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Dr M Abdel-Wahab
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Since 2004, the UK has become a net importer of energy due to the reduction in the North Sea oil and gas reserves (ONS, 2009) and in turn this poses a risk of energy security. Moreover, the number of households in fuel poverty in the UK was estimated to be around 4.5 million in 2008, a rise of around 0.5 million from 2007 which represents about 18 per cent of all households (Annual Report of Fuel Poverty Statistics, 2010). The UK government is thus committed to promoting the use of alternative and greener sources of energy, other than fossil fuels, and in particular renewable energy. Such commitment has been reflected through investments in schemes such as Feed-In Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentive, schemes, in addition to a £1 billion fund for a UK-wide Green Investment Bank.
Novel technologies such as Fuel Cell Energy Systems are not widely adopted as a mainstream source of energy generation in the UK built environment despite their potential for being a viable energy efficient source of Green Energy evidenced by their wider adoption in Japan and Germany. There is currently a lack of UK-specific information on the efficacy of FCES, such as cost/benefit analysis; particularly that many of these technologies are imported from abroad. Thus, the overriding aim of this research is to explore the adoption of FCES in the Built Environment and provide an evaluation of the efficacy of FCES by considering the performance-in use, safety issues, cost/benefit analysis and implications of adopting the technology in-practice when it comes to running costs, maintenance, skills and training. Understanding the practical implications when adopting FCES is crucial for informing its wider adoption in the future for energy refurbishment of the existing housing stock. Indeed, clients and building occupants need to have the right information to support their decision-making process in particular when it comes to the Return-on-Investment (ROI) of FCES (See Abdel-Wahab and Ali, 2011).
A basic understanding of FC technology is essential for this studentship. It is important to emphasise that the scope of the research is NOT on the technical aspects of FCES as these technologies are tried rigorously and tested by the manufacturers of the technology albeit not in a UK built environment context.
The successful candidate will benefit from multi-disciplinary expertise from the School of Built Environment at HW and School of Engineering at RGU. The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to develop strong links with industry partners.
This research is endorsed by The Hydrogen Office Ltd (TheHydrogenoffice.com). The candidate will be expected to carry-out regular site visits as a part of the project and work closely with industry partners. The candidate has the potential to develop an expertise in the application of FCES in the built environment and potentially be able to advice clients, such as housing associations and city councils, on their investment decisions in FCES.
For further information on the above project please contact Dr Mohamed Abdel-Wahab
T: 0131 451 4428 E: [Email Address Removed]
www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/staff-directory/dr-mohamed-abdel-wahab.htm
Personal website: www.mohamedabdel-wahab.co.uk
Novel technologies such as Fuel Cell Energy Systems are not widely adopted as a mainstream source of energy generation in the UK built environment despite their potential for being a viable energy efficient source of Green Energy evidenced by their wider adoption in Japan and Germany. There is currently a lack of UK-specific information on the efficacy of FCES, such as cost/benefit analysis; particularly that many of these technologies are imported from abroad. Thus, the overriding aim of this research is to explore the adoption of FCES in the Built Environment and provide an evaluation of the efficacy of FCES by considering the performance-in use, safety issues, cost/benefit analysis and implications of adopting the technology in-practice when it comes to running costs, maintenance, skills and training. Understanding the practical implications when adopting FCES is crucial for informing its wider adoption in the future for energy refurbishment of the existing housing stock. Indeed, clients and building occupants need to have the right information to support their decision-making process in particular when it comes to the Return-on-Investment (ROI) of FCES (See Abdel-Wahab and Ali, 2011).
A basic understanding of FC technology is essential for this studentship. It is important to emphasise that the scope of the research is NOT on the technical aspects of FCES as these technologies are tried rigorously and tested by the manufacturers of the technology albeit not in a UK built environment context.
The successful candidate will benefit from multi-disciplinary expertise from the School of Built Environment at HW and School of Engineering at RGU. The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to develop strong links with industry partners.
This research is endorsed by The Hydrogen Office Ltd (TheHydrogenoffice.com). The candidate will be expected to carry-out regular site visits as a part of the project and work closely with industry partners. The candidate has the potential to develop an expertise in the application of FCES in the built environment and potentially be able to advice clients, such as housing associations and city councils, on their investment decisions in FCES.
For further information on the above project please contact Dr Mohamed Abdel-Wahab
T: 0131 451 4428 E: [Email Address Removed]
www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/staff-directory/dr-mohamed-abdel-wahab.htm
Personal website: www.mohamedabdel-wahab.co.uk
Funding Notes
You MUST quote the full project title and reference number on your application form*. Please also include the reference number in all correspondence.
* If using the online form, where you are asked to give full details of the proposed area of research, you must enter the full project title and reference in Q9. 'Background Information’.
* If using a downloadable or paper form, enter the project title and reference in Question 18.
You can access the online application form and Referee's Report Form at the following link:
http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/research/postgraduate/apply.htm
* If using the online form, where you are asked to give full details of the proposed area of research, you must enter the full project title and reference in Q9. 'Background Information’.
* If using a downloadable or paper form, enter the project title and reference in Question 18.
You can access the online application form and Referee's Report Form at the following link:
http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/research/postgraduate/apply.htm
References
A Fees Scholarship will fund all tuition fees (regardless of your fee status) for the normal duration of PhD study (3 years). To be able to accept such an offer, successful candidates will be required to show that they can provide sufficient funds to cover normal maintenance costs. You can obtain an estimate of living expenses at the following link –
http://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/international-student-guide.pdf
References
Abdel-Wahab, MS, and Ali, D. (2011) A conceptual framework for the evaluation of Fuel-Cell (FC) energy systems in the Built Environment, International Journal of Green energy, available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15435075.2011.642089.
Act on CO2 (2010) Generate renewable energy and generate feed-in tariff, available at: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/home/what-you-can-do/In-the-home/Renewable-energy.html, last accessed on 8 December, 2010.
Annual Report of Fuel Poverty Statistics (2010) Department of Energy and Climate Change, A National Statistics Publication, available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/fuelpoverty/610-annual-fuel-poverty-statistics-2010.pdf, last accessed on 4 July 2011.
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) (2010) Spending Review, available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_regions.htm, last accessed on 8 December 2010
The Royal Academy of Engineering (2010) Engineering a low carbon built environment, available at: http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/vps/pdf/Engineering_a_low_carbon_built_environment.pdf.
ONS (Office of National Statistics) (2009) Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development, available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase, last accessed on 30 June 2011.
http://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/international-student-guide.pdf
References
Abdel-Wahab, MS, and Ali, D. (2011) A conceptual framework for the evaluation of Fuel-Cell (FC) energy systems in the Built Environment, International Journal of Green energy, available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15435075.2011.642089.
Act on CO2 (2010) Generate renewable energy and generate feed-in tariff, available at: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/home/what-you-can-do/In-the-home/Renewable-energy.html, last accessed on 8 December, 2010.
Annual Report of Fuel Poverty Statistics (2010) Department of Energy and Climate Change, A National Statistics Publication, available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/fuelpoverty/610-annual-fuel-poverty-statistics-2010.pdf, last accessed on 4 July 2011.
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) (2010) Spending Review, available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_regions.htm, last accessed on 8 December 2010
The Royal Academy of Engineering (2010) Engineering a low carbon built environment, available at: http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/vps/pdf/Engineering_a_low_carbon_built_environment.pdf.
ONS (Office of National Statistics) (2009) Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development, available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase, last accessed on 30 June 2011.
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