Solar-plus-storage economics: What works where,and why?

This paper explores the economics of solar-plus-storage projects for commercial-scale, behind-the-meter applications. It provides insight into the near-term and future solar-plus-storage market opportunities across the U.S. We explore the impacts of location, building load profile, technology cost, utility rate structure, and policies on solar-plus-storage economic viability, and identify which factors are most significant to project economics. While savings from storage-only projects are largely derived from demand charge reductions, solar combined with storage also provides significant energy charge savings. A common assumption is that load profiles with peaks are likely candidates for savings from storage, due to the opportunity for demand charge reduction. Our results indicate that potential for savings from combining solar with storage is independent of building load variability, likely due to the energy cost reductions from the solar. Systems are more often economical under time of use and demand charge rates, particularly when demand charges are >$10 per kilowatt. Where systems were found to be economical, expected lifetime savings averaged between 7%–10%, with savings of 30% in numerous cases. Near term markets exist for solar-plus-storage in locations such as California and New York. As technology prices drop, the number of building types that can benefit increase, and additional markets appear in Colorado, New Mexico, and Alaska. All data from the study and interactive modeling results are available at: https://openei.org/wiki/Solar+Storage.     

Exploring creative thinking in graphically mediated synchronous dialogues

This paper reports on an aspect of the EC funded Argunaut project which researched and developed awareness tools for moderators of online dialogues. In this study we report on an investigation into the nature of creative thinking in online dialogues and whether or not this creative thinking can be coded for and recognized automatically such that moderators can be alerted when creative thinking is occurring or when it has not occurred after a period of time. We outline a dialogic theory of creativity, as the emergence of new perspectives from the interplay of voices, and the testing of this theory using a range of methods including a coding scheme which combined coding for creative thinking with more established codes for critical thinking, artificial intelligence pattern-matching techniques to see if our codes could be read automatically from maps and ‘key event recall’ interviews to explore the experience of participants. Our findings are that: (1) the emergence of new perspectives in a graphical dialogue map can be recognized by our coding scheme supported by a machine pattern-matching algorithm in a way that can be used to provide awareness indicators for moderators; (2) that the trigger events leading to the emergence of new perspectives in the online dialogues studied were most commonly disagreements and (3) the spatial representation of messages in a graphically mediated synchronous dialogue environment such as Digalo may offer more affordance for creativity than the much more common scrolling text chat environments. All these findings support the usefulness of our new account of creativity in online dialogues based on dialogic theory and demonstrate that this account can be operationalised through machine coding in a way that can be turned into alerts for moderators.     

Assessment of lead bioaccessibility in peri-urban contaminated soils

Lead (Pb) bioaccessibility was assessed in a range of peri-urban soils (n=31) with differing sources of Pb contamination, including shooting range soils, and soils affected by incinerator, historical fill, mining/smelting, and gasworks activities. A gossan soil sample was also included. Lead bioaccessibility was determined using both gastric and intestinal phases of the SBRC in vitro assay and in vitro data was then incorporated into in vivo-in vitro regression equations to calculate Pb relative bioavailability. Lead bioaccessibility ranged from 26.8-105.2% to 5.5-102.6% for gastric and intestinal phase extractions respectively. Generally, Pb bioaccessibility was highest in the shooting range soils and lowest in the gossan soil. Predictions of relative Pb bioavailability derived from in vitro data were comparable for shooting ranges soils, but highly variable for the other soils examined. For incinerator, historical fill, gasworks and gossan soils, incorporating in vitro gastric data into the in vivo-in vitro regression equation resulting in more conservative Pb relative bioavailability values than those derived using the intestinal in vitro data.     

Crosslinked poly(acryloylaminoacetaldehyde dimethylacetal) and derived urease conjugates

The synthesis of crosslinked poly(acryloylaminoacetaldehyde dimethylacetal) is described. Controlled hydrolysis of this material with aqueous acid, led to polyaldehydrol gels, two of which were used to immobilize urease. With the more expanded urease derivative a modified substrate concentration-activity profile was observed in which saturation kinetics were evident between 50mM and 500mM urea concentration. This conjugate exhibited greater stability during continuous use in perfused columns, on storage in aqueous buffer suspension, to removal of substrate and to temperature change. The strategy of synthesizing reactive polyaldehydrol gels, their mode of binding enzymes and the mechanism of substrate inhibition in polyaldehydrol-urease conjugates are discussed.     

Improved simulation models for current and voltage transformers inrelay studies

Improved models for current transformers (CT), potential transformers, and capacitive voltage transformers (CVT) for a relay software library are presented. The magnetizing characteristic in each of these transformers is based on the nonlinear power curve formulation of J.R. Lucas (1988). The flux-current loops of the transformer core are self-generated rather than predetermined or based on look-up tables. The results presented show that the models developed for the transformers behave as expected, and agree with reported field investigations. Models for the CT and CVT give acceptable results, including those under remanent conditions and ferroresonant conditions. These models are thus necessary components for relay studies carried out with electromagnetic transient programs whether offline or in real time     

“Open” systems relaying

This paper describes a development in relaying hardware and philosophy which has been made possible by DSPs and industrial grade PCs. Details are given of a prototype design capable of being assembled and configured by a utility and results of tests on this prototype using the RTDS at the Manitoba HVDC Research Centre are presented. The project is a joint effort between the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro