Showing papers on "Electricity generation published in 2017"
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of thermoelectric generators is presented, as well as the future applications which are currently being studied in research laboratories or in industry and the main purpose of this paper is to clearly demonstrate that, almost anywhere in industry or in domestic uses, it is worth checking whether a TEG can be added whenever heat is moving from a hot source to a cold source.
854 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that underestimating PV potential led to suboptimal integration measures and that specific deployment strategies for emerging economies should be developed, and that PV generation represents a growing share of power generation.
Abstract: Despite being currently under-represented in IPCC reports, PV generation represents a growing share of power generation. This Perspective argues that underestimating PV potential led to suboptimal integration measures and that specific deployment strategies for emerging economies should be developed.
530 citations
TL;DR: The proposed ensemble approach has been extensively assessed using real wind farm data from China, and the results demonstrate that the uncertainties in wind power data can be better learned using the proposed approach and that a competitive performance is obtained.
530 citations
TL;DR: This work presents a “sociotechnical” framework to address the multidimensionality of the deep decarbonization challenge and shows how coevolutionary interactions between technologies and societal groups can accelerate low-carbon transitions.
Abstract: Rapid and deep reductions in greenhouse gas emission are needed to avoid dangerous climate change. This will necessitate low-carbon transitions across electricity, transport, heat, industrial, forestry, and agricultural systems. But despite recent rapid growth in renewable electricity generation, the rate of progress toward this wider goal of deep decarbonization remains slow. Moreover, many policy-oriented energy and climate researchers and models remain wedded to disciplinary approaches that focus on a single piece of the low-carbon transition puzzle, yet avoid many crucial real-world elements for accelerated transitions ( 1 ). We present a “sociotechnical” framework to address the multidimensionality of the deep decarbonization challenge and show how coevolutionary interactions between technologies and societal groups can accelerate low-carbon transitions.
520 citations
TL;DR: The overall prospects for a range of approaches that can potentially exceed Shockley-Queisser limits are assessed, based on ultimate efficiency prospects, material requirements and developmental outlook.
Abstract: The past five years have seen significant cost reductions in photovoltaics and a correspondingly strong increase in uptake, with photovoltaics now positioned to provide one of the lowest-cost options for future electricity generation. What is becoming clear as the industry develops is that area-related costs, such as costs of encapsulation and field-installation, are increasingly important components of the total costs of photovoltaic electricity generation, with this trend expected to continue. Improved energy-conversion efficiency directly reduces such costs, with increased manufacturing volume likely to drive down the additional costs associated with implementing higher efficiencies. This suggests the industry will evolve beyond the standard single-junction solar cells that currently dominate commercial production, where energy-conversion efficiencies are fundamentally constrained by Shockley-Queisser limits to practical values below 30%. This Review assesses the overall prospects for a range of approaches that can potentially exceed these limits, based on ultimate efficiency prospects, material requirements and developmental outlook.
479 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a widespread and comprehensive description of energy storage systems with detailed classification, features, advantages, environmental impacts, and implementation possibilities with application variations with the aim of providing a more complete overview of the energy storage system.
Abstract: The increasing electricity generation from renewable resources has side effects on power grid systems, because of daily and seasonally intermittent nature of these sources. Additionally, there are fluctuations in the electricity demand during the day, so energy storage system (ESS) can play a vital role to compensate these troubles and seems to be a crucial part of smart grids in the future. This study comparatively presents a widespread and comprehensive description of energy storage systems with detailed classification, features, advantages, environmental impacts, and implementation possibilities with application variations.
449 citations
TL;DR: It is reported that natural wood can be utilized as an ideal solar absorber after a simple flame treatment and represents a renewable, scalable, low-cost, and robust material for solar steam applications.
Abstract: Solar-enabled steam generation has attracted increasing interest in recent years because of its potential applications in power generation, desalination, and wastewater treatment, among others. Recent studies have reported many strategies for promoting the efficiency of steam generation by employing absorbers based on carbon materials or plasmonic metal nanoparticles with well-defined pores. In this work, we report that natural wood can be utilized as an ideal solar absorber after a simple flame treatment. With ultrahigh solar absorbance (∼99%), low thermal conductivity (0.33 W m-1 K-1), and good hydrophilicity, the flame-treated wood can localize the solar heating at the evaporation surface and enable a solar-thermal efficiency of ∼72% under a solar intensity of 1 kW m-2, and it thus represents a renewable, scalable, low-cost, and robust material for solar steam applications.
430 citations
TL;DR: An overview of the current processes and technologies for ammonia synthesis and its utilization as an energy carrier is presented in this paper, along with an estimation of the round-trip efficiency of different routes for ammonia utilization at the point of end use along with some sensitivity analysis.
Abstract: Ammonia synthesized using hydrogen from renewable sources offers a vast potential for the storage as well as transportation of renewable energy from regions with high intensity to regions lean in renewable sources Ammonia can be used as an energy vector for an emissionless energy cycle in a variety of ways Ammonia at the point of end use can be converted to hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles or alternatively utilized directly in solid oxide fuel cells, in an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine One ton of ammonia production requires 9–15 MWh of energy However, its conversion back to useful form or direct utilization can lead to substantial energy losses In this paper, we present an overview of the current processes and technologies for ammonia synthesis and its utilization as an energy carrier We have performed an estimation of the round-trip efficiency of different routes for ammonia utilization at the point of end use along with some sensitivity analysis, and we discuss the outcomes resulting
403 citations
11 May 2017
TL;DR: The power-conversion and control technologies used for DPGSs are reviewed, the impacts of the DPGs on the distributed grid are examined, and more importantly, strategies for enhancing the connection and protection of the BES are discussed.
Abstract: Continuously expanding deployments of distributed power-generation systems (DPGSs) are transforming the conventional centralized power grid into a mixed distributed electrical network. The modern power grid requires flexible energy utilization but presents challenges in the case of a high penetration degree of renewable energy, among which wind and solar photovoltaics are typical sources. The integration level of the DPGS into the grid plays a critical role in developing sustainable and resilient power systems, especially with highly intermittent renewable energy resources. To address the challenging issues and, more importantly, to leverage the energy generation, stringent demands from both utility operators and consumers have been imposed on the DPGS. Furthermore, as the core of energy conversion, numerous power electronic converters employing advanced control techniques have been developed for the DPGS to consolidate the integration. In light of the above, this paper reviews the power-conversion and control technologies used for DPGSs. The impacts of the DPGS on the distributed grid are also examined, and more importantly, strategies for enhancing the connection and protection of the DPGS are discussed.
399 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the human body has been considered as a good source of heat to harvest electrical energy through wearable thermoelectric generators, which may become an alternative power generation technique compared to other conventional ones used for many wearable devices.
Abstract: Thermoelectric generators are solid state energy harvesters which can convert thermal energy into electrical energy in a reliable and renewable manner. Over the last decade, the human body has been considered as a good source of heat to harvest electrical energy through wearable thermoelectric generators. It may become an alternative power generation technique compared to other conventional ones used for many wearable devices. The wearable thermoelectric generator has potential to generate sufficient energy for any wireless sensor nodes (typically power requirements
372 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an energy management and control system for laboratory scale microgrid based on hybrid energy resources such as wind, solar, and battery is proposed, which operates in autonomous mode and has an open architecture platform for testing multiple different control configurations.
Abstract: This paper proposes an energy management and control system for laboratory scale microgrid based on hybrid energy resources such as wind, solar, and battery. Power converters and control algorithms have been used along with dedicated energy resources for the efficient operation of the microgrid. The control algorithms are developed to provide power compatibility and energy management between different resources in the microgrid. It provides stable operation of the control in all microgrid subsystems under various power generation and load conditions. The proposed microgrid, based on hybrid energy resources, operates in autonomous mode and has an open architecture platform for testing multiple different control configurations. A real-time control system has been used to operate and validate the hybrid resources in the microgrid experimentally. The proposed laboratory scale microgrid can be used as a benchmark for future research in smart grid applications.
TL;DR: In this paper, a hybrid system based on a piece of carbon nanotube modified filter paper and a commercial Nafion membrane was employed to achieve a maximum solar thermal efficiency of up to 75% and derived extra electricity power of ∼1 W m−2 under one sun illumination.
Abstract: Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation, which concentrates solar heating at the water surface, has attracted increasing interest in pursuing highly efficient solar desalination. The rapid evaporation of water at the light absorber surface would induce a high concentration comparable with that of brine underlying the interface, which however has been paid much less attention and has never been proposed to produce electricity. Here in this work, we proved that, the theoretical real-time salinity power generated between the surface water and bulk seawater could be 12.5 W m−2 during steam production under one sun illumination. By employing a hybrid system based on a piece of carbon nanotube modified filter paper and a commercial Nafion membrane, we achieved a maximum solar thermal efficiency of up to 75% and derived extra electricity power of ∼1 W m−2 under one sun illumination. These results provide a novel avenue for blue energy utilization, demonstrating the potential for solar desalination and electricity generation under natural sunlight simultaneously.
TL;DR: In this paper, an optimal operation model for an integrated energy system (IES) combining the thermal inertia of a district heating network (DHN) and buildings to enhance the absorption of wind power is proposed.
TL;DR: In this paper, an experimental study of wind energy harvesting by self-sustained oscillations (flutter) of a flexible piezoelectric membrane fixed in a novel orientation called the "inverted flag" is presented.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors comprehensively reviewed the BIPV and BIPVT applications in terms of energy generation amount, nominal power, efficiency, type and performance assessment approaches.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors integrate prospective life-cycle assessment with global integrated energy-economy-land-use-climate modelling to explore life cycle emissions of future low-carbon power supply systems and implications for technology choice.
Abstract: Both fossil-fuel and non-fossil-fuel power technologies induce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to their embodied energy requirements for construction and operation, and upstream CH4 emissions. Here, we integrate prospective life-cycle assessment with global integrated energy–economy–land-use–climate modelling to explore life-cycle emissions of future low-carbon power supply systems and implications for technology choice. Future per-unit life-cycle emissions differ substantially across technologies. For a climate protection scenario, we project life-cycle emissions from fossil fuel carbon capture and sequestration plants of 78–110 gCO2eq kWh−1, compared with 3.5–12 gCO2eq kWh−1 for nuclear, wind and solar power for 2050. Life-cycle emissions from hydropower and bioenergy are substantial (∼100 gCO2eq kWh−1), but highly uncertain. We find that cumulative emissions attributable to upscaling low-carbon power other than hydropower are small compared with direct sectoral fossil fuel emissions and the total carbon budget. Fully considering life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions has only modest effects on the scale and structure of power production in cost-optimal mitigation scenarios. All energy generation technologies emit greenhouse gases during their life cycle as a result of construction and operation. Pehl et al. integrate life-cycle assessment and energy modelling to analyse the emissions contributions of different technologies across their lifespan in future low-carbon power systems.
TL;DR: In this article, an economical and optimized design for electricity generation using hybrid energy source PV/Biomass for an agricultural farm and a residential community centered in a small village of district Layyah in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
TL;DR: A review of the current state-of-the-art of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and ocean thermo-electric generators (OTEG) technologies can be found in this article.
Abstract: Ocean tidal currents, water waves and thermal gradients are a great source of renewable energy. Ocean tidal, osmotic, wave and thermal sources have annual potentials of 800, 2,000, 8000–80,000 and 10,000–87,600 TWh, which are more than global 16,000 TWh/y electricity demand. Ocean wave generators produce relatively lower output, however, four to eleven meters tidal range stations have large power generation capacities. Abundant ocean heat energy potentially harvested using ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) devices and ocean thermo-electric generators (OTEG). Tidal stations may be tidal range or current types, but a wave energy converter (WEC) may be an oscillating water column (OWC), overtopping, heaving, pitching and surging devices. Ocean thermal energy can be harnessed by open, close Rankine cycles, thermo-electric generators and osmotic power plants. Large bays like Turnagain (USA), Annapolis/Minas Passage (Canada), Seven Barrages/Pentland Firth (UK), La Rance (France), Garorim (South Korea) and Mezen/Penzhin (Russia) have huge tidal current power generation capacities. Power Potential from tidal current stations is more than WEC devices which in turn is more than osmotic, OTEC and OTEG technologies. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art of tidal, wave, OTEC and OTEG ocean energy technologies.
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review on the optimal allocation of distributed generators was carried out for different objectives, constraints, and algorithms, highlighting how the methods and algorithms for optimal distributed generation allocation play an important role in improving the accuracy and efficiency of the results.
Abstract: Distributed generation, with respect to its ability in utilizing the alternative resources of energy, provides a promising future for power generation in electric networks. Distributed generators contribution to power systems include improvement in energy efficiency and power quality to reliability and security. These benefits are only achievable with optimal allocation of distributed resources that considers the objective function, constraints, and employs suitable optimization algorithm. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the optimal allocation of distributed generators was carried out for different objectives, constraints, and algorithms. Current review highlights how the methods and algorithms for optimal distributed generation allocation play an important role in improving the accuracy and efficiency of the results.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered two decentralized power stations in Sabah, Malaysia; each contains different combination of photovoltaic (PV), diesel generators, system converters, and storage batteries.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the dynamic causal relationship between CO2 emissions, renewable electricity consumption, non-renewable electricity consumption and economic growth in Algeria by using Autoregressive Distributed Lag Cointegration approach over the period 1980-2012.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors interpolate between two concepts for balancing the variability of these renewable sources: balancing at continental scales using the transmission grid and balancing locally with storage, by systematically restricting transmission capacities from the optimum level to zero.
TL;DR: In this article, a meta-heuristic function is proposed with weighting of technical, economic, environmental and socio-political factors to suit the design goals for the energy system.
TL;DR: In this paper, the evaporation-driven water flow within an all-printed porous carbon film can reliably generate sustainable voltage up to 1 V with a power density of ≈8.1 µW cm−3 under ambient conditions.
Abstract: Converting environmental “waste energies” into electricity via a natural process is an ideal strategy for environmental energy harvesting and supplying power for distributed energy-consuming devices. This paper reports that evaporation-driven water flow within an all-printed porous carbon film can reliably generate sustainable voltage up to 1 V with a power density of ≈8.1 µW cm−3 under ambient conditions. The output performance of the device can be easily scaled up and used to power low-power consumption electronic devices or for energy storage. Furthermore, the device is successfully used without electric storage as a direct power source for electrodeposition of silver microstructures. Because of the ubiquity of water evaporation in nature and the low cost of materials involved, the study presents a novel avenue to harvest ambient energy and has potential applications in low-cost, green, self-powered devices and systems.
TL;DR: In this paper, a stochastic programming model is proposed to optimize the performance of a smart micro-grid in a short term to minimize operating costs and emissions with renewable sources.
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review of dynamic simulation, its development and application to various thermal power plants is presented, highlighting current research efforts and future development potential in the field of thermal power generation.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the environmental performance of P2G using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and mainly focused on the following three aspects: (1) discussion of differences as consequence of the approach applied for CO2 Capture and Utilization (CCU); (2) evaluation of technology variations including supply of electricity, alternative system processes (electrolysis technologies and CO2 sources), product gases (hydrogen and methane), and comparison of these P 2G systems with conventional technologies, and (3) investigation of further environmental impacts of P 2 G systems with
TL;DR: In this paper, a security-constrained bi-level economic dispatch (ED) model for integrated natural gas and electricity systems considering wind power and power-to-gas (P2G) process is proposed.
TL;DR: Davy et al. as discussed by the authors developed near-UV harvesting organic solar cells, scalable up to 10 cm2, for powering electrochromic windows without competing for photons in the visible or near-infrared.
Abstract: Current smart window technologies offer dynamic control of the optical transmission of the visible and near-infrared portions of the solar spectrum to reduce lighting, heating and cooling needs in buildings and to improve occupant comfort. Solar cells harvesting near-ultraviolet photons could satisfy the unmet need of powering such smart windows over the same spatial footprint without competing for visible or infrared photons, and without the same aesthetic and design constraints. Here, we report organic single-junction solar cells that selectively harvest near-ultraviolet photons, produce open-circuit voltages eclipsing 1.6 V and exhibit scalability in power generation, with active layers (10 cm2) substantially larger than those typical of demonstration organic solar cells (0.04–0.2 cm2). Integration of these solar cells with a low-cost, polymer-based electrochromic window enables intelligent management of the solar spectrum, with near-ultraviolet photons powering the regulation of visible and near-infrared photons for natural lighting and heating purposes. Smart windows are used to regulate the amount of visible and near-infrared light entering buildings or cars. Here, Davy et al. develop near-UV harvesting organic solar cells, scalable up to 10 cm2, for powering electrochromic windows without competing for photons in the visible or near-infrared.
TL;DR: In this article, an attempt is made to relook into the basic concepts and significance of microgrid, issues faced by the microgrid in the context of protection and various protection strategies.
Abstract: In a traditional power grid, power generation is done at various potential locations and transmitted into power grid and then distributed to the customer premises The traditional grid incurs heavy investment, limited reliability, increased emissions of green house gases and increased transmission line losses It has made the utility to opt for connecting numerous renewable based micro sources near the customer premises, as per their requirement and providing intelligent control for the grid As a comprehensive solution, microgrids are suggested by the researchers which would provide reliable, quality and efficient supply to its customers The connection of microgrid in the existing distribution network makes the radial network more complicated It also causes the magnitude of fault current to change dynamically depending on the modes of operation (grid connected or islanded mode), type of distributed generator, status of distributed generators and number of distributed generators The conventional protection schemes are designed for radial power flow with centralized power generation, which makes the existing protection scheme to fail with the microgrid Hence, an attempt is made to relook into the basic concepts and significance of microgrid, issues faced by the microgrid in the context of protection and various protection strategies