The Influence of Values and the Social Environment on the Environmental Attitudes of Students: The Case of Lithuania

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of values and social environmental factors on the pro-environmental attitudes of students. A representative survey of 1161 Lithuanian schoolchildren was conducted between October and November 2020. Health was the most important value for students, and for girls, while healthcare was more important for boys. Among the ecological values, unpolluted food, clean air, and fresh water were the most important. For Lithuanian students, school does not play a decisive role in outdoor behavior compared to family, which plays a more important role in outdoor behavior, and friends are the most important influencers of outdoor behavior. Students in Lithuania have a pro-ecological outlook, which is shaped by their interest in and practice of ecology. Students of ECO schools are more responsible than students of regular schools, although they have less pro-environmental attitudes compared to students of regular schools.

Leaching of Carbon Reinforced Concrete—Part 1: Experimental Investigations

The composite material ‘carbon concrete composite (C3)’ is currently capturing the building sector as an ‘innovative’ and ‘sustainable’ alternative to steel reinforced concrete. In this work, its environmental compatibility was investigated. The focus of this research was the leaching behavior of C3, especially for the application as irrigated façade elements. Laboratory and outdoor exposure tests were run to determine and assess the heavy metal and trace element emissions. In the wake of this work, the validity of laboratory experiments and the transferability to outdoor behavior were investigated. The experimental results show very low releases of environmental harmful substances from carbon concrete composite. Most heavy metal concentrations were in the range of <0.1–8 µg/L, and higher concentrations (up to 32 µg/L) were found for barium, chromium, and copper. Vanadium and zinc concentrations were in the range of 0.1–60 µg/L, boron and nickel concentrations were clearly exceeding 100 µg/L. Most of the high concentrations were found to be a result of the rainfall background concentrations. The material C3 is therefore considered to be environmentally friendly. There is no general correlation between laboratory leaching data and outdoor emissions. The results depend on the examined substance and used method. The prediction and evaluation of the leaching of building elements submitted to rain is therefore challenging. This topic is debated in the second part of this publication.

Filtering Procedures for Reliable Outdoor Temperature Coefficients in Different Photovoltaic Technologies

Power temperature coefficients δ (TCo) measured indoor at standard test conditions (STC) (as given on products datasheet) always present a negative sign; an increase in temperature leads to a reduced power output. Interestingly, the magnitude of the TCo is not always confirmed outdoor with significant differences between technologies with even change in signs in some cases (e.g., a-Si). It is important to investigate if the reported outdoor behavior is a true effect or if it is the result of a choice of nonhomogeneous sets of data (e.g., either irradiance sensor or modules shaded). In this work, the importance of filtering procedures is discussed in order to work with a reliable set of data and to establish a method that allows comparison with indoor data.

A STUDY ON PREVALENT FACTORS BEHIND EFFICIENCY DETERIORATION OF A TYPICAL LOW POWER SOLAR PANEL

Efficiencies for a number of different low power (10W MAX) consumer grade PV solar panels were studied in this research. Outdoor behavior was contrasted with lab environment simulations. The authors focused on four parameters: extreme temperatures of operation, duration of operation per “on” cycle, number of “on – off” cycles and overall period of “on” operation for a 365 days interval. Standard environmental operating conditions were taken into account for the lab environment, where constant solar noon was simulated for 70% of the equivalent daylight exposure time. No CPV or lenses were used. Additionally, a comparison surrounding the estimated life expectancy and efficiency decrease pattern of the panels was targeted and presented in this study.