Use Of Clean Energy Research Articles

Study on the Optimization Measures of Carbon Emissions in Chengdu’s Territorial Space under the Trend of Clean Energy and Energy Structure Adjustment

Clean energy refers to energy that has less impact on the environment and can be used sustainably. With the intensification of global climate change and environmental pollution problems, the development of clean energy has become a common concern for governments and enterprises. In this paper, the scale of carbon emission in Chengdu is measured by analyzing LEAP model, and the carbon sink capacity is measured by the change of land use structure. Based on the trends of carbon sources and sinks, we analyze the countermeasures that Chengdu needs to take to achieve the carbon peak by 2030. Finally, based on the vision of “carbon neutrality”, suggestions are made for the optimization of Chengdu’s territorial spatial planning in terms of building a green and low-carbon territorial spatial development and protection pattern, optimizing the territorial spatial layout and factor allocation, developing clean energy technologies, and increasing the proportion of clean energy use.

Advances in high-voltage supercapacitors for energy storage systems: materials and electrolyte tailoring to implementation.

To achieve a zero-carbon-emission society, it is essential to increase the use of clean and renewable energy. Yet, renewable energy resources present constraints in terms of geographical locations and limited time intervals for energy generation. Therefore, there is a surging demand for developing high-performance energy storage systems (ESSs) to effectively store the energy during the peak time and use the energy during the trough period. To this end, supercapacitors hold great promise as short-term ESSs for rapid power recovery or frequency regulation to improve the quality and reliability of power supply. In particular, the electrical double layer capacitor (EDLC) which offers long and stable cycle retention, high power densities, and fast charge/discharge characteristics with a moderate operating voltage window, is a suitable candidate. Yet, for implementation of the EDLC in ESSs, further research effort is required in terms of increasing the operating voltage and energy densities while maintaining the long-term cycle stability and power densities which are desirable aspects for ESS operation. Here, we examine the advances in EDLC research to achieve a high operating voltage window along with high energy densities, covering from materials and electrolytes to long-term device perspectives for next-generation supercapacitor-based ESSs.

One-year Dynamic Study of the Use of Solar Water Heater for Domestic Consumption in Egypt: An Energy Assessment

The use of fossil fuels leads to greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and secondary consequences such as desertification and winds in the Middle East and Africa, including Egypt. The use of renewable energy is the most appropriate solution to prevent the emission of polluting gases. Egypt is one of the best places to use solar water heating systems, located in the solar belt. In this paper, for the first time, the best place to use solar water heater (SWH) systems is examined using TSOL 2018 R(1) software and climate data for residential apartments in 35 stations in Egypt. The results showed that Sharm el sheikh station with supplies 96.8% of its total heat needs is the most suitable station for using solar water heating systems. According to the studies performed, using solar water heaters in the studied stations generated good energy savings annually (production of 134.5 GWh of solar heat). Also, greenhouse gas emissions were significantly reduced (preventing the emission of about 39.2 tons of CO2 pollutants per year) and as a result, the government should turn to the use of clean and renewable energy.

Ecological Civilization and High-Quality Development: Do Tourism Industry and Technological Progress Affect Ecological Economy Development?

The tourism industry is considered a smokeless industry or green economy. Under the circumstances of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, it is essential and urgent to explore whether the tourism industry and technological progress can promote ecological economy development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in mainland China from 2007-2019, this paper, for the first time, incorporates the tourism industry, technological progress, and ecological economy development into the analytical framework by constructing a PVAR model. In addition, this paper calculates the indicator weights of each variable using the entropy weighting method. This paper utilizes GMM tests, impulse response analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, and variance decomposition to empirically investigate the dynamic impact mechanism of variables interacting with each other. The conclusions are as follows. First, the tourism industry always contributes positively to ecological economy development, while technological progress can facilitate ecological economy development in the long run rather than in the short term. Second, the tourism industry also positively contributes to technological progress. Third, ecological economy development has a "crowding out effect" on the tourism industry. Fourth, the tourism industry in developed eastern regions has a more powerful impact on ecological economy development than in underdeveloped middle and western regions. Based on the empirical results, we provide practical implications: first, the assessment system of the regional economy should include ecological development indicators; second, the tourism industry should accelerate the use of clean energy and the transformation of green technological innovation.

An Evaluation of Pumped Hydroelectric Storage Systems

In smart grids, storage systems are needed to increase the number of renewable energy sources connected to distribution systems and to ensure the continuity of energy. By supporting the system elements, energy storage can provide many services such as energy time shifting, interruption control, ensuring continuity in transmission and power quality improvements. In smart grid applications, difficulties are encountered in energy storage due to various problems such as charge/discharge, safety, size and cost. For this reason, energy storage systems should be developed for energy capacity, control and protection that can increase storage performance. Since there are interruptions and waves in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, batteries are used for storage. In order to expand the use of clean energy and to ensure energy continuity, mechanical storage methods in large powerful systems have been emphasized. Storage studies have been carried out to increase efficiency, provide flexibility in electrical systems, reduce costs and improve storage time, and reduce power fluctuations. In this study, pumped hydroelectric storage plants, which is one of the storage methods, were examined. Advantages and disadvantages of pumped storage hydroelectric system are mentioned and hybrid pumped hydro storage is explained. Its economic contribution is also briefly mentioned. This storage method of PHES has also been found to be hybrid systems that can be connected to variable speed turbines, groundwater, seawater and renewable energies to increase efficiency, reduce costs and save space. Among these systems, it has been observed that the system in which solar and wind are used as a hybrid is also advantageous in providing high profitability in the energy market. Thanks to its integration with the sun and wind, carbon emissions are reduced.

RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN THE SETTLEMENTS (A STEP TOWARD A CLEAN CITY)

As a result of the energy crisis of fossil fuel in the world, and pollution that comes from using these types of fuels, humans need to find clean and affordable energy to survive, impelling communities which produce their energy to carry out new initiatives. The use of wind, water, earth, solar and other clean energy has become possible, and finally, the world is on a path that requires new research in this field. Between the urban and social elements, per capita energy in the housing sector is allocated the highest consumption in the world, and this sector has the greatest amount of energy consumption in Iran as well. Researchers are presenting new solutions in addition to the usage of technology in the production of renewable energies, making closer to reality the reproducible ideas about using parts of buildings and natural forces around the buildings. This study is an attempt to explore the surrounding natural forces and materials that are used in construction, alongside the study of books and valid and scientific global websites that discussing the idea of using new technologies along with the existing energy production. Using renewable energy, homes have been made from special materials, where the manner of design adjusts to the environment (like solar energy), but can still function in any condition. We have seen that by studying the available information, biogas and photovoltaic systems are also intended to (in addition to their own sufficiency) and lead to saving energy. The day is coming that single municipal buildings will manage to make their fossil energy usage reach zero.

Pollution from cooking in rural and poor urban households of Africa: A methodological review

The article examines the effect of cooking food in kitchens on the health of women, as women and children are at a greater risk to indoor air pollution (IAP). It is important to study the cooking practices and prevalent behaviours among African women to understand the magnitude of the danger they face. The study suggests that a decline in the combustion of solid fuels and the use of clean energy can improve health among women and children, as well as sustainability goals. Proverbs 17:22 says, ‘A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones’. Bible verse Numbers 35:33–34 indicates, ‘You shall not pollute the land in which you live’. The cooking fuel analysis framework among rural women in Africa will guide forward the governments’ sustainability policies for communities to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being of women and children.Contribution: The article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the literature on African cooking practices. A combined search string is made with keywords. Thematic content analysis is conducted with NVivo (produced by QSR International). The article covers two themes, namely improved well-being and suggesting policies to combat climate change and its impacts. Policies and schemes at grassroots levels and better economic conditions in African countries can help to overcome challenges and change health-damaging cooking behaviours. The new advanced sustainability analysis framework has the potential to influence modern kitchen fuels and increase the adoption of new technologies in African villages.

The Association between Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Prostate Cancer and Environmental Factors in Mainland China.

In China, the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer are increasing. In this study, we analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in China and explored the potential associations of socioeconomic, ecological, and meteorologic conditions. Spatial-temporal scan statistics were used to analyze the spatial-temporal patterns of prostate cancer in China from 2012 to 2016. Spatial regression models and the Geodetector method were used to explore the potential associations of anthropogenic and natural factors with prostate cancer. The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in China from 2012 to 2016 rapidly increased. The high incidence and mortality clusters were concentrated in the economically developed Yangtze River Delta region along the southeast coast. Among the 14 selected environmental factors, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population density, comprehensive index of environmental pollution discharge, accessibility of health care resources, urbanization rate, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had significant positive correlations with prostate cancer incidence and mortality. GDP per capita, urbanization rate, and population density had high explanatory power. The high-concentration areas for prostate cancer are located in more economically developed cities. The index of environmental pollution discharge, NO2, and prostate cancer incidence and mortality were positively correlated. The government should advocate increasing the use of clean energy while strengthening the regulation of industrial production to reduce pollutant emissions. To inform the development of prevention and control strategies for prostate cancer in China.

Favorable Fiscal Self-Sufficiency Enables Local Governments to Better Improve the Environmental Governance—Evidence from China’s Lower-Pollution Areas

With the rapid development of industrial economy, local governments in China have invested a large amount of financial funds in environmental protection. In the era of widespread use of clean energy, local governments have a greater responsibility to coordinate fiscal policies with industrial development policies to improve regional environment. Local governments with large fiscal surpluses would make more efforts to improve environmental efficiency, rather than attract heavily polluting industrial enterprises to develop their local economies, and more likely to promote the use of clean energy equipment and raise environmental awareness in government. This paper focuses on testing the impact of abundant fiscal revenue of local governments on the efficiency of regional environmental governance with the data in all prefecture-level cities of China’s Guangdong province from 2001 to 2020. We estimate local environmental governance efficiency score with super-efficiency SBM method, taking unexpected output into account. Then we find that fiscal affluence has significant positive effect on the efficiency of environmental governance and the environmental awareness of the government also has obvious help in improving local environmental efficiency. We hope that these findings will provide practical help for local governments to improve their fiscal policy agendas and the quality of environmental governance.

The impact of carbon finance on energy consumption structure: evidence from China.

As a financial innovation model to promote sustainable economic development, carbon finance promotes green and inclusive economic development by reshaping the financial system. As a big energy consumer, China has been committed to the green transformation of energy structure, and carbon finance has been regarded as an important tool to support carbon emission reduction. This paper divides carbon finance from three levels, financial macro, environmental governance, and technological development, and selects 17 indexes to measure the development level of carbon finance in China. Time series regression model and the entropy weight method (EWM) are used to analyze the impact of carbon finance on China's energy consumption structure. The empirical results show that carbon finance plays a positive role in promoting China's energy consumption structure, and developing carbon finance is conducive to the use of clean energy and the optimization of energy consumption structure in China; carbon finance can further optimize China's energy consumption structure by investing capital, resources, and technology in industries related to promoting clean energy consumption. Therefore, China should continue to develop carbon finance and promote the establishment of a unified national carbon trading market; at the same time, China should use the CCER trading mechanism to promote the development of renewable energy and enhance the endogenous driving force of energy transformation by promoting technological progress.

The Impact of Building Clean Energy Consumption on Residents’ Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from China

This study used micro data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2018 to explore the impact of China’s residential clean energy consumption on residents’ subjective well-being. Our research results show that: the more clean energy consumption is present in housing, the stronger the residents’ sense of happiness; furthermore, it can be seen from the results of marginal effects that the increase in residential clean energy consumption increases the probability of residents choosing “relatively happy” and “extremely happy”. Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis found that the increase in residential clean energy consumption increased the happiness of people with housing and low education, and also increased the happiness of residents in central China and middle-aged and elderly residents; the intermediary analysis shows that the use of clean energy in housing improves the health of residents, and improves their quality of life while increasing their expenditure. In addition, central heating affects the relationship between residential clean energy consumption and residents’ well-being. Further analysis shows that there is no non-linear relationship between the increase in residential clean energy consumption and residents’ happiness. This study enriches the research on residential clean energy and provides policy suggestions for improving residents’ living standards and welfare.

Crypto has an emissions challenge: Here’s what leaders can do about it

Reaching a market capitalization of more than $3 trillion last year and today remaining well over the $1 trillion mark, investor interest in cryptocurrency continues to soar. Yet with bitcoin alone estimated to use up to 120.9 terawatt-hours of electricity annually — more than that used by Portugal in a year – so too is interested in crypto’s carbon footprint. The question for governments is how best to help decouple crypto from carbon. This paper argues for a tiered package of incentives and regulations to maximize the use of clean energy and promote energy efficiency in crypto-mining operations. Specifically, policymakers must: (1) support efficiency innovation by incentivizing miners to switch to less energy-intensive designs while addressing issues related to software and hardware upgrades, including better e-waste management, and (2) incentivize clean-energy use while tackling the challenges arising from the intermittency of renewables, grid strain and other the negative side effects of crypto-mining, and the challenges around auditing. While carbon offsets are increasingly popular within the crypto sector, policymakers should be wary as offsets do not address the root causes of carbon pollution. Offsets should only be used as a last resort. Outright bans on crypto mining have unintended consequences. On the other hand, a laissez-faire approach would clearly exacerbate the climate crisis. As crypto attracts more interest, a pragmatic way forward is to balance its risks and opportunities by adopting the right mix of regulations and incentives. In so doing, governments can ensure crypto mining does not undermine international climate goals.

Numerical investigation of the influence of different cooling flow channels on the thermal and water saturation distribution in a real dimensional polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

A fuel cell is one of the expert-presented solutions which has been developed due to the use of clean energies and direct conversion of chemical energy into electricity. Thermal and water management of the fuel cells are among the major issues which can significantly improve the performance of the fuel cell. In this study, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with cooling channels was simulated in real dimensions considering most of the reactions and equations in all the sections of the fuel cell at a constant electrical current density at the cathode terminal surface. Six different cooling fields were assessed and the results were presented in the form of average temperature, maximum temperature, the mass ratio of various species, current density, index of uniformity temperature, heat transfer, and electrical voltage at the different surfaces. The accuracy of the simulation was assessed by comparing the modeled values with the experimental results and average temperature and maximum temperature were presented for various current densities. Based on the results, the four-section serpentine geometry was the best cooling channel geometry in terms of temperature; while serpentine-in-the-beginning was the best cooling channel geometry in terms of output power, absorbed heat, and water accumulation. The lowest electrical voltage at the cathode terminal was for parallel geometry (0.64 V) while its highest level (0.68 V) was in three geometries of serpentine-in-the-beginning, serpentine-at-the-end, and horizontal serpentine, showing a 6.3% improvement in the output voltage of the fuel cell.

Impact of clean energy use on the subjective health of household members: Empirical evidence from rural China

For global sustainable development, clean energy and excellent health are critical challenges. Cooking with clean energy may play an important role in the health of household members. Multi-layer data of “individual-household-village” was created based on the 2016 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey. The Probit model was used in this study to investigate the effects of clean energy cooking on the subjective health of rural household members. Compared to families that did not cook using clean energy, the results indicated that members living in the household adopting clean cooking energy were 3.5% more likely to be healthy than those living in the household not adopting clean cooking energy. The positive effect on subjective health of using clean energy for cooking was more significant in men than in women, and had a more favorable impact on the elderly and children than on members of the labor force. These findings can aid in implementing energy policies to improve population health and attain global sustainable development goals.

Interface between energy consumption, CO2 emissions, economic growth, and macroeconomic openness in financial action task force countries through the lens of a causality approach.

There is strong scientific evidence to suggest that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are one of the key drivers of global warming. Rising CO2 emissions across the globe have been traced back to increasing global trade and rapid industrial development powered by fossil fuels. High CO2 emissions have had an adverse effect on the quality of life and economic growth of communities across the globe. In this study, the Granger causality approach is used to examine scientifically some causal relationships between energy consumption, CO2 emissions, economic growth, and key macroeconomic variables (trade openness and foreign direct investment) in the panel of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) countries. FATF countries are signatories to agreements to adhere to good financial practices to ensure sustainable development of their economies. The empirical analysis was conducted for the period 1980 to 2020. Results indicate a strong endogenous relationship between the variables in the short and long run. The analysis suggests that careful co-curation of economic, trade, energy, foreign direct investment, and environmental management policies is needed to ensure sustainable economic development in the FATF countries. Global trade and foreign direct investment policies must foster new environmental-friendly industries and greater use of clean renewable energy among these countries. Note: Arrows indicate direction of possible causal links between the variables.

Decoupling trend and emission reduction potential of CO2 emissions from China's petrochemical industry.

This paper aims to study the decoupling status and emission reduction potential of China's petrochemical industry from 1996 to 2019. Firstly, the IPCC method is used to calculate the CO2 emissions of the petrochemical industry in China, then the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method is used to identify the influencing factors of CO2 emissions, then the decoupling index is constructed to analyze the dependence of economic development on CO2 emissions, and finally the emission reduction potential model is established by using the influencing factors to reflect the CO2 emission reduction potential of the petrochemical industry. The results reveal that (1) the CO2 emissions can be divided into two stages of slow decline (1996-2000), (2015-2019), and one stage of rapid growth (2000-2015). (2) The energy intensity effect is the most effective factor to restrain CO2 emission, the economic growth effect is the key factor to promote CO2 emission. (3) From 1996 to 2019, there was a weak decoupling relationship between CO2 emission of petrochemical industry and economic development. Strong decoupling only occurred in 1996-2000 and 2015-2019. The CO2 emissions show only three decoupling score: I, II, and III. (4) CO2 mitigation occurred in four sub periods: 1996-2000, 2005-2010, 2010-2015, and 2015-2019. Therefore, the government should establish an energy-saving and environment-friendly industrial production system, intensify the use of clean energy, and optimize the labor force structure. It not only effectively strengthens the decoupling between the petrochemical industry and economic development, but also provides an empirical example for the carbon emission reduction and economic sustainable development of the petrochemical industry in other countries in the world.

Observation of atmospheric CO2 and CO in a low-carbon pilot city: insight into CO2 sources and regional transport

The first batch of eight low-carbon pilot cities in China includes Tianjin, Hangzhou and Nanchang etc., in which Nanchang is the only one located in center China. In this study, two-year in-situ measurements of atmospheric CO2 and CO were conducted at Nanchang station. The yearly averages of CO2 and CO mole fraction were 426.2 ppm and 449.2 ppb in 2019, 430.8 ppm and 384.4 ppb in 2020, respectively. We confirmed the significant influence of local sources on distributing the profile of CO2 and CO based on the serial analysis of their diurnal and seasonal pattern and the impacts of surface wind. The enhancements of CO2 (△CO2) and CO (△CO) in polluted conditions relative to the regionally representative conditions showed significant positive correlation in winter, with the average CO2/CO emission ratio of 54.1 ppm/ppm, suggesting their common-source from anthropogenic emissions. Specifically, we found the yearly averaged anthropogenic CO2 enhancement decreased from 7.07 ppm in 2019 to 6.72 ppm in 2020, probably due to higher fossil fuel combustion efficiency and more use of clean energy in center China. In addition, results from cluster analysis, weighted potential source contribution function, and the contribution ratio calculation demonstrated that the significant sources mainly distributed in the central and eastern Hubei in spring, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Fujian province in summer, eastern Hubei, southern Henan, central and western Shandong, northern Anhui and Jiangxi in autumn, and southern Henan, eastern Hubei, eastern and northern of Hunan, central and southern Jiangxi, northern Anhui and Jiangsu in winter.

Optimizing strategies to reduce the future carbon footprint of maize under changing climate

Many countries have set ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality around 2050. In this context food production systems are of interest, as they contribute one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. This study assessed the carbon footprint (CF) of maize production under different agricultural management practices and scenarios based on a cradle-to-farm gate life cycle analysis and DNDC model, considering future climate impacts and clean energy use. Maintaining the current energy use strategy, under the management of residue removal, future climate change will lead to a 3.0% increase in the CF of maize, while in the residue returning system, the CF of maize will decrease by 40.9%. In the highly mechanized maize production system, the CF of maize was shown to be mainly determined by the CO2 equivalent emissions (CE) from upstream production and in-field portions, including soil emissions and the use of agricultural machinery. Residue return plays a critical role in establishing maize's CF, making maize fields a carbon sink. The use of clean energy can reduce the CF of maize by 482.9±8.6 kg CO2 eq ha−1. Our study serves as a reference for determining the potential of mitigating the total carbon emissions from maize production by 2050.

Photo‐Responsive Co3O4/CoS2 Heterojunction as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

AbstractDeveloping high‐efficiency electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) based on non‐precious transition metal materials alternative to noble metal has remained a great challenge in electrochemical water splitting. Meanwhile, the use of clean and sustainable solar energy is also crucial for renewable energy storage. Herein, a novel photo‐responsive electrocatalyst with proper energy band type, i. e., n type CoS2 semiconductor decorated on p‐type Co3O4 nanorod (Co3O4/CoS2), is prepared via a simple two‐step hydrothermal process. Consequently, the Co3O4/CoS2 shows small overpotential of 255 mV for OER to afford current density of 10 mA cm−2 after illumination, which is 40 mV lower than that without illumination. It also presents high electrochemically active surface areas and good stability. This significantly enhanced electrocatalytic OER performance is attributable to increased oxygen vacancies and highly active Co−S species that are electrooxidized to active site (Co3+) during OER. This work provides an effective perspective for the development of high efficiency OER catalysts based on non‐noble metals combined with solar energy as a renewable energy source.

(Invited) Progress and Perspective Towards Low-Cost High-Performance Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Hydrogen is at the forefront of clean energy use and storage in the goal to drastically reduce anthropogenic carbon dioxide and combat global climate change. However, hydrogen production to-date is accomplished via steam methane reforming which, for every ton of hydrogen produced 5.5 tons of CO2 is liberated. One viable technical solution for production of clean hydrogen is water electrolysis. To this end DOE has implemented the Hydrogen Earthshot initiative to cleanly produce hydrogen at 2 $/kg by 2025 and 1 $/kg by 2030.Of the several commercial water electrolysis technologies available, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) currently offers the most benefits including operations at low temperature, differential pressure, and high current density (≥3 A/cm2). Commercialization of PEMWE has advanced rapidly despite several significant disadvantages which include the necessity of scarce expensive platinum-group metal (PGM) catalysts, expensive perfluorinated membranes, and significant environmental impacts of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) used in membrane production. The solution to these challenges is the development of alkaline exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) which retains the advantageous characteristics of PEMWE without the need for PGM catalysts or perfluorinated membranes.Here in, we report on our current progress of AEMWEs, which covers PGM-free catalyst development, low-cost and durable AEM development and electrode design development. From a commercial point of view, given a high-performance durable membrane, manufacturing MEAs is a critical next step toward commercialization. Therefore, development of an AEM with accessible thermal transitions prior to the onset of quaternary ammonium degradation is key to enabling proven MEA fabrication techniques such as hot-pressing and decal transfer of electrodes. Through a novel synthetic approach, we will describe the preparation of functionalized copolymers and terpolymers containing latent cross-linking functionality. Ultimately, we will demonstrate the manufacturability of MEAs from our PGM-free catalysts and membrane materials employing hot-pressing and decal transfer of electrodes along with single cell evaluations. We will also discuss factors that affect the degradation of AEMWEs and solutions to address these challenges.