API src

Found 197 results.

TopoMetricUncertainty - Calculating Topographic Metric Uncertainty and Optimal Grid Resolution

Abstract

Clean Sky Technology Eco Design (Clean Sky ECO)

Das Projekt "Clean Sky Technology Eco Design (Clean Sky ECO)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH durchgeführt. The Eco-Design ITD (ED-ITD) gathers and structures from one side activities concerned specifically with development of new material and process technologies and demonstration on airframe and rotorcraft related parts stressing the ecolonomic aspects of such new technologies; from the other side, activities related to the All Electrical Aircraft concept related to small aircraft. ED-ITD is directly focused on the last ACARE goal: 'To make substantial progress in reducing the environmental impact of the manufacture, maintenance and disposal of aircraft and related products'. Reduction of environmental impacts during out of operation phases of the aircraft lifecycle can be estimated to around 20 % reduction of the total amount of the CO2 emitted by all the processes (direct emissions and indirect emissions i.e. produced when producing the energy) and 15 % of the total amount of the energy used by all the processes. In addition, expected benefit brought by the All Electric Aircraft concept to be highlighted through the conceptual aircraft defined in the vehicle ITDs is estimated to around 2% fuel consumption reduction due to mass benefits and better energy management. The status of the global fleet in the year 2000 constitutes the baseline against which achievements will be assessed. Progress toward these goals will result not only from ED internal activities but also from the collaboration with the relevant cross-cutting activities in GRA , GRC, SFWA (business jet platform) and SGO (electrical systems).

Impacts of Solar Home System Usage in Rural Burkina Faso

Das Projekt "Impacts of Solar Home System Usage in Rural Burkina Faso" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e.V. RWI, Kompetenzbereich Umwelt und Ressourcen durchgeführt. In remote areas with low electrification rates, Solar Home Systems (SHS) can be seen as a promising alternative to the investment-intensive extension of the electricity grid. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides funding to a project in Burkina Faso that offers SHS to rural households using a market-based approach. The SHS that are distributed can provide electric lighting and - depending on the chosen capacity of the system - allow for the usage of small electric appliances up to colored television. As part of the series of impact evaluations of development activities supported by the Netherlands on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RWI and ISS assess the socio-economic impact of the usage of SHS such as improved living conditions, time savings, increased security, better health conditions, and educational attainment trough extended study hours. The idea is to conduct a difference-in-difference approach based on household surveys before and after the intervention, in combination with propensity score matching (PSM) to better match control and treatment households on pre-program characteristics (e.g. education, socio-economic status, income, asset-ownership, characteristics of the villages they live in). Following the roll-out plan of Yeelen Ba's activities, a baseline survey was conducted in November 2010 based on a random sample of villages that are in the program's catchment area. In total, 1,200 households in 40 villages (30 households per village) were interviewed. A particular focus was on the use of appliances and energy expenditures, as well as convenience and comfort aspects before and after the SHS was installed. For the difference-in-difference approach the sample will be divided into a treatment group consisting of households who will have obtained an SHS in the meantime and a control group consisting of untreated households. The follow-up survey will be conducted two years after the baseline survey in November 2012. All households will be revisited and differences in the changes in the outcome variables between the treatment group and the control group will be assessed, providing insights about how ownership of an SHS changes the socio-economic living conditions of the households.

Energy Storage for Direct Steam Solar Power Plants (DISTOR)

Das Projekt "Energy Storage for Direct Steam Solar Power Plants (DISTOR)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Institut für Technische Thermodynamik durchgeführt. Objective: Solar thermal power plants represent today's most economic systems to generate electricity from solar insulation in them-range in regions like the Mediterranean area. By demonstrating the feasibility of direct steam generation in the absorber pipes European industry and research institutions have gained a leading position in this technology area. A key element foray successful market penetration is the availability of storage systems to reduce the dependence on the course of solarinsolation. The most important benefits result from -reduced internal costs due to increased efficiency and extended utilisation of the power block-facilitating the integration of a solar power plant into an electrical grid-adoption of electricity production to the demand thus increasing revenues Efficient storage systems for steam power plants demand transfer of energy during the charging/discharging process at constant temperatures. The DISTOR project focuses on the development of systems using phase change materials (PCM) as storage media. In order to accelerate the development, the DISTOR project is based on parallel research on three different storage concepts. These concepts include innovative aspects like encapsulated PCM, evaporation heat transfer and new design concepts. This parallel approach takes advantage of synergy effects and will enable the identification of the most promising storage concept. A consortium covering the various aspects of design and manufacturing has been formed from manufacturers, engineering companies and research institutions experienced in solar thermal power plants and PCM technology. The project will provide advanced storage material based on PCM for the temperature range of 200-300 C adapted to the needs of Direct Steam generation thus expanding Europe's strong position in solar thermal power plants.

CSIRO-PIK Collaboration in assessments of sustainable pathways for feeding 9 billion people (CSIRO - RD1)

Das Projekt "CSIRO-PIK Collaboration in assessments of sustainable pathways for feeding 9 billion people (CSIRO - RD1)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V. durchgeführt. The objective of the collaborative agreement is to assess sustainable pathways for feeding 9 billion people. Key dimensions of sustainability to be explored include intensification pathways, water, nutrients, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Collaborator (Jens Heinke) will spend 2 months per year at CSIRO to ensure the delivery of project outputs and to foster institutional collaboration. The Collaborator (Jens Heinke) will undertake to: 1. Assess the alteration of nitrogen and phosphorus cycles by livestock production from different animal types, in different world regions and in different production systems. The analysis will build on a detailed representation of the livestock sector from Herrero et al. and previous work by Bouwman et al. The assessment will highlight the different alteration of nutrient cycling by different forms of livestock production providing important insight for sustainable intensification. 2. Comprehensively assess trade-offs between consumptive water use, nutrients, and GHG emissions in global agriculture within a consistent framework. The analysis will build on the previous quantification of alterations of nutrient cycles that completes already existing quantifications of consumptive water use and GHG emissions based on the same detailed representation of the livestock sector, and provide insights on competing goals in the context of sustainable intensification. 3. Participate in the development of 'wedge-based' regional and global models of global food systems in collaboration with Princeton University and INRA. The previous trade-off analysis of water, nutrients, and GHGs will provide a basis for quantifying resources and emission related aspects of different strategies for sustainable intensification. 4. Assist in the development of scenarios of sustainable diets and their impacts on the world food and ecosystems. For this activity, the previous trade-off analysis of water, nutrients, and GHGs will provide the link to resources use and environmental consequences for given scenarios of food consumption.

Ökologie des Wildschweins Sus scrofa in der Nähe von Schutzgebieten

Das Projekt "Ökologie des Wildschweins Sus scrofa in der Nähe von Schutzgebieten" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Freiburg, Forstzoologisches Institut, Professur für Wildtierökologie und Wildtiermanagement durchgeführt. In strict nature reserves and core zones of protected areas hunting and forestry operations are often restricted or banned. However, regarding the management of Wild boar, such hunt-free zones are discussed controversially and can lead to conflict. Hunters whose areas border no-hunting zones (and who have to reimburse farmers for crop damages caused by Wild boar) are concerned that the boars may evade effective population management by staying within the limits of the no-hunting zone, and farmers fear increased crop damage in the surroundings of such areas. Some conservationists are also concerned because Wild boars increasingly root protected habitats and can cause damage to rare plant assemblies. The three-year project Wild boar problem in the vicinity of protected areas by the Game Research Institute (Wildforschungsstelle) at the Centre for Agriculture Baden-Württemberg (LAZBW) aims at investigating if and how no-hunting zones might affect Wild boar activity, movement patterns, home range size, and habitat use, as well as crop damage caused by boars, by comparing these aspects between hunting-free zones and unprotected areas. Although there have already been a number of telemetry studies on Wild boar, including space use in the context of hunting activity, to date there is no study that has specifically investigated spatial and ecological aspects in and around protected areas. My dissertation Ecology of Wild boar Sus scrofa in the vicinity of protected areas is being carried out within the scope of the Game Research Institutes project and apart from the aims outlined above, further aspects of Wild boar ecology will be investigated, especially the role of Wild boar as bio-engineer and habitat creator for other species vs. unwanted damages at protected sites. Twenty-seven Vectronic GPS-GSM satellite collars with integrated activity sensors are available to tag Wild boars in three study areas: the non-protected Altdorfer Forest near Aulendorf with regular hunting activity and forestry, the nature reserve Wurzacher Ried with its ca. 700 ha core zone that is a strict reserve with no human activity, and the Biosphere Reserve Swabian Jura, especially in the surroundings of the former military training area near Münsingen and the 170 ha no-usage-area Föhrenberg.

Assessing Global Land Use and Soil Management for Sustainable Resource Policies (Land and Soils)

Das Projekt "Assessing Global Land Use and Soil Management for Sustainable Resource Policies (Land and Soils)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH durchgeführt. Die Arbeitsgruppe für Land- und Bodennutzung des International Resource Panel arbeitet an einem umfassenden Überblick über Herausforderungen und Chancen der Land- und Bodenbewirtschaftung, auf lokaler wie auf globaler Ebene. Globale Landnutzung und Bodenbewirtschaftung sind eng verbunden mit Land- und Forstwirtschaft sowie mit der Entwicklung von Bauland, was wiederum Konsequenzen für die Sicherheit der Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln, Energie, Materialien und Wasser hat. Momentan ist zu beobachten, dass sich landwirtschaftliche Flächen und bebaute Gebiete ausweiten, was mit einer Bodendegradation einhergeht. Dieser Ausbau findet auf Kosten der globalen Wälder, Savannen und von Grasland statt. Sie leiden unter Bodenerosion, Nährstoffmangel, Wassermangel, erhöhtem Salzgehalt oder der Zerstörung biologischer Kreisläufe. Die besten Böden der Welt werden so bedroht. Die Nachfrage nach Anbauland wächst weltweit durch die sich verändernden Ernährungsgewohnheiten und einen wachsenden Konsum bei zunehmend internationalem Handel. Durch die Globalisierung entfernen sich die Orte der Produktion und des Konsums voneinander, sodass im Bewusstsein der Verbraucher Kaufentscheidungen nicht mit den schädlichen Auswirkungen der Produkte verbunden werden. Das Ergebnis ist eine zunehmende Konkurrenz um Nutzflächen, mit unbeabsichtigten und nicht erkannten Nebenwirkungen. Die Politik ist daher aufgefordert, einen doppelten Ansatz zu verfolgen: Einerseits Förderung der nachhaltigen Produktion auf lokaler Ebene und andererseits Förderung der nachhaltigen Nutzung auf der globalen Ebene. Das Projekt untersucht die Verbindungen, Zielkonflikte und die Beziehungen zwischen Landnutzung, Bodenbewirtschaftung und Ressourcensicherheit. Für eine sichere und nachhaltige Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln, Futtermitteln, Kraftstoffen und nachwachsenden Rohstoffen werden Vorschläge erarbeitet, wie die Bodenbewirtschaftung verbessert und die Nachfrage nach Land auf einem vertretbaren Niveau begrenzt werden kann.

Evaluation of Relevant Aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessments for Completion of the Nuclear Power Stations Rivne Unit 4 and Khmelnitsky Unit 2

Das Projekt "Evaluation of Relevant Aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessments for Completion of the Nuclear Power Stations Rivne Unit 4 and Khmelnitsky Unit 2" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Öko-Institut. Institut für angewandte Ökologie e.V. durchgeführt.

Biomass fluidised bed gasification with in situ hot gas cleaning (AER-GAS II)

Das Projekt "Biomass fluidised bed gasification with in situ hot gas cleaning (AER-GAS II)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg durchgeführt. Objective: The project aim is a low-cost gasification process with integrated in-situ gas cleaning for the conversion of biomass into a product gas with high hydrogen concentration, high heating value and low tar/alkali/sulphur concentration in one process step for s ubsequent power production. The proposed process uses in-situ CO2 capture (AER, Absorption Enhanced Reforming). It is more efficient than conventional gasification due to (i) the in-situ integration of the reaction heat of CO2 absorption and water-gas shif t reaction heat (both exothermic) into the gasification and (ii) the internal reforming of primary and secondary tars, which cuts off the formation of higher tars. Thus, the chemical energy of tars remains in the product gas. The product gas after dust rem oval can directly be used in a gas engine for electricity generation. Due to the low operation temperature (up to 700 C) and due to CaO-containing bed materials, the proposed process allows the use of problematic feedstocks such as biomass with high minera l and high moisture content, e.g. straw, sewage sludge, etc., leading to an increased market potential for biomass gasification processes. Screening/development of absorbent materials with high attrition stability and tar cracking properties will be carrie d out. Analysis of tar formation/decomposition process will be studied in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor and a 100 kWth circulating fluidised bed reactor (continuous mode). With the acquired data, the 8 MWth biomass plant at Guessing, Austria, will be opera ted with absorbent bed material in order to prove the feasibility of a scale-up and to assess the economical aspects of the process. In order to point out the market potential, the cost reduction of the AER technology will be quantified in comparison with the conventional gasification power plant. Expected results will be: (i) a broad knowledge of the proposed process and (ii) a low-cost technology for biomass gasification with subsequent power production.

SP 1.4 Evaluation of nutrient and pollutant cycles of livestock production systems and manure management systems in the North China Plain

Das Projekt "SP 1.4 Evaluation of nutrient and pollutant cycles of livestock production systems and manure management systems in the North China Plain" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Agrartechnik, Fachgebiet Verfahrenstechnik der Tierhaltungssysteme (440b) durchgeführt. The increasing specialization and intensification of the agricultural food production in the North China Plain is leading to restrictions in nutrients and production cycles at farm and regional levels. As a result, livestock production in the North China Plain is entailing serious environmental negative impacts related to manure surpluses and recycling of nutrients, mainly leading to problems associated with water, soil and air pollution. On the other side higher nutrient demands in the local crops is leading to the purchase of chemical or mineral fertilizers when local or on-farm nutrients are not available. Therefore, the efficient use of organic fertilizers not only depends on their availability in the farms, but also on their nutritional composition. Likewise, soil nutrient requirements and plant physiological needs have to be taken into consideration. Indeed, the closer the nutrient cycles and the lower the environmental negative impacts and farm losses are, the greater the chances for a more sustainable resource use in the North China Plain. In the context of the IRTG, aspects of livestock farming in production systems in terms of widely closed nutrients cycles will be integrated. The material flows in different animal husbandry systems will be analysed and the environmental impacts dependent on livestock farming techniques, farms operability and their respective management will be investigated. The applicability and effectiveness of the technical and organizational measures for the reduction of material losses and, the environmental burdens caused by livestock and manure mismanagement in the North China Plain will be reviewed. The benefits and profits for the local cropping systems as result of the application of organic fertilizers originated from livestock farming will be both, ecologically and economically, evaluated as an alternative to replace the use of mineral fertilizers.

1 2 3 4 5 … 18 19 20