Field Of Renewable Energy Research Articles

Evaluation and control of energy‐efficient processes for separating epichlorohydrin‐oriented quaternary system

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe direct epoxidation of allyl chloride is a clean and efficient synthesis method for producing epichlorohydrin (ECH), which is a crucial organic intermediate widely used in the fields of renewable energy and aerospace. However, the presence of multiple azeotropes in the synthesized product using this method complicates the separation process and results in high energy consumption. To efficiently separate high‐purity ECH, this paper investigates and analyzes three separation schemes based on phase‐equilibrium analysis: hybrid extractive distillation (HED), pressure swing distillation (PSD) and three‐column batch distillation (TCBD).RESULTSThe operating parameters of the three separation processes are optimized by the sequential iterative optimization method such that the minimum total annual cost can reach $493 491 yr−1. The thermal integration method is used for process energy‐saving optimization, and the total annual cost can be further reduced by 6.9%. In addition, a comprehensive evaluation based on economic, energy, environmental and exergy analysis is conducted, and reveals that the TCBD process with thermal integration is optimal. A control structure is designed for the TCBD process to enhance its robustness such that the purity of ECH remains above 99.9 mol% under ±10% disturbances in feed flowrate and composition.CONCLUSIONSCompared with the HED and PSD processes, the TCBD process has better economic and environmental benefits, and its control structure can effectively resist disturbances. It is reasonable to believe that the TCBD process can be an excellent solution for the industrial production of ECH. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN ENGINEERING: A REVIEW OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

This comprehensive review examines the current state of renewable energy technologies within the field of engineering, analyzing recent developments and outlining future prospects. As the global demand for sustainable energy solutions continues to rise, understanding the advancements in renewable technologies becomes crucial for the engineering community. The review encompasses a diverse range of renewable sources, including solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy. The solar energy sector has witnessed remarkable progress, with innovations in photovoltaic materials, energy storage, and efficiency enhancements. Advancements in wind energy technologies focus on improving turbine designs, optimizing energy conversion, and exploring offshore wind farms. Hydropower developments emphasize sustainable and eco-friendly dam designs, while biomass technologies explore novel methods for efficient biofuel production. Geothermal energy, often overlooked, is gaining momentum with advancements in enhanced geothermal systems and innovative drilling techniques. The review also delves into the integration of renewable energy sources into smart grids, promoting efficient energy distribution and storage. Additionally, it addresses the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in optimizing renewable energy systems, enhancing predictability, and maximizing energy output. Furthermore, the review emphasizes the importance of policy frameworks and financial incentives in driving renewable energy adoption. The ongoing transition towards decentralized energy systems and the exploration of novel materials for energy capture and storage are highlighted as key areas for future research. The potential of emerging technologies such as perovskite solar cells and floating offshore wind farms is also discussed. This review provides a holistic overview of the current landscape of renewable energy technologies in engineering, offering valuable insights into the advancements made thus far and outlining the promising prospects for a sustainable energy future. Engineers and researchers will find this review instrumental in navigating the evolving field of renewable energy and contributing to the ongoing global efforts towards a greener and more sustainable energy landscape.
 Keywords: Renewable Energy, Energy, Climate Change, Development, Engineering, Review.

Nano zero-valent iron functioned 3D printing graphene aerogel electrode for efficient solar-driven biocatalytic methane production

To address the urgent need for developing carbon-neutral technologies, microbial electrosynthesis (MES), as an important contributor to the renewable energy field, can convert carbon dioxide to multi-carbon chemicals using microbes serving as living catalysts at the cathode. However, the performance of the cathode is restricted by the weak electrochemical reaction kinetics of the organisms, the specific area of the electrode, and the mass transfer under high current. Herein, we report a facile 3D-printed graphene aerogel (GA) electrode built with a nanozero-valent iron (NZVI)-functionalized graphene ink. The 3D-printed GA electrode was designed to possess hierarchical pores with an enhanced high specific surface area for microbial colonization while ensuring mass transfer. NZVI can assist in-situ hydrogen generation, facilitating biofilm formation and methane (CH4) production in the indirect electron transfer pathway. Consequently, the optimized 3D-printed electrode achieved a maximum CH4 production rate of 6993 ± 832 mmol/m2/d with a faradaic efficiency of 83.7%, which increased by 3.24-fold to the carbon felt electrode. In addition, integrating the proposed cathode into a PV-electrolyzer cell yielded a solar-to-CH4 efficiency of 4.70%. This study provides a unique method for the development of advanced cathodes and underscores the potential of integrating MES with renewable energy technologies.

Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages? Exploring the role of artificial intelligence in renewable energy

Probing the essential role of artificial intelligence in the energy market is crucial to improving the development of renewable energy. The research adopts the full and sub sample methodologies to identify the interrelation of artificial intelligence index (AII) and renewable energy indicator (REI) in China. From the quantitative discussions, it is shown that there are favourable and negative impacts from AII to REI, and the positive ones indicate that artificial intelligence plays an incentive role in developing renewable energy. However, this incentive role cannot permanently be established if AII's effect on REI is negative, which is mainly caused by non-renewable energy with less costs. In turn, there is a favourable influence from REI to AII during COVID-19, highlighting that the downturn in renewable energy and stock markets caused by this epidemic impedes the progress of artificial intelligence in China. In the context of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the research would offer meaningful recommendations to facilitate the development of artificial intelligence, accelerate the application and promotion of artificial intelligence technology in the field of renewable energy, and build efficient models, processors and data centres through shifting to renewable energy.

The Impacts of Climate Change on Renewable Energy Sector: A Review

‌The energy sector is a complex institutional framework that includes many ministries, government agencies, aid agencies, and international organizations. Electricity levels have increased fivefold between then and now. Thousands of renewable projects have been implemented in rural areas. Many large energy projects have been built, renovated, the institutional, policy and regulatory landscape has improved to some extent, and transmission lines and distribution networks have been expanded. Despite the lack of reliable data, Afghanistan has significant reserves of fossil fuels and a promising future for renewable energy. For the next several decades, the country's wind power capacity alone will probably exceed the projected demand for electricity. Serious problems including the need for energy, the depletion of fossil fuels and their impact on the environment have drawn attention to renewable energy sources in the last ten years. Because of this, there is a growing consensus to prioritize sustainable energy systems based on energy, especially renewable energy sources that produce no pollution or emissions. The research study concludes with the involvement of renewable energy technologies with minimum operating and external cost as the best option in the future. From a policy point of view, steps must be taken in the field of renewable energy and technological innovation that require biomass resources that are associated with unsustainable long-term investments.

THE ROLE OF ENERGY TRANSFORMATION IN ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY /PIONEERING INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES (SWEDEN IS A CASE STUDY)

Since the energy crisis of 1973, many industrialized countries have made a strategic choice to shift energy from traditional energy (petroleum, natural gas, coal) to renewable energy of all kinds to ensure their energy security, away from fluctuations in oil prices and the dominance of producing countries. With the escalating drama of global warming and climate changes that have cast a negative shadow on the planet, the energy transition has become a challenge that requires countries of the world to take effective measures to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, in line with the goals and recommendations of the Paris International Climate Change Conference in 2013. 2015. Some industrialized countries, including Sweden, have succeeded in achieving the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy (wind, water, solar energy, biofuels, hydrogen, underground energy) in addition to light energy. Sweden has encouraged investment, research and development in the field of renewable energy, issued laws related to energy transformation and waste recycling, provided the financial support required for this transformation, and achieved sustainable development goals, thus becoming a successful model to be emulated worldwide.

Assessment and optimization of a single flash geothermal system recovered by a trans‐critical CO2 cycle using different scenarios

AbstractIn the evolving landscape of sustainable energy, optimizing geothermal power systems presents a critical challenge. This study explores the energy and exergy efficiencies of a power production system utilizing a single‐flash geothermal cycle integrated with a trans‐critical CO2 cycle. The study's methodology involves a detailed examination of key performance parameters—separator pressure, CO2 turbine intake pressure, and steam turbine output pressure. Utilizing the EES software environment, the study innovatively employs a combination of Genetic Algorithm (GA), Nelder–Mead Simplex (NMS) method, and Direct algorithm (DA). When using GA, NMS and DA, the system's exergy efficiency increases from 32.46% in the default operating mode to 39.21%, 36.16%, and 38.82%, respectively. One of the notable outcomes is the identification of optimal separator pressure for maximum energy efficiency. Furthermore, the study reveals that increasing the CO2 turbine's inlet pressure adversely impacts the system's efficiency. The study's results contribute significantly to the field of renewable energy, offering practical guidelines for enhancing the performance of geothermal power systems.

Materials in Solar Photovoltaic Technology: Advances, Challenges, and Environmental Considerations

Solar photovoltaic technology has experienced significant growth and development in recent years, making it a significant figure in the field of renewable energy. The basic principle of solar PV technology involves the conversion of sunlight into electricity using semiconductor materials. Silicon has consistently been the predominant material used in solar PV cells, but there is ongoing research and development into alternative materials. The choice of material for solar PV cells is crucial as it directly impacts the efficiency, cost, and environmental impact of the technology. Silicon-based solar cells have achieved high levels of efficiency and reliability, but they can be expensive to produce. On the other hand, emerging materials such as perovskites show great promise in terms of cost-effectiveness and efficiency, but they still face challenges related to stability and scalability. In addition to the semiconductor material, other components such as conductive metals, transparent conductive oxides, and encapsulation materials also play a crucial role in the performance and longevity of solar PV systems. Understanding the material properties, fabrication processes, and environmental impact of solar PV materials is essential for making informed decisions in the design and implementation of solar PV systems.

Renewable energy technologies in engineering: A review of current developments and future prospects

This comprehensive review examines the current state of renewable energy technologies within the field of engineering, analyzing recent developments and outlining future prospects. As the global demand for sustainable energy solutions continues to rise, understanding the advancements in renewable technologies becomes crucial for the engineering community. The review encompasses a diverse range of renewable sources, including solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy. The solar energy sector has witnessed remarkable progress, with innovations in photovoltaic materials, energy storage, and efficiency enhancements. Advancements in wind energy technologies focus on improving turbine designs, optimizing energy conversion, and exploring offshore wind farms. Hydropower developments emphasize sustainable and eco-friendly dam designs, while biomass technologies explore novel methods for efficient biofuel production. Geothermal energy, often overlooked, is gaining momentum with advancements in enhanced geothermal systems and innovative drilling techniques. The review also delves into the integration of renewable energy sources into smart grids, promoting efficient energy distribution and storage. Additionally, it addresses the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in optimizing renewable energy systems, enhancing predictability, and maximizing energy output. Furthermore, the review emphasizes the importance of policy frameworks and financial incentives in driving renewable energy adoption. The ongoing transition towards decentralized energy systems and the exploration of novel materials for energy capture and storage are highlighted as key areas for future research. The potential of emerging technologies such as perovskite solar cells and floating offshore wind farms is also discussed. This review provides a holistic overview of the current landscape of renewable energy technologies in engineering, offering valuable insights into the advancements made thus far and outlining the promising prospects for a sustainable energy future. Engineers and researchers will find this review instrumental in navigating the evolving field of renewable energy and contributing to the ongoing global efforts towards a greener and more sustainable energy landscape.

Predicting global solar radiation for North Algeria

Having a complete and effective radiometric database is very crucial in the renewable energy field for the design of solar photovoltaic and thermal system. Despite the existence of the chain of radiometric measurement at the University of Blida, data acquisition of various components of radiation is still having problems, such as gaps in basic radiometric data due to heavy power-cuts especially in summers. Thus, a good design is only possible if the measurements are available continuously in space and time. Solar energy estimation procedures using artificial neural networks methods may overcome the issue. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) was used for the estimation of daily global solar radiation (DGSR) on horizontal surface using data measured from the meteorological station located inside the University. Six input parameters were used to train the network. These parameters were elevation, longitude, latitude, air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The optimized network obtained with lowest error during the training was one with 6 neurons in the input layer; 6 neurons in the hidden which was obtained by trial and error, and one neuron in the output layer. The results show that the ANN can be accurately trained and that the chosen architecture can estimate the DGSR with acceptable accuracy: mean absolute error (MAE) less than 20% for both training and validation step.

Emerging Perspectives on Diverse Nature-Oriented Sustainability Strategies

Increasing levels of nature-oriented sustainability strategies (NOSSs) are being recognized as offering solutions to combat climate change at scale, both through transformative infrastructure and autonomous technology innovations. This paper presents a synopsis of the mainstream literature covering the emerging trends from the last two decades across two broad trajectories of NOSS initiatives—“nature-inspired” (NI)- and “nature-based solution” (NBS)-oriented approaches. The specific scopes of these two approaches have been categorized into disciplinary fields, highlighting their peculiarities and commonalities, followed by an appreciation of their evolutionary trends based on the literature abundance over three distinct time-horizons—pre 2000, 2000–2010, and 2011–2021. We find ambitious levels of sustainability-led developments are driving NOSS initiatives beyond 2010; in particular, the increased level of NI approaches in the field of chemical processing, material structure, and renewable energy. Likewise, there has been rapid growth in NBS approaches in the last decade from a systems perspective, reducing the level of grey infrastructure by offering sustainable alternatives to the ecologically destructive technologies. However, we identify some crucial red herrings to the main-streaming of NOSSs as a ‘true sustainability solution’, such as the inherent challenges in their scaling-up, operation and management, and in ensuring ecologically and culturally adaptive interventions across different global contexts.

Smart Structural Control Strategies for Offshore Wind Power Generation with Floating Wind Turbines

Offshore wind energy is one of the fastest growing powers in the field of renewable energy. An offshore wind farm situated sufficiently far away from the coast can generate more wind power and will have a longer operation life since the wind is stronger and more consistent than that on or near the coast. It can also avoid some major problems of the traditional wind farms like the visual and noise impacts and potential damage to wildlife. From the technical point of view, it is difficult to anchor the wind turbines directly on the seabed in deep water. Thus, new constructive solutions based on floating support structures are proposed. One of the main challenges is to reduce the fatigue of a floating offshore wind turbine so as to guarantee its proper functioning under the constraints imposed by the floating support structures subject to a greater range of motion than that of the fixed-bottom support structures. This paper analyzes the loads and dynamic response of floating support structures and proposes the smart control strategies for mitigating the dynamic wind and wave loads on floating wind turbines.

Developing a Platform for Energy Efficiency Monitoring

This paper describes the R&D project that CIDISPGaya and WideSkills are developing in the field of renewable energies and the support of monitoring technologies for efficiency improvement. The aim of the project is to develop a prototype that enables a ubiquos access to a set of functionalities in a conventional and renewable energy facility.

Efficient harvesting of renewable evaporative energy from atmospheric air through hierarchical nano/microscale shaping of air-water interface

Renewable evaporative energy from atmospheric air is a recently emerged research field that demonstrates the great potential for significant energy savings in the air conditioning of buildings, data/big-data/integrated-big-data centers, agricultural storage facilities, and greenhouses. Here, we develop a method for an essential increase in the harvesting efficiency of renewable air evaporative energy by enhancing the water evaporation rate through the shaping of the air-water interface (AWI) by the menisci formed in superhydrophilic hierarchical surface nano/microstructures. Using this method, we achieve a 10-fold rise in the evaporation rate for the microscale AWI shaping. For the first time, we discover the superevaporation effect that provides an unprecedented 130-fold rise in the evaporation rate at the hierarchical nano/microscale AWI shaping. Furthermore, based on these findings, for the first time, we elaborate a novel material with an engineered AWI for a significant increase in the harvesting of renewable air evaporative energy in the dew point (Maisotsenko cycle) indirect evaporative air conditioning systems whose operation is fundamentally based on utilizing renewable air evaporative energy. The dew point cooling device fabricated using this novel material shows significantly superior cooling performance, validating the substantially enhanced harvesting of the air's evaporative energy. Our findings can essentially advance the emerging field of renewable air evaporative energy and, besides the air conditioning technology, can provide significant efficiency enhancements in water purification/desalination, thermal management, gas turbine power generation, and waste heat recovery technologies.

Prosumers and sustainable development: An international assessment in the field of renewable energy

The term "prosumers" coined by Toffler, relates to those customers who also engage in the co-creation of products, which they only partly consume, and whose balance is made available to a broader group. But even though the role of prosumers is increasingly relevant as a more comprehensive number of people are engaging in the production of products to be shared by others, there is a need for studies that aim at identifying how widespread they are, and the concrete contribution they are providing to some key area such as, for energy, energy generation and distribution. Based on the need to address this research gap, this paper reports on a study on prosumer behaviour in a sustainable development (SD) context, with a focus on the energy sector. The paper deploys a mixed-methods approach which entails a bibliometric analysis of prosumers from a sustainability perspective - to gain a better understanding of the topic -, a quantitative study of prosumers’ behaviour in the field of renewable energy involving respondents from 44 countries, and a set of case studies, supported by the literature, which illustrates current trends. The novelty of this paper resides in the fact that it explores the role of prosumers in an SD context across many countries in the critical area of energy generation and use, outlining the drivers of positive behaviour and identifying some further information needs.

Architectural integration of renewable energies in historical cities

The principal aim of the project that we present, developed in collaboration with the Consorcio de Santiago [1] and the IDAE [2], is to investigate the possibility of application of sustainable technologies in buildings inside the historical centre of Santiago de Compostela. The idea is try to obtain technologies, designs and components as standard as possible for the application of the solar power in catalogued buildings, analysing diverse particular solutions in order to adjust to the architectural specific requirements of the historical center of the city [3.4,5] and to implement the ideal opposing solutions, as well as the development of a plan of medium-term action for the city. We present an ambitious project, with a double slope: To foment global actions of sustainability in zones of historical interest and realizes an interesting project of research and development in the field of Renewable Energies orientated by his proper nature towards decentralized and local applications, this differential characteristic in the field. The use of renewable energies is not reserved exclusively for the companies, that try to give service to big facilities or to produce electricity for the supply of the general network. On the contrary, a good number of applications can take place in the own housing, turning into quality parameters for his enormous environmental advantages and of improvement into the comfort.

Co-Valorisation Energy Potential of Wastewater Treatment Sludge and Agroforestry Waste

The growing demand for sustainable and environment-friendly energy sources resulted in extensive research in the field of renewable energy. Biomass, derived from organic materials such as agricultural waste, forestry products, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sludge, holds great potential as a renewable energy resource that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offer sustainable solutions for energy production. This study focused on diverse biomass materials, including sludge from WWTPs, forest biomass, swine waste, cork powder, and biochar. Chemical and physicochemical characterizations were performed to understand their energy potential, highlighting their elemental composition, proximate analysis, and calorific values. Results showed that different biomasses have varying energy content, with biochar and cork powder emerging as high-energy materials with net heating values of 32.56 MJ/kg and 25.73 MJ/kg, respectively. WWTP sludge also demonstrated considerable potential with net heating values of around 14.87 MJ/kg to 17.44 MJ/kg. The relationships between biomass compositions and their heating values were explored, indicating the significance of low nitrogen and sulphur content and favourable carbon, hydrogen, and moisture balances for energy production. Additionally, this study looked into the possibility of mixing different biomasses to optimize their use and overcome limitations like high ash and moisture contents. Mixtures, such as “75% Santo Emilião WWTP Sludge + 25% Biochar,” showed impressive net heating values of approximately 21.032 MJ/kg and demonstrated reduced emissions during combustion. The study’s findings contribute to renewable energy research, offering insights into efficient and sustainable energy production processes and emphasizing the environmental benefits of biomass energy sources with low nitrogen and sulphur content.

Analysis of a lead-acid battery storage system connected to the DC bus of a four quadrants converter to a microgrid

The main problem found in the implementation of small microgrids where consumption is based on a certain number of loads (8,326,369 KWh total in the Canary Islands in 2017) [1] is the great variability of obtaining energy (361,1 MWh total in 2017) from renewable sources, the most important in the Canary Islands being wind and photovoltaic [2]. For these microgrids to be feasible and their power flows to be as constant as possible they must contain storage means, so that this energy can be used to stabilize the microgrid by compensating the irregularities of renewable energy sources [3], using them to perform regulation of voltage and frequency. In this sense, the batteries degrade very quickly when having to perform this type of highly dynamic efforts. The purpose of this paper is to make a model of lead-acid battery and investigate the possibilities of application that the use of these batteries could have in the field of renewable energy. Specifically in the simulation of power electronics and control of back-to-back converters that allows to analyze, in different ranges of applications in a microgrid system of Pozo Izquierdo, where the following measurements have been made.

Proposal to PV Systems Study.

The Department of Electrical Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia has been started a new investigation line in the field of renewable energies, concretely in the PV Systems field.Although our first intention was to study the technical aspects of PV Systems, soon we realized about the scarce PV Systems use. This fact was the reason that motivated us to begin an investigation to determine the principal aspects that impact negatively in the development of the PV Systems.This article reports on the principal existing barriers in the development of the photovoltaic systems, scans briefly the historical evolution of the existing legislation in the area of renewable energies, and describes the principal symptom of the problem in the development of the photovoltaic systems.Finally the article describes the four principal work points, or investigation lines, that are intended to develop in order to study the PV Systems implementation in Catalonia.

The role of Islamic banks in financing renewable energy projects

The main goal of the study is aimed at determining the role of Islamic banks in financing renewable energy projects. The relevance of the study is due to the need for sustainable economic development of the energy sector of the world economy. Increasing interest in the world in renewable energy sources and networks, which will reduce the energy dependence of countries and reduce consumer tensions, confirm the need for research. Trends in the development of the energy sector in the world are considered. The basic directions in the development of renewable energy projects are conceptualized. The specifics of financing and investment attractiveness of renewable energy projects are highlighted. The investment trends of Islamic banks in renewable energy investment projects are structured. The role of Islamic banks is structured and financial instruments are highlighted with an emphasis on investment direction in the field of renewable energy. The results of the study contain trends in the development of the global energy sector and a statement of the key role of Islamic banks in financing investment projects for the development of renewable energy sources, which can be applied in practice when studying finance and planning investments in the field of energy.