<p>Much of current interest in aviation biofuels centers on trying to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) [1]. The problem is that the alternative aviation fuels which have been developed so far are not economically viable without policy supports and are underwhelming in regards to their environmental sustainability. The objective of this research is to identify biofuel pathways that perform better economically and environmentally than those which have been developed thus far. This paper will pursue this objective by examining the economic performance of a CH pathway fed by field pennycress under a number of possible scenarios.</p> <p>We conduct a stochastic discounted cash flow techno-economic analysis (TEA) of a plant designed to use catalytic hydrothermolysis (CH) technology to produce renewable diesel fuel, renewable jet fuel, and renewable naphtha from pennycress seed oil on a “greenfield” site under sixteen different scenarios defined by plant location, stage of commercialization, choice of fuel product slate, and policy environment. We combine process parameters such as conversion efficiencies, heat and water requirements, and capital costs for our model plant with stochastic projections of key input and output prices in order to model the distribution of possible financial outcomes for the plant over a twenty-year productive life. Our work follows McGarvey and Tyner (2018) in many respects, but uses updated process parameters from Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA), connects with economic analyses of the potential pennycress oil supply chain, and includes novel approaches to modeling key policies (US Renewable Fuel Standard, California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and US Biodiesel Blender Tax Credit) and price series (US No. 2 diesel fuel, soybean oil, and dried distiller’s grains with solubles) [2]. Our output metrics include distributions of Net Present Values (NPVs), Probabilities of Loss (POLs), and distributions of Breakeven Prices (BEPs) for key inputs and outputs.</p> <p>Our results show that aviation biofuels production at a greenfield CH plant fed by pennycress seed oil is not economic under current market and policy conditions. Our breakeven metrics for a renewable jet fuel policy incentive, crude oil prices, and the input cost of pennycress oil indicate this could change if one of the following were to occur: </p> <p>· A crude oil price increase of at least 31-52%</p> <p>· A jet fuel price increase of at least 11-26%</p> <p>· A pennycress oil price discount of 2-6% from soybean oil prices</p> <p>· Some combination of the above</p> <p>These findings are heavily influenced by current policy design.</p>

The topic of this diploma study is to compile an overview of Domestic CHP units. The work is divided into three sections. The first section includes a summary of suitable CHP units. The second portion discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the individual chp units and the last segment describes the TEDOM Micro T8 chp unit, its possible integration in a family house, and its economic analysis.

The topic of this diploma study is to compile an overview of Domestic CHP units. The work is divided into three sections. The first section includes a summary of suitable CHP units. The second portion discusses the possibly methods of accumulation heat and electrical energy exploitable connection with CHP units. Last part of thesis is devoted to study apply CHP units in power supplyes choice object.

Much research has been done on the effects of distributed generation on network characteristics. However, little research has been done on the effects of this distributed generation on current network protection schemes. An IPP has approached a South African municipality regarding the connection of a wind farm that would be connected to the municipality’s existing grid. This presented a unique opportunity to simulate and study the impact and effect that this wind farm would have on a real-life network in terms of network operation and protection schemes. This also presents the possibility of connecting the wind farm in a different configuration, possibly resulting in better network operation at a lower cost. The network optimisation in this research was done using the probability-based incremental learning (PBIL) and differential evolution (DE) optimisation techniques. These algorithms were programmed and modelled according to the desired IPP wind farm requirements using the MATLAB and MATPOWER simulation packages. The networks used in these algorithms were modelled in the text-based MATPOWER format. This research goes on to study a modified 14-bus IEEE test network in terms of network characteristics and protection performance so that an idea of the performance of the optimisation algorithms can be obtained. Protection data for the IEEE network was not available. The network was thus graded for use in this study. The research then continues to model the existing and proposed network configuration, and proposes various other points of connection to the municipal network using the PBIL and DE algorithms. These studies were conducted using the DIgSILENT PowerFactory simulation package, with the networks and protection data being modelled in this package. Network and protection performance results were recorded for each case in both networks under study. The results show that in the case of the modified IEEE network, the DE algorithm provides a better solution in terms of improving power losses while the PBIL algorithm provides a better solution in terms of improving the voltage profile. In the case of the municipality network, the DE algorithm provides the best performance, with the DE result managing to reduce power losses by 83.89% compared to the current and proposed network configurations. The overall voltage profile was also seen to improve by over 23%. The research also found that the change in fault level for the various cases are minimal. This is due to the limitation in fault current contribution imposed by the use of an inverter system connecting the wind farm to the grid. This means that, as the results shows, network grading is not very much affected by the addition of the wind farm connections. However, it is seen that the municipal network is not optimally graded in the base case. Finally, it is also seen that, though not often used in research, the MATPOWER package works well as a network simulation tool. A costing analysis was also conducted and shows that the DE solution is the most cost-effective solution, in addition to being the best-performing solution. The study recommends that the results produced by the DE algorithm be implemented instead of the proposed implementation. The municipal network should also be regraded and new protection settings should be implemented.

The high feed grain prices of the last few years and the resulting high prices for heavy feeder cattle relative to lightweight feeder calves may provide economic incentives to market cattle from rangelands as yearlings. A majority of the economic studies investigating the profitability of retained ownership of beef calves to sell as yearlings have used a budgeting technique to compare a straight cow-yearling operation retaining all calves, to a straight cow-calf operation selling all calves. In this study linear programming was used to develop an optimum combination of various livestock marketing alternatives for maximizing net ranch income. Two typical Utah ranch sizes (150 and 300 head of brood cows) were modeled and optimum range livestock marketing schemes were developed using linear programming analysis. Based on average Utah cattle prices for 1970-1975 the optimum range livestock management alternatives for both ranch sizes in terms of maximizing net ranch income was to reduce the cow herd 25 percent and use the released feed resources to retain all steer calves for sale as yearlings. Retention of heifer calves was not profitable a nd they were sold a t weaning . Net ranch income for the optimum strategy was only slightly higher than the income of the base cow-calf ope ration for the small ranch. The large ranch showed a larger gal.n in net ranch income from retention of yearlings . The capital requirement of the optimum strategies was three to five percent less than for the base cow-calf operations. A reduction in the size of the breeding herd to accommodate retained yearlings would result in a r eduction in the number of feeder livestock marketed. Potential decreases in U. S. beef production f rom 1 to 4 percent were estimated if 25-100 percent of the ranchers in the 11 western states adopted the optimum management alternative. These reductions would result in an increase in the price of beef in the U. S. of 1 to 6 percent.

This work seeks to compare various Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation extraction chemicals on an economic and environmental basis. The chemicals considered are: decane, a decane/oleyl alcohol blend, decanol, a decanol/oleyl alcohol blend, 2-ethyl-hexanol, hexanol, mesitylene, and oleyl alcohol. To facilitate comparison a pure-distillation base case was also considered. The aforementioned extractants are a mix of both toxic and non-toxic extractants. Non-toxic extractants can be used directly in fermentation reactors, improving overall fermentation yield by removal of toxic butanol. The extractants were modelled in Aspen Plus V8.8 and separation trains were designed to take advantage of extractant properties. The separation section of the plant was then integrated with upstream and downstream units to determine the Minimum Butanol Selling Prices (MBSP) for second generation extractive ABE fermentation. Upstream processes include biomass (switchgrass) solids processing, biomass pre-treatment/saccharification and fermentation while downstream processes include utility generation and wastewater treatment. The cost of CO2 equivalent emissions avoided (CCA) was used as a metric to compare environmental impact of each process as compared to gasoline. The economic best and environmental best extractant is shown to be 2-ethyl-hexanol with a MBSP of $1.58/L and a CCA of $471.57/tonne CO2 equivalent emissions avoided. Wastewater treatment, which is often ignored in other works, was found to makeup over 30% of total installed capital cost for all extractants. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

For many years some people have dismissed the idea that small generators placed close to loads could replace large central generation plants. In the near future, this idea will probably hold true. However, many companies today are producing small generators that will have a great impact on the power grid. These generators can be used to improve the overall service to a particular area. Also, these generators can also be used to save an electric utility or end-use customer a significant amount of money. However, there are a lot of concerns in using distributed generation. As a result, there are many different issues that need to be investigated when distributed generation is used. In this thesis, a guidebook is developed for an engineer to use when distributed generation is being considered. By following this guidebook an engineer should be able to investigate proper engineering and economic issues. The engineering issues the engineer should consider are coordination, application of protective devices, voltage control, transformer winding configuration, reduction of losses and islanding. By following this guidebook, the engineer should also consider certain economic issues that include the impact of distributed generation on generation, transmission and distribution companies, the impact of distributed generation on wholesale and retail rates, and the costs associated with installation, operation and maintenance of distributed generation. As an example application, the requirements found in the guidebook are applied to a particular scenario for an existing facility that is served by a distribution company.

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The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada, and Mexico created a barrier-free production and trade zone in North America. Surrounding the implementation of NAFTA, a great volume of public, political, and academic attention was given to the impact of the agreement on the aging U.S. textile industry with high labor costs. The major NAFTA provisions, the elimination of tariffs and quotas and rules of origin, were predicted to create and divert U.S. trade in textile goods and expand domestic textile production activities. Since its implementation, however, volatile macroeconomic and political environmental changes have severely interfered with the role of NAFTA. Over ten years have passed since the implementation of NAFTA. The objectives of this research are to investigate the pattern of the U.S. textile industry's production activities under NAFTA and to determine the impact of the agreement on the industry's production activities. This research consists of two parts. Part I is a qualitative analysis that investigates changes in the industry's trade and production activities under NAFTA based on the review of literature and trade and industry data. Part II of this research, a quantitative analysis, applies a normalized restricted translog profit model to the textile industry's production activities under the influence of NAFTA in order to identify the pattern of the industry's output supply and input demand and to determine the impact of NAFTA on the industry. The outcomes of these analyses are used to make an overall assessment of the impact of NAFTA on the U.S. textile industry and draw policy implications. The outcome of the qualitative analysis suggests NAFTA as an effective policy in expanding and regionalizing U.S. trades in textile goods and promoting domestic textile production activities in the early years of implementation. Since the late 1990s, however, macroeconomic and political changes have dominated over the role of NAFTA, partially undoing the changes in U.S. textile trade and production activities made in the early years of the agreement. The outcome of quantitative analysis identifies the significant, but negative effect, of NAFTA on the U.S. textile industry's profit performance in the early years of NAFTA, probably due to intensified import competition, fall of real output prices, and numerous mill closings. Overall, NAFTA is recognized as a short-term, transitional policy measure for the U.S. textile industry because of the limited importance of Mexico in U.S. textile trade, the short period of NAFTA implementation, and several dynamic environmental factors including exchange rate changes, U.S. signings of multiple regional trade agreements, and the emerging dominance of China in world textile trade under the phase-out of the Multi-fiber Arrangement that have changed international and domestic textile market competition. Ultimately, this study concludes that a trade policy is not likely to provide a long-term solution for the survival of U.S. textile industry. / Ph. D.

nÃo hà / This work aims to make an economic analysis of the Carbon Market, as a new international commerce that, each day, atracts new parts or investors, either to assume voluntary or imposed greenhouse effect gas reducion marks, or to especulate with this marketâs price variation and opportunity. Innitially there is a brief historic description of this market dawn, as well as the fundamental principles that leaded to its creation. The economic analysis itself begins with the suppliers and demandants exclusives characteristics, as well as the price formation in this market. The main objective of this research is, however, to study the negative effects, caused mainly by de excessive and not homogeneous taxing and positive effects that appears with the motivation that some internationals taxes offer to those who preffers the technological development other to the ordinary acquisition of international CREs. / Este trabalho procura realizar uma anÃlise econÃmica no Mercado de Carbono, como um novo setor de comÃrcio internacional que, a cada dia, atrai novos investidores ou participantes, seja assumindo metas obrigatÃrias ou voluntÃrias de reduÃÃo de emissÃes de gases de efeito estufa, seja para especular com a sua oscilaÃÃo de preÃos e oportunidades. Inicialmente conta-se com uma breve descriÃÃo histÃrica do surgimento desse mercado, bem como dos princÃpios basilares que levaram a sua criaÃÃo. A anÃlise econÃmica propriamente dita inicia-se com o estudo das caracterÃsticas exclusivas de seus ofertantes e demandantes, bem como da sua formaÃÃo de preÃo. O objetivo principal dessa pesquisa Ã, no entanto, estudar os efeitos negativos, causados principalmente pela cobranÃa excessiva e nÃo homogÃnea de impostos e efeitos positivos, que sÃo evidenciados no incentivo que alguns tributos supranacionais oferecem a quem prefere o desenvolvimento tecnolÃgico definitivo à aquisiÃÃo ordinÃria de RCEs internacionais..