Levels Of Electrification Research Articles

Empowering rural South Asia: Off-grid solar PV, electricity accessibility, and sustainable agriculture

This study investigates the impact of off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on electricity accessibility and agricultural sustainability in rural South Asia, employing panel data methodology: least square dummy variable (LSDV) and Lewbel instrumental variable (IV) approach. The findings demonstrate a robust positive association between solar PV adoption and increased electricity access, even when accounting for individual and period-specific factors. Increased electricity access significantly contributes to higher agricultural value added per worker, but not necessarily to the overall share of agriculture in the economy. This analysis also reveals a positive and significant impact of solar PV (SPV) on agricultural value added per worker, independent of rural electrification levels. Heterogeneities across time and context, along with country-specific factors, play crucial roles in shaping these relationships. While factors like government effectiveness and GDP per capita have complex and sometimes counterintuitive effects, access to land, agricultural employment, and capital investments all contribute positively to agricultural sustainability. The Lewbel IV method offers strong impact of SPV on electrification, independent of external factors, and its direct contribution to agricultural output, make it a compelling tool for empowering rural communities and building a more sustainable future in South Asia. Robustness of the result is validated through three approaches: measuring variable averages at three-year sub-periods, applying three-stage least squares (3SLS), and utilizing alternative methods (panel corrected standard errors (PCSE), feasible generalized least squares (FGLS)) to consider various data characteristics. Off-grid solar PV emerges as a game-changer for rural electrification and a catalyst for sustainable agricultural development in South Asia. Governments and development agencies can prioritize investments in solar PV systems to address energy poverty and boost agricultural productivity.

Urban energy transition: Sustainable model simulation for social house district

Energy communities (EC) play a crucial role in driving the transition towards renewable energy sources within urban areas. This study focuses on the implementation of EC within linear mass housing in Rome, with particular attention given to the Tor Bella Monaca district. The research proposes and simulates six energy community distinct scenarios using the Urban Modelling Interface (UMI) and Simulink in order to advance understanding of this topic. These scenarios evaluate the integration of photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, and energy storage systems to determine their comprehensive effect on renewable energy production, CO2 emission reduction, and the enhancement of self-consumption. The study findings show that higher electrification levels in an energy community lead to greater consumption of renewable energy and reduced reliance on the grid. The integration of heat pumps and energy storage further enhances energy consumption and self-sufficiency creating sustainable energy models in urban environments. With an increase in self-consumption factor and self-sufficiency factor of 0.15–0.30 and 0.11–0.13, respectively, depending on the scenario. The research highlights the importance of a thorough assessment of technology sizing and integration in order to enhance self-consumption and decrease CO2 emissions. It proposes investigating the incorporation of both thermal and electrical storage to optimize self-consumption. Finally, the simulated scenarios underwent flexibility analyses to determine the precise energy flow capacity and the optimal setting identified through economic evaluation.

Active noise control by means of high frequency injection in electric motors

AbstractMachine acoustics is an important area of research impacting the quality and comfort of human life. With increased levels of electrification and the wider use of electric motors, the contribution of motor drives towards quieter acoustic systems becomes increasingly important. This paper presents a novel acoustic improvement method involving the use of acoustic waves generated from High Frequency Injection to perform Active Noise Control. Although High Frequency Injection has been used widely in the domain of sensorless motor control, its acoustic generation process has been so far perceived as a negative by‐product. This paper presents the analysis and experimental results from the application of the proposed method to the Helicopter Electro‐Mechanical Actuation System. Considering the extensive use of motor drives in a number of industries, the proposed practice of High Frequency Injection Active Noise Control can have a significant impact to future applications.

Energy Market Prediction and Risk Assessment Based on China's Rural Collective Economy

INTRODUCTION: Energy, as a core element supporting the functioning of modern society, is vital to the development of the rural collective economy. With the upgrading of the agrarian industrial structure and the improvement of rural electrification levels, the energy demand gradually increases. Therefore, for China's rural collective economy, an in-depth study of the forecasting and risk assessment of the energy market has essential theoretical and practical value for scientific planning of resource allocation and improving energy utilization efficiency.
 OBJECTIVES: This study aims to reveal the development trend and key influencing factors through an in-depth analysis of China's rural collective economy's energy market and to make scientific forecasts of the future development of the energy market. At the same time, through risk assessment, it proposes risk prevention and resolution countermeasures of the energy market for the rural collective economy to provide decision support for rural energy security and sustainable development.
 METHODS: This study adopts a comprehensive analysis approach, combining historical data, policy literature analysis, and expert interviews. First, a comprehensive analytical framework is established by combing the development history of the rural collective economy energy market over the past few years. Second, quantitative analysis models and numerical simulations are used to analyze the key factors affecting the energy market. Finally, expert interviews are conducted to obtain the views of experts in related fields on the future development and risks of the energy market to improve the research conclusions further.
 RESULTS: The results of the study show that the energy market of China's rural collective economy will show a trend of gradual growth, but it also faces multiple risk challenges, including market price fluctuations, policy adjustments, and an imbalance between supply and demand. In the future, with the deepening of green energy policies, rural collective economies will pay more attention to the application of clean and renewable energy.
 CONCLUSION: To summarize, this study provides a scientific reference for the energy strategy decision-making of rural collective economies by forecasting and assessing the risk of the energy market based on China's rural collaborative economies. In the future, it is necessary to pay more attention to the improvement of the policy system to promote the development of green energy, as well as the establishment of a sound market regulatory mechanism to reduce the uncertainty of the energy market and provide solid support for the sustainable development of the rural collective economy.

Large-scale public charging demand prediction with a scenario- and activity-based approach

Transportation system electrification is expected to bring millions of electric vehicles (EVs) on road within decades. Accurately predicting the charging demand is necessary to accommodate the surge in EV deployment. This paper presents a novel modeling framework to predict the public charging demand profile derived from people’s travel trajectories, with the consideration of the demand and supply stochasticity of transportation systems and the charging behavior heterogeneity of EV users. The vehicle charging decision-making process is explicitly modeled, and the charging need of each EV user is estimated associated with their travel trajectories. The methodology enables charging demand prediction with a high spatial–temporal resolution for transportation system electrification planning. A case study was conducted in Los Angeles County to predict the demand for public charging facilities in 2035 and perform corresponding spatial–temporal analysis of EV public charging under various scenarios of future electrification levels and network conditions.

Impact of cobalt recycling on China's electrification process: Assessing the potential reduction in cobalt demand from battery recycling

China is actively promoting the transition from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve its goal of carbon peaking and neutrality. However, this shift will result in a continuous increase in demand for lithium-ion batteries for EVs, leading to a significant rise in demand for cobalt, further exacerbating the risk of cobalt resource supply in China. The study considered three electrification levels, three battery technology routes, two battery capacities, two dynamic battery lifetimes, and two recycling efficiencies, resulting in 36 demand scenarios and 72 recycling scenarios while increasing the precision of the study to the inter-provincial level. The results indicate that China's cobalt demand will be huge, peaking around 2039, with annual demand ranging from 78.29 kt to 359.40 kt, and the current production capacity and reserves are completely inadequate to meet the growing cobalt demand. In some specific scenarios, secondary cobalt demand remains higher than or close to primary cobalt demand between 2035 and 2040, and secondary cobalt demand becomes a significant component affecting total cobalt demand. In terms of recycling, closed-loop recycling can cover 45.1%–59.3% of annual cobalt demand in 2039. With rapid recovery efficiency, cobalt recovery in multiple scenarios can already fully meet primary cobalt demand, and the recovery potential is enormous. Furthermore, adopting low-cobalt battery technology, which extends battery life and reduces battery replacement in EVs, can significantly reduce secondary cobalt demand. At the provincial level, cobalt demand and recycling in China are unevenly distributed, with provinces with high demand for cobalt showing a trend of shifting from inland areas in the northwest to central and eastern coastal areas. In contrast, the areas with the largest recycling volume remain in the north. Therefore, accelerating the promotion of low cobalt and long-life battery technology and improving recycling efficiency can greatly alleviate the cobalt supply risk in China's electrification process. Additionally, specific spatial layouts should be given attention to ensure the sound development of China's EV industry through national coordination so that the double carbon target can be accomplished on time or even ahead of schedule.

Flexibility options in a decarbonising iron and steel industry

The decarbonisation of the iron and steel industry is expected to significantly increase its electricity consumption due to higher levels of electrification and the partial shift to hydrogen as iron reductant. With its batch processes, this industry offers large potential for the application of demand response strategies to achieve electricity cost savings. Previous research has primarily focused on investigating the demand response potential for currently operating manufacturing processes and partly for future low-carbon processes. This study aims to consolidate this knowledge and apply it to a modelling analysis that investigates the demand response potential of two new low-carbon technologies: the hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron with electric arc furnace technology (H2-DRI-EAF) and the blast furnace basic oxygen furnace technology retrofitted with carbon capture (BF-BOF-CCUS). A cost optimisation approach is applied to plant configurations with varying parameters relevant for flexibility, such as electrolyser and storage sizes, and in the context of future electricity prices. Multiple price profiles are selected to encompass uncertainties on the development of the power system. The potential for a H2-DRI-EAF plant is 3–27 times higher than for a BF-BOF-CCUS, with electricity costs savings potentials of 35% and 3%, respectively. The study finds that electricity prices have the most significant impact on the profitability of investing in electrolyser overcapacities, which enable operating costs reduction. Therefore, the profitability of these investments are strongly dependent on future power system configurations.

The future demand of renewable fuels in Germany: Understanding the impact of electrification levels and socio-economic developments

The Climate Change Act recently enacted in Germany highlights the urgency of understanding the future demand for renewable fuels. In this study, we combine technological progress and socio-economic pathways in an energy system analysis to assess future renewable fuel demands in Germany. We apply the whole-system optimisation model, TIMES, to investigate transition pathways with varying electrification levels and socio-economic developments. The results show that renewable fuels demand varies between 388 PJ and 1310 PJ depending on the electrification rates. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that considering socio-economic aspects and behavioural change, as represented by different Shared-Socio-economic Pathways, can significantly alter the demand for renewable fuels within a narrower yet still noteworthy range compared to the electrification scenarios. This provides country-level evidence highlighting the often-overlooked influence of social developments on demand projections. Consequently, it becomes crucial to prioritize the consideration of the climate mitigation potential arising from socioeconomic-induced changes in demand patterns within the broader framework of energy efficiency measures.

Long-Distance Electric Truck Traffic: Analysis, Modeling and Designing a Demand-Oriented Charging Network for Germany

The majority of freight in Germany is carried out by trucks, resulting in emitting approximately 9% of Germany’s carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. In particular, long-distance truck journeys contribute significantly to these emissions. This paper aims to explore the conditions and impacts of introducing E-Trucks in Germany by utilizing a microscopic traffic simulation approach. Therefore, five different electrification levels of the long-distance truck traffic are evaluated. The demand-oriented charging network dimensioning aims for a realistic and implementable design and is based on an average charging power of 720 kW. Additionaly, it considers the necessary infrastructure requirements at service and rest areas next to the motorway. The results of this research provide valuable insights in terms of usage, requirements and demand. For an electrification level of 1%, 177 chargers at 173 charging sites must be implemented, while 1296 chargers and 457 charging sites must be built for an electrification level of 20%. The increase in the electrification level leads to more efficient occupancy of the charging facilities; i.e., an increase from 1% to 5% improves the average occupation time ratio per charger by approximately 130%. Of the total energy consumed, 65% is recharged en-route at public chargers. Between Monday and Thursday, each 1% electrification level increase requires 2.68 GW h more energy for the public recharging network.

Design and analysis for chemical process electrification based on renewable electricity: Coal-to-methanol process as a case study

Electrification of traditional large-scale chemical industry based on renewable electricity can greatly reduce process CO2 emission, and store intermittent renewable electricity into chemical products locally to decrease power grid frequency regulation caused by fluctuating renewable electricity. This study presents a framework for electrification of chemical industry from indirect and direct aspects using the state-of-art coal-to-methanol process as a case study. Traditional coal-to-methanol (Process 1) suffers from high CO2 emission due to mismatch of H/C ratio between coal and methanol. A pulverized coal gasification-integrated SOEC process (Process 2) has been investigated, the water–gas-shift unit is avoided and a simplified acid gas removal process is implemented to replace traditional acid gas removal unit in Process 2. Electric heaters and heat pump system are applied in Process 2 as direct electrification methods to form semi-electrified scenario (Process 3). To discuss the effect of electrification levels on process performances, a fully electrified process (Process 4) is also designed. The results show that: CO2 emissions of the four processes are 2.19, 0.71, 0.52 and 0.63 t/t MeOH, and energy efficiency are 57.40 %, 62.32 %, 64.31 % and 57.63 %, respectively. Production costs are 159.1, 294.3, 301.0 and 358.3 $/t MeOH, IRRs are 14, 31, 29 and 14.5 %, respectively. Through this research and analysis, we hope to explore integration potential of renewable electricity and traditional chemical industry, and design a greener methanol production route based on renewable electricity.

Prospects of Controlled Auto-Ignition Based Thermal Propulsion Units for Modern Gasoline Vehicles

Gasoline engines employing the spatially distributed auto-ignition combustion mode, known as controlled auto-ignition (CAI), are a prospective technology for significantly improving engine efficiency and reducing emissions. This review paper provides an overview of developments in various gasoline CAI technologies and discusses their attendant strengths and weaknesses. Hybrid propulsion systems powered by high-efficiency gasoline CAI engines can provide a low-carbon pathway for mobility sector decarbonisation. Therefore, this paper focuses on the challenges and opportunities of CAI implementation, especially for electrified powertrains. Different control actuators that can extend the CAI operating range are discussed, and opportunities for synergistic operation between thermal and electric components of hybridised powertrains are identified. Such synergies can remove impediments in the way of CAI system adoption and can, thus, support CAI adoption and maximise efficiency gains from its implementation. The prospects of supporting CAI combustion for different powertrain electrification levels, hybrid architectures, engine size, and energy management systems are discussed. Load levelling offered by electrified powertrains through CAI-favouring energy management strategies has the potential to substantially relax the operating point requirements for CAI-based thermal propulsion units and to remove the need for expensive actuators. The highly flexible spark-assisted partially premixed compression ignition hybrid mode (SACI-PPCI) emerges as a promising CAI strategy for conventional powertrains, and the moderately flexible spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI) configuration can be a cost-effective thermal propulsion mode for electrified powertrains.

Impact of vehicle electrification on global supply chains and emission transfer

Numerous countries plan to promote increased levels of vehicle electrification. This study demonstrates that, when considering the life cycle of automobiles, higher levels of vehicle electrification over the next 30 years in Japan would generate higher carbon emissions, preventing the country from meeting carbon reduction and neutrality targets in 2030 and 2050, respectively. In 2020, 2030, and 2050, domestic emissions could decrease to 92.5, 72.9, and 49.6 Mt, respectively, while emission transfers to other countries could reach 12.1 Mt (11.5% of the global carbon footprint), 10.4 Mt (12.5%), and 8.7 Mt (14.9%). The results indicate that even if the widespread use of alternative fuel vehicles could reduce domestic emissions, such emissions might be transferred to foreign countries, and blanket promotion of automobile electrification should be avoided. Instead, governments and the automotive industry should take responsibility for global and whole life-cycle emissions of vehicles, not only domestic tank-to-wheel emissions. These results provide baseline information for use in the recommendation measures and international rules to be adopted by the automobile industry stakeholders and policymakers.

Chilean pathways for mid-century carbon neutrality under high renewable potential

Implementing nationally determined contributions is more challenging for developing countries given potential economic consequences. Chile, a developing economy, is committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. To do so, Chile announced multiple mitigation strategies such as phasing out coal by 2040, peaking emissions by 2025, and developing renewable energies. Fortunately, Chile holds a prominent renewable potential, standing out for solar, but it also has a significant challenge decarbonizing an economy that heavily relies on fossil fuels. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the first country-level disaggregated version of GCAM Latin America (GCAM-LA) was developed, where all South American countries are modeled as an independent energy-economy region. This model includes Chile as a separated region and incorporates interactions among the energy, water, agriculture and land use, economy, and climate systems. Second, different decarbonization strategies to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 were obtained, considering technology availability and high renewable energy potential. Results indicate that carbon neutrality is feasible when enforcing different combinations of the current Chilean mitigation strategies, even delaying coal phase-out by five years and failure of developing advanced solar technologies. If some policies are not fully implemented, such as delaying coal phase-out by five years or failure of developing advanced solar technologies, carbon neutrality can be achieved by incurring in a higher capital cost in the power sector. Moreover, decarbonization is mainly driven by high electrification levels in the final demand sector, reaching 53.7%–62.9% of the total consumption. However, such levels of electrification are reduced, particularly in the transport sector, when Chile relies on negative emissions from the land use and forestry sector.

Dynamic assessment of China’s re-electrification level considering carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals: A study based on functional data analysis

Electrification is currently the most mature technological path to carbon neutrality. However, the traditional measurement methods of the electrification levels cannot meet the development requirements of China’s electrification under the dual-carbon strategy. Thus, this study incorporated carbon constraints into the re-electrification-level evaluation system and evaluated the re-electrification level of 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2019 using the entropy weight method. Then, the functional data analysis method was employed to further explore the dynamic variation rule of the regional re-electrification level. The evaluation results show that the top three provinces in the mean value of the re-electrification index are Guangdong (0.628), Jiangsu (0.617), and Zhejiang (0.573). The clustering results show that there are great spatial differences in the development of electrification in China. According to the fitted function curve, China’s electrification development can be roughly divided into the following four stages: uptrend, brief decline, sharp uptrend, and slight and steady decline. At present, China’s electrification is entering a new stage. To implement re-electrification further, the government and the power grid enterprises need to find the priority and breakthroughs under carbon emissions and environmental constraints. Our research results provide reference for the improvement of regional re-electrification levels in China.

Improving the energy efficiency of China: An analysis considering clean energy and fossil energy resources

Improving energy efficiency can simultaneously contribute to reducing energy shortages while achieving sustainable economic development. With the expansion of the renewable energy sector, improving energy efficiency requires further investigation. This study used the data envelopment analysis (DEA) game cross-efficiency model to calculate the clean energy efficiency (CEE) and fossil energy efficiency (FEE) of China at the provincial level; it identified the key factors affecting energy efficiency using an elastic network model, and clustered the 31 regions. The results show that: (1) the average level of CEE is 0.77, which is higher than the overall FEE; (2) in the geographical distribution, clean energy sources show a high trend in the middle and low trend in the east and west, while FEE shows a low trend in the west and high trend in the east; and (3) the main influencing factors influencing CEE are urbanization levels and secondary industry shares, while the main factors influencing FEE are electrification levels and urbanization level. Finally, suggestions on how to improve energy efficiency were proposed based on the clustering results.

Implications of heating sector electrification on the Irish power system in view of the Climate Action Plan

Electrifying the heating sector, which is energy and carbon intensive, and shifting electricity supply to renewable technologies is one of the main policy options being pursued for decarbonisation of the heating sector. Heat pumps are widely adopted for this purpose. However, the impact of this policy on existing electrical systems, both from the perspectives of supply and demand, is understudied in the literature. This paper examines the system-wide impacts of integrating high quantities of heat pumps, in line with government targets, in Ireland. We provide a broad discussion of the ramifications of heating sector electrification in terms of system costs and expansion planning under renewable energy targets. Results reveal significant changes in generation and increases in associated costs with increasing levels of electrification. On the flip side, the heating sector electrification leads to more efficient utilisation of renewable energy and the transmission network. We also explore alternative policy pathways to minimize impacts on the system. These include determining optimal locations for heat pump integration and a technology-neutral emission reduction target. Optimal distribution of heat pumps has a low impact on system metrics whereas pursuing an emission reduction target makes a large impact on system costs.

A net-zero emissions energy system in India by 2050: An exploration

This study examines whether adequate opportunities exist for full decarbonisation of the Indian energy sector and highlights where enough choices for full decarbonisation by 2050 do not exist. The study suggests transformative levels of electrification, energy efficiency improvements, and a switch towards decarbonised fuels (largely green hydrogen, decarbonised electricity, and bioenergy) as the three mainstays of India’s decarbonisation strategy that could plausibly shift the energy sector towards a net-zero emissions future. The study also indicates that the heavy freight and industrial sectors face challenges in achieving full decarbonisation because of a lack of adequate technological solutions. Accordingly, residual emissions of about 1.3 gigatonnes in the system would require carbon sequestration options, including both technological and nature-based solutions, to achieve net-zero emissions. This study is expected to encourage further deliberations and deep dives into energy sub-sectors, which would benefit planners and policymakers in delineating India’s sustainable energy transition strategy.

Electrified powertrain sizing for vehicle fleets of car makers considering total ownership costs and CO2 emission legislation scenarios

Developing effective computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools is currently a compelling need for fostering industrialization and widespread diffusion of electrified road vehicles. A CAE methodology is proposed in this paper for sizing electrified road vehicle powertrains at an overall car maker vehicle fleet level by considering different evaluation criteria involving retail price, compliance with current and future regulatory CO2 emission requirements, drivability, and real-world operative costs. A case study is performed on a group of different vehicle models embedding the same electrified powertrain, and different vehicle electrification levels are assessed. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is identified as the most robust propulsion system architecture solution considering different sizing targets and 2030 oriented regulatory scenarios. This suggests that, from the perspective of a car maker, investing in research and development and in upgrade of current vehicle production facilities to propose highly electrified vehicles in the market can be a more strategic and successful approach than a conservative strategy which would restrain the economic investments and limit the overall electrification level of all vehicle models. The considerably higher retail price that users are required to pay when purchasing a fleet of plug-in HEVs may in fact be paid off and eventually reveal beneficial in a long term given the avoidance of paying a regulatory CO2 sanction and the consistent reduction in the monthly operative costs in terms of fuel and electricity. Vehicle designers can implement the presented CAE methodology for assessing electrified vehicle sizing options at the overall car maker level based on realistic use case scenarios and different potential CO2 emission regulation scenarios.

Effect of Progressive Integration of On-Board Systems Design Discipline in an MDA Framework for Aircraft Design with Different Level of Systems Electrification

The on-board design discipline is sometimes ignored during the first aircraft design iterations. It might be understandable when a single on-board system architecture is considered, especially when a conventional architecture is selected. However, seeing the trend towards systems electrification, multiple architectures can be defined and each one should be evaluated during the first tradeoff studies. In this way, the systems design discipline should be integrated from the first design iterations. This paper deals with a progressive integration of the discipline to examine the partial or total effect of the systems design inside an MDA workflow. The study is carried out from a systems design perspective, analyzing the effect of electrification on aircraft design, with different MDA workflow arrangements. Starting from a non-iterative systems design, other disciplines such as aircraft performance, engine design, and aircraft synthesis are gradually added, increasing the sensibility of the aircraft design to the different systems architectures. The results show an error of 40% in on-board systems assessment when the discipline is not fully integrated. Finally, using the workflow which allows for greater integration, interesting differences can be noted when comparing systems with different levels of electrification. A possible mass saving of 2.6% of aircraft MTOM can be reached by properly selecting the systems technologies used.

Household access to electricity and non-farm business in rural India: A panel data analysis

The role of electricity in formation and performance of rural non-farm entrepreneurial ventures is widely debated. This study aims to understand how, in India, access to household electricity impacts rural households' decisions to take up entrepreneurial activities, operated within household premises. A panel dataset of nearly twenty thousand rural households carried out in the years 2004–05 and 2011–12 has been used to explore the impact of access to electricity on participation in rural non-farm enterprises using panel fixed-effects logit models. Further, the role of electricity access on earnings of non-farm enterprises is studied using Heckman two-stage selection models. It is concluded that electricity has a positive effect on the households' decision to establish non-farm enterprises operating within home premises. It is also found that, in the presence of the household electricity access, the income from business increases by 35.2% on an average. Upon extending the analysis to different groups of states, similar outcomes are observed for relatively rich states, states with relatively higher levels of rural electrification and states with relatively lower rates of rural electrification. In case of relatively poorer states, access to electricity enables a household to participate in the non-farm business sector but does not seem to have a statistically significant impact on their business income.