Model for a sustainable energy transition in Spain. Case study in a district of the Basque Country

PurposeThe transition to a low carbon future is an emerging challenge and requires the planning and designing of sustainable energy landscapes – landscapes that provide renewable energy while safeguarding the supply of other ecosystem services. The aim of this paper is to present the application of an ecosystem services trade-off assessment in the development of sustainable energy landscapes for long-term strategic planning in a case study in Schouwen-Duivenland, The Netherlands.Design/methodology/approachThe application consists in three activities: in (1) stakeholder mapping hot spots of ecosystem services and renewable energy technologies in a workshop, (2) landscape design principles being discussed by a focus group, (3) experts gathering the information and proceeding with an assessment of the potential synergies and trade-offs.FindingsThe case study indicates that (1) deploying the ecosystem services framework in planning and design can enhance the development of sustainable energy landscapes, (2) diversified and accurate spatial reference systems advance the trade-off analysis of both regulating and cultural ecosystem services and (3) the involvement of local stakeholders can advance the trade-off analysis and, ultimately, facilitates the transition to a low-carbon future with sustainable energy landscapes.Originality/valueThe originality of this research lies in the creation of an approach for the deployment of ecosystem services in the planning and design of energy transition. This is useful to advance energy transition by enhancing research methods, by providing methods useful for planners and designers and by supporting communities pursuing energy self-sufficiency in a sustainable manner.

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Carbon Lock-in and Contradictions – Teaching Mexico’s Energy Transition

10.20944/preprints202106.0286.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ariel Macaspac Hernandez ◽

Daniel Alejandro Pacheco Rojas ◽

Diana Barrón Villaverde

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Sustainable Energy ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Interesting Case ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Entry Points ◽

Development Trajectory ◽

Lock In

The energy sector plays an important role in Mexico’s development trajectory. Mexico makes an interesting case study, because it shows how difficult it is to reduce fossil energy dependence despite geographic and climatic conditions that favour renewable energy deployment and use. Resolving path dependencies and the related carbon lock-in are key to Mexico’s sustainable energy transition. This case study aims to identify and discuss how carbon lock-in affects Mexico’s sustainable energy transition. Mexico’s carbon lock-in involves oil and oil-run power plants that are costly to build but relatively inexpensive to operate. This case study identifies potential entry points for transitioning towards sustainable energy in Mexico – resources that can promote the use of clean energy despite carbon lock-in. For example, focusing on electrification – particularly of the carbon-intensive sectors – can help Mexico transit towards sustainable energy despite institutional constraints. Complementing this case study is a teaching guide with recommendations for using Mexico’s energy transition in courses on sustainability. It introduces a “learning activation framework” to identify emerging opportunities that can advance sustainable energy transitions in different cases of carbon lock-in. Finally, the framework also gives students a chance to help dismantle or cope with carbon lock-ins.

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Perspectives for the development of energy strategies - Challenges towards a hydrogen economy in Cyprus

10.47248/hkod902101020004 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Andreas Poullikkas

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Energy ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Energy Strategy ◽

Hydrogen Economy ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Term Energy ◽

Energy Strategies ◽

Carbon Economy

The present perspective aims to record the main actions that Cyprus, as a case study, needs to carry out in order to draw up a comprehensive long–term sustainable energy strategy for its transition from carbon economy to hydrogen economy. A brief description of the European sustainable energy strategy up to 2050 is provided. A transition to hydrogen economy by 2050, focusing on the importance of electricity interconnections including Cyprus’ crucial role with respect to the transition of Southeastern Mediterranean countries to hydrogen economy and how they could become energy exporters to Europe is discussed. Last but not least, this perspective presents the framework for drafting a long–term energy strategy for Cyprus and provides a set of targets for Cyprus’ energy transition to hydrogen economy by the year 2050

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Carbon Lock-In and Contradictions—Applied Guide to Academic Teaching of Mexico’s Energy Transition

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11188289 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 8289

Author(s):

Ariel Macaspac Hernandez ◽

Daniel Alejandro Pacheco Rojas ◽

Diana Barrón Villaverde

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Sustainable Energy ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Interesting Case ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Teaching Guide ◽

Entry Points ◽

Lock In

The energy sector plays an important role in Mexico’s development trajectory. Mexico makes an interesting case study because it shows how difficult it is to reduce fossil energy dependence despite geographic and climatic conditions that favour renewable energy deployment and use. Resolving path dependencies and the related carbon lock-in are key to Mexico’s sustainable energy transition. This applied teaching guide contemplates the use of a case-illustration typology to identify and discuss how the politics about carbon lock-in affects Mexico’s sustainable energy transition. This methodology is an innovative endeavour that aims to apply the case study in classrooms with the intention to encourage discussions and solution-oriented approaches when tangible actions are identified by the educator and students. This methodology elevates the case study to a “living” case study that leads to recommended actions. The applied teaching guide allows educators, who are mostly researchers, to reflect on how Mexico’s case study could be explained not only to promote the students’ understanding of the challenges, but also to provide educators/researchers the skills on how to effectively disseminate knowledge. Mexico’s carbon lock-in involves oil and oil-run power plants that are costly to build but relatively inexpensive to operate. To conclude, this case study identifies potential entry points for transitioning towards sustainable energy in Mexico—resources that can promote the use of clean energy despite carbon lock-in. For example, focusing on electrification—particularly the carbon-intensive sectors—can help Mexico transit towards sustainable energy despite institutional constraints. Complementing this case study is a teaching guide with recommendations for using Mexico’s energy transition in courses on sustainability. By understanding how to explain the case study, the educator/researcher can better structure the complexity of the case study. This approach introduces a “learning activation framework” to identify emerging opportunities that can advance sustainable energy transitions in different cases of carbon lock-in. The framework also gives students a chance to help dismantle or cope with carbon lock-ins. Mexico’s energy transition makes a valuable teaching example because its energy transition is part of a broader developmental goal. This teaching guide’s systematic approach can maximise the students’ learning experience.

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Determinants and barriers of PV self-consumption in Spain from the perception of the installers for the promotion of distributed energy systems

ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ◽

10.3280/efe2020-001007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 153-169

Author(s):

José Ángel Gimeno ◽

Eva Llera Sastresa ◽

Sabina Scarpellini

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Low Carbon ◽

The European Union ◽

Distributed Energy ◽

Sustainable Solutions ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Transition Scenario

Currently, self-consumption and distributed energy facilities are considered as viable and sustainable solutions in the energy transition scenario within the European Union. In a low carbon society, the exploitation of renewables for self-consumption is closely tied to the energy market at the territorial level, in search of a compromise between competitiveness and the sustainable exploitation of resources. Investments in these facilities are highly sensitive to the existence of favourable conditions at the territorial level, and the energy policies adopted in the European Union have contributed positively to the distributed renewables development and the reduction of their costs in the last decade. However, the number of the installed facilities is uneven in the European Countries and those factors that are more determinant for the investments in self-consumption are still under investigation. In this scenario, this paper presents the main results obtained through the analysis of the determinants in self-consumption investments from a case study in Spain, where the penetration of this type of facilities is being less relevant than in other countries. As a novelty of this study, the main influential drivers and barriers in self-consumption are classified and analysed from the installers' perspective. On the basis of the information obtained from the installers involved in the installation of these facilities, incentives and barriers are analysed within the existing legal framework and the potential specific lines of the promotion for the effective deployment of self-consumption in an energy transition scenario.

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