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The article assesses the future role of hydrogen‐based iron and steel making and its potential impact on global material flows, based on a combination of technology assessment, material flow analysis, and microeconomic analysis. Renewable hydrogen‐based iron production can become the least‐cost supply option at a carbon dioxide (CO2) price of around United States dollars (USD) 67 per tonne. Availability of low‐cost renewable electricity is a precondition. Australia is the world's largest producer of iron ore and at the same time a country with significant low‐cost renewable electricity potential. A shift to direct reduced iron (DRI) exports could reduce global CO2 emissions substantially and at the same time increase value added in Australia, while maintaining steel production in countries that are currently processing ore into iron and steel, such as China, South Korea, and Japan. The approach could be expanded to other parts of the world and other energy‐intensive industry sectors. Such relocation analysis in a climate context can become a new industrial ecology research area. Iron and steel industry CO2 emissions can be reduced by nearly a third, around 0.7 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2 per year. To achieve these emission reductions, investment of USD 0.9 trillion, or 0.7% of the total energy sector investment needs, would be required, global DRI production would have to increase seven‐fold from today's level, and the hydrogen energy used would equal 1% of global primary energy supply. Such a shift could develop from 2025 onward at scale, if the right policies are put in place.

In light of the ongoing financial crisis, Cyprus is called to transform its energy sector. The high electricity cost has been recognized as a priority issue and authorities on the island are considering several available options to reduce electricity tariffs. A fuel switch from oil to gas, domestic or imported, an electrical cross-border interconnection and a rapid increase in the share of renewable energy are among the major options being considered. Focusing on the power supply of Cyprus, the present study uses a cost-optimization tool to investigate the impact of different combinations of policy decision, resulting in a series of different scenarios, with some common key findings, with the aim of directly informing future energy policy decisions. Results indicate that renewable energy technologies will play a major role regardless the decisions taken. However, a set of enabling regulatory and market changes on the horizon might prevent least-cost deployment of renewables to take place. This study will review the findings and make some recommendations on the achievement of this optimal pathways for the evolution of Cyprus electricity sector. QC 20171024

The generation mix of Cyprus has been dominated by oil products for decades. In order to conform with European Union and international legislation, a transformation of the supply system is called for. Energy system models can facilitate energy planning into the future, but a large volume of data is required to populate such models. The present data article provides information on key modelling assumptions and input data adopted with the aim of representing the electricity supply system of Cyprus in a separate research article. Data in regards to renewable energy technoeconomic characteristics and investment cost projections, fossil fuel price projections, storage technology characteristics and system operation assumptions are described in this article.

Rapid deployment of large shares of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) is driving a shift in economics and operational practices in power systems around the world, creating the need for a more flexible and decentralized power system. In this context, electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to play a significant role, as they can make use of large shares of renewables in the power system to decarbonise the transportation sector. It is important to carefully plan for EV integration to make sure that they facilitate the integration of VRE and capture the potential benefits for the power system. This paper assesses the different impacts on production costs that electric vehicles could have depending on different charging profiles and considering the value added from allowing the EVs to provide energy and ancillary services to the grid. This paper shows how smart charging strategies can 1) limit the total increase in production cost from charging EVs, 2) facilitate VRE integration into the system reducing curtailment 3) affect marginal cost of electricity and 4) reduce the investment needed for grid connected storage, using an innovative approach to calculate the contribution of EVs to system reliability based on the different charging scenario. Finally, the effects of adding a constraint to represent battery degradation due to operation are analysed. This analysis is carried out using as a case study the Caribbean island of Barbados, given the expected large shares of VRE in the future, however it suggests a general framework to assess the impact of EVs in power systems with high shares of VRE.

When considering renewable energy, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) focus on energy security and affordability as primary benefits. In Melanesia, access to modern energy services represents a major unfinished agenda. To that end, Pacific Energy Ministers have endorsed the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific (FAESP) in April 2011. The associated implementation plan (IPESP) was developed, however never formally endorsed. PICs have instead taken a pathway towards national energy transition roadmaps. This paper describes the current status of the energy sector in PICs, the main challenges and the barriers to the deployment of renewable energy and the role of international cooperation in accelerating deployment. In the context of this analysis, technology cooperation is treated as the sum of cooperation on “orgware”, software and hardware. These three dimensions are explored in the context of the Pacific energy sector, looking at how development finance (DF) is currently distributed among them. Looking at the key barriers identified and the areas where DF has been focused to date, this paper proposes a framework for removal of barriers to the deployment of renewable energy in the Pacific through more focused use of DF and technical cooperation. The framework identifies key goals, actors, activities, resources necessary and indicators to monitor progress.

To date, insufficient attention has been paid to the potential of renewable energy resources in industrial applications. Our analysis suggests that up to 21% of final energy demand and feedstock-use in the manufacturing industry sector could be of renewable origin by 2050, a five-fold increase over current levels in absolute terms. This estimate is considerably higher than other recent global scenario studies. In addition, if a 50% share of renewables in power generation is assumed, the share of direct and indirect renewable energy use rises to 31% in 2050. Our analysis further suggests that bioenergy and biofeedstocks can constitute three-quarters of the direct renewables use in this sector by 2050. The remainder is roughly evenly divided between solar heating and heat pumps. The potential for solar cooling is considered to be limited. While low-temperature solar process heat can reach cost-effectiveness today in locations with good insolation, some bioenergy applications will require a CO2 price even on the longer term. Biomass feedstock for synthetic organic materials will require a CO2 price up to USD 100/t CO2, or even more if embodied carbon is not considered properly in CO2 accounts. Future fossil fuel prices and bioenergy prices in addition to the development of feedstock commodity markets for biomass will be critical. Decision makers are recommended to pay more attention to the potential for renewables in industry. Finally, we propose the development of a detailed technology roadmap to explore this potential further and discuss key issues that need to be elaborated in such a framework.

This paper describes a new set of energy demand forecasts for the Republic of Cyprus up to the year 2040, which have been developed in support of the renewable energy roadmap that was prepared for national authorities by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The analysis takes into account national end-use data from the residential and tertiary sector that had not been exploited up to now. Four final energy demand scenarios with diverging assumptions were defined in this study, offering a wide range of possible outcomes up to 2040; in addition, four alternative scenarios were applied for sensitivity analysis. Two of these scenarios can be regarded as those continuing the trends of the recent past in Cyprus (prior to the economic and financial downturn of years 2011–2014). However, a more rigorous implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings and transport, as defined in the fourth scenario of this study, is also realistic; despite its potential costs, it might allow Cyprus both to decrease its carbon emissions in line with the long-term EU decarbonisation targets, and to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, thereby promoting energy efficiency as an important climate change adaptation measure.

Local market conditions should be taken into account for successful technology deployment. The organisational framework should favour the consolidation of technology transfer through the establishment of appropriate mechanisms for capacity retention and private-sector involvement (i.e. public–private partnerships with independent power producers, renewable energy service companies, etc.). Ultimately, local capacity for maintaining and operating the technologies to be transferred is key. Every country or region has different priorities and reasons for desiring an increased deployment of renewable energy technologies: the EU has a focus on climate change mitigation, the US has a focus on energy security, and sub-Saharan African countries generally have the objective of energy access. Small Island Developing States in the Pacific have a clear focus on energy security at the regional level, while many of them also have an unfinished agenda for energy access. Technology transfer and cooperation efforts in the region must address the barriers to the deployment of renewable energy technologies to ensure long-lasting provision of energy access and durable improvement of energy security. Pacific energy ministers endorsed the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific (FAESP) and its associated implementation plan (IPESP) in April 2011. At the global level, the UN General Assembly has declared 2012 the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All”. This paper analyses the requirements for renewable energy technologies in Pacific Island Countries and Territories, the role of such technologies in the context of the FAESP and IPESP and their possible contribution to increased energy access, and identifies the main barriers to their deployment. Once common barriers have been identified, specific actions to address them will be highlighted in a framework setting out guidelines for policy development and identifying technology transfer needs, barriers to successful technology deployment and funding opportunities.