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Abstract This study investigates the non-linear relationship between urbanization paths and CO2 emissions in selected South, South-East, and East Asian countries over the period 1971–2014. Based on the STIRPAT (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology) framework, we applied the advanced and robust methods of dynamic seemingly unrelated regression (DSUR), dynamic OLS (DOLS), and fully modified OLS (FMOLS) to estimate the long-term effects. The empirical findings revealed the inverted U-shaped effects of urbanization and urban agglomeration and the U-shaped impact of the largest city ratio on CO2 emissions. Urbanization and urban agglomerations improve environmental quality in the long-run and support ecological modernization theory. However, excessive concentration in the largest cities have severely affected the environmental quality and violates the notion of compact-city efficiencies. Moreover, energy intensity and economic growth positively affect CO2 emissions, while trade openness negatively influences CO2 emissions. Our robustness analysis at the country-level applies the augmented mean group (AMG) panel ARDL technique, which further supports the non-linear effect of urbanization paths on CO2 emissions except for a few countries. The results of the panel Granger non-causality approach unveil bidirectional causality of energy efficiency, economic growth, urbanization, and largest city ratio with CO2 emissions. In contrast, unidirectional causality runs from urban agglomeration to CO2 emissions. Our findings have important policy implications as we suggest green urban infrastructures, eco-friendly dwellings, smart cities, country-specific trade policies, and renewable energy options to improve the environmental quality.

Abstract Socio-technical transformations towards low-carbon energy systems are on the way in developed countries. Conversely, developing countries tend to be locked in fossil fuels and foster coal-based energy structures, emphasizing reliable and cost-effective energy provision and sidelining environmental concerns. In this study, we identified and analysed the predominant factors related to coal-based power generation in Bangladesh. We applied a mixed-method approach, initially conducting a systematic literature review and, subsequently, semi-structured expert interviews to identify and validate relevant factors. We then assessed their relative importance using an Analytical Hierarchy Process based on expert judgments. The results of this assessment reveal that socio-economic aspects and environmental issues scored highest, while technological aspects and sector regulations were considered to be less relevant for large-scale coal power implementation. We conclude that future energy policies created in Bangladesh will need to use appropriate legal instruments and address issues such as human displacement and resettlement, low levels of public acceptance, health hazards and environmental pollution. Participative policy frameworks should be deployed in coal plant projects, and active monitoring systems are necessary to reduce the negative consequences associated with increased electrification and energy consumption. To address foreseeable structural challenges, it furthermore will be crucial to explore sustainable alternatives.

Abstract As a burgeoning theoretical framework, energy justice has been mostly focused on the energy transition in Western countries, where socio-political settings are largely featured by liberalism and democracy, leaving an obvious gap in its application in other socio-political contexts. As a major energy consumer and a leader of the global low-carbon transition, China is characterized by a distinctive socio-political regime. An array of grand strategies to transform its coal-dominant energy structure have been initiated to ameliorate deteriorating environmental crises in particular and materialize a low-carbon transition in general. Based on extensive evidence, this article incorporates the energy justice framework into the analysis of an ongoing energy transition project in rural Northern China. It contributes to the related research in three dimensions. First, empirically, it demonstrates that the coal-to-gas heating transition project has been swamped with social injustices; the absence of measures to address these would lead this mega-project to profound failure. Second, theoretically, it illustrates that the concerns of justice are even more paramount in an authoritarian context where policy processes are characterized by strong political-administrative intervention and the pursuit of efficiency at all cost. In light of this, it stresses the indispensable role of restorative justice as a core tenet in achieving energy justice in authoritarian socio-political contexts, such as China. Third, this study advocates expanding the evaluation parameters of authoritarian environmentalism to include social consequences.

Robust mitigation options will play significant role in achieving the target of limiting global change to below 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. To support cooperation for mitigation development, we establish a real options-based model to evaluate the rational decisions of exercising the abandon option for carbon capture and storage-enhanced oil recovery (CCS-EOR) projects under oil market and geological uncertainties. Three possible cooperative mechanisms (fixed carbon dioxide (CO2) price, oil-indexed CO2 price, and joint venture contracts) among CO2-EOR stakeholders are evaluated. The results show that the conflicts in profit maximization targets for different stakeholders in cooperative mitigation are to a great extent unable to be avoided. A joint venture business model is preferred in cooperative mitigation as it can effectively weaken such conflicts. And it is more reasonable to provide incentives to the downstream of the CO2-EOR chain than compensating the adoption cost of carbon capture technologies in the upstream. From a global perspective, the inefficient cooperation can be a main barrier that hinders the development of deep-cutting options. Global mitigation strategies should not only focus on promoting technology progress but also the design of innovative business models to balance the benefits among stakeholders. A joint venture business model is recommended in both the developed and developing countries for seizing the early mitigation opportunities.

Cogeneration of heat and electricity is an important pillar of energy and climate policy. To plan the production and distribution system of combined heat and power (CHP) systems for residential heating, suitable methods for decision support are needed. For a comprehensive feasibility analysis, the integration of the location and capacity planning of the power plants, the choice of customers, and the network planning of the heating network into one optimization model are necessary. Thus, we develop an optimization model for electricity generation and heat supply. This mixed integer linear program (MILP) is based on graph theory for network flow problems. We apply the network location model for the optimization of district heating systems in the City of Osorno in Chile, which exhibits the “checkerboard layout” typically found in many South American cities. The network location model can support the strategic planning of investments in renewable energy projects because it permits the analysis of changing energy prices, calculation of break-even prices for heat and electricity, and estimation of greenhouse gas emission savings.

Renewable energy has become more popular since it is cost-effective and more efficient than conventional energy sources. Biomass-based renewable energy is primarily used in emerging economies to ensure environmental sustainability. This study examines the asymmetric correlation between biomass energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the top-10 biomass energy consumer countries (Brazil, Canada, Thailand, China, Italy, India, Germany, USA, UK, and Japan). A new approach "Quantile-onQuantile (QQ)" is employed by utilizing the data from 1991 to 2018. Biomass energy consumption, with the exception of Thailand, significantly mitigates CO2 emissions at various quantiles in selected countries. As a robustness check, we used the quantile regression test, whose findings are consistent with the outcomes from the quantile-on-quantile method. However, the degree of asymmetry in the biomass energy-CO2 nexus varies by country, necessitating extra attention and government vigilance when developing biomass energy and environmental policies.

Abstract The housing growth programme could offer an opportunity for accelerating the deployment of decentralised renewable energy systems (DRES) in the UK. The Government hopes to leverage private sector investment into DRES as part of new housing projects. The aim of this paper is to assess whether current regulatory and funding frameworks are sufficient to achieve this. The question is explored by drawing on the experience of developers, local authorities, energy utilities and service companies operating in the largest housing growth region in the UK–Thames Gateway. Their experience suggests that the current low intervention approach will be insufficient to generate the shift required in both industries. In order to be more successful economic and regulatory instruments should focus on producers (house-builders and energy providers) rather than consumers (households). Tighter regulation is needed to ensure that producers have a responsibility to install DRES as part of new developments, to enable connection to the grid, to ensure a sustained financial return from investment and revenue is spent on the expansion of new renewable energy infrastructure. This regulatory framework must be under-pinned by substantial funds focused on producers. Greater intervention is needed if DRES is to be included in new housing development.

Abstract Dolomite, a naturally occurring Ca-based sorbent, shows superior recycling stability in carbonation/calcination cycles for CO2 capture. However, the separation between Ca and Mg in sorbent during recycling weakens the resistance for sintering from MgO, leading to a drastic reduction in the CO2 carrying activity (spent sorbent). This paper presents a novel method for the reactivation of spent dolomite sorbents. Notable activity recovery is achieved by ball milling of the spent sorbent with H2O and dry ice. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm the transformation from oxide (CaO/MgO) to carbonate (CaCO3/CaMg(CO3)2), so that the segregated Ca and Mg in spent sorbent are re-mixed at the atomic level, which is mainly responsible for this effective reactivation. Water plays an irreplaceable role in this process by providing a liquid environment to accelerate the diffusion of the reactants and ionic reactions. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis was carried out on a series of samples with different ball-milling times to determine the suitable reactivation conditions for CO2 capture.

Abstract Hydrogen is considered a potential game changer for world energy systems and a solution to climate change concerns, as it generates zero waste and it is suited for power generation and transportation. Despite its several advantages, there are significant technical challenges in deploying a stable hydrogen economy including improving its process efficiencies, lowering production costs, maintaining cost-effective transmission and distribution, and exploiting inexpensive and sustainable feedstocks. In this context, a detailed study was conducted to analyze the production sources, technologies, storage and transport systems, and global potential exportable feedstocks to produce hydrogen. A comprehensive analysis of current hydrogen production technologies with their energy efficiencies and hydrogen selling prices was reported in this study. Various hydrogen production technologies with their capital investments and CO2 emissions were also presented. Potential feedstocks for hydrogen production were identified and analyzed through a product space model, which characterizes a network of global exportable products based on their similarities and productive knowledge. It was established that the hydrogen production feedstocks and sources currently used are primarily available in six countries: the United States of America, France, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain. Broadly, the results revealed that the United States of America and Russia shared the highest hydrogen feedstock exports, indicating a higher probability of hydrogen production in these countries. Except for Russia, all the studied countries fell in the most desired quadrant, indicating that they can move in all product space directions to exploit unexplored hydrogen feedstocks for better sustainable economic growth.