Is a 100% renewable European power system feasible by 2050?
TL;DR: In this article, the authors model seven scenarios for the European power system in 2050 based on 100% renewable energy sources, assuming different levels of future demand and technology availability, and compare them with a scenario which includes low-carbon non-renewable technologies.
About: This article is published in Applied Energy.The article was published on 2019-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 374 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Renewable energy & Photovoltaic system.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that research in the design of 100% renewable energy systems in scientific articles is fairly new but has gained increasing attention in recent years, and there is a need for applying a cross-sectoral holistic approach as well as coordinating individual country studies with the global context.
450 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed fossil fuel energy consumption, fossil fuel depletion, and their relationship with other variables, such as energy dependence and share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption.
Abstract: The use of fossil fuels as the main source of energy for most countries has caused several negative environmental impacts, such as global warming and air pollution. Air pollution causes many health problems, causing social and economic negative effects. Worldwide efforts are being made to avoid global warming consequences through the establishment of international agreements that then lead to local policies adapted to the development of each signing nation. In addition, there is a depletion of nonrenewable resources which may be scarce or nonexistent in future generations. The preservation of resources, which is a common goal of the Circular Economy strategy and of sustainable development, is not being accomplished nowadays. In this work, the calculation of indicators and mathematical and statistical analysis were applied to clarify and evidence the trends, provide information for the decision-making process, and increase public awareness. The fact that European countries do not possess abundant reserves of fossil fuels will not change, but the results of this analysis can evolve in the future. In this work, fossil fuel energy consumption, fossil fuel depletion, and their relationship with other variables, such as energy dependence and share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, were analyzed for 29 European countries. Furthermore, it was possible to conclude that many European countries still depend heavily on fossil fuels. Significant differences were not found in what concerns gross inland consumption per capita when the Kruskal–Wallis test was applied. It was possible to estimate that by 2050 (considering Jazz scenario) it will only remain approximately 14% of oil proven reserves, 72% of coal proven reserves and 18% of gas proven reserves. Given the small reserves of European countries on fossil fuels, if they need to use them, they will fast disappear.
390 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the options for carbon emission reductions are grouped into (1) generation of secondary energy carriers, (2) end-use energy sectors and (3) sector interdependencies.
221 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of the river flow regime type on the e-flows releases and hydropower production, constrained by eight hydrologically-based e-flow methods was investigated.
199 citations
TL;DR: The role of HVDC transmission in achieving national renewable energy targets in light of the Paris agreement commitments is highlighted with relevant examples of potential HVDD corridors.
Abstract: HVDC systems are playing an increasingly significant role in energy transmission due to their technical and economic superiority over HVAC systems for long distance transmission. HVDC is preferable beyond 300–800 km for overhead point-to-point transmission projects and for the cable based interconnection or the grid integration of remote offshore wind farms beyond 50–100 km. Several HVDC review papers exist in literature but often focus on specific geographic locations or system components. In contrast, this paper presents a detailed, up-to-date, analysis and assessment of HVDC transmission systems on a global scale, targeting expert and general audience alike. The paper covers the following aspects: technical and economic comparison of HVAC and HVDC systems; investigation of international HVDC market size, conditions, geographic sparsity of the technology adoption, as well as the main suppliers landscape; and high-level comparisons and analysis of HVDC system components such as Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) and Line Commutated Converters (LCCs), etc. The presented analysis are supported by practical case studies from existing projects in an effort to reveal the complex technical and economic considerations, factors and rationale involved in the evaluation and selection of transmission system technology for a given project. The contemporary operational challenges such as the ownership of Multi-Terminal DC (MTDC) networks are also discussed. Subsequently, the required development factors, both technically and regulatory, for proper MTDC networks operation are highlighted, including a future outlook of different HVDC system components. Collectively, the role of HVDC transmission in achieving national renewable energy targets in light of the Paris agreement commitments is highlighted with relevant examples of potential HVDC corridors.
193 citations
References
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TL;DR: ERA-Interim as discussed by the authors is the latest global atmospheric reanalysis produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which will extend back to the early part of the twentieth century.
Abstract: ERA-Interim is the latest global atmospheric reanalysis produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The ERA-Interim project was conducted in part to prepare for a new atmospheric reanalysis to replace ERA-40, which will extend back to the early part of the twentieth century. This article describes the forecast model, data assimilation method, and input datasets used to produce ERA-Interim, and discusses the performance of the system. Special emphasis is placed on various difficulties encountered in the production of ERA-40, including the representation of the hydrological cycle, the quality of the stratospheric circulation, and the consistency in time of the reanalysed fields. We provide evidence for substantial improvements in each of these aspects. We also identify areas where further work is needed and describe opportunities and objectives for future reanalysis projects at ECMWF. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
22,055 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review different approaches, technologies, and strategies to manage large-scale schemes of variable renewable electricity such as solar and wind power, considering both supply and demand side measures.
Abstract: The paper reviews different approaches, technologies, and strategies to manage large-scale schemes of variable renewable electricity such as solar and wind power. We consider both supply and demand side measures. In addition to presenting energy system flexibility measures, their importance to renewable electricity is discussed. The flexibility measures available range from traditional ones such as grid extension or pumped hydro storage to more advanced strategies such as demand side management and demand side linked approaches, e.g. the use of electric vehicles for storing excess electricity, but also providing grid support services. Advanced batteries may offer new solutions in the future, though the high costs associated with batteries may restrict their use to smaller scale applications. Different “P2Y”-type of strategies, where P stands for surplus renewable power and Y for the energy form or energy service to which this excess in converted to, e.g. thermal energy, hydrogen, gas or mobility are receiving much attention as potential flexibility solutions, making use of the energy system as a whole. To “functionalize” or to assess the value of the various energy system flexibility measures, these need often be put into an electricity/energy market or utility service context. Summarizing, the outlook for managing large amounts of RE power in terms of options available seems to be promising.
1,180 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the methodology and results of the overall energy system analysis of a 100% renewable energy system, which includes hour by hour computer simulations leading to the design of flexible energy systems with the ability to balance the electricity supply and demand.
1,032 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a comprehensive review of research progress in this area, drawing on major contributions from two major research groups of the authors on torrefaction and densification at Canada and Taiwan as well as literatures.
Abstract: Torrefaction is a mild pyrolysis, which has been explored for the pretreatment of biomass to increase the heating value and hydrophobicity. Due to its potential applications for making torrefied pellets, which can be used as a high quality feedstock in gasification for high quality syngas production and as a substitute for coal in thermal power plants and metallurgical processes, torrefaction and densification have attracted great interest in recent years from both academia and bioenergy industry. This paper provides a comprehensive review of research progresses in this area, drawing on major contributions from two major research groups of the authors on torrefaction and densification at Canada and Taiwan as well as literatures. It is revealed that torrefaction of various biomass species and their major components, lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses have been extensively studied in thermogravimetric apparatus (TGA) under both inert (N 2 ) and oxidative (O 2 , H 2 O) environments to elucidate the weight loss as a function of temperature, particle size and time. It was found that the higher heating value and saturated water uptake of torrefied biomass were a strong function of weight loss, which represents the degree of torrefaction. When torrefied sawdust is compressed into torrefied pellets, more mechanical energy is consumed and higher die temperature is required to make torrefied pellets of similar density and hardness as regular pellets. Simple economics analyses based on laboratory scale experimental data showed that because of the potential savings from pellets transport, handling and storage logistics, the overall cost for torrefied pellets can be lower than regular pellets in European market for both European and Canadian pellets. The gasification could be improved in terms of both energy efficiency and syngas quality because of the removal of oxygenated volatile compounds from torrefied biomass.
864 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a methodology to predict hourly beam (direct) irradiation from available monthly averages, based upon combined previous literature findings and available meteorological data, and illustrate predictions for different selected STC locations.
Abstract: Concentrated solar power plants (CSPs) are gaining increasing interest, mostly as parabolic trough collectors (PTC) or solar tower collectors (STC). Notwithstanding CSP benefits, the daily and monthly variation of the solar irradiation flux is a main drawback. Despite the approximate match between hours of the day where solar radiation and energy demand peak, CSPs experience short term variations on cloudy days and cannot provide energy during night hours unless incorporating thermal energy storage (TES) and/or backup systems (BS) to operate continuously. To determine the optimum design and operation of the CSP throughout the year, whilst defining the required TES and/or BS, an accurate estimation of the daily solar irradiation is needed. Local solar irradiation data are mostly only available as monthly averages, and a predictive conversion into hourly data and direct irradiation is needed to provide a more accurate input into the CSP design. The paper (i) briefly reviews CSP technologies and STC advantages; (ii) presents a methodology to predict hourly beam (direct) irradiation from available monthly averages, based upon combined previous literature findings and available meteorological data; (iii) illustrates predictions for different selected STC locations; and finally (iv) describes the use of the predictions in simulating the required plant configuration of an optimum STC. The methodology and results demonstrate the potential of CSPs in general, whilst also defining the design background of STC plants.
834 citations