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Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 40114

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Enrica Leccisi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Interests: life cycle analysis; net energy analysis; EROI; carbon emissions; energy transition; photovoltaics; perovskite; recycling; renewable energies; emissions; recovery scenarios
Prof. Dr. Vasilis Fthenakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Interests: life cycle analysis; solar desalination; solar hydrogen; net energy analysis; EROI; carbon emissions; energy transition; photovoltaics; recycling; renewable energies; environmental impact analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marco Raugei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment, School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Interests: life cycle analysis; net energy analysis; EROI; carbon emissions; energy transition; environmental impact analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A multi-disciplinary assessment of potential decarbonization scenarios with large penetration of variable renewable electricity (VRE) and energy storage systems (ESS) is essential due to the ongoing energy transition we have been experiencing worldwide.

In addition to the sustainability analysis of each electricity technology, it is also especially important to assess the impacts of the electricity grids intended as a whole, both from static and dynamic perspectives. It is crucial to take into account the material-, water-, and energy-constraints as well as the tecno-economic impacts to provide useful indications to the R&D community and policy makers.

From an environmental and energy perspective, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Net Energy Analysis (NEA) are useful scientific methodologies, which can provide holistic pictures of the total environmental footprint and their associated impacts to our society. In particular, LCA allows the quantification of the "cradle to grave" potential impacts in terms of carbon emissions, cumulative energy demand, resource availability and other environmental and toxicity impacts; while NEA offers the evaluation Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROI) of conventional and renewable technologies.

This Special Issue will cover sustainability assessments—including the energy, environmental, and economic dimensions—of potential scenarios with large deployment of renewables and energy storage systems, taking into account the resource availability, material flow analysis, recycling, evaluation of macro energy scenarios, energy return on energy investment (EROI), and techno-economic implications.

Dr. Enrica Leccisi
Prof. Dr. Vasilis Fthenakis
Dr. Marco Raugei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Energy Transition
  • Future scenarios
  • Life Cycle Analysis
  • Net Energy Analysis
  • Carbon Emissions
  • Cumulative Energy Demand
  • Energy Return on Investment
  • Energy Pay Back Time
  • Net Energy Analysis
  • Energy Environmental Impacts
  • Resource Availability
  • Resource Recovery
  • Material Flow Analysis
  • Macro Energy System
  • Renewable Energy
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Energy Storage
  • Lithium ion battery
  • Electricity grid transmission and distribution
  • Photovoltaics
  • Natural gas as a transition fuel
  • Solar Thermal Systems
  • Wind Energy

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5604 KiB  
Article
Groundwater Resources in a Complex Karst Environment Involved by Wind Power Farm Construction
by Alessio Valente, Vittorio Catani, Libera Esposito, Guido Leone, Mauro Pagnozzi and Francesco Fiorillo
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 11975; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911975 - 22 Sep 2022
Viewed by 2356
Abstract
The need to produce energy from clean energy sources has caused public administrations and private companies to look for suitable places. The windiness detected in the eastern area of the Matese karst massif (southern Italy) has favored the construction of wind farms to [...] Read more.
The need to produce energy from clean energy sources has caused public administrations and private companies to look for suitable places. The windiness detected in the eastern area of the Matese karst massif (southern Italy) has favored the construction of wind farms to produce electricity from clean energy sources. During the installation of the first wind turbines, some alterations in the supply of drinking water, fed by the springs of this area, were attributed by the population to this installation. Therefore, in order to assess whether there has been an impact produced by the wind farms on the quality of groundwater, a detailed hydrogeological study was developed. Karst hydrogeological features of the area were mapped, focusing on endorheic areas, sinkholes and karst springs. Artificial tracer tests were then carried out to investigate groundwater flow circulation and connection between surface karst landforms and springs. Chemical and physical characteristics of the groundwater were monitored during the construction of the wind farms and, for the following months, by infield measurements and laboratory analysis of spring water samples. This study highlights that wind farms mainly develop along the boundary of endorheic areas, which are important recharge zones for groundwater resources, and are directly connected to the major karst springs through sinkholes and a dense network of karst conduits. The results of the monitoring did not reveal any anomalies in the quality of the water and, therefore, any alterations cannot be attributed to the wind farms. Our investigation appears useful for a better understanding of the possible actual and future effects of the wind farms on both groundwater circulation and spring water quality in this karst area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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15 pages, 922 KiB  
Article
Total Variation-Based Metrics for Assessing Complementarity in Energy Resources Time Series
by Diana Cantor, Andrés Ochoa and Oscar Mesa
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8514; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148514 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1890
Abstract
The growing share of intermittent renewable energy sources raised complementarity to a central concept in the electricity supply industry. The straightforward case of two sources suggests that to guarantee supply, the time series of both sources should be negatively correlated. Extrapolation made Pearson’s [...] Read more.
The growing share of intermittent renewable energy sources raised complementarity to a central concept in the electricity supply industry. The straightforward case of two sources suggests that to guarantee supply, the time series of both sources should be negatively correlated. Extrapolation made Pearson’s correlation coefficient (ρ) the most widely used metric to quantify complementarity. This article shows several theoretical and practical drawbacks of correlation coefficients to measure complementarity. Consequently, it proposes three new alternative metrics robust to those drawbacks based on the natural interpretation of the concept: the Total Variation Complementarity Index (ϕ), the Variance Complementarity Index (ϕ′), and the Standard Deviation Complementarity Index (ϕs). We illustrate the use of the three indices by presenting one theoretical and three real case studies: (a) two first-order autoregressive processes, (b) one wind and one hydropower energy time series in Colombia at the daily time resolution, (c) monthly water inflows to two hydropower reservoirs of Colombia with different hydrologic regimes, and (d) monthly water inflows of the 15 largest hydropower reservoirs in Colombia. The conclusion is that ϕ outperforms the use of ρ to quantify complementarity because (i) ϕ takes into account scale, whereas ρ is insensitive to scale; (ii) ρ does not work for more than two sources; (iii) ρ overestimates complementarity; and (iv) ϕ takes into account other characteristics of the series. ϕ′ corrects the scale insensitivity of ρ. Moreover, it works with more than two sources. However, it corrects neither the overestimation nor the importance of other characteristics. ϕs improves ϕ′ concerning the overestimation, but it lets out other series characteristics. Therefore, we recommend total variation complementarity as an integral way of quantifying complementarity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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19 pages, 3601 KiB  
Article
LAYERS: A Decision-Support Tool to Illustrate and Assess the Supply and Value Chain for the Energy Transition
by Oliver Heidrich, Alistair C. Ford, Richard J. Dawson, David A. C. Manning, Eugene Mohareb, Marco Raugei, Joris Baars and Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar
Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7120; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127120 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3259
Abstract
Climate change mitigation strategies are developed at international, national, and local authority levels. Technological solutions such as renewable energies (RE) and electric vehicles (EV) have geographically widespread knock-on effects on raw materials. In this paper, a decision-support and data-visualization tool named “LAYERS” is [...] Read more.
Climate change mitigation strategies are developed at international, national, and local authority levels. Technological solutions such as renewable energies (RE) and electric vehicles (EV) have geographically widespread knock-on effects on raw materials. In this paper, a decision-support and data-visualization tool named “LAYERS” is presented, which applies a material flow analysis to illustrate the complex connections along supply chains for carbon technologies. A case study focuses on cobalt for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) required for EVs. It relates real business data from mining and manufacturing to actual EV registrations in the UK to visualize the intended and unintended consequences of the demand for cobalt. LAYERS integrates a geographic information systems (GIS) architecture, database scheme, and whole series of stored procedures and functions. By means of a 3D visualization based on GIS, LAYERS conveys a clear understanding of the location of raw materials (from reserves, to mining, refining, manufacturing, and use) across the globe. This highlights to decision makers the often hidden but far-reaching geo-political implications of the growing demands for a range of raw materials that are needed to meet long-term carbon-reduction targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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25 pages, 3085 KiB  
Article
Simulating Socio-Technical Transitions of Photovoltaics Using Empirically Based Hybrid Simulation-Optimization Approach
by Nurwidiana Nurwidiana, Bertha Maya Sopha and Adhika Widyaparaga
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5411; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095411 - 30 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2224
Abstract
Energy transitions as socio-technical processes involves interactions among different actors such as households, firms, and government, thus requiring an integrated approach to explore the transition’s dynamics. The present study aims to simulate the socio-technical transitions of photovoltaics (PV) in Indonesia using an empirically [...] Read more.
Energy transitions as socio-technical processes involves interactions among different actors such as households, firms, and government, thus requiring an integrated approach to explore the transition’s dynamics. The present study aims to simulate the socio-technical transitions of photovoltaics (PV) in Indonesia using an empirically based hybrid simulation-optimization model. The model involves households’ decision-making, PV supply chain, and government interventions. The hybrid simulation-optimization model consists of integer linear programming to optimize PV’s supply chain configuration which was embedded within agent-based modeling and simulation (ABM). The empirical data involving 413 households from 34 provinces in Indonesia was acquired from a survey that was specifically designed based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) to specify and parameterize the model. Export tariff regulation, incentives for PV investment, environmental campaigns, and the combinations of those interventions were evaluated. The findings demonstrate that all of the interventions increase the intention toward PV, but the intention is not necessarily translated into adoption due to either financial or facility constraints. The findings highlight the necessity to include both demand and supply aspects endogenously in the transition model. The export tariffs combined with the incentives, followed by the export tariffs combined with the campaigns, is found to be preferable due to low supply chain unit cost and high reduction of greenhouse gas. Managerial implications and future research are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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19 pages, 4002 KiB  
Article
Estimating the Lifetime of Solar Photovoltaic Modules in Australia
by Verity Tan, Pablo R. Dias, Nathan Chang and Rong Deng
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095336 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6626
Abstract
Determining the lifetime of solar photovoltaic modules is integral to planning future installations and ensuring effective end-of-life management. The lifetime of photovoltaic modules is most commonly considered to be 25 years based on performance guarantees of 80% power output after 25 years of [...] Read more.
Determining the lifetime of solar photovoltaic modules is integral to planning future installations and ensuring effective end-of-life management. The lifetime of photovoltaic modules is most commonly considered to be 25 years based on performance guarantees of 80% power output after 25 years of operation; however, influences including climatic conditions, social behaviour, fiscal policy, and technological improvements have the potential to prompt early replacement. Therefore, this work aims to estimate the operating lifetime of photovoltaic panels more accurately in Australia by considering a variety of technical, economic, and social reasons for decommissioning. Based on a range of sources including government organisations, other policymakers, regulators and advisors, energy suppliers, researchers, recyclers, and manufacturers, three lifetime models—power decrease, damage and technical failures, and economic motivation—were developed and then weighted in three scenarios to form overall views of panel lifetime in Australia. In addition, it was concluded that the module lifetime will vary considerably between countries due to differences in market factors. Therefore, these results specifically address Australia as most of the input data were sourced from Australian industry reports and Australian photovoltaic systems and interpreted within the context of the Australian photovoltaic market. However, the methodology of estimating lifetime based on both technical and non-technical factors can be applied to other scenarios by using country-specific data. With the popularity of photovoltaic technology beginning in the early 2010s and given the practical lifetimes of 15–20 years found in this work, Australia will need to act swiftly within the next three years to responsibly manage the looming solar panel waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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Review

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20 pages, 544 KiB  
Review
Energy Return on Investment of Major Energy Carriers: Review and Harmonization
by David J. Murphy, Marco Raugei, Michael Carbajales-Dale and Brenda Rubio Estrada
Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7098; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127098 - 9 Jun 2022
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 22493
Abstract
Net energy, that is, the energy remaining after accounting for the energy “cost” of extraction and processing, is the “profit” energy used to support modern society. Energy Return on Investment (EROI) is a popular metric to assess the profitability of energy extraction processes, [...] Read more.
Net energy, that is, the energy remaining after accounting for the energy “cost” of extraction and processing, is the “profit” energy used to support modern society. Energy Return on Investment (EROI) is a popular metric to assess the profitability of energy extraction processes, with EROI > 1 indicating that more energy is delivered to society than is used in the extraction process. Over the past decade, EROI analysis in particular has grown in popularity, resulting in an increase in publications in recent years. The lack of methodological consistency, however, among these papers has led to a situation where inappropriate comparisons are being made across technologies. In this paper we provide both a literature review and harmonization of EROI values to provide accurate comparisons of EROIs across both thermal fuels and electricity producing technologies. Most importantly, the authors advocate for the use of point-of-use EROIs rather than point-of-extraction EROIs as the energy “cost” of the processes to get most thermal fuels from extraction to point of use drastically lowers their EROI. The main results indicate that PV, wind and hydropower have EROIs at or above ten while the EROIs for thermal fuels vary significantly, with that for petroleum oil notably below ten. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Energy Transition Scenarios: Economic, Resource Availability, and Environmental Impacts)
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