Thesis topics for electrical Engineering renewable energy
EERE SETO Postdoctoral Research Award 2018The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Postdoctoral Research Awards are intended to be an avenue for significant energy efficiency and renewable energy innovation. The EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards are designed to engage early career postdoctoral recipients in research that will provide them opportunities to understand the mission and research the needs of EERE and make advances in research topics of importance to EERE programs. Research Awards will be provided to exceptional applicants interested in pursuing applied research to address topics listed by the EERE programs sponsoring the Research Awards. Applicants may select one researchproposal onone research topic.Proposals must be approved by the research mentor listed in the application. Solar EnergyS-501 Applying Data Science to Solar Soft Cost Reduction Possible disciplines:Economics,computer science, business management The emergence of new big data tools can revolutionize how solar technologies are researched, developed, demonstrated, and deployed. From computational chemistry and inverse material design to adoption, reliability, and correlation of insolation forecasts with load use patterns, data scientists have opportunities to dramatically impact the future scaling of solar energy. EERE's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is seeking to support postdoctoral researchers to apply and advance cutting-edge data science to drive toward the national solar cost reduction goals. Areas of interest include:
S-502 Solar Systems Integration Possible disciplines: Power systems engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, atmospheric sciences The Systems Integration program of SETO aims to address the technical and operational challenges associated with connecting solar energy tothe electricity grid. We seek postdoctoral research projects that will helpaddress significant challenges inthe followingareas:
S-503 Concentrating Solar Thermal for Electricity, Chemicals, and Fuels Possible disciplines: Mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use mirrors or other light collecting elements to concentrate and direct sunlight onto receivers.[1] These receivers absorb the solar flux and convert it to heat. The heat energy may be stored until desired for dispatch to generate electricity, synthesize chemicals, desalinate water or produce fuels, among other applications. The dispatchable nature of solar thermal energy derives from the relative ease and cost-effectiveness of storing heat for later use, for example, when the sun does not shine or when customer demand increases or time value premiums warrant. Heat and/or extreme UV intensities from sunlight may also be used to synthesize chemicals or produce fuels. The ability to produce heat for chemical processes without the added cost of fuel and to shift electricity production to alternative energy forms can provide benefits.To realize these benefits operations must be efficient and cost-effective. SETO seeks to develop processes that can occur at a competitive cost compared to traditional synthetic routes. Careful analysis of integrated solar thermochemical systems will be required due to the complexity of most chemical processes and the typically thin profit margins in commodity chemical markets. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
This is a broad call and postdoctoral applicants interested in using heat from solar installations to create value-added products at a national scale are encouraged to apply. Stekli, J.; Irwin, L.; Pitchumani, R. Technical Challenges and Opportunities for Concentrating Solar Power With Thermal Energy Storage, ASME Journal of Thermal Science Engineering and Applications; Vol. 5, No. 2; Article 021011; 2013; http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/1.4024143. S-504 Photovoltaic Materials, Devices, Modules, and Systems Possible disciplines: Materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, applied physics, physics, chemistry In photovoltaic hardware, substantial materials and system challenges remain in many current and near-commercial technologies. Research projects are sought in applied and interdisciplinary science and engineering to improve the performance and reliability of photovoltaic materials, devices, modules, and systems in order to drive down energy costs. Areas of interest include:
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