scholarly journals Synthesis and Optimal Operation of Smart Microgrids Serving a Cluster of Buildings on a Campus with Centralized and Distributed Hybrid Renewable Energy Units

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Testi ◽  
Paolo Conti ◽  
Eva Schito ◽  
Luca Urbanucci ◽  
Francesco D’Ettorre

Micro-district heating networks based on cogeneration plants and renewable energy technologies are considered efficient, viable and environmentally-friendly solutions to realizing smart multi-energy microgrids. Nonetheless, the energy production from renewable sources is intermittent and stochastic, and cogeneration units are characterized by fixed power-to-heat ratios, which are incompatible with fluctuating thermal and electric demands. These drawbacks can be partially overcome by smart operational controls that are capable of maximizing the energy system performance. Moreover, electrically driven heat pumps may add flexibility to the system, by shifting thermal loads into electric loads. In this paper, a novel configuration for smart multi-energy microgrids, which combines centralized and distributed energy units is proposed. A centralized cogeneration system, consisting of an internal combustion engine is connected to a micro-district heating network. Distributed electric heat pumps assist the thermal production at the building level, giving operational flexibility to the system and supporting the integration of renewable energy technologies, i.e., wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, and solar thermal collectors. The proposed configuration was tested in a hypothetical case study, namely, a University Campus located in Trieste, Italy. The system operation is based on a cost-optimal control strategy and the effect of the size of the cogeneration unit and heat pumps was investigated. A comparison with a conventional configuration, without distributed heat pumps, was also performed. The results show that the proposed configuration outperformed the conventional one, leading to a total-cost saving of around 8%, a carbon emission reduction of 11%, and a primary energy saving of 8%.

Author(s):  
Abdeen Mustafa Omer

The move towards a low-carbon world, driven partly by climate science and partly by the business opportunities it offers, will need the promotion of environmentally friendly alternatives, if an acceptable stabilisation level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to be achieved. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of energy sources, and the development of sustainable technologies to explore these energy sources. It also includes potential renewable energy technologies, efficient energy systems, energy savings techniques and other mitigation measures necessary to reduce climate changes. The chapter concludes with the technical status of the ground source heat pumps (GSHP) technologies. The purpose of this study, however, is to examine the means of reduction of energy consumption in buildings, identify GSHPs as an environmental friendly technology able to provide efficient utilisation of energy in the buildings sector.


2020 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 01013
Author(s):  
Linfeng Wang ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Nan Xu ◽  
Jingyan Wang ◽  
Danyang Zhang ◽  
...  

With the depletion of fossil energy and the popularity of renewable energy, a comprehensive energy system with the goal of improving system energy efficiency and consuming renewable energy is booming. Based on the combined heat, power, and heat generation, this paper builds a comprehensive energy system operation optimization model in conjunction with ground source heat pumps. It aims to find the optimal operation strategy based on the actual situation of the park’s load, equipment capacity, and energy prices. Using the linear programming method, a mathematical model with the best economic efficiency of the integrated energy system is established, the optimal operation strategy for a typical day is analyzed, and the annual operation is simulated. Finally, it compares with conventional energy supply methods and analyzes the contribution to the consumption of renewable energy.


Author(s):  
Sampsa Hyysalo ◽  
Jouni K. Juntunen

There have been many attempts to include citizens as more active players in the proliferation of renewable energy technologies. However, the roles that citizen users play in renewables proliferation are not limited to adoption, but include technological domestication, innovation, and market creation. This chapter first reviews innovation by citizen users in the early phases of small-scale renewable energy technologies (S-RET) technology development in wind turbines, solar collectors, and low-energy housing. It then examines user innovation and peer assistance in the later phases of diffusion in air-source and ground-source heat pumps, pellet-burning systems, and solar collectors. It reviews research user motivations, diffusion pathways, and peer intermediation, and pays particular attention to how the forms of innovative citizen energy communities are changing from locality-based community energy initiatives to distributed and Internet-mediated energy communities. The chapter concludes by drawing policy implications regarding user innovation and peer assistance in the transformation of energy systems.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baraka Kichonge ◽  
Iddi S. N. Mkilaha ◽  
Geoffrey R. John ◽  
Sameer Hameer

The study analyzes the economics of renewable energy sources into electricity generation in Tanzania. Business as usual (BAU) scenario and renewable energy (RE) scenario which enforce a mandatory penetration of renewable energy sources shares into electricity generations were analyzed. The results show total investment cost for the BAU scenario is much lower as compared to RE scenario while operating and maintenance variable costs are higher in BAU scenario. Primary energy supply in BAU scenario is higher tied with less investment costs as compared to RE scenario. Furthermore, the share of renewable energy sources in BAU scenario is insignificant as compared to RE scenario due to mandatory penetration policy imposed. Analysis concludes that there are much higher investments costs in RE scenario accompanied with less operating and variable costs and lower primary energy supply. Sensitivity analysis carried out suggests that regardless of changes in investments cost of coal and CCGT power plants, the penetration of renewable energy technologies was still insignificant. Notwithstanding the weaknesses of renewable energy technologies in terms of the associated higher investments costs, an interesting result is that it is possible to meet future electricity demand based on domestic resources including renewables.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (15) ◽  
pp. 3194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urbanucci ◽  
Testi ◽  
Bruno

District heating and cooling networks based on trigeneration systems and renewable energy technologies are widely acknowledged as an energy efficient and environmentally benign solution. These energy systems generally include back-up units, namely fossil-fuel boilers and electric chillers, to enhance system flexibility and cover peak energy demand. On the other hand, 4th generation district heating networks are characterized by low-temperature water distribution to improve energy and exergy efficiencies. Moreover, reversible heat pumps are a versatile technology, capable of providing both heating and cooling, alternately. In this paper, the integration of reversible heat pumps as single back-up units in hybrid renewable trigeneration systems serving low-energy micro-district heating and cooling networks is investigated. A detailed modeling of the system is provided, considering part-load and ambient condition effects on the performance of the units. Size and annual operation of the proposed system are optimized in a case study, namely a large office building located in Pisa (Italy), by means of a genetic algorithm-based procedure. A comparison with the conventional trigeneration system is performed in terms of economic and environmental perspectives. Results show that the integration of reversible heat pumps is an economically viable solution capable of reducing by 7% the equivalent annual cost, increasing the installed power of renewables up to 23%, and lowering by 11% carbon dioxide emissions, compared to the energy system with conventional back-up units.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Urosevic ◽  
Branka Gvozdenac-Urosevic

In recent years, renewable energy sources have played an increasingly important role in potential energy production. The integration of renewable energy technologies into existing national energy system has therefore become a major challenge for many countries. Due to the importance of this matter, this paper deals with the comprehensive analysis for implementation of a power plant on biomass (straw). The analysis is conducted regarding several key indicators: availability of biomass, regulation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, location, land use, electricity price and social impacts. The analysis also includes favorable price for electricity produced from biomass relevant to national feed in tariffs. In order to demonstrate all above mentioned indicators, the region in Serbia (Province of Vojvodina) with significant potential in biomass, especially in straw, is selected. The results of the analysis are validated trough environmental and social aspects. Special attention is given to identifying risks for this application.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
Ádám Csuvár

AbstractWorldwide, there is a huge demand for the application of renewable energy technologies mainly due to the current environmental problems that mostly originated from our fossil-based energy system. This study is aiming at presenting areas which require a bigger share of renewables from the global energy mix but only for economic reasons. We highlight that these alternatives can bear with advantageous economic effects compared to the non-renewable ones. We take into account renewables-based business opportunities, and then we discuss the positive effects of renewables on economic development. Finally, we look at the issuant security of energy supply and talk about beneficial labor market impacts caused by renewable energies.


2017 ◽  
pp. 971-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdeen Mustafa Omer

The move towards a low-carbon world, driven partly by climate science and partly by the business opportunities it offers, will need the promotion of environmentally friendly alternatives, if an acceptable stabilisation level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to be achieved. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of energy sources, and the development of sustainable technologies to explore these energy sources. It also includes potential renewable energy technologies, efficient energy systems, energy savings techniques and other mitigation measures necessary to reduce climate changes. The chapter concludes with the technical status of the ground source heat pumps (GSHP) technologies. The purpose of this study, however, is to examine the means of reduction of energy consumption in buildings, identify GSHPs as an environmental friendly technology able to provide efficient utilisation of energy in the buildings sector.


Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Moreau ◽  
Piero Dos Reis ◽  
François Vuille

The transition from a fossil fuel base to a renewable energy system relies on materials and, in particular, metals to manufacture and maintain energy conversion technologies. Supply constraints shift from fossil fuels to mineral resources. We assess the availability of metal reserves and resources to build an energy system based exclusively on renewable energy technologies. A mass balance of 29 metals embodied in renewable energy technologies is compiled in order to satisfy global energy demand, based on five authoritative energy scenarios for 2050. We expand upon these scenarios by modeling the storage capacity needed to support high shares of intermittent renewables (wind and solar). The metal requirements are then compared with the current demand and proven reserves and ultimate mineable resources. This allows us to distinguish between constraints related to renewable energy sources from those linked to technology mixes. The results show that proven reserves and, in specific cases, resources of several metals are insufficient to build a renewable energy system at the predicted level of global energy demand by 2050. The comparison between reserves and resources shows that scarcity relates sometimes more to techno economic supply than to raw material availability. Our results also highlight the importance of substitution among technologies and metals as well as the limited impact of recycling on the depletion of scarce metals.


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