Setting-up the decarbonisation of islands: models and technologies for the energy transition

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Dynamic Modeling of an Offshore Floating Wind Turbine for Application in the Mediterranean Sea

Wind power is emerging as one of the most sustainable and low-cost options for energy production. Far-offshore floating wind turbines are attractive in view of exploiting high wind availability sites while minimizing environmental and landscape impact. In the last few years, some offshore floating wind farms were deployed in Northern Europe for technology validation, with very promising results. At present time, however, no offshore wind farm installations have been developed in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this work is to comprehensively model an offshore floating wind turbine and examine the behavior resulting from a wide spectrum of sea and wind states typical of the Mediterranean Sea. The flexible and accessible in-house model developed for this purpose is compared with the reference model FAST v8.16 for verifying its reliability. Then, a simulation campaign is carried out to estimate the wind turbine LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy). Based on this, the best substructure is chosen and the convenience of the investment is evaluated

Planning the decarbonisation of energy systems: the importance of applying time series clustering to long-term models

The study of future energy scenarios with high shares of variable renewable energy sources (VRES) requires an accurate representation of VRES variability and storage capacity. However, long-term optimal expansion models, which are typically used to prescribe the evolution of energy systems, make use of coarse time series to limit computational effort. This weakness can entail an incorrect sizing of VRES plants and storage facilities. In this work, a novel method is proposed to mitigate the current limitations and enable accurate long-term planning of high-VRES decarbonisation pathways. Clustering methods are applied to time series, preserving the possibility of having inter-day and intra-day energy storage. To this end, the temporal framework of an open-source energy system model, OSeMOSYS, is modified to allow the implementation of interconnected, clustered representative days. Traditional and novel approaches are compared and benchmarked for a reference case study, i.e., a remote island. The results show that time series clustering can significantly improve the evaluation of the overall system cost, leading to a relative error of -5% (novel approach) instead of -35% (traditional approach) when 24 representative days are considered. Similarly, the new approach improves the sizing of VRES and storage facilities. The new technique is found to require three orders of magnitude less computation time than the traditional technique to achieve a comparable level of accuracy

Role of curcumin in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment: A new therapeutic possibility

The idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is a complex disease that mainly affects pulmonary arterial circulation. This undergoes a remodeling with subsequent reduction of flow in the small pulmonary arteries. Because of this damage an increased vascular resistance gradually develops, and over time it carries out in heart failure. The inflammatory process is a key element in this condition, mediated by various cytokines. The inflammatory signal induces activation of NF-jB, and prompts TGF-b-related signaling pathway. Clinical evolution leads to progressive debilitation, greatly affecting the patient quality of life. The actual therapeutic approaches, are few and expensive, and include systemic drugs such as prostanoids, phosphodiesterase inhibitors and antagonists of endothelin-1 (ERBs). Some researchers have long investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin. It shows a role for inactivation of NF-jB-mediated inflammation. On the basis of these findings we propose a potential role of curcumin and its pharmacologically fit derivatives for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Supporting decarbonization strategies of local energy systems by de-risking investments in renewables: a case study on Pantelleria island

Nowadays, energy policymakers are asked to develop strategies to ensure an affordable clean energy supply while minimizing investment risks. Also, the rise of several community engagement schemes, and the uptake of user-scale technologies introduce uncertainties that may result in a disruptive factor for energy systems evolution. Energy planning and data-driven decision tools are required to support policymakers in delivering reliable long-term energy roadmaps that address future uncertainties. This paper introduces a novel scenario analysis approach for local energy planning that supports policymakers and investors in prioritizing new renewable power plant investments, addressing the risks deriving from citizens’ choices. Specifically, we perform a combined analysis on the adoption trends of distributed photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles, that are expected to heavily influence the evolution of energy systems. To this end, we develop an energy model for Pantelleria island and investigate its transition from an oil-based energy supply to a renewable one up to 2050. We explore different optimal energy systems introducing photovoltaic, onshore wind, floating offshore wind, wave energy, biomass power plants, and electrochemical storage in the island energy mix. The analyzed scenarios disclose the recommended investments in each renewable technology, considering their learning curves and the unpredictability of user-scale technology adoption. We find that the diffusion of distributed photovoltaic systems plays a major role for the achievement of high decarbonization targets and cost-effective energy supply. Consolidated renewable technologies are always cornerstones in future energy mix, while the needed capacity from novel technologies largely varies between scenarios. Also, a high diffusion of electric vehicles requires very large installed renewable energy capacity and leads to an increase of overall costs. Consequently, we stress the need for prioritizing the realization of renewable power plants, starting with the most resilient to future uncertainties, as well as promoting specific incentive measures for citizens’ commitment at a local scale

Microvascular angina in diabetic patients with uninjured coronary arteries

Abstrac

Wind Turbines and Rooftop Photovoltaic Technical Potential Assessment: Application to Sicilian Minor Islands

In order to achieve climate goals and limit the global temperature rise, an increasing share of renewable-energy sources (RESs) is required. However, technologies for the use of RESs need to be integrated into the landscape and ecological heritage to ensure a fully sustainable energy transition. This work aims to develop a scalable technique for integrating the estimation of rooftop PV and wind potential into spatial planning, providing a framework to support decision-makers in developing energy policies. The methodology is applied to the minor Sicilian islands, which are characterised by significant environmental and landscape constraints. The methodology is used to identify the areas eligible for the installation of onshore wind turbines and the usable roof surfaces for the installation of PV systems. It is shown that the available technical potential of rooftop PV installations could ensure a higher production than the actual consumption on 13 of the 14 islands studied. Nevertheless, efforts must be made to improve the legal framework, which currently places major limits on the use of wind energ

Hypoxia up-regulates SERPINB3 through HIF-2\u3b1 in human liver cancer cells.

SERPINB3 is a cysteine-proteases inhibitor up-regulated in a significant number of cirrhotic patients carrying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and recently proposed as a prognostic marker for HCC early recurrence. SERPINB3 has been reported to stimulate proliferation, inhibit apoptosis and, similar to what reported for hypoxia, to trigger epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increased invasiveness in liver cancer cells. This study has investigated whether SERPINB3 expression is regulated by hypoxia-related mechanisms in liver cancer cells. Exposure of HepG2 and Huh7 cells to hypoxia up-regulated SERPINB3 transcription, protein synthesis and release in the extracellular medium. Hypoxia-dependent SERPINB3 up-regulation was selective (no change detected for SERPINB4) and operated through hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-2\u3b1 (not HIF-1\u3b1) binding to SERPINB3 promoter, as confirmed by chromatin immuno-precipitation assay and silencing experiments employing specific siRNAs. HIF-2\u3b1-mediated SERPINB3 up-regulation under hypoxic conditions required intracellular generation of ROS. Immuno-histochemistry (IHC) and transcript analysis, performed in human HCC specimens, revealed co-localization of the two proteins in liver cancer cells and the existence of a positive correlation between HIF-2\u3b1 and SERPINB3 transcript levels, respectively. Hypoxia, through HIF-2\u3b1-dependent and redox-sensitive mechanisms, up-regulates the transcription, synthesis and release of SERPINB3, a molecule with a high oncogenic potential

Clinical Appropriateness of Coronary Angiography

Background: The study evaluates the appropriateness of coronary angiography and the agreement between the used method and the presence of coronary artery disease by the indications proposed from American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (1999). Method: The guidelines allow us to associate to Class I and IIa the judgment of appropriateness, to the Class IIb of uncertainty; to Class III of inappropriateness. Result: On 761 coronary angiography 76.74% were appropriate, 23.13% unsuitable, 0.13% uncertain. The group with the greater value of appropriateness is that one with unstable angina (97.9% appropriate); that one with the lower value is the group with non-specific symptomatology (26.7% appropriate). Conclusion: Considering the false positives, it is important the rate of the greater sensibility and the lower specificity of the not invasive tests carried before coronary angiography, as well as, the probable presence of microcircle disease. Among the false negatives, we must considered the number of patients with effective coronary artery disease which has “jumped” the intermediate stage of the not invasive diagnostic process, before the coronary angiography, but have obtained the same final benefit