Energy security: insights from a ten country comparison

The article explores the extent to which energy security concerns differ between countries from the perspectives of energy users. It relies on a survey distributed to more than 2,100 energy consumers across Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and United States, facilitated through its translation into seven languages (English, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, German, and Japanese). The article first discusses the survey methodology and then presents a discussion of the results according to four key components of energy security, namely availability, affordability, energy efficiency and stewardship. In addition to analyzing the survey results by different demographic and country levels, the authors compare the results to country-level data indicators. They find that energy security is a multi-dimensional concept with different priorities for different countries that can often be explained by the country’s inherent circumstances

Channeling diverse innovation pressures to support European sustainability transitions

Innovation patterns and processes must be aligned, and harnessed and accelerated across multiple domains to address our climate objectives and wider sustainability challenges. In this Perspective, we draw from original case studies on specific technologies and their related innovation systems in agriculture, buildings, electricity, ICT, industry, and transport across Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Across these innovation systems, the Research Note discusses the technologies, infrastructure, actors, policies and institutions that may lead to, or prevent, successful and unsuccessful technology transitions. We synthesize this diverse evidence to offer five key findings on technology costs and configurations, diversity and multiplicity of actors, diversity of value systems, and countervailing pressures. These insights support the design of effective innovation and decarbonization policies to promote low-carbon transitions

Control of a bidirectional single-phase grid interface for electric vehicles

The number of electric vehicles is expected to increase exponentially in the next decade. This represents a huge potential for grid support, such as energy storage in their batteries, with advantages for grid operators and for customers. For this purpose, flexible power interfaces are required. This paper presents a simulation of a bidirectional singlephase power interface between an electric vehicle battery and the grid. The proposed system is fully simulated and counts with features such as vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home and grid-to-vehicle. All power flow and the controllers for these modes of operation are described in detail. The simulation was developed in a Software-in-the-Loop scheme to facilitate a future physical implementation with a Hardware-in-the-Loop platform. The proposed system was extensively tested via simulation, the results proving the system is stable, able to change operation modes smoothly and definition of the exchanged active and reactive powers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards a science of climate and energy choices

The linked problems of energy sustainability and climate change are among the most complex and daunting facing humanity at the start of the twenty-first century. This joint Nature Energy and Nature Climate Change Collection illustrates how understanding and addressing these problems will require an integrated science of coupled human and natural systems; including technological systems, but also extending well beyond the domain of engineering or even economics. It demonstrates the value of replacing the stylized assumptions about human behaviour that are common in policy analysis, with ones based on data-driven science. We draw from and engage articles in the Collection to identify key contributions to understanding non-technological factors connecting economic activity and greenhouse gas emissions, describe a multi-dimensional space of human action on climate and energy issues, and illustrate key themes, dimensions and contributions towards fundamental understanding and informed decision making

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Policy prescriptions to address energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom

Tens of millions of households across Europe struggle to afford adequate electricity and heating services and reliable transportation, while recent high fuel prices could lead to an increase in excess winter deaths. Tackling energy and transport poverty is thus of paramount policy importance. Here we document the drivers and lived experiences of energy and transport poverty in the United Kingdom, based on public focus groups and expert interviews. We find a set of policies that resonate with both expert planners and members of the public, implying they have a level of political and social acceptability that other measures may be lacking, notably: mandatory landlord energy efficiency upgrades, increasing the extent of financial assistance to households, cheaper (or even free) bus and train fares and restarting and expanding bus services. We buttress these findings with further suggestions for energy and transport system redesign that better meets emerging principles of energy and social justice

Testing the efficacy of voluntary urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories

Drawing from an original dataset of urban metropolitan carbon footprints, we explore the correlations between national level climate change commitments and subnational level inventories. We ask: Does voluntary reporting allow a city to perform better than national average? Does ambitiousness in commitment have an impact on performance in footprint reduction? Does having long-term commitments affect performance in footprint reduction? Do binding national level commitments (such as those under the Kyoto Protocol) affect performance at the city level in terms of footprint reduction? To provide answers, we synthesize data from the largest repository of voluntary sub-national commitments and actions towards footprint reduction and greenhouse gas inventories from around the world, the Carbonn platform. More than 500 cities report at least one action, commitment or inventory to this database. We find, using a subset of this database, perhaps counter intuitively that cities with more ambitious commitments do not necessarily have steeper reductions in emissions. Our data also suggest that having long-term self-reported goals does not make the cities perform better in terms of footprint reduction. This appears to be true for both government and community commitments reported. Lastly, and positively, our data did reveal a statistically significant effect for cities belonging to countries that had committed to the Kyoto Protocol, suggesting the necessity of binding national (and supranational) climate targets

Culture and low-carbon energy transitions

How does culture influence low-carbon energy transitions? How can insights about cultural influences guide energy planners and policymakers trying to stimulate transitions, particularly at a time of rapid technological change? This Review examines the influence of culture on a selection of low-carbon technologies and behavioural practices that reflect different dimensions of sustainability. Based on a typology of low-carbon technology and behaviour, we explore the cultural dimensions of four specific cases: eco-driving, ridesharing, automated vehicles and whole-house retrofits. We conclude with recommendations for those seeking to analyse, understand, develop, demonstrate and deploy low-carbon innovations for sustainable energy transitions

Connecting climate action with other sustainable development goals

The international community has committed to combat climate change and achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Here we explore (dis)connections in evidence and governance between these commitments. Our structured evidence review suggests that climate change can undermine 16 SDGs, while combatting climate change can reinforce all 17 SDGs but undermine efforts to achieve 12. Understanding these relationships requires wider and deeper interdisciplinary collaboration. Climate change and sustainable development governance should be better connected to maximize the effectiveness of action in both domains. The emergence around the world of new coordinating institutions and sustainable development planning represents promising progress