• Energy Research

Road transportation by trucks is the major part of the goods transportations system in the European Union (EU), and there is a need for increased fuel efficiency. While truck manufacturers already ...

AbstractThe recent expansion of oil palm (OP, Elaeis guineensis) plantations into tropical forest peatlands has resulted in ecosystem carbon emissions. However, estimates of net carbon flux from biomass changes require accurate estimates of the above ground biomass (AGB) accumulation rate of OP on peat. We quantify the AGB stocks of an OP plantation on drained peat in Malaysia from 3 to 12 years after planting using destructive harvests supported by non-destructive surveys of a further 902 palms. Peat specific allometric equations for palm (R2 = 0.92) and frond biomass are developed and contrasted to existing allometries for OP on mineral soils. Allometries are used to upscale AGB estimates to the plantation block-level. Aboveground biomass stocks on peat accumulated at ~6.39 ± 1.12 Mg ha−1 per year in the first 12 years after planting, increasing to ~7.99 ± 0.95 Mg ha−1 yr−1 when a ‘perfect’ plantation was modelled. High inter-palm and inter-block AGB variability was observed in mature classes as a result of variations in palm leaning and mortality. Validation of the allometries defined and expansion of non-destructive inventories across alternative plantations and age classes on peat would further strengthen our understanding of peat OP AGB accumulation rates.

The difference between heat losses in percentage and in absolute measures is elucidated. Good conditions for making experimental heat loss determination are outlined, i.e., to avoid varying temperatures in the ground surrounding the district heating (DH) pipes and in the pipe fluid. An overview of in-situ methods is given, and methods working on the DH pipe casing are described. Recent developments regarding quantitative thermography are also described. A comparison of the methods on an operating preinsulated transmission line is presented.

Oil price uncertainty has widely influenced the economic development of the world. This study explores the influence of oil price uncertainty on the excessive debt behavior of Chinese listed companies during 2010–2019. Our results show that a global oil price uncertainty can significantly reduce excessive corporate debt, and the impact is predominant among small, non-state-owned, non-high-tech, or non-energy firms. Results also show that oil price uncertainty acts from both demand and supply channels. In particular, at the demand level higher product-market demand can weaken the impact of oil price uncertainty, while at the supply level higher financing constraints can enhance the impact of oil price uncertainty. Our findings are robust to a range of tests. Under the construction of the market-oriented system, enterprises should establish differentiated financing decisions for different businesses to deal with oil price fluctuations, and financial institutions also need to pay more attention to the excessive debt phenomenon of different types of corporate under the uncertain oil price.

In this study, 10–50% of porcelain tile polishing residue (PPR) was used as an additive or as partial replacement of cement in concrete. The cement consumption was kept constant by correcting the amount of sand for each mixture. Concrete workability (slump) was reduced by up to 88.72% when PPR replaced the cement by up to 30%, while it was reduced by only 4.10% when PPR was added to the concrete at the same levels. Compressive strength at 28 days increased up to 92.22% with 50% PPR as additive, reducing the equivalent emission of CO2 per m³ of concrete up to 38.18%. PPR incorporation reduced the water permeability of concrete by up to 30.70% and 17.54% when used in addition and in cement replacement, respectively. Overall, PPR as an additive up to 50% and in cement with substitution levels up to 10–40% presented themselves as viable solutions for developing more resistant and durable concretes than the reference mixture (without incorporation of PPR).

Azerbaijan has committed to cut GHG emissions by 35% by 2030 under the Paris Agreement. By applying LEAP, a well-regarded forecasting model based on inventories defined under the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), GHG emissions projections are modeled in three scenarios: a without measures (WOM) scenario or business-as-usual, which assumes no change to current behavior, a with existing measures (WEM) scenario, which takes into account currently planned measures in Azerbaijan, and an EU policy scenario, which mirrors the existing mitigation measures of the European Union. The WOM scenario of total GHG emissions from the energy sector indicates that from 2010 to 2030, total emissions will increase by 67% in Azerbaijan. In the WEM scenario, forecasted GHG emissions are only 29.7% lower than the base year and still above the nation's Paris Agreement commitment. In the EU policy scenario, projected GHG emissions are 37.2% lower than the base year. Therefore, current mitigation measures are insufficient for Azerbaijan to meet its commitments to the Paris Agreement, and stronger measures than currently planned are necessary. Because of its status as a developing nation with limited resources, Azerbaijan must have funding from developed nations promised under the Paris Agreement to transition towards a less carbon-heavy economy.

Abstract A single-phase three-wire grid-connected power converter (STGPC) with energy storage for positive grounding photovoltaic generation system (PGPGS) is proposed in this paper. The positive terminal of the solar cell array can be directly connected to the ground to avoid unexpected degradation of the special thin-film solar cell array. The proposed PGPGS consists of a solar cell array, two DC–DC power converters, a battery set, a switch set and a three-port power converter. The three-port power converter comprises a high-voltage DC port, a low-voltage DC port and an AC port. The solar cell array is connected to the high-voltage DC port through two DC–DC power converters whose positive terminal is directly connected to the ground. The battery set is connected to the low-voltage DC port, and the AC port is connected to the utility. No transformer is required in this PGPGS even when using the low-voltage battery set. A prototype is developed and tested to verify the performance of the PGPGS. The experimental results show that the proposed power converter has the expected performance.

Sub-District Panarukan, Distric of Situbondo has many food processing and non-food processing centers based on marine resources, all of which reaches 197 business units which include: Craft, Fish Cracker, Fish Chips, Shrimp paste and rengginang fish. The socio-economic phenomena of coastal communities should provide added value, absorb a lot of unemployment, but the people are still not prosperous in economically. The purposes of this study are to: Analyze the value added of resource-based on agroindustry, and to know the opportunity of marine resource development based agroindustry. The type of research used is descriptive with survey technique. Furthermore, the excavated data consists of qualitative and quantitative data which collected by using depth interview technique and the determination of respondents is done by simple random sampling technique. In order to answer the first, and second, the Hayami value-added analysis, and cost efficiency (R/C-Ratio) are used. The result of the research revealed that the ratio of added value of agribusiness activity of marine basis is 37,5% (value added ratio 15% - 40%), then the added value is classified. While the business opportunity of agribusiness activity in the research area is very big which indicated the value of R / C reach 1.95. If marine resource-based agroindustry activities in the research area are intervened with a touch of modern science-based management, then the value-added ratio potentially reaches more than 40% (> 40% high added value categories).

The contributions of small local non-government organisations (NGOs) in countries at risk from climate change to knowledge creation and action on climate change are rarely considered. This study sought to remedy this by focusing on NGOs in member countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Analysing data from Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), NGO websites and email correspondence with NGO staff through a knowledge brokering typology, this study examines the ways in which local NGOs in five members of the CVF (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kiribati, Nepal and Tuvalu) take action, generate new knowledge and understandings and contribute to the plans and actions of their government and the international community. The study found that local NGOs are involved in the creation of new knowledge both at the scientific and community level and engage in actions to support adaptation to climate change. However, there are differences in the approaches they take when making contributions to scientific knowledge and climate change debates. The findings of this study suggest the need to reconceptualise the role of local NGOs in small countries at risk from climate change.