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Abstract: One of the requirements for guaranteeing environmental sustainability is lowering the proportion of non-renewable energy in energy consumption and raising the balance of renewable energy. Factors like resource productivity, renewable energy consumption, and energy productivity are necessary to mitigate environmental deterioration. However, there has yet to be much research done in the current literature on the impact that resource productivity, energy productivity, and renewable energy consumption play in reducing environmental deterioration. This study aims to reach Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 12, which address a clean environment. For this purpose, the impact of resource efficiency, energy efficiency, and renewable energy on environmental quality was investigated for selected EU countries, namely the Czech Republic, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, and Poland. This research also assesses the results of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, a goal set at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-26), and the European Union's carbon zero objectives by 2050. The present study's data spans from 2000 to 2019. Two distinct estimators (CCEMG and AMG) were used to estimate long-run coefficients. When the panel is analyzed as a whole, economic growth reducesthe load capacity factor (LCF), according to both estimators. Only for Luxembourg does economic growth result in a rise in LCF, per findings by the nations. The study makes the following points: (i) Using renewable energy raises LCF in Malta and Spain. Energy productivity boosts LCF in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Poland. (iii) In Cyprus and Poland, resource productivity increases LCF. Ultimately, the paper discusses the policy ramifications for preserving a sustainable ecosystem.
Abstract: Achieving the European Union's ambitious goal of transforming buildings into carbon-neutral assets is crucial for combating climate change and improving energy efficiency. The harmonization of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) plays a vital role in this effort. It can provide a standardized measure of building energy performance, which is crucial for benchmarking and improving energy efficiency across Member States. In the context of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) of 2024, this study examines the progress made by EU Member States in standardizing EPCs. The research aims to evaluate the implementation of EPC indicators, focusing on data quality, calculation methods, and costs. The methodological procedure followed for the study led to the development of a dedicated Cross Comparative Matrix (CCM) to assess the implementation of EPC indicators across 27 EU Member States and their reading feature allowed the declination into three scenarios for different EPC data analysis: qualitative, quantitative and burden costs. The findings reveal significant disparities, particularly in areas such as thermal comfort and smart readiness, due to the lack of a common methodology and local regulatory differences. While key indicators like energy performance class and primary energy use are widely implemented, compliance with EU standards varies. The study concludes by recommending standardized methodologies and enhanced assessor training to improve EPC quality, harmonization, and effectiveness. This research contributes to policy discussions by offering a comprehensive framework for EPC evaluation and insights into improving data quality, reliability, and accessibility. The originality of this study lies in its cross-national analysis, highlighting the need for a unified EPC scheme to promote building sustainability across the EU.
Abstract: The Council is the voice of the member states' governments in the EU policymaking process and the institutional setting where member states can enforce their national interest. The literature on Council decision-making has previously mostly used expert interviews or voting patterns. Through a detailed examination of one specific legislative file in the recent ‘Fit for 55’ climate package in which subsidiarity and varying national conditions is central, this study focus on how disagreements between member states are resolved and how strategic word framing can aid in resolving political controversies in EU energy policy. This article analyses Council working group meeting notes and revisions of the recent recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, providing a unique look behind the curtains of negotiations between member states in the Council within a deliberative intergovernmental framework. A mix of quantitative and qualitative text analysis is applied to deliberations and legislative revisions. The findings show that a fragile consensus is reached despite disagreement through enabling of national flexibility in policy decisions, indicating that the Council determines the speed of European integration in the policy domain. •National conditions of EU member states impact Council deliberations.
Abstract: Direct Load Control (DLC) is a demand response strategy in which customers receive compensation from utilities in return for permitting them to regulate the operation of specific equipment. This paper analyzes the impacts of DLC programs on the transition to renewable energy within the European electricity system towards 2060. The study quantifies the achievable hourly potential for DLC across Europe in the residential sector. By implementing and developing a DLC module within the stochastic capacity expansion model EMPIRE, we investigate how costs, long-term investments, and long-term marginal prices are affected by residential DLC participation rates. The research utilizes a comprehensive DLC dataset, including ten appliances such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, refrigeration, and others. This dataset serves as the basis for creating four storylines to investigate the integration of these programs into the European electricity system. The results indicate that residential DLC programs have some impact on grid-battery deployment, PV plant penetration, and electricity prices. In the best-case scenario, involving ambitious participation of residential loads in DLC programs without compensation, cost savings are about 1% versus not introducing DLC. The findings contribute to understanding the value of demand response programs in Europe, indicating that the savings they bring might not be sufficient to provide enough incentives or compensation for widespread participation in such programs. That is, from a long-term investment or capacity expansion perspective, it may not be worthwhile to soley include residential demand response in the planning of the electricity system.
Abstract: Treating China's Top 10,000 Energy-Consuming Enterprises Program (T10000P) as a quasi-natural experiment, this is the first study to investigate the synergistic effects of the representative energy-saving policy on environmental quality at the micro-level. We create a panel data set by matching China's Environmental Statistics Database, Industrial Enterprise Database, and State Intellectual Property Office Database, and employ the difference-in-differences model to identify the policy's environmental effects and their mechanisms. The results show that the T10000P can effectively lower chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfur dioxide (SO ) emissions, which still hold after a series of robustness checks, indicating that the policy has a significant synergistic effect on environmental quality improvement. Furthermore, compared with small polluters, the T10000P has a higher pollutant emission inhibition effect on large polluters. Such a positive environmental impact is confirmed for energy-intensive, large, rather than non-energy-intensive and small enterprises, showing heterogeneous effects across different enterprises. We also find that promoting green technology innovation and environmental compliance are the important channels through which the policy improves environmental quality. Therefore, the energy-saving policy can improve environmental quality by setting constrained targets on energy consumption, especially in developing countries.
Abstract: Under the influence of global trade policies, countries gradually build their entire industrial chains, and industrial policies show a localized development trend. In this context, what impact will the industrial chain localization policy have on the low-carbon transition and high energy efficiency? It is significant for achieving the energy conservation and emission reduction goal. Therefore, this paper uses non-competitive input-output tables from 2002 to 2017 to construct China's domestic industrial chain panel data. We combined the econometric model to explore the influence of industrial chain synergistic division on energy intensity. The research found that the industrial chain synergistic division effect can significantly reduce energy intensity. The results were robust after some endogeneity tests. Secondly, the energy-saving effect brought by the synergistic division is more obvious in high-energy dependence and high-stage industrial chains. There is still room to improve the production efficiency brought by the division network effect. Finally, the industrial chain synergistic division can reduce energy intensity by improving labor productivity, enterprise productivity, and enterprise competition mechanism. This study can provide targeted policy recommendations for China to achieve structural energy-saving. It can also provide a reference for other countries to achieve carbon neutrality.
Abstract: The enhancement of the indoor environment could typically enhance user productivity; however, it may also result in additional energy consumption. In order to address the trade-off between employee productivity and energy consumption in office buildings for maximizing economic benefits, this study conducted an investigation on the optimal indoor environmental parameters including temperature, humidity, and ventilation rate. The relation between cognitive performance and the environment was established at the laboratory experiment, while the relation between energy consumption and the environment was determined through energy consumption simulation. By linking productivity to energy consumption using economic indicators, the optimal environmental parameters for maximizing economic benefits are calculated. The results indicate that the optimal indoor environment settings for maximum economic benefits are very similar to those for achieving maximum productivity. Prioritizing office workers’ productivity assurance is crucial when designing air conditioning parameters for office buildings to enhance overall economic gains. However, as the ratio of economic-output-to-electricity-price decreases, there is a gradual increase in differences between these two sets of parameters. Therefore, it is more meaningful for economically underdeveloped regions to establish optimal office building parameters by considering energy saving factors more comprehensively. It is also suggested that the validity of the economic optimization results can be further enhanced by developing productivity evaluating methods for real-life office settings and employing more accurate fitting models.
Abstract: The field of sustainable construction and interior design demands innovative solutions to optimize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact. This need has been further amplified by the European Community's Directive on Energy Efficiency 2012/27/EU and its subsequent revisions. The kitchen, as a central hub of domestic energy use, presents a significant opportunity for improvement. This paper introduces a novel application of heat pump technology for energy reuse in household appliances. The proposed SMACK (SMArt energy-Conserving Kitchen) system embodies a holistic approach, merging eco-sustainability with advanced design principles. SMACK's modularity enables customization and scalability to meet diverse requirements. A comprehensive assessment indicates potential average energy savings approaching 50%, contingent upon appliance configuration. Importantly, this study incorporates preliminary real-world measurements on a minimal appliance, offering empirical insights into the SMACK system's performance. The SMACK project signifies a major step towards environmentally conscious design, setting a new standard for sustainable technology integration within the home.
Abstract: Global warming has increased the frequency of natural disasters, making enhancing energy efficiency an inevitable choice to address the worsening global climate risks. Whether industrial robots, as a crucial component of artificial intelligence, can contribute to improving energy efficiency remains a subject of debate. This study employs the SBM and super-efficiency SBM models to assess the energy efficiency of 262 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2020. We investigate the impact and mechanisms of industrial robots at the city level on energy efficiency. The research findings indicate that the application of industrial robots promotes enhanced energy efficiency, which remains robust after subjecting it to a battery of tests, including SYS-GMM and instrumental variable analyses. However, a significant nonlinear relationship exists between industrial robot utilization and energy efficiency, with diminishing marginal effects. Mechanism analysis reveals that the fundamental mechanisms facilitating this improvement are the digital economy, industrial structural adjustments, and innovations in green technology. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that industrial robots have a more pronounced impact on cities with higher energy efficiency, greater manufacturing levels in resource-dependent areas, and lower population densities. Furthermore, the application of industrial robots can influence the energy efficiency of neighboring regions through spatial spillover effects.
Abstract: Workplace energy consumption exceeds household usage, due to which, even small changes in workplace energy behaviour can minimise emissions associated with energy consumption. Despite global workplace energy conservation efforts, measuring progress is impeded due to the involved complexity. Building on this gap, this study developed Workplace energy conservation index (WECI), that can assist a company in measuring the attainment of energy conservation with respective to the benchmarking company. The proposed index is built by considering individual and organizational enablers. A total of 20 enablers identified through extensive literature review complemented with the outcomes of focus group discussions are the components of developed index. For demonstration of the proposed WECI, a target company and a benchmarking company from the automobile sector have been selected and the involved computations are expounded. Findings suggest that the attainment of target company is 46 % indicating the scope of improvement. Detailed evaluation of WECI guides the stakeholders to identify the thrust area that can improve the attainment of energy conservation at the workplace. The proposed framework can be extended to companies in other sectors where the relevant enablers can be added in the phase of focus group discussions.
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