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Article
Publication date: 28 February 2024

Magdalena Saldana-Perez, Giovanni Guzmán, Carolina Palma-Preciado, Amadeo Argüelles-Cruz and Marco Moreno-Ibarra

Climate change is a problem that concerns all of us. Despite the information produced by organizations such as the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices and the…

Abstract

Purpose

Climate change is a problem that concerns all of us. Despite the information produced by organizations such as the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices and the United Nations, only a few cities have been planned taking into account the climate changes indices. This paper aims to study climatic variations, how climate conditions might change in the future and how these changes will affect the activities and living conditions in cities, specifically focusing on Mexico city.

Design/methodology/approach

In this approach, two distinct machine learning regression models, k-Nearest Neighbors and Support Vector Regression, were used to predict variations in climate change indices within select urban areas of Mexico city. The calculated indices are based on maximum, minimum and average temperature data collected from the National Water Commission in Mexico and the Scientific Research Center of Ensenada. The methodology involves pre-processing temperature data to create a training data set for regression algorithms. It then computes predictions for each temperature parameter and ultimately assesses the performance of these algorithms based on precision metrics scores.

Findings

This paper combines a geospatial perspective with computational tools and machine learning algorithms. Among the two regression algorithms used, it was observed that k-Nearest Neighbors produced superior results, achieving an R2 score of 0.99, in contrast to Support Vector Regression, which yielded an R2 score of 0.74.

Originality/value

The full potential of machine learning algorithms has not been fully harnessed for predicting climate indices. This paper also identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm and how the generated estimations can then be considered in the decision-making process.

Details

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Jain Vinith P.R., Navin Sam K., Vidya T., Joseph Godfrey A. and Venkadesan Arunachalam

This paper aims to Solar photovoltaic (PV) power can significantly impact the power system because of its intermittent nature. Hence, an accurate solar PV power forecasting model…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to Solar photovoltaic (PV) power can significantly impact the power system because of its intermittent nature. Hence, an accurate solar PV power forecasting model is required for appropriate power system planning.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a long short-term memory (LSTM)-based double deep Q-learning (DDQL) neural network (NN) is proposed for forecasting solar PV power indirectly over the long-term horizon. The past solar irradiance, temperature and wind speed are used for forecasting the solar PV power for a place using the proposed forecasting model.

Findings

The LSTM-based DDQL NN reduces over- and underestimation and avoids gradient vanishing. Thus, the proposed model improves the forecasting accuracy of solar PV power using deep learning techniques (DLTs). In addition, the proposed model requires less training time and forecasts solar PV power with improved stability.

Originality/value

The proposed model is trained and validated for several places with different climatic patterns and seasons. The proposed model is also tested for a place with a temperate climatic pattern by constructing an experimental solar PV system. The training, validation and testing results have confirmed the practicality of the proposed solar PV power forecasting model using LSTM-based DDQL NN.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2021

Sathish K. R. and T. Ananthapadmanabha

This paper aims to propose, the multi-objective method for optimal planning and operation of distributed generators (DGs) on distribution system (DS) using hybrid technique is…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose, the multi-objective method for optimal planning and operation of distributed generators (DGs) on distribution system (DS) using hybrid technique is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed hybrid technique denotes hybrid wrapper of black widow optimization algorithm (BWOA) and bear smell search algorithm (BSSA). BWOA accelerates the convergence speed with combination of the search strategy of BSSA; hence, it is named as improved black widow-bear smell search algorithm (IBWBSA) technique.

Findings

The multiple-objective operation denotes reducing generation cost, power loss, voltage deviation with optimally planning and operating the DS. For setting up the DG units on DS, IBWBSA technique is equipped to simultaneously reconfigure and find the optimal areas.

Originality/value

In this planning model, the constraints are power balance, obvious power flow limit, bus voltage, distribution substation’s capacity and cost. Then, proposed multiple-objective hybrid method to plan electrical distribution scheme is executed in the MATLAB/Simulink work site.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 June 2024

Ifeyinwa Juliet Orji and Francis I. Ojadi

Extreme weather events are on the rise around the globe. Nevertheless, it is unclear how these extreme weather events have impacted the supply chain sustainability (SCS…

Abstract

Purpose

Extreme weather events are on the rise around the globe. Nevertheless, it is unclear how these extreme weather events have impacted the supply chain sustainability (SCS) framework. To this end, this paper aims to identify and analyze the aspects and criteria to enable manufacturing firms to navigate shifts toward SCS under extreme weather events.

Design/methodology/approach

The Best-Worst Method is deployed and extended with the entropy concept to obtain the degree of significance of the identified framework of aspects and criteria for SCS in the context of extreme weather events through the lens of managers in the manufacturing firms of a developing country-Nigeria.

Findings

The results show that extreme weather preparedness and economic aspects take center stage and are most critical for overcoming the risk of unsustainable patterns within manufacturing supply chains under extreme weather events in developing country.

Originality/value

This study advances the body of knowledge by identifying how extreme weather events have become a significant moderator of the SCS framework in manufacturing firms. This research will assist decision-makers in the manufacturing sector to position viable niche regimes to achieve SCS in the context of extreme weather events for expected performance gains.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2024

Yazid Aafif, Jérémie Schutz, Sofiene Dellagi, Anis Chelbi and Lahcen Mifdal

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the maintenance strategies for wind turbine (WT) gearboxes to minimize costs associated with PM actions, cooling, production loss and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the maintenance strategies for wind turbine (WT) gearboxes to minimize costs associated with PM actions, cooling, production loss and gearbox replacement. Two approaches, periodic imperfect maintenance and a novel design incorporating alternating gearboxes are compared to identify the most cost-effective solution.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs mathematical modeling to analyze the design, operation and maintenance of WT gearboxes. Two maintenance strategies are investigated, involving periodic imperfect maintenance actions and the incorporation of two similar gearboxes operating alternately. The models determine optimal preventive maintenance (PM) and switching periods to minimize total expected costs over the operating time span.

Findings

The research findings reveal, for the considered case of a moroccan wind farm, that the use of two similar gearboxes operating alternately is more cost-effective than relying on a single gearbox. The mathematical models developed enable the determination and comparison of optimal strategies for various WT gearbox scenarios and associated maintenance costs.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations may arise from simplifications in the mathematical models and assumptions about degradation, temperature monitoring and maintenance effectiveness. Future research could refine the models and incorporate additional factors for a more comprehensive analysis.

Practical implications

Practically, the study provides insights into optimizing WT gearbox maintenance strategies, considering the trade-offs between PM actions, cooling, production loss and gearbox replacement costs. The findings can inform decisions on maintenance planning and design modifications to enhance cost efficiency.

Social implications

While the primary focus is on cost optimization, the study indirectly contributes to the broader societal goal of sustainable energy production. Efficient maintenance strategies for WTs help ensure reliable and cost-effective renewable energy, potentially benefiting communities relying on wind power.

Originality/value

This paper introduces two distinct strategies for WT gearbox maintenance, extending beyond traditional periodic maintenance. The incorporation of alternating gearboxes presents a novel design approach. The developed mathematical models offer a valuable tool for determining and comparing optimal strategies tailored to specific WT scenarios and associated maintenance costs.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 September 2024

Qiuhan Wang and Xujin Pu

This research proposes a novel risk assessment model to elucidate the risk propagation process of industrial safety accidents triggered by natural disasters (Natech), identifies…

Abstract

Purpose

This research proposes a novel risk assessment model to elucidate the risk propagation process of industrial safety accidents triggered by natural disasters (Natech), identifies key factors influencing urban carrying capacity and mitigates uncertainties and subjectivity due to data scarcity in Natech risk assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing disaster chain theory and Bayesian network (BN), we describe the cascading effects of Natechs, identifying critical nodes of urban system failure. Then we propose an urban carrying capacity assessment method using the coefficient of variation and cloud BN, constructing an indicator system for infrastructure, population and environmental carrying capacity. The model determines interval values of assessment indicators and weights missing data nodes using the coefficient of variation and the cloud model. A case study using data from the Pearl River Delta region validates the model.

Findings

(1) Urban development in the Pearl River Delta relies heavily on population carrying capacity. (2) The region’s social development model struggles to cope with rapid industrial growth. (3) There is a significant disparity in carrying capacity among cities, with some trends contrary to urban development. (4) The Cloud BN outperforms the classical Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) gate fuzzy method in describing real-world fuzzy and random situations.

Originality/value

The present research proposes a novel framework for evaluating the urban carrying capacity of industrial areas in the face of Natechs. By developing a BN risk assessment model that integrates cloud models, the research addresses the issue of scarce objective data and reduces the subjectivity inherent in previous studies that heavily relied on expert opinions. The results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the classical fuzzy BNs.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2024

Umarani Muthukrishnan and Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that drive superior social enterprise performance for women-led social enterprises. The authors examined the role of individual…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that drive superior social enterprise performance for women-led social enterprises. The authors examined the role of individual entrepreneur cognitive characteristics contributing to social enterprise performance and recommended a framework for women's social entrepreneur development.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an exploratory qualitative study of 22 women founders of social enterprises using a semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews were conducted, and the transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Findings

This study found a significant impact of self-efficacy on the performance of social enterprises among the studied subjects. Social support in the form of material, information and emotional support enhanced the ability of women social entrepreneurs to better achieve business sustenance and continuance of operations. The business skills of the women social entrepreneurs led them to move from just social impact generators to becoming thought leaders. The strong prosocial motivation of the founders contributed to building their resilience in the face of adversity.

Research limitations/implications

This study extended the existing theories on social entrepreneurship by bringing the dimensions of entrepreneurial resilience in driving social enterprise performance along with business skills. Thus, it provided an enhanced explanation to the existing body of knowledge on contributors to superior social enterprise performance.

Practical implications

This study gathered insights into the role of entrepreneurship education focused on business skills, especially for women social entrepreneurs in achieving superior performance for their social ventures. This also reconfirmed the role of social support and how structurally this could be provided by educational systems to aspiring women social entrepreneurs.

Social implications

The practice of social entrepreneurship by women social entrepreneurs has been growing. Its importance in developing economies because of its ability to make grassroots changes at the lower levels of society was substantive. Women have shown more inclination toward social business with an affinity for prosocial contribution. By focusing on nurturing these social enterprises, governments as well as global agencies like the United Nations and the World Economic Forum could accelerate social change. Furthermore, support for the current women social entrepreneurs as change-makers making a difference in society could be achieved.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research study was one of the first studies on women social entrepreneurs focusing on the factors of self-efficacy, social support and entrepreneurial resilience contributing to social enterprise performance. This study combined the social entrepreneurship intention theory with entrepreneurial resilience and business skills to understand the factors leading to successful social enterprise performance for women social entrepreneurs.

Details

International Journal of Ethics and Systems, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9369

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2024

Dhobale Yash and R. Rajesh

The study aims to identify the possible risk factors for electricity grids operational disruptions and to determine the most critical and influential risk indicators.

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Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to identify the possible risk factors for electricity grids operational disruptions and to determine the most critical and influential risk indicators.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-criteria decision-making best-worst method (BWM) is employed to quantitatively identify the most critical risk factors. The grey causal modeling (GCM) technique is employed to identify the causal and consequence factors and to effectively quantify them. The data used in this study consisted of two types – quantitative periodical data of critical factors taken from their respective government departments (e.g. Indian Meteorological Department, The Central Water Commission etc.) and the expert responses collected from professionals working in the Indian electric power sector.

Findings

The results of analysis for a case application in the Indian context shows that temperature dominates as the critical risk factor for electrical power grids, followed by humidity and crop production.

Research limitations/implications

The study helps to understand the contribution of factors in electricity grids operational disruptions. Considering the cause consequences from the GCM causal analysis, rainfall, temperature and dam water levels are identified as the causal factors, while the crop production, stock prices, commodity prices are classified as the consequence factors. In practice, these causal factors can be controlled to reduce the overall effects.

Practical implications

From the results of the analysis, managers can use these outputs and compare the risk factors in electrical power grids for prioritization and subsequent considerations. It can assist the managers in efficient allocation of funds and manpower for building safeguards and creating risk management protocols based on the severity of the critical factor.

Originality/value

The research comprehensively analyses the risk factors of electrical power grids in India. Moreover, the study apprehends the cause-consequence pair of factors, which are having the maximum effect. Previous studies have been focused on identification of risk factors and preliminary analysis of their criticality using autoregression. This research paper takes it forward by using decision-making methods and causal analysis of the risk factors with blend of quantitative and expert response based data analysis to focus on the determination of the criticality of the risk factors for the Indian electric power grid.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2023

Nihar J. Gonsalves, Anthony Yusuf, Omobolanle Ogunseiju and Abiola Akanmu

Concrete workers perform physically demanding work in awkward postures, exposing their backs to musculoskeletal disorders. Back-support exoskeletons are promising ergonomic…

Abstract

Purpose

Concrete workers perform physically demanding work in awkward postures, exposing their backs to musculoskeletal disorders. Back-support exoskeletons are promising ergonomic interventions designed to reduce the risks of back disorders. However, the suitability of exoskeletons for enhancing performance of concrete workers has not been largely explored. This study aims to assess a passive back-support exoskeleton for concrete work in terms of the impact on the body, usability and benefits of the exoskeleton, and potential design modifications.

Design/methodology/approach

Concrete workers performed work with a passive back-support exoskeleton. Subjective and qualitative measures were employed to capture their perception of the exoskeleton, at the middle and end of the work, in terms of discomfort to their body parts, ease of use, comfort, performance and safety of the exoskeleton, and their experience using the exoskeleton. These were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

Findings

The exoskeleton reduced stress on the lower back but caused discomfort to other body parts. Significant correlations were observed between perceived discomfort and usability measures. Design modifications are needed to improve the compatibility of the exoskeleton with the existing safety gears, reduce discomfort at chest and thigh, and improve ease of use of the exoskeleton.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted with eight concrete workers who used the exoskeleton for four hours.

Originality/value

This study contributes to existing knowledge on human-wearable robot interaction and provides suggestions for adapting exoskeleton designs for construction work.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2024

Arvinder Kaur and Vikas Sharma

Today’s world is struggling with the hardship of climate change that has drastically disturbed human life, wildlife and the earth’s biological system. This study aims to show how…

Abstract

Purpose

Today’s world is struggling with the hardship of climate change that has drastically disturbed human life, wildlife and the earth’s biological system. This study aims to show how implementing climate change mitigation strategies and environmental protection measures can ensure sustainable development through collaborative efforts between governmental authorities and the nation’s populace.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review of studies is conducted from across the world concentrating on holistic, sustainable development, enabling a showcase of various conferences, action plans initiated and resolutions passed. VOSviewer software is used to quantify the results of bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 260 research studies released between 1993 and 2022 on the Scopus platform are quantified in terms of topmost publications, collaborations among authors, citations index and year-wise publication. The search string has keywords including “climate change,” “sustainable development” and “environment protection.”

Findings

The study results revealed a steep increase in research publications in the last three years, from 2017 to 2021, which serves as the basis of the emergence of high-impact articles. The most cited document in this context throws light on assessing vulnerability to climatic risk and building adaptive capacity. It also draws attention to voluntary carbon markets’ rationale while condemning emission trading systems for climate change due to structural flaws, negative consequences and questionable emission-cutting effectiveness. Low energy demand, zero energy buildings and shared socioeconomic pathways should be implemented as strategies for sustainable development.

Practical implications

This study provides a significant opportunity to construct a valuable addition to mitigate climate change. Also, it shows a positive and significant correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies by analyzing publication efforts worldwide considering local climate risks and national adaptation mandates.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive approach, combining literature review, bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis to provide insights into current research trends, challenges and potential strategies for addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. The study’s emphasis on the correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies adds practical significance to its findings.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

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