Plasma-electrified up-carbonization for low-carbon clean energy

Low-value,renewable,carbon-rich resources,with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples,represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon-related energy on Earth.Upon conversion to higher-value forms(referred to as“up-carbonization”here),these abundant feedstocks provide viable opportunities for energy-rich fuels and sustainable platform chemicals production.However,many of the current methods for such up-carbonization still lack sufficient energy,cost,and material efficiency,which affect their economics and carbon-emissions footprint.With external electricity precisely delivered,discharge plasmas enable many stubborn reactions to occur under mild conditions,by creating locally intensified and highly reactive environments.This technology emerges as a novel,versatile technology platform for integrated or stand-alone conversion of carbon-rich resources.The plasma-based processes are compatible for integration with increasingly abundant and cost-effective renewable electricity,making the whole conversion carbon-neutral and further paving the plasma-electrified upcarbonization to be performance-,environment-,and economics-viable.Despite the chief interest in this emerging area,no review article brings together the state-of-the-art results from diverse disciplines and underlies basic mechanisms and chemistry underpinned.As such,this review aims to fill this gap and provide basic guidelines for future research and transformation,by providing an overview of the application of plasma techniques for carbon-rich resource conversion,with particular focus on the perspective of discharge plasmas,the fundamentals of why plasmas are particularly suited for upcarbonization,and featured examples of plasma-enabled resource valorization.With parallels drawn and specificity highlighted,we also discuss the technique shortcomings,current challenges,and research needs for future work.

Performance Evaluation of Low-Carbon and Clean Transformation of China’s Coal Economy

In China,the oversupply of coal occurred in 2009,and from that year onwards,China’s coal economy began a low-carbon and clean transformation.Evaluating transformation performance is the research goal of this paper.The data collection for this paper includes data on deep processing of Chinese coal products from 2009 to 2020,as well as data on asset structure evolution and financial performance of 34 listed companies in the Chinese coal mining.Entropy value method is used to calculate the entropy value of low-carbon transformation,and the regression analysis is used to study the performance of cleaner transformation,the conclusion is as follows:(1)From 2009 to 2020,in China’s total energy consumption,coal consumption accounted for 71.6%in 2009 and 56.8%in 2020,the goals set by the state have been achieved.(2)The national goal of reducing the proportion of coal consumption and reducing carbon emissions has forced the transformation of deep processing of coal products.The transformation of coal enterprises towards low-carbon and clean production has achieved remarkable results.(3)From 2009 to 2020,the non coal industry income of 34 listed companies in China’s coal mining industry increased by 8.21%annually.At the same time,the asset structure was adjusted,and nearly 80%of the asset structure evolution showed an orderly development trend.(4)The regression analysis results show that the entropy value of coal deep processing products and the entropy value of asset structure adjustment are significantly related to transformation performance.The paper proposes to summarize the successful experience of China’s coal energy economic transformation,lay a foundation for achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutral goals in the future,further increase the intensity of coal deep processing,increase the proportion of clean energy in total energy consumption,and strive to control asset operation towards the goal of increasing the proportion of non coal industry income.

The Low-Carbon Transition of Energy Systems:A Bibliometric Review from an Engineering Management Perspective

As a major solution to climate change,the low-carbon transition of energy systems has received growing attention in the past decade.This paper presents a bibliometric review of the literature on the low-carbon transition of energy systems from an engineering management perspective.First,the definition and boundaries of the energy system transition are clarified,covering transformation of the energy structure,decarbonization of fossil fuel utilization,and improvement in energy efficiency.Second,a systematic search of the related literature and a bibliometric analysis are conducted to reveal the research trends.It is found that the number of related publications has been growing exponentially during the past decade,with researchers from China,the United Kingdom,the United States,Germany,and the Netherlands comprising the majority of authors.Related studies with interdisciplinary characteristics appear in journals focusing on energy engineering,environmental science,and social science related to energy issues.Four major research themes are identified by clustering the existing literature:(1)low-carbon transition pathways with different spatiotemporal scales and transition constraints;(2)low-carbon technology diffusion with a focus on renewable energy technologies,pollution control technologies,and other technologies facilitating the energy transition;(3)infrastructure network planning for energy systems covering various sectors and regions;and(4)transition-driving mechanisms from the political,economic,social,and natural perspectives.These four topics play distinct but mutually supportive roles in facilitating the low-carbon transition of energy systems,and require more in-depth research on designing resilient low-carbon transition pathways with coordinated goals,promoting low-carbon technologies with cost-effective and reliable infrastructure network deployment,and balancing multi-level risks in various systems.Finally,business models,nongovernment actors,energy justice,deep decarbonization,and zero-energy buildings are recognized as emerging hot topics.

A hybrid decision support system with golden cut and bipolar q‑ROFSs for evaluating the risk‑based strategic priorities of fintech lending for clean energy projects

In the last decade,the risk evaluation and the investment decision are among the most prominent issues of efficient project management.Especially,the innovative financial sources could have some specific risk appetite due to the increasing return of invest-ment.Hence,it is important to uncover the risk factors of fintech investments and investigate the possible impacts with an integrated approach to the strategic priorities of fintech lending.Accordingly,this study aims to analyze a unique risk set and the stra-tegic priorities of fintech lending for clean energy projects.The most important contri-butions to the literature can be listed as to construct an impact-direction map of risk-based strategic priorities for fintech lending in clean energy projects and to measure the possible influences by using a hybrid decision making system with golden cut and bipolar q-rung orthopair fuzzy sets.The extension of multi stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis(M-SWARA)is applied for weighting the risk factors of fintech lending.The extension of elimination and choice translating reality(ELECTRE)is employed for con-structing and ranking the risk-based strategic priorities for clean energy projects.In this process,data is obtained with the evaluation of three different decision makers.The main superiority of the proposed model by comparing with the previous models in the literature is that significant improvements are made to the classical SWARA method so that a new technique is created with the name of M-SWARA.Hence,the causality analysis between the criteria can also be performed in this proposed model.The find-ings demonstrate that security is the most critical risk factor for fintech lending system.Moreover,volume is found as the most critical risk-based strategy for fintech lending.In this context,fintech companies need to take some precautions to effectively manage the security risk.For this purpose,the main risks to information technologies need to be clearly identified.Next,control steps should be put for these risks to be managed properly.Furthermore,it has been determined that the most appropriate strategy to increase the success of the fintech lending system is to increase the number of financi-ers integrated into the system.Within this framework,the platform should be secure and profitable to persuade financiers.

Two-Stage Low-Carbon Economic Dispatch of Integrated Demand Response-Enabled Integrated Energy System with Ladder-Type Carbon Trading

Driven by the goal of“carbon neutrality”and“emission peak”,effectively controlling system carbon emissions has become significantly important to governments around the world.To this end,a novel two-stage low-carbon economic scheduling framework that considers the coordinated optimization of ladder-type carbon trading and integrated demand response(IDR)is proposed in this paper for the integrated energy system(IES),where the first stage determines the energy consumption plan of users by leveraging the price-based electrical-heat IDR.In contrast,the second stage minimizes the system total cost to optimize the outputs of generations with consideration of the uncertainty of renewables.In addition,to fully exploit the system’s emission reduction potential,a carbon trading cost model with segmented CO_(2) emission intervals is built by introducing a reward-penalty ladder-type carbon trading mechanism,and the flexible thermal comfort elasticity of customers is taken into account by putting forward a predicted mean vote index on the load side.The CPLEX optimizer resolves the two-stage model,and the study results on a modified IES situated in North China show the proposed model can effectively reduce carbon emissions and guarantee economical efficiency operation of the system.

Survey of Clean Energy Industry Based on Information Analysis Method

This study was conducted to examine the worldwide interest in the clean energy industry and to make recommendations for the development of this industry. The authors conducted a survey and research using Internet open source data in informatics methods to produce relevant results to support the depth of related work. Based on the valid findings, a discussion is carried out to give suggestions for the development of the clean energy industry in China at several levels.

Optimization of Electricity Purchase and Sales Strategies of Electricity Retailers under the Condition of Limited Clean Energy Consumption

In the process of my country’s energy transition,the clean energy of hydropower,wind power and photovoltaic power generation has ushered in great development,but due to the randomness and volatility of its output,it has caused a certain waste of clean energy power generation resources.Regarding the purchase and sale of electricity by electricity retailers under the condition of limited clean energy consumption,this paper establishes a quantitative model of clean energy restricted electricity fromthe perspective of power system supply and demand balance.Then it analyzes the source-charge dual uncertain factors in the electricity retailer purchasing and selling scenarios in the mid-to long-term electricity market and the day-ahead market.Through the multi-scenario analysis method,the uncertain clean energy consumption and the user’s power demand are combined to form the electricity retailer’s electricity purchase and sales scene,and the typical scene is obtained by using the hierarchical clustering algorithm.This paper establishes a electricity retailer’s risk decisionmodel for purchasing and selling electricity in themid-and long-term market and reduce-abandonment market,and takes the maximum profit expectation of the electricity retailer frompurchasing and selling electricity as the objective function.At the same time,in themediumand longterm electricity market and the day-ahead market,the electricity retailer’s purchase cost,electricity sales income,deviation assessment cost and electricity purchase and sale risk are considered.The molecular results show that electricity retailers can obtain considerable profits in the reduce-abandonment market by optimizing their own electricity purchase and sales strategies,on the premise of balancing profits and risks.

Feasibility of Scaling up the Cost-Competitive and Clean Electrolytic Hydrogen Supply in China

Scaling up clean hydrogen supply in the near future is critical to achieving China’s hydrogen development target.This study established an electrolytic hydrogen development mechanism considering the generation mix and operation optimization of power systems with access to hydrogen.Based on the incremental cost principle,we quantified the provincial and national clean hydrogen production cost performance levels in 2030.The results indicated that this mechanism could effectively reduce the production cost of clean hydrogen in most provinces,with a national average value of less than 2 USD·kg^(-1) at the 40-megaton hydrogen supply scale.Provincial cooperation via power transmission lines could further reduce the production cost to 1.72 USD·kg^(-1).However,performance is affected by the potential distribution of hydrogen demand.From the supply side,competitiveness of the mechanism is limited to clean hydrogen production,while from the demand side,it could help electrolytic hydrogen fulfil a more significant role.This study could provide a solution for the ambitious development of renewables and the hydrogen economy in China.

Investigation of an electrode-driven hydrogen plasma method for in situ cleaning of tin-based contamination

To prolong the service life of optics,the feasibility of in situ cleaning of the multilayer mirror(MLM)of tin and its oxidized contamination was investigated using hydrogen plasma at different power levels.Granular tin-based contamination consisting of micro-and macroparticles was deposited on silicon via physical vapor deposition(PVD).The electrodedriven hydrogen plasma at different power levels was systematically diagnosed using a Langmuir probe and a retarding field ion energy analyzer(RFEA).Moreover,the magnitude of the self-biasing voltage was measured at different power levels,and the peak ion energy was corrected for the difference between the RFEA measurements and the self-biasing voltage(E_(RFEA)-eV_(self)).XPS analysis of O 1s and Sn 3d peaks demonstrated the chemical reduction process after 1 W cleaning.Analysis of surface and cross-section morphology revealed that holes emerged on the upper part of the macroparticles while its bottom remained smooth.Hills and folds appeared on the upper part of the microparticles,confirming the top-down cleaning mode with hydrogen plasma.This study provides an in situ electrode-driven hydrogen plasma etching process for tin-based contamination and will provide meaningful guidance for understanding the chemical mechanism of reduction and etching.

Exploring Sustainable Energy Futures: Assessing the Viability of CanmetENERG’s Hydropower Initiatives in Cameroon

This study examines how hydroelectric power projects, specifically the CanmetENERG initiative in Cameroon, play a crucial part in promoting sustainable development. Hydropower, seen as a cheap, local, and sustainable power source, is given top priority in government funding plans, especially in emerging nations. By making use of the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software, the analysis examines the financial feasibility of different choices for CanmetENERG, emphasizing the importance of a holistic strategy that incorporates economic, environmental, and social factors in project development. The importance of factoring in environmental, social, and cultural aspects in project development is highlighted by the substantial influence of tunnel construction on total expenses. The paper suggests harnessing Cameroon’s unused hydroelectric capacity while following sustainable development principles and international standards. It emphasizes the need for a well-rounded strategy that focuses on economic sustainability in addition to environmental and social issues to guarantee Cameroon’s energy market can sustain itself. Moreover, the research emphasizes the continuing need for advancements in hydroelectric power through research and technology, encouraging cooperation between academia, industry, and policymakers. Community involvement and stakeholder engagement are considered essential for inclusive decision-making and socially responsible project development. It is advised to use adaptive management tactics to deal with changing environmental and socio-economic circumstances. The CanmetENERG case study showcases a model for responsible and sustainable hydropower development that boosts the country’s energy security and environmental resilience. Apart from this particular instance, the study provides more extensive perspectives on effective methods for sustainable energy development, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining a good balance between energy security, economic feasibility, and ecological sustainability. It requires a strategic shift towards self-sufficiency in energy and decreased reliance on imports. The article envisions a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to shaping the future of hydroelectricity, emphasizing continuous research, technological advancements, and the involvement of key stakeholders. By promoting creativity, eco-friendly practices, and community engagement, hydroelectric projects can act as catalysts for sustainable development, making valuable contributions to society.

Overview of Factors Affecting Dust Deposition on Photovoltaic Cells and Cleaning Methods

Dust deposition on the surface of photovoltaic (PV) cells poses a significant challenge to their efficiency, especially in arid regions characterized by desert and semi-desert conditions. Despite the pronounced impact of dust accumulation, these regions offer optimal solar radiation and minimal cloud cover, making them ideal candidates for widespread PV cell deployment. Various surface cleaning methods exist, each employing distinct approaches. Choosing an appropriate cleaning method requires a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved in both dust deposition on module surfaces and dust adhesion to PV cell surfaces. The mechanisms governing dust deposition and adhesion are complex and multifaceted, influenced by factors such as the nature and properties of the dust particles, environmental climatic conditions, characteristics of protective coatings, and the specific location of the PV installation. These factors exhibit regional variations, necessitating the implementation of diverse cleaning approaches tailored to the unique conditions of each location. The first part of this article explores the factors influencing dust deposition on PV cell surfaces, delving into the intricate interplay of environmental variables and particle characteristics. Subsequently, the second part addresses various cleaning methods, offering an analysis of their respective advantages and disadvantages. By comprehensively examining the factors influencing dust accumulation and evaluating the effectiveness of different cleaning strategies, this article aims to contribute valuable insights to the ongoing efforts to optimize the performance and longevity of photovoltaic systems in diverse geographical contexts.

Low-Carbon Dispatching for Virtual Power Plant with Aggregated Distributed Energy Storage Considering Spatiotemporal Distribution of Cleanness Value

The scale of distributed energy resources is increasing,but imperfect business models and value transmission mechanisms lead to low utilization ratio and poor responsiveness.To address this issue,the concept of cleanness value of distributed energy storage(DES)is proposed,and the spatiotemporal distribution mechanism is discussed from the perspectives of electrical energy and cleanness.Based on this,an evaluation system for the environmental benefits of DES is constructed to balance the interests between the aggregator and the power system operator.Then,an optimal low-carbon dispatching for a virtual power plant(VPP)with aggregated DES is constructed,where-in energy value and cleanness value are both considered.To achieve the goal,a green attribute labeling method is used to establish a correlation constraint between the nodal carbon potential of the distribution network(DN)and DES behavior,but as a cost,it brings multiple nonlinear relationships.Subsequently,a solution method based on the convex envelope(CE)linear re-construction method is proposed for the multivariate nonlinear programming problem,thereby improving solution efficiency and feasibility.Finally,the simulation verification based on the IEEE 33-bus DN is conducted.The simulation results show that the multidimensional value recognition of DES motivates the willingness of resource users to respond.Meanwhile,resolving the impact of DES on the nodal carbon potential can effectively alleviate overcompensation of the cleanness value.

Low-carbon generation expansion planning considering uncertainty of renewable energy at multi-time scales

With the development of carbon electricity,achieving a low-carbon economy has become a prevailing and inevitable trend.Improving low-carbon expansion generation planning is critical for carbon emission mitigation and a lowcarbon economy.In this paper,a two-layer low-carbon expansion generation planning approach considering the uncertainty of renewable energy at multiple time scales is proposed.First,renewable energy sequences considering the uncertainty in multiple time scales are generated based on the Copula function and the probability distribution of renewable energy.Second,a two-layer generation planning model considering carbon trading and carbon capture technology is established.Specifically,the upper layer model optimizes the investment decision considering the uncertainty at a monthly scale,and the lower layer one optimizes the scheduling considering the peak shaving at an hourly scale and the flexibility at a 15-minute scale.Finally,the results of different influence factors on low-carbon generation expansion planning are compared in a provincial power grid,which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Clean Processing and Utilization of Coal Energy

The dominant status of coal on the energy production and consumption structure of China will not be changed in the middle period of this century. To realize highly efficient utilization of coal,low pollution and low cost are great and impendent tasks. These difficult problems can be almost resolved through establishing large-scale pithead power stations using two-stage highly efficient dry coal-cleaning system before coal burning,which is a highly efficient,clean and economical strategy considering the current energy and environmental status of China. All these will be discussed in detail in this paper.

Strategies for development of clean energy in China

A development framework of clean energy in China is put forward based on core development strategy, technology support, and policy and laws support. In this framework, the priority development and strategic backup of clean energy are defined, and the technology support and policy and laws support are also presented.

The relationship between energy consumption and economic growth and the development strategy of a low-carbon economy in Kazakhstan

Fossil energy is the material basis of human survival, economic development and social progress. The relationship between energy consumption and economic growth is becoming increasingly close. However, energy consumption is the major source of greenhouse gases, which can significantly affect the balance of the global ecosystem. It has become the common goal of countries worldwide to address climate change, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and implement sustainable development strategies. In this study, we applied an approximate relationship analysis, a decoupling relationship analysis, and a trend analysis to explore the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth using data from Kazakhstan for the period of 1993-2010. The results demonstrated： （1） the total energy consumption and GDP in Kazakhstan showed a ＂U＂-type curve from 1993 to 2010. This curve was observed because 1993-1999 was a period during which Kazakhstan transitioned from a republic to an independent country and experienced a difficult transition from a planned to a market economy. Then, the economic system became more stable and the industrial production increased rapidly because of the effective financial, monetary and industrial policy support from 2000 to 2010. （2） The relationships between energy con- sumption and carbon emissions, economic growth and energy exports were linked; the carbon emissions were mainly derived from energy consumption, and the dependence of economic growth on energy exports gradually increased from 1993 to 2010. Before 2000, the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth was in a recessional decoupling state because of the economic recession. After 2000, this relationship was in strong and weak decoupling states because the international crude oil prices rose and energy exports increased greatly year by year. （3） It is forecasted that Kazakhstan cannot achieve its goal of energy consumption by 2020. Therefore, a low-carbon economy is the best strategic choice to address climate change from a global perspective in Kazakhstan. Thus, we proposed strategies including the improvement of the energy consumption structure, the development of new energy and renewable energy, the use of cleaner production technologies, the adjustment and optimization of the industrial structure, and the expansion of forest areas.

Strategic deliberation on development of low-carbon energy system in China

In recent years, there have been considerable developments in energy provision with the growing improvements in energy supply security and support systems in China. However, China's energy system continues to retain a high-carbon feature where coal dominates energy production and consumption, which has led to the rapid growth of greenhouse gas emissions and associated serious environmental pollution. It has therefore become an important task for China to consider how to promote the low-carbon development of energy system. This paper summarized the basic trends and challenges for development of low-carbon energy system in China and studied the primary energy consumption and carbon emissions in different scenarios at 10-year intervals between 2010 and 2050. The analysis showed that controlling coal consumption will have an important influence on the control of total carbon emissions and of carbon emission peaking; promotion of non-fossil fuel energies will offer a growing contribution to a low-carbon transition in the medium and long term; the development of carbon capture, utilization, and storage will play a key role in realizing a deep decarbonization pathway, particularly after 2030; and the establishment of a low-carbon power system is crucial for the achievement of low-carbon energy transition. Finally, the strategic considerations and policy suggestions on the development of low-carbon energy systems in China are explored.

CATALYTIC RESEARCH FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND ULTRA-CLEAN FUELS IN THE 21^(st) CENTURY Future Perspectives

本文系由大连理工大学王祥生教授 (本刊编委 )和郭新闻教授约请美国宾州大学宋春山博士撰写的“2 1世纪清洁能源和超清洁燃料催化研究的未来展望”述评。在本文中笔者系统而扼要地回顾了 2 0世纪全球能源消耗及供求的情况 ,展望了 2 1世纪催化研究面临的机遇 ,着重讨论了清洁能源 ,对催化而言应把综合和有效利用能源作为研究方向。笔者结合美国情况介绍了许多有用的统计数字 ,重点结合自己的研究工作比较全面地阐述了能源燃料工业对催化研究的需求及其机遇。它包括了清洁运输燃料、重油轻质化增产中间馏分油、制氢和燃料电池、天然气利用、天然气液化、替代燃料的发展、煤的综合利用、专用化学品的合成以及CO2 的转化和利用等。煤既作为生产清洁燃料的原料 ,又作为生产专用化学品的资源 ,把在炼油化工中已经取得卓越成果的催化技术、分子筛催化过程转移到煤化工领域 ,笔者对此提出了比较完整的方案。这些对于读者都有很大的帮助。

A hybrid heterogeneous Pythagorean fuzzy group decision modelling for crowdfunding development process pathways of fintech‑based clean energy investment projects

This study aims to evaluate the crowdfunding alternatives regarding new service development process pathways of clean energy investment projects.In this framework,a new model has been generated by considering the consensus-based group decisionmaking with incomplete preferences,Pythagorean fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory(DEMATEL)and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS).Moreover,a comparative evaluation has been performed with Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I.Kompromisno Resenje methodology and sensitivity analysis has been made by considering 4 different cases.The main contribution is to identify appropriate crowdfunding-based funding alternatives for the improvement of the clean energy investments with a novel MCDM model.By considering the iteration technique and consensus-based analysis,the missing parts in the evaluations can be completed and opposite opinion problems can be reduced.Furthermore,with the help of hybrid MCDM model by combining DEMATEL and TOPSIS,more objective results can be reached.It is concluded that the analysis results are coherent and reliable.The findings indicate that the full launch is the most significant criterion for equity and debt-based crowdfunding alternatives.On the other side,the analysis has the highest weight for reward and donation-based alternatives whereas design is the most essential item regarding the royalty-based alternative.Additionally,it is also defined that equity-based crowdfunding alternative is the most significant for the service development process of clean energy investment projects.In this way,it will be possible to provide a continuous resource for clean energy investment projects.On the other hand,by providing financing with equity,there will be no fixed financing cost for clean energy investors.If these investors make a profit,they distribute dividends with the decision of their authorized bodies.

Japan's experience of energy saving and business model for low-carbon economy

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the questions concerning stimulation of the innovation and the diffusion of energy saving or low-carbon.To do so,this paper explains using two cases of Japan-energy saving innovation after the Oil Shock and the eco points system.For the case after the oil shock,we explain the energy saving trend after the Oil Shock and the factors statistically.Then we put forward the business model for the low-carbon economy.Furthermore,we analyze the case of the eco points system from 2009-2011 in Japan and explain the significance of the business model for diffusion of the low-carbon products.