Quantifying landscape externalities of renewable energy development: Implications of attribute cut-offs in choice experiments

Renewable energy is worldwide seen as a key element necessary to address climate change. However, finding socially acceptable locations for renewable energy facilities and the accompanying infrastructure increasingly often faces fierce opposition. This paper quantifies the landscape externalities of renewable energies employing a choice experiment. In addition, it is investigated how accounting for non-compensatory choice behavior, i.e. attribute cut-offs, affects welfare measures and subsequently policy recommendations. The empirical application is Germany where we conducted a nationwide survey on the development of renewable energies. We first show that cut-off elicitation questions prior to the choice experiment at least partially influence preferences. We further find that most participants state cut-off levels for attributes. Many are, however, at the same time willing to violate the self-imposed thresholds when choosing among the alternatives. To account for this effect, stated cut-offs are incorporated into a mixed logit model following the soft cut-off approach. Model results indicate substantial taste heterogeneity in preferences and in the use of cutoffs. Also, welfare estimates are substantially affected. We conclude that welfare changes from renewable energy development could be strongly underestimated when cut-offs are ignored.     

Effect of Energy Prices on Economic Growth in the ECOWAS Sub-Region: Investigating the Channels Using Panel Data

The article empirically examines the effect of energy prices on economic growth within the Economic Community of West African States sub-region by acknowledging that the effect of energy prices on growth is quintessentially indirect and hence can be tracked through some channels. Exploiting the System Generalized Methods of Moments estimation technique for the period spanning 2002–2015, the results indicate that the overall effect of energy prices on economic growth is significantly negative. This effect propagates mainly through government consumption expenditure and investment, albeit its effect through real interest rate is positive. However, its negative effects on government consumption, investment, and exchange rate significantly overwhelm the positive effect from real interest rate.     

基于GIS和RS的蓄滞洪区和谐发展的技术路线

应用遥感与地理信息系统技术构建基于GIS模型的蓄滞洪区空间数据库,对蓄滞洪区内的基础地理数据进行存储、管理,并对空间数据进行可视化和空间分析等操作;运用RS技术对蓄滞洪区内的土地利用、生态环境变化等情况进行动态监测,建立蓄滞洪区发展指标体系;探求蓄滞洪区的和谐发展模式,为蓄滞洪区的可持续发展提供科学依据。     

Globalisation,economic growth and energy consumption in the BRICS region: The importance of asymmetries

This paper examines the asymmetric impact of globalisation and economic growth on energy consumption in BRICS countries, applying the NARDL bounds approach to explore the presence of asymmetric cointegration across variables. The empirical results reveal that energy consumption is positively and negatively affected by the positive and negative globalisation shocks, respectively. A positive shock in economic growth promotes energy consumption, while a negative shock reduces energy consumption.     

Energy,unemployment and trade

This article investigates the dynamic relationships among sectoral economic activities, macro expenditure patterns, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and unemployment in 41 countries from 1980 to 2014. The state of the art econometric techniques, both linear and non-linear panel and time series estimation techniques are used. The results show that industrialization, services sector, government expenditure and trade openness play a positive role in reducing unemployment, while agriculture and renewable energy consumption increase unemployment. This might be, in part, due to recent technological advancements and large capital intensive investments in agriculture and renewable energy sectors. Therefore, dedicated social and labour market policies need to be adopted to complement greening economic policies.     

在学懂弄通做实党的十九大精神上下功夫扎实推进水利供给侧结构性改革

从适应世界供给体系加快调整优化、解决我国新时代主要矛盾和开创中国特色水利现代化新局面等3个方面分析了新时代深化供给侧结构性改革的新形势;从供给质量、供给效率和发展动力等角度提出了新时代水利供给侧结构性改革的主攻方向;从不断健全水利基础设施网络、积极实施国家节水行动、全面推行河长制、大力推进水生态文明建设、深化重点领域改革、依法治水和科技兴水等6个方面提出了全面落实新时代水利供给侧结构性改革的新任务。     

中国粮食仓储的历史与展望

粮食仓储作为中国历史发展中的重要载体,对于社会的繁荣、稳定和发展具有重要意义。本文主要论述了中国古代和现代粮食仓储的发展历史及其价值,并对粮食仓储未来的发展进行展望。     

Advancing environmental productivity: Organizational mindfulness and strategies

This study investigates the importance of mindfulness‐based organization systems and policies on the organization's continuous efforts to become a greener company. The study is devised as a pooled cross‐sectional time series analysis of productivity in energy consumption, water utilization, and waste generation and recycling of U.S. companies. The data set taken from U.S. Newsweek 500 recorded 600 companies dispersed into 63 industries during the period of 2012–2014 and provided 1,498 company–industry–year observations. The study found that systems and policies (e.g., deployment of third‐party auditors for its environmental metrics report; linkage of the remuneration of company's senior executive team with the achievement of environmental performance targets; and establishment of a committee at the Board of Directors' level whose mandate includes sustainability of the company in environment‐ and resource‐related matters) connect the company's mindfulness to its effort in improving the environmental quality through the company's productivity in energy consumption, water utilization, and waste generation and recycling. The relationships are positive and significant. Also, systems and policies serve as a motivator for the firm to continue to improve upon the current achievements. The study emphasizes the importance of translating organizational and individual mindfulness into organization policies and systems in order to motivate the organization to continuously improve its productivity in energy consumption, water utilization, and waste generation and recycling leading to improvements in environmental quality.     

一种基于地理信息系统的异构网络多目标算法

地理信息系统（Geographic Information System,GIS）和多目标算法为异构网络基站部署问题带来新的突破。ArcGIS系列是GIS专业化的管理软件，采用ArcGIS软件对包含学校、医院等场景的中国某市密集城区进行建模分析，并且提出基于目标权重因子的多目标离散粒子群算法（Multi-objective Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm based on Target Weight Factor,MDPSO/TWF），基于多个目标函数整体最优研究异构网络基站部署问题。仿真结果表明，所提的MDPSO/TWF算法具有可行性和先进性，可以综合考虑网络负载和网络能效多个优化目标，将业务需求与实际基站选址相结合，在满足业务需求的基础上尽可能达到节能的目的。     

Probabilistic access forecasting for improved offshore operations

Improving access is a priority in the offshore wind sector, driven by the opportunity to increase revenues, reduce costs, and improve safety at operational wind farms. This paper describes a novel method for producing probabilistic forecasts of safety-critical access conditions during crew transfers. Methods of generating density forecasts of significant wave height and peak wave period are developed and evaluated. It is found that boosted semi-parametric models outperform those estimated via maximum likelihood, as well as a non-parametric approach. Scenario forecasts of sea-state variables are generated and used as inputs to a data-driven vessel motion model, based on telemetry recorded during 700 crew transfers. This enables the production of probabilistic access forecasts of vessel motion during crew transfer up to 5 days ahead. The above methodology is implemented on a case study at a wind farm off the east coast of the UK.