDI inflows matter for the causal link between energy consumption and economic growth in some countries, although, for the cross-section as a whole, our bootstrap simulation supports the neutrality hypothesis. The overall results suggest that an energy demand policy, such as an energy conservation policy, should not cause any significant adverse side-effects to economic growth in those sub-Saharan African countries. Policy implications of the threshold effect for the nexus for individual sub-Saharan African countries are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saving energy is an important strategy to address the current energy crisis and environmental degradation. Regarding the pilot policy of the energy quota trading as a quasi-natural experiment by employing a difference-in-differences method, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of this pilot policy on energy saving and its mechanisms based on city-level data in China from 2006 to 2020. We find that the energy quota trading policy can reduce the total energy consumption and energy consumption intensity of pilot cities, and the effect of the policy can gradually strengthen over time. The market-oriented reform of energy factor allocation can effectively promote energy saving and economic growth. These results are convincing through a series of robustness checks. The heterogeneity test shows that the energy quota trading has a significant energy saving effect on economically developed cities, densely populated cities and southern cities, but not in economically underdeveloped cities, sparsely populated cities and northern cities. Further mechanism inspection suggests that the pilot policy of energy quota trading mainly achieves energy conservation through industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation. Our findings provide a valuable insight for China to control energy consumption and promote the high-quality development of the energy economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The current technology trend reveals that static power consumption is growing at a faster rate than dynamic power consumption. In this paper, energy-efficient task scheduling is studied when static power consumption is a significant part of energy consumption which cannot be ignored. The problems of scheduling a set of independent sequential tasks on identical processors so that the schedule length is minimized for a given energy consumption constraint or the energy consumption is minimized for a given schedule length constraint are investigated. For a given schedule, the optimal task execution speed setting for delay and energy minimization is found analytically. Lower bounds for the minimum schedule length of a set of tasks with a given energy consumption constraint and the minimum energy consumption of a set of tasks with a given schedule length constraint are established. Our lower bounds are applicable to sequential or parallel, and independent or precedence constrained tasks, on processors with discrete or continuous speed levels, and bounded or unbounded speed ranges. The significance of these lower bounds is that they can be used to evaluate the performance of any heuristic algorithms when compared with optimal algorithms. Experimental study on the performance of list scheduling algorithms is performed and it is shown that their performance is very close to the optimal. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first paper that provides such analytical results for energy-efficient task scheduling with both dynamic and static power consumptions. Highlights • Investigate scheduling a set of independent sequential tasks on identical processors. • Find the optimal task execution speed setting analytically for delay and energy minimization. • Establish lower bound for the minimum schedule length with a given energy consumption constraint. • Establish lower bound for the minimum energy consumption with a given schedule length constraint. • Perform experimental study on the performance of list scheduling algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU member states have been encouraged to introduce energy efficiency obligation schemes (EEOS) to help meet energy saving objectives. As a result, there are now 15 EU EEOS in existence, compared with just six prior to the introduction of the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. At the same time, the long-standing EEOS in Denmark and the UK have faced challenges because of concerns over increasing costs. This paper considers the role of EEOS in current and future EU and national policy. Firstly, this paper sets out in more detail the place of EEOS in EU energy policy. Then, the future of longer-established EEOS is explored, using Denmark and the UK as case studies. Recent and planned redesigns in these two countries are detailed, with analysis of the factors which led to changes in policy ambition. For new EEOS, key risks to delivery of savings are an over-ambitious delivery target and time line in the absence of policy learning opportunities. The policy risk for nine EEOS is assessed, with savings being most at risk in Croatia, Latvia and Spain. The paper concludes with an analysis of EEOS within the future policy mix. The discussion considers the place of EEOS in evolving EU policy, future savings from EEOS, their relationship with energy companies and the possible influence of different framings of energy efficiency. The continuing need for EEOS is explored, with concluding ideas about how to secure a strong and effective future for this policy tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing energy efficiency and savings will play a key role in the achievement of the climate and energy targets in the European Union (EU). To meet the EU's objectives for greenhouse gas emission reductions, renewable energy use and energy efficiency improvements, its member states have implemented and will design and implement various energy policies. This paper reviews a range of scientific articles on the topic of policy instruments for energy efficiency and savings and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different measures. The review demonstrates the variety of possible instruments and points to the complex policy environment, in which not a single instrument can meet the respective energy efficiency targets, but which requires a combination of multiple instruments. Therefore, the paper in particular focuses on assessing potential interactions between combinations of energy efficiency policies, i.e. the extent to which the different instruments counteract or support one another. So far, the literature on energy efficiency policy has paid only limited attention to the effect of interacting policies. This paper reviews and analyses interaction effects thus far identified with respect to factors that determine the interaction. Drawing on this review, we identify cases for interaction effects between energy efficiency policies to assess their potential existence systematically and to show future research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of 2016, Colombia was experiencing an energy shortage, and in order to avoid mandatory power cuts, the government launched an unexpected hybrid price/non-price energy-saving policy. In this paper, I evaluate how low-income households in a major Colombian city respond to this policy. Using hourly household electricity consumption data, I find that, on average, households reduce electricity consumption by 4.5% as a result of the policy. It is striking that even lowincome households, who consume relatively small amounts of electricity, respond to energy-saving policies and engage in conservation behaviors in the short term. In my analysis, I also find that the effect is stronger the higher the household pre-treatment electricity consumption levels and smaller among poorer households. However, the heterogeneity in terms of income level vanishes once I control for household pre-program electricity consumption levels. Finally, my point estimates are comparable to the impact estimates of policies that are similar to the one I analyze in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's energy consumption experienced rapid growth over the past three decades, raising great concerns for the future adjustment of China's energy consumption structure. This paper first presents the historical evidence on China's energy consumption by the fuel types and sectors. Then, by establishing a bottom-up accounting framework and using long-range energy alternatives planning energy modeling tool, the future of China's energy consumption structure under three scenarios is forecast. According to the estimates, China's total energy consumption will increase from 3014 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2015 to 4470 Mtoe in 2040 under the current policies scenario, 4040 Mtoe in 2040 under the moderate policies scenario and 3320 Mtoe in 2040 under the strong policies scenario, respectively, lower than those of the IEA's estimations. In addition, the clean fuels (gas, nuclear and renewables) could be an effective alternative to the conventional fossil fuels (coal and oil) and offer much more potential. Furthermore, the industry sector has much strong reduction potentials than the other sectors. Finally, this paper suggests that the Chinese government should incorporate consideration of adjustment of the energy consumption structure into existing energy policies and measures in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy has a vital role in the development of countries. The situation of global increasing demand for energy, lack of domestic resources, energy prices, etc. forces the policymakers to plan energy policies in detail. In this paper, the strategic energy situation of Turkey is analyzed. This paper presents a hybrid model that combines strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis with the fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) method. In the evaluation process, it is occasionally impossible to take precise information from decision makers (DMs) who can say their assessments relatively and approximately. It is also needed to use fuzzy logic to alleviate this problem. Since the evaluation and selection of alternative energy policies are complex multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem, one of the most popular MCDM methods, ANP, is used under fuzziness in this paper. For this aim, four factors and 21 sub-factors are determined and seven alternative policies are evaluated. It is computed that the most important three sub-factors are “major companies’ interest for offshore drilling in Mediterranean and Black Sea,” “developing economy of the country,” and “rapidly increasing energy demand,” respectively. As a result, Turkish energy policy makers are advised to focus on the privatization of electric transmission and distribution facilities, integrating the national electric system with European transmission systems and turning the country into an energy hub and terminal to be able to get the rapid economic growth and mitigate future energy problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's 11th Five-Year Plan introduced various policy instruments to address carbon mitigation; however, the ex-post-policy impacts need to be investigated in a scientific and systematic way to guide future policy design. In this paper, we estimate the impacts of the heat metering and energy efficiency retrofitting policy (HMEER) on residential energy consumption in Chinese provinces using a difference-in-differences approach. Our results suggest that the HMEER policy reduces energy consumption in the treated regions by 10% per year on average, with an annual reduction in CO2 of approximately 50 Mt. We conclude that the HMEER policy contributes to household energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A full understand of the influential mechanism concerning electricity consumption has a crucial political reference significance for the implementation of energy conservation and consumption reduction policies. To solve the lack of correlation between the empirical results of the research regions in present researches, this paper takes China's electricity consumption from 1995 to 2016 as the research subject, uses Multi-period ST-LMDI model by setting a unified reference province as a benchmark for different regions in China to completely decompose the changes in China's electricity consumption, and further analyzes the influence mechanism of China's electricity consumption changes by combining the characteristics of the departments and regions. As the result, it's found that the economic growth has a strong impetus for power consumption while the technological progress can effectively curb it. Meanwhile, results of studying electricity consumption from the perspective of industry and region show that the economic structure and consumption intensity have obviously different influences in the eastern, central and western regions. So when it comes to formulate the policy for electricity development and reform, the characteristics of industrial structure as well as the regional differences must be taken into consideration. Highlights • We apply Multi-period ST-LMDI to decompose China's electricity consumption. • The expansion of the economy is the main factor for the growth of electricity consumption. • Decline in electricity consumption intensity restrain the growth of power consumption. • All industrial sectors basically had positive effects on electricity consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of decline in energy intensity in four Chinese industries—pulp and paper, cement, iron and steel, and aluminum. This paper attempts to answer the following key question: For the purpose of promoting energy efficiency, do prices, technology, enterprise restructuring and other policy-related instruments affect various sectors uniformly so as to justify uniform industrial energy conservation policies, or do different industries respond significantly differently so as to require policies that are tailored to each sector separately? In this paper, we examine this question using data for China's most energy-intensive large and medium-size enterprises over the period 1999-2004. Our results suggest that in all four industries rising energy costs are a significant contributor to the decline in energy intensity over our period of study. China's industrial policies encouraging consolidations and scale economies also seem to have contributed to reductions in energy intensity in these four industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises the results of a study to identify and quantify the potential impact of measures and policies to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning in European countries over a 10-year period. The market penetration of air conditioning in Europe has increased steadily over several decades. On a “business as usual” basis, its energy consumption would increase by over 50% by 2020. Measures to restrict this increase are therefore important, but the savings potential straddles several overlapping areas which are subject to different constraints including those imposed by the replacement rates of systems and products, and the refurbishment rates of existing buildings. This work reported in this paper is based on the use of information from a variety of sources in a highly disaggregated model to assess the “realisable” savings over a 10-year period, taking into account relevant constraints. The paper summarises results at a European level, focussing on those cases that generate the greatest realisable savings. Savings are possible in three areas: improved equipment and system efficiency, reduced cooling loads, and more effective operation. The cases that offer the largest savings provide the basis for recommendations for policy measures, often using existing policy instruments. In addition, areas where further work is needed are identified. More detailed results and information about the study and additional recommendations can be found at http://www.bre.co.uk/searchresults.jsp?category=5&q=energy+management [1] . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of European energy-climate package and its measures for increasing security of supply, decreasing the impact on environment and stimulating sustainability, Croatia as a new EU (European Union) member state needs to reconsider and develop new energy policy towards energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Croatian long-term energy demand and its effect on the future national GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions are analysed in this paper. For that purpose the NeD model was constructed (National energy demand model). The model is comprised out of six modules, each representing one sector: industry, transport, households, services, agriculture and construction. The model is based on bottom up approach. The analysis has shown that energy policy measures, identified through this paper, can potentially achieve energy savings up to 157 PJ in the year 2050, which presents a 40% decrease to referent (frozen efficiency) scenario. Results obtained in this paper were also compared to the Croatian National Energy Strategy for the years 2020 and 2030. It was shown that if already implemented policies were properly taken into account the actual final energy demand for the year 2030 would be 43% lower than projected by the Croatian National Energy Strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a model with Directed Technical Change to theoretically analyse observable heterogeneous energy intensity developments. Based on the empirical evidence, we decompose changes in aggregate energy intensity into structural changes in the economy (structural effect) and within-sector energy efficiency improvements (efficiency effect). The relative importance of these effects is deter mined by energy price growth and sectoral productivities that drive the direction of technical change. When research is directed to the labour-intensive sector, the structural effect is the main driver of energy intensity dynamics. In contrast, the efficiency effect dominates energy intensity developments, when research is directed to energy-intensive industries. Increasing energy price generally leads to lower energy intensities and temporal energy price shocks might induce a permanent redirection of innovation activities. We calibrate the model to empirical data and simulate energy intensity developments across countries. The results of our very stylised model are largely consistent with empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most serious difficulties facing humanity is the need for a sustainable future. Maintaining nonrenewable energy resources for future generations is a main purpose of sustainability. However, for sustainable future, produced and consumed energy should support human development all social, economic and environmental dimensions. Problems related with environment and energy shortages have put all circles to the task of actively promoting education in energy conservation. Therefore, many countries have started to identify their responsibility for decreasing the unfavorable effect of high energy use on the environment. The primary contribution of this paper will be to ensure energy conservation policy advices to decrease climate change without effecting economic growth for a clean and sustainable energy future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency, the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) sets out measures aimed at reducing energy usage from production through to final consumption. Together with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive1 (EPBD) they drive energy efficiency and building performance improvements and have potentially significant implications for the survey and valuation assessment of buildings. This paper reviews the Article 8 EED requirements on energy audits, the UK approach to such audits, European proposals for revisions to the EED and the EPBD alongside other changes in the law in the UK and the implications for the survey and valuation of buildings in the future given Brexit or otherwise. There are a range of measures now in place, similarly proposed to increase the awareness of energy emissions associated with buildings and encourage reduction of emissions which may increasingly impact on asset attractiveness and valuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current European energy policies have an influence on the need to rehabilitate the housing stock in order to meet the objectives of the European Union. Most of this housing stock was built without any type of energy regulation in adverse technical and economic conditions and thus is now energetically obsolete. The major rehabilitation effort required must be approached through actions based on previous quantitative energy knowledge of the existing buildings in order to guarantee the efficiency of energy-retrofitted solutions. This assessment can be carried out through monitoring dwellings conditioned by use patterns; through simulation programs, which do not usually offer faithful representations of energy conditions; or by using test cells, which allow us to evaluate a controlled indoor environment without the influence of users. The objective of this paper is to present the design and performance of test cells as an experimental method for vertical facade analysis in order to tackle the problem of retrofitting residential buildings in a Mediterranean climate, taking into account energy and environment. With this equipment, efficiency and energy savings, as well as illumination and interior air quality, can be simultaneously and comprehensively evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Projections of energy demand are an important part of analyses of policies to promote conservation, efficiency, technology implementation and renewable energy production. The development of energy demand is a key driver of the future energy system. This paper presents long-term projections of the Norwegian energy demand as a two-step methodology of first using activities and intensities to calculate a demand of energy services, and secondly use this as input to the energy system model TIMES-Norway to optimize the Norwegian energy system. Long-term energy demand projections are uncertain and the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the impact of different projections on the energy system. The results of the analyses show that decreased energy demand results in a higher renewable fraction compared to an increased demand, and the renewable energy production increases with increased energy demand. The most profitable solution to cover increased demand is to increase the use of bio energy and to implement energy efficiency measures. To increase the wind power production, an increased renewable target or higher electricity export prices have to be fulfilled, in combination with more electricity export. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Buildings occupy an important role in our modern society. However, the existing buildings have a very low thermal protection, leading to high levels of energy consumption making the buildings sector among the most significant CO2 source in Europe. Even if new buildings have high performance levels, the majority of the building stock is represented by older buildings which require renovation work. The European Union has imposed important reduction of specific energy consumption in all sectors, but energy conservation in buildings remains a key element in obtaining the sustainable development as evidence of human solidarity beyond the limits of space and time. In this paper the importance of the energy reductions in the building sector is outlined and both the energy policy and building stock statistics in EU and Romania are presented. Moreover, some measures and initiatives at European level are discussed, focusing on some important themes: demography, housing stock age and energy requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy sovereignty refers to people's capacity to take decisions about energy planning. It emphasises the role of energy services in everyday life. This refers both to the quality of energy services and the inequalities in service provision. Energy sovereignty supports policy agendas to deliver energy access in local settings. It is an alternative to energy security. Energy security casts energy planning at the national level. In contrast, energy sovereignty brings energy questions close to people's homes. This paper focuses on Chamanculo C, a neighbourhood in Maputo (Mozambique). The analysis illustrates three dimensions of energy sovereignty. First, energy sovereignty emphasises a reciprocal relationship between society and ecosystems. Second, energy sovereignty advocates self-determination in relation to business models and technologies. Third, energy sovereignty promotes participation in decision making and innovation. Development planning scholars can deliver an innovative research agenda on energy sovereignty. This should be an action-oriented agenda. It should emphasise opportunities to form partnerships and enhance collaboration. It should put social justice at the centre of energy debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the impressive economic achievements in the past decades, China is faced with energy and environmental challenges. To carry out more effective and targeted energy policies, the heterogeneities of different industrial sectors are of great importance. The energy consumption of China’s light industry in 2012 was 316 million tons of coal equivalents, which is about the energy consumption of South Korea. The paper explored the substitution relationships between various input factors and fuel sources, and showed that electricity price reform is crucial for energy conservation in China’s light industry. Then, the dynamics of energy intensity change is examined by decomposing energy intensity into budget effect, substitution effect, output effect and technology advance effect. The result revealed that the substitution effect between input factors is a key driving force. However, technology progress seems to contribute very little. For future energy policy alternatives, promoting the implementation of new conservation technology and electricity price reform may be effective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve greater energy sustainability, the European Union has begun the reform process of the energy policy. Two main lines have been raised: electricity generation with renewable energy and energy saving. The raising cost of energy makes indoor lighting techniques as one of the most important contributors for energy saving in most of the industrialized countries. Therefore, the history of indoor lighting is not exclusively linked to the development of new light sources, having impact on energy saving and sustainability. The aim of this paper was to study and analyse the evolution and milestones of indoor lighting from incandescent bulbs to the modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic lighting emitting diodes (OLED) going through intermediate milestones like fluorescent lamps (FL) and/or techniques in lighting induction lamps. As main conclusion of this review, it has been found that indoor lighting techniques with their energy efficiency have opened new perspectives for optimizing the energy conversion and this in turn will play a major role in people's quality of life and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2014, the European Council agreed on a target of improving overall energy efficiency by at least 27 per cent by 2030. According to the European Council’s conclusions, this target should not be translated into nationally binding targets. Nevertheless individual Member States are free to set higher national objectives if desired. However, it is difficult to assess the degree of ambition of a national target because so far not much light has been shed upon the exact size of the untapped efficiency potentials. This paper provides an in-depth analysis and comparison of existing studies on energy efficiency potentials in the European Union’s (EU) Member States by 2030. It includes a structured overview of the results, information on the quality of the available data and suggestions for improvement. The review shows that comprehensive studies on national energy efficiency potentials are rare and hardly comparable. The existing studies agree on the existence of significant potentials for energy efficiency. Their outcomes, however, vary significantly in terms of national levels. Assuming low policy intensity, energy savings between 10 and 28 per cent could be realised by 2030 compared to a baseline development, in the case of high policy intensity 7–44 per cent. Technical energy efficiency potentials in the different EU Member States are estimated at 14–52 per cent. On average, energy savings of 27 per cent by 2030 appear to be feasible with significant policy effort. We conclude that the deviation in Member States’ energy efficiency potentials resulting from different studies represents an indication of the so far poor quality of underlying data. In order to allow for a concretisation of efficiency potential estimates, the comparability and detail of information sources should be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved energy efficiency has become a strategic issue and represents a priority for European competitiveness. Countries adopt various energy policies on local and national levels where energy audit programs are the most common energy end-use efficiency policy for industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, studies indicate that cost-efficient energy conservation measures are not always implemented, which can be explained by the existence of barriers to energy efficiency. This paper investigates how Swedish municipalities can support local micro- and small-sized enterprises with improved energy efficiency and the existence of different barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency. Relating this empirical case study to the theoretical barriers outlined in the text, this study found that the major explanatory factors related to non-implementation of cost-effective energy efficiency measures among micro- and small-sized industrial enterprises were bounded rationality (lack of time and/or other priorities), split incentives (having other priorities for capital investments), and imperfect information (slim organization and lack of technical skill). This study also found that information in the form of a report was the main thing that companies gained from working on the project "Energy-Driven Business". Notably, the study involved companies that had participated in a local energy program and, still, companies face major barriers inhibiting implementation, indicating a need to further study other alternative policy models and how knowledge transfer can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional energy strategy defines an energy system vision (the goal), energy scenarios with technical choices and an implementation mechanism (such as economic incentives). Due to the lead of a generic vision, when applied in a specific regional context, such a strategy can deviate from the optimal one with, for instance, the lowest environmental impacts. This paper proposes an approach for developing energy strategies by simultaneously, rather than sequentially, combining multiple energy system visions and technically feasible, cost-effective energy scenarios that meet environmental constraints at a given place. The approach is illustrated by developing a residential heat supply strategy for a Swiss region. In the analyzed case, urban municipalities should focus on reducing heat demand, and rural municipalities should focus on harvesting local energy sources, primarily wood. Solar thermal units are cost-competitive in all municipalities, and their deployment should be fostered by information campaigns. Heat pumps and building refurbishment are not competitive; thus, economic incentives are essential, especially for urban municipalities. In rural municipalities, wood is cost-competitive, and community-based initiatives are likely to be most successful. Thus, the paper shows that energy strategies should be spatially differentiated. The suggested approach can be transferred to other regions and spatial scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is one of the largest energy consumers and CO emitters globally. The growth rate of energy consumption in China is about 6 % per year, and it consumed 21 % of the world's total energy in 2012. In recent years, the Chinese government decided to introduce several energy policy instruments to promote energy efficiency. For instance, the reduction targets for the level of energy intensity have been defined for provinces in China. However, energy intensity is not an accurate proxy for energy efficiency because changes in energy intensity are a function of changes in several socioeconomic factors. In this paper, we present an empirical analysis on the estimation of the persistent and transient energy efficiency of Chinese provinces by employing a log-log aggregate energy demand frontier model. The model is estimated by using data on 29 provinces observed over the period 2003 to 2012. Several econometric model specifications for panel data are used: the random effects model and the true random effects model along with other versions of these models. Our analysis shows that energy intensity cannot measure accurately the level of efficiency in the use of energy in Chinese provinces. Further, our empirical analysis shows that the average value of the persistent energy efficiency is around 0.81 whereas the average value of the transient energy efficiency is relatively high and shows a value of approximately 0.97. By improving the level of efficiency in the use of energy to 100 %, the total energy consumption in China would decrease by approximately 1000 Mtce, which corresponds to 25 % of total energy consumption in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the incentives embedded in different regulatory regimes for investment by utilities in energy efficiency programs that aim to reduce network losses. In our model, a monopolist chooses whether to undertake an investment in energy efficiency, which is not observable by the regulator. We show that, in equilibrium, the monopolist chooses to exert positive effort more often under price cap regulation than under no regulation or mandated target regulation and that she exerts no effort under rate of return regulation. This result contrasts with an extensive literature that focuses on end-user energy conservation and shows that price caps are ineffective for achieving energy efficiency as utilities have an incentive to maximize sales volume. Thus, policies that are designed to promote demand-side energy conservation may diminish the utilities' incentives to pursue supply-side energy efficiency through minimizing network losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential weatherization programs have become a major component of U.S. energy policy. Through these programs, households receive heavily subsidized energy efficiency upgrades as well as informational and behavioral treatments designed to encourage conservation. While previous work demonstrates that weatherization programs provide sizable energy savings, all have measured the composite effect of efficiency upgrades and behavioral treatments. In this paper, we present the first estimates which disentangle the energy savings provided by each of the individual interventions. Our results reveal that the actual energy savings achieved by the efficiency upgrades are substantially smaller than exante, engineering predictions. Moreover, we present evidence that the energy savings provided by the simple behavioral interventions can exceed the savings resulting from the much more costly efficiency upgrades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reviews the present energy status in Islamic Republic of Iran with an emphasis on utilization of environmentally friendly energy resources. The paper reveals the huge energy losses due to technological gaps and absence of relevant art of know-how in conventional energy industries. It also includes some critical issues effecting the efficient operation of Renewable Energy Converting Systems (RECS) having specific site and climate dependency. The environmentally friendly scaled energy balance presented in this paper is self explaining for energy policy makers to achieve a suitable scenario based on various positions of scale pointer which may alter depending on implementation level of advanced technologies and relevant art of know-how. The paper, besides being informative in achieving optimal energy prospects in Iran, also provides useful quid lines to energy planners not only at home but also in other Asian/Middle Eastern countries having similar alternative energy scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Charging heating fees based on floor space in China leaves building developers no economic returns on the investment to weatherize the buildings and install regulation devices with terminal equipment. Therefore, they lack incentives to improve the thermal insulation properties of the buildings. Tenants also lack incentives to efficiently use heat, opening windows to cool down rooms when they are overheated, without concern for the amount of heat wasted. In response, over the past decade, the Chinese government has invested large amounts of resources in an effort to promote energy conservation with heating systems by trying to change the fee method based on floor space to amount of heat used, but with little effect. The major issues related to reform with the heat-metering system are elaborated in this paper by comparing the pros and cons of several metering methods. Firstly, room temperatures are unable to be effectively adjusted using the current methods, meaning that the original intention to save energy cannot be achieved. Secondly, current heat-metering methods are not acceptable to users, which creates its own problems. Heat metering based on households in apartment buildings, the primary living space for Chinese people, causes two problems: the energy consumed by households located at the top or at the corner of buildings is two to three times higher than households located elsewhere within the building; heating fees may increase by 20–30% if surrounding households are not heated. Current metering methods are unable to effectively resolve these two problems, therefore, they are not accepted. To overcome these difficulties, a proper metering and charging method must be developed which is both acceptable to users and able to guarantee good room temperature control at the same time. To achieve this goal, this paper presents a new method: the total heating fee of a building is allocated according to the accumulated on-time as well as the floor space of each household. Not only can this new method control the user behavior of opening windows or setting the starting point too high, but also resolve problems caused by location and heat transfer between households. It is also effective in promoting energy saving by users and appears to be acceptable to users. Survey results show that it is acceptable to a large number of users. It seems that this is the most practical way to reform the current methods for heat metering based on household use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There are many kinds of methods to estimate the energy requirement or fuel consumption in the optimal design and minimize the life cost of a building. The bin method is one of the most popular ways to estimate the energy performance of a building, which is based on the hourly-based outdoor dry-bulb temperatures of all days in a whole year. There is lack of information about the bin weather data in China. In this paper, the ambient temperature bin data for 26 cities in China are generated. Based on the method used in this paper, the bin data can be calculated with the long-term daily weather record or TMY weather data, the deviation between them is acceptable. The bin data given in this paper may have the positive impact on building energy conservation in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The rebound effect presents a major flaw in to energy conservation policies that aim to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency development. Economics and energy related disciplines have thus far developed tools to measure such a phenomenon. This paper attempts to explain this seeming paradox using a thermodynamic-evolutionary theoretical framework in addition to the traditional economic approach. We here propose that evolutionary systems, such as biological or even economic systems, may rearrange themselves in a more complex fashion under the pressure of an increasing flux of energy, driven by the higher conversion rate of greater efficiency. Higher complexity, due to a greater energy density rate, counteracts the positive effects of energy efficiency. We investigated this hypothesis in the context of the road freight transport system and the productive structure. The qualitative analysis in this paper, further substantiated by figures, provides a link between the dynamics of production patterns and the effect of efficiency in the light of the macro-economic effects of increased energy demand. The analysis departs from a rigorous investigation of the actual energy efficiency evolution in the road freight transport system to develop through a survey of the subsequent worldwide economic revolution in the production system. It is then shown how outsourcing, the key feature of globalization, can be identified as the main source of traffic density growth. Finally, four paradigms are used to stress how the shift in the production system must be considered a leap in structural complexity that consequently serves to increase the frequency of components’ interactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cooling, heating, and power (CHP) energy systems provide higher fuel efficiency than conventional systems, resulting in reduced fuel consumption, reduced emissions, and other environmental benefits. Until recently the focus of CHP system development has been primarily on medium-scale commercial applications in a limited number of market segments where clear value propositions lead to short term payback. Small-scale integrated CHP systems that show promise of achieving economic viability through significant improvements in fuel utilization have received increased attention lately. In this paper the economic potential is quantified for small-scale (microgrid) integrated CHP systems suitable for groups of buildings with aggregate electric loads in the 15-120 kW range. Technologies are evaluated for community building groups (CBGs) consisting of aggregation of pure residential entities and combined residential and light commercial entities. Emphasis is on determination of the minimum load size (i.e., the smallest electric and thermal load for a given CBG that is supplied with electric, heating, cooling power from a CHP) for which a microgrid CHP system is both technically and economically viable. In this paper the operation of the CHP system is parallel with the public utility grid at all times, i.e., the grid is interconnected. Evaluations of CHP technology options using simulation studies in a "three-dimensional" space (CHP technology option, CBG load aggregation, and geographical location in the USA) were evaluated based on comparisons of net present value (NPV). The simulations indicated that as electric load increases, the viability of the CHP system (independent of the system's size) becomes more favorable. Exceeding a system runtime (utilization) of 70% was shown to pass the break-even line in the NPV analysis. Finally, geographic location was found to have a relatively weak effect on the reported trends. These results suggest that microgrid CHP systems have the potential to be economically viable with relative independence of geographic location if adequately sized to match the specific load requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen years after the publication of the article entitled "Energy Education: breaking up the rational energy use barriers" in 2004, what were the paths taken and scientific contributions made towards a rational energy use as regards energy education? This paper aims to answer this question by collecting data on the Web of Science database to identify publications citing the aforementioned article using different levels of approach. The selected papers were structured in clusters utilizing software for such a purpose, which allowed organizing and listing reviewed works from which a cluster of keywords has been structured to identify the most frequently cited terms. Once found, the following step was to perform a content analysis to allow organizing authorship and contributions. During this process, the term "barriers" in the context of rational energy use was not restricted to its class, but it was present in the analysis of other terms that constitute other classes. Energy education is presented as one of the ways to make society more aware and active while taking actions towards rational energy use. However, to achieve greater effectiveness of such an educational process, the human aspect requires special attention through a clearer definition of personal values, attitude, and behaviour because of its importance for activities aimed at energy issues. • Energy education is crucial for energy rational use. • Other approaches for energy education were identified. • Individual's psyche influence on energy rational use. • Several barriers permeate energy and its use. • Energy education enables energy planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Residential sector accounts for a quarter of consumption and a fifth of CO 2 emissions. • HVAC accounts for a third of residential consumption, equivalent to 8% of final energy. • Collecting and reporting information is crucial to target residential energy policies. • Retrofitting of residential stock and adopting conservation behaviours are mandatory. • Residential electrification is far away and needs to be accompanied by the decarbonisation of the electricity sector. The residential sector is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for almost a quarter of global energy consumption and a fifth of CO 2 emissions in 2019. Since 2000, residential consumption has grown at a sustained rate of 1%/year, driven by the development of emerging economies, despite stagnation in developed countries. The increasing demand for living space, energy services and comfort levels seems difficult to curb, especially in the developing world on its fair attempt to reduce inequality. To understand these trends, this paper analyses the trajectories of key indicators of activity and efficiency in this sector, for emerging and developed regions, as well as for major consuming nations, mainly China, United States, European Union, Russia, India, Japan and Brazil. Despite data limitations, meaningful cross-country comparisons are presented for fuel mixes, energy services and dwelling types. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for a third of residential consumption and will grow rapidly as increasing wealth in emerging economies allows for satisfying the thermal comfort demand. Economic development will naturally increase housing size and equipment level and reduce household size, and could close the per capita consumption gap between developing and developed regions. Efficiency improvements could reduce the energy use intensity to around 10 koe/m2 but will not be enough to curb residential consumption. International cooperation, policy support and funding are essential to accelerate development and efficiency gains in developing countries without compromising environmental targets. In the meantime, politicians should focus on decarbonising the energy mix and promoting energy efficiency, while citizens focus on energy conservation to avoid irreversible environmental damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews existing up-to-date literature related to individual household energy consumption. Thehowandwhyindividual behaviour affects energy use are discussed, together with the principles and perspectives which have so far been considered in order to explain the habitual consuming behaviour. The research gaps, which are revealed from previous studies in terms of the limitations or assumptions on the methodology to alter individuals’ energy usage, give insights for a conceptual framework to define a comprehensive approach. The proposed framework suggests that the individual energy perception gaps are affected by psychological, habitual, structural and cultural variables in a wider-contextual, meso-societal and micro-individual spectrum. All these factors need to be considered in order for a variety of combined intervention methods, which are discussed and recommended, to introduce a more effective shift in the conventional energy-consuming behaviour, advancing insights for successful energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of this paper is to present a survey of the Perturbed-based Extremum Seeking Control (PESC) methods and their applications in Photovoltaic (PV) arrays under Partially Shaded Conditions (PSCs). A new PESC scheme is also proposed to seek and track the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) of the PV power. This scheme has better performance than other GMPP methods and it may revive the specialists׳ interest in applying this PESC scheme in PV applications and others multimodal problems from industry. Different PV and nonlinear multimodal patterns were used to test the proposed control scheme. The results obtained have shown very good performance related to search speed and tracking accuracy of the GMPP under different PSCs simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Malaysian government has attempted to develop renewable energy (RE) through newly introduced regulatory supports after 30 years of failure to achieve a greater than one percent non-hydroelectric RE share in the total power mix. The government is currently assessing the onshore wind energy potential in Malaysia to determine the possibility of including wind energy in its FiT scheme. However, wind energy development in this low-energy location is not as straightforward as it would seem. Many previous wind studies in Malaysia have relied on poor data and simplistic or inadequate methodologies, resulting in grossly inaccurate estimates of wind potential. Moreover, two wind turbine generator demonstration projects executed by the government have failed. However, above all, the greatest factor impairing the progress of RE development in Malaysia is the weak and uncertain political support of these efforts. This lack of robust support is particularly true where fossil fuels are still heavily subsidised amid the subsidy reform in 2013. A review of global wind energy development shows that successful projects depend heavily on a sound and robust regulatory framework supported by strong and consistent political will. This dependence is not observed in Malaysia, where the government continues to subsidise private independent fossil fuel power producers but levies taxes on electricity consumers to fund RE development. These levies do not effectively support RE development, given the magnitude of the RE fund compared to fossil fuel subsidies. In the absence of strong and sincere political will, the progress of RE development in Malaysia has been notably slow. As a result, the prospect of wind energy development in Malaysia currently remains vague. This paper discusses the above issues in detail and recommends selected regulatory mechanisms based on the global experience of supporting RE development in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the present scenario of cooking fuel in India. Increasing demand of LPG and its impact on Indian economy has been discussed. In context to the current cooking fuel scenario in India, DME blended LPG has been recognized as a potential fuel substitute for LPG. To analyse the potential of DME as a fuel, the review compares its properties with those of propane, butane and natural gas that are relevant to combustion application. Current status of DME combustion research, related to combustion mechanism, laminar burning velocity and characteristics of premixed and diffused flames of DME has been reviewed in detail. Current status of DME–LPG blend performance has also been reviewed. Based on this current review, bio-DME has been identified as most suitable form of DME production for India. However, need for further optimization of DME–LPG blend ratio, development of reduced mechanism for DME–LPG oxidation, further study of DME diffusion flame and development of DME–LPG blend dedicated burner has been identified as major challenges towards making DME as a substitute blending fuel for LPG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the attitudes and behaviors of Texas citizens in response to the circumstances existing during and shortly after the Arab countries' oil embargo of Spring 1974. The focus is on the credibility of defining the situation in terms of incipient long-term energy shortages and on the adoption of energy conservation practices. The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the relationships between the attitudes which people held about the energy situation and their efforts to conserve energy. The authors found that most of those surveyed did not interpret energy shortages as simply a result of the Arab countries' oil embargo. Even fewer interpreted the events of the spring of 1974 as the advent of a serious energy crisis for the U.S. Skepticism about the reality of the crisis seemed linked to distrust of energy' producing corporations and leadership in the national government. The findings suggest that differences in energy conserving behavior were dependent on differences in the degree to which the energy crisis was credible and on differences in socioeconomic status. Many of those who could afford to pay the costs of higher priced energy continued their consumption patterns pretty much as before the period of shortages.

Improved industrial energy efficiency is a cornerstone in climate change mitigation. Research results suggest that there is still major untapped potential for improved industrial energy efficiency. The major model used to explain the discrepancy between optimal level of energy efficiency and the current level is the barrier model, e.g., different barriers to energy efficiency inhibit adoption of cost-effective measures. The measures outlined in research and policy action plans are almost exclusively technology-oriented, but great potential for energy efficiency improvements is also found in operational measures. Both technology and operational measures are combined in successful energy management practices. Most research in the field of energy management is grounded in engineering science, and theoretical models on how energy management in industry is carried out are scarce. One way to further develop and improve energy management, both theoretically as well as practically, is to explore how a socio-technical perspective can contribute to this understanding. In this article we will further elaborate this potential of cross-pollinating these fields. The aim of this paper is to relate energy management to two theoretical models, situated action and transaction analysis. We conclude that the current model for energy management systems, the input-output model, is insufficient for understanding in-house industrial energy management practices. By the incorporation of situated action and transaction analysis to the currently used input-output model, an enhanced understanding of the complexity of energy management is gained. It is not possible to find a single energy management solution suitable for any industrial company, but rather the idea is to find a reflexive model that can be adjusted from time to time. An idea for such a reflexive model would contain the structural elements from energy management models with consideration for decisions being situated and impossible to predict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies novel models to forecast the developing trends of China’s energy production and consumption under the influence of China’s energy saving policy. An optimized single variable discrete grey forecasting model is adopted to forecast the total amount of energy production and consumption while a novel Markov approach based on quadratic programming model is proposed to forecast the trends of energy production and consumption structures. The proposed models are used to simulate China’s energy production and consumption during 2006–2011 and forecast its trends in 2015 and 2020. Results demonstrate that proposed models can effectively simulate and forecast the total amounts and structures of energy production and consumption. And by comparing with regression model, results show proposed model is a little better than regression in simulating and forecasting the case. Although the growth rate of energy consumption in China has decreased under the energy saving policy, total amount of energy consumption and the proportions of natural gas and other energies keep growing while the self-sufficiency rate of crude oil and natural gas continues to drop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security has been an actively studied area in recent years. Various facets have been covered in the literature. Based on a survey of 104 studies from 2001 to June 2014, this paper reports the findings on the following: energy security definitions, changes in the themes of these definitions, energy security indexes, specific focused areas and methodological issues in the construction of these indexes, and energy security in the wider context of national energy policy. It is found that the definition of energy security is contextual and dynamic in nature. The scope of energy security has also expanded, with a growing emphasis on dimensions such as environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. Significant differences among studies are observed in the way in which energy security indexes are framed and constructed. These variations introduce challenges in comparing the findings among studies. Based on these findings, recommendations on studying energy security and the construction of energy security indexes are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compensate for the limitation of the energy intensity indicator and to constrain energy consumption growth more directly and severely, China had decided to implement the Total Energy Consumption Control (TECC) policy during the 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP). This paper analyzes the situation of energy consumption in 3 scenarios based on the energy consumption trend during the 11th FYP, the energy intensity reduction target during the 12th FYP, and the TECC policy. The Energy Conservation Comprehensive Evaluation System (ECCES) which includes 5 indicators reflecting energy conservation responsibility and 3 indicators reflecting energy conservation difficulty has been built, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy methods are used to determine the weights of 8 basic indicators. According to the ranking of comprehensive evaluation scores of ECCES, 30 provinces are divided into 5 clusters, which are assigned 3%, 3.5%, 4.2%, 5.5%, and 6.8% of controlled energy consumption growth rate, respectively. By comparing and analyzing energy consumption situations in 3 scenarios, we find that the TECC policy has the strongest constraint effect, and can achieve unification of provincial and national energy conservation goals. The provincial decomposition result of energy consumption controlled target of TECC policy roughly remains consistent with the current economic and energy development layout of China that the provinces in southeast coastal developed areas are assigned lower controlled energy consumption growth rate while the backward inland provinces are assigned higher growth rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to extreme climate change, China has set a goal of reaching emission peak by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Energy conservation and emission reduction of building heating in northern China are key to achieving this goal. Based on building area prediction and energy consumption intensity, this paper establishes a model for calculating heating energy consumption and carbon emissions in northern residential buildings at the macro level, which provides a basis for formulating policies related to heating and emission reduction in northern buildings. Based on the research method of scenario projection, combining the carbon emission subsets and future heating energy mix projections in northern China, the heating energy consumption in northern China decreases to 175, 149 and 135 Mtce in 2050 under the baseline, medium control and strict control scenarios, respectively. The heating energy consumption in the northern region should be controlled at least under the medium control scheme. Under this scenario, building heating carbon emissions in the north could be reduced to 450 MtCO2 by 2050, or 280 MtCO2 if more stringent abatement technologies are adopted. In order to achieve this goal, a combination of energy-saving technologies must be used. The use of biomass and solar technologies should be emphasized in rural heating, while envelope renovation makes the greatest contribution to heating energy savings, with envelope renovation contributing up to 92 Mtce to urban heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]