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The EU has set out to reduce negative impacts from electricity generation on the environment, human health and towards our dependence on fossil fuels. As the fastest growing renewable source of electricity, photovoltaics plays an important role in the energy transition. The manufacturing of photovoltaic modules requires materials classified as critical, making them prone to supply disruptions. Although these materials are essential to the EU economy, they are not sufficiently recovered at the end of a photovoltaic module’s life. An alternative intermediate solution could be to extend the lifespan of existing modules, to slow down demand for these materials in the future. The aim of this study was to analyse the theoretical options and practical examples of product life extension strategies for photovoltaics. The R-Ladder was used as a guiding framework, which provided examples of life extension strategies. These include Reuse, Repair, Refurbishment, Remanufacture and Repurpose. Aspects for each of these strategies were analysed to find potential benefits and challenges related to four aspects: economics, environment, energy, and materials. The approach of this study includes a literature review to identify the life extension strategies discussed specifically for photovoltaics in the context of the circular economy. This was followed by a multi-case study on practical applications of Reuse, Repair and Repurposing of photovoltaic modules. Findings from literature and the case study were further supplemented with the insights from six experts. These experts had diverse backgrounds in research, manufacturing, and procurement to offer a variety of insights and perspectives on life extension strategies for photovoltaics. Finally, two scenarios were created for possible life extension pathways for used photovoltaic modules to illustrate the potential impacts compared to a commonplace premature replacement scenario. Economics and module performance are key factors in decision-making and acquisition of a photovoltaic ...

Ever-growing energy demand since the Industrial Revolution is likely to continue over the upcoming decades, and making the transition to renewable energy sources takes longer than anticipated. Solar energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources, and the cost of installing photovoltaic solar systems has decreased significantly as the global photovoltaic solar system industry has grown since the beginning of this century. In the United States, the adoption of residential photovoltaic solar systems has the potential to add up to a significant change, considering the ubiquity of solar irradiation and the prevalence of low-density residential development. This study investigated the diffusion of photovoltaic solar systems in residential buildings to support sustainable development goals. I built a series of regression models to analyze the impact of socio-economic, geographical, and technical factors on the photovoltaic solar panel adoption rate in residential buildings. I aggregated more than 1 million photovoltaic solar panel installation records at the ZIP code level, which allowed me to calculate the adoption rate and control the abovementioned factors. Moreover, I conducted in-depth interviews with key actors from the solar industry in New Jersey to understand how the solar industry adapts to the changes in solar policies and attitudes of residential users. The results indicate that electricity prices and solar irradiation are the most significant factors for residential users to install photovoltaic solar systems. Moreover, renewable energy policies increase the relative advantage of these systems and directly impact the adoption rates. Investigating California and New Jersey examples revealed that financial programs such as tax credits and renewable energy certificate trading mechanisms create the highest incentive for homeowners. Besides, standardization of the application process, permit fees, and inspections help to reduce the soft costs associated with installations. The case study on New ...

This deliverable includes the methodology in EnergyPROSPECTS for an in-depth study of energy citizenship. It features the criteria used for selecting the cases for indepth study, the list of cases selected for in-depth study as well as key research foci and empirical research questions.

We are currently amidst a 6th mass extinction event precipitated by anthropogenic alterations of the environment, specifically urbanization. There have been declines across all classes of vertebrates, however amphibians have suffered the greatest declines among vertebrates. Urbanization is among the most detrimental types of habitat modifications because as areas are converted and modified to meet human needs it increases susceptibility and exposure to disease and chemicals, increases the probability of encountering invasive species, alters climate and microclimates, and ultimately leads to decreased recruitment and population size in amphibian populations. This disrupts the moist, cool conditions many amphibians rely on for basic survival conditions, and if these conditions for reproduction and foraging are not met, alteration in behavior or physiological processes may be observed. In response to stressors, many amphibians release a stress hormone called corticosterone. Corticosterone helps amphibians respond to a stressor appropriately by suppressing acutely nonessential functions such as digestion, reproduction, and growth, thereby freeing energy for vital processes such as muscle metabolism. It has been shown that some species of salamanders respond physiologically to environmental changes, suggesting a link between habitat quality and physiological stress response that could be crucial for evaluating the effects of habitat alterations. This study looks at the physiological response of Eastern red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, living in urban and non-urban sites using a novel method of stress hormone collection. We found that salamanders living in urban sites had lower levels of dermal corticosterone than those living in non-urban areas. This finding could be explained by microclimate effects that differ at each site or by the effects chronic stress may be having on the salamanders in the urban sites. ; URAP - Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program ; No embargo ; Academic Major: ...

The level of advancement in the understanding of the mechanical properties of volcanic rocks is comparatively lower than that of sedimentary rocks. As part of the SUCCEED Project (Synergetic Utilisation of CO2 Storage Coupled with Geothermal Energy Deployment), which aims to investigate the feasibility of injecting captured and produced CO2 into the reservoirs to enhance geothermal production and achieve permanent CO2 storage at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Field in Iceland, this experimental research provides significant insights into the petrophysical and mechanical properties of the volcanic rocks collected from surface outcrops. The subsurface in Hellisheiði is mainly built up of hyaloclastite formations and interglacial basaltic lavas. During a field campaign samples were collected in different outcrops, ensuring that the samples were of high quality and sufficiently diverse to enable comprehensive analysis. Four samples per block and rock type have been prepared from the collected blocks, and they have been subjected to different laboratory tests to evaluate their petrophysical properties, such as porosity, density, and permeability, and their geomechanical behavior, using Unconfined Compression Test (UCS), Active-Source Acoustic Test, and Splitting Tensile Strength Test. Additionally, laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate the impact of rapid cooling on rock damage due to thermal fracturing. The results show that there are interdependent relationships between porosity, bulk density, ultimate strength, Young's modulus, and wave velocities that can be observed when considering average values per rock. The rocks studied showed a negative correlation between porosity and other parameters and a direct correlation between ultimate strength and Young's Modulus. When examining individual rock samples, no significant correlations were observed between porosity and other parameters, however, those correlations where evident when comparing between different rock types, emphasizing the importance of ...

> Les pays riches doivent faire beaucoup plus, beaucoup plus vite. L'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies en septembre 2021 réunira les pays à un moment critique pour organiser une action collective pour faire face à la crise environnementale mondiale. Ils se réuniront à nouveau lors du sommet sur la biodiversité à Kunming, en Chine, et de la conférence sur le climat (Conférence des Parties (COP)26) à Glasgow, au Royaume-Uni. Avant ces réunions cruciales, nous - les rédacteurs en chef des revues de santé du monde entier - appelons à une action urgente pour maintenir les augmentations moyennes de la température mondiale en dessous de 1,5 ° C, arrêter la destruction de la nature et protéger la santé. La santé est déjà affectée par l'augmentation de la température mondiale et la destruction du monde naturel, un état de fait sur lequel les professionnels de la santé attirent l'attention depuis des décennies.1 La science est sans équivoque ; une augmentation mondiale de 1,5 ° C au-dessus de la moyenne préindustrielle et la perte continue de la biodiversité risquent de causer des dommages catastrophiques à la santé qu'il sera impossible d'inverser.2 3 Malgré la préoccupation nécessaire du monde concernant la COVID-19, nous ne pouvons pas attendre que la pandémie passe pour réduire rapidement les émissions. Reflétant la gravité du moment, cet éditorial apparaît dans des revues de santé à travers le monde. Nous sommes unis pour reconnaître que seuls des changements fondamentaux et équitables dans les sociétés inverseront notre trajectoire actuelle. Les risques pour la santé des augmentations supérieures à 1,5 °C sont maintenant bien établis.2 En effet, aucune augmentation de température n'est « sûre ». Au cours des 20 dernières années, la mortalité liée à la chaleur chez les personnes âgées de plus de 65 ans a augmenté de plus de 50 %.4 Des températures plus élevées ont entraîné une augmentation de la déshydratation et de la perte de la fonction rénale, des tumeurs malignes dermatologiques, des infections tropicales, des problèmes de santé mentale, des complications de grossesse, des allergies et une morbidité et une mortalité cardiovasculaires et pulmonaires.5 6 Les préjudices affectent de manière disproportionnée les plus vulnérables, notamment les enfants, les populations plus âgées, les minorités ethniques, les communautés les plus pauvres et les personnes ayant des problèmes de santé sous-jacents.2 4 Le réchauffement climatique contribue également à la baisse de ... > Las naciones ricas deben hacer mucho más, mucho más rápido. La Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas en septiembre de 2021 reunirá a los países en un momento crítico para organizar la acción colectiva para abordar la crisis ambiental mundial. Se reunirán nuevamente en la cumbre de biodiversidad en Kunming, China, y en la conferencia climática (Conferencia de las Partes (COP)26) en Glasgow, Reino Unido. Antes de estas reuniones fundamentales, nosotros, los editores de revistas de salud de todo el mundo, pedimos medidas urgentes para mantener el aumento promedio de la temperatura global por debajo de 1,5 ° C, detener la destrucción de la naturaleza y proteger la salud. La salud ya se está viendo perjudicada por el aumento de la temperatura global y la destrucción del mundo natural, una situación a la que los profesionales de la salud han estado prestando atención durante décadas.1 La ciencia es inequívoca; un aumento global de 1,5 ° C por encima del promedio preindustrial y la continua pérdida de biodiversidad corren el riesgo de causar daños catastróficos a la salud que serán imposibles de revertir.2 3 A pesar de la preocupación necesaria del mundo por el COVID-19, no podemos esperar a que la pandemia pase para reducir rápidamente las emisiones. Como reflejo de la gravedad del momento, este editorial aparece en revistas de salud de todo el mundo. Estamos unidos en el reconocimiento de que solo los cambios fundamentales y equitativos en las sociedades revertirán nuestra trayectoria actual. Los riesgos para la salud de aumentos superiores a 1,5 °C están ahora bien establecidos.2 De hecho, ningún aumento de temperatura es "seguro". En los últimos 20 años, la mortalidad relacionada con el calor entre las personas mayores de 65 años ha aumentado en más del 50%.4 Las temperaturas más altas han provocado un aumento de la deshidratación y la pérdida de la función renal, neoplasias malignas dermatológicas, infecciones tropicales, resultados adversos para la salud mental, complicaciones del embarazo, alergias y morbilidad y mortalidad cardiovascular y pulmonar.5 6 Los daños afectan de manera desproporcionada a los más vulnerables, incluidos los niños, las poblaciones mayores, las minorías étnicas, las comunidades más pobres y las personas con problemas de salud subyacentes.2 4 El calentamiento global también está contribuyendo a la disminución de ... > Wealthy nations must do much more, much faster. The United Nations General Assembly in September 2021 will bring countries together at a critical time for marshalling collective action to tackle the global environmental crisis. They will meet again at the biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, and the climate conference (Conference of the Parties (COP)26) in Glasgow, UK. Ahead of these pivotal meetings, we—the editors of health journals worldwide—call for urgent action to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5°C, halt the destruction of nature and protect health. Health is already being harmed by global temperature increases and the destruction of the natural world, a state of affairs health professionals have been bringing attention to for decades.1 The science is unequivocal; a global increase of 1.5°C above the preindustrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse.2 3 Despite the world's necessary preoccupation with COVID-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions. Reflecting the severity of the moment, this editorial appears in health journals across the world. We are united in recognising that only fundamental and equitable changes to societies will reverse our current trajectory. The risks to health of increases above 1.5°C are now well established.2 Indeed, no temperature rise is 'safe'. In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people aged over 65 has increased by more than 50%.4 Higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality.5 6 Harms disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, including children, older populations, ethnic minorities, poorer communities and those with underlying health problems.2 4 Global heating is also contributing to the decline in … > يجب على الدول الغنية أن تفعل أكثر من ذلك بكثير، وأسرع بكثير. ستجمع الجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة في سبتمبر 2021 البلدان في وقت حرج لحشد العمل الجماعي لمعالجة الأزمة البيئية العالمية. وسيجتمعون مرة أخرى في قمة التنوع البيولوجي في كونمينغ، الصين، ومؤتمر المناخ (مؤتمر الأطراف 26) في غلاسكو، المملكة المتحدة. قبل هذه الاجتماعات المحورية، ندعو - نحن محرري المجلات الصحية في جميع أنحاء العالم - إلى اتخاذ إجراءات عاجلة للحفاظ على متوسط الزيادات في درجات الحرارة العالمية أقل من 1.5 درجة مئوية، ووقف تدمير الطبيعة وحماية الصحة. الصحة تتضرر بالفعل من ارتفاع درجات الحرارة العالمية وتدمير العالم الطبيعي، وهو وضع يلفت الانتباه إليه المهنيون الصحيون منذ عقود. 1 العلم لا لبس فيه ؛ زيادة عالمية قدرها 1.5 درجة مئوية فوق متوسط ما قبل الصناعة واستمرار فقدان التنوع البيولوجي خطر ضرر كارثي على الصحة سيكون من المستحيل عكسه. 2 3 على الرغم من الانشغال العالمي الضروري بـ COVID -19، لا يمكننا الانتظار حتى ينتقل الوباء لتقليل الانبعاثات بسرعة. مما يعكس شدة اللحظة، تظهر هذه الافتتاحية في المجلات الصحية في جميع أنحاء العالم. نحن متحدون في الاعتراف بأن التغييرات الأساسية والعادلة في المجتمعات هي وحدها التي ستعكس مسارنا الحالي. أصبحت المخاطر الصحية للزيادات التي تزيد عن 1.5 درجة مئوية ثابتة الآن. 2 في الواقع، لا يوجد ارتفاع في درجة الحرارة "آمن". في السنوات العشرين الماضية، زادت الوفيات المرتبطة بالحرارة بين الأشخاص الذين تزيد أعمارهم عن 65 عامًا بأكثر من 50 ٪.4 وقد أدت درجات الحرارة المرتفعة إلى زيادة الجفاف وفقدان وظائف الكلى، والأورام الخبيثة الجلدية، والالتهابات الاستوائية، والنتائج السلبية للصحة العقلية، ومضاعفات الحمل، والحساسية، واعتلال القلب والأوعية الدموية والرئوية والوفيات .5 6 تؤثر الأضرار بشكل غير متناسب على الفئات الأكثر ضعفًا، بما في ذلك الأطفال وكبار السن والأقليات العرقية والمجتمعات الفقيرة وأولئك الذين يعانون من مشاكل صحية كامنة .2 4 يساهم التدفئة العالمية أيضًا في انخفاض...

One of the major problems with using renewable energy is the mismatch between power generation and demand as renewable energy generation and energy usage from HVAC equipment depend on unsynchronized natural factors. To reduce this supply-demand mismatch many researchers suggested using thermal energy storage to shift cooling and/or heating loads. A thermal energy storage (TES) tank can be integrated with building heating and cooling systems using several methods described in the open literature. This thesis explores a novel method to integrate water-based TES with an indoor air coil using a three fluid heat exchanger (TriCoil(TM)). The three fluid heat exchanger will thermally connect water from the TES, refrigerant from the outdoor unit, and indoor air. A test setup has been developed inside the Psychrometric Coil Testing Facility of Oklahoma State University (OSU) to test the TriCoil(TM). The heat balance of the test setup for different operation modes and test points was within +/-5%. An uncertainty analysis has been performed on the test results and major sources of uncertainties have been identified. In the experiment done for this thesis, water from the TES was successfully charged up to 15 kW (cooling) with a log mean temperature difference (LMTD) of 18.5 K using a 4-ton capacity outdoor unit. TriCoil(TM) was also used to discharge the water from TES with a max capacity of 11.5 kW (heating) with an LMTD of 8.7 K, a water flow rate of 1700 kg/h, and an airflow rate of 1600 CFM.

Cooling is a critical part of data center’s infrastructure, and with ongoing demands in data processing and storage, thermal management issues are of great concern. Some imperative methods of removing heat are either using air or liquid (preferably water or refrigerant). When high power density modules are involved, liquid cooling addresses some of the problems faced by air cooling as liquid coolants have higher thermal capacitance. Also, in the case of multi-chip modules, a non-uniform heating due to multi-core generates hot-spots and increases temperature gradients across the module. A dynamic cold plate along with a self-regulated flow control device was developed to address these issues. A temperature sensing self-regulated flow control device (FCD) is placed at the exit of each section to regulate the required flow. But to implement this at rack level, a good control strategy is required. This study presents a CFD analysis of such control strategy to save Pumping power on a direct liquid cooled rack using a concept of dynamic cooling along with a self-regulated flow control device. It’s important to save pumping power as it is one of the most energy consumed areas in the data center. The main objective of this study is to assess the flow rate and pressure distribution on the rack in order to control excessive pumping power usage and enhance cooling system efficiency.

The merging of empirical tests and theoretical models allows us to make sense of complex biological concepts. This thesis explores questions of biological variation (both within and between species) and its persistence through evolutionary time scales primarily through the development of mechanistic models. The first chapter uses a game theory framework to describe drivers of persistence in systems of alternative strategies, and presents a new framework to describe competition within large systems. The second chapter describes the plastic system of developmental polyphenisms in the Mexican spadefoot toads, Scaphiopus multiplicata using a game theory framework. The possibility that anthropogenic climate change will alter selection on developmental polyphenisms is explored. The third chapter uses a mechanistic ecophysiology-based model to explore extinction risk in seven species of tropical New World day geckos (Sphaerodactylidae, Squamata). These studies highlight the importance of incorporating empirical data in modeling. Given anthropogenic changes to climate and habitat availability, ecosystem resilience of particular concern to conservationists. We need tools to predict how species losses will affect eventual equilibrium outcomes – whether ecosystems will survive in a recognizable state, or whether the loss of key species can affect larger-scale stability.