Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of Mini-Hydro and Solar PV Systems Designed for a Mini-Grid
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Commercialization and Deployment at NREL: Advancing Renewable
Commercialization and Deployment at NREL Advancing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at Speed and Scale Prepared for the State Energy Advisory Board NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. Management Report NREL/MP-6A42-51947 May 2011 Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Available electronically at http://www.osti.gov/bridge Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: 865.576.8401 fax: 865.576.5728 email: mailto:[email protected] Available for sale to the public, in paper, from: U.S. -
Transitioning to Solar Power: a Residential Guide to Alternative Energy Technology
Transitioning to Solar Power: A Residential Guide to Alternative Energy Technology This guide will help prepare Irving residents to navigate and communicate with residential solar energy providers. The guide does not make recommendation or endorsements, but provides defined objectives and facts to help residents speak with solar providers and gather enough information to make an informed decision. It’s possible that residents may work through this guide and conclude that solar is not their best option. Considering solar energy? There are many reasons for choosing solar power. Residents should understand the specific reasons before speaking with a residential solar adviser. By having a clear understanding, residents can make an informed decision tailored to them. What are the expectations for a solar energy system? Residents should also define their expectations before speaking with a potential provider. There will always be some compromises, but knowing their expectations should help when deciding on the best option. Some examples may include: To reduce residents’ average electricity bill. To be off the grid. To be an environmental steward. To reduce a home’s carbon footprint. To provide a return for producing excess electricity. These are just some examples of the expectations residents may have when considering a solar energy system. No one system will be a perfect match for all consumers. Home retention and ownership This is an important aspect to consider when weighing energy efficiency options. Most of the financial justifications that will be presented will take about 15 to 30 years for a true payback. Residents should consider how long they anticipate living in their home to determine how a solar power system will be funded and financed. -
Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project
Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) is a periodic solicitation through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Manufacturers of small and medium wind turbines are awarded cost-shared subcontracts via a competitive process to optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform turbine testing. The goals of the CIP are to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine Photo from Northern Power Systems, NREL 36193 Increased Energy Reduced Hardware Production Costs Performance & Safety CIP component innovations and CIP manufacturing process CIP awardee Primus system optimization awardee innovation awardee Pika Energy Windpower of Lakewood, Colorado, achieved Bergey Windpower of Norman, of Westbrook, Maine, reduced Oklahoma, achieved a 110% blade costs by approximately for safety, function, performance, and durability— energy production increase for the 90% by developing an innovative to international standards on two of their turbine Excel 15 turbine over the Excel 10 tooling and cooling strategy to models. Northern Power Systems also recently turbine by increasing blade length produce blades using injection- and improving blade aerodynamics molded plastic. Two additional CIP awardees are currently and system controls. Through six funding cycles, DOE and NREL have awarded 28 subcontracts to 15 companies, totaling $6.3 million of investment -
Optimum Sizing of Distributed Generation and Storage Capacity in Smart Households Salman Kahrobaee University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected]
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering 2013 Optimum Sizing of Distributed Generation and Storage Capacity in Smart Households Salman Kahrobaee University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Sohrab Asgarpoor University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Wei Qiao University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/electricalengineeringfacpub Part of the Computer Engineering Commons, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons Kahrobaee, Salman; Asgarpoor, Sohrab; and Qiao, Wei, "Optimum Sizing of Distributed Generation and Storage Capacity in Smart Households" (2013). Faculty Publications from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 280. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/electricalengineeringfacpub/280 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID, VOL. 4, NO. 4, DECEMBER 2013 1791 Optimum Sizing of Distributed Generation and Storage Capacity in Smart Households Salman Kahrobaee, Student Member, IEEE, Sohrab Asgarpoor, Senior Member, IEEE,and Wei Qiao, Senior Member, IEEE Abstract—In the near future, a smart grid will accommodate DI Decision interval in h. customers who are prepared to invest in generation-battery sys- tems and employ energy management systems in order to cut down Time-step of the simulation in h. on their electricity bills. -
Concentrating Solar Power: Energy from Mirrors
DOE/GO-102001-1147 FS 128 March 2001 Concentrating Solar Power: Energy from Mirrors Mirror mirror on the wall, what's the The southwestern United States is focus- greatest energy source of all? The sun. ing on concentrating solar energy because Enough energy from the sun falls on the it's one of the world's best areas for sun- Earth everyday to power our homes and light. The Southwest receives up to twice businesses for almost 30 years. Yet we've the sunlight as other regions in the coun- only just begun to tap its potential. You try. This abundance of solar energy makes may have heard about solar electric power concentrating solar power plants an attrac- to light homes or solar thermal power tive alternative to traditional power plants, used to heat water, but did you know there which burn polluting fossil fuels such as is such a thing as solar thermal-electric oil and coal. Fossil fuels also must be power? Electric utility companies are continually purchased and refined to use. using mirrors to concentrate heat from the sun to produce environmentally friendly Unlike traditional power plants, concen- electricity for cities, especially in the trating solar power systems provide an southwestern United States. environmentally benign source of energy, produce virtually no emissions, and con- Photo by Hugh Reilly, Sandia National Laboratories/PIX02186 Photo by Hugh Reilly, This concentrating solar power tower system — known as Solar Two — near Barstow, California, is the world’s largest central receiver plant. This document was produced for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a DOE national laboratory. -
Radiation-Thermodynamic Modelling and Simulating the Core of a Thermophotovoltaic System
energies Article Radiation-Thermodynamic Modelling and Simulating the Core of a Thermophotovoltaic System Chukwuma Ogbonnaya 1,2,* , Chamil Abeykoon 3, Adel Nasser 1 and Ali Turan 4 1 Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M60 1QD, UK; [email protected] 2 Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Abakaliki PMB 1010, Nigeria 3 Department of Materials, Aerospace Research Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; [email protected] 4 Independent Researcher, Manchester M22 4ES, Lancashire, UK; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +44-016-1306-3712 Received: 31 October 2020; Accepted: 20 November 2020; Published: 23 November 2020 Abstract: Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems generate electricity without the limitations of radiation intermittency, which is the case in solar photovoltaic systems. As energy demands steadily increase, there is a need to improve the conversion dynamics of TPV systems. Consequently, this study proposes a novel radiation-thermodynamic model to gain insights into the thermodynamics of TPV systems. After validating the model, parametric studies were performed to study the dependence of power generation attributes on the radiator and PV cell temperatures. Our results indicated that a silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) module could produce a power density output, thermal losses, 2 2 and maximum voltage of 115.68 W cm− , 18.14 W cm− , and 36 V, respectively, at a radiator and PV cell temperature of 1800 K and 300 K. Power density output increased when the radiator temperature increased; however, the open circuit voltage degraded when the temperature of the TPV cells increased. -
Is Solar Power More Dangerous Than Nuclear?
Is Solar Power More Dangerous Than Nuclear? by Herbert Inhaber Consider a massive nuclear power plant, closely guarded and surrounded by barbed wire. Compare this with an innocuous solar panel perched on a roof, cheerfully and silently gathering sunlight. Is there any question in your mind which of the two energy systems is more dangerous to human health and safety? If the answer were a resounding "No", the matter could end there, and the editors would be left with a rather unsightly blank space in their journal. But research has shown that the answer should be a less dramatic but perhaps more accurate "maybe". How can this be? Consider another example. In the driveway we have two vehicles. One is a massive lorry, and the other a tiny Mini. Which of the two is more efficient7 No, not larger — more efficient. Their relative size is easy to judge, but efficiency involves the amount of petrol used, the distance travelled, as well as the weight carried. The moral? You can't judge the relative risk of an energy system merely by its size or fearsome appearance. You must find the risk per unit energy — that is, its total risk to human health divided by the net energy it produces. This is the only fair way of comparing energy systems. In addition, we must consider the total energy cycle, not one isolated component. If you calculate the risk of only part of a system and compare it with the corresponding part of another, by judiciously choosing the component you could prove that any energy system is riskier (or safer) than any other system. -
Solar Power History Pros and Cons
Solar Power History Solar energy is the most readily available source of energy on the planet. Every hour the sun sends enough energy to power the entire planet for a year! Capturing the sun’s energy to do work for us began in the 7th century BCE when magnifying lenses were used to light fires. In the 18th and 19th century, solar technology really began to heat up with the invention of solar ovens and the discovery of the photovoltaic effect (the creation of electric current in a material upon exposure to light). During the late 1800’s and throughout the 1900’s, three different solar technologies emerged: solar photovoltaics , concentrating solar power and passive solar (discussed more below). In the early 1960's satellites in the United States and Soviet space programs were powered by solar cells and in the late 1960's solar power was basically the standard for powering space bound satellites. The period from the 1970's to the 1990's saw a change in the use of solar cells. Solar cells began powering railroad crossing signals and in remote places to help power homes, Australia used solar cells in their microwave towers to expand their telecommunication capabilities. Desert regions used solar power to assist with irrigation, when other means of power were not available. Today, you may see solar powered cars and solar powered aircraft. Recently new technology has provided such advances as screen printed solar cells. There is now a solar fabric that can be used to side a house and solar shingles for roofing. -
Microgen & DG Report June 2020
Small Distribution-Connected Generation Resources in Alberta Within Alberta, electric distribution systems are operated by utility companies and are the portion of the electric system that operates at 25 kilovolts or less. These distribution systems are used to deliver electricity from the Alberta interconnected electric system to an end-use customer. A Distributed Energy Resource is any resource that is connected to and can supply energy to an electric distribution system. This includes distribution-connected generation resources and energy storage. This report focuses on distribution-connected generation resources, which are typically connected to a distribution system at customer locations. Distribution-connected generation, if it qualifies, can be designated as micro-generation. For the purposes of this report, resources that are not designated as micro-generation will be referred to simply as distributed generation. This report has a section containing a brief description of each class of generation. In addition, there is data on the number of sites and total installed capacity broken out by energy source. Micro-Generation Distributed generation may qualify as micro-generation under the Micro-generation Regulation. To qualify as micro-generation, a generating unit must use renewable or alternative energy sources, be intended to offset consumer load, and have a nameplate capacity that does not exceed 5,000 kW. Electricity may be generated from solar, wind, hydro, fuel cells or biomass. Other sources may be permitted if they have current EcoLogo certification or their greenhouse gas intensity is lower then the regulated limit. Micro-generators producing electricity in excess of on-site load receive credits for what they feed to the electricity grid. -
Hybrid Floating Solar Plant Designs: a Review
energies Review Hybrid Floating Solar Plant Designs: A Review Evgeny Solomin 1,*, Evgeny Sirotkin 1 , Erdem Cuce 2,3, Shanmuga Priya Selvanathan 4 and Sudhakar Kumarasamy 1,5,6,* 1 Department of Electric Power Stations, Network and Supply Systems, South Ural State University, 76 Prospekt Lenina, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia; [email protected] 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Zihni Derin Campus, Rize 53100, Turkey; [email protected] 3 Low/Zero Carbon Energy Technologies Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Zihni Derin Campus, Rize 53100, Turkey 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India; [email protected] 5 Faculty of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Pekan 26600, Malaysia 6 Energy Centre, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462003, India * Correspondence: [email protected] (E.S.); [email protected] (S.K.) Abstract: The world’s demand for electricity will double by 2050. Despite its high potential as an eco- friendly technology for generating electricity, solar energy only covers a small percentage of the global demand. One of the challenges is associated with the sustainable use of land resources. Floating PV (FPV) plants on water bodies such as a dam, reservoir, canal, etc. are being increasingly developed worldwide as an alternative choice. In this background, the purpose of this research is to provide an outline of the hybrid floating solar system, which can be used to generate renewable energy. The hybrid technologies discussed include: FPV + hydro systems, FPV + pumped hydro, FPV + wave Citation: Solomin, E.; Sirotkin, E.; energy converter, FPV + solar tree, FPV + tracking, FPV + conventional power, FPV + hydrogen. -
Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power June 2018
Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power June 2018 Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power June 2018 www.seia.org 1 Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power June 2018 utility, the differences among those options, and Introduction selecting the right one for you. The main options Solar energy use has grown rapidly over the past available today are bulleted here and explained decade. Costs have dropped, while new ownership further below: and financing models allow more Americans than • Purchase a solar system (with cash or a loan) ever to choose solar. Solar is now available as a and own both the system and all the power it power choice in all fifty states, territories and the produces District of Columbia. Going solar is a significant • Lease a system, usually for a monthly rate, and decision. By understanding the basics of solar energy, own all the power it produces your solar options, and the right questions to ask solar professionals, you’re well positioned to make • Enter a “power purchase agreement” (PPA) the right decisions. to buy (in price per kWh) the electricity the system produces How Solar Works Purchase Today, most residential solar systems are photovoltaic (“PV”) – or solar electric – systems. This guide covers You can purchase a solar system outright with cash only PV systems. They generate electricity using two or a loan. When you buy a system, you are the main hardware components: owner of the system and benefit from all electricity it produces. You are usually responsible for system • Panels (or modules) that convert sunlight to upkeep, although most residential solar systems electricity; and require no to low maintenance, and some providers • Inverter(s) that convert(s) direct current to offer maintenance services on purchased systems. -
Renewable Energy Fact Sheet
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY STUDY INSTITUTE 122 C STREET, N.W., SUITE 630 WASHINGTON, D.C., 20001 202-628-1400 www.eesi.org Renewable Energy Fact Sheet Contact: CAROL WERNER Release: May 2006 Fredric Beck (202) 662-1892, [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Concentrating Solar Power Focusing the sun’s energy with mirrors to produce electricity Key Facts ¾ Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use mirrors to focus the sun’s heat. This heat is used to boil water, and the resulting steam turns a turbine to generate electricity. ¾ Concentrating solar power plants provide the lowest cost power of any solar technology. They can produce electricity for $0.09 to $0.12 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which can be competitive with peak power prices. ¾ About 500 megawatts (MW) of concentrating solar power capacity will be installed worldwide by the end of 2005, according to the US Department of Energy. The world’s largest solar facility, a 345 MW CSP trough system, has been operating in the Mojave Desert in California since 1984. ¾ The United States has enormous solar energy potential. For example, a 100 mile by 100 mile plot of land in Nevada, fitted with CSP trough systems, could provide enough electricity for the entire United States, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Concentrating Solar Technology ¾ Trough systems: Using long, curved mirrors, trough systems concentrate solar energy onto oil-filled pipes, heating the oil. This hot oil is used to boil water, creating steam to turn a turbine. Heat can be stored in the oil, so trough systems can continue to generate power for several hours after dark or in cloudy weather.