Science. Business. Society.
Vol. 7 (2022), Issue 2, pg(s) 45-49

BUSINESS

Wind Energy in Albania, a Factor in the Decarbonization of the Energy Sector in the Region

  • 1 Department of Energy, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania
  • 2 Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik, Norway

Abstract

Albania has significant renewable energy resource potential from hydro, wind and solar energy. It is a special case regarding electricity generation because most of (99%) is provided using large and medium hydro power plants. So, energy generation in Albania is free from greenhouse gas emissions. But since hydrological conditions change from year to year, the country has been forced to support the import of electricity from countries in the region and mainly from Kosovo. The use of wind energy in Albania would not only reduce dependence on imports but also would affect the decarbonization of the energy sector in the region, which is supported by fossil resources. This study estimates the amount of CO2 that could be reduced if a renewable energy source, such as wind energy, would replace energy generation from the use of fossil fuels sources. In case when the energy is generated from coal thermal power plants in Kosovo, emitting an average of 1,205 tCO2/MWh, results in reduction of 36,632.5 tCO2 for generating 30.6 GWh electricity yearly and in case when electricity generation is from Vlora gas power plant, emitting an average of 0.341 tCO2/MWh results in reduction of 10,379.3 tCO2 for the same amount of electricity generated in first case.

Keywords

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