Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews最新文献

Employees play a crucial role as a target group for energy conservation initiatives. Although the concept of employee energy-saving behaviors (EEB) in enterprises has been acknowledged and attracted some attention, there is a notable lack of a systematic and comprehensive review of EEB in previous studies. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a critical review of existing research on EEB. Employing a rigorous search protocol and thorough content analysis, seventy relevant studies were identified and critically analyzed. This study determines the application of social psychology theories in EEB and discusses the factors affecting EEB to serve future research and help develop new theoretical propositions about EEB. The research methods and intervention measures of EEB are summarized and future directions for research on EEB are discussed.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage is one of the key technologies to achieve carbon neutrality. Carbon capture is an important step in this, so it is necessary to develop efficient CO₂ capture technologies. Among all kinds of CO₂ adsorbents, amine-functionalized silica materials as low temperature CO₂ adsorbents have been widely studied, and great progress has been made in material design, modification and application in recent years. This work reviews the recent progress of amine-functionalized silica CO₂ adsorbents in the past five years, including their synthesis methods, factors affecting their performance, and adsorption mechanism. The practical applications of amine-functionalized silica adsorbents, such as post-combustion CO₂ capture, direct air capture, CO₂ separation from natural gas, and CO₂ separation in confined spaces are introduced. Meanwhile, the problems existing in the application of these materials are summarized, and the corresponding suggestions are put forward. In addition, the stability of amine-functionalized silica adsorbents in practical application is discussed in a separate section. Finally, the future development of these materials is prospected. To conclude, this review has important implications for further optimization of the design and application conditions of amine-functionalized silica adsorbents, and is of great significance for understanding its current situation and development trend.

In the current move towards a decarbonising energy generation, cities and residential users can play a significant role. Solar photovoltaic has emerged as one of the main clean energy sources in this transition. Therefore, this work investigates the large electricity generation capacity for collective photovoltaic self-consumption in blocks of flats in a densely populated city in southern Spain. Three neighbourhoods were studied according to their income levels (low, medium, and high), by modelling their different energy demand profiles. The demand cover factor and the energy exchanged with the electricity grid were calculated. Subsequently, seven regulatory frameworks for self-consumption and surplus photovoltaic injection were compiled and analysed for each income level, focusing on the economic profitability of these renewable installations for different power ratings (270 and 570 W) and different domestic electricity tariffs. Although some regulations provide more economic benefits, with the constant growth in the nominal power of photovoltaic modules and rising electricity prices, the profitability of self-consumption photovoltaic installations is practically guaranteed regardless of the regulatory framework. Therefore, subsidies should target low-income buildings, where self-consumption installations could be the solution to energy poverty problems.

This research offers a comprehensive view of the constructs of sustainable energy from the perspective of consumer behavior. It aims to identify the theories, consumption modes, and methods used, and to correlate the main contributions of selected primary studies. To this end, a systematic literature review was carried out, consisting of three main phases: planning, conducting, and reporting. The study adhered to the PICOC guidelines (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Context) to structure the review. A literature search across six databases led to the analysis of thirty-one primary studies. These studies were selected using the StArt tool, based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among these criteria, a quality assessment was highlighted, evaluating four aspects: the alignment of the primary studies with the review and three aspects related to bibliometric data, including the publication venue and the number of citations. The results reveal that the concept of sustainable energy differs from renewable energy and is divided into two categories: renewable sources and functionalities. This study proposes five dimensions to categorize the constructs: environmental, technical, economic, social, and institutional. The theories that most influenced behavior in favor of sustainable energy include socio-psychological, cognitive, and normative beliefs. Future research should focus on the integration of technology and renewable energy sources to promote sustainable energy, ensuring its effective and economically viable operation, regardless of external factors. Understanding approaches, theories, and modalities related to sustainable energy consumption can contribute to the establishment of new strategies to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Multiport power converters integrate three or more energy devices into a single (potentially highly controllable and efficient) hub. These characteristics suggest that multiport power converters may be valuable for the decarbonisation of distribution networks, where the increase of converter-interfaced devices has degraded system reliability and efficiency. This review analyses the suitability of a wide range of multiport power converter solutions for four example distribution network applications (where previous studies have focussed on a limited range of topologies or applications) and the research areas that can progress their maturity. A review of grid codes and standards overviews the base capability that multiport power converters are likely to require, some of which are carried forward as requirements for a novel comparison tool. The comparison tool is developed to qualify and score reviewed topologies in terms of a range of features that are weighted for the applications. Isolated and partially-isolated topologies perform well due to their flexibility to be configured for the specifications and their operational capabilities (including modularity and voltage decoupling). Further research should focus on the complex control interactions between ports and scaling of these topologies for medium voltages. In contrast, many direct current non-isolated topologies do not qualify due to their low flexibility to be configured for the applications. This suggests that future research could focus on the development of a more flexible non-isolated multiport power converter configuration to take advantage of the high efficiency and low footprint that these topologies might otherwise offer for low voltage applications.

Exploitation of natural gas hydrates provides an alternative way to address energy crisis. Dilute CO₂ gas (13–30mol%CO₂ with remaining N₂/Air) injection into CH₄ hydrates for hydrate swapping (SW) allows cheaper and more practical CH₄ recovery and in-situ CO₂ sequestration. However, the roles of N₂/Air in dilute CO₂ gas during exploitation remain unknown. It is unclear whether depressurization should be coupled after SW and continued below CH₄ hydrate stability pressure. This work employed multistep depressurization (MD) to dissociate the mixed hydrates formed after SW from 86.5 to 97.9 bar at 0.7–1.2 °C in bulk-water and sandpack with CH₄ hydrate saturation of 4.1–25.3 %. Effects of N₂/Air on exploitation were investigated by examining hydrate morphologies and gas compositions. Morphological results in bulk-water indicated higher N₂ fraction in 20mol%CO₂/N₂ triggered more CO₂-rich hydrate reformation and CH₄-rich hydrate dissociation. Exploitation results in sandpack indicated 13mol%CO₂/N₂ produced the highest CH₄ swapping percent (46.6 %) and CO₂ hydrate sequestration percent (29.1 %). Air exerted weaker promoting effects on exploitation compared with equivalent N₂. The promotion of N₂/Air on exploitation was dominated by dilute CO₂ gas injection altering mixed hydrate equilibrium which varied with time-dependent gaseous compositions during MD. l-methionine of 3000 ppm had stronger promoting effects on CO₂ sequestration in sandpack than bulk-water depending on mass transfer and water availability. Ceasing points (13.9–31.4 bar) suggested MD could be continued below CH₄/above CO₂ hydrate stability pressures and before water production. For the first time, this study provided insights into the roles of N₂/Air to determine injection gas types and depressurization schemes for efficient and safe hydrate exploitation in gas-rich hydrate-bearing sediment.

Energy system models are widely used to explore, analyse and plan energy futures and sustainable transitions. These models, typically developed in high-income countries, have more recently been applied in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As a result, the role that models play in informing decisions in such contexts lacks adequate exploration. Drawing on 35 qualitative interviews with energy system modellers and policymakers, this research examines the experiences of developing and using energy system models that support decision-making in LMICs. The findings suggest that many conventional modelling approaches do not account for the political economy influences and developmental challenges specific to LMICs, with implications for modelling processes and outcomes. The interviews highlighted the need to understand the roles played by diverse stakeholders in shaping modelling processes, as well as the communication, interpretation and use of energy models. This indicates that, particularly in modelling projects which bring in external modellers, a good understanding of the country context is essential to design appropriate model scenarios and for their interpretation in policymaking. Finally, more in-country capacity is needed to foster local ownership of modelling projects.

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal, nuclear power is expected to double between 2020 and 2050, mainly due to its low-carbon baseload capacity. Small modular reactors, new nuclear reactors designed to generate up to 300 MW of electricity, could help achieve this goal. Small modular reactors have unique advantages over existing large reactors, such as modularization, learning and co-location economics. However, these small modular reactors should also be economically viable. This review therefore focuses on the costs of small modular reactors. This review found an average capital cost of €7.031/kW and an average levelized cost of electricity of 85 €/MWh for small modular reactors, while capital costs were found to be on average 41 % higher than for the large reactors. Carbon and gas prices are not included in this cost estimate, yet these volatile prices also affect small modular reactor costs. However, as the absolute cost is lower, the financial risk is lower for small modular reactors. The importance of regulations, discount rates, country and project specifications and public acceptance are also considered.

Rooftop solar, both in the residential and the non-residential sector, is emerging rapidly as a popular source of clean electricity. Together with utility-scale photovoltaics, its future growth is essential to achieve decarbonization targets. Therefore, understanding adoption determinants for firms and households is key to efficiently promoting its diffusion. There is a gap, however, in the knowledge of non-residential adoption determinants, as less attention has been given to this sector compared to the residential sector. As a result of this gap, there is an absence of comparative analysis across sectors. As determinants of adoption cannot be assumed to be the same in both sectors, the objective of this research is threefold. First, to analyze whether the residential and non-residential sectors share key determinants of rooftop solar investment; second, to compare the sectoral differences in these determinants; and third, to assess the policy implications of the results obtained to further promote distributed solar photovoltaic energy. For this purpose, a regional case study in the Basque Country (Spain) was conducted, applying key theoretical frameworks to both sectors in a way that maximized the comparability of the results obtained across them. The results showed that adoption determinants are very different across sectors and, therefore, sector-specific policy actions need to be taken in each sector to efficiently promote rooftop solar. For the residential sector, policy actions could build upon behavioral aspects; for the non-residential sector, economic incentives are expected to be more successful, especially among medium size businesses, which are identified as the most promising segment.

Germany's goal of transitioning to renewable energy by 2045 presents a challenge of increased land-use competition. Agrivoltaics is a promising solution to this dilemma and benefits resilient food production and farmers' income. This study, for the first time, assesses the spatial land-use potential of agrivoltaics in Germany with a socio-technical Geographic Information System based on land use restrictions and suitability criteria. The study investigates small-scale agrivoltaics over suitable crops to enable farmers to benefit from the technology by their integration into high-value agricultural activities. The results show that agrivoltaics over permanent, moderate shade-tolerant and full shade-tolerant crops can achieve 88 % of Germany's PV energy target by 2030. About half of the 0.74 % of the German territory used for these crops has good soil quality, with a Soil Quality Rating over 60. From the small-sized permanent crop area (<2.5 ha) around 11 % is well suited due to favourable solar irradiation, orientation and slope. Most of this potential (79 %) is concentrated in the southern regions of Germany. The results indicate that agrivoltaics over permanent, moderate shade-tolerant and full shade-tolerant crops can contribute to resilient food production in small-scale farm businesses and to the political goal to increase land-based solar energy production. More financial support and further research are needed to identify the obstacles, and better understand stakeholders' perspectives on agrivoltaics and its integration into the landscape.