The aim of this study is to quantify the social cost of air pollution in Bophelong Township. Bophelong is a dominantly Black low-income settlement located on the South-western part of the Emfuleni Local Municipality in the Vaal Triangle. In 2006 the Vaal Triangle was the first region in the country to be declared an Airshed Priority Area in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (39/2004). Economic literature reveals that there is a strong positive correlation between poverty and pollution. It is on this basis that the study provides a theoretical background to poverty and pollution. The study makes use of a Contingent valuation method to elicit respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in the area. The survey questionnaire covers three broad socio-economic categories namely, the demographic profile, labour force profile and the residents‘ attitudes towards environmental issues. The valuation part of the questionnaire makes use of an open-ended questionnaire to elicit the respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air pollution in Bophelong. The mean willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in Bophelong is estimated at R132 per annum. The annual social cost of air-pollution in Bophelong is calculated by multiplying the mean willingness to pay with the estimated total population. Bophelong‘s total population was estimated at 49 408. The annual social cost of pollution is thus estimated at R6 521 856. The regression analysis shows that several factors positively influence respondents‘ willingness to pay. The analysis shows that education, employment and level of income are positively correlated with the respondents‘ willingness to pay. This study indicates that there is a positive correlation between poverty and pollution. Most of the air pollution that affects the population of Bophelong is generated from domestic sources such as the burning of coal and biomass fuels for VALUING THE SOCIAL COST OF AIR-POLLUTION IN BOPHELONG TOWNSHIP heating and cooking purposes. In order to eliminate the negative impacts of air pollution on the residents of Bophelong the study recommends that authorities must begin by ameliorating the poverty situation in the area. On the main authorities must introduce measures that target domestic sources of pollution. Some of the measures that could be undertaken to reduce the impact of pollution could include: (a) encouraging residents to adopt the more cleaner top-down coal ignition method known as Basa-njengo-Magogo, (b) providing free basic electricity to poor households in the area and (c) ensuring that houses are constructed with thermal comfort in mind, as this will minimise the need for space heating particularly during winter months. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Energy is the driver of activity in every economy and, therefore, its importance cannot be overemphasised. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces general problems of access to modern energy. Most households and industry in SSA use traditional and unclean energy resources for activities such as cooking, lighting and drying of farm produce. Many households in less developed countries have very limited choices with regard to alternatives to traditional energy supplies. Energy poverty is overt in many poor countries, particularly in the Sub-Saharan region where 700 million people are deprived of access to modern energy facilities. In Malawi, less than 6 percent of the population have access to electricity. There are, therefore, many questions regarding the state of energy poverty still to be answered, not only in Malawi, but also the entirety of the SSA region. Questions such as what is the level of energy poverty in these regions? What determines this level of poverty? Why are people not adopting renewable energy facilities for their household needs? Are some energy facilities inferior to others? Such questions were the centre of the present study. These questions are important because, with energy poverty, nearly all the Millennium Development Goals are unachievable and sustainable development could not be a success story where the dominant source of energy for both households and industry is biomass. This study was based on a survey conducted in South Lunzu Township (SLT), which is a low income area to the east of Ndirande Mountain in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The survey administered a standard questionnaire through face-to-face interviews with heads of households. Data was collected from 319 respondents who were selected through random sampling techniques. The descriptive statistics suggest that the average household size for South Lunzu Township is 5 people. The average age of the sampled respondents was about 38. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development The findings of the thesis suggest that over 90 percent of the households sampled were energy poor with energy expenditure exceeding 10 percent of total household expenditure. In terms of energy resources used in SLT, 2.9 percent used electricity for cooking meals. Only 2 households, representing 0.63 percent, use liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG) and just 1 household, representing 0.31 percent, depended mostly on solar power. On the other hand, energy facilities that are considered dirty, inefficient and a danger to the heath of people seem to be popular. For instance charcoal and firewood were used by 25 percent and 4.7 percent of the total sample respectively. Most households use a combination of energy facilities; however, those that are considered inferior are preferred. Of the sample, 42 percent use both charcoal and firewood to cook their meals. Further, the results of the Engel functions suggest that charcoal and wood were not regarded as inferior products for the cooking needs of households despite improvements in income. Electricity, which was also regarded as a normal energy resource, had positive income elasticity. To improve access to modern energy facilities at the household level, the thesis recommends that a flexible trade and tax regime, one that will improve the availability and affordability of renewable energy to the majority, should be adopted. The Logit model of energy poverty reveals that household expenditure on transport, income level, age, and education level of the head of household; household size; and home size, are important factors in explaining the level of energy poverty in South Lunzu Township. Further, the results revealed that expenditure on housing and marital status could not be relied upon as important predictors of the probability of energy poverty in South Lunzu. Expenditure on education was associated with lower levels of energy poverty. Households who spent more on schooling also spent more on food items and their expenditure on energy resources was less than 10 percent of the total expenditure per month. In addition, those households that spent more on food were also likely to be energy well-off. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development Results of the multinomial logit (MNL) model suggest that most socioeconomic variables under study were inelastic in influencing the probability for the outcomes, at the household level, to be used for the purposes of cooking. Statistically, age, income and education level of the head of household, together with household size, were important factors that influenced the choice of most of the outcomes for cooking purposes, including electricity, charcoal, firewood and LP gas. The major recommendation of this study is that campaigns emphasising the abilities of renewable energy be developed and disseminated. That renewable energy is relegated to poor and uncivilised societies is a notion that must be rooted out of the mindset of the average, civilised urban dweller. Also, the use of LP gas for cooking purposes must be encouraged. Import tax regimes that discourage international trade of renewable energy resources must be removed to encourage lower prices on such facilities. These policies would ensure sustainable development by reducing reliance on biomass, which is depleting at a faster rate than it is regenerating. / Thesis (PhD (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Among sources of renewable energy, development of tidal energy has traditionally been plagued by relatively high costs and limited availability of sites with sufficiently high tidal amplitudes or flow velocities. However, many recent technology developments and improvements, both in design (e.g. dynamic tidal power, tidal lagoons) and turbine technology (e.g. new axial turbines, crossflow turbines), showed that the economic and environmental costs may be brought down to competitive levels comparing to other conventional energy sources. It has long been identified that the Bay of Fundy is one of the world’s premier locations for the development of tidal power generating systems, since it has some of the world’s largest tidal ranges. Consequently, several proposals have been made in the recent years to find economical ways to harness the power of tides. Presently, there is considerable interest in installing tidal lagoons in the Bay of Fundy. The lagoon concept involves temporarily storing seawater behind an impoundment dike and generating power by gradually releasing the impounded seawater through conventional low-head hydroelectric turbines. A tidal lagoon will inherently modify the tides and tidal currents regime in the vicinity of the lagoon, and possibly induce effects that may be felt throughout the entire Bay of Fundy. The nature of these hydrodynamic impacts will likely depend on the size of the tidal lagoon, its location, and its method of operation. Any changes in the tidal hydrodynamics caused by a tidal lagoon may also impact on the transport of sediments throughout the region and upset ecosystems that are well adapted to existing conditions. The scale and character of the potential hydrodynamic impacts due to tidal lagoons operating in the Bay of Fundy have not been previously investigated. The present study endeavours to investigate these potential impacts to help the development of sustainable, science-based policies for the management and development of clean energy for future generations. After outlining fundamental aspects of tidal power projects taken in consideration in the Bay of Fundy, an analysis of present knowledge on tidal lagoons was conducted in order to provide a focus for subsequent investigations. Hydrodynamic modeling was used to quantify any of the potential hydrodynamic changes induced in the Bay of Fundy due to the presence of tidal lagoons. In the last part of the thesis, new relationships were derived in order to describe the amount of energy removed from tidal lagoons associated with its hydrodynamic impacts.

Tirtas kukurūzų frakcijų kiekio pasiskirstymo priklausomybė nuo atstumų dydžio tarp trupintuvo valcų. Tyrimai atlikti 2013-2014 metais Aleksandro Stulginskio universitete. Tyrimo objektas – diskinių valcų trupintuvas-traiškytuvas, kurio našumas iki 15 t.h-1. Valcai – apvalūs, dantyti, sukimosi dažnis ns = 4000 min-1. Trupintuvą-traiškytuvą sudaro keturi valcai, dvi poros – pakopos. Trupintuvo diskiniams valcams sukti, reikalinga aktyvioji galia, matuota elektros energijos tinklo analizavimo prietaisu ME-MI2492 („Metrel“). Frakcijų atskyrimui buvo naudojami penki sietai: 3,5 mm; 3 mm; 2,4 mm; 2 mm; 1 mm. Iš viso gautos šešios frakcijos. Valcų atstumas kito nuo 4,5 iki 6 mm pirmos pakopos ir nuo 1,5 iki 3 mm antrosios pakopos. Tyrimais nustatytas žymus, frakcijų didesnių nei 3,5 mm, kiekio didėjimas. Grūdų drėgniui sumažėjus pastebėtas galios poreikio padidėjimas esant minimaliems atstumams tarp valcų. Apdorojus duomenis nustatytas esminis skirtumas tarp frakcijų didesnių nei 3,5 mm kiekio procentinės dalies, esant santykiniam grūdų drėgniui ωg1=37,77±0,5% ir frakcijų kiekio kai drėgnis ωg3=33,25±0,88%. / Studied corn fraction pattern on the cracker rolls gap wide. Investigations were carried out in 2013-2014 at Aleksandras Stulginskis University. Research object was a disc roller crusher, with a capacity of up to 15 t.h-1. Rollers - rounded, toothed, rotation speed n = 4000 min -1. Crusher consists of four rolls, two pairs in all. Crusher disc rolls turn required active power, measured electricity network analysis device ME- MI2492 ( Metrel ) sievs was used in five screens: 3.5 mm; 3 mm; 2.4 mm; 2 mm; 1 mm. A total of six groups. The results demonstrated significant groups larger than 3.5 mm, the increase in volume. Grain moisture decreased observed a increase in power consumption at the minimum roller distance. After processing the data a fundamental difference been set between the groups of larger than 3,5 mm the percentage of grain moisture ωg1 = 37.77 ± 0.5% and the volume fraction when humidity ωg3 = 33.25 ± 0.88 %.

A novel and original category of low-cost static solar-daylighting-collectors named Keywo solar energy, solar collectors, daylighting systems, nonimaging optics, Refractive Integrated Nonimaging Solar Collectors (RINSC) has been designed and thoroughly tested. The RINSC category is based on nonimaging optics and integrates several optical elements, such as prismatic arrays and light guides, into a single-structured embodiment made of solid-dielectric material. The RINSC category is sub-divided in this thesis into four distinctive and original sub-categories/systems: Prismatic Solar Collectors (PSC), Multi-Prismatic Solar Collectors (MPSC), Integrated Multi-Prismatic Solar Collectors (IMPSC) and Vertically Integrated Nonimaging Solar Collectors (VINSC). The optical configuration and compact embodiment of these systems allows them to be integrated into a building façade without creating any protrusion, indicating that they can lead to solar collector systems with high building integration potential. Laboratory and outdoor experimental tests conducted with a series of demonstration prototypes made of clear polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and manufactured by laser ablation process, yield peak transmission efficiencies TE varying from 2% to 8%. Computer simulations indicated that transmission efficiencies TE > 30% are possible. The design and development of the innovative optical systems introduced in this thesis were backed-up with extensive computer ray-tracing analysis, rapid-prototyping, laboratory and outdoor experimental tests. Injection moulding computer simulations and surface analysis concerning the development of the RINSC systems were also conducted. Basic theory and comprehensive literature review are presented. This research has also resulted in the design and prototyping of a novel optical instrumentation named Angular Distribution Imaging Device (ADID), specially developed to analyse the spatial distribution of light emerging from the exit aperture of solar collectors/concentrators. The systems and knowledge described in this thesis may find application in areas such as solar collector systems to harvest sunlight for natural illumination in buildings, solar-photovoltaic and solar-thermal.

Worldwide energy policies are built on three pillars: ‘cost competitiveness’, ‘security of energy supply’, and ‘environmental responsibility.’ This has brought about the integration of renewable energy sources into national systems with the deployment of policy instruments to make renewable energy sources electricity (RES-E) capable of nearly competing on a commercial basis with traditional forms of electricity generation. At the national level within the EU, there has been much experimentation with different policy instruments with varying levels of success. Nevertheless the EU as a whole will not meet its stipulated renewable energy target. This study challenges the theoretical and abstract evaluation presented in the literature about EU wind power delivery systems and has developed an integrative evaluation framework. This evaluation framework is used in this study to present the views of key stakeholders on their experiences with the performance of key policy instruments (feed-in tariff, and renewables obligation) implemented in three EU Member States namely: Germany, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom. It also challenges the EU-wide harmonised renewable energy policy agenda as proposed in Directive 2001/77/EC. The concept of path dependency of the historical institutional approach was adopted in order to explore the diversity of the wind power industry across the three country cases. An indepth semi-structured interview with fifty-five senior wind power policy makers and experts was conducted to explore the historical emergence, the architect, and the outcome of the support and implementation of the policy instruments. Findings showed that the approach to wind power deployment in the three country cases differs significantly and this has affected the pattern of each country’s wind power policy instrument. Also, the role and contribution of the stakeholder groups to the success of the wind power policy instruments differ significantly in each of the country cases. This helps to explain the performance of the different policy instruments adopted. Concerning the harmonisation of EU renewable energy policy instruments which have received much attention in recent times, this study found that harmonisation based on a single policy instrument is not feasible and may ultimately inhibit the growth of the European wind power market. A harmonised system may cause uncertainties amongst willing investors, thereby causing a withdrawal of further investment in the wind power market. If this happens, Europe may also lose its position as the world leader in the wind power market. Furthermore, national histories demonstrates that Member States have different culture, stakeholder groups, political, and business practices that will influence policy instruments and the likelihood of any policy succeeding. Thus, rather than promoting harmonisation and political market for wind power, it is important that Member States adopt and implement, stable, flexible, and transparent policy instruments that enable wind power and other renewable energy sources to emerge, develop, and go through the R&D stage to a point of maturity where they can compete with other energy sources with limited financial support.

Disturbance from engineering works is an increasing problem in terrestrial and marine ecosystems throughout the world. Many reported declines in population size, breeding success and body condition have been diagnosed as the result of anthropogenic disturbance, however little is known about the effect of long-term disturbance from large-scale engineering works. Understanding the mechanisms by which animals respond to anthropogenic activities is fundamental to explaining interactions, and resolving potential conflicts between humans and wildlife. This thesis focuses on the factors affecting the habitat use and foraging decisions in wintering shorebirds and wildfowl. The first half of this thesis considers the direct and indirect impacts on waterbirds of a major engineering project in central Scotland; construction of the new Clackmannanshire Bridge at Kincardine-on-Forth. For individual bird species in close proximity to the bridge site, round-the-clock construction work had consequences ranging from neutral to considerably negative. Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo declined in the area, probably as a result of the disturbance of an important low tide roost. Redshank Tringa totanus, previously abundant in the prey-rich areas adjacent to the construction site, were displaced into poorer areas for most of the construction period; where they may also have suffered from increased interference competition and elevated risk from raptorial predators. Some positive effects of industrial development were also revealed; radio-transmitters combined with tilt-switch posture sensors indicate that Redshank were able to capitalise on the improved nocturnal visibility in areas around Grangemouth docks to assist with foraging and predator detection. Evidence is presented that birds switched foraging strategy (from sight to touch feeding) depending on ambient light levels; whereby artificial light was used in a similar manner to moonlight to assist with prey detection. Redshank also avoided riverine areas at night that were used frequently by day, probably in response to an elevated threat from nocturnal predators. As the predator landscape changes from day into night, birds adopt different strategies to minimise the risk from nocturnal predators. It is clearly important, therefore, that information on nocturnal distributions is available to inform decisions on site management, especially where anthropogenic activity continues throughout the diel cycle. Behavioural decisions were shown to vary widely within a species depending on individual state, metabolic demands and previous exposure to human disturbance. Prey resources were shown to change dramatically over the course of a winter. In response to this decline, the home range of Redshank contracted over a winter season. Similarly, animals responded less and took greater risks in response to experimental disturbance events later in the winter than earlier in the winter, and on days when the temperature was lower. This effect was strongest for individuals occupying heavily disturbed areas, which were possibly already compensating for lost feeding time and a negative energy balance. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that those individuals that respond most obviously to human disturbance were those least likely to suffer fitness consequences. This is the opposite from what is commonly assumed when behaviour is used as an index of disturbance impacts, most notably in the use of flush distance in the design of wildlife buffer zones. In conclusion, this study demonstrated various negative impacts of disturbance, including local displacement, due to construction activity on overwintering waterbirds. It also revealed two key, but poorly understood, phenomena relating to mechanisms for coping with anthropogenic disturbance: routine utilisation of artificial light to extend night-time feeding opportunities amongst Redshank and an adaptive flexibility in escape responses across a range of species under varying conditions of risk.

Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) have proven to be a more stable and feasible source of energy than heir single source counterparts. The benefit of HRES is their ability to balance the stochastic behavior of wind and solar production. As result of this, they have been used as stand-alone systems with great success. Optimization studies in the field have shown optimum sizing of the components in the system to be a key element in order to increase feasibility. This paper focuses on the HRES impact on internal grid design and cost. The goal of the thesis is to create a mathematical function and graph on the internal grid design/cost relation for a virtual site with varying wind speed and solar irradiation. A secondary goal is to analyze how much Photovoltaics (PV) in Megawatt (MW) that can be connected to the internal grid post realization of the wind farm and to performed this analyze on the two specific case projects, Site A (17.25 MW) in Sweden and Site B (51.75 MW) in Italy. By utilizing a case study methodology, a mathematical model was created based on two case projects, both with potential to be a combined Wind-PV hybrid plants provided by the wind developer OX2. Identifiers for the two cases studied in this thesis where removed with respect to OX2’s ongoing projects. Hybrid renewable energy systems is a method of increasing the utilization of a regions RES, the system has an increase in overall power output compared to the single RES alternative. However, the internal grid cost was shown to be 3.85 % more expensive Site A and 5.3 % in Site B. This stood in direct correlation to the HRES in Site A using 8.6 % more cable for its internal grid and 29.7 % more in Site B, this is highly depending (depending on the location of the PV array). Furthermore, the case projects showed that the maximum PV to be connected post realization of the farm without major curtailment would be 11.5% of the wind farms rated power in the case of site A and 67.6 % in the case of Site B. Variations in wind speed and solar irradiation were shown to have some impact on grid cost. However, the results pointed out that grid cost in HRES is to a higher degree affected by total cable length in the internal grid than fluctuation in available energy sources. The extent of increase in cable length, the total grid investment cost rises up to 53.4 % for the two case projects.

<p>This dissertation shows the use of Constructal law to find the relation between the morphing of the system configuration and the improvements in the global performance of the complex flow system. It shows that the better features of both flow and heat transfer architecture can be found and predicted by using the constructal law in energy systems. Chapter 2 shows the effect of flow configuration on the heat transfer performance of a spiral shaped pipe embedded in a cylindrical conducting volume. Several configurations were considered. The optimal spacings between the spiral turns and spire planes exist, such that the volumetric heat transfer rate is maximal. The optimized features of the heat transfer architecture are robust. Chapter 3 shows the heat transfer performance of a helically shaped pipe embedded in a cylindrical conducting volume. It shows that the optimized features of the heat transfer architecture are robust with respect to changes in several physical parameters. Chapter 4 reports analytically the formulas for effective permeability in several configurations of fissured systems, using the closed-form description of tree networks designed to provide flow access. The permeability formulas do not vary much from one tree design to the next, suggesting that similar formulas may apply to naturally fissured porous media with unknown precise details, which occur in natural reservoirs. Chapter 5 illustrates a counterflow heat exchanger consists of two plenums with a core. The results show that the overall flow and thermal resistance are lowest when the core is absent. Overall, the constructal design governs the evolution of flow configuration in nature and energy systems.</p> / Dissertation

<p>The rise of the twenty-first century has seen the further increase in the industrialization of Earth’s resources, as society aims to meet the needs of a growing population while still protecting our environmental and natural resources. The advent of the industrial bioeconomy – which encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, and bio-based products – is seen as an important step in transition towards sustainable development and away from fossil fuels. One sector of the industrial bioeconomy which is rapidly being expanded is the use of biobased feedstocks in electricity production as an alternative to coal, especially in the European Union.</p><p>As bioeconomy policies and objectives increasingly appear on political agendas, there is a growing need to quantify the impacts of transitioning from fossil fuel-based feedstocks to renewable biological feedstocks. Specifically, there is a growing need to conduct a systems analysis and potential risks of increasing the industrial bioeconomy, given that the flows within it are inextricably linked. Furthermore, greater analysis is needed into the consequences of shifting from fossil fuels to renewable feedstocks, in part through the use of life cycle assessment modeling to analyze impacts along the entire value chain.</p><p>To assess the emerging nature of the industrial bioeconomy, three objectives are addressed: (1) quantify the global industrial bioeconomy, linking the use of primary resources with the ultimate end product; (2) quantify the impacts of the expaning wood pellet energy export market of the Southeastern United States; (3) conduct a comparative life cycle assessment, incorporating the use of dynamic life cycle assessment, of replacing coal-fired electricity generation in the United Kingdom with wood pellets that are produced in the Southeastern United States.</p><p>To quantify the emergent industrial bioeconomy, an empirical analysis was undertaken. Existing databases from multiple domestic and international agencies was aggregated and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to produce a harmonized dataset of the bioeconomy. First-person interviews, existing academic literature, and industry reports were then utilized to delineate the various intermediate and end use flows within the bioeconomy. The results indicate that within a decade, the industrial use of agriculture has risen ten percent, given increases in the production of bioenergy and bioproducts. The underlying resources supporting the emergent bioeconomy (i.e., land, water, and fertilizer use) were also quantified and included in the database.</p><p>Following the quantification of the existing bioeconomy, an in-depth analysis of the bioenergy sector was conducted. Specifically, the focus was on quantifying the impacts of the emergent wood pellet export sector that has rapidly developed in recent years in the Southeastern United States. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment was conducted in order to quantify supply chain impacts from two wood pellet production scenarios: roundwood and sawmill residues. For reach of the nine impact categories assessed, wood pellet production from sawmill residues resulted in higher values, ranging from 10-31% higher.</p><p>The analysis of the wood pellet sector was then expanded to include the full life cycle (i.e., cradle-to-grave). In doing to, the combustion of biogenic carbon and the subsequent timing of emissions were assessed by incorporating dynamic life cycle assessment modeling. Assuming immediate carbon neutrality of the biomass, the results indicated an 86% reduction in global warming potential when utilizing wood pellets as compared to coal for electricity production in the United Kingdom. When incorporating the timing of emissions, wood pellets equated to a 75% or 96% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, depending upon whether the forestry feedstock was considered to be harvested or planted in year one, respectively.</p><p>Finally, a policy analysis of renewable energy in the United States was conducted. Existing coal-fired power plants in the Southeastern United States were assessed in terms of incorporating the co-firing of wood pellets. Co-firing wood pellets with coal in existing Southeastern United States power stations would result in a nine percent reduction in global warming potential.</p> / Dissertation