Abstract

In this paper, we characterise tourists most likely to visit a coastal destination by high-speed rail (HSR). Our data came from a survey conducted among HSR passengers during 2014’s high season (July and August) at Spain’s Camp de Tarragona and Alicante Stations, each of which is near a mass tourism destination on the Mediterranean coast: the Costa Daurada and the Costa Blanca, respectively. We used responses to the survey, which presented binary discrete-choice situations, to construct a database necessary for a logistic regression model that allowed us to examine how passenger profile, trip characteristics, and stay conditions influenced the use of HSR services on visits to each coastal destination. Results highlighted significant differences in the profiles of tourists who arrived at each destination by HSR and, in turn, that no specific tourist profile is associated with HSR, even for two stations that serve sunny beach destinations. Among its implications, to analyse travellers that HSR can attract, it is vital to consider the specific characteristics of each destination and its current market. This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (GLOBALTUR–CSO2011–23004/GEOG; MOVETUR-CS02014-51785-R) to AG. Document type: Article

Abstract

Photo-electrochemical (PEC) hydrogen generation is a promising technology and alternative to photovoltaic (PV)-electrolyser combined systems. Since there are no commercially available PEC cells and very limited field trials, a computer simulation was used to assess the efficacy of the approach for different domestic applications. Three mathematical models were used to obtain a view on how PEC generated hydrogen is able to cover demands for a representative dwelling. The analysed home was grid-connected and used a fuel cell based micro-CHP (micro-combined heat and power) system. Case studies were carried out that considered four different photo-electrode technologies to capture a range of current and possible future device efficiencies. The aim for this paper was to evaluate the system performance such as efficiency, fuel consumption and CO2 reduction capability. At the device unit level, the focus was on photo-electrode technological aspects, such as the effect of band-gap energy represented by different photo-materials on productivity of hydrogen and its uncertainty caused by the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE), which is highly electrode preparation specific. The presented dynamic model allows analysis of the performance of a renewable energy source integrated household with variable loads, which will aid system design and decision-making. Document type: Article

Abstract

Fast-growing cities are expected to become a key contributor to the global climate crisis. A key characteristic of those urban districts is the accommodation of mass participant sport events. Sport entities, in collaboration with city governments, plan annually active participation sport events to promote their cities as tourism destinations. Mass participant sport events aim to attract more visitors to the cities and to establish a successful social and economically sustainable future to those places. Given the fact that transportation is a critical factor of the residents and the visitors&rsquo behavior, it is crucial to research the quantity of CO2 emissions generated to those places in association with the travel behaviors of the active sport event participants. Data collected from an annual mass participant running event in a highly ranked growing city in the United States. Findings showed that most of the active sport event participants traveled more than 150 miles to participate in the race and they used their vehicles. The largest quantity of CO2 emissions derived from those participants who traveled a round trip of, on average, 500 miles. The long-distance travelers alone generated 338 million kg of CO2 emissions. The conclusions recommend that growing cities and sport events should target long-distance travelers for promotions concerning sustainable transportation. Consequently, mass participant sport events could play a crucial role in the development of growing cities, and, in turn, growing cities that control long-distance traveling behaviors can reduce the global amount of greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global environmental destruction. Document type: Article