Abstract
A 100% renewable energy system (RES) satisfies a user’s energy demand using only renewable energy, which is an important energy supply in China given that the government aims to realize carbon neutrality by 2060. The design and operation of 100% RESs in different areas would vary significantly due to the impacts of climates and geographical features. This study aimed to investigate the economic and environmental performance of 100% RESs for residential communities in different areas of China. In total, 30 typical cities were chosen based on the climate characteristics and the availability of renewable energy resources. The genetic algorithm was selected to obtain the optimal design of the 100% RES in each area by taking the minimum total annual cost and the minimum CO2 emissions as optimization objectives. The results showed that 100% RESs were dominated by solar energy and biomass. The investment could be recovered in 8 years if the economic performance was optimized in most areas, but the payback period became longer when the 100% RES was optimized when considering environmental performance. The emissions could be reduced by 86–99% for CO2 and 64–97% for NOx. The results of this study would provide data support for the investment of 100% RESs in rural or suburban areas of China.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Society is facing severe problems, such as energy shortage and air pollution, due to the increasing energy demand around the world
Due to the low resources of solar and wind energy, the installation capacities of photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) and wind turbines were limited in some areas
The installation area of PV/Ts varied between 1293 and 3480 m2. It was relatively small in areas with poor solar energy resources, such as Guiyang, while the area was relatively high in regions with abundant solar energy resources, such as Geermu and Ejina
Summary
Society is facing severe problems, such as energy shortage and air pollution, due to the increasing energy demand around the world. A transition to renewable energy is essential for decreasing the dependence on fuel energy and pollution emissions [1]. Many countries have set goals to increase the proportion of renewable energy and decrease fuel energy consumption. Twenty-nine states in the United States plan to realize 100% renewable energy in 2045 [4]. China has promised to realize carbon neutrality by 2060 [5]. The use of 100% renewable energy systems (RESs) can significantly increase renewable energy penetration (as shown in Figure 1) and realize carbon neutrality. The energy production and storage devices can make use of different kinds of renewable energy sources to meet the user’s cooling, heating and electricity demands without consuming fossil fuel
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
