Article
Economics
Mengjia Ren, Lee G. Branstetter, Brian K. Kovak, Daniel Erian Armanios, Jiahai Yuan
Summary: Despite China's ambitious investments in renewable energy, the country has seen accelerated growth in coal power investments, leading to concerns of overcapacity and hindering the promotion of cleaner energy. The decentralized approval authority for coal power projects has incentivized excessive entry into the sector, particularly in regions with high coal production. This has led to an additional 54GW of approved coal power capacity in 2015, accounting for about a quarter of the total approved capacity that year.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dervis Kirikkaleli, Muhammad Ibrahim Shah, Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, Mehmet Altuntas
Summary: Political stability is a crucial factor in determining China's carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, technological innovation and renewable energy consumption can help reduce CO2 emissions, while economic growth tends to worsen environmental quality.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Economics
Rasmus Hundsbaek Pedersen, Ole Winckler Andersen
Summary: A conflict over the reduction in development finance for fossil-fuel projects emerged between Western and African governments at both last year's COP26 and the recent COP27. This indicates the importance of understanding the role of politics and power in energy transitions in lower income African countries. This paper argues that while countries share concerns over energy security and domestic energy development, differences in resource endowments significantly influence the potential for energy transitions.
Review
Environmental Studies
Benjamin K. Sovacool
Summary: This study critically examines the implications of energy justice in climate change mitigation through a review of literature on geography and political ecology over the past 20 years. It identifies four distinct processes in the political ecology of low-carbon transitions and suggests areas for future research, emphasizing inclusivity, diversity, and policy focus. The study highlights the need to prioritize sustainability over poverty in low-carbon transitions and climate action, aiming for a more pluralistic, democratic, and just future.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Huihuang Wu, Haozhe Yang, Xiurong Hu, Leyi Zheng, Jie Li, Yangfan Li, Xian Wang, Wendong Ge, Yuhan Zhou, Ying Liu, Junfeng Liu, Yuqing Wang, Jianmin Ma, Shu Tao
Summary: Building a low-carbon energy system is crucial for addressing global climate change and regional air pollution. This study shows that implementing a dynamic carbon tax and investing in renewable energy can significantly reduce coal consumption, decrease CO2 and air pollutant emissions, and mitigate the negative economic impacts of the carbon tax.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Muhammad Shahbaz, Jianda Wang, Kangyin Dong, Jun Zhao
Summary: The digital economy has a positive impact on energy transition, promoting the development of the consumption and generation structure of renewable energy. It stimulates energy transition by enhancing government governance capabilities and has a stronger positive effect in high-income countries.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mustafa Tevfik Kartal, Sudeshna Ghosh, Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo
Summary: The literature on renewable-economy-environmental causality shows inconsistent outcomes across sample sizes, model specifications, and periods. This study addresses this issue by using Bootstrap Rolling Window Granger Causality (BRWGC) test and finds causal interrelationships in sub-samples. The findings complement earlier research and provide a rationale for divergent outcomes.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Li-Chen Sim
Summary: The six Gulf monarchies in the Middle East and North Africa region are politically stable due to factors such as repression, neopatrimonialism, hydrocarbon-based rentierism, and supportive regional and international environments. This paper explores the potential impact of the energy transition towards renewable energy on governance resilience in these countries. The authors find that, although renewable energy deployment currently has a modest impact, it is not expected to negatively affect the stability of these monarchies in the long term.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Ma
Summary: This study quantitatively investigates the impact of digital money on increasing green energy use in China. The study contributes to the existing knowledge by employing empirical methods and demonstrates the importance of digital financing in promoting renewable energy adoption.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
G. Mutezo, J. Mulopo
Summary: The concept of circular economy has gained traction worldwide in the past decade, with more organizations considering its application in daily operations. The energy transition in Africa presents challenges and opportunities, particularly in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Economics
Bo Wang, Jianda Wang, Kangyin Dong, Xiucheng Dong
Summary: To achieve carbon neutrality targets, Asian countries have formulated renewable energy development strategies, among which digitalization has provided sufficient development impetus for the energy transition. The impact of the digital economy on renewable energy generation (REG) in Asian countries from 2003 to 2019 and the moderating effect of financial development, political stability, and the rule of law were explored using the IV-GMM technique. The results indicate that the digital economy has a positive effect on REG.
Article
Economics
Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, Kangyin Dong, Congyu Zhao, Han Phoumin
Summary: In the context of climate change, innovative financing solutions and the rapid development of financial technology (fintech) offer great potential for the growth of renewable energy. This paper examines the impact of fintech on renewable energy growth in China using panel data and instrumental variable estimation. The findings suggest that fintech has a positive effect on renewable energy growth, especially in provinces with lower levels of renewable energy growth. The digital economy plays a moderating role and green technological innovation acts as a mediator in this relationship. These results have important implications for governments and policymakers in promoting sustainable energy development.
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND POLICY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xue Liang, Hui Hwang Goh, Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Dongdong Zhang, Wei Dai, Hui Liu, Jiefeng Liu, Kai Chen Goh
Summary: This article investigates the possibility of using landfill gas (LFG) as a sustainable energy source to power data centers (DCs) and evaluates the impact of waste heat reuse on energy consumption. The study found that utilizing LFG and waste heat not only improves energy efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions, but also brings economic and social benefits, promoting sustainable development.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Geography
Brett Christophers
Summary: With the declining cost of solar and wind technologies, governments are reducing subsidies and guarantees for renewable power. However, the renewable sector still struggles to become commercially viable without state support. Power-purchase agreements (PPAs) are seen as a key mechanism to address this issue, as corporations sign long-term contracts to purchase electricity, unlocking development finance. However, relying on the purchasing habits of big tech companies raises important political, economic, and ecological questions.
Article
Environmental Studies
Sarah Knuth, Ingrid Behrsin, Anthony Levenda, James McCarthy
Summary: This theme issue emphasizes the crucial role of political ecology in supporting energy/climate justice, and highlights the important issues in renewable energy transition.
ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING E-NATURE AND SPACE
(2022)
Article
Economics
Marie-Louise Arlt, David Chassin, Claudio Rivetta, James Sweeney
Summary: This paper examines the impact of real-time pricing and load automation on residential distribution systems. The study finds that implementing real-time pricing can result in an aggregate welfare gain of 39 USD per customer and year. However, it also notes that RTP and load automation may significantly increase peak system load. Introducing a market-based demand management system can further enhance welfare gains and reduce grid investment.
Article
Economics
Javier Jorquera-Copier, Alvaro Lorca, Enzo Sauma, Stefan Lorenczik, Matias Negrete-Pincetic
Summary: As countries update their climate ambitions, low-carbon hydrogen production and use present opportunities for emissions reductions and economic development. A case study for Chile shows that integrating hydrogen and electricity networks can lower system costs and enhance renewable integration, but policy support is needed to address concerns related to water and land use.
Article
Economics
Dawit Guta, Hisham Zerriffi, Jill Baumgartner, Abhishek Jain, Sunil Mani, Darby Jack, Ellison Carter, Guofeng Shen, Jennifer Orgill-Meyer, Joshua Rosenthal, Katherine Dickinson, Rob Bailis, Yuta Masuda
Summary: Household solid fuel use is detrimental to health and the environment. The Indian government's PMUY subsidy has successfully promoted the adoption of LPG by millions of households. However, there is limited understanding of the decision-making process to reduce solid fuel use after transitioning to cleaner fuels. This study found that factors such as household wealth, social status, education level, and the prevalence of LPG use in the village are positively associated with LPG consumption and the discontinuation of solid fuel use. On the other hand, factors such as distance to LPG refill delivery, household size, and the PMUY subsidy are negatively associated with the share of LPG use.
Article
Economics
Nicolas Morell-Dameto, Jose Pablo Chaves-Avila, Tomas Gomez San Roman, Pablo Duenas-Martinez, Tim Schittekatte
Summary: This paper assesses the performance of differently implemented forward-looking network tariff designs and proposes an innovative coordination mechanism to increase predictability in a future with many flexible customers. The study reveals that if large shares of customers synchronize their responses to highly time-varying and locational-specific network charges, it can lead to unexpected reinforcements.
Article
Economics
Alexandra Gritz, Guntram Wolff
Summary: Russia's weaponization of gas supplies shook the energy security of Central and Eastern Europe in 2022. The region responded by increasing alternative energy supplies and developing new gas supply routes. Renewable energy, nuclear energy, and hydrogen play important roles in the long-term. Mitigating the impact of this shock requires the EU to prioritize the integrity of its energy market.
Article
Economics
Jaroslaw Kantorowicz, Marion Collewet, Matthew DiGiuseppe, Hendrik Vrijburg
Summary: Economic costs are a major political obstacle to investing in climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. The method of financing plays a crucial role in determining public opposition to government green investments, with debt financing being less opposed than broad-based taxes. This study suggests that credit market tools, such as green bonds and debt for climate swaps, can be politically efficient in increasing support for green financing. Carbon taxes and wealth taxes are found to be the most preferred options.
Article
Economics
Kun Guo, Liyuan Luan, Xiaoli Cai, Dayong Zhang, Qiang Ji
Summary: This paper investigates China's energy trade stability using a survival analysis approach. It finds that the energy trade linkages between China and 153 other countries are complex and unstable, with short periods of trade with many countries. Geopolitically risky regions, such as the Middle East and Africa, have the lowest trade stability. Climate risks have significant effects on energy trade stability. The paper proposes several policy options to improve energy trade stability in China, with special attention to increasing global climate risks.
Article
Economics
Simona Bigerna, Piyush Choudhary, Nikunj Kumar Jain, Silvia Micheli, Paolo Polinori
Summary: This study estimates the willingness to pay of Indian urban consumers for a continuous supply of electricity using contingent valuation method. The findings show that the amount consumers are willing to pay depends on the duration of power outages, with households preferring shorter outages. Income and environmental attitude also positively influence higher willingness to pay. These insights can inform policymakers in designing more reliable and customer-centric energy generation and distribution models.
Article
Economics
Temilade Sesan, Unico Uduka, Lucy Baker, Okechukwu Ugwu, Ewah Eleri, Subhes Bhattacharyya
Summary: This study examines the impact of the regulatory framework on rural electrification and universal energy access goals in Nigeria's mini-grid sector. The findings suggest that while the current framework has fostered sector growth, additional measures are necessary to ensure equitable distribution of access among rural populations.
Article
Economics
Rui Shan, Noah Kittner
Summary: Energy storage is a cornerstone in decarbonization planning as it reduces operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions, while enhancing resilience and renewables integration. However, storage developers in different regions have varying economic and environmental considerations, thereby requiring policy intervention to achieve long-term emission reductions.
Article
Economics
Tung Durmaz, Sevil Acar, Simay Kizilkaya
Summary: This study investigates the phenomenon of strategic capacity withholding in the Turkish electricity market and its relationship with the capacity remuneration mechanism. The empirical results provide strong evidence of strategic capacity withholding and show that the capacity mechanism contributes to the duration of failures. The study offers important insights for policymakers, including the implementation of a random verification mechanism and restructuring of the capacity mechanism in Turkey.
Article
Economics
Tii N. Nchofoung
Summary: The study finds that oil price shocks have a negative impact on Africa's energy transition, particularly in rural areas and net crude oil exporting countries. However, oil price shocks cannot explain the urban-rural differences in clean energy access. Therefore, increasing investment in clean energy and technologies in rural areas is necessary to enhance the resilience of the energy sector to oil price shocks.
Article
Economics
Najia Saqib, Muhammad Usman, Ilhan Ozturk, Arshian Sharif
Summary: This study examines the impact of environmental technologies, financial growth, and energy use on ecological footprint and green growth. Environmental innovation and renewable energy deployment contribute to green growth, while financial expansion and non-renewable energy use have negative effects on the environment. The study also identifies causal relationships between different factors.
Article
Economics
Yessica C. Y. Chung, Noxolo Kunene, Hung-Hao Chang
Summary: The Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is considered an innovative technology for building a green society. This study investigates the impact of REC purchases on stock return and volume in Taiwan between 2017 and 2021. The findings suggest that REC purchases have a positive effect on stock returns of manufacturing firms but not service firms. The frequency of REC purchases is also an important factor in the relationship between REC purchase and firm value. Additionally, the study reveals that public attention to environmental pollution plays a crucial role in positive stock returns and volume, while ESG disclosure is negatively associated with returns and volume.
Article
Economics
Seife Ayele, Wei Shen, Yacob Mulugetta, Tadesse Kuma Worako
Summary: This paper addresses the challenges of governing energy procurement from a mix of non-hydropower renewable energy sources supplied by independent producers. Building on political economy analysis and five case studies of independent producer projects from Ethiopia, it seeks to understand the root causes of the protracted delays and limited extent of procurement by independent producers. The key contestations lie in managing long term contracts, risk, uncertainty and in developing the institutional and human capacity to transition.