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Global fossil fuel reserves are declining due to differential uses, especially for power generation. Everybody can help to do their bit for the environment by using solar energy. Geographically, Bangladesh is a potential zone for harnessing solar energy. In March 2021, the renewable generation capacity in Bangladesh amounted to 722.592 MW, including 67.6% from solar, 31.84% from hydro, and 0.55% from other energy sources, including wind, biogas, and biomass, where 488.662 MW of power originated from over 6 million installed solar power systems. Concurrently, over 42% of rural people still suffer from a lack of electricity, where solar energy can play a vital role. This paper highlights the present status of various forms of solar energy progress in Bangladesh, such as solar parks, solar rooftops, solar irrigation, solar charging stations, solar home systems, solar-powered telecoms, solar street lights, and solar drinking water, which can be viable alternative sources of energy. This review will help decision-makers and investors realize Bangladesh’s up-to-date solar energy scenario and plan better for the development of a sustainable society.

Abstract The Renewable energy power generation capacity has been rapidly increasing in China recently. Meanwhile, the contradiction between power supply and demand is becoming increasingly more prominent due to the intermittence of renewable energies. On the other hand, on the mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in China needs immediate attention. Power-to-Gas (PtG), a chemical energy storage technology, can convert surplus electricity into combustible gases. Subsurface energy storage can meet the requirements of long term storage with its large capacity. This paper provides a discussion of the entire PtG energy storage technology process and the current research progress. Based on the comparative study of different geological storage schemes for synthetic methane, their respective research progress and limitations are noted. In addition, a full investigation of the distribution and implementation of global PtG and CO2 capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects is performed. Subsequently, the opportunities and challenges of the development of this technology in China are discussed based on techno-economic and ecological effects analysis. While PtG is expected to be a revolutionary technology that will replace traditional power systems, the main issues of site selection, energy efficiency and the economy still need to be adequately addressed. Additionally, based on the comprehensive discussion of the results of the analysis, power-to-gas and subsurface energy storage implementation strategies, as well as outlook in China are presented.

This paper presents a comparative study in predicting the monthly average solar radiation for Darwin, Australia (latitude 12.46 deg S longitude 130.84 deg E). The city of Darwin, Northern Territory (NT), has the highest and most consistent sunshine duration among all the other Australian states. This unique climate presents an opportunity for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Reliable and accurate predictions of solar radiation enable potential site locations, which exhibit high solar radiations and sunshine hours, to be identified for PV installation. Three predictive models were investigated in this study—the linear regression (LR), Angstrom–Prescott–Page (APP), and the artificial neural network (ANN) models. The mean global solar radiation coupled with the climate data (mean minimum and maximum temperatures, mean rainfall, mean evaporation, and sunshine fraction) obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) formed the basis of the dataset. Using simple and easily obtainable climate data presents an added advantage by reducing model complexity. Predictive results showed the root mean square errors (RMSEs) obtained were 6.72%, 13.29%, and 8.11% for the LR, APP, and ANN models, respectively. The predicted solar exposure from the LR model was then compared with the satellite-derived data to assess the accuracy of the LR method.

Abstract Integration of photovoltaics (PV) with electrical energy storage (battery) is a straightforward approach to turn intermittent power source into stable power supply. Power coupling, or power matching, between PV-device, a battery, and a load is most frequently performed with aid of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) electronics. MPPT electronics provides high flexibility as for PV and load impedances, and irradiance, however, it brings in additional cost, and complexity, power overhead, potential reliability issues, and interference signals. On the other hand, direct coupling via preselection of PV and battery parameters is a simple scalable and highly efficient alternative to MPPT for a specific set of conditions. We explore with modeling how far a directly coupled PV-battery unit can stay power-matched under various conditions, and demonstrate feasibility of excellent power matching over orders of magnitude of irradiance and a wide range of load resistances. Both a PV-harvester in an office room with low irradiance, non-demanding load, and high autonomy, and a PV-system on a roof with high irradiance, demanding load, and partial autonomy, can operate efficiently without MPPT electronics if an appropriate battery is included. This result emphasizes the role of a battery as an impedance matching element besides storage functionality in a directly matched PV-system.

The agriculture and horticulture sector in the Netherlands is one of the most productive in the world. Although the sector is one of the most advanced and intense agricultural production systems worldwide, it faces challenges, such as climate change and environmental and social unsustainability of industrial production. To overcome these challenges, alternative food production initiatives have emerged, especially in large cities such as Amsterdam. Some initiatives involve producing food in the urban environment, supported by new technologies and practices, so-called high-tech urban agriculture (HTUA). These initiatives make cultivation of plants inside and on top of buildings possible and increase green spaces in urban areas. The emerging agricultural technologies are creating new business environments that are shape d by technology developers (e.g., suppliers of horticultural light emitting diodes (LED) and control environment systems) and developers of alternative food production practices (e.g., HTUA start-ups). However, research shows that the uptake of these technological innovations in urban planning processes is problematic. Therefore, this research analyzes the barriers that local government planners and HTUA developers are facing in the embedding of HTUA in urban planning processes, using the city of Amsterdam as a case study. This study draws on actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze the interactions between planners, technologies, technology developers and developers of alternative food production practices. Several concepts of ANT are integrated into a multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions (MLP) to create a new theoretical framework that can explain how interactions between technologies and planning actors transform the incumbent social–technical regime. The configuration of interactions between social and material entities in technology development and adoption processes in Amsterdam is analyzed through the lens of this theoretical framework. The data in this study were gathered by tracing actors and their connections by using ethnographic research methods. In the course of the integration of new technologies into urban planning practices, gaps between technologies, technology developers, and planning actors have been identified. The results of this study show a lacking connection between planning actors and technology developers, although planning actors do interact with developers of alternative food production practices. These interactions are influenced by agency of artefacts such as visualizations of the future projects. The paper concludes that for the utilization of emerging technologies for sustainability transition of cities, the existing gap between technology developers and planning actors needs to be bridged through the integration of technology development visions in urban agendas and planning processes.

Abstract Integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems is an upward trend for residential sector to achieve major targets like minimizing the electricity bill, grid dependency, emission and so forth. In recent years, there has been a rapid deployment of PV and battery installation in residential sector. In this regard, optimal planning of PV-battery systems is a critical issue for the designers, consumers, and network operators due to high number of parameters that can affect the optimization problem. This paper aims to present a comprehensive and critical review on the effective parameters in optimal planning process of solar PV and battery storage system for grid-connected residential sector. The key parameters in process of optimal planning for PV-battery system are recognized and explained. These parameters are economic and technical data, objective functions, energy management systems, design constraints, optimization algorithms, and electricity pricing programs. A timely review on the state-of-the-art studies in PV-battery optimal planning is presented. The challenges, trends and latest developments in the topic are discussed. At the end, scopes for future studies are developed. It is found that new guidelines should be provided for the customers based on various electricity rates and demand response programs. Also, several design considerations like grid dependency and resiliency need further investigation in the optimal planning of PV-battery systems.

A membrane assisted process for green hydrogen production from a bioethanol derived feedstock is here developed and evaluated, starting from the conventional Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) process. Such a process is suitable for centralized hydrogen production, and is here analyzed for a large-scale H2 production unit with the capacity of 40.000 Nm3/h. The basic Steam Ethanol Reforming (SER) process scheme is modified in a membrane assisted process by integrating the Pd-membrane separation steps in the most suitable reaction steps. The membrane assisted process, configured in three alternative architectures (Open architecture, Membrane Reactor and Hybrid architecture) was evaluated in terms of efficiencies and hydrogen yields, obtaining a clear indication of improved process performance. The alternative membrane assisted process architectures are compared to the basic SER process and to the benchmark SMR process fed by natural gas, for an overall comparative assessment of the efficiency and specific CO2 emissions and for an economic analysis based on the operating expenditures.

The failure to fully internalize externalities from production and consumption, including on future generations, is supposed to be at the core of the perceived failure to ensure (ecological) sustainability within the realm of antitrust enforcement. While some argue that sustainability should constitute a goal in itself that must be balanced against economic efficiency in antitrust analysis, we instead want to explore whether and how sustainability can be incorporated into a consumer welfare approach. We make a key distinction between what we term an individualistic and a collective consumer welfare analysis. Within an individualistic consumer welfare analysis, consumers’ willingness-to-pay is measured ceteris paribus, holding other consumers’ choices fixed. In a collective consumer welfare analysis, consumers may express their willingness-to-pay also for the choices of others and, thereby, also for the reduction of externalities on themselves. Borrowing from environmental and resource economics, we also discuss more indirect ways of incorporating such externalities. And we critically assess the possibility of ‘laundering’ consumers’ sustainability preferences in the light of supposed biases and cognitive limitations. Finally, we relate our analysis to the Draft Horizontal Guidelines of the European Commission, published in March 2022. antitrust, consumer welfare, conjoint analysis, contingent valuation, Draft EU Horizontal Guidelines, environmental economics, externalities, laundering preferences, sustainability, willingness-to-pay