Yes / Solar energy, amongst all renewable energies, has attracted inexhaustible attention all over the world as a supplier of sustainable energy. The energy requirement of major seawater desalination processes such as multistage flash (MSF), multi-effect distillation (MED) and reverse osmosis (RO) are fulfilled by burning fossil fuels, which impact the environment significantly due to the emission of greenhouse gases. The integration of solar energy systems into seawater desalination processes is an attractive and alternative solution to fossil fuels. This study aims to (i) assess the progress of solar energy systems including concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) to power both thermal and membrane seawater desalination processes including MSF, MED, and RO and (ii) evaluate the economic considerations and associated challenges with recommendations for further improvements. Thus, several studies on a different combination of seawater desalination processes of solar energy systems are reviewed and analysed concerning specific energy consumption and freshwater production cost. It is observed that although solar energy systems have the potential of reducing carbon footprint significantly, the cost of water production still favours the use of fossil fuels. Further research and development on solar energy systems are required to make their use in desalination economically viable. Alternatively, the carbon tax on the use of fossil fuels may persuade desalination industries to adopt renewable energy such as solar.

Due to the vast fossil fuel wealth, the country of Saudi Arabia is experiencing a dramatic growth in both population and GDP. Therefore there is a growing demand for water and energy to meet these needs. All of the electricity that is generated is sourced from crude oil and natural gas. All natural gas production is used domestically and there are no net imports or exports. Due to many constrains on the natural gas supply, there is a slow shift in the generation mix going towards crude oil based power generation. This study assessed the viability of utility scale solar integration into the Saudi Arabian electric mix to potentially relieve some demand pressure for natural gas consumption as well as reduce green house gas emissions. Parabolic trough concentrated solar power technology was chosen as the primary technology for utility scale integration. A total of five scenarios were calculated. The scenarios include the following, base case, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% solar integration in terms of installed capacity. Two sets of net present values were calculated. The net present values of each scenario were calculated. A second set of net present values was calculated with a projected increase in electricity prices. The natural gas and crude oil offset from the four solar integration scenarios were calculated using the base case forecasted natural gas and crude oil consumption from power generation. As expected, natural gas and crude oil consumption decreased when there was an increase in solar integration. The expected carbon dioxide offsets were calculated for each scenario. There was a decrease in carbon dioxide emission as solar integration was increased. Finally, all of these analyses were used as criteria for a decision analysis using the analytical hierarchy process. Depending on the decision maker’s importance on the determined criteria, solar integration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is achievable. / text

In a proposed design for a concentrated solar power tower, sand is irradiated by solar energy and transfers its energy to another fluid stream by means of a finned tube heat exchanger. To maximize heat transfer and minimize potential damage to the heat exchanger, it is desired to have a very uniform flow through the heat exchanger. However, performing full scale flow tests can be expensive, impractical, and depending upon the specific quantities of interest, unsuitable for revealing the details of what it happening inside of the flow stream. Thus, the discrete element method has been used to simulate and study particulate flows. In this project, the flow of small glass beads through a square pyramid shaped hopper and a wedge shaped hopper were studied at the lab scale. These flows were also simulated using computers running two versions of discrete element modeling software – EDEM and LIGGGHTS. The simulated results were compared against the lab scale flows and against each other. They show that, in general, the discrete element method can be used to simulate lab scale particulate flows as long as certain material properties are well known, especially the friction properties of the material. The potential for increasing the accuracy of the simulations, such as using better material property data, non-uniform particle size distributions, and non-spherical particle shapes, as well as simulating heat transfer within a granular flow are also discussed.

Although concentrated solar power can be used to produce power using traditional electricity generation, energy storage has become a problem due to the intermittent supply of solar energy. By using solar energy in chemical production processes, the solar energy can be stored in a useful chemical product. The purpose of this thesis will be to examine the possibilities of a new solar chemical cycle the produces iron and ethylene from hematite (a form of iron oxide) and ethane using concentrated solar power. These two products are important stepping stones in the production of steel and polymers. This process could allow for the current process of steel production to move away from processes using coal and towards a more sustainable process using the hydrogen formed from the ethane cracking process and solar energy. The thesis will include: (1) the development of a new solar powered iron and ethylene combined cycle, (2) a feasibility study of a Concentrated Solar Heat Supply System (CSHSS) being developed at Georgia Tech, and (3) an assessment of the proposed cycle. The assessment will include an estimate of production including a thermodynamic ASPEN model, assessment of research to realize actualization of the theoretical cycle, an exergy analysis, and a heat exchanger analysis for the exchange of heat between the CSHSS and the chemical process.

In order to meet EU legislation on emissions, significant effort is being invested into the development of cost-effective renewable power generation technologies. The two leading technologies are solar and wind power because of their potential for the lowest levelised cost of energy and for showing a growth in installed capacity and technological development. Various research findings have suggested that significant cost savings in the capital expenditure of renewable energy projects can be made through the optimisation of their support foundations, the understanding of which has formed the main goal of the research.

Parmi les centrales solaires thermiques à concentration, la technologie des centrales à tour offre l'un des rendements les plus importants de production d'énergie. Néanmoins, l'efficacité et la sécurité de ces centrales sont améliorables. En effet, les sels fondus, généralement utilisés comme fluide de transfert thermique, présentent une plage limitée d'utilisation (200-550°C), à l'origine des limites d'efficacité de la conversion thermique-électrique, ainsi que de consommations parasites d'énergie de chauffage. De plus, leurs caractères corrosif et comburant sont à l'origine de sévères contraintes de sécurité. Un nouveau concept de récepteur solaire, dont les caractéristiques permettent de s'affranchir des contraintes associées aux sels fondus, est présenté dans ce manuscrit. Il utilise des suspensions denses de particules fluidisées par un gaz comme fluide de transfert et de stockage de l'énergie thermique. Ce concept, et la technologie de récepteur associée, a été brevetée par Flamant et Hemati dans le cadre d'une collaboration entre le Laboratoire CNRS-PROMES d'Odeillo, et l'Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse. Son développement a reçu le soutien financier du CNRS, puis de la Commission Européenne. Les propriétés thermiques du carbure de silicium ont déterminé le choix de ce solide. Le diamètre moyen des particules utilisées avoisine 60 micromètres (groupe A). Ces particules présentent d'excellentes propriétés de fluidisation pour des vitesses de gaz faibles. La construction et l'exploitation d'une maquette froide transparente ont permis de démontrer la faisabilité hydrodynamique du concept. Cette maquette est un échangeur à deux passes. Chaque passe est constituée de deux tubes verticaux en parallèle. L'une est traversée par un débit vertical ascendant de solide, l'autre descendant. Un débit de solide continu, stable et équitablement réparti a été obtenu à l'intérieur des tubes. La caractérisation hydrodynamique détaillée de l'écoulement, et du comportement globale de la maquette, en fonction des conditions opératoires, a été effectué sur la partie ascendante de l'écoulement dans l'échangeur. La construction et l'exploitation d'une maquette chaude, constituée d'un seul tube traversé par une suspension dense en écoulement ascendant, chauffé par 3 fours d'une puissance totale de 5,6 kW, a permis d'estimer la capacité de transfert thermique de ce nouveau type d'échangeur. Le contrôle et la stabilité des conditions opératoires a permis d'évaluer l'effet de ces dernières sur le transfert thermique entre l'échangeur et la suspension dense de fines particules le traversant. La modélisation par 3 approches du transport ascendant de la suspension dense a également été réalisée. Une approche corrélative 1D basée sur le formalisme du modèle Bulle-Emulsion, adapté afin de tenir compte de l'entraînement des particules dans le sillage des bulles. Ce modèle permet de représenter la structure diphasique de l'écoulement. Une autre approche 1D a été utilisée. Elle repose sur la résolution des équations locales de conservation de masse et de quantité de mouvement sur chaque phase gaz et solide. Cette méthode permet de s'affranchir des hypothèses du modèle Bulle-Emulsion. Enfin, la simulation numérique 3D a été réalisée sur un maillage complet du système, de telle sorte que les conditions aux bornes imposées son identiques à celle imposée par l'opérateur (débit de fluidisation, débit d'aération, débit de solide, pression de la nourrice). Cette dernière apporte des informations sur la structure locale de l'écoulement, dont les caractéristiques permettent d'expliquer l'efficacité du transfert thermique entre la suspension et la paroi observé expérimentalement. / Among concentrating solar power plants, solar tower technology is one of the more power efficient. Nevertheless, their efficiency and safety can be improved. Indeed, molten salts, commonly used as heat transfer fluid, have a limited range of operating temperature (470-820K), thus lowering the thermal-electrical conversion efficiency, and increasing parasitic power consumption. Moreover, they are corrosive and combustion agent, leading to severe safety constraints. A new concept of solar receiver is presented in the present study, the characteristics of which avoid most of the molten salts drawbacks. It uses dense gas-particle suspension as heat transfer and storage fluid. This concept and the associated technology has been patented by Flamant et Hemati in the frame of a collaboration between the PROMES-CNRS Laboratory of Odeillo and the Polytechnic National Institute of Toulouse. Its development has been first supported by the CNRS, and later by the European Commission. Thermal properties of silicon carbide have determined the choice of this solid. The mean diameter of particles is around 64 microns (A group). These particles have excellent fluidisation properties at low gas velocities. The construction and the operation of a transparent cold mockup allowed demonstrating the hydrodynamic feasibility of this concept. This mockup is composed of two passes. Each pass is composed of two tubes in parallel. One pass is upward flow of solid, the other is downward flow. A steady, stable and evenly distributed solid flow has been set inside the tubes. The global behaviour of the system and the hydrodynamics of the suspension has been evaluated as a function of operating parameters on the upward pass. The construction and the operation of a hot mockup allowed estimating the heat transfer efficiency of this new kind of exchanger. On this mockup, the dense suspension flows upward inside a single tube, heated by three ovens of 5.6 kW total power. Thanks to the control and stability of the operating parameters, their effects on the heat transfer between the tube and the dense gas-solid suspension has been accurately determined. Modelling of the suspension upward flow has been performed using 3 approaches. The first one is based on the 1D Bubble-emulsion formalism, adapted to take into account the solid entrainment by the bubble wakes. It allows modelling the diphasic structure of the flow. The resolution of the local mass and momentum balance equation on each phase has also been performed. It allows to sidestep the Bubble-Emsulion assumptions, and to study the effects of drag models. 3D simulation has been performed on a complete mesh of the system, so that the boundary conditions are the same as those imposed by the operator (fluidisation flow rate, aeration flow rate, solid flow rate, dispenser pressure). These simulations give information on the local structure of the suspension flow, influencing on the heat transfer efficiency between the exchanger wall and the suspension.

Für den ökonomischen Erfolg konzentrierender Solarkraftwerke und für die Effizienz-steigerung der Industrie durch Weiterverwendung von Abwärme sind skalierbare Hochtemperatur-Wärmespeicher zu vertretbaren Kosten unabdingbar. Bisher sind für dieses Anwendungsgebiet nur sensible Speicher kommerziell verfügbar. Denen gegenüber besitzen chemische Speicher zahlreiche Vorteile. Sie bieten höhere Speicherdichten, geringere Wärmeverluste, die Möglichkeit zur Wärmetransformation durch Variation des Reaktionsdrucks und eine Vielzahl von Reaktionssystemen für eine optimale Prozess-integration. Jedoch befinden sie sich noch in der Entwicklungsphase. Die reversible Gas-/Feststoffreaktion von Calciumoxid und Wasserdampf zu Calcium-hydroxid geschieht bei Temperaturen von 400 – 600 °C und ist damit optimal für solarthermische Anwendungen geeignet. Für die Entwicklung eines Speichers ist neben der thermochemischen Charakterisierung des Speichermaterials ein effizientes, skalierbares Reaktorkonzept nötig. Ein Reaktor mit bewegtem Reaktionsbett ermöglicht die Trennung der zwei charakteristischen Speichergrößen Leistung und Kapazität und stellt damit einen wirtschaftlichen Speicher in Aussicht. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Aufbau und Inbetriebnahme eines neuen Teststandes, in welchem ein innovatives Reaktordesign erprobt werden soll. Sie beschreibt die Auslegung einer planaren Reaktorgeometrie, die einen Schwerkraftfluss des Bettes und die Modularisierung für größere Anlagen gewährleistet. Bei Vorversuchen stellt sich die homo-gene Bewegung des Reaktionsbettes aufgrund dessen Kompressibilität als schwierig heraus. Der angestrebte homogene Massenfluss des Reaktionsmaterials kann durch die ursprünglich eingesetzten Feindosiereinheiten nicht erzielt werden. Sie zeigen sich jedoch für die Temperierung des Speichermediums und die Gasdichtheit des Reaktionsraumes als geeignet. Das homogene Ausfließen wird einer separaten Austragshilfe zugeteilt, welche konstruiert und umgesetzt wird. Experimente mit einem Schaureaktor identifizieren eine Zahnwelle als beste Option. Für einen kommerziellen Speicher wird ein Schlitzschieber empfohlen. Ebenso erfolgen Auslegung und Errichtung der peripheren Anlagenteile, wie z.B. die Fertigung eines Druckhalters zur Steuerung der Reaktionstemperatur. Am Teststand werden somit alle Vorbereitungen abgeschlossen, um Heißversuche bei Reaktionstemperatur durchzuführen.

La filière solaire thermodynamique concentrée est une des voies les plus prometteuses pour la production des énergies renouvelables du futur. L’efficacité des surfaces optiques est un des facteurs clés influant sur les performances d’une centrale. Un des défis technologiques restant à résoudre concerne le temps et les efforts nécessaires à l’ajustement et l’orientation de tous ces miroirs, ainsi que la calibration des héliostats pour assurer un suivi précis de la course du soleil et une concentration contrôlée. Le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit propose une réponse à ce problème par le développement d’une méthode de caractérisation des héliostats dite de « rétrovisée », consistant à placer quatre caméras au voisinage du récepteur pour enregistrer les répartitions de luminance occasionnées par la réflexion du soleil sur l’héliostat. La connaissance du profil de luminance solaire, combiné à ces quatre images, permet de reconstruire les pentes des erreurs optiques de l’héliostat.La première étape de l’étude de la méthode a consisté à établir les différentes équations permettant de reconstruire les pentes des surfaces optiques à partir des différents paramètres du système. Ces différents développements théoriques ont ensuite permis la réalisation de simulations numériques pour valider la méthode et définir ses possibilités et ses limites. Enfin, des tests expérimentaux ont été réalisés sur le site de la centrale Thémis. À la suite de ces expériences, des pistes d’améliorations ont été identifiées pour améliorer la précision expérimentale et envisager son déploiement industriel. / Concentrated solar power is a promising way for renewable energy production. Optical efficiency of the mirrors is one of the key factors influencing a power plant performance. Methods which allow the operator to adjust all the heliostat of a plant quickly, in addition of calibration and tracking, are essential for the rise of the technology. The work presented in this thesis is the study of a “backward-gazing” method consisting in placing four cameras near the receiver simultaneously recording brightness images of the sun reflected by the heliostat. The optical errors of the mirrors are retrieved from these four images and the knowledge of the one dimension sun radiance profile.The first step of the study consists in the theoretical description of the method. Then numerical simulations are performed to estimate the general accuracy and the limits of the backward-gazing method. In a third phase, experimental tests have been fulfilled at Themis solar power plant. Finally, ideas of improvement are proposed based on the experiments performed.

Le risque est une propriété inhérente de chaque projet. En effet, tout projet est soumis, durant l’ensemble de son cycle de vie, à de nombreux risques qui sont d’origine interne et externe dont la maîtrise est un enjeu crucial pour la réussite du projet. Beaucoup d'outils de gestion des risques ont été développés, mais ont la faiblesse récurrente de ne représenter que le projet et traitent le risque de façon isolée. Les risques affectant le projet et étant générés par ce dernier, il est nécessaire de prendre en compte les nombreuses et complexes interactions entre projet, environnement et risques.Les travaux réalisés visent à mettre en place une méthode de gestion des risques inhérents aux projets en général et plus particulièrement aux projets du domaine compétitif des énergies renouvelables.Cette méthode s’appuie sur un cadre formel et des outils applicatifs permettant d’optimiser le management des risques liés au projet. En effet, un cadre de modélisation servant de support à la méthode et ayant pour but de faciliter la modélisation du projet en tant que système complexe a été déterminé. De plus, la représentation des interactions inhérentes au projet et la prise de décision ont été rendues possibles par la nature des attributs caractérisant les entités du projet et de son environnement, et les différents modèles d’évaluation, d’interprétation et de choix des alternatives. Cette méthode a été adaptée à la prise en compte des incertitudes inhérentes au projet et à son environnement. Pour cela, nous avons d’abord procédé à l’identification et à la description des incertitudes via la réalisation d’une base de connaissances relatives aux facteurs de risques et à la documentation des variables incertaines. Les incertitudes ont ensuite été formalisées, propagée et évaluées. / Risk is an inherent property of each project. Indeed, any project faces, throughout its whole life cycle, numerous risks. Those risks can have an internal or an external origin. Be able to control risks is a crucial stake for the project success. Many risk management tools have been developed, but have the recurring weakness of representing only the project and treating the risk in isolation. Risks affect the project and are generated by the project itself. So, it is necessary to consider the numerous and complex interactions between project, environment and risks.The work carried out aims to develop a risk management method suitable for all types of projects and more particularly for projects of the competitive field of renewable energies.This method relies on a formal framework, as well as on application tools to optimize project risk management. Indeed, a modeling framework which supports the method and aims to facilitate the modeling of the project as a complex system has been developed. Moreover, the representation of the interactions and the decision making have been allowed by the nature of the attributes characterizing the entities of the project and its environment and the different models for evaluation, interpretation and selection of alternatives. This method was adapted to the uncertain context. For this purpose, uncertainties have been identified and described via the realization of a data base on risk factors. Then, uncertainties have been formalized, propagated and evaluated.

Orientador: Ademar Ribeiro Romeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T14:56:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzigan_KellyRosana_M.pdf: 3841622 bytes, checksum: f6215a3e1341048e3689f5c380771993 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: As reservas mundiais de petróleo, carvão e gás natural podem acomodar maior crescimento no uso destas fontes de energia sobre as próximas décadas, mas agrava os enormes desafios colocados pelas alterações climáticas. A produção e o consumo energético de energia têm grande impacto na sociedade e na natureza, e o uso dos combustíveis fósseis é claramente insustentável com consequências potencialmente catastróficas. Desta forma, a necessidade de transição para uma matriz energética mais limpa é evidente, podendo ser observada através do redirecionamento da política energética de algumas das nações líderes do mundo. Dentre as tecnologias energéticas limpas, a tecnologia solar tem se destacado no cenário mundial, e por hipótese a energia solar deverá ser a principal fonte para geração de eletricidade no futuro. Esta dissertação pretende contribuir com a investigação acerca do desenvolvimento e perspectivas da energia solar no mundo, trazendo alguma luz à controvérsia sobre a possibilidade de superação do paradigma energético baseado na combustão de fósseis a tempo de se evitar um possível desastre ambiental. O presente trabalho divide-se em três partes. A primeira parte trata da necessidade da transição da matriz energética baseada em uso de combustíveis fósseis para uma baseada em energia limpa, essencial em decorrência das já comprovadas limitações ambientais, que se agravará futuramente diante da expectativa de largo aumento na demanda de energia para acompanhar o crescimento econômico futuro. A segunda parte faz uma breve discussão acerca de algumas questões relativas à construção de um novo paradigma energético e da inovação em tecnologias de energia de baixo carbono, além de salientar especificidades da tecnologia solar. Por fim, na terceira parte traça-se um panorama do cenário atual mundial com relação ao setor de energia solar a partir dos principais países que investem na tecnologia: Estados Unidos, Alemanha, Japão e China. Neste capítulo será analisado o progresso do setor solar em cada país, apontando as políticas de incentivo, desenvolvimento da indústria solar, evolução do mercado e perspectivas futuras da energia solar / Abstract: The world reserves of oil, coal and natural gas can accommodate further growth in energy use over the next few decades, but aggravates the great challenges posed by climate change. The production and consumption of energy have been creating great impact in our society and nature, and the consumption of fossil fuels is clearly unsustainable with potentially catastrophic consequences. Thus, the importance of renewable forms of energy is growing robustly, which can be observed by the energy policies of some of the leading nations in the world. Among the renewable forms of energy, solar power generation is becoming mainstream and by hypothesis is likely to become the world¿s most important source for electricity generation in the future. This thesis aims to contribute on the research concerning the development and prospects of solar energy in the world, bringing some light to the controversy about the possibility of overcoming the energy paradigm based on the combustion of fossil in time to prevent a possible environmental disaster. This paper is divided into three parts. The first one highlight the need for a transition from a fossil fuel-based society to one based on renewable energy, enabling a more sustainable growth. The second part is a brief discussion regarding the construction of a new energy paradigm and the innovations in the in low-carbon energy technologies, highlighting specific characteristics of the solar technology. Finally, the third part makes an overview of the current scenario, especially the one regarding the solar industry in the most advanced countries in the development of solar energy (United States, Germany, Japan and China). In this chapter an analysis is made about the progress of the solar energy in each country, pointing out government subsidies, industry and market development and future prospects of solar energy / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento Economico, Espaço e Meio Ambiente / Mestra em Desenvolvimento Econômico