Download or read book Estimating the Return on Investment of Solar Panels in Urban Environments Using 3D Geodata written by P. Ruiter and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The main research objective of this thesis research is to determine and apply a method for solar energy potential estimation based on 3D virtual city data. The methodology used in this research benefits from the height spatial accuracy that can be achieved by using polygons instead of a raster. Two benefits of using raster (faster processing and simple geometry) are achieved by using points instead of polygons for simulating insolation values on roof surfaces. A polygon based method would suffer too much performance loss from iterative splitting a polygon in multiple polygons. The downside of this approach is that surface areas cannot be retrieved based on the points. The research area consists of a small area (approximately 300 by 250 meter) near the inner city of the Municipality of Groningen; this area is selected based on availability of the data. The topic of this research is the potential of small scale urban solar energy generation; this topic is captured in the two main research questions: 1. What are potential locations for local solar energy production in an urban environment? 2. What is the predicted impact of local solar energy production on the existing infrastructure? The first research question is answered by using a 3D city model in combination with meteological data to determine the insolation on the roof surfaces. Both direct, diffuse irradiance and the possible shadows cast from neighboring buildings are taken into account. Since the temporal scale is also of importance, for 14 days (evenly spread over a year) every hour the position of the sun and irradiance are simulated. Locations with the highest potential for solar energy production are characterized by the highest Return on Investment (RoI). To determine this, the yearly insolation values are converted to RoI times of solar panels. The potential for solar panels on roofs is determined by calculating the RoI values, which are derived from the insolation, cost of electricity, cost of solar panels and yearly price mutations. The total area of potential suitable locations is 8412m2. 1825m2 (22%) roof surface will not achieve a positive RoI before the lifetime of a solar cell expires, assuming that the lifespan of a solar panel is 25 years. Even when the solar panel is positioned with an optimal orientation is most of the time in direct sunlight, the RoI time is still 19 years. The second research question compares the potential solar energy production and energy demand in the study area. Due to lack of information with a higher temporal precision only an indication is given on the potential impact this can have on the existing energy infrastructure. The effect of the solar energy on the distribution grid depends on the coincidence between energy production and demand. Also the flexibility in energy output of the distribution grid is of importance. Assuming 10% of the area with an RoI time =

Download or read book Advances in Information and Communication written by Kohei Arai and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-12 with total page 1125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to provide an international forum for scholarly researchers, practitioners and academic communities to explore the role of information and communication technologies and its applications in technical and scholarly development. The conference attracted a total of 464 submissions, of which 152 submissions (including 4 poster papers) have been selected after a double-blind review process. Academic pioneering researchers, scientists, industrial engineers and students will find this series useful to gain insight into the current research and next-generation information science and communication technologies. This book discusses the aspects of communication, data science, ambient intelligence, networking, computing, security and Internet of things, from classical to intelligent scope. The authors hope that readers find the volume interesting and valuable; it gathers chapters addressing state-of-the-art intelligent methods and techniques for solving real-world problems along with a vision of the future research.

Download or read book Urban Informatics written by Wenzhong Shi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 941 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book is the first to systematically introduce the principles of urban informatics and its application to every aspect of the city that involves its functioning, control, management, and future planning. It introduces new models and tools being developed to understand and implement these technologies that enable cities to function more efficiently – to become ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’. The smart city has quickly emerged as computers have become ever smaller to the point where they can be embedded into the very fabric of the city, as well as being central to new ways in which the population can communicate and act. When cities are wired in this way, they have the potential to become sentient and responsive, generating massive streams of ‘big’ data in real time as well as providing immense opportunities for extracting new forms of urban data through crowdsourcing. This book offers a comprehensive review of the methods that form the core of urban informatics from various kinds of urban remote sensing to new approaches to machine learning and statistical modelling. It provides a detailed technical introduction to the wide array of tools information scientists need to develop the key urban analytics that are fundamental to learning about the smart city, and it outlines ways in which these tools can be used to inform design and policy so that cities can become more efficient with a greater concern for environment and equity.

Download or read book Sustainability Assessments of Urban Systems written by Claudia R. Binder and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-26 with total page 523 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides guidelines for assessing the sustainability of urban systems including theory, methods and case studies.

Download or read book The Political Economy of Clean Energy Transitions written by Douglas Arent and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 631 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A volume on the political economy of clean energy transition in developed and developing regions, with a focus on the issues that different countries face as they transition from fossil fuels to lower carbon technologies.

Download or read book Global Trends 2040 written by National Intelligence Council and published by Cosimo Reports. This book was released on 2021-03 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

Download or read book Urban Stormwater Management in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 611 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.

Download or read book Climate Change and Cities written by Cynthia Rosenzweig and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-29 with total page 855 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate Change and Cities bridges science-to-action for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in cities around the world.

Download or read book Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes Photovoltaics and Wind written by John A. Duffie and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 930 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bible of solar engineering that translates solar energy theory to practice, revised and updated The updated Fifth Edition of Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, Photovoltaics and Wind contains the fundamentals of solar energy and explains how we get energy from the sun. The authors—noted experts on the topic—provide an introduction to the technologies that harvest, store, and deliver solar energy, such as photovoltaics, solar heaters, and cells. The book also explores the applications of solar technologies and shows how they are applied in various sectors of the marketplace. The revised Fifth Edition offers guidance for using two key engineering software applications, Engineering Equation Solver (EES) and System Advisor Model (SAM). These applications aid in solving complex equations quickly and help with performing long-term or annual simulations. The new edition includes all-new examples, performance data, and photos of current solar energy applications. In addition, the chapter on concentrating solar power is updated and expanded. The practice problems in the Appendix are also updated, and instructors have access to an updated print Solutions Manual. This important book: • Covers all aspects of solar engineering from basic theory to the design of solar technology • Offers in-depth guidance and demonstrations of Engineering Equation Solver (EES) and System Advisor Model (SAM) software • Contains all-new examples, performance data, and photos of solar energy systems today • Includes updated simulation problems and a solutions manual for instructors Written for students and practicing professionals in power and energy industries as well as those in research and government labs, Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, Fifth Edition continues to be the leading solar engineering text and reference.

Download or read book Applied Spatial Data Analysis with R written by Roger S. Bivand and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-21 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Applied Spatial Data Analysis with R, second edition, is divided into two basic parts, the first presenting R packages, functions, classes and methods for handling spatial data. This part is of interest to users who need to access and visualise spatial data. Data import and export for many file formats for spatial data are covered in detail, as is the interface between R and the open source GRASS GIS and the handling of spatio-temporal data. The second part showcases more specialised kinds of spatial data analysis, including spatial point pattern analysis, interpolation and geostatistics, areal data analysis and disease mapping. The coverage of methods of spatial data analysis ranges from standard techniques to new developments, and the examples used are largely taken from the spatial statistics literature. All the examples can be run using R contributed packages available from the CRAN website, with code and additional data sets from the book's own website. Compared to the first edition, the second edition covers the more systematic approach towards handling spatial data in R, as well as a number of important and widely used CRAN packages that have appeared since the first edition. This book will be of interest to researchers who intend to use R to handle, visualise, and analyse spatial data. It will also be of interest to spatial data analysts who do not use R, but who are interested in practical aspects of implementing software for spatial data analysis. It is a suitable companion book for introductory spatial statistics courses and for applied methods courses in a wide range of subjects using spatial data, including human and physical geography, geographical information science and geoinformatics, the environmental sciences, ecology, public health and disease control, economics, public administration and political science. The book has a website where complete code examples, data sets, and other support material may be found: http://www.asdar-book.org. The authors have taken part in writing and maintaining software for spatial data handling and analysis with R in concert since 2003.

Download or read book Google Earth Engine Applications written by Lalit Kumar and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a rapidly changing world, there is an ever-increasing need to monitor the Earth’s resources and manage it sustainably for future generations. Earth observation from satellites is critical to provide information required for informed and timely decision making in this regard. Satellite-based earth observation has advanced rapidly over the last 50 years, and there is a plethora of satellite sensors imaging the Earth at finer spatial and spectral resolutions as well as high temporal resolutions. The amount of data available for any single location on the Earth is now at the petabyte-scale. An ever-increasing capacity and computing power is needed to handle such large datasets. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a cloud-based computing platform that was established by Google to support such data processing. This facility allows for the storage, processing and analysis of spatial data using centralized high-power computing resources, allowing scientists, researchers, hobbyists and anyone else interested in such fields to mine this data and understand the changes occurring on the Earth’s surface. This book presents research that applies the Google Earth Engine in mining, storing, retrieving and processing spatial data for a variety of applications that include vegetation monitoring, cropland mapping, ecosystem assessment, and gross primary productivity, among others. Datasets used range from coarse spatial resolution data, such as MODIS, to medium resolution datasets (Worldview -2), and the studies cover the entire globe at varying spatial and temporal scales.

Download or read book Transportation Planning Handbook written by ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers) and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-08-01 with total page 1204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A multi-disciplinary approach to transportation planning fundamentals The Transportation Planning Handbook is a comprehensive, practice-oriented reference that presents the fundamental concepts of transportation planning alongside proven techniques. This new fourth edition is more strongly focused on serving the needs of all users, the role of safety in the planning process, and transportation planning in the context of societal concerns, including the development of more sustainable transportation solutions. The content structure has been redesigned with a new format that promotes a more functionally driven multimodal approach to planning, design, and implementation, including guidance toward the latest tools and technology. The material has been updated to reflect the latest changes to major transportation resources such as the HCM, MUTCD, HSM, and more, including the most current ADA accessibility regulations. Transportation planning has historically followed the rational planning model of defining objectives, identifying problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, and developing plans. Planners are increasingly expected to adopt a more multi-disciplinary approach, especially in light of the rising importance of sustainability and environmental concerns. This book presents the fundamentals of transportation planning in a multidisciplinary context, giving readers a practical reference for day-to-day answers. Serve the needs of all users Incorporate safety into the planning process Examine the latest transportation planning software packages Get up to date on the latest standards, recommendations, and codes Developed by The Institute of Transportation Engineers, this book is the culmination of over seventy years of transportation planning solutions, fully updated to reflect the needs of a changing society. For a comprehensive guide with practical answers, The Transportation Planning Handbook is an essential reference.

Download or read book Photovoltaic Solar Energy written by Angèle Reinders and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-02-06 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar PV is now the third most important renewable energy source, after hydro and wind power, in terms of global installed capacity. Bringing together the expertise of international PV specialists Photovoltaic Solar Energy: From Fundamentals to Applications provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of existing PV technologies in conjunction with an assessment of technological developments. Key features: Written by leading specialists active in concurrent developments in material sciences, solar cell research and application-driven R&D. Provides a basic knowledge base in light, photons and solar irradiance and basic functional principles of PV. Covers characterization techniques, economics and applications of PV such as silicon, thin-film and hybrid solar cells. Presents a compendium of PV technologies including: crystalline silicon technologies; chalcogenide thin film solar cells; thin-film silicon based PV technologies; organic PV and III-Vs; PV concentrator technologies; space technologies and economics, life-cycle and user aspects of PV technologies. Each chapter presents basic principles and formulas as well as major technological developments in a contemporary context with a look at future developments in this rapidly changing field of science and engineering. Ideal for industrial engineers and scientists beginning careers in PV as well as graduate students undertaking PV research and high-level undergraduate students.

Download or read book Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS written by Jochen Albrecht and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2007-08-20 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS is a concise overview of the fundamental ideas that inform geographic information science. It provides detailed descriptions of the concepts and techniques that anyone using GIS software must fully understand to analyse spatial data. Short and clearly focussed chapters provide explanations of: spatial relationships and spatial data the creation of digital data, the use and access of existing data, the combination of data the use of modelling techniques and the essential functions of map algebra spatial statistics and spatial analysis geocomputation - including discussion of neural networks, cellular automata, and agent-based modelling Illustrated throughout with explanatory figures, the text also includes a glossary, cross referenced to discussion in the text. Written very much from a user′s perspective, Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS is highly readable refresher course for intermediate level students and practitioners of GIS in the social and the natural sciences.

Download or read book Solar Pumping for Water Supply written by ALBERTO. W. KIPRONO IBANEZ LLARIO (ASENATH.) and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar power for pumping groundwater has a vast potential for improving the sustainability of water supply schemes. However experience also shows that a lack of knowledge, capacity and expertise to design and implement such schemes is holding back their adoption. This book bridges this gap to equip engineers and technicians with the requisite knowledge for design, implementation and operation of sustainable solar powered water schemes.Solar Pumping for Water Supply is a state of the art review of solar water pumping technology combined with practical insights, lessons and best practices drawn from experience. It takes the reader step by step through the different phases that comprise a solar water pumping project, namely: assessment, design, purchase of equipment, installation, operation and management. The book also covers the economics of using solar pumping technology, especially when compared to diesel generators and hand pumps. Finally, the social aspects are included, specifically relating to the operation and management of solar pumping systems and the role that beneficiaries, implementers, government and the private sector might play to ensure long-lasting water supply. The book provides links and references to tools, documents and videos to accompany the content of the different chapters.Essential reading for solar technical practitioners at NGOs, UN agencies, government offices and private sector, including Global and Regional Technical advisors and Field engineers wanting to understand and know how to design water systems using solar power. A basic knowledge in the field of water supply is assumed, but no previous knowledge of solar photovoltaic technology is required.Alberto Ibáñez Llario is a Global Solar and Water Advisor with the International Organization for Migration and has 15 years of experience in water systems and solar PV in various locations around the world.Asenath Kiprono is a solar water pumping expert with 12 years' experience in design and implementation of pumping systems in rural Africa, including solar pumping systems in the private, public and humanitarian sectors.

Download or read book World Energy Outlook 2013 written by International Energy Agency and published by OCDE. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication provides comprehensive and consistent information on African central government debt statistics for the period 2003-2012. Detailed quantitative information on central government debt instruments is provided for 17 countries to meet the requirements of debt managers, other financial policy makers, and market analysts. A cross country overview on African debt management policies and country policy notes provides background information on debt issuance as well as on the institutional and regulatory framework governing debt management policy.

Download or read book Los Angeles Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 2003-11 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Los Angeles magazine is a regional magazine of national stature. Our combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design covers the people, lifestyle, culture, entertainment, fashion, art and architecture, and news that define Southern California. Started in the spring of 1961, Los Angeles magazine has been addressing the needs and interests of our region for 48 years. The magazine continues to be the definitive resource for an affluent population that is intensely interested in a lifestyle that is uniquely Southern Californian.