Fuel supply issues are a major concern in remote island communities and this is an engineering field that needs to be analyzed in detail for transition to sustainable energy systems. Power generation in remote communities such as the islands of the Maldives relies on power generation systems primarily dependent on diesel generators. As a consequence, power generation is easily disrupted by factors such as the delay in transportation of diesel or rises in fuel price, which limits shipment quantity. People living in remote communities experience power outages often, but find them just as disruptive as people who are connected to national power grids. The use of renewable energy sources could help to improve this situation, however, such systems require huge initial investments. Remote power systems often operate with the help of financial support from profit-making private agencies and government funding. Therefore, investing in such hybrid systems is uncommon. Current electrical power generation systems operating in remote communities adopt an open loop control system, where the power supplier generates power according to customer demand. In the event of generation constraints, the supplier has no choice but to limit the power supplied and this often results in power cuts. Most smart grids that are being established in developed grids adopt a closed loop feedback control system. The smart grids integrated with demand side management tools enable the power supplier to keep customers informed about their daily energy consumption. Electric utility companies use different demand response techniques to achieve peak energy demand reduction by eliciting behavior change. Their feedback information is commonly based on factors such as cost of energy, environmental concerns (carbon dioxide intensity) and the risk of black-outs due to peak loads. However, there is no information available on the significant link between the constraints in resources and the feedback to the customers. In resource-constrained power grids such as those in remote areas, there is a critical relationship between customer demand and the availability of power generation resources. This thesis develops a feedback control strategy that can be adopted by the electrical power suppliers to manage a resource-constrained remote electric power grid such that the most essential load requirements of the customers are always met. The control design introduces a new concept of demand response called participatory demand response (PDR). PDR technique involves cooperative behavior of the entire community to achieve quality of life objectives. It proposes the idea that if customers understand the level of constraint faced by the supplier, they will voluntarily participate in managing their loads, rather than just responding to a rise in the cost of energy. Implementation of the PDR design in a mini-grid consists of four main steps. First, the end-use loads have to be characterized using energy audits, and then they have to be classified further into three different levels of essentiality. Second, the utility records have to be obtained and the hourly variation factors for the appliances have to be calculated. Third, the reference demand curves have to be generated. Finally, the operator control system has to be designed and applied to train the utility operators. A PDR case study was conducted in the Maldives, on the island of Fenfushi. The results show that a significant reduction in energy use was achieved by implementing the PDR design on the island. The overall results from five different constraint scenarios practiced on the island showed that during medium constrained situations, load reductions varied between 4.5kW (5.8%) and 7.7kW (11.3%). A reduction of as much as 10.7kW (15%) was achieved from the community during a severely constrained situation.

The goal of this dissertation is to evaluate the effectiveness of model predictive control (MPC) for a magnetically suspended flywheel energy storage uninterruptible power supply (FlyUPS). The reason this research topic was selected was to determine if an advanced control technique such as MPC could perform better than a classical control approach such as decentralised Proportional-plus-Differential (PD) control. Based on a literature study of the FlyUPS system and the MPC strategies available, two MPC strategies were used to design two possible MPC controllers were designed for the FlyUPS, namely a classical MPC algorithm that incorporates optimisation techniques and the MPC algorithm used in the MATLAB® MPC toolbox™. In order to take the restrictions of the system into consideration, the model used to derive the controllers was reduced to an order of ten according to the Hankel singular value decomposition of the model. Simulation results indicated that the first controller based on a classical MPC algorithm and optimisation techniques was not verified as a viable control strategy to be implemented on the physical FlyUPS system due to difficulties obtaining the desired response. The second controller derived using the MATLAB® MPC toolbox™ was verified to be a viable control strategy for the FlyUPS by delivering good performance in simulation. The verified MPC controller was then implemented on the FlyUPS. This implementation was then analysed in order to validate that the controller operates as expected through a comparison of the simulation and implementation results. Further analysis was then done by comparing the performance of MPC with decentralised PD control in order to determine the advantages and limitations of using MPC on the FlyUPS. The advantages indicated by the evaluation include the simplicity of the design of the controller that follows directly from the specifications of the system and the dynamics of the system, and the good performance of the controller within the parameters of the controller design. The limitations identified during this evaluation include the high computational load that requires a relatively long execution time, and the inability of the MPC controller to adapt to unmodelled system dynamics. Based on this evaluation MPC can be seen as a viable control strategy for the FlyUPS, however more research is needed to optimise the MPC approach to yield significant advantages over other control techniques such as decentralised PD control. / Thesis (MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This thesis presents the results of wind tunnel experiments performed for various model wind turbine arrays. The aim is to understand how siting affects power output. To optimize wind farm efficiency the experiments vary the parameters of the model wind turbines and the layout of the wind turbine array. The parameters include the alignment, height, spacing, and the rotational direction of the model wind turbines. These experiments employ mechanical torque sensors to simultaneously measure the torque and rotor angular velocity, which yields a direct measurement of the fluid mechanical power extracted by the turbine at multiple locations. For a 4 × 3 array, the power is calculated at the center turbine in each of the rows. Variations in wind farm efficiency ranging from 55% to 90% are observed between the 13 different layouts tested. Modifications to the layout of the wind turbine array clearly affects the power output of the wind turbines downstream. The results of such experiments highlight the importance of studying the relationship between wind farm layout and power output.

Ce mémoire de thèse est consacré à l’étude d’une liaison tout-optique longue de 10 km dédiée à l’extension d’un observatoire câblé de fond de mer existant afin d’atteindre de nouvelles zones d’exploration. Les travaux de recherche qui y sont rapportés démontrent la faisabilité de cette liaison tout-optique entre un instrument déporté et une station terrestre avec une seule fibre optique longue de 10 km, qui transmet simultanément la puissance, nécessaire à l’alimentation de l’instrument (quelques centaines de milliwatts), et des données bidirectionnelles en temps réel.Le contexte de cette thèse est présenté au travers d’un état de l’art sur les observatoires câblés et sur la puissance sur fibre. Le choix de la fibre unique et la présence de fortes puissances optiques complexifient la mise en oeuvre de cette extension tout-optique, et sont à l’origine de l’apparition d'interactions entre l’énergie optique dédiée à l'alimentation (@1480 nm) et les données échangées (@1550 nm). Tout au long de ce document, les choix technologiques retenus sont argumentés et les effets optiques non linéaires tels que les diffusions Raman, Brillouin, Rayleigh, l’Émission Spontanée Amplifiée (ASE) sont décrits, modélisés et analysés expérimentalement. L’extension tout-optique proposée a été caractérisée à la fois en régimes statique et dynamique par des mesures du bilan de liaison, du rapport signal à bruit (SNR) et du taux d’erreur binaire (BER). Les résultats obtenus montrent la possibilité de fournir 160 mW électrique à l’instrument déporté en utilisant une source optique continue de 33 dBm sans dégrader excessivement les données bidirectionnelles transmises simultanément (BER<10-7). / This thesis is devoted to the study of a 10 km long all-optical network dedicated to extend a current cabled seafloor observatory, in order to reach new exploration areas. The research work described in this thesis demonstrates the feasibility of this all-optical link between a remote instrument and a shore station with a single 10 km long optical fiber, which simultaneously transmits the energy required to supply the instrument (several hundred milliwatts) and bidirectional data in real time.The thesis context is presented trough an analysis of the cabled seafloor observatories and of the power-over-fiber. The choice of a single optical fiber and the presence of high optical power complicate the implementation of this all-optical extension, and they cause the appearance of interactions between the optical energy dedicated to the power supply (@1480 nm) and the exchanged data (@1550 nm). Throughout this document, the technological choices are explained and the optical nonlinear effects are described, simulated and analyzed experimentally, such as Raman, Brillouin, and Rayleigh scattering and Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE). The proposed all-optical extension has been characterized in static and dynamic regimes with measures of the optical link budget, the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and the Bit Error Ratio (BER). The results show the possibility to power the remote instrument with 160 mW, when using a continuous high optical laser source of 33 dBm without huge degradation of the bidirectional data transmitted simultaneously (BER<10-7).

The demand for higher efficiency and cleaner power sources increases daily. The Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) is one of those power sources that produces reliable electrical energy at high efficiencies and very low pollution levels. Remote telecommunication sites need power sources that can deliver reliable power. This dissertation informs the reader about the working principles of the DMFC and the materials it consists of. A good amount of theoretical background is also given on the DMFC, especially on the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). Different membranes as well as their properties are discussed. Results from other researchers on DMFCs are also captured. A DMFC stack including a test rig, was built. The DMFC stack consisted of five single DMFC cells. Each cell contained an MEA, Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLS), highly corrosive resistant metal support grids, bipolar flow field plates and end plates. The DMFC stack was operated and tested in a test rig. The test rig held the air blower which supplied the cathode with the required oxidant (air), and the methanol solution tank plus its liquid pump. The liquid pump circulated the methanol solution through the anode side of the stack. It was observed that the DMFC is very susceptible to corrosion, especially if the methanol solution becomes conductive owing to solubility of C02 in it. Methanol itself is a corrosive substance. However the results obtained from the experiments clearly indicate that the DMFC can be implemented as an electrical power source for telecommunications.

M. Tech. (Information Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences) Vaal University of Technology / A reliable and efficient information system (IS) is critical for Eskom so that it is able to manage and meet its energy demands. A reliable power supply provides stakeholders with the confidence that supply of power is managed sustainably, effectively and efficiently. Thus, an information system is integral in the effective and efficient generation, distribution and transmission of electricity. The purpose of the study was to investigate IS evaluation criteria and to develop a comprehensive framework that will serve as basis for IS evaluation across Eskom. The research study additionally investigated IS evaluation methods and instruments that are currently used in Eskom. This study produced an information systems success evaluation framework. The proposed model was built by reviewing well-established information systems success models and information systems theories found in the literature. This research study followed the interpretive research paradigm combining it with qualitative case study. The research findings linked information systems success to top management support, change management process and information quality. The findings of the study alsorevealed that quality of IS department’s service as perceived by users can greatly influence IS success. The results of this study provided enlightening reference benefit for Eskom, which was in line with Eskom’s goal of improving business processes, efficiencies and eliminating waste.

The Port of Gävle is one of the most important harbours in Sweden as far as size and freight capacity is concerned. Marine traffic is increasing greatly, thus environmental pollution as well as noise and vibrations are of major concern in port cities. Shore to ship power supply systems might be a feasible solution to curtail emissions because the Auxiliary Engines are instead shut down while the ship stays alongside the quay. The literature review shows they are reliable and very appealing in all respects, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Taking into account the kind of vessels that call at the Port of Gävle, a High Voltage Shore Connection is recommendable, in compliance with the International Standards. An own technical survey is developed to gather all the information, as well as personal interviews to collect first-hand data. Technical issues such as the synchronisation procedure and the ground system with regard to safety are briefly discussed. Due to the lack of data, calculations consist of average values: peak and average demand, and fuel consumption during a typical call. Considering updated energy prices for both electricity and fuel, results show that an on‑shore power supply system make energy costs decrease by 71% at berth in comparison with burning marine fuel, which is saved by around 4 tonnes per call. Additionally, up to 5126 tonnes of CO2 are avoided per year, among other pollutants. Shore‑side power has proven to be profitable and appealing to the Port of Gävle; however, vessels need to be retrofitted, which implies relatively high investments. Collaboration agreements and shipping companies’ willingness to undergo changes are key issues that still need to be solved.

Les technologies avancées de semi-conducteur permettent de mettre en œuvre un contrôleur numérique dédié aux convertisseurs à découpage, de faible puissance et de fréquence de découpage élevée sur FPGA et ASIC. Cette thèse vise à proposer des contrôleurs numériques des performances élevées, de faible consommation énergétique et qui peuvent être implémentés facilement. En plus des contrôleurs numériques existants comme PID, RST, tri-mode et par mode de glissement, un nouveau contrôleur numérique (DDP) pour le convertisseur abaisseur de tension est proposé sur le principe de la commande prédictive: il introduit une nouvelle variable de contrôle qui est la position de la largeur d'impulsion permettant de contrôler de façon simultanée le courant dans l'inductance et la tension de sortie. La solution permet une dynamique très rapide en transitoire, aussi bien pour la variation de la charge que pour les changements de tension de référence. Les résultats expérimentaux sur FPGA vérifient les performances de ce contrôleur jusqu'à la fréquence de découpage de 4MHz. Un contrôleur numérique nécessite une modulation numérique de largeur d'impulsion (DPWM). L'approche Sigma-Delta de la DPWM est un bon candidat en ce qui concerne le compromis entre la complexité et les performances. Un guide de conception d'étage Sigma-Delta pour le DPWM est présenté. Une architecture améliorée de traditionnelles 1-1 MASH Sigma-Delta DPWM est synthétisée sans détérioration de la stabilité en boucle fermée ainsi qu'en préservant un coût raisonnable en ressources matérielles. Les résultats expérimentaux sur FPGA vérifient les performances des DPWM proposées en régimes stationnaire et transitoire. Deux ASICs sont portés en CMOS 0,35µm: le contrôleur en tri-mode pour le convertisseur abaisseur de tension et la commande par mode de glissement pour les convertisseurs abaisseur et élévateur de tension. Les bancs de test sont conçus pour conduire à un modèle d'évaluation de consommation énergétique. Pour le contrôleur en tri-mode, la consommation de puissance mesurée est seulement de 24,56mW/MHz lorsque le ratio de temps en régime de repos (stand-by) est 0,7. Les consommations de puissance de command par mode de glissement pour les convertisseurs abaisseur et élévateur de tension sont respectivement de 4,46mW/MHz et 4,79mW/MHz. En utilisant le modèle de puissance, une consommation de la puissance estimée inférieure à 1mW/MHz est envisageable dans des technologies CMOS plus avancées. Comparé aux contrôlés homologues analogiques de l'état de l'art, les prototypes ASICs illustrent la possibilité d'atteindre un rendement comparable pour les applications de faible et de moyen puissance mais avec l'avantage d'une meilleure précision et une meilleure flexibilité. / Owing to the development of modern semiconductor technology, it is possible to implement a digital controller for low-power high switching frequency DC-DC power converter in FPGA and ASIC. This thesis is intended to propose digital controllers with high performance, low power consumption and simple implementation architecture. Besides existing digital control-laws, such as PID, RST, tri-mode and sliding-mode (SM), a novel digital control-law, direct control with dual-state-variable prediction (DDP control), for the buck converter is proposed based on the principle of predictive control. Compared to traditional current-mode predictive control, the predictions of the inductor current and the output voltage are performed at the same time by adding a control variable to the DPWM signal. DDP control exhibits very high dynamic transient performances under both load variations and reference changes. Experimental results in FPGA verify the performances at switching frequency up to 4MHz. For the boost converter exhibiting more serious nonlinearity, linear PID and nonlinear SM controllers are designed and implemented in FPGA to verify the performances. A digital control requires a DPWM. Sigma-Delta DPWM is therefore a good candidate regarding the implementation complexity and performances. An idle-tone free condition for Sigma-Delta DPWM is considered to reduce the inherent tone-noise under DC-excitation compared to the classic approach. A guideline for Sigma-Delta DPWM helps to satisfy proposed condition. In addition, an 1-1 MASH Sigma-Delta DPWM with a feasible dither generation module is proposed to further restrain the idle-tone effect without deteriorating the closed-loop stability as well as to preserve a reasonable cost in hardware resources. The FPGA-based experimental results verify the performances of proposed DPWM in steady-state and transient-state. Two ASICs in 0.35µm CMOS process are implemented including the tri-mode controller for buck converter and the PID and SM controllers for the buck and boost converters respectively. The lab-scale tests are designed to lead to a power assessment model suggesting feasible applications. For the tri-mode controller, the measured power consumption is only 24.56mW/MHz when the time ratio of stand-by operation mode is 0.7. As specific power optimization strategies in RTL and system-level are applied to the latter chip, the measured power consumptions of the SM controllers for buck converter and boost converter are 4.46mW/MHz and 4.79mW/MHz respectively. The power consumption is foreseen as less than 1mW/MHz when the process scales down to nanometer technologies based on the power-scaling model. Compared to the state-of-the-art analog counterpart, the prototype ICs are proven to achieve comparable or even higher power efficiency for low-to-medium power applications with the benefit of better accuracy and better flexibility.

Les travaux présentés ici proposent des convertisseurs d’énergie à haut rendement et très large dynamique de tension d’entrée, c'est-à-dire capables de fonctionner avec un rendement énergétique élevé sur une plage de tension d’entrée étendue (typiquement de 9V à 200V). De multiples tensions de réseaux sont standards dans l’industrie : elles sont spécifiques à un domaine (aéronautique, ferroviaire, …) et dépendent de la source primaire d’alimentation électrique (batterie d’accumulateurs, génératrice, …). Au sein d’un équipement embarqué, plusieurs réseaux peuvent cohabiter : une alimentation principale 110V et une alimentation de secours sur batterie 12V, par exemple. Le besoin de convertisseurs large dynamique d’entrée est donc une réalité, mais il n’existe sur le marché que peu de convertisseurs capables de réaliser une dynamique d’entrée supérieure à dix. Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié les enjeux et les problématiques liés à la large dynamique d’entrée, afin de mieux cerner les limitations des topologies de puissance classiques. Nous avons ensuite traité le cas d’une architecture de conversion d’énergie de type série, dont nous avons amélioré le rendement énergétique grâce à l’utilisation de circuits d’aide à la commutation. Cette solution ayant des performances limitées, nous avons proposé de nouvelles architectures de convertisseurs DC/DC, de type parallèle, capables de supporter des dynamiques de tension d’entrée supérieures à vingt et ayant un rendement énergétique élevé (supérieur à 80%). Nous avons également étudié et mis en œuvre des stratégies de commande, numériques et analogiques, permettant de contrôler ces nouvelles topologies complexes. / Power converters are present in virtually every embedded system, but many standards of DC networks exist: the supply voltage is depending on how the power is generated (battery, alternator …) and can range from 12V to more than 115V. When an equipment must comply with a 110V main supply and 12V back-up supply, the use of a wide input voltage range DC/DC converter is mandatory. Since classical switched mode power converters cannot achieve simultaneously high efficiency and wide input voltage range, manufacturers rarely propose DC/DC converters with an input voltage range greater than 10. This work tackles the issue of wide input voltage power conversion. After discussing about designs trade off and problems that stem from a wide input range, we try to improve the overall efficiency of a classical buck-boost converter, by using non dissipative switching-aid circuits. We also proposed a novel two stages power converter capable of dealing with very wide input voltage ranges (more than 20), without a reduction of the power efficiency. Since those new converters are far more difficult to control, some theoretical analysis was performed and some practical tests were done using complex controls laws.

This thesis addresses the innovation of information systems in enterprises, particularly in the utility market segment. The thesis starts with a definition of utilities, a market segment containing companies involved in generation, transmission, distribution and retail of energy services as well as other companies providing related networked services. The aims of this thesis are both theoretical and practical. The theoretical part offers a new theory for IS innovations for the selected segment and for the relation between the innovation and the architectures of IS. In the practical part, the author identifies current challenges and opportunities in the selected market segment and offers scenarios and visions for future development. The first part of the thesis maps out the general innovation theories in the context of the selected topic. The second part introduces a new innovation theory based on an analysis of the specific conditions in the utility market segment. The next section focuses on the topic of IS architecture and its ability for tracking and managing the changes of the IS during the innovation process. The following part relays designs for specific architecture models supporting the current innovation trends in the utility market. The final part of the thesis summarizes particular business recommendations for innovation procedures in utilities, identifies innovation opportunities, and inspires visions for the future development of the market. The opportunities are related to a new way of understanding the role of IS in utility companies. IS provides a portfolio of information services to support the customer oriented business services, advanced services with added value and tailor made services for specific customer groups.