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Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies

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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 28686

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chiara D’Alpaos

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Interests: environmental and energy economics; investment decisions under uncertainty and dynamic stochastic optimization; regulation and management of public utilities; public procurement and efficient auction mechanisms; public policy valuations and multicriteria decision aiding
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the EU established important climate policy objectives to be reached by Member states to decarbonize its economy and foster a clean energy transition. Cost-effective solutions are needed in all sectors, to reduce fuel poverty, increase security of energy supplies, reduce dependence on energy imports, favor economic growth and job creation, and generate environmental and health benefits. In line with the 7th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) on affordable and clean energy, the EU Directive 2018/2001/EU promoted the use of energy from renewable sources and the creation of energy communities to foster the transition from a fossil-based to a zero-carbon energy sector and post-carbon and sustainable cities and societies. To reach this challenging objective, governance and regulatory frameworks should favor a decentralized and proactive citizen-oriented organization of the energy sector and society as a whole. A strong effort is required to forge new paradigms of urban development and innovative partnerships to ensure that benefits are inclusive and fully shared. The Special Issue will investigate potential technical, economic, and social benefits, and related policy and regulatory implications, of this transition. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to the following:

Energy markets
Energy efficiency and energy security
Renewable energy sources
Energy communities
Urban planning
Building design and architecture
Urban governance
Impact investing and corporate social responsibility
Public policy

Prof. Chiara D’Alpaos
Guest Editor

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.

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Keywords

energy transition
multidisciplinary and participatory approaches
sustainable
urban development
affordable and clean energy

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Efficiency in Urban Context: An Overview of European-Funded Projects with the Analysis of an ELENA Case Study

by Marina Bertolini

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10574; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710574 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1653

Abstract

According to the European Union, buildings are responsible for around 40% of CO₂ emissions in the EU area. For this reason, the new regulatory framework Clean Energy for All European Package (2019) supports policies to reduce emissions by increasing energy efficiency in buildings. This is the prosecution of a long-standing policy, which in the past has mainly influenced public authorities, but also aggregations of private bodies and the realization (or renovation) of large strategic investments that impacted and changed the fruition of buildings and relevant infrastructures. The paper aims to offer an overview of the European funds dedicated to the Energy Efficiency initiatives in the past few years, distinguishing funds for financing the project itself and funds for the financing of technical assistance. The overview introduces the analysis of a case study related to technical assistance projects in the Energy Efficiency field, i.e., the European Local Energy assistance (ELENA) Fund; findings connected to the case studies are the main contribution of this paper. The analysis helps to interpret the performance of the funds and to detect the gap between the financing procedures and the subsequent operational implementation of the projects. The case study highlighted critical aspects regarding the potential mismatch between the purpose of the fund and operational barriers in the realization of the initiatives. Such evidence can contribute to helping policy makers redesign and correct funding schemes and, moreover, in evaluating them with a complete information set. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

34 pages, 3248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Design of Temporary Buildings in Emergency Situations

by Rossana Paparella and Mauro Caini

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8010; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14138010 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2832

Abstract

Unforeseen circumstances that occur anywhere in the world following natural disasters, humanitarian and health emergencies, armed conflicts, or in the presence of migratory flows, require adequate and immediate responses. This work aims to analyze the project requirements useful to realizing modular systems for residential, multifunctional, and hospital intended use, which, even if temporary, can ensure a high-performance standard in terms of comfort and energy efficiency, and at the same time guarantee the possibility of use in the widest possible range and in rapid execution times. The considered requirements have been those of settlement in the territory, energy efficiency, transportability, and re-usability. Temporary modular systems put in place with the abovementioned requirements are the basis of the design proposal; to realize this, they are made with dry technology to be reusable and energy-efficient. Furthermore, this enables the reduction of the minimum modules’ production and times of execution in applying both requirements of standardization and modular coordination. All these requirements also add to the ones relating to energy efficiency, transportability, and reusability, which are the pillars of the project for the achievement of performance above all in terms of standards and comfort levels as it is possible to find in the sustainable building of the living period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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24 pages, 2780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Citizen’s Role in the Transition to a Smart Energy System: Are We Ready?

by Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu, Muhittin Hakan Demir and Sebnem Altinci

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5902; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105902 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1767

Abstract

Energy transition is one of the main pillars of the European Union’s climate change strategy suite. The policies set forth by European Union members to support energy transition are transposed into national policies, strategies, and action plans. Energy transition calls for empowering citizens and communities regarding energy-related initiatives. Of particular importance are smart energy systems and their potential for involving individuals and communities in energy transition initiatives. However, not all citizens are willing to invest in renewable energy or smart appliances. Thus, there is a need for implementing smart energy initiatives, which have three main steps, namely, awareness, mindset (readiness for action), and action. Bearing in mind the lack of uniformity in this area across the European Union, this manuscript assesses the levels of awareness, mindset, and action utilizing the results of a comprehensive international survey, the ECHOES project, with respect to demographic and socioeconomic variables, such as age, income level, and education level. The analysis reveals that 58% of respondents from the West European sample demonstrate a high level of awareness, 56% are ready for action, and 63% already demonstrate action. The percentages are similar for the East European sample, with 56% demonstrating a high level of awareness, 55% are ready for action, and 66% already demonstrating action. Overall, women have higher levels of awareness, readiness for action, and action. For both Western and Eastern European countries, education level and income level are important factors for smart energy adoption, with education levels proving to be more significant for East European countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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17 pages, 644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Financial Impacts of the Energy Transition in Housing

by Luigi Dolores, Maria Macchiaroli and Gianluigi De Mare

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 4876; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14094876 - 19 Apr 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1944

Abstract

This paper explores the topic of the energy transition in housing. The work aims to offer a knowledge base for energy policy on the current scenario of the energy redevelopment of Italian multi-family buildings. The financial feasibility of energy retrofit projects in the case of multi-apartment buildings is then analyzed. From a set of projects located in the Campania region (Italy), the typical building on which to carry out ordinary energy efficiency works was identified. Two design variants are considered on which to implement the Cost-Revenue Analysis (CRA): (i) energy retrofit intervention not including photovoltaic system; (ii) energy retrofit intervention including photovoltaic system. For the second design variant, further analyses were conducted (sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, risk analysis) to identify the main sensitive variables and to estimate the probability of financial failure of the intervention. The study shows that interventions without photovoltaics are unlikely to be financially sustainable. However, although the presence of photovoltaics significantly increases the savings in the bill, the Payback Period (PP) remains quite high. An ordinary energy retrofit project including photovoltaic technology can be made financially sustainable only by resorting to government building bonuses, in the absence of which the probability of failure is 46%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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27 pages, 4746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Synergy Green Innovation Effect of Green Innovation Subsidies and Carbon Taxes

by Xiao Yu, Yingdong Xu, Jian Zhang and Yue Sun

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3453; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063453 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2973

Abstract

The economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19 has led governments around the world to attach more importance to green innovation to accomplish their carbon reduction schemes. To improve the green innovation encouraging effect of an environmental policy system, this study introduces a unit progressive carbon tax on the basis of a green innovation subsidy to discuss the synergy green innovation effect between them. We set up a dynamic evolutionary game model to analyze the respective influences of green innovation subsidies and an environmental policy system containing a unit progressive carbon tax on Low Carbon Technology (LCT) heterogeneous enterprises’ endogenous green innovation strategies. The Evolutionary Stable Strategy analysis of dynamic game models demonstrate that there does exist a synergy green innovation effect between green innovation subsidies and unit carbon taxes. The numerical simulation shows that the synergy green innovation effect of green innovation subsidies and carbon taxes contains both an overlapping policy effect and a more significant green innovation stimulating effect on enterprises with high LCT. Additionally, the introduction of a carbon tax will increase enterprises’ affordability on the green innovation cost coefficient. Furthermore, introducing a unit progressive carbon tax would also create additional stimulation for enterprises to pursue a larger carbon reduction amount for the carbon emission cost-saving advantage. Based on the synergy green innovation effect mentioned above, we also investigate the policy implications of varying the tax rate and subsidy proportion in different situations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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13 pages, 877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Willingness to Pay for Residential PV Plants in Italy: A Discrete Choice Experiment

by Paolo Bragolusi and Chiara D’Alpaos

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10544; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910544 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1860

Abstract

PV energy generates economic and environmental benefits (e.g., energy cost-saving, GHG emissions reduction, etc.), which can be capitalized into market prices. There is, therefore, growing interest in assessing the value that PV systems add to solar homes (i.e., homes equipped with PV production plants) market prices. Although the number of solar homes has experienced rapid growth in Europe and Italy, literature investigating the impact of PV power plants on home values is still very limited. This paper aims to fill this gap. We implement a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) approach to estimate individuals’ WTP for different typologies of domestic PV plants, which vary in technical characteristics. Our findings show that homebuyers are willing to pay a price premium for solar homes, ranging from some 3% to some 15%, depending on PV panels’ characteristics. These results can provide a wealth of recommendations to different interested parties such as homeowners, homebuyers, realtors, and governments, seeking knowledge on the capitalization effect of residential PV plants on the housing market to implement cost-effective investment strategies or design optimal policy incentives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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17 pages, 554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Initial Impact and Socioeconomic Compensation for the Closure of a Coal-Fired Power Plant in a Local Entity

by Antonio Javier Prado-Domínguez, Fernando González-Laxe, Manuel Escourido-Calvo and Federico Martín-Bermúdez

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137391 - 01 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2327

Abstract

This work contributes to improving the relevant information for the local participatory process, in a context of just energy transition. A proposal has been prepared for an objective estimate of the initial impact and the minimum socioeconomic compensation for the closure of a conventional coal-fired thermal power plant in the affected local entity. This has allowed (1) specifying and contextualizing the effects into which the initial impact of the closure can be divided, with the inclusion of the circular effect; (2) obtaining an indicator of the minimum compensation that would need to be set to neutralize this impact; and (3) establishing recommendations and conclusions based on the evidence obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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24 pages, 3226 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of Cool Pavements for the Regeneration of Industrial Districts

by Silvia Croce, Elisa D’Agnolo, Mauro Caini and Rossana Paparella

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6322; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116322 - 02 Jun 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2534

Abstract

Industrial districts are characterized by the presence of low and extensive building volumes and by predominantly sealed, impermeable surfaces, which contribute to several environmental problems and to the deterioration of outdoor human thermal comfort conditions, especially during summer hot days. To tackle these issues, this study proposes an approach for the regeneration of industrial districts based on the application of cool materials. Reflective and evaporative pavements were selected as suitable solutions to reduce summer overheating, while ensuring the functionality required by the industrial production, and contributing to stormwater management. The effectiveness of the approach was tested in a portion of the industrial district of Padua (Italy). In summer conditions, the replacement of conventional pavements with cool materials results in a reduction of the ground surface temperatures up to 14.0 °C and a consequent decrease of the air temperature at pedestrian level between 0.6 and 1.2 °C. The effects of human thermal comfort conditions highly depend on the selected cool material and on the morphology of the urban canyon. Finally, the reduction of external surface and air temperatures also contributes in cooling indoor spaces (average decrease from 1.0 to 2.5 °C), with impacts on the energy efficiency of the industrial buildings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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15 pages, 8297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Framing Sustainability. Evidence from Participatory Forums to Taylor the Regional 2030 Agenda to Local Contexts

by Maria Stella Righettini

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4435; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084435 - 15 Apr 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1701

Abstract

The present article introduces an original theoretical framework to investigate how public participation reframes governmental sustainability topics along four dimensions: exploration, prioritization, embedding, and integration. The literature highlights public participation as a strategic sustainability governance tool that can help governments extract local communities’ knowledge to better design policy. In light of this, the article proposes the participatory assessment grid (PAG) to assessing participatory contribution to framing sustainability. The present study adopts a topic detection method to gauging and comparing qualitatively and quantitatively the seven Veneto region participatory forums’ output. In so doing, the article tests the PAG and highlights the bottom-up contribution to the sustainability strategic plan formulation within the regional 2030 Agenda design. As the analysis reveals, participatory forums’ communicative content gives several potential contributions to government policy formulation that are drivers both to enhance public engagement and improve sustainability policy design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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17 pages, 904 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Can I Help You? Questioning the Role of Evaluation Techniques in Democratic Decision-Making Processes

by Isabella M. Lami and Stefano Moroni

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8568; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12208568 - 16 Oct 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2623

Abstract

In the past, evaluation techniques were considered to be “decisional techniques”, “decisional tools”. There was a rough idea that, after the important data had been collected, the technique in question would, by itself, indicate the best decision. Evaluations of this kind clearly depended on the more or less implicit adoption of a “rational-comprehensive model”, which tended to downplay the ethical and political dimension of decisions, while stressing the role of both technique and technicians. This approach has been widely criticized. Partly as a result of such criticism, many evaluation techniques are now considered to be not “decisional tools” but forms of “decision aid”. The problem is that the expression “decision aid” lacks clarity and is by no means unequivocal in urban decisional situations. We believe in this regard that there is a gap in research and in the academic literature. Starting from this conviction, the article presents an investigation of what being a “decision aid” might mean for a technical evaluation today. The aim is to provide a conceptual framework within which to critically revisit and rediscuss the question, with particular regard to urban sustainability issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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Review

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28 pages, 5705 KiB

Open AccessReview

Evaluating the Transition Towards Post-Carbon Cities: A Literature Review

by Marta Bottero, Federico Dell’Anna and Vito Morgese

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 567; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020567 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4466

Abstract

To achieve the new European targets concerning CO₂ emission reduction, the concept of a post-carbon city has been promoted, which is focused on low-energy and low-emission buildings provided with intelligent heating and cooling systems, electric and hybrid cars, and better public transport. This paradigm entails the inclusion of aspects not strictly related to energy exploitation but referring to environmental, social, and economic domains, such as improvement in local energy security, people’s opinion on different energy solutions, economic co-benefits for private users, environmental externalities, and so on. In this domain, it is of particular importance to provide the decision makers with evaluation tools able to consider the complexity of the impacts, thus leading to the choice of the most sustainable solutions. The paper aims to investigate the scientific literature in the context of evaluation frameworks for supporting decision problems related to the energy transition. The review is carried out through the scientific database SCOPUS. The analysis allows for systematizing the contributions according to the main families of evaluation methodologies, discussing to what extent they can be useful in real-world applications. The paper also proposes emerging trends and innovative research lines in the domain of energy planning and urban management. While the energy transition is an important trend, the analysis showed that few studies were conducted on the evaluation of projects, plans, and policies that aim to reach post-carbon targets. The scales of application refer mainly to global or national levels, while few studies have been developed at the district level. Life cycle thinking techniques, such as life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis, were widely used in this research field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for the Future: Participatory and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Post-carbon Cities and Societies)

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