The Carbon Footprint of Rail Intermodal Freight Transport: Case Study on the Athens-Thessaloniki line

213 σ.Στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η ανάπτυξη μεθοδολογίας για τον προσδιορισμό του αποτυπώματος άνθρακα των σιδηροδρομικών συνδυασμένων εμπορευματικών μεταφορών. Αναπτύχθηκε μία νέα μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση που επιτρέπει τον υπολογισμό του απαιτούμενου αριθμού των μηχανών έλξης καθώς και της κατανάλωσης ενέργειας και των ρύπων σιδηροδρομικού συρμού για διαφορετικούς τύπους μεταφερόμενων μονάδων και φορταμαξών και για διαφορετικά τεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά της σιδηροδρομικής γραμμής. Επιπλέον, λαμβάνει υπόψη της περιορισμούς που τίθενται στη φόρτωση των φορταμαξών και έχουν ως αποτέλεσμα να μην εξαντλείται η μεταφορική τους ικανότητα. Η εφαρμογή της μεθοδολογίας στη γραμμή Αθηνών-Θεσσαλονίκης έδειξε ότι με τα σημερινά δεδομένα (μορφολογία γραμμής, τροχαίο υλικό, τρόπος παραγωγής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας) η συνδυασμένη μεταφορά βαριών εμπορευματοκιβωτίων, με συνολικό ωφέλιμο φορτίο μεγαλύτερο των 300t, παράγει λιγότερους ρύπους σε σχέση με την ισοδύναμη αμιγώς οδική, σε αντίθεση με τη μεταφορά ελαφριών εμπορευματοκιβωτίων και συνήθους μίξης ελαφριών, μεσαίου βάρους και βαριών εμπορευματοκιβωτίων. Από τις αναλύσεις προέκυψε ότι η επιλογή κατάλληλων φορταμαξών μπορεί να μειώσει τους ρύπους έως και 21%. Αντίθετα, η ύπαρξη μεγάλων κλίσεων αυξάνει σημαντικά τους ρύπους και, τέλος, η αλλαγή της ταχύτητας κίνησης του συρμού μπορεί να επηρεάσει τους ρύπους κατά ±5%.The main goal of this thesis is to develop a methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of rail intermodal freight transport. The developed methodological approach allows the calculation of the total number of locomotives required, as well as the energy consumption and pollutants emitted by train for different types of loading units and wagons and for different rail track technical characteristics. Moreover, it takes into account the restrictions imposed by the wagons’ loading, which prevent them from operating at full capacity. The case study on the Athens -Thessaloniki line showed that, according to current data (gradient profile of track, rolling stock, Greek energy mix), the intermodal transport of heavy containers, with a total payload of more than 300t, emits less pollutants compared to the equivalent pure road transport. On the contrary, the exclusive transport of light containers, as well as the transport of a typical mix of light, medium and heavy containers emit more pollutants than the equivalent pure road transport. Based on the performed computations, it was concluded that the optimal choice of rolling stock can reduce pollutants by up to 21%. Furthermore, the presence of steep gradients on the rail line strongly impacts the amount of generated pollutants, while fluctuations of the train velocity also impact the emitted pollutants by a percentage of ±5%.Ελένη Μ. Τουρνάκ

Creating paradigms for nearly zero energy hotels in South Europe

According to the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings recast, hotels and other buildings of a certain size, frequently visited by the public, should set an example in environmental and energy performance. Moreover, being energy intensive buildings, they are at high priority for becoming nearly Zero Energy Buildings. Even though they represent a specific category, along with restaurants, till today there is a lack of credible data for this type of buildings, especially taking into account the wide range of different typologies (coastal, mountain, urban, rural or business, resort, spa/wellness, bed & breakfast). This paper presents the results of the actual energy performance of six south European countries (Greece, Croatia, France, Romania, Italy and Spain) plus one north (Sweden) for comparison, analyzed in the framework of the nearly Zero Energy Hotels (neZEH) project. The project focused on providing technical assistance to existing pilot hotels for refurbishing into nearly Zero Energy Buildings, demonstrating the sustainability of investments towards zero energy and undertaking training and capacity building activities at regional, national and European level. The results showed that the primary energy use for the hosting functions across all sixteen pilot hotels can decrease dramatically—from an average of 277 kWh/m2/y to an average of 102 kWh/m2/y; an average reduction of 63%. At the same time, Renewable Energy Sources share for the hosting functions can be increased from an average of 18% to an average of 46%. The analysis also showed that hotel non-hosting functions, i.e., other facilities that require special indoor environmental conditions, such as spa, kitchen etc. are more critical than the hosting functions; their primary energy use can decrease from an average of 727 kWh/m2/y to an average of 374 kWh/m2/y

TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION OF PV INSTALLERS IN EUROPE THE PVTRIN PROJECT

ABSTRACT: The high photovoltaic market growth rates, which are further favored by the EU supporting policies and the favorable national regulatory frameworks within the Member State countries, may turn to a threat for the PV industry due to the lack of adequately skilled workforce for the PV installation and maintenance. This may result in poorly installed systems with negative impact on the PV industry's credibility and development. Furthermore, the interested parties (developers, designers, potential users) will eventually seek for acknowledged standards, skills certification and quality assurance throughout the development of a PV/BIPV application (design, installation, and maintenance). The PVTRIN, an Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) project, addresses to these issues, by developing a training and certification scheme for the technicians/electricians/engineers that activate in the installation and maintenance of small scale PV systems. The training and certification scheme will incorporate the criteria set by the 2009/28/EC Directive, providing a supporting instrument for EU Member States to meet their obligations for acknowledged certifications for RES installers till 31/12/2012. Creating a qualified PV installers workforce, the increased confidence of potential PV owners will lead to market growth