The transition from declining conventional fossil fuel energy to renewables is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity. Hydrogen is anticipated as the key future energy vector. This is sought to bring more value and utility to renewable energy resources, and eventually providing an energy storage medium to replace fossil fuels such as for automotive applications. This thesis contains an investigation of hydrogen production through renewable low-cost and low-carbon processes. Literature reviews of conventional and renewable H₂ production methods and storage (compression, liquefaction, adsorption materials and hydrides) are presented in detail (in appendices). Particular attention has been given to energy efficiency, cost and practicality of processes. Electrolysis of water is investigated in detail. Wind turbines and solar photovoltaics are reviewed and physically investigated as key renewable electrical energy sources for renewable H₂ production via electrolysis. Conventional and novel electrical power control is investigated and tested to support low-cost wind/solar-powered electrolysis. Biological H₂ production from mixed-acid fermentation of Escherichia coli is practically investigated from the energy-physics perspective and considered as one possible route to permit renewable H₂ production in the long-term. Photocatalytic materials are also investigated as additional future routes for renewable H₂ production; in this work they are investigated using nanoscale materials processing and surface analysis techniques. This thesis has an energy-focussed, applied and practical theme, achieving a broad investigation of the topics herein. Experimental investigations were chosen based upon relevance, practicality, concurrent research, availability of resources, and for application of novel nanoscale materials processing. Power control elements for wind-powered H₂ production have for example been optimised by complete investigation of supply/load characteristics rather than adopting the more conventional power electrical/electronic approach. Ultimately the work here aims to demonstrate (at small-scale) that renewable H₂ production can be achieved at relatively low cost, e.g. by wind-powered electrolysis, inferring that pathways can be established within existing means to produce much larger quantities of renewable H₂ economically.

We are now facing the challenge of sustainable development. This thesis focuses on the building illumination of one downtown hospitality building, the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel (RVH), to demonstrate three options for sustainable development of architectural lighting. The thesis employs architectural exterior lighting based on the technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a vehicle to demonstrate how to reduce the energy consumption and maintenance costs of decorative lighting on building façades via three transformative lighting strategies. These three transformative lighting strategies demonstrate three possibilities of applying LEDs to develop architectural creativity and energy sustainability for an outdoor decorative lighting system. The first transformation utilizes LEDs for the retrofit of existing compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) on the RVH’s façades and rooftop, in order to improve and diversify the building’s illumination in a sustainable manner. The second transformation optimizes the yearly programming of the new outdoor decorative LED lighting in accordance with differing seasonal and temporal themes in order to save energy, demonstrate architectural creativity via versatile lighting patterns, and systematically manage the unstable generation of renewable energy. The third transformation explores the potential of on-site electricity generation in an urban context instead of its purchase from BC Hydro. Photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate the electrical requirements of the RVH’s decorative exterior LED lighting. This transformation will transfer daytime solar energy to electricity for night outdoor building illumination; consequently, it can encourage outdoor activities in the nighttime for Vancouverites, and is a means of compensating for the limited daytime hours in Vancouver’s winter months.

Diusion of renewable energy technologies(RETs) is an important challengeof the current century. Much of the existing research has put a focus on understandingthe diusion of RETs through the perspective of systems of innovation. However, two recent studies highlight the importance of the actors in the process- those who adopt the RETs. With the current study we continue thisactor perspective by focusing on the adoption process as the driver of the massdiusion. We bring together the two streams of diusion of innovation and innovationintermediaries in a thesis that aims to show how comprehending thesingle adoption process and providing support to the adopters at every singlephase of it can facilitate diusion. Our focus is fully on public intermediaries. We show that public innovationintermediaries known in research for their support for the innovation systemhave an unexplored facet i.e. that of supporters at the adopter level. The thesiscontributes to previous literature showing that public intermediaries are thesupporters of adopters of RETs at the very beginning of the process which wascurrently unexplored. Moreover, we demonstrate that public intermediaries arepresent in the later phases of the adoption process as well being their impartialitya main advantage in comparison to private intermediaries. The study revealstwo key roles of public intermediaries in the pre-adoption phase of the processand four roles in the implementation phase. To complete the research we use qualitative methods and particularly groundedtheory methodology for data collection and analysis. Data is collected throughface-to-face long interviews with six public and/or non-prot intermediaries locatedin the Swedish county, Ostergotland. The study brings about the recognitionof public intermediaries as direct supporters of adopters of RETs in practice,oers ways of rethinking the existing policies in order to speed up diusion ofRETs and expands the arena for further research with focus on the interactionbetween intermediaries and adopters.

The reliable supply of hydrogen to a vehicle re-fuelling station has been tackled in this thesis. A currently operational system based on supplying energy from a bio-generator, fuelled from biogas generated by organic matter in an Anaerobic Digester, formed the basis of an expanded renewable energy system. The criterion for the new design was the supply of energy to an electrolyser/compressor/storage system at minimum cost and minimum interruption to supply. By separating hydrogen production from energy generation, the operating parameters of the electrolyser and compressor were optimized, leading to an energy load profile that guaranteed a reliable supply of hydrogen sufficient to fuel the daily needs of up to two hydrogen fuelled vehicles. Based on the energy load profile, a renewable energy system was designed around the existing bio-generator. A multi-objective optimization by Genetic Algorithm was employed to design a hybrid renewable energy system that minimized lifetime costs and unmet load. The resulting design consisted of a mixture of wind turbines, batteries, inverters/rectifiers, as well as the bio-generator. A control strategy that directed the interaction of all components was also produced. Multi-objective optimization by Genetic Algorithm was found to be a reliable, efficient method in designing a complex hybrid renewable energy system with non-linear characteristics. The results of modelling and simulation showed that an uninterrupted supply of energy could be produced, based on specific meteorological conditions, at a minimal cost. The research has shown that it is possible to develop a design that produces hydrogen reliably purely from renewable energy sources. The design is flexible enough to integrate other renewable energy sources and technologies as they develop.

We are now facing the challenge of sustainable development. This thesis focuses on the building illumination of one downtown hospitality building, the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel (RVH), to demonstrate three options for sustainable development of architectural lighting. The thesis employs architectural exterior lighting based on the technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a vehicle to demonstrate how to reduce the energy consumption and maintenance costs of decorative lighting on building façades via three transformative lighting strategies. These three transformative lighting strategies demonstrate three possibilities of applying LEDs to develop architectural creativity and energy sustainability for an outdoor decorative lighting system. The first transformation utilizes LEDs for the retrofit of existing compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) on the RVH’s façades and rooftop, in order to improve and diversify the building’s illumination in a sustainable manner. The second transformation optimizes the yearly programming of the new outdoor decorative LED lighting in accordance with differing seasonal and temporal themes in order to save energy, demonstrate architectural creativity via versatile lighting patterns, and systematically manage the unstable generation of renewable energy. The third transformation explores the potential of on-site electricity generation in an urban context instead of its purchase from BC Hydro. Photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate the electrical requirements of the RVH’s decorative exterior LED lighting. This transformation will transfer daytime solar energy to electricity for night outdoor building illumination; consequently, it can encourage outdoor activities in the nighttime for Vancouverites, and is a means of compensating for the limited daytime hours in Vancouver’s winter months.

Wind energy systems are being closely studied because of its benefits as an environmentally friendly and renewable source of energy. Because of its unpredictable availability, power management concepts are essential to extract as much power as possible from the wind when it becomes available. The purpose of this thesis is to presents a new adaptive control algorithm for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in wind energy systems. The proposed control algorithm allows the generator to track the optimal operation points of the wind turbine system under fluctuating wind conditions and the tracking process speeds up over time. This algorithm does not require the knowledge of intangible turbine mechanical characteristics such as its power coefficient curve, power characteristic or torque characteristic. The algorithm uses its memory feature to adapt to any given wind turbine and to infer the optimum rotor speeds for wind speeds that have not occurred before. The proposed algorithm uses a modified version of Hill Climb Search (HCS) and intelligent memory to implement its power management scheme. This algorithm is most suitable for smaller grid or battery connected wind energy systems. PSIM simulation studies have been done to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-12-15 20:47:44.884

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Wind is now established in Europe as a major 'renewable energy' resource, but its large scale exploitation is increasingly limited by environmental issues. Hence, on the way to a more sustainable development, it is desirable to seek ways to incorporate it into small scale embedded generation. As a first step, a prototype of a small scale Ducted Wind Turbine has been developed and tested, which seems to be feasible for integration into a conventional building. The wind flow around the building generates differential pressures which may cause an enhanced massflow through the turbine. This thesis is concerned with the investigation of the flow through building integrated duct configurations. Hence, pressure and wind speed measurements have been carried out on a wind tunnel model at different angles of incident wind. Different duct geometries with attached spoilers have been tested, and it was confirmed that wind speeds up to 30 % higher than in the approaching free stream are induced in the duct, in some cases tolerating an angle of incident wind up to 60°. The experimental work proceeded in parallel with Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling. Adaptive gridding of the complex full model geometry required a two dimensional approach, which was used to compare the predicted flow behaviour qualitatively. Three dimensional simulation of the flow field in the building integrated duct could be compared with experimental results. A new flow field mapping approach was initialised to form a two stage process in which conditions in the large-scale flow domain, modelled in a coarse three dimensional simulation, are used as boundary conditions for a localised simulation of the duct flow. Based on performance measurements of a free standing prototype in field trials and the experimentally determined wind speed in the duct, a power prediction model was developed. For the Scottish climate, the proposed device compares favorably with conventional small wind turbines and photovoltaics. The presented work evaluates the concept of harvesting wind energy in the built environment and provides outlines for the future design of a building integrated Ducted Wind Turbine module.

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