scholarly journals Examining the Dynamics of Energy Demand through a Biographical Lens

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Butler ◽  
Karen Anne Parkhill ◽  
Fiona Shirani ◽  
Karen Henwood ◽  
Nick Pidgeon
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Biographical Research ◽  
Reduction Of Energy Consumption

It is widely recognized that a major challenge in low carbon transitioning is the reduction of energy consumption. This implies a significant level of transformation in our ways of living, meaning the challenge is one that runs deep into the fabric of our personal lives. In this article we combine biographical research approaches with concepts from Bourdieu's practice theory to develop understanding of processes of change that embed particular patterns of energy consumption. Through an analysis of “case biographies” we show the value of biographical methods for understanding the dynamics of energy demand.

scholarly journals The Integrated Energy Consumption Index for Energy Biomass Grinding Technology Assessment

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weronika Kruszelnicka ◽  
Robert Kasner ◽  
Patrycja Bałdowska-Witos ◽  
Józef Flizikowski ◽  
Andrzej Tomporowski
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Power Input ◽  
Angular Speed ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Engineering Systems ◽  
Energy Assessment ◽  
Consumption Index ◽  
Reduction Of Energy Consumption ◽  
Current Energy

The assessment of engineering objects in terms of energy consumption is an important part of sustainable development. Many materials, including those from the energy sector, need to undergo earlier processing, e.g., grinding. Grinding processes still demand a significant amount of energy, whereas current energy assessment methods do not take into account important parameters of the process, which makes it difficult to choose their optimal values. The study presents the analysis, testing, and assessment of mechanical engineering systems in terms of the energy consumption involved in the grinding of biomass intended for energy production purposes. A testing methodology was developed to improve the parameters of multi-disc grinding, including the reduction of energy consumption, power input, product quality improvement, and process efficiency. An original model of integrated energy consumption was developed. Tests were carried out on a five-disc grinder for five programs to assess the programmable angular speeds of the grinder discs. Output values, including specific energy demand, fragmentation degree, and integrated energy consumption, were assigned to each testing program. The test results were subjected to statistical analysis. Based on the authors’ own research, it was found that the angular speed of the discs and, consequently, the linear speed of the grinding blades, have a significant influence on the values of the integrated energy consumption of the preliminary process.

scholarly journals Model and data management issues in the integrated assessment of existing building stocks

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2148-2157
Author(s):  
Meliha Honic ◽  
Iva Kovacic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Automated Generation ◽  
Exchange Processes ◽  
Reduction Of Energy Consumption ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractThe increasing population growth and urbanization rises the worldwide consumption of material resources and energy demand. The challenges of the future will be to provide sufficient resources and to minimize the continual amount of waste and energy demand. For the achievement of sustainability, increasing recycling rates and reuse of materials, next to the reduction of energy consumption has the highest priority.This article presents the results of the multidisciplinary research project SCI_BIM, which is conducted on an occupied existing building. Within SCI_BIM, a workflow for coupling digital technologies for scanning and modeling of buildings is developed. Laser scanning is used for capturing the geometry, and ground-penetrating radar is used for assessing material composition. For the semi-automated generation of an as-built BIM, algorithms are developed, wherefore the Point-Cloud serves as a basis. The BIM-model is used for energy modeling and analysis as well as for the automated compilation of Material Passports. Further, a gamification concept will be developed to motivate the buildings’ users to collect data. By applying the gamification concept, the reduction of energy consumption together with an automated update of the as-built BIM will be tested. This article aims to analyze the complex interdisciplinary interactions, data, and model exchange processes of various disciplines collaborating within SCI_BIM.Results show that the developed methodology is confronted with many challenges. Nevertheless, it has the potential to serve as a basis for the creation of secondary raw materials cadaster and for the optimization of energy consumption in existing buildings.

scholarly journals Energy Demand and Carbon Emission Peak Forecasting of Beijing Based on Leap Energy Simulation Method

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Peak Value

<p>The long-term forecasting of the energy demand is an important issue of an area’s sustainable development, especially for mega cities such as Beijing. Beijing is changing its energy supply strategy to depend on energy imports from other provinces due to the city’s long-term low carbon sustainable development plan. Beijing has promised that it will reach the peak value of energy consumption by 2050 and the peak value of the carbon emissions by 2030. To understand whether this can be achieved, this study built an energy demand simulation model using the LEAP with different development scenarios. The results show that, the peak value of Beijing’s energy demand is between 108.25 and 131.74 Mtce during the period of 2044 to 2048, while the peak value of carbon emissions is between 134 and 139.38 million tons in 2025. We also find that adjusting the industry structure and improving the tertiary industry’s energy usage efficiency can be efficient ways to reduce energy consumption. These approaches not only reduce the negative influence of the economic development, but also achieve the energy saving and carbon emission reducing requirements. This study provides an interpretation of the implications for the future energy and climate policies of Beijing.</p>

scholarly journals Study of the Improvement on Energy Efficiency for a Building in the Mediterranean Area by the Installation of a Green Roof System

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Peñalvo-López ◽  
Javier Cárcel-Carrasco ◽  
David Alfonso-Solar ◽  
Iván Valencia-Salazar ◽  
Elias Hurtado-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Reduction Of Energy Consumption ◽  
Heating Energy Demand

Rooftop gardens ona building have proved to be a good way to improve its storm water management, but many other benefits can be obtained from the installation of these systems, such as reduction of energy consumption, decrease of the heat stress, abatement on CO2 emissions, etc. In this paper, the effect from the presence of these rooftop gardens on abuilding’s energy consumption has been investigated by experimental campaigns using a green roof ona public building in a Mediterranean location in Spain. The obtained results demonstrate a substantial improvement by the installation of the green roof onthe building’s cooling energy demand for a standard summer day, in the order of 30%, and a reduction, about 15%, in the heating energy demand for a winter day. Thus, given the longer duration of the summer conditions along the year, a noticeable reduction on energy demand could be obtained. Simulation analysis, using commercial software TRNSYS code, previously calibrated using experimental data for typical summer and winter days, allows for the extrapolation to the entire year of these results deducing noticeable improvement in energy efficiency, in the order of 19%, but with an increase of 6% in the peak power during the winter period.

scholarly journals Financing Energy Transition with Real Estate Wealth

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4289
Author(s):  
Jussi Vimpari
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Global Data

Transition to a low carbon energy system requires extensive private investment and novel financing instruments. Corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) have been proven effective in increasing renewables financing. The challenge is to scale this corporate model to smaller energy consumers that form a significant part of the global total energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions. This paper examines collateral strength and global potential of the real estate sector as an offtaker for PPAs. The strength is evaluated by constructing a detailed energy and economic model for 90,000 buildings in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA), Finland. The global potential is evaluated by creating country-level profiles with global data of interest rates, energy consumption, and energy costs. The results suggest that real estate is a strong offtaker as the HMA’s value of real estate collateral compared to required wind power capital expenditures (that could cover electricity demand of the buildings) is approximately 100:1, and for cash flows, the ratio is 70:1 between gross rents and PPA costs. Analysis of global data suggests that the majority of buildings’ energy consumption in OECD countries as well as a large part of China’s energy consumption could fall into low access finance under the presented concept.

scholarly journals Batch Reverse Osmosis Desalination Modeling under a Time-Dependent Pressure Profile

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Abdeljalil Chougradi ◽  
François Zaviska ◽  
Ahmed Abed ◽  
Jérôme Harmand ◽  
Jamal-Eddine Jellal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Specific Energy ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Specific Energy Consumption ◽  
Pressure Profile ◽  
Recovery Ratio ◽  
Feed Concentration ◽  
Energetic Performance ◽  
Feed Volume

As world demand for clean water increases, reverse osmosis (RO) desalination has emerged as an attractive solution. Continuous RO is the most used desalination technology today. However, a new generation of configurations, working in unsteady-state feed concentration and pressure, have gained more attention recently, including the batch RO process. Our work presents a mathematical modeling for batch RO that offers the possibility of monitoring all variables of the process, including specific energy consumption, as a function of time and the recovery ratio. Validation is achieved by comparison with data from the experimental set-up and an existing model in the literature. Energetic comparison with continuous RO processes confirms that batch RO can be more energy efficient than can continuous RO, especially at a higher recovery ratio. It used, at recovery, 31% less energy for seawater and 19% less energy for brackish water. Modeling also proves that the batch RO process does not have to function under constant flux to deliver good energetic performance. In fact, under a linear pressure profile, batch RO can still deliver better energetic performance than can a continuous configuration. The parameters analysis shows that salinity, pump and energy recovery devices efficiencies are directly linked to the energy demand. While increasing feed volume has a limited effect after a certain volume due to dilution, it also shows, interestingly, a recovery ratio interval in which feed volume does not affect specific energy consumption.

scholarly journals Design and Fabrication of a Novel Window-Type Convection Device

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 267
Author(s):  
Han-Tang Lin ◽  
Yunn-Horng Guu ◽  
Wei-Hsuan Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Air Entrainment ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Digit Series ◽  
Slit Size ◽  
Deflector Plate

Global warming, climate change, and ever-increasing energy demand are among the pressing challenges currently facing humanity. Particularly, indoor air conditioning, a major source of energy consumption, requires immediate improvement to prevent energy crises. In this study, various airfoil profiles were applied to create a window-type convection device that entrains air to improve convection between indoor and outdoor airflows and adjust the indoor temperature. How the geometric structure of the convection device affects its air entrainment performance was investigated on the basis of various airfoil profiles and outlet slit sizes of the airflow multiplier. The airfoil profiles were designed according to the 4-digit series developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The results revealed that airfoil thickness, airfoil camber, and air outlet slit size affected the mass flow rate of the convection device. Overall, the mass flow rate at the outlet of the convection device was more than 10 times greater than at the inlet, demonstrating the potential of the device to improve air convection. To validate these simulated results, the wind-deflector plate was processed using the NACA4424 airfoil with a 1.2 mm slit, and various operating voltages were applied to the convection device to measure the resulting wind speeds and calculate the corresponding mass flow rates. The experimental and simulated results were similar, with a mean error of <7%, indicating that the airfoil-shaped wind-deflector plate substantially improved air entrainment of the convection device to the goal of reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions.

scholarly journals Sustainable Energy-Related Infrastructure Development in the Mekong Subregion: Key Drivers and Policy Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5720
Author(s):  
Han Phoumin ◽  
Sopheak Meas ◽  
Hatda Pich An
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The One

Many players have supported infrastructure development in the Mekong Subregion, bridging the missing links in Southeast Asia. While the influx of energy-related infrastructure development investments to the region has improved the livelihoods of millions of people on the one hand, it has brought about a myriad of challenges to the wider region in guiding investments for quality infrastructure and for promoting a low-carbon economy, and energy access and affordability, on the other hand. Besides reviewing key regional initiatives for infrastructure investment and development, this paper examines energy demand and supply, and forecasts energy consumption in the subregion during 2017–2050 using energy modeling scenario analysis. The study found that to satisfy growing energy demand in the subregion, huge power generation infrastructure investment, estimated at around USD 190 billion–220 billion, is necessary between 2017 and 2050 and that such an investment will need to be guided by appropriate policy. We argue that without redesigning energy policy towards high-quality energy infrastructure, it is very likely that the increasing use of coal upon which the region greatly depends will lead to the widespread construction of coal-fired power plants, which could result in increased greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions.

scholarly journals Pulp and Paper Industry: Decarbonisation Technology Assessment to Reach CO2 Neutral Emissions—An Austrian Case Study

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1161
Author(s):  
Maedeh Rahnama Mobarakeh ◽  
Miguel Santos Silva ◽  
Thomas Kienberger
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Paper Industry ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Pulp And Paper ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Co2 Emission Reduction

The pulp and paper (P&P) sector is a dynamic manufacturing industry and plays an essential role in the Austrian economy. However, the sector, which consumes about 20 TWh of final energy, is responsible for 7% of Austria’s industrial CO2 emissions. This study, intending to assess the potential for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the Austrian context in the P&P sector, uses a bottom-up approach model. The model is applied to analyze the energy consumption (heat and electricity) and CO2 emissions in the main processes, related to the P&P production from virgin or recycled fibers. Afterward, technological options to reduce energy consumption and fossil CO2 emissions for P&P production are investigated, and various low-carbon technologies are applied to the model. For each of the selected technologies, the potential of emission reduction and energy savings up to 2050 is estimated. Finally, a series of low-carbon technology-based scenarios are developed and evaluated. These scenarios’ content is based on the improvement potential associated with the various processes of different paper grades. The results reveal that the investigated technologies applied in the production process (chemical pulping and paper drying) have a minor impact on CO2 emission reduction (maximum 10% due to applying an impulse dryer). In contrast, steam supply electrification, by replacing fossil fuel boilers with direct heat supply (such as commercial electric boilers or heat pumps), enables reducing emissions by up to 75%. This means that the goal of 100% CO2 emission reduction by 2050 cannot be reached with one method alone. Consequently, a combination of technologies, particularly with the electrification of the steam supply, along with the use of carbon-free electricity generated by renewable energy, appears to be essential.

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