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    Six bold steps towards net-zero industry
    (Elsevier, 2023-05) Sovacool, Benjamin; Bazilian, Morgan; Kim, Jinsoo; Griffiths, Steven
    The rapid and deep decarbonization of global industry is key to reaching climate policy targets, yet it remains an incredibly difficult challenge. We propose six bold steps for accelerating progress on achieving net-zero industrial carbon emissions by mid-century with a focus on lessons learned and emerging analysis from both the Global North and Global South, the latter of which we consider as low or middle income countries primarily located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These steps are (1) quintupling financing, (2) expediting technology transfer, (3) investing in human resources, (4) setting binding targets, (5) steering social acceptance and (6) enacting a new global treaty and shaping climate clubs. Perhaps surprisingly, there are more than thirty effective historical and contemporary initiatives to learn from, showcasing a rich tapestry of previous efforts and templates to build on and to inform net-zero decarbonization efforts.
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    Periodic Cellular Cores with Tailored Architectures for Improved Mechanical Properties
    (2024-09) Al Osman, Omar Abdulhadi; Alkhader, Maen; Abuzaid, Wael
    Cellular solids, which include foams and lattice structures, exhibit uniquely high specific structural and thermal properties due to their porous structures, as well as their topological and morphological features. These properties make them attractive for various weight-sensitive applications in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical fields. This work aims to accelerate the use of cellular solids in engineering applications by enhancing their properties through tailoring their topological and morphological features. Multiple approaches were used in this work to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of cellular solids. The first approach focused on coating metallic aluminum foams with copper to improve their properties. This research path employed both numerical and experimental techniques, including finite element analysis (FEA), electrodeposition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and uniaxial quasi-static compression. Results showed that coating aluminum foam with 4% relative density with copper significantly enhances its stiffness and thermal conductivity. Improvements reaching 138% and 196% in stiffness and thermal conductivity were realized, respectively. Analytical models predicting the macroscopic stiffness, yield, and thermal conductivity of coated metallic foams were derived. These models are applicable to material systems other than the copper and aluminum system investigated, generalizing this work to assist engineers in designing hybrid coated metallic foams from a wide range of constituents compatible with electrodeposition. The second approach involved enhancing the mechanical properties of lattice structures by modifying their topology with sinusoidal perturbations. Numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the effects of these perturbations on the modified honeycomb's response to out-of-plane, in-plane, transverse shear, flexural loadings, and low-velocity impacts. Results showed that the sinusoidal perturbations can shift the failure mode from elastic buckling to yielding, increasing the peak load capacity by up to 28.5% under concentrated out-of-plane loads.
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    Policy mixes for more sustainable smart home technologies
    (IOP Publishing, 2021-05-13) Sovacool, Benjamin; Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan; Griffiths, Steven
    Smart home technologies refer to devices that provide some degree of digitally connected, automated, or enhanced services to household occupants. Smart homes have become prominent in recent technology and policy discussions about energy efficiency, climate change, and the sustainability of buildings. Nevertheless, do they truly promote sustainability goals? Based on an extensive original dataset involving expert interviews, supplemented with a review of the literature, this study elaborates on an array of social, technical, political, and environmental risks facing smart home innovation, with clear implications for research, policy, and technology development. Only with a more thoughtful and coordinated mix of policies in place will smart home adoption begin to fulfill some of the sustainability objectives their advocates continually promise.
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    Energy diplomacy in a time of energy transition
    (Elsevier, 2019-11) Griffiths, Steven
    The global energy system is undergoing a transition away from a nearly complete dependence on fossil fuels toward a greater reliance on clean and renewable energy sources. Because this low-carbon energy transition will fundamentally alter the relationship between energy producers and consumers, its geopolitical ramifications are now a key concern of global energy leaders. Among the foreign policy tools that can be leveraged to support a country in managing the geopolitical consequences of an energy transition, diplomacy is one of the most important. This paper provides an analysis of how bilateral energy diplomacy can support the interests of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries during a low-carbon energy transition. The strategic objectives of bilateral energy diplomacy for GCC countries are assessed and then considered more specifically via a case study of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE case study yields foreign policy conclusions and recommendations that are intended to serve as strategic guidance for all hydrocarbon-exporting countries. The results demonstrate the strategic importance of fostering bilateral energy diplomacy with countries that can provide security of domestic energy supply, markets for the long-term monetization of hydrocarbon resources and support for economic diversification. These strategic relations have energy at the core but should extend to joint investment and science and technology collaboration in order to have maximum value.

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