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When simulating and optimizing urban energy systems, the focus is usually on minimizing financial costs or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As energy systems transition towards a growing share of renewable energy sources and technological complexity, environmental impacts that affect more than just GHG emissions, such as resource extractions, water and land use impacts or impacts on human health, are becoming increasingly relevant.
To address this gap, this thesis introduces an automated coupling procedure for energy system modeling (ESM) and life cycle assessment (LCA). The implementation includes general recommendations and a practical coupling of the Open Energy Modelling Framework (oemof) based Spreadsheet Energy System Model Generator (SESMG) with a suitable LCA software.
The LCA procedure involves goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. To adapt these steps to different energy system models, the LCA should be attributional, process-based and territorial. Further, the openLCA software by Green-Delta serves as a suitable soft-linking tool. The main challenge of the coupling procedure is the inventory analysis. Data collection faces limitations, reasoned by the commercialization and high maintenance efforts in open-source databases. After evaluating free databases, the Prozessorientierte Basisdaten für Umweltmanagement-Instrumente (ProBas) database of the Umweltbundesamt emerged as the most suitable choice for the coupling. However, also this database lacks traceability of datasets or compatibility with a comprehensive impact assessment.
A generalized framework for the LCA application of energy systems was developed. The framework is based on an ex-post LCA assessment that considers the combination of the two approaches within every step of the procedure. Main considerations of this framework include automatic calculations of the inventory analysis and the impact assessment for different energy technologies, as well as calculations summed up for all technologies of energy system scenarios. Further, technology mapping and data harmonization are essential considerations for the automatic coupling and double counting of impacts needs to be avoided.
Subsequently, the framework is realized with the adaption of the SESMG. Its database-independent realization allows compatibility with different databases in openLCA. For the selected ProBas database, the tool can be used with different available energy technologies. The use of unit processes is encouraged for data harmonization. Result interpretation of the LCA (in general or with the SESMG) should not solely focus on the absolute values of the impact categories, but rather on the comparative strengths among scenarios and technologies.
The successful application to a reference single-family building using the ProBas database revealed varied environmental impacts, in relation with a higher reduction in GHG emissions, with an increase of 11 % in terrestrial acidification impacts in the emission-optimized scenario. These findings emphasize a more comprehensive perspective on environmental impacts and provide a valuable validation of the developed methodology.
Future research should include the improvement of data harmonization, the inclusion of more datasets for a more customized analysis of energy systems and more applications. The coupled approach offers a promising avenue for gaining deeper insights into optimizing urban energy systems.
Stormwater tree pits with storage elements enable the irrigation of urban trees and can potentially act as decentralized rainwater retention basins. This paper mainly focuses on analyzing this potential. Field tests were conducted to investigate the irrigation behavior and the storage effect of a storm water tree pit system using Perl hoses as irrigation elements over a period of two years.
The rainfall, storage volumes, and soil moisture within the employed planting pit were measured.
With the help of system modeling, the retention ability of the storm water tree pit system was analyzed. The available storage volume was sufficient to irrigate trees for several days. During the measurement period, about 15% of the inflowing rainwater was fed to the root zone of the tree. With practical storage volumes of 200 to 300 m3/ha, a remarkable amount of water from heavy rainfall could be completely stored, thus significantly reducing the risk of flooding. The retention effect and irrigation behavior largely depend on the soil conditions and the technical possibilities of the equipment supplying the root area (in this case, Perl hoses). Further investigations are required to determine the influence on the growth conditions of trees and optimize of the system for discharge into the root zone.
The Educational Journal of Renewable Energy Short Reviews (EduJRESR, formally published as ‘EGU Journal of Renewable Energy Short Reviews’) is a teaching project rather than a regular scientific journal.
To publish in this journal, it is a premise to take part in the master course wind power, hydro power and biomass usage at the department of Energy, Building Services and Environmental Engineering of the Münster University of Applied Sciences.
Students receive an equivalent of 2.5 credit points (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System – ECTS) for their engagement in the course and for publishing a short review article of at most 3 000 words in this periodical. The publication process closely mimics the typical publication procedure of a regular journal.
The peer-review process, however, is conducted within the group of course-participants.
Although being just an exercise, we think that publishing the outcome of this course in a citable manner is not only promoting the motivation of our students, but may also be a helpful source of introductory information for researchers and practitioners in the field of renewable energies. We encourage students to write their articles in English, but this is not mandatory. The reader will thus find a few articles in German language.
To further encourage students practicing English writing, perfect grammar is not part of the assessment.
We especially thank our students for working with LATEX on Overleaf, although LATEX is new to some of them. In this way, the editorial workload was reduced to a minimum. We also thank our students for sharing their work under the creative commons attribution licence (CC-BY). We appreciate their contribution to scientific information, being available to every person of the world, almost without barriers. We also thank the corresponding authors and publishers of the cited work, for granting permission.
Wind energy plays a major role among renewable
energies. Its expansion is therefore important in order
to achieve the climate targets. Repowering is an
important element in the expansion of wind energy.
On the one hand, it offers a solution for many wind
turbines in Germany that are no longer subsidised due
to their age. On the other hand, modern turbines are
significantly more powerful and enable more efficient
land utilisation. This article provides an overview of
the most important aspects of onshore repowering.
There is a lot to consider when repowering wind turbines.
The legal situation for repowering aims to
be improved through simplified authorisation procedures.
Even though efforts are being made by the
government, there is still room for improvement. The
repowering potential is also dependent on the various
distance regulations to residential buildings in
the federal states. These regulations might also be
improved in the future. Another aspect is the remuneration,
which is now closer to market developments
due to the market premium model. It is also subject
to greater competition as a result of the tendering
process. At the same time, interest rates and turbine
prices have risen, which creates economic challenges
for the operators of future wind farms. Last but not
least, repowering also depends on public acceptance.
This is also to be regulated by law in the future.
As Germany aims to increase its utilization of wind
power, the potential threat to bird populations due
to this expansion is a controversial issue. This paper
aims to collect data on the magnitude of bird strikes
on wind turbines, review existing protective measures
and explore innovative solutions. After a thorough
examination of the literature, it was concluded that
although the impact on bird populations is significant,
it may be overemphasized in popular debates. This
statement is not final as further research is necessary
to assess the impact of bird strikes and explore new
solutions. Comprehensive studies on this specific topic
in Germany are limited, which makes a thorough evaluation
challenging. While there are measures in place
to protect species that may be negatively impacted, it
is possible that these measures will not be adequate
for all of them. While several innovative methods
are under examination, progress in testing and implementation
is slow. Lastly, an information problem
was identified. Since the topic is highly politicized
and polarizing, it is crucial to provide the public with
accessible and reliable information on the discussed
themes. This is currently not the case due to a lack
of data and missing information campaigns.
The upscaling of wind turbines has been increasing in
recent years and will continue to play a significant role
in the future, as it allows for the reduction of electricity
generation costs. Various challenges arise when it
comes to upscaling. This article summarizes the technical
challenges associated with upscaling wind turbines
and presenting their problem-solving approaches
and research trends based on other reviews. It was
found that the most frequently cited challenges are
related to individual components, such as rotor blades,
drive train, generator, tower, and noise impact.
For rotor blades, the challenges are increased flexibility,
more aeroelastic vibrations, increased wear,
interferences with radar and transportation difficulties.
Proposed solutions include the use of carbon-fiber
blades, prebending, novel paints, and for transportation,
segmented rotor blades and on-site manufacturing.
In the gearbox, torque increases, leading to
higher weight and susceptibility to errors. As a result,
the trend is moving towards gearless systems with
permanent magnet synchronous generators. Transportation
is the major issue with towers, which can
be resolved with on-site manufacturing. In terms of
noise emission, reducing aerodynamic noise plays the
most significant role.
This paper outlines the three main areas relevant
to dismantling: the rotor blades, hub and nacelle,
the tower and the foundation. The paper discusses
the dismantling procedures, including the removal of
the top structure, the tower and the foundation, and
evaluates various methods of dismantling the tower,
such as modular dismantling, collapse blasting, folding
blasting, wrecking ball demolition and hydraulic
ram demolition. The assessment of these methods
in practice and the potential challenges and considerations
for future dismantling, particularly as wind
turbine heights increase, are also addressed.
This review paper provides an initial overview of the
state of the art of common corrosion protection methods
for offshore wind turbines. The functions of the
individual corrosion protection methods and their
interaction are explained. In addition, the specific corrosion
protection of different zones and components
of an offshore wind turbine will be discussed. Finally,
some information is given on current and possible
future developments in this subject area.
The pursuit of Offshore Wind Energy (OWE), integral
to the German government’s ambitious renewable
energy goals raises concerns about the environmental
impact of noise emissions on marine life. This paper
delves into the theoretical background of Offshore
Wind Turbine (OWT) noise, exploring its various
phases from the survey to decommission. It examines
the types and causes of noise emissions, their effects
on marine wildlife and potential mitigation measures.
Highlighting the regulatory framework in Germany,
the paper emphasises the need for nuanced approaches
to balance renewable energy objectives with marine
ecosystem preservation.