Power Installations Research Articles

After the battle: Emergent norms and the silencing of dissent in a Norwegian wind power community

In the small municipality of Åfjord on the Norwegian coast, home to one of Europe's largest onshore wind power installations, we observed a shift in critical attitudes towards a specific wind power development plan. Initially considered legitimate standpoints within an ongoing debate over land use, these viewpoints transformed into silenced opinions, or acquiescence, as the project progressed from the planning stage to fully operational wind power plants. A demand for consensus emerged within the local community. Through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with concerned stakeholders and community members, we employ a social norm perspective to explore the catalysts behind that shift and discuss potential consequences of the transformation. The article transcends the conventional explanatory approach to opinions on wind power development and provides valuable insights to the field of research on social acceptance. Specifically, it demonstrates that key drivers of acceptance, such as economic spin-off effects, can evolve into codes dictating legitimate behaviour and opinions in host communities. This poses a potential threat to the free exchange of opinions and local democracy.

A study on Activation of Carbon Reduction through Rooftop Greening at Bus Stops

Objectives : Due to climate change, countries around the world, including Korea, are making various efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. Among the various reduction methods for achieving carbon neutrality, the utilization of green space through carbon storage and herbaceous plants, which are the only functions, is increasing. However, due to spatial limitations in everyday life, continuous target sites for green space are needed. Accordingly, this study conducted a study on carbon reduction through rooftop greening to activate covered bus stops.Methods : After analyzing the growth of herbaceous plants, a feasible target group was selected and when herbaceous plants were planted on the rooftops of covered bus stops, the carbon reduction figures and construction costs were compared with the same conditions as solar power facilities. The carbon storage amount was calculated on a nationwide basis and the carbon reduction cost per m<sup>2</sup> was analyzed in comparison with the carbon reduction according to solar power facilities.Results and Discussion : The research results showed that the reduction cost of herbaceous plants per m<sup>2</sup> was 53 KRW, and the carbon reduction cost due to solar power installation was about 116 KRW. It was confirmed that herbaceous plants were about twice as cheap as carbon reduction through solar power generation. In addition, the environmental and economic benefits of herbaceous plants were also confirmed to have additional benefits among local communities or surrounding area.Conclusion : Starting with this study, it is expected that it can be used as basic data to realize green space more efficiently in environmental and landscape aspects by increasing the planting ratio of herbaceous plants in order to increase the amount of CO<sub>2</sub> stored (absorbed) in daily life.

High-Resolution Remotely Sensed Evidence Shows Solar Thermal Power Plant Increases Grassland Growth on the Tibetan Plateau

Solar energy plays a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in the context of global climate change. However, its deployment for green electricity generation can significantly influence regional climate and vegetation dynamics. While prior studies have examined the impacts of solar power plants on vegetation, the accuracy of these assessments has often been constrained by the availability of publicly accessible multispectral, high-resolution remotely sensed imagery. Given the abundant solar energy resources and the ecological significance of the Tibetan Plateau, a thorough evaluation of the vegetation effects associated with solar power installations is warranted. In this study, we utilize sub-meter resolution imagery from the GF-2 satellite to reconstruct the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) at the Gonghe solar thermal power plant through image classification, in situ sampling, and sliding window techniques. We then quantify the plant’s impact on FVC by comparing data from the pre-installation and post-installation periods. Our findings indicate that the Gonghe solar thermal power plant is associated with a 0.02 increase in FVC compared to a surrounding control region (p < 0.05), representing a 12.5% increase relative to the pre-installation period. Notably, the enhancement in FVC is more pronounced in the outer ring areas than near the central tower. The observed enhancement in vegetation growth at the Gonghe plant suggests potential ecological and carbon storage benefits resulting from solar power plant establishment on the Tibetan Plateau. These findings underscore the necessity of evaluating the climate and ecological impacts of renewable energy facilities during the planning and design phases to ensure a harmonious balance between clean energy development and local ecological integrity.

Studi Medan Elektromagnetik pada Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya

This research investigates the electromagnetic field (EMF) characteristics generated by solar power plants, focusing on their potential environmental and health impacts. The study employs a dual methodology combining direct measurements using gaussmeters and computer simulations using COMSOL software to map electromagnetic fields around solar power installation components. Measurements were taken under two conditions: during solar power plant operation and non-operation, to establish comparative baseline data. The research found significant variations in electromagnetic field intensity based on operational status and distance from components, particularly near inverters and cable networks. Results indicate that EMF levels are higher during operation, with field strength decreasing exponentially with distance from the source. These findings contribute to understanding EMF distribution patterns in solar installations and provide valuable insights for implementing appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure safe operation within established exposure standards.

Optimal Placement of TCSC and DPFC on Nigeria Power Transmission Network for Capacity Enhancement

The increasing demand for electrical energy and the high costs and challenges associated with building new transmission lines highlight the need to optimize existing power transmission networks. This study focuses on optimizing or enhancing Nigeria's 28-bus power transmission system using Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices, specifically, Dynamic Power Flow Controller (DPFC) and Thyristor-Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC). This research employed the Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA) in MATLAB to determine the optimal placement and sizing of DPFC and TCSC to minimize power losses, voltage deviations, and installation costs. Simulation results were compared, before and after incorporating the FACTS devices. In the base case, 32% of the buses had voltage profiles outside the acceptable range (0.95 to 1.05 p.u.), with real power loss of 602.91 kW and reactive power loss of 4559.69 kVAR. After optimally placing two DPFC and two TCSC devices in the system, all bus voltages were regulated to fall between 0.95 and 1.06 p.u., while real and reactive power losses were reduced by approximately 84.6% and 84.7%, respectively. This demonstrates a significant improvement in the efficiency and capacity of the power transmission network.

Micro Gas Turbines in the Global Energy Landscape: Bridging the Techno-Economic Gap with Comparative and Adaptive Insights from Internal Combustion Engines and Renewable Energy Sources

This paper investigates the potential of Micro Gas Turbines (MGTs) in the global shift towards low-carbon energy systems, particularly focusing on their integration within microgrids and distributed energy generation systems. MGTs, recognized for their fuel flexibility and efficiency, have yet to achieve the commercialization success of rival technologies such as Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs), wind turbines, and solar power (PV) installations. Through a comprehensive review of recent techno-economic assessment (TEA) studies, we highlight the challenges and opportunities for MGTs, emphasizing the critical role of TEA in driving market penetration and technological advancement. Comparative analysis with ICE and RES technologies reveals significant gaps in TEA activities for MGTs, which have hindered their broader adoption. This paper also explores the learning and experience effects associated with TEA, demonstrating how increased research activities have propelled the success of ICE and RES technologies. The analysis reveals a broad range of learning and experience effects, with learning rates (α) varying from 0.1 to 0.25 and experience rates (β) from 0.05 to 0.15, highlighting the significant role these effects play in reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and improving the net present value (NPV) of MGT systems. Hybrid systems integrating MGTs with renewable energy sources (RESs) and ICE technologies demonstrate the most substantial cost reductions and efficiency improvements, with systems like the hybrid renewable energy CCHP with ICE achieving a learning rate of α = 0.25 and significant LCOE reductions from USD 0.02/kWh to USD 0.017/kWh. These findings emphasize the need for targeted TEA studies and strategic investments to unlock the full potential of MGTs in a decarbonized energy landscape. By leveraging learning and experience effects, stakeholders can predict cost trajectories more accurately and make informed investment decisions, positioning MGTs as a competitive and sustainable energy solution in the global energy transition.

Reconstructing Study Habits Through Adlerian Family Counseling: Application for Electrical Power Installation Engineering Students at SMKN 2 Surabaya

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Adlerian-based family counseling in reducing poor study habits among 11th-grade Electrical Power Installation Engineering students at SMKN 2 Surabaya. The method used was a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach. Five students with high levels of poor study habits were selected as research subjects. The results showed that the average score of poor study habits decreased from 115.2 in the pretest to 88.6 in the posttest, with a significant difference (ρ=0.031). The intervention included building collaborative relationships, problem exploration and analysis, insight development, and reorientation for change. Adlerian-based family counseling was proven effective in enhancing students' motivation, discipline, and time management through active parental involvement. This study concludes that this approach has a positive impact on reconstructing students’ study habits, strengthening family relationships, and creating a more conducive learning environment. The model is recommended as an intervention strategy to support holistic family-based education.

Methodical and algorithmic aspects of mathematical modeling of a screw aircraft power plant

The article describes the solution of a scientific problem that consists in expanding the functionality of the program “Calculation of the traction-economic and mass-specific characteristics of the power plant and aircraft motion parameters” through the introduction of additional algorithms and mathematical models for calculating the altitude-speed characteristics of screw aircraft power installations. At the same time, an internal calculation of the aircraft propeller thrust is used according to experimental aerodynamic coefficients, which makes it possible to increase the efficiency and reliability of complex theoretical studies of power plants of various types as part of aircraft at the stage of external design. A description is given of the developed algorithms: an algorithm for converting power on the output shaft of a gas turbine engine into thrust of an aircraft power plant; a mathematical model of a propeller that provides calculation of its thrust from experimental aerodynamic coefficients; an algorithm for determining the thrust of the power plant, taking into account the compressibility of the air and the interaction of the propeller and the elements of the airframe of the aircraft. Some features of the mathematical modeling of an aircraft propeller are revealed, in particular, the principle of propeller control by influencing the blade angle and rotational speed depending on the aircraft flight speed and a method for constructing the field of aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft propeller in a wide range of blade angle and speed coefficient. In conclusion, the results of verification of the modified program are presented with an analysis of the obtained altitude-speed characteristics.

Current Research to Substantiate Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Power Installations

Current Research to Substantiate Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Power Installations

Experimental and Numerical Study of Damage Caused by High-Current Electron Beam to Construction Materials Intended for the First Wall of Powerful Plasma Installations

Experimental and Numerical Study of Damage Caused by High-Current Electron Beam to Construction Materials Intended for the First Wall of Powerful Plasma Installations

A Study of Thermal Cycle Circuits of NPPs Combined with Fossil Fueled Power Installations

A Study of Thermal Cycle Circuits of NPPs Combined with Fossil Fueled Power Installations

Optimized Multi-Motor Power Control Strategy for Distributed Permanent Magnet Direct Drive Belt Conveyors

To address the problem of energy wastage in traditional long-distance belt conveyors with low carrying capacity due to the excessive power installation of a single drive motor, a model of a distributed permanent magnet direct drive belt conveyor driven by multiple small power motors is proposed. A power regulator based on material carrying capacity is designed for energy saving. The minimum number of motors is set as the adjustment target. The number of running motors is adjusted, and the remaining motor power is distributed. The speed constraints of multiple motors are analyzed. The speed difference between adjacent motors is used as feedback to construct a ring coupling speed controller. This realizes the coordinated operation of the distributed permanent magnet direct drive belt conveyor. Co-simulations with AMESIM (version 2020.1) and MATLAB (version 2019b) are conducted to verify the system’s stability. The power regulator optimizes motor distribution under varying conditions, reducing operational losses. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed power control strategy.

Green energy: a modern view in conditions of environmental safety

Expansion of the use of renewable energy sources (RES) became possible due to technical progress in this area, which allowed, first of all, to significantly reduce the cost of electricity production by wind and solar power plants of various types. Since 2000, wind power has developed with an average annual growth rate of more than 21%. In the early years of wind power deployment, Europe was the key region for global wind turbine installations. In 2010, the region accounted for 47 % of global onshore wind turbine deployments. After 2010, other regions, especially China, have seen rapid wind energy development. By 2018, China had overtaken Europe to become the largest onshore wind energy market with nearly one-third of the world's installed capacity. Some experts estimate that onshore wind power installations will need to have an average annual growth rate of more than 7 % over the next three decades. Offshore wind energy technologies allow countries to exploit generally higher and sometimes more stable wind resources, by implementing gigawatt projects near densely populated coastal areas common in many parts of the world. This makes wind power an important addition to the portfolio of low-carbon technologies available to the energy sector in many countries. Green energy, in terms of environmental impact, leads to a more environmentally friendly process. Energy obtained from naturally occurring sources such as wind, sun and water, i.e. renewable energy is better for the environment because energy production does not produce greenhouse gases – gases that enter the atmosphere, trap heat and cause global warming. The main goal of our work is to analyze the experience of large-scale development of renewable energy sources in a number of countries, its impact, including negative ones, on traditional generation and the electricity market, with the development of relevant specific recommendations for overcoming specific challenges and ensuring environmental safety in each country

Field measurements of wind load effects in a photovoltaic single-axis tracker mounting rail

The demand for solar photovoltaic power installations has resulted in a highly competitive industry. Equipment suppliers are under pressure to reduce design margins for projects to be feasible. Single-axis trackers are widely used to increase yield and reduce the levelised cost of energy compared to fixed-tilt installations. Load coefficients on tracker arrays are usually quantified using model-scale studies conducted in atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnels. These dynamically sensitive structures have been known to suffer wind damage despite the use of modern design methods. Ongoing research into the support structure design is deemed important to ensure long-term reliability. The current study presents full-scale field data acquired over 109 days on an experimental one-in-portrait single-axis tracker facility located in the Western Cape, South Africa. The purpose of these measurements was to quantify wind load effects in two instrumented PV module mounting rails. Frequency domain data showed modal participation of both the torsional and bending modes of the torque tube. The effect of the bending mode was more pronounced for the rail furthest from a pile. Load coefficients calculated using experimental data were generally lower than those presented in ASCE 7-22. Fluctuating stresses at critical locations led to negligible fatigue damage.

Towards Sustainable Energy Generation: Analyzing Wind Power Potential, Financial Viability, and Environmental Friendliness at Nok Kundi, Baluchistan

Pakistan is blessed with versatile renewable energy resources, solar and wind energies. Coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan are the richest sources of wind energy, where adequate wind speeds are available for electricity generation. The Nok Kundi region of Balochistan has outstanding year-round wind speeds and tremendous potential for wind power generation. This study explores wind power potential, financial viability, and mitigation of carbon footprints. In this regard, simulations on the analysis of wind power potential, and financial viability are conducted in the ETAP and HOMMER software respectively. The data regarding the energy demand of Nok Kundi is obtained from Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) Quetta and the data on wind speeds is obtained from the World Weather Online platform. The ETAP software is used to conduct the load flow analysis of a grid-connected system. The full financial analysis considered the state-of-the-art wind power installation site of 40 megawatts capacity to meet Nok Kundi's energy demand. Furthermore, the simulations are conducted in two scenarios i.e. isolated and grid-connected systems. Financial assessments (including the calculation of required capital and operating expenses) are conducted for both isolated and grid-connected systems by using HOMER software. According to the findings of the research, the grid-connected system provided significant benefits in terms of revenues and seamless grid connections. The proposed wind power plant can potentially help reduce the carbon footprints. The present research concluded that the proposed wind power plant can produce 47,581,913 kWh/year and at the same time can mitigate the generation of 47.20 million Kg of carbon/year and an average of 3.93 million Kg/month. This research contributes to providing a detailed feasibility of wind power plants from financial and environmental perspectives. This study addresses Sustainable Development Goal# 13 (SDG 13: Climate Action).

Stationary steam power in the United Kingdom, 1800–70: An empirical reassessment

AbstractThe conventional view that the industrial revolution was premised on the unprecedented supply of mechanical power delivered via steam engines has been undermined by econometric work, purporting to show that their adoption outside the cotton and mining sectors was extremely limited until at least 1870. This was largely because water and wind power remained viable and cost‐competitive substitutes long into the nineteenth century. Using evidence from a newly compiled ‘census’ of stationary power installations in Suffolk, this paper demonstrates instead that the adoption of steam power was far greater than previously thought, especially in manufacturing. Moreover, the assumption that steam could be invariably substituted with environmental forces is untenable. Depending on circumstances, even very modest power requirements could only be met with steam. Although the quantitative picture remains incomplete, steam power was likely an indispensable sustentative factor for industrialization.

CONSTRUCTIVE-FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND CALCULATION OF FLOW CONTROL VALVES

In hydraulic installations, the flow regulation is performed in two ways: volume regulation (by variable flow pump) and resistive regulation, with the help of the flow regulation equipment. The second variant, although with lower energy efficiency, is most often preferred in small and medium power installations, due to the constructional simplicity and easy maneuverability of the equipment, as well as the ease of performing operation control. The paper presents the construction of the most important devices for resistive flow regulation, the mode of operation and installation in the structure of the systems, as well as certain elements of their calculation.

High-performance electrocatalyst for PEMFC cathode: Combination of ultra-small platinum nanoparticles and N-doped carbon support

To accelerate the implementation of zero-emission power installations based on proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, it is necessary to maximize the power characteristics of these devices. For this purpose, we have obtained and tested a new N-doped carbon support and a synthesized Pt/C catalyst based on it with a platinum loading of about 37.3 %. A comparison of the degradation resistance of the initial support and the N-doped one has shown greater stability of the latter. At the same time, Raman spectroscopy has confirmed the presence of the C–N bond, which indicates the successful doping of carbon with nitrogen. The resulting Pt/C catalyst based on an N-doped support is characterized by a substantially narrow size dispersion and an ultra-small nanoparticle size of about 2.6 nm. The high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy images of the synthesized catalyst have confirmed the presence of individual platinum atoms/clusters uniformly distributed over the surface of the support, and their presence is due to nitrogen embedded into the carbon structure. This material is characterized by a 50 m2 gPt-1 larger electrochemically active surface area and a 227 A gPt-1 greater mass activity compared to the commercial JM40 analog (40 % platinum loading). Meanwhile, the electrochemical parameters remaining after the accelerated stress testing are almost 2 times higher than those of JM40. And the power characteristics in the membrane electrode assembly for the catalyst synthesized by the facile one-pot synthesis method are 13 % (575 mW cm-2) higher than those of the commercial analog (500 mW cm-2). The Pt/C catalyst obtained during the research is deemed promising for commercial use in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.

Review and Gap Analysis of Heliostat Components & Controls

Abstract This investigation provides a comprehensive literature review pertaining to heliostat components and controls as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Heliostat Consortium (Heliocon) program. This work presents a detailed assessment of subcomponents, controls and wireless communications elements that comprise various designs of helisotats within concentrating solar power (CSP) installations. Additionally, this work also provides the results of an industry survey, intended to compliment the literature discussion, to provide a gap analysis of the primary technology and cost areas that need to be addressed to help improved to spur CSP bankability. Although the results of the study determined several key areas for development, three strategic areas identified were: 1. The use of advanced composite materials to replace a need for expensive steel within the structure and mirror substrate, 2. Employment of closed-loop controls for automated calibration, reduction of commissioning time and O&M hours, reduction of drive requirements, as well as overall cost reduction, and 3. The need for more Heliostat-centric codes and standards to facilitate engineering confidence in the development of new features, cost reductions, or other design iterations to be seamlessly introduced without optical performance problems.

Increasing the Operating Efficiency of Pumped Storage Power Plant Power Installations and Structures

Increasing the Operating Efficiency of Pumped Storage Power Plant Power Installations and Structures