This thesis investigates the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions relating to electrical power provision at UK music festivals. It has been carried out in partnership with a number of UK festival organisers and power providers. The thesis provides a literature review of sustainable event management and the associated electrical power provision, before then investigating the existing methodologies for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions at festivals. This review identified a lack of data regarding energy demand at events other than total fuel demand. While energy data does not improve the accuracy of GHG accounting, it provides more detail which can identify opportunities to reduce these emissions. Data was gathered from 73 power systems at 18 music festivals from 2009-2012. This produced typical festival power load profiles for different system types including stages, traders and site infrastructure. These load profiles were characterised using a series of indicators that can create performance benchmarks, in addition to increasing the detail of carbon auditing. Analysis of the load profiles identifies opportunities for emission reduction. These address either the supply or demand for power in order to reduce on site fuel consumption. These opportunities include changes in operating procedure to reduce demand during non-operational periods, utilising low energy equipment on stages, and using a power provision system capable of adjusting power plant supply to meet demand. The work has documented power demand at festivals, and highlighted opportunities for change that can reduce costs and emissions, as well as informing festivals on their practices.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The electromagnetic and mechanical design aspects of optimally designed doublesided rotor radial flux permanent magnet wind generators with non-overlap aircored (iron-less) stator windings are analysed in this thesis. The wind generator is implemented in a battery charging system for use in rural settlements and farms. The optimal generator and system design is based on an accurate analytical model and is confirmed with finite element analysis. It is shown, amongst other things, that the electromagnetic design and surprisingly not the mechanical design, determines the rotor yoke dimensions and, hence, largely the mass and cost of the generator. Alternative battery charging systems are also considered and discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die elektromagnetiese en meganiese ontwerp aspekte van optimaal ontwerpte dubbel-kant rotor radiale vloed permanente magneet windgenerators met nieoorvleuelende lug kern (sonder yster) statorwindings word in hierdie tesis ontleed. Die windgenerator word geplaas in 'n battery-laai stelsel vir gebruik in landelike nedersettings en plase. Die optimale generator en die stelsel ontwerp is gegrond op 'n akkurate analitiese model en is bevestig met eindige element analise. Daar word onder andere getoon dat die elektromagnetiese ontwerp, en nie die meganiese ontwerp, die rotor juk dimensies en dus grootliks die massa en die koste van die generator, bepaal. Alternatiewe battery-laai stelsels word ook oorweeg en bespreek.

Most of the world’s electricity is being generated through conventional sources of energy like coal and nuclear. People are realizing the dire effect of using these fuels, and the amount of CO2 being released into the environment. Therefore, in recent year there has been a shift in emphasis towards cleaner ways of generating electricity. One such recent trend is solar photovoltaics (PV), which has seen rapid growth over the years. This ever-increasing trend of adopting PV system allows consumers to be producers or “Prosumers”. Due to the irregular production capability of solar PV, the need for an energy storage system like a battery bank is on the rise as well. This report evaluates how solar PV can be used in combination with a battery bank to supply the annual electricity demand for a household with little to no support from the grid. The building is assumed to be located in Bangalore, India. The energy demand for the household is estimated based on the requirements of a basic Indian house standard. The size and configuration of each component have been done with regards to the total load demand. Furthermore, the cost of the whole system is estimated in order to evaluate the feasibility of the grid-tied system from an economic perspective. The results show that a PV system consisting of four 270W solar panels, a battery bank of eight150Ah lead-acid batteries and a 48V 4kW inverter is required to meet the annual energy demand of the house. The results show that from a technical standpoint, the above-mentioned technology is feasible. The results from the economic evaluation show that the localized cost of energy(LCOE) for the system is ₹6.01/kWh or € 0.078/kWh or 0.84SEK/kWh and the payback time for the given system is 16.19 years. On the bright side, there are new technological advancements in the PV field every day, which could mean that an energy system of this type can be an achievable and practical alternative. Most of the world’s electricity is being generated through conventional sources of energy like coal and nuclear. People are realizing the dire effect of using these fuels, and the amount of CO2 being released into the environment. Therefore, in recent year there has been a shift in emphasis towards cleaner ways of generating electricity. One such recent trend is solar photovoltaics (PV), which has seen rapid growth over the years. This ever-increasing trend of adopting PV system allows consumers to be producers or “Prosumers”. Due to the irregular production capability of solar PV, the need for an energy storage system like a battery bank is on the rise as well. This report evaluates how solar PV can be used in combination with a battery bank to supply the annual electricity demand for a household with little to no support from the grid. The building is assumed to be located in Bangalore, India. The energy demand for the household is estimated based on the requirements of a basic Indian house standard. The size and configuration of each component have been done with regards to the total load demand. Furthermore, the cost of the whole system is estimated in order to evaluate the feasibility of the grid-tied system from an economic perspective. The results show that a PV system consisting of four 270W solar panels, a battery bank of eight 150Ah lead-acid batteries and a 48V 4kW inverter is required to meet the annual energy demand of the house. The results show that from a technical standpoint, the above-mentioned technology is feasible. The results from the economic evaluation show that the localized cost of energy (LCOE) for the system is ₹6.01/kWh or € 0.078/kWh or 0.84SEK/kWh and the payback time for the given system is 16.19 years. On the bright side, there are new technological advancements in the PV field every day, which could mean that an energy system of this type can be an achievable and practical alternative.

Stand-alone or micro off-grid systems can be used to electrify remote areas when it is not economically justifiable to connect to the power grid. In Sweden there are several flood gates that are used to regulate the water level in hydropower dams, these dams are not always easily accessible. Furthermore, some flood gates are not electrified making the adjustment of the water level complicated and time consuming. An off-grid solution could be used to electrify the water level adjustment and this report aims to identify one remote dam, owned by the company VB Kraft, that could be electrified by implementing an off-grid solution. The report will also investigate which off-grid solution that is most applicable concerning maintenance demand, technical and economic aspects. Sensors for monitoring the status of the dam will also be identified which are required to preserve dam security. The chosen off-grid solution will be simulated on a yearly basis and the most appropriate size of the components will be specified. The report has been conducted by collecting material from the company, a literature study and by interviews and email conversations. Calculations have been performed by using MATLAB and Excel. The data is based on measurements from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The result revealed that Lilla Ursen, a remote dam in Dalarnas county, is maneuvered often and therefore this study will investigate electrification of this dam. Out of the four alternatives (small wind, hydro and hydrokinetic power and PV), PV was considered the most suitable in an off-grid system combined with a lead-acid battery. Sensors considered important for dam security are water level and flow monitoring, position indicator for the flood gate, camera monitoring and a temperature sensor. It also important with a logger and transmitter. The battery is protected with a charge controller. A series of sensitivity analysis have been conducted and the result showed a large variation concerning the battery capacity and the modules area and peak power. For Lilla Ursen it is recommended with a PV module of 30 Wp and a lead-acid battery with a capacity of 280 Ah.

In this study, it was investigated how individual households could manage security of supply during an outage by installing a local energy system that could operate independently from the electricity grid. By installing local renewable off-grid energy systems, households could guarantee an uninterrupted supply of energy even during an outage on the electricity grid, while also increasing their energy autonomy during normal circumstances. The results showed that managing an outage during summer was fairly easy. Due to high electricity production, a small energy storage was enough to manage an outage during summer. However, managing an outage during winter was more critical. During winter, the systems needed to be almost fully reliant on the energy storage. This significantly increased the cost of these systems. Due to the high cost for the energy systems today, it was not considered a feasible solution to improve energy security at a national level. However, at a local level, this was considered to have the potential to improve energy security. First, it could to be of interest for people who already have installed solar panels, who could add a battery and thereby be able to manage an outage during summer. Second, it could be of interest for people who are more exposed to outages or have a low trust in the system to work properly. Lastly, this could be of interest for actors for whom backup energy is important, for instance for the industry.

Conscious Living is a series of visual solutions to a current and escalating problem in increasingly populated modern societies between its citizens and the environment they inhabit. Documented in the photographs are two dissimilar intentional communities that both strive to operate harmoniously with the surrounding ecology. Originally intending to address the misconception that low impact living is uncomfortable or unsatisfying, this research and my firsthand experience has led to conclusions that are more complex and less didactic. Although the images focus on these two communities, ultimately the intention is to provide the viewer with new perspectives on these niche groups, as well as options to implement low impact alternatives to their lifestyle.

This Bachelor’s degree thesis has been performed on behalf of Upplands Lokaltrafik. The thesis aims to suggest a design of a stand-alone renewable power supply system for the bus stops in Uppland. Because of reorganization of Upplands Lokaltrafik and a change in the electricity act they now have to make the decision of either having the future bus stops connected to the electricity grid, with the requirement of installing an electricity meter at each bus stop, or to implement an off grid solution. Upplands Lokaltrafik has a goal of doubling the number of passengers until 2020 and as a part of reaching this goal the bus stops will be designed with electrical features. This thesis also aims to investigate the electricity demand for these future bus stops. The result of the study shows that a connection to the electricity grid and installation of an electricity meter means an investment cost of approximately 83 500 SEK or 123 500 SEK depending on how far cables have to be drawn. The solution with a photovoltaic system with a 180 Wp solar panel would result in an installation cost of 18 500 SEK, which would be both cheaper and more sustainable for the future. However, a photovoltaic system means higher maintenance and a higher risk of destruction. Depending on choice of batteries and the slope of solar panels, both maintenance and risk of vandalization could be diminished.

This dissertation addresses the issues of climate change and depletion of non-renewable resources of energy and water, and aims at eliminating the use of non-renewable resources of energy and water for the building operation in single-family detached residences in the U.S. With this aim, this study investigated the feasibility of the off-grid, off-pipe design approach in six climate locations across the U.S. to achieve self-sufficiency in a house for building energy, indoor water use, and household wastewater and sewage disposal using only on-site available renewable resources. For the analysis, a 2,500 ft2, 2000/2001 International Energy Conservation Code standard reference house with typical building and usage characteristics was selected as the base case. The six U.S. climate locations included: Minneapolis, MN, Boulder, CO, Atlanta, GA, Houston, TX, Phoenix, AZ, and Los Angeles, CA. The renewable resources considered for this study included: solar radiation, wind, biomass for building energy needs; rainwater for indoor water use. In addition, the building site was considered for the disposal of household wastewater and sewage. The selected climate locations provided different scenarios in terms of base-case building energy needs and availability of renewable resources. Depending on these, energy and water efficiency measures were selected for reducing the building needs. For the reduced building needs, the sizing of systems for self-sufficiency was performed, including: solar thermal system for building’s space heating and water heating needs, photovoltaic and wind power systems for building’s electricity needs; rainwater harvesting system for indoor water needs; and septic system for the on-site disposal of household wastewater and sewage. In this manner, an integrated analysis procedure was developed for the analysis and design of off-grid, off-pipe homes, and was demonstrated for six U.S. climate locations. The results of the analysis indicated that achieving self-sufficiency for energy, water and sewage disposal was possible is all climates provided the systems for the collection and storage of renewable resources were large. On the other hand, the utilization of these systems was small for locations, where the year-to-year and seasonal variations in the weather conditions and availability of climate resources was large. For increased system utilization, minimization of the peak building needs, utilization of harvested energy for secondary purposes, and considering alternative systems for such applications are preferred.

This thesis focuses on using photovoltaic produced electricity to power air conditioners in a tropical climate. The study takes place in Surabaya, Indonesia at two different locations the classroom, located at the UBAYA campus and the home office, 10 km away. Indonesia has an average solar irradiation of about 4.8 kWh/m²/day (PWC Indonesia, 2013) which is for ideal conditions for these tests. At the home office, tests were conducted on different photovoltaic systems. A series of measuring devices recorded the performance of the 800 W PV system and the consumption of the 1.35 kW air conditioner (cooling capacity). To have an off grid system many of the components need to be oversized. The inverter has to be oversized to meet the startup load of the air conditioner, which can be 3 to 8 times the operating power (Rozenblat, 2013). High energy consumption of the air conditioner would require a large battery storage to provide one day of autonomy. The PV systems output must at least match the consumption of the air conditioner. A grid connect system provides a much better solution with the 800 W PV system providing 80 % of the 3.5 kWh load of the air conditioner, the other 20 % coming from the grid during periods of low irradiation. In this system the startup load is provided by the grid so the inverter does not need to be oversized. With the grid-connected system, the PV panel’s production does not need to match the consumption of the air conditioner, although a smaller PV array will mean a smaller percentage of the load will be covered by PV. Using the results from the home office tests and results from measurements made in the classroom. Two different PV systems (8 kW and 12 kW) were simulated to power both the current air conditioners (COP 2.78) and new air conditioners (COP 4.0). The payback period of the systems can vary greatly depending on if a feed in tariff is awarded or not. If the feed in tariff is awarded the best system is the 12 kW system, with a payback period of 4.3 years and a levelized cost of energy at -3,334 IDR/kWh. If the feed in tariff is not granted then the 8 kW system is the best choice with a lower payback period and lower levelized cost of energy than the 12 kW system under the same conditions.

The aim of this thesis study is to design a hybrid energy system comprised of wind turbines, diesel generators and batteries to provide electricity for an off - grid rural community in Kenya. Wind Measurements collected over six years from 12 locations in Kenya have been studied and one site selected for this project due to its wind potential, geographical location and socio-economic potential. The energy system is designed to cater for the electricity demand of 500 households, one school, one medical clinic and an irrigation system. The system will support up to 3000 people. The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) is the software tool that has been used to simulate the hybrid system and analyze its results. The optimization has been carried out and presented according to cost of electricity and sensitivity graphs have been used demonstrate the optimization based on diesel price and wind turbine hub height.