Francisco Javier Farfan Orozco

Åbo Akademi University · Faculty of Science and Engineering

Global power plant capacity has experienced a historical evolution, showing noticeable patterns over the years: continuous growth to meet increasing demand, and renewable energy sources have played a vital role in global electrification from the beginning, first in the form of hydropower but also wind energy and solar photovoltaics. With increasing...

Artificial water reservoirs have been created over history for a variety of purposes such as flood control, seasonal water storage for irrigation, fishing, hydropower generation, energy storage, etc. Globally, hydropower represents still the largest share of renewable electricity generation, with over 1170 GW of capacity installed, thereof 328 GW i...

In order to achieve targets set by the Paris Agreement and limit global average temperature increase to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, an assessment and a low carbon transformation is needed for all types of human activities. Cement production is associated with high levels of CO2 emissions, with an average of 866 kg of CO2 emitted pe...

A transition towards long-term sustainability in global energy systems based on renewable energy resources can mitigate several growing threats to human society simultaneously: greenhouse gas emissions, human-induced climate deviations, and the exceeding of critical planetary boundaries. However, the optimal structure of future systems and potentia...

Connecting research on the water demand of power plants with mitigation strategies for energy-based water use is an important step to ensure global water and energy security, and thus provide more sustainable use of both. Here, we assess the water footprint of 13,863 thermal power plants units with a total active capacity of 4,182 GW worldwide and...

Wastewater treatment plants play a crucial role in water management by facilitating water reuse, recycling and maintaining a safe level of pollutants released into the environment. The operation of these plants varies according to a several factors, including the season, type of wastewater, and volumes to be treated. These factors commonly influenc...

Cloud and data services have experienced a constant increase in demand ever since their availability. Whether for computing of complex models, digital data storage, blockchain transactions or digital service hosting, digital data is having an increasingly important role in society. However, with the increasing presence of data centers, not only the...

The current work describes a process for converting hemicellulose-rich industrial side streams to specialty sugars utilizing green technology and commercially available acidic heterogeneous catalysts. Focus is placed on the detailed overall process design and techno-economic assessment of integrating the concept into an existing thermo-mechanical p...

Steel production is a carbon and energy intensive activity, releasing 1.9 tons of CO2 and requiring 5.17 MWh of primary energy per ton produced, on average, globally, resulting in 9% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement of limiting global temperature increase to below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial leve...

Cobalt is an important critical material and a constituent of a broad range of products such as batteries, electronics , superalloys, and hard metals. Effective recycling of cobalt is considered one of the most pivotal processes in alleviating its criticality. In this paper, using the dynamic modelling of material, energy, and water flows in cobalt...

Climate change threats and the necessity to achieve global Sustainable Development Goals demand unprecedented economic and social shifts around the world, including a fundamental transformation of the global energy system. An energy transition is underway in most regions, predominantly in the power sector. This research highlights the technical fea...

There is an evident food, water and energy crisis worldwide. Up to a quarter of the global population has no reliable access to any of these basic supplies. The published literature reveals that research is being carried out on sustainable and comprehensive energy transitions. Simultaneously, research on different aspects of agriculture, such as en...

The state-of-the-art scientific modelling of the “Global Energy System based on 100% Renewable Energy – Power, Heat, Transport and Desalination Sectors” study simulates a transition to 100% renewable energy of the entire world, structured in nine major regions and 145 sub-regions on an hourly resolution of 5-year time periods from 2015 until 2050....

The study showcases that a global 100% renewable energy system can be achieved with zero GHG emissions before 2050 and more cost-effectively than the current fossil fuel and nuclear-based energy system. Solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy emerge as the new workhorses of the future global energy system. Solar PV emerges as the most prominent el...

Design, structure, modelling, and analysis of complex systems can significantly benefit from a systematic approach. One way to address a complex system using a systematic approach is to combine creative and analytical methods, such as general morphological analysis and design structure matrix. The aim is to propose a framework to address complex sy...

The study of eco-design practices has become an important aspect of sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, the identification and selection of key drivers for eco-design implementation is becoming essential. However, further research is needed in order to understand what are the key drivers that increase the efficiency of eco-design implementation a...

The power sector is faced with strict requirements in reducing harmful emissions and substantially increasing the level of sustainability. Renewable energy (RE) in general and solar photovoltaic (PV) in particular can offer societally beneficial solutions. The LUT energy system transition model is used to simulate a cost-optimised transition pathwa...

Accordingly to the COP21 Paris Agreement a net zero greenhouse gas emission energy system must be built no later than 2050. Such a fast power system transition will be very challenging for the conditions of Northeast Asia, a region with a large and fast growing power demand. Power system transition modelling was performed in order to check the tech...

The idea of damming the Congo River has persisted for decades. The Grand Inga project, of up to 42 GW power generation capacity, can only be justified as part of a regional energy master plan for Africa, to bridge the energy gap on the continent. Proponents of very large dams have often exaggerated potential multiple benefits of a mega dam, margina...

Artificial water reservoirs have been created over history for a variety of purposes such as flood control, seasonal water storage for irrigation, fishing, hydropower generation, energy storage, etc. Globally, hydropower represents still the largest share of renewable electricity generation, with over 1170 GW of capacity installed, thereof 328 GW i...

The study of eco-design practices has become an important aspect of sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, the identification and selection of key drivers for eco-design implementation is becoming essential. However, further research is needed in order to understand what are the key drivers that increase the efficiency of eco-design implementation a...

Neo-Carbon Energy is the largest renewable energy research in the Finnish history. We are creating a completely new energy system where the produced energy is emission-free, cost-effective and independent. We are solving renewable energy’s flexible use, storage and distribution. This will revolutionise the entire energy field. The project is carrie...

Presentation on the occasion of the PVSEC-27, Otsu, Japan, November 12-17, 2017.

Presentation on the occasion of the 33rd EU PVSEC, Amsterdam, September 28, 2017.

The global energy system has to be transformed towards high levels of sustainability in order to comply with the COP21 agreement. Solar photovoltaic (PV) offers excellent characteristics to play a major role in this energy transition. The key objective of this work is to investigate the role of PV in the global energy transition based on respective...

The global energy sector is shifting towards renewable energy (RE). When it comes to RE, Europe is the leading region for renewable share installation with 38.5% of RE of total power capacity (including 15% new RE), but still there were 914 GW of non-RE installed capacities operating at end of 2014. Records of decommissioned power plants indicate a...

In this study, a 100% renewable energy (RE) system for Brazil in 2030 was simulated using an hourly resolution model. The optimal sets of RE technologies, mix of capacities, operation modes and least cost energy supply were calculated and the role of storage technologies was analysed. The RE generated was not only able to fulfil the electricity dem...

The global energy sector is shifting towards renewable energy (RE). International agreements are setting goals related to the reduction of carbon emissions with the aim of mitigating climate change. When it comes to RE, Europe is the leading region for renewable share installation with 38.5% of RE of total power capacity (including 9% for wind and...

The global energy system has to be transformed towards high levels of sustainability for executing the COP21 agreement. Solar PV offers excellent characteristics to play a major role for this energy transition. Key objective of this work is to investigate the role of PV for the global energy transition based on respective scenarios and a newly intr...

In this study, a 100% renewable energy (RE) system for Brazil in 2030 was simulated using an hourly resolution model. The optimal sets of RE technologies, mix of capacities, operation modes and least cost energy supply were calculated and the role of storage technologies was analysed. The RE generated was not only able to fulfil the electricity dem...

Supplementary Material for the publication "Hydropower and Power-to-Gas Storage Options: The Brazilian Energy System Case" at the 10th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES) in Düsseldorf, March 15-17, 2016

Presentation at the LUT Doctorial School Conference in Lappeenranta at December 10, 2015.

Tesis de Lic. en Ingeniería Electrónica