• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
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• Hamad bin Khalifa University close

Water and electricity have a unique relationship in the modern world as one requires the other in a complex system of networks to supply the utility to the customers. This energy–water interaction is especially peculiar in the Gulf Cooperation Council, where there are limited water resources, but extremely high use rates. Qatar provides a unique case in terms of extreme water scarcity and excessive water use. To understand the intricate network, this paper establishes an updated and comprehensive qualitative model of the water system in the country with the help of a water balance and system dynamics (causal loop diagram) methodology. Regression estimates are then used to estimate future water and energy consumption in addition to carbon dioxide emissions until the year 2050. Finally, system dynamics (stock and flow diagram) is used to determine the supply impacts of efficiency policies including limiting of groundwater abstraction to only 50 million m3, reduction of water consumption in the household, commercial and industrial sector by 10%, and gradual increase in the share of reverse osmosis (RO)-produced desalinated water to 50% in order to assess the supply volume, electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. The efficient use of water in different sectors of the economy results in a combined saving of 1222 GWh (8.1%) or 594,000 tons CO2. Furthermore, by moving to membrane-based desalination technology energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 3672 GWh (24.3%) and 1.8 million tons CO2, respectively. Further results suggest that while replacing groundwater with desalinated water can increase the energy consumption significantly, reuse of treated wastewater has almost the same footprint as groundwater, but can increase the resilience of the system considerably as groundwater abstraction levels are lowered to their renewal rates.

Water and electricity have a unique relationship in the modern world as one requires the other in a complex system of networks to supply the utility to the customers. This energy–water interaction is especially peculiar in the Gulf Cooperation Council, where there are limited water resources, but extremely high use rates. Qatar provides a unique case in terms of extreme water scarcity and excessive water use. To understand the intricate network, this paper establishes an updated and comprehensive qualitative model of the water system in the country with the help of a water balance and system dynamics (causal loop diagram) methodology. Regression estimates are then used to estimate future water and energy consumption in addition to carbon dioxide emissions until the year 2050. Finally, system dynamics (stock and flow diagram) is used to determine the supply impacts of efficiency policies including limiting of groundwater abstraction to only 50 million m3, reduction of water consumption in the household, commercial and industrial sector by 10%, and gradual increase in the share of reverse osmosis (RO)-produced desalinated water to 50% in order to assess the supply volume, electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. The efficient use of water in different sectors of the economy results in a combined saving of 1222 GWh (8.1%) or 594,000 tons CO2. Furthermore, by moving to membrane-based desalination technology energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 3672 GWh (24.3%) and 1.8 million tons CO2, respectively. Further results suggest that while replacing groundwater with desalinated water can increase the energy consumption significantly, reuse of treated wastewater has almost the same footprint as groundwater, but can increase the resilience of the system considerably as groundwater abstraction levels are lowered to their renewal rates.

Ammonia has been proposed as a replacement for fossil fuels. Like hydrogen, emissions from the combustion of ammonia are carbon-free. Unlike hydrogen, ammonia is more energy dense, less explosive, and there exists extensive experience in its distribution. However, ammonia has a low flame speed and combustion emits nitrogen oxides. Ammonia is produced via the Haber-Bosch process which consumes large amounts of fossil fuels and requires high temperatures and pressures. A life cycle assessment to determine potential environmental advantages and disadvantages of using ammonia is necessary. In this work, emissions data from experiments with generating heat from tangential swirl burners using ammonia cofired with methane employing currently available technologies were utilized to estimate the environmental impacts that may be expected. Seven ammonia sources were combined with two methane sources to create 14 scenarios. The impacts from these 14 scenarios were compared to those expected from using pure methane. The results show that using ammonia from present-day commercial production methods will result in worse global warming potentials than using methane to generate the same amount of heat. Only two scenarios, methane from biogas combined with ammonia from hydrogen from electricity and nuclear power via electrolysis and subsequent ammonia synthesis using nitrogen from the air, showed reductions in global warming potential. Subsequent analysis of other environmental impacts for these two scenarios showed potentially lower impacts for respiratory organics, terrestrial acidification-nutrification and aquatic acidification depending on how the burner is operated. The other eight environmental impacts were worse than the methane scenario because of activities intrinsic to the generation of electricity via wind power and nuclear fission. The results show that generating heat from a tangential swirl burner using ammonia currently available technologies will not necessarily result in improved environmental benefits in all categories. Improvements in renewable energy technologies could change these results positively. Other means of producing ammonia and improved means of converting ammonia to energy must continue to be explored.

Ammonia has been proposed as a replacement for fossil fuels. Like hydrogen, emissions from the combustion of ammonia are carbon-free. Unlike hydrogen, ammonia is more energy dense, less explosive, and there exists extensive experience in its distribution. However, ammonia has a low flame speed and combustion emits nitrogen oxides. Ammonia is produced via the Haber-Bosch process which consumes large amounts of fossil fuels and requires high temperatures and pressures. A life cycle assessment to determine potential environmental advantages and disadvantages of using ammonia is necessary. In this work, emissions data from experiments with generating heat from tangential swirl burners using ammonia cofired with methane employing currently available technologies were utilized to estimate the environmental impacts that may be expected. Seven ammonia sources were combined with two methane sources to create 14 scenarios. The impacts from these 14 scenarios were compared to those expected from using pure methane. The results show that using ammonia from present-day commercial production methods will result in worse global warming potentials than using methane to generate the same amount of heat. Only two scenarios, methane from biogas combined with ammonia from hydrogen from electricity and nuclear power via electrolysis and subsequent ammonia synthesis using nitrogen from the air, showed reductions in global warming potential. Subsequent analysis of other environmental impacts for these two scenarios showed potentially lower impacts for respiratory organics, terrestrial acidification-nutrification and aquatic acidification depending on how the burner is operated. The other eight environmental impacts were worse than the methane scenario because of activities intrinsic to the generation of electricity via wind power and nuclear fission. The results show that generating heat from a tangential swirl burner using ammonia currently available technologies will not necessarily result in improved environmental benefits in all categories. Improvements in renewable energy technologies could change these results positively. Other means of producing ammonia and improved means of converting ammonia to energy must continue to be explored.

Besides being limited in quantity, conventional energy sources also emit toxic gases. The Photovoltaic (PV) Solar System is one of the most energizing green energy sources. Around the globe, solar panels are being installed on barren land as well as on the roofs of buildings to generate electricity. An education institute in northern India recently took a step in this direction by installing a grid-tied 100 kWp solar power plant. The installed PV panels are tilted at an angle of 30° and mounted on the roof of the building. The actual PV plant system’s performance differs from the performance under laboratory conditions. Hence, performance evaluation of real outdoor plants becomes essential, especially when the plant is commissioned in different situations, such as roof-mounted systems. Many softwares can estimate the plant’s performance evaluation, but their reliability is not yet proven. This paper examines the performance evaluation of grid-tied PV plants between January 2019 and December 2019 in accordance with the IEC 61724 standard. Moreover, the results of the actual plant have also been compared with the results from the PV*Syst software that simulates the real-time behavior of the plant. Further, in order to evaluate the power plant’s performance, this paper analyzes the various parameters of the PV plant, including reference yield, final yield, and performance ratio of the PV plant. An evaluation of the module’s performance indicates that it has produced 101.57 MWh of energy over 1 year, with a performance ratio of 0.60. It is evident from the comparative analysis that rooftop solar panels are an economically viable and technologically feasible means of providing electricity in the northern parts of India. By taking such measures, the institutes or offices can protect the environment and save money by becoming microgrids. The proposed project provides a roadmap for installing rooftop photovoltaic plants in populated cities without occupying additional land.

Besides being limited in quantity, conventional energy sources also emit toxic gases. The Photovoltaic (PV) Solar System is one of the most energizing green energy sources. Around the globe, solar panels are being installed on barren land as well as on the roofs of buildings to generate electricity. An education institute in northern India recently took a step in this direction by installing a grid-tied 100 kWp solar power plant. The installed PV panels are tilted at an angle of 30° and mounted on the roof of the building. The actual PV plant system’s performance differs from the performance under laboratory conditions. Hence, performance evaluation of real outdoor plants becomes essential, especially when the plant is commissioned in different situations, such as roof-mounted systems. Many softwares can estimate the plant’s performance evaluation, but their reliability is not yet proven. This paper examines the performance evaluation of grid-tied PV plants between January 2019 and December 2019 in accordance with the IEC 61724 standard. Moreover, the results of the actual plant have also been compared with the results from the PV*Syst software that simulates the real-time behavior of the plant. Further, in order to evaluate the power plant’s performance, this paper analyzes the various parameters of the PV plant, including reference yield, final yield, and performance ratio of the PV plant. An evaluation of the module’s performance indicates that it has produced 101.57 MWh of energy over 1 year, with a performance ratio of 0.60. It is evident from the comparative analysis that rooftop solar panels are an economically viable and technologically feasible means of providing electricity in the northern parts of India. By taking such measures, the institutes or offices can protect the environment and save money by becoming microgrids. The proposed project provides a roadmap for installing rooftop photovoltaic plants in populated cities without occupying additional land.

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW)-based geopolymers are expected to lower the construction sector’s environmental impacts by reducing the use of ordinary cement and reusing waste materials and are considered a substantial step toward a circular economy and environmental sustainability in the long run. However, due to the energy-intensive mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes involved in preparing the CDW-based geopolymers, it is essential to quantify their environmental implications in the early stages of development. The objective of the study is to analyze the environmental sustainability of newly developed geopolymers containing CDWs, i.e., roof tile (RT), hollow brick (HB), red clay brick (RCB), and glass waste (G) based geopolymer binder materials. The study aims to identify the environmental impact of their critical process parameters using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and evaluate their production feasibility at a location with completely different energy and water scenarios. According to the results of the study, compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), all the CDW-based geopolymers had lower environmental impacts. G-based geopolymer binder resulted in the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) with a 38% reduction, followed by RT and HB with 35.3% and 34.8%, respectively. However, due to the energy-intensive processes of crushing and grinding CDWs, electrical energy is identified as a hotspot with significant environmental impacts. The replacement of mix-grid energy with hydropower reduced GWP by 63.3%, Eutrophication (EP) by 52.5%, Acidification potential (AP) by 86.4%, and fossil fuel deposition (FFD) by 74%. The highest environmental performance is calculated for electricity produced from hydropower, wind, and photovoltaics, then geothermal and biomass resources.

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW)-based geopolymers are expected to lower the construction sector’s environmental impacts by reducing the use of ordinary cement and reusing waste materials and are considered a substantial step toward a circular economy and environmental sustainability in the long run. However, due to the energy-intensive mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes involved in preparing the CDW-based geopolymers, it is essential to quantify their environmental implications in the early stages of development. The objective of the study is to analyze the environmental sustainability of newly developed geopolymers containing CDWs, i.e., roof tile (RT), hollow brick (HB), red clay brick (RCB), and glass waste (G) based geopolymer binder materials. The study aims to identify the environmental impact of their critical process parameters using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and evaluate their production feasibility at a location with completely different energy and water scenarios. According to the results of the study, compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), all the CDW-based geopolymers had lower environmental impacts. G-based geopolymer binder resulted in the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) with a 38% reduction, followed by RT and HB with 35.3% and 34.8%, respectively. However, due to the energy-intensive processes of crushing and grinding CDWs, electrical energy is identified as a hotspot with significant environmental impacts. The replacement of mix-grid energy with hydropower reduced GWP by 63.3%, Eutrophication (EP) by 52.5%, Acidification potential (AP) by 86.4%, and fossil fuel deposition (FFD) by 74%. The highest environmental performance is calculated for electricity produced from hydropower, wind, and photovoltaics, then geothermal and biomass resources.