
More than two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered with water [1]. The upper and inner surfaces of this massive water are fit for exploiting its untapped potential to meet the increasing energy demand of mankind and the energy trilemma as well. This point is less pronounced and has been neglected by the humanity. The floating energy hub based on multi-renewable energy systems, hereafter floating energy hub, is the keyword to address the mentioned issue, which we covered in the previous article.
This issue is especially prominent for energy systems of coastal cities since they are more susceptible to extreme weather events such as typhoons and usually have more ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets than many other cities and the land scarsity issue [6].
The proposed floating energy hub by this study consists of the floating photovoltaic (FPV), floating/offshore wind turbines, floating battery storage system (FBSS), and underwater hydrogen storage system. From the supply, dispatch, demand, and storage sides, the proposed design of the floating energy hub utilize and harnesses solar power and wind power for supplying the cheapest form of electricity, narrows the gap between supply and demand thanks to its geographical freedom (floating/offshore installation) and proximity to the location of demand or load center. Hence, it results in saving time and cost in the dispatch section. It also exploits the potential of the upper and inner surfaces of water for energy storage, e.g. FBSS and underwater hydrogen storage on the upper surface and below the surface respectively. Finally, the floating energy hub uses electricity and hydrogen as energy carriers.
Therefore, to meet the energy trilemma, solar and wind power as the two cost-effective forms of power generation and CO2 emission reduction with seasonal behavior are able to counterbalance each other to a certain extent during the seasonal load [3, 14-16]. Then, FPV goes well with the floating wind turbines in the floating energy hub so that they provide flexibility and resilience in the supply section. Moreover, the considered energy storage systems bring a lot more demand flexibility in the energy system. Figure 1 shows the Energy Hub Sea concept in which the hub is intended to be equipped with a self-sufficient energy system that is renewable energy-based and independent from external fuel deliveries [17]. It was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research program which is located at Helgoland in the North Sea.
Thanks to its offshore installation, the floating energy hub reduces the ecological and biodiversity concerns and eventually the environmental impacts related to the terrestrial ones. Thus, the floating energy hub not only meets the energy trilemma but also rectifies the side effects on the environment.
Did you know?
Solar Edition publishes the top 10 solar panels monthly since 2019. In addition to this, we also publish a top 10 72 cells solar panels for industrial-scale every quarterly (Q1,2,3,4).
Reference [for the website]
- Favre-Perrod P. A vision of future energy networks. In 2005 IEEE power engineering society inaugural conference and exposition in Africa; (pp. 13-17). IEEE, 2005.
- Krause T, Andersson G, Fröhlich K, Vaccaro A. Multiple-energy carriers: modeling of production, delivery, and consumption. Proceedings of the IEEE; 99(1):15-27, 2010.
- Soloot HE, Agheb E, Soloot AH, Moghadam S. A SWOT Analysis of Two Protection Strategies Due to the Expansion of Renewable Distributed Generation on Distribution Network. In 2020 15th International Conference on Protection and Automation of Power Systems (IPAPS) (pp. 49-52). IEEE, 2020.
- IEA (2020), Renewables 2020, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2020.
- Badran O, Mekhilef S, Mokhlis H, Dahalan W. Optimal reconfiguration of distribution system connected with distributed generations: A review of different methodologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; 73:854-67, 2017.
- Jing R, Lin Y, Khanna N, Chen X, Wang M, Liu J, Lin J. Balancing the Energy Trilemma in energy system planning of coastal cities. Applied Energy; 283:116222, 2021.
- Halmschlager V, Hofmann R. Assessing the potential of combined production and energy management in Industrial Energy Hubs–Analysis of a chipboard production plant. Energy, 226:120415, 2021.
- IRENA, Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi, 2020.
- Scheidel A, Sorman AH. Energy transitions and the global land rush: Ultimate drivers and persistent consequences. Global Environmental Change; 22(3):588-95, 2012.
- Gasparatos A, Doll CN, Esteban M, Ahmed A, Olang TA. Renewable energy and biodiversity: Implications for transitioning to a Green Economy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; 70:161-84, 2017.
- De Marco A, Petrosillo I, Semeraro T, Pasimeni MR, Aretano R, Zurlini G. The contribution of utility-scale solar energy to the global climate regulation and its effects on local ecosystem services. Global ecology and conservation; 2:324-37, 2014.
- Walston Jr LJ, Rollins KE, LaGory KE, Smith KP, Meyers SA. A preliminary assessment of avian mortality at utility-scale solar energy facilities in the United States. Renewable Energy; 92:405-14, 2016.
- Amin I, Ali ME, Bayoumi S, Oterkus S, Shawky H, Oterkus E. Conceptual design and numerical analysis of a novel floating desalination plant powered by marine renewable energy for Egypt. Journal of marine science and engineering; 8(2):95, 2020.
- Razavi SE, Rahimi E, Javadi MS, Nezhad AE, Lotfi M, Shafie-khah M, Catalão JP. Impact of distributed generation on protection and voltage regulation of distribution systems: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; 105:157-67, 2019.
- Paliwal P, Patidar NP, Nema RK. Planning of grid integrated distributed generators: A review of technology, objectives and techniques. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews; 40:557-70, 2014.
- Heide D, Von Bremen L, Greiner M, Hoffmann C, Speckmann M, Bofinger S. Seasonal optimal mix of wind and solar power in a future, highly renewable Europe. Renewable Energy; 35(11):2483-9, 2010.
- Wittmann F, Schmitt C, Adam F, Dierken P. Evaluation of the energy demands for a floating O&M-hub. Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy; 1:1-7, 2021.
———-***———-
Source: All references are brought in the website article.
Photo:@ we mention sources of photos here
……………
‘Copyright ©️ Solar Edition, All rights reserved. Copyright of referenced material goes to the creator of the referenced content’