Energy exergy analysis on LFR based polygeneration system for reliable and sustainable rural livelihoods

Abstract

Renewable energy interventions have predominantly taken a top down approach with newlinean agenda to make the electrical grid integrate with clean energy sources within the newlineshortest time to meet global commitments on climate change. The extension of grid is newlinean expensive program considering the isolated rural communities, with large newlineresidential loads. Insufficient anchor loads, lack of business models and instability of newlinerenewable energy mix are hurdles to provide decentralized quality power in rural newlineareas. However, the rural community whose livelihood activities are dependent on newlinegeographical location, demographical mix, proximity to natural resources and newlinenearness to supply chain require a closer analysis, to identify possible interventions of newlinerenewable energy. This identity of rural livelihoods calls for a bottom-up approach newlinethan a top-down approach for renewable energy intervention considerations. newlineThe current work evaluates a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach for newlinesustainability in livelihoods and identifies the benefits of latter with renewable energy newlineintegration in the context of energy, water and food nexus. Sustainability in livelihood newlineis discussed from economic sustenance and environmental sustenance perspective, newlinewith respect to stresses and shocks which are climate change, globalization and newlineurbanization. The relations between the factors that influence the efficiency of a newlinelivelihood asset to perform are expressed through equations. Expressions for newlineeconomic and environmental sustainability are derived considering the importance of newlineinterventions in energy, water and food through renewable energy. The impact of newlinestresses and shocks on livelihood assets and corresponding cost for corrections and newline cost for empowerment of assets are derived through mathematical expressions. newline