<div> <div> <div> <p>Puerto Rico’s lack of effective and affordable energy substitutes after Hurricane Maria resulted in a mortality increase of 4,970 residents (Verma, Murray, and Mamdani, 2018). Puerto Rico’s Island dependency on electric power and no energy substitutes available have provoked a risk to human life after catastrophic events. The problem was measured by comparing Puerto Rico’s reliance on fossil fuels with accessible and economical renewable energy options. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies are the optimum alternative to transition from fossil fuel usage to renewable energy. Previous research has demonstrated the impact of using solar panels instead of an electric grid due to the constant solar radiation throughout the year. The analyzed data and projections showed a reduction in fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions by implementing solar photovoltaic technologies. The installation of PV systems in landfills, household roofs and transitioning to solar public lighting positively impacts the atmosphere carbon dioxide emissions. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur Miljökonsekvensbeskrivnings (MKB)dokument på vindkraft prioriterar djur och natur jämfört med andra faktorer, för dennauppsats grön energi. Grön energi i dagens samhälle värdesätts högt då det är steg närmare enhållbar framtid. MKB dokumentens syfte är att lyfta fram konsekvenser som sker till följd aven åtgärd/verksamhet. Men MKB dokument har lång väg att gå då det finns brister iprocessen.  Dessa brister beror till viss del på en avsaknad av fungerande teoretiska ramar förMKB utredningar, och dels på hur beställare och författare till MKB dokumenten påverkas avsin omgivning. I uppsatsens fall den rådande kulturen och hur samhällets syn på människansrelation till naturen och djuren är. Resultatet av uppsatsen blev: Djur och natur får ofta ståtillbaka för mänskliga intressen som värderas högre. Exempel på dessa intressen är merförnybar energi, konsekvenser för människor och deras samhälle i form av begränsadframkomst på området. En förändrad landskapsbild. Oljud, skuggtimmar och iskastning. / The purpose of this essay is to research how Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)documents for wind power prioritises animals and nature compared to other factors, for thisessay it is green energy. Green energy in today’s society is valued high for a more sustainablefuture. EIA in Sweden has the purpose to show the consequences of an action/operation. ButEIA documents have a long way to go, because there are shortcomings in the process. Theseshortcomings are partly due to the lack of proper theoretical frameworks for EIA, and in partdue to how the authors and those who request an EIA document are affected by their society.In the essays case the dominant culture and society’s view on the relationship between manand nature and the animals there. The result of the essay is: Animals and nature often gets tostand back in the face of human interest, which is valued higher. Examples of interest are,renewable energy, consequences for humans and society in the form of limited access to thearea. A changed landscape picture (ethical value), noises, shadow hours and ice throwingfrom the rotor blades.

Technologies that use cloud computing have increased considerably in the last decades. Computer services that we had in local devices have evolved to cloud services, resulting in applications such as online shopping stores, streaming platforms, or databases of large companies. In order to store and manage all the information that these types of services create, data centers were built and have been increasing in number and size in the last years. A big part of these databases is formed by server infrastructures, which are the devices that are responsible for storing and managing the data. Considerable research has been carried out to analyze the quantity of energy that servers consume and reduce it. What has been less considered is the environmental impact that servers have, not when they are operational but in the production phase (material gathering, transportation, assembly, etc.). A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) has been carried out to answer the research question that has been defined. The environmental impact of different stages is presented confirming the idea that other life cycle phases also have a big importance in the total environmental impact. Methods to reduce that impact are also explained.

The introduction of sustainable stormwater management in society has proved complex. Most cities do not operate jointly planned and owned stormwater facilities and institutional barriers have proved difficult to overcome. Experience from a Swedish project where extensive changes were made in the Augustenborg area in Malmö shows that it takes many years to overcome institutional obstacles when a society undergoes transformation.   Major part of research is still based on engineering and technical function although the social perspective is of great importance for the functioning of sustainable stormwater management. In-depth knowledge is needed about sustainable stormwater management and its connection with composition of population and socio-economic conditions. Research needs to be done on how information campaigns and cooperation are best designed to simplify planning, construction, and maintenance of stormwater facilities.

This thesis deals with a contaminated area in the municipality of Östersund where a gas plant has previously been operating from 1914 to 1951. Operations at the property where the gas plant has been located currently consist of a workshop and commercial premises with associated car parking. In order to be able to build on the gas plant area, the municipality intends to implement post-treatment measures in the area. The substances found in the contaminated area (hotspot area E) are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), aromatics, arsenic, nickel, lead and benzene. Measurement data indicate that these substances have been found at high levels, above the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's guideline values for contaminated soil. Many areas today are polluted to the level that they pose great risks to the environment and people, and this thought requires the treatment of contaminated soil. A risk assessment for hotspot area E determined that PAH, aromatics, arsenic, nickel, lead and benzene pose an unacceptable risk, and the area is therefore deemed to need remediation. Based on nearby buildings, in-situ soil remediation is a suitable approach that fits. This study summarizes the progress made in remediation research and shows that soil remediation methods have different advantages and disadvantages, and different strains on human health and the environment. Based on this study, it may be more appropriate to wait for more efficient or cheaper remediation techniques to be developed, but with the idea that these substances are volatile, toxic, and dangerous to us humans and the environment. This means that they pose a potential risk to society and a tendency to spread easily. Conclusions that can be drawn are that all in-situ methods included in this work can be applied in Sweden based on the geological conditions. In order to achieve optimum in-situ soil remediation, site-specific conditions, such as large groundwater flow or heterogeneous soil, control the choice of remediation method.

Sveriges regering införde 1 april 2018 en passagerarskatt på flygresor, med målet att flyget ska bära sina egna klimatkostnader och minska flygets miljöpåverkan. Denna studies syfte är att undersöka hur den svenska flygskatten har påverkat antalet inrikesflyg- och tågresor i Sverige. Metoden som används är den kvasi-experimentella metoden difference-in-difference, där Sverige används som behandlingsgrupp och Finland som kontrollgrupp. Perioden som studeras är januari 2013 till december 2019. Resultatet i studien visar att förändringen i antalet tågresor är betydligt större än minskningen i antalet flygresor, vilket beror på den starkare ökande trenden i tågresandet som råder i Sverige. Effekten av flygskatten på det inhemska tågresandet går därför inte att utläsa i studien. En minskning av antalet inrikesflygresor i Sverige med 53 000 resor i månaden kan emellertid utläsas. Detta resultat är statistiskt signifikant på fem procentsnivå och påvisar att flygskatten haft en effekt på inrikesflygresandet. / On the 1st of April 2018, the Swedish government introduced a tax on air travel, with the intention that the airlines should bear their own climate costs and to reduce the plane’s environmental impact. The object of this study is to examine how the Swedish aviation tax has affected the amount of total internal flight and train journeys in Sweden. The method used is the quasi-experimental method difference-in-differences, where Sweden is used as the treatment group and Finland as the control group. The period of analysis is from January 2013 to December 2019. The result of this study shows that the increase in the amount of train passengers is considerably larger than the decrease in the amount of flight passengers, which depicts the stronger upgoing trend in train journeys in Sweden. Therefore, it is not possible to see the effect of the aviation tax on the internal train journeys in this study. Yet it is feasible to see a diminishment in the amount of internal flight journeys by 53 000 journeys a month in Sweden. This result is statistically significant on a level of five percent and demonstrates that the aviation tax has had an effect on the amount of internal flight journeys.

La adecuada ejecución de proyectos de inversión es importante porque representa resultados económicos positivos en el sector en el que se desarrolla y en el PBI nacional. Siendo así, los proyectos de inversión del sector eléctrico son doblemente importantes, pues no solamente están direccionados a brindar un servicio público básico, sino que también contribuyen con el desarrollo de industrias de todos los sectores, que a su vez cooperan con el crecimiento económico de un país. En el Perú, para que un proyecto de inversión eléctrico pueda ser ejecutado, es necesario que tenga un estudio de impacto ambiental aprobado. Para dicha aprobación, además de cumplir con los requisitos técnicos, se requiere realizar un procedimiento de participación ciudadana efectivo; no obstante, dentro de la amplia normativa existente, no aparece un método que indique al titular del proyecto cómo alcanzar la efectividad mientras cumple con efectuar dicho procedimiento participativo. En la teoría consultada se ha encontrado una escala que precisa qué técnicas usar y en qué orden para lograr una participación ciudadana efectiva, la cual ha sido aplicada a diversos casos reales con la finalidad de verificar si es cierto lo que declara, para luego, buscar la modificación de la normativa peruana a través de la integración de una escala similar que influya directamente en la participación de la población sobre la elaboración y evaluación del estudio de impacto ambiental de un proyecto eléctrico. / The adequate execution of investment projects is important because it represents positive economic results in the sector in which it is developed and in the national GDP. Thus, investment projects in the electricity sector are doubly important, since they are not only aimed at providing a basic public service, they are also used with the development of industries in all sectors; therefore, it cooperates with the economic growth of a country. In Peru, for an electrical investment project to be executed, it is necessary to have an approved environmental impact study. To achieve this study, it is not only required to comply with technical requirements, it is necessary to carry out an effective citizen participation procedure. However, within the broad existing regulations, there is no method that indicates to the project owner how to achieve effectiveness while complying with said participatory procedure. A scale has been found in the theory consulted, it specifies what techniques to use and in what order, hence to achieve effective citizen participation. This scale has been applied to various real cases in order to verify if what it states is true, and then seek the modification of Peruvian laws through the integration of a similar scale that could directly influence with the participation of the population in the preparation and evaluation of the environmental impact study of an electrical project. / Trabajo de investigación

Årligen genomförs tusentals miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar (MKB) i Sverige i samband med fysisk planering. Social hållbarhet utgör en grundpelare för hållbar samhällsutveckling. I mån om att uppnå det inom fysisk planering krävs metoder för att mäta, utvärdera och förutspå sociala aspekter av utformandet. Miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar besitter en särställning genom att vara den enda metoden som utifrån detta är reglerad enligt lag för att beskriva sociala konsekvenser. Tidigare forskning har riktat kritik mot miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar i form av att de snävt inkluderar sociala aspekter. Studiens syfte var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning sociala aspekter tas hänsyn till i strategiska MKB: er för detaljplaner. För att uppfylla studiens syfte har en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med deduktiv ansatts tillämpats. Ett granskningsschema användes för att analysera fem utvalda MKB-dokument i relation till tidigare forskning och teoretiskt ramverk. Det teoretiska ramverket grundas i politisk ekologi, miljörättvisa, demokrati och deltagande. Resultat bekräftar kritiken som tidigare forskning riktar mot MKB: er. Människor visades återkommande presenteras som en homogen grupp och identifierades inte utifrån olika sociala förutsättningar. Hänsynstagande till sårbara grupper varierade även inom respektive MKB. Studien visar också på att granskade MKB: er inte utvecklar i vilken utsträckning de tagit vara på det demokratiska verktyget samråd. Avslutningsvis visades det vara möjligt att dra slutsatsen om att MKB: er besitter en stor potential till att främja ett socialt hållbart samhälle. En möjlighet som medverkare i dess utformning bättre bör utnyttja. / Thousands of environmental impact assessment (EIA) are implemented in Sweden every year. Social sustainability is one of three stakeholders of a sustainable society. Considering physical planning in the society required methods such as measure, evaluate and predict social aspects has been proved to be important to achieve social sustainability. EIA are today the only method that are regulated by Swedish laws with the aim to include social aspects. Previous research has criticized EIA for its narrow definition and implementation of social aspects. The aim of this study is to examine how social aspects are included in EIA:         detailed development plans, to achieve this a qualitative study has been used. Five EIA documents have been analyzed against an own designed examination. The social aspects which has been found in the documents has also been analyzed through the study’s theoretical framework which includes theories as political ecology, environmental justice, participation and democracy. Main findings of this study proved to be consistent with previous research criticisms to EIA. People are observed to be presented as a homogeneous group in EIA documents and differences in social conditions and capacity are not being considered. The main findings also include that consideration about vulnerable groups could differ between the EIA documents. Another notable finding from this study is that EIA don’t show how they achieve to implement public consultation. Finally, it is possible to conclude that the EIA have a great potential to contribute to a socially sustainable society - An opportunity that EIA developers should take better use of.

With numerous bioassessment methodologies available, a regional protocol needs to be developed to ensure that results are comparable. A regional assessment protocol was developed that includes collecting five benthic macroinvertebrate samples, identifying organisms to genus, and calculating the following metrics: Number of Taxa, Total Number of Individuals, Simpson's Diversity Index, Shannon's Diversity Index, Percent Contribution of Dominant Taxa, Hilsenhoffs Biotic Index, and Percent Contribution of Dipterans. Once the protocol was developed, it was used to assess the Bayou Chico tributaries and watershed. All three tributaries had been significantly impacted by human activity as had the watershed as a whole. This study indicates that a regional protocol could be developed and is appropriate for biomonitoring at the watershed scale.

As the demand for energy increases, competition for a sustainable alternative to non-renewable energy resources has resulted in the growth of the photovoltaic industry. Although most photovoltaic technologies are based on crystalline silicon, thin film technologies have been developed with the expectation of generating a comparably high-performing product with lower processing costs. These materials have demonstrated sufficiently high optoelectronic performance to enable commercialization but concerns such as material scarcity limit terawatt level power production.<div><br></div><div>In the continuous pursuit of earth abundant solar absorber materials appropriate for thin film technologies, enargite Cu3AsS4 has been identified as a promising material due to its ideal direct band gap, stability, and high absorption. Recent efforts have demonstrated this class of copper chalcogenides exhibits band gap tunability and has solution processing capabilities for potentially scalable manufacturing. Furthermore, recent first-principles calculations of enargite Cu3AsS4 have hypothesized this material may have high carrier mobility and defect-tolerant optoelectronic properties, which further support investigation into this material. <br></div><div><br></div><div>In this dissertation, a novel reactive deposition processing route has been developed which has produced dense, single-phase enargite thin films. A champion device efficiency of 0.54% was achieved following a post deposition etching procedure on these films, which demonstrates the density and observable secondary phases were not limiting to initial nanoparticle-based device performances. Together with recent modeling efforts, the non-ideal band alignment with both the back contact and diode junction is concluded to be the primary limiting factor for high efficiency devices. <br></div><div><br></div><div>As this technology contains arsenic, concerns have been raised about its potential carcinogenicity and toxicity. Similar concerns were raised during the development of cadmium telluride technology, but these concerns have been mitigated through careful life cycle analyses and identifying strategies for responsible life cycle management. Therefore, a life cycle analysis and two risk assessments have been completed on Cu3AsS4 systems. Although emissions of arsenic and its contributions to life cycle impacts are expected to be low due to the small quantity required, hot spots have been identified to reduce waste and emissions. Reduction strategies for this material system are found to be applicable to other PV systems and include minimizing molybdenum sputter waste, reusing and recycling balance of system components, and investigating low-energy processing routes on thin substrates. This work serves to establish a basis on which the potential environmental implications of this thin film technology are understood. <br></div><div><br></div><div>This dissertation will serve as a guide toward the technical and environmental development of Cu3AsS4 thin films. Having a life cycle perspective during the systematic development of a technology will enable sustainable engineering. Furthermore, the processing and characterization methods detailed herein are expected to be generally applicable to other copper chalcogenide systems. <br></div>