Human Adaptation to Coastal Evolution: Late Quaternary evidence from Southeast Asia (SUNDASIA) – A report on the second year of the project.

The 3.5 year SUNDASIA projectis a collaborative venture between Vietnamese and UK institutions that is reconstructing a detailed picture of the impact changing sea levels and environmental conditions had on prehistoric socioeconomic systems in the Song Hong River delta area of northern Vietnam. The project is centred in the Tràng An World Heritage Site (WHS) of Ninh Binh province and is co-funded through the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council portion of the British Government’s ‘Global Challenges Research Fund’, and the Xuan Truong Construction Enterprise. At the end of the project’s second year, field data-collection is now largely complete. Data collection locales have been catalogued across the WHS, with highest resolution recovery within a 2 km wide corridor extending (west-east) through the centre of the massif: an area of c. 1500 ha (or 25% of the core zone of WHS). In order to integrate different lines of evidence within a searchable Geographic Information Science (GIS) data base, and to aid future natural and cultural heritage management, site-specific information is referenced within a 4 x 4 km alpha-numeric grid covering the core and buffer zones of the property. While not exhaustive, data obtained will provide an authoritative picture of human responses to changing conditions from c. 37,000 years ago to the present; incorporating archaeological and palaeoecological reconstruction with heritage management and landscape conservation priorities. This report draws on published and grey literature to detail the work being undertaken and is presented in the context of the project’s three central research questions

Finance and justice in low-carbon energy transitions

Up to $61trillion of power systems investment is needed to fulfil the Paris Agreement. The mobilisation of so much capital is a huge challenge. As such, energy policy is changing to meet the needs of commercial finance. However, very little has been done to question the justice implications of this capital mobilisation, and what alternatives there are to commercially-oriented finance for low carbon energy systems. This paper uses a comparative analysis of two developed economies to explore how ‘alternative’ forms of finance operate in each nation’s energy investment landscape. We find alternative finance is often set in opposition to commercial capital. Alternative finance in both nations is motivated by financial justice outcomes that are poorly understood in current energy policy. Our findings suggest that 6 principles are key to ‘just’ energy finance: affordability, good governance, due process, intra-generational equity, spatial equity, and financial resilience. Energy policy that seeks to mobilise capital, should take account of all six principles

Computational investigation of LNG storage tank for open type ferries

This paper presents the design study of the LNG storage tank for a double-ended ferry operating short distance routes between mainland and close islands in the Greek territory. Alternative tank designs based on different structural characteristics were computationally investigated by conducting a coupled thermal-structural analysis considering steady state conditions and taking into account the applied structural and thermal loads. The tank structural stability was evaluated using von-Mises criteria. The derived results are presented and discussed concluding to the most efficient solution that provides smoother stress distribution, sufficient mechanical strength and increased bending rigidity

Design of LNG storage and feeding system for an open type ferry

The paper focuses on the conversion and in specific on the design of the LNG system of a double-ended open type ferry operating at short distance routes in the area of east Mediterranean Sea to accommodate the LNG fuel operation. The design of the LNG storage and feeding system was carried out based on a compilation of relevant regulations from various resources. The selection of main system components along with their characteristics and basic functionality are presented and discussed. In addition the coupled heat transfer and structural analysis of the LNG piping operating at cryogenic temperature levels was performed and its results are analysed, providing insight to the involved processes. Finally, the CFD analysis of the required evaporator unit was carried out and the results are presented for delineating the physical phenomena occurring in this component

Integrated Assessments and Energy Retrofit: The Contribution of the Energy Center Lab of the Politecnico di Torino

Traditionally, local energy planning has been carried out following a sectorial approach, neglecting the long-term effects of energy policies, not considering social and environmental elements and omitting important actors involved. More innovative approaches lead to consider evaluation models able to take into account the full range of impacts generated at the level of utilities, end-users and society in general. This chapter aims to provide a reflection on the role of assessment tools in decision-making processes related to energy retrofit operations at architectural and urban level, presenting a series of recent and innovative experiments developed in the joined research group of the Energy Center Lab at Politecnico di Torino (Italy). Different techniques were applied to real case studies to provide an answer to concrete evaluation problems in the energy field. The results of the various applications show that the proposed valuation techniques offer useful tools to support local energy planning processes according to integrated energy- economic models

Evaluating health benefits of urban energy retrofitting: an application for the city of Turin

The European Union (EU) has committed to lower GHG emissions for a 20% with respect to 1990 by 2020, reaching an 80% reduction by 2050. Renewable energy and buildings retrofitting will be key measures in cutting environmental impacts according to the new climate targets. The development of these energy-efficiency measures requires significant financial resources. The promotion of renewable-energy sources needs public acceptance to facilitate financial support for government. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes how the benefits of applying energy-efficiency measures outweigh the realization costs. Within this context, an evaluation of the whole range of co-impacts is crucial to compare different alternatives with the same objective. To implement a tool to assess the feasibility of a retrofitting project, firstly it is indispensable to identify the various possible benefits in a standardized manner and monetary terms. Secondly, it is fundamental to specify a logical path for assessing the attainment of these benefits, based on the features of the project. Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in the evaluation of benefits. Despite this interest, very few studies have investigated the impact of the energy improvements of buildings on indoor comfort and human- health conditions. This work contributes to close the data gap in this context, investigating the health benefits connected to retrofitting interventions in residential buildings. A hybrid approach based on Contingent Valuation Method and economic analysis was applied to assess the impacts delivered by the energy retrofitting to an urban district in the city of Turin (Italy). A questionnaire was employed to elicit an estimate of consumers’ Willingness-To-Pay for better indoor comfort conditions and fewer hazards to health, reducing poor building features in terms of energy efficiency and air quality. A bidding game model was created to converge to the expected annual economic value of acceptable comfort conditions in the residential houses