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A conceptual energy storage system design that utilizes ultra high temperature phase change materials is presented. In this system, the energy is stored in the form of latent heat and converted to electricity upon demand by TPV (thermophotovoltaic) cells. Silicon is considered in this study as PCM (phase change material) due to its extremely high latent heat (1800 J/g), melting point (1410ºC), thermal conductivity (~25 W/m-K), low cost (less than $2/kg or $4/kWh) and abundance on earth. The proposed system enables an enormous thermal energy storage density of ~ 1 MWh/m 3 , which is 10-20 times higher than that of lead-acid batteries, 2-6 times than that of Li-ion batteries and 5-10 times than that of the current state of the art TES systems utilized in CSP (concentrated solar power) applications. The discharge efficiency of the system is ultimately determined by the TPV converter, which theoretically can exceed 50%. However, realistic discharge efficiencies utilizing single junction TPV cells are in the range of 20-45%, depending on the semiconductor bandgap and quality, and the photon recycling efficiency. This concept has the potential to achieve output electric energy densities in the range of 200-450 kWh e /m 3 , which is comparable to the best performing state of the art Lithium-ion batteries.

Solar energy can play a leading role in reducing the current reliance on fossil fuels and in increasing renewable energy integration in the built environment. Hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) systems can reach overall efficiencies in excess of 70%, with electrical fficiencies in the range of 15-20% and thermal efficiencies of 50% or higher. In most applications, the electrical output of a hybrid PV-T system is the priority, hence the contacting fluid is used to cool the PV cells to maximise their electrical performance, which imposes a limit on the fluid's downstream use. When optimising the overall output of PV-T systems for combined heating and cooling provision, this technology can cover more than 60% of the heating and about 50% of the cooling demands of households in the urban environment. To achieve this, PV-T systems can be coupled to heat pumps or absorption refrigeration systems as viable alternatives to vapour-compression systems. This work considers the techno-economic challenges of such systems, when aiming at a low cost per kWh of energy generation of PV-T systems for co- or tri-generation in the housing sector. First, the viability and afordability of the proposed systems are studied in ten European locations, with local weather pro files, using annually and monthly averaged solar-irradiance and energy-demand data. Based on annual simulations, Seville, Rome, Madrid and Bucharest emerge as the most promising locations from those examined, and the most efficient system confi guration involves coupling PV-T panels to water-to-water heat pumps that use the PV-T thermal output to maximise the system's COP. Hourly resolved transient models are then defi ned in TRNSYS in order to provide detailed estimates of system performance, since it is found that the temporal resolution (e.g. hourly, daily, yearly) of the simulations strongly affects their predicted performance. The TRNSYS results indicate that PV-T systems have the potential to cover 60% of the heating and almost 100% of the cooling demands of homes at all four aforementioned locations. Finally, the levelised cost of energy for these systems is found to be in the range of 0.06-0.12 e/kWh, which is 30-40% lower than that for equivalent PV only systems

Dormancy is an adaptive mechanism that enables woody plants to survive the freezing temperatures of winter. This complex process is characterized by the cessation of meristem activity, which is accompanied by winter bud set, extensive metabolic remodelling, an acquired high tolerance to cold and, in deciduous trees, by leaf senescence and abscission. The induction of dormancy occurs in response to seasonal environmental signals. In most woody plants, shortening of the photoperiod induces growth cessation, bud set, and some degree of cold acclimation. The subsequent drop in temperature then leads to a greater tolerance to cold and leaf fall. Experimental evidence indicates that the phytochrome system plays an important role as a day length sensor, and it has been recently reported that in poplar (Populus tremula x tremuloides), the photoperiodic control of dormancy induction is driven by a molecular mechanism that shares components with the mechanism of the photoperiodic control of flowering time in Arabidopsis. In contrast, the effects of low temperatures are less well understood. Nonetheless, it has been established that the chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) circadian molecular clock is disrupted both during winter and in response to cold, with presumable consequences on the general physiology of the plant. However, there is no direct evidence so far for its role in dormancy regulation.Additional key words: bud set, circadian clock, cold acclimation, endodormancy, photoperiodism, phytochrome. ResumenRevisión. Control molecular del establecimiento de la dormancia invernal en los árboles La dormancia es un mecanismo adaptativo que capacita a las plantas leñosas para sobrevivir a las bajas temperaturas invernales. Este complejo proceso se caracteriza por el cese de la actividad de los meristemos, y va acompañado del desarrollo de las yemas de otoño, de notables modificaciones metabólicas, de la adquisición de una elevada tolerancia al frío y, en las especies caducifolias, de la senescencia y abscisión de las hojas. La inducción de la dormancia responde a señales medioambientales. En la mayoría de las plantas leñosas el acortamiento del fotoperiodo induce el cese del crecimiento, la formación de las yemas de otoño y una moderada aclimatación al frío. Después, la bajada de las temperaturas induce una mayor tolerancia al frío y la caída de las hojas. La evidencia experimental indica que el sistema de los fitocromos juega un papel importante como sensor de la duración del día y recientemente se ha comprobado que el control fotoperiódico de la inducción de la dormancia en chopo ocurre mediante un mecanismo molecular que tiene elementos comunes con el que controla la transición floral en respuesta al fotoperiodo en Arabidopsis. La influencia de las bajas temperaturas es menos conocida. El reloj circadiano del castaño (Castanea sativa Mill.) se altera durante el invierno y en respuesta al frío, lo que debe tener importantes consecuencias sobre la fisiología general de la planta. Sin embargo, no hay todavía evidenc...

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Exhaust gas recirculation can be achieved by means of two different routes: the high-pressure route (high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation), where exhaust gas is conducted from upstream of the turbine to downstream of the compressor, and the low-pressure one (low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation), where exhaust gas is recirculated from downstream of the turbine and of the aftertreatment system to upstream of the compressor. In this study, the effectiveness of both exhaust gas recirculation systems on the improvement of the NOx-particulate matter emission trade-off has been compared on a Euro 6 turbocharged diesel engine equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst, a lean-NOx trap, and a diesel particulate filter. Emissions were measured both upstream and downstream of the aftertreatment system, at different combinations of engine speed and torque (corresponding to different vehicle speeds), at transient and steady conditions, and at different coolant temperatures as switch points to change from high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation to low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation. It was shown that low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation was more efficient than high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation to reduce NOx emissions, mainly due to the higher recirculation potential and the lower temperature of the recirculated gas. However, such a differential benefit decreased as the coolant temperature decreased, which suggests the use of high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation during the engine warm-up. It was also shown that the lean-NOx trap storage efficiency decreased more rapidly at high engine load than at medium load and that such reduction in efficiency was much faster when high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation was used than when low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation was used.

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