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Energy storage is particularly well suited to developing countries’ power system needs. Developing countries frequently feature weak grids. These are characterized by poor security of supply, driven by a combination of insufficient, unreliable and inflexible generation capacity, underdeveloped or nonexistent grid infrastructure, a lack of adequate monitoring and controlequipment, and a lack of skilled human resources and adequate maintenance. In this context,energy storage can help enhance reliability. Deployed together with VRE, it can help displacecostly and polluting generation based on liquid fuels while increasing security of supply.Storage can also help defer and/or avoid the construction of new grid infrastructure

The GEWEX Continental International Project (GCIP), which started in 1995 and completed in 2001, held its grand finale conference in New Orleans, LA in May 2002. Participants at this conference along with the scientists funded through the GCIP program are invited to contribute a paper to a special issue of Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR). This special JGR issue (called GCIP3) will serve as the final report on scientific research conducted by GCIP investigators. Papers are solicited on the following topical areas, but are not limited to, (1) water energy budget studies; (2) warm season precipitation; (3) predictability and prediction system; (4) coupled land-atmosphere models; (5) climate and water resources applications. The research areas cover observations, modeling, process studies and water resources applications.

Dielectric and anelastic spectroscopies are complementary techniques and their combination allows valuable information to be obtained in the field of multifunctional materials. Whereas the dielectric spectroscopy measures the dielectric susceptibility ?(?,T) and it is sensitive to fluctuations of electric dipoles, the anelastic spectroscopy measures the elastic compliance or elastic susceptibility s(?,T) and it is sensitive to fluctuations of elastic dipoles. Both susceptibilities are complex, their immaginary part being due to the delayed response of the mobile defects coupled to the electric field/stress. The great advantage of using a combination of both techniques is that the anelastic measurements are insensitive to free charges, therefore it is possible to measure the dynamics of ions also in the presence of free charges. Two main types of investigations have been pursued by the combination of these techniques: the study of structural phase transitions and the study of microscopic mechanisms associated with the presence of defects, both important for the knowledge and development of multifunctional materials. We have applied this approach for different functional materials with perovskite framework: multiferroic, ferroelectric and relaxor ferroelectric ceramics, and organic-inorganic perovskite photovoltaics. Thanks to the combination of the two spectroscopies, it has been possible to probe more accurately the structural transitions involving the antiferrodisortive tilt modes of the octahedra in PZT [1] and NBT-BT [2]. It was also possible to evidence incipient phase separation in lead titanate-based multiferroics [3]. Moreover, since the elastic response is insensitive to free charges, it has been used to probe the piezoelectric response even in unpoled ceramics [4] and for the study of coexisting ferroelectric and metallic states [5]. The combination of the two techniques allowed also new features to be revealed on the reorientation dynamics of the organic molecules in MAPbI3 photovoltaic organic-inorganic perovskites and the hindrance of their ferroelectric order by coupling with the tilt modes [6]. 1. F. Cordero, F. Trequattrini, F. Craciun, C. Galassi, Phys. Rev. B, 87 (2013) 094108 2. F. Cordero, F. Craciun, F. Trequattrini, et al., Phys. Rev. B, 81 (2010) 144124 3. F. Craciun, F. Cordero, B. Vasile, et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 20 (2018) 14652 4. F. Cordero, F. Craciun, F. Trequattrini, C. Galassi, Phys. Rev. B, 93 (2016) 174111 5. F. Cordero, F. Trequattrini, F. Craciun, et al., Phys. Rev. B, 99 (2019) 064106 6. F. Cordero, F. Craciun, F. Trequattrini, et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 9 (2018) 4401

Reuse of record except for individual research requires license from Congressional Information Service, Inc. ; At head of title: 94th Congress, 2d session. Committee print. ; CIS Microfiche Accession Numbers: CIS 77 S442-1 ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Microfiche. ; Mode of access: Internet.

With an increased demand for renewable energy production, especially the conversion of biomass to biofuels, perennial grasses are gaining interest as a renewable source of biofuel feedstocks. Identifying the trade-offs between bioenergy crop cultivation and nutrient runoff, erosion, and water requirements will be important as the demand for these crops continues to grow. The primary objective of this study is develop an integrated optimal control model that estimates the potential effects on water quality and demand and soil erosion from cultivating switchgrass and other perennial grasses instead of conventional crops at the watershed scale. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool is used to model these land use changes. In this research, we developed an optimization method based on genetic algorithms to evaluate different land cover change scenarios and their effect at the watershed level by coupling the SWAT model with a multi-objective genetic algorithm, that takes into consideration the minimization of nutrient loading, sediment yield due to erosion at the watershed outlet, the effects on regional water resources, while maximizing biomass production. The optimal control model will help further the understanding of the environmental impacts of cultivating biofuel feedstocks and is intended to aid policy makers and stakeholders when making decisions to increase feedstock production.

Writen for practitioner audience ; Provides practitioner-friendly advice on how to develop a makerspace plan and learning activities that are sustainable even with low budgets. ; This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services RE-05-15-0021-15. ; http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117499/1/tl-sustaining-makerspace.pdf ; Description of tl-sustaining-makerspace.pdf : Main article

Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived oxygenates to fuels and value-added chemicals is a promising strategy in the search for renewable and sustainable energy sources. Most relevant catalytic processes are carried out in an aqueous environment using supported transition metal catalysts. The reaction network consists of multiple series and parallel pathways leading to formation of hydrogen, alkanes, and lighter oxygenates. The final product distribution ultimately depends on the sequence and competition of C−C, C−O, C−H, and O−H bonds scissions. Ethylene glycol (EG) is the simplest model molecule of various biomass-derived polyols that has a C:O stoichiometry of 1:1 and contains all relevant C−C, C−O, C−H, and O−H bonds. While the reaction mechanism of EG reforming is to some degree understood at the metal–gas interface, lack of a well-established methodology for describing the influence of a complex liquid phase on a reaction across a solid–liquid interface has hindered similar theoretical studies in an aqueous environment. In this dissertation, we show how first-principles calculations can be used for a systematic investigation of complex reaction pathways at a metal–water interface. We proposed a multistep strategy where the description of the influence of an aqueous environment on reaction kinetics and equilibria is successively refined. First, we developed a new computational approach for implicit solvation of periodic metal slabs by integrating planewave density functional theory (DFT) calculations with an implicit solvation model. Rapid convergence with size of the metal cluster and basis set was demonstrated for C−C cleavage in dehydrogenated EG at a Pt (111)/H2O interface. The method was then successfully applied for predicting experimentally reported CO frequency shifts in water at Pt (111)/H2O and Pd (111)/H2O interfaces. Next, we developed a hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method to allow an explicit description of water molecules at the metal–water interface, and applied it to ...

As natural resources are decreasing and environmental pollution is increasing, the buildings that play an important role in this problem should be constructed sustainably so their affects are kept to a minimum. Hospitals operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, therefore they are one of the largest energy consumers. Hence designers have started to design healthcare facilities according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria, believing that it will reduce waste production, energy consumption and increase patient satisfaction by creating brighter and less stressful facilities. To understand if the claims are correct or not, this thesis first studied the results of the patient survey, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS), undertaken at most of the hospitals in the U.S., and compares the results to LEED and non-LEED certified hospitals. To find answers for the claims related to the financial benefits, this thesis compared three financial indicators; cost of operation of plant, profitability, and inpatient revenue. In the cases where there is a large enough sample size, a t-test is used to compare two groups, however when the sample size was not large enough, two groups are compared based on their means. For the cost of operation of plant and profitability, non-LEED certified hospitals are performing better. However, the patient satisfaction and inpatient revenues are significantly higher at the LEED-certified hospitals.

Leadership in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has remained an under-researched area in the management literature, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. SME owner-managers in Nigeria lacked in-depth understanding of their leadership style to objectively evaluate its implication on long-term performance and growth of their enterprise. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the experiences of SME owner-managers in Nigeria to gain an in-depth understanding of their leadership style and its implication for long-term performance and growth of their enterprise. The conceptual framework for this study was anchored in two key concepts; leadership styles and leadership in SMEs, with the full range leadership model as the theoretical foundation. The research question sought to explore the role of SMEs owners and managers leadership styles in the long-term success of their enterprise. Interview data were collected from 6 SME owner-managers who employ less than 200 employees within the manufacturing, education, and trading sectors. The cross-case synthesis technique was used for data analysis which allowed for within-case analysis and cross-case comparisons. Findings from this study showed that Nigerian SME owner-managers do not follow any specific leadership style. They exhibited few characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors, leaning more to transactional leadership. This study has significance for positive social change by providing insights on how leadership styles can improve the performance and sustainability of Nigerian SMEs, thus increasing their capacity to create employment.

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.