Since energy efficiency and energy improvement are viewed as two of the most important keys of sustainable management, research on energy has become popular and captured much more attention. The current paper aimed to measure the energy efficiency of 25 countries with carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions as well as their energy efficiency improvement. First, a data envelopment analysis (DEA) slack-based model (SBM) was employed to obtain efficiency scores. Second, the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) was then used to examine the improvement during the period of 2010–2017. Findings of this study showed that developed countries had a more balanced development between gross domestic product (GDP) growth and CO₂ emissions by using the same inputs as developing countries. Additionally, the findings revealed that India and China, being the two largest population countries, achieved improved energy intensity during 2010–2017; however; their energy consumption and CO₂ emissions continued to grow, leading them to being the two worst countries in terms of energy efficiency.

On account of supportive policies and improving technologies, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is gaining attention. Although the BIPV offer is costly, the customers are willing to accept premium rates for more visually appealing systems. The objective of this paper is to estimate and confront the actual market costs of the esthetics offered by the market and to understand the perceived value of esthetic premiums on the customer end. The topic is approached by employing a case study to assess the cost of investment, to learn the economic benefit throughout the entire system’s life cycle and to discern its impact on the value of the residence. The results indicate that from the system’s cost perspective, the current premium reaches over 80% of the Building Applied PV (BAPV) while maintenance plays an important role. Although the Net Present Values (NPV) are positive for both: BIPV and mainstream PV, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR)’s difference reaches 7%. The BIPV’s 0.14Euro/kWh of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) stay below the current market standards so the economic benefits brought by the system are conceivably assured. It has been found that the value of esthetics premium is priced similarly for both the manufacturer and customer. In the latter stages of the BIPV industry’s evolution, the suppliers focus on the functionality of the products, their complex installations, and expensive maintenance. These elements have negative impacts on the esthetics premium value and hinder its acceptance.

The recent years of the PV industry have been demarcated by a severe imbalance of manufacturing capacities versus demand. The goal of our research was to assess the technological progress and evolution of the Taiwanese c-Si PV supplier industry structure during the period of 2016 to 2019 when the end-product experienced price volatility. The analysis was conducted based on data derived from Taiwanese manufacturers and industry sources with regard to current technological and market trends. We illuminate two main conclusions: the industry is advancing consolidation, and it is decreasing the pace of technological advancements, especially in comparison to its Chinese counterparts. The study suggests there is a need for improving efficiencies in the production processes, and shifting toward downstream segments in order to maximize the utilization of resources in the segments with the highest profit margins.