A Novel Environment/Solar-Interactive and Building-Integrate-able Power Generation System Enabling Harness of Solar and Environmental Energy

The electrical demand of buildings accounts for around 50% of the EU's energy consumption. To fulfil the EU's climate change commitments and meet its energy saving goals, the power sector must sharply cut its use of fossil fuels. Existing building integratable power generation (BIPGs) units cannot harness solar and environment energy simultaneously. The proposed MSCA project will investigate a novel Environment/Solar-Interactive and Building-Integrate-able Power Generation (ESI-BIPG) unit that can harness both the solar and environmental energy simultaneously, and thus, provide a relatively stable and larger power output compared to the existing BIPGs. Novelties of the research lie in: (1) The first-of-its-kind season-dependent, heat-flow-adjustable heat pipe panel array (HP) enabling the heat flow from the PV to be altered seasonally, leading to the positive heat addition to the temperature-difference-driven heat flow and enhanced power output of the ESI-BIPG all year round; (2) A unique shape-stabilized phase change material (SSPCM) enabling the increased heat storage capacity, and stabilised phase transition temperature compared to traditional SSPCMs; (3) A novel coupled-energy-efficiency oriented collaborative and integrated method able to create an integrated solution for the coupled mathematical equations to achieve the maximum energy efficiency of the ESI-BIPG; and (4) A novel 'life-cycle-power-cost' oriented socio-economic assessment method able to provide a multi-factor-impacting solution for the ESI-BIPG. The project tasks include research framework development, theoretical study and computer modelling, experimental testing and model validation/refinement, and socio-economic performance study. The project will attract an experienced researcher with particular knowledge in SSPCM, BIPV and heat and mass transfer into Europe, which will achieve transfer of knowledge from outside into Europe, and thus help growing EU's knowledge-based economy and society.