Browsing by Author "Millar, John"

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  • Blockchain technology integration in vehicle dealer inventory management system
    (2020-01-20) Vangari, Adithya
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    Presently the Volvo Group Trucks Operations (GTO) supply chain network is designed in such a way that there is no traceability at the individual spare part level. As industrial digitization has become a necessity, especially for the supply chain network, the Volvo group has taken the initiative to explore new technologies in order to align themselves with the modern digital age of business. In the past few years blockchain technology applications, especially in the supply chain sector, have seen an enormous interest both from the industrial sector and academic sector. Thus it was decided to explore Blockchain technology to design a proof-of-concept in the dealer inventory management which has contributed in defining the primary objective of this master thesis. The primary objective of this master thesis was the design of a proof-of-concept for integrating blockchain technology in the reverse logistics process at Volvo GTO, especially for the North European market. Along with the proof-of-concept, various challenges and opportunities for Volvo GTO as a service provider in the domain of Blockchain technology integration and Dealer inventory management are presented in this master thesis.
  • Electric vehicle charging combined with load management in commercial buildings
    (2019-10-21) Lemström, Viivi
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    This research studies electric vehicle (EV) charging integrated to commercial buildings. It compares smart EV charging in smart buildings with stand-alone EV charging in buildings without a building management system. In this research, two different commercial buildings with EV charging are studied. The intention of this research is to study what kind of technical and economic benefits are possible to achieve with a smart system, which consists of both smart charging and smart buildings, compared to a stand-alone system. To achieve this, both EV charging data and electricity consumption data for both buildings are studied heuristically by using Excel spreadsheet as a tool. The aim is to find out a way to organize the charging in the most optimized way within the constraints set by the building and by the EV charging system in each case. As result, smart charging integrated to a smart building management system can save up to 4 500 € yearly in buildings electricity costs compared to a stand-alone system. Although the investment cost for the smart system is more expensive, during the chargers expected lifetime, the smart system becomes more profitable due to the savings in the electricity usage. The benefits achieved with the smart system are strongly connected with the size of the commercial building's EV charging system. Especially with large EV charging systems, smart charging proves to be a more viable and profitable option.
  • Electricity Market Optimization and Value Gain for Power Resources Through a Conceptualized Platform
    (2020-12-14) Repo, Otso
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    The continuously more interconnected European power system’s transition from conventional thermal power generation to more renewable and intermittent power generation introduces challenges for maintaining the balance of the power system. The demand for more flexible capacity functions as an incentive for Suomen Voima Oy to participate in Fingrid’s reserve markets with its owners’ potential reserve resources. This thesis investigates the profitability of allocating these resources either alone or as aggregated, to the reserve markets with a multimarket optimizing platform. The platform strives to allocate the resources to the most valuable markets at any given hour. The owners’ combined resources form a preliminary 30 MW power fleet, a reserve portfolio, that is composed of 15 power plants and 3 demand sites. Many of the resources have currently little to no utilization rate and are not capable of participating in most of the reserve markets, due to capacity size and technical limitations. According to the thesis findings based on preliminary information of the resources, by aggregation it is possible to access more markets, increase market profitability and therefore increase the resources’ value. In order to predict the feasibility of participating in the reserve markets, a financial model was developed to examine the resources’ profitability and other key figures in a retrospective manner based on Fingrid’s open database’s historical data. The model can execute single market allocation and function also as a prototype of the platform by performing market optimization. Modelling sensitivities are also possible to analyze by changing model input parameters. Based on the modelling results of an ideal 1,0 MW power plant that is capable of participating in all of the markets and reflecting the results on the reserve portfolio of Suomen Voima, the thesis finds that both single market allocation and market optimization could be profitable. In each modelled scenario the profitability of the platform turned out to be 2–3 times higher compared to single market allocation, which proves that the benefits of pursuing the optimizing platform and the components enabling aggregation could be economically justified.
  • Electricity transmission regulation and influence on smart grid investments: Case of dynamic line rating
    (2017-08-28) Etto, Lotta
     Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
  • Feasibility study of renovation of a residential building in near zero-energy building
    (2018-06-18) Prisikar, Mykhailo
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    In this feasibility study, a renovation of a residential building in near zero-energy building was studied. For this purpose, a selection of available on the market solar and wind energy conversion systems was taken. The shortlisted systems were, then, compared along key criteria that define their fit and efficiency for application in on-site energy generation. The consumption and electricity prices used for the purposes of this study were forecasted for the entire project period. These forecasts, together with the results from the energy conversion systems comparison, were then implemented in a simulation model that extrapolates over the period of 25 years the performance of various alternatives for the renovation of the residential building. Based on the simulation results, the most efficient, and, therefore, optimal, configuration of renewable energy sources for the studied site, in terms of maximum on-site generation, is the use of a combination of wall and roof-installed photovoltaic panels. Moreover, the energy storage option is not feasible for any of the simulated configurations. Finally, the electricity purchase contract for the building should be based on the spot market price formation. The overall implementation of the optimal configuration requires EUR 70387.97 of initial costs. The total net present cost is equal to EUR 201503.00, whereas the levelized cost of electricity is equal to EUR 0.117. During the project implementation, 50344.48 kWh will be purchased from the grid and 36461.58 kWh will be sold, yielding 13882.90 kWh of net purchase. The fraction of renewables in the overall consumption, during the entire project, will be 55.16 percent. The payback period of the system configuration exceeds the project implementation period. The study was funded by Aalto University Student Union (AYY).
  • Hybrid heat pumps as a transition technology towards a carbon neutral residential sector in the Netherlands
    (2022-06-13) Janssen, Guido
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    The Netherlands faces an enormous challenge to reduce emissions in the existing building stock to reach the climate targets. Hybrid heat pumps are one of the measures that could reduce emissions resulting from heating in houses. This study aims to explore what the role of hybrid heat pumps can be in reaching the 2030 climate goals. Specifically, it investigates for how many houses a hybrid heat pump would be financially feasible and how emissions would be reduced if these houses would be equipped with a hybrid heat pump. To explore the potential of hybrid heat pumps, a model was created based on datasets containing data about house characteristics and energy consumption. With this data model the feasibility for hybrid heat pumps was determined for the household level. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to define which factors have the largest influence on the potential. The results show that in the baseline scenario almost half of the Dutch houses with a natural gas grid connection would be feasible for a hybrid heat pump. However, even if all these houses would be equipped with a hybrid heat pump, the emissions reduction would be insufficient to reach the 2030 climate goals. From the results it can further be deduced that the natural gas and electricity prices are the most important factors that determine the feasibility of hybrid heat pumps. Besides, without subsidy or significant decrease in costs of hybrid heat pumps, the potential for hybrid heat pumps is substantially lower. In the end it can be concluded that hybrid heat pumps can play an important role in reaching the climate goals of 2030. However, it is unlikely that the goals can be reached with hybrid heat pumps only, as 4.9 million houses and over 16 billion euros in subsidization would be required.
  • Impact of voltage and network losses on conductor sizing and topology of MV networks with high penetration of renewable energy resources
    (2019-06) Millar, John; Saarijärvi, Eero; Müller, Udo; Fettke, Stephen; Filler, Marko
     A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
    This paper discusses heuristic distribution company planning rules, which are pragmatic but challenging to implement in a planning algorithm that aims to efficiently produce close to optimum solutions. The main focus is on how voltage is handled, and how other parameters, such as the cost of network losses and the time horizon used for planning, affect voltage. This is illustrated via Greenfield horizon plans and cost breakdowns based on a typical distribution network in the south of Germany.
  • Investigation of steady-state grid constraints due to renewable energy and new loading
    (2024-08-23) Kukkonen, Joona
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    This study investigates the steady-state grid constraints caused by increasing complexity of the meshed Finnish transmission grid. Complexity in the grid is increased by, for example, distributed generation and renewable energy, and new loading. Steady-state grid analysis is performed to study three constraints in this study: voltage magnitudes, voltage angles, and line thermal loadings. Our study will utilize a simulation-based approach to examine the functionality and adaptability of the 2023 Finnish 400kV transmission grid. 2035 load and generation approximations are superimposed onto this 2023 grid to model the future network complexity. Each scenario will present a unique weather circumstance, which will influence the operation of the 400kV network. Three prominent transmission network power flow methods will be compared for efficiency: Newton Raphson, Gauss-Seidel, and Fast Decoupled Load Flow. The core objective is to evaluate the performance of these methods in solving power flow for a meshed network and ensuring optimal network operation. Another significant aim of this thesis is to develop an open-source model that doesn’t require expensive software licenses. This will provide a transmission model suitable for use by a wider range of energy system engineers and researchers, with an Excel interface that facilitates the addition of new nodes and connections. This study concludes that the choice of power flow method in a meshed transmission network depends on the specific requirements and system constraints. Hence, this study highlights the importance of continuous evaluation and optimization of transmission network methods to ensure reliable and efficient power system operation.
  • Modelling of a carbon-free Finnish power system
    (2020-06-15) Koivunen, Tero
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    The Government of Finland has set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. The power system plays an integral role in achieving carbon neutrality. This thesis presents the modelling of a carbon-free Finnish power system, which produces electricity from wind, photovoltaics, hydro and nuclear power. Additionally, an electricity storage is introduced. Based upon an earlier group project, a power system with hourly resolution spanning three years is modelled. The model optimizes power generation and electricity storage investments by utilizing greenfield planning and overnight investment methods. Additionally, electricity trading is allowed between Finland and neighboring countries by utilizing the currently available transmission capacity. Electric vehicles are also introduced into the model to influence the electricity demand profile. Hydro power is modelled by introducing several different hydro inflow scenarios which can be chosen for each of the simulated years separately. Several modelling scenarios consisting of differing assumptions are presented. The technical and economic feasibility of the modelled scenarios is tested by subjecting the results to both economic and technical sensitivity analyses. During the modelling, periods of low wind were found to have a large effect on the results. However, nuclear power was also found to counteract this effect, and was also found to be an essential technology. Many feasible scenarios were found, and a scenario with an LCOE of 64.39 €/MWh was chosen as the best one, with an 18% larger electricity cost than the recent average electricity market price high of 2010. In the modelled scenarios, large amounts of produced power had to be curtailed, which differed from the solutions found in the literature. The hydropower dispatch used in the model was found to be suboptimal and is proposed to be changed in a future work.
  • Monitoring the capacity limits of power cables
    (2002) Millar, John
     Helsinki University of Technology | Master's thesis
  • Online regime switching vector autoregression incorporating spatio-temporal aspects for short term wind power forecasting
    (2018-02-05) Gilleran, Sean
     Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    This master thesis examines short term wind power forecasting time series models focusing on regimes conditioned to meteorological conditions and the incorporation of spatio-temporal aspects. Novel regime switching autoregressive and vector autoregressive models are proposed, implemented in a .NET framework, and evaluated. The vector autoregressive framework takes advantage of cross-correlation between sites incorporating upstream online production information from all wind farms within a given region. The regimes are formed using K-means clustering based on forecast meteorological conditions. Each of the proposed models are fit to hourly historical data from all of 2015 for 24 wind farms located in Sweden and Finland. Forecasts are generated for all of 2016 and are evaluated against historical data from that year for each of the 24 wind farms. The proposed models are successfully implemented into the .NET framework of Vitec Software’s Aiolos Forecast Studio, which is widely used in the Northern and Western Europe. Vitec’s Aiolos wind power forecast model is based on an ensemble of numerical weather prediction models and adaptive statistical machine learning algorithms. The proposed models are found to have significantly lower mean absolute error and root mean squared error compared to the Aiolos model and autoregressive model benchmarks. The improved short term wind power forecast will inform operation and trading decisions and translate to significant reductions in balancing costs for Vitec's customers. The improvement is valued at as much as between 9.4 million Euros to 42.3 million Euros in reduced balancing costs. Spatio-temporal aspects for wind power forecasting is shown to continue to be promising for improving current state-of-the-art wind power forecasting.
  • Potential of renewable energies for the Finnish agriculture
    (2019-08-19) Ossa Rissanen, Niko
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    Renewable sources of energy are taking a central role in the new direction the current energy system is heading. Driven by goals of decarbonisation, the energy transition opens possibilities to local and distributed generation, and Finland has good opportunities to benefit from it. In that context, agriculture offers an appropriate niche for renewable energies, where the adoption of clean and local energy can positively affect farms and their wider society. Hence, the aim of this thesis is to estimate the potential of renewable energies in the context of Finnish agriculture. More specifically, this work focuses on the suitability of the solar photovoltaic energy in one of the most energy consuming agricultural activities, crop drying. The potential of solar energy to cover the energy needs of crop drying is assessed in the Finnish context. A numerical analysis investigates solar photovoltaic energy with respect to electricity consumption in grain drying. This is done by simulating the solar PV production and the consumption of the dryer from a reference case, considering the use of battery storage and comparing the economic viability of different installed PV and battery storage capacities. The use of solar photovoltaic energy in combination with heat pumps is discussed in the context of the heating needs of crop drying, using a second real case as a reference. The main conclusion is that solar PV can bring significant energetic and economic savings to the activity of crop drying, already with current conditions. In addition, the future promises yet better conditions for distributed generation, and further research and development in this area is essential for the decarbonisation of the energy system.
  • Power Quality in Islanded Microgrids
    (2019-01-28) Sevsek, David
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
    The interest in Microgrids (MGs) has been recently increasing due to their capability to incorporate increasing shares of Distributed Generators (DGs) into the power system. In addition, their islanding capability and the fact that all generators in a MG can be controlled are the main reasons for the popularity of microgrids. However, high shares of energy generation from Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) and the increasing utilization of power electronics can lead to Electric Power Quality (EPQ) issues in islanded MGs. The severity of these issues is linked to the penetration levels of renewable energy generators such as Photovoltaic (PV) systems. This study investigates the effect of PV systems on the voltage flicker severity in islanded MGs considering different converter control strategies. Results indicate potential long-term flicker issues even under constant load considerations.
  • SAFIR-COSI WP2 report: D2.2: Baseline simulation results
    (2021) Millar, John; Astero, Poria; Laakso, Pasi
     School of Electrical Engineering | D4 Julkaistu kehittämis- tai tutkimusraportti tai -selvitys
  • Testiautomaation toteutuksen suunnittelu eSett Oyn järjestelmiin
    (2020-05-17) Komulainen, Olli
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Bachelor's thesis
  • Unlocking distribution network capacity through real-time thermal rating for high penetration of DGs
    (2014) Degefa, Merkebu; Humayun, Muhammad; Safdarian, Amir; Koivisto, Matti; Millar, John; Lehtonen, Matti
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Highly stochastic loading in the emerging active distribution networks means that electric utilities need to use their assets to the fullest by deploying intelligent network management tools. Real-time thermal rating (RTTR) provides possibility for short term and even real-time active distribution network management enabling the network to run closer to an overload state without damage. In this study, a RTTR based active distribution network management framework is formulated giving hour-by-hour network capacity limits. Relationships of stochasticities in customer loads and DG output with thermal responses of underground cables, overhead lines and distribution transformers are explained. RTTR is applied on all distribution network components with simulated scenarios involving various levels of DG penetration. This study quantifies the potential for an increased DG utilization and an increased potential for new DG installations when RTTR is integrated with distribution management systems.
  • Viability of utility-scale solar in Finland with the focus on profitability
    (2022-10-17) Maylett, Julius
     Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis