scholarly journals Clean Water Using Solar and Wind: Outside the Power Grid (Persian Translation)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustaf Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Electric Power ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Grid Systems ◽  
Electric Grids ◽  
The World ◽  
Cost Development ◽  
Persian Translation

Solar photo-voltaic (PV) and wind offer to bring both clean energy and clean water to remote regions and peri-urban areas in the world, outside the conventional electric grids. One out of seven people has no electric power available that would bring light to the home, cook the food, pump to access water and purify or re-use it. Off-grid systems are scalable and can be designed to any size, from household to village and community levels. The renewable energy cost development is remarkable and can make electric power affordable also for the poorest. Renewables promise an end to the era where energy security is closely related to geopolitics. The expenditure is up-front capital cost while “fuel” is free. With renewables, there is no geopolitical pressure where one country has deposits of a fossil fuel while another does not. This book aims to show how clean water and clean energy are reachable for all while contributing to both a better climate and a healthier life. ISBN: 9781789062953 (eBook)

The importance of green roofs in an urban Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Cristiano ◽  
Roberto Deidda ◽  
Francesco Viola
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Sustainable Solutions

<p>The modern society is facing new environmental and socio-economic challenges: population is growing fast, and it is projected to continue with this trend, reaching 9.8 billion of people by 2050, with 2/3 of them living in cities. Moreover, climate changes are leading to an increase of hot and dry periods and of short but intense rainfall events, forcing policy makers to rethink to the water management system. For these reasons, it is important to integrate in the urban planning, sustainable solutions that can help dealing with these new challenges. In this context, green roofs are powerful and flexible tools, that can play a fundamental role in the creation and development of smart and resilient cities. So far, green roofs have been generally investigated focusing on one single field at the time, following a so called “silo approach”. This approach, however, does not allow to highlight the interconnections and feedback between the different sectors, limiting the understanding of the potential of this tool. An integrated water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus approach is hence required to fully explore all the potential benefits of a large-scale installation of this tool. This work presents a review of green roofs’ benefits, following an integrated water-energy-food-ecosystem approach, with the aim to identify the potential positive impacts for the development of sustainable and resilient cities. Green roofs present multiple benefits for the urban environment, which are in line with the Development Goals proposed in the Sustainable Agenda 2030 (SDGs). Green roofs can, for example, mitigate pluvial floods, adapting to climate changes (SDG13: Climate Action) and contrasting the urbanization (SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities). The installation of these tools on the rooftops guarantee thermal insulation for the building, reducing the energy consumption for heating and cooling systems (SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy). Thanks to the potential applicability of urban agriculture on its surface, green roofs can reduce the population food demand (SDG2: Zero Hunger), especially in poor countries, where many people have limited or no access to food. Moreover, the harvested rainwater, if properly stored and treated, can be reused for several domestic purposes, reducing the pressure on the water supply system and consequently increasing the availability of clean water (SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation).The installation of vegetation in urban areas partially aims to restore the natural conditions, increasing the biodiversity and attracting different species of insects and small vertebrates, which are fundamental to guarantee maintenance of the ecosystem (SDG15: Life on Land). Moreover, the installation of this tool in an urban environment contributes to improve the mental and physical well-being of citizens (SDG3: Good Health and Well-being), which is particularly relevant in relation to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>

Direct ammonia fueled solid oxide fuel cells: A comprehensive review on challenges, opportunities and future outlooks

2020 ◽  
pp. 70-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molla Asmare ◽  
Mustafa Ilbas
Keyword(s):  
Electric Power ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Performance Comparison ◽  
Optimum Operating ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Green Fuel

Nowadays, the most decisive challenges we are fronting are perfectly clean energy making for equitable and sustainable modern energy access, and battling the emerging alteration of the climate. This is because, carbon-rich fuels are the fundamental supply of utilized energy for strengthening human society, and it will be sustained in the near future. In connection with this, electrochemical technologies are an emerging and domineering tool for efficiently transforming the existing scarce fossil fuels and renewable energy sources into electric power with a trivial environmental impact. Compared with conventional power generation technologies, SOFC that operate at high temperature is emerging as a frontrunner to convert the fuels chemical energy into electric power and permits the deployment of varieties of fuels with negligible ecological destructions. According to this critical review, direct ammonia is obtained as a primary possible choice and price-effective green fuel for T-SOFCs. This is because T-SOFCs have higher volumetric power density, mechanically stable, and high thermal shocking resistance. Also, there is no sealing issue problem which is the chronic issues of the planar one. As a result, the toxicity of ammonia to use as a fuel is minimized if there may be a leakage during operation. It is portable and manageable that can be work everywhere when there is energy demand. Besides, manufacturing, onboard hydrogen deposition, and transportation infrastructure connected snags of hydrogen will be solved using ammonia. Ammonia is a low-priced carbon-neutral source of energy and has more stored volumetric energy compared with hydrogen. Yet, to utilize direct NH3 as a means of hydrogen carrier and an alternative green fuel in T-SOFCs practically determining the optimum operating temperatures, reactant flow rates, electrode porosities, pressure, the position of the anode, thickness and diameters of the tube are still requiring further improvement. Therefore, mathematical modeling ought to be developed to determine these parameters before planning for experimental work. Also, a performance comparison of AS, ES, and CS- T-SOFC powered with direct NH3 will be investigated and best-performed support will be carefully chosen for practical implementation and an experimental study will be conducted for verification based on optimum parameter values obtained from numerical modeling.

Urban Transport

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José van
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Ride Sharing ◽  
The World ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Selection Mechanisms

Platformization affects the entire urban transport sector, effectively blurring the division between private and public transport modalities; existing public–private arrangements have started to shift as a result. This chapter analyzes and discusses the emergence of a platform ecology for urban transport, focusing on two central public values: the quality of urban transport and the organization of labor and workers’ rights. Using the prism of platform mechanisms, it analyzes how the sector of urban transport is changing societal organization in various urban areas across the world. Datafication has allowed numerous new actors to offer their bike-, car-, or ride-sharing services online; selection mechanisms help match old and new complementors with passengers. Similarly, new connective platforms are emerging, most prominently transport network companies such as Uber and Lyft that offer public and private transport options, as well as new platforms offering integrated transport services, often referred to as “mobility as a service.”

scholarly journals Key Performance Indicators for an Energy Community Based on Sustainable Technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8789
Author(s):  
Giovanni Bianco ◽  
Barbara Bonvini ◽  
Stefano Bracco ◽  
Federico Delfino ◽  
Paola Laiolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Storage Systems ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Green Energy

As reported in the “Clean energy for all Europeans package” set by the EU, a sustainable transition from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy is necessary to improve the quality of life of citizens and the livability in cities. The exploitation of renewable sources, the improvement of energy performance in buildings and the need for cutting-edge national energy and climate plans represent important and urgent topics to be faced in order to implement the sustainability concept in urban areas. In addition, the spread of polygeneration microgrids and the recent development of energy communities enable a massive installation of renewable power plants, high-performance small-size cogeneration units, and electrical storage systems; moreover, properly designed local energy production systems make it possible to optimize the exploitation of green energy sources and reduce both energy supply costs and emissions. In the present paper, a set of key performance indicators is introduced in order to evaluate and compare different energy communities both from a technical and environmental point of view. The proposed methodology was used in order to assess and compare two sites characterized by the presence of sustainable energy infrastructures: the Savona Campus of the University of Genoa in Italy, where a polygeneration microgrid has been in operation since 2014 and new technologies will be installed in the near future, and the SPEED2030 District, an urban area near the Campus where renewable energy power plants (solar and wind), cogeneration units fed by hydrogen and storage systems are planned to be installed.

scholarly journals High Diversity in Urban Areas: How Comprehensive Sampling Reveals High Ant Species Richness within One of the Most Urbanized Regions of the World

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 358
Author(s):  
François Brassard ◽  
Chi-Man Leong ◽  
Hoi-Hou Chan ◽  
Benoit Guénard
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Dual Roles ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
The World ◽  
Ant Diversity ◽  
The Vertical Distribution

The continuous increase in urbanization has been perceived as a major threat for biodiversity, particularly within tropical regions. Urban areas, however, may still provide opportunities for conservation. In this study focused on Macao (China), one of the most densely populated regions on Earth, we used a comprehensive approach, targeting all the vertical strata inhabited by ants, to document the diversity of both native and exotic species, and to produce an updated checklist. We then compared these results with 112 studies on urban ants to illustrate the dual roles of cities in sustaining ant diversity and supporting the spread of exotic species. Our study provides the first assessment on the vertical distribution of urban ant communities, allowing the detection of 55 new records in Macao, for a total of 155 ant species (11.5% being exotic); one of the highest species counts reported for a city globally. Overall, our results contrast with the dominant paradigm that urban landscapes have limited conservation value but supports the hypothesis that cities act as gateways for exotic species. Ultimately, we argue for a more comprehensive understanding of ants within cities around the world to understand native and exotic patterns of diversity.

FOSSIL FUEL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION: A STRATEGY USING RADIOCARBON, N-ALKANES, AND ALGAE

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Túlio César Aguiar Silva ◽  
Carla Carvalho ◽  
Bruno Libardoni ◽  
Kita Macario ◽  
Felippe Braga de Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Maximum Intensity ◽  
Effective Technique ◽  
The World ◽  
Work Samples

ABSTRACT Fossil fuels are of utmost importance to the world we live in today. However, their use can cause major impacts on the environment, especially on water resources. In this regard, algae have been intensively used as a strategy for remediation and monitoring of environmental pollution due to its efficient absorption of contaminants. In this work, samples of seaweed collected in Niterói/RJ—contaminated with kerosene and diesel—were analyzed by radiocarbon (14C) accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and by n-alkane quantification with gas chromatography to evaluate bioaccumulation in function of the dosage of contaminants. The biogenic content measured by radiocarbon analysis resulted in 95.6% for algae contaminated with 10 mL of kerosene and 67.6% for algae contaminated with 10 mL of diesel. The maximum intensity of n-C17 n-alkane in algae with 5 mL, 10 mL, and 15 mL of diesel was 768.2, 1878.1, and 5699.2 ng.g-1, respectively. While the maximum concentration of n-C27 in algae with 5 mL, 10 mL and 15 mL of kerosene was 3.3, 35.9, and 150.3 ng.g-1. We concluded that, for both contaminants, their incorporation into algae increases as the contamination dosage increases, making this methodology an effective technique for monitoring and remediation of urban aquatic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Objectives, Keys and Results in the Water Networks to Reach the Sustainable Development Goals

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1268
Author(s):  
Angel Valentin Mercedes Garcia ◽  
Petra Amparo López-Jiménez ◽  
Francisco-Javier Sánchez-Romero ◽  
Modesto Pérez-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Pumping Stations ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals

The world is continuously searching for ways to improve how water is used for energy. As the population increases, so do the needs for natural resources and, in turn, the needs for energy. This research sought to show how the world has tried to achieve more sustainable forms of pressurized water distribution and to show the results that have been obtained. In this sense, technologies have been used for the production of clean energy, energy recovery instead of dissipation, reprogramming of pumping stations and hybrid systems. In many cases, much lower water and energy requirements are achieved and, in turn, greenhouse gas emissions related to water use are reduced. Sixty-one different water systems were analyzed considering different energy, economic and environmental indicators. The different operation range of these indicators were defined according to sustainable indicators.

Fuel Optimization for Power, Heat and CHP Systems Including Emissions Regulations and Ambient Conditions

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel-Angel Gonzalez-Chapa ◽  
Jose-Ramon Vega-Galaz
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
The World ◽  
Fuel Optimization

Combined Heat and Power systems have been used all around the world due to their effective and viable way of transforming energy from fossil fuel. Indeed, the advantage of lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to those obtained in conventional power or conventional heat generation systems have been an important factor giving CHP systems an advantage over these conventional ones. Certainly CHP has been, and continues to be, a good practice while renewable technologies become more economically. While these technologies emerge it is important to continue minimizing these greenhouse gas emissions from conventional and CHP units as much as possible. This paper deals with the fuel optimization of power, heat and CHP systems including emissions and ambient conditions constraints. Ambient conditions variations are evaluated before solving the optimization and then introduced to the problem to consider their effects.

Beyond studentification in United States College Towns: Neighborhood change in the knowledge nodes, 1980–2010

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1341-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan S Foote
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Neighborhood Change ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
College Towns ◽  
The World ◽  
Social Geographies

With the rise of the cognitive-cultural (or knowledge) economy, urban areas around the world have experienced significant changes in their social geographies. Studentification is one such change that has occurred in cities hosting major universities around the world. This study extends the analysis of social change to vital knowledge nodes in the networked global economy: United States college towns. K-means cluster analysis is used to identify neighborhood types in ten cities with major research universities across four Census years: 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010. Temporal and spatial analyses are then conducted to determine how these knowledge nodes have changed with the decline of the industrial economy and the rise of the knowledge economy. The analysis indicates the presence of six neighborhood types in these college towns: Middle Class, Minority-Concentrated, Stability, Elite, Mix/Renter, and Student. Over the course of the study period, the number of Elite neighborhoods increased considerably, while the number of Middle Class neighborhoods plummeted. The number of Mix/Renter neighborhoods also increased. Spatially, Student and Minority-Concentrated neighborhoods generally remained fairly clustered in the same areas across the study period. Elite neighborhoods spread across wider geographical areas over the course of the study period. These results are compared to previous studies on neighborhood change. The comparisons reveal that the knowledge nodes show some similar patterns to studentifying cities and to rapidly growing nodes in areas with ties to the global knowledge economy.

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