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The increasing depletion of natural resources, combined with a wider set of pressures on the environment, has, in recent years, highlighted the need for a more efficient use of energy and a development process that involves alternative energy sources. Energy efficiency has received much attention as a solution, implying both monetary and emissions savings. However, the latter may be partially offset by the income and demand effects of the former, both in more efficient sectors and in spreading to the wider economy. This is the problem of rebound effects. Taking Spain as a case study, and introducing an energy-related CGE model that develops the inclusion of renewables, this paper evaluates a combination of efficiency initiatives to deliver both reduced energy use by households and a more sustainable supply of energy. Our findings suggest that a package aimed at improving efficiency in household electricity and petroleum use, combined with a more competitive supply of energy from renewable sources, may be the only way to get reductions in all energy use, and thus benefit the economy. Specifically, we consider how this package may lead to positive economic impacts and associated rebound effects, where the latter are focused on a greener energy supply.

Thermal comfort is an important concern in the energy efficiency improvement of commercial buildings. Thermal comfort research focuses mostly on temperature control, but humidity control is an important aspect to maintain indoor comfort too. In this paper, an optimal humidity control model (OHCM) is presented. Model predictive control (MPC) strategy is applied to implement the optimal operation of the desiccant wheel during working hours of a commercial building. The OHCM is revised to apply the MPC strategy. A case is studied to illustrate the practical applications of the MPC strategy.

AbstractEnergy efficiency improvements in the shipping industry are being driven by economics, compliance and customer requirements. Whilst various technological and operation improvements are known and available, with many being demonstrated to be cost effective and with savings reported in the industry, their take up in the world fleet remains low. This low take-up can be considered due to many different barriers, as explored in various research studies. However the aim of this paper is first to understand how these barriers are created by considering how ship operations function day-to-day within the context of mainstream business practice. A holistic view of operations is required and is presented in this paper, including consideration of business focus areas in parallel with the functions of technical, operational and commercial stakeholders. With this laid-out, gaps within existing operations are discussed in relation to areas for practical improvements. From here, non-prescriptive mechanisms to enable a desired future are proposed; including the integration of mandates, processes and systems. Case studies are given throughout the paper using hull and propeller maintenance as a recurring example of a typical decision making processes and best practices.

This article seeks to examine accountants' perceptions of carbon taxes in addressing climate change. Specifically, it aims at (i) a better understanding of accountants opinions on carbon taxes; (ii) how energy companies have adapted their business operations since introducing carbon tax. The article's primary sources of data are (1) a 2018 survey distributed to 45 accounting professionals in Scotland, which specialise in energy finance and a formal interview with a regional finance director of a multinational energy company. The results show how the accountants are in favour the carbon tax due to its positive environmental impact, however, do not agree with the associated rising utility costs. Though, carbon tax, from an energy business' perspective, is viewed negatively due to its effects on the end users of energy. This study contributes to the current research by demonstrating the role of accounting society in boosting public awareness of climate change. The findings of this study will help regulators and policy makers in the UK to evaluate the adequacy of current carbon tax reforms and to promote the public awareness of climate change to reduce carbon emissions.

Electric vehicle (EV) can be applied to discharge power back to the grid, which is called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. There is a constant debate on whether V2G is an economically viable option due to the high battery degradation cost. In this work, the cost benefit of EV customers participating in V2G has been studied using different feed-in tariffs (FITs). A model is developed for minimization of energy cost for residential users, which includes an EV, a separate energy storage system (ESS), and renewable energy supply. Key factors such as the EV driving usage, the degradation cost of EV and ESS batteries are considered. The EV driving usage is established through a designed survey, from which the probability of vehicle parking and plug in at home, the probabilities of EV under driving and parking outside can be calculated. Comprehensive case studies have been undertaken to investigate the optimization strategies under various scenarios. Two types of electricity tariffs, time-of-use (TOU) and fixed tariffs, are considered. It is revealed that certain threshold levels of FITs are expected to allow users benefit from V2G. Compared with non-optimized operation, the cost saving with the optimized strategy is evident in the case studies.

Global warming caused by the emission of fossil fuel consumption has become critical, leading to the inevitable trend of clean energy development. Of the power generation systems using solar energy, the floating photovoltaic (FPV) system is a new type, attracting wide attention because of its many merits. The latest progress in the research and applications of FPVs from multiple aspects is summarized in this paper. First, the development of FPVs is briefly described with a summary of typical installed FPV systems. Innovative photovoltaic design concepts and hybrid usage with other renewable energies are emphasized for offshore applications. Furthermore, critical structural design considerations are discussed, particularly emphasizing critical aspects such as load estimations, wave-structure interaction analysis, floating structure types, and mooring system design. Finally, several significant future challenges to the development and applications of marine FPV systems are identified, including survivability in the open sea, long-term reliability, and environmental impact. It aims to provide a broad overview of the development status, offering limited insights into the trends and challenges for marine FPV systems.

Bottom-hinged, nearshore flap-type wave energy converters (WECs), have several advantages, such as high power conversion efficiency and survivability. They typically comprise a single flap spanning their full width. However, a potentially beneficial design change would be to split the flap into multiple modules, to make a ‘Modular Flap’. This could provide improvements, such as increased power-capture, reduced foundation loads and lower manufacturing and installation costs. Assessed in this work is the hydrodynamic power-capture of this device, based on physical modelling. Comparisons are made to an equivalent ‘Rigid Flap’. Tests are conducted in regular, head-on and off-angle waves. The simplest control strategy, of damping each module equally, is employed. The results show that, for head-on waves, the power increases towards the centre of the device, with the central modules generating 68% of the total power. Phase differences are also present. Consequently, the total power produced by the Modular Flap is, on average, 23% more smooth than that generated by the Rigid Flap. The Modular Flap has 3% and 1% lower average power-capture than the Rigid Flap in head-on and off-angle waves, respectively. The advantages of the modular concept may therefore be exploited without significantly compromising the power-capture of the flap-type WEC.