• Energy Research
• 12. Responsible consumption close

The article discusses modern methods of designing energy efficient facilities in a rural environment. Architectural measures to reduce energy losses and energy consumption are stated, proposals for the design of thermal protection of building envelopes are considered. The progressive design solutions of external fences, the most effective technical solutions for thermal protection of buildings, applied at various facilities, are considered. Energy saving and energy efficiency in the architecture of the suburban environment solves not only the economic problems of settlements, but, first of all, creates a favorable living environment. The priorities of the new stage of the architectural development of the Russian Federation are aimed at creating a living environment through improving the ecology in settlements, reducing energy losses and energy consumption. All this determines the sustainable development of settlements in Russia.

ABSTRACT: Energy storage plays a crucial role in the development and progress of renewable energy sources. In the case of thermal energy, storage has been a step ahead since storage solutions already exist, unlike other conversion energy technologies. In this sense, the utilization of molten salts, mainly composed of mixtures of alkali/alkaline earth metals, in nitrate forms (sometimes also with nitrite), have been proposed and successfully applied. Molten salts have recognized advantages over other solutions namely in what concerns simultaneous use as heat transfer fluids and as storage media. Commercial utilization of molten salts has been tested essentially with the Na/K salt mixtures. Introduction of lithium nitrate in these formulation has been proposed, since can allow decreasing the melting point of the mixtures, thus providing safety concerning the risks of freezing in the tubes or tanks of the storage plant. This paper provides a short review on the utilization of lithium in molten salt mixtures used for thermal energy storage. Physical, chemical and thermal properties, as well as stability and decomposition issues are evaluated. Corrosion of stainless steels in contact with the salts is another crucial question that is also addressed. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Energy need for cooking in both the rural and urban areas all over the world is increasing every day as a result of an increase in population. The consequence of global warming due to the usage of fuels such as fossil fuel, firewood, and other biomass products for cooking necessitates innovative techniques that will improve the standard of living of people. In this study, the design, fabrication, and thermal evaluation of a solar cooking system integrated with an Arduino-based tracking device and sensible heat storage (SHS) materials was investigated. During the water boiling trials with black oil sensible material (BOSHSM), the obtained maximum temperatures for water, cooking box, and sensible heat storage material at 14:00 h when the solar radiation attained its peak value of 881.2 W/m2 were 64,52, and 54°C, respectively, while at 14:00 h with Black coated granite sensible heat storage material (BCGSHSM) at the solar radiation peak value of 890.4 W/m2, the maximum temperatures for water, cooking box, and sensible heat storage material were 73.5, 76, and 59°C, respectively. The maximum cooking power and thermal efficiency obtained from the water boiling trials were 48.4 and 56.4 W, and 31.6 and 35.8% respectively. Also, the results from the cooking of edibles revealed that the cooking power values ranged between 42.5 and 58.2, while that of efficiency ranged between 34.5 and 40.3% respectively. The maximum solar radiation during the cooking trial period was 986, 975, 956, and 953 W/m2. In general, from the results, the developed solar cooking system is a viable alternative to cooking with traditional/open burning of wood or other biomass products that pose a serious environmental and health-related threat to the people living in developing countries.

This paper assesses the decarbonisation potential of utilizing industrial excess heat to meet the baseload heating requirements of a district heating network (DHN) located in the Portuguese capital. It performs an economical comparison between two integration procedures: (i) extending the pipeline to the excess heat source; and (ii) using a continuous string of portable thermal storage modules. In this scope, this work assesses the integration of the excess heat from a municipal waste-to-energy plant located 5km from a district heating and cooling network and the decarbonisation potential achieved by meeting the baseload heating requirements of the DHN. For the characterization of excess heat and economic analysis, the EMB3RS platform was used. The analysis showed that laying out a new pipe route was more economically feasible (with a levelized cost of heat of 17,25€/MWh), meeting the baseload consumption with a decarbonisation reduction potential of 30%. The higher levelized cost of heat (LCOH) of the portable thermal storage solution is mainly due to the high daily replacement cost for the thermal stores. Publication supported by EMB3Rs project.

Thermal energy storage (TES) component improves the revenue of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant by allowing more heat to be stored and making the electric energy available during the absence of sunlight. The heat can be stored in three ways (sensible, latent, or thermochemical). The present work aims to identify and select cost-effective sensible TES systems suitable for the medium temperature range (100-300 °C) applications (e.g. Fresnel CSP plants, industrial waste heat recovery, etc.). Based on a literature review, a selection methodology is developed to select potential candidate solid TES media (e.g. natural rock, concrete, sand, etc. ) as filler material in direct or indirect contact with thermal oil, which is used generally as heat transfer fluid (HTF) for this temperature range. The main criteria and steps of this selection methodology are identified and they take into account the different decisive storage properties as thermo-physical and mechanical properties of the solid media. Finally, the potential candidate TES materials are identified for the targeted application and further indoor experimental investigations are briefly presented.

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has completed three preliminary site-specific feasibility studies that investigated using aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) to reduce space and process cooling costs. Chilled water stored in an ATES system could be used to meet all or part of the process and/or space cooling loads at the three facilities investigated. The work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Management. The ultimate goal of DOE's Thermal Energy Storage Program is to successfully transfer ATES technology to industrial and commercial sectors. The primary objective of this study was to identify prospective sites and determine the technical and economic feasibility of implementing chill ATES technology. A secondary objective was to identify site-specific factors promoting or inhibiting the application of chill ATES technology so that other potentially attractive sites could be more easily identified and evaluated. A preliminary investigation of the feasibility of commercializing chill ATES in automotive assembly facilities was completed. The results suggested that automotive assembly facilities was completed. The results suggested that automotive assembly facilities represent a good entry market for chill ATES, if the system is cost-effective. As a result, this study was undertaken to identify and evaluate prospective chillmore » ATES applications in the automotive industry. The balance of the report contains two main sections. Section 2.0 describes the site identification process. Site feasibility is addressed in Section 3.0. Overall study conclusions and recommendations are than presented in Section 4.0.« less

The European Union (EU) is committed to reduce carbon emissions by 80-95% in 2050, when compared to 1990. To reach this ambitious objective, a shift in energy consumption to low carbon, locally produced energy, and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is needed. The use of biomass to produce electricity, heat and fuels could significantly help towards this direction. More specifically, the generation of electricity supplemented by the production of thermal energy (Combined Heat and Power - CHP) is an efficient way το achieve EU’s targets. The produced thermal energy of the CHP plant could be used to supply District Heating Networks (DHN) of cities with cold climate. In the context of this master’s thesis, the application of biomass for CHP in Europe was studied. At the beginning was analyzed the policy framework for biomass and CHP in EU. Furthermore, an extensive analysis of the EU’s legal regime of biomass and cogeneration from it was executed. This analysis was further extended for the case of Greece. Moreover, the available technologies for biomass CHP were studied and the main advantages and disadvantages of biomass, as well as applications of CHP plants worldwide, were presented. Furthermore, a feasibility study concerning the installation of a CHP plant supplying with thermal energy the DHN of the city of Amynteon (Greece) was executed. Following a detailed energy study for the calculation of the installed electrical and thermal capacity of the specific plant, an extensive techno-economic analysis was performed, which proved that under certain conditions the relative investment could be profitable. Finally, an optimization study concerning the installation of a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system in parallel with the CHP plant was also executed.

This paper presents analyses of the thermal characteristics of construction details at the biogas station plant, in order to investigate the impact of the thermal bridges on the energy consumption. Thermal bridges in the building's envelope remain a weak spot in the constructions. Heat losses of biogas plant constructions are a negative phenomenon and cause wasting of energy. If we eliminate thermal bridges in constructions we can achieve a reduction of general heat losses and save a certain amount of heat energy for utilization. Correct structural design of construction details has impact on general environmental and economic characteristics of biogas plant.