This study explores the integration of activity-based costing (ABC) and the theory of constraints (TOC) with carbon tax policies to drive decarbonization in the Taiwanese glass industry. Employing a mathematical programming approach, four distinct models are developed to assess the impact of different carbon tax structures, carbon trading mechanisms, and recycled material utilization on corporate profitability and carbon emissions. The findings reveal that strategically applying ABC and the TOC with well-designed carbon tax policies can effectively incentivize emission reduction while maintaining industrial competitiveness. The models incorporating carbon trading and tax allowances demonstrate the potential for creating win−win situations, where companies can increase profitability by investing in cleaner technologies and processes. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable manufacturing and provides actionable insights for policymakers and industry leaders seeking to imp... [more]

Given China’s ambition to realize carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutralization by 2060, hydrogen is gradually becoming the pivotal energy source for the needs of energy structure optimization and energy system transformation. Thus, hydrogen combined with renewable energy has received more and more attention. Nowadays, power-to-hydrogen, power-to-methanol, and power-to-ammonia are regarded as the most promising three hydrogen-driven power-to-X technologies due to the many commercial or demonstration projects in China. In this paper, these three hydrogen-driven power-to-X technologies and their application status in China are introduced and discussed. First, a general introduction of hydrogen energy policies in China is summarized, and then the basic principles, technical characteristics, trends, and challenges of the three hydrogen-driven power-to-X technologies are reviewed. Finally, several typical commercial or demonstration projects are selected and discussed in detail to illustrat... [more]

Global population growth, industrialization, and urbanization have led to a dramatic increase in solid waste (SW) generation, which is considered a main environmental pollutant via greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil and groundwater contamination. This creates serious problems for the region and the world at large. Currently, about 2 billion tons of SW are generated globally every year, of which 67% is processed by various treatment technologies, while 33% is freely released into the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to significantly reduce GHG emissions from global SW production for the maximization of climate benefits and to halt the continued rise in temperature. Fortunately, this can be attained with the use of existing SW processing methods and improved performance. Through a comprehensive literature review, this research evaluates the effectiveness of various SW approaches, including source reduction, recycling, and energy recovery. Additionally, this study exam... [more]

In response to the global imperative to address climate change, this research focuses on enhancing the transparency and efficiency of the Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) supply chain under carbon tax. We propose a decision-making framework that integrates the CCUS supply chain's optimization model, emphasizing carbon tax policies, with a blockchain network. Smart contracts play a pivotal role in automating the exchange and utilization of carbon emissions, enhancing the digitalization of the CCUS supply chain from source to sink. This automation facilitates seamless matching of carbon sources with sinks, efficient transfer of emissions and funds besides record-keeping of transactions. Consequently, it improves the monitoring, reporting, and verification processes within the CCUS framework, thereby simplifying compliance with regulatory mandates for net emission reductions and carbon taxation policies. By eliminating reliance on third-party verifiers, our blockchain-based... [more]

This paper discusses the symbiotic relationship between technology research and development (R&D) and energy transition modeling. On the one hand, energy system modeling has a noteworthy history of providing macroscopic views and critical insights concerning the role that myriad technologies may play in the future energy system. On the other hand, R&D can lead to both incremental and disruptive technological advances that can shape energy transition planning. In this work, we focus on the bidirectional flow of information between the two with a particular focus on highlighting the potential role of carbon capture, storage, and sequestration technology.

The equipment in a factory will gradually deteriorate during production, leading to the production of defective products. Without appropriate maintenance, the defect rate will increase over time. Consequently, the production cost will rise, the inventory quality will be affected, the profit will decrease, and the risk of carbon emissions will increase, leading to more customer complaints and damaging the corporate image. In addition to focusing on preventive maintenance to ensure the quality of products, companies should also take carbon emissions into consideration. Furthermore, the frequency of maintenance must be carefully considered, as both carbon emissions and maintenance costs will increase if the frequency is too high; conversely, if the maintenance frequency is too low or non-existent, the defect rate may increase cumulatively, or production may be suspended due to equipment failure. Therefore, this research explores preventive maintenance and inventory management issues withi... [more]

Reducing carbon emissions and increasing the integration of new energy sources are key steps towards achieving sustainable development. Virtual power plants (VPPs) play a significant role in enhancing grid security and promoting the transition to clean, low-carbon energy. The core equipment of the VPP, the CHP unit, utilizes a thermal engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat simultaneously. However, the intermittent and volatile nature of renewable energy sources, as well as the “heat-driven power generation” mode of combined heat and power (CHP) units, presents contradictions that severely affect their peak-shifting capability and lead to high carbon emissions. To address these issues, a novel VPP is established by integrating traditional power plants with carbon capture and hydrogen energy storage. This approach utilizes a “hydrogen energy storage−electric boiler” decoupling method to address the operational mode of CHP, strengthens the coupling relationship be... [more]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) generation will play a crucial role in the global clean energy transition toward carbon neutrality. While the development of solar PV generation has been explored in depth, the development of high-proportion solar PV generation has yet to be discussed. Considering the back force of the constraint of achieving carbon neutrality within the specified timeframe, this paper establishes a unified, multi-dimensional, and achievable framework through which to perform a system analysis for exploring the potential risks and challenges involved in the development process of high-proportion solar PV generation and investigating possible pathways to fostering the development of high-proportion solar PV generation. The results show that the critical risks and challenges include a low conversion efficiency, poorer resource endowment, more limited land resources, a low use of rooftop resources, an increasing complexity of power system scheduling, and low public awareness. These... [more]

The present communication is focused predominantly on important R&D solutions relevant to renewable energy technologies covering the following: (i) Innovative heat transfer fluid and thermal storage technology based on a molten salt mixture developed by ENEA for large-scale heat storage. The system uses a parabolic trough collector, compared with diathermic oil, which allows higher operating temperature, resulting in significant benefits to the plant’s operation, safety and the environment. (ii) The world’s first solar disk powered by air micro turbine developed by ENEA. (iii) An innovative steam-explosion prototype plant installed at ENEA for the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass and the fractionation of bio components to generate ethanol from lignocellulosic material using hemicellulose and lignin. (iv) The production of hydrogen-enriched biogas using steam as the gasification agent, which helps in obtaining nearly nitrogen-free product gas and with a high calorific value of a... [more]

Under the background of the power system profoundly reforming, hydrogen energy from renewable energy, as an important carrier for constructing a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, is a necessary way to realize the objectives of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. As a strategic energy source, hydrogen plays a significant role in accelerating the clean energy transition and promoting renewable energy. However, the cost and technology are the two main constraints to green hydrogen energy development. Herein, the technological development status and economy of the whole industrial chain for green hydrogen energy “production-storage-transportation-use” are discussed and reviewed. After analysis, the electricity price and equipment cost are key factors to limiting the development of alkaline and proton exchange membrane hydrogen production technology; the quantity, scale and distance of transportation are key to controlling the costs of hydrogen storage and transportatio... [more]

The production of hydrogen-based dense energy carriers (DECs) has been proposed as a combined solution for the storage and dispatch of power generated through intermittent renewables. Frameworks that model and optimize the production, storage, and dispatch of generated energy are important for data-driven decision making in the energy systems space. The proposed multiperiod framework considers the evolution of technology costs under different levels of promotion through research and targeted policies, using the year 2021 as a baseline. Furthermore, carbon credits are included as proposed by the 45Q tax amendment for the capture, sequestration, and utilization of carbon. The implementation of the mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) framework is illustrated through computational case studies to meet set hydrogen demands. The trade-offs between different technology pathways and contributions to system expenditure are elucidated, and promising configurations and technology niches are i... [more]

Sustainable energy presently represents the energy of the future, which should be based on the application respecting the importance of energy priorities, increasing regional self-sufficiency, regional control of energy, and regulation of resource use. In the area of energy supply, the use of RES has been increasingly popular, mainly due to the instability in the energy market and the political situation worldwide. Paper’s ambition is to evaluate the efficiency of the selected RES use in the specific conditions of Slovakia, with the aim to achieve the EU targets. This is important due to the increasing use of RES in Slovakia. The objective of this paper is achieved through an analysis of the energy profit of the RES system, comparing the costs of the proposed solutions. The evaluation is carried out by calculating the energy and economic efficiency of three possible buildings used in the research. Using the data obtained, the results show the most suitable alternative for each building... [more]

Companies actively seek innovative tools and methodologies to enhance operations and meet customer demands. Maintenance plays a crucial role in achieving such objectives. This study identifies existing models that combine Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0 principles to enhance decision-making and activities related to maintenance management. A comprehensive literature review on key concepts of Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0, as well as an in-depth analysis of existing models that integrate these principles, is performed. An innovative model based on the synergies between Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0, named the Maintenance Management in Sustainable Operations (MMSO) model, is proposed. A pilot test of the application of the MMSO model on a conveyor belt led to an operational time increase from 82.3% to 87.7%, indicating a notable 6.6% improvement. The MMSO model significantly enhanced maintenance management, facilitating the collection, processing, and visualization of data via int... [more]

CO2 pre-injection fracturing is a promising technique for the recovery of continental shale oil. It has multiple advantages, such as oil recovery enhancement, CO2 geological storage and water consumption reduction. Compared with conventional CO2 huff and puff and flooding, CO2 pre-injection features higher injection rates and pressures, leading to EOR and improved CO2 storage performance. Combining physical experiments and numerical simulation, this research systematically investigated the EOR and storage performance of CO2 pre-injection in continental shale reservoirs. The results showed that CO2 pre-injection greatly improved the oil recovery; after seven cycles of soaking, the average oil recovery factor was 39.27%, representing a relative increase of 31.6% compared with that of the conventional CO2 huff and puff. With the increasing pressure, the CO2 solubility grew in both the oil and water, and so did the CO2 adsorption in shale. Numerical simulation indicated that the average CO... [more]

An integrated electric−gas system (IEGS) is the manifestation and development direction of a modern smart power system. This paper employs the cloud-edge computing method to research IEGS’s optimal dispatch to satisfy data protection requirements between power systems and natural gas systems and reduce data transmission pressure. Based on cloud-edge computing architecture, this paper constructs a cloud-edge computing method based on the Multi-agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) algorithm to solve optimal dispatch problems. Then, this paper proposes an IEGS dispatch strategy based on cloud-edge computing, which conducts distributed computing independently at the edge of power and natural gas, and the cloud implements global dispatch based on boundary information and edge learning parameters. This method does not require the exchange of all information between the power system and natural gas system, effectively protecting data privacy. This paper takes the improved IEGS of... [more]

The end of the 20th century brought about drastic changes in the tropospheric ozone (O3) around the globe. It is, therefore, highly important to gain insight into O3 formation mechanisms and their key precursors in order to assist policymaking to combat O3 pollution. This article synthesizes a bibliometric analysis of O3 formation sensitivity from 1965 to 2022, reported in English language journals available in the Web of Science Core Collection. This study shows that constant expansion in the number of publications has occurred since 2008, with the highest number occurring in 2021. Most publications are from the United States of America (USA), with 406 papers (42.7%), followed by China with 128 papers (13.5%), and the United Kingdom (UK) with 87 papers (9.1%). Citation burst analysis and significant and highly cited research work analysis are used to discover and assess evolving research tendencies. The thematic evolution of author-supplied keywords indicates that the terms “volatile... [more]

The escalating global concern for sustainable development necessitates an in-depth understanding of the role of renewable energy projects. Evaluating their impact on economic, environmental, and social sustainability is of significant importance. In this study, the impact of green energy projects on economic, environmental, and social sustainability across APEC countries from 2010 to 2021 is comprehensively assessed using machine learning models. The employed machine learning models revealed associations between key variables and sustainability implications of green energy projects. Renewable energy consumption emerged as a significant contributor to economic performance, scoring a compelling importance score of 0.34. Concurrently, fossil fuel energy consumption and urban population were identified as key influencers on environmental outcomes and social impacts, respectively, with importance scores of 0.36 and 0.42. The empirical evidence presented in this research underscores the pivo... [more]

The transition to a green economy for any country is crucial for the sustainability development of the economy, environment, society, and governance (EESG). A green economy is a sustainable approach to combating climate change and promoting sustainable development through the adoption of sustainable energy. This research utilizes the Delphi and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodologies to assess and rank the EESG criteria and policy options for transitions to a green economy. The factors and policy choices are identified using the Delphi approach for further analysis. These factors and policy alternatives for switching to a green economy for sustainable development are determined using the fuzzy AHP technique. According to the fuzzy AHP approach, environmental, social, and economic factors are best suited for green economy transitions. The findings also show that the most crucial policy options for the switch to a green economy are research and development, carbon pricing,... [more]

Governments have been introducing strategies to reduce plastic waste. The reduction in plastic waste can be possible through single-use plastic avoidance. However, this is only possible with the proper understanding of the behavioral factors of single-use plastic avoidance behavior (SPAB). This study explores the factors that influence the decision-making process regarding SPAB in China, a major environmental problem, climate change, and global warming. The authors used a questionnaire survey to collect data from 421 respondents and analyze it using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study examines the effects of attitude, subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavior control (PBC), and policy intervention (PI) on single-use plastic avoidance behavior (SPAB) mediated by plastic avoidance behavioral intentions (PABI) and plastic-related environmental concerns (PREC). The analysis reveals that attitude, PBC, and PI significantly affect PABI, which affects SPAB. Moreover, PREC influence... [more]

Citizens’ attitudes towards and their perceptions of climate change are widely believed to influence citizens’ actions related to climate change. Knowledge of these attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental improvement can be useful in designing an environmental policy. Although citizens’ attitudes and perceptions are likely to affect their WTP, they are rarely included in the non-market valuation. Furthermore, over time, attitudes and perceptions of environmental issues are likely to change. An understanding of temporal stability of attitudes towards climate change could shed the light on changes in citizens’ WTP for environmental quality over time. This study examined changes in perceptions, attitudes, and actions towards climate change using two surveys in Queensland, Australia. The surveys were administered 10 years apart (2009 and 2018). The effect of attitudes over time on WTP was analysed using a contingent valuation (CV) method. The results confirmed that attitud... [more]

Open-path laser telemetry of methane leakage yields security guarantees of energy storage and transportation for oil/gas station production operation. In order to further improve the long-term detection stability under the condition of long-distance non-cooperative targets, a catadioptric optical receiver (COR) consisting of a Fresnel lens, cone reflector and parabolic reflector is proposed to focus the laser echo light that deviates gradually with the increase in atmospheric turbulence. The geometric configuration parameters of COR are optimized by the ray-tracing method, and the condensing performance of COR is further verified. The self-developed methane laser telemetry system coupled with COR is calibrated in the laboratory and then moved to the field for a signal receiving stability experiment under turbulence interference. The results show that the receiving angle of COR increases 3.8 times compared with the Fresnel lens optical receiver (FOR). The RMSE and IS of the COR system a... [more]

The energy transition is a subject of significant interest in the countries of the European Union, and the involvement of public authorities is remarkable. Unlike previous energy transitions, this process is politically driven, the efforts of public authorities being secondary to the actions of companies whose guidelines are based on stability at the European level through strategies and directives. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current evolution of energy security status in the European Union and in Romania, with reference to global efforts to achieve climate neutrality through the energy transition. The historical method was used in the elaboration of the material, in order to outline the current energy security policies in terms of sustainability, both environmental and social. The logical method was used in order to emphasize the cause−effect relationship between economic processes in the energy sector. The use of bibliometric analysis demonstrated the importance of... [more]

Existing research has insufficiently explored the nexus between the new energy industry and CO2 emissions from the standpoint of export sophistication. This study analyses the implications of the new energy industry’s export sophistication on CO2 emissions, regional heterogeneity, and its influencing mechanism by gathering data from 31 major economies throughout the world between 1996 and 2021. The study found that the new energy industry’s export sophistication helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and this conclusion still holds after robustness testing; the carbon emission reduction effect of the export sophistication of the new energy industry is more significant in developed countries than in developing countries; the new energy industry’s export sophistication possesses a crowding-out effect on domestic technological progress, which to a certain extent impedes carbon reduction effect. This paper’s findings provide theoretical guidance for the global low-carbon energy transition.

This article presents a study of the specific features and development factors of renewable energy in macro-regions that combine extractive and industrial clusters with rural, sparsely populated areas. While in some countries—leaders in energy transition (the EU, China)—the growth of investments in solar, wind, and hydropower production is taking place systematically within the framework of an increasing number of national and international strategies and programs, in the Russian Federation there is a lack of renewable generation capacity. Particular difficulties are experienced in regions that, on the one hand, have a developed fuel and raw material complex and, therefore, fuel generation (which makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions), and, on the other hand, many rural, sparsely populated areas that are in need of new distributed generation. The aim of the study is to analyze the factors of transition to renewable energy in mineral-resource regions, such... [more]

This study examines whether shifts in the stance of policymaking can account for the observed predictability in excess energy poverty (EP) or fuel poverty (FP) levels. Energy-related poverty is a subcategory of global poverty and can be categorized into accessibility problems related to EP and affordability issues associated with FP, which have a similar but not identical meaning. Furthermore, developed and developing countries have different energy issues, as the former deal with FP and the latter with EP. However, there are discrepancies in EP not only between countries but within counties as well; for instance, there are differences in urban and rural areas too. Difficulties in energy access can be devastating for people living at risk of poverty. Social welfare, although at stake due to the energy crisis sparked at the same time as the warfare in eastern Europe. Renewables and green fossil fuels have price fluctuations, and inflation is also a stress factor in EP. Generally, soluti... [more]