Improve Energy Conservation Research Articles

Plasma Treatment Technologies for GaN Electronics

Nowadays, the third-generation semiconductor led by GaN has brought great changes to the semiconductor industry. Utilizing its characteristics of a wide bandgap, high breakdown Electric field, and high electron mobility, GaN material is widely applied in areas such as 5G communication and electric vehicles to improve energy conservation and reduce emissions. However, with the progress in the development of GaN electronics, surface and interface defects have become a main problem that limits the further promotion of their performance and stability, increasing leakage current and causing degradation in breakdown voltage. Thus, to reduce the damage, Plasma treatment technologies are introduced in the fabrication process of GaN electronics. Up to now, designs like the high-resistivity p-GaN cap Layer, passivating termination, and surface recovery process have been established via Plasma treatment, reaching the goals of normally-off transistors, diodes with high breakdown voltage and high-reliability GaN electronics, etc. In this article, hydrogen, fluorine, oxygen, and nitrogen Plasma treatment technologies will be discussed, and their application in GaN electronics will be reviewed and compared.

Revealing the Way to Buying New Energy Vehicles: Green Perceived Value, Green Perceived Risk, Environmental Awareness, and Green Trust

Under the current low-carbon background, new energy vehicles are the main force in the new energy industry to reduce traffic pollution. Based on improving energy conservation and environmental protection, and taking consumers’ purchase intention (PI) of new energy vehicles (NEV) as an example, this study explores the influence mechanism of consumers’ green perceived value (GPV) and green perceived risk (GPR) on consumers’ PI of new energy vehicles. This study found that the higher the GPV, the higher the consumers’ willingness to buy NEV. Moreover, the higher the GPR, the lower the consumers’ willingness to buy NEV. Green trust plays an important role in promoting the consumption behavior of NEV. Citizens’ environmental awareness (EA) has a significant moderating effect on customers’ GPV, GPR, GT, and PI. By collecting samples from the world’s largest market, we try to provide meaningful insights for new energy vehicle companies that have entered or plan to enter the Chinese market.

Determinants of energy conservation behaviour in small hospitality firms: application of the extended value belief norm theory

The study aims to investigate the energy conservation behaviour of owners and managers of small hospitality firms by incorporating social norms into an extended Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) model. In addition, the study examines the mediating effects of causal chain of the VBN model in the context of energy conservation behaviour. The world faces serious environmental challenges such as loss of biodiversity, pollution, depletion of natural resources and global warming. One of the causes of these environmental challenges is the production and consumption of energy by households and firms. The hospitality sector uses a significant amount of energy in its operation leading to negative environmental impacts. Reducing energy use will improve environmental and financial sustainability of hospitality firms. Energy conservation behaviour is one of the significant ways to reduce energy consumption. The study adopts the survey method for data collection and the respondents are conveniently sampled. The Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling is used for data analysis. Based on a dataset of 360 respondents, the study finds that the extended VBM model that includes social norms is applicable in explaining the energy conservation behaviour of owners/managers of small hospitality firms. The mediating effects of the causal chain of the VBN model are significant. The theoretical implication is the applicability of an extended VBN model that includes social norms to predict energy conservation behaviour. Recommendations on how to improve energy conservation behaviour include improving the level of awareness of ecological problems caused by energy consumption. The study aims to investigate the energy conservation behaviour of owners and managers of small hospitality firms by incorporating social norms into an extended Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) model. In addition, the study examines the mediating effects of causal chain of the VBN model in the context of energy conservation behaviour. The world faces serious environmental challenges such as loss of biodiversity, pollution, depletion of natural resources and global warming. One of the causes of these environmental challenges is the production and consumption of energy by households and firms. The hospitality sector uses a significant amount of energy in its operation leading to negative environmental impacts. Reducing energy use will improve environmental and financial sustainability of hospitality firms. Energy conservation behaviour is one of the significant ways to reduce energy consumption. The study adopts the survey method for data collection and the respondents are conveniently sampled. The Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling is used for data analysis. Based on a dataset of 360 respondents, the study finds that the extended VBM model that includes social norms is applicable in explaining the energy conservation behaviour of owners/managers of small hospitality firms. The mediating effects of the causal chain of the VBN model are significant. The theoretical implication is the applicability of an extended VBN model that includes social norms to predict energy conservation behaviour. Recommendations on how to improve energy conservation behaviour include improving the level of awareness of ecological problems caused by energy consumption.

Thermal perception of infrared radiation applied at different wavelengths to distal body segments in neutral and cool ambient environments

Personal Comfort Systems (PCS) hold the promise of simultaneously improving energy conservation and occupants’ thermal comfort. Locally applied thermal radiation is one of the most common PCS strategies for cool ambient environments. This study examines the subjective impacts of different infrared wavelengths applied to distal body segments of human subjects sitting quietly in cool and neutral environments. Experiment participants were exposed to three different wavelengths (near-infrared, mid-to far-infrared, and far-infrared), each of approximately equal flux density, on the backs of hands, lower arms, and lower legs, in both neutral (26.0 °C operative temperature) and cool (21.5 °C operative temperature) ambient environments within the chamber. Skin temperature, along with subjective thermal sensation and thermal pleasure votes were recorded throughout each exposure experiment. In the cool environment, similar to the neutral environment, far-infrared radiation increased skin temperature more than near-infrared and elicited warmer subjective thermal sensations and thermal pleasure responses. Of the three distal body segments examined, the back of the hands was most sensitive to the different wavelengths and was associated with the strongest and fastest pleasure response at the onset of radiant heating during the cool ambient environmental exposures. These findings have implications for PCS design, suggesting that irradiating the back of the hand with far-infrared wavelengths at the onset of PCS use may maximize thermal comfort of sedentary occupants in cool ambient conditions for a given power input.

Energy saving methods during the life cycle of buildings and structures: Energy service contracts

The scientific article examines the problems and solutions that can be applied in the process of managing the life cycle of construction projects. As an example, a budgetary institution is proposed in which it is necessary to improve energy conservation. The proposed mechanisms that can be applied to budgetary institutions are the most optimal, since there is no funding for energy-saving measures. In order for the entire system of energy service contracts to work effectively, mandatory participation of local governments must be provided. They, in turn, will select suitable energy service contract schemes, draw up methods for paying expenses and conditions for sharing the profits received from saving energy resources for the entire period of the contract.

Energy-conservation model of inter-provincial cooperation that accounts GDP and social benefits

With rapid development of the global economy, economic growth is increasingly dependent on energy consumption, and the world faces the associated problems of environmental pollution and depletion of energy sources. This creates a challenge: Our ability to achieve these goals is severely constrained by the current governance based on non-cooperative energy conservation. To improve energy conservation in China, we developed an energy-conservation model based on market mechanisms. The model has three parts: (1) a two-objective (GDP and social benefits) optimization model; (2) a model that determines the optimal trading volume for energy conservation quotas in each province, including division of provinces into quota buyers and sellers and a cooperative game model for energy conservation quotas; and (3) a Nash distribution model for inter-provincial cooperation to fairly distribute the benefits from cooperation. We then used Shandong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces for an empirical analysis of the cooperative model. With the current territorial management approach, the social benefits of the inter-provincial cooperation based on option trading increased by 2.79 %, and GDP increased by 273.636 × 109 CNY. After a reasonable distribution of the benefits, each province benefited from the cooperation. This demonstrates that our model can improve China's current energy conservation governance.

Temperature control characteristics of intelligent cooling system for high-speed marine diesel engine

ABSTRACT To improve energy conservation and reduce emissions of an engine, this study applies intelligent thermal management to a cooling system. With a marine high-speed diesel engine as the research object, an intelligent cooling system based on controllable cooling components was developed. A variable-universe fuzzy control algorithm is designed to control an electronic thermostat, and a ‘T–S fuzzy control + BP-PID’ control algorithm is proposed to control standard electric drive pumps. The experimental results indicate that the intelligent cooling system considerably reduces the warm-up time, achieves accurate cooling, and effectively inhibits the hot immersion phenomenon. The intelligent control algorithm has control characteristics such as rapid response, strong adaptive ability, small overshoot, smooth transition, and high precision. The intelligent cooling system reduced the cooling-system power consumption by 5.52%–57.93%, fuel consumption rate by 1.43%–5.15%, smoke emission by 1.40%–4.69%, CO emission by 2.14%–6.03%, and HC emission by 7.41%–12.26%.

Analysis of Carbon Emission Reduction Paths for the Production of Prefabricated Building Components Based on Evolutionary Game Theory

Prefabricated buildings are gradually being promoted from pilot demonstration to scale, to combat climate change and improve energy conservation and emission reduction in the building sector. Despite the carbon emission of assembled structures being substantially lower than that of cast-in-place buildings due to the significant reduction in energy demand during the materialization process, there is still a lot of room for improvement. This study looks at the strategy choices made by manufacturers of prefabricated building components in relation to lowering carbon emissions from the standpoint of manufacturing prefabricated building components. By building a dynamic evolutionary game model between two parties, we investigate the evolutionary process of the strategy chosen by prefabricated building component manufacturers and the government, analyzing the evolutionary stability of each side’s strategy choice, and finally using Matlab tools to simulate the effectiveness of the evolutionary stability. The study findings indicate that (1) low-carbon production costs, local government incentives and sanctions, and corporate low-carbon production benefits are the main influencing factors for manufacturers of prefabricated building components to adopt low-carbon production techniques; and that (2) the cost of regulation under low-carbon production methods and the local government performance assessment system are the key elements affecting regulations by the local government. Based on this finding, we suggest corresponding countermeasures in three areas, including investigating new low-carbon technology options for businesses, developing a new carbon emission accounting subsidy mechanism, and improving the regulatory framework of the government, to provide an efficient pathway for the growth of a low-carbon economy.

Embodied carbon emissions generated by international trade of China's light industry sector based on global supply chains perspective

Accurate measurement of the embodied carbon emissions (ECE) generated by international trade is the basis for formulating fair and objective global carbon emission control strategies. This paper proposed an improved multi-regional input-output model and applied it to analyze production and consumption activities related to China's light industry sector based on its position within the global supply chain. It was found that manufacturing of light industry general equipment was the most important contributor to increased ECE, and 13 of China's 16 light industries for which data were available were a net carbon sink generated by international trade. Further, it was also revealed that China received a net transfer of carbon emissions from 12 countries, such as Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. China, as an exporter of carbon emissions, was also responsible for increasing the ECE generated by the international trade of China's light industry sector in 27 countries. Such findings provide an empirical basis for revised international trade strategies and policies to improve energy conservation and reduce carbon emissions.

Developing a theoretical framework to assist policymaking for retrofitting residential buildings using system player analysis and causal loop diagrams

Retrofit of urban residential buildings (RURB) has great potential for improving energy conservation and sustainability, but it encounters challenges due to the lack of incentive policy and the unwillingness of residents. The RURB retrofitting process is a complex system involving anthropic factors such as proper definition, components, and unclear problems. This study aims to clarify its complex nature concerning the cognition and interactions of the RURB system so to develop a theoretical framework by applying the system thinking approach of System Player Analysis (SPA) with realistic qualitative data collected from four defined main players in the RURB system. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted to collect information from RURB policymakers, designers and engineers, scholars, and residents. The Hot Summer and Cold Winter climate zone (HSCW) in China was selected as the case study area. Roles, outputs, issues, demands, and features of individual RURB system players are revealed with unique local retrofit preferences whilst system cognition is clearly defined to create Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD) for RURB to help understand the interactions between system variables. The discussion based on SPA and CLD results provides valuable suggestions for addressing the identified systemic problems of RURB and an extensive theoretical basis for future retrofitting of residential buildings.

Residential Building Energy Conservation in Mediterranean Climate Zone by Integrating Passive Solar and Energy Efficiency Design Strategies

Residential buildings have a list of functions, and one of the top priories is the thermal comfort of its occupants. Thermal comfort can be one of the measurements of successful building performance, and it can be addressed in various ways to provide a good quality indoor climate. The way to address the need for thermal comfort determines the consumption and conservation of energy. Adapting passive strategies and thermal mass to a building can reduce energy consumption significantly. Applying these strategies to a building does not need additional investment from the initial capital, and renovating a building to implement the strategy will cut the energy usage of a building and save the additional financing of new technology for heating and cooling, ventilation, and so on. In this study, two residential buildings located in North Cyprus with the same geographical location, climate zone, and different construction materials were studied. The study aimed to make a technical test to reduce energy consumption and improve energy conservation in the building by applying passive solar and energy efficiency design strategies (PSEEDS). The thermal mass has been used and discussed as an improbable energy technique alongside other insulation materials and shading devices. The article discusses and compares the energy consumption and thermal comfort of traditional Mediterranean houses with contemporary houses. The study uses 2D drawings, 3D modeling, and energy simulation programs to evaluate energy consumption in both real and assumed scenarios. The study finds that traditional Mediterranean homes, with their thick walls and built-in shading mechanisms, require less energy for heating and cooling than contemporary houses. The implementation of passive solar energy efficient design strategies (PSEEDS) significantly reduces energy consumption in both types of houses, but traditional Mediterranean houses still show more efficiency due to their higher thermal mass. The research demonstrates that improving windows, examining the orientation of the structure, altering shade devices, and decreasing infiltration rates can reduce overall energy consumption by up to 34.71% To sum up, in this study, PSEEDS, the performance of thermal mass, and pre-design measures significantly decrease energy consumption. In addition, implementing passive strategies during a renovation of a building also compensates for the investment and lifecycle cost of new technologies and energy usage.

Can green hydrogen and waste heat utilization improve energy conservation and emission reduction of coal-based cogeneration processes?

Power-to-gas offers a new path for carbon emission reduction by integrating renewable energy hydrogen with traditional chemical process. However, its application is limited by the product fluctuation and high cost of green hydrogen. To further improve the level of energy conservation and emission reduction, this research explored the novel integration process of large-scale green hydrogen system and coal-based cogeneration process. The green hydrogen with a low fluctuation was obtained from the wind-solar coupled power equipped with conservative energy storage system. The results showed that the carbon emission was significantly reduced by 9.2%, while the total operating cost was increased by 18.7%. To alleviate the high operating cost caused by green hydrogen, various waste heat utilization systems were introduced to decrease the utilities consumption. It was found that the total site waste heat utilization was capable of further reducing carbon emission by 13.3%, and the increase in total operating cost can be controlled within 15.3%. Economic analysis proved that the expensive cost could be saved by lower hydrogen usage or hydrogen cost. By incorporating waste heat utilization, the cost increase could be as low as 6.0% and 4.8% under 50% green hydrogen flowrate or 40% energy storage system. With the progress of renewable energy hydrogen production and waste heat utilization technology, the proposed integration process will be more environmentally friendly and economically feasible in the future.

IMPROVING ENERGY USAGE IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS USING SIX SIGMA DMAIC

This article describes the energy-saving measures in commercial buildings from different perspectives on energy saving in cities. In recent years, improving energy conservation in commercial buildings has become an issue of great importance for the financial well-being of organisations. The study uses the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) Six Sigma approach to identify the factors that contribute to increases in electricity consumption. With the increasing shortage of energy, two years’ worth of energy consumption data from a commercial building in South Africa was collected and analyzed using statistical tools. The research findings revealed that the boiler had the highest electricity consumption (38.33 per cent), followed by the kitchen (24.20 per cent) and the rest of the building (37.47 per cent). After applying the DMAIC process, it showed that the electricity consumption of the boiler could be reduced by 6 per cent during the improvement phase. Keywords: Six Sigma, DMAIC, Energy management, Energy consumption, Energy efficiency

A novel high-performance lightweight concrete prepared with glass-UHPC and lightweight microspheres: Towards energy conservation in buildings

Improving energy conservation of buildings and promoting wastes recycling contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. This work developed a green high-performance lightweight concrete (HPLC) with good thermal insulation for energy-saving purposes. The HPLC was comprised of lightweight microspheres and sustainable ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC), which was prepared with a large volume of waste glass. For the glass-based UHPC, the use of glass cullet led to mechanical decrement, while the workability and mechanical properties were improved with the replacement of 50% cement by glass powder. Combining glass aggregates and powder in UHPC significantly enhanced its thermal insulation properties. Meanwhile, incorporating two kinds of lightweight microspheres in the glass-based UHPC further lowered the density and thermal conductivity of HPLC. The performance of HPLC was dependent on the physical characteristics of lightweight microspheres rather than their chemical reaction based on molecular dynamics simulation. The developed HPLC exhibited a low density (<2000 kg/m3) and excellent mechanical properties (compressive strength >100 MPa and flexural strength >35 MPa). The superior performance of HPLC was ascribed to the high pozzolanic reactivity of glass powder and its promotion on cement hydration, the low thermal conductivity of glass, the chemical reactivity of microspheres as well as their hollow nature for impeding heat transfer. The good flexure and thermal insulation performance would make this eco-HPLC a promising material for applications in energy efficient buildings and long-span lightweight structures.

Day-ahead scheduling strategy for integrated heating and power system with high wind power penetration and integrated demand response: A hybrid stochastic/interval approach

The accommodation of wind energy is restricted due to the heat-led operation mode of CHP units. Comprehensive utilization of multi-energy coordinated supply and integration of wind energy, is deemed as an efficient solution for improving energy conservation and operational flexibility. Therefore, a novel hybrid stochastic/interval optimization for an integrated heating and power system (IHPS) day-ahead scheduling is proposed in this paper. Considering the bilateral uncertainties that exist on both sides of supply and demand, the scenario-based stochastic analyze is adopted to generate a set of possible scenarios for describing uncertainties of electrical and thermal loads. Also, the information gap decision theory (IGDT) is proposed to deal with the severe uncertainty caused by high wind power penetration. For the operation of district heating network (DHN), temperature dynamics and transmission delay are studied to exploit the heating system as a virtual storage for managing the dispatch of wind power. To further improve the system economic, the concept of price-based integrated demand response (IDR) under the background of multi-energy coupling is also introduced and the characteristics of energy substitution and load timing transfer are modeled. Simulation results show that the benefits of the proposed method for enhancing the system operation flexibility.

Ways to improve energy conservation in educational institutions

Ways to improve energy conservation in educational institutions

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Energy-Efficient Federated Learning in UAV-Enabled Wireless Powered Networks

Federated learning (FL) is a promising solution to privacy preservation for data-driven deep learning approaches. However, enabling FL in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted wireless networks is still challenging due to limited resources and battery capacity in the UAV and user devices. In this regard, we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based framework for joint UAV placement and resource allocation to enable sustainable FL with energy harvesting user devices. We aim to maximize the long-term FL performance considering the limited resources in the network, such as harvested energy, bandwidth resources, and UAV’s energy budget. To reduce the complexity of the original problem, we leverage the Lyapunov optimization technique to transform a long-term energy constraint into a deterministic problem. We reformulate the optimization problem as the framework of a Markov decision process (MDP) and design a DRL-based algorithm to solve the MDP. The proposed solution can guarantee the sustainable operation of UAV-aided wireless networks by improving energy conservation of the network in the long run.

Window Opening Behavior of Residential Buildings during the Transitional Season in China’s Xi’an

Window opening behavior in residential buildings has important theoretical significance and practical value for improving energy conservation, indoor thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. Climate and cultural differences may lead to different window opening behavior by residents. Currently, research on residential window opening behavior in northwest China has focused on indoor air quality, and few probabilistic models of residential window behaviors have been established. Therefore, in this study, we focused on an analysis of factors influencing window opening behavior and the establishment of a predictive model for window opening behavior. Four typical residential buildings in different locations and building types in Xi’an were selected. The indoor and outdoor environments and window opening states were measured. Subsequently, a multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the factors that had a significant effect on window opening behavior. Single‐ and multiparameter logistic regression models for window opening behavior were established. Of all the measured factors, we found that indoor temperature and CO2 concentration, outdoor temperature, and relative humidity had significant effects on window opening behavior, and indoor relative humidity and noise did not. Meanwhile, the temperature was positively correlated with the window opening probability, whereas indoor CO2 concentration and outdoor relative humidity were negatively correlated. The prediction accuracy of the multiparameter model was promising, at almost 75%, and the model can provide theoretical support for modelling residential buildings in Xi’an.

Ways to improve energy conservation in educational institutions

Ways to improve energy conservation in educational institutions

A short review on passive strategies applied to minimise the building cooling loads in hot locations

Cooling and air-conditioning systems are responsible for the highest energy consumption in buildings located in hot areas. This high share does not only increase the building energy demand cost but also increases the environmental impact, the topmost awareness of the modern era. The development of traditional systems and reliance on renewable technologies have increased drastically in the last century but still lacks economic concerns. Passive cooling strategies have been introduced as a successful option to mitigate the energy demand and improve energy conservation in buildings. This paper shed light on some passive strategies that could be applied to minimise building cooling loads to encourage the movement towards healthier and more energy-efficient buildings. For this purpose, seven popular passive technologies have been discussed shortly: multi-panned windows, shading devices, insulations, green roofing, phase change materials, reflective coatings, and natural ventilation using the windcatcher technique. The analysis of each strategy has shown that the building energy could be improved remarkably. Furthermore, adopting more passive strategies can significantly enhance the building thermal comfort even under severe weather conditions.