Jean Philippe Praene

University of Reunion Island · Laboratory of Physics and Mathematical Engineering for Energy and the Environment (PIMENT)

This study examines the underlying concerns of global warming in the context of a small island developing states and the ensuing action of phasing out coal to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 °C, as stipulated by the Paris Agreement. Coal is amongst the most carbon intensive fuel, therefore transitioning to low-carbon fuels and renewables is...

The building sector is increasingly using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to holistically analyze its environmental quality performance. This article aimed to assist architects, stakeholders, and policymakers by proposing a simplified, reliable, and user-friendly approach. To do so, the impacts of two sets of 15 single-family houses have been assessed....

The objective of this approach is to evaluate the formation of waste production at the communal level in a small island state. The question of waste management is an important issue for all local authorities, but it is even more so in an island context. The small island areas are all the more confronted with this problem insofar as they must combin...

Reunion Island aims to achieve electricity autonomy by 2030 to limit its heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports. Currently, coal and oil account for 64% of electricity production in Reunion Island. In order to break this dependence, this study aims to analyse the integration of renewable energies into the electricity system and in parallel to stud...

Through representations of ideal neighborhood, this research aims at exploring way of living and quality of life in Reunion Island, in order to better understand spatial and social behaviors and take them into consideration on sustainable lifestyle. 55 semi-structured interviews were performed and have been analyzed by the Iramuteq textual analysis...

Through representations of ideal neighborhood, this research aims at exploring way of living and quality of life in Reunion Island, in order to better understand spatial and social behaviors and take them into consideration on sustainable lifestyle. 55 semi-structured interviews were performed and have been analyzed by the Iramuteq textual analysis...

Rice is the staple food in Madagascar. The rind of this rice is, therefore, a waste present in large quantities on the island. Some of these bark is used by brickmakers to bake clay bricks. A minimal amount of the ash produced by these burned bark is used to produce soap. The rest is released into the environment as agricultural waste. Our work aim...

Biomass gasification represents one of the most attractive solutions in rural electrification projects. It enables energy recovery from agricultural waste or forest resources in rural areas isolated from the grid. The use of the syngas produced by gasification in spark-ignition engines offers the local population a simple, available, and low-cost t...

A thorough understanding of the mechanisms influencing electricity use is imperative for the implementation of energy scenarios. This study first explores Madagascar's electricity consumption during the 1987-2015 period using a decomposition method. Next, a sensitivity analysis (SA) is conducted, which allows factors that have a significant influen...

The building sector is responsible for 43% of France's final energy consumption and is strongly associated with a high environmental impact due to its high consumption of energy and natural resources. These impacts are significant in isolated islands. Due to its geographical isolation and an area of 2512 km 2 , Reunion Island has a heavily carbon-b...

The building sector is responsible for 43% of France's final energy consumption and is strongly associated with a high environmental impact due to its high consumption of energy and natural resources. These impacts are significant in isolated territories, such as islands. Due to its geographical isolation and area of 2512 km 2 , Reunion Island has...

Through representations of ideal neighborhood, this research aims at exploring way of living and quality of life in Reunion Island, in order to better understand spatial and social behaviors and take them into consideration on sustainable lifestyle. 55 semi-structured interviews were performed and have been analyzed by the Iramuteq textual analysis...

At present, energy represents a key element in the social and economic development of a territory. This is particularly true for fragile territories that are not interconnected, such as small island states. As is true for many of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) worldwide, the energy situation of the Comoros is substantially based on fossi...

Présentation de mon Habilitation à diriger des recherches

The research work presented in this HDR focused on understanding the mechanisms related to the ecological transition of territories. The systemic reading at the scale of territories questions the transdisciplinary approaches necessary for the analysis and modeling of the dynamics of change. The objective of my work has been to develop within the la...

The building and public works sector is, in France as in Europe, a major consumer of raw materials for both the manufacture of products and the construction of buildings and structures. This sector has a direct impact on the natural and built environment. This effect is even more pronounced in the case of isolated territories, such as islands. The...

Présentation dans le cadre du séminaire de formation à l'IST d'Antananarivo.

Cette présentation lors de la cérémonie officielle de lancement du programme FESTII (Formation et Enseignement Supérieur pour la Transition énergétique dans les territoires Insulaires et en Indianocéanie)

SEEP2019 - Sharjah University (UAE)

Preserving natural resources for futures generations and mitigating the impact of our anthropogenic activities are pillars of sustainable development. The building and energy sectors are among the most impactful. Due to their isolation and size, small islands such as Reunion Island have a carbon-based economy with a high import content. Our article...

To meet the increase in energy demand, many developing countries, such as Madagascar, have turned to fossil fuels for electricity generation which leads to a significant environmental impact. Moreover, in Madagascar, the current electricity mix does not allow for stable and serene economic development. Thus, this paper seeks to discuss an energy pl...

In tropical environments, the design of bioclimatic houses adapted to their environment represents a crucial issue when considering thermal comfort and limiting energy consumption. A preliminary aspect of such design endeavors is the acquisition of accurate knowledge regarding the climatic conditions in each region of the studied territory. The obj...

A Gasifier system that can generate electricity from waste (biomass). The general components of this system include a boiler for burning the biomass to be gasified, the cyclone; for cooling the so-obtained syngas and for filtering the solid particles present within it; and finally, the electricity generator itself. All the subsystems are interconne...

Building construction has high environmental impact which offers significant opportunities for mitigation strategy. The most widely used approach in the literature for impact assessment is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper focuses on the study of 18 traditional single-family houses built from 2015 to 2018, in a tropical environment, more accu...

To meet the increase in energy demand, many developing countries, such as Madagascar, have turned to fossil fuels for electricity generation. This dependence has a significant environmental impact. Moreover, in Madagascar, the current electricity mix does not allow for stable and serene economic development. Thus, in order to discuss an energy plan...

The construction sector is well known to be both high energy intensive, natural resources consumer and heavy GHG impact. The construction of buildings has a considerable impact on the environment. These offer the greatest potential for mitigating environmental impacts. In standard buildings, the use phase contributes up to 90% of the total environm...

This presentation proposes the first results of a new approach to climate zoning in Madagascar. The approach combines a multivariate approach and spatial interpolation from the GIS. The results are then applied to the thermal simulation of traditional houses in Madagascar.

The vulnerability of island spaces has been recognized since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. Global energy pressure and the depletion of resources exacerbate their vulnerability. These territories are supposed to be real laboratories to experiment energy planning strategies, then allowed to help the international community. Nevertheless, the great...

The construction sector is very energy- and carbon-intensive. Evaluating environmental impacts is relatively complex, but the consideration of these factors is crucial for a key mitigation strategy. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of a single- family house under different geographical situations. To do so, a comparative stu...

Preserving natural resources for futures generations and mitigating the impact of our anthropogenic activities are pillars of sustainable development. The building and energy sectors are among the most impactful. Due to their isolation and size, small islands such as Reunion Island have a carbon-based economy with a high import content. Our article...

Numerous studies have investigated how small vulnerable territories are adapting to climate change, particularly non-interconnected islands with focus on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and self-sufficiency. A key to success is an energy plan with appropriate policy tools. This paper first presents a discussion on barriers to RES deployment. Then, w...

Transitioning to sustainable energy systems is an overriding challenge for small islands. Indeed, these territories must succeed within the next decades with the objective of energy independence and transitioning to a sustainable situation. In this research, a statistical approach is performed to explore and discuss a comprehensive study on small i...

La nouvelle politique énergétique de Madagascar fait face à un double défi : augmenter le taux d'électrification tout en assurant la transition énergétique. La production étant fortement corrélée à la demande, la compréhension de la consommation reste un préalable incontournable à l'analyse de la situation énergétique d'un territoire. L'étude est d...

Succeeding energy transition is the current challenging objective of many remote islands such as Reunion Island to reduce their dependency to fossil resources. To define an efficient energy framework strategy for the territory, it is important to be able to assess the electricity consumption intensity per typology of consumers. A particular attenti...

L'île de la Réunion est un Département d’Outre-Mer français, localisé dans l’océan Indien. Depuis la départementalisation en 1946, l’île s’est engagé dans un processus de rattrapage économique de la métropole [1]. Engrangeant un certain nombre d’investissement de la part de l’Etat français, l’île connaît une croissance économique et démographique i...

mise en lumière sur les déterminants et les freins dans l'usage des éco-quartiers

Le Bilan Energétique de La Réunion montre que cette île est actuellement dépendante en énergie fossile notamment l’huile lourde et ses dérivées. L’objectif du présent travail est de contribuer à l’atteinte de son indépendance énergétique à l’horizon 2030 en identifiant les facteurs influents et en proposant des alternatives adéquates. Pour ce faire...

This study presents a linear programming model for an optimal long-term electricity mix planning of an insular territory. A prospective exercise on electricity generation is conducted over a period of 15-35 years. A general methodology is presented to determine an optimal generation mix that minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by taking into acc...

Abstract Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time for development. Adaptation to this change combined with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can help to boost the economic transformation which stimulates growth, fills the energy gap and reduces poverty. This paper focuses on the potential of renewable energy sources (RES) for el...

Due to the high reliance on fossil fuels in the electricity production and transport sectors, completing the energy transition holds a particular importance for non-interconnected territories. The environmental impacts from electricity generation are mainly imputed to fossil fuel based technologies, for instance in the case of French insular territ...

Les petits espaces insulaires font partis des territoires les plus exposés au réchauffement climatique, leur vulnérabilité est admise par tous. Une nouvelle acception de la vulnérabilité qui semble émerger ces dernières années est la vulnérabilité énergétique. Comment la définir ? Dans quelle mesure la caractérisation de cette vulnérabilité peut do...

This paper presents a case study experimental validation of PISTACHE which is a new presizing tool intended for designers and planners. It facilitates pre-design and allows the evaluation of annual performance and the integration potential of solar heating, cooling and domestic hot water closed systems. This new tool has been performed in order to...

Considering environmental impact as constraint in energy planning and sustainable policy has gained in importance over the past two decades. Electricity is currently a key contributor to greenhouse gases emissions. These impacts are particularly significant in the case of remote islands due to the share of fossil fuel in electricity mix. This paper...

Solar energy is a green and attractive renewable energy source that can be converted for power generation. The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of dish Stirling systems if they are used in the fourth worldwide largest island of Madagascar. For that purpose, a theoretical model of the dish Stirling system based on the geometrical...

Solar energy is a green and attractive renewable energy source that can be converted for power generation. The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of dish Stirling systems if they are used in the fourth worldwide largest island of Madagascar. For that purpose, a theoretical model of the dish Stirling system based on the geometrical...

During the last twenty years, the comfort and cooling requirements of office buildings and occupants have evolved significantly in Reunion Island, particularly during the summer period. This intensive use of air conditioning has resulted in a significant increase in electricity consumption such as traditional cooling technologies (mechanical vapor...

Les petits espaces insulaires du fait de leur taille et isolement sont particulièrement vulnérables aux effets du changement climatique. De ce fait, les problématiques d'indépendance et de sécurité énergétique sont des enjeux primordiaux sur ces territoires non connectés à un réseau continental de production d'énergie. Ainsi, afin de limiter l'usag...

In the last two decades, the prospect of a free cooling technologies possibilities led to several experimental and theoretical investigations by researchers. Nowadays, low temperature solar thermal systems coupled with sorption machines are the most commercialized solution available to face the cooling demand. Solar heating and cooling systems are...

The present paper studies the sensitivity analysis of the new PISTACHE tool's prediction performance and its input parameters. This work is a part of the R&D project MeGaPICS (Method towards Guarantee of Solar Cooling and Heating application – funded by the French National Research Agency). In fact, the PISTACHE tool was developed to provide profes...

Solar cooling optimization

Solar cooling applied to buildings is without a doubt an interesting alternative for reducing energy consumption in traditional mechanical steam compression air conditioning systems. The study of these systems should have a closely purely fundamental approach including the development of numerical models in order to predict the overall installation...

This paper deals with the experimental evaluation of a roof-mounted multi-reflective radiant barrier (MRRB), installed according to the state of the art, on a dedicated test cell. An existing experimental device was completed with a specific system for the regulation of the airflow rate in the upper air layer included in a typical roof from Reunion...

The aim of this paper is the optimization of Solar Absorption Cooling (SAC) system’s performances. Over the past decade the electricity consumption has significantly increased in Reunion Island during the summer months, which is mainly due to the use of standard air conditioning systems. SAC systems present a good alternative for reducing this cons...

e papier présente la modélisation, la simulation dynamique et l'optimisation des performances d'une machine à absorption utilisées dans une installation de rafraîchissement solaire couplées à un bâtiment. Un modèle dynamique semble nécessaire pour évaluer les performances de la machine en fonction des sollicitations extérieures en particulier lorsq...

This work deals with a different use of sensitivity analysis to characterize the steady-state behavior of solar collectors and more specifically evacuated tube collectors, which are often used for solar cooling. First, a dynamic model of evacuated tube collector (ETC) is presented. Then, a sensitivity analysis based on a spectral analysis (FAST met...

It is a great pleasure for me to write the forewords for this special issue of the International Scientific Journal for Alternative Energy and Ecology, devoted to France and french speaking (or partially french speaking) countries of the south. This volume is the result of a call for papers launched in june 2007 with the aim to give an overview on...

This paper presents a simulation code for the solar drying of sludge. This code is using a model of the drying kinetics of wastewater sludge, and takes into account water transport in the product during drying. An application of the FAST method for the parametric sensitivity test of this code has been used in order to highlight influencial paramete...

Summer air conditioning represents a growing market in commercial and residential buildings. Solar energy is a very interesting energy source because of its advantages. Instead of a compressor system, which uses electricity, an absorption cooling system needs only heat produced by a solar collector plant. Furthermore, Reunion Island has a high sola...

This paper describes the dynamic modeling of a solar absorption cooling plant that will be built for both research and demonstration purposes by the end of 2007. The synchronizing of cooling loads with solar radiation intensity is an important advantage when utilizing solar energy in air conditioning in buildings. The first part of this work deals...

This paper deals with the dynamical modelling of a solar evacuated tube collector under variable weather conditions. After describing the mathematical model, the paper presents elements of validation. In a first step, the theorical model is validated against the experimental results. Then a parametric sensitivity analysis is applied to the model. S...

This work deals with first modelling the dynamical behavior of the solar collector under natural tropical humid conditions. In a second part, this paper proposes a sensitivity analysis which lays on fast method. This analysis is very interesting as it allows pointing out the most influential factors. Finally, it is shown that the output of the mode...