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PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

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9 Conclusions and Recommendations<br />

The main findings <strong>of</strong> this thesis are summarised in this chapter, and<br />

recommendations are made for ways in which the quantitative and temporal<br />

demand and supply matching tool developed here can be further enhanced in<br />

order to additionally increase its scope and applicability.<br />

9.1 Conclusions<br />

This thesis has highlighted the need for sustainable energy development, and has<br />

shown that, in order to analyse the complete energy needs <strong>of</strong> an area, the energy<br />

demands for electricity, heat, hot water and transport must be taken into<br />

consideration. As there are complex quantitative and temporal demand and<br />

supply matching issues involved in the design <strong>of</strong> such systems, the need for a<br />

decision support framework that will aid the technical design <strong>of</strong> efficient and<br />

reliable sustainable energy systems, has been shown. This system will support<br />

the planning for, and encourage, future sustainable energy system development.<br />

The components required to build a reliable and efficient sustainable energy<br />

supply system with a wide range <strong>of</strong> possible supplies for electricity, heat, hot<br />

water and transportation were considered. The important role in such systems <strong>of</strong><br />

a variety <strong>of</strong> energy storage devices and sustainable fuels as spinning reserve, and<br />

also as a form <strong>of</strong> storage, was highlighted. The important role <strong>of</strong> combined heat<br />

and power generation and district-heating provision was also discussed, as a<br />

means <strong>of</strong> providing better fuel utilisation. Existing methods for sustainable<br />

energy system design assessment were considered, and from an evaluation <strong>of</strong><br />

the strengths and weaknesses <strong>of</strong> these methods, a computer program has been<br />

developed which will perform temporal and quantitative demand and supply<br />

matching, in order to assess the viability <strong>of</strong> different supply mixes for different<br />

demand scenarios.<br />

This program was developed from an existing program (MERIT) which allowed<br />

the matching <strong>of</strong> a variety <strong>of</strong> demand sets, made up for any given area and<br />

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