In our paper we analyse the scientific perception of energy use in the social sciences [...]

In the past few years, internet celebrities have become a new and important way to get people to buy energy-saving products. Their psychological mechanisms for promoting fans’ intention to purchase have become the focus of academic attention, but a unified conclusion has yet to be reached. This study uses online communities as a scenario, with the characteristics of influencers’ expertise, social attraction, and task attraction as antecedent variables and social cognitive theory and parasocial interaction theory as the theoretical basis to explore their influence on fans’ intention to purchase household energy-saving products. The study investigates the mediating role of parasocial relationships and the moderating role of fans’ green self-efficacy in influencing internet celebrities’ expertise and attraction of fans’ parasocial relationships. The results showed that the parasocial relationships formed between fans and influencers mediated the relationship between the expertise and attr... [more]

The increasing demand for electricity and the need for environmentally friendly transportation systems has resulted in the proliferation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generators and electric vehicle (EV) charging within the low voltage (LV) distribution network. This high penetration of PV and EV charging can cause power quality challenges, hence the need for hosting capacity (HC) studies to estimate the maximum allowable connections. Although studies and reviews are abundant on the HC of PV and EV charging available in the literature, there is a lack of reviews on HC studies that cover both PV and EVs together. This paper fills this research gap by providing a detailed review of five commonly used methods for quantifying HC including deterministic, time series, stochastic, optimization, and streamlined methods. This paper comprehensively reviews the HC concept, methods, and tools, covering both PV and EV charging based on a survey of state-of-the-art literature published within the last... [more]

The possibilities for reducing the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines focus mainly on developing combustion systems, as one such solution is a two-stage combustion system using jet ignition. The combustion of gaseous mixtures with a high excess air ratio leads to an increase in overall efficiency and a reduction in the emissions of selected exhaust components. In such a convention, gas combustion studies were conducted in the methane/propane configuration. Using an active prechamber where spark plugs were placed and direct injection through a check valve, the fuel dose was minimized into the prechamber. The tests were conducted for a constant center of combustion (CoC). The combustion process in both the prechamber and main chamber was analyzed using a test stand equipped with a 0.5 dm3 single-cylinder engine. The engine was controlled by varying the fuel supply to the prechamber and main chamber in excess air ratio λ = 1.3−1.8. The study analyzed thermodynamic indices suc... [more]

Delamination damage to spar caps seriously endangers the operation safety of offshore wind turbines. The effect of initial delamination of various depths and areas on the ultimate tensile load of laminates is studied based on experiments and numerical simulation, and an effective method for predicting the residual tensile strength of laminates with high thickness is proposed. Three groups of initial delamination specimens with different characteristics were fabricated, and static displacement tensile tests were carried out. An accurate three-dimensional numerical analysis model was established, and the results were in good agreement with the experimental values, with the overall error of the failure load being less than 6%. Furthermore, a numerical model for a 20-ply high-thickness spar cap laminate was established to predict the effect of delamination on tensile strength. The results showed that, for the same depth of initial delamination, the difference in delamination area had littl... [more]

In 2022, Thailand’s Demand Response (DR) business model was shifting from the Traditional Utility (TU) model to the Load Aggregator (LA) model in accordance with Thailand’s smart grid master plan. This research studied the current demand response model and mechanism to draw possible gaps in operations. This research deals with the data system owned by the individual load aggregator. The load aggregators collect meter data and evaluate demand adaptations before sending the results to claim compensation on behalf of their customers. This approach lacks transparency and facilitates distortion of the facts. Hence, this research introduces the data execution by smart contracts and data records on the blockchain that enhance transparent data sharing among multiple parties and maintain data integrity. Moreover, the proposed bidding algorithm allows customers to offer an expected price under the maximum incentive payment determined by the avoided costs of running the peaking power plants. Henc... [more]

Green hydrogen is set to become the energy carrier of the future, provided that production technologies such as electrolysis and solar water splitting can be scaled to global dimensions. Testing these hydrogen technologies on the MW scale requires the development of dedicated new test facilities for which there is no precedent. This perspective highlights the challenges to be met on the path to implementing a test facility for large-scale water electrolysis, photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting and aims to serve as a much-needed blueprint for future test facilities based on the authors’ own experience in establishing the Hydrogen Lab Leuna. Key aspects to be considered are the electricity and utility requirements of the devices under testing, the analysis of the produced H2 and O2 and the safety regulations for handling large quantities of H2. Choosing the right location is crucial not only for meeting these device requirements, but also for improving financial viabi... [more]

Conventionally accessible silicon solar cells experience two major drawbacks, such as reduced efficiency and increased fabrication costs. The prospects for the reduction in the cost of the photovoltaic form of energy conversion are bifacial solar cells. Bifacial solar cells show potential opportunity in reducing the cost of solar energy conversion when analyzed with respect to monofacial cells. The bifacial solar cells exploit sunlight occurrence on both sides of the cell more efficiently. Bifacial-based solar photovoltaic (PV) is a technology that increases the generation of electrical energy per square meter of PV module through the utilization of light absorption from the albedo. This technology can generally be categorized based on the type of solar cell material and the fabrication technique. PV devices are classified as a silicon-based, thin film, organic, and advanced nano PV. This paper takes a second look at some recent initiatives and significant issues in enhancing the effic... [more]

Recently, the demand for small, low-cost electronics has increased the use of cost-effective tiny inductors in power-management ICs (PMICs). However, the conduction loss caused by the parasitic DC resistance (RDCR) of a small inductor leads to low efficiency, which reduces the battery usage time and may also cause thermal problems in mobile devices. In particular, these issues become critical when a conventional boost converter (CBC) is used to achieve high-output voltage due to the large inductor current. In addition, as the output voltage increases, a number of issues become more serious, such as large output voltage ripple, conversion-ratio limit, and overlap loss. To solve these issues, this paper proposed a high-voltage boost converter with dual-current flows (HVDF). The proposed HVDF can achieve a higher efficiency than a CBC by reducing the total conduction loss in heavy load current conditions with a small inductor. Moreover, because in the HVDF, the current delivered to the ou... [more]

The ERTMS/ETCS is the newest automatic train protection system. This is a system that supports the driver in driving the train. It is currently being implemented throughout the European Union. This system’s latest specifications also provide additional functions to increase the energy efficiency of train driving in the form of ATO (automatic train operation). These functions of the ETCS will be valuable, provided they operate without failure. To achieve errorless configuration of the ETCS, a methodology for automatic system verification using the IMDS (Integrated Model of Distributed Systems) formalism and the temporal tool Dedan was applied. The main contribution is asynchronous and timed verification, which appropriately models the distributed nature of the ETCS and allows the designer not only to analyze time dependencies but also to define the range of train velocities in which the operational scenario is valid. Additionally, the novelties of the presented verification methodology... [more]

Remote community initiatives for renewable energy are rapidly emerging across Canada but with varying numbers, success rates, and strategies. To meet low-carbon transition goals, the need to coordinate technology deployment and long-term policy to guide the adoption is critical. Renewable resources such as wind, solar, hydro, and biomass can provide energy at a subsidized cost, create sustainable infrastructure, and provide new economic viability in social value integration. The renewable energy transition is crucial to Canada in sustaining remote and indigenous communities by providing local, clean, and low-carbon-emission energy for heat, power, and possibly transportation. This paper identified 635 renewable resources projects deployed to improve and increase electricity supply. To an extent, balancing demand within the remote and indigenous communities of Canada and highlighting sustainable renewable energy development through ownership participation within the communities is achie... [more]

Electromagnetic forces acting on conductors of the cleats and lead of a power transformer can cause permanent damage to the insulation of conductors. Determining the force acting on the conductor of cleats and leads cannot be performed using the standard analytical formula because those conductors are in close proximity to the construction part of the active part made of ferromagnetic material. To calculate those forces in a steady state of a three-phase AC current, a parametric numerical simulation was conducted. Based on the simulation, a new analytical formula for forces acting on cables near the ferromagnetic plate was proposed by the authors. It was also noted that the presence of the ferromagnetic plate can increase the forces up to 60% compared to the same geometry without the plate. This publication also discusses how eddy currents and the proximity effect influence forces acting on conductors.

With growing concern about risks related to energy security around the world, the development of hydrogen cooperation between India and Japan has become very important to ensure the economic security of the two countries and to deepen economic cooperation. This report covers both public and private initiatives in the hydrogen area in both countries and visualizes the high potential and potential areas where both countries could cooperate in the hydrogen area, as well as the challenges that are necessary for cooperation. The following four factors are strong incentives for India and Japan to deepen cooperation in the hydrogen field: (1) India has a high potential hydrogen supply capacity, (2) India is very active in implementing hydrogen in society, (3) Japan is already conducting R&D in areas of high interest to India and (4) Japan will need to import hydrogen from other countries in the future. The issues of (1) cost visualization, including transportation costs, (2) harmonization of... [more]

Studies have reported the incorporation of microorganisms into cement to promote the formation of calcium carbonate in cracks of concrete, a process known as biomineralization. The paper aims to improve the process of the cascade system for biomineralization in cement by identifying the best hydrodynamic conditions in a reaction cell in order to increase the useful life of concrete structures and, therefore, bring energy and environmental benefits. Two central composite rotatable designs were used to establish the positioning of the air inlet and outlet in the lateral or upper region of the geometry of the reaction cell. The geometries of the reaction cell were constructed in SOLIDWORKS®, and computational fluid dynamics was performed using the Flow Simulation tool of the same software. The results were submitted to statistical analysis. The best combination of meshes for the simulation was global mesh 4 and local mesh 5. The statistical analysis applied to gas velocity and pressure re... [more]

Increasing the efficiency of twin-screw machines is beneficial for gas compression and expansion applications. We used a computation fluid dynamic approach to obtain the flow field and efficiency of a twin-screw machine that used R-134a as the working fluid. The leakage flow and sealing lines were obtained to study their geometrical effects during the compression and expansion process. The effects of the wrap angle (280°, 290°, and 300°) and pressure ratios on the compression efficiency were studied. During the compression process, the volumetric efficiency was more than 70% regardless of the wrap angle. We found that the volumetric efficiency slightly decreased when the wrap angle increased. However, the effect of the wrap angle on the isentropic efficiency was not substantial. An increase in the pressure ratio decreased the mass flow rate and increased the leakage flow. This screw machine can also be operated in an expansion process, and the simulated expansion ratio was 3:1. However... [more]

Appropriate frequency response is an issue of great importance in power system management, especially in an islanded one. An energy-based method for assessing a system’s response, which is needed to prevent under frequency load shedding (UFLS), is introduced. Renewable generation, such as wind turbine (WT) and photovoltaic (PV) facilities, reduces the ability of the power system to resist power imbalances and increases the risks of consumer disconnections by UFLS system, and even of total collapse. To estimate the amount of additional fast power reserve, an equation was developed, relating the moment of inertia, the system demand dynamics, and the available response of synchronous generating units. Clustering units based on their ability to respond to frequency changes in low inertia conditions allows the potential synchronous response to be assessed, providing information of its deficiency in a defined system state. The proposed method was applied to the Israeli power system and up to... [more]

Cellulases are enzymes that are attracting worldwide attention because of their ability to degrade cellulose in the lignocellulosic biomass and transform it into highly demanded bioethanol. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulases into fermentable sugars is a crucial step in biofuel production, given the complex structure of lignocellulose. Due to cellulases’ unique ability to hydrolyze the very recaltricant nature of lignocellulosic biomass, the cellulase market demand is rapidly growing. Although cellulases have been used in industrial applications for decades, constant effort is being made in the field of enzyme innovation to develop cellulase mixtures/cocktails with improved performance. Given that the main producers of cellulases are of microbial origin, there is a constant need to isolate new microorganisms as potential producers of enzymes important for biofuel production. This review provides insight into current research on improving microbial cellulase production a... [more]

To date, the majority of energy supply is still generated by non-renewable sources, which places a dramatic burden on our environment [...]

Integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) systems play a pivotal role in the utilization of non-fossil energy; however, the efficient application of solar energy has emerged as a primary issue in the study of ISCC systems. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to propose the best optimization scheme for ISCC under different operating conditions. In this paper, according to the idea of temperature matching and cascade utilization, the optimization of the ISCC system is carried out with the genetic algorithm for the whole working conditions, and the optimization schemes with the highest photoelectric efficiency and system efficiency under different working conditions are derived. In comparison with two optimization schemes with different objective functions, the conclusion can be drawn that: At 100% gas turbine load—30% DNI and 100% gas turbine load—100% DNI working conditions, respectively, the maximum system efficiency of 56.32% and the maximum solar photoelectric efficiency of 35.5% are atta... [more]

The increasing market share of electric vehicles and the politically intended phase-out of the internal combustion engine require reliable and realistic predictions for future consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as a function of technological solutions. This also includes the consumption- and emission-intensive transport of goods. We consider both passenger vehicles and commercial vehicle traffic in our study and have investigated whether there are drive alternatives to the battery electric vehicle that enable uninterrupted trips with a long range, especially for regional delivery services and internationally active freight forwarders. To this end, we have analysed three system architectures and their expected technological progress until 2050: battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) running on compressed natural gas (CNG). The latter case serves as a best-practice reference from a combustion technology pe... [more]

The constant development of the electrical engineering sector, especially in the transmission of electrical energy under high-voltage direct current (HVDC), requires research on new insulation materials and investigations of physical phenomena under ultrahigh electrical fields in solid dielectrics. One of the current problematic issues is the formation of space charge in HV insulation systems, which affects the operational electrical field distribution and can lead to faster insulation degradation. There are several problems that have to be considered before every space charge measurement, such as the attenuation and dispersion of sound waves in tested dielectric materials, reflections at the interfaces, and the spatial resolution of the measured charge profile. The spatial resolution is one of the most important technical factors of the PEA measurement stand. The spatial resolution, as it is assumed, depends on several factors, such as the width of the pulser and the pulse rise time,... [more]

Pipeline corrosion is one of the leading causes of failures in the transmission of gas and hazardous liquids in the oil and gas industry. In-line inspection is a non-destructive inspection for detecting corrosion defects in pipelines. Defects are measured in terms of their width, length and depth. Consecutive in-line inspection data are used to determine the pipeline’s corrosion growth rate and its remnant life, which set the operational and maintenance activities of the pipeline. The traditional approach of manually processing in-line inspection data has various weaknesses, including being time consuming due to huge data volume and complexity, prone to error, subject to biased judgement by experts and challenging for matching of in-line inspection datasets. This paper aimed to contribute to the adoption of machine learning approaches in classifying pipeline defects as per Pipeline Operator Forum requirements and matching in-line inspection data for determining the corrosion growth rat... [more]

As one of the crucial factors contributing to coal spontaneous combustion, the oxidation of pyrite is a complex process involving multiple reactions, particularly in the presence of oxidants (Fe3+ and O2) and bacteria. However, experimental results based on mineral-pyrite are not entirely applicable to coal-pyrite due to their differences in formation environments and compositions. This study selected two types of coal-pyrite and one type of mineral-pyrite as research to conduct oxidation experiments with the participation of oxidant (Fe3+) and bacteria (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans), respectively, to obtain the following conclusions. Under natural conditions, the chemical oxidation rate of pyrite is slow, but the addition of oxidant Fe3+ and bacteria can significantly accelerate the oxidation rate. The promotion effect of oxidant Fe3+ on the oxidation reaction is stronger than that of bacteria. Under the same conditions, the oxidation rate of coal-pyrite samples is slightly higher t... [more]

A number of canisters need to be lightweight designed to store the spherical fuel elements (SFE) used in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). The main challenge for engineering is pursuing high-accuracy and high-efficiency optimization simultaneously. Accordingly, a hybrid surrogate model-based multi-objective optimization method with the numerical method for the lightweight and safe design of the SFE canister is proposed. To be specific, the drop analysis model of the SFE canister is firstly established where the finite element method—discrete element method (FEM−DEM) coupled method is integrated to simulate the interaction force between the SFE and canister. Through simulation, the design variables, optimization objectives, and constraints are identified. Then the hybrid radial basis function—response surface method (RBF−RSM) surrogate method is carried out to approximate and simplify the accurate numerical model. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used fo... [more]

Transport plays an important role in the economy of a given country or region [...]