Search Results (995)

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) has introduced ambitious targets aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the building sector. In parallel, the forthcoming implementation of the Emission Trading System for buildings and road transport (ETS2) in January 2027 adds a further dimension to the policy landscape. This study investigates three renewable energy retrofit strategies (Scenarios A, B, and C) for a hotel building in northern Italy, assessing their effectiveness in meeting the decarbonization objectives set by the EPBD and ETS2. Scenario A couples photovoltaic generation with an existing gas boiler, Scenario B integrates PV with an electric heat pump for space heating, and Scenario C implements the full electrification of both heating and domestic hot water. The results of the three scenarios are evaluated using selected metrics, such as renewable primary energy consumption (EPren), non-renewable primary energy consumption (EPnren), CO₂ emission (CO₂), carbon avoidance cost (CAC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), net present value (NPV), and Emission Trading System (ETS)2. The results show that PV deployment alone provides economic benefits but yields limited reductions in CO₂ emissions and non-renewable primary energy consumption due to continued reliance on natural gas. The introduction of a heat pump significantly enhances environmental performance, with reduced fossil fuel consumption, increased renewable energy use, and improved cost-effectiveness of carbon avoidance. The ETS2 has no impact in the case of full electrification, as fossil fuel consumption is completely eliminated. Full electrification achieves the greatest emission reductions and the lowest non-renewable primary energy demand while offering the strongest long-term economic performance. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that combining PV systems with building electrification is essential to achieving deep decarbonization, and that fully electrified configurations present the most robust pathway for compliance with emerging ETS2 policies. Full article

Offshore wind energy is emerging as a vital component of the global transition to renewable energy, leveraging consistent wind conditions and higher power density compared to onshore systems. Integrating variable offshore wind power with hydrogen production via electrolysis provides a strategic pathway to convert surplus electricity into a storable and transportable energy carrier, thereby mitigating grid congestion, curtailment, and variability challenges. This review systematically examines the integration of offshore wind farms and hydrogen production technologies. Key components of the review include a comparative analysis of electrolyzer technologies, their suitability for offshore deployment, and the implications for energy storage and transport. The analysis employs a multi-step framework: (1) extensive search of the literature in scientific databases, (2) qualitative and quantitative assessment of system performance, and (3) synthesis of findings to identify trends and research gaps, enabling a thorough examination of technical challenges in the marine environment, and economic and policy barriers. The review highlights recent advancements, technical challenges, and economic considerations related to deployment of offshore wind-to-hydrogen systems. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the current state of offshore hydrogen production, identifies research gaps, and outlines policy recommendations to accelerate its deployment. Offshore wind-powered hydrogen emerges as a cornerstone of a resilient, low-carbon energy future. The systematic approach ensures actionable insights and robust conclusions, facilitating the alignment of technological advancements with global decarbonization goals. Full article

Sustainable urban water system (UWS) management is vital for climate-resilient, resource-efficient cities. This study presents the first comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of Seoul Metropolitan City (SMC)’s UWS, encompassing water abstraction, treatment, distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and sludge management. Nine midpoint impact categories from ReCiPe 2016 (H) were analyzed to identify environmental hotspots and mitigation pathways. Results show that wastewater treatment dominates impacts, contributing 57.3% of global warming potential (GWP; 0.947 kg CO₂-eq per functional unit of 1 m³ of potable water supplied) and 71.1% of freshwater eutrophication (FE; 0.00066 kg P-eq/m³), driven by electricity use, sludge disposal, and direct CH₄/N₂O emissions. Electricity consumption is the leading driver across GWP, terrestrial acidification (TA), and fossil resource scarcity (FRS). Infrastructure construction notably influenced terrestrial ecotoxicity (TET) and human toxicity. Sensitivity analysis showed that SMC’s projected 2030 electricity mix could reduce GWP and FRS by up to 18%. Scenario evaluations revealed that sludge ash utilization in concrete and expanded wastewater reuse improve resource circularity, whereas biogas upgrading, solar generation, and heat recovery significantly lower GWP and FRS. The findings underscore the importance of energy decarbonization, resource recovery, and infrastructure longevity in achieving low-carbon and resource-efficient UWSs. This study offers a transferable framework for guiding sustainability transitions in rapidly urbanizing, energy-transitioning regions. Full article

The growing demand for electricity in residential sectors and the global need to decarbonize power systems are accelerating the transformation toward smart and sustainable energy networks. Smart homes and smart grids, integrating renewable generation, energy storage, and intelligent control systems, represent a crucial step toward achieving energy efficiency and carbon neutrality. However, ensuring real-time optimization, interoperability, and sustainability across these distributed energy resources (DERs) remains a key challenge. This paper presents a comprehensive review of artificial intelligence (AI) applications for sustainable energy management and low-carbon technology integration in smart grids and smart homes. The review explores how AI-driven techniques include machine learning, deep learning, and bio-inspired optimization algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA) enhance forecasting, adaptive scheduling, and real-time energy optimization. These techniques have shown significant potential in improving demand-side management, dynamic load balancing, and renewable energy utilization efficiency. Moreover, AI-based home energy management systems (HEMSs) enable predictive control and seamless coordination between grid operations and distributed generation. This review also discusses current barriers, including data heterogeneity, computational overhead, and the lack of standardized integration frameworks. Future directions highlight the need for lightweight, scalable, and explainable AI models that support decentralized decision-making in cyber-physical energy systems. Overall, this paper emphasizes the transformative role of AI in enabling sustainable, flexible, and intelligent power management across smart residential and grid-level systems, supporting global energy transition goals and contributing to the realization of carbon-neutral communities. Full article

Rising global electricity demand and the expansion of distribution networks require a critical assessment of component-level greenhouse gas contributions. Distribution transformers, although indispensable, have significant life-cycle carbon impacts due to the use of materials, manufacturing, and in-service losses. This study conducts a life-cycle assessment of a single-phase, 75 kVA oil-immersed distribution transformer manufactured in Newfoundland, one of the provinces with the cleanest, hydro-dominated grids in Canada, and evaluates it over a 40-year lifespan. Using a cradle-to-use boundary, the analysis quantifies embodied emissions from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation, alongside operational emissions derived from empirically measured no-load and load losses. All the data are collected directly during the manufacturing process, ensuring high analytical fidelity. The energy efficiency of the transformer is analyzed in MATLAB version R2023b using measured no-load and load losses to generate efficiency, load characteristics under various operating conditions. Under varying load factor scenarios and based on Newfoundland’s 2025 grid intensity of 18 g CO₂e/kWh, the lifetime operational emissions are estimated to range from 0.19 t CO₂e under no-load operation to 4.4 t CO₂e under full-load conditions. A linear regression-based decarbonization model using Microsoft Excel projects grid intensity to reach net-zero around 2037, two years beyond the provincial target, indicating that post-2037 transformer losses will remain energetically relevant but carbon-neutral. Sensitivity analysis reveals that temporary overloading can substantially elevate lifetime emissions, emphasizing the value of smart-grid-enabled load management and optimal transformer sizing. Comparative assessment with fossil fuel-intensive provinces across Canada demonstrates the dominant influence of grid generation mix on life-cycle emissions. Additionally, refurbishment scenarios indicate up to 50% reduction in cradle-to-gate emissions through material reuse and oil reclamation. The findings establish a scalable framework for integrating grid decarbonization trajectories, life-cycle carbon modelling, and circular-economy strategies into sustainable distribution network planning and transformer asset management. Full article

Adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is widely considered as a crucial step in decarbonizing urban mobility. While access to private ownership of EVs is socially and spatially still highly unequal, shared electric mobility has been suggested as a more accessible alternative. However, access to shared electric mobility is still inequitable; hence, there is a need for practical insights and recommendations for urban policymakers on how to improve this. This study addressed this need with a ‘practice consultation’, comprising 15 in-depth interviews with practice experts from Belgium, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, on the current state of shared electric mobility, the associated policies and realistic policy options to promote and ensure equitable access. The study revealed not only a diverse offer of shared electric mobility but also the persistence of earlier-identified barriers to equitable access. Current policies focus more on the orderly and safe integration of shared mobility services and improving access to shared mobility more generally. Yet, various recent plans, experiments and pilots with policy options for more equitable access were mentioned. Some options are novel and open up new ways to equitable access, while other already-suggested ones were confirmed as relevant and feasible by practice experts. Full article

This study aims to develop and apply a novel methodology to assess the scope, benefits and challenges of distributed photovoltaic generation (DG-PV). The research provides a replicable framework applicable to any country, as long as official energy consumption data are available and the nation is seeking to modify its energy matrix as part of a sustainable transition through the design of renewable-energy-based policies. To support the viability of the proposal, data from the Ecuadorian electrical system for the period between 2014 and 2024 were analyzed using technical, operational and socio-economic indicators defined in the methodology. These include renewable participation, energy diversification, DG-PV, technical efficiency, regulatory index, operational resilience and electrical coverage. The investigation concludes with the definition of a Distributed Photovoltaic Integration Index (DPII), which can be used to measure a country’s progress toward the proper implementation of renewable energy. The DPII supports informed decision-making by allowing utilities and policymakers to prioritize distributed photovoltaic integration and compare alternative energy transition scenarios. In the case of Ecuador, a DPII of 0.170 is obtained for 2024 compared to a value of 0 for 2014. This result is mainly due to an increase in renewable energy participation (P1), which rose from 0.49 to 0.76 during this period, largely supported by hydropower expansion. This value was obtained because over the last ten years, Ecuador has committed to implementing active policies that incorporate renewable energies, as well as other aspects such as technical efficiency and the expansion of electrical coverage. This approach offers a replicable quantitative tool for evaluating the integration of DG-PV, providing key information for energy planning and for the formulation of policies that promote the decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization of the national electrical system. Full article

This study introduces an integrated Life Cycle Assessment–Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis–Nash Equilibrium (LCA–MCDA–NE) framework to assess the feasibility of hydrogen energy storage (HES) in Philippine island grids. It starts with a cradle-to-gate LCA of hydrogen production across various electricity mix scenarios, from diesel-dominated Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) systems to high-renewable configurations, quantifying greenhouse gas emissions. These impacts are normalized and integrated into an MCDA framework that considers four stakeholder perspectives: Regulatory (PRF), Developer (DF), Scientific (SF), and Local Social (LSF). Attribute utilities for Maintainability, Energy Efficiency, Geographic–Climatic Suitability, and Regulatory Compliance inform a 2 × 2 strategic game where net utility gain (Δ) and switching costs (C₁, C₂) influence adoption behavior. The findings indicate that the baseline Nash Equilibrium favors non-adoption due to limited utility gains and high switching barriers. However, enhancements in Maintainability and reduced costs can shift this equilibrium toward adoption. The LCA results show that meaningful decarbonization occurs only when low-carbon generation exceeds 60% of the electricity mix. This integrated framework highlights that successful HES deployment in remote grids relies on stakeholder coordination, reduced risks, and access to low-carbon electricity, offering a replicable model for emerging economies. Full article

The integration of smart electricity management models in buildings is a key strategy for improving living comfort and optimizing energy efficiency. The incentive mechanisms introduced by the Italian regulatory framework for widespread self-consumption and energy communities encourage the deployment of smart management systems within Collective Self-Consumption Groups (CSGs) and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). These mechanisms drive the search for solutions that combine occupant well-being with economic benefits, thereby fostering citizen participation in aggregation models that play a key role in the transition towards a progressively decarbonized electricity system. In this context, an optimization model for the management of residential heat pumps is proposed, aimed at identifying the best compromise between thermal comfort, electricity consumption, and economic benefits. The approach developed in the research encourages citizens to take an active role without the need for burdensome commitments and/or significant changes in their daily habits, in line with the importance that users themselves attribute to these aspects. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach, a case study was developed on a residential building located in Sardinia (Italy). The implementation of an optimization model aimed at simultaneously maximizing economic benefits and indoor thermal comfort is simulated. The model’s economic and energy performance is assessed and compared with the results obtained using different advanced heat pump control and management strategies. Full article

One of the important stages of energy efficiency measures for buildings is the optimal choice of heating and cooling systems, as well as that of heat/cold production sources, so as to minimize dependence on conventional fuels and the national energy system. Currently, the option for integrating renewable energy sources addressed in the building efficiency stage is the installation of solar systems. In the context of the need to reduce energy consumption and reduce pollutant emissions, and the need to integrate renewable energy sources, the article addresses the implementation of a hybrid system with a water-to-water heat pump and photovoltaic panels, capable of achieving the decarbonization of the heating/cooling of a University Politehnica Timisoara teaching/research laboratory. The analyzed hybrid system uses the thermal potential of the Bega channel as a heat/cold source, and as a source for electricity production, a PV system, supported by the national energy system. Following the analysis of the operation of the building’s hybrid system for heating and cooling, during 4 November 2024–12 September 2025, an energy independence of approximately 90.7% and a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 4.17 t/year was found. Full article

The article explores the current challenges and prospects for the electrification of the bus fleet in urban passenger transport, with a particular focus on the municipal operator Municipal Transport Ruse EAD. The study is motivated by the growing importance of sustainable mobility and the European Union’s policy framework aimed at decarbonization of urban transport systems. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to optimize the investment and operational strategies for the gradual replacement of diesel buses with electric ones, taking into account capital expenditures, operational costs, charging infrastructure, and environmental benefits. Scenario analysis is employed to compare six different pathways of fleet electrification, ranging from partial to full transition within a defined planning horizon. The results highlight significant trade-offs between financial feasibility and ecological impact, illustrating that an accelerated electrification strategy yields the largest emission reductions but requires substantial upfront investment. Conversely, gradual transition scenarios demonstrate better budget alignment but achieve lower environmental benefits. The discussion emphasizes the practical applicability of the model for municipal decision-makers, offering a tool for strategic planning under economic and ecological constraints. The paper concludes that sustainable electrification of municipal bus fleets requires a balanced approach that aligns environmental objectives with financial and operational capacities. Full article

This study critically examines the sectoral dynamics of renewable energy (RE) adoption across the EU-27 from 1990 to 2023, addressing the persistent gap between electricity generation and end-use sectors. Utilizing Eurostat energy balance data, the research employs a robust multi-methodological framework. We apply the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition to isolate driving factors, and the Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) of Kohonen to cluster countries with similar transition structures. Furthermore, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is used to estimate heterogeneous drivers across the distribution of RE shares. The empirical findings reveal a sharp dichotomy: while the share of renewables in the electricity generation mix (RES-E-Renewable Energy Share in Electricity) reached approximately 53.8% in leading member states, the aggregated share in the transport sector (RES-T) remains significantly lower at 9.1%. This distinction highlights that while power generation is decarbonizing rapidly, end-use electrification lags behind. The MMQR analysis indicates that economic growth drives renewable adoption more effectively in countries with already high renewable shares (upper quantiles) due to established market mechanisms and grid flexibility. Conversely, in lower-quantile countries, regulatory stability and direct infrastructure investment prove more critical than market-based incentives, highlighting the need for differentiated policy instruments. While EU policy milestones (RED I–III-) align with progress in power generation, they have failed to accelerate transitions in lagging sectors. This study concludes that achieving climate neutrality requires moving beyond aggregate targets to implement distinct, sector-specific interventions that address the unique structural barriers in transport and thermal applications. Full article

This paper introduces a mathematical model to assess the polluting impact of the decarbonization options for medium-sized High-Speed Crafts in the EU, and their consequences in terms of Market-Based Measure costs and Goal-Based Measure compliance under expected regulatory scenarios. This model is applied to a particular European High-Speed Craft operating in the Canary Islands. Considering slow steaming along with High Speed Craft’s retrofitting with alternative technologies for its electricity supply, we conclude that green H₂ fuel Cells provide the greatest environmental advantage by comparison with slow steaming alone, achieving a 6.96% improvement in emissions and savings under European Market-Based Measures of 39.76% by 2033. The expected regulative progression involves a 5.90% improvement in the Market-Based Measure costs’ convergence with the actual pollution impact of High-Speed Crafts. The findings warn about the pressing need to review the implementation of On-Shore Power Supply emissions into the Fuel EU fines, and about a concerning pull effect for the most polluting European High-Speed Crafts are moved towards the outermost regions of the EU due to their permanent exceptions from the application of the European Market-Based Measures. Full article

In recent years, Ammonia has emerged as a promising carbon-free fuel alternative, offering considerable potential to reduce CO₂ emissions and contribute to the decarbonization of the transportation industry. This study focuses on the economic feasibility and market price of ammonia now and in the future, highlighting the necessary infrastructure for emission-free transport operation. The project compares various production pathways for alternative fuels including hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, LNG, and diesel, considering both “green” and “gray” production methods. A key output of this research is the development of a flexible cost calculation tool, which allows users to simulate various scenarios by adjusting variables to ensure the continuity of the project. This tool enables dynamic analysis of future fuel prices and operational costs, accounting for the fluctuating electricity prices for green ammonia production and the long-term rise in CO₂ prices. Moreover, the study provides detailed cost modeling, infrastructure requirements, and refueling options for ammonia in comparison to other fuels. The findings indicate that ammonia is a promising long-term option for the maritime sector. While the adaptation to ammonia-based engines remains in the research phase, the long-term benefits of lower emissions and operating costs justify the investment in the necessary research and infrastructure, such as storage and refueling facilities. Full article