The research highlights the deficiency of storage facilities and examines the potential of hydrogen as a power source.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 6 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The journal ‘Applied Sciences-Basel’ has recently published an article in which academics at the University of La Laguna investigate a scenario for a wholly renewable energy supply for both the electricity generation sector and road transport within the isolated system of Tenerife. They modelled the energy system of the island using the Energyplan software and concluded that this goal remains unachievable.
The findings suggest that to realise this vision, a renewable energy capacity nearly twenty times greater than the current level would be required, along with a storage capability that is not yet available.
The study’s authors are Itziar Santana Méndez, Óscar García Alonso, and Benjamín González Díaz from the Department of Industrial Engineering.
The ULL notes in a publication that transitioning to sustainable energy systems poses a significant challenge for society.
Among various sectors, road transport stands out as particularly challenging due to its high energy consumption and infrastructure demands.
In this regard, while the adoption of vehicles with zero exhaust emissions is viewed as a promising path, the availability of energy from renewable sources, particularly hydrogen, remains uncertain.
This research represents the initial phase in a programme aimed at assessing different strategies for the decarbonisation of land transport, which accounts for 70% of CO2 emissions within the transport sector across the European Union.
Consequently, Tenerife has been selected as a case study, allowing the results to be applicable to isolated systems with similar characteristics.
Although the advantages of electrifying transport are evident, the potential to diminish overall CO2 emissions is closely linked to the CO2 intensity of the network.
Furthermore, the incorporation of these systems requires careful examination, due to the necessity for significant infrastructure development for recharging and to provide additional electricity demand.
This study meticulously examines the complete decarbonisation of both light and heavy transport on the island, utilising battery and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, in accordance with the roadmap laid out by the Canary Islands Energy Transition Plan (PTECAN 2030).
Renewable Hydrogen
A specific scenario has been established for a fully renewable energy supply that is self-sufficient and reliant solely on renewable sources, complemented by thermal generation with internally produced renewable hydrogen.
To this end, an energy model of the island has been created to analyse how the system should respond concerning the new renewable and storage capacities necessary to achieve the set objectives.
The results show that, while technically achievable, the required deployment of renewable energy would need to reach 6.35 GW, compared to the existing 0.33 GW; and energy storage would need to be 12.01 GWh, which is virtually non-existent.
All these factors signify a “challenge” in both economic and temporal terms for their implementation, according to the researchers.
Building on these findings, the research team is examining alternative approaches, considering, for instance, the import of energy vectors.
These initiatives will provide valuable information for later conducting a detailed techno-economic analysis and proposing a roadmap beneficial to both the public and private sectors for future energy planning.
In fact, the article concludes with a series of recommendations aimed at public authorities to facilitate the transition towards energy decarbonisation.
Reduce Demand
The foremost recommendation is to prioritise minimising energy demand as the primary objective.
Thus, while the results indicate that a completely self-sufficient energy supply could be feasible, the volume of renewable energy required to achieve this is substantial.
This necessitates a significant amount of electricity and extensive energy storage capabilities, which could jeopardise the profitability of renewable producers.
Another suggestion is to emphasise the management of renewable energy sources.
Given the spatial constraints of the island, high enthalpy geothermal resources—which utilise geothermal resources under specific pressure and temperature conditions—emerge as the primary opportunity requiring government backing in the form of financial support during exploration and subsequent exploitation.
The utilisation of imported energy vectors to fulfil internal demands is also advocated.
In this framework, energy vectors such as green fuels could assume a crucial role in transportation.
Their high energy density and compatibility with existing technologies and infrastructure render these renewable fuels an excellent option for reducing the need for renewable energy and storage on the island, although the feasibility of this approach necessitates thorough investigation.
