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Climate mitigation in the Mediterranean Europe: An assessment of regional and city-level plans
In Europe, regions in the Mediterranean area share common characteristics in terms of high sensitivity to climate change impacts. Does this translate into specificities regarding climate action that could arise from these Mediterranean characteristics? This paper sheds light on regional and local climate mitigation actions of the Mediterranean Europe, focusing on the plans to reduce […]
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Model-based policymaking or policy-based modelling? How energy models and energy policy interact
As energy models become more and more powerful, they are increasingly used to support energy policymaking. Although modelling has been used for policy advice for many years, there is little knowledge about how computer-based models actually influence policymaking, and to what extent policymakers influence the modelling process. Here, we empirically investigate (i) whether, how and […]
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Perspective of comprehensive and comprehensible multi-model energy and climate science in Europe
Europe’s capacity to explore the envisaged pathways that achieve its near- and long-term energy and climate objectives needs to be significantly enhanced. In this perspective, we discuss how this capacity is supported by energy and climate-economy models, and how international modelling teams are organised within structured communication channels and consortia as well as coordinate multi-model […]
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Will climate mitigation ambitions lead to carbon neutrality? An analysis of the local-level plans of 327 cities in the EU
Cities across the globe recognise their role in climate mitigation and are acting to reduce carbon emissions. Knowing whether cities set ambitious climate and energy targets is critical for determining their contribution towards the global 1.5 °C target, partly because it helps to identify areas where further action is necessary. This paper presents a comparative […]
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The efforts towards and challenges of Greece’s post-lignite era: the case of megalopolis
Greece has historically been one of the most lignite-dependent countries in Europe, due to the abundant coal resources in the region of Western Macedonia and the municipality of Megalopolis, Arcadia (region of Peloponnese). However, a key part of the National Energy and Climate Plan is to gradually phase out the use of lignite, which includes […]
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A city capability assessment framework focusing on planning, financing, and implementing sustainable energy projects
Cities are critical actors in reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; the level of knowledge, skills, and capacity, especially regarding innovative project planning such as sustainable energy (SE) projects, is fundamental for cities to meet their untapped potential. A range of indicator-based frameworks have been developed, focusing on general city economic competitiveness, yet these are […]
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A comparison of dispatchable RES technoeconomics: Is there a Niche for concentrated solar power?
Raising the penetration of renewable energy sources constitutes one of the main pillars of contemporary decarbonization strategies. Within this context, further progress is required towards the optimal exploitation of their potential, especially in terms of dispatchability, where the role of storage is considered vital. Although current literature delves into either storage per se or the […]
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An ex-post assessment of RES-E support in Greece by investigating the monetary flows and the causal relationships in the electricity market
One way to perceive the electricity market is as a network of actors connected through transactions and monetary flows. By exploring the monetary flows in the electricity market, one adopts a holistic view which can provide insights on the interactions between different components of the benefits and costs, as well as on the possible conflicts […]
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Barriers to and consequences of a solar-based energy transition in Greece
In Greece, the renewable energy potential and a low-quality building stock constitute the background of a possible low-carbon energy transition. This transition, however, faces significant uncertainties, ranging from long-term effects of the ongoing economic recession and technological lock-ins, to the stability of the regulatory framework and issues of public acceptance. Such uncertainties may eventually give […]
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Understanding technology ownership to reveal adoption trends for energy efficiency measures in the Greek residential sector
This article explores technology ownership patterns to reveal adoption trends for energy efficiency measures (EEMs) in the Greek residential sector. To do so, we couple observational survey data with discrete choice modeling. Household preferences are revealed through EEMs owned by Greek householders, after having been questioned for a variety of end-use measures and details about […]
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A transdisciplinary modeling framework for the participatory design of dynamic adaptive policy pathways
Efficient policymaking is crucial towards climate change mitigation. However, policies’ successful implementation depends largely on the context where they are applied. Classic decision-making used to be based on a static plan that was considered optimal for the “most likely” future contextual outcome. However, predicting the most probable evolution of this context has been proved unsuccessful, […]
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A modular high-resolution demand-side management model to quantify benefits of demand-flexibility in the residential sector
Increasing shares of renewable energy sources and managing total demand are considered pivotal for energy transitions that fundamentally re-envisage the electricity system. A key challenge of such transitions is integrating and absorbing increased shares of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources, without jeopardizing the security and the reliability of the electricity system. To this end, key solutions […]