Research at the Division of Heat and Power Technology encompasses the analysis and design of critical components and systems linked to thermal and mechanical energy conversion. Strongly technical approaches are taken to harness renewable energy – solar, wind, and biomass – for providing sustainable electricity, heat, cooling, pure water, and other energy services to single households up to entire cities or regions.
Research Areas
Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Energy Networks
How can a multitude of existing and new energy components be interconnected for creating synergies such as reduced primary energy use and lower CO2 emissions? How can advanced computational power be adapted to remake the energy system of cities for the improvement of its inhabitants?
How do aerodynamics and aeromechanics contribute to next-generation designs of compressors, expanders, and high-performance components? What ramifications will these developments have for power generation, aviation, and space?
How can heat transfer be effectively applied in the analysis and design of thermally driven components for high efficiency, favorable environmental performance, and low cost? How can this knowledge lead to advances in related thermal processes with applications in electricity production, thermal energy storage, water purification, and others?
How can a wide variety of non-food biomass resources be employed to provide electricity, heat, and value-added products and energy services in sustainable and cost-effective ways? What technical solutions are possible for the development of advanced thermochemical processes?
How can solar and wind resources be most efficiently employed at large scale to provide electricity to cities and industry? What technologies will be critical for matching energy supply to end use, and for enabling zero or negative CO2 emissions?
How can small-scale energy systems be designed to maximize the conversion of locally available renewable energy resources, minimize environmental impact, and serve needs for electricity, heat, cooling, pure water, and other energy products and services in a cost-efficient manner? How can disparate energy conversion components be integrated to form a synergetic whole?
