Search Results (460)

Green hydrogen is becoming increasingly popular, with academics, institutions, and governments concentrating on its development, efficiency improvement, and cost reduction. The objective of the Ministry of Petroleum, Mines, and Energy is to achieve a 35% proportion of renewable energy in the overall energy composition by the year 2030, followed by a 50% commitment by 2050. This goal will be achieved through the implementation of feed-in tariffs and the integration of independent power generators. The present study focused on the economic feasibility of green hydrogen and its production process utilizing renewable energy resources on the northern coast of Mauritania. The current investigation also explored the wind potential along the northern coast of Mauritania, spanning over 600 km between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Wind data from masts, Lidar stations, and satellites at 10 and 80 m heights from 2022 to 2023 were used to assess wind characteristics and evaluate five turbine types for local conditions. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis was carried out at five specific sites, encompassing the measures of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and levelized cost of green hydrogen (LCOGH), as well as sensitivity analysis and economic performance indicators. The results showed an annual average wind speed of 7.6 m/s in Nouakchott to 9.8 m/s in Nouadhibou at 80 m. The GOLDWIND 3.0 MW model showed the highest capacity factor of 50.81% due to its low cut-in speed of 2.5 m/s and its rated wind speed of 10.5 to 11 m/s. The NORDEX 4 MW model forecasted an annual production of 21.97 GWh in Nouadhibou and 19.23 GWh in Boulanoir, with the LCOE ranging from USD 5.69 to 6.51 cents/kWh, below the local electricity tariff, and an LCOGH of USD 1.85 to 2.11 US/kg H₂. Multiple economic indicators confirmed the feasibility of wind energy and green hydrogen projects in assessed sites. These results boosted the confidence of the techno-economic model, highlighting the resilience of future investments in these sustainable energy infrastructures. Mauritania’s north coast has potential for wind energy, aiding green hydrogen production for energy goals. Full article

The decarbonization goals of each country necessitate the utilization of renewable resources, with photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine (WT) generators being the most common forms. However, spatial constraints, especially on islands, can hinder the expansion of PV and WT installations. In this context, wave energy emerges as a viable supplementary renewable source. Islands are candidate regions to accommodate wave power resources due to their abundant wave potential. While previous studies have explored the wave energy potential of the Aegean Sea, they have not focused on the electricity production and techno-economic aspects of wave power facilities in this area. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by conducting a comprehensive techno-economic analysis to evaluate the feasibility of deploying an offshore wave power facility in the Aegean Sea, Greece. The analysis includes a detailed sensitivity assessment of CAPEX and OPEX variability, calculating key indicators like LCOE and NPV to determine the economic viability and profitability of wave energy investments in the region. Additionally, the study identifies hydraulic efficiency and CAPEX thresholds that could make wave power more competitive compared with traditional energy sources. The techno-economic analysis is conducted for a 45 MW offshore floating wave power plant situated between eastern Crete and Kasos—one of the most wave-rich areas in Greece. Despite eastern Crete’s promising wave conditions, the study reveals that with current techno-economic parameters—CAPEX of 7 million EUR/MW, OPEX of 6%, a 20-year lifetime, and 25% efficiency—the wave energy in this area yields a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 1417 EUR/MWh. This rate is significantly higher than the prevailing LCOE in Crete, which is between 237 and 300 EUR/MWh. Nonetheless, this study suggests that the LCOE of wave energy in Crete could potentially decrease to as low as 69 EUR/MWh in the future under improved conditions, including a CAPEX of 1 million EUR/MW, an OPEX of 1%, a 30-year lifetime, and 35% hydraulic efficiency for wave converters. It is recommended that manufacturing companies target these specific thresholds to ensure the economic viability of wave power in the waters of the Aegean Sea. Full article

As the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, Malaysia heavily depends on its extensive oil palm cultivation, which accounts for nearly 90% of the country’s lignocellulosic biomass waste. Approximately 20–22 tonnes of empty fruit bunches (EFBs) can be derived from an initial yield of 100 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) from oil palm trees. The average annual amount of EFBs produced in Johor is 3233 tonnes per day. Recognising that urban areas contribute significantly to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and to support Malaysia’s transition from fossil fuel-based energy to a low-carbon energy system, this research employed HOMER Pro software 3.18.3 to develop an optimal hybrid renewable energy system integrating solar and biomass (EFB) energy sources in Johor, Malaysia. The most cost-effective system (solar–biomass) consists of 4075 kW solar photovoltaics, a 2100 kW biomass gasifier, 9363 battery units and 1939 kW converters. This configuration results in a total net present cost (NPC) of USD 44,596,990 and a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of USD 0.2364/kWh. This system satisfies the residential load demand via 6,020,427 kWh (64.7%) of solar-based and 3,286,257 kWh (35.3%) of biomass-based electricity production, with an annual surplus of 2,613,329 kWh (28.1%). The minimal percentages of unmet electric load and capacity shortage, both <0.1%, indicate that all systems can meet the power demand. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into the economic viability and technical feasibility of powering the Kulai district with a solar–biomass system. Full article

The measurement of the grounding resistance of grounding grids in large installations as well as grounding electrodes in urban areas is addressed in this article. The resistance value is obtained using a three-pin array by measuring the fall-of-potential on the ground surface. The resistance measured by this method is adjusted to its true value using a correction factor that aligns the measured resistance with the actual value. The proposed measurement method obtains correct values of the grounding resistance even when the auxiliary and potential electrodes of the tree-pin array are close to the electrode to be measured. Thus, it can be applied to large electrodes as well as electrodes in urban areas. Several simulated examples are used to illustrate the method, and some real cases with field measurements are presented for a final validation of the method. Full article

Floating offshore wind (FOW) is rapidly gaining interest due to its large potential. In this regard, it is of special interest to determine the best locations for its installation. One of the main aspects when evaluating the feasibility of a project is the levelised cost of energy (LCOE), but there are many variables to consider when calculating it for FOW, and plenty of them are hard to find when the scope is all the suitable areas worldwide. This paper presents the calculation and analysis of the global LCOE with particular focus on the best countries and territories from an economic point of view, considering four types of platforms: semi-submersible, barge, spar, and tension leg platform (TLP). The model takes into account, on the one hand, wind data, average significant wave height, and distance to shore for an accurate calculation of delivered energy to the onshore substation and, on the other hand, bathymetry, distances, and existing data from projects to find appropriate functions for each cost with regression models (e.g., manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance (O&M), and decommissioning costs). Its results can be used to assess the potential areas around the world and identify the countries and territories with the greatest opportunities regarding FOW. The lowest LCOE values, i.e., the optimal results, correspond to areas where wind resources are more abundant and the main variables of the site affecting the costs (water depth, average significant wave height, distance to shore, and distance to port) are as low as possible. These areas include the border between Venezuela and Colombia, the Canary Islands, Peru, the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania, Egypt, and the southernmost part of Argentina, with LCOEs around 90 €/MWh. Moreover, there are many areas in the range of 100–130 €/MWh. Full article

The thermoeconomic performance of geothermal power plants is influenced by a variety of site-specific factors, major economic variables, and the type of the involved technology. In addition to those, ambient conditions also play a role in geothermal power generation by acting on the cooling towers. This study focuses on the performance analysis of a binary cycle with isobutane for geothermal power generation under the impact of climate change. Long-term temperature variations in ambient air are described by temperature anomalies under two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP). These are the intermediate SSP2-4.5 scenario and the extreme SSP5-8.5 scenario, over the period from 2021 to 2100. Different climate models from the most recent Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) are compared against each other and against the observed temperature data. The predictive power of the CMIP6 climate models is evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Kullback–Leibler (KL) criteria. The thermoeconomic performance of the geothermal power plant is expressed in terms of net power output, annual electricity generation (AEG), and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The geothermal power plant achieves a net power output of 10 MW and an LCOE of 79.2 USD/MWh for an ambient air temperature of 12 °C. This temperature is the average temperature over the reference period of 1991–2020 in Bjelovar, Croatia (45.8988° N, 16.8423° E). Under the impact of climate change, the same geothermal power plant will have the AEG reduced by between 0.5% and 2.9% in the intermediate (SSP2-4.5) scenario and by between 2.0% and 8.7% in the extreme (SSP5-8.5) scenario. The LCOE will increase between 0.4% and 1.8% in the intermediate scenario and from 1.3% to 5.6% in the extreme scenario. Full article

The use of renewable energy sources (RESs) is increasing every day to meet increasing energy demands and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. When designing hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs), it is necessary to examine their technical, economic, and environmental feasibility. In this study, a new strategy is proposed using the HOMER Matlab Link (ML) connection for an HRES model consisting of a photovoltaic (PV) system, a wind turbine (WT), a biogas generator (BGG), and a battery storage system (BSS) designed to meet the electrical energy needs of Doğanevler village located in the rural area of Bingöl province. The data obtained as a result of the proposed strategy (PS) are compared with HOMER’s loop charging (CC) and load following (LF) optimization results. According to the PS, the optimum capacity values for the HRES components are 10 kW for WT, 10 kW for PV, 8 kW for BGG, 12 kWh for BSS, and 12 kW for the converter. According to the optimum design, 16,205 kWh of the annual energy produced was generated by PV systems, 22,927 kWh by WTs, and 22,817 kWh by BGGs. This strategy’s NPC and LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) values are calculated as USD 130,673.91 and USD 0.207/kWh, respectively. For the CC dispatch strategy, the NPC and LCOE values are calculated as USD 141,892.28 and USD 0.240/kWh, while for the LF dispatch strategy, these values are USD 152,456.89 and USD 0.257/kWh. The CO₂ emission value for the system using a BGG was calculated as 480 kg/year, while for the system using a DG, this value increased approximately 57 times and was calculated to be 27,709 kg/year. The results show that the PS is more economical than the other two strategies. The PS provides energy security, reduces costs, and increases environmental sustainability. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the availability of renewable resources, fuel cost, and inflation parameters, and the results were analyzed. Full article

This study introduces a novel hybrid solar–biomass cogeneration power plant that efficiently produces heat, electricity, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen using concentrated solar power and syngas from cotton stalk biomass. Detailed exergy-based thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analyses demonstrate that the optimized system achieves an exergy efficiency of 48.67% and an exergoeconomic factor of 80.65% and produces 51.5 MW of electricity, 23.3 MW of heat, and 8334.4 kg/h of hydrogen from 87,156.4 kg/h of biomass. The study explores four scenarios for green hydrogen production pathways, including chemical looping reforming and supercritical water gasification, highlighting significant improvements in levelized costs and the environmental impact compared with other solar-based hybrid systems. Systems 2 and 3 exhibit superior performance, with levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) of 49.2 USD/MWh and 55.4 USD/MWh and levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) of between 10.7 and 19.5 USD/MWh. The exergoenvironmental impact factor ranges from 66.2% to 73.9%, with an environmental impact rate of 5.4–7.1 Pts/MWh. Despite high irreversibility challenges, the integration of solar energy significantly enhances the system’s exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental performance, making it a promising alternative as fossil fuel reserves decline. To improve competitiveness, addressing process efficiency and cost reduction in solar concentrators and receivers is crucial. Full article

Today, many factors, especially the increasing world population and developing technology, increase the energy needs of people and societies day by day. The fact that fossil resources are both in danger of depletion and have negative environmental impacts has directed countries to new resources. The study focuses on the effective use of renewable energy sources (RES) and the evaluation of waste to meet the electricity and heat energy needs of Yiğit Harman Village, located in the Solhan district of Bingöl Province. For this purpose, a renewable-energy-based combined heat and power system (CHP) was designed using HOMER Pro software (version 3.14.2, Homer Energy LLC, Boulder, CO, USA). Solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen energy sources were used, considering the resources of the region. Using the designed model, the entire electricity energy requirement and half of the heat energy were completely met by the region’s available RESs. In addition to the technical analysis, economic and environmental analyses were also conducted, and LCOE, NPC, and CO₂ emission values were obtained as 0.271 USD/kWh, USD 739,772, and 37,958 kg/yr, respectively. These results indicate that with an investment of approximately USD 7000 per household, the electrical and thermal energy needs for 25 years can be met. Full article

To reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for offshore wind turbines, a novel wind–wave energy converter (WWEC) with a mass-adjustable buoy is designed. To analyze the impact of buoy mass variations on the system, a coupled comprehensive numerical model is established to simulate the aerodynamics of the turbine and the hydrodynamics of the platform and buoy. It is found that the occurrence of the buoy out of water significantly reduces the output power. Adjusting the buoy’s mass with suitable strategy can prevent the impact of slamming loads and improve the power output. The mass adjustment strategy is determined based on the output power of the wave energy converter under regular wave conditions. It is found that the mass adjustment strategy can significantly enhance the output power of combined system. The buoy does not move out of the water under the extreme conditions, which avoids the impact of slamming loads on system stability. Moreover, mass-adjustable buoys can reduce the risk of mooring line failure compare to a wind turbine without a buoy. Full article

We developed a synergistic ocean renewable system where an array of Wave Energy Converters (WEC) with adaptive resonance was collocated with a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) such that the WECs, capturing wave energy through the resonance adapting to varying irregular waves, consequently reduced FOWFT loads and turbine motions. Combining Surface-Riding WECs (SR-WEC) individually designed to feasibly relocate their natural frequency at the peak of the wave excitation spectrum for each sea state, and to obtain the highest capture width ratio at one of the frequent sea states for annual average power in a tens of kilowatts scale with a 15 MW FOWT based on a semi-submersible, Bayesian Optimization is implemented to determine the arrangement of WECs that minimize the annual representation of FOWT’s wave excitation spectra. The time-domain simulation of the system in the optimized arrangement is performed, including two sets of interactions: one set is the wind turbine dynamics, mooring lines, and floating body dynamics for FOWT, and the other set is the nonlinear power-take-off dynamics, linear mooring, and individual WECs’ floating body dynamics. Those two sets of interactions are further coupled through the hydrodynamics of diffraction and radiation. For sea states comprising Annual Energy Production, we investigate the capture width ratio of WECs, wave excitation on FOWT, and nacelle acceleration of the turbine compared to their single unit operations. We find that the optimally arranged SR-WECs reduce the wave excitation spectral area of FOWT by up to 60% and lower the turbine’s peak nacelle acceleration by nearly 44% in highly occurring sea states, while multiple WECs often produce more than the single operation, achieving adaptive resonance with a larger wave excitation spectra for those sea states. The synergistic system improves the total Annual Energy Production (AEP) by 1440 MWh, and we address which costs of Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) can be reduced by the collocation. Full article

The modern energy landscape is undergoing a significant transformation towards cleaner, decentralized energy sources. This change is driven by environmental and sustainability needs, causing traditional centralized electric grids, which rely heavily on fossil fuels, to be replaced by a diverse range of decentralized distributed energy resources. Virtual power plants (VPPs) have surfaced as a flexible solution in this transition. A VPP’s primary role is to optimize energy production, storage, and distribution by coordinating output from various connected sources. Relying on advanced communication and control systems, a VPP can balance supply and demand in real time, offer ancillary services, and support grid stability. However, aligning VPPs’ economic and operational practices with broader environmental goals and policies is a challenging yet crucial aspect. This article introduces a new VPP management and optimization algorithm designed for quick and intelligent decision-making, aiming for the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE), minimum grid technical losses, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The algorithm’s effectiveness is confirmed using the IEEE 33-bus grid with 10 different distributed power generators. Simulation results show the algorithm’s responsiveness to complex variables found in practical scenarios, finding the optimal combination of available energy resources. This minimizes the LCOE, technical losses, and GHG emissions in less than 0.08 s, achieving a total LCOE reduction of 16% from the baseline. This work contributes to the development of intelligent energy management systems, aiding the transition towards a more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure. Full article

In general, a high voltage (HV) substation can be made up of multiple insulation subsystems: an air insulation subsystem (AIS), gas insulation subsystem (GIS), liquid insulation subsystem (power transformers), and solid insulation subsystem (power cables), all of them with their grounding structures interconnected and linked to the substation earth. Partial discharge (PD) pulses, which are generated in a HV apparatus belonging to a subsystem, travel through the grounding structures of the others. PD analyzers using high-frequency current transformer (HFCT) sensors, which are installed at the connections between the grounding structures, are sensitive to these traveling pulses. In a substation made up of an AIS, several non-critical PD sources can be detected, such as possible corona, air surface, or floating discharges. To perform the correct diagnosis, non-critical PD sources must be separated from critical PD sources related to insulation defects, such as a cavity in a solid dielectric material, mobile particles in SF6, or surface discharges in oil. Powerful diagnostic tools using PD clustering and phase-resolved PD (PRPD) pattern recognition have been developed to check the insulation condition of HV substations. However, a common issue is how to determine the subsystem in which a critical PD source is located when there are several PD sources, and a critical one is near the boundary between two HV subsystems, e.g., a cavity defect located between a cable end and a GIS. The traveling direction of the detected PD is valuable information to determine the subsystem in which the insulation defect is located. However, incorrect diagnostics are usually due to the constraints of PD measuring systems and inadequate PD diagnostic procedures. This paper presents a diagnostic procedure using an appropriate PD analyzer with multiple HFCT sensors to carry out efficient insulation condition diagnoses. This PD procedure has been developed on the basis of laboratory tests, transient signal modeling, and validation tests. The validation tests were carried out in a special test bench developed for the characterization of PD analyzers. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure, a real case is also presented, where satisfactory results are shown. Full article

The decaying prices and improving efficiency of bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies make them most promising for harnessing solar radiation. Deserts have a high solar potential, but harsh conditions like high temperatures and dust negatively affect the performance of any proposed solar system. The most attractive aspect of deserts is their long-term sustainability, as they are free from urban and agricultural expansion. In this work, the System Advisor Model (SAM) software version 2023.12.17 was used to model a 100 MW PV plant and evaluate the techno-economic performance of fixed, 1-axis, and 2-axis bifacial systems under the climatic conditions of six deserts from around the world. This study explores technical parameters such as the performance ratio, specific yield, and capacity factor. Additionally, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) indicator was used to compare the economic performance of the different systems. Results showed high specific yield: the averages for the three systems in six deserts were 2040, 2372, and 2555 kWh/kWp, respectively. Economic analysis found that an LCOE below 4 ¢/kWh is achievable in all deserts, reaching a minimum of 2.45 ¢/kWh under favorable conditions. These results emphasize the high potential of utility-scale PV projects in deserts to advance a green, sustainable energy future. Full article

The steep decline in the price of wind turbines and solar photovoltaics provides a possibility to decarbonize electricity deeply and affordably. This study uses the HOMER Pro energy modeling tool to model an optimized grid-connected renewable energy system for a community in southern Alberta, Canada. The study’s goal is to identify the best renewable energy technology combinations that can provide electricity at the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and has lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to the electricity produced by traditional fossil fuel. Gleichen is a small town in southern Alberta that is close to numerous commercial wind and solar projects given the region’s high quality renewable resources. “Tri-brid” systems consisting of wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are considered and compared based on electricity prices, net present cost, and greenhouse gas emissions savings. This tri-brid system is connected to the grid to sell excess generated electricity or buy electricity when there is less or no availability of solar and wind energy. The tri-brid energy system has an estimated LCOE of 0.0705 CAD/kWh, which is competitive with the price of electricity generated by natural gas and coal, which is 0.127 CAD/kWh. Full article