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This paper presents the results of an innovative pilot experiment on elaborating transformative energy scenarios by using a causal layered analysis (CLA) game. CLA is an integrative and communicative method, which divides issues into four layers: litany, systemic causes, worldviews, and metaphors. In the piloted CLA game, four existing scenario drafts from the Neo-Carbon Energy project: “Radical Startups”, “Value-Driven Techemoths”, “Green DIY Engineers” and “New Consciousness” were used. The CLA game session, as depicted in this paper, worked through the CLA layers sequentially per each scenario, contributed new elements to the scenario narratives, and utilised roleplay for the worldview and metaphor layers. This CLA game highlighted the complexity, polyphony and actor dynamics of the future worlds. We identify four key benefits: developing the CLA game scenario methodology, gaming-based social learning, deepening of sociocultural energy scenario drafts and exploration of energy transformation toward renewable energy based futures. As a new type of CLA workshop, the game expanded the method's boundaries. Recommendations are presented for developing serious gaming further in scenario processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a set of energy and resource intensive scenarios based on the concept of Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSPs). The scenario family is characterized by rapid and fossil-fueled development with high socio-economic challenges to mitigation and low socio-economic challenges to adaptation (SSP5). A special focus is placed on the SSP5 marker scenario developed by the REMIND-MAgPIE integrated assessment modeling framework. The SSP5 baseline scenarios exhibit very high levels of fossil fuel use, up to a doubling of global food demand, and up to a tripling of energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the century, marking the upper end of the scenario literature in several dimensions. These scenarios are currently the only SSP scenarios that result in a radiative forcing pathway as high as the highest Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP8.5). This paper further investigates the direct impact of mitigation policies on the SSP5 energy, land and emissions dynamics confirming high socio-economic challenges to mitigation in SSP5. Nonetheless, mitigation policies reaching climate forcing levels as low as in the lowest Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP2.6) are accessible in SSP5. The SSP5 scenarios presented in this paper aim to provide useful reference points for future climate change, climate impact, adaption and mitigation analysis, and broader questions of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric floors generate many microwatts up to many watts per step, depending on space pedestrians’ frequency and piezoelectric technology. Although there are a number of earnest researches that have focused on harvesting power from piezoelectric floors tiles, the piezoelectric application is still hindered by many factors, which leads to the deprivation of the advantages of this technology. The research addresses how to get the Maximum benefits from piezoelectric energy harvesting floor in Buildings’ interior spaces, according to the various weight of every usage factors, and through the integration of different kind of piezoelectric technology capabilities. This Paper seeks to spread piezoelectric energy harvesting floor applications, through Facilitate how to conciliate and harmonize between the challenging requirement of usage factors and the application possibilities using a proposed tool. Feasibility study guide supported by various case studies that has been described as a benchmark for the future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the urging challenge of climate change, the concept of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) plays a key role for keeping global warming below 2 °C. Recently, the concept of Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) has been a focus of growing attention with the aim of enabling an industrial utilisation of CO 2 as feedstock in the production of materials and fuels. Also in the pursuit of the ambitious targets set by the COP21 Paris agreement, CCU technologies could be discussed as an increasingly relevant means to meet mitigation targets. Often, CCU is commingled with the more prominent CCS and evaluated from the same perspective of climate change mitigation potential. Sometimes, the idea of utilising CO 2 as a resource is even used as an argument for investments in CCS. Despite some technological similarities, however, CCU and CCS address significantly different issues within the environmental policy debate. This paper analyses the commonalities and differences between CCU and CCS and recommends how one should be distinguished from the other, particularly in environmental policy fields and the public debate. Particularly, hopes that CCU could represent a promising perspective for contributing to mitigation efforts should not be exaggerated and considerations of CCU in climate politics need to account for the largely varying and technology specific temporary storage times of CO 2 and its specific substitution potential. Consequently, we call for accounting mechanisms and legislations for CCU that acknowledge the different storage durations and efficiency gains of CCU technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the first experience with the set up, functioning and data evaluation of the remote experiment "Energy transformation" accessible via Internet (http://remotelab10.truni.sk ) as a part of the e-laboratory at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Education, Trnava University in Trnava, Slovakia. The remote experiment control and data acquisition is based on the system ISES (Internet School Experimental System) and its control program and www page are built using the environment Easy Remote ISES. The main goal of the experiment is the elucidation of the energy transformations of three types of well known energy sources -- photovoltaic cell (solar energy to electrical energy), electrolyzer (electrical to chemical energy of hydrogen) and fuel cell (chemical energy of hydrogen to electrical energy) and finding optimal regimes for their maximum efficiencies. The perspective of the improvement of the experiment and its exploitation is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]