Gloria V Odo

The clustering of historical electricity consumption data is an effective means of developing representative load profiles for long-term energy planning. This paper presents a multi-dimensional approach for clustering, considering scattering and separation metrics and the number of clusters. A novel hybrid approach to solve the clustering function is also proposed: a combination of Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO) and wavelet mutation strategy. The hybrid method is applied to half-hourly metered electricity consumption data from the Civic Centre of a large local (municipal) government in Perth, Western Australia, to create representative seasonal load profiles. The novel clustering approach is then tested against the well-known k-means method using Davies-Bouldin and silhouette indices. In each seasonal clustered profile, the hybrid method is found to outperform the k-means method. The hybrid method has been identified as an effective clustering approach for analyzing the behavior of loads and assisting the identification of suitable energy efficiency initiatives.

This paper presents a broad assessment of the energy production potential available from solid organic wastes when treated with anaerobic digestion in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Energy production potentials were estimated by calculating the methane (CH4) production potential based on data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), studies done in urban centres on the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), livestock manure, livestock food waste, crop residues normally burned, and crop primary equivalent waste. The total CH4 production potential of organic solid wastes in SSA was estimated to be 12.8 billion m3/yr, equivalent to 133 million GWh/yr of heat energy. Given that current domestic biogas programmes in SSA focus on cattle manure as the main feedstock, the large energy production potential from other organic waste streams highlights the opportunity to improve waste management practices through harnessing these abundant waste resources in biogas systems.