Smart Integrated Renewable Energy Systems (SIRES): A Novel Approach for Sustainable Development

Zeel Maheshwari,Rama Ramakumar

doi:10.3390/en10081145

Abstract

Technical and economic aspects of the viability of SIRES (Smart Integrated Renewable Energy Systems) for sustainable development of remote and rural areas of the world are discussed. The hallmark of the proposed SIRES is the smart utilization of several renewable resources in an integrated fashion and matching of resources and needs a priori with the ultimate goal of “energization”, not just “electrification”. Historical background leading to this approach is succinctly presented along with a comprehensive schematic diagram. Modeling of various components and their collective use in optimizing SIRES with the aid of genetic algorithm are presented using a typical hypothetical example. SIRES is also compared with various approaches for rural development based on Annualized Cost of System (ACS) and installation costs. Implementation of SIRES will lead to overall sustainable development of rural communities.

Highlights

With the ever growing population of the world with increasing expectations and the associated environmental concerns, it is not prudent to rely solely on fossil fuels in the long-term
Optimum combination of system components in Smart Integrated Renewable Energy Systems (SIRES) varies as weather conditions and available resources vary during the time in question: for example, hourly, monthly, seasonally or yearly
Renewable energy resources such as biogas, hydro, insolation and wind are locally available in rural areas and can be harnessed in an efficient manner to fulfill these basic requirements

Summary

Introduction

With the ever growing population of the world with increasing expectations and the associated environmental concerns, it is not prudent to rely solely on fossil fuels in the long-term. A historic agreement took place between 195 countries in the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris, France. These countries agreed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 ◦C above pre-industrial levels and make efforts to limit the temperature increase to. To achieve this goal, the key is reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse emissions. Global environmental concerns combined with sustained development in renewable energy technologies have exponentially increased the entry of renewable energy. Significant cost reductions over the past few decades have made a number of renewable energy resources competitive with fossil fuels in various applications [1]

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