scholarly journals ENERGIZING COMMUNITIES THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH EXTERNAL ACTORS: SMALL-SCALE HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN JAPAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Yasuko Honda
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
External Actors

This study aims to specify the contextual conditions that allow for the success of community renewable energy projects, against the background of the expanding use of renewable energy. It analyzes cases where farmers invested in organizations to establish ownership of hydropower plants in the Chugoku region, Japan. Community renewable energy projects derived from local initiatives to provide an alternative energy resource and serve as a catalyst for rural development. However, the costs of small hydropower plant construction and the expert knowledge required for their operation could hinder the diffusion of the technology. Population decline and aging in rural communities also constrain the development of community renewable energy projects. This study presents cases that illuminate the conditions enabling these organizations to succeed in securing the necessary resources for the operation of their renewable energy plants. The survey illustrates how studied organizations have opted to collaborate with external actors to construct or refurbish their plants. The findings indicate that as building partnerships with external actors often becomes essential, it is vital to develop a business-minded framework in which both communities and external actors can financially benefit from introducing small hydropower projects. The cases also reveal that in building collaborative relationships, broad disparities exist between communities and external actors in financial power and expert knowledge, which give the latter substantial advantages in negotiations. An additional important claim derived is that, for an effective partnership that enables a successful community renewable energy project, a third party with expert knowledge and the ability to audit partnership-building processes could play a crucial role in securing community initiatives and independence.

Renewable Energy on Tribal Lands: A Feasibility Study for a Biomass-to-Energy Plant on the Cocopah Reservation in Arizona

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lauren K. D’Souza ◽  
William L. Ascher ◽  
Tanja Srebotnjak
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Energy Plant ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Alternative Investment

Native American reservations are among the most economically disadvantaged regions in the United States; lacking access to economic and educational opportunities that are exacerbated by “energy insecurity” due to insufficient connectivity to the electric grid and power outages. Local renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass offer energy alternatives but their implementation encounters barriers such as lack of financing, infrastructure, and expertise, as well as divergent attitudes among tribal leaders. Biomass, in particular, could be a source of stable base-load power that is abundant and scalable in many rural communities. This case study examines the feasibility of a biomass energy plant on the Cocopah reservation in southwestern Arizona. It considers feedstock availability, cost and energy content, technology options, nameplate capacity, discount and interest rates, construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, and alternative investment options. This study finds that at current electricity prices and based on typical costs for fuel, O&M over 30 years, none of the tested scenarios is presently cost-effective on a net present value (NPV) basis when compared with an alternative investment yielding annual returns of 3% or higher. The technology most likely to be economically viable and suitable for remote, rural contexts—a combustion stoker—resulted in a levelized costs of energy (LCOE) ranging from US$0.056 to 0.147/kWh. The most favorable scenario is a combustion stoker with an estimated NPV of US$4,791,243. The NPV of the corresponding alternative investment is US$7,123,380. However, if the tribes were able to secure a zero-interest loan to finance the plant’s installation cost, the project would be on par with the alternative investment. Even if this were the case, the scenario still relies on some of the most optimistic assumptions for the biomass-to-power plant and excludes abatement costs for air emissions. The study thus concludes that at present small-scale, biomass-to-energy projects require a mix of favorable market and local conditions as well as appropriate policy support to make biomass energy projects a cost-competitive source of stable, alternative energy for remote rural tribal communities that can provide greater tribal sovereignty and economic opportunities.

Energy Production and Consumption Patterns and Planning: A Case of Northeast Minnesota

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 373-392
Author(s):  
Felix Amenumey ◽  
Melissa Pawlisch ◽  
Okechukwu Ukaga
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Technical Expertise ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Set Up

The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is a project designed to give local citizens and other stakeholders a voice in planning and determining their energy future. In total, there are seven CERTs operating in seven regions across Minnesota, USA. CERTs connect citizens with technical expertise to facilitate planning and implementation of energy conservation and renewable energy projects. These technical resources are helping the teams identify and prioritize the most appropriate and cost-effective opportunities within their regions. This paper will describe one of these energy teams (the Northeast CERT) and its efforts in promoting clean energy production and conservation. A key product of the Northeast CERT is a strategic energy plan that highlights the region's top energy priorities. As part of its project priorities, the Northeast Minnesota CERT is working to set up demonstration projects at every school and community in the region. Toward this goal, the team is currently collaborating with two schools in the region to set up renewable energy projects such as wind and solar, which in turn would help students to understand that renewables and conservation can and should be an integral part of our energy system.

scholarly journals Biogas as an alternative energy resource for Ukrainian companies: EU experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Yevdokimov ◽  
Olena Chygryn ◽  
Tetyana Pimonenko ◽  
Oleksii Lyulyov
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Economic Effect ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Final Energy Consumption ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Feed In Tariff

The paper deals with analysis of the preconditions of alternative energy market development in Ukraine. In this case study, the authors analyzed the EU experience. The results of analysis showed that the leader of the EU countries in renewable energy has already achieved the target (20%), which had been indicated. In addition, the findings showed that the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption has been increasing from year to year. The authors allocate that, according to the Ukrainian potential, biogas is the most perspective one among alternative resources. Moreover, results of analysis showed that Ukraine has the huge potential of agricultural sector. In this direction, the authors allocated the main types of the agricultural activities, which have the highest potential of biogas production: sugar factories, corn silage and poultry farms. The authors underlined that biogas spreading is restrained by the stereotypes that green investments are not attractive for investors. In order to analyze the economic efficiency of investments to the biogas installation, the authors calculated the profit from the biogas installation for poultry farm. The authors made two scenarios for calculation. The first – the whole volume of energy, which was generated from the biogas unit, will be sold with feed-in tariff. The second – the farm covers its own needs in electricity, the rest will be sold with feed-in tariff. The findings showed that the first scenario is more attractive. Moreover, the farm could receive higher profit if it installed the biogas in 2016, not in 2017. In addition, based on the EU experience and features of farm functioning, the authors approved that the biogas installation has not only the economic effect (profit and additional profit) for company, but also ecological and social effects for rural area, where this farm was located.

Impact of Small Hydropower Plant on the Biodiversity of the Selected Area

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rastislav Fijko ◽  
Martina Zeleňáková
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Natural Reproduction ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
New Construction ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Pollution Emissions

Renewable energy – wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass – provides substantial benefits for our climate, our health, and our economy. Each source of renewable energy has unique benefits. Generated electricity from renewable energy rather than fossil fuels offers significant public health benefits. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions and water. This statement is true when it comes to new construction. It should also take into account those buildings that are already built (often with many shortcom-ings). This paper deals with the assessment of the negative impacts of Small Hydropower Plant (SHPP) in eastern Slo-vakia, in the boundaries of the village Lukov. This is a SHPP built in the end 60’s as one of the first three -once (built in the former Czechoslovakia). The disadvantage of its construction is bypass channel, which causes significant or total reduction of water level on biologically important areas. In terms of biodiversity, it’s a serious concern mainly in the fish reproduction period. Dry river course is insurmountable obstacle for them. This results in their death caused by exhaustion and gradual extinction of natural reproduction in the area of interest. Paper contains a case study with variant solution of current situation.

scholarly journals Potential of Small-Scale Hydropower for Electricity Generation in Sub-Saharan Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiyembekezo S. Kaunda ◽  
Cuthbert Z. Kimambo ◽  
Torbjorn K. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
African Region ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan

The importance of renewable energy such as small hydropower for sustainable power generation in relation to its capacity to contribute towards alleviating acute shortage of rural electricity supply in the sub-Saharan African region has been discussed. A relatively comprehensive small hydropower technology review has been presented. Rural electricity supply scenario in the region has been presented and, in general, the region has very low electricity access levels coupled with various challenges. Small hydropower technology has been discussed as one of the promising decentralised power generation system for rural electricity supply in the region. Despite challenges in data acquisition, this paper has shown that the SSA has significant hydropower resources, but the level of installation is very low. Challenges hampering SHP technology development in the region have been identified and discussed, such as those concerning technology, climate change, finance, and policy. This is basically a paper where the authors consulted a wide range of literature including journals, conference proceedings, and reports as well as expert knowledge in the area. It is hoped that this paper contributes to the information base on SHP technology which is quite lacking in the region.

scholarly journals Prospects for development of Ukraine and EU in the field of renewable energy sources

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 01008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykola Khomenko ◽  
Kateryna Pryakhina ◽  
Kostyantyn Latyshev
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
The Eu

In article assessment of tendencies and prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union in the field of renewable energy sources was carried out. Over the past decades, the theme of climate change, especially caused by human activity, has become one of the most acute and most exploited in scientific disputes. Today, the problem of finding new sources of energy is more than acute, with a special place occupy non-traditional ones. The reduction of Ukraine's energy dependence on traditional fuel resources is possible only through the development and use own alternative energy, which uses local resources – bioenergy as a fuel or does not require a fuel component at all – solar, wind and small hydropower. The European Union is one of the leaders in the implementation of alternative energy and renewable energy sources and initiates the creation of many organizations that finance alternative energy projects. Ukraine should ensure the effective convergence of its own legislation with the European Union, since it defined the European integration vector as a priority area of foreign policy development. At the same time, within the framework of the Union, the mechanism of environmental protection and progressive approaches to the implementation of energy policy, including in the field of renewable energy, can serve as the most constructive benchmarks for Ukraine's development in this area. Ukraine signed the Paris Agreement, and undertook certain commitments, namely: in accordance with the National Action Plan on alternative energy up to 2020, the objective was to reach 11% of RES in gross final energy consumption. Achieving this goal is possible only in the case of international cooperation with the EU in the field of alternative energy. However, today, the study of the prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in this field is not developing sufficiently and there is a certain vacuum in solving strategic problems in this context, which determines the relevance of the topic.

scholarly journals PROSPECTS` ESTIMATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY POWER OF THE NORTHERN BLACK SEA REGION

2019 ◽  
pp. 36-41
Author(s):  
V. Zapototska ◽  
O. Skliarov
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Electricity Market ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Black Sea Region

The features of the location and functioning of renewable energy sources in the Northern Black Sea region in the context of political and economic transformations are considered. The strategic importance and expediency of using alternative energy power with the use of a “green” tariff and the implementation of a new electricity market have been proved. Analyzed the main factors of development and operation of renewable energy sources, among ecology-geographical, socio-geographical, economic and geopolitical. The ecology-geographical factor makes assess first of all the natural and ecological conditions on the territory, which can be used to create new renewable energy power complexes with huge economic efficiency. For the Ukrainian Black Sea region, the prospects for the development of renewable energy power are primarily related to the use of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy. The Northern Black Sea that is part of Ukraine, which receives the largest amount of solar radiation and has a lower relief, which facilitates the movement of winds from the coast of the Black and Azov seas deeper into the territory. In the system of socio-geographical factors, the population density, the pattern of settlements, the level of infrastructure development, the availability of skilled labour forces and the availability of energy consumers will be estimated. An economic factor has allowed evaluating and analyzing the cost of electricity generation from renewable energy power. The assessment of the geopolitical factor enabled the possibility and prospects of cooperation with investors from Norway, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Taking into account advanced international experience in the study of renewable energy capacity. Improved scientific methods for the investigation of renewable energy sources from the standpoint of social geography, not just within technological, engineering and economic areas. The principles of localization of alternative energy power are highlighted, which take into account the socio-geographical features of the Northern Black Sea Region: spatial distribution, labour resource potential, production infrastructure, economic attractiveness, regional competitiveness, etc. Identified functional and sectorial types of the regions of the Northern Black Sea region, which depending on the prevailing types of generation and the volume of production of electric energy. According to the results of the research, four functional-branch types have been identified: solar power – Odesa Region, wind – Donetsk, wind and solar – Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and wind and solar + small hydropower + bioenergy – Mykolaiv Region. By 2026, we predicted changes of those types for the following: wind – Donetsk (without changes), solar + wind – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia (without changes) and Odessa regions and wind + solar + small hydropower + bioenergy – Mykolaiv Region (without changes).Reflected energy- deficient and energy-surplus areas within the Northern Black Sea region, taking into account the balance of renewable energy power and total electricity generation. Investigated the potential of using alternative energy power using three-dimensional mathematical models. Spatial analysis of the most favourable spaces and areas for the development of new capacities of renewable energy power, taking into account the above factors and determinants, has been carried out. The further development of renewable energy power was adjusted according to the United Energy Network Development Plan until 2026 and the flow of foreign direct investment from the countries of the European Union. Presented trend in the dynamics of the distribution of renewable energy power.

scholarly journals The Small Hydropower Plant Income Maximization Using Games Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Antans Sauhats ◽  
Renata Varfolomejeva ◽  
Inga Umbrasko ◽  
Hasan Coban
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Game Theory ◽  
Current System ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Small Rivers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Games Theory ◽  
Additional Income

This paper is devoted to the consideration of case of the use of small rivers energy, the current system of support relevant projects, its drawbacks and opportunities to remove them. Cooperative game theory approach is used for analysis of regime management of the small-scale hydro power plant (SHPP). Technical and economical aspects of the issue are observed. The obtained results demonstrate the validity of the cooperation for obtaining additional income.

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