Search results for " power plants"
showing 10 items of 23 documents
The (de)politicisation of nuclear power: The Finnish discussion after Fukushima
2017
When the Fukushima accident occurred in March 2011, Finland was at the height of a nuclear renaissance, with the Government’s decision-in-principle in 2010 to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors. This article examines the nuclear power debate in Finland after Fukushima. We deploy the concepts of (de)politicisation and hyperpoliticisation in the analysis of articles in the country’s main newspaper. Our analysis indicates that Finnish nuclear exceptionalism manifested in the safety-related depoliticising and the nation’s prosperity-related hyperpoliticisation arguments of the pro-nuclear camp. The anti-nuclear camp used politicisation strategies, such as economic arguments, to sho…
Optimization of photovoltaic solar power plant locations in northern Chile
2017
The optimization of photovoltaic solar power plants location in Atacama Desert, Chile, is presented in this study. The study considers three objectives: (1) Find sites with the highest solar energy potential, (2) determine sites with the least impact on the environment, and (3) locate the areas which produce small social impact. To solve this task, multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDAs) such as analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted averaging were applied in a GIS environment. In addition, survey results of social impacts were analyzed and included into the decision-making process, including landscape values. The most suitable sites for solar energy projects were found near roa…
HUMAN SAFETY PERFORMANCE IN HIGH RELIABILITY ORGANIZATIONS: THE CASE OF THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
2018
Over the last few decades, the study of safety in high reliability organizations has not paid enough attention to the human role and its contribution to a reliable operation. Therefore, the literature about human safety performance is scarce and disjointed. The present paper integrates the existing knowledge on workers’ safety performance in high risk industries, specifically in the nuclear industry. In order to do this, we provide a literature review in which the concept of “safety performance” is clarified, and at the same time, we present the most recent research studies and models on this concept.
Linking empowering leadership to safety participation in nuclear power plants: a structural equation model.
2012
Abstract Introduction Safety participation is of paramount importance in guaranteeing the safe running of nuclear power plants. Method The present study examined the effects of empowering leadership on safety participation. Results Based on a sample of 495 employees from two Spanish nuclear power plants, structural equation modeling showed that empowering leadership has a significant relationship with safety participation, which is mediated by collaborative team learning. In addition, the results revealed that the relationship between empowering leadership and collaborative learning is partially mediated by the promotion of dialogue and open communication. Conclusions The implications of th…
Spanish validation of the mindful organizing scale: A questionnaire for the assessment of collective mindfulness
2018
Abstract Introduction Mindful organizing (also known as collective mindfulness) is a team level construct that is said to underpin the principles of high-reliability organizations (HROs), as it has shown to lead to almost error-free performance. While mindful organizing research has proliferated in recent years, studies on how to measure mindful organizing are scarce. Vogus and Sutcliffe (2007) originally validated a nine-item “Mindful Organizing Scale” but few subsequent validation studies of this scale exist. The present study aimed to validate a Spanish version of the Mindful Organizing Scale. Method The sample included 47 teams (comprising of a total of 573 workers with an average team …
RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN AIR PARTICULATE AT PALERMO (ITALY) FOLLOWING FUKUSHIMA ACCIDENT
2012
Following the Fukushima accident, a series of samplings were carried out with a daily frequency to detect the arrival of radioactive contamination in air at Palermo (Italy) and to follow its evolution during the time. Air particulate collection was performed by suction of atmospheric air through cellulose filter paper by means of a high-volume air sampler (∼15 000 m(3) d(-1)). Spectrometric analysis of the filters highlights the presence of (131)I, (134)Cs, (137)Cs and, only for a few samples, traces of (132)Te-(132)I and (136)Cs. Maximum airborne concentrations were 883 μBq m(-3) for (131)I (only particulate), 81 μBq m(-3) for (137)Cs and 70 μBq m(-3) for (134)Cs. From a dose to population…
Desenvolupament i validació d'una metodologia per a l'avaluació de la cultura de seguretat per mitjà de l'observació de reunions de treball en una ce…
2010
L'objectiu d'aquest treball és descriure el desenvolupament i la validació d'una metodologia per a avaluar la cultura de seguretat per mitjà de l'observació de reunions de treball. Es va partir de la definició de cultura de seguretat més estesa dins el sector (International Atomic Energy Agency, 1991), les cinc dimensions que presenta i els atributs corresponents. La validesa d'aquesta metodologia es posà a prova en una central nuclear mitjançant l'observació d'un total de 36 reunions de treball de naturalesa molt diversa. Els resultats indiquen que l'observació de les reunions és un mètode útil per a l'avaluació de la cultura de seguretat. Comparada amb els mètodes tradicionals per a fer a…
Dynamic reconfiguration systems for PV plant: Technical and economic analysis
2020
Solar plants suffer of partial shading and mismatch problems. Without considering the generation of hot spots and the resulting security issues, a monitoring system for the health of a PV plant should be useful to drive a dynamic reconfiguration system (DRS) to solve bottlenecks due to different panels’ shading. Over the years different DRS architectures have been proposed, but no suggestions about costs and benefits have been provided. Starting from technical subjects such as differences of the topologies driving the hardware complexity and number of components, this paper identifies the cost of DRS and its lifetime, and based on these issues it provides an economic analysis for a 6 kWp PV…
Validation of the group nuclear safety climate questionnaire.
2013
Abstract Introduction Group safety climate is a leading indicator of safety performance in high reliability organizations. Zohar and Luria (2005) developed a Group Safety Climate scale (ZGSC) and found it to have a single factor. Method The ZGSC scale was used as a basis in this study with the researchers rewording almost half of the items on this scale, changing the referents from the leader to the group, and trying to validate a two-factor scale. The sample was composed of 566 employees in 50 groups from a Spanish nuclear power plant. Item analysis, reliability, correlations, aggregation indexes and CFA were performed. Results Results revealed that the construct was shared by each unit, a…
A tool for evaluating geothermal power exploitability and its application to Ischia, Southern Italy
2015
Abstract The paper proposes a method to evaluate the potential for electric power production at any site of possible geothermal interest. Accounting for geological data of the reservoirs, the method allows the computation of the available electrical power of the investigated site. Electrical energy production from geothermal sources is realized through different techniques, such as single flash and double flash, dry steam, and binary ORC plants. The technique chosen to be the most productive is determined by analyzing a specific range of geofluid properties, mainly temperature and pressure. Moreover, each plant typology has a global efficiency that may be correlated to geofluid enthalpy by …