The Effects of Information on Public Attitudes Toward Renewable Energy

The information-deficit model is a common framework for explaining public attitudes toward new technologies, including renewable energy technology. This model assumes that public opposition to technology is based on a lack of quality information. The siting of facilities, such as commercial wind farms, frequently face opposition from residents of local communities, despite broad public support for renewable energy. Although social science has been critical of the information-deficit model, providing information to the public can influence both the substance and quality of attitudes. In this study, residents of coastal communities in Michigan, supportive of wind energy on average, were provided in-depth information about wind energy. Compared with a control group, participants who attended information sessions exhibited greater change in both their general support for wind energy and the strength of those attitudes. Possible implications for the siting of wind farms and other renewable projects are discussed

NEW TOOLS FOR ENHANCED DIAGNOSTICS OF DGA DATA

In the last decade there has been a significant change in the way transformers are viewed. Their importance together with their obvious value to the network has been enhanced and recognized, especially in light of the ageing fleet worldwide. At the other end of the spectrum, new transformers are now being designed and built to tighter tolerances as a result of competitive market conditions, with the knock-on effect that these “modern” devices do not appear to provide the same stability and longevity as those that were entering service in the 1970s and 1980s. Against this backdrop, the advent of transformer monitoring has emerged and continues to develop at a rapid pace. Although still considered an emerging component of asset management practice, online DGA is rapidly gaining acceptance and recognition as one of the most powerful tools in protection against asset failures. While other transformer monitoring technologies abound, many of them now online, such as partial discharge, these products collectively combine to enable the move to condition based monitoring of transformer assets. As online DGA monitors have evolved new products and technologies are reaching the market at an ever increasing rate. However, the quiet revolution is in the analysis of the data. As more and more monitors are installed, so the burden of data analysis becomes increasingly large. New ways of extracting value from this data required. One important approach is the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for DGA data analysis. Additionally, with the recognition that data from monitors must be easily transferred into meaningful information for the end-user, diagnostic tools, such as the Duval Triangle, have evolved where the addition of Triangles 4 and 5 brings significantly more value to previously mined data. The mute question in this paper relates to whether or not existing online monitoring hardware has sufficient accuracy and repeatability of measurement to be of use with these more advanced diagnostic tools

Crossing “The Problem of the Color Line”: White Mathematics Teachers and Black Students

In this paper, the authors explore—within an eclectic theoretical framework of critical theory, critical race theory, and Whiteness studies—the life experiences of four White high school mathematics teachers who were “successful” with Black students. The data were collected through three, semi-structured interviews, conducted over a 5-month time period. Through a cross-case analysis of the data, three commonalities among the teachers were identified as being significant contributors to their success in teaching Black students. Two commonalities the participants themselves felt strongly about, and a third became apparent during the cross-case analysis: (a) forming meaningful relationships with students, (b) engaging students in racial conversations, and (c) reflecting both individually and collectively with colleagues on issues of race and racism. Implications for classroom practice and teacher education are discussed

Ice Particle Analysis of the Honeywell AL502 Engine Booster

A flow and ice particle trajectory analysis was performed for the booster of the Honeywell ALF502 engine. The analysis focused on two closely related conditions one of which produced an icing event and another which did not during testing of the ALF502 engine in the Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) at NASA Glenn Research Center. The flow analysis was generated using the NASA Glenn GlennHT flow solver and the particle analysis was generated using the NASA Glenn LEWICE3D v3.63 ice accretion software. The inflow conditions for the two conditions were similar with the main differences being that the condition that produced the icing event was 6.8 K colder than the non-icing event case and the inflow ice water content (IWC) for the non-icing event case was 50% less than for the icing event case. The particle analysis, which considered sublimation, evaporation and phase change, was generated for a 5 micron ice particle with a sticky impact model and for a 24 micron median volume diameter (MVD), 7 bin ice particle distribution with a supercooled large droplet (SLD) splash model used to simulate ice particle breakup. The particle analysis did not consider the effect of the runback and re-impingement of water resulting from the heated spinner and anti-icing system. The results from the analysis showed that the amount of impingement for the components were similar for the same particle size and impact model for the icing and non-icing event conditions. This was attributed to the similar aerodynamic conditions in the booster for the two cases. The particle temperature and melt fraction were higher at the same location and particle size for the non-icing event than for the icing event case due to the higher incoming inflow temperature for the non-event case. The 5 micron ice particle case produced higher impact temperatures and higher melt fractions on the components downstream of the fan than the 24 micron MVD case because the average particle size generated by the particle breakup was larger than 5 microns which yielded less warming and melting. The analysis also showed that the melt fraction and wet bulb temperature icing criterion developed during tests in the Research Altitude Test Facility (RATFac) at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada were useful in predicting icing events in the ALF502 engine. The development of an ice particle impact model which includes the effects of particle breakup, phase change, and surface state is necessary to further improve the prediction of ice particle transport with phase change through turbomachinery

Place Meaning and Consistency with Offshore Wind: An Island and Coastal Tale

This work continues a series of analyses using surveys of local communities regarding the Block Island Offshore Wind Project. Data collection focused on island and coastal resident attitudes toward the project and cognitions of the coastal setting. We report results from the first and final surveys. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate relationships among variables. Results indicate that attitudes about the project have solidified as more people have seen it. A majority support the project, and a small percent consider the project inconsistent with specific meanings associated with the ocean environment. These meanings stand out amongst other place constructs. Furthermore, the relationship among turbine descriptions and place meanings and their consistency with the project as a use of the ocean, along with general support for the project is explored. The results continue to validate a place-based understanding of the responses of people to a changing energy landscape

Critical Pedagogy and Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice

In this article, the authors explore critical pedagogy within the context of mathematics classrooms. The exploration demonstrates the evolving pedagogical practices of mathematics teachers when teaching mathematics is explicitly connected to issues of social justice. To frame the exploration, the authors provide brief overviews of the theoretical tenets of critical pedagogy and of teaching mathematics for social justice. Through using narrative and textual data, the authors illustrate how a graduate-level, critical theory and teaching mathematics for social justice course assisted, in part, in providing not only a new language but also a legitimization in teachers becoming critical mathematics pedagogues

NEW TOOLS FOR ENHANCED DIAGNOSTICS OF DGA DATA

In the last decade there has been a significant change in the way transformers are viewed. Their importance together with their obvious value to the network has been enhanced and recognized, especially in light of the ageing fleet worldwide. At the other end of the spectrum, new transformers are now being designed and built to tighter tolerances as a result of competitive market conditions, with the knock-on effect that these “modern” devices do not appear to provide the same stability and longevity as those that were entering service in the 1970s and 1980s. Against this backdrop, the advent of transformer monitoring has emerged and continues to develop at a rapid pace. Although still considered an emerging component of asset management practice, online DGA is rapidly gaining acceptance and recognition as one of the most powerful tools in protection against asset failures. While other transformer monitoring technologies abound, many of them now online, such as partial discharge, these products collectively combine to enable the move to condition based monitoring of transformer assets. As online DGA monitors have evolved new products and technologies are reaching the market at an ever increasing rate. However, the quiet revolution is in the analysis of the data. As more and more monitors are installed, so the burden of data analysis becomes increasingly large. New ways of extracting value from this data required. One important approach is the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for DGA data analysis. Additionally, with the recognition that data from monitors must be easily transferred into meaningful information for the end-user, diagnostic tools, such as the Duval Triangle, have evolved where the addition of Triangles 4 and 5 brings significantly more value to previously mined data. The mute question in this paper relates to whether or not existing online monitoring hardware has sufficient accuracy and repeatability of measurement to be of use with these more advanced diagnostic tools

The Social Dynamics of Turbine Tourism and Recreation: Introducing a mixed-method approach to the study of the First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm

Understanding the complex dynamics that influence energy transitions requires mixed methods and collaborations among researchers, resource managers, and communities. This essay details how an interdisciplinary team of researchers used a mixed-method approach to study the social dimensions of tourism and recreation as they relate to the first offshore wind farm in the United States, the Block Island Wind Farm. Although impacts to tourism from wind energy systems are widely cited as a concern by communities and policymakers, little work has sought to define what constitutes tourism and recreation impacts or provided empirical evidence of impacts from operating projects. Researchers adopted an iterative approach to research that combined discrete studies using media content analysis, ethnographic participant observation, and stakeholder focus groups, to understand the social effects of the wind farm on the tourism and recreation experience and the quality of life in Block Island and coastal Rhode Island. We detail key insights from our experimentation with an iterative mixed-method approach at Block Island and offer lessons for future studies using collaborative approaches to understand both the tangible and the intangible social dynamics of energy system transitions

Faring Well in Offshore Wind Power Siting? Trust, Engagement and Process Fairness in the United States

Although visual effects may be the most defining characteristic of a wind project, implementing fair, transparent and just decision-making processes may be a significant determining factor in success. To shed light on this question, we undertook a study of perceptions of mainland coastal and island residents proximate to the Block Island project—the first offshore wind project in the United States. The study included a longitudinal survey of residents prior to and after turbine installation, and semi-structured interviews with residents and key stakeholders. We assessed the extent to which respondents were engaged in the planning process, opinions of transparency and fairness, and degree to which the planning process affected their opinion. Although interviewees who held a negative view of state government indicated that it did not cause them to oppose the project, trust in state government was the primary driver of perceptions of process fairness, which in turn was the primary driver of project support. We also found individuals to withhold final judgment of the process until the final outcome—project operation. Finally, fair process was seen as having benefits distinct from its effect on the outcome—that is, local residents valued the process itself

Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, Location, and Causes

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has experienced a population growth rate of approximately 4% for multiple decades (Butler et al., 2014a; Miller et al., 1974). Population growth for long-lived species of birds is generally highly sensitive to variation in adult mortality rates (Sæther and Bakke, 2000). A population model for endangered Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in Japan conforms to this pattern, where growth rate is most sensitive to adult mortality (Masatomi et al., 2007). Earlier analyses observed that the AWBP growth rate increased in the mid-1950s and that this increase was likely caused by reduced annual mortality rates, even while the population experienced slightly decreasing natality (Binkley and Miller, 1988; Miller et al., 1974). A more contemporary analysis of the AWBP determined that approximately 50% of variation in annual population growth could be explained by variation in annual mortality (Butler et al., 2014a). Therefore, as a vital rate, mortality is critical to the maintained growth of the AWBP