Articles

Possibility of Using Agrivoltaics in Vineyards in The Island of Crete, Greece

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The clean energy transition in Europe and worldwide requires the generation of electricity from zero-carbon energy sources including solar and wind energy. Solar photovoltaics are in the forefront of clean energy technologies used in the decarbonization of the global power system. Agrivoltaics is an emerging solar energy technology that allows the dual production of electricity and agricultural products in the same land area. The possibility of installing agrivoltaics in vineyards in the island of Crete, Greece has been studied. Several published papers assessing the use of agrivoltaics in vineyards in several countries have been reviewed while their benefits and challenges have been stated. It has been estimated that installation of agrivoltaics in vineyards in Crete covering 1% of their surface with coverage ratio at 15% and 30% can generate electricity meeting 2.6% and 5.2% of Crete’ annual electricity demand respectively. The generated electricity can cover the electricity demand of 20,800 and 41,600 households respectively in Crete. Although there are not sufficient data assessing the use of agrivoltaics in vineyards it is concluded that, under specific conditions, they have many benefits regarding the dual production of electricity and grapes. Our results indicate that installation of agrivoltaics in Cretan vineyards, under limited shading, can offer an additional income to farmers improving the growth and yield characteristics of the cultivated vines. Our result could be useful to many stakeholders of Cretan viticulture.

Enhancing Conceptual Understanding of Electricity and Magnetism through VR Simulations

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The study explores the efficacy of Virtual Reality (VR) simulations in enhancing students’ conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism, using the Labster platform. Traditional teaching methods often need to adequately convey the complexities of these topics, leading to limited student engagement and poor comprehension. The research compares two groups: one receiving traditional instruction and another using VR-based simulations. The study found that students in the experimental group, who used VR simulations, showed a 35% improvement in post-test scores, compared to a 15% improvement in the control group. The VR group also reported higher levels of engagement and found abstract concepts such as electric fields and circuits easier to understand through interactive, immersive learning environments. Teachers noted that VR aided in visualizing difficult concepts, although challenges included a learning curve in technology usage and the need for proper integration into curriculum. The findings suggest that VR, when used as a supplemental tool, has the potential to significantly improve learning outcomes in physics education. However, the study highlights the need for further research into long-term impacts and accessibility issues and strategies to better integrate VR into traditional teaching methods.

Contributions of Electricity and Gas Sub-Sector to Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Linear Approach

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Industrial policies were developed to stimulate and provide opportunities for prospering industrial activities following the decline of investment in the agricultural sector. This followed the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria. Electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioner, an industrial sub-sector is very crucial and requisite channel for industrial development, whether for automated, machines services or computer manufacturing processes. Failure in energy and power supply, as well as gas flaring remains a fundamental problem in Nigeria’s development. This study examined the impact of electricity and gas sub-sector of industrial sector on economic growth in Nigeria using data from 1980 to 2020. Vector error correction mechanism was used to determine the impact of the independent variables on the dependent variable. In the short run, our study shows the existence of positive, non-significant impact of electricity and gas output on economic growth. However, in the long run there was positive significant impact of electricity and gas output on economic growth in Nigeria within the period of study. The implication of the result is that adequate production and utilization of electricity and gas will spur economic activities that will generate economies of scale; since every component of the economy (industry, urbanization, modernized farming, etc) extensively demand for electricity and gas. Also, efficiency of electricity and gas would reduce energy bills for poor households, helps the nation to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. The continues gas flaring and consistent power cut in electricity in Nigeria affected industrial sector in Nigeria. This study showed that there is positive significant impact of electricity and gas on economic growth if there is intentional implementation of power policy with conscious disciplinary actions to control defaulters and make substantial investment that would stimulate industrial activities to spur economic growth.

Efficiency Enhancement of Gas Turbine Power Output by Cooling Inlet Air

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Electrical power generation can be achieved through many means, one of which includes using a gas turbine. Gas turbine performance is highly dependent on ambient temperature; as temperature increases gas turbine power output is lessened. This can be a huge problem in warmer regions like Nigeria. Gas turbines use the surrounding air to generate electricity and this gives rise to a method or curbing the effect of high ambient temperatures. Once the volumetric rate is constant as is the case in a gas turbine system, air density and ambient temperature are inversely proportional; this allows mass flow rate to be inversely proportional to temperature. To fully take advantage of this, there are many methods that can be implemented to achieve this cooling effect. A few of these methods were investigated in this study to determine their strengths and susceptibilities. The performance characteristics were scrutinised for a range of operational values including ambient temperature, humidity and air density. The results showed that air cooling significantly improved the power output of the gas turbine. At standard temperature of 32oc, the base case was 37.87 MW while evaporative cooler, mechanical and absorption chillers were 37.70 MW, 40.39 MW and 41.07 MW respectively.