• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.3 no.2 s.10
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• pp.11-16
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• 2007

This paper analyses the environmental effect of 100kw PV system installed in Tibet using Life Cycle Assessment(LCA). Then, energy payback time(EPT) and life-cycle CO2 emission rate are estimated based on life-cycle of the PV system. As a result of the estimation, 6 year of EPT and 20 g-C/kWh of CO2 emission rate are obtained. In China, average CO2 emission rate of fossil fuel power generation plant is 260 g-C/kWh. This shows that PV system would be very promising for global environmental issues. For advanced LCA, we need to collect detailed and various data about raw material of PV system.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.773-783
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• 1998

The heating system for apartment complex may be classified as old systems including central system with steam boiler(S1), gas engine driven heat pump system(S2), system using waste heat(S3) and new systems including mechanical vapor re-compression system with flashing heat exchangers(S4), system using methanol(S5), system using metal hydride (S6). The purpose of the present study is to suggest optimal heating system by technically, economically and environmentally evaluating old and new heating systems of apartment complex from 500 to 3,000 households. Economic evaluation based on the technical evaluation results which estimated heat transfer area of heat exchangers and capacity of equipments was estimated initial investment cost, annual operating cost and relative payback period by considering annual increasing rates of energy cost and interest. Environmental evaluation provided annual generation rate of carbon dioxide. Initial investment cost was cheap in the order of S6, S5, S3, S2, S4, S1, annual operating cost was cheap in the order of S1, S2, S4, S5 and relative payback period was short in the order of S6, S5, S2, S3 and S4. Relative payback period was within 8 years for all scenarios of 3,000 households, and was increased as annual increasing rates of energy cost and interest were increased. As transportation pipe length was increased twice, payback period was increased by 1.4~2.6 time. The effect of temperatures of waste gas and waste water on the relative payback period was small within 0.8 years. The annual generation rate of carbon dioxide was big in the order of S4, S2 and S1. S4 was the most economic system among whole scenarios when S1 was replaced with other scenarios.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.737-741
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• 2007

This paper analyses the environmental effect of 100kw PV system installed in Tibet using Life Cycle Assessment(LCA). Then, energy payback time(EPT) and life-cycle $CO_2$ emission rate are estimated based on life-cycle of the PV system. As a result of the estimation, 6 year of EPT and 20 g-C/kWh of $CO_2$ emission rate are obtained. In China, average $CO_2$ emission rate of fossil fuel power generation plant is 260 g-C/kWh. This shows that PV system would be very promising for global environmental issues. For advanced LCA, we need to collect detailed and various data about raw material of PV system.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.338-341
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• 2011

Water usage for cleaning the toilet bowl accounts for 27% of the total water usage. Water-saving valve that can select the amount of water for cleaning toilet bowl can be reduced expenditure. After installing water-saving valve, analysed the economic effects. Water-saving valves compared with flush valves, and researched the amount of water usage. Then analyzed fort he economic effects. Water-saving valve was used 5.6 ${\ell}/time$ for cleaning toilet bowl. In contrast, flush valve was consumed 8.4 ${\ell}/time$. Water-saving valve's water-saving rate was 33.3%. The initial payback period for Water-saving valve was 459.5 days. By a small investment in water saving valve, the economic benefits can be obtained.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.656-661
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• 2011

The amount of water resources that can be used tend to be decreased gradually. In contrast, the rapidly increasing water consumption is a problem that need to be addressed. Renovation and equipment replacement to improve energy efficiency and to reduce expenditure for building usage is required. But the excessive initial investment cost and the prolonged of pay back period may be uneconomical choice. Water usage for cleaning the toilet bowl accounts for 27%of the total water usage. Water-saving valve that can select the amount of water for cleaning toilet bowl can be reduced expenditure. After installing water-saving valve, analysed the economic effects. Water-saving valves compared with flush valves, and researched the amount of water usage. Then analyzed for the economic effects. Water-saving valve was used 5.6 ${\ell}$/time for cleaning toilet bowl. In contrast, flush valve was consumed 8.4 ${\ell}$/time. Water-saving valve's water-saving rate was 33.3%. The initial payback period for Water-saving valve was 459.5 days. By a small investment in water saving valve, the economic benefits can be obtained.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.9
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• pp.1260-1268
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• 2012

Recently, lack of power reserve margin was observed quite often. In this paper, we studied the method to secure power source for a short time, to cut the utility power peak load, and to reduce the users electricity bills. Emergency diesel generator of an office building is to be converted into a dual-fuel engine generator which is responsible for a portion of the peak load. Compared to the conventional diesel fuel generator, the proposed dual-fuel engine is able to reduce the generation power cost by dual-fuel combustion, and it also mitigates the building's utility power peak load by charging the building's peak load. If the dead resources (a group of emergency dual-fuel engine generators), as a Virtual Power Plant, are operating in peak time, we can significantly reduce future large power development costs. We investigated the current general purpose electricity bills as well as the records of the building electric power usage, and calculated diesel engine generator renovation costs, generation fuel costs, driving conditions, and savings in electricity bills. The proposed dual-fuel engine generation method reduces 18.1% of utility power peak load, and turned out to be highly attractive investment alternative which shows more than 27% of IRR, 76 million won of NPV, and 20~53 months of payback periods. The results of this study are expected to be useful to developing the policy & strategy of the energy department.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.67 no.10
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• pp.1278-1285
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• 2018

For saving electricity bill, energy storage system(ESS) is being installed in factories, public building and commercial building with a Time-of-Use(TOU) tariff which consists of demand charge(KRW/kW) and energy charge(KRW/kWh). However, both of peak reduction and ESS special tariff are not considered in an analysis of initial cost payback period(ICPP) on ESS. Since it is difficult to reflect base rate by an amount of uncertain peak demand reduction during mid-peak and on-peak periods in the future days. Therefore, the ICPP on ESS can be increased. Based on this background, this paper presents the advanced analysis method for the ICPP on ESS. In the proposed algorithm, the representative days of monthly electricity consumption pattern for the amount of peak reduction can be found by the k­means clustering algorithm. Moreover, the total expected energy costs of representative days are minimized by optimal daily ESS operation considering both peak reduction and the special tariff through a mixed-integer linear programming(MILP). And then, the amount of peak reduction becomes a value that the sum of the expected energy costs for 12 months is maximum. The annual benefit cost is decided by the amount of annual peak reduction. Two simulation cases are considered in this study, which one only considers the special tariff and another considers both of the special tariff and amount of peak reduction. The ICPP in the proposed method is shortened by 18 months compared to the conventional method.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.197-200
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• 2007

Advanced control is getting increasingly demanded in water and wastewater treatment systems. Various case studies have shown significant savings in operating costs, including energy costs, and remarkably short payback times. It has been demonstrated that instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) may increase the capacity of biological nutrient removing wastewater treatment plants by 10-30% today. With further understanding and exploitation of the mechanisms involved in biological nutrient removal the improvements due to ICA may reach another 20-50% of the total system investments within the next 10-20 years. Disturbances are the reason for control of any system. In a wastewater treatment system they are mostly related to the load variations, but many disturbances are created also within the plant. In water supply systems some of the major disturbances are related the customer demand as well as to leakages or bursts in the pipelines or the distribution networks. Hardly any system operates in steady state but is more or less in a transient state all the time. Water and energy are closely related. The role of energy in water and wastewater operations is discussed. With increasing energy costs and the threatening climate changes this issue will grow in importance.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.229-234
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• 2011

Feasibility assessment for small hydropower plants using diversion weirs located in stream for agricultural purpose has been studied. The model, which can predict flow duration characteristic of stream, was developed to analyze the inflow caused from rainfall. And another model to predict hydrologic performance for small hydropower plants is established. Preliminary survey was performed identifying several candidate sites, and two sites were selected finally for actual site reconnaissance. During the course of site survey, generating capacity, construction and equipment cost, and payback through life time of each sites were calculated for economical feasibility analysis. The results of this study have estimated that the small hydropower plants using diversion weirs for agricultural purpose may offer better opportunities in future with increasing fuel cost and nation's energy policy.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2022

The application of Photovoltaic (PV) power in the building sector, is expanding as part of the ongoing energy transition into renewables. The article addresses the question of sustainability of energy generated from PVs through an environmental assessment of a building-integrated PV system (BIPV) connected to the grid through net metering. Employing retrospective life cycle analysis (LCA), with the CCaLC2 software and ecoinvent data, the article shows that the carrying structure and other balance of system (BOS) components are responsible for a three times higher energy payback time than the literature average. However, total environmental impact can be lowered through reuse or reinstallation of PVs on the same building structure after the 30-year interval. Further ways to improve environmental efficiency include identifying the most polluting materials for each LCA parameter. The results of this study are of interest to researchers and producers of PVs and organizations investing and promoting decentralized power production through PVs.