Electrical Energy Production Research Articles

Air conversion of pyrolysis products of hydrocarbon raw materials into synthesis gas (H2+CO) for the production of electrical energy using solid oxide fuel cells

The article discusses the technology of combined production of electrical and thermal energy using preliminary air conversion of the pyrolysis liquid of automobile tires into synthesis gas, with its subsequent supply to the battery of an electrochemical generator. The electrical power of the installation is 100 kW, the network heater is 126 kW. The main energy characteristics of the installation were determined using the methods of physicochemical modeling and compilation of energy balances. It has been shown that the specific consumption of pyrolysis liquid for the production of electrical energy is 108 g/kW∙h (169 g r.f./(kW∙h)), and the heat consumption is 30 kg/GJ (196 kg r.f./Gcal). The specific consumption of natural and conventional fuels is compared with the specific fuel consumption at power plants operating on hydrocarbon natural fuels. They are slightly inferior to them, with the exception of the specific electricity generation from external heat consumption. Fuel utilization rate 46.4%. Recommendations are given for the use of pyrolysis liquid to generate electrical and thermal energy using a high-temperature fuel cell based on SOFC.

Long-term power forecasting of photovoltaic plants using artificial neural networks

Increasing the robustness of forecasting energy production models from a photovoltaic plant is crucial in investment decisions, while profitability is closely linked to its location since its energy production depends on the local climate conditions. This study aimed to mitigate uncertainty regarding the installation of photovoltaic systems by addressing the challenge of forecasting electrical energy production over the long term. Artificial Neural Network models were used for this purpose, predicting the power output of a photovoltaic plant based on the ambient temperature, cell temperature, and solar irradiance. Data recorded every minute over one year at an experimental photovoltaic plant revealed a strong correlation between energy production and the input variables. This research compared the performance of multilayer perceptron, feedforward, long short-term memory, and modular artificial neural networks architectures. Validation was carried out using mean squared error, mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error, root mean squared error, and coefficient of determination as key metrics. Notably, the long short-term memory network demonstrated the highest accuracy in energy forecasting achieving a mean squared error of 0.0089 p.u, a mean absolute error of 0.0527 p.u, a root mean squared error of 0.0944 p.u, and a mean absolute percentage error of 49.0124 %. Nonetheless, the modular model came close to long short-term memory accuracy but with lower computational cost.

A simplified rare earth element mining project cost estimator - a new tool for evaluating future mine supply

AbstractRare earth elements (REE) are essential for the future of electric vehicles and renewable energy production, but currently there is limited REE production outside of China. Forecasting global future supplies of REE often relies on the valuation of advanced mining projects to assess if projects will initiate production. Classical valuation methods, such as net present value (NPV), require knowledge of initial capital and operating expenditures to assess the economic feasibility of a given project. Typical industry unit expenditure projections are highly precise but are extremely project dependent and require detailed knowledge of a site that is far beyond the level that a domestic and/or global supply-demand model can obtain. To model future REE supplies we developed a new globally representative, simplified, mining project cost model that can be used to approximate the capital and operating expenditures of greenfield REE mining projects. Results from this model allow users to estimate expenses of open-pit and underground mines with mineral processing operations that range from solely beneficiation to individual REE separation. Using our new model and an estimate of NPV, we evaluate several REE mining projects and assess the economic variables impacting the likelihood for these projects to advance to the production stage. Of 12 assessed projects located outside of China, in the early to advanced development stages, nine had positive NPV at 2011 peak REE prices, but none had positive NPV when prices reached bottom in 2016. Two projects yielded positive NPV’s using 2022 and projected 2028 prices. The viability of these projects given the impact of the volatility in REE prices explains the high uncertainty in the future supply for these mineral commodities.

Efficiency of Heterojunction Solar Cells Based on Optical Band Gap

Electric energy production by fuel burning produces dangerous pollutants. The photovoltaic solar cell is a suitable alternative. For thin film solar cells, efficiency improvement should be carried out through continued development of their characteristics. The homojunction solar cell has reached its optimum. In the present work, a relationship between optical band gap and solar cell efficiency of heterojunctions has been established. Suitable band gaps of a pair of heterojunctions are required to get maximum efficiency for an appropriate frequency of solar radiation. The efficiency of a couple of extrinsic semiconductors can be calculated theoretically. An optimum band gap of a pair of heterojunctions with the highest efficiency may be found by this process. The efficiency of a few heterojunctions has been calculated using reported data. The results show that efficiency is increased with optical band gaps, and type-I is more efficient than type-II heterojunctions. The work may help to improve the solar cell efficiency.

Utilization of Cassava Peel Waste for Renewable Electrical Energy Production Using Joule Thief Series with Microbial Fuel Cell Technology (Addition of Yeast and Acetate)

Utilization of Cassava Peel Waste for Renewable Electrical Energy Production Using Joule Thief Series with Microbial Fuel Cell Technology (Addition of Yeast and Acetate)

Study of the Management of the Electrical Energy Production and Distribution System Within the National School of Teachers of Mamou, Guinea

With the energy transition, marked essentially by the mass integration of energy production based on renewable resources, the missions and challenges of electrical energy distribution networks are evolving. This study is part of this dynamic, its objective is the study of the management of the production and distribution system of electrical energy within the National School of Teachers of Mamou. It emerges from this study that the supply of electrical energy to the National School of Teachers of Mamou is ensured by a hybrid system of three power sources: photovoltaic solar fields, Generator Group and Electricity of Guinea. The current electrical energy requirements of the Mamou NST are 40 kW. The total power of the installed photovoltaic solar fields is 70 kWp; the Generator used has a power of 10 kVA; the site’s Electricity of Guinea network is made up of transformers, cabin substations and protective equipment. The electricity distribution network is characterized by: Four (4) 250 A circuit breakers; a 32 A circuit breaker for the departure of lamps, sockets and fans; a 10 A circuit breaker for the lamps; a 10 A circuit breaker for the fans; a 16 A circuit breaker for the sockets and an 800 A mechanical inverter. The study shows that the power of photovoltaic solar fields is largely sufficient to cover the current electrical energy needs of the National School of Teachers of Mamou.

The Metal Magnetic Memory Method and Its Application for Early Detection of Stress Zones in NPP Piping

The policy of each NPP is to ensure safe production of electrical energy as well as security of supply. It is known that stress concentration (SC) zones, in which corrosion, fatigue and brittle processes develop most intensively, are the main sources for the occurrence of failures in operational structures. In this paper the method of magnetic memory of metal (MMM method) is discussed. This method was developed in order to conduct an early diagnosis of the condition of the metal of the technological equipment. The method is new and has not yet been studied in depth. The article presents the essence of the method, equipment and scheme of scanning the object. The method was applied to perform a pipeline test of NPP equipment. The results are given and verified. The aim of the article is to present the application of the Metal magnetic memory method in practical terms for performing technical diagnostics of the equipment in NPPs.

Comparison and classification of photovoltaic system architectures for limiting the impact of the partial shading phenomenon

This article proposes a comparison and classification of PV system architectures with the aim of limiting the impact of the partial shading phenomenon which remains one of the most harmful defects during the production of electrical energy with significant consequences on output power, current and voltage. the methodological approach used consists of analyzing in depth the main most recent architectures developed in the current literature with their advantages and disadvantages; then define five partial shading scenarios for different irradiance levels (1000W/m2; 900W/m2; 700W/m2; 500W/m2; 300W/m2), which will then be immediately applied to five other proposed architectures: SP (serial-parallel), BL (Bridge-Link); HC (Honey Comb); TCT (Total-Cross-Tied); TSPL (Triple Series Parallel Ladder); the values obtained at the output with each of its architectures will be used for an in-depth descriptive analysis with PCA (principal component analysis) in statistics but to carry out a comparative analysis between the architectures. All with a Matlab Simulink 2022.b software environment. The results obtained offer a strong positive correlation for TCP and TSPL architectures with better weight compared to other architectures. All in accordance with the IEEE-519-2022 standard. This work is therefore positioned as a contribution to the optimization of the performance of electrical energy production through the use of PV systems which today represent widely used alternatives in the renewable energy register.

Evaluation of municipal solid waste characterization and landfill gas power plant electrical energy production efficiency during COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount and types of municipal solid waste (MSW) have dramatically changed. This study focuses on characterizing the MSWs in the regular waste storage facility (RWSF) in Izmir, Turkey, and determining the electrical energy that can be produced by the landfill gas power plant (LFGPP) established to convert the waste to energy (WtE). Therefore, firstly the MSWs were characterized. After, the amount of produced methane (CH4) gas was determined using Landfill Gas Emissions Modeling (LandGEM). The amount of generated electricity, the dependent variable in the LandGEM model, was most influenced by the quantity of MSW, garbage disposal processes, and maintenance times of gas generators, while other factors remained relatively weak. This situation has also been confirmed in the field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in MSW was 9.8% in 2020 and 10.3% in 2021. Kitchen waste containing the highest CH4, accounted for 38% of the MSW characterization. The amount of generated electricity in the LandGEM model was 237 GWh in 2020 and 245 GWh in 2021. While these values could be achieved by 11.25% in 2020 due to various system and field failures, they reached 79.73% in 2021 due to system and field improvements.

Shortening electron transfer distance to enhance chemicals and electric energy production in Escherichia coli

Intracellular electron abundance affects the efficiency of biosynthetic pathways in microbial cell factories. However, regulating electron transfer efficiency to change intracellular electron abundance is challenging. Herein, we aimed to improve the electron transfer efficiency by shortening electron transfer distance using two systems: an extracellular electron transfer system (EET) and a light-driven intracellular electron regeneration system (ERS). The EET involved reconstructing an efficient electron transfer pathway (AEC4) and using periplasmic and biofilm engineering to improve its efficiency, whereas the ERS involved developing a biologically self-synthetic photosynthetic biohybrid system and using protein cage engineering to enhance its efficiency. As a proof of concept, the EET was implemented using a dynamic AND logic gate to increase the α-ketoglutarate titer to 30.4 g/L and the power density to 561.5 mW/m2 in microbial fuel cells. In a 5 L fermenter, the titer and productivity of α-ketoglutarate reached 67.7 g/L and 1.88 g/L/h, respectively. The ERS was manipulated using a chemo-optogenetic AND logic gate to increase the adipate titer to 43.1 g/L in a 5 L fermenter. Overall, our results provide a potential way to shorten electron transfer distance for the efficient production of valuable chemicals and electric energy.

Provincial-level analysis of electrification feasibility and climate policy interactions

Improving electrification feasibility is essential for reducing emissions from non-electric energy sources, thereby enhancing air quality and public health. Concurrently, climate mitigation actions, such as carbon pricing policies, have significant potential to alleviate increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and other co-emitted air pollutants. However, the interactions between climate policy and the improvement of electrification feasibility at the provincial level remain unclear, collectively impacting the net-zero transition of energy-intensive sectors. Here we combine a technologically rich economic-energy-environment model with air quality modeling across China to examine the health, climate, and economic implications of large-scale upgrades in electrification feasibility and climate policies from 2017 to 2030. The results indicate that advancing electrification feasibility, coupled with adopting carbon pricing policies, is likely to facilitate a transition towards electricity-dominant energy systems. Improved electrification feasibility is projected to yield a 7–25% increase in nationwide climate benefits and a 5–14% increase in health benefits by 2030. These incremental benefits, coupled with reduced economic costs, result in a 22–68% increase in net benefits. However, regionally, improvements in electrification feasibility will lead to heightened power demand and unintended emissions from electric energy production in certain provinces (e.g., Nei Mongol) due to the coal-dominated power system. Additionally, in major coal-producing provinces like Shanxi and Shaanxi, enhanced electrification feasibility exacerbates the negative economic impacts of climate policies. This study provides quantitative insights into how improving electrification feasibility reshapes energy evolution and the benefit-cost profile of climate policy at the provincial level. The findings underscore the necessity of a well-designed compensation scheme between affected and unaffected provinces and coordinated emission mitigation across the power and other end-use sectors.

Potential use of methane gas from the Villavicencio sanitary landfill, Colombia

The study evaluates the generation and recovery capacity of methane at the Villavicencio Landfill in Colombia, using the LandGEM model. It shows a significant increase in methane generation, rising from about 1.5 million cubic meters in 2010 to over 8.5 million in 2020, indicating a growing urgency to implement effective mitigation measures. It was estimated that by the year 2042, the electrical energy production from methane could be 248.067 kW/day, capable of supplying about 43.705 homes monthly. Additionally, thermal energy generation would be 468.572 kWh/day, useful for industrial processes. Management scenarios were proposed, where, for example, operational optimization could increase electric production to 342.333 kW/day, benefiting more than 60.000 homes monthly. The conclusions highlight the direct correlation between the amount of waste and methane generation, and the significant potential for converting these emissions into energy, pointing towards regional energy self-sufficiency and sustainability. Methane recovery represents a valuable alternative to the dependence on fossil fuels and for the development of a circular economy.

Critical Aspects of Energetic Transition Technologies and the Roles of Materials Chemistry and Engineering

The perspectives of technological advances needed for short term energetic transition are briefly reviewed and discussed critically. In particular, the technologies for the greenhouse gas emission-free production of electrical energy, its storage and transport, the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen, and the use of biomass derived technologies are shortly and critically reviewed. Critical aspects are emphasized. The role of chemistry, and in particular materials chemistry and engineering, in short-term developments are underlined.

Evaluating hybrid nuclear-thermal power systems for reduced carbon footprint: A comparative analysis

The article provides an estimated substantiation of the concept of expanding the fuel and energy base and reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emissions with the joint use of organic and nuclear fuel in the structure of hybrid nuclear-thermal power plants. It is shown that the technological scheme (the production of saturated steam in a nuclear steam-producing plant - NPPU, and then overheating to the maximum achieved parameters in the thermal power industry due to organic fuel) leads to a decrease in the specific consumption of gas fuel for the production of electrical energy by 25–30 %, emissions of combustion products by 2.5 times (compared to thermal power plants), consumption of industrial water (compared to nuclear power plants) - by 1.5 times. It is indicated that it is possible to expand the fuel base of modern nuclear energy with thermal neutron reactors through the use of technologies mastered (breeder reactors) and promising (hybrid thermonuclear reactors). The fundamental advantage of the considered complex - JPPP-TPP - its feasibility in a short period of time with a significant reduction in the carbon footprint per unit of energy produced, which is an important condition for the sustainable growth of energy production while maintaining the ecological balance in the geosphere.

Enhancing Biogas Plant Efficiency for the Production of Electrical and Thermal Energy

Enhancing Biogas Plant Efficiency for the Production of Electrical and Thermal Energy

Mapping the Potential of Zero-Energy Building in Greece Using Roof Photovoltaics

The present study investigates the incorporation of renewable rooftop photovoltaic systems in fully electrified residential buildings and estimates the zero-energy demand building potential in relation to the climatic data of Greece. Specifically, the aim of the analysis is to calculate the maximum possible number of stories and therefore the total building height for a complete transformation to zero-net-energy building. The energy analysis, which is conducted using the DesignBuilder software, focuses on single-floor up to seven-story buildings. The importance of the present work lies in the acknowledgment of the diversity of the Greek residential sector, the adherence to national energy policies, and the European goal of fully electrified buildings. The examined case studies are equipped with electrically driven air-to-air heat pumps serving the space heating and cooling demands and with an air-to-water heat pump covering the domestic hot water requirements. The investigated locations are the four main cities of Greece, Athens, Thessaloniki, Chania, and Kastoria, which represent the country’s four climatic categories. The conducted analysis allows for the mapping of the zero-energy building potential for the climatic data of Greece, demonstrating the possibility of striking a positive building energy balance through the integration of on-site renewable energy sources and the production of necessary electrical energy. The novelty of the present work lies in the identification of a key factor, namely, the building height, which determines the feasibility of transforming multifamily buildings into zero-energy buildings. According to the analysis results, the critical number of stories is calculated at six for Chania, five for Athens, four for Thessaloniki, and two for Kastoria. Regarding a three-story residential building, the incorporation of a renewable photovoltaic system can result in an annual surplus electricity production of 13,741 kWh (Chania), 10,424 kWh (Athens), and 6931 kWh (Thessaloniki), and a corresponding coverage of 100% (Chania), 69.0% (Athens), 38.9% (Thessaloniki) and 0% (Kastoria).

Resolution of the bi-objective optimization problem for the dispatch of hydroelectric plants under conditions of low inflow using the NSGA II algorithm

Among the consequences of climate change are increased temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns that bring longer periods of drought. This creates limitations in the administration of hydroelectric plant reservoirs, restricting, in some cases, the amount of electrical energy generated. The objective of this research is to solve the multi-objective optimization problem that seeks to minimize the production of electrical energy from hydroelectric plants with low inflow and, at the same time, minimize electrical rationing due to this low production. As these objectives conflict with each other, it is necessary to apply multi-objective optimization problem-solving methodologies, among which are genetic algorithms. The mathematical model is built considering the operating conditions of the reservoirs of the hydroelectric plants under study, including their minimum operating levels, which are included in the model restrictions. The non-dominated genetic classification algorithm II is used to obtain the Pareto front, which is composed of a total of 78 non-dominated solutions that are useful to manage the considered reservoirs at the time of maximum demand. It is recommended to use other multi-objective optimization algorithms for comparison purposes, selecting the ideal indicators to evaluate the performance of each algorithm used, in addition to incorporating monetary and environmental cost restrictions into the model

THE PRICE DEVELOPMENT OF SELECTED ENERGETIC COMMODITIES

The aim of the paper was to evaluate the price development of electrical energy and inflation as a commodity in the course of the past 10 years. The production of electrical energy decreased from 83.7 TWh in 2010 to 70.6 TWh in 2020 in the Czech Republic in accordance with the results achieved by using the methods of descriptive statistics, time series, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The consumption of energy slightly increased. The proportion of production to consumption declined and consumption was higher than production in 2020. The prices of electricity reveal oscillations influenced by the conflict in the Ukraine. The use of the sources of energy changed, however, without specific trends. The dependence of prices on inflation is considerable and direct. Energy policy ought to deal with the dependence on import and support the domestic production of energy.

Development of a combined system with a hybrid solar collector and determination of its thermal characteristics

The object of the study: a system with a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector. The main problem addressed is to enhance the conversion and utilization efficiency of solar energy by developing a new design of photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector. A computer model of the proposed design of a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector (PVT) was developed, and its thermotechnical characteristics were investigated. Patterns of temperature changes in the heat transfer fluid in PVT and thermal accumulator over time of irradiation were determined. It is shown that the instantaneous thermal power of the solar collector was 540 W/m2, and the efficiency was 0.6. Changes in the instantaneous specific thermal power of the system with PVT (up to 450 W/m2) and its efficiency in heat accumulation in the accumulator (0.5) were studied. The high efficiency of PVT can be explained by its optimal design, which ensures simultaneous production of thermal and electrical energy, as well as balancing of the operation of the thermal and photovoltaic parts. The main difference between the developed model and existing analogs is the comprehensive consideration of the interaction of the thermal and photovoltaic parts in one installation. The model allows optimizing the PVT design to increase its efficiency. The research has allowed developing a new design of a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector, which ensures high efficiency of conversion and utilization of solar energy. The obtained results and the developed model provide a basis for further improvement of PVT and its implementation in power systems of buildings and technological processes to increase the share of solar energy utilization and reduce fossil fuel consumption

A Spontaneous Heavy Hydrogen Generator via a Protium Redox.

The extreme significance of heavy hydrogen (D2) in medicinal, nuclear, and chemical sectors, despite its scarce natural abundance, underscores the vital imperative for inventing novel chemistries for its production. We showcase a spontaneous heavy hydrogen generator during commensurate electrical energy production by decoupling the direct chemistry of OD-/D+ dual ions via a protium redox. This exergonic electrochemistry yields ∼357 mL of D2 in nearly 85 h of continuous operation, with a commensurate electrical energy output of 122 kJ/per mole of D2. This laboratory-level demonstration of spontaneous heavy hydrogen production presents a novel chemistry for the scalable manufacture of nonprimordial D2.