Small and Medium manufacturers (SMMs)in the United States comprise about 90% of manufacturing establishments and consume about 50% of all energy consumed by the industry. Many SMMs in the Southern Illinois (SI) region lack technical assistance for improving current practices of energy and water conservation in their facilities. This paper reports the findings of a study that sought to address this issue.A preliminary evaluation protocol, using spreadsheets was developed with individual sheets under different focus areas such as energy usage baselining, variable frequency drives (VFDs), notched V-belts, lighting, temperature offset, water management, air compressor, and heat loss from vertical, horizontal, cylindrical, and mixed surfaces. The emphasis areas of the evaluation protocol are among the most common topics covered in Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) assessments. The program can be used by the SMMs as an initial scoping tool to determine energy and cost saving opportunities. Additionally, SMMs based in the SI region can get an estimate of incentives they are eligible for when implementing energy conservation measures covered in the worksheet. A manufacturer based in SI, USA used the program to find energy and cost savings for the areas they felt were most pertinent. They used the air compressor, heat loss from cylindrical surfaces, and water management worksheets and the annual savings predicted by the program were 2.5% of the total power consumed, 4,657 kWh, and 3.64% annual return on investment, respectively. In addition, two case studies have been developed that consider the potential savings from each energy conservation area, payback period, and implementation costs.

Marginalisering gällande tillgång till elektricitet utgör en betydande utmaning i avlägsna områden i Peru. Elnätets stabilitet är låg och detta utgör ett hot mot viktig infrastruktur såsom sjukhus och vårdcentraler. Enligt Världshälsoorganisationen förloras 50 % av alla vacciner världen över på grund av felaktig hantering där strömavbrott är en viktig del av problemet. Syftet med denna studie var att öka energitåligheten hos ett medicinskt center i Talara i norra Peru. För att uppnå detta mål utfördes teknisk dimensionering av ett avbrottsfritt strömförsörjningssystem (UPS) bestående av solceller och batterier. Två kvalitativa intervjuer med en eldistributör i norra Peru och en tillsynsmyndighet gjordes för att fördjupa kunskapen om vilka utmaningar som finns gällande elnätets tillförlitlighet. Två scenarier utvärderades i dimensioneringen av UPS systemet. Scenario 1 presenterar den ursprungliga planen av EcoSwell som inkluderar all utrustning som var avsedd att strömförsörjas av UPS systemet, medan scenario 2 är en reducerad version av scenario 1 för att minska de totala kostnaderna. För scenario 1 kommer totalt 36 batterier och 48 solceller att krävas för att försörja all utrustning med energi. I scenario 2 kommer 20 batterier och 24 solceller att behövas. OMP Solar blev den utvalda leverantören av solceller och batterier och den totala kostnaden för installation och all extrautrustning är 66 713,98 S/ (184 036 SEK). Det uppskattades att 37 % och 17 % för scenario 1 respektive 2 av den totala energianvändningen vid vårdcentralen kommer att utgöras utav UPS systemet. / Marginalization in terms of electricity access presents a significant challenge in remote areas in Peru. The resilience of the electric grid is low, and this presents a threat to important infrastructure such as hospitals and medical centers. According to the World Health Organization, 50% of vaccines worldwide are wasted due to improper handling in which power cuts is a major problem. The aim of this study was to increase the energy resilience of a medical center located in Talara in northern Peru. In pursuit of this aim, technical sizing of an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system consisting of photovoltaic modules and lead-acid gel batteries was done. Two qualitative interviews with an electricity distributor in northern Peru and a supervisory authority was made to deepen the knowledge of what challenges exist regarding the reliability of the electric grid.  Two scenarios were evaluated in the sizing of the UPS. Scenario 1 presents the original plan by EcoSwell including all equipment that was intended to be powered up by the UPS, while scenario 2 is a reduced version of scenario 1 to decrease overall costs. For scenario 1 a total of 36 batteries and 48 solar modules will be required to power up all equipment. In scenario 2, 20 batteries and 24 solar modules will be required. OMP Solar was the chosen provider of solar modules and batteries and the total cost for installation and all auxiliary equipment is 66 713,98 S/ (184 036 SEK). It was estimated that 37% and 17% for scenario 1 and 2 respectively of the total energy usage at the medical center will be from the UPS.

This research explores the role of blockchain technology in advanced information sharing systems with the applications of energy systems and healthcare. Essay 1 proposes a blockchain application to improve resilience in smart grids by addressing cyber security and peer-to-peer trading potentials. The results show that blockchain-based smart contracts are positively related to smart grid resilience. The findings also show that blockchain-based smart contracts significantly contribute to zero trust cybersecurity, which results in a better capability to mitigate cyber-attacks. Essay 2 proposes a blockchain application to improve electronic health record (EHR) systems by increasing patient's empowerment. Confirmatory factor analysis is used for the validity and reliability tests of the model. The results show that blockchain-based information systems can empower patients by providing the perception of control over their health records. The usage of blockchain technology motivates patients to share information with healthcare provider systems and has the advantage of reducing healthcare costs and improving diagnosis management. Essay 3 contributes to the existing literature by using a multimethod approach to propose three new mediators for blockchain-based healthcare information systems: digital health care, healthcare improvement, and peer-to-peer trade capability. Based on the findings from the text analysis, we propose a research model drawing upon stimulus-organism-response theory. Through three experimental studies, we test the research model to explain the patient's willingness to share their health records with others, including researchers. A post hoc analysis is conducted to segment patients and predict their behavior using four machine learning algorithms. The finding was that merely having peer-to-peer trade capability by ignoring healthcare improvement does not necessarily incentivize patients to share their medical reports.

In an increasingly interconnected, and electricity-reliant world, households are asked to build up their resilience to crises. Local, distributed electricity production within a microgrid with capability to operate disconnected from the larger grid has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing power system resilience in the past. The energy production of local renewable sources is, however, not sufficient in meeting normal household energy demand. This thesis explores whether the forming of communities can be utilised to reduce energy demand and as a result, increase the resiliency of both the community and urban environments. The analysis of household energy use and the subsequently developed toolbox provide insights into energy use both under normal societal function and during a crisis. Through living and cooking together as a community, significant energy-efficiency gains were possible, exceeding those reasonably achieved within each individual household. Community was further determined to be important in the planning and development of more resilient combinations of renewable energy, going beyond solar power. When implemented in theoretical scenarios, energy communities at a building and block level could provide sufficient energy for the households’ most immediate needs without major sacrifices of wellness. The scheme proposed is argued to require not only monetary investments, but also larger societal shifts. Producing sufficient quantities of electricity within urban environments will mean a large change in how cities are experienced. Public understanding and acceptance for such a change is likely to be necessary. Through the implementation, the role of the municipality would go from action-taking to mostly laying the groundwork for the formation of communities, as well as advising these as they achieve higher household resilience. Most critically, however, there is a need for the broader population to embrace working together in communities.