Adriaan J.G. Roux , Michael K.O. Ayomoh , Venkata S.S. Yadavalli , Ramesh C. Bansal
{"title":"Using system dynamics modelling to optimize energy and water efficiency of decoupled aquaponic systems: A South African Perspective","authors":"Adriaan J.G. Roux , Michael K.O. Ayomoh , Venkata S.S. Yadavalli , Ramesh C. Bansal","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101806","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101806","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite being energy and water proficient, the practice of aquaponics has remained underdeveloped and underutilized in a poor power generating continent like the African continent and a water scarce society like the Republic of South Africa. As the population of humans on the globe continues to grow geometrically with climate change also being aided, more proficient and safe means of food security premised on energy and water efficiency is becoming the prerogative of governments across different nations. This research has presented a system dynamics model of a decoupled aquaponics system to investigate the sensitivity of parameters in the design of aquaponics systems in the Republic of South Africa. Two major driving variables considered in this research include energy and water utilization for efficient design. A couple of ventilation flow, heating and energy based models were built into the system dynamics model for the conduct of simulation. The results revealed that the top performing countries in respect of energy and water efficiency include locations with hot humid climates such as Brazil, Nigeria and Malaysia. In South Africa, Durban was the best performing city with a peak energy demand of 18.4 MW and a total yearly energy usage of 4550 MW. Durban had a 7.3 % higher cumulative energy compared to Brazil. Durban had a net water return of 124.8 <span><math><mrow><mo>×</mo><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>3</mn></msup><mspace></mspace><msup><mi>m</mi><mn>3</mn></msup></mrow></math></span>. Given the humid and hot climate in the city of Durban, it is considered to be competitively suitable for aquaponics operations. Other regions in South Africa could still be suitable to operate aquaponics systems however, this might be less energy and water efficient. The outcome of this research can be utilized by local governing authorities to ensure sustainable policy design and implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101806"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144595898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hongzhang Cheng , Xuan Ye , Xiaoguang Liu , Hongyu Zhang , Gangyang Zheng , Bo Yang , Tianpeng Wang , Tao Ma , Qi Shi , Wei Xiong
{"title":"Overview of analysis and evaluation models for China's nuclear energy development","authors":"Hongzhang Cheng , Xuan Ye , Xiaoguang Liu , Hongyu Zhang , Gangyang Zheng , Bo Yang , Tianpeng Wang , Tao Ma , Qi Shi , Wei Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101789","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101789","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Systematic analysis and evaluation of nuclear energy development serves as a cornerstone in shaping national nuclear science and technology strategies. This study undertakes a comparative investigation of global nuclear energy modeling paradigms, aiming to elucidate methodological strengths and limitations in predicting China's nuclear energy trajectory under decarbonization imperatives. Through meta-analysis of international research, we critically examine foundational data architectures and analytical frameworks across three predominant model categories: system optimization models, integrated assessment methodologies, and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models. Our findings reveal substantial disparities between domestic and international modeling systems, particularly in multi-sector data integration, temporal resolution precision, and policy scenario sophistication. The research further identifies critical challenges confronting China's nuclear energy modeling ecosystem, including the need for indigenous model architecture development, cross-sectoral interface standardization, dynamic data infrastructure enhancement, and advanced scenario simulation capabilities. To address these challenges, we propose an integrated optimization framework encompassing institutional coordination mechanisms, technical standardization protocols, and next-generation modeling innovations. This framework is designed to strengthen the scientific rigor of China's nuclear energy planning processes while establishing a replicable methodological reference for domestic researchers. By bridging existing gaps in predictive accuracy and policy relevance, the study provides actionable insights for evidence-based nuclear energy governance under China's dual-carbon transition, ultimately contributing to the development of robust, context-specific analytical tools for sustainable energy system transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101789"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Electricity market governance and the historical performance of electricity transitions in European countries: insights from retrospective modeling","authors":"Marc Jaxa-Rozen, Xin Wen, Evelina Trutnevyte","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101787","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the last decades, the governance of national electricity systems in Europe has experienced several shifts between market liberalization and policy intervention. However, there remains a lack of consistent evidence about impacts of electricity market governance on the performance of electricity systems. This work uses retrospective bottom-up modeling to explore potential links between electricity market governance in 31 European countries and their electricity system transitions during 1990–2019. We identify historical governance regimes based on indicators of market regulation, renewable electricity policy support, and combined regulation and policy support. To assess performance of electricity systems, we quantify deviations between modeled historical and least-cost pathways using net present costs per unit of supplied electricity, emissions intensity, transformation of generation mix, and share of new renewable technologies. Countries with earlier liberalization of electricity markets on average had higher unit net present costs, lower emissions intensity, and higher share of new renewable generation relative to modeled least-cost pathways. Countries combining late liberalization with high support for renewable generation, which includes countries with higher public ownership of incumbent low-carbon generation, had the lowest relative values for unit net present costs and emissions intensity. Further work could yield statistical insights on these patterns by combining our modeling approach with econometric analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101787"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144524239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Herian Atma , Franco Ruzzenenti , M.A. van den Broek
{"title":"Exploring the evolution of long-term electricity demand and load curves in emerging economies: A case study of Indonesia's energy transition","authors":"Herian Atma , Franco Ruzzenenti , M.A. van den Broek","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101805","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101805","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate forecasting of future electricity demand is crucial for effective power sector planning. However, such forecasting is sensitive to key variables influenced by high degree of uncertainty. While regression-based models are widely used, they often overlook new electrification potentials and intra-year dynamics. This study addresses these gaps by examining long-term electricity demand for emerging economies, using Indonesia as a case study. We implement an end-use approach to explore how socio-economic factors influence energy consumption across various end-uses under different scenarios. We project various energy intensity pathways for each end-use based on historical data from relevant developed countries, reflecting improvements in efficiency and changes in energy use patterns over time. Our findings indicate that Indonesia's energy demand could increase by 2.1–3.6 times between 2022 and 2060, while electricity demand may rise by 3.9–8.7 times. The load's coefficient of variation (CV) is projected to increase from 12.8 % in 2022 to 13.2–14.2 % in 2060, depending on the scenario. Additionally, the load factor is expected to decrease from 81 % in 2022 to approximately 78 % in 2060 across all scenarios. This study provides valuable insights into the wide range of possible electricity demand projections and load curves in emerging economies undergoing an energy transition to a highly electrified energy system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101805"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nosaibeh Nosrati-Ghods , Savanha De Kock , Lara Dixon , Bosibori Mosongo , Fynn Kiley , Andrew Marquard , Mark Howells
{"title":"Long-term forecasting: A MAED application for residential water heating in South Africa (2024–2040)","authors":"Nosaibeh Nosrati-Ghods , Savanha De Kock , Lara Dixon , Bosibori Mosongo , Fynn Kiley , Andrew Marquard , Mark Howells","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper provides an analysis of water heating within South Africa's residential energy demand. Using MAED, this work models four scenarios to examine the impact of varying degrees of governmental intervention and policy implementation, specifically SANS10400-XA2, on water heating energy consumption from 2020 to 2040 across income groups. Results show that solar thermal use, with effective support, could reduce low-to-middle income households' reliance on carbon-intensive fuels by ∼30 %. Findings also indicate that strong governmental support is essential to reach 16 % of electricity savings across income groups. In the reference scenario, high-income households rely entirely on electricity, while LMI households use 31 % electricity and utilize fossil fuels. Under basic support, LMI electricity use drops by 50 %, but fossil fuels increase relative to BAU. Moderate support continues LMI reliance on fossil fuels due to infrastructure limitations. High support, causes both electricity and fossil fuel use to decrease for LMI. In pursuit of equitable access to sustainable energy technologies, the level of aid determines whether LMI households utilize 0 %, 9 %, or 35 % of solar thermal energy to meet their final water heating needs. To realize the potential energy efficiency benefits and emissions reductions, targeted policies and infrastructure improvements are crucial. If less wealthy households are not considered, they may struggle to transition to cleaner energy solutions and remain dependent on polluting fuels, leading to negative health and environmental implications. Results from this study indicate that supporting solar thermal technologies and improving water access can enhance living standards for vulnerable populations while simultaneously mitigating climate change effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101776"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144536151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Financial feasibility of electric vehicle charging stations in Thailand: An analysis of operational models and energy costs","authors":"Pathomthat Chiradeja , Chayanut Sottiyaphai , Atthapol Ngaopitakkul , Santipont Ananwattanaporn","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101785","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101785","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and the associated charging stations, the variances in EV charging station models and diversity of energy costs have not been effectively studied to date. Therefore, this study examines the financial viability of EV charging stations in Thailand by analysing the effects of operational models, charger counts, and fluctuating energy costs. The profitability, payback periods, and investment returns of various types of EV charging stations are evaluated by combining financial analysis tools and historical energy cost data. The results indicate that small-scale charging stations with 1–3 chargers demonstrate superior financial viability, achieving internal rates of return (IRR) of 24.18–39.86 % and payback periods ranging from 3 to 4 years, depending on the tariff model. By contrast, stations with more than three chargers experience extended payback periods, with some configurations failing to recover investment within the project duration owing to increased capital expenditures and operational costs. This study also emphasises the critical role of dynamic energy pricing in the financial modelling of charging stations. Electricity costs vary significantly between conventional and low-priority stations, with energy costs for conventional stations being up to 23 % higher. The financial feasibility of EV charging stations in Thailand presents competitive advantages in terms of investment attractiveness and return on capital compared with higher energy cost regions with fewer financial incentives. The findings have significant implications for station operators, investors, and policymakers, highlighting the need for strategic planning and adaptive pricing strategies in EV charging infrastructure development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101785"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144518271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanisms and implementation pathways for distributed photovoltaic grid integration in rural power systems: A study based on multi-agent game theory approach","authors":"Shi Yin , Yilin Wang , Qiaoying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101801","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to examine the decision - making logic and strategy optimization among local government, photovoltaic enterprises, power grid enterprises, and farmers to advance rural photovoltaic industry growth. A four parties evolutionary game model was established and data simulation was used to evaluate the impact of local subsidies, policy implementation and grid changes on the strategies of all parties. The study finds: i) Local government, photovoltaic enterprises, power grid enterprises, and farmers are the core entities in the development of the rural photovoltaic industry. The cooperative interests of the four entities is an important mechanism for the robust development of the rural photovoltaic industry. ii) Local governments can effectively stimulate the enthusiasm of the three parties by subsidizing photovoltaic enterprises, power grid enterprises and farmers. Among them, subsidies to power grid enterprises are more effective in promoting the development of rural photovoltaic industry than the other two types of entities. iii) Compared to power grid enterprises, direct subsidy policies from the local government to farmers can more effectively stimulate farmers’ enthusiasm for installing photovoltaics. iv) Recently, local governments have strengthened the implementation of relevant policies for photovoltaic enterprises, which is more conducive to the development of rural photovoltaic industry. In the long run, policies should fully cover photovoltaic enterprises, power grid enterprises and farmers to ensure balanced and stable development of all parties. This paper extends the scope of research and provides a theoretical basis for promoting farmers to use distributed photovoltaic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101801"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leonard Göke , Alexander Wimmers , Christian von Hirschhausen
{"title":"Flexible nuclear power and fluctuating renewables? — An analysis for decarbonized multi-vector energy systems","authors":"Leonard Göke , Alexander Wimmers , Christian von Hirschhausen","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many governments consider new nuclear power plants to promote decarbonization. On the one hand, dispatchable nuclear plants can complement fluctuating generation from wind and PV. On the other hand, escalating construction costs and times raise economic concerns. This paper investigates the economic threshold at which nuclear plants are an efficient decarbonization option. Building on an extensive review of construction costs and times, we apply a detailed model of the European energy system to analyze the cost-efficient share of nuclear power in fully decarbonized energy systems in 2040. Our analysis finds that even if, reversing the historical trend, overnight construction costs of nuclear half to 4,000 US-$<sub>2018</sub> per kW and construction times remain below ten years, the cost-efficient share of nuclear power in European electricity generation is only around 10%. Nuclear plants must operate inflexibly and at capacity factors close to 90% to recover their investment costs, implying that operational flexibility – even if technically possible – is not economically viable. As a result, grid infrastructure, flexible demand in multi-energy systems, and storage are more efficient options for integrating fluctuating wind and photovoltaic generation. The findings suggest that nuclear power should not be relied on for flexibility in future power systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101782"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impacts of potential investments on electricity resource adequacy and emissions in Texas","authors":"Chen Chen, Caroline M. Hashimoto, Daniel S. Cohan","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing demand, an increasingly variable power supply, and blackouts during a 2021 winter storm prompted the Texas legislature to incentivize the construction of dispatchable energy resources in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region. However, the absence of a comprehensive assessment of how different investment options affect both resource adequacy and emissions had left a gap in predicting the outcomes of the legislation. Here, two power system models were used to evaluate how potential investments in dispatchable generation, battery storage, transmission, or energy efficiency would affect resource adequacy and emissions in ERCOT. The Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model was used to project system capacity expansion under each scenario. Its outputs for the year 2030 were provided to the Python for Power System Analysis for the United States (PyPSA-USA) model to estimate hourly resource adequacy under historical weather conditions.</div><div>Model results indicate that adding dispatchable capacity and long-duration batteries would lead to more rapid closure of coal plants in ERCOT while slowing the growth of wind and solar only slightly, thus reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions and averting up to 100 premature deaths annually. Building transmission lines across regions would primarily accelerate the deployment of wind farms. Adding dispatchable capacity and improving energy efficiency would enhance resource adequacy during both winter and summer extreme weather events, while batteries are particularly effective during heat waves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101796"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using green finance to study energy elasticity, coal subsidy, energy transition and energy dependence in E7 economies: an efficiency analysis with data envelopment analysis","authors":"Wenjia Cao , Xinwen Zhang , Khalid Iqbal","doi":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101794","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.esr.2025.101794","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inquiry examines the data envelopment analysis based efficiency analysis among green finance, energy transition, coal subsidy, energy elasticity and energy dependence in E7 economies. Accordingly, the research used E7 countries' data from 2010 to 2019 and examined the results with the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The results highlighted the need to employ green financing and coal subsidy sources to effectively extend the energy transition and unlock energy dependence from fossil fuels towards renewables. The results explained that green financing and coal subsidies significantly extend energy transition and ensure elasticity in energy dependence. More specifically, China's yearly variation in green financial investment in the renewable energy sector for energy transition was 5 %, India's was 17 %, Turkey's was 11 %, Russia's was 7 %, Mexico's was 18.6 %, and Indonesia's was 3.1 %. The E7 economies switched from conventional energy production and consumption habits by 24 % throughout the studied period. As a result, there has been a dramatic increase in the usage of green energy. The E7 countries' confidence in green financing <em>via</em> coal subsidies for their many hydropower facilities makes this a reality, enhancing energy elasticity in the systems. This research is innovative on both a theoretical and empirical level. Based on the findings, the study declared different policy actions for the regulators to implement and foster a prudent renewable energy strategy to achieve sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11546,"journal":{"name":"Energy Strategy Reviews","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 101794"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144536150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}