Assessing the Effects of Practiced Irrigation Methods on Irrigation Water Demand and Allocation among Farmers in Kontsa Irrigation Project, Ethiopia

Increasing of demand for water, allocation of limited water resources, climatic variability, degradation of water in the environment and developing of policies for sustainable water use are issues of increasing concern in the Kontsa irrigation project. This study aimed at assessing the effects of selected irrigation methods on water demand and allocation among farmers in Kontsa irrigation project. The study employed both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected by interviewing 80 farmers, key informant interviews and observation of the project area while secondary data were collected from different agencies of Ethiopia. For this study Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model was used to model the current situation of irrigation water demand and also to create scenario for future irrigation water demand. The model was set up for a current account year in 2015 and last year of scenarios in 2040 based on the available data. Then the irrigation water demand of the project area was modeled while giving consideration for existing and planned developments in the area. The result from the current situation of irrigation water demand indicated that the demand was satisfied fully and the unmet demand under the base year (2015) was zero. Additionally, irrigation expansion scenario was created and the result of this scenario indicates the increment of irrigation water demand as compared to the base year and the reference scenario. The study also revealed that furrow irrigation and plastic buckets were the main irrigation techniques employed by farmers in the study area.

Avaliação de contribuição do reservatório de Movene na bacia hidrográfica do rio Umbeluzi em Moçambique

A gestão dos recursos hídricos na bacia hidrográfica do rio Umbeluzi é uma questão fundamental devido ao agravamento de escassez de água nos centros urbanos e na agricultura que pode pôr em causa os valores socioculturais, ecológicos e econômicos. Torna-se ainda mais importante o fato de ser uma bacia internacional, cuja demanda por água tem aumentando em função de expansão agrícola e crescimento populacional. O estudo avaliou a contribuição do novo reservatório de Movene e novas regras de prioridade na alocação de água superficial para atender às diferentes necessidades usando o modelo WaterEvaluation and Planning System – WEAP. O modelo foi validado no período 2005-2011 apresentando o NSE de 0,69 e Bias de 5,2% no volume do reservatório e 2005 com NSE de 6,7 e Bias de 6,0% na vazão. Os resultados mostram menor contribuição do reservatório de Movene, a demanda não atendida no abastecimento doméstico passou de 33,6 hm3 para 10,1 hm3 no cenário de Referência e de 57,3 hm3 para 19,9 hm3 no cenário Maior Crescimento em 2040. Considerando o mesmo ano, a demanda não atendida na agricultura caiu de 12,9 hm3 para 4,1 hm3 e de 22 hm3 para 10,3 hm3 nos cenários de Referência e de Maior Crescimento. No sector industrial apenas o cenário Maior Crescimento apresenta demanda não atendida, tendo saído de 7,4 hm3 para 0,3 hm3 em 2040. Esses resultados enfatizam a necessidade de implementação de estratégias de gestão de lado de demanda para minimizar os impactos de escassez de água. Contribution assessment of the Movene reservoir in the Umbeluzi river basin in Mozambique A B S T R A C TThe management of water resources in the Umbeluzi River basin is an important issue due to the worsening of water scarcity in urban centres and in agriculture, which can jeopardize socio-cultural, ecological and economic values. Even more important is the fact that it is an international basin, whose demand for water has been increasing due to agricultural expansion and population growth. The study evaluated the contribution of the new Movene reservoir and new rules of priority in the allocation of surface water to meet different needs usingWater Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) model. WEAP modelwas validated from 2005 to 2011 with NSE of 0.69 and Bias of 5.2% in the volume of the reservoir and 2005 with an NSE of 6.7 and Bias of 6.0% in the flow. The results demonstrate a lower contribution of the Movene reservoir, the unmet demand in domestic supply went from 33.6 hm3to 10.1 hm3 in the Reference scenario and from 57.3 hm3to 19.9 hm3 in the Reference scenario Higher Growth scenario in 2040. Considering the same year, unmet demand in agriculture fell from 12.9 hm3to 4.1 hm3 and from 22 hm3to 10.3 hm3 in the Reference and Higher Growth scenarios. In the industrial sector, only the Highest Growth scenario has unmet demand, having gone from 7.4 hm3to 0.3 hm3 in 2040. These results emphasize the need to implement demand-side management strategies to minimize the impacts of water scarcity.Keywords: water resources, water demand, Umbeluziriver, WEAP model.

Pakistan’s Energy Demand Forecasting for Various Sector through Long Range Alternative Planning System

Energy forecasting and policy development needs a detailed evaluation of energy assets and long-term demand estimation. The demand forecast of electricity is an essential portion of energy management, particularly in the formation of electricity. It is necessary to predict electricity needs to avoid the energy deficits or a destabilization between energy demand and supply. In this article, long-range energy alternative planning (LEAP) is used for the modeling of energy and various sectors in Pakistan as a case study. The simulated model comprises three different scenarios, a strong economy, a weak economy, and a medium economy as a reference scenario. The base year is 2015 and the outlook year is 2040. Electricity demands are almost more than four times those of the outlook year, increasing from 7.71 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE) in 2015 to 29.77 MTOE by the end of 2040.

Effects on Global Forests and Wood Product Markets of Increased Demand for Mass Timber

This study evaluated the effects on forest resources and forest product markets of three contrasting mass timber demand scenarios (Conservative, Optimistic, and Extreme), up to 2060, in twelve selected countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Analyses were carried out by utilizing the FOrest Resource Outlook Model, a partial market equilibrium model of the global forest sector. The findings suggest increases in global softwood lumber production of 8, 23, and 53 million m3 per year by 2060, under the Conservative, Optimistic, and Extreme scenarios, respectively, leading to world price increases of 2%, 7%, and 23%, respectively. This projected price increase is relative to the projected price in the reference scenario, altering prices, production, consumption, trade of forest products, timber harvest, forest growth, and forest stock in individual countries. An increase in softwood lumber prices due to increased mass timber demand would lead to the reduced consumption of softwood lumber for traditional end-use (e.g., light-frame construction), suggesting a likely strong market competition for softwood lumber between the mass timber and traditional construction industries. In contrast, the projected effect on global forest stock was relatively small based on the relatively fast projected biomass growth in stands assumed to be regenerated after harvest.

Scenarios Analysis on Electric Power Planning Based on Multi-Scale Forecast: A Case Study of Taoussa, Mali from 2020 to 2035

The increase in electricity demand is caused by population density, gross domestic product growth and technological conditions. A long-term forecast study on the electricity demand could be a promising alternative to the investment planning of power systems and distribution. In this study, the main aim is to forecast and understand the long-term electricity demand of the Taoussa area for the sustainable development of the regions of northern Mali, by using the Model for Analysis of Energy Demand (MAED) from the International Atomic Energy Agency. To fill such a knowledge gap, the long-term evolution of electricity demand is calculated separately for four consumption sectors: industry, transportation, service and household from 2020 to 2035. The demand for each end-use category of electricity is driven by one or several socioeconomic and technological parameters development of the country, which are given as part of the reference scenario (RS) and two alternative scenarios (Low and High). These scenarios were developed based on four groups of coherent hypotheses concerning demographic evolution, economic development, lifestyle change and technological change. The results showed that the annual growth rate of electricity demand in Taoussa area in all scenarios is expected to increase by only 8.13% (LS), 10.31% (RS) and 12.56% (HS). According to the seasonal variations of electricity demand, dry season electricity demand was higher than the demand in cool season during the study period. Such a conclusion demonstrates that the proposed long-term method and related results could provide powerful sustainable solutions to the electricity development challenges of Africa.

X-ray Emission Hazards from Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Material Processing in an Industrial Setting

Interactions between ultrashort laser pulses with intensities larger than 1013 W/cm2 and solids during material processing can lead to the emission of X-rays with photon energies above 5 keV, causing radiation hazards to operators. A framework for inspecting X-ray emission hazards during laser material processing has yet to be developed. One requirement for conducting radiation protection inspections is using a reference scenario, i.e., laser settings and process parameters that will lead to an almost constant and high level of X-ray emissions. To study the feasibility of setting up a reference scenario in practice, ambient dose rates and photon energies were measured using traceable measurement equipment in an industrial setting at SCHOTT AG. Ultrashort pulsed (USP) lasers with a maximum average power of 220 W provided the opportunity to measure X-ray emissions at laser peak intensities of up to 3.3 × 1015 W/cm2 at pulse durations of ~1 ps. The results indicate that increasing the laser peak intensity is insufficient to generate high dose rates. The investigations were affected by various constraints which prevented measuring high ambient dose rates. In this work, a list of issues which may be encountered when performing measurements at USP-laser machines in industrial settings is identified.

A GIS-Based Approach to Estimate Electricity Requirements for Small-Scale Groundwater Irrigation

Access to modern energy services is a precondition to improving livelihoods and building resilience against climate change. Still, electricity reaches only about half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), while about 40% live under the poverty line. Heavily reliant on the agriculture sector and increasingly affected by prolonged droughts, small-scale irrigation could be instrumental for development and climate change adaptation in SSA countries. A bottom-up understanding of the demand for irrigation and associated energy services is essential for designing viable energy supply options in an effective manner. Using Uganda as a case study, the study introduces a GIS-based methodology for the estimation of groundwater irrigation requirements through which energy demand is derived. Results are generated for two scenarios: (a) a reference scenario and (b) a drought scenario. The most critical need is observed in the northern and southern regions of the country. The total annual irrigation demand is estimated to be ca. 90 thousand m3, with the highest demand observed in the months of December through February, with an average irrigation demand of 445 mm per month. The highest energy demand is observed in the northern part of the study area in January, reaching 48 kWh/ha. The average energy demand increases by 67% in the drought scenario. The study contributes to current gaps in the existing literature by providing a replicable methodological framework and data aimed at facilitating energy system planning through the consideration of location-specific characteristics at the nexus of energy–water–agriculture.

Electric Vehicles Charging Management System for Optimal Exploitation of Photovoltaic Energy Sources Considering Vehicle-to-Vehicle Mode

The growing penetration of distributed renewable energy sources (RES) together with the increasing number of new electric vehicle (EV) model registrations is playing a significant role in zero-carbon energy communities’ development. However, the ever-larger share of intermittent renewable power plants, combined with the high and uncontrolled aggregate EV charging demand, requires an evolution toward new planning and management paradigms of energy districts. Thus, in this context, this paper proposes novel smart charging (SC) techniques that aim to integrate as much as possible RES generation and EV charging demand at the local level, synergically acting on power flows and avoiding detrimental effects on the electrical power system. To make this possible, a centralized charging management system (CMS) capable of individually modulating each charging power of plugged EVs is presented in this paper. The CMS aims to maximize the charging self-consumption from local RES, flattening the peak power required to the external grid. Moreover, the CMS guarantees an overall good state of charge (SOC) at departure time for all the vehicles without requiring additional energy from the grid even under low RES power availability conditions. Two methods that differ as a function of the EV power flow direction are proposed. The first SC only involves unidirectional power flow, while the second one also considers bidirectional power flow among vehicles, operating in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mode. Finally, simulations, which are presented considering an actual case study, validate the SC effects on a reference scenario consisting of an industrial area having a photovoltaic (PV) plant, non-modulable electrical loads, and EV charging stations (CS). Results are collected and performance improvements by operating the different SC methods are compared and described in detail in this paper.

Strategies to increase downloads of COVID–19 exposure notification apps: A discrete choice experiment

Exposure notification apps have been developed to assist in notifying individuals of recent exposures to SARS-CoV-2. However, in several countries, such apps have had limited uptake. We assessed whether strategies to increase downloads of exposure notification apps should emphasize improving the accuracy of the apps in recording contacts and exposures, strengthening privacy protections and/or offering financial incentives to potential users. In a discrete choice experiment with potential app users in the US, financial incentives were more than twice as important in decision-making about app downloads, than privacy protections, and app accuracy. The probability that a potential user would download an exposure notification app increased by 40% when offered a $100 reward to download (relative to a reference scenario in which the app is free). Financial incentives might help exposure notification apps reach uptake levels that improve the effectiveness of contact tracing programs and ultimately enhance efforts to control SARS-CoV-2. Rapid, pragmatic trials of financial incentives for app downloads in real-life settings are warranted.

Colombia’s GHG Emissions Reduction Scenario: Complete Representation of the Energy and Non-Energy Sectors in LEAP

The signatory countries of the Paris Agreement must submit their updated Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCCC secretariat every five years. In Colombia, this activity was historically carried out with a wide set of diverse non-interconnected sector-specific models. Given the complexity of GHG emissions reporting and the evaluation of mitigation actions on a national scale, the need for a centralized platform was evident. Such approach would allow the integration and analysis of potential interactions among sectors, as well as to guarantee the homogeneity of assumptions and input parameters. In this paper, we describe the construction of an integrated bottom-up LEAP model tailored to the Colombian case, which covers all IPCC sectors. An integrated model facilitates capturing synergies and intersectoral interactions within the national GHG emissions system. Hence, policies addressing one sector and influencing others are identified and correctly assessed. Thus, 44 mitigation policies and mitigation actions were included in the model, in this way, identifying the sectors directly and being indirectly affected by them. The mitigation scenario developed in this paper reaches a reduction of 28% of GHG emissions compared with the reference scenario. The importance of including non-energy sectors is evident in the Colombian case, as GHG emission reductions are mainly driven by AFOLU. The first section describes the GHG emissions context in Colombia. Next, we describe the model structure, main input parameters, assumptions, considerations, and used LEAP functionalities. Results are presented from a GHG emissions accounting and energy demand perspective. The model allows for the correct estimate of the scope and potential of mitigation actions by considering indirect, unintended emissions reductions in all IPCC categories, as well as synergies with all mitigation actions included in the mitigation scenario. Moreover, the structure of the model is suitable for testing potential emission trajectories, facilitating its adoption by official entities and its application in climate policymaking.