Browsing by Author "Mabaso, Mbalenhle"

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    Community distributed energy systems: an end-User energy services approach
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Mabaso, Mbalenhle; Gauche, P.; Van Niekerk, J. L.; De Kock, Imke; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study, a discomfort level framework is defined as a metric to interpret the improvement in energy services satisfied by different supply technology combinations. Generic distributed energy supply technologies including solar PV, wind power, small scale concentrating solar power (CSP), battery storage, diesel generators and solar water heaters were simulated (using hourly solar and wind resource data) to satisfy end-user energy services. To account for the unique nature of each residential community, a discomfort level was defined for the purpose of this study as an indicator to assess the ability of the supply technologies to satisfy energy services. The discomfort level is formulated based on the demand shortfall unique to the supply technology, the priority of end-use energy services from the user’s perspective and the energy service usage at each hourly interval. The model was applied to three residential communities including (i) eShushu a conceptual community, (ii) an urban informal settlement in Thembelihle, Johannesburg and (iii)a residential community on Likoma Island, Malawi. The discomfort levels werecompared to the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for each of the cases and it isevident that the same technology combinations offer unique discomfort levels foreach community. In addition to this, specifying the energy services unsatisfied ateach hour by different supply technologies, provides an opportunity forcomplimentary energy storage and energy efficiency technologies. Althoughcomparing the discomfort levels to the LCOE often leads to a trade-off between thetwo, such an end-user approach offers the energy planner insight into the unique needs of the community when selecting distributed energy supply infrastructure key to socio-economic development and potentially the adoption of renewable energytechnologies in developing countries.