scholarly journals Building a Common Support Framework in Differing Realities—Conditions for Renewable Energy Communities in Germany and Bulgaria

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4693
Author(s):  
Deyana Spasova ◽  
Sibylle Braungardt
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Member States ◽  
Common Support ◽  
Country Analysis

The revised EU Renewable Energy Directive first introduced renewable energy communities into the EU policy framework and requires Member States to implement a support framework for them. Given the broad scientific evidence showing the benefits of community energy for a just energy transition, a successful implementation across all Member States is essential. However, the preconditions for developing support frameworks differ largely between EU nations, as some countries have long-term experiences with supporting renewable energy communities (i.e., Germany and Denmark), while in other Member States, renewable energy communities are notably non-existent (i.e., Eastern European nations). With the purpose of providing scientific evidence to support the development of a policy framework for renewable energy communities in Eastern European Member States, this article compares key factors for the development of such communities in Bulgaria and Germany, combining a literature review with expert interviews to collect primary information on Bulgaria. A country analysis puts these factors into the contexts of both countries, while a cross-country comparison demonstrates that there are significant gaps in the support framework of Bulgaria, although these gaps are, to a lesser extent, also present in Germany. We discuss these shortcomings, derive policy recommendations and identify further research needs.

scholarly journals A Policy Review of Green Hydrogen Economy in Southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13240
Author(s):  
Katundu Imasiku ◽  
Fortunate Farirai ◽  
Jane Olwoch ◽  
Solomon Nwabueze Agbo
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Hydrogen Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources

Renewable energy and clean energy have been on the global agenda for energy transition for quite a long time but recently gained strong momentum, especially with the anticipated depletion of fossil fuels alongside increasing environmental degradation from their exploitation and the changing climate caused by their excessive carbon emissions. Despite this, Africa’s pursuit to transition to a green economy using renewable energy resources still faces constraints that hamper further development and commercialization. These may include socio-economic, technical, political, financial, and institutional policy framework barriers. Although hydrogen demand is still low in Southern Africa, the region can meet the global demands for green hydrogen as a major supplier because of its enormous renewable energy resource-base. This article reviews existing renewable energy resources and hydrogen energy policies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The significance of this review is that it explores how clean energy technologies that utilize renewable energy resources address the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs) and identifies the hydrogen energy policy gaps. This review further presents policy options and recommends approaches to enhance hydrogen energy production and ramp the energy transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a hydrogen energy-based economy in Southern Africa. Concisely, the transition can be achieved if the existing hydrogen energy policy framework gap is narrowed by formulating policies that are specific to hydrogen development in each country with the associated economic benefits of hydrogen energy clearly outlined.

scholarly journals The Rise of Community Energy from Grassroots to Mainstream: The Role of Law and Policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-510
Author(s):  
Annalisa Savaresi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Generation ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Generation

Abstract In recent years, national and subnational law-makers and policy-makers have increasingly adopted measures to stimulate decentralised renewable energy generation, turning local and rural communities into prominent actors in the energy transition. The recast of the EU Renewable Energy Directive follows this trend, prompting all EU Member States to adopt measures to spearhead community energy. Yet to date, only a handful of ‘pioneer’ EU Member States—most saliently Denmark, Germany and the UK—have accrued significant experience with the mainstreaming of community energy. This article reflects on the role of law and policy in turning grassroots community action into a mainstream means for renewable energy generation. It unpacks the regulatory questions underlying the notion of community energy embedded in the Renewables Directive, looking at how these have been addressed in pioneer Member States. This analysis aims to deliver greater understanding of community energy, to highlight gaps in our knowledge of it, and ultimately to identify an agenda for further scholarly enquiry.

scholarly journals Opening up the Black Box of Group Decision-Making on Solar Energy: The Case of Strata Buildings in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith C. M. Roodenrijs ◽  
Dries L. T. Hegger ◽  
Heleen L. P. Mees ◽  
Peter Driessen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Group Decision Making ◽  
Group Decision ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Decision Making Processes

The adoption of solar energy is lagging behind in urban areas worldwide. Although the literature on energy transition is abundant, it has been focused mostly at the systems level. Few studies have addressed on-the-ground implementation. This paper examines a specific but prominent example of such on-the-ground practice: decision-making processes in strata buildings whose owners are organized in a (home) owners’ association. These buildings constitute a significant proportion of the housing stock in European cities, and hence their role in energy transition cannot be underestimated. In strata buildings, homeowners have to reach an agreement before renewable energy measures can be implemented. These related group decision-making processes are still a black box, however. We constructed a tentative framework based on a review of group decision-making and applied literature, which we validated and refined using a survey and in-depth interviews with (home) owners’ associations in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our study aimed to explore what the stimuli and barriers for the adoption of renewable energy measures in group settings are. Our empirical findings suggest that leadership and information processing are key factors that explain the outcomes of group decision-making processes. Whereas many are convinced that energy transitions are technically possible, their day-to-day implementation has proven to be complicated. For energy transitions to succeed, the recognition of key factors that explain the outcomes of group decision-making needs to be taken into account.

Renewable Energy in the East African Communitys and its Role in Sustainable Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Liudmila Kalinichenko
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
East African ◽  
Geothermal Resources ◽  
East African Community

The article analyses the role of renewable energy in the process of the development of the energy market of the East African Community (EAC) . The author underlines the necessity of finding solutions for such challenges as rising wood and charcoal prices, deforestation, lack of affordable and reliable electricity for a large number of consumers. The study reveals that nowadays the percentage of people with access to modern sources of energy is very low, varying from 7 % in Burundi to 36% in Kenya, although the EAC countries made significant progress in 2000s. Most people in rural areas rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, which leads to ecological and health problems. The author concludes that renewable energy development is considered by the Community as one of the prospective ways for providing energy to remote regions in view of abundant solar, wind and geothermal resources. Their strategy aims at the construction of micro and mini hydro stations, stand-alone solar PV systems and off-grids for rural population usage. The study shows that the investment in off-grid renewables has been steadily rising in recent times . Analyzing grid-connected power generation electricity, the author elicits that it is also based on renewable electricity, which accounts for 65% of the total amount. Kenya, with the highest installed capacity in this sector, is investing mainly in geothermal, solar and wind sources of energy, while the others are focusing on hydropower and solar. For the purpose of attracting private investment, the EAC partner states adopted different regulations, including Feed-in Tariff, zero-VAT and GET FIT Programme. The author assumes that renewable energy financing is one of the main challenges despite the support of different international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, UNIDO, AfDB and others. Nowadays energy efficiency measures are becoming important instruments for the EAC countries resulted in power savings. The other important trend is increasing cooperation among them due to their grid-connected power systems in the East African Power Pool. In this context, in November 2017, the EAC Partner States adopted Energy Security Policy Framework, in order to ensure the sustainable development of their energy sector.

scholarly journals Regional Electricity Models for Community Energy in Germany: The Role of Governance Structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Moritz Ehrtmann ◽  
Lars Holstenkamp ◽  
Timon Becker
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Energy Companies ◽  
Desk Research

Community energy actors play an important role in the energy transition, fostering the diffusion of sustainable innovation in the renewable energy market. Because market conditions for business models in the renewable energy sector are changing and feed-in-tariff (FiT) schemes expiring, community energy companies are in the process of innovating their business models. In recent years, several community energy companies in Germany have entered the electricity retail market selling locally generated electricity from their renewable energy installations to customers in their region. We explore the evolving regional electricity business models for community energy companies in Germany, related governance structures, and the role they play for a sustainable energy transition. In order to implement these complex business models, community energy companies cooperate with professional marketing partners (intermediaries), which are capable of taking over the tasks and obligations of electricity suppliers. Through a series of expert interviews and desk research, we identify three distinctive regional electricity business models and examine opportunities and challenges to their implementation. Results show that there are different forms of cooperation, leading to specific governance structures and creating a set of new value propositions. Through these forms of cooperation, business networks emerge, which can function as incubators for sustainable innovation and learning for the post-FiT era.

scholarly journals Assessing the Level of Renewable Energy Development in the European Union Member States. A 10-Year Perspective

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3765
Author(s):  
Jarosław Brodny ◽  
Magdalena Tutak ◽  
Peter Bindzár
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Development ◽  
The State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Current State ◽  
Renewable Energy Development ◽  
European Union Countries

The global economic development is, to a great extent, dependent on access to large amounts of cheap energy sources. The growing social awareness of ecology and the enormous damage to the Earth’s ecosystem due to the production of energy from conventional sources have forced fundamental changes in the energy sector. Renewable energy is considered to be an opportunity for such changes. The current state of the art allows such changes to be made without restricting economic development. Therefore, activities related to the energy transition are being taken all over the world. The European Union has definitely managed to achieve the most tangible effects in this regard. This article presents the findings of the research aimed at presenting the current state of renewable energy in the European Union and analyzing the changes reported in this sector in the last decade. The research was carried out using a selected set of 11 indicators characterizing renewable energy in individual countries. These indicators were selected on the basis of literature review and own studies of the state of renewable energy and its development prospects. Based on these indicators, changes in the energy structure of individual European Union countries between 2008–2018 were determined. The study is divided into two main stages. The principal components analysis (PCA) was used for the first analysis. In turn, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was adopted to assess the level of renewable energy development in the European Union countries. Both these methods and the extended statistical analysis were applied to determine the state of renewable energy development in the European Union countries in the studied period and to divide the Member States into classes with different levels of development. The results of the study showed that the EU countries are characterized by significant differences in the development of RES during the period in question. The unquestionable leaders in this respect are Sweden, Austria, Finland, and Latvia. Based on the findings, it is possible to evaluate the effects of activities related to renewable energy development and to prepare assumptions for future activities. Additionally, both the research and its findings broaden the knowledge of the directions of renewable energy development in individual European Union countries. This is particularly important in the context of changes related to the need to reduce harmful substance emissions and the implementation of the European Green Deal idea.

scholarly journals Optimize Design of Run-Flat Tires by Simulation and Experimental Research

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Huaqiao Liu ◽  
Yiren Pan ◽  
Huiguang Bian ◽  
Chuansheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Stress Distribution ◽  
Energy Loss ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Performance Tests ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Heat Accumulation ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Structural Rigidity ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Durability Testing

In this study, the two key factors affecting the thermal performance of the insert rubber and stress distribution on the tire sidewall were analyzed extensively through various performance tests and simulations to promote the development of run-flat tires. Four compounds and two structures of insert rubber were designed to investigate the effects of heat accumulation and stress distribution on durability testing at zero pressure. It was concluded that the rigidity and tensile strength of the compound were negatively correlated with temperature. The deformation was a key factor that affects energy loss, which could not be judged solely by the loss factor. The stress distribution, however, should be considered in order to avoid early damage of the tire caused by stress concentration. On the whole, the careful balance of mechanical strength, energy loss, and structural rigidity was the key to the optimal development of run-flat tires. More importantly, the successful implementation of the simulations in the study provided important and useful guidance for run-flat tire development.

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