From fossil fuels to renewables: An analysis of long-term scenarios considering technological learning

© 2018 The Author(s) This study analyses a diffusion of renewable energy in an electricity system accounting for technological learning. We explore long-term scenarios for capacity expansion of the Java-Bali electricity system in Indonesia, considering the country's renewable energy targets. We apply the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model with an integration of technological learning. Our results reveal that, at the medium and high pace of technological learning, the total costs of electricity production to achieve the long-term renewable energy target are 4–10% lower than the scenario without considering technological learning. With respect to technology, solar PV and wind become competitive with other types of renewables and nuclear. Moreover, the fulfilment of the renewable energy targets decreases CO2 emissions by 25% compared to the reference scenario. Implications of our results indicate that energy policies should focus on the early deployment of renewables, upgrading the grid capacity to accommodate variable renewable energy, and enabling faster local learning

The vulnerability of the power sector to climate variability and change: Evidence from Indonesia

© 2019 by the authors. The power sector is a key target for reducing CO2 emissions. However, little attention has been paid to the sector’s vulnerability to climate change. This paper investigates the impacts of severe weather events and changes in climate variables on the power sector in developing countries, focusing on Indonesia as a country with growing electricity infrastructure, yet being vulnerable to natural hazards. We obtain empirical evidence concerning weather and climate impacts through interviews and focus group discussions with electric utilities along the electricity supply chain. These data are supplemented with reviews of utilities’ reports and published energy sector information. Our results indicate that severe weather events often cause disruptions in electricity supply—in the worst cases, even power outages. Weather-related power outages mainly occur due to failures in distribution networks. While severe weather events infrequently cause shutdowns of power plants, their impact magnitude is significant if it does occur. Meanwhile, transmission networks are susceptible to lightning strikes, which are the leading cause of the networks’ weather-related failures. We also present estimates of financial losses suffered by utilities due to weather-related power disruptions and highlights their adaptation responses to those disruptions

Seeking for a climate change mitigation and adaptation nexus: Analysis of a long-term power system expansion

© 2020 The Authors Reductions in carbon emissions have been a focus of the power sector. However, the sector itself is vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Extreme weather events and gradual changes in climate variables can affect the reliability, cost, and environmental impacts of the energy supply. This paper analyzed the interplay between CO2 mitigation attempts and adaptations to climate change in the power sector using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP) model. This paper presented a novel methodology to integrate both CO2 mitigation goals and the impacts of climate change into simulations of a power system expansion. The impacts on electricity supply and demand were quantified, based on historical climate-related impacts revealed during fieldwork and existing literature. The quantified effects, together with climate mitigation targets, were then integrated into the LEAP modeling architecture. The results showed a substantial alteration in technology composition and an increase in installed capacities driven by the joint climate mitigation–adaptation efforts when compared with the scenario without mitigation and adaptation (reference). Furthermore, an increase in CO2 emissions was observed under the mitigation-adaptation scenario compared with the mitigation only scenario, indicating that the power sector's adaptations for climate change are likely to hinder CO2 mitigation efforts. Therefore, a nexus between mitigation and adaptation should be exploited in the policy development for a low-carbon and climate-resilient power system

Optical properties of MgH2 measured in situ in a novel gas cell for ellipsometry/spectrophotometry

The dielectric properties of alpha-MgH2 are investigated in the photon energy range between 1 and 6.5 eV. For this purpose, a novel sample configuration and experimental setup are developed that allow both optical transmission and ellipsometric measurements of a transparent thin film in equilibrium with hydrogen. We show that alpha-MgH2 is a transparent, colour neutral insulator with a band gap of 5.6 +/- 0.1 eV. It has an intrinsic transparency of about 80% over the whole visible spectrum. The dielectric function found in this work confirms very recent band structure calculations using the GW approximation by Alford and Chou [J.A. Alford and M.Y. Chou (unpublished)]. As Pd is used as a cap layer we report also the optical properties of PdHx thin films.Comment: REVTeX4, 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 table

Business development in renewable energy

This paper discusses how to foster development of renewable energy business. Factors that impede or enhance renewable energy in the EU 27 member states in the period 1998–2008 are analyzed. Nine factors are considered: population density, production output and energy sector output to indicate market conditions, public total expenditures, subsidies and environmental protection expenditures to indicate institutional conditions, R&D, share of students in population and venture capital to indicate firm’s resources. Scarce space for business development and vested energy interests are the main impediments. R&D and venture capital are main drivers. The US and EU support for R&D and venture capital in renewable energy are compared. The US support is larger and mainly based on R&D grants. It has generated large, innovative enterprises. The EU support is mainly based on price guarantees for renewable energy delivery to grid. It has generated many enterprises. Building capabilities through stakeholders’ networks in early phase of business development and clusters in the later phase is recommended

The 2017 Terahertz Science and Technology Roadmap

Science and technologies based on terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation (100GHz-30THz) have developed rapidly over the last 30 years. For most of the 20th century, terahertz radiation, then referred to as sub-millimeter wave or far-infrared radiation, was mainly utilized by astronomers and some spectroscopists. Following the development of laser based terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in the 1980s and 1990s the field of THz science and technology expanded rapidly, to the extent that it now touches many areas from fundamental science to “real world” applications. For example THz radiation is being used to optimize materials for new solar cells, and may also be a key technology for the next generation of airport security scanners. While the field was emerging it was possible to keep track of all new developments, however now the field has grown so much that it is increasingly difficult to follow the diverse range of new discoveries and applications that are appearing. At this point in time, when the field of THz science and technology is moving from an emerging to a more established and interdisciplinary field, it is apt to present a roadmap to help identify the breadth and future directions of the field. The aim of this roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of THz science and technology in 2016, and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds. To be able to achieve this aim, we have invited a group of international experts to write 17 sections that cover most of the key areas of THz Science and Technology. We hope that The 2016 Roadmap on THz Science and Technology will prove to be a useful resource by providing a wide ranging introduction to the capabilities of THz radiation for those outside or just entering the field as well as providing perspective and breadth for those who are well established. We also feel that this review should serve as a useful guide for government and funding agencies