In this study, a solar single/double-effect switching LiBr-H2O absorption refrigeration system was investigated to make full use of solar energy and give full play to the advantages of solar refrigeration systems. A corresponding thermodynamic dynamic mathematical model was developed. The operation characteristics of the system operating continuously for one week were analyzed. In order to highlight the advantages of the solar single/double-effect switching absorption refrigeration system, it was compared with other forms of solar refrigeration systems and compression refrigeration systems. The practical application potential of the single/double-effect switching LiBr-H2O absorption refrigeration system was evaluated from the perspective of economy and environmental effect. The results showed that the system could achieve the switching operation between single-effect mode and double-effect mode under weather conditions of high solar radiation intensity, and the daily cooling efficiency... [more]

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has generated great interest among researchers from different disciplines as it is multidisciplinary research. Sustainability for the IoV requires solutions from different perspectives, particularly in the context of environmental, social, and corporate governance. This review paper examines each of the mentioned perspectives of IoV research which were conducted among at least one of these three perspectives. On the one hand, this allows determining how widely research on the IoV system has been conducted. Moreover, it shows the directions of research on the IoV. On the other hand, it determines whether and how the IoV research is linked to each of the perspectives separately and analyses this link from a global perspective as well; i.e., it analyses the survey data in terms of the data’s relationship to all the perspectives as a group. As one of the research results, a conceptual model of IoV systems allocating the ESG perspectives was developed. The cur... [more]

The primary aspiration of this paper is to learn about the effects of economic growth, energy consumption, agriculture and irrigation water consumption and agriculture productivity on environmental pollution in five countries of Central Asia. The data cover the period from 1992 to 2020 by applying panel data models, namely the Panel FMOLS, Panel DOLS and Panel ARDL-PMG approaches. The results indicate that there is a positive long-term impact of economic growth, water productivity, energy consumption and electricity production on CO2 emissions while agriculture value added and trade openness have a negative and statistically significant influence on CO2 emissions in Central Asia. Country specific short-run coefficients from Panel ARDL reveal that energy consumption is the main driver for rise in the level of CO2 emissions in the countries under the study. Indeed, country level analysis generates unique nexus correlation among agriculture, energy and environmental degradation in each co... [more]

The occurrence of an electric arc is an inherent possibility when working in a live line. Thermal risk is considered one of the most relevant risks associated with this type of event, so every worker who performs daily activities in the electricity distribution sector is subject to this risk to a lesser or greater degree. The quantification of the thermal risk is based on estimating the energy generated by the electric arc, and focuses on a surface called incident energy. Therefore, the incident energy estimate is used to define thermal protection strategies applicable to workers who carry out activities in the distribution sector. In light of this, the present work proposes a review of incident energy estimation methods for electric arcs in electric power distribution grids, highlighting the applicability of each of these methods in terms of voltage, short circuit type, and environment. Finally, five case studies are presented in which adequate methods are used to estimate the inciden... [more]

This paper investigated the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine (OWT) support structures. For this purpose, a 3 MW-capacity typical wind turbine is investigated using time-domain finite element simulations. In numerical simulations, different stochastic wind models corresponding to different accumulation periods are applied. Then, the stress-based fatigue life is estimated following the rain-flow counting algorithm and Palmgren-Miner linearly cumulative damage rule. The study also addresses the joint distribution of loads at the site of interest. Generally, the study emphasizes the significance of the long-term distribution of the applied environment loads and its influence on the fatigue life of OWT’s substructures. The results imply that the wind measurement period is directly linked to the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine support structures. Accordingly, its fatigue life is significantly reduced at the 25-year accumulative period of wind. Therefore, this study recommends that... [more]

The beginning of the 21st century for the fuel and energy complexes of most countries is characterized as a period of active restructuring and a fundamental shift in developmental priorities. The basis of these changes is technological development. Industry 4.0 technologies have particular importance in achieving maximum optimization of production processes. In the same way, they are applicable in establishing effective interaction between the energy sector and other sectors of the economy. The authors outline an approach to assessing the country’s fuel and energy balance state through the selected properties: sustainability, accessibility, efficiency, adaptability and reliability. Hence, a model of the fuel and energy complex was created on the example of the Russian Federation, considering the country’s territorial and functional division. The methodology is based on scenario modeling of the influence level of external challenges in conjunction with the accompanying technological dev... [more]

This study analyses the expansion of solar energy in Iran, considering political, economic, social, and technological factors. Due to the prolonged sanctions on Iran, the development of clean energy power plants has been either halted or significantly reduced. Hence, this study aims to identify barriers to the expansion of solar energy power plants and simulate solar power plants using PVsyst (Photovoltaic system) software. The study is unique in its approach of combining technical analysis with social sciences to facilitate the implementation of solar energy expansion in remote areas. This study focuses on two specific areas with high solar radiation, namely Darab and Meybod, which are located in Fars and Yazd provinces, respectively. Solar energy can be generated in these two areas due to their unique location with high levels of solar irritation. To achieve this goal, the technical analyses focuson simulating the performance of a 9 kWp (kilowatt ‘peak’ power output of a system) grid... [more]

We have proposed an impact assessment methodology for determining sustainability in energy-intensive industrial production based on a comprehensive combination of economic, environmental, and social indicators for sustainable development. The goal of this study was to disclose this methodology for assessing sustainability in energy-intensive industrial production. We proved that any energy-intensive chemical, metallurgical, and energy generation processes should maximize the material output values and product value addition to ensure innovative sustainable development. We proposed indicators that determine the levels of increasing the sustainability of energy-intensive production as a whole, as well as taking into account individual technological processes. We proposed a procedure for making managerial decisions to increase the sustainability of energy-intensive outputs using the technological renewal of fixed assets and/or technological modernization of production. Our proposed method... [more]

Harvested wood products (HWPs) are a class of products that are recognized for their potential to mitigate climate warming: the absorption of CO2, which is necessary to the growth of their biomass feedstock, temporarily reduces the amount of CO2 present in the Earth’s atmosphere, effectively mitigating global warming. This study decided to look into the effect of changing two important parameters associated with HWPs: the rotation period of the biomass used for their raw material (effectively, the rate of CO2 absorption), and the length of their lifetime (effectively, the amount of time the captured carbon is stored within them in the form of embodied carbon). For this purpose, a carbon accounting calculator, Quantis’ Biogenic Carbon Footprint Calculator for Harvested Wood Products (BCFC-HWP), was employed. The Biogenic Global Warming Potential (GWPbio) metric, which was used by the BCFC-HWP to describe the climate impact of a wooden product’s embodied carbon, was analyzed for its evol... [more]

Academic contributions regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and renewable energy have been steadily increasing, given their essential relevance to economic, societal, and environmental progress. This research aims to examine the structure of scientific knowledge on the connection between SDGs and renewable energy by utilizing bibliometric methods and analyzing 3132 articles published between 1992 and 2022. Results indicate a sharp rise in the production rate since 2015, Environmental Sciences as the most prevalent area of study, and the leading role of publishers Elsevier, MDPI, and Springer in the publication of papers related to the subject. Consequently, this research may prove useful for both novice and veteran researchers who wish to further their understanding of the academic production regarding the SDGs and renewable energy.

In this research, a design guideline for a kinetic energy converter using a cantilever triple-layer piezoelectric harvester (CTLPH) for low-frequency applications is presented. By combining the constitutive and internal energy equations, the analytical equations for harvested voltage and power were developed. It was also found that frequency of motion, applied tip force, piezoelectric coefficients, geometrical dimensions, and mechanical properties of layers play significant roles in the performance of the harvester. Having characterised the voltage regulator module, LTC3588, the dependency of output voltage on both the storage and output capacitors of the LTC3588 was investigated. An experimental measurement using the optical method was carried out to determine the applied tip force. Furthermore, the performance of the CTLPH in low frequencies (<3.3 Hz) for various resistive loads was investigated. It was found that both excitation frequency and external resistance load are effectiv... [more]

The increasing number of electric vehicles is forcing new solutions in the field of charging infrastructure. One such solution is photovoltaic carports, which have a double task. Firstly, they enable the generation of electricity to charge vehicles, and secondly, they protect the vehicle against the excessive heating of its interior. This article presents the functioning of a small carport for charging an electric vehicle. Attention is drawn to the problems of selecting the peak power of the photovoltaic system for charging an electric vehicle. An economic and energy analysis is carried out for the effective use of photovoltaic carports. In this article, we present the use of the Metalog family of distributions to predict the production of electricity by a photovoltaic carport with the accuracy of probability distribution.

Nuclear technologies have the potential to play a major role in the transition to a global net-zero society. Their primary advantage is the capability to deliver controllable 24/7 energy on demand. However, as a prerequisite for successful worldwide application, significant innovation will be required to create the nuclear systems of the 21st century, the need of the hour. The pros (low harmful emissions, high reliability, low operational expenses, and high energy density) and cons (environmental damage, fuel waste disposal concerns, limited uranium reserves, and long construction time-frame) of nuclear are discussed and analysed at different levels—the societal and public recognition and concerns (accidents, weapons, mining, and waste) as well as the scientific/engineering and economic level—to assure a demand-driven development. Based on the analysis of the different challenges, a vision for the nuclear system of the 21st century is synthesised consisting of three pillars—unlimited n... [more]

Microalgae, a renewable bio-resource, are considered a potential value-added commodity and a tool to combat climate change. Microalgal research has received worldwide attention recently. Different perspectives have been explored, but cultivation in outdoor photobioreactors (PBRs) is still a less explored field. This review summarizes the studies conducted on the microalgae cultivated in outdoor PBRs only. The locations, algal strains, PBRs, and cultivation media used in these studies were identified and tabulated. Different aspects of outdoor algal cultivation in PBRs, such as temperature control, light intensity control, photosynthetic efficiency (PE), the outdoor adaptation of strains, PBR designs, and algal growth and biochemical composition variation from the weather, were studied and reviewed. A brief review of downstream processes and environmental and economic impacts was also conducted. This review summarizes what has been carried out in this field so far and will help research... [more]

European Union (EU) countries pay meticulous attention to environmental issues and achieve carbon-free development. In this direction, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and extending renewable energy are the primary goals. At the same time, the energy price and declining energy efficiency increase countries’ environmental expenditures and hinder their capabilities for economic growth. Against this backdrop, this research aims to examine the influence of environmental regulations, renewable energy, and energy efficiency on green economic growth. The originality of the study is twofold: first, it evaluates the green economic growth of a country, which simultaneously reveals the options for economic growth and the capability to eliminate its negative effect on the environment by applying the Global Malmquist−Luenberger productivity index; second, it develops an econometric model based on panel data for EU countries for 2000−2020 to investigate the nonlinear impact of environmental regulat... [more]

Compressed natural gas (CNG) main stations are critical components of the urban energy infrastructure for CNG distribution. Due to its high electrification and significant power consumption, researching the economic operation of the CNG main station in demand response (DR)-based electricity pricing environments is crucial. In this paper, the dehydration process is considered in the CNG main station energy consumption model to enhance its participation in DR. A bilevel economic dispatch model for the CNG main station is proposed, considering critical peak pricing. The upper-level and lower-level models represent the energy cost minimization problems of the pre-system and rear-system, respectively, with safety operation constraints. The bilevel programming model is solved using a genetic algorithm combined with a bilevel programming method, which has better efficiency and convergence. The proposed optimization scheme has better control performance and stability, reduces the daily electri... [more]

The railway system is one of the safest, most efficient, and environmentally friendly means of land transport for people and goods. However, as the demand for mobility has increased, the current railway system has shown some weaknesses, requiring an increase in catenary power in order to be able to supply power to longer trains and faster locomotives, as well as to increase rail traffic. This paper proposes a control algorithm to be implemented in a sectioning post-Rail Power Conditioner (sp-RPC). The sp-RPC is connected to the neutral section between two traction power substations (TPS). With the control algorithm, it is possible to minimize the existing unbalance of the active powers of each TPS. In a regenerative braking condition, this surplus energy can be used to assist the traction of another locomotive on the existing overhead line. In this way, it is possible to increase the capacity of the overhead line. The analysis was performed with computer models using a modular multilev... [more]

The performance of a laboratory-scale 40 L anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating municipal wastewater with and without iron supplementation was evaluated at ambient temperatures at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h and sludge retention time (SRT) of 50 days. The system exhibited satisfactory performance during the summer and winter periods with average COD removal efficiencies of 73 ± 4% and 60 ± 4%, respectively. Moreover, two different FeCl3 dosages were studied for optimizing operation in terms of organic load removal, phosphorus removal, biogas production, membrane fouling, and emerging contaminant removal. The addition of 25 mg FeCl3 L−1 improved the performance of the AnMBR. More specifically, average effluent COD concentrations without FeCl3 addition were 177 ± 21 mg/L, while after the addition of 25 mg FeCl3 L−1 and 30 mg FeCl3 L−1, COD decreased to 147 ± 8 mg/L and 149 ± 11 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, effluent TP decreased by 75% with the dosage of 25 mg FeCl3... [more]

In this paper, we address the problem of high greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas platforms in Norway. We look at the potential of integrating an energy system composed of wind turbines and battery systems to unload the electrical power generated by gas turbines being the main source of emissions today. We propose a simulation model of the energy system, the power demand, the available wind speed, and different control strategies. By putting the models together, we evaluate the performance of various compositions of the system and determine their impact on emissions and battery lifetime. The numerical results show that changing today’s practices has great potential to reduce greenhouse gases, with amounts varying between 30% and 80% compared with today’s level.

This paper presents a method for preparing a pressure sensor that is insensitive to acceleration along with experimental evidence of its efficacy in aerodynamic analysis. A literature review and preliminary studies revealed the undesirable effect of acceleration on sensors that are located on moving elements, as evidenced by deviations from actual pressure values for piezoresistive pressure sensors that are made using MEMS technology. To address this, the authors developed a double-membrane sensor geometry that eliminated this imperfection; a method of implementing two solo pressure sensors as a new geometry-designed sensor was also proposed. Experimental tests of this suggested solution were conducted; these measurements are presented here. The results indicated that this new sensor concept could be used to measure the dynamic pressures of rotating and moving objects in order to obtain measurement results that are more reliable and closer to the true values that are derived from aerod... [more]

Greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and non-CO2 gases, are mainly generated by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and agriculture. These emissions disrupt the natural balance of the global ecosystem and contribute to climate change. However, by investing in renewable energy, we can help mitigate these problems by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting a more sustainable future. This research utilized a panel data model to explore the impact of carbon dioxide and non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions on global investments in renewable energy. The study analyzed data from 63 countries over the period from 1990 to 2021. Firstly, the study established a relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and clean energy investments across all countries. The findings indicated that carbon dioxide had a positive effect on clean energy investments, while non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions had a negative impact on all three types of clean energy in... [more]

Agrivoltaics (APV), the co-location of agriculture and photovoltaics (PV), addresses an inherent competition for land usage. Taking the same dual-use concept to the urban landscape, rooftop APV can provide locally grown food in areas of need while providing distributed energy generation. In this multi-year investigation, different APV plots in northern Colorado, USA, were studied for crop metrics, light transmission, air temperature, soil/substrate temperature and moisture. Crops were grown under different solar panel types including opaque silicon and opaque and semi-transparent (ST) thin-film CdTe technologies. Growth conditions were characterized showing generally improved conditions and moderated temperatures under the panels. The ST-CdTe panels had increased photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) compared to both opaque panel types without a significant corresponding increase in temperature.

The aim of this study is to examine the profitability of investment in a photovoltaic microinstallation, to analyze the impact of legal changes on its profitability, and to perform a sensitivity analysis of the investment profitability to energy price changes. The novelty of the research applies to the financial analysis of two legal systems of discount called net-metering and net-billing. The two systems and the change in energy prices present legal and macroeconomic risks. Climate neutrality strategy implementation is the analysis background. The authors formulate the hypothesis that, firstly, the solar panel installations in Poland are aimed at reducing the operating costs of the building; secondly, the investment motivation is environmental. The main research conclusion is that taking into consideration the solar panel ‘boom’ in Poland, the ‘regulator’ has achieved its intended goal connected with progress toward climate neutrality. This research used the method of logical design,... [more]

Solar energy technology is now a mature and environmentally friendly solution. Long-term and credible solar radiation data are required for energy assessments of solar applications. Due to the lack of a typical year and accurate, long-term global solar radiation data for Taiwan, data for the typical meteorological year (TMY) of global solar radiation from 30 weather stations across Taiwan of the Central Weather Bureau were gathered for this study. The database for solar radiation contains data for the 15 years between 2004 and 2018, except for one (Chigu) weather station which provides data for the 12 years between 2004 and 2015, which possesses credible data quality and meets the requirements of the TMY method. The minimum and maximum TMY global radiation observed from the 30 weather stations are 3421.8 and 5479.9 MJ/m2 at the Zhuzihu (Station 2) and Tainan (Station 16) weather stations, respectively. The effects of topography, geography, and latitude on the global radiation distribut... [more]

This paper aims to present the real improvement opportunities of a simple organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as waste heat recovery system (WHRS) from the exhaust gases of a natural gas engine using toluene as the working fluid, based on the exergy and environmental point of view. From the energy and exergy balances, the advanced exergetic analysis was developed to determine the irreversibilities and opportunities for improvement. Since the traditional exergo-environmental analysis, it was found that the component with the greatest potential environmental impact associated with exergy (bF = 0.067 mPts/MJ) and per unit of exergy (ḂD = 8.729 mPts/h) was the condenser, while the exergy-environmental fraction was presented in the turbine (52.51%) and pump-2 (21.12%). The advanced exergo-environmental analysis showed that the environmental impact is more associated with the operational behavior of the components, with 75.33% of the environmental impacts being of endogenous nature, showing that the... [more]