China’s role in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a major provider of development finance (DF), surpassing G7 countries in total global contributions positions it as a pivotal player in influencing the low-carbon trajectories of BRI developing countries. This study first adopts the index decomposition analysis to examine how the scale, technique, and composition effects contribute to changes in CO2 emissions across a sample of 102 BRI developing countries from 2000 to 2020. Then this study empirically investigates how Chinese DF and its subcomponents Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Other Official Flows (OOF) influence these three effects. Results show that scale effects are consistent drivers of CO2 emissions while the other two present mixed impacts. While Chinese DF successfully brings positive contributions to industrialization in recipient countries, it inevitably brings adverse impacts on CO2 emission intensities and fossil fuel consumption. Finally, results obtained for Chinese DF present different patterns compared to OECD-DAC donors’ DF. This study sets the foundation for future inquiries into the effectiveness of Chinese DF in promoting urgently needed low-carbon trajectories in recipient countries.
Previous research has lacked a comprehensive study of the coupling and connections between China’s four major energy-intensive industries: electricity, steel, cement, and coal chemicals, which contribute to over 65% of China’s total carbon emissions and significantly impact the path to achieving China’s carbon peak. To address this gap, we developed a detailed energy-carbon integrated model, which include three scenarios: Business As Usual (BAU), Peak Oriented Scenario (POS), and Neutrality Oriented Scenario (NOS). Then, we analyzed the carbon emission trends in the four industries and assessed the contribution of key technologies to emission reductions. Our findings indicate that under the BAU, POS, and NOS, the carbon emissions will peak in 2030, 2025, and 2022, respectively, with peak values of 8.56, 8.06, and 7.81 billion tons. Raw material structure adjustments account for over 50% of carbon reductions in both the POS and NOS. Cleaning technology substitution and energy-saving technology collectively contribute to 10–20%. Therefore, cleaning fuels and raw materials and developing decarbonization technologies should be the main direction of future efforts, which will facilitate a timely carbon peak and lower peak value, aligning with global efforts to achieve the carbon reduction targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Energy poverty has risen to be one of the vital worldwide problems threatening many lives yearly. The implication of energy poverty varies significantly by gender, with a significant impact among women, particularly in conventional rural developing economies. Consequently, for energy-poor households, women experience higher health deprivation compared to the health of men. Therefore, the twofold novelty of this paper delves into the energy poverty-health nexus discussion by first computing and analyzing multidimensional intensity and incidence of energy poverty using the Alkire-Foster technique. Secondly, utilising a cross-county two-part modelling approach, the paper explores the health outcomes of energy poverty among Kenyan women using the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) data. Addressing endogeneity issues, the study’s main findings reveal a significantly negative impact of energy poverty on self-reported health and a positive effect on health deprivation among women in Kenya. Based on the observed findings, it can be depicted that urgent implementation of regional program-based policy initiatives is needed to overcome energy poverty’s overreaching adverse health outcomes among women in Kenya.
This work provides a Simulation-Based Sensitivity Analysis (SBSA) framework for optimal building energy planning during the conceptual design phase. The innovative approach integrates EnergyPlus with local sensitivity analysis (LSA) and global sensitivity analysis (GSA) algorithms, thereby facilitating direct sensitivity analysis (SA) capabilities without reliance on external plugins or third-party tools. The effectiveness of this approach is exemplified through its application to a residential building situated in a hot semi-arid climate region of Iran. The efficacy of the developed approach is demonstrated by applying it to a residential building located in a hot semi-arid climate region in Iran. The study utilizes four primary building performance criteria as output variables: annual heating energy consumption (AHC), annual cooling energy consumption (ACC), annual lighting energy consumption (ALC), and the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD). The study employs one-at-a-time (OAT) analysis for LSA and Sobol’s analysis for GSA to investigate the behavior of output variables in response to changes in building design parameters. In the LSA approach, a newly developed sensitivity indicator, termed the Dispersion Index (DI), is introduced to precisely measure the overall sensitivity of outputs to inputs (). Results indicate that annual AHC is most sensitive to the heating setpoint ( = 80%) and solar absorptance of exterior walls (ST = 79%), while annual cooling consumption (ACC) is primarily influenced by the cooling setpoint ( = 72%) and solar absorptance of exterior walls (ST = 63%). Additionally, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), visible transmittance of window glass, and building rotation significantly affect annual lighting consumption (ALC) (ST = 33%, 25%, and 21% respectively). Furthermore, cooling and heating setpoints, solar absorptance of exterior walls, and WWR play crucial roles in PPD (ST = 81%, 40%, 36%, and 21% respectively). Notably, ALC shows no dependence on variable air volume (VAV) setpoint temperatures and thermophysical properties of walls and windows. Besides, the proposed DI in OAT-based LSA shows strong alignment with the results achieved by the Sobol-based GSA. This systematic approach, termed SBSA, empowers building designers and decision-makers to pinpoint critical design parameters early in the conceptual phase, ensuring optimal building performance. The flexibility of the SBSA framework accommodates diverse building configurations, facilitating comprehensive SA without constraints.
Hydrogen (H2) is critical in transitioning from fossil fuel energy systems. It can be produced via different technological processes and sources. One such method for producing green H2 is water electrolysis. Research indicates that utilizing Hybrid Renewable Energy Sources (HRESs) to power electrolysis can lead to over 80% reduction in emissions compared to the fossil-powered process. This study aims to conduct an economic evaluation of four schemes of green H2 production powered by HRESs and blue H2 production by Steaming Methane Reforming (SMR) with byproduct CO2 captured and sequestered underground in Oman, based on the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and H2 (LCOH). The four analyzed schemes are: (1) stand-alone PV-WT (Solar Photovoltaic and Wind Turbines) connected to 1MW-1GW PEM electrolyzer, (2) grid-connected PV-WT to 1MW-1GW PEM electrolyzer, (3) grid-connected PV-WT-CPG (CO2 Plume Geothermal) to 100MW electrolyzer, and (4) extended scheme #3 integrated with a SMR unit, producing blue H2. The economic analysis was conducted using the GETEM Excel® spreadsheet model. The outcomes reveal that, at 100MW electrolyzer capacity, scheme #3 has the lowest LCOH of 4 $/kg and an LCOE of 0.2 $/kW (capEx ~ $400M), while scheme#1 comes with the highest LCOH and LCOE of 8 $/kg and 0.8 $/kW, respectively (capEx ~ $21.5M). Whereas scheme #2 achieved an LCOE of 0.3 $/kWh and an LCOH of 6 $/kg. In contrast, scheme#4 has the lowest LCOH of 2 $/kg compared to the three green H2 productions. The results suggest that including geothermal energy, fed into a grid, can reduce green H2 production costs and align with SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy. More importantly, using natural gas and HRESs in Oman for hybrid blue and green H2 production is the most feasible approach, particularly in the next few decades of the transition from a fossil to a carbon-free energy system.