Chapter 2

Renewable Energy: Resources

and Technologies

Ludger Eltrop

Renewable energy or regenerative energy technologies attract an enormous

attention today. New technologies, new projects and new energy stakeholder
groups are emerging everywhere. Countries, regions and cities are competing
about the top range in energy rankings. Where does this movement come from and
which role can renewable energy technologies take in a given energy system?
There are three main arguments. First, renewable energies are—ex ante—
considered to be ‘green’, advantageous and beneficial. And this is in fact true. The
term ‘renewable’ points out the main feature of these technologies: the inex-
ploitable and regenerative nature and availability of the underlying energy
resource in human dimensions. It also implies the important role of renewables for
greenhouse gas mitigation. Second, the use of the mostly regional renewable
energy resources leads to the expectation of an increasing regional added value
and high yields for local stakeholders, administrations and people and the devel-
opment of high technology innovations for the regional economy and business.
And third, there is such a high number of different renewable energy technologies
available that we can also speak of a reliable and projectable energy resource: even
when the wind is not always blowing and the sun is not always shining, the
portfolio of the different renewable energies allows a reliable supply with energy.
All arguments are valid. There are numerous project examples, and there is
widespread proof that both the vast resource potential of renewables and the
economic and other benefits for the regional economies are coming true. However,
today we also have to realize that the implementation of renewable energy tech-
nologies may have ambiguous, if not negative effects. This has become evident,
for example, in the area of biofuel production through the largely practiced con-
version of natural habitats into heavily exploited agriculture land or low green-
house gas mitigation effects, in the area of wind energy through the transformation

L. Eltrop (&)
Institute for Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER),
University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
e-mail: [email protected]

T. Jenssen (ed.), Glances at Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 15

Green Energy and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-5137-1_2,
 Springer-Verlag London 2013
16 L. Eltrop

of formerly less intense used land into ‘energy production sites’ or in the area of
special geothermal energies through the activation of geological pores with the
‘fracking’ method.
There are, in fact, many different effects associated with the use of renewable
energies. The question truly arises whether all renewable energy technologies are
sustainable per se and how sustainability of renewable energies can be measured
under the many partly contradictory frame conditions.
However, these factors contributing to the overall performance of renewable
energies have to be evaluated intensively and with care. Not all factors are con-
tributing in the same way. The different technologies and utilization pathways
have very different characteristics and conclusively very different degree of
sustainability.
The following chapter attempts to provide an integrated, holistic view on
renewable energy technologies, taking into account a number of indicators and
parameters.

2.1 Energy resources

All renewable energy technologies are based on three principles and base energy
resources (see Fig. 2.1 and [1]).

Fig. 2.1 Base energy resources, technologies and provision pathways for renewable energy
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies 17

1. Solar radiation is the primary of the thermonuclear conversion of elements in

the sun. This is the main renewable energy resource and responsible for the
majority of energies on earth. The solar radiation is also responsible for the
existence of most forms of life. Based on this source, we distinguish two groups
of technologies: the direct solar energy technologies, such as photovoltaics, and
solar thermal energy technologies, which are based on using the solar beams of
the radiation directly. Wind, hydro or wave energy technologies, in turn, are
indirect outcomes of the solar radiation making use of the transformed energy
in the form of wind or the water cycle and water movement. Even bioenergy
is—through the process of photosynthesis—an indirect solar resource, often
characterized as stored solar energy.
2. The movement of the planets and gravitation is responsible for the tide and the
corresponding power plants based on utilizing the movement of water in the
oceans.
3. Thirdly, the radioactive decay of materials in the earth’s crust such as uranium
and potassium and the remaining heat from earth formation are the original and
basic energies to supply and drive the heat source in the earth, commonly
known as geothermal energy. Here, also various forms of energy resources, for
example, the heat of underground water or of geological rock formations and
technologies (heat exchangers, heat and power plants, etc.) are summarized
under the expression ‘geothermal energy’.
All of this energy (technologies) can be converted either directly into a useful
form of energy, for example, heat or electricity, or can be converted into a sec-
ondary energy carrier (liquid, solid or gaseous fuels) to be then converted into
‘heat’, ‘electricity’ and ‘work’ as the useful energy through mostly thermal con-
version (combustion). Figure 2.1 describes these different forms of energy and
transformation pathways in a conclusive manner.
‘Renewable energy’ is a quite broad and undifferentiated term used for both, the
energy resources and the renewable energy technologies. At a more strict level,
both terms need to be differentiated: the term ‘renewable energy resource’ as an
expression for the material and the energy carrier (such as wood, wind, solar
radiation or water) and the term ‘renewable energy technology’ for the appliance
and the converting technology or power unit.
In 2012, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group
established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 with the task to give scien-
tific proof for the causes and effects of climate change, published a remarkable
report on ‘Renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation’ [2]. In this
report, the renewable energy technologies are characterized, their development
over the years are analysed, and they are evaluated and benchmarked against the
target of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions on a worldwide scale. For this
evaluation, a number of indicators were chosen, mainly the energy potential, the
contribution to energy generation, the emission of greenhouse gases, but also
economic figures such as generation costs or price levels. These factors can be
18 L. Eltrop

Fig. 2.2 Ranges of global technical potentials of renewable energy sources ([2, 3], p. 39)

seen as suitable factors or indicators to describe the role and effect of renewable
energy technology in a given energy system. They should allow, when monitored
over a period of time, to estimate the contribution to the various aspects of energy
provision, environmental integrity and socio-economic effect—in one word, for
the sustainability of the renewable energy development.
With respect to the energy potential, clearly the direct use of solar radiation
shows the highest value (see Fig. 2.2). On the basis of primary energy, this
resource (with a potential range between 1.575 and 49.837 EJ/yr) is outbalancing
the present global primary energy demand (of 492 EJ) by an order of magnitude.
Wind energy (with a range between 85 and 580 EJ), geothermal energy (between
118 and 1.109 EJ/yr.) and ocean energy (between 7 and 331 EJ/yr) for electricity
production show a potential in the range of and even considerably higher than the
present electricity demand (of 61 EJ/yr). Hydropower has a very distinct potential
(52 EJ/yr) in the same range than the present electricity demand. For heat pro-
vision, geothermal energy has a potential (range) which will most likely meet the
present global demand for heat. Clearly, the uncertainty in potential, here
expressed as the range, is very high with the less developed technologies such as
geothermal and ocean energy, compared to the more developed technologies like
biomass, wind energy and especially hydropower.
The share of the global renewable energy compared to the overall energy use in
the world is presently at around 16.7 % [4]. It is mainly dominated by the use of
biomass, particularly in traditional form and often with a low efficiency. Hydro-
power has the second largest share in this portfolio, constituting the base renew-
able energy form for many countries such as in China, Canada, Brazil or India and
Vietnam.
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies 19

Fig. 2.3 Ranges of GHG emissions per unit energy output (MJ) from major modern bioenergy
chains and conventional fossil fuel energy systems ([2, 3 p. 52])

2.2 Contribution to GHG Emission Reduction

When compared in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energy

systems show a particular but differentiated picture ([2], see Fig. 2.3).
The comparison of the GHG emissions, based on a life cycle approach, shows
that all renewable bioenergy technologies have lower life cycle emissions than the
conventional fossil-based technologies. The range of emissions, however, shows a
high variation and bandwidth, representing the different process options within one
technology. The difference between the renewable- and the fossil-based systems is
highest in electricity generation. It is relatively close between biogas and natural
gas or ethanol and gasoline, showing that first-generation biofuels such as bio-
ethanol and plant oils have relatively low effects on the mitigation of GHG
emissions. Likewise, also the other renewable technologies are evaluated and
assessed, for example, direct solar electricity generation ([2, p. 67]).

2.3 The Economics of Renewable Energy

In terms of the economics, the costs for renewable energy generation are still
higher than those for conventional fossil-based energy. For electricity generation,
the IPCC [2] has identified a cost level for conventional energies between 3 and
10 UScent2005 (equivalent to 3.9–13.2 EURcent), per kWh. For bioenergy, the
20 L. Eltrop

range is given at 4–21 (5.8–27 EURcent), for solar electricity between 19 and 37
(25–49 EURcent), for geothermal between 6 and 7 (7.9–9.2 EURcent), for wind
between 8 and 14 (10.5–18.5 EURcent) and for ocean electricity at around 21
UScent2005 (27.7 EURcent) per kWh. Only hydropower generation clearly ranges
with 4 UScent2005 (5.2 EURcent) per kWh in the area of the conventional ener-
gies. For heat generation, biomass and geothermal heat are available at a cost level
comparable to the conventional energies, only the upper range of solar thermal
heat ranges above the level of conventional energies (all data taken from [2]
Fig. 1.9).
All of these numbers represent a short glance at energy costs, respectively
prices, under the present economic and partly specific technical frame conditions.
Depending on the specific economic situation and specifically also the taxation in
each country, and the energy market situation, the price for energy services or a
kWh of electricity may differ considerably from the given energy generation costs.
The costs are also expressed on a global average, which may be true for some
technologies, for example, when based on the (world) oil market, but which may
not reflect the situation for every country or conditions. For example, average
levelized energy generation costs of 5–6 UScents2005 (6.6–7.9 EUR Ct) per kWh
are projected for geothermal electricity generation. This may be true for some of
the high potential geothermal sites such as in the United States, the Philippines,
New Zealand or Iceland, but certainly not for countries like Germany or France,
where high drilling costs under the special geological situation dominate the total
price development and the failure rate is at 20 % or higher; especially the new
‘enhanced geothermal systems’, where the underground reservoir needs to be
stimulated to yield enough energy may have increased investment cost of up to
4.000 US$ (5.280 EUR) per kW, compared to the regular geothermal sources such
as geothermal aquifers, which are in the range of 3.500 US$ (4.620 EUR) per kW
or less.

2.4 Role and Performance of Renewable Energy

Technologies

Renewable energy appliances and technologies are often grouped according to size
and field of application. Accordingly, small-scale appliances for the provision of
energy to individual homes and buildings can be distinguished from (grid based)
medium- or large-scale-sized technologies to provide energy, for example, to
larger districts, cities, industries or even countries. However, renewable energies
are available in any market segment, in the small- and the large-scale technologies,
in electricity and/or heat generation, as well as in fuel generation for mobility and
transport. In the following chapter, only renewables for electricity and heat gen-
eration are considered.
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies 21

2.4.1 Small-Scale Appliances for Energy Provision

to Individual Homes and Buildings

Renewable energy technologies are frequently considered to be ‘small scale’,

‘decentral’ and ‘local’. However, the term ‘decentral’ is ambiguous. Renewables
can also function as ‘central’ technologies. In a district heating network, a biomass
CHP plant, serving the energy needs for many hundred homes, is a ‘central’
technology. It depends on the system boundary or system integration, even on a
personal opinion, whether a technology is considered ‘decentral’ or ‘central’.
Small-scale appliances are considered to be limited to a capacity of 100 kW.
They are well suited to supply energy (heat and/or electricity) for single, individual
apartments, houses and sites. In fact, a high number of technologies are available
in this segment. Besides providing heat or electricity separately, more and more
small-scale appliances can do both, generating heat and electricity, for example, in
cogeneration (micro-gas turbines, stirling engines) or in combinations, such as in
hybrid solar thermal–photovoltaic collectors.
With respect to technology development, the need for downscaling of the size
and capacity of the appliances is a great technical challenge. In Germany, new
built family homes with a high insulation often have very low heating require-
ments below 5 kW heating capacity. The operation hours may go below 4,000 h
per year. Such small-scale systems, also fulfilling high requirements of energy
efficiency, are a big technical and also economic challenge.
With respect to the energy carrier and fuel and the technology type, the tech-
nologies can be divided into three groups.
• solar technologies (photovoltaics, solar thermal collector systems)
• biomass technologies (pellet boiler, wood log boiler, plant oil boiler)
• combined heat and power plants, based on a variety of fuels (fuel cell systems,
stirling engine and micro-CHP).

The main energy technologies in this market segment are characterized in

Table 2.1. The table shows that with small-scale technologies, both electricity and
heat/cold generations are possible. The use of combined heat and power mode in
private households is still unusual, but possible. The combination of technologies,
for example a pellet boiler together with a solar thermal collector, or a PV
installation together with a geothermal heat pump, may yield additional benefits
for household, such as a higher share of renewable energy supply or a self-
autonomy in energy supply. The downscaling of size and costs of the small-scale
technologies is still a technical challenge in, but will certainly show progress in the
next years.
Table 2.1 Technical and economic key characteristics of the main small-scale energy technologies for energy provision to individual houses, buildings and
22

sites
Technology Characteristics and use Economic features and market
Photovoltaics Direct conversion of solar radiation into electricity, Relatively high investment costs at 1,000–2,000 EUR/
fluctuating energy resource kW
No wastes, no residues Generation costs high at 18–45 EURcent/kWh (2012),
Modular from small to large scale but steep decline and technology learning of 20% [6]
Implemented and distributed worldwide with high capacity Energetic amortization between 1 and 3 years [7]
at 91 GW in 2012 [5]
Wind energy converters Direct conversion of wind energy into electricity Investment costs high at 2,000–3,000 EUR/kW
(small scale) No wastes, no residues High generation cost levels at 18–29 EURcent/kWh [9]
highest installed capacity in China and the USA [8]
Attractive for island situations and remote areas
Risk of vibrations and shakings to buildings
Solar thermal collector Conversion of diffuse solar radiation Competitive, well approved and economic technology
systems Modular set-up Market well established
well approved for hot water generation and heating Available from just a few to several thousand Euros
resistance Durability of material against strong solar
radiation necessary. strong solar radiation
Simple and sophisticated systems for households available
Solar-hybrid Combined photovoltaic and solar thermal systems More expensive
PV plus solar thermal Modular Higher maintenance requirements
systems First implementation in Europe and other developed Small market share
countries
Advantage for PV through cooling effect
Heat exchange systems Thermal transfer between media of different temperature Relatively high investment costs
(geothermal, air) Driving energy source from geothermal energy, air or Economic solution with own renewable energy supply
excess heat (e.g. through PV or geothermal energy)
Suitable for low temperature heating systems (underfloor, COP and costs often not as good as expected
wall heating)
(continued)
L. Eltrop
Table 2.1 (continued)
Technology Characteristics and use Economic features and market
Micro-CHP units Electricity generation on a small scale and decentral High investment costs
Large range of fuels from (bio)gas to solid biomass Additional revenues possible through electricity sales
Combination of several units to a cluster and virtual Market penetration still small
networks
Suitable for energy system services
High overall resource efficiency up to 95 %
Pellet and wood fuel Wide range of suitable and advanced technologies available Investment costs still slightly higher
heating boilers High energy efficiency above 90 % Fuel costs for biomass fairly low, further development
Suitable also for very low capacities not clear
Increased particle emissions can be reduced through filters Well-established market
[10] Filters for particulate matter control are becoming
successively available at highly variable costs
starting at 930 US$ per ton of removed PM with a
cyclone [11]
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies
23
24 L. Eltrop

2.4.2 SWOT analysis of the Small-Scale Renewable Energy

Portfolio

All of these renewable energy technologies find their role in specific applications
and frame conditions and show benefits as well as drawbacks. A SWOT analysis,
compiling arguments and indicators on ‘Strengths’, ‘Weaknesses’, ‘Opportunities’
and ‘Threats’ for the service delivery and for future development, may therefore
provide a balanced view of the capacities and potentials of the technologies. For
the small-scale appliances and technologies, the results of such a SWOT analysis
are given in Table 2.2.
The different small-scale energy technologies are suitable for meeting different
requirements, however, at specific costs. Costs for energy services need to be
calculated on an annualized cost basis to be able to compare different technologies
with a different need for investments on one side and fuel costs on the other side.
This cost comparison of the most available technologies for heat provision for a
new, low-energy family house (150 m2) with a heat demand of 57.5 kWh/m2 and
year (45 kWh/m2 9 year for heating and 12.5 kWh/m2 9 year for warm water)
shows a cost range between 16 and 22 EURcent2010 per kWh [11].
The total annual costs of renewable pellet boilers are still slightly higher
(1,700 EUR/a) than conventional gas boilers (around 1,400 EUR/a). Interestingly,
fuel costs are considerably higher for gas boilers (524 EUR/a) than for pellet
boilers (687 EUR/a). In contrast, the share of investment costs is lower. This also
means that the costs for the boiler options with conventional gas are more sus-
ceptible for changes in fuel costs than the renewable biomass boilers. However, the
possible price development cannot be projected clearly for both conventional
natural gas and renewable wood pellets, as too many uncertainties exist. In total,
the renewable heating options often display higher overall costs than the bench-
mark technology, the natural gas boiler. The lower fuel costs in part compensate
for this increase upfront capital costs.

2.4.3 Medium- to Large-Scale Renewable Technology

Options for Heating, Cooling and Electricity
Generation

Many technologies show a better technical and also economic performance (per
unit) at larger scale. This is also the case for renewable energies, particularly for
thermal bioenergy power plants. This is considered the ‘economies of scale’ or the
‘scale effect’. Also for renewable energies, an efficient energy generation is very
important.
Especially bioenergy and geothermal plants therefore often are designed for co-
and polygeneration, meaning to run the plants in combined heat and power mode
(CHP) to product heat, cold and electricity simultaneously. This utilization mode
Table 2.2 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) for small-scale energy technologies for energy provision to individual houses,
buildings and sites
Technology Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Photovoltaics Modular High costs ‘Everybody’s’ technology for small scale Free standing PV power plant
Scalable Fluctuating and and larger power demand, parks use agriculture land
No emissions at operation variable energy Cost reduction and technology learning
generation very likely
Need for backup
capacity
Small-scale wind Clean and efficient Relatively high specific Electricity generation for farms and larger Shaking and vibrations at
energy converters renewable electricity investment costs industrial plants in peripheral regions buildings
generation Fluctuating with wind Suitable for island and remote areas Security concerns
Turbulences in urban Missing standardization
areas affect
efficiency
Solar thermal Modular Fluctuating Ideal for private homes and heating grid No threats !
collector systems Scalable Variable energy systems
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies

Easy installation (Water) storage may be

Well approved needed
Solar hybrid systems See PV and solar thermal Larger area needed to Electricity generation also at low area More complex maintenance
PV plus solar thermal Increased efficiency for PV meet heat demand availability
Heat exchange Enables use of low-grade Coefficient of Ideal for low temperature energy systems Use of non-renewable electricity
systems temperature performance (COP) Use of cheap excess heat as driving force for driving energy
(geothermal, air) Variable sources of driving often low
energy
Micro-CHP units High overall efficiency up High investment costs Electricity generation for self-use Low or unstable heat demand
to 95 % Need for stable and Use for energy system services for system leads to few electricity
Decentral electricity constant energy stabilization generation
generation demand Operation with discharge of heat
energy
Pellet and wood Efficient option for Unclear price Use of regional resources Fine particle emission in urban
heating boilers renewable heating development Reduction in environmental impact areas
25

Safe and reliable through filters

technologies
26 L. Eltrop

has a particular higher overall performance than the energy generation through two
separate processes, one for heat and one for electricity.
For medium to large scale levels of energy services, for example, to a larger
number of buildings or industry units, or even whole cities, several renewable
energy technologies are available, especially biomass and biogas heat and power
plants (biomass CHP), wind energy or geothermal heating and combined heat and
power plants. Also, some of the small-scale technologies (see previous chapter)
like photovoltaics (ground mounted at an industrial or commercial scale), or solar
thermal power plants, can be scaled up to larger units serving the same purpose.
Biomass CHP plants are often using solid (dry) biogenic fuels such as wood
from forests and industry or herbaceous materials like straw or grass from agri-
culture and landscape management. Wood has established as the main energy
carrier. Many plants are found with 10–50 MW combustion boiler capacity, but
also capacities in the range of 100–150 MW are found, for example, in the forest-
rich Scandinavian countries. Unlike the small-scale boiler systems, in the medium-
to larger-scale plants mainly wood chips are used as fuels. Depending on the size
of the biomass plant, 30–150,000 tons of biomass per year has to be provided to
the power plant, which is a real logistical challenge and has to be planned and
organized well. Wood chips allow easy provision pathways and handling and fairly
robust conditions for the combustion unit. Various types of CHP plants are in
operation, most of them with a steam generation cycle and conventional power
unit (turbine and generator). A large group of units are focusing on electricity
generation with condensing boilers and steam generators, and others are more
optimized for heat generation and low temperature levels, for example, through
organic Rankine cycle (ORC) electricity generation systems. Some countries have
expertise in using straw and herbaceous material for combustion or gasification
such as Denmark or Brazil (for using the bagasse of sugar cane). Recently, also
gasification processes for producing a secondary energy carrier in the form of a
‘production gas’ have attracted much interest.
Worldwide around 4.3 EJ of biomass is used in modern technologies in heat or
CHP generation for the building sector [4]. In some countries, biomass is the main
energy source for specific industries, like in Brazil, where biomass accounts for
34 % of final energy consumption in the cement industry and 40 % in the iron and
steel industry [4].
Biogas plants are a special form of bioenergy plants using mainly wet and
easily digestible forms of biomass and biomass residues, such as manure or green
plants from agriculture or landscape management, remainders from food produc-
tion such as trester, or biowaste from households and industry. Biogas plants can
be dimensioned to various scales (50 kW–5 MW), serving for energy provision of
single houses to larger city districts. The biogas can be used in CHP plants either
for electricity (and heat) generation or for producing a high-grade fuel by
upgrading the low-calorific-grade biogas with a heating value Hu at around
5–7 kWh/Nm3, to a high-calorific ‘bio-methane’ and ‘substitute natural gas’
(SNG) with a heating value Hu of up to 11 kWh/Nm3. For both pathways, it is an
interesting option to connect to a district network, either for heat in a district
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies 27

heating (water) network or for biogas in a gas grid. The advantage is that the
biogas can be converted (to electricity) at locations where also the side products
such as heat can be utilized efficiently.
Biogas plants using energy plants, such as maize from agriculture, are thought
to contribute to the competition in the agriculture sector with food production and
are therefore considered less or even non-sustainable.
Biofuels are different forms of (liquid or gaseous) fuels used to power engines
and motors mostly of vehicles or stationary machines. Biofuels are made out of a
large variety of plants and biomass, from energy plants from agricultural land to
wastes from various resources. With a high number of different technologies, the
biomass resources can be converted into secondary or the final product. The
characteristics and corresponding indicators are also manifold and can therefore
not described here in more detail.
Hydropower is the most abundantly used form of renewable energy for gen-
erating electricity worldwide, using the potential difference of water between a
higher and a lower level. Hydropower plants are either using the running water of
streams and rivers without dams (run-off hydropower plants) or using dams to
capture a greater amount of water (conventional hydroelectric or pumped storage
power plants). Dispatchability is a key feature of pumped storage power plants and
has been used for years to fulfil energy systems services in this regard.
Wind energy is developing strongly in recent years. Wind energy shows its
potential through the direct conversion of wind energy into electricity without the
production of waste or detrimental side products. In 2011, around 40 GW of new
wind power capacity was installed worldwide, which is more than for any other
renewable technology, contributing to a global wind capacity of around 238 GW
in 2011 [4]. The annual growth rate of wind power capacity is at around 26 %. The
highest installation of new capacities was in China, followed by the United States,
India, Germany and the U.K. The EU represents 23 % of the global wind energy
market [4]. Most of the installations are onshore in wind-prone areas. Offshore
wind parks are evolving, but at a fairly slow pace due to contraints in imple-
mentation. In order to capture more wind and increase the range of onshore wind
energy, the generators are now often installed at heights of hundred metres and
more with capacities reaching 3–7.5 MW per unit. Through one medium-sized
(2–2.5 MW) wind turbine around 3,400–5,000 MWh of electricity can be pro-
duced (wind speed: 5.5 m/s or more, 1,700–2.000 full load hours) providing up to
4,000 households with renewable electricity for a whole year. Therefore, wind
energy generators are an indispensable element of a renewable energy strategy of
cities, regions and countries.
Geothermal heat and CHP plants receive their energy from the earth’s molten
core that reaches the surface. On the way, this energy heats the ground and earth as
well as underground water sources (aquifers). In some parts in Europe, the tem-
perature increases by around 3 C per 100 m depth. The theoretical potential of
geothermal energy is very large. However, up to now, it has not been used very
extensively, unless very favourite conditions prevail as at some sites in Iceland,
New Zealand, the Philippines or Italy.
28 L. Eltrop

Ideally, the geothermal heat comes to the surface through hot springs like in
many sites in Iceland. However, most resources have to be recovered from sources
several hundreds or even thousands of metres deep in the earth crust. In order to
take advantage from this underground energy source, the heat has to be transported
to the surface by a liquid transport medium. This may be available underground in
the form of steam or hot water (water aquifers) or it has to be pumped from the
surface to the depth, where it heats up, and is then returned to the surface again.
The potential of the heat resource can also be increased by stimulating the geo-
logical site and the heat transfer into the liquid, for example, by hydraulic frac-
turing. These systems are called ‘enhanced geothermal systems’ (EGS).
The heat acquired in this way can then be used directly to heat buildings or
provide heat for other needs, for example, process heat in industry. It is equally
attractive to use geothermal energy for power generation, because it is then available
around the clock. Geothermal power plants could therefore make a major contri-
bution to the base load supply of renewable power. They are, similar to bioenergy,
considered a ‘flexible’ renewable energy, as it can be turned on and off as needed and
thus provide energy system services (ESS). During geothermal power generation,
also large quantities of heat are generated. In the majority of cases, this heat can only
be used by the buildings nearby if they are connected to a local heating network.
A large increase in the numbers of local heating grids is therefore a decisive
prerequisite if the considerable potential of geothermal energy is to be developed.

2.4.4 SWOT analysis of the Medium- to Large-Scale

Renewable Energy Portfolio

The medium- to large-scale renewable technologies are decisive for a low-carbon

and renewable energy system. Each technology has its own role in the system.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for development (SWOT analy-
sis) for the technologies are compiled in Table 2.3.

2.4.5 New, Innovative and Unexplored Renewable Energy

Options and Pathways

The renewable energy sector is developing fast. There are numerous other options
to recover energy from natural and renewable resources. Many of these options are
not lifted or even discovered yet. This is in part due to the economics of these
technologies, which are still more expensive as others. Also, the technologies might
not be developed yet to a full extent. This potential and reservoir has to be dis-
covered and unrevealed yet. In the following chapter, a few of these technologies
are described in brief.
Table 2.3 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) for medium- to larger-scale energy technologies for energy provision to city
districts or larger building units
Technology Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Biomass CHP Well-known and sustainable Low energy density of resource Connecting to a district Sustainable provision of biomass
plants renewable energy provision Higher frequency of transport heating network resource not secured
Options for generation of a needed Gasification technology opens Insufficient access of clients to
diverse range of products new options the heating network puts
(polygeneration) economy at risk
Biogas plants Production of methane as a high Low overall efficiency due to low Upgrading of biogas to a high Risk of high competition to food
value energy carrier heat use value substitute natural production
Potential for electricity and fuel Dependency on energy plants for gas (SNG)
production high share of technology Generation of a valuable
Big variety of resource and transport fuel
substrates available Use of residues and wastes
from industry and
households
Hydropower Well-known and cost-efficient Big intervention in land and Repowering through new Destruction of land and
energy technology environmental integrity turbines brings more environment through new
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies

High potential for electricity necessary for new plants capacity plants
generation More pumped storage systems
Dispatchable technology for ESS
suitable for energy system
services (ESS)
Wind energy Direct conversion to electricity Only at wind-prone sites Backbone of a renewable Impact on birds, flying animals
(onshore and with no wastes Impact on land integrity and energy system and sea life
offshore) High energy yield visibility Conversion to gas (H2, CH4) Shrinking acceptance of
at excess production population for wind turbines
(Power2Gas)
Geothermal Flexible renewable energy High risk of geological, water and Options for low-temperature Geological stimulation and
heating and resource other environmental problems technologies (ORC, ‘fracking’ with high
CHP plants Potential for cogeneration of Higher yields only at very specific Kalina) environmental impact
heat and power (CHP) locations Earthquakes
Option for dispatchable plant Settlings, impact on buildings,
operation etc.
29

Dwindling acceptance
30 L. Eltrop

Ocean energy technologies show a tremendous theoretical potential.

However, they have not been developed to a commercial level yet and are in an
early stage of development. The potential, coming from all forms of ocean energy,
wave, current, tide and thermal energy technologies, provides a vast and very big
energy resource.
It is frequently stated that 0.1 % of ocean energy could provide all of the
world’s energy demand. Several projects and technologies have been developed
and installed yet, from Puerto Rico (deep sea solar thermal power plant) to the
‘Pelamis’ wave energy converter in the Aguçadoura Wave Farm in Portugal to
PowerBuoys projects in Australia and the United States, but a technical and
economic breakthrough has not been seen yet.
Solar thermal power plants with concentrating solar collector systems, usually
known as CSP, are not really new. First, even very big projects (of up to 354 MW)
have been developed in the 1980 in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. However,
CSP plants do not play the role for electricity generation today as possible and as
expected. Solar thermal power plants with concentrated solar power make use of
direct normal irradiance (DNI) and focus the sunlight with lenses, mirrors and
tracking systems to a beam and a receiver system, where the solar energy is
converted through various ways into electricity. The most advanced technologies
are parabolic trough and solar tower systems, which have up to now being built in
various locations worldwide, especially in Spain (Andasol) and also India. Fresnel
and also solar dish systems are other technical options but not equally used today.
Hydrogen as a renewable energy carrier can be produced from various
renewable resources, mainly from electricity through electrolysis. This pathway
has a possibly large potential as high capacities of renewable wind and solar plants
are being built, which may produce electricity at times when it is not used in the
energy system. During these times, this electricity can then be converted into
hydrogen and being used as storage. Together with CO2, this hydrogen can also be
used to generate methane gas (CH4). This pathway is based on the Sabatier pro-
cess, also commonly known as ‘power to gas’ (P2G) technology. Hydrogen can
also be directly generated by micro-algae through an alternative regeneration
pathway for NADH in the photosynthesis. This pathway, however, has no or
marginal technical relevance.
Single energy technologies are not a suitable solution to the energy problems.
All energy technologies, if fossil based or renewable, can only meet the demand
requirements in a combination or portfolio, where each technology has to fulfil
certain rules. In the electricity sector, it is compulsory to equalize the amount of
energy needed (demand) with the amount of energy supply, and the energy inflow
has necessarily to be as big as the energy outflow. In the heat sector this is not
necessarily the case, heat energy in excess is often discarded and wasted without
any use. But in order to save this energy or use it sustainably, a good match of
demand and supply is crucial.
This task can mainly be assured through integrated systems of renewable
energy technologies, for example, in form of ‘combi power plants’, virtual power
plants and networks’ or even large-scale distributed systems like the Desertec
2 Renewable Energy: Resources and Technologies 31

Table 2.4 Overall characteristics of renewable energy technologies

Resource Fluctuating Flexibility and GHG Future Specific
Potential feature dispatchability mitigation cost risk
potential reduction potential
[35 % potential
Solar PV +++ Yes ++ +++ –
Solar warm water +++ Yes +++ & –
Solar CSP +++ Yes Yes +++ +++ –
Hydropower ++ Yes +++ & +
Wind ++ Yes +++ ++ +
Solid biomass + Yes & & ++
Biogas + Yes & & ++
Biofuels & & & ++
liquid biofuels 1st & no yes & & ++
generation
liquid biofuels 2nd ++ no yes ++ + &
generation
Geothermal energy ++ Yes ++ + ++
Ocean energy ++ Yes ++ –
+++ excellent/very high potential
++ good/high potential
+ medium potential
& even distribution of favourable and negative effects
– negative effects

project (www.desertec.org), a large network of solar, wind, biomass and other

renewable energy technology systems across Europe and North Africa.

2.5 Renewable Energy Systems—Benefits, Challenges

and Pitfalls

The present energy system is not sustainable. For the growing world population,
we need more energy and we need more sustainable energy. Renewably energy
systems are therefore the future! They provide the important supply side of sus-
tainable energy systems. Simultaneously, the complementary pillars, energy effi-
ciency and energy savings, have to be developed further.
A paradigm shift from fossil-based system to a renewable energy system is
necessary—and possible. This was shown for the German energy system in a very
detailed investigation [12]. This is not mainly due to a restriction in (fossil) energy
resources; especially with coal and also with natural gas (including the latest
findings on shale gas), the resource base for fossil fuels is still big, and lasting for a
considerable number of years and decades. The argument for a rapid shift towards
renewable energy comes more from the rising carbon (CO2) level in the atmo-
sphere and the successive pollution with greenhouse gases. The constant
32 L. Eltrop

mobilization of carbon from fossil deposits into the atmosphere is the real prob-
lem. Additionally, the shift towards renewables releases the real local and regional
strengths of the different world regions. This can be solar energy in the desert
regions, wind and ocean energy at the coastal zones, or bioenergy in the more
central continental zones of the temperate and (sub)tropical regions. This shift will
also mobilize the regional economic potentials and will trigger the innovation and
development process of the countries.
It can be stated that eventually not just one renewable technology will solve the
energy problem, it is always a matter of a technology mix and an energy portfolio.
Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, its opportunities, even some-
times threats. These overall characteristics of renewable energy technologies are
described in Table 2.4 in a qualitative, recapitulatory way.

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