Fundamentals of

Renewable Energy

Mohammad Sadegh Valipour

Aims

 Introduction to the concepts of renewable energies

 Acquire knowledge in various forms of renewable energy
 Introduction to power and heat cycles in renewable energy
applications
 Introduction to the concepts of heat transfer, radiation and
Convection
 Introduction to renewable systems, for example, solar collectors and
heat analysis of these systems
References

• Fundamentals and Applications of Renewable Energy by Mehmet

Kanoglu
• Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes by Aldo Vieira da Rosa
• Advanced Thermodynamic by Bejan
• Thermal Radiation Heat Transfer by Howell
• Heat Transfer by Holman
• Solar Engineering of Thermal Process by Duffie and Beckman
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Renewable Energy

Why Renewable Energy?

 To meet its energy needs, the world community currently depends

heavily on fossil fuels that are nonrenewable and unfriendly to the
environment.
Total global energy supply in 2017 was 589 Quad Btu, which is
equivalent to 5.6 × 10e17 kJ.

Figure 1-1
Percentages of global energy use by end-use sectors
in 2017 (EIA, 2018).
Why Renewable Energy?
 Fossil fuels accounted for 82.7 percent (27.1% coal, 33.4% oil, 22.2%
natural gas) of this total energy production.
 Renewable energy (including hydroelectric power), which is
environment-friendly and can be harvested indefinitely, was
responsible for 12.7 percent of the total energy supply globally.
 Nuclear power supplied the remaining 4.6 percent of the total
energy supply.

Figure 1-2
Percentages of total world primary energy supply
by fuel in 2017 (EIA, 2018).
Why Renewable Energy?

 Renewables are currently the fastest-growing energy source in the

world.
 Depletion and emission concerns over fossil fuel use and increasing
government incentives can cause even higher growth in the use of
renewables in the coming decades.
 The fastest-growing renewable sources are solar and wind.
 The installed wind capacity has increased from 18 GW in 2000 to
539 GW by the end of 2017.
 The solar power capacity has increased by 97 GW in 2017 bringing
the global capacity to over 400 GW.
Why Renewable Energy?

The installed capacity of hydropower exceeds 1250 GW worldwide.

Hydroelectric, geothermal, and wind power generation technologies are
able to compete with fossil fuel–based electricity generation
economically, but solar electricity generation is still expensive. However,
steady decreases in solar electricity cost combined with increased
government incentives are likely to help wider use of solar electricity in
the coming years.
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion
Fossil fuels have been powering industrial development and the
amenities of modern life since the 1700s, but this has not been without
undesirable side effects. Pollutants emitted during the combustion of
fossil fuels are responsible for smog, acid rain, and numerous other
adverse effects on the environment. Environmental pollution has
reached such high levels that it has become a serious threat to
vegetation, wildlife, and human health. Air pollution has been the cause
of numerous health problems including asthma and cancer. But this
fossil fuel–based economy is not sustainable since the estimated life of
known reserves is limited. Therefore, the switch to renewable energy
sources is inevitable. Figure 1-3
Greenhouse gases, like those belched out by
many industrial smokestacks, are among
the most potent causes of climate change.
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion
The combustion of fossil fuels produces the following undesirable
emissions:
 CO2 primary greenhouse gas: contributes to global warming
 Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC): cause smog
 Carbon monoxide (CO): toxic
 Sulfur dioxide (SO2): causes acid rain
 Particulate matter (PM): causes adverse health effects

 Notice from this emissions list that CO2 is different from the other
emissions in that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and a natural product of
fossil fuel combustion while other emissions are harmful air
pollutants.
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion

Figure 1-4
Sources of Carbon Monoxide Emissions
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion

Figure 1-5
Sources of Sulfur Emissions
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion

Figure 1-6
Sources of Nitrogen Oxides Emissions
Consequences of Fossil Fuel Combustion
The concern over the depletion of fossil fuels and pollutant and
greenhouse emissions associated with their combustion can be tackled
by essentially two methods:

1- Using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric,

biomass, and geothermal to replace fossil fuels.
2- Implementing energy efficiency practices in all aspects of energy
production, distribution, and consumption so that less fuel is used while
obtaining the same useful output.
Renewable Energy Sources
The main renewable energy sources include solar, wind, hydro,
biomass, and geothermal. Energy sources from the ocean, including
ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), wave, and tidal, are also
renewable sources, but they are currently not economical and the
technologies are still in the experimental and developmental stage.
An energy source is called renewable if it can be renewed and sustained
without any depletion and any significant effect on the environment. It
is also called an alternative, sustainable, or green energy source. Fossil
fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, on the other hand, are not
renewable, and they are depleted by use. They also emit harmful
pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Renewable Energy Sources
Figure 1-7
Renewable energy
Renewable Energy Sources
The best-known renewable source is solar energy. Although solar
energy is sufficient to meet the entire energy needs of the world,
currently it is not used as extensively as fossil fuels because of the low
concentration of solar energy on earth and the relatively highcapital
cost of harnessing it.

Figure 1-8
Solar energy
Renewable Energy Sources
The conversion of kinetic energy of wind into electricity via wind
turbines represents wind energy, and it is one of the fastest-growing
renewables as wind turbines are being installed all over the world.

Figure 1-9
Wind energy
Renewable Energy Sources
The collection of river water in large dams at some elevation and then
directing the collected water into a hydraulic turbine is the common
method of converting water energy into electricity. Hydro or water
energy represents the greatest amount of renewable electricity
production, and it supplies most of the electricity needs of some
countries.

Figure 1-10
Tidal energy
Renewable Energy Sources

Geothermal energy refers to the heat of the earth. High-temperature

underground geothermal fluid found in some locations is extracted, and
the energy of the geothermal fluid is converted to electricity or heat.
Geothermal energy conversion is one of the most mature renewable
energy technologies. Geothermal energy is mostly used for electricity
generation and district heating. Organic renewable energy is referred
to as biomass, and a variety of sources (agriculture, forest, residues,
crops, etc.) can be used to produce biomass energy. Biomass is
becoming more popular with the help of the variety of available
sources.
Figure 1-11
Geothermal energy
Renewable Energy Sources
Wave and tidal energies are renewable energy sources, and they are
usually considered as part of ocean energy since they are available
mostly in oceans. Thermal energy of oceans due to absorption of solar
energy by ocean surfaces is also considered as part of ocean energy, and
this energy can be utilized using the OTEC system. Wave and tidal
energies are mechanical forms of ocean energy since they represent
potential and kinetic energies of ocean water.
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be used to store renewable
electricity. It is still a developing technology, and many research
activities are under way to make it viable. Fuel cells convert chemical
energy of fuels (e.g., hydrogen) into electricity directly without a highly
irreversible combustion process, and it is more efficient than
combustion-based conversion to electricity
Renewable Energy Sources

All renewable energy sources can be used to produce useful energy in

the form of electricity and some renewables can also produce thermal
energy for heating and cooling applications. Wind and water energies
are converted to electricity only while solar, biomass, and geothermal
can be converted to both electricity and thermal energy (i.e., heat).
Electricity

Electricity is the most valuable form of energy. Fuels cannot directly

replace it because the vast majority of devices, equipment, and
appliances operate on electricity. Electricity is produced in power
plants by burning coal, oil, and natural gas and in nuclear power
stations. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal,
and hydro are also used to produce electricity.

Figure 1-12
Electricity production
Electricity

The contribution of renewable electricity is expected to increase in the

coming years, but the incorporation of wind power and solar power
into the grid involves some irregularities and uncertainties due to
changing wind and solar conditions on hourly, daily, and seasonal basis.
This requires a more flexible electrical grid system than the existing
conventional system in order to accommodate the inconsistent supply of
renewable electricity. This new grid system is called a smart grid, which
is an important area of research and development for electrical
engineers.
Energy storage
Energy storage systems also help to deal with the irregularities of wind
and solar electricity generation. Several techniques for storing energy
have been suggested, but the two most common types are batteries and
pumped storage. The former is well known since we all use
rechargeable batteries in our cars, portable computers, cell phones, and
other electronic devices. The latter involves pumping water “uphill”
from a lower reservoir to a higher one when excess power is available,
and then reversing the process (“turbining”) when electricity demand is
high. As more renewable energy sources go online, the need for such
energy storage systems is also expected to grow significantly.

Figure 1-12
Energy storage