Energy and climate change最新文献

Assessing the Impact of Energy Transition Initiatives on the Policy Cost of Saudi Arabia's Net-Zero Ambition

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-03-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100184

Raphael Apeaning , Puneet Kamboj , Mohamad Hejazi , Yang Qiu , Page Kyle , Gokul Iyer

Saudi Arabia's ambitious goal to achieve a net-zero economy by 2060 offers a unique opportunity to diversify away from fossil fuels while fostering long-term economic resilience and sustainability. Crucial to this transition are energy policies that guide the Kingdom from a fossil fuel-based economy toward carbon neutrality. This study uses GCAM-KSA, a multi-sectoral integrated assessment model tailored to Saudi Arabia's economic and energy systems, to evaluate the impact of early energy transition initiatives on the policy costs of achieving the Kingdom's net-zero target. These initiatives include ongoing and proposed energy efficiency measures, renewable energy deployment, and fuel displacement targets. The study highlights that early implementation of these initiatives can significantly reduce barriers to adopting low-carbon technologies, ultimately lowering the economic burden of achieving the net-zero goal. Compared to a delayed implementation scenario, early action reduces long-term policy costs by 38–72% over the period from 2025 to 2060, driven by accelerated energy system transformation. These findings provide valuable insights into how Saudi Arabia's energy policies can mitigate economic challenges, promote economic diversification, and contribute to global emission reductions, reinforcing the Kingdom's transition to a sustainable net-zero economy.

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引用次数: 0

The effects of public deliberation on attitude change toward net-zero pathway: Generational differences in Taiwan

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100183

Mei-Fang Fan , Alice Siu

Deliberative democracy researchers argue that democratic deliberation is the key to addressing problems posed by polarisation and post-truth politics. Decarbonisation toward net zero has become a key topic of public deliberation worldwide in the face of our climate emergency. This article explores generational differences in the effects of deliberation on changes in attitudes toward policies. The empirical analysis conducted in the present study was based on a nationwide online deliberation polling experiment in which a random sample of 91 citizens was gathered in July 2022 to deliberate on Taiwan's pathway to net-zero emissions with consideration of social divisions and barriers to the implementation of long-term energy policies. The findings revealed that deliberation resulted in significant increases in the feasibility of the 2050 Net-Zero Pathway and the support of citizens for several policy proposals, such as the target of 60–70 % renewable energy in the energy mix. The effects of deliberation on changes in attitudes toward certain policy proposals between two generations (aged <40 years and >41 years) varied significantly. The results showed five ways of generational policy attitude change. These findings suggest that public deliberation promotes knowledge expansion, collective learning, and reflection on Taiwan's Net-Zero Pathway plan.

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引用次数: 0

US economy-wide decarbonization: Sectoral and distributional impacts

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-03-05 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100181

Jonathon Becker , Maxwell Brown , Morgan Browning , Yongxia Cai , Daden Goldfinger , James McFarland , Sergey Paltsev , Shane Weisberg , Mei Yuan

This paper investigates the sectoral and distributional welfare impacts of reaching net-zero CO₂ emissions in the US by 2050. We simulate several net-zero projections using a CGE model linked with an electricity capacity expansion model to try to understand what a transition to net-zero might look like and the role played by different policies and technologies. Reaching net-zero leads to high carbon prices in 2045 and 2050, which drives deployment of direct air capture (DAC) technology. The electricity sector reaches negative emissions by 2050. Electrification is the predominant means for decarbonizing the buildings and transportation sectors, whereas industrial sectors are assumed to have limited electrification potential and prefer carbon management. The negative emissions in the power sector are primarily achieved through biomass-fired electricity generation with carbon capture and storage. In our scenarios, decarbonization is progressive (i.e., burden increases with income) due to our modeling assumption of lump-sum recycling of carbon permit revenues. In 2050, we find a break in the progressive trend when capital-intensive DAC technology enters, as permit revenue distributions that benefit the lowest income groups are directly substituted for returns to capital from DAC deployment that benefit the highest income groups. Our other non-CCS and non-DAC technology improvement cases in the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors led to a more evenly distributed benefit across households as these mitigation channels are less capital intensive. When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is included, the net-zero emissions limit does not bind as early, the need for DAC is reduced, and industrial CCS investment occurs earlier and in greater amounts. These effects highlight the importance of considering interactions between technologies, policies, and fiscal decisions when prescribing net-zero pathways around a distributional goal.

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引用次数: 0

Trust in scientists, researchers, and environmental organizations associated with policy support for energy transition

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-02-20 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100179

Runa R. Das , Reuven Sussman , Richard Carlson

Energy transition, shifting away from fossil fuel use, is fundamental to addressing climate change. To explore public support for energy transition policies, we surveyed a representative sample of residents in Canada's largest province, Ontario, (N = 1620), and conducted regression analyses to examine how support varies with trust in the actors communicating these policies. Ontarians prefer ‘carrot’ policies—those offering direct benefits to households—over ‘stick’ policies. The most supported policies include the development of renewable natural gas, interest-free energy efficiency loan programs, and funding for low-income energy efficiency programs, while the least supported policies are a carbon tax, continued oil sands development, and the electrification of heating.

Ontarians have low to moderate levels of trust in governments at all levels, utilities, media, oil and gas companies, and to some extent in renewable energy companies. However they demonstrate consistently high trust in scientists, researchers, and non-profit organizations. Public support for policies in Ontario is influenced by trust in stakeholders and policymakers, with the relationship varying across different policies. We find Ontarians’ trust in scientists, researchers, and non-profit organizations is positively associated with supporting ‘emerging’ energy transition policies, such as the development of renewable natural gas and hydrogen.

Our findings suggest that policymakers seeking to advance energy transition policies can strengthen both effectiveness and public acceptance by engaging with trusted actors, such as scientists and non-profits, and leveraging their credibility. Furthermore, adopting inclusive and participatory planning processes that reflect public values and address equity concerns is crucial to fostering long-term trust and policy stability amidst the challenges of the energy transition.

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引用次数: 0

China's provincial renewable energy electricity consumption allocations for 2030: A study using the zero-sum gains data envelope analysis model

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-02-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100182

Lingling Mu, Jianping Wang, Yidan Gu

Ensuring grid stability and meeting emissions reduction goals hinge on the effective allocation of renewable energy electricity consumption. Guided by principles of fairness, efficiency, feasibility, and sustainability, this study crafted a holistic indicator system and employed the Zero-Sum Gains Data Envelope Analysis (ZSG-DEA) model to analyze China's provincial renewable electricity consumption allocations for 2030. The findings indicate that the initial renewable electricity allocation efficiency is already optimal in nine provinces, but falls below 0.5 in Shanxi, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. However, after three iterations of the ZSG-DEA model, all regions attain optimal efficiency. Eastern coastal regions lead in renewable electricity consumption, exceeding 100 billion kWh, while certain provinces consume less than 70 billion kWh of non-hydroelectricity due to area size. Compared to the initial allocation, there is an observed increase in consumption of non-hydroelectricity in the eastern coastal regions. Conversely, iterative adjustments have led to a notable decrease of up to 40 % in the non-hydroelectricity allocated to regions with favorable wind and solar power generation conditions. It is recommended that regions with rapid economic growth and high electricity demand in China's east should be given priority for renewable electricity allocation. Additionally, it is suggested to improve the excess consumption trading market and the green certificate trading market to provide supplementary means to achieve renewable electricity consumption targets and optimize renewable electricity allocation efficiency.

确保电网稳定和实现减排目标取决于可再生能源电力消费的有效分配。在公平性、效率性、可行性和可持续性原则的指导下，本研究精心设计了一个整体指标体系，并采用零和收益数据包络分析（ZSG-DEA）模型对中国 2030 年各省可再生能源电力消费分配进行了分析。研究结果表明，9 个省份的初始可再生能源电力分配效率已经达到最优，但山西、新疆和内蒙古的初始可再生能源电力分配效率低于 0.5。然而，经过三次 ZSG-DEA 模型迭代后，所有地区都达到了最优效率。东部沿海地区的可再生能源电力消费居首位，超过 1000 亿千瓦时，而某些省份由于面积大小，非水电消费不足 700 亿千瓦时。与初始分配相比，东部沿海地区的非水电消费量有所增加。相反，经过反复调整，风能和太阳能发电条件好的地区分配到的非水电量明显减少，降幅高达 40%。建议中国东部经济增长快、电力需求大的地区应优先分配可再生能源电力。此外，建议完善超额消纳交易市场和绿色证书交易市场，为实现可再生能源电力消纳目标和优化可再生能源电力配置效率提供辅助手段。

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引用次数: 0

Solar assisted generation of plasmonic silver photocatalyst for wastewater remediation and green hydrogen production

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100180

Preeti Kumari, Aditya Kumar

The present study aims to develop sustainable technologies to address the imperative problems of water pollution and energy crisis. This research involves the solar-driven synthesis of a plasmonic silver photocatalyst with properties that aid in environmental and energy applications. The structural, optical, and catalytic properties of the developed photocatalyst are investigated using several analytical techniques, including XRD, XPS, UV-Vis, FESEM, HRTEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The developed photocatalyst is capable of degradation of organic pollutants present in wastewater. The photodegradation capability of photocatalyst is assessed through a comprehensive study of the reaction kinetics involved and the determination of quantum efficiency. Moreover, the photocatalyst also contributes to transition to a green economy via hydrogen production through water splitting. Although the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of the silver photocatalyst is not appreciable but it paves out way for the development of an efficient photocatalyst by doping or using it as a co-catalyst with semiconductor materials. Thus, the entire study contributes significantly to the development of a clean and sustainable future and takes a step towards the transformation to a renewable energy-based economy.

本研究旨在开发可持续技术，以解决水污染和能源危机等紧迫问题。这项研究涉及利用太阳能合成一种具有有助于环境和能源应用特性的等离子体银光催化剂。研究人员使用多种分析技术，包括 XRD、XPS、UV-Vis、FESEM、HRTEM 和拉曼光谱，对所开发的光催化剂的结构、光学和催化特性进行了研究。所开发的光催化剂能够降解废水中的有机污染物。光催化剂的光降解能力是通过对反应动力学的综合研究和量子效率的测定来评估的。此外，光催化剂还能通过分水制氢促进向绿色经济过渡。虽然银光催化剂的太阳能转化为氢气的效率不高，但它为通过掺杂或使用银光催化剂作为半导体材料的辅助催化剂来开发高效光催化剂铺平了道路。因此，整个研究极大地促进了清洁和可持续未来的发展，并为向以可再生能源为基础的经济转型迈出了一步。

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引用次数: 0

Green hydrogen production via a photocatalyst-enabled optical fiber system: A promising route to net-zero emissions

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-01-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100175

Han Fu , Zhenhua Pan , Yen-Jung Sean Lai , Jirapat Ananpattarachai , Michael Serpa , Nora Shapiro , Zhe Zhao , Paul Westerhoff

Achieving zero emissions is a critical goal in combating climate change. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier contributing to this objective. Green hydrogen production via photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is promising due to its potential to utilize renewable energy (direct solar, photovoltaics, wind, hydropower). However, current PC and PEC water splitting systems face challenges such as low light utilization efficiency and high operational costs related to both catalyst selection and reactor designs. This study presents a novel photocatalytic hydrogen production system, POF-STO, by attaching a modified strontium titanate (STO) onto thin polymer optical fibers (POF). Light launched from 365 nm LED into the POF lumen is side-emitted and excites STO in a porous layer on the POF surface. This PC system improves upon our previous PEC-POF-ITO/g-C₃N₄ system, which required dual nanoparticles of indium tin oxide (ITO) to make the POF optoelectrodes conductive plus graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) photocatalysts. Our innovative inside-out light delivery mechanism with the POF ensures efficient photon confinement and energy transfer to the STO surface, maximizing light utilization. The chemically stable STO with up to 7-fold H₂ production rates than the PEC-POF-ITO/g-C₃N₄ system was observed. Our POF-STO system produced stable H₂ production rates in both acidic and alkaline environments, with <10 % reduction in hydrogen generation when using tap water and seawater. Eliminating complex electrical setups, potentiostats, electrodes, and aqueous electrolytes significantly reduces system costs. Using bundles with multiple POF-STOs and utilizing heat from LEDs allowed operation at higher water temperatures, further increasing H₂ production efficiency. Compared with other reactor designs, the POF-STO emerges as an innovative approach with potential to achieve ambitious global net-zero emission goals.

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引用次数: 0

Stranded assets and compensation in oil and gas upstream projects: Conceptual and practical issues

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-01-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100178

Julia Paletta, Bruno SL Cunha, Rebecca Draeger, Roberto Schaeffer, Alexandre Szklo

Due to the strict remaining carbon budgets, the need to raise the ambition to phase out oil and gas (O&G) production can lead to the cessation of exploration and production (E&P) projects that might become stranded. This study discusses the definition of stranded assets and its misleading interpretations regarding asset compensation. The compensation here pertains to a situation in which O&G upstream activities (exploration, development, or extraction) are stopped without pre-existing provisions for that in contracts. Speculatively speaking, this halt could be justified by the imperative to decarbonize the economy. Compensation methodologies based on valuation approaches and applied to owners of E&P rights are discussed. Findings show that resources and reserves cannot be mandatorily considered assets, as per the accounting definition. Hence, naming them stranded assets could pose a “bias threat” in the selection of a valuation model in the event of compensation. There is a wide gap difference between discounted cash flow (DCF) and asset-based valuation models to compensate for O&G phase-out. The DCF approach leads to values of such magnitude that could challenge State's capacity to promote environmental regulatory changes while asset-based compensation amounts are straighter forward and make O&G phase-out more feasible especially if cancelled at early or later stages.

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引用次数: 0

Welfare and inequality impacts of carbon pricing and compensation schemes on fuel poor households in Styria, Austria

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-01-29 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100177

Veronika Kulmer , Dominik Kortschak , Judith Köberl , Sebastian Seebauer

Carbon pricing is a core pillar in the policy mix required for the transition to carbon neutrality. Carbon pricing raises energy prices and related service costs, but distributes the burden unequally among the population, which though can be mitigated by accompanying compensation schemes. For the example of the Austrian Province of Styria, we analyze the impacts of national carbon pricing for heating and motor fuels. Using the Exact Affine Stone Index (EASI) demand system and applying different definitions of fuel poverty, we compare how five compensation schemes mitigate impacts on fuel poor households. Uncompensated carbon pricing has nearly twice the negative welfare impacts on fuel poor households than on the average Styrian household, in particular if they live in rural regions and if the fuel poverty definition includes transport expenditures. All analyzed compensation schemes achieve similar carbon emission reductions as uncompensated carbon pricing, but additionally reduce inequality and increase overall welfare. In particular, they increase welfare among poor households and dampen the negative welfare impacts of uncompensated carbon pricing on the wealthiest. Accounting for low income in fuel poverty definitions and compensation schemes yields the highest welfare benefits. Price changes in motor fuels are the dominant impact channel, emphasizing the importance of considering transport in the debate on vulnerability to carbon pricing.

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引用次数: 0

Perspectives of electrochemical and photocatalytic technologies for the water-energy nexus potential of water splitting of brines

IF 5.8 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Energy and climate change

Pub Date : 2025-01-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100176

Andrea N. Arias-Sanchez, Kenneth Flores, Han Fu, Thais Betoni, Paul Westerhoff, Sergi Garcia-Segura

The economic, environmental, technological and social development of society are linked with two crucial resources: energy and water. The increasing energy costs and the scarcity of fresh water have caused concern across the globe due to limited access to these resources. Consequently, academia and industry are combining efforts to enhance technological processes, optimize resources, and valorize waste management by improving the water-energy nexus. In this context, brine waters from ocean, brackish groundwater and industrial desalination have been identified as potential waste from which value-added products can be sourced. In this perspective paper, firstly, an overview of the main current treatment methods for brines and their chemical composition is presented. Most processes solely focus on the recovery of water, being over 70 %, with energy consumption from 2 to 100 kWh/m³. The high variability is based upon disposal costs of concentrated brines – with the highest associated with zero liquid discharge (ZLD) plus salt disposal. The salinity, concentration of ions, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of brines differ depending on their respective sources. Second, the water-energy potential nexus of the water splitting of brines was contextualized. The perspective proposed herein is based on the integration of the production of H₂ through water splitting using renewable energy and the subsequent H₂ oxidation in a fuel cell to produce energy (recirculated within the process) and water (for drinking or industrial use). Finally, the prospects of electrochemical and photocatalytic technologies for water splitting of brines are outlined. Reactor designs and the influence of brine composition are considered the main aspects to be compared, identifying important advantages and challenges for a sustainable water-energy nexus in the treatment of brines.

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引用次数: 0