@article{MehtaBetz2025, author = {Mehta, Kedar and Betz, Florian}, title = {Agri-photovoltaics in India: Geospatial suitability for sustainable water-energy-food nexus solutions}, volume = {2026}, pages = {101915}, journal = {Energy for Sustainable Development}, number = {91}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2352-4669}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2025.101915}, year = {2025}, language = {en} } @article{MehtaEhrenwirthZoerneretal.2023, author = {Mehta, Kedar and Ehrenwirth, Mathias and Z{\"o}rner, Wilfried and Greenough, Richard}, title = {Need of energy transition at roof of the world}, volume = {2023}, pages = {101271}, journal = {Energy for Sustainable Development}, subtitle = {Correlative approach to interpret energy identity of high-altitude Central Asian communities}, number = {76}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2352-4669}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2023.101271}, year = {2023}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{IddaSelleneitHolzhammer2025, author = {Idda, Johannes and Selleneit, Volker and Holzhammer, Uwe}, title = {Hochflexible Biomethan-BHKW-Anlagen und der Einfluss eines Biomethanspeichers auf den m{\"o}glichen Biogaspreis f{\"u}r Post-EEG-Biogasanlagen}, booktitle = {Biogas in der Landwirtschaft - Stand und Perspektiven: FNR/KTBL-Kongress am 8. und 9. September 2025}, publisher = {KTBL}, address = {Darmstadt}, pages = {94 -- 101}, year = {2025}, language = {de} } @article{MehtaLambaSinhaetal.2025, author = {Mehta, Kedar and Lamba, Ravita and Sinha, Sunanda and Kumar, Nand}, title = {BIPV in India: Opportunities, challenges, and pathways for urban planning and smart cities}, volume = {2025}, pages = {100133}, journal = {Solar Compass}, number = {15}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2772-9400}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2025.100133}, year = {2025}, abstract = {As India urbanizes rapidly, sustainable energy solutions have become a priority to meet rising energy demands and mitigate environmental impacts. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) offer a promising approach to harness solar energy within urban infrastructure, transforming buildings into renewable energy assets. Unlike conventional rooftop PV systems, BIPV maximizes urban space utilization while enhancing architectural aesthetics and energy efficiency. However, the adoption of BIPV in India remains limited due to factors such as regulatory barriers, lack of standardized designs, and high initial costs. This study uses SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Strengths) analyses to assess the potential, opportunities, and challenges of BIPV in India's urban planning. It then discusses policy implications and offers practical recommendations for implementation in Indian cities. Key findings of this study indicate that BIPV adoption in India can significantly contribute to urban sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, improving energy self-sufficiency, and lowering long-term operational costs. The SWOT and TOWS analysis reveal that while BIPV presents opportunities for smart urban integration, challenges such as high initial investments and lack of awareness must be addressed through targeted policies and incentives. Additionally, global case studies highlight successful BIPV implementations, providing valuable lessons for India's urban planning strategies.}, language = {en} } @article{BottDresselBayer2020, author = {Bott, Christoph and Dressel, Ingo and Bayer, Peter}, title = {Paraffin wax as self-sealing insulation material of seasonal sensible heat storage systems—A laboratory study}, volume = {15}, pages = {e0236056}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, number = {7}, publisher = {PLOS}, address = {San Francisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236056}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Seasonal heat storage is considered as one of the key elements on the path to a low-emission economy. Embedded in local district heating networks, they raise the share of renewable energies and balance out highly fluctuating supplies of e.g. solar systems or windmills. The technology of seasonal heat storage can be described as almost technically mature, with well-established concepts and some systems being in operation for a considerable time. Nevertheless, the operating experience gained to date also revealed two critical problems. On the one hand, even smallest leakages in sealing foils led to irreparable breakdowns. On the other hand, heat loss in the marginal areas was revealed as a key deficiency, preventing the technology from advancing towards global marketability. This study presents an experimental approach to address these two key issues in the field of seasonal energy storage. Two small-scale laboratory tests were carried out to test paraffin wax as a completely novel component in the marginal area of seasonal storages. This is based on two material properties: As hydrophobic and mobile medium, the warmed and molten paraffin should actively seal the fissures and holes in the event of leakage. Additionally, the latent heat storage properties of the paraffin wax should increase the systems' total storage capacity and reduce lateral heat losses via its low thermal conductivity. With retardation periods from 2.5 to 4 hours, the results show an effective phase change effect of the paraffin wax, which reduces energy losses and allows to buffer short-term, intensive loading and unloading processes. By storing up to 138 kJ/kg energy in the paraffin wax, increased capacities of application-scale pit storages by up to 40.70 MWh are to be expected. Additionally, the self-healing features could be successfully demonstrated: With only small losses of between 1.5 and 17\%, the paraffin wax effectively sealed artificially incised leaks. Thereby, the mechanism was most effective for local defects. Following these positive demonstrations of feasibility, technical design questions still remain, which concern prevention of deformation of the paraffin wax. Once solved, this new component can then provide a path for further optimization of seasonal heat storage technologies.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Mehta2026, author = {Mehta, Kedar}, title = {AI and ML Based Energy Management in Smart Grids with Renewable Integration}, booktitle = {Digital Technologies and Applications: Proceedings of ICDTA'25, Ifrane, Morocco. Volume 1}, editor = {Motahhir, Saad and Bossoufi, Badre and Guerrero, Josep M.}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-032-07718-9}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-07718-9_38}, pages = {453 -- 463}, year = {2026}, language = {en} } @unpublished{MuellerSchmittBottetal.2026, author = {M{\"u}ller, Simon Nikolaus and Schmitt, David and Bott, Christoph and Akbar, Shariq and Bayer, Peter and Schrag, Tobias}, title = {Operating thermal source networks - How supply temperature and ground exchange shape performance}, titleParent = {SSRN}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6034530}, year = {2026}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ReumSchmittSummetal.2024, author = {Reum, Tobias and Schmitt, David and Summ, Thorsten and Schrag, Tobias}, title = {Energetic Potential of Parallel Operation of Two Heat Sources in a Dual-Source Heat Pump}, booktitle = {International Sustainable Energy Conference - Proceedings}, editor = {Fink, Christian and Brunner, Christoph}, publisher = {TIB Open Publishing}, address = {Hannover}, issn = {2976-2030}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.52825/isec.v1i.1158}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Dual-source heat pumps can mitigate disadvantages of single source heat pumps: They have fewer geological requirements compared to ground-source heat pumps while having higher efficiencies compared to air-source heat pumps. Parallel operation of two heat sources can also make electric heaters for peak loads obsolete, leading to economic benefits in the operational costs. Parallel operation has not been analysed thoroughly at different evaporation temperature gradients. To address this gap in research, four possible interconnections of two heat sources were analysed using a refrigerant cycle simulation, two with similar and two with separate evaporation pressures. The energetic potential of each interconnection is evaluated and compared to single source operation with an air-source and a ground-source heat pump. The results showed that only the interconnections with separate evaporation pressure allowed significant reduction in evaporation power from the ground source. As expected, the efficiency - compared to single air-source operation - increased for all parallel interconnections but decreased compared to ground-source operation. Efficient peak load coverage with small ground-source collectors therefore requires a more complex interconnection of completely split evaporator branches at different evaporation pressures. While the efficiency and heating power compared to single ground-source operation decreased slightly (by 4\% and 6\%, respectively), the power load on the GSHX and ASHX reduced to about 54\% and 66\% compared to the corresponding single-source operation, respectively. This allows high efficiency at reduced GSHX size and ASHX noise emission. Additionally, this interconnection also allows increased flexibility for improved heat source management.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{MuellerStrobelFaigletal.2024, author = {M{\"u}ller, Simon Nikolaus and Strobel, Rainer and Faigl, Markus and Schrag, Tobias}, title = {Analysis of Industrial 5GDHC System in Ingolstadt}, booktitle = {International Sustainable Energy Conference - Proceedings}, subtitle = {A Step Towards CO2-Neutral Industry}, editor = {Fink, Christian and Brunner, Christoph}, publisher = {TIB Open Publishing}, address = {Hannover}, issn = {2976-2030}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.52825/isec.v1i.1152}, year = {2024}, abstract = {This study comprehensively examines the technical manifestation and planning process for a shared thermal energy network at a 75-hectare industrial area in Ingolstadt. Unlike traditional systems, this (5GDHC) network showcases a smart integration of energy flows across 70 buildings with a yearly heating demand of around 17 GWh and a yearly cooling demand of around 35 GWh. The network spans over 9,100 meters of piping with diameters up to 800 mm. With thermal power from various sources including 1.8 MW waste heat from a data centre and potential for 10 MW from the Danube River, the system epitomizes a dynamic balance of heating and cooling demands. The paper itself examines the planning process of the system and encompasses topics such as defining energy requirements and load profiles, assessing potential energy sources and sinks for enhanced system efficiency, and analysing pipe and network design. Through this investigation, the study provides valuable insights towards a methodology to facilitate the successful implementation of future industrial 5GDHC systems, furthering the cause of sustainable energy.}, language = {en} } @article{EmbergerNairLichteneggeretal.2025, author = {Emberger, Lukas and Nair, Gireesh and Lichtenegger, Klaus and Moser, Maria and Summ, Thorsten and Natiesta, Thomas and Fan, Jianhua and Wang, Pengcheng and Unterberger, Viktor and Ohnewein, Philip}, title = {Open data in the solar thermal community: Status, barriers, and opportunities}, volume = {2025}, pages = {100114}, journal = {Solar Energy Advances}, number = {5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2667-1131}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seja.2025.100114}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Open data in the renewable energy sector could contribute to a greener future and reduce carbon emissions. This study investigates existing open datasets in the solar thermal domain, challenges in publishing and using open data and its potential impact. The results support the common belief that open data is useful, offering considerable benefits for data re-users and the solar thermal community. While substantial open data in the solar thermal domain already exists, some datasets like plant statistics and cost data are hard to utilize due to licensing, accessibility, and quality issues. The study shows that data owners benefit less from publishing data compared to data re-users and service providers. While data sharing seems appealing to data owners, several barriers discourage data sharing. Suggestions to promote the use and publications of open data in solar thermal domain are discussed.}, language = {en} }