An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California

An increasing number of homes in the U.S. have sold with photovoltaic (PV) energy systems installed at the time of sale, yet relatively little research exists that estimates the marginal impacts of those PV systems on home sale prices. A clearer understanding of these possible impacts might influence the decisions of homeowners considering the installation of a PV system, homebuyers considering the purchase of a home with PV already installed, and new home builders considering including PV as an optional or standard product on their homes. This research analyzes a large dataset of California homes that sold from 2000 through mid-2009 with PV installed. It finds strong evidence that homes with PV systems sold for a premium over comparable homes without PV systems during this time frame. Estimates for this premium expressed in dollars per watt of installed PV range, on average, from roughly $4 to$5.5/watt across a large number of hedonic and repeat sales model specifications and robustness tests. When expressed as a ratio of the sales price premium of PV to estimated annual energy cost savings associated with PV, an average ratio of 14:1 to 19:1 can be calculated; these results are consistent with those of the more-extensive existing literature on the impact of energy efficiency on sales prices. When the data are split among new and existing homes, however, PV system premiums are markedly affected. New homes with PV show premiums of $2.3-2.6/watt, while existing homes with PV show premiums of more than$6/watt. Reasons for this discrepancy are suggested, yet further research is warranted. A number of other areas where future research would be useful are also highlighted

Factors influencing the commissioning and provision of community pharmacy Emergency Hormonal Contraception services in England

In England, community pharmacies provide services commissioned either nationally or locally. Local commissioning exhibits variation in specification and implementation, exemplified by Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) services. A literature review did not reveal how routine data inform commissioning decisions. This study aimed to determine if analysis of data yield insights into factors influencing local service commissioning. The study uses data to evaluate factors influencing EHC services through a proxy-measure of GP EHC prescribing. Freedom of Information requests were submitted to all Local Authorities in England, requesting EHC provision data for the financial year 2017/18. GP EHC prescribing, and data identified in the literature (deprivation, pharmacy organisation type (large chains, independent pharmacies etc.) and pharmacy provision) were collected. Analysis was undertaken at two levels of aggregation: Local Authority and individual pharmacy. Statistical methods included linear correlation and multiple regression. A model portraying EHC pathways was developed using path analysis. Data from 80 Local Authorities were analysed (60% female population, aged 12-55). Significant negative correlation was found between rates of community pharmacy provision and GP EHC prescribing. Rates of community pharmacy provision positively correlated with the proportion of commissioned pharmacies and greater deprivation. Path analysis described factors influencing community pharmacy provision and GP EHC prescribing. Commissioning all community pharmacies in England (from 47% currently) may decrease GP EHC prescriptions by 15%. Bivariate correlations indicated significant negative correlation between deprivation and individual pharmacy rates of EHC provision. Larger organisations provided greater volumes of national services (specifically Medicine Use Reviews). There was no relationship regarding EHC suggesting local commissioning should not be dependent on organisation type. Analysis of routine data and path analysis provide insight into EHC provision and present a method to identify ways to guide commissioning decisions. Where data are available this method could be used to inform decisions for other services

Effects of live-bait shrimp trawling on seagrass beds and fish bycatch in Tampa Bay, Florida

The use of live shrimp for bait in recreational fishing has resulted in a controversial fishery for shrimp in Florida. In this fishery, night collections are conducted over seagrass beds with roller beam trawls to capture live shrimp, primarily pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum. These shrimp are culled from the catch on sorting tables and placed in onboard aerated “live” wells. Beds of turtlegrass, Thalassia testudinum, a species that has highest growth rates and biomass during summer and lowest during the winter (Fonseca et al., 1996) are predominant areas for live-bait shrimp trawling (Tabb and Kenny, 1969). Our study objectives were 1) to determine effects of a roller beam trawl on turtlegrass biomass and morphometrics during intensive (up to 18 trawls over a turtlegrass bed), short-term (3-hour duration) use and 2) to examine the mortality of bycatch finfish following capture by a trawl

UMass Amherst DPC Pandemic Impact Statement for Sociologists

This is a sample departmental level pandemic impact statement from the department of sociology at UMass Amherst

Conformal coating value/risk assessment for Sandia satellite programs.

Conformal coatings are used in space applications on printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies primarily as a protective barrier against environmental contaminants. Such coatings have been used at Sandia for decades in satellite applications including the GPS satellite program. Recently, the value of conformal coating has been questioned because it is time consuming (requiring a 5-6 week schedule allowance) and delays due to difficulty of repairs and rework performed afterward are troublesome. In an effort to find opportunities where assembly time can be reduced, a review of the literature as well as discussions with satellite engineers both within and external to Sandia regarding the value of conformal coating was performed. Several sources on the value of conformal coating, the functions it performs, and on whether coatings are necessary and should be used at all were found, though nearly all were based on anecdotal information. The first section of this report, titled 'Conformal Coating for Space Applications', summarizes the results of an initial risk-value assessment of the conformal coating process for Sandia satellite programs based on information gathered. In the process of collecting information to perform the assessment, it was necessary to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the entire satellite box assembly process. A production time-line was constructed and is presented in the second section of this report, titled 'Satellite Box Assembly', specifically to identify potential sources of time delays, manufacturing issues, and component failures related to the conformal coating process in relation to the box assembly. The time-line also allows for identification of production issues that were anecdotally attributed to the conformal coating but actually were associated with other production steps in the box assembly process. It was constructed largely in consultation with GPS program engineers with empirical knowledge of times required to complete the production steps, and who are familiar with associated risks from activities such as handling, assembly, transportation, testing, and integration into a space vehicle (SV) system. Finally, section three titled, 'Summary and Recommendations for Future Work', briefly summarizes what we have learned and describes proposed future work

The Benefits of Reducing Exposure to Waste Disposal Sites: A Hedonic Housing Value Approach

A large detailed data set is used to examine the relationship between housing prices and several environmental quality indicators representing air, water, and land influences. Our primary concern is the influence of waste site proximity on housing prices. The results indicate that individuals consider waste site proximity in their housing purchases, yielding a measurable price gradient with two important characteristics. First, the price gradient levels off with distance from the waste site. Second, distance from hazardous waste sites is more valuable than distance from nonhazardous waste sites. These results are relatively robust, remaining stable as estimated functional form and sample size varies.

Do Photovoltaic Energy Systems Effect Residential Selling Prices? Results from a California Statewide Investigation.

An increasing number of homes in the U.S. have sold with photovoltaic (PV) energy systems installed at the time of sale, yet relatively little research exists that provides estimates of the marginal impacts of those PV systems on home sale prices. This research analyzes a large dataset of California homes that sold from 2000 through mid-2009 with PV installed. We find strong evidence that homes with PV systems sold for a premium over comparable homes without PV systems during this time frame. Estimates for this premium expressed in dollars per watt of installed PV range, from roughly $4 to$6.4/watt across the full dataset, to approximately $2.3/watt for new homes, to more than$6/watt for existing homes. A number of ideas for further research are suggested

Wind Energy Facilities and Residential Properties: The Effect of Proximity and View on Sales Prices

With increasing numbers of communities considering wind power developments, empirical investigations regarding related community concerns are needed. One such concern is that proximate property values may be adversely affected, yet relatively little research exists on the subject. The present research investigates roughly 7,500 sales of single-family homes surrounding 24 existing U.S. wind facilities. Across four different hedonic models, and a variety of robustness tests, the results are consistent: neither the view of the wind facilities nor the distance of the home to those facilities is found to have a statistically significant effect on sales prices, yet further research is warranted

A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Globular clusters with their large populations of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are believed to be potential emitters of high-energy gamma-ray emission. Our goal is to constrain the millisecond pulsar populations in globular clusters from analysis of gamma-ray observations. We use 546 days of continuous sky-survey observations obtained with the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to study the gamma-ray emission towards 13 globular clusters. Steady point-like high-energy gamma-ray emission has been significantly detected towards 8 globular clusters. Five of them (47 Tucanae, Omega Cen, NGC 6388, Terzan 5, and M 28) show hard spectral power indices $(0.7 < \Gamma <1.4)$ and clear evidence for an exponential cut-off in the range 1.0-2.6 GeV, which is the characteristic signature of magnetospheric emission from MSPs. Three of them (M 62, NGC 6440 and NGC 6652) also show hard spectral indices $(1.0 < \Gamma < 1.7)$, however the presence of an exponential cut-off can not be unambiguously established. Three of them (Omega Cen, NGC 6388, NGC 6652) have no known radio or X-ray MSPs yet still exhibit MSP spectral properties. From the observed gamma-ray luminosities, we estimate the total number of MSPs that is expected to be present in these globular clusters. We show that our estimates of the MSP population correlate with the stellar encounter rate and we estimate 2600-4700 MSPs in Galactic globular clusters, commensurate with previous estimates. The observation of high-energy gamma-ray emission from a globular cluster thus provides a reliable independent method to assess their millisecond pulsar populations that can be used to make constraints on the original neutron star X-ray binary population, essential for understanding the importance of binary systems in slowing the inevitable core collapse of globular clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Corresponding authors: J. Kn\"odlseder, N. Webb, B. Pancraz

The Vehicle, Spring 2013

Vol. 54, Issue 1 Table of Contents About Face!: A Confederacy of ClichesKaren Neuberg page 8 HopeJames Coxpage 9 IN or OUTTaryn DeVriespage 12 The Imagination of a ChildMaxwell Collinspage 16 How Free to be a TreeLeann Kirchnerpage 18 CrowsValentina Canopage 19 Old West PhotosFred Pollackpage 20 Lava LampFred Pollackpage 21 Mort MotGerry Mark Nortonpage 23 If ILaura Adrianpage 24 Finding my MonkeyDavid Lewitzkypage 25 Slow DragDavid Lewitzkypage 26 Political ScienceElizabeth Marlowpage 27 ...Were Punctuated By...Elizabeth Marlowpage 28 St. E Pt 1Elizabeth Marlowpage 29 The Steamboat CaptainElizabeth Marlowpage 30 Pretty EyesRyan Sheapage 31 The World is RoundRyan Sheapage 32 End SongsJason Graffpage 33 The Sensitive Youth Grows UpRichard King Perkins IIpage 41 Colors and LightKyle Owenspage 42 RE-TARDKarlyn Thayerpage 44 Where Is Waldo?Riley Parishpage 57 Beneath Shifting SoundsHolly Daypage 58 Talking Shop with Mike Kardospage 60 Winnie Davis Neely Award winner: Paper CutsGregory Robert Petersonpage 68 Paper-Mache PoetryGregory Robert Petersonpage 69 James K. Johnson Award winners: ValveChristopher Robinsonpage 72 Dear MotherEliot Thompsonpage 76 Why Are There Bars on the WindowsEliot Thompsonpage 77 To Be a ScholarEliot Thompsonpage 79 OccidentalEliot Thompsonpage 80 Falling is for the ClumsyEliot Thompsonpage 81 Scary MonstersC. David Banyaipage 83 I Called My Grandmother DollyRashelle Spearpage 90 Tender FleshH R Greenpage 92 Faking ItShelby Koehnepage 95 Contributor\u27s notespage 101https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1095/thumbnail.jp