The relationship between pollutant emissions,renewable energy,nuclear energy and GDP: empirical evidence from 18 developed and developing countries

This document investigates the causal relationship between nuclear energy (NE), pollutant emissions (CO₂ emissions), gross domestic product (GDP) and renewable energy (RE) using dynamic panel data models for a global panel consisting of 18 countries (developed and developing) covering the 1990–2013 period. Our results indicate that there is a co-integration between variables. The unit root test suggests that all the variables are stationary in first differences. The paper further examines the link using the Granger causality analysis of vector error correction model, which indicates a unidirectional relationship running from GDP per capita to pollutant emissions for the developed and developing countries. However, there is a unidirectional causality from GDP per capita to RE in the short and long run. This finding confirms the conservation hypothesis. Similarly, there is no causality between NE and GDP per capita.     

Exploring the hypothetical limits to a nuclear and renewable electricity future

This article evaluates whether the world can transition to a future global electricity system powered entirely by nuclear power plants, wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal facilities, hydroelectric stations, and biomass generators by 2030. It begins by explaining the scenario method employed for predicting future electricity generation, drawn mostly from tools used by the International Energy Agency. The article projects that the world would need to build about 7744 Gigawatts (GW) of installed electricity capacity by 2030 to provide 37.2 thousand terawatt‐hours (TWh). Synthesizing data from the primary literature, the article argues that meeting such a projection with nuclear and renewable power stations will be difficult. If constructed using commercially available and state‐of‐the‐art nuclear and renewable power stations today, the capital cost would exceed $40 trillion, anticipated negative externalities would exceed $1 trillion per year, and immense strain would be placed on land, water, material, and human resources. Even if nuclear and renewable power technologies were much improved, trillions of dollars of investment would still be needed, millions of hectares of land set aside, quadrillions of gallons of water used, and material supplies of aluminum, concrete, silicon, and steel heavily utilized or exhausted. Because of these constraints, the only true path towards a more sustainable electricity system appears to be reducing demand for electricity and consuming less of it. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alternatives to grid extension for rural electrification: Decentralized renewable energy technologies in Vietnam

This paper examines the economic viability of stand-alone, household-sized renewable energy technologies, namely wind generator and solar PV for application in remote and rural areas of Vietnam. Three reference technologies are chosen. These are two solar PV systems of 130 and 100 Wp for solar conditions in the North and the South, respectively, and one 150 W wind turbine. It is found for all regions that levelized costs of PV energy are lower than the cost of energy from gasoline gen-set, and are cost-competitive with grid extension, especially for areas with low load density and low number of households to be electrified. Regarding wind energy, the viability is dependent on the location due to the wide variation of wind resource to topography. However, in locations with proper resources, wind energy is even more cost-competitive than solar PV. Thus, the use of either wind generator or solar PV is economically feasible in rural villages and remote areas of Vietnam. Policy recommendations for promoting the market development of renewable energy technologies are discussed in the final section of the paper.     

Medium term market perspectives,goal prices and competitiveness of renewable resources in the Italian energy system

Using a multiperiodal LP model (MARKAL) the authors assessed the likely potential of solar thermal and biogas systems under various circumstances. The study covered the period 1980–2005, in five segments of five years. It focused only on the subsystem of the energy end-uses which can be substituted for by solar and biogas technologies. In this paper we show the main results of the study regarding the competitiveness of the single solar and biogas technologies in different scenarios and their sensitivity to incentives and prices, together with the essential technical data regarding demand and supply technologies which produced those results. The analysis performed of the potential penetration of renewable technologies into the Italian energy system shows that their contribution will remain very marginal if the price of conventional energy carriers remains constant in constant money. However, the objective of removing with renewable technologies 1.5 per cent of the total Italian energy consumption appears to be realistic in the short-medium term.     

A new thinking for renewable energy model: Remote sensing‐based renewable energy model

This paper mainly focuses on the two issues through remote sensing: assessment of the renewable energy potential and integration of the renewable energy model. Three methods for assessing the renewable energy potential with remote sensing (RS) are proposed. The methods can provide more precise evaluation of renewable energy potential, which is the first vital step to develop renewable energy model. The paper then first presents three integrations of the renewable energy model with RS and points out that with respect to the problems one of them is employed. The assessment methods based on RS and the integrations with RS are illustrated by a simple example with Europe solar energy data set. The results show that Germany is the optimal country to install photovoltaic with a capacity of 137 125 GW. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy diversification in Finland: achievements and potential of renewable energy development

Finland was an early adopter of several alternative energy technologies, particularly in biomass and hydropower energy for many years. The main policy in the Finnish energy and climate sectors is to increase the exploitation of renewable energy sources while reducing CO₂ emissions. Meanwhile, a successful energy policy should achieve three conflicting objectives: clean, cheap, and secure energy. The development of renewables in Finland has lagged that of other EU countries, particularly in fields such as wind power in recent years. This article discusses about the history, current status, and potentials of the major renewable and local energy in order of utilisation in Finland. It is seen that the major contributors to replacing carbon-based fuels are likely to be biomass and wind power, with geothermal and solar energy sources to play a lesser role.     

Profit-based conventional resource scheduling with renewable energy penetration

Technological breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies (RETs) enabled them to attain grid parity thereby making them potential contenders for existing conventional resources. To examine the market participation of RETs, this paper formulates a scheduling problem accommodating energy market participation of wind- and solar-independent power producers (IPPs) treating both conventional and RETs as identical entities. Furthermore, constraints pertaining to penetration and curtailments of RETs are restructured. Additionally, an appropriate objective function for profit incurred by conventional resource IPPs through reserve market participation as a function of renewable energy curtailment is also proposed. The proposed concept is simulated with a test system comprising 10 conventional generation units in conjunction with solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind energy generators (WEG). The simulation results indicate that renewable energy integration and its curtailment limits influence the market participation or scheduling strategies of conventional resources in both energy and reserve markets. Furthermore, load and reliability parameters are also affected.     

意大利的节能和可再生能源激励机制

新能源与可再生能源产业是具有环境效益的弱势产业，在市场化过程中面临着诸多的障碍和问题，政府支持是新能源与可再生能源市场培育的原动力。不论是发达国家还是发展中国家，新能源与可再生能源的发展离不开政府的支持，如投融资、税收、补贴、市场渗透等一系列的优惠政策。文章介绍了意大利在节能和可再生能源方面的激励政策。     

热泵技术与可再生能源的开发利用

目前,可再生能源和热泵技术受到广泛的重视.通过对可再生能源与热泵关系的分析以及对热泵低温热能采集方式的论述表明,可再生能源是热泵低温热源的主要来源,而热泵是可再生能源低温热利用最有效的方式,热泵技术的利用极大地拓展了可再生能源的利用范围.     

Financing solar thermal technologies under DSM programs: an innovative approach to promote renewable energy

A wide range of demand side management (DSM) options has been practiced so far in developed as well as in developing countries. However, solar thermal technologies have been left out from DSM programs considering them as supply side options. This study argues that a number of solar thermal technologies, which provide the same services as electric appliances, can be considered as DSM options and examines the possibility of promoting solar water heaters (SWH) under DSM programs in Thailand. The study found that installation of SWH in place of conventional electric water heaters (EWH) to meet hot water demand in the residential sector would be economically beneficial to the country as a whole. However, switching to SWH from EWH would be unlikely without having government interventions as there would be no incentives to individual consumers in doing so. If the government or state electric utilities provide funding to residential consumers through DSM programs for replacing their EWH by SWH, the total electricity generation in Thailand during the 2000–2015 period would decrease by 3.8 per cent. Moreover, promotion of SWH under DSM programs would cause 3.35 and 1.41 per cent reductions of total power sector CO₂‐ and NO_x‐emissions respectively, during the same period. This study also reveals that solar thermal technologies, especially the SWH, could be better options for DSM programs compared to the end‐use efficiency improvement options in Thailand. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

农村可再生能源与可持续发展

文章论述了可再生能源的结构及其在我国农村的发展,指出农村可再生能源的建设是一项综合的系统工程,需要政府,企业,农户的积极投入,才能达到能源,经济和环境的协调发展,才能推动“生态家园富民计划”的实施完成。     

Intermittent renewable energy: The only future source of hydrogen?

In this paper we assess the feasibility of various future energy production pathways for hydrogen. We argue that neither nuclear energy, nor coal gasification with carbon collection and storage can provide sufficient climate-neutral energy to be probable routes to a hydrogen future. Their contributions are likely to be too little and too late to be of much help. Hydroelectricity, geothermal and biomass energy can all provide base-load power, but even combined have limited potential, and are not always climate-neutral in operation. On the other hand, the high-potential renewable energy (RE) sources, particularly wind and direct solar energy, are intermittent. Further, wind resources are poorly matched to the existing distribution of world population. Wind power's high potential compared with present electricity demand, high return on energy invested, intermittency, and mismatch with load centres all favour hydrogen conversion and transmission to load centres.     

我国可再生能源政策与建议

阐述了我国发展可再生能源的必要性及其重要的现实意义，概述了国家对发展可再生能源的立场及其对支持可再生能源发展所实施的宏观政策、对外开放政策、经济政策及一系列的可再生能源工程，并针对实践中就政策的不足之处提出了完善的建议。     

Making a renewable energy future a reality: Case studies in successful renewable energy development

The environmental sustainability of the current global energy system is under serious question. A major transition away from fossil fuels to one based on energy efficiency and renewable energy is required.The development of a wide range of renewable energy technologies is continuing at an impressive rate. Cost reductions have been real and impressive. With few exceptions however, the relative contribution of renewable energy to the total energy mix remains quite small in most countries. There are still a wide range of barriers preventing renewables from making a much more significant contribution.The paper utilises a range of case studies from around the world which demonstrate some of the lessons of successful renewable energy implementation, and suggest a set of coordinated policies which would lead to a growing role for renewable energy in the commercial energy market.     

发展可再生能源对浙江省节能减排的意义

分析了浙江省可再生能源资源条件和发展现状,提出了发展可再生能源是浙江省优化能源结构、降低能耗强度、保护生态环境、实现低碳经济发展的重要保障措施。     

Australia's mandatory renewable energy target (MRET): an assessment

In June 2004, the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, released the long-awaited government blueprint for the favoured policy direction for the country's energy sector, Securing Australia's Energy Future. In part this document was a response to a review of the operation of Australia's mandatory renewable energy target (MRET), a regime that started in April 2001. MRET was put under detailed scrutiny from March 2003 onwards by a four-person panel (the Tambling Committee), appointed by the Howard coalition (conservative) government, that received 248 detailed submissions and finally released its findings to the public in January 2004. This paper presents an overview of (i) the range of opinions on MRET presented to the Tambling Inquiry; (ii) the recommendations of that Committee; (iii) the final judgement on MRET enunciated in Securing Australia's Energy Future; and (iv) the response of the States.     

循环经济框架下的可再生能源发展回顾与思考

在国家倡导大力发展循环经济的形势下,回顾了国内外可再生能源产业现状,展望可再生能源产业发展的前景,剖析了可再生能源产业发展中的问题,提出了建设性的意见。     

A review of marine renewable energy storage

Marine renewable energies are promising enablers of a cleaner energy future. Some technologies, like wind, are maturing and have already achieved commercial success. Similar to their terrestrial counterparts, marine renewable energy systems require energy storage capabilities to achieve the flexibility of the 21st century grid demand. The unique difficulties imposed by a harsh marine environment challenge the unencumbered rise of marine renewable energy generation and storage systems. In this study, the fundamentals of marine renewable energy generation technologies are briefed. A comprehensive review and comparison of state‐of‐the‐art novel marine renewable energy storage technologies, including pumped hydro storage (PHS), compressed air energy storage (CAES), battery energy storage (BES), hydrogen energy storage (HES), gravity energy storage (GES), and buoyancy energy storage (ByES), are conducted. The pros and cons, and potential applications, of various marine renewable energy storage technologies are also compiled. Finally, several future trends of marine renewable energy storage technologies are connoted.     

Optimal hybrid renewable energy systems for energy security: a comparative study

A hybrid power system may be used to reduce dependency on either conventional energy or renewable systems. This article deals with the sizing, generator running hours, sensitivity analysis, optimisation, and greenhouse gas emission analysis of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES). Two locations have been selected where the feasibility of using different hybrid systems is studied for the same load demand. One site is the small remote community of Amini in the Lakshadweep Islands, located in southern India in the Arabian Sea, where solar and/or wind energy is always available throughout the year to provide energy security. Another place is the rural township of Hathras, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where agricultural biomass is found in abundance for the whole year. A comparative study has been made for the two locations for the same load demand by simulating HRES. To achieve the goal of simulation, the hybrid optimisation model for electric renewables (HOMER) software of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA, is used. An optimisation model of a hybrid renewable system has been prepared which simplifies the task of evaluating the design of an off-grid/standalone system. After simulating all possible system equipment with their sizes, a list of many possible configurations may be evaluated and sorted by net present cost to compare the design options. An elaborate sensitivity analysis has been used for each input variable; the whole optimisation process is repeated to get simulated system configurations     

广东可再生能源利用及发展研究

阐述了广东利用和发展可再生能源的必要性，分析了广东利用和发展可再生能源的有利条件，提出了广东可再生能源发展的重点及对策。