Everything Under the Sun
Solar energy, desalination, and the importance of heat transfer
About the Presentation
Climate change, sustainability, and rising fuel costs are all factors that have contributed to the increase in renewable energy usage worldwide. In particular, solar energy has seen rapid growth, primarily due to the falling cost of photovoltaics. Despite photovoltaics dominating the market recently, interest in generating electricity from solar thermal energy is still strong for the ease of storing heat, which can be dispatched later. Because of these reasons, there is a compelling argument for hybridizing the two systems for low cost and dispatchability. In this talk, I will cover some of our recent work on hybridizing solar thermal with photovoltaics (some more successful than others), and the challenges facing next generation solar thermal. Additionally, I will discuss how the lessons learned in these projects could be applied to solar driven desalination. Underpinning all of this work is a fundamental interest in heat transfer and its application to variety of systems and industries.
Friday, October 12, 2018
About the Presenter
Dr. Todd Otanicar, Associate Professor - University of Tulsa
Dr. Todd Otanicar is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tulsa. He has a BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas and a MS in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He obtained his PhD in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University in 2009 with a focus on heat transfer and solar energy. He joined the University of Tulsa in 2012 after 3 years at Loyola Marymount University. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Interior, the Department of Energy, and industrial sponsors. Dr. Otanicar is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Oklahoma. Dr. Otanicar has published over 40 peer reviewed journal publications and holds 1 patent.