BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE -TUM

EAR 4304: BUILDING SERVICES II (Electrical Services) – EEE

SEMESTER EVENTS

For successful completion of the course, the students will have done
1. 3 CATs 10%
2. 3 Assignments 5%
3. At least one laboratory experiment 15%
4. End of semester examination out of 70%
Additional work
Mini project and presentations when time allows

Gideon G. Kidegho, Ph.D, Msc, Bsc, HND CEM, CMVP, Grad Eng EBK & IEK
Lecturer – E&EE Department.

Expected learning outcomes of the course

At the end of the course, the student should be able to

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of different sources of electricity and how electricity
generation is done.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of electrical terms, symbols and electrical materials
used in electrical building services.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of types of wiring systems, cable layouts, and power
distribution systems.
4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of lighting, power, telecommunication and lightning
protection systems.
5. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of electrical accessories and fittings used in electrical
building services.
6. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of electrical heating, refrigeration air conditioning
and ventilation systems.

1
 7. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of interpreting electrical design drawings for
buildings.

Lecture 1 Notes
1.1 Electricity Sources
 Electrical power generation from renewable sources
 Electrical power generation from non-renewable sources
1.2 Types of Generating Systems
• Hydro power generation
• Thermal power generation
• Gas power generation
• Diesel power generation
• Solar power generation
• Wind power generation
• Wave power generation
• Geothermal Power generation
1.3 Renewable Generating Systems
Renewable generating systems generate power from infinite sources of energy, that are inexhaustible and
are obtained from repetitive natural environmental cycles. These sources, renew themselves perpetually and
are normally available in dilute form and hence the energy is not easily harnessed. The sources are;

1. Water- Hydroelectric turbines- Efficiencies from 80%

2. Wind – Propelled turbines- Efficiencies from 32%
3. Solar – Photovoltaic –Efficiencies from 15% - 24%
4. Geothermal – Steam turbine propulsion efficiencies from 20%
5. Wave & Tidal –Water wheels’ propulsion 65%
6. Bio-mass – Bio gas- Engines 15%
7. Solar Thermal – Thermal fluid -Steam 25%
1.4 Non-Renewable Generating Systems
These generating systems obtain their energy from finite energy resources mostly fossil deposits like fuels,
gas and minerals. They have high initial energy flux density and are easily harnessed. They can be itemized
as;
2
  Thermal power generation (fossil and nuclear) - Steam turbines –Efficiencies from 18% to 25%

 Gas power generation – Gas turbines – Efficiencies from 15% to 20%

 Diesel power generation- Efficiencies from 20% to 35%

1.5 Characteristics and Efficiencies of Power Generating Techniques

Electricity generation methods are governed by the source of energy where the resource is converted into
electricity. The process of conversion incurs losses and hence affects the overall efficiency of the entire
process. The thermal systems have some of the lowest efficiencies as most of the heat escapes as waste heat
in the conversion medium.
1.6 Hydro Power Generation
Hydroelectric power plants use the potential energy in water that is converted to kinetic energy when falling
to turn turbines that rotate generators to generate electricity.

The power generated from a hydro plant P = 735.5/75 * QH η kilowatts (empirical)

Where Q - is the water discharge in m3/second

H -is the water head in meters

η -is the overall efficiency of the turbine and alternator set

Potential energy available in form of the level difference of water (called the head) is converted into kinetic
energy when water is falling. Water from the rain is collected in dams, lakes and reservoirs at high altitudes
for use in the hydro power plants.

1.6.1 Advantages of Hydro Power Plants:

1. Water replenishes itself as seasons recycle annually

2. Water used for electricity generation can be used for other purposes downstream like drinking and
irrigation.
3. Hydro power plants have very long life up to 60 years compared to thermal plants at 25 to 30 years
4. Maintenance is easy due to the machinery used as compared to thermal counterparts.
5. Hydro plants are quick to start and shutdown
6. Operation cost of hydro plants is very low hence the units are cheaper

3
 7. Hydro power plants have higher efficiency up to 80% as compared to thermal plants at below 30%
1.6.2 Site Selection for Hydro Power plants

Hydro power station location is will depend on factors like;

1. Availability of large water masses

2. Adequate water storage dams and reservoirs

3. Adequate water head suitable for electricity generation, excavation is costly

4. Distance from the load centers. This will affect the cost and losses of electricity

5. Accessibility to site either by rail or road for transportation of equipment to site.

1.6.3 Main Components of Hydro Electric Power Plants

• Dam or Barrage
• Reservoir and fore bay
• Water conduit system
• Tailrace
• Surge tank
• Trash rack
• Prime mover
• Power house
• Spillway
Dam and Barrage:
The dam holds rain water from flowing down stream so that it can be used for the generation of electricity.
The capacity of the dam is determined by the power station annual generation water requirements. When dry
seasons extend, the dam’s water level will reduce below generation point and generation has to stop. The
fore-bay is structure used to hold water temporarily when the demand of water to the turbine is low. It is also
referred to as the surge reservoir near the water intake.
Water conduit system:
The water conduit system carries water from the reservoir to the turbine through the pressure tunnel or
pipes called penstocks that may be laid on the ground level or even underground.

4
Tailrace:
The tail race is the duct that directs water from the turbine back to the original river bed or to another river
near the power station. A tailrace can be an open channel or a tunnel depending on the location of the power
house.

Surge tank:
This structure is provided as a water release valve of the water conduit system to counter the effects of water
hammer. It stores water and controls the pressure variation thereby preventing water hammer in the entire
system.
Trash rack:
This structure is a rack provided to stop debris in form of logs and boulders from entering and damaging the
gates and turbine runners or even choking the nozzles of the turbines. It is normally placed at the intake

The Prime Mover:

The turbine is the prime mover that converts the kinetic energy in the falling water to mechanical energy to
propel the electricity generator. The most common turbines or prime movers in hydroelectric power
generation are the Francis reaction turbine, the Kaplan, the Propeller and the Pelton wheel and normally they
rotate on a vertical axis.
The Power House:
This is a structure where all the generators and switch gear is located. In hydro stations, the power house is
normally located at the foot of the dam. The location of the power house is determined by the maximum
possible head at the turbines. It can be underground or open type depending on the plant design.
The Spillway:
This is a safety valve that is used to discharge excess water from the main reservoir beyond the permitted
water level. If this water is not discharged, the level will rise beyond the dam and a washout or overtopping
will occur. Spill ways can be
• Overflow spillway
• Side channel spillway
• Emergency spillway
• Chute or trough spillway
• Shaft or siphon spillway.
Electrical power generation can be done through conversion of different forms of energy sources.
5
1.7 Geothermal Power Generation
The term “Geothermal” is derived from the Greek words for Earth (geo) and heat (therme). In essence
geothermal energy is power harnessed from the Earth itself. Heat from the Earth’s core, which averages about
6,650 degrees Fahrenheit, emanates out toward the planet’s surface. Heated springs and geysers up to three
miles underground can be accessed by special wells that bring the hot water (or steam from it) up to the
surface where it can be used directly for heat or indirectly to generate electricity by powering rotating
turbines. Since the water under the Earth’s surface is constantly replenished, and the Earth’s core will
continue to generate heat indefinitely, geothermal power is ultimately clean and renewable.
Today there are three main methods for harvesting utility-grade geothermal energy:

i. dry steam,
ii. flash steam
iii. binary-cycle.

The dry steam process brings steam up directly from below the ground to drive turbines that rotate the
electricity generators. On the other hand, flash steam plants use the hot water from below the ground to rotate
the turbines; the hot water from underground is then sprayed into a tank to create steam to drive the turbines.
These two methods are the most common geothermal systems, generating hundreds of megawatts of
electricity in Kenya, American West, Europe and elsewhere. Expansion is limited as these plants only work
in tectonic regions where it is easier to access ground heated water.
The binary-cycle geothermal technology extracts close-to-the surface warm (not necessarily very hot) water
and combines it with a second (“binary”) fluid, like butane or pentane, which has a low boiling point. This
fluid is then pumped through a heat exchanger, where it is vaporized and sent through a turbine before being
recycled back into the system. Binary-cycle geothermal plants already pump out dozens of megawatts of
electricity in California, Nevada and Hawaii, among other places.

1.7.1 Kenyan Geothermal Power Scenario

Kenya has a state corporation known as the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) that is in charge of
exploration, extracting and selling all geothermal steam to interested electricity generation companies.
Currently GDC is working in Menegai to extract steam with a potential of generating 280 MW. Other sites
that GDC is working on are Olkaria in Naivasha, Nginyang in Kabarnet and Suswa in Narok.
6
The current Kenyan installed capacity is almost 450MW mostly at the old site in Olkaria Naivasha. Currently
only Naivasha Olkaria site is generating geothermal power using main wells and end well technology. Main
wells doing up to 50MW while the end wells are generating between 3.5MW and 5MW all located within
Olkaria.

1.8 Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation

Human life and all life on the earth are completely dependent on the daily flow of solar energy from the sun.
If the sun were to stop giving the energy, the earth would freeze and all life on earth would be wiped out in
less than a month. Food production and all life support systems of the natural environment are totally
dependent on the sun. Since the beginning, man has harnessed the sun energy for continual sustenance.
The suns great energy release is the result of an elaborate chemical process in the suns core, a process of
thermonuclear fusion like the reaction in a massive hydrogen bomb achieving heat at more than 9980.3 0F or
5800 Kelvin in the core of the sun. This energy is radiated away from the sun uniformly in all directions, in
close agreement with Plank’s blackbody radiation. This energy can be harnessed as heat (solar thermal
power) or solar photovoltaic energy
It is possible to convert solar energy directly into electric energy by photo-voltaic process. The photo-voltaic
effect is the generation of electromotive force (EMF) as a result of the absorption of ionizing radiation. The
energy conversion devices that are used to convert sunlight to electricity by photo-voltaic effect are known
as photo voltaic cells or solar cells. A solar cell is basically a semi-conductor diode capable of developing a
voltage of 0.5 - 0.7 volt and a current density of 20 to 40mA per cm2 depending on the material and the sun
irradiance conditions.
The light from the Sun, made up of packets of energy called photons, falls onto a solar cell and creates an
electric current through a process called the photovoltaic effect.
1.8.1 Photovoltaic Power Generation
Generally, 36 solar cells are connected in series to form a module of 12 Volts DC nominal voltage. Depending
on the size of the solar cells, the amount of current can be determined and subsequently the power rating of
the module. To obtain higher voltages and currents, the modules are connected into a series/parallel formation
for the required voltage and power of the system. It is important to note that care must be observed when
handling higher DC voltages to avoid fatal accidents and fire outbreaks in the systems. Proper protection
devices must be incorporated in these systems also.

7
When modules are interconnected in the above-mentioned arrangement, a solar PV array is formed. An array
can be as large as the space can allow. Most large arrays commonly referred as solar farms are ground
mounted on large tracks of land
1.8.2 Photovoltaic System Components
The basic components that form a solar PV power generation system are
1. The modules; That convert solar irradiance into electrical power
2. The charging control units: This is common in standalone solar PV systems
3. The battery storage system: Also common in standalone solar PV systems
4. The power conditioning units: Also commonly referred to as inverters and convert the DC power to
AC.

Figure 1.1 Standalone solar PV power plant.

1.8.3 Types of Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Systems

Photovoltaic generation systems can be classified as;
 Standalone systems
 Hybrid systems
 Grid connected systems
 Consumer application

8
Tutorials 1

1. A hydro-electric power generating station is supplied with water from a reservoir with a discharge of
96.5 x103 cubic meters of water per second, at a head of 136 meters. If the efficiency of conversion
for the turbine is 92% and that of the generator is 93%. Calculate
(i) Power output of the station when there is a head loss of 9meters
(ii) Electrical energy generated in one day
2. A silicon solar PV modules has 36 cells each producing a peak voltage of 0.65Vdc at 1000W/m2
irradiance and a peak current of 0.5 Amperes. 24 such PV modules are connected in a 12 series and
2 parallel arrangement. Calculate outputs at 1000W/m2 irradiance
(i) The peak voltage output of the PV array
(ii) The peak current output of the PV array
(iii) The peak power output of the PV array

GGK/12/1/2023