Hybridizing concentrated solar power (CSP) with biogas and biomethane as an alternative to natural gas: Analysis of environmental performance using LCA

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants typically incorporate one or various auxiliary boilers operating in parallel to the solar field to facilitate start up operations, provide system stability, avoid freezing of heat transfer fluid (HTF) and increase generation capacity. The environmental performance of these plants is highly influenced by the energy input and the type of auxiliary fuel, which in most cases is natural gas (NG). Replacing the NG with biogas or biomethane (BM) in commercial CSP installations is being considered as a means to produce electricity that is fully renewable and free from fossil inputs. Despite their renewable nature, the use of these biofuels also generates environmental impacts that need to be adequately identified and quantified. This paper investigates the environmental performance of a commercial wet-cooled parabolic trough 50 MWe CSP plant in Spain operating according to two strategies: solar-only, with minimum technically viable energy non-solar contribution; and hybrid operation, where 12 % of the electricity derives from auxiliary fuels (as permitted by Spanish legislation). The analysis was based on standard Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology (ISO 14040-14040). The technical viability and the environmental profile of operating the CSP plant with different auxiliary fuels was evaluated, including: NG; biogas from an adjacent plant; and BM withdrawn from the gas network. The effect of using different substrates (biowaste, sewage sludge, grass and a mix of biowaste with animal manure) for the production of the biofuels was also investigated. The results showed that NG is responsible for most of the environmental damage associated with the operation of the plant in hybrid mode. Replacing NG with biogas resulted in a significant improvement of the environmental performance of the installation, primarily due to reduced impact in the following categories: natural land transformation, depletion of fossil resources, and climate change. However, despite the renewable nature of the biofuels, other environmental categories like human toxicity, eutrophication, acidification and marine ecotoxicity scored higher when using biogas and BM

Inmigración en barrios vulnerables de Valladolid y principales vulnerabilidades de la población extranjera en la ciudad

En este trabajo estudiamos la vulnerabilidad de la población extranjera de la ciudad de Valladolid. Como se concentran en los barrios periféricos y desfavorecidos, analizamos estos barrios para saber si el residir en ellos influye en su situación. Determinamos cuáles son sus principales problema en relación con aspectos sanitarios, laborales y residenciales y terminamos por expresar sobre un mapa las diferencias espaciales y donde se localizan los residentes extranjeros más vulnerables.In this work we study the vulnerability of the foreign population of the city of Valladolid. As they are concentrated in peripheral and disadvantaged neighborhoods, we analyze these neighborhoods to find out if residing in them influences their situation. We determine what their main problems are in relation to health, labor and residential aspects and we end up expressing on a map the spatial differences and where the most vulnerable foreign residents are located.Departamento de GeografíaGrado en Geografía y Ordenación del Territori

Life cycle assessment of concentrated solar power (CSP) and the influence of hybridising with natural gas

Purpose Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants based on parabolic troughs utilize auxiliary fuels (usually natural gas) to facilitate start-up operations, avoid freezing of HTF and increase power output. This practice has a significant effect on the environmental performance of the technology. The aim of this paper is to quantify the sustainability of CSP and to analyse how this is affected by hybridisation with different natural gas (NG) inputs. Methods A complete Life Cycle (LC) inventory was gathered for a commercial wet-cooled 50 MWe CSP plant based on parabolic troughs. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of the plant operating with different NG inputs (between 0 and 35% of gross electricity generation). ReCiPe Europe (H) was used as LCA methodology. CML 2 baseline 2000 World and ReCiPe Europe E were used for comparative purposes. Cumulative Energy Demands (CED) and Energy Payback Times (EPT) were also determined for each scenario. Results and discussion Operation of CSP using solar energy only produced the following environmental profile: climate change 26.6 kg CO2 eq/KWh, human toxicity 13.1 kg 1,4-DB eq/KWh, marine ecotoxicity 276 g 1,4-DB eq/KWh, natural land transformation 0.005 m2/KWh, eutrophication 10.1 g P eq/KWh, acidification 166 g SO2 eq/KWh. Most of these impacts are associated with extraction of raw materials and manufacturing of plant components. The utilization NG transformed the environmental profile of the technology, placing increasing weight on impacts related to its operation and maintenance. Significantly higher impacts were observed on categories like climate change (311 kg CO2 eq/MWh when using 35 % NG), natural land transformation, terrestrial acidification and fossil depletion. Despite its fossil nature, the use of NG had a beneficial effect on other impact categories (human and marine toxicity, freshwater eutrophication and natural land transformation) due to the higher electricity output achieved. The overall environmental performance of CSP significantly deteriorated with the use of NG (single score 3.52 pt in solar only operation compared to 36.1 pt when using 35 % NG). Other sustainability parameters like EPT and CED also increased substantially as a result of higher NG inputs. Quasilinear second-degree polynomial relationships were calculated between various environmental performance parameters and NG contributions. Conclusions Energy input from auxiliary NG determines the environmental profile of the CSP plant. Aggregated analysis shows a deleterious effect on the overall environmental performance of the technology as a result of NG utilization. This is due primarily to higher impacts on environmental categories like climate change, natural land transformation, fossil fuel depletion and terrestrial acidification. NG may be used in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner in combined cycle power plants, which achieve higher energy conversion efficiencies

Environmental Assessment of a HYSOL CSP Plant Compared to a Conventional Tower CSP Plant

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the environmental performance of a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant based on HYSOL technology. The plant under investigation is a solar tower system with 14 hours thermal energy storage using biomethane as auxiliary fuel and using a 100 MWe steam turbine and a 80 MWe gas turbine in the combined cycle (Brayton and Rankine) characteristic of the HYSOL technology. The results evidence that HYSOL technology performs significantly better in environmental terms than conventional CSP. This evidence is particularly relevant in the climate change category where HYSOL plants presents 43.0 kg CO2 eq /MWh. In contrast, the hybrid CSP plant operating with natural gas emits 370 kg CO2 eq /MWh. This difference is attributable primarily to the nature of the auxiliary fuel (biomethane in HYSOL and natural gas in conventional CSP), but also to the higher thermal efficiencies achieved in the HYSOL configuration, which prevents the emission of 106 kg CO2 eq /MWh. The environmental significance of the additional components and infrastructure associated with the Brayton cycle in the HYSOL technology (gas turbine, Heat Recovery System and Low Temperature Energy Storage) are negligible

Socio-economic effects of a HYSOL CSP plant located in different countries: An input output analysis

The aim of this paper is to estimate the socioeconomic effects associated with the production of electricity by a CSP plant with HYSOL configuration, using Input Output Analysis. These effects have been estimated in terms of production of Goods and Services (G&S), multiplier effect, value added, contribution to GDP, employment creation and labor intensity. The analysis has been performed considering that the plant was established in four countries contemplated as suitable for HYSOL technology: Spain, Mexico, Chile and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results indicate that producing electricity in a HYSOL CSP plant generates positive impacts on the economy and the employment in every country, producing the following ranges of socio-economic effects: a 0.05%-0.38% increment of the national GDP, creation of 11662-21053 jobs-year and production of 1412-2565 M$ of domestic G&S. The economic results are particularly favorable for Spain and Chile, which has been associated with higher multiplier effects (2.05 and 2.01 respectively) and higher demand of G&S in the Operation and Maintenance phase. In the case of Chile, favorable results are also due to the national production of nitrate salts employed in the thermal energy storage system. Employment results are more favorable in Mexico and Chile, which has been associated with the higher labor intensity of its national economies

Melhoria da Atenção à Saúde dos Usuários com Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica e/ou Diabetes Mellitus na UBS Joana Carvalho de Souza, Careiro/AM

Resumo ALVAREZ,Antonio Miguel Corona. Melhoria da atenção à saúde dos usuários com Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica e/ou Diabetes mellitus na UBS Joana Carvalho de Souza, Careiro/AM.2016. 86f. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Curso de Especialização em Saúde da Família) - Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, 2016. A Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica e a Diabetes Mellitus representam um grande desafio à Saúde Pública. Estima-se que um em cada três adultos (com 25 anos ou mais) tem hipertensão arterial e um em cada dez adultos tem Diabetes Mellitus, estas doenças são muito freqüentes no mundo e no Brasil, e quando não são bem tratadas podem ocasionar complicações e até a morte do portador. Ambas as doenças são, por sua vez, fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares. Diante disso, o objetivo geral deste trabalho foi melhorar a qualidade da atenção aos usuários hipertensos e/ou diabéticos na Unidade de Saúde Joana Carvalho de Souza, em Careiro, Amazonas. Com base nas recomendações do Ministério da Saúde (Cadernos de Atenção Básica número 36 "Diabetes Mellitus" e número 37 "Hipertensão Arterial" do ano de 2013), toda a equipe da unidade foi envolvida em um projeto de intervenção nessa ação programática, com duração de 12 semanas. Neste tempo a equipe focou em objetivos específicos (ampliar cobertura, melhorar a adesão, a qualidade do atendimento, a qualidade dos registros, mapear hipertensos e diabéticos de risco e promover a saúde), buscando alcançá-los através de metas e ações pré-estabelecidas, nos eixos pedagógicos de monitoramento e avaliação, organização e gestão do serviço, engajamento público e qualificação da prática clínica. Os resultados foram várias mudanças na rotina do serviço com a criação do Programa de Atenção ao Hipertenso e Diabético da Unidade de Saúde. A maioria das metas foi alcançada. Apesar das limitações, a intervenção promoveu uma melhora substancial tanto na cobertura quanto na qualidade de atendimento ao hipertenso e diabético. A cobertura foi ampliada para 94,5% dos hipertensos (103 usuários) e 92,1% dos diabéticos (35 usuários). A maioria das ações para melhorar a qualidade da atenção aos usuários hipertensos e diabéticos foi realizada. A realização do exame clínico apropriado, a prescrição de medicamentos da farmácia popular, a busca ativa dos usuários faltosos, o registro adequado na ficha de acompanhamento e a estratificação de risco cardiovascular foram realizadas em 100%. As orientações sobre alimentação saudável, prática regular de atividade física, risco de tabagismo e higiene bucal foi realizada em 100% de hipertensos e diabéticos. Os exames complementares de acordo com o protocolo foram realizados em 73 usuários hipertensos (70,9%) e 25 usuários diabéticos (71,4%). A avaliação odontológica, em 43 hipertensos (41,7%) e 14 diabéticos (40%). A maioria das ações previstas já foi incorporada à rotina da unidade. Palavras-chave:saúde da família; atenção primária à saúde; doença crônica; diabetes mellitus; hipertensão

Social Life Cycle Assessment of a Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Spain: A Methodological Proposal

Measuring the sustainability of goods and services in a systematic and objective manner has become an issue of paramount importance. Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is a holistic methodology whose aim is to integrate into a compatible format the analysis of the three pillars of sustainability, namely, economy, environment, and society. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a novel methodology still under development, used to cover the social aspects of sustainability within LCSA. The aim of this article is to provide additional discussion on the practical application of S-LCA by suggesting a new classification and characterization model that builds upon previous methodological developments. The structure of the social analysis has been adapted to maintain coherence with that of standard LCA. The application of this methodology is demonstrated using a case study—the analysis of power generation in a concentrated solar power plant in Spain. The inventory phase was completed by using the indicators proposed by the United Nations Environment Program/Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines on S-LCA. The impact assessment phase was approached by developing a social performance indicator that builds on performance reference points, an activity variable, and a numeric scale with positive and negative values. The social performance indicator obtained (+0.42 over a range of –2 to +2) shows that the deployment of the solar power plant increases the social welfare of Spain, especially in the impact categories of socioeconomic sustainability and fairness of relationships, whose results were 1.38 and 0.29, respectively