Use, cost-effectiveness, and end user perspectives of a home solar lighting intervention in rural Uganda: a mixed methods, randomized controlled trial

Energy poverty is prevalent in resource-limited settings, leading households to use inefficient fuels and appliances that contribute to household air pollution. Randomized controlled trials of household energy interventions in low and middle income countries have largely focused on cooking services. Less is known about the adoption and impact of clean lighting interventions. We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed methods study as part of a randomized controlled trial of home solar lighting systems in rural Uganda in order to identify contextual factors determining the use and impact of the solar lighting intervention. We used sensors to track usage, longitudinally assessed household lighting expenditures and health-related quality of life, and performed cost-effectiveness analyses. Qualitative interviews were conducted with all 80 trial participants and coded using reflexive thematic analysis. Uptake of the intervention solar lighting system was high with daily use averaging 8.23 ± 5.30 hours per day. The intervention solar lighting system increased the EQ5D index by 0.025 [95% CI 0.002 - 0.048] and led to an average monthly reduction in household lighting costs by -1.28 [-2.52, -0.85] US dollars, with higher savings in users of fuel-based lighting. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the solar lighting intervention was $2025.72 US dollars per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained making the intervention cost-effective when benchmarked against the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Uganda. Thematic analysis of qualitative data from individual interviews showed that solar lighting was transformative and associated with numerous benefits that fit within a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework. The benefits included improved household finances, improved educational performance of children, increased household safety, improved family and community cohesion, and improved perceived household health. Our findings suggest that household solar lighting interventions may be a cost-effective approach to improve health-related quality of life by addressing SDOH.

The analysis of morphometric parameters in hydrological modeling using GIS

The analysis of the physical-geographical conditions determines and influences the formation and the regime of the water resources from a hydrographic basin. This paper aims to analyse spatial data based on raster models, more precisely the terrain analysis, later used in hydrological modelling. For the elaboration of the digital model of the terrain, methods of interpolation of certain data are used - the level curves - after which, by running the ArcGIS program will result the structure of the irregular triangulation network (TIN). Next, based on the TIN model, a set of analyses is obtained regarding the morphology of the terrain: the slope map; slope exposure map, etc. The slope is one of the most important factors for controlling surface and intermediate water runoff. The exposure of the slopes depends very much on the direction of the slope of the land. With the help of the analysis of the slope and slope exposure it is possible to: calculate the solar lighting for each location in a region; find all slopes in the southern part of a mountainous region to identify locations where the snowmelt process will start earlier than in other areas, thus avoiding the danger of flooding due to runoff from the slopes and the danger of soil erosion; the value and speed of surface runoff; identify the spread and abundance of flora and fauna, precipitation; identify the productivity classes of the land; find all the north-facing slopes on a mountain as part for the search of the best ski slopes.

The Turkish Cypriot Municipalities’ Productivity and Performance: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis and the Tobit Model

Nowadays, countries are more concerned with the improvement of effectiveness and efficiency in public sector activities in the perspective of frugal innovation. The problem centers around how to obtain more and better public service with the limitations of the public incomes and indebtedness in preserving environmental conditions. This paper empirically investigates the efficiency, technical efficiency, productivity, and the determinants factor of implementing sustainable development policy of the five major municipalities in North Cyprus by conducting DEA and Tobit analyses during the period from 2004 to 2018 quarterly. The empirical results show that the size of the economically active population of a city, lower expenditures, and grants result in a higher efficiency, whereas the independent revenue sources (grants) and the per capita expenditures of North Cypriot municipalities have a negative effect on the efficiency. The employment rate in the municipalities has a considerable negative effect on the efficiency score. The results of Tobit analysis also show that population has a positive impact which may increase the technical efficiency. Finally, the findings of this study demonstrated that implementing proper environmental programs not only improve the efficiency of local government but also help the ecological sustainability and the geographical location of the regional changes and barriers for sustainable initiatives by using proper waste mechanism, clean water technology, and solar lighting.

Radiation collector systems comparison in Contaminants of Emerging Concern degradation by solar heterogeneous photocatalysis

Wastewater with Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) can be generated from different sources as industry, agriculture and urban and hospital wastes. Heterogeneous Photocatalysis (HP) with TiO2 is one of the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) most suitable for water treatment with CEC. In this research, three CEC: Safranin T (SF), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and Sulfacetamide (SAM) degradation was evaluated by solar-HP in a quartz wall reactor. First, 365 nm wavelength radiation was used and the best operating conditions was determined under the high flow and aeration configuration, obtaining a removal rate of 48.05% for SF, 11.64% for 2,4-D and 6.98 for SAM. Then, under these conditions, SF, SAM and 2,4-D degradation with solar lighting was made on 4 radiation collector systems configurations, Flat Plate Collector (FPC), V Collector (VC), Parabolic Collector (PC) and Compound Parabolic Cylinder Collector (CPC) until reaching the same value of accumulated energy (122.77 kJ m− 2) finding that the PC had the best performance in the treatment for the three pollutants. Finally, the Collector Impact Ratio Factor (CIRF) for the pollutants was calculated, achieving until 12 times degradation for SAM.

Analisa Perbandingan Kinerja Panel Surya Vertikal Dengan Panel Surya Fleksibel Pada Jenis Monocrystalline

Permasalahan utama dari solar cell adalah perbedaan jenis solar cell yang mengakibatkan perbedaan kinerja pada solar cell tersebut. Besarnya daya keluaran yang dihasilkan relatif tidak konstan karena dipengaruhi oleh besarnya intensitas matahari serta suhu lingkungan di sekitarnya. Untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut maka tugas akhir ini dirancang untuk melakukan perbandingan panel surya monocrystalline jenis vertikal dan jenis fleksibel.Pada hasil pengujian dengan pencahayaan matahari panel surya fleksibel menghasilkan efisiensi lebih tinggi dibanding dengan panel surya vertikal, yaitu 20,8774%, sedangkan panel surya vertikal meghasilkan efisiensi sebesar 19,2844%. Dalam penggunaan simulasi pencahayaan lampu panel surya vertikal menghasilkan efisiensi yang cukup tinggi dan lebih tinggi dibanding panel surya fleksibel, yaitu 20,4818% sedangkan panel surya fleksibel menghasilkan efisiensi sebesar 16,4044%. Pada panel surya fleksibel dengan bentuk cembung 25° menghasilkan efisiensi sebesar 15,3200. Pada bentuk cekung 25° menghasilkan efisiensi 15,6265%.The main problem with solar cells is the different types of solar cells that result in differences in the performance of the solar cell. The amount of output power produced is relatively not constant because it is influenced by the intensity of the sun and the temperature of the surrounding environment. To overcome this problem, this final project is designed to compare the vertical and flexible monocrystalline solar panels. In the test results with solar lighting, flexible solar panels produce higher efficiency than vertical solar panels, which is 20.8774%, while vertical solar panels resulted in an efficiency of 19.2844%. In the use of simulated lighting, vertical solar panel lights produce high and higher efficiency than flexible solar panels, namely 20.4818%, while flexible solar panels produce an efficiency of 16.4044%. In a flexible solar panel with a convex shape of 25° it produces an efficiency of 15.3200. In the concave shape of 25° it produces an efficiency of 15.6265%.

Minimizing Shadow Area in Mountain Roads for Improving the Sustainability of Infrastructures

The lack of sunlight on mountain roads in the wintertime leads to an increase in accidents. In this paper, a methodology is presented for the use of sunny and shady areas to be included as a parameter in road design. The inclusion of this parameter allows for the design of an iterative method for the projected infrastructures. The parameterization of the road layout facilitates the possibility of applying an iterative process of modifying the geometric elements that constitute it, examining different layout alternatives until a layout is achieved in which the surface area in the shady area is minimized, increasing the road safety and minimizing environmental impact. The methodology has been defined, generating and analyzing the results of the solar lighting study using a file in IFC format capable of integrating with the rest of the design elements (platform, signaling, structures, etc.) and thus obtaining a BIM format which allows the model to be viewed in three dimensions and moves towards 4D and 5D. The model used for the study was a high mountain road located in the province of Teruel (Spain). It is a road section characterized by successive curves in which several traffic accidents have occurred due to running off the road, partly because of the presence of ice on the platform.

Pemanfaatan Mikroalga dalam Penurunan Kadar Amonia dengan Variasi Penambahan Effective Microorganism

The existence of microalgae in water -provides many benefits especially for biological treatments of wastewater. Microalgae have many species and are chlorophyll microorganisms. Photosynthesis carried out by microalgae requires essential nutrients such as CO2. Carbon dioxide can be obtained by symbiosis from other microorganisms, such as EM4, which can be used to decompose complex organic compounds into simple compounds (CO2). The addition of EM4 must be appropriate to make the photosynthesis process in microalgae take place optimally. Therefore, this study aims to determine the optimal dose variation of EM4 in the microalgae in the reactor. With variations in the doses tested were 0 mL, 1 mL, and 2 mL. The research was conducted by making artificial wastewater from liquid NPK, diluting it with tap water with a ratio of 1: 300. The test was carried out using a batch system, with solar lighting and aeration for 24 hours. The result of the best dose variation is the addition of 1 mL of EM4. The largest decrease in ammonia levels is obtained which is then compared to the variation of the doses of 0 mL and 2 mL.