Origin of the resistivity minima in granular superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simanek, E.

1982-01-01

The recently observed minima in the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of a granular superconductor are explained with use of a percolation model of a disordered granular array, which takes into account the electrostatic charging energy. The thermally activated tunneling of Cooper pairs is shown to play an important role in the interpretation of the experimental data on tin films

Charge and color breaking minima in supersymmetric models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brhlik, Michal

2001-01-01

Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model include complicated scalar sectors leading to the possible occurrence of non-standard minima along suitable directions in the field space. These minima usually break charge and/or color and their presence in the theory would require an explanation why the universe has settled in the standard electroweak symmetry breaking minimum. In this talk I illustrate the relevance of the charge and color breaking minima in the framework of the minimal supergravity model and a string motivated Horava-Witten scenario

Are both symmetric and buckled dimers on Si(100) minima? Density functional and multireference perturbation theory calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Yousung; Shao, Yihan; Gordon, Mark S.; Doren, Douglas J.; Head-Gordon, Martin

2003-01-01

We report a spin-unrestricted density functional theory (DFT) solution at the symmetric dimer structure for cluster models of Si(100). With this solution, it is shown that the symmetric structure is a minimum on the DFT potential energy surface, although higher in energy than the buckled structure. In restricted DFT calculations the symmetric structure is a saddle point connecting the two buckled minima. To further assess the effects of electron correlation on the relative energies of symmetric versus buckled dimers on Si(100), multireference second order perturbation theory (MRMP2) calculations are performed on these DFT optimized minima. The symmetric structure is predicted to be lower in energy than the buckled structure via MRMP2, while the reverse order is found by DFT. The implications for recent experimental interpretations are discussed

When Gravity Fails: Local Search Topology

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Jeremy; Cheeseman, Peter; Stutz, John; Lau, Sonie (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Local search algorithms for combinatorial search problems frequently encounter a sequence of states in which it is impossible to improve the value of the objective function; moves through these regions, called {\\em plateau moves), dominate the time spent in local search. We analyze and characterize {\\em plateaus) for three different classes of randomly generated Boolean Satisfiability problems. We identify several interesting features of plateaus that impact the performance of local search algorithms. We show that local minima tend to be small but occasionally may be very large. We also show that local minima can be escaped without unsatisfying a large number of clauses, but that systematically searching for an escape route may be computationally expensive if the local minimum is large. We show that plateaus with exits, called benches, tend to be much larger than minima, and that some benches have very few exit states which local search can use to escape. We show that the solutions (i.e. global minima) of randomly generated problem instances form clusters, which behave similarly to local minima. We revisit several enhancements of local search algorithms and explain their performance in light of our results. Finally we discuss strategies for creating the next generation of local search algorithms.

Absence of multiple local minima effects in intensity modulated optimization with dose-volume constraints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Llacer, Jorge [EC Engineering Consultants, LLC 130, Forest Hill Drive, Los Gatos, CA (United States); Deasy, Joseph O [Department of Radiation Oncology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Bortfeld, Thomas R [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 30 Fruit Street, Boston, MA (United States); Solberg, Timothy D [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Promberger, Claus [BrainLAB AG, Ammerthalstrasse 8, 85551 Heimstetten (Germany)

2003-01-21

This paper reports on the analysis of intensity modulated radiation treatment optimization problems in the presence of non-convex feasible parameter spaces caused by the specification of dose-volume constraints for the organs-at-risk (OARs). The main aim was to determine whether the presence of those non-convex spaces affects the optimization of clinical cases in any significant way. This was done in two phases: (1) Using a carefully designed two-dimensional mathematical phantom that exhibits two controllable minima and with randomly initialized beamlet weights, we developed a methodology for exploring the nature of the convergence characteristics of quadratic cost function optimizations (deterministic or stochastic). The methodology is based on observing the statistical behaviour of the residual cost at the end of optimizations in which the stopping criterion is progressively more demanding and carrying out those optimizations to very small error changes per iteration. (2) Seven clinical cases were then analysed with dose-volume constraints that are stronger than originally used in the clinic. The clinical cases are two prostate cases differently posed, a meningioma case, two head-and-neck cases, a spleen case and a spine case. Of the 14 different sets of optimizations (with and without the specification of maximum doses allowed for the OARs), 12 fail to show any effect due to the existence of non-convex feasible spaces. The remaining two sets of optimizations show evidence of multiple minima in the solutions, but those minima are very close to each other in cost and the resulting treatment plans are practically identical, as measured by the quality of the dose-volume histograms (DVHs). We discuss the differences between fluence maps resulting from those similar treatment plans. We provide a possible reason for the observed results and conclude that, although the study is necessarily limited, the annealing characteristics of a simulated annealing method may not be

Maxima and Minima Without Calculus.

Science.gov (United States)

Birnbaum, Ian

1982-01-01

Approaches to extrema that do not require calculus are presented to help free maxima/minima problems from the confines of calculus. Many students falsely suppose that these types of problems can only be dealt with through calculus, since few, if any, noncalculus examples are usually presented. (MP)

Dynamical SUSY Breaking at Meta-Stable Minima from D-branes at Obstructed Geometries

CERN Document Server

Franco, S; Franco, Sebastian; Uranga, Angel M .

2006-01-01

We study the existence of long-lived meta-stable supersymmetry breaking vacua in gauge theories with massless quarks, upon the addition of extra massive flavors. A simple realization is provided by a modified version of SQCD with N_{f,0} < N_c massless flavors, N_{f,1} massive flavors and additional singlet chiral fields. This theory has local meta-stable minima separated from a runaway behavior at infinity by a potential barrier. We find further examples of such meta-stable minima in flavored versions of quiver gauge theories on fractional branes at singularities with obstructed complex deformations, and study the case of the dP_1 theory in detail. Finally, we provide an explicit String Theory construction of such theories. The additional flavors arise from D7-branes on non-compact 4-cycles of the singularity, for which we find a new efficient description using dimer techniques.

Energy landscapes for a machine learning application to series data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ballard, Andrew J.; Stevenson, Jacob D.; Das, Ritankar; Wales, David J., E-mail: dw34@cam.ac.uk [University Chemical Laboratories, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW (United Kingdom)

2016-03-28

Methods developed to explore and characterise potential energy landscapes are applied to the corresponding landscapes obtained from optimisation of a cost function in machine learning. We consider neural network predictions for the outcome of local geometry optimisation in a triatomic cluster, where four distinct local minima exist. The accuracy of the predictions is compared for fits using data from single and multiple points in the series of atomic configurations resulting from local geometry optimisation and for alternative neural networks. The machine learning solution landscapes are visualised using disconnectivity graphs, and signatures in the effective heat capacity are analysed in terms of distributions of local minima and their properties.

Energy landscapes for a machine learning application to series data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballard, Andrew J.; Stevenson, Jacob D.; Das, Ritankar; Wales, David J.

2016-01-01

Methods developed to explore and characterise potential energy landscapes are applied to the corresponding landscapes obtained from optimisation of a cost function in machine learning. We consider neural network predictions for the outcome of local geometry optimisation in a triatomic cluster, where four distinct local minima exist. The accuracy of the predictions is compared for fits using data from single and multiple points in the series of atomic configurations resulting from local geometry optimisation and for alternative neural networks. The machine learning solution landscapes are visualised using disconnectivity graphs, and signatures in the effective heat capacity are analysed in terms of distributions of local minima and their properties.

Optimal geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies of the global minima of water clusters (H2O)n, n = 2–6, and several hexamer local minima at the CCSD(T) level of theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miliordos, Evangelos; Aprà, Edoardo; Xantheas, Sotiris S.

2013-01-01

We report the first optimum geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies for the ring pentamer and several water hexamer (prism, cage, cyclic and two book) at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. All five hexamer isomer minima previously reported by MP2 are also minima on the CCSD(T) potential energy surface (PES). In addition, all CCSD(T) minimum energy structures for the n=2-6 cluster isomers are quite close to the ones previously obtained by MP2 on the respective PESs, as confirmed by a modified Procrustes analysis that quantifies the difference between any two cluster geometries. The CCSD(T) results confirm the cooperative effect of the homodromic ring networks (systematic contraction of the nearest-neighbor (nn) intermolecular separations with cluster size) previously reported by MP2, albeit with O-O distances shorter by ~0.02 Å, indicating that MP2 overcorrects this effect. The harmonic frequencies at the minimum geometries were obtained by the double differentiation of the CCSD(T) energy using an efficient scheme based on internal coordinates that reduces the number of required single point energy evaluations by ~15% when compared to the corresponding double differentiation using Cartesian coordinates. Negligible differences between MP2 and CCSD(T) are found for the librational modes, while uniform increases of ~15 and ~25 cm^-1 are observed for the bending and “free” OH harmonic frequencies. The largest differences between MP2 and CCSD(T) are observed for the harmonic hydrogen bonded frequencies. The CCSD(T) red shifts from the monomer frequencies (Δω) are smaller than the MP2 ones, due to the fact that the former produces shorter elongations (ΔR) of the respective hydrogen bonded OH lengths from the monomer value with respect to the latter. Both the MP2 and CCSD(T) results for the hydrogen bonded frequencies were found to closely follow the relation - Δω = s · ΔR, with a rate of s = 20.3 cm^-1 / 0.001 Å. The CCSD

Implications of Extended Solar Minima

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi L.; Davis, J. M.

2009-01-01

Since the discovery of periodicity in the solar cycle, the historical record of sunspot number has been carefully examined, attempting to make predictions about the next cycle. Much emphasis has been on predicting the maximum amplitude and length of the next cycle. Because current space-based and suborbital instruments are designed to study active phenomena, there is considerable interest in estimating the length and depth of the current minimum. We have developed criteria for the definition of a minimum and applied it to the historical sunspot record starting in 1749. In doing so, we find that 1) the current minimum is not yet unusually long and 2) there is no obvious way of predicting when, using our definition, the current minimum may end. However, by grouping the data into 22- year cycles there is an interesting pattern of extended minima that recurs every fourth or fifth 22-year cycle. A preliminary comparison of this pattern with other records, suggests the possibility of a correlation between extended minima and lower levels of solar irradiance.

Recovery from Maunder-like Grand Minima in a Babcock–Leighton Solar Dynamo Model

Science.gov (United States)

Karak, Bidya Binay; Miesch, Mark

2018-06-01

The Sun occasionally goes through Maunder-like extended grand minima when its magnetic activity drops considerably from the normal activity level for several decades. Many possible theories have been proposed to explain the origin of these minima. However, how the Sun managed to recover from such inactive phases every time is even more enigmatic. The Babcock–Leighton type dynamos, which are successful in explaining many features of the solar cycle remarkably well, are not expected to operate during grand minima due to the lack of a sufficient number of sunspots. In this Letter, we explore the question of how the Sun could recover from grand minima through the Babcock–Leighton dynamo. In our three-dimensional dynamo model, grand minima are produced spontaneously as a result of random variations in the tilt angle of emerging active regions. We find that the Babcock–Leighton process can still operate during grand minima with only a minimal number of sunspots, and that the model can emerge from such phases without the need for an additional generation mechanism for the poloidal field. The essential ingredient in our model is a downward magnetic pumping, which inhibits the diffusion of the magnetic flux across the solar surface.

Tunneling and energy splitting in an asymmetric double-well potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Dae-Yup

2008-01-01

An asymmetric double-well potential is considered, assuming that the minima of the wells are quadratic with a frequency ω and the difference of the minima is close to a multiple of hω. A WKB wave function is constructed on both sides of the local maximum between the wells, by matching the WKB function to the exact wave functions near the classical turning points. The continuities of the wave function and its first derivative at the local maximum then give the energy-level splitting formula, which not only reproduces the instanton result for a symmetric potential, but also elucidates the appearance of resonances of tunneling in the asymmetric potential

Solar Cycle Variability and Grand Minima Induced by Joy's Law Scatter

Science.gov (United States)

Karak, Bidya Binay; Miesch, Mark S.

2017-08-01

The strength of the solar cycle varies from one cycle to another in an irregular manner and the extreme example of this irregularity is the Maunder minimum when Sun produced only a few spots for several years. We explore the cause of these variabilities using a 3D Babcock--Leighton dynamo. In this model, based on the toroidal flux at the base of the convection zone, bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) are produced with flux, tilt angle, and time of emergence all obtain from their observed distributions. The dynamo growth is limited by a tilt quenching.The randomnesses in the BMR emergences make the poloidal field unequal and eventually cause an unequal solar cycle. When observed fluctuations of BMR tilts around Joy's law, i.e., a standard deviation of 15 degrees, are considered, our model produces a variation in the solar cycle comparable to the observed solar cycle variability. Tilt scatter also causes occasional Maunder-like grand minima, although the observed scatter does not reproduce correct statistics of grand minima. However, when we double the tilt scatter, we find grand minima consistent with observations. Importantly, our dynamo model can operate even during grand minima with only a few BMRs, without requiring any additional alpha effect.

SOLAR ROTATION EFFECTS ON THE HELIOSHEATH FLOW NEAR SOLAR MINIMA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borovikov, Sergey N.; Pogorelov, Nikolai V.; Ebert, Robert W.

2012-01-01

The interaction between fast and slow solar wind (SW) due to the Sun's rotation creates corotating interaction regions (CIRs), which further interact with each other creating complex plasma structures at large heliospheric distances. We investigate the global influence of CIRs on the SW flow in the inner heliosheath between the heliospheric termination shock (TS) and the heliopause. The stream interaction model takes into account the major global effects due to slow-fast stream interaction near solar minima. The fast and slow wind parameters are derived from the Ulysses observations. We investigate the penetration of corotating structures through the TS and their further propagation through the heliosheath. It is shown that the heliosheath flow structure may experience substantial modifications, including local decreases in the radial velocity component observed by Voyager 1.

DISCOSIPHONELLA MINIMA SENOWBARI-DARYAN & LINK AND SOLENOLMIA? PARVA N. SP. ("SPHINCTOZOA", PORIFERA FROM THE UPPER TRIASSIC (NORIAN OF THE SOUTHERN APPENNINES (NORTHERN CALABRIA/ITALY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BABA SENOWBARI-DARYAN

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Two hypercalcified sphinctozoan sponges are described from several localities of dolomitic Norian reefs of northern Calabria (southern Italy. Solenolmia? parva n. sp. occurs as an extremely abundant, albeit local, component in peculiar bioconstructions dominated by serpulids and microbialitic crusts. Discosiphonella minima Senowbari-Daryan & Link, previously recognized only in the type locality of Turkey, has been now found also as a minor component in association with other typical "Dachstein" reef biota, such as corals, sponges, microbial crusts and fragments of "microproblematica". Solenolmia? parva assemblage represents the primary framebuilder of small build-ups which developed on the margins of restricted intraplatform basins. The Discosiphonella minima assemblages were found as resedimented blocks along the slope of intraplatform anoxic basins. The distribution of the different reefal assemblages of Northern Calabria can be related to the paleogeographic position of northern Calabria with respect to the evolution of Triassic crustal extension in western Mediterranean. 

Path Minima Queries in Dynamic Weighted Trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davoodi, Pooya; Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Satti, Srinivasa Rao

2011-01-01

In the path minima problem on a tree, each edge is assigned a weight and a query asks for the edge with minimum weight on a path between two nodes. For the dynamic version of the problem, where the edge weights can be updated, we give data structures that achieve optimal query time\\todo{what about...

Recent developments in the theory of protein folding: searching for the global energy minimum.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheraga, H A

1996-04-16

Statistical mechanical theories and computer simulation are being used to gain an understanding of the fundamental features of protein folding. A major obstacle in the computation of protein structures is the multiple-minima problem arising from the existence of many local minima in the multidimensional energy landscape of the protein. This problem has been surmounted for small open-chain and cyclic peptides, and for regular-repeating sequences of models of fibrous proteins. Progress is being made in resolving this problem for globular proteins.

New model. Local financing for local energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Detroy, Florent

2015-01-01

While evoking the case of the VMH Energies company in the Poitou-Charentes region, and indicating the difference between France and Germany in terms of wind and photovoltaic energy production potential, of number of existing local companies, and of citizen-based funding, this article shows that renewable energies could put the energy production financing in France into question again, with a more important participation of local communities and of their inhabitants. The author describes how the law on energy transition makes this possible, notably with the strengthening of citizen participation. The author evokes some French local experiments and the case of Germany where this participation is already very much developed

Potential energy landscape signatures of slow dynamics in glass forming liquids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sastry, S.; Debenedetti, P. G.; Stillinger, F. H.

1999-01-01

We study the properties of local potential energy minima (‘inherent structures’) sampled by liquids at low temperatures as an approach to elucidating the mechanisms of the observed dynamical slowing down observed as the glass transition temperature is approached. This onset of slow dynamics...

Behaviour of the energy gap in a model of Josephson coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonel, A P; Links, J; Foerster, A

2005-01-01

In this work we investigate the energy gap between the ground state and the first excited state in a model of two single-mode Bose-Einstein condensates coupled via Josephson tunnelling. The energy gap is never zero when the tunnelling interaction is non-zero. The gap exhibits no local minimum below a threshold coupling which separates a delocalized phase from a self-trapping phase that occurs in the absence of the external potential. Above this threshold point one minimum occurs close to the Josephson regime, and a set of minima and maxima appear in the Fock regime. Expressions for the position of these minima and maxima are obtained. The connection between these minima and maxima and the dynamics for the expectation value of the relative number of particles is analysed in detail. We find that the dynamics of the system changes as the coupling crosses these points

To renew local energy policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailleul, Esther; Alfano, Patrick; Ballan, Etienne; Bosboeuf, Pascale; Braun, Nicolas; Budin, Jacques-Olivier; Caron, Jean-Francois; Couturier, Christian; Dantec, Ronan; Ducolombier, Alexandre; Durand, Lucas; Haeringer, Nicolas; Izard, Charlotte; Jadot, Yannick; Joos, Marine; Landel, Pierre-Antoine; Le Du, Mathieu; Lucas, Guillaume; Maya, Michel; Moisan, Marie; Peullemeulle, Justine; Pin, Pascaline; Poize, Noemie; Regnier, Yannick; Rudinger, Andreas; Saultier, Patrick; Serne, Pierre; Zeroual, Bouchr; Arevalo, Henri; Bregeon, Anne; Vauquois, Victor; Aussavy, Gregoire

2016-08-01

Presented as a guide, this book proposes an operational and transverse approach to local action in the field of energy. It is illustrated by many field examples which show how actors have been able to (re)gain control of the energy issue. In the first part in which they present the main issues, the authors outline that local authorities are in front line for a European energy transition, recall the French legal framework for local energy transition, describe how to address local energy self-sufficiency, and comment stakes and levers for energy transition financing. The second part deals with action. The authors there describe how to manage a local energy transition, how to act transversally, how to get citizen involved, and how to relate energy transition and local development

Using vibrational Cooper minima to determine strong-field molecular-dissociation pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Severt, T.; Zohrabi, M.; Armstrong, G. S. J.; McKenna, J.; Gaire, B.; Kling, Nora G.; Ablikim, U.; Carnes, K. D.; Esry, B. D.; Ben-Itzhak, I.

2015-05-01

We explore the possibility of using vibrational ``Cooper minima'' (VCM) locations as a method to determine dissociation pathways of molecules in a strong laser field. As a test case, we study the laser-induced dissociation of an O2+ion beam by several wavelengths (λ = 800 , 400, and 266 nm) using a coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging technique. Vibrational structure is observed in the kinetic energy release spectra, revealing a suppression of the dissociation of certain vibrational levels, which is a manifestation of the VCM effect. Previously, it has been shown in H2+that first-order time-dependent perturbation theory can be used to predict the locations of the VCM. We explore if the VCM locations predicted by perturbation theory can help uniquely identify dissociation pathways in O2+and consider its utility for other systems. Supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy. TS was partially supported by NSF-REU under Grant No. PHY-0851599.

Role of depth and location of minima of a double-well potential on vibrational resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajasekar, S; Jeyakumari, S; Chinnathambi, V; Sanjuan, M A F

2010-01-01

We report our investigation into the role of depth and location of minima of a double-well potential on vibrational resonance in both underdamped and overdamped Duffing oscillators. The systems are driven by both low- and high-frequency periodic forces. We obtain theoretical expressions for the amplitude g of the high-frequency force at which resonances occur. The depth and location of the minima of the potential wells have a distinct effect on vibrational resonance in the underdamped and overdamped cases. In the underdamped system at least one resonance and at most two resonances occur and the number of resonances can be altered by varying the depth and location of the minima of the potential wells. We show that in the overdamped system there is always one and only one resonance, and the value of g at which resonance occurs is independent of the depth of the wells, but varies linearly with the locations of the minima of the wells.

Erica multiflora (Ericaceae), Onosma pygmaeum (Boraginaceae) and Typha minima (Typhaceae) in Albania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mullaj, Alfred; Tan, Kit

2010-01-01

Erica multiflora (Ericaceae) in Albania is confirmed to occur in the Karaburun Peninsula as well as other regions in Albania. This links the distribution of the species in Croatia to that of western Greece. Onosma pygmaeum (Boraginaceae) and Typha minima (Typhaceae) are reported as new for the Al......Erica multiflora (Ericaceae) in Albania is confirmed to occur in the Karaburun Peninsula as well as other regions in Albania. This links the distribution of the species in Croatia to that of western Greece. Onosma pygmaeum (Boraginaceae) and Typha minima (Typhaceae) are reported as new...

The Nature of Grand Minima and Maxima from Fully Nonlinear Flux Transport Dynamos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inceoglu, Fadil; Arlt, Rainer [Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482, Potsdam (Germany); Rempel, Matthias, E-mail: finceoglu@aip.de [High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States)

2017-10-20

We aim to investigate the nature and occurrence characteristics of grand solar minimum and maximum periods, which are observed in the solar proxy records such as {sup 10}Be and {sup 14}C, using a fully nonlinear Babcock–Leighton type flux transport dynamo including momentum and entropy equations. The differential rotation and meridional circulation are generated from the effect of turbulent Reynolds stress and are subjected to back-reaction from the magnetic field. To generate grand minimum- and maximum-like periods in our simulations, we used random fluctuations in the angular momentum transport process, namely the Λ-mechanism, and in the Babcock–Leighton mechanism. To characterize the nature and occurrences of the identified grand minima and maxima in our simulations, we used the waiting time distribution analyses, which reflect whether the underlying distribution arises from a random or a memory-bearing process. The results show that, in the majority of the cases, the distributions of grand minima and maxima reveal that the nature of these events originates from memoryless processes. We also found that in our simulations the meridional circulation speed tends to be smaller during grand maximum, while it is faster during grand minimum periods. The radial differential rotation tends to be larger during grand maxima, while it is smaller during grand minima. The latitudinal differential rotation, on the other hand, is found to be larger during grand minima.

Crossover to potential energy landscape dominated dynamics in a model glass-forming liquid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schrøder, Thomas; Sastry, S.; Dyre, Jeppe

2000-01-01

An equilibrated model glass-forming liquid is studied by mapping successive configurations produced by molecular dynamics simulation onto a time series of inherent structures (local minima in the potential energy). Using this "inherent dynamics" approach we find direct numerical evidence for the ......An equilibrated model glass-forming liquid is studied by mapping successive configurations produced by molecular dynamics simulation onto a time series of inherent structures (local minima in the potential energy). Using this "inherent dynamics" approach we find direct numerical evidence...... for the long held view that below a crossover temperature, Tx, the liquid's dynamics can be separated into (i) vibrations around inherent structures and (ii) transitions between inherent structures [M. Goldstein, J. Chem. Phys. 51, 3728 (1969)], i.e., the dynamics become "dominated" by the potential energy...... landscape. In agreement with previous proposals, we find that Tx is within the vicinity of the mode-coupling critical temperature Tc. We further find that near Tx, transitions between inherent structures occur via cooperative, stringlike rearrangements of groups of particles moving distances substantially...

VizieR Online Data Catalog: UY UMa and EF Boo compiled time of minima (Yu+, 2017)

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Y.-X.; Zhang, X.-D.; Hu, K.; Xiang, F.-Y.

2017-11-01

In order to construct the (O-C) diagram to analyze the period change of UY UMa, we have performed a careful search for all available times of light minima. A total of 76 times of light minima were collected and listed in Table 2. >From the literatures and two well-known databases (i.e., the O-C gateway (http://var.astro.cz/ocgate) and the Lichtenknecker database of the BAV (http://www.bav-astro.de/LkDB/index.php)), we have collected a total of 75 available times of light minima for EF Boo, which are summarized in Table 3. (3 data files).

Environmentally-adapted local energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moe, N; Oefverholm, E [NUTEK, Stockholm (Sweden); Andersson, Owe [EKAN Gruppen (Sweden); Froste, H [Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm (Sweden)

1997-10-01

Energy companies, municipalities, property companies, firms of consultants, environmental groups and individuals are examples of players working locally to shape environmentally adapted energy systems. These players have needed information making them better able to make decisions on cost-efficient, environmentally-adapted energy systems. This book answers many of the questions they have put. The volume is mainly based on Swedish handbooks produced by the Swedish National Board for Industrial and Technical Development, NUTEK, together with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. These handbooks have been used in conjunction with municipal energy planning, local Agenda 21 work, to provide a basis for deciding on concrete local energy systems. The contents in brief: -The book throws new light on the concept of energy efficiency; -A section on the environment compares how air-polluting emissions vary with different methods of energy production; -A section contains more than 40 ideas for measures which can be profitable, reduce energy consumption and the impact on the environment all at the same time; -The book gives concrete examples of new, alternative and environmentally-adapted local energy systems. More efficient use of energy is included as a possible change of energy system; -The greatest emphasis is laid upon alternative energy systems for heating. It may be heating in a house, block of flats, office building or school; -Finally, there are examples of environmentally-adapted local energy planning.

Learning behavior and temporary minima of two-layer neural networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Annema, Anne J.; Hoen, Klaas; Hoen, Klaas; Wallinga, Hans

1994-01-01

This paper presents a mathematical analysis of the occurrence of temporary minima during training of a single-output, two-layer neural network, with learning according to the back-propagation algorithm. A new vector decomposition method is introduced, which simplifies the mathematical analysis of

Flow-duration-frequency behaviour of British rivers based on annual minima data

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidman, Maxine D.; Keller, Virginie; Young, Andrew R.; Cadman, Daniel

2003-06-01

A comparison of different probability distribution models for describing the flow-duration-frequency behaviour of annual minima flow events in British rivers is reported. Twenty-five catchments were included in the study, each having stable and natural flow records of at least 30 years in length. Time series of annual minima D-day average flows were derived for each record using durations ( D) of 1, 7, 30, 60, 90, and 365 days and used to construct low flow frequency curves. In each case the Gringorten plotting position formula was used to determine probabilities (of non-exceedance). Four distribution types—Generalised Extreme Value (GEV), Generalised Logistic (GL), Pearson Type-3 (PE3) and Generalised Pareto (GP)—were used to model the probability distribution function for each site. L-moments were used to parameterise individual models, whilst goodness-of-fit tests were used to assess their match to the sample data. The study showed that where short durations (i.e. 60 days or less) were considered, high storage catchments tended to be best represented by GL and GEV distribution models whilst low storage catchments were best described by PE3 or GEV models. However, these models produced reasonable results only within a limited range (e.g. models for high storage catchments did not produce sensible estimates of return periods where the prescribed flow was less than 10% of the mean flow). For annual minima series derived using long duration flow averages (e.g. more than 90 days), GP and GEV models were generally more applicable. The study suggests that longer duration minima do not conform to the same distribution types as short durations, and that catchment properties can influence the type of distribution selected.

Preference of small molecules for local minimum conformations when binding to proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Wang

2007-09-01

Full Text Available It is well known that small molecules (ligands do not necessarily adopt their lowest potential energy conformations when binding to proteins. Analyses of protein-bound ligand crystal structures have reportedly shown that many of them do not even adopt the conformations at local minima of their potential energy surfaces (local minimum conformations. The results of these analyses raise a concern regarding the validity of virtual screening methods that use ligands in local minimum conformations. Here we report a normal-mode-analysis (NMA study of 100 crystal structures of protein-bound ligands. Our data show that the energy minimization of a ligand alone does not automatically stop at a local minimum conformation if the minimum of the potential energy surface is shallow, thus leading to the folding of the ligand. Furthermore, our data show that all 100 ligand conformations in their protein-bound ligand crystal structures are nearly identical to their local minimum conformations obtained from NMA-monitored energy minimization, suggesting that ligands prefer to adopt local minimum conformations when binding to proteins. These results both support virtual screening methods that use ligands in local minimum conformations and caution about possible adverse effect of excessive energy minimization when generating a database of ligand conformations for virtual screening.

Conference: photovoltaic energy - local authorities - Citizen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belon, Daniel; Witte, Sonja; Simonet, Luc; Waldmann, Lars; Fouquet, Doerte; Dupassieux, Henri; Longo, Fabio; Brunel, Arnaud; Kruppert, Andreas; Vachette, Philippe

2012-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on the role of photovoltaic energy, local authorities and Citizens as pillars of the energy transition. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 100 participants exchanged views on the role of local authorities and Citizens in the implementation of the energy transition. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Solar photovoltaics, local communities and citizens - Cornerstones of the energy revolution. Franco-German viewpoints (Daniel Belon); 2 - Structure and management of the distribution system operators in Germany. efficient, innovative and reliable: Local public enterprises in Germany (Sonja Witte); 3 - Photovoltaic energy: technical challenges for power grids - A distribution network operator's (DNO) point-of-view (Luc Simonet); 4 - The sun and the grid - challenges of the energy transition (Lars Waldmann); 5 - The role of local public authorities in the networks management: legal situation in France, Germany and in the EU (Doerte Fouquet); 6 - Towards energy transition: challenges for renewable energies - Urban solar planning tools (Henri Dupassieux); 7 - The local energy supply as a municipal task - solar land-use planning in practice in Germany (Fabio Longo); 8 - Supporting and facilitating the financing of photovoltaic projects at a community level (Arnaud Brunel); 9 - Photovoltaics in the municipality VG Arzfeld (Andreas Kruppert); 10 - For the energy revolution to be a success: Invest into renewable energy. Local, controllable and renewable 'shared energy' that is grassroots (Philippe Vachette)

From Extraction of Local Structures of Protein Energy Landscapes to Improved Decoy Selection in Template-Free Protein Structure Prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhter, Nasrin; Shehu, Amarda

2018-01-19

Due to the essential role that the three-dimensional conformation of a protein plays in regulating interactions with molecular partners, wet and dry laboratories seek biologically-active conformations of a protein to decode its function. Computational approaches are gaining prominence due to the labor and cost demands of wet laboratory investigations. Template-free methods can now compute thousands of conformations known as decoys, but selecting native conformations from the generated decoys remains challenging. Repeatedly, research has shown that the protein energy functions whose minima are sought in the generation of decoys are unreliable indicators of nativeness. The prevalent approach ignores energy altogether and clusters decoys by conformational similarity. Complementary recent efforts design protein-specific scoring functions or train machine learning models on labeled decoys. In this paper, we show that an informative consideration of energy can be carried out under the energy landscape view. Specifically, we leverage local structures known as basins in the energy landscape probed by a template-free method. We propose and compare various strategies of basin-based decoy selection that we demonstrate are superior to clustering-based strategies. The presented results point to further directions of research for improving decoy selection, including the ability to properly consider the multiplicity of native conformations of proteins.

From Extraction of Local Structures of Protein Energy Landscapes to Improved Decoy Selection in Template-Free Protein Structure Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasrin Akhter

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the essential role that the three-dimensional conformation of a protein plays in regulating interactions with molecular partners, wet and dry laboratories seek biologically-active conformations of a protein to decode its function. Computational approaches are gaining prominence due to the labor and cost demands of wet laboratory investigations. Template-free methods can now compute thousands of conformations known as decoys, but selecting native conformations from the generated decoys remains challenging. Repeatedly, research has shown that the protein energy functions whose minima are sought in the generation of decoys are unreliable indicators of nativeness. The prevalent approach ignores energy altogether and clusters decoys by conformational similarity. Complementary recent efforts design protein-specific scoring functions or train machine learning models on labeled decoys. In this paper, we show that an informative consideration of energy can be carried out under the energy landscape view. Specifically, we leverage local structures known as basins in the energy landscape probed by a template-free method. We propose and compare various strategies of basin-based decoy selection that we demonstrate are superior to clustering-based strategies. The presented results point to further directions of research for improving decoy selection, including the ability to properly consider the multiplicity of native conformations of proteins.

Allelopathic Activity and Chemical Composition of Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC. Essential Oil from Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

Abd El-Gawad, Ahmed M; El-Amier, Yasser A; Bonanomi, Giuliano

2018-01-01

Aromatic plants attract the attention of many researchers worldwide due to their worthy applications in agriculture, human prosperity, and the environment. Essential oil (EO) could be exploited as effective alternatives to synthetic compounds as it has several biological activities including allelopathy. The EO from the aerial parts of Rhynchosia minima was extracted by hydrodistillation and investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Different concentrations (50, 100, 150 and 200 μL L -1 ) of the EO were prepared for investigation of their allelopathic potential on two weeds; Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Rumex dentatus. Twenty-eight compounds, mainly sesquiterpenes (69.13%) were determined. The major compounds are α-eudesmol, 2-allyl-5-tert-butylhydroquinone, caryophyllene oxide, trans-caryophyllene, and τ-cadinol. The EO from the R. minima showed a significant inhibition of D. aegyptium and R. dentatus germination, while the seedling growth was stimulated. Therefore, it is not recommended to treat these noxious weeds with the EO of R. minima before the germination. In contrast, the apparent stimulatory effect on the seedling growth offers further studies to use the EO of R. minima to enhance the fitness of different economic crops. However, characterization of green bio-herbicides such as EO (allelochemicals) from wild plants raises a new opportunity for the incorporation of new technology of bio-control against the noxious weeds. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Quantiifcation of methyl esters of fatty acids in the oil of Physalis minima by GC-MS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Muhammad Nasimullah Qureshi; Fazal Wajid; Inayat-ur-Rahman

2015-01-01

Objective:To investigate quantification of methyl esters of fatty acids in the oil extracted from Physalis minima (P. minima) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Methods: Oil was extracted from the shade dried plant with n-hexane through Soxhlet extraction. Fatty acids that present in the oil were derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters and analysed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Results:A total of nine fatty acids were detected in quantifiable amount in the oil. Both the saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids were identified. Palmitic acid was found in the highest concentration as 46.83%. Linoleic acid (ω-6) and linolenic acid (ω-3) were obtained in appreciable amount as 16.98%and 14.80%respectively among the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil under study. From the literature review, it appeared that fatty acids were determined for the first time in the oil of P. minima. Conclusions: Presence of these important fatty acids in high amount makes P. minima oil beneficial for health, which can be used in the preparation of phytopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical preparations. Moreover, the results of this study are useful for the phytopharmaceutical industries to establish their quality control profile.

Quantification of methyl esters of fatty acids in the oil of Physalis minima by GC-MS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Nasimullah Qureshi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate quantification of methyl esters of fatty acids in the oil extracted from Physalis minima (P. minima using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Methods: Oil was extracted from the shade dried plant with n-hexane through Soxhlet extraction. Fatty acids that present in the oil were derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters and analysed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Results: A total of nine fatty acids were detected in quantifiable amount in the oil. Both the saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids were identified. Palmitic acid was found in the highest concentration as 46.83%. Linoleic acid (ω-6 and linolenic acid (ω-3 were obtained in appreciable amount as 16.98% and 14.80% respectively among the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil under study. From the literature review, it appeared that fatty acids were determined for the first time in the oil of P. minima. Conclusions: Presence of these important fatty acids in high amount makes P. minima oil beneficial for health, which can be used in the preparation of phytopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical preparations. Moreover, the results of this study are useful for the phytopharmaceutical industries to establish their quality control profile.

Role of Electrostatics in Protein-RNA Binding: The Global vs the Local Energy Landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaemi, Zhaleh; Guzman, Irisbel; Gnutt, David; Luthey-Schulten, Zaida; Gruebele, Martin

2017-09-14

U1A protein-stem loop 2 RNA association is a basic step in the assembly of the spliceosomal U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein. Long-range electrostatic interactions due to the positive charge of U1A are thought to provide high binding affinity for the negatively charged RNA. Short range interactions, such as hydrogen bonds and contacts between RNA bases and protein side chains, favor a specific binding site. Here, we propose that electrostatic interactions are as important as local contacts in biasing the protein-RNA energy landscape toward a specific binding site. We show by using molecular dynamics simulations that deletion of two long-range electrostatic interactions (K22Q and K50Q) leads to mutant-specific alternative RNA bound states. One of these states preserves short-range interactions with aromatic residues in the original binding site, while the other one does not. We test the computational prediction with experimental temperature-jump kinetics using a tryptophan probe in the U1A-RNA binding site. The two mutants show the distinct predicted kinetic behaviors. Thus, the stem loop 2 RNA has multiple binding sites on a rough RNA-protein binding landscape. We speculate that the rough protein-RNA binding landscape, when biased to different local minima by electrostatics, could be one way that protein-RNA interactions evolve toward new binding sites and novel function.

Anomalous Arctic surface wind patterns and their impacts on September sea ice minima and trend

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bingyi Wu

2012-05-01

Full Text Available We used monthly mean surface wind data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Centers for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset during the period 1979–2010 to describe the first two patterns of Arctic surface wind variability by means of the complex vector empirical orthogonal function (CVEOF analysis. The first two patterns respectively account for 31 and 16% of its total anomalous kinetic energy. The leading pattern consists of the two subpatterns: the northern Laptev Sea (NLS pattern and the Arctic dipole (AD pattern. The second pattern contains the northern Kara Sea (NKS pattern and the central Arctic (CA pattern. Over the past two decades, the combined dynamical forcing of the first two patterns has contributed to Arctic September sea ice extent (SIE minima and its declining trend. September SIE minima are mainly associated with the negative phase of the AD pattern and the positive phase of the CA pattern during the summer (July to September season, and both phases coherently show an anomalous anticyclone over the Arctic Ocean. Wind patterns affect September SIE through their frequency and intensity. The negative trend in September SIE over the past two decades is associated with increased frequency and enhanced intensity of the CA pattern during the melting season from April to September. Thus, it cannot be simply attributed to the AD anomaly characterised by the second empirical orthogonal function mode of sea level pressure north of 70°N. The CA pattern exhibited interdecadal variability in the late 1990s, and an anomalous cyclone prevailed before 1997 and was then replaced by an anomalous anticyclone over the Arctic Ocean that is consistent with the rapid decline trend in September SIE. This paper provides an alternative way to identify the dominant patterns of climate variability and investigate their associated Arctic sea ice variability from a dynamical perspective. Indeed, this study

Coronene molecules in helium clusters: Quantum and classical studies of energies and configurations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodríguez-Cantano, Rocío; Pérez de Tudela, Ricardo; Bartolomei, Massimiliano; Hernández, Marta I.; Campos-Martínez, José; González-Lezana, Tomás, E-mail: t.gonzalez.lezana@csic.es; Villarreal, Pablo [Instituto de Física Fundamental, IFF-CSIC, Serrano 123, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Hernández-Rojas, Javier; Bretón, José [Departamento de Física and IUdEA, Universidad de La Laguna, 38205 Tenerife (Spain)

2015-12-14

Coronene-doped helium clusters have been studied by means of classical and quantum mechanical (QM) methods using a recently developed He–C{sub 24}H{sub 12} global potential based on the use of optimized atom-bond improved Lennard-Jones functions. Equilibrium energies and geometries at global and local minima for systems with up to 69 He atoms were calculated by means of an evolutive algorithm and a basin-hopping approach and compared with results from path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) calculations at 2 K. A detailed analysis performed for the smallest sizes shows that the precise localization of the He atoms forming the first solvation layer over the molecular substrate is affected by differences between relative potential minima. The comparison of the PIMC results with the predictions from the classical approaches and with diffusion Monte Carlo results allows to examine the importance of both the QM and thermal effects.

Energy Survival: entertainment as a resource for local energy actions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elburg, Henk van; Moosdijk, Catelijne van de [SenterNovem (Netherlands)

2007-07-01

In 2005, SenterNovem, the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation, a publishing company and a consortium of local authorities launched 'Energy Survival'; a renewing energy marketing strategy for children to create a demand for local energy actions. New elements are powerful branding and the use of cross media techniques through national TV, internet, local events and primary education. Through entertainment, Energy Survival influences children's attitude towards energy consumption and its convincing relation with the environment. It aims at qualifying children to become 'energy ambassadors' in their own local environment: family, school and neighbourhood. Energy Survival has become a well tested energy game-concept for children in whom public and private partners cooperate under one brand name and with a clear division of roles and interests. However, the backbone of the concept is the local approach: local actions in municipalities and in primary schools, supported by television and internet where children learn to deal with the upcoming energy challenges of the planet they will inherit. By providing an internet-based teaching method, especially primary schools will be an effective multiplier to reach children. Broadcasting the energy game on national TV on the one hand, and local events and preliminaries on the other hand, ensure opportunities for widespread 'duplication' of the concept, adapted to local policy priorities regarding sustainable energy because each municipality is permitted to choose its own themes. Despite the fact that the project is still young and that the partners consider it as a 'long term-investment', the first independent monitoring results indicate that Energy Survival so far is quite successful. Ratings of the first TV-series show a national market share of 20 % in the age group 6-12 years and significantly more interaction between children and their parents on energy related issues. The website

Local Alternative for Energy Supply : Performance Assessment of Integrated Community Energy Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koirala, B.P.; Chaves Avila, J.P.; Gomez, T.; Hakvoort, R.A.; Herder, P.M.

2016-01-01

Integrated community energy systems (ICESs) are emerging as a modern development to re-organize local energy systems allowing simultaneous integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and engagement of local communities. Although local energy initiatives, such as ICESs are rapidly emerging due

Energy network dispatch optimization under emergency of local energy shortage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Tianxing; Zhao, Chuanyu; Xu, Qiang

2012-01-01

The consequence of short-time energy shortage under extreme conditions, such as earthquake, tsunami, and hurricane, may cause local areas to suffer from delayed rescues, widespread power outages, tremendous economic losses, and even public safety threats. In such urgent events of local energy shortage, agile energy dispatching through an effective energy transportation network, targeting the minimum energy recovery time, should be a top priority. In this paper, a novel methodology is developed for energy network dispatch optimization under emergency of local energy shortage, which includes four stages of work. First, emergency-area-centered energy network needs to be characterized, where the capacity, quantity, and availability of various energy sources are determined. Second, the energy initial situation under emergency conditions needs to be identified. Then, the energy dispatch optimization is conducted based on a developed MILP (mixed-integer linear programming) model in the third stage. Finally, the sensitivity of the minimum dispatch time with respect to uncertainty parameters is characterized by partitioning the entire space of uncertainty parameters into multiple subspaces. The efficacy of the developed methodology is demonstrated via a case study with in-depth discussions. -- Highlights: ► Address the energy network dispatch problem under emergency of local energy shortage. ► Minimize the energy restoration time for the entire energy network under emergency events. ► Develop a new MILP model and a sensitivity analysis method with respect to uncertainties.

The local investment in renewable energies; L'investissement local dans les energies renouvelables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poussard, E.; Quantin, J.; Grepmeier, K.; Larsen, J.; Manolakaki, E.; Twele, J

2003-07-01

These proceedings present some European testimonies about the advantage of local investment, illustrated with concrete cases taken in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. They demonstrate that local investment in renewable energy sources is a reality and that this practice has indisputably contributed to their significant development in some countries of the European Union. The sustain of foreign banks to the financing of renewable energy sources is at the evidence an example to follow up in countries like France, Greece or Spain. Important efforts have to be made to simplify and encourage the implementation of projects, in particular from the administrative point of view. Beyond the financial aspects, the colloquium has shown that these practices of citizenship involvement represent an important factor of social adaptation and acceptation. The projects, gathering local actors but also the overall citizens through common investment funds, ensure a better territorial anchoring and a sustain to local and sustainable development. This document has been published with the support of the European Commission and ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management). (J.S.)

Dust around young stars. Observations of the polarization of UX Ori in deep minima

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voshchinnikov, N.V.; Grinin, V.P.; Kiselev, N.N.; Minikulov, N.K.

1988-01-01

Photometric and polarimetric monitoring observations of UX Ori begun in 1986 in the Crimea and Bolivia have resulted in the observation of two deep minima of the brightness during which a growth of the linear polarization (to ≅7%) was observed, together with a tendency for the circular polarization to increase (up to ≅1%). Analysis of the observational data shows that the main source of the polarized radiation in the deep minima is the emission of the star scattered by grains of circumstellar dust. On the basis of Mie's theory for a polydisperse graphite-silicate mixtures of particles the optical properties of ellipsoidal dust envelopes have been calculated and a model of the Algol-like minimum constructed

Market integration of local energy systems: Is local energy management compatible with European regulation for retail competition?

OpenAIRE

Eid, Cherrelle; Bollinger, L. Andrew; Koirala, Binod; Scholten, Daniel; Facchinetti, Emanuele; Lilliestam, Johan; Hakvoort, Rudi

2016-01-01

The growing penetration of distributed energy resources is opening up opportunities for local energy management (LEM) – the coordination of decentralized energy supply, storage, transport, conversion and consumption within a given geographical area. Because European electricity market liberalization concentrates competition at the wholesale level, local energy management at the distribution level is likely to impose new roles and responsibilities on existing and/or new actors. This paper prov...

Observations of linear polarization in deep minima of WW Vul

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grinin, V.P.; Kiselev, N.N.; Minikulov, N.Kh.; Chernova, G.P.; AN Tadzhikskoj SSR, Dushanbe. Inst. Astrofiziki)

1988-01-01

In the course of patrol photometric and polarimetric observations of WW Vul, initiated in 1986 in the Crimea and Sanglok, a broad photometrical minimum was registered, the deepest part of which being composed of three consecutive weakenings of brightness. The increase of linear polarization up to 5-6% (in V band) was observed in each of them. The analysis of the observational data shows, that the main part of polarized light occurs due to scattering of star radiation by dust particles of the circumstellar envelope. the contribution of this polarized radiation increases when the occultation of the star by the opaque dust cloud weakenes the direct (non-polarized) radiation of the star. Additional source of light polarization is the alignement of non-spherical particles in the dust cloud, which are responsible for occultation. Some arguments are given in favor to the idea, that the asymmetry axis of the circumstellar disc - like envelope of WW Vul is oriented parallel to the local interstellar magnetic field. If and alignment of non-spherical particles is caused by magnetic field of the disc, magnetic lines should follow the plane of the disc. The observations confirm the hypothesis, that the source of blue emission, observed in deep minima of such type stars, is the scattered radiation of circumstellar dust

French local agencies of energy control; Agences locales francaise de maitrise de l'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In the framework of the SAVE program, the European Commission brings financial assistance to the creation of local or regional agencies of energy control in municipalities and regions. The main criteria are the impacts on the energy demand, the reinforcement of the economic and social cohesion, the environmental quality and the contribution to the economic development and the employment creation. In this document, realized by Energie-Cites, the Ademe objective is to present a state of the art of french local agencies. Ten agencies are presented as case study. Each case deals with the following topics: the main context of the action which details the energy and the environmental policy of the municipality, the creation and the description of the agency, the implemented actions and the perspectives. (A.L.B.)

Chen-Nester-Tung quasi-local energy and Wang-Yau quasi-local mass

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jian-Liang; Yu, Chengjie

2017-10-01

In this paper, we show that the Chen-Nester-Tung (CNT) quasi-local energy with 4D isometric matching references is closely related to the Wang-Yau (WY) quasi-local energy. As a particular example, we compute the second variation of the CNT quasi-local energy for axially symmetric Kerr-like spacetimes with axially symmetric embeddings at the obvious critical point (0 , 0) and find that it is a saddle critical point in most of the cases. Also, as a byproduct, we generalize a previous result about the coincidence of the CNT quasi-local energy and Brown-York mass for axially symmetric Kerr-like spacetimes by Tam and the first author Liu and Tam (2016) to general spacetimes.

Danish Experience in Local Energy Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Henrik; Sørensen, Per Alex

2003-01-01

The paper describes the influence from public participation brings examples of local energy planning from Ærø and Samsø islands in Denmark.......The paper describes the influence from public participation brings examples of local energy planning from Ærø and Samsø islands in Denmark....

Local Agenda 21 and renewable energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

This report summarises the findings of a study to examine the progress of the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) plans of local authorities relevant to renewable energy. Current UK policy and funding of renewable energy, the development of LA21 in the UK, the research methodology, and the results of a questionnaire survey are discussed. The findings of consultations with local LA21 groups, discussions of good practice examples and approaches, and final recommendations are outlined. (UK)

Role of local governments in promoting energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, H.

1980-11-01

An examination is made of the incentives which influence the decisions by local governments to adopt energy-efficiency programs, either unilaterally or in partnership with the Federal government. It is found that there is significant potential for improved energy efficiency in urban residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and that exploiting these opportunities is in the interest of both Federal and local governments. Unless there is a unique combination of strong local leadership, a tradition of resource management, and external energy shocks, communities are unlikely to realize this potential. Conflicting demands, traditional perceptions, and lack of funding pose a major barrier to a strong unilateral commitment by local governments. A Federal-local partnership built upon and complementary to existing efforts in areas such as housing, social welfare, and economic development offers an excellent opportunity to realize the inherent potential of local energy-efficiency programs. At the local level, energy is not perceived as an isolated issue, but one which is part of a number of problems arising from the continuing increase in energy prices.

Exploring the conformational energy landscape of proteins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nienhaus, G.U. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)]|[Universitaet Ulm (Germany); Mueller, J.D.; McMahon, B.H. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)] [and others

1997-04-01

Proteins possess a complex energy landscape with a large number of local minima called conformational substates that are arranged in a hierarchical fashion. Here we discuss experiments aimed at the elucidation of the energy landscape in carbonmonoxy myoglobin (MbCO). In the highest tier of the hierarchy, a few taxonomic substates exist. Because of their small number, these substates are accessible to detailed structural investigations. Spectroscopic experiments are discussed that elucidate the role of protonations of amino acid side chains in creating the substates. The lower tiers of the hierarchy contain a large number of statistical substates. Substate interconversions are observed in the entire temperature range from below 1 K up to the denaturation temperature, indicating a wide spectrum of energy barriers that separate the substates.

Local investment in renewable energies - European experiences; Investissement local dans les energies renouvelables - recueil d'experiences europeennes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quantin, J; Grepmeier, K; Larsen, J; Manolakaki, E; Smith, M

2004-01-01

This booklet is realized within the framework of the european commission called PREDAC. This document have been conceived by a working group specialized on the local investment into renewable energies thematic. The objectives of this project are: to promote citizen participation in the financing of renewable energies projects in Europe; to make organizations, investor clubs and local government to be aware of this way of implication into renewable energies development; to examine more especially three renewable energy sources: biomass, photovoltaic and wind in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece and United Kingdom. (author)

Energy-Based Acoustic Source Localization Methods: A Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Meng

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Energy-based source localization is an important problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs, which has been studied actively in the literature. Numerous localization algorithms, e.g., maximum likelihood estimation (MLE and nonlinear-least-squares (NLS methods, have been reported. In the literature, there are relevant review papers for localization in WSNs, e.g., for distance-based localization. However, not much work related to energy-based source localization is covered in the existing review papers. Energy-based methods are proposed and specially designed for a WSN due to its limited sensor capabilities. This paper aims to give a comprehensive review of these different algorithms for energy-based single and multiple source localization problems, their merits and demerits and to point out possible future research directions.

Physalis minima Leaves Extract Induces Re-Endothelialization in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate-Salt-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dian Nugrahenny

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The administration of deoxy-corticosterone acetate (DOCA-salt can induce oxidative stress leading to decrease the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO, increase senescence of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs, thus contributing to endothelial dysfunction. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of Physalis minima L. leaves extract on serum NO levels, circulating EPCs number, and histopathology of tail artery endothelial cells in DOCA-salt-induced endothelial dysfunction in rats. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: rats without any treatment (normal, rats treated with DOCA (10 mg/kgBW s.c. twice weekly and given 0.9% NaCl to drink ad libitum for 6 weeks, and DOCA-salt-induced rats orally supplemented with P. minima leaves extract at doses of 500, 1500, or 2500 mg/kgBW for 4 weeks. Serum NO levels were measured by colorimetry. The number of circulating EPCs (CD34+/CD133+ cells was determined by flow cytometry. The tail artery sections were histologically processed with hematoxylin-eosin staining. DOCA-salt-induced rats showed significantly (p<0.05 decrease in serum NO levels and circulating EPCs number compared to the normal. There was also more detached tail artery endothelial cells in DOCA-salt-induced rats. P. minima leaves extract at a dose of 500 mg/kgBW significantly (p<0.05 increased serum NO level and circulating EPCs number, and also induced an optimal re-endothelialization in DOCA-salt-induced rats. P. minima leave extract dose-dependently increases NO bioavailability contributing to enhanced EPCs mobilization, thereby promoting re-endothelialization in DOCA-salt-induced endothelial dysfunction in rats.

French local agencies of energy control; Agences locales francaise de maitrise de l'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In the framework of the SAVE program, the European Commission brings financial assistance to the creation of local or regional agencies of energy control in municipalities and regions. The main criteria are the impacts on the energy demand, the reinforcement of the economic and social cohesion, the environmental quality and the contribution to the economic development and the employment creation. In this document, realized by Energie-Cites, the Ademe objective is to present a state of the art of french local agencies. Ten agencies are presented as case study. Each case deals with the following topics: the main context of the action which details the energy and the environmental policy of the municipality, the creation and the description of the agency, the implemented actions and the perspectives. (A.L.B.)

Binding-energy distribution and dephasing of localized biexcitons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langbein, Wolfgang Werner; Hvam, Jørn Märcher; Umlauff, M.

1997-01-01

We report on the binding energy and dephasing of localized biexciton states in narrow ZnSe multiple quantum wells. The measured binding-energy distribution of the localized biexcitons shows a width of 2.2 meV centered at 8.5 meV, and is fairly independent of the exciton localization energy. In fo...

Si segregation at Fe grain boundaries analyzed by ab initio local energy and local stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Somesh Kr; Kohyama, Masanori; Tanaka, Shingo; Shiihara, Yoshinori

2014-01-01

Using density-functional theory calculations combined with recent local-energy and local-stress schemes, we studied the effects of Si segregation on the structural, mechanical and magnetic properties of the Σ3(1 1 1) and Σ11(3 3 2) Fe GBs formed by rotation around the [1 1 0] axis. The segregation mechanism was analyzed by the local-energy decomposition of the segregation energy, where the segregation energy is expressed as a sum of the following four terms: the local-energy change of Si atoms from the isolated state in bulk Fe to the GB segregated state, the stabilization of replaced Fe atoms from the GB to the bulk, the local-energy change of neighboring Fe atoms from the pure GB to the segregated GB and the local-energy change of neighboring Fe atoms from the system of an isolated Si atom in the bulk Fe to the pure bulk Fe. The segregation energy and value of each term greatly depends on the segregation site and Si concentration. The segregation at interface Fe sites with higher local energies in the original GB configurations naturally leads to higher segregation-energy gains, while interface sites with lower local energies can lead to larger energy gains if stronger Si–Fe interactions occur locally in the final segregated configurations. The high Si concentration reduces the segregation-energy gain per Si atom due to the local-energy increases of Si atoms neighboring to each other or through the reduction in the number of stabilized Fe atoms per Si atom as observed in a Si dimer in bulk Fe. In the Si-segregated GBs, Si–Fe bonds enhance local Young’s moduli and tend to suppress the interface weakening, while the GB adhesion is slightly reduced. And Fe atoms contacting Si atoms have reduced magnetic moments, due to Si–Fe sp-d hybridization interactions. (paper)

Bespoke Bias for Obtaining Free Energy Differences within Variationally Enhanced Sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarty, James; Valsson, Omar; Parrinello, Michele

2016-05-10

Obtaining efficient sampling of multiple metastable states through molecular dynamics and hence determining free energy differences is central for understanding many important phenomena. Here we present a new biasing strategy, which employs the recent variationally enhanced sampling approach (Valsson and Parrinello Phys. Rev. Lett. 2014, 113, 090601). The bias is constructed from an intuitive model of the local free energy surface describing fluctuations around metastable minima and depends on only a few parameters which are determined variationally such that efficient sampling between states is obtained. The bias constructed in this manner largely reduces the need of finding a set of collective variables that completely spans the conformational space of interest, as they only need to be a locally valid descriptor of the system about its local minimum. We introduce the method and demonstrate its power on two representative examples.

Renewable energy and the need for local energy markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvelplund, Frede

2006-01-01

green energy policy should be introduced in order to secure both public and political acceptance. Local markets should be established in order to secure the technical integration of a large proportion of wind power and other fluctuating renewable energy sources into the energy system....

Comparison of Langevin dynamics and direct energy barrier computation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dittrich, Rok; Schrefl, Thomas; Thiaville, Andre; Miltat, Jacques; Tsiantos, Vassilios; Fidler, Josef

2004-01-01

Two complementary methods to study thermal effects in micromagnetics are compared. On short time scales Langevin dynamics gives insight in the thermally activated dynamics. For longer time scales the 'nudged elastic band' method is applied. The method calculates a highly probable thermal switching path between two local energy minima of a micromagnetic system. Comparing the predicted thermal transition rates between ground states in small softmagnetic elements up to a size of 90x90x4.5 nm 3 gives good agreement of the methods

Local energy governance in vermont: an analysis of energy system transition strategies and actor capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Rowse, Tarah

While global, national, and regional efforts to address climate and energy challenges remain essential, local governments and community groups are playing an increasingly stronger and vital role. As an active state in energy system policy, planning and innovation, Vermont offers a testing ground for research into energy governance at the local level. A baseline understanding of the energy planning and energy organizing activities initiated at the local level can support efforts to foster a transition to a sustainable energy system in Vermont. Following an inductive, applied and participatory approach, and grounded in the fields of sustainability transitions, energy planning, and community energy, this research project identifies conditions for change, including opportunities and challenges, within Vermont energy system decision-making and governance at the local level. The following questions are posed: What are the main opportunities and challenges for sustainable energy development at the town level? How are towns approaching energy planning? What are the triggers that will facilitate a faster transition to alternative energy systems, energy efficiency initiatives, and localized approaches? In an effort to answer these questions two studies were conducted: 1) an analysis of municipal energy plans, and 2) a survey of local energy actors. Study 1 examined Vermont energy planning at the state and local level through a review and comparison of 40 municipal plan energy chapters with the state 2011 Comprehensive Energy Plan. On average, municipal plans mentioned just over half of the 24 high-level strategies identified in the Comprehensive Energy Plan. Areas of strong and weak agreement were examined. Increased state and regional interaction with municipal energy planners would support more holistic and coordinated energy planning. The study concludes that while municipalities are keenly aware of the importance of education and partnerships, stronger policy mechanisms

Local investment in renewable energies - European experiences; Investissement local dans les energies renouvelables - recueil d'experiences europeennes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quantin, J.; Grepmeier, K.; Larsen, J.; Manolakaki, E.; Smith, M

2004-01-01

This booklet is realized within the framework of the european commission called PREDAC. This document have been conceived by a working group specialized on the local investment into renewable energies thematic. The objectives of this project are: to promote citizen participation in the financing of renewable energies projects in Europe; to make organizations, investor clubs and local government to be aware of this way of implication into renewable energies development; to examine more especially three renewable energy sources: biomass, photovoltaic and wind in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece and United Kingdom. (author)

Market integration of local energy systems: Is local energy management compatible with European regulation for retail competition?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eid, C.; Bollinger, L.A.; Koirala, B.P.; Scholten, D.J.; Facchinetti, E.; Lilliestam, J.; Hakvoort, R.A.

2016-01-01

The growing penetration of distributed energy resources is opening up opportunities for local energy management (LEM) – the coordination of decentralized energy supply, storage, transport, conversion and consumption within a given geographical area. Because European electricity market liberalization

Local agenda 21 and renewable energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-10-01

This study, involving a questionnaire survey of UK local authorities, was carried out in order to examine the effectiveness of the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) in promoting the use of renewable energy, overcome barriers to the uptake of renewable energy, collect examples of good practice, and identify the possible role of the Department of Trade and Industry and other governmental programmes in meeting the needs of LA21 which was an outcome of the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. The background to the project, and the government's commitment to increasing the amount of electricity produced from renewable energy sources are discussed along with the setting up of LA21, and key areas where local authorities can help contribute towards LA21. The funding of the study and examples of good practice are discussed. Recommendations are provided.

The local investment in renewable energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poussard, E.; Quantin, J.; Grepmeier, K.; Larsen, J.; Manolakaki, E.; Twele, J.

2003-01-01

These proceedings present some European testimonies about the advantage of local investment, illustrated with concrete cases taken in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. They demonstrate that local investment in renewable energy sources is a reality and that this practice has indisputably contributed to their significant development in some countries of the European Union. The sustain of foreign banks to the financing of renewable energy sources is at the evidence an example to follow up in countries like France, Greece or Spain. Important efforts have to be made to simplify and encourage the implementation of projects, in particular from the administrative point of view. Beyond the financial aspects, the colloquium has shown that these practices of citizenship involvement represent an important factor of social adaptation and acceptation. The projects, gathering local actors but also the overall citizens through common investment funds, ensure a better territorial anchoring and a sustain to local and sustainable development. This document has been published with the support of the European Commission and ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management). (J.S.)

On the minima of the time integrated perturbation factor in the Scherer-Blume theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silveira, E.F. da; Freire Junior, F.L.; Massolo, C.P.; Schaposnik, F.A.

1981-09-01

The minima in the correlation time dependence of the Scherer-Blume time integrated attenuation coefficients for the hyperfine perturbation of ions recoiling in gas are studied. Its position and depth are determined for different physical situations and comparison with experimental data is shown. (Author) [pt

Integrated energy systems and local energy markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Henrik; Münster, Ebbe

2006-01-01

Significant benefits are connected with an increase in the flexibility of the Danish energy system. On the one hand, it is possible to benefit from trading electricity with neighbouring countries, and on the other, Denmark will be able to make better use of wind power and other types of renewable...... energy in the future. This paper presents the analysis of different ways of increasing flexibility in the Danish energy system by the use of local regulation mechanisms. This strategy is compared with the opposite extreme, i.e. trying to solve all balancing problems via electricity trade...

Renewable energy and the need for local energy markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hvelplund, Frede

2006-01-01

In Denmark, a technological change towards cleaner energy technologies has been developed and implemented since around 1975. This development has had two phases: The first from 1975 until around 1996, when wind power was a niche production that supplied only 3.5% of the electricity consumption and was brought close to cost competitiveness, and the present second phase, in which wind power supplies an increasing share (in 2004 18.6%) of electricity consumption along with combined heat and power plants, which supply around 50% of consumption. Denmark succeeded in overcoming the first phase, and a large green energy technology cluster was established. During the second phase, new difficulties and challenges have arisen, both with regard to local public acceptance and the need for integrating an increasing percentage of fluctuating energy sources into the energy system. In this Phase 2, a new offensive green energy policy should be introduced in order to secure both public and political acceptance. Local markets should be established in order to secure the technical integration of a large proportion of wind power and other fluctuating renewable energy sources into the energy system

Rhaphiostylis minima Jongkind (Icacinaceae, a new liana species from Ivory Coast & Liberia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carel C.H. Jongkind

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A new species of Rhaphiostylis, R. minima sp. nov. from Liberia and Ivory Coast, is described and illustrated here. It is characterised by its comparatively small size, an ovate to lanceolate leaf blade with long drip tip and a partly glabrous ovary that is in shape in between those of R. elegans Engl. and R. preussii Engl. Rhaphiostylis elegans is lectotypified and illustrated here.

New interaction paths in the energy landscape: the role of local energy initiatives

OpenAIRE

de Boer, Jessica; Zuidema, Christian; Gugerell, Katharina

2018-01-01

Energy transition is an encompassing process which not only involves the energy system but also the landscape in which the energy system is embedded. Renewable energy is triggering new interactions with local landscapes in physical, socio-economic and institutional senses. We capture these interactions using the energy landscape concept, which expresses the interdependence of the energy system with the landscape. We aim to understand whether and how local energy initiatives facilitate this in...

Local investment in renewable energies - European experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quantin, J.; Grepmeier, K.; Larsen, J.; Manolakaki, E.; Smith, M.

2004-01-01

This booklet is realized within the framework of the european commission called PREDAC. This document have been conceived by a working group specialized on the local investment into renewable energies thematic. The objectives of this project are: to promote citizen participation in the financing of renewable energies projects in Europe; to make organizations, investor clubs and local government to be aware of this way of implication into renewable energies development; to examine more especially three renewable energy sources: biomass, photovoltaic and wind in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece and United Kingdom. (author)

Maxima and minima of the orientation phenomena for direct 1s→2p+-1 electron-ion collisional excitations in weakly coupled plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon Jung-Sik; Jung Young-Dae

1999-01-01

Orientation phenomena for direct 1s→2p +-1 electron-ion collisional excitations in weakly coupled plasma are investigated using the semiclassical trajectory method including the close-encounter effects. In weakly coupled plasmas, the electron-ion interaction potential is given by the classical nonspherical Debye-Hueckel model. The semiclassical screened hyperbolic-orbit trajectory method is applied to describe the motion of the projectile electron in order to investigate the variation of the orientation parameter as a function of the impact parameter, projectile energy, and Debye length. A comparison is also given for the hyperbolic-orbit and straight-line trajectory methods. The results show that the orientation parameters obtained by the hyperbolic-orbit trajectory method have maxima and minima for small impact parameter regions. In other words, there are complete 1s→2p +1 (maxima) and complete 1s→2p -1 (minima) transitions for certain impact parameters. These maxima cannot be found using the straight-line trajectory method. The variation of the propensity of the 1s→2p -1 transitions due to the plasma screening effects on the atomic wave functions is also discussed

Energy concepts for self-supplying communities based on local and renewable energy sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Jens-Phillip

2016-01-01

The reduction of GHG emissions in buildings is a focus area of national energy policies, because buildings are responsible for a major share of energy consumption. Policies to increase the share of renewable energies and energy efficiency measures are implemented at local scale. Municipalities...... that virtually allow a heating energy and electricity supply fully based on local, renewable energy resources. The most feasible and cost-efficient variant is the use of local food production waste in a CHP plant feeding a district heating grid. The overall aim is to show that a self-sufficient heat......- and electricity supply of typical urban communities is possible and can be implemented in a cost-efficient way, if the energy planning is done systematically and in coherence with urban planning....

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of the Polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima Root

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuejing Jia

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Box-Behnken design (BBD, one of the most common response surface methodology (RSM methods, was used to optimize the experimental conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima root (PRM. The antioxidant abilities and anticancer activity of purified polysaccharide fractions were also measured. The results showed that optimal extraction parameters were as follows: ultrasound exposure time, 21 min; ratio of water to material, 46 mL/g; ultrasound extraction temperature, 63 °C. Under these conditions, the maximum yield of PRM was 16.95% ± 0.07%. Furthermore, the main monosaccharides of purified fractions were Ara and Gal. PRM3 and PRM5 exhibited remarkable DPPH radical scavenging activities and reducing power in vitro. PRM3 showed strong inhibitory activities on the growth of MCF-7 cells in vitro. The above results indicate that polysaccharides from R. minima root have the potential to be developed as natural antioxidants and anticancer ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of the Polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima Root.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xuejing; Zhang, Chao; Hu, Jie; He, Muxue; Bao, Jiaolin; Wang, Kai; Li, Peng; Chen, Meiwan; Wan, Jianbo; Su, Huanxing; Zhang, Qingwen; He, Chengwei

2015-11-23

Box-Behnken design (BBD), one of the most common response surface methodology (RSM) methods, was used to optimize the experimental conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima root (PRM). The antioxidant abilities and anticancer activity of purified polysaccharide fractions were also measured. The results showed that optimal extraction parameters were as follows: ultrasound exposure time, 21 min; ratio of water to material, 46 mL/g; ultrasound extraction temperature, 63 °C. Under these conditions, the maximum yield of PRM was 16.95%±0.07%. Furthermore, the main monosaccharides of purified fractions were Ara and Gal. PRM3 and PRM5 exhibited remarkable DPPH radical scavenging activities and reducing power in vitro. PRM3 showed strong inhibitory activities on the growth of MCF-7 cells in vitro. The above results indicate that polysaccharides from R. minima root have the potential to be developed as natural antioxidants and anticancer ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Minkowski space structure of the Higgs potential in the two-Higgs-doublet model. II. Minima, symmetries, and topology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, I. P.

2008-01-01

We continue to explore the consequences of the recently discovered Minkowski space structure of the Higgs potential in the two-Higgs-doublet model. Here, we focus on the vacuum properties. The search for extrema of the Higgs potential is reformulated in terms of 3-quadrics in the 3+1-dimensional Minkowski space. We prove that 2HDM cannot have more than two local minima in the orbit space and that a twice-degenerate minimum can arise only via spontaneous violation of a discrete symmetry of the Higgs potential. Investigating topology of the 3-quadrics, we give concise criteria for existence of noncontractible paths in the Higgs orbit space. We also study explicit symmetries of the Higgs potential/Lagrangian and their spontaneous violation from a wider perspective than usual

Interactive Cosegmentation Using Global and Local Energy Optimization

OpenAIRE

Xingping Dong,; Jianbing Shen,; Shao, Ling; Yang, Ming-Hsuan

2015-01-01

We propose a novel interactive cosegmentation method using global and local energy optimization. The global energy includes two terms: 1) the global scribbled energy and 2) the interimage energy. The first one utilizes the user scribbles to build the Gaussian mixture model and improve the cosegmentation performance. The second one is a global constraint, which attempts to match the histograms of common objects. To minimize the local energy, we apply the spline regression to learn the smoothne...

Local investment in renewable energies; Investissement local dans les Energies Renouvelables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grepmeier, K; Larsen, J; Manolakaki, E; Quantin, J; Twele, J

2003-07-01

This document presents european examples on the interest of the local investment, illustrated by cases studies in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. Two main points were discussed: the financial tools and the french strategy. The colloquium provided many discussions and analyzes on the possibility of significant contribution to the collective efforts in favor of the public involvement in the renewable energies development in Europe. (A.L.B.)

Local authorities in the context of energy and climate policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comodi, Gabriele; Cioccolanti, Luca; Polonara, Fabio; Brandoni, Caterina

2012-01-01

Several measures to boost the energy system towards a low-carbon future can be planned and implemented by local authorities, such as energy-saving initiatives in public buildings and lighting, information campaigns, and renewable energy pilot projects. This work analyzes the public administration's role in energy and climate policies by assessing carbon-lowering measures for properties and services managed directly by local governments in central Italy. Both short- and long-term schemes were considered in the analysis of local authority energy strategies. The MARKAL-TIMES energy model was applied to long-term energy planning to assess the effect of low-carbon initiatives on public-sector energy consumption up to 2030. Two energy scenarios were built, i.e. a Business As Usual (BAU) scenario based on current or soon-to-be-adopted national policies, and an Exemplary Public Scenario (EPS) including some further virtuous local policies suggested by local authorities. Our results show that a 20% primary energy reduction can be achieved with respect to the baseline year by means of short-term energy policies (5-year time span), while a primary energy saving of about 30% can be reached with longer-term energy policies (25-year time span), even after taking the increase in energy demand into account. This work goes to show the part that local governments can play in energy policy and their contribution to the achievement of climate goals. - Highlights: ► Assessment of Local Administration (LA) role in energy and climate policy. ► Analysis of both short-term and long-term carbon lowering measures. ► Use of MARKAL-TIMES model generator for long-term energy analysis. ► 20% primary energy reduction can be reached with short-term energy policies. ► 30% primary energy reduction can be reached with longer-term energy policies.

Fault localization technics in energy and communication cables. Fehlerortungstechnik in Energie- und Nachrichtenkabeln

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartz, W G; Wippler, E

1981-01-01

Though fault localization technics in energy and information cables represents a special field within electrical engineering or electrical measurement engineering its significance becomes visible when fault-localization technics is seen with the same eyes as energy supply or information exchange. To maintain supply and exchange disturbance free, e.g. by means of continuous or periodical monitoring or to restore them quickly in case of disturbance is the task of fault localization technics. This new volume shall give a survey on the network structures in energy and communication networks, on the types and frequency of past interruptions and also on procedures to evaluate interruptions statistically. Methods, procedures and measurement techniques of fault-localization technics are presented for usual communication and energy cables as well as for optical communication cables.

Iterative h-minima-based marker-controlled watershed for cell nucleus segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyuncu, Can Fahrettin; Akhan, Ece; Ersahin, Tulin; Cetin-Atalay, Rengul; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem

2016-04-01

Automated microscopy imaging systems facilitate high-throughput screening in molecular cellular biology research. The first step of these systems is cell nucleus segmentation, which has a great impact on the success of the overall system. The marker-controlled watershed is a technique commonly used by the previous studies for nucleus segmentation. These studies define their markers finding regional minima on the intensity/gradient and/or distance transform maps. They typically use the h-minima transform beforehand to suppress noise on these maps. The selection of the h value is critical; unnecessarily small values do not sufficiently suppress the noise, resulting in false and oversegmented markers, and unnecessarily large ones suppress too many pixels, causing missing and undersegmented markers. Because cell nuclei show different characteristics within an image, the same h value may not work to define correct markers for all the nuclei. To address this issue, in this work, we propose a new watershed algorithm that iteratively identifies its markers, considering a set of different h values. In each iteration, the proposed algorithm defines a set of candidates using a particular h value and selects the markers from those candidates provided that they fulfill the size requirement. Working with widefield fluorescence microscopy images, our experiments reveal that the use of multiple h values in our iterative algorithm leads to better segmentation results, compared to its counterparts. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Diffusion of a protein in configuration space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, A.E.; Blumenfeld, R.; Hummer, G.; Sobehart, J.

1995-09-01

Simulations of biomolecular dynamics are commonly interpreted in terms of harmonic or quasi-harmonic models for the dynamics of the system. These models assume that biomolecules exhibit oscillations around a single energy minimum. However, spectroscopic data on myoglobin suggest that proteins sample multiple minima. Transitions between minima reveal a broad distribution of energy barriers. This behavior has been observed in other biomolecular systems. To elucidate the nature of protein dynamics the authors have studied a 1.2ns molecular dynamics trajectory of crambin in aqueous solution. This trajectory samples multiple local energy minima. Transitions between minima involve collective motions of amino acids over long distances. The authors show that nonlinear motions are responsible for most of the atomic fluctuations of the protein. These atomic fluctuations are not well described by large motions of individual atoms or a small group of atoms, but rather by concerted motions of many atoms. These nonlinear motions describe transitions between different basins of attraction. The signature of these motions manifests in local and global structural variables. A method for extracting Molecule Optimal Dynamic Coordinates (MODC) is presented.

TANDEM - French-German cooperation for local energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mouchard, Claire; Garreau, Enora; Maurer, Christiane; Schilken, Peter; Keilmann, Jenny-Claire; Janssen, Ulrike

2014-01-01

The simultaneous implementation of the German 'Energiewende' and the French 'Transition energetique' prompted both country's governments to sign various cooperation agreements. As both 'Energiewende' and 'Transition energetique' put a strong focus on decentralization of energy supply, establishing close inter-communal cooperation is particularly promising. The project TANDEM, which is jointly led by Klima-Buendnis and Energy Cities - both local authority networks - and co-funded by Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the French Energy Agency ADEME provides French and German local authorities with a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and create partnerships for climate protection having the following objectives: - Creating broad mutual understanding for the respective situation, challenges and framework in energy and climate policy; - Encourage exchanges with regard to obstacles and success factors concerning the realization of ambitious energy- and climate-goals and promoting mutual transfer of know-how; - Stimulating close collaboration between local authorities from both countries while involving and supporting local stakeholders and citizens; - Implementing initial stages of cooperation projects during the lifetime of the TANDEM project and creating a foundation for long-term cooperation; - Raise awareness for demands, requirements and concerns of local authorities on a national and European level in order to strengthen their influence and enlarge their scope of action. In this document, the authors briefly present the French, German and European contexts and the organization of both countries regarding energy transition. Then, a parallel is made between the national energy-climate plans of both countries ('Klimaschutzkonzepte' and 'Plans Climat-Energie Territoriaux') to identify the similarities and differences in order to learn from each other and to be able to create cooperations between both policy mechanisms

Wind energy and local development; Eolien et developpement local

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Depreste, B. [Ministere de l' Amenagement du Territoire et de l' Environnement, 75 - Paris (France); Beutin, Ph. [Agence de l' Environnement et de la Maitrise de l' Energie, ADEME, 75 - Paris (France); Cabanes, A. [Communes du Canton de Saint Agreve, 07 (France); Puig, J.; Jochen, T. [BWE, Berlin (Germany); Gunnar boye, Olesen [Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (Denmark); Preben, Maegaard; Bidal, J.L. [FNSEA, 75 - Paris (France); Hartmann, Ch. [Confederation Paysanne, Alsace (France); Jedliczka, M.; Quantin, J.

2002-04-01

This issue of Cler Info journal includes a dossier about the development of wind energy in France and in some other European countries (Spain, Germany, Denmark) and about its economical impact at the local scale. (J.S.)

Capacity of the aquatic fern (Salvinia minima Baker) to accumulate high concentrations of nickel in its tissues, and its effect on plant physiological processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuentes, Ignacio I.; Espadas-Gil, Francisco; Talavera-May, Carlos; Fuentes, Gabriela; Santamaría, Jorge M., E-mail: jorgesm@cicy.mx

2014-10-15

Highlights: • We document the capacity of an aquatic fern to hyper-accumulate Ni. • Effects of high Ni concentrations uptake on plant performance is documented. • High concentration of Ni in tissues damage photosynthesis. • Damage is related to carboxylation mechanisms than to electron transfer efficiency. • S. minima is a good candidate for remediation of water bodies contaminated with Ni. - Abstract: An experiment was designed to assess the capacity of Salvinia minima Baker to uptake and accumulate nickel in its tissues and to evaluate whether or not this uptake can affect its physiology. Our results suggest that S. minima plants are able to take up high amounts of nickel in its tissues, particularly in roots. In fact, our results support the idea that S. minima might be considered a hyper-accumulator of nickel, as it is able to accumulate 16.3 mg g{sup −1} (whole plant DW basis). Our results also showed a two-steps uptake pattern of nickel, with a fast uptake of nickel at the first 6 to 12 h of being expose to the metal, followed by a slow take up phase until the end of the experiment at 144 h. S. minima thus, may be considered as a fern useful in the phytoremediation of residual water bodies contaminated with this metal. Also from our results, S. minima can tolerate fair concentrations of the metal; however, at concentrations higher than 80 μM Ni (1.5 mg g{sup −1} internal nickel concentration), its physiological performance can be affected. For instance, the integrity of cell membranes was affected as the metal concentration and exposure time increased. The accumulation of high concentrations of internal nickel did also affect photosynthesis, the efficiency of PSII, and the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, although at a lower extent.

Can energy utilities play a role in local political energy savings programs?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Kasper

2012-01-01

Danish municipalities are putting climate change high on the agenda with action plans and targets to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To reach these targets the municipalities need to engage citizens and the local business sector. In order to find new routes on how to engage and motivate local...... businesses to achieve GHG reductions, seven Danish municipalities (Copenhagen, Albertslund, Allerød, Ballerup, Herning, Kolding and Næstved) have joined forces in an EU LIFE project “Carbon 20”. A key element in the Carbon 20 project is to offer an energy screening free of charge for the participating...... the screening to small companies since the savings are rather limited in absolute terms. This article will focus on the appropriateness of using energy utilities (or consultants working on their behalf) in a local political context of engaging the local business sector in achieving energy savings and GHG...

A sustainable local energy policy. Into a renewable millennium; Politique energetique locale durable: vers un millenaire renouvelable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-07-01

Renewable energy sources only contribute to a marginal extent to the energy balance of most European towns and cities. Many of them, however, have set ambitious targets for 2010 and have developed programmes to this end. During the seminar organised by Energie-Cites in Verona, around 200 people representing towns and cities from over 20 countries were able to present and exchange experience in all areas related to renewable energy: on practical projects and on their impact on local development, urban planning and employment. It is in towns and cities that energy consumption is the highest and that heat networks working on biomass and buildings equipped with thermal and photovoltaic solar collectors are to be found. Renewable energy has been increasingly gaining ground in urban areas over the last few years for the following reasons: cities are responsible for 80% of total energy consumption and therefore concentrate most of energy needs; the existence of heat networks in densely-populated areas is an incentive to use resources such as biomass or geothermal energy for producing heat or in CHP units; biogas from sewage plants or resulting from the biological treatment of waste is also an urban product; thermal solar systems can often be installed on roof tops to satisfy part of the needs in terms of hot water or space heating and the same applies to photovoltaic solar energy; even wind energy can be promoted, either directly or through green buying procedures. Sustainable urban development depends on the implementation of a sustainable local energy policy based on the involvement of local authorities in improving energy efficiency and developing the use of renewable energy sources in municipal energy supplies. Local development, employment, social integration, the quality of the air - all being major sources of concern for local decision-makers - are stimulated by the promotion of renewable energy sources. Cities are, on account of their size, capable of defining

Binary cluster collision dynamics and minimum energy conformations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muñoz, Francisco [Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle (Germany); Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Centro para el Desarrollo de la Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, CEDENNA, Avenida Ecuador 3493, Santiago (Chile); Rogan, José; Valdivia, J.A. [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Centro para el Desarrollo de la Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, CEDENNA, Avenida Ecuador 3493, Santiago (Chile); Varas, A. [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Nano-Bio Spectroscopy Group, ETSF Scientific Development Centre, Departamento de Física de Materiales, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Av. Tolosa 72, E-20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Kiwi, Miguel, E-mail: m.kiwi.t@gmail.com [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Centro para el Desarrollo de la Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, CEDENNA, Avenida Ecuador 3493, Santiago (Chile)

2013-10-15

The collision dynamics of one Ag or Cu atom impinging on a Au{sub 12} cluster is investigated by means of DFT molecular dynamics. Our results show that the experimentally confirmed 2D to 3D transition of Au{sub 12}→Au{sub 13} is mostly preserved by the resulting planar Au{sub 12}Ag and Au{sub 12}Cu minimum energy clusters, which is quite remarkable in view of the excess energy, well larger than the 2D–3D potential barrier height. The process is accompanied by a large s−d hybridization and charge transfer from Au to Ag or Cu. The dynamics of the collision process mainly yields fusion of projectile and target, however scattering and cluster fragmentation also occur for large energies and large impact parameters. While Ag projectiles favor fragmentation, Cu favors scattering due to its smaller mass. The projectile size does not play a major role in favoring the fragmentation or scattering channels. By comparing our collision results with those obtained by an unbiased minimum energy search of 4483 Au{sub 12}Ag and 4483 Au{sub 12}Cu configurations obtained phenomenologically, we find that there is an extra bonus: without increase of computer time collisions yield the planar lower energy structures that are not feasible to obtain using semi-classical potentials. In fact, we conclude that phenomenological potentials do not even provide adequate seeds for the search of global energy minima for planar structures. Since the fabrication of nanoclusters is mainly achieved by synthesis or laser ablation, the set of local minima configurations we provide here, and their distribution as a function of energy, are more relevant than the global minimum to analyze experimental results obtained at finite temperatures, and is consistent with the dynamical coexistence of 2D and 3D liquid Au clusters conformations obtained previously.

Analysis of the dependence parametrization of the allocations of heavy ions on light nuclei elastic scattering diffraction maxima from the projectile energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponkratenko, O.A.; Pyirnak, Val. M.; Rudchik, A.A.; Stepanenko, Yu.M.; Uleshchenko, V.V.; Shirma, Yu.O.

2015-01-01

Diffraction range of available experimental differential cross sections of heavy ions on light nuclei elastic scattering for the interactive nuclei 17 pairs with 4 ≤ A ≤ 20 have been analyzed in the projectile energy wide interval from 1 to 100 MeV/nucleon. Diffraction maxima and minima positions in the transferred momentum coordinates depending on projectile energy demonstrate smooth behavior at energies higher 2 - 4 MeV/nucleon and at energies to 30 - 40 MeV/nucleon - practically does not depend on energy. These energy dependences of maxima (minima) position. can be parameterized by simple functions. It was found the suitable approximations that describe reasonable the energy dependence of the maxima (minima) positions of the experimental elastic scattering differential cross sections. These approximations were evaluated with the same parameters for all colliding nuclei groups

Think globally, act locally? Local climate change and energy policies in Sweden and the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, U.; Loefstedt, R.E.

1997-01-01

While climate change is obviously a global environmental problem, there is nevertheless potential for policy initiatives at the local level. Although the competences of local authorities vary between countries, they all have some responsibilities in the crucial areas of energy and transport policy. This paper examines local competences in Sweden and the UK and looks at the responses to the climate change issue by six local authorities, focussing on energy related developments. The points of departure are very different in the two countries. Swedish local authorities are much more independent than UK ones, especially through the ownership of local energy companies. Yet, UK local authorities are relatively active in the climate change domain, at least in terms of drawing up response strategies, which they see as an opportunity for reasserting their role, after a long period of erosion of their powers. Furthermore, there is more scope for action in the UK, as in Sweden many potential measures, especially in the energy efficiency field, have already been taken. However, in both countries climate change is only a relatively marginal area of local environmental policy making and the political will, as well as the financial resources, for more radical measures are often absent. (Author)

A model of optimization for local energy infrastructure development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juroszek, Zbigniew; Kudelko, Mariusz

2016-01-01

The authors present a non-linear, optimization model supporting the planning of local energy systems development. The model considers two forms of final energy – heat and electricity. The model reflects both private and external costs and is designed to show the social perspective. It considers the variability of the marginal costs attributed to local renewable resources. In order to demonstrate the capacity of the model, the authors present a case study by modelling the development of the energy infrastructure in a municipality located in the south of Poland. The ensuing results show that a swift and significant shift in the local energy policy of typical central European municipalities is needed. The modelling is done in two scenarios – with and without the internalization of external environmental costs. The results confirm that the internalization of the external costs of energy production on a local scale leads to a significant improvement in the allocation of resources. - Highlights: • A model for municipal energy system development in Central European environment has been developed. • The variability of marginal costs of local, renewable fuels is considered. • External, environmental costs are considered. • The model reflects both network and individual energy infrastructure (e.g. individual housing boilers). • A swift change in Central European municipal energy infrastructure is necessary.

Local investment in renewable energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-11-01

Although the vast majority of renewable energies projects are established by commercial developers, some of them are financed by ''ordinary citizens'' pooling together through different schemes. This is particularly frequent in Denmark and Germany, possibly a key reason for the continuous and so successful growth of various renewable energies sources in these countries. This guideline aims to define the term of local investment and provides examples of development and recommendations. (A.L.B.)

Struggle over energy transition in Berlin: How do grassroots initiatives affect local energy policy-making?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchet, Thomas

2015-01-01

This paper examines the growing role of grassroots initiatives in the governance of urban energy systems. In recent years, research has increasingly underlined the potential for sustainable innovation of community-led bottom-up actions but has at the same time underestimated their potential impact on the governance of energy systems. Based on a strategic action field framework (SAF), this paper analyses the conflicts over the remunicipalisation of Berlin's electricity grid and investigates the creation and strategic development of two grassroots initiatives as well as their interaction with the local government and the established grid operator. We argue that grassroots initiatives have an important impact on the local energy system, not just through their influence on the implementation of local energy policy but above all by their framing of a specific vision of a local energy transition. The paper discusses the scope and limits of such initiatives in an urban context. - Highlights: • Grassroots initiatives as actors with countervailing power in local energy policy. • They increase citizens' awareness and impact the action of the local government. • Grids as objects of struggle between competing visions of energy transition. • Urban context is both a resource and a constraint for grassroots initiatives action

Les populations iséroises de petite massette (Typha minima Hoppe : suivis et perspectives de restauration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JAUNATRE, Renaud

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Pour se protéger des crues en montagne, les hommes ont transformé et artificialisé les cours d’eau, avec comme conséquence une perte en surface d’habitats pour la biodiversité. Ainsi, les populations de petite massette (Typha minima Hoppe, plante des berges des cours d’eau, ont régressé de 85 % en un siècle dans les Alpes ! Aujourd’hui, la législation est plus attentive à la préservation de la biodiversité dans le cadre de projets d’aménagement et elle rend obligatoire un certain nombre de mesures permettant de compenser les impacts sur les écosystèmes. Pour les aménageurs du territoire, la restauration de populations de T. minima pose cependant des questions auxquelles cet article apporte des éléments de réponses.

French policy localism: Surfing on ‘Positive Energie Territories’ (Tepos)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nadaï, Alain; Labussière, Olivier; Debourdeau, Ariane; Régnier, Yannick; Cointe, Béatrice; Dobigny, Laure

2015-01-01

This paper is interested in sustainable energy initiatives in French rural areas. It follows up the UK debate about ‘localism’. UK policy localism has been cast as neoliberal, framing communities as competent and competitive actors, morally responsible and accountable for their destiny. In France, the emerging policy localism is surfing on an ongoing political structuration of innovative rural territories – ‘Positive Energie Territories’ (TEPOS). The paper presents and discusses the results of a rough census (undertaken in 2012) of significant experiences in this domain. It points to a few experiences and depicts them as risky, trial-and-error transcalar processes that endow locally emergent energy issues with a political dimension. To this extent, they amount to a different way of doing energy policy. The analysis points to an ambiguity in French policy localism. This localism may pave the way for an upscaling of the ongoing TEPOS political structuration, or tend to make TEPOS into demonstration territories within a neoliberal RTD policy approach. In the latter case, it may not necessarily fit territories to pursue their political structuration with a view to the energy transition. - Highlights: • The paper bears witness to the emergence of a French energy policy localism. • It presents a sample of significant local rural experiences in the climate energy domain in rural France. • These experiences are risky, trial-and-error transcalar processes. • They amount to a different way of doing energy policy. • French localism surfs on these innovative territories while remaining ambiguous about the status that it confers on them

The Agri-Territorial Energy System: Energy from Biomass as a Tool in Local Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tritz, Yvan

2012-01-01

Biomass is a high-potential energy source whose development has been one of the primary objectives of the debate over the environment in France. Among the projects emerging today, we highlight two types of logics: large-scale projects such as electrical power or biofuel production plants, and smaller, local initiatives launched in rural areas. This paper lays down and illustrates the bases for the Agri-Territorial Energy System (ATES). This was inspired by Local Productive Systems and Localized Agri-food Systems, and the concept was set up on the basis of analyses of local projects involving biomass energy production. The ATES option offers strong local rooting and an organizational innovation process linking multi-stake holders. The concept is illustrated by two case studies: the Miscanthus project in Ammerzwiller (Alsace), and the Bois Bocage energy project in Orne (Basse-Normandie). These examples bring up an important point, namely the multifunctional dimension of the ATES concept

Energy concepts for self-supplying communities based on local and renewable energy sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Jens-Phillip

2016-01-01

The reduction of GHG emissions in buildings is a focus area of national energy policies, because buildings are responsible for a major share of energy consumption. Policies to increase the share of renewable energies and energy efficiency measures are implemented at local scale. Municipalities......, as responsible entities for physical planning, can hold a key role in transforming energy systems towards carbon-neutrality, based on renewable energies. The implementation should be approached at community scale, which has advantages compared to only focusing on buildings or cities. But community energy...... planning can be a complex and time-consuming process. Many municipalities hesitate to initiate such a process, because of missing guidelines and uncertainty about possible energy potentials. Case studies help to understand applied methodologies and could show available energy potentials in different local...

Diversification and localization of energy systems for sustainable development and energy security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xianguo Li

2005-01-01

The dominance of a single-energy system inevitably leads to excessive burden on, and eventually weakening, a particular aspect of the environment, and can cause environmental fatigue and failure (permanent damage) or even catastrophe if dominated for too long; thus it inevitably poses the health and environmental risk. This is the case for our currently fossil-fuel-based energy systems. In fact, each energy system, including renewables and alternative fuels, has its own unique adverse impact on the environment, as dictated by the second law of thermodynamics. A truly sustainable development may be achieved with the diversification and localization of energy sources and systems if the adverse impact of each energy system is sufficiently small and well within the tolerance limit of the environment. Energy diversification and localization would also provide a security for the energy supply and distribution as well for the energy consumers - a specifically important issue in the wake of blackout (electric power failure) in the Northeastern states to the Midwest of the United States and part of Canada on August 14, 2003. The idea of diversified energy systems for the good of humanity and environment is similar to many analogies in other fields, such as bio-diversity is the best means to prevent the spread and damage of diseases and pests, and diversified investment is the best strategy to guarantee the overall best investment return. It is concluded that the diversification and localization of energy systems is the best future energy systems that would be environmentally compatible, and allow for sustainable development as well as energy security for both supply and distribution to the energy consumers. (Author)

Diversification and localization of energy systems for sustainable development and energy security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xianguo

2005-01-01

The dominance of a single-energy system inevitably leads to excessive burden on, and eventually weakening, a particular aspect of the environment, and can cause environmental fatigue and failure (permanent damage) or even catastrophe if dominated for too long; thus it inevitably poses the health and environmental risk. This is the case for our currently fossil-fuel-based energy systems. In fact, each energy system, including renewables and alternative fuels, has its own unique adverse impact on the environment, as dictated by the second law of thermodynamics. A truly sustainable development may be achieved with the diversification and localization of energy sources and systems if the adverse impact of each energy system is sufficiently small and well within the tolerance limit of the environment. Energy diversification and localization would also provide a security for the energy supply and distribution as well for the energy consumers - a specifically important issue in the wake of blackout (electric power failure) in the Northeastern states to the Midwest of the United States and part of Canada on August 14, 2003. The idea of diversified energy systems for the good of humanity and environment is similar to many analogies in other fields, such as bio-diversity is the best means to prevent the spread and damage of diseases and pests, and diversified investment is the best strategy to guarantee the overall best investment return. It is concluded that the diversification and localization of energy systems is the best future energy systems that would be environmentally compatible, and allow for sustainable development as well as energy security for both supply and distribution to the energy consumers

Energy Road-map 2050: Towards regional and local energy Road-maps. IMAGINE seminar 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maillot, Herve; Pidoux, Blandine

2011-11-01

The 2011 IMAGINE Seminar held in Brussels on 9 November 2011 united around fifty representatives from Energy Cities network member cities as well as representatives from the European Parliament and the Commission, various industrial sectors and civil society organisations. Participants were invited to share their visions of their action by 2040-2050 in a sustainable and desirable city, having achieved its energy transition. The spontaneous and inspiring discussions that followed broached the following questions: - What is and should be the role of the local level in the EU Energy Road-map? - What if European local authorities were to develop their own 'Energy 2050' Road-maps? - What local and regional policies can social and economic players use for contributing to achieving European targets? - Under what conditions is the 'low energy cities with a high quality of life for all' concept relevant? The debate helped outline a shared, global vision as a step towards European collective dynamics giving territories a major role in energy transition. At the end of the day, participants from very different backgrounds converged on the following key points: - Like European institutions, territories must develop a long-term vision, failing which they will be unable to take meaningful action, mobilise players and make the right decisions in the short-term. - The energy-territory relationship, from efficient energy use to supply policies, is a major democratic challenge. - Although a number of technologies are already available, they still have to be integrated so that citizens can satisfy their needs and become fully accountable for their energy use. - Energy strategies must help meet a number of local challenges: social and territorial cohesion, employment and economic development, environmental protection and quality of life. To do so, they need to be designed taking those they are supposed to serve, i.e. citizens, into consideration. - The interaction between local

General Business Model Patterns for Local Energy Management Concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Facchinetti, Emanuele; Sulzer, Sabine

2016-01-01

The transition toward a more sustainable global energy system, significantly relying on renewable energies and decentralized energy systems, requires a deep reorganization of the energy sector. The way how energy services are generated, delivered, and traded is expected to be very different in the coming years. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver for the successful implementation of the energy turnaround. This work contributes to this topic by introducing a heuristic methodology easing the identification of general business model patterns best suited for Local Energy Management concepts such as Energy Hubs. A conceptual framework characterizing the Local Energy Management business model solution space is developed. Three reference business model patterns providing orientation across the defined solution space are identified, analyzed, and compared. Through a market review, a number of successfully implemented innovative business models have been analyzed and allocated within the defined solution space. The outcomes of this work offer to potential stakeholders a starting point and guidelines for the business model innovation process, as well as insights for policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to Local Energy Management concepts.

General Business Model Patterns for Local Energy Management Concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Facchinetti, Emanuele, E-mail: emanuele.facchinetti@hslu.ch; Sulzer, Sabine [Lucerne Competence Center for Energy Research, Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Horw (Switzerland)

2016-03-03

The transition toward a more sustainable global energy system, significantly relying on renewable energies and decentralized energy systems, requires a deep reorganization of the energy sector. The way how energy services are generated, delivered, and traded is expected to be very different in the coming years. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver for the successful implementation of the energy turnaround. This work contributes to this topic by introducing a heuristic methodology easing the identification of general business model patterns best suited for Local Energy Management concepts such as Energy Hubs. A conceptual framework characterizing the Local Energy Management business model solution space is developed. Three reference business model patterns providing orientation across the defined solution space are identified, analyzed, and compared. Through a market review, a number of successfully implemented innovative business models have been analyzed and allocated within the defined solution space. The outcomes of this work offer to potential stakeholders a starting point and guidelines for the business model innovation process, as well as insights for policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to Local Energy Management concepts.

San Jose, California: Evaluating Local Solar Energy Generation Potential (City Energy: From Data to Decisions)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

2017-09-29

This fact sheet "San Jose, California: Evaluating Local Solar Energy Generation Potential" explains how the City of San Jose used data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) and the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) programs to inform its city energy planning. It is one of ten fact sheets in the "City Energy: From Data to Decisions" series.

Analysis of the dependence parametrization of the allocations of heavy ions on light nuclei elastic scattering diffraction maxima from the projectile energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Ponkratenko

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Diffraction range of available experimental differential cross sections of heavy ions on light nuclei elastic scattering for 17 pairs of the interacting nuclei with 4 ≤ А ≤ 20 have been analyzed in the projectile energy wide interval from 1 to 100 МеV/nucleon. Diffraction maxima and minima positions in the transferred momentum coordinates depending on projectile energy demonstrate smooth behavior at energies higher 2 - 4 МeV/nucleon, and practically do not depend on energy at energies up to 30 - 40 МеV/nucleon. These energy dependences of maxima (minima positions can be parameterized by simple functions. It was found the suitable approximations that describe reasonably the energy dependence of the maxima (minima positions of the experimental elastic scattering differential cross sections. These approximations were evaluated with the same parameters for all colliding nuclei groups.

Evaluating Small Sphere Limit of the Wang-Yau Quasi-Local Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Po-Ning; Wang, Mu-Tao; Yau, Shing-Tung

2018-01-01

In this article, we study the small sphere limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy defined in Wang and Yau (Phys Rev Lett 102(2):021101, 2009, Commun Math Phys 288(3):919-942, 2009). Given a point p in a spacetime N, we consider a canonical family of surfaces approaching p along its future null cone and evaluate the limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy. The evaluation relies on solving an "optimal embedding equation" whose solutions represent critical points of the quasi-local energy. For a spacetime with matter fields, the scenario is similar to that of the large sphere limit found in Chen et al. (Commun Math Phys 308(3):845-863, 2011). Namely, there is a natural solution which is a local minimum, and the limit of its quasi-local energy recovers the stress-energy tensor at p. For a vacuum spacetime, the quasi-local energy vanishes to higher order and the solution of the optimal embedding equation is more complicated. Nevertheless, we are able to show that there exists a solution that is a local minimum and that the limit of its quasi-local energy is related to the Bel-Robinson tensor. Together with earlier work (Chen et al. 2011), this completes the consistency verification of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy with all classical limits.

State and Local Initiatives: Your Bridge to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Resources (Brochure)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epstein, K.

2001-01-01

A brochure for local and state policymakers, informing them about the State and Local Initiatives team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The brochure outlines the benefits of using renewables and energy efficiency, the benefits of using the State and Local Initiatives team as a liaison to the wealth of information at NREL, and some of the services and resources available

INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FLUX DEPLETION DURING PROTRACTED SOLAR MINIMA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connick, David E.; Smith, Charles W.; Schwadron, Nathan A.

2011-01-01

We examine near-Earth solar wind observations as assembled within the Omni data set over the past 15 years that constitute the latest solar cycle. We show that the interplanetary magnetic field continues to be depleted at low latitudes throughout the protracted solar minimum reaching levels below previously predicted minima. We obtain a rate of flux removal resulting in magnetic field reduction by 0.5 nT yr -1 at 1 AU when averaged over the years 2005-2009 that reduces to 0.3 nT yr -1 for 2007-2009. We show that the flux removal operates on field lines that follow the nominal Parker spiral orientation predicted for open field lines and are largely unassociated with recent ejecta. We argue that the field line reduction can only be accomplished by ongoing reconnection of nominally open field lines or very old closed field lines and we contend that these two interpretations are observationally equivalent and indistinguishable.

"Dark energy" in the Local Void

Science.gov (United States)

Villata, M.

2012-05-01

The unexpected discovery of the accelerated cosmic expansion in 1998 has filled the Universe with the embarrassing presence of an unidentified "dark energy", or cosmological constant, devoid of any physical meaning. While this standard cosmology seems to work well at the global level, improved knowledge of the kinematics and other properties of our extragalactic neighborhood indicates the need for a better theory. We investigate whether the recently suggested repulsive-gravity scenario can account for some of the features that are unexplained by the standard model. Through simple dynamical considerations, we find that the Local Void could host an amount of antimatter (˜5×1015 M ⊙) roughly equivalent to the mass of a typical supercluster, thus restoring the matter-antimatter symmetry. The antigravity field produced by this "dark repulsor" can explain the anomalous motion of the Local Sheet away from the Local Void, as well as several other properties of nearby galaxies that seem to require void evacuation and structure formation much faster than expected from the standard model. At the global cosmological level, gravitational repulsion from antimatter hidden in voids can provide more than enough potential energy to drive both the cosmic expansion and its acceleration, with no need for an initial "explosion" and dark energy. Moreover, the discrete distribution of these dark repulsors, in contrast to the uniformly permeating dark energy, can also explain dark flows and other recently observed excessive inhomogeneities and anisotropies of the Universe.

Local investment in renewable energies; Investissement local dans les energies renouvelables - depliant d'information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-11-01

Although the vast majority of renewable energies projects are established by commercial developers, some of them are financed by ''ordinary citizens'' pooling together through different schemes. This is particularly frequent in Denmark and Germany, possibly a key reason for the continuous and so successful growth of various renewable energies sources in these countries. This guideline aims to define the term of local investment and provides examples of development and recommendations. (A.L.B.)

Local and global Casimir energies for a semitransparent cylindrical shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavero-Pelaez, Ines; Milton, Kimball A; Kirsten, Klaus

2007-01-01

The local Casimir energy density and the global Casimir energy for a massless scalar field associated with a λδ-function potential in a (3 + 1)-dimensional circular cylindrical geometry are considered. The global energy is examined for both weak and strong coupling, the latter being the well-studied Dirichlet cylinder case. For weak coupling, through O(λ 2 ), the total energy is shown to vanish by both analytic and numerical arguments, based both on Green's-function and zeta-function techniques. Divergences occurring in the calculation are shown to be absorbable by renormalization of physical parameters of the model. The global energy may be obtained by integrating the local energy density only when the latter is supplemented by an energy term residing precisely on the surface of the cylinder. The latter is identified as the integrated local energy density of the cylindrical shell when the latter is physically expanded to have finite thickness. Inside and outside the δ-function shell, the local energy density diverges as the surface of the shell is approached; the divergence is weakest when the conformal stress tensor is used to define the energy density. A real global divergence first occurs in O(λ 3 ), as anticipated, but the proof is supplied here for the first time; this divergence is entirely associated with the surface energy and does not reflect divergences in the local energy density as the surface is approached

Energy localization in the phi4 oscillator chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponno, A; Ruggiero, J; Drigo, E; De Luca, J

2006-05-01

We study energy localization in a finite one-dimensional phi(4) oscillator chain with initial energy in a single oscillator of the chain. We numerically calculate the effective number of degrees of freedom sharing the energy on the lattice as a function of time. We find that for energies smaller than a critical value, energy equipartition among the oscillators is reached in a relatively short time. On the other hand, above the critical energy, a decreasing number of particles sharing the energy is observed. We give an estimate of the effective number of degrees of freedom as a function of the energy. Our results suggest that localization is due to the appearance, above threshold, of a breather-like structure. Analytic arguments are given, based on the averaging theory and the analysis of a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation approximating the dynamics, to support and explain the numerical results.

Local embeddedness in community energy projects. A social entrepreneurship perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Vancea

2017-12-01

Full Text Available An increasing number of community energy projects have emerged recently, reflecting diverse sociotechnical configurations in the energy sector. This article is based on an empirical study examining different types of community energy projects such as energy cooperatives, public service utilities and other entrepreneurially oriented initiatives across the European Union. Based on an in-depth analysis of three case studies, the article aims to introduce a social entrepreneurship perspective when discussing the relationship between local embeddedness and different forms of organisation and ownership in community energy. The results indicate that community energy projects can expand beyond the local scale without losing their collective and democratic form of functioning and ownership. Moreover, social movements can act as catalysts for this expansion beyond the local, in a quest for wider social transformation. Social entrepreneurship may provide a suitable analytical lens to avoid the ‘local trap’ when examining different forms of organisation and ownership in renewable energy, and further explore the question of scaling.

A partnership approach to local energy management between European and Asian cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webber, Peter; Pardo, Manuel; Conway, Stewart; Lack, Don; Ferreira, Vasco; Castanheira, Luis

2005-01-01

In Europe, several local areas have a number of years of experience with implementing local energy and greenhouse gas management policies, addressing national and international climate change targets. For example, in the city of Leicester in the UK, local strategies and measures have been implemented over several years to improve the energy efficiency of the Council's own operations and to manage city-wide energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, Leicester has participated in a European Commission funded project, which explores the potential for European local authorities and agencies to use their experience to work with a local area in a developing country where energy demand has been increasing rapidly, addressing climate change and sustainable development issues. The project has aimed to provide support at the local level with developing a framework to minimise energy-related contributions to climate change and air pollution, while giving quality of life benefits. It has used a partnership approach between Leicester, Vila Nova de Gaia municipality in Portugal, and a city in the Gujarat, India. The local level's role in each country in local energy management has been investigated. This has included a baseline assessment of local energy use, renewable energy and climate change issues in each partner city. The most locally relevant energy technologies have been selected and their implementation discussed in the local workshops involving a range of organisations and individuals, with actions being identified to improve the local management of energy, such as raising awareness and ensuring easy access to information

Polar and equatorial coronal hole winds at solar minima: From the heliosphere to the inner corona

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, L.; Landi, E., E-mail: lzh@umich.edu [Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (United States)

2014-02-01

Fast solar wind can be accelerated from at least two different sources: polar coronal holes and equatorial coronal holes. Little is known about the relationship between the wind coming from these two different latitudes and whether these two subcategories of fast wind evolve in the same way during the solar cycle. Nineteen years of Ulysses observations, from 1990 to 2009, combined with ACE observations from 1998 to the present provide us with in situ measurements of solar wind properties that span two entire solar cycles. These missions provide an ideal data set to study the properties and evolution of the fast solar wind originating from equatorial and polar holes. In this work, we focus on these two types of fast solar wind during the minima between solar cycles 22 and 23 and 23 and 24. We use data from SWICS, SWOOPS, and VHM/FGM on board Ulysses and SWICS, SWEPAM, and MAG on board ACE to analyze the proton kinetic, thermal, and dynamic characteristics, heavy ion composition, and magnetic field properties of these two fast winds. The comparison shows that: (1) their kinetic, thermal, compositional, and magnetic properties are significantly different at any time during the two minima and (2) they respond differently to the changes in solar activity from cycle 23 to 24. These results indicate that equatorial and polar fast solar wind are two separate subcategories of fast wind. We discuss the implications of these results and relate them to remote-sensing measurements of the properties of polar and equatorial coronal holes carried out in the inner corona during these two solar minima.

Polar and equatorial coronal hole winds at solar minima: From the heliosphere to the inner corona

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, L.; Landi, E.

2014-01-01

Fast solar wind can be accelerated from at least two different sources: polar coronal holes and equatorial coronal holes. Little is known about the relationship between the wind coming from these two different latitudes and whether these two subcategories of fast wind evolve in the same way during the solar cycle. Nineteen years of Ulysses observations, from 1990 to 2009, combined with ACE observations from 1998 to the present provide us with in situ measurements of solar wind properties that span two entire solar cycles. These missions provide an ideal data set to study the properties and evolution of the fast solar wind originating from equatorial and polar holes. In this work, we focus on these two types of fast solar wind during the minima between solar cycles 22 and 23 and 23 and 24. We use data from SWICS, SWOOPS, and VHM/FGM on board Ulysses and SWICS, SWEPAM, and MAG on board ACE to analyze the proton kinetic, thermal, and dynamic characteristics, heavy ion composition, and magnetic field properties of these two fast winds. The comparison shows that: (1) their kinetic, thermal, compositional, and magnetic properties are significantly different at any time during the two minima and (2) they respond differently to the changes in solar activity from cycle 23 to 24. These results indicate that equatorial and polar fast solar wind are two separate subcategories of fast wind. We discuss the implications of these results and relate them to remote-sensing measurements of the properties of polar and equatorial coronal holes carried out in the inner corona during these two solar minima.

Local energy policies in Poland and the Czech Republic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

Both the Czech Republic and Poland as former Communist countries, are transforming their economies from central planning to a free market. This applies equally to energy planning and because they are starting from the same point, they have come up with very comparable solutions despite strong cultural differences, so that the parallels are striking. This study analyzes the energy management in local authorities in Poland and the Czech Republic with the objective of better: identifying the current situation, identifying the opportunities for action both now and in an extended European Union, identifying the constraints that may hinder full integration of East European municipalities in European Union programmes, improve the integration of municipalities in the countries concerned in pan-European networks of municipalities interested in energy issues. The study reviews the powers and responsibilities of local authorities in the energy field and the institutional framework within which local authorities work. There are now 16 directly elected regional authorities in Poland and the local authorities have been restructured into two levels, the Powiad and the Gmina. Similarly, in the Czech Republic 14 elected regional authorities have been established. This document brings together 2 reports: the final report and the study report about the energy policies in Poland and in the Czech republic: structure of local government, general and institutional aspects, national political organisation, national administrative organisation, municipal role in production and distribution, regulation and planning, energy issues, energy management policies, specific aspects at local level etc... The conclusions from two review seminars (Jablonec nad Nison (Czech republic), 25-26 January 2001, and Bielsko Biala (Poland), 22-23 February 2001) and some fact files on 4 large Czech towns and 4 large Polish towns complete the study. (J.S.)

The physiology and biochemistry of the Laminaria pallida/Carpoblepharis minima and Ecklonia maxima/Suhria vittata associations from south-western Cape waters, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stacey, V.J.

1984-01-01

The two laminarian brown algae Laminaria pallida Grev. ex. J. Ag. and Ecklonia maxima were studied. The red algae, growing attached to the brown algae namely, Carpoblepharis minima Bart. and Suhria vittata (L.) J. Ag. Pallida/C. minima and E. maxima/S. vittata associations were studied. Carpoblepharis minima has only been observed on L. pallida, whereas S. vittata has been found attached to various substrates as well as to E. maxima. Physiological studies were undertaken on both brown and red algae. Translocation was found to occur in the brown algae at a velocity of 50-100mm h- 1 in L. pallida and 240-300mm h- 1 in E. maxima after incubation in seawater containing 14 C-sodium bicarbonate (1μCi ml- 1 ). Movement of 14 C-assimilates in L. pallida was slower than in E. maxima probably due to a difference in the medulla structure. The only 14 C-labelled assimilates in the brown/red algal association were the acyclic polyol mannitol and certain amino acids. Mannitol was the major translocant in L. pallida and E. maxima. The mannitol concentration varied seasonally. Studies using 15 N-potassium nitrate showed that the major 'free' amino acids in L. pallida were alanine, glutamic acid and histadine, whereas in E. maxima they were alanine, glutamic acid and glutamine. The red algae contained mannitol and the major 'free' aminoacids were alanine, glutamine and histadine in C. minima and glutamine, glutamic acid and glycine in S. vittata. Both red algae were found to possess photosynthetic pigments, undergo 14 C-assimilation and to incorporate exogenously supplied mannitol. There was transfer of the 14 C-labelled assimilates of photosynthesis from the brown to the red algal partner in the L. pallida/C. minima association, but this did not occur in th E. maxima/S. vittata relationship

Local thermal energy as a structural indicator in glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Zylberg, Jacques; Lerner, Edan; Bar-Sinai, Yohai; Bouchbinder, Eran

2017-07-01

Identifying heterogeneous structures in glasses—such as localized soft spots—and understanding structure-dynamics relations in these systems remain major scientific challenges. Here, we derive an exact expression for the local thermal energy of interacting particles (the mean local potential energy change caused by thermal fluctuations) in glassy systems by a systematic low-temperature expansion. We show that the local thermal energy can attain anomalously large values, inversely related to the degree of softness of localized structures in a glass, determined by a coupling between internal stresses—an intrinsic signature of glassy frustration—anharmonicity and low-frequency vibrational modes. These anomalously large values follow a fat-tailed distribution, with a universal exponent related to the recently observed universal ω4ω4 density of states of quasilocalized low-frequency vibrational modes. When the spatial thermal energy field—a “softness field”—is considered, this power law tail manifests itself by highly localized spots, which are significantly softer than their surroundings. These soft spots are shown to be susceptible to plastic rearrangements under external driving forces, having predictive powers that surpass those of the normal modes-based approach. These results offer a general, system/model-independent, physical/observable-based approach to identify structural properties of quiescent glasses and relate them to glassy dynamics.

New interaction paths in the energy landscape: the role of local energy initiatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, Jessica; Zuidema, Christian; Gugerell, Katharina

2018-01-01

Energy transition is an encompassing process which not only involves the energy system but also the landscape in which the energy system is embedded. Renewable energy is triggering new interactions with local landscapes in physical, socio-economic and institutional senses. We capture these

Assessing the performance of Dutch local energy companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blokhuis, Erik; Advokaat, Bart; Schaefer, Wim

2012-01-01

According to binding European Union agreements, the Netherlands has to cover at least 14% of its total energy use with renewable energy sources by 2020. However, the share of renewable energy in the Netherlands is small and hardly increasing. In 2010, renewable energy in the Netherlands accounted for only 3.8% of the national energy use, and has decreased with 0.4% compared to 2009. A cause of the stagnating renewable energy generation in the Netherlands is the absence of a nation-wide, clear and consistent long-term policy on the introduction of renewable energy. In order to overcome the current standstill in renewable energy adoption, several Dutch municipalities take the initiative and establish Local Energy Companies (LECs). However, to date, it is unclear which LEC type performs best. This research aims to compare the performance of existing LECs on three aspects: technology, finance, and organization. Furthermore, the performance of existing LECs is compared with theoretical reference LECs, in order to estimate efficiencies and opportunities for improvements. Finally, the influence of the recent changes in the Dutch subsidy scheme on LEC performance is examined. In order to achieve these aims, the benchmark method Data Envelopment Analysis is employed. - Highlights: ► Dutch Local Energy Companies (LECs) producing heat perform best in cost efficiency. ► Technical efficiency is highest in Dutch Local Energy Companies employing wind energy. ► Theoretical assumptions concerning LEC performance are not yet achieved in practice. ► The self supply model adds to the profitability of LECs, independent from subsidies. ► Recent changes in Dutch subsidy schemes add little to LECs’ financial performance.

Disordered locality as an explanation for the dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda; Smolin, Lee

2009-01-01

We discuss a novel explanation of the dark energy as a manifestation of macroscopic nonlocality coming from quantum gravity, as proposed by Markopoulou [F. Markopoulou (private communication)]. It has been previously suggested that in a transition from an early quantum geometric phase of the Universe to a low temperature phase characterized by an emergent spacetime metric, locality might have been 'disordered'. This means that there is a mismatch of micro-locality, as determined by the microscopic quantum dynamics and macro-locality as determined by the classical metric that governs the emergent low energy physics. In this paper we discuss the consequences for cosmology by studying a simple extension of the standard cosmological models with disordered locality. We show that the consequences can include a naturally small vacuum energy.

Local full-wave energy and quasilinear analysis in nonuniform plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smithe, D.N.

1989-01-01

The subject of local wave energy in plasmas is treated via quasilinear theory from the dual perspectives of the action-angle formalism and gyrokinetic analysis. An extension is presented to all orders in the gyroradius of the self-consistent wave-propagation/quasilinear-absorption problem using gyrokinetics. Questions of when and under what conditions local energy should be of definite sign are answered using the action-angle formalism. An important result is that the ''dielectric operators'' of the linearized wave equation and of the local energy are not the same, a fact which is obscured when the eikonal or WKB assumption is invoked. Even though the two dielectrics are very different in character, it is demonstrated that they are nevertheless related by a simple mathematical statement. This study was originally motivated by concern over the question of local energy for r.f.-heating of plasmas, where in certain instances, full-wave effects such as refraction, strong absorption, and mode conversion are of primary importance. Fundamentally, the r.f.-absorption must equate with the energy moment of the quasilinear term to achieve a correct energy balance. This fact governs the derivation (as opposed to postulation) of the local absorption. The troublesome ''kinetic flux'' may then be chosen (it is not unique) to satisfy a wave-energy balance relation with the Poynting flux and local absorption. It is shown that at least one such choice reduces asymptotically to the Stix form away from nonuniformities. (author)

Towards improved local hybrid functionals by calibration of exchange-energy densities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arbuznikov, Alexei V.; Kaupp, Martin

2014-01-01

A new approach for the calibration of (semi-)local and exact exchange-energy densities in the context of local hybrid functionals is reported. The calibration functions are derived from only the electron density and its spatial derivatives, avoiding spatial derivatives of the exact-exchange energy density or other computationally unfavorable contributions. The calibration functions fulfill the seven more important out of nine known exact constraints. It is shown that calibration improves substantially the definition of a non-dynamical correlation energy term for generalized gradient approximation (GGA)-based local hybrids. Moreover, gauge artifacts in the potential-energy curves of noble-gas dimers may be corrected by calibration. The developed calibration functions are then evaluated for a large range of energy-related properties (atomization energies, reaction barriers, ionization potentials, electron affinities, and total atomic energies) of three sets of local hybrids, using a simple one-parameter local-mixing. The functionals are based on (a) local spin-density approximation (LSDA) or (b) Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange and correlation, and on (c) Becke-88 (B88) exchange and Lee-Yang-Parr (LYP) correlation. While the uncalibrated GGA-based functionals usually provide very poor thermochemical data, calibration allows a dramatic improvement, accompanied by only a small deterioration of reaction barriers. In particular, an optimized BLYP-based local-hybrid functional has been found that is a substantial improvement over the underlying global hybrids, as well as over previously reported LSDA-based local hybrids. It is expected that the present calibration approach will pave the way towards new generations of more accurate hyper-GGA functionals based on a local mixing of exchange-energy densities

Clean Energy Policy Analyses: Analysis of the Status and Impact of Clean Energy Policies at the Local Level

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busche, S.

2010-12-01

This report takes a broad look at the status of local clean energy policies in the United States to develop a better understanding of local clean energy policy development and the interaction between state and local policies. To date, the majority of clean energy policy research focuses on the state and federal levels. While there has been a substantial amount of research on local level climate change initiatives, this is one of the first analyses of clean energy policies separate from climate change initiatives. This report is one in a suite of reports analyzing clean energy and climate policy development at the local, state, and regional levels.

Clean Energy Policy Analyses. Analysis of the Status and Impact of Clean Energy Policies at the Local Level

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Busche, S. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2010-12-01

This report takes a broad look at the status of local clean energy policies in the United States to develop a better understanding of local clean energy policy development and the interaction between state and local policies. To date, the majority of clean energy policy research focuses on the state and federal levels. While there has been a substantial amount of research on local level climate change initiatives, this is one of the first analyses of clean energy policies separate from climate change initiatives. This report is one in a suite of reports analyzing clean energy and climate policy development at the local, state, and regional levels.

Challenging obduracy : How local communities transform the energy system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Schoor, Tineke; Van Lente, Harro; Scholtens, Bert; Peine, Alex

2016-01-01

The transformation from the current energy system to a decentralized renewable energy system requires the transformation of communities into energy neutral or even energy producing communities. Increasingly, citizens become 'prosumers' and pool their resources to start a local energy initiative. In

Locally Integrated Energy Sectors supported by renewable network management within municipalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostevšek, Anja; Petek, Janez; Čuček, Lidija; Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír; Varbanov, Petar Sabev

2015-01-01

The decarbonisation of energy systems is one of the important issues of the present energy policies. One of the ways of achieving this is to focus on local energy systems, thus ensuring as much as possible their heat and power self-sufficiency by applying local renewable resource integration and transformation of the renewable energy. Increasing the share of renewables within the local energy balance could be accomplished by using a variety of approaches. One possibility is combining the Locally Integrated Energy Sectors' concept with the novel management and organisation of a renewables-based network. As a first priority, the proposed comprehensive approach focuses on increasing the energy efficiency of municipal heat and power systems using the Locally Integrated Energy Sectors' concept, which is followed by the integration of renewable energy sources with the establishment of a renewable-based network. The proposed approach is illustrated by a case study of district heating based on wood biomass for the municipality Ormož, Slovenia by integrating various end-users from different sectors. - Highlights: • The paper presents a new approach for accelerated inception of RES in municipalities. • LIES with RES network increases energy efficiency and accelerates RES integration. • A demonstration case of district heating on wood biomass within Ormož was performed.

The energy transition: new dialogues between cities and local stakeholders. Exploratory study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxer, Olivia; Lacassagne, Sylvie; Guerin, Laura; Dupas, Stephane

2016-01-01

Energy Cities has carried out an exploratory study for cities and diverse project leaders desiring to start a sustainable energy transition in collaboration with all stakeholders in their territory. Local authorities have a key role to play in climate and energy policies and in the energy transition towards a low carbon, energy efficient and sustainable society. However, they cannot act alone. They often control only a small percentage of the emissions of local greenhouse gases directly, and this percentage rarely exceeds a quarter. It is therefore necessary to rely on the involvement of local stakeholders, which in turn will provide an opportunity for these stakeholders to be ambitious through innovative actions. How to stimulate stakeholders' involvement? In the past several years, a number of citizens', economic actors' or other local actors' initiatives have contributed to the energy transition of territories. These initiatives are based on empowerment. For instance, stakeholders can get access and the power to act on innovative tools and approaches, such as social economy, stakeholders' participation, crowd-funding, renewable energy citizen cooperatives and fab labs. Two primary questions to explore: As coordinators and pilots of local strategies for energy transition, how can local authorities foster, identify, support and replicate local energy transition initiatives? What dialogue should local authorities and leaders of local initiatives engage in? How can they drive new modes of governance, where stakeholders share responsibility to co-develop public policies, manage their city, and encourage the energy transition at the local level? We selected more than ten European energy transition initiatives, as diverse as they are innovative, anticipating new forms of governance and new ways to act and collaborate. The exploratory study does not only describe their process but it also analyses the synergies between the different stakeholders and the role the

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

Challenging obduracy: how local communities transform the energy system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Schoor, Tineke; van Lente, Harro; Scholtens, Bert; Peine, Alexander

Paper discussing the contribution of local energy initiatives to the energy transition in the Netherlands. Highlights: New energy movement challenges present governance of energy system. Sustainability and strengthening regional economy are primary goals. Democratic cooperative model should

Direct measurement of the free energy of aging hard sphere colloidal glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Zargar, Rojman; Nienhuis, Bernard; Schall, Peter; Bonn, Daniel

2013-06-21

The nature of the glass transition is one of the most important unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. The difference between glasses and liquids is believed to be caused by very large free energy barriers for particle rearrangements; however, so far it has not been possible to confirm this experimentally. We provide the first quantitative determination of the free energy for an aging hard sphere colloidal glass. The determination of the free energy allows for a number of new insights in the glass transition, notably the quantification of the strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the free energy. A study of the local minima of the free energy reveals that the observed variations are directly related to the rearrangements of the particles. Our main finding is that the probability of particle rearrangements shows a power law dependence on the free energy changes associated with the rearrangements similar to the Gutenberg-Richter law in seismology.

Molecular structures from density functional calculations with simulated annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, R.O.

1991-01-01

The geometrical structure of any aggregate of atoms is one of its basic properties and, in principle, straightforward to predict. One chooses a structure, determines the total energy E of the system of electrons and ions, and repeats the calculation for all possible geometries. The ground state structure is that with the lowest energy. A quantum mechanical calculation of the exact wave function Ψ would lead to the total energy, but this is practicable only in very small molecules. Furthermore, the number of local minima in the energy surface increases dramatically with increasing molecular size. While traditional ab initio methods have had many impressive successes, the difficulties have meant that they have focused on systems with relatively few local minima, or have used experiments or experience to limit the range of geometries studied. On the other hand, calculations for much larger molecules and extended systems are often forced to use simplifying assumptions about the interatomic forces that limit their predictive capability. The approach described here avoids both of these extremes: Total energies of predictive value are calculated without using semi-empirical force laws, and the problem of multiple minima in the energy surface is addressed. The density functional formalism, with a local density approximation for the exchange-correlation energy, allows one to calculate the total energy for a given geometry in an efficient, if approximate, manner. Calculations for heavier elements are not significantly more difficult than for those in the first row and provide an ideal way to study bonding trends. When coupled with finite-temperature molecular dynamics, this formalism can avoid many of the energetically unfavorable minima in the energy surface. We show here that the method leads to surprising and exciting results. (orig.)

Territory and energy: policies, scales and tools for mobilization, knowledge and local action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chanard, Camille

2011-01-01

The thesis is about French local authorities' energy policies, and more particularly about regional policies. In a context of reassessment of fossil fuel-based energy systems, local authorities have a key role to play. Indeed, energy systems are complex and require to act locally, in order to keep fair access for consumers and to adapt supply to needs and uses. In the same way, environmental constraints and sustainable exploitation of local resources involve to have a good knowledge of territory and of local energy potential. But, local authorities do not know much about boundaries and about components of territorial energy systems. The main purpose of the thesis is to determine structure and behaviour of these energy systems in order to identify public policy incentive levers at local scale. The first part of the thesis deals with the links between land uses, actors' behaviours, political choices and energy consumptions. Here, we point out the specific interest of geography and territorial approach to treat energy issue, both for land planning and for actors' mobilization. In the second part, we identify policy instruments which local authorities should dispose and actions they should implement in order to develop energy saving and renewables. Then, the third part is more specific to regional level. The analysis of two French planning instruments (Regional Plans for Climate, Air and Energy and Regional Energy Observatories), shows the interest of this scale which could, with its position between national and local levels, contribute to improve knowledge of territories, to coordinate local actions and to develop energy policies adapted to local specificities [fr

Local energy ownership in Europe. An exploratory study of local public initiatives in France, Germany and the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, Andreas

2017-06-01

Across Europe, a growing number of local authorities are eager to regain control over energy systems on a wide range of scales and modalities. Through an exploratory study authored by Andreas Ruedinger and funded by the French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME), Energy Cities decided to shed light on the various nuances surrounding this phenomenon of local reclaim over energy systems and offer new perspectives to cities wishing to replicate successful initiatives. This European overview focuses mainly on three countries: Germany, which could almost be described as the cradle of re-municipalization, the United Kingdom and France. Local energy management can take many forms, and the study outlines and develops four specific processes: 1. re-municipalization, 2. Political decentralization, 3. Citizen projects, 4. Participatory governance. More and more cities are taking a leading role in driving the energy transition, not only as planning authorities but also as an operational actors, inspired in particular by examples of re-municipalization in the water sector. Whether it is through the creation of new integrated municipal companies such as Germany, public energy suppliers such as the UK, or local operators investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. France, we see the outlines of a movement of re-appropriation of energy transition by local communities, the study finds. The reasons and opportunities that motivate local authorities to embark on re-municipalization projects are multiple: revitalizing the local economy, creating a close connection with citizens, managing local public services in a more integrated way, fostering cooperation and partnerships with other players, accessing new markets, etc. However, as the study points out, these endeavors can also come with some risks, such as the competitive pressure exerted by the private sector and the limited influence over national and European energy policies

Local energy ownership in Europe. An exploratory study of local public initiatives in France, Germany and the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, Andreas

2017-06-01

Across Europe, a growing number of local authorities are eager to regain control over energy systems on a wide range of scales and modalities. Through an exploratory study authored by Andreas Ruedinger and funded by the French Agency for Energy Management (ADEME), Energy Cities decided to shed light on the various nuances surrounding this phenomenon of local reclaim over energy systems and offer new perspectives to cities wishing to replicate successful initiatives. This European overview focuses mainly on three countries: Germany, which could almost be described as the cradle of re-municipalization, the United Kingdom and France. Local energy management can take many forms, and the study outlines and develops four specific processes: 1. Re-municipalization, 2. Political decentralization, 3. Citizen projects, 4. Participatory governance. More and more cities are taking a leading role in driving the energy transition, not only as planning authorities but also as an operational actors, inspired in particular by examples of re-municipalization in the water sector. Whether it is through the creation of new integrated municipal companies such as Germany, public energy suppliers such as the UK, or local operators investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. France, we see the outlines of a movement of re-appropriation of energy transition by local communities, the study finds. The reasons and opportunities that motivate local authorities to embark on re-municipalization projects are multiple: revitalizing the local economy, creating a close connection with citizens, managing local public services in a more integrated way, fostering cooperation and partnerships with other players, accessing new markets, etc. However, as the study points out, these endeavors can also come with some risks, such as the competitive pressure exerted by the private sector and the limited influence over national and European energy policies

Evolving and energy dependent optical model description of heavy-ion elastic scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaelian, K.

1996-01-01

We present the application of a genetic algorithm to the problem of determining an energy dependent optical model description of heavy-ion elastic scattering. The problem requires a search for the global best optical model potential and its energy dependence in a very rugged 12 dimensional parameter space of complex topographical features with many local minima. Random solutions are created in the first generation. The fitness of a solution is related to the χ 2 fit of the calculated differential cross sections with the experimental data. Best fit solutions are evolved through cross over and mutation following the biological example. This genetic algorithm approach combined with local gradient minimization is shown to provide a global, complete and extremely efficient search method, well adapted to complex fitness landscapes. These characteristics, combined with the facility of application, should make it the search method of choice for a wide variety of problems from nuclear physics. (Author)

Plasmonic resonance-enhanced local photothermal energy deposition by aluminum nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chong Xinyuan; Jiang Naibo; Zhang Zhili; Roy, Sukesh; Gord, James R.

2013-01-01

Local energy deposition of aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) by localized surface plasmon resonance-enhanced photothermal effects is demonstrated. Low-power light stimuli are efficiently and locally concentrated to trigger the oxidation reactions of Al NPs because of the large ohmic absorption and high reactivity of the Al. Numerical simulations show that both ultraviolet and visible light are more efficient than infrared light for photothermal energy coupling. The natural oxidation layer of alumina is found to have minimum impact on the energy deposition because of its negligible dielectric losses. The near-field distributions of the electric field indicate that slight aggregation induces much higher local enhancement, especially at the interface region of multiple contacting nanoparticles.

Energy localization and molecular dissociation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeno, S.; Tsironis, G.P.

2005-01-01

We study analytically as well as numerically the role that large-amplitude vibrations play during the process of molecular dissociation. Our model consists of a linear three-atom molecule composed of identical atoms interacting with their nearest neighbors by Morse potentials. We find a close relation between energy localization and bond breaking and evaluate numerically the corresponding reaction paths

Energy savings certificates 2011-2013 - Local Authorities. Knowledge for action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-03-01

Combating climate change and preserving our natural resources calls for a broad mobilization. Regional and local authorities and their public bodies are particularly concerned, as their own buildings and properties consume energy. These authorities are also essential drivers of local policies that can mobilize citizens and consumers within their territory. A number of tools and mechanisms are currently being implemented to meet these challenges, at the national and European levels. Among these, Energy Savings Certificates (ESCs) were introduced in France by the Energy Policy Law of 13 July 2005, with the aim of achieving energy savings in sectors of dispersed activity, mainly buildings, but also light industry, agriculture and transport. For local authorities this mechanism is an additional financial leverage tool that can be used to support their energy management projects. Under this scheme energy suppliers must promote energy-efficient investments, and thus are potential sources of financing for project owners. The Grenelle environmental conference forcefully reiterated the need to take action to renovate existing building stock. In order to achieve the ambitious goals that have been set, the financial mechanisms put into place, including the ESC scheme, must be amplified. Following the first conclusive test period (2006-2009), the ESC scheme is being ramped up during a second more ambitious three-year period that began on 1 January 2011. The present document is intended to inform local authorities of changes in the ESC scheme to be implemented for the second period covering 2011-2013. This guidance is divided into two parts: the first section describes the principles of the ESC scheme, and the second offers advice to local authorities that want to use this scheme for an energy management project. You will also find a practical information sheet listing all the steps to be taken to submit an ESC claim. In this document, for reasons of simplicity, the generic

Business model innovation for Local Energy Management: a perspective from Swiss utilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Facchinetti

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The successful deployment of the energy transition relies on a deep reorganization of the energy market. Business model innovation is recognized as a key driver of this process. This work contributes to this topic by providing to potential Local Energy Management stakeholders and policy makers a conceptual framework guiding the Local Energy Management business model innovation. The main determinants characterizing Local Energy Management concepts and impacting its business model innovation are identified through literature reviews on distributed generation typologies and customer/investor preferences related to new business opportunities emerging with the energy transition. Afterwards, the relation between the identified determinants and the Local Energy Management business model solution space is analyzed based on semi-structured interviews with managers of Swiss utilities companies. The collected managers’ preferences serve as explorative indicators supporting the business model innovation process and provide insights to policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to Local Energy Management.

Nuclear technologies for local energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonnell, F.N.; Lynch, G.F.

1990-03-01

If nuclear energy is to realize its full potential as a safe and cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels, applications beyond those that are currently being serviced by large, central nuclear power stations must be identified and appropriate reactors developed. The Canadian program on reactor systems for local energy supply is at the forefront of these developments. This program emphasizes design simplicity, low power density and fuel rating, reliance on natural processes, passive systems, and reduced reliance on operator action. The first product, the SLOWPOKE Energy System, is a 10 MW heat source specifically designed to provide hot water to satisfy the needs of local heating systems for building complexes, institutions and municipal district heating systems. A demonstration heating reactor has been constructed at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment in Manitoba and has been undergoing an extensive test program since first operation in 1987 July. Based on the knowledge learned from the design, construction, licensing and operational testing of this facility, the design of the 10 MW commercial-size unit is well advanced, and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is prepared to commit the construction of the first commercial unit. Although the technical demonstration of the concept is important, it is recognized that another crucial element is the public and regulatory acceptance of small nuclear systems in urban areas. The decision by a community to commit the construction of a SLOWPOKE Energy System brings to a sharp focus the current public apprehension about nuclear technologies

Energy productivity and Chinese local officials’ promotions: Evidence from provincial governors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Xiude; Qin, Quande; Wei, Y.-M.

2016-01-01

Improving energy productivity is one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve a sustainable development target. The existing literature has shown some factors that have driven the improvement in China’s energy productivity. However, these studies do little to tackle the role of Chinese local officials. Political promotions can be seen as the most important career incentive for Chinese local officials. Hence, we intend to study whether energy productivity affects Chinese local officials’ promotions in this paper. The data of position changes for the 31 provincial governors during 1978‐2012 are utilized. We adopted probit models to empirically examine the correlation between provincial governors’ political promotions and energy productivity. The empirical results demonstrate that (1) energy productivity has a significantly positive impact on provincial governors’ political promotions in China, meaning that the provincial governors have the momentum to improve energy productivity; and (2) the effect of energy productivity on provincial governors’ political promotions has evolved, dynamically changing along with the transformation of the economic growth mode and the adjustment of the local officials’ promotion mechanism. The results are helpful in understanding the drivers of the improvement in China’s energy productivity and provide insightful implications for conducting energy policy in China. - Highlights: •The data of position changes for China’s provincial governors during 1978–2012 are utilized. •Energy productivity has a positive impact on provincial governors’ promotion in China. •Political incentive is an important driver of the improvement in China’s energy productivity. •The correlation between energy productivity and local officials’ promotions was evolved.

Local density approximations for relativistic exchange energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonald, A.H.

1986-01-01

The use of local density approximations to approximate exchange interactions in relativistic electron systems is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the physical content of these exchange energies by discussing results for the uniform relativistic electron gas from a new point of view. Work on applying these local density approximations in atoms and solids is reviewed and it is concluded that good accuracy is usually possible provided self-interaction corrections are applied. The local density approximations necessary for spin-polarized relativistic systems are discussed and some new results are presented

Local Extrema of the $\\Xi(t)$ Function and The Riemann Hypothesis

OpenAIRE

Kobayashi, Hisashi

2016-01-01

In the present paper we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition to prove the Riemann hypothesis in terms of certain properties of local extrema of the function $\\Xi(t)=\\xi(\\tfrac{1}{2}+it)$. First, we prove that positivity of all local maxima and negativity of all local minima of $\\Xi(t)$ form a necessary condition for the Riemann hypothesis to be true. After showing that any extremum point of $\\Xi(t)$ is a saddle point of the function $\\Re\\{\\xi(s)\\}$, we prove that the above properties o...

Implementation of energy-saving policies in China: How local governments assisted industrial enterprises in achieving energy-saving targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiaofan; Li, Huimin; Wu, Liang; Qi, Ye

2014-01-01

Local governments have replaced the national ministries that are in charge of various industries to become the primary implementer of energy-saving policies in China since 2000. This paper employs a case study-based approach to demonstrate the significance of local governments’ policy measures in assisting industrial enterprises with energy-saving activities in China. Based on the longitudinal case of the Jasmine Thermal Electric Power Company, this paper hypothesizes that sub-national governments have played a major role in implementing energy-saving policies in China since the 11th Five-year-plan period. A wide range of provincial and municipal agencies collaborated in implementing five types of policy measures – informational policy, skill building, improved enforcement of central directives, price adjustment, and funding – that reduced barriers to energy saving and motivated active pursuit of energy-saving activities at industrial enterprises. The case study demonstrates how an enterprise and local governments work together to achieve the enterprise's energy-saving target. The authors will investigate the hypothesis of this paper in the context of multiple case studies that they plan to undertake in the future. - Highlights: • We employ a case study-based approach to study policy implementation in China. • Local governments have played a major role in implementing energy-saving policies. • Local public agencies collaborated in implementing five types of policy measures. • Local policy measures reduced barriers to energy saving at industrial enterprises. • Enterprises and local governments work together to achieve energy-saving targets

Local investment in renewable energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grepmeier, K.; Larsen, J.; Manolakaki, E.; Quantin, J.; Twele, J.

2003-01-01

This document presents european examples on the interest of the local investment, illustrated by cases studies in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. Two main points were discussed: the financial tools and the french strategy. The colloquium provided many discussions and analyzes on the possibility of significant contribution to the collective efforts in favor of the public involvement in the renewable energies development in Europe. (A.L.B.)

Local policies for DSM: the UK's home energy conservation act

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, E.; Leach, M.

2000-01-01

Residential energy use accounts for approximately 28 per cent of total primary energy use in the UK, with consumption in this sector forecast to increase due partly to expanding numbers of households. Finding ways to reduce residential energy consumption must form a key part of the climate change strategies of the UK and all developed countries. In 1995, an innovative piece of legislation was passed in the UK, devolving residential energy efficiency responsibility to local government. Under 'The Home Energy Conservation Act' (HECA), local authorities are obliged to consider the energy efficiency of private as well as public housing stock. Authorities were given a duty to produce a strategy for improving residential energy efficiency in their area by 30 per cent in the next 10-15 years. This paper describes the enormous variation in the quality of local authorities' strategies and discusses reasons for this variation. Based on a nationwide survey of HECA lead officers, it considers the opportunities and constraints facing local authorities, and what has been achieved to-date under the Act. It also examines how HECA fits into the UK's national energy policy and explains the roles of other institutions across the public, private and voluntary sector in facilitating implementation of the Act. Finally, the paper considers how other countries can learn from the UK's HECA experience and can use the Act as a template to apply the principle of subsidiarity to this area of environmental policy. (Author)

Improving Indoor Localization Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Kriz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describes basic principles of a radio-based indoor localization and focuses on the improvement of its results with the aid of a new Bluetooth Low Energy technology. The advantage of this technology lies in its support by contemporary mobile devices, especially by smartphones and tablets. We have implemented a distributed system for collecting radio fingerprints by mobile devices with the Android operating system. This system enables volunteers to create radio-maps and update them continuously. New Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters (Apple uses its “iBeacon” brand name for these devices have been installed on the floor of the building in addition to existing WiFi access points. The localization of stationary objects based on WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and their combination has been evaluated using the data measured during the experiment in the building. Several configurations of the transmitters’ arrangement, several ways of combination of the data from both technologies, and other parameters influencing the accuracy of the stationary localization have been tested.

Integrated energy systems and local energy markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund, Henrik; Muenster, Ebbe

2006-01-01

Significant benefits are connected with an increase in the flexibility of the Danish energy system. On the one hand, it is possible to benefit from trading electricity with neighbouring countries, and on the other, Denmark will be able to make better use of wind power and other types of renewable energy in the future. This paper presents the analysis of different ways of increasing flexibility in the Danish energy system by the use of local regulation mechanisms. This strategy is compared with the opposite extreme, i.e. trying to solve all balancing problems via electricity trade on the international market. The conclusion is that it is feasible for the Danish society to include the CHP plants in the balancing of fluctuating wind power. There are major advantages in equipping small CHP plants as well as the large CHP plants with heat pumps. By doing so, it will be possible to increase the share of wind power from the present 20 to 40% without causing significant problems of imbalance between electricity consumption and production. Investment in increased flexibility is in itself profitable. Furthermore, the feasibility of wind power is improved

Local acceptance of renewable energy-A case study from southeast Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musall, Fabian David; Kuik, Onno

2011-01-01

The European 20-20-20 goals, as well as national targets for the next decade, require a substantial increase in installed renewable capacity in Germany. While public support for such measures is high on an abstract level, the situation in the local context is often very different. Here, the impact of renewable energy might cause resistance. Empirical research shows that a community ownership model can have a positive effect on local acceptance. Our study explores whether such an effect can also be demonstrated in a community co-ownership model. The question is relevant since larger projects exceed the financial possibilities of most communities, leaving them with only co-ownership as an option. The research design is based on a comparative case study, utilizing a questionnaire-based survey. The results of the survey clearly show that a significant difference in local acceptance exists between the two cases. The residents of Zschadrass, where a community co-ownership model exists, are consistently more positive towards local renewable energy and also towards renewable energy in general. The results provide evidence that the co-ownership model is a means to reconcile local acceptance with an increased use of renewable energy in Germany. - Highlights: → We study if community co-ownership affects local acceptance of renewable energy → We interviewed residents from two villages with different ownership models → Residents with co-ownership are consistently more positive towards renewable energy → Local acceptance is higher with co-ownership than with a private ownership model.

Dark energy and the quietness of the local Hubble flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axenides, M.; Perivolaropoulos, L.

2002-01-01

The linearity and quietness of the local ( X (t 0 ) of dark energy obeying the time independent equation of state p X =wρ X . We find that dark energy can indeed cool the LHF. However the dark energy parameter values required to make the predicted velocity dispersion consistent with the observed value v rms ≅40 km/s have been ruled out by other observational tests constraining the dark energy parameters w and Ω X . Therefore despite the claims of recent qualitative studies, dark energy with time independent equation of state cannot by itself explain the quietness and linearity of the local Hubble flow

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.

Understanding Local Energy Initiatives and Preconditions for Business Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jablonska, B. [ECN Policy Studies, Petten (Netherlands); Oostra, M. [TNO, Delft (Netherlands)

2013-09-15

More and more local bottom-up energy initiatives are emerging. Those involved encounter many barriers during the realization of their ideas. As the generation of renewable energy is mostly included, these local initiatives contribute to the targets set at regional, national and EU level. At the same time, they are an indication that end-users themselves want to be part of the energy transition. What are the reasons for citizens to organize themselves and start and initiative? What kind of barriers do they encounter? What does this mean for roles and responsibilities of professionals? And to what kind of opportunities does this lead for products and services? Answers to these questions provide a solid starting point to develop methods and instruments to stimulate, facilitate and upscale local energy initiatives. This paper bundles the outcomes of three workshops and three additional interviews in the Netherlands as part of the European E-hub project. Conclusions can be drawn on needs and drivers, barriers, risks and solutions (lessons learned), possible roles for professionals and opportunities for new products and services.

Combined Docking with Classical Force Field and Quantum Chemical Semiempirical Method PM7

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Sulimov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Results of the combined use of the classical force field and the recent quantum chemical PM7 method for docking are presented. Initially the gridless docking of a flexible low molecular weight ligand into the rigid target protein is performed with the energy function calculated in the MMFF94 force field with implicit water solvent in the PCM model. Among several hundred thousand local minima, which are found in the docking procedure, about eight thousand lowest energy minima are chosen and then energies of these minima are recalculated with the recent quantum chemical semiempirical PM7 method. This procedure is applied to 16 test complexes with different proteins and ligands. For almost all test complexes such energy recalculation results in the global energy minimum configuration corresponding to the ligand pose near the native ligand position in the crystalized protein-ligand complex. A significant improvement of the ligand positioning accuracy comparing with MMFF94 energy calculations is demonstrated.

Combined Docking with Classical Force Field and Quantum Chemical Semiempirical Method PM7.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulimov, A V; Kutov, D C; Katkova, E V; Sulimov, V B

2017-01-01

Results of the combined use of the classical force field and the recent quantum chemical PM7 method for docking are presented. Initially the gridless docking of a flexible low molecular weight ligand into the rigid target protein is performed with the energy function calculated in the MMFF94 force field with implicit water solvent in the PCM model. Among several hundred thousand local minima, which are found in the docking procedure, about eight thousand lowest energy minima are chosen and then energies of these minima are recalculated with the recent quantum chemical semiempirical PM7 method. This procedure is applied to 16 test complexes with different proteins and ligands. For almost all test complexes such energy recalculation results in the global energy minimum configuration corresponding to the ligand pose near the native ligand position in the crystalized protein-ligand complex. A significant improvement of the ligand positioning accuracy comparing with MMFF94 energy calculations is demonstrated.

Dimensionality of Local Minimizers of the Interaction Energy

KAUST Repository

Balagué , D.; Carrillo, J. A.; Laurent, T.; Raoul, G.

2013-01-01

In this work we consider local minimizers (in the topology of transport distances) of the interaction energy associated with a repulsive-attractive potential. We show how the dimensionality of the support of local minimizers is related to the repulsive strength of the potential at the origin. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Dimensionality of Local Minimizers of the Interaction Energy

KAUST Repository

Balagué, D.

2013-05-22

In this work we consider local minimizers (in the topology of transport distances) of the interaction energy associated with a repulsive-attractive potential. We show how the dimensionality of the support of local minimizers is related to the repulsive strength of the potential at the origin. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Localization of Energy Harvesting Empowered Underwater Optical Wireless Sensor Networks

KAUST Repository

Saeed, Nasir

2017-12-20

In this paper, a received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique is developed for energy harvesting underwater optical wireless sensor networks (EH-UOWSNs), where the optical noise sources and channel impairments of seawater pose significant challenges for range estimation. Energy limitation is another major problem due to the limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of an underwater sensor node. In the proposed framework, sensor nodes with insufficient battery, harvest the energy and starts communicating once it has sufficient energy storage. Network localization is carried out by measuring the RSSs of active nodes, which are modeled based on the underwater optical communication channel characteristics. Thereafter, block kernel matrices are computed for the RSS based range measurements. Unlike the traditional shortest-path approach, the proposed technique reduces the shortest path estimation for each block kernel matrix. Once the complete block kernel matrices are available, a closed form localization technique is developed to find the location of every optical sensor node in the network. Furthermore, an analytical expression for Cramer Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived as a benchmark to compare the localization performance of the proposed technique. Finally, extensive simulations show that the proposed technique outperforms the well-known network localization techniques.

Enhancing energy efficiency in public buildings: The role of local energy audit programmes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annunziata, Eleonora; Rizzi, Francesco; Frey, Marco

2014-01-01

In the objective of reaching the “nearly zero-energy buildings” target set by the European Union, municipalities cover a crucial role in advocating and implementing energy-efficient measures on a local scale. Based on a dataset of 322 municipalities in Northern Italy, we carried out a statistical analysis to investigate which factors influence the adoption of energy efficiency in municipal buildings. In particular, the analysis focuses on four categories of factors: (i) capacity building for energy efficiency, (ii) existing structure and competences for energy efficiency, (iii) technical and economic support for energy efficiency, and (iv) spill-over effect caused by adoption of “easier” energy-efficient measures. Our results show that capacity building through training courses and technical support provided by energy audits affect positively the adoption of energy efficiency in municipal buildings. The size of the municipal authority, the setting of local energy policies for residential buildings and funding for energy audits are not correlated with energy efficiency in public buildings, where the “plucking of low hanging fruit” often prevails over more cost-effective but long-term strategies. Finally, our results call for the need to promote an efficient knowledge management and a revision of the Stability and Growth Pact. - Highlights: • Public procurement supports the deployment of the energy efficiency of buildings. • Energy audits and other factors influence energy efficiency in public buildings. • Econometric analysis applied to data from 322 municipalities in Northern Italy. • Municipalities need to overtake the “plucking of low-hanging fruit”. • Knowledge management should be associated with removal of budget constraints

One-dimensional arrays of oscillators: Energy localization in thermal equilibrium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reigada, R.; Romero, A.H.; Sarmiento, A.; Lindenberg, K.

1999-01-01

All systems in thermal equilibrium exhibit a spatially variable energy landscape due to thermal fluctuations. Thus at any instant there is naturally a thermodynamically driven localization of energy in parts of the system relative to other parts of the system. The specific characteristics of the spatial landscape such as, for example, the energy variance, depend on the thermodynamic properties of the system and vary from one system to another. The temporal persistence of a given energy landscape, that is, the way in which energy fluctuations (high or low) decay toward the thermal mean, depends on the dynamical features of the system. We discuss the spatial and temporal characteristics of spontaneous energy localization in 1D anharmonic chains in thermal equilibrium. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics

Localness of energy cascade in hydrodynamic turbulence, II. Sharp spectral filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aluie, Hussein [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Eyink, Gregory L [JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV.

2009-01-01

We investigate the scale-locality of subgrid-scale (SGS) energy flux and interband energy transfers defined by the sharp spectral filter. We show by rigorous bounds, physical arguments, and numerical simulations that the spectral SGS flux is dominated by local triadic interactions in an extended turbulent inertial range. Interband energy transfers are also shown to be dominated by local triads if the spectral bands have constant width on a logarithmic scale. We disprove in particular an alternative picture of 'local transfer by nonlocal triads,' with the advecting wavenumber mode at the energy peak. Although such triads have the largest transfer rates of all individual wavenumber triads, we show rigorously that, due to their restricted number, they make an asymptotically negligible contribution to energy flux and log-banded energy transfers at high wavenumbers in the inertial range. We show that it is only the aggregate effect of a geometrically increasing number of local wavenumber triads which can sustain an energy cascade to small scales. Furthermore, nonlocal triads are argued to contribute even less to the space-average energy flux than is implied by our rigorous bounds, because of additional cancellations from scale-decorrelation effects. We can thus recover the -4/3 scaling of nonlocal contributions to spectral energy flux predicted by Kraichnan's abridged Lagrangian-history direct-interaction approximation and test-field model closures. We support our results with numerical data from a 512{sup 3} pseudospectral simulation of isotropic turbulence with phase-shift dealiasing. We also discuss a rigorous counterexample of Eyink [Physica D 78, 222 (1994)], which showed that nonlocal wavenumber triads may dominate in the sharp spectral flux (but not in the SGS energy flux for graded filters). We show that this mathematical counter example fails to satisfy reasonable physical requirements for a turbulent velocity field, which are employed in our

Data Analysis of Minima Total Cross-sections of Nitrogen-14 on JENDL-3.2Nuclear Data File

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suwoto; Pandiangan, Tumpal; Ferhat-Aziz

2000-01-01

The integral tests of neutron cross-section for shielding material suchas nitrogen-14 contained in JENDL-3.2 file have been performed. Analysis ofthe calculation for nitrogen-14 was based on the MAEKER's ORNL-BroomstickExperiment at ORNL-USA. For the data comparison, the calculation analysiswith JENDL-3.1 file, ENDF/B-IV file, ENDF/B-VI file and JEF2.2 have also beencarried out. The overall calculation results by using JENDL-3.2 evaluationshowed good agreement with the experimental data, as well as those with theENDF/B-VI evaluation. In particular, the JENDL-3.2 evaluation gave betterresults than JENDL-3.1 evaluation and ENDF/B-IV. It was been concluded thatthe total cross-sections of Nitrogen-14 contained in JENDL-3.2 file is invery good agreement with the experimental results, although the totalcross-section in the energy range between 0.5 MeV and 0.9 MeV on fileJENDL-3.2 was small (about 4% lower), and minima of total cross-sections wasdeeper. (author)

Wind-energy harnessing - global, national and local considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, T.; Bunn, J.

1996-01-01

A review of the global issues of wind-energy capture and use is given, along with a case for developing the wind-energy potential of part of the Rhymney Valley, South Wales. Such an energy-supply project should be incorporated into an integrated energy and environmental strategy for the region. This would not only yield benefits with respect to the local, national and global environments, but also aid in enhancing the quality of life for the Rhymney Valley region and its inhabitants. (UK)

3. national sittings on energy ''energy, urban mobility,... tomorrow: which responsibilities for the local governments?''; 3. assises nationales de l'energie. ''Energie, mobilite urbaine,... demain: quelles responsabilites pour les collectivites locales?''

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

This conference deals with the local government policy concerning the energy mastership of the transportation sector. Sixteen workshops discussed on the problem of the urban mobility in an environmental quality context: legal provisions affecting the energy mastership, mobility in the urban area, regulations, clean technologies enhancement, the public information impact on the energy consumption and the financial means. (A.L.B.)

Control of the Effective Free-Energy Landscape in a Frustrated Magnet by a Field Pulse

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Yuan; Moessner, Roderich

2017-10-01

Thermal fluctuations can lift the degeneracy of a ground state manifold, producing a free-energy landscape without accidentally degenerate minima. In a process known as order by disorder, a subset of states incorporating symmetry breaking may be selected. Here, we show that such a free-energy landscape can be controlled in a nonequilibrium setting as the slow motion within the ground state manifold is governed by the fast modes out of it. For the paradigmatic case of the classical pyrochlore X Y antiferromagnet, we show that a uniform magnetic field pulse can excite these fast modes to generate a tunable effective free-energy landscape with minima at thermodynamically unstable portions of the ground state manifold.

Atomistic spectrometrics of local bond-electron-energy pertaining to Na and K clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bo, Maolin [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Hunan 411105 (China); Wang, Yan, E-mail: YWang8@hnust.edu.cn [School of Information and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Hunan 411201 (China); Huang, Yongli; Liu, Yonghui [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Hunan 411105 (China); Li, Can [Center for Coordination Bond Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 330018 (China); Sun, Chang Q., E-mail: ecqsun@ntu.edu.sg [NOVITAS, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2015-01-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Coordination environment resolves electron binding-energy shift of Na and K clusters. • Cohesive energy of the representative bond determines the core-level shift. • XPS derives the energy level of an isolated atom and its bulk shift. • XPS derives the local bond length, bond energy, binding energy density. - Abstract: Consistency between density functional theory calculations and photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed our predications on the undercoordination-induced local bond relaxation and core level shift of Na and K clusters. It is clarified that the shorter and stronger bonds between under-coordinated atoms cause local densification and local potential well depression and shift the electron binding-energy accordingly. Numerical consistency turns out the energy levels for an isolated Na (E{sub 2p} = 31.167 eV) and K (E{sub 3p} = 18.034 eV) atoms and their respective bulk shifts of 2.401 eV and 2.754 eV, which is beyond the scope of conventional approaches. This strategy has also resulted in quantification of the local bond length, bond energy, binding energy density, and atomic cohesive energy associated with the undercoordinated atoms.

Quantum measurement information as a key to energy extraction from local vacuums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hotta, Masahiro

2008-01-01

In this paper, a protocol is proposed in which energy extraction from local vacuum states is possible by using quantum measurement information for the vacuum state of quantum fields. In the protocol, Alice, who stays at a spatial point, excites the ground state of the fields by a local measurement. Consequently, wave packets generated by Alice's measurement propagate the vacuum to spatial infinity. Let us assume that Bob stays away from Alice and fails to catch the excitation energy when the wave packets pass in front of him. Next Alice announces her local measurement result to Bob by classical communication. Bob performs a local unitary operation depending on the measurement result. In this process, positive energy is released from the fields to Bob's apparatus of the unitary operation. In the field systems, wave packets are generated with negative energy around Bob's location. Soon afterwards, the negative-energy wave packets begin to chase after the positive-energy wave packets generated by Alice and form loosely bound states.

Spontaneous Broken Local Conformal Symmetry and Dark Energy Candidate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Lu-Xin

2013-01-01

The local conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken down to the Local Lorentz invariance symmetry through the approach of nonlinear realization. The resulting effective Lagrangian, in the unitary gauge, describes a cosmological vector field non-minimally coupling to the gravitational field. As a result of the Higgs mechanism, the vector field absorbs the dilaton and becomes massive, but with an independent energy scale. The Proca type vector field can be modelled as dark energy candidate. The possibility that it further triggers Lorentz symmetry violation is also pointed out

The expected performance of local energy visions in Europe : A governance perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Bueren, E.M.; Dignum, M.; Steenhuisen, B.M.

2015-01-01

This paper offers insights into the expected performance of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) as a policy instrument, a local energy vision initiated by the EU and used by municipalities across Europe. How are SEAPs aiming to contribute to the process of local energy transition and how can

Global Status Report on Local Renewable Energy Policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinot, Eric; Yamashita, Noriaki; Tan, Vincent; Irie, Risa; Van Staden, Maryke; Zimmermann, Monika

2011-01-01

This report complements the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report by providing more detailed information at the city and local levels about policies and activities to promote renewable energy. It is intended to facilitate dialogue and illuminate pathways for future policies and actions at the local level. This 'working draft' version is intended to solicit comments and additional information

RANKING OF LOCAL AND DOMESTIC FUEL-ENERGY RECOURSES IN GROSS CONSUMPTION OF BELARUSSIAN FUEL-ENERGY RECOURSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. N. Rumiantsava

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Local and domestic fuel-energy recourses of theRepublicofBelarusin gross consumption of fuel-energy  recourses  has  been ranked on the  basis of the  analysis of scientific  literature,  statistical information and also fundamental documentation in the sphere of energy policy and power saving. The paper proposes to give a special emphasis on usage of products after processing domestically manufactured fuel-energy recourses that have been obtained from local and imported raw-materials with the purpose to estimate a power security level of the Republic from a new point of view.

Cities & counties - back to the basics: Creating a local energy program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

Outlined in this brochure are steps that local governments, or communities at large, can follow to devise an energy efficiency program. In general, an energy efficiency policy is first legislated by the local governing body. Then, an energy program is created to support the policy by developing and executing an action plan. The steps are: Determine how much you spend on energy; Designate or create a lead office; Link energy programs with community goals; Build grassroots community support; Don`t reinvent the wheel; Prioritize actions and develop a draft plan; Implement the plan; Evaluate success and update the plan; and, Publicize the benefits.

Promoting energy efficiency: supporting Public Administration and Local Bodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fasano, G.; Manila, E.

2008-01-01

ENEAS's institutional tasks include technical and scientific support to Public Administration and Local Bodies in the field of energy. Recently such a role has been strengthened by setting up the Agency for Energy Efficiency which ENEA is responsible for [it

The case for local food in sustainable food-energy-water systems

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, J. E.; Zumkehr, A. L.; Yang, Y.

2017-12-01

Local food systems, which are characterized by foodsheds with small distances between production and consumption ( 100 km), are currently experiencing explosive growth. Local food has largely been assessed within the context of transportation energy. While the effects of local food systems on transportation energy are well studied, broader implications of localization on the food-energy-water nexus are not. Furthermore, little is known about the potential for local food to scale beyond niche markets and meet a significant fraction of total food demand. Here we estimate the upper potential for all existing croplands to meet total U.S. food demand through local food networks. Our spatially explicit land-use model simulates the years 1850 through 2000 and accounts for a wide range of foodshed areas, diets, food waste, population distributions, cropland areas, and crop yields. While we find that the foodshed potential has declined in time, our results also demonstrate an unexpectedly large potential at present for supporting as much as 82% of national food demand within a 50 mile foodshed radius. The decline is associated with extreme pressures from demographic and agronomic trends that if continued could significantly undermine recent national policies focused on food localization. We then apply a life-cycle assessment approach to show that for some crops, irrigation could contribute up to 50% of the cradle-to-gate carbon emissions, thus they may benefit from food localization making use of water from wastewater treatment plants. Our results also show that local food could reduce the water footprint of lettuce by 50%. Our study suggests that exploring future scenarios, beyond assessing historical outcomes, is critical if food-energy-water research is to support sustainable decision making.

Local energy developments based on spatial and systemic approaches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manickam, Anu

Local energy developments from a spatial and systemic approach are highlighted using examples from a Dutch case study. Developments in energy systems included interconnectedness of contextual factors and systems responses. The need to explore both the contextual factors and systemic aspects are

Localism and energy: Negotiating approaches to embedding resilience in energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, Geoff; Hope, Alex

2010-01-01

Tensions are evident in energy policy objectives between centralised top-down interconnected energy systems and localised distributed approaches. Examination of these tensions indicates that a localised approach can address a systemic problem of interconnected systems; namely vulnerability. The challenge for energy policy is to realise the interrelated goals of energy security, climate and environmental targets and social and economic issues such as fuel poverty, whilst mitigating vulnerability. The effectiveness of conventional approaches is debatable. A transition to a low carbon pathway should focus on resilience, counter to vulnerability. This article draws from on-going work which evaluates the energy aspects of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project to refurbish and re-build a local authority's entire stock of sheltered accommodation to high environmental standards. Initial findings suggest that whereas more conventional procurement processes tend to increase systemic vulnerability, a user focussed process driven through PFI competitive dialogue is beginning to motivate some developers to adopt innovative approaches to energy system development.

Local Governments Supporting Local Energy Initiatives: Lessons from the Best Practices of Saerbeck (Germany and Lochem (The Netherlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Hoppe

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The social dimension of the transition to a low carbon economy is a key challenge to cities. The establishment of local energy initiatives (LEIs has recently been attracting attention. It is of great importance to draw lessons from best practices when LEIs have been facilitated by local governments and made a substantial contribution to greening local energy systems. The main research questions in this paper are: What lessons can be drawn from successful local low carbon energy transition cases, and which strategies proved successful to support LEIs? We have used analytical notions from the Strategic Niche Management (SNM and grassroots innovation literature to analyze two best-practice cases: Saerbeck (Germany and Lochem (The Netherlands. Data collection involved a set of fourteen in-depth interviews and secondary data. The results show that three key factors from SNM (building networks, managing expectations, and facilitation of learning are of great importance. However, to a great degree it is also strategic, community serving, responsive, reflexive leadership and proper process management by public officials that spurred success, which would not have been possible without close interaction and mutual trust between local government and representatives of the local communities.

Local Energy Advising in Sweden: Historical Development and Lessons for Future Policy-Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Are E. Kjeang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In Sweden, energy-consulting services, here referred to as local energy advising (LEA, have traditionally contributed to improving household energy efficiency. The aim of this article is to analyze the development of this service from the 1970s, when the consultancy came into being, to the present day, through a review of documents and published literature. The analysis enables the understanding of the evolution of local energy advising as a policy instrument, and provides valuable insights for the future. Local energy advising has often been subsidized by the Swedish government and used as a state policy measure rather than a municipal one. As a policy measure, the function of the service has changed over time. In the early period, the oil crisis was a fact and the local advisers were used to inform households. In the 1980s, however, the task of energy-advising was taken over by the energy companies in the spirit of market liberalization. In the 1990s, Sweden became a member of the European Union, and the emphasis was put on general information campaigns. Recently, the development of decentralized energy systems (including micro-energy systems has necessitated targeting individuals with information. One important lesson to learn from the historical development of LEA is the imperativeness of providing energy advising at the local rather than the state level for better efficiency.

New life styles to accompany the transition. Energy and territories: Toward the concept 'Energy 2.0' with local authorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnin, Gerard

2011-01-01

There has never really been a policy for heating, which represents 40 % of needs, even though a policy has existed for a long time now for electricity, which represents only 20 %. The latter has overdetermined the country's total energy system, thus leading to a national, centralized approach focused on macro-level quantitative needs in energy and on a single product. In contrast, a local, decentralized, more qualitative approach should focus on needs in relation to heating as well as electricity and on tapping local energy potentials, including saving energy. The concept of 'energy subsidiarity' is proposed. In its general acceptation, 'subsidiarity' implies that the search for solutions be conducted as closely as possible to the problems to be solved. In relation to energy, it implies systematically mobilizing locally available energy potentials

Simple method for determining binding energies of fullerene and complex atomic negative ions

Science.gov (United States)

Felfli, Zineb; Msezane, Alfred

2017-04-01

A robust potential which embeds fully the vital core polarization interaction has been used in the Regge pole method to explore low-energy electron scattering from C60, Eu and Nb through the total cross sections (TCSs) calculations. From the characteristic dramatically sharp resonances in the TCSs manifesting negative ion formation in these systems, we extracted the binding energies for the C60, Euand Nbanions they are found to be in outstanding agreement with the measured electron affinities of C60, Eu and Nb. Common among these considered systems, including the standard atomic Au is the formation of their ground state negative ions at the second Ramsauer-Townsend (R-T) minima of their TCSs. Indeed, this is a signature of all the fullerenes and complex atoms considered thus far. Shape resonances, R-T minima and binding energies of the resultant anions are presented. This work was supported by U.S. DOE, Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Energy Research.

Brain MRI Tumor Detection using Active Contour Model and Local Image Fitting Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Nabizadeh, Nooshin; John, Nigel

2014-03-01

Automatic abnormality detection in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an important issue in many diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Here an automatic brain tumor detection method is introduced that uses T1-weighted images and K. Zhang et. al.'s active contour model driven by local image fitting (LIF) energy. Local image fitting energy obtains the local image information, which enables the algorithm to segment images with intensity inhomogeneities. Advantage of this method is that the LIF energy functional has less computational complexity than the local binary fitting (LBF) energy functional; moreover, it maintains the sub-pixel accuracy and boundary regularization properties. In Zhang's algorithm, a new level set method based on Gaussian filtering is used to implement the variational formulation, which is not only vigorous to prevent the energy functional from being trapped into local minimum, but also effective in keeping the level set function regular. Experiments show that the proposed method achieves high accuracy brain tumor segmentation results.

Chemical Denaturants Smoothen Ruggedness on the Free Energy Landscape of Protein Folding.

Science.gov (United States)

Malhotra, Pooja; Jethva, Prashant N; Udgaonkar, Jayant B

2017-08-08

To characterize experimentally the ruggedness of the free energy landscape of protein folding is challenging, because the distributed small free energy barriers are usually dominated by one, or a few, large activation free energy barriers. This study delineates changes in the roughness of the free energy landscape by making use of the observation that a decrease in ruggedness is accompanied invariably by an increase in folding cooperativity. Hydrogen exchange (HX) coupled to mass spectrometry was used to detect transient sampling of local energy minima and the global unfolded state on the free energy landscape of the small protein single-chain monellin. Under native conditions, local noncooperative openings result in interconversions between Boltzmann-distributed intermediate states, populated on an extremely rugged "uphill" energy landscape. The cooperativity of these interconversions was increased by selectively destabilizing the native state via mutations, and further by the addition of a chemical denaturant. The perturbation of stability alone resulted in seven backbone amide sites exchanging cooperatively. The size of the cooperatively exchanging and/or unfolding unit did not depend on the extent of protein destabilization. Only upon the addition of a denaturant to a destabilized mutant variant did seven additional backbone amide sites exchange cooperatively. Segmentwise analysis of the HX kinetics of the mutant variants further confirmed that the observed increase in cooperativity was due to the smoothing of the ruggedness of the free energy landscape of folding of the protein by the chemical denaturant.

Local beam angle optimization with linear programming and gradient search

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craft, David

2007-01-01

The optimization of beam angles in IMRT planning is still an open problem, with literature focusing on heuristic strategies and exhaustive searches on discrete angle grids. We show how a beam angle set can be locally refined in a continuous manner using gradient-based optimization in the beam angle space. The gradient is derived using linear programming duality theory. Applying this local search to 100 random initial angle sets of a phantom pancreatic case demonstrates the method, and highlights the many-local-minima aspect of the BAO problem. Due to this function structure, we recommend a search strategy of a thorough global search followed by local refinement at promising beam angle sets. Extensions to nonlinear IMRT formulations are discussed. (note)

Local and global dynamical effects of dark energy

Science.gov (United States)

Chernin, A. D.

Local expansion flows of galaxies were discovered by Lemaitre and Hubble in 1927-29 at distances of less than 25-30 Mpc. The global expansion of the Universe as a whole was predicted theoretically by Friedmann in 1922-24 and discovered in the 1990s in observations at truly cosmological distances of more than 1 000 Mpc. On all these spatial scales, the flows follow a (nearly) linear velocity-distance relation, known now as Hubble's law. This similarity of local and global phenomena is due to the universal dark energy antigravity which dominates the cosmic dynamics on both local and global spatial scales.

Superdiffusive transport and energy localization in disordered granular crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Alejandro J.; Kevrekidis, P. G.; Porter, Mason A.

2016-02-01

We study the spreading of initially localized excitations in one-dimensional disordered granular crystals. We thereby investigate localization phenomena in strongly nonlinear systems, which we demonstrate to differ fundamentally from localization in linear and weakly nonlinear systems. We conduct a thorough comparison of wave dynamics in chains with three different types of disorder—an uncorrelated (Anderson-like) disorder and two types of correlated disorders (which are produced by random dimer arrangements)—and for two types of initial conditions (displacement excitations and velocity excitations). We find for strongly precompressed (i.e., weakly nonlinear) chains that the dynamics depend strongly on the type of initial condition. In particular, for displacement excitations, the long-time asymptotic behavior of the second moment m˜2 of the energy has oscillations that depend on the type of disorder, with a complex trend that differs markedly from a power law and which is particularly evident for an Anderson-like disorder. By contrast, for velocity excitations, we find that a standard scaling m˜2˜tγ (for some constant γ ) applies for all three types of disorder. For weakly precompressed (i.e., strongly nonlinear) chains, m˜2 and the inverse participation ratio P-1 satisfy scaling relations m˜2˜tγ and P-1˜t-η , and the dynamics is superdiffusive for all of the cases that we consider. Additionally, when precompression is strong, the inverse participation ratio decreases slowly (with η disorder, and the dynamics leads to a partial localization around the core and the leading edge of a propagating wave packet. For an Anderson-like disorder, displacement perturbations lead to localization of energy primarily in the core, and velocity perturbations cause the energy to be divided between the core and the leading edge. This localization phenomenon does not occur in the sonic-vacuum regime, which yields the surprising result that the energy is no longer

Triplet states at an O vacancy in alpha-quartz

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper

2002-01-01

The energy landscape of an alpha-quartz O vacancy in the lowest triplet state is investigated. Four local minima are identified and geometries, total energies, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters are obtained. On the basis of calculated values for the magnetic dipole interaction...

A continuum theory of edge dislocations

Science.gov (United States)

Berdichevsky, V. L.

2017-09-01

Continuum theory of dislocation aims to describe the behavior of large ensembles of dislocations. This task is far from completion, and, most likely, does not have a "universal solution", which is applicable to any dislocation ensemble. In this regards it is important to have guiding lines set by benchmark cases, where the transition from a discrete set of dislocations to a continuum description is made rigorously. Two such cases have been considered recently: equilibrium of dislocation walls and screw dislocations in beams. In this paper one more case is studied, equilibrium of a large set of 2D edge dislocations placed randomly in a 2D bounded region. The major characteristic of interest is energy of dislocation ensemble, because it determines the structure of continuum equations. The homogenized energy functional is obtained for the periodic dislocation ensembles with a random contents of the periodic cell. Parameters of the periodic structure can change slowly on distances of order of the size of periodic cells. The energy functional is obtained by the variational-asymptotic method. Equilibrium positions are local minima of energy. It is confirmed the earlier assertion that energy density of the system is the sum of elastic energy of averaged elastic strains and microstructure energy, which is elastic energy of the neutralized dislocation system, i.e. the dislocation system placed in a constant dislocation density field making the averaged dislocation density zero. The computation of energy is reduced to solution of a variational cell problem. This problem is solved analytically. The solution is used to investigate stability of simple dislocation arrays, i.e. arrays with one dislocation in the periodic cell. The relations obtained yield two outcomes: First, there is a state parameter of the system, dislocation polarization; averaged stresses affect only dislocation polarization and cannot change other characteristics of the system. Second, the structure of

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

Radial behavior of the average local ionization energies of atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Politzer, P.; Murray, J.S.; Grice, M.E.; Brinck, T.; Ranganathan, S.

1991-01-01

The radial behavior of the average local ionization energy bar I(r) has been investigated for the atoms He--Kr, using ab initio Hartree--Fock atomic wave functions. bar I(r) is found to decrease in a stepwise manner with the inflection points serving effectively to define boundaries between electronic shells. There is a good inverse correlation between polarizability and the ionization energy in the outermost region of the atom, suggesting that bar I(r) may be a meaningful measure of local polarizabilities in atoms and molecules

Localization of Energy Harvesting Empowered Underwater Optical Wireless Sensor Networks

KAUST Repository

Saeed, Nasir; Celik, Abdulkadir; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

with insufficient battery, harvest the energy and starts communicating once it has sufficient energy storage. Network localization is carried out by measuring the RSSs of active nodes, which are modeled based on the underwater optical communication channel

Energy-Efficient Collaborative Outdoor Localization for Participatory Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendong Wang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Location information is a key element of participatory sensing. Many mobile and sensing applications require location information to provide better recommendations, object search and trip planning. However, continuous GPS positioning consumes much energy, which may drain the battery of mobile devices quickly. Although WiFi and cell tower positioning are alternatives, they provide lower accuracy compared to GPS. This paper solves the above problem by proposing a novel localization scheme through the collaboration of multiple mobile devices to reduce energy consumption and provide accurate positioning. Under our scheme, the mobile devices are divided into three groups, namely the broadcaster group, the location information receiver group and the normal participant group. Only the broadcaster group and the normal participant group use their GPS. The location information receiver group, on the other hand, makes use of the locations broadcast by the broadcaster group to estimate their locations. We formulate the broadcaster set selection problem and propose two novel algorithms to minimize the energy consumption in collaborative localization. Simulations with real traces show that our proposed solution can save up to 68% of the energy of all of the participants and provide more accurate locations than WiFi and cellular network positioning.

Local government influence on energy conservation ambitions in existing housing sites-Plucking the low-hanging fruit?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoppe, T.; Bressers, J.Th.A.; Lulofs, K.R.D.

2011-01-01

Greater energy efficiency can be achieved in existing dwellings thanks to longer lifecycles, slow replacement rates, and technical innovations. Many such dwellings are located in dense urban neighbourhoods, where urban renewal projects are undertaken. Local government can encourage the setting of ambitious goals as a stepping stone to realizing energy efficiency goals that achieve high levels of energy efficiency. The research question which this paper addresses is: to what degree do local governments influence ambitions to conserve energy in existing housing sites? To examine this issue, thirty-three sites in the Netherlands were studied using a quantitative analysis. The results show that collaboration between local authorities and local actors increases the level of ambition to conserve energy. However, local authorities intentionally selected sites with poor energy efficiency, so it would be easy to meet ambitious energy conservation targets. Collaboration between local authorities and local actors turns out to be the key factor in selecting those sites. Moreover, there is little sign of genuine ambition. This article contributes to the debate on energy conservation policies in local housing sites. The study provides starting points for systematic, empirical research into the realisation of energy conservation in existing housing, especially in large-scale refurbishment projects. - Research Highlights: → Local governments encourage the setting of goals to realize energy efficiency goals. → Local authorities intentionally select sites with poor initial energy efficiency performance. → Collaboration with local actors turns out to be a key factor in selecting those sites. →There is little sign of genuine ambition. → Starting points for empirical research into the realisation of energy conservation in housing.

The surface-forming energy release rate versus the local energy release rate

OpenAIRE

Xiao, Si; Wang, He-ling; Landis, Chad M; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Liu, Bin

2016-01-01

This paper identifies two ways to extract the energy (or power) flowing into a crack tip during propagation based on the power balance of areas enclosed by a stationary contour and a comoving contour. It is very interesting to find a contradiction that two corresponding energy release rates (ERRs), a surface-forming ERR and a local ERR, are different when stress singularity exists at a crack tip. Besides a rigorous mathematical interpretation, we deduce that the stress singularity leads to an...

Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Swedish Non-Energy-Intensive Micro- and Small-Sized Enterprises—A Case Study of a Local Energy Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fredrik Backman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Improved energy efficiency has become a strategic issue and represents a priority for European competitiveness. Countries adopt various energy policies on local and national levels where energy audit programs are the most common energy end-use efficiency policy for industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. However, studies indicate that cost-efficient energy conservation measures are not always implemented, which can be explained by the existence of barriers to energy efficiency. This paper investigates how Swedish municipalities can support local micro- and small-sized enterprises with improved energy efficiency and the existence of different barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency. Relating this empirical case study to the theoretical barriers outlined in the text, this study found that the major explanatory factors related to non-implementation of cost-effective energy efficiency measures among micro- and small-sized industrial enterprises were bounded rationality (lack of time and/or other priorities, split incentives (having other priorities for capital investments, and imperfect information (slim organization and lack of technical skill. This study also found that information in the form of a report was the main thing that companies gained from working on the project “Energy-Driven Business”. Notably, the study involved companies that had participated in a local energy program and, still, companies face major barriers inhibiting implementation, indicating a need to further study other alternative policy models and how knowledge transfer can be improved.

TANDEM - French-German cooperation for local energy transition. 2014-2017 results, 2017-2019 prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turfin, Anne; Maurer, Christiane; Schilken, Peter; Mouchard, Claire; Coquio, Rozenn; Kynast, Helmi

2016-11-01

The simultaneous implementation of the 'Transition energetique' process in France and of the 'Energiewende' process in Germany has resulted in the signature of a number of cooperation agreements between the two States. Since both these energy transition processes are largely based on decentralising energy supplies, close local authority cooperation looks promising. The TANDEM project is jointly led by two local authority networks, Energy Cities and Klima-Buendnis, with co-funding from ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) and UBA (German Federal Environment Agency). The TANDEM project provides French and German local authorities with a unique opportunity to share information and cooperate on climate protection issues in order to: provide improved mutual understanding of the situation, challenges and framework of climate and energy policies; encourage exchanges on the obstacles and leverages impeding or fostering the attainment of ambitious energy and climate objectives and encourage knowledge transfer; boost close cooperation between local authorities from both countries, involving local stakeholders and citizens; implement the first stages of cooperation projects during the lifetime of the TANDEM project and lay solid foundations for long-term cooperation; relay local authorities' claims and concerns at both national and European levels, aimed at providing them with greater latitude and freedom of action. Approaches specific to each country have been developed to promote energy transition at the local level. A comparative analysis of existing practices, tools and experiences involving research work and interviews will be conducted and made available to the participating authorities as well as to national organisations. This analysis will be used by national organisations to develop and enhance their action and by local authorities to improve mutual understanding during their discussions. Cooperation projects aimed at implementing energy

Hawking–Hayward quasi-local energy under conformal transformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prain, Angus; Faraoni, Valerio; Lapierre-Léonard, Marianne; Vitagliano, Vincenzo

2016-01-01

We derive a formula describing the transformation of the Hawking–Hayward quasi-local energy under a conformal rescaling of the spacetime metric. A known formula for the transformation of the Misner–Sharp–Hernandez mass is recovered as a special case. (paper)

Minima de L'intégrale D'action du Problème Newtoniende 4 Corps de Masses Égales Dans R3: Orbites `Hip-Hop'

Science.gov (United States)

Chenciner, Alain; Venturelli, Andrea

2000-09-01

We consider the problem of 4 bodies of equal masses in R 3 for the Newtonian r-1 potential. We address the question of the absolute minima of the action integral among (anti)symmetric loops of class H 1 whose period is fixed. It is the simplest case for which the results of [4] (corrected in [5]) do not apply: the minima cannot be the relative equilibria whose configuration is an absolute minimum of the potential among the configurations having a given moment of inertia with respect to their center of mass. This is because the regular tetrahedron cannot have a relative equilibrium motion in R 3 (see [2]). We show that the absolute minima of the action are not homographic motions. We also show that if we force the configuration to admit a certain type of symmetry of order 4, the absolute minimum is a collisionless orbit whose configuration ‘hesitates’ between the central configuration of the square and the one of the tetrahedron. We call these orbits ‘hip-hop’. A similar result holds in case of a symmetry of order 3 where the central configuration of the equilateral triangle with a body at the center of mass replaces the square.

Experimental conformational energy maps of proteins and peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaji, Govardhan A; Nagendra, H G; Balaji, Vitukudi N; Rao, Shashidhar N

2017-06-01

We have presented an extensive analysis of the peptide backbone dihedral angles in the PDB structures and computed experimental Ramachandran plots for their distributions seen under a various constraints on X-ray resolution, representativeness at different sequence identity percentages, and hydrogen bonding distances. These experimental distributions have been converted into isoenergy contour plots using the approach employed previously by F. M. Pohl. This has led to the identification of energetically favored minima in the Ramachandran (ϕ, ψ) plots in which global minima are predominantly observed either in the right-handed α-helical or the polyproline II regions. Further, we have identified low energy pathways for transitions between various minima in the (ϕ,ψ) plots. We have compared and presented the experimental plots with published theoretical plots obtained from both molecular mechanics and quantum mechanical approaches. In addition, we have developed and employed a root mean square deviation (RMSD) metric for isoenergy contours in various ranges, as a measure (in kcal.mol -1 ) to compare any two plots and determine the extent of correlation and similarity between their isoenergy contours. In general, we observe a greater degree of compatibility with experimental plots for energy maps obtained from molecular mechanics methods compared to most quantum mechanical methods. The experimental energy plots we have investigated could be helpful in refining protein structures obtained from X-ray, NMR, and electron microscopy and in refining force field parameters to enable simulations of peptide and protein structures that have higher degree of consistency with experiments. Proteins 2017; 85:979-1001. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How to transform local energy systems towards bioenergy? Three strategy models for transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martensson, Kjell; Westerberg, Karin

2007-01-01

During the last decades, the actors within the energy sector in Sweden-as well as in many other countries-have faced increasing demands to transform the energy system towards ecological sustainability. In Sweden these demands have led to numerous policies and economic incentives promoting the use of renewables (which in the Swedish discourse often also includes a connotation of 'indigenous energy sources'), and especially the promotion of bioenergy. To be successful, however, these policies and economic incentives need to be interpreted and adapted to different local contexts and translated into actual transformation processes. In Sweden the municipal authorities have played an important role as interpreters of such institutional frameworks and implementers of local transformation processes. In this article, we re-construct three transformation processes implemented by local municipal authorities, chiselling out the different strategy models developed through them. We argue that such re-constructions help to make visible the different and complex interactions between national institutional frameworks and local contexts as well as interactions within such local contexts. We hope that the strategy models presented can contribute to the understanding of the different kinds of local actions that can foster a further implementation of bioenergy into the energy system

Network approach for local and community governance of energy: The case of Oxfordshire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parag, Yael; Hamilton, Jo; White, Vicki; Hogan, Bernie

2013-01-01

One of the many barriers to the incorporation of local and community actors in emerging energy governance structures and policy delivery mechanisms is the lack of thorough understanding of how they work in practice, and how best to support and develop effective local energy governance. Taking a meso-level perspective and a network approach to governance, this paper sheds some new light on this issue, by focusing on the relation, channels of communication and interactions between low carbon community groups (LCCGs) and other actors. Based on data gathered from LCCGs in Oxfordshire, UK, via network survey and interviews the research maps the relations in terms of the exchanges of information and financial support, and presents a relation-based structure of local energy governance. Analysis reveals the intensity of energy related information exchanges that is taking place at the county level and highlights the centrality of intermediary organization in facilitating information flow. The analysis also identifies actors that are not very dominant in their amount of exchanges, but fill ‘weak-tie’ functions between otherwise disconnected LCCGs or other actors in the network. As an analytical tool the analysis could be useful for various state and non-state actors that want to better understand and support – financially and otherwise – actors that enable energy related local action. - Highlights: • We used social network analysis to examine local and community governance of energy. • We examined information and financial support flow within the network. • Analysis highlights central and peripheral actors in the local governance structure. • The findings highlight the central role intermediary organizations have in local governance structures

Learning molecular energies using localized graph kernels

Science.gov (United States)

Ferré, Grégoire; Haut, Terry; Barros, Kipton

2017-03-01

Recent machine learning methods make it possible to model potential energy of atomic configurations with chemical-level accuracy (as calculated from ab initio calculations) and at speeds suitable for molecular dynamics simulation. Best performance is achieved when the known physical constraints are encoded in the machine learning models. For example, the atomic energy is invariant under global translations and rotations; it is also invariant to permutations of same-species atoms. Although simple to state, these symmetries are complicated to encode into machine learning algorithms. In this paper, we present a machine learning approach based on graph theory that naturally incorporates translation, rotation, and permutation symmetries. Specifically, we use a random walk graph kernel to measure the similarity of two adjacency matrices, each of which represents a local atomic environment. This Graph Approximated Energy (GRAPE) approach is flexible and admits many possible extensions. We benchmark a simple version of GRAPE by predicting atomization energies on a standard dataset of organic molecules.

Management of Sustainable Energy Efficient Development at the Local Level: Stakeholder-Oriented Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horban Vasylyna B.

2016-11-01

Full Text Available There presented a theoretical rationale for the expediency of using the stakeholder-oriented approach to improve the process of management of sustainable energy efficient development at the local level. The evolution of theories by scientific schools that studied the concepts of «stakeholders» and «interested parties» is analyzed and generalized. A classification of types of stakeholders in the context of eighteen typological features is suggested, which allows to more effectively align their interests and contributes to establishing constructive forms of cooperation in order to achieve efficient final results. An algorithm of interaction with interested parties in achieving the goals of sustainable energy efficient development at the local level is elaborated. Typical motivational interests of stakeholders at the local level in the field of sustainable energy efficient development (on the example of Ukraine are identified. Instruments of prioritization of stakeholders depending on the life cycle stages of energy efficiency projects are proposed. The results obtained in the course of the research can be used to develop local energy efficient programs, business plans and feasibility studies for energy efficient projects.

A three-dimensional model of residential energy consumer archetypes for local energy policy design in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Tao; Siebers, Peer-Olaf; Aickelin, Uwe

2012-01-01

This paper reviews major studies in three traditional lines of research in residential energy consumption in the UK, i.e., economic/infrastructure, behaviour, and load profiling. Based on the review the paper proposes a three-dimensional model for archetyping residential energy consumers in the UK by considering property energy efficiency levels, the greenness of household behaviour of using energy, and the duration of property daytime occupancy. With the proposed model, eight archetypes of residential energy consumers in the UK have been identified. They are: pioneer greens, follower greens, concerned greens, home stayers, unconscientious wasters, regular wasters, daytime wasters, and disengaged wasters. Using a case study, these archetypes of residential energy consumers demonstrate the robustness of the 3-D model in aiding local energy policy/intervention design in the UK. - Highlights: ► This paper reviews the three traditional lines of research in residential energy consumption in the UK. ► Based on the literature review, the paper proposes a 3-D conceptual model for archetyping UK residential energy consumers. ► The 3-D archetype model can aid local energy policy/intervention design in the UK.

Ab initio study of symmetrical tilt grain boundaries in bcc Fe: structural units, magnetic moments, interfacial bonding, local energy and local stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Somesh Kr; Tanaka, Shingo; Kohyama, Masanori; Shiihara, Yoshinori

2013-01-01

We present first-principle calculations on symmetric tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in bcc Fe. Using density functional theory (DFT), we studied the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Σ3(111) and Σ11(332) GBs formed by rotation around the [110] axis. The optimized structures, GB energies and GB excess free volumes are consistent with previous DFT and classical simulation studies. The GB configurations can be interpreted by the structural unit model as given by Nakashima and Takeuchi (2000 ISIJ 86 357). Both the GBs are composed of similar structural units of three- and five-membered rings with different densities at the interface according to the rotation angle. The interface atoms with larger atomic volumes reveal higher magnetic moments than the bulk value, while the interface atoms with shorter bond lengths have reduced magnetic moments in each GB. The charge density and local density of states reveal that the interface bonds with short bond lengths have more covalent nature, where minority-spin electrons play a dominant role as the typical nature of ferromagnetic Fe. In order to understand the structural stability of these GBs, we calculated the local energy and local stress for each atomic region using the scheme of Shiihara et al (2010 Phys. Rev. B 81 075441). In each GB, the interface atoms with larger atomic volumes and enhanced magnetic moments reveal larger local energy increase and tensile stress. The interface atoms constituting more covalent-like bonds with reduced magnetic moments have lower local energy increase, contributing to the stabilization, while compressive stress is generated at these atoms. The relative stability between the two GBs can be understood by the local energies at the structural units. The local energy and local stress analysis is a powerful tool to investigate the structural properties of GBs based on the behavior of valence electrons. (paper)

Valence bond model potential energy surface for H4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silver, D.M.; Brown, N.J.

1980-01-01

Potential energy surfaces for the H 4 system are derived using the valence bond procedure. An ab initio evaluation of the valence bond energy expression is described and some of its numerical properties are given. Next, four semiempirical evaluations of the valence bond energy are defined and parametrized to yield reasonable agreement with various ab initio calculations of H 4 energies. Characteristics of these four H 4 surfaces are described by means of tabulated energy minima and equipotential contour maps for selected geometrical arrangements of the four nuclei

Local and regional energy companies offering energy services: Key activities and implications for the business model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kindström, Daniel; Ottosson, Mikael

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Many companies providing energy services are experiencing difficulties. • This research identifies key activities for the provision of energy services. • Findings are aggregated to the business-model level providing managerial insights. • This research identifies two different business model innovation paths. • Energy companies may need to renew parts of, or the entire, business model. - Abstract: Energy services play a key role in increasing energy efficiency in the industry. The key actors in these services are the local and regional energy companies that are increasingly implementing energy services as part of their market offering and developing service portfolios. Although expectations for energy services have been high, progress has so far been limited, and many companies offering energy services, including energy companies, are experiencing difficulties in implementing energy services and providing them to the market. Overall, this research examines what is needed for local and regional energy companies to successfully implement energy services (and consequently provide them to the market). In doing this, a two-stage process is used: first, we identify key activities for the successful implementation of energy services, and second, we aggregate the findings to the business model level. This research demonstrates that to succeed in implementing energy services, an energy company may need to renew parts or all of its existing product-based business model, formulate a new business model, or develop coexisting multiple business models. By discussing two distinct business model innovation processes, this research demonstrates that there can be different paths to success.

Exchange energy in the local Airy gas approximation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vitos, Levente; Johansson, B.; Kollár, J.

2000-01-01

The Airy gas model of the edge electron gas is used to construct an exchange-energy functional that is an alternative to those obtained in the local-density and generalized-gradient approximations. Test calculations for rare-gas atoms, molecules, solids, and surfaces show that the Airy gas...

A local energy market for electricity and hydrogen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiao, Yunpeng; Wang, Xifan; Pinson, Pierre

2017-01-01

The proliferation of distributed energy resources entails efficient market mechanisms in distribution-level networks. This paper establishes a local energy market (LEM) framework in which electricity and hydrogen are traded. Players in the LEM consist of renewable distributed generators (DGs......), loads, hydrogen vehicles (HVs), and a hydrogen storage system (HSS) operated by a HSS agent (HSSA). An iterative LEM clearing method is proposed based on the merit order principle. Players submit offers/bids with consideration of their own preferences and profiles according to the utility functions...

Strategic energy planning within local authorities in the UK: A study of the city of Leeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bale, Catherine S.E.; Foxon, Timothy J.; Hannon, Matthew J.; Gale, William F.

2012-01-01

This paper considers the development of a strategic energy body in a local authority in the UK and looks at the perceived need for, and possible roles of, such a body. Historically, energy provision and management has not usually been a strategic priority for UK local authorities. Yet energy considerations are implicit in key local authority responsibilities such as transport, waste management, planning, and the provision of housing services. In addition, recent UK central government policies support the move to localism and provide incentives for low-carbon energy generation. A study was undertaken to assess the potential (including both the perceived benefits and actual capacity to deliver) for Leeds City Council to develop a strategic body to execute delivery of city-level energy decision-making. We examine the perceived benefits to a range of main stakeholders, using data drawn from interviews with managers responsible for low-carbon and renewable energy projects across the city. Through participant observation we explore the capacity of a local authority to deliver a strategic energy body, and we briefly examine the possible forms of delivery. We conclude with recommendations for national policy that would enable the development of strategic energy bodies across local governments in the UK. - Highlights: ► Strategic energy planning is currently not a priority for UK local authorities. ► We present an empirical study of strategic energy planning in local authorities. ► Results from stakeholder interviews suggest support for a strategic energy body. ► We identify the capacity barriers to implementing a strategic energy body. ► We make recommendations for ways forward and support needed from national policy.

Blind RSSD-Based Indoor Localization with Confidence Calibration and Energy Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tengyue Zou

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Indoor localization based on wireless sensor networks (WSNs is an important field of research with numerous applications, such as elderly care, miner security, and smart buildings. In this paper, we present a localization method based on the received signal strength difference (RSSD to determine a target on a map with unknown transmission information. To increase the accuracy of localization, we propose a confidence value for each anchor node to indicate its credibility for participating in the estimation. An automatic calibration device is designed to help acquire the values. The acceleration sensor and unscented Kalman filter (UKF are also introduced to reduce the influence of measuring noise in the application. Energy control is another key point in WSN systems and may prolong the lifetime of the system. Thus, a quadtree structure is constructed to describe the region correlation between neighboring areas, and the unnecessary anchor nodes can be detected and set to sleep to save energy. The localization system is implemented on real-time Texas Instruments CC2430 and CC2431 embedded platforms, and the experimental results indicate that these mechanisms achieve a high accuracy and low energy cost.

Local energy losses at positive and negative steps in subcritical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Local energy losses occur when there is a transition in open channel flow. Even though local losses in subcritical open channel flow due to changes in channel width have been studied, to date no studies have been reported for losses due to changes in bed elevations. Steps are commonly used in engineering applications ...

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

Energy performance control of local collectivities. Good practices of european towns; Mesure des performances energetiques des collectivites locales. Bonnes pratiques de villes europeennes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacassagne, S.; Schilken, P.

2003-01-01

Some european towns developed a specific energy and environmental policy, function of many factors. Policies are implemented to favorite the energy consumption and the pollutant emission control. The actions of local collectivities in the domain have been analyzed following three axis: the measure of the energy performance of local collectivities, the territorial energy management tools, the energy integration in sectoral policies. This report takes stock on the first axis analysis. (A.L.B.)

Simple and effective procedure for conformational search of macromolecules. Application to Met- and Leu-Enkephalin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meirovitch, H.; Meirovitch, E. (Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)); Michel, A.G. (Institut de Recherches Serrier, Suresnes (France)); Vasquez, M. (Protein Design Lab., Mountain View, CA (United States))

1994-06-23

A simple and efficient method for searching the conformational space of macromolecules is presented. With this method an initial set of relatively low-energy structures is generated, and their energies are further minimized with a procedure that enables escaping from local energy minima. Illustrative calculations are described for Met- and Leu-enkephalin. 37 refs., 1 tab.

A note on the post-Newtonian limit of quasi-local energy expressions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frauendiener, Jörg; Szabados, László B

2011-01-01

An 'effective' quasi-local energy expression, motivated by the (relativistically corrected) Newtonian theory, is introduced in exact general relativity as the volume integral of all the source terms in the field equation for the Newtonian potential in static spacetimes. In particular, we exhibit a new post-Newtonian correction in the source term in the field equation for the Newtonian gravitational potential. In asymptotically flat spacetimes, this expression tends to the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner energy at spatial infinity as a monotonically decreasing set function. We prove its positivity in spherically symmetric spacetimes under certain energy conditions, and that its vanishing characterizes flatness. We argue that any physically acceptable quasi-local energy expression should behave qualitatively like this 'effective' energy expression in this limit. (paper)

Local shell-to-shell energy transfer via nonlocal interactions in fluid ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

However, the shell-to-shell energy transfer rate is found to be local and forward. .... interaction was strong, but the energy exchange occurred predominantly between ..... The wave-number range considered is in the inverse cascade regime.

Local Thermal Insulating Materials For Thermal Energy Storage ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Thermal insulation is one of the most important components of a thermal energy storage system. In this paper the thermal properties of selected potential local materials which can be used for high temperature insulation are presented. Thermal properties of seven different samples were measured. Samples consisted of: ...

Effects of energy conservation programs: report to IEA (International Energy Agency) Annex 7, Local Government Energy Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klingberg, T.; Benton, L.; Engebeck, L.; Erikson, B.E.; Fredriksson, G.

1984-01-01

This Bulletin is an anthology of 13 essays by different authors covering various aspects of government programs for energy conservation. In six essays effects of energy codes, subsidies to conservation measures in buildings and advisory services are discussed. Results from several empirical studies are presented. Five essays deal with side-effects (or secondary effects) of energy conservation. Moisture and increased radiation from radon are two types of negative effects that are covered. Also positive effects such as promotion of innovations or increased employment are discussed. Policy instruments are normally implemented by the local authorities. This is illustrated by a description of energy planning for a new suburb in one municipality. Some tentative conclusions are presented in the final essay.

A New Method for Local Energy Planning in Developing Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Beeck, N.

2001-01-01

Energy planning is an essential tool in the economic development of industrialized as well as developing countries. Energy planning in this paper is restricted to the selection of new energy systems for the production of proper energy forms in order to meet increased energy demand. This demand is actually the desire for certain energy services, which are the starting point of the new decision support method for local energy planning presented in this paper. In the decision making process concerning energy planning at the local level it is important to include context-related issues because the context determines for a large part the viability of the technologies or systems used. The context, in turn, is represented by the aims of the relevant actors, which are translated into measurable indicators to compare the different options. The impact assessment must allow for inclusion of all the indicators, either quantitative or qualitative in order to find the most appropriate technology for a region rather than the technically best or economically most optimal one. Appropriateness is defined by the context and is thus case specific, but the framework described in this paper is generally applicable within the given limitations. Note that the new method described in this paper is a decision support tool, implying that it does not decide for the energy planner which actions to take. The ultimate decision must be made by the planners themselves

Promoting interactions between local climate change mitigation, sustainable energy development, and rural development policies in Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streimikiene, Dalia; Baležentis, Tomas; Kriščiukaitienė, Irena

2012-01-01

Lithuania has developed several important climate change mitigation policy documents however there are no attempts in Lithuania to develop local climate change mitigation policies or to decentralize climate change mitigation policy. Seeking to achieve harmonization and decentralization of climate change mitigation and energy policies in Lithuania the framework for local climate change mitigation strategy need to be developed taking into account requirements, targets and measures set in national climate change mitigation and energy policy documents. The paper will describe how national climate change mitigation and energy policies can be implemented via local energy and climate change mitigation plans. The aim of the paper is to analyze the climate change mitigation policy and its relationship with policies promoting sustainable energy development in Lithuania and to present a framework for local approaches to climate change mitigation in Lithuania, in the context of the existing national and supra-national energy, climate change, and rural development policies. - Highlights: ► The framework for local energy action plans is offered. ► The structural support possibilities are assessed with respect to the Lithuanian legal base. ► The proposals are given for further promotion of sustainable energy at the local level.

Energy momentum tensor in local causal perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prange, D.

2001-01-01

We study the energy momentum tensor in the Bogolyubov-Epstein-Glaser approach to perturbation theory. It is found to be locally conserved for a class of theories containing to derivated fields in the interaction. For the massless φ 4 -theory we derive the trace anomaly of the improved tensor. (orig.)

Controlling spatio-temporal extreme events by decreasing the localized energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Lin; Xu Wei; Li Zhanguo; Zhou Bingchang

2011-01-01

The problem of controlling extreme events in spatially extended dynamical systems is investigated in this Letter. Based on observations of the system state, the control technique we proposed locally decreases the spatial energy of the amplitude in the vicinity of the highest burst, without needs of any knowledge or prediction of the system model. Considering the specific Complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, we provide theoretical analysis for designing the localized state feedback controller. More exactly, a simple control law by varying a damping parameter at control region is chose to achieve the control. Numerical simulations and statistic analysis demonstrate that extreme events can be efficiently suppressed by our strategy. In particular, the cost of the control and the tolerant time delay in applying the control is considered in detail. - Highlights: → We propose a local control scheme to suppress spatio-temporal extreme events. → The control is address by decreasing the spatial energy of the system locally. → The detail control law is to apply localized state feedback based on observations. → The cost of the control increases with the size of the control region exponentially. → The tolerant delay of the control is about 5-6 times of lifetime of extreme events.

Energy Harvesting Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasir Saeed

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Underwater wireless technologies demand to transmit at higher data rate for ocean exploration. Currently, large coverage is achieved by acoustic sensor networks with low data rate, high cost, high latency, high power consumption, and negative impact on marine mammals. Meanwhile, optical communication for underwater networks has the advantage of the higher data rate albeit for limited communication distances. Moreover, energy consumption is another major problem for underwater sensor networks, due to limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of a sensor node. The ultimate solution to this problem is to add energy harvesting capability to the acoustic-optical sensor nodes. Localization of underwater sensor networks is of utmost importance because the data collected from underwater sensor nodes is useful only if the location of the nodes is known. Therefore, a novel localization technique for energy harvesting hybrid acoustic-optical underwater wireless sensor networks (AO-UWSNs is proposed. AO-UWSN employs optical communication for higher data rate at a short transmission distance and employs acoustic communication for low data rate and long transmission distance. A hybrid received signal strength (RSS based localization technique is proposed to localize the nodes in AO-UWSNs. The proposed technique combines the noisy RSS based measurements from acoustic communication and optical communication and estimates the final locations of acoustic-optical sensor nodes. A weighted multiple observations paradigm is proposed for hybrid estimated distances to suppress the noisy observations and give more importance to the accurate observations. Furthermore, the closed form solution for Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB is derived for localization accuracy of the proposed technique.

Energy Harvesting Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Saeed, Nasir; Celik, Abdulkadir; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-12-26

Underwater wireless technologies demand to transmit at higher data rate for ocean exploration. Currently, large coverage is achieved by acoustic sensor networks with low data rate, high cost, high latency, high power consumption, and negative impact on marine mammals. Meanwhile, optical communication for underwater networks has the advantage of the higher data rate albeit for limited communication distances. Moreover, energy consumption is another major problem for underwater sensor networks, due to limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of a sensor node. The ultimate solution to this problem is to add energy harvesting capability to the acoustic-optical sensor nodes. Localization of underwater sensor networks is of utmost importance because the data collected from underwater sensor nodes is useful only if the location of the nodes is known. Therefore, a novel localization technique for energy harvesting hybrid acoustic-optical underwater wireless sensor networks (AO-UWSNs) is proposed. AO-UWSN employs optical communication for higher data rate at a short transmission distance and employs acoustic communication for low data rate and long transmission distance. A hybrid received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique is proposed to localize the nodes in AO-UWSNs. The proposed technique combines the noisy RSS based measurements from acoustic communication and optical communication and estimates the final locations of acoustic-optical sensor nodes. A weighted multiple observations paradigm is proposed for hybrid estimated distances to suppress the noisy observations and give more importance to the accurate observations. Furthermore, the closed form solution for Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived for localization accuracy of the proposed technique.

Energy Harvesting Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Localization

KAUST Repository

Saeed, Nasir; Celik, Abdulkadir; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Underwater wireless technologies demand to transmit at higher data rate for ocean exploration. Currently, large coverage is achieved by acoustic sensor networks with low data rate, high cost, high latency, high power consumption, and negative impact on marine mammals. Meanwhile, optical communication for underwater networks has the advantage of the higher data rate albeit for limited communication distances. Moreover, energy consumption is another major problem for underwater sensor networks, due to limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of a sensor node. The ultimate solution to this problem is to add energy harvesting capability to the acoustic-optical sensor nodes. Localization of underwater sensor networks is of utmost importance because the data collected from underwater sensor nodes is useful only if the location of the nodes is known. Therefore, a novel localization technique for energy harvesting hybrid acoustic-optical underwater wireless sensor networks (AO-UWSNs) is proposed. AO-UWSN employs optical communication for higher data rate at a short transmission distance and employs acoustic communication for low data rate and long transmission distance. A hybrid received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique is proposed to localize the nodes in AO-UWSNs. The proposed technique combines the noisy RSS based measurements from acoustic communication and optical communication and estimates the final locations of acoustic-optical sensor nodes. A weighted multiple observations paradigm is proposed for hybrid estimated distances to suppress the noisy observations and give more importance to the accurate observations. Furthermore, the closed form solution for Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived for localization accuracy of the proposed technique.

Energy Harvesting Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Localization

KAUST Repository

Saeed, Nasir

2017-12-26

Underwater wireless technologies demand to transmit at higher data rate for ocean exploration. Currently, large coverage is achieved by acoustic sensor networks with low data rate, high cost, high latency, high power consumption, and negative impact on marine mammals. Meanwhile, optical communication for underwater networks has the advantage of the higher data rate albeit for limited communication distances. Moreover, energy consumption is another major problem for underwater sensor networks, due to limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of a sensor node. The ultimate solution to this problem is to add energy harvesting capability to the acoustic-optical sensor nodes. Localization of underwater sensor networks is of utmost importance because the data collected from underwater sensor nodes is useful only if the location of the nodes is known. Therefore, a novel localization technique for energy harvesting hybrid acoustic-optical underwater wireless sensor networks (AO-UWSNs) is proposed. AO-UWSN employs optical communication for higher data rate at a short transmission distance and employs acoustic communication for low data rate and long transmission distance. A hybrid received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique is proposed to localize the nodes in AO-UWSNs. The proposed technique combines the noisy RSS based measurements from acoustic communication and optical communication and estimates the final locations of acoustic-optical sensor nodes. A weighted multiple observations paradigm is proposed for hybrid estimated distances to suppress the noisy observations and give more importance to the accurate observations. Furthermore, the closed form solution for Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived for localization accuracy of the proposed technique.

Impact of energy filtering and carrier localization on the thermoelectric properties of granular semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narducci, Dario, E-mail: dario.narducci@unimib.it [Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); Consorzio DeltaTi Research (Italy); Selezneva, Ekaterina [Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); Cerofolini, Gianfranco [Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); Consorzio DeltaTi Research (Italy); Frabboni, Stefano; Ottaviani, Giampiero [Department of Physics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 213, 41100 Modena (Italy)

2012-09-15

Energy filtering has been widely considered as a suitable tool to increase the thermoelectric performances of several classes of materials. In its essence, energy filtering provides a way to increase the Seebeck coefficient by introducing a strongly energy-dependent scattering mechanism. Under certain conditions, however, potential barriers may lead to carrier localization, that may also affect the thermoelectric properties of a material. A model is proposed, actually showing that randomly distributed potential barriers (as those found, e.g., in polycrystalline films) may lead to the simultaneous occurrence of energy filtering and carrier localization. Localization is shown to cause a decrease of the actual carrier density that, along with the quantum tunneling of carriers, may result in an unexpected increase of the power factor with the doping level. The model is corroborated toward experimental data gathered by several authors on degenerate polycrystalline silicon and lead telluride. - Graphical abstract: In heavily doped semiconductors potential barriers may lead to both carrier energy filtering and localization. This may lead to an enhancement of the thermoelectric properties of the material, resulting in an unexpected increase of the power factor with the doping level. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Potential barriers are shown to lead to carrier localization in thermoelectric materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Evidence is put forward of the formation of a mobility edge. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Energy filtering and localization may explain the enhancement of power factor in degenerate semiconductors.

Local Energies and Energy Fluctuations — Applied to the High Entropy Alloy CrFeCoNi

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Tetsuya; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Sato, Kazunori; Ogura, Masako; Zeller, Rudolf; Dederichs, Peter H.

2017-11-01

High entropy alloys show a variety of fascinating properties like high hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. They are random solid solutions of many components with rather high concentrations. We perform ab-initio calculations for the high entropy alloy CrFeCoNi, which equal concentration of 25% for each element. By the KKRnano program package, which is based on an order-N screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method, we consider a face-centered cubic (FCC) supercell with 1372 randomly distributed elements, and in addition also smaller supercells with 500 and 256 atoms. It is found from our calculations that the local moments of the Cr atoms show a large environmental variation, ranging from -1.70 μB to +1.01 μB with an average of about -0.51 μB. We present a new method to calculate "local energies" of all atoms. This is based on the partitioning of the whole space into Voronoi cells and allows to calculate the energetic contribution of each atomic cell to the total energy of the supercell. The supercell calculations show very large variations of the local energies, analogous to the variations of the local moments. This shows that the random solid solution is not stable and has a tendency to form an L12-structure with the Cr-atoms ordered at the corner of the cube and the elements Fe, Co, and Ni randomly distributed on the three other FCC sublattices. For this structure the variation of the local moments are much smaller.

Prospects for local community wind energy projects in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Derek; Open Univ., Milton Keynes

1993-01-01

This paper examines the prospects for local community wind energy projects in the UK. After explaining the advantages of such projects compared to purely commercial developments, the scale and funding for the projects are discussed. It is argued that such projects are beneficial both financially to individual members and also to the local rural economies particularly in deprived regions. (UK)

Local kinetic-energy density of the Airy gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vitos, Levente; Johansson, B.; Kollár, J.

2000-01-01

The Airy gas model is used to derive an expression for the local kinetic energy in the linear potential approximation. The expression contains an explicit Laplacian term 2/5((h) over bar(2)/2m)del(mu)(2)(r) that, according to jellium surface calculations, must be a universal feature of any accura...

Local Governments Supporting Local Energy Initiatives: Lessons from the Best Practices of Saerbeck (Germany) and Lochem (The Netherlands)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas; Graf, Antonia; Warbroek, Wynzen Douwe Beau; Lammers, Imke; Lepping, Isabella

2015-01-01

The social dimension of the transition to a low carbon economy is a key challenge to cities. The establishment of local energy initiatives (LEIs) has recently been attracting attention. It is of great importance to draw lessons from best practices when LEIs have been facilitated by local governments

Hierarchical structure of the energy landscape of proteins revisited by time series analysis. II. Investigation of explicit solvent effects

Science.gov (United States)

Alakent, Burak; Camurdan, Mehmet C.; Doruker, Pemra

2005-10-01

Time series analysis tools are employed on the principal modes obtained from the Cα trajectories from two independent molecular-dynamics simulations of α-amylase inhibitor (tendamistat). Fluctuations inside an energy minimum (intraminimum motions), transitions between minima (interminimum motions), and relaxations in different hierarchical energy levels are investigated and compared with those encountered in vacuum by using different sampling window sizes and intervals. The low-frequency low-indexed mode relationship, established in vacuum, is also encountered in water, which shows the reliability of the important dynamics information offered by principal components analysis in water. It has been shown that examining a short data collection period (100ps) may result in a high population of overdamped modes, while some of the low-frequency oscillations (memory: future conformations are less dependent on previous conformations due to the lowering of energy barriers in hierarchical levels of the energy landscape. In short-time dynamics (sight contradicts. However, this comes about because water enhances the transitions between minima and forces the protein to reduce its already inherent inability to maintain oscillations observed in vacuum. Some of the frequencies lower than 10cm-1 are found to be overdamped, while those higher than 20cm-1 are slightly increased. As for the long-time dynamics in water, it is found that random-walk motion is maintained for approximately 200ps (about five times of that in vacuum) in the low-indexed modes, showing the lowering of energy barriers between the higher-level minima.

Elastic scattering of 16O+16O at energies E/A between 5 and 8 MeV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicoli, M. P.; Haas, F.; Freeman, R. M.; Aissaoui, N.; Beck, C.; Elanique, A.; Nouicer, R.; Morsad, A.; Szilner, S.; Basrak, Z.

1999-01-01

The elastic scattering of 16 O+ 16 O has been measured at nine energies between E lab =75 and 124 MeV. The data cover up to 100 degree sign in the c.m. and can be described in terms of phenomenological and folding model potentials which reproduce the main features observed. In agreement with studies at higher energies in this and similar systems, refractive effects are present in the angular distributions at all energies. In particular, the passage of Airy minima through 90 degree sign at E c.m. =40, 47.5, and 62 MeV explains the deep minima observed in the excitation function. The real part of the optical potential is found to vary very little with energy over the studied interval, but the imaginary part shows a rapid change in its shape at incident energy about 90 MeV. Nonetheless, the energy dependence of the volume integral of the real and imaginary parts is in agreement with dispersion relation predictions. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society

Simulation of a Local Collision of SC Wall Using High Energy Absorbing Steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, H. K.; Chung, C. H.; Park, J.; Lee, J. W. [Dankook University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Kim, S. Y. [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-05-15

Local damage evaluations for nuclear power plant(NPP) design are performed against turbine impact, tornado impact, airplane engine impact, etc., where turbine is a internal source of impact, whereas tornado and airplane engine are external sources of impact. The thickness of NPP wall structure is determined at initial design stage not to be penetrated by local impacts. This study investigated the local damage of NPP substructure against internal turbine impact. Simulation of local collisions of SC wall in NPP structure, which consists of two models: one using general steel and the other using high energy absorbing steel, were performed. The performance of SC wall using ductile high energy absorbing steel can be greatly improved on local collisions when compared with that of general steel

Simulation of a Local Collision of SC Wall Using High Energy Absorbing Steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, H. K.; Chung, C. H.; Park, J.; Lee, J. W.; Kim, S. Y.

2011-01-01

Local damage evaluations for nuclear power plant(NPP) design are performed against turbine impact, tornado impact, airplane engine impact, etc., where turbine is a internal source of impact, whereas tornado and airplane engine are external sources of impact. The thickness of NPP wall structure is determined at initial design stage not to be penetrated by local impacts. This study investigated the local damage of NPP substructure against internal turbine impact. Simulation of local collisions of SC wall in NPP structure, which consists of two models: one using general steel and the other using high energy absorbing steel, were performed. The performance of SC wall using ductile high energy absorbing steel can be greatly improved on local collisions when compared with that of general steel

Water impacts and water-climate goal conflicts of local energy choices - notes from a Swedish perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Ericsdotter Engström, Rebecka; Howells, Mark; Destouni, Georgia

2018-02-01

To meet both the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), nations, sectors, counties and cities need to move towards a sustainable energy system in the next couple of decades. Such energy system transformations will impact water resources to varying extents, depending on the transformation strategy and fuel choices. Sweden is considered to be one of the most advanced countries towards meeting the SDGs. This paper explores the geographical origin of and the current water use associated with the supply of energy in the 21 regional counties of Sweden. These energy-related uses of water represent indirect, but still relevant, impacts for water management and the related SDG on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). These indirect water impacts are here quantified and compared to reported quantifications of direct local water use, as well as to reported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as one example of other types of environmental impacts of local energy choices in each county. For each county, an accounting model is set up based on data for the local energy use in year 2010, and the specific geographical origins and water use associated with these locally used energy carriers (fuels, heat and electricity) are further estimated and mapped based on data reported in the literature and open databases. Results show that most of the water use associated with the local Swedish energy use occurs outside of Sweden. Counties with large shares of liquid biofuel exhibit the largest associated indirect water use in regions outside of Sweden. This indirect water use for energy supply does not unambiguously correlate with either the local direct water use or the local GHG emissions, although for the latter, there is a tendency towards an inverse relation. Overall, the results imply that actions for mitigation of climate change by local energy choices may significantly affect water resources elsewhere. Swedish counties are thus important examples

Direct design of an energy landscape with bistable DNA origami mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lifeng; Marras, Alexander E; Su, Hai-Jun; Castro, Carlos E

2015-03-11

Structural DNA nanotechnology provides a feasible technique for the design and fabrication of complex geometries even exhibiting controllable dynamic behavior. Recently we have demonstrated the possibility of implementing macroscopic engineering design approaches to construct DNA origami mechanisms (DOM) with programmable motion and tunable flexibility. Here, we implement the design of compliant DNA origami mechanisms to extend from prescribing motion to prescribing an energy landscape. Compliant mechanisms facilitate motion via deformation of components with tunable stiffness resulting in well-defined mechanical energy stored in the structure. We design, fabricate, and characterize a DNA origami nanostructure with an energy landscape defined by two stable states (local energy minima) separated by a designed energy barrier. This nanostructure is a four-bar bistable mechanism with two undeformed states. Traversing between those states requires deformation, and hence mechanical energy storage, in a compliant arm of the linkage. The energy barrier for switching between two states was obtained from the conformational distribution based on a Boltzmann probability function and closely follows a predictive mechanical model. Furthermore, we demonstrated the ability to actuate the mechanism into one stable state via additional DNA inputs and then release the actuation via DNA strand displacement. This controllable multistate system establishes a foundation for direct design of energy landscapes that regulate conformational dynamics similar to biomolecular complexes.

The energy balance of a plasma in partial local thermodynamic equilibrium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kroesen, G.M.W.; Schram, D.C.; Timmermans, C.J.; de Haas, J.C.M.

1990-01-01

The energy balance for electrons and heavy particles constituting a plasma in partial local thermodynamic equilibrium is derived. The formulation of the energy balance used allows for evaluation of the source terms without knowledge of the particle and radiation transport situation, since most of

Community based social marketing for implementation of energy saving targets at local level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalia Streimikiene

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Energy saving and greenhouse gas (GHG emission reduction policies at local level need to be investigated and new tools for climate change mitigation are necessary seeking to achieve GHG emission targets in Lithuania. Most Lithuanian municipalities have signed Covenant of Mayors and have prepared local energy action plans. However, all these plans include just energy saving measures on supply side and renovation of buildings. Nevertheless, the significant energy savings and GHG emission reductions can be achieved through behavioural changes. The aim of the paper is to apply community based social marketing approach in assessment of achievable energy saving and GHG emission reduction targets set by local energy action plans. The paper presents the results of case study implemented in Kaunas region municipality. The case study was conducted by creating focus groups and applying two scenarios: baseline or doing nothing and climate change mitigation scenario including intervention measures. The results of case study revealed that the total energy consumption reduction target set in Sustainable energy development strategy of Kaunas region county - 11% - can be achieved by combining results of energy consumption reduction in both focus groups. The survey conducted after study finalization revealed that respondents were provided with a lot of additional knowledge during the study and achieved real money savings. The major barriers of energy savings in households are related with the lack of information on energy savings and GHG emission reduction.

The deployment of new energy technologies and the need for local learning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neij, Lena; Heiskanen, Eva; Strupeit, Lars

2017-01-01

The objective of this paper is to identify local aspects of technological learning in the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV), a globally important form of distributed energy technology. We review literature in the economics of innovation and economic geography to identify the need for local learning when adopting new technologies and seek evidence on the local aspects of learning processes in the deployment of new (energy) technologies. The analysis focuses on the empirical evidence of learning processes in PV deployment. Our findings show that learning for PV deployment exhibits characteristics of local learning identified in the innovation literature (tacit knowledge, shared narratives, user relations and learning in interorganizational networks). In addition, we show that competencies in the deployment of PV rely on learning processes that are closely connected to the historically and geographically distinctive characteristics of the built environment. We also find evidence of the significance of proximity in (local) learning, as well as examples of knowledge being codified over time into national and global knowledge flows. We conclude with policy implications that acknowledge the importance of local learning for deployment. - Highlights: • PV deployment exhibits characteristics of local learning. • Some processes of local learning have become codified on a national level. • Based on a proximity in local learning we stress the importance of local policy.

Local acceptance of wind energy. A comparison between Germany, Argentina and Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimeno, Moira [Freie Univ. Berlin (DE). Forschungszentrum fuer Umweltpolitik (ffu)

2011-07-01

Commercial exploitation of wind parks started in the early 1990s in Germany, and in the mid 1990s in Spain and Argentina. Then, there have been an incremental use of wind turbines in rural areas. Many of them are characterised in economic terms by a diversified economic structure with a marginal significance. In the ''innovative democracy and concrete institutional economy'' approach one of the key problems regarding wind turbines, is the local acceptance. This raises the following questions: how is local acceptance, from the perspective of the innovative democracy, of the wind regions in Germany and Spain and why it was developed in this way. Another central question concerning the local acceptance of wind energy is how wind regions in Argentina (as an example of an emerging country investing in renewable energy) can learn from the European experiences. Based on this, I would like to make a comparative analysis between Germany, Spain and Argentina on the basis of various regions with the corresponding wind parks, within regional differences and similarities are to be worked out. First results tend to demonstrate that wind energy promotion programs will be most successful (in terms of their higher level of social acceptance) in locales that have participatory decision making structures and incorporate wind energy development into broader local or regional development programs. For example in touristic programs. In order to verify this the case study approach is focused on comparing selected regions based on the three countries. (orig.)

High Energy Phenomena in Eta Carinae Roberto F. Viotti , Lucio ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

High Energy Phenomena in Eta Carinae ... Colliding winds model—non-thermal emission—stars: η ... very massive wind. Its unseen compan- ion should be a less evolved early-type star. It was found that the two last spectroscopic minima of June 1992 and December 1997 coincided with two X-ray eclipses detected.

Local acceptance of wind energy: Factors of success identified in French and German case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jobert, Arthur; Laborgne, Pia; Mimler, Solveig

2007-01-01

The objective of this paper is to identify and analyse factors that are important for winning acceptance of wind-energy parks on the local level. The developers of wind-energy parks need to know how to manage 'social acceptance' at the different stages of planning, realisation and operation. Five case studies in France and Germany focused on factors of success in developing a wind-energy project on a given site and illuminated how policy frameworks influence local acceptance. Our hypothesis is that these factors fall into two categories: institutional conditions, such as economic incentives and regulations; and site-specific conditions (territorial factors), such as the local economy, the local geography, local actors, and the actual on-site planning process (project management)

Communication and Energy Efficiency in Visual Sensor Networks for People Localization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karakaya, Mahmut [ORNL; Qi, Hairong [ORNL

2012-01-01

This paper addresses the communication and energy efficiency in collaborative visual sensor networks (VSNs) for people localization, a challenging computer vision problem of its own. We focus on the design of a light-weight and energy efficient solution where people are localized based on distributed camera nodes integrating the so-called certainty map generated at each node, that records the target non-existence information within the camera s field of view. We first present a dynamic itinerary for certainty map integration where not only each sensor node transmits a very limited amount of data but that a limited number of camera nodes is involved. Then, we perform a comprehensive analytical study to evaluate communication and energy efficiency between different integration schemes, i.e., centralized and distributed integration. Based on results obtained from analytical study and real experiments, the distributed method shows effectiveness in detection accuracy as well as energy and bandwidth efficiency.

Community energy and emissions planning : a guide for BC local governments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-09-01

British Columbia (BC) local governments are becoming more interested in completing an energy and greenhouse gas emissions plan for their community as awareness of climate change grows and energy prices escalate. The purpose of this guide was to support local government elected officials and staff in undertaking an energy and emissions planning process. This guide described the purpose and content of a community energy and emissions plan, its benefits, and how to go about creating one. Specifically, the guide provided practical tips, examples from BC communities, and links to more detailed information. Topics that were presented in the guide included engagement; inventories; target-setting; action plan; implementation and monitoring; and funding and resources. It was concluded that the key to long-term success is to maintain good communication with council/board, staff and the public. The document emphasized that it is important to make sure that people know the work being undertaken, and the results achieved, so that momentum is not lost. refs., tabs., figs

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

Enhancing local distinctiveness fosters public acceptance of tidal energy: A UK case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devine-Wright, Patrick

2011-01-01

Tidal energy has the technical potential to form part of a low carbon electricity sector, however, its 'social potential' is less clear, as few empirical studies of public beliefs and responses have been conducted to date. This research addressed this gap by investigating a tidal energy convertor in Northern Ireland, said to be the first grid-connected device of its kind in the world. Data was collected from 313 residents of two nearby villages using mixed methods, guided by a conceptual framework that avoided 'NIMBY' assumptions and instead drew on place theory. Findings indicated strong support for the project, arising from beliefs that the project enhanced local distinctiveness by 'putting the area on the map worldwide'; appeared visually familiar and helped tackle climate change. These positive beliefs outweighed concerns about outcome and process aspects, which were preponderant in one of the two villages. The project was interpreted to have few positive local economic outcomes, to potentially threaten local livelihoods and local ecology. Moreover, residents expressed cynicism about consultation procedures, and reported low levels of behavioural engagement. Implications of the findings for the literature on public acceptance of renewable energy, and for the emerging marine energy sector specifically, are discussed.

Structure optimization by heuristic algorithm in a coarse-grained off-lattice model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jing-Fa, Liu

2009-01-01

A heuristic algorithm is presented for a three-dimensional off-lattice AB model consisting of hydrophobic (A) and hydrophilic (B) residues in Fibonacci sequences. By incorporating extra energy contributions into the original potential function, we convert the constrained optimization problem of AB model into an unconstrained optimization problem which can be solved by the gradient method. After the gradient minimization leads to the basins of the local energy minima, the heuristic off-trap strategy and subsequent neighborhood search mechanism are then proposed to get out of local minima and search for the lower-energy configurations. Furthermore, in order to improve the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, we apply the improved version called the new PERM with importance sampling (nPERMis) of the chain-growth algorithm, pruned-enriched-Rosenbluth method (PERM), to face-centered-cubic (FCC)-lattice to produce the initial configurations. The numerical results show that the proposed methods are very promising for finding the ground states of proteins. In several cases, we found the ground state energies are lower than the best values reported in the present literature

Local Sustainable Energy Assessment of Uttarakhand and West Bengal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jan; Lund, Søren

The publication reports a sustainable energy assessment at the local project site of the HighARCS project in Nainital, Uttarakhand and Buxa, West Bengal, India. The assessment has been made as a contribution to the elaboration of biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement action plans...

Impacts of wave energy conversion devices on local wave climate: observations and modelling from the Perth Wave Energy Project

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeke, Ron; Hemer, Mark; Contardo, Stephanie; Symonds, Graham; Mcinnes, Kathy

2016-04-01

As demonstrated by the Australian Wave Energy Atlas (AWavEA), the southern and western margins of the country possess considerable wave energy resources. The Australia Government has made notable investments in pre-commercial wave energy developments in these areas, however little is known about how this technology may impact local wave climate and subsequently affect neighbouring coastal environments, e.g. altering sediment transport, causing shoreline erosion or accretion. In this study, a network of in-situ wave measurement devices have been deployed surrounding the 3 wave energy converters of the Carnegie Wave Energy Limited's Perth Wave Energy Project. This data is being used to develop, calibrate and validate numerical simulations of the project site. Early stage results will be presented and potential simulation strategies for scaling-up the findings to larger arrays of wave energy converters will be discussed. The intended project outcomes are to establish zones of impact defined in terms of changes in local wave energy spectra and to initiate best practice guidelines for the establishment of wave energy conversion sites.

Efficient globally optimal segmentation of cells in fluorescence microscopy images using level sets and convex energy functionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergeest, Jan-Philip; Rohr, Karl

2012-10-01

In high-throughput applications, accurate and efficient segmentation of cells in fluorescence microscopy images is of central importance for the quantification of protein expression and the understanding of cell function. We propose an approach for segmenting cell nuclei which is based on active contours using level sets and convex energy functionals. Compared to previous work, our approach determines the global solution. Thus, the approach does not suffer from local minima and the segmentation result does not depend on the initialization. We consider three different well-known energy functionals for active contour-based segmentation and introduce convex formulations of these functionals. We also suggest a numeric approach for efficiently computing the solution. The performance of our approach has been evaluated using fluorescence microscopy images from different experiments comprising different cell types. We have also performed a quantitative comparison with previous segmentation approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy-dominated local carbon emissions in Beijing 2007: inventory and input-output analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Shan; Liu, J B; Shao, Ling; Li, J S; An, Y R

2012-01-01

For greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by Beijing economy 2007, a concrete emission inventory covering carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is presented and associated with an input-output analysis to reveal the local GHG embodiment in final demand and trade without regard to imported emissions. The total direct GHG emissions amount to 1.06E + 08 t CO(2)-eq, of which energy-related CO(2) emissions comprise 90.49%, non-energy-related CO(2) emissions 6.35%, CH(4) emissions 2.33%, and N(2)O emissions 0.83%, respectively. In terms of energy-related CO(2) emissions, the largest source is coal with a percentage of 53.08%, followed by coke with 10.75% and kerosene with 8.44%. Sector 26 (Construction Industry) holds the top local emissions embodied in final demand of 1.86E + 07 t CO(2)-eq due to its considerable capital, followed by energy-intensive Sectors 27 (Transport and Storage) and 14 (Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals). The GHG emissions embodied in Beijing's exports are 4.90E + 07 t CO(2)-eq, accounting for 46.01% of the total emissions embodied in final demand. The sound scientific database totally based on local emissions is an important basis to make effective environment and energy policies for local decision makers.

Finding synergy between local competitiveness and global sustainability to provide a future to nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Den Durpel, Luc; Yacout, Abdellatif; Wade, Dave

2008-01-01

The world's future energy needs will require a mix of energy conversion technologies matched to the local energy market needs while also responding to both local and global socio-political concerns, e.g. energy security, environmental impact, safety and non-proliferation. There is growing recognition worldwide that nuclear energy should not only be part of the solution but maybe as well play a larger share in future's energy supply. The sustainability of future nuclear energy systems is hereby important and a variety of studies have already shown that sustainability of nuclear energy from a resource perspective is achievable via the nuclear fuel cycle though where economic sustainability is essentially defined by the nuclear power plants. The main challenge in deploying sustainable nuclear energy systems will be to find synergies between this local competitiveness of nuclear power plants and the global resource sustainability defined via the nuclear fuel cycle. Both may go hand-in-hand in the long-term but may need government guidance in starting the transition towards such future sustainable nuclear energy systems. (authors)

Minimum free-energy paths for the self-organization of polymer brushes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleria, Ignacio; Mocskos, Esteban; Tagliazucchi, Mario

2017-03-22

A methodology to calculate minimum free-energy paths based on the combination of a molecular theory and the improved string method is introduced and applied to study the self-organization of polymer brushes under poor solvent conditions. Polymer brushes in a poor solvent cannot undergo macroscopic phase separation due to the physical constraint imposed by the grafting points; therefore, they microphase separate forming aggregates. Under some conditions, the theory predicts that the homogeneous brush and the aggregates can exist as two different minima of the free energy. The theoretical methodology introduced in this work allows us to predict the minimum free-energy path connecting these two minima as well as the morphology of the system along the path. It is shown that the transition between the homogeneous brush and the aggregates may involve a free-energy barrier or be barrierless depending on the relative stability of the two morphologies and the chain length and grafting density of the polymer. In the case where a free-energy barrier exists, one of the morphologies is a metastable structure and, therefore, the properties of the brush as the quality of the solvent is cycled are expected to display hysteresis. The theory is also applied to study the adhesion/deadhesion transition between two opposing surfaces modified by identical polymer brushes and it is shown that this process may also require surpassing a free-energy barrier.

Solvent-assisted multistage nonequilibrium electron transfer in rigid supramolecular systems: Diabatic free energy surfaces and algorithms for numerical simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Feskov, Serguei V.; Ivanov, Anatoly I.

2018-03-01

An approach to the construction of diabatic free energy surfaces (FESs) for ultrafast electron transfer (ET) in a supramolecule with an arbitrary number of electron localization centers (redox sites) is developed, supposing that the reorganization energies for the charge transfers and shifts between all these centers are known. Dimensionality of the coordinate space required for the description of multistage ET in this supramolecular system is shown to be equal to N - 1, where N is the number of the molecular centers involved in the reaction. The proposed algorithm of FES construction employs metric properties of the coordinate space, namely, relation between the solvent reorganization energy and the distance between the two FES minima. In this space, the ET reaction coordinate zn n' associated with electron transfer between the nth and n'th centers is calculated through the projection to the direction, connecting the FES minima. The energy-gap reaction coordinates zn n' corresponding to different ET processes are not in general orthogonal so that ET between two molecular centers can create nonequilibrium distribution, not only along its own reaction coordinate but along other reaction coordinates too. This results in the influence of the preceding ET steps on the kinetics of the ensuing ET. It is important for the ensuing reaction to be ultrafast to proceed in parallel with relaxation along the ET reaction coordinates. Efficient algorithms for numerical simulation of multistage ET within the stochastic point-transition model are developed. The algorithms are based on the Brownian simulation technique with the recrossing-event detection procedure. The main advantages of the numerical method are (i) its computational complexity is linear with respect to the number of electronic states involved and (ii) calculations can be naturally parallelized up to the level of individual trajectories. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated for a model

Managing transition towards energy efficient housing at the local level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quitzau, Maj-Britt; Hoffmann, Birgitte; Elle, Morten

2010-01-01

regulation in several European countries, the general picture remains that existing regimes in the building sector are withheld and that little innovation in terms of new radical energy efficient solutions is taking place. In order to dissolve such a deadlock in the building sector, there is a need to target...... the capability to coordinate and facilitate this complex transition process. The local scale of policy-formulation has been chosen in this paper in order to describe transition processes from the perspective of practitioners, who are hands on the specific building projects. The local scale provides an in......-depth study of how specific practitioners, such as local planning authorities, building firms, building developers, technical experts and suppliers, interact and coordinate their efforts in the local arena of a specific building project (within a more general framework). The focus on the local scale allows...

3. national sittings on energy ''energy, urban mobility,... tomorrow: which responsibilities for the local governments?''; 3. assises nationales de l'energie. ''Energie, mobilite urbaine,... demain: quelles responsabilites pour les collectivites locales?''

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

This conference deals with the local government policy concerning the energy mastership of the transportation sector. Sixteen workshops discussed on the problem of the urban mobility in an environmental quality context: legal provisions affecting the energy mastership, mobility in the urban area, regulations, clean technologies enhancement, the public information impact on the energy consumption and the financial means. (A.L.B.)

Water impacts and water-climate goal conflicts of local energy choices – notes from a Swedish perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. E. Engström

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To meet both the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, nations, sectors, counties and cities need to move towards a sustainable energy system in the next couple of decades. Such energy system transformations will impact water resources to varying extents, depending on the transformation strategy and fuel choices. Sweden is considered to be one of the most advanced countries towards meeting the SDGs. This paper explores the geographical origin of and the current water use associated with the supply of energy in the 21 regional counties of Sweden. These energy-related uses of water represent indirect, but still relevant, impacts for water management and the related SDG on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6. These indirect water impacts are here quantified and compared to reported quantifications of direct local water use, as well as to reported greenhouse gas (GHG emissions, as one example of other types of environmental impacts of local energy choices in each county. For each county, an accounting model is set up based on data for the local energy use in year 2010, and the specific geographical origins and water use associated with these locally used energy carriers (fuels, heat and electricity are further estimated and mapped based on data reported in the literature and open databases. Results show that most of the water use associated with the local Swedish energy use occurs outside of Sweden. Counties with large shares of liquid biofuel exhibit the largest associated indirect water use in regions outside of Sweden. This indirect water use for energy supply does not unambiguously correlate with either the local direct water use or the local GHG emissions, although for the latter, there is a tendency towards an inverse relation. Overall, the results imply that actions for mitigation of climate change by local energy choices may significantly affect water resources elsewhere. Swedish counties are thus

High-sensitivity visualization of localized electric fields using low-energy electron beam deflection

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Samuel; Ito, Yoshikazu; Edwards, Gary; Fujita, Jun-ichi

2018-06-01

The visualization of localized electronic charges on nanocatalysts is expected to yield fundamental information about catalytic reaction mechanisms. We have developed a high-sensitivity detection technique for the visualization of localized charges on a catalyst and their corresponding electric field distribution, using a low-energy beam of 1 to 5 keV electrons and a high-sensitivity scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) detector. The highest sensitivity for visualizing a localized electric field was ∼0.08 V/µm at a distance of ∼17 µm from a localized charge at 1 keV of the primary electron energy, and a weak local electric field produced by 200 electrons accumulated on the carbon nanotube (CNT) apex can be visualized. We also observed that Au nanoparticles distributed on a CNT forest tended to accumulate a certain amount of charges, about 150 electrons, at a ‑2 V bias.

Energy-Dominated Local Carbon Emissions in Beijing 2007: Inventory and Input-Output Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shan Guo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available For greenhouse gas (GHG emissions by Beijing economy 2007, a concrete emission inventory covering carbon dioxide (CO2, methane (CH4, and nitrous oxide (N2O is presented and associated with an input-output analysis to reveal the local GHG embodiment in final demand and trade without regard to imported emissions. The total direct GHG emissions amount to 1.06E + 08 t CO2-eq, of which energy-related CO2 emissions comprise 90.49%, non-energy-related CO2 emissions 6.35%, CH4 emissions 2.33%, and N2O emissions 0.83%, respectively. In terms of energy-related CO2 emissions, the largest source is coal with a percentage of 53.08%, followed by coke with 10.75% and kerosene with 8.44%. Sector 26 (Construction Industry holds the top local emissions embodied in final demand of 1.86E + 07 t CO2-eq due to its considerable capital, followed by energy-intensive Sectors 27 (Transport and Storage and 14 (Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals. The GHG emissions embodied in Beijing's exports are 4.90E + 07 t CO2-eq, accounting for 46.01% of the total emissions embodied in final demand. The sound scientific database totally based on local emissions is an important basis to make effective environment and energy policies for local decision makers.

Local functional derivative of the total energy and the shell structure in atoms and molecules

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pino, R.; Markvoort, Albert. J.; Santen, van R.A.; Hilbers, P.A.J.

2003-01-01

The full and local Thomas–Fermi–Dirac energy functional derivatives are evaluated at Hartree–Fock densities for several atoms and molecules. These functions are interpreted as local chemical potentials and related mainly to kinetic energy functional derivatives. They are able to reveal the shell

Energies of the X- and L-valleys in In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As from electronic structure calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greene-Diniz, Gabriel; Greer, J. C. [Tyndall National Institute, Lee Maltings, Prospect Row, Cork (Ireland); Fischetti, M. V. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road RL10, Richardson, Texas 75080 (United States)

2016-02-07

Several theoretical electronic structure methods are applied to study the relative energies of the minima of the X- and L-conduction-band satellite valleys of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}As with x = 0.53. This III-V semiconductor is a contender as a replacement for silicon in high-performance n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors. The energy of the low-lying valleys relative to the conduction-band edge governs the population of channel carriers as the transistor is brought into inversion, hence determining current drive and switching properties at gate voltages above threshold. The calculations indicate that the position of the L- and X-valley minima are ∼1 eV and ∼1.2 eV, respectively, higher in energy with respect to the conduction-band minimum at the Γ-point.

Linear-scaling evaluation of the local energy in quantum Monte Carlo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Austin, Brian; Aspuru-Guzik, Alan; Salomon-Ferrer, Romelia; Lester, William A. Jr.

2006-01-01

For atomic and molecular quantum Monte Carlo calculations, most of the computational effort is spent in the evaluation of the local energy. We describe a scheme for reducing the computational cost of the evaluation of the Slater determinants and correlation function for the correlated molecular orbital (CMO) ansatz. A sparse representation of the Slater determinants makes possible efficient evaluation of molecular orbitals. A modification to the scaled distance function facilitates a linear scaling implementation of the Schmidt-Moskowitz-Boys-Handy (SMBH) correlation function that preserves the efficient matrix multiplication structure of the SMBH function. For the evaluation of the local energy, these two methods lead to asymptotic linear scaling with respect to the molecule size

Energy availabilities for state and local development: projected energy patterns for 1980 and 1985

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogt, D. P.; Rice, P. L.; Pai, V. P.

1978-06-01

This report presents projections of the supply, demand, and net imports of seven fuel types and four final consuming sectors for BEAs, states, census regions, and the nation for 1980 and 1985. The data are formatted to present regional energy availability from primary extraction, as well as from regional transformation processes. As constructed, the tables depict energy balances between availability and use for each of the specific fuels. The objective of the program is to provide a consistent base of historic and projected energy information within a standard format. Such a framework should aid regional policymakers in their consideration of regional growth issues that may be influenced by the regional energy system. This basic data must be supplemented by region-specific information which only the local policy analyst can bring to bear in his assessment of the energy conditions which characterize each region. The energy data, coupled with specific knowledge of projected economic growth and employment patterns, can assist EDA in developing its grant-in-aid investment strategy.

Assessing the impact of renewable energy deployment on local sustainability: Towards a theoretical framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

del Rio, Pablo [Facultad de Ciencias Juridicas y Sociales de Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, C/Cobertizo de S. Pedro Martir s/n, Toledo-45071 (Spain); Burguillo, Mercedes [Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Alcala, Pza. de la Victoria 3, 28802 Alcala de Henares, Madrid (Spain)

2008-06-15

Renewable energy sources (RES) have a large potential to contribute to the sustainable development (SD) of specific territories by providing them with a wide variety of socioeconomic and environmental benefits. However, the existing literature has put much emphasis on the environmental benefits (including the reduction of global and local pollutants), while socioeconomic impacts have not received a comparable attention. These include diversification of energy supply, enhanced regional and rural development opportunities, creation of a domestic industry and employment opportunities. With the exception of the diversification and security of energy supply, these benefits have usually been mentioned, but their analysis has been too general (i.e., mostly at the national level) and a focus on the regional and, even more so, the local level, has been lacking. At most, studies provide scattered evidence of some of those regional and local benefits, but without an integrated conceptual framework to analyse them. This paper tries to make a contribution in this regard by developing an integrated theoretical framework which allows a comprehensive analysis of the impact of renewable energy on local sustainability and which can be empirically applied to identify these benefits in different territories. (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

Turbulence generation through intense localized sources of energy

Science.gov (United States)

Maqui, Agustin; Donzis, Diego

2015-11-01

Mechanisms to generate turbulence in controlled conditions have been studied for nearly a century. Most common methods include passive and active grids with a focus on incompressible turbulence. However, little attention has been given to compressible flows, and even less to hypersonic flows, where phenomena such as thermal non-equilibrium can be present. Using intense energy from lasers, extreme molecule velocities can be generated from photo-dissociation. This creates strong localized changes in both the hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of the flow, which may perturb the flow in a way similar to an active grid to generate turbulence in hypersonic flows. A large database of direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to study the feasibility of such an approach. An extensive analysis of single and two point statistics, as well as spectral dynamics is used to characterize the evolution of the flow towards realistic turbulence. Local measures of enstrophy and dissipation are studied to diagnose the main mechanisms for energy exchange. As commonly done in compressible flows, dilatational and solenoidal components are separated to understand the effect of acoustics on the development of turbulence. Further results for cases that assimilate laboratory conditions will be discussed. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of AFOSR.

Locally Appropriate Energy Strategies for the Developing World: A focus on Clean Energy Opportunities in Borneo

Science.gov (United States)

Shirley, Rebekah Grace

This dissertation focuses on an integration of energy modeling tools to explore energy transition pathways for emerging economies. The spate of growth in the global South has led to a global energy transition, evidenced in part by a surge in the development of large scale energy infrastructure projects for the provision of reliable electricity service. The rational of energy security and exigency often usher these large scale projects through to implementation with minimal analysis of costs: social and environmental impact, ecological risk, or opportunity costs of alternative energy transition pathways foregone. Furthermore, development of energy infrastructure is inherently characterized by the involvement of a number of state and non-state actors, with varying interests, objectives and access to authority. Being woven through and into social institutions necessarily impacts the design, control and functionality of infrastructure. In this dissertation I therefore conceptualize energy infrastructure as lying at the intersection, or nexus, of people, the environment and energy security. I argue that energy infrastructure plans and policy should, and can, be informed by each of these fields of influence in order to appropriately satisfy local development needs. This case study explores the socio-techno-environmental context of contemporary mega-dam development in northern Borneo. I describe the key actors of an ongoing mega-dam debate and the constellation of their interaction. This highlights the role that information may play in public discourse and lends insight into how inertia in the established system may stymie technological evolution. I then use a combination of power system simulation, ecological modeling and spatial analysis to analyze the potential for, and costs and tradeoffs of, future energy scenarios. In this way I demonstrate reproducible methods that can support energy infrastructure decision making by directly addressing data limitation barriers. I

Equilibrium states and ground state of two-dimensional fluid foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graner, F.; Jiang, Y.; Janiaud, E.; Flament, C.

2001-01-01

We study the equilibrium energies of two-dimensional (2D) noncoarsening fluid foams, which consist of bubbles with fixed areas. The equilibrium states correspond to local minima of the total perimeter. We present a theoretical derivation of energy minima; experiments with ferrofluid foams, which can be either highly distorted, locally relaxed, or globally annealed; and Monte Carlo simulations using the extended large-Q Potts model. For a dry foam with small size variance we develop physical insight and an electrostatic analogy, which enables us to (i) find an approximate value of the global minimum perimeter, accounting for (small) area disorder, the topological distribution, and physical boundary conditions; (ii) conjecture the corresponding pattern and topology: small bubbles sort inward and large bubbles sort outward, topological charges of the same signs ''repel'' while charges of the opposite signs ''attract;'' (iii) define local and global markers to determine directly from an image how far a foam is from its ground state; (iv) conjecture that, in a local perimeter minimum at prescribed topology, the pressure distribution and thus the edge curvature are unique. Some results also apply to 3D foams

Energy use and sustainable development in the 21st century - Local action and national strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

This report sums up the conference ''Energy use and sustainable development in the 21st century - Local action and national strategies'' that was held in Oslo in 1999. The purpose of the conference was to stimulate the development of climate- and energy strategies and actions that support a sustainable use of energy locally and regionally. The report discusses important points from the various contributions and from the workshops of the conference.

Minimization of local impact of energy systems through exergy analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cassetti, Gabriele; Colombo, Emanuela

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The model proposed aims at minimizing local impact of energy systems. • The model is meant to minimize the impact starting from system thermodynamics. • The formulation combines exergy analysis and quantitative risk analysis. • The approach of the model is dual to Thermoeconomics. - Abstract: For the acceptability of energy systems, environmental impacts are becoming more and more important. One primary way for reducing impacts related to processes is by improving efficiency of plants. A key instrument currently used to verify such improvements is exergy analysis, extended to include also the environmental externalities generated by systems. Through exergy-based analyses, it is possible indeed to evaluate the overall amount of resources consumed along all the phases of the life cycle of a system, from construction to dismantling. However, resource consumption is a dimension of the impact of a system at global level, while it may not be considered a measure of its local impact. In the paper a complementary approach named Combined Risk and Exergy Analysis (CRExA) to assess impacts from major accidents in energy systems is proposed, based on the combination of classical exergy analysis and quantitative risk analysis (QRA). Impacts considered are focused on effects on human health. The approach leads to the identification of solutions to minimize damages of major accidents by acting on the energy system design

Local energy decay for linear wave equations with variable coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Ikehata, Ryo

2005-06-01

A uniform local energy decay result is derived to the linear wave equation with spatial variable coefficients. We deal with this equation in an exterior domain with a star-shaped complement. Our advantage is that we do not assume any compactness of the support on the initial data, and its proof is quite simple. This generalizes a previous famous result due to Morawetz [The decay of solutions of the exterior initial-boundary value problem for the wave equation, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 14 (1961) 561-568]. In order to prove local energy decay, we mainly apply two types of ideas due to Ikehata-Matsuyama [L2-behaviour of solutions to the linear heat and wave equations in exterior domains, Sci. Math. Japon. 55 (2002) 33-42] and Todorova-Yordanov [Critical exponent for a nonlinear wave equation with damping, J. Differential Equations 174 (2001) 464-489].

Golden Eagle fatalities and the continental-scale consequences of local wind-energy generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Katzner, Todd E; Nelson, David M; Braham, Melissa A; Doyle, Jacqueline M; Fernandez, Nadia B; Duerr, Adam E; Bloom, Peter H; Fitzpatrick, Matthew C; Miller, Tricia A; Culver, Renee C E; Braswell, Loan; DeWoody, J Andrew

2017-04-01

Renewable energy production is expanding rapidly despite mostly unknown environmental effects on wildlife and habitats. We used genetic and stable isotope data collected from Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) killed at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in California in demographic models to test hypotheses about the geographic extent and demographic consequences of fatalities caused by renewable energy facilities. Geospatial analyses of δ 2 H values obtained from feathers showed that ≥25% of these APWRA-killed eagles were recent immigrants to the population, most from long distances away (>100 km). Data from nuclear genes indicated this subset of immigrant eagles was genetically similar to birds identified as locals from the δ 2 H data. Demographic models implied that in the face of this mortality, the apparent stability of the local Golden Eagle population was maintained by continental-scale immigration. These analyses demonstrate that ecosystem management decisions concerning the effects of local-scale renewable energy can have continental-scale consequences. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

SGO: A fast engine for ab initio atomic structure global optimization by differential evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhanghui; Jia, Weile; Jiang, Xiangwei; Li, Shu-Shen; Wang, Lin-Wang

2017-10-01

As the high throughout calculations and material genome approaches become more and more popular in material science, the search for optimal ways to predict atomic global minimum structure is a high research priority. This paper presents a fast method for global search of atomic structures at ab initio level. The structures global optimization (SGO) engine consists of a high-efficiency differential evolution algorithm, accelerated local relaxation methods and a plane-wave density functional theory code running on GPU machines. The purpose is to show what can be achieved by combining the superior algorithms at the different levels of the searching scheme. SGO can search the global-minimum configurations of crystals, two-dimensional materials and quantum clusters without prior symmetry restriction in a relatively short time (half or several hours for systems with less than 25 atoms), thus making such a task a routine calculation. Comparisons with other existing methods such as minima hopping and genetic algorithm are provided. One motivation of our study is to investigate the properties of magnetic systems in different phases. The SGO engine is capable of surveying the local minima surrounding the global minimum, which provides the information for the overall energy landscape of a given system. Using this capability we have found several new configurations for testing systems, explored their energy landscape, and demonstrated that the magnetic moment of metal clusters fluctuates strongly in different local minima.

Development regulation changes local elected leaders can make to promote energy conservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kron, Jr, N F

1980-07-01

This report lists actions that local officials can make to change their community's development regulations and thereby lessen the effects of local energy problems. The term development regulations, as used here, is a general reference to local or state controls over land use and development that affect design, orientation, placement, location, and related characteristics of buildings and infrastructure. The regulations include items such as zoning, subdivision controls, setbacks, yard and height requirements, and solar-access ordinances.

Vibrational energy relaxation: proposed pathway of fast local chromatin denaturation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harder, D.; Greinert, R.

2002-01-01

The molecular mechanism responsible for the a component of exchange-type chromosome aberrations, of chromosome fragmentation and of reproductive cell death is one of the unsolved issues of radiation biology. Under review is whether vibrational energy relaxation in the constitutive biopolymers of chromatin, induced by inelastic energy deposition events and mediated via highly excited vibrational states, may provide a pathway of fast local chromatin denaturation, thereby producing the severe DNA lesion able to interact chemically with other, non-damaged chromatin. (author)

Local Sustainable Energy Assessment Report of Quang Tri in Vietnam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jan; Lund, Søren

The publication reports a sustainable energy assessment at the local project site of the HighARCS project in Nainital, Uttarakhand and Buxa, West Bengal, India. The assessment has been made as a contribution to the elaboration of biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement action plans...

Renewable energies in Germany, a national commitment... at the local scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persem, Melanie

2012-01-01

This document presents some key information and figures about the development of renewable energies in Germany: share in the national energy mix, the central role of municipalities, economical fallouts and added-value at the local scale (example of a 2 MW wind farm), key-role of the citizen in the development of renewable energies, cooperative companies: an appreciated model, citizen's solar facilities: when municipalities and citizens work side by side, citizen's wind farms: a model supported by citizens, French-German comparison of wind farms development, wind energy and photovoltaic development in Germany, French-German comparison of employment in the renewable energies industry, German consumers' contribution and electricity prices

Energy dependence of a local equivalent potential for RGM phase shifts for 16O + 16O

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ait-Tahar, S.; Mackintosh, R.S.; Cooper, S.G.; Wada, T.

1993-01-01

We have found, using the IP inversion method, the local representation of a potential that in S(l) equivalent to the RGM nonlocal potential of Wada and Horiuchi. Phase shifts corresponding to RGM calculations at laboratory energies 30, 41, 49, 59, 150, 350 and 500 MeV were inverted and the resulting local potentials compared with the local (but l-dependent) potentials obtained previously in the WKB-RGM scheme. The present l-independent potentials exhibit a smooth radial variation and show marked differences from previous results. The energy dependence arises from that of the exchange term and from the conversion of the l-dependence into an additional energy dependence. In particular, we show that the energy dependence of the volume integrals in this energy region is different from earlier WKB-RGM predictions. (orig.)

Local energy supply under national and European law. With special regard to municipal policy opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britz, G.

1994-01-01

Conceivably, the erection of a single European energy market for electricity and natural gas as specified in the EC draft guidelines may change the conditions of local energy supply. This thesis therefore investigates which instruments are at the disposal of municipal governments for the realization of energy-political concepts of their own: Rights of way and granting of franchises, establishment of and transfer of tasks to municipal utilities, common carvier duties, and free choice of suppliers by distributors. The handling of franchise payments and treatment of municipal interconnected networks are of considerable importance for the financial situation of communities. The first section deals with the legal issues of local energy supply with regard to national law. The second part deals with the same questions with regard to community law. Furthermore it is considered what would be the consequences of the realization of the two guidelines concerning the single energy market. In the final section the results are compared and the significance of community law for local energy supply is assessed. (orig./HP) [de

[Interactions of DNA bases with individual water molecules. Molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics computation results vs. experimental data].

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, E; Lino, J; Deriabina, A; Herrera, J N F; Poltev, V I

2013-01-01

To elucidate details of the DNA-water interactions we performed the calculations and systemaitic search for minima of interaction energy of the systems consisting of one of DNA bases and one or two water molecules. The results of calculations using two force fields of molecular mechanics (MM) and correlated ab initio method MP2/6-31G(d, p) of quantum mechanics (QM) have been compared with one another and with experimental data. The calculations demonstrated a qualitative agreement between geometry characteristics of the most of local energy minima obtained via different methods. The deepest minima revealed by MM and QM methods correspond to water molecule position between two neighbor hydrophilic centers of the base and to the formation by water molecule of hydrogen bonds with them. Nevertheless, the relative depth of some minima and peculiarities of mutual water-base positions in' these minima depend on the method used. The analysis revealed insignificance of some differences in the results of calculations performed via different methods and the importance of other ones for the description of DNA hydration. The calculations via MM methods enable us to reproduce quantitatively all the experimental data on the enthalpies of complex formation of single water molecule with the set of mono-, di-, and trimethylated bases, as well as on water molecule locations near base hydrophilic atoms in the crystals of DNA duplex fragments, while some of these data cannot be rationalized by QM calculations.

Information report realized for the Senate delegation to the territory management and sustainable development on the local energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belot, C.; Juilhard, J.M.

2006-06-01

This report deals with the renewable energies and the local development called the territory intelligence in action. Taking into account the place of the electricity in the french energy accounting and the part of the nuclear in its production, the local authorities have to act in the heat domain, which is the first energy need in France, far in front of the specific electricity (those which cannot be replace by other type of energy). But 80% of the heat is today covered by fossil energies. No actions to change this situation will be done without a real implication of the local government. The authors preconize an ambitious objective: cover 50% of the heat needs from renewable energies in the next generation. This objective must rely on a program called ''alternative energies''. In this framework the authors provide recommendations on the implementation of the renewable energies as an essential challenge for the local authorities. (A.L.B.)

Visualization of protein folding funnels in lattice models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio B Oliveira

Full Text Available Protein folding occurs in a very high dimensional phase space with an exponentially large number of states, and according to the energy landscape theory it exhibits a topology resembling a funnel. In this statistical approach, the folding mechanism is unveiled by describing the local minima in an effective one-dimensional representation. Other approaches based on potential energy landscapes address the hierarchical structure of local energy minima through disconnectivity graphs. In this paper, we introduce a metric to describe the distance between any two conformations, which also allows us to go beyond the one-dimensional representation and visualize the folding funnel in 2D and 3D. In this way it is possible to assess the folding process in detail, e.g., by identifying the connectivity between conformations and establishing the paths to reach the native state, in addition to regions where trapping may occur. Unlike the disconnectivity maps method, which is based on the kinetic connections between states, our methodology is based on structural similarities inferred from the new metric. The method was developed in a 27-mer protein lattice model, folded into a 3×3×3 cube. Five sequences were studied and distinct funnels were generated in an analysis restricted to conformations from the transition-state to the native configuration. Consistent with the expected results from the energy landscape theory, folding routes can be visualized to probe different regions of the phase space, as well as determine the difficulty in folding of the distinct sequences. Changes in the landscape due to mutations were visualized, with the comparison between wild and mutated local minima in a single map, which serves to identify different trapping regions. The extension of this approach to more realistic models and its use in combination with other approaches are discussed.

Mind the gap! Barriers and implementation deficiencies of energy policies at the local scale in urban China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jing; Zuidema, Christian; Gugerell, Katharina; Roo, Gert de

2017-01-01

Environmental concerns and potential social-economic impacts associated with fossil fuels have turned cities into indispensable entities for supporting energy transitions in China. Pursuing a transition towards a sustainable energy system has become a major policy concern for the Chinese central government. In response, and on the basis of a top-down and conformance-oriented system of policy implementation and evaluation, the Chinese central government has launched various policies and targets on energy efficiency and production that lower levels of government have to follow. However, the translation of top-down targets and the measurement of conformance-based targets have both proved to be problematic. This paper investigates Chinese state policy on energy efficiency through four empirical case studies. It identifies how policy design of target setting and evaluation is both impacting and driving the implementation of energy efficiency at the local urban scale. We demonstrate how local authorities are faced with constraining barriers that can inhibit the implementation of centrally issued targets and policies. These barriers may even undermine local performance in the pursuit of ambitious energy efficiency goals, resulting in potentially harmful consequences. - Highlights: • Energy efficiency policies are ill-adapted to the diversity of local circumstances. • Predominant focus on conformance in energy policies overlooks local performance. • Pursuing ambitions runs the risk of being undermined by strict measuring systems. • Chinese energy transition needs more flexibility in target setting and evaluation.

Pyridine adsorption and diffusion on Pt(111) investigated with density functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolsbjerg, Esben L.; Groves, Michael N.; Hammer, Bjørk

2016-01-01

The adsorption, diffusion, and dissociation of pyridine, C 5 H 5 N, on Pt(111) are investigated with van der Waals-corrected density functional theory. An elaborate search for local minima in the adsorption potential energy landscape reveals that the intact pyridine adsorbs with the aromatic ring parallel to the surface. Piecewise interconnections of the local minima in the energy landscape reveal that the most favourable diffusion path for pyridine has a barrier of 0.53 eV. In the preferred path, the pyridine remains parallel to the surface while performing small single rotational steps with a carbon-carbon double bond hinged above a single Pt atom. The origin of the diffusion pathway is discussed in terms of the C 2 –Pt π-bond being stronger than the corresponding CN–Pt π-bond. The energy barrier and reaction enthalpy for dehydrogenation of adsorbed pyridine into an adsorbed, upright bound α-pyridyl species are calculated to 0.71 eV and 0.18 eV, respectively (both zero-point energy corrected). The calculations are used to rationalize previous experimental observations from the literature for pyridine on Pt(111).

Quantum localization and protein-assisted vibrational energy flow in cofactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitner, David M

2010-01-01

Quantum effects influence vibrational dynamics and energy flow in biomolecules, which play a central role in biomolecule function, including control of reaction kinetics. Lifetimes of many vibrational modes of proteins and their temperature dependence, as determined by quantum golden-rule-based calculations, exhibit trends consistent with experimental observation and distinct from estimates based on classical modeling. Particularly notable are quantum coherence effects that give rise to localization of vibrational states of sizable organic molecules in the gas phase. Even when such a molecule, for instance a cofactor, is embedded in a protein, remnants of quantum localization survive that influence vibrational energy flow and its dependence on temperature. We discuss these effects on the mode-damping rates of a cofactor embedded in a protein, using the green fluorescent protein chromophore as a specific example. We find that for cofactors of this size embedded in their protein and solvent environment at room temperature a golden-rule calculation often overestimates the mode-damping rate.

Energy transition in and by the local media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horsbøl, Anders

2013-01-01

have addressed the media at a national or international level. This article investigates the mediating of a local, municipal initiative, i.e. the so-called ‘Energy Town Frederikshavn’ project in northern Denmark, which has set the ambitious goal of complete transition to renewable energy consumption...... and CO2 neutrality within a few years. Using frame analysis, informed by discourse studies, the article analyzes how the project emerged and was established as a public phenomenon in the media coverage, including how it was made intelligible and which social actors were represented as having a say...... on the matter. The findings show several differences to national or international representations of climate change and sustainability, such as a prevalent profiling frame and an indication of a reversal of the so-called Giddens’ paradox....

Local dark matter and dark energy as estimated on a scale of ~1 Mpc in a self-consistent way

Science.gov (United States)

Chernin, A. D.; Teerikorpi, P.; Valtonen, M. J.; Dolgachev, V. P.; Domozhilova, L. M.; Byrd, G. G.

2009-12-01

Context: Dark energy was first detected from large distances on gigaparsec scales. If it is vacuum energy (or Einstein's Λ), it should also exist in very local space. Here we discuss its measurement on megaparsec scales of the Local Group. Aims: We combine the modified Kahn-Woltjer method for the Milky Way-M 31 binary and the HST observations of the expansion flow around the Local Group in order to study in a self-consistent way and simultaneously the local density of dark energy and the dark matter mass contained within the Local Group. Methods: A theoretical model is used that accounts for the dynamical effects of dark energy on a scale of ~1 Mpc. Results: The local dark energy density is put into the range 0.8-3.7ρv (ρv is the globally measured density), and the Local Group mass lies within 3.1-5.8×1012 M⊙. The lower limit of the local dark energy density, about 4/5× the global value, is determined by the natural binding condition for the group binary and the maximal zero-gravity radius. The near coincidence of two values measured with independent methods on scales differing by ~1000 times is remarkable. The mass ~4×1012 M⊙ and the local dark energy density ~ρv are also consistent with the expansion flow close to the Local Group, within the standard cosmological model. Conclusions: One should take into account the dark energy in dynamical mass estimation methods for galaxy groups, including the virial theorem. Our analysis gives new strong evidence in favor of Einstein's idea of the universal antigravity described by the cosmological constant.

Structure prediction of nanoclusters; a direct or a pre-screened search on the DFT energy landscape?

Science.gov (United States)

Farrow, M R; Chow, Y; Woodley, S M

2014-10-21

The atomic structure of inorganic nanoclusters obtained via a search for low lying minima on energy landscapes, or hypersurfaces, is reported for inorganic binary compounds: zinc oxide (ZnO)n, magnesium oxide (MgO)n, cadmium selenide (CdSe)n, and potassium fluoride (KF)n, where n = 1-12 formula units. The computational cost of each search is dominated by the effort to evaluate each sample point on the energy landscape and the number of required sample points. The effect of changing the balance between these two factors on the success of the search is investigated. The choice of sample points will also affect the number of required data points and therefore the efficiency of the search. Monte Carlo based global optimisation routines (evolutionary and stochastic quenching algorithms) within a new software package, viz. Knowledge Led Master Code (KLMC), are employed to search both directly and after pre-screening on the DFT energy landscape. Pre-screening includes structural relaxation to minimise a cheaper energy function - based on interatomic potentials - and is found to improve significantly the search efficiency, and typically reduces the number of DFT calculations required to locate the local minima by more than an order of magnitude. Although the choice of functional form is important, the approach is robust to small changes to the interatomic potential parameters. The computational cost of initial DFT calculations of each structure is reduced by employing Gaussian smearing to the electronic energy levels. Larger (KF)n nanoclusters are predicted to form cuboid cuts from the rock-salt phase, but also share many structural motifs with (MgO)n for smaller clusters. The transition from 2D rings to 3D (bubble, or fullerene-like) structures occur at a larger cluster size for (ZnO)n and (CdSe)n. Differences between the HOMO and LUMO energies, for all the compounds apart from KF, are in the visible region of the optical spectrum (2-3 eV); KF lies deep in the UV region

The energy-momentum spectrum in local field theories with broken Lorentz-symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borchers, H.J.; Buchholz, D.

1984-05-01

Assuming locality of the observables and positivity of the energy it is shown that the joint spectrum of the energy-momentum operators has a Lorentz-invariant lower boundary in all superselection sectors. This result is of interest if the Lorentz-symmetry is (spontaneously) broken, such as in the charged sectors of quantum electrodynamics. (orig.)

Effects of diffuser airflow minima on occupant comfort, air mixing, and building energy use (RP-1515)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arens, Edward; Zhang, Hui; Hoyt, Tyler

2015-01-01

There is great energy-saving potential in reducing variable air volume box minimum airflow set-points to about 10% of maximum. Typical savings are on the order of 10%-30% of total HVAC energy, remarkable for an inexpensive controls set-point change that properly maintains outside air ventilation....

Geometric phase effects in low-energy dynamics near conical intersections: A study of the multidimensional linear vibronic coupling model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joubert-Doriol, Loïc; Ryabinkin, Ilya G.; Izmaylov, Artur F.

2013-01-01

In molecular systems containing conical intersections (CIs), a nontrivial geometric phase (GP) appears in the nuclear and electronic wave functions in the adiabatic representation. We study GP effects in nuclear dynamics of an N-dimensional linear vibronic coupling (LVC) model. The main impact of GP on low-energy nuclear dynamics is reduction of population transfer between the local minima of the LVC lower energy surface. For the LVC model, we proposed an isometric coordinate transformation that confines non-adiabatic effects within a two-dimensional subsystem interacting with an N − 2 dimensional environment. Since environmental modes do not couple electronic states, all GP effects originate from nuclear dynamics within the subsystem. We explored when the GP affects nuclear dynamics of the isolated subsystem, and how the subsystem-environment interaction can interfere with GP effects. Comparing quantum dynamics with and without GP allowed us to devise simple rules to determine significance of the GP for nuclear dynamics in this model

The first neighborhood micro-grid of shared energy, RennesGrid: A harbinger of the energy transition at the local level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djahel, Thierry

2017-01-01

To develop a concrete policy for saving energy and for the energy transition, the Rennes metropolitan area and Schneider Electric have launched RennesGrid, a 20-year experiment with managing energy consumption at Ker Lann, an urban development zone located in Bruz township, 12 kilometers southwest of Rennes, France. Covering more than 160 hectares, Ker Lann groups: approximately sixty companies specialized in high technology; seventeen establishments of higher education, research and training; and residential units and dormitories for students. RennesGrid will make it less dependent on carbon energy thanks to the production of local, renewable sources using photovoltaic installations. For consumers, the objective is to reduce their energy needs and consume a renewable form of energy produced locally. Planned for operation at the end of 2017 and endowed with a global investment budget of Euro 5.8 million, this experiment is a private business with a hold over three hectares of land under a 20-year concession. Its business model is, however, mainly based on a cooperative approach (in particular with residents of the zone) and on innovative arrangements for participatory funding

Economic impact of the energy transition at the local level. Methodologies and case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurer, Christiane; Ustinskaya, Elina

2014-12-01

An understanding of the mechanisms that link the energy transition to the stimulation of the economy on the ground is indispensable in terms of more efficient targeting of local energy transition policies. Objective evidence of economic results is required, as is a better understanding of economic analysis methods, in order to equip local and regional authorities with the tools required to demonstrate the economic benefits for all the key players. With the 'Economic impact of the energy transition at a local level - Methodologies and case studies' study, Energy Cities illustrates numerous socio-economic aspects of the energy transition and confirms the local economic benefits, through the use of data. As with any complex, new and diffuse process, this field of research is still not fully understood. Appropriate, high-quality analysis at the local level has rarely been carried out to date and a critical assessment of the methods used is necessary. This study will fill a gap and provide suggestions on potential areas for further research in a range of fields which should be further explored and examined in collaboration with local authorities and voluntary partners. Methodology and results The first part of the study sets out the scope of the study and contains a general description of the impact observed and the potential outcome of transition policies in the main green growth sectors: eco-innovation, the energy performance of buildings, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, recycling and industrial ecology. The analysis then focuses on the feedback of six towns and regions with a policy of active sustainable development (building renovation, support for eco-industries, promotion of soft mobility etc.), presented from the point of view of the economic results observed and the evaluation methods used. The study comprises five European authorities - Brussels, Copenhagen, Hannover, Kirklees and the Greater Paris Region, and one North American authority - Nolan County

Quasi-particle energy spectra in local reduced density matrix functional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Lathiotakis, Nektarios N; Helbig, Nicole; Rubio, Angel; Gidopoulos, Nikitas I

2014-10-28

Recently, we introduced [N. N. Lathiotakis, N. Helbig, A. Rubio, and N. I. Gidopoulos, Phys. Rev. A 90, 032511 (2014)] local reduced density matrix functional theory (local RDMFT), a theoretical scheme capable of incorporating static correlation effects in Kohn-Sham equations. Here, we apply local RDMFT to molecular systems of relatively large size, as a demonstration of its computational efficiency and its accuracy in predicting single-electron properties from the eigenvalue spectrum of the single-particle Hamiltonian with a local effective potential. We present encouraging results on the photoelectron spectrum of molecular systems and the relative stability of C20 isotopes. In addition, we propose a modelling of the fractional occupancies as functions of the orbital energies that further improves the efficiency of the method useful in applications to large systems and solids.

Energy planning on local scale. Remarks on Livorno city experience; La pianificazione energetica su scala locale. Riflessioni sull`esperienza della citta` di Livorno

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butta, Renato [Comune di Livorno (Italy). Dipt. Ambiente

1996-12-31

The area of Municipality of Livorno is classified, by European Union Structural Funds, as an Objective 2. As all the Italian cities over 50,000 inhabitants, Livorno is requested by the national law n. 10/91, to adopt an Energy Plan and to integrate in with the local use Plan. The main tasks of the Energy Plan of Livorno are: I. Reduce or mitigate the industrial decline in the city, developing coordinated strategies in the field of production energy efficiency; II. Define guide-lines and energy indicators for the Land use Plan, focused on the residential sector. The main priorities are: reduce the environmental impact of non renewable energy sources; reduce the energy local economic costs due to energy importation; improve the economic convenience of saving projects, reducing the use of sunk capital; integrate the energy aspects in the usual administrative procedures; carry out an Information System supporting the decisional process for public and private actors. The projects planned in the scenarios are: cogeneration plant, biogas utilisation from waste landfills, gas network pressure jamp, renewable energies in public building stock, energy saving in residential building, district heating system connected with the repowered thermoelectric power plant.

Energy barriers between metastable states in first-order quantum phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Wald, Sascha; Timpanaro, André M.; Cormick, Cecilia; Landi, Gabriel T.

2018-02-01

A system of neutral atoms trapped in an optical lattice and dispersively coupled to the field of an optical cavity can realize a variation of the Bose-Hubbard model with infinite-range interactions. This model exhibits a first-order quantum phase transition between a Mott insulator and a charge density wave, with spontaneous symmetry breaking between even and odd sites, as was recently observed experimentally [Landig et al., Nature (London) 532, 476 (2016), 10.1038/nature17409]. In the present paper, we approach the analysis of this transition using a variational model which allows us to establish the notion of an energy barrier separating the two phases. Using a discrete WKB method, we then show that the local tunneling of atoms between adjacent sites lowers this energy barrier and hence facilitates the transition. Within our simplified description, we are thus able to augment the phase diagram of the model with information concerning the height of the barrier separating the metastable minima from the global minimum in each phase, which is an essential aspect for the understanding of the reconfiguration dynamics induced by a quench across a quantum critical point.

Characterizing structural transitions using localized free energy landscape analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nilesh K Banavali

Full Text Available Structural changes in molecules are frequently observed during biological processes like replication, transcription and translation. These structural changes can usually be traced to specific distortions in the backbones of the macromolecules involved. Quantitative energetic characterization of such distortions can greatly advance the atomic-level understanding of the dynamic character of these biological processes.Molecular dynamics simulations combined with a variation of the Weighted Histogram Analysis Method for potential of mean force determination are applied to characterize localized structural changes for the test case of cytosine (underlined base flipping in a GTCAGCGCATGG DNA duplex. Free energy landscapes for backbone torsion and sugar pucker degrees of freedom in the DNA are used to understand their behavior in response to the base flipping perturbation. By simplifying the base flipping structural change into a two-state model, a free energy difference of upto 14 kcal/mol can be attributed to the flipped state relative to the stacked Watson-Crick base paired state. This two-state classification allows precise evaluation of the effect of base flipping on local backbone degrees of freedom.The calculated free energy landscapes of individual backbone and sugar degrees of freedom expectedly show the greatest change in the vicinity of the flipping base itself, but specific delocalized effects can be discerned upto four nucleotide positions away in both 5' and 3' directions. Free energy landscape analysis thus provides a quantitative method to pinpoint the determinants of structural change on the atomic scale and also delineate the extent of propagation of the perturbation along the molecule. In addition to nucleic acids, this methodology is anticipated to be useful for studying conformational changes in all macromolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

Information report realized for the Senate delegation to the territory management and sustainable development on the local energies; Rapport d'information fait au nom de la delegation du Senat a l'amenagement et au developpement durable du territoire sur les energies locales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belot, C; Juilhard, J M

2006-06-15

This report deals with the renewable energies and the local development called the territory intelligence in action. Taking into account the place of the electricity in the french energy accounting and the part of the nuclear in its production, the local authorities have to act in the heat domain, which is the first energy need in France, far in front of the specific electricity (those which cannot be replace by other type of energy). But 80% of the heat is today covered by fossil energies. No actions to change this situation will be done without a real implication of the local government. The authors preconize an ambitious objective: cover 50% of the heat needs from renewable energies in the next generat This objective must rely on a program called ''alternative energies''. In this framework the authors provide recommendations on the implementation of the renewable energies as an essential challenge for the local authorities. (A.L.B.)

Computational study of the rovibrational spectrum of CO₂-CS₂.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, James; Wang, Xiao-Gang; Carrington, Tucker; Grubbs, G S; Dawes, Richard

2014-03-21

A new intermolecular potential energy surface, rovibrational transition frequencies, and line strengths are computed for CO2-CS2. The potential is made by fitting energies obtained from explicitly correlated coupled-cluster calculations using an interpolating moving least squares method. The rovibrational Schrödinger equation is solved with a symmetry-adapted Lanczos algorithm and an uncoupled product basis set. All four intermolecular coordinates are included in the calculation. In agreement with previous experiments, the global minimum of the potential energy surface (PES) is cross shaped. The PES also has slipped-parallel minima. Rovibrational wavefunctions are localized in the cross minima and the slipped-parallel minima. Vibrational parent analysis was used to assign vibrational labels to rovibrational states. Tunneling occurs between the two cross minima. Because more than one symmetry operation interconverts the two wells, the symmetry (-oo) of the upper component of the tunneling doublet is different from the symmetry (-ee) of the tunneling coordinate. This unusual situation is due to the multidimensional nature of the double well tunneling. For the cross ground vibrational state, calculated rotational constants differ from their experimental counterparts by less than 0.0001 cm(-1). Most rovibrational states were found to be incompatible with the standard effective rotational Hamiltonian often used to fit spectra. This appears to be due to coupling between internal and overall rotation of the dimer. A simple 2D model accounting for internal rotation was used for two cross-shaped fundamentals to obtain good fits.

The energy spectra of anomalous oxygen at the time of two successive solar minima

CERN Document Server

Kondratyeva, M A; Tretyakova, S P; Zhuravlev, D A

1999-01-01

The energy spectra of anomalous oxygen have been determined from nuclear track detectors exposed aboard the Earth-orbiting satellites at altitudes ranging from approx 250-400 km in two consecutive solar minimum periods of 1986-1987 and 1994-1995 with opposite polarity of the solar magnetic field. A comparison of the spectra shows no contradiction to current drift models.

Coordination-resolved local bond relaxation, electron binding-energy shift, and Debye temperature of Ir solid skins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bo, Maolin [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China); Wang, Yan [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China); School of Information and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan 411201 (China); Huang, Yongli, E-mail: huangyongli@xtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China); Yang, Xuexian [Department of Physics, Jishou University, Jishou, Hunan 416000 (China); Yang, Yezi [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China); Li, Can [Center for Coordination Bond Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 330018 (China); Sun, Chang Q., E-mail: ecqsun@ntu.edu.sg [Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Materials and Application Technologies, Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China); NOVITAS, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2014-11-30

Highlights: • Cohesive energy of the representative bond determines the core-level shift. • XPS derives the energy level of an isolated atom and its bulk shift. • XPS derives the local bond length, bond energy, binding energy density. • Thermal XPS resolves the Debye temperature and atomic cohesive energy. - Abstract: Numerical reproduction of the measured 4f{sub 7/2} energy shift of Ir(1 0 0), (1 1 1), and (2 1 0) solid skins turns out the following: (i) the 4f{sub 7/2} level of an isolated Ir atom shifts from 56.367 eV to 60.332 eV by 3.965 eV upon bulk formation; (ii) the local energy density increases by up to 130% and the atomic cohesive energy decreases by 70% in the skin region compared with the bulk values. Numerical match to observation of the temperature dependent energy shift derives the Debye temperature that varies from 285.2 K (Surface) to 315.2 K (Bulk). We clarified that the shorter and stronger bonds between under-coordinated atoms cause local densification and quantum entrapment of electron binding energy, which perturbs the Hamiltonian and the core shifts in the skin region.

Local energy equation for two-electron atoms and relation between kinetic energy and electron densities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

March, N.H.

2002-08-01

In early work, Dawson and March [J. Chem. Phys. 81, 5850 (1984)] proposed a local energy method for treating both Hartree-Fock and correlated electron theory. Here, an exactly solvable model two-electron atom with pure harmonic interactions is treated in its ground state in the above context. A functional relation between the kinetic energy density t(r) at the origin r=0 and the electron density p(r) at the same point then emerges. The same approach is applied to the Hookean atom; in which the two electrons repel with Coulombic energy e 2 /r 12 , with r 12 the interelectronic separation, but are still harmonically confined. Again the kinetic energy density t(r) is the focal point, but now generalization away from r=0 is also effected. Finally, brief comments are added about He-like atomic ions in the limit of large atomic number. (author)

Evaluation of the basic concepts of approaches for the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Shunsuke; Kuroki, Shinichi; Nakagiri, Yuko

2007-01-01

In November 2007, the Policy Evaluation Committee compiled the report, which evaluated the basic concepts of approaches to the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local community, specified in the Framework for Nuclear Energy Policy. The report states that the 'concerned administrative bodies are carrying out measures related to the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local communities in line with these basic concept' and summarizes fifteen proposals conductive to the betterment and improvement of these measures, which were classified as 1) secure transparency and promotion of mutual understanding with the public, 2) development and enrichment of learning opportunities and public participation, 3) relationship between the government and local governments and 4) coexistence with local residents. The Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) considers this report to be reasonable. This article presented an overview of this activity. (T. Tanaka)

An empirical analysis of the impact of renewable energy deployment on local sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Rio, Pablo [Institute for Public Goods and Policies (IPP), Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), C/Albasanz 26-28, 28037 Madrid (Spain); Burguillo, Mercedes [Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Alcala, Pza. de la Victoria 3, 28802 Alcala de Henares, Madrid (Spain)

2009-08-15

It is usually mentioned that renewable energy sources (RES) have a large potential to contribute to the sustainable development of specific territories by providing them with a wide variety of socioeconomic benefits, including diversification of energy supply, enhanced regional and rural development opportunities, creation of a domestic industry and employment opportunities. The analysis of these benefits has usually been too general (i.e., mostly at the national level) and a focus on the regional and especially the local level has been lacking. This paper empirically analyses those benefits, by applying a conceptual and methodological framework previously developed by the authors to three renewable energy technologies in three different places in Spain. With the help of case studies, the paper shows that the contribution of RES to the economic and social dimensions of sustainable development might be significant. Particularly important is employment creation in these areas. Although, in absolute terms, the number of jobs created may not be high, it may be so with respect to the existing jobs in the areas considered. Socioeconomic benefits depend on several factors, and not only on the type of renewable energy, as has usually been mentioned. The specific socioeconomic features of the territories, including the productive structure of the area, the relationships between the stakeholders and the involvement of the local actors in the renewable energy project may play a relevant role in this regard. Furthermore, other local (socioeconomic) sustainability aspects beyond employment creation should be considered. (author)

Comparison of PSF maxima and minima of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ratnam, Challa; Lakshmana Rao, Vadlamudi; Lachaa Goud, Sivagouni

2006-10-01

In the present paper, and a series of papers to follow, the Fourier analytical properties of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems are investigated. First, the transmission function for MACA and CMACA is derived using Fourier methods and, based on the Fresnel-Kirchoff diffraction theory, the formulae for the point spread function are formulated. The PSF maxima and minima are calculated for both the MACA and CMACA systems. The dependence of these properties on the number of zones is studied and reported in this paper.

Comparison of PSF maxima and minima of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratnam, Challa; Rao, Vadlamudi Lakshmana; Goud, Sivagouni Lachaa

2006-01-01

In the present paper, and a series of papers to follow, the Fourier analytical properties of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems are investigated. First, the transmission function for MACA and CMACA is derived using Fourier methods and, based on the Fresnel-Kirchoff diffraction theory, the formulae for the point spread function are formulated. The PSF maxima and minima are calculated for both the MACA and CMACA systems. The dependence of these properties on the number of zones is studied and reported in this paper

Low energy theorems of hidden local symmetries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harada, Masayasu; Kugo, Taichiro; Yamawaki, Koichi.

1994-01-01

We prove to all orders of the loop expansion the low energy theorems of hidden local symmetries in four-dimensional nonlinear sigma models based on the coset space G/H, with G and H being arbitrary compact groups. Although the models are non-renormalizable, the proof is done in an analogous manner to the renormalization proof of gauge theories and two-dimensional nonlinear sigma models by restricting ourselves to the operators with two derivatives (counting a hidden gauge boson field as one derivative), i.e., with dimension 2, which are the only operators relevant to the low energy limit. Through loop-wise mathematical induction based on the Ward-Takahashi identity for the BRS symmetry, we solve renormalization equation for the effective action up to dimension-2 terms plus terms with the relevant BRS sources. We then show that all the quantum corrections to the dimension-2 operators, including the finite parts as well as the divergent ones, can be entirely absorbed into a re-definition (renormalization) of the parameters and the fields in the dimension-2 part of the tree-level Lagrangian. (author)

Configuration space analysis of common cost functions in radiotherapy beam-weight optimization algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowbottom, Carl Graham [Joint Department of Physics, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey (United Kingdom); Webb, Steve [Joint Department of Physics, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey (United Kingdom)

2002-01-07

The successful implementation of downhill search engines in radiotherapy optimization algorithms depends on the absence of local minima in the search space. Such techniques are much faster than stochastic optimization methods but may become trapped in local minima if they exist. A technique known as 'configuration space analysis' was applied to examine the search space of cost functions used in radiotherapy beam-weight optimization algorithms. A downhill-simplex beam-weight optimization algorithm was run repeatedly to produce a frequency distribution of final cost values. By plotting the frequency distribution as a function of final cost, the existence of local minima can be determined. Common cost functions such as the quadratic deviation of dose to the planning target volume (PTV), integral dose to organs-at-risk (OARs), dose-threshold and dose-volume constraints for OARs were studied. Combinations of the cost functions were also considered. The simple cost function terms such as the quadratic PTV dose and integral dose to OAR cost function terms are not susceptible to local minima. In contrast, dose-threshold and dose-volume OAR constraint cost function terms are able to produce local minima in the example case studied. (author)

Scaling up local energy infrastructure; An agent-based model of the emergence of district heating networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busch, Jonathan; Roelich, Katy; Bale, Catherine S.E.; Knoeri, Christof

2017-01-01

The potential contribution of local energy infrastructure – such as heat networks – to the transition to a low carbon economy is increasingly recognised in international, national and municipal policy. Creating the policy environment to foster the scaling up of local energy infrastructure is, however, still challenging; despite national policy action and local authority interest the growth of heat networks in UK cities remains slow. Techno-economic energy system models commonly used to inform policy are not designed to address institutional and governance barriers. We present an agent-based model of heat network development in UK cities in which policy interventions aimed at the institutional and governance barriers faced by diverse actors can be explored. Three types of project instigators are included – municipal, commercial and community – which have distinct decision heuristics and capabilities and follow a multi-stage development process. Scenarios of policy interventions developed in a companion modelling approach indicate that the effect of interventions differs between actors depending on their capabilities. Successful interventions account for the specific motivations and capabilities of different actors, provide a portfolio of support along the development process and recognise the important strategic role of local authorities in supporting low carbon energy infrastructure. - Highlights: • Energy policy should account for diverse actor motivations and capabilities. • Project development is a multi-stage process, not a one-off event. • Participatory agent-based modelling can inform policy that accounts for complexity. • Policy should take a portfolio approach to providing support. • Local authorities have an important strategic role in local infrastructure.

Energetic development program in States and municipality-PRODEEM:Energy of locality in development with microsystems for production and energetic local use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loureiro Filho, I.

1994-01-01

This Initiative has as purpose to get the attention and to propose a form of work practices so that the area energy became to contribute indeed for the reduction of global underdevelopment, pursuing the reduction of the energy developing in particular. Such a work is denominated Program of energy development of the states and municipalities PRODEEM intends that the energy of local use are taken advantage of through micro systems, to satisfy the basic necessities of developing towns of the country

UK Local Authority engagement with the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model: Key characteristics, benefits, limitations and considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannon, Matthew J.; Bolton, Ronan

2015-01-01

This paper explores how some UK Local Authorities (LAs) have opted to engage with the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model in a bid to enhance their influence over local energy system change and help them to deliver on their political ‘public good’ objectives. Three common approaches to LA ESCo model engagement are outlined including the: (1) LA owned ‘arm's-length’ model; (2) private sector owned concession agreement model; and (3) community owned and run model. The LA's decision to establish its own ESCo, or alternatively enter into a partnership with another, predominantly depends on: its willingness to expose itself to risk, the level of strategic control it desires and the resources it has at its disposal. However, the business case is contingent on the extent to which the national policy and regulatory framework facilitates and obligates LAs to play an active energy governance role. Stronger alignment of local and national energy agendas through communication and coordination between different governance actors could help to remove critical barriers to LA ESCo engagement and their wider energy governance activities. - Highlights: • Some UK Local Authorities (LAs) have engaged with Energy Service Company (ESCo). • Driven by a desire to shape local energy system to deliver on their objectives. • LA may establish an ‘arm's length’ ESCo or partner with a private or community ESCo. • Trade-off between strategic control over energy system change and exposure to risk. • LA can bolster ESCo business case but ultimately depends on central government

Excess-electron energy levels, localization and transport in disordered media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamill, W.H.

1980-01-01

In disordered dielectrics, the fundamental parameters which control the physics and chemistry of excess electrons are time, temperature and energy or mean scattering distance. Viscosity and hardness do not directly affect the electron affinity of media, the optical spectra, or the chemical reactivity of dry or delocalized electrons or of relaxed localized or trapped electrons. Since the mean scattering distance and the transport mechanism, including barrier height, are fundamental, both liquids and glasses (including polymers) are considered in order to cover the range of relevant information. Based on the above described background, transport, localization, dry electron scavenging, trapped electron scavenging and recombination are explained. There are no available data for the energy of excess dry electrons in the media relative to vacuum in glasses, unfortunately, because of the very small yield of separated charge pairs at cryogenic temperature. Thermoplastic glassy solids provide attractive possibility above 250 K, and deserve consideration as the substitutes for cryogenic glasses. The same consideration applies to the measurements of electron drift mobility, which are essential for the adequate description of electron scavenging. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

The energy of naturally curved elastic rods with an application to the stretching and contraction of a free helical spring as a model for DNA

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, Gerald S.

2015-09-01

We give a contemporary and direct derivation of a classical, but insufficiently familiar, result in the theory of linear elasticity—a representation for the energy of a stressed elastic rod with central axis that intrinsically takes the shape of a general space curve. We show that the geometric torsion of the space curve, while playing a crucial role in the bending energy, is physically unrelated to the elastic twist. We prove that the twist energy vanishes in the lowest-energy states of a rod subject to constraints that do not restrict the twist. The stretching and contraction energies of a free helical spring are computed. There are local high-energy minima. We show the possibility of using the spring to model the chirality of DNA. We then compare our results with an available atomic level energy simulation that was performed on DNA unconstrained in the same sense as the free spring. We find some possible reflections of springlike behavior in the mechanics of DNA, but, unsurprisingly, the base pairs lend a material substance to the core of DNA that a spring does not capture.

The energy of naturally curved elastic rods with an application to the stretching and contraction of a free helical spring as a model for DNA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manning, Gerald S., E-mail: jerrymanning@rcn.com [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8087 (United States)

2015-09-14

We give a contemporary and direct derivation of a classical, but insufficiently familiar, result in the theory of linear elasticity—a representation for the energy of a stressed elastic rod with central axis that intrinsically takes the shape of a general space curve. We show that the geometric torsion of the space curve, while playing a crucial role in the bending energy, is physically unrelated to the elastic twist. We prove that the twist energy vanishes in the lowest-energy states of a rod subject to constraints that do not restrict the twist. The stretching and contraction energies of a free helical spring are computed. There are local high-energy minima. We show the possibility of using the spring to model the chirality of DNA. We then compare our results with an available atomic level energy simulation that was performed on DNA unconstrained in the same sense as the free spring. We find some possible reflections of springlike behavior in the mechanics of DNA, but, unsurprisingly, the base pairs lend a material substance to the core of DNA that a spring does not capture.

Local Sustainable Energy Assessment Report of the Guandong Province in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jan; Lund, Søren

The publication reports a sustainable energy assessment at the local project site of the HighARCS project in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China. The assessment has been made as a contribution to the elaboration of biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement action plans. It proposes...

Methodology of investment effectiveness evaluation in the local energy market

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamrat, W.

1999-07-01

The paper presents issues of investment effectiveness evaluation in the local energy market. Results of research presented in the paper are mainly proposing a concept of a methodology which allows the evaluation of investment processes in regional power markets at the decision-making stage. In this respect, selecting a rational investment strategy is an important stage of the entire investment process. In view of criteria of various nature, the construction of a methodology of investment effectiveness bears an especially important meaning for a local decision-maker or investor. It is of particular significance to countries that are undergoing a transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. (orig.)

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

and its formation is mainly due to the electrostatic interaction, together with ... the design of novel ligands that interact with proteins in a very specific way ... to identify the local minima structures on the potential energy surfaces and ..... Voth, A.R.; Hays, F.A.; Ho, P.S. Directing macromolecular conformation through halogen.

Wind versus coal: Comparing the local economic impacts of energy resource development in Appalachia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, Alan R.; Hansen, Evan; Hendryx, Michael

2012-01-01

Two energy development scenarios were compared for the Coal River Mountain in Raleigh County, West Virginia: (1) mountaintop mining (MTM) of coal, and (2) wind energy plus underground mining of coal. Economic impact computations over the life of each energy development scenario were made on a county basis for output of goods and services, the number of jobs created, and local earnings. Externality costs were assigned monetary values for coal mining and subtracted from earnings. Premature mortality within the general population due to additional coal mining accounted for 96% of these external cost computations. The results showed that economic output over the life of each scenario was twice as high for MTM mining as wind energy plus underground coal mining. Over the short term, employment and earnings were higher for MTM mining, but towards the end of the scenario, cumulative employment and earnings became higher under scenario (2). When local externality costs were subtracted from local earnings, MTM coal production had an overall negative net social impact on the citizens of Raleigh County. The external costs of MTM coal production provide an explanation of the existence of a “resource curse” and the conflicting results of output versus income provide insights into why coal-producing counties are underdeveloped. - Highlights: ► Mountaintop mining (MTM) was compared to wind plus underground mining. ► Economic output was twice as high for MTM. ► Employment and earnings were cumulatively higher for wind energy. ► Including local externality costs, MTM had an overall negative net social impact. ► Results provide insights into why coal-producing counties are underdeveloped.

Local nuclear slope and curvature in high energy pp and pp-bar elastic scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Desgrolard, P. [Lyon-1 Univ., 69 - Villeurbanne (France). Inst. de Physique Nucleaire; Kontros, J.; Lengyel, A.I. [Inst. of Electron Physics, Uzhgorod (Ukraine); Martynov, E.S. [National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev (Ukraine). Bogolyubov Inst. for Theoretical Physics

1997-05-01

The local nuclear slope is reconstructed from the experimental angular distributions with a procedure that uses overlapping t-bins, for an energy that ranges from the ISR to the Sp-bar pS and the Tevatron. Predictions of several models of (p-bar,p) elastic scattering at high energy are tested. Only a model with two-components Pomeron and Odderon gives a satisfactory agreement with the (non fitted) slope data. The extreme sensitivity of the local nuclear curvature with the choice for a Pomeron model is emphasized. (author). 30 refs.

Stress fields and energy of disclination-type defects in zones of localized elastic distortions

Science.gov (United States)

Sukhanov, Ivan I.; Tyumentsev, Alexander N.; Ditenberg, Ivan A.

2016-11-01

This paper studies theoretically the elastically deformed state and analyzes deformation mechanisms in nanocrystals in the zones of localized elastic distortions and related disclination-type defects, such as dipole, quadrupole and multipole of partial disclinations. Significant differences in the energies of quadrupole and multipole configurations in comparison with nanodipole are revealed. The mechanism of deformation localization in the field of elastic distortions is proposed, which is a quasi-periodic sequence of formation and relaxation of various disclination ensembles with a periodic change in the energy of the defect.

Intermolecular interaction potentials of the methane dimer from the local density approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiangrong; Bai Yulin; Zhu Jun; Yang Xiangdong

2004-01-01

The intermolecular interaction potentials of methane (CH 4 ) dimer are calculated within the density functional theory in the local density approximation (LDA). It is found that the calculated potentials have minima when the intermolecular distance of CH 4 dimer is about 7.0 a.u., which is in good agreement with the experiment. The depth of the potential is 0.017 eV. The results obtained by our LDA calculations seem to agree well with those obtained by MP2, MP3, and CCSD from the Moeller-Plesset and coupled cluster methods by Tsuzuki et al. and with the experimental data

Analysis of the market for bio energy - locally and internationally. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-09-15

This report aims to describe the market potential for biogas and biomass heat and power applications, and to assess the opportunities and barriers for development of such biomass markets locally and internationally. The project has been commissioned by ENERCOAST whose overall aim is to create a market for bio energy in the North Sea area. The project uses Denmark, Central Denmark Region, and three Danish municipalities (Randers, Norddjurs, and Syddjurs) to illustrate the challenges related to developing a more substantial market for bio energy trade. A parallel study also commissioned by ENERCOAST and carried out by Ea Energy Analyses assessed the sustainability of relevant biomass supply chains related to the resource accessibility in the three municipalities. The primary focus was on biogas, straw, wood residues, and energy crops for combined heat and power production and the results were presented in a report released in July of 2010 entitled 'SSCM Analysis of the Bioenergy Resources in Randers, Norddjurs and Syddjurs' (Ea Energy Analyses, 2010). The data basis for both studies is very similar, and as such the current report incorporates and builds upon many of the SSCM reports findings. The present report describes the market structures and price developments of the aforementioned biomass resources. The market structures and trade conditions are described on a local (the 3 municipalities), national (Denmark) and regional/international (European/global) level. (LN)

Intervention strategy to stimulate energy-saving behavior of local residents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Q.; Nieuwenhijsen, I.; Vries, B. de; Blokhuis, E.; Schaefer, W.

2013-01-01

This study investigates intervention strategy in stimulating energy-saving behavior to achieve energy neutral urban development. A tree structure overview of potential interventions classified into three categories is revealed. An integrated behaviour model is developed reflecting the relations between behaviour and influence factors. A latent class model is used to identify segments of local residents who differ regarding their preferences for interventions. Data are collected from a sample of residents in the Eindhoven region of the Netherlands in 2010. The results indicate that social-demographic characteristics, knowledge, motivation and context factors play important roles in energy-saving behaviour. Specifically, four segments of residents in the study area were identified that clearly differed in their preferences of interventions: cost driven residents, conscious residents, ease driven residents and environment minded residents. These findings emphasize that the intervention strategy should be focused on specific target groups to have the right mixture of interventions to achieve effective results on stimulating them to save energy. - Highlights: ► A latent class model to identify segments with preferred energy-saving interventions. ► An integrated energy-saving behavior model of casual relations. ► A tree structure overview of potential interventions

Information report realized for the Senate delegation to the territory management and sustainable development on the local energies; Rapport d'information fait au nom de la delegation du Senat a l'amenagement et au developpement durable du territoire sur les energies locales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belot, C.; Juilhard, J.M

2006-06-15

This report deals with the renewable energies and the local development called the territory intelligence in action. Taking into account the place of the electricity in the french energy accounting and the part of the nuclear in its production, the local authorities have to act in the heat domain, which is the first energy need in France, far in front of the specific electricity (those which cannot be replace by other type of energy). But 80% of the heat is today covered by fossil energies. No actions to change this situation will be done without a real implication of the local government. The authors preconize an ambitious objective: cover 50% of the heat needs from renewable energies in the next generat This objective must rely on a program called ''alternative energies''. In this framework the authors provide recommendations on the implementation of the renewable energies as an essential challenge for the local authorities. (A.L.B.)

Genetic algorithm optimization of atomic clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, J.R.; Deaven, D.M.; Ho, K.M.; Wang, C.Z.; Pan, B.C.; Wacker, J.G.; Turner, D.E.; Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA

1996-01-01

The authors have been using genetic algorithms to study the structures of atomic clusters and related problems. This is a problem where local minima are easy to locate, but barriers between the many minima are large, and the number of minima prohibit a systematic search. They use a novel mating algorithm that preserves some of the geometrical relationship between atoms, in order to ensure that the resultant structures are likely to inherit the best features of the parent clusters. Using this approach, they have been able to find lower energy structures than had been previously obtained. Most recently, they have been able to turn around the building block idea, using optimized structures from the GA to learn about systematic structural trends. They believe that an effective GA can help provide such heuristic information, and (conversely) that such information can be introduced back into the algorithm to assist in the search process

A local-community-level, physically-based model of end-use energy consumption by Australian housing stock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren Zhengen; Paevere, Phillip; McNamara, Cheryl

2012-01-01

We developed a physics based bottom-up model to estimate annual housing stock energy consumption at a local community level (Census Collection District—CCD) with an hourly resolution. Total energy consumption, including space heating and cooling, water heating, lighting and other household appliances, was simulated by considering building construction and materials, equipment and appliances, local climates and occupancy patterns. The model was used to analyse energy use by private dwellings in more than five thousand CCDs in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The predicted results focus on electricity consumption (natural gas and other fuel sources were excluded as the data are not available) and track the actual electricity consumption at CCD level with an error of 9.2% when summed to state level. For NSW and Victoria 2006, the predicted state electricity consumption is close to the published model (within 6%) and statistical data (within 10%). A key feature of the model is that it can be used to predict hourly electricity consumption and peak demand at fine geographic scales, which is important for grid planning and designing local energy efficiency or demand response strategies. - Highlights: ► We developed a physics-based model to estimate housing stock energy consumption. ► House type and vintage, family type and occupancy time were considered. ► The model results are close to actual energy consumption at local community level. ► Its’ results agree well with the published model and statistical data at state level. ► It shows the model could provide from hourly to annual residential energy consumption.

Efficient sampling over rough energy landscapes with high barriers: A combination of metadynamics with integrated tempering sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Y. Isaac [Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhang, Jun; Che, Xing; Yang, Lijiang; Gao, Yi Qin, E-mail: gaoyq@pku.edu.cn [Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2016-03-07

In order to efficiently overcome high free energy barriers embedded in a complex energy landscape and calculate overall thermodynamics properties using molecular dynamics simulations, we developed and implemented a sampling strategy by combining the metadynamics with (selective) integrated tempering sampling (ITS/SITS) method. The dominant local minima on the potential energy surface (PES) are partially exalted by accumulating history-dependent potentials as in metadynamics, and the sampling over the entire PES is further enhanced by ITS/SITS. With this hybrid method, the simulated system can be rapidly driven across the dominant barrier along selected collective coordinates. Then, ITS/SITS ensures a fast convergence of the sampling over the entire PES and an efficient calculation of the overall thermodynamic properties of the simulation system. To test the accuracy and efficiency of this method, we first benchmarked this method in the calculation of ϕ − ψ distribution of alanine dipeptide in explicit solvent. We further applied it to examine the design of template molecules for aromatic meta-C—H activation in solutions and investigate solution conformations of the nonapeptide Bradykinin involving slow cis-trans isomerizations of three proline residues.

Is small beautiful? A multicriteria assessment of small-scale energy technology applications in local governments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, Jonathan; Hubacek, Klaus

2007-01-01

In its 2003 White Paper the UK government set ambitious renewable energy targets. Local governments and households have an increasing role in the overall energy system as consumers, suppliers of smaller-scale applications and citizens discussing energy projects. In this paper, we consider if small-scale or large-scale approaches to renewable energy provision can achieve energy targets in the most socially, economically and environmentally (SEE) effective way. We take a local case study of renewable energy provision in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in Yorkshire, UK, and apply a multi-criteria decision analysis methodology to compare the small-scale schemes implemented in Kirklees with large-scale alternatives. The results indicate that small-scale schemes are the most SEE effective, despite large-scale schemes being more financially viable. The selection of the criteria on which the alternatives are assessed and the assigned weights for each criterion are of crucial importance. It is thus very important to include the relevant stakeholders to elicit this information

Improved free-energy landscape reconstruction of bacteriorhodopsin highlights local variations in unfolding energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Heenan, Patrick R; Yu, Hao; Siewny, Matthew G W; Perkins, Thomas T

2018-03-28

Precisely quantifying the energetics that drive the folding of membrane proteins into a lipid bilayer remains challenging. More than 15 years ago, atomic force microscopy (AFM) emerged as a powerful tool to mechanically extract individual membrane proteins from a lipid bilayer. Concurrently, fluctuation theorems, such as the Jarzynski equality, were applied to deduce equilibrium free energies (ΔG 0 ) from non-equilibrium single-molecule force spectroscopy records. The combination of these two advances in single-molecule studies deduced the free-energy of the model membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin in its native lipid bilayer. To elucidate this free-energy landscape at a higher resolution, we applied two recent developments. First, as an input to the reconstruction, we used force-extension curves acquired with a 100-fold higher time resolution and 10-fold higher force precision than traditional AFM studies of membrane proteins. Next, by using an inverse Weierstrass transform and the Jarzynski equality, we removed the free energy associated with the force probe and determined the molecular free-energy landscape of the molecule under study, bacteriorhodopsin. The resulting landscape yielded an average unfolding free energy per amino acid (aa) of 1.0 ± 0.1 kcal/mol, in agreement with past single-molecule studies. Moreover, on a smaller spatial scale, this high-resolution landscape also agreed with an equilibrium measurement of a particular three-aa transition in bacteriorhodopsin that yielded 2.7 kcal/mol/aa, an unexpectedly high value. Hence, while average unfolding ΔG 0 per aa is a useful metric, the derived high-resolution landscape details significant local variation from the mean. More generally, we demonstrated that, as anticipated, the inverse Weierstrass transform is an efficient means to reconstruct free-energy landscapes from AFM data.

Fire Danger of Interaction Processes of Local Sources with a Limited Energy Capacity and Condensed Substances

OpenAIRE

Glushkov, Dmitry Olegovich; Strizhak, Pavel Alexandrovich; Vershinina, Kseniya Yurievna

2015-01-01

Numerical investigation of flammable interaction processes of local energy sources with liquid condensed substances has been carried out. Basic integrated characteristic values of process have been defined – ignition delay time at different energy sources parameters. Recommendations have been formulated to ensure fire safety of technological processes, characterized by possible local heat sources formation (cutting, welding, friction, metal grinding etc.) in the vicinity of storage areas, tra...

Energy Efficiency Programs in K-12 Schools: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs. Local Government Climate and Energy Strategy Series

Science.gov (United States)

US Environmental Protection Agency, 2011

2011-01-01

Saving energy through energy efficiency improvements can cost less than generating, transmitting, and distributing energy from power plants, and provides multiple economic and environmental benefits. Local governments can promote energy efficiency in their jurisdictions by developing and implementing strategies that improve the efficiency of…

LOCAL COLLISION SIMULATION OF AN SC WALL USING ENERGY ABSORBING STEEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHUL-HUN CHUNG

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the local damage of a turbine in an auxiliary building of a nuclear power plant due to an external impact by using the LS-DYNA finite element program. The wall of the auxiliary building is SC structure and the material of the SC wall plate is high manganese steel, which has superior ductility and energy absorbance compared to the ordinary steel used for other SC wall plates. The effects of the material of the wall, collision speed, and angle on the magnitude of the local damage were evaluated by local collision analysis. The analysis revealed that the SC wall made of manganese steel had significantly less damage than the SC wall made of ordinary steel. In conclusion, an SC wall made of manganese steel can have higher effective resistance than an SC wall made of ordinary steel against the local collision of an airplane engine or against a turbine impact.

Local Collision Simulation of an SC Wall Using Energy Absorbing Steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Chulhun; Choi, Hyun; Park, Jaegyun [Dankook Univ., Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2013-08-15

This study evaluates the local damage of a turbine in an auxiliary building of a nuclear power plant due to an external impact by using the LS-DYNA finite element program. The wall of the auxiliary building is SC structure and the material of the SC wall plate is high manganese steel, which has superior ductility and energy absorbance compared to the ordinary steel used for other SC wall plates. The effects of the material of the wall, collision speed, and angle on the magnitude of the local damage were evaluated by local collision analysis. The analysis revealed that the SC wall made of manganese steel had significantly less damage than the SC wall made of ordinary steel. In conclusion, an SC wall made of manganese steel can have higher effective resistance than an SC wall made of ordinary steel against the local collision of an airplane engine or against a turbine impact.

Localized multi-scale energy and vorticity analysis. II. Finite-amplitude instability theory and validation

Science.gov (United States)

San Liang, X.; Robinson, Allan R.

2007-12-01

A novel localized finite-amplitude hydrodynamic stability analysis is established in a unified treatment for the study of real oceanic and atmospheric processes, which are in general highly nonlinear, and intermittent in space and time. We first re-state the classical definition using the multi-scale energy and vorticity analysis (MS-EVA) developed in Liang and Robinson [Liang, X.S., Robinson, A.R., 2005. Localized multiscale energy and vorticity analysis. I. Fundamentals. Dyn. Atmos. Oceans 38, 195-230], and then manipulate certain global operators to achieve the temporal and spatial localization. The key of the spatial localization is transfer-transport separation, which is made precise with the concept of perfect transfer, while relaxation of marginalization leads to the localization of time. In doing so the information of transfer lost in the averages is retrieved and an easy-to-use instability metric is obtained. The resulting metric is field-like (Eulerian), conceptually generalizing the classical formalism, a bulk notion over the whole system. In this framework, an instability has a structure, which is of particular use for open flow processes. We check the structure of baroclinic instability with the benchmark Eady model solution, and the Iceland-Faeroe Frontal (IFF) intrusion, a highly localized and nonlinear process occurring frequently in the region between Iceland and Faeroe Islands. A clear isolated baroclinic instability is identified around the intrusion, which is further found to be characterized by the transition from a spatially growing mode to a temporally growing mode. We also check the consistency of the MS-EVA dynamics with the barotropic Kuo model. An observation is that a local perturbation burst does not necessarily imply an instability: the perturbation energy could be transported from other processes occurring elsewhere. We find that our analysis yields a Kuo theorem-consistent mean-eddy interaction, which is not seen in a conventional

GIS-based evaluation of multifarious local renewable energy sources: a case study of the Chigu area of southwestern Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue, C.-D.; Wang, S.-S.

2006-01-01

The issue of regulating greenhouse gas emissions of developing countries is one of the main reasons for the US's retreat from ratifying the Kyoto Protocal, and this deserves particular attention in order to ensure that a robust international climate policy exists in the future. Enabling developing countries to move toward low-carbon energy systems would enhance the feasibility for their participation in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This study evaluates wind, solar, and biomass energy sources in a rural area of Chigu in southwestern Taiwan by means of analyzing technical, economic, environmental, and political implications in order to establish an evaluation model for developing local renewable energy sources. The adopted approach evaluates local potentials of renewable energy sources with the aid of a geographic information system according to actual local conditions, and allows the assessment to consider local potentials and restrictions such as climate conditions, land uses, and ecological environments, thus enabling a more-accurate assessment than is possible with evaluations on an approximate basis. These results may help build a developmental vision for sustainable energy systems based on locally available natural resources, and facilitate a transition of national energy and environmental policies towards sustainability

National and local energy market. Consumer as final step of the value chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonioli, B.

2008-01-01

Consumer as final step of the value chain - The reorganization of the energy market, together with an increase in the mobility of resources and the evolution of supply, have reduced borders between national and local market, and both regulatory policies and players' strategies have to consider these renewed environment. The goal of this paper is to make some considerations about the dimension and the interactions between national and locals, up-stream and downstream energy markets, both in terms of value chain phases regulation and of the impact on firms' organization and on the industry as a whole. We want to highlight evident problems of coordination of different rules, the necessity to define a clear national industrial policy (not fragmented at local level), as well as the relevance of the end user prices regulation for liberalized market. In particular, this kind of regulation seems to represent a key point of the current discussion between operators and the energy Authority. The end users price regulation present some critical aspects related to its (contested) limited contribution to a real price competition but, on the other side, had to be considered as a strong protection for domestic customers, as well as a way to reduce information asymmetry. [it

Energy supply between state, local government, and economy. Energieversorgung zwischen Staat, Gemeinde und Wirtschaft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loewer, W.

1989-01-01

The central theme in the current discussion about the decentralization of the structures of energy supply in the Federal Republic of Germany and about the possibilities for implementing the reform on the basis of the valid law is a competency of the local government for energy provision by virtue of its 'general responsibility' or its 'tasks as a caterer for basic needs' (Daseinsvorsorge). The question raised thereby in relation to constitutional law, municipal economy law and energy law are thoroughly studied and answered in the book. It deals with the complexes 'catering for basic needs', 'public task', and 'decentralization' in the energy-political discussion, giving selected examples; with basic traits of the development of electric power supply as a many-sided system of energy provision; with the competency of the national or local government for ensuring electric power supply based on its being a 'caterer for basic needs', or electric power supply, being a public task; and with electric power supply as a municipal task. (orig.).

Extending the random-phase approximation for electronic correlation energies: the renormalized adiabatic local density approximation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Thomas; Thygesen, Kristian S.

2012-01-01

The adiabatic connection fluctuation-dissipation theorem with the random phase approximation (RPA) has recently been applied with success to obtain correlation energies of a variety of chemical and solid state systems. The main merit of this approach is the improved description of dispersive forces...... while chemical bond strengths and absolute correlation energies are systematically underestimated. In this work we extend the RPA by including a parameter-free renormalized version of the adiabatic local-density (ALDA) exchange-correlation kernel. The renormalization consists of a (local) truncation...... of the ALDA kernel for wave vectors q > 2kF, which is found to yield excellent results for the homogeneous electron gas. In addition, the kernel significantly improves both the absolute correlation energies and atomization energies of small molecules over RPA and ALDA. The renormalization can...

Evaluation of China's local enforcement of energy efficiency standards and labeling programs for appliances and equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khanna, Nina Zheng; Zhou, Nan; Fridley, David; Fino-Chen, Cecilia

2013-01-01

Aims: This paper aims to evaluate local enforcement of China's mandatory appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards and labeling programs, two increasingly important policies for meeting national energy and carbon reduction targets. The expected energy savings of efficiency standards and labels can be fully realized only with strong enforcement to ensure compliance for all products sold. This paper provides comprehensive retrospective evaluation of the methodologies, results, progress and remaining challenges in pilot enforcement projects initiated in the absence of consistent national check-testing focused on energy efficiency. Scope: This paper's scope is focused on 2006–2009 pilot local check-tests conducted to verify appliance and equipment compliance with China's mandatory energy label and efficiency standards. Conclusions: This paper finds both improvement and some backsliding in compliance rates over time. Compared to earlier efforts, 2009 check-tests covered a wider regional and product scope but demonstrated greater variation in compliance rates. Labeling display and energy efficiency compliance was generally high across regions and most products, but lower compliance rates were observed in less economically developed regions and for lighting and industrial products. Based on these findings, areas for improvement in local awareness, product sampling methodology, check-testing tools and procedures are identified. - Highlights: • China's mandatory standards and labeling crucial to national energy saving goals. • China's 2006–2009 pilot efficiency check-testing for standards and labeling evaluated. • Wider geographic and product scope in 2009, but greater variation in compliance. • Generally high compliance, but lower rates for less economically developed region. • Local check-test capacity improving but methodological challenges remain

Bio-energy in global and local policy and planning in developing countries, in particular in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedacker, A.

1997-01-01

Biomass energy is investigated from different viewpoints; in business as usual developments, in local and global perspectives trying to promote sustainable development. The objectives and the methodology are clarified. It is considered how these principles are applicable in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. Local planning and implementation is also discussed. Activities of the RABEDE, an African Network on Bio-resources and Energies for Development and Environment are presented. (K.A.)

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.

The structure of small clusters ejected by ion bombardment of solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, M.; Smith, R.

1993-01-01

The structure of small clusters predicted by the many-body potentials used in Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of semiconductor processes is investigated. The potential minima are determined by using global optimisation algorithms which also find the local minima. It is shown that there are many such local minima for the Tersoff type potentials. If an MD simulation requires an accurate description of the small cluster geometries and energetics, then the potential can describe them provided they are included in the fitting process. (Author)

Motivating local home-owners to energy retrofitting as examples on Urban Climate Governance in Danish Municipalities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Ole

I the recent years, Danish municipalities have increasingly taken up initiatives to improve energy efficiency in private buildings. The paper will present a study on how Danish municipalities in practice have carried out such efforts on convincing private home-owners to improve the energy efficie......, 2009; Bulkeley, 2009) that includes different governmental approaches for the local authorities. The challenge of local sustainability is that it is complex and defined on different levels (local, municipal, regional, national, and international), that requires a ’multilevel governance...... in practice, including the types of governance and collaborations, as well as the challenges and shortcomings of the selected approaches. Also, it will discuss the motivations for the local actors to pursue this type of initiatives, in relation to the results achieved....

Annealing evolutionary stochastic approximation Monte Carlo for global optimization

KAUST Repository

Liang, Faming

2010-04-08

In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, the so-called annealing evolutionary stochastic approximation Monte Carlo (AESAMC) algorithm as a general optimization technique, and study its convergence. AESAMC possesses a self-adjusting mechanism, whose target distribution can be adapted at each iteration according to the current samples. Thus, AESAMC falls into the class of adaptive Monte Carlo methods. This mechanism also makes AESAMC less trapped by local energy minima than nonadaptive MCMC algorithms. Under mild conditions, we show that AESAMC can converge weakly toward a neighboring set of global minima in the space of energy. AESAMC is tested on multiple optimization problems. The numerical results indicate that AESAMC can potentially outperform simulated annealing, the genetic algorithm, annealing stochastic approximation Monte Carlo, and some other metaheuristics in function optimization. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Deregulation strategies for local governments and the role/opportunities for energy efficiency services in the utility industry deregulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tseng, P.C.

1998-01-01

As the future shape of the electric utility industry continues to unfold and as retail competition becomes a reality, local governments are faced with balancing the need for: (1) economic development; (2) and to avoid the potential impact of cost-shifting among residents and businesses, while ensuring reliable and universal energy services. Furthermore, local governments need to find ways to recoup potential loss of franchise and tax revenues, to ensure fair and adequate energy-efficiency programs, and to continue other social programs for low income families. This paper will address two important issues every local government in the US are facing: (1) the development of viable deregulation strategies before, during and after the promulgation of utility deregulation; (2) opportunities for energy efficiency services in the competitive markets to serve local governments, which typically constitutes the largest market segment in utility's service territory. This paper presents issues and challenges common to all local governments. It documents strategies that several local governments are utilizing to embrace the coming electric utility restructuring and competition challenge to the benefits of their respective communities. This paper presents the results on deregulation work by the City of Portland, Oregon, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and Montgomery County, Maryland. The research by these local governments was sponsored by the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force and Public Technology, Inc

Deregulation strategies for local governments and the role/opportunities for energy efficiency services in the utility industry deregulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tseng, P.C.

1998-07-01

As the future shape of the electric utility industry continues to unfold and as retail competition becomes a reality, local governments are faced with balancing the need for: (1) economic development; (2) and to avoid the potential impact of cost-shifting among residents and businesses, while ensuring reliable and universal energy services. Furthermore, local governments need to find ways to recoup potential loss of franchise and tax revenues, to ensure fair and adequate energy-efficiency programs, and to continue other social programs for low income families. This paper will address two important issues every local government in the US are facing: (1) the development of viable deregulation strategies before, during and after the promulgation of utility deregulation; (2) opportunities for energy efficiency services in the competitive markets to serve local governments, which typically constitutes the largest market segment in utility's service territory. This paper presents issues and challenges common to all local governments. It documents strategies that several local governments are utilizing to embrace the coming electric utility restructuring and competition challenge to the benefits of their respective communities. This paper presents the results on deregulation work by the City of Portland, Oregon, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and Montgomery County, Maryland. The research by these local governments was sponsored by the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force and Public Technology, Inc.

Fault Gauge Numerical Simulation : Dynamic Rupture Propagation and Local Energy Partitioning

Science.gov (United States)

Mollon, G.

2017-12-01

In this communication, we present dynamic simulations of the local (centimetric) behaviour of a fault filled with a granular gauge submitted to dynamic rupture. The numerical tool (Fig. 1) combines classical Discrete Element Modelling (albeit with the ability to deal with arbitrary grain shapes) for the simualtion of the gauge, and continuous modelling for the simulation of the acoustic waves emission and propagation. In a first part, the model is applied to the simulation of steady-state shearing of the fault under remote displacement boudary conditions, in order to observe the shear accomodation at the interface (R1 cracks, localization, wear, etc.). It also makes it possible to fit to desired values the Rate and State Friction properties of the granular gauge by adapting the contact laws between grains. Such simulations provide quantitative insight in the steady-state energy partitionning between fracture, friction and acoustic emissions as a function of the shear rate. In a second part, the model is submitted to dynamic rupture. For that purpose, the fault is elastically preloaded just below rupture, and a displacement pulse is applied at one end of the sample (and on only one side of the fault). This allows to observe the propagation of the instability along the fault and the interplay between this propagation and the local granular phenomena. Energy partitionning is then observed both in space and time.

The Minimum Binding Energy and Size of Doubly Muonic D3 Molecule

Science.gov (United States)

Eskandari, M. R.; Faghihi, F.; Mahdavi, M.

The minimum energy and size of doubly muonic D3 molecule, which two of the electrons are replaced by the much heavier muons, are calculated by the well-known variational method. The calculations show that the system possesses two minimum positions, one at typically muonic distance and the second at the atomic distance. It is shown that at the muonic distance, the effective charge, zeff is 2.9. We assumed a symmetric planar vibrational model between two minima and an oscillation potential energy is approximated in this region.

Structural dependences of localization and recombination of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP Subcells of GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhuo; Ning, Jiqiang; Su, Zhicheng; Xu, Shijie; Xing, Zheng; Wang, Rongxin; Lu, Shulong; Dong, Jianrong; Zhang, Baoshun; Yang, Hui

2015-01-14

In high-efficiency GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells, GaInP layers play a central role in determining the performance of the solar cells. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of the optoelectronic processes in GaInP layers is crucial for improving the energy conversion efficiency of GaInP-based photovoltaic devices. In this work, we firmly show strong dependences of localization and recombination of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP subcells in the GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells on the substrate misorientation angle with excitation intensity- and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL). The entire solar cell structures including GaInP layers were grown with metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on GaAs substrates with misorientation angles of 2° (denoted as Sample 2°) and 7° (Sample 7°) off (100) toward (111)B. The PL spectral features of the two top GaInP subcells, as well as their excitation-power and temperature dependences exhibit remarkable variation on the misorientation angle. In Sample 2°, the dominant localization mechanism and luminescence channels are due to the energy potential minima caused by highly ordered atomic domains; In Sample 7°, the main localization and radiative recombination of photogenerated carriers occur in the atomically disordered regions. Our results reveal a more precise picture on the localization and recombination mechanisms of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP subcells, which could be the crucial factors in controlling the optoelectronic efficiency of the GaInP-based multijunction photovoltaic devices.

Local and non-local equivalent potentials for p-12C scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovell, A.; Amos, K.

2000-01-01

A Newton-Sabatier fixed energy inversion scheme has been used to equate inherently non-local p- 12 C potentials at a variety of energies to pion threshold, with exactly phase equivalent local ones. Those energy dependent local potentials then have been recast in the form of non-local Frahn-Lemmer interactions

Regulatory Options for Local Reserve Energy Markets: Implications for Prosumers, Utilities, and other Stakeholders

OpenAIRE

Rosen, Christiane; Madlener, Reinhard

2014-01-01

While the share of fluctuating renewable energy resources is constantly increasing, the centralized, hierarchical organization of the current energy system cannot adequately accommodate such decentralized electricity generation. New ideas have been developed for improved integration, especially in the lead market Germany. One of these concepts is the microgrid, a grid within the grid. This paper presents a local reserve energy market, which can facilitate the operation and allow trading withi...

Loss surface of XOR artificial neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Dhagash; Zhao, Xiaojun; Bernal, Edgar A.; Wales, David J.

2018-05-01

Training an artificial neural network involves an optimization process over the landscape defined by the cost (loss) as a function of the network parameters. We explore these landscapes using optimization tools developed for potential energy landscapes in molecular science. The number of local minima and transition states (saddle points of index one), as well as the ratio of transition states to minima, grow rapidly with the number of nodes in the network. There is also a strong dependence on the regularization parameter, with the landscape becoming more convex (fewer minima) as the regularization term increases. We demonstrate that in our formulation, stationary points for networks with Nh hidden nodes, including the minimal network required to fit the XOR data, are also stationary points for networks with Nh+1 hidden nodes when all the weights involving the additional node are zero. Hence, smaller networks trained on XOR data are embedded in the landscapes of larger networks. Our results clarify certain aspects of the classification and sensitivity (to perturbations in the input data) of minima and saddle points for this system, and may provide insight into dropout and network compression.

Energy localization in maximally entangled two- and three-qubit phase space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pashaev, Oktay K; Gurkan, Zeynep N

2012-01-01

Motivated by the Möbius transformation for symmetric points under the generalized circle in the complex plane, the system of symmetric spin coherent states corresponding to antipodal qubit states is introduced. In terms of these states, we construct the maximally entangled complete set of two-qubit coherent states, which in the limiting cases reduces to the Bell basis. A specific property of our symmetric coherent states is that they never become unentangled for any value of ψ from the complex plane. Entanglement quantifications of our states are given by the reduced density matrix and the concurrence determinant, and it is shown that our basis is maximally entangled. Universal one- and two-qubit gates in these new coherent state basis are calculated. As an application, we find the Q symbol of the XY Z model Hamiltonian operator H as an average energy function in maximally entangled two- and three-qubit phase space. It shows regular finite-energy localized structure with specific local extremum points. The concurrence and fidelity of quantum evolution with dimerization of double periodic patterns are given. (paper)

Multifractality in edge localized modes in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Tokamak-60 Upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bak, P.E.; Asakura, N.; Miura, Y.; Nakano, T.; Yoshino, R.

2001-01-01

The temporal losses of confinement during edge localized modes in the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Tokamak-60 Upgrade (JT-60U) show multifractal scaling and the spectra are generally smooth, but in some cases there are signs of discontinuous derivatives. Dynamics of the Sugama-Horton model, interpreted as edge localized modes, also display multifractal scaling. The spectra display singularities in the derivative, which can be interpreted as a phase transition. It is argued that the multifractal spectra of edge localized modes can be used to discriminate between different experimental discharges and validate edge localized mode models

Local Content Requirements in Renewable Energy Schemes - Government Procurement or a Violation of International Obligations?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verburg, Cornelis

2017-01-01

Numerous States have adopted renewable energy schemes aimed at incentivising investments in renewable energy generation capacity that contain local content requirements as an eligibility criterion to obtain support, such as a feed-in tariff. However, these requirements may violate the international

Auroral electron energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McEwan, D.J.; Duncan, C.N.; Montalbetti, R.

1981-01-01

Auroral electron characteristic energies determined from ground-based photometer measurements of the ratio of 5577 A OI and 4278 A N 2 + emissions are compared with electron energies measured during two rocket flights into pulsating aurora. Electron spectra with Maxwellian energy distributions were observed in both flights with an increase in characteristic energy during each pulsation. During the first flight on February 15, 1980 values of E 0 ranging from 1.4 keV at pulsation minima to 1.8 keV at pulsation maxima were inferred from the 5577/4278 ratios, in good agreement with rocket measurements. During the second flight on February 23, direct electron energy measurements yielded E 0 values of 1.8 keV rising to 2.1 keV at pulsation maxima. The photometric ratio measurements in this case gave inferred E 0 values about 0.5 keV lower. This apparent discrepancy is considered due to cloud cover which impaired the absolute emission intensity measurements. It is concluded that the 5577/4278 ratio does yield a meaningful measure of the characteristic energy of incoming electrons. This ratio technique, when added to the more sensitive 6300/4278 ratio technique usable in stable auroras can now provide more complete monitoring of electron influx characteristics. (auth)

The Local Initiator Role in the Adoption of Biogas Energy Innovation for Household Needs in Rural Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hartiningsih

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The need for Kerosene is very high. When energy crisis hit Indonesia, it caused the scarcity and soaring prices of kerosene. Hence, finding alternative energy sources is needed, especially a renewable energy to households. One is which is Biogas energy. Biogas is an energy that uses simple technology, which uses raw materials of animal waste. Many rural communities do not know about it, so it requires a pioneer, called the local initiator. The local initiator is an agent of change that comes from the local community, who has the initiative to make changes and become a guide passage of the change process in an organization or community, in order to achieve the expected goals. Local initiator becomes an important factor in the success of biogas innovation adoption. Biogas is used for household needs such as cooking, water heating, and lighting. Biogas program has been reinforced by Presidential Decree No 5 of 2006, Minister of ESDM Regulation (Permen ESDM No 3 of 2013, Permen ESDM No 10 of 2015, and Minister of Rural Affairs Regulation (Permen Desa No 5 of 2015. This paper aims to examine the role of a local initiator as an agent of change and the most dominant factors in the successful adoption of biogas for the needs of rural households. This study uses a qualitative method by using a case study approach and conducting a descriptive analysis. The focus of the data analysis is only performed on the local initiator in the successful adoption of biogas in Haurngombong village in West Java and Pandua-North Lombok, NTB. The result of the study shows that the successful adoption of biogas in Haurngombong Village and Pandua Village is strongly influenced by the local initiator. The local initiator success is not determined by the position, age, and gender, but is determined by the experience in the use of biogas, biogas sector knowledge, dissemination strategies, and communication among stakeholders of biogas program. The key to the success of local

Starting a local conservation and passive solar retrofit program: an energy planning sourcebook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barber, V; Mathews, R

1982-02-01

A city planner or a neighborhood activist may wish to initiate a local conservation and passive solar retrofit program but may not have previous experience in doing so. This sourcebook is designed to assist interested individuals with their energy planning efforts, from determining retrofit potential, to financing and implementing the program. An approach or methodology is provided which can be applied to determine retrofit potential in single-family residences, mobile homes, multifamily residences, and nonresidential buildings. Case studies in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are given as examples. Guidelines are provided for evaluating the economic benefits of a retrofit program through benefit-cost analysis and economic base studies at the city and neighborhood levels. Also included are approaches to community outreach, detailing how to get started, how to gain local support, and examples of successful programs throughout the US. The need for financing, the development of a local strategy, public and private financing techniques, and community energy service organizations are examined. In addition to the Albuquerque case studies, a brief technology characterization, heat-loss calculations, economic tools, and a list of resources are appended.

Analysis of local warm forming of high strength steel using near infrared ray energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, W. H., E-mail: whyang21@hyundai.com [Hyundai Motor Company, 700 Yeompo-ro, Buk-Gu, Ulsan, 683-791 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, K., E-mail: klee@deform.co.kr [Solution Lab, 502, 102, Dunsan-daero 117 beon-gil, Seo-Gu, Daejeon, 302-834 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, E. H., E-mail: mtgs2@kaist.ac.kr, E-mail: dyyang@kaist.ac.kr; Yang, D. Y., E-mail: mtgs2@kaist.ac.kr, E-mail: dyyang@kaist.ac.kr [KAIST, Science Town291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-12-16

The automotive industry has been pressed to satisfy more rigorous fuel efficiency requirements to promote energy conservation, safety features and cost containment. To satisfy this need, high strength steel has been developed and used for many different vehicle parts. The use of high strength steels, however, requires careful analysis and creativity in order to accommodate its relatively high springback behavior. An innovative method, called local warm forming with near infrared ray, has been developed to help promote the use of high strength steels in sheet metal forming. For this method, local regions of the work piece are heated using infrared ray energy, thereby promoting the reduction of springback behavior. In this research, a V-bend test is conducted with DP980. After springback, the bend angles for specimens without local heating are compared to those with local heating. Numerical analysis has been performed using the commercial program, DEFORM-2D. This analysis is carried out with the purpose of understanding how changes to the local stress distribution will affect the springback during the unloading process. The results between experimental and computational approaches are evaluated to assure the accuracy of the simulation. Subsequent numerical simulation studies are performed to explore best practices with respect to thermal boundary conditions, timing, and applicability to the production environment.

Analysis of local warm forming of high strength steel using near infrared ray energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W. H.; Lee, K.; Lee, E. H.; Yang, D. Y.

2013-01-01

The automotive industry has been pressed to satisfy more rigorous fuel efficiency requirements to promote energy conservation, safety features and cost containment. To satisfy this need, high strength steel has been developed and used for many different vehicle parts. The use of high strength steels, however, requires careful analysis and creativity in order to accommodate its relatively high springback behavior. An innovative method, called local warm forming with near infrared ray, has been developed to help promote the use of high strength steels in sheet metal forming. For this method, local regions of the work piece are heated using infrared ray energy, thereby promoting the reduction of springback behavior. In this research, a V-bend test is conducted with DP980. After springback, the bend angles for specimens without local heating are compared to those with local heating. Numerical analysis has been performed using the commercial program, DEFORM-2D. This analysis is carried out with the purpose of understanding how changes to the local stress distribution will affect the springback during the unloading process. The results between experimental and computational approaches are evaluated to assure the accuracy of the simulation. Subsequent numerical simulation studies are performed to explore best practices with respect to thermal boundary conditions, timing, and applicability to the production environment

Local sustainable energy companies. A few visions from the market; Lokale duurzame energiebedrijven. Een aantal visies uit de markt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faasen, E.; Van Ee, M.; Chatelin, M. (eds.)

2009-10-15

In local sustainable energy companies it is all about renewable energy initiatives I which the local authorities play an important steering role. In this publication a number of experts from the renewable energy sector have their say. [Dutch] Bij lokale duurzame energiebedrijven gaat het om duurzame energie-initiatieven waarbij de decentrale overheid een belangrijke regisserende rol speelt. In deze publikatie wordt een aantal experts uit de duurzame energiesector aan het woord gelaten.

A GPS Sensing Strategy for Accurate and Energy-Efficient Outdoor-to-Indoor Handover in Seamless Localization Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yungeun Kim

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Indoor localization systems typically locate users on their own local coordinates, while outdoor localization systems use global coordinates. To achieve seamless localization from outdoors to indoors, a handover technique that accurately provides a starting position to the indoor localization system is needed. However, existing schemes assume that a starting position is known a priori or uses a naïve approach to consider the last location obtained from GPS as the handover point. In this paper, we propose an accurate handover scheme that monitors the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR of the effective GPS satellites that are selected according to their altitude. We also propose an energy-efficient handover mechanism that reduces the GPS sampling interval gradually. Accuracy and energy efficiency are experimentally validated with the GPS logs obtained in real life.

Cost, energy, global warming, eutrophication and local human health impacts of community water and sanitation service options.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoen, Mary E; Xue, Xiaobo; Wood, Alison; Hawkins, Troy R; Garland, Jay; Ashbolt, Nicholas J

2017-02-01

We compared water and sanitation system options for a coastal community across selected sustainability metrics, including environmental impact (i.e., life cycle eutrophication potential, energy consumption, and global warming potential), equivalent annual cost, and local human health impact. We computed normalized metric scores, which we used to discuss the options' strengths and weaknesses, and conducted sensitivity analysis of the scores to changes in variable and uncertain input parameters. The alternative systems, which combined centralized drinking water with sanitation services based on the concepts of energy and nutrient recovery as well as on-site water reuse, had reduced environmental and local human health impacts and costs than the conventional, centralized option. Of the selected sustainability metrics, the greatest advantages of the alternative community water systems (compared to the conventional system) were in terms of local human health impact and eutrophication potential, despite large, outstanding uncertainties. Of the alternative options, the systems with on-site water reuse and energy recovery technologies had the least local human health impact; however, the cost of these options was highly variable and the energy consumption was comparable to on-site alternatives without water reuse or energy recovery, due to on-site reuse treatment. Future work should aim to reduce the uncertainty in the energy recovery process and explore the health risks associated with less costly, on-site water treatment options. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.