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The key focus of this dissertation is to produce research upon energy and climate change issues in the UK in a policy relevant and theoretically sound way. It aims to inform industry and policy makers to allow politically palatable, successful and effective future energy and climate change policy to be developed by identifying the preferences of the public for different policy scenarios. The Choice Experiment method was employed throughout this dissertation as the consistent methodological approach allowed for greater comparability of the results in addition to allowing the method’s robustness and reliability to be tested. The first part of this research (Chapter 3) is concerned with investigating attitudes and willingness to pay for future generation portfolio of Scotland by investigating household preferences for various energy generating options, such as wind, nuclear and biomass compared to the current generation mix. We identified the Scottish public have positive and significant preference towards wind and nuclear power over the current energy mix. We also found heterogeneity in public preferences depending on where respondents live which is reflected in their preferences towards specific attributes. Presence of non-compensatory behaviour in our sample is another element which was investigated in this part. Chapters 4 and 5 contain analyses of two independent choice experiments which were run in parallel. They take a UK-wide approach and investigate public preferences for more general areas of future energy and climate change policy, such as: carbon reduction targets, focus on energy efficiency improvements and attitudes to micro-generation versus large scale renewable generation. In addition the preferences for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change are investigated. Micro-generation is not often considered by energy companies when it comes to planning their generation strategies and was therefore of particular relevance to this research. As such Chapter 6 identifies the importance that the public ...

Technological innovation systems theory (TIS) provides a useful framework within which to consider energy transitions. The "seven functions" framework allows researchers to examine the progress of emergence of new technologies, but has not hitherto been tested for completeness and validity with stakeholders in an energy transition. The emergence of offshore wind over the last twenty years in the UK has been a significant part of the UK's energy decarbonisation transition and has provided the industrial roots for this research. The research has critically evaluated the "seven functions" model of TIS with stakeholders in the offshore renewable energy sector in the UK, with the aim of assessing whether each of the seven functions is necessary and whether together they are sufficient to explain the development of a TIS. This thesis has reviewed the literature to find that no canonical inventory of seven functions exists and it therefore develops one. Using interviews with more than thirty influential participants in the offshore renewables sector - including project and technology developers, policy makers, supply chain, support organisations and other stakeholders - the thesis examines whether the seven functions provide a "necessary and sufficient" framework, to characterise the emergence of offshore wind and marine renewables (tidal stream and wave) in the UK since 2000. The research supports the seven existing functions and finds evidence for a new function, which is defined as "relative value potential" (RVP). RVP considers the potential or actual value offered by an emergent technology, to consider whether it can demonstrate a roadmap to achieving an unsupported viability. TIS is far from unique in theories for understanding socio-technical transitions. This thesis also finds that the proposed new function offers some scope for a reconciliation of TIS and another leading theory in this space – Multi-Level Perspective. The thesis concludes by eliciting learnings from the emergence of offshore wind for the ...

This paper examines financing models for clean energy adoption, drawing insights from experiences in the United States and Nigeria. It underscores the significance of clean energy and the need to explore effective financing mechanisms to facilitate its widespread adoption. Through an analysis of the current state of clean energy adoption in both countries, existing initiatives and challenges are outlined. Lessons gleaned from successful financing models in the United States, including government incentives, public-private partnerships, and renewable energy credits, are then explored. These lessons serve as a foundation for assessing how similar approaches can be adapted to the Nigerian context. Specific attention is given to the unique challenges facing Nigeria, such as infrastructure limitations and socioeconomic disparities, and how financing models can be tailored to address these obstacles. A comparative analysis between the two countries identifies similarities, differences, and the potential transferability of financing models. Based on these insights, recommendations are proposed for Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of context-specific approaches to accelerate clean energy adoption. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive exploration of financing models for clean energy adoption, offering valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners in both the United States and Nigeria.

This paper presents the thermodynamic and economic analyses of four variants of a supercritical oxy-type plant. These variants differed in terms of air separation units (ASU, variants: V1—cryogenic; V2—hybrid; equipped with a three-end (V3a) or four-end (V3b) high-temperature membrane) and boilers (V1 and V3a—lignite-fired fluidized-bed; V2 and V3b—hard-coal-fired pulverized-fuel). The gross power of steam turbine unit (STU) was 600 MW. The live and reheated steam parameters were 650 °C/30 MPa and 670 °C/6.5 MPa, respectively. The influence of the ASUs’ operating parameters on the ASUs’ auxiliary power rate and boiler efficiency (V3a and V3b only) was studied. The ASUs’ operating parameters for maximum net efficiency were then determined. The decrease in the net efficiency compared to a reference plant (with a classic fluidized-bed or pulverized-fuel boiler) fluctuated in the range 7.2 (V3b)–11.2 (V1) p.p. An analysis of the waste heat utilization was performed (fuel drying—V1 and V3a; STU steam-water heat exchangers replacing). Thus, the efficiency decreases fluctuated in the range 4.3 (V3b)–10.2 (V1) p.p. The economic analysis showed that in order for the variants to be economically viable, the unit CO2 emission cost should be greater than 42.2 (V1) or 22.0 (V3b) EUR/MgCO2.

A facile route to anchor pseudocapacitive materials on multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) to realize high-performance electrode materials for Asymmetric Supercapacitors (ASCs) is reported. The anchoring process is developed subsequent to direct decomposition of metal-hexacyanoferrate complex on the CNT surface. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis reveals that the nanoparticles (NPs) are discretely attached over CNT surface without forming a uniform layer, thus making nearly entire NP surface available for electrochemical reactions. Accordingly, CNT-Mn3O4 nanocomposite cathode shows significantly improved capacitive performance as compared to pristine CNT electrode, validating the efficacy of designing the composite electrode. With CNT-Fe3O4 nanocomposite as paired anode, the hybrid ASC delivers a specific capacitance of 135.2 F/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s within a potential window of 0-1.8V in the aqueous electrolyte and retains almost 100% of its initial capacitance after 15000 cycles. The serially connected ASCs can power commercial LEDs and mobile phones reflecting their potential in next-generation storage applications.

The End of Energy provides a good historical overview how the US energy system ended up in its current state, where the United States, with only 4 percent of the world’s population, consumes one-quarter of the energy the world uses each year. Unlocking Energy Innovation again gives an action plan how to close the resulting big energy efficiency gap to Europe and Japan.

We present a well calibrated unit commitment and economic dispatch model of the GB electricity market and applied it to the economic analysis of the four existing hydro pumped storage (PS) stations in GB. We found that with more wind on the system PS arbitrage revenue increases: with every percentage point (p.p) increase in wind capacity the total PS arbitrage profit increases by 0.21 p.p.. However, under a range of wind capacity, the PS’ modelled revenue from price arbitrage is not enough to cover their ongoing fixed costs. Analysing the 2015-18 GB balancing and ancillary services data suggests that PS stations were not active in managing transmission constraints and in fact about 60% of constraint payments went to gas-fired units. However, the PS stations are active in provision of ancillary services such as fast reserve, response and other reserve services with a combined market share of at least 30% in 2018. Stacking up the modelled revenue from price arbitrage with the 2018 balancing and ancillary services revenues against the ongoing fixed costs suggests that the four existing PS stations are profitable. Most of the revenue comes from balancing and ancillary services markets – about 75% – whereas only 25% comes from price arbitrage. However, the revenues will not be enough to cover capex and opex of a new 600 MW PS station. The gap in financing will have to come from balancing and ancillary services market opportunities and less so from purely price arbitrage. Finally, we found that the marginal contribution of most of the existing PS stations to gas and coal plant profitability is negative, while from the system point of view, PS stations do contribute to minimizing the total operating cost.

Co-operatively owned renewable energy projects in the UK have been praised for their potential to allow communities to take control and benefit directly from clean energy production. The model for energy co-ops has been developing for over twenty years, and some organisations in the sector are questioning where they can go next. This thesis assesses how far there is scope for energy co-ops to develop further, by benefitting communities more widely and doing more to tackle environmental issues. The thesis draws on case study research undertaken at three energy co-op sites, in addition to an online questionnaire sent to 24 energy co-operatives associated with the intermediary Energy4All. By assessing the activity and visions held in these co-operatives it draws out promising areas of innovation. It also highlights the complexity of these groups, and the challenges that they face in retaining engagement and navigating relationships with other public and private organisations. The thesis identifies several key areas where further consideration, or support from intermediary groups, would be helpful to maximise their potential.