Energy · Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
A study of about 5,000 Danish home charging stations found that electric-vehicle charging responded far more strongly to hourly electricity prices than overall household electricity use. The shift toward cheaper hours grew during the 2022 energy crisis and continued after prices stabilized, but widespread use of this flexibility could concentrate demand.
China’s expansion in electric vehicles illustrates the goals and progress of its Dual Circulation Strategy, according to a study in Asia Europe Journal. The authors conclude that the European Union needs a multilayered industrial strategy, including more production and innovation at home, to compete with China.
A study combining existing research and benchmark results estimates that inference—the process of responding to users—accounts for about 90% of an AI model’s lifetime energy use. It also finds that more than 84% of models released since 2022 do not report their environmental impact, while some efficiency methods could reduce emissions without reducing accuracy.
A quasi-experimental study of 24 European Union member states found that adopting carbon taxes was associated with lower energy intensity, greater renewable energy use and higher Human Development Index scores. The gains were strongest in countries that had maintained the policies for more than two decades.
A modelling study finds that lower consumption, especially in high-income regions and among wealthy people, is linked to substantially less warming across several carbon-price pathways. Making incomes more similar between regions had a much smaller effect on global temperature in the scenarios.
China began phasing out electric-vehicle (EV) purchase subsidies in 2018–2019, and the study finds buyers’ decisions shifted toward charging access. In cities with weaker charging networks, adding charging facilities raised EV market share in simulations, while the best subsidy type depended on local infrastructure.
