Primary Energy Production Research Articles

Renewable energy in European countries, retrospective analysis

This study performs an exploratory analysis of the evolution of primary production of RES for EU28 countries over the ten years studied. Through the analysis, the document presents: the structure of production by sectors of production and by renewable energy sources, analyses the evolution of the mentioned indicators both in total and in detail on each renewable energy source and allows the identification of differences in the level of production from RES: between countries and regions. The analysis shows that these countries have implemented EU strategies in the field and exceeded the proposed target for 2020 starting from 2017. Among the most important RESs in primary energy production were the sources: Hydro, Wind and Solar, in the countries from the EU28 due to the existence of a natural potential that has been exploited and encouraged by the country-specific internal policies, but also due to the development of technologies and lower costs for these renewable energy sources.

Crosstalk: Farming Fish

During the past 50 years, the world's population has grown about 2.1 times, and consumption has grown more; for some goods, much more. Between 1968 and 2018 (the most recent year for which we have global data), production of both primary energy and of steel rose 3.4 times, that of meat grew 3.5 times, and that of grain grew 2.6 times. The total number of cars on the world's roads rose sixfold, and the number of revenue-generating passenger-kilometers flown (an industry metric) grew by about 24 times. But the rise in aquacultural production beats them all.

Forecast of China’s Future Nuclear Energy Development and Nuclear Safety Management Talents Development

Firstly analyzes the global energy development, analyzes the impact of carbon emission reduction on the global energy structure, and forecasts the future energy demand and nuclear energy development prospects in the future (by 2040). The growth rate will be higher than the average growth rate of energy; China is one of the countries with the strongest growth in nuclear energy. Then analyzes China primary energy production and consumption, the conclusion is that the absolute production and consumption of non-fossil energy is steadily increasing year by year. According to China’s “Two centenary goals” development goals and future global energy demand and structure (up to 2050) to measure the future installed capacity of nuclear powers, conclusion is that China “Two centenary goals” goals on nuclear power generation capacity is 3.08 million kWh, 10.15 million kWh; Based on the structure of global energy demand and China development policy, it is estimated that China nuclear power generation will be 0.4 million kWh by 2020 and 1.81 million kWh by 2050.Finally, according to the estimated nuclear power installed capacity under different scenarios, calculate the corresponding number of nuclear safety management talents in the future. The conclusion is that China should give full support to nuclear safety management talents development.

The Role of the Far East in Russia’s Foreign Energy Policy Agenda

The evolution of goals and objectives of the Energy Strategy of Russia for the period from 2003 to 2020 is considered. It is shown that the main priority of the foreign energy policy is to maintain and strengthen the country’s position in the world markets. It is determined that the country is actually consolidating the strategy of increasing production with the subsequent export of hydrocarbon raw materials. It is noted that the target indicators of the strategy, along with the share of Asia-Pacific countries in the geographical structure of Russian energy exports, is an increase in the share of primary energy production in Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The role of the Far East in Russia’s foreign energy policy agenda is analyzed. It is determined that the Far East acts as a transit territory and as a hydrocarbon and coal resource base. The development of the fuel and energy complex in the region is carried out within the framework of large energy projects in four categories: the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean oil pipeline (ESPO) and the development of fields along the pipeline route; a set of interrelated projects within the Eastern Gas Program; development of the coal industry and related rail and port infrastructure; cross-border electricity exports to China

Energy Production and Consumption in the European Union - Assessment of Changes in the Aspects of Sustainability and the Energy Self-Sufficiency

Purpose: The study discusses the issue of energy sustainability of the EC countries from the point of view of renewable energy sources, energy consumption and energy dependence and general energy demand of the economy. The study aims to identify and evaluate the key characteristics of the energy sector of the European Union countries in 2016. Design/Methodology/Approach: The information used in the comparative analysis includes the data published in EUROSTAT and the BP Statistical Review of World Energy reports. The data applied to the characteristics of global trends in energy production and consumption in regards to self-sufficiency and sustainability of the energy sector im EU. Findings: The analysis shows that despite the common challenges, the membership countries show significantly different levels of completion of climate and energy goals established by the E. The EC countries often represent different approaches to the issues related with the production and consumption of primary energy. The first approach can be observed in most Western European countries in which the energy production is mainly based on renewable sources and meet a minor part of the economy’s energy demand. The second approach is represented by the Central and Eastern European countries and focus on self-sufficiency and security of their own energy systems in which the production of primary energy is better balanced with consumption, however, the contribution of renewable sources is small. Practical Implications: The recommendations resulting from the analyses may be used as a valuable source of information for the entities and institutions responsible for developing the tasks undertaken as part of the environmental policies. Originality/Value: The results supplement previous research on the analysis of sustainability and self-sufficiency of the energy sector of the EU countries.

Decarbonising the transport and energy sectors: Technical feasibility and socioeconomic impacts in Costa Rica

Compliance with the Paris Agreement requires the transformation of national economies to meet net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by mid-century. To accomplish this, countries need to define long-term decarbonisation strategies with near- and mid-term actions to determine their ideal future scenario while maximizing socioeconomic benefits. This paper describes the process followed to support the creation of the decarbonisation pathway for the transport and energy sectors presented in Costa Rica's National Decarbonisation Plan. We discuss in detail the technological pathway of a deep-decarbonisation future that supports reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, our results show that the decarbonisation pathway can lead to emissions' reduction of 87% in the transport and energy sectors by 2050. Energy efficiency, the adoption of electromobility, modal-shift towards public transport and active mobility, as well as reduced demand due to digitalisation and teleworking, are found to be key drivers towards the deep-decarbonisation. These measures combined enable a 25% reduction of primary energy production by 2050. The results highlight that the decarbonisation scenario requires installing 4.4 GW more of renewable power plants by 2050, compared to the BAU scenario (80%). We also show that additional investments for the deep-decarbonisation are compensated with the reduced operating cost. Crucially, we found that the National Decarbonisation Plan results in a lower total discounted cost of about 35% of current Costa Rica's GDP, indicating that a deep decarbonisation is technically feasible and is coupled to socioeconomic benefits.

Solving the Energy Transition Riddle: Renewable Gas for Transport and Renewable Electricity for Heating

Many studies have analyzed the energy mix at national and continental scales, suggesting different low-carbon mixes for future energy systems. While there is abundant literature on the energy mix for different sectors, fewer studies deal with the impact of sector-coupling on achieving the goal of deep decarbonization, with limited representation of emerging low-carbon options and incomplete coverage of the main energy sectors. We develop an integrated optimization-of-dispatch and investment model for the whole energy sector, enabling full sector-coupling, and we apply this model to France for the year 2050. Our results suggest that a robust social cost of carbon of €300/tCO 2 will achieve carbon-neutrality, with a high proportion of renewables on the supply side (> 80% of primary energy production). A fully electrified heat sector and a highly gas-dependent transport sector fueled with renewable gas help reaching carbon-neutrality under the most cost-optimal conditions.

Analysis of the development of global energy production and consumption by fuel type in various regions of the world

This article is devoted to the analysis of the geographical structure of the world energy industry. The article analyzes trends in global energy production and consumption from 1990 to 2018. Statistical indicators of energy production and consumption are also considered. The study notes that the leading countries in GNP production are the largest energy consumers in the world. The authors consider the issues of distribution of production and consumption of energy resources across the world, changes in the relationship between the leaders in primary energy production and energy consumption. Electricity consumption and production by regions of the world are considered, and the share of global energy intensity of energy by fuel type is determined. In addition, the article analyzes the world consumption of natural gas and coal, as well as its extraction. Changes in world demand for petroleum products and their consumption are considered.

ДИНАМІКА СПОЖИВАННЯ ПЕРВИННИХ ЕНЕРГЕТИЧНИХ РЕСУРСІВ ТА ВИКИДІВ ВУДИНАМІКА СПОЖИВАННЯ ПЕРВИННИХ ЕНЕРГЕТИЧНИХ РЕСУРСІВ ТА ВИКИДІВ ВУГЛЕКИСЛОГО ГАЗУ В СВІТІГЛЕКИСЛОГО ГАЗУ В СВІТІ

Research and analysis of the dynamics of actual consumption of primary energy resources, their structure and production volumes from own resources and reserves in the world from 2007 to 2018 are presented. In 2018 84.6% of global PER consumption is hydrocarbons, including 57.4% oil and gas, and approximately the same ratio of hydrocarbon consumption has remained over the past eleven years. Similar studies and analysis have been carried out for Europe and for individual countries: 1) which produce the largest GDP (USA, China and Japan); 2) ensure the volume of PER consumption by extraction from its own resources (the USA, excluding oil); 3) do not provide the volume of PER consumption by extraction from own resources (Japan, Europe, India and China) and 4) have a different economic structure. Studies of the dynamics of CO2 emissions in these countries and the world, in general, over the period 2007-2018. It is shown that the high rate of increase in the use of renewable energy sources does not compensate for the increase in CO2 emissions, and this problem becomes relevant, especially for the energy production sector. Keywords: primary energy resources, fuel and energy balance, oil, natural gas, coal, consumption, extraction from own resources, renewable energy sources, emissions, carbon dioxide

Industrialization and Thermal Performance of a New Unitized Water Flow Glazing Facade

New light envelopes for buildings need a holistic vision based on the integration of architectural design, building simulation, energy management, and the curtain wall industry. Water flow glazing (WFG)-unitized facades work as transparent and translucent facades with new features, such as heat absorption and renewable energy production. The main objective of this paper was to assess the performance of a new WFG-unitized facade as a high-performance envelope with dynamic thermal properties. Outdoor temperature, variable mass flow rate, and solar radiation were considered as transient boundary conditions at the simulation stage. The thermal performance of different WFGs was carried out using simulation tools and real data. The test facility included temperature sensors and pyranometers to validate simulation results. The dynamic thermal transmittance ranged from 1 W/m2K when the mass flow rate is stopped to 0.06 W/m2K when the mass flow rate is above 2 L/min m2. Selecting the right glazing in each orientation had an impact on energy savings, renewable energy production, and CO2 emissions. Energy savings ranged from 5.43 to 6.46 KWh/m2 day in non-renewable energy consumption, whereas the renewable primary energy production ranged from 3 to 3.42 KWh/m2 day. The CO2 emissions were reduced at a rate of 1 Kg/m2 day. The disadvantages of WFG are the high up-front cost and more demanding assembly process.

Low-Carbon Energy Governance: Scenarios to Accelerate the Change in the Energy Matrix in Ecuador

This article describes the results of a study of Ecuador’s energy status, using the system dynamics methodology to model supply, demand and CO2 emissions scenarios for the year 2030. Primary energy production increased in the different projected scenarios, with oil as the most important source of energy. The increase observed in final energy consumption was mainly associated with the transport and industry sectors. A reduction in energy intensity was projected for the different scenarios, which could be associated with the projected economic growth. The results obtained were used to build a proposal for energy policies aimed at mitigating emissions. The proposed changes to the national energy matrix could be the factors that will contribute most to the achievement of carbon emission reductions projected by the different scenarios; changes in the energy matrix are mainly associated with the development of projects to replace fossil fuels with renewable energies, mainly hydropower.

Destek Vektör Makineleri ve Türkiye’deki Enerji Santrallerinde Doğal Gaz Tüketimi Üzerine Bir Uygulama

Bu çalışmanın amacı, destek vektör makinelerinde regresyon yöntemini kullanarak Türkiye'deki enerji santrallerinin doğalgaz tüketimi üzerine ön kestirim yapmaktır. Bu amaçla, veri seti 2013-2018 yılları arasında Türkiye Enerji Piyasası Düzenleme Kurumu ve Enerji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğünden elde edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada ilk olarak, Türkiye'de doğalgazın enerji piyasasındaki yeri, birincil enerji kaynakları içindeki payı, üretim, tüketim, ithalat ve ihracat değerleri incelenmiştir. Bu değerlerin ölçümündeki farklılıklardan dolayı, ilgili veri seti istatistiksel analizden önce standartlaştırılmıştır. Enerji santralleri tüketimi bağımlı değişken iken; sanayi tüketimi, şehir tüketimi, üretim, ithalat ve ihracat değerleri bağımsız değişken olarak belirlenmiştir. Destek Vektör Regresyonda kullanılan tüm kernel fonksiyonları (Doğrusal, Polinomiyal, Radyal Tabanlı Fonksiyon (RTF) ve Sigmoid) test edilmiştir. En küçük Hata Kareler Ortalaması (HKO)'na sahip olan RTF tahmin kernel fonksiyonu olarak seçilmiştir. Daha sonra, destek vektörler, ağırlıklar ve karar sabiti belirlenmiştir. Ağırlıklar ve destek vektörler çarpılıp sapma eklenerek, son model elde edilmiştir. Son model yardımıyla da Mayıs-Aralık 2018 için Türkiye'deki enerji santrallerinin doğalgaz tüketimlerine ait önkestirimler yapılmıştır. Sonuçlar ilgili tablolarda gösterilmiştir.

Methodology to Evaluate the Embodied Primary Energy and CO2 Production at Each Stage of the Life Cycle of Prefabricated Structural Systems: The Case of the Solar Decathlon Competition

The construction industry is responsible for a high percentage of the energy consumed on the planet and the emission of greenhouse gases, therefore it is considered necessary to rethink many of the processes that this industry carries out in order to reduce its environmental impact. For this, one of the paths could take into account the Life Cycle Assessment of the used materials, for which it is necessary to evaluate this aspect through indicators that allow the qualification and quantification of the weight of these environmental impacts. In this context, this article presents a methodological proposal for the quantitative evaluation of the embodied primary energy and CO2 production at each stage of the life cycle of prefabricated structural systems, taking as case studies eight prototypes from the “Solar Decathlon” competition in its editions of Europe (2014), United States (2015) and Latin America (2015), through a Simplified Life Cycle Analysis, using the Eco Audit tool from CES Edupack. Through this analysis, conclusions are drawn about the optimization of a structural system with lower environmental demand and the possibilities of transferring knowledge from this competition to be applied in innovative systems of new housing models.

Subsidies as Financing Opportunities – the Development of Renewable Energy Sources in Poland

Abstract As Poland is considered a coal country, renewable energy resources still do not have a significant share in energy production. Further, 14% contribution of renewable energy to total primary energy production in 2020 is endangered. Thus, in order to speed up with renewable energy sources new actions should be stimulated. The aim of the article is to describe the most popular renewable energy installations in Poland and further to search for a case study indicating that an investment in renewable sources is profitable without financial support. The results indicate that prior literature does not present any analysis of profitable renewable energy investment without financial support. It states the need for regulators to implement additional financial support not only on the European Union level but also on the national one.

Genetic architecture underlying changes in carotenoid accumulation during the evolution of the blind Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus.

Carotenoids are lipid-soluble yellow to orange pigments produced by plants, bacteria, and fungi. They are consumed by animals and metabolized to produce molecules essential for gene regulation, vision, and pigmentation. Cave animals represent an interesting opportunity to understand how carotenoid utilization evolves. Caves are devoid of light, eliminating primary production of energy through photosynthesis and, therefore, limiting carotenoid availability. Moreover, the selective pressures that favor carotenoid-based traits, like pigmentation and vision, are relaxed. Astyanax mexicanus is a species of fish with multiple river-adapted (surface) and cave-adapted populations (i.e., Tinaja, Pachón, Molino). Cavefish exhibit regressive features, such as loss of eyes and melanin pigment, and constructive traits, like increased sensory neuromasts and starvation resistance. Here, we show that, unlike surface fish, Tinaja and Pachón cavefish accumulate carotenoids in the visceral adipose tissue. Carotenoid accumulation is not observed in Molino cavefish, indicating that it is not an obligatory consequence of eye loss. We used quantitative trait loci mapping and RNA sequencing to investigate genetic changes associated with carotenoid accumulation. Our findings suggest that multiple stages of carotenoid processing may be altered in cavefish, including absorption and transport of lipids, cleavage of carotenoids into unpigmented molecules, and differential development of intestinal cell types involved in carotenoid assimilation. Our study establishes A. mexicanus as a model to study the genetic basis of natural variation in carotenoid accumulation and how it impacts physiology.

Chemical and Bioenergetic Characterization of Biofuels from Plant Biomass: Perspectives for Southern Europe

The global demand for and, therefore, the production of primary energy is continuously increasing. Consequently, the need to intervene with appropriate measures has arisen in order to achieve sustainable economic, social, and environmental objectives. The reduction of fuel and electricity consumption, the containment of atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide, methane, other hydrocarbons, and nitrous oxide), and the improvement of environmental quality in urban centers can be considered to be among these objectives. The search for efficient measures for the overall improvement of the environment is directed towards the replacement of traditional fossil fuels with the production of bioenergy (also known as green energy) from different materials and biomasses obtained from specific agricultural activities and/or plant residues. These materials have physico-chemical and biological characteristics of interest regarding their use as sources of renewable energy. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the chemical and bioenergetic characteristics of biofuels, the main techniques and processes employed for their production, and the characteristics of the different feedstock materials, especially potential energy crops.

A MULTIDIMENSIONAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE LEVEL OF SUSTAINABILITY OF THE ENERGY SECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES

The paper addresses the problem of energy sustainability of European Union countries in terms of renewable energy sources, energy consumption levels as well as energy dependency and energy intensity of the economy. The aim of the study was to identify and assess the key characteristics of the energy sector of EU members states between 2006 and 2016 using taxonomy, which is one of the basic tools in a multi-dimensional comparative analysis. The analysis revealed that, despite common challenges, different member states showed varied levels of the implementation of EU climate and energy targets. In terms of the approach to the production and consumption of primary energy, EU countries can be divided into two groups. In most Western European countries, energy production is mainly based on renewable sources. However, it only meets a small portion of the domestic economy’s needs. In contrast, Central Eastern European countries are characterized by greater concentration on aspects of self-sufficiency and security of own energy systems. In such countries, the share of renewable sources in overall energy generation is smaller.

How Modelling Tools Can Support Climate Change Policy: The Case of Costa Rica in the Energy Sector

Compliance with the Paris Agreement requires the transformation of national economies to meet net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by mid-century. To accomplish this, countries need to define long-term decarbonization strategies with near- and mid-term actions to determine their ideal future scenario while maximizing socioeconomic benefits. This paper describes the process followed to support the creation of the decarbonisation pathway for the transport and energy sectors presented in Costa Rica’s National Decarbonisation Plan. We discuss in detail the technological pathway of a deep-decarbonisation future that supports reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, our results show that the decarbonisation pathway can lead to emissions’ reduction of 87% in the transport and energy sectors by 2050. Energy efficiency, the adoption of electromobility, modal-shift towards public transport and active mobility, as well as reduced demand due to digitalisation and teleworking, are found to be key drivers towards the deep-decarbonisation. These measures combined enable a 25% reduction of primary energy production by 2050. The results highlight that the decarbonisation scenario requires installing 4.4 GW more of renewable power plants by 2050, compared to the BAU scenario (80%). We also show that additional investments for the deep-decarbonisation are compensated with the reduced operating cost. Crucially, we found that the pathway presented in the Decarbonization Plan results in a lower total discounted cost of about 5%, indicating that a deep-decarbonisation is technically feasible and is coupled to socioeconomic benefits.

Transformation of hybrid black poplar with selective and reporter genes affects leaf proteome, yet without indication of a considerable environmental hazard

Poplar is an economically important forest tree used for multiple applications, including bioenergy production. Although genetic engineering allows a quick introduction of desirable traits, simultaneously, it may deliver unintended side effects. Herein, we compared the protein composition in leaves of microclonally propagated fast-growing hybrid clone of Populus deltoides × Populus nigra (Populus × euroamericana), genetically modified with a reporter (GUS) and selective (NPTII) traits, and its non-transgenic parental genotype. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we revealed that 5.5% of 330 detected protein spots were differentially accumulated. The vast majority of them showed lower abundance in the transgenic line. These proteins were mainly involved in primary metabolism, energy production, and protein synthesis/homeostasis; notably, none of them was directly linked to neomycin phosphotransferase or β-glucuronidase activities. Some of the differentially accumulated proteins could be associated with stress response caused by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Furthermore, the lower abundance of two cytosolic glutamine synthase isoforms and accumulation of bark storage protein A in the transgenic line, plausibly indicated impaired nitrogen metabolism and storage. The insertion of a model genetic construct did not alter the neighboring genetic loci, and neither toxins nor allergens were differentially abundant. In essence, we detected no protein indicating considerable health or environmental hazard in the transgenic hybrid black poplar.

A hybrid stochastic model based Bayesian approach for long term energy demand managements

In this study, a hybrid stochastic model (BScA model) using Bayesian approach and scenario analysis to forecast long term energy demand is developed. The main objective of this study is to design and develop a model for energy analysis in demand side and describe the energy saving and GHG reduction potential on the other. For this, total energy demand is selected as the response variable and primary energy production, population, GDP and natural gas and gasoline prices are chosen as covariates. Also, Political drivers, economic drivers, social-environmental and technological drivers are the key driving forces for scenario development. After interview and ranking the drivers, we have built scenario matrixes and reducing them upon strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and how the energy system perspective in each of the scenarios develop. Results show that primary energy production and population growth have positive impact on energy demand. And Energy consumption would decrease with energy price increase. And, economic development would rise energy demand. Also, the total potential for energy saving is equal to 3663 MBOE in duration of 2016–2040. Results demonstrate the energy intensity (EI) will be 2.12 MBOE/Million Rials in 2040 if energy saving solutions are taken. And, the carbon emission will reduce about 32% in 2040.