A parametric tool to evaluate the environmental and economic feasibility of decentralized energy systems.

Abstract

A simulation tool is developed to make a comprehensive techno-economic and environmental assessment of a case study under different scenarios. Different capacity of solar and storage technologies are considered. The model calculates the levelized cost of electricity, the autonomy level and the CO 2 emissions. We demonstrate that the economic profitability of solar and battery system is in very good agreement with HOMER and the autonomy level is validated by using a simulation tool created by SI-REN. We show that combining solar PV with battery system doesn't bring additional autonomy to the model for Geneva considering the present market prices for batteries and seasonal changes in solar energy potential. The validated tool is then extended to include the thermal demand and generation by adding heat pumps and solar thermal. The availability of thermal storage at a large scale and the generation over a neighbourhood are shown to increase the autonomy of the neighbourhood. Finally, multiple scenarios are also run by changing the input parameters to perform a sensitivity analysis of these parameters on the performance of the model. Under the assumptions of the model, to foster investments in solar PV and battery installations, falling investments costs seem necessary for the future.

A review of assessment methods for the urban environment and its energy sustainability to guarantee climate adaptation of future cities

“…Decentralised on-site energy production and use in urban areas are expected to minimise the loss or transformation energy transmission. The integration of renewable energy in urban areas will provide new opportunities for urban energy system [104]. In particular, the resource that has grown the most in the last decade is solar energy [105], and it is very likely that it will provide the largest share of the electricity mix by 2050 [105].…”