In this paper, a novel short-term load forecasting method amalgamated with quantile regression random forest is proposed. Comprised with point forecasting, it is capable of quantifying the uncertainty of power load. Firstly, a bespoke 2D data preprocessing taking advantage of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is presented. It can effectively assist subsequent point forecasting models to extract spatial features hidden in the 2D load matrix. Secondly, by exploiting multimodal deep neural networks (DNN), three short-term load point forecasting models are conceived. Furthermore, a tailor-made multimodal spatial−temporal feature extraction is proposed, which integrates spatial features, time information, load, and electricity price to obtain more covert features. Thirdly, relying on quantile regression random forest, the probabilistic forecasting method is proposed, which exploits the results from the above three short-term load point forecasting models. Lastly, the experimental results d... [more]

The energy transition is now treated in most countries as a necessary condition for their long-term development. The process of energy transformation assumes the simultaneous implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which are a major challenge for modern economies and introduce significant restrictions in their functioning. Our study aims to group EU member states according to their ability to achieve energy transition over time. The novelty of our approach is the assessment of energy transformation in the European Union through two aspects. The first one, “smart and efficient energy systems”, assess the current, widely understood energy consumption in economy, and the second one, “macroeconomic heterogeneity”, refers to the economic potential of a country. In our analysis, we included indicators from the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Sustainable Development Goals. Using taxonomic methods, we created clusters of countries according to the emissivity of their economies and... [more]

The aim of the article is to present the development of photovoltaic energy in the EU countries as one of the alternatives to fossil fuels. The article was prepared on the basis of secondary information and statistical data on the photovoltaic energy market in EU countries, and three hypotheses were formulated: H1—There is a statistically significant correlation between a country’s long-term orientation and its use of photovoltaic energy in European Union countries; H2—There is a statistically significant correlation between GDP per capita and photovoltaic energy use in European Union countries; and H3—There is a relationship between climate and photovoltaic energy use in European Union countries. Correlation coefficients and the Guilford classification were used to analyse the data. Data analysis has shown that photovoltaic energy is the second fastest-growing energy source in the EU, after wind energy. In 2020, 134 TWh of solar energy was produced in the EU countries. Based on the an... [more]

The increase in global population, which negatively affects energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and arable land, necessitates designing sustainable habitation alternatives. Self-sufficient high-rise buildings, which integrate (electricity) generation and efficient usage of resources with dense habitation, can be a sustainable solution for future urbanisation. This paper focuses on transforming Europoint Towers in Rotterdam into self-sufficient buildings considering energy consumption and food production (lettuce crops) using artificial intelligence. Design parameters consist of the number of farming floors, shape, and the properties of the proposed façade skin that includes shading devices. Nine thousand samples are collected from various floor levels to predict self-sufficiency criteria using artificial neural networks (ANN). Optimisation problems with 117 decision variables are formulated using 45 ANN models that have very high prediction accuracies. 13 optimisation algorithms are use... [more]

This study develops and implements a design of the Fuzzy Proportional Integral Derivative with filtered derivative mode (Fuzzy PIDF) for Load Frequency Control (LFC) of a two-area interconnected power system. To attain the optimal values of the proposed structure’s parameters which guarantee the best possible performance, the Bees Algorithm (BA) and other optimisation tools are used to accomplish this task. A Step Load Perturbation (SLP) of 0.2 pu is applied in area one to examine the dynamic performance of the system with the proposed controller employed as the LFC system. The supremacy of Fuzzy PIDF is proven by comparing the results with those of previous studies for the same power system. As the designed controller is required to provide reliable performance, this study is further extended to propose three different fuzzy control configurations that offer higher reliability, namely Fuzzy Cascade PI − PD, Fuzzy PI plus Fuzzy PD, and Fuzzy (PI + PD), optimized by the BA for the LFC f... [more]

The term “energy security” is used almost everywhere in economic and political discussions related to energy supply. However, different authors use different meanings to express the concept of energy security. Quite often, this term is used to give more importance or relevance to issues that are often not inherently related to energy security. Attempts to define the essence of the concept of “energy security” have hitherto not been systematic and are characterized by a variety of approaches, and some insufficient justification especially in the aspect of state national security is notable. Our contribution to the discourse development is the consideration of energy security as part of internationally recognized indices that are developed to assess the temperature of world security. A regression modeling approach to test the crucial factors of social-economic development that impact the energy security indicators is presented. The literature analysis and review of the world’s existing n... [more]

Carnot batteries are a quickly developing group of technologies for medium and long duration electricity storage. It covers a large range of concepts which share processes of a conversion of power to heat, thermal energy storage (i.e., storing thermal exergy) and in times of need conversion of the heat back to (electric) power. Even though these systems were already proposed in the 19th century, it is only in the recent years that this field experiences a rapid development, which is associated mostly with the increasing penetration of intermittent cheap renewables in power grids and the requirement of electricity storage in unprecedented capacities. Compared to the more established storage options, such as pumped hydro and electrochemical batteries, the efficiency is generally much lower, but the low cost of thermal energy storage in large scale and long lifespans comparable with thermal power plants make this technology especially feasible for storing surpluses of cheap renewable elec... [more]

The present investigation project aims to evaluate the extraction of contaminant material from two settling ponds to be used as alternative fuel in two cement plants. The extraction is carried out through mechanical means, and after that extraction, two options are compared: energy recovery and incineration. Through energy recovery, a potentially contaminated area is decontaminated and its waste is used; its high calorific value makes this option a viable one. The waste extraction is carried out through mechanical means due to the high density and viscosity of the waste. Because of these characteristics, the waste undergoes an on-site security adaptation to stabilize it, reduce declivity risk and make it suitable to be handled and moved. The second treatment is carried out in external installations where the final product is obtained (alternative fuel), which is to be used at industrial kilns. The entire described process shows a difference on the consumed energy of 6060.42 kWh/twaste... [more]

In this study, we solve the challenge of predicting oil recovery factor (RF) in layered heterogeneous reservoirs after 1.5 pore volumes of water-, gas- or water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection. A dataset of ~2500 reservoir simulations is analyzed based on a Black Oil 2D Model with different combinations of reservoir heterogeneity, WAG hysteresis, gravity influence, mobility ratios and WAG ratios. In the first model MOD1, RF is correlated with one input (an effective WAG mobility ratio M*). Good correlation (Pearson coefficient −0.94), but with scatter, motivated a second model MOD2 using eight input parameters: water−oil and gas−oil mobility ratios, water−oil and gas−oil gravity numbers, a reservoir heterogeneity factor, two hysteresis parameters and water fraction. The two mobility ratios exhibited the strongest correlation with RF (Pearson coefficient −0.57 for gas-oil and −0.48 for water-oil). LSSVM was applied in MOD2 and trained using different optimizers: PSO, GA, GWO and GSA. A... [more]

CO2 emissions are a major contributor to global warming. Biomass combustion is one approach to tackling this issue. Biomass is used with coal combustion in thermal power plants or with blast furnaces (BFs) because it is a carbon-neutral fuel; therefore, biomass provides the advantage of reduced CO2 emissions. To examine the effect of co-firing on pulverized coal injection (PCI) in BFs, two coals of different ranks were blended with the biomass in different proportions, and then their combustion behaviors were examined using a laminar flow reactor (LFR). The PCI combustion primarily functions as a source of heat and CO to supply the upper part of the BF. To create a similar PCI combustion environment, the LFR burner forms a diffusion flat flame with an oxygen concentration of 26% with a flame temperature of ~2000−2250 K at a heating rate of 105 K/s. The combustion characteristics, such as the flame structure, burning coal particle temperature, unburned carbon (UBC), and CO and CO2 emiss... [more]

Switched-mode power supplies (SMPSs) are an important component in many electrical systems. As a highly non-linear device, an unavoidable side-effect of SMPS operation is its high harmonics power. One of the ways to model the harmonic power consumption profile is in terms of a random process. This paper addresses random process modeling with a corresponding probability density function (PDF), auto-covariance function (ACF) and spectral coherence. The consumed harmonics power was evaluated under different load conditions and is based on experimental results of current consumption from SMPSs. The analysis shows that harmonics power may be modeled by a lognormal distribution that is time-domain uncorrelated, and that has spectral-domain correlation modeled by a Gaussian radial basis function. Extensive discussion on the modeling results is also provided. Moreover, random simulation approach based on the modeling results was proposed.

With respect to decision making by companies, normative approaches such as the net present value (NPV) method are widely applied, even though it is known that investors may make non-normative decisions. This study aimed to obtain new information on the decision-making behavior of renewable energy (RE) companies under uncertainty in the energy market, which is not provided by the conventional normative approach. In this study, we designed a novel framework that expressed both normative and non-normative perspectives of decision making, and developed a behavioral decision-making model of a power generation company investing in large-scale RE (RE company). We also examined the decisions of the RE company under uncertainty in the energy market using the developed model, considering the Kansai region in Japan as an example study area. As a result, compared to the conventional NPV method, we obtained the following information: (i) heavy investments in either photovoltaics (PV) or wind result... [more]

The possibility of increasing the transmission efficiency in mid-range wireless power transfer (WPT) applications can be achieved by inserting resonant relay coils between the transmitting and receiving sides of the device, forming an array of magnetically coupled resonant circuits, over which a receiver can be placed. This is a very cheap solution for improving the performance of the WPT apparatus, even if the complexity of the system increases, requiring a complete and detailed investigation for a smart design and control of the apparatus. The presented study investigates the current distribution in the coils of the array, which revealed strong peaks in magnitude depending on the load and receiver position. The analysis is carried out with the transmission line (TL) theory and it is performed for different positions of the receiver, as well as for different load conditions. Furthermore, a real application is considered and discussed, which includes the presence of a power converter a... [more]

This work presents the investigation of graphite and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) reflectance as an important parameter for electronic devices’ protection. These materials should protect electronic circuits against external as well as internal reflected radiation. The investigation was focused on comparing the reflectance of both materials on the metal layers. The measurements of constant electromagnetic parameters, such as permittivity and permeability, were carried out on pure materials without any additives, such as polystyrene foam, resin, wax, etc. The measurements were implemented in a coaxial line within the microwave frequency range from 100 MHz to 10 GHz. The measurements show a high value of reflected power, over 90% for graphite while RGO reflects only 80% of incident power. In addition, due to the half-wavelength effect in reduced graphene oxide, the reflection coefficient is reduced to 70%.

Datahubs step forth as convenient test beds for innovative solutions to create value from the energy data. There are numerous pilots and early trials for establishing energy Datahubs, especially in northern Europe. These are all centralised models, and the centralisation of data control and value creation can be regarded as contradictory to the decentralisation trend in the energy sector. This paper attempts to design the first decentralised energy Datahub ecosystem’s business ecosystem, with the name DenHub, using Blockchain technology. This model enables easy access to transparent and flexible energy data and new business models that will emerge upon its use. All data produced, distributed, used, and curated will help researchers and entrepreneurs study this field and propose new business models to make the energy ecosystem more efficient, clean, and inclusive. The paper also presents the differences between centralised and decentralised methods by underlining the advantages and disa... [more]

Even though electric vehicles (EV) were invented over a century ago, their popularity has grown significantly within the last 10 years due to the development of Li-ion battery technology. This evolution created an increase in the fire risk and hazards associated with this type of high-energy battery. This review focuses on lessons learned from electric vehicle fires and fire risk mitigation measures for passenger road vehicles partially or fully powered by Li-ion batteries. The paper presents EV fire risks, as well as historical car fires, published large-scale fire tests, and some proposed fire protection strategies in the aspect of electromobility safety for the future. Technical solutions for EV fire hazard mitigation are discussed, and methods of performance-based analysis and simulations for fire safety in car park evaluation are demonstrated. The Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) was used for the CFD simulations for the prediction of smoke dispersion and temperature distribution durin... [more]

In this article, the BSL k-ω model was chosen as the turbulence model to simulate the heat transfer and flow characteristics of the proposed tubes inserted with internal spiral fins when the Re was set as 3000 to 17,000. The numerical results agreed well with the empirical formula. The average deviations of Nu and f between the simulation results and empirical formula results were 5.11% and 8.45%, respectively. By means of numerical simulation, the impact of three configurational parameters on the thermal performance was studied, namely the pitch P, the height H, and the number N of the internal spiral fins. The results showed that the Nu and f of the internal spiral finned tube were 1.77−3.74 and 3.04−10.62 times higher than those of smooth tube, respectively. PEC was also taken into account, ranging from 1.038 to 1.652. When the Re was set as 3000, the PEC achieved the peak value of 1.652 under the height H of the fins at 5 mm, the number N was 8, and the pitch P was 75 mm. However,... [more]

A common challenge among internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturers is shortening the development time while facing requirements and specifications that are becoming more complex and border in scope. Virtual simulation and calibration are effective instruments in the face of these demands. This article presents the development of zero-dimensional (0D)—real-time engine and exhaust after-treatment system (EAS) models and their deployment on a Virtual test bench (VTB). The models are created using a series of measurements acquired in a real test bench, carefully performed in view of ensuring the highest reliability of the models themselves. A zero-dimensional approach was chosen to guarantee that models could be run in real-time and interfaced to the real engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU). Being physically based models, they react to changes in the ECU calibration parameters. Once the models are validated, they are then integrated into a Simulink® based architecture with all the In... [more]

The next industrial revolution, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, is prompting a different look at the issue of supply chain change management. A new perspective should take into account the aspect of supply chain efficiency at multiple levels. Efficient logistics is green and energy-saving, both of which need to be systematically integrated with the logistical planning processes. The dynamic changes on the demand and supply side resulting from social, political, and economic transformations have significantly influenced the shaping of long-term supply chains. The development of new manufacturing and logistics technologies prompts the development and implementation of new integrated planning methods to support supply chain management processes. Modern supply chains are oriented towards operations in a dynamically changing socio-economic environment. The new methods are capable of incorporating dynamic adaptation of logistics infrastructure which respond to changing relationsh... [more]

The Austrian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) refers to spatial planning as an important instrument to achieve 2030 targets because the technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES) are closely related to the types of land use. In Austria, land use is regulated by the spatial planning laws of the nine provinces, whereby the municipalities play an important role. It was the objective of the transFORMAT project to understand the scope for action of the municipalities with regard to promoting renewable energy use, and to understand the practical implications for renewable energy projects. To this end, the consolidated versions of spatial planning laws were analyzed and supported by a software tool (transFORMAT-Analyzer) that was developed to facilitate this process and the resulting follow-up activities. Responsible administrative departments were approached for supplementary information when deemed necessary. As a conclusion, the legal instrument (municipal ordinance), cal... [more]

Designing a configuration of an efficient solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system and operating it under appropriate conditions are important for achieving a highly efficient SOFC system. In our previous research, the system layout of a SOFC system with anode off-gas recirculation was suggested, and the system performance was examined using a numerical model. In the present study, the system operating conditions were optimized based on the system configuration and numerical model developed in the previous paper. First, a parametric sensitivity analysis of the system performance was investigated to demonstrate the main operating parameters. Consequently, the fuel flow rate and recirculation ratio were selected. Then, the available operating conditions, which keep the system below the operating limits and satisfy the desired system performance (Ufuel > 0.7 and ηelec > 45%) were discovered. Finally, optimized operating conditions were suggested for three operating modes: optimized electrical... [more]

Among different perovskite solar cell architectures, the carbon-based perovskite solar cell (C-PSC) is a promising candidate for upscaling and commercialization related to low-cost components and simple manufacturing methods. For upscaling a PV technology, three parameters must be considered, corresponding to efficiency, stability, and cost. While the efficiency and lifetime of perovskite technology are the focus of many research groups, the cost parameter is less studied. This work aims to provide information on the manufacturing cost of C-PSC based on experimental data in order to give the readers a panoramic overview of parameters influencing a fabrication process. To analyze the commercialization viability of this technology, we estimated the cost of raw materials and the manufacturing process for sub-modules using two different methods: registration and scribing. The fabrication cost of a sub-module fabricated using the scribing method with 7.9% efficiency was approximately 44% le... [more]

The issues discussed in this article concern the energy efficiency of transport tasks carried out by the air SAR system in the Baltic Sea. Search and rescue (SAR) are rescue operations consisting of finding people in danger, providing them with help, and delivering them to a safe place. The transport task is an element of the rescue operations carried out in the open water area. It is carried out by a given type of helicopter from a strictly defined rescue base. The aim of the article is to develop a method of selecting the base and means of transport for the transport task carried out by the air SAR system, based on the assessment of energy efficiency of a given transport task. The article proposes a selection model; parameterization of the model was carried out, indicators of energy efficiency evaluation were determined, and limitations were indicated. In practical terms, the authors’ model of selection is presented on the example of transport tasks carried out by the air SAR system... [more]

The gains of PI controllers, used in the cascaded speed control of synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs), are synthesized using quantitative feedback theory (QFT). A systematic design approach is employed to quantitatively determine the PI controller gains in terms of speed and current loops, using a mathematical model of the SynRM. Further, to make the QFT design a more transparent method, an analytical procedure using the frequency domain is attempted to design the QFT bounds as well as the initial search space of the optimization algorithm used in automatic loop shaping. The effectiveness of the proposed PI tuning method is verified with the extensive MATLAB/Simulink simulation environment. The results illustrate the supremacy of the proposed PI tuning method, in terms of control performance, over the conventional PI tuning method, using the analytical procedure.

Generators are a key technological element of the wind energy generation system. Currently, there is an increasing interest in adopting non-conventional stator-mounted permanent magnet generators, e.g., flux reversal generators (FRGs), which is a good alternative to conventional synchronous generators for medium-speed wind turbine generator applications. The usage of FRG with rare-earth (RE) permanent magnets (PMs) is increasing due to their high efficiency and high power density factors. However, RE PMs are unattractive to wind generators in terms of their cost and unpredictable market supply. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the potential of FRG with non-rare earths (ferrite PMs) for wind generators. The three-phase, 6/8 pole FRG is designed and compared with RE and NRE PMs for wind generator application at 375 r/min, 10 kW. Using 2D FEA, both the generators are compared in terms of their power generating performance with excellent overload capability. It shows that the ave... [more]