Long-term effects of structural changes in the Brazilian electricity matrix

The Brazilian 2015 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution proposes a reduction of 43% in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to its 2005 emissions. In terms of the contribution of the Brazilian electrical sector to achieve this target, it commits to increase the use of renewable energy sources, other than hydroelectricity, and an efficiency gain of 10% by 2030. Considering these targets, this paper estimates the economic and CO₂ emissions effects of such propositions using input–output analysis. The estimates are based on eight different future electricity matrices scenarios (2030 and 2050) developed by specialists within the Energy Scenarios Platform. On the one hand, achieving cleaner electrical production requires large investments. On the other hand, a reorganization of the sector leading to increased use of renewable energy sources produces GDP and employment growth. The results show that the net effects are positive in the medium and long run. Brazilian GDP growth may range from 0.61 to 1.24% per year by 2030 and from 0.66 to 1.26% per year by 2050, and total labor demand may reach 630 thousand new employees in 2030 and 685 thousand jobs in 2050. Regarding the reduction of CO\(_2\) emissions, a maximum saving of 4 million tons by 2030 and 1 million tons by 2050 is expected. Therefore, according to the scenarios analyzed, although investing in renewable electrical sources demands more investment, their operational costs are lower, such that the extra expending is more than offset. Hence, the economic benefits from such changes more than compensate the costs of investing in such efforts.     

Study on possible economic and environmental impacts of electric vehicle infrastructure in public road transport in Kolkata

Transport sector in India accounts for 20 % of total commercial energy demand of the country, of which a considerable amount is consumed in the form of liquid and gaseous fuel. A major part of these fuels are imported by the Government. Apart from the import expenditure, Government of India has subsidized these fuels to make it available at affordable prices. To check the financial burden and achieve environmental benefits, technical advancement in present system or alternative infrastructure is required. The present study examines the possible impacts on economy and environment by the implementation of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) along with the conventional road transport system in metropolitans with a case study of Kolkata. The major impact has been observed in controlling the vehicular emission with a decrease in CO₂ level by 26.27 t per day, on replacement of only 2 % of the present public transport by suitable BEVs. Maintaining similar service for the passengers the electrical energy required by the alternative vehicles has been estimated to be 41,766 kWh per day. This energy has been proposed to be supplied by remodeled fuel stations equipped with solar photovoltaic systems, if charging strategy is based on renewable sources. In case of fuel economy, the infrastructure has shown the potential in reducing the consumption of diesel and autogas (LPG) by 11,654 and 3,256 liter per day, respectively.     

Centring radiological protection on today's global challenges in energy, climate change, environment and health--with nuclear energy playing a key role

The climate change issue includes meeting the growing demand for electricity while reducing the impacts from energy sources. Applying carbon capture and storage technology to fossil fuel energy and increasing renewable energy pose greater challenges than increasing nuclear energy. International Energy Agency's (IEA) electricity demand of 30 000 TWh by 2030 can be met with 10 000 TWh each from renewable, nuclear and fossil fuel energy. However, the ill-imposed very strict control of tiny public exposure to ionising radiation from nuclear energy continues to pose a serious hindrance. Effort needs to be re-balanced to produce an even-handed control of public exposure with emphasis on the most significant sources (i.e. natural background radiation and medical use) and vice versa. The on-going revision of the International Atomic Energy Agency Basic Safety Standards (BSS) provides an opportunity to achieve this internationally so that national regulations can be subsequently remediated. There can be no urgency in a BSS revision that fails to encompass such perspective.     

把我国广大的沙化草原建设成为可再生的世界级特大的清洁能源生产基地

中国有广大的约占国土面积40%的沙化退化草原,不宜亦没有用作粮食耕地。但经过大力的生态建设后每年能产出巨量的巨银草。后者是原生在中国北部,能耐干寒和恶劣环境,并是多年生高达3.5 m的巨大稠密的野草,并能利用咸水。将这些巨银草气化催化后估计每公顷可产出17.2 t的可直接替代汽油的生物丁醇,生化和基因研发专业公司孟山都和孟代尔等己开始合力提升此产能,估计到2030年左右,以沙化草原的约46%的面积种植巨量的巨银草,可使中国开始不再依赖石油和煤炭的化石能源,而转用由巨大的"巨银草油田群"供应的可再生的清洁能源,其余的面积的产量可供外销或作他用,使中国能长期成为世界能源强国,与他国合力稳定能源供应和价格,并引领世界迈向可再生的清洁能源新时代。     

基于太阳能热化学的分布式供能系统热力学性能及碳排放分析

分布式供能系统临近用户,具有灵活消纳可再生能源的优势。集成太阳能与清洁燃料互补的分布式供能系统,旨在实现太阳能与燃料的高效互补利用。提出了基于太阳能热化学的分布式供能系统,该系统集成了太阳能热化学转化与分布式冷热电联供系统,将太阳能与甲醇以热化学的形式进行源头互补,把太阳能转化为合成气燃料化学能,进而通过内燃机发电机组和余热回收单元输出冷、热、电产品,以满足用户的负荷需求。通过数值计算的方法,对所集成的系统开展了热力学性能及CO₂排放性能分析,研究了设计工况及变工况下运行性能,结果表明所集成的太阳能与燃料热化学互补供能系统具有显著的节能减排优势。     

Evaluation of current status and future directions of wind energy in India

Wind energy is the fastest growing electricity generation technology. During the last decade of the 20th century, grid-connected wind capacity worldwide has doubled approximately every 3 years. Climate change is a major challenge to sustainable development worldwide and is increasingly recognized by forward-looking political and business leaders. One of the tasks we are facing is a profound transformation of our energy system over the next few decades of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies and dramatically increasing energy efficiency. At present, wind energy is receiving considerable attention in the world. In this study, development of wind energy system and the potential of wind energy in India have been investigated. This paper presents the progress made by wind energy in the recent years, and discusses the potential of this technology. The aim of the work is to investigate the wind energy plants and projects in India. It can be concluded from this analysis that wind energy utilization in India and throughout world has sharply increased.     

Exploring the determinants of renewable energy innovation considering the institutional factors: A negative binomial analysis

Replacing traditional energy sources with renewable energy sources is an effective way to achieve emission reduction targets. Focusing on OECD countries from 1990 to 2018, this study examines the determinants of renewable energy innovation by applying a negative binomial model. There are four main findings: (1) Renewable energy patents show an inverted U-shaped curve, peaking in 2010; solar energy accounts for the largest share of patents; and the US is the largest renewable energy innovator, followed by South Korea and Germany. (2) Renewable electricity installed capacity, share of expenditure on research and development (R&D) of GDP, and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol are all found to promote innovation; by comparison, the proportion of renewable energy power generation of the total electricity generating capacity shows a negative effect. The price of crude oil shows no significant effect due to the offset effect between the European and non-European country groups. (3) Share of R&D expenditure of GDP is confirmed to be the force driving technological progress in the solar, geothermal, and marine sectors, and it plays a more important role in Japan than in the US or Europe. Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol has no significant effect on innovation in European countries. (4) Three institutional factors—namely, the legal system and property rights; regulations; and freedom to trade internationally—are confirmed to be the driving forces, whereas this is not the case for the growth and free circulation of money. Policy implications for the optimization of the renewable energy sector's structure, the enhancement of renewable energy capacity, and the improvement of R&D investment and the institutional environment are proposed. Future research should shed light on a broader sample, using micro-level and socio-technical analysis.     

“双碳”目标下的电能价值分析与市场机制设计

自“2030年前碳达峰、2060年前碳中和”的目标提出后,中央财经委员会第九次会议又进一步提出实现该目标的基本思路和主要举措,特别是实施可再生能源替代行动,深化电力体制改革,构建以新能源为主体的新型电力系统。这些举措必将导致电源结构的重大调整。另一方面,近年来世界范围内电力市场中各类负面事件接连不断,引起各方广泛关注。这些事件产生的原因与电源结构缺陷和电力市场设计不合理有很大的关系。结合近期全球电力市场典型事故的介绍和原因分析,重点探讨了电源结构的变化所引起的安全风险和电能价值的多样化等问题,分析了电力市场体制机制所面临的挑战,并提出了初步解决方案。电力定价和电力市场设计应建立在电能价值规律的基础之上。在可再生能源大规模接入的背景下,电能除了传统电力市场中的容量价值、电量价值,还具有灵活性、安全性和弹性价值等多种不同的价值,使得问题更加复杂,因此针对这些问题进行了初步分析。     

An Empirical Study on China’s Energy Supply-and-Demand Model Considering Carbon Emission Peak Constraints in 2030

China’s energy supply-and-demand model and two related carbon emission scenarios, including a planned peak scenario and an advanced peak scenario, are designed taking into consideration China’s economic development, technological progress, policies, resources, environmental capacity, and other factors. The analysis of the defined scenarios provides the following conclusions: Primary energy and power demand will continue to grow leading up to 2030, and the growth rate of power demand will be much higher than that of primary energy demand. Moreover, low carbonization will be a basic feature of energy supply-and-demand structural changes, and non-fossil energy will replace oil as the second largest energy source. Finally, energy-related carbon emissions could peak in 2025 through the application of more efficient energy consumption patterns and more low-carbon energy supply modes. The push toward decarbonization of the power industry is essential for reducing the peak value of carbon emissions.     

Gasifier-based power generation: Technology and economics

The paper describes a 100 kW power generation system installed at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, under a project sponsored by the Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of India. The system consists of a wood gasifier utilising the waste wood from a saw mill and a diesel engine genset. The performance of the total system and its elements are presented along with economics of operation. To bring out the economics of using such renewable energy devices for power generation, some realistic situations are considered for which the effective cost of power and the pay-back period for the investment are evaluated. The economics is compared with that of a similar system of 3·7 kW capacity.     

The quest for carbon-neutral industrial operations: renewable power purchase versus distributed generation

Integrating renewable energy into the manufacturing facility is the ultimate key to realising carbon-neutral operations. Although many firms have taken various initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of their facilities, there are few quantitative studies focused on cost analysis and supply reliability of integrating intermittent wind and solar power. This paper aims to fill this gap by addressing the following question: shall we adopt power purchase agreement (PPA) or onsite renewable generation to realise the eco-economic benefits? We tackle this complex decision-making problem by considering two regulatory options: government carbon incentives and utility pricing policy. A stochastic programming model is formulated to search for the optimal mix of onsite and offsite renewable power supply. The model is tested extensively in different regions under various climatic conditions. Three findings are obtained. First, in a long term onsite generation and PPA can avoid the price volatility in the spot or wholesale electricity market. Second, at locations where the wind speed is below 6 m/s, PPA at $70/MWh is preferred over onsite wind generation. Third, compared to PPA and wind generation, solar generation is not economically competitive unless the capacity cost is down below $1.5 M/MW.     

我国可再生能源中长期（2030、2050）发展战略目标与途径

基于我国调整能源结构的战略方针和以煤为主要一次能源的国情,根据可再生能源在技术、产业等方面的发展形势,从可持续发展的战略高度和大能源体系的视野,分析了2030年、2050年我国可再生能源发展的战略目标、技术路线、发展重点和保障政策,指出通过重点发展可再生能源发电、大力发展可再生能源热利用和燃气技术、积极努力发展生物质交通燃料技术,使可再生能源从目前的补充能源,逐步提升到2020年的替代能源、2030年的主流能源和2050年的主导能源的战略地位。     

How to design a dynamic feed-in tariffs mechanism for renewables – a real options approach

Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are among the most favoured policies with which to drive the deployment of renewable energy. This paper offers insights into quantifying dynamic FITs to realise the expected installed capacity target with minimum policy cost under uncertainties of renewable intermittence and technology learning. We incorporate real options and use stochastic dynamic programming to model the strategic behaviour between policy-maker and investor and extend the one-time investment decision described by Farrell et al. [2017. ‘Specifying an Efficient Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff.’ The Energy Journal 38: 53–75] to multiple-period decisions. An approach that combines binary tree scenario generation and a least squares Monte Carlo method is used to numerically identify the optimal FITs plan in practice. China’s offshore wind power investment is used as a case study to investigate the relationships among the optimal dynamic FITs level, the total policy cost, the expected capacity target, and the learning effect. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed dynamic FITs can track the changes in technology learning well and that they can avoid the inefficiency of fixed FITs in stimulating technology adoption in the initial periods, along with overpayment by the policy-maker.     

Sustainability considerations of biodiesel based on supply chain analysis

Developing clean and renewable energy resources ranks as one of the greatest challenges facing mankind in the medium to long term. The issues associated with developing non-fossil energy are intimately connected with economic development and prosperity, quality of life and global stability, and require smart strategies for sustainable development. This study presents a relative sustainability assessment of biodiesel, taking into account its full life cycle with the main goal of comparing alternative feedstocks, either currently used or promising for future use such as microalgae. A set of sustainability metrics relevant for biodiesel is identified using only the data available in the literature and taking into account all the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, societal, and economic. Although this study does not attempt to identify which feedstock or process is the best, its procedural suggestions may be valuable to practitioners and policy makers seeking to identify the best alternatives. The conclusions, however, are limited by the availability and the quality of the data used in the analyses.     

Correlation analysis of small wind–solar–biomass hybrid energy system installed at RGTU Bhopal, MP (India)

The perspective of this paper represents all types of correlation existing among the various renewable power sources in the hybrid system to find out its feasibility. Among the different energy alternatives available, the wind energy system clubbed with solar photo voltaic panels and biomass gasifier for the production of electricity is found more suitable. As wind, solar and biomass hybrid energy systems stand out distinctly for their use in tropical regions. Keeping this in view a statistical correlation analysis of the said hybrid energy system has been evolved for a remote area (wind and solar data of which are collected from weather monitoring station installed at University Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India).     

风、光、油互补控制器的设计

本文设计开发的一款基于风、光、油互补的充电控制器,可以实现风能和光能转化为蓄电池电能,在无风、无光照的条件下,且蓄电池的能量不足,可以启动油机进行发电,并对蓄电池进行充电。从而实现对可再生能源的充分利用,在保障设备供电的前提下,最大限度的节省燃油。     

New graphical tools for process changes via load shifting for hybrid power systems based on Power Pinch Analysis

A hybrid power system (HPS) generates electrical power by a combination of several renewable energy and fossil fuel generators. The Power Pinch Analysis concept has been recently implemented for the optimal design of a HPS. This work introduces a new graphical tool known as the ‘outsourced and storage electricity curves’ (OSEC) to visualise the required minimum outsourced electricity and the current storage capacity at each time interval during HPS startup and continuous operation. Heuristics for load shifting for the integrated HPS system that can lead to further reductions of the maximum storage capacity and the maximum power demand (MPD) have also been introduced in this work. Note that the routine load shifting strategies in energy management cannot be used without the knowledge on how the integrated HPS components interact with one another. Application of the new approach on case studies demonstrates that the OSEC can provide vital insights for designers to perform the correct load shifting. The results show that up to 50 % reduction in the maximum storage capacity and the MPD is achieved.     

Mathematical optimization of a supply chain for the production of fuel pellets from residual biomass

One of the main concerns of humankind in the last years is the availability of energy sources. Research has been focused on finding clean and renewable ways to satisfy the energy demand worldwide. In the particular case of the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, clay industry burns each year about 15,000 m³ of fuel oil and residual oils, and 96,000 t of wood derivatives. As a way to reduce the environmental impact of clay industry, the use of solid fuel pellets, obtained from vegetable residual material, is proposed. The raw material for the pellets is obtained from agribusiness and from the cities of the state. The solid biofuel has high density, low content of humidity, a homogeneous shape and high energy density. Nevertheless, special care must be taken about the location of the production facility and hubs, in order to make the production of the biofuel economically feasible. Furthermore, to have an environmentally friendly fuel, the supply chain and the production process must minimize the global environmental impact. In this work, a mathematical programming model is proposed to determinate the optimal location of the production facilities, the hubs, and the best distribution logistics. The problem is modelled using a general disjunctive programming approach, and then relaxed into a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem. It has been determined that the main plant should be located in the city of Irapuato, while secondary plants must be established in the cities of León, Irapuato, Abasolo and Salamanca. Moreover, it has been estimated that, when the residual biomass is converted into pellets, about 72,548 t/year of equivalent CO₂ are avoided in the main plant, together with 24,182 of equivalent CO₂ avoided per secondary facility.     

Sustainable multi-period electricity planning for Iskandar Malaysia

This paper presents the current situation and projected planning of the electricity generation sector for Iskandar Malaysia by implementing a model to optimise the cost, utilise the usage of available renewable energy sources, and achieve carbon dioxide reduction targets. This Mixed Integer Linear Programming model was developed with the main objective of minimising the total cost of electricity generation, taking into consideration energy demand, reserve margin, electricity generation, peak and base generation, resource availability, and CO₂ emission. Data for the year 2013 were forecasted until 2025 to illustrate the analysis for this study, and are represented via four scenarios. This optimal model is capable of balancing types of fuel and switching coal plants to natural gas power plants. It also enhances the use of renewable energy (RE) to meet CO₂ emission targets. The model is further integrated with several other considerations related to energy systems, such as suitability of power plants as peak or base plants, RE resource availability, intermittency of solar power, losses during transmission, fuel selection for biomass, decision to retrofit existing coal power plant to NG power plant, and construction lead time of power plants. The results for this study determined that the optimal scenario is Scenario 3 (CS3). This research proves that Iskandar Malaysia can reduce CO₂ emission by 2025 via utilisation of RE. This model is generic and can be applied to any case study, which would be useful for assisting government policy-making.     

Hochdurchsatzbeschichtungen für die Photovoltaik

High throughput coatings for photovoltaics – Contribution of sputtering technology to Paris Climate Goals Photovoltaics (PV) is one of the most important renewable energy sources whose expansion is needed to achieve the climate goals. The considerable drop down in the costs of PV based energy within the last 10 years has led to a very high degree of economic attractiveness for photovoltaics. This was made possible by new cell structures with higher efficiencies, lower material usage and utilization of scaling effects as well as automation in production. Highly efficient PVD coating processes, such as the magnetron sputtering, are increasingly being used in current crystalline PV cell types such as heterojunction or TOPCON solar cells. Thin film technologies are still the backbone for processing of the less material‐intensive thin‐film solar modules.