Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / The global energy industry is actively moving toward renewable energy sources in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for energy in a sustainable manner. The South African government, however, has only recently begun creating an environment which is truly conducive to investment into the renewable energy industry. Metso, a Finnish multi-national corporation, has a strong global position in the field of biomass-based power generation for heat, power or combined heat and power applications. The corporation has developed a modular biomass-based power generation solution for power generation in the 3MW to 10MW range, which is highly automated and can essentially operate without the need for extensive human intervention and is known as the Metso Bio-energy Solution. Considering the current state of the South African energy environment, Metso management requested the researcher to investigate the opportunities that exist in the South African market for Metso’s Bio-energy Solution, and to propose a market entry strategy which Metso should follow in order to enter the South African market. In the findings, the researcher observed that South Africa has a clear potential for the development of a bio-energy industry for power generation, although the limited availability of biomass in certain regions and the various harvesting methods in industries such as the forestry and sugar industries do restrict the access to this resource. The municipal solid waste industry appears to be an area of interest as well, although very little information exists regarding the volumes of waste available and sorting practices, which may be required in order to access these resources. Interviews were held with experts in the field of energy, renewable energy and energy policy in order to obtain opinions on the market potential for Metso’s Bio-energy Solution. The general perception of all interviewees was that the technology has its place within the South African energy mix. The interviewees, however, did confirm that there currently appears to be a major focus on wind and solar energy in the country, although biomass technology may well be a better solution due to its baseload capabilities. It was found that the local policy environment, the lack of government initiative on renewable energy licensing and unclear tariff structures have all inhibited the proliferation of the renewable energy industry. In many cases, frustration with power outages and policy delays has caused companies to invest in biomass co-firing facilities for their own consumption. The factors for success for biomass-based technologies in the South African market would appear to be directly linked to job creation potential, access to reliable and sustainable biomass resources and access to investment capital, from both private equity and the state. It is the recommendation of the researcher that Metso enters into a joint venture with a large international environmental finance company, which would base their business model on the technology provided by Metso, whilst securing the political and financial support for projects of this nature in the country.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / The recent transformation in the Ugandan energy sector has led to a significant surge in private electricity generation companies in the country. These companies have a heterogeneous capital structure and they tend to charge different tariff rates for the electricity generated. While the capital structure might have an important role to play in differential tariff setting, it is not clear to what extent it influences the tariff structure of electricity generation projects. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of capital structure on the tariff of electricity generation projects in Uganda after controlling for other factors such as operation and maintenance costs, technology used for generation, project development costs, and installed capacity of generation plants on the generation tariffs. Using cross-sectional data from 29 companies as at September 2014, a bootstrap linear regression analysis was used for estimation. The results of the study indicated that the higher the debt portion in the capital structure, the lower the generation tariff. However, the impact of debt in the capital structure was not statistically significant. What stood out is that renewable technologies have a much lower generating tariff than non-renewable technologies.

Då det finns planer på att ersätta det befintliga reningsverket i Kalmar inom en överskådlig framtid och nya krav om nödförsörjning av el har kommit från MSB, undersöktes möjligheten att använda den biogas som skulle komma att produceras på det nya reningsverket inom den egna verksamheten, istället för att som i dagsläget säljas. I denna studie undersöktes lönsamheten i att antigen investera i en biogasdriven generator som i normalfall ger en besparing i el och fjärrvärme och kan leverera reservkraft vid spänningsbortfall på nätet, eller försäljning av biogasen och inköp av ett dieseldrivet reservkraftverk.  Kostnadsförslag för biogasdrivna generatorer och reservkraftverk togs in. I denna ingick även service och komponenter för att kunna använda biogasen som bränsle. Utav kostnadsförslagen gjordes en LCC. Besparing av el och fjärrvärme samt förtjänst av försäljning av biogasen ställdes i relation mot varandra. Arbetet konkluderar att, baserat på de uträkningar som gjordes, en ottomotor är det mest lönsamma för att generera el och värme för internt bruk. / Because of the plans to replace the old sewage treatment plant in Kalmar, which has come to the end of its life cycle, and due to new requirements of emergency supply from SCCA (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency), the possibility of using the biogas on the plant itself was evaluated. In this study, the profitability of two alternatives was evaluated. To invest in a biogas powered generator to produce electric power and heat, which would create savings in purchased electricity and district heating and work as an emergency generator, or to continue selling the biogas and invest in a diesel-powered emergency generator. Cost estimates of biogas powered generators and the equipment needed for using the biogas as fuel was required from dealers and manufacturers. The cost estimates were then compiled in a LCC. The calculated savings and the income from selling the biogas was then added to the LCC, the alternatives was then compared to each other. The study concludes that the most profitable alternative, based on the calculations, is to invest in a biogas powered generator and use the electricity and waste heat on the sewage plant.

A project submitted to the faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilments of the requirements for the degree of Master of science in Engineering Johannesburg, 1994 / The purpose of this document is to report on the development of Linear Programming function for the Generation Expansion Planning environment of Eskom. This was achieved by researching the modeling methods employed in this and related fields of work. After establishing the scope of the work to be performed all the options were carefully assessed and it was decided to develop the Production Scheduling function first, as this would serve as the foundation for future work. The requirements were specified after extensive discussion with the customer. These requirements were utilize to establish the formulae, including their bounds and constraints. These were in turn converted into the Linear programming function. To faci1itate the data input process a simple input facility was developed. To maximize the value of the results the report writer was developed to enable sensitivity studies to be performed. This work was later used as the foundation of the NewGex programme.

Orientador: Antonio Roberto Balbo / Banca: Helenice de Oliveira F. Silva / Banca: Edmea Cassia Baptista / Resumo: O presente trabalho apresenta o método primal-dual previsor-corretor de pontos interiores para programação quadrática, com restrições lineares e quadráticos e variáveis canalizadas, e a aplicação deste método na resolução de problemas multiobjetivo de despacho econômico e ambiental, encontrados na engenharia elétrica. Pretende-se determinar soluções que sejam eficientes em relação ao custo dos combustíveis empregados na geração termoelétrica de energia e ao controle da emissão de poluentes, investigando-se duas estratégias: a primeira estratégica considera na função objetivo a soma ponderada entre as funções objetivo econômica e objetivo ambiental; a segunda estratégia considera o problema de despacho econômico condicionado à restrição ambiental, limitada superiormente para níveis permissíveis de missão. Para a resolução destes, uma implementação computacional do método primal-dual foi realizada em linguagem de programação C++, considerando o procedimento previsor-corretor com uma estratégia de barreira modificada para as restrições quadráticas de desigualdade, quando consideramos a segunda estratégia. Os resultados obtidos demonstram a eficiência do método em destaque em comparação a outros métodos como algoritmos genéticos co-evolutivo, atávico híbrido e cultural, bem como ao método primal-dual de pontos interiores, com procedimento de busca unidimensional, que estão divulgados na literatura / Abstract: This paper presents the primal-dual predictor-corrector interior point method for quadratic programming with linear and quadratic constraints and bounded variables, and its application in multiobjective problems of economic and environmental dispatch, found in electrical engineering. It is intended to determine effective solutions to the fuel cost used in thermal power generation and emissions control, by investigating two strategy; the first strategy considers the objective function as weighted sum of economic and environmental objective functions; the second strategy considers the economic dispatch problem subject to environmental constraint, upper bounded for allowable emission levels. To solve them, a computational implementation of primal-dual methods was performed in C++ programming language, considering the predictor-corrector procedure with a strategy of modified barrier for the quadratic inequality constraints, when we considerer the second strategy. The results obtained demonstrate the efficiency of the method highlighted in comparison with the co-evolutive genetic algorithms, hybrid and atavistic cultural, as well the primal-dual interior point method with one-dimensional search procedure, which are found in the literature / Mestre

The thesis presents a method of committing generating units in a hydro-thermal power system within practical computer resources such as computer time and data storage.

The risk for climate change is a growing concern for theglobal society. According to what is known as the Kyoto Protocol,developed countries have committed themselves to reduce theirgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The purpose of this thesis hasbeen to analyse opportunities for CO2 reductions in Swedish pulpand paper mills. The pulp and paper industry accounts forsignificant shares of the Swedish utilisationof both electricityand, in particular, biomass fuels. In this thesis, it has been agoal to focus not only on the technical potential of alternativesfor CO2 reductions in the energy systems of pulp and paper mills,but also on analysing the costeffectiveness of the studiedmeasures. Moreover, the analysis has covered questions concerningthe capacity and willingness among the actors involved with thepulp and paper mills’energy systems to realise CO2reduction potentials. A broad techno-economical evaluation of available technologiesfor increased power production as well as more efficient energyutilisation is carried out. Furthermore, a more indepth analysisof pulp mill-based biomass energy with CO2 removal and permanentsequestration (BECS) is presented. An evaluation is made of thepotential for pulp and paper production with a negative CO2balance through the implementation of BECS. In recent yearsoutside suppliers, mainly energy service companies (ESCOs), havebegun to operate energy facilities in some Swedish pulp and papermills. Based on interviews with managers from pulp and papercompanies and ESCOs, the main driving forces behind theincreasing co-operation as well as the opportunities and riskswith energy related co-operation are presented. Furthermore, the technical possibility of carbon-negativitythrough the implementation of BECS is discussed in relation tocarbon management on both corporate and global levels. The extentto which CO2-reducing measures in pulp and paper mills arerealised will have an impact on Sweden’s capacity to reachCO2 reduction targets. Whether or not technologies for CO2capture and sequestration are developed and implemented inSwedish pulp mills has a very large impact on the size ofSweden’s long-term CO2 reduction potential. Moreover, thedevelopment of business and competence focus in pulp and papercompanies and ESCOs suggests that cooperation will become ofincreasing importance for future sustainable industrial energymanagement. <b>Keywords:</b>CO2 reduction, pulp and paper industry, energysystem, biomass, CO2 capture and sequestration, black liquor,gasification, power production, outsourcing, sustainable energymanagement

In this study, the feasibility of using an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in trigeneration plants is examined through thermodynamic modeling and thermoeconomic optimization. Three novel trigeneration systems are considered. Each one of these systems consists of an ORC, a heating-process heat exchanger, and a single-effect absorption chiller. The three systems are distinguished by the source of the heat input to the ORC. The systems considered are SOFC-trigeneration, biomass- trigeneration, and solar-trigeneration systems. For each system four cases are considered: electrical-power, cooling-cogeneration, heating-cogeneration, and trigeneration cases. Comprehensive thermodynamic analysis on each system is carried out. Furthermore, thermoeconomic optimization is conducted. The objective of the thermoeconomic optimization is to minimize the cost per exergy unit of the trigeneration product. The results of the thermoeconomic optimization are used to compare the three systems through thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analyses. This study illustrates key output parameters to assess the trigeneration systems considered. These parameters are energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, net electrical power, electrical to cooling ratio, and electrical to heating ratio. Moreover, exergy destruction modeling is conducted to identify and quantify the major sources of exergy destruction in the systems considered. In addition, an environmental impact assessment is conducted to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions in the systems considered. Furthermore, this study examines both the cost rate and cost per exergy unit of the electrical power and other trigeneration products. This study reveals that there is a considerable efficiency improvement when trigeneration is used, as compared to only electrical power production. In addition, the emissions of CO2 per MWh of trigeneration are significantly lower than that of electrical power. It was shown that the exergy destruction rates of the ORC evaporators for the three systems are quite high. Therefore, it is important to consider using more efficient ORC evaporators in trigeneration plants. In addition, this study reveals that the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest electrical energy efficiency while the biomass-trigeneration system and the solar mode of the solar trigeneration system have the highest trigeneration energy efficiencies. In contrast, the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest exergy efficiency for both electrical and trigeneration cases. Furthermore, the thermoeconomic optimization shows that the solar-trigeneration system has the lowest cost per exergy unit. Meanwhile the solar-trigeneration system has zero CO2 emissions and depends on a free renewable energy source. Therefore, it can be concluded that the solar-trigeneration system has the best thermoeconomic performance among the three systems considered.

<p>The risk for climate change is a growing concern for theglobal society. According to what is known as the Kyoto Protocol,developed countries have committed themselves to reduce theirgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The purpose of this thesis hasbeen to analyse opportunities for CO2 reductions in Swedish pulpand paper mills. The pulp and paper industry accounts forsignificant shares of the Swedish utilisationof both electricityand, in particular, biomass fuels. In this thesis, it has been agoal to focus not only on the technical potential of alternativesfor CO2 reductions in the energy systems of pulp and paper mills,but also on analysing the costeffectiveness of the studiedmeasures. Moreover, the analysis has covered questions concerningthe capacity and willingness among the actors involved with thepulp and paper mills’energy systems to realise CO2reduction potentials.</p><p>A broad techno-economical evaluation of available technologiesfor increased power production as well as more efficient energyutilisation is carried out. Furthermore, a more indepth analysisof pulp mill-based biomass energy with CO2 removal and permanentsequestration (BECS) is presented. An evaluation is made of thepotential for pulp and paper production with a negative CO2balance through the implementation of BECS. In recent yearsoutside suppliers, mainly energy service companies (ESCOs), havebegun to operate energy facilities in some Swedish pulp and papermills. Based on interviews with managers from pulp and papercompanies and ESCOs, the main driving forces behind theincreasing co-operation as well as the opportunities and riskswith energy related co-operation are presented.</p><p>Furthermore, the technical possibility of carbon-negativitythrough the implementation of BECS is discussed in relation tocarbon management on both corporate and global levels. The extentto which CO2-reducing measures in pulp and paper mills arerealised will have an impact on Sweden’s capacity to reachCO2 reduction targets. Whether or not technologies for CO2capture and sequestration are developed and implemented inSwedish pulp mills has a very large impact on the size ofSweden’s long-term CO2 reduction potential. Moreover, thedevelopment of business and competence focus in pulp and papercompanies and ESCOs suggests that cooperation will become ofincreasing importance for future sustainable industrial energymanagement.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>CO2 reduction, pulp and paper industry, energysystem, biomass, CO2 capture and sequestration, black liquor,gasification, power production, outsourcing, sustainable energymanagement</p>

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