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Photovoltaics (PV) is a cost-competitive and scalable technology for electricity generation that plays a crucial role to accelerate the European energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality. Large-scale installation of rooftop PV, as well as innovative PV applications such as floating PV coupled with hydropower and bifacial PV along roads and railways, offer multi-benefits, not least in reducing competition for land. In this study, we present a geospatial approach to assess the pan-European technical potential of these three applications, using publicly available datasets. The findings reveal that the PV total installed capacity could exceed 1 TWp, which is far larger than the total PV capacity for 2030 in the EU Solar Energy Strategy (720 GWp) and would be a significant contribution to the several TWs needed for the overall transition to net-zero by 2050. The evidence presented is a useful starting point for policy-setting at national and regional level, as well as for research and detailed analyses of location specific solutions.

The RETAIN Model is a game design and evaluation model for serious games. In this study, educators evaluated social change web-based and mobile app games using the RETAIN model rubric. In general, web-based games scored higher on the RETAIN rubric than their mobile app counterparts. In addition, the educators analyzed the social change games for their "hidden curriculum." In some cases, the rubric and "hidden curriculum" contributed to educators altering the way they used the games they had appraised by supplementing context, incorporating discussion, or not using the games at all. The RETAIN model rubric offered educators a tool to evaluate digital games.

There are those who agree with Tom Pettitt that we are entering into a period where text based literacy is no longer the only measure of intelligence, nor is it the only form of valuable communications and knowledge acquisition for today's media-centric children. As Prensky states, today's youth speak "digital" as their primary language. While his comments may be tempered by the fact that they are based on personal observation and correspondence with others, Prensky does make a point. In order to reach these children and stimulate their interest in reading and writing, it may be better to being by teaching to their strengths and if digital is the basis of those skills, then starting with digital media has considerable merit. This paper presents the some of the foundations behind Jenkins' premise that remixing and appropriation of previously created works is a valid first step in the learning process. The authors suggest that mixing media with story invention creates a learning environment of considerable power. The paper also discusses a series of related studies in which these hypotheses were investigated and a few words about the ramifications these results may have on future studies in this area. (Contains 4 tables.)

Research has shown that quality teacher-student interactions far outweigh all other considerations to produce positive learning outcomes. Although this may be inherently obvious, few teacher preparation programs dedicate much time to training teachers how to create positive interactive, constructivist learning environments. Much can be learned about how to develop participatory learning skills in their students from a review of the best practices utilized by live interactive performers whose ultimate success is determined by the quality of the interactions with their audiences. The techniques described in this article represent a recollection over a ten-year period of the techniques and tactics utilized by interactive performers and an analysis of these strategies by a researcher trained in instructional design.

This article explores the impact of perceptual cognitive styles on pre-service teachers' attitudes toward video games. Using a cognitive style continuum measuring field dependence and field independence, the authors conducted an exploratory study to measure the potential impact of cognitive style on pre-service teachers' dispositions towards the use of games in their future classrooms. Results showed that participants who planned on becoming teachers were generally found to be more field dependent than peers who elected other major fields of study. These participants also demonstrated a general reluctance towards using console games in their future classroom situations. After the brief experience playing the console game, however, these preservice teachers' attitudes changed significantly with regards to their game playing attitudes and preferences.

Attempts to increase motivation in reluctant readers have been the focus of many local, state and federal reading research initiatives. Only recently have researchers and educators come to understand that many of these same issues also face teachers of gifted and talented learners. Frequently, students who are bright and talented but do not perform to their academic ability are categorized as being underachievers or unmotivated. In this article, the authors explore some reasons why gifted students struggle with reading and why they, like those in regular classrooms, are reluctant to read and write. This study uses a computerized version of the Matching Familiar Figures Test as an identifier and predictor of student performance. An instructional intervention (UB the Director Model) is also utilized to determine if these instructional practices help to overcome these students' reluctance and lack of motivation. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.)

Video games have become an essential part of the way people play and learn. While an increasing number of people are using games to learn in informal environments, their acceptance in the classroom as an instructional activity has been mixed. Successes in informal learning have caused supporters to falsely believe that implementing them into the classroom would be a relatively easy transition and have the potential to revolutionise the entire educational system. In spite of all the hype, many are puzzled as to why more teachers have not yet incorporated them into their teaching. The literature is littered with reports that point to a variety of reasons. One of the reasons, we believe, is that very little has been done to convince teachers that the effort to change their curriculum to integrate video games and other forms of technology is worthy of the effort. Not until policy makers realise the importance of professional development and training as an important use of funds will positive changes in thinking and perceptions come about, which will allow these various forms of technology to reach their potential. The authors have hypothesised that the major impediments to useful technology integration include the general lack of institutional infrastructure, poor teacher training, and overly-complicated technologies. Overcoming these obstacles requires both a top-down and a bottom-up approach. This paper presents the results of a pilot study with a group of preservice teachers to determine whether our hypotheses regarding potential negativity surrounding video games was valid and whether a wider scale study is warranted. The results of this study are discussed along with suggestions for further research and potential changes in teacher training programmes.

Video games are one of the fastest growing elements of informal, virtual learning. While their popularity in informal learning situations continues to grow, adoption in the K-12 classrooms remains stagnant. We attribute this to two separate but inter-related phenomena. Game designers and developers fail to incorporate important pedagogic components. Teachers do not adopt the games based on pejorative notions, and low expectancies as to their relevance and usefulness. The authors believe the general lack of sound instructional design principles found in most games destined for the classroom have resulted in a player/learner base that is engaged and entertained, but does not learn the desired content. We further suggest that a growing adversarial relationship seems to be growing among educators regarding the validity of educational games. In this article, the authors present the background behind these and present a case for a design and evaluation rubric that appears to overcome many of the shortcomings in educational games currently on the market. The authors further propose several changes to pre-service and in-service teacher training curricula that should provide opportunities for teachers to become more actively involved in game selection and integration that will allow them to reach their full potential. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the alleged changes in the ways the so-called "digital generation" communicates and learns. Most of the commentary has been based on anecdotes, observations and opinions. The lack of empirical evidence in this matter suggests that it may be time to begin the process of gathering data to confirm these views. At the forefront is the issue of which learner characteristics have changed, if any, and, accordingly, which evaluation tools are best suited to evaluate them. One mechanism found to be valid and reliable is the matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT). Developed over thirty years ago to measure cognitive tempo on an impulsive-reflective axis, this instrument was subsequently adapted into a twenty-question version. Cairns and Cammock, the researchers who modified the original into the MFFT-20, published the results of several reliability studies to demonstrate its overall effectiveness. This preliminary study is an attempt to begin the empirical verification process of using cognitive tempo as a relevant assessment tool. Two groups of K-12 students from different eras were investigated to determine if comparing cognitive tempos between subjects who took the original MFFT-20 to those who live in the current media-centric society provides any insights as to possible differences in the visual cognitive processing skills and preferences. The results of the comparative analysis, along with possible implications for teachers and instructional designers are discussed.

We are witnessing a mad rush to pour educational content into games in an ad hoc manner in hopes that player/learners are motivated simply because the content is housed inside a game. A failure to base educational game design on well-established learning and instructional theories increases the risk of the game failing to meet its intended educational goals, and yielding students who are entertained but who have not acquired any academic skills or knowledge. Our review of standalone educational games has shown that they are not always based on sound educational principles and theories. We contend that, if academic learning is to take place, a new design paradigm must be developed. This article discusses the RETAIN design and evaluation model for educational games that was developed to aide in the evaluation of how well academic content is endogenously immersed and embedded within the game's fantasy and story context, promoters transfer of knowledge, and encourages repetitive usage to that content becomes available for use in an automatic way.

New learning and communications paradigms of today's learners are extending the definition of literacy and directly affecting how reading and writing skills are acquired (Leu, 2000). Mirroring an ever-expanding definition of literacy, new college and K-12 curricular programs that redefine digital media are popping up all over the country. Story is at the core of both traditional literacy and these digital media courses and using it as a focus could be appealing to today's media-centric students. Further, McLuhan's (1965) and Ong's (1984) ideas about media and the message can help to reformulate notions about why and how today's students communicate and how using particular media affects how they learn things. The intent of this article is to share information and provide guidance for preservice and in-service teachers about a mediated alternative instructional strategy that has the ability to reach reluctant and struggling readers. Findings are presented from a pilot study that evaluated a new Web-based tool that links the interests of media-centric students with their natural fondness for story. Digital Booktalk is a Web portal that uses video trailers and associated activities in an attempt to effectively match potential readers. Initial pilot studies tested out these assumptions and determined that these types of mediated interventions can be successful in motivating students to read and complete books and increase personal understanding of the relevance of reading and writing in the lives of those who otherwise demonstrate an aversion to text-based media. Results of the study and implications for in-service and preservice teachers are discussed.

We describe a genetic algorithm approach to solve an inverse problem in optics, which determines the characteristics of a fiber Bragg grating from its reflected spectrum. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by use of a Bragg sensor for the measurement of nonlinear strain acting on a uniaxial aluminum test specimen. OCIS codes: 060.2310, 060.2370.

The performance of a PV module at STC [1] is a useful indicator for comparing the peak performance of different module types, but on its own is not sufficient to accurately predict how much energy a module will deliver in the field when subjected to a wide range of real operating conditions [2]. An Energy Rating approach has to be preferred for that aim. It is currently under development the standard series IEC 61853 on Energy Rating, for which only part 1 [3] has been issued. It describes methods to characterize the module performance as a function of irradiance and temperature. The reproducibility of the power matrix measurements obtained by the three different methods specified in the standard, namely: under natural sunlight using a tracking system; under natural sunlight without tracker; and a large area pulsed solar simulator of Class AAA were evaluated and discussed [4,5]. The work here presented is focused on the second method listed above, which explores the real working conditions for a PV device and therefore it represents the situation where Energy Rating procedures are expected to give the largest deviations from the STC predictions. The system for continuous monitoring of module performances, already implemented at ESTI, has been recently replaced with a new system having a number of improvements described in the following. The two system results have been compared showing a discrete compatibility. The two power matrices are then merged together using a weighted average and compared to those acquired with the other two remaining “ideal” systems. An interesting tendency seems to come up from this comparison, making the power rating under real operating conditions an essential procedure for energy rating purposes.

The international standard IEC62670-3 (International Electrotechnical Committee) "Photovoltaic Concentrators (CPV) Performance Testing—Part 3—Performance Measurements and Power Rating" sets the guidelines for power measurements of a CPV device, both in indoor and outdoor conditions. When measuring in outdoor conditions, the acquired data have to be filtered a posteriori, in order to select only those points measured with ambient conditions close to the Concentrator Standard Operating Conditions (CSOC). The most stringent requirement to be met is related to the three Spectral Matching Ratios (SMR), which have all to be within the limit of 1.00 ± 0.03. SMR are usually determined by the ratio of the currents of component cells to monitor the outdoor spectral ratio conditions during the CPV device power measurements. Experience demonstrates that obtaining real world data meeting these strict conditions is very difficult in practice. However, increasing the acceptable range would make the entire filtering process less appropriate from a physical point of view. Given the importance of correctly measuring the SMR, an estimation of their associated measurement uncertainties is needed to allow a proper assessment of the validity of the 3% limit. In this study a Monte Carlo simulation has been used, to allow the estimation of the propagation of uncertainties in expressions having the and integral form. The method consists of applying both random and wavelength correlated errors to the measured spectra and to the measured spectral responses of the three CPV cell junctions, according to the measurement uncertainties of the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI). The experimental data used in this study have been acquired during clear sky conditions in May 2016, at ESTI's facilities in Ispra, northern Italy (45°49′ N 8°37′ E). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]