Screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

This chapter discusses screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

Photovoltaic System Adoption in Water Related Technologies – A Review

Water and energy are intimately related, as water is required for energy applications and energy is required for water-based technologies. Two large groups of photovoltaic adoptions have been identified in this review: first, those in which the photovoltaic system is separated from the water technology. In second group, the photovoltaic system is in physical contact with the water technology thereby its performance is affected either in a positive or negative way. The novelty of this review work lies in the classification of photovoltaic system adoption in various water related technologies. Apart from classification, discussions on system configurations, working aspects, performance aspects, economic aspects and scope for further investigations have been presented in detail. Wastewater treatment plants are identified to be the most suitable site for photovoltaic module installation and utilization. Among power sectors, hydro power plants are highly compatible with photovoltaic adoption because it enhances hydro power plant’s operation time and utilization. Floating photovoltaic, submerged photovoltaic, agrivoltaic, aquavoltaic and solar photovoltaic + water disinfection are relatively new, highly attractive and have more scope for further improvements. Agrivoltaic and aquavoltaic increases crop & sea food production, enhances farmers’ income, encourage clean energy transition and rural electrification. Research works in the area of unmanned photovoltaic based water vehicles, photovoltaic salt harvest and various applications of water based photovoltaic/thermal modules have also been discussed. This review will serve as a guidebook for researchers and policy makers to identify and select suitable configuration of photovoltaic–water related technologies for implementation and further investigations

Advanced Communication and Control Methods for Future Smartgrids

Proliferation of distributed generation and the increased ability to monitor different parts of the electrical grid offer unprecedented opportunities for consumers and grid operators. Energy can be generated near the consumption points, which decreases transmission burdens and novel control schemes can be utilized to operate the grid closer to its limits. In other words, the same infrastructure can be used at higher capacities thanks to increased efficiency. Also, new players are integrated into this grid such as smart meters with local control capabilities, electric vehicles that can act as mobile storage devices, and smart inverters that can provide auxiliary support. To achieve stable and safe operation, it is necessary to observe and coordinate all of these components in the smartgrid

Recent Advances in Technologies, Methods, and Economic Analysis for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems

Sustainability has become a broad societal goal, aiming to ensure that human beings coexist safely and harmoniously with nature over a longer time. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is coming to an end. The development and merits of sustainable energy supply, advanced technology, and economic features have received significant attention over the last few decades. However, significant gaps still exist with respect to how to design, construct, and implement hybrid and optimal energy systems with the lowest investment and cost. Since 2002, the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems (SDEWES) conferences have become a significant meeting venue for researchers to introduce, discuss, share, and disseminate novel concepts and ideas. This paper presents an overview of published articles in the Special Issues (SIs) dedicated by the series SDEWES conferences, especially those published in Energies recommended by the 16th SDEWES Conference, which was held on 10–15 October 2021 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This SI in Energies focused on four main topics, including the application of renewable bioenergy, component enhancement in renewable systems, sustainable development for buildings and economic analysis and evaluation for sustainability. The collected papers provide insight into the topics related to recent advances in improving sustainable efficiency, including studies on waste-to-wealth techniques, utilization of hybrid bioenergy systems, heat exchangers and other components for performance enhancement, energy supply and demand analysis, low-temperature DHC systems, techno-economic assessment, and environmental evaluation

Grid-connected renewable energy systems flexibility in Norway islands’ Decarbonization

In recent decades, investing in renewable and eco-friendly energy technologies, such as replacing clean energy systems instead of traditional ones and equipment management, is an interesting and practical topic in all sectors. This research analyzes the optimization of a hydro plant, wind turbines, and photovoltaic (PV) panels with a careful examination of three scenarios in the Hinnoya region, Norway. Three consumption scenarios—including an industrial/domestic load scenario, transportation load, and household load alone—for this region are considered. HOMER software is used to simulate and analyze the techno-economic performance of solar panels/wind turbines/grid/batteries and converters. The results of this research show that using renewable and eco-friendly systems in accordance with the region's potential leads to a lower cost of electricity generation. The COE production is at least 50% less than the normal sales price of the electricity grid. The use of electric grid exchanges results in energy modification at night. The potential for the use of onshore wind turbines is more than offshore turbines. The results also indicate that using renewable systems in the household field can reduce the COE by nearly 70% (0.0296 €/kWh), and in other energy fields (transportation and industrial) can diminish the COE by nearly 50% (0.055 €/kWh). Thus, increasing the percentage of employing renewable and eco-friendly energy systems leads to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (particularly carbon dioxide)

Island-based polygeneration systems : feasibility of bBiomass-driven distributed concepts

The colossal risks and challenges posed by climate change require innovative solutions that must fulfil energy service demands sustainably. The concept of small-scale, biomass-based polygeneration (SBP) is one such technological approach, which optimizes locally supplied fuels to provide several energy services like electricity, heating, cooling, potable water, and/or bio-chemical products. By presenting chosen SBP systems and models employed in various socio-geographic locations, in particular distributed applications, the thesis identifies benefits as well as drawbacks of the SBP concept and aims to promote its wider usage in the field. Because a multitude of technologies can be applied for polygeneration system design, the thesis starts with a thorough review of the highly complex and rapidly evolving field, where relevant literature is presented and assimilated. Based on this review, several models have been created for various solar-assisted SBP systems: Firstly, a small-scale Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) system based on biomass gasification has been investigated for a hotel resort on one of the Andaman Islands, India. Apart from economic and environmental superiority compared to a fossil-fuel reference system, the study also expanded technological aspects by adding a socio-political analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of the system for the entire island community. In the second study, a novel control algorithm was devised for a biogas-based polygeneration system generating electricity and potable water generation for a rural off-grid village in El Pando, Bolivia. It was found that the proposed system could lead to significant cost and emissions reductions paired with greater energy autonomy. In the third study, an optimization model for a combined gasification-based CCHP/Heat Pump (HP) system is presented for a tourist facility in Barcelona considering various climate scenarios. The study reveals that the system design is only slightly affected by future changes in climate and that the CCHP/HP system shows only a moderate economic performance but still considerable CO2-savings potential. The overall findings of these studies reveal that the economic feasibility of SBP systems depends greatly not just on their inherent design but also on their location. However, all proposed polygeneration systems could lower emissions significantly, while excelling in energy efficiency as well as adaptability towards service demands and other technologies. The presented studies contribute to the state of the art by adding innovative polygeneration system designs, proposing new modelling approaches and subsequent models including SBP system enhancing technologies, as well as by investigating the effects of geographical location and climate change on the system design process.Los colosales riesgos y retos puestos por el cambio climático requieren soluciones creativas para satisfacer las demandas de servicios energéticos de una manera más sostenible, comparado con los sistemas actuales. El concepto de poligeneración a escala pequeña y basada en biomasa (Small-scale, biomass-based polygeneration o SBP) es uno de estos enfoques, que optimiza el uso de combustible locales para proveer varios servicios energéticos como electricidad, calor, enfriamiento, agua potable y/o productos bioquímicos. Presentando una selección de sistemas SBP y modelos empleados en varias localizaciones socio-geográficas, esta tesis identifica los beneficios e inconvenientes del concepto SBP con el objetivo de promover su un uso más amplio en el mundo. Como se puede aplicar una multitud de tecnologías para el diseño de sistemas SBP, la tesis empieza con una revisión profunda del campo, altamente complejo y dinámico, donde la literatura relevante está presentada en una forma estructurada y resumida. Basado en esta revisión, se han creado varios modelos SBP para varios sistemas SBP con asistencia solar: Principalmente, se ha investigado un sistema de generación conjunta de frio, calor y electricidad (en inglés: Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power or CCHP) basado en gasificación de biomasa para un resort (hotelero) en una de las islas Andamán, India. Además de mostrar de una superioridad económica y ambiental comparado con el sistema de referencia de combustibles fósiles, el estudio expandió el conocimiento científico añadiendo un análisis socio-político de los beneficios e inconvenientes del sistema SBP para la comunidad de la isla entera. En el segundo estudio, se ha desarrollado un nuevo algoritmo de control para un sistema de poligeneración basado en biogás, que genera electricidad y agua potable para una comunidad rural y sin conexión a una red eléctrica más grande en el Pando, Bolivia. Se ha revelado que el sistema propuesto podría bajar significantemente los costes y las emisiones junto con un aumento de la autonomía energética. En el tercer estudio se ha presentado un modelo de optimización para un sistema combinado de CCHP y bombas de calor (sistema CCHP/HP), que se considera para una estructura museístico-turística en Barcelona y para varios escenarios climáticos. En el estudio se ha descubierto que el cambio climático influye sólo ligeramente en el diseño del sistema óptimo, y que el sistema CCHP/HP demuestra sólo un moderado desempeño económico, similar al convencional, pero también un potencial considerable para la reducción de emisiones de CO2. El conjunto de los estudios revela que la viabilidad económica de los sistemas SBP depende altamente no solo de su diseño inherente, sino también de su entorno. De todos modos, todos los sistemas SBP propuestos podrían bajar las emisiones significantemente, mientras sobresalen en eficiencia energética y adaptabilidad a servicios energéticos y tecnologías alternativas. Los estudios presentados contribuyen al estado del arte añadiendo diseños innovadores de sistemas SBP, proponiendo nuevos enfoques de modelado y cálculo, y subsecuentemente nuevos modelos incluyendo tecnologías aumentando sistemas SBP, e investigando los efectos de la ubicación geográfica y del cambio climático al proceso del diseño de los sistemas SBP.Sammanfattning Klimatförändringen bär med sig kolossala risker och utmaningar, som kräver innovativa lösningar för att tillhandahålla energitjänster på ett mer hållbart sätt än med tidigare energisystem. Konceptet med småskaliga, biomassa-baserade polygeneration (SBP) system är ett sådant teknologiskt tillvägagångssätt, vilket optimerar användningen av lokalt producerat bränsle för att tillhandahålla olika energitjänster som elektricitet, värma, kyla, dricksvatten, eller/och bio-kemiska produkter. Doktorsarbetet identifierar för- och nackdelar hos olika SBP konceptet genom att presentera ett urval av SBP system och modeller av dem för olika geografiska regioner, med mål att främja vidare applikation av dem i fält. Eftersom en mängd tekniker kan användas för design av polygenerationssystem, börjar avhandlingen med en grundlig genomgång av det mycket komplexa och snabbt utvecklande området, där relevant litteratur presenteras och assimileras. Baserat på denna recension har flera modeller skapats för olika solassisterade SBP-system: För det första har ett småskaligt kombinerat kyl-, värme- och kraftsystem (CCHP) baserat på biomassaförgasning undersökts för en hotellanläggning på en av Andamanöarna, Indien. Bortsett från ekonomisk och miljömässig överlägsenhet jämfört med ett referenssystem för fossila bränslen har studien även inkluderat tekniska aspekter genom att lägga till en socio-politisk analys av fördelarna och nackdelarna med systemet för hela ö-samhället. I den andra studien utvecklades en ny regleralgoritm för ett biogasbaserat polygenereringssystem som genererar el och renar vatten till dricksvatten för en by utan elförsörjning i El Pando, Bolivia. Det konstaterades att det föreslagna systemet kan leda till betydande kostnads- och utsläppsminskningar i kombination med större energiautonomi. I den tredje studien presenteras en optimeringsmodell för ett kombinerat förgasningsbaserat CCHP / värmepumpsystem (HP) för en turistanläggning i Barcelona under olika klimatscenarier. Studien avslöjar att systemdesignen bara i låg grad påverkas av framtida klimatförändringar och att CCHP / HP-systemet endast visar en måttlig ekonomisk prestanda men fortfarande en betydande potential för CO2-besparingar. De övergripande resultaten av dessa studier visar att den ekonomiska genomförbarheten för SBP-system inte bara beror på deras inneboende design utan också på deras lokalisering. Alla föreslagna SBP-system kan emellertid sänka emissionerna betydligt, samtidigt som de sticker ut i energieffektivitet samt anpassningsbarhet efter energitjänster och annan teknik. De presenterade studierna bidrar till vetenskapen genom att lägga till innovativa SBP-systemdesigner, föreslå nya modelleringsmetoder och efterföljande modeller inklusive SBP-systemförbättrande teknik, samt genom att undersöka effekterna av geografisk plats och klimatförändringar på systemdesignprocessenErasmus Mundus en serveis energètics sostenible