Energy

Energy is a central component of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), explicitly reflected in SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. However, the theme of energy cuts across multiple SDGs, demonstrating the interconnectivity of these global goals.

SDG 7's objective is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Energy, in its various forms, is a vital driver of economic growth and is pivotal to nearly all aspects of development. Without a steady and reliable supply of energy, societies can hardly progress. However, millions of people around the world still lack access to modern and clean energy services. The emphasis on "affordable and clean" energy within this goal shows the need to transition from traditional energy sources, often characterized by high environmental costs, to more sustainable ones like wind, solar, and hydropower.

Energy's role is also significant in achieving other SDGs. For example, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, emphasizes the need for sustainable and resilient infrastructure with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean technologies. It is almost impossible to achieve this without a sustainable energy framework. Similarly, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, calls for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, and one of its targets (11.6) directly refers to the environmental impact of cities, for which energy is a key factor.

Furthermore, energy is a crucial player in SDG 13: Climate Action. The energy sector represents the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to a sustainable energy future, therefore, is critical for tackling climate change. Efforts to reduce emissions and promote clean energy sources are crucial to mitigate climate change and its impacts.

This chapter advances SDG 7 by reviewing important policies and market trends shaping the global development of clean energy technologies; it argues that clean energy project costs are now competitive with or lower than conventional fossil fuels in most markets around the world, and discusses the most promising future areas of research for improvement.
This article supports SDGs 7 and 9 by creating a digital twin model of batteries via combining emerging machine learning technologies and battery modeling, achieving more intelligent control and longer battery life, providing key technologies for establishing an intelligent battery management framework in the future.
This article supports SDGs 7 and 9 by introducing the application of PEM fuel cells in different fields and the current status of related technologies, and it proposed that machine learning and artificial intelligence have important potential in optimizing the design, control, cost reduction, durability improvement, and monitoring operational health of fuel cells.
Elsevier,

Alfredo de Jesús Martínez-Roldán, Rosa Olivia Cañizares-Villanueva, Chapter 7 - Wastewater treatment based in microalgae, Editor(s): Eduardo Jacob-Lopes, Mariana Manzoni Maroneze, Maria Isabel Queiroz, Leila Queiroz Zepka, Handbook of Microalgae-Based Processes and Products, Academic Press, 2020, Pages 165-184, ISBN 9780128185360, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818536-0.00007-5.

This book chapter advances SDGs 6 and 7 by explaining how to remove contaminants from wastewater using microalgae so that it is safe to release into the natural environment.
Elsevier,

Patricia Ruiz-Ruiz, Adrián Estrada, Marcia Morales, Chapter 8 - Carbon dioxide capture and utilization using microalgae, Editor(s): Eduardo Jacob-Lopes, Mariana Manzoni Maroneze, Maria Isabel Queiroz, Leila Queiroz Zepka, Handbook of Microalgae-Based Processes and Products, Academic Press, 2020, Pages 185-206, ISBN 9780128185360, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818536-0.00008-7.

This book chapter advances SDGs 7 and 13 by explaining how to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using microalgae.
Elsevier, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 126, July 2020
The new European Commission plans to raise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target from 40% towards 55% by 2030 and make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Achieving this will require accelerated energy efficiency measures, deeper electrification of sectors currently consuming conventional fuels and the deployment of more renewables, faster. This opinion article looks specifically at the role of photovoltaics (PV), based on scenarios from the Commission's 2018 long-term strategy (LTS) for energy and climate.
This synthesis paper presents the objectives, approach and cross-cutting results of the Latin American Deep Decarbonization Pathways project (DDP-LAC). It synthesizes and compares detailed national and sectoral deep decarbonization pathways (DDPs) to 2050 compatible with the Paris Agreement objectives and domestic development priorities in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had growing environmental consequences related to plastic use and follow-up waste, but more urgent health issues have far overshadowed the potential impacts. This paper gives a prospective outlook on how the disruption caused by COVID-19 can act as a catalyst for short-term and long-term changes in plastic waste management practices throughout the world. The impact of the pandemic and epidemic following through the life cycles of various plastic products, particularly those needed for personal protection and healthcare, is assessed.

Pathways towards a defossilated sustainable power system for West Africa within the time horizon of 2015–2050 is researched, by applying linear optimisation modelling to determine the cost optimal generation mix to meet the demand based on assumed costs and technologies in 5-year intervals. Six scenarios were developed, which aimed at examining the impact of various policy constraints such as cross-border electricity trade and greenhouse gas emissions costs.

High-tech products like batteries and electronics contain a variety of valuable, scarce, and in some cases potentially harmful materials, but in only a few exceptional cases (such as lead-acid batteries) is the material being recovered efficiently. Cotributing to SDGs 7, 9 and 12, this special issue seeks to elucidate the technical and institutional difficulties inherent in recycling these products and provide a forum for sharing potential ways to overcome them. 

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