Search Results (28)

One of the main challenges facing modern societies is achieving environmental sustainability. In the face of the current energy crisis, some countries regard nuclear energy as a viable solution to meet their population’s energy demands. This article analyzes the local people’s responses to a project to develop and exploit a uranium mine in Retortillo-Santidad, a rural area in northwestern Spain on the border with Portugal. Content analysis, using Atlas.ti software (version 23.0), of the open-ended responses of 55 citizens affected by the uranium mine, revealed through network analysis that the responses can be grouped into interconnected blocks. Concerns about risks to health and the traditional economy of the area are associated with a rejection of both the uranium mine and the project itself. In addition, community attitudes towards environmental sustainability, mistrust, and social conflicts among the affected population explain the opposition to the construction of the mine. Assessments reveal different reasons for this: some individuals place more value on the project benefits and their distrust of the company, while others focus more on perceived risks, community conflicts, and environmental sustainability. These findings have practical implications for the development of future energy policies. They emphasize the importance of ensuring that affected citizens are informed about reciprocal benefits, actively heard to understand their diverse evaluations of the mining project, and meaningfully included in the implementation of energy initiatives. This underscores the necessity of adopting a more inclusive approach. Full article

Under the current low-carbon background, new energy vehicles are the main force in the new energy industry to reduce traffic pollution. Based on improving energy conservation and environmental protection, and taking consumers’ purchase intention (PI) of new energy vehicles (NEV) as an example, this study explores the influence mechanism of consumers’ green perceived value (GPV) and green perceived risk (GPR) on consumers’ PI of new energy vehicles. This study found that the higher the GPV, the higher the consumers’ willingness to buy NEV. Moreover, the higher the GPR, the lower the consumers’ willingness to buy NEV. Green trust plays an important role in promoting the consumption behavior of NEV. Citizens’ environmental awareness (EA) has a significant moderating effect on customers’ GPV, GPR, GT, and PI. By collecting samples from the world’s largest market, we try to provide meaningful insights for new energy vehicle companies that have entered or plan to enter the Chinese market. Full article

Smart cities will be smart if they improve their citizens’ quality of life; to do so, it is essential to listen to citizens and collaborate with service and technological companies. For that, digitalization seems essential. Environmental management systems are complex and expensive. If their lifecycle costs are reduced, these systems would be more sustainable. This can be achieved through citizen collaboration (CS), the use of low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and collaboration with local renewable energy businesses. All this leads to a real interoperability challenge. Systems engineering offers a valid framework for managing information and knowledge for environmental systems. It offers a range of guides for processes that can improve the quality of the related information and the reusability of knowledge throughout the lifecycles of these systems. After quantifying the opportunity and the cost for a motivational case of atmospheric neighborhood odor impact and introducing trends and opportunities in energy management, the authors propose a model for renewable energy-linked interoperable smart and sustainable urban environmental systems (re-ISSUES). The model’s ontology is used to discover research trends and potential for improvements to the model itself, enabling semantic interoperability and knowledge reuse. Full article

Integrated geo- and environmental monitoring in mining represents a high-dimensional challenge (location, altitude/depth, time and sensors). This is challenging for experts but poses great problems for a multitude of participants and stakeholders in building up a complete process understanding. The Epe research cooperation aims to elucidate the ground movement at the Epe cavern storage facility with a public participation process. The research cooperation was founded by the city of Gronau, the citizens’ initiative cavern field Epe, the company EFTAS, Münster, and the Research Center of Post-Mining at the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola, Bochum. This research cooperation is the first in Germany to involve direct collaboration between science and the public. In the cavern field, which has been in operation since the 1970s, brine is extracted, and at the same time natural gas, crude oil and helium, as well as hydrogen in the future, are stored in the subsurface. The technical focus of this work was the development of a high-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of ground movements. The area is monitored annually by the mining company’s mine surveyor. The complexity of the monitoring issue lies in the fact that the western part is a bog area and a former bog area. Furthermore, the soils in the eastern part are very humus-rich and show strong fluctuations in the groundwater and therefore complex hydraulic conditions. At the same time, there are few fixed scatterers or prominent points in the area that allow high-resolution spatiotemporal monitoring using simple radar interferometry methods. Therefore, the SBAS method (Small Baseline Subset), which is based on an aerial method, was used to analyze the radar interferometric datasets. Using an SBAS analysis, it was possible to evaluate a time series of 760 scenes over the period from 2015 to 2023. The results were integrated with the mine survey maps on the ground movement and other open geodata on the surface, the soil layers and the overburden. The results show complex forms of ground movement. The main influence is that of mining. Nevertheless, the influence of organic soils with drying out due to drought years and uplift in wet years is great. Thus, in dry years, ground subsidence accelerates, and in wet years, ground subsidence not only slows down but in some cases also causes uplift. This complexity of ground movements and the necessary understanding of the processes involved has been communicated to the interested public at several public information events as part of the research cooperation. In this way, an understanding of the mining process was built up, and transparency was created in the subsurface use, also as a part of the energy transition. In technical terms, the research cooperation also provides a workflow for developing the annual mine survey maps into an integrated geo- and environmental monitoring system with the development of a transparent participatory geomonitoring process to provide resilience management to a mining location. Full article

For some years, energy companies (ECs) have been increasingly pressured to address a broader set of social and environmental responsibilities that respond adequately to citizens’ expectations, local and international regulatory frameworks, and transnational initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thus, ECs have invested considerable resources to reduce the environmental and social impact in their activities. This study aims to verify the measures that ECs have actually adopted by analyzing their social and sustainability reports. These reports constitute an official tool, and they are also supported by specific mandatory regulations such as EU Directive 2014/95, in which companies provide a non-financial disclosure aimed at demonstrating how their pursuit of the conditions of economic and financial equilibrium is increasingly and closely linked with the ability to assure sustainable development. This study considers eight major ECs operating in the Italian market. It compares the findings with two important foreign ECs that draw up a very structured and innovative report: the integrated report. The outcomes confirm that these ECs are making significant progress in the environmental and social spheres, although the path to full sustainable development is still unreached. The policy implications emerging from this study can contribute to this direction. Full article

The materials presented in the article reflect changes in the mechanism of cross-subsidization in the electric power industry, where price discrimination of consumers has taken place until recently. Historically, the established practice has been expressed in the redistribution of the burden of paying for electric energy between consumer groups, ensuring the containment of tariff growth. However, the reduction of tariffs for some categories of citizens was achieved by increasing them for others, social justice was violated and, for some buyers, the price is set above marginal costs, and for others—lower, although, in general, it led to prices corresponding to average costs. This policy was considered by the state as a measure of social support for the population but, at the same time, led to some negative consequences. The presented conceptual provisions for the creation of unified energy zones aimed at ensuring a fair redistribution of cross-subsidization between electricity consumers and a gradual reduction in its consumption will make it possible to form a unified energy space of Russia. On a concrete example, the socio-economic effects of the introduction of the author’s approach to the distribution of cross-subsidization between groups of consumers of electric power transmission services are identified and shown. They show the degree of influence of the amount of cross-subsidization paid by the consumer company on the cost of the final products that this company produces. The price of electric energy, which is part of the cost of production, significantly changes the consumer cost of energy-intensive production. The implementation of the proposals contained in the article will create economic incentives for the development of economically lagging regions and will make it possible to form an effective state tariff policy in the process of regulating the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation, defining an effective state tariff policy. Full article

The Superbonus is an Italian tax relief policy aimed at encouraging residential buildings’ energy and seismic efficiency. Only the energy part of the legislation is analyzed here. The tax deductions of the Superbonus exceed the nominal value of the project, making the interventions convenient even for economically disadvantaged citizens and small construction companies. However, the measure has only found wide diffusion in single-family housing, while it proceeds more slowly for multi-family buildings, where procedural complexities greatly amplify the risk of the financial failure of projects. The purpose of the paper is to analyze how urban planning and technical and administrative problems affect the Return on Investment (ROI) when the Superbonus is applied to multi-unit buildings. Therefore, a financial risk analysis is conducted from the perspective of an ordinary Energy Service Company (ESCo), which assumes the burden of carrying out energy efficiency measures. The property considered has all the requirements of an ordinary multi-family building for which the Superbonus is generally used. The works considered are also those carried out most frequently. The study shows that only three out of five energy interventions are financially sustainable. This result is in line with the data provided by the Italian Revenue Agency. Full article

Nowadays, fossil fuels are used in a clearly unsustainable way that can bring potentially catastrophic consequences. Electricity is currently delivered to end users by generation and energy transmission companies. Previous research shows that the development of modern circular economy sets a need for the re-orientation of socio and economic development of decentralized systems, including energy basis. In addition to being ecological, the use of renewable energy sources also has economic significance by contributing to energy independence. Citizens, industries, local and national authorities become interconnected within emerging novel renewable energy sourcing communities, through which they establish trade of energy and, most importantly, models of investing and reshaping the distribution of renewable energy. The modern portfolio management of renewable energy networking is aiming toward decentralized systems of trade, where the consumer becomes a producer (prosumer) within the network, itself managed by users. Excess energy produced in the micro-grid nets within the over-arching national and transnational energy grid should be accounted for and managed with blockchain technology for financial and structural security. The decentralization of the energy market requires the establishment of strict norms that will regulate the market and taxation of profits arising. The extensive literature review on blockchain in the energy sector reflects a very pragmatic and narrow approach to the topic, although it is evident that the distribution of energy within the blockchain would enable economic development through reducing cost and ensuring more secure energy trade. Blockchain technology embeds the related digital codes, in which information will be visible to all, but also secured from hacking and duplicating. However, there are challenges to this paradigm, not least the energy consumption of the extensive nodal mesh required to perform the necessary protocols. This paper aims to provide an overview of the application of blockchain technology and the need for the development of the regulatory system and of potential solutions to the challenges posed. By undertaking an energy consumption analysis of blockchain implementation from first electronic principles, which has not been constructed before in the literature, this paper’s conclusion stresses the future demand for reducing energy consumption and considers the latest findings in the quantum coupling of light signals as a potential for solving the enormous ledger duplication structure problem. Full article

Improving energy efficiency and minimizing environmental concerns through environmental laws and green taxes are regarded as the primary motivating factors of climate change policy. This analysis clarifies the significance of green taxes in lowering energy use and intensity from 1994 to 2020. As part of our contribution to the literature on energy economics, this study examines how green taxes interact with energy intensity and consumption in four Nordic nations. Environmental policies and sustainable development goals (SDGs) are driving new research into the effects of green taxes on energy consumption and intensity. According to the outcomes of fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), panel dynamic ordinary least square (PDOLS), and panel quantile regression, a green tax helps to reduce total energy consumption. It increases energy efficiency by motivating governments, companies, and citizens to encourage innovation in environment-related technology. When it comes to creating a more sustainable environment, the study argues that regulations that ensure the displacement of non-renewable resources while increasing energy efficacy should be implemented. Full article

Increasingly, discussions on sustainability, in particular in relation to energy transition, are finding their way to the regional and local political arena. Although for analysing transition pathways on these sub-national scales, conceptual frameworks such as the multi-level perspective may be helpful, some issues remain relatively unaddressed: the relevance of citizens and their social networks and the precise interactions between place, the local context, and external conditions. This paper aims to better understand energy transition processes on the local and regional scale by analysing the case of the Dutch island of Ameland. Since 2006, Ameland has been on a sustainability pathway towards self-sufficiency, in particular in terms of reducing CO₂ emissions. In this case study, we conducted in-depth empirical analysis, using a mixed-methods approach, including document analysis and ethnographic techniques. In a five-stage development process, a combination of place-related niche development, regime developments, and the involvement of citizens have created a protective space for several socio-technological innovations to emerge. The unique combination of specific local conditions, in particular political and cultural, and external influences, national policy, and ‘enlightened’ companies have shaped ideal conditions for Ameland to become an inspiring example of innovation in regional transition processes. Full article

The Smart Energy Community topic has attracted a lot of interest from policy, research centres, companies and private citizens since 2018, when in Europe the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive, and later in 2019 the Internal Electricity Market Directive, came into force to support the new role of users in energy systems. Following these directives, energy community experimentations, real projects and/or simulations and case studies have been developed and investigated in the literature. In this review paper, an investigation of recent literature about Smart Energy Communities in terms of common characteristics, fundamental scopes, and principal indexes used for their evaluation, has been realized by considering 111 scientific references, 78 of which have been published since 2018. The reference papers have been selected through the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis” methodology. In developing the review, significant barriers to Smart Energy Communities’ diffusion emerged. The main shortcomings concern citizens’ uncertainty about these new projects, due to their poor information and technical skills. These issues often hide energy, economic, environmental, and social benefits of Smart Energy Communities. Therefore, this study wants to be an opportunity for bringing to the attention of citizens Smart Energy Communities’ positive outcomes, especially from the social point of view, thus boosting their spreading and overcoming still existing criticalities. Full article

Energy efficiency is a pillar for the energy system transition and for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. In the light of the “energy efficiency first!” principle, European member states enforce policies to spread energy saving throughout the whole energy chain involving both citizens and industries. In this context, information and training campaigns arise as valuable support tools to disseminate energy efficiency and, therefore, for reducing energy consumption. Although various studies have evaluated the impact of information campaigns targeted to citizens, there is a lack of investigations that assess the impact of campaigns dedicated to industry sectors. This study discusses the results of a survey targeted at energy-intensive Italian companies, with a sample of 300 responses. Starting from the analysis of drivers that trigger the implementation of energy efficiency measures, the paper proposes an approach to evaluate the amount of energy savings linked to the Italian information and training program targeted to industries carried out by the Italian Energy Efficiency Agency. Results show that although information campaigns are not a crucial driver for companies, they are recognized as a factor that contributes to the implementation of energy efficiency practices. Findings show that roughly 1.4% of energy savings noted by interviewed companies to the Italian Energy Efficiency Agency are a direct effect of the information and training program. This outcome has significant implications, especially for decision-makers, giving evidence of the efficacy of information campaigns on industries, which have great potential for the transition to low carbon production systems. Full article

The increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and their adverse effects on the environment, have prompted the search for alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. One of the solutions gaining ground is the electrification of various human activities, such as the transport sector. This trend has fueled a growing need for electrical energy storage in lithium batteries. Precisely knowing the degree of degradation that this type of battery accumulates over its useful life is necessary to bring economic benefits, both for companies and citizens. This paper aims to answer the current need by proposing two research questions about electric motor vehicles. The first focuses on habits EV owners practice, which may harm the battery life, and the second on factors that may keep consumers from purchasing this type of vehicle. This research work sought to answer these two questions, using a methodology from data science and statistical analysis applied to three surveys carried out on electric vehicle owners. The results allowed us to conclude that, except for the Year variable, all other factors had a marginal effect on the vehicles’ absolute autonomy degradation. Regarding obstacles of the adoption of electric vehicles, the biggest encountered was the insufficient coverage of the network of charging stations. Full article

As an efficient measure to protect the environment and reduce energy consumption, promoting prefabricated buildings can lead to the sustainable development of the world economy and long-term economic benefits for society. Nevertheless, for China, it is immature because of the high cost and difficulties in the promotion. The government’s strategies in economy and management are crucial to promoting prefabricated building policies. This paper establishes a quadripartite evolutionary game model composed of construction units, property developers, homebuyers, and government departments under the government supervision system by analyzing the entire interest chain of prefabricated buildings projects. It aims to study the impact of government management and economic strategies on promoting prefabricated building policies. The results show that: (1) The government should ensure the construction safety of projects through mature supervision systems to reduce citizens’ resistant moods caused by project quality problems; (2) The government should improve the reward and punishment mechanism to motivate construction units and developers; (3) The government should invite supervision consulting companies to increase information transparency, avoiding the economic losses of the people and the obstruction of policy implementation caused by information imbalance. Full article

Recently, the approaches of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the renewable energy development have changed with the new global approach to sustainability. Today, CSR is an evolving and dominating business practice that integrates sustainable development into a company’s business model. The main focus of our paper is on the public relations of corporate social responsibility in renewable energy development. We show that a proper approach to public relations and resulting communication and dissemination of products and results should be sustained. This paper assesses the new pathways for executing public relations for CSR with relation to the renewable energy projects. The study analyses the impact of corporate social responsibility on energy companies, which are expected to make a positive contribution to the development of sustainable energy. We use both the overview of the theoretical concepts and literature as well as analyze the case of the “old” and “new” European Union Member countries represented by the Baltic States that yield many similarities but differ in their economic development to show the best practices of promoting CSR in sustainable energy development. Our results demonstrate that the implementation of corporate social responsibility can help to create more ethical and conscious sustainable companies and to build better relationships with the environmentally engaged citizens and loyal customers who are also concerned about the environment, health and well-being of their communities. Full article