Onur Elma

Financial payback analysis of small wind turbines for a smart home application in Istanbul/Turkey

Small-scale wind turbines are promising renewable energy devices driven by the aim of carbon savings at energy generation. However, the use of small-scale wind turbines in residential areas is still very narrow because of low wind speeds, high turbulence intensity, and the perception of high aerodynamic noise produced by wind turbines. Furthermore, their high cost make it essential to assess the turbines carefully before deciding to purchase so that the optimum performance and costs can be obtained. In this study, power curves of bestselling small scale wind turbines in Turkey are compared using experimentally collected one year wind data for the use in a smart home environment at Davutpasa Campus, Istanbul. The total annual energy production of the wind turbines and financial payback periods are calculated. With the results of performed analysis, it is possible to define the most profitable small wind turbine to be used in related applications in Istanbul and in areas where wind speed is similar.

A home energy management algorithm with smart plug for maximized customer comfort

Energy management systems are used for more efficient use of electric energy. Energy management systems generally just contain demand-side management. A possible solution for demand side management in the existing structures is the use of smart plugs. The smart plug can be defined as a port that monitors and records the parameters such as power consumed, the current drawn and connection point voltages of plugged devices and allows remote turning on/off of the plugged device when required. In this study, a new smart plug design is investigated that can provide power reduction without turning the plugged device off. The advantages of the developed smart plug based energy management system are stated in terms of consumer comfort and energy consumption.

Carbon emission savings with a renewable energy supplied smart home operation

Recently, ideas like smart cities, smart buildings/homes has been widely used under smart grid concept, which is a new research area that combines power systems and information technology (IT). The basic building block of the smart grid can be considered as “smart home”. Smart grid infrastructure with smart homes will allow to monitor electrical demand of a city or a residential customer and to achieve better utilization of existing grid through the use of streaming demand data. In addition, it will be easier to integrate renewable energy sources into existing grid. Experimental demonstrations are important for promoting smart grid concept. Thus, a renewable energy supplied smart home project with a budget of

An overview of demand response applications under smart grid concept

0.5 million has been completed at Yıldız Technical University (YTU), Istanbul, Turkey. This paper first introduces the constructed smart home in detail. Then, the benefit of smart home operation on carbon emission reduction with appliance control through smart plugs is analysed by a simulation study in Matlab/Simulink.

Analyzing the Capacity Utilization Rate of Traction Motor Drives in Electric Vehicles with Real World Driving Cycles

The idea of controlling the demand side electrical consumption has led the dissemination of demand response applications under smart grid concept. Especially residential demand response applications have been widely adopted and many studies have been conducted in the world. In this study general information about demand response is given and demand response research in the world and in Turkey is summarized. A simulation study is completed to show the effect of demand response application in a residential house using load shifting. In the simulation study, electrical appliances, which are intended to be used at high priced hours, are shifted forward in time to control the peak demand of the house. Considering new smart appliances and internet of things (IOT) applications, the demand response will offer new perspectives on electrical energy generation/consumption and on the operation of power systems.

Analyzing the effect of inverter efficiency improvement in wind turbine systems

This study presents real word drive cycles in Istanbul, Turkey and analyzes the impact of these real road conditions on the performance of an electric vehicle. For this purpose, five different drive cycles has been obtained by collecting data for different traffic conditions in Istanbul. Both the velocity of the vehicle and the gradient of the road are considered. Also, a simplified dynamic vehicle model is developed to estimate the traction power requirement of drive-train of the vehicle during start up and when it is in motion.

A survey of a residential load profile for demand side management systems

This study presents the effect of efficiency improvement of wind turbine inverters-especially at low wind velocities-on generated wind energy. In order to present a detailed analysis, actual wind speed data is collected with one minute resolution in Istanbul, Turkey. The wind data is gathered at 10 meters and then projected to 30 meters. Technical data of a 20 kW wind turbine system is used to model the system and to calculate generated wind power. Data analysis shows that the wind turbine system needs to operate at low wind speed most of the time and wind turbine power electronic systems (inverters) should be designed accordingly to maximize wind potential. Case studies are completed to assess the effect of inverter circuit light load efficiency improvement on the energy yield.

Photovoltaic system design, feasibility and financial outcomes for different regions in Turkey

Management of residential electricity consumption is one of the important issues for energy efficiency and future smart grid systems since residential demand constitutes large percent of overall electrical energy consumption. Therefore, demand side management systems, named as home energy management systems at the residential level, are being implemented under the new smart grid concept. Analyzing the performances of home energy management systems requires generating different realistic residential demand profiles since the residential demand is highly complex comprising several factors such as occupancy, climate, user preferences, and types of appliances. This study provides the result of a survey analysis that can be used to generate such realistic residential demand profiles. In the survey, information about the user preferences for appliance use time and duration and about user will to be part of a demand control program are obtained. Results of the survey together with experimentally measured power values of appliances are used to produce sample representative load profiles for a weekday and for a weekend. These load profiles can be used in the evaluation of home energy management systems.

Investigation of Cost Reduction in Residential Electricity Bill using Electric Vehicle at Peak Times

Energy is very important for countries which are developing rapidly, such as Turkey, during the fossil fuel prices are increasing. In this respect, renewable technologies such as PV systems are gaining importance in the world gradually due to its eco friendliness, easy applicability and increasing efficiency. Today, incentives for PV systems are being provided to private sector companies and people who would like to take benefit from generating energy from PV systems in Turkey. According to General Directorate on Renewable Energy (EIE), while the average annual sunshine and radiation are roundly 6.69 hour and 3.6 kWh/m2-day for Istanbul respectively, they are roundly 8.25 hour and 4.5 kWh/m2-day for Antalya. This paper makes an overview on PV systems and examines the financial outcome of PV system investment in Turkey. Two locations, Istanbul and Antalya, were taken into account in installing/constructing a PV Plant and these two systems were examined and compared in terms of their prices, feasibility, solar efficiencies regarding the location and future financial performances.

A comparative sizing analysis of a renewable energy supplied stand-alone house considering both demand side and source side dynamics

The use of electric vehicles (EVs) is becoming more common in the world. Since these vehicles are equipped with large battery capacity, they can be used as energy provider when they are parked and have enough charge level. This study investigates the possibility of Vehicle to Home (V2H) concept using EV as energy provider for a residential house in Istanbul, Turkey. High resolution residential electrical demand data is obtained to characterize the residential demand. Then, case studies are completed in MATLAB/Simulink to evaluate the cost reduction in residential electricity bill when the EV is used to supply the residential demand at peak times. It is assumed that the EV will be fully charged at off-peak hours when the energy cost is lower. Savings are calculated by finding the difference between residential electricity cost at peak times and EV charging cost at off-peak hours. Results will provide more realistic prediction of cost savings since residential demand dynamics are taken into account. In addition, the advantages of shifting peak demand to off-peak hours through the use of EV for existing grid infrastructure is discussed in terms of reduced losses and increased transmission capability.