Micro-generation technologies and consumption of resources: A complex systems’ exploration

Tonci Grubic,Anurag Tewari,Yukun Hu,Liz Varga

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119091

Tonci Grubic, Anurag Tewari + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119091

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Abstract

This study is motivated by a research gap in the systemic implications that wider adoption of multiple micro-generation technologies may bring to interdependent infrastructures. It explores how the adoption of battery electric vehicles, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal water heating, rain water harvesting, grey water recycling, and waste heat recovery affect system-level consumption of water, gas, gasoline, electricity, CO2 emissions, and electricity generation cost. The simulations based on a new agent-based model show that grey water recycling and rain water harvesting reduce water and solar thermal water heating and waste heat recovery reduce gas demand respectively. A wider adoption of battery electric vehicle and solar photovoltaics have no effect while a reduction in the number of gasoline cars and gas users leads to higher electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, and electricity generation cost. The following policy implications are identified: grey water recycling and rain water harvesting should be actively promoted; improvements in the design and use of gas boilers may be better options than solar thermal water heating and waste heat recovery; battery electric vehicle should be adopted together with solar photovoltaics; solar photovoltaics should not be supported with feed-in-tariffs. If the last two implications are not addressed, then a more complementary electricity generation mix is necessary otherwise policies that promote replacement of gasoline cars by battery electric vehicles may result in negative systemic impacts.

Highlights

The problems of deteriorating and aging infrastructures are only exacerbated by their ever increasing interdependencies (Rinaldi et al, 2001)
Hu) consensus existing on their precise definition (Allan et al, 2015; Mehigan et al 2018), the authors define micro-generation technologies (MGTs) as generation technologies installed in individual households (Sauter and Watson, 2007) which can either be stand-alone or grid-connected (Allan et al, 2015)
Lesser effect on CO2 emissions is achieved from 50% rather than 100% reduction in gasoline cars. These findings suggest that reduction in CO2 emissions achieved from increasing wind generated electricity by 10% would be more than cancelled by the increase in CO2 emissions that result from reducing gas users by 60% and gasoline cars by 100%

Summary

Introduction

The problems of deteriorating and aging infrastructures are only exacerbated by their ever increasing interdependencies (Rinaldi et al, 2001). An area expected to bring relief to the UK’s challenged national infrastructures would be a large-scale adoption of household water and energy generation technologies since the domestic sector is responsible for a significant part of the country’s energy and water consumption. Adoption of micro-generation (Sauter and Watson, 2007; Balcombe et al, 2014) or distributed generation (Allan et al, 2015; Theo et al, 2017; Mehigan et al 2018) technologies, such as solar photovoltaics, solar thermal water heating or heat pumps, promises to alleviate some of that consumption. UK government sees distributed energy generation as potentially bringing a positive contribution to reducing UK’s CO2 emissions (Woodman and Baker, 2008). Further benefits of wider adoption of MGTs include (Sauter and Watson, 2007; Balcombe et al, 2014; Woodman and Baker, 2008): diversification of sources of energy, fuel autonomy, improve energy security, and reduction of fuel poverty

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