Regional integration of renewable energy systems in Ireland – The role of hybrid energy systems for small communities

Abstract

Due to a lack of indigenous fossil energy resources, Ireland's energy supply constantly teeters on the brink of political, geopolitical, and geographical unease. The potential risk to the security of the energy supply combined with the contribution of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to climate change gives a clear indication of Ireland's need to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels as primary energy source. A feasibility analysis to investigate the available renewable energy options was conducted using HOMER software. The Net Present Cost, the Cost of Energy, and the CO 2 emissions of each potential energy combination were considered in determining the most suitable renewable and non-renewable hybrid energy system. Wind energy was shown to have the greatest potential for renewable energy generation in Ireland:wind energy was a component of the majority of the optimal hybrid systems both in standalone and grid-connected systems. In 2010 the contribution of wind energy to gross electricity consumption in Ireland approximated 10%, and the results of this feasibility study indicate that there is great potential for wind-generated energy production in Ireland. Due to the inherent variability of wind energy the grid-connected system results are particularly relevant, which show that in more than half of the analyses investigating electrical energy demand the incorporation of wind energy offset the CO 2 emissions of the non-renewable elements to such a degree that the whole system had negative CO 2 emissions, which has serious implications for Kyoto Protocol emissions limits. Ireland also has significant potential for hydropower generation despite only accounting for 2% of the gross electricity consumption in 2010. Wind and hydroenergy should therefore be thoroughly explored to secure an indigenous primary energy source in Ireland.

Considerations for choosing appropriate healthcare waste management treatment technologies: A case study from an East Midlands NHS Trust, in England

“…Alternative technologies offer a less costly option than incineration, with a lower environmental impact and a reduction in the volume of residual waste which requires landfilling (Goodbody and Walsh, 2013).…”

Mathematical modeling of hybrid renewable energy system: A review on small hydro-solar-wind power generation

“…This study suggested PV-wind-battery hybrid as a better option. In a similar analysis, Goodbody et al 23 performed the study on integration of renewable energy systems in Ireland. System optimization was carried using HOMER, diurnal and seasonal variation of load was taken into consideration for optimization.…”

A tale of three transitions: a year in the life of electricity system transformation narratives in the Irish media

“…These include economic analyses of the immediate deployment of the smart grid [18], consumer awareness of smart grid [19], smart meters [20], microgeneration [21], the role of smart grids in renewable power integration [22] and high wind power integration in the electricity grid [23]. These studies variously emphasise a cost-benefit analysis of smart grid policy [24], diffusion of innovation models based on Rogers [19,20,25], the optimal (financial and environmental) regional distribution of hybrid energy systems [21], optimal (technical and economic) integration of grid-connected microgeneration technologies at household level [26] and the technical and market challenges for high wind power integration in the grid [22,23]. Where societal engagement is considered, it is largely confined to consumer acceptance/awareness and education [19,24].…”