Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Influence Of The Electric Supply Industry On Economic Growth In Less Developed Countries, Edward Richard Bee

Dissertations

This study measures the impact that electrical outages have on manufacturing production in 135 less developed countries using stochastic frontier analysis and data from World Bank’s Investment Climate surveys. Outages of electricity, for firms with and without backup power sources, are the most frequently cited constraint on manufacturing growth in these surveys.

Outages are shown to reduce output below the production frontier by almost five percent in Africa and by a lower percentage in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Production response to outages is quadratic in form. Outages also increase labor cost, reduce exports …

The Effects Of Phosphonic Acids In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Keith Edward James

Dissertations and Theses

Novel methods for the construction of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were developed. A thin dense underlayer of TiO₂ was applied on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass using as a precursor Tyzor AA-105. Subsequently a mesoporous film of P-25 TiO₂ was applied by spreading a suspension uniformly over the surface of the underlayer and allowing the plate to slowly dry while resting on a level surface. After sintering at 500° C slides were treated with TCPP as a sensitizing dye and assembled into DSSCs. A novel method was used to seal the cells; strips of Parafilm® were used as …

Reflective Efficiencies Of Materials For Applications Of Bifacial Solar Cells, Michael Metter

Senior Theses

The bifacial solar cell is superior to its monofacial predecessor due to its ability to convert both incident light on top and reflected light from below into energy. The scattering of the reflected light is affected by the property of the material on which it is interacting. To date, little work has been contributed to studying the properties of these materials to determine optimal quantities for bifacial solar cells. In the first experiment, reflective efficiencies compared to the angle of reflection were explored for different grit of sandpaper in order to develop an understanding of how surface texture impacts reflectivity. …

Investigation Of The Use Of A Plasticizer-Polymer Sensor Coating With Improved Long-Term Stability In The Liquid Phase, Laura Jeanne Alderson

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Benzene is one of the volatile organic compounds present in crude oil and gasoline. Leakage from underground storage tanks or hazardous waste sites can introduce benzene contamination into nearby groundwater. Benzene is a known carcinogen and its exposure is limited by the Environmental Protection Agency to 5 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water. Early, accurate detection of the presence of benzene contamination in groundwater supplies is extremely important. Shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) devices with a chemically sensitive coating can be used for the detection of volatile organic compounds in liquid, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and …

Renewable Energy Transition: Dynamic Systems Analysis, Policy Scenarios, And Trade-Offs For The State Of Vermont, Christopher Ernest Clement

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

There is broad consensus that a transition to renewable energy and a low-carbon economy is crucial for future development and prosperity, yet there are differing perspectives on how such a transition should be achieved. The overarching goal of this dissertation, which is comprised of three interrelated studies, is to analyze and compare energy futures scenarios to achieve a renewable energy transition and low-carbon economy in the State of Vermont. In the first study, an analysis is presented of the role of energy pricing regimes and economic policy in the context of pursuing a renewable energy transition in the State of …

Reviewing Power Outage Trends, Electric Reliability Indices And Smart Grid Funding, Shawn Adderly

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

As our electric power distribution infrastructure has aged, considerable investment

has been applied to modernizing the electrical power grid through weatherization

and in deployment of real-time monitoring systems. A key question is whether or not

these investments are reducing the number and duration of power outages, leading to

improved reliability.

Statistical methods are applied to analyze electrical disturbance data (from the

Department of Energy, DOE) and reliability index data (from state utility public service

commission regulators) to detect signs of improvement. The number of installed

smart meters provided by several utilities is used to determine whether the number

of smart …

Thermoelectric Transport And Energy Conversion Using Novel 2d Materials, Luke J. Wirth

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Nanomaterials hold great promise for applications in thermal management and thermoelectric power generation. Defects in these are important as they are generally inevitably introduced during fabrication or intentionally engineered to control the properties of the nanomaterials. Here, we investigate how phonon-contributed thermal conductance in narrow graphene, boron nitride (BN), and silicene nanoribbons (NRs), responds to the presence of a vacancy defect and the corresponding geometric distortion, from first principles using the non-equilibrium Green's function method. Analyses are made of the geometries, phonon conductance coefficients, and local densities of states (LDOS) of pristine and defected nanoribbons. It is found that hydrogen …

Computer Modeling Of A Solar Thermal System For Space Heating, Dhananjay D. Deshpande

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Most applications of flat plate, low-temperature solar thermal panels are for water heating, such as producing domestic hot water or raising the temperature of swimming pools. This is reasonable given that the large masses of water present in these systems inherently provide built-in thermal energy storage so that a separate energy storage tank does not have to be purchased. For a space heating system, extra thermal energy storage generally has to be purchased and is a detriment to the economics of these systems. Despite the economic drawbacks of solar thermal space heating, this thesis focuses on the size of thermal …

Development Of Analytical Equations For Optimum Tilt Of Two-Axis And Single-Axis Rotating Solar Panels For Clear-Atmosphere Condition, Gaurav Subhash Gugale

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Solar Energy is a renewable energy source which is used widely in recent times. Photovoltaic panels collect the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity. Photovoltaic panels are being widely used in both domestic applications, commercial applications, and small-scale power generation applications. Photovoltaic panels are easy to install, they generate most of their power when electrical demands peak, prices of photovoltaic panels are dropping rapidly, photovoltaic panels require low maintenance, their operating costs are minimal, and they are highly suitable for remote applications. The amount of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels depends on the amount of sunlight the panel captures. …