CSP performance assessment including soiling measurements for Morocco and Portugal reveals similar electricity yield and cost in both countries

The objective of this research work is to understand the impact of soiling on the thermal performance, electrical production and Levelized Cost of Electricity of possible Concentrating Solar Power plants in both Morocco and Portugal. For this matter, a joint soiling measurement campaign, following the same protocol, has been conducted in the two countries to assess and evaluate the impact of dust on the optical properties of soiled solar mirrors. After that, and using high-quality irradiation data measured at ground level, simulation of a 3.6 MWth molten-salt test facility has been conducted with and without taking soiling into consideration for both sites. Results show that soiling in Morocco is three times higher than in Portugal. The daily Soiling rate average is around 1.6% and 0.06% for both sites, respectively. In addition, results show that both sites are favorable for CSP implementation. The simulated electrical output for a clean field is ~1.4 GWeh and ~1.3GWeh with a Levelized Cost of Electricity of ~0.194V/kWh and ~0.205V/kWh for Morocco and Portugal, respectively. Nevertheless, when soiling is taken into consideration both sites produce similar amount of electricity of ~1.25GWeh with a similar Levelized Cost of Electricity of ~0.231V/kWh

Decentralized manufacturing of cell and gene therapies: Overcoming challenges and identifying opportunities

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Decentralized or “redistributed” manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing approach for cell and gene therapies (CGTs), moving away from the “Fordist” paradigm, delivering health care locally, customized to the end user and, by its very nature, overcoming many of the challenges associated with manufacturing and distribution of high volume goods. In departing from the traditional centralized model of manufacturing, decentralized manufacturing divides production across sites or geographic regions. This paradigm shift imposes significant structural and organisational changes on a business presenting both hidden challenges that must be addressed and opportunities to be embraced. By profoundly adapting business practices, significant advantages can be realized through a democratized value chain, creation of professional-level jobs without geographic restriction to the central hub and a flexibility in response to external pressures and demands. To realize these potential opportunities, however, advances in manufacturing technology and support systems are required, as well as significant changes in the way CGTs are regulated to facilitate multi-site manufacturing. Decentralized manufacturing is likely to be the manufacturing platform of choice for advanced health care therapies—in particular, those with a high degree of personalization. The future success of these promising products will be enhanced by adopting sound business strategies early in development. To realize the benefits that decentralized manufacturing of CGTs has to offer, it is important to examine both the risks and the substantial opportunities present. In this research, we examine both the challenges and the opportunities this shift in business strategy represents in an effort to maximize the success of adoption