Renewable Energy Issues Research Articles

Recent Advances in Biomass-Based Photocatalytic H2 Production and Efficient Photocatalysts: A Review

Biomass as a widely distributed and renewable carbon source plays a unique role in solving the increasing greenhouse gas emission problem and the rapid consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels. The photocatalytic technique is another attractive approach to address the above issues due to the direct utilization of solar power as the energy source. The combination of biomass and photocatalytic technologies provides a novel alternative concerning environmental and renewable energy issues. Recently, fast-growing interests have been focused on this subject, and milestones have been achieved. Hence, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent progress in this newly emerged field. This review mainly focuses on photocatalyst preparation and photocatalytic hydrogen production by using renewable biomass, biomass derivatives, and biowaste as a resource. We expect that this review will inspire readers to develop further applications of biomass and biowaste in photocatalysis for energy and environmental issues.

Electrical Study of PVP/LiCo<sub>1-x</sub>Zn<sub>x</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles Embedded Nanofibers

Energy storage devices are the demand of the new era for flexible portable electronics. Considering the importance of renewable energy and environmental issues. We utilized LiCo1-xZnxO2 (x=0.0, 0.1) nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 31-45nm that were embedded in nanofibers formed by the electrospinning technique. Sol-gel techniques were used to make them. PVP polymer was used as a binder to support the backbone frame of the nanofibers. We have characterized our synthesized material to examine its structural, morphological, and electrical properties. XRD of synthesized material tells us about the rhombohedral structure of the R3m space group symmetry. FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the functional groups and vibrations in synthesized material. SEM results confirmed the formation of nanoparticles embedded in nanofibers. In AC analysis, we have discussed dielectric constant, tangent loss, and AC conductivity. The electrical properties of synthesized LiCo1-xZnxO2 (x=0.0, 0.1) nanofibers were studied in a frequency range of 100Hz to 3MHz and found that AC conductivity is high of nanoparticles embedded nanofibers of LiCo0.9Zn0.1O2 i.e., 4.2 x10-5 (S/m) that plays a crucial role for the supercapacitors and as a cathode material in Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).

IESR Efforts to Accelerate Indonesia Renewable Energy Transition Through Media Relations

This study examines the role of an epistemic community, namely the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) which focuses on energy and the environment in encouraging the transformation towards a sustainable energy system in Indonesia by analyzing the public policy advocacy efforts IESR has carried out. Indonesia has set a Renewable Energy transition target in every national energy regulation. Still, it has not been focused and has become a top priority in supporting the renewable energy transition sector, so it is necessary to involve IESR in helping to pursue a renewable energy transition roadmap in the future and be included in the draft energy bill academic paper. In its action to create an energy transition roadmap, IESR collaborates with the media to accelerate the renewable energy transition and push for legislation on its legal policies. The purpose of this study is to identify the efforts made by IESR in accelerating the change of renewable energy through collaboration with the media (media relations). The method used is a literature study focusing on examining the role of IESR in framing renewable energy issues through the media. From the analysis results, it was found that IESR data-based policy advocacy research published in the media has contributed to crafting knowledge to change a transformation of norms in social society, especially in the field of renewable energy issues.

Investigation the Biomass in OECD Countries and Turkey: Comparative Analysis with Classification Algorithms

In this study, energy and renewable energy issues were investigated. The goal of the study; Investigation of energy production in OECD countries to investigate the scope of activities in Turkey's position is to contribute to the identification of mandatory strategy. In the application of the study; Energy production from biomass in OECD countries was first compared with the clustering method. As per the cluster analysis conclusions; OECD countries are separated into three groupsAlso; Classifying models were used to analyze the relationship between biomass and waste generation, carbon dioxide emissions and primary energy consumption obtained in OECD countries. Regression analysis, correlation analysis and decision tree analysis were applied among these variables. Primary energy consumption has been the most influential variable on energy production from biomass and waste.

Potentials of the direct use of ethanol fuel cell as backup electricity for renewable energy system

The issue of renewable energy has received considerable critical attention. This has led to a decline in the population of Greenhouse Gas (henceforth GHG) emissions, health-risk related emissions and energy security. The main challenge faced by many researchers is major issues of low reliability for producing electricity from solar PV. Wind energy has accentuated the problem of sharing of these renewable energies down in the National Energy plans. The solar PV and wind energy may cause fluctuation depending on the daytime and season. The backup electricity is required for increasing reliability of these renewable energy sources. It is now well established that the Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell (henceforth DEFC) is a high bio-fuel production country. Ethanol also has many advantages such as, high energy density, easy for storage and transport, less dangerous to handle compared to hydrogen gas. In addition, the energy efficiency of DEFC is comparable to that of other fuel cell technology. The low operating temperature means less startup period and thermal input energy. This study aims to analyze the potentials to use DEFC as backup electricity for the renewable energy system. The performance characteristics were examined according to updated experimental results. The advantages and challenges were also discussed in this study.

Atomic-Level Charge Separation Strategies in Semiconductor-Based Photocatalysts.

Semiconductor-based photocatalysis as a productive technology furnishes a prospective solution to environmental and renewable energy issues, but its efficiency greatly relieson the effective bulk and surface separation of photoexcited charge carriers. Exploitation of atomic-level strategies allows in-depth understanding on the related mechanisms and enables bottom-up precise design of photocatalysts, significantly enhancing photocatalytic activity. Herein, the advances on atomic-level charge separation strategies toward developing robust photocatalysts are highlighted, elucidating the fundamentals of charge separation and transfer processes and advanced probing techniques. The atomic-level bulk charge separation strategies, embodied by regulation of charge movement pathway and migration dynamic, boildownto shortening the charge diffusion distance to the atomic-scale, establishing atomic-level charge transfer channels, and enhancing the charge separation driving force. Meanwhile, regulating the in-plane surface structure and spatial surface structure are summarized as atomic-level surface charge separation strategies. Moreover, collaborative strategies for simultaneous manipulation of bulk and surface photocharges are also introduced. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects for fabrication of state-of-the-art photocatalysts are discussed on the basis of a thorough comprehension of atomic-level charge separation strategies.

A Business Intelligence & Analytics Framework for Clean and Affordable Energy Data Analysis

Energy is the sector most strongly connected with climate change moderation, and this correlation and interdependency is largely investigated, in particular as regards renewable energy and sustainability issues. The United Nations, European Union, and all countries around the world declare their support for sustainable development, materialized in agreements, strategies, and action plans. This diversity, combined with significant interdependencies between indicators, brings up challenges for data analysis, which we have tackled in order to decide on relevant indicators. We have built a research framework based on Business Intelligence & Analytics for monitoring the SDG7 indicators that aim at “Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all”, in relation with SDG13 indicators targeting the sustainable aspect of energy. In developing the Business Intelligence & Analytics framework, we have considered Design Science Research in information systems guidelines. We have designed a process for carrying out Design Science Research by describing the demarche to develop information artifacts, which are the essence of a Business Intelligence & Analytics system. The information artifacts, such as data source, preprocessed data, initial and final data model, as well as data visualizations, are designed and implemented in order to support clean and affordable energy data analysis. The proposed research model, applied for Romania in this paper, serves as a point of departure for investigating data in a more integrated way, and can be easily applied to another country case study.

Effect of Renewable Energy to Reduce Carbon Emissions under a Flexible Production System: A Step Toward Sustainability

Renewable energy and environmental issues are receiving considerable attention worldwide along with the technological development of production system for reducing global warming. Due to the use of smart technologies, the rate of carbon emission and energy utilization have become very high and are directly related to different industries. This study focuses on the effect of renewable energy on the advancement of smart production with a flexible production rate as well as the reduction of carbon emission to build a sustainable smart production system. A mathematical model is developed to maximize the profit of the smart production system for economic development while considering technological and environmental issues. The model is solved analytically, and we obtain closed and quasi-closed form solutions. A numerical experiment is performed, and a comparison with previous studies indicates that our method achieves more profit than existing ones. Additionally, we highlight the major effect of renewable energy. Different graphical representations of the decision variables prove the convergence of the model. A sensitivity analysis and graphical representation are presented in this paper, and some recommendations for industry are provided by simulating this model in different scenarios.

Regional Security Assessment of Integrated Energy Systems with Renewables in China: A Grid-Connected Perspective

Stable and reliable integrated energy systems are one of the major issues related to sustainable regional and national energy development. Because most existing studies are conducted on whole countries, few address the effects of regional interaction and renewable energy. Therefore, a natural disaster risk assessment model (NDRAM) combined with spatial models is used as a general systematic tool to assess and resolve regional energy security, based on a framework of resources, generation, transmission, marketing and consumption, with 17 metrics. In particular, energy systems were treated as organic connected-units and their security status was regarded as a combined result of potential hazard and system vulnerability. The proposed method was applied to evaluate and classify the security situation of 31 Chinese provinces in 2016. The results showed that transmission had the most significant impact among five major risk sources. The closer grid connections have a stronger ability to deal with risks among regions, where renewables consumption could be better stimulated cross-regionally. In terms of a regional perspective, there is still a gap among different regions, and eastern China presented higher energy risk status. The most energy-hazard provinces are mainly in the east provinces with well-developed levels in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. The least energy-vulnerable provinces are mainly in the abundant natural resources regions such as Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Xinjiang. The NDRAM-based general model provides a systematic tool for quantitative assessment of regional energy security with a full accounting of regional interaction and renewable energy issues, which may help to develop clean energy, optimize system infrastructure and improve scientific management.

The green energy industry: current challenges and trends in the development of professional qualifications in agricultural specialists

Human activities require energy. However, widely used non-renewable sources are becoming exhausted. Currently, Russia does not have an acute shortage of energy resources; therefore, the issue of renewable energy is rarely discussed. However, in Russia one of the urgent problems is urban and agricultural waste management. Agriculture, like other industries, produces products and waste (crop and livestock wastes). Straw, stalks of corn and sunflower, dung – dried manure were used to produce thermal energy. Today, there are technologies used to extract energy from agricultural illiquid assets. Producing energy from agricultural waste allows us to solve two problems – to get rid of some of waste and help the mining industry. The green energy industry is becoming a major employer. To provide it with personnel, qualitative changes in the training system are required

Editorial to the special issue (RETESS) of renewable energy (ISSN: 0960–1481)

Editorial to the special issue (RETESS) of renewable energy (ISSN: 0960–1481)

A Review on Water-Energy-Greenhouse Gas Nexus of the Bioenergy Supply and Production System

Tremendous global pressures like resource depletion and climate change urge us to deploy alternate energy sources and to integrate carbon capture and sequestration processes. Biomass can be considered as one of the alternate renewable carbon-based fuels that can decrease environmental footprints in different applications. There is currently a lack of systematic review of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water-energy nexus (WEN) in the biomass supply chains’ system (BSCs) system. Therefore, the present study aims to conduct a comprehensive review of the studies carried out into WEN and GHG emissions regarding the BSCs. The published papers investigated in this study were categorized and evaluated based on their objectives, methodologies, geographic scales, and environmental sustainability factors. The review revealed that not only literatures lack enough research into WEN and GHG, but also the capacity for effectively assessing the relationships between water, energy, and the trend of GHG emissions at a higher resolution. In addition, it was found that most of the previous studies have mainly focused on the economic influences of BSCs and mathematical methods for the optimization of BSCs. There is a need for the development of a mathematical dynamic model considering uncertainties and the multi-objective approaches to evaluate the trend of WEN and GHG in the BSCs. To achieve a sustainable development of the BSCs, WEN and GHG emissions need to be effectively managed. The findings of the present paper will assist researchers who work on renewable energy issues and potential users of the bioenergy industry to obtain a deeper understanding of the current state of knowledge in terms of WEN and GHG emission.

Electrical Performance Analysis of Thermoelectric Generating System with INC-MPPT Algorithm.

Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) is a new trend in renewable energy issues that utilize heat energy to produce electricity from various waste energy sources. These sources are available from natural sources like geothermal and solar heat and recovering from many industrial processes. In this paper, the electrical performance of a TEG system has been analyzed when the Incremental Conductance - maximum power point tracker (INC-MPPT) control algorithm has been applied to maximize the energy conversion efficiency. The TEG system has been simulated, implemented and tested at different values of temperature difference. Simulation and experimental results show that, the proposed control algorithm can be operated at the maximum power point (MPP) of the TEG module at any operating condition with good accuracy and low fluctuation around this point. Also, the experimental results show that, the harvested power has been duplicated by more than six times by applying the INC-MPPT algorithm (11.9W) in comparing with connection without MPPT (1.9W) at the same resistive load (16Ω), the same applied temperature and the same operating conditions.

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN INDONESIA

The availability of renewable energy and quality human resources is expected to be a major factor to bring Indonesia to reach glory in 2045. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate and explore the challenges and opportunities for renewable energy and human resource development in Indonesia. This paper uses conceptual and systematic review analysis to highlight the special issue of renewable energy and human resource development. This paper reveals that renewable energy and human resource development become a great foundation of Indonesia needs in the future.

Dissemination of technology information through YouTube: a case of renewable energy technology

Internet video sharing has been used by scholars for two main purposes. First, it is for informal scholarly communication including teaching and academic conferences. Second, it is for engagement tool by contemporary society. Renewable energy technology has also been utilizing internet video sharing technology for those purposes. It is a promotional tool to disseminate information about the technology as well as a media for public engagement with renewable energy issues. This paper reviews how YouTube, the most popular internet video sharing website whose content is created and accessed publicly for free of charge, has been elaborated in scholarly publication in the various fields prior to showing how renewable energy is portrayed in YouTube. By using a hundred YouTube most viewed videos, this paper presents an in-depth and systematic measurement study on the characteristics of YouTube videos on renewable energy issues.

PCM charging process accelerated with combination of optimized triangle fins and nanoparticles

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) with phase change materials (PCMs) is a promising technique to handle the intermittent issue of renewable energy. However, the major drawback of LHTES is the low thermal conductivity of PCMs. In this work, an enthalpy-based multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to investigate the PCM charging process enhanced by combination of nanoparticles and fins. It is found that the PCM charging rate could be improved with unchanged energy storage capacity by replacing rectangle fins with triangle fins due to the increased heat transfer area between fins and PCMs. The results also indicate that the enhancement of PCM melting speed is more effective by using triangle fins than adding nanoparticles. Besides, at high hot wall temperature, the energy storage efficiency of LHTES even decreases with the increasing nanoparticle volume fraction because of the reduced energy storage capacity and the increased viscosity of PCM which weakens the natural convection. Through an optimization study of triangle fin configuration and arrangement, the long and narrow fins with an appropriate fin distance are preferred for achieving high energy storage efficiency. The use of unequal length triangle fins with a longer one in the bottom region of LHTES cavity is found to be beneficial for ameliorating the NEPCM charging rate. Furthermore, the LHTES cavity with vertical triangle fins heated from the bottom surface is demonstrated to have better energy storage rate than that with horizontal fins heated from the side wall.

Impact Analysis of Foreign Direct Investment on Renewable Energy Production

The purpose of this study is to determine whether foreign investment in renewable energy is effective in increasing actual energy production. Moreover, it attempts to actively examine ways to increase the proportion of alternative energy by positively attracting foreign investment in the renewable energy sector. Furthermore, this study analyzes the effects of foreign investment on the electricity sector relative to the supply of renewable energy by adopting panel analysis using time series and cross-section data. Research analysis methods utilized in the study included panel VECM , panel VAR and OLS . Results showed that foreign investment in the electric power sector affect the production of renewable energy in the short term. The finding suggests that foreign investment can be a way to promote the development of the national economy and industry through the influx of capital and advanced technologies, as well as address the financial burden on renewable energy and carbon emissions issues at the same time.

Z-Scheme 2D/2D Heterojunction of Black Phosphorus/Monolayer Bi2 WO6 Nanosheets with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities.

Black phosphorus (BP), a star-shaped two-dimensional material, has attracted considerable attention owing to its unique chemical and physical properties. BP shows great potential in photocatalysis area because of its excellent optical properties; however, its applications in this field have been limited to date. Now, a Z-scheme heterojunction of 2D/2D BP/monolayer Bi2 WO6 (MBWO) is fabricated by a simple and effective method. The BP/MBWO heterojunction exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance in photocatalytic water splitting to produce H2 and NO removal to purify air; the highest H2 evolution rate of BP/MBWO is 21042 μmol g-1 , is 9.15 times that of pristine MBWO and the NO removal ratio was as high as 67 %. A Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed based on monitoring of . O2 - , . OH, NO2 , and NO3 - species in the reaction. This work broadens applications of BP and highlights its promise in the treatment of environmental pollution and renewable energy issues.

Z‐Scheme 2D/2D Heterojunction of Black Phosphorus/Monolayer Bi2WO6 Nanosheets with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities

AbstractBlack phosphorus (BP), a star‐shaped two‐dimensional material, has attracted considerable attention owing to its unique chemical and physical properties. BP shows great potential in photocatalysis area because of its excellent optical properties; however, its applications in this field have been limited to date. Now, a Z‐scheme heterojunction of 2D/2D BP/monolayer Bi2WO6 (MBWO) is fabricated by a simple and effective method. The BP/MBWO heterojunction exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance in photocatalytic water splitting to produce H2 and NO removal to purify air; the highest H2 evolution rate of BP/MBWO is 21042 μmol g−1, is 9.15 times that of pristine MBWO and the NO removal ratio was as high as 67 %. A Z‐scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed based on monitoring of .O2−, .OH, NO2, and NO3− species in the reaction. This work broadens applications of BP and highlights its promise in the treatment of environmental pollution and renewable energy issues.

РОЗВИТОК ЗЕЛЕНОЇ ЕНЕРГЕТИКИ ЯК ШЛЯХ ДО ЕНЕРГЕТИЧНОЇ НЕЗАЛЕЖНОСТІ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ: ДОСВІД КРАЇН ЄС

Urgency of the research. With a constant increase in prices and tariffs of energy resources consumption raises the urgent issue of spreading renewable energy and changes in the of the energy balance structure. Target setting. Adopted by the European vector of Ukraine determines synchronization energy policy. Therefore, the country needs to solve the problems caused by the imperfection of legal framework and the lack of effective mechanisms to encourage green energy. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The authors analyzed the scientific works of scientists who study the statistical significance between the development of alternative energy and the competitiveness of the national economy. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. Identified deficiencies in providing the legal regulation of renewable energy in the energy complex. The research objective. The article aims to systematize the benefits, barriers and prospects of development of green energy in Ukraine, and to identify effective mechanisms for dissemination of alternative energy given the experience of the EU. The statement of basic materials. The article systematizes the prospects and barriers to the spread of renewable energy in Ukraine. The authors analyze the forecast results of the National Action Plan for Renewable Energy until 2020 and the Energy Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2035. The paper systematizes the scientific achievements in the field of green energy and energy security. Conclusions. The analysis of the experience of green energy development by the EU countries provides an opportunity to form the main directions of ensuring Ukraine's energy independence through renewable energy sources. Considering the forecasted indicators of development of the carbon-neutral economy, the problem of adaptation of Ukrainian energy saving standards to EU requirements is relevant.