Small and Medium size Wind Turbines (SMWTs) can be used for the production of electricity in residential areas, or integrated into hybrid systems, which makes them more attractive in remote areas with difficult access to electricity from the grid. However, many of the SMWTs are installed in locations with low wind speeds, reducing remarkably their annual energy output. Furthermore, SMWTs are typically operated in sub-optimal conditions because they are not completely understood in the real environment. In a design stage, typically a wind tunnel is used to determine the aerodynamic efficiency, but latest research suggests that a turbine in the field behaves differently, especially when the wind is unsteady. Therefore, the aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine tends to be different in the field. Unfortunately, field testing is expensive, and requires long term measurements, especially for small turbine manufacturers. This thesis investigates four topics that could greatly impact the performance of a wind turbine: 1. the wind resource, and how by the spectral modelling of its unsteadiness it is possible to design better turbines and control systems, to adequately react in gusty wind conditions in order to maximise energy harvesting; 2. resource assessment using short-term measurements of wind, to reduce the uncertainty in annual energy production; 3. loss modelling in the generator and power converter to optimise overall efficiency of a wind energy conversion system; and 4. aerodynamic performance identification based on field measurements. On each of these fields, new methods are proposed and validated to improve the existing knowledge. Regarding loss modelling and optimisation, an algorithm to find the global optimum in a system with losses is proposed and tested in an 800 W vertical-axis wind turbine owned by Airborne- Energy Ltd. The experimental data collected in the field, confirms the validity of the approach and its ability to find the optimum despite the high inertia of the turbine, and the unsteadiness of the wind. It is shown that a control algorithm that seeks a global optimum, can increase the overall efficiency of the system, and reduces internal stress on the shaft and power electronics. Finally, as the optimisation algorithm developed in this thesis features the estimation of parameters for a turbine, the processed information can have two positive impacts for further study: detection of system faults and diagnostic of the health-state of the system; and, design specifications, as the manufacturer can have direct inputs of the performance of the turbine to make further improvements for new designs.

This research investigates adoption and integration of a range of building environmental systems in healthcare facilities in India. Based on detailed case studies of eight selected healthcare facilities developed at different times in India, this research traces the evolution of hospital designs in a specific geographic context through the lens of adoption of building environmental systems over the internal shell and external skins of healthcare buildings in India. By documenting and analyzing changes in building designs over time, the research develops a comparative understanding of trends of adoption of environmental technologies and their impacts on building form and performance.

Everyone has to take a greater responsibility in energy issues, both individuals and companies. There have been some major developments in the construction industry but there is still a lot to be done.   This diploma work thesis presents different methods of making existing construction shed establishments to use less energy. What is possible to do and how much energy is there to be saved? A shed establishment consisting of 8 shed units were studied in this project and the building simulation tool VIP-Energy was used to simulate different types of material in the sheds. An infrared camera was used to locate thermal bridges.   There are several factors that can be improved to make a construction shed establishment to use less energy. Replacement of old windows and doors, using more insulation, replacement of old less efficient insulation with new improved materials, using a different heating system, and more. One factor, which is more important than all the others, is to insulate between the 8 different shed units in the establishment. It is also important to make the construction wind proof.   The results show that if you replace the old wall and roof insulation with new better insulation, replace the old windows and doors and seal the gaps between the shed units the total energy reduction would be as high as 60%. All companies working with the handling or utilization of shed establishments at building sites should consider these improvements.

Resumo: O sistema LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) consiste numa metodologia para avaliar o desempenho energético e ambiental de edificações ao longo de seu ciclo de vida, tendo como objetivo direcionar ações para o conceito de edificações sustentáveis (green buildings) e fornecer uma padronização para medir a dimensão ambiental relativa dos projetos. No Brasil, a Eletrobrás, através do Programa Nacional de Conservação de Energia Elétrica (Procel) e em parceria com o Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Normalização e Qualidade Industrial (Inmetro), lançaram a Etiqueta Nacional de Eficiência Energética em Edificações (ENCE), para edifícios comerciais, de serviços e públicos, reconhecendo edificações que reduzam o consumo de energia elétrica e água. Neste trabalho foi realizado um estudo de certificação energética e ambiental de edificações, bem como a identificação de alternativas técnicas para o enquadramento em níveis mais adequados e correspondente estudo de viabilidade econômica. Como estudo de caso, o edifício da Fundação existente no Campus de Guaratinguetá da UNESP foi analisado de acordo com os preceitos da avaliação de desempenho de ambas as metodologias. Com base nos resultados obtidos, foram realizadas sugestões de tecnologias e modificações possíveis de serem implantadas / Abstract: The LEED system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a methodology for evaluating the energetic and environmental performance of buildings throughout their life cycle, aiming to guide actions for the concept of green building and provide a standard for measuring the size on environmental projects. In Brazil, Eletrobras, through the National Program for Energy Conservation (PROCEL) and in partnership with the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro), launched the Label National Energy Efficiency in Buildings (ENCE), for commercial buildings, and public service, recognizing buildings that reduce the consumption of electricity and water. In this research report it was presented an environmental and energetic certification of buildings study, as well as the analysis of technical solutions for the framework in more appropriate levels, and corresponding economic feasibility study. As a case study, the Foundation's existing building on the campus of UNESP at Guaratinguetá was analyzed in accordance with the principles of performance evaluation of both approaches. Based on these results, suggestions were made of possible technologies and changes being implemented / Orientador: José Antonio Perrella Balestieri / Coorientador: Rubens Alves Dias / Banca: Luiz Roberto Carrocci / Banca: Ricardo Dias Martins de Carvalho / Mestre

The economic and environmental benefits secured through the increased integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology into the built environment are undeniable and provide the principal motivation for this research. Present delays in the technology transfer of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) can be attributed to the following; material cost, performance guarantee, increased installation complexity and unfamiliar technology. It is well understood that the temperature of a PV material receiving solar irradiation, will increase with solar intensity, while reducing in electrical efficiency. It therefore makes economic sense to minimise the increase in PV material temperature and maximise electrical energy yield. Through the addition of a convecting fluid, flowing over the surface of heated PV material, heat transfer will be induced. With the added benefit of warm air capture from an integrated photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collector, the economic benefits are increased. But, to ensure maximum utilisation of both thermal and electrical energy production, a significantly more complex control system has to be employed than that for a PV system on its own. Modelling the energy flows within a multifunctional PVT building facade presents a problem of considerable complexity. Previous work in this area has centred on performing finite element analysis of the system in order to find solutions to complex algorithms. It requires considerable computational power to perform these calculations and often the results produced are much more detailed than required. Within this thesis, a fully operational PVT facade model is presented, giving the potential for improved multifunctional facade design. This new model has been developed into a software program for use within the TRNSYS environment. By using the TRNSYS software, a detailed building model has been created and integrated with the new PVT facade model. Simulations were then undertaken to evaluate the energy transfers between internal and external environments and the electrical and thermal energy capturing capabilities of the facade. Simulated results have been evaluated against experimental data taken from a fully operational PVT facade. The results conclude that the presented model simulates the energy flows around, through and within the facade (radiative, conductive, convective and electrical) very well. Performance enhancing development work is due to take place on the operational facade analysed in this work, very soon. This new facade model will be used as a tool to evaluate the proposed changes to the building prior to this development work being undertaken.

Preliminary investigations on energy efficiency of manufacturing firms operating in South Africa have shown that no previous study on the barriers and drivers to energy efficiency was conducted. It was also found that South Africa is the only member within the Brazilian, Russian, Indian, Chinese and South African (BRICS) community that has not conducted any formal study on the drivers and barriers to Energy efficiency despite the current energy challenges the country faces. Whilst the National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) was developed and targets were set to improve the country’s efficiency landscape, this strategy failed to account for the barriers and drivers to energy efficiency operating within the local context. This research study sets out to investigate whether an energy efficiency gap exists within manufacturing firms operating in the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA) and by inference, the national context. It goes on further to analyse the drivers and barriers to Energy Efficiency (EE) within such firms. Such drivers and barriers are then analysed by firm characteristics and across manufacturing sectors. The results are interesting and contribute well to the general body of knowledge on EE in South Africa. It was found that whilst there is a degree of adoption and awareness of EE technologies amongst manufacturing firms, the quality of the adoption profile is poor. This poor quality profile suggests the possibility of an energy efficiency gap. The barriers and drivers that were found to be significant were also found to be mostly similar across manufacturing sectors. A main finding is that firms are very sensitive to cost and are mainly driven to adopt EE technologies only where there exists an opportunity for cost savings. It was also found that taken together, institutional barriers pose the greatest hurdle to EE adoption. Several interesting results were found in terms of how the barriers and drivers vary with the characteristics of the firm. The findings of this research indicate that more can be achieved in terms of energy efficiency within the manufacturing subsectors in South Africa. Policy-makers should take into consideration the salient findings of this research when drafting new policy on energy efficiency. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / MEng / Unrestricted

Recent research has shown approximate computing and Course-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays (GGRAs) are promising computing paradigms to reduce energy consumption in a compute intensive environment. CGRAs provide a promising middle ground between energy inefficient yet flexible Freely Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and energy efficient yet inflexible Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). With the integration of approximate computing in CGRAs, there is substantial gains in energy efficiency at the cost of arithmetic precision. However, some applications require a certain percent of accuracy in calculation to effectively perform its task. The ability to control the accuracy of approximate computing during run-time is an emerging topic.

This thesis aimed to study some of the general principles underlying electrodeposition together with experimental facts regarding the effects of changing constituents of the plating solutions, variations in hydrogen-ion concentrations, and variation in current density used in the electrodeposition of lead.

Improved industrial energy efficiency is viewed as an important means in the reduction of CO2 emissions and climate change mitigation. Various energy efficiency measures for improving energy efficiency exists, but even evaluated as cost-effective, there seems to be a difference between the energy efficiency measures that theoretically could be undertaken and which measures that actually are realised. On the other hand, industrial energy efficiency measures might yield extra effects, denoted as non-energy benefits, beyond the actual energy savings or energy cost savings. Based on interviews and a questionnaire, results showed that the Swedish industrial firms studied had observed various non-energy benefits. However, few of the non-energy benefits observed were translated into monetary values and included in investment calculations. Results indicated that this non-inclusion could be explained by lack on information on how to measure and monetise the benefits, but even if not translated into monetary values, some of the non-energy benefits were sometimes used qualitatively in investment decisions. The utilisation of the benefits seemed to depend on the type and the level of quantifiability among the perceived benefits. This thesis has also explored energy efficiency measures and non-energy benefits for a specific industrial energy-using process – compressed air. A literature review on energy efficiency in relation to compressed air systems revealed a large variation in which measures that could be undertaken to improve energy efficiency. However, few publications applied a comprehensive perspective including the entire compressed air system. Few non-energy benefits of specific energy efficiency measures for compressed air systems were identified, but the study provided insights into how non-energy benefits should be studied. This thesis suggests that energy efficiency and non-energy benefits in compressed air systems should be studied on specific measure level to enable the observation of their effects. However, the studies also addressed the importance of having a systems perspective; the whole system should be regarded to understand the effects of energy efficiency measures and related non-energy benefits.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming increasingly pervasive in a number of applications. Due to the nature of WSNs, one of their biggest constraints is limited node energy. As WSNs grow in popularity, the prevalent issue remains to keep wireless sensor nodes alive for as long as possible, or risk disrupting the network. This dissertation develops a model based on the principles of game theory to improve the energy efficiency of wireless sensor nodes and increase the network lifetime by influencing the way routing takes place. The benefit of this model is a routing algorithm that is easily implementable and increases network lifetime by improving energy efficiency in the network. / MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015