Technology management framework for energy efficient urban communities/ Almira King Velasco

Dissertation

College of Industrial Education-- Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management Technological University of the Philippines 2019

The study focused on the development of a Technology Management Framework for Energy Efficient Urban Communities. It involves the assessment of distributed generation technology for variable renewable energy sources as an important tool in the development of energy efficient urban communities. The study employed a research design with documentary analysis, survey and model development. The study involved electrical practitioners who has a background knowledge on the technology. They were categorized into three (3) sectors namely: LGU, End user and Distribution. Utilities/Grid Operation. The research utilized snowball sampling technique. The study was conducted at urban communities in Bicol Region, specifically Naga City, Legazpi City and Sorsogon City.
The energy consumption of the three (3) pilot cities reveals that the residential sector consumes the highest amount of urban energy, followed by the commercial and industrial sector respectively. The kW demand of the pilot cities is expected to increase as the year progresses. However, the forecasted values show the differences in Demand Projections among the pilot cities. The result supports the fact that cities have different characteristics from one another. With the forecasted loading condition, substations of pilot cities have already exceeded the 70% loading criterion which is at 73.97% by 2019 for Naga City; and 73.92% by 2018 for Legazpi City. Sorsogon City substation will also be at 73.13% loading condition by the year 2020. The energy use preferences of the household population in the pilot cities has a significant influence in the increase of urban energy consumption. The study identified number of households as key determinant for the increase of energy consumption in Legazpi City and Sorsogon City, while household population was identified in Naga City. The LGU, End Users and Distribution Utilities has no significant differences in terms of awareness and commitment to energy efficiency implementation. However, there is a significant difference in terms of their perceived awareness on Distributed Generation Technology. Experts identified issues and challenges in the implementation of the technology. In terms of technical consideration, the perceived issues are the lack of local expertise. Skills training and updates are needed to create a pool of local experts which can be called on for the maintenance and troubleshooting. Operational factors emphasized the importance of weather forecasting in load management. In addition, solar energy resource assessment or wind resource assessment are perceived as good input in the preparation of a comprehensive land use plan and zoning. Socio-Economic factors highlight the importance of consumption patterns of the community. Consumption patterns determines the load requirement of a small-scale generation system. Moreover, policy directions are important drivers aligned with the overall energy efficiency objectives. Once clear policies in the implementation of the technology are available, risk factors like political peddling, will be reduced. To ensure effective and sustainable implementation of the technology, it is recommended that inhabitants be given appropriate skills training. Moreover, the government should provide financial support for renewable energy installations and initiate the inclusion of the technology to business processes and practices. To further enrich the findings of the study, there is a need for further research and development. Similar study should be conducted to other areas for optimal set up of the distributed generation technology for energy efficient urban communities-Author's Abstract