Assessing Factors Influencing Solar Energy Adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises in Mzuzu City, Malawi

One of the many renewable energy sources that offer advantages is solar energy, which also lowers energy prices and promotes environmental sustainability and energy security. Despite these advantages, various barriers, such as installation costs, have prevented small and medium-sized enterprises from investigating this invention. Malawi has a significant energy shortfall such that most businesses have been hindered from their profit maximization goals. The “Photovoltaic systems” (PV) that transform sunlight into electricity are the subject of this study. This type of solar energy system is situated on the building’s roof and generally produces electricity for businesses and even homes. Solar energy offers a great impact to small and medium enterprises in Mzuzu city with a cost-effective and dependable alternative to energy that has the potential to change the game. Therefore the aim of the study was to identify factors that encourage the adoption of solar energy among small medium enterprises in the city of Mzuzu city. And to identify some of barriers faced when adopting solar energy among small and medium enterprises in the city of Mzuzu. The research approach employed in the study was a survey. A survey is a type of research methodology in which primary data is gathered from a sample using a questionnaire. When information is to be gathered from a wider sample, a survey is employed. A bigger sample size was needed in this study in order to facilitate hypothesis testing. It is advised to apply a logical approach while using the survey. The survey utilized a five-point Likert scale. The study used convenience sampling to select study participants. The sample size in this study was determined using Cochran’s sample size formula. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used for statistical analysis. About 97.2% of the participants were aware of solar as a source of energy compared to 2.8 % who were unaware. The majority of participants use solar energy for lighting only, seconded by those who use electricity. The least number of participants use solar energy for cooling only. The majority of participants 21.5% indicated partnership and collaboration as the most motivating factor for the adoption of solar energy. This was followed by technical expertise 19.1 % the least number of participants 10.8% expressed that policy and regulatory frameworks were associated with the adoption of solar energy. This study found that there are no statistically significant factors influencing barriers to the adoption of solar energy. The price of solar energy adoption was identified as the least factor associated with the acceptance or rejection of solar energy. Nonetheless, the reasons given by the homes that had embraced solar technology aligned with the findings of other studies. This survey also found that although the public was aware of solar energy, and technology, there were still a number of factors that mattered, especially for non-adopters.

Energy Saving Analysis of Coal Gas Resource Utilization in Iron and Steel Enterprises

The article discusses the preparation of a gas balance sheet,as well as the recovery,storage,transporta-tion,and use of gas.An analysis was conducted on the occurrence and consumption quotas of various gas media,and specific energy-saving measures were elaborated for each process.This provides a theoretical reference for saving gas and reducing energy consumption in steel enterprises.

Gleaning insights from German energy transition and large-scale underground energy storage for China’s carbon neutrality

The global energy transition is a widespread phenomenon that requires international exchange of experiences and mutual learning.Germany’s success in its first phase of energy transition can be attributed to its adoption of smart energy technology and implementation of electricity futures and spot marketization,which enabled the achievement of multiple energy spatial–temporal complementarities and overall grid balance through energy conversion and reconversion technologies.While China can draw from Germany’s experience to inform its own energy transition efforts,its 11-fold higher annual electricity consumption requires a distinct approach.We recommend a clean energy system based on smart sector coupling(ENSYSCO)as a suitable pathway for achieving sustainable energy in China,given that renewable energy is expected to guarantee 85%of China’s energy production by 2060,requiring significant future electricity storage capacity.Nonetheless,renewable energy storage remains a significant challenge.We propose four large-scale underground energy storage methods based on ENSYSCO to address this challenge,while considering China’s national conditions.These proposals have culminated in pilot projects for large-scale underground energy storage in China,which we believe is a necessary choice for achieving carbon neutrality in China and enabling efficient and safe grid integration of renewable energy within the framework of ENSYSCO.

Government subsidies, dual-credit policy, and enterprise performance: Empirical evidence from Chinese listed new energy vehicle companies

The development of the new energy vehicle industry has become a key force driving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization.To better guide future strategies,this study investigates the dual impact of subsidy and dual-integral policies on the performance of new energy vehicle enterprises.This study first theorizes the influential mechanism according to the institutional-based approach and technical innovation theory,and then collects data from listed companies in the new energy vehicle industry from 2016 to 2020.The hypotheses are examined using a two-way fixed-effects model.The findings show that:(1)subsidy policies are can still improve enterprise performance,but not through green technology innovation;(2)the dual-credit policy can improve enterprise performance through green technology innovation;and(3)under current policy conditions,with subsidies declining annually,the interaction effects between the subsidy and dual-integral policies will also decrease.Thus,this study suggests that non-monetary industrial policy,represented by the dual credit policy is a more effective alternative to government subsidies.

Battery Technologies for Grid-Level Large-Scale Electrical Energy Storage

Grid-level large-scale electrical energy storage(GLEES) is an essential approach for balancing the supply–demand of electricity generation, distribution, and usage. Compared with conventional energy storage methods, battery technologies are desirable energy storage devices for GLEES due to their easy modularization, rapid response, flexible installation, and short construction cycles. In general, battery energy storage technologies are expected to meet the requirements of GLEES such as peak shaving and load leveling, voltage and frequency regulation, and emergency response, which are highlighted in this perspective. Furthermore, several types of battery technologies, including lead–acid, nickel–cadmium, nickel–metal hydride, sodium–sulfur, lithium-ion, and flow batteries, are discussed in detail for the application of GLEES. Moreover, some possible developing directions to facilitate efforts in this area are presented to establish a perspective on battery technology, provide a road map for guiding future studies, and promote the commercial application of batteries for GLEES.

Transmission line fault-cause identification method for large-scale new energy grid connection scenarios

The accurate fault-cause identification for overhead transmission lines supports the operation and maintenance personnel in formulating targeted maintenance strategies and shortening the time of inspecting faulty lines.With the goal of achieving“carbon peak and carbon neutrality”,the schemes for clean energy generation have rapidly developed.Moreover,new energy-consuming equipment has been widely connected to the power grid,and the operating characteristics of the power system have significantly changed.Consequently,these have impacted traditional fault identification methods.Based on the time-frequency characteristics of the fault waveform,new energy-related parameters,and deep learning model,this study proposes a fault identification method suitable for scenarios where a high proportion of new energy is connected to the power grid.Ten parameters related to the causes of transmission line fault and new energy connection scenarios are selected as model characteristic parameters.Further,a fault identification model based on adaptive deep belief networks was constructed,and its effect was verified by field data.

Application research on large-scale battery energy storage system under Global Energy Interconnection framework

In the context of constructing Global Energy Interconnection(GEI), energy storage technology, as one of the important basic supporting technologies in power system, will play an important role in the energy configuration and optimization. Based on the most promising battery energy storage technology, this paper introduces the current status of the grid technology, the application of large-scale energy storage technology and the supporting role of battery energy storage for GEI. Based on several key technologies of large-scale battery energy storage system, preliminary analysis of the standard system construction of energy storage system is made, and the future prospect is put forward.

Rethinking Enterprise Architecture for Sustainable Energy System Development

The development of a sustainable energy system throughout an enterprise is a complex task, which requires an agile holistic approach. Such an approach needs to include a variety of objectives including energy strategy formation and strategic decision-making, which are directly related to the analysis and management of the main areas of sustainable development： The economic, technological, environmental, and social. These multidimensional requirements of sustainability are often difficult to achieve within the enterprise, because these aspects are interrelated and influenced by various internal and external environment factors. This paper first reviews the main challenges for an energy system, and then demonstrates how a strategic agile enterprise architecture driven approach could effectively guide the sustainable energy system development. The study presented in this paper provides a holistic approach that contributes to the advancement and usage of literature dealing with issues of sustainable energy system development and agile enterprise architecture, which has not been discussed before to any great extent.

China to Develop Rules for Composing a Standards System for Enterprise Energy Efficiency

April 11, 2007, SAC announced a survey on a standards system for enterprise energy efficiency. According to the announcement, 'Rules for the Composing of a Standards System for Enterprise Energy Efficiency' shall be developed based on the results of the survey. The rules are designed to better manage energy efficiency through standards and to give advice to companies on energy efficiency. In this way, China will be able to assist companies in energy efficiency on a more professional, strict, and comprehensive basis.……

Numerical experimental study on the potential climatic impacts oflarge-scale wind farms in China

Wind energy has been rapidly developed in China during the past decades and the installed capacity has been the largest in the world. In the future, utilization of wind power is still expected to carry out in China mainly with a large-scale centralized layout. Here, we examine the potential climatic impacts of large-scale windfarms associated with deployment scale in China using numerical experiments, in which four deployment scenarios were designed. These four scenarios represented relatively small- (484 GW), medium- (2165 GW) and large-scale (3490 GW and 5412 GW) installed wind power capacities, respectively. Results showed that turbulent kinetic energy, wind velocity, and air temperature varied consistently within those windfarms with the largest changes in turbine hub heights. Moreover, the above relatively large- scale windfarms could induce regional wanning with a maximum of above 0.8 °C in North China. This regional warming may be linked to an anomalous circulation pattern with a negative pressure anomaly center in Northeast China and a positive pressure anomaly center in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin.

An Integrated Framework for Geothermal Energy Storage with CO_(2)Sequestration and Utilization

Subsurface geothermal energy storage has greater potential than other energy storage strategies in terms of capacity scale and time duration.Carbon dioxide(CO_(2))is regarded as a potential medium for energy storage due to its superior thermal properties.Moreover,the use of CO_(2)plumes for geothermal energy storage mitigates the greenhouse effect by storing CO_(2)in geological bodies.In this work,an integrated framework is proposed for synergistic geothermal energy storage and CO_(2)sequestration and utilization.Within this framework,CO_(2)is first injected into geothermal layers for energy accumulation.The resultant high-energy CO_(2)is then introduced into a target oil reservoir for CO_(2)utilization and geothermal energy storage.As a result,CO_(2)is sequestrated in the geological oil reservoir body.The results show that,as high-energy CO_(2)is injected,the average temperature of the whole target reservoir is greatly increased.With the assistance of geothermal energy,the geological utilization efficiency of CO_(2)is higher,resulting in a 10.1%increase in oil displacement efficiency.According to a storage-potential assessment of the simulated CO_(2)site,110 years after the CO_(2)injection,the utilization efficiency of the geological body will be as high as 91.2%,and the final injection quantity of the CO_(2)in the site will be as high as 9.529×10^(8)t.After 1000 years sequestration,the supercritical phase dominates in CO_(2)sequestration,followed by the liquid phase and then the mineralized phase.In addition,CO_(2)sequestration accounting for dissolution trapping increases significantly due to the presence of residual oil.More importantly,CO_(2)exhibits excellent performance in storing geothermal energy on a large scale;for example,the total energy stored in the studied geological body can provide the yearly energy supply for over 3.5×10^(7) normal households.Application of this integrated approach holds great significance for large-scale geothermal energy storage and the achievement of carbon neutrality.

A Study of Holographic Dark Energy Models with Configuration Entropy

The holographic dark energy models provide an alternative description of dark energy.These models are motivated by the possible application of the holographic principle to the dark energy problem.In this work,we present a theoretical study of the one parameter Li holographic dark energy and the two parameter Barrow holographic dark energy models using configuration entropy of the matter distribution in the universe.The configuration entropy rate exhibits a distinct minimum at a specific scale factor that corresponds to the epoch,beyond which dark energy takes a driving role in the accelerated expansion of the universe.We find that the location of the minimum and magnitude of the entropy rate at the minimum are sensitive to the parameters of the models.We find the best fit relations between these quantities and the parameters of each model.We propose that these relations can be used to constrain the parameters of the holographic dark energy models from future observations such as the SKA.Our study suggests that the signature of a large quantum gravitational effect on the future event horizon can be detected from measurements of the configuration entropy of the matter distribution at multiple redshifts.

数字驱动绿色发展:高耗能企业绿色低碳转型动力解构

基于A股上市公司2012—2022年数据,通过制定高耗能企业数字化词汇图谱,衡量其数字化水平,并构建其绿色低碳转型指标,探究数字化对高耗能企业绿色低碳转型的影响及作用机制。研究发现,数字化能助力高耗能企业绿色低碳转型,且经过稳健性检验后依然成立。对于规模更大、非国有以及中西部地区的企业,数字化对绿色低碳转型激励效应更显著。数字化通过优化人力资本结构、合理化融资资源配置以及拓宽国际化广度,为高耗能企业绿色低碳转型赋能。研究内容深入揭示了数字化影响高耗能企业绿色低碳转型的内在逻辑,为增强数字化驱动效能、加快高耗能企业绿色低碳转型提供启示。

“双积分”政策对新能源汽车上游企业技术创新的影响分析

采用2014—2022年A股上市的20家新能源汽车上游企业面板数据,采用倾向得分匹配法从非汽车生产行业上市公司得到对照组样本,构建双重差分模型,检验了“双积分”政策对于新能源汽车上游企业研发创新的影响。结果表明:(1)“双积分”政策对新能源汽车上游企业的技术创新具有促进作用,在“实质性”创新和“策略性”创新之间,该政策对于前者的影响更大;(2)“双积分”政策的创新激励作用受到企业所在地区市场化程度的影响,对东部地区的影响要比对中部和西部地区的影响大;(3)“双积分”政策对新能源汽车上游企业中的非国有企业的创新激励作用比国有企业更为突出。

双积分政策下新能源车企、传统车企、政府协同创新的演化博弈研究

双积分政策推动了新能源汽车市场布局的转变,而协同创新有利于车企其提升研发创新的国际核心竞争力。本文在此背景下,构建了新能源车企、传统车企和政府的三方博弈矩阵,研究新能源汽车平均收益、协同创新所获积分和NEV积分的单位售价、协同创新的额外费用、市场订单总量、抢夺市场份额、政府激励额度、监督成本和企业所得税税率等因素对三方协同创新博弈的影响。研究表明:①车企始终都选择协同创新,但趋向协同创新的意愿受新能源汽车平均收益、新能源汽车市场订单总量、抢夺市场份额的影响;②在双积分政策的背景下,政府从行业的直接引领者转向间接监督者,车企策略选择几乎不受政府激励大小的影响;③政府参与协同创新的意愿随着新能源汽车平均收益、车企NEV积分收益、市场订单总量和企业所得税税率的增长而变强,随着激励额度和监督成本的增长而变弱。本研究有助于双积分政策时代我国新能源汽车产业健康可持续高质量发展的精准施策。

绿色金融试点政策对新能源企业技术创新的影响研究

绿色金融试点政策作为促进我国经济绿色低碳发展的重要途径,可以有效解决新能源行业技术创新资金瓶颈问题。选取2012—2021年A股上市新能源企业为研究对象,以2017年作为绿色金融试点政策实施的时间节点,构建双重差分模型实证研究了绿色金融试点政策对新能源企业技术创新的影响。结果表明:(1)绿色金融试点政策促进了新能源企业技术创新;(2)绿色金融试点政策可以缓解新能源企业融资约束,进而促进新能源企业技术创新;(3)在企业异质性分析方面,国有产权性质、社会责任意识较好、较高金融发展水平和较高绿色金融水平地区的新能源企业技术创新受绿色金融试点政策的促进效果更明显。研究结论可以为新能源企业制定技术创新策略和融资策略提供一定的决策支持。

能源企业数字化转型对创新绩效的影响

基于2013—2022年沪深A股能源上市企业面板数据,采用双重固定效应回归方法分析能源企业数字化转型对创新绩效的影响。研究发现:(1)能源企业数字化转型对创新绩效起显著提升作用;(2)数字化转型可以通过提高创新能力、吸收能力和适应能力来促进能源企业创新绩效;(3)能源企业内部控制在数字化转型对创新绩效的影响、数字化转型对吸收能力的影响以及吸收能力对创新绩效的影响中存在显著的调节作用,且只对吸收能力对创新绩效影响存在正向调节作用。研究表明,应优化数字化管理系统,推动能源企业响应市场需求、培养员工创新意识的动态能力,完善内部控制制度。

企业集团对节能减排的影响研究——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

从企业集团这一组织视角,关注如何推进企业节能减排,对于中国企业绿色转型、国家“双碳”目标的实现有着十分重要的现实意义。基于“结构决定战略”的理论视角和资源基础理论,以2003—2020年中国A股上市公司为研究样本进行实证分析,结果表明:企业集团可以有效促进企业节能减排。进一步研究发现,企业集团通过提升绿色创新水平和改变成本结构促进企业的节能减排。分产权性质和地理位置进行异质性讨论,发现企业集团促进企业节能减排的作用对国有企业显著,中部地区大于西部地区,东部地区效果最弱。

碳信息披露质量与公司治理耦合协调对能源企业价值的影响

利用熵权法、主成分分析法和耦合协调模型分别测算2012—2021年国内能源上市公司的碳信息披露质量、公司治理综合指数和二者的耦合协调度,同时探究其对能源企业价值的影响。研究表明:能源企业碳信息披露质量与公司治理耦合协调度对企业价值有显著的正向促进作用。通过分组回归发现,公司治理水平高的企业碳信息披露质量与公司治理耦合协调度对企业价值的影响更为显著。