Renewable energy supply and storage : Guide for planners & developers in sparsely populated areas

How to shift to renewable energy systems in sparsely populated areas? This guide provides tools for initiative takers and planners, to explore the potential in local resources and provide sustainable electricity and heating for the community. The guide includes a step-by-step guide through the project development process and presents advantages and challenges of optional technologies and energy systems, including heating and electricity from wind, sun, sea and fresh water, biomass and the ground. The focus of this guide is on implementation of renewable energy solutions in sparsely populated areas, based upon proven technologies that are available in the market, and to design reliable and affordable energy systems. Energy storage and smart energy management get special attention. Facts and numbers from a pilot project in Leirvik at the Faroe Islands illustrates how to use this guide

Symptoms of Sleep Disordered Breathing and Risk of Cancer:A Prospective Cohort Study

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and altered hormonal levels, all of which could affect the risk of cancer. The aim of the study is to examine if symptoms of SDB including snoring, breathing cessations, and daytime sleepiness affect the incidence of total cancer and subtypes of cancer. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The third wave (1991-1993) of the Copenhagen City Heart Study. PARTICIPANTS: There were 8,783 men and women in whom cancer had not been previously diagnosed. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Participants answered questions about snoring and breathing cessations in 1991-1993, whereas information about daytime sleepiness based on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale was collected in a subset of the participants (n = 5,894) in 1998. First-time incidence of cancer was followed until December 2009 in a nationwide cancer register. We found no overall association between symptoms of SDB and incident cancer. Yet, in the small group with high daytime sleepiness, we observed a surprisingly higher cancer incidence (hazard ratio = 4.09; 95% CI 1.58-10.55) in persons younger than 50 years. We also found a higher risk of virus/immune-related cancers (2.73; 1.27-5.91) and alcohol-related cancers (4.92; 1.45-16.76) among persons with daytime sleepiness. More SDB symptoms were associated with a higher risk of smoking-related cancers (Ptrend: 0.04). Apart from these findings there were no clear associations between symptoms of sleep disordered breathing and cancer subtypes. CONCLUSION: We found very limited evidence of relationship between symptoms of sleep disordered breathing and incidence of cancer. CITATION: Christensen AS; Clark A; Salo P; Nymann P; Lange P; Prescott E; Rod NH. Symptoms of sleep disordered breathing and risk of cancer: a prospective cohort study. SLEEP 2013;36(10):1429-1435