Sustainable Development Of Energy Sector Research Articles

Verification of the Software and Computing Systems Used for Simulating and Optimizing Energy Complexes Involving Renewable Energy Sources to Achieve Sustainable Energy Sector Development Goals

Verification of the Software and Computing Systems Used for Simulating and Optimizing Energy Complexes Involving Renewable Energy Sources to Achieve Sustainable Energy Sector Development Goals

Green buildings model: Impact of rigid polyurethane foam on indoor environment and sustainable development in energy sector

The construction and building industry in the modern world heavily relies on advanced techniques and materials such as polymers. However, with the world's population alarmingly increasing, contributing to the greenhouse effect, and severe weather conditions amplifying, it has become crucial to reduce the heat effects in both new and old buildings. To achieve this, 50–70% more energy is necessary, which highlights the importance of energy-efficient construction practices and materials. Consequently, a comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Polyurethane in indoor environments and energy conservation. Current study was performed due to an innovative application of insulation materials as to reduce the heat and energy costs in construction works. Thermal conductivity at mean temperature 35 °C was found 0.0272 (W/m K) with maximum in burnt clay brick (1.43 W/m K) by using hotplate apparatus. Specific heat was also found less 0.85 (KJ/Kg K) at density 32 kg/m3 while results were at par in reinforcement cement concrete and burnt clay brick 0.91, 0.91 (KJ/Kg K) respectively. Similarly, heat transmittance values of different roof sections by using polyurethane insulation showing satisfaction the ECBC in Buildings deviating standard U-value 1.20% to 0.418 (W/m2 K) with its excellent performance. Polyurethane treatments have been found to exert a significant impact on the computation of thermal resistance and overall heat transfer coefficients. In contrast, non-insulated treatments yielded inconclusive results with little to no significance. This highlights the importance of insulation materials in energy-efficient construction practices. Energy consumption in winter and summer also has shown the significant impact by using polyurethane application with cumulative saving of 60–62% electricity. Economic Benefit of polyurethane in RCC and Conventional buildings describes positive and highly significant impact in present study. Application of polyurethane in new and old buildings ultimate enhanced the better quality of life and living standards from people of applied countries and is strongly recommended for future prospects and endeavors as Eco-friendly and energy efficient for sustainable development.

Potential and Economic Analysis of Solar-to-Hydrogen Production in the Sultanate of Oman

Hydrogen production using renewable power is becoming an essential pillar for future sustainable energy sector development worldwide. The Sultanate of Oman is presently integrating renewable power generations with a large share of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The possibility of using the solar potential of the Sultanate can increase energy security and contribute to the development of the sustainable energy sector not only for the country but also for the international community. This study presents the hydrogen production potential using solar resources available in the Sultanate. About 15 locations throughout the Sultanate are considered to assess the hydrogen production opportunity using a solar PV system. A rank of merit order of the locations for producing hydrogen is identified. It reveals that Thumrait and Marmul are the most suitable locations, whereas Sur is the least qualified. This study also assesses the economic feasibility of hydrogen production, which shows that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in the most suitable site, Thumrait, is 6.31 USD/kg. The LCOH in the least convenient location, Sur, is 7.32 USD/kg. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to reveal the most significant influential factor affecting the future’s green hydrogen production cost. The findings indicate that green hydrogen production using solar power in the Sultanate is promising, and the LCOH is consistent with other studies worldwide.

Evaluation of energy alternatives for sustainable development of energy sector in India: An integrated Shannon’s entropy fuzzy multi-criteria decision approach

In this paper, conventional and renewable energy sources for sustainable development of energy sector in India are evaluated from multiple perspectives including economic, technical, social, environmental, political, and flexible criteria. An integrated Shannon’s entropy multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method has been used for the evaluation and assessment of these sources. Thermal, gas, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and hydro energy options are used as the alternatives in the decision model. Shannon’s entropy method is applied to determine the weights of decision criteria, and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is applied to prioritize sustainable energy alternatives. The output of the proposed model was compared with six different fuzzy MCDM techniques for the establishment of correlation index. Solar energy was shown to be particularly well suited for India followed by wind and hydro energy sources. Later, the study has developed fourteen scenarios, considering the first five sustainable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and gas power), to evaluate the optimal energy mix scenario for the sustainable development of energy sector in India. An optimal energy mix scenario carries the heroic development of solar, wind, and hydro energy with cross border import-export facility for the time frame of the year 2030.

Decoration of Graphene Quantum Dots on TiO2 Nanostructures: Photosensitizer and Cocatalyst Role for Enhanced Hydrogen Generation

Production of H2 fuel from photocatalytic splitting of water is one of the most demanding researches in terms of sustainable development in energy sector. In our quest to find an effective photocat...

Comparative analysis of energy efficiency trends and driving factors in the Baltic States

The improvement of energy efficiency is an essential strategic objective of sustainable energy sector development in the Baltic countries and can significantly facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. The paper provides findings from comparative analysis of energy intensity trends during the period 2000–2018 in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the context of energy and climate framework of the European Union (EU). Changes in energy intensity are analysed in each country on three stages: primary energy intensity, final energy intensity and sectoral energy intensity. Based on application of the Fisher Ideal Index, contribution from the increase of energy efficiency and from structural activity changes in the Baltic countries is revealed. The paper provides valuable insights from the detailed analysis of energy intensity in each country and comparison with average indicators in the EU-27 and other countries of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). High energy conversion losses in Estonia, high share of energy intensive industries and fast increase of energy consumption in the Lithuanian transport sector are emphasized as factors limiting further increase of energy efficiency. The results confirm the need of new policies and relevant energy saving obligations in all three countries.

The Concept of Risk and Possibilities of Application of Mathematical Methods in Supporting Decision Making for Sustainable Energy Development

This study is devoted to presentation of the concept of risk, and the possibility of applying mathematical methods in supporting decision making in the energy sector to promote sustainable energy development. The problem with risk assessment in the energy sector arises mainly due to the difficulty of expressing risk in numerical terms. To avoid risk, it is necessary to set the criteria and objectives of measurement before making decisions in the energy sector. The aim of this study is to try to fill in this gap by means of comparing decisions under risk conditions within models supporting energy decisions. The authors’ focus is on the problem of risk in supporting decision making towards sustainable energy sector development, which is the main target of the European Union (EU) energy policies. Without the ability to determine the probability of occurrence of certain phenomena and their inclusion into the model, it is not possible to determine how well the solutions resulting from the models are accurate, and what is the probability of their implementation under specific conditions linked to renewable energy development.

Critical study on performance of building assessment tools with respect to Indian context

Construction sector is one of the largest end users of environmental resources and is one of the largest polluters of manmade and natural environments around the globe. Economic development, climate change due to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, energy security and energy access are the primary concerns for India. Sustainable development in energy sector has become a concern for all the people in the world. Sustainability means it satisfies the needs of the people without jeopardizing the prospects of the future generation. To minimize these effects, the concept of Green Building has been introduced in the construction industry. To asses these buildings, there are various building assessment tools which have emerged globally. These assessment tools have been developed and used to assist the planning and design of sustainable buildings. The aim is to develop complete environmental consciousness among construction specialists towards sustainable performance and to achieve the objective of sustainability in the construction sector. In this study, the assessment approaches towards environmental, economic and social aspects are discussed. The comparative study and analysis on these building assessment tools i.e. LEED-India, GRIHA and IGBC have been made. It is found that there may be inconsistence in the assessment tools and criteria. However, lack of fully integrated assessment tools has resulted in the lack of a holistic assessment approach for the building life cycle.

Wskaźniki zrównoważonego rozwoju energetyki

The aim of the paper is to present the concept of sustainable energy development and indicators for evaluating the development of the energy sector in social, economic, and ecological dimensions. An attempt is also made to evaluate the usefulness of the indicators for monitoring the development of sustainable energy in Poland. Sustainable energy development means a process of sustainable, safe and effective energy supply for sustainable development. The system that the IAEA proposes to develop relies on a set of monitoring indicators, and seems to be a useful model, although the EU-level Eurostat indicators do not provide sufficient information, particularly for the study and comparison of the social dimension. Monitoring of sustainable energy development should be very helpful in evaluating the implementation of the Strategy for Responsible Development. The set of indicators proposed in this strategy for assessing its progress is very one-sided and limited. The use of a set of indicators that comprehensively address the development of energy could contribute. The indicators used by Eurostat do not allow monitoring of the sustainable development of the energy sector but only its selected components. GUS (the Central Statistical Office in Poland) also does not prepare separate studies on the sustainable development of the national energy sector. For the assessment of sustainable energy development at national level and for international comparisons, indicators may, however, be supplemented on the basis of data from the existing studies

Efficiency of Energy Consumption as a Base for Sustainable Energy Sector

Lithuania, as many other EU countries, encounters key challenges in three energy sector fields: energy independence, energy sector competitiveness and sustainable energy sector development. Such situation is determined by historical and political conditions, as well as by limited internal energy resources. In such context an importance of energy consumption efficiency pursuing country energy sector sustainability is highlighted. By implementing the long-term goals and tasks a country may seek to increase the efficiency of energy production, distribution and consumption, as well as to increase energy production from renewable and waste energy sources. The main objective of the paper is to analyze the efficiency of energy consumption, the factors influencing energy sector competitiveness and sustainability, and to assess the development soundness of the use of renewable energy sources in Lithuania. The paper discusses the main EU legal documents and their provisions regulating energy sector, analyze energy production and consumption efficiency data in Lithuania and reveal the economic effect of the use of renewable energy sources in Lithuania.

Impact of environmental taxes on sustainable energy development in baltic states, Czech republic and Slovakia

Environmental taxes have direct impact on sustainable energy development as energy production and consumption is the major source of GHG and classical pollutants emissions. There are number of EU member states which are using environmental pollution taxes as the main economic instrument of atmospheric air pollution reduction. The energy sector is the main source of atmospheric pollution therefore environmental taxes should have direct impact on sustainable energy development as these taxes create incentives to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and to switch to renewables and cleaner fossil fuels such as natural gas. The comparative study of environmental taxes and indicators of sustainable energy sector development in Baltics and Czech Republic and Slovakia was performed to assess what role environmental taxes are playing in achieving sustainable energy development in selected new EU member states. Analysis of environmental taxes in three Baltic States and Czech Republic indicated quite different energy and pollution tax rates as well as quite large differences in the share of environmental tax revenues as percentages of GDP in these countries. Estonia distinguishes with the best results in greening environmental tax system and one of the best results in achieving sustainable energy development targets. Latvia has one of the lowest share of environmental taxes as percentage of GDP and has very high shares of renewables in electricity generation and in final energy consumption however it is more related with favourable climate conditions and well developed hydro power plants.

An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between Multinational Enterprises and Sustainable Development of Energy Sector Under Institutional Voids

This article aims at assessing whether multinational enterprises play a role in the reduction of energy poverty, while not causing environment degradation or inefficient usage of energy resources. Sub-Saharan Africa has been identified as an ideal test-field for this study. Using a panel of more than 1500 home-host country pairs observed from 2005 and 2011, we study the effect of foreign direct investment on the access to electricity, energy intensity and carbon factor, based on the level of economic and institutional development of home and host countries. Results reveal that institutions and income play a different role. In countries with weak institutions, foreign direct investment increases access to electricity, especially if from other institutionally backward contexts, and transfers cleaner technologies. On the contrary, in poor countries, investment from multinational enterprise increases environmental degradation without bringing any benefit to the local energy sector.

Sustainability assessment of increasing renewable energy sources penetration – JP Elektroprivreda B&H case study

After the recent war (1992–1995) the country B&H includes the two entities and given these two entities the country is politically divided. Also the country is in transition process with neglected economic circumstances and the energy sector is supported via high subsidies. There are some pollution taxes but not enough to stimulating the more sustainable energy sector development. Under those circumstances the management of JP Elektroprivreda B&H (one of three state owned public enterprises for generation and distribution electricity in B&H) is committed to investing in renewable energy but still there is no final decision on the percentage share of RES or the state BH has prescribed obligated share of RES. So the main objective of this paper is to investigate optimal share of renewable sources to be introduced into power system of EP B&H. Analysis, which takes into account three different scenarios defined according to the percentage share of new renewable sources, Low (5% of RES), Medium (10% of RES), and High (20% of RES), was made. According to the evaluated indicators and the analysis, it can be concluded that scenario of introducing 10% of new renewable sources by year 2025 will bring the best effects to the sustainability.

Hydrogen in China: Policy, program and progress

The paper introduces the role of energy in China economy context, criteria for sustainable development in energy sector, China's hydrogen vision, the role of hydrogen in China's R&D plan, recently launched national programs, and progresses and achievements in research, development and demonstration. The paper concludes that with fast economy development in the new era in China, the energy sector has been confronted with severe challenges in terms of supply security, environment pollution and greenhouse gas emission, and China has attached significant priority on research and development in hydrogen and fuel cell areas, as one of effective counter-measures to address these challenges. Transition to the hydrogen economy in China, a long-term, non-carbon energy solution, is believed to play a significant role, complementary to electricity, in the future sustainable energy system. It is recommended that more priority be attached for R&D in secondary industry, especially the utilization of hydrogen and fuel cell in stationary power generation from coal gasification.