The Role of Electric Snowmobiles and Rooftop Energy Production in the Arctic: The Case of Longyearbyen

The research presented here has been conducted in the Smart Charge project. It has addressed the use of renewables, e-mobility and battery charging in the Arctic as part of an effort to solicit fossil-fuelled alternatives. Of particular interest has been to determine what impact and support electric snowmobiles can provide together with local, renewable energy production. The relevance of vehicle-togrid/ building (V2G/B) solutions have been investigated in the project too. The idea has been to use electric snowmobiles for load shaving during extensive periods of the year. The research has looked at cost aspects, value stacking, climate impact as well as aggregated effects of controlled fleet management of idle snowmobiles. A case study undertaken at Longyearbyen at Svalbard, Norway has provided the most important empirical basis for the research presented. The research concludes that electric snowmobiles can have a positive effect on the local energy system and despite limited range can be quite attractive for the individual to operate if energy for charging is based on local driving solar power.

Implementing of a Usable Tool for Selecting Operations to Upgrade Biogas to Biomethane

In Spain, biomethane and biogas are still starting to be considered as an alternative to natural gas. A good way of promoting these renewable energies is supporting small and cheap treatment plants near to the place where the biogas is produced and where the biomethane can be used on site, fostering the circular economy. An easily usable simulation tool for selecting the best sequence of unit operations for treating biogas (based on adsorption, absorption, and membranes) has been designed. Pollutants modelled are CO2, CH4, NH3, SH2, CO2, O2, N2, H2O and siloxanes. This tool was used as first step to design a flexible and portable prototype for treating small flows of biogas as those produced in livestock which has been later built and is on operation.

Empirical Evaluation of Fixed and Single-Axis Tracking Photovoltaic System: Case of ASHRAE Solar Radiation Modelling for Medina, Saudi Arabia

The main problem in studying the feasibility of solar systems is the enormous gap between theory and experimental radiation intensity, so to get accurate results there is a need for studying energy production in the site of the system empirically. In this study, the energy production of both fixed PV panel system and the system with single-axis tracking were empirically evaluated in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The two systems had the same 270 Wp PV panel. The fixed system was tilted by 23.5 degrees, and the single-axis tracker was tilted by 26 degrees. Both systems had an azimuth angle of zero degrees. A closedloop three-points controller was used to control the tracker with 120 degrees rotation range. The two systems operated simultaneously in July, and the data were collected for 14 days. The empirical results showed that the tracker increased the generated energy by 48.5% during the testing period. As a comparing method, a modified ASHRAE model was used to estimate the increase in the panel's energy output with and without the single-axis tracker, and RMSE and MBE were calculated. It's been found that the experimental energy generation is 10%, 5% less than the estimation of the modified model for the fixed system and the tracking system, respectively. Finally, based on the analysis, it's been estimated that the singleaxis tracker will increase the generated energy by 22.5% yearly in Medina.

Barriers for Clean Energy Projects

Clean energy may offer a more environmentally friendly outcome than fossil fuels. However, clean energy is beset by uncertainties when the sun does not shine through and the wind does not blow. Worse still, science has not yet overcome scalability issues that are compounded by lack of technological knowhow on how to store solar and wind energy. The electrical “green-outs” of August 2020 in California are a reminder that without storage facilities for clean energy, utilities are driven to spot markets for electricity rendered from traditional sources of energy as economic setbacks occur due to compromised supplies of electricity. Without means of energy storage, new technology cannot fully replace the old. One can only hope that the dream to build a future based on renewable energy will lead to discoveries that will overcome scalability and storage issues.

Economic and Environmental Impacts of Distributed Energy Resources

The current power system suffers from inherent inefficiencies and transmission line congestion due to the spatial split between power generation and end usage. This potentially introduces shortcomings in meeting load demands, grid liability, renewable portfolio standards, and environmental considerations such as carbon emission reduction targets. The economic and technical viability of distributed energy resource (DER) technologies may accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy production. This paper investigates the economic and environmental benefits of DERs compared to utility prices and emissions for residential dwellings using the Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM). The results show a tradeoff between the CO2 emissions and electricity costs, but improvements over purchasing the electricity.

How Did the Changes in Industrial and Energy Structure Influence Energy Consumption in Shandong, China?

The Gross Regional Product (GRP) of Shandong ranks third in China, but its energy and coal consumption rank first. However, in the past studies, no effort was made to analyze the influence of Shandong energy conservation and emission reduction policies on energy consumption changes. To make up for this gap, the revised divisia index and the energy consumption structure methods were used in this study to analyze the driving force of changes in energy consumption in Shandong from 2005 to 2016. The results of this research show that: Firstly, the control of energy-intensive industries and strong energy conservation policies had become the main driving forces for energy density reduction. Secondly, the energy structure optimization policies only increased the proportion of hydro, nuclear and new energy production to replace a proportion of oil, but could not effectively reduce the consumption and proportion of coal. The continuous increase in coal consumption offset the energy conservation effect by key industries during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan period. It is clear that a reduction in the amount of coal used and an increase in the proportion of hydro, nuclear and new energy (especially in the industrial sector) is at the core of the energy problems in Shandong. Policy recommendations are proposed that are based on the findings of this study.

Issues and Potentials of Local PPS in Realizing a Japanese Version of Stadtwerke

This paper presented an overview of local power producers and suppliers (local PPS) that were established in Japan since the general liberalization of the retail electricity market, with particular focus on the current situation and issues of the local PPSs in terms of their operations and their renewable energy-related efforts. Further, this paper analyzed relevant cases in Ishikari city in Hokkaido, Karatsu city in Saga prefecture, and Sakura city in Chiba prefecture, to discuss and inform future efforts towards realizing a Japanese version of Stadtwerke.

Repurposing Reverse Osmosis Concentrate as a Low-Cost Thermal Energy Storage Medium

The reject of the reverse osmosis water treatment process (aka brine, concentrate, ROC) is a mixture of salts that are dissolved in high salinity water. The ROC is classified as an industrial waste by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and can face regulatory limitations on disposal. State-of-the-art of ROC disposal includes deep-well injection, surface discharge to rivers, discharge to the ocean, and evaporation ponds. In this study, the feasibility of using Reverse Osmosis Concentrate as a low-cost Thermal Energy Storage (TES) medium is explored by a techno-economic analysis. The normalized cost of TES (cost per unit volume of stored thermal energy) is estimated through a series of cost analyses and is compared to the cost targets of the U.S. Department of Energy for low-cost thermal energy storage. It was shown that the normalized cost of TES using ROC salt content is in the range of $6.11 to $8.73 depending on ROC processing methods.

The Effect of Sorbitan Monooleate and Alcohol Addition as Flow Properties Improver in Palm Oil Biodiesel

The use of the biodiesel B-20 especially in low temperature causes a blockage in the diesel vehicle fuel filter, which in turn causes the vehicle to strike. The blockage is caused by the deposition of monoglycerides (MG) agglomeration. These MG deposits reduce the flow properties of B-20. In this study, the Sorbitan Monooleate (SMO) surfactant was used in palm oil biodiesel (B-100) with 3 variations of alcohol, which are methanol, ethanol, and octanol. For each biodiesel with 0.4% MG content, the concentration of SMO surfactant was varied by 0.1-1% by volume of biodiesel. The molar ratio of surfactant/co-surfactants used is 1:1. Samples of biodiesel were stored at room temperature (±27°C). The effect of SMO and three variations of alcohol was analyzed using two flow properties parameters: Cloud Point (CP), Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP), and also supporting data, such as flashpoint and acid number. CP and CFPP were tested every week for a month’s observation. The addition of SMO and octanol to palm oil biodiesel gave the best results by reducing CP by 4.4°C and CFPP by 3°C. The interaction between MG, oleic tails, and hydrogen bonding between them has been analyzed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) method. There are indications of intermolecular hydrogen bonding to MG after the addition of SMO and octanol at wavenumbers 3231.11 and 3289 cm-1.