Analyses in 2022

Low-carbon energy technology startups play a role in accelerating decarbonization and form part of several countries’ development strategies. This study characterizes the landscape of such startups in India, finding that market-creation policy should be complemented with long-term measures to strengthen technological capability.

Micromobility solutions such as e-bikes or e-scooters are rapidly changing urban travel patterns and behaviours. Asensio et al. use travel data from the city of Atlanta, which introduced a No Ride Zone, and uncover trade-offs between public safety policy and traffic congestion.

Many countries are considering tax cuts on petrol and diesel in the wake of fuel price surges following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here, the authors find that such a tax cut in the EU would increase Russian oil profits, and model the impact a cash transfer to citizens would have instead.

Realizing the full potential of clean cooking transitions requires an understanding of fuel stacking in which multiple fuels and stoves are used. Towards this end, Perros et al. analyse the literature on clean cooking interventions through a behavioural model and identify underlying drivers of stacking.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates to store hydrogen for transportation, but less focus has been on their potential for storage in large-scale, stationary applications. Here Peng et al. perform techno-economic analysis and process modelling to evaluate the prospects of MOFs for back-up power.

Providing reliable, sustainable and clean energy in humanitarian contexts is increasingly important but a lack of data on settlements impedes progress. Here, Baldi et al. present a database and analytical tools for 288 refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa that can support renewable energy deployment decisions.

As renewable energy technology costs fall, there are increasing calls to remove policy support. Pahle et al. examine the impacts of such a move combined with higher interest rates in the European Union, and find that resulting higher financing could double long-term carbon prices and halve the rate of capacity deployment in the next 15 years.

To decarbonise the shipping sector, a deeper understanding of the suitability of carbon-neutral fuels is required. Here, the authors assess the techno-economics of a variety of energy carriers in terms of their ability to power the bulk shipping fleet in Europe.

Policy effort has been put into pollution reduction from both coal-fired electricity and domestic solid fuel burning in China; however, the former has attracted greater research and funding. Li and colleagues now show that the more toxic pollution from residential combustion may be responsible for greater health impacts than coal electricity.