…Solar Activity at the NTUA School of Chemical Engineering
The involvement of the School of Chemical Engineering in the research and development of solar applications goes back almost 55 years, in the days of solar desalination and Prof. A. Deliyannis, who designed and implemented the first large – on a world scale – solar plant of Patmos Island (1967)
Four years later, the Diploma Thesis of an N.T.U.A. Chemical Engineering Senior and the cooperation of the NCSR Demokritos staff, led to the construction of the first solar water heater in Greece, that is years before the first commercial units came to being.
1963 – 1993
Besides the above landmark dates, the downtown old campus period was marked by the introduction of the computer as a basic instrument for the study of solar applications. During that time, the subjects had to do with the solar resource, solar drying, greenhouse behavior, passive solar and solar ponds’ modeling, photochemical and photovoltaic conversion, and the simulation and control of active thermal systems. (A review in Greek is available as a pdf file).
1993 –
The relocation to the new Zografos campus brought new ideas. Regional energy planning, use of biomass for the production of biofuels, integration of solar systems on building shells, external energy costs and renewables, are a few of the new areas of research for the Chemical Engineers at N.T.U.A.
2001 –
A grid-connected photovoltaic array of 50 kWp. is installed on the southern facade and roof of the NTUA’s Chemical Engineering building complex, in a standard and hybrid PV-Thermal configuration.
This infrastructure has been funded by a Thermie Project.
2010 –
A connected microgrid is installed based on an SMA (SMA sunny island) inverter. The grid is powered by solar panels, a wind turbine, and features a battery bank of sufficient capacity for uninterrupted power supply of sensitive lab devices.
2021 –
A green Hydrogen generation / storage/ utilization system is installed. The system features a pair of electrolyzers powered by solar panels. The produced Hydrogen is stored in pressurized vessels (35 Bar).
The stored green Hydrogen is used when needed in PEEM fuel cells to generate electricity for the microgrid.