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In the present work, a novel hybrid solar-based smart building energy system is introduced and studied. The system comprises innovative photovoltaic-thermal-cooling (PVTC) panels integrated with hot and cold storages with two-way interaction with electricity, heat, and cooling networks (if any). The proposed system is compared with PV-based systems integrated with battery and heat pump for a case study complex building in Aarhus, Denmark. The comparison is conducted by evaluating the performance and economic indicators and investigating the effect of significant parameters on each scenario via a parametric study. Furthermore, the optimal operating conditions and sizing of the proposed system are determined using the genetic algorithm method considering initial cost and traded energy with local energy networks as the objective functions. The comparison results show that the proposed solution is the most cost-effective scenario with the lowest initial cost of about 457,000 $ and a payback period of 6.6 years. This is mainly due to the simultaneous interaction with electricity/heat/cooling networks as well as the elimination of the battery and the heat pump, which are offered by the proposed scenario. It is shown that, in comparison to PV panels, the PVTC can produce 328.7 MWh and 125.6 MWh extra heat and cooling annually. The scatter distribution of significant parameters shows that the panel area and heat storage capacity are not sensitive parameters, and keeping the cold storage capacity at the lower bound is a techno-economically better option.

Abstract Sustainability is an important and difficult consideration for the stakeholders/decision-makers when planning a biofuel supply network. In this paper, a Mixed-Integer Non-linear Programming (MINLP) model was developed with the aim to help the stakeholders/decision-maker to select the most sustainable design. In the proposed model, the emergy sustainability index of the whole biodiesel supply networks in a life cycle perspective is employed as the measure of the sustainability, and multiple feedstocks, multiple transport modes, multiple regions for biodiesel production and multiple distribution centers can be considered. After describing the process and mathematic framework of the model, an illustrative case was studied and demonstrated that the proposed methodology is feasible for finding the most sustainable design and planning of biodiesel supply chains.

This paper investigates the frequency performance problem of microgrids (MGs) integrated with renewable employing an energy storage system (ESS) equipped with virtual inertial control (VIC) support. To tackle the uncertainties related to the system operation, a two-layer multiple model predictive control (TLMMPC) method, consisting of nominal and ancillary MMPCs, is proposed to submit effective control signals to the ESS for improving system frequency performance. The ancillary MMPC generates the control commands for the VIC-based ESS utilizing the signals provided by the nominal MMPC and the frequency deviation signal of the actual system considering uncertainties and operating constraints. The control commands are generated to attain the minimum value of frequency response error with the least control endeavor while considering various operational and physical limitations. The TLMMPC method has the capability to work with different state of charge (SoC) levels to obtain the desired SoC and highest efficiency from the ESS and preserve the ESS's longevity. The dynamic performance of the proposed TLMMPC technique is investigated on an islanded MG and compared to model predictive control (MPC), fractional-order MPC, and tilt-integral-derivative controllers under different scenarios. The results validate that the proposed TLMMPC technique significantly improves the system frequency response from viewpoints of settling time, peak overshoot, and undershoot and obtains the most efficient ESS compared to the other methods.

The east German energy system is in a process of being completely rebuilt. Unfortunately, the huge investments are not used for implementing a technical and institutional restructuring, which is needed in order to achieve energy efficiency. The energy system will, among others, maintain its inefficient structure with separate production of heat and power. The ongoing changes are limited to improvements of power plant efficiency in combination with a change from a system based on brown coal for both heat and power into a system in which the electricity production is still based on brown coal and heating is produced on oil and natural gas. This rebuilding will bring the CO2-emission down from 20 t/inhabitant in 1989 to 13 t/inhabitant in year 2010, which is still much higher than the EU average on 8 t/inhabitant. This article describes how a restructuring could bring the figure below 7 t/inhabitant. The lack of ability to implement this restructuring of the energy system is, among others, due to an ownership structure, where networks of companies own the entire production and distribution chain from oil and coal to electricity. In this ownership structure, energy restructuring strategies which decrease the consumption of oil and coal will reduce the profits. At the same time the potential regulator, the parliamentary system, is politically and economically interlinked with and dependent upon the established energy companies. Consequently, it is difficult to establish the regulation reforms which are necessary for restructuring of the energy sector. There is still a lot to be gained from a restructuring of the east German energy sector. This restructuring requires institutional reforms, where the public regulation processes become independent of the industry which should be regulated.

Energy storage systems (ESS) are widely used in active distribution networks (ADN) to smoothen the drastic fluctuation of renewable energy sources (RES). In order to enhance the scalability and flexibility of ESS, a virtual energy storage system (VESS), which is composed of battery energy storage system (BESS), RES as well as flexible loads (FL), is developed in this paper to realize the functionalities of ESS in more cost-effective way in ADN. Aiming at achieving voltage regulation, dynamic pricing strategies based on system voltage condition are designed for VESS. A distributed real-time power management model containing dynamic pricing strategies is proposed to accomplish the voltage regulation and economic power sharing in VESS. Moreover, a set of distributed algorithms, over time-varying unbalanced directed networks, are designed for dynamic pricing strategies and optimal power management model. Furthermore, the convergence property, optimality and system voltage stability are explained by detailed mathematical analysis. Three various case studies which were ran on a real time digital simulator (OPAL-RT OP5600) were designed to validate the effectiveness of the strategy. Finally, simulation results show that the economic power dispatch and voltage regulation are achieved among VESS simultaneously, even in the presence of time-varying directed and unbalanced communication networks.

In order to make adequate projections on the consequences of climate change stressors on marine organisms, it is important to know how impacts of these stressors are affected by the presence of other species. Here we assessed the direct effects of ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) along with non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of a predatory crab and/or a predatory snail on the habitat-forming mussel Perumytilus purpuratus. Mussels were exposed for 10-14 weeks to contrasting pCO2 (500 and 1400 μatm) and temperature (15 and 20 °C) levels, in the presence/absence of cues from one or two predator species. We compared mussel traits at sub-organismal (nutritional status, metabolic capacity-ATP production-, cell stress condition via HSP70 expression) and organismal (survival, oxygen consumption, growth, byssus biogenesis, clearance rates, aggregation) levels. OA increased the mussels' oxygen consumption; and OA combined with OW increased ATP demand and the use of carbohydrate reserves. Mussels at present-day pCO2 levels had the highest protein content. Under OW the predatory snail cues induced the highest cell stress condition on the mussels. Temperature, predator cues and the interaction between them affected mussel growth. Mussels grew larger at the control temperature (15 °C) when crab and snail cues were present. Mussel wet mass and calcification were affected by predator cues; with highest values recorded in crab cue presence (isolated or combined with snail cues). In the absence of predator cues in the trails, byssus biogenesis was affected by OA, OW and the OA × OW and OA × predator cues interactions. At present-day pCO2 levels, more byssus was recorded with snail than with crab cues. Clearance rates were affected by temperature, pCO2 and the interaction between them. The investigated stressors had no effects on mussel aggregation. We conclude that OA, OW and the NCEs may lead to neutral, positive or negative consequences for mussels.

The International Building Physics Toolbox (IBPT) is a software library developed originally for heat, air and moisture system analysis in building physics. The toolbox is constructed as a modular structure of standard building elements, using the graphical programming language Simulink. To enable development of the toolbox, a common modelling platform is defined: a set of unique communication signals, material database and documentation protocol. The IBPT is an open source and available on the Internet. Any user can utilize, expand and develop the contents of the toolbox. This paper presents structure and essence of the library. Potential applications of the toolbox are illustrated through examples.