Utilities Policy最新文献

{"title":"Do publicly owned companies have lower district heating prices? An empirical analysis for Germany","authors":"Miguel Bänfer,&nbsp;Anna Billerbeck,&nbsp;Patrick Plötz","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>District heating (DH) networks can provide climate-neutral heating if operated using renewable energy resources. However, their operation is monopolistic and thus without price competition. Publicly owned companies have been conjectured to offer DH at lower prices than privately owned companies, but the evidence is limited. Here, we empirically analyse over 500 DH prices of 184 DH companies in Germany. Controlling for energy carrier, network size and other factors, we demonstrate that prices of publicly owned DH companies are lower by 9–15 €/MWh (10–20 %). Thus, publicly owned DH can make a cost-efficient contribution to climate-neutral heating.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101959"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable smart waste management solutions for rapidly urbanizing African Cities","authors":"Emmanuel O. Atofarati ,&nbsp;Victor O. Adogbeji ,&nbsp;Christopher C. Enweremadu","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing waste volumes in African cities highlight the urgent need for innovative and sustainable waste management solutions to mitigate climate change, reduce health risks, and support urban development. Rapid urbanization has exacerbated these challenges, as existing waste management systems often suffer from inefficiencies, inadequate coverage, and environmental impacts such as pollution of aquatic ecosystems. This study systematically evaluates the challenges and opportunities of integrating smart waste management technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain into waste collection and processing in African cities. Specifically, the research aims to assess the efficiency of smart waste management solutions in urban settings, identify barriers to implementing Centralized Smart Waste Management (CSWM) in African contexts, and propose a scalable framework tailored to the region's socio-economic and infrastructural conditions. Through a comprehensive review of contemporary waste management practices and global technological advancements, including case studies from South Korea and India, this study introduces a hypothetical CSWM framework. The proposed model integrates predictive waste volume sensing, real-time monitoring, and automated sorting and disposal systems to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and minimize environmental harm. While the CSWM framework offers economic, environmental, and social benefits, including enhanced resource recovery, job creation, and long-term cost savings, its implementation faces challenges such as infrastructure limitations, high costs, and the need for stakeholder engagement. Addressing these barriers requires collaborative efforts among governments, the private sector, and community organizations, alongside policy innovations such as tax incentives, regulatory reforms, and public-private partnerships. This study provides a structured roadmap for transitioning African cities toward efficient, resilient, and environmentally sustainable waste management systems by aligning technological advancements with sustainable policies and active stakeholder participation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101961"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital infrastructure investment and carbon emissions reduction based on the Broadband China policy","authors":"Mengjie Li ,&nbsp;Sunfan Liang ,&nbsp;Cheng Cheng ,&nbsp;Weijian Du","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101964","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101964","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A multiphase difference-in-differences model is used to explore the impacts of digital infrastructure investment on carbon emissions based on the Broadband China (BC) policy. The benchmark analysis of pilot cities reveals that the BC policy is associated with carbon emissions reductions of approximately 0.05 %. The mechanistic analysis indicates that the BC strategy increases urban innovation capacity, motivates the public to live environmentally friendly lives, optimizes the industrial structure, and, as a result, reduces carbon emissions in cities. This study offers valuable reference data for resolving the dilemma of promoting emission reduction while maintaining economic growth to achieve the dual-carbon target.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101964"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Auctioning electricity transmission margins for competitive access to Brazil's National Interconnected System","authors":"Lucas Santos e Silva,&nbsp;Mauricio Soares Bugarin","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent transformations in the Brazilian Electricity Sector (BES) have generated intense competition for access to transmission capacity in the National Interconnected System (NIS). This situation has highlighted the inherent scarcity of transmission resources and the inadequacy of the current queue criterion for allocating remaining margins. We address the country's new reality by proposing a straightforward and transparent competitive mechanism to enhance allocative efficiency and improve access dynamics. More specifically, we propose a Transmission Margin Auction (TMA) for the BES, based on an open ascending format, according to which all the available capacity established by the National System Operator's (ONS) expansion plan is offered sequentially, and participants are allowed to compete for any available connection point.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101962"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial analysis of energy communities and energy vulnerabilities in Spain","authors":"Oleksandr Husiev ,&nbsp;Olatz Ukar Arrien ,&nbsp;Marta Enciso-Santocildes","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy communities are increasingly recognized for promoting citizen-led transitions toward a just energy system. This paper provides an empirical study examining the distribution of collective action initiatives (CAIs) within Spain's energy transition, focusing on their alignment with local energy generation configurations and energy vulnerability, reflected in socio-economic conditions at the municipal level. This study uses spatial and statistical analyses to assess CAI distribution with a minimal set of socio-economic indicators characterizing basic dimensions of energy vulnerability and its standardized index, as well as energy assets across Spanish municipalities. Results show modest correlations between CAIs and indicators such as income levels and measures of income distribution. However, no significant link is found with income inequality, as measured by the Gini index, when considering high and low-population municipalities separately. Spatial clustering analysis with Local Moran's I reveals a low yet significant association between mean household income and low-capacity PV installations in neighboring areas, suggesting localized economic factors may influence renewable adoption patterns. The study also investigates CAIs' limited impact on addressing gender disparities within the energy sector, finding weak correlations with gender-balanced participation. These findings underscore the strengths and limitations of CAIs in supporting community resilience while highlighting their current insufficiency in addressing broader socio-economic inequalities. Furthermore, this paper discusses the results within a framework for preliminary CAI mapping within energy vulnerability contexts, offering insights for analytically-guided municipalities selection for in-depth, mixed-method exploration of community-led energy initiatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101954"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous risk assessment of a Belt-and-Road renewable energy project","authors":"Xuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Benhong Peng ,&nbsp;Chaoyu Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Along the \"Belt and Road,\" renewable energy projects face exogenous risks. Given the multifaceted impact pathways through which these risks manifest, it is imperative to conduct timely and accurate assessments of such risks. This study endeavors to construct a comprehensive evaluation index system tailored to the exogenous risks associated with renewable energy projects along the \"Belt and Road\" route. By integrating the G1 and CRITIC methods for composite weighting, the study derives the comprehensive weight of each indicator within the system. This study acknowledges the inherent uncertainty characteristics of exogenous risks by employing the measurement uncertainty theory to assess project risk. This approach enables more precise quantification of uncertainty and incomplete information, empowering enterprises to respond to exogenous risks more effectively. The findings reveal that the exogenous risk-impact-response evaluation model not only effectively mitigates the subjectivity inherent in expert cognition but also adeptly manages the uncertainty and suddenness associated with the impact of exogenous risks on renewable energy projects. Consequently, this model assists enterprises in implementing timely risk prevention and management measures, thereby enhancing their resilience and adaptability in the face of such challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101956"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143929356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on Electricity Trade with Energy Community Contracting Parties","authors":"Boris Ćosić ,&nbsp;Marko Ban ,&nbsp;Neven Duić","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) is a market mechanism that prices CO₂ emissions, driving decarbonisation in the EU energy sector and carbon-intensive industry. To further enhance the EU ETS and prevent carbon leakage, the EU has introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). CBAM imposes a duty levy on importing certain CBAM goods, such as electricity, into the EU from third countries and territories without implementing the ETS mechanism or carbon pricing. This paper examines the impact of introducing CO₂ pricing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA), a third country connected to the EU electricity market without an ETS, and its electricity trade with Croatia (HR), an EU member state with an established EU ETS. The analyses are conducted using the multi-zonal and multi-sector unit commitment optimisation model Dispa-SET, with the primary goal of providing insights into the implications of CO₂ pricing on the energy market interactions between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia under the CBAM framework. The study examines 100 scenarios, each considering various CO₂, lignite, and fossil gas prices, and analyses factors such as electricity import/export dynamics, average electricity prices in the zones, total system costs, and load duration curves for fossil power plants in each zone. Results indicate that low fossil gas prices reduce lignite plant operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and introducing CO₂ pricing causes a transition from an electricity exporter to an importer. Cross-border line congestion analysis reveals that higher CBAM factors increase congestion, necessitating infrastructure upgrades. Electricity costs in the HR-BA zone rise substantially under high CO₂ prices, emphasising the need for balanced CO₂ pricing strategies and more deployment of renewables.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101951"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agent-based modeling of residential photovoltaic adoption and diffusion: Implications for energy policy design","authors":"Nan Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianxiong Xu ,&nbsp;Tianpei Tang ,&nbsp;Meining Yuan ,&nbsp;Bon-Gang Hwang","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Residential Photovoltaics (RPV) systems, a type of building-integrated photovoltaics for residential buildings, play a significant role in energy transformation as residential buildings account for approximately 38 % of total electricity consumption. Countries worldwide employ different energy policies to promote RPV adoption, such as Feed-in Tariff (FIT), Net Billing (NetB), and Net Metering (NetM). However, existing research often neglects the impact of these policies on consumers' post-installation energy behaviors, such as the \"rebound effect\" on energy usage, which may counteract the policy's original design. Additionally, there currently is a lack of a systematic approach for choosing suitable energy policies under different scenarios and determining optimal policy parameters in RPV policy analysis. This study implements a simulation-optimization approach based on survey data to address the aforementioned issues by innovatively incorporating energy usage behaviors into the analysis. Using Singapore as the Base Case, different scenarios are synthesized to simulate RPV adoption environments in other representative districts. This study identifies valuable policy modification patterns that can assist policymakers in designing optimal energy policies. Furthermore, the methodology can be applied globally to other renewable energy technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101960"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A system dynamics framework to formulate energy policies for sustainable development in Ethiopia","authors":"Haimanote Belay Alemayehu ,&nbsp;Weiwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuxiang He ,&nbsp;Jiayu Zhang ,&nbsp;Shiyong Liu ,&nbsp;Ying Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since 2010, Ethiopia has aimed to enhance its energy infrastructure for economic growth, targeting lower-middle-income status by 2025. Despite vast renewable resources, limited electricity capacity poses a challenge, necessitating impactful policies for improving energy supply and sustainable development. Conventional methods struggle with the complexity of hundreds of variables and their interactions in the energy socioeconomic system. This research constructs a simulation framework employing the system dynamics approach, which is well-suited for capturing intricate feedback loops created by variables within the energy socioeconomic system. The framework is then used to evaluate alternative policies to inform decision-makers in addressing the conflict between sustainable development and the national electricity balance in Ethiopia. Scenario simulations predict significant growth in renewable energy capacity from 2025 to 2043, driven by policies promoting economic growth, energy investment, and dam construction. Energy demand, growing at 10 % annually from 2000 to 2022, is expected to reach a 19 % growth rate between 2043 and 2050. Simulation results also reveal the significant impact of industrial and service sector growth on demand, the crucial role of universal electricity access in exacerbating deficits, and the potential risks of expanding electricity exports, highlighting the need for balanced policy planning. Policymakers should reconsider the schedule design for universal electricity access and export policies, emphasizing advanced technology in consumption and efficiency for a balanced energy system. The study concludes with policy implications, limitations, challenges, and future research directions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101953"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The dynamic relationship between carbon emissions and electricity tariffs in Ghana","authors":"Shafic Suleman ,&nbsp;Job Nagarmi Sowah ,&nbsp;John Abdulai Jinapor","doi":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101952","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jup.2025.101952","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Establishing a clear relationship between carbon emissions and electricity tariffs is crucial for developing effective energy and environmental policies. In Ghana, electricity tariffs are determined using the rate of return methodology, which focuses on ensuring that electricity providers can recover costs and achieve a reasonable return on investment. However, this methodology currently excludes carbon emissions as a variable, resulting in tariffs that may not reflect the environmental costs associated with carbon emissions from electricity generation. The study investigated the relationship between carbon emissions generated from electricity generation and electricity tariffs in Ghana. Annual time series data from 1985 to 2021 were used. The research used the Autoregressive Distribution Lag (ARDL) (bounds test) methodology to establish the short-term and long-term relationships among variables. Based on the ARDL results, carbon emissions impacted tariffs positively in the long and short run. However, carbon emissions were reduced drastically in the long run, reflecting a decline in electricity tariffs. The study's findings indicate that, in the long run, a 1 % rise in the country's carbon emissions is directly associated with an increase in electricity tariffs of about 0.0153 %. However, a proportionate increase in carbon emissions in the short run is associated with an equivalent increase in electricity tariffs by 0.025 % at a 5 % significance level.</div><div>In conclusion, integrating carbon emissions into the electricity tariff-setting process is vital for creating Ghana's sustainable and environmentally responsible energy policy. By establishing a clear correlation between carbon emissions and electricity tariffs, policymakers can better align economic incentives with environmental goals. Encouragement of a favorable environment for renewable energy investments will contribute to reducing carbon emissions and support the long-term decline in electricity tariffs, aligning with global trends toward cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23554,"journal":{"name":"Utilities Policy","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 101952"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143906992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}