Search

The emerging energy transition is particularly described as a move towards a cleaner, lower-carbon system. In the context of the global shift towards sustainable energy sources, this paper reviews the potential and roadmap for hydrogen energy as a crucial component of the clean energy landscape. The primary objective is to present a comprehensive literature overview, illuminating key themes, trends, and research gaps in the scientific discourse concerning hydrogen production and energy policy. This review focuses particularly on specified geographic contexts, with an emphasis on understanding the unique energy policies related to renewable energy in Brazil, Austria, and Germany. Given their distinct social systems and developmental stages, this paper aims to delineate the nuanced approaches these countries adopt in their pursuit of renewable energy and the integration of hydrogen within their energy frameworks. Brazil exhibits vast renewable energy potential, particularly in wind and solar energy sectors, positioning itself for substantial growth in the coming years. Germany showcases a regulatory framework that promotes innovation and technological expansion, reflecting its highly developed social system and commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Austria demonstrates dedication to decarbonization, particularly through the exploration of biomethane for residential heating and cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary times, the utilization of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) has gained prominence due to their high volumetric storage density and material properties closely resembling conventional fuels. Numerous countries are incorporating LOHCs in hydrogen demonstration initiatives, encompassing applications such as hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen-powered ships, and trains. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of seventeen LOHC projects, spanning Germany, Europe, and other nations, presenting detailed project specifications. This review includes information on project consortiums, funding sources, covered supply chains, transport modalities, and employed technologies. Through a global evaluation of LOHC projects, this review underscores the promising and competitive nature of LOHCs as a viable option for the large-scale and long-distance storage and transportation of hydrogen. The future development of this field is discussed at in the last section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several northern European countries have announced ambitious plans to become carbon neutral already before the year 2050. Recent research has, however, highlighted how potential bottlenecks in raw material and resource availability could significantly delay or hinder wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) expansion and continued biomass usage in parts of Europe. To address this issue, this paper assesses how exposed the national energy and climate plans (NECPs) of Finland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark are to resource limitations and techno-economic risks by reviewing and analysing 2030 NECP targets compared to statistical energy use data in these countries. The results indicate that the NECPs of Denmark and Germany are particularly exposed to risks related to global raw material availability, as Denmark plans to rapidly grow the share of wind and solar PV in electricity generation to 81% and 13% by 2030, respectively, followed by Germany, which outlines a 39% and 16% share of wind and solar PV in its national climate strategy. The NECPs of Finland and Germany are also shown to be vulnerable to limitations in biomass availability, as there is a significant disparity between the projected biomass usage and legally binding European Union (EU) targets for land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector emissions in 2030 in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector faces a pressing need for significant transformation to curb CO2 emissions. For instance, Czechia and Germany have taken steps to phase out fossil thermal power plants by 2038, opting instead for a greater reliance on variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. Nonetheless, thermal power plants will still have roles, too. While the conventional multistage axial turbine design has been predominant in large-scale power plants for the past century, it is unsuitable for small-scale decentralized projects due to complexity and cost. To address this, the study investigates less common turbine types, which were discarded as they demonstrated lower efficiency. One design is the Elektra turbine, characterized by its velocity compounded radial re-entry configuration. The Elektra turbine combines the advantages of volumetric expanders (the low rotational speed requirement) with the advantages of a turbine (no rubbing seals, no lubrication in the working fluid, wear is almost completely avoided). Thus, the research goal of the authors is the implementation of a 10 kW-class ORC turbine driving a cost-effective off-the-shelf 3000 rpm generator. The paper introduces the concept of the Elektra turbine in comparison to other turbines and proposes this approach for an ORC working fluid. In the second part, the 1D design and 3D–CFD optimization of the 7 kW Elektra turbine working with Hexamethyldisiloxane (MM) is performed. Finally, CFD efficiency characteristics of various versions of the Elektra are presented and critically discussed regarding the originally defined design approach. The unsteady CFD calculation of the final Elektra version showed 46% total-to-static isentropic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the current and prospective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of e-fuels produced via electrolysis and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for the years 2021, 2030, and 2050 for use in Germany. The GHG emissions are determined by a scenario approach as a combination of a literature-based top-down and bottom-up approach. Considered process steps are the provision of feedstocks, electrolysis (via solid oxide co-electrolysis; SOEC), synthesis (via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis; FTS), e-crude refining, eventual transport to, and use in Germany. The results indicate that the current GHG emissions for e-fuel production in the exemplary export countries Saudi Arabia and Chile are above those of conventional fuels. Scenarios for the production in Germany lead to current GHG emissions of 2.78–3.47 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2021 as the reference year and 0.064–0.082 kgCO2-eq/L e-fuel in 2050. With a share of 58–96%, according to the respective scenario, the electrolysis is the main determinant of the GHG emissions in the production process. The use of additional renewable energy during the production process in combination with direct air capture (DAC) are the main leverages to reduce GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the heat demand of existing buildings is an essential prerequisite for achieving a greenhouse gas-neutral energy supply. Numerous studies and open-source tools deal with heat demand mapping. It is not uncommon that estimated heat demands deviate from real heat consumption, so existing approaches should be improved by including in-depth building information. Some tools have recognised this problem and offer built-in functions for factoring various parameters into their assessments. Nevertheless, the necessary information is usually missing and should be obtained first. In this paper, we analyse the impact of thermal refurbishment and climate on building heat demand; hence, generate public datasets with corresponding key figures for each building type in different efficiency states and years. Accounting for already performed refurbishments in methodologies for assessing the actual state heat demand for cities will result in a reduction of at least 8% up to more than 21%, depending on whether conventional or passive house components were installed. As a result of climatic differences within Germany, a building's heat demand can be up to 39% higher or up to 21% lower than the heat demand of an identical building in the reference climate of Germany. By further developing the approaches of the tools Hotmaps and Heat Cadastre Hamburg, we could improve the estimated heat demand of Hamburg to a value approximating the real consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future transport systems will rely on new electrified drives utilizing batteries and hydrogen-powered fuel cells or combustion engines with sustainable fuels. These systems must complement each other and should not be viewed as competing. Properties such as efficiency, range, as well as transport and storage properties will determine their use cases. This article looks at the usability of liquid electro-fuels in freight transport and analyzes the production capacities that will be necessary through 2050 in Germany. Different scenarios with varying market shares of electro-fuels are considered. A scenario with a focus on fuel cells foresees a quantity of 220 PJ of electro-fuels, i.e., 5.1 million tons, which reduces 80% of carbon dioxide emissions in LDV and HDV transport. A further scenario achieves carbon-neutrality and leads to a demand for nearly 17 million tons of e-fuel, corresponding to 640 PJ. Considering a final production rate of 5.1 million tons of electro-fuels per year leads to maximum investment costs of around EUR 350 million/year in 2036 during the ramp-up phase. The total investment costs for synthesis plants amount to EUR 4.02 billion. A carbon-neutrality scenario requires more than a factor 3 for investment for the production facilities of electro-fuels alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy production is one of the most important strategies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. However, wind and solar energy especially depend on time-varying properties of the environment, such as weather. Hence, for the control and stabilization of electricity grids, the accurate forecasting of energy production from renewable energy sources is essential. This study provides an empirical comparison of the forecasting accuracy of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by different deep learning methods, including five different Transformer-based forecasting models based on weather data. The models are compared with the long short-term memory (LSTM) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models as a baseline. The accuracy of these models is evaluated across diverse forecast periods, and the impact of utilizing selected weather data versus all available data on predictive performance is investigated. Distinct performance patterns emerge among the Transformer-based models, with Autoformer and FEDformer exhibiting suboptimal results for this task, especially when utilizing a comprehensive set of weather parameters. In contrast, the Informer model demonstrates superior predictive capabilities for onshore wind power and photovoltaic (PV) power production. The Informer model consistently performs well in predicting both onshore wind and PV energy. Notably, the LSTM model outperforms all other models across various categories. This research emphasizes the significance of selectively using weather parameters for improved performance compared to employing all parameters and a time reference. We show that the suitability and performance of a prediction model can vary significantly, depending on the specific forecasting task and the data that are provided to the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources, encompassing wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal options, are assuming an increasingly crucial role in the global energy landscape. They present a sustainable substitute for fossil fuels, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and significantly contributing to the ongoing efforts against climate change. The widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies has undergone rapid expansion on a global scale, propelled by governmental policies, technological advancements, and decreasing costs. Despite their numerous advantages, renewable energy sources encounter challenges such as intermittent energy supply, storage solutions, and integration into existing power grids. Nevertheless, with sustained investment and innovation, renewable energy sources have the potential to become the predominant energy source of the future. This article conducts a bibliometric analysis of research on renewable energy sources in Poland and Germany. The analysis is grounded in publications catalogued in the Web of Science database, spanning the years from 1990 to 2023. The investigation delves into research topics related to renewable energy sources and scrutinizes the most frequently cited publications authored by individuals from these two countries. This bibliometric analysis stands out through its unique value proposition compared to other similar studies by placing a distinctive emphasis on critical research gaps, such as energy storage, smart grid technologies, and renewable energy in transportation. Additionally, the study's focus on the specific trajectories of Poland and Germany in renewable energy adoption, coupled with the identification of key institutions with the highest centrality index, provides unparalleled insights into the evolving landscape of sustainable energy research. The findings from this study can serve as a valuable source of information for policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders interested in promoting the advancement and utilization of renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part of the transition in higher-level energy systems, distributed cross-sectoral energy systems (DCESs) play a crucial role in providing flexibility in covering residual load (RL). However, there is currently no method available to quantify the potential flexibility of DCESs in covering RL. This study aimed to address this gap by comparing the RL demand of a higher-level energy system with the electricity flow between a DCES and the electricity grid. This can allow for the quantification of the flexibility of DCES operation. Our approach was to categorize existing methods for flexibility quantification and then propose a new method to assess the flexibility of DCESs in covering RL. For this, we introduced a new quantification indicator called the Flexibility Deployment Index (FDI), which integrates two factors: the RL of the higher-level energy system and the electricity purchase and feed-in of a DCES. By normalizing both factors, we could compare the flexibility to cover RL with respect to different DCES concepts and scenarios. To validate the developed quantification method, we applied it to a case study of a hospital's DCES in Germany. Using an MILP optimization model, we analyzed the variation in FDI for different technology concepts and scenarios, including fixed electricity tariffs, dynamic electricity tariffs, and CO2-emission-optimized operation. The results of our calculations and the application of the FDI indicate that high-capacity combined heat and power units combined with thermal storage units provide higher flexibility. Additionally, the results highlight higher flexibility provision during the winter period compared to the summer period. However, further application and research are needed to confirm the robustness and validity of the FDI assessment. Nonetheless, the case study demonstrates the potential of the new quantification method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]