The Role of Bioeconomy in the Future Energy Scenario: A State-of-the-Art Review

The bioeconomy aims at decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, preventing or reducing climate change, eliminating insecurity, and efficiently using resources; however, fierce controversy exists on conceivable pathways to accomplish these objectives. The transport sector alone, which encompasses all other industrial sectors, has grown with regard to its energy demand by 50% over the past 30 years. The aim of this paper is to promote a dialogue as to whether an economy based on biomass can be more sustainable than today’s existing economies, considering that the economy needs to expand and be boosted, while creating a cascading and recycling system. This semi-systematic review paper discusses four research questions based on findings from the last 20 years: (i) What are the crucial issues in the ongoing debate on the development of a sustainable bioeconomy concept? (ii) Where are the major conflicting points and focuses? (iii) How does the bioeconomy follow current urbanization and land-abandonment trends? (iv) How will the crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic change these previous scenarios? As it is not easy to currently predict which pathway will be the most effective, whether it be the one taken as of now or a specific novel pathway, this article recommends following a strategy that is diverse regarding its approaches to shaping the bioeconomy and further funding of renewable energy sources, along with the involvement of urban planning. In addition, conclusions are validated through a questionnaire completed by 51 experts in the field.

Cost–Benefit Analysis of Pumped Hydroelectricity Storage Investment in China

In this study, the energy scenario in China was analyzed by retracing the trend of exponential population growth, gross domestic product (GDP), and electricity production and consumption. A forecast up to 2050 was made based on the history and forecasts of other field studies. It was possible to deduce data on pollutants in terms of CO2 equivalent (CO2-eq) emitted over time if there were no changes in the way energy was produced. Moreover, different scenarios were hypothesized for the use of pumped hydroelectricity storage plants, namely 4.5%, 6%, 8%, 11%, and 14% (percentage of electricity compared to requirements in 2050), to balance variable renewable energy sources and avoid curtailment, thereby reducing the use of energy produced by coal-fired plants. For this implementation, direct and indirect costs and benefits were considered, with interesting results obtained from an economic standpoint and very positive results from environmental, social, and territorial perspectives.

Appraisal of Nuclear Energy as an Alternative Option in South Africa’s Energy Scenario: A Multicriteria Analysis

South Africa is being confronted with an irregular power supply, leading to persistent load shedding due to aged and unreliable coal-fired power plants. Connected with coal as a generating source for electricity from fossil fuels are environmental concerns such as emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change impacts. Nuclear energy can allay the country’s dependence on coal as a source of energy. This article, therefore, reviews the feasibility of nuclear energy using a multicriteria analysis technique. A combination of Strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the external and internal factors that could either positively or negatively affect the country’s nuclear energy expansion drive. From the analysis, the country’s enabling laws and regulatory framework recorded the highest score of 39.2% under the strengths for the sector. In the case of the weaknesses, the high cost of construction and long construction framework recorded the highest weight, of 50.47%. Energy export and demand under the opportunities recorded a weight of 52.09%, ranking it as the highest opportunity for the sector. Seismic events were identified as the biggest threat for nuclear power expansion in the country, and the experts assigned a weight of 42.5% to this factor.

Investigation of 1-Hexanol Diesel Blends on Performance, Combustion and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine

The most potential long-term and renewable substitute of mineral diesel are biofuels. The growth and degradation of energy resources have an enormous influence on the long-term viability of the human community. Alcohols are gaining prominence in the current renewable energy scenario due to their ease of manufacturing and fuel characteristics. In this investigation, hexanol-diesel blend ratios (up to 20% v/v) is taken into account for this investigation in a single cylinder, water cooled, unmodified 4-stroke DI diesel engine. The increase in 1-hexanol volume content correlates to an improvement in combustion thereby promoting brake thermal efficiency. The greater concentration of oxygen in 1-hexanol reduces emission viz. HC and CO and increases value of NOx. Current investigation recommends a feasible option to substitute ULSD for the capabilities of 1-hexanol.

The Making of China’s Climate Diplomacy: Analysis from the Perspective of Two-Level Games

This study illustrates the interaction of international and domestic factors that influenced China’s stance in the climate negotiations from 1992 to 2015. After providing a historical overview of China’s climate diplomacy, it elaborates on the external and internal factors that have shaped China’s climate diplomacy. At the international level, it examines the pressures that China has faced from both developed and developing countries at the United Nations climate change conferences. At the domestic level, it analyses three factors—China’s political system, its energy scenario and its environmental non-governmental organisations—that pushed China to soften its traditional positions. It ends with an elaboration of the interface of the international and domestic factors that have driven China’s shift away from blunt rejection of mitigation responsibility.

Estimating the Smart Readiness Indicator in the Italian Residential Building Stock in Different Scenarios

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2018/844/EU introduced the smart readiness indicator (SRI) to provide a framework to evaluate and promote building smartness in Europe. In order to establish a methodological framework for the SRI calculation, two technical studies were launched, at the end of which a consolidated methodology to calculate the SRI of a building basing on a flexible and modular multicriteria assessment has been proposed. In this paper the authors applied the above-mentioned methodology to estimate the SRI of the Italian residential building stock in different scenarios. To this end, eight “smart building typologies”, representative of the Italian residential building stock, have been identified. For each smart building typology, the SRI was calculated in three scenarios: (a) base scenario (building stock as it is); (b) an “energy scenario” (simple energy retrofit) and (c) a “smart energy scenario” (energy retrofit from a smart perspective). It was therefore possible to estimate a national average SRI value of 5.0%, 15.7%, and 27.5% in the three above defined scenarios, respectively.

Urban Overheating Impact: A Case Study on Building Energy Performance

It is well known that the construction sector is one of the main sectors responsible for energy consumption in the current global energy scenario. Thus, buildings’ energy software become essential tools for achieving energy savings. Climate and its implications for building energy performance are a critical threat. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the climatic conditions in urban and suburban areas of Rome, estimating the incidence of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. To this end, meteorological data obtained from three different areas (two airports and one inside the city) were examined and compared. Then, TRNSYS software was used to create a simple building, in order to assess the impacts of various climatic situations on building energy performance. The study revealed significant percentage differences both in terms of energy needs for heating, from −20.1% to −24.9% when the reference stations are, respectively, Fiumicino and Ciampino, and for cooling, with a wider range, from +48.7% to +87.5% when the reference stations are Ciampino and Fiumicino. Therefore, the study showed the importance of more accurately selecting sets of climate values to be included in energy simulations.