Renewable Communities Combining Anaerobic Digestion and Solar Energy: A Case Study in the Province of Soria (Spain)
摘要
The increase in energy consumption, primarily reliant on fossil fuels, has led to a continuous rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over many years, particularly in the last two decades, which has intensified the effects of climate change. Urban areas, which concentrate both population and industry, exhibit the highest emission levels, making their transition to a system based on renewable energy sources crucial for reducing environmental impact. Renewable energy communities are proposed as a dual-solution approach: (i) an innovative and sustainable model for local energy management and production, and (ii) a strategy that generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This study presents a model of an energy community that utilizes organic waste generated in three urban centers of varying sizes (500, 5000, and 40,000 inhabitants), supplemented by solar energy, with the aim of meeting the energy needs of municipal buildings. The results demonstrate that, while the system proves more efficient in smaller urban centers, the percentage of municipal energy consumption that can be covered by this model exceeds 70% in larger urban areas.