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The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2022) | Viewed by 10715

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Dr. Jingying Fu

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: spatiotemporal simulation for the potential and benefit of renewable energy resources; remote sensing applications for resources and the environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Zhigang Sun

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing zip code: 100101, China
Interests: response and adaptation of agroecosystem to climate change; multiscale observation; modeling; evaluation of agroecosystems

Prof. Fengming Xi

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Guest Editor

Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Interests: renewable energy resources; carbon budget; carbon emissions; carbon sink

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy resources (solar energy, hydro energy, wind energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy, etc.) are an effective way to relieve the energy crisis and also protect the environment due to its advantages of cleanness, safety, and reproducibility. The key problem of renewable energy resource development is how to estimate the potential of environmental and economic benefits accurately and scientifically. However, compared to the literature available in resource assessment and emission reduction benefit analysis, there have been few reports on integrated research from a spatial–temporal analysis perspective based on multisource data. Thus, theoretical research and practical applications of Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources from the spatial–temporal analysis perspective still need to be further refined.

This Special Issue mainly focuses on the innovation of the estimation method for the potential of renewable energy resources, especially in the energy benefits, environmental impacts, and the economy assessment from the spatial analysis perspective via geographic information systems (GIS), machine learning methods or hybrid economic models, presenting a relevant opportunity for all scholars to share their knowledge from the multidisciplinary community across the world, including energy economists, social scientist, and geographers.

Further progress in theoretical research and practical applications on the potential and benefits of renewable energy resources using spatial-temporal analysis techniques are welcome. We also seek integrative studies regarding the comprehensive benefits and spatial–temporal characteristics of development models for renewable energy resources using machine learning or hybrid economic theory and methodology, to meet the target of the great potential of scale production and the commercial development prospect. This is expected to address the question of how to evaluate and simulate the potential and benefit of renewable energy resources scientifically and will provide an important theoretical support for planning renewable energy resource development more rationally.

Dr. Jingying Fu
Prof. Zhigang Sun
Prof. Fengming Xi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

solar energy
hydro energy
wind energy
biomass energy
geothermal energy
marine energy
geographic information system
machine learning methods
hybrid economic model

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Complementary Characteristics of Large-Scale Wind Power, Photovoltaic Power, and Hydropower

by Songkai Wang, Rong Jia, Chang Luo, Yuan An and Pengcheng Guo

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9273; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159273 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1260

Abstract

With the increasing proportion of renewable energy in power generation, the mixed utilization of multiple renewable energy sources has gradually become a new trend. Using the natural complementary characteristics of wind power, photovoltaic, and hydropower to evaluate the complementary potential of various energy sources has become a hot issue in the research of mixed utilization. Given that traditional complementarity research can only assess the complementarity between two energy sources, this paper proposes a method to simultaneously determine the complementarity between three large-scale renewable energy sources. Firstly, a three-dimensional vector represents the complementary characteristic combination of any two energy sources. The complementary characteristics of the three energy sources were obtained by finding the optimal solution for the three-dimensional vector. Finally, power stations were selected, located in different spatial areas on the world’s largest renewable energy base in Qinghai, China, as the research object to analyze and verify the complementary characteristics of wind-power–photovoltaic-power–hydropower at different spatiotemporal scales. The results show significant differences in the complementary characteristics of different time scales. The farther the spatial distance between different power stations, the stronger their complementarity. The best complementary index on the monthly and daily scales was improved by 8.49% and 6.51%. This study provides a new focus for the future evaluation of the complementary utilization potential of large-scale joint renewable energy in different world regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective)

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17 pages, 8856 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics and the Climatic Response of Carbon Sources and Sinks in the Chinese Grassland Ecosystem from 2010 to 2020

by Xiang Li, Gang Lin, Dong Jiang, Jingying Fu and Yaxin Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8461; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148461 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1535

Abstract

With the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions, China has put forward the goals of a carbon peak and carbon neutrality (double carbon) and formulated an action plan to consolidate and enhance the carbon sink capacity of the ecosystem. The Chinese grassland ecosystem (CGE) is widely distributed and is the key link for China to achieve the double carbon objectives. However, there is a relative lack of research on carbon sources and sinks in the CGE, so it is urgent to integrate and analyze the carbon sources and sinks in the grassland ecosystem on the national scale. Based on the refined grid data, the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of the CGE was estimated by coupling the vegetation production model and soil respiration model. The results showed that the cumulative carbon sequestration of the CGE was 14.46 PgC from 2010 to 2020. In terms of spatial distribution, this shows that the differentiation characteristics are high in the northwest of China and low in the southeast of China, which strongly corresponds with the 400 mm isohyet and 0 °C isotherm of China. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the NEP of the CGE was positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature; that is, precipitation mainly promotes the accumulation of NEP, and temperature mainly inhibits it. The coupling effect of temperature and precipitation jointly affects the spatial change of carbon sources and sinks of the CGE. This study can provide a scientific basis for government departments to formulate targeted policies to deal with climate change, which is of great significance for China to improve ecosystem management, ensure ecological security and promote the realization of China’s double carbon goal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective)

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20 pages, 9437 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combining Re-Analyzed Climate Data and Landcover Products to Assess the Temporal Complementarity of Wind and Solar Resources in Iraq

by Mourtadha Sarhan Sachit, Helmi Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri, Ahmad Fikri Abdullah and Azmin Shakrine Mohd Rafie

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010388 - 30 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1934

Abstract

Considering the spatial–temporal variation of renewable energy (RE) resources, assessment of their complementarity is of great significance for decision-makers to increase the stability of power output and reduce the need for storage systems. In this regard, the current paper presents a roadmap to assess the temporal complementarity patterns between wind and solar resources for the first time in Iraq. A new approach based on re-analyzed climate data, Landcover products, and geographical information system (GIS) is proposed. As such, renewable resource datasets are collected for 759 locations with a daily timescale over five years. Landcover classes are translated into wind shear coefficients (WSCs) to model wind velocity at turbine hub height. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) is applied to calculate the complementarity indices for each month of the year. Results of this investigation reveal that there are significant synergy patterns spanning more than six months in the southwestern regions and some eastern parts of Iraq. The highest complementarity is observed in March and December with a value of −0.70 and −0.63, respectively. Despite this promising potential, no typical temporal complementarity has been discovered that would completely eliminate the fluctuations of clean power generation. However, the synergistic properties yielded by this work could mitigate the reliance on storage systems, particularly as they cover important regions of the country. The proposed approach and tools can help improve the planning of renewable energy systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective)

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14 pages, 6892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Assessment of Jerusalem Artichoke’s Potential as an Energy Crop in the Marginal Land of the Shaanxi Province, China

by Fang Yin, Ziyue Jin, Jiazheng Zhu, Lei Liu and Danyun Zhao

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413576 - 8 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1958

Abstract

As a foodstuff crop, Jerusalem artichoke has a promising prospect for providing sustainable feed-stock sources for bioenergy development. Due to relatively limited cultivated land resources in China, it is crucial to evaluate Jerusalem artichoke’s potential production capacity in marginal land. Based on Jerusalem artichoke’s growth and photosynthetic characteristics, the agricultural production systems simulator model (APSIM) and multi-factor integrated assessment method were integrated to provide an operational method for comprehensively evaluating the marginal land resources suitable for developing the plantation of Jerusalem artichoke in the Shaanxi province, China. The results showed that 0.73 million ha of marginal land was suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation in the Shaanxi province, and 5.4 million ha of marginal land was fairly suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation, with the yield reaching 44,289 kg/ha and 38,861 kg/ha, respectively. The suitable land resources are mainly located in Yan’an (0.18 million ha), Hanzhong (0.13 million ha), and Baoji (0.08 million ha), most of which are moderate dense grassland (accounting for 50.6% of suitable land), dense grassland (accounting for 16.2% of suitable land), shrubland (accounting for 14.7% of suitable land), and sparse forest land (accounting for 9.18% of suitable land). The findings of this study can be used to establish targeted policies for Jerusalem artichoke development in China and other countries, particularly those along the Silk Road. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective)

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13 pages, 1392 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward Renewable Energy in China: Revisiting Driving Factors of Chinese Wind Power Generation Development and Spatial Distribution

by Li Ma and Die Xu

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9117; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169117 - 14 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2855

Abstract

As the biggest renewable energy installation and generation country globally, it is important to deeply understand China’s wind power production determinants and draw implications for energy policy. This paper analyzes local electricity deployment, electricity consumption, investment in wind power, and price of wind power electricity on-grid apart from traditional GDP and CO₂ factors in the panel data regression model, and some interesting results are found. The investment of installation and the price of wind power electricity on-grid have negative impacts on wind power generation, while local electricity consumption and inter-provincial power transmission capacity significantly impact wind power generation positively. GDP and CO₂ emission per capita have negative and positive impacts on wind power production, respectively. As for different wind power zones, the most influencing factors are local electricity consumption. Hence, this paper concludes that local absorbing capacity is still an important limiting factor to Chinese renewable energy development. At last, some policies are suggested to enhance the local absorbing capacity of renewable energy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential and Benefit of Renewable Energy Resources: A Spatial-Temporal Variation Perspective)

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