Energy Sustainability Analysis Research Articles

Emerging Issues in Energy Sustainability: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

This research paper seeks to investigate and categorize previous studies to understand better the role of energy generation technology in promoting sustainable development of a country country. The primary aim of this review is to identify and emphasize key issues related to energy sustainability. The study employs a systematic review approach, drawing on academic publications from the Web of Science and Scopus database. The analysis reveals five key issues: the nexus between energy generation and greenhouse gas emissions, energy generation and employment, the impact of energy generation and land use intensity, the association between energy generation and water footprint, and the nexus between energy generation and human health. This study delves into the theoretical dimensions of research concerning the interplay between energy sustainability and various aspects of energy generation technologies. Furthermore, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge concerning Sustainable Development Goal 7, with the overarching goal of enhancing both human well-being and economic prosperity through advancements in energy generation technologies. The study comprehensively explores the subject matter, offering an in-depth analysis of energy sustainability. Its unique contribution lies in its extensive examination of multiple facets of energy sustainability, making it a significant addition to the field of research.

Energy sustainability evolution in the Mediterranean countries and synergies from a global energy scenario for the area

Energy supply is essential for the development of any society and search for energy sustainability is a must with poverty reduction and environmental sustainability as the two challenges to consider for any energy scenario. Meanwhile environmental damage receives predominant attention in the energy sustainability analysis, a lack of attention exists to others, such as external dependence for energy supply or availability of enough energy for people. However, these factors also compromise the sustainability of the assumed policies. An analysis considering these three factors has been developed and applied to countries in the Mediterranean area by considering two well-defined zones: the North side with an adequate level of energy consumption, but with excessive CO2 emissions and high external dependence on energy supply; and, by the contrary, the Middle East and North African countries, with a deficit in energy supply, but without problems in CO2 emissions and external energy supply. Results show a requirement of a 100% renewable scenario for the countries in the North area, while those in the MENA need to increase drastically their energy demand with a significant contribution from renewable sources. Assuming a global scenario for the entire area, energy sustainability could be reached with less demanding requirements.

Is the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) sustainable from the energy point of view?

This article aims to apply the Energy Sustainability Analysis (ESA) to the process of Anaerobic Digestion (AD), considering five different feedstocks: the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), agro-industrial products (energy crops) such as maize and sorghum silages, and agro-zootechnical wastes (slurry and manure) from cattle and pig livestock. The case study focuses on an AD bioreactor which is fed with a constant flow (50 ton/d) at a fixed total solids (TS) concentration (15% TS w/w). The processing chain is divided into three phases: pre-digestion operations, AD and the cogeneration of biogas, and post-digestion operations. The ESA methodology uses dedicated metrics and considers the entire technology chain from the energy resources up to useful energy. Energy crops present important energy footprints that must be spent for their production, while in the AD process, the pre-digestion and post-digestion phases present different energy costs for each analyzed feedstock. The results indicate that although the produced energy depends on the energy potential of the biomasses, the pre-digestion and post-digestion phase have an important weight in the overall energy sustainability of the system. In addition, in the case of the use of agro-zootechnical wastes and energy crops as feed, the availability of sufficient land to spread digestate on the field is essential to ensure the sustainability of AD technology, in its absence the energy sustainability can be critical as shown for the case of maize silage.

Energy Sustainability Analysis (ESA) of Energy-Producing Processes: A Case Study on Distributed H2 Production

In the sustainability context, the performance of energy-producing technologies, using different energy sources, needs to be scored and compared. The selective criterion of a higher level of useful energy to feed an ever-increasing demand of energy to satisfy a wide range of endo- and exosomatic human needs seems adequate. In fact, surplus energy is able to cover energy services only after compensating for the energy expenses incurred to build and to run the technology itself. This paper proposes an energy sustainability analysis (ESA) methodology based on the internal and external energy use of a given technology, considering the entire energy trajectory from energy sources to useful energy. ESA analysis is conducted at two levels: (i) short-term, by the use of the energy sustainability index (ESI), which is the first step to establish whether the energy produced is able to cover the direct energy expenses needed to run the technology and (ii) long-term, by which all the indirect energy-quotas are considered, i.e., all the additional energy requirements of the technology, including the energy amortization quota necessary for the replacement of the technology at the end of its operative life. The long-term level of analysis is conducted by the evaluation of two indicators: the energy return per unit of energy invested (EROI) over the operative life and the energy payback-time (EPT), as the minimum lapse at which all energy expenditures for the production of materials and their construction can be repaid to society. The ESA methodology has been applied to the case study of H2 production at small-scale (10–15 kWH2) comparing three different technologies: (i) steam-methane reforming (SMR), (ii) solar-powered water electrolysis (SPWE), and (iii) two-stage anaerobic digestion (TSAD) in order to score the technologies from an energy sustainability perspective.

Analysis of Energy Sustainability in Ore Slurry Pumping Transport Systems

The mining industry is characterized by a high consumption of energy due to the wide diversity of processes involved, specifically the transportation of ore slurry via pipeline systems. This study investigates the relationship among the variables that define the slurry transportation system to minimize the power requirements and increase energy sustainability. The energy indicator (I), the criterion used for the energy assessment of three different pumping system layouts, was computed via numerical simulation. Optimization of response I was carried out through a statistical technique in the design of the experiment. In the study, four variables were defined to describe the slurry transportation systems, two of which are associated with the piping system (length L and diameter D); the other two are related to the slurry pattern (the volumetric concentration Cv and granulometry D50). The results show that all variables are statistically significant relative to the indicator I, with L having the greatest amplitude of variation in the response, increasing the energy indicator by approximately 60%. Likewise, the decrease of the D50 from 300 µm to 100 µm produces an average decrease of I of 24%. Moreover, the interaction among the factors indicates that two pairs of factors are correlated, namely D50 with L and D with L. Finally, a predictive model obtained a fit that satisfactorily relates with the numerical data, allowing, in a preliminary way, to identify the minimum power requirement in iron ore slurry pipeline systems.

Energy sustainability analysis based on SDGs for developing countries

ABSTRACTElectrical production for residential areas is one of the most important goals of SDGs (17 UN goal) and UN-Habitat III (14 goals) that can be achieved by renewable energy. Now, renewable energy is a significant issue that must be considered seriously as a policy and in order to achieve energy sustainability on a global scale especially in whole developing countries. Also, since the role of renewable energy in sustainable development is remarkable, thus this article presents a comprehensive discussion of energy sustainability for urban areas with related energy indicators and technical analysis of a Hybrid Power System to show the importance of renewable energy to gain energy sustainability. This paper presents the feasibility of using PV-DG hybrid systems as the reliable energy by an economic and technical analysis in one of the southern cities of Iran use of HOMER software. Regarding the high average of solar radiation that is about 5.4 kWh/m2/d in Chabahar city, technical analysis of this system demonstrates that this city has a high capacity to producing the electrical energy via PV-diesel hybrid system with total electrical production amount of 10,575 kWh/yr from PV (8,447 kWh/yr) and Diesel system (2,128 kWh/yr). For do this work at the first, the required data is gathered from the meteorological organization of Iran and then technical and economic analysis is conducted with the Homer software. This study regarding the high potential of solar energy of Chabahar city shows that to achieve development especially in the energy sustainability field needs to implementing proper actions such as enough investment on clean energy and using renewable energy for electrical production.

Energy sustainability of Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC): A case study

Abstract Energy sustainability analysis and durability of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) as energy source are necessary in order to move from the laboratory scale to full-scale application. This paper focus on these two aspects by considering the energy performances of an original experimental test with MFC conducted for six months under an external load of 1000 Ω. Energy sustainability is quantified using Energy Payback Time, the time necessary to produce the energy already spent to construct the MFC device. The results of experiment reveal that the energy sustainability of this specific MFC is never reached due to energy expenditure (i.e. for pumping) and to the low amount of energy produced. Hence, different MFC materials and architectures were analysed to find guidelines for future MFC development. Among these, only sedimentary fuel cells (Benthic MFCs) seem sustainable from an energetic point of view, with a minimum duration of 2.7 years. An energy balance approach highlights the importance of energy calculation. However, this is very often not taken into account in literature. This study outlines promising methodology for the design of an alternative layout of energy sustainable MFC and wastewater management systems.

LCA Analysis of Different MSW Treatment Approaches in the Light of Energy and Sustainability Perspectives

This study concerns with a theoretical investigation on the disposal and valorisation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) through a challenging approach, based on the separation of MSW into two different fractions: Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW). Both fractions are energetically valorised through gasification and anaerobic digestion (AD) processes respectively, in both cases gas streams were burned to produce electrical and thermal energy. The sustainability of the processes from the environmental as well as the energetic point of view, has been pursued, to find out if it can represent a viable alternative to the problem raised by the management of MSW and their landfill containment. Following the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach, each stream of the processes has been analyzed in order to evaluate the environmental performances. On the other hand, the energy sustainability analysis has been carried out following the evaluation of two indexes: the Energy Sustainability Index (ESI) and the Energy Return of Investment (EROI). Results highlight that this process is more sustainable than landfill technology, in particular for global warming, photochemical oxidation and eutrophication impact parameters of CML2001, and categories connected with Human Heath of Eco-indicator99 method; the comparison with traditional landfill option shows that the environmental impacts are less than 10%. The proposed MSW treatment approach is less sustainable than landfill for only two categories: acidification/eutrophication and minerals. In merit to the energy sustainability analysis, the system results to have a positive merit: it produces a surplus of Useful Energy.

Energy sustainability under the framework of telecoupling

Energy systems, which include energy production, conversion, transportation, distribution and utilization, are key infrastructures in modern society. Interactions among energy systems are generally studied under the framework of energy trade. Although such studies have generated important insights, there are limitations. Many distant interactions (e.g. those due to the Fukushima nuclear crisis) are not in the form of trade, but affect energy sustainability. Even when distant interactions are related to energy trade, they are not systematically analyzed. Environmental impacts of trade are often not integrated with economic analysis of trade. In this paper, to identify and fill important knowledge gaps, we apply an integrated framework of telecoupling (socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances). The framework of telecoupling, which is more comprehensive and cross-disciplinary than the energy trade framework, is a useful theoretical and methodological tool for analyzing distant interactions among coupled human and natural systems (including energy systems). Telecouplings widely exist in energy systems with various forms and link energy sustainability of different countries closely, so we proposed some methods for energy sustainability analysis under the framework of telecoupling. From the aspect of causes, a method is proposed to judge whether the telecoupling driven by economic factors is conducive to energy sustainability. From the aspect of effects, a method is proposed to assess whether an event is conducive to energy sustainability. The telecoupling framework presents opportunities for more profound and comprehensive understanding of energy sustainability.