© The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Department of Building Services Engineering

Programme : BEng(Hons) in Building Services Engineering (33477)

Subject : Renewable Energy (BSE4412)

Level : 4

Session : 2018/2019 Semester 1

Date : 11 December 2018

Time : 8:45 am – 11:45 am

Time Allowed : 3 hours

This question paper has 9 pages.

(Some pages may be intentionally omitted.)

Instructions to candidates:

1. This is a closed book examination.

2. Answer any 4 questions out of 6.
3. All questions carry equal marks.

Available from Invigilators:

1. Graph paper.

Recommended list of materials allowed to be taken into the examination venue:

1. Electronic calculators.

DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

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Q.1
(a) A number of solar angles are used to describe the relationships among a solar collector on
earth, solar radiation beams and the Sun. Referring to Figure Q.1, give your definitions of
the following typical angles and indicate the symbols from the figure if possible:
(10 marks)
(1) Tilt angle of the tilted surface
(2) Angle of incidence of the vertical surface
(3) Surface azimuth angle of the vertical surface
(4) Zenith angle
(5) Hour angle

(b) Solar collectors can be used for hot water production. Describe the principles to determine
the optimum tilt angle of a fixed-angle flat-plate solar collector for solar hot water
production in Hong Kong for different uses: domestic use, agriculture crop drying in
summer and outdoor swimming pool in winter.
(7 marks)

(c) Solar time is an important concept for solar energy application in buildings. What is the
definition of solar time and what are the two corrections to find the local solar time from
local clock time? (8 marks)

Figure Q.1 Solar angles for a solar collector on earth

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Q.2
To develop a greener Hong Kong and support the development of renewable energy, HK
Electric and CLP both will purchase electricity generated by the grid-connected renewable
energy power systems of customers at Feed-in Tariff rates.

(a) Explain the details of FiT rates and the effective dates for both local power companies.
(5 marks)
Now, a local developer plans to build a horizontal roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) system in
afore mentioned building on a local commercial building in Hong Kong. The useful roof area
allowed for PV module installation is 127 m2, assuming that 80% of the area could be covered
by PV modules, and grid-connected system is agreed. As a renewable energy specialist, you
are requested by the Client to answer the following questions.

(b) The estimated installed PV capacity and rough initial installation cost of the PV system.
(5 marks)
(c) The schematic diagram of the photovoltaic system to show the key equipment and main
connections.
(5 marks)
(d) The estimated power output of the PV system for one local sunshine day (in summer) and
financial benefit by selling electricity to the grid. Other system losses of 20% can be
considered, and no shading effect is considered.
(10 marks)

You may refer to Table Q.2a for weather data information and Table Q.2b for the utilized PV
module information. The following simplified simulation model could be applied for the
maximum power output estimation of the utilized module.

 G
ln I sc 
⋅  0  T0
G G
Pm = 175 ⋅ ⋅ + 10 (W)
G0 ln (I sc ) Tc

where G is the received solar radiation by the module, W/m2; G0 is the standard irradiance,
1000W/m2; T0 is the standard test cell temperature, 298K; T0 is the cell temperature during
operation, K, as defined by: Tc = Ta + 0.03375G where Ta is the ambient temperature, K.

Table Q.2a Weather data of one sunshine summer day in Hong Kong
Time 7:00 am 8:00 am 9:00 am 10:00 am 11:00 am 12:00 pm
Horizontal solar irradiance 8.3 63.9 122.2 177.8 400.0 550.0
(W/m2)
Ambient temperature (°C) 27.4 27.7 28.4 28.8 29.4 29.6

1:00 pm 2:00 pm 3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm 6:00 pm

419.4 544.4 947.2 486.1 380.6 125.0
29.7 30.2 30.9 30.3 30.3 29.3

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Table Q.2b Characteristics of the PV module

Type Rated Module Short circuit Open circuit
power area current (Isc) voltage (Voc)

72 solar cells 175 W 1.6×0.79 m2 5.5 A 44.5V

(125mm×125mm)

Q.3
It is proposed to build a wind powered electrical generator with rated output of 225kW at a site
where the annual distribution of wind speed is given in the table. A three-bladed variable pitch
horizontal-axis wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 27m is to be used and the output
characteristics of this machine are included in the table.
(a) Plot a bar graph showing how the conversion efficiency of the proposed machine varies
with the wind speed over a range from 2 to 20 metres per second (the horizontal axis of
the bar graph is the wind speed in m/s). The conversion efficiency is defined as the ratio
of the electrical output to the power delivered by the wind. Assume the density of air to be
1.23 kg/m³. (12 marks)
(b) Plot a graph showing the predicted annual electrical power varies with wind speed and
calculate the predicted total annual output for the site if the turbine availability is 90%.
(8 marks)
(c) Describe the benefits for using a hybrid solar-wind renewable energy system for stand-
alone applications. (5 marks)

Wind speed (m/s) Hours per year at Electrical power output

stated wind speed of wind turbine (kW)
2 1080 0
4 1900 5
6 2000 30
8 1600 80
10 1160 150
12 700 205
14 200 220
16 100 225
18 20 225
20 0 225

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Q.4
Vacuum tube solar collectors are used for hot water supply to a house in Hong Kong. A cross
section of the solar collector is shown in Figure Q.4. Through a data collection process, it is
found that the outlet water temperature is 38 ºC when incident solar radiation is 800 W/m² on
the front surface of the solar collector and the inlet water temperature is 30 ºC from a hot water
storage tank at noon of a day. The water flow rate is 0.06 kg/s. The solar collector area is
2m×2m. The product of solar transmittance of the class cover and absorptivity of the absorber
is 0.8.
(a) Using the above-measured data, determine the overall heat loss coefficient, U (W/(m2 K)),
of the solar collector and derive the mathematical relationship between its energy
efficiency and average water temperature when the ambient air temperature is 12ºC. The
heat capacity of water is 4180 J/kg·K. (12 marks)

(b) Discuss how the solar energy efficiency of the panel changes with hot water temperature
for hot water production. If 55 ºC hot water is supplied throughout a day, discuss how to
lower the working temperature of the hot water heating system when you design the
system. (8 marks)

(c) Explain the working principle of the heat pipe vacuum tube solar collectors in terms of
solar radiation absorption and heat transfer. (5 marks)

Figure Q.4 Part of a heat pipe vacuum tube solar collector

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Q.5
Geothermal energy in the earth originates from the original formation of the planet, from
radioactive decay of minerals, from volcanic activity, and from solar energy absorbed on the
surface. It is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly for application
in some locations.
(a) Illustrate the differences between a non-condensing cycle geothermal power plant and a
condensing cycle geothermal power plant.
(6 marks)
(b) Draw a schematic diagram of a ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP) system in cooling
mode. The diagram should include the main heat pump components (Compressor,
Condenser, Evaporator and Expansion valve). Based on the schematic diagram, explain
how the GCHP system works.
(9 marks)
(c) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages or restrains of the GCHP application. Explain
how to handle the unbalancing problem between the cooling load and heating load of a
building throughout the year in hot climate conditions, such as in Hong Kong.
(10 marks)