Tanja Groth

Bio: Tanja Groth is an academic researcher from Aarhus University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Project appraisal & Renewable fuels. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 19 citations.

Prices of agricultural commodities, biofuels and fossil fuels in long-run relationships: a comparative study for the USA and Europe

Abstract: Time-series data for the USA and Europe representing prices of agricultural commodities, biofuels and fossil fuels are used for a comparative analysis of long-run price relationships. There is some evidence for cointegration between ethanol and gasoline, especially for the USA, and in the case of biodiesel, stronger evidence of cointegration between biodiesel, diesel and soya oil for both the USA and the Europe. Finally, biofuel prices do not seem to influence agricultural commodity prices or fossil fuel prices.

Economic and policy issues in the production of algae-based biofuels: A review

Abstract: Despite the initial environmental and supply benefits associated with conventional biofuels leading to substantial policy support, research has indicated that these benefits might have been overly optimistic. Negative externalities associated with food and resource allocation have also resulted in an increasing scepticism about the long-term potential of transitioning to biofuels. This review presents the economic benefits and costs surrounding conventional biofuels and suggests the need for further development of a third-generation feedstock based on algae. The article provides guidance on the potential for a policy framework for supporting microalgae as a source of biofuels given the numerous associated positive externalities.

Techno-economic analysis of a trigeneration system based on biomass gasification

Abstract: Biomass is one of the renewable energy sources (RES) with highest potential to contribute to the world's energy needs and can thereby play a key role in the path towards smart energy systems. Smart energy systems aim to integrate all energy sectors to increase the penetration of RES in the energy supply. Biomass gasification is a key technology to fulfil the goal of sustainable RES systems. Its main product (syngas) can be used as fuel, in various conversion technologies, to produce different products, including electricity, heat, cooling, biofuels and chemicals, which makes this technology an important tool for the energy system flexibility. Initially, the present manuscript reviews the relevant studies on the use of biomass gasification in trigeneration and polygeneration systems. Subsequently, it presents a case study that assesses the potential of the use of biomass gasification in an existing Portuguese trigeneration natural gas-fired plant located in Lisboa. The literature review revealed that most of the studies analysed are based on modelling data and not on experimental and/or pilot installations data. These studies show the environmental and energy added value of this type of system but stress the system's complexity and high investment costs. As for the case study, all scenarios considered show a negative net present value; nevertheless, the decrease of the biomass cost or the increase of the natural gas cost can turn financially feasible some scenarios.

Microalgae biofuels production: A systematic review on socioeconomic prospects of microalgae biofuels and policy implications

Abstract: There is currently no sustainable reliance on liquid fossil fuels worldwide, which ensures that future fiscal, environmental and social stability requires alternative renewable sources of liquid fuel. In order to satisfy the worldwide demand for liquid fuel, microalgae production is needed on a commodity scale; however, there are significant challenges in ensuring that production is economical and durable. This paper aims to examine microalgae' economic and cost advantages in greater depth and evaluate how vital biofuel policy support is for microalgae. A systematic analysis outlined the obstacles facing traditional biofuels to achieve these targets and proposed microalgae biofuels' economic opportunities. Provided that the policy was a primary determinant of the biofuel industry's development, these economic studies' findings were then included in the debate on existing policy support for biofuels and biofuels' potential microalgae play an essential role in the policy background.

Day-Ahead Scheduling of Distribution Level Integrated Electricity and Natural Gas System Based on Fast-ADMM With Restart Algorithm

Abstract: Power generated by the natural gas (NG) is a promising option for solving the restrictions on the development of the power industry. Consequently, the high interdependence between NG network and electricity network should be considered in this integration. In this paper, a day-ahead scheduling framework of integrated electricity and NG system (IENG) is proposed at a distribution level based on the fast alternating direction multiplier method with restart algorithm considering demand side response and uncertainties. Within the proposed framework, the detailed model of the IENG system at a distribution level is established, where the NG flow equation is processed by incremental linearization method to improve the computational efficiency. The objective is to minimize the operation costs of the entire system. With consideration of the uncertainties of distributed generation and electricity load as well as the uncertainties from the NG load, a two-stage robust optimization model is introduced to obtain the worst case within the uncertainty set, which is solved by column and constraints generation algorithm. In addition, the demand-side response (DSR) model including the decentralized air conditioning (AC) load model and the centralized ice-storage AC load model is integrated into the scheduling framework. Finally, the proposed day-ahead scheduling framework is verified by numerical studies where the optimal scheduling schemes are obtained in different cases, both the effects of the uncertainties and the performance with introducing DSR to the system operation are analyzed.