Renewable Energy Research Activities

Qatar has been blessed with energy both above and below surface. Qatar tapped the energy below the earth
through LNG and oil exports and now Qatar looking to the sun, wind with a vision to tap into its unlimited
potential.

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.
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Introduction:

Qatar has large reserves of fossil fuels from which the country currently gains much of its
income; Qatar is committed towards sustainable and responsible development as declared in
the National Development Plan (2011-2016). Sometime into the future, these nonrenewable
energy resources will be depleted. As part developing sustainable long-term policies, it is
important to consider alternative energy sources that gradually make their way to the countrys
energy matrix. This is consistent with the Qatar National Vision 2030 document, which calls for
creating new sources of renewable wealth and economy diversification. It also calls for
development strategies that cause little environmental damage.

Qatar had entered the era of renewable energy as early in the 1990s when College of
Engineering (CENG) Qatar University (QU) had made a solar pond for the purpose of water
desalination. The purpose of that work in 1992 was to use a solar pond to provide air
conditioning for a typical small family Qatari house where it was found that to meet 100% of
the cooling load from March till December; the solar pond area needed is 45 times the floor
area of the air-conditioned space.











Qatar has won the bid to host World Cup
2022, which includes a slew of solar powered
stadiums as well as significant upgrades to
their public transportation network. Qatar will
build 10 brand new Green Stadiums and
update two existing ones in order to host the
games using solar technology to power
carbon-neutral technology in order to cool the
stadiums and keep the temperature inside less
than 27 C. Stadiums will be able to host over
45,000-85,000 spectators.

This document summarizes the research activities in college of engineering related to
renewable energy. The objective of the research activities in renewable would be to look at the
various issues surrounding the viability of various sources of renewable energy in the State of
Qatar and its neighboring GCC countries.

College of Engineering Research Areas in Renewable Energy:

The college currently has a number of on-going research activities in renewable energy related
to: Biomass, Solar, and Wind and Geothermal energy.

CENG
Research
Renewable
Energy
Wind
Solar
Geo-
Therma
l
Bio-
Mass


Research in biomass at the college focuses on science and technology related to the use of
organic matter as a renewable basis, and includes: agricultural crops, and municipal wastes.
Research in solar energy focus into two areas, namely Photovoltaic (PV) technologies to
develop innovative materials and manufacturing techniques in order to continue to drive down
costs of PV materials. (ii) Solar thermal technologies, or those that convert sunlight into heat
and use the heat to generate electricity. Research is ongoing to develop potential storage
technologies that can be coupled with solar thermal utility in order to generate electricity even
when the sun is not shining.
Wind energy is generated by the movement of air in the Earth's atmosphere and can be
harnessed to generate electricity. Current research projects seek to develop and demonstrate
technological remedies that address grid integration issues, facilitating and easing the transition
to a renewables-based electricity.
Geothermal energy is derived from the heat in the interior of the earth, our research focus in:
improving investigative methods and models for more sophisticated and detailed reservoir
management, and develop advanced techniques for remote sensing and detecting potential
geothermal resources.
The following is a list of specific research topics in renewable energy of interest to CENG faculty
members:

Solar energy to fuel
Solar PV for desalination and irrigation
Solar thermal (parabolic reflectors/heat collectors) for desalination
Biofuel from organic waste,
Carbon capture and sequestration
Smart grids, Grid connectivity of hybrid renewable energy sources.
Development of efficient energy conversion techniques for both stand-alone PV-based
power supplies as well as grid connectivity and its related various methods of islanding.
Design of power conditioning systems (power electronics) for application to renewable.
Design of efficient electric drives based on renewable sources.
HVDC systems for off-shore wind energy.
Active management of RE sources during faults.
Wireless monitoring and control of solar PV plants.
Effect of environmental and climatic factors on the efficiency of solar PV systems.
Energy Management and Distribution Optimization,
Geothermal Energy,
Materials for renewable Energy,
Solar HVAC , District Cooling, Energy Efficiency and recovery
Energy Efficient Systems and smart buildings
Qatar solar map.


Research Collaboration:

International collaboration is central to addressing the research challenges in renewable
energy. The research group at CENG have the expertise and experience to choose suitable
partners for each specific project. Currently, the college has research partnership in the area of
renewable energy with the following institutions:

TAMU-Qatar
Texas A&M University - College Station, USA
Michigan State University, USA
McMaster University, Canada
University of Strathclyde, UK
University College London, UK
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Beijing Jiaotong University. China
German Jordanian University, Jordan
Beirut Arab University, Lebanon
Professional Activities:

The college organized a number of awareness and training programs in the potential use of
renewable energy. The following is a short list of very recent programs.

Grand Engineering Challenge Forum: Making Solar Energy Economical, 2011
Shell Eco Marathon, 2011, 2012
Qatar Eco-House, 2010
Lecture Series Related to Renewable Energy, 2010, 2011
Chevron Qatar Energy Technology-Qatar University-University California Jointly
Workshop in making a renewable-friendly grid, 2012-03-19













List of Faculty Members involved with Renewable Energy research


Faculty Name Research Interest in Renewable
Energy
Dr. Majeda Khraisheh Solar, Biofuel, desalination, sustainability
Dr. Hazim Qiblawey Desalination, Solar collectors,
Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Reesh Biogas
Dr. Lazhar Ben-Brahim Photovoltaic, grid connection,
Dr. Ahmed Massoud Photovoltaic, grid connection, wind energy
Dr. F. Touati Photovoltaic
Dr. Rashid Alammari Photovoltaic, grid connection
Dr. Mohieddine Ben Ammar Photovoltaic, grid connection
Dr Tamer Khattab Wireless communication
Dr. M. Al-Hitmi Photovoltaic, grid connection
Dr. Nasser Al-Emadi Photovoltaic, grid connection
Dr. Saud Ghani Desalination, CFD
Dr. A Aroussi, Heat transfer, CFD and Instrumentation
Dr. E. Mahdi, Materials for renewable energy, design
Dr. S. Fikri, Carbon capture and storage, Alternative fuels
Dr. F. Mutlu, Renewable management and economics
Dr. F. Musharavati, Renewable management and economics
Dr. S. Pokharel, Renewable management and economics
Dr. M. Al Khawaja Geothermal and CFD

List of Existing Resources:

The college has a dedicated Renewable Energy Research Laboratory equipped with state of
the art facilities for wind, Solar, Hydrogen, Fuel Cells energy, solar refrigeration, Solar PV,
Passive thermal solar cells, and Wind-tunnel. Also, the college is fully equipped with high
performance computing facilities (include HPC clusters, server, cloud computing, etc.) for
performing very complex computational modeling and simulation.





Publications and Funding:

During the last 3 years, the research team had published about 20 indexed high quality
publications related to renewable energy. This represents about 50% of all index publications
*

related to renewable energy in the State of Qatar. Also, during the same period (2009-2011),
the research team attracted research funding of more than US$ 8,000,000.


Source: Scopas, 28
th
March 2012











0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Total number of Published Indexed Papers Related to
Renewable
Total number of Indexed Papers
Published by College of Engineering,
Qatar University
Total number of Published Indexed
Papser in the whole of Qatar


LIST OF SOME ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS:


A Photovoltaic Power Supply operating in grid-connected
mode
A PV power source with a PWM DC-DC converter followed by a PWM inverter with an objective
to supplement the utility power in a grid connected loads. In this UREP project. The proposed
power system based on a PV array and a conversion unit is composed of a dcdc boost
converter and a dcac inverter. The PV voltage has a wide range of voltage, and the dcdc
converter is a boost type to step up the PV voltage to a fixed level dc voltage. The full-bridge
dcac inverter converts the fixed dc voltage to an ac voltage equal to the grid line level. The
PWM dc-ac inverter performs the MPPT function and controls the grid line current for unity
power factor. The suggested MPPT controller adjusts the reference voltage as a function of the
power slope and the PV voltage. As a result, a fast good tracking of the MPP is obtained with a
unity power factor. Implementation is carried out using one microcontroller. Thus, the proposed
power conversion is realized with minimal hardware and low cost.






PV panels system installation
A PV power source with a PWM DC-DC converter followed by a PWM inverter with an objective
to supplement the utility power in a grid connected loads. In this UREP project. The proposed
power system based on a PV array and a conversion unit is composed of a dcdc boost
converter and a dcac inverter. The PV voltage has a wide range of voltage, and the dcdc
converter is a boost type to step up the PV voltage to a fixed level dc voltage. The full-bridge
dcac inverter converts the fixed dc voltage to an ac voltage equal to the grid line level. The
PWM dc-ac inverter performs the MPPT function and controls the grid line current for unity
power factor. The suggested MPPT controller adjusts the reference voltage as a function of the
power slope and the PV voltage. As a result, a fast good tracking of the MPP is obtained with a
unity power factor. Implementation is carried out using one microcontroller. Thus, the proposed
power conversion is realized with minimal hardware and low cost.

Grid-Connected Photovoltaic-Based Single-Phase Inverter
for Qatar Residential Loads
Grid-Connected Photovoltaic-Based Single-Phase Inverter for Qatar Residential Loads .


Battery-less Solar-Powered Induction Motor Drive
System for Water treatment
Battery-less Solar-Powered Induction Motor Drive System for Water treatment.



Design and Development of Two QU Vehicles for Shell
Eco- Marathon 2011 European Competition
The project is to serve as a pilot study for multidisciplinary student work between the
Department of Mechanical and Industrial systems department and the Electrical Engineering
Department. Supervised by four faculty members from the mechanical and industrial
department and electrical engineering department, six students in total, three students from
each department designed, built and commissioned the first Qatar University Eco Marathon
cars. The aim was to compete on the 2011 edition of the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe that was
held at the Euro Speed way Lausitz track in Germany during 26th 28th March. This project
was supported by Shell Gas to Liquid (GTL) , Pearl, Qatar.



Real-time wireless monitoring and control of Renewable
Energy PV stations
The renewable energy (RE) industry has recently been one of the fastest growing industries.
This is because of the critical need to move to non-fossil energy to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions that have led to the global warming and its consequences. Also, RE has proven
promising in applications like Tele communications, disaster relief and emergency power, village
electrification, remote residential and industrial application, and irrigation and water pumping.
In Energy Systems labs including solar PV and wind energy as well as in solar PV power
stations, it is essential to study performance monitoring and optimization. This requires
subsystems with sensors, acquisition units and actuators. Wireless monitoring and optimization
subsystems present the advantages of remote sensing and continuous monitoring that allow
building databases for record and tracking and automatic failure detection and alarm, which
dramatically minimizes any down time.
In this project, we will embark on:
1) Setting-up, testing, and optimizing a solar PV-to-ac prototype (PV panel, storage bank of
batteries, inverter, accessories), and
2) Designing and implementing wireless subsystems for monitoring and control of physical
quantities in RE systems, like temperature of ambient and PV modules, solar radiation, air
pressure and humidity, wind speed (for hybrid systems), and currents and voltages of battery
bank (DC) and inverter (e.g. a Sunny-Boy Inverter from SMA).

Quasi-Z Source Inverter based Cascade Multilevel
Photovoltaic Power Generation System
PV power generation has been one of the most active research areas in the past decades. Its
installations present a substantial increase recently, but the high cost, low efficiency and
reliability still block its widespread applications. The proposal will focus on an innovative
solution by employing Quasi-Z-Source Inverter (qZSI) with battery, connecting several qZSI
modules in series, and forming the qZSI based cascade multilevel PV system, where several
independent PV panels instead of string and the batteries are distributed among qZSI modules.
Each module has its own maximum power point tracker (MPPT) and the whole system controls
power flow between the grid and the PV system. The proposed PV system has characteristics:
1) single-stage inverter with step up/down function allows a wide range of PV voltages; 2)
transformerless; 3) energy storage; 4) output voltage of quality to the grid; 5) distributed
MPPT, and avoid the power loss when mismatching; 6) implementing some important services,
such as balancing the stochastic fluctuations of PV power to the grid, improving electrical power
quality, and etc. These ensure the proposed PV system of low cost, high efficiency and


reliability, and high performance cost ratio. Also it will make the grid more reliable. Experiments
are carried out through prototype to verify the proposed schemes. The project will have an
enormous scientific and economic impact in Qatar, and develop highly quality personnel in the
PV system area.

Unity Power-Factor Adjustable Speed Drive For Energy
Neutral Building
One key aspect of present day alternative energy emphasis is the concept of energy neutral
building. Such buildings will meet its own power demand from alternative sources, except for
some large loads such as pump/lift motors. In order to achieve such energy neutral building, its
major power consumptions must reduced. It is estimated that 62% of a building power demand
comes from its water pumps, air conditioners and lifts, and 85% of all motors are of mid to
large power drawing power from 3 phase sources. Behind each motor, there is an adjustable
speed AC drive (ASD). Most commercially available ASDs have a power factor (PF) of about
0.72, an efficiency of less than 85% and usually lack the much needed ride-through capability.
An alternative energy based Energy neutral building will never be possible without this
significant savings, since the generated energy from solar/wind/fuel cell is expected to be
modest and losses in any way must be minimized. The proposed ASD will have very high PF
(0.99) and efficiency, without any active or passive current shaping or filtering, thus bringing
down the cost and complexity. This is accomplished through a novel front-end rectifier with bi-
directional switches. A PWM rear-end inverter with the correct switching pattern will provide the
v/f operation. An ultra-capacitor cum battery in the dc bus will provide much needed ride-
through capability.

Photovoltaic Energy Conversion System with Smart
Micro-Inverter
The objectives of the proposal are to develop a low cost, high efficiency, long lifetime, ultra-
compact single phase micro-inverter and a three-phase inverter for rooftops and MW-class solar
farm applications, to remarkably improve the scalability, maintainability, efficiency and
capability of grid support for Photovoltaic systems.







A Rechargeable Environmentally Friendly Alternative to
Lithium Batteries in MWD and LWD Applications
The harsh environmental conditions faced by electromechanical assemblies used in oil and gas
exploration, drilling, and logging pose serious challenges to the development of power sources
suitable for such applications. Traditionally, the oil field has been limited to lithium battery
technology. Lithium batteries, however, have environmental and safety concerns related to their
operation and disposal. In this project we propose to develop a modular high speed flywheel
based rechargeable downhole power source. Mud flow driven downhole turbine-generator sets
would be used to recharge the system, and the flywheel would then supply power to the load in
the absence of mud flow when the rig crew is in the process of connecting/disconnecting a
section of drill pipe or when high resolution data is required without the additional disturbances
produced during the drilling operation. The application of soft magnetic composites for the
electromagnetic design of the high speed motor/generator as well as the magnetic bearings will
also be proposed. The possible use of the flywheel control system to damp drill string dynamics
will also be investigated. The system is completely electromechanical, and hence eliminates the
severe effects temperature has on alternative electrochemical solutions. In addition, the
disposal and safety hazards associated with lithium battery technology are eliminated.

Active Management of Renewable Energy Sources During
Faults
In this proposal, active management of renewable energy sources connected to the grid is
proposed. The effect of adding more DG on protection schemes in low (practically) and medium
(simulation) voltage is explored. In this research proposal, an active island detection technique
for renewable energy-fed inverter (REFI) is employed for disturbance detection. A renewable
energy-fed boost source inverter (REF-BSI), a converter topology with extended gain having a
boosting up characteristic, is proposed. Nearby and remote fault locations with respect to the
REFI are addressed proposing static VAR compensation and static Watt compensation to
support the voltage in medium and low voltage networks respectively. Control techniques for
renewable energy-fed voltage source inverter (REFVSI), renewable energy-fed boost source
inverter (REF-BSI), and renewable energy-fed Z-source inverter (REF-ZSI) are proposed
considering their effect on the active management of the inverter during faults. Challenges for
the proliferation of the distributed generation and the effect on the protecting schemes are
enumerated and solutions are proposed.





HVDC Architectures for Offshore Grid Connected Wind
Energy Systems
This proposal investigates innovative electrical energy capture solutions, ideally suited for
offshore wind farms. The project investigates means of overcoming the limitations of the series
wind turbine architecture using a novel power conversion system. Additionally, a multi-terminal
IGCT current source converter-based HVDC system is proposed. The technology will provide
significant advantages over existing conventional voltage source based Light HVDC and HVAC
transmission systems. The advantages include reduced system losses, enhanced system
reliability, reduced capital costs, a simple control system that facilitates the connection of multi-
terminal units, improved power quality from the generator side and the grid side with
independently controllable active/reactive power, and fault ride through capability. It optimizes
the connection between the wind turbines and the connection between the offshore units and
the grid. The integrated distribution system can easily incorporate energy storage and
additional generation onto the proposed DC link system. The grid management and control of
this system will be also be investigated.

Voltage Regulation of Low Voltage Distribution Networks
Employing Photovoltaic
Given the high solar irradiation in Qatar, solar energy is viable and has obvious advantages.
There is a need also for a more objective and reliable method of PV integration with the grid.
The most important objectives are:
1. Employing a novel concept of connecting PV to the grid based on regulating the voltage at
the point of common coupling. To Qatar, it provides reserve source of energy securing the
electrical power supply. Outcome of this project is also the implementation of grid-connected PV
in Qatar which will create a good background and expertise in power electronics for renewable
energy. This will
increase Qatar dependency on renewable energies specially as the expected depletion of oil and
gas.
2. Improved reliability of the distribution systems specially with the high penetration of DGs
through the distribution network realized by a novel approach for regulating the voltage. The
project will realize new, high-performance control systems for PV grid-connected inverters
including a harmonic distortion based technique for island detection.




Effects of Environmental Factors on the Efficiency of
Various Solar PV Technologies
Over the past two decades governmental universities and agencies have played an integral role
in the advancement of renewable energy education by providing useful information for
educators and students. Countries such as Qatar, which heavily rely on oil and gas exports,
have taken initiatives to educate the local population and invest heavily in developing renewable
energy solutions aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emission levels and conserving
resources. For example, taking advantage of the abundance of solar radiation and vast
undeveloped desert land, the Qatar government through its ambitious Qatars Vision 2030 is
developing large-scale solar plants using photovoltaic cells.
In this project, the students will design and develop a system that would demonstrate the
effects of dust and environmental factors such as solar radiation, temperature and relative
humidity on the efficiency of photovoltaic cells for various technologies (e.g. thin film, mono-
crystalline, amorphous). Each student will be involved in all the process and will be responsible
of achieving the milestone.

Design of Intelligent and Environment-Friendly Irrigation and
Conservation System
This project will bring together students from different backgrounds who will design and
implement a self-tuning water irrigation control system. Such a system shall operate
automatically under given conditions and in an appropriate way. That is, given the nature of
soil, soil moisture, amount of water and degree of salinity needed by the plants, water
availability, and all other major environmental variables (e.g. soil and ambient temperature),
the system is supposed to accurately detects if a plant requires water and adjusts the degree of
salinity for that particular plant. The system will supply the required amount of water and
record a log of actions taken. Such task should be done using an adaptive self-tuning approach
involving specific sensors and an intelligent control systems. On the other hand, the irrigation
system should also be environment-friendly. Solar photovoltaic (PV) units shall be used to
power the various blocks of the irrigation system for a sustainable operation. This allows its
deployment in remote places where electricity may not available or hard to deploy. This leads to
the environment conservation by reducing greenhouse gases and also to the solution of the
regional and worldwide agricultural problem related to energy demand.
This project addresses water, energy, and environment conservation, three of the four pillars of
Qatar vision 2030, and hence prepare the workforce for that challenge. Also, because it is
multidisciplinary, the project promotes interdepartmental joint activities within the College of
Engineering of Qatar University.



Photovoltaic power generation system based on highly
efficient multilevel power conditioning unit
This proposal introduces a novel wind turbine architecture based on a new three port magnetic
gearbox configuration. An electric power output port is provided in addition to the gearboxs
two mechanical ports. The proposed magnetic gearbox provides additional power harvesting
and system control benefits through its electrical output port. Wind turbine generators are
typically controlled to track the maximum power point. However, the grid may not be able to
accept the extracted wind power for stability purposes, especially with high wind power
penetration. Power leveling energy storage at the point of common coupling, with a
corresponding high voltage rating, is typically proposed as a solution in this case. For the
proposed configuration, the turbine mechanical power is thus divided into mechanical power to
drive the electrical generator, and electrical power that can be deviated into a storage system
to perform the power leveling function. The proposed system can also be used to freely modify
the power-speed characteristic as seen by the electrical generator, a highly needed feature for
grid frequency support.

Islanding Detection Technique for Photovoltaic Grid
Connected Power System
Integrating distributed generator into the existing distribution network is predicted to play an
important role in the near future. Distributed generators, specifically renewable energy
technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV), wind-turbine and fuel cells are entering a stage of fast
expansion. Connecting distributed generator to the distribution network has many benefits such
as increasing the capacity of the grid and enhancing the power quality. However, it gives rise to
many problems. This is mainly due to the fact that distribution networks are designed without
any generation units at that level. Hence, integrating distributed generators into the existing
distribution network is not problem-free. Unintentional islanding is one of the encountered
problems. The goal of this project is to develop an islanding detection technique for inverter
based distributed generators. The proposed method utilizes wavelet analysis to detect islanding.
The technique is based on analyzing the transient voltage signals generated during the
islanding event.








Energy Harvesting of Seamless Grid-Integrated
Photovoltaic Generators
Renewable energy sources as photovoltaic and wind energy necessitate an inverter to convert
the generated waveforms to that which complies with the grid voltage and frequency. In
photovoltaic generators, a DC-DC converter may be needed before the inverter stage for
maximum power point tracking and voltage stepping up. A single stage buck-boost inverter
achieving maximum power tracking, voltage stepping-up, and generating AC complying with the
grid requirements is an objective of this proposal throughout novel topological converters. The
behavior of the single stage buck-boost inverter in normal operation and during fault is of
utmost importance for reliable and safe operation of power systems which will be targeted by
the proposal scope of work.

Development of a Multi-phase Wind Energy generation
System
Concerns about climate change is driving significant increase in the penetration of intermittent
distributed energy . Greater research effort is needed to integrate the diverse distributed energy
generation into the grid system to support the new paradigm. New grid codes and operational
constraints are to be defined and tested to overcome the challenges posed by the distributed
energy sources. Among several feasible distributed energy sources, the wind power generation
is a potential renewable energy source in Qatar, specially offshore, due to several inherent
advantages that they offer. The forecast of the share of wind energy generator worldwide is
almost 8.9% that translates into the total installed capacity of 1 Tera Watt by 2020.
The power electronic converter technology play a pivotal role in the successful penetration of
distributed energy sources. Nowadays the grid interfacing power electronic converters have
many role to play such as; dynamic control of injected active and reactive power, successful
operation within the defined boundaries of voltage and frequency, voltage-ride-through
capability, grid support during the event of faults, etc. The major aim of the proposed project is
to develop a wind energy generation system based on multi-phase generator and novel power
electronic converter that can feed an isolated load and can also be integrated with the Qatar
and GCC grid system..









Wind Turbine Architecture Employing A New Three Port
Magnetic Gear Box 3PMGB
This proposal introduces a novel wind turbine architecture based on a new three port magnetic
gearbox configuration. An electric power output port is provided in addition to the gearboxs
two mechanical ports. The proposed magnetic gearbox provides additional power harvesting
and system control benefits through its electrical output port. Wind turbine generators are
typically controlled to track the maximum power point. However, the grid may not be able to
accept the extracted wind power for stability purposes, especially with high wind power
penetration. Power leveling energy storage at the point of common coupling, with a
corresponding high voltage rating, is typically proposed as a solution in this case. For the
proposed configuration, the turbine mechanical power is thus divided into mechanical power to
drive the electrical generator, and electrical power that can be deviated into a storage system
to perform the power leveling function. The proposed system can also be used to freely modify
the power-speed characteristic as seen by the electrical generator, a highly needed feature for
grid frequency support.

High Efficiency Nanostructured Photovoltaic Solar Cells
Qatar comes into the zone of maximum solar radiation in the world (average 275 W/m2), which
makes it one of the best geographical locations for solar energy harvesting. However, the main
hurdle is the efficient capture, conversion, and storage of the solar energy for power
generation. Photovoltaic (PV) solar cell technology is one the most attractive solutions to
convert solar energy into electricity. On the other hand, low efficiency, thermal stability, and
high material costs are the major challenges of conventional PV solar cells technologies that
limit their widespread usage especially in places such as Qatar, where the climate is hot, arid,
and humid. The primary goal of this project is to develop a new nanostructured PV solar cell
with high energy conversion efficiencies and thermal stability. Nano-fabrication approach will
include a glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique for generating ordered arrays of
semiconductor nanostructures with uniform feature sizes, and perform an investigation of the
geometrical effects including nanostructure shape, size, and alignment upon their optical
absorption, photoconductive, and photovoltaic properties. This systematic study will lead to the
optimization of the nanostructured PV solar cells for superior power efficiencies and robustness.









High performance electrodes for solar cells
Transparent conductive electrodes are an essential component of solar panels. Unfortunately,
lacking are techniques to deposit inexpensive, high performance coatings that can withstand
harsh environmental conditions for the required decade or more time period that is necessary to
make solar technology economically competitive. To address this problem we will propose a
unique approach to investigate sol-gel and sputtered metallic spider web coatings deposited on
amorphous Si-based sensor device structures. Monitoring the electrical performance of the
sensors under a variety of conditions promises to be a highly sensitive way to detect small
changes in the transparent electrodes, allowing lifetime measurements to be made in a short
time. This research program is a collaboration between Qatar University (QU) and the University
of Arizona (UA). The contribution of QU centers on sensor design and device characterization.
The work at UA centers on thin-film deposition and materials characterization. The outcome of
this QU/UA collaboration addresses a fundamental problem confronting large scale power
generation that use solar cells of any type.

Solar Powered Light emitting diodes for Qatar 2022
World Cup Stadiums
Solar Powered Light emitting diodes for Qatar 2022 World Cup Stadiums

Single Phase Photovoltaic AC Module Integrated
Converter
Single Phase Photovoltaic AC Module Integrated Converter

Plug and Play Single Phase Photovoltaic AC Module
Integrated Converter with Wireless Coordination
Plug and Play Single Phase Photovoltaic AC Module Integrated Converter with Wireless
Coordination.








Environment-Friendly Self-Tuned Irrigation and
Conservation System
In this project, we propose to design and implement a self-tuning water irrigation control
system. Such a system shall operate automatically under given conditions and in an
appropriate way. That is, given the nature of soil, soil moisture, water need of plants, water
salinity, water availability, and all other major environmental variables (e.g. soil and ambient
temperature) it is supposed that the system will be able to accurately detect if a plant requires
water. If so, the system will supply the required amount of water and record a log of actions
taken. Such task should be done using an adaptive self-tuning approach involving specific
sensors and an intelligent control systems.
On the other hand, the irrigation system should also be environment-friendly. Solar
photovoltaic (PV) units shall be used to power the various blocks of the irrigation system for a
sustainable operation. This allows its deployment in remote places where electricity may not be
available or hard to deploy. This leads to the environment conservation by reducing greenhouse
gases and also to the solution of the regional and worldwide agricultural problem related to
energy demand.
In order to remotely monitor and control environmental factors and system performance in real-
time, reverse wireless technology will be used (e.g. RF, GSM, Xbee). A remote acquisition
system that displays and saves data (like soil temperature, ambient temperature, amount of
water used, solar PV panel temperature, solar irradiation, PV dc and ac currents) shall be set.

Solar Desalination Unit With Humidification
Dehumidification Cycle Under Qatari Climate
Conditions
This is pilot plant desalination unit with solar collectors to heat up the feed seawater and
photovoltaic to power pumps, blower, control system, etc. it is a stand-alone unit.










Investigating and Overcoming the Effects of Harsh
Environment on the Performance of Solar PV
Technologies in the State of Qatar
Investigating and Overcoming the Effects of Harsh Environment on the Performance of Solar PV
Technologies in the State of Qatar.

Effects of Environmental Factors on the Efficiency of
Various Solar PV Technologies
Over the past two decades governmental universities and agencies have played an integral role
in the advancement of renewable energy education by providing useful information for
educators and students. Countries such as Qatar, which heavily rely on oil and gas exports,
have taken initiatives to educate the local population and invest heavily in developing renewable
energy solutions aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emission levels and conserving
resources. For example, taking advantage of the abundance of solar radiation and vast
undeveloped desert land, the Qatar government through its ambitious Qatars Vision 2030 is
developing large-scale solar plants using photovoltaic cells.
In this project, the students will design and develop a system that would demonstrate the
effects of dust and environmental factors such as solar radiation, temperature and relative
humidity on the efficiency of photovoltaic cells for various technologies (e.g. thin film, mono-
crystalline, amorphous). Each student will be involved in all the process and will be responsible
of achieving the milestone.

An investigation into Production of Heat and Electricity
by exploiting geothermal heat of oil wells and waste heat
from refineries
Countries like Canada and Qatar, with a large oil industry, are privileged with a valuable
opportunity to benefit from their geothermal resources. The solution lies in reutilization of their
oil wells as sources of geothermal energy. The underground virgin rock temperature of oil wells
can be as high as 100 C depending on the geo gradients. Also, the oil well itself is a relatively
large drilled hole. Through the proposed innovation, geothermal heat of underground geofluids
is captured from active as well as abandoned oil wells. This heat is conveyed to a thermal
power generation cycle where it is transformed to electric power and fed into the electricity
network. Fortunately, recent technological achievements have made it possible to generate
electricity from a 74 C geothermal source. Our project will identify both the technical and the
economic aspects of utilization of oil wells for heat and electric power generation. We propose


to map and create the engineering infrastructure required for future developments of
geothermal facilities in oil and gas industry. By undertaking this research the following goals
can be achieved: Creating sustainable energy extraction from active and abandoned oil fields
Lowering the cost of geothermal electricity generation to a considerable amount
Contribution to the environmental issues of abandoned oils wells Drawing the applicability of
geothermal power generation into the new domain of oil and gas industry.


Development and Characterization of Lightweight
Magnesium Nanocomposites for Weight Critical
Applications
In this research proposal, new lightweight and high performance magnesium based
nanocomposites will be developed for potential applications in the weight critical industry such
as aviation industry. Magnesium-based materials are actively being pursued for weight saving
applications due to their low density and high specific mechanical properties. Magnesium is an
excellent choice for lightweight structural applications as it is ~35% lighter than aluminum and
exhibit similar strength levels. In recent studies, it has been observed that the addition of nano-
size reinforcements such ceramic oxides, SiC and carbon nanotubes can lead to a simultaneous
increase in strength and ductility of magnesium. In addition, the use of a small volume fraction
of nano-size reinforcements produce results comparable or even superior to that of MMCs with
higher volume fraction of micron size reinforcements. Combining it with innovations in
processing techniques enables a synergistic approach towards obtaining low cost and high
performance magnesium nanocomposites. Accordingly, this proposal will target at: a.
Development of high performance magnesium nanocomposites for wide range of industrial
applications. b. Use of innovative and cost-effective processing of metal matrix composites. c.
Characterization of properties of the nanocomposites.

Optimum Distribution and Blending of Desalination Water
with Saline Water for Irrigation: Genetic Algorithm Model
and Experimental Results
The scarcity of water resources of good quality is becoming an essential issue in the arid
regions. Thus, water resources management systems are rapidly advancing field of study. The
application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN), decision making systems, and intelligent
controlling systems have gained attention recently due to the fact that it can optimize the
water quality, distribution, and to insure reliable water supply for different consumers. Irrigation
systems are among the important research field due to the amount of water required to supply
the increasing needs for irrigation, and due to the crop yield-salinity tolerance. The proposed


system in this research is a viable option for managing water resources used for irrigation
purposes. The aim of this work is to propose neural network (NN) solution to connect many
tanks in a network topology, where each tank supplying a specific crop field, and mix the water
inside the tanks to provide the required salinity in each tank and consequently reduce the fresh
(pure) water consumption. The NN will be implemented to find the optimized solution for the
amount of water need to be transferred from tank to other tanks to balance the salinity. The
system will provide a mechanism to extend the blending unit to produce water with different
grades of salinity to meet different standards to be used for irrigation, aquariums, and poultry
and livestock aside to human use.

Recycling of Aluminum and Development of New
Aluminum Alloys
Drawing the applicability of geothermal power generation into the new domain of oil and gas
industry.


An Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Effective
Energy Utilization of a Qatari Eco-House Scaled
Model


Integration of passive ventilation and novel cooling
systems for reducing air conditioning loads in
buildings
According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) buildings
account for 40% of the worlds energy use with the resulting carbon emissions substantially
more than those in the transportation sector. Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
systems account for up to 60% of commercial buildings energy consumption. Thus represents a
significant opportunity for reducing the buildings energy consumption and carbon footprint. This
research will be carried out in collaboration with Kahrama. The proposed project aims to
develop a novel system for reducing or eliminating the need for air conditioning. The system
makes use of passive air cooling method in order to drop the entrained air temperature, which
is then used during the daytime to adjust a controlled environment internal and external heat
gains. Consequently, maintaining a comfortable internal environment without the need for a
mechanical air conditioning. It has a major advantage over other passive systems in that it is


suitable for retro-fitting into existing buildings. This means that the potential impact of the
system in reduced CO2 emissions is considerably increased.

Solar to Fuel
The current technology for CO2 reduction is CO2 capture and storage (CCS). An alternative
technology is to capture CO2 and convert it to chemicals by thermal catalysis. The technology is
not appropriate to low concentration of CO2 (<1%), such as CO2 in air except it has to be
driven by thermal energy mainly produced by fossil fuel combustion. The solar energy driven
CO2 conversion is an only technology without extra CO2 emission (neutral carbon process) and
very compatible with atmospheric CO2 condition. Solar energy is most abundant in the world.
However, it is difficult to store the produced electric energy in large quantities using the present
technologies. Hereby there is still a real need to exploit other methods to easily convert and
store solar energy alongside discovering new technologies to largely store electric energy.
Photocatalysis, utilizing solar energy to drive chemical reactions over a photocatalyst, is a novel
and advanced technology. Solar hydrogen production is an approach to convert solar energy to
chemical energy hydrogen by means of photocatalysis. Alternatively, the photoreduction of CO2
directly to a renewable fuel, such as methanol is another approach to convert and store solar
energy in chemical bonds. Compared with hydrogen, methanol is a superior fuel due to 1) its
higher energy density (1000 times higher than hydrogen per volume) and 2) easier storage and
transporation. Photocatalytic CO2 conversion towards methanol mimics natural plant
photosynthesis. Nature represents the blueprint for storing sunlight in the form of chemical
fuels (such as sugars) by CO2 conversion. The primary steps of natural photosynthesis involve
the absorption of sunlight and its conversion into separated electron/hole pairs. The holes of
this wireless current are then captured by the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) to oxidize water
to oxygen, which allows the electrons are captured by PSI to reduce NADP+ to NADPH (the
reduced form of NADP+).

Utilizing solar energy for membrane distillation
desalination in combination of industrial waste
heat.


Autonomous means desalination powered by renewable
energy without connection to power grid
Main deliverables from the project are:
design, installation, cost estimation and operation of a pilot plant reverse osmosis plant
operated by photovoltaic in small village.
Design and installation of lab scale reverse osmosis plant operated by photovoltaic.
Master plan to foster implantation of renewable energy for water desalination purposes.


Using of different solar energy technologies related to desalination.
Econometric Modeling and Analysis of electricity
consumption in residential and industrial sectors in
Qatar