Ramp rate abatement for wind energy integration in microgrids

This study analyses the performance of a battery storage system in abating the ramp rates of the power produced by a wind turbine. This approach can reduce the wind power fluctuations that are typical of small size wind farms and promote the wind energy integration in microgrids. Production data was generated from actual wind measurements over one year, and the capability of ramp abatement by varying battery capacity, battery power rating and ramp rate thresholds was investigated. The effect on battery degradation due to charge-discharge cycling required by the smoothing service was also estimated. Results suggest that good smoothing performance can be achieved with a wide range of power-capacity combinations, but the lifetime of the storage system can be as low as one year if its capacity is small

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes in the pediatric age

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes (APSs) encompass a heterogeneous group of rare diseases characterized by autoimmune activity against two or more endocrine or non-endocrine organs. Three types of APSs are reported, including both monogenic and multifactorial, heterogeneous disorders. The aim of this manuscript is to present the main clinical and epidemiological characteristics of APS-1, APS-2, and IPEX syndrome in the pediatric age, describing the mechanisms of autoimmunity and the currently available treatments for these rare conditions

Sexual developmental disorders in pediatrics

Disorders of sex development (DSD) are a heterogeneous group of pathologies that result in an alteration in sex determination or differentiation. DSD are estimated to affect 1: 4,500 newborns and according to the 2006 Chicago Consensus classification, DSD can be divided into three categories: those with a 46 XX karyotype, those with a 46 XY karyotype and those relating to sex chromosomes. It is crucial to correctly identify the pathology already in the first days of life to direct the patient and his family to the best path of care. For this reason, the role of the pediatrician is fundamental in the correct identification of the clinical picture and in supporting the family during the long process that involves the management of these patients. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to follow a path led by a multidisciplinary team that includes several steps such as the execution of the genetic analysis, the evaluation with diagnostic imaging methods and laboratory evaluations. The therapeutic management, on the other hand, is still very complex even if in recent years we have moved from an attitude of early gender reassignment to an approach of watchful waiting to let the patient choose when she/he is mature enough to do so, which gender she/he feels to belong. It should not be forgotten that throughout this process the pediatrician must be both supportive and clinically active in the management of the child and his family

Triple Helix as a Strategic Tool to Fast-Track Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Kenya: Case Study of Marsabit County

AbstractThe lack of affordable, clean, and reliable energy in Africa's rural areas forces people to resort to poor quality energy source, which is detrimental to the people's health and prevents the economic development of communities. Moreover, access to safe water and food security are concerns closely linked to health issues and children malnourishment. Recent climate change due to global warming has worsened the already critical situation.Electricity is well known to be an enabler of development as it allows the use of modern devices thus enabling the development of not only income-generating activities but also water pumping and food processing and conservation that can promote socioeconomic growth. However, all of this is difficult to achieve due to the lack of investors, local skills, awareness by the community, and often also government regulations.All the above mentioned barriers to the uptake of electricity in rural Kenya could be solved by the coordinated effort of government, private sector, and academia, also referred to as Triple Helix, in which each entity may partially take the other's role. This chapter discretizes the above and shows how a specific county (Marsabit) has benefited from this triple intervention. Existing government policies and actions and programs led by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international agencies are reviewed, highlighting the current interconnection and gaps in promoting integrated actions toward climate change adaptation and energy access

Optimal sizing and operation of isolated microgrids for developing countries: Hedging uncertainties with Monte Carlo techniques

Achieving universal electrification is a challenging goal for governments in developing countries; the traditional approach of extending the national grid to rural areas has been usually pursued but since many communities are located far from the national grid, this approach may be sub-optimal. Hybrid microgrids, composed by renewables, batteries and a backup fuel-fired genset, are very promising solutions, but socio-political and geographical concerns undermine the optimal design of the system and the economic viability of projects. Recent advanced approaches use Monte Carlo techniques to size the system accounting for uncertainties regarding the load and renewable production; however, few papers have investigated the optimal number of Monte Carlo scenarios to evaluate for a proper sizing. In this study, we investigate the benefits and drawbacks of using Monte Carlo techniques to cope with uncertainties involved in the optimal design and operation of hybrid microgrids, proposing new sizing criteria and highlighting best practices. A case study using real data from a minigrid in Kenya is proposed

Image et sport Image and sport

Qu’il s’agisse d’immortaliser en peinture les loisirs d’une société, d’immobiliser photographiquement les corps dans l’effort, de filmer la tension dramatique d’une rencontre internationale ou d’une partie amicale improvisée, tous les arts et médias ont produit des portraits de joueurs et d’athlètes. La manifestation portera sur cette alliance entre l’image et le sport envisagé comme activité physique codifiée et partagée. Pourquoi crée-t-on une image du fait sportif ? La presse le montre pour en recenser les actualités. L’artiste prend comme sujet de son œuvre le geste ou la rencontre. La mise en scène est intrinsèque à toute pratique et cette dramatisation offre un matériau rêvé pour les créateurs d’images. L’ensemble de ces représentations imprègne l’imaginaire collectif de toutes les sociétés

ATTRAIN-Assistive technology Handbook

Le tecnologie che favoriscono l'Autonomia nei diversi Ambienti e per le diverse esigenze della vita quotidiana

How hybridization of energy storage technologies can provide additional flexibility and competitiveness to microgrids in the context of developing countries

Hybrid microgrids, integrating renewable energy sources and energy storage, are key in extending energy access in the remote areas of developing countries, in a sustainably way and in providing a good quality of service. Their extensive development faces a financing gap, having a high capital expenditure (CAPEX) also due to high storage costs. In the present work, a case study of a Ugandan microgrid was used to compare various battery technologies employed on their own and in a combination with a flywheel, in terms of their durability and the overall levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the plant. Simulations show how hybrid storage configurations result in a lower LCOE for the current load profile of the microgrid and even more so for two reference residential and industrial load scenarios, suggesting this would remain the best solution even accounting for future socio-economic development. The resulting LCOE for hybrid storage configurations is lower than the average values reported for microgrid projects and represents a promising solution to speed up the development of such electrification initiatives

Coupling economic multi-objective optimization and multiple design options: A business-oriented approach to size an off-grid hybrid microgrid

Achieving the maximum economic profitability is a priority for microgrid developers. However, although economic indicators usually dominate the business decision making, rarely numerical indicators are fully able to capture the entire sociopolitical, technical and geographical circumstances affecting the business environment, especially in rural areas of developing countries. Typical planning approaches achieve a single solution, or a set of solutions in multi-objective approaches, and near-optimal solutions are usually discarded even when they may better fit the specific multi-faceted circumstances of a project. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective approach that not only calculates the traditional Pareto-frontier but also compiles near-optimal solutions that enlarge the options portfolio for microgrid developers. The proposed iterative approach stores all the simulated solutions, and post-processes them to provide the developer with multiple design options (MDO). A modified version of Multiple-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MDO-MOPSO), with improved convergence criteria based on quadratic mean of the crowding distances and spread, is developed and used. A numerical case study of a Kenyan hybrid microgrid using real data confirms that near-optimal solutions can correspond to extremely different design solutions, even ±100% w.r.t. the Pareto-efficient ones, with only very limited disparities in the economic objective functions. The results, supported by a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) analysis, based on diversity measures, show that MDO methodology can successfully support the business decision making and help developers size microgrids considering several nearly-equivalent sizing options