Interactions between canopy structure and herbaceous biomass along environmental gradients in moist forest and dry miombo woodland of Tanzania

We have limited understanding of how tropical canopy foliage varies along environmental gradients, and how this may in turn affect forest processes and functions. Here, we analyse the relationships between canopy leaf area index (LAI) and above ground herbaceous biomass (AGBH) along environmental gradients in a moist forest and miombo woodland in Tanzania. We recorded canopy structure and herbaceous biomass in 100 permanent vegetation plots (20 m × 40 m), stratified by elevation. We quantified tree species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity and predominant height as measures of structural variability, and disturbance (tree stumps), soil nutrients and elevation as indicators of environmental variability. Moist forest and miombo woodland differed substantially with respect to nearly all variables tested. Both structural and environmental variables were found to affect LAI and AGBH, the latter being additionally dependent on LAI in moist forest but not in miombo, where other factors are limiting. Combining structural and environmental predictors yielded the most powerful models. In moist forest, they explained 76% and 25% of deviance in LAI and AGBH, respectively. In miombo woodland, they explained 82% and 45% of deviance in LAI and AGBH. In moist forest, LAI increased non-linearly with predominant height and linearly with tree richness, and decreased with soil nitrogen except under high disturbance. Miombo woodland LAI increased linearly with stem density, soil phosphorous and nitrogen, and decreased linearly with tree species evenness. AGBH in moist forest decreased with LAI at lower elevations whilst increasing slightly at higher elevations. AGBH in miombo woodland increased linearly with soil nitrogen and soil pH. Overall, moist forest plots had denser canopies and lower AGBH compared with miombo plots. Further field studies are encouraged, to disentangle the direct influence of LAI on AGBH from complex interrelationships between stand structure, environmental gradients and disturbance in African forests and woodlands

Experimental Demonstration of Frequency Regulation by Commercial Buildings-Part I: Modeling and Hierarchical Control Design

This paper is the first part of a two-part series in which we present results from one of the first worldwide experimental demonstrations of frequency regulation in a commercial building test facility. We demonstrate that commercial buildings can track a frequency regulation signal with high accuracy and minimal occupant discomfort in a realistic environment. In addition, we show that buildings can determine the reserve capacity and baseline power a priori, and identify the optimal tradeoff between frequency regulation and energy efficiency. In part I, we introduce the test facility and develop relevant building models. Furthermore, we design a hierarchical controller for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that consists of three levels: 1) a reserve scheduler; 2) a building climate controller; and 3) a fan speed controller for frequency regulation. We formulate the reserve scheduler as a robust optimization problem and introduce several approximations to reduce its complexity. The building climate controller is comprised of a robust model predictive controller and a Kalman filter. The frequency regulation controller consists of a feedback and a feedforward loop, provides fast responses, and is stable. Part I presents building model identification and controller tuning results. Specifically, we find out that with an appropriate formulation of the model identification problem, a two-state model is accurate enough for use in a reserve scheduler that runs day-ahead. In part II, we report results from the operation of the hierarchical controller under frequency regulation

Experimental Demonstration of Frequency Regulation by Commercial Buildings—Part I: Modeling and Hierarchical Control Design

This paper is the first part of a two-part series in which we present results from one of the first worldwide experimental demonstrations of frequency regulation in a commercial building test facility. We demonstrate that commercial buildings can track a frequency regulation signal with high accuracy and minimal occupant discomfort in a realistic environment. In addition, we show that buildings can determine the reserve capacity and baseline power a priori, and identify the optimal tradeoff between frequency regulation and energy efficiency. In part I, we introduce the test facility and develop relevant building models. Furthermore, we design a hierarchical controller for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that consists of three levels: 1) a reserve scheduler; 2) a building climate controller; and 3) a fan speed controller for frequency regulation. We formulate the reserve scheduler as a robust optimization problem and introduce several approximations to reduce its complexity. The building climate controller is comprised of a robust model predictive controller and a Kalman filter. The frequency regulation controller consists of a feedback and a feedforward loop, provides fast responses, and is stable. Part I presents building model identification and controller tuning results. Specifically, we find out that with an appropriate formulation of the model identification problem, a two-state model is accurate enough for use in a reserve scheduler that runs day-ahead. In part II, we report results from the operation of the hierarchical controller under frequency regulation

Experimental Demonstration of Frequency Regulation by Commercial Buildings-Part II: Results and Performance Evaluation

This paper is the second part of a two-part series presenting the results from an experimental demonstration of frequency regulation in a commercial building test facility. In part I, we developed relevant building models and designed a hierarchical controller for reserve scheduling, building climate control, and frequency regulation. In part II, we introduce the communication architecture and experiment settings, and present extensive experimental results under frequency regulation. More specifically, we compute the day-ahead reserve capacity of the test facility under different assumptions and conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of model predictive control to satisfy comfort constraints under frequency regulation, and show that fan speed control can track the fast-moving RegD signal of the Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Maryland power market very accurately. In addition, we discuss potential effects of frequency regulation on building operation (e.g., increase in energy consumption, oscillations in supply air temperature, and effect on chiller cycling), and provide suggestions for real-world implementation projects. Our results show that hierarchical control is appropriate for frequency regulation from commercial buildings

Experimental Demonstration of Frequency Regulation by Commercial Buildings-Part II: Results and Performance Evaluation

This paper is the second part of a two-part series presenting the results from an experimental demonstration of frequency regulation in a commercial building test facility. In part I, we developed relevant building models and designed a hierarchical controller for reserve scheduling, building climate control, and frequency regulation. In part II, we introduce the communication architecture and experiment settings, and present extensive experimental results under frequency regulation. More specifically, we compute the day-ahead reserve capacity of the test facility under different assumptions and conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of model predictive control to satisfy comfort constraints under frequency regulation, and show that fan speed control can track the fast-moving RegD signal of the Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Maryland power market very accurately. In addition, we discuss potential effects of frequency regulation on building operation (e.g., increase in energy consumption, oscillations in supply air temperature, and effect on chiller cycling), and provide suggestions for real-world implementation projects. Our results show that hierarchical control is appropriate for frequency regulation from commercial buildings

Experimental Demonstration of Frequency Regulation by Commercial Buildings—Part II: Results and Performance Evaluation

This paper is the second part of a two-part series presenting the results from an experimental demonstration of frequency regulation in a commercial building test facility. In part I, we developed relevant building models and designed a hierarchical controller for reserve scheduling, building climate control, and frequency regulation. In part II, we introduce the communication architecture and experiment settings, and present extensive experimental results under frequency regulation. More specifically, we compute the day-ahead reserve capacity of the test facility under different assumptions and conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of model predictive control to satisfy comfort constraints under frequency regulation, and show that fan speed control can track the fast-moving RegD signal of the Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Maryland power market very accurately. In addition, we discuss potential effects of frequency regulation on building operation (e.g., increase in energy consumption, oscillations in supply air temperature, and effect on chiller cycling), and provide suggestions for real-world implementation projects. Our results show that hierarchical control is appropriate for frequency regulation from commercial buildings