Middle East

This chapter aligns with SDGs 7, 11, and 10, by offering a case study on renewable energy and rural electrification in Ecuador, in the context of socioeconomic challenges and climate change, whilst also drawing on other examples from developing countries elsewhere.

When considering urban energy transition, including renewable energy sources (RES) development in an urban space, we must be aware of the complexity of this issue. As usual, attention is first paid to infrastructural conditions, but the energy transition is a multifaceted process. In addition to technological and financial factors, spatial, social, cultural, and historical variables are pivotal because lasting change requires a participatory perspective and contextualization of actions. The study aims to explore the epistemological role of RES installations in urban spaces, focusing on their capacity to domesticate and normalize renewable energy practices in cities. We explored the theoretical side of the issue and provided some background on implementing RES in selected urban spaces in Poland. We pay special attention to their composition in the urban landscape and their potential role in the domestication of renewables in cities. RES installations have a chance to become iconic objects in urban spaces and, therefore, directly influence its inhabitants' social and sustainable practices.

Humanity is in the midst of a switch of energy sources to power the world, moving to renewables while phasing out fossil fuels. Yet, this process requires many decades and a set of temporary mitigation measures for processes that are required to continue. In this chapter, we explore decarbonization strategies like carbon capture and storage/utilization (CCS/CCU), their role in the current energy picture, and the roadmaps toward net-zero emissions operations in the medium term. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of methods like pre- and postcombustion, as well as oxy-fuel combustion and membrane separation, provides us with a framework for action and a list of best practices to implement these techniques across different contexts. Applications vary in their levels of maturity, and some of them have suffered setbacks, yet we are only at the beginning stages of a promising path to achieving net-zero emissions across many different sectors. In this sense, the success of CCS/CCU projects is also dependent on the participation of other actors such as citizens, policymakers, governments, and international organizations. Because of this, the right regulatory frameworks need to be provided, and a joint effort that spans different disciplines is required for decarbonization efforts to come to fruition. A global transformation is, in the end, a challenge that can only be tackled by the best minds coming together and developing synergistic associations.

The world's energy demand is relatively ever rising nevertheless the depletion of conventional energy resources is also accelerated at an alarming rate. Fossil fuel, the main conventional energy reserve, has been exhaustively used, which has resulted in the oil wells drying up, increased carbon levels, and disruptions in the ecological balance. With this alarming scenario and the energy consumption said to increase further in the future, the challenge is to address the increase in massive energy demand through clean fuel sources. Although the study on the use of solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy has seen promising results, these energy resources are influenced on geographical parameters and climatic conditions to a larger extent. Thus, the existing technologies being expensive and the lack of proper goal toward development of clean fuel, dictates a need for a breakthrough in the implementation of clean technology, to provide a sustainable solution that could help mitigate the alarming climate change issues and boost the socioeconomic growth. The chapter provides a comprehensive study of biomass as a crucial renewable resource in the context of sustainable development, with a particular emphasis on its role in energy production across various sectors. An in-depth analysis on the diverse nature of biomass sources, pretreatment methods, and their impact on downstream applications are highlighted. An extensive study on biofuel production from biomass, their roles in agriculture, industry, and energy production, techniques, and limitations of various conversion processes is also presented. The chapter also covers a detailed discussion on the potential for biomass-derived hydrogen production, current methodologies and the challenges faced in this emerging field. The innovative use of biomass-derived biomaterials for energy storage applications is also explored, showcasing the potential use of biomass in next-generation approaches to sustainable energy solutions. The chapter concludes with an examination of challenges and limitations of biomass energy with insights into the potential and future prospects of biomass in the context of global energy transitions and its vital role in shaping a sustainable energy landscape.