Spectroscopic Observations of New Oort Cloud Comet 2006 VZ13 and Four Other Comets

Spectral data are presented for comets 2006 VZ13 (LINEAR), 2006 K4 (NEAT), 2006 OF2 (Broughton), 2P/Encke, and 93P/Lovas I, obtained with the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory 1.5-m telescope in August 2007. Comet 2006 VZ13 is a new Oort cloud comet and shows strong lines of CN (3880 angstroms), the Swan band sequence for C_2 (4740, 5160, and 5630 angstroms), C_3 (4056 angstroms), and other faint species. Lines are also identified in the spectra of the other comets. Flux measurements of the CN, C_2 (Delta v = +1,0), and C_3 lines are recorded for each comet and production rates and ratios are derived. When considering the comets as a group, there is a correlation of C_2 and C_3 production with CN, but there is no conclusive evidence that the production rate ratios depend on heliocentric distance. The continuum is also measured, and the dust production and dust-to-gas ratios are calculated. There is a general trend, for the group of comets, between the dust-to-gas ratio and heliocentric distance, but it does not depend on dynamical age or class. Comet 2006 VZ13 is determined to be in the carbon-depleted (or Tempel 1 type) class.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables; Accepted by MNRA

Tiltak for å redusere sykefravær: Eiendom & Intern Service - Askim kommune

I denne rapporten ser vi nærmere på årsakene til at den kommunale virksomheten Eiendom & Intern Service i Askim kommune har fått en positiv utvikling i sykefraværet. Undersøkelsen viser at virksomheten har klart å kombinere organisasjonsutvikling, med ivaretakelse av den enkelte ansatte. Det har i virksomheten etter hvert utviklet seg en vilje til å tilrettelegge arbeidsplassen slik at de som trenger det får tilpassete arbeidsoppgaver. Den organisasjonsutviklingen som er gjennomført har medført at virksomheten har fått større muligheter til slik tilpasning og den muligheten har virksomheten utnyttet. Det er viktig å understreke at aksepten for individuell tilrettelegging finnes både hos ledelse og hos kollegaer. I rapporten konkluderer vi derfor med at både struktur, ledelse og sosialt miljø har utviklet seg slik at særskilt tilrettelegging er blitt akseptert. Dette har skapt muligheter for å ivareta ansatte med særlige behov – en mulighet virksomheten har utnyttet

"Pedalen": sykkelverksted og sykkelparkering

Kirkens Bymisjon startet i 2007 opp et prosjekt for tidligere rusmisbrukere. I lokaler ved Fredrikstad jernbanestasjon etablerte stiftelsen en sykkelparkering og et sykkelverksted. Prosjektet fikk navnet ”Pedalen” og ble raskt et etablert innslag i bybildet. Dette tiltaket skiller seg på mange måter fra andre tiltak som er opprettet for å hjelpe den sammen målgruppen. Mye av den arbeidsrettete rehabiliteringen bygger på prinsippet om å tilby en skjermet opplæring og trening før man kan prøve seg i ordinært arbeidsliv. Pedalen er slik sett atypisk ved at det er deltakelsen i et mer eller mindre ordinært arbeidsliv som er det sentrale. Deltakerne i prosjektet er likevel for en stor del skjermet fra de samme kravene til produktivitet og økonomisk inntjening som man ellers vil møte i arbeidslivet. Dette innebærer at deltakerne får anledning til å utvikle seg i den fart og med de rammene som de opplever at de behersker. De tilbakemeldingene som deltakerne gir i denne rapporten tyder på at Pedalen har klart å bygge opp et tilbud der deltakerne blir møtt med respekt for sine særegenheter og der de får anledning til å utvikle seg med utgangspunkt i de ressursene de har – med lite fokus på hva de ikke behersker. For våre informanter har denne opplevelsen av å bli sett og ivaretatt på egne premisser, vært et sentralt element i deres utvikling. Det ser derfor ut som om den tilnærmingen Pedalen har til deltakerne, er en fornuftig måte å utvikle deltakernes mestring og deltakelse i samfunne

Emissions of electric vehicle charging in future scenarios: The effects of time of charging

Electrification of transport is an important option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although many studies have analyzed emission implications of electric vehicle charging, time-specific emission effects of charging are inadequately understood. Here, we combine climate protection scenarios for Europe for the year 2050, detailed power system simulation at hourly time steps, and life cycle assessment of electricity in order to explore the influence of time on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electric vehicle charging for representative days. We consider both average and short-term marginal emissions. We find that the mix of electricity generation technologies, and thus, also the emissions of charging, vary appreciably across the 24-h day. In our estimates for Europe for 2050, an assumed day-charging regime yields one-third-to-one-half lower average emissions than an assumed night-charging regime. This is owing to high fractions of solar PV in the electricity mix during daytime and more reliance on natural gas electricity in the late evening and night. The effect is stronger during summer months than during winter months, with day charging causing one-half-to-two-thirds lower emissions than night charging during summer. Also, when short-term marginal electricity is assumed, emissions tend to be lower with day charging because of contributions from nuclear electricity during the day. However, the results for short-term marginal electricity have high uncertainty. Overall, our results suggest a need for electric vehicle charging policies and emission assessments to take into consideration variations in electricity mixes and time profiles of vehicle charging over the 24-h day

Environmental impact of wind energy:Synthesis and Review

One purpose of wind turbines is to provide pollution-free electric power at a reasonable price in an environmentally sound way. In this focus issue the latest research on the environmental impact of wind farms is presented. Offshore wind farms affect the marine fauna in both positive and negative ways. For example, some farms are safe havens for porpoises while other farms show fewer harbor porpoises even after ten years. Atmospheric computer experiments are carried out to investigate the possible impact and resource of future massive installations of wind turbines. The following questions are treated. What is the global capacity for energy production by the wind? Will the added turbulence and reduced wind speeds generated by massive wind farms cool or heat the surface? Can wind farms affect precipitation? It is also shown through life-cycle analysis how wind energy can reduce the atmospheric emission of eight air pollutants. Finally, noise generation and its impact on humans are studied

Enabling low-carbon development in poor countries

The challenges associated with achieving sustainable development goals and stabilizing the world’s climate cannot be solved without significant efforts by developing and newly-emerging countries. With respect to climate change mitigation, the main challenge for developing countries lies in avoiding future emissions and lock-ins into emission-intensive technologies, rather than reducing today’s emissions. While first best policy instruments like carbon prices could prevent increasing carbonization, those policies are often rejected by developing countries out of a concern for negative repercussions on development and long-term growth. In addition, policy environments in developing countries impose particular challenges for regulatory policy aiming to incentivize climate change mitigation and sustainable development. This chapter first discusses how climate policy could potentially interact with sustainable development and economic growth. It focuses, in particular, on the role of industrial sector development. The chapter then continues by discussing how effective policy could be designed, specifically taking developing country circumstances into account

Comparative LCA technology improvement opportunities for a 1.5 MW wind turbine in the context of an offshore wind farm

Wind energy is playing an increasingly important role in the development of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies leading to projections in reliability and performance of future wind turbine designs. This paper presents life cycle assessment (LCA) results of design variations for a 1.5 MW wind turbine due to the potential for advances in technology to improve the performance of a 1.5 MW wind turbine. Five LCAs have been conducted for design variants of a 1.5 MW wind turbine. The objective is to evaluate potential environmental impacts per kilowatt hour of electricity generated for a 114 MW onshore wind farm. Results for the baseline turbine show that higher contributions to impacts were obtained in the categories Ozone Depletion Potential, Marine Aquatic Eco-toxicity Potential, Human Toxicity Potential and Terrestrial Eco-toxicity Potential compared to Technology Improvement Opportunities (TIOs) 1 to 4. Compared to the baseline turbine, TIO 1 showed increased impact contributions to Abiotic Depletion Potential, Acidification Potential, Eutrophication Potential, Global Warming Potential and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential, and TIO 2 showed an increase in contributions to Abiotic Depletion Potential, Acidification Potential and Global Warming Potential. Additionally, lower contributions to all the environmental categories were observed for TIO 3 while increased contributions towards Abiotic Depletion Potential and Global Warming Potential were noted for TIO 4. A comparative LCA study of wind turbine design variations for a particular power rating has not been explored in the literature. This study presents new insight into the environmental implications related with projected wind turbine design advancements

Applying a science‐based systems perspective to dispel misconceptions about climate effects of forest bioenergy

The scientific literature contains contrasting findings about the climate effects of forest bioenergy, partly due to the wide diversity of bioenergy systems and associated contexts, but also due to differences in assessment methods. The climate effects of bioenergy must be accurately assessed to inform policy-making, but the complexity of bioenergy systems and associated land, industry and energy systems raises challenges for assessment. We examine misconceptions about climate effects of forest bioenergy and discuss important considerations in assessing these effects and devising measures to incentivize sustainable bioenergy as a component of climate policy. The temporal and spatial system boundary and the reference (counterfactual) scenarios are key methodology choices that strongly influence results. Focussing on carbon balances of individual forest stands and comparing emissions at the point of combustion neglect system-level interactions that influence the climate effects of forest bioenergy. We highlight the need for a systems approach, in assessing options and developing policy for forest bioenergy that: (1) considers the whole life cycle of bioenergy systems, including effects of the associated forest management and harvesting on landscape carbon balances; (2) identifies how forest bioenergy can best be deployed to support energy system transformation required to achieve climate goals; and (3) incentivizes those forest bioenergy systems that augment the mitigation value of the forest sector as a whole. Emphasis on short-term emissions reduction targets can lead to decisions that make medium- to long-term climate goals more difficult to achieve. The most important climate change mitigation measure is the transformation of energy, industry and transport systems so that fossil carbon remains underground. Narrow perspectives obscure the significant role that bioenergy can play by displacing fossil fuels now, and supporting energy system transition. Greater transparency and consistency is needed in greenhouse gas reporting and accounting related to bioenergy