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Optimal Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 10015

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Guest Editor
Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
Interests: Energy economics; International economics; renewable and non-renewable energy production; energy policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Energies, which will explore the topic of optimal investment analysis in renewable energy by presenting new and innovative research.

This Special Issue of Energies aims to identify the key issues in optimal investment analysis of renewable energy from a range of multidimensional aspects. Scholars are encouraged and invited to contribute and thus promote the importance of optimal renewable investments research in revealing the motivations for investing in renewable energy, resources available for investments in renewable energy, risk analysis of the investments of renewable energy, choices of renewable energy sectors, and all other relevant implications. Theoretical and empirical research in renewable energy with the aim of reducing global environmental degradation, especially in the form of greenhouses gases, are particularly welcome.

Manuscripts based on the optimization of multiple objectives are also welcome, but they must include renewable as one of the primary objectives.

Prof. Ferda Halicioglu
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

  • renewable optimizations
  • return/risk optimization
  • optimal investment
  • renewable energy sources
  • renewable energy production
  • energy policy
  • investor types
  • environment risk
  • financial risk
  • operational risk
  • political/regulatory risk
  • business/strategic risk
  • greenhouse gases

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 454 KiB  
Article
Public Perception of the Use of Woody Biomass for Energy Purposes in the Evaluation of Content and Information Management on the Internet
by Kamila Słupińska, Marek Wieruszewski, Piotr Szczypa, Anna Kożuch and Krzysztof Adamowicz
Energies 2022, 15(19), 6888; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15196888 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1710
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the public perception of the increase in forest biomass production, particularly in Poland, in the context of global and European Union (EU) climate and energy policy directions. Trends regarding the justification of [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the public perception of the increase in forest biomass production, particularly in Poland, in the context of global and European Union (EU) climate and energy policy directions. Trends regarding the justification of biomass production in the EU and the world were also analyzed. The study compared the results of public sentiment surveys concerning the use of biomass in Poland as a member state of the European Union. The results are presented in tabular and graphical form. Data were obtained from analyses of social websites, study reports, and information social media in Poland. This study shows an increase in the negative perception of biomass use nationally and globally. It can be concluded that the increasing trend of forest biomass extraction resulted from the growing demand for green energy sources. Changes in European Union policy affected the popularization of biomass production worldwide as a result of growing energy demand. The use of renewable energy sources is necessary to reduce environmental degradation and secure society’s growing energy needs. It is necessary to increase the flow of information about the importance of forest biomass for the environmental aspects of society in order to gain acceptance of the EU’s promoted direction of stable renewable energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy)
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20 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of Technological Competencies among Leaders of the Renewable Energy Industry: The Case of SMEs in Baja California, Mexico
by Norma Candolfi-Arballo, Alfredo Hualde-Alfaro, Yessica Espinosa-Díaz, Patricia Avitia-Carlos and Bernabé Rodríguez-Tapia
Energies 2022, 15(16), 5946; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15165946 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1304
Abstract
This research explores and analyzes the context of the renewable energies industry sector of Baja California, Mexico, regarding the adoption, appropriation, knowledge and usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by focusing on human resources, mainly its business managers and directors, as key [...] Read more.
This research explores and analyzes the context of the renewable energies industry sector of Baja California, Mexico, regarding the adoption, appropriation, knowledge and usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by focusing on human resources, mainly its business managers and directors, as key actors of strategic plans in terms of research and technological development. For this task, a Technological Competencies Profile (TCP), meant for evaluating the incorporation of ICTs by business leaders, was constructed by reviewing the definition of “technological competency” in 140 publications, and by considering the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF), the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), and other related guidelines. This profile was later applied to analyze 13 SMEs and their leaders’ technological competencies. The investigation was further enriched with the information extracted from 13 interviews made with renewable energy experts in Baja California. The conclusions of this study show that, although SME leaders do have knowledge of ICTs and use them effectively for their own communicative and personal purposes, they do not consider them as a part of their business operation that can optimize their processes and impact its innovative capabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy)
25 pages, 2551 KiB  
Article
Supporting Decarbonization Strategies of Local Energy Systems by De-Risking Investments in Renewables: A Case Study on Pantelleria Island
by Riccardo Novo, Francesco Demetrio Minuto, Giovanni Bracco, Giuliana Mattiazzo, Romano Borchiellini and Andrea Lanzini
Energies 2022, 15(3), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15031103 - 2 Feb 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2984
Abstract
Nowadays, energy policymakers are asked to develop strategies to ensure an affordable clean energy supply as well as minimizing investment risks. In addition, the rise of several community engagement schemes and the uptake of user-scale technologies introduce uncertainties that may result in a [...] Read more.
Nowadays, energy policymakers are asked to develop strategies to ensure an affordable clean energy supply as well as minimizing investment risks. In addition, the rise of several community engagement schemes and the uptake of user-scale technologies introduce uncertainties that may result in a disruptive factor for energy systems evolution. This paper introduces a novel scenario analysis approach for local energy planning that supports policymakers and investors in prioritizing new renewable power plant investments, addressing the risks deriving from citizens’ choices. Specifically, a combined analysis is performed on the adoption trends of distributed photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles that are expected to heavily influence the evolution of energy systems. For this reason, an energy model is developed for Pantelleria island, and its transition from an oil-based energy supply to a renewable one up to 2050 is investigated. It is demonstrated how optimal-cost renewable-based scenarios can assure a 45% to 52% CO2 emissions reduction and a 6% to 15% overall cost reduction with respect to the diesel-based business-as-usual scenario. The analyzed scenarios disclose the recommended investments in each renewable technology, considering their learning curves and the unpredictability of user-scale technology adoption. Consequently, priorities in the installation of renewable power plants are stressed, starting with the most resilient to future uncertainties, as well as promoting specific incentive measures for citizens’ commitment at a local scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy)
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22 pages, 2018 KiB  
Article
The Economic Performance of Hydropower Dams Supported by the World Bank Group, 1975–2015
by Saule Baurzhan, Glenn P. Jenkins and Godwin O. Olasehinde-Williams
Energies 2021, 14(9), 2673; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092673 - 6 May 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2917
Abstract
This paper assesses the economic benefits of 57 World Bank Group-sponsored hydropower dam plant investments. Hydropower dams are among the main sources for producing electricity and the largest renewable source for power generation throughout the world. Hydropower dams are often a lower-cost option [...] Read more.
This paper assesses the economic benefits of 57 World Bank Group-sponsored hydropower dam plant investments. Hydropower dams are among the main sources for producing electricity and the largest renewable source for power generation throughout the world. Hydropower dams are often a lower-cost option for power generation in Clean Energy Transition for addressing global climate change. Despite its conspicuous aspects, constructing hydropower dams has been controversial. Considering the World Bank’s long history as the largest hydropower development financier, this study investigates its performance in supporting hydropower dams. The outcomes of this study apply to the wider hydropower development community. Of the projects in this study, 70% experienced a cost overrun, and more than 80% of projects experienced time overruns, incurring potential additional costs as a result. Despite the high cost and time overruns, this hydropower portfolio of dams produced a present value of net economic benefits by 2016 of over half a trillion USD. Based on our findings, the evaluated hydropower portfolio helped avoid over a billion tonnes of CO2 for an estimated global environmental benefit valued at nearly USD 350 billion. The projects’ additional environmental benefits raise the real rate of return from 15.4% to 17.3%. The implication for hydropower developers is that the projects’ assessment should consider cost and time overrun and factor them into the project-planning contingency scenarios. There is a considerable benefit for developing countries to exploit their hydropower resources if they can be developed according to industry practices and international standards. The case for developing hydropower may be stronger when considering its climate benefits. The net economic benefits of hydropower can be even higher if there is a greater effort to manage cost and time overruns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy)
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