Over 40% of nursing home residents in the Netherlands are estimated to have visual impairments. In this study, light conditions in Dutch nursing homes were assessed in terms of horizontal and vertical illuminances and colour temperature. Results showed that in the seven nursing homes vertical illuminances in common rooms fell significantly below the 750 lx reference value in at least 65% of the measurements. Horizontal illuminance measurements in common rooms showed a similar pattern. At least 55% of the measurements were below the 750 lx threshold. The number of measurements at the window zone was significantly higher than the threshold level of 750 lx. Illuminances in the corridors fell significantly below the 200 lx threshold in at least three quarters of the measurements in six of the seven nursing homes. The colour temperature of light fell significantly below the reference value for daylight of 5000 K with median scores of 3400 to 4500 K. A significant difference in colour temperature was found between recently constructed nursing homes and some older homes. Lighting conditions of the examined nursing homes were poor. With these data, nursing home staff have the means to improve the lighting conditions, for instance, by encouraging residents to be seated next to a window when performing a task or during meals.
The finding of poor lighting conditions in nursing homes in combination with a high prevalence of visual problems (with cataract found to be the most common age related pathology), stretches the need of enhanced awareness of eye care by professional caregivers.
Teachers and students need good learning environments to perform well. In this study, it is pre-supposed that the spatial properties of classrooms are important facilitators of the educational process. Ideally, school buildings in general and classrooms in particular should influence the educational process positively by providing a healthy and comfortable built environment. A healthy and comfortable indoor environment is provided by optimal conditions for IAQ, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort and visual comfort. A pleasant temperature, fresh air, good soundscape and lighting conditions will support the in-class tasks of lecturers and students. But do schools provide optimal environmental learning conditions? Maintaining adequate ventilation and thermal comfort in classrooms could significantly improve academic achievement of students. A first orientating literature study reveals that that classroom conditions are far from optimal and in some cases even unhealthy and affect the performance of teachers and students negatively. Overall, evidence suggests that poor indoor environment quality in schools is common and adversely influences the performance and attendance of students, primarily through health effects from indoor pollutants. Based on this evidence, it is highly recommended to improve environmental conditions in classrooms in higher education in The Netherlands by offering a better indoor air quality and thermal conditions and by improving the acoustic and lighting conditions.
TU Delft, in collaboration with Gravity Energy BV, has conducted a feasibility study on harvesting electric energy from wind and vibrations using a wobbling triboelectric nanogenerator (WTENG). Unlike conventional wind turbines, the WTENG converts wind/vibration energy into contact-separation events through a wobbling structure and unbalanced mass. Initial experimental findings demonstrated a peak power density of 1.6 W/m² under optimal conditions. Additionally, the harvester successfully charged a 3.7V lithium-ion battery with over 4.5 μA, illustrated in a self-powered light mast as a practical demonstration in collaboration with TimberLAB. This project aims to advance this research by developing a functioning prototype for public spaces, particularly lanterns, in partnership with TimberLAB and Gravity Energy. The study will explore the potential of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) and piezoelectric materials to optimize energy harvesting efficiency and power output. Specifically, the project will focus on improving the WTENG's output power for practical applications by optimizing parameters such as electrode dimensions and contact-separation quality. It will also explore cost-effective, commercially available materials and best fabrication/assembly strategies to simplify scalability for different length scales and power outputs. The research will proceed with the following steps: Design and Prototype Development: Create a prototype WTENG to evaluate energy harvesting efficiency and the quantity of energy harvested. A hybrid of TENG and piezoelectric materials will be designed and assessed. Optimization: Refine the system's design by considering the scaling effect and combinations of TENG-piezoelectric materials, focusing on maximizing energy efficiency (power output). This includes exploring size effects and optimal dimensions. Real-World Application Demonstration: Assess the optimized system's potential to power lanterns in close collaboration with TimberLAB, DVC Groep BV and Gravity Energy. Identify key parameters affecting the efficiency of WTENG technology and propose a roadmap for its exploitation in other applications such as public space lighting and charging.
The project focuses on sustainable travel attitude and behaviour with attention to balance, liveability, impact and climate change (as indicated above). The customer journey is approached from the consumer side and intends to shed light on the way COVID-19 has influenced (or not) the following aspects:• consumer’s understanding and appreciation of sustainability • the extent to which this understanding has influenced their attitude towards sustainable travel choices• the extent to which this change is represented in their actual and projected travel behaviour throughout the travel decision-making process • conditions that may foster a more sustainable travel behaviourThe project can be seen as a follow up to existing studies on travel intention during and post COVID-19, such as ETC’s publication on Monitoring sentiment for domestic and Intra-European travel – Wave 5, or the joint study of the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI – www.etfi.nl) and the Centre of Expertise in Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality (CELTH – www.celth.nl) highlighting four future scenarios for the leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors post COVID-19. The project will look beyond travel intention and will supplement existing knowledge with crucial information on the way consumers view sustainability and the extent to which they are willing to adjust their travel behaviour to aid the recovery of a more sustainable travel and tourism industry. Therefore, the report aims to generate knowledge vital for the understanding of consumer trends and the role sustainability will play in travel choices in the near future.Problem statementPlease describe which question in the (participating) industry is addressed.How has the sustainable travel attitude and behaviour in selected European source markets been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic? Further questions to be answered:• How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence the consumer’s understanding and appreciation of sustainability?• To what extent did this understanding influence their attitude towards sustainable travel choices?• To what extent is this change represented in their actual and projected travel behaviour throughout the travel decision-making process?• What are the conditions that may foster a more sustainable travel behaviour?
In 2024, the Dutch government set a new plan for offshore wind farms to become the Netherlands' largest power source by 2032, aiming for 21 GW of installed capacity. By 2050, they expect between 38 and 72 GW of offshore wind power to meet climate-neutral energy goals. Achieving this depends heavily on efficient wind turbines (WTs) operation, but WTs face issues like cavitation, bird strikes, and corrosion, all of which reduce energy output. Regular Inspection and Maintenance (I&M) of WTs is crucial but remains underdeveloped in current wind farms. Presently, I&M tasks are done by on-site workers using rope access, which is time-consuming, costly, and dangerous. Moreover, weather conditions and personnel availability further hinder the efficiency of these operations. The number of operational WTs is expected to rise in the coming years, while the availability of service personnel will keep on declining, highlighting the need for safer and more cost-effective solutions. One promising innovation is the use of aerial robots, or drones, for I&M tasks. Recent developments show that they can perform tasks requiring physical interaction with the environment, such as WT inspections and maintenance. However, the current design of drones is often task-specific, making it financially unfeasible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – providing services in WT inspection and maintenance- to adopt. Together with knowledge institutes, SMEs and innovation clusters, this project addresses these urgent challenges by exploring the question of how to develop a modular aerial robot that can be easily and intuitively deployed in offshore environments for inspecting and maintaining WTs to facilitate SMEs adoption of this technology? The goal is to create a modular drone that can be equipped with various tools for different tasks, reducing financial burdens for SMEs, improving worker safety, and facilitating efficient green energy production to support the renewable energy transition.
