thesis on green engineering

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• Published: 15 April 2024

Intelligentization helps the green and energy-saving transformation of power industry-evidence from substation engineering in China

• Minxin Liang 1 ,
• Lingzi Liu 1 ,
• Weigao Liang 1 ,
• Kaihui Ye 2 &
• Jie Gao 2  

Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  8698 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Energy and society
• Energy economics

The coordinated development of intelligence and greening is an intrinsic demand for high-quality economic and social development. Intelligentization and greening are the leading directions of sustainable development of the power industry. This paper directs of sustainable development of the power industry. This paper empirically analyzes the effect and mechanism of intelligence on the green environmental friendliness of electric power substations by using a panel fixed-effects model and instrumental variable regression, using substation engineering data from China southern power grid during 2013–2022. It is found that the level of intelligence significantly promotes the green performance of substation projects, and this conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. Intelligence can reduce material waste and pollutant emissions by improving the engineering environmental monitoring capability and the refinement of engineering resource control, thus improving the environmental friendliness of the project. The research in this paper helps to promote the integrated development of intelligent and green power engineering, to better achieve economic and green goals.

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Introduction

In response to the escalating global trends of climate change and warming, the United Nations convened the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015. During this pivotal event, representatives from 197 countries achieved consensus on the Paris Agreement, proposing a unified climate response program. In the following years, many countries intensified efforts to reduce carbon emissions by implementing measures such as “certification emission reduction” and “carbon tax” to restrict carbon emissions across various industries and sectors. Among these industries, the power sector, long recognized for its high levels of fossil energy combustion and carbon emissions, must play a pivotal role in emission reduction efforts. It must commit to low-carbon practices and cleanliness to combat climate change, enhance environmental quality, and foster sustainable energy development. Current research predominantly focuses on decarbonization in power generation, with extensive studies conducted on low-carbon technologies for coal-fired power and renewable energy generation. Attention to decarbonization in the transmission and transformation processes, particularly in the construction of power infrastructure, remains limited. As a intersection between the power and construction industries, the construction phase of power projects is integral to the power sector. It entails significant manpower, equipment, material usage, resource consumption, and waste generation, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions. The low-carbon development of substations holds profound implications for energy conservation and emission reduction in the entire power industry. Despite the significance, current low-carbon research mainly concentrates on civil construction, neglecting the imperative of extending such efforts to low-carbon industrial construction. Hence, there is a critical need to explore strategies to facilitate the green and low-carbon transformation of power projects. In this regard, current research has already focused on the construction and implementation of “green” and “zero-carbon” substations. However, overall investment in this area is insufficient. Another issue is that the monitoring and reduction of carbon emissions from these power facilities require further enhancement of the intelligence level of substations.

Now digitization and intelligence continuously drive the transformation of the power industry, fostering the construction of the digital grid and the new power system, thereby facilitating innovation-driven development. In April 2021,China Southern Power Grid issued the “Digital Power Grid White Paper”, advocating for the digital grid as the optimal framework for accommodating the new type of power system. The imperative lies in hastening the construction of the digital power grid, enhancing its operational capabilities, and facilitating the operation, management, and control of a new power system predominantly reliant on new energy sources. Moreover, the introduction of digital demand response alone is projected to decrease the abandonment rate of photovoltaic and wind power in the EU from 7 to 1.6% by 2040, consequently reducing carbon emissions by 30,000 million tonnes, according to predictions by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Additionally, another international consultancy forecasts that global power plant digitization will reach approximately 19% by 2025, enabling power producers to slash operating costs by approximately 27% and thereby reducing carbon emissions from the global power generation sector by 4.7%. While existing evidence underscores the significant support provided by digitization for carbon reduction in power generation, there remains a dearth of attention on whether a similar impact is observed in the transmission and transformation chain. Hence, the central question of interest in this paper emerges: Can intelligence serve as the impetus for the green transformation of power projects? Although many perspectives suggest that enhancing the intelligence level of power projects’ construction is crucial for achieving low-carbon objectives 1 , further theoretical and practical research on this aspect remains limited. Particularly, as the smart grid becomes increasingly intelligent due to the integration of renewable energy sources, other sectors face challenges that necessitate the use of more intelligent equipment and methods to ensure safety. There is still a lack of evidence regarding whether the introduction of intelligent methods can further promote decarbonization of power facilities.

Current research widely acknowledges that the development of intelligent technology will significantly propel the green transformation of the entire economy. Intelligent technology drives enterprises from an “industrial management mode” towards a “digital management mode” 2 , 3 . This shift encourages companies to actively pursue intelligent production and operation, precise marketing management, and efficient resource management, thereby transitioning product development from experience-driven to data-driven, leading to digital information exchange 4 , and leveraging advantages in reducing R&D costs 5 to drive green technological innovation within enterprises. Additionally, intelligent transformation can break through resource spatial–temporal boundaries, accelerate knowledge sharing processes, and facilitate the integration of advantageous resources 6 . As digital transformation deepens, enterprises’ organizational management modes, production management modes, and business models undergo disruptive changes, further propelling the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, changing production methods, and restructuring the entire industry landscape 7 . It is evident that current research mainly focuses on the manufacturing industry, leaving notable gaps in industries with certain public attributes, such as the electricity sector. Numerous studies have delved into intelligent technology, largely based on discussions of national policies and the situation of intelligent technology revolutions in the energy and environmental sectors. Most studies and commentaries concentrate on fault detection and diagnostic technologies 8 , energy planning and prediction models 9 , solar and wind energy forecasting 10 , building energy control 11 , power system optimization 12 , among others.

Within the power engineering field, intelligence methods such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and fuzzy logic models have been widely applied to address numerous technical challenges in the energy sector 13 , 14 , including energy market price forecasting 15 , demand-side energy planning 16 , 17 , energy forecasting 18 , building load management 19 , data security in smart grids and block-chain20, optimization of hybrid systems, renewable energy 21 , and big data management 22 , 23 , as well as grid fault detection 24 . Research on the transmission and transformation stage, especially in the construction of power projects, is relatively lacking, despite power facilities such as substations contributing significantly to power emissions. Hence, further investigation into the development of intelligent technology in critical areas of power project development is necessary to fully understand its decarbonization potential throughout the power project construction process. By utilizing real-time monitoring, data collection, and intelligent resource scheduling 25 , intelligent technology is poised to enhance the environmental performance of power projects 26 . Stakeholders can identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce carbon footprints by analyzing data on energy consumption, material usage, and carbon emissions 27 . In addition to potential environmental benefits, intelligent technology also brings economic advantages to power projects by streamlining processes, optimizing resource utilization 28 , reducing waste, lowering operating costs, and enhancing project efficiency. Despite the significant potential of intelligent technology in power projects, empirical evidence in this area is currently lacking.

Therefore, from the perspective of power projects, this paper will investigate whether intelligent development corresponds to the greening development of power projects and explore its potential mechanisms. This study empirically analyzes the impact of intelligence on the environmental friendliness of substations using a panel fixed-effects model and instrumental variables regression. The analysis is based on existing evaluation standards for intelligence and environmental friendliness of substation projects, utilizing data from 2013 to 2022 from a company within the China Southern Power Grid .The findings suggest that intelligence significantly enhances the greening performance of substation projects, with this conclusion remaining robust. Specifically, intelligence improves environmental monitoring capabilities and enhances the precision of project resource control, thereby promoting the environmental friendliness of the project. Compared with existing research, the marginal contribution of this paper lies in two main aspects. Firstly, it empirically tests the logical fact that intelligence aids in greening development within the field of electric power projects. While existing research has analyzed the green attributes of intelligent development from macro and micro enterprise levels, this paper further focuses on power projects’ analysis and identifies the influence of intelligence on their greening development. Secondly, it reveals the role mechanism of intelligence in facilitating the greening development of electric power projects. Differing from current research, which concentrates on the role mechanism of enterprise intelligence, this paper shifts the focus to power projects and proposes that intelligence enhances environmental monitoring capabilities and resource control precision, thereby promoting their green development. The conclusions drawn from this paper contribute to the expansion of micro-mechanism cognition within the intelligent power industry and aid in facilitating low-carbon power projects. This, in turn, fosters further optimization in carbon reduction deployment within the power industry and facilitates the integration of power project intelligence and greening development.

Theoretical analysis

Literature review on the green power project.

On the foundation of “green buildings”, studies have explored the requirements and strategic directions for the green and low-carbon development of power projects. This includes concepts such as “green substation” and “zero-carbon substation”. Green buildings are assets that can reduce negative impacts on the natural environment throughout their life cycle stages, including design, construction, operation, maintenance, and demolition 29 . They are characterized by resource and energy efficiency, a preference for renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, pollution and waste reduction, the use of safe and recyclable materials, high environmental quality, residential comfort, and complementarity with the local natural environment and ecology 30 . Green power projects refer to power conversion projects that adhere to energy-saving, environmental protection, and efficient design principles at all stages of planning, design, construction, and operation. They aim to achieve resource conservation, efficiency maximization, sustainable environmental development, and coordinated social progress. Due to the significant functions that green power projects undertake in the power system, they emphasize the integration of safety, quality, environmental protection, and ecology throughout the entire lifecycle of power grid engineering. Driven by technological and managerial innovations, they actively embrace digitization and informatization to accelerate carbon emission reduction. Therefore, green power projects not only need to meet the construction requirements of “green building” but also the construction standards of “green substation”.

Current research emphasizes promoting the green development of power projects through greening measures during the design and construction processes. In terms of design, particular attention should be paid to water supply and drainage systems 31 , optimizing drainage efficiency and enhancing automatic control and sewage recycling to effectively achieve water conservation requirements. Assembled buildings are widely used in substation construction, offering significant advantages in improving construction efficiency and resource conservation, which can reduce operation and maintenance costs in the later stages 32 . Furthermore, the concept of “green lighting” has gained increasing attention in green power projects, enhancing the lifespan of LED light sources and maximizing solar energy utilization to achieve energy-saving and emission reduction goals. Integrating solar photovoltaic power generation into protection chambers also offers significant economic and environmental benefits 33 .

Given the considerable environmental and social benefits of green buildings and green power projects, there have been significant improvements in their development and promotion in various countries, along with relatively mature assessment standards. In 2013, China Southern Power Grid released the first green substation construction standard document in the power industry, namely the “3C Green Grid Construction Evaluation Standard”. Based on green building evaluation standards, this standard provides guidance and evaluation criteria for green substation construction, emphasizing internationalization and the “Four savings and one protection” principle. It covers four key aspects: green planning, green design, green construction, and green delivery 34 . Currently, the overall construction requirements for green power projects are the “Four savings and one protection” principle, namely, saving water, land, materials, and energy during construction and protecting the environment. This requirement has only correspondingly established construction specifications for green construction, while green planning, green design, and green delivery have been neglected. Some scholars have noticed the scope covered by green power projects, establishing evaluation systems spanning multiple stages such as design, construction, and delivery 35 . Some scholars have attempted to use quantitative analysis methods such as Analytic Hierarchy Process 36 and Fuzzy Objective Element Analysis 37 to construct indicator systems focusing on the “four savings and one protection” principle. Additionally, some scholars have analyzed the factors affecting the green construction of substations in practice, selecting evaluation indicators from aspects such as planning and management, resource utilization, environmental protection, new technology applications, and ecological benefits, and incorporating digitalization and intelligence indicators 38 .

Literature review on intelligent enabled green development

Present studies have thoroughly examined the effectiveness and mechanisms of digital technology in promoting economic greening transformation. These analyses combining theory and practice, have identified opportunities and challenges of digital technology from theoretical perspectives. Empirical studies have been conducted to explore the role of digitalization in mechanisms such as green total factor productivity, industrial green transformation, and green technological innovation. From a macroscopic viewpoint, smart technology’s cross-border integration characteristics dismantle previous sectoral boundaries, fostering resource element integration and supply structure optimization. Moreover, it disrupts traditional industrial aggregation patterns, transitioning towards a virtual aggregation mode facilitated by digital technology. This expansion enhances knowledge spillover effects and reduces transaction costs within the economic system. Furthermore, the innovative features of intelligent technology, including human–machine collaboration and group intelligence openness, permeate all economic sectors. These technologies synergize with advanced manufacturing and information and communication technologies to form a ternary interconnected intelligent system termed as “human–machine-object” 39 . This system provides new technical support for green growth, offering fresh impetus for economic transformation.

At the industrial level, existing studies have explored the proposition that big data, as a pivotal component of smart manufacturing, can foster green development through technological innovation, the transformation of traditional industries 40 , and enhancing green total factor productivity. The theory of discontinuous innovation posits that advancements in AI technology lead to discontinuous technological innovations, propelling traditional industries towards intelligent development and giving rise to new formats and industries 41 , thereby fostering green performance. Simultaneously, green technological innovation expedites the substitution of traditional energy-intensive technologies, consequently reducing resource consumption and pollution emissions in production. Moreover, it diminishes information asymmetry, ultimately bolstering green total factor productivity and enhancing the efficiency of resource allocation 42 .

At the micro-enterprise level, intelligence exerts a significant spillover radiation effect on the green innovation behavior of related enterprises, thereby enhancing green technology innovation 43 . For enterprises, replacing traditional, inefficient, and highly polluting technologies through green technology innovation is pivotal for capturing future market opportunities and achieving green development 44 . However, embarking on green transformation entails bearing substantial uncertain risks, with the sizable initial investment posing a formidable challenge for enterprises. This obstacle impedes their departure from traditional paths and hampers their motivation to engage in green innovation activities. Digital technology plays a crucial role in reducing information asymmetry among firms, alleviating financing constraints, and facilitating innovative activities. Additionally, efficient environmental control emerges as a vital avenue for enhancing enterprise green innovation performance. Artificial intelligence technology not only enhances the efficiency of enterprise pollution control 45 but also enables government environmental protection departments to accurately monitor enterprise pollution emissions. This, in turn, facilitates the formulation of scientific and efficient control measures, thereby fostering positive feedback on enterprise green innovation efficiency. Moreover, digital transformation fosters a conducive innovation ecosystem for enterprises, encouraging active research and development of green technologies and establishing a positive feedback mechanism 46 .

In summary, existing studies have conducted in-depth research on intelligence-enabled greening at both macro and micro levels, and there is a notable gap in research at the project level. Green projects represent on the culmination of specific micro outcomes and the integration of systematic results. Exploring green projects can enrich theories related to intelligent empowerment greening and offer insights into practical green initiatives implementation.

Theoretical analysis of intelligent assistance for green transformation of electric power project intelligent enhancement of project environment monitoring capability

Traditional project construction objectives typically prioritize hard indicators like cost, progress, and quality, often relegating environmental performance to a soft constraint. However, with the continuous development and application of digital technology, project environmental objectives have become more visible and integrated into all specific aspects of project construction. Consequently, environmental protection requirements now play a more explicit and effective role in project implementation. In this theoretical mechanism, digital technology assumes a crucial role in project construction. It facilitates the establishment of site environmental monitoring systems and the utilization of environmental monitoring electronic signs and alarm systems. These tools enable project management and construction personnel to promptly adjust construction programs to achieve environmental protection objectives and control pollution indicators within specified requirements 47 . Environmental monitoring electronic signs installed at construction sites utilize pollutant detectors to conduct real-time data monitoring and calculations. Various pollution indicators such as air quality, noise levels, and water pollution are measured on-site and displayed at different locations within the construction site. This serves to remind site management and construction personnel to monitor pollution indicators closely and make necessary adjustments to construction activities to keep pollution indicators within the required target range.

Apart from environmental monitoring electronic signage, the environmental alert system represents another important innovation of digital technology in project construction. This system deploys an alarm device, automatically triggering an alarm when pollution indicators at the construction site reach dangerous levels or exceed environmental protection requirements. Consequently, this prompts management and construction staff to take immediate measures to prevent further environmental pollution. This real-time response effectively safeguards the health and safety of the staff and, to some extent, mitigates the impact of environmental pollution on neighboring communities.

Digital technology provides data support and decision-making assistance in the project construction process. Establishing a project environmental data platform and collecting and integrating environmental monitoring data from the construction site enable the formation of a comprehensive environmental performance assessment. These data are instrumental in tracking and analyzing the sources and trends of environmental pollution, serving as an important reference basis for planning and decision-making for similar projects in the future. The data analysis and prediction functions of digital technologies assist managers in predicting environmental changes more accurately and developing more effective countermeasures. Additionally, the application of digital technology promotes information sharing and transparency in project construction. Environmental monitoring data can be transmitted in real-time to regulators and the public, facilitating greater stakeholder participation in the environmental management of the project 48 . Increased public concern and participation in project environmental issues prompt construction units to pay more attention to environmental performance, thereby reducing violations and better achieving sustainable development.

In general, digital technology in construction will be more conducive to realizing environmental objectives. Digital technology means, such as environmental monitoring electronic boards and environmental alarm systems, make environmental objectives visible and integrate them into specific aspects of project construction. They remind and restrain construction management and personnel to adjust construction programs immediately to meet corresponding environmental requirements. Additionally, the data support and decision-making assistance functions of digital technology make project construction more scientific and efficient, laying a solid foundation for sustainable development.

Intelligent power project resources control refinement

The use of various resources such as construction equipment, materials, and energy in construction projects inevitably results in significant pollutant emissions. This aspect is particularly crucial in substation projects, where resource use and management are vital for reducing emissions and enhancing project greening. Intelligent technology can greatly facilitate project construction, achieving refined resource control and substantial savings in energy, water, and material usage. Intelligent technology optimizes construction planning and resource deployment, leading to more efficient resource utilization 49 . In substation projects, intelligent systems can monitor and predict construction progress to allocate equipment and materials more efficiently, thus avoiding unnecessary resource wastage. Data analysis and algorithm optimization enable project management teams to better anticipate energy, water, and material needs, preventing over-purchasing or overuse. This approach not only conserves resources but also reduces project pollutant emissions. Furthermore, intelligent technologies significantly enhance the energy efficiency of equipment and construction processes. Real-time monitoring by intelligent sensors and systems enables the timely detection and resolution of energy waste issues. Precise control systems adjust equipment operations to maximize efficiency, minimize carbon emissions, and reduce unnecessary energy waste. Moreover, intelligent technology assists project teams in selecting more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient construction materials and equipment, further reducing pollutant emissions. Intelligent lighting systems adjust brightness based on actual needs, while intelligent temperature control systems automatically regulate air-conditioning equipment according to ambient temperatures, minimizing energy waste and unnecessary emissions.

Intelligent technology can also achieve more refined resource management in the construction process. Through IoT technology, real-time monitoring and tracking of construction apparatus and materials can be realized 50 . In this way, the use of resources can be better controlled to avoid waste and over-consumption of resources. Evidence shows that project construction projects applying intelligent technologies have achieved significant improvements in resource utilization and pollutant emissions. By employing data monitoring, optimized management, and refined control, intelligent technologies enhance project sustainability and environmental friendliness. Reducing resource wastage and pollutant emissions not only fulfills environmental protection requirements but also contributes to overall cost reduction.

In summary, the refinement of resource control through intelligent technology can significantly reduce energy, water, and material usage and decrease pollutant emissions in construction management. Measures such as optimizing construction plans and resource deployment, enhancing equipment energy efficiency, and fine-tuning resource management will offer robust support for the greening of project construction. These actions promote project construction toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly direction of development.

Methodology

The goal of this paper is to estimate the effect of the level of substation project intelligence on its green performance. The sample comprises all substation engineering projects completed by Company A of the Southern China Power Grid between 2013 and 2022, involving 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province. Therefore, a two-way fixed effects approach is considered for examination. We set up the estimation model as follows:

In Eq. ( 1 ), \(G_{ijt}\) is the greening level of the substation project \(i\) built in the year \(t\) in the region \(j\) , \(I_{ijt}\) is the intelligence level of the substation project \(i\) , \(X_{ijt}\) is a series of characteristic control variables related to the substation project \(i\) , \(\theta_{t}\) and \(\lambda_{j}\) are the time-fixed effects and region fixed effects, respectively, and \(\varepsilon_{ijt}\) is the error term.

Although model (1) carries out controls for two-way fixed effects of time and region, the model may still have endogeneity problems. A substation project with a high level of greening may also have a better level of construction management, and such a project is often more likely to be funded by the government or the power grid company’s smart funding, thus obtaining a higher level of smartness, i.e., there may be an inverse causality problem in the model (1). On the other hand, the environmental performance of project construction is usually a systematic and comprehensive result, and there are many unobservable factors in the process of substation project construction, all of which will affect its green environmental performance, i.e., there may be an omitted variable problem. This article considers using instrumental variable methods to solve the endogeneity problems that may exist in the model (1) and uses a 2SLS method. The model is shown below:

In Eq. ( 2 ), \(CI_{ijt}\) is the instrumental variable for the intelligence level of the substation project \(I_{ijt}\) , which is measured by the digitization index of prefecture-level cities in this paper (details will be introduced in the subsequent variables section); the estimated intelligent level of the substation project \(I_{ijt}\) in Eq. ( 2 ) is substituted into Eq. ( 1 ) to obtain the estimation model of Eq. ( 3 ), in which \(\lambda_{{1}}\) is the estimated coefficient of our interest.

Variables and data

Explained variables.

The explanatory variable is the level of greening of the substation project. Now the literature ranges from green construction, energy saving and environmental protection, comprehensive benefits, and other aspects of project greening evaluation has launched more research. In terms of practical application, the China Southern Power Grid released a standard that can measure the greening level of substation projects, “3C Green Grid Construction Evaluation Standard” in 2011. It is a systematic evaluation of six dimensions, as shown in Table 1 . Each dimension is divided into three grades of low, medium, and high and given different weights, and each grade is set up with several specific evaluation index options (as shown in Table 1 ). If a project completes the activities required by a specific indicator on a level of a dimension, then it is given a corresponding score, and all the dimension indicators are weighted and summed up according to the weight of the level, that is, the final greening level value of the project is obtained (the same below).

Explanatory variables

The explanatory variable is the level of substation project intelligence. The existing studies mainly measure the level of intelligence from two aspects. One is the method of constructing an indicator system represented by Sun & Hou 51 , which constructs the indicator system for measuring the level of industrial intelligence from three aspects: infrastructure, production application, competitiveness, and benefits. The second is the industrial robot input measurement proposed by Song & Zuo 52 . Both of these methods measure the level of regional intelligence, while the research subject is a single substation project in this paper, so we refer to the evaluation method for the intelligence of substation projects in the “3C Green Grid Construction Evaluation Standard”, which is carried out from the four dimensions of intelligent primary equipment, secondary equipment and its network, other secondary systems, and intelligent advanced application. Each dimension is also divided into three levels of low, medium, and high and given different weights set up with several specific evaluation index options (as shown in Table 2 ). If a project completes the activities required by a specific index on a level of a dimension, then it is given a corresponding score, and all the dimension indexes are weighted and summed up according to the weights of the level to obtain the final value of the project’s intelligence level.

Mechanism test variables

Environmental monitoring capability for substation project. The metrics included the number of environmental indicators monitored on-site, the number of monitoring electronic boards displaying locations, the hierarchy of site personnel aware of environmental objectives, the frequency of managers viewing environmental indicators, and the frequency of construction workers viewing environmental indicators. The calculation method is borrowed from Bloom & Van Reenen 53 and Brynjolfsson & McElheran 54 , etc., by assigning equal spacing of 0–1 points to the response options for each question in descending order (For example, for the question “Number of environmental indicators monitored at the project site”, the answers were assigned as 0, 1/3, 2/3, 1), and finally synthesizing the five questions into a 0–1 point environmental monitoring capability indicator by arithmetic mean. Table 3 shows the specifics of the indicators and the criteria for judging them.

Refined control of substation project resources. This paper measures the frequency of statistical inventory of construction material usage, the frequency of construction energy consumption monitoring and auditing, and the frequency of construction water consumption monitoring and auditing. The method of calculation is the same: the answer options for each question are assigned an equidistant score of 0–1 in descending order, and finally the five questions are synthesized by arithmetic average into an environmental monitoring capacity indicator of 0–1 points. Table 4 shows the specifics of the indicators and the criteria for judging them.

Instrumental variables

We choose to utilize the city digitization index of prefecture-level cities compiled by Tencent, one of the largest Internet companies in China, as an instrumental variable for assessing the intelligence level of each substation project. Tencent, being one of China’s largest Internet companies, has been compiling the “Digital China Index” since 2013. This index is based on big data collected from Tencent and its numerous industrial chain partners, measuring the degree of digital development across Chinese cities from various dimensions, including industry, consumption, government affairs, and culture. A reasonable instrumental variable needs to satisfy two conditions: firstly, the explanatory variable must have a strong correlation with the instrumental variable; secondly, the instrumental variable should not be correlated with the explanatory variable, adhering to exogenous assumption requirements. In terms of the relevance condition, regional digitization typically relies on industry digitization, which also provides favorable institutional conditions and infrastructure for the intelligent transformation of regional substation projects. Hence, it can be inferred that regional digitization strongly correlates with the intelligence level of local substation projects. Concerning the exogenous assumption requirement, regional digitization is not directly linked to the environmental performance of substations. Thus, we consider the regional digitization index as meeting the conditions of a reasonable instrumental variable. Additionally, we conduct tests to evaluate the applicability and reasonableness of the instrumental variable in the subsequent section.

Other control variables

The intelligent and green transformation of substation projects is influenced by various factors, including the characteristics of the projects themselves and their geographical locations. This study aims to control for these factors through the following measures: (1) Scale of project investment 55 .The enhancement of green performance in engineering projects requires significant capital investment. Implementing green and sustainable practices in projects is often associated with higher costs and risks, impacting economic performance 56 . Only projects with larger investment scales can achieve this and are better positioned to drive green construction. (2) Type of project construction: Different types of projects, such as new construction, renovation projects, expansion projects, and relocation projects, prioritize sustainable development differently and face varying policy requirements and costs 57 . This study controls for project types using fixed effects, assigning values of 1, 2, 3, and 4 to new construction, renovation projects, expansion projects, and relocation projects, respectively. (3) Project construction cycle: Generally, projects with longer durations attract higher investments. They exhibit a stronger inclination and scope to apply digital technology compared to short-term projects, while also focusing on the green development benefits of the project. (4) Geographic location: Green transformation exhibits typical externalities, necessitating the implementation of government environmental regulations and policies. Environmental regulation policies in China are unequally implemented across regions, with the environmental regulations in the central and western regions being relatively less stringent compared to those in the eastern region 58 . Additionally, factors such as the level of economic development, environmental awareness, and natural conditions vary across regions and significantly influence the green performance of projects. This study focuses on all substation projects completed by Company A of the China Southern Power Grid from 2013 to 2022, covering 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province. Regional fixed effects are considered to control for economic, social, and other factors in the project locations.

The data comes from all substation projects completed by A company of China Southern Power Grid from 2013 to 2022, and Table 5 shows the descriptive statistics of the main variables.

Baseline regression results

Ols regression results.

Based on the above data, Table 6 shows the results of OLS regression.

The results in column (1) indicate a significant positive correlation between the level of engineering intelligence and its green level, suggesting that enhancing the application of intelligent technology in engineering can significantly promote the improvement of green performance. Even after controlling for regional and time fixed effects, column (2) still presents a significant positive correlation. In column (3), after introducing relevant control variables, the results remain robust.

IV regression results

To address endogeneity, based on the above data, Table 7 shows the results of IV regression.

Utilizing Models (2) and (3) for 2SLS regression, the results are presented in Table 7 . The estimates from the two-stage regression are largely consistent with the baseline regression results, indicating that the digitalization of management in power grid enterprises promotes the enhancement of their precision investment efficiency. Moreover, the instrumental variables also pass the overidentification test and weak instrumental variable test, suggesting sufficient identification of endogeneity issues within the model.

Robustness tests

Instrumental variables exogenous.

While this paper logically analyzes the exogeneity of instrumental variables, statistical validation of the exogeneity assumption cannot be confirmed under the ‘just identification’ scenario. Therefore, further discussion on the exogeneity of instrumental variables is warranted. Firstly, this study regresses the regional digitization index against the level of greenization in substation engineering. Table 8 , column (1), suggests that the regional digitization level may significantly influence the greenization level of substation engineering. This paper proceeds to regress both the regional digitization index and the level of engineering intelligence against the greenization level of substation engineering. Results in column (2) of Table 8 show no substantial difference compared to the baseline regression. It can be concluded that the instrumental variables selected in this study still meet the exogeneity assumption requirements.

Further robustness tests

First item: Delete Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two economically advanced sub-provincial cities. On the one hand, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are highly developed in terms of economic development, and have obvious advantages in technological innovation and intelligent development; on the other hand, the two cities are sub-provincial cities at a level higher than that of other prefecture-level cities and usually enjoy more favorable treatment and support in terms of policies and resources. The development of power projects in these two cities is quite different from other cities.

Second item: Remove the impact of the shock of the New Crown epidemic. Deleting the sample of 2020–2022: Considering that the selected sample interval contains 2020 and 2021, China’s infrastructure construction has been subject to strict external shocks due to the New Crown Pneumonia epidemic, and the investment in the electric power project has also been greatly affected. Therefore, the special samples of these two years are removed and regressed again, as shown in columns (2) to (4) of Table 9 .

Third item: Further control for the impact of corporate digitization strategy. China Southern Power Grid began to focus on the digital transformation of the grid in 2019, promoting continuous innovation in corporate management, services, and business models, and achieving significant results in the areas of smart distribution grids and digital platforms, which are controlled in this paper by adding a time dummy variable for policy shocks to the regression model.

Tables 8 and 9 report the robustness test results which show that intelligence has a significant contribution to the green development of grid projects under the linear model, which verifies that the results are robust.

To further understand how intelligence affects the green transformation development of power grid projects, and to provide optimized paths and differentiated implementation solutions for digital technology to better empower the green development of power grid projects, it is necessary to carry out mechanism analysis. From the previous theoretical analysis, it can be seen that intelligent technology acts on green economic growth through two paths environmental monitoring intelligence and resource control refinement in grid projects. For this reason, this paper uses the mediating effect three-step method to identify the mechanism.

Environmental control mechanisms

The mediating effect regressions for the environmental monitoring mechanism are presented in Table 10 , where columns (1) and (3) show the regression results before and after the inclusion of environmental monitoring as a mechanism variable, respectively, and column (2) reports the effect of intelligence on the environmental monitoring capability. The results show that environmental monitoring capability is an intermediate path for intelligence to influence the greening of grid project. In particular, the partial mediating effect of this path is 45.51%, which indicates that the mediating effect of the environmental monitoring mechanism is stronger in the growth effect of the green grid projects, which will increase the greening level of the project by 1.752% at a 1% significance level. On the one hand, the current artificial intelligence in the grid project further expands the application scenes and application scope of intelligent services, realizes real-time supervision and full control of the environment at the construction site, and promotes the precision and automation of the green construction management; on the other hand, a smart platform centered on digital technology can provide the project management with environmental performance data and carbon emission traceability information, and synchronously share the information on environmental pollution with the stakeholders, and externally control the greening of the power grid project from the outside. On the other hand, the intelligent platform developed based on digital technology can also provide environmental performance data and carbon emission traceability information for project management, share environmental pollution information to all stakeholders synchronously, and give environmental performance targets to the grid project construction from the outside, providing multiple guarantees for the green and low-carbon development of grid projects.

Resource control mechanisms

Similarly, Table 11 reports the regression results of resource control mechanisms, which shows that the influence effect of intelligence in the development of grid project greening is significantly positive, and the regression coefficient of intelligence on project greening decreases from 4.836 to 3.251 after adding the mediating variable of the refinement of resource control, whereas the influence effect of resource control on project greening is significantly positive, with a regression coefficient of 2.246, and the partial mediating effect of the resource control mechanism is 32.78%. It indicates that intelligent technology can indeed promote the green construction of power grid projects by improving the refinement of resource control in the construction of power grid projects. On the other hand, from the partial mediation effect in Table 10 and Table 11, it can be seen that the mediation effect of environmental monitoring ability is stronger than that of resource control, which may because existing intelligent technology applied to real-time monitoring and analysis is more mature, and the practice of the grid project has a better application effect, and due to the constraints on the diversity of resource constraints and demands and the coordination of multiple departments, the practical application of resource control still has certain difficulties. Control still has certain difficulties and risks.

Conclusions

Findings and insights.

Based on the fact that the power industry accelerates green transformation, this paper further focuses on the green performance of power projects, studies whether the current trend of intelligence can influence the greening development of power projects, and explores the mechanism of its role. The conclusions of this paper are as follows: (1) Intelligence significantly promotes the enhancement of the green development level of power grid projects, and this effect remains valid when considering endogeneity and robustness testing; (2) Intelligence can indirectly enhance the green development level of power grid projects by strengthening the environmental monitoring capability of the project site and improving the degree of refinement of resource control, with the mediating effect of environmental monitoring capability stronger than the degree of refinement of resource control. Based on the aforementioned research findings, this paper proposes policy insights focusing on the five aspects: (1) Accelerating the deep integration of intelligent technology with power engineering. Digital technology exhibits promising application scenarios and roles within power engineering. It need further leverage digital technologies such as big data, 5G, industrial Internet, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital twins to monitor and transform the entire process of engineering construction towards greener practices, thereby maximizing the cost reduction and energy-saving attributes of intelligence. (2) Enhancing financial support and policy guidance for the intelligent development of power engineering, further emphasizing the pivotal role of environmental monitoring and resource control in project construction, gradually replacing traditional means of project construction to achieve large-scale, intensive effects. Currently, there is limited policy impetus for promoting green substations. These substations lack market-driven competition and positive impetus for transformation due to their public attributes. This underscores the necessity of government support in facilitating this transition. (3) Strengthening green project management practices in power engineering. Focusing on energy management, lean planning, and green construction, among other typical scenarios, utilizing intelligent means to enhance the project’s overall fine management, conducting green energy monitoring and evaluation, providing standardized management digital carbon reduction solutions for the green development of the power industry, and offering an operational and practicable path reference for the green transformation of more industrial enterprises. (4) Reinforcing awareness of green construction among enterprises. Currently, management concepts within construction enterprises are outdated, and their comprehensive quality is relatively low. Managers typically employ traditional management models and lack innovative and green construction concepts. Therefore, to ensure the success of green power engineering construction, it is imperative to change the backward management concepts of managers and enhance their comprehensive quality. Considerable technical training should be provided to construction personnel, integrating green construction concepts into the training, enhancing their understanding of green construction, and ensuring actual implementation of green construction practices during construction. (5) Establishing a sound legal and regulatory system for green engineering construction. Individuals and enterprises violating relevant laws and regulations should be subject to corresponding legal penalties to ensure the implementation of the legal system. Additionally, the government should strengthen supervision by professional institutions to evaluate the degree of green management in construction projects. Through scoring indicators, the implementation of green management in these projects can be reflected.

Limitations and future research directions

The research has certain limitations. Firstly, due to constraints on data availability, the study focused solely on power engineering projects in Guangdong Province, without including projects from other regions. Variations in geographical locations may affect the effectiveness of engineering intelligence and greening differently. Future investigations should explore the influence of external factors, such as the level of intelligent development in different regions. Secondly, while the evaluation method for the green level of power engineering projects used in this study is relatively mature, it lacks a post-evaluation phase. Therefore, it fails to form a complete evaluation loop and lacks comprehensiveness in the evaluation system. Future research should integrate the entire life cycle of projects into the green performance evaluation index, further examining green power engineering from the perspective of operation and maintenance. Another notable limitation pertains to the evaluation of intelligence and greening in power engineering projects. The absence of relevant evaluation standards necessitated reliance on criteria established in 2011, posing a timeliness issue. Lastly, the scarcity of literature on related topics during the writing process indicates a weak foundational basis for this study, highlighting the need for further exploration of underlying mechanisms in future research.

Data availability

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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Conceptualization, L.M., L.L., and L.W.; methodology, L.M., L.L., L.W.; software, M.W.;Y.K.;Y.H.; validation, L.M.; W.M.; G.J.; formal analysis, L.L.; L.M.; investigation, W.L., M.W., Y.K.; resources, L.M.; data curation, Y.H., G.J.; writing—original draft preparation, L.M., L.L., Y.H.; writing—review and editing,L.M., L.W.; visualization, Y.H.; supervision, L.W.; project administration, L.M.; funding acquisition, L.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Liang, M., Liu, L., Liang, W. et al. Intelligentization helps the green and energy-saving transformation of power industry-evidence from substation engineering in China. Sci Rep 14 , 8698 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59271-5

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20 Dissertation Topics on Sustainability and Green Technology

Published by Carmen Troy at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On August 16, 2023

Introduction

Looking for interesting and manageable topics on sustainability and green technology for your dissertation or thesis? Well, you have come to the right place.

The subject of sustainability, green technology, and environmental friendliness has gained tremendous importance over the last years – thanks to the ever-increasing pollution, climate change, and high production costs throughout the world.

Without wasting any more of your time, here are the 20 dissertation topics ideas in this trendy field, so you choose the one that is not only intriguing but also manageable for you.

These topics have been developed by PhD writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

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Review the full list of  dissertation topics for 2022 here.

2022 Research Topics on Sustainability and Green Technology

Topic 1: the role of artificial intelligence (ai) and green technology in the develpment of smart and sustainable towns.

Research Aim: This study intends to find the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and green technology in developing smart and sustainable towns. It will review the concepts of smart and sustainable towns to show their importance in the modern era to reduce global warming. Then it will assess the role of AI by analyzing various machine learning and deep learning models to show how these models can help develop smart and sustainable towns. Lastly, it will review what work has already been done in this area and what should be done.

Topic 2: Impact of Research and Development (R&D) Expenditure in Green Technology on the Sustainability Outcomes of the Construction Industry- A Case of Malaysian Construction Industry

Research Aim: This study intends to analyze the impact of Research and Development (R&D) expenditure in green technology on the sustainability outcomes of the construction industry in Malaysia. It will review the current green technology used in the Malaysian construction industry and its development. Moreover, it will show how the construction industry is spending to develop new green technology and how much it requires to make it completely sustainable. It will also identify various national and international sources which can invest in this industry to make it more sustainable.

Topic 3: What are the Motivating and Demotivating Factors for Green Supply Chain Practices? An Exploratory Study Finding the Factors Affecting Green Supply Chain Practices in the UK

Research Aim: This research will identify various motivating and demotivating factors (return on green investment, production output, local and global competitiveness, political support, international support, investors support, etc.) for green supply chain practices. It will study various industries in the UK, such as construction, hotel industry, retail industry, etc., find out how the abovementioned factors affected their interest in green technology and green supply chain practices. Moreover, it will assess the work done in this area and how various institutions can motivate these industries.

Topic 4: Influence of Green Advertising on the Consumer View of Green Technology and Sustainability in the US

Research Aim: This study shows the impact of green advertising on the consumer perception of green technology and sustainability. It will assess how various components of green advertising work and how they affect the consumer perception of the need for green technology. Moreover, it will analyze different green advertising strategies used by companies in the US to influence consumer perception and how these strategies can be improved to make US consumers more interested in the products, which are a product of environment-friendly production process.

Topic 5: Green Economy a Necessity? Impact of Green Technology on Sustainable Economic Growth and Development- A Case of ASEAN Economies

Research Aim: It proposes a framework to analyze the impact of green technology on sustainable economic growth and development. It will show whether the green economy is essential for growth and development or not. It will assess various effects of green technology on the economy and ecology. And show how improving ecology can benefit human development, which can be good for long-term economic growth in the ASEAN countries. Lastly, it will analyze the current progress of these countries in creating a green economy.

Covid-19 Sustainability and Green Technology Research Topics

Topic 1: covid-19 and the need to expand sustainable energy.

Research Aim: It’s high time to expand sustainable energy during COVID-19.

Topic 2: COVID-19 and the environment

Research Aim: This study will focus on the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on the environment.

Topic 3: Economic expenditure on the green environment during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will review the economic expenditure and plans on the green environment during COVID-19.

Topic 4: The green economy after COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will analyse the current issues related to green technology and predict the future of a green environment after COVID-19.

Dissertation Topics Ideas on Sustainability and Green Technology for 2021

Topic 1: research on sustainable gardens.

Research Aim: This research aims to conduct research on creating sustainable gardens and identify their benefits.

Topic 2: Sustainable outdoor designs using recycled materials

Research Aim: This research aims to identify various methods of creating sustainable outdoor designs using recycled materials and identify their benefits.

Topic 3: Pollution-free disposal and recycling of trash

Research Aim: This research aims to identify various methods to ensure pollution-free disposal and recycling of trash

Topic 4: Importance of gardening- awareness and ideas for the city, terrace/roof gardening

Research Aim: This research aims to address the importance of gardening and its awareness among the public. It will also focus on identifying cost-effective and innovative ideas for the city, terrace/roof gardening.

20 Dissertation Topics Ideas on Sustainability and Green Technology for 2020

Topic 1: examining the economic impacts of green technology.

Research Aim: The research will involve comparing the costs incurred in developing green energy and the economic benefits. The services will be saved once alternative forms of materials and energy sources are used. It will be relevant in identifying whether it is worth investing in green technology from an economic perspective. It will also help in developing supportive policies that guide green technology.

Topic 2: How do national and regional politics affect environmental sustainability?

Research Aim: This research study will analyse the role of politics in the environment. It will explore the positive or negative impacts of individual political inclinations.

Topic 3: How sustainable is the environment in the current and forthcoming eras?

Research Aim: This research will analyse global trends and their impacts on environmental trends. Developments such as increasing population, climate change, and using various materials affect the people. It will inform about how sustainability measures can be structured to align with the trends.

Topic 4: Adoption of green energy by low-end users

Research Aim: The research will be based on realising a market niche that cannot afford or are not willing to spend on an expensive product. Additionally, the embrace of some advanced technologies varies across classes, mainly based on exposure. There is also the notion that green technology can be expensive, making the stated users reluctant to use it. Accordingly, the research will focus on the factors that make the users have their respective levels of using green technology.

Topic 5: How green technology can affect organisational processes

Research Aim: This research will analyze how processes that can include procuring and sourcing, producing, sales, marketing, and delivering products, among others, can be impacted once green technology is introduced. It will help analyse cost and time effectiveness and the satisfaction of the organization’s stakeholders. It can help recommend structural changes when an organisation is considering green technology.

Topic 6: To what extent does green technology contribute to environmental sustainability?

Research Aim:  notably, several factors are contributing to environmental degradation and pollution. While green technology has been identified in previous research to ensure sustainability, its contribution can be compared with the other factors. Accordingly, recommendations can be made about whether it is the absolute solution to sustainability.

Topic 7: Green technology and global environmental sustainability frameworks

Research Aim: The study will assess how the frameworks affect the use of green technology. Various global environmental practices are commonly developed. The research will suggest any amendments to the frameworks to positively correlate them with green technology. Also, the topic will evaluate how the frameworks are implemented in various regions.

Topic 8: Green technology practices in developing countries

Research Aim: The research will explore the extent to which developing countries use and promote green technology. They are characterised by having a lower economy. The priority they have on sustainability will be established.

Topic 9: How do policies affect the use of green technology in a country?

Research Aim: The research acknowledges that regulatory bodies devise policies to guide various industries. The guidelines can be supportive or suppressive in the development and use of green technology. For instance, the bodies’ incentives can encourage green technology, while factors like high taxation can discourage it. Therefore, focusing on a particular country’s policies can be insightful into the level at which the technology is incorporated.

Topic 10: Incentives for green technology and environmental sustainability

Research Aim: The study will be purposed on how green technology can be promoted among users and manufacturers. It will first identify the challenges the users can use and apply the technology. It will also evaluate the level of sensitisation about green technology that people in a region have. The various stakeholders can execute the incentives in environmental sustainability.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service , which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

More Research Titles on Sustainability and Green Technology

Topic 1: what roles do ngos have on environmental sustainability and green technology.

Research Aim: The research will establish how NGOs can be incorporated into sustainability. NGOs have distinct objectives. While some are specific to environmental conservation, others focus on aspects that indirectly affect the environment positively or negatively. The study will then suggest how the NGOs can be motivated to advance their operations and promote green technology.

Topic 2: Impactful green thinking to achieve sustainability

Research Aim: The research analyses humans’ behaviour on issues that can promote sustainability. It explores how people can change their perspective on the environment and take measures at individual and collective levels. It will recommend some habitual changes that can positively impact the environment.

Topic 3: A holistic approach to environmental sustainability

Research Aim: Sustainability comprises various factors, ranging from behavioural, resources, technological, and procedural. Most studies have focused on particular sets of characteristics. However, it can be intriguing how integrating sustainability factors can be achieved. Also, it will be realised if implementing some measures of sustainability has any correlation to others.

Topic 4: Can there be a balance between lifestyle and green technology?

Research Aim: the study will assess the relationship between current lifestyle and green technology. It will be relevant in identifying the personal understanding of green technology’s contribution and how people are ready to adjust their lifestyle to technology. It will further show how green technology affects lifestyles.

Topic 5: How do businesses perceive green energy and environmental sustainability?

Research Aim: The research aims to identify how profit-making organisations approach green technology. It will focus on whether they find it less costly and useful. Also, it will establish whether they find products that involve green technology are usually marketable. Further, it will identify the organisation’s preference for the working environment, whether in regions that promote environmental sustainability or those that do not.

Topic 6: Examining sustainability policies in developed and developing countries

Research Aim: The research will compare regulations instituted in the two sets of countries. It will also assess the extent of implementation of the policies in the countries.

Topic 7: Challenges facing green technology as one of the drivers towards sustainability

Research Aim: The research will be based on green technology recognition as a crucial attribute to environmental sustainability. Despite the assertion, the technology has not attained universal coverage as it would be more impactful. The challenges can vary from economic, social, geographical, and regulatory, and it can then be recommended that the research focuses on a particular region. The results can also be analysed to identify any general challenges in the areas.

Topic 8: What is the consumer perspective towards green production?

Research Aim: Businesses target to satisfy the needs of consumers. The study will assess whether the consumer has a force towards producers that can make the latter inclined towards using green technology. This research study will essentially focus on the consumables industry.

Topic 9: Stakeholders’ contribution to green technology

Research Aim: The research will establish all the stakeholders in green energy. It will reveal their interests and drivers towards green technology. There will be an insight into whether there is a conflict of interests between the stakeholders and how they can be resolved. It will also help identify how the stakeholders can collaborate and integrate their resources and ideas.

Topic 10: Current trends in green technology and the future of technology

Research Aim: the research will aim to overview how green energy has been advancing over time. The trend will then help in predicting the future of green technology. Besides, it will be informative about the contribution green energy has had on environmental sustainability at various levels. It will then make recommendations about the optimum technology as per the available information and developments.

Also Read: Dissertation Topics in Engineering Management

How ResearchProspect Can Help You?

We are aware of the problems students are likely to face when it comes to finding a suitable topic in sustainability and green technology. Therefore our expert writers are always looking forward to assisting you with your topic search.

We hope you could find a suitable topic from the 20 topic suggestions in green technology and sustainability as provided in this article. But even if you didn’t find any of these topics suitable for your needs, you can always contact us to get custom topics ideas from our expert writers.

Our team of expert writers in any field you like your work to be carried out in will facilitate you and ensure you get the grades that you are worthy of and deserve.

Important Notes:

As a student of sustainability and green technology looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing sustainability and green technology theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

Sustainability and green technology are vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like environmental engineering . That is why it is imperative to create a sustainability and green technology dissertation topic that is particular, sound, and solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your fundamental research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your issue wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best sustainability and green technology dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample sustainability and green technology dissertation topics to get an idea for your dissertation.

How to Structure your Dissertation on Sustainability & Green Technology

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic, and binding terms can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Engineering Management Institute

Applicability of Green Engineering Solutions

July 10, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Chris Jackson

One of the popular sustainable solutions includes green engineering. To learn more about green engineering, this article by Best Access Doors is something that you should check out.

What Is Green Engineering?

Green engineering simply refers to the design, commercialization, and use of products and processes that can reduce pollution, promote sustainability, and minimize the risk to both the environment and human health while not sacrificing economic viability and efficiency.

This solution embraces the concept that protecting human health and the environment can create the greatest impact and cost-effectiveness during an early application stage, especially in a process or product’s design and development phase.

What Are the Principles of Green Engineering?

Green engineering includes the following processes and products:

• The holistic use of systems analysis and the integration of environmental impact assessment tools.
• The conservation and improvement of natural ecosystems while protecting human health and well-being.
• All engineering activities involved in life-cycle thinking.
• All material and energy inputs and outputs must be ensured to be as inherently safe and benign as possible.
• Minimize the depletion of available natural resources.
• Waste prevention.

Applicable Green Engineering Solutions

• Environmental Monitoring: Since there is an increased focus on the effects of climate change on the environment, there has been a global effort in green engineering to reduce the number of greenhouse gases that cause them. The need to measure and monitor our environment also keeps growing.
• Energy Storage Systems: Energy storage systems (ESSs), together with renewable energy sources, are technologies that are critical in order to create transportation and power generation. ESSs comprise many types, including electrical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical.
• Solar Energy: Life on Earth is sustained by the sun. In fact, humans have been using solar heating to warm houses for centuries now. Plant life also relies on sunlight for photosynthesis. One recent challenge is the efficient conversion of solar energy into solar power or electricity. For solar electricity generation, there are two common technologies: photovoltaic, where the sunlight is converted directly to electricity, and solar thermal, where the sun heats water and creates steam that can be used in powering steam engines.
• LEED Materials and Equipment: Today, most buildings are required to be LEED-certified. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system. It aims to provide third-party verification to prove that a building was designed with the use of strategies that are aimed at improving energy savings, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, resources, and reducing CO 2 emissions. This can be achieved by using materials and equipment that are LEED-certified, such as LEED access doors and panels .
• Wind Energy: Around the world, wind power has undeniably become an important source of renewable energy. Just in the United States alone, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the wind power capacity increased by 45% in the year 2007.

When you choose to apply green engineering solutions to your building, it is also important to partner with contractors and suppliers who can meet your needs. Ensure that they have the same dedication toward green and sustainability to make any project flow smoothly.

If you’re looking to have your building LEED-certified, the products of Best Access Doors can help! Check out our LEED access doors and panels today at https://www.bestaccessdoors.com/leed-access-panels/ .

About Chris Jackson

We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share about how you implement green engineering in your designs.

Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering > Theses and Dissertations

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

The Influence of Corrosion Mitigating Fluids on Post Tensioned Tendon Grout Properties and Steel to Grout Bond Strength , Sarita Ale Magar

Exploring Alternative Electron Donors for Heterotrophic Denitrification at a Water Reclamation Facility in Tampa Bay , Tejas Athavale

Mechanisms Contributing to Hydrogen-Influenced Early Failure of Bridge Tendons , David Dukeman

The Influence of Bipolar Electrochemical Cell Geometry on the Studies of Pitting Corrosion , Amin Kazem Ghamsari

Field-Base Exploratory Study of Microbial Activity in Eight Potable Water Storage Tanks in Barbados , Katelyn M. Long

Land Use/Land Cover Uncertainty Analysis Using Hydrological Modeling in the Northern Watershed of Lake Okeechobee , Andres Lora Santos

Modeling Leachate Treatment Processes in Adsorbent-amended Hybrid Constructed Wetland , Ishfaqun Nisa

Effects of Downdrag on Pile Performance , Ruthvik Pendyala

Anaerobic Digestion of Brewery Waste Including Spent Yeast and Hops , Dhanashree Rawalgaonkar

Characteristics and Hydraulic Behavior of Adsorptive Media for Use in Permeable Reactive Barriers , Shelby Rocha

Exploratory Data-Driven Models for Water Quality: A Case Study for Tampa Bay Water , Sandra Sekyere

Interdependency between Water and Road Infrastructures: Cases and Impacts , Shihab Uddin

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms’ Impact on Water Quality in Lake Okeechobee, Florida , Daniela Vasquez Diaz

Exploration of Shared Passenger Urban Air Mobility – Integrated Network Design, Operation Scheduling and System Configuration , Zhiqiang Wu

Rehabilitation Technologies to Abate Infiltration in Sanitary Sewers , Steve Youssef

Adsorption of Long and Short Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) onto Granular Activated Carbon and Porous Organic Polymers , Yan Zhang

Adiabatic Temperature Rise and Durability Performance of Slag Blended Concrete , Hai Zhu

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Effects of Downdrag on Pile Performance , Malaak Omelia Araujo

Quantifying a 21-year Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction in a Ridge and Valley Lake Environment Using a Highly Constrained Modeling Approach , Richard T. Bowers Jr.

A Convergent Approach to Aqueous Lead (Pb) Mitigation of a Supplemental Self-Supply Shallow Groundwater Source Accessed by Handpumps in Madagascar , Adaline Marie Buerck

Identifying Significant Factors Affecting the Likelihood and Severity Level of Shared E-scooter Crashes , Recep Can Cakici

Evaluation of Aluminum Dissolution, Current Density, and Pitting Patterns During Electrocoagulation , Monica Castro Carias

Carbon Diversion, Partial Nitritation/Anammox Enrichment, and Ammonium Capture as Initial Stages for Mainstream Ion Exchange-Deammonification Process , Sheyla Chero-Osorio

Data Driven Approaches for Understanding and Improving Urban Mobility , Yujie Guo

Assessment of Scoured Bridges Subjected to Vessel Impact Using Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis , Amir S. Irhayyim

Assessment and Prevention of Bacterial Regrowth in Stored Household Water in Eastern Coastal Madagascar , Lauren Judah

The Impact of Land Use Change on Hydrology Using Hydrologic Modelling and Geographical Information System (GIS) , Nattachan Luesaksiriwattana

Simulating Flood Control in Progress Village, Florida Using Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) , Azize Minaz

Effects of Slurry Type on Drilled Shaft Strength , Cesar Quesada Garcia

Comparison Study of Consumer’s Perception toward Urban Air Mobility in the United States and Rest of the World Using Social Media Information , S M Toki Tahmid

Advanced Methods for Railroad Station Operation Decisions: Data Analytics, Optimization, Automation , Yuan Wang

High-Risk Traffic Crash Pattern Recognition and Identification Using Econometric Models and Machine Learning Models , Runan Yang

Biochar Amended Biological Systems for Enhanced Landfill Leachate and Lignocellulosic Banana Waste Treatment , Xia Yang

Passive Radiative Cooling by Spectrally Selective Nanoparticles in Thick Film Nanocomposites , David Allen Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

A System Architecture for Water Distribution Networks , Noha Abdel-Mottaleb

Sustainability Assessment of a Pressure Retarded Osmosis System , Samar Al Mashrafi

Health Risk Assessment of Local Populations Ingesting Water with Naturally Occurring Arsenic and Fecal Related Contaminants in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala , Marisol Alvarez

Influence of Coating Defects Within the Lock Seams on the Corrosion Performance of Aluminized Steel Drainage Pipes , Mohammed Al Yaarubi

Longitudinal Trajectory Tracking Analysis for Autonomous Electric Vehicles Based on PID Control , Hossein Amiri

An Assessment and Exploration of Recent Methodological Advances in Safety Data Analysis , Suryaprasanna Kumar Balusu

Pressure Retarded Osmosis: A Potential Technology for Seawater Desalination Energy Recovery and Concentrate Management , Joshua Benjamin

Assessing the Feasibility of Microbially Managed Biological Filtration in U.S. Drinking Water Systems for Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern , Andrew J. Black

The Effect of Cement and Blast Furnace Slag Characteristics on Expansion of Heat-Cured Mortar Specimens , Jair G. Burgos

A Systems Approach for Improving the Performance of Rural Community-Managed Water Systems Using SIASAR: Case Studies in Bolivia and Colombia , Rachel A. Cannon

Passive Nitrifying Biofilters for Onsite Treatment of Saline Domestic Wastewater , Daniel Arnulfo Delgado

Plastic Pollution in Urban Rivers: Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Plastic Release and Transport , Charlotte Juliane Haberstroh

Effects of Nitrate on Arsenic Mobilization during Aquifer Storage and Recovery , Hania Hawasli

Prediction of the Effects of Turbulence on Vehicle Hydroplaning using a Numerical Model , Thathsarani Dilini Herath Herath Mudiyanselage

Shortcut Nitrogen Removal in Photo-sequencing Batch Reactor, Experiments, Dynamic Model and Full-scale Design , Sahand Iman Shayan

Chorine Conversion: Biological and Water Quality Impact on Activated Carbon Block Point of Use Filters , Horace S. Jakpa

Efficient Management of Nitrogen and Phosphorus at Centralized Water Reclamation Facilities , Helene Kassouf

Building and Characterizing a Lab-Scaled Aquifer Storage and Recovery System , Murat Can Kayabas

Corrosion Rate Prediction in FRP-Concrete Repair , Mohammad A. Khawaja

Use of Biochar and Zeolite for Landfill Leachate Treatment: Experimental Studies and Reuse Potential Assessment , Thanh Thieu Lam

Feasibility of Epoxy Bond Enhancement on High-Strength Concrete , Amanda A. Lewis

Leaf Cutter Ant Nest Soil Cement Stabilized Earthen Bricks: Materials and Methods for Engineering Field Applications , Faith Malay

Minimum Cut-Sets for the Identification of Critical Water Distribution Network Segments , Xiliang Mao

An Assessment of Nutrient Improvement in Surface Water Due to the Conversion of Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems to Sewerage , Jenelle A. Mohammed

Development of a Numerical Process Model for Adsorbent-amended Constructed Wetlands , Lillian Mulligan

Corrosion Propagation of Stainless Steel Reinforced Concrete , Nelly Sofía Orozco Martínez

Corrosion Durability Service Life of Calcium Silicate-Based Reinforced Concrete , Carolina Páez Jiménez

Assessment of the Environmental Sustainability of a Small Water Production Facility in Madagascar , Jesal Patel

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis of the Hydraulic Performance and Bio-kinetics in a Full-Scale Oxidation Ditch , Kiesha C. Pierre

Biochar Amended Bioretention Systems for Nutrient and Fecal Indicator Bacteria Removal from Urban and Agricultural Runoffs , Md Yeasir Arif Rahman

Understanding the Leaching Mechanism for Lead (Pb) Found in Components of Locally Manufactured Handpumps in Eastern Madagascar , Nidhi Shah

Impacts of Automated Vehicle Technologies on Future Traffic , Xiaowei Shi

Community Assessment of Water Perceptions and Household Point-of-Use Treatment Methods in Madagascar , Isabella Rose Silverman

Laboratory Examination of Lead Weights Harvested from Pitcher Pumps in Eastern Madagascar , Madelyn Wilson

Impact of grain morphology on the temporal evolution of interfacial area during multi-phase flow in porous media , Fizza Zahid

EAV Fleet Management in Transportation and Power Systems , Dongfang Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

A Framework for Assessing the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS) of Decentralized Sanitation , Adefunké Adeosun

Development of an Organic Processor Assembly (OPA) for Sustainable Resource Recovery to Enable Long-Duration, Deep-Space Human Exploration (LoDDSHE) , Talon James Bullard

Black Lives Matter in Engineering, Too! An Environmental Justice Approach towards Equitable Decision-Making for Stormwater Management in African American Communities , Maya Elizabeth Carrasquillo

Coral Reef Restoration in the Tropical West Atlantic Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic , Linden Cheek

Designing Next-generation Transportation Systems with Emerging Vehicle Technologies , Zhiwei Chen

Strength Restoration of Corrosion Damaged Piles Repaired with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Systems , Jethro Clarke

Water Quality and Sustainability Assessment of Rural Water Systems in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama , Corbyn Cools

Rapid Cross-Section Imaging with Magnetic and Impedance Sensors for Grout Anomaly Detection in External Post-Tensioned Tendons , Hani Freij

Enhanced Nitrogen, Organic Matter and Color Removal from Landfill Leachate by Biological Treatment Processes with Biochar and Zeolite , Bisheng Gao

Bond Life of Structural Epoxy-Concrete Systems Under Accelerated Hygrothermal Aging , Philip W. Hopkins

Socio-Technical Transitions in the Water Sector: Emerging Boundaries for Utility Resilience in Barbados , Wainella N. Isaacs

Structural and Agricultural Value at Risk in Florida from Flooding during Hurricane Irma , Alexander J. Miller

An Inferential Study of the Potential Consumer Value of Free Charging for Users of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure , Divyamitra Mishra

Reimagining Bottom-up Participatory Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines , Emily Clark Nabong

Effects of Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Slags and Cements on Durability of Portland Cement-Slag Blended Systems , Farzaneh Nosouhian

Using a Systems Thinking Approach and Health Risk Assessment to Analyze the Food-Energy-Water System Nexus of Seaweed Farming in Belize , Estenia J. Ortiz Carabantes

Implementation of Large-Scale Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste at the University of South Florida , Karamjit Panesar

Enhanced Fluoride Removal in Biosand Filters Using Aluminum Oxide Coated Media and Modified Filter Design , Madison Leigh Rice

Use of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash as Partial Cement Replacement in Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs) , Adah Shair

Bio-electrochemical Denitrification Systems and Applications for Nitrogen Removal in On-Site Wastewater Treatment , Kamal Ziad Taha

Development of an Integrated Direct Membrane Filtration (DMF) and Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) System for Dilute Municipal Wastewater Treatment , Ahmet Erkan Uman

Post-overlay Flexible Pavement Performance Modeling and Its Application in Sustainable Asphalt Overlay Policy Making , Chunfu Xin

Sustainable Nutrient Management Through Technology-Level Evaluation and System-Level Optimization , Xiaofan Xu

Influence of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Wraps on Corrosion Progression of Bridge Piles in Marine Environments , Shayan Yazdani

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Seepage-Coupled Finite Element Analysis of Stress Driven Rock Slope Failures for BothNatural and Induced Failures , Thomas Becket Anyintuo

Statistical Analysis of the Role of Socio-Demographic and Health Factors in Shared Mobility Related Behaviors and Usage Likelihoods , Natalia M. Barbour

Model of a Sulfur-based Cyclic Denitrification Filter for Marine Recirculating Aquaculture Systems , Zhang Cheng

Exploring the Equity Performance of Bike-Sharing Systems with Disaggregated Data: A Story of Southern Tampa , Zhiwei Chen

Prioritizing Rehabilitation of Sanitary Sewers in Pinellas County, FL , Jesse T. Hillman

Highway Lane Management Policy for Existing and Connected Autonomous Vehicles , Md Mokaddesul Hoque

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Green Engineering

Green Engineering is, in fact, a very broad field, encompassing everything from improving energy efficiency in manufacturing processes to developing plastics from renewable resources. What we focus on in this issue is several aspects of Green Chemical Engineering. One important aspect of this is the development of mathematically-based tools that aid in decision-making when faced with alternatives. A number of the papers in this issue address this area. Another is the discovery and development of new technology that makes the design, commercialization and use of processes and products that reduce or eliminate pollution possible. In particular, one major focus of both Green Chemistry and Green Chemical Engineering is developing alternatives to the volatile organic solvents used so pervasively in chemical and manufacturing processes. In a representative year (1997) in the United States solvents comprised 66% of all industrial emissions. 3 Efforts to address this pressing need of developing alternative solvents for synthesis, separation and processing are covered in four of the articles in this special issue. O’Neil and Watkins 4 describe how supercritical carbon dioxide can be used not just to replace the copious amounts of organic and aqueous solvents used in the microelectronic industries, but also how CO 2 presents unique technical advantages in device fabrication. Subramaniam et al. 5 demonstrate advantages in the rate of an oxidation reaction, by performing it in a liquid where part of the organic solvent has been replaced by CO 2 (a CO 2 -expanded liquid). Eckert et al . 6 show how strong mineral acids can be eliminated by choosing a solvent (either hot water or a CO 2 -expanded liquid) where the acid catalyst can be produced reversibly in situ . In all these cases, the new solvent system presents some real technological advantage over conventional systems; i.e ., it's not just solvent substitution. Rebelo and coworkers 7 present a wealth of phase behavior and thermophysical property data on a system containing a completely non-volatile solvent—an ionic liquid. These are exactly the kind of data that are needed to evaluate the potential of ionic liquids for reaction and separation processes.

Hopefully, the articles in this special issue demonstrate that Green Chemistry and Green Engineering represent slightly different shades of a seamless continuum that ranges from discovery through design and decision-making all the way to commercialization and use of products and processes that prevent pollution.

Joan F. Brennecke

Keating-Crawford Professor

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN 46556

E-mail: [email protected]

• http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/greenengineering/whats_ge.html.
• http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/whats_gc.html.
• D. T. Allen and D. R. Shonnard, Green Engineering , 2002, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ  Search PubMed .
• A. O’Neil and J. Watkins, Green Chem. , 2004, 6   10.1039/b403729d , this issue.
• M. Wei, G. T. Musie, D. H. Busch and B. Subramaniam, Green Chem. , 2004, 6   10.1039/b310523g , this issue.
• T. S. Chamblee, R. R. Weikel, S. A. Nolen, C. L. Liotta and C. A. Eckert, Green Chem. , 2004, 6   10.1039/b400393d , this issue.
• L. P. N. Rebelo, V. Najdanovic-Visak, Z. P. Visak, M. Nunes da Ponte, J. Szydlowski, C. A. Cerdeiriña, J. Troncoso, L. Romaní, J. M. S. S. Esperança, H. J. R. Guedes and H. C. de Sousa, Green Chem. , 2004, 6   10.1039/b400374h , this issue.

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• About Green Engineering

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What is green engineering?

Principles of green engineering.

• What EPA is doing to promote green engineering?

Green engineering is the design, commercialization, and use of processes and products in a way that reduces pollution, promotes sustainability, and minimizes risk to human health and the environment without sacrificing economic viability and efficiency.

Green engineering embraces the concept that decisions to protect human health and the environment can have the greatest impact and cost-effectiveness when applied early, in the design and development phase of a process or product.

Green engineering processes and products:

• Holistically use systems analysis and integrate environmental impact assessment tools.
• Conserve and improve natural ecosystems while protecting human health and well-being.
• Use life-cycle thinking in all engineering activities.
• Ensure that all material and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently safe and benign as possible.
• Minimize depletion of natural resources.
• Strive to prevent waste.

Additionally, green engineering:

• Develops and applies engineering solutions while being cognizant of local geography, aspirations, and cultures.
• Creates engineering solutions beyond current or dominant technologies; improves, innovates, and invents (technologies) to achieve sustainability.
• Actively engages communities and stakeholders in the development of engineering solutions.

What is EPA doing to promote green engineering?

EPA’s Green Engineering Program encourages public and private sectors to incorporate risk-based approaches and methods into the design of chemical processes and products by:

Developing tools

Educational materials for academia : EPA developed a textbook used by educators to teach "green" thinking in engineering processes and applications.  Read "Green Engineering: Environmentally Conscious Design of Chemical Processes."

• Integrated computer-based tools:   EPA has created tools to help chemical engineers assess risk .
• Green engineering training modules for academic curricula or industry training:  Taken from academic materials, methodologies, and case studies, EPA has created training materials to illustrate green engineering alternatives for chemical process designs .

Conducting outreach

• EPA uses various methods, such as printed materials, conferences, and webinars , to promote green engineering approaches among academia and industry engineers. The goal is to facilitate a flow of information and ideas for new and existing green engineering courses, case studies, and process design methodologies.
• EPA has sponsored academic workshops for professors and students to disseminate green engineering materials and software.
• Green Engineering Home
• Computer-Based Tools
• Textbook and Training Modules
• Case Studies of Design in Industrial Processes

Recent Research in Control Engineering and Decision Making

Volume 2, 2020

• Conference proceedings
• © 2021
• Olga Dolinina 0 ,
• Igor Bessmertny 1 ,
• Alexander Brovko 2 ,
• Vladik Kreinovich 3 ,
• Vitaly Pechenkin 4 ,
• Alexey Lvov 5 ,
• Vadim Zhmud 6

Yury Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov, Saratov, Russia

You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

University of texas at el paso, el paso, usa, novosibirsk state technical university, novosibirsk, russia.

• Presents new approaches and methods of solving problems in the field of control engineering & decision making for the various application fields
• Constitutes the full papers developed on the base of the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technologies: Information & Communication Technologies for Research & Industry (ICIT 2020), held in Saratov, Russia, in December 2020
• Focuses on modern trends, new methodology, new ideas, algorithms, and methods

Part of the book series: Studies in Systems, Decision and Control (SSDC, volume 337)

Included in the following conference series:

• ICIT: International Scientific and Practical Conference​ in Control Engineering and Decision Making

Conference proceedings info: ICIT 2020.

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Table of contents (52 papers)

Front matter, information systems for industry and research, the task of controlling robotic technological complexes of arc welding in unstable states.

• Dmitry Fominykh, Alexander Rezchikov, Vadim Kushnikov, Vladimir Ivaschenko, Alexander Sytnik, Alexey Bogomolov et al.

Longitudinal Waves in Two Coaxial Elastic Shells with Hard Cubic Nonlinearity and Filled with a Viscous Incompressible Fluid

• Lev Mogilevich, Sergey Ivanov

Acceleration and Increase of Reliability of the Algorithm for Numerical Optimization of the PID-Regulators for Automatic Control Systems

• Vadim Zhmud, Lubomir Dimitrov, Jaroslav Nosek

PID Controller for Non-stationary Plants of Relative Second Order

• Galina Frantsuzova, Anatoly Vostrikov

Adaptive Decision Support System for Scaling University Cloud Applications

• Bakhytzhan Akhmetov, Valerii Lakhno, Boris Gusev, Miroslav Lakhno, Ivan Porokhnia, Gulnaz Zhilkishbayeva et al.

Application of a Combined Multi-Port Reflectometer to Precise Distance Measuring

• Peter L’vov, Artem Nikolaenko, Alexey L’vov, Sergey Ivzhenko, Oleg Balaban

A Transformation-Based Approach for Fuzzy Knowledge Bases Engineering

• Nikita Dorodnykh, Olga Nikolaychuk, Aleksandr Yurin

Mathematical Modeling of Hydroelastic Oscillations of Circular Sandwich Plate Resting on Winkler Foundation

• Aleksandr Chernenko, Alevtina Christoforova, Lev Mogilevich, Victor Popov, Anna Popova

Numerical Simulation Results of the Optimal Estimation Algorithm for a Turn Table Angular Velocity

• Roman Ermakov, Alexey L’vov, Anna Seranova, Nina Melnikova, Elena Umnova

Comparison of LSTM and GRU Recurrent Neural Network Architectures

• Anton Pudikov, Alexander Brovko

System Analysis of the Process of Determining the Room Category on Explosion and Fire Hazard

• Yuliya Nikulina, Tatiana Shulga, Alexander Sytnik, Olga Toropova

Comparison of Methods for Parameter Estimating of Superimposed Sinusoids

• Alexey L’vov, Anna Seranova, Roman Ermakov, Alexandr Sytnik, Artem Muchkaev

Jumping Robot as a Lunar Rover: Basic Technical Solutions

• Vadim Zhmud, Dmitry Myakhor, Huberth Roth

Fast Method for Solving the Wave Equation

• Vil Baiburin, Alexander Rozov, Artem Kolomin, Natalia Khorovodova

Dynamic Error Reduction via Continuous Robot Control Using the Neural Network Technique

• Viktor Glazkov, Stanislav Daurov, Alexey L’vov, Adel Askarova, Dmitriy Kalikhman

Neural Network Modeling of the Kinetic Characteristics of Polymer Composites Curing Process

• Oleg Dmitriev, Alexander Barsukov

A Technique for Multicriteria Structural Optimization of a Complex Energy System Based on Decomposition and Aggregation

• Ekaterina Mirgorodskaya, Nikita Mityashin, Yury Tomashevskiy, Dmitry Petrov, Dmitry Vasiliev

Emulators – Digital System Simulation on the Architecture Level

• Alexander Ivannikov

Other volumes

• Control Engineering
• Decision Making
• Automated Control
• Artificial Intelligence
• Knowledge Representation
• Neurorecognition
• Mathematical Modelling
• System Analysis
• Smart City Technologies
• Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

About this book

This book constitutes the full research papers and short monographs developed on the base of the refereed proceedings of the International Conference: Information and Communication Technologies for Research and Industry (ICIT 2020).

The book brings accepted research papers which present mathematical modelling, innovative approaches and methods of solving problems in the sphere of control engineering and decision making for the various fields of studies: industry and research, energy efficiency and  sustainability, ontology-based data simulation, theory and use of digital signal processing, cognitive systems, robotics, cybernetics, automation control theory, image and sound processing, image recognition, technologies, and computer vision. The book contains also several analytical reviews on using smart city technologies in Russia.

Editors and Affiliations

Olga Dolinina, Alexander Brovko, Vitaly Pechenkin, Alexey Lvov

Igor Bessmertny

Vladik Kreinovich

Vadim Zhmud

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Recent Research in Control Engineering and Decision Making

Book Subtitle : Volume 2, 2020

Editors : Olga Dolinina, Igor Bessmertny, Alexander Brovko, Vladik Kreinovich, Vitaly Pechenkin, Alexey Lvov, Vadim Zhmud

Series Title : Studies in Systems, Decision and Control

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65283-8

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Intelligent Technologies and Robotics , Intelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-65282-1 Published: 02 December 2020

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-030-65285-2 Published: 03 December 2021

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-65283-8 Published: 01 December 2020

Series ISSN : 2198-4182

Series E-ISSN : 2198-4190

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XV, 659

Number of Illustrations : 136 b/w illustrations, 151 illustrations in colour

Topics : Control and Systems Theory , Computational Intelligence , Artificial Intelligence

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Home > School, College, or Department > MCECS > CEE > Undergraduate Honors Theses

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Honors Program gives highly motivated undergraduate engineering students the chance to develop undergraduate degree programs that reflect their particular interests. Working closely with a CEE faculty advisor, Honors Program students choose a research area and complete an honors thesis, usually during their senior year. This collection includes the final honors theses that have been reviewed and approved by the student's advisor.

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Hydraulic Redistribution Under Saline Conditions , Josh Gottlieb

Quantification of Reynolds Shear Stress Wave-Phase Dependence in Fixed-Bottom Offshore Wind Turbine via Quadrant Analysis , Cerrina Mouchref, Bianca Viggiano, Raúl Bayoán Cal, and Ondrej Ferčák

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

The Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub: A Look into the Seismic Fragility of Oregon’s Fuel , Annecy Bal

A Comparison of Particulate Matter Deposition onto Green Roof Species and White Roof in Portland, Oregon , Amelia Drake

CEI Hub Failure Following a Cascadia Earthquake Event: Preliminary Modeling of a Liquid Fuel Spill in the Lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers , Mike Du Bose

Comparing Instruments for Measuring Runoff from Experimental Ecoroof Platforms: A Case Study on Test Plots at Portland State University , Chance F. Hodges

Distributionally Robust Optimization Utilizing Facility Location Problems , Elijah Kling

Maximum Coverage Facility Location Drone Routing Problem with Multiple Trip Stops , Marie Roza

Do Secondary Cyclones Increase the Category Scale of Atmospheric Rivers? , Edgar Sanchez Fausto

Theses from 2020 2020

The Seasonal Effects of Photovoltaic Cells on Sedum Eco Roof Substrate Moisture , Brook M. Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Precipitation Impacts on Groundwater Levels in the Ephemeral Holgate Lake: A MODFLOW Inquiry , Amory Cervarich

Scaling Sustainable Infrastructure: District Design for the Triple Bottom Line , Anika R. Hall

Rammed Earth in the Portland Metro Area , Samuel D. Richmann

Facility Location Model for Free Clinics to Address Healthcare Disparities in Portland, OR , Mikhaela C. Sample

Theses from 2017 2017

Using High Resolution Archived Transit Data to Quantify Congestion at Intersections of Urban Arterials , Travis Bradley Glick

Rate-limited Mass Transfer of Trichloroethene , Deza R. Irving

Torrefaction Kinetics of Hemp Hurds, an Emerging Agricultural Byproduct, in a Small Retort , Tel Jensen

Emerging Pollutants in the Columbia River: a Simple Assessment of Nonpoint Source Zones , Chulgi Kim

Elution Tailing of Nonaqueous Phase Liquids in Porous Media , Louisa Orr

A Statistical Investigation of Lower Columbia River Water Temperature, 1915-2003 , Corina Christina Mae Overman

Theses from 2016 2016

Variation in Green Roof Storage Capacity, Associated Drivers, and Implications for Stormwater Management in Portland, Oregon , Melecio Estrella

Preliminary Design Guidelines for Poraver-Based Lightweight Concrete , Marlow Stanton

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Benchtop Minimal-Intervention Anaerobic Digestion of Vegetarian Food Waste for pH and Methane Production: Conceivability and Control Study , Emily J. Heleva-Ponaski

Small-scale Minimal-maintenance Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste for Solids Reduction and Methane Production: Feasibility Study , Leland C. Scantlebury

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

The Effect of the Bicycle Detector Symbol and R10-22 Sign on Cyclist Queuing Position at Signalized Intersections , Stefan W. Bussey

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Carbon Sponsoring: A New Idea in Personal Carbon Trading, Direct Carbon Offset Pledges for Travel , Alexander Y. Bigazzi

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Graduate student using green hydrogen to reduce furnace emissions

• College News
• Engineering

While running a natural gas furnace will warm you up on a cold night, it also can warm the earth with greenhouse gas emissions. East Carolina University’s Behzad Zeinolabedini would like to change that, essentially creating green heat.

The mechanical engineering master’s student has been experimenting with a mix of green hydrogen and natural gas as part of a research project to reduce emissions in furnaces in a lab in the Rivers Building.

“The point of this research is to get a net zero carbon emission,” Zeinolabedini said. 

Behzad Zeinolabedini checks a furnace in a research lab in the Rivers Building as part of his work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He said hydrogen produced by using renewable energy is considered green. When the furnace uses less natural gas, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Zeinolabedini said the key is to create a mixture of green hydrogen and natural gas so that emissions are reduced, yet the infrastructure of the furnace does not need to be changed. That would mean old furnaces could still be used, but with fewer emissions.

“In this way, we can use the regular furnaces, the regular equipment that’s in our buildings now, so there’s no additional cost in that,” he said.

Zeinolabedini is using infrared pictures and thermometers to measure temperatures inside the furnace, an air flow meter to calculate the air velocity and flow rate from the furnace and a gas analyzer to measure emissions.

He is using various percentages of green hydrogen to discover the most efficient mix to reduce emissions. At 15% green hydrogen, the results look promising as compared to using natural gas only, he said.

“I observed a minor decrease in flame temperature at higher fuel flow rates with hydrogen blends. Also, I observed a decreased heat release and thermal energy transfer within the furnace structure with hydrogen addition,” he said. “Moreover, I observed reduced CO (carbon monoxide), NO (nitric oxide) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) levels demonstrated with hydrogen blends.”

Zeinolabedini didn’t come upon the project by accident.

“Before joining this program, I was working as an HVAC engineer for about five years,” he said. “I decided to work on this research because it was in line with my work experience and my background, and also my interest.”

He’ll get his master’s in May and then get to work, using his degree in a similar manner to his research project.

“I’m going to work as a mechanical engineer in an engineering firm, so we make buildings perform better,” he said. “It’s similar to my research. I’m going to work with different HVAC systems, all kinds of heating systems, cooling systems and ventilation systems.”

ECU’s Department of Engineering includes graduate degrees in biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and an undergraduate degree in engineering with concentrations in biomedical engineering , biochemical engineering , electrical engineering , environmental engineering , industrial and systems engineering , and mechanical engineering .

UPCOMING THESIS DEFENSE: EDWIN FISHMAN

• Post author By Segen Sara A. Habte
• Post date April 23, 2024

Author:  Edwin Fishman

Title:  The Natural Response of Uniform in Air and Partially Submerged in a Quiescent Water Body

Date/time:  April 24th at 10:00am

Location: 3179K Aerospace Engineering Conference Room, Glenn L. Martin Hall.

Committee members : Professor James Duncan, Advisor & Chair Professor Miao Yu Professor Kenneth Kiger

The free vibration of three aluminum plates (.4 m wide, 1.08 m long) oriented horizontally is studied experimentally under two fluid conditions, one with the plate surround by air and the other with the bottom plate surface in contact with a large undisturbed pool of water.  Measurements of the out of plane deflection of the upper surfaces of the plates are made using cinematic Digital Image Correlation (DIC) over the center portion of the surface  and optical tracking of the center point. Three plate geometries and boundary conditions are studied: A uniform plate with 6.35 mm thickness pinned at the two opposite narrrow ends (UP), a uniform plate with 4.83 mm thickness simply supported at one narrow end and clamped at the opposite end (UC), and a stepped plate with thickness varying from 12.7 mm to 6.35 mm pinned at two opposite narrow ends (SP). The plate’s free response is induced using an impact hammer at three locations along the center-line of the plate. Video frames of the plate’s motion are collected from stereoscopic cameras and processed using DaVis-Strainmaster and MATLAB to extract full-field displacements as a function of time. 2-degree-of-freedom displacements of the plate center are collected from tracking the center target’s motion. Time and frequency response plots are presented for comparison between the half-wet and air cases and analysis of their dynamics. It is found that the added mass of the water results in lower measured natural frequencies and modified mode shapes. These results are compared to mode shapes/frequencies produced in Creo Simulate and found to agree. Further experiments are discussed.

Saratov Fall Meeting 2003

Optical fiber reflectance spectroscopy..

Steven L. Jacques, Paulo Bargo, Kirstin Engelking

Biomedical Engineering (BME) Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Portland, OR, USA

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Preliminary Exam Seminar: Nicole Franklin - Materials Engineering - Purdue University

Preliminary Exam Seminar: Nicole Franklin

"PFAS Surfactant Behavior in Aqueous Film Forming Foams" 

Nicole Franklin , MSE PhD Candidate 

Advisors : Professors Jefrrey Youngblood & Carlos Martinez

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used in many applications, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF). However, the widespread use of PFAS has resulted in their release into the environment. Due to their strong C-F bonds and high thermal stability, PFAS do not break down and will bioaccumulate in plants and wildlife. PFAS play a critical role in aqueous film forming foams and are vital in extinguishing fuel fires. While a positive spreading coefficient is often used to gauge AFFF effectiveness, recent studies show conflicting results with film formation and vapor suppression, urging a deeper understanding of these systems. Siloxane surfactants are emerging as a promising PFAS replacement, but their success varies depending on molecular structure. This presentation aims to inform on fundamental mechanisms governing surfactant behaviors and discuss gaps in the literature that can be used to develop safer and more sustainable firefighting foam formulations.

2024-05-09 09:00:00 2024-05-09 10:00:00 America/Indiana/Indianapolis Preliminary Exam Seminar: Nicole Franklin ARMS 1021 or via WebEx