Renewable Energy Economics, Policies and Planning
Aychar Khajavi Pour; Mohammad Reza Shahraki; Faranak Hosseinzadeh Saljooghi
Abstract
Photovoltaic energy is a good alternative to fossil fuels due to the abundance of solar energy. In this research, the criteria for locating photovoltaic solar power plants were identified using previous studies and experts’ views and by using the Delphi method based on five socioeconomic, topographic, ...
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Photovoltaic energy is a good alternative to fossil fuels due to the abundance of solar energy. In this research, the criteria for locating photovoltaic solar power plants were identified using previous studies and experts’ views and by using the Delphi method based on five socioeconomic, topographic, power generation and distribution issues, climatological, and environmental criteria. Then, by using the GIS software, the layers of sub-criteria were classified for locating photovoltaic solar power plants. Upon identifying the proposed decision-maker units for location finding, their efficiency was calculated using the full fuzzy data envelopment analysis method in three steps. The information extracted from the layers of the sub-criteria of GIS was coded using the MATLAB software in the first step of the full fuzzy data envelopment analysis model and the decision-making units were classified into three classes of efficient, weak, and inefficient. In the second step, the values of output shortages and input surplus were determined. Finally, in the third step, efficient decision-making units were ranked using Anderson-Pearson Super Efficiency Method in full fuzzy data envelopment analysis. In order to validate the proposed method, a case study was carried out. The results of calculations showed that the north, central, and southeast areas of Sistan and Baluchestan province were among the favorable areas for photovoltaic solar power plant construction. Therefore, approximately 66 % of the province’s area has appropriate efficiency matching the sub-criteria considered to construct a photovoltaic solar power plant.
Environmental Impacts and Sustainability
Ensieh Ozgoli; Younes Noorollahi; Reza Arjmandi; Ali Mohammadi
Abstract
Climate change refers to any significant and long-term alterations in global or regional weather conditions. The impact of climate change on the industrial plans is enormous, while the water supply sector has been challenged to examine how it could continuously operate in the current situation. Optimization ...
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Climate change refers to any significant and long-term alterations in global or regional weather conditions. The impact of climate change on the industrial plans is enormous, while the water supply sector has been challenged to examine how it could continuously operate in the current situation. Optimization of energy consumption and reduction of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions are some of the priorities of water companies. The objective of the study is to propose a novel evaluation approach to the feasibility of using renewable energies (solar, wind, and biomass) in the water and wastewater industry. Tehran Water and Wastewater Company consists of six regional districts and forecasting of its energy consumption, power costs, and carbon tax rates for the next ten years was done by using the regression model. The results indicated that increase in water supply and electricity consumption was evidenced by the increase in Tehran's annual population. GHG emissions were calculated in two scenarios, the first of which is based on the total supply of required electricity from conventional power plants and the second is on the generation of approximately one-third by renewable energies. In addition to the higher emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from diesel and oil power plants than the natural gas-fueled plants, by increasing the carbon tax to more than 30 USD per tonne of CO2, it is expected that the emissions will be reduced by 30 % in all fossil-fueled power plant types. Results showed that a small amount of tax was not effective in reducing GHG emissions.
Environmental Impacts and Sustainability
Hasan Hekmatnia; Ahmad Fatahi Ardakani; Armin Mashayekhan; Morteza Akbari
Abstract
As a key economic element, energy plays an important role in the development of societies. Economic growth and its urgent need for energy highlight the need for optimal energy use. Wind energy is an energy source that has become an increasingly common source of electricity. In this study, socio-economic ...
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As a key economic element, energy plays an important role in the development of societies. Economic growth and its urgent need for energy highlight the need for optimal energy use. Wind energy is an energy source that has become an increasingly common source of electricity. In this study, socio-economic impacts of the cost of electricity generated by wind power plants were assessed with Iran as the focus of this study. The environmental impacts of wind energy were also considered by reviewing and analyzing research papers. Studies showed that although the use of wind energy in Iran began in Manjil in northern Iran, no significant progress has been made in this field despite all the efforts over the past years. The results indicated that the initial cost of launching wind turbines was the most important factor in the failure of this technology. The costs of purchasing turbines, construction of roads, provision of electrical infrastructure, project management, installation of turbines, insurance premiums, grid connections, and power lines were shown to affect costs of energy production. Furthermore, operation and maintenance costs, the choice of installation location, increasing production capacity, expansion of the energy market, and policies in the country can play an essential role in determining the cost of wind energy production. Given that power generation using wind turbines are economical, it is recommended that turbines be installed in suitable windy locations. In addition, considering that one of the crises facing the world and especially Iran is environmental pollution, utilizing energies such as wind energy for generating electricity is advised due to their lower pollutant emissions and lower economic and social costs.
Renewable Energy Economics, Policies and Planning
Mahdieh Rezagholizadeh; Majid Aghaei; Omid Dehghan
Abstract
Concerning environmental pollution issues derived from fossil energy consumption, the application of renewable energies plays an important role in countries, especially in their energy sector policymaking. Since determining the relationship between different variables and renewable energy not only has ...
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Concerning environmental pollution issues derived from fossil energy consumption, the application of renewable energies plays an important role in countries, especially in their energy sector policymaking. Since determining the relationship between different variables and renewable energy not only has significant policy applications in energy sector but also is necessary in achieving sustainable development goals, this study assesses the impact of effective factors on the development of renewable energy consumption in Iran with emphasis on the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) and financial sector development (especially stock market development). This study applies Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounding test method over the period of 1978-2016. The research findings show that there is a causal relationship between foreign direct investment and the stock market and renewable energy consumption in Iran such that the increase of foreign direct investment and stock market development will increase the consumption of renewable energies in Iran. On the other hand, a growth in renewable energies consumption will significantly reduce CO2 emission in the long run. Besides, increasing FDI and stock market development will raise the economic growth of a country and, in return, increase CO2 emission.
Environmental Impacts and Sustainability
Bahram Hosseinzadeh Samani; Marziyeh Ansari Samani; Rahim Ebrahimi; Zahra Esmaeili; Ali Ansari Ardali
Abstract
Due to limited oil reserves, the rising world fuel prices and environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels increase the tendency to use alternative fuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol. In this study, the evaluation of energy and exergy flow from seed planting to final production of biodiesel ...
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Due to limited oil reserves, the rising world fuel prices and environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels increase the tendency to use alternative fuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol. In this study, the evaluation of energy and exergy flow from seed planting to final production of biodiesel from rapeseed oil was carried out. Biodiesel production from rapeseed was made in three main phases: farm, oil extraction, and industrial biodiesel production. Initially, the input and output variables for rapeseed production were collected through questionnaires from 30 rapeseed farms in Khuzestan province, Iran. Thus, the amount of energy input and output to the field for rapeseed was estimated to be 12826.98 and 22195 MJ/ha, respectively. The highest energy consumption is related to chemical fertilizers with 65 % share of other inputs. Input and output exergy rates were obtained as 3933.494 and 22603.39 MJ/ha, respectively, and the highest exergy consumption related to diesel fuel with 58 % share of other inputs. At the biodiesel production stage, the input energy and output energy were 156.95 MJ and 41.88 MJ, respectively, and the highest amount of electricity consumed was 91.02 MJ. The total amount of exergy in the production of biodiesel and the output exergy was 48.412 MJ and 64.568 MJ, respectively. In this study, the effects of alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, ultrasound power (W), catalyst concentration (w/w %), and the reaction time (min) on methyl ester yield using response surface methodology based on Box Behnken experimental design in the Design Expert software were investigated. Finally, gas emissions were studied at the planting and biodiesel production stages, and the resultsshowed that the highest greenhouse gas emissions at the planting stage were related to chemical fertilizers and alcohol production.
Renewable Energy Economics, Policies and Planning
Ali Mostafaeipour; Afsaneh Nasiri
Abstract
In hot and dry regions, air conditioning is used for many different applications like residential, industry, and agriculture and dairy products. This research studies the applicability of wind and solar energies for cooling fruit storage warehouse in the hot and dry region of Yazd in Iran. The studied ...
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In hot and dry regions, air conditioning is used for many different applications like residential, industry, and agriculture and dairy products. This research studies the applicability of wind and solar energies for cooling fruit storage warehouse in the hot and dry region of Yazd in Iran. The studied case is a fruit warehouse with an area of 4240 m2 resulting in a storage capacity of about 1000 tons. For this purpose, the heat gain of the warehouse is determined, and the obtained cooling load is then used to examine the solar and wind energy to power a conventional warehouse system. Different scenarios are examined for this research such as solar air conditioner, solar absorption chiller, wind catcher, and a combination of solar air conditioners and solar absorption chiller for cooling the fruit warehouse. Comparison and economic evaluation of different scenarios show that the solar air conditioning ranks first for this purpose. Results are then validated using value engineering methodology. Solar air conditioning with the highest net present value (NPV) of 4,865,040,418 Rials and the best internal rate of return (IRR) value of 182.98 % was determined to be the best approach among the studied methods. The results of this research can be applied to other regions with similar climatic conditions too.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Tahmineh Taheri Dezfouli; Reza Marandi; Morteza Kashefiolasl; Mozhgan Emtyazjoo; Maasomeh Javaheri
Abstract
The modern BioElectrochemical technologies can convert the energy stored in the chemical bonds of biodegradable organic materials to renewable electrical energy through the catalytic reactions of microorganisms while treating the waste waters. The present research was conducted to evaluate the efficiency ...
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The modern BioElectrochemical technologies can convert the energy stored in the chemical bonds of biodegradable organic materials to renewable electrical energy through the catalytic reactions of microorganisms while treating the waste waters. The present research was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a single-chamber Bioelectrochemical system with the carbon aerogel catalyst, as a simple and inexpensive method, in removing the corrosive and odorous sulfur compounds from municipal wastewater simultaneously with electricity generation by using indigenous bacterial consortium. The used bacteria were isolated from local lagoon sediments, and the municipal wastewater was used as the substrate. During six months of the Bioelectrochemical cell operation, the sulfate concentration was dropped to a minimum of 63 ± 57.2 mg/l, indicating the ability of the system to remove 71.8 % of the sulfate from the municipal wastewater and the production of bioenergy. With a 304 mV Open Circulate voltage, the maximum removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand was 80 % and the maximum power density was 1.82 mW/m2. Carbon aerogel, as a novel material with suitable absorbance and resistance to oxidation at urban wastewater pH, can be, therefore, coated on electrodes to facilitate the Oxidation Reduction Reactions and electricity transmission. The existence of elemental sulfur in the sediments showed that these systems could be optimized to recover the elemental sulfur from the municipal wastewater.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Ashkan Gholami; Aryan Tajik; Shahab Eslami; Majid Zandi
Abstract
The current study investigated the feasibility of renewable energy harvesting to meet the energy need of a dairy farm in Shahroud, Iran. Therefore, considering the available renewable resources including solar, wind, and biomass in the site and the electrical demand of the farm, the techno-economic and ...
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The current study investigated the feasibility of renewable energy harvesting to meet the energy need of a dairy farm in Shahroud, Iran. Therefore, considering the available renewable resources including solar, wind, and biomass in the site and the electrical demand of the farm, the techno-economic and environmental analyses were carried out. By using Homer software, the optimized system was selected. It was shown that although there was wind potential within the farm site, the most economical system would be a system consisting of a 100 kW biomass power plant and a 169 kW PV plant. Furthermore, by using RETScreen software, the economic and environmental analyses for the selected system were carried out. The simple and equity paybacks were 5.8 and 4.2 years for the proposed system, which confirmed the economic feasibility of the proposed system. Moreover, the gross annual GHG emission would be reduced by 91.5 %. The techno-economic and environmental analyses conducted in the current paper confirmed that the proposed system could be easily extended for other dairy farms, which resulted in a significant increase in the energy ratio of the dairy farms.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Mohammed Ibrahim Shaba; Aliyu Mohammed; Dauda Solomon Musa; Balami Ayuba Audu; Yunusa Baba Katamba
Abstract
Internationally exploited lubricants are derived from coal and petroleum. Due to their high consumption and effects of their long-term pollution on the environment, it is imperative to use renewable and cheap feedstock for the synthesis of bio-based lubricants. This study presents the synthesis and optimization ...
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Internationally exploited lubricants are derived from coal and petroleum. Due to their high consumption and effects of their long-term pollution on the environment, it is imperative to use renewable and cheap feedstock for the synthesis of bio-based lubricants. This study presents the synthesis and optimization process of Ethylene Glycol (EG) based bio-lubricant from palm kernel oil. Palm Kernel Methyl Ester (PKME) was synthesized at a reaction time of 60 min, a molar ratio of oil: methanol 1:6, a temperature of 60 oC, and catalyst of 1 % wt/wt (in-situ transesterification) via reactive extraction. Box–Behnken design (BBD) in response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to this experimental layout. The effects of molar ratio, reaction time, and temperature on the synthesis of palm kernel biolubricant (PKBL) were evaluated. The PKBL structure was characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometer (GC-MS) analysis, showing favorable lubricating properties. The PKME yielded 94.53 wt% based on the weight of the oil, while transesterification of the in situ derived PKME with EG yielded 93.08 wt% of the EG ester (Biolubricant). The maximum biolubricant recovery was 81.48 wt% obtained at a molar ratio of 3:1, time of 2.48 h, and temperature of 135 oC. The temperature and mole ratio were established to be the most significant terms. PKBL characteristics conformed to ISO VG criteria and had high potential for biolubricant feedstock.
Vasundhara Sen
Abstract
India seeks to achieve 175 Giga-Watt (GW) of Renewable power by 2022. As of December 2017, out of 333 GW of total installed capacity of electricity, close to 62GW come from renewable sources. Meeting the set targets calls for augmentation of renewable energy based capacities as expeditiously as possible. ...
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India seeks to achieve 175 Giga-Watt (GW) of Renewable power by 2022. As of December 2017, out of 333 GW of total installed capacity of electricity, close to 62GW come from renewable sources. Meeting the set targets calls for augmentation of renewable energy based capacities as expeditiously as possible. However, the sick financial health of the distribution companies/utilities, who act as the primary purchasing authorities of such power, is posing as a threat to the success of the renewable industry. This paper highlights that while the cost of procurement of renewable power, to the utilities, has gone down significantly in the recent past; the worsening financial health of utilities remains a key concern. Data is presented to substantiate that the said distribution companies/utilities are saddled by high gaps between Average Cost of Supply (ACS) and Average Revenue Requirement (ARR). Revenues to the power supplying utilities are under-recovered due to the long standing practice of cross- subsidization in the Indian power sector – agricultural and residential consumers of electricity consume power at lower tariffs, than commercial and industrial consumers. A case is therefore suggested for implementing evidence based tariff setting by the utilities. Under the suggested framework, electricity tariffs for different consumer categories can be charged with a premium for green power, based on their willingness to pay for such power. Collected funds, then can be used towards purchase of green power, by the said utilities, and consequently help foster the development of green energy in the country. This study also presents limited empirical evidence, recording the willingness to pay for such premiums, across different categories of “paying” consumers.
Mohammad Ameri; Mojtaba Yoosefi
Abstract
This paper presents sizing, energy management strategy, and cost analysis for a configuration consisting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, fuel cell (FC) storage system, and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technology for combined power and fresh water production. In this system, PV is the main power ...
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This paper presents sizing, energy management strategy, and cost analysis for a configuration consisting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, fuel cell (FC) storage system, and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technology for combined power and fresh water production. In this system, PV is the main power supply source; fuel cell is a storage system accompanied by Hydrogen production and storage devices; and for fresh water production, RO technology is considered as desalination unit. Energy production strategy, developed on the basis of solar irradiance, hourly electricity consumption, and daily fresh water demand to minimize the capacity of components. To this goal, a flowchart diagram is designed, and sizing method is modeled using MATLAB software based on this flowchart. Finally, economic analysis for co-production of fresh water and electricity is discussed, and results of sensitivity analysis for variations of net present value (NPV) cost in terms of different fuel cell storage system prices and different interest rates are presented. Results show that described energy management strategy causes the configuration to follow hourly electrical demand and daily fresh water requirement precisely, so that the total surplus energy production during a day is very little and negligible. Moreover, calculations show that the largest part of costs is due to the energy storage system. So, while the solar PV is the main energy source and solar irradiance in Khark Island more than Astara, the overall configuration cost is greater in Khark Island just because of greater energy storage system costs, nevertheless, using such energy storage systems is necessary due to intermittent inherent of solar energy.
Mojtaba Tahani; Pouria Servati; Ahmad Hajinezhad; Younes Noorollahi; Emad Ziaee
Abstract
In recent years, energy predicament and environmental problems in the world caused by fossil fuels combustion make us to pay serious attention to optimizing energy consumption and using renewable energies. One of the potential renewable energies which can be helpful in electricity generation is harness ...
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In recent years, energy predicament and environmental problems in the world caused by fossil fuels combustion make us to pay serious attention to optimizing energy consumption and using renewable energies. One of the potential renewable energies which can be helpful in electricity generation is harness wind and water energy or using these two kinds of energy simultaneously. In this study, to provide a part of electricity in Azadi complex, 2 wind turbines with 12 different scenarios are used. In addition to provide some parts of the consumed electricity, they provide consumed electricity for water pumps which pump the sport complex lake water to a reservoir with 30000 cubic meters capacity and 20 meters height which provides remainder the consumed electricity. In this model, with regard to the uncertain amount of electricity consumption, 3consumption scenarios with three probabilities are pumped every day into a pool and a few of it is used for electricity consumption and the surplus is sold to the agricultural sector and irrigation of green spaces. The GAMS software and two stage optimization methods in two states, with and without considering the risk for optimization are used and in both states, profit and net profit in each scenario are computed.
