scholarly journals Energy Profiling of a High-Altitude Kyrgyz Community: Challenges and Motivations to Preserve Floodplain Ecosystems Based on Household Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13086
Author(s):  
Kedar Mehta ◽  
Mathias Ehrenwirth ◽  
Siegmund Missall ◽  
Nadira Degembaeva ◽  
Kuban Akmatov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Renewable Energies ◽  
Animal Dung ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Energy Behavior ◽  
Local Ecosystem

The floodplain areas along the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan are essential as they hold the riparian (local) ecosystems because they provide firewood, pastureland, and areas for recreation and protection against erosion. Due to limited access to adequate, reliable, and sustainable energy services, the rural population usually derived their energy needs from multiple natural energy resources (i.e., firewood, charcoal, agricultural residues, animal dung, and wood branches). This is considered a common and predominant practice in rural Kyrgyzstan. This situation leads to a negative impact on local ecosystem services. In addition to that, the reliance on solid fuels contributes to indoor and outdoor air pollution, which is partially threatening the local ecosystem services. By contrast, the employment of renewable-based energy supply systems would substantially reduce the burden on the environment, which is mainly untapped. To integrate renewable energies, it is important to understand the energy behavior of floodplain communities. In that response, the presented article is the first attempt to capture the energy identity of the floodplain community of Kyrgyzstan based on a quantitative energy-based (on-site) household survey. Furthermore, the present research article synthesizes the driving factors that have a (direct or indirect) impact on the energy and local ecosystem services. In addition, the present article proposes a brief pathway for the sustainable energy transition. The article records the recommendation to integrate renewable energies to preserve the local ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan.

Deploying ecosystem services to develop sustainable energy landscapes: a case study from the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Picchi ◽  
Simone Verzandvoort ◽  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
Kees Hendriks ◽  
Sven Stremke
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Landscapes ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Planning And Design

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.

scholarly journals Feasibility and Economic Impacts of the Energy Transition

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5345
Author(s):  
Elise Dupont ◽  
Marc Germain ◽  
Hervé Jeanmart
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Model ◽  
Renewable Energies ◽  
Macroeconomic Model ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Two Sectors

There is currently no consensus regarding whether or not renewable energies are capable of supplying all of our energy needs in the near future. To shed new light on this controversy, this paper develops a methodology articulating a macroeconomic model with two sectors (energy and non-energy) and an energy model that is able to calculate the maximum potentials of solar and wind energy.

scholarly journals Energy Transition at Home: A Survey on the Data and Practices That Lead to a Change in Household Energy Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5268
Author(s):  
Jacopo Gaspari ◽  
Ernesto Antonini ◽  
Lia Marchi ◽  
Vincenzo Vodola
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Household Energy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Energy Behavior ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Advanced Knowledge

Since energy transition depends significantly on reducing the built environment’s energy needs, many regulations and incentives have been implemented globally over the last three decades. Despite some positive results, many scholars suggest that households’ behavioral change could greatly accelerate progress. People’s levels of awareness and willingness to change, as well as the provision of feedback technologies, are important factors affecting the process. In spite of the extent of this body of literature, household consumption keeps rising. Our thesis is that the subject has been investigated without considering some important correlations among factors. Therefore, this study developed a survey to investigate actual consumers’ perspectives on the topic by combining people’s awareness of energy use, interaction with metering devices, and user motivation into a coherent framework. A testing session involving 500 people was held as a validation phase for a future large-scale launch of the questionnaire. The test yielded some early outcomes on how people become more interested in changing as they gain more knowledge and are offered suggestions. However, despite their supposedly advanced knowledge as educators and students, the sample’s level of awareness was low, suggesting that a more user-centered approach is needed for wide-scale progress.

scholarly journals On the path to sustainable energy landscapes? The social shaping of energy landscapes in the face of climate protection measures

Erdkunde ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-280
Author(s):  
Stephan Bosch ◽  
Matthias Schmidt ◽  
Dominik Kienmoser
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Renewable Energies ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Climate Protection ◽  
Energy Landscapes ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Balance ◽  
Just Society

Potential spatio-temporal patterns of renewable energies that take into account international climate protection strategies have been neither analysed nor visualised exactly in terms of their landscape complexity. Furthermore, it is unclear what land uses would be prevalent in new energy landscapes, due to a lack of restrictions, and which social conflicts would be associated with these land use changes. There is no knowledge at all about the extent to which existing land use, which has emerged from a capitalistic order, affects the achievement of a carbon-neutral and socially just society. It is also not clear how far it is possible to identify alternative spatial patterns of sustainable energy transition by altering spatial restrictions concerning renewable energies. For this reason, we want to model and visualise a regional energy landscape that corresponds to the objectives of the UN Climate Conference in terms of its regional greenhouse gas balance in the electricity sector. In this regard, the study provides a detailed analysis of the landscape transformations that would occur in rural spaces if those values which attempt to link energy transition to the Paris Agreement were to prevail. The analyses reveal that a strict orientation of the expansion of renewable energies towards climate protection goals would strongly mechanise rural areas, thus significantly transforming their social patterns.

scholarly journals A Unit Study of Externality of Shrimp Farming on Provisioning Services (Paddy Farming)

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santanu Ray ◽  
Suvendu Das ◽  
Prosenjit Saha ◽  
Arnab Banerjee ◽  
Manaswee Maity
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Shrimp Farming ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Local Ecosystem ◽  
Paddy Cultivation ◽  
Provisioning Services

Externality; the term can define as a positive or negative impact from either production or consumption of goods or services. Services provided by particular location have very specific dependency on spatial characteristics of that region. A region’s distinct characteristics make it ecologically unique from other such regions. Ecosystem services offered by these regions thus differ according to these unique ecological features. In this particular study, artificially imposed expansion of coastal shrimp farming towards the inland and its impact over paddy cultivation have been addressed.  Optimization of the extent of this manipulative coastal expansion has been supported by little modification of a previously described model.  Here the investment prediction for both shrimp and paddy farming has been investigated by calculating net present value (NPV). Shrimp farming has very specific externality on local ecosystem services. In this particular case, some contradictory results are presented and with respect to positive or negative externality; but the externality are strong. NPV results indicate that there is no long-term profitability in case of shrimp farming. Hence, an overall externality of shrimp farming has been described in context of this study.

scholarly journals Design of a Smart Nanogrid for Increasing Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3683
Author(s):  
Yerasimos Yerasimou ◽  
Marios Kynigos ◽  
Venizelos Efthymiou ◽  
George E. Georghiou
Keyword(s):  
Storage System ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Storage System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Interconnected System ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Energy Domain ◽  
Battery Energy

Distributed generation (DG) systems are growing in number, diversifying in driving technologies and providing substantial energy quantities in covering the energy needs of the interconnected system in an optimal way. This evolution of technologies is a response to the needs of the energy transition to a low carbon economy. A nanogrid is dependent on local resources through appropriate DG, confined within the boundaries of an energy domain not exceeding 100 kW of power. It can be a single building that is equipped with a local electricity generation to fulfil the building’s load consumption requirements, it is electrically interconnected with the external power system and it can optionally be equipped with a storage system. It is, however, mandatory that a nanogrid is equipped with a controller for optimisation of the production/consumption curves. This study presents design consideretions for nanogrids and the design of a nanogrid system consisting of a 40 kWp photovoltaic (PV) system and a 50 kWh battery energy storage system (BESS) managed via a central converter able to perform demand-side management (DSM). The implementation of the nanogrid aims at reducing the CO2 footprint of the confined domain and increase its self-sufficiency.

scholarly journals Decreased cortisol among hikers who preferentially visit and value biodiverse riparian zones

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellie Opdahl ◽  
Kathryn Demps ◽  
Julie A. Heath
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Riparian Areas ◽  
Indirect Pathway ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Gps Tracks

AbstractWhile outdoor recreationists often report increases to their well-being for time spent in nature, the mechanisms through which local ecologies affect human health have been difficult to quantify, and thus to manage. We combine data from pre-post salivary cortisol measures, GPS tracks, visitor photos, and surveys from 88 hikers traversing several types of landscape within peri-urban public lands in southwest Idaho, USA. We find that time in biodiverse riparian areas and areas of perceived aesthetic value correlates with decreases in salivary cortisol and improved well-being for hikers. Wildlife sightings were not associated with changes in salivary cortisol, but were associated with riparian travel and aesthetic preferences, indicating an indirect pathway for ecosystem services. Additionally, wildlife sightings decreased on high-use days, even though hikers did not perceive a negative impact of their recreational activity. These results suggest that cultural and physiological ecosystem services of nature depend on the ecological community of the area. Preferential visitation and high service value of riparian areas by hikers and wildlife alike target shared riparian areas as hot spots for management efforts to promote both ecological and human health within an increasingly urbanizing world.

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