The purpose of this work is to present the model of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTC) using the Finite Element Method to predict the thermal behavior of the working fluid along the collector receiver tube. The thermal efficiency is estimated based on the governing equations involved in the heat transfer processes. To validate the model results, a thermal simulation of the fluid was performed using Solidworks software. The maximum error obtained from the comparison of the modeling with the simulation was 7.6% at a flow rate of 1 L/min. According to the results obtained from the statistical errors, the method can effectively predict the fluid temperature at high flow rates. The developed model can be useful as a design tool, in the optimization of the time spent in the simulations generated by the software and in the minimization of the manufacturing costs related to Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors.

In green construction, sustainable resources are essential. One such material is copper, which is widely utilized in electronics, transportation, manufacturing, and residential buildings. As a very useful material, it has many beneficial impacts on human life. Observed from the recent demand spike is in line with the overall trend and the current growing smelter construction in Indonesia. Researchers intend to adapt the existing Copper Smelting Plant Building into an environmentally friendly building as a part of the production chain, in addition to reducing public and environmental concerns about the consequences of this development. We have identified a disparity in cost, where the high cost of green buildings is an obstacle to its implementation to enhance the cost performance with increased renewable energy of the Smelter Construction Building, this study investigates the application of LEED parameters to evaluate green retrofit approaches through system dynamics. The most relevant features of the participant assessments were identified using the SEM-PLS approach, which is used to build and test statistical models of causal models. We have results for this Green Retrofitting study following significant variables according to the following guidelines: innovation, low-emission materials, renewable energy, daylighting, reducing indoor water usage, rainwater management, and access to quality transit.

The new oil derivatives transportation scheme proposed by the 2013 Mexican Energy Reform allowed new participants to enter the sector. The new legal framework requires fulfilling many requirements and corresponding duties for the transportation of oil products. The Mexican government already has an institution dedicated to measuring the regulatory cost of each federal procedure. This work aims to quantify the regulatory costs associated with the procedures and their compliance to obtain permits for transporting oil products by truck. We use the standard cost method to measure these costs, considering all associated costs. The results showed that two government offices did not adequately measure these costs. They did not consider relevant information on frequency and opportunity costs, resulting in undervaluation and leading to wrong expectations. As a result of this research, we provide a more accurate way of estimating these costs, which brings greater certainty in the budgeting of these projects and, therefore, increases the probability of survival and success.

This article discusses one of the problems of using digital technologies, namely the complexity of assessing the effectiveness of their implementation. Since the use of digital twins at the enterprises of the fuel and energy complex (FEC) has recently become relevant, the authors have chosen the digital twins technology for consideration in this article. For the successful implementation of digital technologies, the authors propose a system of evaluation indicators that will measure the effectiveness of Digital Twins implementation and determine the benefits obtained. The advantages of digital twins include improved management and monitoring, optimization of production processes, prediction of equipment failures, as well as reduced maintenance costs and increased overall efficiency of FEC systems. As a methodological basis for the study, authors use the system of balanced indicators proposed by R. Kaplan and D. Norton, which served as the basis for the development of a set of performance indicators of the fuel and energy complex enterprise with the introduction of digital twins. As a result of the study, a list of indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of digital twins implementation was determined. The study identifies performance indicators for digital twin implementation, with future research aimed at quantitative assessments. The enterprise can implement a digital twin system with a WACC of 10.99%, payback period of 8.06 years, IRR exceeding the discount rate by 9.07%, a 3.5% reduction in harmful emissions, and a 2.5% efficiency increase.

Phytomediation is an environmentally friendly green rehabilitation technology that is often incorporated with an application to improve calcium peroxide and phytohormones required for the growth of agricultural plants with the expectation to improve the effectiveness of plant rehabilitation. This study mainly consists of two parts: (1) water culture experiment and (2) pot culture experiment. In the water culture experiment, we attempt to understand the influence of the addition of calcium peroxide, phytohormones (IAA and GA₃) and a chelating agent on the growth of sunflower plants. However, in the pot culture experiment, when hormones and the chelating agent EDTA are introduced to different plant groups at the same time, if the nutrition in the water required by plants is not available, the addition of the hormone cannot negate the toxicity caused by EDTA. In terms of calcium peroxide, due to quick release of oxygen in water, this study fails to apply calcium peroxide to the water culture experiment.

When the pot culture experiment is used to examine the influence of hormones at different concentration levels on the growth of sunflowers, GA₃ 10^-8 M is reported to have the optimal effectiveness, followed by IAA 10^-8 M; IAA 10^-12 M has the lowest effectiveness. According to an accumulation analysis of heavy metals at different levels, GA₃ concentrates in leaves to transport nutrition in soil to leaves. This results in an excellent TF value of 2.329G of GA₃ than 1.845 of the control group indicating that the addition of the hormone and chelating agent to GA₃ increases the TF value and the chelating agent is beneficial to the sunflower plant. If we examine phytoattenuation ability, the one-month experiment was divided into three stages for ten days each. The concentration level of heavy metals in the soil at each stage dropped continuously while that of the control group decreased from 31.63 mg/kg to 23.96 mg/kg, GA₃ from 32.09 mg/kg to 23.04 mg/kg and EDTA from 30.65 mg/kg to 25.93 mg/kg indicating the quickest growth period of the sunflowers from the formation of the bud to blossom. During the stage, the quick upward transportation of nutrition results in quick accumulation of heavy metals; the accumulated speed of heavy metals is found higher than that of directly planted plants. This study shows an improvement in the effectiveness of the addition of hormones on plant extraction and when rehabilitation is incorporated with sunflowers with the beginning bud formation, better treatment effectiveness can be reached.

Energy systems face serious difficulties due to economic policy uncertainty, which affects consumption trends and makes the shift to sustainability more difficult. While adjusting for economic growth and carbon emissions, this study examines the dynamic relationship between economic policy uncertainty and energy consumption (including renewable and nonrenewable) in China from 1985Q1 to 2023Q4. The research reveals the frequency-specific and time-varying relationships between these variables by employing sophisticated techniques such as Wavelet Cross-Quantile Correlation (WCQC) and Partial WCQC (PWCQC). Economic policy uncertainty and energy consumption do not significantly correlate in the short term; however, over the long term, economic policy uncertainty positively correlates with renewable energy consumption at medium-to-upper quantiles, indicating that it may play a role in encouraging investments in sustainable energy. On the other hand, EPU has a negative correlation with nonrenewable energy usage at lower quantiles, indicating a slow move away from fossil fuels. These results are confirmed by robustness testing with Spearman-based WCQC techniques. The study ends with policy recommendations to maximize economic policy uncertainty’s long-term impacts on renewable energy, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and attain environmental and energy sustainability in China.