Power Generation Technologies Research Articles

Optimal cooperative scheduling strategy of energy storage and electric vehicle based on residential building integrated photovoltaic

With the development of photovoltaic (PV) power generation technology, more and more families have begun to use solar energy. However, the uncertainty of solar energy production and user electricity demand has brought huge challenges to the development of efficient energy scheduling strategies. To deal with the uncertainty of electricity behavior, Monte Carlo generates the electricity scenario sets based on real data. According to the principle of minimum average distribution error (ADE), the scene with 200 scenes is selected for scheduling. Then, the Transformer model with random error (RE-Trans) is used to predict solar radiation and outdoor temperature. Through verification, it is found that the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the former is 0.389 and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is 0.514. The MAE of the latter is 0.212 and RMSE is 0.413. To make effective decisions in the agent with the environment, a Deep Reinforcement Learning model with self-attention mechanism (SAN-DRL) is designed. The model aims to achieve a dynamic balance between electricity costs, carbon emissions and electricity sales income. Through continuous interaction with the environment, the agent finally obtains the optimal disordered charging and discharging behavior of energy storage systems (ESS) and electric vehicle systems (EVs), which greatly improves the utilization of solar energy resources. Finally, through simulation experiments, the proposed method is compared with both the baseline model and the ideal scheduling. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can reduce electricity costs and carbon emissions by 83.72 % and 72.08 %, respectively. Additionally, it achieves a net income of 38.59 CNY.

A novel swirl burner with coal co-firing ammonia: Effect of extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe on combustion and NOx formation

The coal/ammonia co-firing technology for thermal power generation is a feasible method to effectively reduce CO2 emissions. However, the easy formation of NOx is one of the challenges faced by this technology owing to the high nitrogen content in ammonia. This study proposes a novel swirl burner with a scalable dual-channel ammonia pipe, and evaluates the combustion and NOx formation under different extension lengths of the dual-channel ammonia pipe (i.e., 0 m, 0.4 m, 0.8 m, 1.0 m, 1.2 m). The results show that the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe significantly affects the flow, combustion, and NOx formation. When the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe is above 0.8 m, the ammonia stream can completely penetrate the internal recirculation zone into the high CO environment, which contributes to promoting the ammonia pyrolysis and inhibiting the ammonia oxidation to form NOx. NOx emissions significantly decrease from 846 ppm to 146 ppm as the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe from 0 m to 0.8 m, but change slightly as further increases from 0.8 m to 1.2 m. The carbon content in fly ash decreases from 4.53% to 3.40% as the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe increases from 0 m to 1.0 m. Still, it increases from 3.40% to 3.70% as the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe rises to 1.2 m. Overall, it is reasonable to set the extension length of the dual-channel ammonia pipe at 1.0 m in this studied condition, which can obtain low NOx and low carbon content in fly ash.

Analysis of Liquid Air Energy Storage System with Organic Rankine Cycle and Heat Regeneration System

Liquid air energy storage (LAES) is one of the most promising technologies for power generation and storage, enabling power generation during peak hours. This article presents the results of a study of a new type of LAES, taking into account thermal and electrical loads. The following three variants of the scheme are being considered: with single-stage air compression and the use of compression heat for regasification (Case 1); with single-stage compression and the organic Rankine cycle (Case 2); and with three-stage air compression/expansion and the organic Rankine cycle (Case 3). To analyze the proposed schemes, the Aspen HYSYS v.12 software package was used to compile models of the studied cycles. The analysis shows that round-trip efficiency (RTE) can be as high as 54%. The cost of 1 kg of liquid air is USD 7–8. Moreover, it is shown that the generation of electrical energy largely depends on the operation of the expander plant, followed by the organic Rankine cycle (ORC).

Analysis of the Use of Ocean Wave Power Generation Technology as an Environmentally Friendly Energy Alternative in Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelagic country that is geographically located between two continents and two oceans. As a country blessed with vast ocean expanses, Indonesia has great potential for marine energy sources. Ocean Wave Power Plants (PLTGL) are a type of energy that has advantages compared to other energy sources, namely that they are available throughout the ocean and are considered more environmentally friendly. However, in its use, Ocean Wave Power Plants require quite a lot of money. Apart from that, even though it is considered more environmentally friendly, ocean wave technology also has environmental impacts. This research aims to analyze the use of ocean wave power generation technology. The method used in this research is a qualitative research method with a literature study approach. The results of this research show that ocean wave power plants are a renewable energy source that has great potential to be used as an environmentally friendly alternative energy source in Indonesia

Application of Non-Fuel Power Generation Technology in Steel Industry

Through continuous equipment technology transformation and full utilization of Ma Steel's abundant gas, the boiler no longer relies on fuel oil for stable combustion during boiler startup, sliding parameter shutdown, and RB, thus achieving safe and stable operation of the boiler under any abnormal working conditions, and achieving good economic and social benefits.

Water availability may not restrict the implementation of carbon capture utilization and storage technology: Evidence from China's electric power sector

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), a water resource-intensive technology, has been projected to be restricted by water resources in the future. However, the water-saving effects resulting from technology progress and CO2-Enhanced water recovery (CO2-EWR) process are not been fully considered. Based on the learning curve theory, this study proposes a new water accounting system for CCUS retrofitting of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) from a dynamic perspective considering power generation, carbon capture, and CO2-EWR technology. The results show that the total water withdrawal per unit of CCUS retrofitting with the first-generation capture technology will decrease by 66.89 %, and the total water consumption per unit of that will decrease by 74.70 % from 2021 to 2050. By contrast, the water withdrawal and consumption per unit with the second-generation capture technology will decrease by 74.12 % and 82.51 %, with the overall unit water consumption below 0.5 m3/MWh. Moreover, the water usage caused by CCUS retrofitting will be greatly relieved through the progress of geological sequestration technology (especially the CO2-EWR). In addition, the water usage during the capture process for circulation cooling and air-cooling would present an “inverted U” shaped trend affected by the capture scale and technology progress. Remarkably, the water withdrawal and consumption intensity of CFPPs with air-cooling technology is significantly lower than those of the circulation cooling technology for power generation, while the opposite happens if the capture technology is applied. Even so, CCUS retrofitting for the CFPPs with air-cooling technology can save 60 × 104 m3 of water resource after 2040, which is positive for the CCUS deployment in the arid areas of China.

Integration of Methane Reforming and Chemical Looping Technologies for Power Generation from Waste Plastic: Technical and Economic Assessment

An imperative environmental concern is escalating due to the widespread disposal of plastic waste in oceans and landfills, adversely impacting ecosystems and marine life. In this context, sustainable methods for plastic waste utilisation were evaluated, particularly for power generation. Two case studies were developed to assess the potential utilisation of waste plastic, specifically polyethylene and polypropylene, by integrating gasification with steam methane reforming (SMR) alongside two oxygen-supplying techniques for combustion including cryogenic air separation (ASU) and chemical looping combustion (CLC) for case 1 and case 2, respectively. For this, thorough process simulations of both case studies were performed to obtain detailed material and energy balances. The techno-economic analysis was performed to assess the economic performance of the processes by estimating levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The results indicated that case 2 is more efficient (5.4%) due to the lower utility requirement of the CLC process as compared to ASU. Consequently, case 2 generated a LCOE of USD 137/MW. It was also seen from the results that the power output is directly proportional to the methane input while the increase in gasifier temperature enhances the H2 and CO content in syngas.

Research on the Economics of Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Integrated into the Grid

In order to accelerate the development of distributed energy, the country vigorously promotes distributed power generation technology, and the development of this technology will gradually break the traditional monopoly of electricity, and energy reform will move towards new development. Distributed photovoltaic power generation energy technology has high utilization rate and low pollution, which is a new trend in energy development. This paper studies the economic benefits brought by the integration of distributed photovoltaic power generation into the power grid for people's lives and the resulting economic benefits.

Developments and prospects of additive manufacturing for thermoelectric materials and technologies

In view of the increased demand for electricity and the associated environmental and financial concerns, there is an urgent need to develop technological solutions that can improve the efficiency of engineering systems and processes. Thermoelectric (TE) technologies, with their capability of direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy, are promising technologies for green power generation through using them as energy harvesting devices for waste heat recovery in industrial processes and power generation systems.To date, TE technologies are still not commercialized on a large scale due to various economic and technical obstacles. The majority of previous research on TE technologies concentrated on improving the TE properties, such as electronic transport and figure-of-merit, while limited attempts were made to identify the best material processing techniques or reduce the cost of manufacturing. Conventional Manufacturing (CM) of TE materials and devices is multi-stage, complex, labour-intensive, time-consuming, and has high energy requirements. Thus, manufacturing challenges are considered key contributors toward limited industrial adoption of TE technologies.The rapid advent of advanced Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, in recent years, caused dramatic changes in engineering design thinking and created opportunities to solve manufacturing challenges. With its significant capabilities, AM can be the route to address the shortcomings of CM of the thermoelectric technologies. In this regard, this paper presents an in-depth review of the literature studies on using AM technologies, such as selective laser melting, fused deposition modelling, direct ink writing, stereo lithography, etc., for manufacturing TE materials and devices. The benefits and challenges of each AM technology are discussed to identify their merits and the required future research. This paper demonstrates the role of AM in advancing green materials and technologies for solving some of the outstanding energy and environmental issues.

Efficiency improvement and flexibility enhancement by molten salt heat storage for integrated gasification chemical-looping combustion combined cycle under partial loads

Chemical-looping combustion offers a promising carbon capture technology for coal-fired power generation. Enhancing the operational flexibility and energy efficiency of such plants is crucial for achieving primary energy savings and renewable energy accommodation. In this study, the operating characteristics of an integrated gasification chemical-looping combustion combined cycle (IGCLCCC) under various loads are studied, and the deterioration mechanism of its thermodynamic performance is revealed. Further, an IGCLCCC scheme coupled with molten salt heat storage is proposed and evaluated from thermodynamic performance and operational flexibility. Study results indicate that the net efficiency of the IGCLCCC reaches 37.7% under 30% load, which is superior to those of conventional CO2 capture power plants under full load. Adopting the heat storage system significantly improves the operational flexibility and energy efficiency of the IGCLCCC by expanding its operating range from 30.0∼100.0% to 25.7∼105.3%. The equivalent round-trip efficiency of the heat storage system reaches 134.6% due to the upgrading of the thermal energy from the exhaust gas of the air turbine from original low levels to high levels driven by the exergy saving during the oxygen carrier-air reaction because of the air preheating to a high temperature.

Design of actuator motor acceleration model in dual axis tracker movement for stand-alone PV system

Stand-alone photovoltaic system or PV is a power generation technology with potential that is environmentally friendly and also one of the solutions for saving high electricity rates today. However, problems that often occur due to weather fluctuations that are always changing, especially North Sumatra, Indonesia result in the conversion produced by solar cells not being optimal. Therefore, it is necessary to do a new model with a dual tracker system and the development of accelerator motor actuators so that the resulting energy conversion is more optimal. The result of optimizing the reliability of the polycrystalline type solar panel which is designed with an additional photovoltaic tracker system to maximize the conversion of solar energy to solar panels is to obtain an output power of 303.72 volts DC and 267.52 volts DC in the position where the tracker is not used. Then the percentage increase in energy reached 29.80%. Dual axis tracker technology is able to maximize energy conversion in improving PV usage performance. The implementation of a stand-alone PV system will be beneficial if the installation is in Indonesian territory, especially in disadvantaged, frontier and outermost areas.

Research on Financial Performance Evaluation and Risk Governance of Photovoltaic Enterprises Under the Whole Industry Chain Model

As China puts forward the strategic development goals of “carbon peak” and “carbon neutrality”, the demand for clean energy is increasing day by day. Solar energy-based power generation technology has developed rapidly in recent years and has become increasingly mature. The competition among photovoltaic companies has gradually intensified. At present, most leading enterprises in the photovoltaic industry are extending to the integration of the industrial chain, and the whole industrial chain strategy has become the mainstream strategic direction. Based on the above situation, from the perspective of the industrial chain, this paper selects the three leading enterprises in the photovoltaic industry, evaluates and analyzes their financial performance after the entire industrial chain model, and then explores the possible risks in the entire industrial chain model of photovoltaic enterprises, and puts forward the suggestions of governance risks.

Design and Control Strategy of an Integrated Floating Photovoltaic Energy Storage System

Floating photovoltaic (FPV) power generation technology has gained widespread attention due to its advantages, which include the lack of the need to occupy land resources, low risk of power limitations, high power generation efficiency, reduced water evaporation, and the conservation of water resources. However, FPV systems also face challenges, such as a significant impact from aquatic environments on the system’s stability and safety and high operational and maintenance costs, leading to large fluctuations in the grid-connected power output. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate energy storage devices with FPV systems to form an integrated floating photovoltaic energy storage system that facilitates the secure supply of power. This study investigates the theoretical and practical issues of integrated floating photovoltaic energy storage systems. A novel integrated floating photovoltaic energy storage system was designed with a photovoltaic power generation capacity of 14 kW and an energy storage capacity of 18.8 kW/100 kWh. The control methods for photovoltaic cells and energy storage batteries were analyzed. The coordinated control of photovoltaic cells was achieved through MPPT control and improved droop control, while the coordinated control of energy storage batteries involved a droop charge–discharge mode, a constant-voltage charging mode, and a standby mode. The simulations were realized in MATLAB/Simulink and the results validated the effectiveness of the coordinated control strategy proposed in this study. The strategy achieved operational stability and efficiency of the integrated photovoltaic energy storage system.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): Analysis of the Technological Transfer Process and Innovation Dynamics in the Swiss Building Sector

Solar has confirmed its dominance among all power generation technologies, and along with the demand for zero-emission buildings, Photovoltaics (PV) is contributing to transforming the building skin. More than 200 products for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) are commercialized nowadays in the EU market. However, only 1–3% of all PV installations are BIPV due to the weak penetration in the construction sector. At the state of the art, the sector lacks a specific analysis from a construction technology perspective, describing the dynamics and the traits that BIPV innovation articulates on construction and architectural processes. The authors, elaborating a new model from the building technology sector to explore the relationship between PV technology and architectural innovation, aim to identify the main principles, forms, and approaches that describe the structural organization of the “integrability” concept of PV in buildings. This study applies the method to a database of 233 real buildings located in Switzerland, a unique country leading with a 10% BIPV rate on PV installations documented between the years 1997 and 2023. The novel findings of the research suggest the definition of the levels of innovation and the reference traits of the innovative process of BIPV in the Swiss construction sector, which can also be used in other practical applications and contexts. The results of the paper are expected to impact both the scientific academy and the key players from the construction sector, encouraging the adoption of an integrated research and design approach to revolutionize the energy role of building skins with PV.

Exergy analysis of off-design performance in solar-aided power generation systems: Evaluating the rationality of using part-load operation solution of coal-fired plants

Solar aided coal-fired power generation (SAPG) technology has been proven to be an effective way of renewable energy utilization. However, the efficiency of coal-fired units declines at partial loads, and solar inputs may further force the system to deviate from its design condition. In particular, part-load operation solutions for coal-fired units (PLOS) are conventionally applied to the SAPG system, a practice whose appropriateness has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. This paper, therefore, selects a 330 MW SAPG plant as a case study to conduct an exhaustive exergy analysis under off-design conditions. The findings indicate that the governing stage of the steam turbine and the slip-pressure operation are the main contributors to the efficiency degradation at partial loads. In addition, solar input resulted in significant changes in key operating parameters, such as exhaust flow rate and the pressure of each turbine stage. Merely adopting the PLOS for SAPG systems results in a marked increase in standard coal consumption by 0.99, 2.82, and 3.63 g/kWh at 50 %, 40 %, and 30 % load, respectively. However, the introduction of solar energy presents the potential to operate the unit more efficiently, particularly when valve point conditions are optimally adjusted. For instance, upon input of 28 MW solar thermal power, the #3 valve point condition shifted from a load of 321 MW–330 MW, achieving a reduction in standard coal consumption by 0.96 g/kWh, compared to the design condition of the original coal-fired unit. This study underscores the irrationality of directly applying PLOS from coal-fired units to SAPG system without tailored adjustments for solar integration.

Analyzing the Implementation of Green Industries Practice at PT. Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Tuban Plant towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

This research examines the implementation of green industry practices at PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Tuban Plant and its contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a state-owned multinational corporation in the cement industry, PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Tuban Plant plays a significant role in integrating environmental sustainability into its business operations. Through a qualitative exploratory approach, data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation study. The analysis revealed that the company has implemented various green industry practices across its operations, including the adoption of Alternative Fuel and Raw Material (AFR), Waste Heat Recovery Power Generation (WHRPG) technology, and community development programs. These practices align with several SDGs, particularly SDGs 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, focusing on clean energy, innovation, sustainable cities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, and life on land. The research highlights PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Tuban Plant as a pioneering entity in environmental management and community empowerment within the cement industry, contributing significantly to sustainable development efforts.

Evaluation of extracting biomass energy using a strategic decision support system

Electricity significantly influences the long-term development of society. Traditional power generation technologies have encountered numerous challenges. The rising demand for power generation and the scarcity of fossil fuel resources have prompted the adoption of renewable energy sources. Biomass is a renewable energy source that can be utilized to generate power and promote a more sustainable environment. This paper presents improved Pythagorean Probabilistic Hesitancy Fuzzy Set (PPHFS) multi-criteria information fusion processes. The development of connection numbers (CN) and the proposal of a distance measure between CNs have been initiated. The suggested solution involves a distance measure based on the CN score function. Set-pair analysis (SPA) is a prior uncertainty theory that incorporates three elements of CN and overlaps with the PPHFS. Biomass energy generation poses a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that requires a wide range of resources for evaluation. The study introduces a novel Projection Ranking by Similarity to the Referencing Vector (PRSRV) and Simultaneous Evaluation of Criteria and Alternatives (SECA) to effectively handle data ambiguity and generate weights for all criteria in the MCDM problem. The criteria’s weights were found to fall within the range of 0.2122 and 0.0232. The proposed method indicates that animal residues are the most desirable resource for bioenergy production, followed by municipal solid residues, agricultural residues, forest and crop residues, industrial residues, and algae. The research aims to assist decision-makers and organizations in evaluating and prioritizing various energy sources on a sustainable scale. The method presented exhibits superior data adaptability compared to other MCDM approaches.

Comparative study of different layouts in the closed-Brayton-cycle-based segmented cooling thermal management system for scramjets

The segmented cooling thermal management system based on the closed-Brayton-cycle (CBC) is an excellent technology for thermal protection and power generation of scramjets. In this paper, a comparative study is conducted to investigate the system performance under different supercritical carbon dioxide CBC layouts. A zero-dimensional thermodynamic model was established to analyze the effects of compressor inlet temperature (T1), turbine inlet temperature (T3), and compressor outlet pressure (p2) on fuel mass flow rate for cooling (mf) and net power (Pnet). A quasi-one-dimensional flow and heat transfer model was developed to study the cooling effectiveness. Results indicate that higher T3 and p2 reduce mf while increasing Pnet in the simple layout (SL) and simple recuperated layout (SRL). However, in the recompressing layout (RCL), the effects of T1, T3, and p2 on mf are more complex due to the split ratio. Moreover, RCL has the lowest maximum wall temperature among the three layouts. Finally, after optimization, RCL has the lowest mf about 0.332 kg/s, which is a 19.8 % reduction compared to the regenerative cooling system. Correspondingly, RCL achieves the highest Pnet, reaching 109.89 kW. In general, the recompressing layout is most suitable for the CBC-based segmented cooling thermal management system for scramjets.

Evaluating the techno-economic feasibility of hydrogen-fuelled reciprocating engines for renewable base-load power generation

This study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of a photovoltaic power plant integrated with hydrogen energy storage and a dual-fuel reciprocating engine for gas-to-power and power-to-gas operations. The system is optimised for maximising constant grid supply, minimising CO2 emissions, and lowering the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) to assess its value in future energy landscape. Multi-objective optimisation identified a configuration with a hydrogen-fuelled engine generator offering a constant 10 MW grid supply with minimal CO2 emissions (78 kg/MWh), at a LCOE of $335.52/MWh. This system comprises a 93 MW PEM electrolyser, a 4 MW compressor, and 29 t of compressed hydrogen storage, within the limits of the industry’s current or projected capacities. A key highlight of the engine-based approach is its ability to readily enhance grid supply through increased diesel consumption without significantly impacting LCOE, provided CO2 emissions stay within acceptable sector cap. This flexibility surpasses alternative technologies. Further analysis explored potential LCOE reductions using global projected data, bringing optimised LCOE values down to $138.76/MWh, making it competitive to current market prices. Sensitivity analysis revealed the LCOE’s highest sensitivity to the discount rate, followed by minimal impact from variations in fuel and electricity prices due to the optimised system configuration. Furthermore, the tightening CO2 emission limits do not affect the optimised system’s performance, except for limiting the maximum achievable grid supply in 2050 by increased diesel reliance.

A Combined Ranking and Sensitivity Analysis of Power Generation Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making and Monte-Carlo Simulation

This research examined energy sources that can be employed in a region to assist policymakers in determining energy priorities. Three key components were analyzed in this research to rank these energy sources: Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), CO2 emissions, and power density. A combination of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-Entropy-the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), was used to assess these criteria, which had not been previously applied to rank energy sources. Additionally, the Monte-Carlo method was utilized to detect changes in sensitivity throughout the rankings. Results of the study indicated that gas energy topped the list, followed by Solar Photovoltaic (PV)-crystalline, geothermal, wind, nuclear, Solar PV Commercial & Industrial (C&I), Solar Thermal Tower with Storage, and residential PV rooftop solar. Moreover, nuclear energy ranked the highest when looking at the sensitivity of parameters, while utility-scale Solar PV and wind energy ranked the next highest. Thus, this research can be used to increase objectivity in the assessment and selection of power generation technology to be implemented.