Religion and Which Sciences? Science and Which Community?

The author addresses ways in which participants in the religion-and-science dialogues avoid ethically sensitive issues involving the scientifically developed subject of nonhuman animals. Using the concept of ethical anthropocentrism, he maintains that the contemporary dialogue is mired in a traditional set of concepts and myopic discourse. The present approach entails serious risks of weakening both religious life and scientific inquiry, including the foundation for an engagement between religion and science. Furthermore, the specific sciences dealing with nonhuman animals should be engaged fully for a number of reasons related to both religious and scientific goals. A further benefit of such an engagement would be promotion of an understanding of community more responsive to the non-anthropocentric ethics found so broadly in religious traditions outside the Abrahamic, and in subordinated portions of the Abrahamic traditions

Religion and Animals: A Changing Scene

For protections to evolve to include nonhuman species, religions— through their leaders, their institutions, and above all their believers— must take seriously the important role that they have played, and certainly will continue to play, in humans’ engagement with the lives beyond our species line. Religions have such a central role in the transmission of basic images and values regarding living beings that, without their help, the problem of the species line will not be solved in this century. A central question for this century is whether influential religious institutions will continue to convey images that radically and absolutely dismiss nonhumans, or will religions offer support for the broadening movement to include nonhuman animals in humans’ moral scope

HOW COMPETITIVE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRICITY

Over the last decade prices for residential grid-connected PV systems have decreased by 50 to 80% depeding on the local market conditions. Electricity production from residential photovoltaic solar systems has shown that it can be cheaper as residential electricity prices in a growing number of countries, depending on the actual electricity price and the local solar radiation level. The article shows how the financing costs for a PV system and the actual electricity price determine the economics of a unsubsidised PV system.JRC.F.7-Renewable Energ

PV Status Report 2012

Photovoltaics is a solar power technology to generate Electricity using semiconductor devices, known as solar cells. A number of solar cells form a solar "Module" or "Panel", which can then be combined to solar systems, ranging from a few Watts of electricity output to multi Megawatt power stations. The unique format of the Photovoltaic Status Report combines international up-to-date information about Research Activities with Manufacturing and Market Implementation Data of Photovoltaics. These data are collected on a regular basis from public and commercial studies and cross-checked with personal communications. Regular fact-finding missions with company visits, as well as meetings with officials from funding organisations and policy makers, complete the picture. Growth in the solar Photovoltaic sector has been robust. Yearly growth rates over the last decade were on average more than 40%, thus making photovoltaics one of the fastest growing industries at present. The PV Status Report provides comprehensive and relevant information on this dynamic sector for the public interested, as well as decision- makers in policy and industry.JRC.F.7-Renewable Energ

PV Status Report 2013

Photovoltaics is a solar power technology to generate Electricity using semiconductor devices, known as solar cells. A number of solar cells form a solar "Module" or "Panel", which can then be combined to solar systems, ranging from a few Watts of electricity output to multi Megawatt power stations. The unique format of the Photovoltaic Status Report combines international up-to-date information of Photovoltaics. These data are collected on a regular basis from public and commercial studies and cross-checked with personal communications. Regular fact-finding missions with company visits, as well as meetings with officials from funding organisations and policy makers, complete the picture. Growth in the solar Photovoltaic sector has been robust. The Compound Annual Growth Rate over the last decade was over 50%, thus making photovoltaics one of the fastest growing industries at present. The PV Status Report provides comprehensive and relevant information on this dynamic sector for the public interested, as well as decision- makers in policy and industry.JRC.F.7-Renewable Energ

Quo Vadis Photovoltaics 2011

Since more than 10 years photovoltaics is one of the fastest growing industries with growth rates well beyond 40% per annum. This growth is driven not only by the progress in materials and processing technology, but by market introduction programmes in many countries around the world and the increased volatility and mounting fossil energy prices. Despite the negative impacts of the economic crisis in 2009, photovoltaics is still growing at an extraordinary pace and had an extraordinary year with a doubling of production and market in 2010. The open question is what will happen in 2011 and the years to come as the situation is dominated by huge manufacturing overcapacities and an increasing unpredictability of poly support. How can the PV industry accelerate their cost learning to ensure another 10 to 20 years of sustained and aggressive growth necessary to make PV to one of the main pillars of a sustainable energy supply in 2030. Despite the fact, that globally the share of electricity from photovltaic systems is still small, the share of PV electricity at local level can already now be above 30% of the demand at certain times of the year. Future research in PV has to provide intelligent solutions not only on the cell, but also on the module and the system level in order to permit the continuation of a rapid growth of photovoltaic electricity in order to deliver 5 to 10% of electricity in 2020.JRC.F.8-Renewable Energy (Ispra

PV Status Report 2014

Photovoltaics is a solar power technology for generating electricity using semiconductor devices known as solar cells. A number of solar cells form a solar ‘module’ or ‘panel’, which can then be combined to solar power systems, ranging from a few watts of electricity output to multi-megawatt power stations. The unique format of the PV Status Report combines up-to-date international information on photovoltaics. These data are collected on a regular basis from public and commercial studies and cross-checked with personal communications. Regular fact-finding missions involving company visits, as well as meetings with officials from funding organisations and policy-makers, complete the picture. Growth in the solar photovoltaic sector has been robust. The Compound Annual Growth Rate over the last decade was over 50%, thus making photovoltaics one of the fastest growing industries at present. The PV Status Report provides comprehensive and relevant information on this dynamic sector for the interested public, as well as decision-makers in policy and industry.JRC.F.7-Renewables and Energy Efficienc

Consecutive Daily Measurements of Luminal Concentrations of Lactate in the Rectum in Septic Shock Patients

In a recent study we found no difference in the concentrations of luminal lactate in the rectum between nonsurvivors and survivors in early septic shock (<24 h). This study was initiated to investigate if there are any changes in the concentrations of luminal lactate in the rectum during the first 3 days of septic shock and possible differences between nonsurvivors and survivors. Methods. We studied 22 patients with septic shock in this observational study. Six to 24 h after the onset of septic shock the concentration of lactate in the rectal lumen was estimated by 4 h equilibrium dialysis (day 1). The rectal dialysis was repeated on day 2 and day 3. Results. The concentration of lactate in the rectal lumen did not change over the 3 days in neither nonsurvivors nor survivors. Rectal luminal and arterial lactate concentrations were not different. Conclusion. There was no change in the concentration of lactate in the rectal lumen over time in patients with septic shock. Also, there was no difference between nonsurvivors and survivors