Decentralized Renewable Energy Research Articles

Assessing the Sustainability of Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems: A Comprehensive Framework with Analytical Methods

The number of models of Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) systems, particularly for rural electrification, is growing globally. Most approaches to assess the sustainability of these solutions beyond simple techno-economic considerations are comparative in nature, and only allow us to evaluate performance within a set of other interventions. This leaves a gap in our understanding of the conditions for a specific model to be sustainable and whether its replication is likely to succeed. The approach suggested develops a framework to evaluate the sustainability of specific models for energy access individually and proposes analytical methods to illustrate its use. It combines the multi-dimensional analysis over five sustainability dimensions and the Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) to assess technical sustainability, extending MTF’s rigorous scoring methodology to the other dimensions. The scores are based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from key stakeholders, taking into account different perspectives and aims. The framework and analytical methods are exemplified using a subset of data collected in over 40 off-grid DRE systems utilizing a common community ownership and hybrid financial structure. The proposed methodology can be used to understand the sustainability conditions of a given approach to energy access and can therefore be used by practitioners and policy makers to develop strategies and guide policies to roll out effective solutions.

An Overview of Solar Roof Top Program In India with Specific Reference of Madhya Pradesh Policy for Decentralized Renewable Energy, 2016

An Overview of Solar Roof Top Program In India with Specific Reference of Madhya Pradesh Policy for Decentralized Renewable Energy, 2016

Decentralized Renewable Energy Pricing and Allocation for Millimeter Wave Cellular Backhaul

In this paper, a renewable energy powered millimeter wave (mmW) backhaul network is studied. In the considered model, the wireless operator must request renewable energy from multiple renewable power suppliers (RPSs) to serve the end mobile users using the mmW backhaul. The unit price of renewable energy depends on the RPS’s production capacity/lead time for the corresponding backhaul node. A lead time-dependent pricing scheme is proposed thus enabling the operator to manage the traffic latency over the backhaul and co-ordinate independent RPSs’ decisions on the renewable energy storage levels with uncertain wireless traffic demand. Toward this end, the problem is formulated as a Stackelberg game between the operator and multiple RPSs. In this game, the operator first specifies a pricing scheme for RPSs and each RPS should then make its own decision in stocking the renewable energy. Then, efficient distributed algorithms are proposed to find the operator’s optimal pricing scheme, and the RPSs’ Pareto equilibrium storage strategies, respectively. Our results provide useful insights for understanding the tradeoff between the benefit of energy savings and the cost of quality-of-service (QoS) reducing for the operator. Also, simulation results show how renewable energy production capacities affect the revenue of individual RPSs in decentralized renewable-powered backhaul systems. The results also show that the proposed scheme can enable the operator to achieve more profit compared to a centralized solution.

Rural Electrification through Renewable Energy Sources- An Overview of Challenges and Prospects

Energy security and sustainable development are prime issues these days in developed as well as in developing countries. Decentralized Renewable Energy (DCRE) generation of electricity is expected to become more important in the future electricity generation system. This paper explores the various challenges faced in the process of rural electrification in India. It also highlights the alternatives available including usage of renewable energy towards decentralized electrification and policy recommendations for the use of renewable energy technologies. There are complex socio-economic issues that are hindering the growth of renewables in rural India, especially in off-grid villages. What should be the approach for maximum penetration of renewables in remote villages in India? How can renewable devices be made affordable for active use? How can local participation in such initiatives be increased? How can private participation be encouraged? These are the key issues that the Indian government is trying to address.

Supplying power to remote villages in Lao PDR. — The role of off-grid decentralised energy options

In Lao PDR, a least developed country in South-East Asia, provision of electricity to remote areas is a high priority for the Government, which has the objective of electrifying 90% of the population (in terms of number of households) by the year 2020. While this objective is commendable and tremendous progress has been made over the past 10 years in terms of rural electrification, some important questions remain unanswered. Currently, grid extension is the main technical option considered. One of the main reasons for this push for grid extension is the assumption that access to the grid means development. However, when analysed closely, the reality from the field is far more complex. Although grid electricity has tremendous potential to provide economic development opportunities in rural areas, it also has some drawbacks. In particular, productive activities fail to develop in many grid connected villages where the demand for electricity remains low even after a few years after having been grid electrified. This paper argues that alternative options to grid extension, e.g. off-grid decentralised renewable energy (DRE), exist, are often more attractive financially and could be promoted more effectively. These technologies can be cheaper than grid extension, even on a like-for-like comparison.22Comparing the cost of each option supplying the same amount of electricity (in kWh). DRE technologies also provide opportunities for development, even without driving large productive loads. These opportunities are presented in terms of 1) the flexibility of needs that DRE technologies can satisfy, 2) empowerment of rural communities and 3) decentralised decision making processes. So far, the promotion of DRE in Laos has not always been successful, but this should not be an argument against promoting these options. A close look at recent rural electrification project budgets reveals indeed that grid extension is far more subsidised than DRE, raising concerns about the social equity of such projects.

A Low Cost Concept for Data Acquisition Systems Applied to Decentralized Renewable Energy Plants

The present paper describes experiences of the use of monitoring and data acquisition systems (DAS) and proposes a new concept of a low cost DAS applied to decentralized renewable energy (RE) plants with an USB interface. The use of such systems contributes to disseminate these plants, recognizing in real time local energy resources, monitoring energy conversion efficiency and sending information concerning failures. These aspects are important, mainly for developing countries, where decentralized power plants based on renewable sources are in some cases the best option for supplying electricity to rural areas. Nevertheless, the cost of commercial DAS is still a barrier for a greater dissemination of such systems in developing countries. The proposed USB based DAS presents a new dual clock operation philosophy, in which the acquisition system contains two clock sources for parallel information processing from different communication protocols. To ensure the low cost of the DAS and to promote the dissemination of this technology in developing countries, the proposed data acquisition firmware and the software for USB microcontrollers programming is a free and open source software, executable in the Linux and Windows® operating systems.

Decentralized renewable energy and the climate change mitigation-adaptation nexus

This paper explores the role of decentralized renewable energy (DRE) projects play as a simultaneously mitigative and adaptive response to climate change. We develop a general conceptual framework that illustrates how introducing modern energy services through decentralized renewable energy can stabilize the ecological and social determinants of climate change vulnerability, while performing a critical climate change mitigation function. This framework is developed through a high-level overview of the key implications of rural energy deprivation: deforestation and ecosystem degradation (with significant greenhouse gas emissions implications), chronic rural poverty, and high vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate change. We then explore global sustainable development pathways and the integral role that decentralized renewable energy can play in stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. We then describe how mitigation and adaptation synergies provide avenues for integrating sustainable development with climate policy, contextualized with respect to key relationships between the Millennium Development Goals and access to energy. We then turn to the related issue of poverty and climate change in the context of how climate stresses exacerbate poverty by impairing the ecosystem services upon which the poor rely heavily. The conceptual framework concludes with a full description of the role DREs play in rural agroecosystems, particularly how DREs can enhance the flow of regulatory and provisioning ecosystem services, and expand livelihood opportunities—all of which builds adaptive capacity for climate change. The paper concludes with some comments and recommendations for enhancing the constructive role for DRE in overcoming the perceived divide between climate change mitigation and adaptation policy.

Limits of grid extension in the Lao PDR: A financial perspective

This paper articulates a financial model for estimating the limits of grid extensionin the Lao PDR versus three decentralised renewable energy (DRE) options: micro-hydropower,pico-hydropower and solar photovoltaic. The model is based on a like-for-like comparison of thedifferent DRE options against grid extension, such that each option supplies the same amount ofelectricity (in kWh) over the project timeframe. The amount of electricity supplied is estimatedbased on the forecast electricity demand of a typical rural Lao household. Therefore, if a householdconsumes 7 kWh per day, then the micro-hydro, pico-hydro, solar PV and grid extension systems areall sized in the model to supply 7 kWh per day. This is in contrast to more conventional approaches,where grid extension is compared to DRE systems of typically lower capacities (e.g. grid extensioncompared against 50 W solar home systems). The limits of grid extension are expressed in termsof a breakeven distance, which is the maximum distance from a village at which grid extension isthe more cost-effective option. Beyond this breakeven distance, DRE technologies can be installedat a lower cost, while providing the same amount of electricity to the end-user.