Kristiāna Dolge

The Thesis develops an integrated energy sustainability assessment model to identify key drivers and challenges of the EU energy transition within the Green Deal and REPowerEU. It examines progress and obstacles in building a smart energy system, analyzing sectoral (industry, transport), local (municipal), national, and EU-27 levels. The research presents the energy sector evolution as a journey toward lower emissions and higher sustainability, integrating multiple analytical methods to assess its transformation over time.

Promocijas darbā izstrādāts visaptverošs enerģētikas ilgtspējas novērtēšanas modelis, kas identificē galvenos virzītājspēkus un izaicinājumus enerģētikas pārejā saistībā ar Eiropas Savienības Zaļo kursu un REPowerEU politikas kontekstu. Darbā analizēts progress un šķēršļi viedās enerģētikas sistēmas izveidē, izvērtējot sektoriālo (rūpniecība, transports), vietējo (pašvaldību), nacionālo un ES-27 līmeni. Pētījumā atspoguļota enerģētikas sektora attīstības gaita ceļā uz zemākām enerģētikas sektora radītajām emisijām un augstāku ilgtspēju, izmantojot dažādas analītiskās metodes tās pārmaiņu novērtēšanai.

EU’s energy sector is facing turbulent times as it strives to strengthen energy independence without losing sight of providing affordable and sustainable energy to all. The European Commission’s REPowerEU plan to accelerate the EU’s energy transition places additional pressure on each member state’s path to energy sustainability. To reach this objective, policymakers must assess the present energy sustainability levels of each member state, identify areas for development, and monitor the county’s progress over time. The purpose of this article is to analyze and compare the energy sustainability levels of the EU member states using a variety of indicators and to identify key cornerstones for advancing their energy transition. This study develops an energy sustainability composite index (ESCI) in order to unravel and compare the multiple lawyers of energy sustainability, including energy security, primary energy intensity, share of renewable energy resources, energy efficiency, CO2 emission intensity, and energy poverty. Log-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition analysis is utilized to track the progress of energy policy in achieving reductions in energy-related CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2019. Changes in CO2 emissions were decomposed using Kaya identity factors to determine which of the following factors contributed the most to the changes: changes in emission intensity, energy intensity, economic or population growth. The results indicate that all EU member states have untapped potential for improving energy sustainability.

The EU power sector is under increasing pressure due to rising electricity demand and the need to meet decarbonisation targets. Member states have been active in investing in renewables and building capacity to increase their share of renewables in electricity generation. However, it is important to examine what progress each member state has made in the deployment of renewable energy for electricity generation and what factors influence gross electricity generation from renewable energy. In this study, logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) analysis was used to examine the changes in EU-27 countries’ gross electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES), wind, and solar PV from 2012 to 2021. The results show that the RES deployment per capita effect and the RES share effect were the main positive factors for the total gross electricity generation from RES in the EU. In contrast, the RES capacity productivity effect and the energy intensity effect had negative contributions. Population growth had a positive influence but was less significant than the other factors. The deployment of RES per capita effect was the main factor in the overall growth of gross electricity generation from RES in Northern Europe, Central Western Europe, and Central Eastern Europe, according to comparisons between the regional groups. RES share effect was the main driver in Southern Europe. The decrease in RES capacity productivity was the second most important factor influencing the variation in the amount of energy generated by RES in Northern Europe and Central Western Europe. The results could be used to develop more effective and tailored renewable energy policies that take into account the existing main drivers of RES, wind, and solar energy in each of the EU-27 member states.

Energy consumption across industries accounts for more than seventy-five per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. Energy is a top priority for achieving climate goals and low greenhouse gas emission levels. The comparison of sustainable development patterns in renewable energy sources is carried out for all the different sectors analysed for the study, such as industry, services, agriculture, transport, and households. Specifically, researchers examined trends in each of these sectors. This study aims to create a model that combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches to obtain the most objective and descriptive data on RES technologies used in different sectors of the economy. According to the results, both solar energy and biomass have strong development potential overall, which is reflected in the higher average values of the overall results. This is also the case when looking at the impacts individually.

A vital component of achieving climate neutrality in the future involves bolstering energy efficiency measures in educational institutions and improving the overall knowledge on sustainable solutions. To achieve fruitful outcomes, the active involvement of various stakeholders, such as managers, teaching staff, and students, is indispensable. By implementing energy-efficient building systems, advancing the use of renewable energy sources, and incorporating sustainable practices into the curriculum, educational institutions can decrease their environmental impact and conserve resources for future generations. Active participation from all stakeholders, including managers, teaching staff, and students, is essential for the success of these efforts. Providing students with a comprehensive education on sustainability equips them to apply this knowledge in their future professions, thus contributing to a more sustainable society. To gain insights into the existing state of sustainability within educational systems, a comprehensive study of educational institutions was undertaken. To assess and compare schools’ sustainability, a composite indicator was developed. The study’s findings reveal that the implementation of mandatory and optional measures can lead to a substantial reduction in primary energy consumption by 39% and greenhouse gas emissions by 34% in educational institutions. The average abandonment costs for mandatory measures are 5.87 EUR/kgCO₂/year, but the average value for optional measures is 33.80 EUR/kgCO₂/year. It is suggested demonstration projects be implemented in institutions where specialists in RE, mechatronics, building engineering systems, and environmental technologies are trained by showcasing technologies needed for the transition to climate neutrality.

The pace of the implementation of renewable electricity storage in Europe is disappointingly slow. Several factors influence this and there is a need to speed up the rate and increase the volumes in order to promote a 100% transition to renewable energy resources, expand the practice of using renewable energy, and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of consumers. An important factor is significantly reducing impact on the environment and climate change. Electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind has a seasonal nature that cannot provide the necessary electricity consumption and cover peak loads. The so-called “energy resource crisis” is also a very topical problem at the moment, which reinforces the global need to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the overall balance of primary energy resources. Practical wider integration of renewable electricity storage is what can help stimulate this. The availability of renewable electricity is constantly increasing, and the level of technological innovation is rapidly developing. Therefore, it is valuable to analyse, look for connections and for ways to accumulate electricity in order to promote its availability from private homes to the national scale and more broadly on the European scale. Therefore, this article analyses and compares the different options for renewable electricity storage, from small batteries to large storage systems, arriving at the best solution according to needs, using analysis methods such as multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and TOPSIS. After comparing nine criteria, such as the amount of investment required, existing power density, efficiency, duration of operation, and others in two groups (small and large accumulation systems), it was concluded that lithium-ion batteries are currently the best solution among batteries, while pumped hydro storage is the best solution among large accumulation systems.

The pace of implementation of renewable electricity storage in Europe is disappointingly slow. Several factors influence it, but there is a need to speed up the rate and increase the volumes in order to promote a 100% transition to renewable energy resources, expand the practice of using renewable energy, and contribute to the improvement of the user's quality of life. Also, an important factor is significantly reducing the global impact on the environment and climate change. Electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind has a seasonal nature that cannot provide the necessary electricity consumption and cover peak loads. Also, the so-called "energy resource crisis" is a very topical problem at the moment, which reinforces the global need to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the overall balance of primary energy resources. It is precisely the wider integration of renewable electricity storage in practice that can help stimulate this. The availability of renewable electricity is constantly increasing and the level of technological innovation is rapidly developing, therefore it is valuable to analyze, look for connections and at the same time the main differences in the ways of accumulation in order to promote its availability from a private house to the national and European scale as a whole. Therefore, this article analyses and compares the different options for renewable electricity storage, from small batteries to large storage systems, arriving at the best solution according to needs, using analysis methods such as multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and TOPSIS. After comparing nine criteria, such as the amount of investment required, existing power density, efficiency, duration of operation and others, in both groups, it was concluded that lithium-ion batteries are currently the best solution among batteries, while in the group of large accumulation systems – pumped hydro storage.

Energy consumption in different sectors is responsible for more than 75 % of total EU greenhouse gas emissions. Energy is a priority when it comes to achieving climate goals and keeping greenhouse gas emissions low. The Green Deal is based on the need to use renewable energy sources in the energy sector while ensuring the replacement of fossil fuels and reducing energy dependence. The comparison of sustainable development trends in renewable energy sources (RES) is carried out for all sectors analysed in the study, such as industry, services, agriculture, transport and households. The aim of the study is to find out which of the types of RES is the most promising and sustainable in each sector and which factors influence this the most. The study develops a model that combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods to obtain the most objective and descriptive results possible on RES technologies in different sectors of the economy. In addition to a separate comparison of RES types by sector, a joint sectoral comparison was also made to evaluate the differences in development trends between the sectors considered. The highest rating level for sustainable development was achieved by the potential of biomass use in the agriculture and transport sectors. According to the obtained results, both solar energy and biomass have a high development potential in all analysed sectors, which is also reflected in the higher average values of the overall results.