4 research outputs found
Assessing inequities in heat pump adoption across the U.S
Electrifying space heating is essential to reduce climate impacts in the
building sector, and heat pumps have emerged as an energy-efficient and
increasingly cost-effective solution. However, other clean energy technologies
(e.g., rooftop solar) are less likely to be adopted in underserved communities,
and thus policies incentivizing their adoption can be regressive. Unlike
previously-studied technologies, the effects of heat pumps on energy bills may
be positive or negative, and thus inequities in their adoption are context
specific. Here we propose a framework for identifying inequities in heat pump
adoption and map these inequities across the U.S. We find that households in
communities of color and with high percentages of renters are adopting heat
pumps at lower rates across the board, but differences are largest in areas
where heat pumps are likely to reduce energy bills. Public policies must
address these inequities to advance beneficial electrification and energy
justice
Modelling of the long-term evolution and performance of engineered barrier system
Components of the so-called “multiple-barrier system” from the waste form to the biosphere include a combination of waste containers, engineered barriers, and natural barriers. The Engineered Barrier System (EBS) is crucial for containment and isolation in a radioactive waste disposal system. The number, types, and assigned safety functions of the various engineered barriers depend on the chosen repository concept, the waste form, the radionuclides waste inventory, the selected host rock, and the hydrogeological and geochemical settings of the repository site, among others. EBS properties will evolve with time in response to the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, radiological, and chemical gradients and interactions between the various constituents of the barriers and the host rock. Therefore, assessing how these properties evolve over long time frames is highly relevant for evaluating the performance of a repository system and safety function evaluations in a safety case. For this purpose, mechanistic numerical models are increasingly used. Such models provide an excellent way for integrating into a coherent framework a scientific understanding of coupled processes and their consequences on different properties of the materials in the EBS. Their development and validation are supported by R&D actions at the European level. For example, within the HORIZON 2020 project BEACON (Bentonite mechanical evolution), the development, test, and validation of numerical models against experimental results have been carried out in order to predict the evolution of the hydromechanical properties of bentonite during the saturation process. Also, in relation to the coupling with mechanics, WP16 MAGIC (chemo Mechanical AGIng of Cementitious materials) of the EURAD Joint Programming Initiative focuses on multi-scale chemo-mechanical modeling of cementitious-based materials that evolve under chemical perturbation. Integration of chemical evolution in models of varying complexity is a major issue tackled in the WP2 ACED (Assessment of Chemical Evolution of ILW and HLW Disposal cells) of EURAD. WP4 DONUT (Development and improvement of numerical methods and tools for modeling coupled processes) of EURAD aims at developing and improving numerical models and tools to integrate more complexity and coupling between processes. The combined progress of those projects at a pan-European level definitively improves the understanding of and the capabilities for assessing the long-term evolution of engineered barrier systems
Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming Model for Sustainable Water Management in Macroscopic Systems: Integrating Optimal Resource Management to the Synthesis of Distributed Treatment Systems
Recognizing
the growing pressure on water resources, the literature reports several
efforts in the area of mathematical programming to deal with the management
of industrial and macroscopic water systems. This paper presents a
mathematical programming model which integrates two strategies for
sustainable water management. On the one hand, the model allows finding
an optimal schedule for the distribution and storage of natural and
alternative water sources to satisfy the demands of different users
in a macroscopic system, while maintaining sustainable levels of water
in the natural water resources. On the other hand, optimal decisions
also involve the number, capacity, type, and location of treatment
units in a macroscopic system. Our approach results in a mixed integer
linear programming (MINLP) multiperiod model which has been solved
through the GAMS modeling environment. A case study with different
scenarios shows the scope of the proposed approach and the significance
of the results