Renewable Support Research Articles

A method for evaluating the visual quality of wetland park landscapes: a case study of qianlu lake wetland park in Wuping, China

Wetland parks are an important part of urban ecosystems, characterized by artificial and natural features. While providing outdoor recreational space for urban residents, the aesthetics of the landscape also affect residents’ willingness to visit the wetland park. Previous studies of wetland parks focused on the ecological benefit. However, fewer systematic studies analyzed the aesthetic qualities and influencing elements of wetland parks. In this study, the Wuping Qianlu Lake Wetland Park in Fujian Province, China was used to evaluate the landscape visual quality of the wetland park using the the Scenic Beauty Estimation method (SBE), and the landscape features of the wetland park were obtained through the Semantic Differential (SD) method and semantic segmentation technique. The regression model of landscape visual quality and landscape features in wetland parks was established using SBE values as the dependent variable, and 23 landscape features as independent variables. The SBE values and accessibility were also combined to create four quadrants, which were combined with K-means clustering to diagnose existing problems. The results of the study showed that two landscape features, approach and proportion of water area were weaker among the four types of wetland park landscapes. The SBE values of the man-made landscape type were the most significant. Meanwhile, the high enclosure landscape type had a significant sense of rusticity, accentuating the wildness of the plants. It was less aesthetically pleasing and had the poorest landscape visual quality of the four types. This study provides a systematic method for diagnosing landscape problems in wetland parks, evaluating landscape visual quality assessment, and providing theoretical and technical support for urban wetland park renewal and construction.

When legitimacy becomes the object of politics: the politicization of political support in European democracies

Democratic legitimacy is essential for democratic stability, as democracies rely on citizen support to survive. However, perceived legitimacy gaps can also be an important catalyst for change and potential democratic renewal, begging the question when challenges to legitimacy become problematic for democratic survival. Easton distinguished between citizen support for political authorities and the political system, and argued that if support for political authorities declined, such declining support could either be resolved by the current political authorities changing course, or by citizens electing new political authorities at the next elections. However, if dissatisfaction with political authorities would not be resolved, lacking support had the potential to eventually “spill-over” and undermine support for the political system as a whole. In most empirical research on legitimacy, the assumption is that such “spill-over” is visible only if declining levels of political trust and satisfaction with democracy start to undermine support for democracy as a political system. In this paper, we argue that “spill-over” can also manifest in a different way: through the politicization of political support. When politics is no longer (only) about substantive policy decisions, but rather (increasingly) about the system itself, agreement on the rules of the game, or even on democracy as “the only game in town”, is no longer self-evident. In this paper we further develop our theoretical argument about the connection between legitimacy and politicisation, and argue that European democracies appear to experience growing politicization of political support, in terms of the association of political support with citizens’ substantive issue positions and voting behaviour. The paper demonstrates empirical evidence of such politicization of political support in 17 European democracies with European Social Survey data from 2002–2022. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implications of the politicization of political support for democratic stability and renewal.

Optimization and characterization of immobilized thermostable α-amylase from germinating Sword bean (Canavalia gladiata (Jacq.) DC.) seeds on DEAE-cellulose and chitosan bead for operational stability.

Thermostable α-amylase from germinating Sword bean (Canavalia gladiata (Jacq.) DC.) seeds has been successfully immobilized on DEAE-cellulose (ICgAmy1) and chitosan bead (ICgAmy2) support materials. Optimum conditions of immobilization for DEAE-cellulose and chitosan bead revealed 97% and 96% immobilization yield, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature of both DEAE-cellulose and chitosan bead immobilized α-amylases were pH 7 and 70°C. Both ICgAmy1 and ICgAmy2 were high stability over a wide pH range of pH 5-9 and a temperature range of 70-90°C. In addition, ICgAmy1 and ICgAmy2 led to an operationally stable biocatalyst with above 74% and 76% residual activity after 10 reuses, respectively. Immobilized α-amylases showed high storage stability with 81% (ICgAmy1) and 85% (ICgAmy2) residual activity after 120 days of storage. The easy immobilization process on low-cost, biodegradable, and renewable support materials exhibited an increase in the enzyme operation range and storage stability which reduces production costs. This makes immobilized amylases an effective biocatalyst in various industrial applications especially a potential candidate for bioethanol production, a key renewable energy source.

From Darkness to Light: Nicodemus, “the Jews,” and John’s Gospel

Abstract How might we read the canonical Gospel of John as anything other than anti-Jewish, a scholarly point of view that in recent years has received renewed support? The accusation is absolute and raises serious problems for the gospel’s ongoing reception as Christian Scripture. The appropriate response to this challenge of such high stakes is to return to the gospel and offer close readings of the relevant passages. This article participates in the ongoing debate regarding the status of the gospel by examining how John characterizes Nicodemus, the first “Jew” with whom Jesus engages in extended dialogue. Through a reading of his three appearances (John 3:1–21; 7:45–52; 19:38–42), this article argues for a positive characterization of Nicodemus. It contends that he progresses toward a fuller understanding of Jesus’s true identity, which culminates in reverently burying Jesus, this act representing an embodied confession commensurate with Johannine faith. Becoming a disciple, Nicodemus nevertheless remains a “Jew.” Thus, he is a case in point for how the gospel, while striking in its marked dualistic contrasts and exclusivist in its claim for Jesus as the only Way, permits movement across the very boundaries it establishes, thereby challenging the appropriateness of labeling John an anti-Jewish gospel. Part of the theological challenge of John’s Gospel is for all readers to recognize themselves in the story of Nicodemus.

Balancing the books: unveiling the direct impact of an integrated energy system model on industries, households and government revenues

BackgroundThe transition towards a sustainable energy system is reshaping the demand for final energy, driven by the diffusion of new end-use technologies. This shift not only impacts consumers’ energy expenses, but also holds implications for the public budget. Building on data from a German energy transition scenario, we analyse the direct impact of energy costs on industries, low-income households, and changes in government revenues from the taxes and levies on final energy carriers. Our analysis considers the impact of current policies and explores a scenario introducing additional excise tax rates to offset potential revenue losses.ResultsWe found that substantial carbon price increases could generate revenues that offset the losses from excise taxes on fossil fuels while enabling the financing of renewable support from the public budget by the end of this decade. Nevertheless, a decline in government revenues from taxes and levies is anticipated after 2030 until the middle of the century due to the declining use of fossil fuels. Maintaining current excise tax revenues during the transition could be achieved by introducing additional excise taxes on fossil fuels and electricity. Lastly, our analysis indicated a continuous decline in household energy expenditures until 2050, whereas energy-intensive industries face adverse impacts due to decarbonisation.ConclusionsThis research provides valuable insights into the fiscal implications of the energy transition, shedding light on different industrial sectors and households while considering the evolving impact on the public budget. Policymakers may need to consider systemic reforms or alternative financing mechanisms outside the energy system to balance the books.

Fabricating mesoporous titanium nanocomposites with high adsorption and photolysis performance by using rice husk ash as a renewable support source

Rice husk (RH) is a valuable and renewable source of bioenergy. Once RH has been burned to produce thermal energy, RH ash (RHA) remains, and this ash can be used as a sustainable resource to improve the circular economy. In this study, we used RHA as a silicon source to fabricate RH-SBA-15. Incipient wetness impregnation was then employed to directly incorporate TiO2 nanocrystals into the mesopores of the RH-SBA-15. XRD and TEM confirmed the successful integration of TiO2 into the framework of RH-SBA-15, with the hexagonal array and ordered mesostructure of RH-SBA-15 being unchanged. FTIR and XPS revealed the formation of Ti–O–Si bonds on the surface of RH-SBA-15, which enhanced the activity of TiO2. The pore volume and surface area of TiO2/RH-SBA-15 were 0.292–0.604 cm3/g and 170–366 m2/g. Photocatalytic tests were conducted to examine the catalysts used in the degradation of Reactive Blue 4 (RB4). The results indicated that TiO2/RH-SBA-15 exhibited 63% higher catalytic efficiency than that did bare TiO2. The surface adsorption of RH-SBA-15 and the high photolytic activity of TiO2 resulted in an improvement in RB4 degradation. The photoactivity increased with decreasing solution pH and calcination temperature and increasing catalyst mass. A TiO2 ratio of 25% resulted in the highest photoactivity, yielding a composite that completely eliminated RB4 within 5 h. The catalyst composites had high stability and photoactivity after four cycles. Overall, the method used in this study for fabricating mesoporous photocatalysts from recycled RHA is valuable for bio-waste disposal and wastewater purification.

Review of the marine energy environment-a combination of traditional, bibliometric and PESTEL analysis

Marine renewable energy is regarded as a nascent renewable energy resource that is less utilized due to a number of challenges in the sector. This paper focused on using both traditional and bibliometric analysis approaches to review the marine energy industry. It also assessed the various opportunities and challenges in the sector beyond technological challenges using PESTEL analysis. The results from the study identified the availability of renewable energy targets, international and national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, job creation, skill transfer from offshore industries, renewable support, and low GHG emissions as the major opportunities for the sector. The challenges in the sector include the lack of commonality in device designs, high initial capital costs, lack of appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks, lack of funding, fragmentations in regulatory institutions, bad macro-economic indicators in some countries, environmental challenges, the survivability of the various technologies in the harsh oceanic environment, and strong competition from other renewable energy sources. The outcome of the bibliometric analysis spanning from 2013 to 2023 shows that tidal power is the focus of research in the field, and most studies are either focused on ways to improve its efficiency in terms of technology or on the identification of resource potentials for the siting of the various marine renewable power systems. Recommendations such as strong cooperation between the government and private sector, increased public education, collaboration with existing players in the marine sector, and increased research and development, among others, were proposed for the development of the sector.

Improved lipase performance by covalent immobilization of Candida antarctica lipase B on amino acid modified microcrystalline cellulose as green renewable support

Development of immobilized lipase with excellent catalytic performance and low cost is the major challenge for large-scale industrial applications. In this study, green renewable microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) that was hydrophobically modified with D-alanine (Ala) or L-lysine (Lys) was used for immobilizing Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB). The improved catalytic properties were investigated by experimental and computational methods. CALB immobilized on MCC-Ala with higher hydrophobicity showed better catalytic activity than CALB@MCC-Lys because the increased flexibility of the lid region of CALB@MCC-Ala favored the formation of open conformation. Additionally, the low root mean square deviation and the high β-sheet and α-helix contents of CALB@MCC-Ala indicated that the structure became more stable, leading to a significantly enhanced stability (54.80% and 90.90% relative activity at 70 °C and pH 9.0, respectively) and good reusability (48.92% activity after 5 cycles). This study provides a promising avenue to develop immobilized lipase with high catalytic properties for industry applications.

German Media Discourses and Public Perceptions on Hydrogen Imports: An Energy Justice Perspective

While aiming to become a global pioneer in green hydrogen, import of hydrogen is indispensable for meeting the German hydrogen demand. Public perception and acceptance of a changing energy landscape are crucial for enabling a hydrogen economy in Germany. The societal discourse surrounding hydrogen imports carries significant importance as it provides a lens through which to assess the alignment of these developments with Sustainable Development Goals and justice principles. This study sheds light on potential synergies or conflicts resulting from socioeconomic implications of hydrogen imports. With a multimethod approach, media discourses and public perceptions of hydrogen import are assessed. This study presents results from a media analysis of N = 37 newspaper articles and a representative survey (N = 2752). Media representation of hydrogen imports focuses on discussed motives for imports and conditions for partnerships with potential countries, whereas implications for exporting countries receive little attention. The survey results on public perceptions of Power‐to‐X technologies show support for renewables as a basis for imports. Yet, there is still a high degree of uncertainty in the assessment, expressed by a high number of “don't know” answers within the survey. The study highlights the need for stronger science communication and dialogue on hydrogen import strategies.

Local acceptance of solar farms: The impact of energy narratives

This research explores how a new concept, support for energy transition narratives, and other commonly applied social licence factors influence local acceptance of large-scale solar farms. Producing renewable electricity requires deploying more large-scale renewable technology infrastructure and support of host communities will be paramount. There is a dearth of studies that investigate a comprehensive set of social licence factors that influence local support of solar farms. Moreover, there is a lack of research considering how broader environmental worldview and beliefs about the energy transition influence local level support for renewable energy infrastructure. Survey data from a large, representative sample of the Australian population is analysed using a network modelling approach to identify conditional associations between variables of interest. Results reveal that general support for renewables in the energy transition had relatively strong direct and indirect associations with local acceptance in addition to social licence factors. Conversely, beliefs about the energy transition beyond the role for renewables (i.e., support for the role of natural gas, support for exporting fossil fuels and willingness to make trade-offs for a faster energy transition) had relatively weak effects on local acceptance and other social licence factors. The findings suggest that individual alignment with broader energy transition narratives explains local solar farm support beyond social licence factors. Future social licence research should consider the role of broader public narratives when investigating the factors that facilitate or impede local acceptance of renewable energy projects.

The impacts of consumer-funded renewable support schemes in the UK: From the perspective of consumers or the electricity sector?

Increased renewable electricity reduced electricity prices but the costs of consumer-funded support schemes were added to utility bills. Previous studies compared these two components to understand the impacts on consumers. This paper constructs a framework for the electricity sector and provides a new angle to examine the impacts of renewable support schemes on consumers and the sector, respectively. Any negative gain to consumers was offset by the positive gain received by renewable generators (and suppliers), leaving the sector unaffected. In contrast, the increase in renewable electricity brought positive gain to the sector as a whole through reduced fossil fuels imports and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We examine the structural change in the generation mix from 2006 to 2020 in the UK and suggest that wind generation replaced coal-fired generation rather than gas-fired generation on the longer horizon. Therefore, using coal-related coefficients and a contribution share of 38.6% for renewable subsidies, we suggest that wind generation supported by the RO scheme brought positive net gain to the sector, exceeding £800 million per annum in 2018–19 and 2019–20. Therefore, the discrepancy in payoffs from the perspective of consumers and the sector imposed a difficult challenge for policymakers, as criticism would be raised if the analysis was done on consumers only.

Measuring the benefits of cross-border renewable auctions in Central and Eastern Europe — The theoretical case of Hungary

Economic theory suggests that significant benefits can be realized, if two or more countries integrate their renewable support schemes and capitalize on the lowest cost renewable energy projects in merged markets. Hungary is one of the Central and Eastern European countries having a legal obligation to open their renewable auction schemes to other EU member states. This paper provides a model-based assessment of what such a cross-border cooperation could mean for Hungary and its neighbouring countries. Economic benefits are calculated and presented for the participating countries according to three pairwise cases for cooperation. Based on these outcomes, the paper concludes with the policy considerations and recommendations to shape the design of the opened auction scheme.

Urban Expressway Renewal Strategy Based on Knowledge Graphs

As an important element of urban infrastructure renewal, urban expressway renewal is of great significance to improve the commuting efficiency of cities (especially metropolitan cities), strengthen the service capacity of urban road facilities, and enhance the quality of cities. Considering the advantages of a knowledge graph in the integration of multi-source data and assisted decision-making based on knowledge reasoning, this paper provides assisted decision support for urban expressway renewal with the help of a knowledge graph. In this paper, we sorted out the concepts related to road renewal from road maintenance standards, designed an ontology concept matching algorithm to extract relevant concepts in existing ontologies, constructed concept models, and built a knowledge graph of expressway renewal with ontology as the carrier. Then, based on road maintenance standards and road properties, this work proposes a knowledge reasoning rule combined with case similarity for an expressway renewal strategy. The final experimental results verified the feasibility of the expressway renewal strategy based on the knowledge graph.

Volatility in the Turkish wholesale electricity market: an assessment

ABSTRACT Electricity prices are determined in wholesale markets. A major issue in determining prices is the distortive effect of high volatility of supply. This paper investigates the volatility of electricity supply in the Turkish energy exchange for the period between 2017 and 2020, by using hourly data. We find that volatility increased substantially during this period and uncertainty became a major issue. High volatility brings non-price variables such as institutional and political preferences to the forefront in terms of the decision-making of suppliers. We also discuss the dominance of bilateral contracts, the design of the renewable support mechanism, and the disappearance of independent traders in the wholesale market as some of the major issues that correlate with high volatility.

Organic-solvent-free oxidation of styrene, phenol and sulfides with H2O2 over eco-friendly niobium and tantalum based heterogeneous catalysts

Immobilization of triperoxido derivatives of Nb(V) and Ta(V) on chitosan, an abundant and renewable support material, afforded a pair of stable heterogeneous catalysts, which could be successfully implemented in a variety of organic oxidations under ecologically sustainable organic-solvent-free conditions. The catalysts were extensively characterized by elemental analysis, SEM-EDX, powder XRD, XPS, BET, TG-DTG, FT-IR, Raman and NMR analysis. The supported catalysts showed excellent activity in the non-solvent epoxidation of styrene with H2O2 to provide 96% conversion with nearly 100% selectivity of the desired epoxide and a high TON value of 260 at room temperature. Moreover, phenol was selectively converted into 100% dihydroxybenzene (HQ:CT = 2:1) at ambient temperature, in absence of organic solvent, with a TON value of 80. In addition, both the catalysts were highly active towards the oxidation of a diverse range of sulfides such as aromatic, aliphatic, vinylic, allylic, and alcoholic sulfides to chemoselectively produce the desired sulfoxides in an aqueous medium with a TON value as high as 1900. The heterogeneous nature of the insoluble catalysts was confirmed by a hot filtration test. The catalysts are stable, water tolerant and easily recyclable at least up to five successive cycles of epoxidation and sulfoxidation with undiminished activity and selectivity.

Invisible Accelerators

To celebrate Leonardo’s 30th anniversary with MIT Press, a group gathered in Cambridge last November to consider legacy and futures at the crossroads of art, science, and technology. Participants reflected on how Leonardo at times exceeded expectations, overlooked or underestimated ideas, learned lessons along the way, and outlined emerging realities and altered futures on the horizon of the next several decades. The event served as a reminder that some conversations are less of a conclusive discussion and more of an ongoing exchange. In a sense, each issue of Leonardo adds to the discourse by engaging on the spectrum of legacy and futures, even as we are building both.In this first issue of Volume 56, Morteza Gharib, Chris Roh, and Flavio Noca explore the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci’s creative genius in attempting to visualize gravity as a form of acceleration. Looking back at this legacy also prompts questions looking forward regarding how creative visualization might accelerate the future.Da Vinci’s fascination with motion—how to capture the movement of water, clouds, falling hail, birds in flight—sparked imagination-fueled experiments and theories that precede by over a century the more precise equations of Galileo, Newton, and those who followed. His “equation of movement” drawings continue to raise fundamental questions about momentum: What moves us, how, when, and why? As an invisible force, gravity is only made visible by witnessing it in action, only visualized when things are set in motion, falling into their rightful place. What’s more, gravity is not neutral; gravity’s pull provides accelerated motion rather than constant velocity. Considering the “g” force as rate of change or acceleration makes me wonder what other invisible forces might be tracked or harnessed to accelerate change? How might the visualization of gravity reveal the possibility and potency of invisible forces as accelerators?In turbulent times, it is frighteningly easy to ignore invisible forces that abound and surround us, such as the power of human potential for imagination, inspiration, hope, trust, love. Yet these are exactly the times when it is most important to recognize and reinforce these forces as essential accelerators advancing the inherent human capacity for good. These unseen yet undeniable forces manifest in myriad ways through interdependent expressions of artistic creativity, scientific inquiry, technological innovation, collective generosity and hospitality. As the ultimate renewable energy resources, they generate momentum and means to develop the critical instruments, tools, and practices most needed today. These accelerators are essential to cultivate new and renewed support systems for humans to live and thrive on the planet. Like gravity, these accelerators are only made visible when activated. Our challenge is to magnify their magnetism that can actualize and optimize the human potential for positive change. The collaborative experiments and cross-disciplinary ideas of Leonardo’s community aim to do just that across our programs, partnerships, people, and publications, including the pages of this one. Leonardo continues to explore and expose living legacy, altered futures, and emerging realities, however hidden or entangled they may be.

Impact of Spanish renewable support scheme reforms on the revenues of photovoltaic power plants

Impact of Spanish renewable support scheme reforms on the revenues of photovoltaic power plants

Research on performance evaluation of higher vocational education informatization based on data envelopment analysis

<abstract> <p>With the continuous improvement of educational informatization, incorporating the performance evaluation of educational informatization into the overall framework of higher vocational education reform and innovation promotes the objective and practical direction of performance evaluation. This facilitates the transition of higher vocational education from scale-oriented development to intensive development and provides strategic support for method improvement and conceptual renewal in educational informatization.</p> <p>Based on this, we refer to the evaluation index system of information development level in colleges in Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and other regions. We use the entropy method to select performance evaluation indicators with a significant impact on higher vocational colleges. Combining the CCR and BCC models of the DEA method, the article evaluates the educational informatization performance of 82 higher vocational colleges in Henan Province. The informatization evaluation becomes more objective, improves the input-output ratio of informatization and provides directional guidance to avoid redundant construction.</p> <p>There are 46 DEA-effective decision-making units and 36 non-DEA-effective decision-making units among higher vocational colleges in Henan Province. The input-output ratio of the 36 non-DEA-effective higher vocational colleges has yet to reach an appropriate proportion, and further adjustments of input-output resources are needed based on projection values.</p> </abstract>

The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples

Past studies show that spending money on other people—prosocial spending—increases a person’s happiness. However, foundational research on this topic was conducted prior to psychology’s credibility revolution (or “replication crisis”), so it is essential to ask whether the evidence supporting this claim is robust and replicable. Here, we consider all 15 published preregistered experiments on prosocial spending to evaluate whether there is causal evidence for the idea that spending money on other people promotes happiness. Although the evidence appears somewhat mixed, we argue that the emotional benefits of prosocial spending are robust and replicable in large samples. These benefits are particularly likely when people have some choice about whether or how to give and when they understand how their generosity makes a difference. This review provides renewed support for the idea that prosocial spending promotes happiness and offers a template for revisiting phenomena that were established prior to the credibility revolution.

Design of Renewable Support Schemes and Windfall Profits: A Monte Carlo Analysis for the Netherlands

This paper investigates to which extent the Dutch feed-in premium scheme for on-shore wind projects has resulted in windfall profits during 2003-2018, a period in which the design of the scheme changed several times. Using Monte Carlo simulations, for 2003, 2009 and 2018, years that represent distinct scheme designs, we estimate the distributions of the required subsidy across virtually all potential on-shore wind projects, and compare them to the granted subsidies. We find that the average windfall profits of randomly drawn projects from the pool of potential investments have decreased over time, largely as a result of differentiating in the subsidy level among projects on the basis of the wind speed at the turbine’s location. Despite these improvements, actual investments still experience substantial windfall profits, implying that investors successfully seek out projects that yield the highest windfall profits. Overall, the results imply that accounting for heterogeneity by differentiating in the subsidy level contributes to mitigating windfall profits.