Solar Energy for Traction of High Speed Rail Transportation: A Techno-economic Analysis

To meet the growing expectation of traveling public, world railways are going ahead in a big way to introduce high speed trains Electric railways require huge amounts of energy. Many rail networks run their own dedicated power plants. With a view to augment the capacity of the rail networks grid connection so as to make the railway self-reliant, a grid tied PV solar plant with battery storage has been proposed. The present concept is based on installing solar panels along the length of a HS rail network so that the ballast-less tracks could be used as energy carriers. Ballast less tracks require little or no maintenance, and the space along the tracks provides a large surface area on which arrays of PV modules can be mounted to generate electricity from sunlight. An example demonstrates that a 330 MW grid connected PV solar plant with battery storage for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high speed rail link, generates electricity at $1.67  106 /MW output and levelized electricity cost at 12.05 c/kWh. Net saving in tariff after payback period is about$ 58 million per annum

Carbon Free Boston: Social equity report 2019

OVERVIEW: In January 2019, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission released its Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report, identifying potential options for the City of Boston to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The report found that reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 requires three mutually-reinforcing strategies in key sectors: 1) deepen energy efficiency while reducing energy demand, 2) electrify activity to the fullest practical extent, and 3) use fuels and electricity that are 100 percent free of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Summary Report detailed the ways in which these technical strategies will transform Boston’s physical infrastructure, including its buildings, energy supply, transportation, and waste management systems. The Summary Report also highlighted that it is how these strategies are designed and implemented that matter most in ensuring an effective and equitable transition to carbon neutrality. Equity concerns exist for every option the City has to reduce GHG emissions. The services provided by each sector are not experienced equally across Boston’s communities. Low-income families and families of color are more likely to live in residences that are in poor physical condition, leading to high utility bills, unsafe and unhealthy indoor environments, and high GHG emissions.1 Those same families face greater exposure to harmful outdoor air pollution compared to others. The access and reliability of public transportation is disproportionately worse in neighborhoods with large populations of people of color, and large swaths of vulnerable neighborhoods, from East Boston to Mattapan, do not have ready access to the city’s bike network. Income inequality is a growing national issue and is particularly acute in Boston, which consistently ranks among the highest US cities in regards to income disparities. With the release of Imagine Boston 2030, Mayor Walsh committed to make Boston more equitable, affordable, connected, and resilient. The Summary Report outlined the broad strokes of how action to reach carbon neutrality intersects with equity. A just transition to carbon neutrality improves environmental quality for all Bostonians, prioritizes socially vulnerable populations, seeks to redress current and past injustice, and creates economic and social opportunities for all. This Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report provides a deeper equity context for Carbon Free Boston as a whole, and for each strategy area, by demonstrating how inequitable and unjust the playing field is for socially vulnerable Bostonians and why equity must be integrated into policy design and implementation. This report summarizes the current landscape of climate action work for each strategy area and evaluates how it currently impacts inequity. Finally, this report provides guidance to the City and partners on how to do better; it lays out the attributes of an equitable approach to carbon neutrality, framed around three guiding principles: 1) plan carefully to avoid unintended consequences, 2) be intentional in design through a clear equity lens, and 3) practice inclusivity from start to finish

Carbon Emission Policies in Key Economies

The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a study on the ‘effective’ carbon prices that result from emissions and energy reduction policies in Australia and other key economies (the UK, USA, Germany, New Zealand, China, India, Japan and South Korea). The Commissions research report, released 9 June 2011, provides a stocktake of the large number of policy measures in the electricity generation and road transport sectors of the countries studied. And it provides estimates of the burdens associated with these policies in each country and the abatement achieved. While the results are based on a robust methodology, data limitations have meant that some estimates could only be indicative. More than 1000 carbon policy measures were identified in the nine countries studied, ranging from (limited) emissions trading schemes to policies that support particular types of abatement technology. While these disparate measures cannot be expressed as an equivalent single price on greenhouse gas emissions, all policies impose costs that someone must pay. The Commission has interpreted ‘effective’ carbon prices broadly to mean the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions — the ‘price’ of abatement achieved by particular policies. The estimated cost per unit of abatement achieved varied widely, both across programs within each country and in aggregate across countries. The relative cost effectiveness of price-based approaches is illustrated for Australia by stylised modelling that suggests that the abatement from existing policies for electricity could have been achieved at a fraction of the cost. The estimated price effects of supply-side policies have generally been modest, other than for electricity in Germany and the UK. Such price uplifts are of some relevance to assessing carbon leakage and competitiveness impacts, but are very preliminary and substantially more information would be required.carbon pricing; cost abatement; greenhouse gas emissions; abatement technology; carbon policy; energy reduction policy; emissions trading scheme; carbon leakage

Control of Energy Storage

Energy storage can provide numerous beneficial services and cost savings within the electricity grid, especially when facing future challenges like renewable and electric vehicle (EV) integration. Public bodies, private companies and individuals are deploying storage facilities for several purposes, including arbitrage, grid support, renewable generation, and demand-side management. Storage deployment can therefore yield benefits like reduced frequency fluctuation, better asset utilisation and more predictable power profiles. Such uses of energy storage can reduce the cost of energy, reduce the strain on the grid, reduce the environmental impact of energy use, and prepare the network for future challenges. This Special Issue of Energies explore the latest developments in the control of energy storage in support of the wider energy network, and focus on the control of storage rather than the storage technology itself

Research Into Options for Reducing Energy Consumption Across the Luas Network

The aim of this research has been to identify the energy consumption requirements of the Luas network, and present practical, cost effective solutions to reducing this energy consumption. To satisfy this, Luas energy consumption data was gathered from a number of sources including the manipulation of existing Luas systems such as PS Scada, the installation of new systems including Powersoft and the specific testing of Luas rolling stock and infrastructure components. Evaluation of this data and the establishment of the Luas energy load allowed for the identification of areas where excessive energy was being consumed. New technologies, industry best practices and efficient operational procedures throughout the European light rail industry were researched and investigated to determine their feasibility for implementation on the Luas light rail network. The energy reduction solutions identified as part of this research include modifications to existing systems such as the Luas passenger saloon heating and ventilation system which has the capacity to save over 1,400,000 kWh of energy and the installation of efficient lighting technologies such as LED’s and Induction lighting which would result in a saving of over 429,667 kWh of energy per year. Specific testing also took place to establish and develop optimal driving styles for Luas vehicles which has the potential to reduce total traction power by 5%. Efficient operational processes including a depot energy management process were devised and implemented during this research and have resulted in energy reductions at both Luas depots of 60%. Long term sustainability solutions such as renewable energy generation and energy storage systems were also consulted and evaluated to determine their suitability for Luas. In total the energy reduction solutions identified as a result of this research have the potential to reduce Luas energy consumption by 3,200,000 kWh, representing a 15% reduction of total Luas energy. The research results and related recommendations have been made to the research partners through this thesis

Transitioning to Affordable and Clean Energy

Transitioning to Affordable and Clean Energy is a collective volume which combines original contributions and review papers that address the question how the transition to clean and affordable energy can be governed. It will cover both general analyses of the governance of transition, including policy instruments, comparative studies of countries or policies, and papers setting out scientifically sound visions of a clean and just energy system. In particular, the following aspects are foregrounded: • Governing the supply and demand side transformation • Geographical and cultural differences and their consequences for the governance of energy transitions • Sustainability and justice related to energy transitions (e.g., approaches for addressing energy poverty) Transitioning to Affordable and Clean Energy is part of MDPI's new Open Access book series Transitioning to Sustainability. With this series, MDPI pursues environmentally and socially relevant research which contributes to efforts toward a sustainable world. Transitioning to Sustainability aims to add to the conversation about regional and global sustainable development according to the 17 SDGs. The book series is intended to reach beyond disciplinary, even academic boundaries

Bangkok - Pursuit of Net Zero Energy Design Testing the Potential for A Prototype High-Rise Residential Mixed-Use Building Design

Amid growing concerns about rising energy prices, energy independence, and the impact of climate change, buildings are considered to be the primary energy consumer in the Metropolitan area of Bangkok, Thailand. This fact underscores the importance of targeting building energy use as a key to decreasing the country's energy consumption. The building sector can significantly reduce energy use by incorporating energy-efficient strategies into the design. It can further reduce dependence on fossil fuel derived energy by increasing use of onsite and off-site renewable energy sources. This comprehensive research project aims to pursue the Net Zero Energy (NZE) strategy that influences building performance and reduces it environmental impact. Challenged with an extreme climate of high humidity, heavy rain pour and low wind speed, the ultimate goal of the research is to design a prototypical net zero energy high-rise that reduces energy demand and satisfy internal thermal comfort. The key design approach is the integration and balance of solar energy technologies with natural ventilation strategies that will minimize energy demand and maximize renewable energy supply. The establishment of building performance criteria and energy benchmark is needed to become a baseline for prototypes that can be used for building design, energy performance target, and simulation modeling technique. Multiple research methodologies have been established and proven useful in this area of study, such as: the quantitative research methodology; whole building energy simulation; and computational fluid dynamic (CFD). The investigation for this research focuses on the design of a prototypical residential high-rise building that is about 40,000 m2 high. The design constraints common to metropolitan areas in Southeast Asia will be a major driving force for the design outcome, including the heat island effect and the obstructions to wind and sun. Setting up a benchmark plays an important role in pre-defining building performance. Much consideration will be given to both local and global policies, including the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Asian Green City Index (AGCI) and the Energy Efficiency Development Plan (EEDP). These benchmarks are established to measure the model’s proximity to the performance goals

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