The advantages and limitations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for energy generation are reviewed under various physical efficiency limits, operational design and financial assistance programs. Recent increases in utility and fuel costs in poultry production as well as public awareness of and demand for green power or renewable energy sources has given renewed interest in alternative energy sources. This study seeks to investigate the impact of alternative energy programs, grants and other incentives on the feasibility of solar PV systems in two solar regions within Tennessee's poultry industry. Preliminary results show that incentives must exceed current levels before adoption of solar PV systems would be financially beneficial.

The presence of machining-induced white layer in the near-surface of critical aeroengine alloys has a detrimental effect on the lifetime of a component. Present techniques for identifying and characterizing white layer, such as optical microscopy and hardness testing, whilst effective, are destructive, costly and time-consuming. Non-destructive testing methods may, therefore, offer improvements to the process of white layer detection. This paper discusses the formation mechanisms and the defining physical properties of machininginduced white layers before offering a comprehensive review of the current state-of-the-art in both destructive and non-destructive testing methods for detecting this anomalous surface feature.

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This paper presents a novel system for mapping the through-wall electrical conductivity profiles of graphite moderator bricks that make up the core of an Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor. Multi-frequency eddy current measurements were used to reconstruct the conductivity profiles as a function of depth from the bores of different graphite bricks. The study was carried out using a modified Levenberg Marquardt algorithm, along with a finite element based forward model. First, the algorithm was tested using a laboratory graphite sample with known electrical conductivity profile. Secondly, real datasets from one of the operating Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors was collected and then used for reconstruction. The results in this study were compared with measurements from trepanned graphite samples taken from the reactor cores, and showed reasonable agreement in multiple cases, suggesting that this method could be a viable tool for non-destructively assessing the condition of the graphite core in Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors.