Seyed Abolfazl Mirnezami , Nazmul Huda , R. Saidur , Vladimir Strezov
{"title":"A comprehensive review in pursuit of optimal solar performance: Nanofluids, solar hybrid systems, and challenges ahead","authors":"Seyed Abolfazl Mirnezami , Nazmul Huda , R. Saidur , Vladimir Strezov","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing energy efficiency and advancing sustainable energy solutions remain critical for mitigating global challenges such as climate change, water pollution, and air pollution. Solar energy contributes significantly to resolving these issues. However, its intermittent nature poses limitations for standalone applications. This review addresses these challenges by evaluating two key strategies: enhancing heat transfer in solar systems using mono and hybrid nanofluids, and integrating solar technologies with other energy sources to form hybrid systems. These approaches not only boost solar system efficiency but also ensure grid stability under fluctuating environmental conditions. The paper reviews recent advancements in nanofluid applications across various solar configurations, including flat plate, vacuum tube, parabolic trough, and photovoltaic thermal systems. Additionally, it explores hybridisation techniques combining solar with fossil fuels and renewable sources such as biofuels, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy to improve system stability and scalability. The review outlines the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of using nanofluids in solar hybrid systems, while also highlighting key performance outcomes such as improved thermal efficiency and reduced CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, and discussing practical design considerations, technical limitations, and environmental benefits. This study aims to inform future research and support the implementation of efficient and sustainable hybrid solar energy systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104420"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502725","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}
Antonio Jiménez-Garrote , Guadalupe Sánchez-Hernández , Miguel López-Cuesta , Inés María Galván , Ricardo Aler , David Pozo-Vázquez
{"title":"A novel method for modeling renewable power production using ERA5: Spanish wind energy","authors":"Antonio Jiménez-Garrote , Guadalupe Sánchez-Hernández , Miguel López-Cuesta , Inés María Galván , Ricardo Aler , David Pozo-Vázquez","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, a novel methodology for the estimation of wind energy resources at different regional levels was assessed. The method consists in employing a machine learning model applied to a virtual power plant at the center of the region, having as input ERA5-derived meteorological variables and real installed capacities and generation data. The method was found to provide enhanced wind capacity factors (CF) estimates in Spain, with RMSE <span><math><mo><</mo></math></span> 0.18, <span><math><mrow><mi>R</mi><mo>></mo></mrow></math></span> 0.75 and negligible bias for all the analyzed regions. As an application of the proposed methodology, an enhanced open access database of Spanish wind energy resources (SHIRENDA_Wind) was built. This database consists of hourly values of wind CF for the Spanish NUTS 3 regions covering the period of 1990–2020. SHIRENDA revealed a marked interannual variability of the wind energy resources, the winter interannual CFs changes frequently reaching 30%. The spatial variability of the wind energy resources was found to be considerably high and partially driven by the NAO.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104397"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491520","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":"An examination of country participation in carbon capture projects","authors":"Matthew Smith , Dimitris Christopoulos","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon capture, utilisation and storage represents an important technology for countries to address climate change challenges, achieve decarbonisation and reach net zero targets. This study examines the factors that are association with country level participation in carbon capture projects. A Poisson regression model is employed to examine the relationship between country level factors (such as GDP per capita, regional partition, trade openness, economic complexity and tax initiatives) and the number of carbon capture project initiated within a country (from 2019 up until February 2023). We find that a country’s region (as defined by the World Bank), market affluence and level of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions is associated with a country’s participation in carbon capture projects. The results indicate that nations that are more affluent and have higher CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are associated with increase participation in carbon capture projects. Carbon tax and Emissions Trading Systems have a positive impact on a country’s participation in carbon capture projects, in particular carbon tax. This indicates that carbon tax acts as an effective incentive for industry engagement with carbon capture technologies. This study also examines the interplay between economic complexity and country level carbon capture project participation, where a negative relationship is observed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104418"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502443","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}
Leonardo Micheli , Alberto Soria-Moya , Diego L. Talavera , Behnam Abbasi , Eduardo F. Fernández
{"title":"Energy and economic implications of photovoltaic curtailment: current status and future scenarios","authors":"Leonardo Micheli , Alberto Soria-Moya , Diego L. Talavera , Behnam Abbasi , Eduardo F. Fernández","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As photovoltaic (PV) capacity grows, electricity grids are increasingly relying on curtailment to manage variability. Curtailments limit the amount of PV energy accepted by the grid, reducing revenues for PV operators, especially in high-penetration markets like Spain. However, their magnitude and economic impact have not yet been assessed at the national level. This study quantifies the energy and economic consequences of PV curtailment in Spain using real electricity production, curtailment and price data from October 2022 to September 2024. A techno-economic model is applied to calculate the impact of curtailment on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and net present value (NPV) and to assess the viability of batteries. Results show that, over the investigated period, 2.5 % of PV-generated energy was curtailed without compensation, leading to a loss of €146,400 per day, an increase in LCOE by 0.10 €cent/kWh (+2.5 %) and a decrease in NPV of €27.1/kW (−7.7 %). Batteries sized at 0.2 kWh/kW could recover up to 80 % of curtailed energy, with an economically justifiable CAPEX of up to €47/kW. Additionally, each 1 % increase in curtailments would raise LCOE by 1.69 % and reduce NPV by 2.96 %. These findings highlight curtailment’s economic impact and the viability of batteries as mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104414"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491519","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}
Iryna Vaskina , Patrycja Pochwatka , Roman Vaskin , Mariusz Adamski , Mateusz Nowak , Jacek Dach
{"title":"Ukraine’s biogas potential: a comprehensive assessment of energy yields and of feedstock availability","authors":"Iryna Vaskina , Patrycja Pochwatka , Roman Vaskin , Mariusz Adamski , Mateusz Nowak , Jacek Dach","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The manuscript is devoted to determining the biogas potential of Ukraine by assessing the energy yields of agricultural substrates and their availability. A systematic analysis was used to study the energy capacity of biomass and analyze the strategies for biogas sector development. The potential of the agricultural biogas production in Ukraine (from livestock and crop residues) and their availability were evaluated. Agricultural biogas potential of Ukraine was estimated at 15438.75<!--> <!-->million m<sup>3</sup> of biogas per year (approx. 8.8 billion m<sup>3</sup>/year of biomethane), potentially replacing one-third of the country’s natural gas consumption. The majority of the potential comes from crop residues (mainly corn and sunflower straw) contributing over 80% of the total biogas potential. There are some regional variations (with central and eastern regions showing the highest capacity) but biogas solutions could be implemented across all Ukraine. Biogas plants could generate 4.37 GW of electricity, significantly contributing to overcoming Ukraine’s energy crisis. Ukraine’s existing gas infrastructure and EU-aligned policy goals support rapid biogas scaling. Biogas could meet up to one-third of national gas demand, while biomethane offers strong export potential and long-term energy resilience for Ukraine and the EU.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104412"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144471008","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":"Highway PV capacity potential: A GIS-Driven approach for assessment and prioritization","authors":"Alessandro Niccolai , Vincenzo Cirimele , Diego Franceschini , Valerio Apicella , Benedetto Carambia , Sonia Leva","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing electricity demand, driven by electric mobility, has opened up opportunities to use highway areas for photovoltaic systems. Due to the vastness of this infrastructure, identifying suitable areas and estimating the production potential cannot be done manually. In response to this need, this paper presents a methodology for automatically assessing the photovoltaic potential of areas near highways using GIS data. The assessment considers different installation options, taking into account the morphology of the area and the costs of installation and maintenance. Tested on about <span><math><mrow><mn>3000</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>km</mi></mrow></math></span> of Italian highways, the analysis shows that 85% of the available areas could be used, giving an estimated total capacity of <span><math><mrow><mn>926</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>MWp</mi></mrow></math></span> and a production of <span><math><mrow><mn>830</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>GWh</mi></mrow></math></span> per year.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104384"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321560","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}
Ahmed Abdalla , Patrick Kirchen , Bhushan Gopaluni
{"title":"Deep reinforcement learning for methane slip reduction in hybrid-powered liquefied natural gas marine vessels","authors":"Ahmed Abdalla , Patrick Kirchen , Bhushan Gopaluni","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hybrid-powered liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels offer a viable pathway for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in maritime transport by lowering CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. However, these benefits can be offset by CH<sub>4</sub> emissions, which are typically highest at low engine loads due to methane slip. Efficient engine operation is therefore essential for achieving overall GHG reductions. Using a hybrid LNG-battery powertrain provides additional degrees of freedom to modify the operation and mitigate GHG emissions; however, the optimal power allocation between the LNG engine and the battery system must be developed specifically to the operation of the vessel. This paper investigates the use of three deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms, namely twin delayed deep deterministic policy gradient, soft actor-critic, and proximal policy optimization, to develop intelligent energy management systems (EMSs) for hybrid-powered LNG vessels. The proposed DRL-based EMSs aim to minimize cumulative GHG emissions from sailing trips by optimizing power allocation between the powertrain components. The proposed strategies are evaluated against the peak shaving and load levelling (PS-LL) EMS currently used on the vessel under study. The DRL-based EMSs reduced GHG emissions by up to 14.6% more effectively than the PS-LL EMS, when compared to a baseline of operations simulated without hybridization and measured relative to an offline optimization benchmark. This improvement is primarily due to better engine load management, which reduces methane slip.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104404"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330932","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}
Weili Li , Xiaoke Liu , Dan Li , Junci Cao , Wenmao Liu , Fangbin Gong
{"title":"Thermal analysis of direct-drive offshore permanent magnet synchronous generator with peak–valley heat sinks","authors":"Weili Li , Xiaoke Liu , Dan Li , Junci Cao , Wenmao Liu , Fangbin Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104365","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104365","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aiming at the heat generating problems of high-scale offshore wind generator with diagonal-axial ventilation structure (DA-VS), an offshore inner rotor permanent magnet wind generator (OIR-PMWG) with a 5MW rated power is taken as the research object. Firstly, based on the basic theories of fluid dynamics and heat transfer, a three-dimensional physical and mathematical model of fluid–heat-coupled for offshore inner rotor permanent magnet wind generator (OIR-PMWG) with diagonal-axial ventilating structure is established which is solved by the finite volume method. In this paper, in order to improve the thermal performance of offshore wind generator, two alternating peak–valley heat sink structures, PartB and PartC, are proposed. The effects of the alternating peak–valley heat sink schemes on the velocity distribution of the fluid between the fins and the temperature rise of the important generator’s parts are investigated. Among them, the PartC scheme is able to increase the fluid velocity between the fins by 11.5% and reduce the winding temperature by 9.6 °C. The alternating peak–valley heat sink schemes proposed in this paper can redistribute the flow rate and air velocity between the heat sink, improve the efficiency of the ventilation system, and provide a reference for the design of ventilation and cooling structures for offshore wind generator.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 104365"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321559","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":"Improvement of energy utilization in residential districts at the early design stage: Achieving lighting self-sufficiency of buildings through a PV-DC power distribution system","authors":"Xuexiu Zhao , Yanwen Luo , Junmu Qiu , Jiang He","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improvement of energy utilization through effective technologies and reasonable distribution plays an important role in the construction of energy residential districts. Many studies have proposed different decision tools for improving the solar energy potential based on detailed residential information. However, there is still a lack of decision-making tools to use less residential information for optimizing energy planning towards achieving energy self-sufficiency at the early design stage. Therefore, this study proposed an evaluation framework to divide energy groups in residential districts, aiming to achieve the lighting self-sufficiency of residential buildings from a photovoltaic-direct current (PV-DC) power distribution system. This distribution system can transfer surplus PV power from power-rich buildings to power-deficient buildings. An evaluation index (the standard number of building floors) was defined to estimate the surplus PV power for residential buildings and optimize energy proposals. A real residential district in Nanning City was selected as a case study to demonstrate the process of the proposed evaluation framework. The analysis results revealed that nine out of 10 residential areas are lighting self-sufficient using the PV-DC power distribution system. Moreover, even if the lighting electricity demand increases by 50% and PV conversion efficiency decreases by 25%, the identified energy groupings in the study district can still achieve zero-energy lighting with low delivery distance cost and high PV power redundancy. Therefore, the proposed evaluation framework can be used as a design support tool for urban designers to identify residential proposals with zero-energy lighting at the early design stage, which is conducive to further improving energy utilization in the construction and operation stages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 104402"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291359","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}
Gabriele Soggia , Andrea Goglio , Pierangela Cristiani , Fabrizio Adani
{"title":"Bioelectrochemical conversion of CO2 emissions as greenhouse gases capture and renewable electricity storage strategy: advancing power-to-methane technologies − a critical review","authors":"Gabriele Soggia , Andrea Goglio , Pierangela Cristiani , Fabrizio Adani","doi":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seta.2025.104394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electromethanogenesis is an innovative bioelectrochemical process that is rapidly gaining attention within the energy transition framework as one of the most promising Power-to-Gas (P2G) technologies. This process enables the conversion of electricity generated from intermittent renewable sources, along with carbon dioxide emissions, into high-purity methane through the metabolic activity of methanogenic Archaea. Its potential is further amplified by its compatibility with existing infrastructure for methane storage, distribution, and utilization, making it a highly attractive solution for renewable energy storage and greenhouse gas reduction.</div><div>This review critically examines recent advancements in electromethanogenesis, placing particular emphasis on identifying viable CO<sub>2</sub> sources. Among these, geothermal emissions from natural gas vents are highlighted as a key opportunity for “geothermal electromethanogenesis,” while industrial off-gases are explored for their potential to mitigate environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and producing sustainable “green” methane.</div><div>Moreover, the review underscores the need for further development of sustainable and low-cost materials for electrodes and chamber separator to enhance the economic and environmental feasibility of this process. It delves into the microbial metabolic pathways, inoculum, and operational conditions that underpin electromethanogenesis, addressing the critical challenges of upscaling from laboratory-scale research to large-scale, real-world applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56019,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 104394"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291360","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}