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Scientific name: Morpho peleides
Wetenschappelijk: Morpho peleides
De onderzijde van de vleugels is bruingekleurd met oogvlekken. De bovenzijde van de vleugels van het vrouwtje is bruin, terwijl dit bij het mannetje blauw is. Deze blauwe vlinder heeft een spanwijdte tussen de 95 en 120 millimeter. De vleugelranden zijn zwart met witte vlekken.
Volwassen vlinders leven voornamelijk van sappen uit rottend fruit en beschadigde bomen.
Deze soort komt voor in de regenwouden van Zuid- en Midden-Amerika, met name in Mexico, Colombia en Venezuela langs bosranden en rivieroevers.
De waardplanten zijn Mucuna, Dalbergia en Pterocarpus uit de familie Fabaceae. De rupsen zijn versierd met kleurige haarbundels. Ze kunnen in noodgevallen een onaangename geurstof afscheiden uit klieren bij het eerste pootpaar.
TRAITS. Morpho peleides is a large resplendent neotropical butterfly which can easily dazzle or
conceal itself from many organisms due to the bicoloration of their wings. The species possess a wing span of 12.7-15.5cm.. The dorsal surface of the wing has a metallic blue base colour edged with a black band and white dots, the ventral surface is patterned differently as it is brown with eyespots. Coloration of the wing is due to the two layers of scales that decorate the wing. As light passes through the microscopic lamellae, all wavelengths but those in the blue region are absorbed resulting in the reflected light being observed as a luminescent blue. The species is characterized by low sexual dimorphism in wing coloration, shape and size with the female being larger than the male. Morpho peleides is a highly diversified species with more than twenty subspecies. The only subspecies found in Trinidad is Morpho peleides insularis also known as the emperor butterfly.
DISTRIBUTION. Widespread over Mexico, South America, Central America, Paraguay and
endemic to Trinidad and Tobago.
HABITAT AND ACTIVITY. Located primarily in rain forests, however the species can be found in habitats ranging from mountains, ravines, cleared lands, streams to housing settlements.
Habitat preference differs with respect to the sex of the individual. The males are more easily spotted as they are prone to flying in open areas while females prefer to remain hidden within the boundaries of the forests. Morpho peleides are diurnal insects appearing throughout the day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Their flight is characterized as powerful, erratic and extraordinarily deceptive. They have a short life span, so most of its time is devoted to reproducing and feeding. Morpho peleides is a social species of butterfly that congregates in large groups. The species has an average lifespan ranging from 76-115 days.
FOOD AND FEEDING. Food and feeding habitats change throughout the stages of its life but the species remain as herbivores for their entire life. Feeding activity in larvae of all instars (stages) is bimodal, that is, feeding occurs twice throughout the day, at dawn and dusk. Upon hatching, the first instar larva devours its empty shell, which provides
an initial source of carbohydrates and proteins before it begins to feed on the host plant tissue.
Second to fifth instar larvae consume mainly plant species of legumes, euphorbias and grasses.
However, an exception is seen in Trinidad, where they feed on Paragonia pyriamidata in the Bignoniaceae. This may be an adaptive feeding mechanism due to colonization on an island devoid of leguminous flora. Larvae at all instars only feed on older leaves of the host plants. The adult has a proboscis, a straw like mouth piece that enables the
species to feed easily, however due to the lack of saliva, the butterfly's diet is limited to fluids.
Adults feed on rotting or fermenting fruits of various kinds. In some environments they feed on patches of fermenting fungi found on living and decomposing trees.
REPRODUCTION. The mating habits of the species is fairly standard, the male courts the female via various flight patterns and if she accepts his advances they mate. Female
oviposition (egg laying) sites are specific to one host plant. Ovipositioning occurs individually on the dorsal surface of older leaves of host plants, with a maximum of eight eggs laid on the same plant and up to fifteen eggs laid in a single field. The species undergoes eight stages in their development cycle: the egg, the larva which has five instars, pupa and adult.
The egg is translucent with a ring of brown dots. The larvae are colourful with multicoloured serial designs on the back, with tufts in earlier stages, while larvae in their fifth instar are patterned with a brownish colouring.
BEHAVIOUR. Juvenile behaviour: The juvenile stages of Morpho peleides occur from the egg to the pupa in which they show distinct behaviours at each stage. Younger larvae rest on the ventral sides of older leaves while older larvae rest on exposed stems and branches in direct sunlight). The positioning of the younger larvae conceals them from predators, while the position of the older larvae allows them to maintain their position while maximizing
efficiency of feeding. If the larvae is not feeding on the host plant, they rest upon a silken mat with silk trails connecting to feeding sites. These mats are built throughout larval life and are essential to their survival, as it is needed for movement along the plant, without it they encounter difficulty in traversing the leaf and retaining their balance.
Anti-predator behaviour: There is a high degree of parasitism and a low degree of predation on both eggs and larvae. This is due to adaptive behaviours of the species. The egg is laid on a host plant in such a way that it is camouflaged. The larvae and pupa are also camouflaged due to similar coloration to the host plant, and because the plants they feed
on contain toxins that affect their predators. The larvae at all instars display aggressive behaviour in response to physical contact. Older larvae of the fifth instar secrete a strong rancid butter-like odour from an orifice between the forelegs when threatened. At the adult stage, selection pressure favoured the evolution of warning coloration and partial crypsis, which allows the butterfly to adapt its visibility through camouflage. In addition, their large wingspan and bright colouring confounds potential predators when flapped rapidly, temporarily blinding them. They also maintain an irregular flight pattern and seldom take the same route twice.
APPLIED ECOLOGY. The species is not listed in the IUCN database, however they are
threatened by deforestation.
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Although the United Kingdom was dedicated to stabilizing the Al Dabir region, its defense budget was not prepared to handle an extensive, protracted campaign in the Middle East. For this reason, the Ministry of Defence had to get creative in finding ways to lessen procurement and deployment costs with regards to the war effort abroad. After realizing that these objectives could not be met on a solely domestic basis, Britain approached its close continental neighbor, France, with an arrangement that would hopefully decrease spending on both of their ends whilst keeping them more than relevant within NATO and its associated missions. This arrangement--known as the Channel Compact in Britain and the Sleeve Accord in France--stated that the two would de facto merge their defense infrastructures and combine their doctrinal stances with regards to foreign power projection. In this way, the two states would be able to maximize their traditional hard power while also shaving costs considerably.
One of the outcomes of the Compact is the British procurement of the CAESAR 155mm self-propelled gun which had its origins in France. The British naturally had their own domestic artillery systems, but they came in three flavors and two of them posed problems in facing asymmetric enemies in the barren and hostile lands of Al Dabir. To be more precise, the L118 105mm light gun and the L131 155mm self-propelled howitzer (alternatively known as the AS-90) could not adequately keep pace with field requirements. Whilst the L118 was mission-flexible given its compact size and simplicity of operation, it was underpowered and had a setup time that reduced its crew's ability to send rounds down range in a timely fashion. The L131 on the other hand packed enough punch and lacked the setup delay, but was incredibly slow compared to the speeds of other British vehicles in-theatre. Because of these detriments, the MOD required a new artillery system that could keep pace with the rest of the British forces in Al Dabir.
Luckily enough, France had just the solution. The CAESAR 155mm self-propelled gun was built on a 6x6 chassis which offered it enhanced mobility on flat terrain, making it the perfect choice for Al Dabir. An additional perk to being truck-based was the fact that upkeep was cheaper than that of the tracked and mechanically complex AS-90. Plus, sharing the design with another state meant spare parts and repair facilities were easier to come by; this was a huge factor in the CAESAR's adoption by the UK. Atop that, the 52-caliber gun meant it had a longer arm than Britain's other artillery pieces (not counting the GMLRS of course). The gun's operation is also semi-automatic, which reduces to the essential crew size to three men, although five is considered more optimal for endurance reasons. One downside to the CAESAR is that it is only capable of carrying thirty rounds independently; therefore, at least one separate ammunition hauler is typically needed per battery. All-in-all though, the CAESAR was a safe and cheap buy and will likely see a long service life in the British armed forces.
Today I've seen a poster announcing a Michael Nyman's concert.
So, I've remembered a Nyman's work to title entitle this shot. And that was what the dolphin was doing.
Lisbon's Zoo, Portugal.
One of the first words to pop into my head when I saw the challenge for today was optics for some reason. This is a shot of s used roll of Kodak Max 400 color film behind the lens taken from a long broken slide projector. The lens acts nicely as a magnifying glass which is why I keep it around. Taken with a Canon 60mm USM Macro lens. Type L for a better view.
Our Daily Challenge - Starts With O - 9/10/11
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Deutschland / Nordrhein-Westfalen - Kraftwerk Neurath
Neurath Power Station is a lignite-fired power station at Neurath in Grevenbroich, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located to the south of Grevenbroich, and it borders the municipalities of Rommerskirchen and Bedburg. The power station consists of seven units and it is owned by RWE. It was named as the second biggest single polluter for carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union in 2019 by the EU's Transport and Environment Group.
Description
The Neurath Power Station serves mainly as a base load power station. It consists of seven units (3 x 300 MW, 2 x 600 MW, and 2 x 1,100 MW nominally). Five older units were built between 1972 and 1976, and have a gross generation capacity of 2,200 MW. On 15 August 2012 two new 1,100 MW lignite-fired units – F and G, also known as BoA 2 and 3 – were added. BoA stands for Braunkohlekraftwerk mit optimierter Anlagentechnik (Lignite power station with optimized systems technology). The new units have an efficiency of 43% and the capability to adjust quickly to changes in energy demand. Both of the new units are 170 m (558 ft) tall which makes them amongst the tallest industrial buildings in the world, possibly second only to the powerblock at the Niederaussem Power Station. Its engineering was carried out by Alstom, which was also the supplier of the steam turbines. The consortium that supplied steam generators was led by Babcock-Hitachi Europe GmbH. GEA Group built the cooling towers. Construction costs were €2.6 billion.
The lignite is delivered by rail from open pits in Rhenish lignite district, in particular from the Garzweiler and Hambach mines.
In the 1980s, a complete flue gas cleaning facility was installed for all blocks. The exhaust gases are derived since then over the cooling towers. The facility also has two bypass flue gas stacks from which one belongs to units A, B and C and the other to the units D and E. The first one is 194 metres (636 ft), the latter 196 metres (643 ft) high. They allow operating the facility in case of defunct flue gas cleaning facility, however, as this rarely occurs, such chimneys do not exist at most other power stations.
Criticism
The new power station is criticized in the climate change discussion by environmental associations and physical custodians, because electricity generation from lignite as fuel, in spite of advanced technology, is considerably less efficient than other generation sources and makes the plant the second biggest source of carbon dioxide among plants in EU. The facility, with a planned lifespan of 40 years, is seen as inconsistent with Germany's and Europe's plans to counter climate warming, particularly after COP21.
It is criticized furthermore that the investment efficiency is not maximized by additional measures like using of waste heat. One of the suggested projects is the establishment of a wide greenhouse park to use the attacking rejected heat and to create other jobs. However, the area planned for it was planned for industries with large electricity demand.
Accidents
In the evening of 25 October 2007, a major accident occurred on the construction site. A section of the scaffolding broke off, and buried several workers. Three construction workers were killed by the remains of the scaffold. Six others, who were seriously injured, were taken to surrounding hospitals.
Nearly 300 application forces from fire brigade, police, ambulances and technical charitable organization were used for the rescue operation. In December 2008, the initiated preliminary proceedings were put because of careless homicide by the public prosecutor's office of Mönchengladbach. According to certificate the knot connections of the scaffold were laid out too weakly. Because there has been no knowledge about them, in this size for the first time to used components and their stability problems, the accident has not foreseen for the experts, according to the public prosecutor's office. Rather interpretation and construction have occurred under the rules of the technology.
On 13 January 2008, a further deadly accident occurred in which an employee of a steel construction company was killed. After the above-mentioned accident in October 2007 and another accident in September 2007, this became the third deadly incident on the construction site.
(Wikipedia)
Das Kraftwerk Neurath liegt im Süden von Grevenbroich und grenzt an das Gebiet der Gemeinde Rommerskirchen und der Stadt Bedburg an. Der Betreiber ist RWE in Grevenbroich-Neurath (Rhein-Kreis Neuss). Es ist, gemessen an der installierten elektrischen Bruttoleistung von 4.400 Megawatt, das größte Kraftwerk in Deutschland und das zweitgrößte Braunkohlekraftwerk Europas nach dem Kraftwerk Bełchatów in Polen.
Das Kraftwerk dient der Erzeugung von Grundlaststrom und besitzt eine elektrische Nettoleistung von über 4.211 Megawatt. Die Kohle wird über Gleisanschluss an die Nord-Süd-Bahn aus den Tagebauen des Rheinischen Braunkohlereviers, insbesondere dem Tagebau Garzweiler bezogen. Mit einem CO2-Ausstoß von 32,1 Mio. Tonnen verursachte das Kraftwerk im Jahr 2015 die zweithöchsten Treibhausgasemissionen aller europäischen Kraftwerke.
Die Gleisanlage der Nord-Süd-Bahn, die zur Versorgung des Kraftwerks Neurath genutzt wird, wurde im Juni 2019 für mehr als 40 Stunden von Aktivisten blockiert, um auf den großen CO2-Ausstoß des Kraftwerks aufmerksam zu machen.
Kraftwerksblöcke
Das Kraftwerk besteht aus sieben Blöcken (3 × 300 MW, 2 × 600 MW und 2 × 1100 MW nominal), die zwischen 1972 und 1976 sowie 2012 errichtet wurden, und besitzt eine Bruttoleistung von ca. 4400 MW.
Blöcke A bis E
In den 1980er-Jahren wurde für die Blöcke A bis E eine Rauchgasreinigungsanlage nachgerüstet. Die Abgase werden seitdem über die Kühltürme abgeleitet.
Die Anlage verfügt auch über zwei sogenannte Bypasskamine, von denen einer den Blöcken A–C und der andere den Blöcken D bis E zugeordnet ist. Ersterer ist 194 Meter[8], letzterer 196 Meter[9] hoch. Die Bypasskamine ermöglichen den Betrieb der Anlage im Fall einer defekten Rauchgasreinigungsanlage, was aber selten vorkommt und weshalb die meisten Kraftwerke auf Bypasskamine verzichten (Quelle: Pressestelle RWE).
Alle Blöcke speisen in das Übertragungsnetz des Netzbetreibers Amprion ein: Der Block A ist über die Umspannanlage Osterath auf der 220-kV-Ebene, die Blöcke B bis D über die Schaltanlage Opladen auf der 380-kV-Ebene und der Block E über die Schaltanlage Rommerskirchen, ebenfalls auf der 380-kV-Ebene, an das Höchstspannungsnetz angeschlossen.
Block C soll nach einer Vereinbarung zwischen dem Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie und den Braunkohlekraftwerksbetreibern RWE, Vattenfall und Mibrag am 1. Oktober 2019 in die Reserve überführt und vier Jahre später endgültig stillgelegt werden.
Die Blöcke A bis E sollen in den Jahren 2021 bis 2022 vom Netz genommen werden.
Blöcke F und G („BoA 2 und 3“)
Geschichte
Im September 2005 beschloss RWE, am Kraftwerk zwei neue Blöcke (F und G) vom Typ „Braunkohlekraftwerk mit optimierter Anlagentechnik (BoA)“ zu bauen. Als Weiterentwicklung des BoA-Blockes im Kraftwerk Niederaußem (BoA 1) tragen die neuen Blöcke auch die Bezeichnung „BoA 2 und 3“. Im Januar 2006 begannen die Bauarbeiten. Die BoA-Blöcke sollen bei einem Wirkungsgrad von 43 Prozent eine Leistung von je 1100 MW haben. RWE gab 2008 an, der Bau, bei dem es sich um eine der größten Baustellen Europas handele, umfasse eine Investitionssumme von 2,2 Milliarden Euro. Im Dezember 2011 räumte RWE ein, dass das Projekt mit 2,6 Mrd. Euro „deutlich teurer“ geworden sei. Die Kesselhäuser von BoA 2 und BoA 3 sind mit einer Höhe von 173 Metern die höchsten Kesselhäuser der Welt. Die Kühltürme sind 172 Meter hoch.
Die ursprünglich geplante Inbetriebnahme Ende 2009 verzögerte sich wegen des unten genannten Unfalls, bei dem ein erheblicher Teil des Neubaus zerstört wurde. Am 29. November 2011 erreichten erstmals beide Blöcke gemeinsam Volllast und produzierten während der Inbetriebsetzungsphase bis dahin mehr als 1,5 Milliarden Kilowattstunden Strom. Beide Blöcke befanden sich seit Mai bzw. Oktober 2011 im Testbetrieb, die endgültige Inbetriebnahme mit der Meldung der Blöcke an die Strombörse EEX erfolgte am 8. Juli 2012 (Block G) bzw. am 3. August (Block F). Seither speisen beide Blöcke ebenfalls in das Übertragungsnetz von Amprion in die 380-kV-Ebene ein und sind über die Schaltanlage Rommerskirchen angeschlossen.
Am 15. August 2012 erfolgte dann die offizielle Feier zur Inbetriebnahme der neuen Blöcke in Anwesenheit von Nordrhein-Westfalens Ministerpräsidentin Hannelore Kraft, Bundesumweltminister Peter Altmaier und weiteren Gästen. Fälschlich wurde es in mehreren Medien als weltgrößtes Braunkohlekraftwerk bezeichnet, tatsächlich ist es (hinter dem Kraftwerk Bełchatów, Polen) nur das zweitgrößte in Europa. Richtig ist jedoch, dass die beiden neuen BoA-Blöcke F und G mit jeweils 1.100 MW brutto die zu diesem Zeitpunkt leistungsstärksten Braunkohlekraftwerksblöcke der Welt waren. Die Baukosten wurden mit 2,6 Milliarden Euro angegeben.
RWE nahm Ende 2011 und im Frühjahr 2012 sechs der zwölf alten 150-MW-Blöcke im Kraftwerk Frimmersdorf vom Netz.
Probleme
Am 30. August 2012 fielen am frühen Nachmittag binnen sieben Minuten beide BoA-Blöcke aufgrund eines Fehlers im Leitsystem aus, weshalb eine Leistung von ca. 2.100 MW ersetzt werden musste. Dabei kam es zu Frequenzschwankungen im Stromnetz; durch Einsatz von Regelenergie wurde ein Stromausfall verhindert. Laut Amprion ist das europäische Stromnetz in der Lage, einen unvorhergesehenen Ausfall von bis zu 3.000 MW an Kraftwerksleistung zu tolerieren; daher sei keine kritische Situation entstanden. In den frühen Morgenstunden des Folgetags wurden die beiden Blöcke wieder hochgefahren.
Unfall
Am Abend des 25. Oktober 2007 kam es auf dem Baustellengelände zu einem schweren Unfall. Eine über 100 Tonnen schwere Seitenwandbandage, ein Teilstück des Großgerüstes, riss ab und begrub mehrere Monteure unter sich. Drei Bauarbeiter konnten nur noch tot aus den Trümmern des Baugerüsts geborgen werden, sechs weitere wurden zum Teil schwer verletzt in umliegende Krankenhäuser eingeliefert. Fast 300 Einsatzkräfte von Feuerwehr, Polizei, Sanitätsorganisationen und Technischem Hilfswerk waren im Einsatz. Im Dezember 2008 wurde das eingeleitete Ermittlungsverfahren wegen fahrlässiger Tötung von der Staatsanwaltschaft Mönchengladbach eingestellt. Laut Gutachten waren die Knotenverbindungen der Bandagenunterkonstruktion zu schwach ausgelegt. Da es keinerlei Kenntnisse über die – in dieser Größe erstmals eingesetzten – Bauteile und deren Stabilitätsprobleme gegeben habe, sei der Unfall für die Fachleute nicht vorhersehbar gewesen, so die Staatsanwaltschaft. Vielmehr seien Auslegung und Konstruktion nach den Regeln der Technik erfolgt.
Emissionsgrenzwerte
Im Genehmigungsbescheid vom 20. Juni 2005 legte die Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf Emissionsgrenzwerte für die neuen Blöcke F und G fest, die zur Antragszeit für Schwefeldioxid, Kohlenmonoxid und Quecksilber unterhalb der geltenden Mindestanforderungen der 13. BImSchV lagen. Obwohl der Tages-Emissionsgrenzwert mit 0,0135 mg/m3N für die neuen Blöcke vergleichsweise niedrig festgesetzt wurde (die Mindestvorgabe der 13. BImSchV sieht 0,03 mg/m3N vor), erfordert dieser Grenzwert noch keine spezielle Quecksilberminderungstechnik. Dies zeigt sich daran, dass die Quecksilberemissionen nach Inbetriebnahme der neuen Blöcke 2012 auf mehr als das Doppelte angestiegen sind[31] (zum Vergleich: in den USA gelten für Braunkohlekraftwerke in Abhängigkeit ihres Wirkungsgrades Grenzwerte von 0,005 bis 0,0054 mg/m3N).
Schadstoffe mit Grenzwerten im Tagesmittel werden durch kontinuierlich arbeitende Messgeräte überwacht, die übrigen Werte durch Einzelmessungen. Zum Vergleich mit den Grenzwerten der neuen Blöcke sind die zur Antragszeit gültigen Grenzwerte der 13. BImSchV (2004) aufgeführt sowie die Grenzwerte der aktuellen 13. BImSchV (2013) und die im Normalbetrieb mit besten verfügbaren Techniken erreichbaren Emissionswerte, wie sie im Merkblatt der Europäischen Kommission für entsprechend große Neuanlagen mit Braunkohle-Staubfeuerung auf der Basis der Datensammlung in den Jahren 2001–2002 festgelegt wurden.
Eine neue Datensammlung zu aktualisierten besten verfügbaren Techniken (BVT) organisiert die Europäische Kommission seit Oktober 2011 und veröffentlicht voraussichtlich im Jahr 2014 neue BVT-Schlussfolgerungen für Großfeuerungsanlagen. Die darin für bestehende Anlagen festgelegten, mit BVT erreichbaren Emissionswerte müssen gemäß der europaweit geltenden Industrieemissionsrichtlinie spätestens vier Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung der BVT-Schlussfolgerungen im Kraftwerk Neurath eingehalten werden.
Emissionen von Schadstoffen und Treibhausgasen
Kraftwerkskritiker bemängeln am Kraftwerk Neurath die hohen Emissionen an Stickstoffoxiden, Schwefeloxiden, Quecksilber und Feinstaub, an dem Krebs erzeugende Substanzen (Blei, Cadmium, Nickel, PAK, Dioxine und Furane) anhaften können. Eine von Greenpeace bei der Universität Stuttgart in Auftrag gegebene Studie kam 2013 zu dem Ergebnis, dass die vom Kohlekraftwerk Neurath (vor Inbetriebnahme der Blöcke F und G) ausgestoßenen Feinstäube und die aus Schwefeldioxid-, Stickoxid- und NMVOC-Emissionen gebildeten sekundären Feinstäube statistisch zu 1.712 verlorenen Lebensjahren führen.[38] Das Kraftwerk rangierte (Stand März 2013) auf der Liste der „gesundheitsschädlichsten Kohlekraftwerke Deutschlands“ auf Platz 7.
Alle Kohlekraftwerke stehen mit Verweis auf die globale Erwärmung in der Kritik bei Umweltverbänden und Naturschützern. Die Stromerzeugung aus Braunkohle gehört trotz optimierter Anlagentechnik (BoA) weiterhin zu den Technologien, die pro erzeugter Kilowattstunde Strom das meiste CO2 emittieren. Der Verbrauch an Braunkohle pro BoA-Block beträgt 820 Tonnen pro Stunde, zusammen also 1640 Tonnen.
Der Wirkungsgrad liegt zwar bei ca. 43 % – Weltrekord für Braunkohleverstromung – womit die beiden Neubaublöcke laut RWE gegenüber alten Kraftwerken auf Braunkohlebasis etwa 1/4 weniger CO2 emittieren, 2016 wurden aber ca. 31 Mio. Tonnen CO2 emittiert. Pro Kilowattstunde Strom werden ca. 950 g Kohlendioxid emittiert – fast doppelt so viel wie beim durchschnittlichen deutschen Strommix (494 g CO2/kWh).[40] Zum Vergleich: Moderne Gas-und-Dampf-Kombikraftwerke wie der 2011 in Betrieb genommene Block 4 des Kraftwerkes Irsching emittieren bei einem Wirkungsgrad von 60,4 % etwas über 330 g CO2 pro kWh.
Auf der im Jahr 2007 vom WWF herausgegebenen Liste der 30 klimaschädlichsten Kraftwerke in der EU rangierte das Kraftwerk Neurath im Jahr 2006 auf Rang 7 in Europa und auf Rang 5 in Deutschland (1150 g CO2 pro Kilowattstunde), nach den Kraftwerken Niederaußem, Jänschwalde, Frimmersdorf und Weisweiler.
Es wurde kritisiert, dass der Anlagenwirkungsgrad nicht durch zusätzliche Maßnahmen wie Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung maximiert wird. Einen Teil der anfallenden Abwärme nutzt seit Sommer 2011 ein Gewächshauspark. Auf 11 Hektar werden z. B. Tomaten angebaut.
Die Europäische Umweltagentur hat die jährlichen Kosten der Umwelt- und Gesundheitsschäden der 28.000 größten Industrieanlagen in der Europa anhand der im PRTR gemeldeten Emissionsdaten mit den wissenschaftlichen Methoden der Europäischen Kommission abgeschätzt. Danach verursacht das Kraftwerk Neurath die achthöchsten Schadenskosten aller europäischen Industrieanlagen.
(Wikipedia)
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Water Spout over Lake Erie
(TREC) Tom Ridge Environmental Center Erie, Pa
June 19, 2008
11:27 am.
See my main account for my photography, videos, fractal images and more here: www.flickr.com/photos/josh-rokman/
This is one of a series of images I made with the Bing Image Creator, which is an AI image generator powered by DALL-E 3.
For most of these images I tried to combine multiple elements together into one, rather than creating a scene with multiple separate elements. This pushes the limits of what the AI model can do, and maximizes the amount of human control over the images. For example, I might use the text prompt ‘photo realistic snake plane made out of carbon fiber and gold’.
Here is my take on AI generated images vs. human made art: I think that the quality of AI generated images will NOT dramatically improve, even many years into the future. The ultimate goal of a creative image is to create a certain emotional state in the viewer. - Emotions themselves - are the main tool used to do this. A purely logic driven machine can only create a crude, generalized model of something meant to create a certain emotional state. When someone makes a piece of art, it is always some combination of using logic and emotions to guide the process. Remember that the ultimate goal is to create a certain emotional state in the viewer. Only having access to logic, but not emotions, will always create a very generic looking work. You need to actually be able to feel emotions to fine-tune the work beyond that, since creating emotions is the ultimate goal.
The main difference between an AI model and a human is not the difference in the power of the logic that can be deployed. The difference is that a human can feel emotions, which is key to creating an image (or text) made to create a certain emotional state. The logic that the best AI image generator models currently have seems to already be at the level of what the best human can do (based on some of the results I got, which was quite a shock). The results are still crude and generic compared to what a human can do, because the AI models have no access to emotions, which are the main tool for making and refining a creative work designed to create certain emotional states.
All creative work is built with a combination of logic and emotions (emotions should always be the main tool), and by not having direct access to emotions, a machine can only create crude, generic results. When I make music I always try and use emotions rather than logic to guide the process as much as possible, since creating a certain emotional state in the listener is the ultimate goal. The best AI models have an amazing ability to use logic to mix two different styles of images together since that is a logic driven process. They can’t make those images from scratch, since that is an emotion driven process, since it is all about creating certain emotions in the viewer.
Imagine you were a chef trying to develop a new dish, but you were not allowed to taste the food at any point as you made it. Your ability to determine the correct amount of salt and other seasonings would be very crude and limited. There would always be the possibility of a disaster happening, since you could not add a bit of seasoning at a time and taste it, so you would have to just dump it all in at once. This is the same idea of an AI model that is trying to ultimately create emotional states using sophisticated logic, but without having any access to emotions to guide the process.
The results will always be very generic looking, with the occasional unexpected gruesome image being returned. The power of the logic I have seen in some of the images I have created is quite shocking, but the results are still crude and generic compared to what a human can do, since the AI model is trying to create emotional states without being able to actually feel emotions itself, which is vital to creating emotional states through an image (or text).
The AI models have an amazing ability to combine multiple types of images together into one, but they have no understanding of what the individual elements they are combining together truly are. Again, this is because the individual images are designed to create certain emotional states, and an AI model has no ability to feel emotions, meaning it has no ability to understand them.
Having said all that, there is a good chance that the ability of humans to customize AI generated images will keep going up, and this will allow for this tool to create highly creative works close to what a human could do from scratch after all. I don’t think that the AI models will ever be able to do this by themselves with a simple button push though, as I have made the case for above. Also, I would expect that the number of images that are generated with a button push will keep going up and up.
Now, does making good AI generated images take talent? I say the answer is yes simply because these images are not all equal in quality. To create the best image in a set of 1,000 to 100,000,000 images, and to do so consistently, takes skill. You need to learn something from every single image you create about what the AI model does well and does not do well. You also need creative and artistic skills to come up with really good text prompts, in addition to this. The skills involved in this are similar to the skills involved in coming up with a great line in text, like in books, poems, speeches, scripts, ect. This is like abstract art. I know from experience that randomly applying different colors of paint never yields anything impressive. It takes a lot of talent to make good abstract art. Random combinations of words in text prompts will never create the results that highly targeted ones will, when it comes to AI generated images.
Used Martha's blondie recipe but with the following alterations: browned butter, added unsweetened coconut, and chocolate chunks.
I didn't allow for the brown butter and sugar mixture to cool so it melted the chunks. I also did my usual underbaking and flash refrigeration to maximize moistness. It's more like fudge than a brownie/blondie.
Details best viewed in Original Size.
I photographed this Glossy Ibis at the Black Point Wildlife Drive section of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge located immediately north of the NASA Space complex on Florida's Atlantic Coast. This year, again, we saw very few Glossy Ibises at the refuge, certainly nowhere near as many as we had seen several years ago when they were everywhere at which we pointed a camera. This one was in the sun, thus maximizing its iridescence.
Maximize your location to tell the story.
Model : Nadine.
Often we forget to also incorporate the location by only focussing on the model. By "mixing" the two together and adding some props. You can really enhance the shot.
Saturday : July 14
Workshop fashion to the max.
I think the Bank of America tower is one of the finest examples of architecture that blends well with it's environment. As a standalone structure, its surprisingly ugly, and out of proportion (in my opinion). However, as party of the NYC streetscape, it blends in rather well. It maximizes floor place while providing a striking form that would only be visible from the top.
As some of you know I received an early invite to test out and participate in Google's latest entry into the social networking world Google+. I did an early comparison piece between Google+, Facebook, Flickr, 500px and Twitter the week before last. I wanted to write and update my thoughts on Google+ for photo sharing now that I've gotten a few weeks under my belt, as well as share with you all my own strategy for sharing photographs going forward.
Google+ completely changes the photo sharing game. Not just a little bit -- alot. This may be the most significant shift in photo sharing that we've seen since the introduction of Flickr. There is more engagement going on with photographs on G+, more ways to share photographs on G+, and it is growing at a rate that blows my mind away. Photos are elegantly presented as large oversized thumbnails in stream views (in contrast to Facebook's stingy microscopic photo thumbnails that I've never quite understood). When you click through the photo you get the most elegant lightbox view (on black) of any photo sharing site out there today.
Here are some tips for those of you who would like to maximize your photo sharing potential on Google+
1. Post your photos directly to Google+. This is probably the number one most important thing to do to promote your work there. If you post a link to Flickr, a link to your blog, a link to some other site, you get a small little thumbnail at best. If you upload your photo *directly* to Google+ you get a massive oversized thumbnail (is that like saying jumbo shrimp?). The larger your work is presented, the more likely it is to be engaged with. Even better, photos posted to G+ don't count towards your Picasa storage limits so Google is effectively giving you unlimited photo sharing on G+ for free. What a deal.
2. Get the balance right. You don't want to post too little or too much to G+. Your photos posted to G+ have a limited life. In the first hour that you post your photo it will receive 50% of the attention. In the next 3 hours 25% more, in the next 6 hours 10% more. In the next 24 hours 12% more. After a day and a half your photo will likely be buried. So it's important to regularly be adding photos to your stream. On the other hand, if you inundate people with too many photos (like 10 in a row within 10 minutes) people will drop you faster than a hot potato and you will lose visibility -- there's a fine line between sharing photos and whoring photos. Find a rate for uploads that feels right. At present I'm uploading about 5 photos a day to G+ spread out throughout the day and night. This feels about right to me.
3. Share your best work. Don't upload *everything* you take to G+. If you want to archive all your work use Flickr or Picasa. Save G+ to showcase some of what you feel is your strongest work. This will encourage other people to share your work and promote it more.
4. Don't use watermarks and signatures on your work. Don't hate me for this one. I'm so tired of haters. If you want to watermark the crap out of your work, go for it. It's your work, do WHATEVER you want with it. YOU own it. It's YOURS. Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just saying that watermarks, sigs, logos, etc. look *especially* bad when people pull up your photos in the large lightbox view. I've noticed that photos that are mared up by watermarks tend to not do as well on G+.
5. Make sure you understand sharing and make your posts *public*. Alot of people make the mistake early on of only sharing their photos with their circles without even realizing that they are limiting themselves. This means that your photo goes out to *alot* less people. This would be the same as marking a photo as private on flickr so that only your friends and family could see it. These photos will get alot less attention because most people *can't* see it due to Google's privacy settings. When people first start using G+ if they are browsing in a circle of their contacts and they share a photo from that screen, it limits the photo to only that circle. If you want your photo to be seen, make sure when you post it that it says "public" when you are sharing it.
6. Invite people from your other social networks. Post on your Facebook Wall about your Google+ stream. Offer to send invitations to your contacts there. Tweet links out to your G+ stream. Post it on your blog or tumblr account. Most importantly, post to FLICKR your Google+ stream so that your photo sharing contacts on Flickr can add you on G+. There is no easy way to transfer flickr contacts to G+ other than by word of mouth. It's up to you to get the word out to your other photo sharing channels and get them to follow you on your new G+ account.
7. Engage with people who engage with you. Pay attention to the +1's (fave/like) your photos receive. Pay attention to the comments. Go check out the people that are faving and commenting on your stuff. Social networks are largely about reciprocation. If they are a talented photographer consider adding them to a circle. If you like some of their work fave and comment on it too. Don't just post your own stuff. Engage with the community there.
8. Try some hangouts with other photographers. I've hosted a few hangouts so far. It was great hanging out with Scott Jarvie who is one of the top wedding photographers out there. Trey Ratcliff seems to always be hosting them. Popular ones will fill up quickly (hangouts are video chats limited to 10 people) -- but keep trying to get in those or maybe even set up one of your own. Don't be shy on a hangout. Talk about photography. This is a great opportunity for you to virtually network with some other great photographers. It's easy. Drop in, drop out. Make sure you've got your clothes on though, this is not Chatroulette.
9. Write good titles and descriptions for your photos. If you enter a description in for a photo in Lightroom or whatever other photo processing tool you use and write it as the photo's caption, it will automatically populate into Google+ when you upload it. You'll still need to manually add a title or headline. Make your titles interesting and engaging. Don't upload something as DSC10989. Give it a good strong title. Don't overkill on the caption, but a nice one or two sentence caption can be nice.
10. Be early. Don't wait to get involved with G+. Get yourself an invite and signup NOW. Photo Sharing on G+ feels alot like the earliest days of Flickr. It's the early frontier. Many of Flickr's most popular users are popular because they got on the site EARLY and built a following before there was as much competition. Right now there is a huge brand new audience, HUNGRY for great photography on G+. It is early still and people are figuring out who to follow. Get involved and super active early to help build your own audience there. If you wait six months, or six weeks, or heck, six days as fast as Google+ is growing, you'll miss out on some of the strongest, fastest early growth.
Bonus Tip: check out who your other photographer friends have added to *their* circles. You will likely find alot of people you know to add by doing this.
One final note. I've been asked by TONS of people about what the Google TOS means for photographers. There is a lot of FUD flying around out there about that now. As a policy I no longer comment about anything copyright related, so please don't ask about that here or on G+. I won't answer any questions about it. I will point you to an insightful post on the topic though written last night by Vincent Mo (who works for Google) on the matter.
If you don't have an invite to Google+ yet and want one, either email me tom(at)thomashawk.com or flickrmail me your email address and I will try and invite you. I'm doing the best I can to keep up with the invite requests, so bear with me if it takes some time to get it out to you.
Also if you are already on Google+ and want to follow my work there you can do that here.
The far side faces the ocean. They have sensibly built the house above dyke level, although the cars may get wet in the coming floods :)-
Maximize/full screen for better detail. Strange picture, it´s almost straight out of camera (just color correction/small saturation up and a little contrast) but it looks like highly edited. Loved the symmetry.
Private investment and project consultancy involves providing expert advice and support to individuals or companies seeking to invest in various projects. Read more:
See my albums list for some of my best work: www.flickr.com/photos/200044612@N04/albums/
See my main account for my photography, videos, fractal images and more here: www.flickr.com/photos/josh-rokman/
Made with Image Creator from Microsoft Designer, formerly known as the Bing Image Creator. Powered by DALL·E 3.
I think that AI image generation is similar in many ways to photography. The camera itself handles all the fine details, but the photographer is in charge of curating the types of images that will be created.
Ultimately, it is all about maximizing the probability that something good will be created.
This is very similar to AI image generation, in terms of the skills involved and what the human does vs. what the machine does.
You can't compare AI image generation to the process of actually making these images from scratch with 3D software or paint/pencils, where the human controls every detail.
However, I think the process really is very similar to that of photography, as I made the case for above. I think that DALL-E 3 is by far the most powerful AI image generation tool currently available.
- Josh
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Whether you are using an old and reliable heating, ventilation and air conditioning system or you are upgrading your HVAC equipment to a newer and more energy-efficient model, you should be aware that simply having a system that is rated well for efficiency isn’t all you need to do to create a more energy-conscious and efficient home.
One of the most important things you can do to keep your HVAC equipment operating at peak performance is to perform routine preventive maintenance. This can include checking hoses, seals, filters and duct work for damage, air leaks or the wear and tear of time. Even regular inspection and maintenance, however, isn’t all you can do to help your heating and cooling system perform in the most energy-efficient way. Here are five tips to help you get the most efficiency from your HVAC equipment:
Get a system that is the proper size for your home. An HVAC unit that is too small for the size of your home will work continuously to maintain the desired temperature, which means that the internal components may wear out or break down more quickly than they normally would. A system that is too large will cycle on and off more frequently, using more electricity to do so.
Change the direction of your ceiling fans as the seasons change. While you want cool air circulating through your home during the summer, you should likewise want warm air to do so during colder seasons. Changing the direction on your ceiling fans when the temperatures start to fall will help move warm air from the ceiling down into the room. By doing this, the temperatures inside your home will feel warmer longer, reducing the need for your HVAC unit to run frequently to provide you with a comfortable interior climate.
Use a humidifier in warmer weather. When air blows on moist skin, it creates a cooling sensation. The use of a humidifier during warm weather will make you feel cooler because the air inside your home will contain more moisture. This means you won’t be running the air conditioning as much to keep the air cooled.
Make sure doors, windows and other access points are properly sealed. Air loss is the primary enemy of an HVAC unit, because it means the system has to operate more often to heat or cool the air inside your home. Doors and windows should be sealed to prevent air from escaping, and you should also check other access points like electrical outlets and plumbing pass-throughs to make sure there are no air leaks where wires, pipes or other items go through the walls of your home. This is especially true where those items pass through into an unheated space like a garage, basement, attic or exterior wall.
Adjust the thermostat by a few degrees. Rather than keeping your thermostat at 72 during the winter or 68 in the summer, set it at 70 in both seasons. The couple of degrees difference will make a big difference over time in terms of reducing your energy use and decreasing wear and tear on your HVAC equipment.
When you do replace your existing HVAC equipment, make sure you choose a unit that is ENERGY STAR rated for maximum efficiency. Combining this with the tips listed here, as well as other steps you can take to reduce your energy consumption and maximize the efficiency of your air conditioner, will help you save money, better regulate the temperature in your home and extend the life of your HVAC system.
The post 5 Tips for Maximizing the Efficiency of Your HVAC Unit appeared first on Trophy AC.
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Incised onto the surface of this large gravestone is the image of a warrior standing on a ground line facing right. His name, Athanias, is inscribed at the top of the stele in either Boeotian or Sikyonian script. He wears a conical helmet decorated with a wreath, a short belted tunic that exposes his right shoulder, and sandals. A sheathed sword suspended by a baldric hangs by his left side. In his right hand he carries a downward-pointing spear; his left hand rests atop his shield. The interior of the shield is decorated with a scene of Bellerophon astride Pegasos, thrusting his spear into the Chimaera below. Incised stelai such as this were once painted, but no traces of pigment remain.
Black limestone grave stele
Height 160 cm; width 75 – 80 cm
Late 5th – Early 4th century BC.
Thebes, Archaeological Museum