Resumo

JUAREZ-HERNANDEZ, Sergio  e  CASTRO-GONZALEZ, Alejandra. Assessing the Impact of Biogas on the Energy Sustainability of an Urban Restaurant in Mexico. Ing. invest. y tecnol. [online]. 2016, vol.17, n.1, pp.61-71. ISSN 2594-0732.

Biogas technology represents an option to enhance sustainable energy use in developing nations particularly in the rural context. However, the production and use of biogas could also take place in urban settings in these countries with potential benefits for their sustainability. The present work introduces a set of nine indicators in the economic, social and environmental sustainability dimensions for assessing the impact of a small-scale biogas plant on the energy sustainability of a restaurant located in Mexico City. Indicators were evaluated before (base scenario) and after (biogas scenario) biogas plant installation and then they were linearly normalized using a scale between 0 and 1 corresponding to a growing level of energy sustainability. Economic dimension indicators averaged 0.67 in the base scenario and 0.68 in the biogas scenario; those of the social dimension, 0.52 and 0.54; and those of the environmental dimension, 0.17 and 0.49, respectively. Results indicate a positive impact of biogas plant on restaurant energy sustainability. These indicators provide objective elements to examine in detail biogas contributions in strengthening energy sustainability of cities in developing countries.

Palavras-chave : biogas; urban areas; developing countries; energy sustainability; indicators.

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