Research at Energy Engineering Department
At the Department of Energy Engineering, GD Goenka University is committed to fostering research that advances sustainable energy solutions, environmental resilience, and technological innovation — even with modest laboratory infrastructure. Our research agenda emphasizes applied, computational, and field-based studies which can be carried out with available resources and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Research Focus Areas
We are working on multiple projects that focus on different areas of energy engineering.
| Theme | Research Topics | Possible Approaches / Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable Energy Systems | Solar PV optimization, small wind turbine designs, micro-hydro, hybrid systems | Simulation (MATLAB / Python / HOMER), small-scale prototypes, field testing |
| Energy Efficiency & Demand Side Management | Building energy modeling, appliance efficiency, smart metering | Energy modeling tools (EnergyPlus, OpenStudio, eQuest), audits of campus or local buildings |
| Microgrids & Distributed Generation | Microgrid planning, islanding, grid integration, storage sizing | Simulation (MATLAB/Simulink, PSCAD, HOMER), case studies, small-scale storage test rigs |
| Energy Storage & Battery Technologies | Battery life modeling, supercapacitors, thermal storage | Modeling & simulation, cycles via small battery test setups, literature-driven design |
| Heat Transfer & Thermal Systems | Solar thermal systems, heat exchangers, waste heat recovery | CFD simulation (e.g. OpenFOAM), design and testing of small prototypes |
| Sustainable Materials & Energy Materials | Photovoltaic materials, catalysts, nanomaterials for energy | Collaboration with materials labs, computational materials science (DFT, molecular modeling) |
| Energy Policy, Economics & Social Aspects | Renewable energy policy, energy access, carbon accounting, lifecycle analysis, nuclear energy waste | Policy analysis, surveys, statistical modeling, GIS mapping |
| Smart Grids, IoT & Control | Demand response, IoT sensors for energy systems, control algorithms | Embedded systems (Arduino/Raspberry Pi), control simulation, pilot-scale setup |
| Environmental & Climate Impact Studies | Carbon footprinting, life cycle assessment (LCA), climate resilience | LCA software (SimaPro, OpenLCA), GIS tools, data analysis |
