Microalgal hydrogen production: prospects of an essential technology for a clean and sustainable energy economy

Modern energy production is required to undergo a dramatic transformation. It will have to replace fossil fuel use by a sustainable and clean energy economy while meeting the growing world energy needs. This review analyzes the current energy sector, available energy sources, and energy conversion technologies. Solar energy is the only energy source with the potential to fully replace fossil fuels, and hydrogen is a crucial energy carrier for ensuring energy availability across the globe. The importance of photosynthetic hydrogen production for a solar-powered hydrogen economy is highlighted and the development and potential of this technology are discussed. Much successful research for improved photosynthetic hydrogen production under laboratory conditions has been reported, and attempts are underway to develop upscale systems. We suggest that a process of integrating these achievements into one system to strive for efficient sustainable energy conversion is already justified. Pursuing this goal may lead to a mature technology for industrial deployment.     

大型医院科技节能整体解决策略研究与实践

医院节能工作是一项系统工作，采用层次分析法建立医院节能策略评估模型，对医院节能领域进行分析，指导节能工作决策，制订医院节能建设规划，将节能技术的突破和合理使用作为节能的核心，统筹安排，分步实施，同时利用专业化能源诊断、审计及能源信息化的手段做好节能管理，提高了我院的能源使用效率，降低运行成本。     

能源预测预警理论与方法研究进展

能源作为一种稀缺性的战略资源是国民经济增长和社会进步的物质基础,但是随着化石能源耗竭及能源使用造成的环境问题日趋严重,能源安全问题逐渐成为关注的焦点,而能源预测预警也成为能源系统科学领域的新兴学科,其内容包含能源安全理论、基于模型的能源供需预测和基于安全评价指标体系的能源预警等方面内容。通过系统回顾能源安全的理论及其演变的历程,重点综述了自上而下、自下而上和混合建模3种建模思路的能源预测模型,探讨了三类模型的优点和局限性,并根据能源安全预警评价指标浓缩信息的程度,将现有预警评价体系划分单个型指标评价体系和聚合型指标评价体系两大类。通过对以上研究内容的总结分析,明确了当前能源预测预警研究各领域的研究进展,及其在理论和应用方面的优势与不足。在未来研究中,建议从供应链的角度出发,考虑能源系统内部各因素及与外部因素的相互作用,构建基于链式的预警体系,以有效弥补现有研究中的不足。     

Spatial club convergence of regional energy efficiency in China

This paper adopts data envelopment analysis method to calculate the regional energy efficiency from the perspective of total-factor energy efficiency. The Markov chain and spatial Markov chain are the common methods to test the club convergence of regional energy efficiency in China. Results indicate that the regional energy efficiency in China has been globally characterized by “club convergence” since 1999, and the energy efficiency transitions in China are closely connected with regional characteristics. A high level of energy efficiency has a positive influence on a region, whereas a low level of energy efficiency has a negative influence. This empirical analysis provides a spatial explanation to the “convergence clubs” of regional energy efficiency in China.     

辽宁省能源消费与经济增长的灰色关联

我国能源消费与经济增长的矛盾日益突出.辽宁省是我国重工业基地和能源消耗大省,经济发展对能源依赖性强,能源供不应求的状态日益显著.为了深入了解辽宁省能源消费与经济增长的关系,提出科学的低碳发展建议,本文基于2000—2012年辽宁省能源消费与经济增长相关数据,应用灰色关联分析,分别对辽宁省能源消费产业和能源消费品种与经济增长的相关性进行实证分析.结果表明: 在各产业能源消费中,批发零售业和住宿餐饮业能源消费量很少,但与经济增长的关联程度最大,工业消费量最大,却与经济增长的关联度较弱;在能源消费品种中,石油和水电能源消费量与经济增长的灰色关联度显著,但煤炭能源消费量与经济增长的关联度不显著,表明煤炭的利用效率低.为实现低碳可持续发展,辽宁省应转变经济增长方式、调整产业结构、优化能源结构、提高能源利用效率,特别是应大力发展生产性服务业,推进清洁能源和可再生能源的开发.     

土壤含水量与N2O产生途径研究

土壤含水量变化对N₂O产生和排放影响的研究表明,不同含水量情况下,N₂O排放也不相同。特别是用乙炔抑制技术证明了在播种前后,气候干燥而土壤含水量较低的情况下,N₂O产生主要来自于硝化过程;降雨后,土壤含水量较高时,N₂O主要是通过反硝化过程产生;而在农田中等含水量情况下,土壤微生物的硝化和反硝化作用产生的N₂O大约各占一半。指出旱作农田N₂O产生途径主要取决于土壤水分的控制和调节。     

Catching the Right Wave: Evaluating Wave Energy Resources and Potential Compatibility with Existing Marine and Coastal Uses

Many hope that ocean waves will be a source for clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, yet wave energy conversion facilities may affect marine ecosystems through a variety of mechanisms, including competition with other human uses. We developed a decision-support tool to assist siting wave energy facilities, which allows the user to balance the need for profitability of the facilities with the need to minimize conflicts with other ocean uses. Our wave energy model quantifies harvestable wave energy and evaluates the net present value (NPV) of a wave energy facility based on a capital investment analysis. The model has a flexible framework and can be easily applied to wave energy projects at local, regional, and global scales. We applied the model and compatibility analysis on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to provide information for ongoing marine spatial planning, including potential wave energy projects. In particular, we conducted a spatial overlap analysis with a variety of existing uses and ecological characteristics, and a quantitative compatibility analysis with commercial fisheries data. We found that wave power and harvestable wave energy gradually increase offshore as wave conditions intensify. However, areas with high economic potential for wave energy facilities were closer to cable landing points because of the cost of bringing energy ashore and thus in nearshore areas that support a number of different human uses. We show that the maximum combined economic benefit from wave energy and other uses is likely to be realized if wave energy facilities are sited in areas that maximize wave energy NPV and minimize conflict with existing ocean uses. Our tools will help decision-makers explore alternative locations for wave energy facilities by mapping expected wave energy NPV and helping to identify sites that provide maximal returns yet avoid spatial competition with existing ocean uses.     

Wireless Electric Energy Transmission through Various Isolated Solid Media Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Wireless electric energy transmission is an important energy supply technology. However, most wireless energy supply based on electromagnetic induction cannot be used for energy transmission through a metal chamber. Herein, a novel idea for wireless electric energy transmission through various isolated solid media based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is presented. The electric energy is first transformed into mechanical vibration energy in mechanical wave that can propagate well in solid medium, and then the vibration energy is harvested by a TENG. By employing the spring steel sheets and freestanding triboelectric‐layer structure, the vibration TENG as an energy conversion unit has the advantages of high efficiency and facilitation, boosting this wireless energy transmission technology to be an alternative way of delivering electric energy through metal medium. The working principle and output performance have been systematically studied. A commercial capacitor can be charged from 0 to 10 V in 33 and 86 s isolated by an acrylic plate and a copper plate in thickness of 3 mm, respectively. The wireless electric transmission technology is also applied to deliver electric energy into a vacuum glove box and across glass wall successfully. This novel technology has great potential applications in implantable microelectronic devices, encrypted wireless communication, and even nondestructive testing.     

The Energy Structure of the Canadian Economy

We developed a model of a national economy in which the phenomena of supply, demand, economic growth, and international trade are represented in terms of energy flows. In examining the structure of the economy, we distinguish between the energy embodied in capital assets used in the production and distribution of energy and that embodied in capital assets and goods that consume energy. Sources used to quantify the energy flows include: end‐use energy data by economic sector; International Energy Agency–style national energy balances, and national input‐output tables. As an example, the Canadian economy for 2008 produced 16.97 exajoules (EJ) of energy, which after net export of 6.16 EJ and other adjustments left a total primary energy consumption of 10.61 EJ. The energy supply and distribution sectors used close to 32% (3.36 EJ) of total primary consumption. Analysis of primary energy consumption shows that 25.14% was embodied in household consumption, 22.85% was consumed directly by households, 7.88% was embodied in government services, and 34.07% was embodied in exports. Of significance to economic growth, 7.14% was embodied in capital in energy demanding sectors, 1.25% in energy consuming personal assets, and 1.52% in supply sector capital. The energy return on energy investment was relatively constant, averaging 5.14 between 1990 and 2008. Capital investments required to decouple the Canadian economy from its dependence on fossil fuels are discerned.     

Effects of energy content and energy density of pre-portioned entrées on energy intake

Pre-portioned entrées are commonly consumed to help control portion size and limit energy intake. The influence of entrée characteristics on energy intake, however, has not been well studied. We determined how the effects of energy content and energy density (ED, kcal/g) of pre-portioned entrées combine to influence daily energy intake. In a crossover design, 68 non-dieting adults (28 men and 40 women) were provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner on 1 day a week for 4 weeks. Each meal included a compulsory, manipulated pre-portioned entrée followed by a variety of unmanipulated discretionary foods that were consumed ad libitum. Across conditions, the entrées were varied in both energy content and ED between a standard level (100%) and a reduced level (64%). Results showed that in men, decreases in the energy content and ED of pre-portioned entrées acted independently and added together to reduce daily energy intake (both P < 0.01). Simultaneously decreasing the energy content and ED reduced total energy intake in men by 16% (445 ± 47 kcal/day; P < 0.0001). In women, the entrée factors also had independent effects on energy intake at breakfast and lunch, but at dinner and for the entire day the effects depended on the interaction of the two factors (P < 0.01). Simultaneously decreasing the energy content and ED reduced daily energy intake in women by 14% (289 ± 35 kcal/day; P < 0.0001). Both the energy content and ED of pre-portioned entrées affect daily energy intake and could influence the effectiveness of such foods for weight management.     

A precise analytical method for calculating the electrostatic energy of macromolecules in aqueous solution

A new method for calculating the total electrostatic free energy of a macromolecule in solution is presented. It is applicable to molecules of arbitrary shape and size, including membranes or macromolecular assemblies with substrate molecules and ions. The method is derived from integrating the energy density of the electrostatic field and is termed the field energy method. It is based on the dielectric model, in which the solute and the surrounding water are regarded as different continuous dielectrics. The field energy method yields both the interaction energy between all charge pairs and the self energy of single charges, effectively accounting for the interaction with water. First, the dielectric boundary and mirror charges are determined for all charges of the solute. The energy is then given as a simple function of the interatomic distances, and the standard atomic partial charges and volumes. The interaction and self energy are shown to result from three-body and pairwise interactions. Both energy terms explicitly involve apolar atoms, revealing that apolar groups are also subject to electrostatic forces. We applied the field energy method to a spherical model protein. Comparison with the Kirkwood solution shows that errors are within a small percentage. As a further test, the field energy method was used to calculate the electrostatic potential of the protein superoxide dismutase. We obtained good agreement with the result from a program that implements the numerical finite difference algorithm. The field energy method provides a basis for energy minimization and dynamics programs that account for the solvent and screening effect of water at little computational expense.     

食物质量差异对树麻雀能量预算和消化道形态特征的影响

为比较小型鸟类对不同食物的能量预算策略,本文对3组树麻雀(Passer monanus)进行2周的食物质量差异性驯化(Acclimation)。结果表明,相同和较低的生存压力下,树麻雀体重、体温、体脂含量和水分含量表现出显著的组间差异。高能食物组摄入能和可消化能增加极显著,消化率和同化率增加不显著,体内能量储备增加;低能食物组摄入能、可消化能、消化率和同化率降低极显著,体内能量储备消耗极显著。小肠和总消化道长度以及肝脏重量出现极显著的表型可塑性响应。体内能量储备增减的预算,能量摄入和能量转化器官的功能能力与自身能耗之间的预算,以及摄食低能食物时的节能预算都是树麻雀能量预算策略的重要组成部分。总之,树麻雀对不同含能食物采用不同的能量预算策略,器官水平的表型可塑性(phenotypic plasticity)响应是个体能值出现显著变化的基础,也是个体能量预算策略成功的关键。对不同食物采用不同的能量预算策略是树麻雀重要的生存对策。     

Economic Development,Energy Consumption,and Air Pollution: A Critical Assessment in China

Low energy efficiency, energy shortage, and energy-related environmental issues are becoming critical constraints for the sustainable development of China. This research aims for investigating the impacts of economic development on energy consumption and emissions of air pollutants in China with a comparison between China's developed regions and underdeveloped regions. The Resource and Environmental Performance Index (REPI) model is employed to analyze the performance of energy consumption, industrial waste gas, sulphur dioxide, soot, and industrial dust of selected provinces over the past 13 years. As a ratio of energy consumption or emissions of pollutants of a province and the whole country, the REPI value presents the cost of energy and environment and is not consistent with the change of absolute quantities of energy consumption or emissions of pollutants in a province. The REPI value calculated from 2000 through 2012 indicates that economic development has a certain level of impact on energy consumption and air environment but not necessarily to be negative. Economic development can improve the performance on energy consumption and air pollutants reduction as long as reasonable energy and industrial structure, improved energy efficiency, and strict environmental policies are put in place.     

Microwave ablation of the atrioventricular junction in open-chest dogs

The use of microwave energy for ablation of the atrioventricular (AV) junction was examined in open-chest dogs. Using a specially designed microwave catheter and a 2450 MHz generator, microwave energy was delivered to the AV junction according to one of two protocols. In protocol 1, increasing amounts of energy were delivered until irreversible AV block occurred. In protocol 2, only two applications of energy were used, one at low energy and the other at an energy found to be high enough to cause irreversible AV block. Each dog received between one and six applications of microwave energy. The amount of energy delivered per application ranged from 25.6 to 311.4 J. No AV block was seen at 59.4 ± 28.3 J. Reversible AV block was seen with an energy of 120.6 ± 58 J. Irreversible AV block was seen at 188.1 ± 75.9 J. Irreversible AV block could be achieved in each animal. There was no difference in the energy required to cause irreversible AV block between the two protocols. The tissue temperature measured near the tip of the microwave catheter was correlated with both the amount of energy delivered and the extent of AV block caused. Histologic examination demonstrated coagulation necrosis of the conduction system. Microwave energy is a feasible alternative energy source for myocardial ablation. Since tissue damage is due exclusively to heating and the resulting rise in temperature can be measured, microwave energy may have advantages over currently existing energy sources in terms of both titrating delivered energy and monitoring the extent of tissue destruction. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dynamic energy correlation analysis of E. coli aspartokinase III and alteration of allosteric regulation by manipulating energy transduction pathways

Conformational change associated with allosteric regulation in a protein is ultimately driven by energy transformation. However, little is known about the latter process. In this work, we combined steered molecular dynamics simulations and sequence conservation analysis to investigate the conformational changes and energy transformation in the allosteric enzyme aspartokinase III (AK III) from Escherichia coli. Correlation analysis of energy change at residue level indicated significant transformation between electrostatic energy and dihedral angle energy during the allosteric regulation. Key amino acid residues located in the corresponding energy transduction pathways were identified by dynamic energy correlation analysis. To verify their functions, residues with a high energy correlation in the pathways were altered and their effects on allosteric regulation of AKIII were determined. This study sheds new insights into energy transformation during allosteric regulation of AK III and proposes a strategy to identify key residues that are involved in intramolecular energy transduction and thus in driving the allosteric process.     

Risk Perception and Energy Production

Mean risk magnitude judgments expressed by Belgian and French students on 107 items combining a particular energy domain (wood and biomass, coal, gas, oil, nuclear, water, wind, geothermal and solar) and a particular aspect of the energy production process (obtaining raw materials, storage of raw materials, transport of raw materials, energy production, waste products related to energy production, energy transport, waste products transport, waste products storage, utilization of energy) are reported, and analyzed. Questions were of the form: What is the level of risk (for health and the environment) associated with the item “Electrical energy production by thermodynamic conversion”? Concerning energy domains, nuclear energy received the highest ratings, almost regardless of the aspect of the energy production process considered (from the extraction of raw materials to the storage of production wastes). This was followed by oil, obtaining the next highest ratings after those for nuclear energy, then gas, considered more risky than biomass and coal. The brand image of these two latter energy sources would be almost as positive as that of water, solar, geothermal and wind energy if a solution could be found to the problem of atmospheric emission of carbon monoxide. Concerning production process aspects, waste products (as well as the transport and storage of waste) received the highest ratings. This is not unrelated to the fact that the vast majority of studies devoted to a particular area or particular aspect have concerned nuclear waste. In contrast, no very high degree of concern was found regarding the energy (electrical) transport aspect.     

Bioenergetic Constraints on Primate Abundance

Explaining variation in primate population densities is central to understanding primate ecology, evolution, and conservation. Yet no researchers to date have successfully explained variation in primate population density across dietary class and phylogeny. Most previous work has focused on measures of food availability, as access to food energy likely constrains the number of individuals supported in a given area. However, energy output may provide a measure of energy constraints on population density that does not require detailed data on food availability for a given taxon. Across mammals, many studies have shown that population densities generally scale with body mass^−0.75. Because individual energy expenditures scale with body mass^0.75, population energy use (the product of population density and individual energy use) does not change with body mass, which suggests the existence of energy constraints on population density across body sizes, i.e., taxa are limited to a given amount of energy use, constraining larger taxa to lower densities. We examined population energy use and individual energy expenditure in primates and tested this energy equivalence across body mass. We also used a residual analysis to remove the effects of body mass on primate population densities and energy expenditures using basal metabolic rates (BMR; kcal/d) as a proxy for total daily energy expenditure. After taking into account phylogeny, population energy use did not significantly correlate with body mass. Larger primates, which use more energy per day, live at lower population densities than smaller primates. In addition, we found a significant negative correlation between residuals of BMR from body mass and residuals of population density from body mass after taking phylogeny into account. Thus, energy costs constrain population density across a diverse sample of primates at a given body mass, and primate species that have relatively low BMRs exist at relatively high densities. A better understanding of the determinants of primate energy costs across geography and phylogeny will ultimately help us explain and predict primate population densities.     

Allocation of energy use in petroleum refineries to petroleum products

Aim, Scope, and Background  Studies to evaluate the energy and emission impacts of vehicle/fuel systems have to address allocation of the energy use and emissions associated with petroleum refineries to various petroleum products because refineries produce multiple products. The allocation is needed in evaluating energy and emission effects of individual transportation fuels. Allocation methods used so far for petroleum-based fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas [LPG]) are based primarily on mass, energy content, or market value shares of individual fuels from a given refinery. The aggregate approach at the refinery level is unable to account for the energy use and emission differences associated with producing individual fuels at the next sub-level: individual refining processes within a refinery. The approach ignores the fact that different refinery products go through different processes within a refinery. Allocation at the subprocess level (i.e., the refining process level) instead of at the aggregate process level (i.e., the refinery level) is advocated by the International Standard Organization. In this study, we seek a means of allocating total refinery energy use among various refinery products at the level of individual refinery processes. Main Features  We present a petroleum refinery-process-based approach to allocating energy use in a petroleum refinery to petroleum refinery products according to mass, energy content, and market value share of final and intermediate petroleum products as they flow through refining processes within a refinery. The approach is based on energy and mass balance among refining processes within a petroleum refinery. By using published energy and mass balance data for a simplified U.S. refinery, we developed a methodology and used it to allocate total energy use within a refinery to various petroleum products. The approach accounts for energy use during individual refining processes by tracking product stream mass and energy use within a refinery. The energy use associated with an individual refining process is then distributed to product streams by using the mass, energy content, or market value share of each product stream as the weighting factors. Results  The results from this study reveal that product-specific energy use based on the refinery process-level allocation differs considerably from that based on the refinery-level allocation. We calculated well-to-pump total energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for gasoline, diesel, LPG, and naphtha with the refinery process-based allocation approach. For gasoline, the efficiency estimated from the refinery-level allocation underestimates gasoline energy use, relative to the process-level based gasoline efficiency. For diesel fuel, the well-to-pump energy use for the process-level allocations with the mass- and energy-content-based weighting factors is smaller than that predicted with the refinery-level allocations. However, the process-level allocation with the market-value-based weighting factors has results very close to those obtained by using the refinery-level allocations. For LPG, the refinery-level allocation significantly overestimates LPG energy use. For naphtha, the refinery-level allocation overestimates naphtha energy use. The GHG emission patterns for each of the fuels are similar to those of energy use. Conclusions  We presented a refining-process-level-based method that can be used to allocate energy use of individual refining processes to refinery products. The process-level-based method captures process-dependent characteristics of fuel production within a petroleum refinery. The method starts with the mass and energy flow chart of a refinery, tracks energy use by individual refining processes, and distributes energy use of a given refining process to products from the process. In allocating energy use to refinery products, the allocation method could rely on product mass, product energy contents, or product market values as weighting factors. While the mass- and energy-content-based allocation methods provide an engineering perspective of energy allocation within a refinery, the market-value-based allocation method provides an economic perspective. The results from this study show that energy allocations at the aggregate refinery level and at the refining process level could make a difference in evaluating the energy use and emissions associated with individual petroleum products. Furthermore, for the refining-process-level allocation method, use of mass — energy content- or market value share-based weighting factors could lead to different results for diesel fuels, LPG, and naphtha. We suggest that, when possible, energy use allocations should be made at the lowest subprocess level — a confirmation of the recommendation by the International Standard Organization for life cycle analyses. Outlook  The allocation of energy use in petroleum refineries at the refining process level in this study follows the recommendation of ISO 14041 that allocations should be accomplished at the subprocess level when possible. We developed a method in this study that can be readily adapted for refineries in which process-level energy and mass balance data are available. The process-level allocation helps reveal some additional energy and emission burdens associated with certain refinery products that are otherwise overlooked with the refinery-level allocation. When possible, process-level allocation should be used in life-cycle analyses.     

Protein docking using continuum electrostatics and geometric fit

The computer program DOT quickly finds low-energy docked structures for two proteins by performing a systematic search over six degrees of freedom. A novel feature of DOT is its energy function, which is the sum of both a Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatic energy and a van der Waals energy, each represented as a grid-based correlation function. DOT evaluates the energy of interaction for many orientations of the moving molecule and maintains separate lists scored by either the electrostatic energy, the van der Waals energy or the composite sum of both. The free energy is obtained by summing the Boltzmann factor over all rotations at each grid point. Three important findings are presented. First, for a wide variety of protein-protein interactions, the composite-energy function is shown to produce larger clusters of correct answers than found by scoring with either van der Waals energy (geometric fit) or electrostatic energy alone. Second, free-energy clusters are demonstrated to be indicators of binding sites. Third, the contributions of electrostatic and attractive van der Waals energies to the total energy term appropriately reflect the nature of the various types of protein-protein interactions studied.