A framework for optimization of energy efficiency and integration of hybridized-solar

energy in agro-industrial plants: Bioethanol production from cassava in Ghana

Ghana's agrarian sector accounts for 19.7% of the country's Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) and over 30% of its export earnings. The unreliable supply and access to power from the
national grid is one of the key constraints hampering greater growth in Ghana's agricultural
sector. Ghana's renewable energy ACT (ACT 832) states that 10% of the total energy should
come from renewables by 2020. Despite the abundance of solar energy resources in the
country, active usage to supplement the energy needs in industrial-scale agro-processing is still
scarce.Solar energy is a reliable energy source for self-consumption. When installed
photovoltaic installations reduce below 2 e/Wp, it may become the lower-cost option relative to
solar thermal. In Ghana, bioenergy was the preferred option in terms of land use. Cassava root
can be used as an ideal substrate for bioethanol production. Ghana has two main industrial
cassava processing plants located in the Volta and Central regions of the country. A study by
Kongkiattikajorn (2012) used cassava to produce ethanol. The cassava starch is liquefied in
preparation for saccharification and fermentation. Slurry pH is monitored and adjusted by the
addition of a caustic solution if necessary. The final charge of the alpha-amylase enzyme is
added to complete the starch conversion. The fermenter agitator is started as soon as it is
covered - this allows the optimum release rate of sugar for the yeast to convert it into ethanol
and CO2. The heat of fermentation is removed through film cooling of the fermenter by trickling
a film of cooling water over its surface. A team of researchers at the University of California,
San Diego (UCSD), in the United States, has been studying how to optimize energy efficiency
and integrate hybridized solar energy in industrial plants. The study was inspired by Fu et al. to
model effective information processing in the financial sector (Jia et al., 2020). In this study, the
goal was to increase energy efficiency and substitute energy use with solar energy. The
industrial plant module includes mapping out the plant layout and determining what forms of
energy are used in the different unit operations of the plant (heat or electricity), as well as
measuring actual energy use. A study by Gilman and Dobos(2012) shows that the energy
required for each process unit was measured and recorded over 28 days. 10,000 kg of ethanol
and 3,600 kg of carbon dioxide is produced per cycle. Fuelwood is the energy source used in
the steam boiler at 70% efficiency of fuelwood is required. The information module outlines the
regulatory data and other external sources of information required for the optimization of energy
efficiency and the integration of hybridized solar energy. These include: Feed-in-tariff rates of
solar energy in the country where the plant is operated. The system was then optimized as was
done by Malvin et al. (2014) for the cassava plant layout and more in-depth discussion will be
provided in the results and discussion section. The energy efficiency module, which illustrates
the key aspects involved in auditing and optimizing the plant's energy efficiency, will also be
presented.

The photovoltaic panel chosen for this study was a polycrys- talline Sun Power SPR-P17-
325-COM module. 1000L/day hot water usage at a rated power of 170.9 kW were themain
design parameters. The framework for designing a bioethanol production plant is designed to
provide a systematic approach to the optimization of energy efficiency, hybrid solar energy and
optimal plant reconsider- ation. The tool used is the Functional Analysis System Technique
(FAST), which illustrates the different functions of the system. Fermenting yeast is a fairly
thermally efficient process at 90.9% when the designed temperatures are compared to the real
measured temperatures during the plant operation. It is, therefore, recommended that this tank
be insulated as in the study by Polackowyj (1994). Steam pretreatment optimization is
recommended in line with Stenberg's study (Stenberg et al., 1998) to increase system
efficiency. The most significant unit is the root preparation as the usage was in excess of 29.2%
from the designed steam utilization. Baffilona’s root preparation consumed 67.4% of the total
energy and needs to be replaced with rasper PS 50–100 which is 28% more efficient.
Replacement of pumps, pumps and cables will reduce the electrical consumption by 21.3%.
Smart occupancy sensors could also be installed to reduce power consumption. Optimization of
the thermal system was split into two main parts. Heat loss from the effluent and heat loss from
tanks were considered. The distillation tank recorded the highest heat loss, accounting for
51.1% of the overall heat loss. A Functional Analysis System Technique (FAST) diagram was
developed for the present study. The FAST provides an understanding of how every specific
component of the framework provides value with regards to optimizing energy efficiency and
integrating solar energy. A systematic framework has been developed to optimize the energy
usage for simultaneous hybridized energy. The solar hot water system provided thermal energy
for the mashing, fermentation, and distillation units. The process was intensified by the reuse of
heat from the effluent in all the units. Ghanaian researchers have shown that energy
optimization can significantly reduce plant-wide energy loss and consumption by 41.8%.
Replacing old pumps and cables with a modern energy-efficient model reduced the energy
consumption by 21.3%; process intensification by the reuse of heat from the effluent in all the
units; simultaneous mashing and fermentation (mashing/fermenting) and insulation of tanks.
The cost of producing solar thermal hot water is 31.8% higher than solar photovoltaic power due
to the lack of subsidies in the sector. The framework enhances the transition towards an
efficient, more sustainable solar-powered agro-industrial sector in Ghana and other developing
countries. The framework,
therefore, presents a valuable tool for optimizing energy efficiency and integrating solar thermal
and solar photovoltaic energy sources for the agro-industrial sector. Optimizing the energy
efficiency is especially important step in the integration of the solar energy system. Feedback
loops are implemented to specific activities where possible adjustments should be made
iteratively until the objectives are attained.