Design and feasibility of a small NegaWatt power plant -

Abstract

The global energy consumption, and hence GHG emissions, have increased significantly over the past two decades due to the increase in the population size, rapid developments in many large countries, and the technological boom at global scale. Human progress was accompanied by a substantial rise in the consumption of various forms of energy resources mainly fossil fuels, an increase that might result in a risk of depletion of these resources in the near future. Due to this increase in demand for energy, and the anticipated impacts on global economy and resources, a wide range of academic and industrial research activities are currently focused on seeking solutions targeting better energy sustainability and resources management. One solution is via modifying the end-users trends with respect to energy usage and redirecting their choices and decisions towards cleaner and renewable resources, and in more efficient manners. This thesis aims at studying different energy conservation options as well as their effectiveness and economic feasibility. The approach will make use of the recently established NegaWatt (NW) concept which is based on assessing the feasibility of implementing clean and more energy- efficient technologies to reduce consumption, rather than expanding the power supply capacity to meet the growing demand. Feasibility of a small NW power plant for AUB is assessed. The most appropriate alternative technologies are selected and options are focused on the lighting fixtures, roof insulation, double glazed windows and on upgrading the HVAC and pumping systems. Feasibility study is carried out to compare the cost of clean technologies to the cost of expansion of the supplied thermal power, with and without CO2 removal cost. The obtained results show that NW solutions are more economically feasible, they also save energy resources, and lead to substantial GHG reduction.