In recent years, applying optimization techniques towards the design of energy efficient building... more In recent years, applying optimization techniques towards the design of energy efficient buildings has become very useful. These techniques are particularly effective if they are used during architectural design stage, because early decisions have more profound effect on the final energy performance of buildings compared with later decisions. In this research, an optimization is performed on a hypothetical detached house to determine minimum energy performance with optimum cost level. The purpose is to demonstrate the use of simulation based optimization for an early design stage case study. An emphasis is placed on choosing design variables with a perspective of both architectural and engineering viewpoint. Particularly architectural design variable like geometry are inflexible to change later in the design process. The results suggest lowering the U-value for the external wall and window from their values mentioned in Finnish Building code D3. A 2-floor design is energy and cost o...
The world impact of fossil fuels on air pollution is responsible for several millions premature d... more The world impact of fossil fuels on air pollution is responsible for several millions premature deaths every year. The present study analyses the decarbonization of district heating (DH) and cooling (DC) networks by the integration of ground source heat pump (GSHP) within an urban district in southwestern Finland, in terms of technoeconomic feasibility, efficiency and environmental impact. A novel mathematical modelling for GSHP operation and energy system management is proposed and demonstrated, using hourly-based data for heating and cooling demand. Hydrogeological and geographic data from different Finnish data sources is retrieved in order to calibrate and validate a groundwater model. Three different Scenarios for GSHP operation are investigated, limited by the maximum pumping flow rate of the groundwater area. The additional pre-cooling exchanger in Scenario 2 and 3 resulted in an important advantage, since it increased the heating and cooling demand covered by GSHP by 15% and 16% respectively as well as decreased the energy production cost by 4%. Moreover, Scenario 3 was solved as nonlinear optimization problem resulting in 4% lower pumping rate compared to Scenario 2. Overall, the annually balanced GSHP management in terms of energy and pumping flows, resulted in low longterm environmental impact and is economically feasible (energy production cost below 30 €/MWh)
This paper discusses the conditions to develop a micro-cogeneration plant based on biomass-fuelle... more This paper discusses the conditions to develop a micro-cogeneration plant based on biomass-fuelled rotary steam engine (RSE). The use of RSE in micro-cogeneration is justifiable due to relatively h ...
In this study, the most cost effective solutions for insulation thickness, types of windows, wall... more In this study, the most cost effective solutions for insulation thickness, types of windows, wall panels and the ventilation heat recovery are found using a dynamic IDA-ICE-simulation program and a genetic algorithm, with the aim at maximizing the thermal comfort in the deckhouse of an icebreaker. The final result is a design concept that provides recommendations and guidelines for energy effective superstructure in cold circumstances. The results suggest that 38% energy saving potential (101kWh/m2) in overall thermal consumption, 39% emission reduction and 26% decrease in predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) can be obtained in deckhouse areas.
Aalto New Campus Complex (ANCC) is a recently inaugurated educational facility at Aalto Universit... more Aalto New Campus Complex (ANCC) is a recently inaugurated educational facility at Aalto University, located in Otaniemi (Espoo), Finland. Within over 40,000 m2, it comprises two faculties, a shopping center, recreational areas, and a metro station. ANCC is also a large-scale application of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP)–Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) in Finland, comprising an irregular BTES field of 74 boreholes with an overall length of roughly 23 km and 4 million m3 of energy storage. Therefore, accurate monitoring of the GSHP–BTES energy system is crucial for sustainable and efficient long-term operation. Due to the fundamental issues affecting the accuracy of all thermal energy meters, a novel methodology adjusting for consistency of the measured data (in order to accomplish daily energy balance on both sides of the GSHP) is developed. The proposed methodology is used also in conjunction with reconstruction of missing relevant data before April/May 2020 by applying linea...
Abstract Engineers working as designers, managers and policy-makers play a key role in decision-m... more Abstract Engineers working as designers, managers and policy-makers play a key role in decision-making got sustainable energy solutions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key decision-making and benchmarking tool used for assessing sustainable energy solutions in the society. As a systemic tool, LCA compiles the environmental impacts of systems from the acquisition of raw materials to the utilisation of waste. Hence, it is essential to integrate LCA into energy education. This paper reviews the use of LCA in renewable energy research and in energy education using a literature survey. It was shown that there exists a lot of LCA renewable energy studies, but LCA is sparsely used in energy education. However, the intention was perceived for using LCA in education in other disciplines than energy engineering. LCA was widely used in energy research for assessing environmental sustainability and compiling sustainability indicators of renewable energy systems. This review also reveals that LCA research-based teaching activates and motivates students better than traditional lectures do. LCA was implemented as traditional lectures and student activating methods, such as hands-on doing, project works, presentations, and discussions on different platforms. Moreover, the use of LCA research in teaching increased student understanding of sustainability through practical LCA projects. In conclusion, the use of LCA should be enhanced as a research-based teaching method in renewable and sustainable energy education curricula.
Combined generation of thermal and electrical energy in units with electrical power less than 10 ... more Combined generation of thermal and electrical energy in units with electrical power less than 10 kW provides an attractive option for the energy supply of residential buildings due to their potential to high overall efficiency and thus capability of reducing emissions. Dynamic simulations of such systems are required to performance assessments that aim at finding the most energy efficient system topologies. This paper presents the implementation of a combustion engine-based micro-cogeneration routine into IDA-ICE, which is a widely used building simulation program in the Nordic Countries. The routine utilizes specifications defined in the IEA Annex 42 and the implementation is validated by way of inter-program testing.
In recent years, applying optimization techniques towards the design of energy efficient building... more In recent years, applying optimization techniques towards the design of energy efficient buildings has become very useful. These techniques are particularly effective if they are used during architectural design stage, because early decisions have more profound effect on the final energy performance of buildings compared with later decisions. In this research, an optimization is performed on a hypothetical detached house to determine minimum energy performance with optimum cost level. The purpose is to demonstrate the use of simulation based optimization for an early design stage case study. An emphasis is placed on choosing design variables with a perspective of both architectural and engineering viewpoint. Particularly architectural design variable like geometry are inflexible to change later in the design process. The results suggest lowering the U-value for the external wall and window from their values mentioned in Finnish Building code D3. A 2-floor design is energy and cost o...
The world impact of fossil fuels on air pollution is responsible for several millions premature d... more The world impact of fossil fuels on air pollution is responsible for several millions premature deaths every year. The present study analyses the decarbonization of district heating (DH) and cooling (DC) networks by the integration of ground source heat pump (GSHP) within an urban district in southwestern Finland, in terms of technoeconomic feasibility, efficiency and environmental impact. A novel mathematical modelling for GSHP operation and energy system management is proposed and demonstrated, using hourly-based data for heating and cooling demand. Hydrogeological and geographic data from different Finnish data sources is retrieved in order to calibrate and validate a groundwater model. Three different Scenarios for GSHP operation are investigated, limited by the maximum pumping flow rate of the groundwater area. The additional pre-cooling exchanger in Scenario 2 and 3 resulted in an important advantage, since it increased the heating and cooling demand covered by GSHP by 15% and 16% respectively as well as decreased the energy production cost by 4%. Moreover, Scenario 3 was solved as nonlinear optimization problem resulting in 4% lower pumping rate compared to Scenario 2. Overall, the annually balanced GSHP management in terms of energy and pumping flows, resulted in low longterm environmental impact and is economically feasible (energy production cost below 30 €/MWh)
This paper discusses the conditions to develop a micro-cogeneration plant based on biomass-fuelle... more This paper discusses the conditions to develop a micro-cogeneration plant based on biomass-fuelled rotary steam engine (RSE). The use of RSE in micro-cogeneration is justifiable due to relatively h ...
In this study, the most cost effective solutions for insulation thickness, types of windows, wall... more In this study, the most cost effective solutions for insulation thickness, types of windows, wall panels and the ventilation heat recovery are found using a dynamic IDA-ICE-simulation program and a genetic algorithm, with the aim at maximizing the thermal comfort in the deckhouse of an icebreaker. The final result is a design concept that provides recommendations and guidelines for energy effective superstructure in cold circumstances. The results suggest that 38% energy saving potential (101kWh/m2) in overall thermal consumption, 39% emission reduction and 26% decrease in predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) can be obtained in deckhouse areas.
Aalto New Campus Complex (ANCC) is a recently inaugurated educational facility at Aalto Universit... more Aalto New Campus Complex (ANCC) is a recently inaugurated educational facility at Aalto University, located in Otaniemi (Espoo), Finland. Within over 40,000 m2, it comprises two faculties, a shopping center, recreational areas, and a metro station. ANCC is also a large-scale application of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP)–Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) in Finland, comprising an irregular BTES field of 74 boreholes with an overall length of roughly 23 km and 4 million m3 of energy storage. Therefore, accurate monitoring of the GSHP–BTES energy system is crucial for sustainable and efficient long-term operation. Due to the fundamental issues affecting the accuracy of all thermal energy meters, a novel methodology adjusting for consistency of the measured data (in order to accomplish daily energy balance on both sides of the GSHP) is developed. The proposed methodology is used also in conjunction with reconstruction of missing relevant data before April/May 2020 by applying linea...
Abstract Engineers working as designers, managers and policy-makers play a key role in decision-m... more Abstract Engineers working as designers, managers and policy-makers play a key role in decision-making got sustainable energy solutions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key decision-making and benchmarking tool used for assessing sustainable energy solutions in the society. As a systemic tool, LCA compiles the environmental impacts of systems from the acquisition of raw materials to the utilisation of waste. Hence, it is essential to integrate LCA into energy education. This paper reviews the use of LCA in renewable energy research and in energy education using a literature survey. It was shown that there exists a lot of LCA renewable energy studies, but LCA is sparsely used in energy education. However, the intention was perceived for using LCA in education in other disciplines than energy engineering. LCA was widely used in energy research for assessing environmental sustainability and compiling sustainability indicators of renewable energy systems. This review also reveals that LCA research-based teaching activates and motivates students better than traditional lectures do. LCA was implemented as traditional lectures and student activating methods, such as hands-on doing, project works, presentations, and discussions on different platforms. Moreover, the use of LCA research in teaching increased student understanding of sustainability through practical LCA projects. In conclusion, the use of LCA should be enhanced as a research-based teaching method in renewable and sustainable energy education curricula.
Combined generation of thermal and electrical energy in units with electrical power less than 10 ... more Combined generation of thermal and electrical energy in units with electrical power less than 10 kW provides an attractive option for the energy supply of residential buildings due to their potential to high overall efficiency and thus capability of reducing emissions. Dynamic simulations of such systems are required to performance assessments that aim at finding the most energy efficient system topologies. This paper presents the implementation of a combustion engine-based micro-cogeneration routine into IDA-ICE, which is a widely used building simulation program in the Nordic Countries. The routine utilizes specifications defined in the IEA Annex 42 and the implementation is validated by way of inter-program testing.
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Papers by Kari Alanne