Clean Energy Development Research Articles

Efforts of Nepal's Least Developed Countries (LDC) Graduation and Its Challenges

The primary objectives of this study are to examine the initiatives undertaken by the government of Nepal for LDC graduation, identify challenges faced during process, and discuss the potential impact of graduation. This study is based on qualitative analysis of secondary data obtained from diverse domestic and international sources. Major sources include literature reviews, government policies, reports, and international declarations. Comprehensive desk review on the issue shows that Nepal has undertaken a strategic plan for LDC graduation, prioritizing investments in human capital, infrastructure, and healthcare, while addressing income disparities. Nepal has already achieved two requirements; HAI and EVI, and Nepal fell significantly short of the LDC graduation threshold of a per capita GNI. The plan includes achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and progressing from a lower-middle income to an upper-middle-income nation by 2030.Despite progress, Nepal faces challenges in achieving graduation, including political instability, governance issues, and environmental vulnerabilities. The country lags in good governance rankings, which could hinder its development efforts. Nepal's commitment to SDGs is seen as a potential driver for LDC graduation, focusing on sustainability, gender equality, clean energy, job creation, and economic development. Nepal aims to become a high-income country by 2043, emphasizing poverty reduction, trade balance improvement, and overall quality of life enhancement. Leaving the LDC category will bring opportunities but also challenges, including the loss of special market access that was provided to the least developed countries like Nepal. Other challenges may involve growing trade and market capacity and strengthening the global competitiveness of internal production. Internally, intersectional variations of inequalities and poverty among and between regions, castes and ethnic groups in Nepal may generate challenges meeting LDC graduations and its sustainability.

Negative Ecological Impacts of Wind Power, Hydropower and Geothermal Energy

With the rapid development of the global economy and increasing population, the demand for energy is growing. Clean energy technology has received a lot of attention in recent years, and it has solved the traditional energy sources such as coal and oil to a great extent, but it still has some negative effects on the environment. This paper obtains data on ecosystems from authoritative websites and published papers in various countries. Use these data to show the changes in the ecological environment before and after the development of clean energy. It has been found that wind power could reduce environmental pollution and water consumption. However, it causes visual interference, noise pollution and negative impacts on wildlife. Hydropower stations generally have comprehensive economic benefits such as flood control, navigation, aquaculture, landscaping and tourism. However, large reservoirs cause extensive inundation upstream of the dam and also affect plant-side aquatic ecosystems. The main environmental problems in the development of geothermal energy are the emission of toxic gases, the overuse of water resources, the negative impact of heavy metals on agriculture and the inefficient use of geothermal energy. In order to minimize the environmental problems associated with the development of various energy sources, it is hoped that the government will support the development of scientific and technological innovations through policies that regulate the development of energy sources.

Investigation of Rock Mechanical Properties under Liquid Nitrogen Environment

In order to promote sustainable energy development and reduce the impact of fossil fuels on the environment, it is crucial to strengthen the development and utilization of clean and renewable geothermal energy. Liquid nitrogen fracturing, as an emerging waterless fracturing technology, has outstanding advantages in rock fracturing effect and thermal exchange ability with hot dry rock and is more environmentally friendly. In order to evaluate the influence of liquid nitrogen on the mechanical properties, acoustic emission characteristics, and cross-sectional crack propagation characteristics of granite at different initial temperatures, this paper carried out three-point bending tests and acoustic emission detection on granite treated by high-temperature heating and liquid nitrogen cooling. Finally, based on the cross-sectional scanning test, the expansion characteristics of microcracks in granite were analyzed. The results show that the higher the initial temperature of granite, the stronger the cold impact of liquid nitrogen on granite, and the faster the rock’s mechanical performance declines. The acoustic emission ringing count is closely related to the development of microcracks in granite, and as the initial temperature of granite increases, the more ringing counts there are, indicating that the huge temperature difference induces more microcracks inside the rock. In addition, the cold impact of liquid nitrogen can effectively promote the fracturing of granite. After liquid nitrogen treatment, the fractal dimension of the granite cross-section increases, the shape of the cross-section becomes rough, and many micropores appear. This study can provide a scientific basis for the engineering application of liquid nitrogen fracturing technology.

ZIF-67-derived FeCoNi-LDH with a 3D nanoflower hierarchical structure for highly efficient oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and coupling seawater splitting hydrogen production

To achieve clean and sustainable energy development, the thermodynamically favourable electrocatalytic oxidation reaction of biomass derivatives can be combined with electrolysis for hydrogen production. This process simultaneously generates high-value 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and green energy (i.e., hydrogen). The present thesis focuses on the synthesis of a novel Fe-Co-Ni nanosheet catalyst foam using impregnation methods and one-pot hydrothermal techniques. Subsequently, the 3D nanoflower FeCoNi-S@NF catalysts are subsequently prepared by sulfurizing the FeCoNi-LDH@NF precursors. These catalysts were then employed for electrolytic seawater hydrogen production coupled with the electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMFOR). This strategy is expected to address the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The 3D nanoflower structure of the FeCoNi-S@NF catalyst enhances the exposure of catalytically active sites, while sulfur doping further improves the electron transfer ability. At a low reaction potential of 1.45 V vs. RHE, FeCoNi-S@NF exhibited remarkable performance with a 95.68 % conversion rate for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a 94.83 % yield for 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), and a Faraday efficiency of 94.71 %. Furthermore, FeCoNi-S@NF exhibits a remarkable response in terms of hydrogen evolution in seawater. By utilizing HMFOR as the anodic reaction and low-cost seawater as the cathodic electrolyte for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), simultaneous biomass upgrading and hydrogen production can be achieved. Incorporating HMFOR into a two-electrode system for the electrolytic seawater hydrogen production process significantly reduces the needed voltage (1.70 V@10 mA cm−2), thereby potentially decreasing the cost of this process.

Sustainability evaluation of a PEMFC system for coalbed methane recovery based on life cycle assessment and emergy analysis

To promote the sustainable development of clean energy, a novel integrated system coupled coalbed methane recovery and proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is developed. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and emergy analysis model are established to analyze sustainability of the proposed system. The parametric analysis is performed to assess the effects of the reforming temperature, steam carbon ratio and current density on the emergy performance. The LCA results indicate that the construction phase has the most significant impact on system sustainability, accounting for 51.65%. Reducing the use of stainless steel and copper in the construction phase and improving the recycling process in the recovery phase can help improve the sustainability performance. The emergy analysis results show that the total emergy consumption of the system is 8.53E+16, the use phase accounted for 55.8%, the construction phase accounted for 43.8%, and the recovery phase only accounted for 0.4%. Parametric analysis shows that the emergy savings ratio increases by 7.11% as the reforming temperature is 800 °C. The emergy sustainability index ranges from 3.04 to 4.45 with great sustainability performance, as the increase of steam carbon ratio. The system has low environmental load and high sustainability when the current density is close to 1. This research will help improve the sustainability evaluation system of the energy system and promote the sustainable development of clean energy.

Do smart cities improve energy efficiency? A test of spatial effects and mechanisms

In recent years, a great deal of research has been done on how smart cities affect pollution. However, nothing is understood about how smart city affect energy efficiency. Based on China's 283 cities panel dataset from 2003-2019, the impact, spatial effects, and mechanisms of smart city projects (SCP) on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) are empirically tested employing the multi-phase and spatial difference-in-difference (DID) method. The results indicate that (1) SCP significantly improves urban GTFEE, a finding that remains valid after the instrumental variables approach and robustness tests. (2) In east-central cities, economically developed cities, medium-sized cities, and non-resource-based cities, SCP significantly affects GTFEE. (3) The SCP considerably raises the local GTFEE but also the GTFEE of the 900-kilometer radius around cities. (4) SCP can improve GTFEE by clean energy development, optimizing industrial structure, promoting green innovation, and resource allocation. In addition, energy saving, emission reduction, and production increase are also important impact channels. Finally, based on its findings, the study offers a reference for decision-making to support SCP development and urban energy efficiency improvement.

Who are the receivers and transmitters of volatility spillovers: oil, clean energy, and green and non-green cryptocurrency markets.

In the context of clean energy and green cryptocurrency development, the relationship between energy and cryptocurrency markets deserves further exploration. This study employs a quantile time-frequency connectedness approach to measure the dynamic connectedness and volatility propagation mechanisms between oil, clean energy, green cryptocurrency (GC), and non-green cryptocurrency (NGC) markets. Our findings suggest that, at median and low volatility levels, the oil and clean energy markets act as net receivers, taking on volatility spillovers from cryptocurrency markets. However, at high volatility levels, oil and clean energy markets transform into net transmitters. Most NGCs are volatility transmitters, while most GCs are volatility receivers in the median and extremely high volatility cases. We also observe that the total connectedness index (TCI) is heterogeneous over time and dependent on economic events. At median and low volatility levels, the short-run TCI makes the primary contribution. On the other hand, for high volatility levels, where short-term TCI does not have an absolute advantage, long-term TCI plays a greater role in many periods. Additionally, there is asymmetry in the TCI (including long-term and short-term TCI) at the quantile level. In the median and extreme scenarios, the COVID-19 has caused different levels of shock on oil, clean energy, GC, and NGC markets connectedness.

Reimagining net metering: A polycentric model for equitable solar adoption in the United States

Disparities in renewable energy deployment disproportionately afflict marginalized communities and slow the clean energy transition necessary to combat climate change. Most solutions focus on top-down government initiatives to subsidize renewable energy. However, this approach has had mixed efficacy, raises questions about the durability of support, and lacks political feasibility in certain contexts. We propose a new energy development model that leverages the logic of polycentric governance, which refers to having multiple centers of decision-making as opposed to one. Our model rethinks the practice of net metering, where households and organizations can sell excess power back to the grid. Rather than pocketing the proceeds, our model taps into individual altruism by allowing households and organizations to donate some of this money to build renewable energy for underserved communities. This could accelerate clean energy development by providing resources and fostering collaboration between communities and power companies. Our framework represents a novel decentralized approach to a “just energy transition” that complements government-led initiatives. This paper describes the program, discusses design issues, and presents proof-of-concept survey research from the United States.

Spatiotemporal distribution pattern and analysis of influencing factors of pumped storage power generation in China

Under the “30·60” dual carbon target, the construction of pumped storage power stations is an important component of promoting clean energy consumption and building a new type of power system. This article aims to depict the spatiotemporal distribution pattern and main influencing factors of China's pumped storage power generation (PSPG) and provides practical support for planning power station construction and promoting clean energy development in the future. The main conclusions can be drawn as follows: (1) From 2012 to 2020, PSPG was mainly distributed in the central and eastern regions, with an inverted “U” trend in power generation except for in Guangzhou and Zhejiang provinces. (2) The development direction of PSPG showed a fluctuating and spreading trend from East China to North China, but the development focus was still in East China. In addition, the western regions showed a low-low autocorrelation, while the central and eastern regions showed a high-high autocorrelation, highlighting the issue of spatial imbalance. (3) Socioeconomic factors were the main factors affecting PSPG, followed by energy structure, and the impact of natural factors was relatively weak.

Identification of clean energy development routes under carbon emission constraints: A path towards structural adjustment of the power system

Clarifying the clean energy (CE) development path is significant for realizing energy system transformation, coping with climate risks, and ensuring energy and ecological security. This paper uses national data from China from 1978 to 2021 as a sample. It considers the year-by-year dynamic indicators of changes in technology, population, industry, and economic factors in the short term. It takes the mandatory carbon emission reduction targets set by the country as the basis for carbon constraints. The Markov chain model was introduced to construct a power demand structure prediction model under scenarios to more accurately quantify the energy-saving and emission-reduction paths under different carbon constraints and economic development scenarios. The results show that China's electricity demand will rapidly grow in the short term. The upper limit constraint of thermal power generation under the high and normal economic growth models still has room to grow in the short term under the target carbon emission constraint scenario. During 2025–2030, the overall lower limit growth rate of the CE power generation structure under the target emission reduction scenario must exceed 8%, and the overall growth rate under the high-efficiency emission reduction scenario must exceed 12%. By 2030, the proportion of hydropower in CE generation is estimated to decrease to 33.7%, while nuclear power, wind power, and photovoltaic power generation will increase to 16.3%, 30.5% and 19.5%, respectively. These results provide a reference for the government to formulate a CE development path against the background of carbon constraints.

An investigation of financial openness, trade openness, gross capital formation, urbanization, financial development, education and energy nexus in BRI: Evidence from the symmetric and asymmetric framework

Clean energy development can bring numerous benefits, such as decreased greenhouse gas emissions, improved air quality, and increased job opportunities in the green industry. These advantages can be achieved through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders involved. Ultimately, adopting clean energy can lead to a healthier planet and economy. Energy availability and scarcity influence the aggregated economy. The present study explores the interrelationships between financial openness, trade openness, gross capital formation, urbanization, financial development, education, and energy within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) nations. A panel of 56 nations has considered empirical investigation for 2002–2020. The coefficients extracted from CS-ARDL revealed a catalyst role of openness in the energy mix, especially the inclusion of clean energy both in the long run and short. The asymmetric evaluation revealed that positive negative shocks in openness lead to a positive association with energy consumption. Moreover, the asymmetric association was also exposed through the execution of a standard Wald test. The study findings show that FO, TO, and GCF are critical in energy sustainability in BRI nations. It implies that clean energy inclusion in the energy mix might be amplified, and energy sustainability may be ensured. The energy transition of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) nations is significantly affected by financial, trade, and domestic capital adequacy. The success of sustainable energy policies is determined by several factors, which play a crucial role in countries participating in BRI projects; the findings provide insight into the complex interdependencies among the variables above and their effects on the energy dynamics within the BRI region. Furthermore, the research findings hold considerable significance for policymakers as they offer valuable insights into the possible synergies and trade-offs among these factors that can facilitate sustainable energy transitions in the BRI economies.

How do solar photovoltaic and wind power promote the joint poverty alleviation and clean energy development: An evolutionary game theoretic study

How do solar photovoltaic and wind power promote the joint poverty alleviation and clean energy development: An evolutionary game theoretic study

Manganese vanadium oxide composite as a cathode for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries

The development of clean renewable energy and energy storage devices is of great significance under the present energy crisis and environmental pollution background. Aqueous zinc-ion battery (ZIB) has become one of the most promising energy storage devices due to its high capacity, safety and low cost. However, the application of ZIB cathode is usually limited by low capacity and poor stability. Herein, we propose a novel heterostructure MnO/MnV2O4 composite material composed of MOF derivatives and spinel with dual active components as cathode for ZIBs. Benefited from substantial framework of MOF derivatives and the synergistic effect of heterostructures, MnO/MnV2O4 exhibits excellent rate performance (342 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, 261 mAh/g at 15 A/g) and cycling performance (198.9 mAh/g at 10 A/g after 2000 cycles) in 3 mol/L Zn(CF3SO3)2 electrolytes. This work extends the range of developing high-performance cathodes for ZIBs under high current density and is expected to enlighten the optimization of commercial energy storage devices.

Striving towards 2050 net zero CO2 emissions: How critical are clean energy and financial sectors?

The development of clean energy and financial sectors have been highlighted as critical factors in tackling climate change and achieving net zero emissions goals. Hence, using a dataset for the top 20 emitter countries from 1990 to 2019, this study examines whether clean energy consumption, financial development, human capital, population, and economic growth are connected with environmental quality through a reduction in carbon emissions. The long-run estimates show that renewable energy utilization, financial development, and human capital are significant in reducing CO2 emissions in the quest for net zero emissions. Contrarily, economic growth and population have a increases CO2 emissions. The results of the causality test show a two-way causality between renewable energy use, financial development, economic growth, population, and CO2 emissions. Moreover, one incidence of unidirectional causality is observed from CO2 emissions to human capital. Based on the findings, policy implications are suggested.

Evaluating energy justice metrics in early-stage science and technology research using the JUST-R metrics framework

Embedding principles of energy justice throughout all aspects of clean energy technology research and development (R&D) can facilitate a more just energy transition; yet gaps remain in our understanding of how to best integrate energy justice from the earliest R&D stages. The Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) metrics framework has been developed to enable early-stage energy researchers to assess and address justice considerations associated with their research, but the impacts of the framework, and others like it, have yet to be evaluated. This study seeks to evaluate the JUST-R metrics framework in terms of its effectiveness and appeal to researchers engaged in early-stage technical R&D using qualitative analyses of documents and workshop transcripts. We find that the metrics framework helps researchers identify problems and potential solutions surrounding the energy justice implications of their work and spurs a change in perspective for researchers, but, simultaneously, there is no evidence of solution follow-through within the evaluation timeframe. Greater institutional support, specialization to research areas, knowledge of energy justice fundamentals, and earlier incorporation of energy justice considerations in research projects arise as factors needed to aid continued use of the framework and pursuit of identified solutions. This evaluation protocol and these findings can serve as a guide for improving other frameworks with similar goals of encouraging sociotechnical engagement in early-stage energy R&D.

Analysis of the spatial effect of clean energy development on green economic growth: evidence from China.

Clean energy development has played a pivotal role in economic transformation. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2021, the spatial Dubin model was used to empirically investigate the impact of clean energy development on green economic growth. Furthermore, this research selected industrial structure optimization as the mediating variable to analyze the mediating effect between clean energy development and green economic growth. The results are as follows. Firstly, there is a positive spatial correlation for green economic development, in which the level of green economic development in a region can be influenced by neighboring regions. Secondly, there is a significant positive relationship between clean energy development and green economic growth, in which the clean energy development has a positive impact on green economic growth. Thirdly, the mediating effect analysis demonstrates that the clean energy development can influence green economic growth through industrial structure optimization. Based on the findings in this paper, several suggestions are proposed. China should formulate a unified national strategy for green economy by coordinating and balancing regional differences, develop the clean energy industry to promote green economic growth, and pay attention to the intermediary effect of industrial structure to promote green economic growth.

A Toolbox for generalized pumped storage power station based on terrain in ArcGIS Environment

China proposed the goal of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Accelerating the development of clean energy is the key to achieve this carbon peak and neutrality goal. However, large-scale grid connection of new energy brings great challenges to the stable and safe operation of power grid. As a regulating power source and energy storage power source, pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) has strong regulating ability and is characterized as a reliable operation with broad prospects for development. However, the current field-survey-based method of site selection for PHES is time consuming, labour intensive, and costly. Improper site selection would cause ecological environment damages among other problems. A scheme or protocol that enables the automated site selection of PHES is therefore urgently required. The objective of this study was therefore to develop a new tool based on digital elevation model (DEM) and geographic information system (GIS) hydrological analysis function to screen out the potential PHES sites. ArcGIS, as a leading geospatial software, provides a set of geoprocessing (GP) tools for raster analysis. ArcPy is a Python package that runs in the ArcGIS environment. It can quickly invoke existing tools in ArcGIS to create custom extension modules. In this study, ArcPy was used to screen the site of PHES based on reservoir capacity and dam height, etc. Taking the southern Shaanxi Province, China as an example, comprehensive evaluation method integrating objective weighting method and multi-factor statistical analysis method is proposed and tested. This new method can promote the solution of the PHES site selection planning and preliminary reserve of PHES, and provide scientific reference and theoretical basis for the development and construction of PHES.

Study of hydrogen production from coal gasification in supercritical water

The coal supercritical water gasification technology is a new technology that directly converts coal into hydrogen, with advantages such as cleanliness, high efficiency, and low cost. With the global trend towards hydrogen energy development, the coal supercritical water gasification technology has broad application prospects. Research on this technology is significant for providing a new path for China's clean energy development, promoting sustainable development in the energy field, and contributing to global emission reduction and climate change response. This article analyzes the current development status of coal gasification technology, summarizes the related categories in four aspects: raw material selection, catalysts, reactors, and heating methods, and analyzes the unique advantages of each method. Based on this, a relatively efficient hydrogen production scheme is briefly selected. In addition, the future development trend of this technology is discussed. This article may provide a reference for clean energy development and the efficient utilization of coal resources.

Research on the energy security and future development of China

Nowadays, with the increase in carbon dioxide emissions, the global temperature is also increasing. Therefore, energy conservation and carbon emission reduction have been very hot topics in recent years. Nowadays, the best way to save energy and reduce emissions is to carry out energy transition. However, in the process of reducing carbon emissions and accelerating the energy transition, people often ignore some of these problems: First, in the process of rapid energy transition, energy supply is difficult to take care of and energy security is also difficult to guarantee, however, in most energy development studies, these points are easily ignored. The research theme of this study is energy supply guarantee, new energy security and the future development of energy. This research will take China as the entry point. The object of the research is the development of fossil fuels and clean energy, and the method of research is to search the literature and integrate the content. At present, the requirements for an energy transition are very urgent, but a too fast transition may encounter an insufficient energy supply and unguaranteed energy security. So, the government needs to build a new energy system as soon as possible and develop the technologies that are related to it.

A review of intelligent coal gangue separation technology and equipment development

ABSTRACT One of the necessary ways to achieve the efficient, clean utilization of coal resources is to reduce the amount of coal gangue in raw coal to ensure the development of clean, low-carbon, and green energy in China. The application of conventional coal gangue separation equipment is severely limited due to the large investment in early construction, high production costs, and large water consumption and waste in production. Intelligent coal gangue separation equipment has the advantages of fast speed, high precision, strong modularity, and integration scalability. It also has the advantages of low operation cost and energy consumption, convenient operation and maintenance, and no water use. All of that could effectively improve the utilization rate of coal resources and expand the economic benefits of enterprises. The application of high-speed, high-precision, and anti-interference online element rapid analysis technology in intelligent coal gangue separation equipment will become an inevitable trend of equipment development in the future with the continuous improvement of coal product demand. Online rapid element analysis technology includes laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, dual-energy X-ray, and transient neutron activation analysis. Improving and applying more high-speed, high-precision algorithms such as partial least squares and Monte Carlo library least squares in the future are important.