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Exploring the factors that affect energy intensity is a worthy research topic because a decline of energy intensity lowers greenhouse gas emissions and increases energy security. Therefore, using the World Bank data from 2000 to 2020, this study examined how industrialisation, trade openness, financial development, and urbanisation affected energy intensity in 12 Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs). We used panel autoregressive distributed lag/pooled mean group (ARDL/PMG), cross-sectional ARDL (CS-ARDL), and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) to determine the long- and short-run effects of explanatory variables on the dependent variable, energy intensity. All variables are found stationary after the unit root test and cointegration test confirms that variables are linked in the long run. Panel ARDL/PMG and CS-ARDL results show that industrialisation increases energy intensity in the long and short runs. These tests also show that financial development increases energy intensity over time but not immediately. Trade openness decreases energy intensity in the long run but not in the short run. Urbanisation has negligible effects. Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) Granger causality test result shows that energy intensity causes trade openness. The test also shows two-way causality between industrialisation, financial development, and energy intensity. Results-driven policy recommendations, such as investment in efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, and facilitation of trade openness, are made following the conclusion.

Abstract A decarbonized global energy sector is expected to need cumulative investments in the tens to hundreds of trillions of dollars between now and 2050. Due to its size, the current climate-business environment is therefore prone to corruption risks. Yet such corruption risks are rarely explored within the research community. Much of the extant literature on energy and corruption focuses on fossil fuels, especially oil, coal, and natural gas. However, evidence is emerging that corruption risks also feature in renewable energy markets. This paper asks: Who are the new private actors in selected renewable electricity markets in a sample of countries? How can they be profiled or categorized? To what extent do such actors face corruption risks? How do these actors manage or fail to manage corruption risks? More broadly, which successful collaboration mechanisms can be identified from the literature about how to reduce corruption? To provide an answer, in this paper the literature on renewable energy and corruption are extensively reviewed, with a focus on three particular sectors: hydroelectric dams, solar photovoltaic panels (in both grid-connected and off-grid configurations), and wind energy (including a mix of offshore and onshore designs). The paper then identifies eight distinct corruption risks evident across categories including nepotism, tender rigging, bribery, and tax evasion. The paper then explores particular corruption risks in four national contexts (Mexico, Malaysia, Kenya, and South Africa) before offering a suite of five recommendations and solutions to help address corruption. These solutions include corruption risk mapping, subsidy registers and sunset clauses, transparency initiatives, anti-corruption laws, and shared-ownership models.

The Moroccan National Energy Strategy (NES) launched in 2008 expects that 42% of the total energy mix to come from renewable sources by 2020; solar, wind and hydroelectric generation capacities are expected to be 2000 MW each. A 12% improvement in the total energy intensity is also targeted by 2020. We use a Divisia index approach to assess past contributions of different factors, including the supply mix, to the fuel requirements in the thermal power generation and to forecast such requirements for the year 2020. The wide range of the forecasts gives insights on the challenges of long-term planning with high renewable penetration rates. Keywords: Renewable, Thermal, Divisia index, Morocco

Abstract The rapidly increasing renewable energy installations are often controlled through permit schemes, and good permit practices need to be developed for energy policy planning purposes. In Finland ground heat exchangers (GHEs) for geoenergy systems commonly need a permit from the municipal building control. We examine this municipal permit scheme, its functionality in groundwater protection and compatibility with the principles of good governance. Our data consists of permit and notification documents, interviews of building control officials and municipal regulations and instructions from nine municipalities in Southwest Finland. Similar studies based on empirical data have not been conducted earlier on geoenergy permit schemes. Despite common legislation there were many differences between municipalities in the application-stage permit practices, municipal regulations, supervision and quality control of GHEs. Well-functioning permit practices safeguard both the public and the neighbors’ interests, promote groundwater protection and support the client with quality control.

International audience; This study examines the underlying concerns of global warming in the context of a small island developing states and the ensuing action of phasing out coal to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 • C, as stipulated by the Paris Agreement. Coal is amongst the most carbon intensive fuel, therefore transitioning to low-carbon fuels and renewables is necessary to decarbonise the energy system. In this study, a linear least-cost approach is applied to investigate the potential energy mix necessary to replace coal in Mauritius, using the Open-Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS). The research was initiated following the updated NDC submitted in 2021. The model spans from 2015 to 2040. This study demonstrates the need for even bolder renewable energy investments, like those in solar, wind, waste-to-energy, and biomass technologies, which would cost over 2.5 billion USD to develop but would reduce emissions by over 70% by 2040 and lessen the need for imported fossil fuels and hence decarbonise the electricity system.

This study looks into ICT's asymmetrical impact on emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) controlling energy use and financial development (FD) in GCC countries. It uses panel data covering 1995–2019, employs 2nd generation unit root and Westerlund cointegration tests, and applies panel-pooled “generalized least square (GLS)” techniques. The “pooled mean group (PMG)” method and the “Dumitrescu-Hurlin (D-H)” causality test are employed to verify the robustness of GLS estimation. The bootstrap cointegration test corroborates a long-run cointegration among variables. GLS findings exhibit an asymmetric relation between ICT and CO2 emissions; both the affirmative and negative shocks of ICT and FD are associated with decreased CO2 emissions, while energy use enhances the latter. Hence, promoting ICT is essential to reduce CO2 discharges in the GCC region due to its large negative stimulus on CO2 emissions. The PMG estimation also produces findings similar to those of the GLS outcomes and verifies the GLS outcomes' robustness. The D-H causality check also validates the GLS and PMG outcomes.

Households consider the relative price among various energy sources while selecting the ideal energy source for use in their daily lives. Carbon tax influences the energy choices of households through changes in the relative price among various energy sources. As the rate of carbon tax increases, the cost advantage of inexpensive energy source toward expensive energy source will diminish. Therefore, we expect that households will move from inexpensive to expensive energy. We explore the effect of carbon taxes on household energy source combinations by conducting a microdata analysis of Japanese households. Our results show that increased carbon tax leads to an increased percentage of households using gas, and reduced percentage of households selecting full electrification or kerosene.

In this research, a case study of International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programmes, one of the longest operating global energy technology cooperation approaches, is undertaken. Based on logical framework approach, critical factors were identified leading to positive outcomes in energy research and innovation across nations, in line with their goals. An email survey was sent to representatives of participating countries to collect data regarding inputs and outputs, and desirable outcomes. Along with survey result analysis, stepwise regression and best subsets regression were undertaken to clarify the effective factors for achievement of output satisfaction and desired outcomes. Our results show that the provision of sufficient human resources has a high probability of enhancing output satisfaction. Among the five investigated output channels for knowledge sharing (international events, documentation, newsletters, webinars, and training programs), utilizing multiple output channels (rather than in isolation) was found to be significantly associated with achieving desired outcomes of policy adoption, technology deployment, economic benefits and social acceptance. This finding identified that a broad spectrum of channels to share information and knowledge were essential to desired outcome achievement.