Abstract
Biomass as an energy source contributes to a decrease in the dependence on imported fossil fuels, while at the same time, adding value to the countries where biomass fuel sources thrive, in addition to providing a source of renewable energy. Knowledge of the behaviour of fuel is essential in order to design and operate equipment safely and efficiently. In particular, knowledge about mineral content is essential because the ashes play an important role in the dynamics of the generation system. Through knowledge of the chemical composition and physical properties of the ashes, it is possible to predict the tendency to form deposits in the boiler components, as well as their potential to cause corrosion, erosion and abrasion. The behaviour of the ashes in the system is highly dependent on fuel, particularly when it comes from industrial waste or energy crops. These fuels have a higher mineral content, particularly sodium (Na), potassium (K), phosphorous (P) and chloride (Cl). They also have higher ash content with a low melting point and high corrosion potential. This paper focuses on the characteristics of the ashes derived from the combustion of biomass, with particular attention paid to the chemical transformations at high temperatures, as well as its effect on the combustion equipment. Emphasis is placed on the potential problems that occur when biomass-burning technologies are used for energy crops, in order to avoid catastrophic failures. It concludes with recommendations for the management, control and prevention of problems associated with ash.

Abstract
In this work, the feasibility of applying a Sliding Mode Predictive Controller (SMPC) to improve greenhouse inside air temperature control is addressed in terms of energy consumption, disturbance handling and set point tracking accuracy. Major research issues addressed concern the SMPC robustness study in greenhouse control, as well as to evaluate if the levels of performance and energy consumptions are acceptable when compared with the traditional generalized predictive controller. Besides the external disturbances related to weather conditions throughout the considered period, such as solar radiation and temperature variations, internal effects of irrigation system and external air flow entering the greenhouse must be taken into account. Simulations based on real data, carried out for a period of 4months, suggest that the strategy herein described not only appropriately rejects these disturbances, but also keeps the manipulated variables (heating and cooling) within feasible practical limits, with low levels of energy consumption, motivating its refinement for real application. SMPC results are presented and compared with the ones obtained with the generalized predictive controller. Both controllers are subject to actuator constraints and employ the Quadratic Programming for optimization. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract
This paper presents the development and the experimental validation of a centralized coordination control scheme that is robust to communication constraints and individual tracking errors for a team of possibly heterogeneous marine vehicles. By assuming the existence of a lower level target tracking control layer, a centralized potential-field-based coordination scheme is proposed to drive a team of robots along a path that does not necessarily need to be defined a priori. Furthermore, the formation is allowed to hold its position (the vehicles hold their positions with regard to a static virtual leader), which is particularly appreciated in several marine applications. As it is important to guarantee stability and mission completion in adverse environments with limited communications, the centralized control scheme for coordination is constructed in a way that makes it robust to tracking errors and intermittent communication links. The study and developments presented in this paper are complemented with field experiments in which vehicles have coordinated their operation to keep in formation over a dynamic path and static points. This work considers two types of communication technologies. Firstly, standard high rate radio communications are used to drive the formation and, secondly, acoustic communications are employed to assess the performance and the robustness of the proposed approach to degraded and highly variable conditions. Index Terms-Communication

Abstract

Abstract
The constant growth of wind farms in the Brazilian electric system increases the concerns regarding power quality, especially related to harmonic distortions. At the same time, wind generation also becomes relevant in the context of power system stability, operating as ancillary services. One of the requirements of the system operator is the injection of reactive power by the wind farms to maintain the voltage levels. Considering that the actual studies only considers the operation of the wind generators with unitary power factor, the present work aims to evaluate the harmonic impact of Wind farms operating with reactive power injection on the electric system buses. For this purpose two monitoring campaigns in a wind farm of the CPFL Renováveis were performed with different power factors operating modes in the wind generators. These results were utilized in computational studies to evaluate the impact in voltage distortion at the PCC. The results obtained in this work demonstrated a significant impact on the harmonic current generation and in the voltage harmonic distortion due to the reactive power injection by the wind generators of the wind farm.

Abstract
The chapter presents an entrepreneurial perspective to rural tourism. It is based on the utilization of endogenous resources that exist within a rural region, and leads to a group of business opportunities related to tourism, craftwork, and agriculture, which are taken into account to define the strategic objectives for the ADRIMAG region. The chapter follows a qualitative approach to business opportunities. Through our analysis, it was possible to create, in a simple manner, a group of business opportunities based on the endogenous resources of the region. With this study, we expect to bring forth an entrepreneurial perspective that will sustainably foster tourism development within rural regions, but with high potential for tourism attraction.