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This paper presents an original short-term forecasting model of the hourly electric power production for aggregated regional hydropower generation. The inputs of the model are previously recorded values of the aggregated hourly production of hydropower plants and hourly water precipitation forecasts using Numerical Weather Prediction tools, as well as other hourly data (load demand and wind generation). This model is composed of three modules: the first one gives the prediction of the “monthly” hourly power production of the hydropower plants; the second module gives the prediction of hourly power deviation values, which are added to that obtained by the first module to achieve the final forecast of the hourly hydropower generation; the third module allows a periodic adjustment of the prediction of the first module to improve its BIAS error. The model has been applied successfully to the real-life case study of the short-term forecasting of the aggregated hydropower generation in Spain and Portugal (Iberian Peninsula Power System), achieving satisfactory results for the next-day forecasts. The model can be valuable for agents involved in electricity markets and useful for power system operations.

Artículos en revistas Islands are facing considerable challenges in meeting their energy needs in a sustainable, affordable and reliable way. The present paper develops an integrated approach to economically assess initiatives that can transform island power systems into smart ones. Single and multi-action initiatives fostering the deployment of renewable energy sources (RES), energy storage systems (ESS), demand-side management (DSM), and electric vehicle (EV) are considered. An hourly unit commitment on a weekly basis is proposed to assess the impact of the initiatives on the system operation costs of five prototype island power systems, which have been identified by applying clustering techniques to a set of sixty islands power systems. The different investment costs of the initiatives are accounted for determining their corresponding internal rate of return (IRR) through their lifetime. The economic assessment of single and multi-action initiatives for five prototype islands representing sixty island power systems quantifies which initiatives are most suitable for which type of island power system. The assessment shows that islands of different sizes and features require different initiatives. Larger islands tend to DSM initiatives, whereas smaller islands tend to RES initiatives. Multi-action initiatives achieve highest system operation cost reduction, whereas single action initiatives yield to highest IRR. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

<p>The data included in the repository are the responses of the experts group for the risks identification and risks assessment of a photovoltaic construction project of 250 MW located in Murcia, Spain. </p> <p>The experts were selected from professionals who have collaborated on the processing, design, and construction of photovoltaic solar plants, with the aim of covering as many profiles as possible involved in the development of such plants. A total of 15 experts were recruited with the following profiles:</p> <ul><li>E1: Developer of photovoltaic solar plants, with a 15 MW portfolio of completed projects</li> <li>E2: Project Manager, with a portfolio of designed and developed projects exceeding 500 MW worldwide.</li> <li>E3: CEO of a multinational company with 14 years of experience in the sector and more than 2 GW of developed projects.</li> <li>E4: Construction Manager of solar photovoltaic plants, with more than 10 years of experience in the sector.</li> <li>E5: O & M Manager of a multinational company with a portfolio of over 2 GW.</li> <li>E6: Project Finance manager in a multinational company, with more than 14 years of experience in the promotion and development of photovoltaic solar plants.</li> <li>E7: Supervisor in the construction of renewable energy projects — both wind and photovoltaic — with 12 years of experience in the sector.</li> <li>E8: Project Manager, with over 300 MW of developed projects worldwide.</li> <li>E9: Industrial Engineer and expert in design and construction of energy evacuation infrastructures in photovoltaic solar plants, with more than 30 years experience in the design of electrical infrastructures.</li> <li>E10: Inspector-Verifier of electrical installations, with 4 years of experience in the sector.</li> <li>E11: Professional Project Manager and expert in the construction of large electric power generation infrastructures.</li> <li>E12: Project Manager, with a portfolio of projects exceeding 50 MW, designed and constructed in Spain.</li> <li>E13: Forestry Engineer and Public Administration technician responsible for the environmental evaluation of projects.</li> <li>E14: Project Manager, with a portfolio of projects exceeding 20 MW, designed and constructed in Spain.</li> <li>E15: Construction Manager of solar photovoltaic plants and solar thermal plants, with more than 12 years of experience in the sector.</li></ul> <o>All the experts confirmed their acceptance and gave their verbal consent to complete the questionnaire. Experts E4, E8 and E14 declined to complete the questionnaire due to lack of time. The other 12 experts are those included in the present study. </p> <p>The surveys responses by the 12 members of the assessment panel experts contain their views on the 55 risks identified in terms of risk impact and risk probability, as well as their opinions in the pair-wise comparison of risks from the point of view of its influence on the scope, cost and project time.</p> Expert responses are provided in the original Excel (.xlsx) questionnaires to facilitate re-use and as PDF to facilitate easy viewing and ensure digital preservation. They are shared in the original Spanish as well as in English translation. Palisade @Risk, null

A central composition design was developed to study the influence of process variables (temperature, pulping time and ethanol concentration) on the properties of the pulp produced (yield and holocellulose, alpha-cellulose and lignin contents) and the pH of the resulting wastewater, in the ethanol pulping of olive tree trimmings. The proposed equations reproduce the experimental results for the dependent variables with errors less than 5% for the holocellulose and alpha-cellulose contents, yield and wastewater pH, and less than 15% for the lignin content. Obtaining pulp with acceptably high yield (37.6%), high holocellulose and alpha-cellulose contents (above 88.8% and 46.9%, respectively), and low lignin contents (below 7.2%), entails operating at a pulping temperature of 200 degrees C, using an ethanol concentration of 75% and a pulping time of 60 min.

Coconut coir dust is finding broad application in the ornamental sector as peat substitute. However, deeper investigations are needed since its performances are variable and not always optimal for different plant species and growing conditions. The use of non-thermal plasma (NTP) in re-circulating nutrient solution appears a promising and sustainable strategy to enhance crop protection, decrease the use of sanitizers and pesticides, and increase yield and quality of ornamental productions. Nevertheless, only a few examples of NTP application on containerized crops under operational growing conditions are available, particularly in combination with different substrates and fertigation regimes. In this work the application of NTP was tested on the nutrient solution used for the production of Ranunculus asiaticus potted plants. The effect was assessed in growing plants using two substrates (both 50:50 v v-1): 1) peat:perlite, and 2) coconut coir dust:perlite, and with two levels of fertilization. Plants grown on coconut coir dust had lower total biomass and flower number. On the other hand, in terms of biomass and tissue nutrient content, R. asiaticus plants developeded better at lower nutrient concentration than at the standard nutrient solution. NTP treatment increased the green biomass while did not improve the flower production. NTP-based sanitizing effects on the root zone, where the number of colony-forming units of fungi was significantly reduced, were observed only in presence of the standard nutrient solution.

Abstract The life cycle of a pavilion built for an international exhibition was investigated to understand the role that the design phase may play in the environmental sustainability of buildings. The limited life span of the structure allowed for a complete life cycle assessment (LCA) based on primary data to be undertaken, including the end of the first life. A methodology that considered an extension of the service life was applied to estimate the environmental impacts of distinct end-of-life scenarios. Results confirmed the paramount importance of the design phase in improving the life cycle sustainability of buildings. Accurate selection of materials allowed to markedly reduce the impact of the product stage (e.g. 37% fewer greenhouse gas emissions). Design for disassembly proved to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition to minimise the end-of-life impacts: design phase should not be limited to the appropriate selection of materials and components’ connections but must also foresee a second use for the structure or the materials at the end of the first life. Forecasting an after-life for the structure could reduce the life cycle burden up to 40% for several environmental impact categories. Conversely, if the second use is not predefined, the economic cost in the dismantling operation could become the priority rather than the salvaging of the components. Results of the present study may be used by future (temporary) building designers to improve the sustainability of their structure and to avoid the errors identified in the present case.

The EU policy of reducing the emissions of combustion generated pollutants entails climate induced deterioration to become more important. Moreover, products applied to preserve outdoor built heritage and their preliminary performance tests often turn out to be improper. In such context, the paper reports the outcomes of the methodology adopted to assess the durability and efficiency of nano-based consolidating products utilized for the conservation of carbonate artworks, performing field exposure tests on Carrara marble model samples in different sites in the framework of the EC Project NANOMATCH. Surface properties and cohesion, extent and penetration of the conservative products and their interactions with marble substrates and environmental conditions are here examined after outdoor exposure for eleven months in four different European cities and compared with the features of undamaged and of untreated damaged specimens undergoing the same exposure settings.

Abstract The transition to a low-Carbon Hydrogen production will unavoidably follow a path where fossil fuels are going to play a fundamental role in the short term. The technological development of Hydrogen production based on sustainable, renewable energies (wind, solar, biomass) will most likely characterize the gradual substitution of fossil-based Hydrogen production in the long term. In this transition, the environmental concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere are a crucial issue, fostering the development of Hydrogen production scenarios in which either carbon capture and sequestration or decarburation could be implemented as mitigation or adaptation measures in order to avoid CO 2 release from the utilization of fossil fuels. Therefore, the development of CO 2 -free technologies enabling fossil fuels exploitation is a must to make compatible their utilization with emission reductions. New innovative solutions should be put into practice. In this regard, methane cracking is a promising alternative and its potentials are highlighted and analyzed in this paper.

Abstract A solar assisted multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation system is economically compared with a conventional energy MSF plant. Moreover, the economical and climatic conditions that make competitive the use of solar energy in MSF plants vs. conventional energy are analyzed. The design arrangement of the solar distillation system considered consists of a solar parabolic trough collector field coupled to a conventional MSF plant. The solar field directly heats the brine until its top temperature. Therefore, the solar field acts as brine heater when solar energy is available. Nevertheless, the plant consumes conventional energy at nighttime. The parameters analyzed are the climatic conditions, which define the energy production and the average daily operation time of the solar field; the capacity and the performance ratio of the desalination plant; the cost of the solar collector, and the cost of conventional energy. It was concluded that the solarassisted distillation system described above could make possible the competitiveness of the use of solar energy in MSF distillation plants.