The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), together with the growing participation of end users, is reshaping the operation of modern distribution networks. In this context, demand response (DR) can provide valuable flexibility to improve system operation, but the large number of small-scale residential loads creates challenges related to scalability, data exchange, privacy, and coordination. Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) offer a promising framework for managing DER integration. However, residential DR is often only implicitly represented and lacks explicit aggregation, disaggregation, and coordination mechanisms. This paper proposes a hierarchical DERMS framework that explicitly integrates residential DR through an aggregation and disaggregation architecture. The proposed approach represents large populations of residential DR participants using compact aggregated flexibility models, thereby reducing the upstream optimization dimension and limiting the exchange of individual customer-level data. A Utility-DERMS scheduling model is combined with a machine-learning-guided Sequential Adjustment Method (SAM) to restore voltage feasibility. The framework is validated on the IEEE 123-node test system under stressed loading, multi-period DR scheduling, and uncertainty-based scenarios. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed DERMS framework in reducing upstream DR representation and data exchange while achieving voltage-feasible operation, fewer SAM iterations, and effective coordination of DR load shifting and rebound behavior. Benchmarking against centralized OPF and non-aggregated implementations further confirms that the proposed framework provides a practical balance between scalability, privacy-conscious coordination, computational tractability, and voltage-secure operation.
Several sources of flexibility in transmission and, especially, distribution networks are being unlocked by advances in information and communication technologies, aggregators, and new flexibility markets. However, maximizing benefits for both transmission and distribution system operators in a coordinated way requires new algorithms, modeling tools, and modernization of regulatory frameworks. Such approaches must account for uncertainties, the physical and operational constraints of flexibility providers and the grid itself, constraints on information exchange, and scalability, including computational requirements and time constraints. Given the diverse contexts and jurisdictions around the world, there is no single recipe for achieving coordination, but important trends and shared challenges are emerging. This paper surveys the complexities of coordination from technical, market, and technological perspectives, and outlines current practices, proposed approaches, and future research directions to effectively manage, coordinate, model, and leverage flexibility across voltage levels.
Since the 2011 mining reforms, Guinea has experienced a rapid increase in bauxite extraction, particularly in the Boké Prefecture. While this growth has significantly stimulated the nation's economy, the aggregated socio-environmental and territorial consequences of bauxite extraction at the local level remain insufficiently documented in peer-reviewed literature, especially through comprehensive, community-level empirical analyses that links spatial transformations to residents’ experiences of displacement. This study argues that existing compensation and governance frameworks do not match the territorial extent of bauxite mining impacts, resulting in ongoing livelihood insecurity even in cases of formal resettlement. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating field surveys, direct observations, interviews, and focus group discussions with 83 participants from four impacted communities. It also incorporates a diachronic analysis of land use and land cover (LULC) derived from Landsat imagery spanning 1973 to 2024. The study follows Cernea’s Impoverishment Risks and Reconstruction framework. Findings indicate a marked increase in mining areas (from 0 to 68 km²) and exposed soils near Sangarédi, accompanied by a substantial decline in vegetation cover (–28%). These spatial changes align with local perceptions of deteriorating air and water quality, farmland loss, and heightened livelihood insecurity, despite observable investments in social infrastructure. In Kanfarandé, the expansion of port infrastructure has precipitated significant territorial changes, even absent direct mining activities. Overall, the research shows that current compensation and governance mechanisms remain inadequate to address the cumulative and indirect impacts of bauxite exploitation, underscoring the need for integrated, participatory, and territorially informed governance frameworks.
In this paper, we examine how a semester-long sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship course shapes sustainable entrepreneurial intention (SEI) through individual sustainability orientation (ISO). Grounded in an adaptation of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, ISO is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing sustainability-oriented (SO) values, SO motivation, awareness of sustainability issues, and SO self-efficacy, dimensions expected to mediate educational effects on SEI with different temporal sensitivities. We implemented a quasi-experimental design across two graduate introductory entrepreneurship courses at two Canadian universities: one redesigned around sustainability mechanisms (treatment, N = 112) and one covering standard content (comparison, N = 47). Pre- and post-test surveys were conducted. Results show no direct effect of the treatment on SEI and no change in SO values, which were high at baseline. However, the treatment significantly increased students’ sustainability awareness, self-efficacy, and, unexpectedly, motivation. Among these, changes in awareness and self-efficacy were positively associated with changes in SEI. These findings indicate that semester-long interventions can reliably influence proximal cognitions (awareness and self-efficacy), while deeper dispositions such as values, and to a lesser extent motivation, likely require longer-term or more immersive exposure. Theoretically, this study conceptualizes ISO as a temporally layered construct that helps explain why prior findings on education–SEI links are mixed. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of coupling quasi-experimental designs with pedagogical reporting. Practically, it highlights workable mechanisms, such as sustainability-anchored projects, sustainable business modeling, and impact-oriented pitches, that strengthen awareness and SO self-efficacy. These insights encourage moving beyond outcome-level evaluations toward understanding how entrepreneurship education can foster SEI.
The transition to a circular economy (CE) requires organizations to move beyond linear production systems toward regenerative, resource-efficient models. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this transition is especially demanding due to constrained financial, technological, and human resources. This study proposes an integrated interactive framework combining absorptive capacity and organizational learning (AC-OL) to explain how SMEs acquire, assimilate, transform, and exploit knowledge for effective CE adoption. Drawing on a systematic review of 138 articles published between 2005 and 2024 in the Web of Science database, the study identifies key enablers, such as prior knowledge, market intelligence, collaborative networks, and digital technologies, that strengthen SMEs' capacity to internalize circular practices. It also underscores persistent barriers, including financial vulnerability, cognitive lock-in, siloed organizational structures, and limited CE-specific expertise. The proposed framework aligns the four dimensions of absorptive capacity (acquisition, assimilation, transformation, exploitation) with the 4I organizational learning processes (intuition, interpretation, integration, institutionalization), highlighting the feedback loops that support iterative capability development. The findings contribute theoretically by positioning AC-OL as a central mediating mechanism in the CE transition and practically by offering a structured roadmap to help SMEs overcome barriers, embed learning, and advance sustainability outcomes.
