ABSTRACT
The energy supply of healthcare facilities is of great importance under different circumstances. In this study, supplying the energy of a clinic using maximum renewable resources under normal and crisis conditions is examined. This paper is novel in that it designs an energy system specifically for times of crisis. The proposed clinic is located in two different regions in Iran. This paper considers a solar panel, wind turbine, battery, inverter, and controller for electricity generation from renewable resources, a steam boiler for heating needs, and a diesel generator as a backup system. Scenarios, including changes in the type of controller and the price of different parts, were examined. In the optimal scenario, where the clinic is in normal conditions in terms of patient acceptance, the net present cost and cost of energy were estimated to be $2.57 million and 0.0606 $/kWh for Rasht, and $3.09 million and 0.0732 $/kWh for Shiraz, respectively. In a new scenario, in a critical time of the COVID-19 outbreak, the net present cost and cost of energy were calculated to be $4.29 million and 0.0608$/kWh for Rasht, and $5.31 million and 0.0755 $/kWh for Shiraz, respectively. Also the clinic will generate an annual income of $0.12 million by selling excess energy produced in this scenario during normal conditions. © 2023 The Author(s)
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The COVID-19 impact across major sectors did not exempt the low-cost housing (LCH) sub-sector. This may have increased the existing LCH demand-supply gap, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. Studies showed that government policy (GP) aids in mitigating COVID-19 impact on goods and services, including housing-related issues. However, there is an academic literature scarcity regarding GP on LCH demand-supply gap during the COVID-19 crisis in Malaysia. Hence, this study aims to investigate the moderating effect of GP on the relationship between LCH demand-supply gap and COVID-19 impact in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: The research utilised a quantitative method in collating the data from four major cities in Malaysia. SmartPLS was utilised to analyse the usable 305 questionnaires retrieved from respondents. Structuralist Theory supported the developed framework. Findings: Findings show that GP moderates the relationships between the LCH demand-supply gap and COVID-19 impact on Malaysia's low-income groups' (LIGs) homeownership delivery. It implies that the study's findings provide more understanding of issues influencing LCH demand-supply gap in the COVID-19 era via applying GP to mitigate the gap and improve homeownership for the disadvantaged. Practical implications: The study intends to stir policymakers toward formulating policies and programmes that will mitigate LCH demand-supply gap during the present and future pandemics. Originality/value: Besides the theoretical value of the developed model, policymakers can use the study's recommendations to mitigate future LCH demand-supply gaps during pandemics in developing countries using Malaysia as a case study. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Water heating in Pakistan and its neighboring countries predominantly relies on inefficient, natural gas-wasting water heaters whose mechanical design has remained largely unmodified since their inception in the 1960s. The inefficiency of these water heaters has added much to the woes of depleting gas reserves of the region, leading to a widening demand-supply gap. Pakistan is facing its worst ever natural gas crisis due to a COVID-19 hit economy that cannot carry the burden of expensive imports, especially during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that has sent the gas prices soaring in the international market. We respond to this challenge with a sense of urgency by proposing a solution that minimizes the wastage of natural gas in water heating, which consumes about half the gas supplied to residential consumers in the country. Our solution replaces the mechanical control of the water heater with an IoT-inspired, electrical retrofit design combining hardware and software for smart control through user-defined schedules or machine learning, while solving several challenges that arise from replacing a mechanical control system with an electrical one. Empirical results demonstrate 70% reduction in consumption. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
The economy is constantly evolving. The changing social, demographic, and legal situation as well as the development of new technologies force entrepreneurs to a high degree of flexibility. They have to adapt to new conditions not only to gain a competitive advantage but also to save their presence on the market. Typically, a stable evolutionary path is sometimes disrupted in the form of breakthrough inventions or a crisis. After recovery from another financial crisis in 2007-2008, it was hard to predict whether the next global crisis will result from nonfinancial factors. Companies all over the world tried to uphold their activity despite the legal and social obstacles during the Covid-19 pandemic. The main attribute that distinguishes this crisis from others is the sharp decline in social mobility which primarily affects the transport sector. The aim of this chapter is to outline the trends in the development of transport services offered on transport exchanges during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study focuses on the markets of Poland in transactions to/from Slovakia, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Literature review was conducted for the research but the main part of the analysis is based on the empirical data derived from two European freight exchanges. In general, all countries had to manage with a rapid drop in demand for transport services. After some period of time demand showed a slight upward trend. Supply of transport services fluctuated to a lesser extent. © 2022, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.