Daniel Adu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Daniel Adu

The international food and agribusiness management review, May 24, 2024

Entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector in Ghana encounter numerous challenges due to the weak i... more Entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector in Ghana encounter numerous challenges due to the weak institutional framework in the country. This often leads to business failure and poor performance of agribusiness ventures. In this paper, we aim to highlight the significance of institutional support for agribusiness entrepreneurs and its crucial role in creating more opportunities for farm entrepreneurs and ensuring the success of farm ventures. The study analyzes empirical data collected from 246 maize farm entrepreneurs in Ghana using the Structural Equation Modelling technique (PLS-SEM). The findings show that regulatory and cognitive institutions have a more positive significant influence on the opportunity recognition and exploitation strategies of maize farm entrepreneurs. Both opportunity recognition and exploitation partially mediate the effects of regulatory, normative and cognitive institutional pressures and farm business performance. The study suggests that maize farm entrepreneurs appear to benefit from regulatory and cognitive institutions. The findings, therefore, have strong policy relevance. The results of this study contribute significantly to food policy aimed at boosting maize supply chain business and food security.

Environmental science and engineering, 2024

Energy Reports, Oct 31, 2023

Energy Procedia, Dec 1, 2017

District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective s... more District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease, prolonging the investment return period. The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor temperature function for heat demand forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665 buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors. The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications (the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered). The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations.

IntechOpen eBooks, Mar 8, 2023

China has a huge undeveloped potential in the field of renewable energy and represents the highes... more China has a huge undeveloped potential in the field of renewable energy and represents the highest nation in hydropower both in installation and generation worldwide with which contributes greatly in their energy supply and helps in elimination energy demand situation in the country to direct the energy system toward the area of sustainably, clean, and quality energy supply for its safety in the country. The manuscript discusses the current renewable energy systems in China, the potentials for various renewable energy sources, and way forward. It also discusses the expected state of renewable energy in the next four decades in China and the various strategic development techniques. The current renewable energy situations, both demand and supply situations, have been discussed. Summary of the approaches for new development by the various energy sectors in the country as well as support of the government in renewable energies has been analyzed.

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Aug 1, 2018

The significance of renewable energy sources, such as generation of viable output from small hydr... more The significance of renewable energy sources, such as generation of viable output from small hydropower (SHP), has been of great concern with several measures being taken to alleviate the serious shortfall of electricity supply in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. SHP can play very important roles in the electrification of rural areas. The potential for SHP is typically found away from the more populous areas and is a very suitable energy source for the purpose of rural electrification. It can be used either as standalone power source or as a hybrid system with other energy sources. Depletion of fossil fuels and inability to meet the rising demand for electricity are among the hindrances to the economic development of sub-Saharan Africa. This paper focuses on SHP situation in sub-Saharan Africa, especially off-the-grid areas where the central grid is inaccessible. There is a need to establish widespread SHP turbines to overcome this situation. This paper draws conclusions on the importance of designing and implementing SHP turbines for sub-Saharan Africa. It also highlights small-scale hydropower as one of the most cost-effective energy technologies to be considered for electrification, and proposes guidelines to help future implementation of this technology in a better way.

Energy Reports, Nov 1, 2021

Science Progress, Apr 1, 2021

Several rivers and streams are available in Africa and Asian regions with great potentials not ap... more Several rivers and streams are available in Africa and Asian regions with great potentials not applicable for constructing large hydropower dams but feasible for small and mini hydro generation. This study strive for investigating the impact of splitter blade on pump as turbine performance considering different speed and flow rates. Two specific centrifugal pump models one with six blades without splitter and another with four blades and four splitters were used for the study. The inlet diameter and outlet diameters of both impellers were 104 mm/116 mm, and 160 mm respectively at a designed flow rate Q = 12.5 m 3 /h, head H = 16 m, rotational speed n = 1450 rpm and efficiency of 56%, outlet impeller width of 0.006 m, a blade outlet angle of 30°was used for the study. CFD simulations were conducted with the use of k-e turbulence model. The influence of splitter blade position on the performance of pump as turbine in the selected specific pumps with and without splitter blades has been investigated both experimentally and numerically at three different flow rates and rotational speed. The simulated data were in good agreement with the experimental results, the maximum deviation error between the CFD and test for each model are 5.6%, 2.6%, for the head and efficiency; 7.5% and 3.6% at different flow conditions.

Complexity

Energy contributes significantly in almost all aspects of human life as well as economic activiti... more Energy contributes significantly in almost all aspects of human life as well as economic activities and plays a crucial role in the infrastructural development of a county to alleviate poverty. Generating energy from a renewable source such as small hydropower through the application of pump operating as a turbine mode called Pump as Turbine is one of the best alternatives to provide clean and inexpensive energy. Using Pump as Turbine helps in generating reasonably priced hydroelectric power for communities in underdeveloped counties. This study investigates the effects of internal flow behaviour and performance of Pump as Turbine under different rotational speed and flow rate. The rotational speed is an essential physical parameter as it affects the Pump as Turbine operation. A model-specific speed centrifugal pump model with head 32 (m), flow rate of 12.5 (m3/h) and the rotational speed of 2900 rpm, has been selected for the study. Numerical simulations have been conducted using t...

Sustainable Smart Cities - A Vision for Tomorrow [Working Title]

Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications, Jul 10, 2018

International Journal of Scientific Research in Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology

Water and poverty are indistinguishably related. Absence of clean water and poverty are equally w... more Water and poverty are indistinguishably related. Absence of clean water and poverty are equally worth to research into; access to reliable sources of clean water is vital in decreasing poverty. Water is an essential commodity in human and aquatic life and plays a crucial role in the development of every country. Water is used for several activities such as irrigation in agricultural, energy generation, domestic use, industry and many more. This study investigates the state of access to water resources in sub-Sahara Africa, discussing the available potentials and addressing the various barriers preventing its development as well as policies for proper water management. The study surveys the socio-economic drivers of poverty and environmental factors. The conclusion of this study can be used to inform policymakers, governments, international organizations and other stakeholders to support in preparing for suitable policies for providing quality and better service in water supply and m...

Univerzita Pardubice, 2019

Current Science, 2021

ing up a mirror to the society: children recognize exotic species much more than local ones. Biol... more ing up a mirror to the society: children recognize exotic species much more than local ones. Biol. Conserv., 2013, 159, 484-489. 9. Lindemann-Matthies, P., 'Loveable' mammals and 'lifeless' plants: how children's interest in common local organisms can be enhanced through observation of nature.

Several resources and efforts have been devoted into many studies concerning the Small Hydro Pote... more Several resources and efforts have been devoted into many studies concerning the Small Hydro Potential (SHP) sites in Ghana, but still not a single of these potential sites has been developed. The country has been experiencing power crises in recent years and has resorted to the development of thermal power as supplement to the old hydropower source. The significance of renewable energy such as small hydropower in the generation of sustainable power based on its capacity to contribute towards alleviating acute shortage of rural electricity supply in Ghana has been discussed. A reasonably complete small hydropower technology review has been presented. Electricity supply to the rural communities’ situation in the country has been presented and, in general, the country’s level of electricity access is very low combined with various challenges. Small hydropower technology has been discussed as one of the promising spread out power generation system for rural electricity supply in the co...

Using pump in reverse mode as hydraulic turbine is one of the best alternatives for small hydropo... more Using pump in reverse mode as hydraulic turbine is one of the best alternatives for small hydropower generation. It is also one of the best options for meeting energy needs and providing electricity in remote and rural areas. Economic growth through renewable energy and sustainable energy sectors will create more employment opportunities and improve the social conditions in the country. financial constraints are one of the major reasons why small hydro power sites are left untapped. Despite the very low operating costs of small and micro-hydro power, the initial investment costs are high, especially the cost of the turbine. The use of pumps as a turbine is a good-looking and excellent option. With the rising cost of electricity and fuel prices, small or micro hydropower is the COMMUNICATION Vol. 15, 2018 Indian Journal of Engineering ISSN 2319–7757 EISSN 2319–7765

Complex., 2021

Using a pump in reverse mode as a hydraulic turbine remains an alternative for hydropower generat... more Using a pump in reverse mode as a hydraulic turbine remains an alternative for hydropower generation in meeting energy needs, especially for the provision of electricity to remote and rural settlements. The primary challenge with small hydroelectric systems is attributed to the high price of smaller size hydraulic turbines. A specific commercial pump model, with a flow rate of 12.5 m3/h, head 32 m, pressure side diameter of 50 mm, impeller out, and inlet diameters of 160 mm and 6 mm, respectively, was chosen for this research. This research aimed to investigate a pump’s flow characteristics as a turbine to help select a suitable pump to be used as a turbine for micro- or small hydropower construction. Numerical methodologies have been adopted to contribute to the thoughtful knowledge of pressure and velocity distribution in the pump turbine performance. In this study, the unsteady flow relations amongst the rotating impeller and stationary volute of the centrifugal pump made up four...