A comparison of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) management strategies in Ireland and the Czech Republic and the lessons learned

In order to meet the recycling and recovery targets set forth by the European Union's (EU) Waste and Landfill Directives, both the Irish and Czech governments’ policy on waste management is changing to meet these pressures, with major emphasis being placed upon the management of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). In particular, the EU Landfill Directive requires reductions in the rate of BMW going to landfill to 35% of 1995 values by 2016 and 2020 for Ireland and the Czech Republic, respectively. In this paper, the strategies of how Ireland and the Czech Republic plan to meet this challenge are compared. Ireland either landfills or exports its waste for recovery, while the Czech Republic has a relatively new waste management infrastructure. While Ireland met the first target of 75% diversion of BMW from landfill by 2010 and preliminary 2012 data indicate that Ireland is on track to meet the 2013 target, the achievement of the 2016 target remains at risk. Indicators that were developed to monitor the Czech Republic's path to meeting the targets demonstrate that it did not meet the first target that was set for 2010 and will probably not meet its 2013 target either. The evaluation reports on the implementation of Waste Management Plan of Czech Republic suggest that the currently applied strategy to divert biodegradable waste from landfill is not effective enough. For both countries, the EU Waste Framework and Landfill Directives will be a significant influence and driver of change in waste management practices and governance over the coming decade. This means that both countries will not only have to invest in infrastructure to achieve the targets, but will also have to increase awareness among the public in diverting this waste at the household level. Improving environmental education is part of increased awareness as it is imperative for citizens to understand the consequences of their actions as affluence continues to grow producing increased levels of waste.

Graphical abstract
Despite the differences in the levels of waste generation in both the Czech Republic and Ireland, each country can learn from each other in order to meet the recycling and recovery targets set by the European Union's (EU) Waste and Landfill Directives. Both countries will not only have to invest in infrastructure to achieve the targets, but will also have to increase awareness among the public in diverting this waste at the household level. In addition, there needs to be minimum safe standards when land-spreading organic agricultural and organic municipal and industrial materials on agricultural land used for food production, as well as incentives to increase BMW diversion from landfill such as the increased landfill levy implemented in Ireland and the acceptance of MBT and/or incineration as a means of treating residual waste.

Fair charging strategies for EVs connected to a low-voltage distribution network

The development of smart grid technologies and appropriate charging strategies are key to accommodating large numbers of Electric Vehicles (EV) charging on the grid. In this paper a general framework is presented for formulating the EV charging optimization problem and three different charging strategies are investigated and compared from the perspective of charging fairness while taking into account power system constraints. Two strategies are based on distributed algorithms, namely, Additive Increase and Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD), and Distributed Price-Feedback (DPF), while the third is an ideal centralized solution used to benchmark performance. The algorithms are evaluated using a simulation of a typical residential low voltage distribution network with 50% EV penetration. © 2013 IEEE.

Investigation of AIMD based charging strategies for EVs connected to a low-voltage distribution network

In this paper we consider charging strategies that mitigate the impact of domestic charging of EVs on low-voltage distribution networks and which seek to reduce peak power by responding to time-ofday pricing. The strategies are based on the distributed Additive Increase and Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD) charging algorithms proposed in [5]. The strategies are evaluated using simulations conducted on a custom OpenDSS-Matlab platform for a typical low voltage residential feeder network. Results show that by using AIMD based smart charging 50% EV penetration can be accommodated on our test network, compared to only 10% with uncontrolled charging, without needing to reinforce existing network infrastructure. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

On-off based charging strategies for EVs connected to a Low Voltage distributon network

The development of appropriate Electric Vehicle (EV) charging strategies has been identified as an effective way to accommodate an increasing number of EVs on Low Voltage (LV) distribution networks. Most research studies to date assume that future charging facilities will be capable of regulating charge rates continuously, while very few papers consider the more realistic situation of EV chargers that support only on-off charging functionality. In this work, a distributed charging algorithm applicable to on-off based charging systems is presented. Then, a modified version of the algorithm is proposed to incorporate real power system constraints. Both algorithms are compared with uncontrolled and centralized charging strategies from the perspective of both utilities and customers. © 2013 IEEE.

Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism

Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditure (DEE) of cheetahs was similar to size-based predictions and positively related to distance traveled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1 hour per day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more
important for population viability.