RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden
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How high feed-in tariffs impacted the capital cost of solar PV in Japan
No full textThis study investigates the impact of feed-in tariffs (FITs) on the capital expenditures (CAPEX) of solar photovoltaics (PV) projects in Japan. In 2012, Japan introduced a FIT scheme with the highest tariff levels in the world. Tariffs for a project were set at the time when the project obtained a qualification, but early projects had no deadline for starting operations, and many where not built until many years later. The installed capacity of solar PV in Japan surged under the scheme. However, Japan has suffered from high costs of solar PV compared to the global level. Using survey data from Japanese solar PV projects, and econometric modelling we leverage the fact that projects qualified at different points in time, with different FIT levels, have subsequently been built simultaneously. We find that higher FIT levels are correlated with increased CAPEX, where a 1 JPY/kWh increase in the FIT level is linked to a 3.31 JPY/W rise in CAPEX. This may be due to that developers with guaranteed high tariffs have weaker incentives to reduce costs and/or to strategic pricing by suppliers. Our findings indicate that poorly designed support schemes can counteract the policy goal of reducing renewable energy costs. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI [grant number20H00649]. Economic support from Formas -a Swedish ResearchCouncil for Sustainable Development is also gratefully acknowledged(2020–00184_Formas).</p
Hybrid manufacturing of a 3D-shaped fiber metal laminate
No full textThis contribution presents a methodology for designing, manufacturing, and testing of a multi-material solution demonstrator of a lower control arm for electric vehicle (EV) chassis made of a three-dimensional Fiber reinforced polymer-Metal Laminate (FML). The Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approach includes simulation methodology for process modeling, i.e. forming and draping, and part performance with the aim to reduce the developing time and related trial and errors. The challenges, besides a limited availability of resources and material input data for numerical models, include the combination of different forming methods for Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) and sheet metals (aluminum alloy) with the aim of simultaneous forming of both materials. Especially the sheet metal forming needed several improvement steps regarding heat treatment state to increase the ductility and reduce crack propagation, as well as optimization of the shape of the blanks to be formed into an asymmetric, three-dimensional geometry. Assembly includes adhesive bonding of the flat FML to the curved structure, and adapters for the testing to be performed. The quasi-static misuse testing is in good agreement to the results obtained from the simulated structural performance, with the weakest location being the adhesive bond line. An outlook on potential improvements regarding process simulation for manufacturing Fiber Metal Laminates, including necessary input data, is provided. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 innovation action program under grant agreement No 101006844 – Fatigue4Light project.</p
Application of Nordic Keyhole and Nutri-Score for assessment of nutritional quality of plant-based dairy analogues
No full textBackground: Public interest in plant-based dairy analogues is increasing; thus, their assessment by front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes such as Keyhole and Nutri-Score can facilitate the identification of products with optimal nutritional quality. In this study, Keyhole and the latest version of Nutri-Score criteria were applied to plant-based dairy analogues (i.e., milk, yoghurt, cheese, cream, fat spread, and ice cream analogues) in the Swedish market to evaluate their nutritional quality. Methods: Nutritional data for 222 plant-based dairy analogues were collected from food manufacturers’ websites, and the eligibility of these analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score (A to E) were assessed. Products eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B were deemed to have optimal nutritional quality. Results: 16% of plant-based milk analogues (from oat-, almond-, rice-, and potato-based products), 2% of plant-based yoghurt analogues and 37% of plant-based fat spread analogues were eligible for Keyhole. The plant-based cheese, cream and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole. None of the plant-based milk analogues qualified for Nutri-Score A, and 45% (mainly soy-, almond-, coconut-, pea- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score B. 68% of plant-based yoghurt analogues (from oat-, soy-, almond- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score A or B. The plant-based cheese, fat spread and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Nutri-Score A or B and 32% of plant-based cream analogues qualified for Nutri-Score B. A higher percentage of organic milk analogues and a lower percentage of organic yoghurt analogues were eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B compared to their non-organic varieties. Keyhole and Nutri-Score had an agreement on classifying two plant-based dairy analogues as optimal nutritional quality products and 133 plant-based dairy analogues as suboptimal. Conclusions: There is variability in the eligibility of plant-based dairy analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score labelling. Eligibility for Keyhole was highest among plant-based fat spread analogues, while Nutri-Score A and B ratings were more common for plant-based yoghurt analogues. Plant-based cheese and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B. Since the micronutrient content of organic and non-organic plant-based dairy analogues did not affect their evaluation by Keyhole and Nutri-Score, this limitation warrants further consideration. Open access funding provided by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. This study was part of FINEST (Food Innovation for Enabling System Transition) project. FINEST is supported by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) [Grant no. 2020–02839]. </p
Is transparency a good business strategy? : Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for information about the chemical content of reused and recycled clothing
No full textRecirculation can play an important role minimizing the environmental impact of the textile industry. However, there exist conflicts between recirculation of resources and regulatory strategies for a non-toxic environment. One pathway to remove restricted substances from recirculation is through labelling strategies that inform consumers about the chemical content of products. To date, research on the influence of information about chemical content on consumers’ willingness to pay for retail purchases, particular in the clothing sector, is rather limited. Using discrete choice experiments conducted in Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom with a sample of 1528 adults, we investigated whether access to information about the chemical content of garments influences consumer willingness to pay across new, recycled and reused clothing. Although access to information about restricted chemicals is enshrined as a right-to-know in the European Union’s regulations, the study highlights low awareness of this right: <23 % of respondents in all countries have requested such information. Findings show a strong preference for either instant access to chemical information through a QR code or direct access to information printed directly on a product label. Interestingly, the choice of QR code is preferred over printed product labels. At the same time, information provided in the standard 45-day waiting period is no more preferred than no information at all. Meaningfully, consumers in all contexts are willing to pay a premium for rapid access to information for new and recycled options, but there is uncertainty regarding used options. Our results also show that up to 9 % of the respondents choose according to an elimination-by-aspects strategy, meaning they will avoid purchasing clothes without access to information about chemical content. The results strengthen the need for higher transparency and better exchange of information along textile value chains, however they also emphasize the already high uncertainty faced by circular economy enterprises. This research has been financially supported by the Swedish Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS), grant agreement number 2021-00446</p
Enhanced Aromatic Yield from WEEE via Ex Situ Catalytic Pyrolysis : A Comparative Study of HZSM-5, Fe/HZSM-5, and CaO Catalysts in Single and Dual Modes
No full textThis study investigated an efficient catalyst configuration to enhance the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) fractions into aromatic hydrocarbons. Two engineered WEEE fractions, low-grade (LGEW) and medium-grade (MGEW), were used as feedstock in an ex situ catalytic pyrolysis process conducted in a two-stage lab-scale reactor. The first stage involved a batch pyrolyzer, followed by a fixed-bed catalytic reactor. The interaction between catalyst active sites and pyrolysis vapors played a key role in determining the chemical functionality of the surface intermediates. Five catalytic modes were tested: CaO, HZSM-5, Fe/HZSM-5, and a combination of CaO and HZSM-5 in mixed and separate bed configurations, with a catalyst-to-feedstock ratio of 0.15 w/w. The iron-loaded zeolite favored gas production, while CaO effectively converted acids into ketones. The dual-catalyst mixed bed of CaO and HZSM-5 exhibited the best catalytic synergy, enhancing the production of aromatic hydrocarbons and decarbonizing the process. However, metal doping increased catalyst coke formation due to more Lewis acid sites and the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Overall, this study provides a comparative analysis of catalyst activity during the thermochemical conversion of WEEE.The authors express their gratitude to the Swedish EnergyAgency (Energimyndigheten) for financial support (projectnumber 51219−1).</p
Exploring industry stakeholder perspectives on a clinical testbed for evaluating the handling of protein drugs in hospitals
No full textProtein drugs, such as therapeutic antibodies, are complex and require careful handling to maintain their efficacy and quality. Stress factors in hospitals, like temperature variations and mechanical shocks during transport, may negatively impact the stability of protein drugs (e.g. various monoclonal antibodies). The pharmaceutical industry possesses extensive knowledge about their product formulations but often the transfer of knowledge from lab studies into in-hospital handling procedures is challenging. To address this gap and find a way to bridge academia, healthcare, and industry, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from pharmaceutical companies across five countries. This study aimed to explore the opinions of formulation experts regarding stress evaluation in clinical settings. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four key themes: The human factor in clinical sites, clinical sites as data providers, potential complexities in conducting tests within a clinical setting, and challenges associated with product-specific methods, equipment and devices. This study also suggests tools for setting up clinical test beds that can help the pharmaceutical industry improve stress evaluation and understand clinical product handling. Direct collaboration with clinical sites is crucial, as experts perceive improved evaluation methods and education to be necessary for ensuring safe medicines for patients.This work has received support from the EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (RealHOPE grant n°101007939).</p
Formalizing Operational Design Domains with the Pkl Language
No full textThe deployment of automated functions that can operate without direct human supervision has changed safety evaluation in domains seeking higher levels of automation. Unlike conventional systems that rely on human operators, these functions require new assessment frameworks to demonstrate that they do not introduce unacceptable risks under real-world conditions. To make a convincing safety claim, the developer must present a thorough justification argument, supported by evidence, that a function is free from unreasonable risk when operated in its intended context. The key concept relevant to the presented work is the intended context, often captured by an Operational Design Domain specification (ODD). ODD formalization is challenging due to the need to maintain flexibility in adopting diverse specification formats while preserving consistency and traceability and integrating seamlessly into the development, validation, and assessment. This paper presents a way to formalize an ODD in the Pkl language, addressing central challenges in specifying ODDs while improving usability through specialized configuration language features. The approach is illustrated with an automotive example but can be broadly applied to ensure rigorous assessments of operational contexts.We acknowledge the support of the Swedish Knowledge Foundation via the industrial doctoral school RELIANT, grant nr: 20220130. This research was carried out within the SUNRISE project and is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions under grant agreement No.101069573. HSUNRIS
Slutrapport: Construction Factory 2.0 : Vinnova diarienummer: 2022-01713
No full textDetta dokument sammanfattar aktiviteter och erfarenheter i projektet Construction Factory 2.0, finansierat av Vinnova inom programmet Avancerad digitalisering. Projektets mål har varit att effektivisera anläggningsprocessen i Sverige där den bärande visionen har varit att tillgängliggöra rätt information för rätt aktör i rätt tid och därmed möjliggöra bättre beslut i hela värdekedjan för anläggningsarbete.Resultaten visar på en betydande effektiviseringspotential inom vägbyggnadssektorn. Genom digital samordning av processer och schemaläggning har projektet visat att stillestånd kan minskas och vägars livslängd förbättras. Även minskad administration och snabbare återkoppling vid beslut och avvikelsehantering har identifierats som viktiga nyttor. Arbetet har under två säsonger utvecklat, installerat och utvärderat teknik i pilotverksamheter inom pågående kundprojekt för vägunderhåll, där flera företag, aktörer och system har kopplats samman digitalt.En central utmaning har varit att hantera det fragmenterade ekosystemet och de dynamiska processerna i sektorn. Brister har identifierats inom bland annat upphandlingskoordinering och skalfördelar, vilket pekar på stor förbättringspotential. Felkällor har analyserats med fokus på mänskliga interaktioner och teknisk prestanda, där exempelvis felaktig eller utebliven dataregistrering och varierande teknisk kompetens hos aktörer har påverkat möjligheten att skapa en komplett och tillförlitlig digital tvilling. Även frågor om dataintegritet och verifiering av insamlad information har belysts.Sammanfattningsvis har projektet definierat och utvärderat en möjliggörande metod, presenterat en systemarkitektur, genomfört en pilot och kvantifierat nyttorna av dessa insatser. Det har bidragit med nya insikte
Shared mobility in South Africa: misalignments between research and practical realities
No full textAlongside a growing recognition of sharing as an approach to address the negative externalities of socio-economic systems, shared mobility has emerged as a hot topic in transport research. Scopus identifies 1,599 publications that use the term in the title, abstract, or keywords, all but eight of which were published within the last decade. However, several limitations misalign this scholarly conversation with the practical realities of many transport systems; a misalignment that is especially pronounced in transport systems across the Global South. The geographical focus is imbalanced: based on the affiliations of corresponding authors, 94% of publications originate from Europe, North America, or Asia, while less than 1% are authored by scholars in Africa. Most studies, moreover, adopt a technology-centred conceptualisation of shared mobility, focusing on modes like ride-hailing and app-based car sharing, while overlooking the long history of shared travel, as well as the significant roles of public transport and informal modes, such as paratransit and hitchhiking.Based on data from the 2020 South African Household Travel Survey, this paper highlights the effects of a technology-centred conceptualisation of shared mobility across three types of geographical areas in South Africa. It finds that such a perspective only captures 1.2% of current shared mobility trips in metropolitan areas, 0.04% in other urban areas, and 0.01% in rural areas. The paper ends with a brief discussion on the implications of the technology-centred conceptualisation for planning and visioning, as well as on the research needed to align the scholarly conversation with transport transition agendas in the Global South