Energy Systems for the Built Environment
Background
In our research group, The Built Environment Energy Systems Group (BEESG), we specialize in system studies of new energy technologies and engineering solutions for the built environment. Given the wide range of new and emerging technologies for buildings and urban environments – from diverse mature technologies such as solar cells and energy-efficient windows to cutting-edge technologies like autonomous vehicles – improved knowledge is needed on how to introduce and combine these in existing urban energy systems while improving the function of the whole system.
Aims
The main aim of the research is to improve the knowledge on how new energy technologies and systems can be resource-efficiently integrated into the built environment while avoiding sub-optimizations. The research also aims at developing state-of-the-art system models for studying these questions.
Approaches
We use system-analytical and mathematical methods such as simulation, optimization, probabilistic modeling and machine learning to study the whole chain from utilization of renewable energy sources to integration of technologies into distribution systems. The output of the research ranges from basic knowledge about natural phenomena, such as the variability of solar irradiance on the urban scale, to practically applicable knowledge and innovations, such as the potential contribution of building-applied solar cells on city-scale and freely available state-of-the-art simulation programs for energy systems.
Keywords
Built environment, Buildings, Energy system, Solar, Transports, Distribution systems
Links
Link to the webpage “Civil and Industrial Engineering” at Uppsala University
Project leader
Joakim Widén, Professor, Division of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering
Other project members
Dahlström, Lukas, PhD student
Fachrizal, Reza, PhD student
Johari, Fatemeh, PhD student
Lindberg, Oskar, PhD student
Lingfors, David, Assistant Professor
Monie, Svante, PhD student
Munkhammar, Joakim, Associate Professor
Ramadhani, Umar Hanif, PhD student
Shepero, Mahmoud, Postdoctoral fellow
Åberg, Magnus, Associate Professor
All members are at the Division of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering
Other funding agencies
The Swedish Energy Agency
Formas
Vinnova