Search results for "Fossil"
showing 10 items of 412 documents
Factors affecting the choice of construction project delivery in developing oil and gas economies
2016
ABSTRACTConstruction academics and practitioners often disagree on which set of factors should take precedence over another and the basis for their inclusion in selecting a project delivery method. This disagreement exacerbates the probability of project failure, which could be detrimental to developing economies. Despite significant cost overruns and these economies being the largest contributors towards global energy sector growth, there is limited knowledge on appropriate factors to be used for selecting project delivery methods in developing oil and gas nations. An evaluation undertaken in Trinidad reveals there are no significant differences in the mean expressed by 133 professionals i…
Multicriteria evaluation of carbon-neutral heat-only production technologies for district heating
2018
Climate change mitigation requires reducing dependence on fossil fuels and transition to low carbon energy production technologies. Nearly half of the global final energy consumption is thermal energy produced from technologies with high carbon dioxide emission. As such, it is imperative to employ carbon-neutral heat production to achieve a sustainable energy system. This paper presents a real-life case of applying multicriteria decision analysis for evaluating carbon-neutral heat-only production technologies in a major district heating system in Finland. A group of 10 experts from the energy company contributed in defining the alternative technologies and multiple economic, technological, …
Experimental characterization of PEM fuel cells by micro-models for the prediction of on-site performance
2009
This paper presents the results of an experimental analysis performed on a miniaturized, 6 We Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system, integrated with on-site hydrogen production by electrolysis; in particular, the effects of environmental parameters such as the external temperature and the humidity on the performance of fuel cells are investigated. PEMFC systems are zero-emissions power technologies when they are fed with pure hydrogen (at concentration higher than 97%); also, being the only results of system operation the produced electricity and some pure water, when produced by renewable sources hydrogen can be considered an attractive alternative to fossil fuels and may concu…
Clean and Sustainable Biodiesel Production
2015
To date, the majority of world's primary energy is derived from fossil fuels. However, the fossil fuel recourses are in an inevitable decline as energy demand continues to grow exponentially with population growth, urbanization, and improved standards of living. Crude oil prices have recently risen several times and their current annual volatility exceeds 30%. The potential scarcity of fossil fuels has prompted a global search for alternative energy resources. Biodiesel fulfills the major requirements for production of alternative fuels such as feedstock availability, technical feasibility, and economic competitiveness. Together with other renewable biofuels, the use of biodiesel as a subst…
Renewable energy sources to fulfill the global energy needs of a country: The case study of Malta in Mediterranean Sea
2016
The paper shows the advantages using different energy resources for the islands of Malta. Moreover, this work is focused on the analysis of the wave energy potential along Malta's coasts. This important resource can be exploited to produce electrical energy using an innovative Point Absorber based on a new generator prototype realized by University of Palermo. The use of renewable source will reduce greenhouses emissions and increase the energy independence of Malta. The procedures applied in the present article, as well as the main equations used, are the result of previous applications made in different technical fields that show a good replicability [1]-[7].
Techno-economic analysis of a local district heating plant under fuel flexibility and performance
2017
Brovst is a small district in Denmark. This paper analyses the use of local renewable resources in the district heating systems of Brovst. The present use of fossil fuels in the Brovst district heating plant (DHP) represents an increasing environmental and climate-related load. Therefore, an investigation has been made to reduce the use of fossil fuels for district heating system and make use of the local renewable resources (biogas, solar, and heat pump) for district heating purposes. In this article, the techno-economic assessment is achieved through the development of a suite of models that are combined to give cost and performance data for this district heating system. Local fuels have …
Greening island: Renewable energies mix to satisfy electrical needs of Pantelleria in Mediterranean sea
2016
In this article the authors analyze the renewable mix in order to satisfy the energy needs of a real island in the Mediterranean sea, Pantelleria, which represents an optimal starting point to increase the production of electrical energy from renewable sources in minor islands. In this text are exposed different alternative sources, such as solar, wind and wave energy. Moreover, it is exposed a project of an innovative conversion device proposed by Department of Energy of University of Palermo, compared to a different one proposed by Politecnico di Torino. The procedures applied in the present article, as well as the main equations used, are the result of previous applications made in diffe…
Energy performances and life cycle assessment of an Italian wind farm
2008
Abstract Renewable energy sources are often presented as “ clean ”. A more correct definition is that they are “cleaner” than ones based on fossil fuel conversion. When the energy consumption and the environmental impacts related to the plant's life-cycle are considered, a more comprehensive assessment of these technologies can be carried out. This paper aims to evaluate the energy and the environmental performances of the electricity production of a wind farm. The impacts related to all the phases of the wind farm construction and operation have been compared to the environmental benefits due to the “green” electricity generation during its useful life. In other terms, the goal is to trace…
Multi-objective strategies for management and design of distributed electric storage systems in a Mediterranean island
2013
The paper proposes an analytical study about the design and operation of distributed Electrical Storage Systems(ESS) in an active distribution network supplying a Mediterranean island, according to different criteria. The approach is based on the application of a multi-objective optimization algorithm (NSGA-II) that outputs a set of optimized schedules of the ESS in different configurations when operated according to different criteria (minimum energy losses in the grid, total generation cost, greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the fluctuations of the generation from fossil fuel plants). Moreover the variability of the voltage profile has been investigated also by a comparison with a refere…
Concurrent optimization of size and switch-on priority of a multisource energy system for a commercial building application
2015
Abstract In recent years, the governments of most nations have pledged to (i) limit carbon dioxide emissions, (ii) reduce primary energy consumption by increasing production, distribution and end-use efficiency and (iii) increase the utilization of renewable energy sources. In general, these goals are pursued separately by law, by subsidizing renewable energy technologies, reducing the demand or using high efficiency technologies. In this context, multi-source systems for the fulfillment of energy demands are highly advantageous because they are based on different technologies which use renewable, partially renewable and fossil energy sources. However, the main issues of multi-source system…