The negative impacts of the global economic downturn on funding decentralised energy in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finney, Karen N.; Sharifi, Vida N.; Swithenbank, Jim

2012-01-01

Over the years, a number of governmental policies have been developed in the UK that offer grants for the installation of distributed energy technologies or financial rewards per unit of electricity/heat generated from renewable and sustainable sources. The current economic climate however has meant that budget cuts have affected almost all government departments; consequently such policies have been adversely impacted. The alterations/modifications to many schemes have resulted in either a reduction in the funding available through these, changes to the eligibility of certain technologies or scales of generation or policy cancellations. The programmes affected include the Feed-In Tariff Scheme, Renewable Heat Incentive and Low Carbon Buildings Programme, among others. The adjustments for these are detailed herein, followed by the impacts these have had on the deployment rates of decentralised energy, especially microgeneration. Since costs are often one of the most significant factors constraining deployment of these technologies, reductions in funding opportunities have made these less financially-viable. Whilst there are still applications for funding under the available schemes, there has been considerably reduced levels of requests for financial support, thus future deployment rates will most likely be negatively affected. The prospects of these technologies in this context are then considered. - Highlights: ► Costs are often a significant barrier limiting distributed energy deployment. ► The economic downturn has reduced funding for policies aiding distributed energy. ► Installing decentralised energy technologies is now less financially-viable. ► This is now starting to negatively affect uptake rates of microgeneration.

Discussion of the enabling environments for decentralised water systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Moglia, M; Alexander, K S; Sharma, A

2011-01-01

Decentralised water supply systems are becoming increasingly affordable and commonplace in Australia and have the potential to alleviate urban water shortages and reduce pollution into natural receiving marine and freshwater streams. Learning processes are necessary to support the efficient implementation of decentralised systems. These processes reveal the complex socio-technical and institutional factors to be considered when developing an enabling environment supporting decentralised water and wastewater servicing solutions. Critical to the technological transition towards established decentralised systems is the ability to create strategic and adaptive capacity to promote learning and dialogue. Learning processes require institutional mechanisms to ensure the lessons are incorporated into the formulation of policy and regulation, through constructive involvement of key government institutions. Engagement of stakeholders is essential to the enabling environment. Collaborative learning environments using systems analysis with communities (social learning) and adaptive management techniques are useful in refining and applying scientists' and managers' knowledge (knowledge management).

Decentralised combined heat and power in the German Ruhr Valley; assessment of factors blocking uptake and integration

OpenAIRE

Vietor, Birte; Hoppe, Thomas; Clancy, Joy S.

2015-01-01

Background: In Germany, the energy system is undergoing reorganisation from a centralised system based on fossil fuels and nuclear power to a sustainable system based on decentralised production and consumption of energy, the so-called Energiewende. Recently, there has been more attention to improving energy efficiency in those regions where conventional energy production activities and energy-intensive industries are located, such as the Ruhr area. Although the potential for decentralised co...

Gender perspectives on decentralisation and service users’ participation in rural Tanzania

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Masanyiwa, Z.S.; Niehof, A.; Termeer, C.J.A.M.

2014-01-01

Increasing participation in decision-making processes by service users is one of the objectives of decentralisation reforms in Tanzania. The argument is that decentralisation enhances participation by all sections of the community, and by women in particular, and results in decisions that better

Decentralisation of Health Services in Fiji: A Decision Space Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Jalal; North, Nicola; Ashton, Toni

2015-11-15

Decentralisation aims to bring services closer to the community and has been advocated in the health sector to improve quality, access and equity, and to empower local agencies, increase innovation and efficiency and bring healthcare and decision-making as close as possible to where people live and work. Fiji has attempted two approaches to decentralisation. The current approach reflects a model of deconcentration of outpatient services from the tertiary level hospital to the peripheral health centres in the Suva subdivision. Using a modified decision space approach developed by Bossert, this study measures decision space created in five broad categories (finance, service organisation, human resources, access rules, and governance rules) within the decentralised services. Fiji's centrally managed historical-based allocation of financial resources and management of human resources resulted in no decision space for decentralised agents. Narrow decision space was created in the service organisation category where, with limited decision space created over access rules, Fiji has seen greater usage of its decentralised health centres. There remains limited decision space in governance. The current wave of decentralisation reveals that, whilst the workload has shifted from the tertiary hospital to the peripheral health centres, it has been accompanied by limited transfer of administrative authority, suggesting that Fiji's deconcentration reflects the transfer of workload only with decision-making in the five functional areas remaining largely centralised. As such, the benefits of decentralisation for users and providers are likely to be limited. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Centralisation and decentralisation in strategic municipal energy planning in Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sperling, Karl; Hvelplund, Frede; Mathiesen, Brian Vad

2011-01-01

Denmark's future energy system is to be entirely based on renewable energy sources. Municipalities will play an important role as local energy planning authorities in terms of adopting and refining this vision in different local contexts. Based on a review of 11 municipal energy plans, this paper examines to what extent municipal energy planning matches national 100% renewable energy strategies. The results indicate a willingness among Danish municipalities to actively carry out energy planning, and the plans reveal a large diversity of (new) activities. At the same time, however, there is a strong need for better coordination of municipal energy planning activities at the central level. It is suggested that the role of municipalities as energy planning authorities needs to be outlined more clearly in, e.g., strategic energy planning which integrates savings, efficiency and renewable energy in all (energy) sectors. This requires the state to provide municipalities with the necessary planning instruments and establish a corresponding planning framework. Consequently, there is a need for a simultaneous centralisation and decentralisation during the implementation of the 100% renewable energy vision. The paper outlines a basic division of tasks between the central and the local level within such a strategic energy planning system. - Research highlights: → There is a large variety of energy-related activities in the 11 municipal energy and climate plans. → Only few plans contain all relevant sectors and activities in relation to a 100% RES. → Neglected areas are private transport, system regulation/integration and private buildings. → There is an acute need for coordination of municipal energy planning at the central level. → Strategic energy planning should integrate national policy with municipal energy planning.

Decentralised systems and fuel poverty: Are there any links or risks?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Gordon

2008-01-01

This paper considers the possible links between the development of decentralised or distributed energy systems and the problem of fuel poverty in the UK. The discussion takes on board that decentralised energy systems can take many different forms, in the range of potential technologies that can be used for the local microgeneration of electricity and heat and in the range of ways in which the installation, ownership, operation, networking and maintenance of these technologies can be organised [Walker, G., Cass, N., 2007. Carbon reduction, 'the public' and renewable energy: engaging with sociotechnical configurations. Area 39(4), 458-469; Watson, J., Sauter, R., Bahaj, B., James, A., Myers, L., Wing, R., 2006. Unlocking the Power House: Policy and System Change for Domestic Microgeneration in the UK. SPRU, Brighton]. The focus is on housing and, in particular, on those forms of housing occupied by social groups vulnerable to fuel poverty. Both potential negative links (or risks) and positive links between decentralised generation and fuel poverty are considered. As this is a new area, there is comparatively little literature to draw on and there are significant gaps in knowledge, so some of the discussion is necessarily rather speculative

A decentralised multi-agent approach to enhance the stability of smart microgrids with renewable energy

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M. S.; Pota, H. R.; Mahmud, M. A.; Hossain, M. J.

2016-05-01

This paper presents the impact of large penetration of wind power on the transient stability through a dynamic evaluation of the critical clearing times (CCTs) by using intelligent agent-based approach. A decentralised multi-agent-based framework is developed, where agents represent a number of physical device models to form a complex infrastructure for computation and communication. They enable the dynamic flow of information and energy for the interaction between the physical processes and their activities. These agents dynamically adapt online measurements and use the CCT information for relay coordination to improve the transient stability of power systems. Simulations are carried out on a smart microgrid system for faults at increasing wind power penetration levels and the improvement in transient stability using the proposed agent-based framework is demonstrated.

Decentralisation in Uganda: Prospects for Improved Service Delivery

African Journals Online (AJOL)

seriane.camara

Decentralisation is the transfer of administrative and political powers from central to ... decision-making processes and increase participation by the local people. .... an increase in school enrolment without a corresponding increase in recruit-.

Decentralised energy supply as our future energy supply system? - An interview with Prof. Alexander Wokaun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagel, Ch.

2002-01-01

In this interview with Professor Alexander Wokaun, head of General Energy Research at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, the decentralised use of small, gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) units is discussed as a means of meeting Switzerland's Kyoto CO 2 commitments. The question on which of several new CHP technologies such as gas-fired engines and turbines, Stirling engines, fuel cells and thermo-photovoltaics will win the race is discussed. The efficiency and application areas of CHP technologies are examined and the problems involved when controlling complex electricity grids with many small decentrally placed generating facilities is discussed. Finally, Professor Wokaun is asked for his opinion on what the Swiss power mix will look like in 20 years

Decentralisation, Decision Space and Directions for Future Research; Comment on “Decentralisation of Health Services in Fiji: A Decision Space Analysis”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Zahmatkesh

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Decentralisation continues to re-appear in health system reform across the world. Evaluation of these reforms reveals how research on decentralisation continues to evolve. In this paper, we examine the theoretical foundations and empirical references which underpin current approaches to studying decentralisation in health systems.

The myth of the decentralised internet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashwin J. Mathew

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In popular culture, and in policy discussions, the internet is often conceived of as a decentralised technology, which cannot be controlled. Drawing from research into internet infrastructure, focusing on the Border Gateway Protocol, I show that the internet has never been, and never can be, decentralised. I argue that the internet is better viewed as being distributed, both in terms of technologies and governance arrangements. The shift in perspective, from decentralised to distributed, is essential to understand the past and present internet, and to imagine possible future internets which preserve and support the public good.

The Spanish decentralised international cooperation in Central America in the area of municipalism and decentralisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Haedo

2005-05-01

Full Text Available In an attempt to link the international dimension with the local one, this article lays out an approach to the situation of Spanish decentralised international cooperation in the area of municipalism and decentralisation in the countries of Central America. In the firstplace, it offers a characterisation of the current state of Spanish decentralised cooperation in order to thus frame the cooperation actions carried out by the Barcelona Provincial Council; the UIM (Unión Iberoamericana de Municipios together with CEMCI (Centro de Estudios Municipales y de Cooperación Internacional; and the Confederación de Fondos de Cooperación y Solidaridad. Finally, it describes bankruptcies and it recovers some of the achievements ofthis kind of cooperation specifically in reference to the field of municipalism.

Centralised and decentralised heat-pump systems considered from the energy and economics points of view; Chauffage central ou decentralise: perspectives energetiques et economiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hubacher, P.

2006-07-01

This article was one of ten papers that were presented at the 13{sup th} Conference of the Research Programme on Ambient Heat, Combined Heat and Power Systems and Cold-generation held at the University of Applied Sciences in Burgdorf, Switzerland in 2006. The conference was organised by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). In this paper, Peter Hubacher discussed the advantages and disadvantages offered by centralised and decentralised heat-pump systems from the energy and economics points of view. The use of such large heat-pump systems as a source of heating energy for district heating systems is discussed. The report presents the results of studies regarding pressure and heat loss, temperature differentials in the distribution network and in heat exchangers, which, according to the author, all have a direct influence on the heat pump's efficiency. The influences of these factors is examined. Also, the study takes a look at the large variations found in domestic hot-water preparation and the influence of secondary systems on overall heat-pump efficiency figures.

Making decentralised systems viable: a guide to managing decentralised assets and risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Willetts, J; Fane, S; Mitchell, C

2007-01-01

Decentralised systems have the potential to provide a viable option for long term sustainable management of household wastewater. Yet, at present, such systems hold an uncertain status and are frequently omitted from consideration. Their potential can only be realised with improved approaches to their management, and improved methods to decision-making in planning of wastewater systems. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the value of a novel framework to guide the planning of decentralised systems so that asset management and risk management are explicitly considered. The framework was developed through a detailed synthesis of literature and practice in the area of asset management of centralised water and wastewater systems, and risk management in the context of decentralised systems. Key aspects of the framework are attention to socio-economic risks as well as engineering, public health and ecological risks, the central place of communication with multiple stakeholders and establishing a shared asset information system. A case study is used to demonstrate how the framework can guide a different approach and lead to different, more sustainable outcomes, by explicitly considering the needs and perspectives of homeowners, water authorities, relevant government agencies and society as a whole.

Decentralisation in India: Towards ‘Localism’ or ‘Regionalism’?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepak Gopinath

2009-11-01

Full Text Available This paper offers a commentary on what decentralisation has come to mean in India, based on recent research conducted in Kerala, one of the southern states. In particular, the paper discusses the tensions between ‘regionalism’ and ‘localism’. It begins with a brief outline of how decentralisation is conceived within the broad literature. This is followed by a case study, where the shifts in forms of decentralisation adopted by the Kerala state government are examined. The paper concludes with key findings that underpin an understanding of decentralisation within the Indian context.

Challenges of decentralisation in Ghana: district assembly's ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the various legislations on decentralisation articulate the explicit objectives of the policy which includes responsiveness to community needs. The rationale behind Ghana's decentralisation programme and the functions of the District Assemblies (DAs) therefore provide a ...

Decentralisation in developing countries: preconditions for successful implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasin Olum

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Decentralisation has been implemented and is being implemented in many developing countries without much success. Although several unique factors inhibit the implementation of decentralisation in individual countries, the paper argues that there are six pre-conditions that these countries should fulfill before decentralisation can be successfully implemented. These preconditions are: institutional mechanisms; creation of spaces for participation; political will and civil will; capacity development at the local level; careful implementation; and democratic governance.

Decentralised electrical distribution network in power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mannila, P.; Lehtonen, M.

2000-02-01

A centralised network is a dominating network solution in today's power plants. In this study a centralised and a decentralised network were designed in order to compare them economically and technically. The emphasis of this study was on economical aspects, but also the most important technical aspects were included. The decentralised network requires less space and less cabling since there is no switchgear building and distribution transformers are placed close to the consumption in the field of a power plant. MV-motors and distribution transformers build up a ring. Less cabling and an absent switchgear building cause considerable savings. Component costs of both of the networks were estimated by using data from fulfilled power plant projects and turned out to be smaller for the decentralised network. Simulations for the decentralised network were done in order to find a way to carry out earth fault protection and location. It was found out that in high resistance earthed system the fault distance can be estimated by a relatively simple method. The decentralised network uses a field bus, which offers many new features to the automation system of a power plant. Diversified information can be collected from the protection devices in order to schedule only the needed maintenance duties at the right time. Through the field bus it is also possible to control remotely a power plant. The decentralised network is built up from ready-to-install modules. These modules are tested by the module manufacturer decreasing the need for field testing dramatically. The work contribution needed in the electrification and the management of a power plant project reduces also due the modules. During the lifetime of a power plant, maintenance is easier and more economical. (orig.)

Procedure for Balancing an Air Distribution System with Decentralised Fans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunner, Amalie; Hultmark, Göran; Vorre, Anders

2015-01-01

flawed. This paper presents a new procedure for balancing of CAV systems in combination with decentralised fans. The new system was based on replacing the balancing dampers with decentralised fans. By replacing the balancing dampers with decentralised fans, airflows can be balanced by adjusting the speed...... of the fans. In conventional air distribution systems the fan provides the necessary pressure to overcome the resistance in the branch with the highest pressure resistance. This gives an unnecessary overpressure in the remaining branches that does not provide any useful purpose. In order to decrease the fan...... pressure requirements the fan was dimensioned for the branch with the least pressure resistance. The decentralised fans then provided sufficient pressure to overcome the exact resistance in the corresponding branch. The results show that by using decentralised fans in duct systems instead of dampers...

Regional Decentralisation in the Greek Health Care System: Rhetoric and Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Athanasiadis, Athanasios; Kostopoulou, Stella; Philalithis, Anastas

2015-01-01

Decentralisation is a complex, yet basic feature of health care systems in many countries entailing the transfer of authority or dispersal of power in public planning, management and decision making from higher to lower levels of government. This paper describes the attempts made in Greece from 1923 until today to decentralise its highly centralised health care system, drawing on a thorough documentary analysis of legislative acts and official reports regarding regional health policy. The analysis shows that, although decentralisation has been attempted on several occasions, in the end it was abandoned every time. The first ever implementation of a decentralised system of governance in 2001 was also curtailed, resulting in only minor decentralisation of authority and real powers. It is suggested that decentralisation has been impeded by many factors, especially obstruction by opposition from key interest groups, absence of policy continuity between governments, the inability to tackle the bureaucratic and highly centralised system and lack of political will. PMID:26153163

Decentralising HIV treatment in lower- and middle-income countries

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Tamara Kredo

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Policy makers, health staff and communities recognise that health services in lower- and middle-income countries need to improve people's access to HIV treatment and retention to treatment programmes. One strategy is to move antiretroviral delivery from hospitals to more peripheral health facilities or even beyond health facilities. This could increase the number of people with access to care, improve health outcomes, and enhance retention in treatment programmes. On the other hand, providing care at less sophisticated levels in the health service or at community-level may decrease quality of care and result in worse health outcomes. To address these uncertainties, we summarised the research studies examining the risks and benefits of decentralising antiretroviral therapy service delivery.OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of various models that decentralised HIV treatment and care to more basic levels in the health system for initiating and maintaining antiretroviral therapy.METHODS:Search methods: We conducted a comprehensive search to identify all relevant studies regardless of language or publication status (published, unpublished, in press, and in progress from 1 January 1996 to 31 March 2013, and contacted relevant organisations and researchers. The search terms included "decentralisation", "down referral", "delivery of health care", and "health services accessibility". Selection criteria: Our inclusion criteria were controlled trials (randomised and non-randomised, controlled-before and after studies, and cohorts (prospective and retrospective in which HIV-infected people were either initiated on antiretroviral therapy or maintained on therapy in a decentralised setting in lower- and middle-income countries. We define decentralisation as providing treatment at a more basic level in the health system to the comparator. Data collection and analysis: Two authors applied the inclusion criteria and extracted data independently. We

Decentralisation, managerialism and accountability:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

on the people inside an Australian state education administration during the time when the organisation was being restructured. It examines how decentralisation, managerialism and accountability result in the loss of professional expertise. This study contributes to the literature on the neo...

Local Decentralisation and Economic Growth in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hammed Adetola Adefeso

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The current global drive towards devolution of financial resources and responsibilities has been increasingly justified on the basis that greater transfers of these financial resources and responsibilities to sub-central governments are theoretically expected to deliver greater economic efficiency in the provision of public goods and services and hence greater economic growth. There is a mixed result on these theoretical expectations across earlier empirical literatures. Using the instrumental variables (IV technique of analysis with the recent data from Nigeria for the period 1970-2013, this study found no robust significant effect of the decentralisation of spending or revenue on growth of real GDP per capital in Nigeria. The implication of this to the policy makers is that when it comes to the determinants of improved economic activities, decentralisation either fiscal expenditure or revenue side would not be instrumental to economic growth possibly because of existence of endemic corruption among politicians in Nigeria.

On Secure Workflow Decentralisation on the Internet

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Petteri Kaskenpalo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Decentralised workflow management systems are a new research area, where most work to-date has focused on the system's overall architecture. As little attention has been given to the security aspects in such systems, we follow a security driven approach, and consider, from the perspective of available security building blocks, how security can be implemented and what new opportunities are presented when empowering the decentralised environment with modern distributed security protocols. Our research is motivated by a more general question of how to combine the positive enablers that email exchange enjoys, with the general benefits of workflow systems, and more specifically with the benefits that can be introduced in a decentralised environment. This aims to equip email users with a set of tools to manage the semantics of a message exchange, contents, participants and their roles in the exchange in an environment that provides inherent assurances of security and privacy. This work is based on a survey of contemporary distributed security protocols, and considers how these protocols could be used in implementing a distributed workflow management system with decentralised control . We review a set of these protocols, focusing on the required message sequences in reviewing the protocols, and discuss how these security protocols provide the foundations for implementing core control-flow, data, and resource patterns in a distributed workflow environment.

Decentralised water systems: emotional influences on resource decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Mankad, Aditi

2012-09-01

The study of emotion has gathered momentum in the field of environmental science, specifically in the context of community resource decision-making. Of particular interest in this review is the potential influence of emotion, risk and threat perception on individuals' decisions to acceptance and adopt decentralised water systems, such as rainwater tanks and greywater systems. The role of message framing is also considered in detail, as well as the influences that different types of framing can have on decision making. These factors are considered as possible predictors for analysing community acceptance of decentralised water in urban environments. Concepts believed to be influenced by emotion, such as trust and framing, are also discussed as potentially meaningful contributors to an overall model of community acceptance of decentralised water. Recommendations are made for how emotion-based concepts, such as risk and threat, can be targeted to facilitate widespread adoption of decentralised systems and how researchers can explore different types of emotions that influence decision making in distinct ways. This review is an important theoretical step in advancing the psycho-social understanding of acceptance and adoption of on-site water sources. Avenues for future research are recommended, including the need for greater theoretical development to encourage future social science research on decentralised systems. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tomorrow's energy needs require intelligent networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitsch, R.

1998-01-01

With the European wide move towards increased competition and greater deregulation of the energy industry, has come a thrust for greater efficiency and understanding customer needs and external constraints such as the environment. This, in turn, has led to solutions which take advantage of the tremendous developments in information technology and on-line control systems which are described in this paper. Topics include intelligent networks, decentralised energy supplies and decentralised energy management. (UK)

Strengthening Rural Decentralisation: A Study on the Role of International Organisations

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Dr Sujit Kumar Paul

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The term ‘decentralisation’ has generally been used to refer to a variety of institutional reforms. It has sometimes been considered as a change in the organisational framework in which political, social and economic decisions are made and implemented. It is also understood as a mechanism to transfer responsibility and authority. In recent years, decentralisation has received singular attention all over the world. It has been considered as one of the most important elements in development strategy. It is a global and regional phenomenon, and most countries have attempted to implement it as a tool for development, as a political philosophy, and as a mechanism for sharing responsibility at different levels. Since 1980s, developing countries have increasingly adopted decentralised form of governance. Decentralisation means the transfer of authority and responsibility from central to intermediate and local governments. Although the democratic decentralisation in terms of Panchayati Raj Institutions (village councils was a post-Independence phenomenon, there has been a legacy and tradition of village panchayats since time immemorial in India. The 73rd and 74th Amendment Act, 1993 of the Constitution of India has made the Panchayat an institution of self-government. As per the constitution, Panchayats shall prepare plan for economic development and social justice at their level. The District Planning Committee shall integrate the plan so prepared with the plans prepared by the local bodies at district level. The success and failure of the Panchayats would depend on planning and implementation. It also depends on maximum people’s participation at every stage of planning process, from proposal to implementation. People’s participation in local-level development has been exercised through the formulation of the Panchayat-level development plan, project coordination at intermediate and district levels of the Panchayats. The Panchayati Raj

Decentralised combined heat and power in the German Ruhr Valley; assessment of factors blocking uptake and integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vietor, Birte; Hoppe, Thomas; Clancy, Joy S.

2015-01-01

Background: In Germany, the energy system is undergoing reorganisation from a centralised system based on fossil fuels and nuclear power to a sustainable system based on decentralised production and consumption of energy, the so-called Energiewende. Recently, there has been more attention to

DECENTRALISATION IN AFRICA: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF UGANDA'S EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Ojambo

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Since the rise to power of the Movement government under the leadership of Yoweri Museveni in 1986, Uganda has largely been show-cased as an emerging democracy on the continent. Among other things, Museveni's regime has been acclaimed for the restoration of periodic national elections, the making of the Constitution and the overall promotion of democratic governance, most especially through the adoption of a decentralised system with a commendable institutional and legal framework. Decentralisation is believed to promote service delivery at the local level, accountability for government resources by local leaders, and the involvement of the masses in local planning and the implementation of government programmes. It is now over twenty years since decentralisation was adopted as a system of government but the quality of service delivery and the accountability for government resources at the local level remains just as deplorable as the extent to which the masses are involved in the planning and implementation of government programmes in their localities. This paper examines the challenges that inhibit the realisation of the noble objectives of decentralisation, notwithstanding the apparently impressive institutional and legal framework.

Hospital decentralisation in Romania: stakeholders' perspectives in the newsprint media.

Science.gov (United States)

Popa, Adela Elena

2014-01-01

In the summer of 2010, Romania undertook a process of hospital decentralisation as part of the reform in the healthcare sector. The national newsprint media covered the process thoroughly. This paper is a study of how key stakeholders' views, attitudes, beliefs and attitudes towards decentralisation are represented in print media. 106 articles, published between June and September 2010, retrieved from the online databases of six leading national dailies were analysed. A mixed methodology was used in the data analysis stage. The qualitative data exploration identified five voices belonging to stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in the process: the representatives of central government, the local authorities (district and local councils, municipal mayors), health professionals (managers and physicians in hospitals), the media (journalists, analysts) and finally voices from civil society, professional associations and advocacy groups. These were the main actors negotiating the subjective meanings of the decentralisation process. An imbalance between these key actors were observed in the frequency, content and tone of the messages delivered in media during the four months. Central government and the local authorities were the most active voices, but the respective discourses differed significantly. An analysis of the accounts identified three main themes: the financial problem (hospitals liabilities and future spending), human resource in hospitals (the impact of decentralisation upon it) and the political character of the decentralisation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Decentralising health workforce governance: balancing national and regional resources and interests

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Batenburg, R.

2015-01-01

Background: A strong drive towards decentralisation has emerged, but it seems that for different parts of health workforce governance, different arguments play a role that alternately favour centralised or decentralised development and implementation. What these arguments contain, and what patterns

Decentralised wastewater treatment effluent fertigation: preliminary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Decentralised wastewater treatment effluent fertigation: preliminary technical assessment. ... living in informal settlements with the effluent produced being used on agricultural land. ... Banana and taro required 3 514 mm of irrigation effluent.

General Technical Approvals for Decentralised Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS—The Current Situation in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carsten Dierkes

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The use of decentralised, sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS for the treatment of stormwater runoff is becoming increasingly prevalent in Germany. Decentralised SUDS can offer a viable and attractive alternative to end of pipe treatment systems for stormwater runoff from urban areas. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding the long-term performance of SUDS, and the general legislative requirements for SUDS approval and testing. Whilst the allowable pollution levels in stormwater runoff that infiltrate into ground and/or water table are regulated across Germany by the Federal Soil Protection Law, there is presently no federal law addressing the discharge requirements for surface water runoff. The lack of clear guidance can make it difficult for planners and designers to implement these innovative and sustainable stormwater treatment systems. This study clarifies the current understanding of urban stormwater treatment requirements and new technical approval guidelines for decentralised SUDS devices in Germany. The study findings should assist researchers, designers and asset managers to better anticipate and understand the performance, effective life-spans, and the planning and maintenance requirements for decentralised SUDS systems. This should help promote even greater use of these systems in the future.

Energy decentralisation in France during the 1980-2000 decades: changes in stakes and markets; the emergence of local communities in the fields of energy. Energy decentralisation in France during the 2010/2020 decades: influence of digital metamorphoses and the coming of age of renewable energies; effects of the law on energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourgeois, Bernard

2015-12-01

A first article recalls the organisation and structure of public, national and centralised model of energy management adopted in France after the Second World War, and then describes the various changes noticed during the 1980's, 1990's and 2000's which have characterized by: a search for new primary energy sources for electricity production, demand management, an awareness of environmental risks. He also describes the institutional changes of energy markets and operators: regulation of energy markets (example of the Climate Energy Package, the public service concession regime for electricity production under the pressure of the European community law, changes of status for operators). The second article comments the emergence of local communities in the fields of energy during the same period: accession of local communities to autonomy through decentralisation laws, initiatives of local communities in the energy sector, adaptation to new energy and climate challenges, creation of new expertise tools and bodies. The third article addresses the influence of digital metamorphoses and the coming of age of renewable energies: impact of these metamorphoses on the energy sector (on the society and on energy activities, notably with smart grids, smart meters), issue of consistency between policies of struggle against climate change and regulation of energy markets at the European level. The last article discusses the effects of the French law on energy transition, notably in terms of re-organisation of electricity distribution networks, but also with respect the lack of confidence of local communities

System and market integration of photovoltaic systems by decentralised energy storage devices? An analysis of the technical potentials and the legal framework; System- und Marktintegration von Photovoltaik-Anlagen durch dezentrale Stromspeicher? Eine Analyse der technischen Potentiale und rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Predki, Henryk

2013-06-15

The massive growth of photovoltaics (PV) challenges the German electricity supply system. It is necessary to adjust the generation of electricity from PV to the demand, to prevent power grid overloads due to solar electricity and to integrate the electricity into the market. This thesis examines, how decentralised energy storage devices can contribute to overcome these challenges and to what extent this approach is promoted by the current legal framework. It shows, that decentralised energy storage devices could contribute to the system und market inte-gration of PV, but the legal incentives are insufficient to realise this potential.

The deployment of decentralised energy systems as part of the housing growth programme in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, Jo

2010-01-01

The housing growth programme could offer an opportunity for accelerating the deployment of decentralised renewable energy systems (DRES) in the UK. The Government hopes to leverage private sector investment into DRES as part of new housing projects. The aim of this paper is to assess whether current regulatory and funding frameworks are sufficient to achieve this. The question is explored by drawing on the experience of developers, local authorities, energy utilities and service companies operating in the largest housing growth region in the UK-Thames Gateway. Their experience suggests that the current low intervention approach will be insufficient to generate the shift required in both industries. In order to be more successful economic and regulatory instruments should focus on producers (house-builders and energy providers) rather than consumers (households). Tighter regulation is needed to ensure that producers have a responsibility to install DRES as part of new developments, to enable connection to the grid, to ensure a sustained financial return from investment and revenue is spent on the expansion of new renewable energy infrastructure. This regulatory framework must be under-pinned by substantial funds focused on producers. Greater intervention is needed if DRES is to be included in new housing development.

Fiscal federalism in Spain : The decentralisation: an unfinished work

OpenAIRE

Suarez Pandiello, Javier

1999-01-01

I am going to destine this paper to critically summarise this process [decentralising] and the current situation about this. To do it, I will divide the work in four parts. First, I will briefly describe the general characteristics of the administrative Spanish system and I will try to remark which have been, in my opinion, the main determinants of the administrative and fiscal decentralisation process produced in Spain and its political and economic explanations. Instituto de Investigacio...

Hybrid Decentralised Energy for Remote Communities: Case Studies and the Analysis of the Potential Integration of Rain Energy

OpenAIRE

Ying Miao; Yu Jia

2014-01-01

For remote underdeveloped and sparsely populated regions, the use of national power grids to provide electricity can be both unsustainable and impractical. In recent years, decentralised renewable power has gained popularity, endowing social benefits to the local inhabitants through clean rural electrification. However, power reliability and system autonomy are often the primary technical concerns as current systems are largely single source reliant. Hybrid power systems that utilise multiple...

Fiscal decentralisation and the size of government: a review of the empirical literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Golem

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Within the public choice framework, it has been argued that decentralised authority over the provision and financing of certain public goods and services induces competitive pressure among different governmental units and consequently reduces the size of government. However, in many countries, fiscal decentralisation seems to have occurred almost exclusively through devolution of expenditure activities, without the accompanying devolution of the tax authority. We address this issue in detail, and discuss the epercussions of the resulting vertical fiscal imbalance on the total size of government. We also discuss alternative, demand-side channels of the influence of fiscal decentralisation on the size of government. In the empirical literature that we review, little consensus on the relationship between fiscal decentralisation and the size of government is reached.

Decentralisation, Local Taxation and Citizenship in Senegal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Kristine

2006-01-01

What makes people willing or unwilling to pay taxes and to whom are they willing to pay?This article examines the politics of revenue collection in a Senegalese village within a framework of decentralisation, democratisation and multi-party politics. The tranfer of tax-collection from state agent...... to local councillors has been met with neither demand for increased public services, nor for political representation. Tax compliance has plummeted, whilst non-state institutions are able to mobilise large amounts of revenue outside of normal taxation channels for service provision....

Decentralised Solar Power at Homes

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Decentralised Solar Power at Homes. Solar PV gives DC Power. But load is AC; Needs a DC-AC convertor. Now if we add a battery. Battery stores only DC. Require a AC-DC convertor for charging; Require a DC-AC convertor during discharging. For low power, each ...

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF DECENTRALISATION AND THE ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017-10-02

Oct 2, 2017 ... general disconnect between decentralisation and its expected developmental benefits .... sets of elections held since 1992, Ghana remains a de facto ..... MMDCEs from 2018 onwards, it remains to be seen if this would really ...

Decentralisation, Participation and Boundaries of Transformation: Forest Rights Act, Wayanad, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudheesh R. Chemmencheri

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Participation and decentralisation have been shown to yield democratic outcomes in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency through citizen engagement and devolution of powers. It has been a matter of debate whether they also benefit marginalised communities like the indigenous peoples. This paper analyzes the implications of decentralised governance in a tribal zone in India using the case of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act 2006 − the Forest Rights Act. The effects of the Act are studied in the district of Wayanad, Kerala, through the theoretical framework of transformative decentralisation and spatial politics of participation. The key objectives of the Act − securing tenure and access to Minor Forest Produce − have achieved limited success in Wayanad as a result of a narrowly construed ideas of people’s participation. While the process prescribed by the Forest Rights Act has the potential to create new spaces for participation, most of these spaces remain closed in Wayanad. The absence of a larger vision and a radical motive to engage with the underlying patterns of domination and subordination in society has confined the process of decentralisation to its technocratic essentials, raising questions on the extent to which the Act can pave the way for transformation.

Attribution of Regional Responsibilities for Public Services and Citizen Support of Decentralisation: Evidence from Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JULIO LÓPEZ LABORDA

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Probit/logit techniques are applied to the data from Barometer No. 2,829 published by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas to examine three problems related with public sector decentralisation. The paper concludes, first, that citizens? perception of efficiency gains from decentralisation have a positive effect on their support for decentralised government. Second, that citizens are more likely to perceive the efficiency gains from decentralisation if they correctly ascribe responsibility for education and health services to regions. And third, that citizens who most accurately identify regional responsibility for the provision of those services tend to be better educated, older, engaged in paid work or public employment, concerned about regional politics and resident in one region with higher initial level of devolved powers.

The quiet revolution: decentralisation and fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aschenbrenner, N.

2003-01-01

This article discusses how major changes in the electricity supply industry can take place in the next few years due to market liberalisation and efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. Decentralisation is discussed as being a 'mega-trend' and fuel cells in particular are emphasised as being a suitable means of generating heat and power locally, i.e. where they are needed. Also, the ecological advantages of using natural gas to 'fire' the fuel cell units that are to complement or replace coal-fired or gas-fired combined gas and steam-turbine power stations is discussed. Various types of fuel cell are briefly described. Market developments in the USA, where the power grid is extensive and little reserve capacity is available, are noted. New designs of fuel cell are briefly examined and it is noted that electricity utilities, originally against decentralisation, are now beginning to promote this 'quiet revolution'

Varying flexibilities in systems of organised decentralisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ilsøe, Anna; Andersen, Søren Kaj

to unbalanced trade offs. In Denmark the strong decentralisation combined with a lacking demand on +/- hours limits for time banks without reference periods seems to impose risks for certain groups of employees who, regardless of company size, can have extraordinary long working hours violating the 48-hour rule......There seems to be a paradox: The use of flexible working hours (i.e. variable hours) is more widespread in Germany than in Denmark, yet at the same time the discussion on the need for further flexibilisation of working hours is also more prevalent in Germany than in Denmark. In order to answer...... the framework agreements on variable hours are specified, is more decentralised in Denmark and allows an adjustment of working time closer to the single employee. 2) Both in the German and Danish metal sectors company-based agreements regulate the growing use of flexible working hours. Though the trade union...

The decentralisation-centralisation dilemma: recruitment and distribution of health workers in remote districts of Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Munga, Michael A; Songstad, Nils Gunnar; Blystad, Astrid; Maestad, Ottar

2009-04-30

The implementation of decentralisation reforms in the health sector of Tanzania started in the 1980s. These reforms were intended to relinquish substantial powers and resources to districts to improve the development of the health sector. Little is known about the impact of decentralisation on recruitment and distribution of health workers at the district level. Reported difficulties in recruiting health workers to remote districts led the Government of Tanzania to partly re-instate central recruitment of health workers in 2006. The effects of this policy change are not yet documented. This study highlights the experiences and challenges associated with decentralisation and the partial re-centralisation in relation to the recruitment and distribution of health workers. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among informants recruited from five underserved, remote districts of mainland Tanzania. Additional informants were recruited from the central government, the NGO sector, international organisations and academia. A comparison of decentralised and the reinstated centralised systems was carried out in order to draw lessons necessary for improving recruitment, distribution and retention of health workers. The study has shown that recruitment of health workers under a decentralised arrangement has not only been characterised by complex bureaucratic procedures, but by severe delays and sometimes failure to get the required health workers. The study also revealed that recruitment of highly skilled health workers under decentralised arrangements may be both very difficult and expensive. Decentralised recruitment was perceived to be more effective in improving retention of the lower cadre health workers within the districts. In contrast, the centralised arrangement was perceived to be more effective both in recruiting qualified staff and balancing their distribution across districts, but poor in ensuring the retention of employees. A combination of centralised

Political economy of decentralising HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary healthcare facilities in three Nigerian states.

Science.gov (United States)

Mbachu, Chinyere; Onwujekwe, Obinna; Ezumah, Nkoli; Ajayi, Olayinka; Sanwo, Olusola; Uzochukwu, Benjamin

2016-09-01

Decentralisation is defined as the dispersion, distribution or transfer of resources, functions and decision-making power from a central authority to regional and local authorities. It is usually accompanied by assignment of accountability and responsibility for results. Fundamental to understanding decentralisation is learning what motivates central governments to give up power and resources to local governments, and the practical significance of this on their positions regarding decentralisation. This study examined key political and institutional influences on role-players' capacity to support decentralisation of HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary healthcare facilities, and implications for sustainability. In-depth interviews were conducted with 55 purposively selected key informants, drawn from three Nigerian states that were at different stages of decentralising HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary care facilities. Key informants represented different categories of role-players involved in HIV and AIDS control programmes. Thematic framework analysis of data was done. Support for decentralisation of HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary healthcare facilities was substantial among different categories of actors. Political factors such as the local and global agenda for health, political tenure and party affiliations, and institutional factors such as consolidation of decision-making power and improvements in career trajectories, influenced role-players support for decentralisation of HIV and AIDS treatment services. It is feasible and acceptable to decentralise HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary healthcare facilities, to help improve coverage. However, role-players' support largely depends on how well the reform aligns with political structures and current institutional practices.

Decentralisation in Uganda: Prospects for Improved Service Delivery

African Journals Online (AJOL)

seriane.camara

participated in decision-making to a decentralised system where many could .... political accountability in which the elected representatives account to their .... or no information regarding the amount of the capitation grant entitled to them.

The Societe de Services Decentralises (SDD), a Franco-Dutch energy project designed to provide local energy services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, B.; Courillon, M.; Goedmakers, A-M.; Darne, D.

1998-01-01

The Societe de Services Decentralises (SDD) is a joint pilot project of the EDF from France and NUON from the Netherlands, designed to test the feasibility of providing electricity to the rural regions of developing countries. The concept of the SDD emerged from the 1995 Marrakech conference on rural electrification. The project is presently being tested in Mali where 80,000 people, living in 20 villages of the cotton region are being provided with basic electric services. Power is generated by small village generating stations or by solar stations. Service is limited to a few electrical lights per customer. Marketing, financing and human resource aspects are also discussed

Centralising and optimising decentralised stroke care systems: a simulation study on short-term costs and effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maarten M. H. Lahr

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Centralisation of thrombolysis may offer substantial benefits. The aim of this study was to assess short term costs and effects of centralisation of thrombolysis and optimised care in a decentralised system. Methods Using simulation modelling, three scenarios to improve decentralised settings in the North of Netherlands were compared from the perspective of the policy maker and compared to current decentralised care: (1 improving stroke care at nine separate hospitals, (2 centralising and improving thrombolysis treatment to four, and (3 two hospitals. Outcomes were annual mean and incremental costs per patient up to the treatment with thrombolysis, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (iCER per 1% increase in thrombolysis rate, and the proportion treated with thrombolysis. Results Compared to current decentralised care, improving stroke care at individual community hospitals led to mean annual costs per patient of $US 1,834 (95% CI, 1,823–1,843 whereas centralising to four and two hospitals led to $US 1,462 (95% CI, 1,451–1,473 and $US 1,317 (95% CI, 1,306–1,328, respectively (P < 0.001. The iCER of improving community hospitals was $US 113 (95% CI, 91–150 and $US 71 (95% CI, 59–94, $US 56 (95% CI, 44–74 when centralising to four and two hospitals, respectively. Thrombolysis rates decreased from 22.4 to 21.8% and 21.2% (P = 0.120 and P = 0.001 in case of increasing centralisation. Conclusions Centralising thrombolysis substantially lowers mean annual costs per patient compared to raising stroke care at community hospitals simultaneously. Small, but negative effects on thrombolysis rates may be expected.

Decentralisation of directly observed treatment in a large African city: evaluation of the experience of Djibouti.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernatas, J J; Ali, I M; Ismaël, H A; Matan, A B; Aboubakar, I H

2003-08-01

Decentralisation of directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis patients in three public centres in Djibouti city from April 2000. To evaluate decentralisation based on the success rate by site of treatment and according to certain critical variables. Comparative evaluation of the success rate of smear-positive patients followed in all treatment centres from 1 May 2000 to 31 March 2001. The success rate was 58% for the main centre, Centre Paul Faure, and 81% for all the peripheral centres together (P 0.05). Age under 20 years, female sex and treatment centre were factors linked to success. After stratification, sex was shown to be the confounding variable. Multivariate analysis shows that non-Djibouti nationality is related to treatment success (P = 0.02). In the groups of established and new centres, there is an inverse linear relationship between success rate and workload, with greater capacity in the established centres. Urban decentralisation of DOT increases the chances of treatment success among smear-positive patients. Another centre for supervised treatment needs to be created in one of the public health centres in Djibouti city.

deepening decentralisation through non-partisan district assembly ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PUBLICATIONS1

-depth analysis of the legal framework within which decentralisation reforms are implemented was also ... country's democracy, the legal framework need to be revised for competitive partisan elections to be pursued ..... the quality of debates in the general Assembly will be poor as .... Coleman, J. S. (Eds.) Social Theory for a.

Political economy of decentralising HIV and AIDS treatment services ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Political economy of decentralising HIV and AIDS treatment services to primary healthcare facilities in three Nigerian states. Chinyere Mbachu, Obinna Onwujekwe, Nkoli Ezumah, Olayinka Ajayi, Olusola Sanwo, Benjamin Uzochukwu ...

Fuel cell power plants for decentralised CHP applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohmer, Martin; Mattner, Katja

2015-01-01

Fuel cells are the most efficient technology to convert chemical energy into electricity and heat and thus they could have a major impact on reducing fuel consumption, CO 2 and other emissions (NO x , SO x and particulate matter). Fired with natural or biogas and operated with an efficiency of up to 49 % a significant reduction of fuel costs can be achieved in decentralised applications. Combined heat and power (CHP) configurations add value for a wide range of industrial applications. The exhaust heat of approximately 400 C can be utilised for heating purposes and the production of steam. Besides, it can be also fed directly to adsorption cooling systems. With more than 110 fuel cell power plants operating worldwide, this technology is a serious alternative to conventional gas turbines or gas engines.

Decentralisation policy as recentralisation strategy: forest management units and community forestry in Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Sahide, M.A.K; Supratman, S; Maryudi, A; Kim, -Y.S; Giessen, L

2016-01-01

Critical political analyses on decentralisation policies have revealed that such approaches may not achieve their formal goal, and might even support centralisation efforts. A number of previous studies on decentralisation separated the analyses of administrative process from the analyses of political power of administrative actors across levels of government. Using bureaucratic politics theory, this article presents close examinations of both process and power relations reconfigured by decen...

How does decentralisation affect health sector planning and financial management? a case study of early effects of devolution in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsofa, Benjamin; Molyneux, Sassy; Gilson, Lucy; Goodman, Catherine

2017-09-15

A common challenge for health sector planning and budgeting has been the misalignment between policies, technical planning and budgetary allocation; and inadequate community involvement in priority setting. Health system decentralisation has often been promoted to address health sector planning and budgeting challenges through promoting community participation, accountability, and technical efficiency in resource management. In 2010, Kenya passed a new constitution that introduced 47 semi-autonomous devolved county governments, and a substantial transfer of responsibility for healthcare from the central government to these counties. This study analysed the effects of this major political decentralization on health sector planning, budgeting and overall financial management at county level. We used a qualitative, case study design focusing on Kilifi County, and were guided by a conceptual framework which drew on decentralisation and policy analysis theories. Qualitative data were collected through document reviews, key informant interviews, and participant and non-participant observations conducted over an eighteen months' period. We found that the implementation of devolution created an opportunity for local level prioritisation and community involvement in health sector planning and budgeting hence increasing opportunities for equity in local level resource allocation. However, this opportunity was not harnessed due to accelerated transfer of functions to counties before county level capacity had been established to undertake the decentralised functions. We also observed some indication of re-centralisation of financial management from health facility to county level. We conclude by arguing that, to enhance the benefits of decentralised health systems, resource allocation, priority setting and financial management functions between central and decentralised units are guided by considerations around decision space, organisational structure and capacity, and

How decentralisation influences the retention of primary health care workers in rural Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Abimbola, Seye; Olanipekun, Titilope; Igbokwe, Uchenna; Negin, Joel; Jan, Stephen; Martiniuk, Alexandra; Ihebuzor, Nnenna; Aina, Muyi

2015-01-01

In Nigeria, the shortage of health workers is worst at the primary health care (PHC) level, especially in rural communities. And the responsibility for PHC - usually the only form of formal health service available in rural communities - is shared among the three tiers of government (federal, state, and local governments). In addition, the responsibility for community engagement in PHC is delegated to community health committees. This study examines how the decentralisation of health system governance influences retention of health workers in rural communities in Nigeria from the perspective of health managers, health workers, and people living in rural communities. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The multi-stakeholder data were analysed for themes related to health system decentralisation. The results showed that decentralisation influences the retention of rural health workers in two ways: 1) The salary of PHC workers is often delayed and irregular as a result of delays in transfer of funds from the national to sub-national governments and because one tier of government can blame failure on another tier of government. Further, the primary responsibility for PHC is often left to the weakest tier of government (local governments). And the result is that rural PHC workers are attracted to working at levels of care where salaries are higher and more regular - in secondary care (run by state governments) and tertiary care (run by the federal government), which are also usually in urban areas. 2) Through community health committees, rural communities influence the retention of health workers by working to increase the uptake of PHC services. Community efforts to retain health workers also include providing social, financial, and accommodation support to health workers. To encourage health workers to stay, communities also take the initiative to co-finance and co

Deforestation in Decentralised Indonesia: What's Law Got to Do with it?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Lazarus Arnold

2008-09-01

Full Text Available A growing number of studies point to significant changes in the dynamics of deforestation in Indonesia since the introduction of decentralised governance in 2001. This essay argues that law plays an important and underestimated role in facilitating these new dynamics. This role is not limited to mere implementation failures; many of the ways in which Indonesian law makes deforestation possible can be traced back to the content of the laws themselves. In order to demonstrate this point, the essay first examines the context in which Indonesia's forestry and decentralisation laws were formulated and the salient provisions of these laws. This is followed by a discussion of the dynamics of deforestation since decentralisation and an analysis of five key ways in which law is partly responsible for the current situation: a flawed division of authority between the Central Government and the regions'; inconsistent, ambiguous and 'hollow' legislation; legislatively entrenched departmentalism; the marginalisation of forest communities; and a lack of legislative support for public participation, public interest litigation and other processes to promote sustainable forest management.

Centralising and optimising decentralised stroke care systems : A simulation study on short-term costs and effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lahr, Maarten M. H.; van der Zee, Durk-Jouke; Luijckx, Gert-Jan; Vroomen, Patrick C. A. J.; Buskens, Erik

2017-01-01

Background: Centralisation of thrombolysis may offer substantial benefits. The aim of this study was to assess short term costs and effects of centralisation of thrombolysis and optimised care in a decentralised system. Methods: Using simulation modelling, three scenarios to improve decentralised

Developing a regional energy plan for two counties in Ireland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Connolly, David; Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Lund, Henrik

2011-01-01

Developing a sustainable energy supply will most likely require a transition from large-scale centralised plants to decentralised distributed generation. Consequently, local planning authorities will play a more important role in energy planning in the coming years, as more decentralised energy f...

Decentralising Natural Resource Management and the Politics of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Decentralising Natural Resource Management and the Politics of Institutional Resource Management in Uganda's Forest Sub-Sector. ... December 1992, Uganda has implemented wide-ranging public sector reforms as a part of ... insulate decision making over the allocation of licences from higher-level political pressures, ...

Health Reform in Ceará: the process of decentralisation in the 1990s

Science.gov (United States)

Medeiros, Regianne Leila Rolim; Atkinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

The objective of this article is to offer an overview of the health reform in Ceará focusing on the decentralisation process in the 1990s. The driving factor behind the Brazilian health reform movement was the necessity to reorganise the national health system and overcome inequalities. For the reformists, decentralisation, and together with it the idea of popular participation, is seen as essential to guarantee the fulfilment of the people’s needs and to incorporate their voice in the decision-making processes of the health system. In the state of Ceará, after the 1986 elections, health reform movement members took control over the management of the state Health Secretariat. This is the main cause of the acceleration of the decentralisation process with the transference of responsibility over the management of health care delivery to municipalities. PMID:25729333

Connecting energy producers in an intelligent way

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberle, M.

2008-01-01

In this interview with Dr. Thomas Erge, researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the prospects for renewable and environment-friendly energy carriers are discussed. The author comments that, today, electrical power is mostly generated in large-scale power stations. Renewable forms of energy and combined heat and power (CHP) installations are, however, beginning to appear on the market as sources of electricity. Questions dealt with in the interview include political, social, economical and technical questions, the reliability of electricity supply, emergency power systems, decentralised generation, power pricing, energy management and control systems. Also, the effects of a reduced number of power suppliers in Germany and the associated increase in power prices are discussed. The question if this situation offers wider opportunities for decentralised power generation is posed.

Forecasting how residential urban form affects the regional carbon savings and costs of retrofitting and decentralized energy supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hargreaves, Anthony; Cheng, Vicky; Deshmukh, Sandip; Leach, Matthew; Steemers, Koen

2017-01-01

Highlights: • An innovative model for testing combinations of spatial planning and decentralised energy supply. • An improved method of modelling the spatial variability of energy consumption per dwelling type. • Shows how spatial planning would affect the future carbon reduction of decentralised supply. • Forecasts the future carbon reduction and costs of retrofitting and decentralised supply. • A method of forecasting how residential space would affect the suitability of decentralised supply. - Abstract: Low carbon energy supply technologies are increasingly used at the building and community scale and are an important part of the government decarbonisation strategy. However, with their present state of development and costs, many of these decentralised technologies rely on public subsidies to be financially viable. It is questionable whether they are cost effective compared to other ways of reducing carbon emissions, such as decarbonisation of conventional supply and improving the energy efficiency of dwellings. Previous studies have found it difficult to reliably estimate the future potential of decentralised supply because this depends on the available residential space which varies greatly within a city region. To address this problem, we used an integrated modelling framework that converted the residential density forecasts of a regional model into a representation of the building dimensions and land of the future housing stock. This included a method of estimating the variability of the dwellings and residential land. We present the findings of a case study of the wider south east regions of England that forecasted the impacts of energy efficiency and decentralised supply scenarios to year 2031. Our novel and innovative method substantially improves the spatial estimates of energy consumption compared to building energy models that only use standard dwelling typologies. We tested the impact of an alternative spatial planning policy on the future

Income inequality, decentralisation, and regional development in Western Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tselios, Vassilis; Rodriguez-Pose, Andres; Pike, Andy; Tomaney, John; Torrisi, Gianpiero

This paper deals with the relationship between decentralisation, regional economic development, and income inequality within regions. Using multiplicative interaction models and regionally aggregated microeconomic data for more than 100000 individuals in the European Union (EU), it addresses two

Decentralisation in Uganda: Prospects for Improved Service Delivery

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Financial decentralisation, on the other hand, attempted to assign responsibilities and taxes between the centre and local governments, to enable the transfer of grants and other resources to different parts of the country, and to improve service delivery. This paper will review different government, public and academic ...

A decentralised approach to wastewater management in the urbanising region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Putri, Prathiwi Widyatmi

2017-01-01

State-led and market-oriented approaches to sanitation development in Jakarta have favoured the construction of large-scale centralised sewerage systems. This development approach is not always suitable because the principles of modern infrastructure underlying the technological systems...... are not applicable in informal settlements scattered over the metropolis. Due to spatial fragmentation within the built environment, diverse socio-economic and fragile geo-ecological conditions in different settlements and the city as a whole, Jakarta needs to adopt a decentralised approach to wastewater management...... of environmental problems and expand their sociopolitical networks. Nevertheless, local initiatives provide a limited response to community sanitation needs and sanitation problems beyond the neighbourhood level. This article argues that the introduction of decentralised sanitation systems requires a new form...

Decentralisation and Water Resources Management in the Indian Himalayas: The Contribution of New Institutional Theories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saravanan V

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The current debate on decentralisation offers a polarised view on the dynamic power relations involved in water resources management. Drawing New Institutionalism as applied in the social and ecological sciences, the paper argues that decentralisation represents a complex adaptive process that involves a combination of natural and a political endeavour by actors and agents to draw on existing structures to negotiate and renegotiate the existing unequal power relations to (mismanage water. Examining a Village in the Indian Himalayas as a case study, the paper demonstrates the significance of New Institutionalism for a comprehensive understanding of the decentralisation as a process, with an intention to identify the opportunities and barriers presented by institutional factors on water resources management. The paper reveals the contemporary top-down decentralised reforms though has helped actors to voice their concern and empowered the agents to remain adaptive, these have not ensured resource use efficiency, addressed poverty and promoted greater participation of the actors. Facilitating these will require a strengthening the role of statutory public organisations to regulate water distribution, build capacity of actors and offer diverse forums to facilitate informed water-related decisions for a sustainable future.

Pedagogical Reforms within a Centralised-Decentralised System: A Singapore's Perspective to Diffuse 21st Century Learning Innovations

Science.gov (United States)

Toh, Yancy; Hung, Wei Loong David; Chua, Paul Meng-Huat; He, Sujin; Jamaludin, Azilawati

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the dialectical interplay between centralisation and decentralisation forces so as to understand how schools leverage on its autonomous pedagogical space, influence the diffusion of innovations in the educational landscape of Singapore and how a centralised-decentralised system supports (or…

planning for gender equitable services delivery in a decentralised ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Sarah Ssali

Services Delivery in Uganda. – Services offered. – Participation. – Decision making process. – Actors. – Issues. • Post-Conflict Situations in Uganda. – Challenges from Conflict. – Decentralisation in Post conflict settings. – Planning for gender equitable services delivery. • Recommendations (Policy). • Research Gaps ...

Operational simulation, design and management of decentralized energy systems; Betriebliche Modellierung, Auslegung und Management von dezentralen Energiesystemen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matics, J.

2007-06-28

Chapter 2 describes the worldwide increase of primary energy consumption, which is expected in coming decades and results in possible solutions of a decentralised energy supply that is mainly based upon renewable energy carriers and the use of cogeneration systems. Chapter 3 shows the characteristics of decentralised system components that have been investigated in the frame of this research work as well as the resulting model library to depict the operational performance of the individual components and their mutual influence. A detailed dynamic simulation of a complete fuel cell system based on a steam reformer including the concept of local and superordinate control circuits is presented in chapter 4. Chapter 5 includes the integrated concepts for the intelligent and adaptable management of complex decentralised energy systems as well as a description of their implementation. Apart from the applied metaheuristic optimization methods the adaptable fuzzy-system, used in this case, is presented. The components of the model library of decentralised system components (chapter 3), the dynamic simulation of a complete fuel cell system based on a reformer (chapter 4), as well as the intelligent and adaptable plant management (chapter 5) are used in chapter 6 to investigate the various decentralised energy systems. The investigation focuses in particular on a) the electricity supply of a one-family home based on photovoltaics including different storage technologies and an increasing degree of energetic independence; b) the operational performance of a wind park with 72 individual plants as well as the combination of flywheel mass storage and wind energy plant; c) the control concepts, which have been developed for a fuel cell test stand based on a steam reformer, and their effects on the operation of the individual components as well as their interaction; d) the use of the developed management modules for the flexible and adaptable operation of a cogeneration system for

Fiscal Decentralisation and Economic Development in Nigeria: Empirical Evidence from VECM Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hammed Adetola Adefeso

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This study examines long run and causal relationship between fiscal decentralization and economic development in Nigeria using annual data from 1970-2011. Both sub-national expenditures ratio and sub national revenue ratio were used to measure fiscal decentralisation in Nigeria. The result of the analysis showed that the federally allocated expenditures to sub-national has been greater than its corresponding allocated revenue in Nigeria and this has became pronounced from the year 1999 up till date under the administration of a dominant political party known as People Democratic Party (PDP in Nigeria. Using VECM, the study found that fiscal decentralisation is cointegrated with economic development in Nigeria. That is, there is a long run relationship between fiscal decentralisation and economic development. The results from the VEC granger causality test showed a unidirectional causality run from economic development to fiscal decentralization i.e. economic development granger causes fiscal decentralization (only sub-national revenue decentralization ratio in Nigeria. By implication, economic benefits derived from fiscal decentralization are the products of economic development simply because as economy is developing, these benefits emerge in Nigeria.

Medan City: Development and governance under the decentralisation era

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tarigan, A.K.M.; Samsura, D.A.A.; Sagala, S.; Pencawan, A.V.M.

2017-01-01

Over the last 30 years, Medan's economy has grown rapidly and has been the driver of the regional development in North Sumatra Province as well as the northern part of the Sumatra region. The recent adoption of decentralised public policies in Indonesia has to some extent influenced urban

A Demand-driven Model of Decentralised Land-use Planning and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sulaiman.adebowale

2006-08-25

Aug 25, 2006 ... of alternatives and reversals in which he appears to be arguing that decentralisation is .... From top-down to bottom-up visions of tenure, .... to raise funds for the logistical costs associated with the allocation process, including ...

The Scandinavian Model in Healthcare and Higher Education: Recentralising, decentralising or both?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Torjesen, Dag Olaf; Hansen, Hanne Foss; Pinheiro,, Rómulo

2017-01-01

The public sector in the Nordic countries has been subject to substantial reform in recent decades. The article explores the changing reform dynamic in Denmark and Norway, focusing on centralising and decentralising trends in two prominent sectors: higher education and health care. The main quest...... and fiscal decision-making. Both hospitals and universities have been given increased (procedural) autonomy. At the same time there is stronger centralised planning and management of performance management, which means that (substantive) autonomy has been reduced....

2009 Melbourne metropolitan sewerage strategy: a portfolio of decentralised and on-site concept designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, V; Jackson, D W; Khalifé, M

2010-01-01

The bulk and retail water companies of the greater Melbourne area are developing the 2009 Metropolitan Sewerage Strategy to provide sustainable sewerage services to 2060. The objective of the strategy is to establish long term principles and near term actions to produce a robust sewage management system for Melbourne. Melbourne's existing sewerage system is largely centralised and discharges to two major treatment plants. Several small satellite treatment plants service local urban areas generally more distant from the centralised system. Decentralised and on-site wastewater systems are options for future sewage management and could play a role in local recycling. A portfolio of 18 on-site and decentralised concept designs was developed, applicable to the full range of urban development types in Melbourne. The concepts can be used in evaluation of metropolitan system configurations as part of future integrated water cycle planning. The options included secondary and tertiary treatment systems incorporating re-use of water for non potable uses, urine separation, black and greywater separation and composting toilets. On-site and cluster treatment systems were analysed. Each option is described by its indicative capital and operating costs, energy use and water and nutrient balances. This paper summarises and compares the portfolio mix of decentralized and on-site options in Melbourne's context.

Decentralisation and Interregional Redistribution in the Italian Education System

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Irene; Zanardi, Alberto

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the potential impact of the reform designed to decentralise public education in Italy, currently under discussion, on interregional redistribution. The central government has always played a prominent financial and administrative role in the provision of compulsory education in Italy. This has had a strong…

Decentralising Zimbabwe’s water management: The case of Guyu-Chelesa irrigation scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Tambudzai, Rashirayi; Everisto, Mapedza; Gideon, Zhou

Smallholder irrigation schemes are largely supply driven such that they exclude the beneficiaries on the management decisions and the choice of the irrigation schemes that would best suit their local needs. It is against this background that the decentralisation framework and the Dublin Principles on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) emphasise the need for a participatory approach to water management. The Zimbabwean government has gone a step further in decentralising the management of irrigation schemes, that is promoting farmer managed irrigation schemes so as to ensure effective management of scarce community based land and water resources. The study set to investigate the way in which the Guyu-Chelesa irrigation scheme is managed with specific emphasis on the role of the Irrigation Management Committee (IMC), the level of accountability and the powers devolved to the IMC. Merrey’s 2008 critique of IWRM also informs this study which views irrigation as going beyond infrastructure by looking at how institutions and decision making processes play out at various levels including at the irrigation scheme level. The study was positioned on the hypothesis that ‘decentralised or autonomous irrigation management enhances the sustainability and effectiveness of irrigation schemes’. To validate or falsify the stated hypothesis, data was gathered using desk research in the form of reviewing articles, documents from within the scheme and field research in the form of questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews and field observation. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse data quantitatively, whilst content analysis was utilised to analyse qualitative data whereby data was analysed thematically. Comparative analysis was carried out as Guyu-Chelesa irrigation scheme was compared with other smallholder irrigation scheme’s experiences within Zimbabwe and the Sub Saharan African region at large. The findings were that whilst the

Decentralised stabilising controllers for a class of large-scale linear ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

subsystems resulting from a new aggregation-decomposition technique. The method has been illustrated through a numerical example of a large-scale linear system consisting of three subsystems each of the fourth order. Keywords. Decentralised stabilisation; large-scale linear systems; optimal feedback control; algebraic ...

Participation, decentralisation and déjà vu: Remaking democracy in response to AIDS?

Science.gov (United States)

Kenworthy, Nora J

2014-01-01

Participation, decentralisation and community partnership have served as prominent motifs and driving philosophies in the global scale-up of HIV programming. Given the fraught histories of these ideas in development studies, it is surprising to encounter their broad appeal as benchmarks and moral practices in global health work. This paper examines three intertwined, government-endorsed projects to deepen democratic processes of HIV policy-making in Lesotho: (1) the 'Gateway Approach' for decentralising and coordinating local HIV responses; (2) the implementation of a community council-driven priority-setting process; and (3) the establishment of community AIDS councils. Taken together, these efforts are striking and well intentioned, but nonetheless struggle in the face of powerful global agendas to establish meaningful practices of participation and decentralisation. Examining these efforts shows that HIV scale-up conveys formidable lessons for citizens about the politics of global health and their place in the world. As global health initiatives continue to remake important dimensions of political functioning, practitioners, agencies and governments implementing similar democratising projects may find the warnings of earlier development critics both useful and necessary.

Centralised versus Decentralised Control Reconfiguration for Collaborating Underwater Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furno, Lidia; Nielsen, Mikkel Cornelius; Blanke, Mogens

2015-01-01

The present paper introduces an approach to fault-tolerant reconfiguration for collaborating underwater robots. Fault-tolerant reconfiguration is obtained using the virtual actuator approach, Steen (2005). The paper investigates properties of a centralised versus a decentralised implementation an...... an underwater drill needs to be transported and positioned by three collaborating robots as part of an underwater autonomous operation....

Decentralised output feedback control of Markovian jump interconnected systems with unknown interconnections

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li-Wei; Yang, Guang-Hong

2017-07-01

The problem of decentralised output feedback control is addressed for Markovian jump interconnected systems with unknown interconnections and general transition rates (TRs) allowed to be unknown or known with uncertainties. A class of decentralised dynamic output feedback controllers are constructed, and a cyclic-small-gain condition is exploited to dispose the unknown interconnections so that the resultant closed-loop system is stochastically stable and satisfies an H∞ performance. With slack matrices to cope with the nonlinearities incurred by unknown and uncertain TRs in control synthesis, a novel controller design condition is developed in linear matrix inequality formalism. Compared with the existing works, the proposed approach leads to less conservatism. Finally, two examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the new results.

Decentralised control method for DC microgrids with improved current sharing accuracy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Jie; Jin, Xinmin; Wu, Xuezhi

2017-01-01

A decentralised control method that deals with current sharing issues in dc microgrids (MGs) is proposed in this study. The proposed method is formulated in terms of ‘modified global indicator’ concept, which was originally proposed to improve reactive power sharing in ac MGs. In this work......, the ‘modified global indicator’ concept is extended to coordinate dc MGs, which aims to preserve the main features offered by decentralised control methods such as no need of communication links, central controller or knowledge of the microgrid topology and parameters. This global indicator is inserted between...... a shunt virtual resistance. The operation under multiple dc-buses is also included in order to enhance the applicability of the proposed controller. A detailed mathematical model including the effect of network mismatches is derived for analysis of the stability of the proposed controller. The feasibility...

Energy landscapes, landscapes in transition. How to prepare one's territory to the deployment of renewable energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-06-01

This guide first defines the notion of landscape, outlines what is at stake with decentralised renewable energy production, and presents the various important aspects of a deployment of decentralised renewable energy production. It describes how to define a general strategy for the integration of this production: relationship between energy and landscape, project implementation, partnership, tools to anticipate changes, evolution of social demand through dialogue, conciliation of technical and financial constraints and landscape ambitions. An appendix proposes legal and bibliographical information: legal relationships between energy and landscape, possible arrangements for PLU (plan local d'urbanisme, local urban plan) and SCOT (schema de coherence territoriale, territorial planning document)

The State of the Process of Decentralisation in Cameroon | Cheka ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The pace of the process of decentralisation in a given context unavoidably depends on the degree of favourableness of the legal environment and the dynamism of stakeholders (especially of local authorities, the state, development cooperation partners and civil society). This paper seeks to inform on the state of the ...

Inter-organisational communication networks in healthcare: centralised versus decentralised approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirnejad, Habibollah; Bal, Roland; Stoop, Arjen P; Berg, Marc

2007-05-16

To afford efficient and high quality care, healthcare providers increasingly need to exchange patient data. The existence of a communication network amongst care providers will help them to exchange patient data more efficiently. Information and communication technology (ICT) has much potential to facilitate the development of such a communication network. Moreover, in order to offer integrated care interoperability of healthcare organizations based upon the exchanged data is of crucial importance. However, complications around such a development are beyond technical impediments. To determine the challenges and complexities involved in building an Inter-organisational Communication network (IOCN) in healthcare and the appropriations in the strategies. Interviews, literature review, and document analysis were conducted to analyse the developments that have taken place toward building a countrywide electronic patient record and its challenges in The Netherlands. Due to the interrelated nature of technical and non-technical problems, a socio-technical approach was used to analyse the data and define the challenges. Organisational and cultural changes are necessary before technical solutions can be applied. There are organisational, financial, political, and ethicolegal challenges that have to be addressed appropriately. Two different approaches, one "centralised" and the other "decentralised" have been used by Dutch healthcare providers to adopt the necessary changes and cope with these challenges. The best solutions in building an IOCN have to be drawn from both the centralised and the decentralised approaches. Local communication initiatives have to be supervised and supported centrally and incentives at the organisations' interest level have to be created to encourage the stakeholder organisations to adopt the necessary changes.

Hybrid Decentralised Energy for Remote Communities: Case Studies and the Analysis of the Potential Integration of Rain Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Miao

2014-09-01

Full Text Available For remote underdeveloped and sparsely populated regions, the use of national power grids to provide electricity can be both unsustainable and impractical. In recent years, decentralised renewable power has gained popularity, endowing social benefits to the local inhabitants through clean rural electrification. However, power reliability and system autonomy are often the primary technical concerns as current systems are largely single source reliant. Hybrid power systems that utilise multiple complementary renewables can help to reduce the dependency on conventional unclean options. A few selected case studies for both single source and hybrid power systems are reviewed, analysing critical success factors and evaluating existing difficulties. The additional integration of the novel rain-powered kinetic-to-electric generator technology to the existing hybrid model is analysed. As with development in general, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to bringing power to remote communities and the most sustainable solution should be found through analysing local resources, environmental conditions and maximising local involvement.

The socio-economic power of renewable energy production cooperatives in Germany: Results of an empirical assessment

OpenAIRE

Debor, Sarah

2014-01-01

This paper reflects the socio-economic power of renewable energy production cooperatives for a wider energy system transformation in Germany. Energy cooperatives have turned into important supporters of renewable and decentralised energy structures, due to their strong growth since the year 2006, their participation in local renewable energy projects and their democratic awareness. The cooperative form of coordinating regional energy projects applies to a decentralised energy system that is m...

Decentralisation and health services delivery in Tanzania: Analysis of decision space in planning, allocation, and use of financial resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Kigume, Ramadhani; Maluka, Stephen; Kamuzora, Peter

2018-04-01

While decentralisation of health systems has been on the policy agenda in low-income and middle-income countries since the 1970s, many studies have focused on understanding who has more decision-making powers but less attention is paid to understand what those powers encompass. Using the decision space approach, this study aimed to understand the amount of decision-making space transferred from the central government to institutions at the periphery in the decentralised health system in Tanzania. The findings of this study indicated that the decentralisation process in Tanzania has provided authorities with a range of decision-making space. In the areas of priority setting and planning, district health authorities had moderate decision space. However, in the financial resource allocation and expenditure of funds from the central government, the districts had narrow decision-making space. The districts, nevertheless, had wider decision-making space in mobilising and using locally generated financial resources. However, the ability of the districts to allocate and use locally generated resources was constrained by bureaucratic procedures of the central government. The study concludes that decentralisation by devolution which is being promoted in the policy documents in Tanzania is yet to be realised at the district and local levels. The study recommends that the central government should provide more space to the decentralised district health systems to incorporate locally defined priorities in the district health plans. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions by means of expansion, information technological cross-linking and grid optimization of plans for the utilization of decentral, fluctuating and renewable energy in Germany; CO{sub 2}-Emissionsminderung durch Ausbau, informationstechnische Vernetzung und Netzoptimierung von Anlagen dezentraler, fluktuierender und erneuerbarer Energienutzung in Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lanz, Marco; Fricke, Barbara; Anthrakidis, Anette [FH Aachen (DE). Solar-Institut Juelich

2011-11-15

The German energy system is currently in a state of extensive transformation, which is primarily driven by the set of problems stemming from fossil energy sources and nuclear fuels being a finite resource and the largely unsolved problems arising from their use and the waste products and by-products that are generated through this use. An important goal of the pursued transformation of the German energy system, which has already been set in motion, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - in particular carbon dioxide, which is a by-product of the provision of the effective energies electricity and heat. Renewable energy sources and - in a transitional phase - decentralised fossil energy sources are to be used as alternatives to conventional fuels. But the question arises of the extent to which basic structural characteristics of the existing energy supply system should change: not only could the provision of electricity in Germany, which has been produced in large centralised power plants up to now, be decentralised, but also regulatory entities and the power marketplaces on which decentralised demand and supply are coordinated. This analysis examines - on the basis of a comprehensive description of the different system components on which the modelling of a specific distribution grid is based - the extent to which decentralisation of the German energy system can contribute to the reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions. To this end the dimensions of a possible decentralisation and their complex interactions are examined: - Basic framework conditions of policy and the energy industry for this decentralisation and the sub-markets of the electricity sector, which have already started to change, partly as a result of the increasing share of fluctuating production. In future the sub-markets are to play an important role in equalising fluctuating production; - Questions related to the integration of decentralised and renewable production, above all in terms of their integration

11th Kasseler symposium energy systems technology. Information and communication technologies for tommorow's energy supply; Elftes Kasseler Symposium Energie-Systemtechnik. Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien fuer die Energieversorgung von morgen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

The theme of the 11{sup th} Kassel Symposium Energy System Technology is 'Information and Communication Technologies for tomorrow's Energy Supply' and is aimed at technical engineering experts. The symposium intends to provide an overview of the state of the art, the newest trends and practical experiences in the 'Energy and Communication' field within a decentralised power supply environment. The speeches cover a range of topics from standards and norms for communication interfaces and protocols for decentralised power supply through contributions concerning decentralised generators, quality of supply, the potentials of effective energy management in distribution networks and the role of information management in virtual power stations. The network theme 'Energy and Communication' is also concluded during this symposium. Within this network, which has been supported by the Federal Ministry of Research and Education, the capacity and abilities of non-university institutes which are active in the field of research and knowledge-management could be optimally linked with the extensive concept potential of universities and the market-oriented line taken by industry through consolidating and linking up colleges and universities, commercial companies and non-university research facilities in the energy and communication technology sphere. With the aim of 'Optimising the Use of Decentralised Power Supply Systems by Integrating Modern Methods of Communication', the network has developed proposals for the following areas - Decentralized power quality and grid management - Communication structures and technology - Energy management and operation control strategies - Information management which, in the form of project ideas and proposals for research projects, should be realised after the scheme expires. The results of the networks and relevant research results will be presented by scientists in four blocks of lectures, each one

Monitoring the impact of decentralised chronic care services on patient travel time in rural Africa--methods and results in Northern Malawi.

Science.gov (United States)

Houben, Rein M G J; Van Boeckel, Thomas P; Mwinuka, Venance; Mzumara, Peter; Branson, Keith; Linard, Catherine; Chimbwandira, Frank; French, Neil; Glynn, Judith R; Crampin, Amelia C

2012-11-15

Decentralised health services form a key part of chronic care strategies in resource-limited settings by reducing the distance between patient and clinic and thereby the time and costs involved in travelling. However, few tools exist to evaluate the impact of decentralisation on patient travel time or what proportion of patients attend their nearest clinic. Here we develop methods to monitor changes in travel time, using data from the antiretroviral therapy (ART) roll-out in a rural district in North Malawi. Clinic position was combined with GPS information on the home village of patients accessing ART services in Karonga District (North Malawi) between July 2005 and July 2009. Potential travel time was estimated as the travel time for an individual attending their nearest clinic, and estimated actual travel time as the time to the clinic attended. This allowed us to calculate changes in potential and actual travel time as new clinics opened and track the proportion and origin of patients not accessing their nearest clinic. The model showed how the opening of further ART clinics in Karonga District reduced median potential travel time from 83 to 43 minutes, and median actual travel time fell from 83 to 47 minutes. The proportion of patients not attending their nearest clinic increased from 6% when two clinics were open, to 12% with four open. Integrating GPS information with patient data shows the impact of decentralisation on travel time and clinic choice to inform policy and research questions. In our case study, travel time decreased, accompanied by an increased uptake of services. However, the model also identified an increasing proportion of ART patients did not attend their nearest clinic.

New Energy Utility Business Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potocnik, V.

2016-01-01

Recently a lot of big changes happened in the power sector: energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are quickly progressing, distributed or decentralised generation of electricity is expanding, climate change requires reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and price volatility and incertitude of fossil fuel supply is common. Those changes have led to obsolescence of vertically integrated business models which have dominated in energy utility organisations for a hundred years and new business models are being introduced. Those models take into account current changes in the power sector and enable a wider application of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, especially for consumers, with the decentralisation of electricity generation and complying with the requirements of climate and environment preservation. New business models also solve the questions of financial compensations for utilities because of the reduction of centralised energy generation while contributing to local development and employment.(author).

Medical workforce education and training: A failed decentralisation attempt to reform organisation, financing, and planning in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Ovseiko, Pavel V; Buchan, Alastair M

2015-12-01

The 2010-2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government proposed introducing a radical decentralisation reform of the organisation, financing, and planning of medical workforce education and training in England. However, following public deliberation and parliamentary scrutiny of the government's proposals, it had to abandon and alter its original proposals to the extent that they failed to achieve their original decentralisation objectives. This failed decentralisation attempt provides important lessons about the policy process and content of both workforce governance and health system reforms in Europe and beyond. The organisation, financing, and planning of medical workforce education is as an issue of national importance and should remain in the stewardship of the national government. Future reform efforts seeking to enhance the skills of the workforce needed to deliver high-quality care for patients in the 21st century will have a greater chance of succeeding if they are clearly articulated through engagement with stakeholders, and focus on the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate multi-professional education and training in universities and teaching hospitals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decentralised energy solutions: The CSIR energy autonomous campus

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Carter-Brown, Clinton

2017-07-01

Full Text Available /yr Wind: Baseload 3-4 MW-class wind turbines Total of 3 MW 7 GWh/yr Biogas: Municipal/organic waste from surrounding supermarkets/restaurants 4-5 MW @ 800-1,000 hrs/yr 4 GWh/yr Trading with Tshwane municipality (import and export) based on pure economics... analysis, Site selection, Environmental Impact Assessment, etc Demand side management: Campus energy audit & street light energy audit Storage: Technology selection process, procurement of electric vehicles for the campus 27 Over 1 MW of Solar PV...

Evaluation of a pilot intervention to redesign the decentralised vaccine supply chain system in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Molemodile, Shola; Wotogbe, Maruchi; Abimbola, Seye

2017-05-01

Responsibility for immunisation in Nigeria is decentralised to sub-national governments. So far, they have failed to achieve optimal coverage for their populations. We evaluated a pilot intervention implemented between 2013 and 2014 to redesign a vaccine supply chain management system in Kano, Nigeria. The intervention included financing immunisation services from a designated pool of government and donor funds, a visibility tool to track vaccine stock, and a private vendor engaged to deliver vaccines directly to health facilities. The number of local government areas within the state with adequate vaccine stock increased from 21% to 98% after 10 months. To understand how the intervention achieved this outcome, we analysed immunisation coverage for the period and interviewed 18 respondents across different levels of government. We found that the intervention worked by improving ownership and accountability for immunisation by sub-national governments and their capacity for generating resources and management (of data and the supply chain). While the intervention focused on improving immunisation coverage, we identified gaps in the demand for services. Efforts to improve immunisation coverage and vaccine supply systems should streamline decentralised structures, empower sub-national governments with financial and technical capacity, and promote strategies to improve the demand and use of services.

Decentralised Local Governance and Poverty Reduction in Post-1991 Ethiopia: A Political Economy Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeshtila Wondemeneh Bekele

2016-10-01

Full Text Available After 1991, Ethiopia has introduced an ethnic federal governance system constituting nine regional states and two autonomous city administrations, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. The restructuring of the state seemingly led to the decentralisation of power to the regions and Woreda (district authority levels local governance structure in 1995 and 2002 respectively. The purpose of this article is to examine the practices of decentralised local governance in Ethiopia in general and the local governance performance at the level of peasant association (Kebele in particular. The article also analyses the link between the local governance and poverty based on three indicators: decentralisation and self-rule (DSR, local capacity for planning (LCP, and effectiveness of local governance system (ELGS. Data was collected from eight selected Kebeles of three different regional states through household survey, qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. The study shows that while the power and control of the central government is well established, the Kebeles lack the capacity and resources to deliver development. The LCP at Kebele level is weak because of organisational incapacity and institutional constraints related to DSR. The ELGS is also poor since Kebeles do not have any fiscal rights and administrative power for the reasons associated with DSR and LCP. The government has been implementing poverty reduction strategies using productive safety net programmes and farmer training centres. These, however, have not had the desired outcome due to organisational and institutional incapacitation of Kebele administrations.

Fuel cell power plants for decentralised CHP applications; Brennstoffzellen-Kraftwerke fuer dezentrale KWK-Anwendungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohmer, Martin; Mattner, Katja [FuelCell Energy Solutions GmbH, Dresden (Germany)

2015-06-01

Fuel cells are the most efficient technology to convert chemical energy into electricity and heat and thus they could have a major impact on reducing fuel consumption, CO{sub 2} and other emissions (NO{sub x}, SO{sub x} and particulate matter). Fired with natural or biogas and operated with an efficiency of up to 49 % a significant reduction of fuel costs can be achieved in decentralised applications. Combined heat and power (CHP) configurations add value for a wide range of industrial applications. The exhaust heat of approximately 400 C can be utilised for heating purposes and the production of steam. Besides, it can be also fed directly to adsorption cooling systems. With more than 110 fuel cell power plants operating worldwide, this technology is a serious alternative to conventional gas turbines or gas engines.

Horizontal aspects of the decentralisation of EU-competition law enforcement.

OpenAIRE

Brammer, Silke

2008-01-01

Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1: Overview of the Decentralised Enforcement of EC Competition Law 3 I. Background to the reform – History of the reform process, principal objectives and main criticism of the reform proposal 3 A. The previous enforcement system – Overview, justification, drawbacks 4 1. Regulation 17 4 2. Major deficiencies of the centralised system under Regulation 17 6 B. The reform 9 1. Main objectives of the reform 9 2. Development of the reform process 10...

Community mental health nurses’ experience of decentralised and integrated psychiatric-mental health care services in the Southern mental health region of Botswana (part 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.K. Maphorisa

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Since the inception of the decentralisation and integration of psychiatric mental health care services into the general health care delivery system in Botswana, there has never been a study to investigate what community mental health nurses are experiencing due to the policy. Many of these nurses have been leaving the scantily staffed mental health care services in increasing numbers to join other sectors of health or elsewhere since the beginning of the implementation of the policy. During the research study, phenomenological in-depth interviews were conducted with three groups of 12 community mental health nurses altogether. An open central question was posed to each group followed by probing questions to explore and describe these nurses’ experience of the decentralisation and integration of psychiatric-mental health care services. After the data was analysed, related literature was incorporated and guidelines for advanced psychiatric nurses were formulated and described to assist these nurses to cope with the decentralisation and integration of psychiatric-mental health care services. The guidelines were set up for the management of the community mental health nurses who are experiencing obstacles in the quest for mental health which also interfere with their capabilities as mental health care providers.

The impact of decentralised control on firm-level inventory: evidence from the automotive industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Leeuw, S.L.J.M.; Holweg, M.; Williams, G.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of decentralised control on finished goods inventory levels in a distribution system, and to identify the factors that determine the overall inventory level. Design/methodology/approach: The authors' study is based on a mixed method

Management through decentralisation and local economic development: A condition for sustainable urbanisation in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Innocents Edoun

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper is based on the premise that, urbanisation could be effective only if decentralisation policy is at the centre of development initiatives. In this way the paper argues, local authorities could utilize local resources to ignite local economic development (LED through for instance trade activities and investments.LED initiatives aim at empowering local stakeholders to utilise business enterprises, labour, capital and other local resources effectively to maximise local benefits in order to contribute to poverty reduction and the uplifting of citizens life conditions. The paper is divided into four major parts. The first part gives a background of the notion of decentralisation, urbanisation and local economic development. The second part provides an overview of the review of the related literature while the third part gives an account on how the above are inter-related. The fourth part provides the challenges faced by urbanisation in achieving local economic development and part five is presented as conclusion and recommendations.

Comparison of Long-Term Contracts and Vertical Integration in Decentralised Electricity Markets

OpenAIRE

MEADE, Richard; O'CONNOR, Seini

2009-01-01

Decentralised electricity systems require effective price and quantity risk management mechanisms, but the nature of such systems poses particular problems for satisfying those requirements. Among these problems are investment hold-up risks rooted in the competition facing both electricity retailers and large industrial firms. Additional problems include those of load profile, information and bargaining mismatches between generators and customers. Significantly, hold-up risks exist not only b...

Inequity in a decentralised education system – evidence from Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikołaj Herbst

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Decentralisation of education is associated with risk of increased spatial inequality in terms of inputs and the quality of service, as with other public services. Most countries attempt to prevent inequality both through establishment of national standards for educational services and the redistribution of financial resources to neutralise the effect of uneven local tax bases. This study investigates the effectiveness of these measures in Poland. Using panel data at a municipal level, it was shown that, despite the various compensatory instruments employed by central government, the local tax base significantly influences local spending on lower secondary schools. Average teaching time and additional services offered to students were compared between the most affluent and the poorest Polish gminas (municipalities. The findings indicated that teaching time did not vary significantly according to prosperity. Also, there was no significant difference in the mean teacher hourly wage. However, more affluent and poorer municipalities differed with respect to individual support and additional services offered to students.

Does decentralisation enhance a school's role of promoting social cohesion? Bosnian school leaders' perceptions of school governance

Science.gov (United States)

Komatsu, Taro

2014-05-01

This study seeks to understand whether and how decentralised school governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) enhances the schools' role of promoting social cohesion. This includes increasing "horizontal" trust among different ethnic groups and "vertical" trust between civilians and public institutes. The study examined secondary school leaders' perceptions regarding school board influence on social cohesion policies and practices, their interactions with school board members, and their accountability to the school-based governing body. The results show that school leaders and school boards, supposedly representing the interests of local stakeholders, did not appear to be actively engaged in the deliberate process of promoting social cohesion. While school directors tended to view themselves as being independent from the school boards, ethnically diverse school boards provided important support to proactive school leaders for their inter-group activities. Given that the central level is not providing initiatives to promote social cohesion and that BiH citizens appear to generally support social cohesion, decentralised school governance has the potential to improve social trust from the bottom up. To promote participatory school governance, the study recommends that BiH school leaders should be provided with opportunities to re-examine and redefine their professional accountability and to assist local stakeholders to improve their involvement in school governance.

Renewable Energy Technologies for Decentralised Rural Electricity Services. Report from an International Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kjellstroem, Bjoern; Arvidson, Anders; Forslund, Helena; Martinac, Ivo (eds.)

2005-02-01

The developing countries represented at the workshop were Brazil, India, Kenya, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal and Uganda. After keynote presentations which covered the experiences of different renewable electricity generation technologies in selected developing countries, the participants discussed the role of electrification in rural development, needs for further technological improvements and the needs for development of government policies for promotion of renewable energy for electricity generation. Finally, the participants discussed and agreed on recommendations addressed to donor agencies for consideration when formulating a revised Energy Policy. Renewable energy technologies should only be considered when these offer more advantages than the conventional alternatives - grid connection or stand-alone diesel generators. Such advantages may be lower costs, better supply reliability, fewer adverse local environmental impacts or better possibilities for local income-generating activities. Local needs and priorities must determine the choice of technology. Biomass-fuelled renewable technologies have a particularly strong potential in generating local economic activities compared to conventional supply options. Technologies for decentralised electricity generation using mini-hydro power plants, solar photovoltaics (PV), wind generators and biomass fuels are commercially available and are being applied in many developing countries. The limiting factors for further penetration of renewable energy are today linked to issues of cost, reliability, financing, service infrastructure, awareness of available technology and trust in the technologies from the perspective of entrepreneurs and end-users. One important limiting factor related to cost, is the capacity range within which each technology can compete with the conventional options. PV systems are still only realistic for very small power demands, whereas technologies using biomass fuels are unrealistic for small power

Decentralised public education campaigns for tobacco control by Malaysian youth tobacco control advocates towards smoke-free generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rhu Yann Ho

2018-03-01

Decentralised public education campaign was preliminarily shown to be more cost-effective in engaging the general public actively. This approach could be duplicated under limited financial resources to achieve the similar outcomes.

Decentralising transactions with the Blockchain (ITA dossier no. 30en, November 2017)

OpenAIRE

Institut für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung (ITA) (Hrsg.)

2017-01-01

-> Blockchain is a decentrally organised database that archives and manages an evergrowing list of transactions.-> All information on transactions is permanently stored in a database that parallely exists at all nodes of a peer-to-peer network.-> Blockchain provides autonomy for individuals away from ‘middlemen’ such as public authorities and banks.-> However, this decentralisation rapidly reduces current forms of regulatory control.-> Possible negative social and economic consequences become...

Towards an alliance for local energy to stimulate territorial economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnin, Gerard

2012-01-01

The objective of this publication is to demonstrate the necessity of an alliance gathering all public, private and associative actors who are interested in an energy policy oriented without any ambiguity towards the management of energy consumption demands in all consuming sectors, and an optimal use of renewable and retrieved local energy resources, i.e. a decentralised energy policy. It first presents the three main paradigms of this approach: a reversal of the way to address energy, energy as a fully local issue and as an issue of local development, and much different actors of policy based on demand management and decentralised supply. In this respect, the publication presents and outlines some elements of the Energy 2050 road-map of the European Commission. In the next part, the authors indicate who are the different concerned actors, outline why they'd better act together, and what they can do together

Decentralised water and wastewater treatment technologies to produce functional water for irrigation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Battilani, Adriano; Steiner, Michele; Andersen, Martin

2010-01-01

The EU project SAFIR aimed to help farmers solve problems related to the use of low quality water for irrigation in a context of increasing scarcity of conventional freshwater resources. New decentralised water treatment devices (prototypes) were developed to allow a safe direct or indirect reuse...... of wastewater produced by small communities/industries or the use of polluted surface water. Water treatment technologies were coupled with irrigation strategies and technologies to obtain a flexible, easy to use, integrated management of the system. The challenge is to apply new strategies and technologies...... which allow using the lowest irrigation water quality without harming food safety or yield and fruit or derivatives quality. This study presents the results of prototype testing of a small-scale compact pressurized membrane bioreactor and of a modular field treatment system including commercial gravel...

Implementation of a sustainable energy plantation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Bassam, N.; Bacher, W.

2000-01-01

Renewable energy sources should be developed to form the foundation of the global energy structure in the future. This is related to the shortage of fossil energy resources, the greenhouse effects, the increasing number of world's population and the increasing demand for energy and food. Fuels derived from energy crops are not only potentially renewable, but are also sufficiently similar in origin to the fossil fuels to provide direct substitution. They can be converted into a wide variety of energy carriers. Together with solar- and wind technique, adequate energy supply can be to meet the demand of people in rural regions. The concept of Integrated Energy Farms (IEF) has been developed and described in this contribution which includes a decentralised living area from which the daily necessities (food and energy) can be produced directly on-site for approximately 700 people. The area needed to produce biofuels will not exceed 10 % of the whole farm area. (Author)

Smart sustainable energy for the rural built environment

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Szewczuk, S

2015-12-01

Full Text Available robust methodology to adapt innovative and renewable smart grid technologies to deliver real and sustainable decentralised energy solutions for remote and rural communities, thereby improving livelihoods and opportunities for inclusive growth...

Increasing power distribution mains efficiency through new mains configurations; Effizienzsteigerung im Verteilnetz durch neue Netzkonfigurationen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeckel, M.

2005-07-01

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) summarises the findings of a study that sought to find new approaches to minimise distribution losses in medium and low voltage power grids. Options examined included the optimisation of distribution-station density, increasing the nominal voltage of the low-voltage grid and the implementation of decentralised energy production. Data from real-life grids were used together with simulations to analyse possible solutions. The conclusions of these analyses are presented and discussed. In addition, qualitative and detailed examinations were made concerning grid quality factors such as availability and voltage stability.

Emissions from decentralised CHP plants 2007 - Energinet.dk Environmental project no. 07/1882

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Malene; Nielsen, Ole-Kenneth; Thomsen, Marianne

Updated emission factors for decentralised combined heat and power (CHP) plants with a capacity project emission measurements as well as emission measurements performed in recent years that were collected. The emission factors valid for 2006/2007 have been...... estimated for the plant technologies: Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants, plants combusting straw or wood, natural gas fuelled reciprocating engines, biogas fuelled engines, natural gas fuelled gas turbines, gas oil fuelled reciprocating engines, gas oil fuelled gas turbines, steam turbines...

Meta-Key: A Secure Data-Sharing Protocol under Blockchain-Based Decentralised Storage Architecture

OpenAIRE

Fu, Yue

2017-01-01

In this paper a secure data-sharing protocol under blockchain-based decentralised storage architecture is proposed, which fulfils users who need to share their encrypted data on-cloud. It implements a remote data-sharing mechanism that enables data owners to share their encrypted data to other users without revealing the original key. Nor do they have to download on-cloud data with re-encryption and re-uploading. Data security as well as efficiency are ensured by symmetric encryption, whose k...

Comparison of various decentralised structural and cavity feedback control strategies for transmitted noise reduction through a double panel structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ho, J.; Berkhoff, Arthur P.

This paper compares various decentralised control strategies, including structural and acoustic actuator–sensor configuration designs, to reduce noise transmission through a double panel structure. The comparison is based on identical control stability indexes. The double panel structure consists of

Comparison of various decentralised structural and cavity feedback control strategies for transmitted noise reduction through a double panel structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ho, J.H.; Berkhoff, A.P.

2014-01-01

This paper compares various decentralised control strategies, including structural and acoustic actuator-sensor configuration designs, to reduce noise transmission through a double panel structure. The comparison is based on identical control stability indexes. The double panel structure consists of

Departmental Institutions and Decentralised Cooperation in Boyacá

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José L. Niño Amezquita

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Colombian reality shows how subnational entities have been affected by a process of recentralisation since the beginning of the XXI century, and the weakening of intermediate entities in the decentralisation of the last century. However, these entities are seen as the linkage for territorial internationalization, an empty space that few municipalities have adopted and within which departments have hardly acted. Boyacá, a territory in the middle of the Andes, faces challenges that, until now, it has been unable to answer in the right way. The current document is based on primary data which analyses the cooperation from the department as well as the municipalities. Therefore, the internal dynamics and realities suggest that the solution may lie on the integration that Boyacá and its municipalities might have with inter-subnational peers. However, this is still a long path to walk for the Colombian territorial entities, especially in the Department of Boyacá.

Centralisation and decentralisation in strategic municipal energy planning in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sperling, Karl; Hvelplund, Frede; Mathiesen, Brian Vad

2011-01-01

need for better coordination of municipal energy planning activities at the central level. It is suggested that the role of municipalities as energy planning authorities needs to be outlined more clearly in, e.g., strategic energy planning which integrates savings, efficiency and renewable energy...... vision. The paper outlines a basic division of tasks between the central and the local level within such a strategic energy planning system.......Denmark’s future energy system is to be entirely based on renewable energy sources. Municipalities will play an important role as local energy planning authorities in terms of adopting and refining this vision in different local contexts. Based on a review of 11 municipal energy plans, this paper...

Comparing centralized and decentralized bio-energy systems in rural China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Guizhen; Bluemling, Bettina; Mol, Arthur P.J.; Zhang, Lei; Lu, Yonglong

2013-01-01

Under the dual pressures of an energy crisis and rising greenhouse gas emissions, biomass energy development and utilisation has become part of the national energy strategy in China. The last decade has witnessed a strong promotion of both centralised and decentralised bio-energy systems in rural China. The government seems to have a strong preference for centralised (village-based) bio-energy systems in recent years. However, these government-driven systems have not worked without difficulties, particularly regarding economic and technological viability and maintenance. Studies on the advantages and disadvantages of decentralised and centralised bio-energy systems are rare. This study aims to shed light on the performances of these two systems in terms of social, economic and environmental effects. Through interviewing local officials and village leaders and surveying farmers in 12 villages in Shandong Province, it was found that bio-energy systems should be selected based on the local circumstances. The diversity of the local natural, economic and social situations determines the size, place, technology and organisational model of the bio-energy system. - Highlights: • Biomass energy development has become part of the national energy strategy in China. • The dis-/advantages of decentralized and centralized bio-energy systems are evaluated. • Bio-energy systems should be selected based on the local circumstances

Digital systems, a new ally for renewable energies: Energy supply is revolutionized; Electric power: bits in the grid; Energy transition: collectivities are in open data mode; Renewable energies: GAFAs are running around; Block-chain: a revolution to be refined

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poirier, Anne-Claire; Piro, Patrick; Bongrain, Timothee

2017-01-01

With 'digitalisation', data are increasingly at the heart of renewable energy production systems, for reducing costs, optimizing decentralized production, etc. This file contains 5 articles which themes are: after the apparition of several energy 'alternative' providers some ten years ago, a new generation of fully-digitalized providers (Ilek, Plum Energie, ekWateur, etc.) is revolutionizing the French energy sector; RTE and Enedis, the two subsidiaries of Electricite de France, are increasingly investing in digital systems in order to cope with the integration of renewable energies, through a more agile and flexible approach; As the French legislation has now established 'open data' for energy data, this could be an efficient tool for public communities in their sustainable energy policy approach; Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon (Gafa) have recently decided to 'green' the enormous electric power quantities they consume, leading to very positive consequences for renewable energies; Energy providers are more and more interested in Block-chain, the technology for peer-to-peer transaction platforms that uses decentralised storage to record all transaction data, as it could be essential for renewable energies; however, the technology needs to be improved

Strengthening the decentralised healthcare system in rural South Africa through improved service delivery: testing mobility, information and communication technology intervention options

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chakwizira, J

2010-09-01

Full Text Available their own human resources in providing healthcare services that ultimately counteract these inequalities. Presently, what could be considered the last level of decentralised healthcare is mostly represented by home and community-based healthcare...

5. Kassel symposium on energy systems engineering: On-site energy generation using renewable energy sources. Proceedings 2000; 5. Kasseler Symposium: Energie-Systemtechnik. Erneuerbare Energien- und rationelle Energieverwendung. Dezentrale Energieversorgung mit hohem regenerativen Anteil. Tagungsband 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwarz, R. (comp.)

2000-07-01

The focal topic of the 5th Kassel Symposium on Energy Systems Engineering was ''Decentralised energy supply with a high share of renewable energies''. The contributions covered a wide range of issues including the potential of renewable energies, supply and operating concepts, components, systems engineering and future perspectives. [German] Das 5. Kasseler Symposium Energie-Systemtechnik legt seinen Schwerpunkt auf das Thema: 'Dezentrale Energieversorgung mit hohem regenerativem Anteil'. Es spannt hierzu einen Bogen von den Potenzialen der Erneuerbaren Energien ueber Versorgungs- und Betriebsfuehrungskonzepte sowie Komponenten und Systemtechnik bis hin zu zukuenftigen Perspektiven. (orig.)

Robust decentralised PI based LFC design for time delay power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevrani, Hassan; Hiyama, Takashi

2008-01-01

In this paper, two robust decentralised proportional integral (PI) control designs are proposed for load frequency control (LFC) with communication delays. In both methodologies, the PI based LFC problem is reduced to a static output feedback (SOF) control synthesis for a multiple delay system. The first one is based on the optimal H ∞ control design using a linear matrix inequalities (LMI) technique. The second control design gives a suboptimal solution using a developed iterative linear matrix inequalities (ILMI) algorithm via the mixed H 2 /H ∞ control technique. The control strategies are suitable for LFC applications that usually employ PI control. The proposed control strategies are applied to a three control area power system with time delays and load disturbance to demonstrate their robustness

Decentralised treatment of concentrated sewage at low temperature in a two-step anaerobic system: two upflow-hybrid septic tanks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elmitwally, T.A.; Sayed, S.; Groendijk, L.; Lier, van J.B.; Zeeman, G.; Lettinga, G.

2003-01-01

The decentralised treatment of concentrated sewage (about 3,600 mgCOD/1) at low temperature was investigated in a two-step anaerobic system: two-anaerobic hybrid (AH) septic tanks (each 0.575 m(3)). The two reactors were placed in a temperature controlled-room and the HRT was 2.5 days for each

The emergence of energy in Africa has started

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-05-01

This publication proposes a presentation and a synthesis of the African Energy Summit and its associated exhibition on energy and petroleum in Africa which took place in Dakar in May 2014 which gathered interveners from Western Africa, but also from North America and from the European Union. Discussions and contributions notably focussed on the implementation of a diversified energy mix, and more particularly addressed the future perspectives of oil and gas production, the development of a regional refining and distribution tool (to meet the requirements associated with a quickly increasing demand of transports and of electricity production), the transition towards a better energy mix (notably with the development of decentralised production), and the high potential of renewable energies for public lighting, communications and clean cooking. More precisely, contributions evoked international initiatives, promising discoveries offshore Senegal, the issue of a regional refining centre, the relationship between economic growth and the development of a new energy mix. A press review about this event is provided

A Design Pattern for Decentralised Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Valentini, Gabriele; Fernández-Oto, Cristian; Dorigo, Marco

2015-01-01

The engineering of large-scale decentralised systems requires sound methodologies to guarantee the attainment of the desired macroscopic system-level behaviour given the microscopic individual-level implementation. While a general-purpose methodology is currently out of reach, specific solutions can be given to broad classes of problems by means of well-conceived design patterns. We propose a design pattern for collective decision making grounded on experimental/theoretical studies of the nest-site selection behaviour observed in honeybee swarms (Apis mellifera). The way in which honeybee swarms arrive at consensus is fairly well-understood at the macroscopic level. We provide formal guidelines for the microscopic implementation of collective decisions to quantitatively match the macroscopic predictions. We discuss implementation strategies based on both homogeneous and heterogeneous multiagent systems, and we provide means to deal with spatial and topological factors that have a bearing on the micro-macro link. Finally, we exploit the design pattern in two case studies that showcase the viability of the approach. Besides engineering, such a design pattern can prove useful for a deeper understanding of decision making in natural systems thanks to the inclusion of individual heterogeneities and spatial factors, which are often disregarded in theoretical modelling. PMID:26496359

DEP2SA: A Decentralised Efficient Privacy-Preserving and Selective Aggregation Scheme in Advanced Metering Infrastructure

OpenAIRE

Mustafa, Mustafa; Zhang, Ning; Kalogridis, Georgios; Fan, Zhong

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a novel solution, called a decentralised, efficient, privacy-preserving and selective aggregation (DEP2SA) scheme, designed to support secure and user privacy-preserving data collection in the advanced metering infrastructure. DEP2SA is more efficient and applicable in real-life deployment, as compared with the state of the art, by adopting and adapting a number of key technologies: (1) it uses a multi-recipient system model, making it more applicable to a liberalised elec...

Local power and land use: spatial implications for local energy development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, C.L.; Hewitt, Richard; Bressers, Johannes T.A.; Martínez Alonso, Patricia; Hernández Jiménez, Verónica; Diaz Pacheco, Jaime; Bermejo, Lara Roman

2015-01-01

Background The decentralised and private nature of small-scale renewable energy development does not fit traditional models of government planning and oversight. The land use impacts related to these developments are not well understood and data is lacking related to the environmental, social and

Hydrogen in energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-02-01

This publication proposes a rather brief overview of challenges related to the use of hydrogen as an energy vector in the fields of transports and of energy storage to valorise renewable energies. Processes (steam reforming of natural gas or bio-gas, alkaline or membrane electrolysis, biological production), installation types (centralised or decentralised), raw materials and/or energy (natural gas, water, bio-gas, electricity, light), and their respective industrial maturity are indicated. The role of hydrogen to de-carbonate different types of transports is described (complementary energy for internal combustion as well as electrical vehicles) as well as its role in the valorisation and integration of renewable energies. The main challenges faced by the hydrogen sector are identified and discussed, and actions undertaken by the ADEME are indicated

Energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2013-01-01

The yearly environmental conference will hold on September 2013 to evaluate the negotiations led at the national and local levels for december 2012. The government will have then to decide of an energy programming bill which will be submitted to the Parliament at the beginning of the year 2014. 30 main propositions have emerged of the decentralised debates. One of them is the ecological taxation which raise the question of the gas oil and petrol taxation. The current environmental taxes are for almost three quarters of them taxes on energy consumptions and mainly on fossil energies. The Economic, Social and Environmental Council, gives his opinion on the way to find resources to ensure the ecological and energy transition while reducing the public deficit of the State. (O.M.)

Long-term scenarios for sustainable energy use in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischedick, M.; Nitsch, J.; Lechtenboehmer, S.; Hanke, T.; Barthel, C.; Jungbluth, C.; Assmann, D.; Brueggen, T. vor der; Trieb, F.; Nast, M.; Langniss, O.; Brischke, L.A.

2002-01-01

The study was able to show, and explain vividly through scenarios describing change processes, that a sustainable use of energy (aimed, among other things, at reducing CO 2 emissions by 80% by 2050 compared with 1990 levels) is technically feasible, economically viable, compatible with farther-reaching objectives of energy policy (e.g. supply security), and does not, in spite of the substantial need for change, present the players involved with any insurmountable problems but, rather, constitutes both a challenge and an opportunity. Such a development is possible only if the efforts launched to give momentum to the increased use of renewable energy sources are continued consistently, the impending need for replacement and renewal within the generation system is consistently utilised for increasing efficiency and a reorientation mainly towards combined heat and power production, and energy saving is made a new focal point of energy policy. Furthermore, with regard to long-term infrastructure requirements (decentralisation, new fuels), the necessary decisions must be prepared at an early stage and sufficiently robust lines of development must be identified and followed. (orig.) [de

Policies of energy efficiency in Vietnam. Proceedings of the International conference on policies of energy efficiency, Ho-Chi-Minh-Ville, 9 and 10 April 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourguinat, Elisabeth; Breton-Moyet, Laurence; Gromard, Christian de; Henry, Alain; Nguyen Dinh Hiep; Mohanty, Brahmanand; Salomon, Sophie; Nguyen Tran The; Le Hoang Viet; Nguyen Thi Thu Giang; Lopez, Jose; Vu Hong Van Anh

2009-10-01

This book contains the contributions and debates of an international conference on policies of energy efficiency. This conference comprised six sessions which respectively addressed: energy challenges and public policies (world energetic challenges and perspective, economic and efficient use of energy in Vietnam, French arrangements of the policy for energy management, example of policies of energy efficiency in the ASEAN, initiating energetic change in developing economies), urban planning and housing (for a low carbon urban planning, energy and housing regulation in Vietnam, projects of energy efficiency in buildings by the AFD in China and Thailand, energy management in public lighting projects), urban management and urban mobility (financing and planning issues for urban transports and energy efficiency, energy efficiency and strategy of development and management of transports, an energy-urban planning-environment integrated approach in Ho-Chi-Minh-Ville), energy in industry and in services (incentive tools for energy saving in Vietnam, concept and challenges for emerging countries for the management of energy demand, credit lines for energy or carbon saving, the experience of energy saving certificates by EDF), opportunities and pricing for renewable energies (objectives and conditions for a policy of support to renewable energies, overview of renewable energies in Vietnam, tariffs applied to small renewable energy plants in function of avoided costs, economic and pricing conditions for wind energy), and relationships between energy efficiency, public policies and decentralisation (the role of competitiveness poles, impact of public policies in a region, role and responsibility of a decentralised structure in Vietnam, implementation of the national energy policy in the four provinces of South-Vietnam)

A Novel Strategy for Optimising Decentralised Energy Exchange for Prosumers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sha, Ang; Aiello, Marco

2016-01-01

The realization of the Smart Grid vision will change the way of producing and distributing electrical energy. It paves the road for end-users to become pro-active in the distribution system and, equipped with renewable energy generators such as a photovoltaic panel, to become a so called “prosumer”.

The invisible politics of Bitcoin: governance crisis of a decentralised infrastructure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Primavera De Filippi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Bitcoin is a decentralised currency and payment system that seeks to eliminate the need for trusted authorities. It relies on a peer-to-peer network and cryptographic protocols to perform the functions of traditional financial intermediaries, such as verifying transactions and preserving the integrity of the system. This article examines the political economy of Bitcoin, in light of a recent dispute that divided the Bitcoin community with regard to a seemingly simple technical issue: whether or not to increase the block size of the Bitcoin blockchain. By looking at the socio-technical constructs of Bitcoin, the article distinguishes between two distinct coordination mechanisms: governance by the infrastructure (achieved via the Bitcoin protocol and governance of the infrastructure (managed by the community of developers and other stakeholders. It then analyses the invisible politics inherent in these two mechanisms, which together display a highly technocratic power structure. On the one hand, as an attempt to be self-governing and self-sustaining, the Bitcoin network exhibits a strong market-driven approach to social trust and coordination, which has been embedded directly into the technical protocol. On the other hand, despite being an open source project, the development and maintenance of the Bitcoin code ultimately relies on a small core of highly skilled developers who play a key role in the design of the platform.

Implementing case-based teaching strategies in a decentralised nursing management programme in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zethu Nkosi

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Case-based education has a long history in the disciplines of education, business, law and the health professions. Research suggests that students who learn via acase-based method have advanced critical thinking skills and a greater ability for application of knowledge in practice. In medical education, case-based methodology is widely used to facilitate knowledge transfer from theoretical knowledge to application in patient care. Nursing education has also adopted case-based methodology to enhance learner outcomes and critical thinking. Objectives: The objectives of the study was to describe a decentralised nursing management education programme located in Durban, South Africa and describe the perceptions of nursing faculty facilitators regarding implementation of this teaching method. Method: Data was collected through the use of one-on-one interviews and also focus groups amongst the fifteen facilitators who were using a case-based curriculum to teach the programme content. The average facilitator was female, between 41 and 50 years of age,working part-time, educated with a baccalaureate degree, working as a professional nurse for between 11 and 20 years; slightly more than half had worked as a facilitator for three or more years. Results: The facilitators identified themes related to the student learners, the learning environment, and strengths and challenges of using facilitation to teach the content through cases. Decentralised nursing management educational programmes can meet the needs of nurses who are located in remote areas which are characterised by poor transportation patterns and limited resources and have great need for quality healthcare services. Conclusion: Nursing faculty facilitators need knowledgeable and accessible contact with centrally based full-time nursing faculty in order to promote high quality educational programmes.

Energy 3.0 - Transforming the energetic world to stimulate growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Provoost, Rudy

2013-01-01

This bibliographical note presents a book in which the author describes the possibilities created by the introduction of digital technologies in the energy sector. As well as there is a Web 2.0 model, an Energy 2.0 is emerging: buildings are not only an envelope to be insulated, but may produce energy, and energy can be shared between buildings as well as between centralised or decentralised infrastructures. This new approach is notably based on advances in distribution (smart grids, bidirectional and interconnected energy transport grid). The author considers that these evolutions are still insufficient and require the involvement and commitment of final consumers who will become energy producers (with positive energy buildings and renewable energies) and actors in energy management. He names this approach Energy 3.0. He discusses related issues: energetic equality and end of energy poverty, balance between energy saving and productivist trend to generate an increase of purchasing power without loss of comfort, health and comfort as major levers for a better life quality, economic growth to favour job creation, a more efficient approach to energy transition

EU laws and their impact with respect to ecology-minded energy policy and energy legislation - decentralization of energy supply in particular

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinberg, R.; Britz, G.; Schaub, A.

1996-01-01

The basic approach of this comprehensive analysis is to reveal incentives for and obstacles to an ecology-minded energy policy in the applicable regime of EC laws. In the first part, points of friction are detected and discussed in the relationship between an emerging EC-wide internal energy market and existing EC legislation for environmental protection. Conflict of goals at EC level and at national level are identified, as well as the real significance of ecologic and environmental interests under the framework conditions of the emerging internal market. In the second part, legal aspects are examined of a decentralised energy supply regime together with its specific implications for an ecology-minded legislation. (orig./CB) [de

Institutional options for rural energy access: Exploring the concept of the multifunctional platform in West Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nygaard, Ivan

2010-01-01

The concept of the multifunctional platform for rural energy access has increasingly been supported by donors in five West African countries since 1994. While it is often referred to as a highly successful concept, recent reviews and interviews with local stakeholders in Mali and Burkina Faso...... in the dominant discourse of development, and how including concerns, such as poverty alleviation, gender equity, local democracy, decentralisation and the environment, have attracted donors outside the energy sector. The paper thus argues that, while the integration of multiple technical functions, preconceived...... practical programmes provides an argument for building development aid on existing structures instead of inventing new complicated concepts and approaches....

Renewable energy for the aeration of wastewater ponds.

Science.gov (United States)

Hobus, I; Hegemann, W

2003-01-01

The application of a decentralised renewable energy supply for the aeration of wastewater ponds, and the influence of an unsteady oxygen supply on the specific conversion rate and biocoenose was investigated. With the discontinuous aeration the specific conversion rate is increased as compared to facultative ponds. The estimation of the microorganisms consortia was done with in situ hybridisation techniques. A significant shift in the bacteria population with the chosen specific probes for anaerobic, sulphate reducing and nitrifying bacteria could not be detected. Wastewater ponds have sufficient buffer volume to compensate for the fluctuating energy supply. But the efficiency of the energy supply of a photovoltaic plant decreases in shallow lakes (d photovoltaic and wind power plant, energy management, aeration system and wastewater pond, a simulation model was developed and tested. The application of renewable energy for the aeration of wastewater ponds is a useful alternative for the redevelopment of overloaded ponds as well as the construction of new wastewater ponds, especially in areas with an inadequate central electricity grid and a high availability of wind and solar energy.

ENET News July 2004 - Information on Swiss energy research; ENET News, Juli 2004, Nr. 58 deutsch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wellstein, J.

2004-07-01

This edition of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy's Magazine (SFOE) with information on Swiss energy research presents a large selection of articles on various energy-relevant topics. These include research strategies, a discussion on oil reserves, technology transfer and innovation, Swiss biomass activities, winning power from the drinking water mains and the use of ambient heat. Further articles cover the topics of energy-efficiency and lighting in buildings, the use of batteries in vehicles, the increasing decentralisation of power generation and the use of supra-conducting current-limiters. Also, research on improved fuel use in nuclear plant and models for batch-processes in the processing industry are looked at. Further articles cover the wood fuels, photovoltaics and wind-energy areas as well as heat storage using geothermal techniques.

Implementing case-based teaching strategies in a decentralised nursing management programme in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zethu Nkosi

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Case-based education has a long history in the disciplines of education, business, law and the health professions. Research suggests that students who learn via a case-based method have advanced critical thinking skills and a greater ability for application of knowledge in practice. In medical education, case-based methodology is widely used to facilitate knowledge transfer from theoretical knowledge to application in patient care. Nursing education has also adopted case-based methodology to enhance learner outcomes and critical thinking.Objectives: The objectives of the study was to describe a decentralised nursing management education programme located in Durban, South Africa and describe the perceptions of nursing faculty facilitators regarding implementation of this teaching method.Method: Data was collected through the use of one-on-one interviews and also focus groups amongst the fifteen facilitators who were using a case-based curriculum to teach the programme content. The average facilitator was female, between 41 and 50 years of age, working part-time, educated with a baccalaureate degree, working as a professional nurse for between 11 and 20 years; slightly more than half had worked as a facilitator for three or more years.Results: The facilitators identified themes related to the student learners, the learning environment, and strengths and challenges of using facilitation to teach the content through cases. Decentralised nursing management educational programmes can meet the needs of nurses who are located in remote areas which are characterised by poor transportation patterns and limited resources and have great need for quality healthcare services.Conclusion: Nursing faculty facilitators need knowledgeable and accessible contact with centrally based full-time nursing faculty in order to promote high quality educational programmes.

The economic situation of large hydropower in Bavaria. Increasing burdens but dwindling revenues; Zur wirtschaftlichen Situation der grossen Wasserkraft in Bayern. Steigende Lasten - schwindende Erloese

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Engels, Klaus; Gollum, Carsten [Uniper Kraftwerke GmbH, Landshut (Germany). Sparte Wasserkraft; Gruber, Karl Heinz [VERBUND Wasserkraft, Wien/Simbach/Toeging (Austria); Poehler, Frank [Bayerische Elektrizitaetswerke GmbH, Augsburg (Germany); Schleich, Albrecht [Rhein-Main-Donau AG, Muenchen (Germany)

2016-11-01

The current price development in the German electricity market results in significant economic challenges also for larger hydropower assets. Although an ideal partner for the transformation of the German energy system (''Energiewende''), the decline of electricity prices increasingly endangers adequate operations and sustainable investments, too. Hence, not only the renewable, emission-free, flexible and decentralised generation is questions but also multiple additional services for the society which are not remunerated by an ''energy only'' market. Price determination mechanisms as well as remunerations system in general need to be reviewed - an improvement of these structures is essential for larger hydropower assets.

Competitive energy consumption under transmission constraints in a multi-supplier power grid system

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, Ivan; Krylatov, Alexander; Zakharov, Victor; Ivanov, Dmitry

2017-04-01

Power grid architectures need to be revised in order to manage the increasing number of producers and, more generally, the decentralisation of energy production and distribution. In this work, we describe a multi-supplier multi-consumer congestion model of a power grid, where the costs of consumers depend on the congestion in nodes and arcs of the power supply network. The consumer goal is both to meet their energy demand and to minimise the costs. We show that the methods of non-atomic routing can be applied in this model in order to describe current distribution in the network. We formulate a consumer cost minimisation game for this setting, and discuss the challenges arising in equilibrium search for this game.

VIDEOCARE: Decentralised psychiatric emergency care through videoconferencing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trondsen Marianne V

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Today the availability of specialists is limited for psychiatric patients in rural areas, especially during psychiatric emergencies. To overcome this challenge, the University Hospital of North Norway has implemented a new decentralised on-call system in psychiatric emergencies, by which psychiatrists are accessible by videoconference 24/7. In September 2011, the new on-call system was established in clinical practice for patients and health staff at three regional psychiatric centres in Northern Norway. Although a wide variety of therapies have been successfully delivered by videoconference, there is limited research on the use of videoconferenced consultations with patients in psychiatric emergencies. The aim of this study is to explore the use of videoconference in psychiatric emergencies based on the implementation of this first Norwegian tele-psychiatric service in emergency care. Methods/design The research project is an exploratory case study of a new videoconference service in operation. By applying in-depth interviews with patients, specialists and local health-care staff, we will identify factors that facilitate and hinder use of videoconferencing in psychiatric emergencies, and explore how videoconferenced consultations matter for patients, professional practice and cooperation between levels in psychiatric care. By using an on-going project as the site of research, the case is especially well-suited for generating reliable and valid empirical data. Discussion Results from the study will be of importance for understanding of how videoconferencing may support proper treatment and high-quality health care services in rural areas for patients in psychiatric emergencies.

Centralised or decentralised power supply?; Zentrale oder dezentrale Energieversorgung? Bei der Entwicklung von Energieversorgungen besteht ausser der Entscheidung 'Riesen oder Zwerge' ein vielseitiges Innovations- und Entwicklungspotenzial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalfhaus, Reinhard [Syko Gesellschaft fuer Leistungselektronik mbH, Mainhausen (Germany)

2008-07-01

Alongside a broad spectrum of new module designs with a high functionality factor ranging between 3 and 500 watts, Syko has developed a production-ready range of battery chargers and high-voltage converters in the power class up to >5 kW for mobile applications in decentralised power networks. The firm has also expanded the group of f/U inverters in the power class up to 6.5 kVA to include various options for operation in decentralised power supply networks. Among the typical applications are ventilation, climate control, compressor supply, emergency ventilation and supply to 230V/50 Hz power sockets. Well established in cab climate control applications are 3Ph series that can supply individually regulated power to the three motors of an air-conditioning system. (orig.)

Influence of UK energy policy on the deployment of anaerobic digestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zglobisz, Natalia; Castillo-Castillo, Arturo [Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Grimes, Sue [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Jones, Peter [Greater London Authority, Ivy House, North Kilworth, Leicestershire LE17 6HG (United Kingdom)

2010-10-15

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has the potential to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, improve energy security, increase generation of decentralised renewable electrical and thermal energy, produce low-impact fertiliser and enhance adherence to the principles of proximity as well as self-sufficiency in waste treatment, in energy generation and in resource use. Financial viability is scrutinised investigating optimal logistic pre-conditions such as catchment area or plant size. Given that a breakthrough in deployment does not only depend on technical aspects, the relative importance and magnitude of the necessary incentives is discussed. The influence of policy instruments is studied by devising different incentive scenarios for the United Kingdom. Substantial and predictable rewards for renewable electricity and heat are essential to harness the full potential of AD in addition to the current emphasis on landfill tax. A possible configuration of energy supply companies as a crucial vehicle to bring anaerobic digestion to market is highlighted. (author)

Influence of UK energy policy on the deployment of anaerobic digestion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zglobisz, Natalia; Castillo-Castillo, Arturo; Grimes, Sue; Jones, Peter

2010-01-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has the potential to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, improve energy security, increase generation of decentralised renewable electrical and thermal energy, produce low-impact fertiliser and enhance adherence to the principles of proximity as well as self-sufficiency in waste treatment, in energy generation and in resource use. Financial viability is scrutinised investigating optimal logistic pre-conditions such as catchment area or plant size. Given that a breakthrough in deployment does not only depend on technical aspects, the relative importance and magnitude of the necessary incentives is discussed. The influence of policy instruments is studied by devising different incentive scenarios for the United Kingdom. Substantial and predictable rewards for renewable electricity and heat are essential to harness the full potential of AD in addition to the current emphasis on landfill tax. A possible configuration of energy supply companies as a crucial vehicle to bring anaerobic digestion to market is highlighted.

Inter-organisational communication networks in healthcare: centralised versus decentralised approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habibollah Pirnejad

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Background: To afford efficient and high quality care, healthcare providers increasingly need to exchange patient data. The existence of a communication network amongst care providers will help them to exchange patient data more efficiently. Information and communication technology (ICT has much potential to facilitate the development of such a communication network. Moreover, in order to offer integrated care interoperability of healthcare organizations based upon the exchanged data is of crucial importance. However, complications around such a development are beyond technical impediments. Objectives: To determine the challenges and complexities involved in building an Inter-organisational Communication network (IOCN in healthcare and the appropriations in the strategies. Case study: Interviews, literature review, and document analysis were conducted to analyse the developments that have taken place toward building a countrywide electronic patient record and its challenges in The Netherlands. Due to the interrelated nature of technical and non-technical problems, a socio-technical approach was used to analyse the data and define the challenges. Results: Organisational and cultural changes are necessary before technical solutions can be applied. There are organisational, financial, political, and ethicolegal challenges that have to be addressed appropriately. Two different approaches, one “centralised” and the other “decentralised” have been used by Dutch healthcare providers to adopt the necessary changes and cope with these challenges. Conclusion: The best solutions in building an IOCN have to be drawn from both the centralised and the decentralised approaches. Local communication initiatives have to be supervised and supported centrally and incentives at the organisations' interest level have to be created to encourage the stakeholder organisations to adopt the necessary changes.

Renewable energies in the French energy mix. Between national will and regional governance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lechevin, Bruno; Royal, Segolene; Michel, Laurent; Boissier, Fabrice; Lenoir, Jean-Claude; Battistel, Marie-Noelle; Baupin, Denis; Kocher, Isabelle; Salome, Jean-Philippe; Bal, Jean-Louis; Houssin, Didier; Lurel, Victorin; Porquier, Christophe; Schwarz, Virginie; Legrand, Emmanuel; Bozec, Jacques; Jedliczka, Marc; Sudret, Thierry; Colombier, Michel; Lettry, Marion; Lioret, Sonia; Galiano, Mila; Carrega, Marie; Nocodie, Serge; Durand, Yvonnick; Joffre, Andre; Audras, Georges; Franclieu, Robert De; Le Lidec, Frederic; Martin, Geraldine; Gossement, Arnaud; Siess, Damien; Mignon, Herve; Alario, Juan; Lepercq, Thierry; Bozec, Jacques; De Beaufort, Rodolphe; Rumolino, Claudio; Mauduit, Stephane; Maocec, Christophe; Sauron, Claire; Raymond, Thierry; Boissavy, Christian; Laplaige, Philippe; Graff, Jean-Jacques; Schmittbuhl, Jean; Bon, Andre; Bejgane, Marwane; Brogle, Sylvain; Soule, Jean-Philippe; De Roeck, Yann-Herve; Delanoe, Julien; Crest, Jerome; Teillac-Deschamps, Pauline; Durand, Yvonnick; Augras, Georges; Degos, Olivier; De Charentenay, Jean-Noel; Francke, Loic; Collin, Gaetan; Beccavin, Jerome; Defrenne, Nicolas

2015-04-01

This large report contains contributions and contents of round tables and workshops held during a colloquium. Round tables addressed the following topics: challenges and perspectives for the law on energy transition and the electric mix, maturity and competitiveness of existing sectors, instruction manual for a decentralised electric mix, electric mix and grid adaptation. Workshop addressed wind energy (development status, key figures, participation-based wind energy, radar disturbances as a brake to wind energy development), photovoltaic workshop (development status and key figures, ADEME actions, project elaboration, governance, financing and self-consumption, R and D and industrial innovation, environmental impacts and recycling), geothermal energy (development status and key figures, Enhanced Geothermal System in Alsace, governance mode for projects in the French West Indies), and sea energies (development status and key figures, the PRISMER project, demonstrators, industrial fallouts of renewable sea energies, environmental impacts and acceptability). The second part of the reports contains all Power Point presentations

Decentralised schemes for integrated management of wastewater and domestic organic waste: the case of a small community.

Science.gov (United States)

Lijó, Lucía; Malamis, Simos; González-García, Sara; Moreira, María Teresa; Fatone, Francesco; Katsou, Evina

2017-12-01

This study assesses from an environmental perspective two different configurations for the combined treatment of wastewater and domestic organic waste (DOW) in a small and decentralised community having a population of 2000. The applied schemes consist of an upflow anaerobic blanket (UASB) as core treatment process. Scheme A integrates membranes with the anaerobic treatment; while in Scheme B biological removal of nutrients in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is applied as a post treatment to UASB effluent. In energy-related categories, the main contributor is electricity consumption (producing 18-50% of the impacts); whereas in terms of eutrophication-related categories, the discharge of the treated effluent arises as a major hotspot (with 57-99% of the impacts). Scheme B consumes 25% more electricity and produces 40% extra sludge than Scheme A, resulting in worse environmental results for those energy categories. However, the environmental impact due to the discharge of the treated effluent is 75% lower in eutrophication categories due to the removal of nutrients. In addition, the quality of the final effluent in Scheme B would allow its use for irrigation (9.6 mg N/L and 2 mg P/L) if proper tertiary treatment and disinfection are provided, expanding its potential adoption at a wider scale. Direct emissions due to the dissolved methane in the UASB effluent have a significant environmental impact in climate change (23-26%). Additionally, the study shows the environmental feasibility of the use of food waste disposers for DOW collection in different integration rates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear safety and energy supply security: conflict or goal?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutas, S.

2006-01-01

Energy generation and safety problems at the nuclear power plant have been analysed. Nuclear power plants are operated on the commercial basis in many countries today. Safety and security in energy generation and distribution is a complex problem. Energy supply reliability, security energy price and other issues should be co-ordinated and solved at the same time. Decentralisation and deregulation means new challenges for regulatory bodies and assurance of security. International co-operation in this field is very important. Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association (WENRA) consolidates efforts of regulatory bodies of European countries in order to harmonize approaches of nuclear safety. Nuclear Safety, and security of energy supply is the task and goal at the same time. (author)

Energy in China: Coping with increasing demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandklef, Kristina

2004-11-01

Sustaining the increasing energy consumption is crucial to future economic growth in China. This report focuses on the current and future situation of energy production and consumption in China and how China is coping with its increasing domestic energy demand. Today, coal is the most important energy resource, followed by oil and hydropower. Most energy resources are located in the inland, whereas the main demand for energy is in the coastal areas, which makes transportation and transmission of energy vital. The industrial sector is the main driver of the energy consumption in China, but the transport sector and the residential sector will increase their share of consumption in China, but the transport sector and the residential sector will increase their share of consumption by 2020. China's energy intensity decreased during the 1990s, but it is still high in a global comparison. China is projected to increase its energy consumption at least two times between 2000 and 2025. The government has an equal focus on energy conservation and to develop the current energy resources. Coal will continue to be the most important fuel, but the demand for oil, hydropower, natural gas and nuclear power will also increase. The main future challenges are transportation of energy resources within China and securing oil supply, both domestic and imports

New concepts for organic Rankine cycle power systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Casati, E.I.M.

2014-01-01

Energy provision is one of the major challenges for the Human Society, and it is increasingly clear that the current production/consumption model is not sustainable. The envisaged energy system is smarter, more decentralised and integrated. Energy conversion systems based on the organic Rankine

Diffusion and use of health technology assessment in policy making: what lessons for decentralised healthcare systems?

Science.gov (United States)

Ciani, Oriana; Tarricone, Rosanna; Torbica, Aleksandra

2012-12-01

The Italian National Healthcare System (NHS) is one of the most decentralised systems since the devolution reform approved in 2001. HTA is spreading as an important tool for decision-making processes both at central and local levels. The aims of this study were to review the state of the health technology assessment (HTA) programmes in Italy - with a focus on regional and central initiatives - and to discuss consequences of a multi-level structure of HTA agencies in highly regionalised healthcare systems. Our method combined documentary review with interviews. We reviewed scientific literature about HTA's activities in decentralised systems, legislative and administrative documents from national as well as regional authorities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 key individuals associated with HTA both at the national and regional levels. Data on HTA programmes implemented or under development in nine regions were collected and analysed according to key principles for the improved conduct of health technology assessments for resource allocation decisions. HTA is in the early stage of development in Italy, although with great heterogeneity across regions. The National Agency for Health Services has certainly contributed to HTA diffusion through supporting and training activities. However, the multi-level structure of HTA in Italy has not yet provided full coordination and harmonisation of practices and outcomes across the country, with a consequent exacerbate inequality of access to services and technologies. There is probably need to rethink the multi-layer organizational framework of HTA in Italy by leveraging on current knowledge and efficient redistribution of activities across regions. We would advise for different jurisdictions playing different roles while achieving similar health outcomes for their patients, rather than jurisdictions aiming at doing exactly the same things resulting in unequal access to healthcare service provision. Copyright

Tegotae-based decentralised control scheme for autonomous gait transition of snake-like robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Kano, Takeshi; Yoshizawa, Ryo; Ishiguro, Akio

2017-08-04

Snakes change their locomotion patterns in response to the environment. This ability is a motivation for developing snake-like robots with highly adaptive functionality. In this study, a decentralised control scheme of snake-like robots that exhibited autonomous gait transition (i.e. the transition between concertina locomotion in narrow aisles and scaffold-based locomotion on unstructured terrains) was developed. Additionally, the control scheme was validated via simulations. A key insight revealed is that these locomotion patterns were not preprogrammed but emerged by exploiting Tegotae, a concept that describes the extent to which a perceived reaction matches a generated action. Unlike local reflexive mechanisms proposed previously, the Tegotae-based feedback mechanism enabled the robot to 'selectively' exploit environments beneficial for propulsion, and generated reasonable locomotion patterns. It is expected that the results of this study can form the basis to design robots that can work under unpredictable and unstructured environments.

Technical and Economic Potential of Distributed Energy Storages for the Integration of Renewable Energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sveinbjörnsson, Dadi Þorsteinn; Trier, Daniel; Hansen, Kenneth

Very high penetration of fluctuating renewable energy sources can lead to new challenges in balancing energy supply and demand in future energy systems. This work, carried out as a part of Annex 28 of the IEA ECES programme, addresses this. The aim of the study is to identify which role decentral...... indicate that sector coupling along with an intelligent choice of distributed energy storage technologies can enable the integration of large shares of fluctuating renewable energy in an energy efficient and cost-effective way.......Very high penetration of fluctuating renewable energy sources can lead to new challenges in balancing energy supply and demand in future energy systems. This work, carried out as a part of Annex 28 of the IEA ECES programme, addresses this. The aim of the study is to identify which role...... decentralised energy storages (DES) should play in integrating fluctuating renewable energy sources. The technical and economic potential for DES solutions is quantified using energy system modelling, and it is identified which DES technologies have the largest total (technical and economic) potential. For this...

Life-cycle energy impacts for adapting an urban water supply system to droughts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Ka Leung; Stokes-Draut, Jennifer R; Horvath, Arpad; Lane, Joe L; Kenway, Steven J; Lant, Paul A

2017-12-15

In recent years, cities in some water stressed regions have explored alternative water sources such as seawater desalination and potable water recycling in spite of concerns over increasing energy consumption. In this study, we evaluate the current and future life-cycle energy impacts of four alternative water supply strategies introduced during a decade-long drought in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. These strategies were: seawater desalination, indirect potable water recycling, network integration, and rainwater tanks. Our work highlights the energy burden of alternative water supply strategies which added approximately 24% life-cycle energy use to the existing supply system (with surface water sources) in SEQ even for a current post-drought low utilisation status. Over half of this additional life-cycle energy use was from the centralised alternative supply strategies. Rainwater tanks contributed an estimated 3% to regional water supply, but added over 10% life-cycle energy use to the existing system. In the future scenario analysis, we compare the life-cycle energy use between "Normal", "Dry", "High water demand" and "Design capacity" scenarios. In the "Normal" scenario, a long-term low utilisation of the desalination system and the water recycling system has greatly reduced the energy burden of these centralised strategies to only 13%. In contrast, higher utilisation in the unlikely "Dry" and "Design capacity" scenarios add 86% and 140% to life-cycle energy use of the existing system respectively. In the "High water demand" scenario, a 20% increase in per capita water use over 20 years "consumes" more energy than is used by the four alternative strategies in the "Normal" scenario. This research provides insight for developing more realistic long-term scenarios to evaluate and compare life-cycle energy impacts of drought-adaptation infrastructure and regional decentralised water sources. Scenario building for life-cycle assessments of water supply

Integrating the views and perceptions of UK energy professionals in future energy scenarios to inform policymakers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkes, Gareth; Spataru, Catalina

2017-01-01

The Energy Institute (EI) developed its first Energy Barometer survey in 2015 which aims to understand professionals’ views and opinions of energy priorities, policies and technologies. 543 UK energy professionals from across the energy sector were surveyed. Following the survey, 79% of UK energy professionals believe their sector is not effectively communicating with the public. This suggests there is an urgent need to better understand how to use surveys in a more methodological way. Developed in conjunction with the EI, this paper presents the Energy Barometer survey methodology and results to achieve a better understanding of UK energy professionals’ current perceptions and future priorities. The paper makes two contributions to enhance the UK's energy debate. First, it provides the first results in a longitudinal assessment of energy professionals’ views of energy policy issues and discusses the implications for future policymaking. Second, it identifies opportunities for Energy Barometer findings to feed into scenarios development. A comparison with other studies was undertaken. It has been shown that the views of professionals working across the sector are aligned with decentralised approaches to decarbonisation. In particular, professionals expect action from policymakers to coordinate, engage with and encourage investment in energy efficiency. - Highlights: • 543 UK energy professionals from across the energy sector were surveyed. • Aiming to better understand views and opinions of energy priorities, policies and technologies. • A comparison of the methodology and results with other studies was undertaken. • Considers contributions of results to energy system scenario development. • Identifies particular need for increased energy efficiency investment.

Synergies between renewable energy and fresh water production. Scoping study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geurts, F.; Noothout, P.; Schaap, A. [Ecofys Netherlands, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2011-02-15

The IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (IEA-RETD) investigated the opportunities for coupling renewable energy systems with fresh water supply systems. The four main conclusions of the scoping study, carried out by Ecofys, are: (1) Fresh water production based on desalination technologies provide most options for synergies with renewable energy production; (2) Linking desalination to renewable sources is currently not economically viable; (3) There is a large potential for small scale (decentralised) desalination plants; (4) Current commercially-sized desalination technologies are in need of a constant operation point. Reverse osmosis and thermal membrane technologies might give future synergies as deferrable load.

Energy has its barbarians too

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupin, Ludovic; Moragues, Manuel; Thenot, Dorothee

2016-01-01

A first article notices that the development of renewable energies comes along with the emergence of new actors who want to get rid of the monopoly of traditional utilities. It describes how these new actors (for example, Exwateur, Enercoop, Valenergies, Energy Pool, Comwatt) intervene in the electricity system and change it by introducing or exploiting or developing decentralisation, flexibility, digital technologies, energy storage, or user empowerment. An article then discusses how utilities counter-attack by trying to get their hands on these new market opportunities. A RTE manager gives his opinion on these issues in an interview in which he outlines the need to make RTE's approach evolve, and the threats represented by these new trends for his company. The last article proposes a focus on Energy Pool, a French medium-size company which is expert and leader in consumption cut-offs for French as well as South-Korean industries

For a citizen energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geze, Patrick; Bernon, Francoise; Alphandery, Claude; Albizzati, Amandine; Ballandras, Marc; Berland, Olivier; Peullemeulle, Justine; Causse, Laurent; Olivier, Dominique; Damerval, Francois; Lepage, Corinne; Dughera, Jacques; Bouchart, Christiane; Duracka, Nicolas; Ferrari, Albert; Noe, Julien; Soulias, Emmanuel; Gaspard, Albane; Greenwood, Marianne; Guy, Lionel; Kretzschmar, Cyril; Lalu, Delphine; Naett, Caroline; Raguet, Alex; Rouchon, Jean-Philippe; Ruedinger, Andreas; Sautter, Christian; Tudor, Ivan; Vaquie, Pierre-Francois; Vernier, Christophe; Youinou, Jean-Michel; Verny, Emmanuel; Claustre, Raphael; Leclercq, Michel

2015-09-01

This publication by a think tank specialised in social and solidarity economy first outlines that energy transition means a transition from the present energy model to a new model based on three pillars: a drastic reduction of energy consumption through sobriety (energy saving, struggle against wastage), an improvement of energy efficiency, and an energy mix based on renewable and sustainable resources. A first part proposes a discussion of what 'citizen' energy transition can be: general framework of energy transition, pioneering examples in Europe, citizen empowerment, importance of a decentralised model which is anchored in territories, general interest as a priority. Each of these issues and aspects is illustrated by examples. Then, as this evolution towards a citizen-based model requires a change of scale, the authors discuss how to involve public authorities and to adapt regulation, how to develop financing tools, how to support the emergence and development of projects, and how to be part of international dynamics. The author then discuss what their think tank can do to accelerate energy transition. Proposals made in the different chapters are then summarized

ORIC Beam Energy Increase

CERN Document Server

Mallory, Merrit L; Dowling, Darryl; Hudson, Ed; Lord, Dick; Tatum, Alan

2005-01-01

The detection of and solution to a beam interference problem in the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC) extraction system has yielded a 20% increase in the proton beam energy. The beam from ORIC was designed to be extracted before the nu r equal one resonance. Most cyclotrons extract after the nu r equal one resonance, thus getting more usage of the magnetic field for energy acceleration. We have now determined that the electrostatic deflector septum interferes with the last accelerated orbit in ORIC, with the highest extraction efficiency obtained near the maximum nu r value. This nu r provides a rotation in the betatron oscillation amplitude that is about the same length as the electrostatic septum thus allowing the beam to jump over the interference problem with the septum. With a thinned septum we were able to tune the beam through the nu r equal one resonance and achieve a 20% increase in beam energy. This nu r greater than one extraction method may be desirable for very high field cyclotrons since it...

Energy system analysis of fuel cells and distributed generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Lund, Henrik

2007-01-01

This chapter introduces Energy System Analysis methodologies and tools, which can be used for identifying the best application of different Fuel Cell (FC) technologies to different regional or national energy systems. The main point is that the benefits of using FC technologies indeed depend...... on the energy system in which they are used. Consequently, coherent energy systems analyses of specific and complete energy systems must be conducted in order to evaluate the benefits of FC technologies and in order to be able to compare alternative solutions. In relation to distributed generation, FC...... technologies are very often connected to the use of hydrogen, which has to be provided e.g. from electrolysers. Decentralised and distributed generation has the possibility of improving the overall energy efficiency and flexibility of energy systems. Therefore, energy system analysis tools and methodologies...

Energy scenarios: a prospective outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salomon, Thierry; Claustre, Raphael; Charru, Madeleine; Sukov, Stephane; Marignac, Yves; Fink, Meike; Bibas, Ruben; Le Saux, Gildas

2011-01-01

A set of articles discusses the use of energy scenarios: how useful they can be to describe a possible future and even to gather the involved actors, how they have been used in France in the past (for planning or prediction purposes, with sometimes some over-assessed or contradictory results, without considering any decline of nuclear energy, or by setting an impossible equation in the case of the Grenelle de l'Environnement), how the scenario framework impacts its content (depending on the approach type: standard, optimization, bottom-up, top-down, or hybrid). It also discusses the issue of choice of hypotheses on growth-based and de-growth-based scenarios, outlines how energy saving is a key for a sustainable evolution. Two German scenarios regarding electricity production (centralisation or decentralisation) and French regional scenarios for Nord-Pas-de-Calais are then briefly discussed

Controlled storage for distributed power generation and optimised energy flow in low-voltage mains; Steuerbare Speicher zur Optimierung des Energieflusses in Niederspannungsnetzen mit DEA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeckel, M.; Vollenwyder, R. [Berner Fachhochschule, Hochschule fuer Technik und Informatik (BFH-HTI), Biel (Switzerland); Buholzer, M.; Kreyenbuehl, U. [RIPEnergy AG, Zollikon (Switzerland); Schnyder, G.; Mauchle, P. [Schnyder Ingenieure AG, Huenenberg (Switzerland)

2005-07-01

This comprehensive final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) examines ways to optimise energy flows in mains networks that include distributed generation facilities. Increasing use of decentralised generation, its effects on the operation of low-voltage mains and the efficient use of the 400 V mains is discussed. The principles of operation and construction of controlled storage installations are discussed and concrete examples of their use in both grid-connected and island operation are quoted. Alternatives to storage are looked at from both the technical and economic points of view. The storage technologies used such as flywheels, supercaps, redox-flow batteries and lead-acid accumulators are briefly assessed and the results of simulations are discussed.

Renewable energies, the key for growth in Africa?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petitot, Pauline

2016-01-01

This article proposes an overview of opportunities and projects of development of renewable energies in Africa, and discusses how this development could be a key for economic growth. In a context where access to water, to health, to education, to jobs, to an improvement of living conditions are at stakes, electrification appears as a prerequisite to social and economic development. The article outlines the precarious status of African electric utilities, the notably low level of production in some countries, the high but unexploited potential of renewable energies, the promising perspectives for solar photovoltaic energy, the interest of a decentralised production to open up rural areas, and also of the introduction of durable and resistant components for public lighting or cell phone battery loading

An Active Role of Citizens on the Energy Market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skrlec, D.

2016-01-01

In order to fulfil climate and energy goals that EU has set for the period until 2030 and also after 2050, an engagement of the entire society is necessary. The energy sector is entering a transition towards a so called 4D model: decarbonization, decentralisation, distribution and democratisation. Citizens' engagement and responsibility in this transition requires active consumption management, energy generation and application of energy efficiency measures. To be competitive on the energy market, various forms of collective citizen collaborations are needed and to encourage people to participate in those, they have to be further educated so that the energy sector transition can succeed. The expected road transportation electrification posts further challenges on the energy sector. Horizontal connection of more EU policies, climate-energy, circular economy, digital agenda shows that a holistic approach is needed for the transition into a new, resource and energy more efficient, society.(author).

Local governance from A to Z - Positive glossary of the energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisermann, Miriam; Donnerer, David; Morel, Diane

2015-12-01

This publication invites you to discover the multiple facets of a collaborative city from A-Z, based on our over 25 years' experience of what works well in Europe. The list is, of course, not exhaustive as the beauty of energy transition is the wide and unlimited field of possibilities that it opens up. What it is proposing however is a change of perspective. As the energy landscape is undergoing radical change, from a once hierarchical and monopolistic system to a more distributed and decentralised one, so too should the decision-making architecture. Indeed, a new system cannot be designed using outdated models: in writing a new chapter of our history, we must also empower its new stakeholders. We, the local and regional actors, are these new players, through the role we play in mobilizing civil society and SMEs, tapping into the large array of dispersed renewable or locally recovered energy sources and increasing energy savings and efficiency through ambitious building, urban planning and mobility strategies. This publication complements Energy Cities' '30 proposals for the energy transition of cities' with its many case studies

Energy saving in the baking industry by more selective use of energy and by recovery of waste heat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Vries, L.; Nieman, W.; Rouwen, W.

1986-01-01

Approximately 7000 Tj energy are used yearly by the bakery industry in the Netherlands. Until now, very little is known about energy use in this sector, this being partly due to the extremely decentralised production. The aim of the study is to pinpoint and evaluate methods for energy saving and heat recovery in the bakery. Priority was given to the procedures or places where a large amount of energy is used or is lost. A second important part of the study is to identify the situations where energy can easly be saved in very simple ways. The study was subsidised by the European Economic Community, the Industry group for bakeries and the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs. Monitoring was in the hands of a committee, with representation by the Nederlandse Bakkerijstichting (Dutch Bakery Organisation), the Stichting Voorlichting Energiebesparing Nederland (Organisation for Information about Energy Conservation), the Ministry of Agriculture/Fisheries and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Energy demands in the 21st century: the role of biofuels in a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quaye, E.C.

1996-01-01

In most developing countries more than 25% of total energy use comes from biofuels. In Ghana, the figure is between 70-80%. Bioenergy is mainly used for cooking and heating, and is also important in rural or cottage industries. As a developing country, Ghana's economic growth remains coupled to the availability and supply of energy. About 29% of this energy is obtained through hydropower and imported petroleum. The two hydropower installations generate about 1102 MW annually mainly for domestic and industrial uses. At the current 3.0% average annual population growth rate, a population of about 35 million is expected by 2025. Coupled with the country's efforts to promote industrialization, future energy demand is expected to increase several fold. This paper provides an overview of Ghana's current energy situation and discusses the role of bioenergy in the future energy demand of the country. The paper concludes with a recommendation for a major shift in energy policy to accommodate the conversion of biofuels into versatile energy carriers in a decentralised system to meet the energy requirements of the people and to provide a basis for rural development and employment. (Author)

Bottom-up approach for decentralised energy planning. Case study of Tumkur district in India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hiremath, Rahul B. [Walchand Institute of Technology, Solapur 413006 (India); Kumar, Bimlesh [Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati 781039 (India); Balachandra, P. [Energy Technology Innovation Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Ravindranath, N.H. [CST, IISc, Bangalore 560012 (India)

2010-02-15

Decentralized Energy Planning (DEP) is one of the options to meet the rural and small-scale energy needs in a reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable way. The main aspect of the energy planning at decentralized level would be to prepare an area-based DEP to meet energy needs and development of alternate energy sources at least-cost to the economy and environment. Present work uses goal-programming method in order to analyze the DEP through bottom-up approach. This approach includes planning from the lowest scale of Tumkur district in India. The scale of analysis included village level - Ungra, panchayat level (local council) - Yedavani, block level - Kunigal and district level - Tumkur. The approach adopted was bottom-up (village to district) to allow a detailed description of energy services and the resulting demand for energy forms and supply technologies. Different scenarios are considered at four decentralized scales for the year 2005 and are developed and analyzed for the year 2020. Decentralized bioenergy system for producing biogas and electricity, using local biomass resources, are shown to promote development compared to other renewables. This is because, apart from meeting energy needs, multiple goals could be achieved such as self-reliance, local employment, and land reclamation apart from CO{sub 2} emissions reduction. (author)

Bottom-up approach for decentralised energy planning: Case study of Tumkur district in India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hiremath, Rahul B., E-mail: rahulhiremath@gmail.co [Walchand Institute of Technology Solapur 413006 (India); Kumar, Bimlesh, E-mail: bimk@iitg.ernet.i [Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati 781039 (India); Balachandra, P., E-mail: balachandra_patil@hks.harvard.ed [Energy Technology Innovation Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Ravindranath, N.H., E-mail: ravi@ces.iisc.ernet.i [CST, IISc, Bangalore 560012 (India)

2010-02-15

Decentralized Energy Planning (DEP) is one of the options to meet the rural and small-scale energy needs in a reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable way. The main aspect of the energy planning at decentralized level would be to prepare an area-based DEP to meet energy needs and development of alternate energy sources at least-cost to the economy and environment. Present work uses goal-programming method in order to analyze the DEP through bottom-up approach. This approach includes planning from the lowest scale of Tumkur district in India. The scale of analysis included village level-Ungra, panchayat level (local council)-Yedavani, block level-Kunigal and district level-Tumkur. The approach adopted was bottom-up (village to district) to allow a detailed description of energy services and the resulting demand for energy forms and supply technologies. Different scenarios are considered at four decentralized scales for the year 2005 and are developed and analyzed for the year 2020. Decentralized bioenergy system for producing biogas and electricity, using local biomass resources, are shown to promote development compared to other renewables. This is because, apart from meeting energy needs, multiple goals could be achieved such as self-reliance, local employment, and land reclamation apart from CO{sub 2} emissions reduction.

Methods for Distributed Optimal Energy Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brehm, Robert

The presented research deals with the fundamental underlying methods and concepts of how the growing number of distributed generation units based on renewable energy resources and distributed storage devices can be most efficiently integrated into the existing utility grid. In contrast to convent......The presented research deals with the fundamental underlying methods and concepts of how the growing number of distributed generation units based on renewable energy resources and distributed storage devices can be most efficiently integrated into the existing utility grid. In contrast...... to conventional centralised optimal energy flow management systems, here-in, focus is set on how optimal energy management can be achieved in a decentralised distributed architecture such as a multi-agent system. Distributed optimisation methods are introduced, targeting optimisation of energy flow in virtual......-consumption of renewable energy resources in low voltage grids. It can be shown that this method prevents mutual discharging of batteries and prevents peak loads, a supervisory control instance can dictate the level of autarchy from the utility grid. Further it is shown that the problem of optimal energy flow management...

The Energy Industry Law - legislative deficits or appropriate legal instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boerner, B.

1986-01-01

Conclusion: The job of the Energy Industry Law is to secure for the government the necessary influence without endangering the private enterprise structure of the power supply industry. The Energy Industry Law has achieved satisfactory results. For it is in no way obvious that a different system would have achieved lower prices or a level of capacity more exactly tuned to sales. The powers of objection and prohibition contained in Sect. 4 of the Energy Industry Law are limited to (all) circumstances which influence the reliability and cheapness of supply. These powers should not be used to promote a nuclear power phaseout, introduce renewable energy sources, promote the protection of the environment, to counter the demand for cheapness of supply, to enforce power-heat cogeneration and to enforce decentralisation. (orig./HSCH) [de

Fostering sustained energy behavior change and increasing energy literacy in a student housing energy challenge

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Robert Stephen

We designed the Kukui Cup challenge to foster energy conservation and increase energy literacy. Based on a review of the literature, the challenge combined a variety of elements into an overall game experience, including: real-time energy feedback, goals, commitments, competition, and prizes. We designed a software system called Makahiki to provide the online portion of the Kukui Cup challenge. Energy use was monitored by smart meters installed on each floor of the Hale Aloha residence halls on the University of Hawai'i at Manoa campus. In October 2011, we ran the UH Kukui Cup challenge for the over 1000 residents of the Hale Aloha towers. To evaluate the Kukui Cup challenge, I conducted three experiments: challenge participation, energy literacy, and energy use. Many residents participated in the challenge, as measured by points earned and actions completed through the challenge website. I measured the energy literacy of a random sample of Hale Aloha residents using an online energy literacy questionnaire administered before and after the challenge. I found that challenge participants' energy knowledge increased significantly compared to non-challenge participants. Positive self-reported energy behaviors increased after the challenge for both challenge participants and non-participants, leading to the possibility of passive participation by the non-challenge participants. I found that energy use varied substantially between and within lounges over time. Variations in energy use over time complicated the selection of a baseline of energy use to compare the levels during and after the challenge. The best team reduced its energy use during the challenge by 16%. However, team energy conservation did not appear to correlate to participation in the challenge, and there was no evidence of sustained energy conservation after the challenge. The problems inherent in assessing energy conservation using a baseline call into question this common practice. My research has

Energy consumption and economic development after the energy price increases of 1973

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danielewski, J.

1993-01-01

The interdependence between energy consumption and economic development are highlighted in this research, which focuses on energy price rises between 1973 and 1989. Three groups of countries are identified, developing and developed market economies and centrally planned economies. Two areas of interdependence are examined, firstly the dynamic relationship between primary energy consumption growth and real economic growth and secondly the static relationship between primary energy consumption and national income. In the period under review, developing market economies reacted most strongly to higher energy prices, with lower energy consumption while maintaining real growth in the Gross Domestic Product. However developing countries and centrally planned economies increased their energy consumption per unit of national income although the rate of increase slowed after 1975. (UK)

Opportunities and challenges for the future utilization of bio methane in regional energy supply structures; Chancen und Herausforderungen fuer die zukuenftige Nutzung von Biomethan in regionalen Energieversorgungsstrukturen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scholwin, Frank; Nelles, Michael [Rostock Univ. (Germany). Professur Biogas/Bioenergie

2013-10-01

In fact, that the transition of the energy system needs a decentralisation of energy supply. Energy from biomass will play an important role for stabilisation of energy supply and compensation of fluctuating energy demand and energy supply from solar and wind power. Especially biomethane what can be stored in the natural gas grid allows high flexibility in its use. Therefore the following options are analysed: - Integration of biomethane/biogas driven CHP units in local heat supply structures - Flexible operation of biomethane/biogas driven CHP units - Synergies through utilisation of biomethane as vehicle fuel. (orig.)

Optimal unit sizing of a hybrid renewable energy system for isolated applications; Optimalite des elements d'un systeme decentralise de production d'energie electrique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales, D

2006-07-15

In general, the methods used to conceive a renewable energy production system overestimate the size of the generating units. These methods increase the investment cost and the production cost of energy. The work presented in this thesis proposes a methodology to optimally size a renewable energy system.- This study shows that the classic approach based only on a long term analysis of system's behaviour is not sufficient and a complementary methodology based on a short term analysis is proposed. A numerical simulation was developed in which the mathematical models of the solar panel, the wind turbines and battery are integrated. The daily average solar energy per m2 is decomposed into a series of hourly I energy values using the Collares-Pereira equations. The time series analysis of the wind speed is made using the Monte Carlo Simulation Method. The second part of this thesis makes a detailed analysis of an isolated wind energy production system. The average energy produced by the system depends on the generator's rated power, the total swept area of the wind turbine, the gearbox's transformation ratio, the battery voltage and the wind speed probability function. The study proposes a methodology to determine the optimal matching between the rated power of the permanent magnet synchronous machine and the wind turbine's rotor size. This is made taking into account the average electrical energy produced over a period of time. (author)

Energy Consumption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Germany up to 2010. Summary of the final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cremer, C.; Eichhammer, W.; Friedewald, M.; Georgieff, P.; Rieth-Hoerst, S.; Schlomann, B.; Zoche, P.; Aebischer, B.; Huser, A.

2003-01-01

Increasing power consumption for ICT applications represents a basic risk both with regard to climate protection and against the background of the expected shutdown of nuclear power stations in Germany. On the other hand, the prospects for improved energy use due to ICT applications should not be neglected. These are found in existing electricity saving potentials in the ICT sector itself, which could be exploited to a greater extent, as well as in possibilities to save energy in other sectors through increased use of new ICT applications (e.g. through remote monitoring in the transport sector, in the intelligent home, in energy technology auxiliary systems, especially in contracting and in logistics). Neither aspect has been the subject of much research so far. Nor have the indirect impacts of ICT on energy consumption been analysed to any great extent so far. This is particularly true for transport services which, on the one hand, may become unnecessary due to electronic services (e.g. electronic banking services, telephone conferences, decentralised printing of daily newspapers), but, on the other, may create additional transport services (e.g. e-commerce). (orig.)

Regional level approach for increasing energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viholainen, Juha; Luoranen, Mika; Väisänen, Sanni; Niskanen, Antti; Horttanainen, Mika; Soukka, Risto

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Comprehensive snapshot of regional energy system for decision makers. • Connecting regional sustainability targets and energy planning. • Involving local players in energy planning. - Abstract: Actions for increasing the renewable share in the energy supply and improving both production and end-use energy efficiency are often built into the regional level sustainability targets. Because of this, many local stakeholders such as local governments, energy producers and distributors, industry, and public and private sector operators require information on the current state and development aspects of the regional energy efficiency. The drawback is that an overall view on the focal energy system operators, their energy interests, and future energy service needs in the region is often not available for the stakeholders. To support the local energy planning and management of the regional energy services, an approach for increasing the regional energy efficiency is being introduced. The presented approach can be seen as a solid framework for gathering the required data for energy efficiency analysis and also evaluating the energy system development, planned improvement actions, and the required energy services at the region. This study defines the theoretical structure of the energy efficiency approach and the required steps for revealing such energy system improvement actions that support the regional energy plan. To demonstrate the use of the approach, a case study of a Finnish small-town of Lohja is presented. In the case example, possible actions linked to the regional energy targets were evaluated with energy efficiency analysis. The results of the case example are system specific, but the conducted study can be seen as a justified example of generating easily attainable and transparent information on the impacts of different improvement actions on the regional energy system.

TIWAG-Tiroler Wasserkraft AG reconstruction and new construction projects for the energy turnaround; Um- und Neubauprojekte der Tiroler Wasserkraft AG fuer die Energiewende

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroppa, Wolfgang [TIWAG-Tiroler Wasserkraft AG, Innsbruck (Austria)

2016-07-01

The whole of Europe is facing the challenge of transforming its energy management system into a more sustainable, more economical and decentralised system with a lower CO{sub 2} footprint. The Province of the Tyrol must contribute to the energy turnaround at a regional level. Hydropower's energy efficiency ratio is more than 90 % so it is the most important renewable energy in terms of volume and cost efficiency. It is for this reason that the use and expansion of hydropower facilities are key components of a sustainable energy and climate policy in the Alpine region.

Energy transition: how is Germany doing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulanger, Vincent

2015-01-01

In this book the author comments and discusses the content, successes and failures, uncertainties and consequences of the new German energy policy, Energiewende. The objective is to reach 80 to 95 per cent of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while phasing out nuclear. The author denies some statements about this policy. Some say that coal will replace nuclear as in fact renewable electricity production more than compensates the reduction of nuclear electricity production. Others say that Germany will have to import French nuclear electricity as in fact France must import German electricity in case of peak consumptions. Others say that German electricity became more expensive: it's true but it is in fact compensated by much higher energy savings. Remaining issues are the financing of nuclear plant dismantling and of nuclear waste management, the organisation of a decentralised production network, and the passage to renewable energies in the heating and transport sectors

Energy transition: how is Germany doing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulanger, Vincent

2017-04-01

This book is an updated edition of the previous version from 2015. In this book the author comments and discusses the content, successes and failures, uncertainties and consequences of the new German energy policy, Energiewende. The objective is to reach 80 to 95 per cent of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while phasing out nuclear. The author denies some statements about this policy. Some say that coal will replace nuclear as in fact renewable electricity production more than compensates the reduction of nuclear electricity production. Others say that Germany will have to import French nuclear electricity as in fact France must import German electricity in case of peak consumptions. Others say that German electricity became more expensive: it's true but it is in fact compensated by much higher energy savings. Remaining issues are the financing of nuclear plant dismantling and of nuclear waste management, the organisation of a decentralised production network, and the passage to renewable energies in the heating and transport sectors

Can renewable energy sources be financed through competitive power markets in the long run?; Koennen sich erneuerbare Energien langfristig auf wettbewerblich organisierten Strommaerkten finanzieren?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kopp, Oliver; Essler-Frey, Anke; Engelhorn, Thorsten [MVV Energie AG, Mannheim (Germany)

2012-12-15

In this paper we address the issue of whether renewable energy sources can be integrated into power markets if the use of renewable energies is extended at the desired speed. Market integration means that renewable energy sources have to cover their full costs from revenues on competitive markets. In the first part of this paper, we evaluate the long-term revenues of intermittent renewable energy sources using a high resolution power market model. Considering the renewable targets of the German lead study of 2010, we show that due to the merit order effect, intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind power and photovoltaic, cannot be financed through power markets alone, even if their full costs fall below those of conventional power plants. This is also true for scenarios with high CO{sub 2}-prices and increasing spot market prices. In the second part of this paper, we discuss whether in the long run additional instruments such as green certificates or capacity markets would allow for a more competitive financing of renewable energy sources. Center stage in the discussion is the question under which circumstances these instruments increase competitive pricing and decentralised market decisions. (orig.)

Energy for rural India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urban, Frauke; Benders, Rene M.J.; Moll, Henri C.

2009-01-01

About 72 million households in rural India do not have access to electricity and rely primarily on traditional biofuels. This research investigates how rural electrification could be achieved in India using different energy sources and what the effects for climate change mitigation could be. We use the Regional Energy Model (REM) to develop scenarios for rural electrification for the period 2005-2030 and to assess the effects on greenhouse gas emissions, primary energy use and costs. We compare the business-as-usual scenario (BAU) with different electrification scenarios based on electricity from renewable energy, diesel and the grid. Our results indicate that diesel systems tend to have the highest CO 2 emissions, followed by grid systems. Rural electrification with primarily renewable energy-based end-uses could save up to 99% of total CO 2 emissions and 35% of primary energy use in 2030 compared to BAU. Our research indicates that electrification with decentralised diesel systems is likely to be the most expensive option. Rural electrification with renewable energy tends to be the most cost-effective option when end-uses are predominantly based on renewable energy, but turns out to be more costly than grid extensions when electric end-use devices are predominantly used. This research therefore elaborates whether renewable energy is a viable option for rural electrification and climate change mitigation in rural India and gives policy recommendations.

Anaerobic digestion potential for ecological and decentralised sanitation in urban areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmitwalli, Tarek; Feng, Yucheng; Behrendt, Joachim; Otterpohl, Ralf

2006-01-01

The potential of anaerobic digestion in ecological and decentralised sanitation has been investigated in this research. Different anaerobic digestion systems were proposed for the treatment of sewage, grey water, black water and faeces. Moreover, mathematical models based on anaerobic digestion model no.1 (ADM1) were developed for determination of a suitable design for each system. For stable performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating sewage, the model results indicated that optimisation of wastewater conversion to biogas (not COD removal) should be selected for determination of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor. For the treatment of sewage or black water in a UASB septic-tank, the model results showed that the sludge removal period was the main parameter for determination of the HRT. At such HRT, both COD removal and wastewater conversion are also optimised. The model results demonstrated that for treatment of faeces in an accumulation (AC) system at temperature > or = 25 degrees C, the filling period of the system should be higher than 60 days. For maximisation of the net biogas production (i.e. reduction of biogas losses as dissolved in the effluent), the separation between grey water, urine and faeces and reduction of water consumption for faeces flushing are required. Furthermore, the faeces and kitchen organic wastes and grey water are digested in, respectively, an AC system and UASB reactor, while the urine is stored.

Ex-ante evaluation of Green Deals Energy; Ex-ante evaluatie van Green Deals Energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elzenga, H.; Kruitwagen, S.

2012-06-15

An overview is given of the results of a study of the bottlenecks experienced by initiators in the realization of green projects, the solutions for which the Dutch government has chosen, and the role that local authorities play in it. An important research question is to what extent it is likely that Green Deal projects will lead to imitation by others. The research has focused on four themes: Onshore wind energy, Energy production from co- fermentation of manure, Energy conservation of heat in the built environment, and Decentralised electricity generation with solar panels [Dutch] Een overzicht wordt gegeven van de resultaten van een onderzoek naar de knelpunten die initiatiefnemers ervaren bij de realisatie van groene projecten, de oplossingsrichtingen waarvoor de Rijksoverheid heeft gekozen, en de rol die decentrale overheden daarin spelen. Een belangrijke onderzoeksvraag is in hoeverre het aannemelijk is dat Green Deal-projecten zullen leiden tot navolging door anderen. Het onderzoek heeft zich toegespitst op vier thema's: Windenergie op land, Energieproductie uit (co)vergisting van mest, Energiebesparing op warmte in de gebouwde omgeving, en Decentrale elektriciteitsopwekking met zonnepanelen.

Increase in the number of distributed power generation installations in electricity distribution grids - Storage technologies; Zunahme der dezentralen Energieerzeugungsanlagen in elektrischen Verteilnetzen: Grundlagen der Speicher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luechinger, P.

2003-07-01

This is the fifth part of a ten-part final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on a project that looked into potential problems relating to the Swiss electricity distribution grid with respect to the increasing number of distributed power generation facilities being put into service. The identification of special conditions for the grid's operation and future development that take increasing decentralised power production into account are discussed. The results of the project activities encompass the analysis and evaluation of various problem areas associated with planning and management of the grid during normal operation and periods of malfunction, as well as required modifications to safety systems and grid configurations. This fourth appendix to the main report describes six ways of storing electricity, including accumulators, super caps, super-conducting magnetic and flywheel energy storage units. The accumulator technologies discussed include lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and sodium-sulphur batteries. Each of these types of power storage technologies is briefly described. The characteristics of these various types of storage are compared.

Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Katherine H [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); DiOrio, Nicholas A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cutler, Dylan S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Butt, Robert S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Richards, Allison [unaffiliated

2017-08-01

This paper describes a methodology to quantify the economic and resiliency benefit provided by renewable energy (RE) in a hybrid RE-storage-diesel microgrid. We present a case study to show how this methodology is applied to a multi-use/ multi-function telecommunications facility in southern California. In the case study, we first identify photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies that minimize the lifecycle cost of energy at the site under normal, grid-connected operation. We then evaluate how those technologies could be incorporated alongside existing diesel generators in a microgrid to increase resiliency at the site, where resiliency is quantified in terms of the amount of time that the microgrid can sustain the critical load during a grid outage. We find that adding PV and BESS to the existing backup diesel generators with a fixed fuel supply extends the amount of time the site could survive an outage by 1.8 days, from 1.7 days for the existing diesel-only backup system to 3.5 days for the PV/diesel/BESS hybrid system. Furthermore, even after diesel fuel supplies are exhausted, the site can continue to operate critical loads during daytime hours using just the PV/BESS when there is sufficient solar resource. We find that the site can save approximately $100,000 in energy costs over the 25-year lifecycle while doubling the amount of time they can survive an outage. The methodology presented here provides a template for increasing resiliency at telecomm sites by implementing renewable energy solutions, which provide additional benefits of carbon emission reduction and energy cost savings.

Local governance of energy. Clarification of stakes and illustration by spatial planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saujot, Mathieu; Ruedinger, Andreas; Guerry, Anais

2014-01-01

As energy transition implies important societal transformations, the authors developed an analysis framework about the main questions raised by local governance: role of the different levels of local communities in the definition and implementation of strategies, key stakes of the sharing of skills between the State and communities, and stakes regarding spatial planning in this context. The authors first address the issue of relevance of the different territorial scales in a context of evolution of energy policies. They propose an overview of this issue with reference to the debate on local governance of transition. They discuss the return on experience of decentralisation in other fields of action of local policies, notably urban planning and spatial planning

FEASIBILITY OF INCREASING THE ENERGY OF RHIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MACKAY, W.W.; JAIN, A.; LUCCIO, A.U.; PILAT, F.; ROSER, T.; TEPIKIAN, S.; TROBOJEVIC, D.

2001-01-01

In this paper we discuss the possibility of increasing the energy of beams in RHIC by as much as 30% with a modest trade-off in luminosity. The arc dipoles and quadrupoles were designed with considerable margin. For higher energies (>100 GeV/nucleon) the minimum β* may be required to increase as the interaction region triplets saturate. The separator magnets (DX) have the least margin for increased field, so we consider three scenarios: allowing for a small crossing angle with the present DX magnets, upgrading the DX magnets to higher strength, and permitting a crossing angle of ∼1degree by removing the DX magnets altogether

ENET News July 2003 - Information on energy research - German issue; ENET News, Juli 2003, Nr. 55 deutsch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wellstein, J.

2003-07-01

The July 2003 issue of ENET News, a magazine on energy research in Switzerland published three times a year, presents several articles on and around the topic of geothermal energy. Further articles cover the topics of decentralised power supply, environment-friendly small hydropower, adsorption refrigeration for African clinics, optimisation of wood-fired boilers, biofuels and noise abatement issues concerning heat pump applications. Also, a fuel-cell based mobile power pack and an electric scooter are described. Further articles take a look at nuclear fusion and the development of a gas-motor based combined heat and power system.

ENET News July 2003 - Information on energy research - French issue; ENET News, Juillet 2003, No 55 francais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wellstein, J.

2003-07-01

The July 2003 issue of ENET News, a magazine on energy research in Switzerland published three times a year, presents several articles on and around the topic of geothermal energy. Further articles cover the topics of decentralised power supply, environment-friendly small hydropower, adsorption refrigeration for African clinics, optimisation of wood-fired boilers, biofuels and noise abatement issues concerning heat pump applications. Also, a fuel-cell based mobile power pack and an electric scooter are described. Further articles take a look at nuclear fusion and the development of a gas-motor based combined heat and power system.

Efficient energy transfer and increase of energy density of magnetically charged flywheels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinterdorfer, T.

2014-01-01

Flywheel Energy Storage Systems represent an ecologically and economically sustainable technology for decentralized energy storage. Compared to other storage technologies such as e.g. chemical accumulators, they offer longer life cycles without performance degradation over time and usage and need almost no systematic maintenance. Further, they are made of environmentally friendly materials. By means of the driving torque of an electric motor, the flywheel is accelerated and thus electrical energy is transformed to kinetic energy. The stored energy can be transfered back by the load torque of a generator when needed. Modern flywheel energy storage applications use magnetic bearings to minimize selfdischarge. To avoid bearing forces due to rotor eccentricity an unbalance control strategy is used. However, this leads to an off-centered run of the electric machines rotor which in turn generates undesirable forces. A force-compensating operation of the electric machine will minimize the influence on the magnetic bearings in the planned control scheme, thus increasing their efficiency. Different concepts will be developed and compared to each other by means of simulations. Validation of the simulation models is carried out on a specially constructed test setup under defined conditions. In addition, the electrical machine will be integrated into the concept of redundancy of the flywheel. A bearingless operation increases the reliability and enables a safe shutdown of the application in case of malfunction of the magnetic bearings. High strength composite materials are used to achieve high speeds. Based on existing results from past research activities, a disc-shaped rotor is optimized first. To increase material utilization and to maximize energy density a topology optimization is performed. Evolutionary and gradient based optimization algorithms are used. Thereby the unused strength potential of the material is exploited in order to increase the economic efficiency of

Total energy consumption in Finland increased by one percent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timonen, L.

2000-01-01

The total energy consumption in Finland increased by less than a percent in 1999. The total energy consumption in 1999 was 1310 PJ corresponding to about 31 million toe. The electric power consumption increased moderately by 1.6%, which is less than the growth of the gross national product (3.5%). The final consumption of energy grew even less, only by 0.5%. Import of electric power increased by 19% in 1999. The import of electric power was due to the availability of low-priced electric power on the Nordic electricity markets. Nuclear power generation increased by 5% and the consumption of wood-based fuels by 3%. The increment of the nuclear power generation increased because of the increased output capacity and good operability of the power plants. Wind power production doubles, but the share of it in the total energy consumption is only about 0.01%. The peat consumption decreased by 12% and the consumption of hydroelectric power by 15%. The decrease in production of hydroelectric power was compensated by an increase import of electric power. The consumption of fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas remained nearly the same as in 1998. The gasoline consumption, however, decreased, but the consumption of diesel oil increased due to the increased road transport. The share of the fossil fuels was nearly half of the total energy consumption. The consumption of renewable energy sources remained nearly the same, in 23% if the share of peat is excluded, and in 30% if the share of peat is included. Wood-based fuels are the most significant type of renewable fuels. The share of them in 1999 was over 80% of the total usage of the renewable energy sources. The carbon dioxide emissions in Finland decreased in 1999 by 1.0 million tons. The total carbon dioxide emissions were 56 million tons. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease of the peat consumption. The final consumption of energy increased by 0.5%, being hence about 1019 PJ. Industry is the main consumer of energy

Increasing penetration of renewable and distributed electricity generation and the need for different network regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joode, J. de; Jansen, J.C.; Welle, A.J. van der; Scheepers, M.J.J.

2009-01-01

The amount of decentralised electricity generation (DG) connected to distribution networks increases across EU member states. This increasing penetration of DG units poses potential costs and benefits for distribution system operators (DSOs). These DSOs are regulated since the business of electricity distribution is considered to be a natural monopoly. This paper identifies the impact of increasing DG penetration on the DSO business under varying parameters (network characteristics, DG technologies, network management type) and argues that current distribution network regulation needs to be improved in order for DSOs to continue to facilitate the integration of DG in the network. Several possible adaptations are analysed.

Developing pathways for energy storage in the UK using a coevolutionary framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Peter G.; Bolton, Ronan; Stone, Dave; Upham, Paul

2013-01-01

A number of recent techno-economic studies have shown that energy storage could offer significant benefits to a low-carbon UK energy system as it faces increased challenges in matching supply and demand. However, the majority of this work has not investigated the real-world issues affecting the widespread deployment of storage. This paper is designed to address this gap by drawing on the systems innovation and socio-technical transitions literature to identify some of the most important contextual factors which are likely to influence storage deployment. Specifically it uses a coevolutionary framework to examine how changes in ecosystems, user practices, business strategies, institutions and technologies are creating a new selection environment and potentially opening up the energy system to new variations of storage for both electricity and heat. The analysis shows how these different dimensions of the energy regime can coevolve in mutually reinforcing ways to create alternative pathways for the energy system which in turn have different flexibility requirements and imply different roles for storage technologies. Using this framework three pathways are developed – user led, decentralised and centralised – which illustrate potential long-term trajectories for energy storage technologies in a low-carbon energy system. - highlights: • Energy storage can play a significant role in a low carbon UK energy system. • Changes in the selection environment will impact its deployment. • Several different deployment pathways are possible. • Its precise role is still subject to considerable uncertainty

Increasing the reliability of power semiconductors using DAB-substrates; Steigerung der Zuverlaessigkeit von Leistungshalbleitern durch Verwendung von DAB-Substraten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grieger, F.; Lindemann, A. [Magdeburg Univ. (Germany); Boettge, B.; Klengel, S.; Petzold, M. [Fraunhofer IWM, Halle an der Saale (Germany)

2012-07-01

Besides power electronic loads, power electronic sources for decentralised generation have established in the grid. In the smart grid, the use of power electronics will even increase because of the introduction of more HVDC transmission lines and the necessity to control power flows. This paper deals with direct aluminium bonded (DAB) substrates which can serve as carriers of power electronic components with further increased reliability as desirable for long-term usage in the smart grid. (orig.)

Energy Mix in Central European Countries of the V4 Group: The Quest for Stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janicek, F.; Smitkova, M.; Kubica, J.

2010-01-01

The paper examines the development of the energy mix in the countries of the V4 region (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). Trends over the past two decades are summarised and critically examined but mainly possible energy scenarios by 2030 are presented and assessed. Based on existing scenarios for the V4 countries, the impacts are assessed of potential developments for various ratios between domestic and imported fossil fuels, nuclear sources and large and decentralised RES. The analysis spans the development in energy intensity of the national economies, structural changes in energy consumption in various areas such as the industry and households, tightening of environmental criteria and a reevaluation of the dependency on imports of primary energy sources with an outline of possible future development directions in power engineering in view of the liberalisation of energy markets.(author).

The world energy demand in 2005: confirmed increase in energy consumptions, despite soaring crude oil prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chateau, Bertrand

2006-01-01

The world energy demand growth remains strong: 2004 experienced the highest growth since 19987, and brent prices had moderate impact in 2005: Very strong rise of energy consumptions despite high oil prices, Economic situation still favorable, Evolutions principally due to China. 2005 world energy consumption: 11,4 Gtoe: Asia accounts for 35% of the world energy consumption, China's weight (15%) continues to increase by one point every year (+5 points since 2000). Asia increases its pressure on the world energy growth in 2005: China accounts for almost half of the world energy consumption increase in 2005, the whole Asia accounts for 70%; The European consumption growth represents less than 5% of China's Growth; The American energy consumption decreases for the first time. 2005 world consumption by energy: With an increasing market share by 0,7 points, coal penetration increases; The oil market has lost 0,4 point, with an accelerating relative decrease; The relative weight of gas remains stable, with 21%. Energy efficiency and energy intensity of GDP: Slow-down of the world energy intensity decrease since 2001, whereas the economic growth is faster, due to changes in trends in China (increase in the recent years). Increase less sharp in China in 2005 (price effect). Energy intensity trends of GDP: Fast decrease in CIS since the recovery of the economic growth; Slow-down of the decrease in EU since 2000 and recovery in 2005 whereas the decrease has accelerated in the USA. Since 2000, the energy consumption increases less rapidly than the GDP almost everywhere, except for the Middle East. Projections until 2020: China and India could represent one third of the world energy growth, the whole of Asia more than 50%; Growth prospects for energy demand are low in the EU and CIS; America would account for 20% of the world energy growth (8% USA); In the rest of the world, high growth in Africa and in the Middle East. Gas could cover more than 40% of the world energy

Increase in the number of distributed power generation installations in electricity distribution grids - Literature; Zunahme der dezentralen Energieerzeugungsanlagen in elektrischen Verteilnetzen: Literatur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gottsponer, O.; Mauchle, P.

2003-07-01

This is the tenth and last part of a final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on a project that looked into potential problems relating to the Swiss electricity distribution grid with respect to the increasing number of distributed power generation facilities being put into service. The identification of special conditions for the grid's operation and future development that take increasing decentralised power production into account are discussed. The results of the project activities encompass the analysis and evaluation of various problem areas associated with planning and management of the grid during normal operation and periods of malfunction, as well as required modifications to safety systems and grid configurations. This ninth appendix to the main report presents an overview and details of the literature and internet sources used in the project. Also, similar projects that discuss the problem area dealt with are briefly described. These include the Dispower, EDIson, DEMS, AMOEVES and ELSAD projects.

Risoe energy report 4: The future energy system - distributed production and use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, Hans; Soenderberg Petersen, L.

2005-10-01

The world is facing major challenges in providing energy services to meet the future needs of the developed world and the growing needs of developing countries. These challenges are exacerbated by the need to provide energy services with due respect to economic growth, sustainability and security of supply. Today, the world's energy system is based mainly on oil, gas and coal, which together supply around 80% of our primary energy. Only around 0.5% of primary energy comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Despite the rapid development of new energy technologies, the world will continue to depend on fossil fuels for several decades to come - and global primary energy demand is forecasted to grow by 60% between 2002 and 2030. The expected post Kyoto targets call for significant CO 2 reductions, increasing the demand to decouple the energy and transport systems from fossil fuels. There is a strong need for closer links between electricity, heat and other energy carriers, including links to the transport sector. On a national scale Denmark has three main characteristics. Firstly, it has a diverse and distributed energy system based on the power grid, the district heating grid and the natural gas grid. Secondly, renewable energy, especially wind power, plays an increasingly important role in the Danish energy system. Thirdly, Denmark's geographical location allows it to act as a buffer between the energy systems of the European continent and the Nordic countries. Energy systems can be made more robust by decentralising both power generation and control. Distributed generation (DG) is characterised by a variety of energy production technologies integrated into the electricity supply system, and the ability of different segments of the grid to operate autonomously. The use of a more distributed power generation system would be an important element in the protection of the consumers against power interruptions and blackouts, whether caused by

Analysis of the feasibility of inclusion of decentralised renewable electricity systems into a mandated market share mechanism for China. Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Linden, N.H.; Junfeng, L.; Keyun, D.; Martens, J.W.; Ramani, K.V.; Sicheng, W.; Shutian, W.; Tak, C. van der

2003-09-01

The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility provide assistance to the Government of China with the implementation of the renewable energy programme during the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans. To this end, the China Renewable Energy Scale-up Programme (CRESP) was set up. CRESP is managed by the Project Management Office (PMO), which is institutionally placed in the National Development and Planning Commission (NDRC). One of the first activities initiated by CRESP is the development of the institutional framework within which the Mandated Market System (MMS) policy for renewable energy can be introduced. An MMS policy is based on the requirement that a set amount (or proportion) of the electricity supply is produced from renewable energy sources. The obligation is placed at some point in the supply chain, which could range from production, through transmission to supply or consumption. Monitoring procedures are put in place to ensure that the obligation will be met. Environmental considerations are the main reason behind the intention to introduce an MMS in China but the government has also recognised the importance of (renewable) energy to achieving poverty objectives. Decentralised renewable electricity systems (DRES) have special relevance for rural poor communities that are unserved or underserved by centralised fossil fuel networks or utility electricity grids. DRES may offer a promising solution to meet demand for energy services of these communities in remote location, which cannot be reach by the electricity grid. The analysis in this study focused on mini-hydro (less than 10 kW), solar home systems and stand-alone wind turbines. The principal objective of the study is to analyse the feasibility of inclusion of DRES into the proposed MMS for China. Because DRES are often used in remote areas, which are difficult to reach, the costs of verifying these systems are prohibitive if the procedures are not sufficiently simple and efficient. Therefore

Analysis of the feasibility of inclusion of decentralised renewable electricity systems into a mandated market share mechanism for China. Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Linden, N.H.; Junfeng, L.; Keyun, D.; Martens, J.W.; Ramani, K.V.; Sicheng, W.; Shutian, W.; Tak, C. van der

2003-10-01

The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility provide assistance to the Government of China with the implementation of the renewable energy programme during the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans. To this end, the China Renewable Energy Scale-up Programme (CRESP) was set up. CRESP is managed by the Project Management Office (PMO), which is institutionally placed in the National Development and Planning Commission (NDRC). One of the first activities initiated by CRESP is the development of the institutional framework within which the Mandated Market System (MMS) policy for renewable energy can be introduced. An MMS policy is based on the requirement that a set amount (or proportion) of the electricity supply is produced from renewable energy sources. The obligation is placed at some point in the supply chain, which could range from production, through transmission to supply or consumption. Monitoring procedures are put in place to ensure that the obligation will be met. Environmental considerations are the main reason behind the intention to introduce an MMS in China but the government has also recognised the importance of (renewable) energy to achieving poverty objectives. Decentralised renewable electricity systems (DRES) have special relevance for rural poor communities that are unserved or underserved by centralised fossil fuel networks or utility electricity grids. DRES may offer a promising solution to meet demand for energy services of these communities in remote location, which cannot be reach by the electricity grid. The analysis in this study focused on mini-hydro (less than 10 kW), solar home systems and stand-alone wind turbines. The principal objective of the study is to analyse the feasibility of inclusion of DRES into the proposed MMS for China. Because DRES are often used in remote areas, which are difficult to reach, the costs of verifying these systems are prohibitive if the procedures are not sufficiently simple and efficient. Therefore

Optimal unit sizing of a hybrid renewable energy system for isolated applications; Optimalite des elements d'un systeme decentralise de production d'energie electrique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales, D

2006-07-15

In general, the methods used to conceive a renewable energy production system overestimate the size of the generating units. These methods increase the investment cost and the production cost of energy. The work presented in this thesis proposes a methodology to optimally size a renewable energy system.- This study shows that the classic approach based only on a long term analysis of system's behaviour is not sufficient and a complementary methodology based on a short term analysis is proposed. A numerical simulation was developed in which the mathematical models of the solar panel, the wind turbines and battery are integrated. The daily average solar energy per m2 is decomposed into a series of hourly I energy values using the Collares-Pereira equations. The time series analysis of the wind speed is made using the Monte Carlo Simulation Method. The second part of this thesis makes a detailed analysis of an isolated wind energy production system. The average energy produced by the system depends on the generator's rated power, the total swept area of the wind turbine, the gearbox's transformation ratio, the battery voltage and the wind speed probability function. The study proposes a methodology to determine the optimal matching between the rated power of the permanent magnet synchronous machine and the wind turbine's rotor size. This is made taking into account the average electrical energy produced over a period of time. (author)

Stirling Energy Module (SEM) as Micro-CHP; Stirling Energy Module (SEM) als Mini-BHKW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlegel, A.

2006-07-01

Since many years, a lot of effort is being put into the development of combined heat and power units (CHP) for the decentralised production of electric power. For long time, the main focus was on fuel cells. In the meantime, the Stirling technology, which is based upon classical mechanical engineering and innovative technical concepts, proceeded in its development as well. The following article describes the technology and the actual state of the development of the Stirling Energy Module (SEM) for the application as Micro-CHP in one-family-houses. SEM is based on a free-piston engine with a linear power generator, producing electric power while heating. The Stirling engine is planned the be introduced into the market as a replacement for the conventional heating systems within a couple of years. (author)

The optimal scheduling of decentralised co-generation plants in microgrids; Optimale Einsatzplanung von Kraft-Waerme-Kopplungsanlagen in Microgrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunkel, David [TU Dresden (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Energiewirtschaft; Hess, Tobias; Schegner, Peter [TU Dresden (Germany). Inst. fuer Elektrische Energieversorgung und Hochspannungstechnik

2011-07-01

The daily operational scheduling of decentralised unit is an important optimization task of power systems. This proceeding deals with planning of small scaled co-generation power units for district heating in a microgrid. This power system can be mathematically formulated and solved by an optimization algorithm. The solution process consists of a unit commitment and dispatch. The starting unit commitment is characterised by a mixed integer nonlinear problem defining the on-off-state of all units. Subsequently, the dispatch distributes the generation requirements to every committed unit considering thermal demand. The dispatching is based on a mixed integer linear problem. Additionally, it presents a way for flexible reducing the outage reserve related to the operational condition. The given microgrid operates in an islanding mode. The method can also be applied in a grid connected model considering the possible requirements of a grid operator. (orig.)

External determinants for the adoption of stationary fuel cells-Infrastructure and policy issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karger, Cornelia R.; Bongartz, Richard

2008-01-01

This paper investigates the relevance of external determinants for the adoption of stationary fuel cells (FCs) by different user groups with respect to the marketability of this innovative technology. FCs allow electricity and heat to be decentrally generated in an energy-efficient and potentially environmentally friendly manner. European energy policy is undertaking efforts to increase the proportion of combined heat and power (CHP) plants. A series of studies have spoken of their considerable market potential. A qualitative study was conducted with six focus groups consisting of 49 commercial users and six focus groups with 54 private consumers. The results of the study show that the specific infrastructure required for decentralisation and policy issues are highly relevant for the user adoption of FCs. Security of supply when energy generation is more strongly decentralised, reliable maintenance of the system, and clear political objectives are examples of factors that are considered essential prerequisites for the adoption of this technology

Emissions from decentralised CHP plants 2007 - Energinet.dk Environmental project no. 07/1882. Project report 5 - Emission factors and emission inventory for decentralised CHP production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nielsen, Malene; Nielsen, Ole-Kenneth; Thomsen, M.

2010-06-15

Updated emission factors for decentralised combined heat and power (CHP) plants with a capacity < 25MWe have been estimated based on project emission measurements as well as emission measurements performed in recent years that were collected. The emission factors valid for 2006/2007 have been estimated for the plant technologies: Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants, plants combusting straw or wood, natural gas fuelled reciprocating engines, biogas fuelled engines, natural gas fuelled gas turbines, gas oil fuelled reciprocating engines, gas oil fuelled gas turbines, steam turbines combusting residual oil and reciprocating engines combusting biomass producer gas based on wood. The emission factors for MSW incineration plants are much lower than the emission factors that were estimated for year 2000. The considerable reduction in the emission factors is a result of lower emission limit values in Danish legislation since 2006 that has lead to installation of new and improved flue gas cleaning systems in most MSW incineration plants. For CHP plants combusting wood or straw no major technical improvements have been implemented. The emission factors for natural gas fuelled reciprocating engines have been reduced since year 2000 as a result of technical improvements that have been carried out due to lower emission limit values in Danish legislation. The NO{sub x} emission factor for natural gas fuelled gas turbines has decreased 62 % since year 2000. This is a result of installation of low-NO{sub x} burners in almost all gas turbines that has been necessary to meet new emission limits in Danish legislation. The emission measurements programme included screening of the emissions of HCB, PCB, PCDD/-F and PBDD/-F. Compared to the Danish national emission decentralized CHP plants are major emission sources for CH{sub 4}, NO{sub x}, SO{sub 2}, heavy metals and HCB. (author)

Map of the portfolio of projects of energy efficiency and of renewable energies by the AFD group and the FFEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillaumie, Koulm; Briand, Claude; Ries, Alain

2007-09-01

The AFD (the French Agency for Development) and the FFEM (French Fund for World Environment) are involved in cooperation and partnership projects for the development of energy efficiency, notably, but not only, in developing and emerging countries. This report first proposes a classification of these projects according to a typology which comprises the concerned sectors (urban planning and housing, fuels, hydroelectricity and wind energy, electricity distribution, industries and services, transports and mobility, capacity building, multi-sector), the intervener (AFD, FFEM, and Proparco, an AFD's subsidy), the project evolution in time (number of projects, evolution of funding), the funding type (loan types, subsidy, credit line), and the geographical area. The second part discusses the conditions to start projects in energy management: legal framework, economic conditions, funding, social and environmental factors, and technical factors. Appendices propose a set of ten technical sheets which indicate and discuss conditions of success as well as obstacles for different types of projects: big dams, mini hydroelectric projects, wind energy, biomass/biogas co-generation, bio-fuels, decentralised rural electrification based on renewable energy projects, collective transports and energy efficiency in transports, development of partnerships and institutional support, multi-sector tools of investment, and carbon market

Reliability of the MODS assay decentralisation process in three health regions in Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, A.; Castillo, E.; Gamarra, N.; Huamán, T.; Perea, M.; Monroi, Y.; Salazar, R.; Coronel, J.; Acurio, M.; Obregón, G.; Roper, M.; Bonilla, C.; Asencios, L.; Moore, D. A. J.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE To deliver rapid isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP) drug susceptibility testing (DST) close to the patient, we designed a decentralisation process for the microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay in Peru and evaluated its reliability. METHODS After 2 weeks of training, laboratory staff processed ≥120 consecutive sputum samples each in three regional laboratories. Samples were processed in parallel with MODS testing at an expert laboratory. Blinded paired results were independently analysed by the Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) according to predetermined criteria: concordance for culture, DST against INH and RMP and diagnosis of multidrug-resistant t uberculosis (MDR-TB) ≥ 95%, McNemar's P > 0.05, kappa index (κ) ≥ 0.75 and contamination 1–4%. Sensitivity and specificity for MDR-TB were calculated. RESULTS The accreditation process for Callao (126 samples, 79.4% smear-positive), Lima Sur (n = 130, 84%) and Arequipa (n = 126, 80%) took respectively 94, 97 and 173 days. Pre-determined criteria in all regional laboratories were above expected values. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting MDR-TB in regional laboratories were >95%, except for sensitivity in Lima Sur, which was 91.7%. Contamination was 1.0–2.3%. Mean delay to positive MODS results was 9.9–12.9 days. CONCLUSION Technology transfer of MODS was reliable, effective and fast, enabling the INS to accredit regional laboratories swiftly. PMID:21219684

Harvesting energy: Place and local entrepreneurship in community-based renewable energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Süsser, Diana; Döring, Martin; Ratter, Beate M.W.

2017-01-01

Transition towards a renewable energy supply initiates a physical (re)shaping of places and a social transformation of communities into renewable energy communities. Although socio-cultural challenges of energy transition have been recognised (), understandings about socio-geographic places of energy transition and their underlying social processes and structures are insufficiently studied and often remain underestimated. To close this gap, we theoretically and empirically analysed the multifaceted interplay between place, local entrepreneurship and ‘community renewable energy’. Our study is based on an analysis of regional documents and policy reports, and on qualitative interviews undertaken with inhabitants in the case-study municipality of Reußenköge (Germany). Our findings reveal two important aspects: Firstly, people's individual and shared place meanings which materialised in social, physical, historical and climate-related place-attachments and meanings of contested and innovative place are important ingredients bearing an impact on processes of adopting or rejecting renewables. Secondly, differentiated characteristics of entrepreneurs, namely grounded, collaborative, innovative, change-making, economic, communicating, networking and political aspects, appeared to be relevant for the acceptance and support in community-based renewable energy projects. Our findings reveal that energy policies, funding schemes and administrative structures should recognise local socio-geographic important elements in the context of a sustained and decentralised energy transition. - Highlights: • Places are resources of experiences, creativity and innovation for community renewables. • Energy policies should recognise place-based approaches to grassroots community energy actions. • A located view of multifaceted entrepreneurship is relevant to support community renewable energy. • Supportive funding schemes should empower community-based concepts.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR ENERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perticas Diana

2012-07-01

Full Text Available During human society’s development on large geographical areas, a series of cultural systems have appeared and have determined a certain approach concerning the environment and social relations. These systems of thought persist even today and they are strongly influenced by individuals’ thinking and approaches in that society, thing that requires a specific approach for the implementation of these relatively new concepts (e.g. sustainable development, pollution, ecological approaches on social life. Furthermore, the continuous growth of the demand for energy in the world is seen as an alarm. Between 1970 and 1997 world energy consumption has almost doubled and it is projected to grow by about 57% during 2004-2030 and the thing which should be mentioned is that with the increasing energy demand, pollution levels will increase too. But we must not forget that electric and thermal power represent one of the basic needs of mankind, and when the fulfilment of this need started to affect the climate and implicitly human health this problem turned into a hardly manageable one. We must not forget that the world’s population is growing rapidly and the level of pollution per capita increased we might even say in direct proportion. In many cases, increased pollution has its explanation in the growing number of individuals at global level and also the increasing needs, desires, aspirations, standard of living, of these. This paper intends to objectively analyse the interconnections that arise between the environment and the growth of the demand for energy, emphasizing the devastating effects of pollution created by burning fossil fuels in order to obtain electric and thermal power as well as the current and future possibilities for the replacement of these energy reserves with renewable energy reserves. The whole analysis will be accompanied by case studies and will follow strictly imposed goals by sustainable development.

Government policies increasingly promote renewable energy sources : wood energy markets in the UNECE region, 2009-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Olle Olsson; Bengt Hillring; Rens Hartkamp; Kenneth Skog; Henry Spelter; Francisco Aguilar; Warren Mabee; Christopher Gaston; Antje Wahl

2010-01-01

Sustainability issues about wood fuels are increasingly being debated, but the European Union has decided not to impose EU-wide sustainability criteria for solid biomass. United Kingdom energy companies plan massive increases in their utilization of wood energy, further fuelling European demand for wood energy. In order to increase control of the value chain, European...

Households under the impression of the energy turnaround. Development of electricity demand and load profiles; Die Haushalte im Zeichen der Energiewende. Entwicklung der Stromnachfrage und Lastprofile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elsland, Rainer; Bossmann, Tobias; Gnann, Till; Wietschel, Martin [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer System- und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany); Hartel, Rupert; Fichtner, Wolf [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany). Inst. fuer Industriebetriebslehre und Industrielle Produktion (IIP)

2013-01-15

One of the central components of the energy turnaround is the improvement of energy efficiency. Households play a key role in this connection, not only due to their high potentials for saving energy and shifting loads, but also because of the growing importance of electricity as an energy carrier. This makes it interesting to explore how the continuing dissemination of efficient energy applications, electromobility and decentralised electricity production through photovoltaics will impact on load and electricity production profiles in the German household sector until the year 2040. The results show that with ambitious energy policy goals it will be possible to lower the electricity demand of households by 30%. However, this decrease could be more than undone by electromobility.

Energy: The consumption will increase in 50% until year 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The energetic consumption will increase about 30% until year 2010. The article presents forecasting of International Energy Agency. Analyzing costs, consumption and demand, the IEA studies the different energy. Sources and their development: Natural gas (big increasing), Natural energy (decreasing), Carbon (stability). Finally recommendations of IEA are presented

Increased Body Weight Reduces Voluntary Movement to Maintain Energy Expenditure of Rats Exposed to Increases in Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, C. E.; Moran, M. M.; Stein, T. P.; Sin, Sidney (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

With the increase in obesity related diseases there is heightened interest in mechanisms regulating body weight. To assess the influence of increases in body weight on energy expenditure and intake in rats we employed variable levels of gravity. Our approach afforded the means to measure interactions of energy expenditure and intake in response to increases in body weight (body mass x gravity level). We found a dose relationship between rapid elevation of body weight and reduction of voluntary movement, such that the energy requirements for activity are unchanged, and total energy expenditure and intake maintained. Reduction of movement appears to be a response to increased body weight, rather than a contributing factor, suggesting a new regulatory pathway.

International comparison of energy standards in the building area; Internationaler Vergleich von Energiestandards im Baubereich

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rieder, S.; Balthasar, A. [Institut fuer Politikstudien Interface GmbH, Lucerne (Switzerland); Eichhammer, W.; Reichert, J. [Fraunhofer-Institut Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany)

2005-07-01

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that examined the creation, implementation and effectiveness of energy standards in Switzerland and the four European countries Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. The results of the research, which was based on interviews, documents and the literature available, are presented and commented on. The authors are of the opinion that the development of energy-standards and regulations proved to be most difficult in Switzerland as a result of heavily decentralised legislation competencies. Developments in Europe are discussed. As far as the 'sharpness' of legislation is concerned, large differences can be found between the five countries looked at. The possible export of the Swiss 'MINERGIE' standard in other European countries is examined. Recommendations are made for the further development of energy standards.

Report on energy transition measured against innovation and decentralisation - National Assembly No. 1352 / Senate No. 838

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sido, Bruno; Le Deaut, Jean-Yves

2013-01-01

In its first part, this report analyses the effort-sharing for energy transition: legal and natural persons have different behaviours and expectations; the required funding is a burden for the economy; non-conventional hydrocarbons could be a possibility but this issue is highly uncertain. The second part addresses the support to innovation processes associated with energy transition: identification of deadlock points, identification of conditions to maintain innovation dynamics. The third part addresses the key role of local initiatives: overview and characteristics of local initiatives, impact on the energy system organization (relationship with smart grids, development of heat networks, and the technological challenge of energy storage). Several texts (hearings, speeches, debates) are provided in appendix

A new tailored scheme for the support of renewable energies in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moner-Girona, Magda

2009-01-01

Historically the promotion of renewable energy technologies in isolated areas has involved international donors or governments subsidising the initial capital investment. This paper proposes an alternative support mechanism for remote villages based on the generation of renewable electricity. This communication presents an evaluation of the Renewable Energy Premium Tariff (RPT) scheme, a locally adapted variation of the Feed-in Tariff tailored for decentralised grids of developing countries. The RPT scheme stimulates the deployment of renewable energy technologies by paying for renewable electricity generated. A good-quality performance is secured since the support is given based on the electricity produced by renewables, not for the initial capital investment. The mechanism has been designed to provide a cost-effective scheme for the introduction of renewable energy technologies to remote villages, to provide sustainable and affordable electricity to local users, to make renewable energy projects attractive to policy-makers, and concurrently decrease financial risk to attract private sector investment. (author)

Risoe energy report 4: The future energy system - distributed production and use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, Hans; Soenderberg Petersen, L.

2005-10-01

The world is facing major challenges in providing energy services to meet the future needs of the developed world and the growing needs of developing countries. These challenges are exacerbated by the need to provide energy services with due respect to economic growth, sustainability and security of supply. Today, the world's energy system is based mainly on oil, gas and coal, which together supply around 80% of our primary energy. Only around 0.5% of primary energy comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Despite the rapid development of new energy technologies, the world will continue to depend on fossil fuels for several decades to come - and global primary energy demand is forecasted to grow by 60% between 2002 and 2030. The expected post Kyoto targets call for significant CO{sub 2} reductions, increasing the demand to decouple the energy and transport systems from fossil fuels. There is a strong need for closer links between electricity, heat and other energy carriers, including links to the transport sector. On a national scale Denmark has three main characteristics. Firstly, it has a diverse and distributed energy system based on the power grid, the district heating grid and the natural gas grid. Secondly, renewable energy, especially wind power, plays an increasingly important role in the Danish energy system. Thirdly, Denmark's geographical location allows it to act as a buffer between the energy systems of the European continent and the Nordic countries. Energy systems can be made more robust by decentralising both power generation and control. Distributed generation (DG) is characterised by a variety of energy production technologies integrated into the electricity supply system, and the ability of different segments of the grid to operate autonomously. The use of a more distributed power generation system would be an important element in the protection of the consumers against power interruptions and blackouts, whether

Wind, hydro or mixed renewable energy source: Preference for electricity products when the share of renewable energy increases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yingkui; Solgaard, Hans Stubbe; Haider, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

While the share of renewable energy, especially wind power, increases in the energy mix, the risk of temporary energy shortage increases as well. Thus, it is important to understand consumers' preference for the renewable energy towards the continuous growing renewable energy society. We use a discrete choice experiment to infer consumers' preferences when the share of renewable energy increases. The study results indicate that consumers are generally willing to pay extra for an increasing share of renewable energy, but the renewable energy should come from a mixture of renewable energy sources. We also found that consumers prefer to trade with their current supplier rather than another well-known supplier. This study contributes to the energy portfolio theories and the theory of energy diversification in a consumer perspective. The managerial implications of this study are also discussed. - Highlights: • This paper investigates consumer preference for electricity when the share of renewable energy increases in the energy mix. • A total of 7084 choice sets were completed in the survey. • Consumer prefers a high percentage of mixed renewable energy at an affordable price level when the share of renewable increases. • Current electricity supplier was found to be the most favorable supplier for consumers. • Results had implications on energy regulators/policy makers, electricity retailers and renewable energy investors.

Local sharing of cogeneration energy through individually prioritized controls for increased on-site energy utilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirvonen, Janne; Kayo, Genku; Hasan, Ala; Sirén, Kai

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Sharing of surplus heat and electricity produced by CHP plants in different types of buildings. • Individually prioritized control of CHP plants with direct local sharing and minimal storage capacity. • Energy sharing reduced primary energy consumption by 1–9% with biogas. • Excess energy minimized by thermal tracking. - Abstract: All over the world, including Japan, there are targets to decrease building energy consumption and increase renewable energy utilization. Combined heat and power (CHP) plants increase energy efficiency and are becoming popular in Japan. CHP plants produce both heat and power simultaneously, but there is not always a need for both. A cluster of several different buildings can increase total efficiency and reduce primary energy (PE) consumption by sharing excess heat and electricity between neighboring buildings. If the generated energy comes from renewable sources, energy sharing makes it easier to reach the net zero energy balance. By adjusting CHP sizes and operation patterns, the wasted heat and primary energy consumption can be minimized. Energy sharing has been explored in situations with identical buildings and centrally administered energy systems before, but not with different building types with separate systems. In this study, a cluster of Japanese office and residential buildings were combined to allow heat and electricity sharing based on cogeneration, using individually prioritized control (IPC) systems. TRNSYS simulation was used to match energy generation with pregenerated demand profiles. Absorption cooling was utilized to increase the benefits of local heat generation. Different CHP operation modes and plant sizes were tested. The benefit of surplus energy sharing depends on the CHP capacities and the fuel type. When using biogas, larger CHP plants provided lower total primary energy consumption, in the most extreme case lowering it by 71%, compared to the conventional case. Using natural gas

New concepts for organic Rankine cycle power systems

OpenAIRE

Casati, E.I.M.

2014-01-01

Energy provision is one of the major challenges for the Human Society, and it is increasingly clear that the current production/consumption model is not sustainable. The envisaged energy system is smarter, more decentralised and integrated. Energy conversion systems based on the organic Rankine thermodynamic cycle (ORC) have the potential to play a major role in this framework, being one of the most proven solutions for the exploitation of external thermal sources in the power-output range fr...

'Sauvons le Climat' presents its '15 proposals of the National debate on energy transition'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This document presents the background, meaning and objectives of the 15 proposals made by 'Sauvons le Climat' (Save the Climate) within the French national debate on energy transition. These proposals are: a transition which gives an orientation on the long term and complies with France commitments; a transition by all and for all; priority to the struggle against energy poverty; integration of energy efficiency and sobriety in the growth model; to bring the whole built environment at a high level of thermal performance by 2030; for a sustainable mobility; energy transition as a competitiveness lever for France; energy transition as booster for rural world revival; a valorisation of French values and strengths; a resilient, diversified, balanced and competitive energy mix, marked by a development of renewable energies; to massively attract and orient investors towards energy transition; to strengthen local abilities in order to ease the decentralisation of the implementation of energy transition; to develop jobs, anticipate, prepare and be successful in professional transitions; a more ambitious and better coordinated European policy; to conduct and adapt energy transition

Environmental implications of increased biomass energy use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miles, T.R. Sr.; Miles, T.R. Jr. (Miles (Thomas R.), Portland, OR (United States))

1992-03-01

This study reviews the environmental implications of continued and increased use of biomass for energy to determine what concerns have been and need to be addressed and to establish some guidelines for developing future resources and technologies. Although renewable biomass energy is perceived as environmentally desirable compared with fossil fuels, the environmental impact of increased biomass use needs to be identified and recognized. Industries and utilities evaluating the potential to convert biomass to heat, electricity, and transportation fuels must consider whether the resource is reliable and abundant, and whether biomass production and conversion is environmentally preferred. A broad range of studies and events in the United States were reviewed to assess the inventory of forest, agricultural, and urban biomass fuels; characterize biomass fuel types, their occurrence, and their suitability; describe regulatory and environmental effects on the availability and use of biomass for energy; and identify areas for further study. The following sections address resource, environmental, and policy needs. Several specific actions are recommended for utilities, nonutility power generators, and public agencies.

Geographic Information Systems for the Regional Integration of Renewable Energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amador Guerra, J.; Dominguez Bravo, J.

2000-01-01

This report is based on the project: The GIS in the regional integration of Renewable Energies for decentralised electricity production; developed by CIEMAT (Spanish Energy Research Centre) and UPM (Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain) since 1997. The objective of this project is to analyse, evaluate and improve the GIS methodologies for application in RE and how GIS can aid in the evaluation and simulation of influence of technical, socio economical and geographical parameters. This project begin with the review of SOLARGIS methodology. SOLARGIS was developed by an european research team (included CIEMAT) in the frame of JOULE II Programme. In the first place this report described the state of the art in the application of GIS to Renewable Energies. In second place, the SOLARGIS review tasks and the application of this new product to Lorca (Murcia Region in Spain). Finally, the report describes the methodology for the spatial sensibility analysis. (Author) 24 refs

Low-energy proton increases associated with interplanetary shock waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmeira, R. A. R.; Allum, F. R.; Rao, U. R.

1971-01-01

Impulsive increases in the low energy proton flux observed by the Explorer 34 satellite, in very close time association with geomagnetic storm sudden commencements are described. It is shown that these events are of short duration (20-30 min) and occur only during the decay phase of a solar cosmic-ray flare event. The differential energy spectrum and the angular distribution of the direction of arrival of the particles are discussed. Two similar increases observed far away from the earth by the Pioneer 7 and 8 deep-space probes are also presented. These impulsive increases are compared with Energetic Storm Particle events and their similarities and differences are discussed. A model is suggested to explain these increases, based on the sweeping and trapping of low energy cosmic rays of solar origin by the advancing shock front responsible for the sudden commencement detected on the earth.

Turning energy around: an interactive exhibition experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Kellberg

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A transition from the fossil-fuel driven to a sustainable energy system is an enormous global challenge: climate change and finite resources require countries all over the world to change their way of producing, transporting and using energy. The Energiewende (energy transition will require major changes in the current energy supply system in Germany – but also worldwide. These changes will not only affect the technical sector but will also include ecological questions, social issues and political matters. Whether any transition is going to favour large scale solutions or decentralised technologies depends on local situations and global interconnections, and above all on a democratic process. Hence energy transition succeeds or fails with the acceptance and participation of society. To deal with this overwhelmingly complex topic and its multi-layered dependencies, the Deutsches Museum has designed an exhibition providing visitors with background knowledge about the necessities and challenges of energy transition, unpicking the links between the different technical, economic and social challenges. The exhibition accomplishes the task with an engaging and facilitating approach while taking into account the highly emotive aspects of energy transition as a societal issue. This paper presents the concept of the travelling exhibition energie.wenden, relating it to the Deutsches Museum´s tradition of exhibitions as well as to the challenge of how to deal with socio-scientific topics in scientific exhibitions.

A regional-scale assessment of local renewable energy resources in Cumbria, UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gormally, A.M.; Whyatt, J.D.; Timmis, R.J.; Pooley, C.G.

2012-01-01

There is increasing focus on the role small-scale decentralised renewable energy developments could play in helping the UK meet its target of over 15% renewable energy by the year 2020 and alter energy behaviours through active community engagement. Upland areas are considered key areas where such community-based developments could occur due to their natural resources and range of community scales. This study uses GIS-based techniques to develop a methodology that assesses the regional-scale potential for community-based renewable electricity across Cumbria and whether a combination of these developments at the community-scale could make a significant contribution to local electricity consumption. This methodology looks at a range of technologies including hydro-power, wind-power, solar PV and bioenergy. The results suggest there is ample resource available for small communities by combining a mix of localised renewable electricity developments, which is highlighted through energy scenarios for a selected community. Further work will investigate whether this potential can be realised in reality by looking at resource resilience and community-level acceptability. - Highlights: ► A mix of wind, solar, bioenergy and hydro-power options are presented for Cumbria, UK. ► High resolution spatial analysis is conducted focussing on localised developments. ► Locations with sufficient renewable electricity potential were identified. ► Renewable options are explored further through a town case study. ► Scenarios consider different scales, mixes and contributions to local energy demand.

Energy policies for increased industrial energy efficiency: Evaluation of a local energy programme for manufacturing SMEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thollander, Patrik; Danestig, Maria; Rohdin, Patrik

2007-01-01

The most extensive action targeting the adoption of energy efficiency measures in small- and medium-sized manufacturing industries in Sweden over the past 15 years was project Highland. This paper presents an evaluation of the first part of this local industrial energy programme, which shows an adoption rate of more than 40% when both measures that have already been implemented and measures that are planned to be implemented are included. A comparison between this programme and another major ongoing programme for the Swedish energy-intensive industry indicates that the approach used in project Highland aimed at small- and medium-sized industries is an effective way to increase energy efficiency in the Swedish industry. The major barriers to energy efficiency among the firms were related to the low priority of the energy efficiency issue

The dependency on central government funding of decentralised health systems: experiences of the challenges and coping strategies in the Kongwa District, Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Frumence, Gasto; Nyamhanga, Tumaini; Mwangu, Mughwira; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2014-01-25

Decentralised health systems in Tanzania depend largely on funding from the central government to run health services. Experience has shown that central funding in a decentralised system is not an appropriate approach to ensure the effective and efficient performance of local authorities due to several limitations. One of the limitations is that funds from the central government are not disbursed on a timely basis, which in turn, leads to the serious problem of shortage of financial resources for Council Health Management Teams (CHMT). This paper examines how dependency on central government funding in Tanzania affects health activities in Kongwa district council and the strategies used by the CHMT cope with the situation. The study adopted a qualitative approach and data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. One district in the central region of Tanzania was strategically selected. Ten key informants involved in the management of health service delivery at the district level were interviewed and one focus group discussion was held, which consisted of members of the council health management team. The data generated were analysed for themes and patterns. The results showed that late disbursement of funds interrupts the implementation of health activities in the district health system. This situation delays the implementation of some activities, while a few activities may not be implemented at all. However, based on their prior knowledge of the anticipated delays in financial disbursements, the council health management team has adopted three main strategies to cope with this situation. These include obtaining supplies and other services on credit, borrowing money from other projects in the council, and using money generated from cost sharing. Local government authorities (LGAs) face delays in the disbursement of funds from the central government. This has necessitated introduction of informal coping strategies to deal with the

Increase of internal energy due to measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daboul, J.

1991-01-01

We argue that the internal energy E=(H) of a macroscopic system in thermal equilibrium must increase, if we measure an observable A which does not commute with the Hamiltonian H. We derive an expression for calculating a lower bound for this increase in E. We then generalize the above result, and show that under certain conditions the expectation value (C) of an observable C should increase by the measurement of another observable A, if A and C do not commute. (author)

Treatment wetlands in decentralised approaches for linking sanitation to energy and food security.

Science.gov (United States)

Langergraber, Guenter; Masi, Fabio

2018-02-01

Treatment wetlands (TWs) are engineered systems that mimic the processes in natural wetlands with the purpose of treating contaminated water. Being a simple and robust technology, TWs are applied worldwide to treat various types of water. Besides treated water for reuse, TWs can be used in resources-oriented sanitation systems for recovering nutrients and carbon, as well as for growing biomass for energy production. Additionally, TWs provide a large number of ecosystem services. Integrating green infrastructure into urban developments can thus facilitate circular economy approaches and has positive impacts on environment, economy and health.

Special file on the storage of energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Signoret, Stephane; Kim, Caroline; Bohlinger, Philippe; Petitot, Pauline; Mary, Olivier; Guilhem, Jean

2017-01-01

After brief presentations of current research and industrial activities, a first article comments the new impetus of storage technologies and projects due to regulatory and legal evolutions associated with the French law on energy transition. Self-consumption and flexibility systems in distribution networks are practical factors of this evolution. Benefits provided by energy storage are notably outlined. The next articles present several examples: a decentralised heat storage in Brest, a flywheel plant by Levisys. An article then discusses the technological and commercial aspects of the battle in this sector for the French majors (EDF, Engie, Total). An article comments the emergence and development of a range of solutions for energy storage in case of self-consumption. The next article briefly presents the Elsa project (financed by the EU) which gives a second life to electric vehicle batteries by developing an energy storage and control solution for professionals. A system developed by French researchers is briefly presented: it aims at producing electricity, at storing it, and at using it to supply isolated autonomous systems. The idea developed in a published study is then discussed: to use electric vehicle batteries to store the intermittent energy produced by renewable sources. The last article comments the integration by Enedis of intelligent devices into the grid

100 pc renewable energies: the last obstacles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claustre, Raphael; Bringault, Anne; Mery, Jane; Regnier, Yannick; Leca, Christel; Jedliczka, Marc; Houssard, Pascal; Gaboriau, Denis

2015-01-01

As some countries or territories have set a target of 100 pc of renewable energies by 2015, a first article discusses the different components of a scenario corresponding to this objective: reduction of primary energy consumption, sobriety, efficiency, electricity and heat production, mobility, development of exchanges and solidarities between territories, new roles for the different actors. A second article briefly presents the situation of different cities and territories in terms of production of renewable energies and of energy savings (Vancouver, Costa Rica, Canaries Islands, the region of Thouars in France, Denmark, Frankfurt, and Bangladesh). Two persons belonging either to a company or to a public body, both committed in energy efficiency issues, give their opinion on issues of governance and innovation. The next article outlines that, despite the content of the law on energy transition, there is still much to be done to develop the empowerment of local communities or, in other words, to introduce an energetic decentralisation. A researcher then outlines the need to introduce a strong tax system in relationship with carbon emission to support the development of renewable energies. An article then describes the example of the Vendee district which has been developing since 2012 an infrastructure of charging points for electric vehicles. The last article outlines the role of training organisations which will have to adapt themselves to new professions in various sectors

Increasing efficiency through integrated energy data management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brack, M.

2002-01-01

This article discusses how improved management of energy data can bring about the increase in efficiency that is necessary for an electricity enterprise operating in a liberalised electricity market. The relevant technical and business processes involved for a typical power distribution utility are described. The present situation is reviewed and the various physical, data-logistics and commercial 'domains' involved are examined. Possible solutions for energy data logistics and integrated data management are discussed from the points of view of the operating utility, the power supplier and those responsible for balancing out supply and demand

Two novel techniques for increasing energy efficiency of photovoltaic-battery systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fathabadi, Hassan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Two novel techniques for increasing the energy efficiency of PV-battery systems. • Practically, 27% increase in the energy efficiency of PV-battery systems. • Novel proposed DC/PWM inverter for substituting conventional primary DC/DC converters. • Presenting theoretical, simulation & experimental results to verify the above claims. - Abstract: A photovoltaic (PV)-battery power source consists of a PV panel, a primary DC/DC converter, and a battery or a batteries bank. It is generally used to provide electric energy for local consumers such as buildings. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) schemes cannot be applied to it because the PV panel output current is only determined by the state of charge (SOC) of the battery. In this study, two novel techniques are proposed to increase the energy efficiency of PV-battery power sources. Replacing the primary DC/DC converter with a novel proposed DC/PWM inverter, and decomposing the PV panel into a set of parallel homogenous configured PV modules are the two proposed techniques. It is shown that the implementation of each technique effectively increases the energy efficiency of PV-battery power sources. The two techniques are combined to each other to implement a new PV-battery power source. It is proved that the energy efficiency of the new version is significantly more than conventional version. Simulated results performed in MATLAB/Proteus 6 verify an increase of 29% in the energy efficiency. Four PV-battery power sources have been built, and comparative experimental results are presented that verify an increase of 27% in the energy efficiency.

Southern African Power Pool: Planning and Prospects for Renewable Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miketa, Asami [IRENA, Bonn (Germany); Merven, Bruno [Energy Research Centre, Univ. of Cape Town (South Africa)

2013-06-25

With the energy systems of many African countries dominated by fossil-fuel sources that are vulnerable to global price volatility, regional and intra-continental power systems with high shares of renewable energy can provide least-cost option to support continued economic growth and address the continent’s acute energy access problem. Unlocking Africa’s huge renewable energy potential could help to take many people out of poverty, while ensuring the uptake of sustainable technologies for the continent’s long-term development. The report examines the ''renewable scenario'' based on a modelling tool developed by IRENA and tested in cooperation with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Initial results from the System Planning and Test (SPLAT) model show that the share of renewable technologies in Southern Africa could increase from the current 10% to as much as 46% in 2030, with 20% of decentralised capacity coming from renewable sources and nearly 80% of the envisaged capacity additions between 2010 and 2030 being provided by renewable energy technologies. Deployment and export of hydropower from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Inga hydropower project to the SADC region would significantly reduce average electricity generation costs. Analysis using SPLAT – along with a similar model developed for West Africa – can provide valuable input for regional dialogue and energy projects such as the East and Southern Africa Clean Energy Corridor and the Programme for Infrastructure and Development in Africa (PIDA). IRENA, together with partner organisations, has started plans to set up capacity building and development support for energy system modelling and planning for greater integration of renewables in Africa. IRENA is also completing a similar model and study for East Africa and intends to extend this work to Central and North Africa.

Increasing RES Penetration and Security of Energy Supply by Use of Energy Storages and Heat Pumps in Croatian Energy System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krajačić, Goran; Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Duić, Neven

2010-01-01

electricity, heat and transport demands, and including renewable energy, power plants, and combined heat and power production (CHP) for district heating. Using the 2007 energy system the wind power share is increased by two energy storage options: Pumped hydro and heat pumps in combination with heat storages....... The results show that such options can enable an increased penetration of wind power. Using pumped hydro storage (PHS) may increase wind power penetration from 0.5 TWh, for existing PHS installations and up to 6 TWh for very large installations. Using large heat pumps and heat storages in combination...... with specific regulation of power system could additionally increase wind penetration for 0.37 TWh. Hence, with the current technologies installed in the Croatian energy system the installed pumped hydro-plant may facilitate more than 10% wind power in the electricity system. Large-scale integration of wind...

Protein energy malnutrition increases arginase activity in monocytes and macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Corware, Karina; Yardley, Vanessa; Mack, Christopher; Schuster, Steffen; Al-Hassi, Hafid; Herath, Shanthi; Bergin, Philip; Modolell, Manuel; Munder, Markus; Müller, Ingrid; Kropf, Pascale

2014-01-01

Protein energy malnutrition is commonly associated with immune dysfunctions and is a major factor in susceptibility to infectious diseases. In this study, we evaluated the impact of protein energy malnutrition on the capacity of monocytes and macrophages to upregulate arginase, an enzyme associated with immunosuppression and increased pathogen replication. Our results show that monocytes and macrophages are significantly increased in the bone marrow and blood of mice fed on a protein low diet. No alteration in the capacity of bone marrow derived macrophages isolated from malnourished mice to phagocytose particles, to produce the microbicidal molecule nitric oxide and to kill intracellular Leishmania parasites was detected. However, macrophages and monocytes from malnourished mice express significantly more arginase both in vitro and in vivo. Using an experimental model of visceral leishmaniasis, we show that following protein energy malnutrition, the increased parasite burden measured in the spleen of these mice coincided with increased arginase activity and that macrophages provide a more permissive environment for parasite growth. Taken together, these results identify a novel mechanism in protein energy malnutrition that might contributes to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases by upregulating arginase activity in myeloid cells.

Smart grids, demand-side management and decentralised electricity production: Mounting a national R and D programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

of investment RTE, ERDF and EDF-R and D dispose of teams that can identify future R and D needs, pilot and conduct research, and integrate the results, often obtained in collaboration with other parties, in innovative demonstration projects set up by operators. This is no longer the case for many of their European counterparts where research teams have shrunk to a minimum, following cost-cutting decisions and 'rationalisation' of grid activities (decisions made on the basis of short-term business policies, often encouraged by regulators 3). These encouraging observations notwithstanding, transmission and distribution grid operators in France consider that they must acquire further knowledge pertaining to the sizing and operation of electricity networks. Five policy options underlie this vision extending to 2020, a vision aimed at validating new directions for the evolution of these networks: 1 - Strengthen the capacity of the transmission grid to integrate an energy bouquet that complies with European commitments for de-carbonising electricity generation, via the development of renewable energy, 2 - Make the distribution grid flexible and reliable enough to meet the consumer demand and the requirements of energy service vendors, 3 - Coordinate interaction between transmission operators and distributors so as to reinforce the reliability of the grid in France, optimise its energy performance and contribute to building the single electricity market in Europe, 4 - Encourage electricity demand management as an additional source of supply and economic competitiveness, 5 - Expand decentralised generation, particularly to help further reduce energy demand in commercial and residential buildings

Advanced Nano-Composites for Increased Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-05-01

This factsheet describes a research project whose goal is to increase energy efficiency and operating lifetime of wear-intensive industrial components and systems by developing and commercializing a family of ceramic-based monolithic composites that have shown remarkable resistance to wear in laboratory tests.

One year of Smart Country. Tried and tested solutions for rural electricity grids; Ein Jahr Smart Country. Erprobte Loesungen fuer das laendliche Verteilnetz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hammerschmidt, Torsten; Gaul, Armin [RWE Deutschland AG, Essen (Germany); Rehtanz, Christian [Technische Univ. Dortmund (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Energiesysteme und Energiewirtschaft

2012-09-15

When the project started in mid-June 2009 the ''energy turnaround'' had not been invented yet. Today it is a generic catchword which stands for the dynamic growth of decentralised energy production with the goal of creating a CO{sub 2}-neutral electricity supply system based on renewable energies. The goal of Smart Country is to develop an electricity transmission system to match. Specifically, it aims to ensure that the rising requirements on rural transmission grids resulting from the increase in electricity production from renewable energies are met.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sssa

probable effects of decentralisation on the two elements of the rule of law to which I referred above: ... Decentralisation will probably increase efficiency and the central power will ...... Most of the ethnically motivated crimes committed in Burundi.

Energy price increases and economic development in Malaysia.

OpenAIRE

Fong CO

1984-01-01

ILO pub-WEP pub. Working paper on the impact of higher energy costs (particularly petroleum price increases) on economic development in Malaysia, 1973 to 1983 - outlines trends in gross domestic product, balance of payments, trade and economic growth; considers household income and fuel expenditure of low income rural communitys; deals with choice of technology and employment in certain high power consumption industries; discusses energy policy implications. Graphs, maps, questionnaires, refe...

The unintended energy impacts of increased nitrate contamination from biofuels production.

Science.gov (United States)

Twomey, Kelly M; Stillwell, Ashlynn S; Webber, Michael E

2010-01-01

Increases in corn cultivation for biofuels production, due to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, are likely to lead to increases in nitrate concentrations in both surface and groundwater resources in the United States. These increases might trigger the requirement for additional energy consumption for water treatment to remove the nitrates. While these increasing concentrations of nitrate might pose a human health concern, most water resources were found to be within current maximum contaminant level (MCL) limits of 10 mg L(-1) NO(3)-N. When water resources exceed this MCL, energy-intensive drinking water treatment is required to reduce nitrate levels below 10 mg L(-1). Based on prior estimates of water supplies currently exceeding the nitrate MCL, we calculate that advanced drinking water treatment might require an additional 2360 million kWh annually (for nitrate affected areas only)--a 2100% increase in energy requirements for water treatment in those same areas--to mitigate nitrate contamination and meet the MCL requirement. We predict that projected increases in nitrate contamination in water may impact the energy consumed in the water treatment sector, because of the convergence of several related trends: (1) increasing cornstarch-based ethanol production, (2) increasing nutrient loading in surface water and groundwater resources as a consequence of increased corn-based ethanol production, (3) additional drinking water sources that exceed the MCL for nitrate, and (4) potentially more stringent drinking water standards for nitrate.

International spillover and rebound effects from increased energy efficiency in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koesler, Simon; Swales, Kim; Turner, Karen

2016-01-01

The pollution/energy leakage literature raises the concern that policies implemented in one country, such as a carbon tax or tight energy restrictions, might simply result in the reallocation of energy use to other countries. This paper addresses these concerns in the context of policies to increase energy efficiency, rather than direct action to reduce energy use. Using a global CGE simulation model, we extend the analyses of ‘economy-wide’ rebound from the national focus of previous studies to incorporate international spill-over effects from trade in goods and services. Our focus is to investigate whether these effects have the potential to increase or reduce the overall (global) rebound of local energy efficiency improvements. In the case we consider, increased energy efficiency in German production generates changes in comparative advantage that produce negative leakage effects, thereby actually rendering global rebound less than national rebound. - Highlights: • Offers first CGE analysis of full global spill-over effects of energy efficiency • Derives rebound definitions at sector, all industry, economy-wide and global levels • Extends understanding of how rebound extends from industry to global economy levels • Shows that changes in comparative advantage may constrain global rebound effects

Playing active video games increases energy expenditure in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Graf, Diana L; Pratt, Lauren V; Hester, Casey N; Short, Kevin R

2009-08-01

To compare energy expenditure rates in children playing the physically active video games, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Nintendo's Wii Sports in relation to treadmill walking. Energy expenditure, heart rate, step rate, and perceived exertion were measured in 14 boys and 9 girls (ages 10-13 years; BMI at 3-98th percentile for age and gender) while watching television at rest, playing DDR at 2 skill levels, playing Wii bowling and boxing, and walking at 2.6, 4.2, and 5.7 km/h. Arterial elasticity was measured at rest and immediately after gaming. Compared with watching television, energy expenditure while gaming or walking increased 2- to 3-fold. Similarly, high rates of energy expenditure, heart rate, and perceived exertion were elicited from playing Wii boxing, DDR level 2, or walking at 5.7 km/h. This occurred despite variations in step rate among activities, reflecting greater use of upper body during Wii play (lowest step rate) than during walking (highest step rate) or DDR play. Wii bowling and beginner level DDR elicited a 2-fold increase in energy expenditure compared to television watching. Large-artery elasticity declined immediately after both DDR and Wii. The change was inversely related to the increment in energy expenditure above rest achieved during the activity. Energy expenditure during active video game play is comparable to moderate-intensity walking. Thus, for children who spend considerable time playing electronic screen games for entertainment, physically active games seem to be a safe, fun, and valuable means of promoting energy expenditure.

Energy supply for African populations not connected to the grid: diagnosis, solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Gromard, Christian; Louvel, Roland

2015-11-01

As the supply of domestic fuels in cities and electrification of rural or suburban areas are the poor relations in energy policies of developing countries, the author first proposes a diagnosis of these both issues. He proposes an overview of the historical evolution by discussing the effects of demographic growth and economic and financial crisis. He analyses some characteristics of the concerned population: geographical distribution, energy sources, interaction between urban and rural areas. He highlights the importance and challenges of the off-network energy supply: demographic, economic, social, environmental, and climatic aspects. In the second part, the authors addresses possible solutions by distinguishing biomass (for domestic, craftsmanship and small industry applications) and electrification (for public lighting, television, telephony, and low power motorization). Thus, he first addresses issues related to biomass and some other fuels: management and growth of wood fire production and improvement of its exploitation, measures for biomass saving, energy sources of substitution such as gas. Then, he discusses the possibilities and perspectives of rural centralised and decentralised electrification

Dutch dilemmas: Decentralization, school autonomy and professionalization of teachers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sleegers, P.; Wesselingh, A.

1995-01-01

The policy of decentralisation of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is aimed at increasing the autonomy of schools. This policy is also considered an appropriate strategy for the revitalisation of the teaching profession. Decentralisation, school autonomy and professionalisation

MINDFULNESS – MAY DIMINISH STRESS AND INCREASE ENERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andronicus TORP

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Mindfulness is increasingly being applied in companies as a means to increase, among others, employee wellbeing and energy, and in the same time to diminish stress. This paper argues that there seems to be scientific evidence showing that certain mindfulness techniques may diminish stress and increase energy, yet it seems that there is a period in the beginning of the mindfulness practice where the techniques have the opposite effects. These findings seem to be contradictory to past findings, which indicated that only two thirds of people practicing mindfulness techniques have positive effects from that practice. It may be that everybody can have positive effects from the practice of the mentioned techniques, just that some need to practice for a longer period before obtaining these positive effects. Further scientific studies seem to be needed in order to clarify the full spectrum of effects and consequences of practicing different mindfulness techniques, and just as important, if these effects are valid for everybody.

Centralised and distributed electricity systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouffard, Francois; Kirschen, Daniel S.

2008-01-01

Because of their high level of integration, centralised energy supply systems are vulnerable to disturbances in the supply chain. In the case of electricity especially, this supply paradigm is losing some of its appeal. Apart from vulnerability, a number of further aggravating factors are reducing its attractiveness. They include the depletion of fossil fuels and their climate change impact, the insecurities affecting energy transportation infrastructure, and the desire of investors to minimise risks through the deployment of smaller-scale, modular generation and transmission systems. Small-scale decentralised systems, where energy production and consumption are usually tightly coupled, are emerging as a viable alternative. They are less dependent upon centralised energy supply, and can sometimes use more than one energy source. They are less sensitive to the uncertain availability of remote primary energy and transportation networks. In addition, the close connection between energy generation and use makes decentralised systems cleaner because they are most often based on renewable energies or on high-efficiency fossil fuel-based technologies such as combined heat and power (CHP). Fully decentralised energy supply is not currently possible or even truly desirable. The secure and clean energy systems of the future will be those flexible enough to allow for a spectrum of hybrid modes of operation and investment, combining the best attributes of both paradigms. A large part of this flexibility will come from the networks that make it possible to combine these two types of infrastructures and obtain the benefits of both approaches

Do Management and Leadership Practices in the Context of Decentralisation Influence Performance of Community Health Fund? Evidence From Iramba and Iringa Districts in Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Chakupewa; Maluka, Stephen Oswald

2016-09-26

In early 1990s, Tanzania like other African countries, adopted health sector reform (HSR). The most strongly held centralisation system that informed the nature of services provision including health was, thus, disintegrated giving rise to decentralisation system. It was within the realm of HSR process, user fees were introduced in the health sector. Along with user fees, various types of health insurances, including the Community Health Fund (CHF), were introduced. While the country's level of enrolment in the CHF is low, there are marked variations among districts. This paper highlights the role of decentralised health management and leadership practices in the uptake of the CHF in Tanzania. A comparative exploratory case study of high and low performing districts was carried out. In-depth interviews were conducted with the members of the Council Health Service Board (CHSB), Council Health Management Team (CHMT), Health Facility Committees (HFCs), in-charges of health facilities, healthcare providers, and Community Development Officers (CDOs). Minutes of the meetings of the committees and district annual health plans and district annual implementation reports were also used to verify and triangulate the data. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the collected data. We employed both inductive and deductive (mixed coding) to arrive to the themes. There were no differences in the level of education and experience of the district health managers in the two study districts. Almost all district health managers responsible for the management of the CHF had attended some training on management and leadership. However, there were variations in the personal initiatives of the top-district health leaders, particularly the district health managers, the council health services board and local government officials. Similarly, there were differences in the supervision mechanisms, and incentives available for the health providers, HFCs and board members in the two study

Collaboration: key to DE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, Paula

2012-01-01

The Institute of Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, recently presented a roadmap showing how to cut power bills and reduce greenhouse emissions in the electricity. The CSIRO-led iGrid Research Cluster (under the ISF directorship) found the lowest-cost deployment of decentralised energy (DE) could achieve savings of more than $2.8 billion per annum by 2020 and cut 4.5 per cent of electricity sector carbon emissions compared to 'business as usual'. The report - Think small: The Australian Decentralised Energy Roadmap - also shows that energy efficiency and industrial cogeneration combined have the potential to provide up to 60 TWh of additional supply at lower cost than expanding centralised supply.

Requirements and operation of decentralised power plants in the changing power market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoenings, Norbert; Hornig, Niels; Steinbach, Sebastian

2014-01-01

E.ON plans and realises distributed industrial power plants on the basis of contracting schemes. Target is to reduce energy costs without investment by the customer himself. Gas turbine CHP plants are very flexible and offer many possibilities for the operator to adjust optimally to a constantly changing energy market. This aspect is becoming increasingly important due to the increasing share of renewables. However, the economic situation for CHP plants has deteriorated significantly, due to the current market situation distorted by the subsidised renewable power generation. (orig.)

Study of the potential of energy storage - Investigation report - Synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renaud, Arnaud; Fournie, Laurent; Girardeau, Pierre; Chammas, Maxime; Tarel, Guillaume; Chiche, Alice; De Freminville; Pierre; Lacroix, Olivier; Rakotojaona, Loic; Payen, Luc; Riu, Delphine; Kerouedan, Anne-Fleur

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to assess, for France and its overseas territories, the potential of energy storage by 2030, and to identify the technological sectors which are the most economically relevant. A global surplus has been calculated, as well as the benefit from additional storage capacities. This benefit has been compared with cost predictions by 2030 for different storage technologies. Economically viable powers and types of energy storages are assessed with respect to different scenarios, and impacts in terms of associated jobs are assessed. The document reports and discusses the surplus assessment for the community, describes the various services provided by energy storage, presents the modelling scenarios and hypotheses, discusses the main results of valorisation for the community, presents the various energy storage technologies (gravity, thermodynamic, electrochemical, electrostatic, inertial, latent thermal, thermo-chemical, and power to gas), presents business models and deployment potential for different applications (mass storage of electricity in France, electricity storage in a non-connected area, decentralised electricity storage as a response to grid congestion, valorisation of an electricity storage, thermal storage on a heat network, cold storage, management of diffuse demand of hot water), and discusses implications regarding employment

Increased energy efficiency of hobs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-01-01

The objective of the project is to save energy when cooking food on hobs. A great part of the total energy consumption used for cooking is consumed by hobs. The amount of energy depends on the temperature used for cooking and energy used for evaporation of liquid, focussing especially on the latter in this project. CHEC B is a method for controlling the supply of energy to the zone, so that a minimum of energy is used for reaching a set temperature of the food/liquid in the pot and maintaining this temperature. Today the efficiency of hobs is between 50 - 75%. Using CHEC B the energy efficiency is expected to be higher. (au)

Energy storage facilities - an intelligent solution for the German market?; Stromspeicher als intelligente Loesung fuer den deutschen Markt?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Einhellig, Ludwig [Deloitte, Muenchen (Germany); Eisfelder, Andreas [Siemens Energy Austral-Andina, Bogota (Colombia). Wind Power, Hydro and Solar

2012-07-15

In the beginning of this year the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) published a benchmark paper on the topic of ''Smart Grid and Smart Market''. In this paper it calls on the professional community to profile the public debate on smart grids and smart markets. Particularly the use of intelligent, decentralised storage technologies could become essential to the integration of renewable energies into the electricity grid over the coming years. This article gives a summary of the most important storage concepts and describes the current perspectives and possible future paths of development.

Paving the way for our energy future - 7{sup th} Energy Research Conference 2003. Summary; Wegbereitung unserer Energiezukunft. 7. Schweizerische Energieforschungs-Konferenz. Zusammenfassung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

This document published by the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications summarises the lectures presented and the results of discussion groups held at the seventh energy research conference in Lucerne, Switzerland in November 2003. The opening lecture on energy research presented by the head of the department, Swiss Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger, is presented along with further keynote lectures on the Swiss Federal Research Concept 2004 - 2007 and options for medium and long-term sustainable energy supply in Europe. Various questions were dealt with in six discussion groups. The first two of these groups discussed which energy research is needed to implement the 'Vision 2050'. This 'vision' calls for the reduction of per capita energy consumption to one third of today's value, the reduction of per capita CO{sub 2} emissions to one sixth of today's value, the use of oil solely in the transport area, meeting the major part of Swiss electricity demands with hydropower and the decentralisation of power generation, e.g. using fuel cells, and energy supply mostly from renewable resources. The four other groups discussed the general requirements for the implementation of the concept, how research efficiency can be raised and when the research focus should be set to national and international levels.

Energy transition: a new opportunity for the French-German cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, Andreas

2015-01-01

As France and Germany are both defining new energy policies, but in different ways (Germany has focused on a reform of the law on renewable energies, and France aims at a reduction of the nuclear share from 75 to 50 per cent by 2025), the author examines whether the French strategy is realistic and how it can be explained from a political point of view, how energy transition can be successfully implemented, and to what extent it may influence the German policy within the framework of present discussions on the EU energy-climate package and of bilateral cooperation. The author first outlines the powerful role of nuclear energy in the history of French energy policy, proposes a brief overview of the evolution of debates in France on energy policy from the beginning of the 2000's, indicates and discusses the main objectives of the present bill project on energy transition, and proposes a comparison of French and German objectives regarding energy transition by 2020, 2030 and 2050. He evokes some practical aspects (discussion about Fessenheim plant shutting down, issues of energy prices). He comments the planned implementation of a new economic model based on a green growth, discusses the issue of energy transition in the electricity sector and in the transport sector, and the relationship between energy transition and decentralisation. Perspectives are briefly discussed regarding the credibility of the French policy and the commitment of both countries in energy transition

Increased energy expenditure and glucose oxidation during acute nontraumatic skin pain in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Holland-Fischer, Peter; Greisen, Jacob; Grøfte, Thorbjørn; Jensen, Troels S; Hansen, Peter O; Vilstrup, Hendrik

2009-04-01

Tissue injury is accompanied by pain and results in increased energy expenditure, which may promote catabolism. The extent to which pain contributes to this sequence of events is not known. In a cross-over design, 10 healthy volunteers were examined on three occasions; first, during self-controlled nontraumatic electrical painful stimulus to the abdominal skin, maintaining an intensity of 8 on the visual analogue scale (0-10). Next, the electrical stimulus was reproduced during local analgesia and, finally, there was a control session without stimulus. Indirect calorimetry and blood and urine sampling was done in order to calculate energy expenditure and substrate utilization. During pain stimulus, energy expenditure increased acutely and reversibly by 62% (95% confidence interval, 43-83), which was abolished by local analgesia. Energy expenditure paralleled both heart rate and blood catecholamine levels. The energy expenditure increase was fuelled by all energy sources, with the largest increase in glucose utilization. The pain-related increase in energy expenditure was possibly mediated by adrenergic activity and was probably to a large extent due to increased muscle tone. These effects may be enhanced by cortical events related to the pain. The increase in glucose consumption favours catabolism. Our findings emphasize the clinical importance of pain management.

A contribution to the identification of promising technologies for SwissEnergy R and D policy in 2050

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buerer, M. [E4tech Switzerland, Lausanne (Switzerland); Cremer, C. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Centre for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE), Zuerich (Switzerland)

2006-07-01

This comprehensive final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at the conclusions of a study-project on promising energy technologies that could make a contribution to Swiss energy supply in the future. A review of literature on the subject is presented and the methodology used for the identification of the promising technologies is described. Four future possibilities of combining low or high levels of decentralisation of power generation with a low or high degree of fossil fuel utilisation are presented and discussed. The opinions for industry and the Swiss economy on the subject are looked at, as is research currently being carried out. Also, the so-called '2000-Watt Society' is briefly looked at. European aspects are discussed. Finally, exemplary prioritisation for the four options mentioned above along with the case of nothing being done at all are discussed.

Easing the natural gas crisis: Reducing natural gas prices through increased deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark; St. Clair, Matt

2004-12-21

Heightened natural gas prices have emerged as a key energy-policy challenge for at least the early part of the 21st century. With the recent run-up in gas prices and the expected continuation of volatile and high prices in the near future, a growing number of voices are calling for increased diversification of energy supplies. Proponents of renewable energy and energy efficiency identify these clean energy sources as an important part of the solution. Increased deployment of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) can hedge natural gas price risk in more than one way, but this paper touches on just one potential benefit: displacement of gas-fired electricity generation, which reduces natural gas demand and thus puts downward pressure on gas prices. Many recent modeling studies of increased RE and EE deployment have demonstrated that this ''secondary'' effect of lowering natural gas prices could be significant; as a result, this effect is increasingly cited as justification for policies promoting RE and EE. This paper summarizes recent studies that have evaluated the gas-price-reduction effect of RE and EE deployment, analyzes the results of these studies in light of economic theory and other research, reviews the reasonableness of the effect as portrayed in modeling studies, and develops a simple tool that can be used to evaluate the impact of RE and EE on gas prices without relying on a complex national energy model. Key findings are summarized.

Overcoming barriers to increased bio-energy use. Suggestions for a high impact policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chanakya, H.N.; Ravindranath, N.H.

1997-01-01

A few options that are likely to result in a high impact policy towards ensuring increased use of bio-energy in the developing world are discussed. Such options are: Moving towards greater energy security /guarantee, bio-energy technology transfer platforms, documentation in bio-energy businesses, removing risk perceptions in financing, increasing private entrepreneur stakes, etc. (K.A.)

Is increased energy utilization linked to greater cultural complexity? Energy utilization by Australian Aboriginals and traditional swidden agriculturalists

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reijnders, L. [Expertisecentrum Duurzame Ontwikkeling en Instituut voor Biodiversiteit en Ecosysteem Dynamica ECDO/IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2006-09-15

Theories have been proposed that link increases in energy utilization to increases in cultural complexity. Indeed, available estimates of per capita non-food energy utilization by hunter - gatherers and by people practising swidden agriculture in wooded areas, focusing on fuel wood use, are roughly 1 - 2 orders of magnitude lower than for industrial societies. The latter are in the range of 0.8 - 3.4 x 10{sup 5} MJ year{sup -1}. However, apart from the use of fuel wood, the former estimates have not included work performed by burning vegetation. Here quantitative estimates are given of recent energy utilization linked to burning biomass by Australian Aboriginals and people practising traditional swidden agriculture. Per capita energy utilization linked to biomass burning by Australian Aboriginals is estimated at 1.6 x 10{sup 6} to 4.0 x 10{sup 7} MJ year{sup -1}. Estimated per capita energy utilization associated with burning biomass in traditional swidden agriculture in the tropical rainforests of Kalimantan and Venezuela, the dry forest of north-eastern Brazil and the miombo woodland of Zambia is in the range of 1.0 x 10{sup 5} to 6.3 x 10{sup 5} MJ year{sup -1}. The values for non-food energy utilization reported here are at variance with theories that link increases in energy utilization to increases in cultural complexity.

A new wireless system for decentralised measurement of physiological parameters from shake flasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Illmann Lutz

2006-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Shake flasks are widely used because of their low price and simple handling. Many researcher are, however, not aware of the physiological consequences of oxygen limitation and substrate overflow metabolism that occur in shake flasks. Availability of a wireless measuring system brings the possibilities for quality control and design of cultivation conditions. Results Here we present a new wireless solution for the measurement of pH and oxygen from shake flasks with standard sensors, which allows data transmission over a distance of more than 100 metres in laboratory environments. This new system was applied to monitoring of cultivation conditions in shake flasks. The at-time monitoring of the growth conditions became possible by simple means. Here we demonstrate that with typical protocols E. coli shake flask cultures run into severe oxygen limitation and the medium is strongly acidified. Additionally the strength of the new system is demonstrated by continuous monitoring of the oxygen level in methanol-fed Pichia pastoris shake flask cultures, which allows the optimisation of substrate feeding for preventing starvation or methanol overfeed. 40 % higher cell density was obtained by preventing starvation phases which occur in standard shake flask protocols by adding methanol when the respiration activity decreased in the cultures. Conclusion The here introduced wireless system can read parallel sensor data over long distances from shake flasks that are under vigorous shaking in cultivation rooms or closed incubators. The presented technology allows centralised monitoring of decentralised targets. It is useful for the monitoring of pH and dissolved oxygen in shake flask cultures. It is not limited to standard sensors, but can be easily adopted to new types of sensors and measurement places (e.g., new sensor points in large-scale bioreactors.

ASEAN energy cooperation an increasingly daunting challenge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicolas, F.

2009-07-01

East Asia has been the fastest growing region in the world since the early 1980's. Arguably, all countries in the region are set for a period of economic, to some extent demographic, and urban expansion. Since energy is a vital factor in driving economic growth, higher energy consumption can be expected in the coming decades in this part of the world. Although the strong growth is to a large extent due to China, Southeast Asian economies also record stellar economic performances and account for the dramatic rise in energy consumption. The Tokyo-based Asia-Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) projects that energy demand in the region (excluding Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar) will double from 252 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) to 525 mtoe between 1999 and 2020. How to best meet this demand poses a range of policy challenges for the region's governments not only at the individual but also at the regional level (Symon 2004). In Southeast Asia (SEA), energy sector development has implications for inter-governmental relations for a number of reasons. First, the pursuit of domestic energy goals can affect neighboring countries, as exemplified for instance by the construction of dams for hydropower in shared river systems in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Secondly, domestic gas and power systems are expected to be increasingly supported by pipelines and transmission links with other countries, thus opening the possibilities of system integration to meet demand at lower cost. Lastly, with fossil fuels as the primary source of energy supply, problems of environmental degradation as well as of availability (associated in particular with high oil dependency) are doomed to loom large in this part of the world and could be better met through intra-regional cooperation. A major characteristic of the region is the presence of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is the only formal grouping of economic cooperation in Asia. Prima facie

ASEAN energy cooperation an increasingly daunting challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicolas, F.

2009-01-01

East Asia has been the fastest growing region in the world since the early 1980's. Arguably, all countries in the region are set for a period of economic, to some extent demographic, and urban expansion. Since energy is a vital factor in driving economic growth, higher energy consumption can be expected in the coming decades in this part of the world. Although the strong growth is to a large extent due to China, Southeast Asian economies also record stellar economic performances and account for the dramatic rise in energy consumption. The Tokyo-based Asia-Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) projects that energy demand in the region (excluding Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar) will double from 252 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) to 525 mtoe between 1999 and 2020. How to best meet this demand poses a range of policy challenges for the region's governments not only at the individual but also at the regional level (Symon 2004). In Southeast Asia (SEA), energy sector development has implications for inter-governmental relations for a number of reasons. First, the pursuit of domestic energy goals can affect neighboring countries, as exemplified for instance by the construction of dams for hydropower in shared river systems in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Secondly, domestic gas and power systems are expected to be increasingly supported by pipelines and transmission links with other countries, thus opening the possibilities of system integration to meet demand at lower cost. Lastly, with fossil fuels as the primary source of energy supply, problems of environmental degradation as well as of availability (associated in particular with high oil dependency) are doomed to loom large in this part of the world and could be better met through intra-regional cooperation. A major characteristic of the region is the presence of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is the only formal grouping of economic cooperation in Asia. Prima facie energy appears

For smart electric grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Thiet, Jean-Paul; Leger, Sebastien; Bressand, Florian; Perez, Yannick; Bacha, Seddik; Laurent, Daniel; Perrin, Marion

2012-01-01

The authors identify and discuss the main challenges faced by the French electric grid: the management of electricity demand and the needed improvement of energy efficiency, the evolution of consumer's state of mind, and the integration of new production capacities. They notably outline that France have been living until recently with an electricity abundance, but now faces the highest consumption peaks in Europe, and is therefore facing higher risks of power cuts. They also notice that the French energy mix is slowly evolving, and outline the problems raised by the fact that renewable energies which are to be developed, are decentralised and intermittent. They propose an overview of present developments of smart grids, and outline their innovative characteristics, challenges raised by their development and compare international examples. They show that smart grids enable a better adapted supply and decentralisation. A set of proposals is formulated about how to finance and to organise the reconfiguration of electric grids, how to increase consumer's responsibility for peak management and demand management, how to create the conditions of emergence of a European market of smart grids, and how to support self-consumption and the building-up of an energy storage sector

Environmental implications of increased biomass energy use. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miles, T.R. Sr.; Miles, T.R. Jr. [Miles (Thomas R.), Portland, OR (United States)

1992-03-01

This study reviews the environmental implications of continued and increased use of biomass for energy to determine what concerns have been and need to be addressed and to establish some guidelines for developing future resources and technologies. Although renewable biomass energy is perceived as environmentally desirable compared with fossil fuels, the environmental impact of increased biomass use needs to be identified and recognized. Industries and utilities evaluating the potential to convert biomass to heat, electricity, and transportation fuels must consider whether the resource is reliable and abundant, and whether biomass production and conversion is environmentally preferred. A broad range of studies and events in the United States were reviewed to assess the inventory of forest, agricultural, and urban biomass fuels; characterize biomass fuel types, their occurrence, and their suitability; describe regulatory and environmental effects on the availability and use of biomass for energy; and identify areas for further study. The following sections address resource, environmental, and policy needs. Several specific actions are recommended for utilities, nonutility power generators, and public agencies.

Energy analysis of Organic Rankine Cycles for biomass applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Algieri Angelo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper aims at analysing the performances of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs adopted for the exploitation of the biomass resulting from the pruning residues in a 3000 hectares district in Southern Italy. A parametric energy analysis has been carried out to define the influence of the main plant operating conditions. To this purpose, both subcritical and transcritical power plants have been examined and saturated and superheated conditions at the turbine inlet have been imposed. Moreover, the effect of the working fluid, condensation temperature, and internal regeneration on system performances has been investigated. The results show that ORC plants represent an interesting and sustainable solution for decentralised and small-scale power production. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the significant impact of the maximum temperature and the noticeable effect of internal regeneration on the performances of the biomass power plants.

Effective user interface designs to increase energy-efficient behavior in a Rasch-based energy recommender system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Starke, A.D.; Willemsen, M.C.; Snijders, C.C.P.

People often struggle to find appropriate energy-saving measures to take in the household. Although recommender studies show that tailoring a system's interaction method to the domain knowledge of the user can increase energy savings, they did not actually tailor the conservation advice itself. We

Emerging new services for the gas and electricity economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matas, Ch.

2002-01-01

This article reports on a postgraduate study at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, addressing the prospects for new energy technologies and their development, according to bankers, industry managers and international organisations. The study merges macro-economic, financial and technological views and focusses especially on electricity and natural gas including cogeneration and decentralised, small and middle-size energy production units. The world energy market is changing pace, moving from various monopolies to a dynamic system, with growing decentralisation and networking. The study reveals that constraints are changing due to the economy globalization as well as to the growing internet-based economy, and that new prospects for the development of promising energy technologies are emerging. The demand for more specific energy products like for example uninterruptible power supplies will stimulate new sectors in the energy economy. Growing environmental concern will also be an important factor for the energy market remodelling. For the gas and electricity markets, a considerable rise in sales is expected

Nanocomposites with increased energy density through high aspect ratio PZT nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Haixiong; Lin, Yirong; Andrews, Clark; Sodano, Henry A

2011-01-07

High energy storage plays an important role in the modern electric industry. Herein, we investigated the role of filler aspect ratio in nanocomposites for energy storage. Nanocomposites were synthesized using lead zirconate titanate (PZT) with two different aspect ratio (nanowires, nanorods) fillers at various volume fractions dispersed in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix. The permittivity constants of composites containing nanowires (NWs) were higher than those with nanorods (NRs) at the same inclusion volume fraction. It was also indicated that the high frequency loss tangent of samples with PZT nanowires was smaller than for those with nanorods, demonstrating the high electrical energy storage efficiency of the PZT NW nanocomposite. The high aspect ratio PZT NWs showed a 77.8% increase in energy density over the lower aspect ratio PZT NRs, under an electric field of 15 kV mm(-1) and 50% volume fraction. The breakdown strength was found to decrease with the increasing volume fraction of PZT NWs, but to only change slightly from a volume fraction of around 20%-50%. The maximum calculated energy density of nanocomposites is as high as 1.158 J cm(-3) at 50% PZT NWs in PVDF. Since the breakdown strength is lower compared to a PVDF copolymer such as poly(vinylidene fluoride-tertrifluoroethylene-terchlorotrifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TreEE-CTFE) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) P(VDF-HFP), the energy density of the nanocomposite could be significantly increased through the use of PZT NWs and a polymer with greater breakdown strength. These results indicate that higher aspect ratio fillers show promising potential to improve the energy density of nanocomposites, leading to the development of advanced capacitors with high energy density.

Do Management and Leadership Practices in the Context of Decentralisation Influence Performance of Community Health Fund? Evidence From Iramba and Iringa Districts in Tanzania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chakupewa Joseph

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background In early 1990s, Tanzania like other African countries, adopted health sector reform (HSR. The most strongly held centralisation system that informed the nature of services provision including health was, thus, disintegrated giving rise to decentralisation system. It was within the realm of HSR process, user fees were introduced in the health sector. Along with user fees, various types of health insurances, including the Community Health Fund (CHF, were introduced. While the country’s level of enrolment in the CHF is low, there are marked variations among districts. This paper highlights the role of decentralised health management and leadership practices in the uptake of the CHF in Tanzania. Methods A comparative exploratory case study of high and low performing districts was carried out. In-depth interviews were conducted with the members of the Council Health Service Board (CHSB, Council Health Management Team (CHMT, Health Facility Committees (HFCs, in-charges of health facilities, healthcare providers, and Community Development Officers (CDOs. Minutes of the meetings of the committees and district annual health plans and district annual implementation reports were also used to verify and triangulate the data. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the collected data. We employed both inductive and deductive (mixed coding to arrive to the themes. Results There were no differences in the level of education and experience of the district health managers in the two study districts. Almost all district health managers responsible for the management of the CHF had attended some training on management and leadership. However, there were variations in the personal initiatives of the top-district health leaders, particularly the district health managers, the council health services board and local government officials. Similarly, there were differences in the supervision mechanisms, and incentives available for the health providers

Increasing the energy of the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuerst, J.D.; Theilacker, J.C.

1994-07-01

The superconducting Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab has reached its eleventh year of operation since being commissioned in 1983. Last summer, four significant upgrades to the cryogenic system became operational which allow Tevatron operation at higher energy. This came after many years of R ampersand D, power testing in sectors (one sixth) of the Tevatron, and final system installation. The improvements include the addition of cold helium vapor compressors, supporting hardware for subatmospheric operation, a new satellite refrigerator control system, and a higher capacity central helium liquefier. A description of each cryogenic upgrade, commissioning experience, and attempts to increase the energy of the Tevatron are presented

Conference on landscape impacts of wind energy and local acceptance: France-Germany crossed views

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouscatel, Jerome; Olagne, Regis; Derkenne, Chantal; Galiano, Mila; Mayer, Joerg; Ratzbor, Guenter; Laborgne, Pia; Nadai, Alain; Ratouis, Marie-Odile; Schoebel-Rutschmann, Soeren; Petit, Jean-Francois; Guennewig, Dieter; Portales, David

2008-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on the landscape impacts of wind energy. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, more than 100 participants exchanged views on the environmental impact of wind farms and the opinion of residents. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - French people and wind energy (Mila Galiano); 2 - Wind energy acceptance in Germany: an essential factor for the wind industry development (Joerg Mayer); 3 - Taking into account landscapes and residents in the development of wind farms: a France-Germany comparison (Pia Laborgne, Alain Nadai); 3 - Wind energy development supervision thanks to territorial planning in Germany (Guenter Ratzbor); 4 - Landscape challenges in wind energy development: point of view and role of a state decentralised department (Marie-Odile Ratouis); 5 - Park or landscape - Wind turbines as elements of the cultural landscape (Soeren Schoebel-Rutschmann); 6 - How should a developer approach the 'landscape' aspect when foreseeing a wind energy project installation (Jean-Francois Petit); 7 - More consensual wind energy projects along highways, railways and overhead power lines? (Dieter Guennewig); 8 - The 'wings top': un example of participatory and citizen's project (David Portales)

Why did China's energy intensity increase during 1998-2006. Decomposition and policy analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiaoli; Ma, Chunbo; Hong, Dongyue

2010-01-01

Despite the fact that China's energy intensity has continuously decreased during the 1980s and mostly 1990s, the decreasing trend has reversed since 1998 and the past few years have witnessed rapid increase in China's energy intensity. We firstly conduct an index decomposition analysis to identify the key forces behind the increase. It is found that: (1) the high energy demand in industrial sectors is mainly attributed to expansion of production scale, especially in energy-intensive industries; (2) energy saving mainly comes from efficiency improvement, with energy-intensive sectors making the largest contribution; and (3) a heavier industrial structure also contributes to the increase. This study also makes the first attempt to bridge the quantitative decomposition analysis with qualitative policy analyses and fill the gap between decomposition results and policy relevance in previous work. We argue that: (1) energy efficiency improvement in energy-intensive sectors is mainly due to the industrial policies that have been implemented in the past few years; (2) low energy prices have directly contributed to high industrial energy consumption and indirectly to the heavy industrial structure. We provide policy suggestions in the end. (author)

Rfq With An Increased Energy Gain

CERN Document Server

Kapin, Valery

2004-01-01

The radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linacs are widely used in the initial part of ion accelerators. For industrial and medical applications, the size of RFQ linac as well as the construction and operation costs are important. Therefore, there is a interest to design a compact RFQ linac. In this paper, RFQ linac is studied with the aim of increasing the energy gain. Parameters of a conventional RFQ linac are usually chosen to ensure beam acceleration and stability, providing the autophasing and strong quadrupole focusing in the longitudinal and transverse directions simultaneously. As results, the accelerating efficiency of RFQ is limited by the transverse defocusing effect, and its value is below of a maximum value, which can be provided by RFQ electrodes. To facilitate these limitations, the well-known idea of alternating phase focusing (APF) is utilized. The APF effects boost transverse focusing, allowing to increase an accelerating efficiency, electrode voltage and decreasing average value of the synchron...

Primary energy and greenhouse gas implications of increasing biomass production through forest fertilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sathre, Roger [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, Ostersund (Sweden); Gustavsson, Leif [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, Ostersund (Sweden); Bergh, Johan [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, Ostersund (Sweden); Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp (Sweden)

2010-04-15

In this study we analyze the primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of increasing biomass production by fertilizing 10% of Swedish forest land. We estimate the primary energy use and GHG emissions from forest management including production and application of N and NPK fertilizers. Based on modelled growth response, we then estimate the net primary energy and GHG benefits of using biomaterials and biofuels obtained from the increased forest biomass production. The results show an increased annual biomass harvest of 7.4 million t dry matter, of which 41% is large-diameter stemwood. About 6.9 PJ/year of additional primary energy input is needed for fertilizer production and forest management. Using the additional biomass for fuel and material substitution can reduce fossil primary energy use by 150 or 164 PJ/year if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively. About 22% of the reduced fossil energy use is due to material substitution and the remainder is due to fuel substitution. The net annual primary energy benefit corresponds to about 7% of Sweden's total primary energy use. The resulting annual net GHG emission reduction is 11.9 million or 18.1 million tCO{sub 2equiv} if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively, corresponding to 18% or 28% of the total Swedish GHG emissions in 2007. A significant one-time carbon stock increase also occurs in wood products and forest tree biomass. These results suggest that forest fertilization is an attractive option for increasing energy security and reducing net GHG emission.

Primary energy and greenhouse gas implications of increasing biomass production through forest fertilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathre, Roger; Gustavsson, Leif; Bergh, Johan

2010-01-01

In this study we analyze the primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of increasing biomass production by fertilizing 10% of Swedish forest land. We estimate the primary energy use and GHG emissions from forest management including production and application of N and NPK fertilizers. Based on modelled growth response, we then estimate the net primary energy and GHG benefits of using biomaterials and biofuels obtained from the increased forest biomass production. The results show an increased annual biomass harvest of 7.4 million t dry matter, of which 41% is large-diameter stemwood. About 6.9 PJ/year of additional primary energy input is needed for fertilizer production and forest management. Using the additional biomass for fuel and material substitution can reduce fossil primary energy use by 150 or 164 PJ/year if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively. About 22% of the reduced fossil energy use is due to material substitution and the remainder is due to fuel substitution. The net annual primary energy benefit corresponds to about 7% of Sweden's total primary energy use. The resulting annual net GHG emission reduction is 11.9 million or 18.1 million tCO 2equiv if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively, corresponding to 18% or 28% of the total Swedish GHG emissions in 2007. A significant one-time carbon stock increase also occurs in wood products and forest tree biomass. These results suggest that forest fertilization is an attractive option for increasing energy security and reducing net GHG emission.

Primary energy and greenhouse gas implications of increasing biomass production through forest fertilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sathre, Roger; Gustavsson, Leif [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, Oestersund (Sweden); Bergh, Johan [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, Oestersund (Sweden); Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp (Sweden)

2010-04-15

In this study we analyze the primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of increasing biomass production by fertilizing 10% of Swedish forest land. We estimate the primary energy use and GHG emissions from forest management including production and application of N and NPK fertilizers. Based on modelled growth response, we then estimate the net primary energy and GHG benefits of using biomaterials and biofuels obtained from the increased forest biomass production. The results show an increased annual biomass harvest of 7.4 million t dry matter, of which 41% is large-diameter stemwood. About 6.9 PJ/year of additional primary energy input is needed for fertilizer production and forest management. Using the additional biomass for fuel and material substitution can reduce fossil primary energy use by 150 or 164 PJ/year if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively. About 22% of the reduced fossil energy use is due to material substitution and the remainder is due to fuel substitution. The net annual primary energy benefit corresponds to about 7% of Sweden's total primary energy use. The resulting annual net GHG emission reduction is 11.9 million or 18.1 million tCO{sub 2equiv} if the reference fossil fuel is fossil gas or coal, respectively, corresponding to 18% or 28% of the total Swedish GHG emissions in 2007. A significant one-time carbon stock increase also occurs in wood products and forest tree biomass. These results suggest that forest fertilization is an attractive option for increasing energy security and reducing net GHG emission. (author)

France's energy balance in 2013: an increase in consumption masking a continuing decrease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouquette, Celine

2014-07-01

2013 was marked by a cold period from January to May. Real primary energy consumption increased in relation to 2012, reaching 262 Mtoe. However, once data are corrected for climate variations, consumption decreased, as in 2012, even dipping below the threshold attained during the 2009 economic crisis. In fact, final energy consumption decreased for the second year running, all uses considered. National production of primary energy reached a record 139 Mtoe. This was due to additional production from renewables and an increase in energy recovered from waste, at 26 Mtoe. For its part, the nuclear sector maintained its level of production, at 110 Mtoe. Given the gap between energy production and consumption, the trade deficit increased slightly, in terms of physical flows. Conversely, the general drop in international and European energy prices, with the exception of natural gas, led to a decrease in the country's energy bill, which reached euro 66 billion, euro 3 billion less than the record level reached in 2012. (author)

Institutional options for rural energy access: Exploring the concept of the multifunctional platform in West Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nygaard, Ivan

2010-01-01

The concept of the multifunctional platform for rural energy access has increasingly been supported by donors in five West African countries since 1994. While it is often referred to as a highly successful concept, recent reviews and interviews with local stakeholders in Mali and Burkina Faso indicate that the high aspirations to be found in project descriptions and early evaluations are only partly reflected in activities on the ground. This paper illustrates how the multipurpose aspects of the platform have made the concept a nexus of potential achievements that are highly valued in the dominant discourse of development, and how including concerns, such as poverty alleviation, gender equity, local democracy, decentralisation and the environment, have attracted donors outside the energy sector. The paper thus argues that, while the integration of multiple technical functions, preconceived organisational set-ups and local fuel production have in fact had limited or even adverse effects on the outcome of the multifunctional platform programme, these virtues have proved essential in presenting the concept at the policy level. This analysis of the dilemma between mobilizing funding and implementing practical programmes provides an argument for building development aid on existing structures instead of inventing new complicated concepts and approaches.

Decentralisation and devolution in Nicaragua’s North Atlantic autonomous region: Natural resources and indigenous peoples’ rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne M. Larson

2012-08-01

Full Text Available A number of governments, particularly in Latin America, have begun to recognise the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional communities to the lands on which they live. Recognition has often taken the form of constitutional provisions or laws that grant use rights in perpetuity or provide land titles. These provisions usually establish rights for multiple communities over a large territory, at a scale that may be ideal for promoting broader, ecosystem management approaches. At the same time, however, indigenous communities often do not have existing territorial governance structures at these scales. Nicaragua’s North Atlantic Autonomous Region provides a rich setting in which to study issues of multilevel natural resource governance. In addition to the devolution policies that have created official indigenous territories, the central government has decentralised important powers over natural resources to the regional autonomous authority, while municipal authorities still exist but have been marginalised. At the same time, however, the community scale is the one at which local people have traditionally managed resources. This paper examines these issues in light of efforts to establish democratic governance institutions at the territory level and argues that communities continue to lose out under multilevel governance regimes without concerted efforts to level the playing field. The findings are based on several years of research in the region, emerging research on newly titled territories and a six month training and dialogue with territory leaders, organised by a consortium of international and local NGOs.

Increased intake of energy-dense diet and negative energy balance in a mouse model of chronic psychosocial defeat.

Science.gov (United States)

Coccurello, Roberto; Romano, Adele; Giacovazzo, Giacomo; Tempesta, Bianca; Fiore, Marco; Giudetti, Anna Maria; Marrocco, Ilaria; Altieri, Fabio; Moles, Anna; Gaetani, Silvana

2018-06-01

Chronic exposure to stress may represent a risk factor for developing metabolic and eating disorders, mostly driven by the overconsumption of easily accessible energy-dense palatable food, although the mechanisms involved remain still unclear. In this study, we used an ethologically oriented murine model of chronic stress caused by chronic psychosocial defeat (CPD) to investigate the effects of unrestricted access to a palatable high fat diet (HFD) on food intake, body weight, energy homeostasis, and expression of different brain neuropeptides. Our aim was to shed light on the mechanisms responsible for body weight and body composition changes due to chronic social stress. In our model of subordinate (defeated), mice (CPD) cohabitated in constant sensory contact with dominants, being forced to interact on daily basis, and were offered ad libitum access either to an HFD or to a control diet (CD). Control mice (of the same strain as CPD mice) were housed in pairs and left unstressed in their home cage (UN). In all these mice, we evaluated body weight, different adipose depots, energy metabolism, caloric intake, and neuropeptide expression. CPD mice increased the intake of HFD and reduced body weight in the presence of enhanced lipid oxidation. Resting energy expenditure and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) were increased in CPD mice, whereas epididymal adipose tissue increased only in HFD-fed unstressed mice. Propiomelanocortin mRNA levels in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus increased only in HFD-fed unstressed mice. Oxytocin mRNA levels in the paraventricular nucleus and neuropeptide Y mRNA levels within the arcuate were increased only in CD-fed CPD mice. In the arcuate, CART was increased in HFD-fed UN mice and in CD-fed CPD mice, while HFD intake suppressed CART increase in defeated animals. In the basolateral amygdala, CART expression was increased only in CPD animals on HFD. CPD appears to uncouple the intake of HFD from energy homeostasis causing higher

Hydroelectricity at the crossroad: let us give a new momentum to the first renewable energy. White paper on hydroelectricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

This publication first indicates some data which illustrate the role, importance and development perspectives of hydroelectricity in terms of energy production and in terms of jobs. It outlines that, due to its high adaptation capacity and flexibility, hydroelectricity is an important factor for territory development, that it has a major role in energy supply safety, in the energy mix, and in decentralised energy production. It proposes an overview of the different types of hydroelectric installations: reservoirs for a flexible production and supply safety, run of river hydro systems for a continuous and renewable energy production, pumped storage power stations for mass storage of electric energy. It proposes an overview of assets of hydroelectric energy: implementation of energy transition on the long term, development of an industrial sector of excellence, a responsible and supportive energy, compatibility between hydroelectricity, biodiversity and water usages. Proposals are then formulated to give electricity a new momentum: a new orientation of national and European policies for a better global consistency, a new orientation of economic choices and tax policy as incentives to maintenance and development of the hydroelectric sector, and a fair compensation of services provided to the electric power system

Economic impact of the energy price increase in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uri, N.D.; Boyd, R.

1997-01-01

One unknown with regard to the price increases for gasoline and electricity is what will be the expected impact as the Mexican economy struggles to rebound. This is of more than spurious concern since many Mexican industries rely both intensively and extensively on gasoline and electricity to produce their goods and services. For example, the petrochemical and steel manufacturing industries are major consumers in Mexico's industrial sector which accounts for 55% of total energy consumption. Mexico's steel industry is one of the most electricity intensive in the world, with heavy reliance on electric arc furnace technology. Mexico's transportation sector accounts for about 30% of total energy consumption. Higher energy prices are expected to affect significantly the price and quantity of the goods and services produced. The nature and extent of this effect is the subject of this article. Also the modelling approach to be used in assessing the impact of higher energy prices will be discussed. 2 tabs., 20 refs

Energy exchange increases supply security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Baarle, D.

2004-01-01

Since October 5, 2004, Endex is an official futures market for energy. All the energy businesses and large-scale consumers in the Netherlands can trade electricity, and in the future also gas, anonymously [nl

Financing schemes increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy use in public and private buildings. Comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-03-01

What are the solutions to the municipal budget cuts? How can the cities finance their energy transition? What can we do to make it a driving force to boost the local economy and job creation? What are the new financial cash flows for this new economy? One of the solutions is to rethink financing solutions, and the local authorities that are engaged in energy transition are the best placed to do so. Many cities have voluntarily committed to reducing CO_2 emissions on their territories, notably by increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. Nearly 6,500 cities are committed to the objective to meet and exceed the European Union 20% CO_2 reduction objective by 2020. They have already developed their Baseline Emissions Inventories and Sustainable Energy Action Plans and thus are well aware of the energy flows on their territories, energy saving potential and the cost-effectiveness of the planned measures. The next step is to secure their financing sources and here both the private and public sector play a key role. Governments at all levels (European, national, regional and local), financial institutions, businesses, citizens and other local stakeholders should channel part of their funds to measures that help achieving our common energy and climate goals. Local authorities' role is to motivate and coordinate players on their territory. For its part, the European Union increased the amount allocated to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in its 2014-2020 budget, giving a signal that a shift towards a low carbon economy is one of its top priorities. This could be a significant boost for local energy transition. However, the European Commission also announced that the EU budget should be spent in a more sustainable way and announced a progressive move from grants to loans and innovative financial instruments, in particular for projects that are viable on the current market. Many front-running Covenant signatories dedicate their human

Rural district of Harz tests electricity supply of the future. Exploiting potential of renewable energies with virtual power plants, load management and electronic market platforms; Landkreis Harz erprobt Stromversorgung der Zukunft. Mit virtuellem Kraftwerk, Lastmanagement und elektronischer Marktplattform erneuerbare Potenziale ausschoepfen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friedrich, Uwe

2012-07-01

Regions with a large proportion of renewable energies offer particularly good prerequisites for testing out future decentralised supply systems. In the rural district of Harz, one of six model regions in the German government's E-Energy programme, more than 20 partners from various sectors of the electricity industry have developed technologies and business models for smart grids. Four municipal utility companies and two distribution network operators were involved in their implementation. The four-year RegModHarz research project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, will be completed at the beginning of 2013. (orig.)

Municipal energy and climate policy in a liberalized energy market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, H.

2001-05-01

Due to the ongoing process of liberalisation, Dutch municipal energy policy is undergoing significant changes. The probable privatisation of energy companies, the change from what used to be 'their' local energy company to what will become an energy company, results in a need for local administrations to build up energy knowledge, end-use information and financial resources that 'their' energy companies used to share but, because of operating in a competitive market, are now more reluctant to do so. On the other hand offers privatisation and the selling of shares the possibility for some local governments to collect a significant sum of money which can be addressed to energy policy. This process of growing responsibility of local administrations for their own energy policy coincides with the structural change of the nature of the energy supply in the Netherlands. The change towards a more decentralised energy supply results in more energy systems (e.g. PV and wind) coming under the influence of local regulations. Municipal governments will have to act more like actors in a complex policy network, playing different roles at different times in different situations, often stimulating and regulating at the same time. The growing popularity of platforms like energy agencies, bringing together parties like the local government, energy companies and commercial- and housing associations are examples hereof. In this report, another new role for local governments resulting from the liberalisation process is highlighted: the role of energy consumer. It is estimated that the aggregated electricity demand resulting from activities under direct municipal responsibility (e.g. municipal dwellings, traffic lights, public lighting) amounts to a fairly large share of the market. Due to the public interests vested in the local administrations, it is expected that an important part of this demand is demand for green electricity. Also, local governments can use the energy markets to act

Comparison of various decentralised structural and cavity feedback control strategies for transmitted noise reduction through a double panel structure

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Jen-Hsuan; Berkhoff, Arthur

2014-03-01

This paper compares various decentralised control strategies, including structural and acoustic actuator-sensor configuration designs, to reduce noise transmission through a double panel structure. The comparison is based on identical control stability indexes. The double panel structure consists of two panels with air in between and offers the advantages of low sound transmission at high frequencies, low heat transmission, and low weight. The double panel structure is widely used, such as in the aerospace and automotive industries. Nevertheless, the resonance of the cavity and the poor sound transmission loss at low frequencies limit the double panel's noise control performance. Applying active structural acoustic control to the panels or active noise control to the cavity has been discussed in many papers. In this paper, the resonances of the panels and the cavity are considered simultaneously to further reduce the transmitted noise through an existing double panel structure. A structural-acoustic coupled model is developed to investigate and compare various structural control and cavity control methods. Numerical analysis and real-time control results show that structural control should be applied to both panels. Three types of cavity control sources are presented and compared. The results indicate that the largest noise reduction is obtained with cavity control by loudspeakers modified to operate as incident pressure sources.

Examination of Energy Efficiency Increasing Measures in an Automobile Assembly Plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma ÇANKA KILIÇ

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, energy consumption analysis was performed in a car assembly plant (Body-inWhite (BiW productions, painting processes, chassis and accessory assembly processes. Examined automobile assembly plant has a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year by working six days a week and three shifts a day. Highly energy consuming processes are determined. Energy efficiency increasing opportunities in energy consuming systems (paint shop, drying ovens, compressed air, heating and cooling systems and effects of current automotive assembly techniques on energy efficiency are examined. Most of the total energy in the studied plant is consumed in the paint shop. Considering annual energy consumption; paint shop is responsible for the %50 of total electrical energy and %70 of total natural gas consumption. Specific energy consumption of plant is calculated as 853 kWh (SET; 275 kWh for electricity consumption (SETe , and 578 kWh for natural gas (SETdg . By performing determined energy efficiency measures; SET of plant will reduce %1 for the SETe , and %5,7 for SETdg

Increase in the number of distributed power generation installations in electricity distribution grids - General requirements; Zunahme der dezentralen Energieerzeugungsanlagen in elektrischen Verteilnetzen: Rahmenbedingungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schnyder, G.; Mauchle, P.

2003-07-01

This is the third part of a ten-part final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on a project that looked into potential problems relating to the Swiss electricity distribution grid with respect to the increasing number of distributed power generation facilities being put into service. The identification of special conditions for the grid's operation and future development that take increasing decentralised power production into account are discussed. The results of the project activities encompass the analysis and evaluation of various problem areas associated with planning and management of the grid during normal operation and periods of malfunction, as well as required modifications to safety systems and grid configurations. The first part of this second appendix to the main report examines the electrical conditions and requirements that have to be met by distributed production facilities. These include limits for voltage and frequency, synchronisation aspects, protection, reactive power questions and islanding. Also, recommendations are made on the assessment of grid reactions and on the avoidance of non-permissible effects on the grid's audio-frequency remote control apparatus. A second part examines the situation concerning the connection of distributed power units to the grid and grid topologies. The last chapter lists relevant standards and guidelines.

Towards the observation of Territorial Energy Systems - a geographical design approach for energy territorialisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flety, Yann

2014-01-01

Having an effect on a system calls for a thorough knowledge of it. The main goal of this research is to provide a general framework for the interpretation of geographic information, as well as a methodological framework to understand the interrelations between territory and energy in the context of a territorial observatory. A literature review of energy planning on the one hand and spatial planning on the other reveals similar developments in the two fields, in particular in terms of decentralisation and environmental concerns. The change of geographical scale chosen for the analysis brings new possibilities for public intervention. In this context, therefore, local authorities have a key role to play in implementing energy policy goals in their planning practices. They need analysis and prospective studies, as well as basic knowledge to carry out territorial energy planning. Indeed, the socio-spatial functions (living, travelling, working, etc.) are themselves at the root of spatial layout, urban forms and settlement structures. Those functions cannot be disassociated from questions of land use and energy. So, to understand energy which is vital, ubiquitous, and responsible for the organisation of territory, a systemic approach is proposed: the Territorial Energy System. It illustrates the importance of the interactions between a territory and its energy system, and more precisely, the interdependence between energy processes and territorial ones. We propose a design approach in the context of an observatory, and more precisely conceptual models, to analyse the territory-energy interrelations, especially with a focus on semantic dimensions. This approach combines three elements: a meta-model, a light and pre-consensus domain ontology, and individual conceptual data models for each indicator. An original indicator is then used for a first ontology population: the territorial energy label. Characterising the interrelations between territory and energy is non

Energy Services in Sweden - Customer Relations towards Increased Sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sernhed, Kerstin

2008-06-15

Energy use and supply are evident issues to consider for a sustainable development, where the economic, social and environmental aspects are all important. In large grid-bound systems, the supply of energy is usually a rather invisible activity and the contacts between household customers and utilities are sometimes only represented through the energy bill. In this thesis, three particular fields are emphasized where these interactions comes into focus: Electricity peak load problems and load management in households; Energy monitoring and feedback, and; The selling of district heating to households in detached house areas. Improved customer relations in these areas can both increase the energy utilities abilities to compete on the markets and to contribute to an increased sustainable development within the energy sector. The traditional ways to handle peak load problems in the Swedish electricity system have been to build new power plants and to reinforce the electricity grid. However, there are many reasons why solutions should be sought for on the demand-side. This thesis discusses the issues of load management through technical load control of households' electric heating systems and electric water heaters, and through indirect load management with different pricing of electricity.The new Swedish law about monthly accurate billing of electricity for household customers has influenced the electricity network owners to install new automatic meter reading (AMR) systems. Hourly metering can give raise to a new set of data about household electricity use, that can be utilised to provide detailed characteristics of load demand and consumption patterns and serve as a basis for customer segmentation. This information can be useful when developing new energy services, new pricing of electricity, new load management strategies and demand response programs. In this thesis, customer preferences towards feedback on electricity use and different types of billing are

Adaptive evolution of mitochondrial energy metabolism genes associated with increased energy demand in flying insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yunxia; Xu, Shixia; Xu, Junxiao; Guo, Yan; Yang, Guang

2014-01-01

Insects are unique among invertebrates for their ability to fly, which raises intriguing questions about how energy metabolism in insects evolved and changed along with flight. Although physiological studies indicated that energy consumption differs between flying and non-flying insects, the evolution of molecular energy metabolism mechanisms in insects remains largely unexplored. Considering that about 95% of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is supplied by mitochondria via oxidative phosphorylation, we examined 13 mitochondrial protein-encoding genes to test whether adaptive evolution of energy metabolism-related genes occurred in insects. The analyses demonstrated that mitochondrial DNA protein-encoding genes are subject to positive selection from the last common ancestor of Pterygota, which evolved primitive flight ability. Positive selection was also found in insects with flight ability, whereas no significant sign of selection was found in flightless insects where the wings had degenerated. In addition, significant positive selection was also identified in the last common ancestor of Neoptera, which changed its flight mode from direct to indirect. Interestingly, detection of more positively selected genes in indirect flight rather than direct flight insects suggested a stronger selective pressure in insects having higher energy consumption. In conclusion, mitochondrial protein-encoding genes involved in energy metabolism were targets of adaptive evolution in response to increased energy demands that arose during the evolution of flight ability in insects.

Increasing energy efficiency level of building production based on applying modern mechanization facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Prokhorov, Sergey

2017-10-01

Building industry in a present day going through the hard times. Machine and mechanism exploitation cost, on a field of construction and installation works, takes a substantial part in total building construction expenses. There is a necessity to elaborate high efficient method, which allows not only to increase production, but also to reduce direct costs during machine fleet exploitation, and to increase its energy efficiency. In order to achieve the goal we plan to use modern methods of work production, hi-tech and energy saving machine tools and technologies, and use of optimal mechanization sets. As the optimization criteria there are exploitation prime cost and set efficiency. During actual task-solving process we made a conclusion, which shows that mechanization works, energy audit with production juxtaposition, prime prices and costs for energy resources allow to make complex machine fleet supply, improve ecological level and increase construction and installation work quality.

Can energy drinks increase the desire for more alcohol?

Science.gov (United States)

Marczinski, Cecile A

2015-01-01

Energy drinks, the fastest growing segment in the beverage market, have become popular mixers with alcohol. The emerging research examining the use of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmEDs) indicates that the combination of caffeine-containing energy drinks with alcohol may be riskier than the use of alcohol alone. The public health concerns arising from AmED use are documented in different research domains. Epidemiologic studies reveal that the consumption of AmEDs is frequent among young and underage drinkers, demographic groups that are more likely to experience the harms and hazards associated with alcohol use. In addition, for all consumers, elevated rates of binge drinking and risk of alcohol dependence have been associated with AmED use when compared to alcohol alone. Results from laboratory studies help explain why AmED use is associated with excessive intake of alcohol. When an energy drink (or caffeine) is combined with alcohol, the desire (or urge) to drink more alcohol is more pronounced in both humans and animals than with the same dose of alcohol alone. The experience of drinking alcohol appears to be more rewarding when combined with energy drinks. Given that caffeine in other foods and beverages increases preference for those products, further research on AmEDs may elucidate the underlying mechanisms that contribute to alcohol dependence. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Auxetic piezoelectric energy harvesters for increased electric power output

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This letter presents a piezoelectric bimorph with auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio behaviors for increased power output in vibration energy harvesting. The piezoelectric bimorph comprises a 2D auxetic substrate sandwiched between two piezoelectric layers. The auxetic substrate is capable of introducing auxetic behaviors and thus increasing the transverse stress in the piezoelectric layers when the bimorph is subjected to a longitudinal stretching load. As a result, both 31- and 32-modes are simultaneously exploited to generate electric power, leading to an increased power output. The increasing power output principle was theoretically analyzed and verified by finite element (FE modelling. The FE modelling results showed that the auxetic substrate can increase the transverse stress of a bimorph by 16.7 times. The average power generated by the auxetic bimorph is 2.76 times of that generated by a conventional bimorph.

Micro perspectives for decentralized energy supply. Proceedings of the international conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaefer, Martina; Kebir, Noara; Philipp, Daniel (eds.)

2011-07-01

. Pillarisetti); (33) Energy Access for climate change mitigation and adaptation: The 'micro renewable' solution (A. Kumar); (34) Solar lighting systems delivery models for rural areas in developing countries (B.P. Koirola); (35) Energy delivery model tool for understanding and scaling up decentralised energy supply (E. Bloomfield); (36) A sustainable solar market package to increase electricity access in disadvantaged regions (E. Wulandari); (37) Technical monitoring and economical assessment of the micro-financed solar program in Bangladesh (R. Wiese); (38) Implementation of triple helix clusters procedure in the sub-Sahara Africa energy sector (I. Da Silva); (39) Waste to energy - making charcoal fines useable (V. Tumwesige).

Assessing policy options for increasing the use of renewable energy for sustainable development: Modelling energy scenarios for Sichuan, China. A UN-ENERGY demonstration study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

UN-Energy was created in 2004 as the United Nations' principal interagency mechanism in the field of energy. Its creation responds to a request in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, for a new collaborative mechanism between UN agencies, programmes and institutions. UN-Energy has published several reports. The first was prepared for the September 2005 World Summit, 'The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals', showing the key role energy access plays for countries to achieve the MDGs. A second report was presented at the May 2006 session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14), 'Energy in the United Nations: An Overview of UN-Energy Activities'. For the May 2007 CSD-15 UN-Energy brought forward 'Sustainable Bio-Energy: A Framework for Decision-Makers' to help inform dialogue in one critical area of future energy policy choice. Another critical energy policy issue is how renewable energy can be promoted as countries plan for sustainable development. UN-Energy therefore decided to look at how the tools for energy modelling could be evolved. In May 2006, for CSD-14, UN-Energy presented 'Assessing Policy Options for Increasing the Use of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development: Modelling Energy Scenarios for Ghana'. The Ghana study was carried out by five UN organizations and the Energy Commission of Ghana. It was led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and included the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in the UN Secretariat, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). UN-Energy now presents a similar study for Sichuan, China. Together these two reports are the first UN-Energy reports to present analytic results from interagency cooperation that, without UN-Energy, would not have happened. This report analyzes alternative provincial

Increasing the competitiveness of wind energy. New technologies for advanced wind predictability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolotti, Fabio

2013-01-01

The performance of thermal and nuclear power plants is assessed routinely and precisely, whereas the performance assessment of wind turbines is lagging far behind. This increases operational costs, reduces energy capture, and makes wind energy less competitive. The paper presents a technology and system with improved 24-h power forecasting, as well as condition monitoring of the rotor blades. The system can be employed by any wind power plant and offers potentials to increase the competitiveness of the power industry. (orig.)

Centralised, decentralised or hybrid sanitation systems? Economic evaluation under urban development uncertainty and phased expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Roefs, Ivar; Meulman, Brendo; Vreeburg, Jan H G; Spiller, Marc

2017-02-01

Sanitation systems are built to be robust, that is, they are dimensioned to cope with population growth and other variability that occurs throughout their lifetime. It was recently shown that building sanitation systems in phases is more cost effective than one robust design. This phasing can take place by building small autonomous decentralised units that operate closer to the actual demand. Research has shown that variability and uncertainty in urban development does affect the cost effectiveness of this approach. Previous studies do not, however, consider the entire sanitation system from collection to treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the economic performance of three sanitation systems with different scales and systems characteristics under a variety of urban development pathways. Three systems are studied: (I) a centralised conventional activated sludge treatment, (II) a community on site source separation grey water and black water treatment and (III) a hybrid with grey water treatment at neighbourhood scale and black water treatment off site. A modelling approach is taken that combines a simulation of greenfield urban growth, a model of the wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure design properties and a model that translates design parameters into discounted asset lifetime costs. Monte Carlo simulations are used to evaluate the economic performance under uncertain development trends. Results show that the conventional system outperforms both of the other systems when total discounted lifetime costs are assessed, because it benefits from economies of scale. However, when population growth is lower than expected, the source-separated system is more cost effective, because of reduced idle capacity. The hybrid system is not competitive under any circumstance due to the costly double piping and treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Renewable energies in the EU-Accession States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiche, Danyel

2006-01-01

The aim of this article is to discuss obstacles and success conditions for renewable energy sources in the EU-Accession States and to compare them with the framework in the EU-15. Besides the ten states which will join the EU in 2004, Bulgaria and Romania which will probably join in 2007 as well as Turkey are analysed. Most of these countries have had a century-long tradition in the utilisation of RES, primarily in biomass and hydropower. However, the communist regimes were convinced of the superiority of large-scale systems and converted the energy sectors into centralised units. Due to this dominating belief system more decentralised applications such as installations using renewable energies had to close. One crucial driving force for future renewable energy development in the Accession States comes from the stipulations set by the EU. The EU-Directive on the promotion of electricity produced from RES gives the new EU-members targets for their RES-development until 2010. Due to the Directive many Accession States have already begun to pay more attention to the topic and to introduce more systematic policies. Six of the Accession States have introduced minimum tariffs which were one of the main success conditions (besides a stable and sound investment programme as well as favourable background conditions) in the leading wind energy countries Germany and Spain. Beside the external pressure by the EU and other international obligations other driving forces such as the path dependencies in the national energy policies (degree of coal, oil and gas exploitation, nuclear power use, import dependency), the political support schemes for renewable energies, possibilities of obtaining external financial support and the cognitive environment are discussed. Finally similarities and differences between EU-15 and Accession States are worked out

Energy drink consumption and increased risk for alcohol dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Arria, Amelia M; Caldeira, Kimberly M; Kasperski, Sarah J; Vincent, Kathryn B; Griffiths, Roland R; O'Grady, Kevin E

2011-02-01

Energy drinks are highly caffeinated beverages that are increasingly consumed by young adults. Prior research has established associations between energy drink use and heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems among college students. This study investigated the extent to which energy drink use might pose additional risk for alcohol dependence over and above that from known risk factors. Data were collected via personal interview from 1,097 fourth-year college students sampled from 1 large public university as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Alcohol dependence was assessed according to DSM-IV criteria. After adjustment for the sampling design, 51.3%(wt) of students were classified as "low-frequency" energy drink users (1 to 51 days in the past year) and 10.1%(wt) as "high-frequency" users (≥52 days). Typical caffeine consumption varied widely depending on the brand consumed. Compared to the low-frequency group, high-frequency users drank alcohol more frequently (141.6 vs. 103.1 days) and in higher quantities (6.15 vs. 4.64 drinks/typical drinking day). High-frequency users were at significantly greater risk for alcohol dependence relative to both nonusers (AOR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.27 to 4.56, p = 0.007) and low-frequency users (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.10, 3.14, p = 0.020), even after holding constant demographics, typical alcohol consumption, fraternity/sorority involvement, depressive symptoms, parental history of alcohol/drug problems, and childhood conduct problems. Low-frequency energy drink users did not differ from nonusers on their risk for alcohol dependence. Weekly or daily energy drink consumption is strongly associated with alcohol dependence. Further research is warranted to understand the possible mechanisms underlying this association. College students who frequently consume energy drinks represent an important target population for alcohol prevention. Copyright © 2010 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Increase in buildings sustainability by using renewable materials and energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milutiene, Edita [Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Kaunas (Lithuania); Lithuanian Solar Energy Association, Kaunas (Lithuania); Straw Houses Builders' Association, Kaunas (Lithuania); Staniskis, Jurgis K. [Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Kaunas (Lithuania); Krucius, Audrys [Straw Houses Builders' Association, Kaunas (Lithuania); JSK ' ' Ecococon' ' , Kaunas (Lithuania); Auguliene, Vida [Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, Kaunas (Lithuania); Ardickas, Daumilas [University of Cambridge, Girton College, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2012-12-15

Sustainable development could be seen as indispensable condition for survival of civilization. Construction sector is a field with immediate need for reducing environmental impacts. Sustainability measures applied for buildings could produce very efficient results to the people. The paper provides the methods of construction sustainability increase by researching, developing, and applying the technologies which use renewable materials and energy. The paper analyzes the cases of both a solar eco house which was built of original prefabricated straw-bale panels and was designed to use direct solar energy; and an educational project promoting straw-bale construction and seeking to mitigate climate change. The project results have shown the need of spreading information on sustainable building methods to be accepted by wider society and to be applied to the construction industry. Monitoring of solar ecohouse has proved that direct solar energy gains are significant in reducing heating degree-days in 55 N latitude and in allowing to save half the energy needed for heating. (orig.)

Geothermal source heat pumps under energy services companies finance scheme to increase energy efficiency and production in stockbreeding facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borge-Diez, David; Colmenar-Santos, Antonio; Pérez-Molina, Clara; López-Rey, África

2015-01-01

In Europe energy services are underutilized in terms of their potential to improve energy efficiency and reduce external energy dependence. Agricultural and stockbreeding sectors have high potential to improve their energy efficiency. This paper presents an energy model for geothermal source heat pumps in stockbreeding facilities and an analysis of an energy services business case. The proposed solution combines both energy cost reduction and productivity increases and improves energy services company financing scheme. CO 2 emissions drop by 89%, reducing carbon footprint and improving added value for the product. For the two different evaluated scenarios, one including winter heating and one including heating and cooling, high IRR (internal return rate) values are obtained. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the IRR ranges from 10.25% to 22.02%, making the investment attractive. To make the research highly extensible, a sensitivity analysis for different locations and climatic conditions is presented, showing a direct relationship between financial parameters and climatic conditions. A Monte Carlo simulation is performed showing that initial fuel cost and initial investment are the most decisive in the financial results. This work proves that energy services based on geothermal energy can be profitable in these sectors and can increase sustainability, reduce CO 2 emissions and improve carbon footprint. - Highlights: • Geothermal heat pumps are studied to promote industrial energy services. • Geothermal energy in farming facilities improves global competitiveness. • Research shows profitability of low enthalpy geothermal energy services. • Climatic conditions sensitivity analysis reveals IRR ranges from 10.25% to 22.02%. • Added market value for the product as carbon footprint reduction, are achieved

Hiding vegetables to reduce energy density: an effective strategy to increase children's vegetable intake and reduce energy intake.

Science.gov (United States)

Spill, Maureen K; Birch, Leann L; Roe, Liane S; Rolls, Barbara J

2011-09-01

Strategies are needed to increase children's intake of a variety of vegetables, including vegetables that are not well liked. We investigated whether incorporating puréed vegetables into entrées to reduce the energy density (ED; in kcal/g) affected vegetable and energy intake over 1 d in preschool children. In this crossover study, 3- to 5-y-old children (n = 40) were served all meals and snacks 1 d/wk for 3 wk. Across conditions, entrées at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening snack were reduced in ED by increasing the proportion of puréed vegetables. The conditions were 100% ED (standard), 85% ED (tripled vegetable content), and 75% ED (quadrupled vegetable content). Entrées were served with unmanipulated side dishes and snacks, and children were instructed to eat as much as they liked. The daily vegetable intake increased significantly by 52 g (50%) in the 85% ED condition and by 73 g (73%) in the 75% ED condition compared with that in the standard condition (both P daily energy intake decreased by 142 kcal (12%) from the 100% to 75% ED conditions (P daily vegetable intake and decrease the energy intake in young children. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01252433.

Heat grids today and after the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG). A business segment for the agriculture?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemens, Dietrich; Billerbeck, Hagen

2016-01-01

The development of a centralised and sustainable heat supply through the construction of heat grids offers consumers numerous advantages compared to a decentralised energy supply of residential and commercial properties. Where the migration to centralised heat supply relegates fossil fuels through the long-term incorporation of sustainable renewable energy sources, the projects make an important contribution towards meeting the government's climate protection goals. Heat generation and heat sales from renewable energy sources should be ensured in the long term. In the countryside, biogas plant operators are frequently the initiators of heat grid investments, or they take on the role of supplier for the provision of low-cost CHP heat from cogeneration units. In view of the limited remuneration period under the terms of the German Renewable Energy Act, the clock is ticking for the establishment of a centralised heat supply. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of a centralised, sustainable heat supply and additionally considers the flexibi/isation of biogas plants in view of the construction of the heat grid and the associated infrastructure. A focus is placed on the security of supply for customers after the discontinuation of remuneration under the German Renewable Energy Act and on how a competitive heat price from alternative energy sources can continue to be ensured.

Efficient integration of renewable energies in the German electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabe, C.A.

2006-01-01

Liberalisation of the electricity sector aims to carry out coordination tasks within the system by markets and market prices. This study examines how markets need to be designed to carry out coordination tasks caused by integration of renewable energies in an efficient way. This question is applied to the German electricity system and recommendations are derived from identified deficits. The examination uses the structure-conduct-performance approach of industrial organisation economics. Integration of renewable energies does not result in entirely new coordination tasks but complicates those that exist in any electricity supply system. Within the short-term coordination tasks provision and operation of reserve capacity is affected by renewable energies. Long-term coordination means that the relation between fixed and variable costs of generators as well as generator flexibility has to be adjusted to the characteristics of renewable energies. The relevant short-term coordination task with the network is congestion management. In the long run costs of grid expansion and permanent congestion management have to be balanced. For the execution of short-run coordination tasks integrated and centralised market architectures are superior to decentralised architectures. The increase of short-term coordination tasks due to renewable energies caused by inflexibilities of consumers and conventional generators results in more information that has to be considered. By centralising that information in one market, an increase in productive efficiency can be obtained. In Germany the increased coordination tasks are determined by the integration of wind generators into the electricity system. The present German market architecture results in inefficiencies in short-term coordination. This is demonstrated by an analysis of procedural rules and prices of the ancillary service markets. They demonstrate that market performance is low and significant deviations from competitive prices

IT in a liberalised energy economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warnat, H.; Urbani, C.

2007-01-01

This article takes a look at the large amount of information technology that will have to be installed in connection with the liberalisation of the electricity supply industry in Switzerland. An automatic and standardised flow of data between those instances involved is, according to the authors, a prerequisite for effective competition in the power market. Load profiles will augment monthly or half-yearly metering and provide a basis for new products. Other topics discussed include on-line portals for customers and cheaper tariffs for consumption that is planned in advance. Electricity liberalisation in Switzerland is reviewed and the increase in the amount of data necessary is discussed. Comparisons are made with other European countries and the tasks that the various market players will have to perform are looked at. These are summarised in a diagram. Possible future structures with decentralised production, more differentiated price structures and additional services are discussed

Does intra-abdominal fluid increase the resting energy expenditure?

Science.gov (United States)

Zarling, E J; Grande, A; Hano, J

1997-10-01

In patients with intra-abdominal fluid collection, caloric needs are based on an estimated dry weight. This is done because intra-abdominal fluid has been assumed to be metabolically inactive. One recent study of patients with slowly resolving ascites suggested otherwise. In our study, the effect of intra-abdominal fluid on the resting energy expenditure (REE) and apparent lean body mass was determined in 10 stable patients requiring peritoneal dialysis. For each subject, in both the empty and full state, we measured REE by indirect calorimetry, and body composition by the bioelectric impedance method. In the full state, the VCO2 was significantly increased (210 +/- 11 versus 197 +/- 9 mL/min, P empty state. This caused an increase in the calculated resting energy expenditure (1531 +/- 88 kcal/d empty versus 1593 +/- 94 kcal/d full, P calories derived from glucose absorbed out of the dialysate. Estimates of body fat, lean body mass, and total water also were not affected by the intra-abdominal fluid. We conclude that intra-abdominal fluid will not affect the measured REE and hence may be considered to be metabolically inactive.

Concept for high-performance direct ignition gas engines; Konzept fuer direkt gezuendete Gross-Gasmotoren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuchs, Jochen [Jenbacher Gasmotorensparte von GE, Jenbach (Austria). Bereich Thermodynamik; Leitner, Alexander; Tinschmann, Georg [Jenbacher Gasmotorensparte von GE, Jenbach (Austria). Bereich Konstruktion; Trapp, Christian [Jenbacher Gasmotorensparte von GE, Jenbach (Austria). Performance Engineering

2013-05-01

The characteristics of future gas engines for decentralised energy supply are high mean effective pressure, high efficiency and ultra-high air-to-fuel ratios leading to an electrical efficiency near 46% in the 1 to 2 MW segment at 1500 rpm. This article from GE's Jenbacher gas engines is a foresight on future development challenges in the large gas engine sector and presents possible technology blocks for further development of the Jenbacher Type 4 gas engine to increase power and efficiency.

Required storage capacity to increase the value of renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nacht, T.

2014-01-01

The effort to achieve a more eco - friendly production of energy leads to larger shares of renewables in the electricity sector, resulting in more supply - dependency and volatility. This results in a time shift between production and consumption. In order to gain an upper hand, possibilities for transferring renewable energies from the time of production to the time when the demand occurs are researched. Energy storage systems will play a big role in this process, with pumped storage plants being the most developed and most common technology nowadays. As a first part of this thesis, the renewables in Germany are studied through the use of models on the basis of hourly measured values of the primary energy carriers for the corresponding technology. For these data series many years’ worth of measurements were considered, resulting in data for the hourly production values of the renewable energy sources. The results show a strong dependency between production and the seasons of the year. Furthermore a very small secured contribution of renewable production during times of peak load is registered, leading to the conclusion that energy storages are indeed necessary. Different strategies for the dispatch of the storage technologies pumped hydro storage, compressed air storage and hydrogen storage are developed for the region of Germany, which will be dispatched outside the energy - only market. The different strategies for the storage dispatch have the reduction of the resulting load in common, by preferably transferring renewable energy from times when it is not needed to those times with high loads. This resulting load needs to be covered by thermal power plants. The required capacities of the different storage technologies are evaluated and compared. By using pumped storage plants the increase in the value of renewables, as measured by the secure contribution during peak load hours, is determined. An analysis of different compositions of renewable production allows

Effect of increasing energy cost on arm coordination in elite sprint swimmers.

Science.gov (United States)

Komar, J; Leprêtre, P M; Alberty, M; Vantorre, J; Fernandes, R J; Hellard, P; Chollet, D; Seifert, L

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in stroke parameters, motor organization and swimming efficiency with increasing energy cost in aquatic locomotion. Seven elite sprint swimmers performed a 6×300-m incremental swimming test. Stroke parameters (speed, stroke rate and stroke length), motor organization (arm stroke phases and arm coordination index), swimming efficiency (swimming speed squared and hand speed squared) and stroke index were calculated from aerial and underwater side-view cameras. The energy cost of locomotion was assessed by measuring oxygen consumption and blood lactate. Results showed that the increase in energy cost of locomotion was correlated to an increase in the index of coordination and stroke rate, and a decrease in stroke length (pstroke index did not change significantly with the speed increments (pstroke rate were observed, along with a decrease in stroke length, stroke index and hand speed squared with each increment, revealing an adaptation to the fatigue within the 300m. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy intake over 2 days is unaffected by acute sprint interval exercise despite increased appetite and energy expenditure.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaulieu, Kristine; Olver, T Dylan; Abbott, Kolten C; Lemon, Peter W R

2015-01-01

A cumulative effect of reduced energy intake, increased oxygen consumption, and/or increased lipid oxidation could explain the fat loss associated with sprint interval exercise training (SIT). This study assessed the effects of acute sprint interval exercise (SIE) on energy intake, subjective appetite, appetite-related peptides, oxygen consumption, and respiratory exchange ratio over 2 days. Eight men (25 ± 3 years, 79.6 ± 9.7 kg, body fat 13% ± 6%; mean ± SD) completed 2 experimental treatments: SIE and recovery (SIEx) and nonexercise control. Each 34-h treatment consisted of 2 consecutive 10-h test days. Between 0800-1800 h, participants remained in the laboratory for 8 breath-by-breath gas collections, 3 buffet-type meals, 14 appetite ratings, and 4 blood samples for appetite-related peptides. Treatment comparisons were made using 2-way repeated measures ANOVA or t tests. An immediate, albeit short-lived (SIEx (P SIEx (P = 0.04), elicited by the 1491-kJ (22%) greater energy expenditure over the first 24 h (P = 0.01). Despite its effects on oxygen consumption, appetite, and PYY, acute SIE did not affect energy intake. Consequently, if these dietary responses to SIE are sustained with regular SIT, augmentations in oxygen consumption and/or a substrate shift toward increased fat use postexercise are most likely responsible for the observed body fat loss with this type of exercise training.

Energy-efficiency increase of reinforced concrete columns with recessed working fittings

Science.gov (United States)

Muradyan, Viktor; Mailyan, Dmitry; Lyapin, Alexander; Chubarov, Valery

2017-10-01

One of the most important ways of increasing the energy-efficiency of the construction industry is the reduction of the material capacity of structures and labour intensity of their manufacturing. Since manufacturing of reinforced concrete structures requires considerable financial and energy expenses, then reduction of technological cycle operations is sure to be the urgent task today. It is well known, that in the recessed reinforced concrete elements the transverse reinforcement is fixed for the purpose of ensuring the longitudinal rods fixity. Besides, the thickness of the protective layer, as a rule, is taken the minimum. The authors proposed to increase the protective layer, and that will reduce the amount of transverse reinforcement rods significantly and will make the technological process of structures manufacturing easier.

GREENLYS. Grenoble and Lyon experiment with smart energy of the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Electric power grid operators are facing new challenges, including rising energy consumption and emissions, the need to integrate renewable energy sources, and the emergence of electric vehicles. There is an urgent need to make grids safer, more efficient, environmentally 'greener', and more flexible. In a word: smarter. Schneider Electric has teamed with 4 partners (GEG, GDF Suez, ERDF and GINP) and 6 others on the GreenLys project, the first full-scale smart grid demonstration project in France. Partially financed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), the consortium has developed an experimental technology platform being tested in the cities of Lyon and Grenoble, ultimately involving 1,000 residential customers and 40 commercial building sites. The goal is to standardize and showcase a functional smart grid by 2015, setting the stage for widespread deployment. The GreenLys project is testing innovative solutions from energy generation to end use. At the grid level this includes new analysis tools, next generation substation automation equipment, and communication with smart meters at consumer locations. The grid will be self-healing, quickly reconfiguring itself to maintain the supply of electricity. It will also incorporate decentralised energy generation based on renewables or natural gas, as well as the potential to use stored energy in electric vehicles. At the end-consumer level, a variety of new technologies are applied to engage businesses and homeowners. The cloud-based Demand-Side Operation platform will enable participation in programs like demand response that offer financial incentives for adjusting energy consumption when required. Such programs will help energy users optimize their energy bill and encourage energy-efficient practices. Offering their energy flexibility to the smart grid will also help alleviate peak demand and compensate for the intermittency of large-scale renewable energy production. For commercial

Do patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have increased energy needs?

Science.gov (United States)

Vaisman, Nachum; Lusaus, Michal; Nefussy, Beatrice; Niv, Eva; Comaneshter, Doron; Hallack, Ron; Drory, Vivian E

2009-04-15

Nutritional status is a prognostic factor for survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We investigated the contribution of some of the components contributing to resting energy expenditure (REE) in order to determine whether potentially higher energy needs should be considered for these patients. Thirty three ALS patients and 33 age- and gender-matched healthy controls participated. REE was measured by an open-circuit indirect calorimeter, body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and estimated caloric intake by 7-day food records. Patients had lower body mass indices and lower lean body mass (LBM) than healthy controls. REE values (as a percentage of predicted) was similar but increased when normalized by LBM (Plater. A model for predicting measured REE was constructed based on the different components, with 86% prediction of its variability. ALS is associated with increased REE. Various factors, such as poor caloric intake and mechanical ventilation, may mask this tendency. All the above parameters need to be considered during nutritional intervention to prevent additional muscle loss.

Cost-optimal electricity systems with increasing renewable energy penetration for islands across the globe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blok, K.; van Velzen, Leonore

2018-01-01

Cost-optimal electricity system configurations with increasing renewable energy penetration were determined in this article for six islands of different geographies, sizes and contexts, utilizing photovoltaic energy, wind energy, pumped hydro storage and battery storage. The results of the

The effect of increasing exports on industrial energy intensity in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Yingmei; Qi Jianhong; Chen Xiaoliang

2011-01-01

Given China's heavy reliance on fuel energy and the dominance of its industrial sector in the economy, improving energy efficiency remains one of the practical means for the country to decrease energy intensity and to fulfill its commitment made at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to achieve a 40-45 percent reduction in CO 2 emission intensity by 2020. This study investigates the impact of exports on industrial energy intensity to explore the possibility of reducing energy intensity through greater exports. A panel varying-coefficient regression model with a dataset of China's 20 industrial sub-sectors over 1999-2007 suggests that in general, greater exports aggravate energy intensity of the industrial sector and that great divergences exist in the impact of exports on energy intensity across sub-sectors. A panel threshold model further estimates the thresholds for the major determinants of energy intensity: exports, input in technological innovations, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) intensity. Given the great differences in specific sub-sector characteristics and the changing roles played by different factors across sub-sectors, there is no general export policy that would work for all sub-sectors in reducing sub-sector energy intensity. Instead, policies and measures aiming to encourage more efficient use of energy should take into full consideration the characteristics and situations of individual sub-sectors. - Research highlights: → We examine the impact of exports on industrial energy intensity in China. → Greater exports increase industrial energy intensity as a whole. → Divergences exist in the impact of exports on energy intensity across sub-sectors. → China should discard policies encouraging exports at the cost of energy efficiency. → Export policy to reduce energy intensity should cater to sub-sector characteristics.

The effect of increasing exports on industrial energy intensity in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng Yingmei [School of Economics, Shandong University, 27 Shanda South Road, Jinan, Shandong Province 250100 (China); Qi Jianhong, E-mail: sducatherine@gmail.co [School of Economics, Shandong University, 27 Shanda South Road, Jinan, Shandong Province 250100 (China); Chen Xiaoliang [School of Economics, Shandong University, 27 Shanda South Road, Jinan, Shandong Province 250100 (China)

2011-05-15

Given China's heavy reliance on fuel energy and the dominance of its industrial sector in the economy, improving energy efficiency remains one of the practical means for the country to decrease energy intensity and to fulfill its commitment made at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to achieve a 40-45 percent reduction in CO{sub 2} emission intensity by 2020. This study investigates the impact of exports on industrial energy intensity to explore the possibility of reducing energy intensity through greater exports. A panel varying-coefficient regression model with a dataset of China's 20 industrial sub-sectors over 1999-2007 suggests that in general, greater exports aggravate energy intensity of the industrial sector and that great divergences exist in the impact of exports on energy intensity across sub-sectors. A panel threshold model further estimates the thresholds for the major determinants of energy intensity: exports, input in technological innovations, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) intensity. Given the great differences in specific sub-sector characteristics and the changing roles played by different factors across sub-sectors, there is no general export policy that would work for all sub-sectors in reducing sub-sector energy intensity. Instead, policies and measures aiming to encourage more efficient use of energy should take into full consideration the characteristics and situations of individual sub-sectors. - Research highlights: {yields} We examine the impact of exports on industrial energy intensity in China. {yields} Greater exports increase industrial energy intensity as a whole. {yields} Divergences exist in the impact of exports on energy intensity across sub-sectors. {yields} China should discard policies encouraging exports at the cost of energy efficiency. {yields} Export policy to reduce energy intensity should cater to sub-sector characteristics.

System-Level Operational and Adequacy Impact Assessment of Photovoltaic and Distributed Energy Storage, with Consideration of Inertial Constraints, Dynamic Reserve and Interconnection Flexibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingxi Zhang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The growing penetration of solar photovoltaic (PV systems requires a fundamental understanding of its impact at a system-level. Furthermore, distributed energy storage (DES technologies, such as batteries, are attracting great interest owing to their ability to provide support to systems with large-scale renewable generation, such as PV. In this light, the system-level impacts of PV and DES are assessed from both operational and adequacy perspectives. Different control strategies for DES are proposed, namely: (1 centralised, to support system operation in the presence of increasing requirements on system ramping and frequency control; and (2 decentralised, to maximise the harnessing of solar energy from individual households while storing electricity generated by PV panels to provide system capacity on request. The operational impacts are assessed by deploying a multi-service unit commitment model with consideration of inertial constraints, dynamic reserve allocation, and interconnection flexibility, while the impacts on adequacy of supply are analysed by assessing the capacity credit of PV and DES through different metrics. The models developed are then applied to different future scenarios for the Great Britain power system, whereby an electricity demand increase due to electrification is also considered. The numerical results highlight the importance of interconnectors to provide flexibility. On the other hand, provision of reserves, as opposed to energy arbitrage, from DES that are integrated into system operation is seen as the most effective contribution to improve system performance, which in turn also decreases the role of interconnectors. DES can also contribute to providing system capacity, but to an extent that is limited by their individual and aggregated energy availability under different control strategies.

Policy Instruments for an Increased Supply of Energy Crops; Styrmedel foer ett utoekat utbud av biobraensle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stenkvist, Maria; Widmark, Annika; Wiklund, Sven-Erik; Liljeblad, Anna

2009-05-15

At present, energy crops are not commonly used as fuel for heat and power production in Sweden, but as a result of increased competition for biomass, the interest for agricultural fuels such as willow, straw, reed canary grass and hemp increases. The purpose of this study is through a qualitative study that includes a literature study as well as case studies carried out by interviews, with respondents in the agriculture- and energy sectors highlight the conditions for increased production and use of energy crops. The main objective is to propose relevant policy instruments that could increase the production and use of energy crops. The purpose with the proposed policy instruments is that they should serve as a basis for discussions with politicians and authorities regarding the supply of bio fuels through the use of energy crops. The result of the study indicates that the main obstacle for increasing the production and use of energy crops is that the cultivation of energy crops today is unprofitable. To reduce the production costs it is necessary to improve the competitiveness of energy crops, primarily in relation to wood chips. The study shows that there is a potential for reduction of production costs through development of the logistics chain. Policy measures promoting the use of bio fuels exists today, but are not fully used to increase the share of energy crops in the bio fuel energy mix. The reason for this is that they are generally not as cost efficient as alternative bio fuels. It is important that competition issues are addressed, both regarding competition issues between different bio fuels, but also competition issues between various energy crops that exists today. Further obstacles to accelerate the introduction of energy crops at the market are high investment costs for establishment of some of the energy crops. From the analysis in this study, the following policy instruments are suggested in order to increase the production and the use of energy

Effect of increasing levels of apparent metabolizable energy on laying hens in barn system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hwan Ku; Park, Seong Bok; Jeon, Jin Joo; Kim, Hyun Soo; Park, Ki Tae; Kim, Sang Ho; Hong, Eui Chul; Kim, Chan Ho

2018-04-12

This experiment was to investigate the effect of increasing levels of apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) on the laying performance, egg quality, blood parameter, blood biochemistry, intestinal morphology, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients in diets fed to laying hens. A total of three-hundred twenty 33-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens (Gallus domesticus) were evenly assigned to four experimental diets of 2,750, 2,850, 2,950, and 3,050 kcal AMEn/kg in floor with deep litter of rice hulls. There were four replicates of each treatment, each consisting of 20 birds in a pen. AMEn intake was increased (linear, p Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were improved (linear, p hen-day egg production tended to be increased as increasing level of AMEn in diets increased. During the experiment, leukocyte concentration and blood biochemistry (total cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, total protein, calcium, asparate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine transferase (ALT) were not influenced by increasing level of AMEn in diets. Gross energy and ether extract were increased (linear, p hens fed high AMEn diet (i.e., 3,050 kcal/kg in the current experiment) tended to overconsume energy with a positive effect on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology but not in egg production and egg mass.

An assessment of the biomass potential of Cyprus for energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kythreotou, Nicoletta; Tassou, Savvas A.; Florides, Georgios

2012-01-01

Biodegradable waste in Cyprus predominately consists of the biodegradable fraction of municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, solid and liquid agricultural residues and solid and liquid wastes from food and drink industries. Biodegradable waste is a very important source of biomass. The potential amount of solid and liquid biomass of the specified waste streams was estimated to be 9.2 million tonnes, after collecting data on the waste generation coefficients. Both liquid and solid waste can be used for the production of biogas (BG), which can be combusted for the production of thermal and electrical energy. The potential biogas production was estimated on the basis of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) consumption and on the basis of digested mass. The potential biogas production was found to be 114 and 697 million m 3 respectively. Further research is required for the improvement of waste generation coefficients. The results on energy production provide an indication of the importance of promotion of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of biodegradable waste to the energy balance of the country. Anaerobic digestion can provide decentralisation of energy production, and production of energy in areas that are in most cases remote. -- Highlights: ► Waste generation coefficients were estimated according to available data for Cyprus. ► Total solid and liquid biomass from waste was estimated to be 9.2 million tonnes. ► Biogas production was estimated using COD and mass digested. ► Further research is required for the improvement of waste generation coefficients. ► Energy production estimates indicates the importance of anaerobic digestion.

Structural Prospects and Challenges for Bio Commodity Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Narodoslawsky

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The current discussion about dwindling reserves of crude oil, rising fuel prices, global warming and supply disruption of natural gas has renewed interest in the provision of bioenergy and bio-based commodity products. There is a growing consensus that the 21st century will see a profound change in the resource base for industry and society, with less emphasis on fossil coal, oil and gas and more emphasis on renewable resources. This new resource base may take the form either of direct solar energy like photovoltaics and thermal solar energy or indirect utilisation of solar energy via biomass. Such a change in the raw material base, however, entails a profound revolution in the structure of processes, technologies employed and the economical framework of industry and society. Renewable resources constitute 'limited infinity': although they may be provided for infinite time, their yield is limited. This paper explores the strategic challenges for society in general and process industry in particular, and indicates some methodological approaches to meet these challenges, exemplified in case studies about decentralised bioethanol production and decentralised multifunctional production centres. The paper shows that utilising renewable resources enlarges the process concept by including resource provision and logistics into the process design. It also highlights a new balance between economy and ecology of scale when resource provision and logistics are taken into account. Ecological process evaluation as analytical methods and process synthesis as design methods will gain increasing importance for process technology as the share of renewable resources is increased.

European Union energy policy integration: A case of European Commission policy entrepreneurship and increasing supranationalism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maltby, Tomas

2013-01-01

Focusing on gas, this article explores the role of the European Commission in the process of European Union energy security policy development, and the extent to which the policy area is becoming increasingly supranational. Situating the article within the literature on agenda-setting and framing, it is argued that a policy window was opened as a result of: enlargement to include more energy import dependent states, a trend of increasing energy imports and prices, and gas supply disruptions. From the mid-2000s, the Commission contributed to a shift in political norms, successfully framing import dependency as a problem requiring an EU-level solution, based on the institution’s pre-existing preferences for a diversified energy supply and internal energy market. Whilst Member States retain significant sovereignty, the Commission has achieved since 2006 creeping competencies in the internal, and to a lesser extent external, dimensions of EU energy policy. - Highlights: ► We examine the development of EU energy security policy, focusing on gas. ► We examine changes in European Commission competence in energy policy. ► The European Commission has gained increased competence in the internal market. ► In the external dimension of EU energy policy Member States retain competence. ► The European Commission has had qualified success as a policy entrepreneur

Increased light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells with energy relay dyes

KAUST Repository

Hardin, Brian E.

2009-06-21

Conventional dye-sensitized solar cells have excellent charge collection efficiencies, high open-circuit voltages and good fill factors. However, dye-sensitized solar cells do not completely absorb all of the photons from the visible and near-infrared domain and consequently have lower short-circuit photocurrent densities than inorganic photovoltaic devices. Here, we present a new design where high-energy photons are absorbed by highly photoluminescent chromophores unattached to the titania and undergo Förster resonant energy transfer to the sensitizing dye. This novel architecture allows for broader spectral absorption, an increase in dye loading, and relaxes the design requirements for the sensitizing dye. We demonstrate a 26% increase in power conversion efficiency when using an energy relay dye (PTCDI) with an organic sensitizing dye (TT1). We estimate the average excitation transfer efficiency in this system to be at least 47%. This system offers a viable pathway to develop more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

Territorial approach to increased energy consumption of water extraction from depletion of a highlands Mexican aquifer.

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Carlos Roberto; Esteller, María Vicenta; Díaz-Delgado, Carlos

2013-10-15

This work proposes a method to estimate increased energy consumption of pumping caused by a drawdown of groundwater level and the equivalent energy consumption of the motor-pump system in an aquifer under intensive exploitation. This method has been applied to the Valley of Toluca aquifer, located in the Mexican highlands, whose intensive exploitation is reflected in a decline in the groundwater level of between 0.10 and 1.6 m/year. Results provide a summary of energy consumption and a map of energy consumption isopleths showing the areas that are most susceptible to increases in energy consumption due to pumping. The proposed method can be used to estimate the effect of the intensive exploitation of the Valley of Toluca aquifer on the energy consumption of groundwater extraction. Finding reveals that, for the year 2006, groundwater extraction in the urban zone required 2.39 times more energy than the conditions observed 38 years earlier. In monetary terms, this reflects an increase of USD$ 3 million annually, according to 2005 energy production costs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increasing the MTU size for Energy Efficiency in Ethernet

OpenAIRE

Reviriego, P.; Sanchez-Macian, A.; Maestro, J.A.; Bleakley, Chris J.

2010-01-01

The commonly used Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) on the Internet has remained unchanged for many years at around 1500 bytes due mainly to backward compatibility issues. This is in contrast with link data rate, which has increased by several orders of magnitude. In this paper, a new advantage of using larger MTUs is introduced, namely Energy Efficiency. In wire-line environments, the link power consumption is generally roughly independent of the number of frames that are t...

Efficient Control of Energy Storage for Increasing the PV Hosting Capacity of LV Grids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hashemi Toghroljerdi, Seyedmostafa; Østergaard, Jacob

2016-01-01

grid is usually limited by overvoltage, and the efficient control of distributed electrical energy storage systems (EESSs) can considerably increase this capacity. In this paper, a new control approach based on the voltage sensitivity analysis is proposed to prevent overvoltage and increase the PV......Photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the renewable sources that electrical energy systems are adopting with increasing frequency. The majority of already-installed PV systems are decentralized units that are usually connected to lowvoltage (LV) distribution grids. The PV hosting capacity of an LV...... hosting capacity of LV grids by determining dynamic set points for EESS management. The method has the effectiveness of central control methods and can effectively decrease the energy storage required for overvoltage prevention, yet it eliminates the need for a broadband and fast communication. The net...

Numerical study on increasing mass flow ratio by energy deposition of high frequency pulsed laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Diankai; Hong Yanji; Li Qian

2013-01-01

The mass flow ratio (MFR) of air breathing ramjet inlet would be decreased, when the Mach number is lower than the designed value. High frequency pulsed laser energy was deposited upstream of the cowl lip to reflect the stream so as to increase the MFR. When the Mach number of the flow was 5.0, and the static pressure and temperature of the flow were 2 551.6 Pa and 116.7 K, respectively, two-dimensional non-stationary compressible RANS equations were solved with upwind format to study the mechanisms of increasing MFR by high frequency pulsed laser energy deposition. The laser deposition frequency was 100 kHz and the average power was 500 W. The crossing point of the first forebody oblique shock and extension line of cowl lip was selected as the expected point. Then the deposition position was optimized by searching near the expected point. The results indicate that with the optimization of laser energy deposition position, the MFR would be increased from 63% to 97%. The potential value of increasing MFR by high frequency pulsed laser energy deposition was proved. The method for selection of the energy deposition position was also presented. (authors)

Developing ‘green’ labour in Indonesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunawan, Janti; Fraser, Kym

2013-01-01

/or framework in areas such as the environment, eco-tourism, green industry, and sustainable energy, the coordination mechanism across ministries and between government levels, in the decentralised era, is creating enormous challenges in regards to standardising policy, program alignment, and effective...

Increased Energy Efficiency in Slovenian Industry - A Contribution to the Kyoto Target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selan, B.; Urbancic, A.

1998-01-01

In Slovenia the actual fast growth of greenhouse emissions will require substantial efforts to fulfil the target set in Kyoto. The end-use emissions in the in the industrial sectors represented one third of the total CO 2 emissions in the country in 1996. The cost-effective potential in the sector for CO 2 emission reduction is significant. In the paper, the most important ongoing energy efficiency activities in the industrial sector are presented: information and awareness building, energy advising to larger industrial consumers, energy audition programme, demonstration programme of energy efficiency technologies, financial incentives for energy efficiency investment and the energy efficiency investment fund. A CO 2 tax has been in force since 1997. The results of an evaluation of energy efficiency strategies in industry in the frame of the project 'Integrated resource planning for the energy efficiency in Slovenia' are discussed from the viewpoint of greenhouse gases reduction targets set by Slovenia, and a brief information on the ongoing and expected post Kyoto activities and studies is given. The most important points of the future GHG reduction strategy related to industrial sector in Slovenia will be focused on intensified energy efficiency programme, increased combined heat and power production (CHP), and the effects of incentives through the CO 2 tax. (author)

Hidden vegetables: an effective strategy to reduce energy intake and increase vegetable intake in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Blatt, Alexandria D; Roe, Liane S; Rolls, Barbara J

2011-04-01

The overconsumption of energy-dense foods leads to excessive energy intakes. The substitution of low-energy-dense vegetables for foods higher in energy density can help decrease energy intakes but may be difficult to implement if individuals dislike the taste of vegetables. We investigated whether incorporating puréed vegetables to decrease the energy density of entrées at multiple meals reduced daily energy intakes and increased daily vegetable intakes. In this crossover study, 20 men and 21 women ate ad libitum breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the laboratory once a week for 3 wk. Across conditions, entrées at meals varied in energy density from standard versions (100% condition) to reduced versions (85% and 75% conditions) by the covert incorporation of 3 or 4.5 times the amount of puréed vegetables. Entrées were accompanied by unmanipulated side dishes. Participants rated their hunger and fullness before and after meals. Subjects consumed a consistent weight of foods across conditions of energy density; thus, the daily energy intake significantly decreased by 202 ± 60 kcal in the 85% condition (P kcal in the 75% condition (P Daily vegetable consumption significantly increased from 270 ± 17 g of vegetables in the 100% condition to 487 ± 25 g of vegetables in the 75% condition (P < 0.0001). Despite the decreased energy intake, ratings of hunger and fullness did not significantly differ across conditions. Entrées were rated as similar in palatability across conditions. Large amounts of puréed vegetables can be incorporated into various foods to decrease the energy density. This strategy can lead to substantial reductions in energy intakes and increases in vegetable intakes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01165086.

Development and Simulation of Decentralised Water and Energy Supply Concepts – Case Study of Rainwater Harvesting at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity in Cambodia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel Czarny

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Besides a sufficient energy supply, concepts for accommodations require an intelligent water management. Using the example of quarters that do not have water and energy access, a dynamic simulation model is presented in which a rainwater harvesting concept is implemented and simulated over one year using MATLAB-Simulink. The aim is to minimize respectively suspend the use of fossil energy sources and to guarantee the provision of decentralized clean drinking water. Since traditional water bodies, e.g. groundwater, are increasingly polluted and depleted, utilisation of alternative sources is prudent. Especially in rural areas, where access to drinking water is scarce, rainwater is suitable for providing potable water. Besides its beneficial chemical water properties, it is easily accessed in a decentralized manner, which makes it a preferred choice in areas with sufficient precipitation. However, access to rainwater is limited by its occurrence and contamination, calling for proper storage, utilisation, and treatment strategies. For this purpose, a rainwater harvesting system, including different water and energy management systems, was modelled and implemented using the site of the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity in Cambodia as an example. For the simulation, a precipitation generator was implemented using real historical rain event data. An appropriate rainwater treatment process was chosen, consisting of a microfiltration and a subsequent ultrafiltration unit removing bacteriological loads entirely. Both were modelled and implemented dynamically. Using the site of the Angkor Centre of Conservation of Biodiversity, a complete rainwater harvesting plant was implemented including harvest, storage, and utilization of rainwater. Further, a renewable energy management strategy is developed, using photovoltaic modules and batteries. It was shown that the cumulative runoff meets the water demand of the Angkor Centre for Conservation of

Industrial opportunities related to energy transition. Report to Mister the Minister of Economy and Finances, Mister the Secretary of State of Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campana, Mireille; Sorro, Jean-Francois; Peries-Joly, Quentin

2017-02-01

This report examines opportunities created by energy transition for the French industry, and aims at identifying the most promising niches in order to help French enterprises to be competitive and thus to improve the French trade balance by five to ten years. The study focuses on three main sectors: equipment and installations of renewable energy production (ground-based and offshore grounded wind energy, floating wind energy, hydroelectric energy, solar photovoltaic, methanization), management of electric systems of any size (more particularly smart grids) and issue of energy storage in relationship with production source decentralisation, and building efficiency (energy renovation, heat pumps, active consumption steering and connected housing). A first part describes, for each of these sectors, the situation of the world market and the French situation in terms of market and actors (strengths and weaknesses), as well as objectives which could be envisaged to improve actor competitiveness. The second part discusses existing tools which could be means to reach these objectives: R and D financing tools, other financing types, sector dynamics. The third part proposes a set of measures and recommendations to develop the French offer in sustainable technologies, to ease a better demand structuring, and to steer demand towards a sustainable (and notably French) content

The Increase of Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emission in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sasana, Hadi; Putri, Annisa Eka

2018-02-01

In the last decade, the increase of energy consumption that has multiplied carbondioxide emissions becomes world problems, especially in the developing countries undergoing industrialization to be developed ones like Indonesia. This aim of this study was to analyze the effect of fossil energy consumption, population growth, and consumption of renewable energy on carbon dioxide emission. The method used was multiple linear regression analysis with Ordinary Least Square approach using time series in the period of 1990 - 2014. The result showed that fossil energy consumption and population growth have a positive influence on carbon dioxide emission in Indonesia. Meanwhile, the consumption variable of renewable energy has a negative effect on the level of carbon dioxide emissions produced.

The Civilisation Biorefinery - A Future Approach for Material and Energy Recovery from Regional Organic Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koerner, I.

2010-01-01

The future shortage of energy and raw materials as well as the problems on climate protection are challenges for which a solution is imperative. For efficient utilizing organic liquid and solid wastes which are generated in a city, a city itself could become a civilisation biorefinery. The output will be various energetic and material products, which can be used in the city or in the surrounding of the city. Depending on the nature of the various urban input materials, they need to be fed in to biorefineries adapted to the substrate type. The separate substrate-specific biorefineries may be at central or decentralised locations within the city. Moreover, since the residues from one system can be used in others as input, mutual networking is of importance. To facilitate efficient valorification, bioresources and the type of biorefinery need to be optimally matched. That also means that at the collection stage already, the material properties of the bioresource must be taken into account and where appropriate, new collection systems introduced, or consideration should be given to technical processes for separation of mixtures of materials. Extremely differing cascades will be appropriate for the various regional situations. For this reason, the evaluation of alternative schemes will be seen as very significant. Additional important points are the suitability of new measures or processes for integration into existing regional structures, as well as the logistics aspects, including the question of whether bioconversion processes should be conducted centrally or in decentralised locations. In Germany, considerable amounts of biowaste are available today and in the future which, until now, were almost entirely composted. The possibilities of anaerobic fermentation are gaining more and more in importance. Aerobic and anaerobic treatments of biowaste are more and more combined within the scope of a win-win situation. These technologies will be important parts of a

Combining total energy and energy industrial center concepts to increase utilization efficiency of geothermal energy

Science.gov (United States)

Bayliss, B. P.

1974-01-01

Integrating energy production and energy consumption to produce a total energy system within an energy industrial center which would result in more power production from a given energy source and less pollution of the environment is discussed. Strong governmental support would be required for the crash drilling program necessary to implement these concepts. Cooperation among the federal agencies, power producers, and private industry would be essential in avoiding redundant and fruitless projects, and in exploiting most efficiently our geothermal resources.

Economics of total energy schemes in the liberalised European energy market

Science.gov (United States)

Lampret, Peter

This thesis is concerned with the liberalisation of the European Energy markets and the affects this has had on total energy systems. The work concentrates on a number of case studies all of which are located in the area surrounding Gelsenkirchen - Bottrop - Gladbeck, the centre of the Ruhr region of Germany.The thesis describes briefly how the legislation of the parliament of the extended European Union has been interpreted and enacted into German legislation and its affects on production, transport, sales and customers. Primarily the legislation has been enacted to reduce energy costs by having a competitive market while enabling security of supply. The legislation whose development has accelerated since 1999 can lead to negative effects and these have been highlighted for the case studies chosen.The legislation and technological advances, each of them successful by themselves, do not provide the expected reduction of carbon dioxide emissions when applied to total energy system. The introduction of human behaviour as a missing link makes the problems evident and gives a theoretical basis to overcome these problems. The hypothesis is proven by eight detailed research projects and four concisely described ones.The base of the research is the experience gained on approximately 1,000 operation years of the simplest total energy system, that of centralised heating. This experience is transferred to different solutions for total energy systems and their economics in combination with the changing legislation and observation of human behaviour.The variety of topics of the case studies includes the production of heat by boiler, solar or combined heat and power and the use of fuel cells. Additionally the transfer of heat, at the place of demand is considered, either as an individual boiler in a building or as de-centralised district heating.The various results of these projects come together in a final project which covers four different heating systems in identical

A cascadable circular concentrator with parallel compressed structure for increasing the energy density

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Nai-Lun; Chen, Yi-Yung; Hsieh, Wei-Che; Whang, Allen Jong-Woei

2012-02-01

Due to the energy crisis, the principle of green energy gains popularity. This leads the increasing interest in renewable energy such as solar energy. Thus, how to collect the sunlight for indoor illumination becomes our ultimate target. With the environmental awareness increasing, we use the nature light as the light source. Then we start to devote the development of solar collecting system. The Natural Light Guiding System includes three parts, collecting, transmitting and lighting part. The idea of our solar collecting system design is a concept for combining the buildings with a combination of collecting modules. Therefore, we can use it anyplace where the sunlight can directly impinges on buildings with collecting elements. In the meantime, while collecting the sunlight with high efficiency, we can transmit the sunlight into indoor through shorter distance zone by light pipe where we needs the light. We proposed a novel design including disk-type collective lens module. With the design, we can let the incident light and exit light be parallel and compressed. By the parallel and compressed design, we make every output light become compressed in the proposed optical structure. In this way, we can increase the ratio about light compression, get the better efficiency and let the energy distribution more uniform for indoor illumination. By the definition of "KPI" as an performance index about light density as following: lm/(mm)2, the simulation results show that the proposed Concentrator is 40,000,000 KPI much better than the 800,000 KPI measured from the traditional ones.

Analyse of possibilities of increasing housing energy efficiency by application of phase-changing materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vučeljić-Vavan Sanja

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Refurbishment of existing building stock using energy-saving phase-changing smart materials and technologies, in addition to improved indoor climatic conditions, offer an opportunity for increasing housing energy efficiency and value. This fast developing technology becomes increasingly cost-effective with much shorter payback periods. However, it is undertaken only on a limited scale; because of lack of knowledge about their changeable properties and dynamism in that they behave in response to energy fields. Main characteristics, which make them different form others, are: immediacy transience, self-actuation, selectivity and directness. Phase change processes invariably involve the absorbing, storing or releasing of large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat. These processes are reversible and phase-changing materials can undergo an unlimited number of cycles without degradation. Since phase-changing materials can be designed to absorb or release energy at predictable temperatures, they have naturally been explored for use in architecture as a way of helping deal with the thermal environment in a building. Technologies based on sealing phase-changing materials into small pellets have achieved widespread use in connection with radiant floor heating systems, phase change wallboards, mortar or facade systems. Thermal characteristics of existing buildings can be improved on increasing their thermal-stored mass by implementation products of phase-changing smart materials. In addition to contributing to carbon reduction and energy security, using phase-changing materials in the building sector stimulates innovations.

Yoga Poses Increase Subjective Energy and State Self-Esteem in Comparison to 'Power Poses'.

Science.gov (United States)

Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka; Lantos, Dorottya; Bowden, Deborah

2017-01-01

Research on beneficial consequences of yoga focuses on the effects of yogic breathing and meditation. Less is known about the psychological effects of performing yoga postures. The present study investigated the effects of yoga poses on subjective sense of energy and self-esteem. The effects of yoga postures were compared to the effects of 'power poses,' which arguably increase the sense of power and self-confidence due to their association with interpersonal dominance (Carney et al., 2010). The study tested the novel prediction that yoga poses, which are not associated with interpersonal dominance but increase bodily energy, would increase the subjective feeling of energy and therefore increase self-esteem compared to 'high power' and 'low power' poses. A two factorial, between participants design was employed. Participants performed either two standing yoga poses with open front of the body ( n = 19), two standing yoga poses with covered front of the body ( n = 22), two expansive, high power poses ( n = 21), or two constrictive, low power poses ( n = 20) for 1-min each. The results showed that yoga poses in comparison to 'power poses' increased self-esteem. This effect was mediated by an increased subjective sense of energy and was observed when baseline trait self-esteem was controlled for. These results suggest that the effects of performing open, expansive body postures may be driven by processes other than the poses' association with interpersonal power and dominance. This study demonstrates that positive effects of yoga practice can occur after performing yoga poses for only 2 min.

Advanced Wear-resistant Nanocomposites for Increased Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, B. A.; Harringa, J. L.; Russel, A. M.

2012-12-01

This report summarizes the work performed by an Ames-led project team under a 4-year DOE-ITP sponsored project titled, 'Advanced Wear-resistant Nanocomposites for Increased Energy Efficiency.' The Report serves as the project deliverable for the CPS agreement number 15015. The purpose of this project was to develop and commercialize a family of lightweight, bulk composite materials that are highly resistant to degradation by erosive and abrasive wear. These materials, based on AlMgB{sub 14}, are projected to save over 30 TBtu of energy per year when fully implemented in industrial applications, with the associated environmental benefits of eliminating the burning of 1.5 M tons/yr of coal and averting the release of 4.2 M tons/yr of CO{sub 2} into the air. This program targeted applications in the mining, drilling, machining, and dry erosion applications as key platforms for initial commercialization, which includes some of the most severe wear conditions in industry. Production-scale manufacturing of this technology has begun through a start-up company, NewTech Ceramics (NTC). This project included providing technical support to NTC in order to facilitate cost-effective mass production of the wear-resistant boride components. Resolution of issues related to processing scale-up, reduction in energy intensity during processing, and improving the quality and performance of the composites, without adding to the cost of processing were among the primary technical focus areas of this program. Compositional refinements were also investigated in order to achieve the maximum wear resistance. In addition, synthesis of large-scale, single-phase AlMgB{sub 14} powder was conducted for use as PVD sputtering targets for nanocoating applications.

Kemampuan Kuangan Daerah Studi Kasus Kota Jambi dalam Pelaksanaan Otonomi Daerah

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Wulandari

2015-12-01

Full Text Available One of the crucial benchmark for the success of of decentralisation policy in Indonesia is whether it will improve local financial capacity. It is undeniable that, with the centralistic tendency of national development strategy in the past, local governments had been increasingly dependent on the financial resources provided by the central government. With a radical decentralisation policy has been brought into effect in early 2001, it is assumed that local governments will be able to carry out their development responsibilities with the local financial resources. However, it turned out that the policy are hampered by lack of human resources, infrastructure limitations, and rampant corruption among the local authorities. The financial autonomy in this study is measured by the degree of fiscal decentralisation, the fiscal needs, capacity and efforts, the actual local revenue (PAD and the elasticity of PAD. The case study in the city of Jambi shows that financial autonomy after decentralisation policy is still low. This is caused by some pitfalls in local finance, namely: I limited potentials for local taxes and levies, 2 increasing misuse of funds in local administration, and 3 inadequate revenues from the local enterprises. To strengthen financial capacity of Jambi city administration, it is recommended to develop an industrial zone and to boost cooperative networks with domestic as well as foreign investors.

Net change in carbon emissions with increased wood energy use in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash Nepal; David N. Wear; Kenneth E. Skog

2014-01-01

Use of wood biomass for energy results in carbon (C) emissions at the time of burning and alters C stocks on the land because of harvest, regrowth, and changes in land use or management. This study evaluates the potential effects of expanded woody biomass energy use (for heat and power) on net C emissions over time. A scenario with increased wood energy use is compared...

New energy efficiency technologies associated with increased natural gas demand in delivery and consumption sectors of Iran

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alghalandis, Saeid Mansouri

2010-09-15

Increasing population and economic growth in developing countries has changed their energy consumption patterns. So, the conventional systems of energy supply have become inadequate to deal with rising energy demand. Iran has great reservoirs of natural gas and its natural gas usage is far more than average international standard. Dominance of natural gas share in energy basket in Iran, make it necessary to consider energy efficient technologies and solutions for this domain. In this study new technologies for increasing energy efficiency (EE) in natural gas delivery and consumption sub sectors are discussed and evaluated according to available infrastructures in Iran.

Framework methodology for increased energy efficiency and renewable feedstock integration in industrial clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hackl, Roman; Harvey, Simon

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Framework methodology for energy efficiency of process plants and total sites. • Identification of suitable biorefinery based on host site future energy systems. • Case study results show large energy savings of site wide heat integration. • Case study on refrigeration systems: 15% shaft work savings potential. • Case study on biorefinery integration: utility savings potential of up to 37%. - Abstract: Energy intensive industries, such as the bulk chemical industry, are facing major challenges and adopting strategies to face these challenges. This paper investigates options for clusters of chemical process plants to decrease their energy and emission footprints. There is a wide range of technologies and process integration opportunities available for achieving these objectives, including (i) decreasing fossil fuel and electricity demand by increasing heat integration within individual processes and across the total cluster site; (ii) replacing fossil feedstocks with renewables and biorefinery integration with the existing cluster; (iii) increasing external utilization of excess process heat wherever possible. This paper presents an overview of the use of process integration methods for development of chemical clusters. Process simulation, pinch analysis, Total Site Analysis (TSA) and exergy concepts are combined in a holistic approach to identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency and integrate renewable feedstocks within such clusters. The methodology is illustrated by application to a chemical cluster in Stenungsund on the West Coast of Sweden consisting of five different companies operating six process plants. The paper emphasizes and quantifies the gains that can be made by adopting a total site approach for targeting energy efficiency measures within the cluster and when investigating integration opportunities for advanced biorefinery concepts compared to restricting the analysis to the individual constituent plants. The

Nuclear energy in the increasingly deregulated brazilian energy market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathias, Sergio G

2003-01-01

The Brazilian Electric Energy Market is presently undergoing an institutional transition from a strictly regulated to a commercially competitive market, due to be completed by January, 2006. The operation and maintenance costs of the two presently existing Brazilian nuclear power plants allow them to be economically competitive with other types of plants for meeting the load demand in the country. The commercialization of the energy produced by the two existing nuclear power plants must cope with the impact of the new market rules, which establish that power purchase contracts must be freely negotiated between generating and distributing companies. The projected costs for the construction and operation of a third NPP also indicate that it may be economically feasible under the new market rules (author)

Diagnosis and characterization of mania: Quantifying increased energy and activity in the human behavioral pattern monitor

OpenAIRE

Perry, William; McIlwain, Meghan; Kloezeman, Karen; Henry, Brook L.; Minassian, Arpi

2016-01-01

Increased energy or activity is now an essential feature of the mania of Bipolar Disorder (BD) according to DSM-5. This study examined whether objective measures of increased energy can differentiate manic BD individuals and provide greater diagnostic accuracy compared to rating scales, extending the work of previous studies with smaller samples. We also tested the relationship between objective measures of energy and rating scales. 50 hospitalized manic BD patients were compared to healthy s...

Increased energy efficiency and the rebound effect: Effects on consumption and emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braennlund, Runar; Ghalwash, Tarek; Nordstroem, Jonas

2007-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to examine how exogenous technological progress, in terms of an increase in energy efficiency, affects consumption choice by Swedish households and thereby emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ). The aim of the paper is closely related to the discussion of what is termed the 'rebound effect'. To neutralise the rebound effect, we estimate the necessary change in CO 2 tax, i.e. the CO 2 tax that keeps CO 2 emissions at their initial level. In addition, we estimate how this will affect emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The results indicate that an increase in energy efficiency of 20% will increase emissions of CO 2 by approximately 5%. To reduce the CO 2 emissions to their initial level, the CO 2 tax must be raised by 130%. This tax increase will reduce the emissions of sulphur dioxide to below their initial level, but will leave the emissions of nitrogen oxides at a higher level than initially. Thus, if marginal damages from sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are non-constant, additional policy instruments are needed

Possibility to Increase Biofuels Energy Efficiency used for Compression Ignition Engines Fueling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Calin D. Iclodean

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the possibilities of optimizing the use of biofuels in terms of energy efficiency in compression ignition (CI engines fueling. Based on the experimental results was determinate the law of variation of the rate of heat released by the combustion process for diesel fuel and different blends of biodiesel. Using this law, were changed parameters of the engine management system (fuel injection law and was obtain increased engine performance (in terms of energy efficiency for use of different biofuel blends.

Enerplan commits itself for the deployment of solar energy in France and for job development in this growth-creating sector with a future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueth, Thierry; Loyen, Richard; Jean, Andre; Gouranton, Germain; Joffre, Andre; Cardonnel, Christian

2012-01-01

This publication first describes and discusses how the solar sector has a job and competitiveness creation potential in France. It notably outlines that this sector could be able to mobilise more than 100,000 jobs by 2020. This encompasses the solar thermal energy sector and the solar electric power sector. It highlights that competitiveness thresholds like heat parity and network parity will be overcome before 2017 (solar power production costs are notably discussed for photovoltaic power produced on buildings and by large plants). A second part states proposals made by ENERPLAN to revive the solar sector, with notably three emergency measures related to purchase prices and to the development of a positive communication. Six measures are also proposed for the five-year term: implementation of a steady pricing framework for solar power with quickly defined power ambition, to revive the solar thermal energy sector through the building and industry sectors, the implementation of a French solar Small Business Act, to make the solar sector an actor of energy decentralisation, and to participate to the Environment conference follow-up and to the debate on energy transition

Role of LNG in an optimized hybrid energy network : part I. Increased operational flexibility for the future energy system by integration of decentralized LNG regasification with a CHP

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montoya Cardona, Juliana; de Rooij, Marietta; Dam, Jacques

2017-01-01

The future energy system could benefit from the integration of the independent gas, heat and electricity infrastructures. In addition to an increase in exergy efficiency, such a Hybrid Energy Network (HEN) could support the increase of intermittent renewable energy sources by offering increased

Increasing reliability of nuclear energy equipment and at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ochrana, L.

1997-01-01

The Institute of Nuclear Energy at the Technical University in Brno cooperates with nuclear power plants in increasing their reliability. The teaching programme is briefly described. The scientific research programme of the Department of Heat and Nuclear Power Energy Equipment in the field of reliability is based on a complex systematic concept securing a high level of reliability. In 1996 the Department prepared a study dealing with the evaluation of the maintenance system in a nuclear power plant. The proposed techniques make it possible to evaluate the reliability and maintenance characteristics of any individual component in a nuclear power plant, and to monitor, record and evaluate data at any given time intervals. (M.D.)

Ground source energy in crystalline bedrock - increased energy extraction by using hydraulic fracturing in boreholes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramstad, Randi Kalstad

2004-11-01

The use of improved equipment and methodology can result in considerable reductions in the drilling costs for medium- to large sized ground source heat pump system in crystalline bedrock. The main point has been to use special techniques within hydraulic fracturing to create a larger heat exchange area in the bedrock, and thus a greater energy extraction per borehole. The energy extraction is based on circulating groundwater. Stimulation with hydraulic fracturing is a well known technique in order to improve borehole yields for drinking water-, oil-, and geothermal purposes. A procedure for injection of propping agents in selected borehole sections, and custom-made equipment for hydraulic fracturing in crystalline bedrock, a double packer, have been developed in this study. The propping agents are likely to ensure a permanent improvement of the hydraulic conductivity in a long-run perspective. In addition to a pre-test, a comprehensive test programme has been performed at each of the two pilot plants at Bryn and at the former property of Energiselskapet Asker og Baerum (EAB) in Baerum municipality outside Oslo, Norway. A total of 125 stimulations with hydraulic fracturing using water-only and hydraulic fracturing with injection of sand have been performed in 9 boreholes. Test pumping and geophysical logging (temperature, electrical conductivity, gamma radiation, optical televiewer and flow measurements) have been carried out in order to document the effect of the hydraulic fracturing. The pilot plants at Bryn and EAB, where the ground source heat pump systems are based on circulating groundwater, have demonstrated the short-period energy extraction, limitations and opportunities of the concept for hydraulic fracturing and increased energy extraction in different geological and hydrogeological areas. The bedrock at Bryn and EAB is characterized as a low-metamorphic sandstone and a nodular limestone, respectively. At Bryn, the five boreholes were organised with a

Increasing serotonin concentrations alter calcium and energy metabolism in dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Laporta, Jimena; Moore, Spencer A E; Weaver, Samantha R; Cronick, Callyssa M; Olsen, Megan; Prichard, Austin P; Schnell, Brian P; Crenshaw, Thomas D; Peñagaricano, Francisco; Bruckmaier, Rupert M; Hernandez, Laura L

2015-07-01

A 4×4 Latin square design in which varied doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg) of 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP, a serotonin precursor) were intravenously infused into late-lactation, non-pregnant Holstein dairy cows was used to determine the effects of serotonin on calcium and energy metabolism. Infusion periods lasted 4 days, with a 5-day washout between periods. Cows were infused at a constant rate for 1 h each day. Blood was collected pre- and 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min post-infusion, urine was collected pre- and post-infusion, and milk was collected daily. All of the 5-HTP doses increased systemic serotonin as compared to the 0 mg/kg dose, and the 1.0 and 1.5 mg/kg doses increased circulating glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and decreased beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHBA) concentrations. Treatment of cows with either 1.0 or 1.5 mg/kg 5-HTP doses decreased urine calcium elimination, and the 1.5 mg/kg dose increased milk calcium concentrations. No differences were detected in the heart rates, respiration rates, or body temperatures of the cows; however, manure scores and defecation frequency were affected. Indeed, cows that received 5-HTP defecated more, and the consistency of their manure was softer. Treatment of late-lactation dairy cows with 5-HTP improved energy metabolism, decreased loss of calcium into urine, and increased calcium secretion into milk. Further research should target the effects of increasing serotonin during the transition period to determine any benefits for post-parturient calcium and glucose metabolism. © 2015 Society for Endocrinology.

Decentralizing Governance of Natural Resources in India: Lessons from the Case Study of Thanagazi Block, Alwar, Rajasthan, India - Comment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Costanza Torri

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Numerous countries have undergone decentralisation reforms in the management of natural resources. However, the policies implemented are often not applied in ways compatible with the democratic potential with which decentralisation is conceived. The paper analyses the issue of decentralisation in resource management, in Thanagazi block, Alwar District, Rajasthan. In this paper I present a case of community initiated decentralisation carried out through village organisations. The aim is to contrast it with the state initiated decentralisation system carried out through the local administrative unit, the Gram Panchayat. Some conclusive remarks will be made on the importance of promoting more inclusive and democratic institutions which take into account the local needs and priorities regarding the management of natural resources and development interventions.

Yoga Poses Increase Subjective Energy and State Self-Esteem in Comparison to ‘Power Poses’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Golec de Zavala

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Research on beneficial consequences of yoga focuses on the effects of yogic breathing and meditation. Less is known about the psychological effects of performing yoga postures. The present study investigated the effects of yoga poses on subjective sense of energy and self-esteem. The effects of yoga postures were compared to the effects of ‘power poses,’ which arguably increase the sense of power and self-confidence due to their association with interpersonal dominance (Carney et al., 2010. The study tested the novel prediction that yoga poses, which are not associated with interpersonal dominance but increase bodily energy, would increase the subjective feeling of energy and therefore increase self-esteem compared to ‘high power’ and ‘low power’ poses. A two factorial, between participants design was employed. Participants performed either two standing yoga poses with open front of the body (n = 19, two standing yoga poses with covered front of the body (n = 22, two expansive, high power poses (n = 21, or two constrictive, low power poses (n = 20 for 1-min each. The results showed that yoga poses in comparison to ‘power poses’ increased self-esteem. This effect was mediated by an increased subjective sense of energy and was observed when baseline trait self-esteem was controlled for. These results suggest that the effects of performing open, expansive body postures may be driven by processes other than the poses’ association with interpersonal power and dominance. This study demonstrates that positive effects of yoga practice can occur after performing yoga poses for only 2 min.

Modern wind energy technology for Russian applications. Main report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauge Madsen, P.; Winther-Jensen, M., Bindner, H.W. [and others

1999-05-01

The general objective of the project is to establish a technical foundation for an intensified application of wind energy in Russia with medium to large wind turbines and transfer/adaptation of Danish and European wind turbine technology as a basis for future joint ventures and technology exports. More specifically, the objective is to develop and establish the basic knowledge and design criteria for adaptation and development of Danish wind turbine technology for application under Russian conditions. The research programme is envisaged to be carried out in three phases, the first phase being the project reported herein. The main purpose of phase 1 is to assess the needs for modifications and adaptations of established standard (in casu Danish) wind turbine designs for decentralised energy systems with a limited number of medium sized wind turbines and for grid connected wind turbines in cold climate and in-land sites of Russia. As part of this work it is necessary to clarify the types of operational conditions and requirements that are to be met by wind turbines operating in such conditions, and to outline suitable test procedures and test set-up is for verifications of such adapted and modified wind turbines. The reporting of this project is made in one main report and four topical reports, all of them issued as Risoe reports. This is the Main Report, (Risoe-R-1069), summing up the activities and findings of phase 1 and outlining a strategy for Russian-Danish cooperation in wind energy as agreed upon between the Russian and the Danish parties. (au)

Determinants of the risk of dying of HIV/AIDS in a rural South African community over the period of the decentralised roll-out of antiretroviral therapy: a longitudinal study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Mee

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Antiretroviral treatment (ART has significantly reduced HIV mortality in South Africa. The benefits have not been experienced by all groups. Here we investigate the factors associated with these inequities. Design: This study was located in a rural South African setting and used data collected from 2007 to 2010, the period when decentralised ART became available. Approximately one-third of the population were of Mozambican origin. There was a pattern of repeated circular migration between urban areas and this community. Survival analysis models were developed to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and spatial risk factors for HIV mortality. Results: Among the study population of 105,149 individuals, there were 2,890 deaths. The HIV/TB mortality rate decreased by 27% between 2007–2008 and 2009–2010. For other causes of death, the reduction was 10%. Bivariate analysis found that the HIV/TB mortality risk was lower for: those living within 5 km of the Bhubezi Community Health Centre; women; young adults; in-migrants with a longer period of residence; permanent residents; and members of households owning motorised transport, holding higher socioeconomic positions, and with higher levels of education. Multivariate modelling showed, in addition, that those with South Africa as their country of origin had an increased risk of HIV/TB mortality compared to those with Mozambican origins. For males, those of South African origin, and recent in-migrants, the risk of death associated with HIV/TB was significantly greater than that due to other causes. Conclusions: In this community, a combination of factors was associated with an increased risk of dying of HIV/TB over the period of the roll-out of ART. There is evidence for the presence of barriers to successful treatment for particular sub-groups in the population, which must be addressed if the recent improvements in population-level mortality are to be maintained.

Determinants of the risk of dying of HIV/AIDS in a rural South African community over the period of the decentralised roll-out of antiretroviral therapy: a longitudinal study

Science.gov (United States)

Mee, Paul; Collinson, Mark A.; Madhavan, Sangeetha; Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa; Gómez-Olivé, Francesc Xavier; Kahn, Kathleen; Tollman, Stephen M.; Hargreaves, James; Byass, Peter

2014-01-01

Background Antiretroviral treatment (ART) has significantly reduced HIV mortality in South Africa. The benefits have not been experienced by all groups. Here we investigate the factors associated with these inequities. Design This study was located in a rural South African setting and used data collected from 2007 to 2010, the period when decentralised ART became available. Approximately one-third of the population were of Mozambican origin. There was a pattern of repeated circular migration between urban areas and this community. Survival analysis models were developed to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and spatial risk factors for HIV mortality. Results Among the study population of 105,149 individuals, there were 2,890 deaths. The HIV/TB mortality rate decreased by 27% between 2007–2008 and 2009–2010. For other causes of death, the reduction was 10%. Bivariate analysis found that the HIV/TB mortality risk was lower for: those living within 5 km of the Bhubezi Community Health Centre; women; young adults; in-migrants with a longer period of residence; permanent residents; and members of households owning motorised transport, holding higher socioeconomic positions, and with higher levels of education. Multivariate modelling showed, in addition, that those with South Africa as their country of origin had an increased risk of HIV/TB mortality compared to those with Mozambican origins. For males, those of South African origin, and recent in-migrants, the risk of death associated with HIV/TB was significantly greater than that due to other causes. Conclusions In this community, a combination of factors was associated with an increased risk of dying of HIV/TB over the period of the roll-out of ART. There is evidence for the presence of barriers to successful treatment for particular sub-groups in the population, which must be addressed if the recent improvements in population-level mortality are to be maintained. PMID:25416322

Decentralised treatment of concentrated sewage at low temperature in a two-step anaerobic system: two upflow-hybrid septic tanks.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmitwalli, T A; Sayed, S; Groendijk, L; van Lier, J; Zeeman, G; Lettinga, G

2003-01-01

The decentralised treatment of concentrated sewage (about 3,600 mgCOD/l) at low temperature was investigated in a two-step anaerobic system: two-anaerobic hybrid (AH) septic tanks (each 0.575 m3). The two reactors were placed in a temperature controlled-room and the HRT was 2.5 days for each reactor. The system was fed with concentrated domestic sewage, mainly black water from about 40 toilets flushed with only 4 litre of water and a limited amount of grey water. The system showed high removal efficiency for the different COD fractions. Mean removal efficiencies in the two-step AH-septic tank at 5 days HRT and 13 degrees C were 94, 98, 74 and 78% for total COD, suspended COD, colloidal COD and dissolved COD respectively. The results of short run experiments indicated that the presence of reticulated polyurethane foam (RPF) media in the AH-septic tank improved the removal of suspended COD by 22%. The first AH-septic tank was full of sludge after 4 months of operation due to the high removal of particulate COD and the limited hydrolysis at low temperature conditions. Therefore, a simple mathematical model was developed based on ADM1 (the IWA model in 2002). Based on the experimental results and the mathematical model, only a one-step AH septic tank is required. An HRT of 5.5-7.5 days is needed for that one-step AH septic tank to treat concentrated sewage at a low temperature of 13 degrees C. Such a system can provide a total COD removal as high as 87% and will be full of sludge after a period of more than a year.

FORMING OF THE SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS BASED ON INCREASING OF THEIR INTEGRATED ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHVETS V. J.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Key challenges and barriers of mining machinery enterprises in the context of forming sustainable supply chains in the mining industry are specified. Methodology. The algorithm of forming the industrial relations, which are carried out by the enterprises of mining machinery in order to increase the sustainable development of a mining industry, is offered. Conclusions.. Modern supply chains are confronted with dynamic trends and developments that are hard to predict. In order to respond to these changes and remain competitive advantage, companies should be able to identify and understand new sustainability issues in their branches. It is established that in the conditions of globalization of the market and the general orientation of Ukraine’s economy to the European principles of development, for mining machinery enterprises a proof of the commitment and observance of requirements of energy efficiency, i.e. energy saving, energy safety and social energy responsibility are very important. Supply channels should increase not only energy efficiency, economic and production stability of the company, but also strengthen the stability of all participants in the production chain, as well as other stakeholders (business partners, customers, investors, local communities, etc.. Originality. The interrelation of an indicator of energy efficiency in forming sustainable supply chain in a mining industry is established. Practical value. Using the principles of sustainable development in the forming of value chains will improve energy efficiency of industry in general; provide a competitive advantage to entry into the global production chains in terms of European integration of Ukraine.

Templated assembly of photoswitches significantly increases the energy-storage capacity of solar thermal fuels.

Science.gov (United States)

Kucharski, Timothy J; Ferralis, Nicola; Kolpak, Alexie M; Zheng, Jennie O; Nocera, Daniel G; Grossman, Jeffrey C

2014-05-01

Large-scale utilization of solar-energy resources will require considerable advances in energy-storage technologies to meet ever-increasing global energy demands. Other than liquid fuels, existing energy-storage materials do not provide the requisite combination of high energy density, high stability, easy handling, transportability and low cost. New hybrid solar thermal fuels, composed of photoswitchable molecules on rigid, low-mass nanostructures, transcend the physical limitations of molecular solar thermal fuels by introducing local sterically constrained environments in which interactions between chromophores can be tuned. We demonstrate this principle of a hybrid solar thermal fuel using azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes. We show that, on composite bundling, the amount of energy stored per azobenzene more than doubles from 58 to 120 kJ mol(-1), and the material also maintains robust cyclability and stability. Our results demonstrate that solar thermal fuels composed of molecule-nanostructure hybrids can exhibit significantly enhanced energy-storage capabilities through the generation of template-enforced steric strain.

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) resin increases water demands and reduces energy availability in desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida).

Science.gov (United States)

Mangione, Antonio M; Dearing, M Denise; Karasov, William H

2004-07-01

Although many plant secondary compounds are known to have serious consequences for herbivores, the costs of processing them are generally unknown. Two potential costs of ingestion and detoxification of secondary compounds are elevation of the minimum drinking water requirement and excretion of energetically expensive metabolites (i.e., glucuronides) in the urine. To address these impacts, we studied the costs of ingestion of resin from creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) on desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida). The following hypotheses were tested: ingestion of creosote resin by woodrats (1) increases minimum water requirement and (2) reduces energy available by increasing fecal and urinary energy losses. We tested the first hypothesis, by measuring the minimum water requirement of woodrats fed a control diet with and without creosote resin. Drinking water was given in decreasing amounts until woodrats could no longer maintain constant body mass. In two separate experiments, the minimum drinking water requirement of woodrats fed resin was higher than that of controls by 18-30% (about 1-1.7 ml/d). We tested several potential mechanisms of increased water loss associated with the increase in water requirement. The rate of fecal water loss was higher in woodrats consuming resin. Neither urinary water nor evaporative water loss was affected by ingestion of resin. Hypothesis 2 was tested by measuring energy fluxes of woodrats consuming control vs. resin-treated diets. Woodrats on a resin diet had higher urinary energy losses and, thus, metabolized a lower proportion of the dietary energy than did woodrats on control diet. Fecal energy excretion was not affected by resin. The excretion of glucuronic acid represented almost half of the energy lost as a consequence of resin ingestion. The increased water requirement and energy losses of woodrats consuming a diet with resin could have notable ecological consequences.

Challenging effective public outreach activities for increasing mutual understanding of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunji, Ikuko

2006-01-01

An outreach activity is two-way communication for communicating information. The public outreach activities of USA and Japan for increasing mutual understanding of nuclear energy, and the effective outreach activities are stated. On USA, many communicators in the member of ANS (American Nuclear Society) play an active part in the outreach activities for the policy makers, educators, students, and stakeholders. NEI (Nuclear Energy Institute, USA) provides people with useful information such as benefits and safety control system of nuclear energy, and it has carried out an attitude survey. FPL (Florida Power and Light Company) selected the communicators by ten evaluation items and they made a group and a clear grasp of the goal, needs, and plans and then communicated residents, and sent out questionnaires. Some examples of the special education program for training the communicators in USA are described. In Japan, JAEA gave lessons of nuclear energy, radiation and disaster prevention at the primary, junior high and high schools, friendly talks with local residents, preparing the teaching materials with residents and training of communicators. (S.Y.)

Why does tropical convective available potential energy (CAPE) increase with warming?

Science.gov (United States)

Seeley, Jacob T.; Romps, David M.

2015-12-01

Recent work has produced a theory for tropical convective available potential energy (CAPE) that highlights the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) scaling of the atmosphere's saturation deficit as a driver of increases in CAPE with warming. Here we test this so-called "zero-buoyancy" theory for CAPE by modulating the saturation deficit of cloud-resolving simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium in two ways: changing the sea surface temperature (SST) and changing the environmental relative humidity (RH). For earthlike and warmer SSTs, undilute parcel buoyancy in the lower troposphere is insensitive to increasing SST because of a countervailing CC scaling that balances the increase in the saturation deficit; however, buoyancy increases dramatically with SST in the upper troposphere. Conversely, in the RH experiment, undilute buoyancy throughout the troposphere increases monotonically with decreasing RH. We show that the zero-buoyancy theory successfully predicts these contrasting behaviors, building confidence that it describes the fundamental physics of CAPE and its response to warming.

Scenarios for total utilisation of hydrogen as an energy carrier in the future Danish energy system. Final report; Scenarier for samlet udnyttelse af brint som energibaerer i Danmarks fremtidige energisystem. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauge Petersen, A; Engberg Pedersen, T; Joergensen, K [and others

2001-04-01

This is the final report from a project performed for the Danish Energy Agency under its Hydrogen Programme. The project, which within the project group goes by the abbreviated title 'Hydrogen as an energy carrier', constructs and analyses different total energy scenarios for introducing hydrogen as an energy carrier, as energy storage medium and as a fuel in the future Danish energy system. The primary aim of the project is to study ways of handling the large deficits and surpluses of electricity from wind energy expected in the future Danish energy system. System-wide aspects of the choice of hydrogen production technologies, distribution methods, infrastructure requirements and conversion technologies are studied. Particularly, the possibility of using in the future the existing Danish natural gas distribution grid for carrying hydrogen will be assessed. For the year 2030, two scenarios are constructed: One using hydrogen primarily in the transportation sector, the other using it as a storage option for the centralised power plants still in operation by this year. For the year 2050, where the existing fossil power plants are expected to have been phased out completely, the scenarios for two possible developments are investigated: Either, there is a complete decentralisation of the use of hydrogen, converting and storing electricity surpluses into hydrogen in individual buildings, for later use in vehicles or regeneration of power and heat. Or, some centralised infrastructure is retained, such as hydrogen cavern stores and a network of vehicle hydrogen filling stations. The analysis is used to identify the components in an implementation strategy, for the most interesting scenarios, including a time sequence of necessary decisions and technology readiness. The report is in Danish, because it is part of the dissemination effort of the Hydrogen Committee, directed at the Danish population in general and the Danish professional community in particular. (au)

Scenarios for total utilisation of hydrogen as an energy carrier in the future Danish energy system. Final report; Scenarier for samlet udnyttelse af brint som energibaerer i Danmarks fremtidige energisystem. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauge Petersen, A.; Engberg Pedersen, T.; Joergensen, K. (and others)

2001-04-01

This is the final report from a project performed for the Danish Energy Agency under its Hydrogen Programme. The project, which within the project group goes by the abbreviated title 'Hydrogen as an energy carrier', constructs and analyses different total energy scenarios for introducing hydrogen as an energy carrier, as energy storage medium and as a fuel in the future Danish energy system. The primary aim of the project is to study ways of handling the large deficits and surpluses of electricity from wind energy expected in the future Danish energy system. System-wide aspects of the choice of hydrogen production technologies, distribution methods, infrastructure requirements and conversion technologies are studied. Particularly, the possibility of using in the future the existing Danish natural gas distribution grid for carrying hydrogen will be assessed. For the year 2030, two scenarios are constructed: One using hydrogen primarily in the transportation sector, the other using it as a storage option for the centralised power plants still in operation by this year. For the year 2050, where the existing fossil power plants are expected to have been phased out completely, the scenarios for two possible developments are investigated: Either, there is a complete decentralisation of the use of hydrogen, converting and storing electricity surpluses into hydrogen in individual buildings, for later use in vehicles or regeneration of power and heat. Or, some centralised infrastructure is retained, such as hydrogen cavern stores and a network of vehicle hydrogen filling stations. The analysis is used to identify the components in an implementation strategy, for the most interesting scenarios, including a time sequence of necessary decisions and technology readiness. The report is in Danish, because it is part of the dissemination effort of the Hydrogen Committee, directed at the Danish population in general and the Danish professional community in particular. (au)

Modelling high level system design and unit commitment for a microgrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hawkes, A.D. [Centre for Energy Policy and Technology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Leach, M.A. [Centre for Environmental Strategy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2009-07-15

This article develops a linear programming cost minimisation model for the high level system design and corresponding unit commitment of generators and storage within a microgrid; a set of energy resources working co-operatively to create a cost effective, reliable and environmentally friendly energy provision system. Previous work in this area is used as a basis for formulation of a new approach to this problem, with particular emphasis on why a microgrid is different to centralised generation or other grid-connected decentralised energy resources. Specifically, the model explicitly defines the amount of time that the microgrid would be expected to operate autonomously, and restricts flow of heat between microgrid participants to defined cases. The model developed is applied to a set of United Kingdom commercial load profiles, under best current estimates of energy prices and technology capital costs, to determine investment attractiveness of the microgrid. Sensitivity analysis of results to variations in energy prices is performed. The results broadly indicate that a microgrid can offer an economic proposition, although it is necessarily slightly more expensive than regular grid-connected decentralised generation. The analysis results have raised important questions regarding a fair method for settlement between microgrid participants, and game theory has been identified as a suitable tool to analyse aspects of this situation. (author)

Modelling high level system design and unit commitment for a microgrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawkes, A.D.; Leach, M.A.

2009-01-01

This article develops a linear programming cost minimisation model for the high level system design and corresponding unit commitment of generators and storage within a microgrid; a set of energy resources working co-operatively to create a cost effective, reliable and environmentally friendly energy provision system. Previous work in this area is used as a basis for formulation of a new approach to this problem, with particular emphasis on why a microgrid is different to centralised generation or other grid-connected decentralised energy resources. Specifically, the model explicitly defines the amount of time that the microgrid would be expected to operate autonomously, and restricts flow of heat between microgrid participants to defined cases. The model developed is applied to a set of United Kingdom commercial load profiles, under best current estimates of energy prices and technology capital costs, to determine investment attractiveness of the microgrid. Sensitivity analysis of results to variations in energy prices is performed. The results broadly indicate that a microgrid can offer an economic proposition, although it is necessarily slightly more expensive than regular grid-connected decentralised generation. The analysis results have raised important questions regarding a fair method for settlement between microgrid participants, and game theory has been identified as a suitable tool to analyse aspects of this situation. (author)

How to meet the increasing demands of water, food and energy in the future?

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Haiyun; Chen, Ji; Sivakumar, Bellie; Peart, Mervyn

2017-04-01

Regarded as a driving force in water, food and energy demands, the world's population has been increasing rapidly since the beginning of the 20th century. According to the medium-growth projection scenario of the United Nations, the world's population will reach 9.5 billion by 2050. In response to the continuously growing population during this century, water, food and energy demands have also been increasing rapidly, and social problems (e.g., water, food, and energy shortages) will be most likely to occur, especially if no proper management strategies are adopted. Then, how to meet the increasing demands of water, food and energy in the future? This study focuses on the sustainable developments of population, water, food, energy and dams, and the significances of this study can be concluded as follows: First, we reveal the close association between dams and social development through analysing the related data for the period 1960-2010, and argue that construction of additional large dams will have to be considered as one of the best available options to meet the increasing water, food and energy demands in the future. We conduct the projections of global water, food and energy consumptions and dam development for the period 2010-2050, and the results show that, compared to 2010, the total water, food and energy consumptions in 2050 will increase by 20%, 34% and 37%, respectively. Moreover, it is projected that additional 4,340 dams will be constructed by 2050 all over the world. Second, we analyse the current situation of global water scarcity based on the related data representing water resources availability (per capita available water resources), dam development (the number of dams), and the level of economic development (per capita gross domestic product). At the global scale, water scarcity exists in more than 70% of the countries around the world, including 43 countries suffering from economic water scarcity and 129 countries suffering from physical water

A coupled piezoelectric–electromagnetic energy harvesting technique for achieving increased power output through damping matching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Challa, Vinod R; Prasad, M G; Fisher, Frank T

2009-01-01

Vibration energy harvesting is being pursued as a means to power wireless sensors and ultra-low power autonomous devices. From a design standpoint, matching the electrical damping induced by the energy harvesting mechanism to the mechanical damping in the system is necessary for maximum efficiency. In this work two independent energy harvesting techniques are coupled to provide higher electrical damping within the system. Here the coupled energy harvesting device consists of a primary piezoelectric energy harvesting device to which an electromagnetic component is added to better match the total electrical damping to the mechanical damping in the system. The first coupled device has a resonance frequency of 21.6 Hz and generates a peak power output of ∼332 µW, compared to 257 and 244 µW obtained from the optimized, stand-alone piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting devices, respectively, resulting in a 30% increase in power output. A theoretical model has been developed which closely agrees with the experimental results. A second coupled device, which utilizes the d 33 piezoelectric mode, shows a 65% increase in power output in comparison to the corresponding stand-alone, single harvesting mode devices. This work illustrates the design considerations and limitations that one must consider to enhance device performance through the coupling of multiple harvesting mechanisms within a single energy harvesting device

Governing community energy—Feed-in tariffs and the development of community wind energy schemes in the United Kingdom and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nolden, Colin

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the development of community energy in the UK by comparing it to Germany in relation to decentralisation, scales and ownership structures particularly of wind energy. Varying approaches to energy generation at the community scale provide interesting insights into the impact of policy innovation as well as the capacity of national energy frameworks to foster socially innovative engagement practices beyond the purely technological diffusion of innovations. By examining interactions between technological and social innovations with the help of a qualitative analysis, opportunities for potential generators not traditionally engaged in energy generation to tap into these innovation systems are analysed. This paper suggests that greater commitment to diversification beyond the implementation of policy measures such as the feed-in tariff is required to provide communities with the capacity to develop new generation practices in terms of scale and ownership. The UK in particular is struggling to protect these new generation practices which allow communities to derive benefits facilitated by specific energy policy measures according to their potential. It concludes by indicating areas where niche protection might need to be expanded if community energy is to play a greater role in the UK′s ambitious transition to a low-carbon economy. - Highlights: • Scalar path-dependency and lock-in are inhibiting the development of community energy in the UK. • Feed-in tariffs alone do not provide greater opportunities for multi-scalar energy transitions. • Multi-scalar approaches to technological diffusion allow new engagement potentials to develop in the community energy niche

Community energy management in Sitka, Alaska: What strategies can help increase energy independence?

Science.gov (United States)

David Nicholls; Trista. Patterson

2013-01-01

This report summarizes practical energy management strategies that could help communities in southeast Alaska move closer to energy independence while utilizing local resources more effectively. Our analysis focuses primarily on Sitka, Alaska, yet could be relevant to other communities having similar energy structures that rely primarily on hydroelectric power...

Development and empirical review of determinants for lowering the probability of the willingness to change IT systems in the German energy sector; Entwicklung und empirische Ueberpruefung von Determinanten zur Senkung der Wechselbereitschaftswahrscheinlichkeit von IT-Systemen in der deutschen Energiewirtschaft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiedmann, Klaus-Peter; Varelmann, Dieter

2009-07-01

As this publication shows, recent changes in the energy sector have been so momentous that its development over the past years can hardly be compared with that of any other branch of industry. The need to meet a continuously growing body of regulatory requirements, technical innovations such as smart metering infrastructures and the complex tasks associated with an efficient decentralised energy supply all place high demands on the energy sector and its IT infrastructure. Especially the technologies surrounding smart metering confront companies of the energy sector with great challenges. Optimisation of process costs along the entire value chain will in future be an important ingredient to successful business in the sector. Thus, selecting the right accounting and billing solutions and putting them to their best possible use is a prerequisite for successful market cultivation. Based on an empirical study the present publication undertakes to determine what factors are relevant in selecting and operating IT solutions in the energy sector and what marketing design concepts software producers should opt for in order to ensure long-term customer satisfaction and hence loyalty.

Increase in energy efficiency of use of vegetable waste

Science.gov (United States)

Safin, R. R.; Safiullina, A. K.; Nazipova, F. V.

2017-10-01

Wastes of woodworking which are exposed to granulation for equalization of humidity, dispersion and also for increase in energy efficiency are the most widespread types of alternative fuel in Russia. Besides, one of the effective methods of the increase in calorific capability of granulates now is the preliminary torrefaction of wood waste - heat treatment without air oxygen access. However this technology is rather researched in detail only in relation to wood particles, while pellets from wastes of agricultural productions are also popular in the market in recent years. The possibility of the increase of the efficiency of production of pellets from sunflower pod by torrefaction is considered in this article, and the analysis of their characteristics in comparison with wood pellets is carried out. It is established that the process of heat treatment of waste of sunflower production is similar to torrefaction of wood raw materials in many respects; therefore, the equipment with similar characteristics can be used. According to the received results on pellet’s properties it is established that hygroscopicity and swelling of samples of fuel granules from sunflower pod considerably decreases with the increase in temperature of treatment that simplifies requirements for their storage and transportation. Besides, it is defined that torrefaction of the granulated fuel from sunflower pod does not yield in calorific properties to the similar fuel granules made of wood sawdust. Thus feasibility of use of heat treatment in production of fuel granules from waste of vegetable raw materials is proved.

Single-source dual-energy spectral multidetector CT of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Optimization of energy level viewing significantly increases lesion contrast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, B.N.; Thomas, J.V.; Lockhart, M.E.; Berland, L.L.; Morgan, D.E.

2013-01-01

V was 31 ± 25 HU (p = 0.007). Conclusion: Significantly increased pancreatic lesion contrast was noted at lower viewing energies using spectral MDCT. Individual patient CNR-optimized energy level images have the potential to improve lesion conspicuity.

A decentralised model of psychiatric care: Profile, length of stay and outcome of mental healthcare users admitted to a district-level public hospital in the Western Cape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eileen Thomas

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Background. There is a lack of studies assessing the profile and outcome of psychiatric patients at entry-level public hospitals that are prescribed by the Mental Health Care Act to provide a decentralised model of psychiatric care. Objective. To assess the demographic and clinical profile as well as length of stay and outcomes of mental healthcare users admitted to a district-level public hospital in the Western Cape.  Method. Demographic data, clinical diagnosis, length of stay, referral profile and outcomes of patients (N=487 admitted to Helderberg Hospital during the period 1 January 2011 - 31 December 2011 were collected.  Results. Psychotic disorders were the most prevalent (n=287, 59% diagnoses, while 228 (47% of admission episodes had comorbid/secondary diagnoses. Substance use disorders were present in 184 (38% of admission episodes, 37 (57% of readmissions and 19 (61% of abscondments. Most admission episodes (n=372, 76% were discharged without referral to specialist/tertiary care.  Conclusion. Methamphetamine use places a significant burden on the provision of mental healthcare services at entry-level care. Recommendations for improving service delivery at this district-level public hospital are provided.

Heat grids today and after the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG). A business segment for the agriculture?; Waermenetze heute und nach dem EEG. Ein Betriebszweig fuer die Landwirtschaft?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clemens, Dietrich; Billerbeck, Hagen [Treurat und Partner Unternehmensberatungsgesellschaft mbH, Lueneburg (Germany). Abt. ' ' Climate and Energy' '

2016-08-01

The development of a centralised and sustainable heat supply through the construction of heat grids offers consumers numerous advantages compared to a decentralised energy supply of residential and commercial properties. Where the migration to centralised heat supply relegates fossil fuels through the long-term incorporation of sustainable renewable energy sources, the projects make an important contribution towards meeting the government's climate protection goals. Heat generation and heat sales from renewable energy sources should be ensured in the long term. In the countryside, biogas plant operators are frequently the initiators of heat grid investments, or they take on the role of supplier for the provision of low-cost CHP heat from cogeneration units. In view of the limited remuneration period under the terms of the German Renewable Energy Act, the clock is ticking for the establishment of a centralised heat supply. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of a centralised, sustainable heat supply and additionally considers the flexibi/isation of biogas plants in view of the construction of the heat grid and the associated infrastructure. A focus is placed on the security of supply for customers after the discontinuation of remuneration under the German Renewable Energy Act and on how a competitive heat price from alternative energy sources can continue to be ensured.

Developments in cooling technique. Energy efficient solutions incentivized by price increases; Ontwikkelingen in de koeltechniek. Energie-efficiente oplossingen door prijsstijgingen gestimuleerd

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van de Maarel-Sonneveld, K.; Van de Sande, C. [Nederlandse vereniging van ondernemingen op het gebied van de Koudetechniek en Luchtbehandeling NVKL, Zoetermeer (Netherlands)

2012-04-15

Due to tightening of European (environmental) laws and regulations there is an increasing trend in the development of installations and equipment with natural refrigerants and synthetic refrigerants (HFCs) that have low global warming potential. At the same time, the installations are also becoming more energy efficient. Due to increasing prices, it is worth making investments in for operators. [Dutch] Door aanscherping van Europese (milieu)wet- en regelgeving is er een stijgende trend in de ontwikkeling van installaties en apparatuur met natuurlijke koudemiddelen en synthetische koudemiddelen (HFK'S) met een laag aardopwarmingsvermogen of 'global warming potential'. Tegelijkertijd worden de installaties zelf energie-efficienter. Door de stijgende energieprijzen loont het voor exploitanten hierin te investeren.

Towards increased policy relevance in energy modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worrell, Ernst; Ramesohl, Stephan; Boyd, Gale

2003-07-29

Historically, most energy models were reasonably equipped to assess the impact of a subsidy or change in taxation, but are often insufficient to assess the impact of more innovative policy instruments. We evaluate the models used to assess future energy use, focusing on industrial energy use. We explore approaches to engineering-economic analysis that could help improve the realism and policy relevance of engineering-economic modeling frameworks. We also explore solutions to strengthen the policy usefulness of engineering-economic analysis that can be built from a framework of multi-disciplinary cooperation. We focus on the so-called ''engineering-economic'' (or ''bottom-up'') models, as they include the amount of detail that is commonly needed to model policy scenarios. We identify research priorities for the modeling framework, technology representation in models, policy evaluation and modeling of decision-making behavior.

Increasing the energy conservation awareness using the influential power of a lottery system

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Amruta Vijay

This thesis presents an influence maximization-driven approach to promoting energy conservation awareness, with the objective to generate a competitive environment for energy consumption supervision. As consumers are typically reluctant to invest their time and effort in the activities beyond their business, an incentive-based distribution strategy is proposed to encourage consumers to actively take part in energy conservation. The key idea of the thesis lies in leveraging the consumer instincts as a driving factor for spreading positive social influence, via a smart lottery program. In the proposed framework, saving energy automatically increases the consumers' chances of winning the lottery, thereby motivating them to save more, while the smart winner selection will maximize the word-of-mouth effect of the program. The thesis collects and organizes a large body of literature in support of the claim that the spread of awareness in a social network can play a key role in the emergence of energy conscious behavior. It also reports on the findings of a survey conducted to determine the present day consumer perspective toward energy conservation and the level of influence required to motivate them to conserve more energy. Finally, a mathematical model for smart lottery winner selection is presented, and insightful observations are made concerning the properties of optimal solutions to tractable, small problem instances.

Grounding the nexus: Examining the integration of small-scale irrigators into a national food security programme in Burkina Faso

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Dowd-Uribe

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The water-food nexus literature examines the synergies and trade-offs of resource use but is dominated by large-scale analyses that do not sufficiently engage the local dimensions of resource management. The research presented here addresses this gap with a local-scale analysis of integrated water and food management in Burkina Faso. Specifically, we analyse the implementation of a national food security campaign (Opération Bondofa to boost maize production in a subbasin that exhibits two important trends in Africa: a large increase in small-scale irrigators and the decentralisation of water management. As surface water levels dropped in the region, entities at different scales asserted increased control over water allocation, exposing the contested nature of new decentralised institutions, and powerful actors’ preference for local control. These scalar power struggles intersected with a lack of knowledge of small-scale irrigators’ cultural practices to produce an implementation and water allocation schedule that did match small-scale irrigator needs, resulting in low initial enthusiasm for the project. Increased attention from national governments to strengthen decentralised water management committees and spur greater knowledge of, and engagement with, small-scale irrigators can result in improved programme design to better incorporate small-scale irrigators into national food security campaigns.

Increasing water intake influences hunger and food preference, but does not reliably suppress energy intake in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Naomi J; Belous, Ilona V; Temple, Jennifer L

2018-04-17

Increasing water intake is often purported to reduce energy intake, and is recommended as a weight loss strategy. The few experimental studies that have been conducted to verify these claims have examined the impact of a single pre-load of water before a meal. Although correlational data indicate a relationship between hydration, energy intake, and weight status, there is very little experimental research in this area. The current studies examined the hypothesis that elevated hydration, through increased water intake, would suppress energy intake. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 49) were asked to consume either one, two, or three 500 ml bottles of water throughout the morning before a lunch buffet in the laboratory. When participants categorized as normal weight drank three bottles of water they consumed less energy at lunch, but there was no effect on participants categorized as overweight or obese. In addition, increased water intake suppressed liking of food items in all participants and hunger in females. A follow-up study (n = 45) was conducted to test if four bottles of water throughout the morning would result in a similar energy suppression in participants categorized as overweight or obese. Surprisingly, in the second experiment, there was no effect of water intake on energy intake at lunch in any of the conditions. There was, however, a similar suppression of hunger and food liking. In conclusion, increasing water intake throughout the morning only suppressed energy intake in individuals categorized as normal weight under certain circumstances, and had no effect on individuals categorized as overweight/obese. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Capsaicin increases sensation of fullness in energy balance, and decreases desire to eat after dinner in negative energy balance.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssens, Pilou L H R; Hursel, Rick; Westerterp-Plantenga, Margriet S

2014-06-01

Addition of capsaicin (CAPS) to the diet has been shown to increase satiety; therefore, CAPS is of interest for anti-obesity therapy. We investigated the effects of CAPS on appetite profile and ad libitum energy intake in relation to energy balance. Fifteen subjects (seven women and eight men, age: 29.7 ± 10.8yrs, BMI: 23.3 ± 2.9 kg/m(2)) underwent four conditions in a randomized crossover design in 36 hour sessions in a respiration chamber; they received 100% of their daily energy requirements in the conditions "100%Control" and "100%CAPS", and 75% of their daily energy requirements in the conditions "75%Control" and "75%CAPS", followed by an ad libitum dinner. In the 100%CAPS and 75%CAPS conditions, CAPS was given at a dose of 2.56 mg (1.03 g of red chili pepper, 39,050 Scoville heat units) with every meal. Satiety (P dinner desire to eat, satiety and fullness did not differ between 75%CAPS and 100%Control, while desire to eat was higher (P dinner, capsaicin prevents the effects of the negative energy balance on desire to eat. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Investigation of the charge boost technology for the efficiency increase of closed sorption thermal energy storage systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rohringer, C.; Engel, G.; Köll, R.; Wagner, W.; van Helden, W.

2017-10-01

The inclusion of solar thermal energy into energy systems requires storage possibilities to overcome the gap between supply and demand. Storage of thermal energy with closed sorption thermal energy systems has the advantage of low thermal losses and high energy density. However, the efficiency of these systems needs yet to be increased to become competitive on the market. In this paper, the so-called “charge boost technology” is developed and tested via experiments as a new concept for the efficiency increase of compact thermal energy storages. The main benefit of the charge boost technology is that it can reach a defined state of charge for sorption thermal energy storages at lower temperature levels than classic pure desorption processes. Experiments are conducted to provide a proof of principle for this concept. The results show that the charge boost technology does function as predicted and is a viable option for further improvement of sorption thermal energy storages. Subsequently, a new process application is developed by the author with strong focus on the utilization of the advantages of the charge boost technology over conventional desorption processes. After completion of the conceptual design, the theoretical calculations are validated via experiments.

Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Jo E; Brameld, John M; Hill, Phil; Cocco, Cristina; Noli, Barbara; Ferri, Gian-Luca; Barrett, Perry; Ebling, Francis J P; Jethwa, Preeti H

2017-01-01

VGF (non-acronymic) was first highlighted to have a role in energy homeostasis through experiments involving dietary manipulation in mice. Fasting increased VGF mRNA in the Arc and levels were subsequently reduced upon refeeding. This anabolic role for VGF was supported by observations in a VGF null (VGF-/-) mouse and in the diet-induced and gold-thioglucose obese mice. However, this anabolic role for VGF has not been supported by a number of subsequent studies investigating the physiological effects of VGF-derived peptides. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of TLQP-21 increased resting energy expenditure and rectal temperature in mice and protected against diet-induced obesity. Similarly, ICV infusion of TLQP-21 into Siberian hamsters significantly reduced body weight, but this was due to a decrease in food intake, with no effect on energy expenditure. Subsequently NERP-2 was shown to increase food intake in rats via the orexin system, suggesting opposing roles for these VGF-derived peptides. Thus to further elucidate the role of hypothalamic VGF in the regulation of energy homeostasis we utilised a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector to over-express VGF in adult male Siberian hamsters, thus avoiding any developmental effects or associated functional compensation. Initially, hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in adult Siberian hamsters produced no effect on metabolic parameters, but by 12 weeks post-infusion hamsters had increased oxygen consumption and a tendency to increased carbon dioxide production; this attenuated body weight gain, reduced interscapular white adipose tissue and resulted in a compensatory increase in food intake. These observed changes in energy expenditure and food intake were associated with an increase in the hypothalamic contents of the VGF-derived peptides AQEE, TLQP and NERP-2. The complex phenotype of the VGF-/- mice is a likely consequence of global ablation of the gene and its derived peptides during development, as well

Debates in regions. Let us imagine together our tomorrow's energy. Synthesis of contributions of Overseas and Corsica (non interconnected areas). Decentralised debate in Mayotte from 19 April to 25 May 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-06-01

This document gathers syntheses of contributions made by Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, Reunion and Corsica to the French national debate on energy transition. The text proposed by Guadeloupe contains proposals regarding governance, geothermal energy, biomass combustion and wind energy. The Guyanese contribution outlines increasing energy needs, the existence of a partial electric power grid, needs to invest in renewable energies, to extend the power grid, to develop an alternate mobility, and to introduce a new tax policy and a new governance, and finally states some proposals. The Martinique contribution briefly presents the energy strategy, and several projects in renewable energies (solar, biomass, geothermal, sea energies, electric vehicles, building renovation), and also addresses institutional aspects. The contribution of the Reunion Island proposes a description and an assessment of the regional debate, presents the energetic situation and stakes of energy transition for the island, and states proposals for the development of renewable energies, for a better management of energy demand, and for a sustainable mobility. The Corsican contribution discusses the debate process, its objectives and modalities, indicates the different meetings organised for this purpose, proposes a synthetic overview of the debate content, notably by outlining some transverse axes, axes regarding town and land planning, different sectors, renewable energies, adaptation to climate change, and air quality. The next text is a contribution proposed by the four regions together, with a political statement, a set of proposals, and several appendices on various issues (financing of energy policy in non-interconnected areas, case of small hydraulic installations in Corsica, new orientation for the photovoltaic sector, struggle against energy poverty, opportunities for cooperation and export). A document reports the debate on national energy transition held in Mayotte which

Environmental effects of an increasing cultivation of energy crops; Umweltwirkungen eines zunehmenden Energiepflanzenbaus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rippel, Rudolf (comp.)

2008-11-15

The development of the cultivation of energy plants depends on economic general situation (price relationship for energy raw materials and agrarian raw materials). Changes in the spectrum of the kinds of fruit hardly arise. In the medium term, potentials at sorghum millet and wood exist in short activities cultures. In particular, there are problems in the case of existing regional cultivation emphasis for energy plants for the production of fermentation gas. Depending upon kind and extent of an expansion of the cultivation of energy plants, the effects on the environment will fail strongly or weakly. Thus there are possibilities with positive and negative effect for the ground structure, humus supply, entry of pollutant and water protection. Positive and negative potentials for the environment are recognizable for the entry of plant protection agents into the ground and for the emission environmental harmful gases. With the unbalanced cultivation of energy plants, predominantly negative effects for the Flora and fauna as well as for the game protection are to be expected. A negative ecological effect always will proceed from an intensification the land use with the shutdown or the radical change with grassland. Due to different production procedures and due to a lack of investigation data, a concluding evaluation of the environmental effects of the cultivation of energy plants is not possible for the complexity of connections. It insists a clear requirement of research for the effects of the increasing development of energy plants on the environment.

Single-source dual-energy spectral multidetector CT of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: optimization of energy level viewing significantly increases lesion contrast.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, B N; Thomas, J V; Lockhart, M E; Berland, L L; Morgan, D E

2013-02-01

.007). Significantly increased pancreatic lesion contrast was noted at lower viewing energies using spectral MDCT. Individual patient CNR-optimized energy level images have the potential to improve lesion conspicuity. Copyright © 2012 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient integration of renewable energies in the German electricity market; Effiziente Integration erneuerbarer Energien in den deutschen Elektrizitaetsmarkt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nabe, C.A.

2006-07-01

Liberalisation of the electricity sector aims to carry out coordination tasks within the system by markets and market prices. This study examines how markets need to be designed to carry out coordination tasks caused by integration of renewable energies in an efficient way. This question is applied to the German electricity system and recommendations are derived from identified deficits. The examination uses the structure-conduct-performance approach of industrial organisation economics. Integration of renewable energies does not result in entirely new coordination tasks but complicates those that exist in any electricity supply system. Within the short-term coordination tasks provision and operation of reserve capacity is affected by renewable energies. Long-term coordination means that the relation between fixed and variable costs of generators as well as generator flexibility has to be adjusted to the characteristics of renewable energies. The relevant short-term coordination task with the network is congestion management. In the long run costs of grid expansion and permanent congestion management have to be balanced. For the execution of short-run coordination tasks integrated and centralised market architectures are superior to decentralised architectures. The increase of short-term coordination tasks due to renewable energies caused by inflexibilities of consumers and conventional generators results in more information that has to be considered. By centralising that information in one market, an increase in productive efficiency can be obtained. In Germany the increased coordination tasks are determined by the integration of wind generators into the electricity system. The present German market architecture results in inefficiencies in short-term coordination. This is demonstrated by an analysis of procedural rules and prices of the ancillary service markets. They demonstrate that market performance is low and significant deviations from competitive prices

Higher energy efficient homes are associated with increased risk of doctor diagnosed asthma in a UK subpopulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharpe, Richard A; Thornton, Christopher R; Nikolaou, Vasilis; Osborne, Nicholas J

2015-02-01

The United Kingdom (UK) has one of the highest prevalence of asthma in the world, which represents a significant economic and societal burden. Reduced ventilation resulting from increased energy efficiency measures acts as a modifier for mould contamination and risk of allergic diseases. To our knowledge no previous study has combined detailed asset management property and health data together to assess the impact of household energy efficiency (using the UK Government's Standard Assessment Procedure) on asthma outcomes in an adult population residing in social housing. Postal questionnaires were sent to 3867 social housing properties to collect demographic, health and environmental information on all occupants. Detailed property data, residency periods, indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) and household energy efficiency ratings were also investigated. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals while allowing for clustering of individuals coming from the same location. Eighteen percent of our target social housing population were recruited into our study. Adults had a mean age of 59 (SD±17.3) years and there was a higher percentage of female (59%) and single occupancy (58%) respondents. Housing demographic characteristics were representative of the target homes. A unit increase in household Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating was associated with a 2% increased risk of current asthma, with the greatest risk in homes with SAP >71. We assessed exposure to mould and found that the presence of a mouldy/musty odour was associated with a two-fold increased risk of asthma (OR 2.2 95%; CI 1.3-3.8). A unit increase in SAP led to a 4-5% reduction in the risk of visible mould growth and a mouldy/musty odour. In contrast to previous research, we report that residing in energy efficient homes may increase the risk of adult asthma. We report that mould contamination increased the risk of asthma, which is in agreement with existing

Increasing the energy efficiency of diesel-hydraulic railcars; Steigerung der Energieeffizienz dieselhydraulischer Triebwagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loeffler, Guenter; Steglich, Uwe; Kache, Martin; Vogler, Christian [TU Dresden (Germany). Professur fuer Technik spurgefuehrte Fahrzeuge

2010-03-15

Increasing the energy efficiency of diesel-hydraulic railcars is a complex undertaking in which account needs to be taken of operating conditions and driving modes, the configuration and management of auxiliary systems, and brake and exhaust energy regeneration. The last-mentioned subset of problems is discussed in detail in this article. The authors describe a simulation model based on the AMESim trademark simulation environment that can be used to represent various hybrid configurations, and present initial simulation results for various parallel electric hybrid variants and a exhaust gas heat recovery system based on a closed-loop steam process. (orig.)

Energy planning and investment for increased earnings: the case of Nigeria's oil and gas resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ojo, A T

1984-03-01

In view of Nigeria's limited reserves of oil and the high growth rate of oil consumption, and in the wake of the developments in the world oil market since 1981 which have resulted in a drastic shortfall in Nigeria's revenues, the main objective of this article is to highlight some important issues that would spur policy makers towards improved energy planning and increased energy investment in Nigeria so as to assist her in the rationalization of the energy production-mix and consumption, as well as in earning increased revenues from her oil and gas resources. Policymakers in Nigeria are called upon to put an end to further procrastination concerning the liquefied natural gas (LNG) investment project so that the bulk of the country's gas, which is presently being flared, can be re-injected, consumed locally, and exported to supplement dwindling oil revenues. 23 notes and references, 3 tables.

An Approach to Increase the Battery Time of a Mobile Phone Using Free Energy Harvesting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard Jensen, Jesper; Jessen, Kasper; Laugesen, Kasper