Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
This article advances goals 7 and 9 by outlining how energy can be generated from cashew industrial waste to achieve cleaner energy production in Burkina Faso. Nominated in September 2018 for the Elsevier Atlas Award.
This article advances goals 7 and 9 by demonstrating the need for appropriate carbon prices to incentivise firms to innovate new energy technologies in a market economy.
Despite its potential advantages, a bioenergy system poses several conceptual and operational challenges for academic as well as practical scrutiny because the inherent relationship and the intersection of areas related to energy production and agricultural activity requires a deeply integrated assessment. The aim of this paper is to review the available works in this field and propose an approach for supporting policymakers in the decision taking process of deploying sustainable bioenergy systems and in doing so, help to inform SDG 7.
For the world to reverse global warming, eliminate millions of annual air-pollution deaths, and provide secure energy, every country must have an energy roadmap based on widely available, reliable, zero-emission energy technologies. In support of SDG 7, this study presents such roadmaps for 139 countries of the world. These roadmaps are far more aggressive than what the Paris agreement calls for, but are still technically and economically feasible.
Under SDG 7, there are targets to increase renewable energy sources that include biomass, hydroelectric, wind, solar and hydrothermal systems, are carbon-neutral, releasing relatively no emissions. This paper discusses the initiatives associated with the provision of renewable energy to the energy mix in Nigeria as an indication of the country’s commitment to adopt a sustainable development strategy in shaping the economy. The paper identifies social and political obstacles as the most significant roadblocks towards rapid implementation of a green economy through the deployment of renewable energy for sustainable development.
This article discusses how the SDGs can be used to motivate investments in Renewable Energy (RE) in Africa. Using the SDGs as a benchmark for inclusive and sustainable growth the synergy effects provided by RE are identified and an analysis of possible leverage points, available instruments and involved actors shows that there remains a large additional potential. The authors argue that expansion of Renewable Energy supports the fulfillment of at least 10 of the 17 SDGs.
A review of sustainable energy access and technologies for healthcare facilities in the Global South
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Volume 22, August 2017, Pages 92-105
This article provides a review on accessibility of energy and technologies to support health care facilities in the global south. It elaborates the criteria based on multi-disciplinary technology that address adaption of technology to suit the local community, social political factors and deployment of business model. Based on the technology assessment, a stable supply of energy in remote area to support health care facility needs is crucial. An onsite reliable energy system needs to be provided. It also summarises the assessment of the technologies for health care facilities. Efficient energy storage technologies are required in order to store electricity access during production peaks and provides electricity during production loss. The review supports SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
This paper proposes a socio-technical perspective of fossil fuel subsidies and their reform. This persepctive is applied to cases of the South African and Tunisian energy sectors. Fossil fuel subsidies co-evolve with and are locked-in by national energy systems. Renewable energy technologies can help destabilize this fossil fuel subsidy regime. This paper relates to SDG 7.
Climate change, population growth and rapidly increasing urbanisation severely threaten water quantity and quality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Treating wastewater is necessary to preserve the water bodies; reusing treated wastewater appears a viable option that could help to address future water challenges. In areas already suffering energy poverty, the main barrier to wastewater treatment is the high electricity demand of most facilities. This work aims to assess the benefits of integrating renewable energy technologies to satisfy the energy needs of a wastewater treatment facility based on a conventional activated sludge system, and also considers the case of including a membrane bioreactor so treated wastewater can be reused for irrigation.
Smart cities use data and technology to drive energy efficiency and are on the increase. The advantages of integrating energy efficient technologies into building planning and urban modelling are understood, but what are the risks? This article considers the threat of cyber crime on smart cities and the technology that these cities rely on, drawing out the links between SDG 7 and SDG 9. On the one hand, smart cities support the need for open data whilst on the other hand increased protection and security of that data will be required to avoid the threat of cyber attacks.
