Energy, Sustainability and Society最新文献

Background

This paper seeks to explore the roles of distribution system operators (DSOs) in future energy systems. Measures to combat climate change have led to a transition in the energy sector, where old system fundamentals are becoming obsolete, which results in changing rules for incumbent actors, such as DSOs. These actors must uphold heavily regulated operations within their distribution networks, while landscape trends are changing with a growing number of prosumers and distributed energy resources. To understand these future roles and increase the preparedness for future scenarios and facilitate thinking beyond current lock-ins, action-oriented workshops were held with two Swedish DSOs, departing from pre-developed future imaginaries, structured through transition theory. Researchers were actively involved in the workshops, to guide the participants in the discussions and to provide additional knowledge from transition processes. This was structured through transition theory, mainly in terms of linking transition management fundamentals to the topics in the workshops and basing the workshop discussions on an imagined future socio-technical system-wide approach using four focus areas.

Results

Results included descriptions of roles within future energy systems and their connection to specified value logics from different target groups which would, from the DSO perspective, create value in a future energy system. Roles included sustainable developer, facilitator for increased collaboration, balancing actor, and communicator. In addition, competence requirements were outlined concerning the described roles. The future logic was also described in a conceptual value model for an active DSO in a prosumer-oriented energy system, creating value in all different value logics. Moreover, it provided the steps necessary to develop a pathway aimed at the transformation of DSOs.

Conclusions

The study provided a constructive approach for DSOs to prepare for a future, more prosumer-oriented and flexible energy system, avoiding being locked in current system thinking and focusing on necessary roles and competencies suitable for a DSO. In addition, the utilization of the value logics approach helped place the prosumers in a differentiated manner, which can have implications for strategies among DSOs to create the necessary relations and collaborations for an efficient and value-creating future energy system.

Background

The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources brings substantial changes in land use. Germany, with limited land availability, needs a spatial framework to allocate renewable energy while safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. This process should include public participation at the local level. Respective models have been developed for decision support on wind turbine allocation but methods are still lacking for solar parks. This paper aims to identify the safe operating space for solar energy supply that is inclusive and compatible with humans and nature. We propose criteria for Germany with different classes of legal legitimization to define the local decision space. The method is applied in the exemplary case of the federal state of Lower Saxony and the two municipalities—Springe and Wedemark.

Results

The results show that this decision space is sufficiently large to involve both the local public and decision-makers in determining the energy mix and siting of renewable plants. In Lower Saxony, 13% of the state's area (611.932 ha) has low spatial resistance to solar parks. With a reference plant's power density of 1.01 MW/ha, this land could generate up to 667 TWh/a, far exceeding the share needed for Lower Saxony’s contribution to Germany’s projected energy demand in 2050. This provides flexibility for regional and local stakeholders to shape their energy landscape within the bounds of downscaled national climate targets and human- and nature-compatible development. In addition, co-benefits with other extensive land-use objects, such as groundwater protection, can be provided on these sites.

Conclusions

Our findings offer valuable guidance for regional planning boards and encourage public participation in the decision-making process by providing transparent information about the spatial options and limits of solar development. The model can improve planning, since different planning levels could access and utilize the scalable data. Equal criteria at all levels increase the intersubjectivity and comprehensibility of approval decisions and thus also the legal certainty of land designations for solar parks.

Background

The European Green Deal has rekindled interest in the mining of critical raw materials within Europe’s borders. The Weinebene lithium deposit, near Wolfsberg (Austria), deemed uneconomic as late as the 2000s, has attracted interest from developers because of the widespread demand for the metal for battery technology and in the electro-mobility sector. Based on a multi-scalar analysis, the main objective of this study is to investigate local citizens’ and politicians’ perceptions of potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the Wolfsberg project. We deploy an interdisciplinary political geology approach that assesses its geological feasibility, social acceptability and the associated power relations, in the light of European debates around so-called ‘green extractivism’.

Results

The exploitation of the lithium deposit seems to be promising from a geological point of view: the Weinebene hard rock, vein-type spodumene deposit was assessed at 12.9 Mt grading 1% Li2O, and the planned mine could provide 10,500 tpa LiOH/year for a period of 20 years, which would be around 4.5% of global production in 2021. However, the main results of the study show that conflicts are emerging around local environmental impacts, for example, the increase of traffic. Such environmental impacts resulting in greater CO₂ emissions contradict decarbonisation objectives and ecological transitions. Local youth and politicians have highlighted the possibility of local mineral production, job creation and economic development. Nevertheless, politicians have criticized the company’s communication policy.

Conclusions

The geological analysis suggests adequate lithium resources. Otherwise, the Wolfsberg project is undermined by the lack of an open public dialogue on its future. Local residents and politicians are barely involved in the planning and permitting stages. The company European Lithium is confident of starting extraction soon, but in reality this is still uncertain. More widely, our results point towards the need for a strong degrowth strategy to generally reduce mineral consumption in Europe while also stopping destructive mining projects in the Global South. Local public perceptions have to be taken more into account when it comes to the future of lithium extraction in Europe’s ‘backyard’. Mechanisms need to be developed to fully integrate local residents into decision making processes.

Background

In the energy transition framework towards decarbonization, green hydrogen, obtained through water electrolysis powered by renewable energy, is gaining importance. In order to pave the way to its production and trade, it is required to assess its main advantages and challenges, which are not only energy-related but involve also techno-economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical aspects. In line with this, the current article aims to provide a Multi-criteria Spatial Decision Support System to investigate the suitability of North African countries with respect to the production of solar-based hydrogen and its potential trade, and to apply it to Tunisia, as one of the most promising countries for becoming a competitive hydrogen exporting leader. Combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process and the Geographical Information System, this study focuses on evaluating the land suitability for solar hydrogen production at a country level, serving as the foundation for a methodology applicable across the entire North African region. After defining ten different criteria, these are spatially analysed and then prioritized according to different experts’ preferences, so that a final suitability map is obtained. The added value of the study is the inclusion of social and geopolitical criteria in this kind of assessments, often focused on techno-economic parameters alone.

Results

The suitability map allows to classify the majority of the Tunisian areas as moderately or highly suitable, even if the most favourable areas in terms of availability of resources are often negatively influenced by the geopolitical or economic assessment. The sensitivity analysis has also proved the high suitability of Tunisia, with no areas assessed as very low suitable even if the different criteria are extremized.

Conclusions

Among the several influencing factors addressing the suitability for green hydrogen uptake, this article makes it possible to explore the social and geopolitical externalities, as well as the environmental and techno-economic dimensions. Even if stakeholders’ preferences affect the final results, the sensitivity analysis makes it possible to test their robustness. Supporting the adoption of new clean technologies towards the carbon-neutrality target, the methodological framework could be applied for other countries and also tailored on other specific technological pathways.

Background

Globally and regionally, nations are going through a period of important changes determined by the climate and environmental challenges in the context of the transition towards green economy, by the energy crisis caused by the Russian–Ukrainian war started in 2022, as well as the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemics, which all affect economic growth. Providing a sustainable development capable of contributing to the increase of welfare and life longevity requires high rates of economic growth as well as a healthy living environment. At present, boosting the transition to the green economy is considered as an alternative. Based on a multivariable linear regression model, this study aims to analyze the connection and influence of five macroeconomic indicators, on Romania’s economic growth over a period of 16 years (2006–2021), where the indicators are considered to be representative for green economy.

Results

The results pinpoint both the existence of a positive and long-term relation among the total greenhouse gas emissions, the value of the production of environmental goods and services, the total environmental taxes and real GDP, and the negative impact of the total generation of renewable electricity and investments for environmental protection upon real GDP. These results provide a relevant picture of the complex interdependences between the environmental indicators and economic growth, amid the significant challenges determined by the implementation of sustainability strategies.

Conclusions

Romania’s transition towards green economy not only represents an initiative based on the obligations resulting from joining the European Union’s Green Agenda, but also results from acknowledging the consequences of climate change; in accordance, our analysis intends to empower policy makers in intensifying the current levels of the total generation of renewable energy and the investments for environmental protection, so that these might reach the thresholds required to transform them into decisive factors of economic growth.

Background

The transition to renewable energy is crucial for decarbonising the energy system but creates land-use competition. Whilst there is consensus on the need for local responsibility in achieving climate neutrality, debates continue over where to implement renewable energy plants. The Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) scenario approach can facilitate these debates and improve equity and procedural and distributive justice.

Results

The findings highlight the effectiveness of the PPGIS method in assessing the spatial impact of technologies on agriculture and landscapes. The approach was tested in a rural German municipality to help stakeholders and citizens recognise the potential for land-based solar energy even under strict constraints. These insights were shared to support decision-makers on land-use changes to increase renewable energy production.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that the PPGIS scenario approach is valuable for improving equity and mutual understanding in local decision-making processes. Incorporating stakeholders’ and citizens’ perspectives into renewable energy planning enhances the transparency, legitimacy, and acceptability of land-use decisions. The ability to visualise and quantitatively assess different scenarios makes PPGIS particularly useful for addressing the complexities of public debates on land-use requirements for renewable energy systems.

Background

Achieving climate neutrality in cities is a major challenge, especially in light of rapid urbanization and the urgent need to combat climate change. This paper explores the role of advanced computational methods in the transition of cities to climate neutrality, with a focus on energy supply and transportation systems. Central to this are recent advances in artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, which offer enhanced capabilities for analyzing and processing large, heterogeneous urban data. By integrating these computational tools, cities can develop and optimize complex models that enable real-time, data-driven decisions. Such strategies offer the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency in key infrastructures and strengthen the sustainability and resilience of cities. In addition, these approaches support predictive modeling and dynamic management of urban systems, enabling cities to address the multi-faceted challenges of climate change in a scalable and proactive way.

Main text

The methods, which go beyond traditional data processing, use state-of-the-art technologies such as deep learning and ensemble models to tackle the complexity of environmental parameters and resource management in urban systems. For example, recurrent neural networks have been trained to predict gas consumption in Ljubljana, enabling efficient allocation of energy resources up to 60 h in advance. Similarly, traffic flow predictions were made based on historical and weather-related data, providing insights for improved urban mobility. In the context of logistics and public transportation, computational optimization techniques have demonstrated their potential to reduce congestion, emissions and operating costs, underlining their central role in creating more sustainable and efficient urban environments.

Conclusions

The integration of cutting-edge technologies, advanced data analytics and real-time decision-making processes represents a transformative pathway to developing sustainable, climate-resilient urban environments. These advanced computational methods enable cities to optimize resource management, improve energy efficiency and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus actively contributing to global climate and environmental protection.

Background

Addressing global climate challenges necessitates a shift toward sustainable energy systems, with public acceptance of energy technologies playing a vital role in their successful adoption. While extensive research has been conducted on this topic, the lack of a unified framework for integrating various data and approaches from existing studies remains a challenge. This inconsistency makes it difficult to compare findings across different contexts and impedes the development of a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing acceptance. This review aims to address this challenge by systematically evaluating the statistical methods used in ten large-scale studies on public acceptance of energy technologies in Western Europe published between 2012 and 2023. This Work allows researchers to more effectively compare methodologies and results, offering a transparent and structured approach for analysis, thereby enhancing the overall methodological assessment.

Main text

The review of ten large-scale studies identified valuable insights and opportunities for improving the analysis of public acceptance of energy technologies. Traditional methods like regression analysis have provided a solid foundation, highlighting key factors such as perceived benefits, trust, and attitudes. However, the review also revealed potential for growth by integrating more advanced techniques like AI-supported analysis, sentiment analysis, and agent-based modelling. These newer approaches offer the ability to capture complex, non-linear relationships and provide predictive insights. The introduction of statistical pattern graphics significantly enhances the clarity and comparability of methodologies, helping researchers to better understand and improve their approaches, ultimately supporting more accurate and impactful studies.

Conclusions

The review emphasizes the need for a unified analytical framework that integrates diverse methods, including both traditional statistical techniques and emerging approaches such as machine learning and sentiment analysis, to enhance the comparability of studies on public acceptance of energy technologies. By consolidating these varied methodologies into a cohesive framework, researchers can generate more consistent, robust insights that account for the complexities of public attitudes across different contexts. This unified approach not only improves the generalizability of findings but also provides stronger empirical evidence to guide policymakers in crafting more informed, effective strategies for promoting sustainable energy transitions at both local and global levels.

Background

Citizen participation is integral to the governance of sustainability transformations. Long-term participatory processes undergo various phases of opening up and closing down various scopes of the participation—with significant consequences for the legitimacy and impact of the participation process.

Methods

To gain a better understanding of these processes, we address the question of how and why participation processes are opened up or narrowed down. Through document analysis and key-informant interviews, we evaluate a case of long-term citizen participation linked to the development of a sustainable neighborhood energy system in northwestern Germany.

Results

Results show that normative, substantive, and instrumental imperatives contribute to opening-up dynamics in participation processes. Closing-down dynamics were observed in the narrowing of thematic, spatial, temporal, and methodological scopes, as well as in the range of the actors involved. Reasons for closing down were financial and temporal restrictions, conflicting interests, the need for expert input in decision making about highly technological questions, the institutionalisation of participation, and stakeholder fatigue.

Conclusions

This study provides a new framework for analysing citizen participation while highlighting the complexities and interrelations associated with citizen participation within the context of technological and urban development.

Background

The greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation quota is a unique instrument in Europe that redistributes money from high emission to low emission fuel markets while forcing fuel distributors to reduce the average emissions of their fuels. This paper presents the design of the German 2022 GHG quota, places it in the context of environmental policy instruments, and examines its impact on the affected fuel markets in relation to other environmental policy instruments. We aim to provide insights that can be applied in industry and policymaking, and to provide a basis for further research, to highlight GHG quota trading as an alternative to allowance trading and carbon taxes. Field research was conducted in the form of expert interviews. Furthermore, intermediaries and brokers were contacted via email and asked for transaction data. In addition, a qualitative literature review was conducted and publications of responsible authorities as well as relevant legal texts were used to gather information.

Results

We find that the GHG quota trading overlaps with the structures behind emission standards and emission trading schemes and, therefore, falls under the category of tradable performance standards. However, it also contains aspects of a subsidy and interacts directly or indirectly with several different markets.

Conclusions

While the GHG quota trading system shows potential as an environmental policy tool, its effectiveness is hindered by market complexities and external disruptions. Addressing these challenges through targeted research and policy adjustments could enhance its impact and alignment with broader climate goals.