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The building and construction sector is a large contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and consumes vast natural resources. Improvements in this sector are of fundamental importance for national and global targets to combat climate change. In this context, vertical greenery systems (VGS) in buildings have become popular in urban areas to restore green space in cities and be an adaptation strategy for challenges such as climate change. However, only a small amount of knowledge is available on the different VGS environmental impacts. This paper discusses a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) between a building with green walls, a building with green facades and a reference building without any greenery system in the continental Mediterranean climate. This life cycle assessment is carried according to ISO 14040/44 using ReCiPe and GWP indicators. Moreover, this study fills this gap by thoroughly tracking and quantifying all impacts in all phases of the building life cycle related to the manufacturing and construction stage, maintenance, use stage (operational energy use experimentally tested), and final disposal. The adopted functional unit is the square meter of the facade. Results showed that the operational stage had the highest impact contributing by up to 90% of the total environmental impacts during its 50 years life cycle. Moreover, when considering VGS, there is an annual reduction of about 1% in the environmental burdens. However, in summer, the reduction is almost 50%. Finally, if the use stage is excluded, the manufacturing and the maintenance stage are the most significant contributors, especially in the green wall system.

The building and construction sector is a large contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and consumes vast natural resources. Improvements in this sector are of fundamental importance for national and global targets to combat climate change. In this context, vertical greenery systems (VGS) in buildings have become popular in urban areas to restore green space in cities and be an adaptation strategy for challenges such as climate change. However, only a small amount of knowledge is available on the different VGS environmental impacts. This paper discusses a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) between a building with green walls, a building with green facades and a reference building without any greenery system in the continental Mediterranean climate. This life cycle assessment is carried according to ISO 14040/44 using ReCiPe and GWP indicators. Moreover, this study fills this gap by thoroughly tracking and quantifying all impacts in all phases of the building life cycle related to the manufacturing and construction stage, maintenance, use stage (operational energy use experimentally tested), and final disposal. The adopted functional unit is the square meter of the facade. Results showed that the operational stage had the highest impact contributing by up to 90% of the total environmental impacts during its 50 years life cycle. Moreover, when considering VGS, there is an annual reduction of about 1% in the environmental burdens. However, in summer, the reduction is almost 50%. Finally, if the use stage is excluded, the manufacturing and the maintenance stage are the most significant contributors, especially in the green wall system.

(Abstract) This paper proposes a new power line communication (PLC) architecture for monitoring and remote control of Distributed Generators (DG) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) connected to low voltage distribution networks. The final aim is to improve the performance of the PLC link in terms of robustness and efficiency in devices addressing. The proposed solution is based on a concentrator, to be installed in secondary substation, and a new PLC bridge, to be linked both to inverters and interface protection systems of DGs or ESSs. In this way, a communication link is obtained between distribution system operator (DSO) and DG or ESS owners. The proposed system is able to provide advanced functions for the remote control of DGs and ESSs inverters, not only in terms of remote disconnection but also in terms of adjusting the inverter operating modes.

(Abstract) This paper proposes a new power line communication (PLC) architecture for monitoring and remote control of Distributed Generators (DG) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) connected to low voltage distribution networks. The final aim is to improve the performance of the PLC link in terms of robustness and efficiency in devices addressing. The proposed solution is based on a concentrator, to be installed in secondary substation, and a new PLC bridge, to be linked both to inverters and interface protection systems of DGs or ESSs. In this way, a communication link is obtained between distribution system operator (DSO) and DG or ESS owners. The proposed system is able to provide advanced functions for the remote control of DGs and ESSs inverters, not only in terms of remote disconnection but also in terms of adjusting the inverter operating modes.

The presented article will describe an 'effect-cause' model for the purpose of simulating the energy consumption of DC fed light rail vehicles. The model will assess the advantages of hybrid vehicles in terms of energy consumption, network power and voltage variations, line current and losses; and will help sizing and designing a supercapacitor based energy storage system (ESS) for both on-board, and stationary applications. The proposed modeling needs to allow the ESS sizing according to the objective that needs to be achieved, being braking energy recovery, voltage drop compensation and peak power shaving the most common goals of ESS use in hybrid vehicles. The needed power and energy levels will vary in function of the vehicle features and the driving cycle followed. This all can be determined by the quasi-static simulation tool to ease the design process. Another objective of the modeling tool is to evaluate the behaviour of the vehicle power flow controller, which manages the power from/to the ESS in function of the state of several variables.

The presented article will describe an 'effect-cause' model for the purpose of simulating the energy consumption of DC fed light rail vehicles. The model will assess the advantages of hybrid vehicles in terms of energy consumption, network power and voltage variations, line current and losses; and will help sizing and designing a supercapacitor based energy storage system (ESS) for both on-board, and stationary applications. The proposed modeling needs to allow the ESS sizing according to the objective that needs to be achieved, being braking energy recovery, voltage drop compensation and peak power shaving the most common goals of ESS use in hybrid vehicles. The needed power and energy levels will vary in function of the vehicle features and the driving cycle followed. This all can be determined by the quasi-static simulation tool to ease the design process. Another objective of the modeling tool is to evaluate the behaviour of the vehicle power flow controller, which manages the power from/to the ESS in function of the state of several variables.

AbstractClimate change effects along with anthropogenic activities present the main factors that threaten the existence of heritage sites across the north Nile Delta of Egypt close to the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Observing the changes in the landscape close to the archaeological sites is an important issue for decision‐makers in terms of reducing the negative impact of natural events and human activities. The coastal heritage sites are becoming strongly threatened by the rising sea level phenomena that will happen due to global warming. Focusing on the distribution of the archaeological sites, this study aims to detect the areas at risk of shoreline erosion or accretion in the northern shoreline of the Nile Delta. In this study, the changes in the northern shoreline of the Nile Delta were observed and calculated during the last hundred years based on the integration between the old topographic maps from surveys in 1900, 1925 and 1945, optical satellite images captured by Landsat in 1972, 1986 and 2000; Sentinel2 2021; and the Radar SRTM data. The results of this study showed that the changes were enormous with a great shoreline erosion process over the last 121 years recorded along the shoreline in the periods between 1900–1925, 1925–1945, 1945–1972, 1972–1986, 1986–2000 and 2000–2021. The areas eroded were about 5.3, 4.7, 5.6, 8.9, 2.5 and 5.4 km2, respectively. Such negative movements caused the loss of two heritage sites, and the expected changes will lead to the loss of additional heritage sites in the next 500 years. Furthermore, a model was suggested for protecting the coastal heritage sites threatened by the risk of submergence. This study can help the decision‐makers to detect the coastal archaeological sites at risk and create innovative solutions for protecting these irreplaceable heritage sites.

AbstractClimate change effects along with anthropogenic activities present the main factors that threaten the existence of heritage sites across the north Nile Delta of Egypt close to the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Observing the changes in the landscape close to the archaeological sites is an important issue for decision‐makers in terms of reducing the negative impact of natural events and human activities. The coastal heritage sites are becoming strongly threatened by the rising sea level phenomena that will happen due to global warming. Focusing on the distribution of the archaeological sites, this study aims to detect the areas at risk of shoreline erosion or accretion in the northern shoreline of the Nile Delta. In this study, the changes in the northern shoreline of the Nile Delta were observed and calculated during the last hundred years based on the integration between the old topographic maps from surveys in 1900, 1925 and 1945, optical satellite images captured by Landsat in 1972, 1986 and 2000; Sentinel2 2021; and the Radar SRTM data. The results of this study showed that the changes were enormous with a great shoreline erosion process over the last 121 years recorded along the shoreline in the periods between 1900–1925, 1925–1945, 1945–1972, 1972–1986, 1986–2000 and 2000–2021. The areas eroded were about 5.3, 4.7, 5.6, 8.9, 2.5 and 5.4 km2, respectively. Such negative movements caused the loss of two heritage sites, and the expected changes will lead to the loss of additional heritage sites in the next 500 years. Furthermore, a model was suggested for protecting the coastal heritage sites threatened by the risk of submergence. This study can help the decision‐makers to detect the coastal archaeological sites at risk and create innovative solutions for protecting these irreplaceable heritage sites.