The Ecological Footprint (EF) is a vital metric for assessing the evolution of global sustainability, but its underlying factors are complex and interwoven. This study employs bibliometric analysis to map the vast academic landscape exploring how socioeconomic and institutional factors may influence the EF. By analyzing 929 publications from 1992–2025 using VOS Viewer and RStudio software, we visualize the evolution of key themes, major contributing countries, leading authors, and core journals. Results show that while research on economic drivers like GDP and energy use is prevalent, the role of institutional factors, such as governance quality and political stability, is increasingly recognized as fundamental yet requires greater attention. The findings provide a clear roadmap for academic scholars, highlighting the need to integrate institutional analyses with traditional economic models to better understand and mitigate ecological degradation.
{"title":"Ecological Footprint under the lens: A bibliometric coupling analysis of institutional and socioeconomic factors","authors":"Stefania Pinzon , Ernesto Rodríguez-Crespo , Brayan Tillaguango , Nuria E. Laguna-Molina","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Ecological Footprint (EF) is a vital metric for assessing the evolution of global sustainability, but its underlying factors are complex and interwoven. This study employs bibliometric analysis to map the vast academic landscape exploring how socioeconomic and institutional factors may influence the EF. By analyzing 929 publications from 1992–2025 using VOS Viewer and RStudio software, we visualize the evolution of key themes, major contributing countries, leading authors, and core journals. Results show that while research on economic drivers like GDP and energy use is prevalent, the role of institutional factors, such as governance quality and political stability, is increasingly recognized as fundamental yet requires greater attention. The findings provide a clear roadmap for academic scholars, highlighting the need to integrate institutional analyses with traditional economic models to better understand and mitigate ecological degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100643"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100639
B Kalidasan , A.K. Pandey , Anas Islam , Mohammed Almeshaal , Reji Kumar Rajamony , Subramaniyan Chinnasamy
Phase change materials (PCM) are commonly applied in thermal management, but their effectiveness in new energy conversion and storage is limited by poor thermal and optical characteristics. Therefore, researchers have been exploring ways to improve the performance of organic PCM using metals, metal oxides, carbon, and conductive nanomaterials, although the potential of hybrid nanomaterials has not been thoroughly investigated. This research introduces a carbon nanotube-doped silver (SCN) nanomaterial blend that enhances the functionality of commercial organic PCM at temperatures between 49 °C and 51 °C, with an energy storage capacity of 165.5 J/g. A straightforward two-step melting-blending technique is utilized to synthesize hybrid nanocomposites with different SCN weight fractions. The presence of SCN expands the light absorption spectrum, increases surface roughness to facilitate thermal conductivity, and enhances intermolecular interactions, thereby improving heat storage capacity. The hybrid PCM nanocomposite containing 0.7 wt.% SCN achieves a melting enthalpy of 170.3 J/g, a thermal conductivity of 0.442 W/(m·K), superior solar thermal conversion efficiency with a 59.33% increase in optical absorbance, outstanding thermal stability up to 172 °C, and durability for 500 phase transition thermal cycles. Additionally, this work presents a comparative photo-thermal analysis under simulated solar irradiation showed that RT50-0.7SCN achieved faster heating (2.38 °C/min) and cooling (–2.70 °C/min) rates than pristine RT50 (1.95 °C/min and –2.52 °C/min, respectively). The insights gained from this research provide valuable guidance for the future real-time implementation of hybrid PCMs in the thermal management of both buildings and electronic gadgets.
{"title":"Synergistic integration of hybrid carbon nanotube blended silver nanomaterial for energizing organic phase change material","authors":"B Kalidasan , A.K. Pandey , Anas Islam , Mohammed Almeshaal , Reji Kumar Rajamony , Subramaniyan Chinnasamy","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase change materials (PCM) are commonly applied in thermal management, but their effectiveness in new energy conversion and storage is limited by poor thermal and optical characteristics. Therefore, researchers have been exploring ways to improve the performance of organic PCM using metals, metal oxides, carbon, and conductive nanomaterials, although the potential of hybrid nanomaterials has not been thoroughly investigated. This research introduces a carbon nanotube-doped silver (SCN) nanomaterial blend that enhances the functionality of commercial organic PCM at temperatures between 49 °C and 51 °C, with an energy storage capacity of 165.5 J/g. A straightforward two-step melting-blending technique is utilized to synthesize hybrid nanocomposites with different SCN weight fractions. The presence of SCN expands the light absorption spectrum, increases surface roughness to facilitate thermal conductivity, and enhances intermolecular interactions, thereby improving heat storage capacity. The hybrid PCM nanocomposite containing 0.7 wt.% SCN achieves a melting enthalpy of 170.3 J/g, a thermal conductivity of 0.442 W/(m·K), superior solar thermal conversion efficiency with a 59.33% increase in optical absorbance, outstanding thermal stability up to 172 °C, and durability for 500 phase transition thermal cycles. Additionally, this work presents a comparative photo-thermal analysis under simulated solar irradiation showed that RT50-0.7SCN achieved faster heating (2.38 °C/min) and cooling (–2.70 °C/min) rates than pristine RT50 (1.95 °C/min and –2.52 °C/min, respectively). The insights gained from this research provide valuable guidance for the future real-time implementation of hybrid PCMs in the thermal management of both buildings and electronic gadgets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100639"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100642
Hassan Hajabdollahi, Mohsen Abooli Pour, Mohammad Shafiey Dehaj
A comprehensive energy, exergy, economic, and exergoeconomic analyses was performed on a geothermal-based cogeneration system designed for the simultaneous production of hydrogen, oxygen, and freshwater. The system comprises three principal subsystems: a dual-pressure organic Rankine cycle for power generation, a reverse osmosis desalination unit for freshwater production, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer for hydrogen and oxygen generation. The system optimization was carried out using a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with the objective of minimizing the total exergy destruction cost rate while maximizing freshwater output. The results indicate that the organic Rankine cycle is responsible for the largest share of exergy destruction, accounting for approximately 61 % of the total, whereas the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer contributes about 65 % of the total exergy destruction cost rate. From an exergoeconomic perspective, the high-pressure turbine demonstrated the highest exergoeconomic factor, implying that its exergy destruction is relatively low compared to its associated investment cost. The overall exergy efficiency of the system and the corresponding payback period were estimated to be 23.81 % and 7.04 years, respectively, confirming the technical feasibility and economic viability of the proposed configuration.
{"title":"Cogeneration system utilizing geothermal energy: Energy, exergy, economic and environmental analyses and multi-objective optimization","authors":"Hassan Hajabdollahi, Mohsen Abooli Pour, Mohammad Shafiey Dehaj","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100642","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100642","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A comprehensive energy, exergy, economic, and exergoeconomic analyses was performed on a geothermal-based cogeneration system designed for the simultaneous production of hydrogen, oxygen, and freshwater. The system comprises three principal subsystems: a dual-pressure organic Rankine cycle for power generation, a reverse osmosis desalination unit for freshwater production, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer for hydrogen and oxygen generation. The system optimization was carried out using a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with the objective of minimizing the total exergy destruction cost rate while maximizing freshwater output. The results indicate that the organic Rankine cycle is responsible for the largest share of exergy destruction, accounting for approximately 61 % of the total, whereas the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer contributes about 65 % of the total exergy destruction cost rate. From an exergoeconomic perspective, the high-pressure turbine demonstrated the highest exergoeconomic factor, implying that its exergy destruction is relatively low compared to its associated investment cost. The overall exergy efficiency of the system and the corresponding payback period were estimated to be 23.81 % and 7.04 years, respectively, confirming the technical feasibility and economic viability of the proposed configuration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100642"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100641
Mohammad Mynul Islam Mahin, Md Jawad Bin Rouf, Shah Murtoza Morshed, Sheak Salman, Md Shihab Shakur, Mohammad Morshed, Md. Parvez
Energy forecasting of generation, demand, sources, and prices over short-time horizons is necessary for optimization of energy management. Given the increased use of developing technologies and reliance on renewable energy sources, strategic planning, management, and operational decision-making depend on accuracy and reliability of forecasting system. Complex interconnections reside among energy features in modern day power systems. Developing nations such as Bangladesh encounter challenges, including insufficient advanced tools for power planning and policy development. Previous studies have often focused on forecasting a single energy variable, like load or demand, with little attention on multiple energy parameters, and the interrelations among them. This study introduces a Hybrid Neural-SVM Ensemble (HNSE) model to simultaneously forecast day-ahead daily total energy generation, non-renewable energy generation, fuel cost, and evening peak demand of national grid of Bangladesh. Utilizing the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh’s (PGCB) data, HNSE went through processing and hyperparameter optimization. Performance evaluation based on five statistical indices demonstrated the model's predictive capabilities, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9744, and a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0291. Additionally, the study utilizes the Kernel-based Changepoint Detection (KernelCPD) algorithm to detect structural shifts in residuals, and two explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods, Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), for feature contribution analysis to provide local and global interpretability. The aim is to offer actionable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in mitigating current energy crises in Bangladesh through strategic decision-making and support the development of sustainable energy policies in emerging economies.
{"title":"Multivariate time series energy forecasting using a hybrid neural-SVM ensemble model: A data-driven approach for energy management in Bangladesh","authors":"Mohammad Mynul Islam Mahin, Md Jawad Bin Rouf, Shah Murtoza Morshed, Sheak Salman, Md Shihab Shakur, Mohammad Morshed, Md. Parvez","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy forecasting of generation, demand, sources, and prices over short-time horizons is necessary for optimization of energy management. Given the increased use of developing technologies and reliance on renewable energy sources, strategic planning, management, and operational decision-making depend on accuracy and reliability of forecasting system. Complex interconnections reside among energy features in modern day power systems. Developing nations such as Bangladesh encounter challenges, including insufficient advanced tools for power planning and policy development. Previous studies have often focused on forecasting a single energy variable, like load or demand, with little attention on multiple energy parameters, and the interrelations among them. This study introduces a Hybrid Neural-SVM Ensemble (HNSE) model to simultaneously forecast day-ahead daily total energy generation, non-renewable energy generation, fuel cost, and evening peak demand of national grid of Bangladesh. Utilizing the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh’s (PGCB) data, HNSE went through processing and hyperparameter optimization. Performance evaluation based on five statistical indices demonstrated the model's predictive capabilities, with a coefficient of determination (R<sup>2</sup>) of 0.9744, and a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0291. Additionally, the study utilizes the Kernel-based Changepoint Detection (KernelCPD) algorithm to detect structural shifts in residuals, and two explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods, Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), for feature contribution analysis to provide local and global interpretability. The aim is to offer actionable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in mitigating current energy crises in Bangladesh through strategic decision-making and support the development of sustainable energy policies in emerging economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100641"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100638
Zhou Yunlong , Sun Meng
Solar photocatalytic hydrogen production is an important technology for green hydrogen energy production. However, due to the limitation of the light absorption band of photocatalysts, the most commonly used catalysts are difficult to achieve efficient and stable photocatalysis under sunlight. Herein, a carbon microsphere-WO3 composite photocatalytic material was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis, which accelerated the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons. There is a strong local electric field effect in the carbon microsphere-WO3 composite photocatalytic material, promoting the directional transfer of electrons. Photogenerated carriers rapidly migrate from WO3 to the active sites on the surface of carbon microspheres, improving the kinetics of the photocatalytic H+ reduction reaction and accelerating the efficiency of solar photocatalytic hydrogen production. When the doping concentration of carbon microspheres is 30%, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the composite material reaches 520 μmol·h-1·g-1, which is 32.5 times that of pure WO3. The carbon microsphere-WO3 composite photocatalytic material has superior photo-stability and recyclability. The experimental results reveal the reaction mechanism of the efficient catalysis of the composite material. This study opens up new prospects for the practical application of photocatalysts.
{"title":"Study on the local electric field effect of electron transfer in straw-derived carbon microsphere-WO3 composite materials: Photocatalytic hydrogen production performance and mechanism under solar light","authors":"Zhou Yunlong , Sun Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar photocatalytic hydrogen production is an important technology for green hydrogen energy production. However, due to the limitation of the light absorption band of photocatalysts, the most commonly used catalysts are difficult to achieve efficient and stable photocatalysis under sunlight. Herein, a carbon microsphere-WO<sub>3</sub> composite photocatalytic material was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis, which accelerated the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons. There is a strong local electric field effect in the carbon microsphere-WO<sub>3</sub> composite photocatalytic material, promoting the directional transfer of electrons. Photogenerated carriers rapidly migrate from WO<sub>3</sub> to the active sites on the surface of carbon microspheres, improving the kinetics of the photocatalytic H<sup>+</sup> reduction reaction and accelerating the efficiency of solar photocatalytic hydrogen production. When the doping concentration of carbon microspheres is 30%, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the composite material reaches 520 μmol·h<sup>-1</sup>·g<sup>-1</sup>, which is 32.5 times that of pure WO<sub>3</sub>. The carbon microsphere-WO<sub>3</sub> composite photocatalytic material has superior photo-stability and recyclability. The experimental results reveal the reaction mechanism of the efficient catalysis of the composite material. This study opens up new prospects for the practical application of photocatalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100638"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100640
Safa Slouma , Abdessami Soyed
This study deals with a first approach to exploit the Nexus Approach applied to PV-powered irrigation in North Africa—a region with high solar potential but water scarcity, such as Tunisia. Tunisia had faced an arid and very changeable climate, including significant decreases in annual rainfall (455 mm per year). This research focuses on a techno-economic, social and environmental assessment of a standalone solar-powered irrigation system (SPVWPS) in the Tunisian area, based on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach. It proposes a holistic assessment framework that synthesizes these interconnected dimensions. The study assesses the system's optimal sizing, economic feasibility, and social and environmental benefits by employing an optimization framework that combines solar energy potential, crop water requirements, and cost-effectiveness. Via PVsyst software, the system's performance is simulated under varying climatic conditions, with sensitivity analyses conducted to evaluate the component costs’ impact, solar irradiance variations, and water demand shapes. Economic indicators such as Net Present Value are analyzed, while environmental benefits are quantified in terms of CO₂ emissions reduction compared to conventional diesel-powered systems. Results demonstrate that the proposed SPVWPS is economically feasible and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions avoid >3348.57 kg of CO2 per year. The nexus approach further highlights the system's potential to enhance water-use efficiency with an average exceeding 20 m³ per day and crop productivity. This average can irrigate up to 1.5 hectares of olive crops. Policy recommendations are provided to facilitate large-scale adoption, emphasizing the role of subsidies and technical training. This study contributes to offering a replicable model for similar arid regions in North Africa.
{"title":"Optimal techno-economic and environmental assessment of a standalone solar-powered irrigation system in North Africa based on the nexus approach","authors":"Safa Slouma , Abdessami Soyed","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study deals with a first approach to exploit the Nexus Approach applied to PV-powered irrigation in North Africa—a region with high solar potential but water scarcity, such as Tunisia. Tunisia had faced an arid and very changeable climate, including significant decreases in annual rainfall (455 mm per year). This research focuses on a techno-economic, social and environmental assessment of a standalone solar-powered irrigation system (SPVWPS) in the Tunisian area, based on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach. It proposes a holistic assessment framework that synthesizes these interconnected dimensions. The study assesses the system's optimal sizing, economic feasibility, and social and environmental benefits by employing an optimization framework that combines solar energy potential, crop water requirements, and cost-effectiveness. Via PVsyst software, the system's performance is simulated under varying climatic conditions, with sensitivity analyses conducted to evaluate the component costs’ impact, solar irradiance variations, and water demand shapes. Economic indicators such as Net Present Value are analyzed, while environmental benefits are quantified in terms of CO₂ emissions reduction compared to conventional diesel-powered systems. Results demonstrate that the proposed SPVWPS is economically feasible and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions avoid >3348.57 kg of CO<sub>2</sub> per year. The nexus approach further highlights the system's potential to enhance water-use efficiency with an average exceeding 20 m³ per day and crop productivity. This average can irrigate up to 1.5 hectares of olive crops. Policy recommendations are provided to facilitate large-scale adoption, emphasizing the role of subsidies and technical training. This study contributes to offering a replicable model for similar arid regions in North Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100640"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100630
Montserrat Montalà-Palau , Marc Cheah Mañé , Oriol Gomis-Bellmunt
The concept of resilience has gained prominence across diverse fields and has recently emerged as a crucial concept in power systems, complementing traditional notions of reliability, robustness, and security. Despite this, standardized approaches to integrating resilience into power system planning remain limited. This study proposes a novel framework that combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with AC and DC Optimal Power Flow (OPF) analysis to quantify power system resilience. A new resilience index is introduced, accounting for external hazards, system vulnerabilities, and inherent strengths. Recognizing resilience as a multi-layered challenge that requires comprehensive data management, the methodology utilizes GIS to efficiently integrate both qualitative and quantitative spatial and system data, enabling robust analysis even in data-sparse or heterogeneous environments. The methodology is implemented as an open-source tool and applied to a rural power network in Spain, illustrating how different mitigation strategies affect resilience outcomes. In the demonstrated case study, the proposed mitigation strategies reduced the system’s overall power at risk by nearly 90%. The tool constitutes a valuable resource for resilience-oriented power system planning and is freely available at [1].
{"title":"How resilient is a power system? An open-source tool integrating GIS and Optimal Power Flow for resilience assessment","authors":"Montserrat Montalà-Palau , Marc Cheah Mañé , Oriol Gomis-Bellmunt","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concept of resilience has gained prominence across diverse fields and has recently emerged as a crucial concept in power systems, complementing traditional notions of reliability, robustness, and security. Despite this, standardized approaches to integrating resilience into power system planning remain limited. This study proposes a novel framework that combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with AC and DC Optimal Power Flow (OPF) analysis to quantify power system resilience. A new resilience index is introduced, accounting for external hazards, system vulnerabilities, and inherent strengths. Recognizing resilience as a multi-layered challenge that requires comprehensive data management, the methodology utilizes GIS to efficiently integrate both qualitative and quantitative spatial and system data, enabling robust analysis even in data-sparse or heterogeneous environments. The methodology is implemented as an open-source tool and applied to a rural power network in Spain, illustrating how different mitigation strategies affect resilience outcomes. In the demonstrated case study, the proposed mitigation strategies reduced the system’s overall power at risk by nearly 90%. The tool constitutes a valuable resource for resilience-oriented power system planning and is freely available at [1].</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100630"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100636
Faizan A. Beerwala , Shruti V. Kolambkar , Vishal S. Patil , Adilmehadi Karikazi , Nayeem A. Khatib , Harish R. Darasaguppe , Subarna Roy
Olanzapine (OLZ), a widely prescribed atypical antipsychotic, is notably associated with the onset of cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs). Lagenaria siceraria, traditionally recognized for its cardioprotective effects and benefits for CMD(s). However, its potential in mitigating OLZ-induced CMD(s) has not been extensively explored. This study aims to assess the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of Lagenaria siceraria hydroalcoholic extract (LSE) in counteracting OLZ-induced CMD(s) through in vitro and computational approaches. The effects of LSE on OLZ-challenged H9c2(2-1) cardiomyocytes were evaluated by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), nitric oxide (NO), and glucose utilization. Additionally, the expression of essential key genes (such as IL6, BAX, BCL2, CASP3, CAMK2B) implicated in OLZ-induced CMD(s) was analysed using qRT-PCR. Computational analyses, including gene set enrichment, network pharmacology, and molecular docking via (AutoDock Vina, POAP pipeline), followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, MM-PBSA, and binding stability assessments via (GROMACS), were employed to predict compound-target interactions. The results demonstrated that LSE significantly attenuated OLZ-induced elevations in LDH, CK-MB, and NO levels while enhancing glucose utilization in cardiomyoblasts. LSE also modulated gene expression by downregulating IL6, BAX, CASP3, and CAMK2B, while upregulating BCL2. Network pharmacology identified 10 phytocompounds from LSE targeting 17 common proteins involved in OLZ-induced CMD(s), with beta-sitosterol- AKT and beta-sitosterol- CALM1 complexes exhibiting the strongest binding affinities. MD simulations confirmed the stability of these interactions over a 100 ns period. In conclusion, the findings suggest that LSE holds cardioprotective potential against OLZ-induced CMD(s). Further research, including studies with purified compounds and clinical trials, is necessary to evaluate LSE as an adjunctive therapeutic agent.
{"title":"Synergizing In Vitro and energy-based computational approaches to investigate the potential of Lagenaria siceraria against olanzapine-induced cardiometabolic disorders using H9c2 (2-1) cardiomyocytes","authors":"Faizan A. Beerwala , Shruti V. Kolambkar , Vishal S. Patil , Adilmehadi Karikazi , Nayeem A. Khatib , Harish R. Darasaguppe , Subarna Roy","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Olanzapine (OLZ), a widely prescribed atypical antipsychotic, is notably associated with the onset of cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs). <em>Lagenaria siceraria,</em> traditionally recognized for its cardioprotective effects and benefits for CMD(s). However, its potential in mitigating OLZ-induced CMD(s) has not been extensively explored. This study aims to assess the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of <em>Lagenaria siceraria</em> hydroalcoholic extract (LSE) in counteracting OLZ-induced CMD(s) through <em>in vitro</em> and computational approaches. The effects of LSE on OLZ-challenged H9c2(2-1) cardiomyocytes were evaluated by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), nitric oxide (NO), and glucose utilization. Additionally, the expression of essential key genes (such as IL6, BAX, BCL2, CASP3, CAMK2B) implicated in OLZ-induced CMD(s) was analysed using qRT-PCR. Computational analyses, including gene set enrichment, network pharmacology, and molecular docking <em>via</em> (AutoDock Vina, POAP pipeline), followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, MM-PBSA, and binding stability assessments <em>via</em> (GROMACS), were employed to predict compound-target interactions. The results demonstrated that LSE significantly attenuated OLZ-induced elevations in LDH, CK-MB, and NO levels while enhancing glucose utilization in cardiomyoblasts. LSE also modulated gene expression by downregulating IL6, BAX, CASP3, and CAMK2B, while upregulating BCL2. Network pharmacology identified 10 phytocompounds from LSE targeting 17 common proteins involved in OLZ-induced CMD(s), with beta-sitosterol- AKT and beta-sitosterol- CALM1 complexes exhibiting the strongest binding affinities. MD simulations confirmed the stability of these interactions over a 100 ns period. In conclusion, the findings suggest that LSE holds cardioprotective potential against OLZ-induced CMD(s). Further research, including studies with purified compounds and clinical trials, is necessary to evaluate LSE as an adjunctive therapeutic agent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100636"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100631
Heba I. Khafajah , Mostafa M. Abdelsamie , Mohamed I. Hassan Ali
Cement production is one of the most energy- and carbon-intensive industrial activities, with a large fraction of the fuel input rejected as medium- and low-grade waste heat from cyclone preheaters and clinker coolers. This study proposes and evaluates a waste-heat-driven trigeneration system for a 5,000 t·day⁻¹ dry-process cement plant that simultaneously delivers electricity, process cooling, and desalinated water, thereby addressing coupled energy–water challenges in water-stressed regions. The configuration cascades multi-grade waste heat through three thermally coupled subsystems: (i) a cascade Organic Rankine Cycle (C-ORC) with high- and low-pressure loops matched to the preheater (300–380 °C) and clinker-cooler (250–340 °C) exhausts, (ii) an internally recuperated double-effect LiBr/H₂O absorption chiller (DEAC), and (iii) a 20-stage brine-recirculation multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination unit fed by a closed hot-water loop with a top-brine temperature of 103 °C, below typical CaSO₄/CaCO₃ scaling limits. Aspen Plus V14 simulations show that the preferred C-ORC layout delivers 6.30 MW with an exergy efficiency of 40.66%, while the selected DEAC configuration achieves a coefficient of performance of 1.40 and an exergy efficiency of 43%. The MSF subsystem attains a gained-output ratio of about 7.5–8 and produces 2.23 × 10⁶ m³·y⁻¹ of freshwater at a specific thermal energy consumption of 83.3 kWh·m⁻³. At system level, the integrated C-ORC–DEAC–MSF arrangement recovers 514.78 GWh·y⁻¹ of waste heat, corresponding to 142.88 GWhₑ·y⁻¹ on an electricity-equivalent basis, increases the overall energy utilization factor to 0.81, and avoids 128.6 × 10³ t CO₂·y⁻¹ under standard grid-displacement assumptions. Beyond these plant-scale metrics, the work provides a transferable thermo-economic and environmental assessment framework for waste-heat-driven trigeneration and illustrates the potential of such integrated schemes to co-produce low-carbon power, cooling, and desalinated water in energy- and water-constrained industrial systems.
{"title":"Thermoeconomic assessment of a cement-plant waste-heat-driven trigeneration system for power, cooling, and desalination","authors":"Heba I. Khafajah , Mostafa M. Abdelsamie , Mohamed I. Hassan Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cement production is one of the most energy- and carbon-intensive industrial activities, with a large fraction of the fuel input rejected as medium- and low-grade waste heat from cyclone preheaters and clinker coolers. This study proposes and evaluates a waste-heat-driven trigeneration system for a 5,000 t·day⁻¹ dry-process cement plant that simultaneously delivers electricity, process cooling, and desalinated water, thereby addressing coupled energy–water challenges in water-stressed regions. The configuration cascades multi-grade waste heat through three thermally coupled subsystems: (i) a cascade Organic Rankine Cycle (C-ORC) with high- and low-pressure loops matched to the preheater (300–380 °C) and clinker-cooler (250–340 °C) exhausts, (ii) an internally recuperated double-effect LiBr/H₂O absorption chiller (DEAC), and (iii) a 20-stage brine-recirculation multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination unit fed by a closed hot-water loop with a top-brine temperature of 103 °C, below typical CaSO₄/CaCO₃ scaling limits. Aspen Plus V14 simulations show that the preferred C-ORC layout delivers 6.30 MW with an exergy efficiency of 40.66%, while the selected DEAC configuration achieves a coefficient of performance of 1.40 and an exergy efficiency of 43%. The MSF subsystem attains a gained-output ratio of about 7.5–8 and produces 2.23 × 10⁶ m³·y⁻¹ of freshwater at a specific thermal energy consumption of 83.3 kWh·m⁻³. At system level, the integrated C-ORC–DEAC–MSF arrangement recovers 514.78 GWh·y⁻¹ of waste heat, corresponding to 142.88 GWhₑ·y⁻¹ on an electricity-equivalent basis, increases the overall energy utilization factor to 0.81, and avoids 128.6 × 10³ t CO₂·y⁻¹ under standard grid-displacement assumptions. Beyond these plant-scale metrics, the work provides a transferable thermo-economic and environmental assessment framework for waste-heat-driven trigeneration and illustrates the potential of such integrated schemes to co-produce low-carbon power, cooling, and desalinated water in energy- and water-constrained industrial systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100631"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100629
Mary Asare-Addo , Will W. Couch , Galen Maclaurin , Bevin Etienne , Christine Mahoney
The SDG7 does not only serve as a framework for achieving sustainable and affordable energy for all but also serves as an economic growth model. This research explores the potential of solar energy that could be leveraged to improve the socioeconomic resilience in Appalachian Virginia by proposing two photovoltaic systems as well as revenue share. A utility-scale 20+ MW ground mounted, and large-scale 25+ kW solar rooftop PV systems were modeled using monocrystalline PV module. Methods used included the Boolean and AHP multivariate methods combined with geospatial techniques to evaluate the geographical potential to select suitable locations to maximize generation and minimize community oppositions, and the technical potential to quantify generation and installed capacities by the two photovoltaic systems. The revenue model was used to estimate and understand the share of revenue that could be accrued from the two systems. For geographical potential, ∼ 53 % of the total land is suitable for the utility-scale PV system and about 45.4 % for the large-scale rooftop systems. The study estimated a total of ∼ 1.62 TWp of installed capacity by the utility-scale system and about 10.08 GWp for the large-scale rooftop system. About $42.64 billion could be accrued from the utility-scale system and about $265.89 million from the large-scale rooftop system over the 25-year system lifetime. In summary, these PV systems can either be developed together, or as separate systems to provide economic benefits to residents in the region especially the economically distressed and at-risk regions.
{"title":"Techno-economic assessment of solar photovoltaic systems in Appalachian Virginia: Geospatial multivariate approach","authors":"Mary Asare-Addo , Will W. Couch , Galen Maclaurin , Bevin Etienne , Christine Mahoney","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The SDG7 does not only serve as a framework for achieving sustainable and affordable energy for all but also serves as an economic growth model. This research explores the potential of solar energy that could be leveraged to improve the socioeconomic resilience in Appalachian Virginia by proposing two photovoltaic systems as well as revenue share. A utility-scale 20<strong>+</strong> MW ground mounted, and large-scale 25<strong>+</strong> kW solar rooftop PV systems were modeled using monocrystalline PV module. Methods used included the Boolean and AHP multivariate methods combined with geospatial techniques to evaluate the geographical potential to select suitable locations to maximize generation and minimize community oppositions, and the technical potential to quantify generation and installed capacities by the two photovoltaic systems. The revenue model was used to estimate and understand the share of revenue that could be accrued from the two systems. For geographical potential, ∼ 53 % of the total land is suitable for the utility-scale PV system and about 45.4 % for the large-scale rooftop systems. The study estimated a total of ∼ 1.62 TWp of installed capacity by the utility-scale system and about 10.08 GWp for the large-scale rooftop system. About $42.64 billion could be accrued from the utility-scale system and about $265.89 million from the large-scale rooftop system over the 25-year system lifetime. In summary, these PV systems can either be developed together, or as separate systems to provide economic benefits to residents in the region especially the economically distressed and at-risk regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100629"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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