Fossil fuels continue to deplete with use as they are irreplaceable. In addition, the environmental impact with the continuous use of these conventional fuels has generated global concern due to the production of harmful emission gases. An alternative source of energy has become inevitable. Technological advancements in the area of biomass use for both aviation and power generation are at different levels of development. There is however the need for an integrated approach to assess gas turbine engine behaviour in terms of performance, emission and economics when they are running on biofuels. The current research work is concerned with finding alternative fuel resources for use on stationary gas turbine engines for power generation with the necessary identification of suitable biofuels using a multidisciplinary approach. A techno-economic, environmental and risk assessment (TERA) model comprising the performance, emissions, economics and risk modules has been developed. There had been several simulations of two gas turbine engines (GTEs) to ascertain the effects of both ambient and operating conditions and the effect of fuel types on the engines. These simulations were done with the use of an in-house code-the Turbomatch and a code developed for the steam cycle which is employed for the combined cycle simulation. Cont/d.

This thesis examines the links between Bourdieu’s concept of the capitals and social mobility. By using interviews conducted with families who have imigrated to Austin from Latin American countries, patterns of social mobility are traced alongside the accumulation of capitals, such as cultural capital, social capital, economic capital, symbolic capital, and techno-capital. Three generations of women are interviewed from three different families, allowing the family history to serve as the unit of analysis. Links are made between the transmission and transmissibility of capital and the ascension or descension of social mobility. / text

Med en blandning av tematisk och kritisk diskursanalys, undersöker denna studie den moderna svenska storstadspressens musikestetiska förhandlingar om house och techno. En hypotes antas om att recensionerna om dansmusik (som till stor del är ett sinnligt och kroppsligt förfarande) förväntas förhandla med den klassiska musikestetikens diskurs, där musikens ses som ett andligt eller abstrakt objekt. Musikkritiken, som är en del av medieoffentligheten, ställs likväl inför ett dilemma om objektivism och subjektivism. Det skrala materialutbudet försvårar förvisso utvidgade slutsatser, men undersökningen visar på svårigheter med att recensera dansmusik och problem i musikkritiken. Recensioner om house och techno söker sig till viss utsträckning mot en andlig eller objektivistisk diskurs för att legitimeras i det offentliga samtalet. Detta kan förstås som att de sinnliga musikdiskurserna ingår i en underordnad kulturell hierarki präglad av en dikotomi uppställd i den dominanta västerländska filosofiska traditionen.

The increased demand for broadband communications has led to the rapid development of the conventional terrestrial and satellite wireless communications systems. One of the main challenges to next generation wireless systems is to deliver high-capacity and cost-efficient solutions to cope with an increasing usage of broadband services and applications. In the recent years, an emerging competitive system has attracted the attention for providing wireless broadband communications and other services based on quasi-stationary aerial platforms operating in the stratosphere known by high altitude platforms (HAPs), and located 17-22 km above the earth surface. This solution has been described by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as "a new and long anticipated technology that can revolutionize the telecommunication industry''. The HAP systems provide important advantages such as low cost, high elevation angles, low propagation delay, easy and incremental deployment, flexibility in operation, broad coverage, broadcast and broadband capability, ability to move around in emergency situations, etc. Therefore, they have been proposed by ITU for the provision of fixed, mobile services and applications, e.g. the third generation (3G) services licensed by ITU and backbone link for terrestrial networks in remote areas. This thesis explores and investigates the wireless communication and techno-economic performance of terrestrial systems and HAPs. An overview of research and development on aerial platforms worldwide is given. Coexistence performance and techniques of heterogeneous systems to provide broadband wireless communications based on Worldwide Interoperability Microwave Access (WiMAX) are investigated. A heterogeneous scenario is developed to examine the coexistence performance of heterogeneous systems. The capacity and deployment aspects of HAPs are analyzed, and further compared with terrestrial Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) through techno-economic studies including a proposed partnership based business model for HAPs. Performance of wireless sensor network applications via HAPs is also investigated, and shows the high potential of HAPs for large-area and long-endurance surveillance and emergency applications. The thesis shows that communications from the aerial platforms provide the best features of both terrestrial and satellite systems. HAPs can effectively coexist in a heterogeneous radio environment, and are competitive solutions in urban and suburban scenarios in terms of capacity, coverage and business perspective. This makes HAP a viable competitor and complement to conventional terrestrial infrastructures and satellite systems.

Most of the world’s electricity is being generated through conventional sources of energy like coal and nuclear. People are realizing the dire effect of using these fuels, and the amount of CO2 being released into the environment. Therefore, in recent year there has been a shift in emphasis towards cleaner ways of generating electricity. One such recent trend is solar photovoltaics (PV), which has seen rapid growth over the years. This ever-increasing trend of adopting PV system allows consumers to be producers or “Prosumers”. Due to the irregular production capability of solar PV, the need for an energy storage system like a battery bank is on the rise as well. This report evaluates how solar PV can be used in combination with a battery bank to supply the annual electricity demand for a household with little to no support from the grid. The building is assumed to be located in Bangalore, India. The energy demand for the household is estimated based on the requirements of a basic Indian house standard. The size and configuration of each component have been done with regards to the total load demand. Furthermore, the cost of the whole system is estimated in order to evaluate the feasibility of the grid-tied system from an economic perspective. The results show that a PV system consisting of four 270W solar panels, a battery bank of eight150Ah lead-acid batteries and a 48V 4kW inverter is required to meet the annual energy demand of the house. The results show that from a technical standpoint, the above-mentioned technology is feasible. The results from the economic evaluation show that the localized cost of energy(LCOE) for the system is ₹6.01/kWh or € 0.078/kWh or 0.84SEK/kWh and the payback time for the given system is 16.19 years. On the bright side, there are new technological advancements in the PV field every day, which could mean that an energy system of this type can be an achievable and practical alternative. Most of the world’s electricity is being generated through conventional sources of energy like coal and nuclear. People are realizing the dire effect of using these fuels, and the amount of CO2 being released into the environment. Therefore, in recent year there has been a shift in emphasis towards cleaner ways of generating electricity. One such recent trend is solar photovoltaics (PV), which has seen rapid growth over the years. This ever-increasing trend of adopting PV system allows consumers to be producers or “Prosumers”. Due to the irregular production capability of solar PV, the need for an energy storage system like a battery bank is on the rise as well. This report evaluates how solar PV can be used in combination with a battery bank to supply the annual electricity demand for a household with little to no support from the grid. The building is assumed to be located in Bangalore, India. The energy demand for the household is estimated based on the requirements of a basic Indian house standard. The size and configuration of each component have been done with regards to the total load demand. Furthermore, the cost of the whole system is estimated in order to evaluate the feasibility of the grid-tied system from an economic perspective. The results show that a PV system consisting of four 270W solar panels, a battery bank of eight 150Ah lead-acid batteries and a 48V 4kW inverter is required to meet the annual energy demand of the house. The results show that from a technical standpoint, the above-mentioned technology is feasible. The results from the economic evaluation show that the localized cost of energy (LCOE) for the system is ₹6.01/kWh or € 0.078/kWh or 0.84SEK/kWh and the payback time for the given system is 16.19 years. On the bright side, there are new technological advancements in the PV field every day, which could mean that an energy system of this type can be an achievable and practical alternative.

Esta pesquisa se insere nas linhas de investigação do Centro de Pesquisa ATOPOS, da Escola de Comunicação e Artes da Universidade de São Paulo (ECA/USP) sobre os aspectos teóricos das mídias digitais. Explora a interdisciplinaridade da comunicação digital, ressaltando os aspectos lúdicos e pedagógicos presentes na relação dialógica entre o homem e a tecnologia. Para tanto, desenvolve-se a discussão teórica de vários autores que tratam sobre tecnologia, comunicação digital, ludicidade e pedagogia. Contextualiza-se o universo dos videogames descrevendo as diversas gerações, plataformas e interações promovidas pelos diferentes gêneros de jogos. Por fim, é realizada a análise de alguns jogos como forma de sustentar o conceito de tecno-pedagogia proposto por este trabalho. / This research falls within the lines of investigation of the Research Center ATOPOS, from the School of Communication and Arts of the University of Sao Paulo (ECA / USP) on the theoretical aspects of digital media. It explores the interdisciplinarity of digital communication, highlighting the entertainment and educational aspects in the dialogical relationship between man and technology. To this end, it develops a theoretical discussion of several authors who deal on technology, digital communication, leisure and education. It contexts the universe of videogames describing the different generations, platforms and interactions promoted by different genres of games. Finally, it performs the analysis of some games as a way to sustain the concept of \"techno-pedagogy\" proposed by this work.

Concerns over both environmental issues and about the depletion of fossil fuels have acted as twin driving forces to the development of renewable energy and its integration into existing electricity grids. The variable nature of RE generators assessment affects the ability to balance supply and demand across electricity networks; however, the use of energy storage and demand-side response techniques is expected to help relieve this situation. One possibility in this regard might be the use of water electrolysis to produce hydrogen while producing industrial-scale DSR services. This would be facilitated by the use of tariff structures that incentive the operation of electrolysers as dispatchable loads. This research has been carried out to answer the following question: What is the feasibility of using electrolysers to provide industrial-scale of Demand-side Response for grid balancing while producing hydrogen at a competitive price? The hydrogen thus produced can then be used, and indeed sold, as a clean automotive fuel. To these ends, two common types of electrolyser, alkaline and PEM, are examined in considerable detail. In particular, two cost scenarios for system components are considered, namely those for 2015 and 2030. The coastal city of Darnah in Libya was chosen as the basis for this case study, where renewable energy can be produced via wind turbines and photovoltaics (PVs), and where there are currently six petrol stations serving the city that can be converted to hydrogen refuelling stations (HRSs). In 2015 all scenarios for both PEM and alkaline electrolysers were considered and were found to be able to partly meet the project aims but with high cost of hydrogen due to the high cost of system capital costs, low price of social carbon cost and less government support. However, by 2030 the price of hydrogen price will make it a good option as energy storage and clean fuel for many reasons such as the expected drop in capital cost, improvement in the efficiency of the equipment, and the expectation of high price of social carbon cost. Penetration of hydrogen into the energy sector requires strong governmental support by either establishing or modifying policies and energy laws to increasingly support renewable energy usage. Government support could effectively bring forward the date at which hydrogen becomes techno-economically viable (i.e. sooner than 2030).

Desde seu surgimento, a fotografia e seu caráter híbrido, delineado pela conjunção entre ciência e arte, foi mais assimilada como ferramenta tecnológica a serviço desses conhecimentos, e não como um fenômeno originariamente capaz de questionar seus lugares dentro do pensamento ocidental; este, reflexo de um determinado projeto moderno de investigação e vivência. Tomandose como eixo de análise a pontuação de alguns aspectos de sua trajetória tecnológica e de sua inserção social, o presente estudo objetiva examinar bases filosóficas para a compreensão da fotografia em sua configuração digital contemporânea, apoiando-se em modelos interpretativos propostos por Roland Barthes e Vilém Flusser, mas também buscando aporte teórico no pensamento de Martin Heidegger. Entende-se que o universo digital, sobretudo se observados os processos de hibridação e as interconexões facilitadas por certas especificidades do numérico, estabelece a ambiência necessária para que a fotografia e seus desdobramentos, as tecnoimagens, possam ser usufruídas dentro de suas perspectivas mais originais e elementares. / Since its beginning, the photography and its hybrid nature, drawn by the conjunction of science and art, was treated more as a technological tool for service to those knowledges, and not as a phenomenon originally able to question their place in Western thought, this one understood as a reflexion of a particular modern project of research and experience. Taking as a point of analysis some aspects of their technological trajectory and their social integration, this study aims to examine philosophical basis for the understanding of photography in its digital contemporary setting, using the interpretative models proposed by Roland Barthes and Vilém Flusser, but also looking for support in the thought of Martin Heidegger. It is understood that the digital universe, especially when observing the processes of hybridization and the interconnections facilitated by certain characteristics of numeric, sets the ambience necessary for the photograph and its consequences, the techno-images, to be enjoyed within their prospects more original and elementary.

Expanding access to electricity is central to development in East Africa but massive increases in investment are required to achieve universal access. Private sector participation in electrification is essential to meeting electricity access targets. Policy makers have acknowledged that grid extension in many remote rural areas is not as cost effective as decentralized alternatives such as microgrids. Microgrid companies have been unable to scale beyond pilot projects due in part to challenges in raising capital for a business model that is perceived to be risky. This thesis aims to identify and quantify the primary sources of investment risk in microgrid utilities and study ways to mitigate these risks to make these businesses more viable. Two modeling tools have been developed to this end. The Stochastic Techno-Economic Microgrid Model (STEMM) models the technical and financial performance of microgrid utilities using uncertain and dynamic inputs to permit explicit modeling of financial risk. This model is applied in an investment risk assessment and case study in Rwanda. Key findings suggest that the most important drivers of risk are fuel prices, foreign exchange rates, demand for electricity, and price elasticity of demand for electricity. The relative importance of these factors is technology dependent with demand uncertainty figuring stronger for solar and high solar penetration hybrid systems and fuel prices driving risk in diesel power and low solar penetration hybrid systems. Considering uncertainty in system sizing presents a tradeoff whereby a decrease in expected equity return decreases downside risk. High solar penetration systems are also found to be more attractive to lenders. The second modeling tool leverages electricity consumption and demographic data from four microgrids in Tanzania to forecast demand for electricity in newly electrified communities. Using statistical learning techniques, improvements in prediction performance was achieved over the historical mean baseline. I have also identified important predictors in estimating electricity consumption of newly connected customers. These include tariff structures and prices, preconnection sources of electricity and lighting, levels of spending on electricity services and airtime, and pre-connection appliance ownership. Prior exposure to electricity, disposable income, and price are dominant factors in estimating demand.

Magister Artium - MA / This thesis is an exploration and analysis of the ways in which we might use varying forms of Black thought, theory, and art to think Blackness anew. For this purpose I work with electronic music from Nigeria and Detroit between 1976 and 1993, as well as with works of science fiction by W.E.B. Du Bois, Samuel Delany, Ralph Ellison, and Octavia Butler. Through a conceptual framework provided by theorists such as Fred Moten and Kodwo Eshun and the philosophical work of Afrofuturists like Delany, Ellison, Butler, and Du Bois, I explore the outer limits of what is possible when doing away with a canon of philosophy that predetermines our thinking of Blackness. This exploration also takes me to the possible depths of what this disavowal of a canon might mean and how we work with sound, the aural, and the sonic in rethinking the figuring of Blackness. This thesis is also be woven together by the theory of the Black Radical Tradition – following Cedric Robinson and Fred Moten specifically. At the centre of this thesis, and radiating outwards, is the assertion that a set of texts developed for a University of the West – Occidental philosophy as I refer to it in the thesis – is wholly insufficient in attempting to become attuned to the possibilities of Blackness. The thesis, finally, is a critique of ethnomusicology and its necessity for a native object, as well as sound studies, which fails to conceptualise any semblance of Black noise.