Durham University

Contact

The New & Renewable Energy Group (NAREG)
Peter Tavner, Eur Ing, FIET, MA, PhD, MIEEE
Head of School, Professor of New & Renewable Energy

School of Engineering
Durham University
South Road Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

phone: + 44 191 334 2460
fax: +44 191 334 2408
mobile: +44 7746475158

e-mail: Peter.Tavner@durham.ac.uk
web: www.dur.ac.uk/engineering/nareg

The New & Renewable Energy is part of the Energy Research Group of the School of Engineering, given a Grade 5 rating in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. Research focuses on the conversion of energy from new or renewable sources and integration into energy networks with industrial and national & international academic partners. The group is part of the Durham Centre for Renewable Energy, party to setting up the New & Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) at Blyth, Northumberland, with large scale laboratory facilities. The Group’s will deploy renewable energy demonstrators at NaREC, beyond the scope of our own laboratories.

Group research has been funded by EPSRC, EU Frameworks 5 & 6, DTI and industries. Current funds are about £1M. Research aligns with UK government policy to meet energy targets set out in the 2003 Energy White Paper. The Group participates in two EPSRC Supergen projects, on wind and photovoltaic, with Durham as a Financial Hub. The Group has formed one “spin-off” company, Evolving Generation, which developed a generator for large, direct drive, wind turbines.


Facilities & Advanced Research Tools

Laboratories Wind tunnel facilities up to and including 2 m2 cross section air jet with computer controlled force balance, pressure and flow measurements and particle velocimetry measurement.
Integrated power laboratories for energy conversion measurements up to 50 kW. Distributed generation laboratory.
Thermal power facilities with Domestic CHP, solar thermal and PV
Measuring equipment Data monitoring equipment for power conversion from renewable sources
Software FLUENT, MATLAB Simulink, LabVIEW, Flex, ABAQUS, STRAND

Research Strategy

The Group’s strategy is to conduct first class research and to contribute to technology transfer and teaching through current research objectives:

The design of electrical machines of novel topology for use at low or high speed in renewable applications, particularly for wind, wave and marine current energy converters.
The application of these electrical machines to hybrid Engine/Generator configurations for electric vehicles, embedded generation and other renewable applications
The application of Stirling engines to hybrid configurations for renewable applications.
The application of renewable technologies such as solar power to water pumping for developing countries.
The development of power electronics for the control and recovery of electrical energy from renewable energy schemes.
The simulation and modelling of renewable energy components and systems, including electric and hybrid electric vehicle energy studies
The integration and control of distributed generation in electrical networks
The modelling of electromagnetic devices, particularly electrical machines of novel topology

Education and training activities

The Group teaches on our acclaimed 4 year MEng in New & Renewable Energy and we run a one year MSc in New & Renewable Energy. Design and research project form an integral part of our courses.