Renewable Energy Sources and Local Development

Renewable sources are closely linked to the natural conditions of each region and locality, their availability is very varied from one site to another, being important the evaluation of the potential of these resources, in order to determine their best use under economically advantageous conditions. These constitute the equivalent fuel for the operation of the technologies that exploit them, their quantity and quality; It also depends on the energy performance and reliability of the technology systems that employ them. An analysis of the importance of the determination of the regionalization of the RES is presented, showing the energy, economic and environmental impacts that can be estimated in specific regions and localities. For this, the studies carried out in the province of La Habana and in the municipality of San Luis in the province of Santiago de Cuba are presented as practical examples of a territorial planning, considering the conditions of each locality. The results are shown using the Geographic Information System (GIS). The contribution obtained allows the preliminary knowledge of the renewable potential (solar, wind, water and biomass), which can be considered for a regionalization of the planning with renewable energy sources, in order to reach the goals of sustainable development, based on the search Of energy solutions at the Community level

Supply of renewable energy sources and the cost of EU climate policy

What are the excess costs of a separate 20% target for renewable energy as a part of the EU climate policy for 2020? We answer this question using a computable general equilibrium model, WorldScan, which has been extended with a bottom-up module of the electricity sector. The model set-up makes it possible to directly use available estimates of costs and capacity potentials for renewable energy sources for calibration. In our base case simulation, the costs of EU climate policy with the renewables target are 6% higher than those of a policy without this target. As information on the supply of renewable energy is scarce and uncertain, we perform an extensive sensitivity analysis with respect to the level and steepness of the supply curves for wind energy and biomass. In the range we explore, the excess costs vary from zero (when the target is not binding) to 23% (when the cost progression and the initial cost disadvantage for renewables are doubled).

The Effects of Renewable Portfolio Standards on Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) programs have experienced increased popularity at the state level with twenty-three states adopting policies. Policy makers implement these programs in the hopes of stimulating renewable energy generation and lessening the states reliance on nonrenewable sources, by requiring utility companies to provide a specified amount of electricity from renewable sources. I examine the use of renewable energy sources caused by the implementation of these programs, and determine how these renewable source markets interact in an RPS setting. Analysis performed on RPS programs indicates an increase in wind energy generation, suggesting that RPS programs are an effective method to increasing generation and reliance on wind energy. Results do not indicate that the renewable energy sources of wind, solar/photovoltaic, and geothermal, compete with one another to provide the lowest cost energy. This may be due to the infancy of the programs with economies of scale yet to be reached.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A review on the complementarity of renewable energy sources: concept, metrics, application and future research directions

It is expected, and regionally observed, that energy demand will soon be covered by a widespread deployment of renewable energy sources. However, the weather and climate driven energy sources are characterized by a significant spatial and temporal variability. One of the commonly mentioned solutions to overcome the mismatch between demand and supply provided by renewable generation is a hybridization of two or more energy sources in a single power station (like wind-solar, solar-hydro or solar-wind-hydro). The operation of hybrid energy sources is based on the complementary nature of renewable sources. Considering the growing importance of such systems and increasing number of research activities in this area this paper presents a comprehensive review of studies which investigated, analyzed, quantified and utilized the effect of temporal, spatial and spatio-temporal complementarity between renewable energy sources. The review starts with a brief overview of available research papers, formulates detailed definition of major concepts, summarizes current research directions and ends with prospective future research activities. The review provides a chronological and spatial information with regard to the studies on the complementarity concept.Comment: 34 pages 7 figures 3 table

Multiport power electronics circuitry for integration of renewable energy sources in low power applications : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The increasing demand for electricity and the global concern about environment has led energy planners and developers to explore and develop clean energy sources. Under such circumstances, renewable energy sources (RES) have emerged as an alternative source of energy generation. Immense development has been made in renewable energy fields and methods to harvest it. To replace conventional generation system, these renewable energy sources must be sustainable, reliable, stable, and efficient. But these sources have their own distinguished characteristics. Due to sporadic nature of renewable energy sources, the uninterrupted power availability cannot be guaranteed. Handling and integration of such diversified power sources is not a trivial process. It requires high degree of efficiency in power extraction, transformation, and utilization. These objectives can only be achieved with the use of highly efficient, reliable, secure and cost-effective power electronics interface. Power electronics devices have made tremendous developments in the recent past. Numerous single and multi-port converter topologies have been developed for processing and delivering the renewable energy. Various multiport converter topologies have been presented to integrate RES, however some limitations have been identified in these topologies in terms of efficiency, reliability, component count and size. Therefore, further research is required to develop a multiport interface and to address the highlighted issues. In this work, a multi-port power electronics circuitry for integration of multiple renewable energy sources is developed. The proposed circuitry assimilates different renewable sources to power up the load with different voltage levels while maintaining high power transfer efficiency and reliability with a simple and reliable control scheme. This research work presents a new multiport non-isolated DC-DC buck converter. The new topology accommodates two different energy sources at the input to power up a variable load. The power sources can be employed independently and concurrently. The converter also has a bidirectional port which houses a storage device like battery to store the surplus energy under light load conditions and can serve as an input source in case of absence of energy sources. The new presented circuitry is analytically examined to validate its effectiveness for multiport interface. System parameters are defined and the design of different components used, is presented. After successful mathematical interpretation, a simulation platform is developed in MATLAB/Simscape to conduct simulations studies to verify analytical results and to carry out stability analysis. In the final stage, a low power, low voltage prototype model is developed to authenticate the results obtained in simulation studies. The converter is tested under different operating modes and variable source and load conditions. The simulation and experimental results are compiled in terms of converter’s efficiency, reliability, stability. The results are presented to prove the presented topology as a highly reliable, stable and efficient multiport interface, with small size and minimum number of components, for integration of renewable energy sources

The promotion of renewable energy sources: European experiences and steps forward

This study investigates the instruments used by governments in order to support renewable energy sources in the European Union. The findings of this study reveal that policy goals could be achieved by using a large variety of instruments and renewable energies could be better promoted if policy instruments are harmonized. The study was carried out by combining a wide variety of sources, such as strategies, reports, regulations, and European experiences in promoting renewable energy sources. The methodology and the results reported in this research may be used for designing new, harmonized policy instruments to support renewable energy sources in the European Union.renewable energy sources, environmental protection, policy instruments, supporting schemes, harmonizationJournal: Economia. Seria Management

THE IMPACT ON CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT CHANGE –RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

Most of the people have an idea of what renewable energy sources are and what they can offer us. The majority of people are also very aware of the impact that non-renewable energy is having on the environment. The adage reduce, reuse, recycle is commonly recited today by adults and children alike. We have started to see an increase in the reduction of waste and consumption of energy and the recycling and reuse of products we use. It is time to see an increase, however, in the use of renewable energy.environment; climate change; renewable energy; non-renewable energy; recycling; alternative energy sources