Regional Diversification of Electricity Consumption in Rural Areas of Poland

Access to energy, including electricity, determines countries’ socio-economic development. The growing demand for electricity translates into environmental problems. Energy is therefore a crucial element of the European Union’s sustainable development strategy. This article aims to present the changes taking place in the electricity market in Poland considering the goals of the energy policy until 2040. This is the basis for the determination of the scale of processes taking place in the Polish energy sector from two perspectives, i.e., the production of electricity considering its level and energy carriers used, and the consumption of electricity in households depending on their location (rural vs. urban areas). The research was conducted at the regional level (NUTS 2 until 2017) in Poland. Secondary data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) contained in the Local Data Bank were used, along with information from the European Commission and Eurostat websites. Results of the study made it possible to identify areas in which a greater environmental load is observed due to increasing electricity consumption. The coefficient of localization and concentration (by Florence) and the rate of change were applied. These results indicate that, in Poland, it is now the rural areas that have a greater negative environmental impact than urban areas, resulting from differences in unit energy consumption. Compared to the other provinces, rural areas of Podlaskie province had the highest rate of growth in energy consumption in the years 2004–2019, with an annual average of almost 20%.

Evaluating the Technology Readiness of a Ribbon-Blade Wind Turbine Using NASA’s TRL Method

The aim of this article was to complete a methodologically original study and evaluation of the technological readiness of an innovative ribbon-blade wind turbine in accordance with NASA’s TRL method. The structural form of the wind turbine unit analyzed herein, featuring a new ribbon turbine design, is distinguished by its safe durability. The circumferential speeds of the points on the turbine circumference were technologically verified positively and have a significant impact on the evaluation indicators of the conversion process, these being efficiency, unit energy consumption, and the quality of the power and energy of the wind power plant. The use of a new turbine design in the wind turbine analyzed herein, a working ribbon unit, resulted in a technological increase in efficiency from 13% to 32% and a reduction in unit internal energy consumption from 18% to 36% compared to the traditional wind turbine design. The TRL NASA-based evaluation herein, which consists of modern computer-aided engineering procedures (CAE standard) as well as IT instrumentation, and which includes nine degrees of technological readiness of an innovative ribbon windmill, falls in line with the standards for smart development based on knowledge and innovation (EU 2020 Strategy).

Energy financing in COVID-19: how public supports can benefit?

PurposeThe study aims to empirically estimate the role of public supports for energy efficiency financing and presents the way forward to mitigate the energy financing barriers that incurred during the COVID-19 crisis.Design/methodology/approachUsing the G7 countries data, the study estimated the nexus between the constructs. Generalized method of moments (GMM) and conventional increasing-smoothing asymptotic of GMM are applied to justify the study findings. Wald econometric technique is also used to robust the results.FindingsThe study findings reported a consistent role of public support on energy efficiency financing indicators, during the COVID-19 crisis period. G7 countries raised funds around 17% through public supports for energy efficiency financing, and it raised 4% of per unit energy usage to GDP, accelerated 16% energy efficiency and 24% output of renewable energy sources, during COVID-19. By this, study findings warrant a maximum support from public offices, energy ministries and other allied departments for energy efficiency optimization.Practical implicationsThe study presents multiple policy implications to enhance energy efficiency through different alternative sources, such as, on-bill financing, direct energy efficiency grant, guaranteed financial contracts for energy efficiency and energy efficiency credit lines. If suggested policy recommendations are applied effectively, this holds the potential to diminish the influence of the COVID-19 crisis and can probably uplift the energy efficiency financing during structural crisis.Originality/valueThe originality of the recent study exists in a novel framework of study topicality. Despite growing literature, the empirical discussion in the field of energy efficiency financing and COVID-19 is still shattered and less studied, which is contributed by this study.

Process Efficiency and Energy Consumption during the Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Substances from Hawthorn Berries

This study investigated the impact of sonication parameters on the efficiency of the extraction of bioactive substances from hawthorn berries. The ultrasonic treatment was performed in two modes: continuous and pulse. In the pulse mode, the samples were sonicated with the following processor settings: 1 s on-2 s off. The effective ultrasonic processor times were 5, 10, and 15 min, and the total extraction times were 15 min, 30 min, and 45 min. The content of total polyphenols and total anthocyanins was determined by a spectrophotometric method. We show that the operating mode of the processor affects extraction efficiency, energy consumption and unit energy inputs. Extraction supported by a pulsating ultrasonic field allowed saving from 20% to 51% of energy with a simultaneous higher efficiency of the process. In addition, we show that the unit energy consumption in the pulsed mode was about 40% to 68% lower than the energy consumption in the case of continuous operation.

HEAT FLOWS INTEGRATION OF DISTILLATION AND EPURATION COLUMNS INTO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OF RECTIFIED ETHYL ALCOHOL

Today, ethyl alcohol is widely used in many industries. Ethanol production processes from any organic matter often involve rectification, which is an energy-intensive process. The constant increase in the cost of energy leads to a significant growth of the cost of production. Reducing the unit energy consumption can solve a range of important issues: first, that of decreasing production cost, and secondly, that of nationwide dependence on external energy suppliers. A detailed analysis of the thermal energy potential of technological flows aimed at solving the problem of reducing energy consumption inspires the development of more energy-efficient solutions for organizing this processes. The search for alternative solutions demonstrates that one of the methods of reducing the unit energy consumption for ethanol production, in particular one that does not require a total restructuring of the production lines, is the method of integration of processes based on pinch analysis. The extraction of these technological flows was carried out on the basis of the regulatory documentation of the hardware-technological scheme of the centralized ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant and the energy audit report of that plant, which was carried out at one of the alcohol enterprises of Ukraine. A distillation and a purification column were selected from the centralized ethyl alcohol distillation plant for thermal integration of the existing process. The thermal and material balances of the ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant columns were calculated. To maximize the energy potential of the heat flows, the principles of pinch design were applied and a grid diagram of heat exchanger networks was designed. To maximize the recovery of thermal energy, the difference ΔTmin was set to - 3ºC. This led to the need to use energy-efficient heat exchange equipment. A significant reduction in the use of external utilities (by 48% for cold utilitie and by 38% for hot utilitie) for selected heat flows and a short payback period for the project (approximately three months) makes this solution viable.

Design of the logic protection for the mechanical elastic energy storage system

The operation procedure of the mechanical elastic energy storage unit is complex, and multiple devices need to cooperate with each other. These devices need to operate in turn according to the specified procedures to complete the operation process of unit energy storage and power generation. At the same time, before the unit operation, it is necessary to make a logical judgment on whether to execute the control command according to the state of each device, and display the normal or fault of each device in the state display area. The PLC has the advantages of flexible use, strong universality, high reliability and strong anti-interference ability. It is suitable for designing mechanical elastic energy storage logic protection system. This paper designs the logic protection system of mechanical elastic energy storage unit based on the PLC. The system has the advantages of convenient use, simple operation and good stability. The correct logic action can control the unit to execute accurately, which plays an important role in ensuring the safe operation of the unit.

Economics-Based Payback and Life Cycle Cost Savings Assessment of Inverter Type Air Conditioners

This paper investigates the options for a consumer to choose between different inverter and non-inverter type residential air conditioners (ACs) concerning their payback periods (PPs) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) savings. The economics-based analysis carried out to evaluate the PPs by which the costs associated with owning and operating 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star inverter AC models are recoverable compared to non-inverter type (baseline model). The product costs (Cp ), the repair costs (CR ), the maintenance costs (CM ), and the energy costs (CE ) are taken as the decision parameters for evaluating the payback periods (PPs). It is shown that PP strongly depends on the energy cost. Estimates of P P s are calculated as the futurs value of present cost involved in buying, maintaining, and running the ACs. It is concluded that inverter technology can save electrical energy by 12-22.4% compared to a non-inverter air conditioner. PP of 3-star inverter AC is estimated 2.17 years while P P of 4-star and 5-star inverter ACs are 2.42 years and 2.33 years for 10 hours operation in a day when a higher slab of unit energy cost is considered. Depending on PP and daily usage requirements, a consumer can choose either a less efficient AC priced at a lower initial cost but more running cost or a more efficient AC priced at a higher initial cost but lesser running cost.

Ways of Increasing Specific Energy Intensity of Tritium-based beta-Voltaic Nuclear Batteries

Creating a beta-voltaic semiconductor battery based on long-lived radionuclide is an urgent task. However, today the technology of creating such energy sources and their output characteristics are far from perfect. This article analyzes ways to maximize energy intensity on the surface of the semiconductor carrier. Various methods of creating the maximum possible volume concentration of radioactive beta-emitter atoms based on the use of tritium are considered. A variety of variants using "associated" tritium are considered for application on the surface of the semiconductor carrier: metal tritids, intermetalides. One option may be the use of tritium-labeled organic molecules and polymers, as well as tritium, which is part of carbon nanomaterials — fullerenes, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, graphene and graphene oxide. The properties of intermet-allides hydrides (LaNi5, LaNi5T6) are considered. The dependence of the unit energy intensity of the battery's working body on the thickness of the emitter's film has been analyzed. As a result of the studies, the analysis of ways to achieve maximum energy intensity on the surface of the semiconductor carrier was analyzed. Various methods of creating the maximum possible volume concentration of radioactive beta-emitter atoms based on the use of tritium are considered. The dependence of the unit energy intensity of the battery's working body on the thickness of the emitter's film has been analyzed.

Towards Micro-Level Green Growth: A Framework to Recognize Corporate Growth Status, Path and Adopt Eco-Innovations

Despite the substantial attention paid to green growth in recent years, how to achieve green growth is still underexamined because it is usually advocated as a political motto or development scheme at the macro level. This study aims to scrutinize the meanings of green growth, growth statuses, and growth paths at the corporate level. Meanwhile, eco-process, eco-product, and eco-system innovations were reviewed, and an adoption strategy that involves the concept of life cycle was put forward to support the choice of suitable eco-innovations and to realize micro-level green growth. Finally, 54 enterprises out of the top 500 enterprises in China were used for a multi-case study. The results demonstrate that the improvements in energy consumption were better than those of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sample enterprises. However, only five firms achieved continuous green growth. For the majority of the enterprises, their significant economic growth was not certainly related to evident drops in unit energy consumption and GHG emissions. In addition, four firms obtained continuous grey growth, and the enterprises in manufacturing sectors exhibited inferior eco-efficiency. Corporate growth statuses and paths should not only be determined by considering a single environmental or economic measure. Enterprises in manufacturing sectors must develop specific eco-innovations that can greatly enhance their environmental performance. This study adds to the literature by expounding micro-level green growth as well as its relation to eco-innovations. This study also offers a quantitative and integrated view to advance corporate eco-innovations and green development.