IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2020i1p100-d468977.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energetic-Environmental-Economic Feasibility and Impact Assessment of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System in Wastewater Treatment Plant: Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Horia Andrei

    (Department of Doctoral School of Engineering Sciences, University Valahia of Targoviste, 130004 Târgoviște, Romania)

  • Cristian Andrei Badea

    (Interface Engineering, 030828 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Paul Andrei

    (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 București, Romania)

  • Filippo Spertino

    (Department of Power System, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants and power generation constitute inseparable parts of present society. So the growth of wastewater treatment plants is accompanied by an increase in the energy consumption, and a sustainable development implies the use of renewable energy sources on a large scale in the power generation. A case study of the synergy between wastewater treatment plants and photovoltaic systems, aiming to improve the energetic, environmental and economic impacts, is presented. Based on data acquisition, the energy consumption analysis of wastewater treatment plant reveals that the highest demand is during April, and the lowest is during November. The placement of photovoltaic modules is designed to maximize the use of free space on the technological area of wastewater treatment plant in order to obtain a power output as high as possible. The peak consumption of wastewater treatment plant occurs in April, however the peak production of the photovoltaic is in July, so electrochemical batteries can partly compensate for this mismatch. The impact of the photovoltaic system connectivity on power grid is assessed by means of the matching-index method and the storage battery significantly improves this parameter. Carbon credit and energy payback time are used to assess the environmental impact. The results prove that the photovoltaic system mitigates 12,118 tons of carbon and, respectively, the embedded energy is compensated by production in 8 ½ years. The economic impact of the photovoltaic system is analyzed by the levelized cost of energy, and the results show that the price of energy from the photovoltaic source is below the current market price of energy.

Suggested Citation

  • Horia Andrei & Cristian Andrei Badea & Paul Andrei & Filippo Spertino, 2020. "Energetic-Environmental-Economic Feasibility and Impact Assessment of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System in Wastewater Treatment Plant: Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:100-:d:468977
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/100/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/100/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adam Masłoń & Joanna Czarnota & Aleksandra Szaja & Joanna Szulżyk-Cieplak & Grzegorz Łagód, 2020. "The Enhancement of Energy Efficiency in a Wastewater Treatment Plant through Sustainable Biogas Use: Case Study from Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Hartner, Michael & Ortner, André & Hiesl, Albert & Haas, Reinhard, 2015. "East to west – The optimal tilt angle and orientation of photovoltaic panels from an electricity system perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 94-107.
    3. Wang, Jiangjiang & Yang, Ying & Mao, Tianzhi & Sui, Jun & Jin, Hongguang, 2015. "Life cycle assessment (LCA) optimization of solar-assisted hybrid CCHP system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 38-52.
    4. Peng, Jinqing & Lu, Lin & Yang, Hongxing, 2013. "Review on life cycle assessment of energy payback and greenhouse gas emission of solar photovoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 255-274.
    5. Chong, Fah Keen & Lawrence‎, Kelvin Kuhanraj & Lim, Pek Peng & Poon, Marcus Chinn Yoong & Foo, Dominic Chwan Yee & Lam, Hon Loong & Tan, Raymond R., 2014. "Planning of carbon capture storage deployment using process graph approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 641-651.
    6. Venkatesh, G. & Brattebø, Helge, 2011. "Energy consumption, costs and environmental impacts for urban water cycle services: Case study of Oslo (Norway)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 792-800.
    7. Hong, Taehoon & Lee, Minhyun & Koo, Choongwan & Jeong, Kwangbok & Kim, Jimin, 2017. "Development of a method for estimating the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) potential by analyzing the available rooftop area using Hillshade analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 320-332.
    8. Sharifzadeh, Mahdi & Lubiano-Walochik, Helena & Shah, Nilay, 2017. "Integrated renewable electricity generation considering uncertainties: The UK roadmap to 50% power generation from wind and solar energies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 385-398.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sree Harsha Bandaru & Victor Becerra & Sourav Khanna & Harold Espargilliere & Law Torres Sevilla & Jovana Radulovic & David Hutchinson & Rinat Khusainov, 2021. "A General Framework for Multi-Criteria Based Feasibility Studies for Solar Energy Projects: Application to a Real-World Solar Farm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-34, April.
    2. Paul Cristian Andrei & Horia Andrei, 2022. "Power Systems’ Connectivity and Resiliency: Modeling, Simulation and Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-3, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kong, Minjin & Ji, Changyoon & Hong, Taehoon & Kang, Hyuna, 2022. "Impact of the use of recycled materials on the energy conservation and energy transition of buildings using life cycle assessment: A case study in South Korea," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    2. Sharifzadeh, Mahdi & Hien, Raymond Khoo Teck & Shah, Nilay, 2019. "China’s roadmap to low-carbon electricity and water: Disentangling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electricity-water nexus via renewable wind and solar power generation, and carbon capture and sto," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 31-42.
    3. Yihsuan Wu & Jian Hua, 2022. "Investigating a Retrofit Thermal Power Plant from a Sustainable Environment Perspective—A Fuel Lifecycle Assessment Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Guglielmina Mutani & Valeria Todeschi, 2021. "Optimization of Costs and Self-Sufficiency for Roof Integrated Photovoltaic Technologies on Residential Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-25, July.
    5. Kong, Minjin & Hong, Taehoon & Ji, Changyoon & Kang, Hyuna & Lee, Minhyun, 2020. "Development of building driven-energy payback time for energy transition of building with renewable energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    6. Diane Palmer & Elena Koumpli & Ian Cole & Ralph Gottschalg & Thomas Betts, 2018. "A GIS-Based Method for Identification of Wide Area Rooftop Suitability for Minimum Size PV Systems Using LiDAR Data and Photogrammetry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Dehghani, Ehsan & Jabalameli, Mohammad Saeed & Jabbarzadeh, Armin, 2018. "Robust design and optimization of solar photovoltaic supply chain in an uncertain environment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 139-156.
    8. Carnevale, E. & Lombardi, L. & Zanchi, L., 2014. "Life Cycle Assessment of solar energy systems: Comparison of photovoltaic and water thermal heater at domestic scale," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 434-446.
    9. Zhong, Qing & Tong, Daoqin, 2020. "Spatial layout optimization for solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 1-11.
    10. Kang, Ligai & Yang, Junhong & An, Qingsong & Deng, Shuai & Zhao, Jun & Wang, Hui & Li, Zelin, 2017. "Effects of load following operational strategy on CCHP system with an auxiliary ground source heat pump considering carbon tax and electricity feed in tariff," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 454-466.
    11. Su, Bosheng & Han, Wei & Zhang, Xiaosong & Chen, Yi & Wang, Zefeng & Jin, Hongguang, 2018. "Assessment of a combined cooling, heating and power system by synthetic use of biogas and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 922-935.
    12. Nogueira Vilanova, Mateus Ricardo & Perrella Balestieri, José Antônio, 2014. "Energy and hydraulic efficiency in conventional water supply systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 701-714.
    13. Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad & Mustafa, Nur Ifthitah & Hanafiah, Marlia M. & Ibrahim, Mohd Adib & Asri Mat Teridi, Mohd & Sepeai, Suhaila & Zaharim, Azami & Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, 2018. "Prospects of life cycle assessment of renewable energy from solar photovoltaic technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 11-28.
    14. Mohammad H. Naraghi & Ehsan Atefi, 2022. "Optimum Solar Panel Orientation and Performance: A Climatic Data-Driven Metaheuristic Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.
    15. Zhang, Wenjie & Liu, Shan & Li, Nianping & Xie, Hui & Li, Xuanqi, 2015. "Development forecast and technology roadmap analysis of renewable energy in buildings in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 395-402.
    16. Adam Masłoń & Joanna Czarnota & Paulina Szczyrba & Aleksandra Szaja & Joanna Szulżyk-Cieplak & Grzegorz Łagód, 2024. "Assessment of Energy Self-Sufficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Case Study from Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Guo, Xiaolu & Yan, Xingqing & Zheng, Yangguang & Yu, Jianliang & Zhang, Yongchun & Chen, Shaoyun & Chen, Lin & Mahgerefteh, Haroun & Martynov, Sergey & Collard, Alexander & Brown, Solomon, 2017. "Under-expanded jets and dispersion in high pressure CO2 releases from an industrial scale pipeline," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 53-66.
    18. Alhamwi, Alaa & Medjroubi, Wided & Vogt, Thomas & Agert, Carsten, 2018. "Modelling urban energy requirements using open source data and models," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 1100-1108.
    19. Guozheng Li & Rui Wang & Tao Zhang & Mengjun Ming, 2018. "Multi-Objective Optimal Design of Renewable Energy Integrated CCHP System Using PICEA-g," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-26, March.
    20. Gerbinet, Saïcha & Belboom, Sandra & Léonard, Angélique, 2014. "Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of photovoltaic panels: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 747-753.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:100-:d:468977. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.