National Energy Plan Research Articles

Linking the National Energy and Climate Plan with Municipal Spatial Planning and Supporting Sustainable Investment in Renewable Energy Sources in Austria

The Austrian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) refers to spatial planning as an important instrument to achieve 2030 targets because the technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES) are closely related to the types of land use. In Austria, land use is regulated by the spatial planning laws of the nine provinces, whereby the municipalities play an important role. It was the objective of the transFORMAT project to understand the scope for action of the municipalities with regard to promoting renewable energy use, and to understand the practical implications for renewable energy projects. To this end, the consolidated versions of spatial planning laws were analyzed and supported by a software tool (transFORMAT-Analyzer) that was developed to facilitate this process and the resulting follow-up activities. Responsible administrative departments were approached for supplementary information when deemed necessary. As a conclusion, the legal instrument (municipal ordinance), called a municipal development plan or concept, represents a long-term plan for the development of the municipality with the obligation or the option for revision under specific conditions. In theory, these revision intervals could be used to better align municipal plans with the NECP. In practice, however, significant barriers exist and opportunities for improvement have been identified, leading to recommendations on how investments in renewable energy systems can be planned more realistically and, thus, more sustainably.

Brace for turbulence: EU Member States’ climate strategies in the aviation sector

The European Green Deal (EGD) aims to transform the European Union (EU) into a climate neutral continent by 2050, requiring significant changes within carbon-intensive sectors. In this article, we examine EU Member States’ climate strategies in the aviation sector, where greenhouse gas emissions have doubled since 1990. We analyse EU National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) in order to examine national commitments on aviation. How frequently do EU Member States refer to aviation in their NECPs, and how can these references be understood thematically? First, by conducting a content analysis on all 54 draft and final NECPs, we identify how frequently 11 aviation-related terms were used. While all states increased the number of aviation references between their draft and final NECPs, Central and Eastern states showed the smallest increase. We show that Southern and Western Member States reference aviation most frequently in their final NECPs. Second, in our thematic analysis, we identify three key themes—‘contextual information’, ‘public policy’, and ‘fuels and propulsion’—that we divide into 17 sub-themes. Approximately half of the themes focused on contextual information, such as current aviation emissions, with the other half focusing on carbon reduction strategies, especially the EU Emissions Trading System, biofuels, and taxation. Western EU states provided the largest number of concrete policy statements on reducing aviation emissions and the promotion of biofuels. There were only two references to reducing the number of flights, across almost 7500 pages of climate documents. We conclude that the NECPs represent a promising means of conducting cross-country climate policy analysis, in order to compare efforts across economic sectors within Europe. With our analysis, we create a pre-pandemic sectoral baseline for aviation which can be used for further study.

Energy poverty across Europe: Problematisation and policy measures through the lens of energy justice

In addition to technological challenges, the energy transition involves societal, political, and economic rearrangements. These rearrangements may exacerbate existing inequalities and injustices or generate new ones. To shed light on how just energy transitions are currently envisioned, this article assesses which injustices are recognised and addressed in four National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) mandated by the European Union. The plans of Austria, Denmark, Poland and Italy are compared via qualitative content analysis. The articles focuses on how countries problematise and plan to address energy poverty, which is conceptualised as energy injustice, adopting an energy justice perspective. The analysis shows that all plans are limited in their appreciation of energy poverty along the three energy justice tenets discussed in the literature (recognition, distribution, procedural justice). All plans disregard gender, and other vulnerabilities to energy poverty and spatial injustices are rarely mentioned. The Italian plan appears the most detailed in problematising energy poverty, while Denmark provides the least detail on the issue, assigning energy poverty to social policy, which is considered separately from the NECP. All countries identify energy-efficient buildings as a promising intervention area, but measures targeting the specific financial obstacles faced by people in energy poverty still need to be clarified. Generally, a wider acknowledgement of structural injustices associated with energy poverty is needed to integrate social and energy goals and reach a “justice-aware” energy policy.

Modeli korišćenja električne energije kupaca-proizvođača

In light of the sharp and significant increase of the electricity price on the global market in 2021, the concept of electricity production for the own needs gained importance. This work will analyze the possibilities of reducing electricity costs for end customers who become prosumers. It will also present ways of managing prosumers consumption in order to more rationally use produced electricity and improve energy efficiency. In addition, the impact of prosumers on total electricity generation from renewable sources in the Republic of Serbia will be discussed. To that end, special attention shall be on different models of assessment of total electricity produced in prosumers facilities, in accordance with the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources. At the end, the results of the analyses will be presented, as well as possibilities for future development of the prosumers concept, in order to achieve the goals in faster and more successful manner, in accordance with the commitments made in international agreements, which will be implemented in the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan. In addition, when conducting research, special focus shall be on international practice in this area.

Passenger Transport Shift to Green Mobility – Assessment Using TIMES Model

Abstract The transport sector accounts for about one-third of the final energy consumption in Latvia, most of which are fossil fuels in road transport. Fossil fuel consumption increases emissions and demands an immediate change in mobility habits to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This paper focuses on the in-depth analyses of passenger transport by modelling the potential use of cleaner energy sources and the possible decrease of consumption through the modal shift. As travel modes differ for each distance, the study is done for three distances – short, medium and long. Three scenarios have been analysed – BASE scenario including existing measures and taxation policy, NECP scenario including measures defined in the National Energy and Climate Plan until 2030 and GHG TARGET scenario aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The proposed modelling approach allows for the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of existing and planned measures in greening mobility. Results proved the need for immediate action and a change in the mobility habits of the population to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

A Market Inventory of Construction Wood for Residential Building in Europe – in the Light of the Eu's Green Deal and National Energy and Climate Plans

A Market Inventory of Construction Wood for Residential Building in Europe – in the Light of the Eu's Green Deal and National Energy and Climate Plans

Does Investing in Renewable Energy Sources Contribute to Growth? A Preliminary Study on Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan

As more economies are transitioning away from fossil fuels for their electricity production and towards greener alternatives, many socioeconomic implications of this shift remain actively debated. The present paper attempts to assess the economic impact of investments in renewable energy sources (RESs) for Greece and whether the broader effects of this transition can offset the negative impact that will occur due to the targeted phase-out of lignite plants by 2028, which constitute the predominant power source for Greece. Our methodological approach builds on input–output analysis and the creation of composite RES industries for the estimation of the net effects of a series of monetary shocks that correspond to Greece’s phase-out investment plan, utilizing the most recent national input–output tables and satellite structural business statistics. We focus on the structural effects of these shocks on a series of socioeconomic indicators, including GDP, employment, wages, government income (through taxes), and capital formation. The results indicate that even though lignite power production still provides a significant contribution to the Greek economy, investing in renewables presents a significant opportunity for value added and job creation.

The obstacles and challenges of transition towards a renewable and sustainable energy system in Azerbaijan and Poland

The aims of the paper are to identify and assess the determinants of transition to renewable and sustainable energy development in Azerbaijan and Poland. Both countries have a clear target to increase the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the gross final energy consumption, i.e. Poland in the National Energy and Climate Plan for the years 2021–2030 declares that it wishes to achieve 21–23% by 2030 (total consumption in electricity, heating and cooling as well as for transport purposes). But there are currently significant producers and consumers of conventional energy carriers, respectively coal and oil, and these fuels ensure an appropriate level of energy security and production stability. Moreover, in Poland, the mining sector plays a very important social role, whereas the oil industry in Azerbaijan creates significant budget revenue. Therefore, even with stronger EU and worldwide climate policy and a decreasing cost of cleaner forms of energy, there are many challenges and obstacles for such countries in increasing energy from RES associated with energy security, efficiency, existing infrastructure, competitiveness and social aspects. In order to identify best practices for the transition to decarbonisation, the availability of energy resources, energy market structures, national strategies and policies were compared using PESTEL analysis.

Indonesia’s Road to Fulfill National Renewable Energy Plan Target in 2025 and 2050: Current Progress, Challenges, and Management Recommendations – A Small Review

Indonesia has a large amount of energy consumption, domestically and industrially. Indonesia’s energy mix is still dominated by fossil fuels and coals, with the percentage of 35.64% and 50% respectively in 2020. This is caused by Indonesia’s rich supply of oil and coal, even though experts have predicted that these supplies will run out in 10 years ahead. One option to preserve Indonesia’s energy security is to start using renewable energy. Indonesia’s renewable energy potential is predicted to be around 443 GW of installed capacity, and already made renewable energy mix percentage target of 23% in 2025 and 31% in 2050 in their National Energy Plan. However, Indonesia’s renewable energy percentage in their 2020 national energy mix is only 14.71%. Therefore, to reach their national renewable energy target, Indonesia needs to solve their problems by finding the right actions and strategies in their energy management through stakeholders such as the government, public, and investors. This review will be made by using the literature based research method.

Assessment of electricity network investment for the integration of high RES shares: A Spanish-like case study

In the course of the energy transition, the EU member states’ National Energy and Climate Plans seek to install significant amounts of intermittent renewable generation capacity over this decade. Previous studies underline the social, political, and economic benefits of the electricity sector decarbonisation. The economic analysis of renewable energy sources (RES) integration is commonly performed with single-bus generation expansion models that seek the cost-optimal expansion of RES generation capacity to reduce operational expenses. However, electricity grids will require investments to adapt to the integration of high amounts of RES capacity. This paper contrasts the cost-optimal generation capacity mix obtained from a single-bus expansion model with a conservative estimation of electricity network investment requirements for an exemplary Spanish-like case study. RES network investment costs are put in context with an alternative non-RES generation expansion pathway. Network investment costs considered include expansion costs for both transmission and distribution grids. Electricity network expansion costs represent 6 to 10% of the corresponding generation capacity investment. Despite increasing network investment costs, the integration of high RES shares into electricity grids reduces operating costs when compared to non-RES pathways. Fuel and emission savings exceed total investments (generation capacity, network expansion, and connection costs). • We quantify the grid investments needed to integrate high amounts of RES. • Results show that RES drive significant grid expansion and connection costs. • However, incremental grid investments represent only 6%–10% of RES investment costs. • RES-driven reduction in operating costs compensate for incremental grid costs. • High RES penetration is found to reduce total system costs (investment + operation).

An Inspection of the Life Cycle of Sustainable Construction Projects: Towards a Biomimicry-Based Road Map Integrating Circular Economy.

According to the National Energy Plan in Panama, the construction sector is one of the most prosperous and impactful sectors in the economy and it is expected to expand due to population growth by almost 300% by 2050. However, this sector must work on the transition towards sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change, since its growth implies a high consumption of resources and the contribution of greenhouse gases. The need to establish practices and strategies that embrace the dimension of sustainability and a circular economy is imminent. Currently, there is little guidance in the reference framework beyond certifications in planning, management and evaluation tools for its implementation. Different studies vary in the number of phases and considerations for projects. Therefore, the present work proposes the development of a unified road map, with defined phases, practices and indicators based on principles inspired by nature, such as biomimicry (Greek words: “bio” means life and “mimesis”, imitation), and focuses on a circular economy, validated by construction professionals, where strengths, opportunities, skills and threats are identified with a high level of acceptance. This contributes to strengthening the field of sustainable construction project management and a precedent for Panama.

Assessment of the Greek National Plan of Energy and Climate Change—Critical Remarks

The Greek National Energy and Climate Plan was validated by the Greek Governmental Committee of Economic Policy on 23 December 2019. The decisions included in this plan will have a significant impact on the Greek energy mix as the production of electricity from lignite combustion ceases in 2028, when lignite will be replaced by natural gas (NG) and renewable energy sources (RES). This work presents an assessment of the Greek National Energy and Climate Plan by analyzing its pros and cons. The main critiques made are focused on the absence of risk analysis and alternative scenarios, the proposed energy mix, the absence of other alternatives on the energy mix and energy storage, the low attention given to energy savings (transport, buildings), the future energy prices, and the economic and social impacts. This analysis shows that delaying this transition for some years, to better prepare it by taking into consideration the most sustainable paths for that transition, such as using more alternatives, is the best available option today.

Will Plans to Ease Energy Poverty Go Up in Smoke? Assessing the Hungarian NECP through the Lens of Solid Fuel Users’ Vulnerabilities

Hungary has one of the highest incidences of energy poverty in the European Union, and a high share of Hungarian low-income households rely on solid fuels. This paper first maps the energy vulnerabilities of Hungarian solid fuel users using six energy vulnerability factors. The mapping underlines that solid fuel users are more exposed to energy vulnerability than average households. This is followed by an analysis of energy-poverty-related objectives and measures outlined in the Hungarian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), a key policy document of the green energy transition. The paper outlines that the NECP fails to comply with the requirement of setting energy poverty alleviation objectives. Furthermore, the outlined energy-poverty-related policies and measures fail to provide systematic solutions to energy-poverty drivers, especially those solid fuel users’ vulnerabilities. Hungary’s general antiegalitarian policy environment and the weak design of energy poverty measures in the NECP suggest severe deficiency regarding a just energy transition guarantee. A just energy transition in Hungary is therefore endangered by the fact that EU energy poverty alleviation requirements fall under soft-law coordination mechanisms that make such requirements hardly enforceable in a member state with an antipoor policy bias that is reluctant to tackle energy poverty.

A review of flexibility options for high RES penetration in power systems — Focusing the Greek case

Applying the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC in Greece, Renewable Energy Sources (RES) share in gross final consumption (GFC) of energy should reach at least 18% by 2020. Subsequently, according to the Greek National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), the RES share in GFC of energy must reach at least 35% by 2030 and the RES share in the GFC of electricity must reach at least 61%, respectively. Based on estimates it was found that installed capacity of at least 9 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) power plants is needed to achieve the above milestones. The installed capacity of variable RE (vRE) power plants (wind and photovoltaic power plants) in Greece during 2017–2030 is expected to be tripled. To achieve such high penetration of variable RES (vRES) in the power systems flexibility issues and needs inevitably arise. System operators seek to identify the most suitable flexibility options combination to meet the challenges posed by high penetration of vRES in the power systems. This paper reviews the different flexibility options (e.g. demand response, energy storage, power to X, supply side etc.) that exist and are tools for the transitioning into a flexible power system. In addition, twenty-three (23) different flexibility options are described and twelve (12) quantitative (numerical) and qualitative parameters are considered. For each of these parameters, data have been obtained from an extensive literature review. Focusing the Greek energy system as an example, all options and parameters are further analyzed presenting their technical characteristics, their economic, technical, and social barriers as well as their environmental impacts in order to assess which flexibility options are most suitable for the Greek power system for the optimization of RES penetration.

Strategic Planning for Carbon Capture and Storage Implementation in the Electricity Sector of Greece: A TIMES Based Analysis

This paper presents a roadmap performed in 2010 as part of a European project for the modelling of carbon capture and storage technology, and various scenarios with different taxations and permit prices for the CO2 emissions considering the Greek national plans, then the gradual decommissioning of various lignite or other units of electricity power plants. In addition, this study presents a first check, 10 years after its writing, of the current situation of the Greek energy system, regarding the correspondence of the roadmap designed in 2010 to what has been finally executed during this period, including the possibility of other energy sources complimenting or substituting the national strategic energy plans. For this purpose, the integrated MARKAL-EFOM system (TIMES) was employed to model the Greek energy system and evaluate its development over time, until 2040, by analyzing three different scenarios with respect to taxation and permit prices for carbon emissions. The results obtained show that, if this study had been considered and executed by the different stakeholders during that period, then the implementation of CCS in the new licensed power plants from 2010 and onwards could reduce the use of lignite and imported hard coal power production in a much smoother and beneficial way in the next years, and until the present, without compromising any major power plants. This implementation would also make the transition to a lignite free economy in Greece much faster and better, while complimenting the EU regulations and also enhancing the possible greater use of alternative energy sources in the green energy mixture.

Cooking in the margins: Exploring the role of liquefied petroleum gas for refugees in low-income countries

Framed by the United Nation's 'Clean Energy Challenge' to achieve universal energy access for all (SDG7) for the world's 82 million forcibly displaced persons, we focus on the role of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in delivering clean cooking solutions for refugees and host communities in resource-poor countries. Notwithstanding scepticism towards LPG among the majority of Western donors, we summarise evidence to indicate the latent market demand for LPG among refugees, as a cleaner, safer and lower-carbon technology option compared to the baseline scenario in most circumstances. Further, we argue that LPG offers a culturally appropriate and in many cases commercially viable solution in low-income hosting contexts, including rural areas, where host governments promote LPG in national energy access policy and planning. To this end, we argue the case for a Global LPG Market Creation Fund for displaced populations and nearby host communities, to kick-start investment in commercially oriented business models.

National Energy and Climate Planning in Serbia: From Lagging Behind to an Ambitious EU Candidate?

Just in the immediate neighbourhood of the European Union (EU), the Republic of Serbia, one of the Western Balkan (WB) EU candidate countries, is lagging behind in the process of energy transition regardless of technological advances and policy instruments available. The EU created a momentum for energy transition acceleration with the European Green Deal, which has been forwarded to the WB through the Energy Community secretariat in the form of the Green Agenda; generally speaking, response in the form of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) is expected in the short term. The Republic of Serbia’s Low Carbon Development Strategy with Action Plan (LCDSA) and the current Energy Strategy will be analysed, commented on, and improvements will be suggested for the acceleration of energy transition, based on the newest findings from the simulation-based optimization techniques using the sector coupling approach to achieve ambitious variable renewable energy shares. The motivation of this research is to provide decision makers in Serbia with the best available insights regarding sustainable energy system planning tools and possible shortcuts for delayed planning of activities. In addition, the purpose is to improve Serbia’s chance of benefitting from adoption of these strategies in the country’s faster transition towards EU membership. The research compares two scenarios to illustrate a possible policy shift from small hydro power plants to photovoltaics (PV). A further increase in PV and wind power plants has been simulated using the EnergyPLAN to achieve expected scenarios of 40% renewable energy share and some more ambitious ones—up to 80%, which is realistic only with the sector coupling approach.

ENERGY PROSPECTS IN WESTERN BALKAN REGION ‒ MONTENEGRO CASE

To meet new energy demands and climate targets for 2030, the EU member states and West Balkans countries are requested to introduce the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) for the period from 2021 to 2030. That implies implementing clean, affordable and renewable energies to reach a climate-neutral economy by 2050. This will require moving towards the long-term goals set by Power agreements, which means to perform economic transformations to reach broader sustainable development goals. To achieve those goals national long-term strategies in Western Balkan countries jointly with EU strategies have to cover, at least, the following in the coming 30 years: total greenhouse emission reduction, even elimination, to extend feasible socio-economic effects of the decarburization measures, to enable links to other national long-term objectives, to make progress on a low greenhouse gas emission economy by encouraging the use of renewable energy sources to approach the European green plan. All those measures will lead the energy sector in the Western Balkans (WB6) to be organized to function with diversified sources of energy, secure fully functional integrated energy market, the free flow of energy, improve efficiency by reducing needs for energy imports; move to low carbon economy by promoting research and innovations in low carbon and clean energy technologies, which will all lead to extensive implantation of renewable energy sources and control of climate change in the region.

Least-Cost Non-RES Thermal Power Plants Mix in Power Systems with Majority Penetrations of Renewable Energy

The ambitious targets of the European Union (EU) for a greater penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) in all areas of activity have led to power systems with growing levels of variable RES (VRES) all over the EU. Considering these targets, the EU countries presented their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) with their expected capacity until 2030. The NECPs considered a relevant increase in the VRES capacity and in some cases a decrease in the capacity of dispatchable power plants. VRES have near-zero marginal costs and increase the volatility of the net-load due to the stochastic profile of their production. These characteristics increase the need to maintain fast-response dispatchable power plants to guarantee the security of supply and also decrease market prices. Thus, governments promote externalities, as capacity mechanisms and other incentives to these players, guaranteeing their economic sustainability. This study presents the optimization of the non-RES thermal capacity of the Iberian power system by 2030, considering the least-cost algorithm. Considering a cooperative scenario between Portugal and Spain, it is possible to reduce the system costs by 17.40%, the curtailments quantity by 21.93%, the number of market-splitting hours by 43.26% and the dioxide carbon emissions by 4.76%.

National Energy and Climate Plans for the island of Ireland: wind curtailment, interconnectors and storage

Member States have published National Energy and Climate Plans with challenging variable renewable electricity (VRE) targets. As VRE has a high peak to average output, the Single Electricity Market of the island of Ireland (SEM) will need to consider how best to balance the lost value of curtailment against the extra costs of higher Simultaneous Non-Synchronous Penetration (SNSP), more interconnector capacity and/or more storage. The paper develops a spreadsheet model to explore these options for the 2026 VRE targets in the SEM and her neighbours. Raising SNSP from 75 % to 85 % reduces curtailment from 13.3 % to 8.0 %, saving 1338 GWh/yr of spilled wind. Adding the Celtic Link of 700 MW at SNSP of 75 % reduces curtailment to 12.4 % and saves 235 GWh. Adding 100 MW of batteries saves 19 GWh/yr, but the costs of delivering these savings are high. The marginal spilled wind can be four times the average, creating a potentially significant market distortion and reducing the value of adding further VRE.