Utilities Research Articles

Hydrogen-natural gas fuel blending in a “rich burn” engine with 3-way catalyst

Interest in hydrogen (H2) fuels is growing, with industry planning to produce it with stranded or excess energy from renewable sources in the future. Natural gas (NG) utility companies are now taking action to blend H2 into their preexisting pipelines to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from burning NG. Stoichiometric (“rich burn”) NG engines that operate on pipeline NG and will receive blended fuel as more gas utilities expand H2 production. These engines are typically chosen for their low emissions owing to the 3-way catalyst control, so the focus of this paper is on the change in emissions like carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as the fuel is blended with up to 30% H2 by volume. The Caterpillar CG137-8 natural gas engine used for testing was originally designed for industrial gas compression applications and is a good representative for most “rich burn” engines used across industry for applications such as power generation, gas compression, and water pumping. A significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction is observed as more H2 is added to the fuel. Increasing H2 in the fuel changes combustion behavior in the cylinder, resulting in faster ignition and higher cylinder pressures, which increase engine-out NOx emissions. Post-catalyst CO and NOx both decrease slightly with increasing H2 while operating at the optimal “air-fuel” equivalence ratio (λ). A “rich burn” engine with 3-way catalyst can tolerate up to 30% H2 (by vol.) while still meeting NOx and CO emissions limits. However, at elevated levels of H2, increased engine-out NOx emissions narrow the λ range of operation. As H2 is added to NG pipelines, some “rich burn” engine systems may require larger catalysts or more precise λ control to accommodate the increased NOx production associated with a H2-NG blend. Sudden step-increases in H2 cause dramatic changes in λ, resulting in large emissions of post-catalyst NOx during the transition. Comparable changes in H2 at elevated concentrations cause larger spikes in NOx than at lower concentrations. Better tuned engine controllers respond more quickly and produce less NOx during H2 step-transitions.

Diversity, Features, and Challenges of Managing Urban Protected Areas, the Case of Croatia

ABSTRACT Management strategies in protected areas are often based on experiences from large, remote sites, raising questions about their suitability for urban protected areas (UPAs). This paper compares management practices and impacts in non-urban protected areas (PAs) and urban protected areas. Focusing on twelve Croatian UPAs, the study explores challenges, activities, and resilience levels. Through field observations and interviews, it was found that UPA management is influenced by usage intensity, often requiring daily involvement of utility companies. UPAs face unique pressures due to frequent use, leading to longer recovery times compared to non-urban PAs. Moreover, the less natural the area, the greater its resistance to environmental pressures. While UPAs have distinctive challenges, effective management strategies that incorporate natural and cultural heritage, community engagement, and climate considerations can greatly improve their sustainability and public benefit.

Opening Interactions Between Inquirers and Employees in Jordanian Public Utility Services

Opening Interactions Between Inquirers and Employees in Jordanian Public Utility Services

Transferable and data efficient metamodeling of storm water system nodal depths using auto-regressive graph neural networks

Storm water systems (SWSs) are essential infrastructure providing multiple services including environmental protection and flood prevention. Typically, utility companies rely on computer simulators to properly design, operate, and manage SWSs. However, multiple applications in SWSs are highly time-consuming. Researchers have resorted to cheaper-to-run models, i.e. metamodels, as alternatives of computationally expensive models. With the recent surge in artificial intelligence applications, machine learning has become a key approach for metamodelling urban water networks. Specifically, deep learning methods, such as feed-forward neural networks, have gained importance in this context. However, these methods require generating a sufficiently large database of examples and training their internal parameters. Both processes defeat the purpose of using a metamodel, i.e., saving time. To overcome this issue, this research focuses on the application of inductive biases and transfer learning for creating SWS metamodels which require less data and retain high performance when used elsewhere. In particular, this study proposes an auto-regressive graph neural network metamodel of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for estimating hydraulic heads. The results indicate that the proposed metamodel requires a smaller number of examples to reach high accuracy and speed-up, in comparison to fully connected neural networks. Furthermore, the metamodel shows transferability as it can be used to predict hydraulic heads with high accuracy on unseen parts of the network. This work presents a novel approach that benefits both urban drainage practitioners and water network modeling researchers. The proposed metamodel can help practitioners on the planning, operation, and maintenance of their systems by offering an efficient metamodel of SWMM for computationally intensive tasks like optimization and Monte Carlo analyses. Researchers can leverage the current metamodel’s structure for developing new surrogate model architectures tailored to their specific needs or start paving the way for more general foundation metamodels of urban drainage systems.

FROM PROTECTION OF PROPERTY TO A USELESS DISTINCTION: THE CONCEPTS OF PUBLIC UTILITY AND PUBLIC NECESSITY (UTILIDADE E NECESSIDADE PÚBLICA) IN THE BRAZILIAN LAW OF EXPROPRIATION (1826-1941) - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2024v84p45

In 1826, the Brazilian parliament established two statutory causes for expropriation: public utility and public necessity. These terms were borrowed from French law, but gained a legislative meaning in Brazil that they did not have in Europe. This article discusses why the two concepts were created and how they were appropriated by doctrine and jurisprudence until they were united in the concept of public “utility or necessity” present in the expropriation law of 1941 and in the 1988 Constitution. I use mainly the annals of parliament to identify the theories that shaped the legal text of 1826 and the expropriation law of 1845. Second, I use texts from legal journals mainly from the early 20th century to identify to what extent the division between public utility and necessity was still operative, especially as it was incorporated in the 1916 civil code. I conclude that the division between public utility and necessity was proposed in 1826 to allow the state greater power to act without giving discretion to the executive branch. In 1845, the rules of expropriation for public utility were relaxed and the distinction lost much of its practical meaning. At the beginning of the 20th century, doctrine still discussed the distinction, but jurisprudence focused on the public character or not of the work. In the end, I discuss the role of history vis-à-vis dogmatics and how historians can help jurists understand legal texts more adequately.

Assessment of Public Health Agency and Utility Training Needs for CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System Jurisdictions in the United States.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance hasemerged as a critical tool for tracking the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus and other pathogens in communities throughout the United States. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), which partners with state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to develop and implement wastewater collection and analysis systems and to share data. In 2022, the CDC established the first two NWSS Centers of Excellence to lead its implementation and coordination efforts-one in Colorado (Colorado CoE) and one in Houston (Houston CoE). As the NWSS expands, it is becoming more important to support the training needs of jurisdictions at different stages of developing their wastewater surveillance infrastructure. To evaluate these needs, the Colorado CoE and Houston CoE conducted a needs assessment study of NWSS-funded public health agencies and public utilities departments located in the United States using surveys developed by the Colorado CoE. The results of the surveys showed that although some training needs were universal, it will be most beneficial to develop training modules tailored to the needs of entities that operate wastewater surveillance programs of various sizes, workforce experience levels, and at different stages in the infrastructure development process.

Research on the risk spillover effect of carbon emission trading market and various industry markets in China and the European Union

AbstractWidely concerns over the carbon emission problems have been aroused. Prior studies have documented the correlation between the carbon emission market and industries separately. This study compared the tail risks and risk spillover effect of the carbon emission and 11 industries markets in China and the European Union (EU) by using the multivariate multi‐quartile conditional autoregressive at‐risk model. Moreover, to evaluate the risk spillover of each market under extreme risk conditions in time domain and frequency domain, DY spillover index and BK spillover index were constructed via generalized forecast error variance decomposition and generalized causation spectrum, respectively. Findings are as follows: (1) The tail risks and fluctuation of the trend of Chinese industry markets reflects more higher and larger than those in the EU; (2) The EU suffers from smaller external shocks, while China has the opposite result and can recover relatively faster; (3) In China, energy, industrial, information technology, financial, real estate, consumer goods, carbon emissions, and discretionary consumption industries are risk spillover industries, while healthcare, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities industries are risk receiving industries. In contrast, the risk spillover industries in the EU remain consistent with those of the Chinese markets except for the materials, discretionary consumption, consumer goods, information technology and real estate industries. (4) On the short‐term, medium‐term and long‐term scales, the risk spillover of China's carbon emission trading market and various industries is basically consistent with that of the EU. These findings contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

PENGARUH CURRENT RATIO (CR), DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO (DER), DAN RETURN ON ASSET (ROA) TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN PADA SUB SEKTOR KOSMETIK DAN KEPERLUAN RUMAH TANGGA YANG TERDAFTAR DI BEI

Examining the impact of the Current Ratio is the goal of this associational investigation. This analysis makes use of secondary data derived from the financial records of the Cosmetics and Utilities Company Sub-Sector. A company's equity, debt, total assets, net profit, and current and non-current assets are all detailed in its financial statements. From 2018 to 2022, we surveyed residences using a purposive sampling strategy. Multiple linear regression, t-test, correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, and classical assumptions were among the analytical procedures used to investigate the connection between X1 and SPSS v.26. The results show that X1 and X2 do not affect the value of the business as they are both more than 0.05. Rent On Asset (X3) values below 0.05 however have an effect on the value of the company

ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENTAL RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE IN THE UDMURT REPUBLIC

This study, using the example of the Udmurt Republic and some Russian regions, examines the development of rental residential real estate. An analysis of the rental housing market was carried out, on the basis of which prospects were identified and ways of development of this area were outlined. The study examined state and federal programs and subprograms implemented in Russian regions aimed at providing affordable, comfortable housing, as well as utility services to citizens of the Russian Federation, and analyzed the main indicators. The purpose of the study is to determine the main ways of development of rental residential real estate in the Udmurt Republic. For this purpose, an analysis of scientific sources was carried out, the authors of which study issues related to the problem of residential real estate development in our country. In the process of working on the article, the authors reviewed the “Rented Houses” program, aimed at helping to improve the living conditions of citizens, which is being implemented in the city of St. Petersburg. An assessment of this program is given and the conclusion is made that, under certain conditions, this program can be applied in the Udmurt Republic. Also, during this study, the authors studied statistical data reflecting the current situation in the rental housing market and conducted a sociological survey. The development of a rental housing stock involves the careful development of certain mechanisms for the construction of residential space for that category of citizens who need rent to improve their living conditions. It has been revealed that government support, attraction of funds from citizens, as well as long-term installment payments contribute to the development of the rental housing market with the right to purchase. Thus, the authors of the article concluded that at the state level it is necessary to ensure regulation between the leasing parties, since this form of financial services is of interest to all social categories of citizens who need rental housing at market prices.

Data-Driven Clustering and Feature-Based Retail Electricity Pricing with Smart Meters

The adoption of smart meters and dynamic pricing programs is rapidly increasing among electric utility companies. In “Data-Driven Clustering and Feature-Based Retail Electricity Pricing with Smart Meters,” Keskin, Li, and Sunar analyze how utility companies should use smart meter data for better pricing decisions. Utility companies typically have access to consumption patterns and high-dimensional features on customer characteristics and exogenous factors. The authors identify that such feature data can exhibit different forms of heterogeneity—over time and over customers. They show that the different forms of feature heterogeneity significantly worsen the best profit performance that can be achieved by a data-driven dynamic pricing policy. The authors also develop a policy based on joint spectral clustering and contextual dynamic pricing and prove that this policy achieves near-optimal profit performance.

Unlocking Energy Efficiency: Debunking Myths on the Road to Decarbonization

Energy efficiency is widely recognized as the foundational and most critical strategy for decarbonizing the manufacturing sector. Misconceptions surrounding energy efficiency measures often hinder their widespread adoption. This article aims to debunk five common myths and provides data and resources to help implement efficiency projects faster and more effectively to achieve greater decarbonization. First, the article challenges the myth that organizations have exhausted all possible energy efficiency opportunities by achieving voluntary energy intensity goals or energy performance certification. Second, it also addresses the misconceptions that efficiency projects are capital-intensive, require many qualified specialists, and have long investment return periods. By presenting real-world case studies and referencing commonly found efficiency opportunities, the article illustrates that energy-savings opportunities are ubiquitous. Organizations can use various contracting mechanisms as well as financial and technical resources from utility companies and government programs to lessen their burden. The notion that efficiency measures can be implemented solely in proprietorship facilities is dispelled. This article emphasizes the importance of green leases and explains that aligning decarbonization goals between the lessor and lessee can help drive savings for both parties. Finally, using unbundled renewable energy certificates as the sole pathway to decarbonization is strongly discouraged. By debunking these prevalent myths, this article aims to foster a deeper understanding of energy efficiency’s potential as a cornerstone of decarbonization efforts and to embrace it as a critical pathway toward a sustainable future.

Multi-Source Data-Based Investigation of Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity and Driving Mechanisms of Coupling and Coordination in Human Settlements in Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

In the information age, the new wave of the information technology revolution has profoundly changed our mode of production and way of life. Pseudo human settlements (PHS), consisting of digits and information, have become increasingly important in human settlements (HS) systems, and become a strong support for the high-quality development of global HS. Against this background, clarifying the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and driving mechanisms of the coupling and coordination between the PHS and real human settlements (RHS) is of great significance to the high-quality development of HS and providing a reasonable explanation of today’s man–land relationship. Therefore, we developed a theoretical framework system for describing PHS–RHS coupling and coordination based on multi-source data such as internet socialization, public utility, and remote sensing images, etc. Taking the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR), which is the key region consolidating China’s “two horizontal and three vertical” urbanization strategy, as a case study area, we have comprehensively analyzed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the coupling and coordination of PHS and RHS and its driving mechanism in UAMRYR during the period of 2011–2021, by comprehensively applying the modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) and other models. The results show are as follows: (1) Temporal process—The CCD exhibited a reverse L-shaped increasing trend. The CCD class varied significantly, with the extremely uncoordinated and severely uncoordinated classes present at the beginning of the study period and disappearing toward the end of the study period, while the well coordinated and highly coordinated classes were absent at the beginning of the study period and appeared toward the end of the study period. (2) Spatial pattern—The CCD exhibited an equilateral triangle-shaped, core–margin spatial pattern and a characteristic of core polarization. Overall, the spatial distribution of the CCD exhibited a characteristic of “high in the central region, low in the eastern and western regions, and balanced in the south–north direction”. (3) Dynamic evolution—The CCD increased more rapidly in the north-eastern direction than in the south-western direction; the CCD exhibited north-eastward migration and dispersion, and the spatial variability decreased. (4) Driving mechanisms—The primary factors affecting the CCD varied significantly over time. The living system was dominant in the PHS, whereas the human system was dominant in the RHS. The PHS had a greater effect than the RHS on the CCD. The study broadens the research scope of human settlements geography, establishes a scientific foundation for advancing urban HS construction in the UAMRYR, and offers theoretical support for the high-quality development of cities in the UAMRYR.

TDAH en France : la place des associations de patients et familles

The patient association HyperSupers TDAH France, founded in 2002 and recognized as a public utility, plays a crucial role in supporting individuals with ADHD and their families. It provides personalized support, responding to over 11,000 requests in 2023, and educates the public through its vastly visited website. HyperSupers TDAH France also holds significant advocacy power. It has contributed to the development of the recommendations by the Haute Autorité de Santé – HAS – (French National Authority for Health) and actively participates in various health institutions to influence health policies. The association works in research, education, employment, and law to ensure recognition of ADHD and support for affected individuals. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and researchers, HyperSupers fosters a better understanding of ADHD and its management. It is actively involved in the national strategy on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). The association's main requests include establishing an ADHD research cohort, improving professional training, ensuring early diagnosis and interventions, and taking actions to enhance the academic and professional lives of individuals with ADHD. HyperSupers also advocates for changes in university curricula and for better consideration of the specific needs of individuals with ADHD in public policies.

Enhancing Adaptive Capacity by Engaging and Empowering Frontline Workers: A Case Study From a Water Utility

AbstractWater utility crews, including those who perform system maintenance and operations at drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities, are experiencing the impacts of changing rainfall characteristics first‐hand. These frontline crews have relevant, experiential knowledge about changing climate‐related risks and adaptation needs that, to date, are not included in utilities' strategic climate planning or implementation efforts, resulting in critical knowledge systems and action gaps. In this co‐production case study with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), a municipal public water utility in Washington State, we use surveys and interviews to document barriers and opportunities for frontline crew engagement to enhance SPU's climate adaptation strategies to extreme rainfall. We find that 66% of crew workers perceive changes to rainfall intensity over the past decade and 59% report responding more to rainfall‐related issues. These frontline crews are coping with changes in extreme precipitation by increasing preventative maintenance, working overtime during major storm events, and doing more pre‐storm planning and preparation. Crews identified several aspects limiting their ability to respond to and prepare for extreme rainfall. To enhance their adaptive capacity, crews documented needs for infrastructure improvement, workforce facilities improvement, increased access to appropriate personal protective equipment, improved communication and coordination across the utility, and enhanced workforce capacity, including increased staff numbers. Findings suggest that for more effective, equitable, and responsive climate adaptation, water utilities should explicitly solicit and include crews' knowledge and lived experiences in adaptation planning while prioritizing strategies that enhance frontline crews' capacity and working conditions as a form of reciprocal action.

Attraction of Mining Lands From the Jiu Valley Basin in Public and Private Utility Projects

Attraction of Mining Lands From the Jiu Valley Basin in Public and Private Utility Projects

Medical costs and incremental medical costs of asthma among workers in the United States.

Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, is associated with high economic burden. This study estimates per-worker medical and incremental medical costs associated with treated asthma by socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, industries, medical events, and sources of payments for workers aged ≥18 years. We analyzed Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data from 2018 to 2020 to assess medical costs for treated asthma among workers using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification code for asthma (J45). We used two-part regression models to estimate medical and incremental medical costs controlling for covariates. All results are adjusted for inflation and presented in 2022 US dollar values. An estimated annual average of 8.2 million workers out of 176 million had at least one medical event associated with treated asthma. The annualized estimated per-worker incremental medical costs for those with treated asthma was $457 and was highest among: those in the age group of 35-44 years ($534), in the western region ($768), of Hispanic ethnicity ($693), employed in the utility and transportation industries ($898), males ($650), and for inpatient admissions ($754). The total annualized medical costs of treated asthma was $21 billion and total of incremental medical costs was $3.8 billion. Findings of higher incremental medical costs for treated asthma among workers in certain socioeconomic, demographic, and industry groups highlight the economic benefit of prevention and early intervention to reduce morbidity of asthma in working adults. Our results suggest that the per-person incremental medical costs of treated asthma among workers are lower than that for all US adults.

Assessment of the water footprint of the brewery industry: The case of Heineken, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The brewery industry is among the most water-intensive sectors, typically consuming 4–6 L of water for every liter of beer produced, necessitating a strong focus on water sustainability. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the water footprint (WF) of the Heineken Ethiopian beer industry in Addis Ababa (Kilinto) over five consecutive years to identify water-intensive processes and areas. A stepwise accumulative and bottom-up approach was used to measure this WF, including calculations for both the final beer product and the spent grain byproduct. In 2019 and 2020, a significant portion of water consumption was attributed to spent grain extraction. By 2023, although the blue water footprint of both products remained within sustainable limits, more water was used in producing the final beer than in extracting spent grain. This suggests rapid improvements in water efficiency within the brewery, likely driven by effective water management practices such as leak detection and the use of water-efficient equipment and processes. The WF assessments also evaluated four sections of the brewery: utility, brewing, packaging, and general services. While utility, brewing, and packaging sections demonstrated improved water efficiency over time, the general services section saw a decrease. Given that general services are the most water-intensive area, prioritizing water management strategies in this section is crucial for overall sustainability.

The Asymmetry of ASEAN Law: Unsustainable Development Phenomenon of Transformative State Enterprise in Case of Cross-border Power Plant Projects

Abstract This article aims to study regional law related to manipulating cross-border environmental impact from the phenomenon of cross-border power plants invested by Thai state enterprises. The writer uses qualitative research methods by using 3 concreted case studies of cross-border power plants located on the neighboring countries’ border with Thailand. The company becomes a way for the state to transform its identity from a “state enterprise” to a “private company” for investing in other countries. As a private company, the role of these transformative state enterprises in business has increased significantly; investor, buyer, and seller while maintaining the role of the state in basic public utilities. Any action of these transformative state enterprises has no abuse of sovereignty and no responsibility at the regional level, although, many researchers have shown that the power plant is a cause of gigantic environmental impact. This article shows how state enterprise becomes transformative state enterprise and the asymmetry of ASEAN law between transnational economics and cross-border environmental impact.

A Financial Analysis and Valuation of Leading Companies in the U.S. Electric Utility Sector

In the post-pandemic era, as societal life demands gradually recover and stabilize, the American public utilities sector has demonstrated positive growth momentum, garnering significant investor attention. This research focuses on four prominent enterprises within the industry, including Southern Company (SO), American Electric Power (AEP), Duke Energy (DUK), and Exelon Corporation (EXC). These entities not only epitomize the developmental trajectories of the electric power industry but also reflect the escalating influence of renewable energy over traditional fossil fuels and the ramifications of heightened environmental standards on corporate operations. Leveraging the 2023 annual reports as foundational data, this study conducts a thorough analysis and valuation of these firms' financial statement indices and price-to-earnings ratios, aiming to offer comprehensive insights and analyses regarding their financial standings and market prospects. The findings indicate that Southern Company exhibits robust market competitiveness and allure, alongside an optimistic outlook for future development, rendering it a viable candidate for sustained attention from investors seeking long-term value investments.

POWER SECTOR MANAGEMENT FAILURE AND LOAD SHEDDING IN ZAMBIA

This paper examines the management failures within Zambias power sector and their direct linkage to the persistent issue of load shedding. It highlights the critical role of ZESCO, the state-owned utility, in navigating financial constraints while attempting to meet the electricity demands of both domestic consumers and export contracts. The study identifies key factors contributing to load shedding, including inadequate infrastructure, demand forecasting failures, and political influences that prioritize short-term gains over sustainable energy solutions. Furthermore, the paper discusses the potential of diversifying energy sources, such as solar and wind, to mitigate reliance on hydroelectric power and enhance resilience against climate variability. Recommendations for comprehensive strategies to address the energy crisis and improve load management are provided, emphasizing the need for long-term planning and investment in renewable energy initiatives.