Harnessing Renewable Energy for Sustainable Agricultural Applications

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development suggests that all countries both developed and developing strive to attain the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs). Some items on the SDGs like implementation of renewable energy technologies to electrify regions disconnected from power grids are targeted to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger while ensuring environmental sustainability. Hence, the role of integrated renewable energy in improving the productivity and environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector cannot be overemphasized. This paper presents a brief survey of the application of renewable energy resources technologies in the agricultural sector.  Keywords: Sustainable agriculture; Water-food-energy nexus; Renewable energy; Techno-economic. JEL Classifications: Q2, Q4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.777

A biased load manager home energy management system for low-cost residential building low-income occupants

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd This research paper presents the development of a biased load manager home energy management system for low-cost residential building occupants. As a smart grid framework, the proposed load manager coordinates the operation of the inverter system of a low cost residential apartment consisting of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels, converter and battery, and provides a platform for discriminating residential loads into on-grid and off-grid supply classes while maximizing solar irradiance for optimum battery charging and improving consumer comfort from base levels. Modelled in a Matlab simulation environment, the system incorporates a converter system for maximum power point tracking using a hopping algorithm, with a dedicated mechanism for smart dispatch of specified loads to meet the users' comfort based on the priority ranking of the loads. Results obtained indicate a 34% reduction in electricity cost, 26% reduction in carbon emissions and a 4% increase in comfort level for the photovoltaic/battery/utility option compared to the utility only option. The results further show that cost is a major factor affecting the users' comfort and not necessarily dispatch of appliances to meet energy needs. The research can be useful for encouraging the adoption of the photovoltaic/battery/utility option by low/middle income energy users in developing countries

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Exploring the Potentials of Artificial Neural Network Trained with Differential Evolution for Estimating Global Solar Radiation

The use of solar powered systems is gradually getting more attention due to technological advances as well as cost effectiveness. Thus, solar powered systems like photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, concentrator photovoltaics, as well as hydrogen production systems are now commercially available for electricity generation. A major input to these systems is solar radiation data which is either partially available or not available in many remote communities. Predictive models can be used in estimating the amount and pattern of solar radiation in any location. This paper presents the use of evolutionary algorithm in improving the generalization capabilities and efficiency of multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network for the prediction of solar radiation using meteorological parameters as input. Meteorological parameters which included monthly average daily of: sunshine hour, solar radiation, maximum temperature and minimum temperature were used in the evaluation. Results show that the proposed model returned a RMSE of 1.1967, NSE of 0.8137 and R 2 of 0.8254

Selection of a Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for a Low-Income Household

The use of a single criterion in the selection of the most suitable hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) has been reported to be inadequate in terms of sustainability. In order to fill this gap, this study presents a multi-criteria approach for the selection of HRES for a typical low-income household. The analysis is based on two energy demand scenarios viz: consumer demand based on energy efficient equipment (EET) and consumer energy demand without energy efficiency. The optimization of the HRES is performed using hybrid optimization of multiple energy renewables (HOMER) while the multi-criteria analysis is carried out using Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Results show that the optimal HRES alternative returned based on both energy demand scenarios is a PV/GEN/BAT system. The analysis further shows that a reduction of 44.6% in energy demand through EET leads to: 51.38% decrease in total net present cost, 11.90% decrease in cost of energy, 96.61% decrease in CO 2 emission and 193.94% increase in renewable fraction. Furthermore, the use of multi-criteria approach for HRES selection has an influence in the selection and ranking of the most suitable HRES alternatives. Overall, the application of EETs is environmentally and economically beneficial while the application of MCDM can help decision makers make a comprehensively informed decision on the selection of the most suitable HRES

Evaluation and Prioritization of Power-Generating Systems Using a Life Cycle Assessment and a Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach

Millions of people in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to power, which emphasizes the need for sustainable and clean energy solutions. This study attempts to address this issue by integrating a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) analysis to determine the preferred energy technology for electrification. This research focuses on the environmental implications and long-term viability of various energy system options. The LCA evaluates midpoint characterization containing 18 environmental impact categories; the COPRAS and ARAS methods of MCDM analysis are then used to rank the energy alternatives based on their environmental performance. This study’s key finding is that the gas-powered power plant is the most preferred energy system alternative, while the geothermal power plant is the least preferred. This midpoint characterization study provides in-depth insights into how various stages contribute to major environmental impact categories like global warming, ozone depletion, and ecotoxicity. By considering environmental impacts and sustainability requirements, informed decisions may be made to encourage clean and cost-effective power generation, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and supporting economic growth and human development. Future research may include analysis from cradle-to-grave compared to cradle-to-gate

Regional cooperation for mitigating energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: a context-based approach through the tripartite lenses of access, sufficiency, and mobility

Persistent low electricity access continues to plague Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and has been made more obvious due to the precarious nature of adopted energisation schemes across the region. The absence of resilient electrification schemes within most countries in SSA portends grave danger for the region. Regional cooperation (like the integrated European Union (EU) electricity market) can guarantee stable, secure, and affordable electricity supply across regions when properly regulated. However, such a template as is obtainable in Europe may be impossible to replicate within SSA owing to the peculiar problems, local controversies and very wide variation in regional electrification statistics that exist within the region. This research work pertinently examines the power pools within SSA and argues that improved regional cooperation, especially in tackling the issue of energy poverty and achieving “universal energy access (SDG 7)”, should be pursued on the platform of national energy sufficiency. This argument draws extensively from the geopolitics within the region by different actors and the impact of national interests on regional cooperation. While we do not seek to oppose regional cooperation in electricity trading, we emphasize the need for nations within the region to strive for some level of national energy security through carefully crafted policies and road maps that resonate with their local realities. Regional cooperation should strive to standardise electricity access benchmarks and facilitate technology transfer through existing or improved instruments rather than pushing for more integrated electricity networks

An income-reflective scalable energy level transition system for low/middle income households

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd In mitigating against energy poverty in Nigeria, research interest has focused mainly on electricity access and reduced electricity bills for low/medium income households. However, energy poverty in the global south is not only a problem of access but also of mobility which plays a crucial role in the economic productivity of a country. The need therefore arises for a scheme that guides low/medium income level households in increasing ownership of electrical appliances in a way that will improve their quality of life at the least-cost possible. Such a scheme is expected to address a prevailing challenge of poor satisfaction from the utilization of electrical appliances commonly observed with low/medium income households to achieve comfort, using Nigeria as a test case. This paper thus proposes a progressive system of electrical appliance ownership for low/medium income households in Nigeria for improved comfort. Furthermore, this paper advances discussions on building comfort by establishing the relationship between household comfort and economic output for Nigeria. The proposed system and the results obtained find relevance in developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia for improving household comfort, mitigating poverty and precipitating economic growth

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)