Focus Area Leader : Prof Mohamed Tariq Ekeramodien Kahn
Introduction
Smart Energy levers synergies among innovations in Energy across all sectors of the Electrical, Chemical, Thermal/Fossil Fuel Energy Systems and involve transdisciplinary collaboration and technologies. This is crucial to a sustainable energy future. The focus area encourages extensive use of the “smartness” that digital innovations enable across areas such as energy production, transportation, efficient use and transfer of energy and the general power system improvement to meet the 2030 sustainable development goals. To provide cost-effective integration of Smart Energy Systems at scale, requires balancing present needs, existing fossil fuel resource optimization and Renewable Energy Deployment, in line with our future needs. Difficult trade-offs exist between quick wins and long-term strategies, which is a challenge in the Energy sector. The innovative exploratory research areas mapped by the research under this focus area will achieve solutions tailored to the NDP/SGD 2030 context.
The following research niche areas, amongst others, were broadly encouraged in the Focus Area :
1) E –Mobility and Transportation
Increased efficiency in fossil fuel based transportation, hybrid, plug in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles is a key player in transportation. The research area cuts across the following sustainability development goals (SDG), SDG 3, SDG 8, SDG9, SDG11, SDG 7, SDG13, SDG 15, SDG17
2) Energy Production, Use and Access
Sustainable renewable and alternative energy sources, including cleaner fossil fuel generation, oceans energy and waste management approaches are being investigated across the disciplines of Electrical, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, as well as interfaculty collaborations. The key element in improving energy efficiency would be in reducing the 67% rejected energy at the user side, as well as optimising the demand side use of energy. This is achievable with power electronic systems and improvements in advanced metering and sensor/communication technology applied across the sector. The research area cuts across the following sustainability development goals (SDG) SDG1, SDG4, SDG6, SDG7, SDG8, SDG9, SDG16, SDG 10, SDG11, SDG12 and SDG13.
3) Energy Efficient Agriculture and Human Settlement
Water is essential for agriculture and human settlement. Researchers are looking at developing improved methods of renewable energy based desalination, pumping and energy efficient water purification. The mechanised agriculture sector, including aquaponics, depends on effective use of energy in the forms of strategic solar and wind farm placement, smart sensor deployment and electromechanical interface development. In addition, the expansion of smart sensor technology keeping an eye on operations, crops, and livestock with IoT and ambient intelligence, which can also be branched out to include Green Buildings, HVAC Climate control in buildings and warehouses. The research area cuts across the following sustainability development goals (SDG) SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, SDG5, SDG8, SDG13, SDG15, SDG16 and SDG17.
4) Power System Improvements, Smart Grids and Microgrids
The concept of energy management systems (EMS) is introduced to combine both the power system hardware and the intelligent software systems that monitor, control, and plan for the operation of the power system. Energy Management System (EMS) is a concept used to identify the systems performing the functions of forecasting, monitoring, measuring and control of both energy generation and energy consumption for a reliable and stable operation of modern smart electrical grids. Development of techniques for assessing customer accountability for harmonic distortion across a ring main network, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) for PV Systems under Different Meteorological Conditions, Stability assessment of interconnected IPP renewable’s to the utility grid, improvements in Microgrids and Smartgrids are investigated in this research area. Real Time distributed systems, advanced digital technologies, energy modelling, including big data in load forcasting, and blockchain techniques in electricity from generation to load utilization is explored. The research area cuts across the following sustainability development goals (SDG) SDG1,8,9,10,11,12,13 and 17
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