Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face energy security challenges due to reliance on imported fossil fuels and limited land for renewable energy. This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of integrating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) systems as a sustainable solution. The research focuses on (1) developing a scalable onshore OTEC-SWAC system and assessing feasibility across 32 SIDS using 20 years of oceanic and atmospheric data, (2) analyzing key system parameters such as pipeline length, pump sizing, and cooling requirements and their effect on capital cost, and (3) developing a scalable cost estimation model for Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) predictions. The techno-economic analysis reveals that 30 of the 32 SIDS are technically feasible for OTEC power generation with a temperature gradient of 20 °C. The proposed system is economically feasible in 23 of the SIDS with a calculated average LCOE of 0.16 USD/kWh, which is 67% lower than the diesel LCOE, which is on average 0.46 USD/kWh, making it a cost-competitive alternative. The developed reduced form of the model enables scalable LCOE calculations based on pipeline length and ocean temperature differentials, aiding policymakers in decision-making. By reducing fossil fuel dependency and supporting green tourism, this study provides actionable insights for sustainable energy adoption in SIDS.

Macroeconomic pathways of enabling decoupling of emissions from economic growth in a post-crisis period is analyzed in this study for the high-inflation developing economy of India. A novel control system internalizing the inherent stochasticity of economy-energy-environment (3E) nexus extends the interpretation of Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, where this study finds that decoupling is an emergent phenomenon of a 3E system. Using Zivot-Andrews unit root test, adaptive error correction modelling and robustness analysis through information theory-based approximate entropy method, the stochastic model is found to reproduce real-world higher order phenomena more accurately than previously theorized systems. With high entropy (information content) in long-run and short-run coefficients, the stochastic model can replicate the resiliency speed in a post-crisis period, without new information input. Some key findings of policy/macroeconomic linkages include: (a) decoupling progress lies in capital building and inhibited by inflationary growth; (b) fossil fuel imports, inflation and energy-use have a whiplash effect on carbon emissions in post-crisis periods; (c) electricity and non-electric-energy have differential effect on trade, with decoupling prevalent in electricity sector only; (d) inflation opposes GDP-emission causality during business cycle movements; (e) decoupling policies should be discretized to growth and recession phases of business cycle, with inflationary fossil fuel rebounds actively disincentivized in recession periods.

For developing nations to achieve net-zero targets, macroeconomic linkages impacting the decoupling of emissions from economic growth must account for non-linear business cycles and economic shocks. This study aims to delineate decarbonization policy pathways for the Indian electricity sector in the aftermath of COVID-19 by analysing the long-term evolution of the economy–electricity–emissions (3E) nexus during the 2008 financial crisis and during COVID-19, covering the period of 1996Q2 to 2020Q3. Upon testing multiple theoretical 3E systems, it was found that a model internalizing trade, inflation, and stochasticity was able to minimize the reproduction errors from growth to recession phases, as well as predict the rebound effect from an economic crisis. This was revealed to be due to more information within the coefficients in a trade stochastic model. Our results confirm the existence of electricity-associated emission decoupling with capital formation in the long-run, post-crisis, while economic growth and inflation increase CO₂ emissions. The main finding highlights the negative feedback loop of inflation->trade->emissions, which shows that GDP and emissions are not directly causal. This long-run macroeconomic dynamic death spiral causes decoupling to be inhibited, where fossil fuel imports should not be subsidized for economic shock rebound, and the risk hedging of energy transition investments should occur in the post-COVID-19 era.