0000000000515218
AUTHOR
Vincenzo Frazitta
Supplying small islands with solar, wind and sea wave. An economic approach to find the best energy share
The progressive installation of power plants based on renewable energy sources is improving the sustainability of the energy sector. Despite the availability of commercial solutions, most of the small islands in the world are nowadays affected by a deep dependence on fossil fuels. In this context, the paper investigates the feasibility of an energy mix composed by solar, wind and sea wave, suggesting a sizing approach based on the minimization of the Levelized Cost of Electricity of the entire energy mix. As case study, the Aeolian Islands are presented.
Improvement of a low-cost buoy for the measurement of the sea wave weather
This article presents the result of an experimental meteorological buoy designed by the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo, characterized by low costs and great versatility, and equipped with industrially certified measuring and detection instruments. This buoy can measure the parameters of the water column and continuously transmit the data to a remote acquisition centre. Maintenance requirements are very limited.
Desalination in small islands: the case study of Lampedusa (Italy)
Desalination represents a common solution to overcome the water scarcity in small island. A case study is presented, considering the island of Lampedusa, located at south of Sicily (Italy). As many small islands in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Lampedusa presents a small standalone electrical grid, entrusted to old diesel engines. For more, the renewable energy sources are extremely underdeveloped in this territory. Lampedusa is regularly affected by water scarcity, so freshwater is produced by desalination plant and sometimes transported by boat from Sicily. As sustainable solution, the paper firstly analyses the energy demand for desalination and then proposes the installation of a…