Subsistence electricity renewable energies and development

This article suggests that the use of some new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE) in rural electrification may lead to ‘subsistence electrification’. Grid rural electrification, it is argued, contributes to development not by substituting for existing fuels and energy sources at lower cost but by transforming the marginal costs of supply. Techniques commonly used to evaluate NRSE do not capture the developmental implications.     

A new tailored scheme for the support of renewable energies in developing countries

Historically the promotion of renewable energy technologies in isolated areas has involved international donors or governments subsidising the initial capital investment. This paper proposes an alternative support mechanism for remote villages based on the generation of renewable electricity. This communication presents an evaluation of the Renewable Energy Premium Tariff (RPT) scheme, a locally adapted variation of the Feed-in Tariff tailored for decentralised grids of developing countries. The RPT scheme stimulates the deployment of renewable energy technologies by paying for renewable electricity generated. A good-quality performance is secured since the support is given based on the electricity produced by renewables, not for the initial capital investment.     

How carbon credits could drive the emergence of renewable energies

The shift to renewable energy options and low-carbon technologies, in response to the concerns over energy security and climate change, is proceeding more slowly than many would like. The usual argument against rapid deployment of new technologies is the costs imposed on the economy, commonly interpreted in terms of upfront costs to be borne or involving large cash transfers to fund, for example, efforts to preserve rainforests. In this contribution I argue that such a perspective provides a continuing barrier to taking effective action, whereas a perspective based on creation and use of carbon credits provides a means of avoiding the shock of abrupt industrial change. Carbon credits granted for bona fide carbon load reductions could be created through private initiative, for example by merchant banks, to constitute a market that will complement regulatory-based initiatives such as national emissions trading systems. This is not a novel idea; indeed it is the way that capitalism has funded every major change, including the Industrial Revolution, through the creation of credit. The emergence of a global carbon credit economy is likely to precede a global regulatory system governing climate change and will doubtless help to stimulate the emergence of such a global system.     

The status and prospects of renewable energy for combating global warming

Reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in material quantities, globally, is a critical element in limiting the impacts of global warming. GHG emissions associated with energy extraction and use are a major component of any strategy addressing climate change mitigation. Non-emitting options for electrical power and liquid transportation fuels are increasingly considered key components of an energy system with lower overall environmental impacts. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) as well as biofuels technologies have been accelerating rapidly during the past decades, both in technology performance and cost-competitiveness — and they are increasingly gaining market share. These technology options offer many positive attributes, but also have unique cost/benefit trade-offs, such as land-use competition for bioresources and variability for wind and solar electric generation technologies. This paper presents a brief summary of status, recent progress, some technological highlights for RETs and biofuels, and an analysis of critical issues that must be addressed for RETs to meet a greater share of the global energy requirements and lower GHG emissions.     

Updated hydrogen production costs and parities for conventional and renewable technologies

This paper provides first a review of the production costs of hydrogen from conventional, nuclear and renewable sources, reported in the literature during the last eight years. In order to analyze the costs on a unified basis, they are updated to a common year (2009), taking into account the yearly inflation rates. The study also considers whether the hydrogen has been produced in centralized or distributed facilities. From these data, the expected future costs for conventional production of hydrogen are calculated considering several scenarios on carbon emission taxations. Based on these estimations, together with the predicted future costs (2019–2020 and 2030) for hydrogen from alternative sources, several hydrogen cost-parity analyses are exposed for renewable and nuclear energies. From the comparison between these alternative technologies for hydrogen production and the conventional ones (steam methane reforming and coal gasification), several predictions on the time-periods to reach cost parities are elaborated.     

New scenario of the non-conventional renewable energies on Chile after the incentives created on the “Short Law I”

Non-conventional renewable energies have never played an important role in the Chilean energy generation system, mainly due to the economic barriers that actually exists on our country for the inclusion of these kinds of technologies. Nevertheless, the use of renewable energy system technologies have started to be an interesting issue for the Chilean government, and for that reason, the last modification of the Energy Law during 2004, usually known as “Short Law I”, introduced the first direct incentive to renewable energy generation (specifically in the art. 71-7).In this work we analyze in detail the modification on the electric law we mentioned before, especially for geothermal and wind power generation, and we compare the economic incentive generated with the new law and the differences between the real energy costs using renewable energy systems technologies and the current energy price in Chile. It is clear from the analysis that the total incentives do not cover more than 8.3% of the price differences between incomes and costs.     

Collateral effects of renewable energies deployment in Spain: Impact on thermal power plants performance and management

The quest for renewable energy sources has been strong in Spain for a couple of decades, and has produced outstanding results, notably in windpower. Solar technologies also had a prompt response to the promoting legislation of 2007. This evolution has generated side effects in the electricity generation system as a whole, and all this phenomenology is analysed in this paper under the consideration of the three objectives theoretically guiding electricity policy nowadays: security of supply (at macro and micro level), environmental quality, and economic competitiveness. The analysis points out some unbalance among the objectives, which can evolve to a scenario where back-up power is going to be a critical point for the stability of the system. Such a back-up service will surely be provided by gas-fired combined cycles (GFCC). The estimated projections of the generation system show that the required back-up power will grow about 8–9 GW by year 2020, for complying with the objective of attaining a share of 40% renewable electricity. However, collateral effects as the decline in the load factor of GFCC, as well as a reduction in spot price of electricity, can cast many doubts about the feasibility to reach that back-up power level.     

Cornerstones of a renewable energy law for emerging markets in South America

Since 1990, effective support schemes for renewable energies have been introduced mainly in European countries. In this article, the authors explain which consequences different general conditions could have on the design and functioning of feed-in laws. Cornerstones for an adjusted feed-in law to the particular general conditions of emerging and developing countries in South America will be drawn, which should give support to the decision-makers for designing an attuned and well-functioning feed-in legislation.     

Renewable energies and the poor: niche or nexus?

Renewable energies are considered as an essential element of any strategy for sustainable energy development. The poor in the developing world without access to modern energies are regarded as a major market for renewable energies. This short paper attempts to analyse whether such a niche is backed by any economic logic and whether renewable energy and the poor nexus could be a strategy for success. The paper suggests that contrary to the common belief, the economic logic behind the niche is unsound and that the nexus is not a recipe for success.     

The feasibility of renewable energies at an off-grid community in Canada

Three renewable energy technologies (RETs) were analyzed for their feasibility for a small off-grid research facility dependent on diesel for power and propane for heat. Presently, the electrical load for this facility is 115 kW but a demand side management (DSM) energy audit revealed that 15–20% reduction was possible. Downsizing RETs and diesel engines by 15 kW to 100 kW reduces capital costs by $27 000 for biomass, $49 500 for wind and $136 500 for solar.The RET Screen International 4.0^® model compared the economical and environmental costs of generating 100 kW of electricity for three RETs compared to the current diesel engine (0 cost) and a replacement ($160/kW) diesel equipment. At all costs from $0.80 to $2.00/l, biomass combined heat and power (CHP) was the most competitive. At $0.80 per liter, biomass’ payback period was 4.1 years with a capital cost of $1800/kW compared to wind's 6.1 years due to its higher initial cost of $3300/kW and solar's 13.5 years due to its high initial cost of $9100/kW. A biomass system would reduce annual energy costs by $63 729 per year, and mitigate GHG emissions by over 98% to 10 t CO₂ from 507 t CO₂. Diesel price increases to $1.20 or $2.00/l will decrease the payback period in years dramatically to 1.8 and 0.9 for CHP, 3.6 and 1.8 for wind, and 6.7 and 3.2 years for solar, respectively.     

A review of the potential of renewable energy sources for the State of Jammu and Kashmir (India)

The future economic development trajectory for India is likely to result in rapid and accelerated growth in energy demand, with expected shortages. Many of its current policies and strategies are aimed at the improvement and possible maximization of energy production from the renewable sector. It is also clear that while energy-conservation and energy-efficiency can make an important contribution in the national energy strategy, renewable energies will be essential to the solution and are likely to play an increasingly important role for the growth of grid power, providing energy access, reducing consumption of fossil fuels, and helping India pursue its low carbon progressive pathway. However, most of the states in India, like the northernmost State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), have experienced an energy crisis over a sustained period of time. As India intends to be one of the emerging powers of the 21st century, it has to embark upon with these pressing issues in a more sustainable manner and accordingly initiate various renewable energy projects within these states. This paper will provide a broad-spectrum view about the energy situation within J&K and will highlight the current policies along with future strategies for the optimal utilization of renewable energy resources.     

Policies to support renewable energies in the heat market

Whereas the contribution from renewable energies in the electrical power market is increasing rapidly, similar progress in the heat market is yet to be made. A prerequisite for progress is the development of innovative support instruments that transcend the usual support through public subsidies or tax reductions. We present an overview of the various classes of possible instruments. Some particularly interesting instruments will be selected and evaluated, comparing them qualitatively and quantitatively for the case of Germany. The most favourable model is found to be a new, allocation-financed¹ model known as the Bonus Model. This model will be described in more detail.     

Assessment of the potential for hydrogen production from renewable resources in Argentina

The potential for hydrogen production from three major renewable resources (wind energy, solar energy and biomass) in Argentina is analyzed. This potential for the annual production of wind, solar and biomass hydrogen is represented with maps showing it per unit area in each department. Thus, by using renewable resource databases available in the country, a new Geographic Information System (GIS) of renewable hydrogen is created. In this system, several geographic variables are displayed, in addition to other parameters such as the potential for renewable hydrogen production per department relative to transport fuel consumption of each province or the environmental savings that would imply the production of hydrogen required to add 20% V/V to CNG, with the aim of developing the cleaner alternative CNG + H₂ fuel. In order to take into account areas where energy development would be restricted, land use and environmental exclusions were considered.     

A quadratic helix approach to evaluate the Turkish renewable energies

The first renewable energy law concerning the ‘Use of Renewable Energy Resources for the Generation of Electrical Energy’ was adopted from European Union regulations on 18 May 2005 in Turkey. The purpose of the Law is to expand the utilization of renewable energy resources for generating electricity. Renewables are defined in the Law as generation facilities based on wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, biogas, wave, current and tidal energy resources, hydrogen energy and hydroelectric generation facilities. The aim of the study was to use strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis to identify Turkish renewable energy market strategy and perspective by focusing on four different concepts: policy, market, technology and the social dimension. Different information gathering strategies have been applied such as monitoring of all statements and press releases published in the newspapers by all Turkish renewable energy parties starting from the launch of the law, articles presented in the events between 2000 and 2008 and face-to-face interviews. Our results demonstrated the importance of technology development and knowledge creation for gaining competitiveness on the global arena and the need for a systematic approach for transforming the created know-how into economic and social benefits.     

Implications of technological learning on the prospects for renewable energy technologies in Europe

The objective of this article is to examine the consequences of technological developments on the market diffusion of different renewable electricity technologies in the EU-25 until 2020, using a market simulation model (ADMIRE REBUS). It is assumed that from 2012 a harmonized trading system will be implemented, and a target of 24% renewable electricity (RES-E) in 2020 is set and met. By comparing optimistic and pessimistic endogenous technological learning scenarios, it is found that diffusion of onshore wind energy is relatively robust, regardless of technological development, but diffusion rates of offshore wind energy and biomass gasification greatly depend on their technological development. Competition between these two options and (existing) biomass combustion options largely determines the overall costs of electricity from renewables and the choice of technologies for the individual member countries. In the optimistic scenario, in 2020 the market price for RES-E is 1 €ct/kWh lower than in the pessimistic scenario (about 7 vs. 8 €ct/kWh). As a result, total RES-E production costs are 19% lower, and total governmental expenditures for RES-market stimulation are 30% lower in the optimistic scenario.     

Technical change dynamics: evidence from the emerging renewable energy technologies

This paper explores the respective contributions of the effects of learning and returns to scale in the capital costs reduction pattern experienced by renewables. Causality analysis and econometric estimation of learning curves are performed on two emerging renewable energy technologies, namely PV and wind. Learning effects appear as an essential driving force, a result which concurs with the widely acknowledged importance of experience in technical progress inherent to economic growth. The existence of non-constant and flexible returns to scale are further highlighted. Their effect on diffusion dynamics is shown to be potentially considerable, particularly at the outset of innovation deployment. However, returns to scale are suggested to be constant in the long term. Institutional commitment in supporting innovation therefore seems justified, both on the basis of the occurrence of learning effects and diseconomies of scale. These findings appear to be essential to the dynamics of innovation diffusion and market structure.     

Educational electrolyzer prototype: Improving engineering students' knowledge in renewable energies

This article aims to demonstrate the process of building a low-cost water electrolyzer using common materials and to analyze the influence of practical experiments on students' knowledge. Practical classroom experiments are of great importance to students' learning and problems such as bureaucracy in the teaching department, high cost of equipment and lack of teacher time are some of the factors responsible for the delay in performing them in the classroom. Applying the Advanced Product Quality Planning methodology, Active Learning, thermodynamic and electrochemical modeling, it was possible to build an electrolyzer with about 150 US$. In the electrolyzer, the electrolytic solutions with 1 M concentration of NaOH and KOH were used, i.e., 39 g L^?1 and 64 g L^?1, respectively, to produce the gases hydrogen and oxygen. The flow of hydrogen and oxygen for the KOH electrolytic solution was 1.22 L min^?1 and for the NaOH solution, 1.07 L min^?1 was found using a 9–12 V and 8–15 A adjustable transformer. Among the undergraduate students who were interviewed, 54% did not know electrolysis and 46% knew just the basic concepts. After the practical experiment, it was observed that 94% of the students understood the concepts of the electrochemical reaction. Based on the averages of the two tests applied to students, before and after the practical experiment, an increase of 58% in the correctness of the questions was found for students who had not heard of electrolysis before and a 13% increase was observed for those who already knew the basic concepts. With this experiment, it was possible to observe how much practical activities in the classroom can positively influence the understanding of electrolysis and make students aware of this renewable energy production process.     

The role of energy efficiency and renewable energies in the future world energy market

The world population is rising rapidly, notably in the developing countries. Historical trends suggest that increased annual energy use per capita is a good surrogate for the standard of living factors which promote a decrease in population growth rate. If these trends continue, the stabilization of the world's population will require the increased use of all sources of energy as cheap oil and gas are depleted. The improved efficiency of energy use and renewable energy sources will be essential to stabilizing population, while providing a decent standard all over the world.     

Federal policies for renewable electricity: Impacts and interactions

Three types of policies that are prominent in the federal debate over addressing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are a cap-and-trade program (CTP) on emissions, a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for electricity production, and tax credits for renewable electricity producers. Each of these policies would have different consequences, and combinations of these policies could induce interactions yielding a whole that is not the sum of its parts. This paper utilizes the Haiku electricity market model to evaluate the economic and technology outcomes, climate benefits, and cost-effectiveness of three such policies and all possible combinations of the policies. A central finding is that the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reductions from CTP can be significantly greater than those from the other policies, even for similar levels of renewable electricity production, since of the three policies, CTP is the only one that distinguishes electricity generated by coal and natural gas. It follows that CTP is the most cost-effective among these approaches at reducing CO₂ emissions. An alternative compliance payment mechanism in an RPS program could substantially affect renewables penetration, and the electricity price effects of the policies hinge partly on the regulatory structure of electricity markets, which varies across the country.     

Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of renewable energies and required subsidies in China

The development and utilization of renewable energy (RE), a strategic choice for energy structural adjustment, is an important measure of carbon emissions reduction in China. High cost is a main restriction element for large-scale development of RE, and accurate cost estimation of renewable power generation is urgently necessary. This is the first systemic study on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of RE in China. Results indicate that feed-in-tariff (FIT) of RE should be improved and dynamically adjusted based on the LCOE to provide a better support of the development of RE. The current FIT in China can only cover the LCOE of wind (onshore) and solar photovoltaic energy (PV) at a discount rate of 5%. Subsidies to renewables-based electricity generation, except biomass energy, still need to be increased at higher discount rates. Main conclusions are drawn as follows: (1) Government policy should focus on solving the financing problem of RE projects because fixed capital investment exerts considerable influence over the LCOE; and (2) the problem of high cost could be solved by providing subsidies in the short term and more importantly, by reforming electricity price in the mid-and long-term to make the RE competitive.