Strategies for Sustainable Technologies: Innovation in Systems, Products, and Services

To achieve universal energy access will attract huge capital investments. If sub-Saharan Africa is to realize anything close to the ambitious goals set for its energy access, then new actors, innovative funding mechanisms and sustainable technologies will have to be attracted. Finance is needed for activities such as rural electrification, clean cooking facilities, diesel motors and generators, other renewable energy technologies, oil and gas infrastructures, etc. Finance is also needed in research and development of suitable technologies and funding options as well as investment in the capacity to formulate and implement sound energy policies. This chapter examines the varied financing options for energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that with appropriate laws in place and effective mechanism for implementation, African countries can significantly engage private sector financing, international financial institutions and foreign donors. The role of the law here will be in creating an enabling environment for financing.

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Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062208 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2208 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jamie E. Filer ◽

Justin D. Delorit ◽

Andrew J. Hoisington ◽

Steven J. Schuldt

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Model Performance ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Remote Communities ◽

Remote Community ◽

Rural Villages ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Study Results

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.

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Smart and Sustainable Technologies for Recycling Photovoltaic Panels

Environmental Challenges ◽

10.1016/j.envc.2020.100020 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 100020

Author(s):

S.L.K. Gopalamma Aravelli ◽

Naik R Srinu

Keyword(s):

Photovoltaic Panels ◽

Sustainable Technologies

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Dynamics & Spectroscopy with Neutrons—Recent Developments & Emerging Opportunities

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13091440 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1440

Author(s):

Kacper Drużbicki ◽

Mattia Gaboardi ◽

Felix Fernandez-Alonso

Keyword(s):

Dynamical Behavior ◽

Disordered Materials ◽

Spectroscopic Techniques ◽

Computational Tools ◽

Soft Solids ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Energy Transfers ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Scientific Questions ◽

Nuclear Quantum Effects

This work provides an up-to-date overview of recent developments in neutron spectroscopic techniques and associated computational tools to interrogate the structural properties and dynamical behavior of complex and disordered materials, with a focus on those of a soft and polymeric nature. These have and continue to pave the way for new scientific opportunities simply thought unthinkable not so long ago, and have particularly benefited from advances in high-resolution, broadband techniques spanning energy transfers from the meV to the eV. Topical areas include the identification and robust assignment of low-energy modes underpinning functionality in soft solids and supramolecular frameworks, or the quantification in the laboratory of hitherto unexplored nuclear quantum effects dictating thermodynamic properties. In addition to novel classes of materials, we also discuss recent discoveries around water and its phase diagram, which continue to surprise us. All throughout, emphasis is placed on linking these ongoing and exciting experimental and computational developments to specific scientific questions in the context of the discovery of new materials for sustainable technologies.

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Chemical Structure and Biological Activity of Humic Substances Define Their Role as Plant Growth Promoters

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26082256 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (8) ◽

pp. 2256

Author(s):

Serenella Nardi ◽

Michela Schiavon ◽

Ornella Francioso

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Humic Substances ◽

Chemical Structure ◽

Molecular Size ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Root Cells ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Intracellular Signals ◽

Key Functional Groups ◽

Regulatory Functions

Humic substances (HS) are dominant components of soil organic matter and are recognized as natural, effective growth promoters to be used in sustainable agriculture. In recent years, many efforts have been made to get insights on the relationship between HS chemical structure and their biological activity in plants using combinatory approaches. Relevant results highlight the existence of key functional groups in HS that might trigger positive local and systemic physiological responses via a complex network of hormone-like signaling pathways. The biological activity of HS finely relies on their dosage, origin, molecular size, degree of hydrophobicity and aromaticity, and spatial distribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. The molecular size of HS also impacts their mode of action in plants, as low molecular size HS can enter the root cells and directly elicit intracellular signals, while high molecular size HS bind to external cell receptors to induce molecular responses. Main targets of HS in plants are nutrient transporters, plasma membrane H+-ATPases, hormone routes, genes/enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation, cell division, and development. This review aims to give a detailed survey of the mechanisms associated to the growth regulatory functions of HS in view of their use in sustainable technologies.

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Technology and Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158658 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8658

Author(s):

Vojko Potocan

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

New Technologies ◽

Social Issues ◽

Technological Development ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Interdisciplinary Treatment ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Corporate Social

This study examined the importance of technologies in advancing modern organizations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Drawing upon environmentalist and technological theories, we analyzed the shift from the traditional development of technology to the development of sustainable technologies for the further sustainable advancement of organizations. Technology has decisively influenced the development of humankind, but its research has traditionally excluded sustainable development issues. Newer technological visions have addressed the incorporation of technologies in all industries more comprehensively to solve social issues related to environmental protection and sustainable economic development. Such an orientation is followed by several conceptual solutions, such as the sustainable use of traditional technologies, development of sustainable technologies, and interdisciplinary treatment of sustainable technology to extend the CSR model. The results of our study have theoretical implications, highlighting the effects of technological development and new technologies on the course of further societal sustainable development. Practical implications include extending CSR’s Triple Bottom model with a technological dimension to improve organizations’ further sustainable operating and behavior.

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Curvature Variability Study for Small- and Large-Scale Linear Fresnel Solar Fields: A Step Toward Optimization

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.4037382 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 139 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sara Benyakhlef ◽

Ahmed Al Mers ◽

Ossama Merroun ◽

Abdelfattah Bouatem ◽

Hamid Ajdad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cost Reduction ◽

Large Scale ◽

Small Scale ◽

Optimization Approach ◽

Market Penetration ◽

Concentrated Solar Power ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Low Efficiency ◽

New Research ◽

Variability Study

Reducing levelized electricity costs of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants can be of great potential in accelerating the market penetration of these sustainable technologies. Linear Fresnel reflectors (LFRs) are one of these CSP technologies that may potentially contribute to such cost reduction. However, due to very little previous research, LFRs are considered as a low efficiency technology. In this type of solar collectors, there is a variety of design approaches when it comes to optimizing such systems. The present paper aims to tackle a new research axis based on variability study of heliostat curvature as an approach for optimizing small and large-scale LFRs. Numerical investigations based on a ray tracing model have demonstrated that LFR constructors should adopt a uniform curvature for small-scale LFRs and a variable curvature per row for large-scale LFRs. Better optical performances were obtained for LFRs regarding these adopted curvature types. An optimization approach based on the use of uniform heliostat curvature for small-scale LFRs has led to a system cost reduction by means of reducing its receiver surface and height.

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Blockchain-Based Application for Certification Management

Tehnički glasnik ◽

10.31803/tg-20200811113729 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 488-492

Author(s):

Jovan Karamachoski ◽

Ninoslav Marina ◽

Pavel Taskov

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Business Models ◽

Human Factor ◽

Computer Code ◽

Chain Management ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Blockchain Technology ◽

Smart Contract ◽

Crucial Part

Blockchain technology will bring a disruption in plenty of industries and businesses. Recently it proved the robustness, immutability, auditability, in many crucial practical applications. The blockchain structure offers traceability of actions, alterations, alerts, which is an important property of a system needed for development of sustainable technologies. A crucial part of the blockchain technology regarding the optimization of the processes is the smart contract. It is a self-executable computer code, open and transparent, encoding the terms of a regular contract. It is able to automate the processes, thus decreasing the human-factor mistakes or counterfeits. In this paper, we are presenting the feasibility of the blockchain technology in the certification processes, with an application developed for university diploma certification. The example is easily transferable in other areas and business models such as logistics, supply chain management, or other segments where certification is essential.

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