Urban Energy System

1.0 Introduction

In the present circumstances when fossil fuels are decaying in the rapid mode, the need for alternative sources of energy is increasing. Every civilized and educated country understands the importance of using the alternative source of energy for theirenergy requirements and is saving fossil fuels.These alternative sources of energies not only help in keeping fossil fuels also helps in improving the energy efficiency in production and using the renewable source of energy production rather than fossil fuels. Here in this report, the discussion on the alternative source of energy helpful for the University to fulfil its energy requirements effectively. “System thinking is a framework that helps in viewing the interrelationship rather than the specific things for seeing the patterns rather than static snapshots. It consists of the set of principles, spanning fields with the complete specification “. Along with this alarming problem of global warming, sustainability, eco-friendly fuel requirement, decreasing level of fossil fuels and various other issues related to the emission of hazardous gases are demanding for the development of better technologies. Wind and biomass technology are well adopted and useful result-oriented approaches in this objective.

1.1 Aim

This report aims to discuss the features of alternative energy sources for the University departments for their required energy requirements. Along with this, the report will present the features and benefits of each alternative source of energy with the energy system diagram, computed value of the total energy consumption and estimation of the total carbon emission of each alternative source of energy strategy.

1.2 Background

As discussed,the whole world is facing the problem of the scarcity of fossil fuels such as petrol, coal etc. due to high consumption and itsdecaying level at the Earth core which is raising the challenge of handling the vast price and other expenditure in making it available in the required area. Here in the alternative technology for the energy aims to provide support for the needs of the energy requirements without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their requirements. Most importantly as the conventional approach of production of energy emits a high level of carbon and other gases that are affecting the eco-system in an adverse way, it is highly required to adopt the alternative sources of energy that not only is cost-effective, highly efficient but is also not putting theadverse effect on the ecosystem.  Most importantly, Urban settlements requirethe highest level of energy consumption and waste management and proper planning for providing the energy in the Urban area as it leads to sustainability and system thinking is highly required.Energy efficiency is one of the most important parameters for selecting an energy mode for sustainable energy production.Strategies help in adopting alternative the energy source that is beneficial for the organization in the well-versed form. Here as discussed in the above section to the suggestion for the alternative source of energy for the University campus will be presented.

1.3 System study

Here this report aims to provide the alternative energy production strategies for the University campus to achieve a high level of efficiency. While adopting the alternative approach for energy production, the overall system components are required to be considered. The University campus has offices, teaching buildings, catering and residential building. These elements are needed to be considered to understand the overall energy requirement on the campus.  The system comes under the category of the complicated method. The office building requires the energy for the lighting, air-conditioner, computers and other admin related devices energy requirements.

Similarly, the teaching building will require energy for the lighting, air-conditioner,computers, teaching equipment, labs –experimental tools and other devices. Further for the residential building along with lighting system, air conditioner the water heaters energy requirements are also required to be considered. Similarly, for the catering department, along with the above-discussed energy requirements, the primary need will be energy for cooking food. So overall it can be stated that a high level of energy consumption and wastage also.

Given data–

Energy Demand

Wind Turbine Output

2.0 Alternative strategies forEnergy production

The vital alternative approach for energy production are as follows –

2.1 Conventional grid-supplied Electricity and gas

Grid electricity is generated at the power stations and this also results in great loss of the energy through the emission of energy. Conventional grid-supplied Electricity and gas using the renewable source of energy is the most widely adopted energy production technique.[1] The traditional grid helps in aggregating the multiple networks, and its regulation system provides the various level of the communication system in which most of the system is manually controlled. A smart grid provides the mechanism that leads to modernizations of the transmission and distribution grid system. An intelligent network connected with the distributed power generation helps in generating the reliable security of supply (SOS) and quality of electrical energy.

Key benefits of using the grid system for energy production is as follows-

• It provides the availability of the power supply based on the customer requirement.
• Provides the two-way communication system.
• Provides the data security to the customer.
• This technology provides the benefit of controlling the grid in a more accurate manner.
• The automation of the grid system is self –responsive.
• It provides more reliable energy services to the customers.

According to the reports, the following data has been collected-

The emission factor of fossil fuels is as follows-

Table -1 Emission Factor

Table 2 – Carbon Intensity level

Smart Grid technology uses

Table -3 Smart grid uses

System Diagram

2. Biomass Fired CHP supplemented by grid-supplied Electricity and gas

Biomass is referred to the organic matters derived from the plants, animals, forestry, municipality waste and through agricultural residues.In biomass technology, the decomposition of the organic compounds of the municipal and industrial waste is performed. Biomass energy is generated through the combustion of the biomass or the anaerobic gas obtained through the biomass. Biomass energy is a sustainable alternative to decrease the usage of fossil fuels consumption. Biomass energy is generated through human waste, agricultural wastage and other resources and is widely adopted for energy generation worldwide. The biomass power generation is typically smaller than the 50MW, thermal efficiency is lower up to 25% or less, and the price of fuel is driven through the competitor [3].  According to the report given by the European Union council, the countries are expected to utilize the 20% of renewable resources in the energy supply and 10% renewable resources for the energy utilization in the transportation sector. They are also instructed to cut the greenhouse gas emission by 2050.  In the agricultural industry, the crops that are used for generating the biogas is termed as the energy crops, and most of the plants utilized are mainly traditional food crops, ripe seeds, sugar and starch crops. Along with this, a wide variety of forest product waste is also used in generating biomass energy for the systems. Understanding the significance and usage of the biomass energy the countries have developed the policies and strategies for effectively making the biomass energy. With the help of biomass resources, the biogas, bio-fuel, bio-diesel etc. are developed that is widely used in various sectors for generating energy. [5] The biomass is increasingly used as the fuel for the electricity plant or in the combined heat and power (CHP) plant. A most important feature of biomass is its low carbon emission technology.

Fig 1: Biomass technology steps: source- www.reserachgate.com.

Different sectors in the Biomass energy generation

• Production sector
• Forestry/wood along with its byproducts for generating the energy.
• Crops and by-products obtained from agriculture and agro-industries.
• Waste
• Supply chain consisting of the conversion and transportation sector.
• User sectors of the biomass energy
• Electricity energy generation
• Heating & cooling energy requirement generation
• CHP (cogeneration)
• Transportation

The biomass energy is also going to be very helpful in generating the energy requirements for the University campus in the well-versed form.

Biomass crops

Table 4: Crops used for generating the Biomass crops

Advantages of adopting the biomass resources for energy generation

 Table 5: Advantages of the Biomass resources

Applications of Biomass energy generation

Table 6: Application of biomass

System diagram

3. Wind turbine to produce the Electricity

Another significant technology adopted as an alternative technology for energy production is wind turbine using wind energy.  Here in this technology wind turbine is used for converting the wind energy in the Electricity.

Fig2: wind turbine source –www.energymatters.com.au.

Usually, a wind turbine has three propellers or blades that are referred to as the rotors. On average a wind turbine is kept at the height of 20 meters. The wind comes from the atmosphere and is usually kept at the regions where the wind is available at a high amount such as seashore, agricultural farms etc. wind energy is also another form of solar energy. The wind turbine captures the wind, this wind runs the propellers, and through these propellers, the electrical energy is generated. The motion of blades is converted in the kinetic energy, and then it is saved in the electrical energy.In this technologywind power is saved in the Electricityby the magnets moving the stationary coils of wire that is known as the stator. As the attractions are passed in the stator, the AC electricity is produced in it, and then it is converted in the DC electricity. The energy obtained is used for charging the batteries and later it is used for other work.

Most importantly, wind power is one of the cleanestsources of energy on which we can rely for the long term, along with this wind turbine generates the heat in the reliable, cost-effective and pollution-free mode. Though wind turbines create the Electricity in different ratios depending upon the weather condition but in favourable weather the excellent amount of Electricity and can be made and stored in the battery, which can later be used for work [6].

fig2: wind speed  graph

Wind energy is a form of kinetic energy and air in the motion. Total wind energy flowing in an area A in a time interval t is derived through-

E= ½ A t ρv³

Wind power incident on A is –

 P= E/T=  ½A  ρv³

Diagram- Wind Energy –electric conversion

Table -7: world’s largest wind energy turbine station   source- researchgate.net

System diagram

Turbine Technology

The wind turbines range in the capacity of the several kilowatts to the megawatts. The wind energy conversion system depends on the aerodynamic drag and aerodynamic lift. The turbines are designed with the consideration that they have the capacity to withstand the high wind loads. The turbines are designed to achieve optimal electrical conversion. The control of the turbines is simple and can be controlled manually as well in an automated form.Moreover, it has flopping or hinged blades with variable speed generator etc. [7] carbon pricing is another important factor for selecting this technology as this technology emits very less carbon, so it is considered as a good approach for alternative technology solutions.

Conclusion

The continuous increase in the global demand for Electricity and increase rate of pollution and carbon emission the application of the alternative technology for the generation of Electricity through renewable resources.Along with this alarming problem of global warming, sustainability, eco-friendly fuel requirement, decreasing level of fossil fuels and various other issues related to emission of hazardous gases are demanding for the development of better technologies. Wind and biomass technology are well adopted and useful result-oriented approaches in this objective. Most importantly, Urban areas require more energy in comparison to the ruler area, and this also needs to take the system thinking approach for the Urban regions. Large scale renewable source of energy implementation requires strategic planning and strategies to achieve the objective. Conventional grid-supplied Electricity and gas using the renewable source of energy is the most widely adopted energy production technique. The traditional grid helps in aggregating the multiple networks, and its regulation system provides the various level of the communication system in which most of the system is manually controlled. A smart grid provides the mechanism that leads to modernizations of the transmission of the transmission and distribution grid system. An intelligent network connected with the distributed power generation helps in generating the reliable security of supply (SOS) and quality of electrical energy. The biomass is increasingly used as the fuel for the electricity plant or in the combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Most important feature of biomass is its low carbon emission technology. The wind turbine captures the wind, this wind runs the propellers and through these propellers theelectrical energy is generated. The motion of blades is converted in the kinetic energy, and then it is saved in the electrical energy.In this technologywind power is kept in the Electricityby the magnets moving the stationary coils of wire that is known as the stator.

Best Method for University recommended-

Biomass Energy

Though wind energy is a purest and pollution-free energy source, still it depends upon the weather condition. Installing a biomass energy system is less costly, and the energy source is available without any dependence on weather.

References

1. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/197136/
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266028398_Global_Renewable_Energy-Based_Electricity_Generation_and_Smart_Grid_System_for_Energy_Security
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305699180_Biomass_energy-the_alternate_energy
4. https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1754-6834-5-25
5. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/projects/sites/iee-projects/files/projects/documents/bap_driver_final_project_report.pdf

6.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303736666_A_REVIEW_PAPER_0F_WIND_ENERGY

7. https://ccep.crawford.anu.edu.au/files/uploads/ccep_crawford_anu_edu_au/2018-02/best_burke_1803.pdf