PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENERGY INDUSTRY IN THE ARCTIC TERRITORIES

The electric power industry is a branch of energy that includes the production, transmission and subsequent sale of electricity. Generating companies do not sell electricity directly to the population, but produce electricity and supply it to the wholesale market, where it is bought by sales companies, guaranteeing suppliers, independent energy marketing companies and large industrial consumers. Based on the results of a comparative analysis of the financial activities of energy marketing enterprises of the Russian Federation, problems are identified, imbalances and strategic plans for their development are determined. The results showed that the development of the energy industry as a whole depends on the financial activities of guaranteeing electricity suppliers. Unlike an independent power supply company, the activity of guaranteeing suppliers is less profitable and low-profitable, and the financial condition, in turn, is characterized by low solvency and financial stability. The authors have identified the weaknesses and strengths of this development. It is noted that the weakest side is the violation of the repayment terms of funds in settlements by electricity consumers, which leads to the formation of a negative financial result. The identified problems of financial development allow production us to form direction.

Fuel Cells Based on Natural Polysaccharides for Rail Vehicle Application

This manuscript shows the use of natural polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose as a carbon source for fuel cells. To achieve this, two innovative methods of obtaining hydrogen have been shown: by adsorption and by enzyme. The carbonization path of the material results in excellent sorption properties and allows gas with high efficiency to be obtained. The enzymatic method for the degradation of the compound is more expensive because specific enzymes (such as laccase, tyrosinase) must be used, but it allows greater control of the properties of the obtained material. A scientific novelty is the use of natural raw materials, the use of which increases the biodegradability of the electrochemical system and also reduces the cost of raw materials and increases the range of their acquisition. Energy should be generated where it is used. Another goal is decentralization, and thanks to the proposed solutions, hydrogen cells represent an innovative alternative to today’s energy giants—also for independent power supply to households. The proposed harvesting paths are intended to drive rail vehicles in order to reduce emissions and secondary pollution of the environment. The goals of both methods were easy recycling, high efficiency, increased environmental friendliness, low cost and a short hydrogen production path.

Preliminary Evaluation of the HOBO Data Logging Rain Gauge at the Chuzhou Hydrological Experiment Station, China

As a tipping bucket rain gauge, the HOBO Data Logging Rain Gauge RG3-M (RG3-M) has been widely used for the field precipitation observation owing to its superiority of independent power supply by a small portable battery. To quantify the measurement accuracy of the RG3-M gauge, a standard Manual Gauge (MG) and eight other models of tipping bucket rain gauges were installed at the Chuzhou hydrological experiment station of China. In this study, we first compared and investigated the accumulated mounts of 18 rainfall events of two RG3-M gauges benchmarked by the standard MG. Then, five typical rainfall events were chosen to further analyse the observed accuracy of the RG3-M gauge for different rainfall intensities at hourly temporal scale. Finally, the impacts of wind speed and rainfall intensity on the precipitation measurements of the RG3-M gauge were preliminarily explored. Results indicate that the RG3-M gauge measurement generally underestimates rainfall approximately −4% against the standard MG observation, but the maximum deviation even reaches −12.87%. In terms of the hourly rainfall process, the reliable measurement scope of the RG3-M gauge is ranging from 1.5 to 3 mm/h; however, it should be noted that the underestimation is rather significant at the higher rainfall rates (>6 mm/h). Last, it was found that rainfall intensity is a nonnegligible factor for influencing the measurement of the RG3-M gauge. But the windy effect seems to be insignificant in our experiments, which might be attributed to the similar exposure of the compared gauges.