Hyperloop technology is a transport mode designed to move passengers anywhere in the world, using electric propulsion to carry passengers through a vacuum/near-vacuum tube for a maximum speed of 1200 km/h. Given this, governments, engineers, researchers, and billionaires have been racing over the past years to obtain the first operational system in the world off the ground and bring it from concept to reality. The paper aimed to maximize the capacity of the Hyperloop’s capsule and identify a suitable design of Hyperloop technology based on the different capacities and speeds of the capsules as well as the assumptions of the initial annual demand. Additionally, significant attention will be paid to the interior design of the capsules in which people travel to make the journey more comfortable and enjoyable. The design will be conducted in AutoCAD and Autodesk Revit models based on the allocation of different components such as capacity, compressor fan, batteries, compressor motor, etc.... [more]

The water supply system is one of the most important elements in a city. Currently, many cities struggle with a water deficit problem. Water is a commonly available resource and constitutes the majority of land cover; however, its quality, in many cases, makes it impossible to use as drinking water. To treat and distribute water, it is necessary to supply a certain amount of energy to the system. An important goal of water utility operators is to assess the energy efficiency of the processes and components. Energy assessments are usually limited to the calculation of energy dissipation (sometimes called “energy loss”). From a physical point of view, the formulation of “energy loss” is incorrect; energy in water transport systems is not consumed but only transformed (dissipated) into other, less usable forms. In the water supply process, the quality of energy—exergy (ability to convert into another form)—is consumed; hence, a new evaluation approach is needed. The motivation for this st... [more]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the upcoming changes that will bring the transition from piston engines to all-electric aircrafts. The article focuses on the differences in operation of small general aviation aircrafts. This topic is timely, as the first all-electric aircraft was certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2019. As there are no data concerning this new type of operation available, the data have been derived from other applicable sources. At first, we compared the energy consumption of the same aircraft with the piston engine, and then afterwards with the retrofitted all-electric variant. Our results focus on the difference in fuel price, which is discussed in the context of electricity price comparison with AVGAS prices. Moreover, we discuss the environmental impacts, especially concerning electricity source mix and emissions produced (we estimate both with and without life-cycle assessment). In the discussion, we compare the results and i... [more]

The German Energiewende is a deliberate transformation of an established industrial economy towards a nearly CO2-free energy system accompanied by a phase out of nuclear energy. Its governance requires knowledge on how to steer the transition from the existing status quo to the target situation (transformation knowledge). The energy system is, however, a complex socio-technical system whose dynamics are influenced by behavioural and institutional aspects, which are badly represented by the dominant techno-economic scenario studies. In this paper, we therefore investigate and identify characteristics of model studies that make agent-based modelling supportive for the generation of transformation knowledge for the Energiewende. This is done by reflecting on the experiences gained from four different applications of agent-based models. In particular, we analyse whether the studies have improved our understanding of policies’ impacts on the energy system, whether the knowledge derived is u... [more]

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly reoriented the lives of billions of people across the globe toward working, learning, and subsisting from home. This paper examines the consequences of this disruption of electricity use in Australian households. Using high-frequency electricity monitoring from 491 houses and per-circuit monitoring and in-depth interviews with 17 households, the paper (1) compares changes in energy use before and during COVID-19 lockdown, (2) quantifies the key drivers of changes in energy use experienced by households during lockdown, and (3) tracks households’ interactions with energy use feedback. The findings identify significant increases in certain aspects of household electricity use directly related to COVID-19, including increased cooking and digital device use. Yet despite the government mandate requiring a large proportion of the population to remain at home, overall energy use among the majority of Queensland households monitored actually decreased during lockd... [more]

This article presents a remote management architecture of an unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fleet to aid in the management of solar power plants and object tracking. The proposed system is a competitive advantage for sola r energy production plants, due to the reduction in costs for maintenance, surveillance, and security tasks, especially in large solar farms. This new approach consists of creating a hardware and software architecture that allows for performing different tasks automatically, as well as remotely using fleets of UAVs. The entire system, composed of the aircraft, the servers, communication networks, and the processing center, as well as the interfaces for accessing the services via the web, has been designed for this specific purpose. Image processing and automated remote control of the UAV allow generating autonomous missions for the inspection of defects in solar panels, saving costs compared to traditional manual inspection. Another application of this architecture r... [more]

Through the implementation of low carbon-based energy systems and participatory modes of governance, there are countless collective initiatives progressing towards a sustainable and resilient energy model. Local alternatives necessarily have to be able to scale in order to address global challenges. From the renewed paradigm of the commons, this empirical research provides a precise picture of the present scalability of these (self) transformative initiatives in Spain. Based on the identification and qualitative analysis of 18 of them via semi-structured in-depth interviews, the article explores their upper and lower limits; the importance of power distribution and citizen participation; the relational dimension of the scale; the upscaling forms and the role of public institutions. On the basis of the results obtained, the article finally presents recommendations aimed at strengthening this scalability of the energy commons.

In the construction industry, it is the material production phase and the use phase of buildings’ life cycles that represent the greatest environmental burden. The presented research focused on wood constructions during their use phase. The primary objective of the research was to determine the amount of CO2 produced during the operation of specific wood constructions in connection with the energy demand for their heating. A correlation analysis of selected parameters revealed a statistically significant correlation between heating medium type and energy demand for heating (p = −0.5773) and between heating medium type and amount of CO2 produced (p = 0.4796). A more detailed analysis showed that, in terms of the average energy demand for heating, the column constructions were the most efficient among the compared construction systems, regardless of the energy standard. Similar findings were obtained for annual CO2 production in connection with the average energy demand for heating. The... [more]

The United States Air Force has implemented a dispersed air base strategy to enhance mission effectiveness for near-peer conflicts. Asset dispersal places many smaller bases across a wide geographic area, which increases resupply requirements and logistical complexity. Hybrid energy systems reduce resupply requirements through sustainable, off-grid energy production. This paper presents a novel hybrid energy renewable delivery system (HERDS) model capable of (1) selecting the optimal hybrid energy system design that meets demand at the lowest net present cost and (2) optimizing the delivery of the selected system using existing Air Force cargo aircraft. The novelty of the model’s capabilities is displayed using Clark Air Base, Philippines as a case study. The HERDS model selected an optimal configuration consisting of a 676-kW photovoltaic array, an 1846-kWh battery system, and a 200-kW generator. This hybrid energy system predicts a 54% reduction in cost and an 88% reduction in fuel u... [more]

Exploitation of renewable energy sources for power generation has been more and more important in recent years. This results from the economic issues and the measures taken to ensure the energy security. The aim of this research was to determine the significance of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy mix of Poland, and to elicit the opinions and the level of knowledge of the society on the use and development of non-conventional energy. The article also presents advantages and disadvantages of types of RES, the obstacles which hinder the progress of green energy in Poland, and the proposed measures to expand the share of the RES in the overall energy mix. The research relied on the statistical data gathered by Statistics Poland. The opinions of respondents were elicited through a diagnostic survey based on a questionnaire. The research has demonstrated that the respondents support the development of RES in Poland. However, they also maintain that the purchase and installation... [more]

Lignocellulosic biomass is used in various industries and its procurement involves a set of operations that are mainly done using equipment powered by internal combustion engines. The sustainability of forest operations may be characterized by balancing their energy inputs with those typically embodied in their outputted products. Forest tending operations are problematic because most of them cannot output marketable products while the data on their energy inputs are important for the forest management. Six of the most commonly used brushcutters equipped successively with discs and knives were tested to provide part of the data needed to run an energy analysis and to be able to characterize the energy inputs in release cutting operations by implementing the Gross Energy Requirements method. Fuel burning was found to have the greatest contribution (83−92%) in the total energy inputs (0.8−1.2 GJ/ha) of the studied operations and it was highly dependent on the efficiency of operations. Mo... [more]

Over the years, electricity consumption behavior in Brazil has been analyzed due to financial and social problems. In this context, it is important to simulate energy prices of the energy efficiency auctions in the Brazilian electricity market. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method generated simulations; thus, several samples were generated with different sizes. It is possible to say that the larger the sample, the better the approximation to the original data. Then, the Kernel method and the Gaussian mixture model used to estimate the density distribution of energy price, and the MCMC method were crucial in providing approximations of the original data and clearly analyzing its impact. Next, the behavior of the data in each histogram was observed with 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 samples, considering only one scenario. The sample which best approximates the original data in accordance with the generated histograms is the 10,000th sample, which consistently follows the behavior of t... [more]

There has been intense debate over the depletion of fossil fuel reserves in recent decades as well as the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. At the same time, new legislation in Greece, national policies, European policies, and realistic needs, need effective waste management and the protection of national resources. As a result, it seems a necessity to exploit waste treatments, while expanding the use of renewable energy sources. In this study, an attempt is made to focus our interest and research on a specific biomass waste stream, namely the waste biomass from the agricultural-livestock sector. The possibility of processing these wastes through the technology of biomass biorefinery with anaerobic digestion as its central process will be studied. The technology of anaerobic digestion is a process widely used for the treatment of agricultural residues and livestock waste as well as for the exploitation of energy crops (energy development, soil enhancement) mainl... [more]

The main purpose of the article was to identify and present the current situation and changes in higher education in the field of electricity and energy studies in the European Union countries. The specific objectives include determining the degree of concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of dominant education in this field, establishing the correlation between education in the fields of electricity and energy and the parameters assessing the achievement of circular economy assumptions in the energy sector. All Member States of the European Union were deliberately selected for research. The research period covered the years 2013−2018. The source of the materials is a literature review on the subject and Eurostat data. For the analysis and presentation of materials, methods such as descriptive, tabular, graphical, dynamics indicators with a constant basis, Gini concentration coefficient, con... [more]

The construction industry is responsible for a high percentage of the energy consumed on the planet and the emission of greenhouse gases, therefore it is considered necessary to rethink many of the processes that this industry carries out in order to reduce its environmental impact. For this, one of the paths could take into account the Life Cycle Assessment of the used materials, for which it is necessary to evaluate this aspect through indicators that allow the qualification and quantification of the weight of these environmental impacts. In this context, this article presents a methodological proposal for the quantitative evaluation of the embodied primary energy and CO2 production at each stage of the life cycle of prefabricated structural systems, taking as case studies eight prototypes from the “Solar Decathlon” competition in its editions of Europe (2014), United States (2015) and Latin America (2015), through a Simplified Life Cycle Analysis, using the Eco Audit tool from CES E... [more]

Data are essential to urban building energy models and yet, obtaining sufficient and accurate building data at a large-scale is challenging. Previous studies have highlighted that the data impact on urban case studies has not been sufficiently discussed. This paper addresses this gap by providing an analysis of the impact of input data on building energy modelling at an urban scale. The paper proposes a joint review of data impact and data accessibility to identify areas where future survey efforts should be concentrated. Moreover, a Morris sensitivity analysis is carried out on a large-scale residential case study, to rank input parameters by impact on space heating demand. This paper shows that accessible data impact the whole modelling process, from approach selection to model replicability. The sensitivity analysis shows that the setpoint and thermal characteristics were the most impactful for the case study considered. Solutions proposed to overcome availability and accessibility... [more]

The present research aims to conduct a systemic review on Renewable Energy, Economic Growth and Economic Development and look for links between the papers published between 2008 and May 2021. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, it was possible to reach a sample of 111 articles selected by Web of Science and a sample of 199 academic articles selected by Scopus in that specific period. The analysis of the group of Renewable and Non-renewable Energy Consumption, Economic Growth and Economic Development shows that most of the articles published in this subsample use the quantitative methodology in economic sciences. The results indicate that research on the subject has a growing trend and that most of the articles are post-2015 publications. In addition, China has been the leading nation in published works. The journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is considered the most relevant in this category, and Sustainability... [more]

Increasing energy demand in buildings with a 40% global share and 30% greenhouse gas emissions has accounted for climate change and a consequent crisis encouraging improvement of building energy efficiency to achieve the combined benefit of energy, economy, and environment. For an efficient system, the optimization of different design control strategies such as building space load, occupancy, lighting, and HVAC becomes inevitable. Therefore, interdisciplinary teamwork of developers, designers, architects, and consumers to deliver a high-performance building becomes essential. This review aims to endorse the importance of Building Performance Simulation in the pre-design phase along with the challenges faced during its adaptation to implementation. A morphology chart is structured to showcase the improvement in Building Energy Efficiency by implementing Building Performance Simulation for different building energy systems and by implementing various energy efficiency strategies to achie... [more]

The development of energy networks and electrification is a major challenge in many African countries, which can contribute to reducing social inequalities. Energy, and above all electricity, is a decisive factor influencing the functioning of national governments. The power of governments in individual countries depends on the energy sector. Therefore, it is worth noting that during the presidential elections, candidates make many promises related to the improvement of the energy supply. The article shows, using the examples of Guinea, Ethiopia and Egypt, how politicians in the pre-election period use slogans related to the energy and development of the country. The innovative side of this article looks at how politicians keep their promises by using the energy sector and how they secure victory in the next election. The article linked the objective needs for the development of the energy sector resulting from the growing demand for energy with the motives of the decisions makers who... [more]

Wireless body sensor networks (WBSNs) monitor the changes within the human body by having continuous interactions within the nodes in the body network. Critical issues with these continuous interactions include the limited energy within the node and the nodes becoming isolated from the network easily when it fails. Moreover, when the node’s burden increases because of the failure of other nodes, the energy utilization as well as the heat dissipated increases much more, causing damage to the network as well as human body. In this paper, we propose a threshold-based fail proof lifetime enhancement algorithm which schedules the nodes in an optimal way depending upon the available energy level. The proposed algorithm is experimented with a real time system setup and the proposed algorithm is compared with different routing mechanisms in terms of various network parameters. It is inferred that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing routing mechanisms.

This paper explores the current attitudes of managers and executives working in the energy sector towards the Data-Driven Organizational Model implied by Big Data. The aim is to explore and understand the current mindset of senior decision makers, since their success depends as much on cognitive and behavioral processes as on their technical competences. We adopt a grounded-theory approach, developing models of understanding and belief abductively, driven by the data obtained from participants through a reflection guide. We find that managers differ significantly in their understanding and engagement with their challenges; they display interest but differ in their commitment and enthusiasm; they identify a lack of strategy and skills as current barriers; and they are currently unwilling to trust data, treating evidence according to their own prior commitments. This is a significant barrier to establishing the Data-Driven Organizational Model. These findings raise concerns, and the pape... [more]

Recent national government policy in Ireland proposes a radical transformation of the energy sector and a large reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Water and energy form the water−energy nexus, with water being an essential component in energy production. However, the connection between the production of energy and water is rarely made. In particular, the end-user processes are generally excluded because they occur outside the water industry. The present study includes two simple approaches for industrial sites to calculate their carbon footprint in the water sector. The assessment of the milk powder manufacturing using both approaches indicates that the combined emission factor of the water supply and treatment is approximately 1.28 kg CO2 m−3 of water. The dairy production among steel, textile, and paper industries appears to be the most carbon-emitting industry. However, the results show that the carbon intensity of the water supply and treatment can be minimized by the integration... [more]

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of biomass micronization on energy production using a converted aircraft turbine AI-20. The test system was constructed in such a way to ensure continuous operation for a given period of time and was equipped in a chopper, a flail mill, and a micronizer. The turbine had the ability to produce energy from solid biomass and as well conventional fuels. The most energy was obtained from absolutely dry sunflower husk (17.27 MJ/kg) and the least from Poplar (7.82 MJ/kg). Miscanthus, wheat straw, and hay (approximately 17 MJ/kg) showed high values of energy production. In addition, the thermal decomposition of wheat straw at 350 and 450 °C was studied using the Py-GC/MS technique in a helium atmosphere to determine the gaseous compounds formed during biomass gasification under anaerobic conditions. The results obtained indicate the formation of compounds classified as phenols (vanillin, hydroxymethylfurfural).

The managerial and environmental studies conducted in the energy research area reflect its substantial importance, particularly when optimizing and modifying consumption patterns, transitioning to renewable sources away from fossil ones, and designing plans and systems. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the literature allowing us to identify which research subjects have been prioritized in the fields of energy and sustainability in recent years, determine the potential reasons explaining these trends, and categorize the techniques applied to analyze the uncertainty faced by decision-makers. We review articles published in highly ranked journals through the period 2003−2020 and apply text analytics to cluster their main characteristics; that is, we rely on pre-processing and text mining techniques. We analyze the title, abstract, keywords, and research methodology of the articles through clustering and topic modeling and illustrate what methods and fields consti... [more]

Greenhouse crops represent a significant productive sector of the agricultural system; one of the main problems to be addressed is indoor air conditioning to ensure thermal well-being of crops. This study focuses on the ventilation analysis of solar greenhouse with symmetrical flat pitched roof and single span located in a warm temperate climate. This work proposes the dynamic analysis of the greenhouse modeled in TRNsys, simultaneously considering different thermal phenomena three-dimensional (3D) shortwave and longwave radiative exchange, airflow exchanges, presence of lamps with their exact 3D position, ground and plant evapotranspiration, and convective heat transfer coefficients. Several air conditioning systems were analyzed, automatic window opening, controlled mechanical ventilation systems (CMV) and horizontal Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) coupled with CMV, for different air volume changes per hour. In summer, the exploitation of the ground allows having excellent results... [more]