The energy mix is dominated by fossil fuels, albeit power generation is low-carbon

Author(s):  
Doudou Nanitamo Luta ◽  
Atanda K. Raji

Hydrogen is likely to play a significant role in the concept of low-carbon power generation in support to renewable energy systems. It is abundant, eco-friendly, highly efficient and have the potential to be more cost-effective than fossil fuels provided that the engineering challenges associated with its safe infrastructure development, economical extraction and storage are solved. Presently, about 50 million metric tons of hydrogen is generated on a yearly basis, most of that is used for oil refining and ammoniac production. Other applications include electric vehicles, power to gas and power generation, etc. This study focuses on the use of hydrogen for power generation. The main goal is to investigate technical and economic performances of a renewable hydrogen-based energy system as an alternative to diesel generators for powering a remote telecoms base station. The proposed energy system consists of a photovoltaic generator, an electrolyser, a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a battery storage system and a power-conditioning unit. The system is simulated using Homer Pro software.


Author(s):  
Troy B Malatesta

Abstract The prominence of climate change is surging with Australia feeling the impacts of hotter and dryer climates. With 2030 approaching, Australia's promise to reduce emissions is seeming harder to achieve with their energy mix being dominated by fossil fuels. The development of SMR technology in the nuclear industry offers a possible solution for Australia to shift away from coal and gas energy sources and invest in low carbon nuclear technologies. SMR technology is suitable for the Australian context due to the number of remote locations, the size of the mining and processing industries and the minimal nuclear experience Australia has. This study aimed to quantify the environmental benefits of Australia incorporating nuclear power in their energy mix and to calculate the levelized cost of electricity of constructing a 684 MWe nuclear plant using the NuScale Module. Additionally, a survey was created to provide an insight into the Australian perception of energy generation and nuclear power. The responses showed the Australian attitudes towards nuclear power and the misconceptions that are resulting in negative perceptions and attitudes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-258
Author(s):  
Lakshntan Prasad

Appreciating the importance of a heightened energy security to fuel industrial and economic growth of India, the article analyses the environmental implications of various energy options. While coal takes the lead role for power generation in the country, in view of its polluting potential a case of promoting the use of beneficiated coal has been pleaded with numerous environmental gains. Considering the nation's sensitivity to climate change, there is need to remain on the path of low carbon growth without compromising with the energy security. In view of this, it asserts tapping renewable, non-depleting and non-polluting sources of energy at a fast pace to dilute the carbon intensity of our energy mix.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saad Alshahrani ◽  
Abraham Engeda

The growth of demand for energy is increasing rapidly, and most current power generation is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Using fossil fuels for power generation is not a secure future and is limited. The most abundant source of energy is solar energy. Concentrated solar power collectors have become one of the most effective choices to convert solar energy to heat, which can then be used to drive heat engines. Over the past decade, research on hybrid solar-gas turbines have shown good promise. This paper examines and studies the performance and design aspects of a hybrid micro solar-biogas turbine and its component technology for supplying low-carbon electricity on off-grid regions. Brayton cycle based several cycles are analyzed including a recuperator system. 100 kW unit system is designed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 305-326
Author(s):  
Yuhong Zhao

In the run-up to the Paris Climate Conference (2015), China has formally and confidently announced its commitments to achieve carbon peak by around 2030 or sooner, increase its non-fossil fuels to 20 percent of the primary energy mix by 2030, and cut carbon intensity by 60–65 percent by 2030 as compared to the 2005 level. This paper examines China’s policy change and legal development since 1992 that has made its transformation to low-carbon economy an achievable goal. It analyses key mitigation strategies including control of total energy consumption, economic restructuring, demand-side management of energy conservation and energy efficiency, improvement of China’s primary energy mix, and expansion of carbon sinks. It investigates the cap-and-trade local pilot schemes in preparation for the launch of a national carbon market in 2017. The paper concludes with cautious optimism that, given the actions taken by China so far, cop21 should conclude with significant breakthroughs for a more effective post-2020 climate regime.


Author(s):  
Umeshkannan P ◽  
Muthurajan KG

The developed countries are consuming more amount of energy in all forms including electricity continuously with advanced technologies.  Developing  nation’s  energy usage trend rises quickly but very less in comparison with their population and  their  method of generating power is not  seems  to  be  as  advanced  as  developed  nations. The   objective   function   of   this   linear   programming model is to maximize the average efficiency of power generation inIndia for 2020 by giving preference to energy efficient technologies. This model is subjected to various constraints like potential, demand, running cost and Hydrogen / Carbon ratio, isolated load, emission and already installed capacities. Tora package is used to solve this linear program. Coal,  Gas,  Hydro  and  Nuclear  sources can are  supply around 87 %  of  power  requirement .  It’s concluded that we can produce power  at  overall  efficiency  of  37%  while  meeting  a  huge demand  of  13,00,000  GWh  of  electricity.  The objective function shows the scenario of highaverage efficiency with presence of 9% renewables. Maximum value   is   restricted   by   low   renewable   source’s efficiencies, emission constraints on fossil fuels and cost restriction on some of efficient technologies. This    model    shows    that    maximum    18%    of    total requirement   can   be   met   by   renewable itself which reduces average efficiency to 35.8%.   Improving technologies  of  renewable  sources  and  necessary  capacity addition  to  them in  regular  interval  will  enhance  their  role and existence against fossil fuels in future. The work involves conceptualizing, modeling, gathering information for data’s to be used in model for problem solving and presenting different scenarios for same objective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2009
Author(s):  
Valerii Havrysh ◽  
Antonina Kalinichenko ◽  
Anna Brzozowska ◽  
Jan Stebila

The depletion of fossil fuels and climate change concerns are drivers for the development and expansion of bioenergy. Promoting biomass is vital to move civilization toward a low-carbon economy. To meet European Union targets, it is required to increase the use of agricultural residues (including straw) for power generation. Using agricultural residues without accounting for their energy consumed and carbon dioxide emissions distorts the energy and environmental balance, and their analysis is the purpose of this study. In this paper, a life cycle analysis method is applied. The allocation of carbon dioxide emissions and energy inputs in the crop production by allocating between a product (grain) and a byproduct (straw) is modeled. Selected crop yield and the residue-to-crop ratio impact on the above indicators are investigated. We reveal that straw formation can consume between 30% and 70% of the total energy inputs and, therefore, emits relative carbon dioxide emissions. For cereal crops, this energy can be up to 40% of the lower heating value of straw. Energy and environmental indicators of a straw return-to-field technology and straw power generation systems are examined.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1046
Author(s):  
Jenna Ruokonen ◽  
Harri Nieminen ◽  
Ahmed Rufai Dahiru ◽  
Arto Laari ◽  
Tuomas Koiranen ◽  
...  

The ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets for the transport sector set in the Paris Climate Agreement require low-carbon energy solutions that can be commissioned rapidly. The production of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel from renewable methanol using methanol-to-olefins (MTO) and Mobil’s Olefins to Gasoline and Distillate (MOGD) syntheses was investigated in this study via process simulation and economic analysis. The current work presents a process simulation model comprising liquid fuel production and heat integration. According to the economic analysis, the total cost of production was found to be 3409 €/tfuels (273 €/MWhLHV), corresponding to a renewable methanol price of 963 €/t (174 €/MWhLHV). The calculated fuel price is considerably higher than the current cost of fossil fuels and biofuel blending components. The price of renewable methanol, which is largely dictated by the cost of electrolytic hydrogen and renewable electricity, was found to be the most significant factor affecting the profitability of the MTO-MOGD plant. To reduce the price of renewable fuels and make them economically viable, it is recommended that the EU’s sustainable transport policies are enacted to allow flexible and practical solutions to reduce transport-related emissions within the member states.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document