Energy Use In Production Research Articles

Building Criteria for Energy Labeling of Photovoltaic Modules and Small Systems

As part of the Ecodesign framework, the European Union's energy‐labeling scheme has proved to be a powerful tool to communicate with consumers regarding the energy use of products. With sales of photovoltaic (PV) modules and small systems set to expand rapidly for the European Union to meet its commitments on CO2 reduction, ensuring that newly installed PV products in the European Union are environmentally friendly and do not create future burdens on the environment is of primary importance. Herein, an innovative methodology in support of a potential energy‐labeling scheme for both PV modules and PV systems (installations) is proposed. The estimated annual and lifetime yields for a PV module and system respectively are used as parameters for classification from A (best) to G (worst) in the proposed scheme. How to “translate” the methodology into a practical energy‐labeling scheme, i.e., for use in EU policy implementing measures, is also discussed. The conceptual challenges of proposing an energy label for energy‐generating products, i.e., PV modules and systems, are also discussed.

Social justice for young readers: advocating for access, choice and time to read

AbstractIn a socially just world, everyone would have an equal chance to become an enthusiastic reader. This article presents a detailed ‘asset map’ of a successful reading life and investigates three necessary components for creating readers: access, choice and time to read. Access to books, the chance and the requisite knowledge to choose reading materials of genuine interest, and time to read and thus to develop reading stamina are all vital to reading success. Although they sound simple enough to supply, access, choice and time to read are all currently under attack. The provision of public and school libraries is threatened in many countries; in the absence of easy access to libraries, young people consequently have much less opportunity to practice book selection in a low‐stakes environment; and many classroom activities ironically limit reading time in favour of exercises and seatwork. Those working for socially just literacy options and affordances must decide on the most productive use of energy and resources to pursue a more level playing field; access, choice and time to read are necessary conditions of reading success.

Agricultural Land or Photovoltaic Parks? The Water–Energy–Food Nexus and Land Development Perspectives in the Thessaly Plain, Greece

Water, energy, land, and food are vital elements with multiple interactions. In this context, the concept of a water–energy–food (WEF) nexus was manifested as a natural resource management approach, aiming at promoting sustainable development at the international, national, or local level and eliminating the negative effects that result from the use of each of the four resources against the other three. At the same time, the transition to green energy through the application of renewable energy technologies is changing and perplexing the relationships between the constituent elements of the nexus, introducing new conflicts, particularly related to land use for energy production vs. food. Specifically, one of the most widespread “green” technologies is photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, now being the third foremost renewable energy source in terms of global installed capacity. However, the growing development of PV systems results in ever expanding occupation of agricultural lands, which are most advantageous for siting PV parks. Using as study area the Thessaly Plain, the largest agricultural area in Greece, we investigate the relationship between photovoltaic power plant development and food production in an attempt to reveal both their conflicts and their synergies.

Low-carbon production of iron and steel: Technology options, economic assessment, and policy

Summary Given increased urgency to transition the global economy to net-zero CO2 emission, governments and industry have increased focus on decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, including steel making, which contributes roughly 6% of global CO2 emission and 8% of energy-related emission (including power consumption emission). This paper reviews current global iron and steel production and assesses available decarbonization technologies, including hydrogen injection, solid biomass substitution, zero-C electricity substitution, carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit, and combinations of these decarbonization approaches. Blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) dominates production (71%) and is particularly stubborn to any decarbonization technology. Direct reduced iron to electric arc furnace (DRI-EAF) production is 5% and growing, it appears to have better decarbonization potential to move toward net-zero. Secondary steel production using mainly steel scrap in electric arc furnace (EAF-scrap) is 24% of global production and has both the lowest energy consumption and is technically simplest to decarbonize through electrification but is limited in market share to recycled steel capacity. Of the options assessed, blue hydrogen, carbon neutral biomass, and CCS appear to have the lowest cost and highest technical maturity. However, no single approach today can deliver deep decarbonization to the iron and steel industry and all approaches lead to substantial production cost increase. No uniform ideal solution exists, and different geographies, infrastructure, and economies will determine the local optimum solution with viability and cost. Policy measures will be required to provide financial incentives for decarbonization and to avoid unwelcome outcomes such as emissions leakage or job loss.

Estimation of the Domestic Agricultural Sector Potential for the Growth of Energy Cultures for Bioenergy Fuel Production

Abstract The article presents discussion on the state and prospects of bioenergy development in the context of rationalization of energy crops application as resource potential of Ukraine. Along with the development of society and increase of life intensity, the needs of mankind with regard to energy resources are increasing. The reduction rates of traditional types of energy resources are progressively growing, and their shortage is increasing. In addition, Ukraine belongs to import-dependent countries in the energy sector. At the expense of its own sources, our country provides only about half of the energy needs, while domestic national economy is one of the most energy-intensive industries in the world. In this regard, there is an urgent need to search for new, alternative sources of energy. Taking into account the potential present in Ukraine, the biomass use for energy production is the most attractive option. However, along with this, there is a problem of purposeful use of the agricultural land and a competitive struggle between agricultural products for nutrition and energy purposes. At the same time, many problems arise, which concerdevelopment of an appropriate legislative framework, methodological approaches to the economic, environmental and social efficiency of production and use of biological types of energy.

Evaluation of biogas production potential of trace element-contaminated plants via anaerobic digestion

Within the domain of phytoremediation research, the proper disposal of harvestable plant parts, that remove pollutants from contaminated soil, has been attracted extensive attention. Here, the bioenergy generation capability of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn, and As) polluted plants was assessed. The biogas production potential of accumulators or hyperaccumulator plants, Elsholtzia haichowensis, Sedum alfredii, Solanum nigrum, Phytolacca americana and Pteris vittata were 259.2 ± 1.9, 238.7 ± 4.2, 135.9 ± 0.9, 129.5 ± 2.9 and 106.8 ± 2.1 mL/g, respectively. The presence of Cu (at approximately 1000 mg/kg) increased the cumulative biogas production, the daily methane production and the methane yield of E. haichowensis. For S. alfredii, the presence of Zn (≥500 mg/kg) showed a significant negative impact on the methane content in biogas, and the daily methane production, which decreased the biogas and methane yield. The biogas production potential increased when the content of Mn was at 5 000–10,000 mg/kg, subsequently, decreased when the value of Mn at 20,000 mg/kg. However, Cd (1–200 mg/kg), Pb (125–2000 mg/kg) and As (1250–10,000 mg/kg) showed no distinctive change in the cumulative biogas production of S. nigrum, S. alfredii and P. vittata, respectively. The methane yield showed a strong positive correlation (R2 =0.9704) with cumulative biogas production, and the energy potential of the plant residues were at 415–985 kWh/ton. Thus, the anaerobic digestion has bright potential for the disposal of trace metal contaminated plants, and has promising prospects for the use in energy production.

Gender differences and productive use of energy fuel in Ghana’s rural non-farm economy

This paper examines: (i) energy policies and plans in Ghana to understand their responsiveness to gender-energy needs for productive uses, (ii) the fuels utilised by men and women for productive purposes at the rural non-farm economy (RNFE), and (iii) the factors that influence the choice of fuels by men and women for productive purposes at the RNFE. Using the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana as a case and by adopting the mixed methodological approach, primary data was obtained from 256 enterprise operators and relevant institutions. The results indicate that energy access policies in Ghana fail to clearly promote gender inclusivity in terms of identifying the energy needs of men and women for productive purposes. Energy use varied across genders and enterprises. Women largely used solid fuels while men used cleaner fuels for productive purposes. The use of energy services for productive purposes in the RNFE was gendered, which was similar to the reasons for utilising a fuel type. The paper concludes that policy interventions should identify gendered energy needs to address energy poverty between men and women.

Water Use for Energy Production and Conversion in Hebei Province, China

In recent years, with the socio-economic development, energy production and water consumption have been given more and more scientific, political and public concern. Taking Hebei Province, China as an example, this paper performs an in-depth analysis of the energy production and water consumption. In this study, the water withdrawal and water consumption associated with energy production in Hebei Province from 2015 to 2050 were estimated by using the bottom-up Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model, which establishes three scenarios based on three different development models. The results show that the energy production and their associated water requirements would continue to grow at a high speed in the Reference Scenario (REF). The energy production and their associated water withdrawal and water consumption were found to have decreased sharply in the Coordinated Development Scenario (CDS) and the Strong Emission Reduction Scenario (SER) compared to the REF. It shows that industrial restructuring, energy structure optimization and the renewable energy replacement have plaid an important role in energyand water-efficient in CDS and SER. Further coordinated management policy on water and energy should be fully considered to promote the sustainable management of water and energy in Hebei Province.

Freshwater use of the energy sector in Africa

The fast economic and population growth in the African continent will lead to an important increase in demand for energy and water resources. Unfortunately, very few studies have addressed water use for energy production in Africa. This study focuses on water consumption and withdrawals throughout the different stages of energy production (fuel production, power plant construction and operation) in African countries. An in-depth analysis of water loss through evaporation in hydropower reservoirs is also performed due to the important role it plays in many countries and its severe impacts on electricity generation during the increasingly frequent droughts in Africa. The results indicate that in the year 2016, a total of 42 billion cubic meters of water was lost through evaporation in hydropower reservoirs compared to 1.2 billion cubic meters from all the other fuel types combined. Oil extraction and refining dominate water use for fuel production and non-hydro renewable energies have an almost negligible impact on the overall water use (10 million cubic meters). Fuelwood is shown to be a high consumer of water accounting for 4.5 billion cubic meters. The use of non-hydro renewable energies instead of fossil fuels can contribute significantly to reduce water use while covering the growing energy needs in Africa. Modern technologies that substitute fuelwood use in households would also reduce the impacts on water resources. The hydropower potential remains largely untapped in several regions of the continent. Nevertheless, new hydropower developments need to be carefully considered especially in regions characterized by severe water scarcity.

Energy Use and Enterprise Performance in Ghana: How Does Gender Matter?

The potential impact of electricity use on enterprise performance has a gender dimension that has been overlooked by the energy and development literature. This omission disregards the evidence of a gendered division of labour and the different energy consumption patterns of different productive activities. To address the gaps in the literature, this paper analyses an enterprise development programme that jointly provides improved electricity supply, business services and enterprise clustering in Ghana. The paper aims to understand: the gender awareness of the intervention; the different energy use patterns in men and women’s enterprises; the different benefits men and women obtain from the productive use of energy; and the reasons behind the differences observed. We adopt a multi-methods approach combining gender differentiated firm level data from 400 microenterprises, with in-depth semi-structured interviews to enterprise owners and employees, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The results, which are specific to the research region, show clearly differentiated energy use patterns in enterprises owned by men and women. Men’s enterprises display higher electricity consumption, while women dominate the use of cooking fuels, mainly charcoal. The use of electricity shows a positive correlation with business profits, regardless of the owner’s gender, which is higher for enterprises owned by women. The main reasons for women’s lower electricity consumption are: the gendered division of labour, which limits women’s economic activity to a narrow number of sectors and to smaller scale operations; the lower value of women’s work which creates disincentives to mechanisation; social norms determining the types of jobs men and women can do; and women’s lower access to starting capital. We conclude that, in the absence of gender considerations, interventions for the promotion of productive uses of energy are likely to target electricity intensive activities dominated by men. We finalise by offering policy suggestions to improve the gender equity of these interventions.

Effect of Carbon Emission and Human Errors on a Two-Echelon Supply Chain under Permissible Delay in Payments

Environmental worries in production and inventory models have received large attention in inventory management literature. In this paper, an economic production model is proposed with two-echelon supply chain when trade credit is offered by the supplier. This paper proposes human errors of Type I and Type II due to fatigue and inexperience of the inspector during screening. It considers the use of energy for production along with greenhouse gases (GHG) emission from production and transportation operations. The developed model optimizes the environmental and economic performances of the supply chain. Our aim is to explore the effects of human errors during inspection on the emission cost, transportation cost and delay in payment on the replenishment of order sizes and the expected total profit of the retailer. A mathematical model is developed and numerical examples are provided to illustrate the solution procedure.

Sustainable energy pathways for land transport in Nigeria

We used a bottom-up optimisation model to explore the energy system implications of five alternative policy pathways for the Nigerian transport sector. Our study considered fuel switching, improved fuel economy, modal shifting, improved logistics, and carbon tax for the period 2010–2050. Results show that the alternative pathways will reduce energy demand and CO2 emissions significantly. Particularly, we found that improved vehicle fuel economy and a carbon tax can lower Nigeria's CO2 emissions by 42.8% and 26.9% respectively, in 2050 when compared with the reference case. Additionally, low-carbon pathways will enhance air quality, energy security, and the productive use of energy.

Environmental Biotechnology

The various industrial sectors, as well as livestock and agricultural activities, are increasing the production of inputs to meet the demand of the worldwide demographic explosion, making a challenge the clean maintenance of water, soil, and air. Therefore, the search for solutions for a pollutant-free environment without compromising economic development has become extremely important. Thereby, biotechnological studies in order to solve environmental issues have been gaining extensive attention through the coupling of technology procedures to biological systems as sustainable solutions to remediate contaminated areas. In this sense, this review covers topics such as the role of Omics era in microbial environmental biotechnology for pollution control as well as the microbial fuel cell use in energy production. Moreover, phytoremediation and the perspective of applying chemical methods are approached as environmentally friendly tools for the pollutant control to improve remediation processes.

The Residual Flow Effect in a Geothermal Loop

The residual flow effect of a geothermal loop is the flow of fluid from a geothermal reservoir through production well, heat exchanger, and injection well after switching off the pumping equipment. Earlier, this phenomenon was mentioned in the literature for the possibility of reinjection of the cooled fluid without pressure, but with no detailed consideration. After observing this effect at the Khankala experimental geothermal plant, the authors have investigated the physics of the effect and the possibility of its use in energy production.

Policies and Programs Critical for Greater Energy Efficiency

In 2018 businesses, households and government enterprises throughout the global economy spent an estimated €7.4 trillion to meet the many demands for various energy services. Current projec­tions suggest that the present scale of annual expenditures may increase by more than 60 per­cent to €12.0 trillion by 2050 (with all costs expressed in real 2018 values). Although the global economy derives important benefits from the purchase of many energy services, the inefficient use of energy also creates an array of costs and constraints that burden our social and economic well-being. Among these costs or constraints are increased health costs, air pollution, climate change and a less productive economy—especially over the long term. Yet there is good news within the countless energy markets throughout the global economy. Whether improved lighting in homes and schools, transporting people and goods more efficiently, or powering the many industrial processes within any given nation, there are huge opportunities to improve the productive use of energy in ways that reduce total economic costs. And those same energy efficiency upgrades can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, as well as lessen other impacts on both people and the global environment. However, as this manuscript suggests, it will take an adequately funded set of smart policies and effective programs, including a skilled work force, to drive the optimal scale of energy efficiency investments.

A Techno-Economic Assessment of Small Energy Access Microgrids in the Philippines

In an effort to expedite the electrification in off-grid areas in the Philippines, the Qualified Third Party (QTP) scheme encourages private sector to engage in power generation and distribution business through competitive selection, a process that requires at least two rival bidders with rigorous registration requirements. An exemption is offered for microgrids with sub-100 kW capacity by not undergo competitive selection in order to further attract investors and private sector to engage in these off-grid areas since these areas are deemed highly unviable. The Department of Energy opened around 995 areas waived by electric cooperatives for third party servicing. The sub-100 kW capacity can serve areas with fewer than 500 household connections, which fits the profile of the 995 areas. In this work, the techno-economic feasibility of installation of sub-100 kW microgrids is done in order to know the required level of subsidies, loans, and/or grants to sustainably operate in these areas. The proposed microgrids were evaluated using ISLA, an open-source microgrid optimizer validated by HOMER Pro, by finding the optimal system component sizes of solar PV, battery, and diesel generators with the least levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Initial results suggest initial investment cost for the establishment of 15 sub-100 kW microgrids ranged from USD 0.5 to 1 M (~PHP 25 to 55 M), with LCOE averaged at PHP 10.26/kWh. This corresponds to 30 % reduction relative to the LCOE from using diesel generator only. Strategies such as partial financing and full grant of capital expenditures show that the former can provide generation rates at par with typical generation rates of existing electric cooperatives at ~PHP 5 to 6 per kWh, while full subsidy can significantly reduce the generation cost to PHP 2 to 3 per kWh. Providing long term and low interest rates from financial institutions to fund these projects will help hasten the deployment of sub-100 kW microgrids. To achieve financial sustainability in these areas, productive use of energy through income generating projects should be highly encouraged in order to give the inhabitants the capacity to pay.

Annual biomass loss and potential value of urban tree waste in the United States

Urban trees provide numerous benefits to society, but upon removal, this resource is underutilized and often considered a waste product to be discarded. However, urban trees have a potential to be utilized for various products, create jobs and an income stream for cities. The latest data on urban forests in the United States were used to estimate the potential annual value that could be derived from urban tree waste. Assuming a mortality rate of 2%, annual urban woody biomass loss in the U.S. equates to about 46 million tonnes of fresh-weight merchantable wood or 7.2 billion board feet of lumber or 16 million cords of firewood. The potential annual value from urban wood waste ranges between $89-786 million depending upon the product derived (e.g., wood chips to lumber). States with the greatest urban wood product potential are Florida ($6.6–57.6 million/year) and Georgia ($6.0–52.7 million/year). Along with woody biomass, annual leaf loss has a potential to produce value. The value of nutrients in annual leaf litter is estimated at $551 million per year. In addition to direct revenue from sales, other environmental benefits can be derived through tree waste utilization that reduces landfill waste, use of fertilizers and fossil fuel use in energy production. There are various reasons why this potential maximum value from urban tree waste is not and likely cannot be attained, but its current use and value can be increased. Creating markets and systems to utilize urban tree removals and leaves can help enhance income for urban forest management as well as create social and environmental goods.

Characterization of different types of agricultural biomass and assessment of their potential for energy production in China

Agricultural residues are among the most important and abundant biomass resources in the world. This study aimed to highlight the characterization of common agricultural residues in China. Six indicators, including biomass, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, caloric value, and ash, were selected to evaluate agricultural residue for its potential energy utilization using grey relational analysis. The results showed that residues of grain crops, including corn (439.1 million tons, 46.6%), rice (207.1 million tons, 21.5%), and wheat (150.7 million tons, 16.0%) were the top three agricultural residues, accounting for 84.1% of total Chinese agricultural residues. Among the agricultural residue samples, rice, wheat, and corn exhibited relatively low ash content; and sugarcane, cotton, and rape residue exhibited low lignin content. Rape, corn, and hemp showed higher cellulose content; and rice, wheat, and corn exhibited higher hemicellulose content. Among the agricultural residues, hemp, corn, and sugarcane showed higher caloric value compared to other residues. According to the grey relational analysis, these combined properties have shown that corn, rice, and wheat can act as potential candidates for energy utilization. The evaluation results were essentially identical to the performance of agricultural residues. Therefore, the comprehensive evaluation of agricultural residues provides sound scientific evidence for their use in energy production.

Environmental assessment of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry

3D-printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM), is an emerging technology with suggested potential to decrease environmental impacts in the manufacturing industry. Potential benefits from implementing the technology include reduced product weight, transportation and material losses, as well as improved functionality and possibility for printing of spare parts. Possible drawbacks are increased energy use in production and the slow printing process. As the technology is expected to grow significantly, it is important to assess potential environmental effects of implementation. In this study a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used in the case of Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) of the metal parts of an engine in a light distribution truck. Conventional manufacturing is compared to scenarios with 3D-printing, one representing the present state of development of 3D-printing technology and one representing a possible future state. The results show that, in the future case, PBF potentially improves life cycle environmental performance by redesigning components for weight reduction. However, a clean electricity source was required as well as technological development allowing for printing of large components, with low-impact raw materials. When instead assessing AM in its present state of development, results showed only moderate or negligible environmental improvements. To achieve the future potential environmental benefits from AM it is important to use clean electricity and to develop the technology to be able to use low-impact feedstock materials such as low-alloy steel (avoiding materials based on e.g. nickel). Industries implementing AM should seek to exploit the benefits of the technology, such as weight reduction and functionality improvements as well as the potential offered for printing spare parts for remanufacturing and repairing.

Potential of microfinanced solar water pumping systems for irrigation in rural areas of Burkina Faso

BackgroundThe population in Burkina Faso is rapidly adopting irrigation to adapt to negative impacts of climate change like prolonged drought, rainfall variability and desertification. The solar water pumping systems (SWPS) could be an attractive option in view of climate change impacts, increasing diesel costs and grid electricity scarcity that the country suffers. However, due to high initial cost SWPS, population mainly uses diesel water pumps (DWPs). The main objective of this study is to assess the potential of microfinanced SWPS for irrigation in rural areas of Burkina Faso.MethodsBased on ground data collection and profitability analysis, this study investigates the best SWPS market segments for irrigation in rural areas of Burkina Faso. The case study of the village of Korsimoro was considered. Especially, the study is focused on the onion crop as it is the most cultivated crop in the area of study.ResultsIt was found that there are three main SWPS market segments in the area of study: market segment 1 which is that of farmers individually owning and using a DWP with rated power between 1.5 and 3 kW, market segment 2 which is composed of farmers individually owning a DWP of rated power ranging from 4 to 7.5 kW and market segment 3 which is that of farmers paying for pumping services offered by a pump owner in market segment 2. The study revealed that replacing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water storage tank by DWPs to be used on cloudy days is profitable for all the market segments. The study showed also that at 9.5% interest charged on agricultural equipment, only SWPS for the market segments 2 and 3 can be fully financed through microloan without risk of long payback period.ConclusionsThe results imply that more attention should be given to SWPS in the context of rural areas of Burkina Faso to enhance the productive use of energy and also mitigate the impacts of climate change on the environment. In addition, the study provides detailed information to farmers about how they can make more profitable their activities.