Strategic planning and decision making, nonetheless making energy policies and strategies, is very extensive process and has to follow multiple and often contradictory objectives. During the preparation of the new Slovenian Energy Programme proposal, complete update of the technology and sector oriented bottom up model of Reference Energy and Environmental System of Slovenia (REES- -SLO) has been done. During the redevelopment of the REES-SLO model tradeoff between the simulation and optimisation approach has been done, favouring presentation of relations between controls and their effects rather than the elusive optimality of results which can be misleading for small energy systems. Scenario- based planning was integrated into the Modular Energy System Analysis and Planning environment, allowing integration of past, present, and planned (calculated) data in a comprehensive overall system. Within the paper, the main technical, economic, and environmental characteristics of the Slovenian energy system model REES-SLO are described. This paper presents a new approach in modelling relatively small energy systems which goes beyond investment in particular technologies or categories of technology and allows smooth transition to low carbon economy. Presented research work confirms that transition from environment unfriendly fossil fuelled economy to sustainable and climate friendly development requires a new approach, which must be based on excellent knowledge of alternative possibilities of development and especially awareness about new opportunities in exploitation of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26188839
Construction of an LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) terminal by TGE (TGE Gas Engineering GmbH) is currently planned to be located along the Slovenian coast near the city of Koper. Two other LNG terminals are also planned: one in the Trieste port and the other off shore in Trieste Bay in Italy. Focusing on nautical operations, the purpose of this paper is to identify potential risks and to assess their levels as consequences of increased LNG activities. The ports in the area are host to a variety of vessels, including containers, tankers and chemical carriers, general cargo vessels, passenger ferries, bulk carriers, ro-ro carriers, etc.; and a large number of recreational and fishing vessels can be located on the navigational line towards ports located in Trieste bay. There are around 2500 vessels calling at the Port of Koper a year and approximately the same number at the Port of Trieste as well as a few hundred more nearby at the Port of Monfalcone. Using a quantitative approach, collision and grounding risk assessment will be analysed for the shipping situation in the area, obtained through AIS (Automatic Identification System).
COBISS.SI-ID: 2348643
Radiological doses to terrestrial wildlife were examined in this model inter-comparison study that emphasised factors causing variability in dose estimation. The study participants used varying modelling approaches and information sources to estimate dose rates and tissue concentrations for a range of biota types exposed to soil contamination at a shallow radionuclide waste burial site in Australia. Results indicated that the dominant factor causing variation in dose rate estimates (up to three orders of magnitude on mean total dose rates) was the soil-to-organism transfer of radionuclides that included variation in transfer parameter values as well as transfer calculation methods. Additional variation was associated with other modelling factors including: how participants conceptualised and modelled the exposure configurations (two orders of magnitude); which progeny to include with the parent radionuclide (typically less than one order of magnitude); and dose calculation parameters, including radiation weighting factors and dose conversion coefficients (typically less than one order of magnitude). Probabilistic approaches to model parameterisation were used to encompass and describe variable model parameters and outcomes. The study confirms the need for continued evaluation of the underlying mechanisms governing soil-toorganism transfer of radionuclides to improve estimation of dose rates to terrestrial wildlife. The exposure pathways and configurations available in most current codes are limited when considering instances where organisms access subsurface contamination through rooting, burrowing, or using different localised waste areas as part of their habitual routines
COBISS.SI-ID: 26468391
Partitioning of natural radionuclides in sediments from streams affected by the waste piles of the former uranium mine and mill located atZ irovski vrh, Slovenia, was performed by applying a sequential extraction procedure. The sediments were collected at three sites located upstream and three sites located downstream of the waste piles. Then the four-step Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction protocol was applied to the samples and the natural radionuclides 238U, 230Th, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po were analysed in each extraction fraction. It was expected that the fractionation of natural radionuclides originating from the waste piles would differ from that upstream of the influence of waste piles because their chemical environment had been altered during the processes of uranium extraction. This difference could allow tracing of the radionuclides coming from the waste piles downstream of the affected watercourses. The results definitely showed that the total activity concentrations at sites downstream of the influence of the waste piles were higher than at sites upstream of the piles. However, this difference was geographically very limited and could no longer be detected already at a distance of about 5 km downstream. Unexpectedly, the fractionation of radionuclides upstream and downstream of the area of influence of the waste piles did not appear to be significantly altered. The sole differences found were for 238U and 226Ra in the second fraction (the Fe/Mn oxides fraction) and for 210Po in the fourth fraction (the residue fraction) of the BCR sequential extraction protocol.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26522407
Activity concentrations of 234U, 238U, 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Po and 210Pb in all Croatian bottled drinking natural spring and natural mineral water products, commercially available on the market, were determined. The samples originated from various geological regions of Croatia. Activity concentrations of measured radionuclides are in general decreasing in this order: 234U) 238U)226Ra)228Ra)210Pb)210Po and 226Ra)228Ra)234U)238U)210Pb)210Po for natural spring and mineral waters, respectively. Based on the radionuclide activity concentrations average total annual effective ingestion doses for infants, children and adults, as well as contribution of each particular radionuclide to total dose, were assessed and discussed. The highest doses were calculated for children from 7 to 12 years of age, which makes them the most critical group of population. All values for each type of water, as well as for each population group, were well below the recommended reference dose level (RDL) of 0.1 mSv from one year's consumption of drinking water according to the European Commission recommendations from 1998. Contribution of each particular radionuclide to total doses varied among different water types and within each water type, as well as between different age groups, where the lowest contribution was found for uranium isotopes and the highest for 228Ra.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26128679