A SWOT analysis for offshore wind energy assessment using remote-sensing potential

The elaboration of a methodology for accurately assessing the potentialities of blue renewable energy sources is a key challenge among the current energy sustainability strategies all over the world. Consequentially, many researchers are currently working to improve the accuracy of marine renewable assessment methods. Nowadays, remote sensing (RSs) satellites are used to observe the environment in many fields and applications. These could also be used to identify regions of interest for future energy converter installations and to accurately identify areas with interesting potentials. Therefore, researchers can dramatically reduce the possibility of significant error. In this paper, a comprehensive SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is elaborated to assess RS satellite potentialities for offshore wind (OW) estimation. Sicily and Sardinia-the two biggest Italian islands with the highest potential for offshore wind energy generation-were selected as pilot areas. Since there is a lack of measuring instruments, such as cup anemometers and buoys in these areas (mainly due to their high economic costs), an accurate analysis was carried out to assess the marine energy potential from offshore wind. Since there are only limited options for further expanding the measurement over large areas, the use of satellites makes it easier to overcome this limitation. Undoubtedly, with the advent of new technologies for measuring renewable energy sources (RESs), there could be a significant energy transition in this area that requires a proper orientation of plans to examine the factors influencing these new technologies that can negatively affect most of the available potential. Satellite technology for identifying suitable areas of wind power plants could be a powerful tool that is constantly increasing in its applications but requires good planning to apply it in various projects. Proper planning is only possible with a better understanding of satellite capabilities and different methods for measuring available wind resources. To this end, a better understanding in interdisciplinary fields with the exchange of updated information between different sectors of development, such as universities and companies, will be most effective. In this context, by reviewing the available satellite technologies, the ability of this tool to measure the marine renewable energies (MREs) sector in large and small areas is considered. Secondly, an attempt is made to identify the strengths and weaknesses of using these types of tools and techniques that can help in various projects. Lastly, specific scenarios related to the application of such systems in existing and new developments are reviewed and discussed

Nitrate and nitrite accumulation in tomato and potato in Ardabil province

The research was conducted to determine the residual nitrite and nitrate on potatoes and tomatoes, two commercially important vegetables in Ardabil province. Samples of these plants were collected randomly from farms and wholesale markets in 10 day intervals at harvesting time in three sites (Ardabil, Parsabad and Meshkin Shahr) during 2004 and 2005. The samples were analyzed for residual nitrate and nitrite using spectroscopic method. The results revealed that in 10% of potato samples nitrate concentration was more than acceptable level (465 – 519.3 mg/kg fresh weight). Nitrite residue in potatoes ranged from 0.1 to 1.12 mg/kg. The nitrite and nitrate concentrations of 83.4% and 33% of tomato samples were lower than detecting limit of the methods. The amount of nitrate in tomato samples of Meshghin shahr was 20 fold lowers than Parsabads region that probably resulted from higher nitrogen fertilizers application in this region

An Investigation of the Policies and Crucial Sectors of Smart Cities Based on IoT Application

As smart cities (SCs) emerge, the Internet of Things (IoT) is able to simplify more sophisticated and ubiquitous applications employed within these cities. In this regard, we investigate seven predominant sectors including the environment, public transport, utilities, street lighting, waste management, public safety, and smart parking that have a great effect on SC development. Our findings show that for the environment sector, cleaner air and water systems connected to IoT-driven sensors are used to detect the amount of CO2, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen to monitor air quality and to detect water leakage and pH levels. For public transport, IoT systems help traffic management and prevent train delays, for the utilities sector IoT systems are used for reducing overall bills and related costs as well as electricity consumption management. For the street-lighting sector, IoT systems are used for better control of streetlamps and saving energy associated with urban street lighting. For waste management, IoT systems for waste collection and gathering of data regarding the level of waste in the container are effective. In addition, for public safety these systems are important in order to prevent vehicle theft and smartphone loss and to enhance public safety. Finally, IoT systems are effective in reducing congestion in cities and helping drivers to find vacant parking spots using intelligent smart parking

Investigating Smart City Development Based on Green Buildings, Electrical Vehicles and Feasible Indicators

With a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by developing Smart Cities (SCs) and industrial decarbonization, there is a growing desire to decarbonize the renewable energy sector by accelerating green buildings (GBs) construction, electric vehicles (EVs), and ensuring long-term stability, with the expectation that emissions will need to be reduced by at least two thirds by 2035 and by at least 90% by 2050. Implementing GBs in urban areas and encouraging the use of EVs are cornerstones of transition towards SCs, and practical actions that governments can consider to help with improving the environment and develop SCs. This paper investigates different aspects of smart cities development and introduces new feasible indicators related to GBs and EVs in designing SCs, presenting existing barriers to smart cities development, and solutions to overcome them. The results demonstrate that feasible and achievable policies such as the development of the zero-energy, attention to design parameters, implementation of effective indicators for GBs and EVs, implementing strategies to reduce the cost of production of EVs whilst maintaining good quality standards, load management, and integrating EVs successfully into the electricity system, are important in smart cities development. Therefore, strategies to governments should consider the full dynamics and potential of socio-economic and climate change by implementing new energy policies on increasing investment in EVs, and GBs development by considering energy, energy, techno-economic, and environmental benefits

Metarhodopsin control by arrestin, light-filtering screening pigments, and visual pigment turnover in invertebrate microvillar photoreceptors

The visual pigments of most invertebrate photoreceptors have two thermostable photo-interconvertible states, the ground state rhodopsin and photo-activated metarhodopsin, which triggers the phototransduction cascade until it binds arrestin. The ratio of the two states in photoequilibrium is determined by their absorbance spectra and the effective spectral distribution of illumination. Calculations indicate that metarhodopsin levels in fly photoreceptors are maintained below ~35% in normal diurnal environments, due to the combination of a blue-green rhodopsin, an orange-absorbing metarhodopsin and red transparent screening pigments. Slow metarhodopsin degradation and rhodopsin regeneration processes further subserve visual pigment maintenance. In most insect eyes, where the majority of photoreceptors have green-absorbing rhodopsins and blue-absorbing metarhodopsins, natural illuminants are predicted to create metarhodopsin levels greater than 60% at high intensities. However, fast metarhodopsin decay and rhodopsin regeneration also play an important role in controlling metarhodopsin in green receptors, resulting in a high rhodopsin content at low light intensities and a reduced overall visual pigment content in bright light. A simple model for the visual pigment–arrestin cycle is used to illustrate the dependence of the visual pigment population states on light intensity, arrestin levels and pigment turnover

Deployment of a stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system in coastal areas as a reliable energy source

Solar and wind can be considered as sustainable environmentally friendly and omnipresent renewable energy sources for generating a part of required electrical energy for inhabitants of the remote areas in different countries. Accordingly, this study investigates the techno-economic evaluation for two-hybrid renewable energy systems for Bandar Dayyer. The findings of this study shows that using the HOMER software, the total amount of electricity production by these systems are equal to 470,176¿kW, of which 22,409¿kW is provided by PV-generic system and 447,767¿kW is supplied by PV-diesel-generic system. It should be mentioned that this area has an appropriate potential of wind speed and solar radiation; therefore, the area can be suitable for investing on a hybrid renewable energy site.Postprint (author's final draft

Evaluation of Morpho-physiological Responses of Iranian Rice Landraces and Improved Genotypes to Iron Deficiency in Nutrient Solution

Excessive application of P fertilizers, use of the bicarbonated water sources for irrigation concomitant to a  low level of organic matter have resulted in widespread iron deficiencies in crop plants in Iran. One of the strategies to overcome this problem is to select tolerant genotypes to iron deficiency (i.e. iron-use-efficient genotypes) or bred genotypes with high-micronutrient-uptake ability. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to study the behavior of twelve Iranian rice landraces and improved genotypes to iron deficiency (Tarom Mahalli, Amol 2, Musa-Tarom, Gharib, Shiroudi, Bejar, Neda, Nogouran, Jozdan, Sazandegi, Zayande Roud, and Kouhrang) as exposed to two levels of chelated iron fertilizers, including 5mM (iron deficiency) and 50mM (no iron deficiency) in Yushida nutrient solution culture.  A factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with four replicates was carried out in Soilless Culture Center at Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran in 2013. The results showed that the iron content, shoot and root dry weights, total dry weight, leaf area, root length and volume and the number of tillers were significantly affected by genotypes, iron fertilizer, and their interaction. The mean dry weights were 0.215, 0.138, and 0.255 g per plant in northern landraces, northern improved, and central Iranian genotypes under no iron deficiency condition, but they were decreased by 25.7, 35.2, and 23.0% under iron deficiency condition, respectively. Based on the magnitude of decrease of total biomass under iron deficiency condition, genotypes such as Musa-Tarom, Bejar, and Zayande Roud seemed to be more tolerant in comparison to Jozdan, Amol 2, and Shiroudi