PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde
PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde
PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde
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A renewable energy supply evaluation tool, MERIT [8], has been developed at<br />
the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Strathclyde</strong>, which allows the analysis <strong>of</strong> energy systems over<br />
any chosen timescale from a day to a year, or for seasonal representative<br />
periods, with a user-specified number <strong>of</strong> timesteps per hour. Demand pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
for a chosen area (for electricity, heat and hot water) may be designed or built<br />
up from a variety <strong>of</strong> typical available pr<strong>of</strong>iles. A range <strong>of</strong> possible supplies may<br />
then be chosen, including wind turbines, PV arrays and PV concentrators for<br />
electricity generation, and flat-plate collectors for water heating. Auxiliary<br />
supplies may also be defined, including the use <strong>of</strong> batteries, pumped hydro<br />
plants and flywheels for electrical storage, diesel generators for back-up<br />
electricity and heat production, and a grid connection. Combinations <strong>of</strong> these<br />
demands and supplies (with one auxiliary supply only) may then be quickly and<br />
easily matched, and the outputs <strong>of</strong> these simulations, in the form <strong>of</strong> graphs <strong>of</strong><br />
demand and supply, residual demand and excess supply, and the pr<strong>of</strong>ile <strong>of</strong> use<br />
<strong>of</strong> the chosen auxiliary, may be easily compared. This allows many<br />
combinations to be tried from the one screen (without the need to go back and<br />
redefine the whole system), allowing the optimum system configurations to be<br />
determined for a chosen area and set <strong>of</strong> demand pr<strong>of</strong>iles. An auto search facility<br />
is also available which allows the optimum matches to be found using a variety<br />
<strong>of</strong> criteria. This program provides a good analysis <strong>of</strong> electrical demand, supply<br />
and auxiliary matching, however, although a start has been made to include<br />
demands for heat and hot water, these require further development in order to<br />
allow a more full analysis <strong>of</strong> the available supply possibilities and storage<br />
options. MERIT is a flexible and generic simulation tool, which, thanks to its<br />
graphical user interface, is easy to use and understand.<br />
Another flexible and generic tool, TRNSYS [9], has been developed at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-Madison. This transient systems simulation program<br />
allows analysis <strong>of</strong> any time period, broken down into half-hourly timesteps.<br />
<strong>Systems</strong> may contain a large number <strong>of</strong> components, which may include,<br />
amongst others, solar thermal plant, PV panels, wind turbines, batteries,<br />
auxiliary heating and cooling plant, building loads and structures, thermal<br />
storage, electrolysers, fuel cells, hydrogen storage and heat exchangers. The<br />
modular nature <strong>of</strong> this program gives it flexibility and makes it easy to expand<br />
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