Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tai-Hsi Wu, Shi-Wei Huang, Mei-Chen Lin, Hsin-Hua Wang
Summary: Previous research on energy security performance (ESP) has not explored the internal composition structure of the energy security system or the linking relationships of the energy supply chain. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework and a comparative study of ESP evaluation in 32 OECD countries over 20 years. The study reveals the performance of each process in the energy system and identifies benchmarks and areas for improvement in energy security.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Herie Park, Sungwoo Bae
Summary: The paper proposes a methodology to evaluate a country's energy supply security with a focus on the correlation between energy dependence and energy diversity. The study finds that even with higher energy diversity, a country highly dependent on energy imports may still face security risks in terms of energy supply.
Article
Thermodynamics
Mattia De Rosa, Kenneth Gainsford, Fabiano Pallonetto, Donal P. Finn
Summary: Energy security assessment is an important aspect of national security, economic stability, and prosperity, which quantifies the energy supply and the risk of energy disruption or shortage. This paper investigates the energy supply diversification in Europe and analyzes import dependence, market concentration, and renewable energy deployment. The results show a stable evolution of fuel mix diversity and a relatively low market concentration. However, high import dependency reduces energy security, and there is an increasing trend in renewable electricity production share.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
C. J. Axon, R. C. Darton
Summary: This study decomposed and evaluated the risks of the energy system, identifying fossil fuels and nuclear fission as the highest-risk fuel categories, while renewable energy sources were the lowest-risk options. By assessing the impacts of risk events using the triple-bottom-line methodology, system resilience is supported. The results emphasize the need for governments to prioritize long-term energy security and the risk factors hindering the low-carbon transition.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Eleonora Desogus, Daniele Grosso, Ettore Bompard, Stefano Lo Russo
Summary: Many countries heavily rely on imported fossil fuels due to limited local resources, which increases their vulnerability to geopolitical instability of suppliers. A science-based methodology is crucial for policy makers to monitor the security of energy supply system. This proposed model quantifies the risk of the supply system by incorporating geopolitical factors and allows for scenario analyses to assess the impact of geopolitical stability and supply interruptions. The model is applied to evaluate the security of the Italian crude oil supply system, identifying potential weaknesses and suggesting the need for diversification.
Article
Environmental Studies
Simona Bigerna, Francesca Ceccacci, Silvia Micheli, Paolo Polinori
Summary: In recent years, the number of countries affected by geopolitical crises has increased, leading to global economic consequences and impact on energy. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has drawn attention to the energy security concerns in the European Union, particularly its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels from Russia. Italy also heavily depends on foreign energy imports. This paper aims to analyze how much attention Italian governments have given to energy security issues and what actions have been taken to protect the country's economic interests. The findings reveal that Italy has undertaken various measures to address supply security, including diversifying its fossil fuel mix and suppliers. However, there is a need for better coordination among policy interventions. While indicators such as CO2 emissions and geographical origin of imports indicate challenges in substituting fossil fuels, positive trends are seen in renewable energy consumption and carbon intensity of industry consumption, highlighting changing policy priorities in supply security.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Fahad Bin Abdullah, Rizwan Iqbal, Sadique Ahmad, Mohammed A. El-Affendi, Maria Abdullah
Summary: This study presents a framework for assessing Pakistan's sustainable energy security (SES) between 1991 and 2020 by estimating its composite index, termed SESi, and three sub-indices. The findings point to a declining tendency in SES, with economic, social, and environmental factors all contributing to the decrease.
Article
Thermodynamics
Lars Nolting, Aaron Praktiknjo
Summary: This study investigates the impact of increasing complexity in energy systems on decision-making processes and proposes a mathematical framework to determine the optimal level of model detail. The findings suggest that increasing model complexity does not necessarily improve accuracy, and high-complexity models suffer from uncertainties in input data and high costs for sensitivity analysis.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Andriy Stavytskyy, Ganna Kharlamova, Olena Komendant, Jaroslaw Andrzejczak, Joanna Nakonieczny
Summary: The study aims to develop a methodology that provides an objective view of the international energy sector and cross-country comparisons. By calculating energy security index based on 29 indicators from World Bank data, the study offers insights into cluster dynamics of energy security trends. The results can be used for development of energy strategies and understanding geoeconomic interests of countries.
Article
Environmental Studies
Anish Koyamparambath, Jair Santillan-Saldivar, Benjamin McLellan, Guido Sonnemann
Summary: This study compared the supply risk of raw materials used in battery production with that of fossil fuels in selected regions from 2000 to 2018, using the GeoPolRisk method. The analysis showed a higher supply risk for raw materials compared to fossil fuels in all territories studied. Countries such as Canada and Australia are focusing on stockpiling minerals and minerals exploration for raw material security, while import-dependent nations like Japan and South Korea are seeking alternate sources for their supply. Policies for energy security have reduced the risk of fossil fuel supply, but similar measures for securing raw materials are still being discussed.
Article
Thermodynamics
Jiangquan Wang, Muhammad Shahbaz, Malin Song
Summary: This paper discusses the connotation of energy economic security and constructs an evaluation index system of regional energy economic security. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2017, the energy economic security of China and its regions improved, with suggestions on pathways for enhancing energy economic security.
Article
Thermodynamics
Xingtao Tian, Xiaojie Lin, Wei Zhong, Yi Zhou
Summary: This study proposed a security assessment method for electricity-gas-heat integrated energy systems based on vulnerability index, identifying vulnerable state variables and key control variables through a comprehensive analysis of current values, operation limits, and sensitivity factors. A case study validated the accuracy and efficiency of the method.
Article
Environmental Studies
Xiaochun Zhao, Mei Jiang, Zijun Wu, Ying Zhou
Summary: This paper focuses on 14 energy security policies issued by the Chinese government from 2014 to 2023 and evaluates their effectiveness using the Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) index model. The findings show that the average PMC index value of these policies is 6.96, indicating a good evaluation grade. Higher administrative level energy security policies have higher PMC index values. Among the 14 policies, one is rated as perfect, seven as excellent, four as good, and two as bad. The evaluation also reveals areas for improvement, such as policy subject, timeliness, incentive, and target.
Article
Economics
Saul Ngarava, Leocadia Zhou, Thulani Ningi, Martin M. Chari, Lwandiso Mdiya
Summary: The study investigated the energy poverty of female-headed households based on race/ethnicity in South Africa, finding that male-headed households were more affected. Female-headed households, especially Black/African ones, were generally more vulnerable to energy poverty. Gender of the household head and race/ethnicity of the female heads were found to impact energy poverty levels in South Africa, calling for gender-specific and race-aware policies to address these disparities.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
C. J. Axon, R. C. Darton
Summary: Demand Reduction is a strategy that can significantly contribute to the energy supply/demand balance by improving energy efficiency and changing people's behavior. It is considered as a negafuel that allows the same level of energy services to be met with a lower volume of supply. However, it also encounters risks such as assessing energy savings, building construction standards, optimism bias, policy changes, and operational failure.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Chukwuka G. Monyei, Paul Upham
Summary: This study examines the energy and climate impacts of data centers, exploring their energy consumption, community impacts, as well as technical and policy options for sustainability. It also analyzes the shifting energy governance of data centers and green design solutions.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Energy & Fuels
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Patrick Schmid, Andy Stirling, Goetz Walter, Gordon MacKerron
Review
Psychology, Biological
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Peter Newell, Sanya Carley, Jessica Fanzo
Summary: This review examines the impact of low-carbon technological and behavioral innovations on inequality and discusses how to ensure a sustainable and equitable low-carbon future.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2022)
Review
Environmental Studies
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Jonn Axsen, Laurence L. Delina, Hilary Schaffer Boudet, Varun Rai, Roman Sidortsov, Sefa Awaworyi Churchill, Kirsten E. H. Jenkins, Ray Galvin
Summary: Peer review is crucial for academic research, but issues such as poor reports, disregarded advice, and process undermining exist. This paper proposes codes of practice for peer review in the energy and social science research community, offering suggestions for reviewers, editors, and authors based on 60 years of editorial experience. The aim is to enhance the effectiveness, meaningfulness, and efficiency of the peer review process.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geography
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Chad M. Baum, Sean Low
Summary: This study critically examines the justice issues associated with 20 negative emissions and solar geoengineering technologies through a large-scale expert interview exercise. The study reveals various concerns, including resource extraction, manufacturing and labor, transportation and land-grabbing, unfair policymaking and planning, operational injustices, and waste flows and disposal. The researchers analyze how these concerns contribute to a milieu of injustice across dimensions such as distribution, recognition, participation, capabilities, and responsibility. The study concludes with insights for policy and future research.
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Economics
Harrison Hampton, Aoife M. Foley, Dylan Furszyfer Del Rio, Benjamin Sovacool
Summary: Accelerating the net-zero carbon transition is crucial for future retail electricity markets. Adopting a customer-centric approach in market design is essential to fully harness smart grid technologies.
Article
Economics
Michael Bradshaw, Patrick Devine-Wright, Darrick Evensen, Owen King, Abigail Martin, Stacia Ryder, Damien Short, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Paul Stretesky, Anna Szolucha, Laurence Williams
Summary: This paper explores the failure of the UK Government in shale gas development, combining literature review, expert interviews, household interviews, surveys, and content analysis of political testimony. It examines the framing of the shale gas debate in the national Parliament, changing public perceptions, and the attitudes and experiences of affected communities. The paper concludes with lessons learned from the initial policy failure.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Paul Upham, Benjamin Sovacool, Bipashyee Ghosh
Summary: This article proposes a framework for considering the justice issues of industrial cluster decarbonisation. The framework abstracts relevant themes from multiple literatures and illustrates their empirical relevance. The main themes of the framework include politics, space, and institutions; new processes and procedures; and correlates of acceptance and resistance. The framework can guide the design and evaluation of just transition processes.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Paul Upham, Mari Martiskainen, Kirsten E. H. Jenkins, Gerardo A. Torres A. Contreras, Neil Simcock
Summary: Tens of millions of households in Europe struggle to afford electricity, heating, and transportation, and recent high fuel prices may lead to more winter deaths. This study examines the causes and experiences of energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom through focus groups and expert interviews. The findings suggest policies such as mandatory landlord energy efficiency upgrades, increased financial assistance to households, cheaper or free bus and train fares, and the expansion of bus services, which are accepted by both experts and the public. The study also proposes redesigning energy and transport systems to align with principles of energy and social justice.
Letter
Psychology, Biological
Ramit Debnath, Sander van der Linden, R. Michael Alvarez, Benjamin K. K. Sovacool
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Chad M. Baum, Sean Low
Summary: Carbon removal and net-zero energy technologies have gained attention as options for addressing climate change, but there is ongoing debate on how to effectively use them. This review takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the social and technical aspects of carbon removal options, exploring modeling, social acceptance, innovation, and policy. The implications for policy and research are discussed.
Editorial Material
Energy & Fuels
David Bidwell, Benjamin K. Sovacool
Summary: Diverse attitudes towards community acceptance of energy technologies can create ambiguity in envisioning energy futures. Recognizing the tensions regarding justice perspectives and the level of desired change can enhance the quality of scholarship and policy dialogue.
Article
Environmental Studies
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Shannon Elizabeth Bell, Cara Daggett, Christine Labuski, Myles Lennon, Lindsay Naylor, Julie Klinger, Kelsey Leonard, Jeremy Firestone
Summary: Justice is not only a moral obligation, but it also plays a crucial role in promoting global decarbonization. However, technological innovations can lead to inequalities and environmental degradation. The concept of energy justice addresses these issues by emphasizing moral justness. Existing scholarship often fails to consider gender, Indigeneity, race, and other intersecting inequalities. Feminist, Indigenous, anti-racist, and postcolonial approaches provide important insights to counter theories of justice based on colonial, liberalist, majoritarian, utilitarian, or masculinist assumptions.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Chad M. Baum, Roberto Cantoni, Sean Low
Summary: Institutional theory, behavioral science, sociology, and political science all stress the importance of actors in social change. However, little attention has been given to the actors involved in researching, promoting, or deploying negative emissions and solar geoengineering technologies. This study uses expert interviews to empirically explore the types of actors associated with these climate interventions, investigate knowledge networks and patterns of involvement, and assess social acceptance, legitimacy, and governance.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Heike Brugger, Iska Brunzema, Alicja Dankowska, Devon Wemyss, Anne-Lorene Vernay, Regina Betz, Flor Avelino, Tessa de Geus, Agata Dembek, Elisabeth Duetschke, Sabine Hielscher, Marfuga Iskandarova, Leticia Mueller, Joerg Musiolik, Adelie Ranville, Joachim Schleich, Agata Stasik, Marta Struminska-Kutra, Christian Winzer, Julia Wittmayer, Karoline S. Rogge
Summary: Accelerating sustainable and just energy transitions remains a significant challenge, and social innovation plays a crucial role in this process. Through a comprehensive analysis of expert interviews, document analysis, experiments, surveys, and expert surveys, four key findings on social innovation in energy were identified: understanding the diversity of social innovation by recognizing core social practices and changes in social relations, the impact of governance, policy networks, and national context on social innovation dynamics, the critical role of multidimensional power relations in transformative changes, and the strong social acceptance and benefits of social innovation in energy among citizens and local communities. The analysis concludes that in Europe, social innovation in energy is driven by governance in a national context and receives strong acceptance from citizens.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
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.