• Energy Research
• UK Research and Innovation close
• OA Publications Mandate: No close
• 2017 close

The capital cost of existing solar thermal collectors is the major barrier to use rather than efficiency; the objective of this project is to produce a roof based solar collector with adequate efficiency but at a potentially much lower cost that could be deployed on the large roof areas of commercial buildings to reduce space heating costs. The project aim is to capitalise on the strength and thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNT's) to reinforce polymer materials that have previously been too weak for thermal panel production and bring to market a robust and durable polymer solar thermal collection system that could be manufactured and installed at a 50% lower cost than existing metallic solar collectors with lightweight and aesthetic benefits that would allow significantly enhanced solar collection capability. Also the project aims to embed sensors to provide data to optimise heat energy generation and also allow friendly end user control. This would involve developing a software package to utilise the data analytics to perform as a sales tool that would enable a reduction in the cost of sale by up to 50%.This project will bring together expert roofing and polymer manufacturing companies alongside leading academics in the design of solar systems to optimise the polymeric panels through laboratory and solar simulated testing, determine an economic production process, attain solar keymark of the panels, the accreditation of manufacturing factories, protection of the component supply chain, securing of installers, extensive market analysis , innovativemarket exploitation and dissemination for successful commercialisation

Solar PV and energy storage systems have been widely recognised as one of most effective ways to address energy and environmental issues. Several power electronic converters are required to manage the power flow from solar PV panels to energy storage and power grid. As a result, such converters can determine the overall performance, e.g., efficiency and power density, of the solar energy storage system. Numerous control methods, topologies, and modulation strategies have been recently proposed to improve power density, efficiency, reliability, and costs of the converters. However, two major challenges remain as critical obstacles to further advance these. The first challenge is the bulky electrolytic capacitors used to reduce voltage ripples, which are the most vulnerable components in the converters. They can cause about 30% of failures, and occupy 83% of the volume in a small power converter. The second challenge is the inefficient and bulky isolation transformers used to isolate leakage currents. Such transformers can account for about 3% of system power losses, over 60% of weight, and over 50% of volume in a 6 kW PV inverter. In this project, we aim to develop a 5 kW highly efficient, reliable and small-sized converter system for solar PV energy storage systems through 1) advanced design of power topologies to remove isolation transformers and electrolytic capacitors; 2) design of high-frequency inductors to reduce system size and weight; 3) control system design to improve system dynamics; 4) simulation and experimental verification of the developed power converters. With the commitment from Solar Ready Solutions, routes to commercialization of the developed converters will be included as a part of this project.

Offshore wind turbines operate in harsh and extreme environments such as the North Sea. As blades continue getting larger, their tip speeds can exceed 100m/s. At these speeds, any particulates in the air such as rain, dust, salt, inspects etc. can wear away the surface of the blade's leading edge, a phenomenon known as leading edge erosion. This, in turn, alters the aerodynamic shape of the blade, affecting the efficiency AND potentially exposing the blade to further and more serious damage, thereby reducing the life of the blade. Whilst the mechanisms that cause leading edge erosion are not yet fully understood, it can be said that at some point, ALL wind turbine blades will suffer from some form or degree of leading edge erosion during their life, which will need to be addressed. Maintaining blades in the offshore wind sector is an expensive and dangerous job. Typically, highly skilled rope access technicians have to scale down the blades to carry out leading edge repairs. This project aims to take the first steps of developing a robotic device to carry out a number of these detailed inspections and repetitive repairs on the leading edges of blades, freeing up the time of the skilled rope access technicians, enabling them to perform specialist repairs or upgrades to blades only they can do. This would enable more blades to be inspected and treated, maximising the electrical output of the turbines that in turn benefit the owner with increased revenues, maximise the CO2 savings that everybody benefit from and increasing the security of electrical supply for the end users.

Since it emerged into the public eye in the 1940s the British nuclear establishment has worked hard to manage its public image and retain public trust. It has done so in the face of opposition that has grown particularly vocal since the 1970s and as economic arguments for the nuclear programme have become increasing difficult to sustain. To do this it pioneered new techniques for what is now known as science communication, from public talks and leaflets, exhibitions and visitor centres, information films and videos and privatisation publicity to a spectacular nuclear train crash that was broadcast live to the nation. These activities are well-documented in The National Archives, but apart from the fire in 1957, have received little attention. Instead scholars have concentrated on opponents of nuclear power. This literature has also portrayed the nuclear industry and the people within it in simplistic and homogenous terms, whilst stressing the diversity within the protest movement. This project will fill this gap by focussing on how Government departments and state agencies that supported the development of nuclear power promoted and defended their commitment from the late 1950s. The student will explore how organisations formulated their external communications strategies, collaborated with (and challenged) each other, the wider industry and international associates and how these strategies changed over time. The project is framed as a contribution to the history of science communication but it will also offer lessons for current policy makers, including those interested in major infrastructure projects.

Hydropower is a crucial energy source in a portfolio as it generates for up to 24 hours / day, providing a renewable energy alternative to base-load fossil & nuclear fuel power stations. Deployment is currently limited due availability of suitable sites, environmental disruption, & head of water (3m+) requirements to run installations efficiently. VerdErg has developed a disruptive new hydro-power turbine technology that overcomes these limitations. Operating at low head (1-3m) with a major reduction in cost & environment impact due to smaller size & civil works, the technology can significantly increase renewable baseload electricity generation at low head river sites in the UK - the Environment Agency has identified 25,935 potential hydropower sites in England & Wales able to provide 1,178 MW of power. In addition, the UN has identified low head hydropower as a crucial element in addressing economic development of poor rural communities in developing countries. VerdErg's unique technology (protected by 6 patent families) enables power extraction using venturi-enhanced secondary flow, not achieved before. It can make a major contribution to the Energy Trilemma.

Senergy are developing an all polymer solar thermal panel that will integrate easily with the physical and the digital architecture of buildings to deliver reliable, affordable and carbon emission free solar water heating and cooling. The Senergy panels capitalise on the strength and thermal conductivity of nanocarbon particles to reinforce polymer materials that have previously been too weak for thermal panel production and bring to market a robust and durable polymer solar thermal collection system that can be manufactured and installed at a 50% lower cost than existing metallic solar collectors. The Senergy panels also offer lightweight and aesthetic benefits that give the architect much more flexibility with design. In addition, the panels are embedded with low cost sensor and information technologies providing artificial intelligence for a more efficient and reliable energy supply. These technical advantages address the challenges that have hindered the roll out of this form of renewable energy and presents the opportunity for pervasive adaption of solar water and space heating and cooling in the global built environment.

It is possible to identify, from satellite, the gradient of a river and its flow rate at any individual point, then to make calculations, based on the operating parameters of any pre-selected hydropower kit, about the cost of installation and pay-back periods for hydropower generation at that site. By surveying whole river valleys from satellite, and identifying large numbers of sites suitable for that pre-selected kit, we aim to disrupt the current industry model which results in the bespoke design of one-off run-of-river hydropower installations, and to bring economies of scale, in manufacturing and financing, that have been so successful with other renewable energy technologies, but which have proven so elusive to the hydropower industry. This technology will be useful in the UK and other developed countries, but its real potential for "mushroom-shaped" growth, is in the developing world. As a test-bed of the potential for UK exports across the developing world, this project focuses on Uganda, where the population's access to electricity, especially in remote areas, is less than 10%. Global investment players, both public and private, are very active in driving access to electricity. This is a growth market on a global scale and one which can uniquely be accessed from space.

The subject area of study focuses on the noise reduction of wind turbine blade noise emission. Due to government limits on noise pollution, wind turbines have to run on a lower power yield in order to reduce the blade noise emission, and therefore incur energy and financial losses to the customer and provider respectively. The reduction of the noise emissions will enable the operator to run the turbines at a higher yield per decibel, generating more energy while remaining within the noise pollution limits. This will be achieved through the development of a blade trailing edge serration design to later be manufactured and retrofitted onto existing turbines to reduce their noise footprint. Research of the issue will be heavily based on aero-acoustic experimentation and data capture, to find correlations between flows, noise, and energy losses in the trailing edge flows. Finally, the research will result in the a number of serrations to be developed and tested for final practical implementation on commercial wind turbines.

Development of an innovative, wind turbine blade specific, condition monitoring product.

An estimated 1 billion people worldwide are living in rural areas without access to electricity. In these rural areas, economic, geographic and political factors all combine to make local generation the most effective method for improving electricity access. In developing countries with appropriate geography, hydropower is one of the most economical methods for local generation. Nepal has the second richest hydropower resource in the world and with many people living in rural areas there is a requirement for local generation. In Nepal, there are at least 1800 micro-hydro power (MHP) plants generating 25MW of power. These turbines (with rated power less than 100kW) are manufactured and installed by small and medium size enterprises based across Nepal. The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) officially recognises over 75 companies as qualified or 'provisionally qualified' to build and install MHP turbines. The process of qualification does not regulate the overall quality of each project and there are no particular national standards to adhere to. Once commissioned and handed over to a community, operation and maintenance is typically carried out by a trained operator. Whilst the training is comprehensive, the quality and regularity of maintenance is highly variable. The results of poor maintenance and system quality are under-performance, improper operation and in worst cases, system failure. Previous research has suggested that the quality of all aspects of turbine installations in Nepal is highly variable. Without standards in place, there is no means to manage the quality of installations completed by micro-hydro manufacturers. Complacency during feasibility studies leads to incorrect sizing of turbines resulting in low load factors and operation away from rated power. In addition, poor education results in consumer misuse which can exacerbate technical problems. Field based research will use site assessment and questionnaire surveys to assess the technical and social performance of micro-hydro plants. Issues identified during the field testing will be used to make a targeted study of all stages in a project process at a micro-hydropower manufacturer. Concurrently, the understanding of the complete design life cycle will be used to find opportunities to introduce greater quality assurance and standardisation. Through modelling and parameterised CAD, a standardised prototype will be developed for environmental conditions typical in Nepal. A hydrodynamically scaled version of this will be tested to ascertain its applicability for use with a range of heads and flow rates.