Special Issue "Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation"

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 October 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Renata Marks-Bielska
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economic Science, Department of Economic Policy, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 4, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: land use policy; renewable energy sources; rural entrepreneurship; local and regional development
Prof. Dr. Algirdas Jasinskas
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Automation, Obuda University, 1034 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: Renewable and sustainable energy; energy plants; agrobiomass and residues; woody biomass; solid biofuels; pressed biomass; biofuel properties; burning; harmful emissions; evaluation of technologies
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exploitation of renewable energy sources for power generation has become more and more important in recent years. This results in the economic issues and the measures taken to ensure the energy security. Dynamic development of national economies requires a significant increase in the demand for energy. Conventional energy resources, like carbon, natural gas, and oil, are no longer sufficient to satisfy the demand of the global economy.

Another related issue is the growing pollution of the environment and the climate change caused by conventional sources of energy.

The development of RES in a country guarantees access to the local and renewable resources. In consequence, the country has more resources for energy production, and, in times of a crisis resulting not only in the depletion of energy sources, but also in various political and economic conflicts, it becomes independent of the import of resources from abroad.

In the world, there is observed a positive trend of the increasing share of renewable energy in the energy mix of the economy. This development is encouraged by the legislation, the advent of new technologies in the energy industry, increased awareness of ecology and nature conservation in the society.

The actual threats to energy security force us to make investments into new technologies, particularly into renewable sources of energy, including conversion of biomass and distributed systems of energy generation. The ongoing trends indicate that the most dynamically growing sector, able to be developed in rural areas, will be renewable energy generation.

This Special Issue, entitled “Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation” for the international journal Energies, mainly covers original research and studies related to the abovementioned topics including, but not limited to, economic efficiency of renewable energy sources, the market of agricultural energy raw materials, the use of energy from renewable energy sources in ensuring energy security, the role of clusters in the production of energy from renewable sources, business models in the field of renewable energy, technical aspects of energy production,  use of computer tool for modeling energy consumption and others.

We are writing to invite you to submit your original work to this Special Issue. We are looking forward to receiving your outstanding research.

Assoc. Prof. Renata Marks-Bielska
Prof. Dr. Algirdas Jasinskas 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • renewable energy sources
  • economic efficiency
  • energy conversion
  • management
  • legal aspects
  • clusters
  • spatial analysis
  • energy security
  • sustainability
  • energetic crops
  • biofuels
  • biogas
  • biomass
  • bioenergy
  • photovoltaics
  • wind energy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Article
Use of Environmental Management Systems and Renewable Energy Sources in Selected Food Processing Enterprises in Poland
Energies 2021, 14(11), 3212; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14113212 - 31 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 700
Abstract
The issue of environmental management systems in food processing companies is gaining importance due to the need to reduce water withdrawal, wastewater, air emissions, and waste generation. New technological solutions and innovations can reduce the negative effects of the enterprises’ production facilities on [...] Read more.
The issue of environmental management systems in food processing companies is gaining importance due to the need to reduce water withdrawal, wastewater, air emissions, and waste generation. New technological solutions and innovations can reduce the negative effects of the enterprises’ production facilities on the environment. In Poland, the phenomenon of increasing use of the amount of renewable energy sources is influenced by, e.g., adopted national and EU legislation, development of new technologies in the field of energy, and increasing awareness of producers and consumers in the field of ecology and environmental protection. It is also important that the state creates favorable conditions for the use of renewable energy in micro-installations. The application goal of the study is to develop a procedure for improvement of the environmental management systems for food processing companies and increase the awareness of potential use and implementation of renewable energy sources by food processing entities. In the theoretical part of the study, methods of comparative, deductive, and synthetic analysis are used. In the practical part of the study survey method, case studies, a simple flashback, and transfer of ideas are presented. The results of the research can be used by state institutions to put emphasis on the implementation of sustainable development of state policy on the food market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation)
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Article
The Study of the Faba Bean Waste and Potato Peels Recycling for Pellet Production and Usage for Energy Conversion
Energies 2021, 14(10), 2954; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14102954 - 20 May 2021
Viewed by 449
Abstract
The article presents the results of a study on the preparation and use of faba bean waste and potato peel pellets for energy purposes. Physical and mechanical characteristics (moisture, density, ash content) of faba bean waste and potato peel pellets were investigated. The [...] Read more.
The article presents the results of a study on the preparation and use of faba bean waste and potato peel pellets for energy purposes. Physical and mechanical characteristics (moisture, density, ash content) of faba bean waste and potato peel pellets were investigated. The largest fraction of flour was formed on a sieve with 1 mm holes: faba bean waste—28.2 ± 2.02 g, potato peels—29.09 ± 0.73 g. For this experiment, samples were taken by mixing faba bean waste (four variants) and potato peel in the ratio of 1:1; 1:2; 1:3; 1:4 by volume (12 samples). It was found in this study that the density of pellets (DM) ranged from 1226.22 ± 13.88 kgm−3 to 1349.79 ± 6.79 kgm−3. The pellet moisture ranged from 6.70 ± 0.04% to 3.64 ± 0.13%. The lower calorific value of dry fuel pellets ranged from 15.27 ± 0.43 MJkg−1 to 16.02 ± 0.50 MJkg−1. The ash content of the pellets ranged from 8.05 ± 0.57% to 14.21 ± 0.05%. The ST temperature of the experimentally measured mixture of faba bean waste and potato peel pellets ranged from 924 to 969 °C; the DT temperature ranged from 944 to 983 °C; the HT temperature ranged from 1073 to 1202 °C, and a change in FT temperature from 1174 to 1234 °C was observed. The temperatures were sufficiently high to melt the ash. Specific emissions of CO2, CO, NOx and CxHy did not exceed the maximum levels allowed. In summary, from the results of the study of the physical properties, combustion, and emissions of waste beans and potato peel pellets (all samples), it is evident that they are used for biofuels. The combustion process of this type of pellet is characterized by efficient combustion and minimal emissions to the atmosphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation)
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Article
Importance of Agriculture in Creating Energy Security—A Case Study of Poland
Energies 2021, 14(9), 2465; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092465 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 480
Abstract
Analyses of statistical data were made and their results discussed in this article to identify the level of Poland’s energy security and to determine the role of agriculture in ensuring it. It has been demonstrated that coal continues to be the staple resource [...] Read more.
Analyses of statistical data were made and their results discussed in this article to identify the level of Poland’s energy security and to determine the role of agriculture in ensuring it. It has been demonstrated that coal continues to be the staple resource for the generation of energy in Poland. The current demands and requirements concerning the reduced consumption of non-renewable resources and Poland’s obligations towards the European Union regarding the production of energy from renewable resources—all these considerations contribute to the promotion of a skillful development of energy crop farming, which, in Poland, is likely to be very successful. Agriculture plays an important role in ensuring Poland’s energy security, and this branch of farming can grow dynamically provided adequate legal regulations and promotion are in place. The chief resource for renewable energy generation is biomass. Straw and biogas production in agricultural biogas plants are two solutions whose full energy production potential still awaits to be tapped. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation)
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Article
Assessing the Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy Sources Relationship in EU Countries
Energies 2021, 14(8), 2323; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082323 - 20 Apr 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 477
Abstract
In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by adopting the EU Renewable Energy Directive and the European Green Deal, the European Union aims at an extremely ambitious goal to become climate neutral by 2050. This goal involves a massive investment [...] Read more.
In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by adopting the EU Renewable Energy Directive and the European Green Deal, the European Union aims at an extremely ambitious goal to become climate neutral by 2050. This goal involves a massive investment plan to support this initiative, but also to reduce disparities between Member States, in order to transform the Union into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the sustainable development and renewable energy sources relationship in EU countries from a new perspective. Based on Eurostat available data and with the help of hierarchical clustering analysis, the Member States were divided in 2019 into five clusters, highlighting the key characteristics of the selected variables. The results of this research revealed high-performing groups of countries, as well as countries that need increased attention and additional support to become more efficient in achieving their sustainable development goals and renewable energy source targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation)
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Article
Photovoltaic Farms—Economic Efficiency of Investments in North-East Poland
Energies 2021, 14(8), 2087; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082087 - 09 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 531
Abstract
The abandonment of conventional sources in favor of energy from renewable energy sources (RES) has a global dimension, and the dynamic increase in the share of energy from photovoltaic systems in the energy mix of many countries results from the possibility of obtaining [...] Read more.
The abandonment of conventional sources in favor of energy from renewable energy sources (RES) has a global dimension, and the dynamic increase in the share of energy from photovoltaic systems in the energy mix of many countries results from the possibility of obtaining it both on a small scale (micro-installations) and as part of economic investments (photovoltaic power plants). The study aimed to assess the economic efficiency of 22 photovoltaic farms located in northeastern Poland. The research covered 5 solar power plants with a capacity of up to 799 kWp (I), 13 between 800 and 1100 kWp (II), and 4 installations of 1.98 MWp (III). The evaluation was based on net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period (PP), profitability index (PI), accounting rate of return (ARR). Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out regarding the value of economic indicators. The analysis shows that all studied PV farms are economically justified investments (NPV > 0) regardless of the adopted scenario. Solar power plants of the largest analyzed capacity (group III) resulted in being the most profitable ones, but no linear relationship between the level of productivity and profitability was established. Due to the large variation in terrain shape in northeastern Poland, landscape value and social benefits, which are difficult to assess, the support system for investments regarding the construction of photovoltaic power plants proved to be the most effective in group I. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources for Power Generation)
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