Design of Carbon-Neutral Residential Communities in Kuwait

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baqer Ameer ◽  
Moncef Krarti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Renewable Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Efficiency Measures ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Residential Communities ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Carbon Neutral

In this paper, a general methodology for designing carbon-neutral residential communities is presented. Both energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies are considered in the design approach. First, energy end-uses for the buildings within the community are optimized based on a set of cost-effective energy efficiency measures that are selected based on a life-cycle cost analysis. Then, renewable energy technologies are considered to meet the energy needs for the residential community and ensure carbon-neutrality on an annual basis. The methodology is applied to design optimal and carbon-neutral hybrid electrical generation systems for three Kuwaiti residential communities with different sizes and energy efficiency designs. For Kuwait, it is found that wind turbines can cost-effectively generate significant electricity to meet most of the energy needs for the residential communities and thus reducing the country's reliance on fuel-based power plants. Specifically, it is found that wind turbines can generate electricity at a cost of $0.068/kWh well below the current grid power production costs of $0.103/kWh. Moreover, the analysis indicates that concentrated solar power (CSP) can be utilized to achieve carbon-neutral residential communities but at a levelized energy cost of $0.13/kWh slightly lower than the current grid power generation and distribution costs of $0.133/kWh.

Feasibility Assessment of a Grid-Connected Carbon-Neutral Community in Midland, Texas

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archan Shah ◽  
Nicholas Engler ◽  
Moncef Krarti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Electricity Price ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Energy Efficiency Measures ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Carbon Neutral ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Midland, Texas is one of the fastest-growing urban population centers in the country and has one of the lowest costs of electricity. This study aims to assess the potential of a grid-connected carbon-neutral community in an oil-rich city using energy efficiency measures and hybrid distributed generation (DG) systems. The community consists mostly of residential buildings including detached homes and apartment buildings. Moreover, a cost-optimization analysis of various DG technologies is carried out to meet both electrical and thermal loads of the community in Midland. The energy efficiency measures are selected for two main objectives: (i) reduce the total energy needs and (ii) electrify most of the buildings within the community. Improvement of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems and their controls are the main energy efficiency measures considered for all the buildings part of the community. DG systems are constrained by the renewable energy resources identified to be prevalent within the site of the community. It is found that photovoltaic (PV) systems are the most cost-effective, while wind and combined heat and power (CHP) would not be competitive compared to the current grid energy prices. Specifically, the optimization results indicate that PV, when implemented on a large scale, can provide adequate power to meet the energy needs of the community while also meeting carbon neutrality. A PV system size of 3400 kW is found to be required for the grid-connected community to be carbon neutral. While under this scenario a 100% reduction in carbon emissions is technically feasible, the cost of energy is estimated to be $0.194/kWh, almost double the current grid electricity price. However, if the capital cost of PV is decreased by 70% from its current level, the cost of energy due to the DG addition can be reduced significantly. In particular, a 1050-kW PV system was found to reduce the cost of energy below the grid electricity price of $0.10/kWh and achieves 31% reduction in carbon emissions for the community. Moreover, the 70% reduction in PV capital costs allows the carbon-neutral design for the community to be a cost-competitive solution with the grid.

scholarly journals Renewable Energy Technologies for Energy Efficient Buildings: The Case of Kuwait

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4440
Author(s):  
Bader Alshuraiaan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Investment Efficiency ◽  
Renewable Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Proposed Model

The purpose of this study is to identify the most relevant renewable energy technologies for buildings and to assess the effectiveness of their implementation in the long term for Kuwait. Methods of analogies and comparisons were used to determine the features of energy efficiency based on the technologies under study. The study proposes the methodological approach to assessing the effectiveness of the introduction of renewable energy technologies, determining the direction of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and the investment efficiency of introducing these technologies. Renewable energy efficiency analysis for buildings in Kuwait confirms that solar energy systems have been the most widely available for widespread use of solar energy over the past three years. An increasing level of energy efficiency with a decrease in the notional cost of increasing energy savings is characteristic of solar collectors with booster reflectors. The proposed model for assessing the level of energy saving provides an opportunity for economic justification of introducing renewable energy technology in buildings.

scholarly journals Which Is Greener? The Gas Condenser Boiler Or Ground Source Heat Pump. Which Is The Contribution Of Renewable Energy To The Energy Consumption For Heating To A Building?

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
I. L. Cîrstolovean
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pump ◽  
Renewable Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Methods Of Calculation ◽  
Ground Source

Abstract The goals of this paper are: to estimate the carbon emission reduction on energy efficiency measurements in a laboratory building in Transilvania University from Braşov, Romania, in accordance with the European Directive 2009/28/EC and to estimate the contribution of renewable energy to energy efficiency of the building using the performance indicator named Renewable Energy Ratio - RER. We will detail the methods of calculation for CO2 emissions and we will present the results for gas condensing boiler, and ground source heat pump for the laboratory building. The results show that conventional energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy technologies can be used to decrease CO2 emissions in buildings by 20–30% on average and up to over 40% for some building types and locations. The contribution of renewable energy is between 40 and 50 % from total energy use and only for heating is 58%. This value could rise to 0.63 if we apply to electricity produced by photovoltaic panels.

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