• Energy Research

Energy transition requires actions from different sectors and levels, mainly focused on achieving a low-carbon and high-renewable integration society. Among the different sectors, the transport sector is responsible for more than 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly emitted in cities. Therefore, initiatives and analysis focused on electric vehicles integration powered by renewables is currently a desirable solution to mitigate climate change and promote energy transition. Under this framework, this paper proposes a multi-indicator analysis for the estimation of CO2 emissions combining renewable integration targets, reduction emission targets and realistic renewable resource potentials. Four scenarios are identified and analyzed: (i) current situation with conventional vehicles, (ii) replacement of such conventional by electric vehicles without renewable integration, (iii) and (iv) integration of renewables to fulfill emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 respectively. The analysis is evaluated in the state of Maine (United States). From the results, a minimum renewable penetration of 39% and 82%, respectively, is needed to fulfill the emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 by considering 100% conventional vehicle replacement. Different combinations of available renewable resources can reduce emissions by more than 35%.

The need to reduce global emissions leads us to look for various sources of clean energy. In recent decades, wind technology has advanced significantly, enabling large-scale power generation in both marine and terrestrial environments, as well as the development of mini-wind solutions. However, we often underestimate the capacity of certain human activities and production processes to generate clean energy, wasting their true potential. This work focuses on using artificially generated wind gusts to transform them into clean electricity through small wind turbines. The proposal is developed in four phases: (1) identify activities that generate wind, (2) collect data on wind speed and direction, (3) perform a descriptive statistical analysis of the wind resource, and (4) select the appropriate technology to calculate the electricity generation. The proposal is evaluated using the air flow produced by the air conditioning systems of a data center in Colombia. The results are analyzed from technical, economic, environmental, and political perspectives. Through small wind power, an annual production of approximately 468 MWh is estimated, avoiding the emission of 300 metric tons of CO 2 .

During the last decades, both population growth and increasingly concentration in cities turn these areas into major consumers of energy, mainly due to heating and cooling energy demanded by residential and commercial sectors. In parallel, the promotion of renewables and policies aimed to decrease fossil fuel dependence and save emissions have addressed mostly solutions based on renewable energy resources. Under this scenario, this paper evaluates the feasibility of vertical Ground Source Heat Pump systems based on the spatial study of the site–specific parameters affecting their performance at a local scale. A GIS–based energy, economic and environmental multidimensional approach is then proposed to analyze the heating and cooling energy demand by considering the urban pattern and the real space available for the installations. The paper explores and compares different Borehole Heat Exchanger Ground Source Heat Pump systems by using the G.POT method applied to residential customers. Two Spanish residential locations are included as case study. From the results, geothermal resource gives highly beneficial results also for cooling energy demand, which is not usually considered in geothermal analysis. The proposed renewable system can be also evaluated from this multidimensional perspective on both commercial and tertiary sector, as well as in other locations with a diversity of heating and cooling energy demand profiles. 2020-21

Wind power is widely considered to be a qualified renewable, clean, ecological and inexhaustible resource that is becoming a leader in the current energy transition process. It is a mature technology solution that was quickly developed and has been massively integrated into power systems in recent years. Indeed, a remarkable number of renewable integration policies have been promoted by different governments and countries. With the aim of maximizing the power given by wind resources, the locations of both onshore and offshore wind power plants must be optimized following a sort of different criteria. Under this scenario, a number of factors and decision criteria in the evaluation and selection of locations can be identified. Moreover, the relevant wind power increasing in the power generation mix is addressed, along with a standardization of factors and decision criteria in the optimization and selection of such optimal locations. In this context, this paper describes a systematic review and meta-analysis combining most of the contributions and studies proposed during the last decade. Thus, our aim is focused on reviewing and categorizing all factors to be considered for optimal location estimation, pointing out the differences among the selected factors and the decision criteria for onshore and offshore wind power plants. In addition, our review also includes an analysis of the representative key indicators for the contributions, such as the annual frequency of publications, geographical classification, analysis by category, evaluation method and determining factors.

Colombia has an energy matrix that is mostly hydroelectric and includes renewable energies such as wind power, which represents a minor contribution. The only operational wind farm is in the northern part of the country, where more projects will be implemented in the future in search of increasing the installed capacity and electricity generation. However, the wind potential and behavior of other areas of the national territory have been little reviewed. The most recommended method to characterize the potential in different areas of Colombia is to use real data, generating vertical extrapolations and respecting the good practices of the wind industry. The foregoing not only allows the generation of statistical and descriptive characterizations but also, together with the climatological, geographical, and technological variables (turbines), an estimate of the generable energy that can be obtained. In the described study, we applied specialized software to generate a rating matrix, from which it was possible to issue an opinion on five possible locations obtained from the theoretical development of micrositing, where 14 factors were reviewed. There is no published research of this nature for the country, so it is relevant in terms of novelty. Finally, it can be concluded that in Colombia, the wind potential should not be associated with a specific region, since there are data throughout the territory where this type of research can be replicated.

This paper describes a multi-criterion decision-making approach for optimal off-shore wind location assessment by including fuzzy geographical information systems to prioritize the different locations and alternatives. The multi-objective framework involves a variety of elements, such as climatic, geographic, social, environmental, location, and economic factors. The proposed decision-making solution is based on a multicriteria evaluation method divided into two steps: an analytic hierarchy process and a prioritization of the alternatives in comparison to a parallel approach based on a fuzzy geographical information system solution. The Gulf of Maine (USA) is considered as a case example, owing to the relevant offshore wind potential of such an area. A descriptive statistical evaluation of the wind resource was previously carried out to characterize this area with wind speed field measurements for 10 years (2010–2019). A design proposal for a 1 GW offshore wind power plant is used in a case study based on a 15 MW variable speed wind turbine prototype recently proposed by the IEA Wind Task 37. The results include prioritization of optimal offshore wind power plant sites, levelized cost of electricity estimation, and avoided emissions in comparison to traditional supply side scenarios, mainly based on fossil fuel generation units. 2021-22

New environmental technologies are designed and implemented exponentially, in order to mitigate climate change. This fact brings with it that engineering students and specialized technicians from different sectors of renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal energy, etc., need to have access to different types of technological educational materials and simulation programs for free. In this ambit, this paper discusses the results obtained with Scilab free software as an application for modeling wind turbines within the subjects of wind energy. The use of Scilab, as an open-source software, helps to disseminate the results and simulations and, at the same time, provides the students a more detailed and low-level study of wind turbine control strategies. The application is based on a 1.5 MW Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIG) modeling, which allows us to estimate the electric performance and dynamics under different wind conditions. Simulations and modeling were tested in the wind subjects of the Official Master of Renewable Energies, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain. 2022-23