Das Projekt "PHOTOchemical Formation of Nitrous Acid in the Atmosphere (PHOTONA)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Wuppertal, Fachgruppe Chemie und Biologie, Arbeitsgruppe Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie durchgeführt. Nitrous Acid (HONO) has attracted significant attention during the last few years since recent field measurements have demonstrated that the photolysis of HONO can be the dominant source of OH radicals in the lower atmosphere. The OH radical is responsible for the degradation of most air pollutants and for the formation of harmful photooxidants. Thus, the identification and quantification of the sources of HONO are of major importance. To explain un-expected high daytime concentrations of HONO, different photochemical sources have been proposed. However, the exact origin and the magnitude of HONO fluxes over irradiated rural and urban surfaces are still open questions, which have to be solved to understand and quantify the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere. In the proposed project, these questions are aimed to be answered by the integration of selected laboratory, field and modelling studies. In the laboratory studies, different photochemical sources of HONO will be investigated in photoreactors by the help of very sensitive and selective instrumentation to enable the simulation of atmospheric relevant conditions. In the field studies, the daytime source strength of HONO will be quantified over irradiated surfaces by the help of a mixed gradient / eddy-covariance technique at a field site near Paris (INRA/Grignon), which is already used for flux measurements of NOx and O3 since two years. The HONO fluxes will be parameterized for different types of surfaces (e.g. pure soil and crop) as a function of measured variables (solar intensity, NO2, nitrate, etc.). In addition, daytime gradients measurements in the altitude range 10-200 m will be performed under urban conditions at the meteorological tower at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe to better quantification the impact of the HONO photolysis on the radical budget for an extended altitude range. The results from the lab and field studies - including data from recent other studies - will be used to improve existing box, 1-D and 3-D models with the focus on the better description and quantification of the oxidation capacity of the boundary layer. The outcome of the project will have an essential impact on the understanding of the photochemistry of the lower atmosphere.
Das Projekt "Monitoring GTZ Rural Electrification Interventions in Benin" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e.V. RWI, Kompetenzbereich Umwelt und Ressourcen durchgeführt. Zwischen Anfang 2006 und Ende 2008 betreute das RWI die von der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) implementierte netzgebundene Elektrifizierungsmaßnahme in Benin. Der Zugang zu moderner Energie wurde in zwölf Dörfern im Nordwesten des Landes mittels des Ausbaus und der Verdichtung des bestehenden Netzes verbessert. Während mehrerer Einsätze im Auftrag der GTZ und der NL Agency bewertete das RWI den Projektfortschritt und entwickelte geeignete Anpassungen hinsichtlich Projektdesign und -planung. Eine der projektspezifischen Kernempfehlungen war die Ausweiterung der Netzverdichtungsmaßnahmen. Dezentrale Elektrifizierungstechnologien wie Photovoltaik sollten nur bei sehr abgelegenen sozialen Einrichtungen wie Gesundheitszentren oder Schulen genutzt werden. Über diese Kurzzeiteinsätze hinaus begleitete das RWI das Projekt durch permanente beratende und unterstützende Dienstleistungen und ist - in Zusammenarbeit mit der Agence Française de Développement (AFD) - an der Vorbereitung des Antrags um eine Energiefazilität der EU für eine Projektausweitung beteiligt gewesen. Im Rahmen dieser Energiefazilität werden über 60 zusätzliche Dörfer im ländlichen Benin mit dem Stromnetz verbunden werden.
Das Projekt "Bestimmung der sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen des Baus von Biomasseanlagen in verschiedenen Regionen Europas - Eine Analyse mit Hilfe einer Multiplikatortechnik" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) durchgeführt. There is a clear need to quantify the knock-on effects of bioenergy schemes in rural depressed areas. Bioenergy schemes represent opportunities for European agriculture to diversify into new markets that will create new and additional employment in rural communities. This will also aid in increasing farming incomes and will act as a lever for other investment and contribute to the development of associated commercial and industrial activities. For instance, transport infrastructure and specialist machinery manufacturers will benefit from increased business. This will in turn create additional spending in the community and further add to the knock-on effects. The objective of this proposal is to develop a quantitative model to analyse the socioeconomic impacts of bioenergy deployment through rural diversification and to measure the distribution of benefits and costs of policy packages, particularly the CAP. The BIOSEM model - Biomass Socio-Economic Multiplier Model, will be a facilitator for the organisation and analysis of already existing data so that the employment and income benefits from bioenergy development and deployment in rural areas can be measured. The model will simulate the interaction between agricultural crops, biomass production, energy production and other sectors of the economy. The main aim of this proposal is the development of the BIOSEM model. This will allow: - the estimation of the direct and indirect knock-on effects on employment, income, local services and government revenue created by various phases of the deployment of bioenergy schemes in the participating European countries; - the identification of depressed rural areas that would benefit from bioenergy deployment; - recommendations for CAP policy reform to assist and promote rural diversification through bioenergy schemes. BIOSEM will assist policy makers to site energy crop production and processing plants and to identify where to target investment so as to get the highest production response or optimal income distribution effects in all the participating European countries. BIOSEM will help policy makers identify recommendations for rural policy and CAP reform and assist rural diversification through bioenergy deployment based on the results of BIOSEM model simulations.