Analysis of the variability of low-carbon energy sources, nuclear technology and renewable energy sources, in meeting electricity demand

Abstract

Climate change, caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2), has required the use of renewable energy sources. This study analyzes the structure of Romania’s electricity sector in 2017, specifically the share of renewable energy sources in the sector’s mix. The electricity sector uses both conventional (coal, hydrocarbons, and nuclear) and renewable energy sources (hydro, wind, photovoltaic and biomass). According to the study, the electricity sector in 2017 is still heavily reliant on conventional sources, which account for 64% of total energy consumption, while renewable energy sources account for 36%. Nuclear energy has the most stable operation of all the sources studied, but the power variation is small, with this technology operating at nearly constant parameters. However, nuclear power can experience outages due to the availability of the cooling source or the flow of cooling water in some situations. Nuclear energy had a maximum coverage of 30.66% of electricity consumption in 2017 and an average annual value of 19.53%. Renewable energy (wind energy and photovoltaic energy) has very large fluctuations because it is completely dependent on atmospheric parameters. Wind energy had a maximum of 45.86% and an annual average of 12.28%, while PV had a maximum of 14.56% and an annual average of 2.25%. The most important renewable resource, hydro energy, presented a maximum of 51.96% and an average annual value of 24.01%.