An interdisciplinary approach to designing

sustainable bio-energy systems

Jonathan D. Nixon
Sustainable environment research group

Introduction

The interdisciplinary use of engineering (design analysis,

experimentation and simulation) and management (decision science
and economic modelling) philosophies to advance sustainable energy

systems.

Case examples
-

Hybrid solar-biomass power plants

Energy recovery from municipal solid waste

Content

Hybrid solar-biomass systems

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods
- Technology selection

- Product development

Status of municipal solid waste and energy services in India

- Options for energy recovery from MSW in India

A hybrid solar-biomass power plant

Steam
Turbine

The suns
rays are
captured in
a solar field
to generate
steam

Solar
Thermal
Field

Through the use of a

steam turbine and
chiller, electricity,
heat and ice are
produced
Electrical

Biomass
Boiler
Absorption
Chiller

Ice
Reject Heat

Biomass is burnt to
supplement the solar
field at night and
during cloudy days

Solar thermal technologies

Research questions
What is the appropriate technology?
Can we improve the design?
Is a hybrid plant feasible?

With the increasing complexity of sustainable energy systems, so

does managing all the required decisions.
System failures are often down to the inappropriate selection of
technologies, suppliers, capacities, etc.

Solar thermal technologies. Continued

Plataforma Solar de Almeria

Andasol 1 Andalusia

MASDAR City

Multiple criteria

Technical

Economic

Environmental

Pressure tolerance

Capital costs

Land usage

Temperature tolerance

O&M costs

Slope tolerance

Chemical compatibility

Water usage

Reliability

Scalability

Availability
Optical efficiency
Collector efficiency
Concentration ratio

Technology selection

Structured multi-criteria decision-making techniques such as the

Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) provide a holistic approach to
analysing complex decisions.

Uses quantitative (site visits and literature reviews) and qualitative

data (interviews with stakeholders/experts) to make a selection

The linear Fresnel reflector technology was indicated as the preferred

solar thermal collector for generating electricity in India.

Technology development
Working in Gujarat, India on linear Fresnel reflector prototypes
Cost-exergy optimisation of linear Fresnel reflectors to maximise
power output, operational hours and minimise costs

Solar Rays

Receiver
Tower

Mirror elements

Novel technologies
AHP
results
HOWS / Technical Requirements
Degree of Importance

WHATs /
Customer
Requirements

Relationship Matrix

Technical Priority

Pugh selection matrix

Concept selection

Competitive
Assessment/
Final
Overall
Weighting

Technology applications

Best application of a hybrid plant depends on the design priorities of a

plant

Electricity generation
Tri-generation
Process heat
Decision making techniques can be applied to optimise trade-offs
plant efficiency, levelized unit energy costs, payback periods, energy
security and biomass saving.

Hybrid plant comparison with biomass-only

Hybridization increased levelised costs by 2-5 /kWh.
Reduced biomass and land usage by 1429%.
For the hybrid plant case studies it was observed that a 1.2 3.2
times cost increase in biomass would have resulted in comparable
levelised energy costs with biomass-only operation.
In 1996 rice husk cost 420 $/tonne
In 2011 cost 3060 $/tonne
The printing factory (case 6) reports that
their bio-bricks have increased from 16 to
100 $/tonne in the last 6 years

Municipal solid waste in India

India produces 100 million tonnes per annum of solid waste

70 % collection efficiency
90 % of which goes to unsatisfactory landfill
400 million people without access to electricity in India

Waste facilities in the UK

Incinerators, recycling and landfill in the UK

Technologies used in Europe may not be

suitable for India

Options for energy recovery from MSW in India

Comparison of options for energy recovery from MSW in India

Alternatives
Landfill, Anaerobic Digestion, Incineration, Pelletisation and Gasification

Technical

Environmental

Risk

Financial

Social

Energy

Emissions

Establishment

Capital cost

Visual

Content

Volume

Retention

Generation

impact

Net Output

Reduction

Time

cost

Noise

O&M

pollution

Parasitic Loads
Pre-Treatment

The Analytical Network Process

Technical
Energy Content
Net Output
Parasitic Loads
Pre-Treatment

Alternatives
Landfill
AD
Incineration
Pelletisation
Gasification

Environmental
Emissions
Volume
Reduction

Financial
Capital cost
Generation
cost
O&M

Risk
Establishment
Retention Time

The ANP structure helps to identify all relevant criteria, facilitate the development of

criteria weightings and incorporate dependencies between criteria attributes.

The ANP results

A combination of AD and gasification for electricity generation from
MSW should be the focus for municipalities, policymakers,
entrepreneurs, investors and plant developers in India.

Pelletisation and landfill with gas recovery are considered to be

unfavourable for managing MSW in India.

There is a potential for modern-day state-of-the-art incineration

plants in India.

Conclusions
The effective utilisation of multi-criteria decision-making tools is
becoming increasingly important to manage the growing complexity
of sustainable energy systems.

They have enabled better and more informed recommendations to

be made on alternative technologies for generating energy in India.

The AHP and ANP methodologies can be adopted by decision

makers in the worldwide energy sector to minimise risk and ensure

sustainability in project planning

Thank you for your attention

Jonathan D. Nixon