Search

Based on semistructured interviews (N = 7), informal interviewing (N = 63), and a survey (N = 790), this article describes the cultural models used by mid-Atlantic residents to understand Pfiesteria piscicida. A cultural model is a simplified way of understanding a complex system, shared by members of a culture. Eighty-eight percent of respondents understood Pfiesteria using one of four previously existing cultural models: a disease in fish, a parasite in fish, a water pollutant, and a toxin or poison. These models are not used by marine biologists, who are more likely to refer to Pfiesteria taxonomically or, in its fish killing form, to call it a predator. Our survey shows that the cultural model a respondent holds is correlated significantly with his or her believed pathway of human harm (e.g., eating fish versus swimming) and is correlated significantly but weakly with his or her behavioral responses. We conclude that existing cultural models, as the public has applied them to Pfiesteria, have led people to avoid a range of coastal activities and seafoods, in virtually all cases unnecessarily. Cultural models appear to explain public reaction better than previously hypothesized factors such as inaccurate media coverage. These findings suggest an approach to developing a pedagogical and communications strategy which could provide the public with a cultural model better matched to Pfiesteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the interviews conducted on some U.S. residents, in order to understand their perception towards global climate change. Factors differentiating the residents' perception of global climate change with that of scientists; Number of residents supporting the need for environment preservation; Views of residents on energy consumption and global warming issues.

No abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When charging or discharging electric vehicles, power losses occur in the vehicle and the building systems supplying the vehicle. A new use case for electric vehicles, grid services, has recently begun commercial operation. Vehicles capable of such application, called Grid-Integrated Vehicles, may have use cases with charging and discharging summing up to much more energy transfer than the charging only use case, so measuring and reducing electrical losses is even more important. In this study, the authors experimentally measure and analyze the power losses of a Grid-Integrated Vehicle system, via detailed measurement of the building circuits, power feed components, and of sample electric vehicle components. Under the conditions studied, measured total one-way losses vary from 12% to 36%, so understanding loss factors is important to efficient design and use. Predominant losses occur in the power electronics used for AC-DC conversion. The electronics efficiency is lowest at low power transfer and low state-of-charge, and is lower during discharging than charging. Based on these findings, two engineering design approaches are proposed. First, optimal sizing of charging stations is analyzed. Second, a dispatch algorithm for grid services operating at highest efficiency is developed, showing 7.0% to 9.7% less losses than the simple equal dispatch algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this research is to understand the economics of anticipated large-scale changes in the electric system. 86 million different combinations of renewable generation (wind and solar), natural gas, and three storage types (hydrogen storage, electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, and building heat) are modeled within the PJM Interconnection. The corresponding electric systems are then operated and constrained to meet the load every hour over four years. The total cost of each energy system is calculated, both with and without externalities, to find the least cost energy systems. Using today’s costs of conventional and renewable electricity and without adding any externalities, the cost-minimum system includes no renewable generation, but does include EVs. When externalities are included, however, the most cost-effective to system covers 50% of the electric load with renewable energy and runs reliably without need for either new conventional generation or purpose-built storage. The three novel energy policy implications of this research are: (1) using today’s cost of renewable electricity and estimates of externalities, it is cost effective to implement 240 GW of renewable electricity to meet 50% of the total electric load; (2) there is limited need to construct new natural gas power plants, especially from a system-wide perspective; and (3) existing coal plants may still be useful to the energy system, and instead of being retired, should be repurposed to occasionally provide generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals' self-described identities were hypothesized to change as a result of participation in voluntary face-to-face groups engaged in environmental action. Semi-structured interviews and a standard interview test of identity were conducted with 159 members of 20 environmental groups and 2 non-group comparison samples from North Carolinaand the Delmarva Peninsula. In agreement with the theoretical literature, interview text suggests that individual identity forms and changes over time - we refer to these transitions as 'reformulations.' Definitions of self that prevent the further development of an identityas an environmentalist, or that lead to an unwillingness to perform a particular environmental action, are here called 'barriers.' Interviews were coded for identities, reformulations, barriers, and actionstaken, revealing significant differences across types of groups. Although some of the variation among groups may be explained by prior individual differences leading a person to join a compatible group, thequalitative interview data suggest that many of the differences comeabout in the processes of participating in the group and carrying out actions encouraged by the group. This perspective on action, that it leads to identity formation, is in contrast to a traditional view that environmental actions follow from attitudes, values, or knowledgeof environmental damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]