Optimal sizing of a hybrid grid-connected photovoltaic and wind power system

Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) have been widely identified as an efficient mechanism to generate electrical power based on renewable energy sources (RES). This kind of energy generation systems are based on the combination of one or more RES allowing to complement the weaknesses of one with strengths of another and, therefore, reducing installation costs with an optimized installation. To do so, optimization methodologies are a trendy mechanism because they allow attaining optimal solutions given a certain set of input parameters and variables. This work is focused on the optimal sizing of hybrid grid-connected photovoltaic-wind power systems from real hourly wind and solar irradiation data and electricity demand from a certain location. The proposed methodology is capable of finding the sizing that leads to a minimum life cycle cost of the system while matching the electricity supply with the local demand. In the present article, the methodology is tested by means of a case study in which the actual hourly electricity retail and market prices have been implemented to obtain realistic estimations of life cycle costs and benefits. A sensitivity analysis that allows detecting to which variables the system is more sensitive has also been performed. Results presented show that the model responds well to changes in the input parameters and variables while providing trustworthy sizing solutions. According to these results, a grid-connected HRES consisting of photovoltaic (PV) and wind power technologies would be economically profitable in the studied rural township in the Mediterranean climate region of central Catalonia (Spain), being the system paid off after 18 years of operation out of 25 years of system lifetime. Although the annual costs of the system are notably lower compared with the cost of electricity purchase, which is the current alternative, a significant upfront investment of over $10 M - roughly two thirds of total system lifetime cost - would be required to install such system. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Postprint (author's final draft

An evaluation of the life cycle cost of rapeseed oil as a straight vegetable oil fuel to replace petroleum diesel in agriculture

The use of straight vegetable oil (SVO) as biofuel has been recognized as a valid substitute of diesel fuel in the agricultural sector under specific circumstances. Its direct use reduces most of the chemical processes involved when converting it into biodiesel, thus lowering harmful emissions. This study presents the economic analysis of a self-supply farming model that uses rapeseed as its fuel base. This model addresses agricultural environmental concerns and can even minimize dependence on the fluctuating costs of diesel fuel. The use of SVO in agriculture can help reduce farmers’ vulnerability to fossil fuel prices. The economic evaluation of the model proposed in this study shows clear economic benefits of introducing rapeseed to the traditional crop rotation of wheat and barley. The key factors analyzed in this model are diesel fuel price, diesel fuel grants and crop aids. The current situation in Spain favors the use of diesel fuel in agriculture rather than rapeseed SVO due to an 8% profit difference. However, results show that changes in key factors slightly affect the profit margin, calculating a difference of only 3.7% for particular factor combinations. Combined environmental-friendly agriculture supporting policies are necessary to cover this slight profit difference to promote this biofuelPostprint (published version

Temperature dependence of density and viscosity of vegetable oils

The straight use of vegetable oils as fuel in diesel engines entails adjusting several physical properties such as density and viscosity. By adequately heating the vegetable oil before entering the injection system, its physical parameters can reach values very close to that of diesel fuel. Consequently, by properly adjusting the temperature of vegetable oils used as fuel, it is possible to improve their combustion performance, thus avoiding premature engine aging due to incomplete burning. In this study the density and viscosity of several vegetable oils are studied within a wide variety of temperatures. The optimal range of temperatures at which each vegetable oil should operate in order to adjust its properties to those of automotive diesel and biodiesel is then found. Additionally an empirical relationship between the dependence of viscosity with density is presented. Thus, by means of the above-described relationship, through measuring the density of a given oil, its viscosity can be directly deducedPostprint (published version

Small-scale production of straight vegetable oil from rapeseed and its use as biofuel in the Spanish territory

Biofuels nowadays are an important topic of study. The most significant point is the availability of bioethanol or biodiesel and their production from different raw materials. It is already known that large scale production of first-generation biodiesel cannot be seen as an alternative to fossil fuels due to land requirements, competition with food, increase in fertilizer requirements and pressure on tropical forests among others. This fact does not necessarily apply to second-generation biofuels or small scale niche productions. Straight vegetable oil (SVO) can be used directly in diesel engines with minor modifications. Our proposal is a small-scale SVO production system for self-supply in agricultural machinery. In this paper a model to provide SVO to local farmers in a specific area in Catalonia (Spain) is presented. We also present a discussion about the regulations to be changed in order to make possible the incorporation of SVO as engine fuel in diesel vehicles and a comparative analysis between the emissions of tractors fed with SVO and petrodiesel. Moreover a quantitative economic analysis of modifying diesel engines and long-term operability costs are shown and a firstrun economic analysis comparing the actual crop rotation with the proposed one and some alternatives is studied.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Environmental life cycle assessment of rapeseed straight vegetable oil as self-supply agricultural biofuel

Biofuels are nowadays considered a questionable environmental alternative to fossil fuels. In that context, this work analyses the environmental impacts when introducing rapeseed on the traditional and current wheat and barley agricultural rotation by means of a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA). The introduction of rapeseed, the correctness of its conversion to obtain straight vegetable oil and its use as self-consumption biofuel in tractors are evaluated. Life cycle assessment is used in this work to evaluate the impacts of different considered scenarios. A sensitivity analysis has also been conducted. The results presented show a modest environmental improvement (diminishment of 6 out of the 10 analyzed environmental impacts) when introducing rapeseed to local crop rotations and its partial conversion to oil to be used as fuel in existing diesel engines. Additionally, the ratio between the energy obtained and the total energy input shows moderate positive results when comparing the latter case with the current one. Results from this study can be used to support research and decision making to assess the convenience of introducing alternative fuels in agricultural exploitationsPreprin

External forcings, oceanographic processes and particle flux dynamics in Cap de Creus submarine canyon, NW Mediterranean Sea

Particle fluxes (including major components and grain size), and oceanographic parameters (near-bottom water temperature, current speed and suspended sediment concentration) were measured along the Cap de Creus submarine canyon in the Gulf of Lions (GoL; NW Mediterranean Sea) during two consecutive winter-spring periods (2009 2010 and 2010 2011). The comparison of data obtained with the measurements of meteorological and hydrological parameters (wind speed, turbulent heat flux, river discharge) have shown the important role of atmospheric forcings in transporting particulate matter through the submarine canyon and towards the deep sea. Indeed, atmospheric forcing during 2009 2010 and 2010 2011 winter months showed differences in both intensity and persistence that led to distinct oceanographic responses. Persistent dry northern winds caused strong heat losses (14.2 × 103 W m−2) in winter 2009 2010 that triggered a pronounced sea surface cooling compared to winter 2010 2011 (1.6 × 103 W m−2 lower). As a consequence, a large volume of dense shelf water formed in winter 2009 2010, which cascaded at high speed (up to ∼1 m s−1) down Cap de Creus Canyon as measured by a current-meter in the head of the canyon. The lower heat losses recorded in winter 2010 2011, together with an increased river discharge, resulted in lowered density waters over the shelf, thus preventing the formation and downslope transport of dense shelf water. High total mass fluxes (up to 84.9 g m−2 d−1) recorded in winter-spring 2009 2010 indicate that dense shelf water cascading resuspended and transported sediments at least down to the middle canyon. Sediment fluxes were lower (28.9 g m−2 d−1) under the quieter conditions of winter 2010 2011. The dominance of the lithogenic fraction in mass fluxes during the two winter-spring periods points to a resuspension origin for most of the particles transported down canyon. The variability in organic matter and opal contents relates to seasonally controlled inputs associated with the plankton spring bloom during March and April of both years.This research has been supported by the ECfunded HERMIONE (FP7-ENV-2008-1-226354

Towards on line monitoring the evolution of the myocardium infarction scar with an implantable electrical impedance spectrum monitoring system.

The human heart tissue has a limited capacity for regeneration. Tissue and cellular therapies based on the use of stem cells may be useful alternatives to limit the size of myocardial infarction. In this paper, the preliminary results from an experimental campaign for on-line monitoring of myocardium scar infarction are presented. This study has been carried out under a research project that has as main objective the development and application of a bioactive patch implant for regeneration of myocardial infarction. Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) has been chosen as a tissue state monitoring technique. What is presented in this communication is the first results of an implantable EIS measurement system which has been implanted in a subset of the animals corresponding to the control group, along one month. In all the animals, the myocardial infarction was induced by the ligation of the first circumflex marginal artery. In the animal group presented,the bioactive patch scaffold and the electrodes were implanted without the stem cells load. The scaffold is a piece of decellularized human pericardium, lyophilized and rehydrated with hydrogel RAD16-I. Nanogold particles were also placed near the electrodes to improve the electrode area conductivity. The results presented correspond to the subset of animals (n = 5), which had implanted the bioimpedance system monitoring the electrical impedance spectrum in vivo during 1 month. Two electrodes were connected to the bioactive patch implant. A total of 14 logarithmically spaced frequencies were measured every 5 minutes, from 100 Hz to 200 kHz. Results show a convergence of low-frequency and high frequency impedance magnitudes along the measurement period, which is coherent with the scar formation.Postprint (published version

Sediment transport to the deep canyons and open-slope of the western Gulf of Lions during the 2006 intense cascading and open-sea convection period

An array of mooring lines deployed between 300 and 1900 m depth along the Lacaze-Duthiers and Cap de Creus canyons and in the adjacent southern open slope was used to study the water and sediment transport on the western Gulf of Lions margin during the 2006 intense cascading period. Deep-reaching cascading pulses occurred in early January, in late January and from early March to mid-April. Dense water and sediment transport to the deep environments occurred not only through submarine canyons, but also along the southern open slope. During the deep cascading pulses, temporary upper and mid-canyon and open slope deposits were an important source of sediment to the deep margin. Significant sediment transport events at the canyon head only occurred in early January because of higher sediment availability on the shelf after the stratified and calm season, and in late February because of the interaction of dense shelf water cascading with a strong E-SE storm. During the January deep cascading pulses, increases in suspended sediment concentration within the canyon were greater and earlier at 1000 m depth than at 300 m depth, whereas during the March-April deep cascading pulses sediment concentration only increased below 300 m depth, indicating resuspension and redistribution of sediments previously deposited at upper and mid-canyon depths. Deeper than 1000 m depth, net fluxes show that most of the suspended sediment left the canyon and flowed along the southern open slope towards the Catalan margin, whereas a small part flowed down-canyon and was exported basinward. Additionally, on the mid- and lower-continental slope there was an increase in the near-bottom currents induced by deep open-sea convection processes and the propagation of eddies. This, combined with the arrival of deep cascading pulses, also generated moderate suspended sediment transport events in the deeper slope regions

Sediment transport along the Cap de Creus Canyon flank during a mild, wet winter

Cap de Creus Canyon (CCC) is known as a preferential conduit for particulate matter leaving the Gulf of Lion continental shelf towards the slope and the basin, particularly in winter when storms and dense shelf water cascading coalesce to enhance the seaward export of shelf waters. During the CASCADE (CAscading, Storm, Convection, Advection and Downwelling Events) cruise in March 2011, deployments of recording instruments within the canyon and vertical profiling of the water column properties were conducted to study with high spatial-temporal resolution the impact of such processes on particulate matter fluxes. In the context of the mild and wet 2010-2011 winter, no remarkable dense shelf water formation was observed. On the other hand, the experimental setup allowed for the study of the impact of E-SE storms on the hydrographical structure and the particulate matter fluxes in the CCC. The most remarkable feature in terms of sediment transport was a period of dominant E-SE winds from 12 to 16 March, including two moderate storms (maximum significant wave heights = 4.1-4.6 m). During this period, a plume of freshened, relatively cold and turbid water flowed at high speeds along the southern flank of the CCC in an approximate depth range of 150-350 m. The density of this water mass was lighter than the ambient water in the canyon, indicating that it did not cascade off-shelf and that it merely downwelled into the canyon forced by the strong cyclonic circulation induced over the shelf during the storms and by the subsequent accumulation of seawater along the coast. Suspended sediment load in this turbid intrusion recorded along the southern canyon flank oscillated between 10 and 50 mg L−1, and maximum currents speeds reached values up to 90 cm s−1. A rough estimation of 105 tons of sediment was transported through the canyon along its southern wall during a 3-day-long period of storm-induced downwelling. Following the veering of the wind direction (from SE to NW) on 16 March, downwelling ceased, currents inside the canyon reversed from down- to up-canyon, and the turbid shelf plume was evacuated from the canyon, most probably flowing along the southern canyon flank and being entrained by the general SW circulation after leaving the canyon confinement. This study highlights that remarkable sediment transport occurs in the CCC, and particularly along its southern flank, even during mild and wet winters, in absence of cascading and under limited external forcing. The sediment transport associated with eastern storms like the ones described in this paper tends to enter the canyon by its downstream flank, partially affecting the canyon head region. Sediment transport during these events is not constrained near the seafloor but distributed in a depth range of 200-300 m above the bottom. Our paper broadens the understanding of the complex set of atmosphere-driven sediment transport processes acting in this highly dynamic area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea