Research on the emission reduction effects of carbon trading mechanism on power industry: plant-level evidence from China

PurposeCarbon trading mechanism has been adopted to foster the green transformation of the economy on a global scale, but its effectiveness for the power industry remains controversial. Given that energy-related greenhouse gas emissions account for most of all anthropogenic emissions, this paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this trading mechanism at the plant level to support relevant decision-making and mechanism design.Design/methodology/approachThis paper constructs a novel spatiotemporal data set by matching satellite-based high-resolution (1 × 1 km) CO2 and PM2.5 emission data with accurate geolocation of power plants. It then applies a difference-in-differences model to analyse the impact of carbon trading mechanism on emission reduction for the power industry in China from 2007 to 2016.FindingsResults suggest that the carbon trading mechanism induces 2.7% of CO2 emission reduction and 6.7% of PM2.5 emission reduction in power plants in pilot areas on average. However, the reduction effect is significant only in coal-fired power plants but not in gas-fired power plants. Besides, the reduction effect is significant for power plants operated with different technologies and is more pronounced for those with outdated production technology, indicating the strong potential for green development of backward power plants. The reduction effect is also more intense for power plants without affiliation relationships than those affiliated with particular manufacturers.Originality/valueThis paper identifies the causal relationship between the carbon trading mechanism and emission reduction in the power industry by providing an innovative methodology for identifying plant-level emissions based on high-resolution satellite data, which has been practically absent in previous studies. It serves as a reference for stakeholders involved in detailed policy formulation and execution, including policymakers, power plant managers and green investors.

Indicator-based assessment of sustainable energy performance in the European Union

The COVID-19 and the resulting global energy crises highlighted the importance of decarbonization and the necessity of shifting the economy from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources. Sustainable energy transition is also a key element of circular economy, social welfare and justice. In this paper we developed an indicator set and we compiled a composite indicator to measure the performance of the EU Member States regarding the sustainable energy transition between 2007 and 2019. Our results show significant differences which do not follow the usual East-West division of the integration. Both convergence and divergence can be revealed.

Renewable energy creditors versus renewable energy debtors: Seeking a pattern in a sustainable energy transition during the climate crisis

Considering unpredictable and hastily evolving tipping points (like the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing climate crisis and the war in Ukraine), it is clear that sustainable energy transition and utilization of locally sourced renewable energies must be in the heart of both national, regional, and local energy systems. However, if we take a closer look at the actions undertaken at the local (communal) level, we see enormous diversity of patterns, prerequisites, and implications that drive and affect spatial deployment of renewable energies. Therefore, our research targets to better comprehend the question if individual communities are comparatively involved in the energy transition. We also ask whether the demand and supply of renewable energy is territorially balanced and how these differences (if any) can be justified. We are framing our research by the concepts of energy justice and ecological debt. We thoroughly explore and asses the renewable energy balance on the level of individual communities which is based on data on the installed power capacity potentials and energy consumption in local administration units in Poland (380). Spatial distribution and discrepancies in the deployment of the renewable energy creditors and the renewable energy debtors are detected. Noticeable disproportions were identified among communities where improved utilization of local potential of renewable energy could exceed energy demand (29% of communities). This result is contrasting with communities (71% of communities) that can be, on the other hand, classified as renewable energy debtors. We claim that insufficient support (institution, regulatory, and financial) for expanding local renewable energy systems is a clear barrier when adapting to the climate crisis by balancing the energy demand and supply at the local level.

Decarbonising Europe – EU citizens’ perception of renewable energy transition amidst the European Green Deal

The COVID-19 crisis has imposed a rediscussion of energy transition, offering the chance of promoting socioeconomic and ecological resilience to the energy sector, crucial for the post-pandemic recovery. Our societies are faced with a unique opportunity for changing people's behaviours and improving their lives. In the EU, the Green Deal is saluted as a new package of policy interventions aiming at achieving social goals such as job creation and reducing economic inequality – mostly by means of renewable energy and resource efficiency. However, the ongoing energy transition has been affected by COVID-19-related policy measures. This work proposes to give insights into the EU citizens' pre-pandemic perception of some key renewable energy transition, sustainability and resilience factors, which may be crucial with a view to finding prime energy policy indications useful for the post-pandemic recovery. Making use of 2019 EU Eurobarometer data, selected aspects of EU citizens' perceptions of energy policy are evaluated. Logit regressions are estimated to render energy perceptions modelling. Results suggest evidence of interrelated renewable energy transition issues for the EU, including resilience, vulnerability, cooperation, competition, sovereignty, security, safety and climate change. The findings indicate important social and environmental implications for energy policy modelling. The diversity of sorting results, regional-level differences and embodied domestic characteristics allow for macro-regional explorations.

Optimizing the performance of hybrid renewable energy systems to accelerate a sustainable energy transition in Nigeria: A case study of a rural healthcare centre in Kano

The COVID-19 pandemic brought tremendous pressure to the African continent's health sector, particularly in rural areas. Rural healthcare facilities experienced severe energy shortages due to the influx of Covid-19 patients, which strained their operating capacities. These facilities usually rely on diesel engines, and this unidirectional approach limited governments' vision in resolving the energy crisis. This paper aims to develop a hybrid energy system (HES) that combines alternate energy sources available at a rural healthcare centre in northern Nigeria and conduct a techno-economic analysis of the viability of such systems. The energy potential of available energy resources at the target location and comparison of various HES configurations were estimated with HOMER Pro software to determine the most feasible choices. These choices were analyzed for technical, financial, and environmental viability using RETScreen Expert. Due to an abundance of solar energy, low diesel cost, and sufficient wind energy potential, the results show PV – Diesel and Wind – Diesel system HES configurations as the only practical choices. Techno-economic analysis indicates that the PV – Diesel HES produces annual savings of $30,583 with a Net Present Value (NPV) of $390,949 compared to $15,174 and $193,980 for the Wind – Diesel configuration. Further analysis solidifies the PV-Diesel HES as the best choice with a payback period of 1.3 years, 75 tons of CO2 emission reduction, and annual savings of $30,583 compared to the initial diesel energy system.

Optimizing the size of the hybrid power and heat generation system during COVID-19 crisis (case study: Italy)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 2.2 million deaths worldwide. The consequences of this disease are expected to continue. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy, demand for goods and services, and labor. This deadly virus has affected the energy demand in various sectors, the structure of energy production and especially renewable energy. Although judging the future of renewable energy requires a broader perspective, it is clear that the share of renewable energy in electricity generation, heating and energy policies must change after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, the optimal share of energy resources in Italy was calculated using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and considering the changes in the energy system, energy demand and prices during the quarantine period. Current conditions and declining fossil fuel prices have led investors to reduce their investment in clean energy, and the amount of investment in renewable energy in 2020 has decreased by about 20% compared to the same period last year. The results of this study show that despite the ubiquitous limitations of COVID-19 for renewable energy, this period is a good opportunity to expand and invest in clean energy due to the increase in the share of electricity demand and domestic heating and the reduction of energy consumption in the industrial sector (Especially solar energy).

Building resilience to handle disruptions in critical environmental and energy sectors: Implications for cleaner production in the oil and gas industry

Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the oil and gas (O&G) industry had been facing disruptions in terms of an energy transition phase that include the focus on the use of renewable energy equipment, transport electrification, decarbonization, and waste elimination among others. However, the contraction in global travel and remote working habits owing to the pandemic really set off disruptions for the O&G industry. This research intends to identify and analyze the enablers for the O&G industry that can help it handle potential disruptions and hence become resilient. Several significant enablers have been identified through a systematic literature review using the PRISMA approach and Delphi method. The mutual inter-relationships among the enablers have been developed using the modified total interpretive structural modelling approach. Later, the matrice d'impacts crois es multiplication appliques an un classement analysis has been used to identify the enablers' clusters according to their dependence and driving powers. The modelling and analysis results suggest four paths for the O&G industry to handle disruptions effectively. This research aims to help academicians, managers, and researchers understand the essential enablers and paths to adopt on a priority basis so as to handle disruptions and build resilience in the O&G industry.

Understanding Sustainable Energy in the Context of Smart Cities: A PRISMA Review

In the context of smart cities, sustainability is an essential dimension. One of the ways to achieve sustainability and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in smart cities is through the promotion of sustainable energy. The demand for affordable and reliable electrical energy requires different energy sources, where the cost of production often outweighs the environmental factor. This paper aims to investigate the ways smart cities promote sustainability in the electricity sector. For this, a systematic literature review using the PRISMA protocol was employed as the methodological approach. In this review, 154 journal articles were thoroughly analyzed. The results were grouped according to the themes and categorized into energy efficiency, renewable energies, and energy and urban planning. The study findings revealed the following: (a) global academic publication landscape for smart city and energy sustainability research;(b) unbalanced publications when critically evaluating geographical continents’ energy use intensity vs. smart cities’ energy sustainability research outcomes;(c) there is a heavy concentration on the technology dimension of energy sustainability and efficiency, and renewables topics in the literature, but much less attention is paid to the energy and urban planning issues. The insights generated inform urban and energy authorities and provide scholars with directions for prospective research.

Pro-Ecological Activities and Shaping the Competitive Advantage of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Aspect of Sustainable Energy Management

Small and medium-sized enterprises around the world play a key role in building economic growth and maintaining environmental sustainability. This strategic role in the economy depends on the possessed competitive advantage, which will increasingly depend on the ecological behavior of SMEs. Therefore, it is justified to undertake research the main goal of which is to identify the pro-ecological activities of SMEs conducive to achieving a competitive advantage. The original empirical research was conducted in 2021 on a sample of 452 small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland. The research was based on a questionnaire. The research allowed for the assessment of sustainable energy management by assessing the awareness of entrepreneurs, assessing the pro-ecological activities undertaken, and assessing the impact of pro-ecological activities on shaping the competitive advantages of enterprises in 2015–2020. The surveyed entrepreneurs considered the most important components of the company’s competitive advantage and sustainable energy management to be those investments aimed at achieving a high input–result ratio in a short time. In order to review the pro-ecological activities in Poland against the background of international data, other research results in this area are presented. The cited data confirm the results of the conducted extensive survey research. In the case of many countries and SMEs, environmental awareness is relatively low. Where it occurs, it is not translated into real activities in the field of sustainable energy management in the absence of economic efficiency.

IFMIF-DONES as Paradigm of Institutional Funding in the Way towards Sustainable Energy

Although actions promoting sustainable energy production and consumption have been widely approached in the literature, the management of the big scientific projects devoted to these actions have not been considered as a matter of study from the perspective of sustainable development, but almost exclusively from the scientific or technical ones. Experiences all over the world are increasingly demonstrating that the impact of the project phase is more critical than expected. In this sense, the joint international research on clean and more efficient nuclear power, especially fusion, is currently focused on two large projects: ITER and IFMIF-DONES. Although ITER is step by step advancing, IFMIF-DONES still has a long way before it is actually implemented and its main target (the evaluation of the materials to build the future nuclear fusion reactors) is achieved. In this work, the different steps focused on IFMIF-DONES funding and management planning up to date are analysed and, departing from them, some key points on the future development of the project are proposed.

Triboelectric Nanogenerator from Used Surgical Face Mask and Waste Mylar Materials Aiding the Circular Economy.

Apart from claiming the lives of more than 3.2 million people, the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the global plastic pollution every day, mainly with the overflux of single-use polypropylene (PP) face masks. In this scenario, as an innovative solution to mitigate plastic pollution as well as to meet the rising electrical energy demand, we are introducing an all-flexible and facile waste material-based triboelectric nanogenerator (WM-TENG), aiding toward the circular economy. The WM-TENG operating in contact separation mode is fabricated using the PP from a used face mask in combination with recovered Mylar sheets from solid wastes as triboelectric contact layers and a flexible supporting structure. After detailed investigation and trials to study the effect of various disinfection mechanisms of PP materials on the energy output of WM-TENG, UV-C radiation is selected for disinfecting the used masks owing to the retention of electrical energy output. Under a tapping force of 3 N, the WM-TENG having an active area of 6 cm2 delivers an open-circuit voltage of 200 V and a short-circuit current density of 0.29 mA/m2, respectively. The WM-TENG also delivered a maximum power density of 71.16 mW/m2 under 108 Ω load. Additionally, the WM-TENG is demonstrated for powering electronic gadgets such as a calculator, digital thermometer, and LCD clock. This flexible and low-cost nanogenerator without any complex fabrication steps is a sustainable solution for the alarming plastic pollution as well as the rising energy demands.

Covid-19 and the politics of sustainable energy transitions.

In this perspectives piece, an interdisciplinary team of social science researchers considers the implications of Covid-19 for the politics of sustainable energy transitions. The emergency measures adopted by states, firms, and individuals in response to this global health crisis have driven a series of political, economic and social changes with potential to influence sustainable energy transitions. We identify some of the initial impacts of the 'great lockdown' on sustainable and fossil sources of energy, and consider how economic stimulus packages and social practices in the wake of the pandemic are likely to shape energy demand, the carbon-intensity of the energy system, and the speed of transitions. Adopting a broad multi-scalar and multi-actor approach to the analysis of energy system change, we highlight continuities and discontinuities with pre-pandemic trends. Discussion focuses on four key themes that shape the politics of sustainable energy transitions: (i) the short, medium and long-term temporalities of energy system change; (ii) practices of investment around clean-tech and divestment from fossil fuels; (iii) structures and scales of energy governance; and (iv) social practices around mobility, work and public health. While the effects of the pandemic continue to unfold, some of its sectoral and geographically differentiated impacts are already emerging. We conclude that the politics of sustainable energy transitions are now at a critical juncture, in which the form and direction of state support for post-pandemic economic recovery will be key.