A new integral management model and evaluation method to enhance sustainability of renewable energy projects for energy and sanitation services

Lillo, Pau; Ferrer‐Martí, Laia; Fernández–Baldor, Álvaro; Ramírez, Benito

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2015.08.003

Cited by 43 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Many European countries are encouraging the development of anaerobic digestion systems since they produce clean energy starting from organic waste [8] and promote the diffusion of a circular economy [9]. In addition, anaerobic digestion can also provide sanitation services by using sewage and municipal organic waste as an input [10]. Biogas produced in an anaerobic digestion system is normally burned in a cogeneration unit to produce heat for the digestion process and electricity [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogas from Anaerobic Digestion: Power Generation or Biomethane Production?

et al. 2020

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Biogas is a fuel obtained from organic waste fermentation and can be an interesting solution for producing electric energy, heat and fuel. Recently, many European countries have incentivized the production of biomethane to be injected into natural gas grids or compressed and used as biofuel in vehicles. The introduction of an upgrading unit into an existing anaerobic digestion plant to convert biogas to biomethane may have a strong impact on the overall energy balance of the systems. The amount of biomethane produced may be optimized from several points of view (i.e., energy, environmental and economic). In this paper, the mass and energy fluxes of an anaerobic digestion plant were analyzed as a function of the biogas percentage sent to the upgrading system and the amount of biomethane produced. A numerical model of an anaerobic digestion plant was developed by considering an existing case study. The mass and energy balance of the digesters, cogeneration unit, upgrading system and auxiliary boiler were estimated when the amount of produced biomethane was varied. An internal combustion engine was adopted as the cogeneration unit and a CO 2 absorption system was assumed for biogas upgrading. Results demonstrated that the energy balance of the plant is strictly dependent on the biomethane production and that an excess of biomethane production makes the plant totally dependent on external energy sources. As for the environmental impact, an optimal level of biomethane production exists that minimizes the emissions of equivalent CO 2 . However, high biomethane subsides can encourage plant managers to increase biomethane production and thus reduce CO 2 savings.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogas from Anaerobic Digestion: Power Generation or Biomethane Production?

et al. 2020

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“…The framework identifies 39 indicators over the sustainability themes. Since its publication, it has been adopted by a number of other authors to conduct evaluations of energy projects and programs [38][39][40]. However, the application of indicators raises an important question as to their suitability for sustainability evaluations.…”

Section: A Project-based Definition Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability evaluation of community-based, solar photovoltaic projects in Malawi

et al. 2020

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Background: A novel project sustainability framework is used to evaluate 65 off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system projects in Malawi. This study addresses PV projects serving rural public facilities, a solution known to have had historical issues with poor sustainability. A recent countrywide program targeting such facilities was evaluated against existing projects to determine whether this latest iteration offered better results. Method: Sustainability is defined at the project-level with metrics justified under the main themes of technical, economic, social, and organizational. Data captured for each project is based on a custom survey and interview of key stakeholders. Projects are grouped according to age, project implementer, income level, and PV system size to compare relative results. Results: The sustainability outlook for each project is evaluated. We find sustainability for most projects to be low. Social sustainability was weak with many projects due to low local community stakeholder engagement in terms of numbers of stakeholders, meeting frequency, and community contributions. Organizational challenges included a lack of key management positions in place and extremely limited training provisions. Furthermore, the evaluation highlights the economic health of the system to be key to sustainability, with the "healthiest" projects affording only 37% of expected operations and maintenance costs. Relative to expected demand, systems were found to be undersized for both panels (53% of required) and batteries (57%). Users reported achieving only 60% of their desired consumption. Poor sizing standards related to the lack of load profiles for first-time electricity users as well as poor quality components reduced the overall technical sustainability. Conclusion: Rural public facilities with solar PV in Malawi are not well served by isolated community management. Improved sustainability requires the establishment of a robust financial framework prior to project development that includes formal local government support. This paper discusses ideal management frameworks and their ultimate implications for project developers, policy makers, and the research community.

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“…This fundamental requirement was the starting point for developing concepts for the implementation of sustainability initiatives [50]. Sustainability is a paradigm, with different implementations and interpretations in various fields [51], such as the energy system [52], automotive industry [50], waste to energy system [53], renewable energy projects for energy and sanitation devices [54], and local communities [55].…”

Section: Yearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Sustainability Index for an Energy Management System in Thailand

Nakthong

Kubaha

2019

Sustainability

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The ISO 50001 energy management system (EnMS) standard was published in June 2011 and has been widely adopted by organizations from around the world, including Thailand. From 2014–2017, there was a continuous increase in the number of ISO 50001-certified companies in the East Asia and Pacific regions and, more broadly, the world, although this is not consistent with the number of companies that emerged during this period in Thailand. This information shows that the implementation of energy management in some companies may not be sustainable. This research offers a novel method for assessing the quality of energy management in the form of an energy management system sustainability index (EnMS SI) framework, presenting the economic, organizational, energy performance, and environmental aspects of sustainable energy management. Data collection, from a literature review of related research and the EnMS good practices, was implemented in order to select sustainability indicators and further develop a sustainability index for energy management. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) were used to establish an EnMS SI. The study results were then assessed and validated using 31 ISO 50001-certified companies in Thailand. Direct interviews and questionnaires were used to obtain responses from energy management representatives. The studied data indicated that an EnMS SI framework can be used in qualitative analyses to effectively determine the sustainability of an EnMS. Significant sustainability indicators, consisting of continuous benefits, top management commitment, and long-term strategic planning, were found. The results also revealed that the EnMS in Thailand has been significantly economically weak. The EnMS SI framework is a tool for assessing energy management sustainability, which allows for the determination of an organization’s actual strengths and weaknesses. The benefits of this framework include the possibility of determining guidelines for correcting and improving the EnMS to achieve sustainability.

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A new integral management model and evaluation method to enhance sustainability of renewable energy projects for energy and sanitation services

Cited by 43 publications

References 63 publications

Biogas from Anaerobic Digestion: Power Generation or Biomethane Production?

Biogas from Anaerobic Digestion: Power Generation or Biomethane Production?

Sustainability evaluation of community-based, solar photovoltaic projects in Malawi

Development of a Sustainability Index for an Energy Management System in Thailand

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