Power and Energy Commons^™

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 …

Research On The Application Of Solar Photovoltaic System On Large Ocean-Going Ships, Wanhe Huang

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Top-Down Aluminum Induced Crystallization For Photovoltaics, Seth Daniel Shumate

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Passivating silicon solar cell surfaces is critical to fabricating very high efficiency and low cost photovoltaic devices. The sun-facing surface of the solar cell, known as the emitter, is particularly important when designing a solar cell. This work focused first on an alternative method of forming the emitter of silicon solar cells, and secondly on a method for improving the surface passivation of both these non-traditional and standard n-type solar cells.

Top-down aluminum induced crystallization (TAIC) was used for forming a polycrystalline silicon layer from amorphous silicon using aluminum to catalyze the crystallization at much lower temperatures than otherwise possible. …

Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in energy demand by the residential community in this country and the diminishing fossil fuel resources being used for electric energy production there is a need for a system to efficiently manage power within a residence. The Smart Green Power Node (SGPN) is a next generation energy management system that automates on-site energy production, storage, consumption, and grid usage to yield the most savings for both the utility and the consumer. Such a system automatically manages on-site distributed generation sources such as a PhotoVoltaic (PV) input and battery storage to curtail grid energy usage when the price …

Romania's Participation To The European Assessment Project Titled Hyunder, Multi-Criterial Analyses Of Salt Cavern Locations, Ioan Iordache, Dorin Schitea, Adriana Marinoiu, Mihaela Buga, Mihai Balan, Ioan Stefanescu, Adrian Gheorghe, Mihaela Iordache, Viviana Cigolotti (Ed.), Chiara Barchiesi (Ed.), Michela Chianella (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The scope of the work is to assess the potential, the actors and relevant business cases for large scale storage of renewable electricity by hydrogen underground storage in Romania. This presentation intends to provide a picture of the multi-criterial analyses of salt cavern locations in Romania.

The energy sector is facing with the necessity to store large energy quantities for short to long term in order to adapt to the increasingly intermittent renewable energy. The results of this presentation have originated from an ongoing European assessment project by the name of HyUnder (FCH JU, grant 303417) regarding utilization of salt …

A Computational Study Of A Photovoltaic Compound Parabolic Concentrator, William M. Vance

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Routines have been written and added to the Wright State developed solar system simulation program called Solar_PVHFC to model incident solar radiation for a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) that uses solar panels (photovoltaic panels) to produce electrical energy. Solar_PVHFC is a program that models a solar energy system composed of solar panels to produce electricity from the sun, hydrogen storage tanks to chemically store the energy produced by the solar panels, and fuel cells to convert between electrical and chemical energy when required. Solar_PVHFC features several adjustable parameters to model a solar panel, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell system. Now …

Verification And Validation Of A Transient Heat Exchanger Model, Jayme Lee Carper

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A statistical based verification and validation process is applied to the transient modeling of a shell and tube heat exchanger. A generic model of a heat exchanger was developed based on first principles as a sub-system of a larger thermal system model. This model was originally created without any experimental data, as it was not readily available. To provide the data necessary to apply the validation process, a thermal emulator was designed and built that allowed control of all system inputs to the heat exchanger, while also providing the instrumentation to record all required data. A wide test matrix was …

Life Cycle Assessment Projection Of Photovoltaic Cells: A Case Study On Energy Demand Of Quantum Wire Based Photovoltaic Technology Research, Shilpi Mukherjee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With increasing clean-energy demand, photovoltaic (PV) technologies have gained attention as potential long-term alternative to fossil fuel energy. However, PV research and manufacture still utilize fossil fuel-powered grid electricity. With continuous enhancement of solar conversion efficiency, it is imperative to assess whether overall life cycle efficiency is also being enhanced. Many new-material PV technologies are still in their research phase, and life cycle analyses of these technologies have not yet been performed. For best results, grid dependency must be minimized for PV research, and this can be accomplished by an analytical instrument called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

LCA is the …

Discussion On Eeoi Reduction Measures Based On Modern Management, Liying Song

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Potential And Technological Advancement Of Biofuels, Rajee Olaganathan, Fabian Ko Qui Shen, Lim Jun Shen

Publications

This scientific paper examines the feasibility of biofuels as a solution to the world‟s energy crisis. It studies the development of the four different generations of biofuel that have been discerned over the years, determining the pros and cons of each. The paper further investigates the issues concerning each generation, and determines how their successors have solved and improved on those problems. In order to give the reader an unbiased perspective, the paper studies both general advantages and disadvantages that encompasses social, economic and environmental impacts. Research and development on the first two generations of biofuels have matured, and case …

Development Of A Black-Box Transient Thermal Model For Residential Buildings, Andrew Cross

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heavily populated metropolitan areas located in cooling-dominated climates, as are found in the Desert Southwest, pose a challenge to electrical utilities that service these areas. During the late afternoons of the summer months, residents of these metropolitan areas require larger than normal amounts of power to run their homes' air conditioning systems, at significant expense to the utilities. In the study reported here, interior temperature and power consumption data, accumulated over the course of a year and a half from seven houses within a Las Vegas neighborhood, are used to develop a predictive black-box statistical model for residential thermal transience. …

Is Biofuel A Feasible Long-Term Chief Energy Source? A Global Perspective, Rajee Olaganathan, Aston Lee, Debra Tong, Mameegate Zheng Jun Cheston, Zack Ho Xuan Yi

Publications

This scientific paper examines the feasibility of officiating biofuels as the future chief energy source of the world. It weighs the pros and cons of the four different generations of biofuels that have been discovered over time, explaining how the raw materials used in each generation determines each individual level of long-term sustainability. It then further analyses both general advantages and disadvantages, comprising of economic, social, health and environmental impacts; giving the reader an unbiased perspective. Few case studies have also been reviewed to better understand the implications of drawing energy from biofuels, as well as the current state of …

Co2 Recycling Using Microalgae For The Production Of Fuels, Michael H. Wilson, John Groppo, Andrew Placido, S. Graham, S. A. Morton Iii, Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez, Aubrey Shea, Mark Crocker, Czarena Crofcheck, Rodney Andrews

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

CO₂ capture and recycle using microalgae was demonstrated at a coal-fired power plant (Duke Energy’s East Bend Station, Kentucky). Using an in-house designed closed loop, vertical tube photobioreactor, Scenedesmus acutus was cultured using flue gas as the CO₂ source. Algae productivity of 39 g/(m² day) in June–July was achieved at significant scale (18,000 L), while average daily productivity slightly in excess of 10 g/(m² day) was demonstrated in the month of December. A protocol for low-cost algae harvesting and dewatering was developed, and the conversion of algal lipids—extracted from the harvested biomass—to diesel-range hydrocarbons via catalytic …

Testing Of Two Novel Semi-Implicit Particle-In-Cell Techniques, Trenton J. Godar

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PIC (Particle-in-cell) modeling is a computational technique which functions by advancing computer particles through a spatial grid consisting of cells, on which can be placed electric and magnetic fields. This method has proven useful for simulating a wide range of plasmas and excels at yielding accurate and detailed results such as particle number densities, particle energies, particle currents, and electric potentials. However, the detailed results of a PIC simulation come at a substantial cost of computational requirement and the algorithm can be susceptible to numerical instabilities. As processors become faster and contain more cores, the computational expense of PIC simulations …

Biofuel From Microalgae – A Review On The Current Status And Future Trends, Rajee Olaganathan, May Zaw Htet, Lim Yan Ling, Sek Hui Yun

Publications

The constant reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable, due to both depleting world reserves and increasing green house gas emissions associated with their use and thus there are dynamic research at the global level envisioned at developing alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. The contemporary knowledge and technology predictions have proved that among the third generation biofuels especially those derived from microalgae are considered the best reasonable alternative energy resource compared to undeniable drawbacks of first and second generation biofuels. Moreover, its efficiency to sequester carbon from the atmosphere …

Influence Of Media Composition On The Growth Rate Of Chlorella Vulgaris And Scenedesmus Acutus Utilized For Co2 Mitigation, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Xinyi E, Aubrey Shea, Michael D. Montross, Mark Crocker, Rodney Andrews

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased since the industrial revolution due to increasing combustion of fossil fuels. One possible CO₂ mitigation strategy is the use of microalgae for mitigation of CO₂. This paper focuses on the influence of media composition on the growth rate of two microalgae strains, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus actus. A KNO₃ based medium was found to work better for Chlorella, while a urea based equivalent worked better for Scenedesmus. The urea based media investigated here resulted in growth similar to that found with previously reported KNO₃ based media. …

Solar Cell Design Using Metamaterials, Yang Liu, Yitung Chen, Jichun Li

College of Engineering: Graduate Celebration Programs

Natural structure with simultaneous negative permittivity and permeability has not been discovered yet. However, using specially-designed metal embedded in dielectric bodies can achieve a kind of artificial negative index. This periodic structure which is smaller than the guided wavelength is known as a metamaterial. However, recent designs of metamaterials have some disadvantages when they are used in the application of solar cell. The perfect absorption is only within a narrow band, and for most of the solar spectrum, the absorption is no more than 10%. Here, a new kind of absorber for the solar spectrum has been designed and analyzed, …

A Computation Model For Nanoantenna-Based Solar Cell With High Conversion Efficiency, Yiyan Li, Ke-Xun Sun, Yingtao Jiang

College of Engineering: Graduate Celebration Programs

• Build a model of spiral nanoantenna and an antenna
  array based solar cell collector.
• Using Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis functions to
  simulate the spiral nanoantennas.
• We calculate the frequency response of the radiation
  gain as the indicator of receiving bandwidth which is a
  key factor in conversion efficiency.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Graphene Oxide/Sulfur Nanocomposite For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Aaron Joseph Blake

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The growing need for clean and efficient energy storage systems has recently peaked due to concerns of climate change and increased global energy consumption. However, efficiently integrating renewable resources such as solar and wind energy into society will require a complex electrical energy storage (EES) system capable of storing and expending significant amounts of energy. A battery based on the lithium/sulfur couple can yield a theoretical specific energy of 2600Wh/kg, which is about five times higher than that offered by present Li-ion batteries, and hence, is a promising and attractive technology. Despite recent developments in addressing various issues inherent to …

Computational Modeling Of Graphene Oxide Exfoliation And Lithium Storage Characteristics, Reza Mortezaee

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Graphene oxide is a two dimensional material obtained by adsorption of oxygen or oxygen-containing groups on graphene. Stacked layers of graphene oxide constitute graphite oxide. These materials have various applications such as a source material for graphene production, transport support for electron microscopy, flexible organic photovoltaic cells and use in Li-ion batteries. Generation of exfoliated graphene oxide from a graphite oxide precursor is achieved relatively easily in solution as compared to graphene exfoliation. In this study we investigate the details of the graphene oxide exfoliation procedure in solution by calculating the Gibb's free energies and reaction rates. We consider two …

Design And Fabrication Of An Eddy Current Brake Dynamometer For Efficiency Determination Of Electric Wheelchair Motors, Wesley Brin

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Electric wheelchairs have a considerable impact on improving the quality of life for the millions of disabled persons around the world. These modern pieces of technology offer freedom and mobility for disabled persons to interact with the world outside of their homes. The goal of this project is to assist in advancements of conventional electric wheelchairs. This includes replacing the heavy, bulky, and inefficient lead acid batteries and worm gear drive systems with lithium-ion batteries and wheel hub motors in order to decrease weight and size, and increase efficiency. This master thesis research is focused on designing, fabricating, and testing …

Fault Detection System For Solar Tracking Applications, Hareen Sekhar Illa

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Oil, coal and natural gas reserves are being depleted faster than forecasted due to continued increase in demand for energy sources. We need, therefore, to develop renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro power and tidal energy. In spite of having very high potential, harvesting solar energy has been a challenge because of the relatively low efficiency of solar cells. In the past few years different methods have been developed to increase the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) system: (I) improve the efficiency of solar cells (ill use a solar tracking system to increase the received solar …

Solar Light Bulb, David G. Guzman, Virgilio Gonzalez

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

The Solar Lighting project is a work driven towards building a low-cost and environmental-friendly solar bulb and to understanding the science behind its behavior. A solar light bulb refers to a device capable of absorbing and transferring solar energy to light up an enclosed area. By using the physical properties of fluids and light is possible to manipulate solar light waves to illuminate an enclosed structure. Moreover, this project attempts to utilize recycled materials that reduce the cost of such device, helping not only the planet but also the costumer’s pocket. The ultimate goal for this project is to scientifically …

Agenda: A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint For The American West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, University Of Colorado Boulder. Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute, Western Resource Advocates, Rocky Mountain Research Station (Fort Collins, Colo.)

A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint for the American West (Martz Summer Conference, June 6-8)

The future of the planet may depend upon our ability to increase energy supplies even as we reduce carbon emissions. This conference will address how a low-carbon energy program might evolve with a particular focus on the American West. It will focus on the future of energy in the West--on a “managed transition” to a different energy mix, on the need to nest this effort in a framework that acknowledges interconnections, and on identifying the most salient opportunities to consider the legal, political, financial, and technical challenges.

Dynamic Modelling Of Single Phase Grid Connected Photovoltaic System, Gopi Krishna Ari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power systems have been sustaining an exponential growth rate during the past decade. This steep growth is driven by a growing concern about climate change, the adoption of an aggressive regional renewable portfolio standard, rebates and tax incentives, and reduction in PV system cost. One of the main technical barriers that can ultimately limit further PV penetration is the fast variations in the PV system's output power induced by cloud transients. Such events are known to cause voltage fluctuations which may lead to excessive operations of voltage regulation equipment and light flickering.

Solar irradiance variability, which can …

Buffering Pv Output During Cloud Transients With Energy Storage, Yacouba Moumouni

College of Engineering: Graduate Celebration Programs

The Problem

• Photovoltaic output power can be affected by many factors including clouds passing overhead.

• Utilities in generally prefer a guaranteed power delivery level over some specified power delivery period.

• Power delivered during peak demand hours is generally more valued by utilities. For the Desert Southwest this is in the summertime afternoons. For the local area this will be defined as 1-5 pm for the three summer months.

• While battery power can be adapted to this problem, large batteries to be expensive.

Slides: Jisea Natural Gas Study: Potential U.S. Electric Power Futures, Jeffrey Logan

Drawing the Blueprint for a Sustainable Natural Gas Future (January 18)

Presenter: Jeffrey Logan, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

4 slides

Technical Feasibility Of Storage On Large Dish Stirling Systems, Charles E. Andraka, K Scott Rawlinson, Nathan P. Siegel

Faculty Journal Articles

Dish-Stirling systems have been demonstrated to provide high-efficiency solar-only electrical generation, holding the world record at 31.25%. This high efficiency results in a system with a high possibility of meeting the DOE SunShot goal of $0.06/kWh. Current dish-Stirling systems do not incorporate thermal storage. For the next generation of non-intermittent and cost-competitive solar power plants, we propose a thermal energy storage system that combines latent (phase-change) energy transport and latent energy storage in order to match the isothermal input requirements of Stirling engines while also maximizing the exergetic efficiency of the entire system. This report takes an initial look at …

Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Grid Integration System : A Case Study For Performance, Ming Shen

Dissertations and Theses

The needs to the sustainable development of electricity, energy efficiency improvement, and environment pollution reduction have favored the development of distributed generation (DG). But the problems come with increasing DG penetration in distribution networks. This thesis presents the Solar Energy Grid Integration System (SEGIS) Stage III project done by Portland General Electric (PGE), Advanced Energy, Sandia National Lab on a PGE selected distribution feeder. The feeder has six monitored commercial solar PV systems connected. The total power output from the PV systems has the potential to reach 30% of the feeder load. The author analyzes the performance of the solar …

Energy-Based Analysis Of Utility Scale Hybrid Power Systems, Kwame Agyenim-Boateng

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The promise of large-scale use of renewables such as wind and solar for supplying electrical power is tempered by the sources' transient behavior and the impact this would have on the operation of the grid. Among the methods cited for addressing some of those concerns are exploring the complementary nature of solar and wind power generation, and through the use of supplemental energy storage. While the technology for the latter has not been proven to be economical on a large scale at the present time, some assessments of what magnitude is required can be made. An energy-based analysis of utility …