Large-scale offshore wind production in the Mediterranean Sea

In recent years there has been a growing interest in offshore wind energy thanks to the various advantages it offers. The offshore wind energy is used for the production of electric energy above all in the shallow waters but different research activities and large-scale demonstrations are also under way for the deep waters with scientific and technological advances that open possibilities also for new markets such as the Mediterranean Sea. In this context, the present paper aims to estimate the large-scale offshore wind production of the Mediterranean Sea. The methodology uses an open GIS platform and considers bathymetric data, annual average wind speed data, environmental data, turbines technical characteristics and administrative information. Three depth categories have been considered. The overlap between depth categories and annual average wind speeds ranges has allowed to determine the areas potentially suitable for wind farms allocation. On the basis of optimal wind farm layouts and of the characteristic of the type of turbines considered, the theoretical maximum annual offshore wind production has been estimated for whole Mediterranean area and it is about 742 TWh/year. Moreover, for each depth category, the theoretical annual wind offshore production for each Mediterranean country has been estimated

Infrastructure Vulnerability Index of drinking water systems to terrorist attacks

Drinking water supply systems are vulnerable targets for which counter-terrorism measures have been raised worldwide. The threat of terrorist attacks to these systems has led to the need for the international scientific community to deal with the vulnerability assessment related to such events. In this context, this paper proposes an Infrastructure Vulnerability Index for drinking water distribution system with the aim of providing managers with a tool to assess system vulnerability to possible terrorist acts and to support the investments choice aimed at increasing security. This index is obtained using a set of indicators with reference to the structural parts of the system and considers both intentional contamination and physical damage. The index uses a hierarchic structure and decomposes the system into components and uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process to compute the weights. An application of the index was carried out for three water schemes of the Province of Crotone (Southern Italy) and the results obtained allowed to highlight the characteristics of the index and its usefulness

A proposal for multiple reuse of urban wastewater

Abstract The present paper describes a proposal of multiple reuse of wastewater for the town of Camigliatello Silano, in the province of Cosenza, Italy. Camigliatello Silano is a locality devoted to agriculture and to both winter and summer tourism. There are several issues related to the management of water resources of the locality, including the lack of regularization of the discharge of urban wastewater with Italian and European regulations, poor availability of the resource for the irrigation sector, and necessary improvements in winter tourism. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a possible solution for the management of the water resources of the locality, through the reuse of wastewater. The proposed solution provides the reuse for agricultural purposes during the irrigation period and an innovative reuse for the production of artificial snow in the winter season. The reuse for irrigation allows the increase of water resources in agriculture, while the reuse for the production of artificial snow allows a longer skiing period. The proposed solution also solves the problem of regularization of wastewater discharge with positive effects on the environment and water resources

Sustainable Water Management Index,SWaM_Index

The present paper describes the Sustainable Water Management Index, SWaM_Index, useful for managers to measure the sustainability of water management and to assess the effects of the policies undertaken in the direction of sustainability. The structure of the proposed index has been derived from European legal framework of the water resources sector, and the index is obtained from elementary indicators of environmental, economic, social and institutional nature, subsequently aggregated in sub-themes, themes and pillars. The index is well applicable on a national, regional but also local scale and the sustainable management of water resources is assessed considering natural systems, artificial systems and socio-economic and institutional aspects

Sustainability criteria for the selection of water supply pipeline

The evolution of the materials used for drinking water pipelines has often introduced substantial innovations in the market, both in terms of improved static and hydraulic performance and cost. Over time, technical and cost-effective assessments to pipelines selection, related to the materials used, have been accompanied by environmental assessments in relation to the environmental impact of construction and management of drinking water system. The recent legislative and technical regulations have made the environmental cost assessment more complex, which is related to the life cycle of materials and infrastructures. This paper proposes an index, In Situ Sustainability Index (ISSI), which can be used for the pipelines materials choice for drinking water systems and which takes into account both technical and environmental aspects. This index considers the interaction between piping and laying soil, through the In Situ Elasticity Coefficient and the impacts of materials used for water system piping through Life Cycle Assessment. The ISSI index is a practical tool because it makes a simultaneous consideration of two essential aspects in the design (technical and environmental evaluations) through a rapid-use analytical structure

Improvement of a coastal vulnerability index and its application along the Calabria Coastline, Italy

The present paper further develops a coastal vulnerability index formulation (CVI) previously proposed by the authors by integrating a new variable and redefining three variables to improve the suitability of the index for low-lying coasts. Eleven variables are divided into three typological groups: geological, hydro-physical process and vegetation. The geological variables are: geomorphology, shoreline erosion/accretion rates, coastal slope, emerged beach width, and dune. The hydro-physical process group includes: river discharge, sea-level change, mean significant wave height and mean tide range. The vegetation variables are: vegetation behind the back-beach and coverage of Posidonia oceanica. The index was applied to a stretch of the Ionian coast in the province of Crotone in the Calabria region (Southern Italy), and a vulnerability map was produced. A geography information system (GIS) platform was used to better process the data. For the case study area, the most influential variables are shoreline erosion/accretion rates, coastal slope, emerged beach width, dune, vegetation behind the back-beach, and coverage of Posidonia oceanica. The most vulnerable transects are those near urban areas characterized by the absence of dunes and vegetation. Statistical and sensitivity analyses were performed, and the proposed CVI was compared with the previous formulation proposed by the authors and with two other CVI methods present in the literature

Trends in metering potable water

Abstract Sustainable management of drinking water distribution systems requires information on the operating status of system components to identify the best operational management measures. The ability to acquire information on tank levels, pipeline flow and real-time pressure offers an efficient and cost-effective management perspective, and enables wider monitoring, which can improve (physical) security as well. The technology of measuring instruments for hydrodynamic variables, used to monitor potable water systems, differs in their independence from electronic data acquisition components and ability to connect to remote data communication systems. Advanced water measurement infrastructure is characterized by the ability to capture data with measurable errors from anywhere in the system, without restrictions on communication type. This paper deals with the measurement of hydrodynamic parameters and a proposal for water meter classification. It includes analysis of the main water meter and data tele-acquisition infrastructure. Several selection criteria are evaluated with respect to their ability to support mathematical hydraulic models and expert systems for water distribution system management

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Presentación. Ley y Justicia (del virreinato a la posrevolución)

Presentación del número "Ley y justicia (del virreinato a la posrevolución)"