Potential synergy between solar energy and biodiversity 

Author(s):  
Sacha de Rijk ◽  
Ruurd Noordhuis ◽  
Bas van den Boogaard ◽  
Ineke Roell

<p>Like other countries The Netherlands are facing several societal challenges. As space is very scarce in the Netherlands it is vital to find chances for synergy in solutions to the challenges. It is investigated whether an upgrade of natural values in a large Dutch freshwater lake could go together with installing solar panels on water and thus generate sustainable energy. Our first exploration shows that this kind of synergy has potential for both biodiversity and renewable energy. The presentation will show the design, requirements, uncertainties, chances and risks.</p><p>The area of interest is Lake IJssel, a freshwater lake covering an area of 1,100 km<sup>2</sup> with an average depth of 5.5 m. Lake IJssel was constructed by the completion of a dam in 1932, transforming the former brackish water of the Zuiderzee into a lake. The water levels are precisely controlled, and the lake provides several ecosystem services. The present ecosystem is imbalanced with low productivity and low biodiversity.</p><p>To strengthen the delta nature in the Dutch waters a national Program for nature restoration has been launched. Goal for Lake IJssel is creating more natural transitions: from wet to dry and from fresh to salt. This is done by creating the missing habitats necessary for a healthy ecosystem like shallows with submerged vegetation and wetlands with a natural fluctuation of water levels. At the same time, the region surrounding Lake IJssel is trying to find opportunities for generation of renewable energy. Solar panels on the open water of the lake is one of the options. We have developed a design consisting of a cluster of artificial island modules.</p><p>The entire design consists of seven modules of which four modules provide space for solar panels. Each solar module consists of a constructed ring dike with an open connection to the lake providing a water surface where wave action is greatly reduced so thatsolar panels can be installed safely. In this exploration, we opted for a panel coverage percentage of 50% of the surface. If we decrease the water depth by one or two meters under the solar panels with local sediment, the light can penetrate to the lake floor. This creates a favorable environment for aquatic plants. Under the panels, a relatively open, structure-rich vegetation of mainly pondweeds is expected, which is interesting for growing young fish in the summer due to a combination of food supply and shelter. In winter, when the vegetation has disappeared, these waters are expected to be attractive for the wintering of (larger) fish. In addition, the mounting structures of the panels also contribute, providing a substrate for mussels and other invertebrates.</p><p>The idea has not yet been tested in practice. The possibility of multiple use of space for ecology and energy is so far based on the judgement of the best available experts and experiences. A pilot study and monitoring are required to gain more insights in the ecological impacts of solar panels in this ecosystem.</p>

Author(s):  
Selamat Meliala ◽  
Saifuddin Muhammad Jalil ◽  
Wahyu Fuadi ◽  
Asran Asran

At this time the cost of electricity is very expensive which is felt by the community because the government is still exploring oil and natural gas which is the need for non-renewable energy sources that are running low. This non-renewable energy still dominates for power generation in the thousands of Mega Watts. To anticipate the problem of non-renewable energy that is so big, you can use the On Grid-Tie System, sunlight is converted into DC voltage through the Solar Module, a pure DC voltage that comes out of the solar module. And Off Grid-Tie System namely sunlight is converted into DC voltage through the Solar Module, pure DC voltage generated from the solar module. Then the pure DC voltage uses a DC to DC regulation module or is called a DC regulator. DC regulator which aims to regulate the storage of DC current into the battery. Then the battery is used to supply power to the inverter. The method used in this study uses an off-grid solar home system as a power supply for households that are far from the electricity network or save electricity consumption due to expensive electricity rates. For settings for the intensity of sunlight using a portable holder, the solar panels are shifted manually in order to get the optimal light intensity to produce large output power. In off-grid application testing at household loads, from a load test of 93.5 watts to 750 watts, it shows that the load current is getting bigger and the discharging current is also large so that the duration of using the off-grid system from a load of 93.5 watts is 6 hours long and at a load of 750 watts. up to 15 minutes. This is because the condition of the lead-acid battery is maintained from 13.56 to 11.5 Volt DC, the battery should not be forced below the 11.5 Volt voltage because it will cause damage to the battery. For the use of loads that respond to very high instantaneous currents such as electric irons, dispensers, rice cookers should use more batteries and use an off-grid system voltage higher than 12 Volt DC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21
Author(s):  
Sergey M. Bakirov ◽  
Sergey S. Eliseev

The modern level of agriculture is described by the introduction of renewable energy sources. New generation sprinkler machines are being put into production, in the power system of which solar panels are used. One of the factors that negatively affect the performance of solar cells in an open field is their dusting, which is formed as a result of dust storms and wind. Cleaning of the battery panels is carried out in various ways: manual, semi-automatic and automatic. Dust cleaning is included in maintenance. (Research purpose) The research purpose is to determine the conditions for performing the maintenance, which consists in cleaning solar panels in the field. (Materials and methods) Theoretical (analysis, hypothesis design), empirical (observation, testing), experimental (ascertaining experiment) methods has been used during research. (Results and discussion) The article describes an introduced parameter for estimating the level of dusting. The power loss indicator shows the ratio of the power of the dusted module to the power of the clean module. Unscheduled maintenance is affected by the distance of the solar module from the repair point, the power of the solar module, the loss from dusting, the frequency of maintenance and cost indicators. (Conclusions) It has been found the dependence of maintenance period of the solar module of the sprinkler machine on the distance to the sprinkler machine, to the point of maintenance and repair, the power loss coefficient in case of dusting of the solar module, the cost of performing maintenance, as well as the frequency of maintenance. Article describes the boundaries of the choice of operating mode of the sprinkler between unscheduled maintenance for cleaning the solar module and the acceptance of additional power of the sprinkler power supply system according to the criterion of minimum operating costs.


Marine Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Shields ◽  
Lora Jane Dillon ◽  
David K. Woolf ◽  
Alex T. Ford

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Schreinemachers ◽  
Wiebe Strick

<p>Should a bridge always be functional and accessible? Should it always fulfil its purpose? This seemingly self- evident question is a key question in footbridge design that is oriented towards creating experiences.</p><p>Footbridges are able to successfully enriches our experience of a certain context or landscape, it cannot be functional all the time, under all environmental conditions, weather and seasons. A good example is the Zalige bridge designed as part of the Room for the River, a large-scale national program for inland flood- protection in the Netherlands. Build upon the floodplains within a newly created river-park by the city of Nijmegen, the Zalige bridge’s curved shape stands in direct relationship to the fluctuating water levels of the river. When water levels rise, the bridge partially submerges, becoming only accessible through steppingstones. At peak heights, the bridge disappears completely, becoming a metaphor for our relationship to the water.</p><p>“Building a bridge that fails to fulfil its sole purpose of containing the water; this can only be pulled off in the Netherlands.” – jury Dutch Design Awards about the Zalige bridge.</p><p>The loss of functionality is directly related to the creation of an experience. When the water levels rose in January 2018, the bridge became the prime location to experience the changing landscape. It shows that engineering a bridge is not solely focussed on the most efficient engineering, but for the purpose it fulfils as for society. For most pedestrian bridges where the perception of the user is on a different level as for a highway bridge, functionality provides more than just cost driven or efficiency driven parameters. It is more related to the added value for the community. When design not solemnly derives from the sheer taste and predilection of the designer but is based on the user’s experience, it generates a durable relation with a feeling of ownership of its users. The key is to create this experience in an elegant and natural way and not forced or dictated. It should be people's own unique discovery and should not be imposed.</p>


Author(s):  
Livio de Santoli

Building sustainability, in term of energy efficiency, low-impact building materials, renewable energy, has experienced significant growth during the past years. In response to the growing dependence on fossil fuels and importations, due in part to the increase of energy consumption in the residential sector (in 2009 46,9 Mtep, 3% more than 2008) and the recent European directives (i.e. EU 2009/28/CE) requiring CO2 emissions cut of up to 13% in 2020, there is interest in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, which are suitable for residential applications. In this paper we present an overview on actions related to minimization of buildings energy consumption in Italy. Prevalent line of action is to improve the energy performances of building envelope (Dlgs 192/05) using insulated frames, walls and roofs and replacing heat generators with condensing boilers. In addition to national directives, ONRE Report 2011 (National Observatory on building regulations) shows that 831 Municipalities (10% more than 2010) establish mandatory targets for insulation, photovoltaic solar panels, solar water heaters, heat pumps use, correct buildings orientation, saving of water resource and local materials use. In addiction an efficient energy rating of the buildings could promote the spread of energy efficiency measurement and consequently facilitate their implementation. The new energy rating system should meet international standards, regarding environment and energy aspects, and respect territorial needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 393-405
Author(s):  
Amogh Amladi ◽  
Shalini Singh ◽  
Theo Woudstra ◽  
P.V. Aravind

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 03006 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Gyarmati

At the University of Szeged, as the greenest University of Hungary, the sustainability project is built on two pillars. One of them is based on events and communication campaigns held regularly for the University citizens to prompt environmental-conscious behaviour, whereas the other is built on technological developments and on the extensive use of renewable energy resources. Thus the development of built environment and social responsibility both support the adequacy to sustainability requirements. The spreading of the effective solutions to making more and more buildings of the University energy efficient, numerous investments using renewable energy are also responsible for the decrease of the natural energy use of the institution contrary to the fact that the number of the buildings of the University of Szeged is continually increasing. It can be stated that the University of Szeged is committed to using renewable energy which is taken into consideration of each investment planning. The following examples confirm it: using geothermal cascade system for heating and cooling of five university bulidings, solar panels on 24 builidings and a unique technology of using the heat of wastewater to cool and heat one of the main bulidings of the university, namely the Study and Information Centre.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147892992110448
Author(s):  
Resul Umit

In the fight against climate change, renewable energy has been subsidised in many countries. With the costs passed onto consumers, governments are paying those, for example, who instal domestic solar panels on top of their homes and feed electricity back into the system at preferential rates. We know that substantial amounts of income flow into households with solar installations as a result, but we do not know much about the political consequences of these programmes. Similar government programmes are known to have resource and interpretative effects on participants, leading to changes in their attitudes. Drawing on three longitudinal surveys from Germany, United Kingdom, and Switzerland, this article analyses whether installation of these solar panels causes meaningful changes in households’ various political attitudes. Using fixed-effect models as the identification strategy, the article reports null results – solar installations do not seem to generate political attitudes. This is good as well as bad news for actors looking to increase the amount of renewable energy produced through solar installations.


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