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Interdisciplinary modelling in support of people-centred transitions: Forecasting citizen adoption of rooftop PV systems under alternative sociopolitical future-world evolutions
Rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems are central to decentralised solar transitions in Europe, yet their diffusion depends on more than technical potential, technology costs, or the formal design of support schemes. As Member States move from guaranteed remuneration mechanisms towards more market-reflective compensation, rooftop PV adoption increasingly depends on how citizens perceive policy credibility, profitability, social […]
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Assessment and good practices identification among NAPs of developing countries
National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) are assuming a central role as a policy framework for adaptation, protecting from climate impacts if they thoroughly respond to risks. We present a comprehensive global review of all 60 NAPs submitted to the UNFCCC by developing country parties as of March 1st, 2025. Through the NAP-Good Practices Review Framework, plans […]
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Planning alternatives under divergent futures: Linking transformative scenario design with bottom-up modelling and distributional impact assessment to quantify inequalities in electricity affordability
Energy systems are changing as a result of the transition to renewable energy from fossil fuels and the increased deployment and integration of fluctuating renewable energy sources. However, global supply chain challenges, energy crises, and geopolitical conflicts have underlined the need for not only reducing carbon emissions and optimising costs in energy systems but also […]
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Integrating an enhanced diversification metric into energy system models to assess the security and resilience of renewable-based energy systems towards carbon neutrality
Energy systems are changing as a result of the transition to renewable energy from fossil fuels and the increased deployment and integration of fluctuating renewable energy sources. However, global supply chain challenges, energy crises, and geopolitical conflicts have underlined the need for not only reducing carbon emissions and optimising costs in energy systems but also […]
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Evaluating the effectiveness of green recovery measures on sectoral energy transition pathways and employment opportunities towards net zero: Evidence from the Greek National Recovery and Resilience Plan
The extent to which post-COVID green recovery measures can accelerate national progress towards net zero remains insufficiently understood, as most existing studies focus on global or regional scales, provide limited sectoral granularity, or report employment effects only in aggregate terms. This study addresses these gaps by assessing the additionality and sufficiency of Greece’s National Recovery […]
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Expanding natural gas infrastructure in Greece: Good practice or missed opportunity of a green and inclusive transition?
The vision of climate neutrality is no longer characterised by a single spatial focus as there is a clear need for collaboration at, and across, different governance levels. This is particularly important as regional and local authorities are given a more active role in implementing energy transitions; when it comes to policymaking, though, their needs […]
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Towards decarbonisation or lock-in to natural gas? A bottom-up modelling analysis of the energy transition ambiguity in the residential sector by 2050
While a green transition in the Greek building sector is considered critical towards a secure and resilient energy system by 2050, national policymaking continues to support schemes and investments on the expansion of the natural gas grid in the mainland, viewing natural gas as a transition fuel, especially in the residential sector. In this context, […]
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Bidirectional soft-linking of a Capacity Expansion Model with a Production Cost Model to evaluate the feasibility of transition pathways towards carbon neutrality in the power sector
Energy models have been a valuable tool in support of well-informed decision-making towards the transition to climate neutrality in the European Union. However, considering the extra levels of detail required when designing a system based on intermittent renewables, modelling approaches in the field often lack the necessary time resolution, or are not open source, raising […]
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Gender-blind energy efficiency policy-making in Europe: risks and challenges for the private rented sector
Women across Europe are disproportionately vulnerable to energy poverty, a result of pervasive societal gender inequalities, such as lower incomes and unequal care responsibilities, whilst being underrepresented in decision-making spheres. Furthermore, pressures on social housing have seen more low-income families pushed into low quality, costly and precarious housing in the private rented sector (PRS), increasing […]
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Climbing a new hill: a review of Member States’ strategies to meet their energy savings obligation for 2021–2030
The EU and 21 out of 27 Member States achieved their headline 2020 target for energy efficiency in terms of maximum final energy consumption (not to exceed). This was partly due to COVID19. The picture is even more mixed when looking at Member States’ energy savings obligation: 14 Member States met their target of cumulative […]
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How the COVID-19 pandemic changed stakeholder engagement processes in sustainability research in the long-term
Background The COVID-19 pandemic affected stakeholder engagement in sustainability research projects in many ways. But which effects appear permanent today, after the pandemic ended? Methods To address this, we interviewed researchers and stakeholders and carried out a survey among European sustainability research projects in 2022. Results We find that the pandemic years disrupted stakeholder-based research, […]
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Least-cost or sustainable? Exploring power sector transition pathways
The 2022 energy crisis augmented the European ambition for RES capacity expansion. However, beyond the issue of “how many” renewables, the research question that remains, is which capacity mixes achieve the emissions reduction, renewable integration, and energy autarky targets in a cost-effective way. This paper tries to answer this inquiry supported by two energy models […]