Solar thermal and wind energy applications: Case study of a small Spanish village

The present work examines the supply of heating and electricity to the Spanish village of Uruena, using biomass and other local renewable sources as a result of the growing interest worldwide towards the development of sustainable and energy independent small communities. Specifically, this case study considers the design of a district heating system consisting of a solar heating plant, a biomass plant using straw as a sustainable fuel for the base load and an oil boiler for the peak load, coupled with a hot water tank as a thermal energy storage option. Two alternative scenarios are analyzed for electricity generation purposes, namely a system consisting of three small wind turbines and a system with a single large wind turbine. The results show that the cost of large-scale electricity storage depends on the application and often involves significant capital investments.