Search Results (774)

The energy transition of post-mining regions requires not only the replacement of fossil fuel-based technologies but also the restructuring of infrastructures, institutions, labour markets, local economies and social relations shaped by mining and conventional energy production. This article develops a conceptual framework of cascading lock-ins through a critical literature review and conceptual synthesis of research on path dependence, carbon lock-in, socio-technical transitions, just transition and regional governance. The framework distinguishes infrastructural, technological, institutional and social lock-ins and examines the mechanisms through which constraints are transmitted and reinforced across these domains. Cascading is defined as a context-dependent process in which a mechanism operating in one domain changes the incentives, capabilities, decisions or expectations in another, potentially generating cumulative effects and feedback. The main contribution of this study lies in shifting attention from the classification of individual barriers to the cross-domain transmission mechanisms through which they reproduce regional transition inertia. The conceptual synthesis suggests that addressing cascading lock-ins requires coordinated interventions linking infrastructural modernisation, technological and economic diversification, institutional reform, skills development and meaningful community participation. Full article

As cities assume growing responsibility for climate mitigation, an important question is whether urban carbon markets can serve as effective instruments of decarbonisation. While emissions trading research has focused primarily on emissions outcomes, less attention has been paid to the institutional mechanisms underlying policy operation. This article addresses this gap through a qualitative case study of the Tokyo Cap-and-Trade System (TCTS), launched in 2010 as the world’s first mandatory city-level emissions trading scheme. Despite its official designation, the TCTS largely follows the logic of a baseline-and-credit system rather than a conventional allowance-based cap-and-trade programme. Drawing on government data, policy documents, academic studies, and interviews, the article examines how emissions trading was adapted to the metropolitan scale through policy mobility, institutional translation, and functional state rescaling. It argues that the TCTS combines carbon trading with bureaucratic oversight, monitoring and verification, technical guidance, and energy-efficiency regulation within an administratively embedded governance framework. Although substantial emissions reductions were recorded among regulated facilities, persistent surplus credits and limited trading reveal the limits of market mechanisms alone. The study shows how globally mobile climate policies are reconfigured through local institutions and metropolitan governance capacities, suggesting that successful urban decarbonisation depends as much on administrative capacity, institutional learning, and sustained regulatory engagement as on carbon pricing. Full article

The ongoing European energy transition and the restructuring of energy markets are increasing pressure on energy-intensive industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies. In this context, local geothermal resources represent a promising low-carbon energy source for strengthening industrial energy resilience. This study investigates the geothermal potential of a heavy industrial area located at the northwestern margin of the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic), where elevated heat flow is associated with the interaction of Variscan structures, post-orogenic magmatism, and Cenozoic rifting. Due to safety restrictions related to industrial infrastructure, including pipelines and zones with explosive substances, a combination of controlled-source magnetotellurics and gravimetric surveying was applied. Magnetotelluric measurements conducted in the frequency range of 8–8192 Hz identified a major fault-controlled boundary between the crystalline basement of the Saxothuringian Zone and the Neogene sedimentary fill of the Most Basin. Gravimetric modeling revealed a pronounced negative residual Bouguer anomaly that can be explained by variations in sediment thickness and/or the presence of a low-density body within the crystalline basement. The integrated interpretation of geophysical data, regional heat-flow distribution, and existing geological knowledge suggests that this low-density body may be associated with granite porphyry intrusions of the Altenberg–Teplice Collapse Caldera. The results indicate that the northwestern Bohemian Massif contains geological structures favourable for geothermal exploration and demonstrate the applicability of low-impact geophysical methods in complex industrial environments. The study provides a scientific basis for future geothermal development aimed at supporting industrial decarbonization, regional energy resilience, and long-term energy security. Full article

This study investigates the transformation of energy security in distributed energy systems under growing uncertainty, geopolitical shocks, and fuel market volatility. A risk-based multi-objective optimization framework is proposed that integrates economic performance (LCOE, CAPEX, and OPEX), system reliability, and systemic risk measured by Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR). The empirical analysis is based on European electricity market data for 2010–2025 and combines historical analysis with stochastic scenario generation and Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the impacts of exogenous shocks. The results reveal a structural shift in the European electricity market after 2021, characterized by increased sensitivity to fuel price fluctuations and a transition to a more volatile operating regime. Although a higher share of renewable energy improves economic and environmental performance, it does not ensure system resilience without complementary flexibility measures, including energy storage and demand-side management. The proposed framework demonstrates that integrating these measures substantially reduces systemic risk under crisis conditions. The analysis also identifies a persistent post-crisis risk pattern, reflected in elevated CVaR values after market stabilization, which is consistent with the hypothesis of risk hysteresis. Rather than proving hysteresis, the results indicate sustained risk persistence following major external shocks. The proposed framework extends existing approaches to energy security assessment by integrating economic efficiency, reliability, and risk within a unified optimization model. Its modular structure enables adaptation to different electricity markets through recalibration of local parameters, providing a practical decision-support tool for strategic planning under uncertainty. Full article

For millennia, farmers in cassava’s homeland in the neotropics selected varieties suited to their climate, soils, biological environments, management systems, and nutritional needs. These actions were fundamental to the crop’s success as a reliable staple energy source. After the arrival of Europeans in the New World, these varieties spread first to Africa and later to Asia, where they were further selected for local conditions and needs. The founders of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia, recognized the importance of legacy landrace varieties as sources of genetic diversity for breeding to support tropical production systems, improve nutrition, and boost income. One of earliest activities of the new center, beginning in 1969, was to organize the collection of cassava landraces to establish a genetic resource for breeding purposes at the center’s headquarters in the Cauca Valley. We describe the multifaceted understanding about this remarkable heritage through thorough evaluation over a diverse range of environments and the creation of new varieties aimed at adding value across the crop’s diverse agro-ecologies and uses. CIAT breeders, along with a broad coalition of partners, have targeted demands from growers, processors, and consumers throughout the tropics. Latin American germplasm remains the foundational source of novel, high-value traits that differentiate cassava products across markets, underpinning the continued gains in productivity, quality, and end-use performance. Full article

This study aims to examine fuelwood S4 as a forest bioenergy resource in Poland by analysing real price dynamics, sales-volume changes and short-term price–volume relationships in 2005–2024. This study contributes to the literature by linking the S4 fuelwood assortment with local biomass-energy availability and by analysing its monthly price–volume dynamics in an institutionally managed primary timber market. Monthly data from the State Forests National Forest Holding for five species groups—pine, spruce, oak, beech and birch—were used. The analysis combined descriptive statistics, seasonal indices, stationarity and cointegration diagnostics, Granger-type predictive tests and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-type fixed-effects dynamic panel models. The results show that sales volume was more volatile than real prices and displayed strong seasonality, with the highest average sales in March and the lowest in January. Pine accounted for the largest share of sales volume, while oak and beech represented higher-priced segments. Between 2005 and 2024, total timber sales increased by 27.1%, whereas S4 fuelwood sales increased by 77.0%. The diagnostics did not provide consistent evidence of a stable long-term equilibrium between real prices and sales volume; therefore, the main econometric analysis focused on short-term dynamics. Lagged real price changes were positively and significantly associated with subsequent sales-volume dynamics, and this relationship remained robust across alternative lag specifications. The sum of lagged real-price coefficients was positive and statistically significant in all ARDL-type specifications, ranging from 1.053 to 2.162, with Wald-test p-values from <0.001 to 0.018. The findings indicate that fuelwood S4 should be interpreted not only as a timber assortment, but also as a limited forest bioenergy resource whose market behaviour is shaped by species structure, seasonal patterns and short-term adjustment within an institutionally managed timber sales system. Full article

As modern electricity system evolve toward smart grids, increasing technological and regulatory complexity makes distribution system planning a challenging task. This paper develops new planning and reliability models to help local distribution companies (LDCs) achieve cost-effective, reliable solutions amid these changes. Furthermore, this paper offers a novel iteration-based optimization model incorporating reliability and security considerations. Also, this work proposes the concept of virtual microgrids to enhance distributed generation (DG) penetration in weak areas, thereby improving reliability where it is most needed. The proposed model reduces an LDC’s total planning cost covering substation and feeder upgrades, market energy purchases, payments to DG owners, energy losses, and operations while ensuring that reliability indices and energy not supplied stay within regulatory limits. To ensure compliance with operational security limits as DG penetration rises, the DG capacity is split into normal operating capacity and reserve capacity. The results confirm the proposed algorithm’s superiority relative to current state-of-the-art planning methodologies. Full article

Green hydrogen (H₂) production is a pivotal element of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This study presents a comprehensive feasibility assessment of a high-efficiency H₂ production system integrating a photovoltaic (PV) array and a high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) system with a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, specifically designed for harsh climatic conditions. To evaluate the system’s viability, a comprehensive simulation model was developed based on rigorously validated mathematical formulations. First, the performance of the PEM electrolyzer and the effectiveness of the cooling system were modeled using established electrochemical and thermal correlations derived from the peer-reviewed literature. Second, this model was applied to evaluate the system’s long-term energy yield and economic performance. Key economic metrics, including the levelized cost of H₂ (LCOH) and discounted payback period (DPBP), were calculated based on local solar irradiance data, followed by a sensitivity analysis to assess the economic robustness under varying market conditions. The results demonstrate that the proposed configuration is not only technically feasible—maintaining high efficiency despite harsh environmental conditions—but also economically viable, offering a competitive LCOH and attractive DPBP that align with the strategic objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. Full article

Twin green and digital transitions (TTs) are framed as mutually reinforcing pathways toward climate neutrality and economic modernisation. However, local realities in peripheral, coal regions in Southeastern Europe (SEE) indicate a more complex and contested picture. The paper traces how TTs are shaped, perceived, negotiated, and implemented in two historically lignite-dependent areas, Stara Zagora (Southeast Region, Bulgaria) and Kozani (Western Macedonia, Greece), through qualitative comparative research drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews with energy workers, institutional stakeholders, local government representatives, and industry actors, conducted between June and October 2025, triangulated with statistical, institutional, and policy documentation. The conceptualisation integrates labour regimes, Varieties of Capitalism, and Europeanisation, while the analysis examines divergent local pathways produced by common European policy architecture. The findings indicate that TTs are not experienced nor understood as unified synergistic agendas but as asymmetric and differentiated processes, with green transition dominating the discourse while digital transition remains detached from the materialised understandings of transition. Governance is perceived as centralised and distant, labour market interventions such as retraining programmes serve as fund absorption mechanisms, while renewable energy projects generate neither quality employment nor community ownership. Instead of transformative processes, TTs in both cases function as a renewed modality of deindustrialisation. The paper moves from empirical findings of local transition realities to normative arguments about the democratic governance conditions that just transition requires. Full article

This study presents a systematic literature-based discovery of the energy management process within household microgrids, combining the methodologies of Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and Literature-Based Discovery (LBD). The objective is to identify and structure key activities that ensure the efficient, scalable, and resilient operation of household microgrids. Drawing on an extensive analysis of the literature, the study proposes a conceptual, process-oriented framework that integrates technological and organizational perspectives into an eight-step roadmap for household energy management. These steps include data acquisition, local weather forecasting, energy production and consumption prediction, demand and supply management, energy generation and storage, power distribution, control of technological and organizational infrastructure, and compliance with safety and regulatory standards. The model supports the integration of predictive, self-learning control systems and highlights the importance of user competence development alongside automation. By mapping out a structured and replicable approach to household microgrid energy management, the study provides a foundation for improved energy independence, operational reliability, and effective integration into decentralized energy markets. The roadmap offers practical insights for both researchers and practitioners aiming to support the sustainable development and governance of household microgrids. Full article

Decarbonisation targets are now widely adopted. However, the speed at which renewables are built depends on many factors, including technology, cost, regulation, and the decisions of investors, developers, and governments. Public acceptance is one of these factors, but it is not the decisive one. This article examines public acceptance specifically: the attitudes, perceptions, and preferences of citizens and consumers, which form only one part of the wider social acceptance of renewable energy that also involves policy-makers, intermediaries, and market actors. We ask how public acceptance of renewable energy varies across countries, what drives that variation, and which policy instruments most reliably turn public approval into built capacity. Using a structured narrative synthesis across 21 countries, we integrate major cross-national opinion surveys (Eurobarometer 555, the UNDP–Oxford Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024, Pew, DESNZ, CSIRO, KfW, Ipsos), peer-reviewed work on local community acceptance, and capacity data from IRENA and the IEA. Three findings stand out. Headline support is high almost everywhere—a median of 76% across 77 countries and 85% in the EU—but increasingly masks polarisation, most sharply in the United States, where the partisan gap on prioritising renewables widened from 26 to 49 points between 2020 and 2024. Technology-specific acceptance follows a broadly consistent order, from rooftop solar down through wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass to carbon capture and nuclear. And community acceptance turns less on physical proximity to infrastructure than on procedural fairness, place attachment, and meaningful financial participation. Our contribution is integrative: we propose operational indicators of public acceptance that travel across national contexts, a country typology linking acceptance institutions to renewable outcomes, and a five-element policy architecture—early participation, benefit sharing, procedural transparency, place-sensitive siting, and credible information—each mapped to the acceptance dimension it addresses. Full article

Energy-efficient coordination of robotic swarms requires effective integration of task scheduling, motion planning, and communication management, particularly in resource-constrained environments where computation and wireless communication compete for limited energy resources. Existing multi-robot approaches typically address these concerns in separate stages: task-allocation methods (e.g., market- and auction-based schemes) price assignments by distance, and computation-offloading methods decide execution placement after a route has been fixed. This paper’s specific contribution is to fold the execution-placement decision (local computation versus offloading to a peer) into the edge-relaxation step of an A* path search, using a composite cost whose communication term is derived from the instantaneous neighborhood of each node; routing and compute placement are therefore co-optimized within a single search rather than in decoupled stages. The framework is evaluated in simulation with a swarm of 25 robots against two decoupled baselines: a path-only planner that ignores workload and communication costs, and a workload-only scheduler that ignores travel and communication costs. Across 20 randomized trials, the proposed heuristic reduces total swarm energy consumption by approximately 22% relative to the path-only baseline and 9% relative to the workload-only baseline, shortens average task completion time by roughly 20%, and lowers the load imbalance factor from 6.7 (path-only) and 3.2 (workload-only) to 1.9. We report these gains for the tested configurations and delimit their scope: the search retains the asymptotic complexity of standard A*, but path optimality does not extend to the compute-placement decisions, which are locally greedy, and all results are obtained in simulation rather than on hardware. Full article

This study examined the spatial carbon emission effects of new quality productive forces (NQPs) using provincial panel data from China during 2012–2021. A dynamic spatial Durbin model with instrumental variable generalized method of moments estimation was used to address endogeneity in assessing direct and spillover effects on carbon emission intensity. Results show that the direct effect (0.0072) and spatial spillover ($-0.0100$) are statistically insignificant, with no identifiable emission reduction during the sample period. Technology diffusion exhibits a J-curve left-sided feature with a short-term total effect of 0.0553, as general technology diffusion accompanies energy-intensive capacity expansion without crossing the turning point. The spatial environmental Kuznets curve reveals a positive intensification effect: neighboring per-capita gross domestic product increases local carbon emission intensity, with marginal effects rising from 0.084 to 0.168. Heterogeneity analysis shows that green-technology-oriented NQPs exhibit the most promising emission-reduction potential, while digital infrastructure generates carbon rebound. These findings challenge the presumptions that local income growth automatically reduces carbon and that technology diffusion naturally leads to reduced emissions. Cross-regional carbon compensation mechanisms, green technology market standards, and extended technology transformation evaluation periods are recommended. Full article

This study develops an evidence-based sustainability-readiness and screening-level techno-economic framework for intelligent microgrid implementation in emerging energy markets, using Bulgaria as an evidence-based national case application. It addresses the mismatch between renewable-energy expansion and slower progress in smart metering, distribution-grid observability, data interoperability, local flexibility and institutional coordination. The methodology combines functional benchmarking, a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)-informed readiness assessment, normalized gap (GAP) measurement, intervention prioritization and an illustrative industrial-zone scenario. Denmark and Greece provide complementary references for digital-market maturity and territorial resilience. Distribution-grid observability, smart-meter deployment, digital interoperability and local flexibility are ranked as the leading deficits, and the four highest priorities remain stable under a ±20% weight perturbation. The scenario is explicitly screening-level: local self-consumption and peak-load reduction are assumptions rather than outputs of hourly battery dispatch. Under baseline assumptions, annual photovoltaic (PV) generation is estimated at 13,500 megawatt-hours per year (MWh/year), avoided emissions at 3686 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (tCO₂/year), and the simple payback period at 6.3 years. The framework links readiness evidence to intervention priorities and transparent screening outcomes. Full article

Enhancing green total-factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) is a critical pathway for promoting the green transformation of economic and social development. However, the potential influence of the construction and development of urban functional networks (UFNs) on this process has received limited scholarly attention. Using panel data from 148 cities across nine major Chinese urban agglomerations from 2010 to 2023, this study finds the following: First, the development of UFNs at the urban agglomeration scale significantly enhances GTFEE. Second, UFNs improve GTFEE through two distinct mechanisms: “government action” and “market efficiency.” The “government action” mechanism primarily operates by promoting market integration, reducing land resource misallocation, and curbing urban sprawl. The “market efficiency” mechanism functions by enhancing factor mobility, optimizing the allocation of production factors, and accelerating the diffusion of green technological innovations. Third, the effect of UFNs on GTFEE varies according to local development conditions, infrastructure connectivity, and policy continuity and coordination. The enhancement effect is more pronounced in cities located near coastlines, those connected to other cities within the agglomeration by high-speed rail, and cities with longer-serving municipal Party secretaries. Fourth, urban agglomerations characterized by polycentric spatial structures and stronger agglomeration externalities are better able to leverage the functional node effects of their constituent cities, thereby further enhancing GTFEE. Full article