Search Results (11)

Energy and environmental policies in the sector of buildings aim to achieve climate targets while ensuring affordable energy services for households. This study uses the Greek residential sector as a case study and focuses on energy poverty, examining both established and novel energy poverty indicators for its measurement, analyzing the key determinants of energy poverty, and developing statistical models to identify energy-poor households. The same models are also used for assessing the effectiveness of policies and measures implemented or planned to address energy poverty with a view to develop synergies with policies aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy poverty levels in Greece ranged from 8.4% to 19.6% in 2021, depending on the energy poverty measure used. The evaluation of the policies aiming at tackling energy poverty showed that deep energy renovations, combined with space heating system upgrades, can reduce energy poverty by 69–99%. Shallow energy renovations and upgrades of space heating systems, implemented either individually or in combination, are less effective. Finally, while the various subsidy schemes for vulnerable households do not significantly affect energy poverty levels, they play a critical role in alleviating the depth of energy poverty and improving the quality of energy services provided to households. Full article

Low-income households face severe energy affordability issues due to poor housing quality. To fight this problem, Spanish public administrations and NGOs have collaborated with the Naturgy Foundation’s Energy Rehabilitation Solidarity Fund to improve the energy efficiency of vulnerable households through quick and low-cost interventions. This paper evaluates the impact of shallow renovation and micro-efficiency measures implemented within this program on energy poverty across various Spanish provinces. The analysis includes data from 416 households in 10 provinces, examining sociodemographic factors, housing conditions, energy bills, and thermal comfort perceptions. The methodology involved collecting data through two questionnaires and energy bills provided by collaborating entities. The study found that shallow renovation measures reduced the energy poverty gap by 14.51%, from EUR 554/year to EUR 483/year. Despite these gains, many households remain in severe hidden energy poverty, spending less than a quarter of their theoretical energy expenditure. The findings highlight the diversity among different provinces and measures and the need for more extensive structural measures to reduce energy poverty significantly. Eventually, the study underscores the effectiveness of energy renovations carried out by non-profit organizations. Thus, scaling these efforts nationally might help meet the goals of the public energy poverty plans. Full article

Global warming is influencing marine dynamics, with marine heat waves (MHWs) threatening the survival of several species. After observing mussels’ massive mortality for three consecutive years (2022–2024) along the Italian Mid-Adriatic Coast, the present study aimed to evaluate, from an ecological and molecular perspective, the evolution of the health state of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) population facing the effects of summer heatwave in 2024, in situ. Three MHWs were recorded over the summer, with the second being 41 days long and having temperatures higher than 30 °C. In both sites considered (at the Tronto River mouth and the Frana San Nicola) inside the Piceno coast, the mussel beds experienced a clear decrease in individual density from April (the reference month) to August, with the total mortality recorded in September. The transcriptional levels of the molecular biomarkers analyzed during this time span revealed a state of heat stress with HSP70 (heat shock protein 70) and HSP90 (heat shock protein 90) upregulated in July and August. The apoptotic signal measured through the branchial transcript quantification of p53 and caspase 3 is less clear. The occurrence of MHWs is reshaping the local macrozoobenthonic community structure: the permanent mussel beds that characterized the intertidal and shallow submerged reef along the Mid-Adriatic coast are shifting to a temporary population that renovates yearly. Full article

The reconstruction and utilization of old salt caverns with butted wells are of great significance for accelerating the construction of large-scale underground energy storage facilities, realizing energy transformation, and achieving the “dual carbon” goals. However, the renovation work of old butted-well caverns is still in its infancy, facing technical bottlenecks in transformation methods and operational safety. This paper takes the butted-well salt cavern with a large height difference in Pingdingshan, Henan province, as the research object. Through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, the feasibility of its reconstruction and utilization is systematically studied from the aspects of gas injection and brine discharge methods, technology parameters, and operation stability. The results show that the gas injection and brine drainage method of butted-well salt caverns is closely related to residue utilization. The “one-injection-one-discharge” method is suitable for the old butted-well salt cavern with a large height difference, considering residue utilization and economy. During gas storage, there are significant deformation differences on both sides of the cavity. The deeper cavern suffers more damage and has weaker stability compared with the shallower one, and the conventional method for determining the operating pressure based on the casing shoe has limitations. The internal pressures of this salt-cavern gas storage structure are basically equal. A new mode for determining the operating pressure of these large-height-difference butted-well salt caverns is proposed: taking the lower limit for the deeper cavern and the upper limit for the shallower one. Based on theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and on-site pilot test insights, the renovation and utilization of old large-height-difference butted-well caverns are feasible. This study provides guidance for converting butted-well salt caverns into underground energy storage structures and accelerating the development of new-type energy storage facilities. Full article

A significant change to the land cover in the Hula Valley was carried out during the 1950s: A swampy area densely covered by aquatic vegetation and the old shallow lake Hula were drained. The natural shallow lake and swamps land cover were converted into agricultural development land use in two stages: (1) Drainage that was accomplished in 1957; (2) Implementation of the renovated hydrological system structure, including the newly created shallow Lake Agmon-Hula (LAH), was completed in 2007. The long-term data record of the restored diversity of the submerged and emerged aquatic plant community, and its relation to water quality in the newly created shallow Lake Agmon-Hula LAH, was statistically evaluated. Internal interactions within the LAH ecosystem between aquatic plants and water quality, including nitrification, de-nitrification, sedimentation, photosynthetic intensity, and plant biomass and nutrient composition, were statistically evaluated. The plant community in LAH maintains a seasonal growth cycle of onset during late spring–summer and dieback accompanied by decomposed degradation during fall–early winter. The summer peak of aquatic plant biomass and consequent enhancement of photosynthetic intensity induces a pH increase during daytime and carbonate precipitation. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is aerobic and sulfate reduction and H₂S concentration are negligible. The Hula reclamation project (HP) is aimed at the improvement of eco-tourism’s integration into management design. The vegetation research confirms habitat enrichment. Full article

One of the main identified causes of energy poverty (EP) is the low energy efficiency of housing. In this line, since 2018, public administrations and NGOs collaborating with the Naturgy Foundation’s Energy Renovation Solidarity Fund have implemented several shallow renovation interventions in 3660 Spanish vulnerable households. However, the effects of these measures on domestic energy affordability were not evaluated before because of a lack of a proper method. This paper presents a methodology to objectively assess the impact of these interventions on EP. In particular, this work proposes calculating a hidden EP indicator using data from a primary survey and applies it to a local case study (54 vulnerable households in Catalonia—10% of dwellings renovated by the Fund in the region) by processing their characteristics and energy bills before and after the implementation of the interventions. Considering the whole sample of households analysed, the hidden EP indicator drops by 10% in absolute terms (11.2% in relative terms) after the retrofit, and the average EP gap goes from 423 €/year to 313 €/year, thus marking a significant positive effect of the analysed interventions on the EP situation of this population. Eventually, extrapolating the results to the vulnerable population in Spain, this paper points out a series of recommendations that could be useful for decision-makers and organisations when designing and implementing shallow renovation interventions. Full article

The estuarine section of the Odra River network is influenced by various phenomena that shape its hydrological regime. The Lower Odra region includes “Miedzyodrze,” an area between the main branches of the Odra River that was previously used for agriculture. However, due to a lack of maintenance in the 20th century, Miedzyodrze’s infrastructure suffered significant damage, resulting in blockages and channel shallowing. Previous models of the lower Odra River network overlooked Miedzyodrze’s hydrodynamic impact on flow. To address this, a study aimed to assess Miedzyodrze’s influence on flows within the network. Three computational scenarios were developed: one treating Miedzyodrze as an uncontrolled floodplain, another excluding it from the flow like past models, and a third incorporating the hydraulic capacity of selected Miedzyodrze channels with hypothetical restoration. The construction of the models involved extensive field research, including bathymetric surveys and an inventory of channels and structures. Challenges arose from legal and technical constraints during the research. The hydraulic network model was developed using Hec-Ras software and underwent calibration and verification processes for accuracy and reliability. The study focused on analyzing changes in water distribution, flow reduction along the East Odra, flow ratios at specific points, and downstream flow alterations based on different scenarios and the aperture extent of the Widuchowa weir. The conducted analyses and deductions validate the thesis proposed in this study that the potential process of channel dredging and renovation of the hydraulic infrastructure in Miedzyodrze will significantly influence the flow distribution within the lower Odra River network. The significant impact of the Międzyodrze area on water distribution in the lower course of the Odra River has been successfully demonstrated. Under specific hydrological scenarios, a potential increase in flow through the Międzyodrze area from approximately 10–100 m³/s to a range of 60–420 m³/s has been identified. This dynamic alteration of river flow exerts a pronounced influence on further water distribution within the entire river network. For the purpose of addressing the matter at hand within this study, the following procedures were undertaken: → analysis of characteristic flow regimes and states, → bathymetric measurements, → flow measurements at selected cross-sections, → construction of a numerical model of the river network, → model calibration, → formulation of a set of boundary conditions, → modeling, → results analysis. Full article

The natural ecosystem of the Hula Valley (Israel) comprising shallow old lake Hula, swamps and partly cultivated land was altered by drainage. The drained area was converted for agricultural development. The natural wetland–lake ecosystem was demolished. A reduction in biodiversity and a negative impact on the downstream Lake Kinneret water quality were predicted. Forty years later, a reclamation project was implemented aimed at renovation of the hydrological conditions, and agricultural development was improved. The recorded inventory of plants, birds and fish pre- and post-drainage and reclamation was comparatively evaluated resulting in an indication of Biodiversity Index (BDI) and Species Richness (SR) enhancement in the present. It is suggested that the resulting increase in ecological habitat varieties suitable for terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic organisms enhanced the biodiversity. Nevertheless, it is not impossible that the newly created conditions which enhanced the biodiversity require a risk assessment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the integration of agriculture and nature. Full article

The intensive use or discontinuation of the use of swards can compromise biodiversity, yields, and feed quality; thus, leading to the degradation of permanent grasslands. Various methods of renovation are employed to restore the usability of degraded swards. In the years 2013–2016, a monofactorial field experiment was carried out on the Experimental Farm in Grabów (province of Mazowieckie, Poland). The experiment involved swards being reseeded after ploughing (P) and after disking with a compact harrow (H), with a non-renovated sward as the control treatment. The plots under renovation were reseeded with a lucerne–grass mixture. Both seedbed preparation methods for the renewed sward, ploughing (P) or shallow disking to a depth of 5 cm (H), were found to be effective for increasing sward yields, restricting weed growth, and reducing the number of weeds in the sward. The ploughing-based renovation method (P) had a strongly restrictive effect on biodiversity, as expressed by the H’ function value vis-à-vis the harrow method (H) and the non-renewed control (NR). Dicotyledonous species accounted for 92.3% of the weed population in the studied treatments. Of these, Taraxacum officinale, Achillea milefolium, Capsella bursa-pastoris, and Plantago maior occurred in the highest numbers. Full article

To restore the productivity of a deteriorated sward due to weed invasion, renovation (re-sowing) is necessary. However, the renovation method used can affect the sward’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and herbage yield. This study compared the effects of renovation using full inversion tillage (F), shallow tillage (S), or a tine drill (T) on the GHG emissions and herbage yield of a grassland in Nasu, Japan. Two adjacent grasslands were renovated in September 2015 (year 1) and 2016 (year 2). In each year, F, S, and T plots (5 m × 20 m each) were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications and then orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) was seeded. All plots received 40 kg-N ha⁻¹ for renovation and 190 kg-N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ the following year. Carbon balance (i.e., the difference between C input through crop residue and C output through heterotrophic respiration), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, and herbage yield were measured over a period of 411 or 412 days. Cumulative N₂O emissions were significantly smaller from F and S plots than from T plots, however, there was no significant difference in the sum of GHG emissions (i.e., C balance plus cumulative CH₄ and N₂O emissions) among F, S, and T plots. The cumulative total herbage yields of the F, S, and T plots did not differ significantly from each other. Consequently, the GHG intensity—i.e., the sum of GHG emissions per cumulative total herbage yield—was not significantly different among the F, S, and T plots. Full article

In the context of energy transition, new and renovated buildings often include heating and/or air conditioning energy-saving technologies based on sustainable energy sources, such as groundwater heat pumps with aquifer thermal energy storage. A new aquifer thermal energy storage system was designed and is under construction in the city of Liège, Belgium, along the Meuse River. This system will be the very first to operate in Wallonia (southern Belgium) and should serve as a reference for future shallow geothermal developments in the region. The targeted alluvial aquifer reservoir was thoroughly characterized using geophysics, pumping tests, and dye and heat tracer tests. A 3D groundwater flow heterogeneous numerical model coupled to heat transport was then developed, automatically calibrated with the state-of-the-art pilot points method, and used for simulating and assessing the future system efficiency. A transient simulation was run over a 25 year-period. The potential thermal impact on the aquifer, based on thermal needs from the future building, was simulated at its full capacity in continuous mode and quantified. While the results show some thermal feedback within the wells of the aquifer thermal energy storage system and heat loss to the aquifer, the thermal affected zone in the aquifer extends up to 980 m downstream of the building and the system efficiency seems suitable for long-term thermal energy production. Full article