RESUMO
Importance: Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood mortality worldwide. Severe pneumonia associated with hypoxemia requires oxygen therapy; however, access remains unreliable in low- and middle-income countries. Solar-powered oxygen delivery (solar-powered O2) has been shown to be a safe and effective technology for delivering medical oxygen. Examining the cost-effectiveness of this innovation is critical for guiding implementation in low-resource settings. Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of solar-powered O2 for treating children in low-resource settings with severe pneumonia who require oxygen therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants: An economic evaluation study of solar-powered O2 was conducted from January 12, 2020, to February 27, 2021, in compliance with the World Health Organization Choosing Interventions That Are Cost-Effective (WHO-CHOICE) guidelines. Using existing literature, plausible ranges for component costs of solar-powered O2 were determined in order to calculate the expected total cost of implementation. The costs of implementing solar-powered O2 at a single health facility in low- and middle-income countries was analyzed for pediatric patients younger than 5 years who required supplemental oxygen. Exposures: Treatment with solar-powered O2. Main Outcomes and Measures: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of solar-powered O2 was calculated as the additional cost per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) saved. Sensitivity of the ICER to uncertainties of input parameters was assessed through univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results: The ICER of solar-powered O2 was estimated to be $20 (US dollars) per DALY saved (95% CI, $2.83-$206) relative to the null case (no oxygen). Costs of solar-powered O2 were alternatively quantified as $26 per patient treated and $542 per life saved. Univariate sensitivity analysis found that the ICER was most sensitive to the volume of pediatric pneumonia admissions and the case fatality rate. The ICER was insensitive to component costs of solar-powered O2 systems. In secondary analyses, solar-powered O2 was cost-effective relative to grid-powered concentrators (ICER $140 per DALY saved) and cost-saving relative to fuel generator-powered concentrators (cost saving of $7120). Conclusions and Relevance: The results of this economic evaluation suggest that solar-powered O2 is a cost-effective solution for treating hypoxemia in young children in low- and middle-income countries, relative to no oxygen. Future implementation should prioritize sites with high rates of pediatric pneumonia admissions and mortality. This study provides economic support for expansion of solar-powered O2 and further assessment of its efficacy and mortality benefit.
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Recursos em Saúde/provisão & distribuição , Oxigenoterapia/instrumentação , Pneumonia/terapia , Energia Solar/economia , Análise Custo-Benefício/métodos , Análise Custo-Benefício/estatística & dados numéricos , Custos de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Oxigênio/administração & dosagem , Oxigênio/economia , Oxigenoterapia/métodos , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
The effects of atmospheric aerosols on the terrestrial climate system are more regional than those of greenhouse gases, which are more global. Thus, it is necessary to examine the typical regional effects of how aerosols affect solar radiation in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding. In this study, we used global AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data and robust radiation observational evidence to investigate the impact of aerosols on total radiation, diffuse radiation, and the diffuse radiation fraction in China from 1961 to 2016. Our results showed that there were different temporal changes in the aerosol optical depth (AOD), total solar radiation, diffuse radiation and diffuse radiation fraction over the past 56 years. Specifically, the 550 nm AOD from 2005 to 2016 decreased significantly, with annual average AOD of 0.51. Meanwhile, the average total solar radiation reduced by 2.48%, while there was a slight increase in average diffuse radiation at a rate of 3.10 MJ·m-2·yr-1. Moreover, the spatial heterogeneities of AOD, total radiation, diffuse radiation, and the diffuse radiation fraction in China were significant. Aerosol particle emissions in the developed eastern and southern regions of China were more severe than those in the western regions, resulting in higher total radiation and diffuse radiation in the western plateau than in the eastern plain. In addition, aerosols were found to have negative effects on total radiation and sunshine hours, and positive effects on diffuse radiation and diffuse radiation fraction. Further, the diffuse radiation fraction was negatively correlated with sunshine hours. However, there was a positive correlation between AOD and sunshine hours. These results could be used to assess the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystem productivity and carbon budgets.
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Aerossóis/química , Poluentes Atmosféricos/química , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Luz Solar , Aerossóis/análise , Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Poluição do Ar/estatística & dados numéricos , ChinaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the largest cause of child deaths in low-income countries. Lack of availability of oxygen in small rural hospitals results in avoidable deaths and unnecessary and unsafe referrals. METHOD: We evaluated a programme for improving reliable oxygen therapy using oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters and sustainable solar power in 38 remote health facilities in nine provinces in Papua New Guinea. The programme included a quality improvement approach with training, identification of gaps, problem solving and corrective measures. Admissions and deaths from pneumonia and overall paediatric admissions, deaths and referrals were recorded using routine health information data for 2-4 years prior to the intervention and 2-4 years after. Using Poisson regression we calculated incidence rates (IRs) preintervention and postintervention, and incidence rate ratios (IRR). RESULTS: There were 18 933 pneumonia admissions and 530 pneumonia deaths. Pneumonia admission numbers were significantly lower in the postintervention era than in the preintervention era. The IRs for pneumonia deaths preintervention and postintervention were 2.83 (1.98-4.06) and 1.17 (0.48-1.86) per 100 pneumonia admissions: the IRR for pneumonia deaths was 0.41 (0.24-0.71, p<0.005). There were 58 324 paediatric admissions and 2259 paediatric deaths. The IR for child deaths preintervention and postintervention were 3.22 (2.42-4.28) and 1.94 (1.23-2.65) per 100 paediatric admissions: IRR 0.60 (0.45-0.81, p<0.005). In the years postintervention period, an estimated 348 lives were saved, at a cost of US$6435 per life saved and over 1500 referrals were avoided. CONCLUSIONS: Solar-powered oxygen systems supported by continuous quality improvement can be achieved at large scale in rural and remote hospitals and health care facilities, and was associated with reduced child deaths and reduced referrals. Variability of effectiveness in different contexts calls for strengthening of quality improvement in rural health facilities. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12616001469404.
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Oximetria/instrumentação , Oxigenoterapia/instrumentação , Oxigênio/uso terapêutico , Pneumonia/mortalidade , Energia Solar/economia , Adolescente , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Análise Custo-Benefício/estatística & dados numéricos , Países em Desenvolvimento/estatística & dados numéricos , Instalações de Saúde/normas , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Rurais/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Incidência , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Mortalidade/tendências , Oximetria/economia , Oxigênio/administração & dosagem , Oxigenoterapia/economia , Papua Nova Guiné/epidemiologia , Pneumonia/epidemiologia , Pneumonia/terapia , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Melhoria de Qualidade , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
HIGHLIGHTS Comparative study of the operation of eight real cases of systems installed in Paraná. There is a convergence between the values estimated by the Atlas and the ones calculated. It was possible to identify the cities that presented the greatest figures of merit.
Abstract With the development of renewable energies in the world, there is also an increase in solar photovoltaic systems globally. In Brazil, and in the state of Paraná, there is an exponential growth of this form of energy generation, which causes the necessity to study the performance of the installed systems. Therefore, this article analyzed eight photovoltaic systems installed in the state of Paraná, under the aspect of figures of merit parameters, through calculations of final yield, performance ratio and capacity factor. In addition, the calculated values were compared to the values estimated by the Solar Energy Atlas of the State of Paraná. As a result, the largest average differences in final yield, between the calculations and the Atlas, were found in the cities of Cascavel, while the smallest were observed in Goioerê.
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Humanos , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Energia Fotovoltaica/métodos , Brasil , Consumo de Energia/estatística & dados numéricos , Energia Fotovoltaica/estatística & dados numéricos , Modelos TeóricosRESUMO
The behavior of solar cells and modules under various operational conditions can be determined effectively when their intrinsic parameters are accurately estimated and used to simulate the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. This work proposed a new computational approach based on approximation and correction technique (ACT) for simple and efficient extraction of solar cells and modules parameters from the single-diode model. In this technique, an approximated value of series resistance (Rs) was first derived and used to determine the initial value of parallel resistance (Rp). Later, the final corrected values of Rs and Rp were obtained by resubstituting their approximated values in a five-loop iteration using the manipulated equations. For rapid evaluation and validation of the proposed technique, a software application was also created using MATLAB program. The correctness and robustness of the proposed technique was validated on five types of solar cells and modules operated at varied temperatures and irradiances. The lowest RMSE value was achieved for RTC France (7.78937E-4) and PVM 752 GaAs (2.10497E-4) solar cell. The legitimacy of ACT extracted parameters was established using a simple yet competitive implementation approach wherein the performance of the developed technique was compared with several state-of-the-art methods recently reported in the literature.
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Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Algoritmos , Impedância Elétrica/classificação , Software , Luz Solar , TemperaturaRESUMO
The maximisation of the efficiency of the photovoltaic system is crucial in order to increase the competitiveness of this technology. Unfortunately, several environmental factors in addition to many alterable and unalterable factors can significantly influence the performance of the PV system. Some of the environmental factors that depend on the site have to do with dust, soiling and pollutants. In this study conducted in the city centre of Kraków, Poland, characterised by high pollution and low wind speed, the focus is on the evaluation of the degradation of efficiency of polycrystalline photovoltaic modules due to natural dust deposition. The experimental results that were obtained demonstrated that deposited dust-related efficiency loss gradually increased with the mass and that it follows the exponential. The maximum dust deposition density observed for rainless exposure periods of 1 week exceeds 300 mg/m2 and the results in efficiency loss were about 2.1%. It was observed that efficiency loss is not only mass-dependent but that it also depends on the dust properties. The small positive effect of the tiny dust layer which slightly increases in surface roughness on the module performance was also observed. The results that were obtained enable the development of a reliable model for the degradation of the efficiency of the PV module caused by dust deposition. The novelty consists in the model, which is easy to apply and which is dependent on the dust mass, for low and moderate naturally deposited dust concentration (up to 1 and 5 g/m2 and representative for many geographical regions) and which is applicable to the majority of cases met in an urban and non-urban polluted area can be used to evaluate the dust deposition-related derating factor (efficiency loss), which is very much sought after by the system designers, and tools used for computer modelling and system malfunction detection.
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Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Poeira/análise , Monitoramento Ambiental , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Eficiência , Polônia , VentoAssuntos
Dióxido de Carbono/análise , Política Ambiental/legislação & jurisprudência , Aquecimento Global/legislação & jurisprudência , Aquecimento Global/prevenção & controle , Objetivos , Cooperação Internacional/legislação & jurisprudência , Temperatura , Automóveis , Dióxido de Carbono/economia , Carvão Mineral/economia , Carvão Mineral/provisão & distribuição , Congressos como Assunto , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/economia , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/provisão & distribuição , Política Ambiental/economia , Aquecimento Global/economia , Aquecimento Global/estatística & dados numéricos , Liderança , Otimismo , Paris , Política , Energia Renovável/economia , Energia Renovável/estatística & dados numéricos , Energia Solar/economia , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Nações Unidas , VentoRESUMO
Promoting the adoption of public goods that are not yet widely accepted is particularly challenging. This is because most tools for increasing cooperation-such as reputation concerns1 and information about social norms2-are typically effective only for behaviours that are commonly practiced, or at least generally agreed upon as being desirable. Here we examine how advocates can successfully promote non-normative (that is, rare or unpopular) public goods. We do so by applying the cultural evolutionary theory of credibility-enhancing displays3, which argues that beliefs are spread more effectively by actions than by words alone-because actions provide information about the actor's true beliefs. Based on this logic, people who themselves engage in a given behaviour will be more effective advocates for that behaviour than people who merely extol its virtues-specifically because engaging in a behaviour credibly signals a belief in its value. As predicted, a field study of a programme that promotes residential solar panel installation in 58 towns in the United States-comprising 1.4 million residents in total-found that community organizers who themselves installed through the programme recruited 62.8% more residents to install solar panels than community organizers who did not. This effect was replicated in three pre-registered randomized survey experiments (total n = 1,805). These experiments also support the theoretical prediction that this effect is specifically driven by subjects' beliefs about what the community organizer believes about solar panels (that is, second-order beliefs), and demonstrate generalizability to four other highly non-normative behaviours. Our findings shed light on how to spread non-normative prosocial behaviours, offer an empirical demonstration of credibility-enhancing displays and have substantial implications for practitioners and policy-makers.
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Terapia Comportamental , Comunicação , Comportamento do Consumidor/estatística & dados numéricos , Difusão de Inovações , Utilização de Equipamentos e Suprimentos/estatística & dados numéricos , Motivação , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Evolução Cultural , Cultura , Humanos , Modelos Psicológicos , Formulação de Políticas , Mudança Social , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Sb2S3 is considered as one of the emerging light absorbers that can be applied to next-generation solar cells because of its unique optical and electrical properties. Recently, we demonstrated its potential as next-generation solar cells by achieving a high photovoltaic efficiency of > 6% in Sb2S3-sensitized solar cells using a simple thiourea (TU)-based complex solution method. Here, we describe the key experimental procedures for the deposition of Sb2S3 on a mesoporous TiO2 (mp-TiO2) layer using a SbCl3-TU complex solution in the fabrication of solar cells. First, the SbCl3-TU solution is synthesized by dissolving SbCl3 and TU in N,N-dimethylformamide at different molar ratios of SbCl3:TU. Then, the solution is deposited on as-prepared substrates consisting of mp-TiO2/TiO2-blocking layer/F-doped SnO2 glass by spin coating. Finally, to form crystalline Sb2S3, the samples are annealed in an N2-filled glove box at 300 °C. The effects of the experimental parameters on the photovoltaic device performance are also discussed.
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Antimônio/química , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Tioureia/químicaAssuntos
Dióxido de Carbono/análise , Combustíveis Fósseis/provisão & distribuição , Combustíveis Fósseis/estatística & dados numéricos , Aquecimento Global/prevenção & controle , Cooperação Internacional , Energia Renovável/economia , Energia Renovável/estatística & dados numéricos , China , Desenvolvimento Econômico/estatística & dados numéricos , Eletricidade , Combustíveis Fósseis/economia , Aquecimento Global/legislação & jurisprudência , Energia Solar/economia , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Failure detectors are one of the fundamental components for maintaining the high availability of vehicular cloud computing. In vehicular cloud computing, lots of RSUs are deployed along the road to improve the connectivity. Many of them are equipped with solar battery due to the unavailability or excess expense of wired electrical power. So it is important to reduce the battery consumption of RSU. However, the existing failure detection algorithms are not designed to save battery consumption RSU. To solve this problem, a new energy-efficient failure detector 2E-FD has been proposed specifically for vehicular cloud computing. 2E-FD does not only provide acceptable failure detection service, but also saves the battery consumption of RSU. Through the comparative experiments, the results show that our failure detector has better performance in terms of speed, accuracy and battery consumption.
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Computação em Nuvem , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/estatística & dados numéricos , Veículos Automotores/estatística & dados numéricos , Algoritmos , Redes de Comunicação de Computadores , Falha de Equipamento/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Internet , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Integração de SistemasRESUMO
The power system always has several variations in its profile due to random load changes or environmental effects such as device switching effects when generating further transients. Thus, an accurate mathematical model is important because most system parameters vary with time. Curve modeling of power generation is a significant tool for evaluating system performance, monitoring and forecasting. Several numerical techniques compete to fit the curves of empirical data such as wind, solar, and demand power rates. This paper proposes a new modified methodology presented as a parametric technique to determine the system's modeling equations based on the Bode plot equations and the vector fitting (VF) algorithm by fitting the experimental data points. The modification is derived from the familiar VF algorithm as a robust numerical method. This development increases the application range of the VF algorithm for modeling not only in the frequency domain but also for all power curves. Four case studies are addressed and compared with several common methods. From the minimal RMSE, the results show clear improvements in data fitting over other methods. The most powerful features of this method is the ability to model irregular or randomly shaped data and to be applied to any algorithms that estimating models using frequency-domain data to provide state-space or transfer function for the model.
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Algoritmos , Modelos Teóricos , Energia Renovável/estatística & dados numéricos , Análise dos Mínimos Quadrados , Conceitos Matemáticos , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , VentoRESUMO
In the past decades, the inappropriate subsidy policies in many nations have caused problems such as serious oversupply, fierce competition and subpar social welfare in the photovoltaic (PV) industry in many nations. There is a clear shortage in the PV industry literature regarding how dual supply chains compete and the key decision issues regarding the competition between dual PV supply chains. It is critical to develop effective subsidy policies for the competing PV supply chains to achieve social welfare maximization. This study has explored the dual PV supply chain competition under the Bertrand competition assumption by three game-theoretical modeling scenarios (or supply chain strategies) considering either the public subsidy or no subsidy from a social welfare maximization perspective. A numerical analysis complemented by two sensitivity analyses provides a better understanding of the pricing and quantity decision dynamics in the dual supply chains under three different supply chain strategies and the corresponding outcomes regarding the total supply chain profits, the social welfare and the required total subsidies. The key findings disclose that if there are public subsidies, the dual PV supply chains have the strongest intention to pursue the decentralized strategy to achieve their maximal returns rather than the centralized strategy that would achieve the maximal social welfare; however, the government would need to pay for the maximal subsidy budget. Thus, the best option for the government would be to encourage the dual PV supply chains to adopt a centralized strategy since this will not only maximize the social welfare but also, at the same time, minimize the public subsidy. With a smart subsidy policy, the PV industry can make the best use of the subsidy budget and grow in a sustainable way to support the highly demanded solar power generation in many countries trying very hard to increase the proportion of their clean energy to combat the global warming effect. Several subsidy policies such as shared solar energy arrangements and performance-based incentive (PBI) are proposed to integrate the market users and the PV supply chains. This study serves as a pioneering study into the dual PV supply chain research which is very limited in the PV management and policy study literature. The findings and several untended issues provide a foundation for the future PV supply chain studies.
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Custos e Análise de Custo/economia , Custos e Análise de Custo/estatística & dados numéricos , Competição Econômica/estatística & dados numéricos , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/estatística & dados numéricos , Financiamento Governamental/estatística & dados numéricos , Energia Solar/economia , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Modelos TeóricosAssuntos
Dióxido de Carbono/análise , Aquecimento Global/prevenção & controle , Objetivos , Cooperação Internacional , Energia Renovável/estatística & dados numéricos , Temperatura , China , Recifes de Corais , Secas , Ecossistema , Combustíveis Fósseis/estatística & dados numéricos , Combustíveis Fósseis/provisão & distribuição , Aquecimento Global/economia , Aquecimento Global/estatística & dados numéricos , Efeito Estufa/prevenção & controle , Efeito Estufa/estatística & dados numéricos , Atividades Humanas , Camada de Gelo , Modelos Teóricos , Energia Renovável/economia , Energia Solar/economia , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores de Tempo , Estados UnidosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the largest cause of child deaths in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and hypoxaemia is the major complication causing death in childhood pneumonia, and hypoxaemia is a major factor in deaths from many other common conditions, including bronchiolitis, asthma, sepsis, malaria, trauma, perinatal problems, and obstetric emergencies. A reliable source of oxygen therapy can reduce mortality from pneumonia by up to 35%. However, in low and middle income countries throughout the world, improved oxygen systems have not been implemented at large scale in remote, difficult to access health care settings, and oxygen is often unavailable at smaller rural hospitals or district health centers which serve as the first point of referral for childhood illnesses. These hospitals are hampered by lack of reliable power, staff training and other basic services. METHODS: We report the methodology of a large implementation effectiveness trial involving sustainable and renewable oxygen and power systems in 36 health facilities in remote rural areas of PNG. The methodology is a before-and after evaluation involving continuous quality improvement, and a health systems approach. We describe this model of implementation as the considerations and steps involved have wider implications in health systems in other countries. RESULTS: The implementation steps include: defining the criteria for where such an intervention is appropriate, assessment of power supplies and power requirements, the optimal design of a solar power system, specifications for oxygen concentrators and other oxygen equipment that will function in remote environments, installation logistics in remote settings, the role of oxygen analyzers in monitoring oxygen concentrator performance, the engineering capacity required to sustain a program at scale, clinical guidelines and training on oxygen equipment and the treatment of children with severe respiratory infection and other critical illnesses, program costs, and measurement of processes and outcomes to support continuous quality improvement. CONCLUSIONS: This study will evaluate the feasibility and sustainability issues in improving oxygen systems and providing reliable power on a large scale in remote rural settings in PNG, and the impact of this on child mortality from pneumonia over 3 years post-intervention. Taking a continuous quality improvement approach can be transformational for remote health services.
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Países em Desenvolvimento/economia , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/provisão & distribuição , Hipóxia/complicações , Oximetria/instrumentação , Oxigenoterapia/métodos , Oxigênio/provisão & distribuição , Pneumonia/mortalidade , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Criança , Mortalidade da Criança , Pré-Escolar , Países em Desenvolvimento/estatística & dados numéricos , Fontes de Energia Elétrica/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudos de Viabilidade , Instalações de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Rurais/normas , Humanos , Hipóxia/terapia , Oximetria/economia , Papua Nova Guiné/epidemiologia , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde/métodos , Melhoria de Qualidade , População Rural , Energia Solar/economiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Access to, and sustained adoption of, clean household fuels at scale remains an aspirational goal to achieve sufficient reductions in household air pollution (HAP) in order to impact on the substantial global health burden caused by reliance on solid fuels. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To systematically appraise the current evidence base to identify: (i) which factors enable or limit adoption and sustained use of clean fuels (namely liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, solar cooking and alcohol fuels) in low- and middle-income countries; (ii) lessons learnt concerning equitable scaling-up of programmes of cleaner cooking fuels in relation to poverty, urban-rural settings and gender. METHODS: A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted using established review methodology and extensive searches of published and grey literature sources. Data extraction and quality appraisal of quantitative, qualitative and case studies meeting inclusion criteria were conducted using standardised methods with reliability checking. FINDINGS: Forty-four studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America met the inclusion criteria (17 on biogas, 12 on LPG, 9 on solar, 6 on alcohol fuels). A broad range of inter-related enabling and limiting factors were identified for all four types of intervention, operating across seven pre-specified domains (i.e. fuel and technology characteristics, household and setting characteristics, knowledge and perceptions, financial, tax and subsidy aspects, market development, regulation, legislation and standards, and programme and policy mechanisms) and multiple levels (i.e. household, community, national). All domains matter and the majority of factors are common to all clean fuels interventions reviewed although some are fuel and technology-specific. All factors should therefore be taken into account and carefully assessed during planning and implementation of any small- and large-scale initiative aiming at promoting clean fuels for household cooking. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations in quantity and quality of the evidence this systematic review provides a useful starting point for the design, delivery and evaluation of programmes to ensure more effective adoption and use of LPG, biogas, alcohol fuels and solar cooking. FUNDING: This review was funded by the Department for International Development (DfID) of the United Kingdom. The authors would also like to thank the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) for their technical support.
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Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/prevenção & controle , Culinária/métodos , Países em Desenvolvimento , Álcoois , Biocombustíveis/estatística & dados numéricos , Culinária/instrumentação , Características da Família , Humanos , Gás Natural/estatística & dados numéricos , Pobreza , Fatores Sexuais , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
Hospitals are among the biggest consumers of energy outside the energy-intensive manufacturing and industrial sectors. Should estates teams choose to embrace them renewable alternatives - such as solar power - have the potential to revolutionase consumption across the sector, explains Ian Dunning, head of Facilities & Assist Solutions at Styles&Wood Energy, the renewable energy support services division of property services group, Styles&Wood Plc.
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Hospitais , Energia Solar/estatística & dados numéricos , Conservação de Recursos Energéticos , Inglaterra , Previsões , Arquitetura HospitalarRESUMO
Solar energy conversion into electricity by photovoltaic modules is now a mature technology. We discuss the need for materials and device developments using conventional silicon and other materials, pointing to the need to use scalable materials and to reduce the energy payback time. Storage of solar energy can be achieved using the energy of light to produce a fuel. We discuss how this can be achieved in a direct process mimicking the photosynthetic processes, using synthetic organic, inorganic, or hybrid materials for light collection and catalysis. We also briefly discuss challenges and needs for large-scale implementation of direct solar fuel technologies.