Decarbonization in several countries is now linked to the prospect of implementing a national hydrogen economy. In countries with extensive natural gas infrastructure, hydrogen may provide a real ...opportunity to decarbonize space heating. While this approach may prove technically and economically feasible in the long-term, it is unclear whether consumers will be willing to adopt hydrogen-fueled appliances for heating and cooking should techno-economic feasibility be achieved. In response, this paper develops an analytical framework for examining hydrogen acceptance which links together socio-technical barriers and social acceptance factors. Applying this framework, the study synthesizes the existing knowledge on public perceptions of hydrogen and identifies critical knowledge gaps which should be addressed to support domestic hydrogen acceptance. The paper demonstrates that a future research agenda should account for the interactions between acceptance factors at the attitudinal, socio-political, market, community, and behavioral level. The analysis concludes that hydrogen is yet to permeate the public consciousness due to a lack of knowledge and awareness, owing to an absence of information dissemination. In response, consumer engagement in energy markets and stronger public trust in key stakeholders will help support social acceptance as the hydrogen transition unfolds. Affordability may prove the most critical barrier to the large-scale adoption of hydrogen homes, while the disruptive impacts of the switchover and distributional injustice represent key concerns. As a starting point, the promise of economic, environmental, and community benefits must be communicated and fulfilled to endorse the value of hydrogen homes.
•Few researchers have examined behavioral acceptance for hydrogen homes.•Hydrogen remains a remote and neutral proposition to most of society.•Domestic hydrogen acceptance hinges on overcoming attitudinal and cost barriers.•Financial costs of hydrogen appliances are the principal concern for most consumers.•Socio-political acceptance may rest on public perceptions of blue hydrogen.
Display omitted
•A comprehensive review of 145 research articles on photovoltaic-green roofs was conducted.•The benefits of photovoltaic-green roofs are summarized from six different ...perspectives.•Research challenges and the difficulties of existing research are shown; future research directions are identified.
Photovoltaic (PV)-green roofs, a new development integrating the PV system with a green roof, provide additional benefits for renewable electricity production as compared to the green roof. This study provides a systematic review of the published literature in Scopus and Web of Science regarding PV-green roof technologies, to identify the benefits and challenges associated with PV-green roofs in practice, and its future directions. A total of 145 published documents were reviewed, revealing that the PV-green roof is an effective strategy for producing clean energy on the building scale. However, there are still various challenges that hinder the large-scale implementation of PV-green roofs, including high initial costs, limited experimental data, and lack of awareness about the long-term benefits. These challenges can be overcome through the new cost-effective design of PV-green roofs and the adoption of the most appropriate materials, which can perform more effectively over a longer period. In addition, more real large-scale experimental studies are needed to evaluate the long-term performance of PV-green roofs in urban areas. Suggestions for further improvements include: providing the optimal design of PV-green roofs for each climatic region; improving laws and regulations; evaluating life-cycle assessment including social, environmental, and economic benefits over a longer period; and establishing interagency collaboration and cooperation tools for the wider adoption of PV-green roof projects. This review draws an overall picture of the benefits and limitations of the PV-green roof around the world. Findings provide a useful reference for the enhancement of the PV-green roof design for their broader application in the building industry.
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are promoted as a viable near-term vehicle technology to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with conventional vehicles ...(CVs). In spite of the benefits of EVs, several obstacles need to be overcome before EVs will be widely adopted. A major barrier is that consumers tend to resist new technologies that are considered alien or unproved, thus, policy decisions that consider their critical concerns will have a higher level of success. This research identifies potential socio-technical barriers to consumer adoption of EVs and determines if sustainability issues influence consumer decision to purchase an EV. This study provides valuable insights into preferences and perceptions of technology enthusiasts; individuals highly connected to technology development and better equipped to sort out the many differences between EVs and CVs. This group of individuals will likely be early adopters of EVs only if they perceive them to be superior in performance compared to CVs. These results can guide policymakers in crafting energy and transportation policy. It can also provide guidance to EV engineers' decision in incorporating consumer preference into EV engineering design.
► We sample technology enthusiasts to determine attitudes toward electric vehicles. ► Knowledge and perceptions differ across gender, age, and education groups. ► High degree of uncertainty is associated with electric vehicles. ► Battery range is the biggest concern followed by cost. ► Sustainability has less weight compared to electric vehicle cost and performance.
Digital technologies, in particular, Building Information Modelling (BIM), are claimed to provide an effective and efficient solution for tackling the plethora of problems in the UK construction ...industry, including time and cost overruns, low quality, and inefficient use of resources. Despite the potential benefits and government promotion, the adoption of digital innovation in the construction sector remains low. An extensive range of existing literature has discussed the constraints hampering the widespread uptake in the construction industry. However, most provide quantitative data, preferring to focus on the technical constraints; only a few examine the theoretical framework underpinning the barriers to increased adoption. This study responds to the call of Davis et al. (2014) to apply socio-technical theory to new areas, and uses a qualitative approach to explore the non-technical barriers to the take up of digital innovation in the construction industry. A number of non-technical barriers that constrain industry uptake (e.g., sociocultural, individual) were identified in a series of interviews, and are grouped under six analytical dimensions, encompassing people, culture, process and procedure, technology, goals and infrastructure. Our findings show that collaborative culture, driven leaders with a human-centric mindset who believe in the changes being implemented, and workforce training and upskilling are all needed for the successful adoption of digital technology in construction firms. Making managers and the wider workforce aware of the benefits of digital innovation results in enhanced perceptions of, and openness to, the adoption of new technologies. Creating a clear digital strategy, early involvement of the supply chain, keeping employees on board during the digitisation journey, and effective communication and coordination, help construction companies to tackle challenges related to process and procedure.
•Existing literature pay less attention to non-technical constraints hampering the uptake of digital technologies in the AEC industry.•Non-technical inhibitors to implementing digital technology can be grouped under six analytical dimensions, including people and culture.•There is a need for collaborative culture and leaders with a human-centric mindset to adopt digital technology.•Workforce training and upskilling are needed to successfully adopt digital technology in construction firms.
The microgrid is a new concept in China and may potentially play an important role in enhancing the resilience and sustainability of electricity generation and distribution. However, the development ...of microgrids faces many challenges. This study examines the barriers to microgrid development using a case study of a pilot zone in Qingdao. Drawing on the theories of multi-level perspective and multi-actor perspective, we presented new empirical evidence on how the pilot microgrid projects were rendered difficult by the resistance from the existing industrial regime and the challenging economic and socio-political environments. The monopoly of state-owned grid operators in electricity transmission and distribution is difficult to break at a local level. The findings deepen our understanding of the challenges encountered by innovators in China’s microgrid development and hold implications for policymakers in making more targeted policy mixes to support energy transition activities.
EU enlargements have given new EU member states access to the European Single Market. While tariff liberalisation was already completed at the time of enlargement, technical regulations were subject ...to different sectoral approaches, including harmonisation and mutual recognition. We employ a structural gravity model estimated using sectoral trade data from 1987 to 2020 to assess the trade effects of these measures. We find that trade expansion, particularly exports of the NMS to the incumbent EU members, has been stronger in the sectors covered either by the Old Approach (full harmonisation) or the New Approach (essential requirements) than in sectors covered by mutual recognition. The New Approach has been more effective when coupled with mutual recognition at the sector level than with either approach alone. Our results imply that the TBT harmonisation has had a heterogenous impact on different sectors (the most important for low-tech industries was the Old Approach, while for high-tech, it was the New Approach).
There is a debate in World Trade Organization (WTO) law about whether the right to regulate for public interest purposes is conditioned on a requirement to do so consistently. While the early ...Appellate Body (AB) jurisprudence eschewed consistency testing under the formal legal test, it refrained from explicitly rejecting the practice. Subsequent AB rulings have seemingly adopted a narrow type of consistency testing through the doctrine of 'legitimate regulatory distinctions'. A case could also be made that WTO tribunals sometimes embrace consistency testing under Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, although this is not explicitly acknowledged or universally recognized. In 'Seals', Canada explicitly attacked the European Union's (EU) seal products ban for its lack of consistency with the EU's broader animal welfare settings. This dispute provided an opportunity - indeed, an obligation - for the AB to establish a clear doctrine on consistency testing. This article argues that the AB shirked its duty through reasoning techniques that avoided meaningful engagement with the substance of Canada's argument. The AB did not truly reject consistency testing, but its precise views are hard to glean due to reasoning that is opaque, confused and even contradictory. This article argues that there is a compelling case for consistency testing, at least in certain 'public morals' disputes, and that the AB should provide clearer guidance.
As tariffs have fallen dramatically over the past decades, behind-the-border measures—such as technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures—have become increasingly ...important for international trade policy. To facilitate trade, governments sign trade agreements in which they agree to base such measures on international standards. But who actually develops these standards? This book takes a close look at the International Organization for Standardization and the Codex Alimentarius – two prominent standard-setting organizations in the area of TBT and SPS – to investigate how international standardization influences the design of international trade agreements, and vice versa.
Indonesia mewajibkan sertifikasi halal pada semua produk yang masuk, beredar dan diperdagangkan di wilayah Indonesia melalui Undang-Undang Nomor 33 Tahun 2014 tentang Jaminan Produk Halal. ...Peraturan hukum kewajiban sertifikasi halal terhadap produk asing dinilai dapat menjadi hambatan perdagangan dan aturan perdagangan World Trade Organization yang termuat dalam Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement mewajibkan negara anggota harus memastikan bahwa peraturan dibuat disusun, ditetapkan dan diterapkan tidak menimbulkan hambatan yang tidak perlu. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis keberadaan peraturan hukum kewajiban sertifikasi halal terhadap produk asing menurut TBT Agreement dan perbuatan hukum pemerintah dalam pemenuhan kesesuaian peraturan kewajiban sertifikasi halal bagi produk asing dengan TBT Agreement. Penelitian menggunakan tipe yuridis normatif dan data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder yang bersumber dari bahan hukum primer, yakni Undang-Undang Nomor 33 Tahun 2014, WTO Agreement dan TBT Agreement, bahan hukum sekunder, yakni buku-buku dan jurnal ilmiah, dan bahan hukum tersier, yakni kamus hukum. Pendekatan yang digunakan yakni pendekatan yuridis historis, eksplanatoris, sinkronisasi hukum dan komparatif. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui penelitian kepustakaan dan dikaji menggunakan analisis kualitatif. Keberadaan peraturan hukum kewajiban sertifikasi halal terhadap produk asing dalam Undang-Undang Nomor 33 Tahun 2014 konsisten terhadap ketentuan TBT Agreement. Perbuatan hukum pemerintah melalui peran- perannya dalam pemenuhan kesesuaian peraturan kewajiban sertifikasi halal bagi produk asing terhadap ketentuan TBT Agreement yakni berupa pelaksanaan dan penerapan prinsip-prinsip yang terdapat dalam TBT Agreement ke dalam regulasi teknis yang telah dan akan diterbitkan oleh badan dan lembaga pemerintah Indonesia.Indonesia requires halal certification on products that enter, circulate, and traded in the territory of Indonesia through Law No. 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance. The regulation of halal certification obligations on foreign products are considered to be a trade barrier and the trade rules of World Trade Organization in the Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement require that member shall ensure that regulations are not prepared, adopted or applied with the effect of creating unnecessary obstacles. The purpose of this research is to know and analyse the existence of regulation of halal certification obligations on foreign products according to TBT Agreement and legal action of government in fulfilment of regulation of halal certification obligation for foreign product with TBT Agreement. The study used normative juridical type and the data used secondary data sourced from primary legal materials, namely Law No. 33 of 2014, WTO Agreement and TBT Agreement, secondary legal materials, namely books and scientific journals, and tertiary legal materials, law dictionary. The approach used is the juridical approach of historical, explanatory, legal synchronization and comparative. Techniques of collecting data through library research and studied using qualitative analysis. The existence of regulation of halal certification obligation on foreign products in Law No. 33 of 2014 is consistent with TBT Agreement. The legal act of the government through its roles in the fulfilment halal certification which obligated s on foreign products to the provision of TBT Agreement, namely the implementation and application of the principles in the TBT Agreement into the technical regulations that have been and will be issued by Indonesian government agencies and institutions.
PDF