• Energy Research

In the present world, renewable sources of energy have begun to make a significant contribution to meeting heat and power needs. In India, the Government is implementing a wide ranging programmes on renewable energy technologies. Several policy and fiscal measures have contributed to the rapid expansion of the progress during the last few years. This paper presents a review of renewable energy programme and vision in India. The present situation is seen to be much more promising and favourable for renewables.

Abstract A computer simulation model is presented for the analysis of a solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid collector with air as heat transfer fluid and algorithm for making quantitative prediction regarding the performance of the system is described. Thermal efficiency curves for the solar PV/T hybrid collectors corresponding to various type of absorbers have been derived. In order to appreciate the model, numerical calculations have been made for evaluating the system performance corresponding to typical climate of Delhi, India

AbstractThe strong interconnection between human activities, energy use and pollution reduction strategies in contemporary society has determined the necessity of collecting scientific knowledge from different fields to provide useful methods and models to foster the transition towards more sustainable energy systems. This is a challenging task in particular for contemporary communities where an increasing demand for services is combined with rapidly changing lifestyles and habits. The Smart Grid concept is the result of a confluence of issues and a convergence of objectives, which include national energy security, climate change, pollution reduction, grid reliability, etc. While thinking about a paradigm shift in energy systems, drivers, characteristics, market segments, applications and other interconnected aspects must be taken into account simultaneously. In this context, the use of multi-commodity network flow models for dynamic energy management aims at finding a compromise between model usefulness, accuracy, flexibility, solvability and scalability in Smart Grid applications.

Abstract This paper presents the results of a survey on two informal settlements in Rio De Janeiro: Reta Velha (Itaborai) and Jardim Bom Retiro (Sao Goncalo). A detailed analysis of energy access and energy poverty level has been accomplished by questionnaires carried out in 400 households. The questionnaire was based on a detailed multi-tier approach. It was aimed at exploring the actual energy access and energy poverty in favelas, in addition to draw the local living conditions and the availability of the basic services. The outcomes of the research underline the problem of outages and low tension, and illegal connections. Furthermore, electricity consumption is very high compared to the service provided, and expenditures are generally disproportioned to the households’ income. Many interesting outcomes emerge from the survey. Referring to energy poverty, it is a status in which 50% of households are in Jardim Bom Retiro and 20% in Reta Velha. Due to the representativeness of the treated case, the results permit the definition of the state of the art and of enhancing guidelines suitable also for other contexts, at least in the universe of informal settlements in Latin America and Caribbean.

This paper presents the thermal performance of a community type solar pressure cooker based on evacuated tube solar collector. The developed design of solar pressure cooker has separate parts for energy collection and cooking unit and both are coupled by heat exchanger. The paper has presented the performance results of experimental study conducted on solar pressure cooker and a simulation model has been developed for predicting the cooker performance under a variety of operating and climatic conditions. The theoretical model is validated against the experimental results. The obtained results have suggested a possibility of several batches of solar cooking on a clear sunny day under typical conditions of Delhi.

Abstract Building performance analysis changed the way in which buildings are designed and operated. The evaluation of different design and operation options is becoming more resource intensive than ever before. Although building dynamic simulation tools are potentially a suitable way for assessing energy performance of buildings accurately, they require adequate training and a careful evaluation of model input data. In Europe, the majority of buildings were constructed before 1990 and are in urgent need for a significant energy efficiency improvement, through deep renovation. In this respect, advanced renovation solutions are available, but costly and lengthy renovation processes and technical complexities hinder the achievement of a large scale impact. Energy refurbishment of buildings is an open challenge and essentially requires the adoption of a valid methodological approach to link design and operational performance analysis transparently, in order to address the potential gap between simulated and measured results. The HEART project, funded in the EU Horizon 2020 program, aims to address the increasing need for deep retrofit interventions and to develop systemic strategies leading to high performance and cost effective solutions. The research for the cloud platform used in the project is based on two fundamental tools: parametric simulation to produce a large spectrum of possible building energy performance outcomes (considering realistically the impact of the user behaviour and variable operating conditions from the very beginning), and model calibration employing simple, robust and scalable techniques. In this paper we present the preliminary development and testing of the computational processes that will be implemented in the cloud platform, employing the first pilot case study of HEART Project in Italy, currently under refurbishment.

AbstractSolar renovation of a training Centre at Casargo, Lecco, Italy was financed in 2006 by Lombardy Region in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano. The refurbishment programme interested the technical unit of the building and reduced thermal demand. The technology used for the roof refurbishment is an innovative system called TIS (Tetto Integrale Solarizzato); which means solar integrated roof and developed by the Italian company Seccosistemi under a research collaboration with Politecnico di Milano. TIS is a modular covering system with the option to insert the various types of solar energy modules, providing most suitable dimension and configuration for a specific application. The prototype of TIS system was studied by R&D programme carried out at the Politecnico di Milano aimed at the creation of a practical and flexible system, easy to install and maintain, that would allow the co-presence of hybrid photovoltaic thermal panels, air or water thermal collectors and non-energetic closure elements, in such a way as to be used the whole shell and not only those parts affected by solar installation.This paper presents the design details, energy performance and economic evaluation of solar integration roof of Casargo. The building is under mointoring phase. A comparision has been made between the monitored and simulated energy performance data. Further an economic analysis has been carried out to estimate financial benefits derived from the solar integration roof. Finally the estimations have been made regarding the avoided CO2 emissions and its cost.