The value of mixed method content analysis for understanding renewable energy deployment and policy outcomes

Transitioning to renewable energy has become a global phenomenon. Attempts to explain development patterns are often fragmented, focusing on specific rationale for (un)successful deployment or the perspective of specific stakeholders. We recognize the importance for holistic insights for successful and effective environmental policy-making and planning in the context of renewable energy development. Using wind energy as an example, this paper provides methodological toolkits for utilizing content analysis (CA) to gain more holistic insights on renewable energy deployment and policy outcomes. Building on existing literature, past and ongoing research, three variations of CA are presented for understanding stakeholder conflicts surrounding wind energy development as well as public perceptions and responses to the technology across space and over time. Although newspapers are used as an example, these methodological protocols could be applied to diverse forms of data such as interviews, policy documents, reports, public meetings and letters of appeal.     

Analysis on the performance of a high efficiency administrative building in Spain

A building is an element that consumes great quantities of primary energy both during construction and operating life. Buildings are reported to consume 40% of total primary energy in Europe. Efficiency and saving policies in this sector should be priority to reduce the European energetic dependence on third countries as well as to diminish greenhouse emissions.

The present work is aimed at review the results obtained during the first operating year of a public building with high energetic qualification in Mérida (Spain), which develops novel techniques on efficiency, energy saving and integration of renewable energies applied to the building sector. The building was constructed according to the climatic characteristics of Mérida. Diverse techniques regarding passive solar collection and thermal isolation, window and roofing shadowing and natural lighting were accounted for.

The results showed that it is possible to air-condition public buildings in extreme weather regions by applying specific measures to minimize energy consumption with the use of renewable energy sources (solar energy and biomass). Based on the actual energetic results, the economic, energetic, and environmental feasibility of this kind of building is also analyzed.     

Conditions for a 100% renewable energy supply system in Japan and South Korea

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident, alternative energy paths have been discussed for Japan, but except for a few studies the assumption is usually made that Japan is too densely populated to be suited for a near-100% sustainable, indigenous energy provision. The studies emphasizing renewable energy have proposed the use of photovoltaic power as the main source of electricity supply, in combination with diurnal battery storage and supplemented by other renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and geothermal power. Here, an alternative approach is explored, with wind and derived hydrogen production as the main energy source, but still using solar energy, biofuels, and hydropower in a resilient combination allowing full satisfaction of demands in all sectors of the economy, i.e., for dedicated electricity, transportation energy as well as heat for processes and comfort. Furthermore, the possible advantage of establishing a regional energy system with energy interchange and coordinated management of the mix of renewable energy resources across a wider region is discussed. As the closest neighbor, the energy system of South Korea is considered, first regarding the possibility of a similar full renewable energy reliance, and then for possible synergetic effects of connecting the Korean and the Japanese energy systems, in order to be able to better cope with the intermittency of renewable energy source flows.     

Financing energy transformation: The role of renewable energy equity indices

The support of financial markets for the transformation of the energy system to a low carbon society seems critical for its success. But will they support this transformation on the basis of market incentives alone? This study analyses how equity indices that try to capture renewable energy investments perform compared to conventional benchmark indices. Especially financial market investors—such as pension funds, insurance companies, and mutual funds—use these to assess and guide their renewable energy investments. As such, we take the perspective of financial market participants, which mainly only indirectly invest in renewable energy. We also analyze whether renewable energy indices are to be regarded as an example of market environmentalism. We find that the renewable energy indices’ risk-adjusted return is very poor and suggests renewables is not a financially attractive portfolio investment yet. We also argue that renewable energy equity indices can be regarded as an example of market environmentalism, especially with respect to commodification and frame-shifting.     

The impact of the electricity tariff reform on renewable energies and energy efficiency investments: The case of the Italian residential market

This article investigates the impact that the electricity tariff reform is likely to have on investments in renewable energies (i.e., photovoltaics) and the adoption of energy efficiency measures (i.e., installation of heat pumps and efficient home appliances) in the residential market in Italy. The study develops detailed cost comparisons and simulations considering two different investment scenarios (before and after the reform) to conclude that the reform will: (i) have a negative impact on investments in photovoltaic systems; (ii) favor the adoption of energy efficiency measures, such as efficient home appliances.     

Multi-criteria PSO-based optimal design of grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems

ABSTRACT

Human-induced climate change through the over liberation of greenhouse gases, resulting in devastating consequences to the environment, is a concern of considerable global significance which has fuelled the diversification to alternative renewable energy sources. The unpredictable nature of renewable resources is an impediment to developing renewable projects. More reliable, effective, and economically feasible renewable energy systems can be established by consolidating various renewable energy sources such as wind and solar into a hybrid system using batteries or back-up units like conventional energy generators or grids. The precise design of these systems is a critical step toward their effective deployment. An optimal sizing strategy was developed based on a heuristic particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to determine the optimum number and configuration of PV panels, wind turbines, and battery units by minimizing the total system life-cycle cost while maximizing the reliability of the hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) in matching the electricity supply and demand. In addition, by constraining the amount of conventional electricity purchased from the grid, environmental concerns were also considered in the presented method. Various systems with different reliabilities and potential of reducing consumer’s CO₂ emissions were designed and the behavior of the proposed method was comprehensively investigated. An HRES may reduce the annualized cost of energy and carbon footprint significantly.     

Toward a CO2 zero emissions energy system in the Middle East region

Climate change and energy security are global challenges requiring concerted attention and action by all of the world’s countries. Under these conditions, energy supplier and exporter countries in the Middle East region are experiencing further challenges, such as increasing domestic energy demand while energy exports have to concurrently be kept at high levels. Middle East countries process the largest proven oil and gas reserves in the world and contribute a large fraction of the world’s CO₂ emissions from the use of these as fuels both domestically and internationally. This paper addresses different policies that could dramatically change the future course of the Middle East region toward a zero CO₂ emission energy system. To this aim, an integrated energy supply–demand model has been developed to analyze required commitments including renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and the potential of nuclear power, all of which should need to be considered in order to reduce CO₂ emissions by 2100. The results indicate that nearly 43% of the global energy of the Middle East region can be supplied from non-fossil fuel resources in 2100.     

Panel heterogeneous distribution analysis of trade and modernized agriculture on CO2 emissions: The role of renewable and fossil fuel energy consumption

In line with the global target of reducing climate change and its impact, this study explored the causal relationship between CO₂ emissions, modernized agriculture, trade openness, aggregate and disaggregate energy consumption in 14 African countries from 1990–2013 using a panel quantile estimation procedure. The empirical results showed that value addition to agricultural commodities declines CO₂ emissions in countries with high pollution levels. The study revealed a positive nexus between CO₂ emissions and energy consumption homogeneously distributed across quantiles. Trade openness was found to lower CO₂ emissions in countries with lower and higher levels of environmental pollution. While fossil fuel energy consumption was found to exacerbate CO₂ emissions, renewable energy consumption confirmed its mitigating effect on environmental pollution. The institution of climate‐smart agricultural options will sustainably increase productivity and income while adapting to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Diversification of energy technologies with clean and modern energy sources like renewables avoid the over‐dependence on fossil fuels for agricultural purposes. Trade policies can stimulate flows of technology and investment opportunities for specialization in production and economies of scale. Hence, the consideration of policies that boost agricultural sector productivity and create an efficient market for international trade in Africa will help in improving livelihoods.     

How renewable energy and service growth influence environmental quality: Evidence from a sustainable development perspective

The present study inspects the relationships between the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, real GDP, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, as well as the service growth for top ten countries (TTC) in service activities. The empirical modeling used in the study involves the procedures of cointegration and tests of Granger causality to inspect the dynamic interaction between the variables during the period from 1980 to 2018. The results of the present study suggest that the variables are cross-sectionally dependent. In addition, the variables appear to be cointegrated based on several tests. The long-run outcomes revealed an inversed U-shaped form between emissions-GDP proving the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve assumption. The fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic OLS estimates show that the non-renewable energy and economic growth contribute to the increase of CO₂ emissions, while service value-added leads to decrease emissions. Furthermore, the renewable energy coefficient comes through as negative but insignificant for the selected panel. The TTC in service should stimulate the usage of renewable energy in various service events for following the path of sustainable development. Devising the investment plans associated with the use of renewable energies is quite essential for the advancement of the service sector leading to mitigating emissions portion.     

The effects of pulverized refuse fines (PRF) as a soil material on plant growth

Pulverized refuse fines (PRF) are the residual fine screenings from refuse-derived fuel plants after the removal of metals and oversize material from domestic refuse, and the extraction of the light fraction as fuel. It appears to be a potential soil amendment, but currently it is disposed of by landfilling. The glasshouse experiment described in this paper therefore evaluated its effectiveness as a soil amendment or soil material for plant growth.PRF had a slightly alkaline pH and was high in organic carbon and soluble salts. Unamended PRF supported significantly higher yields of ryegrass than PRF mixed with a sandy soil at 2 and 10% (w/w), and was comparable to that of sewage sludge and sludge-amended PRF. On the other hand, PRF supplemented with inorganic nitrogen or phosphorus resulted in better yields than PRF alone. Despite the high C/N ratio of PRF, nitrogen recovery in ryegrass suggested that mineralization was sufficiently high to allow adequate plant uptake and sustained plant growth, although there was initial inhibition. Tissue contents of zinc, copper and cadmium from pure PRF treatment were not excessive and were lower than those from sewage sludge.High rate applications of PRF, which are desirable from the viewpoint of disposal, should not cause environmental degradation. PRF is not as good as commercial fertilizers or potting media, but it can be an excellent soil substitute in horticulture and land reclamation.     

黄磷厂废渣作水泥混合材的研究

本文较系统地研究了影响黄磷渣作水泥混合材的因素；推荐了提高黄磷渣作水泥混合材的掺量必须控制的条件；按推荐的控制条件，黄磷渣作水泥混合材的掺量可高达４０％以上。     

Coconut oil as a fuel in the Pacific Islands

The steadily increasing world market prices for fossil fuels in the past years have significantly increased interest in the development of indigenous sources of energy in the Pacific islands. As an import substitution strategy, many Pacific island Governments are looking into the use of local biomass resources to replace traditionally imported fuels such as petrol and diesel by biofuels. An overview of biofuel activities is given, with experiences and key achievements in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Marshall Islands with regard to efforts to develop alternative fuels. There are strong linkages between developments in the various Pacific island countries and lessons to be learned from experiences and policies implemented among Governments in the Pacific region. The paper concludes that there is a need for standardization, quality control and testing facilities for biofuels in the region. Governments need to investigate further the level of support that is required to make biofuel operations viable and maximize macroeconomic and environmental benefits.     

CO2 capture and storage from a bioethanol plant: Carbon and energy footprint and economic assessment

Biomass energy and carbon capture and storage (BECCS) can lead to a net removal of atmospheric CO₂. This paper investigates environmental and economic performances of CCS retrofit applied to two mid-sized refineries producing ethanol from sugar beets. Located in the Region Centre France, each refinery has two major CO₂ sources: fermentation and cogeneration units. “carbon and energy footprint” (CEF) and “discounted cash flow” (DCF) analyses show that such a project could be a good opportunity for CCS early deployment. CCS retrofit on fermentation only with natural gas fired cogeneration improves CEF of ethanol production and consumption by 60% without increasing much the non renewable energy consumption. CCS retrofit on fermentation and natural gas fired cogeneration is even more appealing by decreasing of 115% CO₂ emissions, while increasing non renewable energy consumption by 40%. DCF shows that significant project rates of return can be achieved for such small sources if both a stringent carbon policy and direct subsidies corresponding to 25% of necessary investment are assumed. We also underlined that transport and storage cost dilution can be realistically achieved by clustering emissions from various plants located in the same area. On a single plant basis, increasing ethanol production can also produce strong economies of scale.     

A weed risk assessment model for use as a biosecurity tool evaluating plant introductions

New plant taxa from around the world continue to be imported into Australia and New Zealand. Many of these taxa have the potential to become agricultural or environmental weeds and this risk needs to be assessed before allowing their entry. A weed risk assessment system is described that uses information on a taxon's current weed status in other parts of the world, climate and environmental preferences, and biological attributes. The system is designed to be operated by quarantine personnel via a user-friendly computer interface.The model was tested against experts' scores for weediness for 370 taxa present in Australia, representing both weeds and useful taxa from agriculture, the environment, and other sectors. The model was judged on its ability to correctly ‘reject’ weeds, ‘accept’ non-weeds, and generate a low proportion of taxa which could not be decisively categorised, termed ‘evaluate’. More than 70% of the taxa were rejected or accepted. All taxa classified as serious weeds, and most minor weeds, were rejected or required further evaluation, while only 7% of non-weeds were rejected. The model was modified to New Zealand conditions and evaluated against the opinions of several groups of experts and against economic measures. The model produced a weediness score very similar to the mean of the experts scores. The latter were highly variable: agriculturalists tended to accept known weeds, conservationists tended to reject most adventive taxa, and only botanists produced scores similar to the model. The model scores also tended to be independent of economic value as measured in this study. The model could be adapted for use as a screening tool in any region of the world.     

CFD analysis on the performance of a solar chimney power plant system: Case study in Algeria

The solar chimney power plant (SCPP) is a power generator which uses solar radiation to increase the internal energy of the air circulating in the system, thereby transforming the useful gain of the solar collector into kinetic energy. The produced kinetic energy then can be converted into electrical energy by means of an appropriate turbine. In this paper, four locations in Algeria

(Constantine, Ouargla, Adrar, and Tamanrasset) were considered as case studies to describe the SCPP mechanism in detail. Numerical simulation of an SCPP which has the same geometrical dimensions was performed to estimate the power output of SCPP in these regions. Using the CFD software FLUENT we simulated a two-dimensional axisymmetric model of a SCPP with the standard k-ε turbulence model. The simulation results show that the highest power output produced monthly average value 68–73 KW over the year and the highest hourly power produced in June is around 109–113 KW.     

The experience of waste minimization at a nitrocellulose manufacturing plant

This article describes how Taiwan nitrocellulose industrial company (TNC) applies the structured methodology developed by the U.S. environmental protection agency (USEPA) to reduce, recycle and recover the wastes generated at its Taoyuan plant. The company has generated significantly less amounts of wastes, improved the competitiveness in the international market and met more stringent environmental regulations since conducting the minimization program in the late 1980s. The experience gained at the Taoyuan plant is being applied to other plants in China and Philippines.     

Constructing domestic retrofit as a new urban infrastructure: experimentation,equitability and contested priorities

ABSTRACT

British cities and residential suburbs were originally developed under a modernist growth logic: separating home from work, with little concern for energy use. But recent political and social priorities such as climate change and energy security have created an imperative to reduce domestic energy use, with many existing dwellings rendered “obsolete” on account of their poor energy efficiency. This precipitated a need to develop domestic retrofit – the modification of building fabrics and systems to improve their energy efficiency – as an urban infrastructure. The UK Government responded in 2011 with policies such as the “Green Deal”, through which coalitions of actors in cities including local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and private businesses were encouraged to experiment with place-based retrofit. This paper examines the challenges and effects of developing a domestic retrofit infrastructure in a North London borough under particularly challenging policy conditions. We develop a hybrid framework for understanding the process and product of this place-based experimentation and through this we ask two questions: 1. How did both local and national conditions enable and limit the development of this infrastructure? 2. Was the emerging urban infrastructure functional and equitable? In Haringey’s case, a strong local political agenda positioned retrofit as a development opportunity and vehicle for reducing inequality, but national priorities around market-making and technological fixes dominated emerging responses. Whilst Haringey’s efforts in a difficult policy context did result in retrofits and improvements to around a thousand properties, the emerging infrastructure of retrofit services was incomplete, inequitable and temporary.     

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems using methanolysis of sodium borohydride as a hydrogen source with cobalt catalysts

Constant hydrogen generation via a hydrogen generator is evaluated from the methanolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) using Co/Al₂O₃ and MnO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts. Chemical borohydrides coupled with catalysts can be used for compact storage and to create efficient generation systems. Thus, we first report the catalytic activity of MnO_x/Al₂O₃, which is synthesized using the simple wet-impregnation method, for the methanolysis reaction. The results indicate that both catalysts can effectively accelerate the methanolysis reaction and provide constant hydrogen generation rates. Thus, we integrate this hydrogen generation system into a proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack (PEMFC) to determine whether it can be used as a portable power supply. As a result, this fuel cell system operates at 40 W for 1 hr using the hydrogen source supplied from the catalytic methanolysis reaction.