An investigation into the current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in Libya

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2012.07.038

Renewable Energy

Volume 50, February 2013, Pages 732-740

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.07.038 Get rights and content

Abstract

With the increase in energy demand and the international drive to reduce carbon emission from fossil fuel, there has been a drive in many oil-rich countries to diversify their energy portfolio and resources. Libya is currently interested in utilising its renewable energy resources in order to reduce the financial and energy dependency on oil reserves. This paper investigates the current utilisation and the future of renewable energy in Libya. Interviews have been conducted with managers, consultants and decision makers from different government organisations including energy policy makers, energy generation companies and major energy consumers. The results indicate that Libya is rich in renewable energy resources but in urgent need of a more comprehensive energy strategy and detailed implementation including reasonable financial and educational investment in the renewable energy sector.

Highlights

► The paper investigates the current utilisation and the future of renewable energy in Libya. ► The methodology includes semi-structured interviews with key stake holders. ► The results show that renewable energy is strategically of high importance. ► Solar and wind energy are considered the main sources of renewable energy. ► There is a need to attract investors in renewable technologies.

Introduction

Many oil-rich countries in Middle East, including Libya, are trying to diversify their economy and reduce their dependency on oil as a source of income and energy generation in order to develop more sustainable and knowledge-based economy. Securing alternative resources of energy and income is becoming critically important for these countries if they wish to maintain the same standard of living for future generations and reduce pollution and Carbon emission of fusel fuel.

The information currently available in the public domain regarding renewable energy in Libya indicates that Libya is rich in solar and wind energy resources. Libya is located in the middle of North Africa with a huge area of 1,759,540 km² and a long coast of a length of 1900 km on the Mediterranean Sea with 88% of its area considered to be desert where there is a high potentiality of solar and wind energy which can be used to generate electricity via thermal, photovoltaic and solar energy conversions. Moreover, it has been estimated that every year, each square kilometre (km²) of desert in the Middle East/North Africa region receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of crude oil [1]. Based on information extracted from data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) 2007, Fig. 1 indicates an average estimation of annual direct normal solar irradiance in Libya in kWh/m² per annum.

In relation to wind energy resources, the data extracted from Wind Atlas of Libya (version 1.0 March 2008) indicates, as shown in Table 1, the estimated average wind speed in different Libyan cities.

In general, the average wind speeds ranges between 5 and 10 m per second in number of the Libyan areas. One of the main advantages of the wind in Libya is that there is a matching between the wind pattern and the pattern of the demand of the electric power in most places [2], [3], [4]. Furthermore, Libya is exposed to dry and hot winds which blow several times during the year [5]. In addition, the neighbouring countries to Libya have started to utilise the wind resource with different scales ranging from demonstration projects to commercial size wind farms [6], which is a clear indication of its feasibility in that region.

As far as renewable energy is considered, it is not a well-investigated subject in Libya due to the availability of oil as Libya is one of the leading exporters. Despite the fact that renewable energy such as solar and wind power as discussed above is widely available in Libya, it is still difficult to break the dependency on the oil and natural gas, not only for energy supply but also for revenues to finance the development of the society and the infrastructure.

Section snippets

The problem in context

The growth in population is causing significant increase in electricity demand all over Libya which is creating a considerable need for further investment in the infrastructure including power lines and additional power stations. Additionally, the industrial growth is requiring continuous operation of power plants and more fuel consumption. This gives strong demand to study the feasibility and importance of renewable energy in Libya which is the main goal of this paper.

Recent studies have shown

Methodology

The Authors have utilised in this paper a combination of different research techniques including field work, secondary data collection and interviews with different stake holders in relation to energy generation and consumption in different organisations in Libya. Secondary documentary data has been collected from several government organisations in order to obtain the necessary information that is related to this subject including policy statements, ministerial or departmental annual reports,

Results and discussion

The results in this paper will cover the current and future Energy consumption in Libya, the current strategic plans, availability of renewable energy and the perspective of policy makers, energy producers and consumers in relation to the energy sector in Libya.

The research interviews

Table 2 summarised the interviews based on the sector and the organisation with unique code for each interviewee and the geographical location.

The authors initiated their methodology by designing a survey, and all the interviews were transcribed, coded, and each code was given a letters and number related to each case. Using computer software, the codes were divided and classified into simple codes to situate them for study. Data and information have been collected from the interviews and

Further results from interviewees

Most interviewees in the three sectors highlight the importance of the renewable energy resources, with relative differences amongst them. While participants of both energy consumptions (EC) and energy generation (EG) give equal importance to utilise and invest in this field, the energy policy makers (EPM) give more importance compared with EG and EC to renewable energy resources. In general, according to the interviewees, the three sectors aim to achieve three main objectives relative to

Recent political changes and renewable energy

The research work for this paper has been performed prior and following the recent political changes in Libya. Most of the data was collected prior to the recent change in the government in 2011. The changes in the Libyan government after the data of this paper has been collected are considered as an important factor due to the possible potential uncertainty in the strategic importance of renewable energy. At the time of writing this paper in 2012, the National Transitional Council (NTC) is

Discussion

The continuous growth in energy demands is one of the important challenges facing the energy policy makers in Libya. Exploitation of renewable energy in Libya is becoming important to sustain people's lifestyle and sustaining energy resources. Libya, similar to other country, is seeking to boost its economy, increase and maintain its sources of income, encouraging investment, and creating new employment opportunities. In addition, the Libyan government started to address issues such as oil

Conclusions

The conducted interviews indicate the important of solar and wind energy in Libya. They also indicate there is political interest in the development of renewable. From the literature review, field visits and secondary data it has been found that energy demand is increasing in Libya and that renewable energy could be the solution to cover some of this demand. Semi-structured interviews with 55 participants from the three main sectors in the field provided further details of the overall picture.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the Libyan Renewable Energy Authority and Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies for providing some of the data used in this research work.

References (16)

W. El-Osta et al.
Prospects of wind power plants in Libya: a case study
Renewable Energy
(2003)
Franz Tribe
Project manager for the TRANS-CSP and the associated AQUA-CSP and MED-CSP report
(2011)
Besisbo Faraj
Alternative energy sources and its role in the production of electric power in Libya
(2009)
W. El-Osta
Evaluation of wind energy potential in Libya
Applied Energy, Special Proceedings
(1995)
B. Mohammed et al.
Wind load characteristics in Libya
World Academy of Science Engineering and Technology
(2010)
Khalifa Y. Wind atlas for the coastal region of Libya, M.Sc. dissertation, Mechanical Engineering Department, Alfateh...
The Libyan minister for electricity, water, gas and renewable energy. Annual report
(2009)
Saleh I. Prospects of renewable energy in Libya: International Symposium on Solar Physics and Solar Eclipses (SPSE),...

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (53)

Techno-economic assessment of a floating photovoltaic power plant assisted methanol production by hydrogenation of CO<inf>2</inf> captured from Zawiya oil refinery
2024, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
This study aims a techno-economic analysis of a plant that produces methanol by hydrogenating carbon dioxide in the waste gas from an oil refinery using the electricity from floating photovoltaic power plant. First, carbon dioxide in the flue gas is captured in the carbon capture plant (CCP), and the hydrogen obtained from the seawater in the hydrogen plant (HP) with the help of photovoltaic energy is combined in the methanol plant (MPP) to produce methanol fuel. Using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES), a calculation was made of the amount of energy required and the number of solar panels or wind turbines that would be required to meet this demand, and then the environmental impact of the methanol plant was investigated. The Libyan Az-Zawiya oil refinery was considered for the case study due to its high solar potential, proximity to the sea and energy security. Systems' processes for CO₂ emissions, heat integration, energy efficiency, and thermo-economic performance were all taken into consideration. Renewable energy, synthetic fuel, and the methanol plant showed efficiencies of 0.21%, 0.5872%, and 0.1626%, respectively, and at the optimum density of the electrolyzer, 2.2 kA/m², the efficiency of the electrolyzer was 0.782%. According to this study, all output parameters increase with the increase in the flue gas in the process, showing that flue gas is the most important input parameter affecting the outputs. The total cost of the plant for 30 years of operation was found to be $11.350 billion, with a production capacity of over 43.360 million tons of methanol, which equates to $412.9 per ton and $0.4129 per kg. Environmentally, the rate of captured emissions was about 4890 tons per day, and the mitigation rate was approximately 4513 tons per day. According to the results, the current plant is competitive with other clean synthetic fuel production plants.
A review on hybrid energy generation: Cow dung biogas, solar thermal and kinetic energy integration for power production
2023, Energy and Built Environment
The growing global demand for clean and sustainable energy sources has sparked interest in hybrid energy systems that combine multiple renewable energy technologies. This review paper explores the integration of cow dung biogas, solar thermal, and kinetic energy for power production. The synergistic utilization of these energy sources holds significant potential for addressing the energy challenges faced by various communities. This paper provides an overview of each technology, discusses the benefits and challenges of integration, and highlights successful case studies. Furthermore, it discusses this hybrid energy generation system's potential future developments and implications.
Steering North African countries towards REN21’s path of sustainable solar energy development
2022, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments
Citation Excerpt :
It is estimated that renewable energy will generate 22 per cent of the country's energy by 2030 [36]. As shown in [37], significant potential exists for solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. This is significant especially given that the country is situated on a solar belt.
While more countries are promising to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, North Africa’s efforts and promises fall well short of what is needed to give the world a fair chance of staying below 1.5 °C global warming by 2050. Therefore, it is crucial that the nations within the region contribute to achieving the clean energy goals outlined in REN21’s latest renewable energy overview. Given the region's solar belt status, and with the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) undermining many of these countries’ emission goals, it has become imperative to evaluate in detail other sites within these countries to increase access to solar energy. Under the shadow of the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties, this goal should not seem unrealistic. This study represents the first attempt in the literature to utilize a strategic perspective to explore the viability and cost-effectiveness of adapting REN21’s targets for increasing the share of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in North Africa. With the aid of Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables, the study indicates significant prospects for exploring solar PV across several cities in each country, in accordance with REN21’s nation-specific targets. An examination of different forms of PV technology reveals that Schneider ConextCoreXC 630 kW with Generic PV outperforms the other types investigated by delivering the lowest cost of energy among all types; alternating between US$0.01916/kWh and US$0.1574/kWh across the six nations. By performing comparisons between the proposed PV plants in each of the North African countries and power plants with similar targeted capacity utilizing diesel fuel, PV farm utilization is found to be economically practical, sustainable against volatile prices for diesel fuel, and it is anticipated to avoid nearly between 1 million tons/year and 25.5 million tons/year of pollutants and reduce energy costs by between US$0.07117/kWh and US$1.1046/kWh across the six countries. By analyzing the effects PV cost can have on the cost of energy for the top sites in each country, the anticipated continuing drop in PV costs will set the scene for PV systems to contribute to each of the countries’ energy mix even more attractive fundamentally. Either by focusing on one site and intensifying the farms at that site, or deciding on multiple sites out of the top five locations highlighted in each country and scatter the farms across them, this study offers a generalized design guideline and recommendation for government officials and policymakers to choose the best solutions based on national preferences.
3.14 - Solar Powered (Thermally-Driven) Cooling Systems
2022, Comprehensive Renewable Energy, Second Edition: Volume 1-9
Thermally-driven cooling offers a more sustainable and low energy solution for refrigeration and air conditioning applications. For most cooling applications, there is a coincidence between peak solar gain and peak cooling demand. By using solar thermal energy to drive a cooling cycle, it is possible to produce cooling virtually coincident with the demand for cold, and thus solar powered cooling is a potential technology for domestic, commercial and industrial buildings.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) applications in Libya: Challenges, potential, opportunities and future perspectives
2021, Cleaner Engineering and Technology
The solar photovoltaic (PV) is one way of utilising incident solar radiation to produce electricity without carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission. It's important here to give a general overview of the present situation of Libyan energy generation. This paper aimed to highlight the energy challenges that faced the Libyan state, and the possibility to diagnose and suggest a strategy to develop and finding solutions. The residential building loads represent the largest energy consumption in the country, which presents approximately 36%. A wide range of critical literature review takes place to understand the energy system situations. This study addresses the current situation of solar photovoltaic power in Libya, the use of solar energy, and proposes strategies adopted by Libya to encourage future applications of solar photovoltaic energy and electricity generation. Furthermore, this study investigates an opportunity to exploit solar photovoltaics to meet the deficiency in energy demand and by the affordable way. Lastly, we presented solar photovoltaics application in Libya; thus, it has tremendous opportunities and possibilities. Besides, available potential, reality challenges and drawn up future perspectives.
A rule-based power management strategy for Vehicle-to-Grid system using antlion sizing optimization
2021, Journal of Energy Storage
Stable and reliable electricity is a prerequisite to the development of any nation and improving the living standard of the society. By exploiting Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) such as solar energy (PV) and wind energy (WT) as widely acknowledged RESs to be more environmentally friendly and address power difficulties. They are acknowledged to be an interesting option to charge Electric Vehicles (EVs) via Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. On the contrary, to the best knowledge of the authors, there are few numbers published articles on RESs (PV and WT) integrated with Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) to charge EVs. This research is aimed at implementing a metaheuristic optimization algorithm named Antlion Optimizer (ALO) algorithm for sizing the system components to meet the load demand and minimize the two objective functions - Losses Power Supply Probability (LPSP) and Cost of Electricity (COE) while maximizing the Renewable Energy Fraction (REF). In addition, the Rule-Based Energy Management Strategy (RB-EMS) is proposed to control the flow of power in the system. The integration of RESs to the utility grid with V2G technology and V2G services is discussed. Furthermore, the State-of-the-art for improving the stability and reliability of the grid-connected system is presented. As a result, the attained result from the proposed method shows better performance results as 0.0936 $/kWh, 0.1044%, and 0.9940% for COE, LPSP, and REF, respectively. The research is conducted in different microgrid configurations using a MATLAB environment.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

An investigation into the current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in Libya

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Section snippets

The problem in context

Methodology

Results and discussion

The research interviews

Further results from interviewees

Recent political changes and renewable energy

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgement

Renewable Energy

Project manager for the TRANS-CSP and the associated AQUA-CSP and MED-CSP report

Alternative energy sources and its role in the production of electric power in Libya

Evaluation of wind energy potential in Libya

Applied Energy, Special Proceedings

Wind load characteristics in Libya

World Academy of Science Engineering and Technology

The Libyan minister for electricity, water, gas and renewable energy. Annual report