Tamás Buday

Sustainability aspects of thermal water production in the region of Hajdúszoboszló-Debrecen, Hungary

Abstract As geothermal energy usage becomes more conspicuous the long-term effects of thermal water extraction become more significant. The greatest extent of exploitation in East Hungary occurs in the area of Hajdúszoboszló and Debrecen. The extracted thermal water is utilized mainly by their baths. In this paper, the sustainability of this system was examined with a steady state hydrodynamic model. The solid model is based on sequence stratigraphic interpretation while the hydraulic conductivity values were estimated based on the values of geophysical well-logs. The closely spaced wells cause a great subregional decrease of hydraulic head, particularly in the most intensively extracted layer, i.e. the layer of the delta front facies. The effects of extraction by the two spatial groups of wells intersect resulting in decreased profitability of subsequent wells. However, rationalizing thermal water utilization using water from shallower zones simultaneously may have beneficial effects on the yield distribution among the different layers.

Biogas utilization and its environmental benefits in Hungary

Abstract The aim of our report is to refer on the actual state of small biogas power plants in Hungary summarising the increase in their number and capacity and their effects on climatic change. The above is based on the CO2 emission of the energetic utilization of biogas and the calculation of its ecological footprint that were compared to the environmental effects of natural gas energetic utilization. The aim of this paper does not include the complete life cycle analysis therefore the environmental benefits of the energetic utilization of biogas produced from various raw material are presented via only the direct CO2 emission of the production process.

The environmental and economic aspects of a biogas power plant

In the present study the authors examined the carbon footprint of a biogas power plant in eastern Hungary, and the economic aspects of its operation. About 65% of the raw materials are transported from within a 12 km radius of the surrounding area; however, the remaining 35% arrives from distances greater than 90 km. In 2013 – taking into consideration the complete life cycle of the power plant – the GHG (greenhouse gases) emission linked to each operational phase was 208,173 kg CO₂ equivalent, which is only 6.3% of the emission accompanying the production of the same quantity of energy in the Hungarian energy structure; therefore, from an environmental perspective, the energetic utilization of biogas is quite favorable. It became clear during an investigation into the economic aspects of the power plant’s operation that in the current conditions its operation is on the margins of sustainability. The acquisition of raw materials must be rethought and rationalized. This can be achieved by (1) the replacement of the relatively expensive self-produced feedstock by easily fermentable (bio) waste materials, and (2) the radical reduction of transportation distances. Moreover, it is imperative to find possible ways to utilize the surplus thermal energy and the sale of the fermented manure (biomanure) produced.

Preliminary results on the determination of solar energy potential using LiDAR technology

According to the challenge of the reduction of greenhouse gases, the structure of energy production should be revised and the increase of the ratio of alternative energy sources can be a possible solution. Redistribution of the energy production to the private houses is an alternative of large power stations at least in a partial manner. Especially, the utilization of solar energy represents a real possibility to exploit the natural resources in a sustainable way. In this study we attempted to survey the roofs of the buildings with an automatic method as the potential surfaces of placing solar panels. A LiDAR survey was carried out with 12 points/m2 density as the most up-to-date method of surveys and automatic data collection techniques. Our primary goal was to extract the buildings with special regard to the roofs in a 1 km2 study area, in Debrecen. The 3D point cloud generated by the LiDAR was processed with MicroStation TerraScan software, using semi-automatic algorithms. Slopes, aspects and annual so...

Geoinformatic background of geothermal energy utilisation and its applications in East Hungary

Powerful geothermal energy utilisation requires geoinformatic tools from potential surveying through the designing and setting of geothermal systems to certain operational tasks. However, practical data processing strongly depends on the elaboration of basic data and information, the type of the geothermal energy harvesting system and the character of the calculation demonstrated by case studies from East Hungary, in addition the usability of the resulted maps are also presented. Besides their usability for investors these maps could be refined in the location of the development before hydraulic/heat transport modelling.

Utilization of solar energy potential on roofs: building extraction from the LiDAR database in a Hungarian sample area

According to the Horizon 2020 climate and energy package, legislation has to meet the 20-20-20 target. That means that EU member countries have to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by 20% to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 20% and to improve the energy efficiency by 20%. Our study is connected to renewable energy issues, the goal was to assess the extent of solar radiation exploitation potential of roofs in a typical Hungarian residential area. Our sample area (~1 km 2 ) was in Debrecen, the second largest city in Hungary. An aerial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey was conducted with the density of 10 points/m 2 . We extracted the buildings with the MicroStation TerraScan software and tested the geometry of them. The classification and vectorization of buildings were based on Terrascan semi-automatic algorithms in a Microstation environment. Primarily the roofs were important for us as these surfaces are the possible spaces for thermal and photovoltaic equipment. We determined the slope and aspect for each roof element and summarized the whole possible surface using the detected roof parts. Our research shows that the LiDAR

Annual pattern of the coefficient of performance considering several heat pump types and its environmental consequences

Heating with the use of ambient energy by heat pumps is a very effective way to reduce CO2 emission. However, efficiency, economic and environmental advantages depend on the type of the heat pump and the temperature of the source, the latter usually changes during the heating season. The aim of the paper is to give the annual pattern of the COP and emission as a function of the typical source temperature pattern, moreover yearly summarized energetic and emission values are also added in the case of air source, water source and ground source heat pump systems, compared to some conventional heating mode.