Low carbon economy, sustainable and holistic development is a challenge for all society. The imperative is to alleviate carbon emission, global warming effects and minimize cross-border environmental pollution. Developing countries follow the global policy and protocols by preparing their technically feasible renewable energy potential for investment and world emission trading market. This paper presents the current state of different renewable energy sources in Serbia, as well as opportunities for incorporating the world and European legislation, technology, knowledge, and investments in the energy sector of this Balkan country. Several case studies of initial investments in renewable energy sources are reported

Jovanović, Jovana

Stevović, Ivan

Stevović, Svetlana

Machinery - Repository of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade

RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES TOWARDS SOCIAL CHALLENGES  IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND LOW CARBON ECONOMYSvetlana M. STEVOVIC1, Ivan S. STEVOVIC2, JovanaĐ. JOVANOVIC31, 2, 3 Faculty of Management Herceg Novi, Norveska 2.  Montenegro1  svetlanas123@gmail.com, 2 ivan.stevovic11@gmail.com, 3 jovanaj90@yahoo.comKeywords: renewable energy sources, low carbon economy, sustainable development, feed-in tariffs, carbon credit benefits.INTRODUCTION: Utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) has proven to reduce dependence on importedfossil fuels, introduce new technologies and reinforce local industry capabilities, create new jobs, and significantlydecrease greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, utilization of RES in Serbia has become a critical segment of thecountry’s environmental policy and energy law. Particular attention is paid to fundamentals, legislative framework,and feasibility of RES utilization in Serbia, a developing country that is geographically so close to a highly developedregion of EU. The selection of the objectives, priorities, and legislative instruments is primarily based on a broadpolitical consent to adjust the whole energy system of the country to its recent economic development, especially itsanticipated integration into the European Union.Location Map of SerbiaTechnically Feasible RES Potential of Serbia in Million ToeBIOMASS: Serbia has a considerable biomass potential. The territoryof Serbia covers 88,360 km2, ofwhich about 30 percent is covered with forests, while about 55 percent of the territory is arable land. Thisis a very unique setting compared to many European countries. The northern part of Serbia, the provinceof Vojvodina together with territories along the rivers Sava and Danube, is flat and fertile. This region isthe main source of agricultural products and biomass waste,e pecially waste from crop farming.Oil CropAverage Yield (ton/ha)Seed Oil Content (%)Biodiesel Production(kg/ha) (litre/ha)Sunflower 1.79 40 716 816Soybean 2.25 18 405 460Rapeseed 1.69 36 608 690Agricultural wastes:1.7 million toeWood biomass:1.0 million toePercent of Farmland by Crop Type Potential Biodiesel Production (metric ton)100 % Rapeseed 212,80070 % Rapeseed + 30 % Sunflower 224,14050 % Rapeseed + 50 % Sunflower 231,70030 % Rapeseed + 70 % Sunflower 239,260100 % Sunflower 250,600100 % Soybean 141,750Potential Annual Biodiesel Production from Oil Crops Potential Annual Biodiesel Production for Different Crop TypesAverage Agricultural Yields and Forests in SerbiaSMALL HYDROPOWER PLANTS: According to the Energy Law, the term “small hydropowerplant” (SHPP) denotes a hydropower facility of up to 10 MW installed capacity. The total hydropowerpotential of waterways in Serbia, including the most suitable locations for the installation of SHPPs, isidentified in the National Cadastre of SHPPs. SSHPPs could ultimately generate about 5 percent of thetotal production of electrical energy in Serbia (34,400 GWh/year in 2006), or about 15 percent of thetotal hydropower production (10,900 GWh/year).Potential900 locations for installing new SHPPs (up to 10 MW) with total capacity of 500 MW > 5 MW : 9 locations 2-5 MW : 30 locations (average 3 MW) < 1 MW : most SHPPsActual State of Existing SHPPs60 SHPPs (50% out of operation)1 MW in averageProspective ProjectsRevitalization of old and out of operation SHPPsConstructing new ones at existing water reservoirsSHPP BRODAREVO CASE STUDY: Reservoir CapitalCorporation (RCC), a Canadian public company focused onrenewable energy, has recently established its operationsinSerbia with a mandate to acquire and develop naturalresource opportunities in Southeast Europe. In early 2009,RCC was granted the Brodarevo energy license to develop a48 MW run-of-river hydroelectric facility on the River Limin southwest Serbia.Run-of-river (ROR) hydro power is a renewable energy sourcegenerated by the natural flow of water.Unlike traditional hydroelectric facilities, which floodlarge areas of land, ROR projects do not requirelarge capacities of dammed water. Instead, water is diverted f om a river, or held for short periods oftime, and sent through turbines that generate electricity.The water leaves the generating station and isreturned to the river without significantly altering the existing flow or water level. The benefits of thisproject are:1. Environmental ImpactEnergy produced by renewable sourceNo carbonemissionsWIND ENERGY: Global wind energy potential of Serbia has been estimated at1,300 MW [15]. This assessment was basedon the wind measurement data (speed and direction) collected by the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. Themost promising locations for the installation of wind turbines are: Midžor Planina, Suva Planina, Vršački Breg, StaraPlanina, Deli Jovan, Krepoljin, Tupižnica, Juhor, and Jastrebac. High resolution measurements (of wind speed and direction)are needed for a complete assessment of technically feasiblw nd power potential at the above locations. Some preliminaryresults of the tall-tower wind measurements (at a 50-meter height above ground) collected by the Serbian Energy EfficiencyAgency (SEEA) are presented in the next table.LocationAverage Wind Speed at 50-meter Height (m/s)Extrapolated Wind Speed at 80-meter Height (m/s)6 months 12 months 6 months 12 monthsVeliko Gradište 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.7Negotin 5.2 5.8 5.6 6.1Titel 4.7 4.7 5.0 5.0BELO BLATO WIND FARM CASESTUDY: This project (300MW developmentplan) is one of the milestones for Serbiapertaining to RES as it will be the first windfarm development in the region, promotingthe national initiative for increased energycreation from renewable resources.SOLAR ENERGY: The average daily solar radiation intensity over Serbia’s territory in winter ranges from 1.1kWh/m2/day(kilowatt-hours per square meter per day) in the north to 1.7kWh/m2/day in the south. The above range is higher in summer,between 5.9 and 6.6 kWh/m2/day. The annual average insolation over Serbia ranges from1,200 kWh/m2/year in thenorthwest to 1,550 kWh/m2/year in the southeast. Since the solar energy utilization rate is directly proportional to solarpanel efficiency (maximum 40%), technically feasible solar energy in the Republic of Serbia is about 550 kWh/m2/year.According to the 2002 Census, Serbia has about 2.5 million households. If every fifth household put up a rooftop solarsystem with a minimum surface area of 4 m2, this would provide a total annual solar energy production of 1,750 GWh/year.The majority of this amount would be used for electricity consumption, while a portion could replace fossil fuels utilized forsanitary water heating, resulting in decreased carbon emission by 2.3 million tons per year.ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND SUBSIDIES FOR RES IN SERBIA: The overall objective for 2020 of theRepublic of Serbia is to enhance its power generation from RES by 7.4 percent or 735 million kWh compared to 2015. Inthis respect, the Ministry of Mining and Energy has prepareda set of changes and amendments to the NationalImplementation Program of Strategy for the Development of Energy Sector in Serbia, adopted a regulation on acquiring thestatus of privileged power producers in September 2009, anda decree on incentive measures (feed-in tariffs) regardingpower generation from renewable sources and by means of combined heat and power (CHP) systems.The privileged electric power producers are defined as those that:1) use renewable energy sources or a separated fraction of the communal waste in the electric power generation process;2) produce electric power in power plants regarded to be small power plants pursuant to the Energy Law; or3) cogenerate electrical and thermal energy, provided thatthey met the criteria related to energy efficiency.The privileged power producers are entitled to feed-in tariffs valid at the moment of submission of the request for statuacquiring or renewal. Feed-in tariffs, or renewable energypa ments, are a policy mechanism designed to encourage theadoption of RES and to help accelerate the move toward grid paty. They typically include three key provisions:1) guaranteedgrid access;No pollutants or wasteMinimal disruption of surrounding environments and habitats, s flow through remains unchangedSmall environmental footprint, with low visual impact2. Cost and ReliabilityNo fuel dependencyLow technology risk, turbine and dam structures known wellLong-life cash flow generated by projectsReliable energy source which provides consistency for cashflowAlthough capital costs may be relatively high, operating costs are low3. Social and EconomicFosters economic growth in developing countriesProvides long-term and stable job opportunities for surrounding communitiesSecure and available, not dependant on imports or market pricesGEOTHERMAL ENERGY: Serbia is relatively small in size (about 80,000 km2), but its geologicaland tectonic structures are very complex. As a consequence,its geothermal characteristics are unique.On two-thirds of the Serbian territory, values of the heat flow density are greater than those for thecontinental part of Europe.The total thermal power that could be obtained from all geothrmal sources in Serbia is estimated at220 MW, with an annual thermal energy production of 7,650 TJ (TJ = terajoules = 1012 joules), whichwould replace about 180,000 toe/year.Vranjska BanjaVRANJSKA BANJA CASE STUDY: Vranjska Banja in southern Serbia isone of the best known geothermal localities. Its natural geothermal resourceshave temperatures between 80 and 92°C (176-198°F) with a yield of about80 litre/s. The current use of geothermal energy at this locati n is of thecascaded type, such that the water can first be utilized for heating severalhotels, then medical spas for balneo therapy, schools, kindergartens, healthcenters, and poultry farms. Finally, it is used to heat two greenhouses. InJanuary 2010, Southern European Exploration (SEE, a subsidiary ofCanadian RCC) was granted an exploration permit for additional geothermalsources at Vranjska Banja.This is the first permit of its kind to be issued to a private company in Serbia (SEE has also filedapplications for three additional energy permits in the Vojvodina Province of northern Serbia). TheVranjska Banja exploration permit covers 17.5 km2 of an area where two existing geothermal wellshave confirmed a high temperature gradient. One well intercepts several hot water aquifers, the best ofwhich measures 126°C (259°F) at a depth between 864 and 890 meters. Another well intercepts a zonecontaining three intervals with measured temperatures of 124°C (255°F), at a depth between 1,500 and1,575 meters.2) long-term contracts for the electricity produced; and3) purchase prices that are methodologically based on the cost of renewable energy generation.Under a feed-in tariff, an obligation is imposed on regionalor national electric grid utilities to buy renewable electrici yfrom all eligible participants. Feed-in tariffs (renewable energy payments) adopted in Serbia per kilowatt hour of electricity,generated from renewables or CHP, are as follows:small hydropower plants (SHPPs) – between 7.8 and 9.7 Euro cents/kWhbiomass units – between 11.4 and 13.6 Euro cents/kWhbiogas – between 12 and 16 Euro cents/kWhgas from waste water treatment plants and landfill gas – 6.7 Euro cents/kWhwind farms – 9.5 Euro cents/kWhsolar power plants – 23 Euro cents/kWhgeothermal power plants – 7.5 Euro cents/kWhcogeneration power plants – between 7.6 and 10.4 Euro cents/kWhwaste power plants – between 8.5 and 9.2 Euro cents/kWhThe above tariffs are guaranteed and fixed during a 12-year priod. The level of a purchase price is set to provide investedcapital returned in 12 years, covering all operating costs incurred during the same period. In case of power plants that hadbeen in operation before the application of feed-in tariffs, proposed tariffs are valid for the shortened period of time. Feed-intariffs for old power plants that have been out of commissionfor at least five years will be separately defined, in order toencourage their revitalization and re-entering into operation.CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The Republic of Serbia has extensive unused potential for greateenergy efficiency and production from RES. In particular, it could profitably develop its hydro and biofuel capacity. Withrelatively little adjustment to the regulatory environment, Serbia could enable private enterprise to produce enoughbiofuelsto meet local demand and even to export, while creating up to 24,000 new jobs by 2020. Projections suggest that with minoradjustments in the regulatory system, renewable energy could easily rise to one-third of Serbia’s overall primary energyconsumption, which now relies on fossil fuels for 93 percentof i s supply. Currently, hydropower comprises almost all ofthe renewable energy sources employed in Serbia. With relativ ly little effort, the country could obtain more than 18 perc ntof current fossil fuel usage from biofuels, 5 percent from wind power, and 1 percent from solar power.Serbia has an extensive body of laws addressing energy issues, including the 2004 Law on Energy and the 2005 EnergyDevelopment Strategy through 2015, the 2009 regulation on acquiring the status of privileged power producers, and the2010 decree on incentive measures (feed-in tariffs) regarding power generation from RES and by combined heat and powersystems. All these legislative instruments are in line withthe European Union Directives and supported by internationlagreements, such as the Energy Community with Southeast Europe and the European Union, Copenhagen Accord, andKyoto Protocol. Some obstacles still remain in the area of regulatory and institutional capacity, mainly the lack of sublegaldocuments - regulations, ordinances, rules, etc. - that make it possible to implement the above laws.Moving forward, Serbia’s policy makers should provide training to increase the number of energy experts, put to use thenecessary regulations, and ensure that adopted prices (feed-in tariffs) for renewable send the right signals to investor . TheGovernment needs to continue working on two-way education wth the population on conservation and alternative energy.

Renewable energy sources towards social challenges in sustainable development and low carbon economy

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Renewable energy sources towards social challenges in sustainable development and low carbon economy

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