Electrification of passenger cars is one of the most popular ways to decarbonize the transportation sector and to reduce local air pollutants. Many researches have tried to examine what will be the driving factors to achieve the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). In this study, we analyzed the factors for EV adoption with the data of revealed preference from 2013 to 2017 in Korea. Analyses showed that the driving range of EVs and financial incentives have a positive impact on EV deployment. Also, the driving range is found to be the most critical factor explaining the market growth of EVs. The results suggest that technical improvement increases the value of EVs and in turn raises the probability of consumers’ decision to purchase EVs. Financial incentive as well can encourage consumers to buy EVs, however, is not strong enough to create transitions from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to EVs.

This study analyzed the heating and cooling performance of an office building in Daegu, Korea, equipped with amorphous-Si (a-Si) building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) windows. EnergyPlus was used to simulate and compare the heating and cooling loads of models for clear glass double-layer, heat-absorbing glass double-layer, and low-emissivity (low-e) glass double-layer windows. In addition, the impact of changes in building operation time, temperature settings, air infiltration from the entrances, and internal load were also analyzed as these all have a large impact on heating and cooling loads. Finally, three types of heating and cooling equipment were tested, and their power and primary energy consumption analyzed, to determine the actual energy used. Under baseline conditions, there was an 18.2% reduction in heating and cooling loads when the BIPV model was used compared to when the clear glass double-layer window was used. In addition, increases in temperature settings and air infiltration from the entrances had a negative effect on the reduction of the heating and cooling loads demonstrating a need for intensive management of these features if a-Si BIPV windows are installed in a building.

This study is to investigate whether the multifaceted roles of democracy have a positive relationship with environmental quality. Using a panel data of 132 high- and low-income countries from 2014 to 2016, a random effect (RE) model is analyzed in comparison with cross-sectional analysis. To pursue the current research thoroughly, five elements of democracy that encompass the aspects of democratic institutions (election system, civil liberties, and government function) and the aspects of democratic culture (political participation and political culture) are selected. We find that elements of democracy are positively correlated with the environment in high-income countries. In low-income countries, on the other hand, it is found that the role of democracy in explaining the environmental quality appears to be very weak; only the effect of government function positively relates with the environment.

Quantifying the sources of change in energy use by decomposition can provide policymakers with useful information, especially for Korea, which has energy-intensive industries such as steel and petrochemicals. In this article, intermediate energy demand is analyzed using a four-part structural decomposition model. The proposed model can distinguish a structure effect from the Leontief effect. From the results, a noticeable structure effect is observed from 1995 to 2005. Moreover, the results show that the Leontief effect can be estimated oppositely according to energy demand sector. Consequently, this article shows the necessity of investigating intermediate demand when analyzing energy use applying a decomposition analysis method.

Energy arguably plays a vital role in a country's economic development, and many studies have attempted to test the causality between energy and economic growth. However, no consensus has emerged yet. In the developing world, including Indonesia, the provision for greater access to energy has been suggested by some to help their economies grow and improve the lives of the poor. This study investigates the relationship between energy consumption and economic output (gross domestic product, GDP) by applying an economic method called the vector error correction of pairwise Granger causality model. The tests reveal that no directional flow exists from GDP to energy consumption; we also find no causal relationship between GDP and energy consumption in Indonesia in the long run, although a relationship exists in the short run. However, our tests indicate the presence of a strong statistical relationship between GDP and energy consumption in Indonesia. This finding indicates that there is a possibility for reducing the energy requirement for a certain quantity of GDP without raising the use of other inputs. This implies that energy conservation is a feasible policy tool to reduce production costs and render the Indonesian economy more competitive.