Search Results (2,042)

The objective of this study was to determine the energy balance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) under semi-arid Central Anatolian conditions. A field experiment was conducted using the registered industrial hemp cultivar ‘Vezir’ under semi-arid conditions, and energy use indicators and greenhouse gas emissions were quantified through an input–output analysis based on field-level agricultural inputs and biomass yield. The total energy input was calculated as 13,688.50 MJ ha^–1, of which chemical fertilizers (54.339%) and diesel fuel (32.09%) jointly accounted for more than 90%, followed by irrigation water (4.66%), machinery 2.87%), and human labor (0.21%). The corresponding energy output reached 388,073.80 MJ ha^–1, yielding an energy use efficiency of 28.35, a specific energy of 0.62 MJ kg^–1, an energy productivity of 1.61 kg MJ^–1 and a net energy of 374,385.28 MJ ha^–1. Of the total energy input, 36.95% was direct and 63.05% indirect, while 89.35% originated from non-renewable sources and only 10.65% originated from renewable sources. Total GHG emissions amounted to 590.14 kg CO₂ eq ha^–1, with diesel fuel and nitrogen fertilizer identified as the dominant emission sources. These findings indicate that industrial hemp combines high productivity with low environmental burdens under semi-arid conditions. Beyond its favorable energy balance, hemp offers potential contributions to climate-smart agriculture through efficient resource use, reduced greenhouse gas emissions per unit of output, and diversification of cropping systems in water-limited environments. Therefore, industrial hemp can support the transition toward more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in semi-arid regions of Türkiye and similar agroecological zones. Full article

In this paper, microscopic calculations of the $\beta$-decay properties of selected Xe, I, and Te isotopes in the mass region A = 120–146 were performed within the framework of the proton–neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pn-QRPA). The investigated nuclei extend from the vicinity of the valley of stability toward the neutron-rich region. Allowed Gamow–Teller (GT) transitions were calculated within the Schematic Model (SM) by including both particle–particle (pp) and particle–hole (ph) residual interactions, whereas first-forbidden (FF) transitions were treated within the schematic model by considering the particle–hole (ph) channel. Woods–Saxon single-particle energies were adopted as the mean-field basis, and all nuclei were assumed to be spherical. The calculated total $\beta$-decay half-lives, $logft$ values, and transition strengths were systematically compared with the available experimental data and previous theoretical calculations. Overall, satisfactory agreement was obtained for both allowed and first-forbidden transitions. The microscopic structure of the calculated GT and FF resonance states was further analysed using their dominant proton–neutron two-quasiparticle configurations and the corresponding pn-QRPA amplitudes, thereby providing additional insight into the origin of the transition strengths. The fulfillment of the Ikeda sum rule confirms the internal consistency of the calculations. This paper also provides theoretical predictions for several transition channels for which experimental information is currently unavailable, offering useful benchmark data for future experimental investigations and nuclear-structure and astrophysical applications. Full article

Counting electricity connections is easy. Understanding what those connections actually do for people is harder—and more important. This study examines how a 450 kWp Smart Grid Hybrid Microgrid on Semau Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, shaped the daily lives and economic futures of a community in one of the country’s most geographically isolated 3T territories (Frontier, Outermost, Underdeveloped), using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design (SEM-AMOS, n = 123; key informant interviews, n = 4)—and we find that forty percent of households have shifted from passive consumption to productive agricultural use within five years of grid connection, a rate that challenges common assumptions about rural electrification in eastern Indonesia. The data also reveal a troubling pattern at the heart of Indonesia’s subsidy architecture: the 450 VA tier, which absorbs the highest per-kWh State Budget subsidy (IDR 10,518/kWh; 96.2% of Cost of Supply), is associated with the weakest welfare returns. Meanwhile, an estimated IDR 1.87 billion per year in lost capacity—a figure we term the Governance Maintenance Loss (GML)—is linked to governance shortfalls rather than hardware failure. SEM-AMOS results (χ²/df = 1.613; RMSEA = 0.049; CFI = 0.973; TLI = 0.983; SRMR = 0.043) indicate that, among the constructs examined, Energy Diversification Policy shows the strongest association with community welfare (β = 0.718, p < 0.001)—more so than the physical infrastructure itself. In response, this study proposes three governance instruments: the MIDEK framework, a Knowledge Transfer Mandate (KTM), and a Productive Energy Tariff (PET). Together, these tools offer a replicable, low-cost pathway for Indonesia’s 1200 planned island installations under Presidential Regulation No. 112/2022—one that is simultaneously revenue-positive for PLN, budget-positive for the State, and welfare-positive for the communities these systems are meant to serve. 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

Achieving synergistic governance between carbon emissions and ecosystem service value (ESV) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) remains a significant challenge. Existing studies often rely on a single administrative scale and rarely extend spatial clustering results toward governance-oriented zoning frameworks that support differentiated management. To bridge these gaps, we developed a multi-scale remote sensing framework by integrating the China Land Cover Dataset (CLCD), NPP/VIIRS nighttime light (NTL) imagery, and energy consumption statistics to examine carbon emissions and ESV across the YRB at both county and grid scales. We estimated land-use carbon emissions by integrating emission coefficients with NTL modeling, while ESV was quantified via the equivalent factor method. By coupling dynamic carbon–ESV trends with their spatial association patterns (derived from bivariate LISA), we established a dual-dimensional Trend–Pattern framework for synergistic governance. Our findings reveal a pronounced asymmetry in regional development: while carbon emissions surged from 235 to 1033 million tons, ESV grew by a marginal 0.13% annually. Although carbon emissions and ESV are significantly negatively correlated (p < 0.001), this relationship diverges across scales—weakening at the county level but intensifying at the grid level. Notably, grid-scale analysis identified a contraction of over 56% in “Low carbon–High ESV” synergistic clusters in the upper reaches. This critical signal of declining carbon–ecological synergy was completely obscured by the averaging effect inherent in county-level assessments. Capitalizing on these scale-dependent insights, we delineated seven distinct governance zones, including Trend Control and Ecological Conservation Zones, thereby transitioning from mere spatial description to decision support for zoning-based governance. This study highlights the potential limitations of relying solely on single-tier administrative evaluations and offers a robust, multi-scale decision-support tool for carbon–ecological governance in the YRB. Full article

Against the global backdrop of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, renewable energy subsidy policies worldwide are shifting from universal, tariff-based schemes toward targeted, market-oriented mechanisms. However, existing research remains divided on the incentive effects of subsidies on firm investment and the risk of resource misallocation, and few studies have established a clear micro-macro linkage between firm-level subsidy receipts and regional employment and growth outcomes. Taking China’s 2016 renewable energy subsidy reform—characterized by competitive project bidding and green certificate trading—as a quasi-natural experiment, this study constructs a two-layer panel dataset covering 286 A-share listed renewable energy firms (2010–2023, 2412 firm-year observations) and 30 provincial-level regions in China (2010–2023, 420 region-year observations). Employing difference-in-differences (DID), triple difference-in-differences (DDD), mediation effect models, and threshold regression, combined with instrumental variables and placebo tests to address endogeneity, we empirically examine how subsidy policies transmit from firm behavior to regional employment and economic growth. The results indicate that the 2016 reform significantly boosted regional employment (elasticity = 0.035, p < 0.01) and economic growth (elasticity = 0.031, p < 0.05) in treated provinces. At the firm level, subsidy intensity exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with investment efficiency, with an estimated inflection point at 8.3% of operating revenue within the sample. Mechanism analysis shows that easing financing constraints, stimulating technological innovation, and reducing operational risk serve as core transmission channels, with the strongest contribution from financing constraint alleviation. Heterogeneity analysis further finds larger effects for private firms, high-tech enterprises, and coastal regions. This study develops a nonlinear analytical framework of “subsidy intensity–firm behavior–regional outcomes”, identifies context-specific boundaries of subsidy effectiveness, and provides integrated micro-macro empirical evidence for optimizing subsidy policies and advancing the global energy transition. Full article

This study employs the Kaya identity and Shapley value decomposition to analyse the main drivers of CO₂ emissions per capita in Australia and its states/territories from 2008–2009 to 2023–2024. This study extends the traditional three-factor Kaya model to a five-factor framework that explicitly incorporates renewable energy dynamics. Within this environment, we introduce an index for evaluating energy transition in each state over time, captured through the combined effects of renewable energy share and the fossil fuel-to-renewable ratio. The results indicate that energy intensity improvements are the dominant driver of emission reductions, contributing well over 100% of the total decline in most jurisdictions. However, this pattern does not hold universally: in the Northern Territory, energy intensity increased and contributed positively to emissions. In contrast, economic growth continues to exert upward pressure on emissions, partially offsetting these reductions and highlighting the ongoing challenge of decoupling. The Energy Transition Index (ETI) rose more than fivefold nationally (0.0018 to 0.0096), with Tasmania the highest among all states (0.185–0.291) and Western Australia and the Northern Territory the lowest. The Energy Transition Effect (ETE), defined as the natural logarithm of the ETI, follows the same regional pattern, while the Net Energy Transition Contribution (NETC) derived from the Shapley decomposition shows that the transition’s effect on emissions has been episodic rather than linear, turning negative in years when growth in fossil-fuel use outpaced renewable displacement. Marked regional variation is observed, with resource-intensive states such as Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory exhibiting distinct emissions patterns driven by mining and LNG activities, while more service-oriented states show more stable reductions. Full article

The paper explores the underutilized potential of geothermal energy in Romania, focusing on both shallow and deep geothermal systems as sustainable alternatives for heating applications. Romania’s unique geological features, particularly the Pannonian Depression, offer significant geothermal resources, yet these remain largely untapped in many regions. This study presents an analysis of the country’s geothermal reservoirs, highlighting their spatial distribution, thermophysical properties, and technical potential. In-depth data on aquifer characteristics, including temperatures, depths, and capacities, supports a comprehensive assessment of the energy output achievable from these natural systems. Current applications of geothermal resources are reviewed, including successful projects in Oradea and Timiș County, which demonstrate the viability of geothermal systems for residential and commercial heating. Furthermore, this study discusses Romania’s regulatory landscape and incentive frameworks aligned with European Union standards, identifying key barriers and opportunities for growth. With a robust foundation of technical and spatial data, this paper underscores the strategic role geothermal energy can play in Romania’s transition to a low-carbon economy, supporting both environmental sustainability and energy resilience. The results demonstrate how geomatics-based resource mapping and spatial analysis support evidence-based planning of geothermal energy systems at regional and national scales. Full article

The energy transition and global decarbonization goals have accelerated the development of offshore renewable energy technologies, particularly in deep-water regions, where fixed foundations are limited by technical and economic constraints. Floating structures offer new opportunities for harnessing marine renewable resources, allowing them to be deployed in areas with favorable wind, wave, and oceanographic conditions. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of European floating structures intended for hybrid renewable energy applications, combining environmental assessment, structural characteristics, hydrodynamic behavior, and energy integration aspects. Unlike previous analyses, which focused primarily on individual technologies, this study offers an integrated perspective on floating platform concepts—including spar, semi-submersible, tension-leg, barge, and FPSO-based solutions—as well as their potential for hybrid energy systems. The analysis shows that platform stability, motion response, and structural adaptability are critical factors affecting energy performance and operational reliability. Furthermore, the analysis highlights that hybrid configurations combining offshore wind, wave, and solar energy with energy storage technologies represent promising pathways toward more autonomous and sustainable offshore infrastructure. Key challenges related to design optimization, environmental loads, and system integration are also identified to support future developments in European offshore renewable energy. Full article

This study asks whether, and through which firm-level channels, the green data center (GDC) pilot improves corporate sustainability, and it aims to quantify the policy effect and identify its transmission pathways. Under the dual shift in digital transformation and low-carbon transition, the energy demand and emissions generated by data centers have become important constraints on the sustainability performance of firms. This study regards the 2015 “National Green Data Center Pilot Work Plan” as a quasi-experimental policy shock. In terms of methods, using panel observations of Chinese A-share companies listed in Shanghai or Shenzhen during 2010–2024, a difference-in-differences (DID) strategy is employed to estimate the effect of GDC policy and to identify its transmission pathways for corporate sustainability. In terms of results, the empirical estimates indicate that the GDC pilot improves corporate sustainability, and the effect is robust to fixed-effects specifications, an instrumental-variable strategy, propensity-score matching, and a placebo test. Mechanism tests show that the pilot works through three channels: greater green innovation output and technical value, reduced financing frictions, and enhanced green governance capacity. Heterogeneity tests further show that the effect is stronger among firms with a higher level of digital transformation, a larger share of skilled technical personnel, stronger internal control, and greater executive green awareness, and that it is clearer where regional environmental regulation is stricter and market competition is more intense. In terms of conclusions, by integrating institutional pressure theory with the resource-based view, this study explains how the GDC pilot is translated into a firm-level sustainability advantage, and it offers evidence for refining GDC policy design and advancing the coordinated digital and green transformation of enterprises. The novelty of the study lies in providing firm-level causal evidence within a unified “pressure-to-capability” framework, in opening the three transmission channels, and in specifying the technological, organizational, and environmental conditions under which the effect is stronger. Full article

Accurate carbon emission prediction is critical for regional low-carbon transitions and the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals. However, carbon emission systems exhibit significant complex nonlinear relationships and time-dependent characteristics, making it difficult for traditional statistical methods and conventional neural networks to fully capture their dynamic evolution. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a multivariate carbon emission prediction method that integrates a Temporal Dendritic Neural Model (TDNM) with a Dendritic Adaptive Learning (DAL) algorithm. Based on panel data from 54 prefecture-level cities in China spanning 1999 to 2023, this study systematically constructs a carbon emission driving factor system comprising 13 indicators across economic, social, and energy dimensions. Empirical results indicate that the proposed model achieves competitive predictive performance and improved stability compared with several conventional machine learning models and deep learning baselines. Furthermore, taking the carbon emission predictions of Suzhou City as a starting point, a detailed scenario analysis is conducted to clarify the evolution trends of future carbon emissions under different development pathways, providing methodological references for analyzing carbon emission evolution and low-carbon development pathways in industrial cities. Full article

Despite rapid global growth in renewable energy capacity, fossil fuels still dominate the energy mix. Renewable energy firms often face limited access to bank credit because their asset-light, technology-intensive business models provide little collateral, constraining investment in clean energy deployment. This study examines whether China’s Fintech Reform Pilot Zones, which introduce digital technology-based credit evaluation, can alleviate these financing constraints and accelerate corporate energy transition. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design on a panel of Chinese listed renewable energy firms, we find that pilot zone designation significantly improves firms’ access to external financing and increases Energy Transition Depth (ETD) by approximately 3.6 percentage points, equivalent to 24.7% of the sample mean, indicating economically meaningful improvements in corporate energy transition. The strongest effects are observed in solar photovoltaic deployment and battery storage penetration. Greater energy transition is also associated with lower firm-level greenhouse gas emission intensity, suggesting potential environmental benefits. Mediation analysis identifies two complementary pathways: an innovation-accumulation route which advances renewable energy technology, and a capital-deployment route which supports renewable energy capacity expansion by relaxing firms’ general financing constraints. Regions with more developed renewable energy industries also exhibit lower fossil energy consumption and carbon emissions, suggesting potential regional spillover effects. These findings demonstrate that Fintech-enabled financial reform can facilitate renewable energy deployment and support broader energy transition and decarbonization, with important implications for emerging economies. Full article

This study aimed to verify the morphology, biochemical composition, and thermal characterization of hydrated human amniotic membrane (HAM) processed in an ozonated water hydrodynamic system. This is an in vitro experimental study in which HAM samples were divided into two groups: in natura (IN) and ozonated (O₃). Analyses were performed using histology, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC/dDSC). Ozonation for 40 min preserved the biochemical integrity of HAM, maintaining the characteristic vibrational bands of Amides I, II, and III. Histological analysis showed morphological changes in epithelial cells, with partial removal in some regions, while the basement membrane and the scaffold remained preserved. Thermal analysis revealed that the in natura sample presented a bimodal dehydration profile, with a first event occurring between 60 and 65 °C associated with the evaporation of free or weakly bound water, and a second event peaking around 80 °C related to the removal of structural water. In contrast, the ozonated HAM exhibited a unimodal profile, with the mass loss peak shifted to approximately 70 °C. These findings were corroborated by DSC analysis, which showed a reduction in denaturation temperature from approximately 85 °C in the in natura sample to around 75 °C in the ozonated sample. The dDSC analysis confirmed the transition from a bimodal to a unimodal behavior after treatment, indicating a reduced energy barrier for protein denaturation and lower thermal stability of the collagen matrix. These results suggest that ozonation promotes alterations in the epithelial layer, which may favor the loss of both free and bound water. It is concluded that processing with ozonated water induces structural modifications, especially in the epithelial layer, and reduces the thermal stability of hydrated HAM without significantly altering the biochemical signature of collagen. This approach shows potential as an alternative method for membrane processing; however, functional evaluations are required to confirm its clinical applicability. Full article

This study examines whether the green transition alleviates or exacerbates poverty in developing countries, utilizing a dynamic panel dataset of 74 developing economies from 2000 to 2022. The paper investigates four key dimensions of the green transition: ecological footprints, green finance (proxied by public investment in renewable energy), renewable energy production, and renewable energy consumption. The findings reveal a compelling “green transition paradox”. While renewable energy production, green finance, and economic growth contribute significantly to poverty reduction, renewable energy consumption is adversely associated with higher poverty levels. This suggests that, in the absence of sufficient supply capacity and robust institutional support, the demand-side transition toward renewable energy may impose short-term economic burdens on vulnerable populations. Furthermore, ecological footprint exhibits a poverty-reducing effect, underscoring the reliance on resource-intensive economic expansion in developing economies, albeit with potential long-term environmental trade-offs. The results remain robust across alternative model specifications and exhibit heterogeneous across income and regional groups. The study contributes to the extant literature by disentangling the supply and demand mechanisms of renewable energy, thereby highlighting the complex distributional consequences of green transition policies. Ultimately, the policy implications emphasize the critical need to align renewable energy expansion with social protection, skill development, and inclusive financial frameworks to ensure that green transformation fosters both environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation. Full article

Recent studies indicate that regional disparities and differences in policy effectiveness have increased the importance of behavioural factors, including awareness, social norms, motivation, and cultural practices, in shaping energy transition outcomes. This study adopts an interdisciplinary framework that integrates behavioural, socio-technical, and regional development perspectives to explain household energy consumption behaviour and to translate behavioural evidence into policy recommendations. The study aims to identify and empirically assess the profiles of household energy consumption behaviour during the energy transition, examine how these profiles shape behavioural patterns, and develop differentiated policy recommendations. The empirical analysis is based on a survey of 997 household representatives from different regions of Ukraine. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to identify the main behavioural dimensions, K-means cluster analysis was used to classify respondents into behavioural profiles, and Pearson’s χ² test was employed to examine the association between categorical characteristics and cluster membership. The findings reveal three distinct behavioural clusters characterized by different levels of awareness, engagement, and readiness to adopt energy-efficient practices. The identified clusters represent individual-level behavioural profiles rather than territorial categories. Although the region of residence was significantly associated with cluster membership, regional characteristics should be interpreted as associated with the socio-economic, climatic, and infrastructural context in which different behavioural profiles emerge rather than determining individual behaviour directly. The findings provide evidence for integrating behavioural segmentation with regional characteristics when designing energy efficiency and demand-side management policies, thereby supporting more targeted and effective energy transition strategies in Ukraine. Full article