Public Research Seminar by Sustainable Energy and Environment Thrust - Thermodynamic and System Coupling Analysis of Hybrid Energy Systems

Though effective at reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, singular clean energy devices such as solar panels, fuel cells, chemical batteries, thermoelectric generators, etc., have very limited functionality, so assembling hybrid energy systems from them is a common practice to satisfy a wider range of applications. Indeed, the efficiency and reliability of these systems must be ensured. This presentation will discuss the common research problems that are commonly countered in hybrid energy systems research, which include subsystem coupling type and method, thermodynamic process analysis, and verifying the energy and exergy efficiencies. The author will discuss these aspects by using examples from his past research. Chronologically, these include 1. Applying the thermoelectric generator to utilize the waste heat of photovoltaic cells for extra power generation. 2. Optimizing the fuel cell thermal management method based on the thermoelectric cooler. 3. Coupling waste heat and electrochemical water of an operating fuel cell with an atmospheric water harvester to produce freshwater, which voided the need to consume the fuel cell power. 4. Propose a new type of spectral cascade utilization artificial photosynthesis system that converts shorter wavelengths into electric energy and other wavelengths into heat, and these are coupled with CO2 reduction and CO2 capture, respectively, to form a complete artificial plant. Overall, these systems have achieved functions that were otherwise not possible by their singular counterparts, which include further increasing the overall output efficiency, temporally matching the time-varying supply versus demand profiles, and increasing the general applicability of the energy devices.