Energy Infrastructure Development Research Articles

Scenario Modeling of Sustainable Development of Energy Supply in the Arctic

The 21st century is characterized not only by large-scale transformations but also by the speed with which they occur. Transformations—political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal-in synergy have always been a catalyst for reactions in society. The field of energy supply, like many others, is extremely susceptible to the external influence of such factors. To a large extent, this applies to remote (especially from the position of energy supply) regions. The authors outline an approach to justifying the development of the Arctic energy infrastructure through an analysis of the demand for the amount of energy consumed and energy sources, taking into account global trends. The methodology is based on scenario modeling of technological demand. It is based on a study of the specific needs of consumers, available technologies, and identified risks. The paper proposes development scenarios and presents a model that takes them into account. Modeling results show that in all scenarios, up to 50% of the energy balance in 2035 will take gas, but the role of carbon-free energy sources will increase. The mathematical model allowed forecasting the demand for energy types by certain types of consumers, which makes it possible to determine the vector of development and stimulation of certain types of resources for energy production in the Arctic. The model enables considering not only the growth but also the decline in demand for certain types of consumers under different scenarios. In addition, authors’ forecasts, through further modernization of the energy sector in the Arctic region, can contribute to the creation of prerequisites that will be stimulating and profitable for the growth of investment in sustainable energy sources to supply consumers. The scientific significance of the work lies in the application of a consistent hybrid modeling approach to forecasting demand for energy resources in the Arctic region. The results of the study are useful in drafting a scenario of regional development, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as identifying areas of technology and energy infrastructure stimulation.

Energy Market Complexities and the Need for Certainty

As many of this Journal's readers are aware, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency organized within the US Department of Energy (DOE). Simply stated, FERC is responsible for regulating the interstate transmission of natural gas, petroleum, and electricity and for overseeing the establishment of just and reasonable rates for wholesale electricity sales of Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). Sounds straight forward at first blush, but there is nothing simple about FERC's role. And, FERC's importance in energy infrastructure development and market operations cannot be overstated. As the nation and many states pursue aggressive decarbonization and clean energy goals, FERC's role in energy project permitting and compliance, and wholesale market operations is critically important. FERC can provide the leadership necessary to support private sector investment in infrastructure development and in fair market valuation and pricing of assets in energy markets. Coupled with federal and state funding and policy support, a clear and decisive role by FERC could provide the certainty investors need for committing capital to clean energy and decarbonization investments.

From a rural idyll to an industrial site: an analysis of hydraulic fracturing energy sprawl in Central Appalachia

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes land-system dynamics changes due to energy infrastructure development and explores the environmental and social ramifications of hydraulic fracturing, through a case study in Central Appalachia. Grounded in photographic data, satellite images, and ethnographic material, this study demonstrates landscape and embodied experiences of change over time. Data show major shifts in terms of wildlife behavior, possibilities for farming and gardening, and byproducts of construction like noise, pollution, and excavation. However, what we argue is crucial to examine is the emotional toll that these changes have taken on rural residents. Interviewees chose to live in West Virginia because of deep enchantment with the surrounding natural beauty, which they feel they have lost due to energy development. While energy research has been dominated by technical disciplines and explanations, we advocate for an emotional-oriented analysis that accounts for individually lived experiences in the context of these landscape-level changes.

Advances in Catalytic Electrooxidation of Urea: A Review

The urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is technologically important for the development of a renewable energy infrastructure. Urea electrolysis (UE) can be used to produce hydrogen much more cost‐effectively than water electrolysis, as it theoretically requires 93% less energy. Urea can also be used as fuel in direct urea fuel cells (DUFCs), instead of H2, and thus serve as an efficient hydrogen carrier. This review addresses the UOR in neutral, acidic, and alkaline electrolytes, with special emphasis on the latter. Recent developments in Ni‐based catalysts for urea oxidation (UO) in alkaline electrolytes are discussed in detail, highlighting proposed reaction mechanisms and intermediates, based on experimental and computational results. Various catalytic designs used to mitigate the UO kinetic barriers, including the use of transition metal oxides and alloys, as well as tailored surface support materials, and discuss their application in UE and DUFCs are presented. The significant challenges impeding advances in urea electrocatalysis, in addition to emerging research areas in this field, are also discussed.

Assessing the impact of infrastructure on the social and economic development of Russian regions

Subject. We present the analysis of theoretical and practical aspects of the impact of infrastructure on socio-economic development. Objectives. The aim of the study is to review theoretical and empirical aspects of relationship between the condition of infrastructure and the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. Methods. The study draws on comparative and logical analysis of theoretical foundations and conclusions published in scientific sources, as well as methods of mathematical and statistical analysis. Results. The statistical measurement of relationship between the condition of infrastructure and the determinants of economic growth yielded results that run counter to the findings in academic literature. While we reveal a significant positive correlation between the level of transport and energy infrastructure development with the gross regional product per capita, the variables that characterize the state of telecommunications and social infrastructure have little or no connection with this indicator of the Russian regions’ development. Conclusions. Several variables are not enough to assess the impact of infrastructure on socio-economic development. For this reason, the model of infrastructure impact assessment requires further improvement.

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the global energy system and the shift progress to renewable energy: Opportunities, challenges, and policy implications

Being declared a global emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken many lives, threatened livelihoods and businesses around the world. The energy industry, in particular, has experienced tremendous pressure resulting from the pandemic. In response to such a challenge, the development of sustainable resources and renewable energy infrastructure has demonstrated its potential as a promising and effective strategy. To sufficiently address the effect of COVID-19 on renewable energy development strategies, short-term policy priorities should be identified, while mid-term and long-term action plans should be formulated in achieving the well-defined renewable energy targets and progress towards a more sustainable energy future. In this review, opportunities, challenges, and significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on current and future sustainable energy strategies were analyzed in detail; while drawing from experiences in identifying reasonable behaviors, orientating appropriate actions, and policy implications on the sustainable energy trajectory were also mentioned. Indeed, the question is that whether the COVID-19 pandemic will kill us or provide us with a precious lesson on future sustainable energy development.

Resource Occurrence and Productivity in Existing and Proposed Wind Energy Lease Areas on the Northeast US Shelf

States in the Northeast United States have the ambitious goal of producing more than 22 GW of offshore wind energy in the coming decades. The infrastructure associated with offshore wind energy development is expected to modify marine habitats and potentially alter the ecosystem services. Species distribution models were constructed for a group of fish and macroinvertebrate taxa resident in the Northeast US Continental Shelf marine ecosystem. These models were analyzed to provide baseline context for impact assessment of lease areas in the Middle Atlantic Bight designated for renewable wind energy installations. Using random forest machine learning, models based on occurrence and biomass were constructed for 93 species providing seasonal depictions of their habitat distributions. We developed a scoring index to characterize lease area habitat use for each species. Subsequently, groups of species were identified that reflect varying levels of lease area habitat use ranging across high, moderate, low, and no reliance on the lease area habitats. Among the species with high to moderate reliance were black sea bass (Centropristis striata), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), which are important fisheries species in the region. Potential for impact was characterized by the number of species with habitat dependencies associated with lease areas and these varied with a number of continuous gradients. Habitats that support high biomass were distributed more to the northeast, while high occupancy habitats appeared to be further from the coast. There was no obvious effect of the size of the lease area on the importance of associated habitats. Model results indicated that physical drivers and lower trophic level indicators might strongly control the habitat distribution of ecologically and commercially important species in the wind lease areas. Therefore, physical and biological oceanography on the continental shelf proximate to wind energy infrastructure development should be monitored for changes in water column structure and the productivity of phytoplankton and zooplankton and the effects of these changes on the trophic system.

How landscape-technology fit affects public evaluations of renewable energy infrastructure scenarios. A hybrid choice model

In response to the effects of climate change, many countries are realigning their energy systems to the principle of sustainability. An energy system change will lead to the development of substantial renewable energy infrastructure (mostly wind and photovoltaic) in landscapes with effects on perceived landscape quality and socio-political acceptance. Both direct perceptive effects of physical landscape structures and latent meanings associated with those structures potentially affect their acceptance.This work evaluates the role of landscape-technology fit (derived from place-technology fit) representing the extent to which alternatives within each of these two components “fit” together (e.g., does a given type of renewable energy infrastructure fit well within some landscapes but not others?). It also evaluates the role of latent meanings ascribed to landscapes and renewable energy infrastructure within that mentioned “fit” decision as well as the role of prior experience (exposure) to both.The study is based on a survey of Swiss citizens in a representative online panel (n = 1062). To estimate preferences for diverse renewable energy infrastructure scenarios across landscape types, a discrete choice model was implemented. Meanings ascribed to landscapes and renewable energy infrastructure were included in a second component of the survey. An innovative hybrid choice model approach facilitated integration of latent and observed variables in a hierarchy of predictors.Results show that most effects were statistically significant. Landscape-technology fit functioned as a moderator between choice attributes and preferences; in turn, it is predicted by landscape and renewable energy meanings, which are predicted by relevant prior experience (exposure).

New Methods for Evaluating Energy Infrastructure Development Risks.

Many energy technologies that can provide reliable, low-carbon electricity generation are confined to nations that have access to robust technical and economic capabilities, either on their own or through geopolitical alliances. Equally important, these nations maintain a degree of institutional capacity that could lower the risks associated with deploying emergent energy technologies such as advanced nuclear or carbon capture and storage. The complexity, expense, and scrutiny that come with building these facilities make them infeasible choices for most nations. This paradigm is slowly changing, as the pressing need for low-carbon electricity generation and ongoing efforts to develop modular nuclear and carbon capture technologies have opened the door for potentially wider markets, including in nations without substantial institutional capacity. Here, using advanced nuclear technologies as our testbed, we develop new methods to evaluate national readiness for deploying complex energy infrastructure. Specifically, we use Data Envelopment Analysis-a method that eliminates the need for expert judgment-to benchmark performance across nations. We find that approximately 80% of new nuclear deployment occurs in nations that are in the top two quartiles of institutional and economic performance. However, 85% of potential low-carbon electricity demand growth is in nations that are in the bottom two quartiles of performance. We offer iconic paradigms for deploying nuclear power in each of these clusters of nations if the goal is to mitigate risk. Our research helps redouble efforts by industry, regulators, and international development agencies to focus on areas where readiness is low and risk correspondingly higher.

A short-term hybrid forecasting model for time series electrical-load data using random forest and bidirectional long short-term memory

In the presence of the deregulated electric industry, load forecasting is more demanded than ever to ensure the execution of applications such as energy generation, pricing decisions, resource procurement, and infrastructure development. This paper presents a hybrid machine learning model for short-term load forecasting (STLF) by applying random forest and bidirectional long short-term memory to acquire the benefits of both methods. In the experimental evaluation, we used a Bangladeshi electricity consumption dataset of 36 months. The paper provides a comparative study between the proposed hybrid model and state-of-art models using performance metrics, loss analysis, and prediction plotting. Empirical results demonstrate that the hybrid model shows better performance than the standard long short-term memory and the bidirectional long short-term memory models by exhibiting more accurate forecast results.

Electric Power Development Associated with the Belt and Road Initiative and its Implications for Carbon Mitigation Policies and Technologies

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), proposed by China in Fall 2013, includes large-scale development of energy infrastructures in Eurasia and Africa, and therefore has the potential to affect global climate. In this work, we analyze BRI-associated development of the electric power sector in 15 representative countries from the Belt and Road regions and find that in the period between October 2013 and June 2019, 75% of newly added power generating capacity has gone to fossil fuel-burning power plants while the remaining 25% has gone to renewable energy, mostly hydropower. Although the installed solar photovoltaics capacity and the number of solar photovoltaics projects have experienced significant increases since 2017, the total solar photovoltaics capacity is still small compared to fossil-fuel power generating capacity. Based on current trends, the total BRI-associated power development by the end of 2030 could generate 56 (range 40-72) billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the power plants. This corresponds to 7-17% of the remaining carbon budget for the 1.5 C climate goal.

The Dakota Access Pipeline in Illinois: Participation, power, and institutional design in United States critical energy infrastructure governance

The role of participation in US energy governance sits at the heart of ongoing contestation around the crude oil-bearing Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Theconstruction of the 1,172-mile pipeline raised questions about the public’s ability to influence energy infrastructure development considered by the US government as “critical” to national security. While numerous scholars and courts have begun to question whether thefederalregulatory process that permitted DAPL sufficiently allowed for participation, less work has examinedstate-levelprocesses. In this article, we ask whether actors who participated in the regulatory process at the state-level had sufficient opportunity to influence the siting, permitting, and construction of DAPL. We focus on Illinois, analyzing the 2015 proceeding by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to permit DAPL. Drawing on fieldwork between October 2018 and May 2020, we argue the ICC regulatory process minimized the space available for pipeline opposition in three ways. First, the ICC is limited, in an institutional design sense, from integrating broad public opinion into its decision-making process. Second, as a function of its design, pipeline opponents required significant knowledge and resources to mount claims before the ICC. Finally, we contend that politically powerful interest groups, especially labor unions and industry stakeholders, shape pipeline politics in Illinois in ways that further limit avenues for formal opposition. Our work raises important questions about the impact of public participation in contemporary energy and environmental governance, as well as how democratic contestation surrounding oil pipelines can openspacefor resistance and transformativesocial change.

China — Mongolia — Russia Economic Corridor Program: Problems and Prospects for Implementation

The 100-th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Mongolia, which the two neighboring countries will celebrate on November 5, 2021, gives a serious reason to assess the current state of bilateral cooperation, existing problems and prospects for its development. In recent years, the issues of intensification of Russian-Mongolian relations have been considered in the context of the trilateral «Program for the creation of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor». Despite the lack of concrete results within the framework of this program, the implementation of a number of infrastructure projects is being prepared, which will seriously strengthen the economic base of cooperation between Russia and Mongolia and China. The paper analyzes the problematic issues of the implementation of plans for the development of transport and energy infrastructure through Mongolia, which are considered as the basis for trilateral cooperation. Particular attention is paid to plans for the development of the railway network. The promising directions for the development of cross-border infrastructure in the framework of the program for the creation of the Mongolian corridor are identified.

Conceptual principles of project management for development of hydrate and other unconventional gas fields as a component of energy security of Ukraine

Topical issues concerning the possibilities of effective development of unconventional gas fields, in particular gas hydrate as an element of Ukraine’s energy security, are covered. Attention is drawn to the need for an integrated approach to the development of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits using project management methods. The main challenges, opportunities, scenarios of energy security of Ukraine are studied. Priority tasks in the gas sector are analyzed in accordance with the implementation of the New Energy Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2035 at the stage “Optimization and innovative development of energy infrastructure (until 2025)” and “Ensuring sustainable development (until 2035)”. Peculiarities of development of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits at each stage of management – discovery, evaluation, development, production and closure of the project are determined. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive substantiation of organizational and technological decisions to increase the efficiency of development of offshore gas hydrate fields in comparison with other unconventional gas fields.

СТРАТЕГІЯ SMART VILLAGE ЯК ПЕРСПЕКТИВНИЙ НАПРЯМ РОЗВИТКУ ЕНЕРГОНЕЗАЛЕЖНИХ СІЛЬСЬКИХ ТЕРИТОРІЙ

The article provides a scientific and theoretical justification of new business models and structures of energy infrastructure development. It is determined that with the increase of decentralization of energy production more and more communities and enterprises can play a certain role in the energy system. It is noted that the first step towards building a community energy system is the process of uniting and coordinating stakeholders to build a legal, administrative and managerial structure. In rural areas, the community's energy initiative has been found to increase economic sustainability and lead to social innovation, increase the number of people who can access the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency through the Smart Village strategy approach. The initiation and implementation of Smart Village strategies can be based on existing initiatives and can be funded from a variety of public and private sources. Rural communities can include one or more settlements, without any restrictions on administrative boundaries or population. It has been proven that in rural areas, the community energy initiative through the Smart Village strategy approach increases economic sustainability and leads to social innovation, increases the number of people who can access the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Smart Villages develop and implement their strategy to improve their economic, social and environmental conditions, relying on a participatory responsibility approach, in particular by mobilizing solutions offered by digital technologies. Local energy generation means that profits and energy costs do not flow from the region, and can help reduce energy costs in the long run, while stimulating the emergence of local value chains. The main purpose of the infrastructure is to enable the generation of energy at the local level, which will ensure the concentration of energy costs in the region to reduce energy costs in the long run, while stimulating the emergence of local value chains. The article gives examples of effective implementation strategies Smart Village in the European Union.

Czy bez dostępu do morza Węgry przyłączą się do Trójmorza?

The Three Sees Initiative (TSI) enables cooperation of the twelve states clustered between three seas – the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas. The TSI’s priorities include projects related to the development of road and energy infrastructure, as well as taking measures to increase the region’s competitiveness. The purpose of this article is to indicate the conditions related to the Hungarian perception of the TSI and to define the factors enabling closer cooperation under the TSI and those that impede this cooperation. The analysis is based on the latest findings, which make it possible to track changes in Hungary’s perception of the TSI.

The impact of infrastructure investment and development on economic growth on BRICS

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine the impact of infrastructure investment and development on economic growth in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries. The effect is examined for each country separately and also collectively by combining each country. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least square regression method is applied to examine the effects of infrastructure investment and development on economic growth for each country. Panel data techniques such as panel least square method, panel least square fixed-effect model and panel least square random effect model are used to examine the collective impact by combining all countries in BRICS. The dynamic panel model is also incorporated for analysis in the study. Findings The results of the study are mixed. The association between infrastructure investment and development and economic growth for countries within BRICS is not robust. There is an insignificant relationship between infrastructure investment and development and economic growth in Brazil and South Africa. Energy and transportation infrastructure investment and development lead to economic growth in Russia. Telecommunication infrastructure investment and development and economic growth have a negative relationship in India, whereas there is a negative association between transport infrastructure investment and development and economic growth in China. Panel data results conclude that energy infrastructure investment and development lead to economic growth, whereas telecommunication infrastructure investment and development are significant and negatively linked with economic growth. Originality/value The study is novel as time series analysis and panel data analysis are used, taking the time span for 38 years (1980–2017) to investigate the influence of infrastructure investment and development on economic growth in BRICS Countries. Time-series regression analysis is used to test the impact for individual countries separately, whereas panel data regression analysis is used to examine the impact collectively for all countries in BRICS.

Bureaucratic land grabbing for infrastructural colonization: renewable energy, L’Amassada, and resistance in southern France

Governments and corporations exclaim that “energy transition” to “renewable energy” is going to mitigate ecological catastrophe. French President Emmanuel Macron makes such declarations, but what is the reality of energy infrastructure development? Examining the development of a distributional energy transformer substation in the village of Saint-Victor-et-Melvieu, this article argues that “green” infrastructures are creating conflict and ecological degradation and are the material expression of climate catastrophe. Since 1999, the Aveyron region of southern France has become a desirable area of the so-called renewable energy development, triggering a proliferation of energy infrastructure, including a new transformer substation in St. Victor. Corresponding with this spread of “green” infrastructure has been a 10-year resistance campaign against the transformer. In December 2014, the campaign extended to building a protest site, and ZAD, in the place of the transformer called L’Amassada. Drawing on critical agrarian studies, political ecology, and human geography literatures, the article discusses the arrival process of the transformer, corrupt political behavior, misinformation, and the process of bureaucratic land grabbing. This also documents repression against L’Amassada and their relationship with the Gilets Jaunes “societies in movement.” Finally, the notion of infrastructural colonization is elaborated, demonstrating its relevance to understanding the onslaught of climate and ecological crisis.

Islands in the energy stream: regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean tourism sector

Aim: This article considers the need to move away from a dependency on fossil fuels towards more sustainable renewable sources of energy production. The focus is on the tourism sector in two Indian Ocean destinations, Mauritius and the Seychelles. The broader aim, however, is to highlight the interconnectedness between public and private stakeholders and how lessons learned from these case studies could have broader applicability elsewhere.
 
 Design/research methods: A case study approach has been taken drawing on data supplied by both the private tourism sector in the destinations under consideration and relevant government and regional reports.
 
 Conclusions/findings: Progress has been made in the shift towards decarbonisation policies and practices in these destinations. This has been achieved via a cooperative approach between public and private stakeholders, extending the development of renewable energy infrastructure and supply to include sustainable education policies supported by both governments’ education departments and vocational programmes implemented by the larger hotels in these destinations.
 
 Originality/value of the article: Although there have been other studies conducted on the promotion of renewable energy in small island states, there is a paucity of such research looking specifically at the tourism sector and the role of public/private partnerships in developing broader education for sustainable development programmes.
 
 Implications: The case studies focus on highlighting how governments and tourism businesses can work towards shared goals, in this case decarbonisation and education for sustainability. The implication is that such a model could be applied elsewhere with equally positive results.

The energyscape of the lower Thames and Medway: Britain’s changing patterns of energy use

ABSTRACT This article examines the history of the energy landscape — the energyscape — of the lower River Thames and Medway from the 1860s to the present. It explores why, and in what ways, the energy industries have exploited the area and its landscape. Key factors include its accessibility for ocean-going shipping; the proximity to energy consumers in London and south-east England; the availability of large areas of land; and water resources. The energy industries included oil storage and refining; petrochemicals; gas manufacture and handling; and electricity generation and distribution. The article argues that the development of energy infrastructure in the Thames/ Medway landscape reflects the shifting patterns of energy use in the UK. For example, the recent demolition of Grain and Kingsnorth power stations — prominent north Kent landmarks since the 1970s — exemplifies the decline of coal and oil as primary fuels for electricity generation. Similarly, the seascape of the outer Thames estuary has been transformed by the advent of renewable energy and the construction of four major offshore wind farms. The article demonstrates how patterns of energy use are a mosaic of social needs, technological capabilities, environmental concerns, political expediency, and economic forces. The Thames/ Medway energyscape has developed, evolved and been adapted to these influences, and continues to support the energy needs of the UK economy.