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The measures needed to limit global warming pose a particular challenge to current fossil fuel exporters, who must not only decarbonise their local energy systems, but also compensate for the expected decline in fossil fuel revenues. One possibility is seen in the export of green hydrogen. Using Algeria as a case study, this paper analyses how different levels of ambition in hydrogen exports, energy efficiency and fuel switching affect the cost-optimal expansion of the power sector for a given overall emissions reduction path. Despite falling costs for photovoltaics and wind turbines, the results indicate that in countries with very low natural gas prices, such as Algeria, a fully renewable electricity system by 2050 is unlikely without appropriate policy measures. The expansion of renewable energy should therefore start early, given the high annual growth rates required, which will be reinforced by additional green hydrogen exports. In parallel, energy efficiency is a key factor as it directly mitigates CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and reduces domestic electricity demand, which could instead be used for hydrogen production. Integrating electrolysers into the power system could potentially help to reduce specific costs through load shifting. Overall, it seems advisable to analyse hydrogen exports together with local decarbonisation in order to better understand their interactions and to reduce emissions as efficiently as possible. These results and the methodology could be transferred to other countries that want to become green hydrogen exporters in the future and are therefore a useful addition for researchers and policy makers. • The required strong capacity expansion for PV and wind is challenging, but feasible. • "Energy efficiency first" benefits both the local energy transition and H2 exports. • Fully renewable power systems require a suitable political framework. • Higher hydrogen exports might help to reduce the specific power system cost. • Fossil capacity expansion must be stopped to avoid lock-ins and higher future costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, wind resource availability was determined by analyzing the meteorological wind energy potential at the hub height of wind turbines. The wind resource potential was identified in specific geographic locations. Technical factors, such as siting requirements and resource availability, were taken into account in the investigation. The economic potential was calculated for each area of Algeria, considering overall losses. Subsequently, the potential for reducing fossil fuel usage was determined through wind to hydrogen estimation. The main components utilized in this work were a Vestas-90 wind turbine (V90–2.0 MW) and an alkaline electrolyzer. The analysis employed a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool. The results demonstrate Algeria's significant potential for wind to hydrogen production, estimated at 1.093 Gt/year without constraints, and reduced to 1.066 Gt/year when considering constraints. The levelized cost of wind to hydrogen production in Algeria varies between 1.51 and 15.37 US $/kg, depending on the chosen wind turbine. The wind to hydrogen production potential identified has the capacity to replace the entire current fossil fuel consumption in the transportation sector, which amounts to 5.28 Mt H 2 /year. The utilization of wind to hydrogen in the transport sector results in a significant reduction of CO 2 emissions, with a calculated avoidance of 45.69 Mt compared to the use of gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen produced from wind energy resources also could be used to support other sectors, including residential, agricultural, and industry in Algeria. • GIS-Based approach is used to evaluate the potential for wind to hydrogen production in Algeria. • The total wind to hydrogen potential in Algeria, when considering constraints, is estimated at 1.066 Gt/year, covering an area of 730,719 km2. • The levelized cost of wind to hydrogen production in Algeria ranges between 1.51 and 15.37 US $/kg, depending on the selected wind turbine (V90–2.0 MW). • The CO 2 emissions avoided in the transport sector are 45.69 Mt compared if the same amount of gasoline and diesel used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a validation by simulation of feasibility analysis for the installation of the ground source heat pump systems that have been proposed the modeling study for use in Algeria. We design and calculate the energy needs of an example building with the COMSOL Multiphysics software and Geo TSOL Basic. The study addresses heating needs for the climate conditions of western Algeria, in one of North Africa's biggest cities. The houses energy needs are assumed to be covered by a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system coupled with solar panels. The GSHP consists of a vertical ground heat exchanger and water-to-water heat pumps and is analyzed using an in-house developed and validated code. Energy consumption was calculated and validated by a simulation of the building's properties. Results show that installation of the ground source heat pump system substantially reduces the building's energy consumption. Finally, an economic analysis of the proposed system for construction practices in Algeria was carried out. The main novelty of this article, being that the study was conducted to seek a solution to reduce the energy bill of a house located in a city of a country Natural Gas Producer. Algeria is one of the 10 largest producers of natural gas in the world. More than 80% of the energy bill of a house located in Algeria, is due to the consumption of gas (Heating, Hot Water and Cooking), the electricity is mainly used in summer for air conditioning. The use of renewable energy will cost more than the use of natural gas. It is for this main cause that renewable energies are struggling to develop in Algeria, the cost of gas is very low. The economic analysis shows that in countries like Algeria, where the cost of conventional energy is heavily subsidized, solar thermal is not competitive with natural gas. It is only by coupling the GSHP with solar collectors that solar can take off and attract households. As a result, the only renewable way to compete with natural gas is the combination of GSHP with solar collectors. The only solution adopted to reduce the energy bill in a house located in Algeria, is the solution presented in this article. This is the first technical–economic study of how a GSHP could contribute to the energy needs of buildings in the city of Tlemcen ALGERIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the best way of energy management. It is an initiation for the improvement of the constructive system in Algeria. Within the framework of the ECO-BAT program, we take a unit from the 80 HEP housing units in Blida as a case study, on which we undertake in-situ measurements and the questionnaire for a subjective evaluation of the thermal environment of the dwellings and the level of awareness among the occupants. This work aims to test the feasibility of the energy solutions adopted for this system by verifying the winter thermal comfort as well as the energy consumed for heating. The solutions of this research will be the support of improvement recommendations for energy management programs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-energy nexus plays a crucial role in addressing the issue of water wasting as well as planning, developing, and optimization of the agricultural product irrigation demands. The objective of this paper is to improve the water and energy use in value crops irrigated by center pivot systems under conventional irrigation planning in southern Algeria. This study is based on the field evaluation of the real water and electrical energy consumption, in two types of center pivot systems, large pivots and traditional Mini-Center Pivot Systems in two different areas (Ouargla and El Oued). Over two years, irrigation campaigns on six pivots systems with six different crops were analyzed to evaluate and characterize their water and electrical energy use. The CROPWAT model was used to determine the crop water requirements and compared with the water volumes currently applied by conventional irrigation planning. The results showed that there was over-consumption of water followed by high electrical energy use due to the poor planning of irrigation, which was generally excessive. In addition, the amount of water applied by conventional irrigation planning and that estimated by CROPWAT do not coincide during the most stages of crop growth. Closer inspection of the results shows that the irrigation water use efficiency for different crops was low and ranged between 0.25 and 3.27 kg/m3 due to the Over-irrigation. Furthermore, the modern pivots presented the most efficient equipment in terms of Energy Use Indicators with 1.1 kW ha−1 while the average of the traditional mini pivots was four times more (4.15 kWh−1). No significant difference was evident between the present specific consumption Es (in the average of 0.274 kWh m−3) and those reported in the literature due to high power installed in the pumping station for Mini-Center Pivot Systems. Therefore, the study findings are expected to draw the attention of decision-makers to the extent of wasting water and energy. Also, these findings reveal the harmful effects of farmers' incorrect irrigation practices and motivate them to take strong measures toward sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Households are the major energy consumer and contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases. The Algerian policy of mastering energy has improved building energy efficiency since 1994 by introducing thermal regulation (DTR). However, energy consumption is still increasing instead of decreasing, which is mainly due to occupants' behaviour which is difficult to estimate and predict. This paper explores the impact of households and housing characteristics on residential gas and electricity consumption in the 36 municipalities of the department of Djelfa (Algeria) which is located in an arid and semi-arid climate zone. This paper is based on GIS and statistical techniques. It considers the yearly gas and electricity energy consumption (2013) of the municipalities of the department of Djelfa. The method is organised in four steps: (a) a multiple linear regression is used to construct two estimative models of gas and electricity. The models have more than 93% of accuracy for both gas and electricity models; (b) estimating gas and electricity consumption for 2008 according to the developed models; (c) organisation of the census data of 2008 in five dimensions: the population distribution, household characteristics, housing type and occupancy, and finally household appliance ownership; (d) a set of sensitivity analysis is performed based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson's bivariate correlation and finally a path analysis is performed based on Structural Equation Model (SEM) to assess the importance of each variable. The overall impact of all these variables indicates that increasing the household size is the first factor reducing the electricity and gas consumption followed by the housing surface, density, room occupancy, and older households, while increasing the education level and appliance ownership boosts both per-capita gas and electricity consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researches in many laboratories on solar still desalination are concerned with increasing efficiency using only solar energy. One of the techniques is the difference in the thickness of the glass cover of the distiller. In order to see the influence of this parameter on efficiency, three similar stills with three different glass coverings were investigated. The flow of heat goes through the cover, and higher glass temperature leads to solar still productivity becoming lower. This paper presents an optimization of glass thickness ( G t ) of a conventional solar still (CSS) in El Oued climate, Algeria. Based on the experimental results, the distilled water production rate, energy, and energy efficiency of the CSS have been discussed. The results showed that the suitable G t of the CSS was 3 mm. The distilled water of around 3.15, 2.02, and 1.13 kg was produced by the CSS at energy efficiency of 30.71, 19.02, and 11.44% with the G t of 3, 5, and 6 mm, respectively. The daily average exergy efficiency of 2.46, 1.38, and 0.84% was calculated for the CSS at G t of 3, 5, and 6 mm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector in Algeria has undergone enormous transformations over the last couple of decades. One of the major changes that have taken place is related to the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the control of energy consumption. In this regard, a pilot project of Smart Meters has been introduced in the residential sector in Diar El Bahri, which is located in the wilaya of Blida, at about 47 km southwest of the capital of Algeria, Algiers. This is the first experience in the country. Despite the will to set up a bidirectional communication framework for the control of energy consumption, the project, which was initially expected to last for a period of two (02) years, was carried, in fact, for only six (06) months. Besides, the number of households that were supposed to be connected to Smart Meters was not respected. The objective of this research is to understand precisely the process of setting up this system. The project is the first Algerian experience in terms of use of ICTs for the purpose of modernising energy management and control. The study aims to understand the reasons why the objectives that were initially set for the project were not reached. This paper is part of a larger original research project, which aspires to explore the different ways in which ICTs can be developed in the housing sector in Algeria in order to increase energy efficiency and create digital territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algeria, like other developing countries, has been committed to promoting the transition to renewable energy for several years. The national government established several laws and attractive subsidies that encouraged various socio-economic entities to use renewable energies and engage in more sustainable practices. Despite these efforts, industrial and private entities have not responded as hoped. To identify the factors that impede government efforts toward sustainable practices, this paper focuses on the two most energy-consuming sectors: building and transport. The analysis reveals that both financial and socio-cultural issues constitute the two main obstructive elements to energy transition in Algeria. This is the first study to be carried out in Algeria on technico-economic difficulties in the application of energy transition towards renewable sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to support the growth of grid-tied photovoltaic power plant implementation in the Saharan environment. A detailed assessment analysis of 28 kWp photovoltaic (PV) system installed on the rooftop of Research Unit for Renewable Energies in Saharan region (URER/MS), located in southern Algeria (Adrar), has been carried out and presented in this paper. The monitoring data of the PV system over 12 months (March 2017 to February 2018), are used to evaluate both energy efficiency and the output power losses. The collected experimental data reveal that the environmental parameters variation has a direct effect on the performance of both the energy conversion efficiency and the system losses. From the monitoring data and the performance assessment, it was found that the highest final yield is 5.3 h/day while the irradiation and the ambient temperature are 518 W/m2 and 37.9 C° respectively. The annual production injected to the grid is 45.12 MWh, with 2.4 MWh energy losses are attributed to the grid voltage rise, 1.57 MWh energy is lost due to the array and thermal capture losses and system losses. The yield values of maximum/minimum monthly average reference and array yield values were; 6.7/5.4 h/day and 5.5/3.2 h/day respectively. The annual average PV module, inverter and system efficiencies reached; 11.37%, 96.46% and 10.99%, respectively. Some parameters of measured data; are used to calculate the harvested energy and performance ratio, and then compared with other PV systems installation located in different geographical regions worldwide. Finally, we have studied the impact of the grid voltage rise on the grid-connected photovoltaic system performance on both energetic and economical levels. • The assessment of 28 kWp photovoltaic (PV) system installed in the desertic weather condition in Sahara of Algeria. • The most appropriate and relevant performance indices were used to analyze the PV system performances. • The system disconnection losses have an important influence on the PV systems performance. • Performance analysis exhibit high losses in PV system due to environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries with high energy demand but limited renewable energy potential are planning to meet part of their future energy needs by importing green hydrogen. For potential exporting countries, in addition to sufficient renewable resources, industrial preconditions are also relevant for the successful implementation of green hydrogen production value chains. A list of 36 "Green H2 Products" needed for stand-alone hydrogen production plants was defined and their economic complexity was analyzed using international trade data from 1995 to 2019. These products were found to be comparatively complex to produce and represent an opportunity for countries to enter new areas of the product space through green diversification. Large differences were revealed between countries in terms of industrial preconditions and their evolution over time. A detailed analysis of nine MENA countries showed that Turkey and Tunisia already possess industrial know-how in various green hydrogen technology components and perform only slightly worse than potential European competitors, while Algeria, Libya, and Saudi Arabia score the lowest in terms of calculated hydrogen-related green complexity. These findings are supported by statistical tests showing that countries with a higher share of natural resources rents in their gross domestic product score significantly lower on economic and green complexity. The results thus provide new perspectives for assessing the capabilities of potential hydrogen-producing countries, which may prove useful for policymakers and investors. Simultaneously, this paper contributes to the theory of economic complexity by applying its methods to a new subset of products, and using a dataset with long-term coverage. • HS code list of 36 technology components for off-grid green H2 production. • Identified components and related goods are comparatively complex to produce. • China achieved a globally unique increase in relevant exports from 1995 to 2019. • In the MENA region, Tunisia and Turkey score the highest on H2-related green complexity. • Fossil fuel exporters have below-average industrial economic and green complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed assessment analysis of 2.5 kWp photovoltaic (PV) system located in southern Algeria (Latitude 27.88 °N, Longitude −0.27 °E, Altitude 262 m) has been carried out in this paper in order to support the growth of grid-tied photovoltaic power plant implementation in the Saharan environment. The achievement of this analysis has been done by performing an accurate evaluation of the different impacts of the environment parameters on the operating performance of the grid-tied PV system. The data set covers 12 operating months and has been collected by our team from the Research Unit on Renewable Energy (URER-MS). The collected experimental data reveal that the environmental parameters variation has direct effect on the performance of both energy conversion efficiency and system losses. The grid was supplied with a power of 4322.65 kWh during the year 2015, where the annual average temperature was 28.30 °C. An important variation in performance parameters have been observed for different months. The yield values of max/min monthly average daily reference, array and final were; 7.68/5.7 kW h/kWp/day, 6.07/4.24 kW h/kWp/day and 5.75/3.98 kW h/kWp/day, respectively. The PV module, inverter and overall system efficiency reached; 14.19/11.10%, 95.34/93.94% and 13.53/10.50%, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the performance ratio (PR) varies from 66.66% to 85.93% and the annual average capacity factor was 7.91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview and study of diesel power plant (DPP) map, configuration and design in Ain-Belbel Adrar (Situated in south of Algeria) which was constructed as basis to feed the costumers by electricity in this isolated village. Its capacity of electrical production is 5 MW; this power covers the energy demand of customers connected to the electrical distribution network. First, a brief introduction of the evolution of Algeria's electrical energy consumption and power plants installed in the south is presented, followed by studies of theoretical and experimental data. Several experimental works based on simulation and primary data from field measurement are presented to show the performance of the interconnection of Diesel power plant through 15 kV distribution line to improve electrical power supply. In power system voltage sag is considered to be the most common and serious power quality issue, Due to electrical disturbances occurred through autonomous networks such as voltage sags, swells and outages in 15 kV Ain-Belbel city feeder distribution system a dynamic voltage restorer is proposed to diminish the impact of voltage perturbation in this area. DVR should inject the equivalent dropped voltage as a reflection of active power and energy into the distribution system. However, the capability of energy storage is considered how the injection energy can be minimized and the load voltage can be close to the pre-fault voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly adopted version of the National Renewable Energy Program of Algeria offers the country the possibility to integrate 27% of renewable energy in the national energy mix. Preservation of fossil resources, diversification of electricity production and contribution to sustainable development are among challenges that face the country nowadays. The objective of this paper is to propose a methodology and outline a procedure to determine the best configuration and the optimum design of future solar thermal power plants with minimum levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and maximum annual power generation as objectives. Our study is based on a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant of capacity of 50 MW to be erected in Hassi R'mel City, in the south of Algeria. In this methodology, the size of the solar field, the fossil fill fraction of backup system and full load hours of storage are optimized for the minimum LCOE using the concept of solar multiple. Moreover, different models, technologies and scenarios for parabolic trough and central tower receiver power plant are presented. LCOE presents a basis of comparison for weighted average costs of different power generation technologies. It is clearly shown that the solar power plant based on central receiver tower technology with 48% of backup system and 8 h of storage is the most attractive and optimum plant. It was also found from financial analysis that the LCOE can decreases by 13% with less interest rate and tax deductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The quality of life and safeness of the present and future generations are strongly intertwined with the availability of energy sources and the sustainability of the energy infrastructure. Energy consumption in developed countries grows at a rate of approximately 1% per year, and that of developing countries, 5% per year (Muneer et al., 2005 ). Present reserves of oil and natural gas can only cover consumption at this rate for the next 50 years in the case of oil, and for the next 70 years in the case of natural gas. Therefore, one of the fundamental priorities for a country such as Algeria is to use several renewable energies (RE) sources and environmentally friendly energy conversion technologies. Algeria is endowed with large reserves of energy sources, mainly hydrocarbons and a considerable potential for the utilisation of RE sources especially with respect to solar energy. Algeria has the potential to be one of the major contributors in solar energy and become a role model to other countries in the world. RE are now one of the major elements of Algeria''s energy policy and in view of boosting the national effort in terms of RE beyond 2011, Algeria has developed a national programme for the period 2011–2030 to promote concrete actions in the fields of energy efficiency and RE in line with the approach adopted by the government on February 3, 2011. Besides, it confirms Algerian''s ambition to become an international hub for industrial and energy production and exportation in the solar sector. With this in mind, along with the environmental responsibility issues, public awareness gradually increased over the last seven years and alternative energy resources have become a new area of interest. As a tangible target, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) strategic plan aims to reach a 40% share of RE (mainly solar) in electric energy production by 2030. The various future projects are all factors that will undoubtedly give Algeria an important role in the implementation of RE technology in North Africa, the capacity for providing sustainable supply of cost-effective electricity from RE sources for the needs of the population, and the possibility of even exporting 10,000MW to neighbouring and European market. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the existing renewable energy sector and a forecast for demand growth, additional capacity, investment requirements and Algeria''s ambitious objectives of use of RE and environment protection. The paper also discusses the current energy scenario and explores the alternative energy like solar and wind to ensure energy security supply, reliability, greater efficiency in energy conversion, transmission and utilisation. Particular attention is paid to Algeria''s global and sustainable solutions of the environmental challenges and the problems of conservation of fossil energy resources under the clean development mechanism (CDM) structure. The report also provides a detailed analysis of the existing renewable energy sector and a forecast for demand growth, additional capacity, and investment requirements [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The yield produced from conventional hemispherical solar still (CHSS) is limited. Modified hemispherical solar still (MHSS) using rubber and wick materials at the basin of the HSS are examined in this research paper. To experimentally studied the effect of rubber materials at different thicknesses (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mm) and wick materials at a different thicknesses (1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 mm), under the same operating conditions, three equal HSS units are designed and constructed. The experiments were conducted in four days, under the climatic conditions of the city of El Oued-Algeria. The experimental results showed that a rubber material at a different thickness (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mm) improves the yield by 14.29, 26.53, 35.71, and 46.94%, respectively as compared to the CHSS. Also, using wick materials at different thicknesses (1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 mm) improves the yield by 12.24, 22.45, 30.61, and 40.81%, respectively, as compared to the CHSS. This modification is very efficient and inexpensive because rubber and wick materials are available at a cheap price. After comparing the yield of HSS according to the thickness of the rubber and wick materials used, we found that the more thickness of the materials (rubber and wick), the better the yield. Therefore, we recommend using thicker materials. • Two solar stills (hemispherical solar still with and without energy storage material) were fabricated. • Research was conducted at Renewable Energy Laboratory of University of El Oued, Algeria. • The output of solar still was improved by using low-cost energy storage materials. • Productivity was improved by 14.29–46.94% by using rubber material as compared to the conventional hemispherical solar still. • Productivity was improved by 12.24–40.81% by using wick material as compared to the conventional hemispherical solar still. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the last few years, political support for renewable energies has been growing continuously both at the national and international level and most scientists now agree that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are perfectly placed to play a leading role in the lucrative future solar and wind power industries. The interest for the development of renewable energies was perceived very early in Algeria with the creation of the solar energy institute as soon as 1962. Algeria plays a very important role in world energy markets, both as a significant hydrocarbons producer and exporter, as well as a key participant in the renewable energy market. Due to its geographical location, Algeria holds one of the highest solar reservoirs in the world. This paper deals with a review of the present renewable energy (RE) situation and assessed present and future potential of RE sources in Algeria. It also discusses the trends and expectation in solar and wind systems applications and the aspects of future implementation of renewable energies making emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region status. The problem related to the use of RES and polices to enhance the use of these sources are also analysed in this paper. In addition the available capacity building, the technical know-how for each RE sources technology and localising manufacturing of RE equipments have been defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy demand has been overgrowing in developing countries. Moreover, the fluctuation of fuel prices is a primary concern faced by many countries that highly rely on conventional power generation to meet the load demand. Hence, the need to use alternative resources, such as renewable energy, is crucial in order to mitigate fossil fuel dependency, while ensuring reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Algeria—being the largest county in Africa—has experienced a rapid growth in energy demand over the past decade due to the significant increase in residential, commercial, and industry sectors. Currently, the hydrocarbon-rich nation is highly dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation, with renewable energy only having a small contribution to the country's energy mix. However, the country has massive potential for renewable energy generation, such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower. Therefore, the government aims to diversify away from fossil fuels and promote renewable energy generation through policies and renewable energy-related programs. The country's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Development Plan focuses on large scale solar, wind generation as well as geothermal and biomass technologies. This paper provides an update on the current energy position and renewable energy status in Algeria. Moreover, this paper discusses renewable energy (RE) policies and programs that aim to increase the country's renewable energy generation and its implementation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A rigorous study of electrical energy demand in algeria is performed, highlighting the seasonality of the data by using hourly temperature profiles. • Load profiles (LPs) are used for the first time for forecasting weekly, daily and hourly load using the proposed LP-propagation technique. • Multiple AI approaches are used for load forecasting, including a newly proposed two-dimensional input CNN. • LP-based and AI-based forecasting results are compared and discussed. Electrical energy generation represents an economical and environmental challenge requiring an optimal control of the production process. An accurate modeling of the electrical energy is essential to develop efficient forecasting systems. To achieve this goal, this paper introduces an innovative load forecasting approach using Load Profiles (LPs). First, the power consumption in Algeria is analyzed to detect the different factors affecting the demand. Then, the fluctuation of the seasonal data is applied through hourly temperature profiles. The LP-based forecasting is performed using three levels (annual, weekly and daily) LP-propagation. Short-term and mid-term load forecasting models were developed using multiple Artificial Intelligence techniques. Among them, a two-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) used here for the first time in load forecasting. The resulting prediction accuracies of both the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based and LP-based models were considerably high, producing (MAPE = 0.80%, RMSE = 75.57MW, Willmott's Index (WI) = 0.99) for the two-dimensional CNN. Compared to (MAPE = 3.86%, RMSE = 372.68 MW, WI = 0.95) for the LP-propagation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Against the background of an increasing energy demand and growing environmental problems in Algeria due to the use of fossil fuels, renewable energy resources offer interesting opportunities for Algeria. In 2011, Algeria has developed a national program for the period 2011–2030 to promote concrete actions in the fields of renewable energies and energy efficiency. This paper gives description and working principles of the parabolic trough power plants, besides a review of considerations on the assessments for concentrating solar power potential of Algeria. The analysis shows the competitive viability of CSP plants. Algeria has the key prerequisites to make an economical CSP power generation; including high-quality insolation and appropriate land in addition to water availability and extensive transmission and power grid. In the end, an overview is given on the parabolic trough power plant projects development in Algeria including the first integrated solar combined cycle Hassi R''mel plant, in addition to the three further hybrid power plants that will be completed by 2018. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present paper, seeks mainly to highlight the role of renewable energies, as real opportunities to promote the uses of exhaustible energetic resources in Algeria, under the increasing global demand for energy and increasing environmental and community awareness, as well as to find alternative energetic strategies based on the specificity of the national economy through a review of the positives of the experience of U.S in the field of renewable energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of theoretical models suggesting investigation of the performance of a solar air flat plate collector. The model can predict the temperature of the outlet air. This will be compared with the results obtained by the experimental results. The range of experimental results related to the thermal performances of plane-air solar collectors and various practical uses, inspires us to undertake this work in the context of a rational exploitation of local solar field. Indeed the setting up of a solar system to satisfy a well-determined need in a given site has to be done only after first having estimated the system productivity relative to the solar field actually available by fine weather (bright sky) or by bad days (covered sky) and then having an exact knowledge of the evolution of the climatic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this review paper is to present the historical development, current utilization, practices and opportunities of geothermal energy in Algeria. Algeria has relatively abundant geothermal resources of low-enthalpy type that could form part of the total energy network of the country. Algeria is the leading country of the direct use of geothermal energy in Africa with a total amount reaching 54.64 MW t installed thermal power, and also among the first five countries in the world in air conditioning application. The main utilization field of geothermal energy in Algeria is balneology, which accounts for about 82% of the total geothermal power utilization, the remaining 18% of the energy is consumed for other purposes such as space heating, heat pumps and fish farming. In this study, the existing literature and current practices of the Algeria's geothermal resources are reviewed and it is revealed that geothermal energy development remained almost stagnant over the past two decades in Algeria although there is a large potential and resources available in the country. Furthermore, geothermal energy use and latest technologies around the world have been summarized. This study elucidates the influencing factors in the development of geothermal energy in Algeria and suggests the development roadmap and a number of measures that can enhance the development of this significant energy source. • Previous researches on geothermal energy in Algeria are reviewed. • Geothermal energy utilization and advanced technologies around the globe are summarized. • Current geothermal energy utilization in Algeria is discussed. • Exploitation opportunities of geothermal energy in Algeria are addressed. • Countermeasures to promote geothermal energy development in Algeria are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for optimal design of diesel/PV/wind/battery hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for the electrification of residential buildings in rural areas. Contrary to previous work, in this study, the effects of climate diversity and building energy efficiency on the size optimization of HRES are investigated. First, a multi-criteria spatial analysis trough a common geographical information system tool (ArcGIS 10.2) is undertaken to develop the renewable energy potential map for Algeria. Then, particle swarm optimization algorithm and ε-constraint method were used to solve the multi-objective problem, which was formulated to minimize the cost of energy (COE) as the primary objective, while maximizing system reliability and a renewable fraction (RF). According to the resulting renewable potential map, seven zones are identified, and then seven locations have been selected (one from each zone) to execute the optimization of the proposed HRES. By considering low efficient buildings, photovoltaic/wind/diesel/battery is found the best configuration for Adrar and Tindouf, while photovoltaic/diesel/battery is obtained the best for the other locations. However, in the case of high-performance buildings, another optimal HRES configurations are obtained. The better one is acquired in Biskra and Tamenrast, which includes PV-Battery (100% renewable energy) and fulfilling COE of 0.21 $/kWh. Image 1 • Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems. • Techno-Economic and Feasibility Study. • Building Energy Efficiency. • Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization. • Geographical information system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial activities intensification has inevitably caused an excessive use of underground waters and fossils energies, and severe environmental pollution with dire consequences for water resources. This situation intensifies in populated arid regions. In this context, wastewater treatment is a reliable source of water and nutrients for agricultural production. This study aims at treating wastewater using photovoltaic energy, to reduce conventional electricity demand. This paper studies energy and economic feasibility of grid-connected photovoltaic systems (GCPVS) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The optimization is based on: energy balance, installation surface area and levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Results show GCPVS installed in the northwest of Algeria, can cover 53% of WWTP electrical load and inject 510 MWh/year into grid representing 65% of the load. The regional energy consumption can be reduced by 2% in daytime. LCOE is estimated around 09.14 centUS$/kWh, which is lower than conventional electricity cost 10.17 centUS$/kWh. The benefit-cost ratio is estimated around 0.69 Million US$ (33%). This plant provides 4800 m3/day of agricultural irrigation, where treatment energy cost is decreased from 3.4 centUS$/m3 to 2.3 centUS$/m3. The WWTP fertilize 300 ha of soil per year. This work highlights the efficiency of self-sufficient WWTPs in northern Africa region. • Wastewater treatment plants can serve as dispersed photovoltaic generators. • Use photovoltaic energy to treat wastewater. • Optimal photovoltaic system is proposed for Algerian region wastewater treatment plants. • Eco-energetic analysis and environmental impact of designed photovoltaic system are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An optimal design of an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is suggested. • Techno-economic feasibility study of the hybrid PV-wind-battery-diesel energy system. • The effects of demand-side management on the energy demand–supply is investigated. • Test the impact of battery technology on the design of HRES through a sensitivity analysis. • Comparison between particle swarm optimization and HOMER software is made. The growing research interest in hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) has been regarded as a natural and yet critical response to address the challenge of rural electrification. Based on a Bibliometric analysis performed by authors, it was concluded that most studies simply adopted supply-side management techniques to perform the design optimization of such a renewable energy system. To further advance those studies, this paper presents a novel approach by integrating demand–supply management (DSM) with particle swarm optimization and applying it to optimally design an off-grid hybrid PV-solar-diesel-battery system for the electrification of residential buildings in arid environments, using a typical dwelling in Adrar, Algeria, as a case study. The proposed HRES is first modelled by an in-house MATLAB code based on a multi-agent system concept and then optimized by minimizing the total net present cost (TNPC), subject to reliability level and renewable energy penetration. After validation against the HOMER software, further techno-economic analyses including sensitivity study are undertaken, considering different battery technologies. By integrating the proposed DSM, the results have shown the following improvements: with RF = 100%, the energy demand and TNPC are reduced by 7% and 18%, respectively, compared to the case of using solely supply-side management. It is found that PV-Li-ion represents the best configuration, with TNPC of $23,427 and cost of energy (COE) of 0.23 $/kWh. However, with lower RF values, the following reductions are achieved: energy consumption (19%) and fuel consumption or CO 2 emission (57%), respectively. In contrast, the RF is raised from 15% (without DSM) to 63% (with DSM). It is clear that the optimal configuration consists of wind-diesel, with COE of 0.21 $/kWh, smaller than that obtained with a stand-alone diesel generator system. The outcomes of this work can provide valuable insights into the successful design and deployment of HRES in Algeria and surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]