The impact of desert solar power utilization on sustainable development

This paper evaluates the prospects of developing a solar based desert economy in the deserts of solar-rich countries. The potential deserts are analysed to study their positive impact on the sustainable development processes in these regions. The sustainability of the processes is established on the basis of self-contained nature of energy generation, environmental emission reduction and desert land reclamation.     

Alleviating freshwater shortages with combined desert-based large-scale renewable energy and coastal desalination plants supported by Global Energy Interconnection

Under the background of sustainable energy transition and environmental protection, Global Energy Interconnection (GEI), which features an innovative combination of clean energy (e.g., solar power) and ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission technologies, provides a means to realize global climate governance. China is a large country with unevenly distributed water resources, energy production, and energy consumption, and the large areas of desert in northern and western China have the potential for installing large-scale solar power plants. This study analyzed the potential of using large-scale solar power from deserts to coastal seawater desalination plants, which could alleviate the freshwater crisis and control desertification in China. First, the measurement data from NASA were used to estimate the potential exploitable amount of solar energy in desert areas. A macro idea was proposed for the transmission of electrical power from inland integrated energy bases to coastal seawater desalination and pumping of freshwater to western China to combat desertification and alleviate the freshwater crisis. Based on this, the electricity demands for desalination and water redistribution were estimated. As a huge interruptible load, desalination and pumping systems could be used to suppress power fluctuations of the integrated energy bases. Finally, the fundamental support roles of UHV grids in large-scale renewable energy allocation and utilization were discussed. This analysis offers a theoretical framework to help realize efficient renewable energy generation and consumption and alleviate freshwater shortage.     

Estimation of forest area near deserts — production of Global Bio-Methanol from solar energy

This paper proposes a new synthesis method for methanol as a future alternative fuel, by the combination of carbon supplied from wood and hydrogen supplied from the electrolysis of water using a solar power generation system in the desert. In the developed countries, more than half of the potential forest area has already been converted into other land uses, while existing forests are well organized and available for wood production. In the developing countries, potential forest sites are expected to be available for wood production, even though they are presently grasslands or secondary forests, while natural tropical forests will not be allowed to be converted into artificial forests. The area available for plantations within 500 km distant from deserts was estimated to be 65 Mha in the world, except for the mountain areas. Biomass production from these sites will be converted annually into 980 Mt methanol with hydrogen from the deserts. This amount is equal to 34% of the world's fuel consumption by vehicles.     

A Novel Solar Thermal Power Plant with Floating Chimney Stiffened onto a Mountainside and Potential of the Power Generation in China's Deserts

A novel solar thermal power plant with a floating chimney stiffened on a mountainside segment by segment is proposed. The novel power plant is suitable for the special topography in China (i.e., a vast desert belt surrounded by high mountain chains up to thousands of meters). An investigation of its performance is carried out using a simple mathematical model. The levelized electricity cost and the potential of the proposed solar chimney power generation in the large desert regions in Northwest China are also estimated. The results show that the levelized electricity cost of the proposed power generation is competitive with that of clean coal power plant, that the potential power obtained from the proposed power plant in the Taklamakan Desert or the Badain Jaran Desert can satisfy the total electricity consumption in China, and that the total potential power in the twelve deserts and sands, reaching 25,761 TWh per year, can even supply the electric power needs over the world, which are rapidly increasing.     

Solar energy development in China—A review

The steady and maintainable electric power provides the development momentum of a country's industrialization, which is indispensable to every country at present. It is well known that China is the largest developing country in the world. With the rapid development of economy and society, energy demand of Chinese society is increasing in an incredible speed, i.e., the annual accumulative total capacity of electric energy is about 0.1 billion kW, and the most of them is provided by the fossil fuel resource, and the share is about 90% in China. Certainly, it is a very inappropriate energy structure, so the sustainable development of country is impossible in future, the status must be improved in order to achieve sustainable development. Fortunately, China has large country area, and there are abundant solar resources. Development and application of solar energy have been regarded by the government and ordinary people, and they thought that solar energy can provide more and more electric energy in future, and more and more actual examples have been applied in the last decades, which are supported by central government and local governments. This paper discusses the distribution zone and current developmental situation of solar energy in China. Then, some application practice is described, such as solar energy greenhouse, solar energy hearth, solar water heater, solar lighting system, solar water pump, distributed generation (DG), grid-connect photovoltaic generation (GPG) and wind–solar hybrid system. The policies and law of China central government and local governments are described in the following paragraph. At the end, the developmental prospect of photovoltaic (PV) in future China and the development barriers and recommendations are introduced.     

Solar and wind opportunities for water desalination in the Arab regions

Despite the abundance of renewable energy resources in the Arab region, the use of solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, and wind is still in its technological and economic infancy. Great potential exists, but economic constraints have impeded more rapid growth for many applications. These technologies have certainly advanced technically over the last quarter century to the point where they should now be considered clean-energy alternatives to fossil fuels. For the Arab countries and many other regions of the world, potable water is becoming as critical a commodity as electricity. As renewable energy technologies advance and environmental concerns rise, these technologies are becoming more interesting partners for powering water desalination projects. We evaluate the current potential and viability of solar and wind, emphasizing the strict mandate for accurate, reliable site-specific resource data. Water desalination can be achieved through either thermal energy (using phase-change processes) or electricity (driving membrane processes), and these sources are best matched to the particular desalination technology. Desalination using solar thermal can be accomplished by multistage flash distillation, multi-effect distillation, vapor compression, freeze separation, and solar still methods. Concentrating solar power offers the best match to large-scale plants that require both high-temperature fluids and electricity. Solar and wind electricity can be effective energy sources for reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, and ultra- and nano-filtration. All these water desalination processes have special operational and high energy requirements that put additional requisites on the use of solar and wind to power these applications. We summarize the characteristics of the various desalination technologies. The effective match of solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, and wind to each of these is discussed in detail. An economic analysis is provided that incorporates energy consumption, water production levels, and environmental benefits in its model. Finally, the expected evolution of the renewable technologies over the near- to mid-term is discussed with the implications for desalination applications over these timeframes.     

Sustainable energy planning based on a stand-alone hybrid renewableenergy/hydrogen power system: Application in Karpathos island, Greece

This study presents the sustainable planning of a renewables-based energy system, which aims to fulfil the electric needs of the island by replacing the existing diesel generators with new wind farms, photovoltaic installations and hydrogen production systems. Electric system design and least cost planning analysis were concluded using historic data from both demand and supply sides. An optimal “sustainable island” scheme should ensure 100% use of renewable energy resources for power generation, while hydrogen production is ideal for covering storage and transportation needs. Due to its morphology and scale, Karpathos applies perfectly for wind and solar energy systems, due to increased solar resource (about 1790 kWh/m².year of global irradiation) and high wind potential (average of 9 m/s in specific locations). Therefore, this case study examines an increase in RES penetration up to 20% in the electric energy mixture, a hydrogen production plan just for the needs of transport and a more aggressive, 100% renewables scheme that ensures a self-fulfilling energy system based on indigenous renewable resources.     

光伏发电在我国电力能源结构中的战略地位和未来发展方向

保障能源和环境可持续发展,特别是保证一次能源的供给是我国面临的重大战略问题。可再生能源将逐步替代化石能源,成为人类可持续发展的能源。在可再生能源中,潜力最大的是太阳能,到本世纪中期太阳能将成为电力能源中的重要组成部分,而到本世纪末成为电力能源中的主要部分。我国拥有丰富的太阳能资源,是中华民族赖以生存的最宝贵的资源。光伏发电技术目前已经成熟,发展势头迅猛,正在努力突破高成本的制约瓶颈,有望在30年左右的时段内成为重要的电力能源之一。在今后10～20年,我国的光伏发电将主要应用于下述方面:农村离网供电,分布电源,大规模荒漠电站以及其它商业应用。国家应首先加强光伏发电各项能力建设,包括资源普查和评估、研发能力建设、培训体系建设、质量监督服务体系建设,并积极开展国际合作,引进技术、人才和资金,为我国光伏发电的健康、可持续发展奠定坚实的基础。     

The economics of hybrid power systems for sustainable desert agriculture in Egypt

Egypt has embarked on an ambitious desert land reclamation program in order to increase total food production. Energy planners for these desert agriculture locations have chosen diesel generation power technology because minimization of the initial capital cost of a power supply system is their top priority. This heavy reliance on diesel generation has negative effects on the surrounding environment including soil, groundwater, and air pollution. Although good solar and wind resource prospects exist for the use of cleaner hybrid power systems in certain desert locations, little research has been done to investigate the economic potential of such systems in Egypt’s desert agriculture sector. Using optimization software, we assess the economics of hybrid power systems versus the present diesel generation technology in a remote agricultural development area. We also consider the emission reduction advantages of using hybrid systems. Interestingly enough, optimization results show that hybrid systems are less costly than diesel generation from a net present cost perspective even with the high diesel fuel price subsidies. Since hybrids are also more environmentally friendly, they represent a strong step towards achieving sustainable desert agriculture.     

力促大规模非水可再生能源发展

综述了我国能源与电力可持续发展的现状和未来,着重阐述了风力发电、光伏发电、太阳能热发电等可再生能源发电发展的主要特点和问题,最后建议加快规划与部署建设以可再生能源为主体的综合能源基地,积极构建我国能源可持续发展体系。     

Parametric analysis of a solar energy based multigeneration plant with SOFC for hydrogen generation

Renewable energy-based hydrogen production plants can offer potential solutions to both ensuring sustainability in energy generation systems and designing environmentally friendly systems. In this combined work, a novel solar energy supported plant is proposed that can generate hydrogen, electricity, heating, cooling and hot water. With the suggested integrated plant, the potential of solar energy usage is increased for energy generation systems. The modeled integrated system generally consists of the solar power cycle, solid oxide fuel cell plant, gas turbine process, supercritical power plant, organic Rankine cycle, cooling cycle, hydrogen production and liquefaction plant, and hot water production sub-system. To conduct a comprehensive thermodynamic performance analysis of the suggested plant, the combined plant is modeled according to thermodynamic equilibrium equations. A performance assessment is also conducted to evaluate the impact of several plant indicators on performance characteristics of integrated system and its sub-parts. Hydrogen production rate in the suggested plant according to the performance analysis performed is realized as 0.0642 kg/s. While maximum exergy destruction rate is seen in the solar power plant with 8279 kW, the cooling plant has the lowest exergy destruction rate as 1098 kW. Also, the highest power generation is obtained from gas turbine cycle with 7053 kW. In addition, energetic and exergetic efficiencies of solar power based combined cycle are found as 56.48% and 54.06%, respectively.     

构建适应可再生能源资源特点的新型电力体系

从节能减排、重构能源供应体系出发,阐述了可再生能源在未来能源体系中的作用,分析了可再生能源发展面临的主要制约因素,提出构建适应可再生能源资源特点的新型电力系统主要措施,强调构建新型电力系统既要保障电力系统的安全可靠运行,又要充分发挥可再生新能源清洁环保的作用,推动能源体系由以石化能源为主向以可再生能源为主的转变。     

内蒙古建设大型并网光伏沙漠电站的可行性分析

合理利用现有资源、改善能源结构,已成为可再生能源发展的指导思想.有效地利用内蒙古荒漠资源建设大型并网光伏沙漠电站,是实现能源可持续发展战略,开拓和发展可再生能源的必由之路.文章从政策指导、太阳能资源、荒漠资源和电网交通等方面,分析了在内蒙古建设大型并网光伏沙漠电站的可行性.     

Large-scale time evaluation for energy estimation of stand-alone hybrid photovoltaic–wind system feeding a reverse osmosis desalination unit

In this study, energy and water production estimation on a large-scale time from Photovoltaic–Wind hybrid system coupled to a reverse osmosis desalination unit in southern Tunisia has been elaborated. The use of a hybrid system for desalination appears nowadays as a very promising solution for remote and arid areas. The produced energy is used for potable water production. For energy production, metrological data (wind speed, solar irradiance…) and steady-state models have been used. The obtained results show that the hybrid solution (solar and wind) gives an energy availability during the year, despite changing energy according to daytime, season and year. The reverse osmosis desalination unit powered by Photovoltaic–Wind hybrid system for producing potable water from brackish water is an appropriate solution to southern Tunisia (salinity about 6 g/l). For this, compositions of brackish feed water in Djerba region were selected. Double stage configuration in the desalination process using spiral modules is adopted extensively and validation of the steady-state models is presented.     

Wind energy status in India: A short review

Renewable energy represents an area of tremendous opportunity for India. Energy is considered a prime agent in the generation of wealth and a significant factor in economic development. Energy is also essential for improving the quality of life. Development of conventional forms of energy for meeting the growing energy needs of society at a reasonable cost is the responsibility of the Government. Limited fossil resources and associated environmental problems have emphasized the need for new sustainable energy supply options. India depends heavily on coal and oil for meeting its energy demand which contributes to smog, acid rain and greenhouse gases’ emission. Last 25 years has been a period of intense activities related to research, development, production and distribution of energy in India.Though major energy sources for electrical power are coal and natural gas, development and promotion of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar, wind and bio-energy, are also getting sustained attention. The use of electricity has grown since it can be used in variety of applications as well as it can be easily transmitted, the uses of renewable energy like wind and solar is rising. Wind energy is a clean, eco-friendly, renewable resource and is nonpolluting. The gross wind power potential is estimated at around 48,561 MW in the country; a capacity of 14,989.89 MW up to 31st August 2011 has so far been added through wind, which places India in the fifth position globally. This paper discusses the ways in which India has already supported the growth of renewable energy technologies i.e. wind energy and its potential to expand their contribution to world growth in a way that is consistent with world's developmental and environmental goals. The paper presents current status, major achievements and future aspects of wind energy in India.     

Solar chimney power plant performance in Iran

A solar chimney power plant (SCPP) is proposed to be built as the first national SCPP in central regions of Iran. Studies of DLR MED-CSP project show that Iran can be a part of the Mediterranean solar power generation chain in 2050 to provide electrical power demand of Europe. High direct solar radiation and available desert lands in Iran are factors to encourage the full development of solar power plants like solar chimney power plants for the thermal and electrical productions of energy for various uses. The interested region is the central region of Iran where solar radiation and global insolation are much better than other areas. However, to evaluate SCPP performance and power generation throughout Iran, 12 different areas across the country are considered. The obtained results clear that solar chimney power plants can produce from 10 to 28 MWh/month of electrical power. This power production is sufficient for the needs of the isolated areas and can even used to feed the grid.     

中国燃料电池发电技术展望

本文主要叙述了我国后续能源领域中燃料电池发电技术的发展利用现状和技术展望,特别在文中提出燃料电池发电技术的发展必须要与其它新能源、新材料技术的发展相结合,例如:利用太阳能、风能从空气中提取纯水,从纯水中电解制氢,海水淡化制取纯水技术,以用生物方法从植物废弃物中制取的乙醇作为燃料电池的燃料,这些技术在我国未来能源应用领域具有广泛的潜在市场。同时简单概括了燃料电池发电技术能够大规模应用需考虑的几个关键性问题和我国燃料电池发电商业化的可行性及应用前景。     

Life cycle assessment of three types of hydrogen production methods using solar energy

A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) is carried out for three methods of hydrogen production by solar energy: hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis coupling photothermal power generation, hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis coupling photovoltaic power generation, and hydrogen production by thermochemical water splitting method using S–I cycle coupling solar photothermal technology. The assessment also contains an evaluation of four environmental factors which are global warming potential, acidification potential, ozone depletion potential, and nutrient enrichment potential. After conducting a quantitative analysis of all three methods with environmental factors being considered, a conclusion has been drawn: The global warming potential and the acidification potential of the thermochemical water splitting by S–I cycle coupling solar photothermal technology are 1.02 kg CO₂-eq and 6.56E-3 kg SO₂-eq. And this method has significant advantages in the environmental impact of the whole ecosystem.     

The potential of PEM fuel cell for a new drinking water source

The worldwide water scarcity, especially in the developing countries and arid regions, forces people to rely on unsafe sources of drinking water. There is a pressing need for these regions to develop decentralized, small-scale water utilities. However, more than 50% of the total operating costs associated with such small-scale, water-utility operations are the cost of providing electricity to run water pumps. We think that advances in a variety of renewable and sustainable energy technologies offer considerable promise for reducing the energy required for the production and distribution of water by small-scale water utilities. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the potential for using proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells to provide an alternative supply of drinking water. This system can eliminate the excessive energy requirements that are currently associated with water production. Such alternative water production processes are designed to increase the production rate of drinking water by reducing the amount of water required to humidify the reactant gases during stable cell performance. The principal operational components of PEM fuel cells are reviewed and evaluated, including air stoichiometry, pressure, and cell temperature. Hydrogen-fed fuel cell systems provide sufficient water to meet the potable water needs of a typical household. Furthermore, it is concluded that PEM fuel cells have great promise for decentralized, small-scale, water-production applications, because they are capable of generating sufficient quantities of potable water by operating at maximum power and by increasing the number of polymer membranes.     

Solar energy—A look into power generation,challenges, and a solar‐powered future

Sun is an inexhaustible source of energy capable of fulfilling all the energy needs of humankind. The energy from the sun can be converted into electricity or used directly. Electricity can be generated from solar energy either directly using photovoltaic (PV) cells or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. Progress has been made to raise the efficiency of the PV solar cells that can now reach up to approximately 34.1% in multi‐junction PV cells. Electricity generation from concentrated solar technologies has a promising future as well, especially the CSP, because of its high capacity, efficiency, and energy storage capability. Solar energy also has direct application in agriculture primarily for water treatment and irrigation. Solar energy is being used to power the vehicles and for domestic purposes such as space heating and cooking. The most exciting possibility for solar energy is satellite power station that will be transmitting electrical energy from the solar panels in space to Earth via microwave beams. Solar energy has a bright future because of the technological advancement in this field and its environment‐friendly nature. The biggest challenge however facing the solar energy future is its unavailability all‐round the year, coupled with its high capital cost and scarcity of the materials for PV cells. These challenges can be met by developing an efficient energy storage system and developing cheap, efficient, and abundant PV solar cells. This article discusses the solar energy system as a whole and provides a comprehensive review on the direct and the indirect ways to produce electricity from solar energy and the direct uses of solar energy. The state‐of‐the‐art procedures being employed for PV characterization and performance rating have been summarized . Moreover, the technical, economic, environmental, and storage‐related challenges are discussed with possible solutions. Furthermore, a comprehensive list of future potential research directions in the field of direct and indirect electricity generation from solar energy is proposed.