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100% renewable energy sources require overcapacity (Vol. 48 No. 2)
To switch electricity supply from nuclear to wind and solar power is not so simple
Germany decided to go nuclear-free by 2022. A CO2 -emission- free electricity supply system based on intermittent sources, such as wind and solar — or photovoltaic (PV) — power could replace nuclear power. However, these sources depend on the weather conditions. In a new study published recently, the author analysed weather conditions using 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 data derived from the electricity supply system itself, instead of relying on meteorological data. By scaling existing data up to a 100% supply from intermittent renewable energy sources, the author demonstrates that an average 325 GW wind and PV power are required to meet the 100% renewable energy target. This study shows the complexity of replacing the present primary energy supply with electricity from intermittent renewable sources, which would inevitably need to be supplemented by other forms of CO2 - free energy production.
F. Wagner, Surplus from and storage of electricity generated by intermittent sources, Eur. Phys. J. Plus 131, 445 (2016)
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Economics made simple with physics models (Vol. 48 No. 2)
Snapshot of the study of economic phenomena using the tools of physics
How would you go about understanding how markets can suddenly be gripped by panic? To physicists, using a model originally developed to explain magnetism might make sense. Yet, economists may find this extremely counter-intuitive. Both physical and economic phenomena may possess universal features that could be uncovered using the tools of physics. The principal difference is that in economic systems — unlike physical ones — current actions may be influenced by the perception of future events. This European Physical Journal Special Topics issue examines the question as to whether econophysics, a physics-based approach to understanding economic phenomena, is more useful and desirable than conventional economics theories. One of the features emerging from the issue is that the much coveted idea of universality may be the exception rather than the rule in the economic and the social world. Also, many of the originally proposed models of econophysics can be argued to be simplistic rather than simple. Most importantly, a clear-cut demonstration of superiority of econophysics models over standard economics models has yet to be delivered.
S. Sinha, A. S. Chakrabarti and M. Mitra, Can economics be a physical science? Eur. Phys. J. ST 225 Issue 17-18 (2016)
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Accurately evaluating on 40Ca+ optical clock BBR temperature (Vol. 48 No. 2)
Optical clock based on 40Ca+ single-ion is a promising option in the program of transportable optical clocks. In such system, one of the largest contributions to the systematic uncertainty is blackbody radiation (BBR) shift. The uncertainty of BBR shift is basically dependent on the uncertainty of the BBR shift coefficient and the uncertainty of temperature measurement on the trap environment which both have a contribution at 10-17 level in fractional frequency units. We report a careful evaluation of BBR temperature rise seen by 40Ca+ ion confined in a miniature Paul trap via FEM modelling. The result indicates that the uncertainty of the BBR shift due to temperature has a contribution of 5.4 × 10-18 to the systematic uncertainty, and it allows improving the clock’s overall accuracy in the future. Moreover, an interesting work has been reported on validating the finite-element temperature model by comparison with thermal camera measurements calibrated against PT1000 thermometers. This work can be used to validate the FEM model of other optical clock systems and to evaluate the temperature in a vacuum chamber measured by thermal camera.
P. Zhang, J. Cao, H. Shu, J. Yuan, J. Shang, K. Cui, S. Chao, S. Wang, D. Liu and X. Huang, Evaluation of blackbody radiation shift with temperature-associated fractional uncertainty at 10-18 level for 40Ca+ ion optical clock, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 50, 015002 (2017).
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Novel plasma jet offshoot phenomenon explains blue atmospheric jets (Vol. 48 No. 2)
Russian physicists identify mysterious right-angle side-jet occurring off the plasma arc in air at ambient pressure conditions
Ionised matter, like plasma, still holds secrets. Physicists working with plasma jets, made of a stream of ionised matter, have just discovered a new phenomenon. Indeed, the authors found a new type of discharge phenomenon in an atmospheric pressure plasma. It has been dubbed apokamp—from the Greek words for ‘off’ and ‘bend’, because it appears at a perpendicular angle to where plasma jets bend. Their findings have been recently published and are particularly relevant for the development of novel applications in medicine, health care and materials processing because they involve air at normal atmospheric pressure, which would make it cheaper than applications in inert gases or nitrogen. This phenomenon can help explain the blue jet phenomenon identified in 1994 in the upper atmosphere, where strange upwards-facing jets develop from thunderstorm clouds.
E. А. Sosnin, V. А. Panarin, V. S. Skakun , E. Kh. Baksht and V. F. Tarasenko, Dynamics of apokamp-type atmospheric pressure plasma jets, Eur. Phys. J. D 71, 25 (2017)
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