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Wave power is a potential technology for generating sustainable renewable energy. Several types of wave energy converters (WECs) have been proposed for this purpose. WECs operate in a harsh maritime environment that sets strict limitations on how and when the device can be economically and safely reached for maintenance. Thus, to ensure profitable energy generation over the system life cycle, system reliability is a key aspect to be considered in WEC development. In this article, we describe a reliability analysis approach for WEC development, based on the use of reliability block diagram (RBD) modelling. We apply the approach in a case study involving a submerged oscillating wave surge converter device concept that utilizes hydraulics in its power take-off system. In addition to describing the modelling approach, we discuss the data sources that were used for gathering reliability data for the components used in a novel system concept with very limited historical or experimental data available. This includes considerations of the data quality from various sources. As a result, we present examples of applying the RBD modelling approach in the context of WEC development and discuss the applicability of the approach in supporting the development of new technologies.

Transport is an important source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Although the applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for transport, also known as intelligent transport systems, are seen as having great potential to help reduce emissions from road transport, their exact impact on CO2 emissions are uncertain for decision makers from government to industry. This uncertainty hinders the deployment of such applications. Therefore there is a need for a common evaluation approach to assess the CO2 impact of ICT measures in a systemic and realistic way. In this study, a methodology framework to evaluate the impact of ICT measures on CO2 emissions is explained. The methodology was developed within the European Union FP7 project Amitran. In particular, this study focuses on the outline and the framework architecture of the methodology as well as the required interfaces between the required models. The use of the methodology is demonstrated by applying it to a use case of dynamic traffic light systems. Finally, the efforts made to validate the methodology and make it accessible to users are explained.

Abstract The concept of smart mobility and tourism has evolved from a technology-driven approach to one that focuses on sustainable solutions to address economic, social, and environmental issues. The United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide a framework for measuring and tracking progress toward sustainability goals. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a useful tool for measuring and tracking progress towards these goals, allowing for continuous monitoring and evaluation of progress, identification of areas for improvement, and directing targeted interventions. This research aims to develop an indicators-based framework to evaluate the sustainability of smart and sustainable mobility and tourism in rural areas. Rural areas have often been neglected, or at least less prioritized, in the sustainability development of the mobility sector. The study also seeks to identify the overlap of KPIs between rural tourism and mobility, and how improved green mobility services can enhance sustainable rural tourism. Smart mobility and tourism indicators have a strong mutual relationship in rural communities, driving economic development, improving the quality of life for residents and visitors, and creating more sustainable and livable communities. Smart mobility and tourism indicators also play a crucial role in supporting the UN SDGs by providing data and insights that can inform policy and decision-making. The results of this research conclude how the target and performance setting of projects on sustainable mobility and tourism in rural communities support each other, and how they support achieving SDGs.

The Human Mobility Transition model describes shifts in mobility dynamics and transport systems. The aspirational stage, ‘human urbanism’, is characterised by high active travel, universal public transport, low private vehicle use and equitable access to transport. We explored factors associated with travel behaviour in Africa and the Caribbean, investigating the potential to realise ‘human urbanism’ in this context. We conducted a mixed-methods systematic review of ten databases and grey literature for articles published between January 2008 and February 2019. We appraised study quality using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklists. We narratively synthesized qualitative and quantitative data, using meta-study principles to integrate the findings. We identified 39,404 studies through database searching, mining reviews, reference screening, and topic experts’ consultation. We included 129 studies (78 quantitative, 28 mixed-methods, 23 qualitative) and 33 grey literature documents. In marginalised groups, including the poor, people living rurally or peripheral to cities, women and girls, and the elderly, transport was poorly accessible, travel was characterised by high levels of walking and paratransit (informal public transport) use, and low private vehicle use. Poorly controlled urban growth (density) and sprawl (expansion), with associated informality, was a salient aspect of this context, resulting in long travel distances and the necessity of motorised transportation. There were existing population-level assets in relation to ‘human urbanism’ (high levels of active travel, good paratransit coverage, low private vehicle use) as well as core challenges (urban sprawl and informality, socioeconomic and gendered barriers to travel, poor transport accessibility). Ineffective mobility systems were a product of uncoordinated urban planning, unregulated land use and subsequent land use conflict. To realise ‘human urbanism’, integrated planning policies recognising the linkages between health, transport and equity are needed. A shift in priority from economic growth to a focus on broader population needs and the rights and wellbeing of ordinary people is required. Policymakers should focus attention on transport accessibility for the most vulnerable.

Natural gas is cheaper than fuel on an energy basis, making it an alternative ship fuel which leads to a reduced operating cost and clean gas environmental conditions. The current study analyses the retrofit of an ageing multi-purpose ship to use liquefied natural gas as a primary ship fuel in the context of a short-ship sea operation. The objective is to transform an existing commercial ageing ship propulsion system into a green energy propulsion one and to analyse the economic feasibility considering the high volatility and increased LNG price. Four scenarios were analysed based on the net present value representing Denying, Disinterested, Good and Acceptable financial cash outflow. It was concluded that in the present economic instability and price of LNG fuel and CO2 taxes, the ship owner needs to rely on the long-term contract of buying LNG fuel to implement measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep good benefits in shipping.

This paper investigates the cost-effectiveness of operation strategies which can be used to abate CO 2 emissions in a local multi-energy system. A case study is carried out using data from a real energy system that integrates district heating, district cooling, and electricity networks at Chalmers University of Technology. Operation strategies are developed using a mixed integer linear programming multi-objective optimization model with a short foresight rolling horizon and a year of data. The cost-effectiveness of different strategies is evaluated across different carbon prices. The results provide insights into developing abatement strategies for local multi-energy systems that could be used by utilities, building owners, and authorities. The optimized abatement strategies include: increased usage of biomass boilers, substitution of district heating and absorption chillers with heat pumps, and higher utilization of storage units. The results show that, by utilizing all the strategies, a 20.8% emission reduction can be achieved with a 2.2% cost increase for the campus area. The emission abatement cost of all strategies is 36.6–100.2 (€/tCO 2 ), which is aligned with estimated carbon prices if the Paris agreement target is to be achieved. It is higher, however, than average European Emission Trading System prices and Sweden’s carbon tax in 2019.

Automation carries paradigm-shifting potential for urban transport and has critical sustainability dimensions for the future of our cities. This article examines the diverse environmental and energy-related dimensions of automated mobility at the city level by reviewing an emerging and increasingly diversified volume of literature for road, rail, water, and air passenger transport. The multimodal nature of this investigation provides the opportunity for a novel contribution that adds value to the literature in four distinctive ways. It reviews from a sustainability angle the state of the art underpinning the transition to a paradigm of automated mobility, identifies current knowledge gaps highlighting the scarcity of non-technical research outside the autonomous car's realm, articulates future directions for research and policy development, and proposes a conceptual model that contextualizes the automation-connectivity-electrification-sharing-multimodality nexus as the only way forward for vehicle automation to reach its pro-environmental and resource-saving potential.