The main aim of the specific research is the comparison of the energy pay-back period of optimum renewable energy sources (RES)-based configurations, meaning wind-battery and photovoltaic-battery stand-alone installations that may ensure the energy autonomy of a typical remote consumer under the...

Fossil fuels use has caused serious environmental impacts worldwide, mainly related with the greenhouse effect intensification. One strategy to mitigate such impacts is the use of hydrogen in combustion processes. Additionally, hydrogen can be utilized as an energy vector for storage purposes...

The State of Paraná contributes significantly for the Brazilian production of sugar cane, ethanol, soybeans and pigs. In addition to the current production of ethanol, the State has a huge potential for electricity, biodiesel and biogas production. This paper presents an overview of the current...

In September 2010 the German government initiated a plan to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies, with nuclear power as a bridging fuel. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, however, the government decided to immediately shut down almost half of Germany's reactors and phase out the...

Renewable energy is receiving increased attention as a viable alternative to non-renewable electrical generation, however, meeting global energy demands will require a more ambitious renewable energy program than is currently the case. There have been several reviews of potential technological,...

Several recent studies have proposed fast transitions to energy systems based on renewable energy technology. Many of them dismiss potential physical constraints and issues with natural resource supply, and do not consider the growth rates of the individual technologies needed or how the energy...

This paper evaluates environmental policy effects on ligno-cellulosic biomass production and environmental outcomes using an integrated bioeconomic optimization model. The environmental policy integrated climate (EPIC) model is used to simulate crop yields and environmental indicators in current...

The current discussion of climate change and energy problems is generally based on the assumption that technical solutions are possible and that the task is essentially to determine the most effective ways. This view relies heavily on the expectation that renewable energy sources can be...

In contrast to EU, U.S. electric utilities are not employing the bioenergy technology of co-firing wood pellets with coal. This difference in employment patterns is explored within a real options analysis (ROA) for possible U.S. utilization of wood pellets, considering fuel-price series from...

This paper focuses on technologies which use thermo-chemical or biochemical processes to convert biomass into electricity. We present the results from an expert elicitation exercise involving sixteen leading experts coming from different EU Member States. Aim of the elicitation was to assess the...