kth.sePublications KTH
Operational message
There are currently operational disruptions. Troubleshooting is in progress.
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Design and Optimization of a Containerized Small-Scale Polygeneration System for Emergency Camps: A Case Study in Nepal Kathmandu
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM).
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

As a result of humanitarian crises and natural calamities the number of displaced people has increased significantly in recent years and emergency camps have become more common. In emergency camps, there is a critical need for essential resources such as drinking water, heat, energy for cooking and electricity. Current systems utilized to meet these needs often rely on diesel for electricity generation and wood or coal for cooking and heating. This leads to several issues, conflicting with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), for instance air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, local deforestation, and high operating costs.

To address these needs in an ecologically, technically and economically sustainable way, this thesis investigates and proposes a polygeneration system module able to fit in an ISO 40 feetstandard shipping container. The technologies investigated to be a part of the system are solar PV panels, small wind turbines, energy storage, water purification unit, and a biogas genset.Through these technologies the polygeneration system investigated is designed to provide drinking water, electricity, heat, and energy for cooking. The system was modeled and optimized using HOMER Pro software and a Python-based multi-objective optimization model. The modeling was based on a hypothetical emergency camp located in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, which served as the foundation for the case study. Based on literature review and data collection, suitable demand profiles were created for electricity, heat, and cooking energy. The polygeneration system was evaluated based on three key performance indicators (KPIs) related to environmental impact as well as technical and economic performance. Specifically, these were measured as carbon dioxide emissions in kilograms per year [tCO₂/yr], unmet demand in percentage [%], and levelized cost of energy in dollars per kilowatt-hour [$/kWh].

For the results Python programming and HOMER outputs are presented. For the Python programming outputs a Pareto front is presented, from which an optimal configuration isselected. The final optimized system configuration had installed capacities of 82 kW solar PV, 89 kWh battery storage, 209 kW biogas genset and 87 kW converter. The finalized system hadyearly emissions of 255 tonnes CO2, an energy deficit of 0.6% and the levelized cost of energyand electricity were 0.23 $/kWh and 0.47$/kWhe, respectively. Energy deficit was defined as total unmet kWh energy divided by total energy demand. Also levelized cost of energy considers heat and energy for cooking aspects as well. In HOMER, the corresponding numbers were 284.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions, 0% energy deficit and a levelized cost of electricity of iv0.50 $/kWhe. Also, six scenarios, called Tier 3 (warm, temperate, cold) and Tier 2 (warm, temperate, cold) are presented highlighting how the system KPIs changes for different electricity and thermal satisfaction conditions. A sensitivity analysis is also presented in the results evaluating biogas genset CAPEX and OPEX as parameters

Abstract [sv]

Till följd av humanitära kriser samt klimatförändringar har antalet hemlösa ökat kraftigt under de senaste åren och flyktingläger har blivit allt vanligare. I dessa läger är behovet av resurser som dricksvatten, värme, energi för matlagning och elektricitet stort. Nuvarande system som försöker tillgodose dessa behov är ofta beroende av diesel till elektricitet och ved eller kol som bränsle till att laga mat samt värme. Detta bidrar till flertalet problem såsom luftföroreningar, växthusgasutsläpp, lokal skogsskövling samt höga driftkostnader.

För att tillgodose dessa behov på ett ekonomiskt, ekologiskt och tekniskt hållbart sättundersöker och föreslår denna rapport ett polygenereringssystem. De undersökta teknologierna till systemet var solceller, vindkraftverk, energilagring, vattenreningsenhet och ett biogaskraftaggregat. Genom dessa teknologier ska systemet kunna producera dricksvatten, elektricitet, värme samt energi för att laga mat. Det förslagna systemet ska även få plats en kontainer för transportmöjligheter. För att modellera och optimera systemet användes programmet HOMER Pro samt kodning i Python. Dessutom optimerades systemet med hänsyn till flera faktorer via flerobjektiv optimering i Python-koden. Modelleringen i HOMER och Python baserades på ett fiktivt flyktingläger beläget i Kathmandu, Nepal vilken la grunden för rapportens fallstudie. Baserat på litteraturstudien samt datahämtning kunde lämpliga efterfrågansprofiler göras för elektricitet, värme och energi för mat.

I resultatdelen presenteras resultat från Python-programmeringen och HOMER Pro. För Pythonresultaten visas en Paretofront, från vilken en optimal konfiguration har valts ut. Detta system hade årliga utsläpp på 255 ton CO₂, ett energibortfall på 0,6 % samt en nivåbaserad energikostnad på 0,23 $/kWh respektive 0,47 $/kWhe för elektricitet. För HOMER-resultaten var motsvarande siffror 284,6 ton CO₂-utsläpp, 0 % energibortfall och ett levelized cost of electricity på 0,50 $/kWhe. Fyra scenarier presenteras också, som belyser hur systemets nyckeltal (KPI:er) förändras beroende på olika el- och inomhuskomfortkrav. En känslighetsanalys ingår också i resultaten, där CAPEX och OPEX för biogasaggregatet utvärderas som variabler

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 84
Series
TRITA-ITM-EX ; 2025:548
Keywords [en]
Polygeneration system, emergency camp, optimization, multi-objective optimization, containerized energy system
Keywords [sv]
Polygenereringssystem, flyktingläger, optimering, flerobjektivs optimering, kontainerbaserad energisystem Acknowledgments
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-371969OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-371969DiVA, id: diva2:2008136
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2025-10-22 Created: 2025-10-22

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(2235 kB)16 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 2235 kBChecksum SHA-512
a07c8ec7c363416fe4e852db3765ea76430c9938ae6a1cfb0a463f263b4de8875d6e526e1183b12bde96a137727ba047b93bc17a13511c091c79b1e085b03456
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

By organisation
School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM)
Engineering and Technology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 221 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf