MINES NANTES 2011 - 2013

European Joint Masters in Management & Engineering of Environment and EnergyME3

PM3E Master of Science in Project Management for Environmental and Energy Engineering

National Institution of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies (Quito, Ecuador)Design and Planning of the Construction of a Zero Energy Building Prototype with Integrated Renewable Energies.

The INER was created as registered establishment of the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energies of Ecuador in order to promote the scientific and technologic investigation, energy efficiency, best practices with low-impact and a major participation of sustainable renewable energies. INER’s researches are seeking the development of low energy buildings in the new City of the Knowledge “Yachay”. The thesis focuses on developing a Zero Energy Building prototype for the INER’s investigational center which will include laboratories for biomass, photovoltaic, etc.; and a green buildings benchmarking. Besides, it contains an analytical overview of building energy simulation tools and a ranking of the best software to be applied in the prototype’s energy simulation. Furthermore, it encompasses a historical development of the electrical matrix and the inclusion of renewable energies and its potential in the country. Supplementary designs consider: stormwater harvesting, wastewater treatment, vegetated roofs and walls, recyclable materials for civil construction and dismantling considerations.

PM3E Master of Science in Project Management for Environmental and Energy Engineering

MINES NANTES

Master thesis 2011 - 2013

ALSTOM, Corporate Headquarters (Levallois Perret 92, France)Deployment and Enhancement of the Environment, Health and Safety Reporting.

Alstom is a global leader in power generation, power transmission and rail transport. The company is present in 100 countries and employs around 90.000 people. To assure safe working conditions and low environmental impact is one of Alstom’s priorities. Accordingly, the EHS department deploys various actions, including strategies, targets and tools to make this happen.Internal and external reporting on the performance of these actions is key. Currently, Alstom aims to answer to the Investor Carbon Disclosure index. This index reflects the company’s transparency on available information related to climate change. The CDP questionnaire is an instrument used by investors and customers to guide their decisions. Therefore, it is important to accurately communicate all relevant data and good practices implemented. As EHS managers, we gather, organize, analyze and transform into concrete answers, information related to our environmental friendly activities, risk management strategies, among others. In this way, Alstom seeks to improve its position in the next CDP edition, and for the long term, to define the strategy and action plan to be implemented to achieve sustainability practices.

UNIDO (Vienna, Austria)Industrial Benchmarks for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production in Developing Countries.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The Organization focuses on three main thematic areas: Poverty reduction through productive activities, Trade capacity-building, and Energy and environment.

Addressing environmental degradation represents a decisive contemporary challenge. At the same time, history has shown that socio-economic development tends to be correlated with increasing energy and material throughput. Reconciling human emancipation with environmental protection is a difficult balancing act. The focus of the thesis is the development of industrial benchmarks related to resource efficient and cleaner production in developing countries.

Benchmarking analyses represent a powerful tool with regard to environmental performance. They provide valuable insights regarding improvement potential, and help assessing the performance of specific enterprises or plant vis-à-vis references (e.g. Best Practice Technologies) on a sector-by-sector basis.

Wärtsilä (Norway)Introduction of Flare Gas Recovery in an Underdeveloped Area.

Wärtsilä Oil & Gas Systems is a company providing equipment and services to the marine, oil & gas and industrial sectors. The gas recovery business unit has been successful in delivering Flare Gas Recovery (FGR) systems to various offshore installations, avoiding significant amounts of greenhouse gas emission. The company wishes to enhance the FGR with possible utilization such as electricity generation. This is made possible by the newly developed Gas Reformer which able to convert the recovered gas into a methane rich gas, thus suitable to be the fuel for engines.The aim of thesis is to provide a techno-economic evaluation tool for potential flare gas recovery and utilization projects in remote areas. The tool is applied for a case study in Indonesia. If the project is implemented, society as a whole will earn benefit from green house gas emission reductions and electricity supply to areas with limited grid access.

Weir Minerals (Calgary, Canada)Mapping out of the players, their connections and the intricacies of mine fine tailings projects to implement procedures and tools that improve the Project Management & Contracts role.

The Weir Minerals Sales group in Calgary, composed of 20 members, has seen growth and success ever since its creation by 2 people in 1995. This team of two, built up the group to a large number of 3 to 5 million dollar contracts with oil companies; building, installing and servicing two phase pumps specifically designed for their needs. With the approaching Canadian regulation deadline requiring oil companies to reduce the fluid tailings by 50%, contracts are exponentially increasing. The newly created Project Management & Contracts role needs to be optimized quickly to handle the increasing quantity of large scale projects. The role will be studied with quantitative and qualitative analysis to evaluate the usefulness of proposed procedures and tools.

Cogenpower Gas & Power S.r.l (Torino, Italy)Business Profitability and Customer Value Creation in an Energy Sale Company.

Cogenpower Gas & Power S.r.l is active in selling natural gas, electricity to households and companies in the italian territory. Cogenpower Gas & Power S.r.l. is part of Cogenpower Group in which Cogenpower S.p.A. operates the district heating system in Borgaro Torinese.

This thesis focuses on being involved in the elaboration of economic reports, in order to evaluate the business profitability as a function with variables. It covers the knowledge of the function of Italy liberalized market, skills of data-mining and reporting. The aim is to improve the ability of correlating several elements that contribute to both the cost and the price of energy commodity.

The second part is a creation of web-based application, which is going to provide some element with high value for the customers, including meters reading, check previous bills, and data analysis. The application, called “Pay Bills”, allows customers to deposit a certain amount of money and to obtain interests on it.

Technip (Paris La Défense 92, France)Design Study of Induction Bends for Deepwater Operations.

Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction, constantly offering the best solutions and most innovative technologies to meet the world’s energy challenges from the deepest subsea oil and gas (O&G) developments to the largest and most complex offshore and onshore infrastructures. Therefore, out of its numerous responsibilities, it is determined to offer a solution to the current limit state design issues on induction bends. Induction bends are pipeline components mostly incorporated to deepwater design systems such as subsea spools, manifolds, and pipeline end terminations. They provide flexibility to such systems to withstand external loadings which could result in environmental disaster. Notwithstanding the benefits of its uses, its design has, recently, generated a lot of critical concerns in the O&G industry since no international codes/standards have provided a well-laid down guidance to that effect. This thesis work, therefore, aims to address the challenge by reviewing limitations of existing methodology and then analyze alternative design process suitable for use in the industry. The use of a commercial ABAQUS v6.12 FEA tool and relevant design formulations from current international codes/standards such as DNV OS-F101 and ASME B31.8 are employed for this study.

Enerdata (Grenoble 38, France)Issue of fuel subsidies and fuel pricing in emerging countries .

Enerdata is an independent Research & Consulting firm that is specialized in global energy and carbon market analysis, having more than 25 years’ experience in economic, policy and technology issues concerning energy sector. Oil subsidy is found to be a common mean of the governments in developing countries to realize certain social or economic goals. It is often found that oil subsidy fails to realize the intended purpose and instead has negative impact on the country’s economy. The Master Thesis project attempts to analyze this impact. Because of the broad field of the topic, the objective of the project can be divided into:- Reviewing the various studies on the evaluation of oil subsidies.- Developing independent tools for estimating historical subsidy volume and forecasting.- Studying the impact of oil pricing on energy consumption profile and other indicators.Reviewing existing policies and making recommendations for effectiveness.

Degrémont (Rueil Malmaison 92, France)Elaboration of working load calculations and operation manuals for water treatment plants.

World leader in water treatment, Degrémont is a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, which is part of the GDF-SUEZ group, the largest independent power producer in the world. The company has operations in more than 70 countries and 10 000 plants built worldwide, serving more than 1 billion people. Degrémont designs, builds and operates facilities for waste water treatment, drinking water production, seawater desalinization by RO and sludge treatment providing local authorities and industries with water treatment solutions and services.

The objective of this internship is to develop the operating manual for the Seine Morée water treatment plant. The operating manual is a tool addressed to the operators which intends to familiarize them with their work and explains the different aspects for good operation of the plant. The aspects covered in this document are the presentation of the units of treatment, technical description of the equipments and instrumentation, automatism, troubleshooting and security among others.

Besides the manual, support training is given to the operator in order to make a didactic approach to the manual.

Working load calculation allows determining the number of operators and the time required for the operation of the plant, cleaning and maintenance tasks. This calculation is done from the list of tasks to be performed for each equipment and instrument, their frequency, their duration as well as their order. This calculation was performed for the Achères water treatment plant which has been rebuilt.

Bureau Veritas - Technical Center (Paris 75, France)Development of an audit methodology focused on risk and Integrity Management for Oil & Gas Installations.

Created in 1828, Bureau Veritas is a global leader company delivering high quality services to help clients meet the growing challenges of quality, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility, offering solutions that go beyond simple compliance with regulations and standards, reducing risk, improving performance and promoting sustainable development.

Energy installations in general -and oil & gas installations in particular- have a high level of complexity and they are influenced by different factors affecting their operation. The objective of the project is to develop an audit methodology for this kind of installations with a systemic approach focused on Integrity and risk management. Asset Integrity is the ability of assets to perform its required function effectively and efficiently whilst safeguarding life and the environment. Asset Integrity Management is the means of ensuring that the people, systems, processes and resources which deliver the integrity, are in place, in use and fit for purpose over the whole lifecycle of the asset. An effective procedure for identifying gaps and critical aspects in integrity management makes possible to define solutions in order to prevent undesired events, with consequences even at regional scale and global repercussion.

ALSTOM GRID (La Defense 92, France)Develop of Project Management Certification.

ALSTOM Group (Grid, Thermal Power, Renewable Power and Transport) develops more than 5 000 projects in the field of electric public transport as well as generation and transmission of electric energy in over 100 countries. These projects vary in complexities and they require qualified project managers. The different Sector of Alstom classifies their project managers according to level of experience and competencies. Therefore, in order to be able to transfer human resources and competencies among sectors is required to establish common criteria within the whole group.Aligned with this approach, this project establish for Alstom Grid a formal procedure for Project Management certification including improvements according to evolution of business needs, as well as provide equivalence of know-how for Project Management across sectors.

Alstom Foundation (Levallois-Perret 92, France)Corporate social responsibility encompassing environmental and energy engineering projects- A sustainable development approach in developing countries; and Biodiversityat Alstom.

Being a global leader in power generation, power transmission and rail transport markets, Alstom has a presence in 70 countries through its projects, utility services and manufacturing sites. Alstom foundationfounded in 2007 as a part of corporate social responsibilitypolicy and it finances various projects dedicated to local community development, nature preservation and environmental awareness mostly in developing countries.

My Internship profile focuses on different aspects of project management along with application of environmental and energy engineering knowledge. My mission includes the internal and external communication on projects, evaluation of project proposals (technical, economic and social evaluation), relations with NGOs,preparation of selection of projects in June 2013 and designing corporate citizenship program. It also covers the monitoring and follow up analysis of last year projects. As Alstom enforces its efforts in biodiversity conservation, my responsibility is to prepare a primary biodiversity action plan in collaboration with EHS department.

Public Authority for Rural Electrification (P.A.R.E) (Yemen)Solar Home System (SHS) Project Monitoring.

The P.A.R.E was established by the Yemeni governmentfor thepurpose of covering rural area’s electricity demand. It’sto helpachieving totaleconomical development in rural areasthrough facilitating the necessary plans, technical support, andsocial studies for energy providers giving priority to renewable and sustainable sources.

The SHS project which is supported by the P.A.R.E and the World Bankfocuses mostly on remote place and deprivedpopulations.The project so far covered four villageswith total 320 PV systems installed. The locations of the villages vary from humid with lowaltitude coastal areas to dry with high altitude mountainous areas.

The thesis focus on performing different measurements of samplePV-systems, including solar radiation, voltage, current, and power output, etc. in two or more village in order to compare the effect of weather and geographical conditions on the efficiency of the PV-systems. In addition, the thesis will include social surveys regarding local satisfactions and the possible ways of improvement. The outcome of this thesis will provide valuable information to be considered for future SHS projects.

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (Accra, Ghana)Environmental and socioeconomic aspects of Fecal Sludge recycling in Ghana.

IWMI is an international, non-profit research organization dedicated to improving the management of land and water resources for food, livelihoods and the environment. IWMI’s research and field activities help create new knowledge and provide the evidence scientists and water management experts need to make policy recommendations to local, national and international decision-makers.

In West Africa, there are several environmental problems associated with the discharge of human excreta from on-site sanitation systems. The waste collected as Fecal Sludge (FS) is discharged into the environment due to high treatment costs and low motivation. However, this FS contains nutrients and organic matter that can be of benefit to agricultural systems.

Currently, IWMI and its partners want to implement a facility that can produce up to 1,000 tons of pellets per year from fecal sludge to be used as fertilizer. This internship will be carried out in 3 phases: 1. Conduct a baseline study to know the possibility of implementing the Fortifer production plant in the Greater Accra Region; 2. Undertake an environmental and socio-economic study of the use of fecal sludge (to be written as a scientific paper). 3. Analyze and optimize the energy consumption of the pelletization plant.

RENAULT (Palencia, Spain)Management of the Environmental Aspects Generated by the Membrane Substitution of a Car Factory Wastewater Bioreactor.

Renault Group is one of the leading companies in the vehicle sector with operations in more than 49 countries and industrial presence in over 17 countries. With the new label eco2, Renault is compromised to reduce the ecological impact of its vehicles throughout their life cycle.

Wastewater produced in Palencia factory is treated in its wastewater plant by physicochemical and biological processes. With the aim of improving and optimizing current biological treatment, hollow fiber membranes are replaced by hollow sheet membranes intending to increase membrane life time, improve energy efficiency and improve membrane maintenance. The adaptation and compatibility of the new technology with the existing system while having minimum impacts, is a concern.

The master thesis focuses in the management of the environmental aspects that may be generated during the project construction and mounting phases. It includes waste and chemical product management and soil usage treatment. Advantages like energy efficiency and water consumption optimization are studied as well. Additional activities like daily waste management at the factory are performed.

General Electric (Belfort 90, France)Design of a solution for blanketing Reheater parts of a combined cycle HRSG.

General Electric Power and Water develops a wide range of products and services in thermal power generation, Renewables, Aeroderivatives, Gas Engines, Nuclear and Water treatment. The site in Belfort is specialised in the design and construction of gas turbine power plants installed worldwide in combined, simple cycle and cogeneration.

The objective of the internship is to provide Gas Natural Fenosa, a customer of General Electric operating two units of 425MW each in Barcelona, a solution for the conservation of the HRSGs of the combined cycles when shut down. The thesis focuses on the study of the system, P&IDs, the design of the solution, financial analysis, testing, validation and implementation on site.

Akuo Energy (Paris 75, France) and (Bali, Indonesia)Business Development of Solar PV Power Plant in Indonesia .

Akuo Energy is private group specializing in the development of large scale, renewable energy based, power production plant. The company is involved in all stages of power plant’s life cycle; studies, design, financing, construction and operation. Presence in 10 countries, Akuo Energy has been developing more than 2500 MW power plant.

The thesis aims to explore the opportunities in developing solar PV power plant in Indonesia. In 2011, the electrification ratio in Indonesia is 70%, with 8 % increase in electricity demand and 3% growth of power plant annually. Given the solar irradiance potential range from 1700 to 2200 kWh/m2.year, it is obvious that there are many business opportunities in developing a large scale solar PV power plant which woefully behindIndonesia’s energy mix target in 2025. The focus is then to design a solar PV project which satisfy three important aspects of sustainability; environmental, social, and economical.

PHYTOREM S.A. (Miramas 13, France and Queretaro, Mexico)Feasibility study and future business prospective to install the “Bambou-Assainissement®” in the region of Queretaro and Mexico.

Phytorem® is a society specialized in the depollution by plants, who conceives and realize eco-stations to treat water by phytoremediation, responding to a unique patented technology which has been used for the past 10 years: The Bambou-Assainissement®.

Based on this process, the treatment of wastewater is done by a plantation of bamboos. Among the various advantage of this technology: to respond the problematic of domestic, industrial and rainwater from industry and collectivities, all of the above done by a 100% biological and ecological process. Nowadays, Phytorem® reach a state of maturity which naturally takes it to explore new markets to take its activities.

The thesis aims to address the challenge of meeting potential clients, identify their needs in terms of effluent treatments and to propose the key solution of Bambou-Assainissement®. Moreover, to approach suppliers, and subcontractors to construct the offer of Phytorem® in Mexico and also to respond to the market. Main objective will be to explore the potential market, competition, and stakeholders to enable Phytorem® to consider a local implantation.

Earth Systems (Melbourne, Australia)Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) Studyfor an Iron Mining Project (Victoria, Australia).

Formed in 1993, Earth Systems is a multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy seeking to implement innovative and effective solutions to environmental problems. With strong expertise in environmental management associated to the mining sector, Earth Systems has successfully completed over 300 projects for a range of clients including government, private companies, aid and development agencies and research organisations.

As part of the Environmental Effects Statement (EES) process, a complete assessment is undertaken to identify the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed Iron Ore Development. The thesis focuses on the air quality, noise and vibration assessment with a triple objective: reviewing existing information of the greater region and within the Project area, assessing the current air quality, describing potential impacts of the Project and mitigation measures.

CSEM-UAE (Ras Al khaimah, UAE)Thermal Performance Evaluation of Receivers for Linear Fresnel Concentrator(LFC) for CSP-Direct Steam Generation system, Thermo-hydraulic system design, implementation and test.

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center is a not-for-profit joint venture company of CSEM-Switzerland and Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority. It bridges academic R&D to industrial products by maturing, integrating and transferring renewable energy and clean technologies to industry. In its solar open air laboratory, CSEM-UAE builds platforms for R&D in photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, solar cooling / thermal and solar calorimeter for green building technology and material test.

The Thesis is design and installation of a thermo-hydraulic system to evaluate the thermal performance of direct steam generation receiver of a Linear Fresnel Collector module prototype. The module is developed for solar island platform; a 5000 m² hovering platform, which track’s the azimuth of the sun with high precision and lifts up to 150 tons of LFC modules. The performance of the receiver should be analyzed in different conditions, based on which, optimum receiver design and connection on solar island will be suggested.

Juin 2013 - service de la communication

E.ON Climate & Renewables GmbH (Essen, Germany)Strategic Assessment of Major Environmental Impacts in Offshore & Onshore Renewable Technologies.

E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) manages E.ON’s global activities in industrial-scale renewables. The company plays a leading role in the development of the renewable industry worldwide and is already active in onshore & offshore wind technology, concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaic (PV), and biomass. EC&R currently operates a geographically balanced portfolio of 4.2 GW renewables capacity in Europe and North America.The thesis focuses on the development of astrategic assessment of major environmental impacts in allthe offshore & onshore renewabletechnologies of the company. The project will be oriented to the study and analysis of the most important environmental aspects and therefore impactsassociated to the installation and operation of these technologies. The main purpose is to identify and valorize these impacts, and furtheranalyze preventive and corrective actions to avoid or minimize their effects considering economic, environmental and social issues.

PROMEXICO (Stockholm, Sweden)Mexico and Scandinavia Renewable Energy Technologies Investment Opportunities.

ProMéxico is the Mexican Government institution that supports trade, direct investment and internationalization of Mexican Companies. Funded by the Mexican Ministry of Economy and with the Mexican Foreign Embassy’s as support, ProMéxico Stockholm oversees boththe Scandinavian and Baltic Regions.

For the thesis, the following strategy has been created for Renewable Energy:• Review of the current energy demands.• Identify energy projects with the aid of local and foreign government branches, industry associations and chambers of commerce.• Establish B2B partners by promoting and attending seminars, conferences and trade fairs.• Offer a consultancy on technology, business plans and softlanding solutions for establishing companies abroad.• Identify investment impediments and notifypolicy makers for reviews of laws and incentives.

The major challenge is to identify and coordinate all the different participants of the sector due to the lack of information on investment opportunities to foreign companies and the lack of communication between different Government Branches.

ME3 European Joint Masters in Management & Engineering of Environment and Energy

MINES NANTES

Master thesis 2011 - 2013

BIO Intelligence Service (Paris 75, France)Preparatory Studies of Energy-related Products within the European Union.

BIO Intelligence Service is an environment and sustainable development consultancy aiming to create a better world through protecting the environment. BIO addressing the global major challenges such as responsible consumption, the social and environmental responsibility of companies, energy efficiency and climate change, sustainable resource and waste management, sustainable food production and biodiversity. The thesis focuses on the preparatory studies carried out for European Commission on various groups of Energy-related Products (ErP) used in EU market in the context of Ecodesign Directive. The studies addressing the important issue to improve the energy and environmental performances of the products from the design phase to the end-of-life phase to effectively support the implementation of European environmental policy. During the preparatory studies, the improvement potential of the products is analyzed by assessing the products complete life cycle environmental impacts and subsequently develops a creative yet feasible recommendation, addressing all relevant social, economic, and environmental aspects.

KTH (Stockholm, Sweden)Global Resource Modelling of the Climate, Land, Energy and Water (CLEW) nexus using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS).

The Division of Energy Systems Analysis at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Stockholm is one of the leading research groups in modelling of energy systems and renewable energy resource availability. The division has the aim of providing tools for informed energy and economic policy decision-making, especially for developing countries. The thesis focuses on the development of an open-source global resource model including Climate, Land-Use, Energy and Water (CLEW) as well as selected materials aspects. The Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) tool is used and input is taken from existing resource models and reliable data such as from the FAO, IEA, etc. The model and its databases are then integrated in the Open Energy Tools Semantic Wiki currently under development by the World Bank.Subsequently, several future scenarios are analysed regarding their synergies and trade-offs between resource sectors. The results are used as input to UNDESA’s Global Sustainable Development Report following the Rio+20 outcome document.

Thermal Services, Alstom Switzerland Ltd (Baden, Switzerland)Environmental Baseline Project – The Road to Sustainability.

Alstom is a multinational company involved in the Transport, Power Generation and Electrical Grid sectors. Thermals Services, a business unit of Alstom Power, provide power generation services worldwide, from repair and reconditioning, performance improvement, on site field services to full-operation and maintenance solutions.The master thesis aims at leading Alstom Thermal Services into a sustainable future through deployment of an environmental management plan. The Environmental baseline project was set up as a tool for this environmental strategy, and attempts to achieve waste generation and water &energy consumption reductions at all Thermal Service sites in over 15 countries (Approx. 35 sites).The thesis specifically deals with 3 main areas• Development of training packages that helps understand water, waste and energy reduction at site level• Visit of Muizen Site (Belgium) to perform assessment and generate report on reduction potential • Development of a Heating and Compressed Air consumption and reduction assessment tool

Biomass and Energy Efficiency Department, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) (Petten, The Netherlands)Mass Transfer resistance in membrane separators– Sustainable Energy production.

ECN, the leading Dutch energy research institute, is at the cutting edge of European efforts in the development of new technologies that meet tomorrow’s energy demand. Fossil fuels will continue to play a major role in the energy supply for decades to come, and consequently CO2 capture and storage (CCS) will be necessary. The Master thesis involves research in pre-combustion capture with Palladium membranes where fossil fuels are converted into synthesis gas (CO and H2).A 2D model of module hydrodynamics is being prepared and is validated with the experimental data from ECN. Reduction to 1D model would allow for faster calculations and easy evaluation of the impact of module layout. However, in order for a 1D model to give a proper description of the mass transfer resistances, there is a need for an improved Sherwood (Sh) correlation, specially accounting for the drift flux.The main goal is to develop a new Sh-correlation that is valid for membrane separators and will allow construction of an accurate 2D membrane model.

Apricum GmbH (Berlin, Germany)Beyond the LCOE: Comparing the value of energy generated from CSPplants against PV .

Apricum is a global management consultancy and transaction advisory firm specialized in clean technology with a strong focus on the solar energy industry.Through its services, they advisecompanieson their most pressing issues: corporate strategy, go-to-market plans, vertical integration, technology road maps, investors search and transactions.The purpose of the master thesis is to contribute to the company’s knowledge base in solar power markets by answering the following questions: Does any feature of a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant justify a higher remunerationfor electricity than a Photovoltaic(PV) power plant? If so,what are the technical and market reasons for this difference and how much should this difference be?

The study analyzes the relevanttechnological features of CSP, such as thermal storage and hybridization potential, and the implications of the market regimes and regulations.It points outthe considerations necessary when quantifying and allocating these benefits to different stakeholders.

Energy Consulting Network (Copenhagen, Denmark)Capacity Building for Energy Performance Contracting in European Union.

Energy Consulting Network is a consulting company which provides assistance to the private and public sector in energy and environmental projects and also a member of the ManagEnergy Consortium who is in charge of implementing capacity building projects on sustainable energy topics in Europe. ManagEnergy is an initiative of the Intelligent Energy – Europe (IEE) Program of the European Commission that aims to assist authorities from the public sector and their advisers working on energy efficiency and renewable energy at the local and regional level. The thesis focuses on the strategies to increase capacity for Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) which is a procurement method and financial mechanism for Energy Efficiency Projects. It analyses the common barriers and success factors of EPC in European public sector through ManagEnergy activities and connections. The results will contribute to the country reports of the ManagEnergy and will be provided to EU Commission.

SUEZ Environnement (Le Pecq 78, France)Feasibility assessment and operational considerations regarding the implementation of Direct Potable Reuse.

With more than 80,000 employees globally, SUEZ Environnement ranks among the world’s leaders in water and waste management services. CIRSEE is the central research and expertise division within SUEZ Environnement and plays a key role in the coordination of a vast international technical and scientific network.

This thesis concerns an assessment of the current state of knowledge on water reuse, with an emphasis on the emergence of Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) as a component of a diversified water supply portfolio. DPR refers to the introduction of purified water derived from wastewater directly into a water supply system, following extensive treatment and monitoring. Contributions to existing research needs in the field will include a technical, economic and environmental feasibility assessment of DPR via both a review of existing reuse projects, and a case study to be conducted on existing wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities. Based on the results of these assessments, recommendations will be provided for the planning, design, execution and management of DPR projects, with an emphasis on technical and operational aspects.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology / SEI Stockholm Environment Institute (Stockholm, Sweden)Modelling the Energy-Water Nexus in the Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology is a leading university in technical research in the fields of energy and sustainability. In the division on Energy Systems Analysis (KTH-dESA), the research focuses on quantitative models to facilitate the development of sustainable energy policies.

Similarly, SEI Stockholm Environment Institute researches on environment and development issues in accordance with its philosophy of bridging science and policy.

Both institutes are committed to the development of CLEW (Climate, Land, Energy and Water) strategies, as a the result of their systemic approach to present challenges such as climate change, energy and food security or natural resources preservation.

The thesis, carried out in the two institutes, specifically studies the energy and water nexus (using LEAP and WEAP modelling software) in Ethiopia, where the currently implemented plans tomassively increase energy production and agriculturalexpansion are reshaping the country.

BIO Intelligence Service (Paris 75, France)Impact Assessment Studies for Sustainable Product Measures for two Product Groups: Industrial andlaboratory furnaces and ovens, and Machine tools and related machinery.

BIO Intelligence Service is one of Europe’s leading consulting firms in energy and environmental management. BIO develops recommendations for clients in the private and public sectors to find solutions to major environmental challenges. BIO has strong scientific and technical expertise in the fields of waste, resource efficiency, Ecodesign, life cycle assessment,and health & nutrition analysis.

The objective of the thesis is to analyze the economic, environmental and social impacts of differentenergy efficiency policy options for the products covered under two groups: industrial and laboratory furnacesand ovens, and machine tools and related machinery. The work will serve as input to the EuropeanCommission’s own impact assessment for product measures for the aforementioned product groups.

The approach is based on the European Commission’s guidelines on Impact Assessments (IA) to allow policy makers to make informed decisions in the light of the best available evidence.

Repsol (Madrid, Spain)Improvement of the Energy Efficiency and GHG Emissions Management Systems of an O&G Company’s E&P Operated Assets.

Repsol is an international Oil and Gas company based in Spain and present in more than 30 countries, which main economic activities are: Exploration and Production (E&P), Refining, Gas Processing, and recently, New Energy Technologies. The Upstream business (E&P) is one ofRepsol’s most important sources of income and the shaft of their corporate strategy for the medium term.Although Upstream is not the most energy and emissions intensive area of the company, the need to improve the Energy Management System (EMS) and fit it tothe current situation and the nature of the business, has been identified. The aim of this project is the adjustment and application of different elements of the EMS for Upstream operations, using the ISO 50001 Standard as a framework. To accomplish this, three main concepts of the EMS will be encouraged: EE and GHG reduction assurance in the development process of new projects, the use of appropriate tools for Energy Planning, and the implementation of relevant verification outlines.

Southern Cross University (Gold Coast, Australia)Sustainable Development: From Eco-Homes to Eco-Regions.

Southern Cross University is a vibrant, contemporary Australian university with a beautiful campus located on the famous Gold Coast. The Research Centre for Tourism, Leisure, and Work focuses on planning, policy, management for tourism, sport, leisure and organisations in regions.This thesis focuses on planning for regional sustainable development within theScenic Rim. Over the next 20 years, the population in the Scenic Rim is expected to triple due to urban overflow from the Gold Coast. The goal of this projectis to determine the specific regional policy changes required which would trigger a long term transition towards sustainability in the Scenic Rim while allowing it to adapt to massive urban encroachment.The project includes the creation of a regional model using complex adaptive systems and transition theories, and work with the regional government to plan for sustainability implementations including EcoVillages, green transportation solutions, employment solutions, and other sustainable innovations.

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) Innovation and Technology Center (Bonn, Germany)Cooperation Strategiesto Support Research, Development and Demonstration of Renewable Energy Technologies within the Innovation Policy Frameworksin the Latin American and the Caribbean Region.

IRENA is an intergovernmental organization mandated with the promotion, increased adoption and the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy. IRENA serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, center of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy.As part of this mandate, IRENA seeks to stimulate the Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) of Renewable Energy Technologies (RET).Hence, fostering cooperation and strengthening innovation instruments arekey focus areasof the Agency’s Programme of Work for 2013.TheLatin America and the Caribbean (LAC) regionhas been selected as a region of focus for this effort.This thesisaddresses IRENA’s efforts in reinforcing current cooperation mechanisms in LAC. The project seeks to identifyinitiatives, drivers andopportunities of cooperation in LAC, and supportsIRENA’s role as a promoter of RD&D in RET. It analyses existing gaps in cooperation to provide strategies to overcome barriers to innovation.

MicroEnergy International (Berlin, Germany)Microfinance and Microenergy Solutions for the Bottom of the Pyramid.

MicroEnergy International (MEI) is a consulting company based in Berlin, Germany and with projects in more than 15 countries around the world. Following the successful development model of Grameen Shakti in Bangladesh, MEIcombines the microfinance model with clean energy technologies (renewable energy and energy efficiency) in order to ensure the provision of development opportunities to the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP).

This master thesis is in line with the company’s efforts in assessing best practices in the sector.The project focuses on analyzing the methodology for assessing countries that are most favorable to implement micro-energy projects, taking into consideration the microfinance and energy sectors. Policies and capacities of the country will also be assessed, which in the end results in a global ranking tool. This methodology will be applied to countries in South East Asia to give an insight to MEI and assist decision-making of starting new projects.

Fraunhofer IAO (Stuttgart, Germany)Designing a Transferability Evaluation Method on Base of NYC: Transformation Potential of an Iconic Industry, the NYC Taxi, towards a Sustainable Urban Transport System.

«Morgenstadt: City Insights« is a joint research project launched by Europe’s biggest organization for applied research: the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The objective is to establish a clear and comprehensible guide to successfully implement sustainable best practices gathered worldwide by understanding how the city (as a whole) and individual projects (within each technological sector) work and interrelate to form a complex urban system based on a web of influencing variables. In scope of this project, NYC’s sustainable urban mobility projects (specifically electromobility) will be studied, challenges and success factors determined and the transferability potential of these projects to other countries and cities worldwide deduced. NYC is, like other great cities, confronting multidimensional stresses in the face of growing urbanization and rising mobility needs. Analyzing the success factors of their solutions to urban challenges could aid megacities worldwide, facing similar problems, implement selected best practices and successfully pave their way towards becoming Tomorrow’s City ».

Renetech (Stockholm, Sweden)Pre-feasibility study of a Waste-to-Electricity plant in South Africa .

With a global perspective, it is Renetech’s mission to be a sustainable and environmentally adapted producer of vehicle fuel, electricity, heat and biogas through solutions for waste and biomass management. Renetech is active in the area of Research and Development, as a project developer, project partner and as a consultant for bioenergy and resource recovery projects. The thesis is formulated around a Waste-to-Electricity (WtE) project development in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), focusing on the feasibility study in the project planning phase. This study covers an analysis of available waste resources for a WtE application, capacity, location(s),selection of the best available technology and cost estimates based on local information, equipment suppliers’ and EPC management input. Project economics, socio-economic development requirements specified by the local authorities and environmental considerations are also discussed in this thesis. Results will be used as a project proposal for new electricity generation capacity under the IPP procurement programme in the RSA.

KTH (Stockholm, Sweden)Assessment of business models for providing energy services in rural Bangladesh.

Energy and Climate Studies at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) is an interdisciplinary unit linking issues related to energy technology and policy, climate change and sustainable development.

This thesis demonstrates the process of determining an appropriate business model for the deployment of polygeneration technology in Bangladesh. This involves understanding existing business models used for providing rural services in Bangladesh and assessing which of these models would be more sustainable for biogas based polygeneration systems within the socio-economic and institutional context of rural Bangladesh.

This is achieved through the development of a set of sustainability indicators and an interview questionnaire for providers of rural services in Bangladesh, which was applied during a field study in early 2013. Innovation tools, such as the Business Model Canvas, are applied to the experiences gained during the field study. Combining the quantitative and qualitative aspects of these case studies inform the ideation of the proposed model.

This thesis was made possible by a Minor Field Studies Grant from KTH International Relations and Sida.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCAP (Incheon, Republic of Korea)“The North-East Asian Energy Security Network”.

The UNESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations that works to overcome some of the Asia-Pacific region’s greatest challenges. The Sub regional Office for North-East Asia represents six countries: China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation. This means: ¼ of world population, ¼ of world GDP & international trade, 1/3 of global CO2 emissions. Being so, energy issues play a key role in sustainable development for the region and the world. Thus, the objective of my thesis is to support in the design and launch of the North-East Asia Energy Security Network through research and analysis of economical, social, political, environmental and energy information of each of the member countries and of the region as a whole. The SWOT analysis will be used as a tool to provide a solid framework to identify the feasibility of the Network implementation.

BTG Biomass Technology Group BV (Enschede, the Netherlands)Technology assessment of promising pathways for conversion of perennial crops into bio-based products for energy and green materials.

BTG Biomass Technology Group is an independent, private group of companies, which for the past 25 years has specialized in the process of conversion of biomass into useful fuels and energy. With its three main activities focused in Consultancy, Project Development and Research & Technology Development (RTD), BTG has delivered over 1,600 projects in more than 80 different countries. The master thesis is part of an ongoing EU-research with the overall objective to explore the suitability of four perennial crops - Miscanthus x giganteus, Panicum virgatum and Arundo donax - in underutilized or marginalized land in the Mediterranean region. The focus of this thesis is on the technology assessment of promising pathways for conversion into biobased products for energy and green materials. The conversion pathways will include amongst others: pretreatment of biomass, conversion into heat and/or power, conversion into energy carriers, biochar and downstream processing.

Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm, Sweden)Bridging the gap between resource use and Planetary Boundaries.

The Stockholm Resilience Centre is a transdisciplinary centre which advances research for governance of social-ecological systems with special emphasis on resilience – the ability to deal with change and continue to develop. The master thesis in question took place amid the formation of the Planetary Boundaries Research Network.

Impacts of human agency have become a conspicuous driver in the Earth System, comparable to natural occurring processes, and which could lead to undesirable changes and regime shifts at a planetary scale. For that reason, the Planetary Boundaries concept has been put forward aiming at defining a “safe operating space”. This work explores how human driven resource use underpins the Planetary Boundaries Framework, pointing at alternatives for the explicit consideration of biophysical constrains in ways resource use is assessed and planned.

AlbaTERNLtd. (Edinburgh, Scotland)WaveNET Efficiency improvement (Hexagonal array wave Energy Converter system).

AlbaTERN designs wave energy devices that capture energy from ocean waves and convert it into sustainable low-carbon electricity.This technology aims to harvest of the world’s marine energy potential, (in UK is estimated to be as much as 100TWh/year, 25% of electrical consumption). Achieving a viable wave energy future depends as much upon developing a technology that can be rapidly and economically scaled to high volume production The objective of my thesis is support the design and construction of a unique wave energy conversion system constructed from multiple SQUID modules in a hexagonal array configuration. The project will look specifically at improving the hydraulic energy conversion efficiency, the feasibility of auto-setting operational variables according to the sea conditions, and the overall adaptability of the design to suit the specifications of the site and power requirements. This project provides a solid foundation for scaling the modules up to 100kW providing WaveNET arrays in excess of 10MW.

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) (Stockholm, Sweden)Thermo-economic Analysis of a Solar Thermal Power Plant with a Central Tower Receiver for Direct Steam Generation.

Amongst the different Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies, central tower power plants with direct steam generation (DSG) emerge as one of the most promising options. These plants have the benefit of working with a single heat transfer fluid (HTF), allowing them to reach higher temperatures than conventional parabolic troughs CSP plants; this increases the efficiency of the power plant. The goal of the study is to evaluate the thermodynamic and economic performance of one of these plants by establishing a dynamic simulation model and coupling it with in-house cost functions. In order to do so, the TRNSYS simulation studio will be used together with MATLAB for post processing calculations.Furthermore, a valuable expected outcome of the work is the development, verification and validation of new DSG component models in TRNSYS for performance estimation; such as a central tower receiver model and steam accumulators for storage. Lastly, thermo-economic optimization of the power plant performance and costs will be addressed using a multi-objective optimization tool to determine the trade-offs between conflicting objectives, such as water depletion and the levelized electricity cost (LEC).

Reuniwatt Saint Pierre (La Réunion, France)Selection and performance quantification of the most appropriate Clear-Sky Model for the forecasting of solar radiation at the Reunion Island.

Reuniwatt is a young and innovative company settled in Reunion Island, France, in the Indian Ocean. Reuniwatt’s development is based on three core activities: Photovoltaic production forecasting / Deployment of networks of communicating smart sensors, climatic data recording, climatic database management / Energy mix expertise. Reuniwatt is currently developing Soleka, a decision-making tool, intended to ease the introduction of variable renewable energies in the energy mix.

The thesis is focused on solar irradiance forecasting methods and more specifically on clear-sky models (CSM). CSMs with many inputs are often the most accurate but their performance remains very sensitive to local climate conditions. Moreover, availability of some inputs is not always guaranteed at every location. The objective of the thesis is the selection and performance quantification of the most appropriate CSM for the forecasting of solar radiation at the Reunion Island.

IRENA (Bonn, Germany) Energy Technology Planning: REMAP for Southern Asia.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future. IRENA promotes the widespread implementation of renewable energy to policy makers by facilitating knowledge sharing and technology transfer, while ensuring the sustainable development, energy security, and low-carboneconomic growth of countries. IRENA’s global Renewable Energy Roadmap (REMAP 2030) aims to identify realistic pathways to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. This is done by analyzing country-specific energy projections, and assessing alternative technology options and potentials for energy supply and end-uses. The thesis focuses on synthesizing regional scenarios for South Asia. As South Asia’s economy, electricity access, and standard of living is subject to change drastically by 2030, it has great potential for a low-carbon future by utilizing its renewable energy sources.

GIZ – EnDev (Jakarta, Indonesia)Sustainability comparison between EnDev and non EnDev micro-hydro power (MHP) in Indonesia.

The Energising Development (EnDev)IndonesiaInitiative, for which the GIZ acts as implementing agency, promotes the supply of modern energy technologies in the rural communities of the country through off-grid micro-hydro (MHP) and solar power mini-grids. Households, social infrastructures and small-scale businesses are supported by means of extensive technical planning, implementation assistance and capacity building.Since 2006, 230 MHP and 117 solar projects have beenimplemented at substantial cost, reaching more than 167 thousand people.The objective of this study is to assess the cost effectiveness of this contribution regarding the MHP performance and ultimate long-term sustainability prospects of the rural energy infrastructure. As such a comparison between EnDev and non-EnDev MHP projectsin the country is undertaken and based on the established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) survey methodology, which involves on-site visits and comprises technical, social, economic and environmental aspects.

African Solar Designs (Nairobi, Kenya)Energy and Development For All:Solar PV-Hybrid Mini-grids for Rural Electrification in East African countries.

African Solar Designs (ASD), Ltd. is a leading Kenya-based renewable energy company. Mark Hankins, the CEO of ASD, has played an important role of solar energy in East African countries over the last 25 years. The company’s core business covers 4 main activities:1. Consultancy, design, management and development of renewable energy projects.2. Off-grid solar energy project design for rural electrification and commercials.3. Large systems design and supply for commercial enterprises.4. Solar training and community development. Renewable energy powered mini-grids have the potential to be an intermediate solution in provision of electricity access in isolated sites where the grid cannot reach.Mini-grids present several advantages compared to stand-alone systems; a wider energy provision, smart distributed energy approach, future connectivity to the national grid and smaller distribution losses.

This Master Thesis will look at the following areas: Review of mini-grids experiences in East African countries. Businesses models for mini-grids. Private versus public investment for policy making. Technology Review: generation technologies, distribution technologies and end-user metering possibilities. Finally, this Master Thesis will propose a PV-hybrid mini-grid solution for a rural community.

Elecnor (Madrid, Spain)Evaluation of the Operational Performance of a Parabolic Trough CSP Plant .

With a presence in over 50 countries, Elecnor has become one of Spain’s most illustrious business groups and an industry benchmark in infrastructure, renewable energy, and new technology. Elecnor’s mission is to help ensure the economic and technological progress, social welfare and sustainable development of the markets in which it operates. Elecnor entered the Spanish solar thermal energy market in late 2012 with the completion of three CSP plants with a combined power of 150 MW.The thesis focuses on the commissioning period of the three parabolic trough CSP plants mentioned above. During this period, the O&M division is in charge of ensuring that the plants are reliable, efficient, profitable, and that they operate safely and contract compliantly. The tasks involved are: Evaluating the dominant variables in the operating results of the power plants, as well as, the sensitivity of the performance and plant availability; analyzing the regulatory change introduced in Spain in 2012, and its effects on production, costs, and securities; and studying the different components of the power plants in order to improve operation and maintenance procedures.

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