scholarly journals Climate Change and Renewable Energy Generation in Europe—Long-Term Impact Assessment on Solar and Wind Energy Using High-Resolution Future Climate Data and Considering Climate Uncertainties

Energies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 302
Author(s):  
Yuchen Yang ◽  
Kavan Javanroodi ◽  
Vahid M. Nik

Climate change can strongly affect renewable energy production. The state of the art in projecting future renewable energy generation has focused on using regional climate prediction. However, regional climate prediction is characterized by inherent uncertainty due to the complexity of climate models. This work provides a comprehensive study to quantify the impact of climate uncertainties in projecting future renewable energy potential over five climate zones of Europe. Thirteen future climate scenarios, including five global climate models (GCMs) and three representative concentration pathways (RCPs), are downscaled by the RCA4 regional climate model (RCM) over 90 years (2010–2099), divided into three 30-year periods. Solar and wind energy production is projected considering short-/long-term climate variations and uncertainties in seven representative cities (Narvik, Gothenburg, Munich, Antwerp, Salzburg, Valencia, and Athens). The results showed that the uncertainty caused by GCMs has the most substantial impact on projecting renewable energy generation. The variations due to GCM selection can become even larger than long-term climate change variations over time. Climate change uncertainties lead to over 23% and 45% projection differences for solar PV and wind energy potential, respectively. While the signal of climate change in solar radiation is weak between scenarios and over time, wind energy generation is affected by 25%.

Author(s):  
Carlos V C Weiss ◽  
Melisa Menendez ◽  
Bárbara Ondiviela ◽  
Raúl Guanche ◽  
Iñigo J Losada ◽  
...  

Abstract The development of the marine renewable energy and offshore aquaculture sectors is susceptible to being affected by climate change. Consequently, for the long-term planning of these activities, a holistic view on the effects of climate change on energy resources and environmental conditions is required. Based on present climate and future climate scenario, favourable conditions for wind and wave energy exploitation and for farming six marine fish species are assessed using a suitability index over all European regional seas. Regarding available energy potential, the estimated changes in climate do not have direct impacts on the geographic distribution of potential regions for the energy industry (both wind and wave based), that is they pose no threat to this industry. Long-term changes in environmental conditions could however require adaptation of the aquaculture sector and especially of its exploitation areas. Opportunities for aquaculture expansion of the assessed species are identified. Possibilities for co-location of these activities are observed in the different climate scenarios. The evaluation of potential zones for the exploitation of marine renewable energy resources and offshore aquaculture represents a stepping-stone, useful for improving decision-making and assisting in the management of marine economies both in the short-term and in the long-term development of these sectors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-596
Author(s):  
Olivia Rossi ◽  
Arvind Chandrasekaran

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer this question by discussing the practicality of implementing microreactor technology towards large-scale renewable energy generation, as well as provide an incentive for future researchers to utilize microreactors as a useful alternative tool for green energy production. However, can microreactors present a viable solution for the generation of renewable energy to tackle the on-going global energy crisis? Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the practicality of implementing microreactor technology toward large-scale renewable energy generation is discussed. Specific areas of interest that elucidate considerable returns of microreactors toward renewable energy production are biofuel synthesis, hydrogen conversion and solar energy harvesting. Findings It is believed that sustained research on microreactors can significantly accelerate the development of new energy production methods through renewable sources, which will undoubtedly aid in the quest for a greener future. Originality/value This work aims to provide a sound judgement on the importance of research on renewable energy production and alternative energy management methods through microreactor technology, and why future studies on this topic should be highly encouraged. The relevance of this opinion paper lies in the idea that microreactors are an innovative concept currently used in engineering to significantly accelerate chemical reactions on microscale volumes; with the feasibility of high throughput to convert energy at larger scales with much greater efficiency than existing energy production methods.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nousheen Fatima ◽  
Yanbin Li ◽  
Munir Ahmad ◽  
Gul Jabeen ◽  
Xiaoyu Li

Abstract Background The current research attempts to systematically investigate the causal interactions between renewable energy generation, aggregated energy use, human capital, and economic performance in Pakistan both in a short-term and long-term test for the period of 1990–2016. Methods As a primary step, a unit root analysis was conducted employing, among others, an augmented Dickey-Fuller-generalized least squares (ADF-GLS) test. Based on the order of integration I(1), the Johansen and Juselius (JJ) co-integration testing was employed to confirm a long-term causality analysis, which was followed by a vector error correction model (VECM) to calculate the short-run Granger causality analysis. Furthermore, the vector autoregressive (VAR)-based Cholesky test allowed the standard deviation impulse response functions to be generated to explain the responses of variables to arbitrary shocks in the data series under analysis. Results The empirical findings unearthed the bilateral causal connection between aggregated energy use and economic performance, renewable energy generation and economic performance, and human capital and economic performance. Thus, it confirmed the existence of feedback effects for aggregated energy use, renewable energy generation, and human capital in their relation to economic performance. Likewise, a unilateral positive causal connection was revealed running from renewable energy generation and human capital to aggregated energy use, and from human capital to renewable energy generation in both a long-term and short-term test. Additionally, the causal association running from aggregated energy use and renewable energy generation to economic performance was exposed in a long-term as well as short-term test, hence supporting the growth hypothesis. Conclusions The findings signified the importance of an enhanced generation of renewable energy along with the promotion of an aggregated energy use for the economic performance in Pakistan.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Coburn ◽  
Eilín Walsh ◽  
Patrick J. Solan ◽  
Kevin P. McDonnell

Ireland has one of the highest wind energy potentials in Europe. The intermittent nature of wind makes this renewable resource impractical as a sole source of energy. Combining wind energy with pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) can overcome this intermittency, consuming energy during low-demand periods and supplying energy for periods of high demand. Currently Ireland has a number of hydroelectric power plants and wind farms of various scales in operation. A feasibility study was conducted to investigate the potential of securing a reliable source of renewable energy by increasing the penetration of hydroelectric power by means of combined wind-PHES developments. The greatest wind potential is experienced along the western coast of Ireland and a number of sites were identified here which satisfied a minimum mean wind speed criterion of 10.5 ms−1. Each site was then further evaluated according to topographical requirements for PHES. All but two of the identified sites are immediately unsuitable due to the presence of areas protected under European legislation; this highlights the nonenergy related obstacles in the path of renewable energy generation in Ireland and suggests that a compromise should be researched which could facilitate both renewable energy generation and species and habitat protection in Europe.


Author(s):  
Marcia Carla Pereira Ribeiro ◽  
Caroline Paglia Nadal ◽  
Weimar Freire Rocha Junior ◽  
Rui Manuel De Sousa Fragoso ◽  
Cleber Antonio Lindino

The present article discusses the institutional model adopted in Brazil regarding energy production through biomass. The theoretical-empirical method is used to conclude that the model's difficulties can be overcome by adopting a network of contracts capable of subjecting renewable energy generation to an energy compensation model.


Author(s):  
Junghoon Lee ◽  
Gyung-Leen Park

This paper designs a microgrid energy controller capable of creating a charging or discharging schedule for electric vehicles (EVs), aiming at leveraging the integration of renewable energy and shaving the peak load in the microgrid. Dynamically activated on each time slot to cope with the prediction error for the power consumption and the renewable energy generation, the controller calculates the number of EVs to charge or make discharge first. Then, a greedy algorithm-based scheduler selects EVs according to the expected energy potential during their stays. The potential is the integral of a supply-demand margin function from the current time to the expected departure time. A simulator is implemented for performance evaluation, comparing with uncoordinated scheduling, according to the number of EVs as well as the behavior of energy load and production. The experiment result shows that the proposed scheme can reduce the energy waste by 16.9 %, cut down the microgrid-level energy insufficiency by 12.2 %, and enhance the amount of electricity supplied to EVs by 37.3 %, respectively, for given parameter setting.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Susini ◽  
Melisa Menendez

<p>Climate change and offshore renewable energy sector are connected by a double nature link. Even though energy generation from clean marine sources is one of the strategies to reduce climate change impact within next decades, it is expected that large scale modification of circulation patterns will have in turn an impact on the spatial and temporal distribution of the wind fields. Under the WINDSURFER project of the ERA4CS initiative, we analyse the climate change impact on marine wind energy resource for the European offshore wind energy sector. Long-term changes in specific climate indicators are evaluated over the European marine domain (e.g. wind power density, extreme winds, operation hours) as well as local indicators (e.g. gross energy yield, capacity factor) at several relevant operating offshore wind farms.</p><p>Adopting an ensemble approach, we focus on the climate change greenhouse gases scenario RCP8.5 during the end of the century (2081-2100 period) and analyze the changes and uncertainty of the resulting multi-model from seven high resolution Regional Climate Models (RCM) realized within Euro-Cordex initiative (EUR-11, ~12.5km). ERA5 reanalysis and in-situ offshore measurements are the historical data used in present climate.</p><p>Results indicate a small decrease of wind energy production, testified by reduction of the climatological indicators of wind speed and wind power density, particularly in the NW part of the domain of study. The totality of the currently operating offshore windfarms is located in this area, where a decrease up to 20% in the annual energy production is expected by the end of the century, accompanied by a reduction of the operation hours between 5 and 8%. Exceptions are represented by Aegean and Baltic Sea, where these indicators are expected to slightly increase. Extreme storm winds however show a different spatial pattern of change. The wind speed associated to 50 years return period decreases within western Mediterranean Sea and Biscay Bay, while increases in the remaining part of the domain (up to 15% within Aegean and Black Sea). Finally, the estimated variations in wind direction are relevant on the Biscay Bay region.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1641-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Esteves ◽  
J. J. Williams ◽  
J. M. Brown

Abstract. Although storminess is often cited as a driver of long-term coastal erosion, a lack of suitable datasets has only allowed objective assessment of this claim in a handful of case studies. This reduces our ability to understand and predict how the coastline may respond to an increase in "storminess" as suggested by global and regional climate models. With focus on 16 km of the Sefton coastline bordering the eastern Irish Sea (UK), this paper analyses available measured datasets of water level, surge level, wave height, wind speed and barometric pressure with the objective of finding trends in metocean climate that are consistent with predictions. The paper then examines rates of change in shoreline position over the period 1894 to 2005 with the aim of establishing relationships with climatic variability using a range of measured and modelled metocean parameters (with time spans varying from two to eight decades). With the exception of the mean monthly wind speed, available metocean data do not indicate any statistically significant changes outside seasonal and decadal cycles. No clear relationship was found between changes in metocean conditions and rates of shoreline change along the Sefton coast. High interannual variability and the lack of long-term measurements make unambiguous correlations between climate change and shoreline evolution problematic. However, comparison between the North Atlantic Oscillation winter index (NAOw) and coastline changes suggest increased erosion at times of decreasing NAOw values and reduced erosion at times of increasing NAOw values. Erosion tends to be more pronounced when decreasing NAOw values lead to a strong negative NAO phase. At present, anthropogenic changes in the local sediment budget and the short-term impact of extreme events are still the largest threat likely to affect coastal flooding and erosion risk in the short- and medium-term. Nevertheless, the potential impacts of climate change in the long-term should not be ignored.


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