A dynamic CGE modelling approach for analyzing trade-offs in climate change policy options: the case of Green Climate Fund

38 p.We investigate the trade-offs between economic growth and low carbon targets for developing and developed countries in the period up to 2035. Policy options are evaluated with an original version of the dynamic CGE model GDynE. Abatement costs appear to be strongly detrimental to economic growth for developing countries. We investigate options for reducing these costs that are consistent with a green growth strategy. We show that Green Climate Fund financed through a levy on carbon taxation can benefit all parties, and larger benefits are associated with investment of the Green Climate Fund to foster energy efficiency in developing countries

FOOT: a new experiment to measure nuclear fragmentation at intermediate energies

Summary: Charged particle therapy exploits proton or 12C beams to treat deep-seated solid tumors. Due to the advantageous characteristics of charged particles energy deposition in matter, the maximum of the dose is released to the tumor at the end of the beam range, in the Bragg peak region. However, the beam nuclear interactions with the patient tissues induces fragmentation both of projectile and target nuclei and needs to be carefully taken into account. In proton treatments, target fragmentation produces low energy, short range fragments along all the beam range, which deposit a non negligible dose in the entry channel. In 12C treatments the main concern is represented by long range fragments due to beam fragmentation that release their dose in the healthy tissues beyond the tumor. The FOOT experiment (FragmentatiOn Of Target) of INFN is designed to study these processes, in order to improve the nuclear fragmentation description in next generation Treatment Planning Systems and the treatment plans quality. Target (16O and 12C nuclei) fragmentation induced by –proton beams at therapeutic energies will be studied via an inverse kinematic approach, where 16O and 12C therapeutic beams impinge on graphite and hydrocarbon targets to provide the nuclear fragmentation cross section on hydrogen. Projectile fragmentation of 16O and 12C beams will be explored as well. The FOOT detector includes a magnetic spectrometer for the fragments momentum measurement, a plastic scintillator for ΔE and time of flight measurements and a crystal calorimeter to measure the fragments kinetic energy. These measurements will be combined in order to make an accurate fragment charge and isotopic identification. Keywords: Hadrontherapy, Nuclear fragmentation cross sections, Tracking detectors, Scintillating detector

Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume: Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223

Energy signature modeling towards digital twins – lessons learned from a case study with TRV and GAHP technologies

In building refurbishment projects, efficient technologies such as heat pumps are increasingly being used as a substitute for conventional technologies such as condensing boilers, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and determining operational energy and cost savings. Measured building performance, however, often reveals a significant gap between the predicted energy use (design stage) and actual energy use (operation stage). For this reason, a scalable energy signature modeling approach is presented in this paper to verify building energy performance from measured data. Regression models are built with data at multiple temporal resolutions (monthly and daily) and are used to verify the performance improvement due to smart heating controllers (TRV) and Gas Absorption Heat Pumps (GAHP). The capabilities of energy signature analysis are enhanced by including additional variables in the modeling process and by running the models as “digital twins” with a rolling horizon of 15 days of data. Finally, a regression model for GAHP technology is developed to validate the results measured in the monitoring process in a comparative way. The case study chosen is Hale Court sheltered housing, located in the city of Portsmouth (UK). The results obtained are used to illustrate possible extensions of the use of energy signature modeling, highlighting implications for energy management and innovative building technologies development.</p

Data-driven building energy modelling – generalisation potential of energy signatures through interpretable machine learning

Building energy modeling based on data-driven techniques has been demonstrated to be effective in a variety of situations. However, the question about its limits in terms of generalization is still open. The ability of a machine-learning model to adapt to previously unseen data and function satisfactorily is known as generalization. Apart from that, while machine-learning techniques are incredibly effective, interpretability is required for a "human-in-the-loop" approach to be successful. This study develops and tests a flexible regression-based approach applied to monitored energy data on a Passive House building. The formulation employs dummy (binary) variables as a piecewise linearization method, with the procedures for producing them explicitly stated to ensure interpretability. The results are described using statistical indicators and a graphic technique that allows for comparison across levels in the building systems. Finally, suggestions are provided for further steps toward generalization in data-driven techniques for energy in buildings

A Comparison of Thermal Insulation with Interstitial Condensation in Different Climate Contexts in Existing Buildings in Europe

The work presented here investigates the risk of interstitial condensation between the existing masonry and the insulation using several materials and evaluates the water content inside the insulation (WCI) through various simulations in dynamic mode onto existing buildings located in different countries in Europe. The insulation materials considered are specifically: natural fibre materials, mineral fibre materials, and artificial materials. The scenarios were chosen considering different climate zones, according to the Köppen climate classification, and the analysed buildings were taken from the TABULA database in the years of construction from 1945 to 1969. The building typologies are single-family houses, where in each building system the insulation was placed towards the warm side with a fixed thickness of 5 cm. The simulations concerned: (a) the application scenario, (b) the type of stratigraphy chosen, and (c) the exposure of the existing building system. The outputs generated by the simulations provided the data to determine in which type of building, depending on the insulating materials, interstitial condensation is formed or not. It is shown that only for the climate zones of the cities of Oslo and Brussels, associated with their building typologies, for the insulating materials: mineral and natural, is there the formation of interstitial condensatio

Parametric simulations to evaluate occupants' behavior incidence on building energy performance - a Passive House case study

The building industry's rising commitment to resource efficiency is influencing the evolution of building design and operation practices. At the same time, built environment decarbonisation is among the most important policy goals at the EU and global scale. High performance building design are emerging and their deployment in practice involves both new and existing buildings. Taking advantage of heat gains (solar and internal) to balance heat losses, as in passive design strategies, is becoming more increasingly relevant, but this must be carefully considered to reduce the risk of overheating during intermediate seasons and an increase of cooling demand during summer. In general, however, optimistic assumptions are frequently made during the design phase; semi-stationary calculation methods also are still widely used, especially for code compliance. Furthermore, the impact on performance of occupant's behaviour and comfort preferences is frequently overlooked. This study investigates the potential variability of simulated performance in a case study building constructed in Italy to the Passive House standard. The study contrasts the initial design hypothesis, which was developed using a semi-stationary model, to a larger set of data created through parametric simulations using a Design of Experiments methodology and a grey-box dynamic model. The modelling approach presented aims to detect potentially problematic assumptions early in the design process, with minimal computational effort. A detailed examination of design solutions from the early design stage can aid in the provision of more robust energy performance assessments, resulting in positive implications for techno-economic optimisation and for the credibility of high performance building design paradigms. </p

On the cost-optimal levels of energy-performance requirements for buildings: A case study with economic evaluation in Italy

The European energy policies about climate and energy package, known as the \u201c20-20-20\u201d targets define ambitious, but achievable, national energy objectives. As regards the Directives closely related to the 2020 targets, the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD Recast- DIR 2010/31/EU) is the main European legislative instrument for improving the energy performance of buildings, taking into account outdoor climatic and local conditions, as well as indoor climate requirements and cost-effectiveness. The EPBD recast now requests that Member States shall ensure that minimum energy performance requirements for buildings are set \u201cwith a view to achieving cost-optimal levels\u201d. The cost optimum level shall be calculated in accordance with a comparative methodology framework, leaving the Member States to determine which of these calculations is to become the national benchmark against which national minimum energy performance requirements will be assessed. The European standards (ENs- Umbrella Document V7 (prCEN/TR 15615) are intended to support the EPBD by providing the calculation methods and associated material to obtain the overall energy performance of a building. For Italy the Energy Performance of Building Simulations EPBS must be calculated with standard UNITS 11300. The energy building behaviour is referred to standard and not to real use, nor climate or dynamic energy evaluation. Since retrofitting of existing buildings offers significant opportunities for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, a case study of retrofitting is described and the Cost- Optimal Level EU procedure in an Italian context is analysed. Following this procedure, it is shown not only that the energy cost depends on several conditions and most of them are not indexed at national level but also that the cost of improvement depends on local variables and contract tender. The case study highlights the difficulties to apply EU rules, and allows verifying whether this methodology could be used as thermo-economic analysis for investment decisions in energy efficiency improvements and refurbishment in Italy or similar regions. In the case study here analysed, the choice of the best energy efficiency measures derived from the Cost Optimal level methodology underlined the importance of the building typology, the reference market and also the building location in applying this methodology