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The UK government is committed to reaching Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Due to the global economic landscape and energy market, the pathway towards “Net Zero” must be accelerated to release the economic pressure on households and businesses. Among the strategies, increasing the solar capacity is vital for the goal of sustainable net-zero buildings, particularly on domestic and commercial rooftops. One priority is to increase the efficiency of existing technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) and explore how to design and install a combination of technologies, such as rooftop PV-thermal (PV/T), battery and thermal storage.
Photovoltaic (PV) is becoming the low-cost option for electricity generation (IEA, 2022). PV panels convert approximately 20% of incident solar radiation into electricity, and a significant part is lost, either reflected or through thermalization. This waste heat is limiting the efficiency and lifetime of the PV systems. Therefore, further efforts are required to increase their lifetime and efficiency, decreasing the cost and waste of energy. Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) technology can improve overall efficiency by more than 80% by effectively controlling the PV cell temperature and delivering renewable combined heat and power (CHP). Recent studies demonstrate that integrating phase change materials (PCMs) into PV/T systems as passive cooling or heat storage media improves system performance. However, it is necessary to develop thermal response and heat transfer in PCMs and their optimum integration into PV/T systems.
This project aims to design and develop prototype PV/T systems integrating composite PCMs with enhanced photo-thermal properties as thermal storage and passive cooling. The project will involve energy materials research to increase the photo-thermal conversation efficiency of PCMs using carbon-based and metal-oxides-based additives. Different configuration concepts of PV/T systems will be evaluated, such as air, fluid, and heat pipes, to propose a new conceptual high-performance PV/T system. Such high-performance PV/T will promote the broader utilization of solar energy, supporting the “Net-Zero” targets towards the decarbonization of heating.
The innovation potential of this project can directly contribute to two sustainable development goals: climate action and affordable and clean energy and the proposed project is aligned with the principles of responsible innovation to generate a positive impact on society ethically and responsibly.
Academic qualifications
A first-class honours degree, or a distinction at master level, or equivalent achievements in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering
English language requirement
If your first language is not English, comply with the University requirements for research degree programmes in terms of English language.
Application process
Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the supervisor, Dr Carolina Costa Pereira (c.costapereira@napier.ac.uk) to discuss the content of the project and the fit with their qualifications and skills before preparing an application.
Contact details
Should you need more information, please email SCEBERDL@napier.ac.uk.
The application must include:
Research project outline of 2 pages (list of references excluded). The outline may provide details about
The outline must be created solely by the applicant. Supervisors can only offer general discussions about the project idea without providing any additional support.
Applications can be submitted here. To be considered, the application must use:
Download a copy of the project details here
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