Solar Radiation Maps

[EN]Solar maps are very interesting tools to describe the characteristics of a region from the solar radiation point of view, and can be applied in atmospheric sciences and for energy engineering. To make them possible, a solar radiation numerical model is proposed. This one allows us to estimate radiation values on any point on earth. The model takes into account the terrain surface conditions and the cast shadows. The procedure uses 2-D adaptive triangles meshes built refining according to surface and albedo characteristics. Solar irradiance values are obtained for clear sky conditions. Using clear sky index as a conversion factor, real sky values are computed in terms of irradiance or irradiation with a desired time step. Finally, the solar radiation maps are obtained for all the domain

Market dynamics, innovation, and transition in China's solar photovoltaic (PV) industry: a critical review

China's photovoltaic (PV) industry has undergone dramatic development in recent years and is now the global market leader in terms of newly added capacity. However, market diffusion and adoption in China is not ideal. This paper examines the blocking and inducement mechanisms of China's PV industry development from the perspective of technological innovation. By incorporating a Technological Innovation System (TIS) approach, the analysis performed here complements the previous literature, which has not grounded itself in a theoretical framework. In addition, to determine the current market dynamics, we closely examine market concentration trends as well as the vertical and horizontal integration of upstream and downstream actors (74.8% and 36.3%). The results of applying the TIS framework reveal that poor connectivity in networks, unaligned competitive entities and a lack of market supervision obstruct the development of China's PV industry. Therefore, we maintain that inducement mechanisms are required to instigate learning-by-doing capacities, which may help overcome blocking mechanisms and offset functional innovation deficiencies. In addition, policy implications are proposed for promoting the development of the PV industry in China

Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation Scenarios in Italy

Hindering global warming and achieving a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy sector are some of the most relevant goals of the 2030 Framework for climate and energy of the European Union. European countries have to identify and implement strategies for contributing to these ambitious goals. In this context, the authors carried out a scenario analysis on the Sicilian electricity mix in order to estimate the life cycle energy and environmental benefits of the increase of the use of renewable energy technologies for electricity production, and the potential contribution of Sicily in the achievement of the European energy and environmental targets. In detail, the authors identified two electricity generation scenarios for 2030 starting from the Sicilian electricity mix in 2014, performed assumptions on the forecasted electricity demand and assessed the potential of renewable energy sources exploitation and the technical, political, social, and environmental constraints. Then, they applied the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to assess the eco-profiles of the identified electricity generation mixes and compared them with the eco-profile of electricity produced in 2014. The results of the comparison showed a reduction of most of the 16 examined environmental impact categories, except for those related to human toxicity, particulate matter, ionizing radiation and resource depletion

Architecture of a pan-European framework for Integrated Soil Water Erosion Assessment

Soil erosion implications on future food security are gaining global attention because in many areas worldwide there is an imbalance between soil loss and its subsequent deposition. Soil erosion is a complex phenomenon affected by many factors such as climate, topography and land cover (in\ud particular forest resources, natural vegetation and agriculture) while directly influencing water sediment transport, the quality of water resources and water storage loss. A modeling architecture, based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, is proposed and applied to evaluate and validate at regional scale potential and actual soil water erosion, enabling it to be linked to other involved natural resources. The methodology benefits from the array programming paradigm with semantic constraints (lightweight array behavioural contracts provided by the Mastrave library) to concisely implement models as composition of interoperable modules and to process heterogeneous data.\u

System Dynamics Simulation to Explore the Impact of Low European Electricity Prices on Swiss Generation Capacity Investments

European electricity markets are coping with low energy prices as a result of overinvestments in generation capacity, subsidies for renewables and the financial crisis of 2008. In this chapter we explore the implications of low electricity prices on the Swiss electricity market, which is facing the additional challenge of phasing out nuclear power plants and market liberalization. System Dynamics is utilized to model and simulate the long-term impacts on investments in new generation capacity, security of supply and future electricity prices. Simulation results indicate that the current low electricity prices are likely to persist for another decade. The most likely response to the low prices is an underinvestment in generation capacity, with the risk of scarcity pricing under low security of supply, as it coincides with the decommissioning of nuclear power plants. There is little evidence this will lead to boom-and-bust investment cycles. Finally, in the long-term we observe a shift towards renewable energy sources and natural gas fired power plants, resulting in more volatile electricity prices. These findings are similar to earlier studies of the liberalized German and Belgian electricity markets, which are also facing the challenges of a nuclear phase-out under depressed European prices