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Suvilahti, a suburb of the city of Vaasa in western Finland, was the first area to use seabed sediment heat as the main source of heating for a high number of houses. Moreover, in the same area, a unique land uplift effect is ongoing. The aim of this paper is to solve the challenges and find opportunities caused by global warming by utilizing seabed sediment energy as a renewable heat source. Measurement data of water and air temperature were analyzed, and correlations were established for the sediment temperature data using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Enterprise Guide 7.1. software. The analysis and provisional forecast based on the autoregression integrated moving average (ARIMA) model revealed that air and water temperatures show incremental increases through time, and that sediment temperature has positive correlations with water temperature with a 2-month lag. Therefore, sediment heat energy is also expected to increase in the future. Factor analysis validations show that the data have a normal cluster and no particular outliers. This study concludes that sediment heat energy can be considered in prominent renewable production, transforming climate change into a useful solution, at least in summertime.

The first issue of JAISE in 2023 is devoted to a Thematic Issue that explores the relationship of Intelligent Environments with energy and sustainability topics, not forgetting the security component in their development. 2 páginas

The combination of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with constructed wetlands (CWs) for enhancing water purification efficiency and generating bioelectricity has attracted extensive attention. However, the other benefits of MFC-CWs are seldom reported, especially the potential for controlling gaseous emissions. In this study, we have quantitatively compared the pollutant removal efficiency and the emission of multiple gases between MFC-CWs and batch-fed wetland systems (BF CWs). MFC-CWs exhibited significantly (p < 0.01) higher COD, NH4+-N, TN, and TP removal efficiencies and significantly (p < 0.01) lower global warming potential (GWP) than BF CWs. The integration of MFC decreased GWP by 23.88% due to the reduction of CH4 and N2O fluxes, whereas the CO2 fluxes were slightly promoted. The quantitative PCR results indicate that the reduced N2O fluxes in MFC-CWs were driven by the reduced transcription of the nosZ gene and enhanced the ratio of nosZ/(nirS + nirK); the reduced CH4 fluxes were related to pomA and mcrA. Additionally, the NH3 fluxes were reduced by 52.20% in MFC-CWs compared to BF CWs. The integration of MFC promoted the diversity of microbial community, especially Anaerolineaceae, Saprospiraceae and Clostridiacea. This study highlights a further benefit of MFC-CWs and provides a new strategy for simultaneously removing pollutants and abating multiple gas emissions in BF CWs.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore why, despite the development of a hybrid investing logic, funding problems are so persistent for early-stage Cleantech ventures (“Cleantechs”). An institutional logics lens is adopted to analyze how key actors' perceptions and communications of the Cleantech value proposition shape information asymmetries (IAs).Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach draws on 82 Cleantech pitch decks and 31 investment guidance documents, and insights from interviews with 42 key informants and nine Cleantech CEOs and their investors.FindingsIAs persist, first of all, because key investor and entrepreneurial actors combine different goals in the hybrid Cleantech value proposition. Interestingly, the analysis of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPIs) as a critical communication tool reveals a further mismatch in how actors actually combine logics. The authors ultimately identify three emergent actor roles – traditional laggard, developer and boundary spanner – that present a framework of how the three most influential actor groups develop EPIs and via that a hybrid Cleantech financing logic to overcome IAs.Originality/valueThe paper enhances the entrepreneurial finance literature primarily by showing that in contexts of hybrid investing a more nuanced understanding of institutional logics in terms of ends and means is critical to overcome IAs. While prior works highlight goal incompatibilities, the findings here suggest that the (in-)compatibility of goals as well as EPI choices of the same actors is likely to be the key explanandum for the stickiness of IAs and the funding gap. The novel emerging role framework offers additional theoretical, policy and practical advances for hybrid logic development.

The photovoltaic (PV) greenhouses are closed agrivoltaic (CA) systems that allow the production of energy and food on the same land, but may result in a yield reduction when the shading of the PV panels is excessive. Adopting innovative cropping systems can increase the yield of the CA area, generating a more productive and sustainable agrosystem. In this case study we quantified the increase of land productivity derived from the integration of an experimental vertical farm (VF) for baby leaf lettuce inside a pre-existing commercial CA. The mixed system increased the yield by 13 times compared to the CA and the average LER was 1.31, but only 12 % of the energy consumption was covered by the CA energy. To achieve the energy self-sufficiency and avoid the related CO2 emissions, the VF area should not exceed 7-18 % of the CA area, depending on the PV energy yield and the daily light integral (DLI) of the LED lighting, meaning a land consumption from 5 to 14 times higher than the VF area. The support of the PV energy was essential for the profitability of the VFCA. Design features and solutions were proposed to increase the agronomic and economic sustainability of the VFCA. The VFs can be considered a possible answer for the reconversion of the actual underutilized CAs with high PV cover ratios into productive and efficient cropping systems, but a trade-off between energy production and land consumption should be identified to ensure an acceptable environmental sustainability of the mixed system.

We study the net impacts of international trade on carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions in African countries at different income groupings and otherdriving forces of environmental impacts (CO2 emissions) using an augmentedSTIRPATN model. The continent experienced a large growth in carbon dioxideemissions of about 701.88% between 1960 and 2010, and this provoked ourinterest in the study. We identify the key driving forces to be net trade, populationdensity, final consumption expenditure (annual growth), manufacturing sectorand services sector. We also found that the services sector consistently show lowcarbonemission impacts particularly in low middle income countries in Africa(LIMCA) and upper income countries in Africa (UICA). Indicating that a shiftfrom highly depended manufacturing economies that suggest increasing-carboneconomies in both LIMC and UICA to services economies is vital in order to strivefor a low-carbon economies in the continent. The coefficient for net trade standsout explicitly significant and positive for all the income groupings. The findingsshow that the average effect of net trade over CO2, when the net trade changesacross time and between countries increases by 1%, CO2 emissions increases byabout 1.68%, 2.45% and 1.01% for LICA, LMICA and UICA respectively, whenall other predictors are constant.

In a world grappling with escalating energy needs, environmental concerns, and economic constraints, the transition to renewable energy becomes critical. This study delves into geothermal energy, a promising renewable source, to develop four distinctive tri-generation systems (producing power, heat, and freshwater) optimized for economic efficiency and investment returns. The primary focus is on assessing these systems through an innovative lens of economic viability, including net present value (NPV) and payback periods, alongside their thermodynamic performance. Notably, System B emerges as the most economically advantageous, boasting the shortest payback period of 3.65 years and the highest NPV of $2.38 million, while System C trails with the lowest NPV of $0.32 million. Additionally, System D, identified as optimally complementary, undergoes comprehensive optimization using advanced algorithms and machine learning, achieving notable efficiencies and cost-effectiveness in power output, exergy, and freshwater production. This study not only underscores the potential of geothermal tri-generation systems in meeting energy, heat, and water needs but also highlights their significant economic benefits and investment attractiveness, offering a compelling case for their adoption in sustainable energy strategies.