Design Challenges for the Implementation of Smart Homes

Home automation for many years had faced challenges that limit its spreading around the world. These challenges caused by the high cost of Own such a home, inflexibility system (cannot be monitored outside the home) and issues to achieve optimal security. Our main objective is to design and implement a smart home model that is simple, affordable to the users. The proposed system provide flexibility to monitor the home, using the reliable cellular network. The user will be able what is inside the home when he /she is away from home. In addition to that, our model overcome the issue of the security by providing different sensors that detects smoke, gas, leakage of water and incases of burglary. Moreover, a camera will be available in the home to give a full view for the user when he/she is outside the home. The user will be informed by an application on his/she phone incase if there is a fire, water leakage and if someone break into the house. This will give the user a chance to take an action if such cases happened. Furthermore, the user can monitor the lighting system of the home, by giving the user a chance to turn the lights on and off remotely

The Industrial Village Energy Approach: A Cost-Effective Approach To Balance Interests and Collaboratively Harness Onsite Solar Energy

While the residential sector has seen a strong and rapid uptake of photovoltaic panels on rooftops in the last decade, especially in Australia, the uptake has been much slower on commercial and industrial roofs. This research focuses on how commercial and industrial precincts can transition to cost-effective long-term solar energy generation in a manner that creates multiple benefits. The outcome is a new approach that benefits the energy customers, the embedded utility and the environment

Large industrials and electricity sourcing during the process of liberalization Power sourcing strategies according to different market structures

Power sourcing for large industrials has changed since many countries began to restructure their electric sectors. Before, energy sourcing was limited to a set of products offered by electric companies under regulation. Nowadays, deregulation of electricity markets provides industrials significant choice in energy sourcing for the first time, changing the way how electricity is purchased, and increasing the need for sourcing strategy development. In this paper it will be presented how changes as consequences of market reforms affect the way electricity is procured. Different type of market and the power price structures will be explained. The increasing demands of energy, the ambitious goal of increasing electricity supply from renewables and the recent blackouts in different parts of the world suggest the need for a new and different approach to energy supply which could be self-generation. Self-generation has gained attention given that it can contribute to achieve the goals of the EU Energy Policy. In the past, self-generation was considered only as backup, mainly to improve the reliability of supply and partly, when it was possible, to reduce the cost. Now, since the process of liberalization progressed and large industrials gained the right to sell generated power on the market, it offers more possibilities for its use

Advances in Theoretical and Computational Energy Optimization Processes

The paradigm in the design of all human activity that requires energy for its development must change from the past. We must change the processes of product manufacturing and functional services. This is necessary in order to mitigate the ecological footprint of man on the Earth, which cannot be considered as a resource with infinite capacities. To do this, every single process must be analyzed and modified, with the aim of decarbonising each production sector. This collection of articles has been assembled to provide ideas and new broad-spectrum contributions for these purposes

China’s Gas Development Strategies

energy transition; energy policy; China; hydrocarbon strategy; low carbo

Power grid integration and use-case study of acid-base flow battery technology

There are many different types of energy storage systems (ESS) available and the functionality that they can provide is extensive. However, each of these solutions come with their own set of drawbacks. The acid-base flow battery (ABFB) technology aims to provide a route to a cheap, clean and safe ESS by means of providing a new kind of energy storage technology based on reversible dissociation of water via bipolar electrodialysis. First, the main characteristics of the ABFB technology are described briefly to highlight its main advantages and drawbacks and define the most-competitive use-case scenarios in which the technology could be applied, as well as analyze the particular characteristics which must be considered in the process of designing the power converter to be used for the interface with the electrical network. As a result, based on the use-cases defined, the ESS main specifications are going to be identified, pointing out the best power converter configuration alternatives. Finally, an application example is presented, showing an installation in the electrical network of Pantelleria (Italy) where a real pilot-scale prototype has been installed

Planning and operating energy storage for maximum technical and financial benefits in electricity distribution networks

PhD ThesisThe transmission and distribution networks are facing changes in the way they will be planned, operated and maintained as a result of the rise in the deployment of Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs) on the power grid. These LCTs provide the benefits of a decarbonised grid and reduce reliance on fossil fuels and large centralised generation. As LCTs are close to the demand centres, a significant amount will be deployed in distribution networks. The distribution networks face challenges in enabling a wide deployment of LCTs because they were traditionally built for centralised generation and most are operated passively as demand patterns are well understood and power flows are unidirectional to load centres. The opposite will be the case for distribution networks with LCTs. Utilities that own and operate distribution networks such as the DNOs in the UK will face a host of problems, such as voltage and thermal excursions and power quality issues on their networks. Traditional reinforcement methods will be expensive for DNOs, so they are considering innovative solutions that provide multiple benefits; this is where Energy Storage Systems (ESS) could play a role to provide multiple technical and economic benefits across the grid from voltage and power flow management to upgrade deferral of network assets. This is due to the multifunctional nature of ESS allowing it to act as generation, transmission, demand or demand response based on requirements at any specific time based on the requirements of the stakeholder involved with the asset. ESS is technically capable of providing benefits to DNOs and other stakeholders on the electricity grid but the business case is not proven. Unless multiple benefits are aggregated, investment in ESS is challenging as they have a substantial capital cost and some components will require more frequent replacement than traditional network assets which typically last between 20 – 40+ years. As a result there is a reluctance to include them in future distribution network planning arrangements. IV Furthermore, the electricity regulatory and market design, which was set up in the time of traditional centralised generation and networks, limits investment in ESS by regulated bodies such as DNOs. The regulations and market structures also affects revenue streams and the resulting business case for ESS. This thesis investigates the feasibility of ESS in distribution networks by first studying the effect of current electricity regulatory and market practices on ESS deployment, investigating how ESS can be used under the present rules, and establishing whether there are limitations that can be reduced or removed. Secondly, short and medium term planning is carried out on model Medium Voltage distribution networks (6.6 kV) provided by the IEEE and Electricity North West Limited to establish the technical and financial viability of investing in ESS over conventional reinforcement methods by: Assessing the impact of the proliferation of LCTs in distribution networks using both deterministic and stochastic methods under different scenarios based on current developments and government policies in the UK. This stochastic evaluation considers both spatial and temporal aspects of LCTs in distribution networks with datasets obtained from real distribution network customers; Developing and applying ESS voltage and power flow management, and market control algorithms to resolve distribution network issues resulting from growing LCTs and allowing ESS to participate in the electricity spot market over a planning period up to the year 2030; Providing a framework for assessing the business case of ESS under a DNO or third-party ownership structure where technical and commercial benefits from network asset upgrade deferral, energy arbitrage, balancing market and ancillary services (frequency response and short term operating reserves), distribution and transmission system use of system benefits are evaluated; V Optimising the operation of ESS considering multiple technical and commercial objectives to establish the technical benefits and revenues that can be obtained from an ESS deployment and the trade-off of benefits that applies for differing ownership types. The simulation results show that, under the scenarios investigated, ESS can be used as a technical solution for DNOs. They show that the ESS capital costs can be offset by aggregating benefits from both technical and commercial applications in distribution networks if regulatory and market changes are made. The conclusions offer a perspective to DNOs and third parties’ considering investing in ESS on the electricity grid as it evolves towards a more active, decarbonised system.Electricity North West Limited and Scottish Power Energy Networks sponsored my stud