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State-of-the-Art and Applications of Renewable Energies in Europe

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 16731

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna BO, Italy
Interests: the design and control of renewable energy plants and Manufacturing Systems & Logistics sustainable design and optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Within the European community, at all the institutional, industrial and social levels, the attention toward the spread of renewables, e.g., solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, etc., to increase their incidence in the country energy mix is increasing to mark the transition toward a long-term, sustainable green development based on green energies. Particularly, the ‘2030 Framework for climate and energy’ approved by the EU Council in 2014 set ambitious targets to achieve a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy system, including:

  • a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels;
  • at least a 27% share of renewable energy consumption;
  • an indicative target for an improvement in energy efficiency at EU level of at least 27% (compared to projections);
  • to support the completion of the internal energy market by achieving the existing electricity interconnection target of 10% by 2020, with a view to reaching 15% by 2030.

The goal of this Special Issue is to gather up the current state-of-the-art and relevant practical applications of the renewables held in EU area. Contributions (original papers and review articles) from researchers and practitioners active in the fields of estimating, using and managing the renewable sources are welcomed and strongly encouraged.

Dr. Marco Bortolini
Prof. Dr. Mauro Gamberi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • renewable energies
  • green energy system
  • energy prediction
  • hybrid energy technologies
  • smart-grid, energy model
  • energy engineering
  • green economy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2069 KiB  
Article
Simulative Investigation of the Radar Cross Section of Wind Turbines
by Sebastian Hegler and Dirk Plettemeier
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 4024; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9194024 - 26 Sep 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3553
Abstract
Wind-power generation is one of the fundamental sources of renewable energy. However, due to the increasing size of wind turbines, they cause unwanted interference with radar systems for civic protection, especially for on-shore locations. This paper presents parameter studies performed on different wind-turbine [...] Read more.
Wind-power generation is one of the fundamental sources of renewable energy. However, due to the increasing size of wind turbines, they cause unwanted interference with radar systems for civic protection, especially for on-shore locations. This paper presents parameter studies performed on different wind-turbine models, with a focus on differences of the aerodynamical shape of the rotor blades. Numerical simulation is employed to estimate the influence of different wind-turbine design parameters, with the aim of deriving strategies to minimize wind-turbine influence on radar systems for civic protection. Due to the complex nature of the aerodynamic shape of the blade, a general model cannot be derived from the studies. However, further steps to eventually achieve this goal are outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art and Applications of Renewable Energies in Europe)
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17 pages, 2481 KiB  
Article
The Transition to Renewable Energy Technologies—Impact on Economic Performance of North Rhine-Westphalia
by Gianmarco Aniello, Johannes Többen and Wilhelm Kuckshinrichs
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3783; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183783 - 10 Sep 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4033
Abstract
The economic impacts of the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) are of considerable importance for the discussion of the energy transition in Germany (Energiewende). The Energiewende implies structural changes of the energy system by deploying Renewable Energy (and energy [...] Read more.
The economic impacts of the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) are of considerable importance for the discussion of the energy transition in Germany (Energiewende). The Energiewende implies structural changes of the energy system by deploying Renewable Energy (and energy efficiency) Technologies (RET), but it also may induce structural changes for the overall economy, with uneven effects on a sub-national level. North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) is an ideal case to study such regional disparities, since this federal state has scarce per-capita renewable energy sources, whereas it stands out for its energy intensive industry and fossil-fuel based power plants. In order to support renewable energy policies, mostly gross impact assessments of RET deployment have been carried out both on national and regional levels. By definition, such analyses result in positive assessments, since only expansionary effects resulting from additional demand for RET are accounted for. This paper, in contrast, presents a net impact assessment of the EEG on the NRW economy of both expansionary and contractionary effects. The latter consist of negative income effects, increased production costs and, the crowding-out of conventional energy due to the renewable energy financing mechanism (i.e., electricity surcharge), as well as its preferential status for feed-in. Our findings show how North-Rhine Westphalia, with regard to the operation of RET, suffers disproportionally from negative effects in relation to the value addition of its economy in comparison to the rest the country, whereas it benefits marginally from the production of such facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art and Applications of Renewable Energies in Europe)
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28 pages, 1680 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Italian Cities: The Added Value of Biomethane from Organic Waste
by Federica Cucchiella, Idiano D’Adamo and Massimo Gastaldi
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(11), 2221; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112221 - 30 May 2019
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 3739
Abstract
This work focuses on the profitability of biomethane plants and the environmental benefits obtained recovering the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Italy. The economic model is based on the calculations of the net present value, considering multiple capacities of biomethane production [...] Read more.
This work focuses on the profitability of biomethane plants and the environmental benefits obtained recovering the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Italy. The economic model is based on the calculations of the net present value, considering multiple capacities of biomethane production (ranging from 50 to 500 m3/h) and alternative scenarios based on the variation in subsidies, the selling price of biomethane, and the net revenues from the treatment of organic waste. The environmental analysis quantifies the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions obtained by natural gas vehicles fueled by biomethane. The economic and environmental results encourage energy change that can be achieved by municipalities that support the transformation of natural resources into green fuels. Across 15 Italian municipalities, the potential biomethane production varies from 80.4 million m3/year to 102.8 million m3/year, with an overall net present value ranging from 135 to 187 million €. In addition, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions varies from 127 to 162 thousand-ton CO2eq/year. Both the economic and environmental results demonstrate that biomethane is a renewable resource with added value for municipalities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art and Applications of Renewable Energies in Europe)
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19 pages, 3447 KiB  
Article
A Resource-Based View of Competitiveness in the Wind Energy Sector: The Case of Gran Canaria and Tenerife
by Francisco Santana-Sarmiento, Francisca Rosa Álamo-Vera and Petra De Saá-Pérez
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 1263; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9061263 - 26 Mar 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4899
Abstract
This paper proposes a new model to assess the socio-economic potential of two outermost islands of the EU to exploit their resources and capabilities for the sustainable development of the wind energy sector. To that end, a territory competitiveness index is calculated from [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a new model to assess the socio-economic potential of two outermost islands of the EU to exploit their resources and capabilities for the sustainable development of the wind energy sector. To that end, a territory competitiveness index is calculated from the resource-based view to assess the socio-economic potential of renewable energy sources in Gran Canaria and Tenerife. We propose a model where local resources and capabilities in the wind energy industry are measured, taking into account different sources of information and methodologies, thus ensuring a rigorous process in the index calculation. In order to quantify the basic resources, for example, a methodology based on a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) with a geographic information system (GIS) is suggested, with the objective of obtaining an indicator called “index of available territorial resources." This index synthesizes the map information through a numerical value that allows integrating the territory resource with other indicators of the model, such as market growth, innovative behavior, firms’ concentration, or investment effort by the government. The results of the study show that capabilities development is a key factor to exploit the islands resource endowment in order to achieve a competitive advantage in wind energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art and Applications of Renewable Energies in Europe)
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