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Abstract Globally, three-quarter of a billion people live without electricity. Besides, hundreds of million use a solar lantern for less than 4 h a day. Most of the access-deprived are in the Global South, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The United Nations framed the seventh Sustainable Development Goal to improve access. Solar photovoltaic powered mini-grids are increasingly extending better service to deprived regions. However, poor load-factor and expensive storage adversely affect viability. Also, these mini-grids do not support infrequent large loads to avoid further loss of load-factor. Electric cooking is efficient and non-polluting; water treatment facilities can save millions from contaminant and pathogen by providing clean water. Besides, both electric cooking and water treatment are less expensive than alternatives. But mini-grids frequently do not support these. Indeed, the presence of sustained productive loads favourably influences the mini-grid economy. This study investigates the role of critical household loads to deliver similar bearing on the mini-grid economy. Results underscore realisation of desirable impact with household collaboration under a demand-response program. Collaborative consumption can lower initial investment by 62% and reduce the unit energy cost to $0.23. Also, cooperation improves the mini-grid load factor and promotes viability. Additionally, fast deployment needs during and after Covid-19 remains inherently supported while mitigating the pandemic induced financial stress of both consumer and mini-grid operator. This study of 88 nation-states underscores that demand response in a mini-grid can not only improve affordability for all consumers, but it can also bring 186 million people within affordable access.

Abstract In this study, a solar energy-based integrated gasification system is designed to produce multiple useful commodities, such as hydrogen, biogas, freshwater, domestic hot water, and power, for a sustainable community. The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown society the importance of renewable energy systems and proper waste management systems. In this developed system, shredded waste tires are used to produce energy in the form of hydrogen and the syngas produced at the gasification unit is further utilized for the steam Rankine cycle, and this will be replaced with forward multi-effect desalination unit to produce useful outputs. This hybrid system is also incorporated with integrated anaerobic digestion and composting units to create a circular economy unlike traditional systems. This proposed system is thermodynamically analyzed and dynamically simulated by investigating the effect of dynamic solar intensities throughout the months in a year. Furthermore, the gasification products are analyzed by altering the steam and oxygen feed rate within the system. This system utilizes closed landfills with a renewable energy system, solar tower cycle, to produce energy and steam. This steam is then further utilized at the gasification unit as a gasification agent to increase hydrogen production. The total electricity and freshwater produced within this integrated system is calculated to be 163 MW/h and 2.16 tonnes during its operation in a day. In addition, the hydrogen to fuel ratio at the gasifier and the hourly methane production at the anaerobic digestion unit are found to be 0.175 and 309 m3/h, respectively. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies of this proposed system are observed to be 74% and 73%, respectively.

Seafood is an important source of protein and micronutrients, but fishery stocks are increasingly under pressure from both legitimate and illegitimate fishing practices. Sustainable management of our oceans is a global responsibility, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water. In a post-COVID-19 world, there is an opportunity to build back better, where locally sourced food via transparent supply chains are ever-more important. This article summarises emerging research of two innovative case studies in detecting and validating seafood provenance; and using alternative supply chains to minimise the opportunity for seafood fraud in a post-COVID-19 world.

During this pandemic, it has become customary to wear a face waste mask to guard against coronavirus illness (COVID-19). However, huge production of face waste masks, PPE kit and gloves pose environmental risks, since existing disposal methods such as incineration and reclamation which are emitting hazardous substances. In the present study covid-19 medical waste material like waste face waste masks; gloves and PPE kit (personal protective equipment) are considered as the feedstock for the thermal degradation process. Mainly nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene compounds are present in the Covid-19 medical waste compounds, further feedstock material is subjected to physical characterization process like proximate, ultimate and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), to determine the moisture, ash, volatile matter and decomposition temperature respectively. The waste waste mask has lower ash content of 9.7 %, whereas gloves and other PPEs has 11.8 and 11.2 % of ash respectively. Similarly volatile matter is also higher for waste waste mask than other feed stocks. Pyrolysis process is carried out between a temperature range of 100 °C to 700 °C and the products of the pyrolysis process are pyrolytic liquid, gas and residue. The maximum pyrolytic oil is produced from waste masks, gloves and other PPE kit at 300, 350 and 320 °C respectively. The calorific value of the pyrolytic oil from waste mask, gloves and other PPE kit possess 40.85,40.11,40.31 MJ/kg respectively, which indicates that all the pyrolytic oil has closer to the diesel fuel. Therefore pyroltic oil obtained from the Covid-19 medical waste can be used as an alternative fuel for CI engine.

Abstract The concept of a backstop level of electricity intensity 1 is introduced and illustrated for the highest income economies of the world. The backstop level corresponds with the intensity that would be triggered by applying end-use electricity prices equal to the cost price of a fully sustainable electricity supply. Section 1 of the paper discusses the issue of electricity (also energy) intensity of economies. It is argued that identifying a “demand for electricity intensity” bridges the gap between the high willingness to pay for electricity services on the one hand and the disinterested attitude of consumers regarding the invisible and impalpable product electricity on the other hand. Assessment of the demand curve for electricity intensity in a cross section of high income OECD countries comes to a long-run price elasticity of almost −1. Section 2 revives Nordhaus’ concept of backstop supply technologies for weighing three power sources (fossil, nuclear, and renewable sources) in meeting today's criteria of sustainable backstop technology. Only renewable sources meet the main sustainability criteria, but the economic cost of a fully sustainable electricity supply will be elevated. The closing question of Section 3, that is, whether the countries can afford the high cost of backstop electricity supplies, is answered by indicating what reductions in intensity are required to keep the electricity bills stable. The targeted intensity level is called the backstop level, and provides a fixed point for electricity efficiency policies. The analysis supports the call for comprehensive and enduring tax reform policies.

We investigate the determinants of communicable diseases (CDs) and nexus of financial development, economic development, and renewable energy consumption to address the issues of ecological footprint level, the impacts of communicable diseases (CDs), and economic growth of the OECD countries throughout 2000-2019. The results from FMOLS and DOLS reveal that the levels of financial development, energy consumption, and trade volume significantly contribute to overcoming the death toll occurring due to CDs. As regards the growth function, the level of trade in the economy is significantly associated with economic growth. The findings reveal that the improvements and developments in the financial sectors and trading activities cause a reduction in the infection cases represented by COVID-19. In contrast, economic growth does have a negative but insignificant impact upon COVID-19. We conclude that sound financial development combined with economic and environmental regulations could be strategically helpful to cope with CDs.

Abstract Energy cooperation plays an important role in One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, which has attracted global attentions since it was firstly announced by China. However, studies focused on China-Myanmar energy cooperation under OBOR has not been explored yet, Myanmar usually acts as a geo-strategic link along OBOR while its power grid construction benefits from OBOR to a large extent. This paper aims to close this gap and provide a comprehensive analysis on China-Myanmar energy cooperation under OBOR. Current status of the two countries’ respective energy systems is investigated to show their motivations for cooperation. Then, SWOT analysis and PEST analysis are integrated to uncover the roots of the past or ongoing successful and unsuccessful energy projects, and to provide invaluable insights about opportunities and challenges caused by the most up-to-date global issues, including COVID-19 and U.S.-China trade war. Lastly, practical suggestions are given with respect to political, economical, social and technological domains, such that stakeholders, engineers, researchers and investors can adapt to the post-crisis era.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of countries to resource constraints while highlighting the indispensability of plastic. Personal protective equipment (PPE), comprising plastic materials, is experiencing an unusual increase in demand globally due to unprecedented consumption for the protection of healthcare workers and the general population. There is a need to model and better understand the material implications of the pandemic. In this research, material flow analysis was used to model the flow of plastic material pre-COVID-19 in South Africa and the additional contribution of the COVID-19 PPE to the plastic footprint. Sankey diagrams were developed to capture the material flow analysis. The mass flow of PPE through the supply chain during the ongoing pandemic is relatively smaller compared to the total national plastic. However, the number of separate PPE items presents a major and growing problem for waste management systems. This paper puts the COVID-19 resource requirements into perspective in relation to South Africa's total national plastic and provides the first known estimate of COVID-19 plastic material resources and waste legacy.

An interdisciplinary study estimates that pandemic’s effect on quashing energy consumption will be felt for a decade, and may contribute to fewer greenhouse gas emissions. An interdisciplinary study estimates that pandemic’s effect on quashing energy consumption will be felt for a decade, and may contribute to fewer greenhouse gas emissions.