Articles

Decarbonization of the Cheese Making Industry on the Island of Crete, Greece

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Cheese making is a well-developed activity in the island of Crete, Greece since a long time ago. It is mainly based on local sheep’ and goats’ milk while the small-scale cheese making plants in Crete use conventional energy sources to meet their heat and electricity demand. However, solar energy and solid biomass are abundant in the island and they are currently used for heat and power generation. Elimination of carbon emissions in cheese making plants in Crete can be achieved with the replacement of grid electricity and fossil fuels used with local renewable energies such as solar energy and solid biomass. It has been estimated that complete elimination of the operational carbon emissions due to energy use in a small-size cheese making plant in Crete with annual capacity 120 tons cheese can be achieved with the installation of a solar photovoltaic system at 88 kWp for electricity generation and the annual use of 62.86 tons of olive kernel wood for heat production. Additionally, solar thermal systems and high efficiency heat pumps can be used for heat and cooling production. The abovementioned sustainable energy sources and technologies are mature, reliable, cost-efficient and they are currently used in Crete in various sectors. The results of the present study could be useful to all stakeholders of the cheese making industry in the island.

Solar Panel System with Internet of Thing Based Control on Dome Dryer for Coffee as A Support for Sustainable Agrotourism

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The need for electrical energy in people’s lives is very important. The government is currently implementing policies, especially in the electricity sector, to develop potential alternative energy sources as an effort to diversify energy in the form of implementing regulations, namely by developing solar power plants (PLTS) as a type of renewable energy. Renewable energy from solar power plants (PLTS) will be used as energy that can replace electrical energy from PLN to power a control system that can be monitored via the internet of things (IOT) on dome dryers for drying coffee. Problem Formulation: The use of electricity from PLN is felt to be very expensive; Difficulty in controlling temperature and humidity in the Dome drying room and a lot of heat energy is wasted; The quality of traditional drying results is uneven and the production quality is not good. Research Objectives: Analyze the electric current of solar energy from renewable energy based on control system requirements; Analyzing environmental (external) factors in the Dome solar dryer; Designing an IoT-based control system; Knowing the temperature and humidity in the Dome solar dryer room; Determining the water content of coffee beans produced by the Dome dryer to support sustainable agrotourism. Uses or Benefits of Research: Application of Renewable Energy Technology, especially Solar Photo Voltaic (PV); Practical knowledge and technology for the community on the Solar Drayer Dome; Knowing the Solar Panel System from Renewable Energy with Remote Control (IoT) Control System to obtain the right temperature for drying coffee; Obtaining the correct water content value in coffee products from dome dryers to support sustainable agrotourism. Research Method: carried out in stages, namely observation and installation of supporting equipment for collecting data directly in the field (Experimental). Research results: Solar panels convert solar energy into electrical energy. Solar panels produce Direct Current (DC) electricity or direct current; Reducing carbon emissions: PLTS produces electricity without emitting greenhouse gases such as CO2, which contributes to global warming.

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.