Energy Efficiency最新文献

{"title":"A step towards energy efficiency in G7 countries: analyzing the role of economic complexity and shadow economy on energy intensity","authors":"Lan Khanh Chu,&nbsp;Hoang Phuong Dung,&nbsp;To Trung Thanh","doi":"10.1007/s12053-024-10278-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-024-10278-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to the environmental impacts caused by increasing energy consumption, energy efficiency has become an important policy objective for various countries and governments. While many studies have explored the determinants of energy intensity, the question of how economic complexity and the shadow economy affect energy efficiency has received inadequate attention. This paper connects these issues by studying the direct and complementary effects of economic complexity and the shadow economy on energy efficiency in G7 countries. The empirical findings indicate that both economic sophistication and the shadow economy exert adverse impacts on energy intensity. However, each factor has a harmonizing effect on the other’s influence on energy intensity. While the expansion of the shadow economy reduces the harmful effect of economic complexity on energy intensity, economic sophistication diminishes the damaging impact of the shadow economy. Therefore, the effect of either economic complexity or the shadow economy on energy intensity depends on their interactions and their influence on total energy use. These findings provide governments with policy implications for handling the interrelations between these economic, social, and energy issues.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142645407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathways to commercial building plug and process load efficiency and control","authors":"Amy Van Sant,&nbsp;Omkar Ghatpande,&nbsp;Robin Tuttle,&nbsp;Kim Trenbath","doi":"10.1007/s12053-024-10272-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-024-10272-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To accomplish net-zero carbon emissions in the built environment by 2050, we must equitably decarbonize commercial buildings, including reducing plug and process loads (PPLs). PPLs are plug-in or hardwired electric and gas loads that are not associated with major building end uses like lighting and HVAC. Research shows PPL energy reduction strategies and control technologies have the potential to save energy. But even when implemented, these savings have rarely been achieved and there has not been widespread uptake in U.S. commercial buildings. We investigate why these technologies and strategies have not seen widespread adoption and identify behavior and technology pathways to increase PPL reduction in U.S. commercial buildings. We examined behaviors of commercial building stakeholders through 44 interviews and cross-referenced qualitative analysis findings with in-depth technical knowledge of existing PPL control technologies and reduction strategies. PPL control implementation must be paired with management strategies, such as occupant engagement and training, to achieve optimal savings, and best practices should be disseminated across the industry. We found that increasing access to cost and energy savings data will promote uptake of PPL control technologies and allow designers to better incorporate PPLs into building design. Improving access to funding for PPL energy efficiency projects and addressing the split-incentive problem will increase adoption of PPL efficiency and control. Code bodies should continue to include PPL monitoring and reduction measures in energy codes. Key building stakeholders, including cybersecurity and information technology teams, should be involved in PPL monitoring and reduction strategy processes for successful implementation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"17 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12053-024-10272-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance of solar cooker with evacuated tubes and photovoltaic panels with phase change materials","authors":"A. Simon Prabu,&nbsp;V. Chithambaram,&nbsp;M. Anto Bennet,&nbsp;S. Shanmugan,&nbsp;B. Janarthanan","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10151-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10151-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Solar cooker has its own significance with an impact of substituting conventional source of energy for cooking. Solar cookers with electrical backup have proven the usage in off-sunshine hours to some extent. A cheaper and competitive PV and evacuated tube–based solar cooker with a control unit with incorporation of phase change material for energy storage were utilized without any interruption during off-sunshine hours for effective cooking. The proposed system has a control circuit connecting solar PV, DC output storage device (Battery 12V 75 AH), and DC-linked Nichrome heating coil. Three phase change materials, viz., palm oil, coconut oil, and paraffin wax, have been used in the system to extract and use the energy stored during sunshine hours in the materials. Figure of merit (F₁) and figure of merit (F₂) values for the system with the phase change materials have been found by doing experiments to find stagnation temperature without load and with load. The values of F₁ (0.139) and F₂ (0.42) for coconut oil are found to be effective with an energy efficiency of 38% compared to the other materials in the study with electrical backup.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4888659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel technology-explicit framework for predicting the efficiency of industrial device retrofits in stock turnover models with a case study of the pulp and paper sector","authors":"Christophe G. Owttrim,&nbsp;Matthew Davis,&nbsp;Amit Kumar","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10150-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10150-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>When replacing equipment at its end of life, industries often have the option to select higher efficiency technologies. The choice to invest in an improved piece of equipment rather than a simple in-kind replacement is driven by many factors, including costs, performance, and familiarity with new technology options. Engineering models that account for equipment stock turnover, such as ENERGY 2020, typically assume that this decision is primarily driven by the difference in marginal costs: higher up front capital costs must be, at minimum, balanced by lower lifetime energy costs for an upgrade to be pursued. Stock turnover analysis requires detailed data inputs regarding the costs and performance of new equipment. For simplicity, a common approach is to develop assumed correlations that reflect the trade-off between marginal capital cost and efficiency and compare these to energy prices to select an efficiency level for new equipment. In this study, we present a novel method to develop such trade-off curves based on a technology-explicit approach rather than a qualitative correlation assumption. We generate trade-off curves for two common types of industrial devices: electric machine drive and natural gas steam generation for the case study of the Canadian pulp and paper sector. The curves demonstrate that the efficiency of new devices can be expected to vary significantly based on energy prices. At current energy prices, we find that newly purchased machine drive and steam generation devices would have an optimal efficiency level of 91% and 75%, respectively.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12053-023-10150-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4848927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy efficiency and China’s carbon emissions: evidence from non-parametric approaches","authors":"Rong Zhou,&nbsp;Li Zheng,&nbsp;Liu Li,&nbsp;Najaf Iqbal,&nbsp;Zeeshan Fareed","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10142-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10142-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the recent times, the issue of excessive carbon emission is a hot topic among the scholars and governors. In this context, it is necessary to examine the factors affecting the emissions level, particularly in emerging economy like China. Using the extended period from 1990 to 2021, this study analyzes the impact of energy efficiency, economic growth, and renewable energy along with the testing of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) paradox. The empirical results validate the cointegration between the mentioned variables. Employing the novel non-parametric approaches, this study found the existence of the EKC hypothesis in the country as the economic growth initially increases environmental challenges, while reducing it after reaching a specific income level. On the other hand, energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption are found to be significant tools for improving environmental sustainability and reducing of carbon emissions. The robustness of the results is confirmed by the non-parametric (bootstrap quantile regression) and parametric (fully modified ordinary least square) approaches. Based on the outcomes, this study also revealed policy implications for the scholars and governors.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4824315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Domestic energy consumption: temporal unregulated electrical energy consumption in kitchens in Scottish affordable and social housing","authors":"Janice A. Foster,&nbsp;Anna Poston","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10143-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10143-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Housing contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a social determinant of health. In Scotland, 25% of households in 2019 were in fuel poverty. Current (2023) energy price increases are likely to further increase this proportion, particularly among low-income families. Fuel affordability measures implemented by the Scottish and UK Governments generally focus on achieving thermal comfort, largely disregarding appliance energy usage, termed ‘unregulated loads’. These include essential household items in kitchens such as the cooker, washing machines, fridges and freezers. The inability of occupants to afford to cook and store food and launder clothing can have broader health implications. This study reviews one year of energy consumption data collected from 17 newly constructed energy-efficient dwellings available for a combination of social rent and purchased through an affordable shared equity scheme in Scotland. The data are used to determine the proportion of total household energy consumption used in kitchen environments. Analysis indicated a vast range of 20–72% (41% mean) of total household electricity consumption was linked to the kitchen, excluding artificial lighting. In this study, energy efficiency ratings of the cookers, fridges, freezers and washing machines identified that those in social housing had the least energy-efficient kitchen appliances compared to those in purchased affordable homes. This suggests inequitable practices for kitchen appliance procurement in social homes compared with affordable homes. Overall, this study highlighted the need for larger-scale, in situ research to evaluate energy efficiency and consumption in kitchens to inform social landlords and policymakers to reduce disparities and to form a focus on fuel poverty calculations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12053-023-10143-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4574824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental regulation and energy efficiency: empirical evidence from the low-carbon city pilot program in China","authors":"Huiting Niu,&nbsp;Puneet Vatsa,&nbsp;Wanglin Ma,&nbsp;Jian Li","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10140-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10140-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Improvements in energy efficiency will be instrumental in meeting China’s ambitious emission targets while providing adequate energy to support the country’s rising living standards. We investigate whether the low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) program has improved energy efficiency in participating cities. To this end, we analyze prefecture-level data in 249 cities between 2004 and 2016 using the difference-in-differences approach. The findings reveal that the program significantly improved the energy efficiency of pilot cities by promoting technological innovation and restructuring the cities’ industry mix. The positive impacts of the LCCP program on energy efficiency were more pronounced in cities in China’s eastern region and areas lacking natural resources. Furthermore, the program was more effective in cities with high energy consumption and per capita income on the one hand and low foreign direct investment and sulfur dioxide emissions on the other.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4499983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does energy usage reduction hinder economic performance?","authors":"Huseyin Utku Demir,&nbsp;Huseyin Karamelikli","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10131-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10131-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates the relationship between energy consumption and economic development using yearly data from various demographic, economic, and geographic country groups worldwide. The study examines this link at both an aggregated and per-country basis to reduce potential bias. Additionally, the paper explores the possibility of an asymmetric effect between energy usage and economic performance. The results suggest that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented through maps and tabulated data for readers to visualize and explore in detail. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the link between energy consumption and economic performance, with the goal of determining whether an asymmetric effect exists. The data used in this study is comprised of yearly information from different demographic, economic, and geographic country groups worldwide. The methodology involves both aggregated and per-country analyses to reduce potential bias. The study finds that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output, while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented visually through maps and in detail through tabulated data. The results of this study provide insight into the relationship between energy consumption and economic development and indicate the existence of an asymmetric effect. The study finds that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented through maps and tabulated data, which offer a visual representation of the results and allow for further exploration. Based on these findings, policymakers may consider promoting an increase in energy usage to stimulate economic growth. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of considering an asymmetric effect when examining the relationship between energy consumption and economic performance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4340950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green productivity evolution under non-convex environmental technology","authors":"Jinyang Cai,&nbsp;Xingyu Xu,&nbsp;Tomas Balezentis,&nbsp;Z. Y. Shen","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10136-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10136-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Most of empirical studies assume convex production technology to analyze productivity growth at the aggregate level. However, convexity assumption implies benchmarking against production plans that are not empirically observed. Unlike previous studies, we adopt a non-convex approach based on observed input–output combinations, which requires minimal assumptions in terms of production technology. Incorporating energy and carbon emissions into the production function, this paper investigates green growth and its driving forces among 39 European countries over 1991–2019. A by-production technology is applied alongside the environmental Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen (LHM) productivity indicator and directional distance functions. The results show that the production technology has been expanding (i.e., technical progress), whereas scale inefficiency led to the negative green total factor productivity (TFP) growth in Europe. At the group level, green TFP in OECD countries tends to increase, whereas a sharp decline is observed for non-OECD countries. Furthermore, we note that human capital, R&amp;D intensity, energy consumption structure, and urbanization level all have significant positive impacts on green TFP growth in Europe, especially for non-OECD countries. The corresponding policy implications are derived to promote regional cooperation and technology sharing.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4214722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Invisible energy policy and schools: how energy issues feature in the policies and documents of a UK secondary school","authors":"Joshua Lait","doi":"10.1007/s12053-023-10124-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12053-023-10124-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There is a growing research literature focused on ‘invisible energy policy’ that explores the complex links between policies in non-energy sectors and energy demand. Invisible energy policies are those that do not include energy as a visible policy objective but still pose implications for energy demand that are largely unrecognised in non-energy organisational settings. Within this innovative area of analysis, to date, little attention has been paid to how ‘energy’ features in the discourse of non-energy contexts. This paper makes a distinctive contribution by examining how energy issues, such as energy demand, travel, and energy skills, do or do not feature in the policy and wider strategy of a non-energy policy setting. The research focuses on the content of policies and other documents in the non-energy policy context of UK secondary schooling, using a case study approach. It aimed to identify how energy surfaces and/or remains absent in different types of documentary evidence at the school. The textual analysis shows how openings for energy to surface as a concern at the school are often heavily bounded in specific policy areas, such as sustainability and education. It also foregrounds the lack of recognition in the sample for how school operations and strategy can produce demand for energy more fundamentally. It argues that these openings for energy to surface can provide points of negotiation to discuss the more fundamental energy impacts of policy. The paper concludes by reflecting on the analysis’ implications for research on ‘invisible energy policies’ and low-carbon transitions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":537,"journal":{"name":"Energy Efficiency","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12053-023-10124-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4211660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}