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Shale oil produced from oil shale pyrolysis is regarded as an important alternative to crude oil. There is the conventional oil shale pyrolysis technology represented by Fushun-type, which suffers from low utilization efficiency of oil shale and low shale oil production. The development of the indirectly heated moving bed technology can solve these problems. However, this new technology requires extra heat for oil shale pyrolysis which means low pyrolysis efficiency and it also suffers from the production of low quality shale oil. The driving force for the efficient pyrolysis of oil shale and high-value conversion of shale oil calls for the involvement of high-value fuel to supply heat for pyrolysis and hydrogen source for shale oil upgradation. Coal is produced in the process of oil shale mining. A new process of coal-assisted oil shale refinery is therefore proposed in this study. Coal is used for gasification to produce syngas. Part of the syngas is used as fuel to supply additional heat for oil shale pyrolysis and the remaining syngas is used to produce hydrogen, which is then used for shale oil hydrogenation to increase the quality of shale oil. Results show that the energy efficiency of the new process is increased by 5%–24% and has a 53%–75% increase of the return on investment, comparing to those of the conventional Fushun-type technology. Image 1 • Proposed a new process of coal-assisted oil shale efficient pyrolysis and high-value conversion of pyrolysis oil. • Improved energy efficiency by 5%–24% in the new process. • The integrating process resulted in 53%–75% increase of return on investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of Brazilian public costs indicates that, although a significant part of its financial resources is destined for electricity consumption, only a small portion of the distributed generation belongs to public institutions. A technical and economic analysis of a PV power plant in the Brazilian public sector was proposed and various scenarios were evaluated, indicating that a change in the Brazilian tariff policy could be an alternative for boosting PV generation in the public sector. Risk analysis demonstrated that the minimum acceptable rate of return is the variable that most affects the system's viability. In addition, a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) showed that the proposed PV system has a viability probability higher than 92%. A statistical analysis indicated that the system has a probability of at least 80% for supplying more than 25% of the building's peak demand for all seasons. Finally, such systems have also been found to represent an alternative for improving the electricity grid's stability, while supplying part of the building's energy demand. • A PV power plant was projected for a building of a Brazilian public university. • The variable that most affected the system viability is the MARR. • Changes in the tariff policy could boost the PV generation in the public sector. • There is an 87% chance of the maximum inverter power being reduced in at least 25%. • Similar systems can reduce the summer peak consumption in public buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]