Green Renewable Energy Sources Research Articles

Vertical Takeoff and Landing for Distribution of Parcels to Hospitals: A Case Study about Industry 5.0 Application in Israel’s Healthcare Arena

To gain a sustained competitive advantage, organizations such as UPS, Fedex, Amazon, etc., began to seek for industry 5.0 innovative autonomous delivery options for the last mile. Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles are a promising alternative for the logistics industry. The fact that drones are propelled by green renewable energy source fits the companies’ need to become sustainable, replacing their fuel truck fleets, especially for traveling to remote rural locations to deliver small packages, but a major obstacle is the necessity for charging stations which is well documented in the literature. Therefore, the current research embarks on devising a novel yet practical piece of technology adopting the simplicity approach of direct flights to destinations. The analysis showcases the application for a network of warehouses and hospitals in Israel while controlling costs. Given the products in the case study are medical, direct flight has the potential to save lives when every moment counts. Hydrogen cell technology allows long-range flying without refueling, and it is both vibration-free which is essential for sensitive medical equipment and environmentally friendly in terms of air pollution and silence in urban areas. Importantly, hydrogen cells are lighter, with higher energy density than batteries, which makes them ideal for drone usage to reduce weight, maintain a longer life, and enable faster charging, all of which minimize downtime. Also, hydrogen sourcing is low-cost and unlimited compared to lithium-ion material which needs to be mined. The case study investigates an Israeli entrepreneurial company, Gadfin, which builds a vertical takeoff-and-landing-type of drone with folded wings that enable higher speed for the delivery of refrigerated medical cargo, blood, organs for transplant, and more to hospitals in partnership with the Israeli medical logistic conglomerate, SAREL. An analysis of shipping optimization (concerning the number and type of drone) is conducted using a mixed-integer linear programming technique based on various types of constraints such as traveling distance, parcel weight, the amount of flight controllers and daily number of flights allowed in order to not overcrowd the airspace. Importantly, the discussion assesses the ecosystem’s variety of risks and commensurate safety mechanisms for advancing a newly shaped landscape of drones in an Israeli tight airspace to establish a network of national routes for drone traffic. The conclusion of this research cautions limitations to overcome as the utilization of drones expand and offers future research avenues.

Appraisal of Green Communication Technology Deployment in Nigeria

The idea behind “green” processes and technologies is the use of upgraded, ecologically friendly processes and technologies in a way that preserves natural resources and doesn’t disturb the environment. Clean technology and environmental technology are other names for green technology. These days, most governments take steps to promote these technologies because of their value. Governments therefore suggested a number of financial incentives that produce electricity using renewable resources. As its primary objective, green technologies seek to address societal demands while minimizing the use of natural resources and causing no harm to them. The idea is to create materials that are entirely recyclable or reusable. Green technology generates energy through novel and inventive methods. The goal of green communication is to explore sustainability in relation to energy efficiency, the environment, and communication goals. Green communications have an obligation to promote ecological network equipment and systems and to fortify corporate environmental responsibility. The paper presents Nigeria renewable green energy sources, green electronics, recycling, communication technology areas of application. The paper also presents a careful consideration of materials and methods to ensure the chosen deployment are environmentally sustainable. Despite the challenges, utilizing green ICT methods in Nigeria is not just a choice, it is essential for a number of advantageous causes as people throughout the world become more environmentally aware, implementing green ICT practices can improve Nigeria’s standing internationally. It will demonstrate the nation’s dedication to sustainability.

Optimal scheduling of a township integrated-energy system using the adjustable heat-electricity ratio model

With the expansion and implementation of rural revitalization strategies, there is a constant need for new energy sources for the construction of new townships. Consequently, integrated energy systems with the interconnection and interaction of multiple energy sources are developing rapidly. Biomass energy, a renewable green energy source with low pollution and wide distribution, has significant application potential in integrated energy systems. Considering the application of biomass energy in townships, this study established an integrated biomass energy system and proposed a model to optimize its operation. Lowest economic cost and highest clean energy utilization rate were considered as the objective functions. In addition, a plan was suggested to adjust the heat-electricity ratio based on the characteristics of the combined heat and power of the biomass. Finally, a simulation analysis conducted for a town in China was discussed, demonstrating that the construction of a township integrated-energy system and the use of biomass can significantly reduce operating costs and improve the energy utilization rate. Moreover, by adjusting the heat-electricity ratio, the economic cost was further reduced by 6.70%, whereas the clean energy utilization rate was increased by 5.14%.

An optimal power flow solution for a power system integrated with renewable generation

<abstract> <p>Integrating Green Renewable Energy Sources (GRES) as substitutes for fossil fuel-based energy sources is essential for reducing harmful emissions. The GRES are intermittent and their integration into the conventional IEEE 30 bus configuration increases the complexity and nonlinearity of the system. The Grey Wolf optimizer (GWO) has excellent exploration capability but needs exploitation capability to enhance its convergence speed. Adding particle swarm optimization (PSO) with excellent convergence capability to GWO leads to the development of a novel algorithm, namely a Grey Wolf particle swarm optimization (GWPSO) algorithm with excellent exploration and exploitation capabilities. This study utilizes the advantages of the GWPSO algorithm to solve the optimal power flow (OPF) problem for adaptive IEEE 30 bus systems, including thermal, solar photovoltaic (SP), wind turbine (WT), and small hydropower (SHP) sources. Weibull, Lognormal, and Gumbel probability density functions (PDFs) are employed to forecast the output power of WT, SP, and SHP power sources after evaluating 8000 Monte Carlo possibilities, respectively. The multi-objective green economic optimal solution consisted of 11 control variables to reduce the cost, power losses, and harmful emissions. The proposed method to address the OPF problem is validated using an adaptive IEEE bus system. The proposed GWPSO algorithm is evaluated by comparing it with PSO and GWO optimization algorithms in terms of achieving an optimal green economic solution for the adaptive IEEE 30 bus system. This evaluation is conducted within the confines of the same test system using identical system constraints and control variables. The integration of a small SHP with WT and SP sources, along with the proposed GWPSO algorithm, led to a yearly cost reduction ranging from <bold>$\$$19,368</bold> to <bold>$\$$30,081</bold>. Simulation findings endorsed that the proposed GWPSO algorithm executes fruitfully compared to alternative algorithms regarding a consistent convergence curve and robustness, proving its potential as a viable choice for achieving cost-effective solutions in power systems incorporating GRES.</p> </abstract>

Synthesis of Porous Amorphous SiO2−Al2O3 Solid Acid Catalyst for Efficiently Catalyzing GVL Decarboxylation to Butene

AbstractIn this study, porous amorphous SiO2−Al2O3 (ASA(Si/Al=x)) with different Si/Al ratios was synthesized by gel‐gel method, and used to catalyze green renewable energy source γ‐valerolactone (GVL) to butene. Research indicated that all prepared catalysts had large amounts of disordered mesoporous with the pore size in range of 2–13 nm. For the optimal ASA(Si/Al=20) catalyst, its specific surface area is 430.20 m2 g−l and pore size is about 8.13 nm. Due to the presence of suitable Al species, ASA(Si/Al=20) has the largest Brønsted/Lewis ratio and 0.5554 mmol g−1 weak acid site content. Under the optimized reaction conditions, 90 % butene yield can be obtained in 180 min at 300 °C. In addition, the regeneration performance of the ASA(Si/Al=20) catalyst is also satisfactory, and the yield of butene can be above 60 % after 5th cycles. After activation, the spent catalyst can be regenerated, and about 78 % butene yield can be also obtained.

Current status and applications of photovoltaic technology in wearable sensors: a review

The rapid development of wearable sensor technology can be attributed to developments in materials, microelectronics, fabrication, communication systems, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The use of wearable sensors enables continuous acquisition and monitoring of the pathophysiological parameters of a person in real time. The global market for health-related wearables has experienced significant growth, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A wearable sensor module is comprised of various components, including a powering unit, sensor(s), acquisition unit, communication unit, and processing unit. The non-fluctuating power source with a long life is of utmost significance to the continuous and real-time operation of a wearable sensor. A wearable device can be powered by a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from a standard power source but requires regular recharging after depletion and has a negative environmental impact. This necessitates using green renewable energy sources like photovoltaic cells, piezoelectric generators, wind energy converters, and thermoelectric generators for powering wearable sensor modules. The photovoltaic cell that converts photonics into electrical energy is deemed a viable green energy source for wearable sensor modules. This article reviews the progress and application of photovoltaic technology in wearable sensor modules.

Comprehensive analysis of research trends and prospects in electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) for wastewater treatment

Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) have emerged as a promising approach for efficient wastewater treatment. However, despite their promising potential, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis regarding the research trends, bibliometric data, and research frontiers of EAOPs. To address this gap, this study conducted a thorough and comprehensive analysis of 2347 related articles in the Web of Science Core Collection Database from 2012 to 2022. The analysis included information on countries, authors, institutions, and more, with a focus on summarizing trends and cutting-edge research hotspots in the field. The University of Barcelona in Spain is the most effective institution. Brillas E. is the most productive author in the world. Research hotspots in EAOPs have evolved from traditional anodic oxidation (AO) to novel electro-Fenton (EF) technology, which focuses on efficient generation of H2O2 and the use of metal-organic frameworks to enhance performance and efficiency. Through systematic research hotspot analysis, the importance of performance comparison of different types of EAOPs, development of new materials, optimization of device parameters, and toxicity assessment of byproducts is highlighted. Concurrently, the rise and mechanisms of emerging EAOPs are predicted and analyzed. Finally, future research on EAOPs technologies should focus on technological coupling, development of new materials, reduction of energy consumption and cost, evaluation and minimization of toxicity, and exploration of green renewable energy sources for larger-scale applications in wastewater treatment pilot plants. In this way, these technologies can contribute to the sustainability of larger industrial wastewater treatment applications and make an important contribution to environmental protection and scientific and technological progress.

A study on the renewable power generation capacity of microalgae microbial fuel cells for powering GIoT sensor nodes

Microalgae-Microbial Fuel Cell (mMFC) is a novel and attractive green renewable energy source for bio-electricity generation. Its capacity to generate energy is of particular interest for the design of sustainable green internet of things (GIoT) sensor networks. However, this capacity needs to be assessed due to critical limitations in their low-level output voltage and possible bioelectrochemical disturbances. This study investigates the renewable energy generation capacity of an mMFC-harvester system for powering low-power wireless sensor nodes. A two-chamber mMFC prototype is designed as a proof of concept using the CMI7000 membrane and the BQ25570 circuit to harvest the energy. A sensor node based on Nordic nRF52840 ultra-low-power microcontroller implements a uniform power management strategy and the energy capacity is analyzed in terms of the number of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) transmissions. Experimental results show that after an initial cold-start period in the harvester circuit, the system stores the energy in a 0.1 F supercapacitor in 6.25 h, representing 3.26 J. The maximum power density generation is 80.10 mW/m2, and the energy harvested is suitable to perform up to 9 continuous transmissions using BLE.

Influences of confining pressure and injection rate on breakdown pressure and permeability in granite hydraulic fracturing

AbstractHot dry rock (HDR) geothermal resource is a renewable green energy source with great exploitation potential. The burial depth of HDR generally exceeds 2500 m and is typically under high in situ stress conditions, resulting in an ultralow permeability of the rock formations. To enhance the permeability of these formations, hydraulic fracturing is widely used as a reservoir stimulation technique in HDR geothermal resource exploitation. The differences in burial depth, in situ stress, and geological environment require different engineering designs when implementing hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, the confining pressure and injection rate play significant roles in determining the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing, as they affect the propagation and distribution of fractures in the rock formation. To quantify the impact of these factors on the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing, simulation experiments, and permeability tests were conducted using granite specimens under various confining pressure and injection rate conditions. The results of these experiments revealed the relationships among the confining pressure, injection rate, breakdown pressure, and permeability enhancement of the granite. The breakdown pressure of granite increased with the confining pressure, while the injection rate had little effect on the breakdown pressure. The hydraulic fractured sample produced new penetrating fractures, which increased the reservoir permeability, and owing to the higher complexity of hydraulic fractures under low confining pressure, the increase of permeability is correspondingly higher. The research results can provide an important reference for efficient stimulation development technology of deep HDR geothermal resources.

Model predictive control of an on-site green hydrogen production and refuelling station

The expected increase of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has motivated the emergence of a significant number of studies on Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRS). Some of the main HRS topics are sizing, location, design optimization, and optimal operation. On-site green HRS, where hydrogen is produced locally from green renewable energy sources, have received special attention due to their contribution to decarbonization. This kind of HRS are complex systems whose hydraulic and electric linked topologies include renewable energy sources, electrolyzers, buffer hydrogen tanks, compressors and batteries, among other components. This paper develops a linear model of a real on-site green HRS that is set to be built in Zaragoza, Spain. This plant can produce hydrogen either from solar energy or from the utility grid and is designed for three different types of services: light-duty and heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles and gas containers. In the literature, there is a lack of online control solutions developed for HRS, even more in the form of optimal online control. Hence, for the HRS operation, a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is designed to solve a weighted multi-objective online optimization problem taking into account the plant dynamics and constraints as well as the disturbances prediction. Performance is analysed throughout 210 individual month-long simulations and the effect of the multi-objective weighting, prediction horizon, and hydrogen selling price is discussed. With the simulation results, this work shows the suitability of MPC for HRS control and its significant economic advantage compared to the rule-based control solution. In all simulations, the MPC operation fulfils all required services. Moreover, results show that a seven-day prediction horizon can improve profits by 57% relative to a one-day prediction horizon; that the battery is under-sized; or that the MPC operation strategy is more resolutive for low hydrogen selling prices.

A computational study of design and performance investigation of Ni-based electrocatalysts for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Theoretical calculations were used to design Ni-based catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic HER.

Application of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells on Hybrid Electric Vehicles Operating in Fleet

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are well suited to be used with different fuels, including methane and biomethane. Therefore, it may be useful to study their possible application on board hybrid electric vehicles and exploit the fuel cell system, which is characterized by high efficiency, and allow the use of biomethane as a renewable green energy source. Furthermore, there is not yet a consolidated hydrogen distribution network for automotive use, while biomethane would make it possible to take advantage of the existing distribution network and infrastructures of methane. SOFC technology is well suited to be used on vehicles operating in fleets, with a consistent and known mission through the working days, which helps to mitigate SOFCs known limitations such as slow transients and long ignition times. In this work, a model of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle equipped with a SOFC is presented and then used for the sizing of a door-to-door waste collection vehicle. After that, a case study has been carried out considering such a vehicle working on a real-world, door-to-door waste collection mission profile (maximum around 10h/days shift for 7days/week), showing the entire potential of this architecture in terms of environmental impact.

The Use of Redox Mediators in Electrocatalysis and Electrosynthesis.

Electrocatalysis and electrosynthesis, which convert the electrical energy and store them in the chemical forms, have been considered as promising technologies to utilize green renewable energy sources. Most of the studies focused on developing novel active molecules or advanced electrodes to improve the performance. However, the direct acquisition and electron transferring will be limited by the intrinsic characters of the electrodes. The introduce of redox mediators, which are served as the intermediate electron carriers or reservoirs without changing the final products, provide a unique approach to accelerate the electrochemical performance of these energy conversions. This review provides an overview of the recent development of electrocatalysis and electrosynthesis by using redox mediators, and provides a comprehensive discussion toward focusing on the principles and construction of these systems.

Transformative Role of Power Electronics: In solving climate emergency

Long term shifts in weather patterns and temperature are referred to as climate change. Hotter temperatures, more severe storms, increased droughts, food and water insecurity, and economic disruption, etc. are all due to climate change. According to NASA, &#x201C;<i>Human activities (primarily the burning of fossil fuels) have fundamentally increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth&#x2019;s atmosphere, warming the plane</i>t&#x201D; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1">[1]</xref>. One of the most difficult challenges faced by humanity is to solve the climate emergency <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2">[2]</xref>. In addition to the climate emergency, the drive to transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy has taken on a new urgency as a result of Russia&#x2019;s assault on Ukraine <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3">[3]</xref>. The recent Glasgow summit left a huge hole in addressing the challenges of climate change <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4">[4]</xref>. In order to avoid more than 1.5&#x00B0;C of eventual warming, the 2030 goal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be further reduced by approximately 17&#x2013;20 bn tones <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4">[4]</xref>. Daring and transformative economic transformations are required to save humanity. There are fundamental differences between green and clean energy sources. Free fuel and renewable green energy sources such as solar and wind have negligible negative impact on the environment and require minimum use of water in electric power generation. On the other hand, clean energy source such as nuclear energy does not produce GHG emission during electric power generation, but mining, extraction, and long-term radioactive waste storage are threats to the environment, and Uranium is a nonrenewable resource. In addition, nuclear energy requires massive amount of water in electric power generation. Thus, renewable, and free fuel-based solar and wind power that have minimal negative impact on the environment are considered as green sustainable power. From safety (death rate from accidents and pollution) <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5">[5]</xref>, minimum GHG emissions <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5">[5]</xref>, negligible use of water in electric power generation <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref6">[6]</xref>, photovoltaics (PV) and wind power provide lowest cost <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5">[5]</xref> of electric power generation. In 2020, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced that solar power is now the cheapest form of energy <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref7">[7]</xref>. The cost of electric power generation by photovoltaics has reached as low as $0.0104/kWh <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref8">[8]</xref>. The use of these green sustainable energy sources in place of fossil fuels is the only economical solution to address climate emergency. The objective of this article is to show that power electronics has the potential to achieve the goal of electrifying almost everything by green sustainable energy sources and providing a solution to our shared climate emergency.

Eco-feasibility study of a distributed power generation system driven by renewable green energy sources

ABSTRACT This paper improves a previously optimization approach to accomplish an enhanced total cost of electricity (TCE). Based on the integration of many energy deposits for supporting the primary Renewable Green Energy Source (RGES), the whole system is modeled with improved manner, which contributes to well achieve a more comprehensive write-up of the studied formulation problem. To decrease the TCE of the system containing a photovoltaic/wind turbine with battery storage system, the so-called virus colony search (VCS) algorithm is developed. Hence, the association of a lead-acid battery devoted to absorption of the high fluctuations is essential, which can contribute to the operational safety of the system. Thus, techno-economic analysis and cost-effectiveness evaluation are investigated. By depicting TCE as a key factor in this study and compared with other conventional algorithm, a reliability analysis is elaborated in accordance with the lowest cost of electricity. The obtained results prove a high level of economic feasibility in agreement with some evaluation criteria by achieving the lowest TCE. The benefit of the optimization based on VCS algorithm is successfully demonstrated in accordance with highest reliability by a significant saved cost. The results of the optimization display that savings in TCE is 14,792 $ as compared to the calculation process without using VCS algorithm.

Experimental Investigation of Azimuth- and Sensor-Based Control Strategies for a PV Solar Tracking Application

Today, the world continuously investigates the promising potential of advanced and optimized technologies for harvesting green renewable energy sources, such as a solar tracking system (STS). This study presents an actual implementation of a single-axis solar tracking system (SAST), where an azimuth control scheme is developed to precisely follow the sun’s orientation. This is demonstrated by computing in real-time the optimal azimuth angle based on the actual altitude, date, and time using an embedded microcontroller. At the same time, experimental comparisons using the azimuth-based control method compared with the proportional, integral, derivative (PID) control scheme and fixed-tilt PV systems (FTPV) are derived. Experimental results show that the developed azimuth solar tracker can autonomously follow the sun’s orientation primarily from time and location-based information and independent from the actual solar irradiance. Nevertheless, the electrical energies gained from all three tested systems revealed that using the sensor-based STS would increase the net energy production by 12.68% compared to the azimuth-based SAST, with an energy production increase of 7.7%. In addition, energy consumption by the azimuth-based STS is 65% greater than the energy consumption of a sensor-based STS due to the continuous movements of the tracker, regardless of the increase or change in power production within short periods.

Green Renewable Power and Policy in Canada: A Just Energy Transition to Net-Zero

A just and sustainable future requires green renewable power. Net-zero by 2050 is the international goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and sustain the biosphere. Green renewable energy, including wind, solar, biomass and small hydro is abundant in Canada, with potential to satisfy demand with 100% green renewables. This paper compares the renewable power landscape across Canada’s provinces considering four factors—electricity energy mix, renewable energy targets (RETs), renewable energy standard offer programs (RESOPs), feed-in tariff (FITs) or community FITs (comFITs). The provinces with green renewable energy sources typically have enabling policies of RESOP, RETs and FITS, as Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario and New Brunswick do. In contrast, provinces with abundant oil and gas or large-scale hydro are without pro-renewable energy policies, nor community power options, excepting green renewables in Indigenous communities due to federal funding programs. Community green renewable power projects, such as the “Indigenous off-diesel initiative”, are creating jobs, community revenue and energy sovereignty, towards just and inclusive energy in off-grid Indigenous communities. To reduce climate change, fast-tracking net-zero electricity by 2035 is recommended with the prioritization of community renewable energy by RESOPs, FITs and comFITs. For the transportation and other sectors, banning of all fossil fuels before 2040 is needed. Finally, a long-term plan to reduce the negative impacts of hydroelectricity water fluctuation is needed, considering decommissioning some dams.

DEVELOPMENT OF IoT BASED SMART INVERTER FOR ENERGY METERING AND CONTROL

Insufficient power generation has facilitated the search for alternative power generation, as the world is gradually making the transition to renewable green energy sources as a replacement for fossil fuels and other conventional power generation methods that causes environmental pollution. One of these methods is the use of solar energy for electricity generation through the use of the photovoltaic solar inverter which harnesses the power from the sun to generate electricity. The inability of electricity distributors to provide enough and sustainable power supply for homes and businesses, coupled with the need to live a smart life has made humans sort for an easier control method of electricity generation and usage. Hence, this research presents a smart voice and mobile application control modular inverter integrated with a smart metered energy distribution system, which equally distributes power amongst the users for effective and smart energy usage. A test of applied load on the inverter as compared to normal electricity usage deduced an 8% error rate giving a 92% accuracy for the inverter. The mobile app was tested for both online and offline usage and a 67% accuracy was deduced as the overall accuracy of the software. This gives an inference that the system can be fully operated by a user in the luxury of their comfort. For smart meter monitoring and energy allocation, 93.33% and 96.8% accuracy and precision were achieved respectively. This research makes the usage of green energy more efficient with its feature which allows for equal distribution of energy. The system also helps prevent energy theft or misuse by providing only the proper user with alerts and administrative control.

Selection of a green renewable energy source in India with the help of MEREC integrated PIV MCDM tool

Selecting the best renewable energy (RE) sources are often considered as a critical task in the field of decision-making. Renewable energy depends on certain conflicting factors that might divert the proper selection of the best one. Hence, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) would be the appropriate choice to treat this kind of confusing situations. In this article, a real-time decision-making problem is considered regarding the proper selection of a RE power plant in India. The main objective is to propose the suitable RE power plant that should be established in India based on six most important factors with the help of integrated MEREC-PIV MCDM tool. Here, five alternatives RE sources are considered and the best one is chosen based on the suitability of the Indian climatic conditions with the help of PIV, and MEREC is utilized to determine the objective weights of the six criterions. The final results show that, hydroelectric power plant would be the appropriate choice, whereas, biomass energy is the worst among the five alternatives. A ranking order of the alternatives is also proposed showing from highest to lowest rating. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to validate the outcome results and ranking.

The biogas dilemma: An analysis on the social approval of large new plants

• The paper investigates the degree of social acceptance of biogas. • The determinants of citizens’ perception of new biomass plants. • Two waves of surveys has handed out in order to assess an empirical strategy. • The paper provides some insights on the social acceptability of biogas. • Results assessed the biogas acceptability. The degree of social acceptance of biogas as a renewable green energy source is still somewhat disregarded. Although many initiatives have focused on the construction of new biogas plants around the world, local protests on the construction of new plants often arise. This study aims to analyse the determinants of citizens’ perceptions regarding the construction of new biomass plants in their neighbouring areas. In particular, the focus is on prior knowledge of the production process of biogas as well as on other individual characteristics. The investigation is based on two repeated surveys conducted among the population living in two Italian areas where the construction of new large biogas plants were planned (the provinces of Oristano and Andria). The first survey analyses the main variables correlated with the degree of biogas acceptability particularly the biogas knowledge. The second survey (differentiated in two waves) focuses on the role of participatory processes and information campaigns undertaken by policy makers and environmental associations to increase the social acceptance of communities regarding the construction of new biogas plants.