Advanced Smart Technologies Research Articles

How does Changing the Penetration of Renewables and Flexibility Measures Affect the Economics of CCS Penetration?

In recent years, investment into carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies has been seemingly sidelined to encourage larger renewable energy generation investment. High initial CCS costs have to compete with decreasing renewable costs and in some scenarios the role of CCS is completely overtaken by renewable energy. However, not recognising the value of a wider variety of low-carbon options in an energy system and committing to a single low-carbon technology can lead to a reduction in flexibility and further down the line even a lock out from successfully adapting the system to new advancements in smart technologies. On the path to a greener British energy system, gas power plants are considered as the transitional technology given the intermittent nature of most renewable generation. CCS can play a crucial role in mitigating the polluting effects of conventional generation. This paper employs real options analysis (ROA) to explore various cost and flexibility states, accounting for various penetrations of CCS and renewables working in cohesion.

A near field communication adoption and its impact on Expo visitors’ behavior

Utilization of advanced smart technologies and online-to-offline/offline-to-online marketing has resulted in the adoption of near field communication (NFC) in many expositions (Expos). The objective of NFC is to enhance and revitalize the Expo experience of visitors. Thus, this study focused on the motivation-opportunity-ability framework and satisfaction transfer of visitors who process information using NFC to understand NFC reuse intention and Expo loyalty. We hypothesized that information quality (motivation), organizational support for using NFC at an Expo (opportunity), and self-efficacy (ability) influence NFC value and NFC satisfaction. NFC value would influence satisfaction with NFC and with the Expo, which then influences NFC reuse intention and Expo loyalty, respectively. A survey of 309 visitors at the Expo showed that information quality and organizational support influenced perceived value and satisfaction of NFC. Self-efficacy influenced the perceived value of but not the satisfaction with NFC. Further, the perceived NFC affected NFC reuse intention and Expo loyalty through satisfaction with NFC and satisfaction with the Expo, respectively. This study thus expands the scope of study on NFC by demonstrating the need for utilization of NFC and by empirically demonstrating the importance of NFC.

Design optimization and optimal control of grid-connected and standalone nearly/net zero energy buildings

Abstract Nearly/net zero energy buildings (nZEBs) have attracted increasing attention particularly when high and complex performance is required in terms of energy-saving, indoor thermal comfort, environmental friendliness and grid-friendliness. However, there is no exact approach at present for the design and control of buildings to achieve the nearly/net zero energy target. This is mainly due to the complex interplay of energy production/consumption/storage systems as well as the automatically and manually controlled systems/elements in the highly integrated buildings. This paper therefore presents a comprehensive review on the issues related to the design and control of these buildings, i.e. the effects of climate/site on design, design optimization methods, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for robust design and system reliability, efficient and optimal control of high efficient generation systems and energy storage systems for alleviating/shifting the peak load, model predictive control for fast responses to smart grid, and adoption of advanced smart technologies. An outline of the progress of nZEBs is presented by summarizing the internationally known nZEBs identified including 30 case studies on the design strategies applied and the actual building performance. This review could also support the future development of methods that address the design and control of buildings with a holistic view.

A smart spaces architecture based on heterogeneous contexts, particularly social contexts

Advances in smart technologies, wireless networking, and the increased interest in services have led to the emergence of ubiquitous and pervasive computing as one of the most promising areas of computing in recent years. Researchers have become specifically interested in smart spaces and the significant improvements it can introduce to our lives. Most smart spaces rely on physical components such as sensors to sense and acquire information about the real world environment and surroundings. Although sensor networks can provide useful contextual information, they are known for their high degree of unreliability and limited resources. We believe that it is necessary to augment physical sensors with other kinds of data to create more reliable and truly context-aware smart spaces. In this paper we therefore utilize mobile devices and social networks to acquire more detailed and useful contextual information that can help create smarter spaces. We then propose a smart spaces architecture that utilizes these new contexts and in particular the social context.

Advances in Smart Technologies in Structural Engineering

Advances in Smart Technologies in Structural Engineering