scholarly journals The Contradictions between District and Individual Heating towards Green Deal Targets

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3370
Author(s):  
Lauma Balode ◽  
Kristiāna Dolge ◽  
Dagnija Blumberga
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
The Road ◽  
Blind Spots

The blind spot can be defined as the area around the vehicle where the driver cannot see through the mirrors without turning their head or taking their eyes off the road. Similar blind spots occur in energy policy. Blind spots can occur in forecasting economic development and creating policy documents. This study uncovers potential blind spots and controversies in the sustainability assessment of energy supply technologies. A composite sustainability index was constructed to compare district heating with four individual heating technologies—wood pellet boilers, natural gas boilers, solar collectors, and heat pumps. A total of 19 indicators were selected and grouped into four dimensions of sustainability—technical, environmental, economic, and social. The results reveal that district heating can compete with individual heating technologies in all dimensions of sustainability; however, a possible blind spot lies in evaluating environmental performance indicators of the different heating technologies. This study provides a novel decision-making tool that policy-makers could use to identify and avoid potential blind spots and uncertainties in energy policy at an early stage.

scholarly journals The illusion of absence: how a common feature of magic shows can explain a class of road accidents

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vebjørn Ekroll ◽  
Mats Svalebjørg ◽  
Angelo Pirrone ◽  
Gisela Böhm ◽  
Sebastian Jentschke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Visual Illusion ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Road User ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
The Road ◽  
Immediate Experience ◽  
Blind Spots

AbstractThe purpose of the present note is to draw attention to the potential role of a recently discovered visual illusion in creating traffic accidents. The illusion consists in a compelling and immediate experience that the space behind an occluding object in the foreground is empty. Although the illusion refers to a region of space, which is invisible due to occlusion (a blind spot), there is evidence to suggest that it is nevertheless driven by visual mechanisms and that it can be just as deceptive and powerful as ordinary visual illusions. We suggest that this novel illusion can make situations involving blind spots in a road user's field of view even more dangerous than one would expect based on the lack of visibility by itself. This could be because it erroneously makes the road user feel that (s)he has actually seen everything there is to see, and thus has verified that the blind spot is empty. This hypothesis requires further testing before definitive conclusions can be drawn, but we wish to make researchers and authorities involved in the analysis of traffic accidents and on-the-spot crash investigations aware of its potential role in order to encourage registration of relevant data and facilitate further research.

scholarly journals Expansion of Sewer, Water and District Heating Networks in Cold Climate Regions: An Integrated Sustainability Assessment

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youen Pericault ◽  
Erik Kärrman ◽  
Maria Viklander ◽  
Annelie Hedström
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Heating Source ◽  
Cost Criterion ◽  
Gravity Sewer ◽  
Freeze Protection ◽  
Integrated Sustainability

This study presents an integrated sustainability assessment of technical alternatives for water and heating services provision in suburban areas affected by a cold climate. Each alternative combines a drinking water supply, sewerage (gravity or low-pressure), pipe freeze protection (deep burial or shallow burial with heat tracing) and heating solution (district heating or geothermal heat pumps). An innovative freeze protection option was considered, in which low-temperature district heating (LTDH) is used to heat trace shallow sewer and water pipes. First, the performance of each alternative regarding seven sustainability criteria was evaluated on a projected residential area in Sweden using a systems analysis approach. A multi-criteria method was then applied to propose a sustainability ranking of the alternatives based on a set of weights obtained from local stakeholders. The alternative with a deep buried gravity sewer and geothermal heat pumps was found to have the highest sustainability score in the case study. In the sensitivity analysis, the integrated trench solution with a gravity sewer, innovative heat tracing and LTDH was found to potentially top the sustainability ranking if geothermal energy was used as the district heating source, or if the weight of the cost criterion increased from 24% to 64%. The study highlights the need for integrated decision-making between different utility providers as an integrated solution can represent sustainability gains.

scholarly journals The Awareness of Blind Spot Area in Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 5619-5623
Keyword(s):  
Blind Spot ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Road User ◽  
The Road ◽  
Spot Area ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Heavy Goods Vehicles ◽  
The Government ◽  
Good Vehicle ◽  
Blind Spots

This paper is to demonstrate the awareness of blind spot area in heavy goods vehicles (HGV) towards the road user. A blind spot is an area or zone that cannot be directly observe by the driver. Usually, the weaknesses in the blind spot area resulted in accident between the vehicle as many drivers did not alert or have awareness on the blind spot area especially in heavy goods vehicle. The objective of this paper is to identify the awareness on the blind spot area in heavy goods vehicles to the road users. To achieve the objective, a questionnaire survey has been conducted to the road user. About 100 drivers randomly pick to answer the survey and they are consisting of non-truck drivers that drive a car, van and motorcycle. The results reveal that even the respondents know about the blind spot in heavy good vehicle, but the awareness in the of blind spot area still less where they mistake on the exact location of blind spot. Typically, the only zone that they know as the blind spot for heavy goods vehicle is at the back area. Therefore, it is suggested that the government to improve the awareness of blind spot areas within the drivers through restructure the system inside driving school by give more attention on the blind spot for heavy goods vehicle, make a campaign on the awareness of blind spot in heavy goods vehicle to remind again the road users about the area of blind spots, and establish a standard direct vision in heavy goods vehicle. Keywords: Blind spot, heavy good

scholarly journals Local Heating Networks with Waste Heat Utilization: Low or Medium Temperature Supply?

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Kauko ◽  
Daniel Rohde ◽  
Armin Hafner
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Local Network ◽  
Medium Temperature

District heating enables an economical use of energy sources that would otherwise be wasted to cover the heating demands of buildings in urban areas. For efficient utilization of local waste heat and renewable heat sources, low distribution temperatures are of crucial importance. This study evaluates a local heating network being planned for a new building area in Trondheim, Norway, with waste heat available from a nearby ice skating rink. Two alternative supply temperature levels have been evaluated with dynamic simulations: low temperature (40 °C), with direct utilization of waste heat and decentralized domestic hot water (DHW) production using heat pumps; and medium temperature (70 °C), applying a centralized heat pump to lift the temperature of the waste heat. The local network will be connected to the primary district heating network to cover the remaining heat demand. The simulation results show that with a medium temperature supply, the peak power demand is up to three times higher than with a low temperature supply. This results from the fact that the centralized heat pump lifts the temperature for the entire network, including space and DHW heating demands. With a low temperature supply, heat pumps are applied only for DHW production, which enables a low and even electricity demand. On the other hand, with a low temperature supply, the district heating demand is high in the wintertime, in particular if the waste heat temperature is low. The choice of a suitable supply temperature level for a local heating network is hence strongly dependent on the temperature of the available waste heat, but also on the costs and emissions related to the production of district heating and electricity in the different seasons.

scholarly journals Understanding Urban Commercial Vehicle Driver Behaviors and Decision Making

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110035
Author(s):  
Giacomo Dalla Chiara ◽  
Klaas Fiete Krutein ◽  
Andisheh Ranjbari ◽  
Anne Goodchild
Keyword(s):  
Commercial Vehicle ◽  
Operating Time ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Urban Freight ◽  
The Road ◽  
Commercial Drivers ◽  
The Common ◽  
Printed Materials

As e-commerce and urban deliveries spike, cities grapple with managing urban freight more actively. To manage urban deliveries effectively, city planners and policy makers need to better understand driver behaviors and the challenges they experience in making deliveries. In this study, we collected data on commercial vehicle (CV) driver behaviors by performing ridealongs with various logistics carriers. Ridealongs were performed in Seattle, Washington, covering a range of vehicles (cars, vans, and trucks), goods (parcels, mail, beverages, and printed materials), and customer types (residential, office, large and small retail). Observers collected qualitative observations and quantitative data on trip and dwell times, while also tracking vehicles with global positioning system devices. The results showed that, on average, urban CVs spent 80% of their daily operating time parked. The study also found that, unlike the common belief, drivers (especially those operating heavier vehicles) parked in authorized parking locations, with only less than 5% of stops occurring in the travel lane. Dwell times associated with authorized parking locations were significantly longer than those of other parking locations, and mail and heavy goods deliveries generally had longer dwell times. We also identified three main criteria CV drivers used for choosing a parking location: avoiding unsafe maneuvers, minimizing conflicts with other users of the road, and competition with other commercial drivers. The results provide estimates for trip times, dwell times, and parking choice types, as well as insights into why those decisions are made and the factors affecting driver choices.

scholarly journals Business models combining heat pumps and district heating in buildings generate cost and emission savings

Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 121202
Author(s):  
Kristina Lygnerud ◽  
Jonas Ottosson ◽  
Johan Kensby ◽  
Linnea Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Heat Pumps

scholarly journals Big Data Analytics in urology: the story so far and the road ahead

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 175628722199813
Author(s):  
B. M. Zeeshan Hameed ◽  
Aiswarya V. L. S. Dhavileswarapu ◽  
Nithesh Naik ◽  
Hadis Karimi ◽  
Padmaraj Hegde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Data Analytics ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Big Data Analytics ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
The Road ◽  
Healthcare Data ◽  
Urological Disorders ◽  
Different Sources

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a proven record of application in the field of medicine and is used in various urological conditions such as oncology, urolithiasis, paediatric urology, urogynaecology, infertility and reconstruction. Data is the driving force of AI and the past decades have undoubtedly witnessed an upsurge in healthcare data. Urology is a specialty that has always been at the forefront of innovation and research and has rapidly embraced technologies to improve patient outcomes and experience. Advancements made in Big Data Analytics raised the expectations about the future of urology. This review aims to investigate the role of big data and its blend with AI for trends and use in urology. We explore the different sources of big data in urology and explicate their current and future applications. A positive trend has been exhibited by the advent and implementation of AI in urology with data available from several databases. The extensive use of big data for the diagnosis and treatment of urological disorders is still in its early stage and under validation. In future however, big data will no doubt play a major role in the management of urological conditions.

scholarly journals Upgrading a District Heating System by Means of the Integration of Modular Heat Pumps, Geothermal Waters, and PVs for Resilient and Sustainable Urban Energy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2347
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Hałaj ◽  
Jarosław Kotyza ◽  
Marek Hajto ◽  
Grzegorz Pełka ◽  
Wojciech Luboń ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
District Heating ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Geothermal Waters ◽  
District Heating System ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The City

Krakow has an extensive district heating network, which is approximately 900 km long. It is the second largest city in terms of the number of inhabitants in Poland, resulting in a high demand for energy—for both heating and cooling. The district heating of the city is based on coal. The paper presents the conception of using the available renewable sources to integrate them into the city’s heating system, increasing the flexibility of the system and its decentralization. An innovative solution of the use of hybrid, modular heat pumps with power dependent on the needs of customers in a given location and combining them with geothermal waters and photovoltaics is presented. The potential of deep geothermal waters is based on two reservoirs built of carbonate rocks, namely Devonian and Upper Jurassic, which mainly consist of dolomite and limestone. The theoretical potential of water intake equal to the nominal heating capacity of a geothermal installation is estimated at 3.3 and 2.0 MW, respectively. Shallow geothermal energy potential varies within the city, reflecting the complex geological structure of the city. Apart from typical borehole heat exchangers (BHEs), the shallower water levels may represent a significant potential source for both heating and cooling by means of water heat pumps. For the heating network, it has been proposed to use modular heat pumps with hybrid sources, which will allow for the flexible development of the network in places previously unavailable or unprofitable. In the case of balancing production and demand, a photovoltaic installation can be an effective and sufficient source of electricity that will cover the annual electricity demand generated by the heat pump installation, when it is used for both heating and cooling. The alternating demand of facilities for heating and cooling energy, caused by changes in the seasons, suggests potential for using seasonal cold and heat storage.

scholarly journals A Method for Optimizing and Spatially Distributing Heating Systems by Coupling an Urban Energy Simulation Platform and an Energy System Model

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Annette Steingrube ◽  
Keyu Bao ◽  
Stefan Wieland ◽  
Andrés Lalama ◽  
Pithon M. Kabiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
District Heating ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Energy Simulation ◽  
Heating Systems ◽  
Optimal Amount ◽  
Urban City ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
Building Level

District heating is seen as an important concept to decarbonize heating systems and meet climate mitigation goals. However, the decision related to where central heating is most viable is dependent on many different aspects, like heating densities or current heating structures. An urban energy simulation platform based on 3D building objects can improve the accuracy of energy demand calculation on building level, but lacks a system perspective. Energy system models help to find economically optimal solutions for entire energy systems, including the optimal amount of centrally supplied heat, but do not usually provide information on building level. Coupling both methods through a novel heating grid disaggregation algorithm, we propose a framework that does three things simultaneously: optimize energy systems that can comprise all demand sectors as well as sector coupling, assess the role of centralized heating in such optimized energy systems, and determine the layouts of supplying district heating grids with a spatial resolution on the street level. The algorithm is tested on two case studies; one, an urban city quarter, and the other, a rural town. In the urban city quarter, district heating is economically feasible in all scenarios. Using heat pumps in addition to CHPs increases the optimal amount of centrally supplied heat. In the rural quarter, central heat pumps guarantee the feasibility of district heating, while standalone CHPs are more expensive than decentral heating technologies.

(Un)intended consequences of the 2016 educational reform on early childhood education and care in Poland. The story of a few applications that led to significant disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 806-823
Author(s):  
Anna Ciepielewska-Kowalik
Keyword(s):  
Educational Reform ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Curriculum Management ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
School Year ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Polish Government

Merton’s law on unintended consequences (1936) warns against the undesirable and unanticipated outcomes of every action and policy. More recent research (Zhao, 2017) in the field of education, in relation to Merton, claims that these consequences are usually treated as inconvenient side effect of a policy, but are, in fact, planned by policy-makers or other stakeholders to benefit them. It is therefore more appropriate to call them ‘(un)intended consequences’, which are not written into the policy but are a result of how the policy translates into practice. This paper, in relation to the above approaches, aims at revealing (un)intended consequences and hidden agendas of the educational reform conducted by the Polish government in 2016, with a special focus on their impact on ECEC. (Un)intended consequences are investigated here in four dimensions, including ECEC: organisational changes, curriculum, management and educators.  The paper is based on the review of literature and on the author’s qualitative and quantitative research among parents, teachers and representatives of local authorities, carried out in the 2018/2019 school year.

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