Search results for "ELECTRICITY"

A Ferroelectric Iron(II) Spin Crossover Material

2017

A dual-function material in which ferroelectricity and spin crossover coexist in the same temperature range has been obtained. Our synthetic strategy allows the construction of acentric crystal structures in a predictable way and is based on the high directionality of hydrogen bonds. The well-known iron(II) spin crossover complex [Fe(bpp)₂]²+ (bpp = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine), a four-fold noncentrosymmetric H-bond donor, was combined with a disymmetric H-bond acceptor such as the isonicotinate (isonic) anion to afford [Fe(bpp)₂](isonic)₂·2H₂O. This low-spin iron(II) compound crystallises in the acentric nonpolar I-4 space group and shows piezoelectricity and SHG properties. Upon dehydra…

Enhanced detection of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes by AGILE

2015

At the end of March 2015 the onboard software configuration of the Astrorivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) satellite was modified in order to disable the veto signal of the anticoincidence shield for the minicalorimeter instrument. The motivation for such a change was the understanding that the dead time induced by the anticoincidence prevented the detection of a large fraction of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs). The configuration change was highly successful resulting in an increase of one order of magnitude in TGF detection rate. As expected, the largest fraction of the new events has short duration (<100 μs), and part of them has simultaneous association with lightning sfer…

Migratory passage structures at hydropower plants as potential physiological and behavioural selective agents

2019

Anthropogenic activities affect fish populations worldwide. River dams have profound impacts on ecosystems by changing habitats and hindering migration. In an effort to counteract such effects, a range of mitigation measures have been installed at hydroelectric power plants. However, not all individuals in a population use these measures, potentially creating strong selection processes at hydroelectric power plants. This may be especially true during migration; fish can get heavily delayed or pass through a hydropower turbine, thus facing increased mortality compared with those using a safe bypass route. In this study, we quantify migration route choices of descending wild passive integrate…

Fermentation at non-conventional conditions in food- and bio-sciences by the application of advanced processing technologies

2017

The interest in improving the yield and productivity values of relevant microbial fermentations is an increasingly important issue for the scientific community. Therefore, several strategies have been tested for the stimulation of microbial growth and manipulation of their metabolic behavior. One promising approach involves the performance of fermentative processes during non-conventional conditions, which includes high pressure (HP), electric fields (EF) and ultrasound (US). These advanced technologies are usually applied for microbial inactivation in the context of food processing. However, the approach described in this study focuses on the use of these technologies at sub-lethal levels,…

Common mechanisms for guidance efficiency of descending Atlantic salmon smolts in small and large hydroelectric power plants

2018

Behavior of plant plasma membranes under hydrostatic pressure as monitored by fluorescent environment-sensitive probes.

2010

International audience; We monitored the behavior of plasma membrane (PM) isolated from tobacco cells (BY-2) under hydrostatic pressures up to 3.5 kbar at 30 °C, by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy using the newly introduced environment-sensitive probe F2N12S and also Laurdan and di-4-ANEPPDHQ. The consequences of sterol depletion by methyl-β-cyclodextrin were also studied. We found that application of hydrostatic pressure led to a marked decrease of hydration as probed by F2N12S and to an increase of the generalized polarization excitation (GPex) of Laurdan. We observed that the hydration effect of sterol depletion was maximal between 1 and 1.5 kbar but was much less important at hig…

Regulating blockchain for sustainability? The critical relationship between digital innovation, regulation, and electricity governance

2021

Abstract Blockchain technology has found several innovative applications in the electricity industry. However, its potential has still to be discovered. This is partly due to the role that regulation plays in electricity markets. To be introduced, experimented with, and eventually adopted on a commercial scale, blockchain-supported innovations need to fit the existing regulatory framework or the rules to be reshaped or updated. We focus on energy regulators' possible responses to the blockchain-enhanced market operations (both from the incumbents and potential newcomers), suggesting a monitoring mechanism that can support innovation.

Energy and economic analysis of air-to-air heat pumps as an alternative to domestic gas boiler heating systems in the South of Italy

2019

Abstract According to the electricity tariff recently issued by the Italian government for the domestic heating systems fed with heat pumps (HP), an energy and economic analysis was carried out with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the air-to-air heat pump systems (HPS) as an alternative to the traditional heating using domestic gas boilers systems (GBS). For the purpose of this study, the apartments of three residential buildings were examined. The hourly heating loads were calculated with the ASHRAE radiant time series and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the HPs was evaluated for each operating condition. The costs for the heating system installation and electricity a…

Five-years-long effects of the Italian policies for photovoltaics on the energy demand coverage of grid-connected PV systems installed in urban conte…

2016

Abstract The paper examines the responsiveness of the electricity demand coverage in urban contexts to the changes in the Italian policies for PV systems. The morphological configuration of building roofs according to the number of covered flats, annual data of PV generation and electricity consumptions were considered in the transition from the feed-in tariff (FIT) mechanism to the tax credits scheme currently in force. With the aim of assessing the changes over time in three representative cities, the fluctuations both in the premiums for the produced electricity and the tax credits applied to the PV system costs were observed from July 2010 to February 2016. Furthermore, the main time-va…

Solar and Heat Pump Systems for Domestic Hot Water Production on a Small Island: The Case Study of Lampedusa

2020

The achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, related to energy and resource use, is a critical issue for small and insulated communities. In many minor islands, solar energy is not correctly exploited, and electrical heaters are connected to weak grids with very a high share of generation by fossil fuels. As a consequence, there is the necessity to assess the potential and the suitability of diffusion of alternative systems to avoid dependency on the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and economic performances of some alternative systems exploiting renewable energy for domestic hot water production. Four different syste…