Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 Mission Statement Energy Research Institute @ NTU ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2014 1 ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE @ NTU CONTENTS Corporate Profile/Mission Statement 2 Directors’ Message 4 Organisational Structure 7 Management Team 9 Programme Management Team 11 Management Board 13 ERI@N Staff Profile 14 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUS AREAS Energy Storage 17 19 Fuel Cells 29 Sustainable Building Technologies 39 Maritime Energy 57 Solar Energy and Solar Fuels 69 Wind and Marine Renewable Energy 90 Electromobility 103 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator in Singapore (REIDS) 110 111 EcoCampus Initiative 113 Events & Visits 116 Selected Publications 124 Credits 150 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 Mission Statement The Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) was formed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to spearhead the University’s efforts in the area of sustainable energy research. CORPORATE PROFILE ERI@N was inaugurated on 15th June 2010 as an Institute jointly funded by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB); and is supported in various forms through programmes of the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Energy Market Authority (EMA), other agencies and the industry. 2 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 Mission Statement VISION To be a leading research institute for innovative energy solutions MISSION To be a centre-of-excellence for advanced research, development, and demonstration of innovative energy solutions with global impact by: • Advanced research enhancing the efficiency of energy systems while maximising the synergies of alternative energy sources • Enabling knowledge creation and technology transfer by engaging with government agencies, research institutions and industries • Creating a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment for the delivery of energy solutions and national sustainability goals AREAS OF RESEARCH The Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) will focus on the areas of sustainable energy, energy efficiency/ infrastructure and socio-economic aspects of energy research. Research activities and considerable expertise in these areas exists within NTU’s research centres and schools. ERI@N will provide a unique platform, where the various disciplines such as materials, power electronics and systems, biological, physical, social sciences, as well as humanities and business communities can interact to explore new solutions to a host of issues including energy generation, harnessing, storage, distribution, efficiency, as well as impact on climate change and global warming. RESEARCH CENTRES/FACILITIES The Institute has considerable expertise in areas of fuel cells, wind & tidal energy, energy storage, photovoltaics, smart energy systems & grids, and provide an integrated set of expertise from materials design & synthesis, device fabrication and modelling, and systems integration & optimization. Major facilities include air-conditioning, smart grids & lighting, electrical drives and electromobility, nanomaterials and composite materials, wind / water tunnel testing and tribology, high performance computing, and prototyping facilities for solar cells, fuel cells, and batteries. 3 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MESSAGE (L-R) Prof Timothy White, Prof Chan Siew Hwa, Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar, Prof Choo Fook Hoong, Prof Hans B (Teddy) Püttgen DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 4 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MESSAGE The Energy Research Institute @ NTU opened in June 2010, With 191 full-time staff and 176 PhD/Master scholars, ERI@N with the aim to be a world-leading research institute for maintains key collaborations with the University of California innovative energy solutions. ERI@N’s mission is to grow into Berkeley, Technical University of Munich, and University of a centre-of-excellence for conducting advanced research, Cambridge, as well as 33 Industry partnership projects, development, and demonstration of innovative energy including joint-laboratories with global leaders such as the solutions having global impact. BMW Group, Rolls-Royce, Johnson Matthey, and Vestas, amongst others. ERI@N is a pan-university research institute that consolidates energy research and promotes multidisciplinary and Over the next half-century, the combination of rising transdisciplinary collaboration across the Colleges of populations Engineering, Science, Business, Humanities, Arts and the development of massively scaled sustainable energy Social Sciences. and low-carbon electricity generation solutions. These and living standards will demand the challenges, albeit an unparalleled threat to business-asThe Institute distinguishes itself through excellence in usual, also represent a remarkable opportunity for research, basic research directed towards outcomes of high industry innovation, and green growth. relevance. Thus, ERI@N is motivated to enable knowledge identified the Clean Energy industry as a strategic growth creation and technology transfer with research organisations area for the economy, with projections of 7,000 green collar and industries by creating a collaborative environment jobs and a S$ 1.7 billion contribution to the gross domestic for the delivery of energy solutions aligned with national product by 2015. Singapore has naturally sustainability goals. The years ahead present an unparalleled opportunity for Research at ERI@N encompasses seven programmes, ERI@N to focus on long term competence development that namely, fuel cells, energy storage, sustainable buildings will broadly address energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, solar cells & fuels, maritime clean energy, integration. This is a daunting and inspiring task that we look wind & marine renewables, and electromobility. Two flagship forward to undertaking in partnership with our academic projects, EcoCampus and Renewable Energy Integration and industry partners. Demonstrator Singapore (REIDS) are providing significant outcomes in energy efficiency and renewables. The former, Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar Executive Director, Energy Research Institute @ NTU a partnership between NTU, JTC Corporation, and the Professor Chan Siew Hwa Co-Director, Energy Research Institute @ NTU Economic Development Board (EDB) will transform the NTU campus and JTC’s Clean Technology Park into the most Professor Timothy White Co-Director, Energy Research Institute @ NTU sustainable campus in the world and reduce the energy utilization on campus by at least 35% over the next decade. Professor Choo Fook Hoong Co-Director, Energy Research Institute @ NTU REIDS is tasked to integrate solar, wind, marine, and bioenergy resources with a broad range of energy storage Professor Hans B (Teddy) Püttgen Senior Director, Energy Research Institute @ NTU technologies to serve the types of loads relevant in a microgrid context on Semakau island off the coast of Singapore. This facility affords an ideal environment to develop and export micro-grid solutions uniquely suited to tropical conditions from Africa to Central and South East Asia. 5 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MESSAGE 6 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE MANAGEMENT BOARD SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FINANCE & GRADUATE EDUCATION/ ADMIN/HR/CONTRACTS ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 7 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FUEL CELLS ENERGY STORAGE SOLAR ENERGY & SOLAR FUELS SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES ELECTROMOBILITY WIND & MARINE RENEWABLES MARITIME ENERGY 8 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MANAGEMENT TEAM MANAGEMENT TEAM Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar Executive Director, ERI@N Professor Mhaisalkar is a faculty member in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and his areas of expertise include nanomaterials, thin film photovoltaics, and printable electronics and charge storage. Professor Chan Siew Hwa Co-Director, ERI@N Professor Chan is a faculty member in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and his areas of expertise include fuel cells, fuel reforming and internal combustion engines. 9 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MANAGEMENT TEAM Professor Timothy White Co-Director, ERI@N Professor White is a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and has over twenty years of experience in the design and demonstration of advanced materials for environmental, superconducting, ionic conductivity, and hydrogen storage applications. Professor Choo Fook Hoong Co-Director, ERI@N Choo Fook Hoong’s areas of expertise are Energy Management, Data Analytics and MVAC Systems, LDAC Air-conditioning System, Power Electronics and Drives, EVS and Electromobility, Smart Grids - Hybrid DC/AC Grids and Renewable Energy Systems (Solar PV and Thermal). Professor Hans B (Teddy) Püttgen Senior Director, ERI@N Prof Püttgen is a professor in the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and his expertise includes Energy Systems, Renewables Integration, and Power Engineering. 10 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MANAGEMENT TEAM (L-R) Nyunt Wai, Marcus Koh Leong Hai, Koh Eng Kiong, Dr Ding Ovi Lian, Dr Narasimalu Srikanth, Nilesh Jadhav, Dr Anshuman Tripathi, Asst Prof Alessandro Romagnoli, Kei-Leong Ho, Mohan Dass PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT TEAM 11 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MANAGEMENT TEAM • Koh Eng Kiong Programme Director, Maritime Energy and Special Projects • Dr Narasimalu Srikanth Programme Director, Wind & Marine Renewables • Nilesh Jadhav Programme Director, EcoCampus/Sustainable Buildings Technologies • Professor Rachid Yazami Programme Director, Energy Storage (not in photograph) • Dr Ding Ovi Lian Programme Manager, Fuel Cells • Dr Anshuman Tripathi Programme Manager, Electromobility • Koh Leong Hai, Marcus Programme Manager, Sustainable Building Technologies • Kei-Leong Ho Programme Manager, Electromobility • Mohan Dass Programme Manager, Energy Systems • Professor Alessandro Romagnoli Programme Manager, Energy Systems • Nyunt Wai Programme Manager, Energy Storage 12 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MANAGEMENT BOARD MANAGEMENT BOARD Professor Bertil Andersson Lim Kok Kiang President Assistant Managing Director Nanyang Technological University Economic Development Board Professor Freddy Boey Lam Siew Wah Provost/Deputy President Deputy Chief Executive Officer Nanyang Technological University Building Construction Authority Professor Lam Khin Yong Bernard Nee Chief of Staff/Vice-President (Research) Assistant Chief Executive Nanyang Technological University Energy Market Authority 13 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ERI@N STAFF PROFILE ERI@N STAFF BY COUNTRY 22 21 17 16 20 19 18 24 14 15 13 5 9 10 23 11 8 4 67 3 1 2 12 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Singapore Indonesia Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Thailand Vietnam China 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. India Sri Lanka Taiwan Australia Iran Israel Morocco France 14 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Germany Italy Spain Switzerland United Kingdom Canada Trinidad United States of America Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ERI@N STAFF PROFILE 109 Below Between Between Above 24 24-34 35-44 45 years years years years AGE EDUCATION TOTAL NUMBER OF RESEARCHERS 160 NUMBER STUDENTS PhD 150 Masters 65 Undergraduates (Interns/Final year students) 170 * All figures accurate as of 31 March 2014. 15 PHD 11 Masters 11 49 49 Bachelors 29 62 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUS AREAS ENERGY STORAGE Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE ENERGY STORAGE ERI@N’s Energy Storage program develops advanced electrochemical charge storage systems (ECSSs) to meet the current and future demands for a variety of distinct applications. A wide range of technologies are supported by the program, including but not limited to; flexible integrated batteries for wearable electronics, flow batteries for large scale grid storage systems in addition to next generation supercapacitors for high power applications such as electric vehicles. Each of these fields presents a unique set of criteria for which ECSSs must be tailored. ERI@N works closely with industrial partners and academic research institutions (both Singaporean and international) to deliver improvements to current ECSSs and develop futurefocused solutions to support myriad energy needs and remain at the vanguard of energy storage technology. FOCUS AREAS Lithium Ion Batteries Over the last 20 years, Li-ion batteries have emerged as the most common energy storage device for light weight portable applications such as mobile phones and laptops and, more recently, have been implemented in electric vehicles. For long-term use in transportation applications, however, the performance of current Li-ion technologies requires significant improvement in terms of increased energy density and durability. Recent achievements in the optimisation of next generation Li-ion materials at ERI@N include i) the development of high capacity anodes and cathodes ii) improved cycle stability of electrodes and iii) the development of electrochemical thermodynamics method (ETM) for determining state-of-health of a battery. The Energy Storage group at ERI@N is comprised of approximately 30 researchers, students and staff stationed both on NTU campus at the Research Techno Plaza and the department of Material Science and Engineering, off-campus at Clean Tech One, as well as significant presence at partner laboratories such as the TUM-CREATE. This provides an excellent framework for coupling the development of new technologies, with the in-house facilities to investigate the scale-up of these technologies to test industrial viability in the new Prototyping Lab at Clean Tech Park. The areas of expertise and research activities of the Energy Storage program are briefly summarised below. The commercial viability of new materials and processes developed at ERI@N and MSE labs, can be tested in ERI@N’s Prototyping Laboratory @ Clean Tech Park, with large throughput coating abilities in a dry room environment, bridging the gap between labscale and industrial-scale technologies necessary for technology transfer. Beyond Lithium-Ion Several exciting alternatives to Li-ion chemistry are being investigated at ERI@N to garner step-changes in either increased energy density or lower cost. Fluoride-ion batteries can potentially store up to four times more energy than Li-ion batteries per weight, due to high fluorine content possible in both anode and cathode materials compared to their lithium counterparts. However, many challenges, such as finding a suitable liquid electrolyte, have impeded the realisation of F-ion batteries. 20 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE From the point of view of cost reduction, sodium-ion batteries show particular potential to become a viable option due to their suitable redox potential and the high abundance/low cost of sodium. Several novel Na-ion cathode materials have been prepared with in conjunction with the TUM-CREATE program. The materials show excellent cyclability and are being further developed as an alternative to Li-ion systems. promotes interest in this technology for industrial applications. At ERI@N, the innovations in redox flow batteries span all the key components of the system (electrodes, electrolytes, and ionic membranes). Additionally, multiple technology demonstrations have been executed. The research team developed a prototype vanadium redox flow battery with 2.5 kW output power, which was subsequently used to power a forklift. This application is particularly relevant as electrically powered forklifts are preferred for indoor applications (e.g. forklifts in closed warehouses) where exhaust emissions may be hazardous. Li-air systems are also of particular interest because of their high theoretical energy density (>10 kWh/kg). A new liquid state anode or lithium solvated electron solution (LiSES) has been developed at ERI@N for advancement of Li-air batteries and other systems that benefit from this unique high energy density type of anode. A solid state electrolyte membrane (glass ceramic lithium aluminum germanium phosphate, LAGP) is also being developed as part of this effort. Supercapacitors Supercapacitors (SCs) currently fill the gap between batteries and conventional solid state or electrolytic capacitors. The power density and cycle life of SCs are extremely high, however, these devices typically have lower energy density compared with Li-ion batteries. By combining faradaic and capacitive electrodes, substantial increases in energy density may be achieved while maintaining high power density. At ERI@N the research efforts focus on i) the combination of high surface area carbon materials with nanostructured transition metal oxides to increase power densities and energy densities respectively and ii) use of lithium intercalating electrodes (battery-type) to capitalise on the high energy density of Li-ions in supercapacitor systems. Redox Flow Batteries Redox flow batteries are an excellent candidate for large scale electrical energy storage. Among this class of storage devices, vanadium redox chemistry is promising because it allows the use of one element for both the anode and cathode. Furthermore, vanadium redox presents significantly lower safety and environmental risks compared to Li-ion systems. Low self-discharge and long operational life further 1 Wang, Z., Madhavi, S. and David, L. (2012). Assembling carbon-coated -Fe2O3 hollow nanohorns on the CNT backbone for superior lithium storage capability. Energy and Environmental Science, 5 (1), 5252-5256 2 Nagasubramanian, A., Yu, D., Hoster, H. and Madhavi, S. (2014). Enhanced cycling stability of o-LiMnO2 cathode modified by Lithium Boron Oxide coating for Lithium Ion Batteries. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, DOI 10.1007/s10008-014-242-3 3 Maher, K. and Yazami, R. (2014). A study of lithium ion batteries cycle aging by thermodynamics techniques. Journal of Power Sources, 247(1) 527-533 4 Bucher, N. Hartung, S., Gocheva, I., Cheah, Y-L., Madhavi, S. and Hoster, H.E. (2013). Combustion-synthesized sodium manganese (cobalt) oxides as cathodes for sodium ion batteries. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 17 (7) 1923-1929 5 Tan, K-S., Grimsdale, A.C. and Yazami, R. (2012). Synthesis and characterization of biphenyl based Lithium solvated electron solutions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 116, 9056-60 21 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE LI-ION BATTERIES HIGH CAPACITY, LONG-LIFE AND LOW-COST LITHIUM ION BATTERIES FOR GREEN ENERGY STORAGE APPLICATIONS A major thrust of the Li-ion group is to produce nanostructured anode and cathode materials with unique morphologies (e.g. hollow fibers, nano-rods) that maximise capacity and cycle stability. The figure and images illustrates the variety of materials developed during this project. Associate Professors Madhavi Srinivasan and Alex Yan Qingyu drive the development of Li-ion batteries at ERI@N. Figure 1. Voltage and capacity of novel nanostructured cathodes and anodes Figure 2. SEM images of various electrode materials developed at ERI@N One example of materials innovation for battery electrodes is illustrated by modification of Sn-based oxides (e.g. CaSnO3). These oxides undergo large uneven volume expansion (>300 %) with lithium intercalation ultimately leading to severe electrode pulverization and poor cyclability. An approach has been developed to incorporate electrochemically inactive matrices like MOx (e.g. CaO) to accommodate volume change and inhibit aggregation and degradation of the electrodes with long-term cycling. This results in a higher capacity retention and coulombic efficiency with repeated cycling. Another method employed by the research team to maximise cycling performance is the use of electrolyte additives. One such additive is lithium (bis)oxalato borate [LiBOB]. Experimental data extrapolated to estimate performance after 25 years shows a 27 % increase in capacity retention of a Li-ion battery when LiBOB is added to lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), a commonly used battery electrolyte. The electrode couple in this example is nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). 6 Linlin, L., Madhavi, S., et al. (2012). Electrospun eggroll-like nanotubes with high lithium ion performance. Nanoscale, 5, 134-138 22 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE BEYOND LITHIUM-ION BATTERY TECHNOLOGY LIQUID-BASED ANODES / LITHIUM SOLVATED ELECTRON SYSTEMS (LISES) Significant effort across the globe is dedicated to development of the Li-air battery, given its high theoretic energy density which is comparable to that of gasoline. Currently, rechargeable Li-air battery research focuses mostly on solid-state anode materials. However, Prof. Rachid Yazami (recipient of the 2014 Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering) and his research team have chosen a unique route by developing a new type of liquid anode, which consists of lithium metal dissolved in a solution of electron receptors to form a lithium solvated electron solution (LiSES). Electron receptors used for this project are polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) such as biphenyl and naphthalene. This novel LiSES-air cell is particularly attractive as it can operate at ambient temperature. Figure 3. Graph comparison energy densities of most common energy storage chemistries Advantages of a liquid anode include i) fast ion transport capability ii) stable anode/ceramic membrane electrolyte interface and iii) fast “recharge”. A battery for electric vehicles (EVs) which utilises both liquidstate anode and cathode may permit refueling in a matter of minutes (instead of 3-8 hours recharging) by replacing the spent products with fresh electrode solutions. The structure of the proposed Li-SES system is shown in figure 4 (Anolyte: Liquid Anode, Catholyte: Liquid Cathode). At the current stage, a new catholyte solution (I2) is being developed which allows for a full Li-SES cell to operate in an environment without oxygen. The new cell has undergone preliminary charge/discharge tests successfully. Further studies are under-way to use other kinds of PAH and catholytes in the LiSES cell. Figure 4. Illustration of cell design for LiSES system with both liquid anode and cathode 7 Kim Seng, T., Grimsdale, A.C. and Yazami, R. (2012). Synthesis and characterization of biphenyl-based Lithium solvated electron solutions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 116, 9056-9060. 23 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE VANADIUM REDOX FLOW BATTERY (VRB) NOVEL HIGH ENERGY DENSITY VRB The ERI@N VRB research team led by Mr. Nyunt Wai and Assoc. Prof Alex Yan, have made substantial contributions to the field with innovations in multiple key areas such as modified graphite electrodes, various electrolytes, bromine complexing agents, and cost saving ion-exchange membranes. It was found that the existence of oxygen containing functional groups (—COOH, C-OH, C-O, C=O, C-O-C) on the surface of each developed electrode facilitates the redox processes and improves cell performance. Electrolytes and Complexing Agents The first generation VRB employs a Vanadium/Sulfate (V/SO4) electrolyte system at both electrodes. This electrolyte limits the energy density of the system to 15-25 Wh/kg of electrolyte. The team at ERI@N has been able to increase this value to 44 Wh/kg by using a V/Br electrolyte system. Furthermore, a new low cost bromine complexing agent was developed to reduce the formation of polybromide ions which interrupt the flow cell operation, and to reduce evolution of Br2 gas which is toxic.8 This innovation is expected to reduce the overall cost of the V/Br system and can be applied to other types of batteries that involve toxic gas evolution. Current work is focused on further increasing the energy density to 50 Wh/kg. The electrolyte viscosity required for this performance is very high and poses a new set of challenges. Figure 5. Illustration of conventional VRB design Electrode Materials Various new electrode materials for Vanadium/ Bromide (V/Br) systems have been developed and studied for their potential electrochemical properties which could enhance the electrocatalytic kinetics of the redox reactions and cell performance. These materials include: • Anodically oxidized graphite electrode • Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube coated electrode • Graphene oxide nano-sheets /polymer binders coated electrode Membranes In-house synthesised membranes [sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) [SPEEK], cross-linking SPEEK and composite SPEEK] have been identified as promising alternative for ion-exchange membranes in both V/ SO4 and V/Br systems. These newly developed membranes show energy efficiency and coulombic efficiency comparable to that of the commercially available standard membrane, Nafion, at a quarter of the price. Work is still being carried out to improve the mechanical properties of the SPEEK membrane. 24 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE SUPERCAPACITORS HYBRID ELECTROCHEMICAL CAPACITORS (HECS) Integration of the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery with the Cargo Handling Equipment HEC projects focus on asymmetric supercapacitors which use two different types of electrodes (e.g. metal oxide cathode and activated carbon anode), and also battery-type hybrids which couple a battery electrode with a supercapacitor electrode (e.g. LiCrTiO4 and activated carbon respectively). The first generation V/SO4 system has a lower energy density than V/Br systems. However, it has still shown great potential for medium to large-scale energy storage applications due to its long cycle life and high energy efficiency. One such application has been identified in cargo handling equipment. VRBs can be used to replace, or work in conjunction with diesel generators to power cargo forklifts. This is particularly attractive for indoor uses where CO2 emissions are undesirable. Asymmetric Supercapacitors Transition metal oxides (TMO) exhibit various oxidation states, and the charge transfer between them can be exploited in reversible redox reactions. This charge storage mechanism provides the faradaic component of the electrode pair, while carbonaceous materials allow non-Faradaic charge storage. We are currently engaged with an industry partner, to apply newly developed TMO materials to large scale supercapacitor systems. The performance testing results of our 2.5 kW VRB powered cargo lift is promising and confirms the stack’s deliverable output power for a long term usage. 8 Current Density / mAcm-2 Coulombic Efficiency % Voltage Efficiency % Energy Efficiency % 40 77.88 90.96 70.85 50 81.35 89.21 72.57 60 84.31 86.90 73.26 70 86.63 84.73 73.41 80 88.93 82.03 72.96 Lithium Hybrid Electrochemical Capacitor (Li-HEC) This particular type of HEC also uses both Faradaic and non-Faradaic processes to store charge and maximise power and energy density of an energy storage system. High surface area carbonaceous material is chosen as the non-Faradaic charge storage material which facilitates long term cycling whereas a high performance Li-insertion type electrode material is used to deliver high energy density by faradaic processes. To date, only few materials have been explored as insertion type electrode materials for Li-HEC applications paired with carbonaceous components. Hence, we have chosen to explore this under-addressed topic which can potentially make significant contributions to the field of energy storage. Wai, N. (2014). Sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone)-based proton exchange membranes for vanadium redox battery applications. Journal of Membrane Science, 450, 313-22 25 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE FACILITIES AND CAPABILITIES The wide range of research activities in ERI@N’s research program are supported by excellent facilities both on and off the NTU campus, with the majority of the work performed in four key locations each; at i) NTU’s School of Material Science and Engineering, ii) Research Techno Plaza, iii) Clean Tech Park and iv) the TUM-CREATE labs. School of Material Science and Engineering (MSE) Facilities at MSE are equipped with wet labs and fume hoods (~100 sqm), and are geared toward supporting synthesis strategies and development of high performance electrodes based on multifunctional nanoscale materials. Fundamental materials characterisation (SEM, TEM, XRD) is also performed on site at the FACTS lab. Batteries and supercapacitors are made in coin cell (2032) and pouch cell format and electrochemical characterisation is performed on a Solartron 1260 Analyser. Research Techno Plaza (RTP) The RTP labs house both capabilities for development of energy storage devices and solar cells, primarily catering to the latter. The focus is on electrode slurry preparation, electrode coating (doctor blading/screen printing), device assembly (Li-ion batteries/supercapacitors), and electrical characterisation. Clean Tech Park (CTP) A dedicated Energy Storage Prototyping Lab is being outfitted at CTP. This lab aims to attract both industry and academic partners that are interested in developing battery technologies in larger formats such as prismatic and cylindrical (18650) cells. The prototyping lab has a state-of-the-art 40 m2 dry room facility, (-40°C dew point with 2 people working and dehumidifying capacity of 209 g/hour), completed in October 2013. Noteworthy equipment includes high current testing equipment, high throughput roll-to-roll coating ability and electrode winding equipment. TUM-CREATE The facilities at TUM-CREATE labs act as a link between research and development in battery chemistry and the engineering of battery packs for applications such as electric vehicles. TUM-CREATE laboratories are equipped with a full set of synthesis lines, advanced characterisation instruments (including in-situ electrochemical XRD) and battery testers for electrochemical energy research. Key research capabilities also include testing for safety, battery lifetime, and modelling for material optimisation and failure. Temperature and climate chambers are available for testing under highly controlled conditions. Battery Safety Chambers are also available to test the robustness of Li-ion cells under various levels of electrical and physical abuse. 26 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ENERGY STORAGE COLLABORATORS Lithium-ion Batteries Clariant BMW Johnson Matthey Hybrid Electrochemical Capacitors Amperics Bosch Elbit Vanadium Reflux Flow Battery SGL Carbon Gildermeister SGL Group – The Carbon Company – and the ERI@N signed an agreement to develop new carbon and graphite materials for more efficient use in stationary redox flow batteries. The batteries will be optimised for use in sub-tropical climates and have high-cycle stability. In this cooperative alliance, the carbon fibrebased electrode materials and graphite-based bipolar plates will be further developed and tested in this system. The application behavior of the components will be further optimised with the aid of modeling. FACULTY AND RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS NAME AREA OF RESEARCH EMAIL CONTACT Assoc. Prof. Alex Yan Qingyu LIB and Supercapacitors alexyan@ntu.edu.sg Assoc. Prof. Liu Xuewei LIB and Supercapacitors xuewei@ntu.edu.sg Assoc. Prof. Lou Xiong Wen LIB and Supercapacitors xwlou@ntu.edu.sg Assoc. Prof. Madhavi Srinivasan LIB and Supercapacitors madhavi@ntu.edu.sg Assoc. Prof. Shen Zexiang LIB and Supercapacitors zexiang@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Aravindan Vanchiappan LIB and Supercapacitors aravindan@ntu.edu.sg Mr. Bassel de Graff LIB and Supercapacitors bdegraff@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Prasad Yadav LIB and Supercapacitors pyadav@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Wong Chui Ling LIB and Supercapacitors wchuiling@ntu.edu.sg Mr. Sutanto LIB and Supercapacitors sutanto@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Lai Linfei LIB and Supercapacitors lailf@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Joseph Franklin LIB and Supercapacitors Thin Films josephfranklin@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Cheah Yan Ling Na-ion and F-ion Batteries ylcheah@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Mani Uluganathan Vanadium Redox Batteries ulaganathan@ntu.edu.sg Dr. Moe Ohnmar Oo Vanadium Redox Batteries oomoe@ntu.edu.sg Mr. Nyunt Wai Vanadium Redox Batteries wnyunt@ntu.edu.sg Prof. Rachid Yazami Lithium-Air Batteries rachid@ntu.edu.sg F-ion Batteries Electrochemical Thermodynamics Measurement System Mr Tan Kim Seng Lithium-Air Batteries Dr. Kenza Maher Electrochemical Thermodynamics kmaher@ntu.edu.sg Measurement System 27 kstan1@e.ntu.edu.sg FUEL CELLS Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS CAPABILITIES DEVELOPED FUEL CELLS The fuel cell research group, which started in 2001, continues to build and develop core capabilities in fuel cell technology and provides technical leadership to industry through collaborative research and development. The group primarily focuses on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and hydrogen related technologies, covering materials, catalysis and electro-chemistry, thermo-fluid and design, and product prototyping. PEMFC 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Reduction of methanol cross-over (DAFC) Self hydrating of MEA with hygroscopic nano-sliica Non-Pt base catalyst for electrodes (HT-PEMFC) Overcome flooding of cathode with silicone oil Bipolar plates based on polymer nano-composites with conductive fillers. Ultra-low Pt loading for electrodes (Ternary Pt-Ni_Fe) HT-catalyst suport High performance inorganic exchange membranes Multi-Physics modeling SOFC 1. Solid oxide electrolyser cell for CO2 capture & conversion to fuels 2. Suplhur tolerant anode 3. Environmentally friendly aqueous based tape casting for large cell component fabrication 4. Advanced electrodes for direct HC/alcohol oxidation, thin-film technology for electrolyte 5. High performance SOFC cell and stack 6. Multi-Physics modeling The core competencies of the group lie in a) High performance, ultra-low precious group metal loading fuel cell/electrolyser, b) On-demand, high energy density portable hydrogen generator, and c) Complex fuel cell-integrated system for distributed generation, power-to-gas/electrolysis, and micro-grid integration. 30 The fuel cell research group is supported by 6 NTU staff, 2 visiting professors and 16 research staff. Through the collective efforts of these excellent individuals, the group has developed and patented a number of technologies on catalysts for use in fuel cell, and hydrogen generation and purification. Some of these developments have attracted the interests of commercial companies to collaborate with ERI@N to further develop into a commercial product. Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE CO-BASED CATALYST Principal Investigator: Prof. Chan Siew Hwa Team Members: Dr. Zhang Lan, Mr. He Hongquan Industry Partner: Horizon fuel cell technologies Status: Completed This project is related to the development of a novel catalyst system, which is used to speed up the hydrolysis of chemical hydride solution. The entire testing was conducted at Horizon Energy Systems using their fuel cell stack integrated with a Hydrogenon-Demand fuel supply system. The catalyst has surpassed 150 hours under 5 bars atmosphere, which is far longer than that of the commercial products registered at around 10 hours. Horizon is a small company and they would be interested in licensing the technology from us provided that there are sufficient orders from their customers. requiring no moving parts in the cartridge. The cartridge serves as the fuel supply system for a fuel cell stack (25W) to be used by soldiers. They have been in discussion with a French company making hydrogen-on-demand cartridge for them, with an intention to supply complete fuel cell power packs to defence industries. The requirements are very stringent, not only to meet the target performance (such as to achieve a hydrogen generation rate of 100 sccm within 30 seconds), but also the catalyst must work in adverse environmental conditions (15oC or lower) and safe in operation. Preliminary evaluation results by the entity in Sep 2013 showed that we were unable to meet the “instant” hydrogen supply flow rate requirement, which prompted us to tweak the formulation for fast chemical kinetics. We are now into the second phase of the evaluation and the new batch of catalyst has been sent to them for further evaluation in mid-December 2013. We have also been working with a foreign entity on performance evaluation of the catalyst technology developed in this POC project since Oct 2012, with the objective of licensing such technology to this entity for special purpose application. This company has an invention on hydrogen-on-demand system 31 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS ACHIEVEMENTS 1. The cobalt oxide-based beads have been successfully fabricated by improved gel-casting technique. The diameter of self-supported cobalt oxide-based catalysts beads can be controlled by changing the dimensions of the syringe tips. 4. The commercial 200W PEMFC stack was successfully operated on hydrogen from hydrolysis of NaBH4 in the presence of cobalt oxidebased beads catalyst (Co3O4 85wt.% + MnCO3 3.33wt.% + NiO 6.67wt.%, and sintered at 1300oC for 2 h in air) for over 77 h. 2. Arising from optimizing the formula of raw materials, MnCO3 was found to be the best sintering additive and pore former for cobalt oxide-based catalyst beads. 5. The commercial hydrogen generator was successfully operated on hydrogen from hydrolysis of NaBH4 with cobalt oxide-based beads catalyst (Co3O4 90wt.% + MnCO3 3.33wt.% + NiO 6.67wt.%, and sintered at 1300oC for 2 h in air) for more than 150 h. 3. After optimizing the content of raw materials used, the best formula was found to be Co3O4 90wt.% + MnCO3 3.33wt.% + NiO 6.67wt.%, and the catalyst beads fabricated from this formula shows that the maximum compressive load is ~81N and the hydrogen generation rate from 1wt.%NaOH+25wt.%NaBH4 solution in the presence of cobalt oxide-based catalyst beads at 80oC is ~9000 ml min-1 g-1. 6. The volume of H2 released from 0.5wt.%NaOH+15wt.%NaBH4 solution after removing the immersed cobalt oxide-based beads (Co3O4 90wt.% + MnCO3 3.33wt.% + NiO 6.67wt.%, and sintered at 1300oC for 2 h in air) is ~4 ml in 20 min, i.e., ~12ml/h, which is lower than 30ml/h required for smart portable chemical energy cartridge. Figure 1. Schematic of hydrogen generation system and fuel cell stack 32 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS FUEL CELL AS A GREEN POWER SOURCE FOR SHIP AND PORT APPLICATIONS Principal Investigator: Prof. Chan Siew Hwa Team Members: Ding Ovi Lian, Zhou Weijiang, Li Miao, Jing Benqin Industry Partner: Gashub, Temasek polytechnic Status: Completed Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology is touted to be one of the promising candidates for portable, mobile and stationary applications (0-200 kW). They are highly efficient (40 to 65%), reliable and environmentally friendly. They operate at a low temperature (< 100 °C), and have high power density. to build a much larger power capacity stack to meet a particular need on board of a ship, such as, auxiliary power system. We are pleased to report that we have achieved the goal of developing a 3 to 5 kW fuel cell system complete with balance-of-plant. We had also conducted studies and analysis on the different flow field and catalyst coated membrane. In addition to these, the balance-of-plant was developed to control and monitor the status of the fuel cell power system. Our tests have shown that the fuel cell power system is capable of producing more than 3 kW and has good stability during operation. In this project, we proposed to develop a 3 to 5 kW fuel cell stack, incorporating the invention and knowhow we have developed earlier. The stack with this power capacity is ideal for lab development before it can be used on board a ship. The success of demonstrating this 3 to 5 kW fuel cell stack, in terms of enhanced performance and stability, would allow us Figure 1. Development process of the fuel cell system 33 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS Figure 2. Development of the balance-of-plant for the fuel cell system 34 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS FUEL CELL AS RANGE EXTENDER FOR ELECTRIC BOAT Principal Investigator: Prof. Chan Siew Hwa Team Members: Ding Ovi Lian, Jing Benqin, Zhang Caizhi Industry Partner: Horizon fuel cell technologies, Aspin Kemp & Associates Status: In-progress The need for green energy sources and to improve the efficient usage of fossil fuels in the marine field, makes it important to replace or improve current fossil-fuelengines. Very low emissions and relatively high efficiencies have been observed in marine power plants using fuel cells. The emission levels from the fuel cell are accepted by the required international marine regulations addressed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. In addition, fuel cells have a high electrical efficiency ranging between 40% and 60%. However, the system efficiency (including reformers and auxiliary equipment) is lower. The operation of pure hydrogen and air PEM fuel cells is, however, likely to be restricted to ships carrying hydrogen as a cargo. This is because the low volumetric energy density requires very sizeable fuel tanks and because additional safety precautions are also necessary. This proposal aims to develop an integrated reformed light hydrocarbon-fed fuel cell power system, to demonstrate the advantage of partially replacing the battery bank in the hybrid electric boat. With this installation, the boat shall increase its energy efficiency and prolonged operation range, while reducing the environmental impact from particulate matters, toxic and greenhouse gases. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the hybrid diesel-fuel cell system for electric boat 35 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS FACILITIES AND CAPABILITIES FUEL CELL RESEARCH TEAM The fuel cell research group has two laboratories situated in NTU campus and CleanTech One, respectively. The laboratory in NTU is focused on the fundamental studies whereas the works in the laboratory in CleanTech One is geared towards translational research and prototyping. KEY MEMBERS Chan Siew Hwa Professor Nigel Brandon Visiting Professor Ding Ovi Lian Program Manager Shen Zexiang Professor Wang Xin Assoc Professor Li Hua Asst Professor Su Pei-Chen Asst Professor 36 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FUEL CELLS GROUP ORGANISATIONAL CHART 6 Full Time Faculty Program Leader (Academic) Prof. Chan Siew Hwa Prof. Su Pei-Chen Program Manager (Industry) Dr. Ding Ovi Lian 2 Visiting & Adjunct Professors 1 Technician 13 Res Staff 14 PhD PEMFC 2 Research Fellow 1 Project officer, 2 PhD IC: Zhou Weijiang Dr. Xue YH, Zhang CZ, Raj, Li Miao Research Group (7 RF, 3 PO, 14 Phd) Provide engineering support to Research Group H2 & Other Technologies 1 Research Fellow, 2 Project officer, 1 PhD IC: Zhang Lan Solid Oxide Cell 4 Research Fellow 11 PhD IC: Liu Qinglin Engineering Support Unit (1 RF, 1 REng) IC: Sender Yi J He HQ, Bai L, Berthold Reeb Dr. Huang HC Dr. Wang Jingbo Dr. Zhou J Dorna, StemplenJ, Wang Jianfeng, Baek Jong Dae, Li Yong, Tu Chen-Chiang, Ng Chee Seng, Xie Hanlin, Liu Kang-Yu, Kevin Lim, Pan ZH Key activities • Design/Fabricate of circuit board • System integration • System Prototype 37 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES The buildings sector consumes nearly one-third of energy use globally. Energy consumption in the building sector is trending upwards due to increasing population and higher economic activity in most parts of the world. In Singapore, non-residential and residential buildings combined consume about 50% of the country’s electricity. It is hence essential to focus on energy reduction in this sector via technologies that can significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings, while ensuring their liveability and long term sustainability. The Sustainable Building Technologies (SBT) Programme at ERI@N focuses on research, development and demonstration of innovative technologies for providing efficient and cost-effective solutions for green and smart buildings of the future. The key technology thrusts in the SBT Programme at ERI@N can be summarised as follows: 1) Building Modelling/Simulation and Scientific Design Support The modelling and simulation of building performance via use of computational techniques and tools ensures a more scientific way of making optimum technological choices for building design elements and deriving maximum benefits from their synergies in a costeffective way. The team focuses on integrated design, modelling and optimisation of the building envelope and active building technologies via the use of energy modelling tools and computational fluid dynamic simulations to accurately predict and also control the performance of buildings. 2) Innovative Cooling Technologies for tropics Efficient and cost-effective cooling is one of the biggest challenges for buildings vis-à-vis thermal comfort of its occupants. Apart from control strategies for cooling and mechanical ventilation, the team investigates novel cooling approaches such as desiccant based dehumidification, thermal chillers, active chilled beams, radiant cooling, solar cooling and efficient ventilation techniques for laboratories. 3) Smart Building systems and micro grids With the advent of Smart Grid technologies such as advanced metering and automation systems, buildings are becoming smarter and highly interactive with their occupants as well as the surrounding environments. Along with advanced sensor networks and communication technologies, the team also researches on information and home/building automation and management systems and opportunities with DC grids with increasing adoption and integration of renewable generation technologies within the building. 40 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES 41 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES RADIANT CHILLED CEILING TEST-BEDDING AT CLEANTECH ONE Project Manager: Majid Haji Sapar Team Members: Bharath Seshadri, Aaron Patrick Boranian, Zhou Jian Industry Partner: SGL Carbon KEY OUTCOME/DELIVERABLES From the test-bedding, the team delivered the following key findings: • There is no significant operational problem; no condensation was observed in more than one year of operation. • Energy savings of 26% overall in air conditioning energy consumption. The amount of cooling energy required by the ECOPHIT chilled ceiling installation was reduced by 24% and the electricity required for the AHU fan was reduced by 39%. • Occupant’s thermal comfort was enhanced with better indoor environment (lower draft of cold air, lower containment level). The 6-month research project led by researchers from the Sustainable Buildings Team at ERI@N, in collaboration with SGL Group and BARCOL Air, investigated the performance of the radiant chilled ceiling system – SGL Group’s ECOPHIT technology at ERI@N’s CleanTech One office. The project was completed in early August 2013. The main aim of this project was to find out if radiant cooling, specifically ECOPHIT chilled ceilings, could provide the same benefits under conditions in Singapore as it did in Europe. The main objectives of the project were to: • Model and simulate building space and chilled ceiling-VAV system accurately • Validate the modelling results using data from a Building Management System • Compare the energy consumption and cost effectiveness of the system with a conventional VAV system • Measure the thermal comfort and overall occupant satisfaction 42 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR R&D IN BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN SINGAPORE Project Manager: Nilesh Y. Jadhav Team members: Aaron Patrick Boranian, Jatin Narotam Sarvaiya, Priya Pawar, Zhang Zhe The Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) led a multi-agency effort to develop a technology roadmap for research and development (R&D) in the energy efficiency of buildings in Singapore until 2030 and beyond. Termed as the Building Energy Efficiency Technology Roadmap, the roadmap aims to update the research and innovation priorities to align with Singapore’s long term objectives for a sustainable built environment, comprising of high energy efficient high-rise buildings and townships. Funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) with support from the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS), ERI@N was awarded the roadmap consultancy contract amid keen competition. The team gathered primary and secondary data to come up with targets for building energy efficiency improvement in different scenarios at various timelines. Specifically, a 40%-60% improvement in energy efficiency for current best-in-class buildings was projected to be realisable by 2030 with validation through energy modelling and simulation. Out of the four main technology focus areas, 52 technologies were identified. Using Analytic Hierarchy Process, R&D priorities were ranked and prioritised with timelines for development and resource requirements. The roadmapping effort also identified non-technical challenges that were key R&D gaps, namely: the lack of (1) readily accessible test-bedding facilities; (2) readily accessible data on performance of technologies and their measurement and verification; (3) in-depth, upto-date knowledge and capabilities in industry on technical aspects, integrated design and life-cycle costs of technologies; (4) information and skills on comprehensive building audit and recommissioning and (5) know-how to retrofit existing buildings for energy efficiency in a cost effective way with minimal disruption. Throughout the duration of the project, both local and international thought leaders across academia, industry and policy were brought together to workshops, interviews and specific focus group discussion sessions. Through this exercise the team managed to define the scope and boundaries of the roadmap, in terms of main technology focus areas and building types covered. 43 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES INTELLIGENT LABORATORY ENERGY SUB-METERING SYSTEM AT NTU Project Manager: Danielle Marie Griego PI: Associate Professor Wang Peng Team members: Wang Xiaochen, Vincent Sutedy, Wang Hongying A group of researchers from the Sustainable Building Technologies team at ERI@N started this project, with the primary objective of measuring, analysing and processing real-time building and energy data for all end-uses in a selected laboratory space located on the NTU campus. The system not only considers the total energy consumption of a whole building but also the disaggregated energy consumption allocated to lighting, equipment, air conditioning and mechanical ventilation. In addition to measuring and analysing data, the team designed an intelligent database through MySQL for data storage. Furthermore, a convenient monitoring and analytic system is developed and linked with the database with a dashboard which is used to query the required data. The overall system enables the user to query details on the data collected and make data analysis with the built-in functions. The unique data from this study has attracted the research community in the buildings space to demonstrate various technologies and methodologies for energy savings for laboratories in the tropics. Therefore this project has also become a research enabler for several up-coming research collaboration projects. The facility chosen for the study is the chemistry block at the School of Physical Mathematical Science (SPMS), which is the highest energy consuming facility block on the NTU campus, A lab space of 880m2 was outfitted with 38 new power meters and one BTU (British Thermal Units) meter to comprehensively quantify all energy end-uses required for operation. The indoor and outdoor air conditions are also monitored, including the AC supply air temperature and relative humidity, ventilation flow rates, and a weather station data for outdoor conditions. The data collected is used to quantify disaggregated energy consumption for representative lab spaces for benchmarking purpose and also to identify areas of greatest energy savings potential. 44 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES BIDIRECTIONAL AC/DC CONVERTER IN HYBRID AC/DC MICROGRIDS Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Wang Peng Team Members: Choo Fook Hoong, Liu Xiong, Jin Chi Industry Partner: US Army The main aim of this project was to develop the hardware and control algorithm for the bidirectional AC/DC converter in the hybrid grid. The function of the bidirectional converter was to control power transfer between the AC and DC microgrids. The main objectives of the project were to: • Select proper power electronics interface for interlinking AC and DC microgrids. • Develop control algorithm for bidirectional AC/ DC converter. • Build up the hardware of the bidirectional converter with proper control algorithm. • Verify the effectiveness of the control algorithm and ensure stable performance of the bidirectional AC/DC converter. Figure 2. GUI for monitor and control KEY OUTCOME/DELIVERABLES • A general board (the green board as shown in Fig. 1) including power switch modules, voltage/ current sensors and gate drivers was developed. • The PCB control board design for the DSP 28335 was developed as shown in the lower left corner of Fig. 1. • The commercial auxiliary power supplies were employed to power control card, sensors and gate drivers as shown in the upper left corner of Fig. 1. • Firmware embedded coding for the DSP was finished to implement the control algorithm. • The hardware debug was finished on the entire prototype of DSP controlled bidirectional AC/DC converter as shown in Fig. 1. • A graphical user interface (GUI) was developed by C# to control and monitor the bidirectional converter as shown in Fig. 2. • The DSP controlled bidirectional AC/DC converter was eventually tested with desired performance. Figure 1. Hardware implementation 45 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES LIST OF KEY PROJECTS Project Title Principal Investigator Agency/Company Status Development of Green Data Center Rating System PI: Toh Kok Chuan Co-PI: Wong Yew Wah IDA Completed Intelligent Energy Systems Pilot Project PI: Tseng King Jet EMA Completed Bidirectional AC/DC Converter in Hybrid AC/DC Microgrids PI: Wang Peng US Army Completed Study of Cool Roof Materials for HDB Buildings PI: Wan Man Pun HDB, Akzo Nobel Completed Scientific Planning and Support for high performance buildings: CleanTech Two PI: Li Hua PM: Nilesh Jadhav Collaborator: LBNL, AIT JTC Completed Membrane-based Absorption Air Conditioning and Dehumidification System using Renewable Energy or Waste Heat PI: Choo Fook Hoong A*Star, MND Memsys On-going Development of Tropical Energy Efficient HVAC Systems with Active Chilled Beam Terminal Units PI: Wenjian Cai A*Star, MND Parsons Brinckerhoff On-going PI: Wan Man Pun A*Star, MND Skycool On-going Reducing Urban Heat with JTC Estates by Installing Subsurface Water Cooling Systems PI: Qin Xiaosheng Co-PI: Chiew Yee Meng JTC Completed Outside Air Cooling and Energy-Efficient ICT Operations for Modular Data Centre in Singapore PI: Wong Yew Wah Co-PI: Toh Kok Chuan Collaborator: School of Computer Engineering (NTU) IDA, Toshiba Completed Radiant Chilled Ceiling Testbedding at CleanTech One PI: Majid Sapar SGL Carbon Completed Development of Technology Roadmap for R&D in Building Energy Efficiency in Singapore PM: Nilesh Jadhav Collaborator: Nexight BCA, NRF, NCCS On-going High-performance cool roof coating for green buildings 46 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES PI: Wong Yew Wah Co-PI: Toh Kok Chuan Qin Xiaosheng Wen Yonggang Collaborator: Keppel DHCS MND, BCA On-going PI: Yang En Hua A*Star, MND, BCA, NipponPaint On-going Scientific Planning and Support for high performance buildings: North Spine Academic Building at NTU Campus PM: Majid Sapar BCA, NTU Office of Development and Facilities Management On-going Carbon Footprint Baseline for NTU Campus PI: Justin Dauwels NTU Sustainable Earth Office On-going Energy Modeling and Simulation of NTU Campus Buildings for Future Renovations in Singapore PI: Wan Man Pun NTU Sustainable Earth Office On-going PI: Wang Peng NTU Sustainable Earth Office Completed Clean Tech One Building-Wide Monitoring (BWM) PI: Tan Yen Kheng NXP On-going DC Renewable Connected Building Grid for Wireless Intelligent LED Lighting System (WiLLs) NTU PI: Tan Yen Kheng JTC Co-PIs: Jason Foo and Rao Yimin JTC/EDB/Philips On-going Novel Thermal Comfort Control for Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Air-Conditioning Systems in Hot Humid Climate PI: Chien Szu-Cheng Co-PI: Yu Hao JTC Co-PI: Loh Wai Soong JTC Co-PI: Ng Kian Wee Collaborator: Toshiba NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre (I3C) On-going Smart Building Management System with Dynamic Indoor Occupant Positioning System (DIOPS) PI: Yu Hao Co-PI: Chien Szu-Cheng JTC Co-PI: Loh Wai Soong JTC Co-PI: Ng Kian Wee NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre (I3C) On-going PI: Choo Fook Hoong SOLID On-going Development of an Integrated Decision Support System for Eco City DHCS Multifunctional Cool Paint Incorporating TiO2-based Nano-capsules of PCM for Tropical Buildings Intelligent Campus Energy Sub-metering Systems Physical simulation and development of control strategies for thermal chiller for tropical climates 47 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES LABORATORY FACILITIES LIQUID DESICCANT AIR-CONDITIONING (LDAC) LAB The LDAC lab is an industrial collaboration with Memsys Clearwater Pte Ltd, supported by A*Star, MND and BCA. And is part of a three year research and development Programme to develop a disruptive technology for the air-conditioning market that will not only help to reduce energy consumption but also to mitigate carbon emission. The technology uses liquid desiccant and an all plastic solution for an absorption process to generate cool dry air or chilled water. This lab is located at Level 5 of CleanTech One. Layout plan Thermal Collectors Regenerator unit Key facilities and equipment: • Membrane based dehumidifier unit • Waste heat recovery system using Heat Pump • Regenerator unit for re-concentrating LithiumChloride solution and desalination • Solar hot water • • • • 48 Fan coil unit Air-tight storage tanks Control and monitoring using SCADA Design and simulation tool COMSOL Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES ACTIVE CHILLED BEAM LAB (ACB) The ACB lab is being developed with an industrial collaborator, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and is supported by A*Star, MND and BCA. It is part of a three year research and development Programme to develop energy efficient HVAC system using ACB terminal units and equipped with advanced automation system for all possible working conditions under the local climate. Lab facilities will allow testing of different designs and sizes of ACB units with and without integrated with building HVAC system. Primary air system Chill Chilled d water t system t Key facilities and equipment: • Testing facility for different sizes of ACB units • Integrated testing of building HVAC and ACB units • Dehumidification unit • Condensation water handling and dynamically adjust outdoor air • CFD simulation tool and air flow optimization • Energy management, control and optimization of system (EMCOS) 49 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES SOLAR THERMAL AND COOLING LAB The solar thermal and cooling lab is a joint lab with an industry collaborator, SOLID Austria, for research and development in solar thermal and cooling systems for tropics. The main research areas are large scale Solar Thermal Installation design and controls, performance improvement of different types of collectors system, optimisation of collector array layout and heating system, integration of adsorption/absorption chiller for analysis of solar cooling potential, variable speed and hybrid thermal chillers, and development of advanced control and simulation software. Key facilities and equipment: • Test-bedding facility of medium to high temperature collectors • Co-generation of cooling and hot water • Solar hot water for dehumidification labs • Absorption/adsorption chiller • • • • 50 Hybrid vapour compression-thermal chiller High performance coatings for thermal collectors IP-Solar simulation tool Simulation, data logging, and analysis Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES HYBRID AC/DC GRIDS FOR FUTURE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM With the advent of renewable energy sources (producing mostly DC power), a favourable solution is to build a hybrid AC and DC grid at distribution levels, to couple DC sources with DC loads and AC sources with AC loads. Multiple conversions can be reduced to a minimum due to both DC and AC links in the hybrid structure. Elimination of unnecessary multi conversion processes reduces the total conversion loss, and elimination of embedded rectifiers for DC loads in current AC grid results in the simplification of equipment and cost reduction of electronic products. Snapshot of Water and Energy Research Lab in NTU A hybrid AC/DC grid was developed at the Water and Energy Research Laboratory (WERL) with support from Schneider Electric Singapore and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. The hybrid grid consists of a 400V three-phase AC grid with 8 nodes and a 380V DC grid with 8 nodes. Both AC and DC grids can be connected into radial or ring configurations. Two bidirectional converters tie AC and DC grids together. An 18 kW AC source, 7.5 kW wind turbine generator simulator, 4.5 kW Programmemable load and 3.3 kW resistive load are connected to the AC grid. The AC grid can also be connected to the utility grid and to the AC micro grid in the Laboratory for Clean Energy Research (LaCER). A 20 kW DC Programmemable source, 14.5 kW Programmemable load, a 3.3 kW resistive load, 1.45kW solar simulator and 28.8 kWh battery storage are connected to the DC grid. A 5 kW PV system can be connected to the AC grid by a DC/AC grid tied inverter and can also be switched to the DC grid through a DC/DC booster converter. A 1.2 kW fuel cell generator with 5kWh Hydrogen tank as energy storage is connected to the AC grid and can also be switched to the DC grid. Major facilities available in the laboratory • RT-Lab Real-Time OPAL Simulator • Solar Photovoltaic Systems of different technologies • Date Acquisition and Controllers • Pyranometers • Irradiance Metermetron • Sun Tracking System SOLYS 2 c/w Pyreheliometer 51 • Membrane Distillation & Bioreactor Measurement System • Solar Thermal System with storage capacity • Weather Transmitter • Programmemable AC/DC Power Supplies and Electronic Loads Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES LABORATORY FOR CLEAN ENERGY RESEARCH (LaCER) This laboratory is dedicated to support research projects in the grid integration of clean energy systems from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and marine. It has solar photovoltaic and wind turbine systems on the rooftop of Block S2 of the EEE complex, which are directly fed into power distribution panels in the laboratory. There are also hardware simulators of solar, wind and marine energy systems, micro-grids and building-to-grid systems. The major research activities in the lab are: Microgrid Energy Management System, Power Converter & Grid Architectural Design for Future Intelligent Energy Distribution Networks, Open Architecture for Intelligent Power Quality Monitoring & Evaluation System, Design of a Voltage Collapse Monitoring Instrument using Local Information, Intelligent Trading/Metering/Billing System for Future Smart Distribution System. 10K-kW Solar PV Panels (S2 Block, EEE) Wind turbine at S2 rooftop Automatic generation control Low voltage system Major facilities available in the laboratory • Solar photovoltaic system • Wind turbine system • Fuel cell system • Wind turbine simulator • Tidal turbine simulator • Ultra-capacitor bank • • • • Battery storage bank Smart electronic energy meters Spectrophotometer Solar cell responsivity and source spectral irradiance spectroradiometer • Low voltage electrical distribution simulator 52 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES KEY COLLABORATORS Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley Lab is a member of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California (UC) and is charged with conducting unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines. In the areas of Building Technology and Urban Systems, researchers conduct R&D and develop physical and information technologies to make buildings and urban areas more energy and resource efficient. The group covers: information technologies for the real-time monitoring and control of buildings and facilities for improved energy efficiency and quality of life; advanced lighting, and windows and daylighting systems; software for energy-efficient building modelling, design and operation; technologies and design practice for efficient hightechnology buildings; commercial and residential building technologies; technical assistance to federal, state, and local governments in efficient buildings. Austrian Institute of Technology The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria’s largest non-university research institute is among the European research institutes a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future. The Sustainable Building Technologies division develops efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for the buildings and cities of tomorrow. The research and development activities are based on a comprehensive understanding of the physical and functional relationships within and between buildings. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL’s buildings research teams lead efforts in developing cutting-edge technical solutions to improve the energy efficiency of both residential and commercial buildings, and to accelerate the integration of renewable energy technologies with buildings. Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a global research university with more than 12,000 students, 95,000 alumni, and 5,000 faculty and staff. CMU has been a birthplace of innovation throughout its 113-year history. The Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics (CBPD) at Carnegie Mellon University conducts research, development, and demonstrations in advanced building technologies and systems integration for high performance buildings, improved approaches to the building delivery process, and in workplace productivity in partnership with the Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium (ABSIC). 53 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES KEY COLLABORATORS Pennsylvania State University Penn State received DOE Energy Innovation HUB funding to create quality jobs, save energy, and reduce carbon emissions by developing technologies and policies to stimulate private investment in the energy efficient retrofit of existing average size commercial and multi-family residential buildings in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond. Energy is an area of particular education and research strength at Penn State. The Department of Architectural Engineering has championed the cause of energy efficiency in buildings through its unique integrated curriculum and research facilities that span across all building engineering disciplines. University of California Advanced Solar Technologies Institute (UC Solar) The University of California Advanced Solar Technologies Institute (UC Solar) is a multi-campus research institute made up of faculty from the University of California’s Merced, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Davis, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Cruz, Irvine and Los Angeles campuses. UC Solar was established by a grant from the University Of California Office Of Research and officially launched in 2010. Headquartered at UC Merced, UC Solar creates technologies that make solar energy systems more efficient, more affordable, and the best choice for the people of California and the world. In addition, UC solar educates and develops tomorrow’s solar energy leaders and entrepreneurs. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (HUJI) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel’s premier university as well as its leading research institution. The Hebrew University is ranked internationally among the 100 leading universities in the world and first among Israeli universities. The Casali Institute within the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University conducts research and development in a wide range of topics of concern to chemical, biotechnology and related industries. 54 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES SBT RESEARCH TEAM NAME Nilesh Y. Jadhav Koh Leong Hai Choo Fook Hoong Toh Kok Chuan Wong Yew Wah Majid Sapar Tan Yen Kheng Dominic Frank Maurath Kumarasamy Karthikeyan Lu Shaofeng M Kum Ja Swapnil Dubey Yan Jia Aaron Patrick Boranian An Jinliang Cheah Peng Huat Danielle Marie Griego Giridharan Karunagaran Jatin Narotam Sarvaiya Jin Chi Lan Lan Nirnaya Sarangan Praveen Kumar Saranraj Karuppuswami Wang Xiaochen Wu Xiangyu Zhou Jian Chin Futt Chan Aaron H Pereira Hu Shen Koh Wee Kwan Li Bing Poh Zihan Robin Tanzania Bharath Seshadri Ho Weng Chye, Jeffrey Priya Pawar Vincent Sutedy Wu Xiaoying Zhang Zhe DESIGNATION Program Director Program Manager Co- Director Principal Research Scientist Senior Research Fellow Senior Scientist Research Scientist Research Fellow Research Fellow Research Fellow Research Fellow Research Fellow Research Fellow Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Research Associate Senior Research Engineer Research Engineer Research Engineer Research Engineer Research Engineer Research Engineer Research Engineer Project Officer Project Officer Project Officer Project Officer Project Officer Project Officer 55 MARITIME ENERGY Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY MARITIME CLEAN ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAMME Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) & ERI@N jointly launched the Maritime Clean Energy Research Programme (MCERP) in 2010 to focus on research platforms that promote green energy management solutions for Singapore’s Maritime Industry. MCERP taps on the ecosystem of maritime related-research led by the Maritime Institute @ NTU (MI@NTU) set up in partnership with Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI). MCERP also leverages on the know-how on energy efficiency and low-carbon energy generation across the various research programs in ERI@N. Under MCERP, the main research thrusts include Green Shipping and Green Ports; with Green Shipping including Alternate Energies & Clean Fuel, Carbon Capture & Emission Management, Electric Propulsion and Energy Management Systems. The Green Ports initiative encompasses Energy Efficiency & Electrification, Green Technologies, Cold Ironing and Port Energy Management. ENGINE BALLAST WATER Monitoring / Hyd Effectiveness Holding Tank Oil/Water Separation Wastewater Treatment BW Exchange On-Board Unit Port-Side Unit BW Treatment SHIP Additives New Design LNG Bio-Fuel Hydrogen Double Ship hull Design Alternative Materials Composites Efficiency Fuel Ship Hull TBT Pai -free nts Coatings Oily Water Solid Waste Water Treatment Recycle Waste SHIP WASTE e s -fre ent Tin ng Ag i l fou Paints Sewage Compaction Recycle Reuse Waste Heat Greenhouse Gases Auxiliary Power APM Toxic Free Materials SOx NOx Scrubber Bio Ship Breakage Conversion Recycle Reuse EMISSION 58 E CTUR STRU Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY FOCUS AREAS Exhaust Emission Control Emission control/monitoring and regulatory compliance (SOX, NOX, Particulate Matters, etc) for marine vessels and small scale power plant using novel exhaust gas cleaning systems Renewable and Clean Energy Generation Renewable energy & clean energy generation to comply with upcoming and future regulations, public expectations and energy efficient use of heavy fuel On-going research efforts include the study of modular-based wind turbine, tidal-in-stream and wave energy in ferry terminal, and hybrid micro-grid applications for port operations. On-going research efforts include studying simultaneous removal of SOx and NOx by wet scrubbing, novel desulphurization process and real time exhaust gas monitoring. Green Technologies for Ports Development and integration of environmental friendly technologies to reduce the carbon footprint Smart Power Management for Hybrid & Full Electric Systems Intelligent power management and hardware for both hybrid and full electric power generators in both marine vessels and port infrastructures Main research focus is on land-based energy management including shore power supply and renewable energy capabilities, improving energy efficiency of port transport machines using energy storage technologies which would include Li ion batteries, redox batteries, supercapacitors, and flywheels. MCERP’s research in the area notably includes power management for electric tugboats, novel energy system, such as power inverter and magnetocaloric thermal management solutions for ships. Technologies for Energy Efficiency for Marine Vessels Technologies that can improve the energy efficiency of marine vessels to comply with new regulations, such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships, and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Pan (SEEMP) for all ships Examples of MCERP’s on-going research are the synthesis and formulation of novel marine antifouling coatings, waste heat recovery by integration of thermoelectric modules and evaporator-adsorption technologies. 59 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY FACILITIES MARITIME ENERGY TEST BED ERI@N together with Maritime Institute @ NTU (MI@NTU), with support from Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is setting up a Maritime Energy Test Bed (METB) to support R&D activities for Singapore Maritime industry over the next ten years. The METB consists of a marine engine (1.25 MWe), a resistive load (1.25 MW) and facility for testing of exhaust gas cleaning system (500 Nm3/hour). The test bed will be suitable for R&D projects relating to energy and emissions and these include alternative fuels, fuel additives, exhaust gas cleaning & emissions monitoring, waste heat recovery and energy storage. The test bed will be a significant component for scientists and researchers to translate their innovative technologies from lab to field applications. Current Phase Power 1.25 MWe Marine Engine & Alternator Resistive Load Flue gas 10,000 Nm3/h NTU Substation Clean Energy Test Bed Exhaust Gas Treatment Energy Storage Farm Potential Development NTU Buildings OTHERS The research under Maritime Clean Energy Group also taps on the facilities of NTU, such as Laboratory for Clean Energy Research (LaCER), Centre for Biomimetic Sensor Science in NTU campus, also Hybrid Power Lab, Electro Chemistry Lab and Electrical Drives Lab in CleanTech One. 60 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY PROJECT SHOWCASE EXHAUST EMISSION CONTROL ZEDSMART – ZERO-EMISSION DESULPHURIZATION PROCESS FOR MARITIME APPLICATIONS: NOVEL PROCESS AND PILOT SCALE DEMONSTRATION BACKGROUND Shipping accounts for about 9% of the global sulphur emissions and it is estimated that large vessels can potentially contribute to about 5,000 tonnes of SOx annually. Due to the projected expansion of maritime industry and the detestable evidence on public health, regulations have been set up to aim for a significant reduction in SOx in the coming years. This requires the large-scale deployment of scrubbing technologies to remove SOx from flue gas. Most existing technologies employ seawater as a scrubbing agent. While this technique has obvious advantages such as the use of low cost scrubbing agent, it has several shortcomings. Firstly, the scrubbed sulphur compounds, usually present as sulphates, are disposed into the sea. These emissions may have long-term ecological consequences and may be regulated in the future. Secondly, the process requires enormous amounts of seawater, the pumping of which can be expensive and might result in large equipment that will reduce the cargo capacity of the vessel. SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE ZEDSMart uses a proprietary non-flammable, non-toxic, liquid solvent that is capable of efficient removal of SOx in the flue gas. The key novelty of the process is that the SOx removed is concentrated and stored onboard for further conversion to valuable products. The solvent used in the process has a higher SOx capacity thereby allowing the realization of smaller equipment and lower pumping costs. Since the process involves a regeneration step, solvent losses are expected to be minimal. It is estimated that the parasitic space to install the equipment to enable desulphurization may be comparable to that of the seawater scrubbing. Further, it offers the possibility to profit from the concentrated SOx product. Figure. Process flow diagram of the ZEDSMart process 61 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY SMART POWER MANAGEMENT FOR HYBRID & FULL ELECTRIC SYSTEM: OPTIMAL POWER MANAGEMENT FOR A FULLY ELECTRIC TUG BACKGROUND A tugboat is used to maneuver vessels by pushing or towing them. Typically, a harbor/terminal tug requires full bollard pull (and power) around 7% of the time. For more than 50% of the time, both main engines are at idling speed. On one hand, the engines are sized for full bollard pull. On the other hand, it is hardly used at this rating. Diesel engines running below its maximum continuous rating (MCR) of 85% are penalized with high specific fuel consumption. In addition, carbon deposits in the combustion chamber are highest at these low power loads. This contributes to lower thermal efficiency and higher maintenance costs and increased emissions of greenhouse gases like NOx, SOx and particulate matter. This makes harbor/terminal tugs an excellent candidate to achieve significant reductions in costs, pollutants and fuel by using hybrid or diesel electric propulsion systems. SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE It was reported that for the first hybrid tug, Carolyn Dorothy, a reduction of fuel consumption of 40% was achieved, which consequently reduced the emissions, maintenance costs and noise as well without sacrificing any operational readiness at all. In response, the development of the very first fully electric tug is underway in the industry. This project aims to model and simulate the power management system for this fully electric tug. The optimal power management scheme will be developed for minimal operating costs minimal fuel consumption and minimal polluting footprints. Fig. XX Research Methodology Figure. XX Electric Tugboat model for programming in SIMULINK 62 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY RENEWABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY GENERATION: LAND-BASED ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LEMS) INCORPORATING RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES AND SHORE POWER APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND Ships pollute the environment when they burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) or bunker oil to run the generators on board ships. One container ship pollutes as much as 50 million cars annually. Studies indicate that shipping-related remissions lead to approximately 60,000 cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths annually. The use of shore power derived from cleaner fuel helps to eliminate air emissions associated with on-board generators powered by bunker fuel. Shore power represents a cheaper and cleaner alternative to power ships while they dock at berth. SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE The proposed LEMS would manage energy storage, electrical energy generation, load and electric energy sale/ purchase with land-based upstream networks. The prototype not only synchronizes both the shore and vessel grids automatically before closing the circuit breaker between them but also provides an application that is capable of metering and charging the kWh amount of shore-to-ship energy. LEMS will incorporate renewable energy derived from renewable sources such as PV panels and also traditional energy. The operation will be optimized to enhance the overall efficiency. The proposed prototype helps to switch from the ship’s heavy fuel oil (HFO) to cleaner land-based fuels (primary gas) and hence cuts down unnecessary CO2 emissions. It opens up new business opportunities for shipyards or ports by providing electric energy to ships. Figure. Laboratory Set-up of Land-based Energy Management System 63 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR MARINE VESSELS: BIOMIMETIC-BASED ANTIFOULING COATINGS AS A ROUTE TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF SHIPS AND PORT STRUCTURES BACKGROUND Fouling marine organisms that attach to underwater structures are causing major economic costs to the shipping industry and are increasing its environmental impact. By settling on ships, organisms such as barnacles and mussels increase hydrodynamic drag, lower the maneuverability, and in turn increase the fuel consumption by as much as 40% with additional greenhouse gas production estimated to be 20 million tonnes per annum. Efficient strategies to reduce biofouling are hence critical to increase the energy efficiency of ships. In Singapore, the major fouling organism is the green mussel Perna Viridis, an invasive species which sticks to virtually all underwater structures in very high density. In order to reduce this detrimental effect, development of anti-fouling coatings is key. Consequently, strategies for coating development must target the specific physicochemical mechanisms of adhesion, with a clear understanding of the underlying biofouling mechanisms. For macrofouling, the key characteristic lies in the adhesive proteins used by organisms to stick to underwater surfaces. SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE The savings to the shipping industry through the use of antifouling coatings is estimated to be 40 billion SGD per year. Clearly there is an urgent need to develop efficient antifouling coatings. This proposal seeks to tackle biofouling –initially of mussels and later of other fouling organisms– onto immersed structures, and to lower their detrimental effect, using the following 3 step methodology: (1) Reveal the adhesion mechanisms of adhesive proteins at the nano-scale. (2) Isolate and sequence unknown adhesive proteins that play a critical role in fouling, and compare their adhesion energy with that of known proteins. (3) We then aim to precisely tailor recentlydeveloped coatings from our industrial partner that will be designed to minimize adhesion. Laboratory fouling assays on coated surfaces and nano-scale adhesion force measurements will be employed to optimize novel antifouling coatings. The project will be geared toward the translation of new coatings and design principles to the maritime industry. Figure. Fouling Species in Singapore Figure. Laboratory artificial seawater with live mussels 64 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY GREEN TECHNOLOGIES FOR PORTS: REDUCING FUEL CONSUMPTION USING FLYWHEEL BATTERY TECHNOLOGY FOR RUBBER TYRED GANTRY CRANES IN CONTAINER TERMINALS BACKGROUND With advances in materials, bearings technology, power electronics, and design of high speed rotating systems, flywheel battery technology is rapidly gaining ground as a viable clean and environmentally friendly energy storage solution. A flywheel stores energy by way of kinetic motion of the spinning rotor. The kinetic energy stored is determined by the equation Ek = ½ Iω2, where Ek is kinetic energy, / is moment of inertia and ω is the angular velocity of the flywheel. The most efficient way to increase the stored energy is to increase the spinning speed of the flywheel. A doubling in speed results in a quadruple rise in the stored energy. The maximum speed limit is dependent on the tensile strength of the rotor material and the mechanical stresses developed due to inertial loads. This means that composite materials with low density and high tensile strength are excellent for storing rotational kinetic energy. Commercial flywheel energy storage systems (FESS) are being deployed or tested in a wide range of industrial applications, including those in the maritime industry for ships, quay cranes, forklift trucks, prime movers, etc. Meanwhile, much research is also being undertaken internationally to further increase the performance of FESS and to lower costs. SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE This project aims to investigate the optimal design of a flywheel energy storage system for reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emission in rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes in container terminals. The FESS is used as an energy regeneration system to help with reducing peak power requirements on RTG cranes that are used to load or unload container ships. It can also be used for power grid stabilization in more-electric ships. 65 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY COLLABORATORS Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) With a contribution up to 8 million for a five-year period, MPA jointly launched the Maritime Clean Energy Research Programmeme (MCERP) with ERI@N on 18 Feb 2010. MCERP continues to support the development and piloting of innovative technologies, approaches and ideas which are capable of providing a clean energy solution to the maritime industry. MPA supports MCERP through its Maritime Innovation and Technology Funds. In conjunction with the launch of the (MCERP) on the 18th Feb 2010, ERI@N signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 5 industrial partners; ABS, APL, DNV, Keppel Offshore and Marine Technology Centre, Sembcorp Marine, as well as a letter of intent with Rolls-Royce Singapore. The parties involved intend to support and pursue research, development and test-bedding of clean energy technologies and applications in the maritime industry. With the focus of maritime clean energy and support from more than 15 industry partners, 22 projects have been awarded for the past 4 years. There are 3 projects completed successfully and 19 projects on-going. Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) and Maritime Institute @ NTU (MI@NTU) ERI@N has been working closely with MI@NTU to leverage on the maritime strengths within NTU. In 2012, MI@ NTU, ERI@N and its industry partners have participated in the “Next Generation Container Port Challenge” organized by MPA and SMI. The team proposed concept has emerged as one of the top 7 proposals out of the 56 submissions and has successfully received the commendation award. In 2013, the joint proposal by MI@ NTU and ERI@N on the establishment of an advanced maritime energy R&D test facility for the academia and industry has received support from SMI with a contribution S$4.7 million. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) ClassNK is one of the major maritime classification societies in the world. ERI@N entered into a MOU with ClassNK on 1st Feb 2011 to explore R&D collaboration in clean energy technologies and application in the maritime industry. The primary focus of collaboration is on practical R&D work with industrial application in Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction. Maersk Maritime Technology (MMT) MMT is part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group of companies and supports the shipping related business units within the group in all kinds of technology issues. MMT’s focus is on optimizing existing technologies and developing novel concepts. ERI@N has been working with MMT on sustainable technologies in the field of green shipping. Under the existing MCERP projects, ERI@N also collaborates with other maritime industry companies around the world in line with industry needs and trends. Some collaborators are ABB Pte Ltd, AET Shipmanagement (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Aspin Kemp & Associates, PSA, International Paint, etc. 66 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 MARITIME ENERGY RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS Asst Prof Jaspreet Singh Dhupia Asst Prof Ali Gilles Tchenguise Miserez Assoc Prof Andrew Clive Grimsdale Prof Bo Liedberg Assoc Prof Alex Yan Qingyu Prof Wang Youyi Assoc Prof Raju V. Ramanujan Asst Prof Gilbert Foo Assoc Prof Gooi Hoay Beng Assoc Prof So Ping Lam Assoc Prof Low Kay Soon Assoc Prof Yap Fook Fah Asst Prof Jorg Uwe Schluter Assoc Prof Hng Huey Hoon Asst Prof Zhang Qichun Assoc Prof Ali Iftekhar Maswood Assoc Prof Li Hua Asst Prof Tang Hui Assoc Prof Darren Sun Asst Prof Anutosh Chakraborty Assoc Prof Leong Kah Fai Prof Rachid Yazami Asst Prof Yoon Yong Jin Asst Prof Tegoeh Tjahjowidodo Dr Prapisala Thepsithar Dr Paul Andre Guerette Dr Vu Thanh Long Dr Mani Ulaganathan Dr Somaye Saadat Chin Futt Chan Ravindran Pallaniappan Zhu Xiaowei Bai Hongwei Kuniadi Wandy Tomi Wijaya Cheah Peng Huat Lim Tuti Mariana Goh Kek Boon Ayu Aaron Alexander Vitul Raj Govindaraju Ly Duy Khiem 67 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS SOLAR ENERGY ERIAN’s contributions to solar energy research are focused on non-silicon based photovoltaics for electricity generation and solar fuels of the so-called third generation. I. PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS The vast majority of photovoltaic cells in use worldwide are based on crystalline silicon. They achieve efficiencies of up to 15-20% in commercial production. However many other technologies and materials have been under study over the last decades as possible alternatives for higher efficiencies and lower fabrication’s cost. At ERI@N we focus our efforts on: cells based organometal halide perovskites, thin film cells based on copper-indiumdiselenide or copper-tin-sulfide and variations on this theme. In the following we review advancements achieved so far and our perspectives for each of these domains. I.1 PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS Materials, Synthesis, & Fundamental Studies Solid-state, solution processed solar-cells based on organic−inorganic methyl ammonium lead halide absorbers (CH3NH3PbI3)[1] have achieved efficiencies in excess of 15%, which has superseded liquid dye sensitized cells, as well as various thin film-based photovoltaics[2], even with new attractive device architectures [3]. However, all the perovskite absorbers up to date have been based on the methylammonium cation (CH3NH3+). We developed a new metal-halide perovskite, based on the formamidinium cation (HC(NH2)2+), that displays a favourable band gap (1.47 eV) and represents a broader absorption compared to previously reported absorbers (Figure 1a) that contained the methylammonium cation. The high open-circuit voltage (Voc = 0.97 V) and promising fill-factor (FF= 68.7%) yielded an efficiency of 4.3%, which made this material an excellent candidate for this new class of perovskite solar cells. Further development of these solar cells will entail the stabilization of the black trigonal (P3m1) perovskite polymorph over the yellow hexagonal non perovskite (P63mc) polymorph (Figure 1b). This work was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C [4] and was subsequently highlighted by the editor in an ACS select collection focussing on organometal halide perovskites. Figure 1. (a) Current−voltage curve for the FAPbI3 device under AM1.5G illumination and dark conditions. (b) polymorphs of FAPbI3. The blue polyhedra represent the PbI6 octahedra with the Pb and I atoms shown as yellow and range spheres respectively. Both structures are shown viewed along the crystallographic c (left) and a (right) axes, respectively. In the black polymorph the inorganic component consists of a three-dimensional network of corner linked PbI6 octahedra with the yellow polymorph containing linear chains of facesharing octahedra. The N and C ions of the formamidimium cations are shown as blue and green spheres, respectively. 70 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Additionally, the variation of the halide component of the perovskite harvester was also explored: a band-gap tuning of the mixed lead iodide-bromide perovskites (MAPb(I1−x Brx)3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) was achieved by means of a sequential deposition process. The optical properties of these hybrids were modified by changing the relative concentration of halogen precursors. The concentrations of precursor solution as well as the conversion time played an important role in determining the band-gap. A systematic shift of the absorption band edge to shorter wavelengths was observed with increasing the Br content, which resulted in the decrement of the photocurrent. Remarkably, both the PbI2 film dipping time in halide precursors and the concentration of halide precursors were noted to play a crucial role in determining the composition and thus the band-gap of the mixed halide perovskites. The incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) clearly showed the systematic shifts towards lower wavelengths with increasing Br content in the perovskite films (Figure 2), in agreement with optical absorption measurements. This work was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A [5]. Figure 2. The normalised IPCE spectra of the mixed lead halide perovskite devices. The number 1 to 7 represents the composition of the mixed halide as MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 from x=0 to x=1. New materials were also studied in order to synthesise hole transporting materials (HTMs) for perovskite solar cells. A novel electron-rich molecule based on 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (H101) was reported in Angewandte Chemie [6]. This material reached a power conversion efficiency of 13.8% under AM 1.5G solar simulation when implemented in solar cell devices, comparable with that obtained using the well-known hole transporting material 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis( N,N-di-p-ethoxyphenylamine)-9,9’-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). This was the first heterocycle-containing material achieving >10% efficiency in such devices, and has great potential to replace the expensive spiro-OMeTAD given its much simpler and cheaper synthesis. A novel swivel-cruciform 3,3’-bithiophene based hole- transporting material (HTM) with low lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level was synthesized as well. This new HTM (KTM3) showed higher Voc (1.08V), and fill factor (78.3%) than spiro-OMeTAD in perovskite solar cells, mainly caused by a reduction of the recombination characterized by photovoltage decay. These results were reported in a manuscript published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A [7]. 71 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Device Architecture, Fabrication, & Characterization The high extinction coefficient of the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite and the organic layers used as a hole transporting materials permit the fabrication of thin flexible solar cells if the electron transporting material is deposited onto a flexible transparent conductive substrate. In order to achieve this, a ZnO compact layer was formed by electrodeposition and ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) were used as semiconductor films for perovskites solar cells. This allows the processing of low-temperature, solution based and flexible solid state CH3NH3PbI3 devices deposited on PET substrate (Figure 3a). Conversion efficiencies of 8.90% were achieved on rigid substrates while the flexible ones yielded 2.62% (Figure 3b). The recombination resistance (Figure 3c) extracted from the impedance spectroscopy fitting shows higher recombination in the nanorodbased devices compared to the planar ones, which justifies the difference in Voc. This increased recombination could occur due to the higher interfacial area, and reduces the Voc of the nanorod-based devices although their short circuit current is higher than the planar devices ones. These results have been published in Chemical Communications.[8] Figure 3. (a) Device on the flexible PET/ITO substrate (b) J–V plots of (i) FTO planar device, (ii) FTO nanorod device (iii) PET/ITO planar device, (iv) PET/ITO nanorod device (c) recombination resistance extracted from the fitting of the impedance spectra Innovative processes for semiconductor nanostructures deposition in perovskite solar cells have been investigated. The electro-spinning is an attractive process because of potentially large area and low cost fabrications. The good electrical and morphological characteristics of TiO2 nanofibers and the high extinction coefficient of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite were combined for the first time to obtain a solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 9.8 % at one sun. Interestingly, increasing the film thickness dramatically diminished the photovoltaic performance due to a reduction of the porosity of the TiO2 nanofiber structure. The optimum device (~413 nm film thickness) was compared to a planar device, where the latter produces higher Voc but lower Jsc, and consequently lower efficiency at all measured light intensities. The efficiencies are mainly determined by the open porosity of the electrospun nanofiber network which varies with TiO2 nanofiber photoanode thicknesses and fibre diameters. Remarkably, the best device showed 11.8% conversion efficiency at 0.1 sun light intensity, which establishes this technology as a very interesting option for indoor photovoltaic generation. This study was published in Nanoscale.[9] 72 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Although classical dye sensitised solar cell standard configuration uses the anatase phase of the TiO2, perovskite solar cells have opened new possibilities. We developed a highly efficient solar cell based on a sub micrometre ( 0.6 μm) rutile TiO2 nanorod sensitized with CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite. Rutile nanorods were grown hydrothermally and their lengths were varied through the control of the reaction time. Infiltration of spiro-MeOTAD hole transport material into the perovskite-sensitized nanorod films demonstrated photocurrent density of 15.6 mA/cm2, voltage of 955 mV, and fill factor of 0.63, leading to a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.4% under the simulated AM 1.5G one sun illumination. The photovoltaic performance was significantly dependent on the length of the nanorods, where both photocurrent and voltage decreased with increasing nanorod lengths (Figure 4). A continuous drop of voltage with increasing nanorod length correlated with charge generation efficiency rather than recombination kinetics with impedance spectroscopic characterization displaying similar recombination regardless of the nanorod length. Despite the significant reduction in surface area compared to nanoparticle films, the observed short circuit current densit Jsc was as high as over 15 mA/ cm2 because of the high absorption coefficient of the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite. Jsc was found to be influenced by nanorod ordering, associated with pore filling fraction. These results were published in NanoLetters.[10] Figure 4. (a) Cross-sectional SEM images of solid state DSSCs based on perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-sensitized rutile 500nm TiO2 nanorod photoanode, the spiro-MeOTAD hole transporting layer, and the Au cathode. (b) Effect of length of TiO2 nanorod on current density− voltage curves 73 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS There was no obvious reason that could explain the observed high efficiencies. The high efficiency as well as the different device configurations, lead to the hypothesis that the electron and hole transport lengths in these semiconductors should be higher than that of other solution processed semiconductors. In addition, a balance in the electron and hole transport lengths could be expected. In order to prove this hypothesis, femtosecond transient optical spectroscopy measurements in CH3NH3PbI3 heterojunctions with selective electron and hole extraction layers were performed to successfully decouple electron and hole dynamics. These measurements showed clear evidence of long electron and hole transport lengths (both over 100nm). These findings indicate that this class of materials does not suffer from the bottleneck of low collection lengths which handicap typical low temperature solution processed photovoltaic materials (Figure 5). This work was published in Science. [11] Figure 5. (A) Schematic of the energy levels of the heterojunctions and depiction of the exciton generation, diffusion and quenching processes in the respective bilayers. (B) Time-integrated PL spectra and (C) Time-resolved PL decay transients for CH3NH3PbI3 alone (black), CH3NH3PbI3 in contact with an electron acceptor (red) and in contact with a hole acceptor (blue). (D) A plot of exciton diffusion length vs PL lifetime quenching ratios. This family of organic-inorganic halides CH3NH3PbX3 (where X = Cl, Br, I), which has demonstrated excellent photovoltaic properties, shows superior optical gain which deserves further attention. Ultra-low threshold amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) have been achieved. The ultralow ASE in these solution processed materials stems from the small bulk defect densities and the insensitivity to the surface traps. Enhanced photostability under continuous laser irradiation (over 26 hours) with minimal fluctuation of the ASE intensity (0.2% variation) was observed. Typical multi-particle energy loss mechanisms such as Auger recombination are also found to be insignificant. Straight-forward substitution of the halide ions (performed by physical solution mixing) allows for wide wavelengthtunability with the ASE tunable across the entire visible spectrum (390 – 790 nm). Its low temperature solution processability allows for integration on flexible substrates. The mutual exclusivity of high charge carrier mobility with large stimulated emission that plagues solution processed semiconductors for a long time is overcome in this system. Importantly, these materials with balanced ambipolar charge transport characteristics may lead to realizing electrically-driven lasing with solution-processed semiconductors. This work was published in Nature Materials.[12] 74 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS I.2 CIGS and CZTS type thin film cells In short our activities on the solution processed thin film solar cell fabrication and characterization are the following: 1) Development of an ambient aqueous spray pyrolysis process for the fabrication of CuInSSe solar cells. 2) Low temperature processing of absorber layers for CIGS and CZTS solar cells by Sb doping and chemical welding. 3) Fabrication of CIGS device with aqueous spray pyrolysis with more than 10% efficiency. 4) Fabrication of solution processed CZTS devices by spray pyrolysis and spin coating. 5) Efficient Cd-free buffer layer for CIGS and CZTS type devices. Summary of the work: Even though the solution-based processes for CIGS device fabrication allows the possibility of controlling the composition uniformity, most of them do not result in significant grain growth and hence limit the power conversion efficiency. The formation of a carbon-rich interlayer between the molybdenum substrate and CIS thin film also limits the power conversion efficiency. Moreover the process is highly heat demanding and thus not desirable for solar cell fabrication on flexible polymeric substrates. To conclude, issues associated with solution-processed CIGS thin film such as limited grain growth, carbon-rich interlayer, high thermal budget and the presence of secondary copper-rich phases, still need to be addressed in order to realize a low-cost high efficiency CIGS-device from solution processes. (a) (b) Figure 6. (a) Schematic representation of nanoparticle induced grain growth (b) Current density-Voltage (J-V) characteristics under AM1.5G (100 mW/cm2) condition (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2013, 5 (5), 1533). 75 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS We addressed these issues by formulating nanoink from as synthesized nanoparticles to electrodeposition. We synthesized different CIS nanoparticles [14] and deposited CIS layer by electrodeposition [15]. We developed a new technique to deposit large grain, carbon-free CISSe absorber layers from aqueous nanoparticle/precursor mixture, which resulted in a solar cell with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.2% [16]. Figure 6a schematically represents our approach. CuCl2, InCl3, and thiourea were mixed with CuS and In2S3 nanoparticles in water to form the unique nanoparticle/precursor solution. In order to investigate the photovoltaic performance of the absorber layers deposited from two precursor designs (with and without nanoparticles), we fabricated the solar cells by depositing CdS buffer layers, intrinsic ZnO, AZO and metal grid electrode on the absorber layers. We found that the nanoparticle incorporated precursor film (700nm thick) exhibited a higher PCE (η=6.15%) as compared to the device based on precursor film (800nm thick) (η=3.47%) (Figure 6b). We optimized the spray process and found that an in situ temperature control of the spray deposition led to the best absorber layer. Our optimized CISSe device selenized at 500 C without any nanoparticle had an about 6% efficiency [17]. To minimize the processing temperature we introduced antimony as an additive for grain growth in the absorber layer, which was effective even at 400 C. We also develop some new method to grow big grain CuInSSe crystals from nanocrystals of CuSe and In2S3 by chemical welding [18]. CuSe and In2S3 nanoparticles were synthesized with opposite surface charges by stabilizing with polyacrylic acid and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride. Upon mixing these nanoparticles at room temperature, the electrostatic attraction induced coalescence of these nanoparticles and produced CuIn(SxSe1-x)2 nanoparticles Figure 7. Coalescence of nanoparticles (Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 5351). 76 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Nanocrystalline CZTS materials were synthesised successfully and experimental conditions were reached to get phase pure CZTS. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has shown to be an excellent tool in characterizing synthesized CZTS nanoparticles [20]. Using SERS, selective phase formation of CZTS over CTS have been established and conditions leading to pure CZTS phase have been mapped out. To increase the open circuit voltage of the PV device by tuning the band gap of the absorber materials we incorporate Ga in the spray solution. In our synthesis technique, we used spray deposition approach to prepared the Cu(In,Ga)S2 film from aqueous CuCl2, InCl3, and GaCl3 and SC(NH2)2 precursors on Mo substrate at 350 ºC. Using the selenized Cu(In,Ga) (S,Se)2 thin film with CdS buffer and i-ZnO/AZO window layers the power conversion efficiency of the Ga incorporated CIGS solar cells are found to be more than 10%. After having optimized the absorber layer, we focused our efforts to efficient cadmium-free buffer layers for CIGS and CZTS type devices. Zinc based buffer layers were chosen for the novel n-type materials. Thickness controlled chemical bath deposition of ZnS was achieved. Controlled oxidation on deposited ZnS was done to minimize the band offset of the absorber layer and the buffer layer. We deposited ZnS buffer layers by spray pyrolysis method [21]. In order to control the sulphur oxygen ratio to tune the band offset we deposited Zn(OS) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. The obtained device exhibited similar efficiency as with CdS. We also made some Zn-Sn–O based buffer layers for CIGS and CZTS devices by ALD and chemical combustion method. We fabricated the Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 CZTS thin film solar cell by a spray pyrolysis method followed by high temperature selenization [19]. Efficiencies up to 7.5% have been obtained without anti-reflecting coating. Though the efficiency is not as high as with the champion device fabricated by hydrazine method, our method is still promising as the absorber layer fabrication is done at ambient atmospheres from aqueous solution and as the thickness is lower than other reported devices. Moreover, XRD and Raman spectroscopy characterization has confirmed that the CZTS materials fabricated by this method are phase pure materials. As to the novel absorber materials based on Cuchalogenide we start working on Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS). The material was synthesised by chemical spray pyrolysis method and characterized by XRD and RAMAN. The catalytic properties of as deposited CFTS materials are quite promising and the deposited film perform well as a counter electrode for standard DSSC device. To understand the charge carrier dynamics of these materials we focused our study on the single crystalline CZTS materials. Surface defects on single-crystalline CZTS play a role on the transport properties across the p-n interface. This opens up a research direction which focuses on using spatially resolved techniques to explore the defect physics on the surface and the grain boundary. First principles calculation is on-going to support and provide a theoretical model for the experimental observation, especially on the physics of CZTS’s surface and grain boundary. 77 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS II. Solar Fuel Research As shown in Scheme 1, the solar fuels could be produced and used not only for transport liquid, gaseous fuels, but also as chemical feedstocks for the production of fertilizer, plastics, pharmaceuticals, liquid fuels, etc. Scheme 1. The chemical source for the solar fuel production could be water and carbon dioxide. Using water as the source, solar energy splits water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Hydrogen (H2) can be used directly as the transport fuel. Using carbon dioxide and water as the source, solar energy produces carbonbased fuels such as formic acid (HCOOH), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), methanol (CH3OH), etc. These carbon-based fuels can be further used as feedstocks along with hydrogen produced from water for chemical industries. Using water as source, the solar fuel production includes two reactions: • Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER): E0 = 0 V vs. SHE 2H+ + 2e- → H2 • Oxygen evolution reaction (OER): E0 = 1.23 V vs. SHE 2H2O → 4e- + 4H+ + O2 The standard potentials for HER and OER are 0 V and 1.23 V (vs. Standard Hydrogen Electrode, SHE), respectively. 78 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Using carbon dioxide and water as source, the solar fuel production includes one major reaction and one sidereaction: • Major reaction: Carbon dioxide reduction: CO2 + H+ + e- → CxHyOz E0 depends on product and route • Side-reaction: Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) The standard reduction potential for carbon dioxide reduction reaction depends on the product and the reaction route. For example, a few reaction routes to give different products: CO2 + 8H+ + 8e- → CH4 + 2H2O E0 = 0.169 V vs. SHE CO2 + 12H++ 12e- → C2H4 + 4H2O E0 = 0.079 V vs. SHE CO2 + 6H++ 6e- ↔ CH3OH + H2O E0 = 0.02 V vs. SHE CO2 + 2H++ 2e- ↔ CO + H2O E0 = -0.103 V vs. SHE CO2 + H++ 2e- ↔ HCOOE0 = -0.225 V vs. SHE Ideally, these reactions occur at their standard reaction potentials (E0). However, the real reactions have to overcome their activation energy (Ea) to occur. By choosing optimal catalysts, these reactions can be facilitated by either lowered activation energy or optimized intermediates’ absorption. The development of solar fuel techniques actually is focused on exploring catalyst materials for these reactions. The mission of our solar fuel research is to develop robust catalyst systems to produce fuels and feedstocks from solar energy efficiently and cost-effectively. 79 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS HYDROGEN EVOLUTION REACTION Hydrogen has the largest energy density over any other fuel. Burning hydrogen in air, the reaction is: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O (ΔH=-286 kJ/mol) which means that 1 mol of hydrogen can produce 286 kJ energy through reaction with oxygen. Obviously, the energy density of hydrogen is 143 kJ/g, which is much higher than that of many other fuels. One important application of hydrogen as an energy carrier is fuel cell, which can be used as power supply for electric vehicles. The catalysts for hydrogen evolution include metals, alloys, metal sulfides, metal complex, etc. The best HER catalyst is platinum. However, platinum is too expensive to be widely used. One of our efforts is to explore low cost and efficient catalysts for HER. One example is the copper catalyst. By an in-situ electrochemical reduction approach, we were able to produce a highly rough Cu electrode. This electrode was able to catalyze HER with a very low over-potential of 50 mV, which is very close to the performance of platinum. Figure 8. (a) A representative SEM image of Cu electrode surface. (b) XRD patterns of Cu2O and Cu electrodes. The Cu2O electrode was electrochemically reduced to Cu. (c) The blue curve (I-t curve) is the current density recorded from the electrolysis at -0.277 V vs RHE and the red curve is corresponding hydrogen amount tested by GC. The current density increased before reaching the stable state, while the rate for the hydrogen production was slow. This is due to most of the electrons are used to reduce Cu2O to Cu. After stabilizing, the amount of hydrogen product increase linearly. These results demonstrate that Cu is the active sites rather than Cu2O. Also, nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency could be achieved after stabilizing. Polarization curve was recorded in H2PO4-/HPO42- solution (0.5 M, pH=7, O2 free). The current density was recorded at every 20mV or 30mV interval when the current reached a steady state value after applying a certain potential. The inset is the Tafel plot. A very low over-potential of 50 mV was achieved. This over-potential value is very close to the actual potentials at which H2 evolution is experimentally detected by gas chromatography (GC). Unpublished data. 80 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS Polarization curve was recorded in H2PO4-/HPO42- solution (0.5 M, pH=7, O2 free). The current density was recorded at every 20mV or 30mV interval when the current reached a steady state value after applying a certain potential. The inset is the Tafel plot. A very low over-potential of 50 mV was achieved. This over-potential value is very close to the actual potentials at which H2 evolution is experimentally detected by gas chromatography (GC). Unpublished data. We also developed two novel ternary sulfides, cobalt/nickel–tungsten sulfides, as attractive alternatives to platinum electrocatalysts for the HER.[22] These sulfides are easily electrodeposited on conducting electrodes from an aqueous solution of readily available precursors. Moreover, we show that the HER activity is governed by the nature of the metal M within M-S-W heterobimetallic sulfide centers, located in the WS2-like layered structure of MWSx. Our work provides structural and mechanistic keys to understand how HER activity is promoted in previously described nickel and cobalt-doped molybdenum and tungsten sulfide materials. Implementation of these HER electrocatalysts within a water (photo)electrolysis device is feasible and promising. Figure 9. Electrocatalytic activities of metal sulfide catalysts in neutral pH solution and with similar surface loading. (a) Apparent HER catalytic current obtained with CoSx (black star curve), NiWSx (red triangle curve), CoWSx (blue circle curve) and CoMoSx (olive square curve) electrodes. Lower limit turnover frequency normalized per mole of deposited materials: CoSx (black bulk curve), NiWSx (red bulk curve), CoWSx (blue bulk curve) and CoMoSx (olive bulk curve). Lower limit turnover frequency resulted from normalization per relative electrochemical surface area of CoWSx (blue dashed curve) and CoMoSx (olive dashed curve) electrodes compared with the NiWSx electrode were also plotted. (b) Tafel plots collected for these catalysts by the chronoamperometry method.[23] 81 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS To further explore cathode materials for photoelectrochemical HER, we developed a scalable process for fabricating a multiple-layer hybrid photocathode, namely Cu2O/NiO/Cu2MoS4, for H2 evolution.[24] In pH 5 solution and under 1 sun illumination, the photocathode showed interesting photocatalytic properties. The onset photocurrent was recorded at +0.45 V (vs. RHE), while at 0 V (vs. RHE), a photocurrent density of 1.25 mA/cm2 was obtained. It was found that the NiO interlayer enhances charge transfer from the Cu2O light harvester to the Cu2MoS4 hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst which in turn accelerates charge transfer at the electrode/ electrolyte interface, and therefore improves the photocatalytic properties of the Cu2O photocathode. Figure 10. (a) SEM image (top view) of a pristine Cu2O electrode. (b) Cross section analysis of a Cu2O/NiO/Cu2MoS4 photoelectrode. The NiO interlayer is not visible. Photoelectrochemical properties of Cu2O-based photocathodes in a pH 5 Na2SO4 (1 M) solution. (a) I–V curves collected under 1 sun illumination of pristine Cu2O (ii), Cu2O/Cu2MoS4 (iii), Cu2O/NiO (iv) and Cu2O/NiO/Cu2MoS2 (v) photocathodes. Without light illumination, these Cu2O-based photocathodes showed similar I–V curves. For clarification, only the curve collected for Cu2O/NiO/ Cu2MoS4 (i) is presented. (b) Generated photocurrent achieved at an applied potential of 0 V (vs. RHE), employing pristine Cu2O (curve (ii), Cu2O/Cu2MoS4 (iii), Cu2O/NiO (iv), and Cu2O/NiO/Cu2MoS4 (v) photocathodes. [23] 82 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS OXYGEN EVOLUTION REACTION theoretically predicted to achieve a water splitting efficiency of 12.4%. However, the practical efficiency of hematite is limited by its short life time and external bias. We developed a novel strategy for surface treatment of hematite to produce a photoanode for efficient water oxidation without any substantial changes in morphology of the electrode. With this treatment the photocurrent density increased from 1.24 for pristine hematite nanorods to 2.25 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V (vs. RHE) (i.e. 81% improvement). The increase in photocurrent density was also accompanied by improved incidentphoton-to-current efficiencies and oxygen evolution. The photocurrent improvement is mainly attributed to a reduced electron–hole recombination at the hematite– electrolyte interface through the formation of FexSn1xO4 layer at the hematite nanorod surface. Oxygen evolution reaction is also called as water oxidation reaction. It is an important reaction to supply electrons for the cathode side in a photoelectrochemical cell for either water splitting or carbon dioxide reduction. To date, high efficient oxygen evolution catalysts are mainly precious metals and their oxides like Pt, Ir, Ru, etc. Recently, much effort has been made to explore transition metal oxide catalysts for this reaction. In one of our recent works, we modified the surface of hematite with tin oxide and improved the water oxidation efficient.[24] Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) has recently emerged as a promising photoanode material for the generation of oxygen from water due to its favorable optical band gap (Eg=2.2 eV), excellent chemical stability in aqueous environments, ample abundance and low cost. Hematite has been Figure 11. (a) HRTEM image of hematite after treatment with 20 mM Sn(IV) solution. (b) Schematic effect of Sn(IV) treated hematite nanorod arrays for efficient water oxidation. (c) I–V curves and (d) IPCE spectra of hematite photoanode with and without Sn(IV) treatment. IPCE measurements were carried out at an applied potential of 1.23 V vs. RHE in a 1 M NaOH electrolyte. [24] 83 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION exhibited an impressive mass activity (21.0 mA/ mg @0.75V vs RHE) over other landmark reports of perovskite LaMnO3 (1.2 mA/mg), MnO2 (2.0~5.3 mA/mg), B-doped CNTs (5.8 mA/mg) and N-doped graphene (3.0 mA/mg). These small-sized MnO2 efficiently lowered the mass loading of MnO2 as well as to facilitate the mass transportation of gas reactants within the porous catalyst electrode. Most importantly, these MnO2 flakes are free-standing, which offers the flexibility to choose various conductive supports with variable loading ratios. Oxygen reduction reaction is a reaction that occurs in fuel cell and metal-air batteries. Although it is not a reaction to generate solar fuels, it is an essential energy conversion reaction for solar fuels’ usage. The theory for the oxygen reduction reaction on metals has been long term established. Platinum was found the best catalyst. But again, Pt is too expensive. Our effort is to explore low cost non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction. One of our recent works is MnO2 nanoflakes with superior high mass activity. [25] Shown in Figure 3, as-synthesized MnO2 flakes Figure 12. (a) A typical TEM image of as-synthesized MnO2 nanoflakes: the average width is ~50 nm, by measuring over 200 flakes. (b) The HRTEM image of a nanoflake: the average thickness is ~1.5 nm, by measuring over 200 flakes. (c) Tafel plot of mass activity normalized by catalyst mass. MnO2 nanofalkes show highest mass activity as compared with other reported MnO2 catalysts. (d) The mass activity at 0.75 V vs RHE: MnO2 nanoflakes show impressive activity, much higher than other Mn based oxides and doped carbon catalysts.[25] 84 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS CARBON DIOXIDE REDUCTION REACTION On the other hand, the production selectivity should be also improved to simplify the post-reduction steps for product separation. Metal complex catalysts are a class of unique catalysts that can generate fuels with a very high selectivity. This is because the CO2 reduction reaction route is unique and determined by the ligand and the metal center. Our effort is to explore efficient metal complex catalysts for formic acid production. Figure 6 shows one Co centered complex catalyst developed by us for CO2 electro-reduction in DMF and water. The catalyst is designed based on a Co3+ redox center. The vacant coordination site is available for M-H and M-CO2 absorption. A very low over-potential is required for the CO2 reduction (ca. 450 mV). The study is under way now to explore the effect of ligands with different proton concentration. Reducing carbon dioxide is a complicated process. It needs a catalyst surface for absorbing CO2 and intermediate species. The reaction involves multiple steps of hydrogenation to produce various carbonbased fuels, such as CO, CH4, C2H4, and etc. H2 is also produced as a side-reaction due to their close reduction potentials. The pioneer work has been focused on exploring the types of products on metal electrodes. Cu was found the most active metal with fairly high selectivity to several useful products. However, to make this technique feasible, the efficiency for fuel production has to be improved. One of our efforts is to modify the Cu catalyst with other metals or ligands to regulate the absorption of CO2 and intermediates and thus to regulate the hydrogenation process. As a result, the production of carbon-based fuels can be improved. Figure 13. (a) Polarization curves of metal complex catalyst P300 in DMF and water. A significant reduction peak can be observed for the mixture of DMF and water due to the presence of more protons. (b) The molecular structure pf P300 85 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS References 1. T. Baikie, Y. Fang, J. M. Kadro, M. Schreyer, F. Wei, S. G. Mhaisalkar, M. Graetzel, T. J. White, “Synthesis and crystal chemistry of the hybrid perovskite (CH3NH3)PbI3 for solidstatesensitised solar cell applications.” J. Mater. Chem. A 2013, 1, 5628. 13. Nanoparticle-Induced Grain Growth of Carbon-Free SolutionProcessed CuIn(S,Se)2 Solar Cell with 6% Efficiency. Yongan Cai, John C. W. Ho, Sudip K. Batabyal, Wei Liu, Yun Sun, Subodh G. Mhaisalkar, and Lydia H. Wong; ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2013, 5 (5), 1533–1537. 14. Nanocrystalline copper indium selenide (CuInSe2) particles for solar energy harvesting. Mengxi Wang, Sudip K. Batabyal, Zhenggang Li, Dehui Li, Subodh G. Mhaisalkara and Yeng Ming Lam; RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 9829-9834 2. P. P. Boix, K. Nonomura, N. Mathews, S. G. Mhaisalkar, “Current progress and future perspectives for organic/inorganic perovskite solar cells”. Materials Today, 2014, 17(1), 16–23 3. S. Sun, T. Salim, N. Mathews, M. Duchamp, C. Boothroyd, G. Xing, T.C. Sum, Y. M. Lam, “The Origin of High Efficiency in LowTemperature Solution-Processable Bilayer Organometal Halide Hybrid Solar Cells.” Energy and Environmental Science.2014, 7, 399. 15. Electrodeposition of single phase CuInSe2 for solar energy harvesting: role of different acidic additives. J Sun, S. K Batabyal, P. D Tran and L. H Wong; Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2014, 591, 127-131. 16. Spray pyrolysis of CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cells with 5.9% efficiency: a method to prevent Mo oxidation in ambient atmosphere. J. C.W. Ho, T. Zhang, K. K. Lee, S. K. Batabyal, A. I. Y. Tok, and L. H. Wong; ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/ am500317m. 4. T.M. Koh, K. Fu F. Yanan, C. Shi, T.C. Sum, N. Mathews, S. G. Mhaisalkar, P. P. Boix, T. Baikie, “Formamidinium-containing metal-halide – an alternative material for near-IR absorption perovskite solar cells.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, DOI: 10.1021/jp411112k 5. 17. Chemical welding of binary nanoparticles: room temperature sintering of CuSe and In2S3 nanoparticles for solutionprocessed CuInSxSe1−x solar cells. Hui Min Lim, Sudip K. Batabyal, Stevin S. Pramana, L. H. Wong, Shlomo Magdassi and S. G. Mhaisalkar; Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 5351-5353. S.A. Kulkarni, T.Baikie, P. P. Boix, N. Yantara, N. Mathews, S. G. Mhaisalkar, “Band gap tuning of lead halide perovskites using a sequential deposition process.” Journal of Materials Chemistry A,(Accepted) 6. H Li, K Fu, A Hagfeldt, M Graetzel, SG Mhaisalkar, AC Grimsdale, “A Simple 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene Based Hole-Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells,” Angewandte Chemie (2014) – DOI: 10.1002/anie.201310877 18. Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 kesterite solar cell with 5.1% efficiency using spray pyrolysis of aqueous precursor solution followed by selenization. Xin Zeng, Kong Fai Tai, Tianliang Zhang, Chun Wan John Ho, Xiaodong Chen, Alfred Huan, Tze Chien Sum, Lydia H. Wong; Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2014, 124, 55-60. 7. K. Thirumal, K. Fu, P.. P. Boix, H. Li, T. M. Koh, W. Leong, S. Powar, A. Grimsdale, M. Grätzel, N. Mathews, S. G. Mhaisalkar, “Swivel-Cruciform Thiophene Based Hole-Transporting Material for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells”. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, (Accepted) 19. Low Temperature Synthesis of Wurtzite Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) Thin Film by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis. Xin ZENG , Stevin Pramana , Sudip K. Batabyal , Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar , Xiaodong Chen and K.B. Jinesh; Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys, 2013, 15, 6763. 8. H. M. Kumar, N. Yantara, D. Sabba, M. Graetzel, S. G. Mhaisalkar, P. P. Boix, N. Mathews, “Flexible, low-temperature, solution processed ZnO-based perovskite solid state solar cells.” Chem. Commun.2013, 49, 11089–91. 20. Understanding the Synthetic Pathway of a Single-Phase Quarternary Semiconductor Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering: A Case of Wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanoparticles. Joel Ming Rui Tan, Yih Hong Lee, Srikanth Pedireddy, Tom Baikie, Xing Yi Ling, and Lydia Helena Wong ; J. Am. Chem. Soc., Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/ja501786s. 9. S. Dharani, H. M. Kumar, N. Yantara, T.T.T.. Pham, N. G. Park, M. Gratzel, S. G. Mhaisalkar, N. Mathews, P. P. Boix, “High efficiency electrospun TiO2 nanofiber based hybrid organicinorganic perovskite solar cell.” Nanoscale 2013. 21. Phong D. Tran, Sing Yang Chiam, Pablo P. Boix, Yi Ren, Stevin S. Pramana, Jennifer Fize, Vincent Artero, James Barber, “Novel cobalt/nickel–tungsten-sulfide catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen generation from water”, Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 2452. 10. H-S. Kim, J-W. Lee, N. Yantara, P. P. Boix, S. A. Kulkarni, S. G. Mhaisalkar, M. Grätzel, N. G. Park, “High Efficiency Solid-State Sensitized Solar Cell-Based on Submicrometer Rutile TiO2 Nanorod and CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Sensitizer.” Nano Lett. 2013, 13, 2412–2417. 22. Chen Yang, Phong D. Tran, Pablo P. Boix, Prince S. Bassi, Natalia Yantara, Lydia. H. Wong, James Barber, “Engineering a Cu2O/NiO/Cu2MoS4 hybrid photocathode for H2 generation in water”, Nanoscale, DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00386a, 2014. 11. G. Xing, N. Mathews, S. Sun, S. S. Lim, Y. M. Lam, M. Grätzel, S. G. Mhaisalkar, T. C. Sum, “Long-range balanced electronand hole-transport lengths in organic-inorganic CH3NH3PbI3”. Science 2013, 342, 344–7. 12. 23. Lifei Xi, Sing Yang Chiam, Wai Fatt Mak, Phong D. Tran, James Barber, Say Chye Joachim Loo, Lydia Helena Wong, “A novel strategy for surface treatment on hematite photoanode for efficient water oxidation”, Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 16. GC Xing, N Mathews, SS Lim, N Yantara, X Liu, S Dharani, M Graetzel, SG Mhaisalkar, TC Sum, “Low-Temperature SolutionProcessed Wide Wavelength Tunable Perovskites for Lasing,” Nature Materials (2014) – DOI: 10.1038/NMAT3911. 24. Chao Wei, Linghui Yu, Chenlong Cui, Jiadan Lin, Chen Wei, Nripan Mathews, Fengwei Huo, Thirumany Sritharan, Zhichuan Xu, “Ultrathin MnO2 Nanoflakes as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction”, Submitted 86 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS FACILITIES advanced materials, nanostructures, optoelectronic electrical testing protocols, device design and modeling and the fundamental physics and chemistry of electron transport in complex systems. The program consists of two distinct technology development thrusts, a technology thrust (Thrust 1: Photon to electron) for direct conversion of solar energy to electricity, and another for generation of renewable, clean fuel using solar energy (Thrust 2: Photon to fuel). The former will be based on the principle of photovoltaic effect (PV) while the latter will be based on photo-electrochemical cell (PEC) concept. Following the scientific developments achieved in the two thrusts, strategies to integrate into functional systems will be required to maximize efficiency and to steer the technology towards commercialisation. This forms the basis for the third thrust (Thrust 3: Integrated devices and Demonstration), an essential step towards commercialisation. Solar Cell fabrication facilities are housed in a Class 100k clean room with a floor area of 400 square metres and include large area processing tools such as screen printers, automatic sprayer as well as chemical vapour deposition (CVD) / sputtering and complete device fabrication tools. Solar cell characterization tools include solar simulators, IPCE, as well as various electrochemical characterization tools. COLLABORATORS École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) ERI@N researchers collaborate with Professor Michael Graetzel, the director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces (LPI), EPFL. LPI pioneered research on semiconductor nanocrystallites and mesoscopic oxide films. The current research in LPI, EPFL focuses on optimisation of key parameters such as spectral response, photocurrent, photo-potentials and longterm stability. Collaborative projects between ERI@N and LPI, EPFL include identifying new methodologies and nanomaterials for improved light scattering, non-noble metal based alternative counter electrode materials, and fundamental studies to understand the charge separation and the charge transport processes at the dye-nanoparticle interface. Solar Fuels Laboratory, Imperial College London ERI@N collaborates closely with the laboratory of Professor James Barber, Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London, to synthesise engineered materials that could mimic the performance and capabilities of Photosystem Two. Photosystem Two is a remarkable biological machine that uses light energy to split water into oxygen and reducing equivalents, a reaction upon which we are all dependent, by exploiting the use of solar energy in the water splitting process. The goal is to develop cheaper and more efficient water splitting devices through a fundamental understanding on how nature optimises this process through millions of years of evolution. University of California, Berkeley SinBeRISE explores novel inexpensive approaches to convert solar energy into electrical energy (Photovoltaics) and to catalyse the conversion of CO2 into liquid fuel (Photoelectrochemical approaches). To accomplish these goals, we leverage the strong set of expertise in the Berkeley campus encompassing 87 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR FUELS FACULTY AND RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Professor Nam Gyu Park, in SKKU, was one of the pioneers in the use of organic-inorganic perovskites in photovoltaic devices. ERI@N collaborates with his laboratory to develop novel device architectures by implementing semiconductor nenostructures in perovskites solar cells. This project focuses on the charge selective layers employed in the photovoltaic devices, which are the key elements in the charge extraction, including both organic and inorganic materials. The joint efforts include the device development and power conversion efficiency improvement as well as a physical and chemical characterisation of the working principles. Chen, Hongyu Chen, Zhong Choo, Fook Hoong Fan, Hongjin Grimsdale, Andrew Clive Huo, Fengwei Kloc, Christian Lam, Yeng Ming Loo, Say Chye Joachim Mathews, Nripan Mhaisalkar, Subodh Shen, Zexiang Srinivasan, Madhavi Sritharan Thirumany Sun, Darren Delai Sun, Xiaowei Tan Thatt Yang, Timothy Tze Chien, Sum Tok, Alfred Ling Yoong Wang, Junling Wong, Lydia Helena Xu, Rong Xu, Shuyan Xu, Zhichuan Jason Xue, Can Zhao, Yang DYESOL Limited ERI@N has signed a research agreement with Dyesol. Dyesol is a global supplier of Dye Solar Cell (DSC) materials, technology and know-how. As a part of this agreement both parties will see a sharing of resources to create scalable and commercially feasible solid state perovskite solar cell technology, a low-cost renewable energy technology. The project aims to optimise the solar cells, in order to achieve high efficiency devices which are more reliable and more amenable to scaling and manufacturing than conventional liquid electrolyte based solar cells. 88 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES ERI@N’s Wind and Marine research program is aimed at improving the performance, lowering costs and accelerating deployment of Wind and Marine renewable energy generating technologies. It focuses on developing the best technologies, in collaboration with industry, for the tropics where unique technology challenges exist. In these efforts it closely works with the government agencies to understand regional needs, and with local and global renewable energy firms to identify technology gaps. Research efforts are principally concerned with bringing technologies developed in the lab into the field, involving test beds in real field conditions. Thereby the risks are evaluated and technologies are matured. RESEARCH PROJECTS (i) The Urban Wind Resource Assessment project The Urban Wind Resource Assessment project being carried out by NTU in collaboration with the Housing & Development Board of Singapore (HDB) aims to study the feasibility of small wind turbine installation in urban Singapore. Wind sensors have been deployed in various locations of Singapore and are being monitored in real time to evaluate the wind resource potential. Singapore experiences two monsoon seasons during which the island experiences heavier winds; the Northeast monsoon lasting from December to March, and the Southwest monsoon season from June to September. The wind measurement stations were thus set up to measure the wind potential during these two monsoon periods in Singapore, with stations set up on both the southern and northern coasts of Singapore. In 2013, the research team engaged in various technology studies at both fundamental and industrial scales. The research tasks spanned from wind and tidal energy resource studies to test bedding novel wind and marine turbines in various locations of Singapore. In all these efforts, fundamental research was key in studying new simulation methods specifically in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, novel bulk materials, functional coatings and new turbine designs. In the following sections, a few prominent efforts will be highlighted. With a limited number of weather stations being installed on the island, strategic placement of these stations is vital in order to capture the most complete picture of wind flow over the island. There are four locations where sensors have been installed or are planned for installation: Marine Drive, Pandan Gardens, Woodlands Crescent, and Havelock Road. The sensors have been installed at the highest points of the HDB blocks so as to have as little obstruction from neighbouring blocks as possible. Typically, sensors are located between 2.5-4m above the roof level. Short term wind measurements have been taken using remote sensing SOnic Detection And Ranging (SODAR) devices. SODAR data analysis shows how wind varies with height, which is important information in balancing the cost of turbine masts and 91 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Figure 1. shows locations at which wind measurements have been taken. Yellow markers indicate HDB rooftop installations, and “flag” markers indicate locations where LiDAR campaigns were conducted during this year. power density. ERI@N has also recently purchased a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) profiler. LiDAR profilers offer advantages over SODAR devices such as better accuracy and range, easier transportation and installation and most importantly silent operation. Hence, at several locations we have deployed LiDAR for short term measurement campaigns. Statistical processing of the wind data and preliminary economic analysis has been carried out for the sites at Pandan Gardens, Marine Drive and Woodlands Crescent. Analysis of data collected at Woodlands Crescent shows that the wind speeds are extremely low throughout the year. Analysis with current commercial turbines shows that the average payback period would be slightly greater than typical turbine design life suggesting that wind turbines would not reach breakeven within their design lifetimes. However, analysis of data collected at Pandan Gardens and Marine Drive make a good case for technology adaptations and cost reduction, to further reduce payback period. A further wind measurement station is currently being setup at Havelock Road. Statistical and preliminary economic analysis has been carried out for the data collected at Pandan Gardens and Marine Drive. Statistical analysis of data collected at Woodlands has been presented, however the wind speeds at the site were found to be extremely low throughout the year. The analysis shows with the current few commercial turbines tested, the average payback period would slightly greater than typical turbine design life suggesting that wind turbines would not reach breakeven within their design lifetimes. Several factors however are yet to be included within the analysis. Further work includes the setting up of the remaining two wind measurement stations. With the completion of the wind data sets at these locations, a more comprehensive picture of wind flows in Singapore can be obtained. Combining full year wind statistical data sets with wind short term wind profiles measured using newly acquired LIDAR will greatly improve the available information on wind power at different heights. Combining full year wind statistical data sets with short term wind profiles measured using LiDAR equipment will greatly improve the available information on wind power at different heights. With the aid of long term wind measurements from these locations and short term LiDAR campaigns at many locations throughout the year, a more comprehensive picture of wind flows in Singapore can be obtained. Low wind speeds in Singapore indicate the need for new turbine designs as most of the turbines in the market cater to locations which experience much higher wind conditions. The reduction in the costs of small wind turbines would cut down on payback periods. Such a reduction is possible since at present, small wind turbine technology is still at a nascent stage and has yet to take advantage of many of the benefits afforded by larger markets. Improvement over existing turbine designs and new designs to suit lower wind conditions can possibly lead to further cost reductions and shorter paybacks. The much lower capacity factors indicate the need for a redesign of turbines to be suited to the current wind conditions. The reduction in future small turbine costs would cut down on payback periods. Such a reduction is likely since at the current moment, small wind turbine technology is still at a very nascent stage and has yet to take advantage of many of the benefits afforded by larger markets. Improvement over existing turbine designs and new designs to suit lower wind conditions can possibly lead to further cost reductions and lower paybacks. 92 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Figure 1. Location of wind measurement installations and wind flow visualisation. (ii) Wind turbines for Low wind flow conditions Wind turbines for high wind speeds of more of than 8 m/s are extensively studied in various parts of the world and the turbines are at peak efficiency. As the tropical conditions are characterised by high solar radiation and low wind speeds, current research activity in ERI@N focuses on optimising these turbines to extract power at mean wind speed lower than 8 m/s .As the turbine power decreases 3 fold for every decrease of 1m/s of wind speed, most of the internal components of the turbine such as rotor blades, drive train, generator , wind turbine tower has to be optimized .The power output of turbines less than 10kW can be increased by having an auxiliary rotor providing higher starting torque through auxiliary means coupled with energy storage to start in lower wind speeds. Current research is developing roof top mountable wind turbines integrated with an array of solar panels to have maximum energy yield with a minimum foot print. In order to ensure aesthetic appeal, ERI@N is collaborating with the NTU School of Arts, Design and Media (ADM) to come up with creative designs that can be integrated into buildings, national parks and tourist attractions. Research focuses on the development of a single stage hybrid planetary gearbox which is more efficient in lower rotational speeds, and light weight with smart conditional monitoring sensors. The research addresses the reliability issues and reduces the dependence on rare earth minerals which are a substantial constituent in the production of permanent magnets for direct drive generators. There is a greater attention towards the development of urban wind turbines (UWT) for mounting on roof tops on high rise buildings. Challenges in the development of UWT are low noise, low visual impact, and negligible radar signal interference. Figure 2. Wind flow visualisation and wind tunnel testing of the developed wind turbine. 93 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES (iii) Wave Energy Resource Assessment in Singapore Wave energy resource estimation is a necessary step in identifying areas suitable for siting Wave Energy Converters (WECs) and also in selecting the appropriate WEC for a site. ERI@N, in collaboration with the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), has done a wave energy resource assessment of Singapore’s waters. The accuracy of the wave model results are dependent on the input wind data. It is therefore common to validate results by calibrating against measured wave data. Measurements techniques are either direct, e.g. wave buoys, or indirect, e.g. satellite altimeter. Wave information can be obtained through measurement or numerical wind-wave model simulations. Numerical wave models take wind fields and use them to force wave fields based on the physics of wave generation, propagation and decay. Shown below are flexible mesh grids for the domain used to simulate waves in Singapore. Figure 4. Deployment of the Datawell Waverider A Datawell Waverider directional buoy is being used to validate the model data. In October-November 2012, the buoy was deployed at Tuas Extension, Singapore (latitude 1.15, longitude 103.6). An example of the wave conditions from a point in this data set can be seen below. The wave rose (left) shows the frequency and significant wave heights in each direction (following the convention of showing direction to, rather than from). The frequency occurrence diagram (right) is a form of the commonly used scatter table, giving the frequency of occurrence of wave height and period value pairs. Isolines indicate the energy flux according to deep water approximations. Figure 3. South East Asia (SEA) domain covering South China Sea, Malacca Strait and Singapore Strait. Flexible mesh ranges between 111 km (1 degree) and 100m as highlighted. 94 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Figure 5. Wave Data – Left: Wave Rose showing wave frequency, height and direction, Right: Frequency Occurrence diagram showing frequency, height and energy content Using the data gathered from the WaveRider, the model was tuned to yield more accurate results for the wave resource assessment of the Singapore domain. The estimated annual wave energy potential of Singapore is ~53GWh/yr. The next phase now involves extending the analysis and methodologies used in assessing the wave energy resource around Singapore to cover the whole of South East Asia (SEA). It will also involve expanding the time-scale to 10 years’ worth of wave simulation data to characterize the variability of the wave resource including El Niño and La Niña years. The resolution of the SEA simulation will be sufficient to describe waves around smaller islands and show detail of energy variation around coasts. Figure 6. Wave energy potential for Singapore The next phase now involves extending the analysis and methodologies used in assessing the wave energy resource around Singapore to cover the whole of South East Asia (SEA). It will also involve expanding the time-scale to 10 years’ worth of wave simulation data to characterize the variability of the wave resource including El Niño and La Niña years. The resolution of the SEA simulation will be sufficient to describe waves around smaller islands and show detail of energy variation around coasts. 95 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES (iv) Marine test bedding activities Tidal energy generators extract energy from the motion of the tides, which are governed by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on Earth’s water bodies. Tidal energy therefore has the advantage of being highly predictable, unlike solar or wind energy which are susceptible to weather fluctuations. However there are reliability challenges due to salinity and placement of tidal turbines. Research in ERI@N has focused on coming up with cost-effective and modular installations. One such effort is the tidal turbine test bed that was launched at the Sentosa Boardwalk, a themed pedestrian walkway connecting Singapore and Sentosa. The test bed has the dual role of facilitating the development of ERIAN’s marine energy technologies for regional conditions, and contributing to Sentosa’s green initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. The test bed currently supports several pilot tidal stream generators employing both conventional and novel technologies. Figure 7. Tidal turbine test bed in Sentosa (Singapore) with underwater view of the turbine For feasible power capture, tidal generators are preferably located at natural coastal features which can converge and amplify water flow, such as channels and estuaries. The test bed at the Sentosa Boardwalk benefits from amplified flow due to the narrowed channel between Singapore and Sentosa, and bridge piers which provide manmade flow convergence. Marine energy harvesting, of which tidal energy is a part, is a new field in Singapore, with much potential for small-scale generation and applications. The energy generated from the pilot tidal turbine is being used to power up an educational exhibit at the Sentosa Boardwalk. Figure 8. Educational exhibit at the Sentosa Boardwalk. 96 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY @ TANAH MERAH FERRY TERMINAL In recent years, there has been unprecedented interest in ports, harbours, and jetties as viable locations for marine renewable energy. ERI@N has been successful in securing a fund under the Maritime Clean Energy Research Program (MCERP) between the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) and NTU. The project aims to investigate potential marine renewable energy resources available at jetties in Singapore. In collaboration with the Singapore Cruise Centre who operate a number of ferry terminals including the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT), ERI@N has done a resource assessment of marine renewables that can be harnessed in a terminal / jetty setting. ERI@N envisions that energy harvested from marine renewables in such ports/jetties in Singapore can result in (1) self-powered jetties/ports, (2) provision of excess power to nearby installation, and (3) shore power to berthing boats. Tidal Energy (40% Eff) Ave Power Annual Energy 1,500 sq m 345.6 Watts 3 MW h/yr 10,000 sq m 2,304 Watts 20 M Wh/yr 18,000 sq m 4,147 Watts 36 M Wh/yr Pontoon 1 (15.65m) 203.5 Watts 1.787 M Wh/yr Pontoon (20m) 272 Watts 2.284M Wh/yr Figure 9. Marine energy resource studies in Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal 97 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES The assessment of the Tidal In-Stream Energy (TISE) and wave energy potential of TMFT began in July 2013. The project has 4 phases: (1) preliminary site survey & CFD modelling, (2) in-situ resource measurement and analysis, (3) power & energy analysis and economic feasibility study, and (4) device development and installation. The project is aligned with ERI@N’s on-going efforts in TISE and Wave Energy resource assessment and feasibility studies in Singapore. The device development aspect of this project matches the resources available at the locations of interest with suitable technology and a prototype will be installed. Globally, there are hundreds of ports, harbours, and jetties that may make use of the methods and technology developed in this project. The proposed project is crucial in providing a correct estimate of TISE and wave energy resource as well as in helping in the design of efficient and optimized TISE turbine design fit for low-flow locations or wave energy extraction devices for low-wave climate conditions such as sites present in Singapore. Ultimately, the implication of a successful proliferation of such a concept of energy harvesting is a cleaner coastal environment for Singapore & beyond, powered by reliable/predictable renewable energy sources. (v) Advanced materials and coatings development for new turbine markets One of the technology peaks at ERI@N focuses on fundamental study to develop advanced materials and functional coatings. Advanced composites research work is one key area that focuses on collaborative projects with large wind turbine manufacturers. These projects focus on characterising and improving strength of composite laminates, with particular focus on some of the manufacturing variations that can occur with this type of material. At the labs in NTU, representative composite panels have been produced, both by “prepreg” and “infusion” techniques. This material is then subjected to mechanical testing to ascertain the strength of the different material and details being investigated. Figure 10. Example of infusing glass fibre composites panel and Quasi-static and fatigue tensile testing of composite coupon. 98 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Another example of fundamental research is in functional coatings, where the aim is to develop non-wetting type coatings with self-cleaning, anti-icing, and antifouling functionality. The coatings are organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites with excellent water and oil repellent properties. The coatings show water contact angles up to 150⁰ and water rolling angles as low as 5⁰. The coatings comply with various ISO standard tests (such as ISO 2409, ISO 4624, ISO 15184) for paints and coatings and have good resistance to abrasion and erosion. The coatings show low strengths of adhesion with ice, and low dirt accumulation properties in the preliminary tests. The group has developed various test facilities essential for testing of paints and coatings according to industry standards. Special test set ups to study durability, ice nucleation and adhesion are also being studied by special climate chamber and dirt interaction methods. Today, the focus is on improving the durability of the functional coatings which is the key to realise this technology. By understanding the micro-structure property relations in these coatings, we are developing formulations suitable for long term durability. Currently, the research effort is testing new applications of the coatings. Some of the examples include testing against marine fouling at sea, dust accumulation and removal inside home appliance products etc. Systematic tests on the ice accumulation and ice adhesion strengths will be carried out in future. The formulation of the coatings will be tuned for specific applications and pilots, and commercialisation of the technology will be targeted. Figure 11. Novel coatings with good self-cleaning and durable behavior. 99 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN OFFSHORE RENEWABLES Joint Industry Program on Offshore renewables Today more than 25 doctoral projects are in progress, spanning resource forecasting, sub-structure studies, power generation, transmission, grid, installation, and maintenance. Some of the key research topics are: • Integrated wave loads analysis of offshore wind turbine platform under special and complex conditions • System optimisation of tidal turbine • Modelling and control of offshore wind turbines • Efficiency enhancement studies of large scale electrical generator design • Offshore renewable power generation station • Computational intelligence in offshore wind • Energy grid study and analysis of thunderstorm extreme wind gust speed near the ground and extreme wind load on wind turbines • Optimal structural design for offshore wind energy system • Analytical modelling of erosion of offshore wind turbine foundation • Wind mapping utilising CFD techniques • Complex interactions between tidal turbine farms, multiple wakes and seabed terrain in energy capture array and its associated environmental issues • Wave energy harvester using snap-through mechanism • Computational intelligence algorithms for scheduling in renewable energy systems • Heat treatments and coatings to reduce wear and micro-pitting in bearing steels under rolling contact fatigue conditions • Preparation of polyurethane coating for wind turbine blades • Numerical simulation of flow in a convective atmosphere for estimation of wind energy potential • Lubricant disintegration studies for offshore conditions • Fatigue studies of wind turbine blade composites • Development of a coupled simulation methodology for offshore wind turbines • Coupled CFD and depth-integrated modelling of marine structures This research is being developed with leading companies engaged in various parts of the value chain, such as turbine manufacturers, transport and installation firms, small technology firms and classification societies. Commercial firms in this consortium are: Lloyds, Vestas, Gamesa, DNV, Keppel Corporation, CenEntek, IBM, DHI and CIMNE. In addition, the research is supported by leading research partners such as National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) in USA, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the University of Colorado, and Danish Technology University (DTU). The consortium platform provides various benefits, including alignment of complementary technologies, managed open innovation, shared resources, costs and knowledge. Such efforts help the co-creation of technology, supply chain, design rules and new markets. Research outcomes have been published in international peer reviewed journals such as IEEE and Wind Engineering, and in international conferences and reports with our international partners in NREL and NTNU. 100 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLES Regional cooperation in diffusing renewable energy technologies Southeast Asian Collaboration for Ocean Renewable Energy (SEAcORE) has been initiated by ERI@N with partners from the Southeast Asian region to promote renewables and create new markets for partner industrial firms. SEAcORE is envisioned to be a platform for the exchange of ideas, initiatives, & experiences from R&D, policymakers, and industry. It forms a collated and active core network of expertise and technical know-how in Southeast Asia (SEA) to set, assist, augment, and facilitate adoption of Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE) in the region. Thailand SEAcORE supports the development of ORE and highlights the interests of SEA countries in the International Energy Agency-Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES). Strategic programs and meetings will be spearheaded by SEAcORE to promote ORE activities in the region and initiate projects in collaboration with different ORE groups to evaluate the feasibility of offshore renewables in the region. A tidal resource study called The Ocean Pixel Project is as an example of SEAcORE’s collaborative potential. In conjunction with the University of the Philippines, regional marine spatial planning was conducted and a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) platform for ORE planning was developed. This platform featured Collated Ocean Energy Resource Maps, Environmental Impact Scores, Resource Analysis, Navigation and Shipping Considerations. An example of how this tool can be used is in the case of how it has helped to understand the tidal energy potential between islands such as Verde, Matnog, Cebu and Davao in the Philippines. Vietnam – King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladrakrabang (KMITL); King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) – Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST); Institute of Energy Science (IES) International Collaborators: Ocean Energy Systems (OES); International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy (INORE); Asian Wave and Tidal Energy Conference Series (AWTEC) Core Founding Members of SEAcORE include the following institutions: Brunei – Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Indonesia – Indonesian Ocean Energy Association (INOCEAN); Indonesian Counterpart for Energy and Environmental Solutions (ICEES) Malaysia – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM); Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Myanmar – Myanmar Maritime University (MMU); Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Philippines – University of the Philippines (UP), UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) Singapore – Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Figure 12. Technical working group of ASEAN Centre for Energy In partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), SEAcORE has been proposed to be the technical working group of ACE in ocean renewable energyrelated research work and activities in Southeast Asia. The discussion is on-going with the Director of ACE, Dr. Hardiv Situmeang and the SEAcORE Team. 101 ELECTROMOBILITY Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ELECTROMOBILITY ELECTROMOBILITY Electric propulsion has been widely adopted in mass rapid transit systems in Singapore since decades. Electrifying road transport system is essential due to its manifold benefits for society: business competitiveness, creating market value chain, low CO2 emissions, creating a higher quality of life, achieving sustainable smart growth, transitioning to a resource-efficient economy and attractive green city. methods such as flash charging for the bus at the bus stations, using Super-capacitors are analyzed. And in the domain of wireless power transfer, effort constitutes towards designing novel transmitter & receiver cores/coils, power electronics, interfaces and alignment mechanisms. Collaboration with the partners is embarked for integration of the developed technologies into vehicles and infrastructure. Electro-mobility in ERI@N mainly fosters to address these transport and energy system demands contributing towards developing mobility solutions best suited for tropical conditions. Research, development and innovations on electric vehicles lead ERI@N to hedge highly promising pioneering technologies and pilot applications on urban transportation. Infrastructure and Communication Systems: The commercialization of electric mobility in metropolises inherently involves shaping the infrastructure of land transport system to provide connectivity for the EV users. Smart infrastructure management system integrated with smart vehicle / fleet management system could potentially serve such purposes when large numbers of EV’s are in roads. The emphasis in this field is on the charging station infrastructure and in developing a cloud based on vehicle information, to provide a software service platform. This backend support renders the vehicle users with value added services for coordination and decision making. FOCUS AREAS: The research encompasses all aspects of electric vehicles including energy systems, drive systems, control systems, optimization of power-train topologies and test facility to validate drive trains. The key focus areas are on E-bus, E-cars, Autonomous electric vehicles, electric bicycles and development of innovative solutions to improve the urban environment. Smart grid and Grid connectivity: Load management and electricity distribution that makes use of the information and communications technologies referred to as ‘Smart grids’ promise to facilitate the integrations of EV’s to the grid. Holistic approach for Power routing management and smart grid demand responses (E-bus and E- cars) are main areas of study in this domain; to reduce the peak load and support for staggering power demands in terms of increasing energy efficiency and optimum stability. Charging solutions: : In the realm of battery charging, the focus is predominantly on the rapid charging for E-cars, Taxis and E-buses which addresses mainly on the charging time and convenience. Different charging techniques that could greatly reduce the charging time for the electric vehicles are being researched. Dynamic charging and semi-dynamic charging 104 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ELECTROMOBILITY Project 1 - WIRELESS CHARGING Dr. Anshuman Tripathi, Robin Tanzania, Aaron H Pereira, Cheng Chai Siang, Dr. Tan Yen Kheng ERI@N has been working on a wireless charging system for electric vehicles. The developed system has been installed on TUM EVA, electric taxi show cased at Tokyo Motor show 2013. It is being tested with precast concrete slab for electrified road, both projects of TUM-Create. It was designed to provide users with an alternative, convenient and safe method to charge the electric vehicle’s battery. Secondary-side modules installed on EVA The wireless power system transfers power from the primary side to the secondary side. On the primary side, a high frequency inverter powers the transmitter coil, generating magnetic field. On the secondary side, magnetic field induces power in the receiver coil, which goes to the converter system to charge the battery. Both the transmitter and receiver coil functions by resonating at a frequency of 100 kHz. Magnetic shielding is been added to ensure the system does not interfere with other on-board electronics of the vehicle. . The system is designed to provide wireless power of 1.5 kW to the battery charger, and with a separation distance between ground and receiver coil of up to 17 cm. Precast concrete for electrified road The secondary-side modules that are fitted on-board the vehicle, had a weight constraint not to exceed 7 kg. So it was designed to be less than 6 kg. All the components were developed to be water and dust resistant, and to comply with automotive standards. EVA Electric Taxi The further aim of this project is to charge electric buses and do quick charging, which would require power levels of tens of kilowatts. WPT demo unit 105 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ELECTROMOBILITY Project 2 - QUICK CHARGING- NAVIA Dr. Anshuman Tripathi, Jyothi Nirupam, Nishanthi Duraisamy Navia is completely electric, 10 passenger road vehicle, with fully automated driving capabilities. It has been designed to be cost effective, environmentally friendly and safe solution to solve the last mile problem; and ease traffic congestion in urban areas. To achieve this, Navia needs to be available on-the road most of the time and thus charging time is one of the key critical factors for such application scenario. The existing Navia is equipped with Lithium Iron phosphate batteries as ESS with energy density of 13.5kWh and takes maximum of 7 hours to charge. A modular quick charging system is being designed, that reduces the current charging time to about an hour. The system includes the On-board Battery modules and off-board Charging system. It’s been designed to work on the existing drive train of the Navia without affecting any power and the drive requirements. The system ensures that the space dimensions, weight and mechanical stability are maintained similar to the existing system. Navia – Electric Autonomous vehicle 106 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ELECTROMOBILITY Project 3 - NANYANG VENTURE 7: A BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE AT INNOVATION @MAE LABORATORY, MAE, NTU Prof. Ng Heong Wah, Cheng Chai Siang & NTU MAE students The aim of the project is to encourage students with a keen interest in vehicles or electro-mobility to develop a deeper understanding in their respective area of expertise as well as apply engineering knowledge from their university studies into practical development of the system. An impression of the NV-7 This battery powered vehicle is built specifically for highly urbanized countries such as Singapore. The car is designed to accommodate four adults comfortably and still have adequate boot space for any shopping trips. The completed vehicle will serve as a test-bed for future alternative energy sources such as fuel-cells or new battery technology. The project is on schedule to produce a drivable bare-frame vehicle by May 2014. The research project is supervised and funded by ERI@N. This project is into its 3rd year with Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students undertaking this project as their Final Year Project (FYP). The students are involved in various areas of development such as chassis, vehicle dynamics, drive train, low and high voltage systems, energy storage systems, ergonomics and wireless power charging. Student discussion over chassis design issues Revised seating design of NV-7 107 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 ELECTROMOBILITY Project 4 - CONCEPTION, DESIGN AND BUILD OF A FOLDABLE PEDELEC A GLOBAL DRIVE PROJECT BETWEEN NTU AND TUM STUDENTS. Dr. Anshuman Tripathi, Jyothi Nirupam, Nishanthi DuraisamyNTU and TUM students In the context of the educational program ”Global Drive“ by the Lehrstuhl für Fahrzeugtechnik (FTM) at the Technische Universität München (TUM), the project “bike to go” is conducted in cooperation with the company REHAU AG+Co. A team, comprised of four mechanical engineering students from TUM and two mechanical engineering and two design students from NTU is assigned the task of designing and building a foldable pedelec as an innovative mobility concept. FACILITIES: School of Mechanical and Aerospace engineering- NTU • Innovation lab Clean Tech One - JTC • Drive Train lab (motor genset, converter, 100 kW), Wind / Water tunnel testing, Tribology • Energy Harvesting Lab COLLABORATORS: 1. Technische Universität München (TUM) - Nanyang Technological University (NTU) : The TUM CREATE Centre for Electromobility is a joint-research collaboration program sponsored jointly by National Research Foundation (NRF), TUM and NTU. The five year program will support 100 researchers in Singapore and Germany and includes collaborations with companies such as Bosch, EADS, IBM, Siemens, Infineon, SERIS, TUV, STKinetics and Gemalto. 2. Induct: The two-year collaboration will contribute to optimize Induct’s electric shuttle named NAVIA and enable it to intermingle safely with traffic in Singapore. ERI@N and Induct will also work to improve and enhance electric vehicle battery reliability and charging speeds. TEAM MEMBERS: • • • • • • • • • • Anshuman Tripathi Kei Leong Ho Prof. Ng Heong Wah Ang Zhi Yoong Jyothi Nirupam Nishanthi Duraisamy Satyajit Athlekar Krithika Kandasamy Leong Kok foo Cheng Chai Siang 108 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS RENEWABLE ENERGY INTEGRATION DEMONSTRATOR - SINGAPORE (REIDS) 111 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS The energy transitions initiated in industrialized countries globally hinge around two main challenges: a broader deployment of renewable energy sources and the necessary associated integration of energy storage, on one hand, and an ever more rational enduse of energy, on the other. The REIDS objective is to test and demonstrate, at a large-scale level, the proper integration of a broad range of renewable energy production – onshore and offshore, energy storage and rational energy end-use technologies to provide for the supply of a wide palette of industrial, commercial and residential loads. The REIDS initiative will provide a broad range of private and public sector entities with a unique platform in support of their on-going R&D efforts, as required for early testing, followed by large scale demonstration and eventually show-casing all along the usually long energy technology and product development cycle. R&D efforts are key to successfully implement any energy transition policy; equally important are the design and deployment of large-scale demonstrators to illustrate the short-term progress which is possible by way of the proper integration of technologies already available or soon to be. Onshore projects conducted under REIDS are to be carried out on the Pulau Semakau landfill. The ashes of Singapore’s four large waste incineration plants, which are fully integrated within Singapore’s exemplary waste management, are deposited on Pulau Semakau which, as a result, provides a highly symbolic site to develop and promote the deployment and integration of renewable energies. Recognizing that the specific energy supply requirements related to isolated villages and islands, as well as those arising during various natural disasters or conflict emergency situations, can be attractively addressed by way of micro-grids, NTU and ERI@N have launched a broad R&D effort in this technology and have recently proposed a significant extension of these efforts by way of hybrid AC/DC micro-grids providing for “plug-and-play” connectivity of key renewable energy sources, using either AC or DC, to provide energy to a wide range of AC or DC loads. The micro-grid approach also facilitates the integration of several energy storage technologies carefully selected to properly address the particular renewable energy and load configurations. The intent is also to see REIDS marine energy projects conducted at two sites located offshore: Pulau Semakau and St. John’s Island. Hybrid micro-grid technologies will allow for flexible “plug and play” - interconnectivity between the various sources, storage components and end-uses such as required, for example, to provide for the electrification of islands and remote villages as well as to rapidly deploy energy supply and distribution systems during emergency situations. VISION and OBJECTIVE The vision of the Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator in Singapore (REIDS) is to support industry partners in the development and commercialization of energy technologies through Singapore, which would enable companies to address opportunities in the growing renewable energy and micro-grid integration technologies markets globally. With its primary focus on support of industry development, REIDS will also enhance Singapore’s position as an energy innovation hub. At the same time, REIDS will also support Singapore’s efforts to diversify our energy mix, and increase efficiency in the end-use of energy. REIDS is to be a partnership, structured as a consortium between: (a) Singapore public agencies, (b) corporations active in the energy arena with a focus on the integration of a broad range of sources, enduses and storage, and (c) academia and public R&D institutions. ERI@N will lead the Consortium, with the support of the Economic Development Board. 112 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS ECOCAMPUS INITIATIVE 113 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 FLAGSHIP PROJECTS The goal of the EcoCampus Initiative is to develop a novel campus-wide sustainability framework with demonstration sites to achieve 35% reduction in energy, water and waste intensity by 2020 (baseline 2011). The EcoCampus covers the grounds of NTU’s 200 hectare campus in Singapore along with an adjoining 50 hectares of JTC Corporation’s CleanTech Park, which is Singapore’s first eco-business park, hosting companies and institutions in the Clean Environment Technology domain. The NTU campus has more than 100 existing buildings and will be adding a few new developments, consistent with its longer term master plan. CleanTech Park started construction in 2010 (with one building in operation since early 2012) and will have 25 buildings upon completion in 2030. The three underlying thrusts for EcoCampus are: 1. Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment for innovative technologies in the energy efficiency and sustainability domain 2. Living lab philosophy using own buildings and infrastructure for technology test-bedding 3. Industry collaboration as a corner-stone for greengrowth and sustainable development The EcoCampus Initiative was officially launched on 30 April 2014. Approximately 100 people attended including government representatives, company delegates, media, and NTU professors and staff. Minister S. Iswaran served as the Guest of Honour for the event. 114 EVENTS AND VISITS Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS EVENTS & VISITS 2012 JAN • Visit by Paul Jacquet, President of Grenoble Institute of Technology, and MOU Signing • SinBerBEST Workshop • UK - Singapore Symposium: New Approaches to Emerging Energy Systems • Visit by Prof Gregor Henze, University of Colorado Boulder, and seminar on “Advanced Building Controls: Opportunities and Challenges” MAY • Lecture on “Application of Nanoparticles for the development of modern building materials with improved performance” by Dr. Torsten Kowald • JIP Quarterly Workshop (#2) • Seminar on “AC Current Regulation, Fact and Fiction” by Professor Grahame Holmes, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) • Visit by President and NTU Chancellor Dr Tony Tan • Visit by Prof Juan Bisquert and seminar on “Concepts of solar energy conversion with nanoheterostructures” • Seminar on “Light trapping in thin-film solar cells: towards the Lambertian limit” by Prof Lucio Claudio Andreani, University of Pavia, Italy FEB • Joint Industry Programme (JIP) on Offshore Renewables Quarterly Workshop (#1) • Maritime Security Workshop • Visit by China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development Company (CGN-SEDC) and MOU Signing JUN • Signing of RCA between NTU, Housing Development Board (HDB) and Akzo Nobel • ERI@N Joint Management Board & Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Meeting • 2nd International Workshop on Natural and Artificial Photosynthesis, Bioenergetics and Sustainability • Official Launch of Interdisciplinary Graduate School (IGS) • Seminar on “Research and Development of DyeSensitized Solar Cells at the Center for Molecular Devices” by Prof Anders Hagfeldt, Uppsala University, Sweden • Seminar on “Applying Science and Mathematics to Big Data for Smarter Planet” by Dr Young Min Lee, Researcher, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, USA. MAR • Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) - Maritime Energy Systems Workshop • CGE and Energy-Economy Modeling Workshop • Visit by International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and MOU signing • Seminar on “Graphene-Based and GrapheneDerived Materials and their Properties” by Prof Rod Ruoff, Cockrell Family Regents Chair, The University of Texas at Austin APR • Visit by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Workshop • Visit by Dr Michael Häupl, Mayor and Governor of Vienna, and joint workshop with Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) “Smart and Sustainable Cities – A Dialogue between Vienna and Singapore”and MOU signing between NTU, AIT and Building & Construction Authority (BCA) • Seminar on “Canadian Tar Sands, US National Energy Security & Striving for Sustainability: Is There an Incompatibility?” by Visiting Prof Alexander J.B. Zehnder JUL • Seminar on “Positive Electrode Materials from Earth-Abundant Elements for Advanced Li/Na batteries” by Asst Prof Naoaki Yabuuchi, Tokyo University of Science • Workshop on “Memsys V-MEMD (Vacuum MultiEffect Membrane Distillation)” by Mr Wolfgang Heinzl, Shareholder and Director of Memsys Clearwater 117 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS • Seminar on “Powered Paint: Nanotech Solar Ink” by Prof Brian Krogel, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin • Visit and Seminar on “Nano-structured Oxide Platforms for Chemical Sensing and Beyond: A Materials Design” by Prof Sheikh A. Akbar, Ohio State University, USA • Visit by Prof Horst Friedrich, Director, German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Institute of Vehicle Concepts and MOU Signing between NTU, DLR and Technical University of Munich (TUM) • Science Festival 2012 : Talks and X-periment 2012 • Talk by Prof Davide Comoretto (University of Genoa, Italy) on “Overviewing Energy Materials Research at University of Genoa and possible collaboration Projects with NTU” • Offshore Renewable Energy Conference (OREC) 2012 • Seminar by Dr Abir Al-Tabbaa, Cambridge NOV • Distinguished Visitor Lecture: “Nuclear Energy Options – A Quickly Evolving Landscape” by Professor Robin Grimes, Imperial College • Seminar on “Template synthesis of Nanomaterials for energy and sensing applications” by Mohammed Es-Souni, Institute for Materials & Surface Technology, University of Applied Sciences Kiel, Germany • Maritime Institute (MI@NTU) Maritime Energy System (MES) Workshop • Seminar on “New Frontiers in Polymer Based Supercapacitor Materials” by Prof. Chapal Kumar Das, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India • Seminar by Prof Dr. Dieter Gantenbein • Launch of CREATE Campus • Seminar on “Power Systems with Renewable Energy Sources: Modeling, Simulation and Control” by Visiting Assoc Prof Jan Tadeusz Bialasiewicz (EEE) • Launch of BEARS - SinBeRISE and SinBeBEST / Open House • Seminar on “System Characterization through Its Signals Analysis Using Wavelet Scalogram and Coscalogram” by Visiting Assoc Prof Jan Tadeusz Bialasiewicz (EEE) • SMI Forum 2012 • Workshop on “ASHRAE Recommended Demand Ventilation Control Solution -Slash Singapore Energy Up to 50% with Demand Based Control” by Mr Gordon P. Sharp: Chairman Aircuity, Former President/CEO Phoenix Controls, Board of Directors I2SL AUG • Seminar on “Cobalt-based Catalysts for Watersplitting” by Dr Vincent Artero, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives; Université Joseph Fourier, CNRS, France • Sustainable Earth Peak launch event and party SEP • 3rd TF-NTU Vietnam Programme • Singapore Climate & Energy Sustainable Programmeme • NTU-Toshiba Green Data Centre Completion Ceremony • Visit by Prof Nick Collings, University of Cambridge + Seminar on oxygen sensors (UEGO’s) for IC engine measurements • National Energy Efficiency Conference 2012 OCT • Seminar on “Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis of Intercalation Compounds: Charging and Kinetics Mechanisms” by Prof Germà Garcia-Belmonte, , Department of Physics (Photovoltaic and Optoelectronic Devices Group), Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain • Seminar on “Understanding Mechanical Properties of Disordered Solids: How Computer Simulations Can Help” by Professor Jean-Louis Barrat, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble and Institut Universitaire de France • Seminar by Prof Julie K. Lundquist (UC Boulder) on “Addressing energy and air quality challenges with boundary-layer meteorology: modeling and observational studies” DEC • Workshop on Scalable Innovation based on the Stanford curriculum 118 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS EVENTS & VISITS 2013 MAR • JIP Quarterly Workshop (5th) • ERIAN-BCA Consultancy Workshop #2 • Environmental Awareness Campaign 2013 JAN • Visit by University of Maryland (students) • Visit by NRF Fellowship Finalists, 18-25 January 2013 • Visit to ERI@N by foreign journalists (GYSS) • Visit by Prof Freddy Boey, NTU Provost • Visit by participants of Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS@one-north) - Presentation • Visit by Prof Eric Cornell • Visit by NAP Finalists to Research Centres • Visit by Ministry of Trade and Industry APR • Visit by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean • Workshop on Technologies for solar cooling in tropical climates • Visit by Chancellor of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and delegation • Seminar on “Evolution of Global Electricity Markets: Lessons for Singapore?” by Dr. Fereidoon Sioshansi from Menlo Energy Economics • Introduction to Carbocrete Workshop on Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete • BMW-NTU Future Mobility Research Joint Laboratory Opening and Master Research Collaboration Agreement Signing Ceremony FEB • ERIAN-BCA Consultancy Workshop #1 • Workshop on “Green Building Envelopes and Materials in the Tropics – Challenges and Opportunities” - jointly organised by NTU, IMRE and AIT • Workshop on Southeast Asian Collaboration on Ocean Renewable Energy (SEAcORE): What Do Experts Say? BMW-NTU Future Mobility Research Joint Laboratory Opening 119 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS MAY • Seminar by Dr James Brasseur, Pennsylvania State University on “The Structure of Atmospheric Turbulence as a Function of Stability State with reference to Wind Turbine Function” • ERI@N - EEE World First Hybrid AC/DC Grid Energy Management • JIP Quarterly Workshop (6th) • Unity Secondary School Innovation Challenge Workshop • Seminar on “Perspectives on Managing Water Resources” by Dr. Sean McKenna, Senior Manager, Smarter Cities Technology Center, IBM Research, Ireland • Seminar on “Non-Imaging Optics and Solar Thermal Energy” by Professor Roland Winston, School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced • Green Data Centre Symposium • Future Systems For Building Technology • Visit and Seminar on “The Energy Challenges in Switzerland in the Context of a Nuclear Power Phase-Out and UE Relations” by Prof Prof Hans Björn Püttgen, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) • Urban Sustainability R&D Congress 2013 Exhibition JUL • Visit/Seminar on “Multiscale modeling of nanoengineered composites: A roadmap towards virtual testing” by Javier LLorca • Seminar on “The Opto-Electronic Physics Which Just Broke the Efficiency Record in Solar Cells” by Prof Eli Yablonovitch, University of California, Berkeley • Design Charrette for SPS for North Spine Academic Building • SinBerBEST ERI@N Workshop • Official Opening of Rolls-Royce@NTU Corporate Lab JUN • UK-South East Asia Nuclear Safety and Technology Conference (NSTC) • Visit by Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan Official Launch of the Rolls-Royce@NTU Corporate Lab 120 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS EVENTS & VISITS 2013 AUG • Official Opening of CleanTech One • JIP Quarterly Workshop (7th) • Seminar on “Innovation in reducing energy consumption and turning to renewables opportunities for entrepreneurs?” By Prof Uwe Schulz, Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Switzerland • Seminar on “Diametric Strategies for Ultra-Efficient Photovoltaics” by Prof Jeffrey Gordon, Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, BenGurion University of the Negev • Seminar on “Modelling and Simulation of Electrical Energy Systems through a Complex Systems Approach” by Dr Enrique Kremers, European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER) • Asia Future Energy Forum 2013(AFEF), incorporating OREC 2013 • Asia Smart Grid & Electromobility (ASGE) 2013 (with TUM-CREATE) SEP • Seminar on “The California Lighting Technology Center-a laboratory to marketplace perspective in energy efficiency” by Prof Michael Siminovitch, Director of the California Lighting Technology Center and Rosenfeld Chair in Energy Efficiency, University of California Davis • Public Lecture on “The Science of Materials: From Commonly Encountered Materials to Tailormade Materials” by Prof Yves Brechet, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University Grenoble INP, adjunct Professor at Mc Master (Canada) and Jiaotong (China) NOV • MOU Signing with European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) • MOU Signing with National Ocean Technology Center (NOTC), China cum visit by Mr Luo Xuye, Director-General of NOTC • NTU- Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) tidal turbine official commissioning and exhibit launch • ERI@N Scientific Workshop #1 • EDB Mid Term Review • Visit by Dr Tony Tan, President of Singapore OCT • College de France Lecture Series by Prof Yves Brechet, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University Grenoble INP, adjunct Professor at McMaster (Canada) and Jiaotong (China) • Seminar on “Novel Solar and Lamp Ablation Methods for Synthesizing Inorganic Nanomaterials” by Prof Jeffrey Gordon, Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev DEC • Visit and Seminar on “Open Innovation Activities in the Field of Energy at Total” by Prof Dr Philippe A. Tanguy, Vice-President, International Scientific Development, Total, Berlin. Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique, Mont 121 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 EVENTS & VISITS Official Launch of the EcoCampus Initiative, 30 April 2014 122 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Rashedi, I. Sridhar and K.J.Tseng (2012) Life cycle assessment of 50 MW Wind Turbines and strategies for Impact Reduction Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Chen Shuaixun, Gooi Hoay Beng, Wang MingQiang and Xia Nan (2012) Modelling of Lithium-ion Battery for Online Energy Management Systems IET Electrical Systems in Transportation, 2(4), 202-210 Guichuan Xing, Yile Liao, Xiangyang Wu, Sabyasachi Chakrabortty, Xinfeng Liu, Edwin K. L. Yeow, Yinthai Chan, and Tze Chien Sum (2012) Ultralow Threshold Two-Photon Pumped Amplified Spontaneous Emission and Lasing from Seeded CdSe/CdS Nanorod Heterostructures ACS Nano, 6, 10835 – 10844 V. Aravindan and P. Vickraman (2012) Effect of ionic conductivity during the aging of polyvinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) membrane impregnated with different lithium salts Indian Journal of Physics Tran, PD; Nguyen, M; Pramana, SS; Bhattacharjee, A; Chiam, SY; Fize, J; Field, MJ; Artero, V; Wong, LH ; Loo, J; Barber, J. (2012) Copper molybdenum sulfide: a new efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen production from water Energy and Environmental Science, 5(10), 8912-8916 Tran, P. D., Pramana, S. S., Kale, V. S., Nguyen, M., Chiam, S. Y., Batabyal, S. K., Wong, L. H., Barber, J., Loo, J. (2012) Novel Assembly of an MoS2 Electrocatalyst onto a Silicon Nanowire Array Electrode to Construct a Photocathode Composed of Elements Abundant on the Earth for Hydrogen Generation Chemistry - A European Journal, 18(44), 13994-13999 Phong D. Tran and J. Barber. (2012) Proton reduction to hydrogen in biological and chemical systems Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 14, 13772-13784 S.M.G. Yang, V. Aravindan, W.I. Cho, D.R. Chang, H.S. Kim and Y.S. Lee (2012) Realizing the performance of LiCoPO4 cathodes by Fe substitution with off-stoichiometry Journal of the Electrochemical Society Y.L. Cheah, V. Aravindan and S. Madhavi (2012) Improved elevated temperature performance of Al-intercalated V2O5 electrospun nanofibers for lithium-ion batteries ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 125 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Prabhakar, RR; Pramana, SS; Karthik, KRG; Sow, CH; Jinesh, KB (2012) Ultra-thin conformal deposition of CuInS2 on ZnO nanowires by chemical spray pyrolysis Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22(28), 13965-13968. Tran, PD; Batabyal, SK; Pramana, SS; Barber, J; Wong, LH; Loo, SCJ (2012) A cuprous oxide-reduced graphene oxide (Cu2O-rGO) composite photocatalyst for hydrogen generation: employing rGO as an electron acceptor to enhance the photocatalytic activity and stability of Cu2O Nanoscale, 4(13), 3875-3878 H.C. Foong, Y. Zheng, Y.K. Tan, M. T. Tan. (2012) Fast-Transient Integrated Digital DC-DC Converter With Predictive and Feedforward Control. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I-Regular Papers, 59(7), 1567-1576. Y.K. Tan, T. P. Huynh, Z.Z. Wang (2012) Smart Personal Sensor Network Control for Energy Saving in DC Grid Powered LED Lighting System IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, in-third-review Jayantha Siriwardana, Saman K. Halgamuge, Thomas Scherer, Wolfgang Schott (2012) Minimizing the thermal impact of computing equipment upgrades in data centers Energy and Buildings, 50, 81-92 Saliya Jayasekara, Jayantha Siriwardana, Saman K. Halgamuge (2012) Enhanced thermal performance of absorption chillers fired by multiple dynamic heat sources International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, 13(7), 1231-1238 V. Aravindan, Y.L. Cheah, G. Wee, B.V.R. Chowdari and S. Madhavi (2012) Fabrication of high energy density hybrid supercapacitors using electrospun V2O5 nanofibers with self-supported carbon nanotube network. ChemPlusChem P. Suresh Kumar, R. Sahay, V. Aravindan, J. Sundaramurthy, W. Chui Ling, V. Thavasi, S.G. Mhaisalkar, S. Madhavi and S. Ramakrishna (2012) Free standing electrospun carbon nanofibers - A high performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, (Accepted) V. Aravindan, M.V. Reddy, G.V. Subba Rao, B.V.R. Chowdari and S. Madhavi (2012) Electrochemical Performance of α-MnO2 Nanorods/Activated Carbon Hybrid Supercapacitor Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters M. Kakran, N. G. Sahoo*, L. Li, Z. Judeh. (2012) Fabrication of Quercetin Nanoparticles by Anti-solvent Precipitation Method for Enhanced Dissolution Powder Technology, 223, 59-64 126 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Subiantoro A., Ooi K.T. (2012) Experimental Investigation of the Revolving Vane (RV-I) Expander Applied Thermal Engineering, accepted Lifei Xi, Phong D. Tran, Sing Yang Chia, Saurabh Bassi Prince, Wai Fatt Mak, Hemant Kumar Mulmudi, Sudip K. Batabyal, James Barber, Joachim Say Chye Loo, Lydia H. Wong (2012) Co3O4 decorated hematite nanorods as photoanode for solar water oxidation Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 116, 13884-13889 V. Aravindan, W. Chui Ling, M.V. Reddy, G.V. Subba Rao, B.V.R. Chowdari and S. Madhavi (2012) Carbon coated nanoLiTi2(PO4)3 electrode for non-aqueous hybrid supercapacitor Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Phong D. Tran, Sudip K. Batabyal, Stevin S. Pramana, James Barber, Lydia H. Wong, Joachim S. C. Loo (2012) Cuprous Oxide/ reduced Graphene Oxide (Cu2O/rGO) Composite PhotoCatalyst for Hydrogen Generation: Employing rGO as Electron Acceptor to Enhance Photocatalytic Activities and Stability of Cu2O Nanoscale, In press, 10.1039/C2NR30881A Prabhakar, R. R., Mathews, N., Jinesh, K. B., Karthik, K. R. G., Pramana, S. S., Varghese, B., Sow, C. H., Mhaisalkar, S (2012) Efficient multispectral photodetection using Mn doped ZnO nanowires Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22, 9678-9683 Lifei Xi , Prince Saurabh Bassi , Sing Yang Chiam, Mak Wai Fatt, Phong D. Tran, James Barber, Joachim Loo and Lydia Helena Won (2012) Surface treatment of hematite photoanodes with zinc acetate for water oxidation. Nanoscale, In press, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30862B Subiantoro, K.T. Ooi. (2012) Analysis of the revolving vane (RV-0) expander, part 2: Verifications of theoretical models International Journal of Refrigeration, In Press Than Zaw Oo, R. Devi Chandra, Natalia Yantara, Rajiv Ramanujam Prabhakar, Lydia H. Wong, Nripan Mathews, Subodh G. Mhaisalkar (2012) Zinc Tin Oxide (ZTO) electron transporting buffer layer in inverted organic solar cell Organic Electronics, 13(5), 870 N.G. Sahoo, Y. Pan, L. Li, S.W. Chan (2012) Graphene-based Materials for Energy Conversion Advanced Materials Fengxia Wei, Tom Baikie, Tao An, Christian Kloc, Jun Wei, and Tim White (2012) Crystal Chemistry of Melilite [CaLa]2[Ga]2[Ga2O7]2: a Five Dimensional Solid Electrolyte Inorganic Chemistry, 51(10), 5941-5949 127 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Tom Baikie, Martin K. Schreyer, Chui Ling Wong, Stevin S. Pramana, Wim T. Klooster, Cristiano Ferraris, Garry J. McIntyre, and T. J. White (2012) A Multi-Domain Gem-Grade Brazilian Apatite American Mineralogist, in press K. Karthikeyan, S. Amaresh, G.W. Lee, V. Aravindan, H. Kim, K.S. Kang, W.S.Kim and Y.S. Lee (2012) Electrochemical performance of cobalt free, Li1.2(Mn0.32Ni0.32Fe0.16)O2 cathodes for lithium batteries Electrochimica Acta D.Y.W. Yu, Y. Reynier, J. Dodd Cardema, Y. Ozawa and R. Yazami (2012) Thermodynamic Study of Lithium-ion Battery Materials MRS Proceedings, 1388 Kale, V. S., Prabhakar, R. R., Pramana, S. S., Rao, M., Sow, C.-H., Jinesh, K. B., Mhaisalkar, S. G (2012) Enhanced electron field emission properties of high aspect ratio silicon nanowire-zinc oxide core-shell arrays Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 14, 4614-4619 R. S. Chaughule, S. Purushotham, R. V. Ramanujan (2012) Magnetic Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section A: Physical Sciences, IN PRESS (IN PRESS), IN PRESS Subiantoro, K.T. Ooi. (2012) Analysis of the revolving vane (RV-0) expander, part 1: Experimental investigations International Journal of Refrigeration, In Press Bhaarathi Natarajan, Luigi Genovese, Mark E. Casida, Thierry Deutsch, Olga N. Burchak, Christian Philouze, Maxim Y. Balakirev (2012) Wavelet-based linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory Chemical physics Ashish Panda and Thambipillai Srikanthan (2012) Psychoacoustic Model Compensation for Robust Speaker Verification in Environmental Noise IEEE Transactions on Audio Speech and Language Processing, 20(3), 945-953 Chen SX, Gooi HB and Wang MQ (2012) Sizing of Energy Storage for Microgrids IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, 3(1), 142-151 R. Prasanth, V. Aravindan and S. Madhavi (2012) Novel polymer electrolyte based on cob-web electrospun multi component polymer blend of polyacrylonitrile/ poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene for lithium ion batteries-Preparation and electrochemical characterization Journal of Power Sources, 202, 299-307 128 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Y.L. Cheah, V. Aravindan and S. Madhavi (2012) Electrochemical lithium insertion behavior of combustion synthesized V2O5 cathodes for lithium-ion batteries Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 159(3), A273-A280 Zheng Bang Lim, Hairong Li, Shuangyong Sun, Jun Yan Lek, Abbie Trewin, Yeng Ming Lam, Andrew C. Grimsdale. (2012) New 3D supramolecular Zn(II)-coordinated self-assembled organic networks Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22, 6218-6231 Jenny Gun, Sneha A. Kulkarni, Wang Xiu, Sudip K. Batabyal, Sergey Sladkevich, Petr V. Prikhodchenko, Vitaly Gutkin, Ovadia Lev (2012) Graphene Oxide Organogel Electrolyte for Quasi Solid Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Electrochemistry Communications, 19, 108-110 R. Cho, J. N. Son, V. Aravindan, H. Kim, K. S. Kang, W. S. Yoon, W. S. Kim and Y. S. Lee (2012) Carbon supported, Al doped-Li3V2(PO4)3 as a high rate cathode material for lithium-ion batteries Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22(14), 6556-6560 Wang Zhiyu, Zhou Liang, Lou Xiong Wen(2012) Metal oxide hollow nanostructures for lithium-ion batteries Advanced Materials, 24, 1903 Yi Zeng, Wenyu. Zhang, Chen Xu, Ni Xiao, Yizhong. Huang, Denis Y.W. Yu, Huey Hoon Hng, Qingyu Yan (2012) One-Step Solvothermal Synthesis of Single Crystalline TiOF2 Nanotubes with High Lithium-ion Battery Performance Chemistry - A European Journal, 18, 4026 Pushkar Kanhere, Jianwei Zheng, Chen Zhong (2012) Synthesis, optical properties and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over Bi3+ Doped NaTaO3 photocatalyst International Journal of Hydrogen Energy MNA Hawlader and Zakaria Mohd. Amin (2012) Desalination Of Seawater Using Solar, Ambient Energy And Waste Heat From Air Conditioning System Desalination and Water Treatment Journal, 42(1-3), 235-240 H.K.F. Cheng, T. Basu, N.G. Sahoo*, L. Li, S.H. Chan (2012) Current Advances in the Carbon Nanotube/Thermotropic Main-chained Liquid Crystalline Polymer Nanocomposites and Their Blends Polymers, 4, 889-912 S.A. Mousavi Shaegh, N.T. Nguyen, S.H. Chan (2012) Air-breathing membraneless laminar flow-based fuel cell with flow-through anode International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37(4), 3466–3476 129 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Y. Luo, J. Jiang, W. Zhou, H. Yang, J. Jiang, X. Qi, H. Zhang, D.Y.W. Yu, C.M. Li and T. Yu (2012) Self-assembly of Well-ordered Whisker-like Manganese Oxide Arrays on Carbon Fiber Paper and Its Application as Electrode Material for Supercapacitors Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22, 8634 Juan Sun, Cheng Sun, Sudip K. Batabyal, Phong D. Tran, Stevin S. Pramana, Lydia H. Wong, Subodh G. Mhaisalkar. (2012) Morphology and stoichiometry control of hierarchical CuInSe2/SnO2 nanostructures by directed electrochemical assembly for solar energy harvesting Electrochemistry Communications, 15(1), 18-21 Li, H., Baikie, T., Pramana, S. S., Shin, J. F., Slater, P. R., Brink, F., Hester, J., Wallwork, K., White, T. J. (2012) Synthesis and characterisation of vanadium doped alkaline earth lanthanum germanate oxyapatite electrolyte Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22(6), 2658-2669 X. M. Ge, Y. N. Fang, and S. H. Chan (2012) Design and optimisation of composite electrodes in solid oxide cells Fuel Cells, 12(1), 61-76 Muthu MS, Kulkarni SA,Liu Y, Feng SS. (2012) Development of docetaxel-loaded vitamin E TPGS micelles: formulation optimization, effects on brain cancer cells and biodistribution in rats Nanomedicine, 7(3), 353-364 Muthu MS, Kulkarni SA, Raju A, Feng SS (2012) Theranostics liposomes of TPGS coating for targeted co-delivery docetaxel and quantum dots Biomaterials, 33(12), 3494-3501 Teck Lip Tam, Hong Hup Ronnie Tan, Wanting Ye, Subodh G. Mhaisalkar, and Andrew C. Grimsdale (2012) One-Pot Synthesis of 4,8-Dibromobenzo[1,2-d;4,5-d ]bistriazole and Synthesis of its Derivatives as New Units for Conjugated Materials Organic Letters, 14(2), 532-535 V. Aravindan and M. Umadevi (2012) Synthesis and characterization of novel LiFeBO3/C cathodes for lithium batteries Ionics, 18(1-2), 27-30 Rashedi, I. Sridhar, K.J. Tseng (2012) Multi-objective material selection for wind turbine blade and tower: Ashby’s approach Materials and Design, 37, 521-532 Ahmad Serjouei, Idapalapati Sridhar, Wong Ee Hua (2012) On the design of Bi-Layer Armor Materials Solid State Phenomena, 185, 48-50 130 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Y. Luo, J. Luo, J. Jiang, W. Zhou, H. Yang, X. Qi, H. Zhang, H. Fan, D.Y.W. Yu, C.M. Li and T. Yu (2012) Seed-assisted Synthesis of Highly Ordered TiO2@ -Fe2O3 Core/Shell Arrays on Carbon Textiles for Lithium-ion Battery Applications. Energy and Environmental Science, 5, 6559 Phong D. Tran, Lydia H. Wong, James Barber, Joachim S.C Loo (2012) Recent advances in hybrid photocatalysts for solar fuel production Energy & Environmental Science, 5, 5902-5918 H.K.F. Cheng, Y. Pan, N.G. Sahoo, K. Chong, L. Li, S.H. Chan, J. Zhao (2012) Improvement in Properties of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Polypropylene Nanocomposites Through Homogeneous Dispersion with the Aid of Surfactants Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 124, 1117-1127 Tang, Y, Wee, P., Lai, Y., Wang, X., Gong, D., Kanhere, P.D., Lim, T.-T., Dong, Z , Chen, Z (2012) Hierarchical TiO2 nanoflakes and nanoparticles hybrid structure for improved photocatalytic activity Journal of Physical Chemistry C M. Kakran, R. Shegokar, N. G. Sahoo, S. Gohla, L. Li, R. H. Müller (2012) Long term stability of quercetin nanocrystals prepared by different methods Journal Of Pharmacy And Pharmacology M. Kakran, R. Shegokar, N. G. Sahoo, A. Shaal, L. Li, R. H. Müller (2012) Fabrication of quercetin nanocrystals: Comparison of different methods European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 80, 113-121 M. Kakran, N. G. Sahoo, I-L. Tan, L. Li. (2012) Preparation of Nanoparticles of Poorly Water Soluble Antioxidant Curcumin by Antisolvent Precipitation Methods Journal of Nanoparticle Research J. Liu, L. Lai, N.G. Sahoo*, W. Zhou,Z. Shen, S.W. Chan (2012) Carbon Nanotube-Based Materials for Fuel Cell Applications Australian Journal of Chemistry H.K.F. Cheng, N.G. Sahoo, Y.P. Tan, Y. Pan, H. Bao, K. Chong, L. Li, S.H. Chan, J. Zhao (2012) Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocomposites Filled with Poly(vinyl alcohol)-grafted Graphene Oxide ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Muthu MS, Kulkarni SA, Xiong J, Feng SS (2012) Vitamin E TPGS coated liposomes enhanced cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of docetaxel in brain cancer cells International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 421, 332-340 131 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS X. Feng, H. B. Gooi and S. X. Chen (2012) An Improved Lithium-ion Battery Model with Temperature Prediction Considering Entropy IEEE PES ISGT Nirnaya Sarangan and Y.K. Tan (2012) Optimal Power Interface Topology for DC Grid Connected LED Lighting System (in-review) 3rd IEEE International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (ICSET’12) Subhadeep Bhattacharya and Y.K.Tan (2012) Design of Static Wireless Charging Coils for Integration into Electric Vehicle (in-review) 3rd IEEE International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (ICSET’12) Nirnaya Sarangan, Yen Kheng Tan (2012) Optimal Power Interface Topology for DC Grid Connected LED Lighting System IEEE-ICSET 2012 Heshan Fernando, Jayantha Siriwardana, Saman Halgamuge (2012) Can a Data Center Heat-Flow Model Be Scaled Down? IEEE International Conference on Information and Automation for Sustainability Leong Hai Koh, Yen Kheng Tan, Peng Wang, Kingjet Tseng (2012) Renewable Energy Integration into Smart Grids: Problems and Solutions - Singapore Experience 2012 IEEE Power Engineering Society General Meeting M. Q. Wang, and H. B. Gooi (2012) Spinning Reserve Estimation in Microgrids IEEE Power&Energy Society General Meeting, 2012 Subiantoro A., Ooi K.T. (2012) Investigation of the Centrifugal Force Effect to a Revolving Vane (RV) Machine 21st International Compressor Engineering Conference at Purdue Jayantha Siriwardana, Saman K. Halgamuge (2012) 2012 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation: Fast Shortest Path Optimization by Shuttle Streaming of Physarum Polycephalum 2012 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (pp. 1-8) Brisbane, Australia: IEEE Wei Fei, Hao Yu, Kiat Seng Yeo, Xiong Liu, and Wei Meng Lim (2012) A 44-to-60GHz, 9.7dBm P1dB, 7.1% PAE Power Amplifier with 2D Distributed Power Combining by Metamaterialbased Zero-Phase-Shifter in 65nm CMOS IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS), Montreal, Canada, (pp. 1-3) Michael L. S. Abundo; Ma. Rosario C. O. Ang; Mario Buhali Jr.; Arjay Cayetano (2012, May ) Development of an Integrated Multi-Site & Multi-Device Rapid Evaluation Tool for Tidal Energy Planning 11th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC), Venice-Athens-Italy-Greece 132 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Michael L. S. Abundo; Ma. Rosario C. O. Ang; Mario Buhali Jr.; Arjay Cayetano. (2012, May ) Tidal In-Stream Energy Density Estimates for Pre-Identified Sites in the Philippines Using a Tide Height DifferenceBased Metric 11th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC), Venice-Athens-Italy-Greece Pushkar Kanhere, Jianwei Zheng and Chen Zhong (2012) 1. Design and Synthesis of Visible-light Active Photocatalysts for Solar Hydrogen Production: An Example with Doped NaTaO3 System UK-Singapore symposium: New approaches to emerging energy systems Michael Abundo, Allan Nerves, Enrico Paringit, Cesar Villanoy (2012) Energy Procedia Vol 14: A Combined Multi-Site and Multi-Device Decision Support System for Tidal In-Stream Energy 2nd International Conference on Advances in Energy Eng ineering (pp. 812-817)Elsevier Ltd Ge Xiaoming (2012) Lanthanum Strontium Vanadate in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing GmbH & Co. KG. Yen Kheng Tan and King Jet Tseng (2012) Low Voltage DC Grid Powered LED Lighting System with Smart Ambient Sensors Control for Energy Conservation in Green Building Smart Grid Infrastructure & Networking. (pp. Chapter 10). Josep M. Guerrero and Yen Kheng Tan (2012) Multiple Distributed Smart Microgrids with Self-Autonomous Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Network Smart Grid Infrastructure & Networking. (pp. Chapter 11) Yen Kheng Tan, Yuanjin Zheng, Huey Chian Foong (2012) Ultralow Power Management Circuit for Optimal Energy Harvesting in Wireless Body Area Network Advanced Circuits for Emerging Technologies. (pp. Chapter 7) Mark E Casida, Bhaarathi Natarajan, Thierry Deutsch (2012) Non-Born-Oppenheimer dynamics and conical intersections Fundamentals of Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (pp. 279--298) Bhaarathi Natarajan, Mark E. Casida, Luigi Genovese, Mark E. Casida, and Thierry Deutsch (2012) Wavelet-based linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory Theoretical and Computational Methods in Modern Density Functional Theory. (pp. in press) Guichuan Xing, Nripan Mathews, Shuangyong Sun, Swee Sien Lim, Yeng Ming Lam, Michael Grätzel, Subodh Mhaisalkar, Tze Chien Sum, Long-Range Balanced Electron- and Hole-Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3 Science 18 October 2013: Vol. 342 no. 6156 pp. 344-347 133 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Guichuan Xing, Low-temperature solution-processed wavelength-tunable perovskites for lasing Nature Materials, 13, 476–480 (2014) Li Baosheng, Chan Siew Hwa PtFeNi tri-metallic alloy nanoparticles as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells with ultra-low Pt loading International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 38, Issue 8, 19 March 2013, Pages 3338–3345 Chang Wei-Chung, Zhou Jin An improved life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) approach for assessing aquatic eco-toxic impact of brine disposal from seawater desalination plants Desalination, Volume 308, 2 January 2013, Pages 233–241 Chang Wei-Chung Decentralized optimization for vapor compression refrigeration cycle Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 51, Issues 1–2, March 2013, Pages 753–763 Bernard Ng Jia Han, Zhang Jiefeng, Apostolos Giannis, Chang Wei-CWang Jing-Yuan Adaptation of urine source separation in tropical cities: Process optimization and odor mitigation Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2013 Apr; 63(4):472-81. Liu Bianxia, Apostolos Giannis, Zhang Jiefeng, Chang Wei-Chung, Yang Linyan, Wang Jing-Yuan Air stripping process for ammonia recovery from source-separated urine: Modeling and Optimization Water Research Liu Bianxia, Apostolos Giannis, Zhang Jiefeng, Chang Wei-Chung, Wang Jing-Yuan Characterization of induced struvite formation from source-separated urine using seawater and brine as magnesium sources Chemeosphere, 2013 Nov;93(11):2738-47 Chang Wei-Chung Removal of cytostatic drugs from aquatic environment: A review Science of the Total Environment, 2013 Feb 15;445-446:281-98 Chang Wei-Chung Human health and thermal comfort of office workers in Singapore Building and Environment, Volume 58, December 2012, Pages 172–178 Han Zhenan, Chang Wei-Chung, Wang Xiaoping, Lim Teik Thye, &Lynn Hildemann Experimental study on visible-light induced photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous formaldehyde by polyester fiber supported photocatalysts Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 218, 15 February 2013, Pages 9–18 134 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Youngho Chang, Yanfei Li Power Generation and Cross-border Grid Planning for the Integrated ASEAN Electricity Market: A Dynamic Linear Programmeming Model Energy strategy reviews, Volume 2, Issue 2, September 2013, Pages 153–160 Riko. I Made; Eric Phua Jian Rong; Stevin Snellius Panama; Wong Chee Cheong; Chen Zhong; Alfred Tok Ling Yoong; Gan Chee Lip Improved Mechanical and Thermomechanical Properties of Alumina Substrate via Iron Doping Scripta Materialia, Volume 68, Issue 11, June 2013, Pages 869–872 Zhang, Y. Y.; Tang, Y. X.; Liu, X. F.; Dong, Z. L.; Hng, H. H.; Chen, Z.; Sum, T. C.; Chen, X. D. Three-Dimensional CdS–Titanate Composite Nanomaterials for Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution Small, Volume 9, Issue 7, pages 996–1002, April 8, 2013 Gao J, Cao S, Tay Q, Liu Y, Yu L, Ye K, Mun PCS, Li Y, Rakesh G, Loo SCJ, Chen Z, Zhao Y, Xue C, Zhang Q Molecule-Based Water-Oxidation Catalysts (WOCs): Cluster-Size-Dependent Dye-Sensitized Polyoxometalates for Visible-Light-Driven O2 Evolution Scientific Reports, 5/17/2013, Vol. 3, p1 Ahmed Sharif, Lim Jun Zhang, Lau Fu Long, Riko I Made, Eric Phua Jian Rong, Lim Ju Dy, Wong Chee Cheong, Gan Chee Lip, Chen Zhong Pb-Free Glass Paste-A Metallization-Free Die Attachment Solution for High Temperature Application on Ceramic Substrates Journal of Electronic Materials, August 2013, Volume 42, Issue 8, pp 2667-2676 Gilbert Foo, Z. Xinan, D. M. Vilathgamuwa A Novel Speed, DC-Link Voltage and Current Sensor Fault Detection and Isolation in IPM Synchronous Motor Drives using an Extended Kalman Filter IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 60(8), 3485-3495 T. D. Nguyen, Gilbert Foo, K. J. Tseng, D. M. Vilathgamuwa Sensorless Control of a Dual-Airgap Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Machine for Flywheel Energy Storage System IET Electric Power Applications, Volume 7 , Issue 2 , Feb. 2013, 140 - 149 Y. Chen, B. Schmidt and D.L. Maskell A hybrid short read mapping accelerator BMC Bioinformatics, 2013, 14:67 L.L. Jiang, D. L. Maskell and J. C. Patra A Novel Ant Colony Optimization-based Maximum Power Point Tracking for Photovoltaic Systems under Partially Shaded Conditions Energy and Buildings, Volume 58, March 2013, Pages 227–236 135 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS L.L. Jiang, D. L. Maskell and J. C. Patra Parameter Estimation of Solar Cells and Modules using an Improved Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm Applied Energy, Volume 112, December 2013, Pages 185–193 D. Nayanasiri, D M Vilathgamuwa and D L Maskell Half-Wave Cycloconverter Based Photovoltaic Microinverter Topology with Phase Shift Power Modulation IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Volume 28 , Issue 6, June 2013, 2700 - 2710 Jingshan Luo, Xinhui Xia, Yongsong Luo, Cao Guan, Jilei Liu, Xiaoying Qi, Chin Fan Ng, Ting Yu, Hua Zhang, and Hong Jin Fan Rational Designed Hierarchical TiO2@Fe2O3 Hollow Nanostructures for Improved Lithium Ion Storage Advanced energy materials, Volume 3, Issue 6, pages 737–743, June, 2013 Liap Tat Su, Siva Krishna Karuturi, Jingshan Luo, Lijun Liu, Xinfeng Liu, Jun Guo, Tze Chien Sum, Renren Deng, Hong Jin Fan, Xiaogang Liu, and Alfred Iing Yoong Tok Photon Upconversion in Heteronanostructured Photoanodes for Enhanced Near-Infrared Light Harvesting Advanced Materials, Volume 25, Issue 11, pages 1603–1607, March 20, 2013 B. Wu, X. Wu, C. Guan, K. F. Tai, E. K. L. Yeow, H. J. Fan, N. Mathews and T. C. Sum Uncovering Loss Mechanisms in Silver Nanoparticle-Blended Plasmonic Organic Solar Cells Nature Communications, 4, Article number: 2004 M. Liu, R. Chen, G. Adamo, K. F. MacDonald, E. J. Sie, T. C. Sum, N. I. Zheludev, H. Sun, and H. J. Fan Tuning the influence of metal nanoparticles on ZnO photoluminescence by atomic-layer-deposited dielectric spacer Nanophotonics, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp.153-160 Guichuan Xing, Jingshan Luo, Hongxing Li, Bo Wu, Xinfeng Liu, Cheng Hon Alfred Huan, Hong Jin Fan, and Tze Chien Sum Ultrafast Exciton Dynamics and Two-Photon Pumped Lasing from ZnSe Nanowires Advanced Optical Materials, Volume 1, Issue 4, pages 319–326, April 2013 B. Sivaneasan, P. L. So, H. B. Gooi, and L. K. Siow Performance Measurement and Analysis of WiMAX-LAN Communication Operating at 5.8 GHz IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, Volume 9, Issue 3, Aug. 2013, 1497 - 1506 Zhu JX, Yin ZY, Yang D, Sun T, Yu H, Hoster, HE, Hng HH, Zhang H, Yan QY Hierarchical hollow spheres composed of ultrathin Fe2O3 nanosheets for lithium storage and photocatalytic water oxidation Energy and Environmental Science, Volume 6, Issue 3, p987-993, 2013 Tan LP, Sun T, Fan SF, Ng LY, Suwardi A, Yan QY, Hng HH Facile synthesis of Cu7Te4 nanorods and the enhanced thermoelectric properties of Cu7Te4–Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 nanocomposites Nano Energy, Vol. 2, 2013, pp. 4-11 (Jan 2013) 136 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Hequn Min, Xiaoyang Huang and Qide Zhang Active Control on Flow-Induced Vibration of the Head Gimbals Assembly in Hard Disk Drives IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Xiaoyang Huang, Hequn Min, and Qide Zhang Feedback control of flow-induced vibrations on head gimbals assembly inside hard disk drives Fluid-Structure-Sound Interactions and Control: Proceedings of the 2nd Symposium on Fluid-Structure-Sound Interactions and Control (Oct. 31 2012-Nov. 2 2012) Hequn Min, Xiaoyang Huang and Qide Zhang Active control of flow-induced vibrations on slider in hard disk drives: experimental demonstration IEEE Transactions on Magnetics (Oct. 31 2012-Nov. 2 2012) Hequn Min, Xiaoyang Huang and Qide Zhang Active control of flow-induced vibrations on slider in hard disk drives by suppressing pressure fluctuations with virtual sensing IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Volume 49 , Issue 3, March 2013, 1088 - 1095 Yuefan Wei, Junhua Kong, Liping Yang , Lin Ke , Hui Ru Tan , Hai Liu, Yizhong Huang, Xiaowei Sun, Xuehong Lu and Hejun Du, Polydopamine-assisted decoration of ZnO nanorods with Ag nanoparticles: an improved photoelectrochemical anode Journal of Materials Chemistry, 1, 5045-5052. Huang Yizhong Nanoscale oxidation of copper in aqueous solution Electrochemistry Communications Guichuan Xing, Nripan Mathews, Shuangyong Sun, Swee Sien Lim, Yeng Ming Lam, Michael Graetzel, Subodh Mhaisalkar, Tze Chien Sum Long-Range Balanced Electron and Hole Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3 Science, 18 October 2013: Vol. 342 no. 6156 pp. 344-347 Yingxi Lu, Liang Liu, Wanling Foo, Shlomo Magdassi, Daniel Mandler, Pooi See Lee Self-assembled polymer layers of linear polyethylenimine for enhancing electrochromic cycling stability Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Issue 23, 2013, 1, 3651-3654 Junhua Kong, Yuefan Wei, Liping Yang, Wu Aik Yee, Yuliang Dong, Rui Zhou, Siew Yee Wong, Lin Ke, Xiao Wei Sun, Hejun Du, Xu Li, and Xuehong Lu Electrospinning-Derived “Hairy Seaweed” and Its Photoelectrochemical Properties Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 04/2013; 117:10106-10113. 137 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Shu Huang , Liping Yang , Ming Liu , Si Lei Phua , Wu Aik Yee , Wanshuang Liu , Rui Zhou , Xuehong Lu Complexes of Polydopamine-Modified Clay And Ferric Ions as the Framework for Pollutant-Absorbing Supramolecular Hydrogels. Langmuir, 2013, 29 (4), pp 1238–1244 Wanshuang Liu, Junhua Kong, Weilong Eric Toh, Rui Zhou, Guoqiang Ding, Shu Huang, Yuliang Dong, Xuehong Lu Toughening of epoxies by covalently anchoring triazole-functionalized stacked-cup carbon nanofibers Composites Science and Technology, Volume 85, 21 August 2013, Pages 1–9 Liping Yang, Si Lei Phua, Cher Ling Toh, Liying Zhang, Han Ling, Mengchee Chang, Dan Zhou, Yuliang Dong and Xuehong Lu Polydopamine-Coated Graphene as Multifunctional Nanofillers in Polyurethane RSC Advances, 2013, 3, 6377. Yuefan Wei, Junhua Kong, Liping Yang , Lin Ke , Hui Ru Tan , Hai Liu , Yizhong Huang , Xiaowei Sun , Xuehong Lu and Hejun Du, Polydopamine-assisted decoration of ZnO nanorods with Ag nanoparticles: an improved photoelectrochemical anode Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Issue 16, 2013, 1, 5045-5052 Junhua Kong, Wu Aik Yee, Yuefan Wei, Liping Yang, Jia Ming Ang, Silei Phua, Siew Yee Wong, Rui Zhou, Yuliang Dong , Xu Li and Xuehong Lu Silicon Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Hollow Graphitized Carbon Nanofibers for Lithium Ion Battery Anode Nanoscale, Issue 7, 2013, 5, 2967-2973 Phua, S. L.; Yang, L.; Toh, C. L.; Guoqiang, D.; Lau, S. K.; Dasari, A.; Lu, X. Simultaneous enhancements of UV resistance and mechanical properties of polypropylene by incorporation of dopamine-modified clay ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Feb 2013, 5(4), 1302-9 Dan Zhou, Rui Zhou, Chuanxiang Chen, Wu-Aik Yee, Junhua Kong, Guoqiang Ding, Xuehong Lu Non-Volatile Polymer Electrolyte Based on Poly(propylene carbonate), Ionic Liquid and Lithium Perchlorate for Electrochromic Devices Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2013, 117, 7783 Chuanxiang Chen, Guoqiang Ding, Dan Zhou, Xuehong Lu Synthesis of poly(aniline-co-3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and its enhanced redox activity under highly basic conditions Electrochimica Acta, Volume 97, 1 May 2013, Pages 112–119 Nguyen, Mai; Tran, Phong D.; Pramana, Stevin S.; Lee, Rui Lin; Batabyal, Sudip K.; Mathews, Nripan; Wong, Lydia H.; Graetzel, Michael In situ photo-assisted deposition of MoS2 electrocatalyst onto zinc cadmium sulphide nanoparticle surfaces to construct an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen generation Nanoscale, vol. 5, num. 4, p. 1479-1482 138 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Ibrahim I.H. and Skote M. Effects of the scalar parameters in the Suzen-Huang model on plasma actuator characteristics International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow, Vol. 23 No. 6, 2013, pp 1076-1103 Skote M Comparison between spatial and temporal wall oscillations in turbulent boundary layer flows Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 730 / September 2013, pp 273-294 Chen Y.H., Skote M., Zhao Y. and Huang W.M. Dragonfly (Sympetrum flaveolum) Flight: Kinematic Measurement and Modelling Journal of Fluids and Structures, Volume 40, July 2013, Pages 115–126 Chen Y.H., Skote M., Zhao Y. and Huang W.M. Stiffness evaluation of the leading edge of the dragonfly wing via laservibrometer Materials Letters, Volume 97, 15 April 2013, Pages 166–168 Samuel K. H. Pang, E. Y. K. Ng, and W. S. Chiu Comparison of Turbulence Models in Near Wake of Transport Plane C-130H Fuselage AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 50, No. 3 (2013), pp. 847-852. Muhammad Jamil, E.Y.K. Ng Ranking of parameters in bioheat transfer using Taguchi analysis International Journal of Thermal Sciences, Volume 63, January 2013, Pages 15–21 K. T. Tan, P. L. So, Y. C. Chu, and M. Z. Q. Chen Coordinated control and energy management of distributed generation inverters in a microgrid IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Volume 28 Issue2, April 2013, 704 - 713 B. Sivaneasan, P. L. So, H. B. Gooi, and L. K. Siow Performance Measurement and Analysis of WiMAX-LAN Communication Operating at 5.8 GHz IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, Volume 9 Issue 3, Aug. 2013, 1497 - 1506 K. T. Tan, P. L. So, Y. C. Chu, and M. Z. Q. Chen A flexible AC distribution system device for a microgrid IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Volume 28 Issue 3,Sept. 2013, 601 - 610 Runqiang Chi, Ahmad Serjouei, Idapalapati Sridhar, Geoffrey E.B. Tan Ballistic impact on bi-layer alumina/aluminium armor: A semi-analytical approach International Journal of Impact Engineering, Volume 52, February 2013, Pages 37–46 Yee Wei Lim, Hae-jin Choi, Sridhar Idapalapati Design of Alporas aluminum alloy foam cored hybrid sandwich plates using Kriging optimization Composite Structures, Volume 96, February 2013, Pages 17–28 139 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS A. Rashedi, I. Sridhar, K.J. Tseng Life cycle assessment of 50 MW wind firms and strategies for impact reduction Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 21, May 2013, Pages 89–101 A. Banerjee, U. Singh, V. Aravindan, S. Madhavi and S. Ogale Synthesis of CuO nanostructures from Cu-based metal organic framework (MOF-199) for application as anode for Li-ion batteries Nano Energy, Volume 2, Issue 6, November 2013, Pages 1158–1163 V. Aravindan, N. Shubha, W.C. Ling, S. Madhavi Constructing high energy density non-aqueous Li-ion capacitors using monoclinic TiO2-B nanorods Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Issue 20, 2013, 1, 6145-6151 Xiang Zhanga, Vanchiappan Aravindan, Palaniswamy Suresh Kumar, Huihui Liu, Sundaramuthy Jayaraman, Seeram Ramakrishna and Srinivasan Madhavi Synthesis of TiO2 hollow nanofibers by co-axial electrospinning and its superior lithium storage capability in fullcell assembly with olivine phosphate Nanoscale, 2013 Jul 7, 5(13):5973-80 Nicolas Bucher; Steffen Hartung; Irina Gocheva; Yan L. Cheah; Madhavi Srinivasan; Harry E. Hoster Combustion-synthesized sodium manganese (cobalt) oxides as cathodes for sodium ion batteries Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, July 2013, Volume 17, Issue 7, pp 1923-1929 Yan Ling Cheah; Vanchiappan Aravindan; Srinivasan Madhavi Synthesis and Enhanced Lithium Storage Properties of Electrospun V2O5 Nanofibers in Full-Cell Assembly with a Spinel Li4Ti5O12 Anode ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2013 Apr 24;5(8):3475-80 A. Banerjee, S. Bhatnagar, D. Mhamane, V. Aravindan, S. Madhavi and S. Ogale Superior lithium storage properties of α-Fe2O3 nano-assembled spindles Nano Energy, Volume 2, Issue 5, September 2013, Pages 890–896 V. Aravindan, K.B. Jinesh, R.R. Prabhakar, V.S. Kale and S. Madhavi Atomic layer deposited (ALD) SnO2 anodes with exceptional cycleability for Li-ion batteries Nano Energy, Volume 2, Issue 5, September 2013, Pages 720–725 V. Aravindan, J. Gnanaraj, Y.S. Lee and S. Madhavi LiMnPO4-A next generation cathode material for Lithium-ion batteries Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Issue 11, 2013 V. Aravindan, P. Suresh Kumar, J. Sundaramurthy, W.C. Ling, S. Ramakrishna and S. Madhavi Electrospun NiO Nanofibers as High Performance Anode Material for Li-Ion Batteries Journal of Power Sources, Volume 227, 1 April 2013, Pages 284–290 140 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS J. Sundaramurthy, V. Aravindan, P. Suresh Kumar, W.C. Ling, S. Ramakrishna and S. Madhavi Synthesis of porous LiMn2O4 hollow nanofibers by electrospinning with extraordinary lithium storage properties Chemical Communications, Issue 59, 2013, 49, 6677-6679 Cheah, Y. L.; Aravindan, V.; Madhavi, S. Chemical Lithiation Studies on Combustion Synthesized V2O5 Cathodes with Full Cell Application for Lithium Ion Batteries. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2013 160(8): A1016-A1024 Yan L. Cheah, Robin von Hagen, Vanchiappan Aravindan, Raquel Fiz, Sanjay Mathur, Srinivasan Madhavi High-rate and elevated temperature performance of electrospun V2O5 nanofibers carbon-coated by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition Nano Energy, Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 57–64 Teh, P.F., Sharma, Y., Ko, Y.W., Pramana, S.S., Srinivasan, M. 90 90 Tuning the morphology of ZnMn2O4 lithium ion battery anodes by electrospinning and its effect on electrochemical performance RSC Advances, Issue 8, 2013, 3, 2812-2821 D. Mhamane, V. Aravindan, A. Suryawanshi, A. Banerjee, S. Ogale and S. Madhavi 91 91 Non-aqueous energy storage devices using graphene nanosheets synthesized by green route AIP Advances, vol. 3, issue 4, p. 042112 T. Baikie, Y. Fang, J. M. Kadro, M. Schreyer, F. Wei, S. G. Mhaisalkar, M. Graetzel and T. J. White 92 92 Synthesis and Crystal Chemistry of the Hybrid Perovskite (CH3NH3)PbI3 for Solid-State Sensitised Solar Cell Applications Journal of Materials Chemistry, vol. 1, num. 18, p. 5628-5641 Guichuan Xing, Nripan Mathews, Shuangyong Sun, Swee Sien Lim, Yeng Ming Lam, Michael Graetzel, Subodh Mhaisalkar, Tze Chien Sum Long-Range Balanced Electron and Hole Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3 Science 18, October 2013: Vol. 342 no. 6156 pp. 344-347 Xiaoxiao Song, Zhaoyang Liu and Darren Delai Sun Energy recovery from concentrated seawater brine by thin-film nanofiber composite pressure retarded osmosis membranes with high power density Energy and Environmental Science, Issue 4, 2013, 6, 1199-1210 M. Liu, R. Chen, G. Adamo, K. F. MacDonald, E. J. Sie, T. C. Sum, N. I. Zheludev, H. Sun, and H. J. Fan Tuning the influence of metal nanoparticles on ZnO photoluminescence by atomic-layer-deposited dielectric spacer Nanophotonics, 2013; 2(2): 153–160 141 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Jeffrey C. K. Lam, Tsuhau Ng, Khalid Dawood, Fan Zhang, Anyan Du, Handong Sun, Zexiang Shen, Zhihong Mai Evidence of Ultra-Low-k Dielectric Material Degradation and Nanostructure Alteration of the Cu/Ultra-Low-k Interconnects in Time-Depende Applied Physics Letters, 102, 022908 (2013); T. C. He, Z. B. Lim, L. Ma, H.R. Li, D. Rajwar, Y. J. Ying, Z.y. Di, A. C. Grimsdale, and H. D. Sun Large Two-photon Absorption of Terpyridine-based Quadrupolar Derivatives: Towards The Applications of Optical Limiting and Biological Imaging Chemistry: An Asian Journal, 2013 Mar;8(3):564-71 R. Chen, V. D. Ta, F. Xiao, Q. Y. Zhang, and H. D. Sun* Multicolor Hybrid Upconversion Nanoparticles and Their Improved Performance as Luminescence Temperature Sensors Due to Energy Transfer Small, Volume 9, Issue 7, pages 1052–1057, April 8, 2013 R. Chen, Q.L. Ye, T. C. He, V. D. Ta, Y. J. Ying, Y. Y. Tay, T. Wu, and H.D. Sun Excitons Localization and Optical Properties Improvement in Nanocrystals-Embedded ZnO Core-Shell Nanowires Nano Letters, 2013 Feb 13;13(2):734-9 V. D. Ta, R. Chen, Lin Ma, Y. J. Ying, and H. D. Sun Whispering Gallery Mode Microlasers and Refractive Index Sensing based on Single Polymer Fiber Laser & Photonics Review, Vol. 7, No. 1, 133–139 (2013) Y. Wang, X. Yang, T. C. He, Y. Gao, H. V. Demir, X. W. Sun, and H. D. Sun Near resonant and nonresonant third-order optical nonlinearities of colloidal InP/ZnS quantum dots Applied Physics Letters, Volume 102, Issue 2, id. 021917 V. D. Ta, R. Chen, D. M. Nguyen, and H. D. Sun Application of Self-Assembled Hemispherical Microlasers as Gas Sensors Applied Physics Letters, 102, 031107 (2013) R. Q. Wee, W. F. Yang, T. J. Zhou, R. Chen, H. D. Sun, C. F. Wang, Alex Y. S. Lee, and H. Gong Development of ZnO Nanostructured Films via Sodium Chloride Solution and Investigation of Its Growth Mechanism and Optical Properties Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Volume 96, Issue 6, pages 1972–1977, June 2013 S. Karamat, R. S. Rawat, T. L. Tan, P. Lee, S. V. Springham, Anis-ur-Rehman, R. Chen, and H. D. Sun Exciting Dilute Magnetic Semiconductor: Copper-Doped ZnO Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism, January 2013, Volume 26, Issue 1, pp 187-195 V. D. Ta, R. Chen, and H. D. Sun Tuning Whispering Gallery Mode Lasing from Self-Assembled Polymer Droplets Scientific Reports, 3, Article number: 1362 142 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS S.C. Joshi, S.K. Bhudolia Impact study of microwave-thermally cured cross and angle-ply CFRP prepreg composites [ Submitted on 30th March 2013, Under Review] International Journal of Aerospace Engineering Joshi Sunil C., A. Dineshkumar Heat transfer efficiency of aluminium substrates with embedded semi-active thermal control device Heat Transfer Engineering, Volume 34, Issue 11-12, 2013, pages 985-993 S.C. Joshi, S.K. Bhudolia Microwave -Thermal Technique for Energy and Time Efficient Curing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Prepreg Composites Journal of Composite Materials, October 1, 2013 0021998313504606 T. Baikie, Y. Fang, J. M. Kadro, M. Schreyer, F. Wei, S. G. Mhaisalkar, M. Graetzel and T. J. White Synthesis and Crystal Chemistry of the Hybrid Perovskite (CH3NH3)PbI3 for Solid-State Sensitised Solar Cell Applications Journal of Materials Chemistry, Issue 18, 2013, 1, 5628-5641 F. Wei, T. Williams, T. An, T. Baikie, C. Kloc, J. Wei and T. White Observations of Atomic Scale Compositional and Displacive Modulations in Incommensurate Melilite Electrolytes Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Volume 203, July 2013, Pages 291–296 T. An, T. Baikie, J. F. Shin, P. R. Slater, S. Li and T. J. White Oxygen Migration in Dense Spark Plasma Sintered Aluminium-doped Neodymium Silicate Apatite Electrolytes Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Volume 96, Issue 11, pages 3457–3462, November 2013 T. An, T. Baikie, F. Wei, S. S. Pramana, M. K. Schreyer, R. O. Piltz, J. F. Shin, J. Wei, P. R. Slater, T. J. White Crystallographic Correlations with Anisotropic Oxide Ion Conduction in Aluminium-Doped Neodymium Silicate Apatite Electrolytes Chemistry of Materials (2013), 25 (7), pp. 1109-1120 T. D. Nguyen, Gilbert Foo, K. J. Tseng, D. M. Vilathgamuwa Sensorless Control of a Dual-Airgap Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Machine for Flywheel Energy Storage System IET Electric Power Applications, Volume 7 Issue 2,Feb. 2013, 140 - 149 A. Rashedi, I. Sridhar, K.J. Tseng Life cycle assessment of 50 MW wind firms and strategies for impact reduction Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 21, May 2013, Pages 89–101 Shan Yin, King Jet Tseng, Jiyun Zhao Design of AIN-based micro-channel heat sink in direct bond copper for power electronics packaging Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 52, Issue 1, 5 April 2013, Pages 120–129 143 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS You S and Wan MP Mathematical Models for the van der Waals Force and Capillary Force between a Rough Particle and Surface Langmuir, 2013, 29 (29), pp 9104–9117 X. Liu, P. C. Loh, P. Wang and F. Blaabjerg A Direct Power Conversion Topology for Grid Integration of Hybrid AC/DC Energy Resources IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Volume 60 Issue 12,Dec. 2013, 5696 - 5707 Q. Zhao, P. Wang, L. Goel and Y. Ding Impacts of Contingency Reserve on Nodal Price and Nodal Reliability Risk in Deregulated Power Systems IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 2013, Volume 28 Journal number 3, Pages 2497-2506 P. Wang, L. Goel, X. Liu and F. Choo Harmonizing AC and DC: A Hybrid AC/DC Future Grid Solution IEEE Power and Energy Magazine, 11(3), 76-83 X. Liu, P. C. Loh, P. Wang and F. Blaabjerg Distributed Generation using Indirect Matrix Converter in Reverse Power Mode IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Volume 28 Issue 3,March 2013, 1072 - 1082 X. Liu, P. Wang, P. C. Loh, and F. Blaabjerg A Three-phase Dual-Input Matrix Converter for Grid Integration of Two AC Type Energy Resources IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Volume 60 Issue 1, Jan. 2013, Pages 20 – 30 A. Mehrtash, P. Wang, L. Goel Reliability Evaluation of Restructured Power Systems Using a Novel OPF-Based Approach IET Proceedings Generation, Transmission & Distribution D. Q. Dang, Y. Wang and W. J. Cai Offset-free Predictive Control for Variables Speed Wind Turbines IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Volume 4 Issue 1, Jan. 2013, Pages 2 - 10 Si Wu, Youyi Wang and Shijie Chneg Extreme Learning Machine Based Wind Speed Estimation and Sensorless Control for Wind Turbine Power Generation System Neurocomputing, Volume 102, 15 February 2013, Pages 163–175 W. Meng, W. Xiao, and L. Xie A Projection Based Fully Distributed Approach for Source Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks Ad Hoc & Sensor Wireless Networks, 2013, Vol. 18 Issue 1/2, p131 Tan LP, Sun T, Fan SF, Ng LY, Suwardi A, Yan QY, Hng HH Facile synthesis of Cu7Te4 nanorods and the enhanced thermoelectric properties of Cu7Te4–Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 nanocomposites Nano Energy, Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 4–11 144 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Zhu JX, Yin ZY, Yang D, Sun T, Yu H, Hoster, HE, Hng HH, Zhang H, Yan QY Hierarchical hollow spheres composed of ultrathin Fe2O3 nanosheets for lithium storage and photocatalytic water oxidation Energy and Environmental Science, 6 (3), (2013) 987 – 993 Ong, C.J., Yap, F.F., Djamari, D.W. An Investigation Into The Use of Four – Bar Linkage Mechanism as Actuator for Hard-Disk Drive IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Volume 49 Issue 6, June 2013, Pages 2466 - 2472 YS Zhang, FF Yap A Knowledge-based Web Platform for Collaborative Physical System Modelling and Simulation Journal of Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Mar 2013 Ashkan Haji Hosseinloo, Nader Vahdati, Fook Fah Yap Parametric shock analysis of spade-less lightweight wheeled military vehicles subjected to cannon firing impact: feasibility study of spade removal Journal of Vibration and Acoustics-Transaction, Dec2013, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p183 A. H. Hosseinloo, F. F. Yap, L. Y. Lim Design and analysis of shock and random vibration isolation system for a discrete model of submerged jet impingement cooling system Journal of Vibration and Control, July 8, 2013 1077546313490186 A. H. Hosseinloo, F.F. Yap, N. Vahdati Analytical Random Vibration Analysis of Boundary-Excited Thin Rectangular Plates International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics, Volume 13, Issue 03, April 2013 Deyun Cai, Yang Shang, Hao Yu, and Junyan Ren Design of Ultra-low Power 60 GHz Direct-conversion Receivers in 65nm CMOS IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 09/2013; 61(9):3360-3372 Hanhua Qian, Chiphong Chang, and Hao Yu An Efficient Channel Clustering and Flow Rate Allocation Algorithm for Non-uniform Microfluidic Cooling of 3D Integrated Circuits Integration, the VLSI Journal, Volume 46, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 57–68 Wei Fei, Hao Yu, Yang Shang, and Kiat Seng Yeo A 2-D Distributed Power Combining by Metamaterial-Based Zero Phase Shifter for 60-GHz Power Amplifier in 65nm CMOS IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 61 Issue 1, Jan. 2013, Pages 505 - 516 145 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Wei Fei, Hao Yu, Yang Shang, Deyun Cai, and Junyan Ren A 96 GHz Oscillator by High-Q Differential Transmission Line loaded with Complementary Split Ring Resonator in 65nm CMOS IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems Part II-Express Briefs, 60(3), 127-131 Deyun Cai, Haipeng Fu, Junyan Ren, Wei Li, Ning Li, Hao Yu, and Kiat Seng Yeo A Dividerless PLL with Low Power and Low Reference Spur by Aperture-Phase Detector and Phase-to-Analog Converter IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Volume 60 Issue 1, Jan. 2013, Pages 37 - 50 Fang Gong, Sina Basir-Kazeruni, Lei He and Hao Yu Stochastic Behavioral Modeling Analysis of Analog/Mixed-Signal Circuits IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, Volume 32 Issue 1, Jan. 2013, Pages 24 - 33 Sina Basir-Kazeruni, Hao Yu, Fang Gong, Yu Hu, Chunchen Liu, and Lei He SPECO: Stochastic Perturbation based Clock Tree Optimization Considering Temperature Uncertainty Integration, the VLSI Journal, Volume 46, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 22–32 Hao Yu, Wei Fei, Haipeng Fu, Junyan Ren, and Kiat Seng Yeo Design and Analysis of Wide Frequency-tuning-range CMOS 60GHz VCO by Switching Inductor Loaded Transformer IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I-Regular Papers, Volume 61 Issue 3, March 2014, Pages 699 - 711 Yang Shang, Hao Yu, and Wei Fei Design and Analysis of CMOS based Terahertz Integrated Circuits by Causal Fractional-order RLGC Transmission Line Model IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems, Volume 3, Issue 3, Sept. 2013, Pages 355 - 366 Tze Sian Pui, Yu Chen, Chee Chung Wong, Revanth Nadipalli, Roshan Weerasekera, Sunil K. Arya, Hao Yu, and Abdur R. A. Rahman High Density CMOS Electrode Array for High-throughput and Automated Cell Counting Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical, Volume 181, May 2013, Pages 842–849 Wei Wu, Fang Gong, Hao Yu, and Lei He Exploiting Parallelism by Data Dependency Elimination: A Case Study of Circuit Simulation Algorithms IEEE Design & Test of Computers, Volume 30 Issue 1,Feb. 2013, Pages 26 - 35 Yang Shang, Hao Yu, Deyun Cai, Junyan Ren, and Kiat Seng Yeo Design of High-Q Millimeter-wave Oscillator by Differential Transmission Line Loaded with Metamaterial Resonator in 65nm CMOS IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol.61, no.5, pp1892-1902, May 2013 146 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Gao J, Cao S, Tay Q, Liu Y, Yu L, Ye K, Mun PCS, Li Y, Rakesh G, Loo SCJ, Chen Z, Zhao Y, Xue C, Zhang Q Molecule-Based Water-Oxidation Catalysts (WOCs): Cluster-Size-Dependent Dye-Sensitized Polyoxometalates for Visible-Light-Driven O2 Evolution Nature, Article number: 1853 Han Zhenan(CEE), Chen Ailu(CEE), &Wu Yaoxing, Chang Wei-Chung(CEE) Air quality and personal exposure in a middle-sized shipyard in Singapore (Conference Paper) Environment and Health—Bridging South, North, East and West, 19–23 August 2013 Dy, Lim Ju; Rong, Eric Phua Jian ; Riko, I Made ; Sharif, Ahmed ; Zhang, Lim Jun ; Long, Lau Fu ; Lip, Gan Chee ; Zhong, Chen ; MinWoo, Daniel Rhee ; Cheong, Wong Chee Study of thin film metallization adhesion in ceramic multichip module Electronics Packaging Technology Conference (EPTC), 2012 IEEE 14th, 5-7 Dec. 2012, pages 67 - 71 Lau, Fu Long; Riko, I Made ; Putra, Wahyuaji Narotyama ; Rong, Eric Phua Jian ; Zhang, Lim Jun ; Dy, Lim Ju; Cheong, Wong Chee ; Zhong, Chen ; Nachiappan, Vivek Chidambaram ; Lip, Gan Chee Study of electrical property of Au-Ge eutectic solder alloys for high temperature electronics Electronics Packaging Technology Conference (EPTC), 2012 IEEE 14th, 5-7 Dec. 2012,pages 30 - 33 Eric Phua Jian Rong, Liu Ming ,I Made Riko, Wong Chee Cheong, Chen Zhong, Gan Chee Lip Novel encapsulation materials for High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) applications International Conference and Exhibition on High Temperature Electronics Network (HiTEN) 2013, July 8-10 2013 Eric Phua Jian Rong, I Made Riko, Ahmed Sharif, Wong Chee Cheong, Chen Zhong, Daniel Rhee MinWoo, Gan Chee Lip Electronic packages for high pressure applications Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), 2013 IEEE 63rd, 28-31 May 2013, pages 2342 – 2348 Eric Phua Jian Rong, I Made Riko , Eva Wai Leong Ching, Jason Scott Herrin, Wong Chee Cheong, Chen Zhong, Vivek Chidambaram Nachiappan, Gan Chee Lip, Daniel Rhee Min Woo Investigation on the reliability of wire bonding with different pad surface finishes for harsh environment applications I Made Riko, Eric Phua Jian Rong, Tan Key Wen, Ong Wei Chuan, Clare Huang Guanqi, Ong Hock Guan, Vivek Chidambaram Nachiappan, Wong Chee Cheong, Chen Zhong, Gan Chee Lip Evaluation of Refractory Metals for Package Level Interconnection in a Harsh Environment International Conference and Exhibition on High Temperature Electronics Network (HiTEN) 2013, July 8-10, 2013 Xiaoyang Huang, Hequn Min, and Qide Zhang Active control of flow-induced vibrations inside hard disk drives Annual Conference on Information Storage and Process Systems (23rd : 2013) Hequn Min, Xiaoyang Huang, Qide Zhang, and Xin Xia Narrowband performance of active control on flow-induced vibrations inside hard disk drives Annual Conference on Information Storage and Process Systems (23rd : 2013) 147 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Riko, I Made; Pramana, Stevin Snellius ; Rong, Eric Phua Jian ; Cheong, Wong Chee ; Zhong, Chen ; Yoong, Alfred Tok Iing ; Lip, Gan Chee Study of metal additives to alumina substrate for high temperature and pressure application Electronics Packaging Technology Conference (EPTC), 2012 IEEE 14th, 5-7 Dec. 2012, pages 48 - 51 Ho Chun Wan John, Zhang Tianliang, Cai Yongan, Sudip Kumar Batabyal, Lim Hui Min, Alfred Tok Iing Yoong, Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar, Lydia Helena Wong Carbon Free CuIn(S,Se)2 Devices on Mo Substrates by Aqueous Spray Pyrolysis 2013 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit, San Francisco, California, April 1-5 2013 Zeng Xin, Tai Kong Fai, Zhang Tianliang, Ho Chun Wan John, Lydia Helena Wong, Chen Xiaodong, Subodh Gautam Mhaisalkar Kesterite solar cell with 5.1% efficiency using solution based chemical spray pyrolysis of Cu2ZnSnS4 followed by selenization. 2013 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit, San Francisco, California, April 1-5 2013 K. H. Kwan, K. T. Tan, and P. L. So An unified power quality conditioner for load sharing and power quality improvement 2012 Asia-Pacific Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (APEMC),21-24 May 2012, pages 963 - 967 B. F. Wang, K. T. Tan, and P. L. So Low cross regulation SIMO DC/DC converter with model predictive voltage control 2013 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting (PES), 21-25 July 2013, pages 1 - 5 J. Hu, L. Xie and J, Xu Vision-Based Multi-agent Cooperative Target Search 2012 12th International Conference on Control Automation Robotics & Vision (ICARCV), 5-7 Dec. 2012, pages 895-900 Yang Shang, Chun Zhang, Hao Yu, Chuan Seng Tan, Xin Zhao, and Sung Kyu Lim Thermal-reliable 3D Clock-tree Synthesis Considering Nonlinear Electrical-thermal-coupled TSV 2013 18th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), January 2013 Deyun Cai, Yang Shang, Hao Yu, Junyan Ren, and Kiat Seng Yeo A 76 GHz Oscillator by High-Q Differential Transmission Line Loaded with Split Ring Resonator in 65-nm CMOS 2013 IEEE 13th Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic Integrated Circuits in RF Systems (SiRF), 21-23 Jan. 2013, pages 111 - 113 Xiwei Huang, Jia Hao Cheong, Hyouk-Kyu Cha, Hongbin Yu, Minkyu Je, and Hao Yu A High-frequency Transimpedance Amplifier for CMOS Integrated 2D CMUT Array towards 3D Ultrasound Imaging Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (35th : 2013 : Osaka, Japan) 148 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Wei Fei, Hao Yu, Wei Meng Lim, and Junyan Ren A 53-to-73GHz Power Amplifier with 74.5mW/mm2 Power Density by 2D Differential Power Combining in 65nm CMOS 2013 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC), 2-4 June 2013, pages 271 - 274 Yang Shang, Wei Fei, and Hao Yu A Fractional-order RLGC Model for Terahertz Transmission Line 2013 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest (IMS), 2-7 June 2013, pages 1 - 3 Sai Manoj, and Hao Yu, Cyber-Physical management for Heterogeneously Integrated 3D Thousand-core On-chip Microprocessor Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Yang Shang, Haipeng Fu, Hao Yu, and Junyan Ren A -78dBm Sensitivity 96GHz Super-regenerative Receiver with Quench-controlled Metamaterial Oscillator in 65nm CMOS IEEE International Symposium of Radio-frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC), June 2013 Yang Song, Hao Yu, Sai Manoj P.D., and Guoyong Shi, SRAM Dynamic Stability Verification by Reachability Analysis with Consideration of Threshold Voltage Variation ACM International Symposium on Physical Design (ISPD), March 2013 H. Qian, H. Liang, C. H. Chang, W. Zhang and H. Yu, Thermal simulator of 3D-IC with modeling of anisotropic TSV conductance and microchannel entrance effects 2013 18th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), 22-25 Jan. 2013, pages 485 - 490 Ali Mesgarani, Haipeng Fu, Mei Yan, Hao Yu, and Suat Ay A 5-Bit 1.25GS/S 4.7mW Delay-Based Pipelined ADC in 65nm CMOS 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), 19-23 May 2013, pages 2018 - 2021 Sai Manoj P.D., Kanwen Wang, and Hao Yu Peak Power Reduction by Space-time Multiplexing based Demand-supply Matching for 3D Thousand-core Microprocessors 2013 50th ACM / EDAC / IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC), May 29 - June 7 2013, pages 1-6 Yang Song, Haipeng Fu, Hao Yu, and Guoyong Shi Stable Backward Reachability Correction for PLL Verification with Consideration of Environmental Noise Induced Jitter 2013 18th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), 22-25 Jan. 2013, pages 755 - 760 Shunli Ma, Wei Fei, Hao Yu, and Junyan Ren A 75.7GHz to 102GHz Rotary-traveling-wave VCO by Tunable Composite Right /Left Hand T-line 2013 IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), 22-25 Sept. 2013, pages 1 - 4 149 Energy Research Institute @ NTU Annual Report 2012-2014 PUBLICATIONS Kanwen Wang, Hao Yu, Benfei Wang and Chun Zhang 3D Reconfigurable Power Switch Network for Demand-supply Matching between Multi-output Power Converters and Many-core Microprocessors 2013 Design, Automation & Test in Europe Conference & Exhibition (DATE), 18-22 March 2013,pages 1643 - 1648 Yuhao Wang and Hao Yu An Ultralow-power Memory-based Big-data Computing Platform by Nonvolatile Domain-wall Nanowire Devices 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED), 4-6 Sept. 2013, pages 329 - 334 Youngho Chang, Yanfei Li Chapter 9: Towards an Integrated Asia-Pacific Natural Gas Market Deepen Understanding and Move Forward: Energy Market Integration in East Asia, Kimura, F. and X. Shi (eds.). ERIA Research Project Report 2010-25, Jakarta: ERIA. pp.237-265. Youngho Chang, Yanfei Li Chapter 24: The Singapore Electricity Market: From Partial to Full Competition Evolution of Global Electricity Markets, Fereidoon Sioshansi, Academic Press. Pages 739-756 Youngho Chang, Yanfei Li Chapter 9: Rapid Growth at What Cost? Impact of Energy Efficiency Policies in Developing Economies Energy Efficiency: Towards the end of Demand Growth, Fereidoon P. Sioshansi. Academic Press. Pages 227 - 250 CREDITS Editor Claude Guet (Prof) Contributors Anshuman Tripathi (Dr) | Arvind Singh (Dr) | Bassel de Graff | Ding Ovi Lian (Dr) | Jo Zhang Zhe | Jyothi Nirupam | Kanhere Pushkar Dilip (Dr) | Karthikeya BR | Kei-Leong Ho | Koh Eng Kiong | Lydia Helena Wong (Asst Prof) | Marla Jill Goodman | Mary Ann Joy Quirapas | Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo (Dr) | Mohan Kumar | Narasimalu Srikanth (Dr) | Nilesh Jadhav | Nripan Mathews (Asst Prof) | Pablo P Boix (Dr) | Paul Hibbard | Peng Li | Priya Pawar | Ravindran Pallaniappan | Sally Chan Kam Sim | Simon Seah Kah Woon (Dr) | Sudip Kumar Batabyal (Dr) | Tang Meng Ching | Zhichuan J. Xu Additional Photography Ong Day Cheng Publication Compiler Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah 150 Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) 1 Cleantech Loop, #06-04 CleanTech One, Singapore 637141 Phone: (65) 6592 1786/ 2468 Email: d-erian@ntu.edu.sg erian.ntu.edu.sg