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Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2023) | Viewed by 13950

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sara Giarola

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Guest Editor

Earth Science&Engineering Department, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Interests: multiscale modelling and optimisation of energy systems; sociotechnical energy systems transitions; climate change mitigation; biorefineries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue on “Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research” aims to explore the feasibility of energy system change in the context of keeping global warming below 2 °C compared to pre-industrial times. With this Special Issue, we aim to frame a discussion on the enablers of the energy transition, with a focus on the factors promoting low-carbon technologies, more sustainable lifestyles, and a more conscious development, use, and interpretation of modeling tools. In addition to policy shortcomings and technological barriers, the unprecedented pace of the required energy transition has made apparent the crucial need to form an energy system modeling community, capable of building and developing a dialogue with stakeholders for supporting policy decision making in every region of the world. In view of this, we welcome papers and reviews regarding novel modeling approaches, policy analyses, and case studies to model energy system transitions either at a sectoral, national or at a global level; research contributions proposing tools to develop an energy modeling teaching infrastructure; alongside contributions to ease the dialogue between energy modelers and policy making. The issue structure will rely on (but not be limited to) coverage of the following topics:

Feasibility assessment of negative emission technology deployment, renewables penetration, storage uptake, energy system electrification, digitalization;
Assessment of behavioral changes implications;
Interlinks of energy system change with climate action, food, and water conservation;
Development of teaching modeling infrastructures for energy system planning:
Equity in distributional mitigation costs.

Dr. Sara Giarola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

net-zero targets, mitigation of CO₂ and of non-CO₂ emissions
behavioral changes and sustainable lifestyles
equity
climate policies
energy, food, and water nexus
low-carbon technologies
sustainable development goals
digitalization
teaching energy system modeling

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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35 pages, 3369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Addressing Challenges in Long-Term Strategic Energy Planning in LMICs: Learning Pathways in an Energy Planning Ecosystem

by Carla Cannone, Pooya Hoseinpoori, Leigh Martindale, Elizabeth M. Tennyson, Francesco Gardumi, Lucas Somavilla Croxatto, Steve Pye, Yacob Mulugetta, Ioannis Vrochidis, Satheesh Krishnamurthy, Taco Niet, John Harrison, Rudolf Yeganyan, Martin Mutembei, Adam Hawkes, Luca Petrarulo, Lara Allen, Will Blyth and Mark Howells

Energies 2023, 16(21), 7267; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16217267 - 26 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1792

Abstract

This paper presents an innovative approach to addressing critical global challenges in long-term energy planning for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The paper proposes and tests an international enabling environment, a delivery ecosystem, and a community of practice. These components are integrated into workflows that yield four self-sustaining capacity-development outcomes. Planning long-term energy strategies in LMICs is particularly challenging due to limited national agency and poor international coordination. While outsourcing energy planning to foreign experts may appear to be a viable solution, it can lead to a reduction in government agency (the ability of a government to make its own informed analysis and decisions). Additionally, studies commissioned by external experts may have conflicting terms of reference, and a lack of familiarity with local conditions can result in misrepresentations of on-the-ground realities. It is argued here that enhancing national agency and analytical capacity can improve coordination and lead to more robust planning across line ministries and technical assistance (TA) providers. Moreover, the prevailing consulting model hampers the release and accessibility of underlying analytics, making it difficult to retrieve, reuse, and reconstruct consultant outputs. The absence of interoperability among outputs from various consultants hinders the ability to combine and audit the insights they provide. To overcome these challenges, five strategic principles for energy planning in LMICs have been introduced and developed in collaboration with 21 international and research organizations, including the AfDB, IEA, IRENA, IAEA, UNDP, UNECA, the World Bank, and WRI. These principles prioritize national ownership, coherence and inclusivity, capacity, robustness, transparency and accessibility. In this enabling environment, a unique delivery ecosystem consisting of knowledge products and activities is established. The paper focuses on two key knowledge products as examples of this ecosystem: the open-source energy modeling system (OSeMOSYS) and the power system flexibility tool (IRENA FlexTool). These ecosystem elements are designed to meet user-friendliness, retrievability, reusability, reconstructability, repeatability, interoperability, and audibility (U4RIA) goals. To ensure the sustainability of this ecosystem, OpTIMUS is introduced—a community of practice dedicated to maintaining, supporting, expanding, and nurturing the elements within the ecosystem. Among other ecosystem elements, training and research initiatives are introduced, namely the Energy Modelling Platform for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific as well as the ICTP Joint Summer School on Modelling Tools for Sustainable Development. Once deployed via workflows, the preliminary outcomes of these capacity-development learning pathways show promise. Further investigation is necessary to evaluate their long-term impacts, scalability, replication, and deployment costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research)

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22 pages, 938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability Education: Capacity Building Using the MUSE Model

by Sara Giarola, Alexander Kell, Sonja Sechi, Mattia Carboni, Alaize Dall-Orsoletta, Pierluigi Leone and Adam Hawkes

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5500; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145500 - 20 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1347

Abstract

Education for sustainable development has among its pillars, capacity building, which equips future generations with the set of skills needed to face the challenge of the transformation of society for sustainable development. This paper presents a training course for a novel model of long-term energy planning (the ModUlar energy system Simulation Environment, MUSE), as an example of capacity building activities for sustainable development. The activities were part of the Joint Summer School on Modelling Tools for Sustainable development, held in Trieste (Italy) in 2022. This summer school was one of the first successful implementations of education and training courses in a super-hybrid mode in the post-COVID era. Describing the training activities for MUSE open-source, this paper addresses one of the challenges that education for sustainable development is expected to increasingly face in the future: the training of future professionals in the use of novel toolkits and the implementation of truly trans-disciplinary approaches.This paper discusses the pre-school online training course for MUSE, the summer school contents, and some student modeling outcomes. While doing so, it shows the importance of leveraging the abstract contents of a course with practical exercises when learning a new tool. Reflecting upon the students’ experience, this paper draws conclusions that can be used to improve future editions of the same course and be extended to the design of training courses for other tools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research)

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17 pages, 1380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Energy in European Countries: Analysis of Sustainable Development Goal 7 Using the Dynamic Time Warping Method

by Krzysztof Dmytrów, Beata Bieszk-Stolorz and Joanna Landmesser-Rusek

Energies 2022, 15(20), 7756; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15207756 - 20 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1690

Abstract

At a time of rapid climate change and an uncertain geopolitical situation caused by the war in Ukraine, the problem of access to energy is a serious issue. The use of renewable energy sources and ensuring the highest possible energy independence are becoming important. They are in line with the seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG7). The aim of our research is to compare European countries in terms of the degree of SDG7 implementation and its dynamics from 2005 to 2020. We assess the SDG7 implementation using the COPRAS method and compare its dynamics using the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and hierarchical clustering. In years 2005, 2009 and 2020, we present rankings of countries in terms of the SDG7 implementation. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Croatia, and Estonia were ranked the best, and Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Iceland, and Cyprus—the worst. We obtained eight clusters with respect to dynamics of the degree of SDG7 implementation. In Poland, Romania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Ireland, the relative dynamics was increasing, while in the Nordic and South European countries, it was decreasing. The novelty of our research is combining the COPRAS (assessment of SDG7 implementation) and DTW methods (selection of similar countries with respect to its dynamics). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research)

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Review

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23 pages, 2227 KiB

Open AccessReview

Empowering Tomorrow’s Problem Solvers: Nexus Thinking and CLEWs Modelling as a Pedagogical Approach to Wicked Problems

by Leigh Martindale, Carla Cannone, Taco Niet, Richard Hodgkins, Kane Alexander and Mark Howells

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5539; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145539 - 21 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1620

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of wicked problems, such as climate change, requires a transformation in education that equips students with the skills, competencies and knowledge to address these complex challenges. Wicked problems are characterised by their incomplete, contradictory, and ever-changing requirements, rendering them difficult to resolve due to intricate interdependencies. Nexus thinking offers a valuable approach to these problems, as it emphasises the interconnectedness of various systems, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges at hand. In this paper, we propose the use of Climate, Land, Energy, and Water (CLEWs) modelling as an innovative pedagogical strategy tool to cultivate nexus thinking among students. Building upon the pioneering CLEWs pedagogical work of Shivakumar et al., in their ‘Introduction to CLEWs’ Open Learn course, we demonstrate how this approach can be utilised in a Higher Education (HE) setting in the form of a Masters’ module for geography students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research)

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35 pages, 2910 KiB

Open AccessReview

Overview of Green Energy as a Real Strategic Option for Sustainable Development

by Armenia Androniceanu and Oana Matilda Sabie

Energies 2022, 15(22), 8573; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15228573 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6710

Abstract

The global renewable energy landscape is changing rapidly. Green energies reduce greenhouse gas emissions, diversify the energy supply, and lower dependence on volatile and uncertain fossil fuel markets. The future looks promising for green energy sources, which are taking on an increasingly important role, especially in the current context, as governments are trying to identify viable solutions to the energy crisis and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Worldwide, there is a growing interest in and support for green energy sources, a factor that could help accelerate the current energy transition. Despite these positive developments, much remains to be done globally to make the energy transition a reality. In this respect, the European Union member states have committed to a wide neutrality target by establishing an increase in the total share of energy from renewable sources to 55% (by 2030) and, at the same time, reducing the net greenhouse gas effect emissions by at least 55% until 2030 to reach the neutrality target by 2050. Green energy sources are essential for long-term efforts to mitigate climate change and will play an important role in improving energy security and accessibility. The efforts of every country to strengthen the energy sector through the development of green energies will reduce geopolitical risks and disproportionate external costs for society. The large-scale use of green energies will contribute to sustainable development. The objective of our research is to review the literature on green energy in the context of sustainable development by analyzing research conducted by various authors and international organizations on these topics. The period considered for this study is 2011–2020. Our research focused on the EU 27, but the review also took into account the results obtained by other countries worldwide, such as China, the USA, Norway, and Iceland. The main research method used was the analysis of scientific papers, studies developed by international organizations, and a wide set of agreements and political commitments assumed by different states for developing green energy as a solution for sustainable development. The obtained results show an interesting international debate about green energies and how they can contribute to sustainable development. This paper’s results also show that in 2019 at the global level, low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear power and renewable energy, accounted for 15.7% of primary energy (solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal and wave and tidal), while in 2021, for the EU 27, the share of energy from renewable sources reached 22%. According to international statistics, more than 90% of the governments of many countries are making investments to efficiently capitalize on green energy sources and to design new models of sustainable economic and social development, in order to lower pollution levels, reduce the dependence on fossil fuel imports and limit the climate change impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changes of Global Energy Systems: Bridging the Gap between Policy, Education, and Research)

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