Search Results (16)

The significant energy intensity of high-speed railway necessitates integrating renewable technologies to enhance grid resilience and decarbonize transport. This study establishes a coordinated carbon–green certificate market mechanism for railway power systems and develops a tri-source planning model (grid/solar/energy storage) that comprehensively considers the full lifecycle carbon emissions of these assets while minimizing lifecycle costs and CO₂ emissions. The proposed EDMOA algorithm optimizes storage configurations across multiple operational climatic regimes. Benchmark analysis demonstrates superior economic–environmental synergy, achieving a 23.90% cost reduction (USD 923,152 annual savings) and 24.02% lower emissions (693,452.5 kg CO₂ reduction) versus conventional systems. These results validate the synergistic integration of hybrid power systems with the carbon–green certificate market mechanism as a quantifiable pathway towards decarbonization in rail infrastructure. Full article

Hydrogen as fuel in civil aviation gas turbines is promising due to its no-carbon content and higher net specific energy. For an entry-level market and cost-saving strategy, it is advisable to consider reusing existing engine components whenever possible and retrofitting existing engines with hydrogen. Feasible strategies of retrofitting state-of-the-art Jet A-1 fuelled turbofan engines with hydrogen while applying minimum changes to hardware are considered in the present study. The findings demonstrate that hydrogen retrofitted engines can deliver advantages in terms of core temperature levels and efficiency. However, the engine operability assessment showed that retrofitting with minimum changes leads to a ~5% increase in the HP spool rotational speed for the same thrust at take-off, which poses an issue in terms of certification for the HP spool rotational speed overspeed margin. Full article

Hotel certifications have become increasingly vital in promoting sustainability within the hospitality industry, providing frameworks that guide hotels toward reducing their environmental footprint, enhancing operational efficiency, and gaining a competitive edge in the marketplace. This review explores the development, types, and impact of hotel certifications, with a focus on prominent schemes, such as LEED, Green Key, and EarthCheck. Through an analysis of case studies from globally recognized hotels, we highlight how certifications contribute to significant reductions in energy and water use, improved waste management, and enhanced biodiversity protection, while also delivering economic benefits through cost savings and increased guest loyalty. Our paper also examines consumer perceptions of certifications and their willingness to pay (WTP) for certified hotels. The findings suggest that eco-conscious travelers, particularly younger generations, are willing to pay a premium for hotels that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability; however, consumer awareness of certification schemes remains limited. The barriers to adopting certifications, such as high initial costs, resource limitations, and management resistance, are also discussed, along with the challenges posed by greenwashing and the proliferation of certification schemes. Looking to the future, this review identifies key trends that will shape the evolution of hotel certifications, including increased transparency, the integration of smart technologies, the expanding role of social responsibility, and their alignment with global sustainability goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hotel certifications are not only crucial for environmental sustainability, but also serve as a powerful tool for enhancing the economic viability of hotels in an increasingly competitive and sustainability-driven market. Full article

This is the first review study that focuses on the interplay between China’s regulated and voluntary carbon markets, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme, and their combined influence on the development of renewable energy in the country. Through a comparative literature review of 52 peer-reviewed academic papers published between 2009 and 2024, this study aims to elucidate how these market mechanisms interact to drive renewable energy deployment. The findings indicate that both the ETS and the CCER system positively affect China’s renewable energy landscape. The ETS, with its Cap-and-Trade (CaT) mechanism, sets a cap on total emissions and allows for the trading of emission quotas, thereby creating financial incentives for companies to reduce emissions and invest in renewable energy. The CCER scheme complements the ETS by allowing companies to use the CCER scheme for a capped share of their ETS certificates, whereby the lower CCER price diverts investments to where the saved ton of CO₂ in China is cheapest, further incentivizing investments in renewable energy. This dual mechanism allows for a more flexible and cost-effective approach to achieving emission reduction targets, thereby fostering an environment conducive to investment in renewable energy. It will stimulate additional investment in renewable energy projects in the long run, particularly in economically underdeveloped regions, contributing to both local economic development and national emission reduction targets. Full article

It is a well-known issue that the 2050 target of carbon emissions neutrality will be reached only with the co-operation of all the interested sectors, and the construction sector could be one of the main contributors to this change. With the built environment globally responsible for about 40% of annual global energy-related CO₂ emissions, the construction sector offers an important opportunity to drive transformative change and presents the most challenging mitigation potential among all industrial sectors, which also brings opportunities for adopting sustainability practices and increasing resilience. This paper presents a systematic literature review of those two pivotal concepts to reach the decarbonization goal: sustainability and resilience. Starting from an extensive literature review (2536 scientific documents) based on the PRISMA statement, the definitions and assessment methodologies of those concepts for the construction sector have been studied. The methodological approach followed for their analysis has been conducted on a first selection of 42 documents, further reduced to 12 by using clear inclusion criteria to identify the integrated assessment procedures. The main goal of this study is to clarify the correlation between sustainability and resilience concepts for constructions and their integrated assessment, in line with the latest regulations and market needs. The results show that, currently, sustainability and resilience are mainly evaluated in a distinct way to obtain building energy performance certificates, as well as to quantify the building market value and its complementary contribution to the ‘energy efficiency first’ principle and energy-saving targets towards the emergent issue of climate change. Few works focus on the integrated assessment of both concepts considering the construction industries’ point of view about materials and/or systems for buildings. The novelty of this study is the critical review of the current sustainability and resilience integrated assessment methods used for the construction value chain, declined for four main target groups. Researchers, policymakers, industries, and professionals could gain dedicated insights and practical suggestions to put in practice the elements of circular economy, ecological innovation, and cleaner production, which are essential in order to drive the decarbonization of the built environment. Full article

The structuring of effective market-based environmental rights instruments can help to achieve energy efficiency and emission reduction goals while minimizing economic costs. As part of the global drive for sustainable development, pollution rights, carbon emission permits, and white certificates have become widely used as environmental rights trading schemes in many countries. However, interactions between environmental rights can create challenges. For instance, China has established a national carbon market, which it aims to connect with the energy consumption permit trading market. The effectiveness of separate and joint markets in achieving win-win outcomes is an area that requires further research. To address this question, we employed a mixed-integer linear programming model to simulate the potential incremental outputs and energy savings of 16 high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries in China from 2010 to 2019. Our findings indicate that the joint energy consumption permits and the carbon emission permits market yield the greatest economic benefits, but they lack a distinct advantage compared to the separate carbon market. Additionally, industries face less pressure to ensure energy savings in the joint market. The energy saving ratio of the joint market is 0.1% lower than that of the separate carbon market. We also found that the construction of a joint market will incur additional costs for firms and governments. Based on our benefit and cost analysis, we propose that governance subjects of pilot cities prioritize the establishment of the carbon market and not the rapid expansion of the pilot-level scope of energy consumption permits. Full article

Increased greenhouse gas emissions have led to a global warming threat. As a result, countries have tended to focus their decision-making attention on energy-saving strategies. Specifically, the concept of green building has been developed for the construction sector. It aims to create energy-efficient structural activities (new constructions, repairs, or renovated constructions) that will be carried out in line with the determined criteria. With the concept of green building and the need to establish criteria and standards to ensure energy efficiency, green building certification systems have come to the fore. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification systems have been developed. This article investigates the achievements of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) category of LEED-certified projects in Türkiye and Europe. A comparison study of countries was carried out, based on the fourth version of the LEED BD+C framework that was developed for new green building projects. The study’s primary goal is to show the linear correlation between market value and IEQ. It was revealed that the gross domestic product does not affect IEQ applications. Although Türkiye was ranked first in applying for IEQ credits, its economic development level is lower than that of other European countries. Full article

Market-based instruments such as white certificates offer the potential to increase efficiency gains, reduce primary energy consumption and make energy systems more resilient. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the white certificate scheme through a case study analysis. In light of increasing decarbonization and energy efficiency targets, it is important to rethink the role that policy instruments play in the energy transition, including the energy efficiency obligation schemes within which white certificate schemes fall. We focus on Italy’s white certificate scheme because it is among the longest-lived and has achieved notable results. The scheme is characterized by annually increasing energy savings targets, flexibility, the opportunity to include many interventions, and the role of energy services companies. We provide evidence based on an empirical survey and fill the research gap left by the latest updates to the scheme along with an appraisal of those updates, which covers prominent scheme innovations such as its stability mechanism. Our research can serve as a baseline for policymakers in designing white certificate schemes in countries with little related previous experience and provide useful information from countries where similar schemes have been implemented to fine-tune similar market-based mechanisms to improve energy efficiency. Full article

This study examines the impact of energy management and productivity-enhancing measures, implemented as part of LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Management (EBOM) certification, on source energy use intensity and rental premiums of office spaces using data on four major US markets. Energy management practices, comprised of commissioning and advanced metering, may reduce energy usage. Conversely, improving air quality and occupant comfort in an effort to increase worker productivity may in turn lead to higher overall energy consumption. The willingness to pay for these features in rental office buildings is hypothesised to depend not only on the extent to which productivity gains enhance the profits of a commercial tenant but also on the lease arrangements for passing any energy savings to the tenant. We apply a difference-in-differences method at a LEED EBOM certification group level and a multi-level modelling approach with a panel data structure. The results indicate that energy management and indoor environment practices have the expected effect on energy consumption as described above. However, the magnitude of the achieved rental premiums appears to be independent of the lease type. Full article

This article is focused on developing an Energy Service Company (ESCO) risk assessment model for use by energy savings certificates (ESC) market regulators. This model enables market regulators to determine the appropriate point in time for ESCOs to sell their certificates with the aim of minimizing risk as well as maximizing economic gain yet remain motivated for reducing the cost of energy efficiency technologies. To this end, the interactions between an ESCO and other parties (such as suppliers) in the market in addition to the principles of the energy efficiency performance contract are taken into consideration. Then, appropriate probability distributions have been fitted to the stochastic variables to be applied in the Net Present Value (NPV) function, based on sampled company data. A case study considers a one MW Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) implementation in Iran’s petrochemical industry. The finding of this study shows if the ESCO is allowed to sell the certificates during the first seven years as well reduce 30% of the investment cost, the expected Net Present Value over Investment Cost (NPV/I) savings will cover more than one cycle. Full article

The energy market in Mexico is facing changes due to the incorporation of clean energy certificates (CEL) on the Electric Industry Law (LIE, Ley de la Industria Electrica). One of the aims is to increase the percentage of clean energy use in the national energy matrix. Consequently, the integration of energy efficiency strategies prior to the incorporation of renewables has become essential at different levels. Industrial buildings have significant heat gains and losses through the envelope, mainly due to their vast surface and simple construction systems. This work analyses the typical envelopes of industrial buildings in Mexico and the effect of industrial rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems over the annual energy consumption. It was found that for temperate climates, the best option would be to insulate the roof. For cities with warm climates, the best approach is to implement a cool roof on a non-insulated layer or to simply insulate the roof. Additionally, the industrial buildings with metallic roofs situated in warmer climates would benefit the most from the implementation of rooftop PV systems. After all, the results point out that the decrease in the required CELs would not influence the savings. Full article

Blockchain technology is ready to disrupt nearly every industry and business model, and the energy sector is no exception. Energy businesses across the world have already started exploring the use of blockchain technology in large-scale energy trading systems, peer-to-peer energy trading, project financing, supply chain tracking, and asset management among other applications. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) recently started revolutionizing the energy landscape, and now blockchain technology is providing an additional opportunity to make the energy system more intelligent, efficient, transparent, and secure in the longer term. The idea of this paper is to examine more closely the use of blockchain technology for its possible application in the energy efficiency industry and to determine how it could make energy efficiency markets more secure and transparent in the longer term. This paper examines in detail the key benefits and implications of using blockchain in the energy efficiency sector through the presentation and discussion of two case studies as possible blockchain applications—(i) the UK Energy Company Obligation scheme and (ii) the Italian White Certificate Scheme. We have presented how the key issues around trading energy efficiency savings—correctly estimating the savings, data transparency among stakeholders, and inefficient administrative processes—can be solved through the application of a blockchain-based smart contract system. Finally, this paper presents an implementation of a smart contract for trading of energy-saving certificates achieved via execution of smart contract transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. Full article

A growing number of managers in tourism recognize the importance of sustainability to their business success. However, as the majority of tourism enterprises consist of small and medium-sized enterprises that are generally less likely to invest in sustainability practices due to a lack of financial resources, time, and perceived cost-saving opportunities, an industry-wide dissemination of sustainability practices is hampered. This paper explores the benefits of adapting sustainability practices and provides evidence for making the case for incorporating sustainability practices to benefit business success. This study examined sustainability-certified tour enterprises, focusing on the perceived impact that the commitment to sustainable practices through certification has had on tangible financial aspects (potential benefits of increased revenue and decreased operational costs) and intangible benefits (customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction). Also explored were the influence of strategic choices related to sustainable practices (extent of commitment, product range, facilities and equipment, and the application of relevant marketing practices). Study findings were encouraging, identifying cost-savings, increased revenue, enhanced reputation, and customer and employee satisfaction. Energy-savings as well as a greater connection to the community were found to be beneficial outcomes of sustainable practices. Despite its acknowledged dependency on the natural environment as well as cultural assets nature and culture, the tourism industry is perhaps still in its infancy in moving towards industry-wide sustainability success. While academic literature has attributed this to the lack of awareness and low dedication to take action, this study found an indication of a positive relationship between sustainability commitment and financial and non-financial firm performance. The findings extend previous research that focused on larger and more facility-dependent enterprises and suggest that sustainability is a beneficial path to follow regardless of company size and budget. Full article

If more widely deployed, small-scale cogeneration could increase energy efficiency in Europe. Of the two main commercially available technologies—the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the micro Gas Turbine (mGT)—the ICE dominates the market due to its higher electrical efficiency. However, by transforming the mGT into a micro Humid Air Turbine (mHAT), the electrical efficiency of this cycle can increase, thus enhancing its operational flexibility. This paper presents an in-depth policy and economic assessment of the the ICE, mGT and mHAT technologies for dwellings based in Spain, France and Belgium. The hourly demands of average households, the market conditions and the subsidies applicable in each region are considered. The aim is twofold: to evaluate the profitability of the technologies and to assess the cogeneration policies in place. The results show that only the ICE in Brussels is economically viable, despite all units providing positive energy savings in all locations (except mHAT in Spain). Of the three different green certificate schemes offered in Belgium, Brussels is the one leading to the best outcome. Spain awards both capital and operational helps, although auto-consumption is not valued. The same applies to the complex French feed-in tariff. Conclusively, with the current policies, investing in small-scale cogeneration is in general not attractive and its potential efficiency gains remain unveiled. Full article

The current regulations on the energy certification of buildings represent for the real estate market and the building sector a real cultural revolution. In recent years, the focus on the energy efficiency of buildings has grown exponentially. It is therefore necessary that the property valuations and methodologies used for this purpose bear in mind the energy quality of buildings. This study aims to determine the contribution of an energy performance feature to the real estate property value. This information can help, on the one hand, to understand the energy savings and the corresponding savings income in the property management and, on the other, to control the air pollution from CO₂ emission reduction. The energy performance hedonic price and the CO₂ emission price are appraised in the Market Comparison Approach (MCA). Full article