• Energy Research
• 12. Responsible consumption close
• 1. No poverty close
• DE close
• Energy Procedia close

AbstractThe future European energy supply system will have a high share of renewable energy sources (RES) to meet the greenhouse gas emission policy of the European Commission. Such a system is characterized by the need for a strongly interconnected energy transport grid as well as a high demand of energy storage capacities to compensate the time fluctuating characteristic of most RE generation technologies. With the RE generators at the location of high harvest potential, the appropriate dimension of storage and transmission system between different regions, a cost efficient system can be achieved. To find the preferred target system, the optimization tool GENESYS (Genetic Optimization of a European Energy System) was developed. The example calculations under the assumption of 100% self-supply, show a need of about 2,500 GW RES in total, a storage capacity of about 240,000 GWh, corresponding to 6% of the annual energy demand, and a HVDC transmission grid of 375,000 GWkm. The combined cost for generation, storage and transmission excluding distribution, was estimated to be 6.87 ct/kWh.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) brings together geoscientists from all over the world covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary and space sciences. This geoscientific interdisciplinarity is needed to tackle the challenges of the future. One major challenge for humankind is to provide adequate and reliable supplies of affordable energy and other resources in efficient and environmentally sustainable ways. This Energy Procedia issue provides an overview of the contributions of the Division on Energy, Resources & the Environment (ERE) at the EGU General Assembly 2017.

AbstractWorld-wide coal reserves can supply the global demand for primary energy for several centuries. However, low thickness and structural complexity may constrain the economic exploitation of many coal deposits. Taking into account these circumstances, underground coal gasification (UCG) can offer an economical and sustainable approach for coal exploitation and subsequent feedstock generation from the syngas. The UCG process produces a high-calorific synthesis gas mainly consisting of methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which can be used for electricity generation or feedstock production at the surface. Considering the latter, the Urea process can be applied to establish the nitrogen based fertilizer carbamide (CH4N2O). The required feedstock for carbamide production in the Urea process can be supplied by UCG syngas. The aim of the present study was the development of an integrated carbon utilisation concept based on the coupled UCG-Urea process. A significant amount of carbon dioxide from the UCG synthesis gas is required for carbamide production in the Urea process, while the excessive carbon dioxide can be re-injected into the cavities resulting in the coal seams and surrounding strata after the gasification process. Thus, a new approach for utilisation of carbon dioxide resulting from coal combustion was developed to provide a coupled technology also comprising geological storage of excessive carbon dioxide. A theoretical feasibility study considering UCG-Urea process economics and potentials of UCG and carbon dioxide storage in the gasified strata was conducted for a selected study area in northern Bangladesh revealing the high competitiveness of the combined technology on the international feedstock markets.

Abstract A fundamental challenge of the German energy transition is the energy supply of industrial and chemical parks based on renewable energy. Presently, the energy demand of a chemical park with one third electricity and two thirds heat as a rough estimate is commonly supplied by a heat-controlled fossil fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant. If applicable, the surplus electricity generated by such plants is sold and fed into the grid. Since the reliable energy supply of all users and facilities is priority, energy storage can be incorporated, if fluctuating renewable energy sources shall be used. This paper presents energy supply concepts without adjustments to the industrial park infrastructure or the processes themselves and proposes utilization of high temperature thermal energy storage (TES) technologies such as molten-salt, as well as power-to-heat (PtH) technology in the central CHP supply infrastructure. The objective of this study is to identify the major possibilities for integrating TES in a future energy supply system for an industrial park in Germany. It shall be shown how the flexibility of an utility supplier can be increased, so that further revenue can be generated from participating in the energy market. For this task different concepts will be proposed and applicable TES technologies will be identified. The benefits for the utility supplier and how carbon dioxide reduction and integration of renewable energies can be achieved will be highlighted. Finally, an overview of concepts with additional TES and PtH components for the energy supply of industrial or chemical parks in Germany is presented qualitatively. This overview includes the following criteria: flexibility, carbon dioxide reduction and the increased use of CHP. Overall a better understanding of potential flexibility measures for the utility supply infrastructure in the chemical industry is generated.

Abstract To improve food security a conceptual integration beyond the scope of production in the agricultural sector due to examination of critical supply chain system compartments and levels of services (“integrated food production and supply systems”) is proposed. For creating systematic results, a platform integrating various perspectives of experts has been established following the principle of triple helix stakeholdership (business practice, public management/policy and also science). During a series of workshops, the main actors, success factors, challenges and communication strategies have been identified for shaping sustainable food supply chains under use of systems thinking and the application of Participatory Systems mapping (PSM). In this line, the paper presents how “system maps” based on the method of PSM are used to gain insights into sustainable logistics services facilitating sustainable consumption patterns, enabling participatory considerations and the productive exchange of knowledge.

Abstract As a representation of smart and green city development, bike-sharing system is one of the hottest topic in the fields of transportation, public health, urban planning, and so on. With the development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), emerging technologies such as mobile data mining give some new solutions for optimizing bike-sharing system and predicting the emission reduction. Here, we propose a bike-sharing layout optimization and emission reduction potential analysis structure under the concept of MaaS. A human travel mode detection method and a geometry-based probability model are proposed to support the particle swarm optimization process. We implement a comparison study to analyze the computational efficiency. Taking Setagaya ward, Tokyo as the study case with about 3 million GPS trajectories, the result shows that with the increase of station number from 30 to 90, the adoption of bike-sharing system can reduce about 3.1-3.8 thousand tonnes of CO2 emission.

Abstract(1) It is becoming increasingly evident that the prolonged utilization of fossil fuels for primary energy production, especially coal which is relatively cheap and abundant, is inevitable and that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from this sector thus allowing the continued environmentally sustainable use of this important energy commodity on a global basis.(2) MHI has co-developed the Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery Process (KM-CDR Process™) and KS-1™ absorbent, which has been deployed in seven CO2 capture plants, now under commercial operation operating at a CO2 capture capacity of 450 metric tons per day (tpd). In addition, a further two commercial plants are now under construction all of which capture CO2 from natural gas fired flue gas boilers and steam reformers. Accordingly this technology is now available for commercial scale CO2 capture for gas boiler and gas turbine application.(3) However before offering commercial CO2 capture plants for coal fired flue gas application, it is necessary to verify the influence of, and develop countermeasures for, related impurities contained in coal fired flue gas. This includes the influence on both the absorbent and the entire system of the CO2 capture plant to achieve high operational reliability and minimize maintenance requirements.(4) Preventing the accumulation of impurities, especially the build up of dust, is very important when treating coal fired flue gas and MHI has undertaken significant work to understand the impact of impurities in order to achieve reliable and stable operating conditions and to efficiently optimize integration between the CO2 capture plant, the coal fired power plant and the flue gas clean up equipment.(5) To achieve this purpose, MHI constructed a 10 tpd CO2 capture demonstration plant at the Matsushima 1000 MW Power Station and confirmed successful, long term demonstration following ∼5000 hours of operation in 2006–07 with 50% financial support by RITE, as a joint program to promote technological development with the private sector, and cooperation from J-POWER.(6) Following successful demonstration testing at Matsushima, additional testing was undertaken in 2008 to examine the impact of entrainment of higher levels of flue gas impurities (primarily SOx and dust by bypassing the existing FGD) and to determine which components of the CO2 recovery process are responsible for the removal of these impurities. Following an additional 1000 demonstration hours, results indicated stable operational performance in relation to the following impurities;(1) SO2: Even at higher SO2 concentrations were almost completely removed from the flue gas before entering the CO2 absorber.(2) Dust: The accumulation of dust in the absorbent was higher, leading to an advanced understanding of the behavior of dust in the CO2 capture plant and the dust removal efficiency of each component within the CO2 recovery system. The data obtained is useful for the design of large-scale units and confirms the operating robustness of the CO2 capture plant accounting for wide fluctuations in impurity concentrations.(7) This important coal fired flue gas testing showed categorically that minimizing the accumulation of large concentrations of impurities, and to suppress dust concentrations below a prescribed level, is important to achieve long-term stable operation and to minimize maintenance work for the CO2 capture plant. To comply with the above requirement, various countermeasures have been developed which include the optimization of the impurity removal technology, flue gas pre treatment and improved optimization with the flue gas desulfurization facility.(8) In case of a commercial scale CO2 capture plant applied for coal fired flue gas, its respective size will be several thousand tpd which represents a considerable scale-up from the 10 tpd demonstration plant. In order to ensure the operational reliability and to accurately confirm the influence and the behavior of the impurities in coal fired flue gas, it is necessary to gain further operational experience with coal fired flue gas at large scale. To this extent, MHI has partnered with Southern Company and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the United States for a large scale CCS demonstration project using the KM-CDR Process™ and KS-1™ absorbent. MHI’s coal fired CO2 capture experience and know how at 10 tpd scale aided in the design of the 500 tpd CO2 capture demonstration plant to be deployed at Plant Barry Power Station in Alabama. Commissioning of the plant will take place in Q2 2011 and an extensive test program is planned. Following successful demonstration of this plant, in relation to the effect of scale-up concerning the behavior of impurities, it is envisaged that larger-scale commercial CO2 capture plants can be designed and deployed for the coal fired power sector.(9) This paper will summarize the status of the Matsushima plant operational results and the optimization and examination of impurity removal efficiency within the individual plant components. In addition, the current status of the 500 tpd CO2 capture demonstration plant project will be reported.(10) MHI, as a heavy industrial equipment manufacturer, can provide an integrated plant design through the provision of power generation equipment, flue gas clean up, process plants and CO2 compressors. MHI is actively developing solutions to mitigate global warming through the deployment of economically efficient environmental control technologies and advanced optimization of plant equipment. Related activities such as the large scale demonstration of CO2 capture, with our global partners, are important steps leading to the commercialization of this technology for application in the coal fired power generation sector, thus helping to reduce atmospheric industrial emissions of CO2.

Abstract UN-Habitat stated in 2012 that “investment in renewable energies could generate more employment and income for urban households [1]” and for UN-Habitat renewable energies are a central element of the environmental sustainability of urban areas [2]. Renewable energy technologies are seen by the UN as instruments to support the urban transformation process [1]. However, renewable energy technologies such as direct-drive wind turbines based on permanent magnets need non-renewable resources such as rare earth minerals [3-5]. We therefore analyse rare earth production in Australia, Malaysia (Mount Weld), USA (Mountain Pass), and China (Bayan Obo). The Mount Weld process chain takes place in three countries (Australia, Malaysia, China). The Mountain Pass process takes place in the USA and China. All Bayan Obo processes take place in China. In our social life cycle assessment (sLCA), we use the five major social impact categories (labour rights & decent work, health & safety, human rights, governance, community & infrastructure) [6, 7] suggested by UNEP/SETAC [8] and assign to them 21 social indicators of the 2012 Social Hotspots Database [6] to cover every social theme in our sLCA. Using the sLCA model, we estimate the social footprint function for every production step of the three rare earth production chains. Based on the presented social footprint functions, the total social footprint of the three rare earth production sites is estimated for the year 2015 based on the development of the Human Development Index (HDI). For the Mountain Pass process, our analysis reveals very low social risks for the process parts taking place in the United States and significantly higher social risks in China. The Australian processes of Mount Weld cause also a very small social footprint, whereas the processes in Malaysia and China cause a significantly higher social footprint. The Bayan Obo processes have a considerably higher social footprint than the other two process chains.