Design and Structural Testing of Blades for a 2MW Floating Tidal Energy Conversion Device

The floating tidal energy is increasingly recognised to have the potential of delivering a step-change cost reduction to the tidal energy sector, by extracting energy from deeper water sites through energy conversion devices. To ensure the normal operation of a tidal energy convertor within its service life, the device should be designed properly and evaluated through a series of strength and durability testing. The Large Structures Research Group at NUI Galway is working closely with, renewable energy company, Orbital Marine Power and, blade manufacture, ÉireComposites Teo, to design and test the next generation of SR2000 tidal turbine blade, with aims to increase the turbine power production rate and to refine the design for low cost. This paper presents a brief description of the structural design and testing of a blade for the O2-2000 tidal turbine, one of the largest tidal turbines in the world. NUI Galway will utilise their in-house software, BladeComp, to find a blade laminates design that balances both blade strength and material cost. The structural performance of the designed blade will be assessed by conducting static and fatigue testing. To achieve this objective, a support frame to fix the blade is designed, a load application device is introduced and the methodology for design tidal loading conversion is proposed in order to complete the testing at NUI Galway.

Lessons Learned from BP: Deepwater Horizon and the Transition to Renewables

This paper analyzes the gradual transition of British Petroleum (BP), one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, into a renewable energy company focused on sustainability and the reduction of carbon emissions. BP's leadership and ethical practices are compared before and after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The purpose of the comparison and the broader analysis of the transition is to identify how effective leadership can be used to transform a company with a suspect social responsibility record into a leader among its peers. Lessons learned from the disaster, and the subsequent transition conclude the research.

Rapid Public-Private Partnership Deployment in Kazakhstan: Enablers and Implications

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a relatively new phenomenon in Kazakh-stan – their development began in 2005 in the transport and energy sectors. Initially sluggish growth transformed into rapid PPP deployment from 2016 to 2019 when hundreds of PPPs were launched in many industries (infrastructure, hospitals, schools), which was in sharp contrast to just a handful of PPPs formed prior to 2016. Rapid PPP deployment raised deep concerns whether the government’s supporting schemes and PPP launch procedures are appropriate and whether they may backfire for the government in the form of increasing debt. This paper aims to investigate the enablers and implications of accelerated PPP formation. The study is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with a range of actors in the field, including PPP operators (railroad, energy company, kindergarten), regional and local governments, national and regional PPP centres, lawyers and private investors, which afforded an opportunity to mitigate bias in opinions. The study has identified three principal enablers: simplified procedures for a PPP launch, pressure exerted on regional governments, and extensive government financial support to PPPs. By making use of agency theory, property rights theory and the value-for-money concept, the paper offers a conceptualisation of rapid PPP growth in Kazakhstan in recent years and argues that growth was disproportionally fast and unintended. Policy implications include a need to re-establish the value-for-money approach to PPP formation, a significant increase in government liabilities to PPPs, and a misconception regarding the role of PPP collaborative governance.

The Dynamic Business Model Framework—Illustrated with Renewable Energy Company Cases from Indonesia

It is important for companies to be able to make their business models dynamic. This enables them to adapt to changing circumstances and remain viable. The aim of this paper is to combine insights from the literature on business models and business model dynamics into a comprehensive dynamic business model framework. The framework that is developed in this paper takes into account various origins of changes in business models (internal or external to the company) and various types of changes in business models (primary or secondary changes and forced changes or strategic choices) and also includes the issue of business model consistency. In order to combine different origins and different types of business model change into one dynamic business model framework, some simplifications of reality were needed. The framework is described in text and shown in a comprehensive picture. The application of the framework to two cases of renewable energy companies in Indonesia shows that the framework is able to capture business model dynamics in a simplified and comprehensive way and that it allows for case study comparison. In a thorough discussion, it is shown how the framework can be adapted to make it better able to represent more complex dynamics.

The Role of the External Audit in Assessing Continuity of Companies under the Financial Crisis: An Applied Study in the Iraqi Banks Listed in the Iraq Stock Exchange for the Period 2016-2019

In the first decade of the third millennium, shareholding companies faced several crises, with four major crises affecting financial markets, beginning with the collapses of a group of large companies following the Enron Energy company and similar companies in various countries, followed by the financial crisis and the collapse of global oil prices, which quickly ended until the sta As a result, the purpose of this study is to shed light on the role of external audit in assessing bank continuity, as Iraqi banks are among the first institutions and companies to move toward the application of international standards as well as being committed to accounting principles and assumptions, and they face a wide range of risks, the most dangerous of which is financial instability. Furthermore, the Kida model has been adopted in assessing the stability of banks and their ability to meet their obligations and perform their duties through a set of financial ratios that distinguish successful banks from those whose ability is suspect and vulnerable to financial failure, as well as trying to identify the nature of their activities at an early stage. However, using financial ratios, Kida's model was applied to a sample of three Iraqi banks, and the research concluded that the external auditor should use financial analysis models to know and evaluate the banks' continuity in terms of anticipating financial collapse.

Prevention of nicotine addiction at the enterprises of the Siberian Coal Energy Company

The problem of Smoking is widespread among different age groups of the population both in individual countries and in the world as a whole. According to official statistics, the number of regular tobacco users in the world reaches a billion. The harm of tobacco is caused by the content of toxic substances in the inhaled smoke, which have a negative impact on organs and systems, leading to the emergence of diseases or exacerbation of existing ones. Deaths due to diseases associated with tobacco use are not uncommon. Given the high mortality and morbidity from nosological forms, the risk of which is Smoking, prevention and methods of combating addiction are an important topic in modern medicine. This article presents the experience of using the auditory psycho-correction program “NO SMOKE” in the fight against tobacco dependence among employees of the coal Company.

Complex Fluctuation of Power Price in Dual-Channel and Multienergy Supply Chain Based on Sticky Expectation

According to the current power supply focused reform in China, a dual-channel and multienergy supply chain model is constructed. The supply chain has a new energy enterprise, a traditional energy enterprise, and the State Grid that is the retailer. New energy company and traditional energy company sell electricity to the State Grid at wholesale prices, and at the same time they enter the market to retail power products. Multiequilibriums and their practical significance are discussed. The complex dynamic is investigated using a bifurcation diagram, Lyapunov exponent, parameter basin, and fractal dimension. In this multilayer supply chain network, the price adjustment of the State Grid will make the entire supply chain face greater volatility risks, and dual-channel suppliers, that is, new energy and traditional energy companies are also involved in this volatility. Further, considering the sticky information, the sticky expectation of electricity price is built for studying the lagging electricity price. The dynamic characteristics of the sticky model are investigated, and new phenomena are discovered: 3-orbit bifurcation and mutation appear with fractals. This means that prices continue to swing and oscillate on three tracks. Through comparison of the fractal dimension, an important conclusion is discovered: the purpose of sticky expectations for electricity prices is to stabilize price fluctuations, but sticky expectations make the market more complicated. The article provides a strategic reference for exploring the power market in China.

Rationality, experiences or identity work? Sensemaking of emotionally tense experiences of organizational sustainability

Purpose Although emotional tensions related to organizational sustainability have been identified, little is known about how employees aim to resolve such situations. This study aims to explore how employees use sensemaking to resolve emotionally tense situations concerning organizational sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The authors studied a case in which, while employees attached positive emotions to organizational sustainability, external stakeholders viewed it negatively. Specifically, the study analyzed how employees used sensemaking to resolve such tense experiences and how this sensemaking eventually influenced their actions. To this end, the authors interviewed 25 employees at an energy company who had experience participating in its sustainability work. Findings The analysis revealed three sensemaking mechanisms for resolving emotional tensions related to organizational sustainability caused by discrepancies between external reputation and internal personal experience: rational sensemaking, experiential sensemaking and identity work. The complexity of sensemaking was reflected in the mixed-use of these three mechanisms, as employees constantly moved from one to another. Originality/value This study demonstrates employees’ tendency to defend their positive emotions about their organization’s sustainability in tense situations. It further provides insights into related sensemaking processes and shows how they can result in different levels of action.

Smart Energy Access and Women Empowerment: A Case Study of Chitandika Village in Zambia

Smart energy access provides numerous advantages in rural areas such as economic development and improved livelihood. Despite the efforts by energy companies to supply to rural areas, women still face a range of constraints in their ability to participate in energy activities. Therefore, this study sought to analyze the goals of access to smart energy on women empowerment from the energy company perspective, assess the extent to which access to smart energy has contributed to empowerment and to establish the challenges faced by women in accessing smart energy with the intent of outlining strategies for future implementation. The study used a qualitative thematic analysis approach. The data was collected through structured, open-ended interviews with 20 women respondents with access to energy in chitandika village and 1 in-depth interview with the key energy expert. The study found that access to smart energy in chitandika village had a positive effect on women empowerment as it provided several benefits for the women. Additionally, the study established general and specific challenges that women face in accessing smart energy. Furthermore, it was established that the key strategies for implementing smart energy access on women empowerment were gender mainstream in energy projects, understanding women’s energy needs and demands, promoting productive use, supporting credit, and saving schemes and promoting skill development.