Final Project - Alternative Energy Source

Final Project – Alternative Energy Source

Roger Machado, Wayner Junior

Alternative Energy Source – MET 435

December 4th, 2015

Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281

This paper covers a techno-economic analysis of carious power system components to show more renewable energy and analyze the effect of system-level factors on energy cost and renewable energy penetration. Those analyses are done using HOMER software.

1. Introduction

Through the years we have been facing several energy crises, such as 70’s when a tough energy crises has showed us a critical dependence about fossil fuels. These events happened because the society did not have enough technology to deal with such situation. Therefore, those crises have helped to improve the technology because the necessity to find some solution was essential.

After the situation in 70’s, the photovoltaic system got more attention and, consequently, it got some space about energy generation. However, at that moment, the photovoltaic system was used only for domestic and commercial proposal and until nowadays, the cost of the photovoltaic system must be analyzed.

Thus, the actual paper has the objective to analyze and discuss the costs, performance, effects of renewable energy. Those analyses will be made about one entire building and to support the analysis the software Homer will be used throughout this paper.

2. Description of work

2.1. Objective and object of analysis

The building which will be analyzed is the 65 Lattie COOR Hall in the Arizona State University, it is located in Tempe, Arizona 85281 Unites States, the current latitude and longitude are respectively 33º59’ N and 111º59’ W. The building was built in 2003 and has an area of 282.946 gross swft and its category is academic. From this building, the goal of the analysis will show the actual consumption and costs and then implement a renewable energy source in order to reduce the costs. The implemented renewable energy will be up to 50% of the demanded energy for calculus purposes.

2.2. Data from the building

Getting information from the ‘Campus Metabolism’ website, which monitors the consumption and emissions of the whole Arizona State University buildings, the last year (2014) consumption data of the current building, which vary seasonally, are shown in figure 1 and 2.

Figure 1: Energy Consumption (Campus Metabolism website)

Figure 2: Cooling consumption (Campus Metabolism website)

How is seen in those graphics, the client has a constant consume of electricity during the year, with a high peak that happens during a determined time of the year (Figure 1). However, the demand of energy for the temperature control of its many classrooms shows a load that has to be considered in the calculus of the project (Figure 2). The building is sited in one of the driest and hottest city of the United States, so it demands a larger control of those rooms to bring comfort to the user. The larger and higher peak of the energy consume coincides with the hottest temperature of the summer (July to September) when it demands more cooling of the rooms.

The building is connected with the grid and the provider of such as energy is the Arizona Public Service (APS). The APS service plan considered in this project is the time of use E-35 for those consumers that have a demand of 3,000 kW or more for three consecutive months such as manufacturing plants, large office buildings and shopping malls [Arizona Public Service]. The project will keep the need for the grid energy for attending the whole demand of the client.

A natural gas consumer generator will be considered in this project with a good benefit cost. The consideration of this generator is just for calculus purpose and the choice for one of natural gas consume is because the abundance and government incentives for the use of those fuels when compared with diesel. The natural gas is considered to emit lower CO2 to the atmosphere and has a useful power for heating, cooking, and electricity generation purposes.

Arizona has high average radiation data (Figure 3). Moreover, it is one of the most renewable energy source used by Arizona State University (ASU). The photovoltaic (pv) solar panel is one of the most efficient system that could take that potential to energy generation. Therefore, solar panels will be found in the project with the purpose to produce at least 25% of the demanded energy of the building if it will present a beneficial cost. Batteries will be considered to support the likely energy excess, and an inverter/converter will be used to AC to DC conversion.

Figure 3: Global Horizontal Radiation (HOMER)

The analysis of the viability of the system will be made answering the follows uncertainties:

- What could be more beneficial if the energy consumption around the year changes? The building is one of most used in the Arizona State University and each year the number of students grows, and the thermic load and electricity consume also increase with the number of users of that building. Also, the issues related with climate change may vary the set up of the room temperature control.

- Which will be the best option with the price of the components increases or reduces? The use of renewable sources is directly linked with the government incentives for use of them. Any adjust in the tax of products related for the clean power generation will mean the viability of them.

- If the solar scaled annual average changes, what will this represent to the system? The incident radiation on the earth surface can vary and represents a different average between years.

- How does the grid power or fuel cost affect the optimal system type? The most important and actual scenario is that the cost associated with the energy provided by the APS or the price of the natural gas varies depending on their availability and governmental decisions.

These uncertainty analysis will be made with the use of the HOMER software (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable).