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The Avoid–Shift–Improve framework has been used since its conception in the 1990s to help decision-makers prioritize action towards environmental sustainability in the transport sector. The core of the framework establishes a clear priority of action among the three main strategies that give it its name, thus highlighting the prominent role transport demand reduction should have within policy discussions. However, although its general formulation allows for a fruitful application to other sectors, the approach and its definitions have rarely been extended beyond transport. In particular, the energy sector could significantly benefit from an application of its methodology since the prioritization of energy demand reduction over energy efficiency would be in line with an optimized path towards decarbonization. This paper outlines a theoretical application of the A-S-I framework to the energy sector that allows the categorization of energy policies in terms of Avoid, Shift, or Improve strategies. Moreover, the paper presents an analysis of several energy policies databases to evaluate to what extent policies are addressing energy demand reduction, shift to less-carbon-intensive energy sources or energy efficiency. The results of the study show that most energy-related policies seem to support improving efficiency in current technology (18–33% of policies, depending on the database that is considered) and shifting towards low-carbon sources (28–48% of policies) more than reducing or altogether avoiding energy demand in the first place (6–22% of policies). Further research is recommended to strengthen the results, especially by evaluating the significance of each policy in terms of committed investment, as well as to understand the main factors that contribute to Avoid-type policies being under-represented in the energy sector.

The oil & gas transport and storage (OGTS) engineering, from the upstream of gathering and processing in the oil & gas fields, to the midstream long-distance pipelines, and the downstream tanks and LNG terminals, while using supply chains to connect each part, is exploring its way to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints. This work provides an overview of current methods and technological improvements and the latest trends in OGTS to show how this industry strives to achieve sustainable development goals. The critical analyses are from increasing flexibility, energy saving, emission reduction, and changing energy structure. The study shows the need to focus on improving energy efficiency further, reducing energy/water/material consumption and emissions, and maintaining safety for such an extensive oil & gas network.

Nowadays, the topic of reducing vehicles’ energy consumption is very important. In particular, for electric vehicles, the reduction of energy consumption is necessary to remedy the most critical problems associated with this type of vehicle: the problem of the limited range of the electric traction, also associated with the long recharging times of the battery packs. To reduce use-phase impacts and energy consumptions of vehicles, it is useful to reduce the vehicle mass (lightweighting). The aim of this work is to analyze the parameters of a vehicle which influence the results of lightweighting, in order to provide guidelines for the creation of a vehicle model suitable for studying the effects of lightweighting. This study was carried out through two borderline case models, a compact car and an N1 vehicle, and simulating these through a consolidated vehicle simulation tool useful for consumption estimations. This study shows that the parameters that most influence the outcome of lightweighting are the rolling resistance, the battery pack characteristics, the aerodynamic coefficients, and the transmission efficiency, while the inertia contributions can be considered negligible. An analysis was also carried out with the variation of the driving cycle considered.

Today, reducing vehicle energy consumption is a crucial topic. For electric vehicles, reducing energy consumption is essential to address some of the most critical issues associated with this type of vehicle, such as the limited range of electric powertrains and the long battery recharging times. To lower the environmental impact during the vehicle’s use phase and reduce energy consumption, vehicle mass reduction (lightweighting) is an effective strategy. The objective of this work is to analyze the vehicle parameters that influence lightweighting outcomes on a real driving cycle, representative of the home-to-work travel in northern Italy. In particular, a previous work carried out on standard driving cycles is repeated in order to observe whether it is possible to draw the same conclusions regarding the variability in the lightweighting outcome. This study was conducted using two opposite vehicle models, a compact car and an N1 vehicle, simulated through a well-established vehicle simulation tool for energy consumption estimation. To conduct this analysis, several simulations with variable vehicle mass, and with different vehicle parameters, such as aerodynamics and rolling resistance, were performed to estimate energy consumption across a real-world driving cycle, acquired via GPS on board the vehicle during a home-to-work journey in northern Italy. This study reveals that even for the real driving cycle, as for the WLTC and US06 standards, the parameters that most influence the outcome of the lightening are the rolling resistance, the characteristics of the battery pack, the aerodynamic coefficients, and the efficiency of the transmission. Finally, the standard cycle that best fits with the real one considered in this study is the Artemis Urban Cycle.

The building sector is responsible for 40% of the current CO2 emissions as well as energy consumption. Sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings are currently being evaluated, not only based on thermal insulation qualities and energy demands, but also based on primary energy demand, CO2 reductions and the ecological properties of the materials used. Therefore, in order to make buildings as sustainable as possible, it is crucial to maximize the use of ecological materials. This study explores alternative usage of sheep wool as a construction material beyond its traditional application in the textile industry. Another goal of this research was to study the feasibility of replacement of commonly used thermal insulations with natural and renewable materials which have better environmental and primary energy values. Building physics, energy and environmental characteristics were evaluated and compared based on hygrothermal simulation and ecological balance methods. The observations demonstrate that sheep wool, compared with mineral wool and calcium silicate, provides comparable thermal insulation characteristics, and in some applications even reveals better performance.

The European Climate Law mandates a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, intending to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. To meet these targets, there is a strong focus on reducing energy consumption in buildings, particularly for heating and cooling, which are the primary drivers of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the demand for energy-efficient and sustainable buildings is increasing, and thermal insulation plays a crucial role in minimizing energy consumption for both winter heating and summer cooling. This review explores the historical development of thermal insulation materials, beginning with natural options such as straw, wool, and clay, progressing to materials like cork, asbestos, and mineral wool, and culminating in synthetic insulators such as fiberglass and polystyrene. The review also examines innovative materials like polyurethane foam, vacuum insulation panels, and cement foams enhanced with phase change materials. Additionally, it highlights the renewed interest in environmentally friendly materials like cellulose, hemp, and sheep wool. The current challenges in developing sustainable, high-performance building solutions are discussed, including the implementation of the 6R principles for insulating materials. Finally, the review not only traces the historical evolution of insulation materials but also provides various classifications and summarizes emerging aspects in the field.

This study investigates the effect of thermal pretreatment on the grindability and energy efficiency of chalcopyrite ore using a ball mill, employing Box–Behnken design and statistical analysis to optimize key grinding parameters. The research utilized scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to assess the structural changes in the ore after pretreatment at 300 °C and 600 °C. These analyses revealed significant modifications in the chalcopyrite structure, including reduced crystallinity, formation of new phases (such as oxides), and the development of microcracks, which contributed to improved grinding performance. Statistical analysis of the results showed that thermal pretreatment reduced specific energy consumption by approximately 10% and enhanced the particle size reduction (P80). The Box–Behnken design was used to optimize the mill speed and ball filling ratio, further improving energy efficiency. Results showed that reducing the mill speed decreased energy consumption while maintaining an optimal P80, whereas increasing the ball filling ratio reduced energy usage but resulted in a coarser product. Overall, this study demonstrated that thermal pretreatment, combined with optimized milling parameters through statistical design, can significantly enhance energy efficiency and grinding performance in chalcopyrite ore processing, offering practical solutions for industrial mineral processing.

The building sector is responsible for a third of the global energy consumption and a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Phase change materials (PCMs) have shown high potential for latent thermal energy storage (LTES) through their integration in building materials, with the aim of enhancing the efficient use of energy. Although research on PCMs began decades ago, this technology is still far from being widespread. This work analyses the main contributions to the employment of PCMs in the building sector, to better understand the motivations behind the restricted employment of PCM-based LTES technologies. The main research and review studies are critically discussed, focusing on: strategies used to regulate indoor thermal conditions, the variation of mechanical properties in PCMs-based mortars and cements, and applications with ground-coupled heat pumps. The employment of materials obtained from wastes and natural sources was also taken in account as a possible key to developing composite materials with good performance and sustainability at the same time. As a result, the integration of PCMs in LTES is still in its early stages, but reveals high potential for employment in the building sector, thanks to the continuous design improvement and optimization driven by high-performance materials and a new way of coupling with tailored envelopes.

In this paper, optimal economic management of a grid-connected microgrid (MG) with distributed energy resource (DER) and its interaction with incentive-based demand response programs (DRPs) is studied. The use of DR makes energy management system (EMS) of the MG an efficient tool in balancing the demand and supply, and therefore ensuring the network reliability. In this work, the cost function of customers is developed in the incentive-based DRP with the aim of receiving a more realistic incentive and then it is combined with EMS. Accordingly, the consumers offer hourly power reduction bids based on which they are sorted and then incentive-based payment model is implemented. At times, due to full utilization of grid and MG resources, the supply–demand balance cannot be maintained by respecting the consumer offers. Specific energy policies and contracts are required in this case for mandatory power curtailment in exchange for higher incentive payments by MG operator (MGO). The objective function attempts to minimize operation costs of the MG units such as Diesel Generator fuels costs, cost of power exchange with the main grid, battery energy storage system (BESS) costs and in the mean time, maximize MGO DR benefit. On the other hand, simultaneous EMS and DR management leads to a complex non-linear problem, which can be solved using whale optimization algorithm (WOA) in MATLAB software. To assess the performance of the proposed new approach, a grid-connected MG with DERs and reducible power of consumers is studied within a 24-h time cycle. Also, to verify the scalability of the implemented system, an MG with aggregators and a large scale battery is considered. Simulation results show that incorporating a developed DR into EMS is an efficient way in optimal performance of both demand and supply sides in conjunction with the goals of economic operation of MGs.

The paper provides general information on selected methods of joining aluminum sheets. The main focus is on the strength of the friction stir welding connection and the energy consumption of the process. The practical part of the study used aluminum alloy 2024-T3, the most commonly used alloy in the automotive industry. The study consisted of the FSW welding of two pieces of overlapping sheet metal, using different process parameters. The thickness of the sheet used was 1 mm. After the welding was completed, the test specimens were broken on a testing machine. During the tests, the appropriate process parameters were selected at which the weld showed the highest strength. The effect of implementing the FSW process should be to increase the efficiency of sheet-metal joining. It should also result in a reduction in the energy intensity of the process, which will translate into the lower production cost of the final product. Strength tests were carried out on eighteen samples of joined sheets. The best results were obtained at a feed rate of 100 (mm/min) and a rotational speed of 900 (rpm). It can also be seen that friction welding is an efficient and low-emission way of joining metals. Through the analysis, it can be concluded that in order to perform one meter of satisfactory welding, CO2 emissions will be approximately 310 g. These are calculations based on data published by the National Balancing and Emissions Management Centre from 2019. Analyzing the 2019 data from the Society of Automobile Manufacturers, it is safe to say that the potential for implementing the FSW method in the automotive industry is huge.