EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Objective:
To discuss renewable energy technologies and
engineering factors associated with integrated
systems approach and energy storage.
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Topics:
1. Introduction
2. Hydro Energy
3. Wind Energy
4. Solar Energy including Photovoltaic Cells
5. Geothermal and Biomass Energy
6. Integration of Renewable Energy Sources
with Grid
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Learning Outcomes:
1. Discuss the basic components and working
principles of renewable energy sources.
2. Analyze critically the diverse renewable energy
technologies and their applications.
3. Evaluate the environmental impact of renewable
energy.
4. Analyze the challenges associated with the
integration of renewable energy sources and
energy storage devices into the utility grid.
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Program Outcomes:
1. Acquire and apply knowledge of mathematics,
science and engineering fundamentals to solve
complex engineering problems.
2. Acquire technical competencies in a specialized
engineering discipline to solve complex
engineering problems.
3. Design solutions for complex engineering
problems that meet specified needs with
appropriate considerations for public health and
safety, society and the environment.
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Assessment:
1. Lab Experiment - 5%
2. Tutorial/Assignment - 15%
3. Test/Quiz -20%
4. Final Exam -60%
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
Textbooks:
1. Renewable Energy Resources by J. Twidell and
T. Weir, Published by Taylor and Francis, 2nd
edition, 2006.
2. Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable
Future by G. Boyle, Published by Oxford
University Press, 2004.
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EEL3156 Renewable Energy
Technology
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Contents:
1.0 Global Energy Consumption & Individual
Consumption
1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy Sources
1.2 Relevance and Benefit of Renewable Energy
1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy in
Electricity Supply
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1.0 Global Energy Consumption
Reliable energy supply is essential in all economies
for
o Lighting
o Heating
o Communications
o Computers
o Industrial equipment
o Transport
o etc
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1.0 Global Energy Consumption
World energy use increased by ten times as
much over the 20th century, predominantly from
Fossil fuels Coal
Oil
Nuclear power
Gas
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1.0 Global Energy Consumption
Pu hase of e e g a ou t fo 5─ % of g oss
in developed economies.
In some developing countries, energy imports
may have cost over half the value of total
exports.
This situation is unsustainable and an
economic challenge for sustainable
development.
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1.0 Global Energy Consumption
In the 21st century, further increases in world
energy consumption can be expected.
Because of rising industrialization and demand
in previously less developed countries.
It will cause an overriding need for efficient
generation and use of energy regardless of
energy source.
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1.0 Global Energy Consumption
Total commercial energy:
The average per capita use worldwide is about
2kW.
Total yearly energy requirement may be
modeled by this equation
R = EN
R: total yearly energy requirement
E: per capita energy-use averaged over one year
N: total population of people 13
1.0 Global Energy Consumption
In 50 years the world population N increased
from 2.5 billion in 1950 to over 6 billion in 2000.
No i easi g app o i atel ─ % pe ea so
as to dou le e e ─ ea s.
This growth cannot be maintained without new
supplies.
Renewable energy supplies must be increased to
overcome this issue.
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1.0 Individual Consumption
Average for each person may use about E = 2 kW.
Each square meter of the ea th s habitable
surface is accessible to an average energy flux
from all renewable energy sources of about 500
W (includes solar, wind or other renewable
energy forms in an overall estimate).
If this flux is harnessed at just 4% efficiency, 2 kW
of power can be drawn from an area of 10 m x 10
m.
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1.0 Individual Consumption
Suburban areas of residential towns have population
densities of about 500 people per square kilometer.
At 2 kW per person, the total energy demand of 1000
kW/km2 could be obtained in principle by using just 5%
of the local land area for energy production.
Thus renewable energy supplies can provide a
satisfactory standard of living, but only if the
technologies exist to extract, use and store the energy
in an appropriate form at realistic costs.
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
Definitions: o Energy obtained from natural and
persistent flows of energy occurring
in the immediate environment.
Renewable energy
o E.g. solar (sunlight) energy
o A.k.a Green Energy or Sustainable
Energy
o Energy obtained from static stores of
energy that remain underground
Non-renewable unless released by human
energy interaction.
o E.g. nuclear fuels and fossil fuels
o A.k.a Finite supplies or Brown Energy
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
Fossil fuels (Coal, Oil & Gas):
Not being newly formed at any significant rate,
and thus present stocks are ultimately finite.
Reserve lifetime Known accessible amount
=
of a resource Rate of present use
Lifetime of oil and gas resources is usually only a
few decades; coal is a few centuries
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
Emission from fossil fuel:
Increasing concentration of CO2 in the
Atmosphere.
If this continues, it will enhance the
greenhouse effect and lead to significant
climate change within a century or less.
Major impact: food production, water supply
and human, e.g. through floods and cyclones.
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
Renewable energy sources:
Five primary sources,
1. The Sun
2. The motion and gravitational potential of the
Sun, Moon and Earth.
3. Geothermal energy from cooling, chemical
reactions and radioactive decay in the Earth.
4. Human-induced nuclear reactions.
5. Chemical reactions from mineral sources.
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
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1.1 Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
Sources
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Energy currents:
Essential that a sufficient renewable current is
already present in the local environment.
Eg. Biomass resource must exist locally to
avoid large inefficiencies in transportation.
The local environment has to be monitored
and analyzed over a long period to establish
precisely what energy flows are present.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Dynamic characteristics:
End-use requirements for energy vary with time.
Eg. Electricity demand on a power network often
peaks in the morning and evening, and reaches a
minimum through the night.
In renewable energy, end-use vary uncontrollably.
Thus a renewable energy must be matched
dynamically before it reaches end-user.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
Define quality as the proportion of an energy
source that can be converted to mechanical work.
Thus electricity has high quality. Eg. When
consumed in an electric motor >95% of the input
energy may be converted to mechanical work.
The heat losses are correspondingly small, <5%.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
The quality of nuclear, fossil or biomass fuel in
a single stage thermal power station is
moderately low.
Because of only 33% of the calorific (heat-
generating) value of the fuel can be made to
appear as mechanical work.
About 67% is lost as heat to the environment.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
Renewable energy supply systems divide into
three broad division,
1. Mechanical supplies, such as hydro, wave
and tidal power. The mechanical source of
power is usually transformed into electricity at
high efficiency, commonly, wind 35%, hydro
7 ─9 %, a e 5 % a d tidal 75%.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
2. Heat supplies, such as biomass combustion and
solar collectors. These sources provide heat at
high efficiency.
However, the maximum proportion of heat
energy extractable as mechanical work is given by
the second law of thermodynamics and the
Carnot Theorem, which assumes reversible,
infinitely long transformations.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
In practice, maximum mechanical power
produced in a dynamic process is about half
that predicted by the Carnot criteria.
For thermal boiler heat engines, maximum
realizable quality is about 35%.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Quality of supply:
3. Photon processes, such as photosynthesis,
photochemistry and photovoltaic conversion.
Eg. Solar photons of a single frequency may be
transformed into mechanical work via electricity
with high efficiency using a matched solar cell.
In practice, the broad band of frequencies in the
solar spectrum makes matching difficult and
photo o e sio effi ie ies of ─ % a e
considered good.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Dispersed versus centralized energy:
A pronounced difference between renewable and
finite energy supplies is the energy flux density at
the initial transformation.
Finite energy is most easily produced centrally
and is expensive to distribute.
Renewable energy is most easily produced in
dispersed locations and is expensive to
concentrate.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Complex system:
Renewable energy supplies are intimately
linked to the natural environment, which is
not preserve of just one academic discipline
such as physics or electrical engineering.
Frequently it is necessary to cross disciplinary
boundaries, for example to plant physiology to
electronic control engineering.
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1.2 Relevance and Benefit of
Renewable Energy
Situation dependence:
No single energy system is universally applicable, since the
ability of the local environment to supply the energy and
the suitability of society to accept the energy vary greatly.
Renewable energy is similar to agriculture. Particular
environments and soils are suitable for some crops and not
others, and the market pull for selling the produce will
depend on particular needs.
The ai o se ue e of this situatio depe de e of
renewable energy is the impossibility of making simplistic
international or national energy plans.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply
Prospecting the environment
Technical End-use requirements and efficiency
implications
Matching supply and demand
Control options
Dispersed living
Social Pollution and environmental effect
implications
The future
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Prospecting the environment:
Monitoring is needed for several years at the site in
question.
Ongoing analysis must insure that useful data are being
recorded, particularly with respect to dynamic
characteristics of the energy systems planned.
Eg. wind velocity may be monitored for several months
at a prospective generating site and compared with
data from the nearest official base station.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
End-use requirements* and efficiency:
Energy generation should always follow quantitative and
comprehensive assessment of energy end-use
requirements.
In electrical systems, the end-use requirement is called the
load, and the size and dynamic characteristics of the load
will greatly affect the type of generating supply.
Money spent on energy conservation and improvements in
end-use efficiency usually gives better long-term benefit
that money spent on increased generation and supply
capacity.
*Largest energy requirements are usually for heat and transport.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Matching supply and demand:
After quantification and analysis of the separate dynamic
characteristics of end-use demands and environmental supply
options, the total demand and supply have to be brought together.
1. Maximum amount of environmental energy must be utilized
within the capability of the renewable energy devices and systems.
In figure above, the resistance to energy flow at D, E and F should
be small. The main benefit of this is to reduce the size and amount
of generating equipment.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Matching supply and demand:
2. Negative feedback control from demand to supply is not
beneficial since the result is to waste or spill harnessable energy as
shown in figure below.
In effect the capital value of the equipment is not fully utilized.
Disadvantage of negative feedback control is a consequence of
renewable energy being flow or current sources that can never be
stopped. In finite energy sources, it is beneficial since less fuel is
used.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Matching supply and demand:
3. Natural periods and dynamic properties of end-use are most
unlikely to be the same. The only way to match supply and demand
that have different dynamic characteristics (and not to waste
harnessable energy) is to incorporate storage as shown in figure
below.
Satisfactory energy storage is expensive, especially if not
incorporated at the earliest stages of planning.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Matching supply and demand:
4. Decoupling with a large grid system.
Renewable supply is embedded in an energy grid
network having input from finite sources having
feedback control.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Matching supply and demand:
5. Feedforward load management control of the supply.
The most efficient way to use renewable energy. Here a
range of end-uses is available and can be switched or
adjusted so that the total load equals the supply at any one
time.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Control options: 1. Spill the excess energy
Control by spilling excess energy: constant
pressure maintained for the turbine.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Control options:
Good matching of renewable energy supply to
end-use demand is accomplished by control of
machines, devices and systems.
Three possible categories of control:
[Link] the excess energy
[Link] storage
[Link] load management control
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Control options: 2. Incorporate storage
Control incorporating storage in hydroelectric
catchment dam.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Technical)
Control options: 3. Operate load management control
Control by load variation: feedforward control. Load
controller automatically shunts power between end-
uses, maintaining constant generator load at E.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Social)
Dispersed living:
It may be illustrated as below,
Fossil fuel Electrical
& nuclear Industries
distribution
sources developed
grids
Employment
opportunities
Concentrated Populations
living growth
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Social)
Dispersed living:
Renewable energy arrives dispersed in the
environment and is difficult and expensive to
concentrate.
By contrast finite energy sources are easily
concentrated at source and expensive to
disperse.
Thus electrical distribution grids from fossil fuel
and nuclear sources tended to radiate from
central.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Social)
Pollution and environmental impact:
Pollution from energy generation is
overwhelmingly a result of using o
fuels, fossil and nuclear.
In contrast, renewable energy is always
extracted from flows of energy already
compatible with the environment.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Social)
Dispersed living:
Thus the gradual acceptance of significant
supplies of renewable energy could allow
relief from the concentrated metropolises of
excessive urbanization.
Another advantage is the increased security
for a nation having its energy supplies from
such indigenous and dispersed sources.
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1.3 Implications of Renewable Energy
in Electricity Supply (Social)
The future:
Many changes in social patterns are related to energy
supplies. We can expect further changes to occur as
renewable energy systems become widespread.
It is impossible to predict exactly the long-term effect
of such changes in energy supply, but the sustainable
nature of renewable energy should produce greater
socio-economic stability than has been the case with
fossil fuels and nuclear power.
In particular we expect the great diversity of renewable
energy supplies to be associated with a similar diversity
in local economic and social characteristics.
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