MSc (Physics) / Department of Physics

MSc (Physics) / Department of Physics

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Fred L. Hasler / On-site energy production is becoming increasingly prevalent in building systems design with a renewed public awareness of sustainability, decreased energy resources, and an increase in the requirements of local and federal energy codes. Systems such as photovoltaics and solar thermal collectors have been implemented in designs to meet these challenges. The emerging technology of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) offers the potential to combine these systems into one contained module. A hybrid PVT system can simultaneously produce thermal and electrical energy, maximizing the use of available surface area available for energy production. Hybrid PVT can be implemented using PVT air collectors, PVT liquid collectors, and ventilated PV facades. Hybrid PVT is gaining interest at the academic level and is being applied at the residential level. Several commercial hybrid PVT products are currently manufactured, but options are limited. This report will evaluate PV, solar thermal collector, and hybrid PVT technologies, discuss the various components required for these systems, and present advantages and disadvantages of these systems. For an example elementary school design, the report will compare monthly energy production of the various systems, evaluating their ability to supply the peak loads of an example building design. Estimated first costs and operating and maintenance costs will be evaluated. The report will also quantify the ideal balance of PV and solar thermal collectors for the example based on loads and simple payback. Conclusions will be made about the current state of hybrid PVT and what steps need to be taken for it to be effectively implemented in the commercial building market.

The naturally occurring mineral of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a promising alternative absorber layer for thin film based photovoltaic devices. It has the remarkable advantage that it consists of abundant, inexpensive and non-toxic elements compared to its crystallographically related and highly successful counterparts: the Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGSSe) and CuIn(S, Se)2 (CISSe) material systems. Therefore, there is real commercial potential for reduced material costs and improved device efficiencies. A two-stage high throughput combinatorial process for the fabrication of Cu-Zn-Sn-S thin film libraries is presented, which consists of either sequentially stacking or co-depositing Cu,Sn and Zn precursor layers by DC magnetron sputtering followed by a sulphurisation process. Sputtering conditions and target-substrate geometry are developed to give compositionally graded Cu-Zn-Sn precursor layers spanning a wide spatial region around the point of stoichiometry. Conversion into Cu-Zn-Sn-S libraries is achieved by thermally evaporating a uniform layer of sulphur directly onto the metal alloy and annealing the sample at 500 °C in a furnace. Effects of the precursor composition on the structural properties of the films prior to the incorporation of sulphur are investigated. The sulphurised libraries are then studied by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy as a function of composition, to assess the effects on morphology and phase formation. Observations of changes in lattice parameters and crystallinity are clear. The opto-electronic and electrical properties of the CZTS film libraries are measured using photoconductivity and hot point probe techniques, respectively. Changes in the band gap and conductivity type are studied as a function of atomic ratios. Based on high performing compositions, devices have been fabricated with the highest achieving cell at 1.26 %. The observations are discussed in the context of the particular compositions and synthesis conditions, and recommendations are made for further work.

This research investigated the techno-economic feasibility of increasing hours of electricity services on Likoma Island in Malawi; making use of solar photovoltaic and wind power in order to enhance sustainable livelihood. Likoma Island grid is operated independent of the mainland grid; and the island is supplied electricity by diesel generators which are scheduled for only 14 hours per day. The limited hours of electricity supply constrains the delivery of essential services and hinders people from achieving sustainable livelihoods. The research used empirical and modelled data of solar irradiance and hub height wind speed, photovoltaic and wind energy systems costs, diesel-generator operation costs, energy needs, energy use patterns, electricity demand profile, and prevailing socioeconomic conditions. Diesel, photovoltaic, and wind based energy systems feeding the Island s grid; and autonomous photovoltaic and wind energy systems for selected essential institutions were modelled and simulated using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables. Energy system solutions are proposed indicating cost factors and opportunities for the enhancement of sustainable livelihoods. The thesis argues that with the financial resources committed to the prevailing 14-hours supply of electricity by diesel generators, it is feasible to provide Likoma Island with electricity for 24 hours every day by photovoltaic and wind based energy systems. A deployment model which uses excess energy from the modelled photovoltaic and wind power systems to serve non-grid loads and livelihood activities which are difficult to account for when sizing embedded renewable energy systems has been developed. The findings provide cost projections of photovoltaic and wind energy systems relative to diesel generators upon which investment and policy decisions can be made. Microscale wind maps at 10 m, 25 m, 40 m and 50 m have been developed for identification of potential wind turbine sites. Empirical socioeconomic data which are essential for the design of delivery mechanisms for renewable energy systems have been generated. The deployment model proposed by the research gives new insights into holistic ways of enhancing sustainable energy access in low-income communities. The interdisciplinary insights provided by this thesis can be applied in other countries and communities with similar socioeconomic contexts to Likoma Island.

Finding cleaner and sustainable energy resources is one of the most important concerns for the development of humanity. Solar energy is taking an essential role in this matter as the production cost of solar collectors is decreasing and more solar installations are being set up every year throughout the world. One way of reducing the cost of solar panels is by using concentrators that are cheaper than the costly photovoltaic cells and can increase their output. Solarus AB designed a Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) hybrid collector that uses this principle and which is a variation of the Maximum Reflector Collector (MaReCo) design and is a Compound Parabolic Collector (CPC). This thesis has two main objectives. The first one is to design variations of the actual Solarus’ design and some alternative MaReCo designs and pure parabola designs. These designs include new solar cell cuts which are based on 4 busbar solar cells. In this way a future in-depth analysis may be carried out by comparing different receiver designs and collector boxes. The second goal is to investigate the current electrical and thermal performance of the collectors from Solarus AB which are installed in the Hus 45 of HiG. The appropriate data of the installation has been obtained using simulations and specific software, and it has been analysed with Microsoft Excel®. Concerning the new designs of the receivers and boxes, everything has been prepared for the future construction of the prototypes. All the measurements and their adjustments have been taken into account to define the size of the components and the process of building has been set up. Moreover, some future work has been planned in order to move forward the project. Regarding the analysis of the HiG installation, both electrical and thermal performance have resulted to be significantly lower compared with their estimated simulation, being their real output around 60 % of the estimated one. In the thermal part, the losses in the pipeline result to be more than a third part of the produced heat. In the electrical part, the production varies a lot between different collectors due to some of them do not work properly, consequence of poor condition of the solar panels (broken cells, dirt, shading, etc.).

The Swedish Island of Gotland provides an interesting case of how renewable energy technologies can be combined and integrated into the electricity system. The study simulates the load, wind power production and PV power production to estimate the PV power potential for existing buildings on Gotland. The theoretical PV power potential on Gotland is calculated to be 667 MW. The PV power potential is split between 28% for dwelling buildings, 9% for multi-dwelling buildings, 7% for industry and 56% for other buildings. The current limit for wind power on Gotland is 195 MW. With the installed capacity of 194 MW wind power, an additional of 22 MW of PV power is possible to integrate without increasing the hours of overload on the power cable. With the prospected submarine power cable, a total of 529 MW PV power is possible to integrate with the existing 194 MW of wind power.

Στην διπλωματική εργασία που ακολουθεί, παρουσιάζεται η προσομοίωση και μελέτη ενός υβριδικού συστήματος διανεμημένης παραγωγής. Το σύστημα που εξετάζεται είναι ένα υβριδικό σύστημα ηλεκτροπαραγωγής που αποτελείται από μία ανεμογεννήτρια, μια φωτοβολταϊκή συστοιχία και μία γεννήτρια diesel. Για τη προσομοίωση του συστήματος χρησιμοποιείται το πρόγραμμα σχεδίασης και προσομοίωσης ηλεκτρικών συστημάτων PSCAD. Η εργασία επικεντρώνεται στη δομή και λειτουργία του συστήματος τόσο στην μόνιμη κατάσταση λειτουργίας όσο και στη συμπεριφορά του συστήματος σε διάφορα μεταβατικά φαινόμενα. Τα μεταβατικά φαινόμενα που εξετάζονται είναι τα εξής: • Μείωση προσπίπτουσας ακτινοβολίας σε φωτοβολταϊκη συστοιχία • Αποσύνδεση Ανεμογεννήτριας από το δίκτυο • Τριφασικό βραχυκύκλωμα ως προς την γή στον ζυγό της γεννήτριας diesel • Απότομη αύξηση του φορτίου Στο 1ο Κεφάλαιο, γίνεται μια αναφορά στα υβριδικά συστήματα παραγωγής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας, στα συστήματα κατανεμημένης παραγωγής, στις δομές τους και στις ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας. Επίσης αναφέρονται μερικές εφαρμογές τους. Στο 2ο Κεφάλαιο, περιγράφονται ξεχωριστά τα στοιχεία παραγωγής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας καθώς και τα υπόλοιπα στοιχεία του υβριδικού συστήματος διανεμημένης παραγωγής που απαρτίζουν την εργασία. Ταυτόχρονα παρουσιάζονται και αναλύονται οι μαθηματικές σχέσεις σύμφωνα με τις οποίες λειτουργεί το σύστημα. Στο 3ο Κεφάλαιο, εισερχόμαστε στο περιβάλλον του προγράμματος μοντελοποίησης PSCAD, παρουσιάζεται και περιγράφεται η δομή και τα στοιχεία που αποτελούν το υβριδικό δίκτυο ηλεκτροπαραγωγής, ενώ γίνεται και αναφορά στις προδιαγραφές που πρέπει να τηρούνται από το σύστημα διανεμημένης παραγωγής. Στο 4ο Κεφάλαιο, παρατηρείται η συμπεριφορά ολόκληρου του συστήματος στην μόνιμη κατάσταση λειτουργίας καθώς και των επιμέρους υποσυστημάτων. Στο 5ο Κεφάλαιο, εξετάζεται η συμπεριφορά ολόκληρου του συστήματος καθώς και των επιμέρους υποσυστημάτων στις διαταραχές που έχουμε περιγράψει παραπάνω. Στο 6ο Κεφάλαιο και τελευταίο, καταλήγουμε σε συμπεράσματα τα οποία προέκυψαν από την μελέτη του υβριδικού συστήματος που παρουσιάστηκε. / The thesis that follows, presents the simulation and design of a hybrid distributed system of electrical power generation. The system presented, consists of a wind turbine, a photovoltaic array and a diesel generator. For the system simulation we use the drawing and simulation of electrical systems program, PSCAD. The project focuses on the structure and operation of the system both at steady -permanent state and in system behavior in various transient situations. The transients considered are the following: • Reduction in incident solar radiation into array • Wind Turbine disconnection from the network • Three-phase short circuit as for ground under the rule of the diesel generator • Sharp load increase In 1st chapter, there is a reference to hybrid power generation systems, distributed generation systems, their structures and the renewable sources of energy. Also some applications are mentioned. In 2nd chapter, there is a description of the elements that produce electrical energy and the other elements of the hybrid system of distributed production of electrical energy which are used in the system. At the same time there are presented and analyzed the mathematical relations under which the system operates. In 3rd chapter, we enter the interface of the PSCAD modeling program, present and describe the structure and components of the hybrid power grid, while we also make a reference to the specifications that have to be met by the system of distributed production. In 4th chapter, is examined the behavior of the whole system as well as of the individual subsystems in steady-permanent state. In 5th chapter, is examined the behavior of the entire system as well as of the individual subsections during the disturbances which we have described above. In 6th chapter and last, we come to conclusions that emerged from the study of the hybrid system presented.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy