DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FRAMEWORK IN MRKOPALJ, CROATIA
Croatia, Rural area, Biomass/ Bioenergy, Solar Energy, Smart Grid & V2G
Overview
To provide a solid ground for long-term planning of the local energy system development in rural areas, which considers local RES availability, local demography, and environmental protection in the area, scenario analysis was performed for the case study of the Municipality of Mrkopalj, a rural area with relevant potential for biomass and solar photovoltaic energy generation. The local energy system was modelled with hourly operation scenarios, considering three scenarios: LowRES (no measures to be implemented), RES (only private initiatives in line with national strategies) and HighRES (using all local opportunities). The analysis reveals a substantial difference between the RES and HighRES approaches. The RES scenario, with minimal investment, focusing on easily achievable renewable energy goals, would achieve relatively modest results, while the HighRES scenario, aiming for a fully renewable energy system, has been proven to be possible. Modelling results show the municipality's significant potential for renewable energy generation, particularly from solar photovoltaics (PVs), and highlights the role of a biomass power plant in balancing the energy system under high renewable penetration. Also, it is important to note that vehicle-to-grid technology provides significant balancing for the energy system.To achieve the HighRES scenario, the municipality could spearhead the formation of an Energy Community to drive rooftop solar adoption, starting with PV installations on public building rooftops. With strong municipal support, nearly all rooftops could be equipped with PV systems within 10 years, avoiding the challenges of large-scale photovoltaic installations. Public buildings should also lead the energy transition by transitioning their heating and cooling systems to heat pumps and installing electric vehicles (EV) charging stations. Coupled with residential PV adoption and public campaigns for charger availability, this strategy would enable smart charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions, supporting the balance of a 100% renewable energy system.
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b)
Figure 1 Monthly representation of technologies contributing to the power supply in a) RES and b) HighRES scenario, with import representing the necessary additional energy that would be imported from the national grid (case study area is grid-connected)
Socio-economic feasibility analysis
Scenarios are compared in terms of the investment in power generation technologies and storage technologies. In this case, payback of storage is also viewed as part of the decarbonization of transport (as V2G is used). HighRES scenario is twice as expensive compared to RES scenario but enables 2 times faster decarbonization of the whole system. Newly generated jobs on the local level were also evaluated as a part of the social benefits of the transition, and such opportunities are only associated with the HighRES scenario.
Macro objective:
- Demonstrate the feasible integrated energy system for a rural community, based 100% on locally available renewable energy sources
Specific objectives:
- Use locally available renewable energy
- Decarbonize sectors of energy demand
- Provide socio-economically sound options for the development of a rural community
Impacts that could be achieved by 2030:
- CO2 emissions reduced by 0.895 kt per year
- New RES generation units installed: 2.8 MW of Solar PV and 1 MW of biomass power plant
- Facilitate local employment on RES projects (3 jobs in RES installations and maintenance)
