Energy Efficiency Indicators: Estimation Methods

Traditionally, there are two basically reciprocal energy efficiency indicators: one, in terms of energy intensity, that is, energy use per unit of activity output, and the other, in terms of energy productivity, that is, activity output per unit of energy use. A number of approaches characterize the efforts to measure these indicators. The present paper attempts at a a comprehensive documentation of some of the analytical methods of such measurement. We start with a comprehensive list of the estimation methods of energy productivity indicators. Note that the methods fall under three heads: traditional single factor productivity analysis, decomposition analysis and multi-factor productivity analysis. The paper takes up each of these in detail, starting with the traditional indicators identified by Patterson to monitor changes in energy efficiency in terms of thermodynamic, physical-thermodynamic, economic-thermodynamic and economic indicators. When we analyze the indicator in terms of energy intensity changes, the corresponding index falls under two major decomposition methods, namely, structural decomposition analysis and index decomposition analysis. The structural decomposition analysis is discussed in terms of its two approaches, viz., input-output method and neo-classical production function method; and the index decomposition analysis in terms of Laspeyres’ and Divisia indices. In the multi-factor productivity approach, we consider the parametric and non-parametric methods, viz., stochastic frontier model and data envelopment analysis respectively

Economic Concept of Energy Efficiency

Though energy efficiency is traditionally defined in terms of two basically reciprocal indicators, as energy intensity (energy use per unit of activity output), and as energy productivity (activity output per unit of energy input), the concept is a context-specific one, not necessarily equivalent to energy savings, and is usually defined as net benefits (useful output) per unit of energy use, but without an unequivocal operationally useful quantitative measure. This necessitates construction of a series of indicators specific to the context (or level of sectoral disaggregation). It is generally believed that energy consumption is essentially determined by three effects, viz., activity, referring to economic or human activity level (output/income produced, population/households supported, passenger-km travelled, etc), structure referring to the composition of activity (shares of different sectors or subsectors of human/economic activities) and energy intensity, the quantum of energy required to deliver one unit of economic/human activity. The exact definitions and units of these factors are in turn determined by the level of aggregation. The present paper documents the definitions and units of these three effects

Energy Efficiency: A Sectoral Analysis for Kerala

One positive impact of the 1973 oil crises has been the concerted effort across the world to reduce energy consumption through energy use efficiency improvements. Improving energy efficiency ensures the objective of conserving energy and thus promoting sustainable development. Recognition of this fact has now appeared in terms of including the aim of improving efficiency as an important component of electrical energy policy in all the countries across the globe. A large number of studies have demonstrated that the aggregate energy efficiency inherently encompasses a number of factors that affect energy intensity, viz., a structural effect, representing the effect of changes in economic structure, an activity effect, representing the changes in the levels of aggregate activity, a wealth effect, representing changes in GDP, and an underlying energy efficiency effect, including a technical effect and an energy quality effect. This new light has in turn led to the development of the techniques of factorization or decomposition. Energy efficiency research in general has opened up three avenues of enquiry, namely, the measurement of energy productivity, the identification of impact elements (such as the three factors mentioned above) and the energy efficiency assessment. The traditional interest in energy efficiency has centred on a single energy input factor in terms of productivity that has become famous through an index method proposed by Patterson (1996). The enquiry that has proceeded from the problems associated with this method has led to identifying the effect source of variation, in terms of some decomposition analysis. Almost all the earlier studies have in general employed the method of indicators pyramid, based on which energy efficiency changes have been decomposed from other factors at each level of disaggregation using factorization method. The Laspeyres index decomposition approach was in vogue earlier that has now been replaced with methodologically superior Divisia approach, in terms of Logarithmic Mean Divisia index (LMDI). Finally, a new energy efficiency estimation method, criticizing the single factor energy efficiency method, has come up utilizing a multi-variate structure. Here we have a parametric (econometric) approach, in terms of frontier production function analysis, and a non-parametric approach, in terms of data envelopment analysis (DEA)

Energy Efficiency in Kerala

One positive impact of the 1973 oil crises has been the concerted effort across the world to reduce energy consumption through energy use efficiency improvements. Improving energy efficiency ensures the objective of conserving energy and thus promoting sustainable development. Recognition of this fact has now appeared in terms of including the aim of improving efficiency as an important component of electrical energy policy in all the countries across the globe. Conserving electrical energy through energy efficiency measures can meet the high challenge of increasing energy demands at reasonable costs in a sustainable manner. Moreover, improving energy efficiency also has the potential of reducing the environmental and health threats associated with the use of hydrocarbons and of encouraging clean energy systems. Improving energy efficiency is expected to reduce energy demand through its rational use in the end-use devices; every unit of energy input consumed will bring in greater amount of useful energy output. Such improvements can manage energy demand in better ways and contribute highly to a better environment. The present study is a documentation of the current pattern and trend of energy efficiency in the global, Indian and Kerala scenarios

Economic Concept of Energy Efficiency

Though energy efficiency is traditionally defined in terms of two basically reciprocal indicators, as energy intensity (energy use per unit of activity output), and as energy productivity (activity output per unit of energy input), the concept is a context-specific one, not necessarily equivalent to energy savings, and is usually defined as net benefits (useful output) per unit of energy use, but without an unequivocal operationally useful quantitative measure. This necessitates construction of a series of indicators specific to the context (or level of sectoral disaggregation). It is generally believed that energy consumption is essentially determined by three effects, viz., activity, referring to economic or human activity level (output/income produced, population/households supported, passenger-km travelled, etc), structure referring to the composition of activity (shares of different sectors or subsectors of human/economic activities) and energy intensity, the quantum of energy required to deliver one unit of economic/human activity. The exact definitions and units of these factors are in turn determined by the level of aggregation. The present paper documents the definitions and units of these three effects

Ground-based salt seeding in Tamil nadu state, south India, 1973-1977

A long series of ground-based salt seeding experiments in north India during the southwest monsoonseasons (June-September) of 1957-66 showed significant increases of about 20 percent in rainfall on seeded days (Ramana Murty and Biswas, 1968). In September of 1974, salt seeding from aircraft on isolated maritime warm cumulus clouds within 50 km off the coast at Bombay(18 15’N, 72v 49’D, II m ASL) was followed by increases in radar echo area coverage in the vertical and in echo intensity (Chatterjee et al., 1978). seek similar results in a different area, a randomized salt-seeding experiment, using a single ground-based generator, was conducted in 1973 and 1975-77 just west of Madras, on the Bengal coast 1,000 km southeast of Bombay. There in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India, the main rainy season is during the northeast monsoon(Oct-Dec), whereas in most parts of India, about 75 percent of the annual rainfall is received during the southwest monsoon(Ananthakrishnan, 1977

Congenital cystic eye with multiple dermal appendages: a case report

BACKGROUND: A partial or complete failure in the involution of the primary optic vesicle resulting in the formation of a cyst is an extremely rare anomaly known as congenital cystic eye. The primary optic vesicle is formed but instead of the anterior part of the vesicle involuting to lie in apposition with the posterior part, a cyst persists at birth and replaces the eye. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of congenital cystic eye associated with multiple dermal appendages in a 1-day-old female child. This condition presented at birth as a large orbital mass in the left orbit that bulged forwards and stretched the eyelids. No globe or any other ocular structures were identified in the orbit. Multiple dermal appendages were present in the adjacent part of the face below the left orbit and on the upper part of the neck. CONCLUSIONS: Congenital cystic eye is an extremely rare condition and with only 28 previous cases reported in the literature. We present the second case of congenital cystic eye with multiple dermal appendages of the face and neck

Maternal neurofascin-specific autoantibodies bind to structures of the fetal nervous system during pregnancy, but have no long term effect on development in the rat

Neurofascin was recently reported as a target for axopathic autoantibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a response that will exacerbate axonal pathology and disease severity in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. As transplacental transfer of maternal autoantibodies can permanently damage the developing nervous system we investigated whether intrauterine exposure to this neurofascin-specific response had any detrimental effect on white matter tract development. To address this question we intravenously injected pregnant rats with either a pathogenic anti-neurofascin monoclonal antibody or an appropriate isotype control on days 15 and 18 of pregnancy, respectively, to mimic the physiological concentration of maternal antibodies in the circulation of the fetus towards the end of pregnancy. Pups were monitored daily with respect to litter size, birth weight, growth and motor development. Histological studies were performed on E20 embryos and pups sacrificed on days 2, 10, 21, 32 and 45 days post partum. Results: Immunohistochemistry for light and confocal microscopy confirmed passively transferred anti-neurofascin antibody had crossed the placenta to bind to distinct structures in the developing cortex and cerebellum. However, this did not result in any significant differences in litter size, birth weight, or general physical development between litters from control mothers or those treated with the neurofascin-specific antibody. Histological analysis also failed to identify any neuronal or white matter tract abnormalities induced by the neurofascin-specific antibody. Conclusions: We show that transplacental transfer of circulating anti-neurofascin antibodies can occur and targets specific structures in the CNS of the developing fetus. However, this did not result in any pre- or post-natal abnormalities in the offspring of the treated mothers. These results assure that even if anti-neurofascin responses are detected in pregnant women with multiple sclerosis these are unlikely to have a negative effect on their children

A DNMT3B Alternatively Spliced Exon and Encoded Peptide Are Novel Biomarkers of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

A major obstacle in human stem cell research is the limited number of reagents capable of distinguishing pluripotent stem cells from partially differentiated or incompletely reprogrammed derivatives. Although human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) express numerous alternatively spliced transcripts, little attention has been directed at developing splice variant-encoded protein isoforms as reagents for stem cell research. In this study, several genes encoding proteins involved in important signaling pathways were screened to detect alternatively spliced transcripts that exhibited differential expression in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) relative to spontaneously differentiated cells (SDCs). Transcripts containing the alternatively spliced exon 10 of the de novo DNA methyltransferase gene, DNMT3B, were identified that are expressed in PSCs. To demonstrate the utility and superiority of splice variant specific reagents for stem cell research, a peptide encoded by DNMT3B exon 10 was used to generate an antibody, SG1. The SG1 antibody detects a single DNMT3B protein isoform that is expressed only in PSCs but not in SDCs. The SG1 antibody is also demonstrably superior to other antibodies at distinguishing PSCs from SDCs in mixed cultures containing both pluripotent stem cells and partially differentiated derivatives. The tightly controlled down regulation of DNMT3B exon 10 containing transcripts (and exon 10 encoded peptide) upon spontaneous differentiation of PSCs suggests that this DNMT3B splice isoform is characteristic of the pluripotent state. Alternatively spliced exons, and the proteins they encode, represent a vast untapped reservoir of novel biomarkers that can be used to develop superior reagents for stem cell research and to gain further insight into mechanisms controlling stem cell pluripotency

Machine-Part cell formation through visual decipherable clustering of Self Organizing Map

Machine-part cell formation is used in cellular manufacturing in order to process a large variety, quality, lower work in process levels, reducing manufacturing lead-time and customer response time while retaining flexibility for new products. This paper presents a new and novel approach for obtaining machine cells and part families. In the cellular manufacturing the fundamental problem is the formation of part families and machine cells. The present paper deals with the Self Organising Map (SOM) method an unsupervised learning algorithm in Artificial Intelligence, and has been used as a visually decipherable clustering tool of machine-part cell formation. The objective of the paper is to cluster the binary machine-part matrix through visually decipherable cluster of SOM color-coding and labelling via the SOM map nodes in such a way that the part families are processed in that machine cells. The Umatrix, component plane, principal component projection, scatter plot and histogram of SOM have been reported in the present work for the successful visualization of the machine-part cell formation. Computational result with the proposed algorithm on a set of group technology problems available in the literature is also presented. The proposed SOM approach produced solutions with a grouping efficacy that is at least as good as any results earlier reported in the literature and improved the grouping efficacy for 70% of the problems and found immensely useful to both industry practitioners and researchers.Comment: 18 pages,3 table, 4 figure