Colombo City is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with an estimated resident population of over 750,000 spread over 3741 hectares (ha) and has a population density over 1188 per ha. It is located in the western coast of Sri Lanka and is in wet zone. The topography is of flat terrain with a mix of land and water. Considering the population and the limited undeveloped land available, the disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Sewer is a major environmental problem in Colombo. The major object of this thesis is to identify and evaluate a productive waste management system that is not only environmental friendly but also sustainable and cost effective. In this context, as a sustainable technology, applicability of anaerobic digestion is investigated and methane generation potential of the waste is evaluated. In order to identify a sustainable waste management system, the quantity of waste generated within the city of Colombo is identified. The current practices of disposal of these wastes are then reviewed to identify any issues regarding its sustainability. The majority of the MSW is currently disposed as open landfill that is causing pollution of waterways, with its leachate, as well as the polluting the atmosphere around it with its bad odour. The sewer is discharged to sea or disposed via a self-contained soakage pit. Except for few small-scale anaerobic digestion plants that use solid waste for generation of biogas for localized use, there is no large-scale waste to energy projects in operation in Sri Lanka. The sewer is not used productively at all. Having identified the quantity of waste and the disposal methods practiced, the priority is to identify sustainable and productive methods of disposal of wastes that suits best the local conditions. With this in view research hitherto carried out are studied and available literature is reviewed. The objective is to ascertain the processes that productively harness the energy potential of MSW and Sewer, individually or in combination. There are many physical and chemical methods for treatment of wastes. However bioconversion of waste provides the best options for tapping the energy of the wastes. Of the two main bioconversion methods aanaerobic processes exhibit many advantages over aerobic digestion with its ability of handling high organic loading rates and low sludge production. However, the reason for the increase in applications of anaerobic processes, is, its potential for production of energy using the biogas generated. The methane so produced can replace fossil fuel and therefore has a direct positive effect on greenhouse gas reduction. Therefore, compared with other bioconversion technologies for treatment of MSW and sewer/wastewater, the energy and environment benefits make anaerobic digestion an attractive option. Anaerobic treatment of waste in an engineered landfill bioreactor is found to be the best option for treatment of MSW. Whilst providing a decrease in long term environmental risks and low operational and closure costs it provides with valuable energy source in generation of methane. As for sewer generation of methane in anaerobic processes can be enhanced with co-digestion of different types of waste suitably selected. In this regard co-digestion of sewer and wastewater with food waste is found to be productive and is applied in this study. Literature review is carried out to determine suitable models to predict the methane generation potential. The "First Order Decay Model" is identified as the appropriate model for prediction of methane from MSW in landfills. The "Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1" is applied for prediction of methane from sewer and waste water. Chemical composition of MSW is the primary parameter which affects the methane generation. The chemical composition is computed applying the ultimate analysis and using a stoichiometric based approach. For sewer and waste water the basic parameters of BOD and COD concentrations are available from data gathered. Apart from these two parameters the other parameters relevant to local conditions are not available. Therefore values that closely fit the local conditions are taken from the literature. The study determines the methane generation potential of MSW approximately 2.1 x 106 m3 per annum and anaerobic co-digestion of sewer and food substrates generate 9.1 x 106 m3 per annum. If parameters could be determined for the wastes generated locally the accuracy of the methane generation potential could be further enhanced. In this context, further studies, should be directed from the conventional landfills to "Anaerobic Bioreactor Controlled" landfill, where circulation of liquids including leachate is carried out to increase the biogas yield. For sewer the focus should be on the most economical foot print of parallel banks of number of continuous-flow stirred-tank reactors (CSTR) operating in series to accommodate the total flow rate of sewer.

This report is based on a project which aims to evaluate the costs for the heat pump system from the perspective of Swedish insurance companies, users and environment. There are different thoughts today about the costs for the heat pump systems and the goal with this project is to analyze the costs for the heat pump and the cost for electric heating. The method of the project could mainly be divided into two parts. The first part will calculate the cost of faults divided with the market value for the heat pump system. The second part will use life cycle cost analysis, LCCA, to compare the heat pump system with the electric boiler. Data used in the calculations in the method is collected from insurance companies and by interviewing experts in the subject. The result from the study using LCCA proves that the heat pump system in relation to the electric boiler is more profitable from the perspectives of users and environment. The reason behind this is the amount electricity used during the whole lifetime of both systems. At least three times less electricity is demanded from the heat pump system and the user will therefore save money if choosing the heat pump. In the same way the environment gets less affected by the smaller amount of demanded electricity. However, from the insurance companies’ perspective, the electric boiler is to be preferred, due to high fault costs for the heat pump compared to the electric boiler. For example, the brine to water heat pump has a cost of faults at 3100 kr per year, comparing to the electric boiler which has almost no cost of faults at all. The discussion made will present potential reasons and thoughts regarding the outcome of the study. It also includes an analysis where alternative models are discussed and tested from different approaches. / Denna rapport behandlar ett projekt som handlar om att utvärdera kostnaderna av ett värmepumpssystem utifrån tre perspektiv: svenska försäkringsbolag, användare och miljö. Det finns idag delade meningar vad gäller kostnaderna av ett värmepumpssystem och målet är att analysera dessa kostnader med samma typ av kostnader för elpanna. Metoden kan överlag delas in i två delar. Första delen beräknar felkostnaden dividerat med marknadsvärdet för värmepumpsystemet. Andra delen använder livscykelkostnadsanalys för att jämföra värmepumpen med elpannan. Data som användes i beräkningarna i metoden samlades från försäkringsbolag och genom intervjuer med experter i ämnet. Resultatet från studien visar att värmepumpsystemet är mer fördelaktigt från användares och miljöns perspektiv. Anledningen till detta ligger i mängden elektricitet som används av de båda systemen under hela livslängden. Minst tre gånger mindre elektricitet krävs av en värmepump, jämfört med elpannan, och användaren sparar därmed mycket pengar om denne väljer värmepumpen. På samma sätt påverkas miljön mindre av användningen av värmepumpen. Dock är elpannan att föredra framför värmepumpen från försäkringsbolagens perspektiv. Detta beror på att felkostnaden, som försäkringsbolagen får stå för, är mycket högre för värmepumpen än för elpannan. För bergjordsjö-värmepump till exempel, är kostnaden för fel cirka 3100 kr per år, samtidigt som den är försumbar för elpannan. Diskussionen presenterar potentiella anledningar och tankar bakom resultatet. Där görs även en analys där olika typer av modeller diskuteras och prövas från olika perspektiv.

Elmarknaden styrs av tillgång och efterfrågan. Detta gör att priserna varierar både under året och även under dygnet. Detta projekt syftar till att redogöra för den eventuella besparingspotentialen vid ett införande av energilager i Frankrike. Detta skulle innebära möjligheter att kunna lagra energi vid låg efterfrågan till ett lägre pris. När priset är högre så används den energi somlagrats och därför undviks att el köps när den är som dyrast. I studien har bäst lämpad energilagringstyp valts med hänsyn till kostnad, effektivitet, geografiska möjligheter och Frankrikes nuvarande samt framtida energisystem. Utifrån denna har sedan beräkningar utförts utifrån valda scenarion för att identifiera maximal besparingspotential för en anläggning. Resultatet av studien har visat att energilagring genom pumpad vattenkraft är bäst lämpad för Frankrike. Studien visar även att en investering av en sådan anläggning är högst lönsam och har stor besparingspotential. Det bästa implementerade scenariot ger en besparingspotential på 114 000 000 € per år. / The electricity market is controlled by supply and demand. This results in price variations both during the year and during the day. This project aims to calculate the possible saving potential from implementing energy storage technology in France. This would create opportunities to store energy when demand and prices are low. When the prices go up, the stored energy will be used and the high electricity prices can be avoided.In this study the best energy storage technique has been chosen regarding cost, efficiency, geographic and topographic opportunities and France´s current and future energy systems. Based on the technology the calculations have been performed on selected scenarios to identify the maximum saving potential of an energy storing power plant. The study has shown that pumped hydro energy storage is the best-suited technique for France. The study has also shown that an investment of such a plant is very profitable and has great saving potential. The best implemented scenario gives an estimated saving potential of 114 000 000 € per year.

Solar power is a rapidly growing energy source. As efficiency increases and costs decrease, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming increasingly attractive for small and medium scale consumers to invest in. Despite advancements in photovoltaic technology, minor shading will still drastically reduce the performance of a solar cell module. Therefore, shade analysis should be performed before installation in order to assess the financial viability of an investment as well as to optimize the location and orientation of a photovoltaic module. The process of accurate shade analysis however, is something that is currently only carried out by professionals using expensive equipment. This bachelor’s thesis aims to develop the concept of a smartphone based shade analysis technique, which by using MATLAB’s predefined image processing should produce a shading diagram together with data ready for use as input in PV simulation software. The results should be comparable to those of professional shading analysis products. As a result, the concept of a shading analysis technique based on panoramic image capturing using a smartphone and MATLAB image processing has been shown to work. The final analysis technique uses a smartphone captured panoramic image as input and provides two forms of output: A shading diagram for easy and quick overview, providing information about which obstacles may cause shading at a specific time of day and year An excel file that can be used as input in the PV simulation software System Advisor Model (SAM) / Solenergi är en snabbt växande energikälla. Allteftersom effektiviteten ökar och kostnaden minskar, blir solcellssystem allt mer attraktivt för små och medelstora konsumenter att investera i. Trots framsteg inom solcellsteknik, fortsätter även mindre skuggning att ge upphov till stora effektbortfall i solcellsmoduler. Därför utförs ofta skugganalys före installation, för att bedöma investeringens ekonomiska lönsamhet, likväl som för att optimera placeringen av solcellsmodulen. För närvarande är dock precis skugganalys något som endast utförs av yrkesverksamma med hjälp av dyr specialutrustning. Detta kandidatexamensarbete syftar till att utveckla ett koncept kring en smartphone-baserad skugganalysteknik som med MATLABs fördefinierade digitala bildbehandling ska producera ett skuggdiagram tillsammans med data som kan användas i PV-simuleringsverktyg. Resultaten ska vara jämförbara med resultat från professionella produkter för skugganalys Efter projektets genomförande kan det konstateras att konceptet med en skugganalysteknik baserad på MATLABs bildbehandling och en panoramabild som tagits med en smartphone fungerar. Den slutliga analystekniken använder sig av en panorama bild som indata och ger utdata i två former Ett skuggdiagram för enkel och snabb överblick, vilket ger information om vilka hinder som skulle kunna orsaka skugga vid specifik tid En excel-fil som kan användas som indata i PV-simuleringsprogrammet System Advisor Model (SAM)

With rapid economic growth and urbanization in China, the Chinese building sector now accounted for a large amount of its energy usage and pollution. In order to minimize the environmental effect, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MOHURD) has set a goal that 30% of all new constructed buildings will be green by 2020. This report reviews the Three Star System, the Chinese green building standard developed by the government agency MOHURD in order to promote and regulate green buildings in China. The study is done by comparing the Three Star System with two of its western equivalents, BREEAM and LEED. The technical manual of each standard is studied and compared, results from various researches within the area is also featured in the report. The finding of this report is that Three Star System is necessary to fulfill Chinas unique situation with a building sector that consist of high rates of new construction, although the standard is necessary it still need improvement in technical detail and user-friendliness to be at the same level as LEED and BREEAM. Some suggestion are proposed in the report for further development of the Three Star System

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This thesis report assesses the potential market for small-scale gasifiers in rural areas of developing countries and regions. Biomass is already widely used in these areas for energetic purpose, giving gasification an interesting niche market for remote electricity production. Success factors include a high reliability, an efficient biomass supply chain and sufficient local electricity needs. Suitable fuel for a gasifier must be available at low cost, which could be wood harvested locally or agricultural residues such as rice husks or nut shells. A good potential for gasifiers fueled by wood has been identified in Eastern Africa, based on FAO's wood supply-demand models. South-East Asia and South America produce a lot of agricultural residues suitable for gasification. However, the electrification rate in South America is already high, which reduces considerably the interest for small-scale decentralized electricity production. Taking into account all these parameters, the most promising countries are Nigeria, India, Myanmar and Indonesia. Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines also offer opportunities in the rice and sugar industries, while the wood industry in Cameroon shall deserve a deeper investigation.

Torrefaction of biomass together with gasification in entrained-flow reactors is a new possible way of producing synthesis gas. The synthesis gas can later be used for the production of renewable liquid fuels. This is highly desirable since the transport sector consumes a high amount of fossil fuels that has to be exchanged for renewable fuels in the future. It is hard to tell if the technology above is an advantageous way or not to produce synthesis gas since it is very newly developed. A lot of obstacles exist such as the injection of the torrefied wood into the gasifier, the optimization of the ash flow down the entrained flow reactor and the high energy consumption of the drying. Investigation in the form of material and energy balances shows that the system can have as high energy efficiency as 73% and cold gas efficiency of 74% which is only slightly less then what the fluid-bed gasification has. Torrefaction and gasification developers allocate huge amount of money to develop torrefaction and entrained-flow gasification units. Interviews show that many experts believe that the technology will be commercial and used to produce renewable liquid fuels in the future.

Brazil is very much rich in agriculture and forestry. The agro industry occupies an area of 28840726 ha. The more important crops are sugarcane (7080920 ha), rice (289030 ha), wheat (1853220 ha), coconut (283205 ha), cassava (1894460 ha), corn (13767400 ha) and grass (140000 ha). These crops generated 597 million tons of residues. Forest plantations in Brazil supplied 102.9 million m3 of industrial roundwood, of which nearly half is for renewable fuelwood and charcoal. Part of this plantation output is destined for the pulp and paper industry: The renewable sources are fulfilling 46.4% of the total Brazilian energy demands. Energy forestation in Brazil includes mainly Eucalyptus and Bracatingas. In this study three biomasses abundant in the Brazil are studied:  i.e. Eucalyptus, Garapeira/Peroba (wood dust) and Sewage Sludge. The wood samples (Eucalyptus and Peroba/Garapeira) have higher heating value than the sewage sludge because the wood samples have higher amounts of carbon and hydrogen than the sewage sludge. The sewage sludge has higher ash content and lower amount of volatiles and fixed carbon than the wood samples resulting in a lower heating value. The pyrolysis of eucalyptus, garapeira/peroba and sewage sludge has been studied in a thermobalance over a wide range of degradation temperatures. Between 225 °C - 375 °C (for eucalyptus) and 225 °C - 425 °C (for garapeira), the thermal decomposition of the biomass leads to significant weight loss. The weight loss for Eucalyptus between 265°C and 350°C is 0.48 % / °C and taking into account a heating rate of 10°C/min, the weight loss is 4.8 % /min. Garapeira has a similar behaviour than eucalyptus. The weight loss for garapeira between 265°C and 365°C is 0.4 % / °C and taking into account a heating rate of 10°C/min, the weight loss is 4 % /min. The behaviour of the sewage sludge to the increase of temperature from 25°C to 700 °C in an inert atmosphere do not show such different zones as the behaviour of the woody biomass. Between 150 °C and 235°C the weight loss of the sewage sludge was 0.07 %/°C (0.7 %/min). The highest weight loss takes place between 300 °C and 390 °C (0.15 %/°C or 1.5 %/min). In the third zone, between 500 °C and 600°C, the weight loss was 0.03 %/°C (0.3 %/min). The pyrolysis is assumed to be a first order decomposition. The activation energy (E) and the pre exponential factor (A) are calculated for the studied samples. The proximate analysis shows differences between the woody biomass and the sewage sludge. The sewage sludge has higher ash content and lower fixed carbon and volatiles. Eucalyptus has lower carbon fixed and higher volatiles than peroba-garapeira.

Ett av de mål som sattes upp i och med Europeiska Unionens 20-20-20-paket rör effektivisering i samhället. Då bostadssektorn står för en stor del av Sveriges energianvändning kan stora förbättringar göras där. För att kunna se om genomförda åtgärder ger det önskade resultatet måste någon form av uppföljning ske. Oavsett vilken metod som väljs för uppföljning är det av stor vikt hur baslinjen, dvs. energianvändningen innan åtgärderna genomförs, bestäms. Klimatet varierar från år till år och har en stor inverkan på energianvändningen, därför krävs det att det finns ett bra sätt för normalårskorrigering av energianvändningen för att kunna jämföra om några förändringar skett.   I arbetet har normalårskorrigeringsmetoderna Graddagar, Energisignatur och Energi-Index jämförts. Metoden som används på företaget, YIT, för uppföljning av energianvändningen har undersökts och en modifiering utfördes där balanstemperaturerna som bestämmer antalet graddagar beräknades utifrån de specifika byggnaderna.   I detta arbete har sex fastigheter belägna i Strängnäs och Ludvika undersökts. Det visade sig att alla normalårskorrigeringsmetoderna var i allt väsentligt likvärdiga. Följande slutsatser kunde ändå dras:   De minsta årsavvikelserna mot basåret uppstod vid beräkningar med Graddagar då energianvändningen korrigerats årsvis.   Energisignaturen korrigerad för ett helt år är inte lämplig att använda då denna ger större avvikelser än övriga metoder.   Resultatet som erhölls vid beräkningar med Energi-Index liknar resultatet med Graddagsmetod. Dock påvisades en skillnad mellan metoderna: då energianvändningen korrigerades månadsvis eller årsvis med Energi-Index blev avvikelserna inte lika stora.   YIT:s metod som består av en regressionsanalys med graddagar baserad på 24 månader är en passande metod för uppföljning i energitjänsteprojekt.   Att anpassa graddagarna specifikt efter byggnaden gav inte några märkbara resultat på avvikelserna vilket indikerar att de balanstemperaturer SMHI använder sig av är passande då byggnaden som undersöks är äldre.   Uppdelningen av andelen värme som går till varmvattnet var betydande för resultatet. Pålitligare information om uppdelning gav mindre avvikelser.   Fullständig statistik var av stor vikt vid korrigeringarna, speciellt känslig för bristande statistiskt underlag var Energisignaturen. Ingen metod kan anses mer passande för normalårskorrigering än någon annan och oavsett metod spelar klimatet den största rollen för hur resultatet av beräkningarna blir. Att införa en standard med riktlinjer för hur normalårskorrigering ska ske är bra för både företag och kunder som arbetar med energieffektiviseringar för att öka förståelsen för svårigheterna som uppstår vid uppföljning av energianvändning. För att branschen ska kunna genomföra de effektiviseringar som krävs för att upprusta vårt befintliga fastighetsbestånd krävs ökad kunskap och tydlig transparens vid användandet av metoderna.