Energy Studies Academic Staff and Honours Projects 2009

Professor Philip Jennings

Research Interests
Amorphous silicon, solar cells, environmental radiation, renewable energy education.

Projects

1. Photodegradation of Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells [With John Cornish]
Amorphous silicon is one of the most promising materials for the production of thin film solar cells. However, there are still several barriers to its widespread use. These include its instability under irradiation - the tendency of the material to decompose over time. Efforts have been made to limit this effect and further progress will depend on a better understanding of the process of photodegradation. This project will focus on the degradation process in amorphous silicon and methods of limiting or reversing it.

2. Novel designs for Solar Cells [With John Cornish]
Design and production of new types of solar cells using nanocrystalline silicon on industrial substrates. Optimisation and testing of these designs.

3. Materials for RE Conversion
Preparation methods for advanced materials used in solar energy conversion. These include solar grade silicon, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and zinc oxide. Films of these materials will be prepared and analysed and used in advanced designs of solar cells.

4. Renewable Energy Education
The development and evaluation of materials for renewable energy education in schools and universities. This includes researching problems of energy use, new technologies and applications. Preparation of information and learning materials and evaluation of them.

Dr John C.L. Cornish

Research Interests
The fundamental properties of amorphous silicon and of its alloys with other elements including hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen. Techniques for the production of thin films of amorphous silicon and its alloys. The application of amorphous silicon and its alloys to photonic devices such as LEDs and photocells. Photovoltaic solar energy conversion and applications. Production and characterisation of thin film materials. Physics education with particular reference to effective demonstrations of physics principles, mathematical preparation for physics, introductory physics and misconceptions.

Projects

1. Spectral Response Of Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells
Amorphous silicon produced in different ways has different physical properties. One of the most important properties for solar cell applications is the spectral response, represented as the photocurrent as a function of wavelength, which may be measured by the constant photocurrent (CPM) technique. This project will involve setting up equipment for this technique and measuring solar cells produced in our laboratory.

2. Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells With Enhanced Efficiency
There are two promising ways of increasing the efficiency of a-Si:H solar cells. First by making use of high energy photons producing two electron-hole pairs. Second by using two sub-band gap photons to produce one electron-hole pair. Both mechanisms have the potential to increase the photo-current. A theoretical and experimental investigation of one or both of these processes may be undertaken.

3. Optical Measurements Of Amorphous Silicon
The optical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a-Si:H, are important in determining optimum thicknesses of the p, i and n layers in the a-Si:H solar cell. Though there are many candidates, there is as yet no completely satisfactory technique for obtaining values of refractive index, n, absorption coefficient, a, and thickness, t, of the thin films of a-Si:H that go to make up the complete device. This project would involve an extensive critical literature survey and some experimental work using optical techniques.

Dr Trevor Pryor

Research Interests
Simulation, analysis, monitoring and testing of Remote Area Power Supply Systems and components; Energy Management.

Projects

1. Development of a Pyranometer Calibration Facility at the RISE Outdoor Test Area
This project will utilise the radiation measurement equipment at the RISE Outdoor Test Area (formerly MUERI) to develop a facility for the calibration of pyranometers there. The equipment involved will be an active cavity radiometer, pyrheliometers and pyranometers. The various methods of calibration detailed in the literature will be investigated and an operational system will be developed at the RISE Outdoor Test Area. The work will involve developing an understanding of the principles of operation of the different devices, learning how to use the various devices and data acquisition equipment, putting together the calibration facility, characterising the accuracy of the final system developed and developing on operating manual for the system. Depending on the time available the project may also begin characterising the spectral content of the solar radiation resource in Perth using a Spectroradiometer.

2. Options for Reducing the Energy Consumption of Refrigerators
Refrigerators are one of the main energy consuming devices in the standard household. This project will investigate the performance of standard refrigerators at different ambient temperatures, using the constant temperature test facility at the RISE Outdoor Test Area (formerly MUERI). The effect of parameters such as the frequency of door openings will be investigated. Experiments will need to be designed to test the effects of these parameters. A soft start device for refrigerator motors will be assessed and other options for reducing the energy consumption of the domestic refrigerator will be investigated. The effect of such soft start devices in terms of introducing harmonics on the power lines will also be investigated.

3. The Effect of Shading on PV Module Output
Thin film modules are often quoted as being “shade tolerant” because of their internal structure. This project will explore the effect of various shading patterns on different PV technologies and seek to match the results with that expected from theory. The experimental work will involve utilization of the solar simulator plus the outdoor PV test facilities at the RISE Outdoor Test Area (formerly MUERI). The use of the ResLab IV curve tracer to test the effect of shading on some of the arrays in the test area will also be undertaken, time permitting.

4. Long Term Performance of Different PV Module Technologies
The long term performance of a number of different PV modules technologies has been measured for several years. The first two years of data have been analysed. However, a further two or more years of data need to be analysed. This will provide valuable information on the longer term behaviour of these different modules by calculating the Performance Ratio over the different years. Also the experimental system needs to be calibrated and tested for accuracy. This will involve testing the performance of the module maximum power point trackers used in the experiments in a controlled indoors environment, plus testing the modules on a regular basis in the solar simulator at the RISE Outdoor Test Area (formerly MUERI). The simulator testing provides a baseline for the performance of the modules as it gives the module outputs at controlled conditions.

5. The Performance of the Grid-connected PV System at the RISE Outdoor Test Area
The main office in the RISE Outdoor Test Area (formerly MUERI) has a grid-connected PV system located in it. There has been no evaluation of the performance of this system undertaken. This project will evaluate the current operation of the system by analyzing the data obtained from the system and by testing the PV modules in the array. The effect of shading by a nearby tree will be investigated in order to assess the effect of this shading on the overall output of the system. An information fact sheet will be developed for the system which will be suitable for inclusion on the ResLab website.

Other Possible Project Areas:
Projects may be available involving the monitoring of remote RE RAPS systems, and the use of the test equipment in ResLab for testing RE systems and components. If interested in this area, please contact me.

Dr Jonathan Whale

Research Interests
Wind turbine power performance testing, wind resource assessment, wind-electric water pumping. Also interested in Fluid Mechanics, Aerodynamics, Wind Power, Wave Power, Water Pumping

Projects

1. Wind Resource Assessment of Murdoch University
This project will utilize data from the meteorological mast at the ResLab Field Test Site and data from Murdoch University's Online Weather Station. The meteorological mast is equipped with sensors to measure wind speed, wind direction, temperature, barometric air pressure and relative humidity. The work will involve correlating data from the mast and from the Weather Station to predict the long-term wind resource at the Field Test Site. Values of temperature, barometric air pressure and relative humidity will be used to calculate air density, which will be used in the calculation of the wind power density. Depending on the time available the project may also use reference sensors to check the calibration of some of the sensors on the meteorological mast.

2. Wind Turbine Power Performance Testing
This project will use data collected from a wind turbine in operation at the ResLab Field Test Site. The equipment involved will be a wind turbine monitoring system including data logger and memory card, and a Card Reader to download the data to a PC. The work will involve a review of relevant guidelines on wind turbine testing, application of test routines to validate the collected data and analysis of the data to produce performance curves for the wind turbine. These performance curves will be used to calculate the energy output of the wind turbine at various sites. Depending on the time available the project may also involve writing and downloading software programs for the data logger.

3. Cost Analysis of a Small Wind Turbine Installation in a Remote Area
Wind turbines bring energy independence to communities in remote areas. This project will investigate the cost effectiveness of a small wind turbine installation in a remote area. The work will involve collation of data on the costs of wind turbine components and typical operation and maintenance costs for a wind turbine. The annual energy output of the wind turbine will be computed for different remote sites. The cost model will estimate the cost of energy for the wind installation over the lifetime of the turbine. The work will also look at the sensitivity of the costing to the choice of remote site and the choice of power configuration.

4. Sizing a Wind-electric Water Pump
Water pumping using a wind turbine can be a cost-competitive option to using a diesel generator in areas where there is high pumping demand, good wind resource and high diesel transport costs. The project will involve a review of the literature on using wind turbines to pump water in order to find the advantages and disadvantages of different system configurations. The work will also involve the sizing of a wind-electric water pump for a site with specific hydraulic power requirements. Depending on the time available the project will compare the cost of using wind power rather than diesel power at the site.

Dr August Schläpfer

Research Interests
Energy Policy, Energy Economics, Sustainable Development in non-grid connected communities.
(Currently working in Germany for 2008-2009)

Projects

1. In light of the argument put forward that nuclear is the answer to GHG issues, explore the economics of nuclear power for Australia or EU countries
2. Is clean coal technology the way forward in energy policy for Australia?
3. Analyse the current WA energy policy in terms of sustainability
4. Analyse the Federal Government's legislation to construct a centralised nuclear waste site in the Northern Territory.
5. Investigate organic waste (animal and human) as an energy resource in developing countries (e.g., Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia).
6. Compare renewable energy policy between Australia and Germany/Spain etc.

Professor David Harries

Research Interests
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Policy Research

Projects

1. The barriers to investment in small scale grid-connected renewable energy projects
2. Differing perceptions of the capacity of renewable energy and energy efficiency to meet future state and national energy demand
3. Opportunities for improving the economic potential for renewable distributed generation in urban areas
4. Renewable energy policy in develoiping countries
5. The development of markets for renewable and unconventional transport fuels
6. Strategies for effective renewable energy and energy efficiency information programs
7. Maximising the take up of renewable energy and energy efficiency in competitive energy markets
8. The development of fuel cell markets
9. The potential role hydrogen in meeting future energy demand

Katrina Lyon

Research Interests
Science Education.

Projects

TBA