Author: administrateur

17 Oct Energy Vectors (English version)

Posted at 12:53h in - Classification of publications - All, - Classification of themes - All, Academic report, by a Commission or a Working Group, Academy’s advice and position paper, Biotechnologies, Co-studies, Communications to the Academy by its members, Demography, Education, Training, Employment, Energy and Climate Change, Environment, Ethics, Information and Communication Technologies, Major French Technology Adventures, Mobility and Transportation, National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF), Other, Other publications, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Technologies and Development for Developing Countries, Technologies and Health, Ten questions and answers on technology topics, Urbanism and Housing, Working group reports by administrateur 0 Comments
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National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF)
2012
Editions Le Manuscrit 2012 Energy procurement/uses, influenced by oil prices and climate change, may differ in different countries. These influences continue but time-scales change (e.g. for peak oil and gas). The Fukushima accident has shaken confidence into nuclear power. This Report proposes a robust methodology for making relevant economic and ecological choices related to energy transition. Focussing on the French situation, it deals with Energy Vectors: the support system delivering energy ready to use (electricity, petrol, gas, or heat, etc.) to consumers; the intermediary stage of vectors between sources (coal, gas, U, wind, hydro) and demand of final energy (for transport, heating, industrial processes, etc.). While end-consumers may not be aware of the source for the final energy, distinguishing between them would allow economic and ecological competition (when C02 emissions carry a price-tag). This report throws new light on the political decisions that must be taken and provides guidelines with a long-range relevance.
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17 Oct NATURAL GAS Essential for Ireland’s Future Energy Security

Posted at 12:46h in - Classification of publications - All, - Classification of themes - All, - Member Academies - All, Academy’s advice and position paper, Energy and Climate Change, Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE) by administrateur 0 Comments
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Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE)
2018
Natural gas plays a critical role in Ireland’s energy mix and economy. Gas provides around 30% of Ireland’s total primary energy and generates about 50% of Ireland’s electricity. Many industries and homes in Ireland depend on gas for heating. Ireland’s Government has a vision of transitioning to a low-carbon economy by 2050. This will require a large increase in renewables and a shift to lower-carbon fuels like natural gas. Natural gas has the lowest carbon emissions of all fossil fuels and is an ideal complement to renewables. Natural gas will be critical for Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon future. Ireland needs to develop alternative sources of gas supply and supply routes. Developing a Liquefied Natural Gas import terminal in Ireland would enhance Ireland’s security of gas supply and provide access to the increasingly competitive global LNG market. Exploration for gas offshore Ireland should also be promoted, with appropriate licensing terms. A strategic national plan is required to diversify Ireland’s gas supply needs.
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17 Oct Impact of ICT on world energy consumption – and carbon footprints (Report only in French)

Posted at 12:40h in - Classification of publications - All, - Classification of themes - All, Academic report, by a Commission or a Working Group, Academy’s advice and position paper, Biotechnologies, Co-studies, Communications to the Academy by its members, Demography, Education, Training, Employment, Energy and Climate Change, Environment, Ethics, Information and Communication Technologies, Major French Technology Adventures, Mobility and Transportation, National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF), Other, Other publications, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Technologies and Development for Developing Countries, Technologies and Health, Ten questions and answers on technology topics, Urbanism and Housing, Working group reports by administrateur 0 Comments
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National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF)
2015
EDP Sciences, 2015 The report analyses the impact of ICT’s worldwide energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, considering the impacts generated by the operation of its various hardware and infrastructure, and the savings it spawns in other areas of activity. Conclusion: The final energy and carbon balance of all ICT categories together is clearly a positive one. In 2012, ICT accounted for 4.7% of worldwide electricity consumption, and a total carbon footprint of about 1.7 percent. These numbers are on an upwards trend, but in smaller proportions than the growing use of ICT, thanks to its contribution to reduce these footprints in other areas of activities such as in the transport sector, buildings, manufacturing industries, or even dematerialised procedures. The report focuses on the (global) transport/mobility sector benefitting from digitisation in and around vehicles and lists current lines of research aimed at better performance of computing, with lower energy consumption.
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01 Oct Recommendations for an AI Strategy in Switzerland

Posted at 15:03h in - Classification of themes - All, - Member Academies - All, Biotechnologies, Communications to the Academy by its members, Ethics, Other, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) by administrateur 0 Comments
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Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
October 2019
Authors: Alessandro Curioni, Lukas Czornomaz, Joachim Buhmann, Ernst Hafen, Manuel Kugler, Hervé Bourlard, Jana Koehler, Matthias Kaiserswerth, Anika Schumann Main themes: artificial intelligence Digital transformation is radically reshaping almost every aspect of our society. The explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics applications is enabled by the extreme availability of data in combination with the substantial computing power of modern highly distributed computing infrastructures connected by high-speed networks. Machine learning technologies can be trained to perform specific tasks with an efficiency and an accuracy that can supplement and, in some cases, outperform that of humans. These systems provide deep insights by learning from data and interactions with users, which is already leading to a profound transformation of numerous industries, professions, and society at large. The current state of AI is, however, still far from delivering truly intelligent behaviour that is comparable to human intelligence. An AI research strategy should therefore carefully analyse AI’s history with its various waves of large promises and conceptual shortcomings. Leading Swiss experts in AI have published their recommendations for a Swiss AI strategy. They advocate more intensive use of the technology and the creation of national data platforms, as data is a prerequisite for powerful algorithms.
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08 Août Factsheet Bioplastics

Posted at 15:06h in - Classification of publications - All, - Classification of themes - All, - Member Academies - All, Academy’s advice and position paper, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) by administrateur 0 Comments
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Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
August 2019
Authors: Roger Marti, Hans-Peter Meyer, Manfred Zinn Main themes: plastic, bioplastic, biopolymers Nature of publication: factsheet The first plastic, invented in the second half of the 19th century, was celluloid, produced from nitrocellulose and camphor. Bakelite was the first plastic based on repeating and identical building blocks, so-called monomers. Due to its unrivalled characteristics, Bakelite quickly found use in the rapidly growing automotive and electrical industries. Since then, “plastic” has been a major success and is found in practically all aspects of human life and in high-tech applications. The problem of plastic is related to its advantage: durability. It does not degrade completely, instead breaking down into ever smaller micro- and nanoparticles whose fate and influence on ecosystems are not yet clear. Is bioplastic a solution? The first SATW Innovation Forum on “Biopolymers” took place in November 2018. Invited stakeholders from academic research institutions, industry and administration discussed the current situation and possible shortcomings in Switzerland and charted possible scenarios for development. The publication shows why plastic has become a problem, what bioplastics are, and whether it needs regulation.
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