Opportunities to Improve the Quality of Environmental Reports and the Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case of Electric Power Transmission Systems in Brazil

A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.

Over-limit risk assessment method of integrated energy system considering source-load correlation

In an integrated energy system,source-load multiple uncertainties and correlations lead to an over-limit risk in operating state,including voltage,temperature,and pressure over-limit.Therefore,efficient probabilistic energy flow calculation methods and risk assessment theories applicable to integrated energy systems are crucial.This study proposed a probabilistic energy flow calculation method based on polynomial chaos expansion for an electric-heat-gas integrated energy system.The method accurately and efficiently calculated the over-limit probability of the system state variables,considering the coupling conditions of electricity,heat,and gas,as well as uncertainties and correlations in renewable energy unit outputs and multiple types of loads.To further evaluate and quantify the impact of uncertainty factors on the over-limit risk,a global sensitivity analysis method for the integrated energy system based on the analysis of covariance theory is proposed.This method considered the source-load correlation and aimed to identify the key uncertainty factors that influence stable operation.Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed method achieved accuracy to that of the Monte Carlo method while significantly reducing calculation time.It effectively quantified the over-limit risk under the presence of multiple source-load uncertainties.

Research on Ecological Assessment and Dynamic Optimization of Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicle Business Model Based on Full Life Cycle Theory

The rapid development of China’s automobile industry has brought ever-increasing impact on resources,energy and environment,the energy-saving and new energy vehicles come into being accordingly.This article firstly systematically introduces the technical route of energy-saving and new energy vehicles of China,focusing on the key bottleneck problems arising from the construction process of current assessment system of the technical route for energy-saving and new energy vehicles,establishes the energy-saving and new energy vehicle business model assessment index system afterward based on the comparative analysis on energy-saving and new energy vehicle business assessment model and the full life cycle theory,and finally makes prospects and forecasts on vital problems of system boundary,dynamic optimization,simulation system of full life cycle assessment of energy-saving and new energy vehicle.

Exploitable wave energy assessment based on ERA-Interim reanalysis data—A case study in the East China Sea and the South China Sea

Wave energy resources assessment is a very important process before the exploitation and utilization of the wave energy. At present, the existing wave energy assessment is focused on theoretical wave energy conditions for interesting areas. While the evaluation for exploitable wave energy conditions is scarcely ever performed. Generally speaking, the wave energy are non-exploitable under a high sea state and a lower sea state which must be ignored when assessing wave energy. Aiming at this situation, a case study of the East China Sea and the South China Sea is performed. First, a division basis between the theoretical wave energy and the exploitable wave energy is studied. Next, based on recent 20 a ERA-Interim wave field data, some indexes including the spatial and temporal distribution of wave power density, a wave energy exploitable ratio, a wave energy level, a wave energy stability, a total wave energy density, the seasonal variation of the total wave energy and a high sea condition frequency are calculated. And then the theoretical wave energy and the exploitable wave energy are compared each other; the distributions of the exploitable wave energy are assessed and a regional division for exploitable wave energy resources is carried out; the influence of the high sea state is evaluated. The results show that considering collapsing force of the high sea state and the utilization efficiency for wave energy, it is determined that the energy by wave with a significant wave height being not less 1 m or not greater than 4 m is the exploitable wave energy. Compared with the theoretical wave energy, the average wave power density, energy level, total wave energy density and total wave energy of the exploitable wave energy decrease obviously and the stability enhances somewhat. Pronounced differences between the theoretical wave energy and the exploitable wave energy are present. In the East China Sea and the South China Sea, the areas of an abundant and stable exploitable wave energy are primarily located in the north-central part of the South China Sea, the Luzon Strait, east of Taiwan, China and north of Ryukyu Islands; annual average exploitable wave power density values in these areas are approximately 10-15 kW/m; the exploitable coefficient of variation （COV） and seasonal variation （SV） values in these areas are less than 1.2 and 1, respectively. Some coastal areas of the Beibu Gulf, the Changjiang Estuary, the Hangzhou Bay and the Zhujiang Estuary are the poor areas of the wave energy. The areas of the high wave energy exploitable ratio is primarily in nearshore waters. The influence of the high sea state for the wave energy in nearshore waters is less than that in offshore waters. In the areas of the abundant wave energy, the influence of the high sea state for the wave energy is prominent and the utilization of wave energy is relatively difficult. The developed evaluation method may give some references for an exploitable wave energy assessment and is valuable for practical applications.

A wave energy resource assessment in the China's seas based on multi-satellite merged radar altimeter data

Wave energy resources are abundant in both offshore and nearshore areas of the China＇s seas. A reliable assessment of the wave energy resources must be performed before they can be exploited. First, for a water depth in offshore waters of China, a parameterized wave power density model that considers the effects of the water depth is introduced to improve the calculating accuracy of the wave power density. Second, wave heights and wind speeds on the surface of the China＇s seas are retrieved from an AVISO multi-satellite altim-eter data set for the period from 2009 to 2013. Three mean wave period inversion models are developed and used to calculate the wave energy period. Third, a practical application value for developing the wave energy is analyzed based on buoy data. Finally, the wave power density is then calculated using the wave field data. Using the distribution of wave power density, the energy level frequency, the time variability indexes, the to-tal wave energy and the distribution of total wave energy density according to a wave state, the offshore wave energy in the China＇s seas is assessed. The results show that the areas of abundant and stable wave energy are primarily located in the north-central part of the South China Sea, the Luzon Strait, southeast of Taiwan in the China＇s seas; the wave power density values in these areas are approximately 14.0–18.5 kW/m. The wave energy in the China’s seas presents obvious seasonal variations and optimal seasons for a wave energy utilization are in winter and autumn. Except for very coastal waters, in other sea areas in the China＇s seas, the energy is primarily from the wave state with 0.5 m≤Hs≤4 m, 4 s≤Te≤10 s whereHs is a significant wave height andTe is an energy period; within this wave state, the wave energy accounts for 80% above of the total wave energy. This characteristic is advantageous to designing wave energy convertors （WECs）. The practical application value of the wave energy is higher which can be as an effective supplement for an energy con-sumption in some areas. The above results are consistent with the wave model which indicates fully that this new microwave remote sensing method altimeter is effective and feasible for the wave energy assessment.

Discussion on the Assessment Method of Wind Energy Resources by Using Regional Meteorological Data

The exploitation status of wind energy resources was analyzed, and the distribution of wind energy resources and regional meteorological stations were introduced, and then the assessment method of wind energy resources by using data from regional meteorological station was studied taking Huangjin Regional Meteorological Station in Xinning County in Hunan Province for example, besides, corresponding software was compiled. By means of SQL database and program, the method was used simply and easily and had positive meaning for the development of wind energy resources and excavation of wind farm in inland region.

Life Cycle Assessment Introduced by Using Nanorefrigerant of Organic Rankine Cycle System for Waste Heat Recovery

The use of nanorefrigerants in Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)units is believed to affect the cycle environment performance,but backed with very few relevant studies.For this purpose,a life cycle assessment(LCA)has been performed for the ORC system using nanorefrigerant,the material and energy input,characteristic indicators and comprehensive index of environmental impact,total energy consumption and energy payback time(BPBT)of the whole life cycle of ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant were calculated.Total environmental comprehensive indexes reveal that ECER-135 index decrease by 1.5%after adding 0.2%Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles to R141b.Based on the contribution analysis and sensitivity analysis,it can be found out ORC system manufacturing is of the most critical stage,where,the ECER-135 index of ORC component production is the greatest,followed by the preparation process of R141b,transportation phase,and that of Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles preparation is small.The retirement phase which has good environmental benefits affects the result significantly by recycling important materials.Meanwhile,the main cause and relevant suggestion for improvement were traced respectively.Finally,the environmental impacts of various power generations were compared,and results show that the power route is of obvious advantage.Among the renewable energy,ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant with minimal environmental impact is only 0.67%of coal-fired power generation.The environmental impact of current work is about 14.34%of other nations’PV results.

Forty-year investigation of wave power in energetic region of Persian Gulf in Iranian territorial waters by using short-term and new long-term stability assessment parameters

The wave power in high potential area of the northern Persian Gulf(near to Iranian coastal areas)is assessed by taking into account the temporal and spatial distributions of wave power for a period of forty years.For this purpose,assimilated wind data of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting Interim Reanalysis(ERA-Interim),and hydrography data of General Bathymetric Chat of the oceans(GEBCO)are used as SWAN model.Seven locations are investigated in the study area by considering the amount of coefficient of variation,the amount of average annual power,and the short-term and a new long-term(decadal variability index)power stability assessment parameters.The results showed more stability in the eastern parts of the study area and concluded that a narrow line between the point which is in the middle and another point which is in the eastern middle part of the study area may be the best locations for more investigation and the feasibility study for energy converter farms.Also,it is found that the middle part of the study region with about 2.5 kW/m power is the most energetic area.It is concluded that the dominant direction of wave power distribution in all points is the northeast,and this dominant direction has not changed during the forty-year period.It is observed that the mean annual energy increases with a slight slope in the total 40 a,and this increasing trend is more obvious in the fourth decade.Although it is observed that the wave power of the second decade has the most stability and the least variation,the wave power in the fourth decade has the most variation.Moreover,the results showed that the study region’s wave power increase by approximately a mean change rate of 0.027 kW/(m·a);and the maximum change rate of wave power was in the northwest part and the minimum change rate of wave power was in the southeast part which were about 0.036 kW/(m·a)and 0.014 kW/(m·a),respectively.

Assessment of wind energy potential in China

China wind atlas was made by numerical simulation and the wind energy potential in China was calculated. The model system for wind energy resource assessment was set up based on Canadian Wind Energy Simulating Toolkit (WEST) and the simulating method was as follows. First, the weather classes were obtained depend on meteorological data of 30 years. Then, driven by the initial meteorological field produced by each weather class, the meso-scale model ran for the distribution of wind energy resources according each weather class condition one by one. Finally, averaging all the modeling output weighted by the occurrence frequency of each weather class, the annual mean distribution of wind energy resources was worked out. Compared the simulated wind energy potential with other results from several activities and studies for wind energy resource assessment, it is found that the simulated wind energy potential in mainland of China is 3 times that from the second and the third investigations for wind energy resources by CMA, and is similar to the wind energy potential obtained by NREL in Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment(SWERA) project. The simulated offshore wind energy potential of China seems smaller than the true value. According to the simulated results of CMA and considering lots of limited factors to wind energy development, the final conclusion can be obtained that the wind energy availability in China is 700～1 200 GW, in which 600～1 000 GW is in mainland and 100～200 GW is on offshore, and wind power will become the important part of energy composition in future.

Assessment of the apparent activation energies for gas/solid reactions—carbonate decomposition

The guidelines for assessing the apparent activation energies of gas/solidreactions have been proposed based on the experimental results from literatures. In CO_2 free inletgas flow, CaCO_3 decomposition between 950 and 1250 K with thin sample layer could be controlled bythe interfacial chemical reaction with apparent activation energy E = (215+-10) KJ/mol and E=(200+-10) kJ/mol at T = 813 to 1020 K, respectively. With relatively thick sample layer between 793and 1273 K, the CaCO_3 decomposition could be controlled by one or more steps involvingself-cooling, nucleation, intrinsic diffusion and heat transfer of gases, and E could vary between147 and 190 kJ/mol. In CO_2 containing inlet gas flow (5 percent-100 percent of CO_2), E wasdetermined to be varied from 949 to 2897 kJ/mol. For SrCO_3 and BaCO_3 decompositions controlled bythe interfacial chemical reaction, E was (213+-15) kJ/mol (1000-1350K) and (305+-15) kJ/mol(1260-1400 K), respectively

Life Cycle Assessment-based method of Excessive Commodity Packaging on Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction

Based on a Life Cycle Assessment model, the effect of the whole life cycle of excessive commodity packaging on the environment was analyzed by eBalance Evaluation LCA software from production through circulation. The cost evaluation system and environment impact model of its three main processes, that is, material production, product machining and waste manufacturing, were established to identify the main environmental impact corresponding indicators and the influence on energy conservation and emissions reduction of excessive packaging life cycle. And packaging of moon-cakes was taken as an example to analyze the difference between the ordinary packaging and excessive packaging of moon-cakes in terms of life cycle assessment and costs analysis. Meanwhile some measures are put forward to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Online monitoring and assessment of energy efficiency for copper smelting process

The copper flash smelting process is characterized by its involvement of wide energy sources and high energy consumption, so the energy conservation is usually a highly concerned topic for the flash smelting enterprises. However, due to the complexity of the system, it is quite difficult to perform a timely comprehensive analysis of the energy consumption of the whole production system. Aiming to realize an online assessment of the energy consumption of the system, great effort was first made in Jinguan Copper, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co. Ltd. Methods were proposed to solve technical difficulties such as the acquisition and processing of data with different sampling frequencies, the online evaluation of the electricity consumption, and timely evaluation of product output in the periodic process. As a result, a software system was developed to make the online analysis of the energy consumption and efficiency from the three levels ranging from the system to the equipment. The analytical results at the system level was introduce. It’s found that electricity is the most consumed energy in the system, accounting for 77.3% of the total energy consumption. The smelting unit has the highest energy consumption, accounting for 52.8% of the total energy consumed in the whole enterprise.

Life Cycle Assessment,Estimation and Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of New Energy Power Generation in China

From the perspective of life cycle assessment （LCA）, the development, construction, and operation of all kinds of new energy power generation technologies release greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions. This sparks concerns about the lowcarbon nature of the new energy power generation technologies. Based on national and international literature review, this paper estimates and compares the GHG emission factors of traditional thermal power generation and new energy power generation technologies in China with the LCA approach. The GHG mitigation potential of new energy power generation technologies as substitution for traditional thermal power generation in China was evaluated, according to the objectives of new energy power generation of the national development planning. The results show that the GHG emission factors of new energy power generation axe much lower than that of traditional thermal power generation even with LCA accounting, and the GHG mitigation potential of new energy substitution is huge.

Assessment of the Tidal Current Energy Resources and the Hydrodynamic Impacts of Energy Extraction at the PuHu Channel in Zhoushan Archipelago,China

An unstructured model FVCOM(The Unstructured Grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model)with sink momentum term was applied to simulate the tidal current field in Zhoushan Archipelago,China,with focus on the region named PuHu Channel between Putuo Island and Hulu Island.The model was calibrated with several measurements in the channel,and the model perform-ance was validated.An examination of the spatial and temporal distributions of tidal energy resources based on the numerical simula-tion revealed that the greatest power density of tidal energy during spring tide is 3.6kWm^(−2)at the northern area of the channel.Two parameters were introduced to characterize the generation duration of the tidal array that causes the temporal variation of tidal current energy.The annual average available energy in the channel was found to be approximately 2.6MW.The annual generating hours at rated power was found to be 1800 h when the installed capacity of tidal array is approximately 12MW.A site for the tidal array with 25 turbines was selected,and the layout of the array was configured based on the EMEC specifications.Hydrodynamic influence due to the deployment of the tidal array was simulated by the modified FVCOM model.The simulation showed that the tidal level did not significantly change because of the operation of the tidal array.The velocity reduction covered a 2km^(2)area of the downstream the tidal array,with a maximum velocity reduction of 8cms−1 at mid-flood tide,whereas the streamwise velocity on both sides of the farm increased slightly.

Reliability Assessment Considering the Coordination of Wind Power, Solar Energy and Energy Storage

风光储联合发电系统并网后必须采取策略与系统之间实现协调调度与运行才可在保证可靠性的前提下最大化利用可再生能源，但现有的可靠性评估中还缺少对大规模风光储联合发电系统协调运行的考虑。针对此问题，基于序贯蒙特卡罗仿真方法，建立了风电、光伏和储能系统的发电可靠性评估模型，并提出了新的协调调度策略。模型综合考虑了风速、太阳光辐照度、环境温度以及2种新能源发电技术的能量变换特性和储能系统的充放电约束等因素。这些模型被应用到IEEERTS79中，通过在Matlab中编制程序进行仿真计算，考察不同的协调运行策略、联合发电系统容量配置以及储能特性对于系统裕度的影响。评估结果可为联合发电系统并网规划与设计提供参考。

Preventing the Immense Increase in the Life-Cycle Energy and Carbon Footprints of LLM-Powered Intelligent Chatbots

Intelligent chatbots powered by large language models(LLMs)have recently been sweeping the world,with potential for a wide variety of industrial applications.Global frontier technology companies are feverishly participating in LLM-powered chatbot design and development,providing several alternatives beyond the famous ChatGPT.However,training,fine-tuning,and updating such intelligent chatbots consume substantial amounts of electricity,resulting in significant carbon emissions.The research and development of all intelligent LLMs and software,hardware manufacturing(e.g.,graphics processing units and supercomputers),related data/operations management,and material recycling supporting chatbot services are associated with carbon emissions to varying extents.Attention should therefore be paid to the entire life-cycle energy and carbon footprints of LLM-powered intelligent chatbots in both the present and future in order to mitigate their climate change impact.In this work,we clarify and highlight the energy consumption and carbon emission implications of eight main phases throughout the life cycle of the development of such intelligent chatbots.Based on a life-cycle and interaction analysis of these phases,we propose a system-level solution with three strategic pathways to optimize the management of this industry and mitigate the related footprints.While anticipating the enormous potential of this advanced technology and its products,we make an appeal for a rethinking of the mitigation pathways and strategies of the life-cycle energy usage and carbon emissions of the LLM-powered intelligent chatbot industry and a reshaping of their energy and environmental implications at this early stage of development.

Assessment of Tidal Range Energy Resources Based on Flux Conservation in Jiantiao Bay, China

La Rance Tidal Range Power Station in France and Jiangxia Tidal Range Power Station in China have been both long-term successful commercialized operations as kind of role models for public at large for more than 40 years. The Sihwa Lake Tidal Range Power Station in South Korea has also developed to be the largest marine renewable power station with its installed capacity 254 MW since 2010. These practical applications prove that the tidal range energy as one kind of marine renewable energy exploitation and utilization technology is becoming more and more mature and it is used more and more widely. However, the assessment of the tidal range energy resources is not well developed nowadays. This paper summarizes the main problems in tidal range power resource assessment, gives a brief introduction to tidal potential energy theory, and then we present an analyzed and estimated method based on the tide numerical modeling. The technical characteristics and applicability of these two approaches are compared with each other. Furthermore, based on the theory of tidal range energy generation combined with flux conservation, this paper proposes a new assessment method that include a series of evaluation parameters and it can be easily operated to calculate the tidal range energy of the sea. Finally, this method is applied on assessment of the tidal range power energy of the Jiantiao Harbor in Zhejiang Province, China for demonstration and examination.

Assessment of Wind Energy Potential in the Sudanese Zone in Chad

In this study, wind characteristics and wind power potential are analyzed for three meteorological stations in the Sudanese zone of Chad for the period of 35 years (from 1975 to 2010). Assessment of the wind power potential was carried out using the two parameters of Weibull distribution. Results of the study shows that the average annual wind speeds at 10 m above ground for Moundou, Pala and Sarh are 2.69, 2.33 and 1.91 m/s, respectively. The mean annual value of the Weibull shape parameter k and scale parameter c range from 2.376 to 3.255 and 2.099 to 3.007, respectively. The maximum annual power density of 204.85 W/m2 was obtained at Moundou. Results of this study further shows that the selected locations are not suitable for large-scale wind energy production at 10 m altitude. However, by extrapolation, assessment of wind speed at 67 m altitude combines with wind turbine Vestas 2 MW/80 that adapts to the Sudanese local conditions, and the wind power potential can be exploited for water pumping, heating and production of electricity.

Energy performance assessment on central air-conditioning system of commercial building: A case study in China

Energy performance assessment on central air-conditioning system is essential to optimize operating, reduce operating costs, improve indoor environmental quality, and determine whether the retrofitting of the equipment is necessary. But it is difficult to evaluate it reasonably and comprehensively due to its complexity. A "holistic" approach was discussed to evaluate the energy performance of central air-conditioning system for an extra-large commercial building in a subtropical city. All procedures were described in detail, including field investigation method, field measurement instruments, data processing and data analyzing. The main factors affecting energy consumption of air-conditioning system were analyzed and the annual cooling-energy use intensity of this building was calculated and also compared with other shopping malls and other types of buildings in Guangzhou. And COP(coefficient of performance) of chiller, water transfer factor of chilled water system and cooling water system were taken into consideration. At last, the thermal comfort and indoor air quality issues were addressed. The results show that the chilled water pumps are over-sized and the indoor environmental quality should be improved. The purpose of this work is to provide reference for energy performance assessment method for air-conditioning system.

Application of Charpy Impact Absorbed Energy to the Safety Assessment Based on SINTAP

The European Structural Integrity Assessment Procedure（SINTAP） was applied to the assessment of welded joints of the API 5L X65 pipeline steel with an assumed embedded flaw and surface flaw at the weld toe. At default level（ level 0）, the assessment point was established by esti- mating fracture toughness value K1c conservatively from Charpy energy test data. At the same time, the analysis level 1 （basic level）was applied based on the fracture toughness CTOD. Then the two assessment levels were compared. The assessment results show that all assessment points are located within the failure lines of analysis levels 0 and 1. So the welded joint of the pipeline is safe. It can be concluded that the assessment based on Charpy absorbed energy is practicable when other fracture toughness data are not available, or cannot be easily obtained. The results are conservative.