Ecosystem Impacts of Geoengineering: A Review for Developing a Science Plan

Geoengineering methods are intended to reduce climate change, which is already having demonstrable effects on ecosystem structure and functioning in some regions. Two types of geoengineering activities that have been proposed are: carbon dioxide (CO(2)) removal (CDR), which removes CO(2) from the atmosphere, and solar radiation management (SRM, or sunlight reflection methods), which reflects a small percentage of sunlight back into space to offset warming from greenhouse gases (GHGs). Current research suggests that SRM or CDR might diminish the impacts of climate change on ecosystems by reducing changes in temperature and precipitation. However, sudden cessation of SRM would exacerbate the climate effects on ecosystems, and some CDR might interfere with oceanic and terrestrial ecosystem processes. The many risks and uncertainties associated with these new kinds of purposeful perturbations to the Earth system are not well understood and require cautious and comprehensive research.     

晶硅光伏组件出口对中国碳排放的影响

基于文献资料,估算了2004-2009年中国晶硅光伏组件制造过程中的能源消耗和CO2排放强度。研究发现,2004-2009年,晶硅光伏组件制造过程中的能耗强度和CO2排放强度均逐年下降。2009年,单晶、多晶光伏组件制造过程中的能耗强度分别为2 629 kWh/kWp和2 242 kWh/kWp,碳排放强度分别为1 829 gCO2/Wp和1 559 gCO2/Wp。由于晶硅光伏组件的大量出口,中国不仅出口了大量的隐含碳,还损失了数量可观的、潜在的CO2减排能力。2004-2010年,中国的隐含碳净出口量由3万tCO2增加到852万tCO2;如果出口的晶硅电池全部用于国内,在其生命周期内累计可减排CO23.4亿t。除2004年和2010年外,国内安装的晶硅光伏组件在其生命周期内所能减少的CO2排放不足以抵消晶硅光伏行业的CO2排放,晶硅光伏行业对中国CO2减排的贡献为负。在多晶硅全部国产的情况下,中国若维持晶硅电池应用中的CO2减排量与全行业CO2排放量的平衡,至少应将晶硅组件制造的7.2%安装在国内使用。若多晶硅进口比例仍保持在50%左右,则至少应将晶硅组件制造的4.9%安装在国内使用。     

Inactivation and injury assessment of Escherichia coli during solar and photocatalytic disinfection in LDPE bags

Solar disinfection (SODIS) of Escherichia coli suspensions in low-density polyethylene bag reactors was investigated as a low-cost disinfection method suitable for application in developing countries. The efficiency of a range of SODIS reactor configurations was examined (single skin (SS), double skin, black-backed single skin, silver-backed single skin (SBSS) and composite-backed single skin) using E. coli suspended in model and real surface water. Titanium dioxide was added to the reactors to improve the efficiency of the SODIS process. The effect of turbidity was also assessed. In addition to viable counts, E. coli injury was characterised through spread-plate analysis using selective and non-selective media. The optimal reactor configuration was determined to be the SBSS bag (t₅₀ = 9.0 min) demonstrating the importance of UVA photons, as opposed to infrared in the SODIS disinfection mechanism. Complete inactivation (6.5-log) was achieved in the presence of turbidity (50 NTU) using the SBSS bag within 180 min simulated solar exposure. The addition of titanium dioxide (0.025 g L⁻¹) significantly enhanced E. coli inactivation in the SS reactor, with 6-log inactivation observed within 90 min simulated solar exposure. During the early stages of both SODIS and photocatalytic disinfection, injured E. coli were detected; however, irreversible injury was caused and re-growth was not observed. Experiments under solar conditions were undertaken with total inactivation (6.5-log) observed in the SS reactor within 240 min, incomplete inactivation (4-log) was observed in SODIS bottles exposed to the same solar conditions.     

Are policy incentives for solar power effective? Evidence from residential installations in the Northeast

State incentives for solar power have grown significantly in the past several years. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy incentives to increase residential solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. We use county-level panel data and control for demographic characteristics, solar resources, and pro-environmental preferences. Results show that among financial incentives, rebates have the most impact with an additional $1 per watt rebate increasing annual PV capacity additions by close to 50%. Factors that affect financial returns to solar PV such as electricity price and solar insolation are also found to be significant. Results also point to a significant positive relationship between hybrid vehicle sales and residential PV capacity growth, indicating the importance of pro-environmental preferences as a predictor of solar PV demand. Back of the envelope calculations suggest that the cost of carbon mitigation through rebates is around $184 per ton of CO₂.     

Solar Assisted Small-Scale Biomass District Heating System in the Northern Part of Sweden

Abstract

This article presents a case study of a projected solar assisted biomass district heating system in the north of Sweden. It is generally known that a biomass district heating system combined with solar heat brings many important benefits. The most common system solution is to install a heat store and a large solar collector field near the heating central. No plant of this type is however in operation in the northern part of Sweden. The main reason for this is that the solar irradiation at these latitudes is very low when the demand for heat is high. Solar heat could however be useful during summer in order to generate hot tap water. One problem is that the heat losses, calculated as percentage of the delivered heat, become very large during these months. This article presents the idea of allowing the connected households to generate their own hot tap water using solar collectors and heat stores installed in each house. The district heating network can therefore be closed in summer, which eliminates the heat losses outside the heating period. A case study of a projected plant has been carried out and it is shown that it is possible to reduce the heat losses by 20% compared to a conventional system. This idea also provides many other important technical and economic benefits.     

Second Law Analysis for Solar Cookers

Abstract

This article presents the importance and usefulness of Second Law (exergy) analysis for evaluating and comparing solar cookers in meaningful ways. The thermodynamic considerations required for the development of rational and meaningful methodologies for the evaluation and comparison of the efficiency of the solar cookers were defined. Energy and exergy equations were also developed to obtain energy and exergy efficiencies of the solar cookers. The evaluation of the solar cookers requires a measure of efficiency, which is rational, meaningful, and practical. Exergy analysis provides an alternative means of evaluating and comparing the solar cookers. Since exergy is a measure of the quality or usefulness of energy, exergy efficiency measures are more significant than energy efficiency measures, exergy analysis should be considered in the evaluation of the solar cookers.     

Studies on the Drying Characteristics of Zingiber Officinale Under Open Sun and Solar Biomass (Hybrid) Drying

Drying characteristics of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) under the open sun and direct type natural convection solar biomass (hybrid) drying were studied. It has been observed that under open sun drying conditions, the drying rate depends on the product thickness and climatic conditions. The results have been drawn for both the summer (April-May, 2004) and winter (November-January, 2003–04) months of Delhi, in India. In the hybrid drier, the ginger, with a thickness of 0.008 m, dried in 33 hours in comparison to 96 hours in open-sun drying. The overall drying efficiency of the hybrid drier was found to be 18% and 13% under summer and winter climatic conditions respectively. The loss of volatile oil content of the ginger is less in hybrid drier in comparison to open sun drying. It was found that the average drying air temperature of 60°C with average air velocity of 0.6m/sec was sufficient for the drying of ginger in the hybrid drier. Ginger quality after drying is better and drying time is less in the hybrid drier in comparison to open-sun drying. The hybrid drier is a simple device, which can be manufactured with locally available materials and can be used for drying of other spices, vegetables and fruits etc.     

Does localized imitation drive technology adoption? A case study on rooftop photovoltaic systems in Germany

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the spatio-temporal diffusion of rooftop household photovoltaic installations in Germany and to test whether localized imitation drives their adoption. Our study is based on a unique data set of some 576,000 household photovoltaic systems installed in Germany through 2009. We employ an epidemic diffusion model which includes a spatial dimension, and control for temporal and spatial heterogeneity. According to our results, imitative adoption behavior is highly localized and an important factor for the diffusion of household photovoltaic systems.     

Book reviews

AUTOMATIC METHODS OF ANALYSIS by M. Valcárcel and M. D. Luque de Castro, Volume 9 in series Techniques and Instrumentation in Analytical Chemistry, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam (1988), 560 pages, US$ 131.50

SELF‐DIFFUSION IN ELECTROLYTE SOLUTIONS: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF DATA COMPILED FROM THE LITERATURE by R. Mills and V. M. M. Lobo, Volume 36 published in the series Physical Sciences Data, Elsevier, Amsterdam (1988), 354 pages, US$ 134.25