Brazil\'s discoveries of large gas reservoirs in the offshore ultra-deep waters of the presalt fields show a promising scenario, along with strategic investment and adequate policy, for the development of natural gas infrastructure and a sustainable transition in the Brazilian electricity mix. Such transition should occur through the use of transnational natural gas pipelines connected to large industrial facilities and power stations, as part of strategic planning to expand industrial usage, and avoid the shortage of electricity supply, with economic and environmental advantages. Since the most important debates of the new millennium are focused on globalization and sustainable development for nations, transnational energy integration in Latin America has been receiving increasingly attention from researchers and policy makers. In this overall context, the purpose of the present research was to develop a model to study, in a comparative manner, the thermoelectric generation, as well as to analyze the effect of legal frameworks and governmental policies on the development of infrastructure and natural gas market in Brazil, with a detailed study of the most relevant market and regulatory mechanisms. A comparison was performed in terms of the most relevant regulatory legislation in Brazil and other relevant Member States of the South American economic block. The study also evaluates the sanctions imposed by ANEEL Resolution n. 583 of 2013 on suppliers, due to the lack of NG supply for thermoelectric utilities, proposing an alternative formula, thought to mitigate the influence of averages and other electricity market parameters, therefore decreasing the sanction value for the NG supplier, without compromising the contract neutrality. Different factors were analyzed in order to determine which technology would be the most efficient in terms of levelized costs. Results indicated that natural gas-fired generators are very competitive and efficient, when compared to other thermoelectric sources in both economic and environmental aspects, even when externalities were included. Also, that further strategic investment and adequate regulatory policy changes are required from the market agents, in order to foster the development of pipeline infrastructure and the expansion of natural gas use in Brazil. The study also demonstrates that the environmental impact of the CH4 leakage equals that of CO2 release from combustion at about 4.2% leakage on a mass basis, when methane leakage rises to a level in which natural gas becomes as greenhouse gas intensive as biomass. / As descobertas de substanciais reservatórios de gás natural no Brasil, localizados em águas ultra profundas após a camada Pré-Sal, demonstram um cenário promissor, aliado a investimentos estratégicos e a políticas públicas adequadas, para o desenvolvimento da infraestrutura de gás natural e uma transição sustentável na matriz elétrica brasileira. Tal transição deveria ocorrer por intermédio do uso de tubulação transnacional de gás natural, conectada a grandes instalações industriais e a usinas termelétricas, como parte de um planejamento estratégico voltado à expansão do uso de gás natural na indústria e a evitar a escassez no suprimento de energia elétrica, com vantagens econômicas e ambientais. Considerando que os debates mais relevantes do novo milênio estão focados na globalização e no desenvolvimento sustentável das nações, a integração transnacional na América Latina tem recebido crescente atenção por parte de pesquisadores e de elaboradores das políticas públicas. Nesse contexto geral, a proposta da presente pesquisa foi a de desenvolver um modelo para estudar, de uma forma comparativa, a geração termelétrica, bem como analisar o impacto do arcabouço jurídico-regulatório e das políticas governamentais no desenvolvimento da infraestrutura e do mercado do gás natural no Brasil, com um estudo detalhado dos mais relevantes mecanismos regulatórios e de mercado. Foi realizado, ainda, um comparativo da legislação regulatória do gás natural no Brasil com outros Estados-Membros relevantes do Mercosul. O estudo também avalia as sanções impostas pela Resolução ANEEL n. 583 de 2013 nos fornecedores, devido a corte no suprimento de gás natural para empreendimentos de geração termelétrica, propondo um cálculo alternativo visando a mitigar a influência das médias e outros parâmetros intrínsecos ao mercado de energia, dessa maneira reduzindo as sanções contratuais para o fornecedor de gás natural, sem prejudicar a neutralidade contratual. Diferentes fatores foram analisados de forma a determinar qual tecnologia seria a mais eficiente em termos de custos nivelados de eletricidade. Os resultados indicaram que as termelétricas a gás natural são muito competitivas e eficientes, quando comparadas com outros tipos de combustível, tanto pelo aspecto ambiental quanto pelo econômico, mesmo quando externalidades são incluídas. Ainda, que são necessárias mudanças nas políticas regulatórias e no investimento estratégico por parte dos agentes do mercado, de forma a incentivar o desenvolvimento de infraestrutura e a expansão do uso do gás natural no Brasil. O estudo também evidencia que o impacto ambiental do vazamento de CH4 se iguala àquele do CO2 liberado pela combustão em cerca de 4.2% em base mássica, quando o vazamento de metano atinge um nível em que seu impacto como gás do efeito estufa fica equivalente à biomassa.

Brazil\'s discoveries of large gas reservoirs in the offshore ultra-deep waters of the presalt fields show a promising scenario, along with strategic investment and adequate policy, for the development of natural gas infrastructure and a sustainable transition in the Brazilian electricity mix. Such transition should occur through the use of transnational natural gas pipelines connected to large industrial facilities and power stations, as part of strategic planning to expand industrial usage, and avoid the shortage of electricity supply, with economic and environmental advantages. Since the most important debates of the new millennium are focused on globalization and sustainable development for nations, transnational energy integration in Latin America has been receiving increasingly attention from researchers and policy makers. In this overall context, the purpose of the present research was to develop a model to study, in a comparative manner, the thermoelectric generation, as well as to analyze the effect of legal frameworks and governmental policies on the development of infrastructure and natural gas market in Brazil, with a detailed study of the most relevant market and regulatory mechanisms. A comparison was performed in terms of the most relevant regulatory legislation in Brazil and other relevant Member States of the South American economic block. The study also evaluates the sanctions imposed by ANEEL Resolution n. 583 of 2013 on suppliers, due to the lack of NG supply for thermoelectric utilities, proposing an alternative formula, thought to mitigate the influence of averages and other electricity market parameters, therefore decreasing the sanction value for the NG supplier, without compromising the contract neutrality. Different factors were analyzed in order to determine which technology would be the most efficient in terms of levelized costs. Results indicated that natural gas-fired generators are very competitive and efficient, when compared to other thermoelectric sources in both economic and environmental aspects, even when externalities were included. Also, that further strategic investment and adequate regulatory policy changes are required from the market agents, in order to foster the development of pipeline infrastructure and the expansion of natural gas use in Brazil. The study also demonstrates that the environmental impact of the CH4 leakage equals that of CO2 release from combustion at about 4.2% leakage on a mass basis, when methane leakage rises to a level in which natural gas becomes as greenhouse gas intensive as biomass. / As descobertas de substanciais reservatórios de gás natural no Brasil, localizados em águas ultra profundas após a camada Pré-Sal, demonstram um cenário promissor, aliado a investimentos estratégicos e a políticas públicas adequadas, para o desenvolvimento da infraestrutura de gás natural e uma transição sustentável na matriz elétrica brasileira. Tal transição deveria ocorrer por intermédio do uso de tubulação transnacional de gás natural, conectada a grandes instalações industriais e a usinas termelétricas, como parte de um planejamento estratégico voltado à expansão do uso de gás natural na indústria e a evitar a escassez no suprimento de energia elétrica, com vantagens econômicas e ambientais. Considerando que os debates mais relevantes do novo milênio estão focados na globalização e no desenvolvimento sustentável das nações, a integração transnacional na América Latina tem recebido crescente atenção por parte de pesquisadores e de elaboradores das políticas públicas. Nesse contexto geral, a proposta da presente pesquisa foi a de desenvolver um modelo para estudar, de uma forma comparativa, a geração termelétrica, bem como analisar o impacto do arcabouço jurídico-regulatório e das políticas governamentais no desenvolvimento da infraestrutura e do mercado do gás natural no Brasil, com um estudo detalhado dos mais relevantes mecanismos regulatórios e de mercado. Foi realizado, ainda, um comparativo da legislação regulatória do gás natural no Brasil com outros Estados-Membros relevantes do Mercosul. O estudo também avalia as sanções impostas pela Resolução ANEEL n. 583 de 2013 nos fornecedores, devido a corte no suprimento de gás natural para empreendimentos de geração termelétrica, propondo um cálculo alternativo visando a mitigar a influência das médias e outros parâmetros intrínsecos ao mercado de energia, dessa maneira reduzindo as sanções contratuais para o fornecedor de gás natural, sem prejudicar a neutralidade contratual. Diferentes fatores foram analisados de forma a determinar qual tecnologia seria a mais eficiente em termos de custos nivelados de eletricidade. Os resultados indicaram que as termelétricas a gás natural são muito competitivas e eficientes, quando comparadas com outros tipos de combustível, tanto pelo aspecto ambiental quanto pelo econômico, mesmo quando externalidades são incluídas. Ainda, que são necessárias mudanças nas políticas regulatórias e no investimento estratégico por parte dos agentes do mercado, de forma a incentivar o desenvolvimento de infraestrutura e a expansão do uso do gás natural no Brasil. O estudo também evidencia que o impacto ambiental do vazamento de CH4 se iguala àquele do CO2 liberado pela combustão em cerca de 4.2% em base mássica, quando o vazamento de metano atinge um nível em que seu impacto como gás do efeito estufa fica equivalente à biomassa.

Renewable energy sources have become very popular in the last years in electricity generation thanks to the technological developments, the increase in the price of fossil fuels and the environmental concerns. These factors have also prompted Turkey to utilize her very rich renewable energy sources to meet the demand increasing around 7% annually. In this study, solar and wind energy potential of Turkey is analyzed in terms of its economics to find out whether these sources are real alternatives to fossil fuels in electricity generation. Before this analysis, wind and solar energy technologies and costs and wind and solar energy potential of Turkey are discussed. Then, models are set up for five technologies which are onshore wind, offshore wind, solar PV, solar trough and solar tower technologies models to calculate cash flows which are used to calculate payback, NPV, IRR, LCE and shut-down price to conduct economic analysis. In addition to base case scenario, uncertainty analysis is done for the most promising technologies which are onshore wind and solar tower technologies by evaluating NPV and LCE under uncertain environment. The main finding of these analyses is that only onshore wind projects are attractive in Turkey; none of other technologies is attractive. However, with a minor increase in the regulated price for solar thermal electricity, tower plant projects will also be attractive. / text

abstract: An eco-industrial park (EIP) is an industrial ecosystem in which a group of co-located firms are involved in collective resource optimization with each other and with the local community through physical exchanges of energy, water, materials, byproducts and services - referenced in the industrial ecology literature as "industrial symbiosis". EIPs, when compared with standard industrial resource sharing networks, prove to be of greater public advantage as they offer improved environmental and economic benefits, and higher operational efficiencies both upstream and downstream in their supply chain. Although there have been many attempts to adapt EIP methodology to existing industrial sharing networks, most of them have failed for various factors: geographic restrictions by governmental organizations on use of technology, cost of technology, the inability of industries to effectively communicate their upstream and downstream resource usage, and to diminishing natural resources such as water, land and non-renewable energy (NRE) sources for energy production. This paper presents a feasibility study conducted to evaluate the comparative environmental, economic, and geographic impacts arising from the use of renewable energy (RE) and NRE to power EIPs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, which is used in a variety of sectors to evaluate the environmental merits and demerits of different kinds of products and processes, was employed for comparison between these two energy production methods based on factors such as greenhouse gas emission, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, human toxicity potential, fresh water usage and land usage. To complement the environmental LCA analysis, levelized cost of electricity was used to evaluate the economic impact. This model was analyzed for two different geographic locations; United States and Europe, for 12 different energy production technologies. The outcome of this study points out the environmental, economic and geographic superiority of one energy source over the other, including the total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, which can then be related to the total number of carbon credits that can be earned or used to mitigate the overall carbon emission and move closer towards a net zero carbon footprint goal thus making the EIPs truly sustainable. / Dissertation/Thesis / LCOE calculation charts / Gabi Life-cycle analysis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2014

Climate change and renewable energy technologies are internationally discussed topics. Recently the subject was discussed during the Paris climate conference, COP21. Which lead to the establishing of the first ever universal agreement, legally binding climate deal, which include 195 countries around the world. With the goal to decrease global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius the need of new innovative technologies are increasing dramatically.   This thesis will examine the characteristics of renewable energy technology investment behavior by identifying drivers and forces for companies to invest in relatively new and less mature technologies, which are usually associated with high investment costs. Is it possible to financially justify investments in renewable energy technologies during the current market situation with historically low energy prices and with a production surplus? By examining the market and investments the aim is to identify and understand what drives companies to invest in renewable energy technologies and if it is profitable from a financial sustainable perspective.   The main results and derived conclusions are that RET investments behavior are influenced by several forces and drivers. The findings indicate that investments in RETs aren’t necessarily economical sustainable but rather that other objectives are of more importance than profitability in the short term.

Demand for cloud-based applications and remote digital storage is increasing. As such, data center capacities will need to expand to support this shift in computing. Data centers consume substantial amounts of electricity in support of their operations, and larger data centers will mean that more energy is consumed. To reduce electricity bills, data center operators must explore innovative options, and this thesis proposes leveraging solar technology for this purpose. Three different photovoltaic and concentrated photovoltaic costing scenarios, as well as four different Ontario-based electricity tariff scenarios – time-of-use, feed-in tariff, power purchase agreement, and a peak-dependent electricity charge involving the province’s global adjustment fee – will be used to determine if there is a business case for using solar technology at data centers in Ontario to reduce energy costs. Discounted net present value, return on investment, internal rate of return, and levelized cost of electricity will be calculated to determine the economic viability of solar for this application, and both deterministic and stochastic results will be provided. Sensitivity of the four metrics to variability from energy yield, operations and maintenance costs, as well as system prices will also be presented.

With environmental concerns and energy needs increasing, many regions in the world are promoting renewable energy technologies making use of various policy instruments. Although today the PV systems price is decreasing, which gives it a competitive edge; we see the technology still being dependent on policy instruments for its dissemination.   The aim of this study is to research on whether or not a solar PV system is economically viable under certain circumstances. The study analyzes this by performing a cost beneficial analysis for the lifetime of the solar PV system making use of a discounted savings model. The systems being considered in this study are from California and Germany as these regions are leading in solar PV dissemination in their respective regions. The policies that are aiding the deployment of solar PV technologies are varied and thus this study compares benefits from different policy instrument for a residential customer investing in a solar PV system.   The research objectives in this study are pursued making use of major concepts such as Grid Parity, Levelized Cost of Electricity and financial methods such as discounting.  Further, to understand how the different independent variables such as retail electricity prices, PV system pricing, WACC, self-consumption rate and storage availability are having an impact and how the results change with variation in these variables, a sensitivity analysis is conducted.   The results obtained in this study show that a solar PV system installed in California and Germany both make net benefits over their lifetime. When compared, the Californian solar PV system under the Net Energy Metering policy is making more net economic benefits in the range of $ 40,351 in Eureka and $53,510 in San Francisco; when compared to the German solar PV systems under the Feed in Tariff ranging $4,465 in Berlin and $11,769 in Munich. Furthermore the Californian solar PV systems still prove to be more beneficial even when compared to the German solar PV systems under the self-consumption law of the Feed in Tariff ranging $ 6,443 in Berlin and $ 13,141 in Munich.  But when the self-consumption rate is increased in the German case, it is noted that the associated benefits increase.   The study at hand thus results in the California Net Energy Meter policy instrument proving to be more beneficial to a residential customer than the German Feed in tariff with and without self-consumption. Another important finding made in this study is that despite the German solar PV system making lesser benefits than the Californian ones, they attain Grid Parity before the ones in California.

Meeting electricity demand and power shortage remains as a challenge to the people of the Gambia. As the country is undergoing tremendous electricity accessibility expansion [1], to secure the environment for the future generation, it is necessary to consider renewable energy to be the major source of electricity production, to be specific, solar energy. This is because the country experiences the radiation from the sun throughout the year, it is sustainable not only to our environment for the future generations, but also economically. However, due to the intermittent nature of most renewable energy technologies, it is cumbersome to rely on them 100 % as a primary source of electricity production. Nonetheless, with suitable storage technologies, combination of different renewable sources, and intercountry grid connections can enhance to overcome this challenge. In this thesis work, designed and techno economic evaluation was carried out for high PV penetration that will meet 50 % electricity demand of the Gambia in year 2040. Three scenarios were considered in this study, based on the Strategic Electricity Roadmap 2020 to 2040 [1]. These scenarios are high, universal access (AU), and low electricity demand. Economically, 50 % electricity supply to meet the demand is possible for all the three cases. Consideration was mainly put on four key figures, thus, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), payback period (PBP), net present cost (NPC) and solar fraction (SF). To achieve 50 % SF for the high electricity demand scenario, LCOE and PBP are 0.129 $/kWh and 12 years respectively. As for AU electricity demand case, 50 % SF is achieved with 0.126 $/kWh and 10 years for LCOE and PBP respectively. For low electricity demand scenario, 0.127 $/kWh and 10 years for LCOE and PBP respectively for 50 % SF. However, the optimum design recommended by HomerPro were 45 % SF with LCOE of 0.126 $/kWh and PBP of 9 years for high electricity demand scenario. As for the AU electricity demand case, the optimum design is 48 % SF, LCOE of 0.125 $/kWh, and PBP of 9 years. In the last scenario, which is low electricity demand case, 46 % SF, 0.124 $/kWh LCOE, and 9 years PBP.

The performance of parabolic trough based solar power plants over the last 25 years has proven that this technology is an excellent alternative for the commercial power industry. Compared to conventional power plants, parabolic trough solar power plants produce significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide, although additional research is required to bring the cost of concentrator solar plants to a competitive level. The cost reduction is focused on three areas: thermodynamic efficiency improvements by research and development, scaling up of the unit size, and mass production of the equipment. The optimum design, performance simulation and cost analysis of the parabolic trough solar plants are essential for the successful implementation of this technology. A detailed solar power plant simulation and analysis of its components is needed for the design of parabolic trough solar systems which is the subject of this research. Preliminary analysis was carried out by complex models of the solar field components. These components were then integrated into the system whose performance is simulated to emulate real operating conditions. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to get the optimum conditions and minimum levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). A simplified methodology was then developed based on correlations obtained from the detailed component simulations. A comprehensive numerical simulation of a parabolic trough solar power plant was developed, focusing primarily on obtaining a preliminary optimum design through the simplified methodology developed in this research. The proposed methodology is used to obtain optimum parameters and conditions such as: solar field size, operating conditions, parasitic losses, initial investment and LCOE. The methodology is also used to evaluate different scenarios and conditions of operation. The new methodology was implemented for a 50 MWe parabolic trough solar power plant for two cities: Tampa and Daggett. The results obtained for the proposed methodology were compared to another physical model (System Advisor Model, SAM) and a good agreement was achieved, thus showing that this methodology is suitable for any location.

growing concern on achieving environmental sustainability and at the same time making economical savings has become a necessity in our society. The prices of different battery energy storage technologies together with PV cells are declining all around the globe which has led to the fact that there is an increased interest in investing and using these technologies to be able to reach environmental sustainability. The combined system however, must be accurately calculated both when it comes to the sizing and the different costs related to the combined system to be able to make an economical saving. This thesis addresses both of those aspects in Sweden where a residential building with roof-top installed PV system is assessed with a battery energy storage system. An investigation is necessary to be able to assess the different battery storage technologies available in the market today with their specific technical and economical specifications. The electricity market in Sweden, the role of the Distribution System Operator on the electricity pricing with different time tariffs and fuse size subscription, PV generation and battery specifications are investigated and modeled in this study. Sizing of the different battery technologies for the given system is accomplished through a methodology that is developed in this project for the Swedish system. The calculated size of the battery is then used in the Life Cycle Cost analysis, using Monte Carlo simulations for a chosen period of 25 years.Calculations shows that the most appropriate size for the battery system with the given parameters is 6 kWh for all the battery types investigated in this study. The size of the batteries is also shown to be mainly dependent on the charging/discharging time together with the set fuse size margin. Profitability of the Battery Energy Storage system is proven to be mainly dependent on the fuse size downgrade. Sulphur-Sodium battery result in the greatest savings while Vanadium Redox batteries in the least when sizing the batteries. Lithium-Ion battery technology however is most likely to result in the lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity, total- and cycle costs while the highest Net Present Value with 90 % probability in the Monte Carlo simulations. Lithium-Ion battery technology is also found to have the highest probability of having a positive NPV compared to the lowest probability for Sulphur-Sodium battery technology. Lead-Acid battery technology is however shown to have the least uncertainties compared to other Battery Energy Storage technologies due to its maturity. It is additionally shown that government subsidy plays a crucial role when investing in the battery storage system. However, even with the case of removed government subsidy, Lithium-Ion battery technology still results in the largest probability of having a positive NPV while Sulphur-Sodium battery technology results in the lowest probability of having a positive NPV. / Den växande oron för att uppnå miljömässig hållbarhet och samtidigt göra ekonomiska besparingar har blivit en nödvändighet i vårt samhälle. Priserna på olika energilagrings teknologier så som batterier tillsammans med PV-celler minskar runt om i världen vilket har lett till att det finns ett ökat intresse när det gäller att investera och använda dessa teknologier för att kunna nå miljömässig hållbarhet. Det kombinerade systemet måste dock noggrant beräknas både när det gäller storleken och de olika kostnaderna för det kombinerade systemet för att kunna göra en ekonomisk besparing. Denna avhandling behandlar båda dessa aspekter i Sverige där en bostadsbyggnad med takmonterat PV system utvärderas med ett batteri system. En undersökning är nödvändig för att kunna bedöma de olika batteri teknologier som finns tillgängliga på marknaden idag med sina specifika tekniska och ekonomiska specifikationer. Elmarknaden i Sverige, Distribution System Operatörs roll för elprissättning med olika tidstariffer och säkringsabonnemang, PV-generation och batterispecifikationer undersöks och modelleras i denna studie. Dimensionering av olika batteri teknologier för det givna systemet uppnås genom en metod som utvecklats i detta projekt för det svenska systemet. Den beräknade storleken på batteriet används sedan i livscykelkostnadsanalysen, med Monte Carlo-simuleringar under en vald period på 25 år. Beräkningar visar att den optimala storleken för batterisystemet med de angivna parametrarna är 6 kWh för alla batterityper som undersöktes i denna studie. Batteriets storlek visar sig också vara huvudsakligen beroende av laddning / urladdningstiden tillsammans med den inställda säkrings storleken. Lönsamheten hos batterilagringssystemet visar sig vara huvudsakligen beroende av säkringens nedgradering. Svavel-Natriumbatteriet resulterar i de största besparingarna medan Vanadium Redox batteriet i de minsta när dimensionering av batteriet äger rum. Litium-Ion batteriet är emellertid sannolikt att leda till den lägsta nivån av elkostnader, total- och cykelkostnader, medan det högsta nettoförsäljningsvärdet med 90% sannolikhet i Monte Carlo-simuleringarna. Litium-Ion batteriet befanns också ha den högsta sannolikheten att ha en positiv NPV jämfört med Svavel-Natriumbatteriet som resulterar i den lägsta sannolikheten. Lead-Acid batteriet visar sig ha den minsta osäkerheten i jämförelse med andra batterilagrings teknologier på grund av dess mognad. Det framgår dessutom att statlig subvention spelar en avgörande roll när man investerar i ett batteri lagrings system. Dock även med borttagna statliga subventioner, resulterar Litium-Ion batteriet fortfarande största sannolikheten för att ha en positiv NPV, medan Svavel-Natriumbatteriet resulterar den lägsta sannolikheten för att ha en positiv NPV.