Search Results (46)

The EU’s green transition hinges on secure access to critical raw materials; vanadium is pivotal for microalloyed steels and emerging long-duration energy storage (VRFBs). Methods: We combine a market and technology review with PESTEL and Porter-5+2 analyses, complemented by a value-chain assessment and a SWOT-to-CAME strategy for the EU. Results: Vanadium supply is highly concentrated (VTM-derived, largely in CN/RU/ZA), prices are volatile, and >85% of demand remains tied to steel; yet VRFBs could shift demand shares by 2030 if costs—dominated by electrolyte—are mitigated. EU weaknesses include lack of primary mining and refining capacity; strengths include research leadership, regulatory frameworks and circularity potential (slag/catalyst recovery, electrolyte reuse). Conclusions: A resilient EU strategy should prioritize circular supply, selective upstream partnerships, battery-grade refining hubs, and targeted instruments (strategic stocks, offtake/price-stabilization, LDES-ready regulation) to de-risk vanadium for grid storage and low-carbon infrastructure. This study also discusses supply chain concentration and price volatility, and outline circular-economy pathways and decarbonization policy levers relevant to the EU’s green energy transition. Full article

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a concept that can help to address heating and cooling needs through the use of the subsurface as a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) system. Over 2800 ATES systems have been deployed with storage temperatures typically below 25 °C and only a few with higher temperatures (>40 °C), which would increase the energy density and utility of the stored thermal fluids. Until now, only a few high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) projects have been initiated and are still in operation. These HT-ATES projects have encountered a range of technical and non-technical challenges. This study reviews ten such projects: four in Germany and six in the Netherlands. The non-technical issues include public acceptance, a lack of regulatory framework for these systems, managing overlapping uses of the subsurface, managing changes with the providers and off-takers of thermal energy, and obtaining financing to implement these projects. Common technical issues include geological factors such as incomplete characterization of the subsurface and reservoir heterogeneity; geochemical issues such as mineral scaling, corrosion, and biofouling; lower than expected thermal recovery; and issues with system design and reliability. This review highlights benefits and challenges faced by HT-ATES projects with the goal to use the lessons learned to improve the siting, design, development, and operation of such systems. Recommendations include improved initial subsurface site characterization, use of coupled process models to optimize system design and predict system performance, cascaded uses of stored thermal energy to better utilize the stored heat, monitoring networks to provide feedback on system performance, and expanded system scale to allow for continued operation even when maintenance of some system components is required. Techno-economic modeling and risk analysis could be used to optimize such HT-ATES project design and identify key factors that will affect sustained economic viability. In addition, design flexibility is important for these systems to allow for changing conditions regarding the supply and demand of thermal energy. Adopting these findings should improve the performance and reduce the risks for future HT-ATES projects worldwide. Full article

Improving sustainability in agricultural systems depends on increasing the efficiency of nitrogen (N) use and recycling. This study evaluated whether animal supplementation and legume-based pastures can enhance N balance and residual N availability in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS). The experiment was conducted in two phases—livestock and cropping—using three treatments: a control pasture (oat + ryegrass), a legume mixture (oat + ryegrass + arrowleaf clover), and a supplementation treatment (oat + ryegrass with concentrate supplementation at 1% of live weight), each replicated three times. Soybeans were grown during the cropping phase. Supplementation increased the stocking rate by 21%, while both supplementation and legumes led to a 30% increase in residual N returned via feces and urine, without negatively affecting soybean yield (~4.1 Mg ha⁻¹). N off-take by soybean grain was approximately 9% higher in these treatments, while N exported via cattle carcasses remained unchanged across treatments, averaging 8.2 kg ha⁻¹. Overall, soybeans accounted for 96–97% of total N export, and animals for only 3–4%. These results demonstrate that animal supplementation and legume integration enhance N use efficiency and contribute to nutrient recycling in ICLS, offering a viable strategy to reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers. The findings support the development of more sustainable livestock and crop systems by maximizing nutrient retention, maintaining yield, and improving soil fertility. Furthermore, the implications for soybean yield and the sustainability of livestock systems indicate a potential positive economic and environmental impact for producers and policymakers. Full article

This review presents a critical analysis of Japan’s hydrogen strategy, focusing on the broader context of its decarbonization efforts. Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with intermediate targets including 3 million tons of hydrogen use by 2030 and 20 million tons by 2050. Unlike countries with abundant domestic renewables, Japan’s approach emphasizes hydrogen imports and advanced storage technologies, driven by limited local renewable capacity. This review not only synthesizes policy and project-level developments but also critically evaluates Japan’s hydrogen roadmap by examining its alignment with global trends, technology maturity, and infrastructure scalability. The review integrates recent policy updates, infrastructure developments, and pilot project results, providing insights into value chain modeling, cost reduction strategies, and demand forecasting. Three policy conclusions emerge. First, Japan’s geography justifies an import-reliant pathway, but it heightens exposure to price, standards, and supply-chain risk; diversification across LH₂ and ammonia with robust certification and offtake mechanisms is essential. Second, near-term deployment is most credible in industrial feedstocks (steel, ammonia, methanol) and the maritime sector, while refueling rollout lags materially behind plan and should be recalibrated. Third, cost competitiveness hinges less on electrolyzer CAPEX than on electricity price, liquefaction, transport; policy should prioritize bankable offtake, grid-connected renewables and transmission, and targeted CAPEX support for import terminals, bunkering, and cracking. Japan’s experience offers a pathway in the global hydrogen transition, particularly for countries facing similar geographic and energy limitations. By analyzing both the progress and the limitations of Japan’s hydrogen roadmap, this study contributes to understanding diverse national strategies in the rapidly changing state of implementation of clean energy. Full article

Green hydrogen is gaining global attention as a zero-carbon energy carrier with the potential to drive sustainable energy transitions, particularly in regions facing rising fossil fuel costs and resource depletion. In sub-Saharan Africa, financing mechanisms and structured off-take agreements are critical to attracting investment across the green hydrogen value chain, from advisory and pilot stages to full-scale deployment. While substantial funding is required to support a green economic transition, success will depend on the effective mobilization of capital through smart public policies and innovative financial instruments. This review evaluates financing mechanisms relevant to sub-Saharan Africa, including green bonds, public–private partnerships, foreign direct investment, venture capital, grants and loans, multilateral and bilateral funding, and government subsidies. Despite their potential, current capital flows remain insufficient and must be significantly scaled up to meet green energy transition targets. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, drawing on primary data from utility firms under the H₂Atlas-Africa project and secondary data from international organizations and the peer-reviewed literature. The analysis identifies that transitioning toward Net-Zero emissions economies through hydrogen development in sub-Saharan Africa presents both significant opportunities and measurable risks. Specifically, the results indicate an estimated investment risk factor of 35%, reflecting potential challenges such as financing, infrastructure, and policy readiness. Nevertheless, the findings underscore that green hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly if supported by targeted financing strategies and robust policy frameworks. This study offers practical insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and development partners seeking to structure bankable projects and accelerate green hydrogen adoption across the region. Full article

Creating a hydrogen market in Africa is a great opportunity to assist in the promotion of sustainable energy solutions and economic growth. This article addresses the legislation and regulations that need to be developed to facilitate growth in the hydrogen market and allow local green hydrogen offtake across the continent. By reviewing current policy and strategy within particular African countries and best practices globally from key hydrogen economies, the review establishes compelling issues, challenges, and opportunities unique to Africa. The study identifies the immense potential in Africa for renewable energy, and, in particular, for solar and wind, as the foundation for the production of green hydrogen. It examines how effective policy frameworks can establish a vibrant hydrogen economy by bridging infrastructural gaps, cost hurdles, and regulatory barriers. The paper also addresses how local offtake contracts for green hydrogen can be used to stimulate economic diversification, energy security, and sustainable development. Policy advice is provided to assist African authorities and stakeholders in the deployment of enabling regulatory frameworks and the mobilization of funds. The paper contributes to global hydrogen energy discussions by introducing Africa as an eligible stakeholder in the emerging hydrogen economy and outlining prospects for its inclusion into regional and global energy supply chains. Full article

Cover crops are becoming widely integrated into many farms as tools for improving sustainability. However, the decisions by growers for planting follow several objectives/criteria, many of which overlap. This review orders these sowing rationales into a practical framework for land management guidance. Prioritised by cover crop performance objectives, the optimal species and their environmental requirements are discussed. A key consideration of this review is that cover crops are used as part of a rotation strategy. Here, farmers’ primary objectives are to maintain or enhance biomass not of the cover plants themselves but for the following commercial crop. For example, a large cover crop biomass may be beneficial for reducing field-nutrient losses but are counterproductive if nutrient immobilisation or offtake then results in subsequent nutrition stresses and yield declines. Furthermore, species selection and management practices must be integrated if these negative impacts are to be mitigated. This review has found a strong research focus on cover crop nitrogen dynamics but limited research on nutrient recycling more broadly. Moreover, there is growing evidence that regionality plays a critical role in cover crop and land management partnering due to variations in edaphic and climatic influences, but there is a shortfall in research to inform strategies for many important agricultural centres such as Northern Ireland. Full article

Green hydrogen and ammonia are forecast to play key roles in the deep decarbonization of the global economy. Here we explore the potential of using green hydrogen and ammonia to couple the energy, agriculture, and industrial sectors with India’s national-scale electricity grid. India is an ideal test case as it currently has one of the most ambitious hydrogen programs in the world, with projected electricity demands for hydrogen and ammonia production accounting for over 1500 TWh/yr or nearly 25% of India’s total electricity demand by 2050. We model the ambitious deep decarbonization of India’s electricity grid and half of its steel and fertilizer industries by 2050. We uncover modest risks for India from such a strategy, with many benefits and opportunities. Our analysis suggests that a renewables-based energy system coupled with ammonia off-take sectors has the potential to dramatically reduce India’s greenhouse emissions, reduce requirements for expensive long-duration energy storage or firm generating capacity, reduce the curtailment of renewable energy, provide valuable short-duration and long-duration load-shifting and system resilience to inter-annual weather variations, and replace tens of billions of USD in ammonia and fuel imports each year. All this while potentially powering new multi-billion USD green steel and maritime fuel export industries. The key risk for India in relation to such a strategy lies in the potential for higher costs and reduced benefits if the rest of the world does not match their ambitious investment in renewables, electrolyzers, and clean storage technologies. We show that such a pessimistic outcome could result in the costs of green hydrogen and ammonia staying high for India through 2050, although still within the range of their gray counterparts. If on the other hand, renewable and storage costs continue to decline further with continued global deployment, all the above benefits could be achieved with a reduced levelized cost of hydrogen and ammonia (10–25%), potentially with a modest reduction in total energy system costs (5%). Such an outcome would have profound global implications given India’s central role in the future global energy economy, establishing India’s global leadership in green shipping fuel, agriculture, and steel, while creating an affordable, sustainable, and secure domestic energy supply. Full article

As we are advancing deeper into the twenty-first century, new challenges as well as technical opportunities in agriculture are rising. One of these issues is the increasing need for food, which is crucial for supporting the population’s nutritional needs, promoting regional trade, and ensuring food security. Climate change is another ongoing challenge in the shape of changing rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures due to high CO₂ concentrations, and over urbanization which ultimately negatively impact the crop yield. Therefore, for increased food production and the sustainability of agricultural growth, an accurate and timely crop yield prediction could be beneficial. In this paper, artificial intelligence (AI)-based sustainable methods for the evaluation of wheat production (W_P) using multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques are presented. The historical data of around 60 years, comprising of wheat area (W_A), temperature (T), rainfall (RF), carbon dioxide emissions from liquid and gaseous fusion CE (CE_LF, CE_GF), arable land (AL), credit disbursement (CD), and fertilizer offtake (FO) were used as potential indicators/input parameters to forecast wheat production (W_P). To further support the performance efficiency of computed prediction models, a variety of statistical tests were used, such as R-square (R²), root means square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE). The results demonstrate that all acceptance standards relating to accuracy are satisfied by the proposed models. However, the SVM outperforms MLR and ANN approaches. Additionally, parametric and sensitivity tests were performed to assess the specific influence of the input parameters. Full article

Irrigation water quality impacts the agro-ecosystem, human health, and the overall well-being of the environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate upstream municipal and industrial pollution impacts on irrigated farming and ecosystem health. The suitability indices and Heavy Metal Pollution Index methods have been used to identify the contamination extent and corresponding spatial and seasonal variability. Samples were collected twice per annum, i.e., during the low-flow season and high-flow season (rainy season) in the 2022/23 year. Results showed that during the low-flow season, the salinity hazard was 0.7 dS/m to 2.5 dS/m and medium to high. Sodicity hazards were obtained below <10 for the low-flow season, and for the rainy season, medium (16.63), high (18–26), and very high (>26). The toxic level of chloride for low-flow season showed slight to moderate at 3.6 mg/L and 6.07 mg/L, and toxicity was severe at Deho (14.6 mg/L), slight to moderate at Ambash (4 mg/L), Ertaale Lake (5 mg/L), and Gewanie (4.6 mg/L) in high-flow seasons. No heavy metal contamination was observed for low-flow periods except at Werer Research, which had a Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) > 100. But, during the rainy season, Kesem Dam, Sedi Weir, WARC Pumping, WARC Offtake, and Ambash had a HPI > 100, which implied contamination by metals. Cadmium (Cd) was at moderate to ecological risk at low flow in sites Kesem factory, WARC Offtake, Ertaale, Meteka, and Gewanie, whereas Sedi Weir (Cd and Hg) and WARC Offtake (Cd) were at moderate risk during high flow. To conclude, metal pollution is a serious concern that needs upstream quality monitoring. Full article

Mass vaccination against peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in two southern states of India, namely Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, has reduced disease outbreaks significantly. The sporadic outbreaks reported now can be attributed in part to the recurring movement of sheep and goats between these contiguous states. This study assessed the present level of economic burden and impact of vaccination on the local system (one state), considering the exposure from the external system (neighboring state) using a system dynamic (SD) model. The SD model relies on interdependence, interaction, information feedback, and circular causality and captures potential feedback between disease control interventions and their impact on various epidemiological and economic outcomes. The data for parameterization of the model were collected through surveys, expert elicitation, and literature review. The sporadic outbreaks reported in recent years (<10 outbreaks/year during 2022) were due to continuous “mass vaccination” for more than a decade. During 2021–2022, the PPR incidence was less in both the states, with an estimated loss of USD 26.30 and USD 22.86 million in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, respectively. The SD model results showed a systemic increase in flock size and offtakes and a decline in the number of infected and death cases under high vaccination coverage (75% and 100% coverage) compared to the low-coverage scenario. Hence, the coordinated inter-state vaccination efforts offer better prospects, as efforts in one state have positive externalities in terms of fewer outbreaks in a neighboring state. Full article

The agricultural sector is a cornerstone of many developing economies, supporting millions of livelihoods, contributing significantly to GDP, and ensuring food security and social stability. This study explores the crucial role of off-takers in enhancing the resilience and sustainability of agricultural clusters. Through predetermined purchase agreements, off-takers offer market certainty, stabilize income for smallholder farmers, and provide essential support in capital access, technical assistance, and technology adoption. Employing a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method and secondary data analysis, along with a case study focusing on an agricultural cluster in West Java, Indonesia, this research highlights how off-takers contribute to price stability, promote entrepreneurial skills among farmers, and foster social entrepreneurship. The findings emphasize the importance of building strategic partnerships between farmers, off-takers, and government entities to strengthen agricultural competitiveness, support sustainable rural economies, and ensure food security. Practical recommendations are provided for policymakers and stakeholders to optimize off-taker engagement in agricultural clusters, thereby fostering thriving agricultural ecosystems and economic prosperity in rural communities. Full article

Novel recycled fertilizers could help close environmental nutrient cycles in the circular economy. To better understand their performance and residual value, commercially available biobased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers (BBFs) were tested in a two-year crop cycle of winter wheat and ryegrass. The N fertilizer replacement value of N-BBFs ranged from 47 to 80% in the main crop. Not all BBFs led to a similarly high N concentration as the mineral reference in the wheat straw. However, full and early fertilization with incorporation could make the fertilizing effect of N-BBFs more reliable. The P fertilizer replacement value ranged between 105 and 161% for the crop cycle. We assume that the N contained in biobased phosphorus fertilizers can be seen as unproblematic for losses during winter and can serve as a starter fertilizer already present in the soil for the succeeding crop in spring. In general, biobased P fertilizers had a higher residual value than biobased N fertilizers. However, these residual values were comparable to those of mineral fertilizer references. While P-BBFs proved to be a sustainable and reliable nutrient source for a crop cycle, the N-BBFs used as the main crop fertilizer were found to be more prone to environmental influences. Full article

Lending to the agricultural sector by commercial banks in Ghana is characterized by high credit risk. Empirical evidence suggests that commercial banks in Ghana have credit risk management (CRM) challenges. This study explores the credit risk mitigation strategies adopted by commercial banks to minimize credit risk in agricultural finance in Ghana. The study adopted a mixed-method approach using a survey questionnaire and interview instruments. The findings indicate that some of the strategies used by commercial banks to mitigate credit risk in agricultural finance do not meet commercial banks’ CRM needs. In addition, Ghanaian commercial banks have not fully adopted some of the recommended strategies that are used to mitigate credit risk associated with agricultural lending. The study unveils some appropriate strategies used to mitigate credit risk exposure in agricultural finance among commercial banks. These strategies include agricultural value-chain financing, collaboration with off-takers, incentive-based and risk-sharing schemes, adoption of a holistic agricultural value chain financing, policy interventions, use of agricultural insurance pool, and the proper structuring of agricultural loans. Full article

Significant price spikes occurred as early as 2021, initially driven by low gas storage levels, a post-pandemic economic rebound and then exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation had a range of wide-ranging consequences, from rising inflation, increasing energy poverty, food insecurity, business bankruptcies and recession. A well-known tool to protect energy consumers from energy price spikes, while at the same time contributing to the development of sustainable technologies, is Power Purchase Agreements. PPAs are long-term bilateral contracts for the purchase and sale of a certain amount of electricity, usually generated from renewable sources. The primary goal of this paper is to assess how the risk associated with PPAs has evolved between 2020 and 2023. It aims to examine whether, after the events in 2022, PPAs remain a robust solution that protects the off-taker from energy price spikes, ensures greater energy budget stability and enables savings. To achieve this, the probability of PPA prices being higher than market prices is evaluated, considering the changing market landscape. Furthermore, this paper intends to gain a thorough understanding of each risk related to PPAs and the best strategies for mitigating it, to maximize the protection of the off-taker. Full article