Balancing electricity demand and supply remains a significant challenge for the power systems in developing countries, such as Nigeria. In Nigeria, there is a shortage of adequate power supply, and demand-side management (DSM) plays a minor role in the power balancing mechanism with load shedding being widely used. The paper aims to review and compare various existing and emerging DSM strategies in developing countries. An extensive and systematic review was conducted to evaluate potential solutions using DSM to increase the overall energy efficiency in the Nigerian electricity market. This study found that, although the technical and economic potentials of DSM vary in developed countries, the uptakes of DSM have been severely hampered hence preventing the full exploitation and utilisation of the full potential of DSM. The initiatives of a DSM model in Nigeria and other developing countries can play a significant role in addressing demand and supply challenges but an upgrade of the energy infrastructures, a reform of the market structure and the provision of financial incentives are required to allow for wide implementations of DSM strategies in developing countries.
1 November 2020 in Energy Research & Social Science
Aviation is widely recognised as one of the most carbon-intensive modes of transport and among the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. The use of green hydrogen (H2) in airside operations can help reduce emissions from air transport. While the pace and scalability of technology development, including H2-powered and ground support equipment, will be key factors, other financial, regulatory, legal, organisational, behavioural, and societal issues must also be considered. This paper investigates the key opportunities and challenges of using H2 in the aviation industry through eleven semi-structured interviews and a virtual expert workshop (N = 37) with key aviation industry stakeholders and academia. The results indicate that, currently, decarbonisation of the aviation sector faces several challenges, including socio-technical, techno-economic, and socio-political challenges, with socio-technical challenges being the most prominent barrier. This study shows that decarbonisation will not occur until the UK government is ready to have all the required infrastructure and capacity in place. Governments can play a significant role in directing the necessary ‘push’ and ‘pull’ to develop and promote zero-carbon emission aircraft in the marketplace and ensure safe implementation.