title: Impacts of new technologies on household electricity demand: From an individual household, a community, and a national perspective

authors: Suppers, Joris

subjects: solar PV

abstract: In the last century, humans have invented and implemented numerous technological advancements, which have not only brought comfort and security to our lives, they have also opened up possibilities which were previously implausible e.g. long-distance transport and communication. The main energy sources to power these advancements have been fossil-fuels; mainly gas, coal and oil, causing side effects such as an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of this increase are difficult to predict; however, it is likely to warm the earth, which could have severe outcomes e.g. a rise in sea levels. There has been a global movement to respond adequately to reduce human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this movement, the New Zealand government has proposed an energy strategy to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions, which includes decreasing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, and increasing renewable electricity generation to 90% by 2025. In New Zealand, the residential sector accounts for a large share of the national electricity demand, and vehicles driven in the country are predominantly fossil-fuelled. Therefore, the electrification of vehicles, and the inclusion of new technologies at a household level can have a significant impact on New Zealand achieving its energy strategy goals. The aim of this research, thus, is to provide a greater understanding of the impact electric vehicles, solar PV systems, and home energy storage systems within the household can have on electricity demand at a household, community, and national level. As part of this research: (1) a simulation tool, capable of calculating fine-grained (hourly) power output for solar panels at any location in New Zealand was created; (2) two small scale quantitative surveys were conducted to gather electricity usage data for New Zealand households; (3) a web interface allowing for a comparison of energy usage data from 32 different households was developed; (4) a modelling approach, capable of generating half hourly household electricity consumption data was constructed; and (5) a web-based tool, capable of simulating the impact of solar PV, an electric vehicle, and a home energy storage system, on electricity consumption was created.

text: Impacts of new technologies on household electricity demand: From an individual household, a community, and a national perspective In the last century, humans have invented and implemented numerous technological advancements, which have not only brought comfort and security to our lives, they have also opened up possibilities which were previously implausible e.g. long-distance transport and communication. The main energy sources to power these advancements have been fossil-fuels; mainly gas, coal and oil, causing side effects such as an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of this increase are difficult to predict; however, it is likely to warm the earth, which could have severe outcomes e.g. a rise in sea levels. There has been a global movement to respond adequately to reduce human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this movement, the New Zealand government has proposed an energy strategy to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions, which includes decreasing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, and increasing renewable electricity generation to 90% by 2025. In New Zealand, the residential sector accounts for a large share of the national electricity demand, and vehicles driven in the country are predominantly fossil-fuelled. Therefore, the electrification of vehicles, and the inclusion of new technologies at a household level can have a significant impact on New Zealand achieving its energy strategy goals. The aim of this research, thus, is to provide a greater understanding of the impact electric vehicles, solar PV systems, and home energy storage systems within the household can have on electricity demand at a household, community, and national level. As part of this research: (1) a simulation tool, capable of calculating fine-grained (hourly) power output for solar panels at any location in New Zealand was created; (2) two small scale quantitative surveys were conducted to gather electricity usage data for New Zealand households; (3) a web interface allowing for a comparison of energy usage data from 32 different households was developed; (4) a modelling approach, capable of generating half hourly household electricity consumption data was constructed; and (5) a web-based tool, capable of simulating the impact of solar PV, an electric vehicle, and a home energy storage system, on electricity consumption was created.

year: 2018

title: A numerical study of diffusive cosmic-ray transport with adiabatic focusing

authors: Litvinenko, Yuri E.

subjects: cosmic rays

abstract: Focused particle transport in a nonuniform large-scale magnetic field is investigated numerically in the case of isotropic pitch-angle scattering. Evolving particle density profiles and distribution moments are computed from solutions of a system of stochastic differential equations, equivalent to the original Fokker-Planck equation for the particle distribution. Conflicting analytical predictions for the transport coefficients in the diffusion limit, independently calculated by Beeck & Wibberenz and Shalchi, are compared with the numerical results. The reasons for the discrepancies among the analytical and numerical treatments, as well as the general limitations of the diffusion model, are discussed. The telegraph equation, derived in a higher-order expansion of the particle distribution function, is shown to describe the particle transport much more accurately than the diffusion model, especially ahead of a moving density pulse.

text: A numerical study of diffusive cosmic-ray transport with adiabatic focusing Focused particle transport in a nonuniform large-scale magnetic field is investigated numerically in the case of isotropic pitch-angle scattering. Evolving particle density profiles and distribution moments are computed from solutions of a system of stochastic differential equations, equivalent to the original Fokker-Planck equation for the particle distribution. Conflicting analytical predictions for the transport coefficients in the diffusion limit, independently calculated by Beeck & Wibberenz and Shalchi, are compared with the numerical results. The reasons for the discrepancies among the analytical and numerical treatments, as well as the general limitations of the diffusion model, are discussed. The telegraph equation, derived in a higher-order expansion of the particle distribution function, is shown to describe the particle transport much more accurately than the diffusion model, especially ahead of a moving density pulse.

year: 2013

title: He Matapihi Mā Mua, Mō Muri: The Ethics, Processes, and Procedures Associated with the Digitization of Indigenous Knowledge—The Pei Jones Collection

authors: Whaanga, Hēmi

abstract: The digital era has transformed how people live their lives and interact with the world and knowledge systems around them. In Aotearoa/New Zealand a range of initiatives incorporating Indigenous knowledge have been implemented to collect, catalog, maintain, and organize digital objects. In this article, we report on the ethics, processes, and procedures associated with the digitization of the manuscripts, works, and collected taonga (treasures) of the late Dr. Pei Te Hurinui Jones—and describe how it was transformed into a digital library. It discusses the decision-making processes and the various roles and responsibilities of the researchers, family members, and institute in this process.

text: He Matapihi Mā Mua, Mō Muri: The Ethics, Processes, and Procedures Associated with the Digitization of Indigenous Knowledge—The Pei Jones Collection The digital era has transformed how people live their lives and interact with the world and knowledge systems around them. In Aotearoa/New Zealand a range of initiatives incorporating Indigenous knowledge have been implemented to collect, catalog, maintain, and organize digital objects. In this article, we report on the ethics, processes, and procedures associated with the digitization of the manuscripts, works, and collected taonga (treasures) of the late Dr. Pei Te Hurinui Jones—and describe how it was transformed into a digital library. It discusses the decision-making processes and the various roles and responsibilities of the researchers, family members, and institute in this process.

year: 2015