Innovation and adoption of energy efficient technologies: An exploratory analysis of Italian primary metal manufacturing SMEs

Additional efforts will be needed by European countries to improve the energy efficiency, as with current trends the 20% objective will be missed. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manufacturing sector is a promising field, as SMEs are less energy-efficient than larger enterprises. Several studies investigated the barriers to the diffusion of technologies and practices for industrial energy efficiency, but little attention has been paid to understand the factors affecting the perception of such barriers by SMEs. In this multiple case-study, we have investigated 20 Primary Metal manufacturing SMEs in Northern Italy. Economic and information barriers are perceived as the major issues. Interestingly, firm's size, innovativeness of the market in which enterprises operate, as well as product and process innovation are factors affecting barriers to energy efficiency. Differences have been observed within SMEs, especially for information and competence-related barriers. In particular, a more innovative external context in which enterprises operate and a greater production process complexity seem to reduce barriers. Moreover, more product innovative enterprises seem to have a lower perception of behavioral and technology-related barriers. The results of this exploratory investigation provide useful suggestions for policy design and further research on industrial energy efficiency.     

The energy sector in Eritrea—institutional and policy options for improving rural energy services

The energy consumption patterns and in particular, those of the rural household and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Eritrea are assessed. Eritrea's total final energy consumption in 1998 was estimated to be around 619,580 toe, of which 68% was consumed by the household sector, 16% by the commercial/public sector, 13% by transport and 3% by industry. The sources of energy were 66.3% biomass based (fuelwood, dung, charcoal, agri-residue), 31% oil products and 2% electricity. It is also noted that 98% of the rural population and 20% of the urban residents do not have access to electricity. Over 80% of the energy needs of rural enterprises is met by biomass or animate/human labour. To analyse the root problems hindering the wider dissemination of modern energy services to rural areas, two key hypotheses related to policy and institutional framework were selected and tested. The findings indicate that Eritrea has general energy policies pertaining to the development of electricity, oil and renewable energy sub-sectors for the benefit of the public and the economy. The absence of sharply focussed, pro-rural energy policy and/or their policy instruments has been observed. The key problem is, however, the weakness in implementation of rural energy projects and programmes. This is mainly due to inappropriate institutional structure and/or gaps in the structure, in addition to lack of corporate culture; poor incentives for workers; and, poor linkages among the various stakeholders concerned in energy for rural development.     

Adoption of energy-efficient technologies in German SMEs of the horticultural sector—the moderating role of personal and social factors

Many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could enhance energy efficiency and profits by investing in energy-efficient technology. Previous studies have identified various adoption factors and barriers related to energy-efficient technology. In our study, we understand the adoption of technology as a social process and put the decision-making manager in the focus of our research. Therefore, a manager’s attitude, the social environments, and possible adoption barriers are factors in the developed adoption model, which is tested empirically by using structural equation modeling and a dataset gained from a survey of energy-intensive horticultural companies in Germany. Thus, we do not regard self-reported technology adoption by managers, but use on-site observations in companies’ production processes to calculate the energy efficiency of the company. The results show the significant influence of a manager’s attitude and social environment on intention to adopt energy-efficient technology. However, there is no evidence for a correlation between the intended and real adoption of technology. This finding clearly discloses the gap between intention and behavior, which we explain based on external and internal obstacles. Altogether, the results stress the importance of personal and social factors in the adoption process of energy-efficient technology in SMEs of the horticultural sector.     

东北地区生态节能型新农村建设探索

东北地区冬季漫长寒冷,农村地区的人均能源消费较高,其中冬季取暖能源消费比重最大.通过分析东北农村地区的能源消费结构与消费特点以及农村规划建设中的主要问题,对东北农村地区的节能型新农村建设规划方法进行了探索.提出了在村镇规划中应适当集中规划、统一布局、功能分区、鼓励连排住宅、建设多重防风林带等规划方法,鼓励建设利用农村生...     

Energy efficiency barriers in commercial and industrial firms in Ukraine: An empirical analysis

Improvement in energy efficiency is one of the main options to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. However, large-scale deployment of energy-efficient technologies is constrained by several factors. Employing a survey of 509 industrial and commercial firms throughout Ukraine and a generalized ordered logit model, we quantified the economic, behavioral, and institutional barriers that may impede the deployment of energy-efficient technologies. Our analysis shows that behavioral barriers resulted from lack of information, knowledge, and awareness are major impediments to the adoption of energy-efficient technologies in Ukraine, and that financial barriers may further impede investments in these technologies especially for small firms. This suggests that carefully targeted information provisions and energy audits will enhance Ukrainian firms' investments in energy-efficient technologies to save energy consumption, improve productivity, and reduce carbon emissions from the productive sectors.     

开展能效对标,引导企业节能

开展能效对标活动是引导重点耗能企业节能的重大举措。本文扼要介绍了重点耗能企业能效对标工作的实施内容、实施步骤,指出了制度建设是重点耗能企业能效对标工作成功实施的关键。     

A state-of-the-art review of the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings in Saudi Arabia

Sustainable buildings have an important role in achieving sustainable development by improving energy utilization and environmental performance. Buildings are considered as the biggest single contributor to world energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Saudi Arabia, the significance of the building sector can be described on the basis of per capita electricity consumption, per capita carbon dioxide emissions, and the increasing number of buildings because of economic and population growth. Therefore, the country should consider establishing energy-efficient buildings to promote sustainable development. Efforts in developing energy-efficient technologies should increase for the national energy policy. This article comprehensively describes the current challenges and opportunities of energy consumption and various energy conservation options that are viable for the Saudi building sector. Current policy efforts for improving energy efficiency in Saudi buildings have been analyzed to enhance the sustainable development in the country. The study reveals that the energy conservation policy of the country has fairly improved in the past decades. However, the country has to focus on this area and perform urgent measures to adopt energy-efficient technologies in the building sector.     

Sustainable electricity generation for rural and peri-urban populations of sub-Saharan Africa: The “flexy-energy” concept

Access to energy is known as a key issue for poverty reduction. Electrification rate of sub-Saharan countries is one of the lowest among the developing countries. However, this part of the world has natural energy resources that could help raising its access to energy, then its economic development. An original “flexy-energy” concept of hybrid solar PV/diesel/biofuel power plant, without battery storage, is performed in this paper. This concept is developed in order to not only make access to energy possible for rural and peri-urban populations in Africa (by reducing the electricity generation cost) but also to make the electricity production sustainable in these areas. For landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, this concept could help them reducing their electricity bill (then their fuel consumption) and accelerate their rural and peri-urban electrification coverage.     

Techno-economic feasibility of photovoltaic,wind, diesel and hybrid electrification systems for off-grid rural electrification in Colombia

Electrification to rural and remote areas with limited or no access to grid connection is one of the most challenging issues in developing countries like Colombia. Due to the recent concerns about the global climatic change and diminishing fuel prices, searching for reliable, environmental friendly and renewable energy sources to satisfy the rising electrical energy demand has become vital. This study aims at analyzing the application of photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines and diesel generators in a stand-alone hybrid power generation system for rural electrification in three off-grid villages in Colombia with different climatic characteristics. The areas have been selected according to the “Colombia’s development plan 2011–2030 for non-conventional sources of energy”. First, different combinations of wind turbine, PV, and diesel generator are modeled and optimized to determine the most energy-efficient and cost-effective configuration for each location. HOMER software has been used to perform a techno-economic feasibility of the proposed hybrid systems, taking into account net present cost, initial capital cost, and cost of energy as economic indicators.     

Analysis of traditional rural houses in Turkey in terms of energy efficiency

Energy consumption of recent buildings in Turkey continues to increase, as it does around the world. Conversely, traditional rural house types perform well in terms of energy efficiency. This study investigated the energy efficiency methods applied in traditional rural houses in the rural Thrace region of Turkey, built using timber, stone and adobe construction methods. The energy-efficient characteristics of the sample structures were identified by investigating their site layout, plan types, building outer shell design and material specifications. This study concludes that in traditional rural houses, prevention of heat-loss has been regarded as highly important; solar energy is highly utilised and the colloquial architecture is well suited to the climatic conditions of the region. This study may contribute to the increased awareness of this subject among designers. The ecological characteristics of traditional rural houses can be applied to current buildings by evaluating and replicating these characteristics.     

Reaching the poor : Designing energy subsidies to benefit those that need it

Many developing countries have subsidized provision or consumption of energy in an effort to reduce costs to un-served households. But many of these efforts have had the opposite effect—preventing business from promoting access to rural electricity by the poor. Businesses go after the subsidies rather than concentrating on the development of financially sound, rural energy service businesses. In this article, Douglas F. Barnes and Jonathan Halpern, of the UNDP/World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) examine public policies for creating an enabling environment for promoting sustainable provision of decentralized modern energy services in rural areas.     

Effects of economies of scale and experience on the costs of energy-efficient technologies – case study of electric motors in Germany

Increasing energy efficiency is discussed as an effective way to protect the climate, even though this is frequently associated with additional (investment) costs when compared to standard technologies. However, the investment costs of emerging energy-efficient technologies can be reduced by economies of scale and experience curve effects. This also brings about higher market penetration by lowering market barriers. Experience curves have already been analyzed in detail for renewable energy technologies, but are not as well documented for energy-efficient technologies despite their significance for energy and climate policy decisions. This work provides empirical evidence for effects of economies of scale and experience on the costs of energy-efficient electric motors. We apply a new methodology to the estimation of learning effects that is particularly promising for energy-efficient technologies where the very low data availability did not allow calculations of learning rates so far. Energy-efficient electric motors are a highly relevant energy technology that is responsible for about 55% of German electricity consumption. The analysis consists of three main steps. First, the calculation of composite price indices based on gross value added statistics for Germany which show the changes in cost components of electric motors over the period 1995 to 2006; second, an estimation of the corresponding learning rate which is, in a third step, compared with learning rates observed for other energy-efficient technologies in a literature review. Due to restrictions of data availability, it was not possible to calculate a learning rate for the differential costs of energy-efficient motors compared to standard motors. Still, we estimated a learning rate of 9% for “Eff2” motors in a period when they penetrated the market and replaced the less efficient “Eff3” motors. Furthermore, we showed the contribution of different effects to these cost reductions, like a reduction of material use per motor produced by 15% and an improvement of labor productivity of 43%.     

Effect of fuelwood scarcity and socio-economic factors on household bio-based energy use and energy substitution in rural Ethiopia

In Ethiopia biomass is predominantly utilized for household energy needs often using inefficient rudimentary stoves which cause adverse environmental and welfare effects. This paper examined the contribution of biomass resources to rural household energy use and energy substitution. The analysis applied the ordinary least square in the final stage estimation of fuelwood and overall biomass energy consumption by using predicted shadow prices. The paper used Tobit model to estimate charcoal and agricultural fuel consumption due to the presence of censoring. An increase in fuelwood shadow price was associated with reduced household fuelwood consumption with price elasticity of −0.38. The cross price elasticity between fuelwood and agricultural fuels revealed no evidence of energy substitution, which conforms to the findings of previous studies. Household access to electricity was associated with lower household biomass energy utilization but kerosene was not fuelwood substitute. Household energy use conformed to the ‘fuel stacking’ or ‘multiple fuel use’ concept, but households preferred modern energy options as welfare increased in areas where modern energy is available. This suggests that there is a promising prospect for fuel-transition, but access to modern energy and economic growth have key roles. The findings suggest that a concerted policy effort is required that would help diversify rural livelihoods, improve living standards and encourage economic growth, encourage inter-fuel substitution through improved modern energy access and afforestation to increase biomass supply.     

Fostering active network management through SMEs’ practises

Managing the electricity network through ‘smart grid’ systems is a key strategy to address challenges of energy security, low carbon transitions and the replacement of ageing infrastructure networks in the UK. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a significant role in shaping patterns of energy consumption. Understanding how their activities interrelate with changes in electricity systems is critical for active network management. A significant challenge for the transformation of electricity systems involves comprehending the complexity that stems from the variety of commercial activities and diversity of social and organizational practises among SMEs that interact with material infrastructures. We engage with SMEs to consider how smart grid interventions ‘fit’ into everyday operational activities. Drawing on analysis of empirical data on electricity use, smart metre data, surveys, interviews and ‘energy tours’ with SMEs to understand lighting, space heating and cooling, refrigeration and IT use, this paper argues for experimenting with the use of practise theory as a framework for bringing together technical and social aspects of energy use in SMEs. This approach reveals that material circumstances and temporal factors shape current energy demand among SMEs, with ‘connectedness’ an emergent factor.     

Energy use and economical analysis of sugar beet production in Tokat province of Turkey

The purposes of this study were to determine energy consumption of input and output used in sugar beet production, and to make a cost analysis in Tokat, Turkey. Data were collected from 146 sugar beet farms in Tokat, Turkey by using a face-to-face questionnaire performed in January and February 2005. Farms were selected based on random sampling method. The results revealed that total energy consumption in sugar beet production was 39 685.51 MJ ha⁻¹, and accounted for 49.33% of fertilizer energy, and 24.16% of diesel energy. The output/input energy ratio was 25.75 and energy productivity was 1.53 kg MJ ha⁻¹. Results further indicated that 82.43% of total energy input was in non-renewable energy form, and only 12.82% was in renewable form. Economic analyses showed that profit–cost ratio of farms was 1.17. The highest energy cost items were labor, land renting, depreciation and fertilizers. Although intensive energy consumption in sugar beet production increased the yield, it also resulted in problems such as global warming, land degradation, nutrient loading and pesticide pollution. Therefore, there is a need to pursue a new policy to force producers to undertake energy-efficient practices to establish sustainable production systems without disrupting the natural resources. In addition, extension activities are needed to improve the efficiency of energy consumption and to sustain the natural resources.     

Rural energy development in Iran: Non-renewable and renewable resources

Rural areas in Iran are necessarily linked to agriculture with very little diversification. These communities are solely dependent upon the fortunes of one or two primary enterprises. This is an extremely tenuous situation and these communities must diversify to insure economic and social viability. The objectives of this study are to (1) identify problems and difficulties encountered in the social–economic infrastructure as related to rural energy development and (2) present the non-renewable and renewable energy resources and assess the current energy generation and consumption rates. The analysis show that while there are numerous non-renewable and renewable energy resources available, problems such as cultural barriers and lack of appropriate mentality about energy impede the much-needed development in the rural areas of country. To fulfill rural energy needs, renewable energy plants must be developed locally all across the country: hydro and geothermal in the northern and western areas, wind in the eastern and the southern planes, and solar energy in the central desert plateaus. In conclusion, proper distribution of subsidies and adaptation of new efficiency laws are identified as areas for improvements.     

我国居民生活用能特征研究

本文揭示了我国居民生活能源消费的主要特征:(1)居民生活能源消费量总体呈上升趋势,其在全社会能源消费总量中所占比重却持续下降。(2)城镇和农村居民生活用能特征有很大不同,城镇居民人均生活能源消费量增长极快,农村居民能源消费结构却仍以煤炭为主,引导居民部门能源消费应该对城乡居民有所侧重。(3)各区域居民生活能源利用效率存在明显差异,东部沿海地区能源利用效率最高、中部地区最低,要提高各区域生活能源利用效率,需根据各区域不同用能特征规划能源政策。     

Relative inequality in energy resource consumption: a case of Kanvashram village, Pauri Garhwal district, Uttranchall (India)

Energy planning exercises for rural areas make use of a mix of locally available renewable resources with some commercial resources to cater to the energy needs of the population. Such exercises are economically attractive in developing countries, whereby, the foreign exchange reserves for the purchase of commercial energy is curtailed. The first step in the implementation of an energy planning exercise is to understand the energy consumption and utilization habits of the population being served. Frequently, an assessment of the levels of inequality in the consumption of various resources is necessary as, this provides the rural planner with an understanding of the future trends and thus forearms him with strategic alternatives to combat any future energy resource crisis that the trends seem to imply.In the present paper, an attempt is made to assess the level of energy resource consumption inequality in a typical hilly rural Indian village. The Gini Coefficient of Inequality, a measure of inequality in the field of Econometrics has been applied for this assessment. The population is segregated into different categories based on their income levels and certain socio-economic criteria, which are also felt to exercise an influence on consumption levels of energy. The results of the analysis are then discussed in the light of the findings.     

Quick-E-scan: A methodology for the energy scan of SMEs

This paper introduces the Quick-E-Scan methodology that has been developed to achieve the operational energy efficiency of small & medium enterprises (SMEs), characterized by being scarcely disposed to long energy audits and by a limited budget for energy management programs. On one side, through dividing the firm into functional units – either service (lighting, HVAC, etc.) or production units – the main consuming areas are identified and a criticality index is defined; conversely, an enhancement index highlights the gap of each unit towards the best available techniques (BATs) in energy management programs. Finally, a priority index, created with the junction of the two indexes, points out the most profitable areas in which energy saving measures should be implemented. The methodology, particularly quick and simple, has been successfully tested in 38 SMEs in Northern Italy.     

Social,cultural and political dimensions of off-grid renewable energy programs in developing countries

Renewable energy based off-grid rural electrification programs are one of the most effective ways to increase access to energy in remote areas of developing countries. While a large number of such programs have been implemented, the rate of success, to ensure a long-term sustainable program, is low. Many of these programs have failed to appropriately address the social and cultural issues of target communities, which resulted low or no acceptance by the users. Similarly, many rural electrification policies fail to incorporate the needs and views of the users resulting in an unresponsive policy measures. In this paper a framework is presented that would assist in assessing community attitudes and their needs by presenting key factors that need to be considered in different stages of program development and implementation. The framework has been developed in line with the concept of “diffusion of innovation”, which has been found to be in agreement with the stages of off-grid renewable energy program development. It is anticipated that this holistic framework will not only help to achieve a long-term sustainable program, but will also offer a significant contribution in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by improving access to energy for rural people in developing countries.