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For the transformation of the mobility sector, small and light electric vehicles (LEV) show great promise, owing to their efficiency and low vehicle weight resulting in low energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions per driven kilometer. The presented study focuses on the theoretical potential of substitutability of passenger car trips in Germany by varied LEVs based on the "Mobilität in Deutschland 2017" ("Mobility in Germany 2017") dataset, for the year 2030. A detailed approach for identifying substitutable car trips was developed, reflecting age, trip purpose, number of passengers, and other decision criteria. By conducting a life cycle assessment of the considered LEVs and passenger cars, potential emission savings were analyzed. In the considered baseline scenario, it is found that emissions could be reduced by 44 % with 50% of passenger car mileage being substituted by LEVs. This study, thereby, gives way to further research on LEVs, and would urge both policy makers and general users to steer towards comprehensive measures that encourage a switch from cars to LEVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to derive an estimating method for the energy performance of urban quarters. To quantify the energy performance of city quarters, the influence of the surrounding urban form must be considered, for instance, the street distance, height of the neighboring buildings, or urban site coverage. In this work, the lighting, heating, and cooling performance of urban districts with different urban forms was simulated in detail using software tools such as EnergyPlus, Radiance, and Daysim. Interrelations between those effects are analyzed with respect to thermal and visual comfort condition. Electric lighting consumption is calculated first, and the thermal effect of artificial lighting is set as an input to the heating and cooling performance calculation. The analyses show that the site thermal performance depends on the arrangement of the urban geometry according to solar gains, and there is a correlation between energy savings and efficient urban design. The simulation results are validated with measured data from a case study in Stuttgart, Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews, validates and extends present knowledge of the degree and kind of manual control strategies of blinds and electric lighting systems that are used in private and two-person offices. A new monitoring setup was applied from March to December 2000 in 10 daylit offices in Germany that featured manually operated electric lighting and automatically controlled external venetian blinds with manual override. The data shows that individuals consistently followed the same control strategy for their electric lighting and blinds. Groups of individuals tended to activate their electric lighting according to Hunt's probability function, although there was a large spread between individual control levels. All subjects used their blinds to avoid direct sunlight above 50 W/m[sup 2], and incoming solar gains above 50 klux (∼450 W/m[sup 2]). They also were more willing to accept automatic blind opening than closing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological systems often take on characteristics of their social and political contexts. This was particularly clear during the 1890s, when alternating-current and direct-current systems offered different advantages. In the late nineteenth century, the two cities of Dortmund and Essen were expansive, and introduced electric light and power systems using alternating current to promote that tendency. Bochum was more locally oriented, and chose a more efficient and secure direct-current system to serve a narrowly circumscribed area. In each case, élites and officials deployed technological systems that promoted the continued development of the social and political structures within which they lived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]