scholarly journals Solar Integrated Anaerobic Digester: Energy Savings and Economics

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4292
Author(s):  
Lidia Lombardi ◽  
Barbara Mendecka ◽  
Simone Fabrizi
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Integration

Industrial anaerobic digestion requires low temperature thermal energy to heat the feedstock and maintain temperature conditions inside the reactor. In some cases, the thermal requirements are satisfied by burning part of the produced biogas in devoted boilers. However, part of the biogas can be saved by integrating thermal solar energy into the anaerobic digestion plant. We study the possibility of integrating solar thermal energy in biowaste mesophilic/thermophilic anaerobic digestion, with the aim of reducing the amount of biogas burnt for internal heating and increasing the amount of biogas, further upgraded to biomethane and injected into the natural gas grid. With respect to previously available studies that evaluated the possibility of integrating solar thermal energy in anaerobic digestion, we introduce the topic of economic sustainability by performing a preliminary and simplified economic analysis of the solar system, based only on the additional costs/revenues. The case of Italian economic incentives for biomethane injection into the natural gas grid—that are particularly favourable—is considered as reference case. The amount of saved biogas/biomethane, on an annual basis, is about 4–55% of the heat required by the gas boiler in the base case, without solar integration, depending on the different considered variables (mesophilic/thermophilic, solar field area, storage time, latitude, type of collector). Results of the economic analysis show that the economic sustainability can be reached only for some of the analysed conditions, using the less expensive collector, even if its efficiency allows lower biomethane savings. Future reduction of solar collector costs might improve the economic feasibility. However, when the payback time is calculated, excluding the Italian incentives and considering selling the biomethane at the natural gas price, its value is always higher than 10 years. Therefore, incentives mechanism is of great importance to support the economic sustainability of solar integration in biowaste anaerobic digestion producing biomethane.

Central heating by seasonal sensible heat storage of solar thermal energy

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-110
Author(s):  
Abdul Mosaur Waseel ◽  
Najib Rahman Sabory ◽  
Hameedullah Zaheb ◽  
Abdul Kareem Waseel
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Central Heating ◽  
Environmental Feasibility

Production of required thermal energy to heat residential buildings is a considerable issue in energy studies. Kabul city is a city in which the coal-fired central heating systems for providing the mentioned energy is in expansion process. And, coal as feeding source of these systems with generation of carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main cause of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions in winter. Fortunately, Kabul city has maximum solar radiation in summer warm season which can be used for fulfilling of this demand in winter cold season. The method which can perform this task is the central heating by seasonal sensible heat storage of solar thermal energy. But, the economic and environmental feasibility and viability of this method is a discussable issue. In this study, the central heating by seasonal sensible heat storage of solar thermal energy and its economic and environmental feasibility and viability is studied. It is tried that this system is compared in a logical method with current coal-fired systems. The economic feasibility study is accomplished by comparison of initial or capital cost and annual operation and maintenance cost with the usage of existing data and thermodynamic analytic methods. The environmental viability study is accomplished by comparison of annual emissions of CO2 with the usage of online emissions calculator. Unfortunately, it is found that seasonal sensible heat storage of solar thermal energy is not an economically feasible method for central heating due to its high initial cost and cannot be used in an economically beneficial manner for central heating. But fortunately, it is an environmentally viable method and environmentally friendly way due to its no and/or zero CO2 emissions. To sum up, it is suggested that, this method should be used for district heating which can make this system economically feasible.

Using anaerobic digestion of organic wastes to biochemically store solar thermal energy

Energy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 638-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhong ◽  
Mauricio Bustamante Roman ◽  
Yingkui Zhong ◽  
Steve Archer ◽  
Rui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy

Methanol production from CO2 using solar-thermal energy: process development and techno-economic analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 3122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyong Kim ◽  
Carlos A. Henao ◽  
Terry A. Johnson ◽  
Daniel E. Dedrick ◽  
James E. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Process Development ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Methanol Production ◽  
Energy Process

scholarly journals Modeling the Feasibility of Using Solar Thermal Systems for Meeting the Heating Requirements at Corn Ethanol Production Facilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ehrke ◽  
John R. Reisel
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Systems ◽  
Makeup Water ◽  
Gas Consumption ◽  
Natural Gas Consumption ◽  
Production Facilities

While ethanol use as a vehicle fuel has been promoted as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, current production methods of ethanol from corn feedstock rely heavily on the combustion of nonrenewable fuels such as natural gas. Solar thermal systems can provide a renewable energy source for supplying some of the heat required ethanol production. In this paper, a model to analyze the feasibility of using solar thermal energy to reduce natural gas consumption in ethanol production is described and applied. Sites of current ethanol production facilities are used to provide a realistic analysis of the economic feasibility of using solar thermal energy in the ethanol production process. The results show that it is not reasonable to expect to replace all of the natural gas consumption in the heating processes in ethanol production but that application of solar thermal energy can be applied to a specific subsystem such as the preheating of boiler makeup water. Profitability of systems for replacing a fraction of the natural gas is analyzed. It is found that both location and local natural gas prices are important in determining whether to pursue such a project and that solar thermal systems should have long-term profitability.

Production of Solar Hybrid Fuels of DME, Methanol and H2 in Australia and Shipping to Japan

Solar Energy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Tamaura ◽  
Hiroshi Kaneko ◽  
Akinori Fuse ◽  
Hideyuki Ishihara
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Mixed Gas ◽  
Combined Process ◽  
Emission Process ◽  
Zero Emission ◽  
The One

Solar hybrid fuel production from natural gas using concentrated solar thermal energy in Australia was studied, assuming that 54.6MW/(one unit of solar farm) of the concentrated solar thermal energy is used for the endothermic process of stream reforming (solar steam reforming; SSR) with total solar energy conversion efficiency of 45.5% (120MW of heliostat field; one unit of solar farm). With 23 units of the solar farm, natural gas of 2516t/d can be reformed by the SSR. To ship the product fuel to Japan by existing tankers, the syngas (CO + 3H2) produced by the SSR is separated into one mole of H2 (375t/d) and the mixed gas of one mole of CO and two moles of H2 which is converted to one mole of methanol (6000t/d) to be shipped by existing tankers. The one mole of H2 will be used in Australia as the H2 fuel with 25% solar share (CO2 reduction). To improve cost barrier between oil and the methanol produced by SSR, the CO2 zero emission process of the combined process of SSR and AT (auto-thermal process) is proposed as the one whose methanol cost can be competitive with oil, when carbon tax is introduced. By shipping the methanol produced by the CO2 zero emission process of the combined process of SSR-AT (economically feasible), we can reduce CO2 emission by co-firing coal and methanol at coal-firing power stations in Japan. In this system, an excess H2 fuel with solar energy is produced, and can be used in Australia.

A First Order Thermodynamic and Economic Analysis for Integrating Thermal and Compressed Air Energy Storage for a Dispatchable Wind and Solar Powered System

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared B. Garrison ◽  
Mark Kapner ◽  
Michael E. Webber
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Lifetime Cost ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Compressed Air ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Compressed Air Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy

Wind and solar technologies have experienced rapid market growth recently as a result of the growing interest for implementation of renewable energy. However, the intermittency of wind and solar power is a major obstacle to their broader use. The additional risks of unexpected interruptions and mismatch with demand have hindered the expansion of these two primary renewable resources. The goal of this research is to analyze an integrated energy system that includes a novel configuration of wind and solar coupled with two storage methods to make both wind and solar sources dispatchable during peak demand, thereby enabling their broader use. The proposed system utilizes compressed air energy storage (CAES) that is driven from wind energy and thermal storage supplied by concentrated solar thermal power in order to achieve this desired dispatchability. While current CAES facilities use off peak electricity to power their compressors, this system uses power from wind turbines to compress air to high pressure for storage. Also, rather than using natural gas for heating of the compressed air before its expansion through a turbine, which it typical for conventional systems, the system described in this paper replaces the use of natural gas with solar thermal energy and thermal storage. Through a thermodynamic and a levelised lifetime cost analysis we have been able to develop estimates of the power system performance and the cost of energy for this integrated wind-solar-storage system. What we found is that the combination of these components resulted in an efficiency of over 50% for the main power components. We also estimated that the overall system is more expensive per unit of electricity generated than two of the current technologies employed today, namely coal and nuclear, but cheaper than natural gas peaking units. However, this economic analysis, though accurate with regard to the technologies chosen, will not be complete until cost values can be placed on some of the externalities associated with power generation such as fuel cost volatility, national security, and emissions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document