GIS assessment of large CSP plant in Duqum,Oman

This paper discusses solar power prospects in Wilayat Duqum in Oman. First, the geographic and topographic information about the selected region is presented. The methodology of producing solar radiation map for Duqum using GIS tools is then presented. The results obtained show very high potential of solar radiation over Wilayat Duqum during the whole year. A slope analysis has allowed calculating the yearly electricity generation potential for different concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies such as the parabolic trough, parabolic dish, tower, and concentrated PV. Based on the development plan of the Duqum region, and the topologies of the land areas in the region, it is suggested that, for the CSP technologies requiring large amount of water for washing the mirrors, the selected area is a flat land (slope < 1%) located proximity to the sea (～2 km) inside a total industrial area of around 50 km², hence, allowing easy future expansion of the plant. It was proposed to start with a 100 MW power plant which is expected to consume about 2.4 km² of flat land for the parabolic trough CSP technology. The total calculated potential of yearly electricity generation would be about 2.3 TWh. If half of the selected land (0.5 × 50 km²) is reserved for future expansion of the plant, the total future capacity can attain 1 GW of electric power. The selected area can also accommodate in the future different types of CSP technologies as they mature with time.     

Assessment of renewable energy resources potential for electricity generation in Bangladesh

Renewable energy encompasses a broad range of energy resources. Bangladesh is known to have a good potential for renewable energy, but so far no systematic study has been done to quantify this potential for power generation. This paper estimates the potential of renewable energy resources for power generation in Bangladesh from the viewpoint of different promising available technologies. Estimation of the potential of solar energy in Bangladesh is done using a GIS-based GeoSpatial Toolkit (GsT), Hybrid System Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) model and NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) solar radiation data. The potential of wind energy is estimated by developing a Bangladesh wind map using NASA SSE wind data and HOMER model. A review of country's biomass and hydro potential for electricity generation is presented. The technical potential of gird-connected solar PV is estimated at 50,174 MW. Assuming that 1000 h per year of full power is the feasible threshold for the exploitation of wind energy, the areas that satisfy this condition in the country would be sufficient for the installation of 4614 MW of wind power. The potential of biomass-based and small hydro power plants is estimated at 566 and 125 MW, respectively. The renewable energy resources cannot serve as alternative to conventional energy resources, yet they may serve to supplement the long-term energy needs of Bangladesh to a significant level.     

Assessment of the renewable energies potential for intensive electricity production in the province of Jaén,southern Spain

The foreseen depletion of the traditional fossil fuels for the forthcoming decades is forcing us to seek for new sustainable and non-pollutant energy sources. Renewable energies rely on a decentralized scheme strongly dependent on the local resources availability. In this work, we tackle the study of the renewable energies potential for an intensive electricity production in the province of Jaén (southern Spain) which has a pronounced unbalance between its inner electricity production and consumption. The potential of biomass from olive pruning residues, solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind power has been analyzed using Geographical Information System tools, and a proposal for a massive implementation of renewable energies has been arisen. In particular, we propose the installation of 5 biomass facilities, totaling 98 MW of power capacity, with an estimated annual production of 763 GWh, 12 PV facilities, totaling 420 MW of power capacity, with an estimated annual production of 656 GWh and 506 MW of wind power capacity in a number of wind farms, with an estimated annual production of 825 GWh. Overall, this production frame would meet roughly a 75% of the electricity demands in the province and thus would mitigate the current unbalance.     

Techno-economic evaluation of off-grid hybrid photovoltaic–diesel–battery power systems for rural electrification in Saudi Arabia—A way forward for sustainable development

The burning of depleting fossil fuels for power generation has detrimental impact on human life and climate. In view of this, renewable solar energy sources are being increasingly exploited to meet the energy needs. Moreover, solar photovoltaic (PV)–diesel hybrid system technology promises lot of opportunities in remote areas which are far from utility grid and are driven by diesel generators. Integration of PV systems with the diesel plants is being disseminated worldwide to reduce diesel fuel consumption and to minimize atmospheric pollution. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A.) being endowed with high intensity of solar radiation, is a prospective candidate for deployment of PV systems. Also, K.S.A. has large number of remote scattered villages. The aim of this study is to analyze solar radiation data of Rafha, K.S.A., to assess the techno-economic feasibility of hybrid PV–diesel–battery power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village Rawdhat Bin Habbas (RBH) with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh. Rafha is located near RBH. The monthly average daily global solar radiation ranges from 3.04 to 7.3 kWh/m². NREL's HOMER software has been used to perform the techno-economic evaluation. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system composed of 2.5 MWp capacity PV system together with 4.5 MW diesel system (three 1.5 MW units) and a battery storage of 1 h of autonomy (equivalent to 1 h of average load), the PV penetration is 27%. The cost of generating energy (COE, US$/kWh) from the above hybrid system has been found to be 0.170$/kWh (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/l). The study exhibits that the operational hours of diesel generators decrease with increase in PV capacity. The investigation also examines the effect of PV/battery penetration on COE, operational hours of diesel gensets. Concurrently, emphasis has been placed on: un-met load, excess electricity generation, percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (for different scenarios such as: PV–diesel without storage, PV–diesel with storage, as compared to diesel-only situation), COE of different hybrid systems, etc. The decrease in carbon emissions by using the above hybrid system is about 24% as compared to the diesel-only scenario.     

Situation and outlook of solar energy utilization in Tibet,China

The near-exponential rise in tourist numbers and accelerating economic growth have challenged Tibetan energy supply and threaten its peculiar environment and valuable ecosystem. Exploitation of pollution free solar power may medicate this demand for energy. Here we shall provide a review of solar power development in Tibet. This region has a near inexhaustible source of solar energy due to its average annual radiation intensity of 6000–8000 MJ/m², ranking it first in China and second after the Sahara worldwide. Currently, Tibet has 400 photovoltaic power stations with a total capacity of nearly 9 MW. In addition, 260,000 solar energy stoves, passive solar house heating covering 3 million square meters, and 400,000 m² of passive solar water heaters are currently in use in Tibet. Although Tibet places first in applying solar energy in China, solar energy faces big challenges from hydroelectric power and the absence of local know-how. The new power generation capacity in Tibet's “11th Five-Year (2006–2010)” Plan focuses primarily on hydropower, PV power stations being relegated to a secondary role as supplementary to hydropower. Here it will be argued that this emphasis is incorrect and that solar energy should take first place in Tibet's energy development, as it is crucial in striving for a balance between economic development, booming tourism, and environmental protection.     

A probabilistic method for calculating the usefulness of a store with finite energy capacity for smoothing electricity generation from wind and solar power

This paper describes a novel method of modelling an energy store used to match the power output from a wind turbine and a solar PV array to a varying electrical load. The model estimates the fraction of time that an energy store spends full or empty. It can also estimate the power curtailed when the store is full and the unsatisfied demand when the store is empty. The new modelling method has been validated against time–stepping methods and shows generally good agreement over a wide range of store power ratings, store efficiencies, wind turbine capacities and solar PV capacities.Example results are presented for a system with 1 MW of wind power capacity, 2 MW of photovoltaic capacity, an energy store of 75% efficiency and a range of loads from 0 to 3 MW average.     

Technical and economic assessment of grid-independent hybrid photovoltaic–diesel–battery power systems for commercial loads in desert environments

Solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid system technology is a hot topic for R&D since it promises lot of challenges and opportunities for developed and developing countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) being endowed with fairly high degree of solar radiation is a potential candidate for deployment of PV systems for power generation. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in KSA consume an estimated 10–45% of the total electric energy generated. In the present study, solar radiation data of Dhahran (East-Coast, KSA) have been analyzed to assess the techno-economic viability of utilizing hybrid PV–diesel–battery power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical commercial building (with annual electrical energy demand of 620,000 kW h). The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.96 kW h/m². NREL's HOMER software has been used to carry out the techno-economic viability. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 80 kWp PV system together with 175 kW diesel system and a battery storage of 3 h of autonomy (equivalent to 3 h of average load), the PV penetration is 26%. The cost of generating energy (COE, US$/kW h) from the above hybrid system has been found to be 0.149 $/kW h (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1 $/L). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the operational hours of diesel generators decrease with increase in PV capacity. The investigation also examines the effect of PV/battery penetration on COE, operational hours of diesel gensets for a given hybrid system. Emphasis has also been placed on unmet load, excess electricity generation, percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (for different scenarios such as PV–diesel without storage, PV–diesel with storage, as compared to diesel-only situation), cost of PV–diesel–battery systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.     

Development of an economical model to determine an appropriate feed-in tariff for grid-connected solar PV electricity in all states of Australia

Australia is a country with a vast amount of natural resources including sun and wind. Australia lies between latitude of 10–45°S and longitude of 112–152°E, with a daily solar exposure of between less than 3 MJ/(m² day) in winter and more than 30 MJ/(m² day) in summer.Global solar radiation in Australia varies between minimum of 3285 MJ/(m² year) in Hobart to 8760 MJ/(m² year) in Northern Territory. As a result of this wide range of radiation level there will be a big difference between costs of solar PV electricity in different locations.A study we have recently conducted on the solar PV electricity price in all states of Australia. For this purpose we have developed an economical model and a computer simulation to determine the accurate unit price of grid-connected roof-top solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity in A$/kWh for all state of Australia. The benefit of this computer simulation is that we can accurately determine the most appropriate feed-in tariff of grid-connected solar PV energy system. The main objective of this paper is to present the results of this study.A further objective of this paper is to present the details of the unit price of solar PV electricity in the state of Victoria in each month and then to compare with electricity price from conventional power systems, which is currently applied to this state. The state Victoria is located south of Australia and in terms of sun radiation is second lowest compared with the other Australian states.The computer simulation developed for this study makes it possible to determine the cost of grid-connected solar PV electricity at any location in any country based on availability of average daily solar exposure of each month as well as economical factors of the country.     

Experimental validation of autonomous PV-based water pumping system optimum sizing

The progress met in the world market of photovoltaics underlines the maturity of investments realized, guarantees the reliability of the technology utilized and designates the variety of applications in covering the energy demands of both stand-alone and grid connected consumers. Concerning stand-alone systems, the incorporation of photovoltaic systems in water pumping applications is thought to be one of the most popular and ideal uses of solar energy exploitation, especially under the common allegation of coincidence between insolation and water demand. In this study, an attempt to investigate the opportunities of a PV powered water pumping system able to meet additional – apart from the water pump – electricity loads, results in the development of an optimum sizing methodology which is accordingly validated by experimental measurements. From the results obtained, it becomes clear that a properly designed PV-pumping configuration of 610 W_p is capable of covering both the electricity (max 2 kWh/day) and the water (max 400 L/h) management demands of a large variety of remote consumers.     

Photovoltaic potential in a Lisbon suburb using LiDAR data

A procedure for estimating the photovoltaic (PV) potential of an urban region from LiDAR data using the Solar Analyst tool is described. The total PV potential of the 538 identified buildings is around 11.5 GWh/year for an installed capacity of 7 MW, which corresponds to 48% of the local electricity demand. It is shown that for a low PV penetration (about 10% of total roof area) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering no shade and local optimum inclination and orientation. For high PV penetration (i.e. covering all roof area available) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering a horizontal surface with the footprint area of the buildings. These results suggest a simple first-approximation estimation of the PV potential of an urban area without the need for a full 3D analysis of mutual shading on a Surface Digital Model.     

Assessing the economic wind power potential in Austria

In the European Union, electricity production from wind energy is projected to increase by approximately 16% until 2020. The Austrian energy plan aims at increasing the currently installed wind power capacity from approximately 1 GW to 3 GW until 2020 including an additional capacity of 700 MW until 2015. The aim of this analysis is to assess economically viable wind turbine sites under current feed-in tariffs considering constraints imposed by infrastructure, the natural environment and ecological preservation zones in Austria. We analyze whether the policy target of installing an additional wind power capacity of 700 MW until 2015 is attainable under current legislation and developed a GIS based decision system for wind turbine site selection.Results show that the current feed-in tariff of 9.7 ct kW h⁻¹ may trigger an additional installation of 3544 MW. The current feed-in tariff can therefore be considered too high as wind power deployment would exceed the target by far. Our results indicate that the targets may be attained more cost-effectively by applying a lower feed-in tariff of 9.1 ct kW h⁻¹. Thus, windfall profits at favorable sites and deadweight losses of policy intervention can be minimized while still guaranteeing the deployment of additional wind power capacities.     

The prospective of coal power in China: Will it reach a plateau in the coming decade?

Coal power holds the king position in China's generation mix and has resulted in ever-increasing ecological and environmental issues; hence, the development of the electric power sector is confronted with a series of new challenges. China has recently adopted a new economic principle of the “new economic normal,” which has a large effect on the projection electricity demand and power generation planning through 2020. This paper measures electricity demand based upon China's social and economic structure. The 2020 roadmap presents China's developing targets for allocating energy resources to meet new demands, and the 2030 roadmap is compiled based upon an ambitious expansion of clean energy sources. Results show that electricity demand is expected to reach 7500 TWh in 2020 and 9730 TWh in 2030. Coal power is expected to reach its peak in 2020 at around 970 GW, and will then enter a plateau, even with a pathway of active electricity substitution in place.     

Viability of solar photovoltaics as an electricity generation source for Jordan

Viability of solar photovoltaics as an electricity generation source for Jordan was assessed utilizing a proposed 5 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant. Long-term (1994–2003) monthly average daily global solar radiation and sunshine duration data for 24 locations – distributed all over the country – were studied and analyzed to assess the distribution of radiation and sunshine duration over Jordan, and formed an input data for evaluation and analysis of the proposed plant's electricity production and economic feasibility. It was found that – depending on the geographical location – the global solar radiation on horizontal surface varied between 1.51 and 2.46 MWh/m²/year with an overall mean value of 2.01 MWh/m²/year for Jordan. The sunshine duration was found to vary – according to the location – between 8.47 and 9.68 h/day, with a mean value of 9.07 h/day and about 3311 sunshine hours annually for Jordan. The annual electricity production of the proposed plant varied depending on the location between 6.886 and 11.919 GWh/year, with a mean value of 9.46 GWh/year. The specific yield varied between 340.9 and 196.9 kWh/m², while the mean value was 270.59 kWh/m². Analysis of the annual electricity production of the plant, the specific yield, besides the economic indicators i.e., internal rate of return, simple payback period, years– to- positive cash flow, net present value, annual life cycle saving, benefit–cost ratio, and cost of energy – for all sites – showed that Tafila and Karak are the most suitable sites for the solar photovoltaic power plant's development and Wadi Yabis is the worst. The results also showed that an average of 7414.9 tons of greenhouse gases can be avoided annually utilizing the proposed plant for electricity generation at any part of Jordan.     

Performance comparison of a double-axis sun tracking versus fixed PV system

In the present study, performance results of two double axis sun tracking photovoltaic (PV) systems are analyzed after one year of operation. Two identical 7.9 kWp PV systems with the same modules and inverters were installed at Mugla University campus in October 2009. Measured data of the PV systems are compared with the simulated data. The performance measurements of the PV systems were carried out first when the PV systems were in a fixed position and then the PV systems were controlled while tracking the sun in two axis (on azimuth and solar altitude angles) and the necessary measurements were performed. Annual PV electricity yield is calculated as 11.53 MW h with 1459 kW h/kWp energy rating for 28 fixed tilt angle for each system. It is calculated that 30.79% more PV electricity is obtained in the double axis sun-tracking system when compared to the latitude tilt fixed system. The annual PV electricity fed to grid is 15.07 MW h with 1908 kW h/kWp for the double axis sun-tracking PV system between April-2010 and March-2011. The difference between the simulated and measured energy values are less than 5%. The results also allow the comparison of different solutions and the calculation of the electricity output.     

Past,present and future status of electricity in Turkey and the share of energy sources

With a young and growing population, low per capita electricity consumption, rapid urbanization and—until recently—strong economic growth, Turkey for nearly two decades has been one of the fastest growing power markets in the world. Prior to Turkey's recent severe economic difficulties, Turkey's electricity consumption had been growing much faster than its production. It forces Turkey make a rapid action to supply electricity demand. Installed power generation capacity in Turkey reached about 31.84 GW in 2002. However, the growth in electricity generation has remained below the electricity demand, which made Turkey a net importer of electricity since, 1996. Projections show that Turkey's electricity consumption would continue over the next 15 years.     

Large scale hydrogen production from wind energy in the Magallanes area for consumption in the central zone of Chile

The energy proposal of this research suggests the use of places with abundant wind resources for the production of H₂ on a large scale to be transported and used in the central zone of Chile with the purpose of diversifying the country's energy matrix in order to decrease its dependence on fossil fuels, increase its autonomy, and cover the future increases in energy demand. This research showed that the load factor of the proposed wind park reaches a value of 54.5%, putting in evidence the excellent wind conditions of the zone. This implies that the cost of the electricity produced by the wind park located in the Chilean Patagonia would have a cost of 0.0213 US$ kWh^?1 in the year 2030. The low prices of the electricity obtained from the park, thanks to the economy of scale and the huge wind potential, represent a very attractive scenario for the production of H₂ in the future. The study concludes that by the year 2030 the cost of the H₂ generated in Magallanes and transported to the port of Quinteros would be 18.36 US$ MBTU^?1, while by that time the cost of oil would be about 17.241 US$ MBTU^?1, a situation that places H₂ in a very competitive position as a fuel.     

Economic feasibility of large community feed-in tariff-eligible wind energy production in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia, Canada's community feed-in tariff (COMFIT) scheme is the world's first feed-in tariff program specifically targeting locally-based renewable energy projects. This study investigated selected turbine capacities to optimize electricity production, based on actual wind profiles for three sites in Nova Scotia, Canada (i.e., Sydney, Caribou Point, and Greenwood). The turbine capacities evaluated are also eligible under the current COMFIT-large scheme in Nova Scotia, including 100 kW, 900 kW and 2.0 MW turbines. A capital budgeting model was developed and then used to evaluate investment decisions on wind power production. Wind duration curves suggest that Caribou Point had the highest average wind speeds but for shorter durations. By comparison, Sydney and Greenwood had lower average wind speeds but with longer durations. Electricity production cost was lowest for the 2.0 MW turbine in Caribou Point ($0.07 per kWh), and highest for the 100 kW turbine located in Greenwood ($0.49 per kWh). The most financially viable wind power project was the 2.0 MW turbine assumed to operate at 80 m hub height in Caribou Point, with NPV=$251,586, and BCR=1.51. Wind power production for the remaining two sites was generally not financially feasible for the turbine capacities considered. The impact of promoting local economic development from wind power projects was higher in a scenario under which wind turbines were clustered at a single site with the highest wind resources than generating a similar level of electricity by distributing the wind turbines across multiple locations.     

Future of renewable energies in Iran

The activities in field of renewable energy in Iran are focused on scientific and research aspects, and research part is aimed at reduction of capital required for exploitation of related resources. The second step is to work research results into scientific dimension of this field for practical means, i.e. establishing electricity power plants. Due to recent advancements in wind energy, many investors in the country have become interested in investing in this type of energy. At the moment, projects assuming 130 MW of wind power plants are underway, of which, 25 MW is operational. Based on the planning in the 4th Socioeconomic and Cultural Development Plan (2005–2010), private sector is expected to have a share of at least 270 MW in renewable energies. However, it is the government's duty to take the first step for investment in biomass and solar power plants; private sector may then play its part once the infrastructures to this end are laid out. At the moment, a 250 kW plant is under construction in Shiraz and two more geothermal units with 5 and 50 MW capacities will follow. Moreover, two biomass and solar energy plants, standing at 10 and 17 MW, respectively, are of other upcoming projects. The project of Iran's renewable energy, aims to accelerate the sustainable development of wind energy through investment and removal of barriers. This preparatory project is funded by the global environment facility (GEF) and will provide for a number of international and national consultant missions and studies. Once the studies are concluded, a project to develop 25 MW of wind energy in the Manjil region of Gilan will be prepared. It will be consistent with the national development frameworks and objectives and form part of 100 MW of wind-powered energy, which is expected to be developed under the government's third 5-year national development plan (started 21 March 2000).     

Feed-in tariff design for domestic scale grid-connected PV systems using high resolution household electricity demand data

The advent of large samples of smart metering data allows policymakers to design Feed-in Tariffs which are more targeted and efficient. This paper presents a methodology which uses these data to design FITs for domestic scale grid-connected PV systems in Ireland. A sample of 2551 household electricity demand data collected at 1/2-hourly intervals, electricity output from a 2.82 kW_p PV system over the same time interval as well as PV system costs and electricity tariffs were used to determine the required FIT to make it worthwhile for the households to invest in the PV system. The methodology shows that it is possible to design single, multiple and continuous FITs. Continuous FITs are the most efficient and result in no overcompensation to the housholder while single and multiple FITs are less efficient since they result in different levels of overcompensation. In the PV case study considered, it was shown that the use of three FITs (0.3170, 0.3315 and 0.3475 €/kW h) resulted in a 59.6% reduction in overcompensation compared to a single FIT of 0.3475 €/kW h; assuming immediate and complete uptake of the technology, this would result in NPV savings of over €597 m to the Irish government over a 25 year lifetime.