This volume offers profound analyses of the main theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of sustainable development: namely, current environmental problems; the building of green economies; climate policies; specifics of international cooperation in the sphere of sustainable development; specific features of business and government involvement in implementing sustainable development; the role of civil society; its social and gender aspects; and specific characteristics of national models of sustainable development. The focus on the international aspects of the implementation of sustainable development ideas makes the insights offered here fresh and unique.

This book examines how Russia, the world’s most complicated country, is governed. As it resumes its place at the centre of global affairs, the book explores Russia’s overarching strategies, and how it organizes itself (or not) in policy areas ranging from foreign policy and national security to health care, education, immigration, science, sport, agriculture, the environment and criminal justice. The book also discusses the structures and institutions on which Russia relies in order to deliver its goals in these areas of national life, as well as what’s to be done, in policy terms, to improve the country’s performance in its first post-Soviet century. Edited by Irvin Studin, the book includes contributions from a tremendous list of Russia’s leading thinkers and specialists, including Alexei Kudrin, Vladimir Mau, Alexander Auzan, Simon Kordonsky, Fyodor Lukyanov, Natalia Zubarevich and Andrey Melville.

Global warming is recognized as one of the most urgent challenges for human society in the 21st century. The international community has agreed to undertake necessary actions to prevent dangerous anthropogenic impacts on the climatic system. Based on the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014), the UNFCCC Parties adopted the Paris Agreement aimed at limiting the global mean surface temperature rise by “well below 2 degrees Celsius”. Such an ambitious “climatic” target requires unprecedented efforts to reduce carbon emissions to almost zero worldwide this century. Moreover, in order to keep the warming below 1.5°C, the global total emissions must be reduced by 50% or more by 2050 (compared to current levels) and reach net-zero levels afterwards. In practical terms, it means that most of the countries should deeply decarbonize their economies, energy systems, industries, transport, buildings, products and services, while continuing growth of GDP and the standard of living of the population. The developed countries agreed to take the lead in climate change mitigation under the UNFCCC; however, the largest developing countries and emerging economies have started playing substantial roles in carbon emissions nowadays. In this decade, China became the world No.1 CO2 emitter overcoming the United States. The Northeast Asian (NEA) region, including China, Japan, Mongolia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, is responsible for annual emissions of over 12.4 billion tonnes of CO2 or approximately 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. These countries are huge contributors to global warming today and may increase their share further. The traditional way of combusting the huge fossil fuels reserves (coal, gas, and oil) available in the Northeast Asian region would emit greenhouse gases substantially exceeding the amounts that would warm the planet by 2°C. On the other hand, plentiful sources of renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, tidal, and biomass, etc.) in combination with advanced technologies, investments, and land infrastructure developments can transform the Northeast Asian countries into decarbonized, climate- and environment-friendly economies with sustainable growth and development, fully consistent with the goals and commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement. Delays with the deep decarbonization of the Northeast Asian economies will impose higher risks for communities and life-supporting ecosystems, more losses and stranded assets for businesses, and slower technological progress worldwide. The analysis of challenges and opportunities in deep decarbonization pathways for the Northeast Asian region as a whole is presented in this publication. We raise many questions, and yet have not so many answers. By publishing this text, we want to invite all interested and concerned parties to start thinking about and debating these new, but very up-to-date issues of deep transformation of our economies, industries, consumer behavior, and ways of living in climate-neutral patterns, in order that we can urgently meet the need to save our planet and keep it in good shape for the generations to come.

The materials of The International Scientific – Practical Conference is presented below. The Conference reflects the modern state of innovation in education, science, industry and social-economic sphere, from the standpoint of introducing new information technologies.

It is interesting for a wide range of researchers, teachers, graduate students and professionals in the field of innovation and information technologies.

The piblication provides the key lessons learnt from DDPP project experience on designing long-term pathways of low carbon development for 16 world largest economies. The Paris Climate Agreement requires countries to build their concrete vision of the national low-emission transition, consistent with global climate goals that would widely shared by domestic stakeholders and explicitly articulated with domestic socio-economic priorities. We analyze the experience of USA, France, Germany, Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, UK, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Brazil in projecting the deep decarbonization scenarios for their economies by 2050.

This volume discusses post-socialist urban transport functioning and development in Russia, within the context of the country’s recent transition towards a market economy. Over the past twenty-five years, urban transport in Russia has undergone serious transformations, prompted by the transitioning economy. Yet, the lack of readily available statistical data has led to a gap in the inclusion of Russia in the body of international transport economics research. By including ten chapters of original, cutting-edge research by Russian transport scholars, this book will close that gap. Discussing topics such as the relationship between urban spatial structure and travel behavior in post-soviet cities, road safety, trends and reforms in urban public transport development, transport planning and modelling, and the role of institutions in post-soviet transportation management, this book provides a comprehensive survey of the current state of transportation in Russia. The book concludes with a forecast for future travel development in Russia and makes recommendations for future policy. This book will be of interest to researchers in transportation economics and policy as well as policy makers and those working in the field of urban and transport planning. 

The materials of The Third International Scientific-Practical Conference is presented below. The Conference reflects the modern state of innovation in education, science, industry and social-economic sphere, from the standpoint of introducing new information technologies.

Digest of Conference materials is presented in 3 parts. It is interesting for a wide range of researchers, teachers, graduate students and professionals in the field of innovation and information technologies.

The materials of The Third International Scientific-Practical Conference is presented below. The Conference reflects the modern state of innovation in education, science, industry and social-economic sphere, from the standpoint of introducing new information technologies.

Digest of Conference materials is presented in 3 parts. It is interesting for a wide range of researchers, teachers, graduate students and professionals in the field of innovation and information technologies.

The materials of The Third International Scientific-Practical Conference is presented below. The Conference reflects the modern state of innovation in education, science, industry and social-economic sphere, from the standpoint of introducing new information technologies.

Digest of Conference materials is presented in 3 parts. It is interesting for a wide range of researchers, teachers, graduate students and professionals in the field of innovation and information technologies.

This Study was prepared by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Russian Energy Agency (REA), and the United States Energy Association (USEA) under the framework of the U.S./Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Energy Efficiency Working Group’s Russian/American Smart Grid Partnership Initiative. This study was designed to provide the Russian and American stakeholders with on overarching 360 degree perspective on the major impediments to Smart Grid deployment in the U.S. and Russia. The study doesn’t include recommendation; it only assesses the current barriers that prevent smart grid technology deployment in the United States and Russia. It is organized into two parallel sections, one focusing on the impediments to smart grid technology deployment in the United States and the other on the impediments to its deployment in Russia. A common analytical framework for the study was jointly developed by the U.S. and Russian counterparts to ensure that the studies were parallel in their analyses and the impediments are divided into the following high level main Smart Grid related themes:  Smart Grid Concept  Markets  Efficiency  Cross-Subsidy  Generation  Consumer Participation  Behavioral Norms  Data & Analytics  Smart Grid Investment Environment  Education  Grid Modernization A parallel series of in-person interviews were conducted in the U.S. and Russia with relevant smart grid stakeholders including government agencies, regulatory officials, infrastructure companies, electric utilities, industry associations, market operators, and research institutions. The interviews ranged 2-3 hours in length. The subjects were informed in advance that their opinions were not for attribution, leading to a candid exchange of opinion. A customized questionnaire jointly developed by the Russian and American expert consulting teams was utilized during each stakeholder interview.

 

This article examines the industrial wastes and environmental effects of Soviet technological development through the history of the Karelian Isthmus, a border territory that had previously been Finnish. Focusing primarily on the history of two large enterprises – the Svetogorskii (former Enso) and Sovetskii (former Johannes) pulp and paper making plants, the authors illustrate the polluting nature of the Soviet economy in the 1940s-1980s. We contend that from the very beginning, important as they were for the USSR, the enterprises of the Isthmus were built into a system of shortages of techniques and materials that contributed to the hectic fulfillment of the plan. Producing pulp and pulp-based products remained a priority during the whole Soviet period. On the level of industrial enterprises, the Soviet system revealed itself as incapable of solving the problem of pollution and wasting. After waste treatment facilities developed by Soviet engineers in the 1960s turned out to be inadequate for dealing with increasing pollution, the Soviet authorities called on Finnish companies to carry out substantial modernization of a few enterprises on the Isthmus. This helped the modernized plants remain functioning in the age of economic crisis at the end of the Soviet epoch. Old problems, however, such as shortages and lack of expertise, remained pivotal, while new sources of pollution, such as carbon emissions, appeared. As a result, the level of contamination was still high and led to negative environmental impacts.

A combined method for synthesizing a highly dispersed (0.8–2.5 μm) hydrophobic Na2O– Bi2O3–SiO2 powder (NBS powder) based on solutions of sodium methyl siliconate and bismuth nitrate is studied. The powder is synthesized at a reduced temperature (100°C). The microstructure and the phase composition of the resulting compounds in the Na2O–Bi2O3–SiO2 system at different processing temperatures are investigated. The structural phase transformations in the mineral phases of NBS powder are revealed in the temperature range of 100–500°C. The metastable bismuth silicate Bi2SiO5 at 400°C is transformed into stable sillenite with composition Bi12SiO20 having a cubic crystal structure (a = 10.1050 Å). The synthesized NBS powder can be used as a filler to fabricate highly effective constructional radiation-shielding polymer composites with tailored properties.

Diversification of energy sources in the road transport sector is becoming a global trend with the emergence of economically and technologically viable alternative fuels, such as electricity, biofuels, compressed natural gas, and others. With the transport sector generating over 50% of global oil demand, this trend obviously holds great significance. The Russian Federation, while being one of the world's major oil producers as well as energy consumers, is falling behind on this trend. However, the prospects for change are quite tangible. The article presents a long term outlook for changes in the Russian road transportation sector's fuel mix. The calculations demonstrate that switching to natural gas and electricity will reduce the share of petroleum products from 95% in 2015 to 74–86% by 2040. Nevertheless, the extent of support by the Russian Government for the infrastructural development will be the key factor to determine the end result. The incentives for natural gas and electric vehicles will also play a large role. The issue of fuel mix diversification will have to be resolved against the background of a 75% increase in the sector's energy consumption, expected in the next 20 yr. Petrol will remain a key fuel for transportation but its share will decrease from 59 to 40-47%, while the share of diesel will remain at 34-39%.

Recent research has revealed that more than 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally every year. The disposal of such huge biomass has become a challenge. In the present paper, we report the production of the bio-oil by hydrothermal liquefaction of three classes of food waste: meat, cheese and fruits. The highest yield of the bio-oil was observed for meat (∼60%) and cheese (∼75%), while for fruits, it was considerably low (∼10%). The molecular composition of the obtained bio-oil was investigated using ultrahigh resolution Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry and was found to be similar to that obtained from algae. Several thousand heteroatom compounds (N, N2, ON2, etc. classes) were reliably identified from each sample. It was found that bio-oils produced from meat and cheese have many compounds (∼90%) with common molecular formulas, while bio-oil produced from fruits differs considerably (∼30% of compounds are unique).

Mechanical performances of titanium biomedical implants manufactured by superplastic forming are strongly related to the process parameters: the thickness distribution along the formed sheet has a key role in the evaluation of post-forming characteristics of the prosthesis. In this work, a finite element model able to reliably predict the thickness distribution after the superplastic forming operation was developed and validated in a case study. The material model was built for the investigated titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V-ELI) upon results achieved through free inflation tests in different pressure regimes. Thus, a strain and strain rate dependent material behaviour was implemented in the numerical model. It was found that, especially for relatively low strain rates, the strain rate sensitivity index of the investigated titanium alloy significantly decreases during the deformation process. Results on the case study highlighted that the strain rate has a strong influence on the thickness profile, both on its minimum value and on the position in which such a minimum is found.

    Nowadays, one of the most imminent problems facing power systems in post-industrial countries is the sustainable development of power systems under conditions of increasing power consumption irregularity due to the reduction of the industry’s share in consumers’ demand for electric power. In today’s Russia, this issue is becoming very acute due to the significant share of electric power and heat co-generation that is demonstrating low manoeuvrability and poor adaptation to operations in the daily variation of electric power demand. This paper considers the problem of improving the power system steady-state through the optimization of the production structure of thermal power plants. We propose a combinatorial algorithm that improves the planning of the structural and technological modernization of the power equipment configuration, with a glance at the forecast of the increasing irregularity of power consumption.

Abstract:

Purpose

This article aims to identify effects of client orientation on business models of central power generation companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Five major Russian wholesale electricity market players were selected for the analysis conducted applying A. Osterwalder and Y. Pigneur’s ‘Business Model Canvas’. To identify the changes induced by client orientation, the progress of companies’ business models was traced over 6 years; from 2009 to 2015.

Findings

Five major trends in business model changes due to client orientation were identified:

1. Declaration of client orientation and adoption of client service standards;

2. Advent of business diversification in favor of engineering, construction, service, operation and maintenance of generating facilities;

3. Increase in vertical integration;

4. Increase in diversity of communication channels with consumers;

5. Increase in diversity of customer relationships.

The results were compared with those obtained in international studies. Conclusions about international and local character of the trends are presented.

Originality/value

The study contributes to knowledge of current and upcoming changes in the business of central power generation triggered by the advent of electricity prosumers. It is valuable both for management decision makers and theorists. 

The objective of this work is to develop a predictive model for multiphase wellbore flows using the machine learning approach. The artificial neural network is developed and then trained on the dataset generated using the numerical simulator of the full-scale transient wellbore flows. After the training is completed, the neural network is used to predict one of the key parameters of the wellbore flow, namely, the bottomhole pressure. The novelty of this work is related to the application of the neural network to analyze highly transient processes taking place in wellbores. In such processes, most of the parameters of interest can be represented by interdependent time series of variables linked through complex physical phenomena pertinent to the nature of multiphase flows. The proposed neural network with two hidden layers demonstrated the capability to predict the bottomhole pressure within 5% of the normalized root mean squared error for many complex wellbore configurations and flows. It is also shown that relatively higher prediction errors are mainly observed in the case of slug flows where the transient nature of flows is pronounced the most. Finally, the developed model is tested on data affected by noise. It is demonstrated that although the error of prediction slightly increases in contrast to the data without noise, the model captures essential features of the studied transient process. Description of the developed models, analysis of various test use cases, and possible future research directions are outlined.

The article is devoted to the use of renewable energy sources and the assessment of the feasibility of their use in the climatic conditions of the Western Urals. A simulation model that calculates the efficiency of a combined power installations (CPI) was (RES) developed. The CPI consists of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) and the vacuum solar collector (VCS) and is based on the research model. This model allows solving a wide range of problems in the field of energy and resource efficiency, and can be applied to other objects using RES. Based on the research recommendations for optimizing the management and the application of CPI were given. The optimization system will give a positive effect in the energy and resource consumption of low-rise residential buildings projects.

Despite the success of many countries in increasing energy saving and energy efficiency, the global energy consumption is expected to continue its growth. The main reasons are economic development and population growth happening primarily in developing and emerging economies, especially in India and China. In such circumstances fossil fuels will remain the dominant energy source in the medium and even long run. The present research paper aims at analyzing the current global trends in the energy sector identified through literature review and expert tools, and their influence on Russia. Considering a broad range of factors, the paper determined the following main challenges for the Russian energy sector: tightening competition at international energy markets, the need for comprehensive modernization and stronger energy efficiency measures, the need for technological catch-up in a number of energy sector segments, the need to increase recovery factor at traditional oilfields, and the need to diversify energy mix by increasing the share of renewables. The paper also considers the main rationale for the last challenge that include strengthened security, reliability and sustainability of the Russian energy sector. Among the key preconditions for advancements in renewable energy are improvements in investment climate, modernisation of the central grid and changes in energy policy. The paper is based on the outcomes of the first stage of the Foresight project devoted to renewable energy technologies.

The paper is devoted to the issue of smart power system cost-benefit analysis. The innovative character of smart grids is defined and related obstacles for traditional cost-benefit assessment are revealed, primarily referred to external effects evaluation. Brief systematization of existing methods of smart grids assessment is provided and their weak points are defined. A new Smart Grid cost-benefit assessment approach is presented, basing on the elaborated comprehensive system of smart power system effects. The approach is tested for the system effects of smart power system implementation in the Russian Unified Energy System, quantitative results are presented.

Liberalization of regional public transport market in Russia has led to continuing decline of service quality. One of the main results of the liberalization is the emergence of inefficient spatial structures of regional public transport systems in Russian regions. While the problem of optimization of urban public transport system has been extensively studied, the structure of regional public transport system has been referred less often. The question is whether the problems of spatial structure are common for regional and public transportation systems, and if this is the case, whether the techniques developed for urban public transport planning and management are applicable to regional networks. The analysis of the regional public transport system in Perm Krai has shown that the problems of cities and regions are very similar. On this evidence the proposals were made in order to employ urban practice for the optimization of regional public transport system. The detailed program was developed for Perm Krai which can be later on adapted for other regions.