Automated Transit Networks (ATN): A Review of the State of the Industry and Prospects for the Future, MTI Report 12-31

The concept of Automated Transit Networks (ATN) - in which fully automated vehicles on exclusive, grade-separated guideways provide on-demand, primarily non-stop, origin-to-destination service over an area network – has been around since the 1950s. However, only a few systems are in current operation around the world. ATN does not appear “on the radar” of urban planners, transit professionals, or policy makers when it comes to designing solutions for current transit problems in urban areas. This study explains ATN technology, setting it in the larger context of Automated Guideway Transit (AGT); looks at the current status of ATN suppliers, the status of the ATN industry, and the prospects of a U.S.-based ATN industry; summarizes and organizes proceedings from the seven Podcar City conferences that have been held since 2006; documents the U.S./Sweden Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Transport; discusses how ATN could expand the coverage of existing transit systems; explains the opportunities and challenges in planning and funding ATN systems and approaches for procuring ATN systems; and concludes with a summary of the existing challenges and opportunities for ATN technology. The study is intended to be an informative tool for planners, urban designers, and those involved in public policy, especially for urban transit, to provide a reference for history and background on ATN, and to use for policy development and research

Electricity Network Scenarios for Great Britain in 2050

The next fifty years are likely to see great developments in the technologies deployed in electricity systems, with consequent changes in the structure and operation of power networks. This paper, which forms a chapter in the forthcoming book Future Electricity Technologies and Systems, develops and presents six possible future electricity industry scenarios for Great Britain, focussed on the year 2050. The paper draws upon discussions of important technologies presented by expert authors in other chapters of the book to consider the impact of different combinations of key influences on the nature of the power system in 2050. For each scenario there is a discussion of the effects of the key parameters, with a description and pictorial illustration. Summary tables identify the role of the technologies presented in other chapters of the book, and list important figures of interest, such as the capacity and energy production of renewable generation technologies

The Critical Role of Public Charging Infrastructure

Editors: Peter Fox-Penner, PhD, Z. Justin Ren, PhD, David O. JermainA decade after the launch of the contemporary global electric vehicle (EV) market, most cities face a major challenge preparing for rising EV demand. Some cities, and the leaders who shape them, are meeting and even leading demand for EV infrastructure. This book aggregates deep, groundbreaking research in the areas of urban EV deployment for city managers, private developers, urban planners, and utilities who want to understand and lead change

Competition in network industries

A wave of privatization is sweeping the globe, affecting about 100 countries and adding up to an average of more than $60 billion a year in business in the past decade. The challenge is to ensure that privatization yields clear benefits. Empirical studies suggest that ownership change by itself will often yield results, especially when it reduces government interference. But the regulation required in areas of natural monopoly can become overly intrusive and undermine progress. Real competition is required to generate sizable and lasting welfare improvements. But in infrastructure sectors, the introduction of competition is complicated by the existence of complex transport and communications networks. Debate about whether and how to introduce competition in network industries is sometimes heated. Certain questions recur: Will continuing regulation be needed? Whether and at what terms will private finance be forthcoming? The author argues that policymakers need to understand how competitive forces can be brought to bear in network industries. He explains the following: 1) common principles that are often lost in"technical"debates about specific sectors; 2) various methods for introducing competition in network industries; 3) competition for the market, and bidding for franchises; 4) options for competition for existing networks; 5) options for expanding competitive systems by decentralizing investment in new network capacity; 6) the option of allowing competition among multiple networks; and 7) the implications of these options for the sectors and for financing industry expansion. In case of doubt, he contends, policymakers should not restrict the entry of competitive firms in such networks. If they do, entry restrictions should be subject to an automatic test after a set period, and reviewed for costs and benefits.Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,Markets and Market Access,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Education for the Knowledge Economy,Economic Theory&Research,Access to Markets,Markets and Market Access,Environmental Economics&Policies

Management of the Effects of Land Use Changes on Urban Infrastructure Capacity: A Case Study of Ruaka Town, Kiambu County, Kenya

Land use change is a major driver to the effects of climate change and other socio-economic and environmental challenges, a major challenge policy makers, planners and urban managers grapple with. Ruaka town is no exception as it faces high rapid land use change with myriad challenges on the management of the effects on urban infrastructure and aggravated by inadequate inter-agencies, coordination and collaboration. The study is an investigation of the effects of land use changes on urban infrastructure (roads, water supply, and wastewater infrastructure). It seeks to answer the drivers of land use changes and document the spatial-temporal land use changes between the years 1988 to 2019, establish their effects on infrastructure. The study establishes decline in vegetation and agriculture and rise in built -up areas which is partially contributed by urbanization and population growth in the area with major land fragmentations and land use conversions. The findings reveal encroachment of development to vegetation and riparian reserves which expose the human population to disasters and calamities in cases of climate change. Lack of approved planning policy has encouraged massive land use changes due to the ad hoc nature of planning using the development control tools which are not documented. The key drivers of land use changes deduced were good accessibility of the area, land speculation for investments, high returns from investments, demand for housing and accommodation and high population growth. The adverse effects on urban infrastructure includes pollution and contamination of water sources, traffic congestion, use of unconventional onsite waste management practices such as pit latrines and septic tanks for waste water management.The study concluded by evolving a management strategy to unravel the challenges through promotion of a sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure. The strategies emphasize on the technical, social, economic, environmental and jurisdictional dimensions. Key Terms: County Government, Development, Land Cover, Land Use, Land, Sustainable Development, Urban Infrastructure and Urban Sprawl. DOI: 10.7176/CER/11-7-03 Publication date: August 31st 201

Methodologies for the assessment of industrial and energy assets, based on data analysis and BI

In July 2020, post pandemic onset, Europe launched the Next Generation EU (NGEU) program. The amount of resources deployed to revitalize Europe has reached 750 billion. The NGEU initiative directs significant resources to Italy. These funds can enable our country to boost investment and increase employment. The missions of Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) include digitization, innovation and sustainable mobility (rail network investments, etc.). In this context, this doctorate thesis discusses the importance of infrastructure for society with a special focus on energy, railway and motorway infrastructure. The central theme of sustainability, defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCDE) as ''development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs’’, is also highlighted. Through their activities and relationships, organizations contribute positively or negatively to the goal of sustainable development. Sustainability becomes an integrated part of corporate culture. First research in this thesis describes how Artificial Intelligence techniques can play a supporting role for both maintenance operators in tunnel monitoring and those responsible for safety in operation. Relevant information can be extracted from large volumes of data from sensor equipment in an efficient, fast, dynamic and adaptive manner and made immediately usable by those operating machinery and services to support rapid decisions. Performing sensor-based analysis in motorway tunnels represents a major technological breakthrough that would simplify tunnel management activities and thus the detection of possible deterioration, while keeping risk within tolerance limits. The idea involves the creation of an algorithm for detecting faults, acquiring real-time data from tunnel subsystem sensors and using it to help identify the tunnel's state of service. Artificial intelligence models were trained over a sixmonth period with a granularity of one-hour time series measured on a road tunnel forming part of the Italian motorway systems. The verification was carried out with 3 reference to a series of failures recorded by the sensors. The second research argument is relates to the transfer capacities of high-voltage overhead lines (HVOHL), which are often limited by the critical temperature of the power line, which depends on the magnitude of the current transferred and the environmental conditions, i.e. ambient temperature, wind, etc. In order to use existing power lines more effectively (with a view to progressive decarbonization) and more safely with respect to critical power line temperatures, this work proposes a Dynamic Thermal Rating (DTR) approach using IoT sensors installed on a number of HV OHL located in different geographical locations in Italy. The objective is to estimate the temperature and ampacity of the OHL conductor, using a data-driven thermomechanical model with a bayesian probabilistic approach, in order to improve the confidence interval of the results. This work shows that it might be possible to estimate a spatio-temporal temperature distribution for each OHL and an increase in the threshold values of the effective current to optimize the OHL ampacity. The proposed model was validated using the Monte Carlo method. Finally, in this thesis is presented study on KPIs as indispensable allies of top management in the asset control phase. They are often overwhelmed by the availability of a huge amount of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Most managers struggle In understanding and identifying the few vital management metrics and instead collect and report a vast amount of everything that is easy to measure. As a result, they end up drowning in data, thirsty for information. This condition does not allow good systems management. The aim of this research is help the Asset Management System (AMS) of a railway infrastructure manager using business intelligence (BI) to equip itself with a KPI management system in line with the AM presented by the normative ISO 55000 - 55001 - 55002 and UIC (International Union of Railways) guideline, for the specific case of a railway infrastructure. This work starts from the study of these regulations, continues with the exploration, definition and use of KPIs. Subsequently KPIs of a generic infrastructure are identified and analyzed, 4 especially for the specific case of a railway infrastructure manager. These KPIs are fitted in the internal elements of the AM frameworks (ISO-UIC) for systematization. Moreover, an analysis of the KPIs now used in the company is made, compared with the KPIs that an infrastructure manager should have. Starting from here a gap analysis is done for the optimization of AMS