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The possibility of efficiently utilizing various fossil fuels that foster economic competitiveness is desirous in industrial boiler operations for uninterrupted and sustainable power generation. In this study, an oil-fired and gas-fired boiler designed to produce 653900 kg/h of superheated steam and 585450 kg/h of reheat steam at a temperature of 540 °C to generate electricity was simulated using HYSYS V 8.8. At a varied air-fuel mass ratio, the boiler’s comparative performance when it fires natural gas and low pour fuel oil (LPFO) was conducted using a number of thermodynamic performance criteria. An exergy-based costing of running the boiler with both fuels was also carried out. For the samples of natural gas and LPFO considered in this study, an air-fuel ratio slightly above 16.1 should be adequate for the fuel combustion. Air-fuel ratio requirement below or far above 16.1 may portend malfunctioning boiler components or even an ineffective boiler design. Furthermore, at AFR of 16.1, it costs US $4.04E-06/kJ to produce the superheated steam and the hot reheat stream when natural gas is fired while it costs US $7.22E-06/kJ for the case of firing LPFO. These values reflect an improvement on the economic implications at AFR of 26.5, predominantly operational in the power plant. However, a form of subsidy (like a reduction in LPFO import duties) which lowers the overhead costs of power generation using LPFO will be required to make LPFO an attractive backup alternative to natural gas in instances where there is short or nonsupply of natural gas.

Adequate supply of electricity at a competitive price is pivotal to sustainable development. More often than not, the generation of electricity which drives modern growth and development is currently powered by limited fossil fuels in many nations. Electricity generation and megawatt demand are also usually fluctuating due to several pertinent factors. In a bid to articulate the impact of inherent variations in process parameters on the performance of steam power plant at different loads, this paper presents an investigation into the efficacy of two validation strategies in predicting the net power output from the plant using GMDH Shell software. Using the combinatorial algorithm, the k-fold cross-validation strategy and the training/testing validation technique were applied to empirical data of a power plant in Nigeria. The performance of the models returned from the two validation strategies was evaluated using maximum negative error, maximum positive error, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square percentage error (RMSPE), residual sum, the standard deviation of residuals, coefficient of determination (R2) and correlation. For the number of folds and the training/testing split percentage considered in this study, results show that both models obtained were quite competitive, with the k-fold model having a slight edge over the other model. It is expected that the outcome of the study will be handy in researches for providing knowledge base information on choosing and setting optimum operating conditions at various load demand.

Industrial activities, including the process of power generation from thermal plants, are inevitably associated with the generation of gaseous wastes and particulate matters. Industrial activities, therefore, contribute largely to the emission of environmental pollutants. In addition to causing environmental degradation, the emission of pollutants, particularly greenhouse gases, have far-reaching social negative externalities, mainly in the area of unconducive temperature rise and adverse climatic impact. The unintended impacts of industrial emissions have motivated the development of plans and strategies for their abatement. In this study, predictive models of the global warming potential and carbon tax of the gaseous emission at various fuel consumption levels and different air–fuel ratio for the combustion process in a thermal power plant were developed. It is expected that the models serve as a veritable tool for projecting the environmental & economic costs of natural gas burning and optimizing the process of the fuel combustion for lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Adoption of energy efficiency and conservation techniques in public buildings in Nigeria is significantly low due to the ignorance of its potential benefits. Consequently, this study presents the prospects of energy saving using different methods in a public building at a Nigerian University. A proposed remodelled students’ residential hostel at the University of Lagos, Nigeria was chosen as a pilot study. This research utilized three energy efficient lighting technology alternatives namely; intelligent controlled Incandescent lamp (ICIL), compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), and intelligent controlled CFL (ICCFL) and compared with a base case of conventional incandescent lighting configuration. Energy consumption, at the proposed hostel is analysed and modelled. The effectiveness of each lighting technology alternative and base case in terms of cost is estimated using economic indices such as the net present value (NPV), savings to investment ratio (SIR) and the discounted payback period (DPP). Results show that the CFL lighting technology give 39% cost benefit as compared to ICCFL which gives 11% overall cost benefit. From the study, it is established that adoption of energy efficient lighting techniques save a significant amount of energy, operational cost, electricity bills and consequently reduce emission.Keywords: Energy saving, Net present value, Savings to investment ratio, discounted payback periodJEL Classifications: C63, Q48DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.9905

Electricity supply in Nigeria is a huge problem with great economic and political consequences. After unbundling and privatization of generation and distribution companies, not much improvement has been experienced by electricity consumers; this is due to lack of investment in infrastructure. Lack of investment in infrastructure especially from private investors is caused largely by non-cost reflective tariff among other factors highlighted in this study. While many believe tariff has to be controlled such that it does not go beyond the reach of average citizens, many also believe that the average citizens can pay much more than the current tariff. The latter is evident considering the average amount spend on the use of portable gasoline generators by most homes and small enterprises both in rural and urban centers. The whole life cost method is used to show here that it costs a home or business premise that operates a portable gasoline generator for 6 hours daily NGN 37, 000 per month and costs NGN 157,000 to operate 20 kVA diesel generator. This shows the consumers’ capacity to pay the appropriate tariff that can attract investors to the sector.Keywords: Utility, tariff, electric power generation cost, life cost method, consumerJEL Classification: Q43DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.8590

Purpose This study aims to analyze the effects of variations in annual real interest rates in the assessment of the techno-economic feasibility of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for an off-grid community. Design/methodology/approach Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software is used to propose an HRES for Abadam community in northern Nigeria. The HRES was designed to meet the basic needs of the community over a 25-year project lifespan. Based on the available energy resources in the community, photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine, diesel generator and battery were suggested for integration to serve the load requirements. Findings When the annual real interest rates were taken as 10 and 8 per cent, the total amount of total energy fraction from PV, wind turbine and the diesel generator is 28, 57 and 15 per cent, respectively. At these interest rates, wind turbines contributed more energy across all months than other energy resources. The energy resource distribution for 0, 2,4 and 6 per cent annual real interest rates have a similar pattern, but PV contributed a majority of the energy. Practical implications This study has used annual real interest and inflation rates dynamic behavior to determine optimal HRES for remote communities. Hence, its analysis will equip decision-makers with the necessary information for accurate planning. Originality/value The results of this study can be used to plan and design HRES infrastructure for off-grid communities around the world.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development suggests that all countries both developed and developing strive to attain the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs). Some items on the SDGs like implementation of renewable energy technologies to electrify regions disconnected from power grids are targeted to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger while ensuring environmental sustainability. Hence, the role of integrated renewable energy in improving the productivity and environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector cannot be overemphasized. This paper presents a brief survey of the application of renewable energy resources technologies in the agricultural sector. Keywords: Sustainable agriculture; Water-food-energy nexus; Renewable energy; Techno-economic.JEL Classifications: Q2, Q4DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.7775

Presented in this study is an optimal hybrid renewable off‐grid energy system model that supplies a typical rural healthcare center across the six regions in Nigeria. A technical and economic evaluation was carried out to identify the optimal off‐grid hybrid energy system combination based on photovoltaic (PV), wind, diesel generator and battery. Due to governments’ fuel subsidy in many developing countries, the pump price of fuel is reduced and not a true reflection of what is obtainable in a deregulated market. In order to comprehensively capture the reality, the study considered the effect of subsidy removal by carrying out a sensitivity analysis on the fuel pump price. Therefore, the impact of a change in diesel fuel pump price and interest rates on the economic performance criteria of the optimal configuration is explored. Results show that across all the locations considered, PV/diesel/battery system is the most economically viable with a net present cost and renewable fraction (RF) ranging between $12 779 and $13 646 and 70%‐80% respectively. The cost of energy (COE) is also estimated to range between 0.507 and 0.542 $/kWh.

Reliable energy systems and advances in nanotechnology together will play key role in channeling future cutting edge inventions and developments in all spheres. In this review article, the pertinence of functionalizing nanofillers and modifying nanocomposites for improved performance in various energy applications such as energy conversion, energy efficiency, energy storage, alternative energy and energy saving are expounded. This article also presents structures and unique properties of commonly used nanofillers; advances, improvement potentials and characterization of nanocomposites used in energy systems. Theoretical and experimental literature reviewed revealed that nanofillers engender improved properties in polymeric matrices. Functionalization is applicable to all types of nanofillers in use today, a number of functionalized nanofillers are already commercially available; and more extensive research is needed to achieve optimal improved results with the use of nanofillers and nanocomposites in various fields of applications.

The automotive industry is one major sector that consume material such as plastic at the advanced technological level. Hence, automotive plastics are now gaining attention due to the desire for light weight and low CO2 emission from vehicles. It is therefore anticipated that polymer nanocomposites will significantly enhance the performance of current technologies for car industries due to their excellent mechanical, chemical, thermal, electrical and barrier properties and their influence on fire retardancy. Hence, with the use of polymer nanocomposites, the encouraging outcomes in different sectors of automotive industry has resulted to new horizons in terms of advanced polymer nanocomposites for automobile applications. This chapter reviews advance polymer composites for automobile applications. Methods of fabricating polymer nanocomposites and several applications of polymer nanocomposites in automotive industries are discussed.

Renewable energy plays a very important role in the improvement and promotion of environmental sustainability in agricultural-related activities. This paper evaluates the techno-economic and environmental benefits of deploying photovoltaic (PV)- battery systems in a livestock farmhouse. For the energy requirements of the farm to be determined, a walkthrough energy audit is conducted on the farmhouse. The farm selected for this study is located in southern Nigeria. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Hybrid Optimization Modeling for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software was adapted for the purpose of the techno-economic analysis. It is found that a standalone PV/battery-powered system in farmhouse applications has higher economic viability when compared to its diesel-powered counterparts in terms of total net present cost (TNPC). A saving of 48% is achievable over the TNPC and Cost of Energy with zero emissions. The results obtained show the numerous benefits of replacing diesel generators with renewable energy sources such as PV-battery systems in farming applications.

Literature search has revealed that most post-combustion CO2 capture processes available to power plants are hinged on sorption technologies (chemical absorption and desorption) which are cost and energy-intensive. The colossal cost of solvents used for the absorption of CO2, the high energy requirements for the absorption & solvent recovery processes, plant design & control related complications, and environmental concerns about the solvents are some of the challenges associated with this option of post-combustion CO2 capture approach which is widely being adopted to mitigate CO2 emissions from power plants. In this study, the capture of CO2 from flue gas by exploring the concept of change of state of matter, which is essentially a physical approach to CO2capture, is presented as an alternative to the typical methods in the industry.