An Empirical Study of Electric Power Demand Control by Real-time Feedback of Consumption Levels: Case of Nushima Island Households

AbstractElectric power demand management will play an important role in the creation of smart-energy communities. We are conducting a field experiment on the real-time feedback of electric power consumption via smart meters and tablet PCs with the participation of 51 households on Nushima Island, one of Japan's remote islands. Our estimate of the effect of feedback in reducing power demand by panel data analysis has revealed that such feedback achieves a saving of 7.6 percent in electric power demand

Diffusive-thermal effect on local chemical structures in premixed hydrogen-air flames

The diffusive-thermal effect plays an important role in the intrinsic instability of premixed flames. A two-dimensional direct numerical simulation of the propagation of premixed hydrogen-air flames was performed using a detailed chemical kinetics model. The cellular behavior of a lean hydrogen-air flame was analyzed on the basis of its chemical structure. The primary consequence of the diffusive-thermal effect was found to be a change in the buildup process of reactive intermediates by the chain reaction mechanism at the preheat zone. The resultant chemical structure at the main reaction zone can be explained by the local composition change of the gas flowing into the reaction zone from the preheat zone

Melting and Solidification of TiNi Alloys by Cold Crucible Levitation Method, and Evaluation of their Characteristics

The addition of Re, Fe and Cr into Ti-50mol%Ni has been carried out to improve the oxidation and mechanical properties. The mono phase consisting of TiNi with the B2 type structure was identified in micro-alloyed materials proposed on the basis of the d-electrons concept. Experimentally TiNi alloys were melted and solidified by the cold crucible levitation method (CCLM). The TiNi-(Cr, Fe, Re) alloys with high purity and without contamination from a crucible were prepared, and the homogeneous microstructure was achieved by the diffusion mixing effect of CCLM even in the as-cast alloys which contained Re and Cr with higher melting temperatures and different specific gravities. All alloys were caused the transformation from austenite to martensite phases below or above room temperature. The some alloys had the ability of shape memory even at room temperature. Ternary alloys showed higher flow stress level compared with the binary TiNi alloy. On the other hand, the oxidation at 1273K was promoted by the formation of titanium oxides (TiO2) on the alloy surfaces. The oxidation resistance was improved by the formation of the continuously Cr2O3 film in TiNi-Cr alloys. The alloying effects by ternary elements (Re, Fe, Cr) in the intermetallic TiNi as well as metallic materials were explained well using two parameters used in the d-electrons concept

An Experimental Study of the Impact of Dynamic Electricity Pricing on Consumer Behavior: An Analysis for a Remote Island in Japan

The aim of this research was to investigate how consumer behavior changes after application of dynamic electricity pricing and the persistence of those changes. Based on the investigation results, the authors also discuss the policy implications of demand management to shift consumption to days that have more solar radiation, while at the same time reducing overall consumption. The dynamic pricing experiment was implemented on Nushima Island, located in the center of Japan, with the participation of 50 households. The methodologies used in this study are panel analysis with random effects, and the difference in differences method. Several linear regression analyses are performed to predict hourly electricity usage from a number of explanatory variables, such as life-style factors, the frequency of access to the visualization website, control for weather factors (wind speed and temperatures), and other attributes of the households to predict the log of hourly electric energy consumption. The results show that dynamic pricing brought about 13.8% reduction of electric energy consumption in comparison with the pre-experiment period. Also, by applying a new experimental design approach, this study finds data supportive of habit formation by participants. Based on the findings, this research tries to develop a policy for sustainable energy conservation in remote islands