Renewable energy deployment in Europe up to 2030 and the aim of a triple dividend

Renewable energy sources (RES) play a key role in the European Commission's 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, which aims for a low-carbon economy that increases the security of the EU's energy supplies and creates new opportunities for growth and jobs, among other benefits. We assess whether renewable energy deployment in Europe can provide this “triple dividend”, at which ambition levels of 2030 RES targets and what the role of the support policy scheme for electricity is. We apply two types of models: a detailed techno-economic sector model of the deployment of RES and two macroeconomic models. Our findings suggest that up to 2030 our triple-dividend hypothesis holds even under a declining role of Europe as technology provider for the rest of the world. Additional emission reductions of up to 1040 Mt CO₂, as compared to a baseline scenario in 2030, are possible. Demand for fossil fuels can likewise be reduced due to the deployment of renewable energy sources by up to 150 Mtoe. More ambiguous is the order of magnitude of the effects on GDP and employment, which differs noticeably depending on the economic theory applied in the different models. Nevertheless, both models predict slightly higher GDP and employment in 2030 when implementing ambitious RES targets.     

The environmental benefits of domestic biogas technology in rural Ethiopia

This study examined the diverse environmental impacts of domestic biogas technology in rural Ethiopia. It employed a cross-sectional survey approach involving a total of 358 sample biogas-user and non-user households. The results of the analyses showed that the substitution of traditional biomass fuels and kerosene with biogas energy enabled the biogas-user households to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on average by about 1.9 t of CO₂ equivalents per digester per year. The reduced use of chemical fertilizer also assisted GHG emission reductions. Moreover, the technology helped in reducing depletion of woody biomass through improving efficiency of energy use and energy substitutions. It assisted in improving the fertility of soil via reducing biomass removals as fuel and the direct use of nutrient enriched bio-slurry. Furthermore, the reduced biomass removals contributed to carbon sequestration. To further enhance the diverse environmental benefits of the technology, proper and uninterrupted operation and utilization of the biogas technology should be ensured; skillful and standby biogas technicians should be present at reasonable distances to provide maintenance and aftersales services. An operational platform for joint stakeholders' actions should also be in place to assist in exploiting its full potential, and seeking and realizing the carbon reduction financial incentive for the households.     

Methods of reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides at thermal power plants burning solid domestic waste

Essentially all the major methods of reducing the emissions of nitrogen oxides from flue gases employed in power generation have been tested on plants in Moscow which burn solid domestic waste for production of heat and electrical energy. Selective noncatalytic reduction techniques for reduction of nitrogen oxides by nitrogen containing substances at high temperatures are to be preferred. Translated from élektricheskie Stantsii, No. 11, November 2008, pp. 13–17.     

工程测量中坐标系的建立和转换

针对工程测量中边长变形的问题,介绍了通过选择或建立合适的坐标系统来控制边长变形的方法;论述了国家统一的高斯平面直角坐标可能给工程施工带来的影响以及国家统一的3°带高斯平面直角坐标系与独立的施工坐标系之间的转换关系。     

Biomechanical and microbiological changes in natural hog casings treated with ozone

The objective of this study was to determine the biomechanical and microbiological effects of exposing natural hog casings to ozonated water ≈7 mg/l for 0, 2 or 4 h at 16 °C. A total of 450 casing segments representing 10 hanks were used over five testing days and arranged in a randomized block split-plot design. For each treatment, pH, temperature, actual ozone concentration, bursting strength, maximum rupture force, and L^∗, a^∗ and b^∗ color space values were determined. The bursting strength and the maximum rupture force values suggested that casings can be treated by ozone up to 2 h without deterioration. After ozone treatments, changes in L^∗, a^∗ and b^∗ color space values made the casings appear lighter than the control samples. Microbiological studies showed that 1 and 2 h ozonation reduced counts of Escherichia coli biotype I, which expressed green fluorescent protein, by 0.4 and 0.6 log₁₀ CFU/25.4 cm casing, respectively.     

Inverse NP Problems

The inverse problem relative to a verifier V of proofs of membership for a NP language is the problem of deciding, given a set π of proofs, whether or not there exists a string x having exactly π as its set of proofs. In this paper, we study the complexity of inverse problems. We develop a new notion of reduction which allows one to compare the complexity of inverse problems. Using this notion, we classify as coNP-complete the inverse problems for the “natural” verifiers of many NP-complete problems. We also show that the inverse complexity of a verifier for a language L cannot be predicted solely from the complexity of L, but rather, is highly dependent upon the choice of verifier used to accept L. In this context, a verifier with a Σ₂ ^p -complete inverse problem is exhibited, giving a new and natural example of a Σ₂ ^p -complete problem.      

The problem of guaranteeing the existence of a complete set of reductions

This article is the eleventh of a series of articles discussing various open research problems in automated reasoning. Here we focus on finding criteria for guaranteeing the existence of a complete set of reductions. We include a suggestion for evaluating a proposed solution to this research problem.This work was supported by the Applied Mathematical Sciences subprogram of the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract W-31-109-Eng-38.     

Taming a River with New Technology

In response to the requirement of the Thames Water Authority for improved efficiency on all aspects of river management in general, and the New River in particular, commitment was given to look into reducing the overall unit cost and at the same time showing an improvement in effectiveness (levels of service).
This paper shows how traditional methods of maintaining a river of this type and magnitude, with due consideration to its environments and physical constraints, can be revolutionized and brought into the 20th century by adopting the latest technology. In addition, and after executing a re-appraisal of the New River activities, quite radical changes to the existing working practices together with a change in the general attitude of the individual employees were successfully implemented.     

Application of thermal spraying in the automobile industry

New advanced thermal spray technology, provides wear resistant coatings on the cylinder surface of aluminum or magnesium engines. The special surface topography obtained after the finishing allows us to decrease significantly the coefficient of friction and to decrease the fuel consumption by an amount of 2 to 4%.Engine tests on diesel and gasoline engines have confirmed the value of this technology for energy saving.This coating technology was introduced 4 years ago in Europe by the manufacturers of high power diesel and gasoline engines. The combination of different MMC coating materials allows the development of new specific solutions for each type of engine. Coatings with improved corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance were also developed and are available now. A brief overview of other applications of thermal spraying in the automotive industry will also be given.