{"title":"Solar architecture and the sufficiency imperative","authors":"Daniel A. Barber","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2023.100066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2023.100066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>It is hard to assess the pace and prospects of the solar revolution and the just energy transition. In architecture solar energy continues to be seen as a salve, a convenient and effective response to the forces – social, regulatory, economic – pushing for more and more efficient energy use in buildings. Photovoltaics solve everyone's problem: the building's form and program do not change dramatically, the renewable industry is furthered in its boom, savings in energy bills follow. Occupancy of the building goes on more or less as before.</p><p>Yet the application of solar panels to a building, not to mention the prospect for more and more expansive solar farms, reproduces the extractive model of fossil fuels. Rare earth materials need to be mined and shipped. The manufacturing process is toxic. The beneficiaries tend to be those who can already afford to save and conserve. The clean are getting cleaner, while those struggling with energy supply are less frequently benefited. The panels need to be replaced relatively frequently, yoking economies to resource dependencies sure to be exacerbated as electricity demand swells. Amidst the broad discourse around the just energy transition, photovoltaic solar energy is itself most likely transitional, contingent and conditional.</p><p>The analysis of architecture provides a few windows on to the nuances and challenges of this next phase of the just energy transition – on how we can collectively think differently around resources and their provision in our buildings, as a site for both collectivization and social transformation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100066"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50195060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rihab Khalid , Stefano Landini , Gordhan Das Valasai , Faryal Khalid , Philip Sandwell
{"title":"Towards equitable and inclusive energy systems for remote off-grid communities: A socio-technical assessment of solar power for village Helario in Tharparkar, Pakistan","authors":"Rihab Khalid , Stefano Landini , Gordhan Das Valasai , Faryal Khalid , Philip Sandwell","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2023.100067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2023.100067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Universal access to clean electricity (SDG7) in remote areas of the rural South remains a key challenge for economic growth, and has particular implications for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. In Pakistan, techno-economic constraints in grid expansion for last-mile users, combined with the country's high solar energy potential make off-grid solar energy generation a viable solution, provided its technological, social and economic implications are well-understood in terms of actual energy demands and designed for equitable distribution. This paper presents a socio-technical feasibility assessment for designing equitable and inclusive off-grid solar systems using the case-study of Helario village in Tharparkar, Pakistan, with a key focus on gender-specific benefits. A mixed-methods approach is used to conduct a baseline field assessment of existing energy sources, community needs, women's access and energy use, affordability, future energy aspirations and social acceptability of renewable energy technologies. Results indicate gendered differences in mobility, education, everyday practices and income that have socio-economic implications, whereby women can benefit more from electrification, particularly when electricity is interlinked with access to clean water. Results are used to model, simulate and optimise a solar-battery mini-grid system for tiered and equitable energy access using CLOVER. Analysis shows that a system designed with a 10-year lifetime provides the lowest levelised cost of electricity and minimum emissions intensity, emphasising the need for long-term energy system planning. This paper serves as a demonstration for policymakers, project developers and rural communities for designing more equitable and inclusive energy systems with clear gendered implications for sustainable future access.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100067"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50195061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M.H. Eerma , D. Manning , G.L. Økland , C. Rodriguez del Angel , P.E. Seifert , J. Winkler , A. Zamora Blaumann , E. Zozmann , S.S. Hosseinioun , L. Göke , M. Kendziorski , C. Von Hirschhausen
{"title":"The potential of behavioral changes to achieve a fully renewable energy system - A case study for Germany","authors":"M.H. Eerma , D. Manning , G.L. Økland , C. Rodriguez del Angel , P.E. Seifert , J. Winkler , A. Zamora Blaumann , E. Zozmann , S.S. Hosseinioun , L. Göke , M. Kendziorski , C. Von Hirschhausen","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The paper provides energy system-wide estimates of the potential and impacts of final energy demand reductions based on behavioral changes in different sectors. Behavioral changes are for example adjusting thermostats or replacing business flights with telemeetings. By reducing demand, behavioral changes are a potentially decisive but seldomly considered factor to support the transformation towards a decarbonized energy system. Therefore, this paper addresses the following question: What is the potential of behavioral changes and what are the impacts on the supply side of a 100% renewable energy system? For this purpose, an extensive literature review is conducted to obtain estimates for the effects of different behavioral changes on final energy demand in Germany. The impact of these changes on the supply side and system costs is quantified using a bottom-up planning model of a renewable energy system. Results indicate that final energy could be reduced by up to 20.5% and as a result, renewable capacity reductions between 13.6% to 30.6% are conceivable. The greatest potential for behavioral changes was identified in the heating sector.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100028"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000125/pdfft?md5=f8f03353ee83949751508f5be6ddec15&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000125-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78933972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strategies for climate neutrality. Lessons from a meta-analysis of German energy scenarios","authors":"Frauke Wiese , Johannes Thema , Luisa Cordroch","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2021.100015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2021.100015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The ambition to reach climate-neutral energy systems requires profound energy transitions. Various scenario studies exist which present different options to reach that goal. In this paper, key strategies for the transition to climate neutrality in Germany are identified through a meta-analysis of published studies, including scenarios which achieve at least a 95 % greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050 compared to 1990. Reduction in energy demand, an expansion of domestic wind and solar energy, increased use of biomass as well as the importation of synthetic energy carriers are key strategies in the scenarios, with nuclear energy playing no role, and carbon capture and storage playing a very limited role. Demand-side solutions that reduce the energy demand have a very high potential to diminish the significant challenges of other strategies, which are all facing certain limitations regarding their potential. The level and type of demand reductions differ significantly within the scenarios, especially regarding the options of reducing energy service demand.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100015"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X21000155/pdfft?md5=4f7c7f69b69f6071bfc2f96f183efb40&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X21000155-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91633971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brennan Borlaug , Matthew Moniot , Alicia Birky , Marcus Alexander , Matteo Muratori
{"title":"Charging needs for electric semi-trailer trucks","authors":"Brennan Borlaug , Matthew Moniot , Alicia Birky , Marcus Alexander , Matteo Muratori","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Battery-electric vehicles provide a pathway to decarbonize heavy-duty trucking, but the market for heavy-duty battery-electric semi-trailer trucks is nascent, and specific charging requirements remain uncertain. We leverage large-scale vehicle telematics data (>205 million miles of driving) to estimate the charging behaviors and infrastructure requirements for U.S. battery-electric semi-trailer trucks within three operating segments: local, regional, and long-haul. We model two types of charging—mid-shift (fast) and off-shift (slow)—and show that off-shift charging at speeds compatible with current light-duty charging infrastructure (i.e., ≤350 kW) can supply 35 to 77% of total energy demand for local and regional trucks with ≥300-mile range. Megawatt-level speeds are required for mid-shift charging, which make up 44 to 57% of energy demand for long-haul trucks with ≥500-mile range. However, demand shifts from mid-shift to off-shift charging as the range for battery-electric trucks increases and when off-shift charging is widely available. Finally, we observe geographic trends in charging demand, finding that local trucks have greater demand within urban areas, whereas long-haul trucks have more demand along rural interstate corridors. As the range for battery-electric trucks increases, we show that charging demand shifts from rural to urban locations due to observed vehicle dwell tendencies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100038"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000228/pdfft?md5=d3359d7368d97b7acfd5bf2dbfd4373d&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000228-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136551693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N.S. Nortier , K. Löwenthal , S.L. Luxembourg , A. van der Neut , A.A. Mewe , W.G.J.H.M. van Sark
{"title":"Spatially resolved generation profiles for onshore and offshore wind turbines: A case study of four Dutch energy transition scenarios","authors":"N.S. Nortier , K. Löwenthal , S.L. Luxembourg , A. van der Neut , A.A. Mewe , W.G.J.H.M. van Sark","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In line with the Dutch Climate Agreement, multiple energy transition scenarios have been constructed for 2030 and 2050. To various extents, they project a shift towards decentralized and intermittent renewable electricity generation (wind and solar) and widespread deployment of electric vehicles and heat pumps. These developments impose challenges regarding electricity supply-demand mismatch and grid congestion. In order to gain an understanding of when and where such problems are likely to occur, temporally and spatially resolved interpretations of the energy transition scenarios are required. This paper focuses on Dutch wind energy supply and shows construction of geodatabases of scenario-specific, hourly onshore and offshore wind electricity generation profiles on an individual turbine level. For the geographical distribution of turbine capacity, datasets on historically operational turbines, planned wind parks and suggested future turbine distributions are utilized. Turbine electricity generation profiles are constructed using a high resolution 3D meteorological dataset and power curves of commercially available turbine models. They are corrected for air pressure deviations and a multitude of loss factors, including wake effects. Compared to the present-day situation, yearly country-level electricity generation is projected to be a factor 16.6, 24.6 or 12.8 higher in 2050 when following the Regional, National or International Steering scenarios, respectively. In comparison to both the present-day and 2030 situation, onshore electricity generation is projected to be more evenly spread over different parts of the country in 2050. All offshore wind exploration areas considered in this research are projected to be completely utilized by 2050.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100037"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000216/pdfft?md5=76a92ebee539ee9d1db0124f525bfec8&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000216-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79887386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jose R. Moreira , Sergio A. Pacca , Jose Goldemberg
{"title":"The reduction of CO2e emissions in the transportation sector: Plug-in electric vehicles and biofuels","authors":"Jose R. Moreira , Sergio A. Pacca , Jose Goldemberg","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The global transport sector is the second largest energy consumer and strongly relies on fossil fuels. Efforts for reducing GHG emissions on this sector depend on energy efficiency improvement and the use of renewable fuels and electrification. All these technologies are commercially available and each one faces some barriers to overcame environmental and financial issues. Complete vehicle electrification is still expensive, and its use as an environmentally sound solution relies on decarbonization of the electricity supply. Vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines running on renewable liquid fuels are less expensive than battery electric vehicles but its energy intensity by land area (MJ/ha) is low. We have examined an alternative where both solutions are combined through the deployment of Plug -in Hybrid Vehicles, using renewable fuel and renewable electricity. Selecting sugar cane as a source of ethanol, we can take advantage of its coproduct – electricity, used for battery charging. We have determined the well to wheel lifecycle carbon balance of PHEV consuming sugarcane-based electricity and ethanol for several scenarios being the lowest one 67gCO2e/mile. We have demonstrated that this technology is a viable alternative for climate mitigation goals. Based on published forecasts for efficiency improvements, on existing vehicle and fuel production pathways, we have shown that a car fleet of one billion units in operation by 2030 can be fueled through harvesting 125.2 million hectares of land with sugar cane and eucalyptus. Considering that ethanol and gasoline have the same performance, on miles per gallon based on their respective energy content, the total harvested area decreases to 103.7 Mha.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100032"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000162/pdfft?md5=b945fa6c6f467b6036df3bed4eb80171&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000162-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91633149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna C. Van Brummen , Benjamin M. Adams , Raphael Wu , Jonathan D. Ogland-Hand , Martin O. Saar
{"title":"Using CO2-Plume geothermal (CPG) energy technologies to support wind and solar power in renewable-heavy electricity systems","authors":"Anna C. Van Brummen , Benjamin M. Adams , Raphael Wu , Jonathan D. Ogland-Hand , Martin O. Saar","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>CO<sub>2</sub>-Plume Geothermal (CPG) technologies are geothermal power systems that use geologically stored CO<sub>2</sub> as the subsurface heat extraction fluid to generate renewable energy. CPG technologies can support variable wind and solar energy technologies by providing dispatchable power, while Flexible CPG (CPG-F) facilities can provide dispatchable power, energy storage, or both simultaneously. We present the first study investigating how CPG power plants and CPG-F facilities may operate as part of a renewable-heavy electricity system by integrating plant-level power plant models with systems-level optimization models. We use North Dakota, USA as a case study to demonstrate the potential of CPG to expand the geothermal resource base to locations not typically considered for geothermal power. We find that optimal system capacity for a solar-wind-CPG model can be up to 20 times greater than peak-demand. CPG-F facilities can reduce this modeled system capacity to just over 2 times peak demand by providing energy storage over both seasonal and short-term timescales. The operational flexibility of CPG-F facilities is further leveraged to bypass the ambient air temperature constraint of CPG power plants by storing energy at critical temperatures. Across all scenarios, a tax on CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, on the order of hundreds of dollars per tonne, is required to financially justify using renewable energy over natural-gas power plants. Our findings suggest that CPG and CPG-F technologies may play a valuable role in future renewable-heavy electricity systems, and we propose a few recommendations to further study its integration potential.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100026"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000101/pdfft?md5=e4d050b4fcfa29d08aed956efadf9cc1&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000101-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91633867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carlos A.A. Fernandez Vazquez , R.J. Brecha , Miguel H. Fernandez Fuentes
{"title":"Analyzing carbon emissions policies for the Bolivian electric sector","authors":"Carlos A.A. Fernandez Vazquez , R.J. Brecha , Miguel H. Fernandez Fuentes","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A transition of the Bolivian power sector towards a renewable energy dominated system has been inhibited by a series of laws and policies including heavy subsidies for power generation using domestic natural gas. Within this context, alternative techno-economic scenarios are designed based on key characteristics of the system, and a series of six policy levers are used to analyze impacts on the development of the power sector. The energy-system optimization modeling framework OSeMOSYS is utilized to analyze power sector transition pathways. Techno-economic characteristics and policies are combined to develop bracketing scenarios for the future energy system, contrasting business-as-usual with an ambitious renewable energy policy scenario.</p><p>Results from the analyzed scenarios show that achieving significant reductions of GHG emissions in the Bolivian electric system will heavily depend on:1) reducing the artificial competitiveness of thermal power plants through subsidies, but also a price on carbon emissions; 2) banning high impact power plants (mainly very large hydropower plants); and 3) defining clear long-term objectives for the participation of renewables in the system, starting with objectives in current short-term plans. By examining several scenarios, relative system costs as a function of emissions reductions are determined as well. For high penetration of variable renewable energy, addition of storage will eventually be needed as dispatchable renewable resources are limited.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"2 ","pages":"Article 100017"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667095X22000010/pdfft?md5=b5a762088db34e7321218b6d21901c20&pid=1-s2.0-S2667095X22000010-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88426563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diffusion of demand-side low-carbon innovations and socio-technical energy system change","authors":"C. Hoicka, Yuxu Zhao, M. McMaster, Runa R. Das","doi":"10.1016/j.rset.2022.100034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100034","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101071,"journal":{"name":"Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88168394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}