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Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies
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Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2020) | Viewed by 36057

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yiannis Katsigiannis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, School of Applied Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Interests: renewable energy technologies and their integration to power systems; hybrid autonomous power systems; energy storage in small and large scale; smart grids; energy saving; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy technologies include a large number of applications that evolve continuously, and their input can be derived directly from sources such as solar (photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity generation, heating and cooling), wind, sustainable biomass, hydro, geothermal, wave, and tidal energy. In many cases, the output of these technologies is intermittent and non-dispatchable, which makes the utilization of energy storage (electrical or thermal) essential. Remarkable renewable applications also include systems that are not widely used today, but their futures seem to be promising, such as renewable hydrogen production and desalination.

The significant penetration of non-dispatchable renewable technologies makes their integration to the power grid a very challenging task in terms of planning, operation, and control, as they have to be combined with conventional power generation, battery storage, and demand response in isolated and/or interconnected systems. Additionally, renewable technologies hold a key role in the evolving concepts of smart grid and electric vehicle (EV) integration.

A holistic approach to the renewable technologies should also consider their impact during their whole lifetime, in the context of life cycle assessment (LCA), from their production stage until their recycling/disposal. It should also account for the new trends in materials science, as they can lead to significant steps forward in terms of cost reduction and performance improvement. This Special Issue aims to present the state-of-the-art of renewable energy applications, grid integration issues, and future trends.

Dr. Yiannis Katsigiannis
Guest Editor

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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • wind turbines
  • photovoltaics
  • biomass and biofuels
  • geothermal energy
  • geothermal heat pumps
  • solar thermal electricity generation
  • solar heating and cooling
  • small hydro
  • wave energy
  • tidal energy
  • renewable hydrogen production
  • renewable desalination
  • energy storage
  • hybrid systems
  • grid integration of renewable energy systems
  • smart grids
  • electric vehicles
  • life cycle assessment (LCA) of renewable energy technologies
  • recycling of renewable energy technologies
  • materials for sustainable energy.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3222 KiB  
Article
Efficient Gear Ratio Selection of a Single-Speed Drivetrain for Improved Electric Vehicle Energy Consumption
by Polychronis Spanoudakis, Gerasimos Moschopoulos, Theodoros Stefanoulis, Nikolaos Sarantinoudis, Eftichios Papadokokolakis, Ioannis Ioannou, Savvas Piperidis, Lefteris Doitsidis and Nikolaos C. Tsourveloudis
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9254; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219254 - 7 Nov 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 13406
Abstract
The electric vehicle (EV) market has grown over the last few years and even though electric vehicles do not currently possess a high market segment, it is projected that they will do so by 2030. Currently, the electric vehicle industry is looking to [...] Read more.
The electric vehicle (EV) market has grown over the last few years and even though electric vehicles do not currently possess a high market segment, it is projected that they will do so by 2030. Currently, the electric vehicle industry is looking to resolve the issue of vehicle range, using higher battery capacities and fast charging. Energy consumption is a key issue which heavily effects charging frequency and infrastructure and, therefore, the widespread use of EVs. Although several factors that influence energy consumption of EVs have been identified, a key technology that can make electric vehicles more energy efficient is drivetrain design and development. Based on electric motors’ high torque capabilities, single-speed transmissions are preferred on many light and urban vehicles. In the context of this paper, a prototype electric vehicle is used as a test bed to evaluate energy consumption related to different gear ratio usage on single-speed transmission. For this purpose, real-time data are recorded from experimental road tests and a dynamic model of the vehicle is created and fine-tuned using dedicated software. Dynamic simulations are performed to compare and evaluate different gear ratio set-ups, providing valuable insights into their effect on energy consumption. The correlation of experimental and simulation data is used for the validation of the dynamic model and the evaluation of the results towards the selection of the optimal gear ratio. Based on the aforementioned data, we provide useful information from numerous experimental and simulation results that can be used to evaluate gear ratio effects on electric vehicles’ energy consumption and, at the same time, help to formulate evolving concepts of smart grid and EV integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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22 pages, 16705 KiB  
Article
Assessing Renewable Resources at the Saronikos Gulf for the Development of Multi-Generation Renewable Systems
by George Lavidas and John K. Kaldellis
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9169; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219169 - 4 Nov 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2202
Abstract
Decarbonisation of any energy system implies that more renewables will have to be incorporated into the grid. This requires a thorough assessment of available resources to properly estimate potential contributions and identify opportunities. This work focuses on the Saronikos Gulf, which is part [...] Read more.
Decarbonisation of any energy system implies that more renewables will have to be incorporated into the grid. This requires a thorough assessment of available resources to properly estimate potential contributions and identify opportunities. This work focuses on the Saronikos Gulf, which is part of the most crowded urban coastline in Greece. Solar, wind and wave resources are analysed, and the long-term characteristics affecting power production are discussed. Solar resources provide ≥250 Wh·m−2 with small long-term changes. Wind resources at coastal and onshore regions are ≥50 W·m−2; however, it has higher annual volatility. Finally, the wave resources of the region are from 130 to 170 W/m with a positive resource rate of change ≈2.5 W·m−1/year. It is expected that multi-generation by different resources, especially with temporal overlaps of wind and waves, will reduce intermittent production, hence accelerating the energy transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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15 pages, 22582 KiB  
Article
Should Photovoltaics Stay at Home? Comparative Life Cycle Environmental Assessment on Roof-Mounted and Ground-Mounted Photovoltaics
by Victor Kouloumpis, Antonios Kalogerakis, Anastasia Pavlidou, George Tsinarakis and George Arampatzis
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9120; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219120 - 2 Nov 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4861
Abstract
Renewable energy technologies like photovoltaics may be considered an indispensable component of a low-carbon electricity mix, but social acceptance should not be taken for granted. For instance, in Greece there are still claims, especially in rural areas, regarding the land use and the [...] Read more.
Renewable energy technologies like photovoltaics may be considered an indispensable component of a low-carbon electricity mix, but social acceptance should not be taken for granted. For instance, in Greece there are still claims, especially in rural areas, regarding the land use and the competition against more traditional economic activities such as grazing. An argument in favor of confining to roof-mounted photovoltaic installations is the additional infrastructure requirements for ground-mounted larger-scale photovoltaics. These requirements reduce and could potentially negate their environmental benefits. The aim of this study is to investigate the life cycle environmental impacts of commercial ground-mounted photovoltaic farms and compare them against residential roof-mounted photovoltaic installations. Data were gathered for a 500 kW ground-mounted photovoltaic installation and for five roof-mounted installations of 10 kW capacity, each from the same area at the prefecture of Pella in Northern Greece. An LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) was performed and results show that panel production is the main contributor for both types and that ground-mounted photovoltaics—when no transmission/distribution infrastructure is considered—have lower impacts than the roof-mounted residential photovoltaic installations for all impact categories except terrestrial ecotoxicity. However, when located further than 10.22 km from grid connection, ground-mounted photovoltaics have higher impacts for almost all environmental impact categories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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14 pages, 3897 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Effects of Conducted Emission from Grid-Connected and Stand-Alone Micro-Inverters in a Nano-Grid Road Lighting System
by Chaiyan Jettanasen and Atthapol Ngaopitakkul
Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5690; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205690 - 15 Oct 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2715
Abstract
A road lighting system is important for drivers and uses a lot of energy. The road lighting system must be installed throughout roads which have a long distance and a large volume, which causes power loss in the power transmission line. The concept [...] Read more.
A road lighting system is important for drivers and uses a lot of energy. The road lighting system must be installed throughout roads which have a long distance and a large volume, which causes power loss in the power transmission line. The concept of combining a power generation system by using a solar power system and a road lighting system is presented to solve this problem; it is called “a nano-grid road lighting system”. The nano-grid system consists of a grid-connected system and a stand-alone system and both systems use micro-inverters to convert the electric power for LED luminaire loads. Both micro-inverters are comprised of switching devices that cause the conducted emission (CE) in the electrical system. The LED luminaire is a very sensitive load because it is less resistant to the CE. Therefore, this research studies the CE in the nano-grid system in each period according to the working pattern of the device to study the CE characteristics for use in the design of CE attenuation methods in the future. The CE of the stand-alone system which is used at nighttime gives a higher level than the grid-connected system and exceeds the Comité International Spécial des Perturbations Radioélectriques (CISPR) 14-1 standard. The CE of the grid-connected system has a high level in the early frequency ranges, whereas the CE of the stand-alone system has a high level throughout the test frequency range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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19 pages, 3182 KiB  
Article
Research on Frequency Fuzzy Adaptive Additional Inertial Control Strategy for D-PMSG Wind Turbine
by Mudan Li and Yinsong Wang
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4241; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154241 - 6 Aug 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3044
Abstract
The traditional additional inertial control (T-AIC) strategy can provide frequency support for the directly-driven wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (D-PMSG). However, due to the fixed control coefficients, the frequency modulation effect is poor under load and wind speed disturbances. In [...] Read more.
The traditional additional inertial control (T-AIC) strategy can provide frequency support for the directly-driven wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (D-PMSG). However, due to the fixed control coefficients, the frequency modulation effect is poor under load and wind speed disturbances. In order to improve the frequency transient response of D-PMSG, a fuzzy adaptive additional inertial control strategy (FA-AIC) is proposed in this paper. A simplified D-PMSG model is established for the complexity and low calculation speed. A single-machine grid-connected system composed of a D-PMSG and an equivalent synchronous generator set (ESGS) is taken as the background and analysis of the principle of T-AIC. The proportional and derivative coefficient initial values in T-AIC are tuned by simulating the static characteristics and inertial response characteristics of the conventional synchronous generator set, and fuzzy control technology is introduced to adjust the proportional and derivative coefficients adaptively based on the frequency deviation and the frequency deviation change rate under load or wind speed disturbances. The simulation verification indicates that T-AIC, kinetic energy (KE)-based gain-AIC and FA-AIC all can utilize the D-PMSG additional inertial response to provide frequency support for grid-connected systems. Compared with T-AIC and KE-based gain-AIC, the proposed FA-AIC can not only provide more effective frequency support during load disturbances, but also suppress the frequency fluctuation caused by the wind speed variation and displays a better dynamic frequency regulation effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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Review

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27 pages, 4515 KiB  
Review
Wind Generation Forecasting Methods and Proliferation of Artificial Neural Network: A Review of Five Years Research Trend
by Muhammad Shahzad Nazir, Fahad Alturise, Sami Alshmrany, Hafiz. M. J Nazir, Muhammad Bilal, Ahmad N. Abdalla, P. Sanjeevikumar and Ziad M. Ali
Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093778 - 6 May 2020
Cited by 82 | Viewed by 8951
Abstract
To sustain a clean environment by reducing fossil fuels-based energies and increasing the integration of renewable-based energy sources, i.e., wind and solar power, have become the national policy for many countries. The increasing demand for renewable energy sources, such as wind, has created [...] Read more.
To sustain a clean environment by reducing fossil fuels-based energies and increasing the integration of renewable-based energy sources, i.e., wind and solar power, have become the national policy for many countries. The increasing demand for renewable energy sources, such as wind, has created interest in the economic and technical issues related to the integration into the power grids. Having an intermittent nature and wind generation forecasting is a crucial aspect of ensuring the optimum grid control and design in power plants. Accurate forecasting provides essential information to empower grid operators and system designers in generating an optimal wind power plant, and to balance the power supply and demand. In this paper, we present an extensive review of wind forecasting methods and the artificial neural network (ANN) prolific in this regard. The instrument used to measure wind assimilation is analyzed and discussed, accurately, in studies that were published from May 1st, 2014 to May 1st, 2018. The results of the review demonstrate the increased application of ANN into wind power generation forecasting. Considering the component limitation of other systems, the trend of deploying the ANN and its hybrid systems are more attractive than other individual methods. The review further revealed that high forecasting accuracy could be achieved through proper handling and calibration of the wind-forecasting instrument and method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies)
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