Fossil Fuels For Electricity Production Research Articles

Influence of environmental factors on the power produced by photovoltaic panels artificially weathered

Solar energy is an important renewable energy source and a great option to mitigate the greenhouse gases produced by fossil fuels in electricity production. The common way to use solar energy is through photovoltaic technology. This technology converts solar photons into electricity. However, power production by photovoltaic panels (PV) is strongly related to environmental, manufactured, and maintenance factors. The present work analyzed the exposure of PV panels to environmental conditions at different stages in their lifetime (new, five, ten, 15 years, and 20 years). For this purpose, the PV panel was subjected to a simulated weathering process. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) approach was used to evaluate the influence of environmental conditions (meteorological and air pollution) on power production, which follows a Binomial Negative distribution due to the overdispersion. The proposed method was performed in the tropical Andean during the winter season and in the presence of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Generally, the specific humidity and temperature were the meteorological significant covariates, while the PM2.5 was the air pollution significant covariate. Higher power production efficiencies were obtained in the presence of precipitation and wind velocity as significant covariates. The model evaluation had adequate criteria values, NSE between 0.76 and 0.96, and correlation coefficient between 0.87 and 0.98 using a new and weathered 15-year PV panel, respectively.

Unintended consequences of COVID-19 public policy responses on renewable energy power: evidence from OECD countries in the EU.

Since 2020, governments around the world have implemented many types of public policies in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. These dramatic public policies have substantially changed production and consumption activities, thereby temporarily lowering electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions. This study argues that pandemic-induced public policies have unintentionally slowed the transition to renewable energy use in the EU since the decline in greenhouse gas emissions due to the lockdowns helped countries temporarily reduce their total emissions. We employ a fixed-effect model to investigate the effects of different types of COVID-19 public policy responses on electricity production, consumption, and net imports in 12 OECD countries in the EU, and we mainly focus on the share of electricity production from renewable energy sources. Among several public policy responses, stringent lockdown policies, such as workplace closures, stay-at-home requirements, and restrictions on gathering size, have negative and statistically significant impacts on electricity generation and consumption. Furthermore, countries with stringent lockdown policies are more likely to import electricity from other countries to mitigate the electricity shortages in their domestic markets. Importantly, we find that lockdown events have negative and statistically significant effects on the share of renewables in electricity production while increasing the share of fossil fuels in electricity production. In contrast, economic support policies such as income support, debt relief, and economic stimulus programs help reduce the share of fossil fuels in electricity production and decrease the net import of electricity from other countries. Our results indicate that the public policies implemented in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 have mixed effects on the transition to renewable energy sources in the EU, suggesting that the current decline in greenhouse gas emissions comes from the reduction in electricity use due to lockdown events instead of the adoption of renewable energy use and discouraging the transition to renewable energy sources.

Energy saving potential diagnosis for Moroccan university campuses

<abstract> <p>Public buildings are energy-intensive users, especially when energy management is lacking. More than ever, the use of energy efficiency strategies and renewable energy sources (RES) in buildings are a national priority for Morocco in order to improve energy self-sufficiency, replace fossil fuel use and lower energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Relating to the exemplarity of the Moroccan government in terms of energy efficiency and sustainable development, the study support that aim and presents results of a deep energy performance analysis of more than 20 university campuses across Morocco, which has concluded that around 80% of the energy consumed in the university campuses is designated for lightning and hot water for sanitary use. Later, this study examined the potential for energy saving and the environmental benefits of implementing actions to reduce energy demand from the grid, considering the use of on-site solar energy. Thereafter, the study aimed to analyze the impact of RES integration in public university campuses, namely the photovoltaic (ESM1) for electricity output and solar thermal system for hot water use (ESM2), to assess the techno-economic-environmental performance on building energy consumption reduction. Hence, the paper reported a detailed energetic-economic and environmental (3E) analysis simulation for campuses by integration of the two Energy Saving Measurements (ESM). The results showed that the integration of ESM1 system can reduce the annual energy demand by 22% and the energy bill by 34%, whereas the integration of ESM2 achieved 67% in energy saving. According to the analysis of the results, the integration of ESM1 is expected to save 6044 MWh of electrical energy annually on the 30222 MWh for all campuses and 2559 MWh for ESM2 which is equivalent to 284 m<sup>3</sup>/yr of diesel. With the reduced energy consumption, it is possible to cut down fossil fuels for electricity production and offset greenhouse gas emissions by 672 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Besides, the evaluation of results showed that the energy performance indicator was reduced from 530 kWh/bed /yr to 248 kWh/bed/yr, which represents 56% of energy saving.</p> </abstract>

The Role of Renewable Energy in the Transition to Green, Low-Carbon Power Generation in Asia

An essential factor in a nation's economic development is energy. Among the various energy sources, renewable energies have demonstrated that they can replace fossil fuels in electricity production without harming the environment and are a trustworthy and affordable source to meet future energy requirements. Asia is now involved in an energy and economy transition process to move away from a fossil fuel-based energy matrix toward a green economy, where electricity generation will depend on renewable energy. This shift should be carried out and supported by governments and energy industries in different countries. The manuscript aims to provide governments and industry representatives with the latest information they need to guide the energy transaction to a green economy, minimizing the harmful ecological and environmental impact.

Solar Panels and their Diverse Characteristics: An All-Inclusive Study

In recent years the use of solar energy is found to have grown by a large amount. Solar energy is renewable energy and the demand for it as clean energy shows its growth by nearly 50 percent in the past decade. It is estimated that the sun is able to generate energy within 24 hours that the entire population of the world could consume in 27 years. Solar power is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. The energy harnessed from the sun's rays is used for a variety of applications like electricity generation, to provide light for the interior environment, and many other domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Usage of fossil fuels for electricity production results in increased pollution and this mandates many governments to encourage moving to electricity generation using solar power. The large amount of solar energy that is available is found to be the most appealing source of electricity. Solar panels form a major part of the solar energy setup. Hence in this article let us review the various types of solar panels. This paper also deals with comparing the merits and demerits of the different types of solar panels that are available in the market. A section that presents the efficiency of the different kinds of the solar panel is also present in this paper. The role of temperature coefficient, fire rating, and hail rating in the performance of the solar panel is also addressed in this paper.

An energy saving potential analysis of lighting retrofit scenarios in outdoor lighting systems: A case study for a university campus

This study investigates the energy-saving potential and environmental effects of the whole outdoor lighting applications including the roads, footpaths and garden lights at Istiklal Campus of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey. 92% of the energy consumed for the outdoor lighting at the campus are used up by metal-halide lamps. Campus lighting is on automatically with the daylight sensor and operates for 10 h on average during the summer times and 13 h on average during the winter times. For this outdoor lighting system, energy-efficient lighting alternatives are investigated under four different scenarios. These scenarios are: shutting down some lamps 30 min after the education finishes at the campus; dimming for lamps; retrofitting the non-LED lights with effective LED lights and finally using the last two alternatives together. Next, potential energy-saving and the effects of this energy-saving on the environment are analyzed. According to the analysis results, a combination of retrofitting the lighting and dimming control systems are calculated to save 762 MWh electrical energy annually. With the reduced energy consumption, it is possible to cut down fossil fuels for electricity production and release 251 tons less carbon to the atmosphere annually. When the cost comparison is made for 12 years, it is predicted that about 1.3 million euros will be saved in the fourth scenario. Available traditional lighting systems in almost all of the cities in Turkey are inadequate in terms of energy efficiency. General lighting services constitute a significant part of the municipalities’ electricity costs in small cities. The scenarios proposed in this study can be applied by the municipalities on a city or neighborhood scale, taking into account criteria such as initial investment cost, energy savings, security, payback time and remote controllability & traceability.

Long-term opportunities for electricity production through municipal solid waste incineration when internalising external costs

A further deployment of waste-to-energy incineration facilities (WtE plants) is expected in Europe in order to abate the use of landfills for municipal solid waste. Besides being a straightforward solution for this waste management purpose, WtE plants contribute to reducing the dependence on fossil fuels for electricity production. In this sense, this article follows a combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Energy Systems Modelling (ESM) approach to prospectively assess the potential role of a national power generation system as a driving force for the promotion of WtE plants when internalising external costs. Since the internalisation of external costs for sustainability-oriented, long-term energy planning typically involves a life-cycle perspective, emphasis is laid on the controversial choice of a method to allocate the life-cycle environmental burdens of WtE plants between their waste management and power generation functions. A high penetration of WtE plants (up to 10% of the total electricity production) is found only when the waste management service is assumed to bear all burdens. On the contrary, a negligible contribution of WtE plants to the prospective electricity production mix is found when the burdens are completely or partly allocated to the power generation function. Hence, under a (sensible) balanced approach of shared burdens, the power generation system is concluded not to be a driving force for the increased role of WtE plants. Furthermore, the need for policy-makers (or other relevant decision-makers) to set the allocation method in LCA of WtE plants is stressed.

Energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and durability when using additives in the wood fuel pellet chain

The use of renewable resources for bioenergy should be performed to support sustainable development. Since the use of bioenergy has increased significantly worldwide in recent years and biomass is made of limited resources it must be used efficiently and with a low environmental impact. The wood fuel pellet industry has the possibility to meet these criteria; however, it also has the potential for improvements. This work investigates how the additives, cornstarch and molasses, affect: the electricity consumption of the pellet press, the emission of Carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2 eq.) from the production of wood fuel pellets in three different countries with different emissions from electricity, the durability of the pellets and its effects on energy efficiency. The results show that pellet production is more energy efficient when additives are used, and that the amount of CO2 eq. increases with an increased use of additives. In countries with a low usage of fossil fuels for electricity production, the global warming impact gets higher due to the additives; while in countries that use a lot of fossil fuels to produce electricity, the global warming impact will be reduced because of the additives by up to 1%. The increased global warming impact from the additives can be balanced by the decrease in the reduced amount of rejected material within the production. That is because the durability of the pellets increases with an increasing amount of additive.

Social acceptance of renewable energy sources: A review of contingent valuation applications

This paper presents a literature review addressing the public acceptance of renewable energy as a replacement for fossil fuels in electricity production. This review was motivated by the global tendency for a substitution of conventional fuels by renewable energy sources (RES) during the global financial crisis. It studies research on the preferences and attitudes of local communities towards investments in renewable energy projects and their perception of the use of new energy technologies in their daily lives, through various case studies worldwide. An effort is made to identify the parameters that influence consumers' energy behaviour, together with their interest, or lack thereof, in the environmental impact of using fossil fuels to produce energy and their willingness to reduce it. Applications of contingent valuation are examined, which are employed to analyse public attitudes towards the use of RES for electricity production. Willingness-to-pay is observed to be correlated to socioeconomic characteristics including education, interest in environmental issues and knowledge of RES. Finally, the profile of a typical green energy consumer and appropriate policy paths for the penetration of RES into the energy market are outlined.

Review of carbon dioxide capture and storage with relevance to the South African power sector

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their association with climate change are currently a major discussion point in government and amongst the public at large in South Africa, especially because of the country’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels for electricity production. Here we review the current situation regarding CO2 emissions in the South African power generation sector, and potential process engineering solutions to reduce these emissions. Estimates of CO2 emissions are presented, with the main sources of emissions identified and benchmarked to other countries. A promising mid-term solution for mitigation of high CO2 emissions, known as CO2 capture and storage, is reviewed. The various aspects of CO2 capture and storage technology and techniques for CO2 capture from pulverised coal power plants are discussed; these techniques include processes such as gas absorption, hydrate formation, cryogenic separation, membrane usage, sorbent usage, enzyme-based systems and metal organic frameworks. The latest power plant designs which optimise CO2 capture are also discussed and include integrated gasification combined cycle, oxy-fuel combustion, integrated gasification steam cycle and chemical looping combustion. Each CO2 capture technique and plant modification is presented in terms of the conceptual idea, the advantages and disadvantages, and the extent of development and applicability in a South African context. Lastly, CO2 transportation, storage, and potential uses are also presented. The main conclusions of this review are that gas absorption using solvents is currently most applicable for CO2 capture and that enhanced coal bed methane recovery could provide the best disposal route for CO2 emissions mitigation in South Africa.

Energetska samozadostnost planinskih postojank v Triglavskem narodnem parku

V oskrbi planinskih postojank v Triglavskem narodnem parku z električno energijo je prišlo v zadnjih dvajsetih letih do izrazitega prehoda iz fosilnih virov na obnovljive vire energije. V poletju 2012 so imele vse preučevane postojanke nameščene sončne celice, nekatere tudi vetrne generatorje. Na podlagi analize energetske oskrbe postojank, upoštevajoč njihove potrebe po energiji, električno oskrbo in toplotno oskrbo, smo izdelali tipizacijo. Za postojanke, ki za proizvodnjo električne energije še vedno uporabljajo fosilna goriva, smo predlagali ukrepe in izpostavili prednostne naloge.

Is economic growth good or bad for the environment? Empirical evidence from Korea

The effects of economic growth on the environment in Korea, for a given level of energy consumption, and fossil fuels and nuclear energy in electricity production, are examined in a dynamic cointegration framework. To that end, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach is used. We find empirical evidence supporting the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for Korea; that is, economic growth indeed plays a favorable role in influencing environmental outcomes. It is also found that, in both the short- and long-run, nuclear energy has a beneficial effect on environmental quality, whereas fossil fuels in electricity production and energy consumption have a detrimental effect on the environment.

The potential of water power in the fight against global warming in the US

The leading cause of climate change today is the burning of fossil fuels related to energy production. One approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, is to more actively switch to renewable technologies in the production of electricity, and reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity production. This is the goal of renewable portfolio standard (RPS) legislation, currently in effect in 28 states across the country. In this paper we discuss the potential for water power development as one method to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions. We look at the potential from (1) new small/micro hydropower dams, (2) uprating facilities at existing large hydropower dams, (3) new generating facilities at existing non-hydropower dams, and (4) hydrokinetics. We analyze this potential by type, by state, and by its ability to satisfy current RPS goals. Finally, we consider the cost-effectiveness of developing these sources of water-based energy. We find that while water power will never be the complete answer to emissions-free energy production, a strong case can be made that it can be a useful part of the answer.

The Potential of Water Power in the Fight Against Global Warming

The leading cause of climate change today is the burning of fossil fuels related to energy production. One approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, is to more actively switch to proven renewable technologies in the production of electricity, and reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity production. This is the goal of renewable portfolio standard (RPS) legislation, currently in effect in 28 states across the country. In this paper we discuss the potential for water power development as one method to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. We look at the potential from 1) new small/micro hydropower dams, 2) uprating facilities at existing large hydropower dams, 3) new generating facilities at existing non-hydropower dams, and 4) hydrokinetics. We analyze this potential by type, by state, and by its ability to satisfy current RPS goals. Finally, we consider the cost-effectiveness of developing these sources of water-based energy. We find that while water power will never be the complete answer to emissions-free energy production, a strong case can be made that it can be a useful part of the answer.

Alternative energy sources in the Amazon

This paper discusses the evaluation of energy potential of palm oil for the generation of electricity in isolated communities. In Brazil, the energy sector culture has historically been directed almost exclusively toward major projects geared to meet the demands of those sectors of society that have the greatest economic and political influence. Prioritizing industrialization and an accelerated urbanization, they have oriented the national energy system toward centralized production of enormous blocks of energy adapted to meet major urban concentration consumption but incapable of satisfying the needs of a large part of the population that inhabits the rural areas. These small- and medium-sized communities are sometimes isolated from the developed urban centers and not connected to the conventional electricity networks. In this scenario, the Amazon region stands out due to its huge territorial extension and low demographic density, which is scattered among islands and other locations not easily accessible. As a rule, these areas lack electricity, and, when they do have it, supply is precarious and provided through fossil fuels for electricity production

Quantification of methane emission from municipal solid waste disposal in Delhi

In this article, system dynamics modeling approach has been used to quantify the methane emission from municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in Delhi. The contribution of MSW management measures to mitigate methane emission proposed in MSW management scheme has been investigated using various possible scenarios analysis. If the current waste management policies are followed, the methane emission is projected to reach 254 Gg/year by the year 2025. The results indicate that the proposed waste management policy for Delhi would significantly reduce the methane emission to the level of 2001 by the year 2025 despite an almost two-fold increase in waste generation. Energy recovery form various treatment and disposal methods can also contribute indirectly to the reduction of greenhouse effect by replacing fossil fuels in electricity production.

Eucalyptus plantations for electricity generation: the cost of carbon dioxide abatement in Thailand

Short-rotation plantations are expected to play an important role in the transition towards renewable energy, in particular in many developing countries. At present, developing countries do not have any carbon dioxide (CO2 ) abatement targets under the Kyoto Protocol, but CO2 mitigating projects might nevertheless be carried out through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The purpose of this paper is to analyse: i) the economics of eucalyptus production in the east and northeast of Thailand and ii) the cost of substituting eucalyptus wood for fossil fuels for electricity production. The productivity of eucalyptus plantations is estimated at 7–11 dry ton/hectare(ha)/year over a rotation period of 3 to 5 years. The levelised cost of eucalyptus wood delivered to the factory gate is estimated at 13–18 USD/fresh ton (1.2–1.7 USD/GJ). If eucalyptus wood is used for electricity generation, the cost of electricity generation would be 6.2 US cents/kWh, and consequently the cost of substituting a wood-fired plant for a coal-fired plant and a gas-fired plant would be 107 and 196 USD/ton-C, respectively. The extent to which eucalyptus plantations could offer economically attractive options for electricity generation and CO2 abatement depends, among other things, on the cost of reducing CO2 emissions in the Annex 1 countries and CO2 mitigation options in developing countries. In addition, it depends on the economics of eucalyptus production as seen by farmers. There are also several other factors that affect an increased establishment of eucalyptus plantations in Thailand. The potential land-use change impact as well as the social and environmental impact associated with establishing mono-culture eucalyptus plantations as a CO2 abatement strategy are, however, not analysed in this paper and should be further investigated.

Power Generation Technologies for Low‐Rank Coals

AbstractWorld electricity production is expected to double over the next twenty‐five years [1]. Dependence on fossil fuels for electricity production will continue to dominate through this period and well into the future. Currently, coal is the fuel for about 30% of total installed power generation capacity and the coal share of the electricity market is expected to remain essentially steady over the next 25 years (Figure 1). Nevertheless, the amount of coal consumed for power generation will increase substantially (Table 1) [1]. It is expected that world coal‐fired power production will grow at an average rate of 3% per annum. The forecast demand growth for power generation will require an investment of the order of US$3 trillion with about US$1 trillion in coal‐fired power generation. The increase in demand is attributed to growth in world population by 50 percent over the next 25 years [2] and by heavy demand growth in the Asia Pacific‐rim nations.In Australia, coal is the principal fuel for power generation providing 82 percent of electricity production. Two thirds of the electricity generated from coal in Australia relies on high‐rank coals (bituminous coals) and one‐third on low‐rank coals (brown coals and lignite).While the rate of growth of renewable energy and biomass technologies is expected to be substantial in the next few decades, it is apparent that these technologies will provide only a relatively small proportion of Australia's total energy needs. Coal will remain the principal fuel for electricity generation, in Australia and worldwide, for many decades to come.In order to minimise the impact of coal fired power generation on the environment there is a need to develop and install advanced cycle power generation systems when it is economically viable to do so.