Marta Szabo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Marta Szabo

Research paper thumbnail of EU Forest-Based Biomass for Energy: Cost/Supply Relations and Constraints

Research paper thumbnail of A Comprehensive Review of the Indoor Visual Comfort Indices and the Effect of Semi-Transparent Building-Integrated Photovoltaics on the Visual Comfort Indoors

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation Possibilities of Solar District Heating Systems with Seasonal Heat Storage

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope-enhanced phase change material and night ventilation: Effect of window orientation and window-to-wall ratio on indoor temperature

Research paper thumbnail of Thermal analysis of concrete bricks-embedded phase change material: A case study under hot weather conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials

Research paper thumbnail of Hourly analysis of temperature and heat gain reduction for building envelope-compacted phase change material in extremely hot conditions

Journal of Energy Storage

Research paper thumbnail of Numerical analysis of thin building envelope-integrated phase change material towards energy-efficient buildings in severe hot location

Sustainable Cities and Society

Research paper thumbnail of Experimental study of PCM-enhanced building envelope towards energy-saving and decarbonisation in a severe hot climate

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope integrated phase change material under hot climate towards efficient energy and CO2 emission saving

2022 7th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech)

Research paper thumbnail of Phase change material coupled building envelope for thermal comfort and energy-saving: Effect of natural night ventilation under hot climate

Journal of Cleaner Production

Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy... more Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy for better thermal comfort and energy-saving in future smart cities. Nevertheless, PCM elements suffer from adverse temperature behaviour at night due to the dissipation of stored diurnal heat. Night ventilation has been proposed as a promising solution and clean strategy for decreasing indoor building temperature at night and increasing PCM benefits in the following cycle. In this study, the effect of the natural night ventilation (NNV) period on the thermal performance of a room-integrated PCM is investigated experimentally under hot summer conditions in Iraq. Six NNV periods (with 1 h increment) are studied for six consecutive days in terms of average indoor and operative temperature reduction. Moreover, the work is extended to study the average heat gain difference in each day cycle to show the contribution of PCM to energy-saving. The results showed a slight enhancement in the average indoor air temperature of the PCM room compared with another identical no-PCM room regardless of the NNV period due to high outdoor ambient temperature at night. However, NNV for 4 h can reduce the average indoor air temperature by 28.6% compared with 1 h of NNV, whereas a slight extra reduction was achieved for 5 and 6 h. Besides, NNV slightly affected the operative temperature at night against no impact during the day, which was more influenced by the solar radiation and high diurnal ambient temperature. The results further revealed that a total average heat gain difference of 63.1-87.9 W was achieved, in which the roof contributed by more than 44% in each cycle.

Research paper thumbnail of Microclimatic and Energetic Feasibility of Agrivoltaic Systems: State of the Art

Hungarian Agricultural Engineering

Agrivoltaic systems have been proposed as the most prominent synergetic application of agricultur... more Agrivoltaic systems have been proposed as the most prominent synergetic application of agricultural and energetic sectors. Integrating solar power generating with agricultural activities is relatively new; however, it has started with implementing the PV panels into the greenhouses. Comparatively, openfield agrivoltaics systems are still growing and under-development in many locations around the world. The urge to explore innovative solutions for the increasing demand for electricity and food has been the main motivation for the research centers, researchers, and governments to escalate agrivoltaics development globally. In this paper, the current and most recent projects and studies of open-field agrivoltaic systems are presented, compared, and analyzed in order to anticipate the potential and path of development for agrivoltaics in the near future. Several pieces of research from different countries globally were included to illustrate the main features and performance indicators ...

Research paper thumbnail of Biomass Potential and Availability for Energetic Use – Barriers and Drivers

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of encapsulation area on the thermal performance of PCM incorporated concrete bricks: A case study under Iraq summer conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concr... more Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concrete bricks is studied experimentally. Four concrete bricks (three with macroencapsulated PCM and one without PCM represented the reference) are fabricated, and their thermal performance is tested under hot climate conditions. The study considered the effect of PCM encapsulation heat transfer area on brick's thermal performance at the same PCM quantity. PCM bricks included three different PCM capsule arrangements in which the first brick involved one bulky capsule (Brick-B, 4*4*10 cm3), the second brick had two capsules (Brick-C, 4*4*5 cm3), and the third brick involved five PCM capsules (Brick-D, 4*4*2 cm3). The peak temperature reduction (PTR), the conductive heat transfer reduction (HTRc), and the time delay (TD) were presented and calculated, taking into account the inner and outer brick surface temperatures of PCM bricks compared with the reference brick. Results showed that concrete bricks' thermal performance could be remarkably improved using PCM even under maximum outdoor temperatures. Moreover, the best thermal performance is reported for Brick-D, in which the maximum PTR, HTRc, and TD are reached 156.5%, ∼61%, and ∼133%, respectively, compared with the reference brick under maximum outdoor temperatures.

Research paper thumbnail of Renewable Energy Snapshots 2011

These Renewable Energy Snapshots are based on various data providers including grey data sources ... more These Renewable Energy Snapshots are based on various data providers including grey data sources and tries to give an overview about the latest developments and trends in the different technologies. Due to the fact that unconsolidated data are used there is an uncertainty margin which should not be neglected. We have cross checked and validate the different data against each others, but do not take any responsibility about the use of these data.

Research paper thumbnail of Renewable Energy Snapshots 2012

Penetration and deployment of renewable energies in Europe is analyzed on the basis of the latest... more Penetration and deployment of renewable energies in Europe is analyzed on the basis of the latest available data and statistics.

Research paper thumbnail of Phase change material coupled building envelope for thermal comfort and energy-saving: Effect of natural night ventilation under hot climate

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2022

Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy... more Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy for better thermal comfort and energy-saving in future smart cities. Nevertheless, PCM elements suffer from adverse temperature behaviour at night due to the dissipation of stored diurnal heat. Night ventilation has been proposed as a promising solution and clean strategy for decreasing indoor building temperature at night and increasing PCM benefits in the following cycle. In this study, the effect of the natural night ventilation (NNV) period on the thermal performance of a room-integrated PCM is investigated experimentally under hot summer conditions in Iraq. Six NNV periods (with 1 h increment) are studied for six consecutive days in terms of average indoor and operative temperature reduction. Moreover, the work is extended to study the average heat gain difference in each day cycle to show the contribution of PCM to energy-saving. The results showed a slight enhancement in the average indoor air temperature of the PCM room compared with another identical no-PCM room regardless of the NNV period due to high outdoor ambient temperature at night. However, NNV for 4 h can reduce the average indoor air temperature by 28.6% compared with 1 h of NNV, whereas a slight extra reduction was achieved for 5 and 6 h. Besides, NNV slightly affected the operative temperature at night against no impact during the day, which was more influenced by the solar radiation and high diurnal ambient temperature. The results further revealed that a total average heat gain difference of 63.1-87.9 W was achieved, in which the roof contributed by more than 44% in each cycle.

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope-combined phase change material and thermal insulation for energy-effective buildings during harsh summer: Simulation-based analysis

Energy for Sustainable Development

Combined phase change material (PCM) and thermal insulation is a crucial practical opportunity to... more Combined phase change material (PCM) and thermal insulation is a crucial practical opportunity to improve thermal inertia and resistance for energy-effective and nearly-zero energy buildings. To this aim, the current paper quantitatively investigated the role of traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulation of different thicknesses to improve the thermal performance of building envelope integrated PCM under harsh summer months. The improvement in indoor temperature was studied considering the maximum indoor temperature reduction (MITR), time lag (TL), average temperature fluctuation reduction (ATFR) and average operative temperature reduction (AOTR). Thereafter, the average heat gain reduction (AHGR) was introduced to quantify the thermal enhancement of envelope elements. Simulation results revealed that building envelope integrated with PCM-EPS demonstrated better thermal performance than incorporating PCM alone. Compared with the PCM room, the indoor temperature of PCM-EPS rooms was improved by a maximum of 143 %, 177.2 %, 35 % and 8.5 % in terms of MITR, TL, ATFR and AOTR, respectively, along with enhanced envelope resistance by up to 103.8 % concerning the AHGR. Increasing EPS layer thickness by up to 2 cm has increased the PCM room thermal performance during the daytime. However, the EPS thickness of 1 cm showed better performance considering the ATFR and AOTR during full thermal cycles.

Research paper thumbnail of Case study on the optimal thickness of phase change material incorporated composite roof under hot climate conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Selection of phase change material suitable for building heating applications based on qualitative decision matrix

Energy Conversion and Management: X, 2021

Phase change materials (PCMs) are successful thermal energy storage mediums in many thermal syste... more Phase change materials (PCMs) are successful thermal energy storage mediums in many thermal systems, including buildings. Identifying the best PCM candidate is a critical incorporation parameter that influences building thermal performance. This paper discusses the selection of potential PCM candidates that could be applied for building heating applications in cold locations. A qualitative decision matrix (QDM) is applied for several commercial PCMs after an extensive analysis of relevant literature studies. The melting temperature, heat of fusion, thermal conductivity, compatibility, flammability and cost of each PCM are considered in the QDM to find the most suitable candidates with the best effective properties and features. PCM properties/features are assigned with scores and weights in the QDM based on their importance for the application. Three scenarios are investigated in this work, including and excluding the PCM cost with varying and equal weights. Results showed that RT28HC had the highest score in all scenarios, followed by SavE®HS29 in the first scenario (when the cost is included) and PureTemp 32 in the second scenario without considering the cost. The methodology and results presented in this work are believed to be as efficient as logical for future studies compared with the traditional methods that rely on investigating the PCM thermo-physical properties.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of encapsulation area on the thermal performance of PCM incorporated concrete bricks: A case study under Iraq summer conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concr... more Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concrete bricks is studied experimentally. Four concrete bricks (three with macroencapsulated PCM and one without PCM represented the reference) are fabricated, and their thermal performance is tested under hot climate conditions. The study considered the effect of PCM encapsulation heat transfer area on brick's thermal performance at the same PCM quantity. PCM bricks included three different PCM capsule arrangements in which the first brick involved one bulky capsule (Brick-B, 4*4*10 cm3), the second brick had two capsules (Brick-C, 4*4*5 cm3), and the third brick involved five PCM capsules (Brick-D, 4*4*2 cm3). The peak temperature reduction (PTR), the conductive heat transfer reduction (HTRc), and the time delay (TD) were presented and calculated, taking into account the inner and outer brick surface temperatures of PCM bricks compared with the reference brick. Results showed that concrete bricks' thermal performance could be remarkably improved using PCM even under maximum outdoor temperatures. Moreover, the best thermal performance is reported for Brick-D, in which the maximum PTR, HTRc, and TD are reached 156.5%, ∼61%, and ∼133%, respectively, compared with the reference brick under maximum outdoor temperatures.

Research paper thumbnail of EU Forest-Based Biomass for Energy: Cost/Supply Relations and Constraints

Research paper thumbnail of A Comprehensive Review of the Indoor Visual Comfort Indices and the Effect of Semi-Transparent Building-Integrated Photovoltaics on the Visual Comfort Indoors

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation Possibilities of Solar District Heating Systems with Seasonal Heat Storage

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope-enhanced phase change material and night ventilation: Effect of window orientation and window-to-wall ratio on indoor temperature

Research paper thumbnail of Thermal analysis of concrete bricks-embedded phase change material: A case study under hot weather conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials

Research paper thumbnail of Hourly analysis of temperature and heat gain reduction for building envelope-compacted phase change material in extremely hot conditions

Journal of Energy Storage

Research paper thumbnail of Numerical analysis of thin building envelope-integrated phase change material towards energy-efficient buildings in severe hot location

Sustainable Cities and Society

Research paper thumbnail of Experimental study of PCM-enhanced building envelope towards energy-saving and decarbonisation in a severe hot climate

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope integrated phase change material under hot climate towards efficient energy and CO2 emission saving

2022 7th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech)

Research paper thumbnail of Phase change material coupled building envelope for thermal comfort and energy-saving: Effect of natural night ventilation under hot climate

Journal of Cleaner Production

Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy... more Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy for better thermal comfort and energy-saving in future smart cities. Nevertheless, PCM elements suffer from adverse temperature behaviour at night due to the dissipation of stored diurnal heat. Night ventilation has been proposed as a promising solution and clean strategy for decreasing indoor building temperature at night and increasing PCM benefits in the following cycle. In this study, the effect of the natural night ventilation (NNV) period on the thermal performance of a room-integrated PCM is investigated experimentally under hot summer conditions in Iraq. Six NNV periods (with 1 h increment) are studied for six consecutive days in terms of average indoor and operative temperature reduction. Moreover, the work is extended to study the average heat gain difference in each day cycle to show the contribution of PCM to energy-saving. The results showed a slight enhancement in the average indoor air temperature of the PCM room compared with another identical no-PCM room regardless of the NNV period due to high outdoor ambient temperature at night. However, NNV for 4 h can reduce the average indoor air temperature by 28.6% compared with 1 h of NNV, whereas a slight extra reduction was achieved for 5 and 6 h. Besides, NNV slightly affected the operative temperature at night against no impact during the day, which was more influenced by the solar radiation and high diurnal ambient temperature. The results further revealed that a total average heat gain difference of 63.1-87.9 W was achieved, in which the roof contributed by more than 44% in each cycle.

Research paper thumbnail of Microclimatic and Energetic Feasibility of Agrivoltaic Systems: State of the Art

Hungarian Agricultural Engineering

Agrivoltaic systems have been proposed as the most prominent synergetic application of agricultur... more Agrivoltaic systems have been proposed as the most prominent synergetic application of agricultural and energetic sectors. Integrating solar power generating with agricultural activities is relatively new; however, it has started with implementing the PV panels into the greenhouses. Comparatively, openfield agrivoltaics systems are still growing and under-development in many locations around the world. The urge to explore innovative solutions for the increasing demand for electricity and food has been the main motivation for the research centers, researchers, and governments to escalate agrivoltaics development globally. In this paper, the current and most recent projects and studies of open-field agrivoltaic systems are presented, compared, and analyzed in order to anticipate the potential and path of development for agrivoltaics in the near future. Several pieces of research from different countries globally were included to illustrate the main features and performance indicators ...

Research paper thumbnail of Biomass Potential and Availability for Energetic Use – Barriers and Drivers

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of encapsulation area on the thermal performance of PCM incorporated concrete bricks: A case study under Iraq summer conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concr... more Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concrete bricks is studied experimentally. Four concrete bricks (three with macroencapsulated PCM and one without PCM represented the reference) are fabricated, and their thermal performance is tested under hot climate conditions. The study considered the effect of PCM encapsulation heat transfer area on brick's thermal performance at the same PCM quantity. PCM bricks included three different PCM capsule arrangements in which the first brick involved one bulky capsule (Brick-B, 4*4*10 cm3), the second brick had two capsules (Brick-C, 4*4*5 cm3), and the third brick involved five PCM capsules (Brick-D, 4*4*2 cm3). The peak temperature reduction (PTR), the conductive heat transfer reduction (HTRc), and the time delay (TD) were presented and calculated, taking into account the inner and outer brick surface temperatures of PCM bricks compared with the reference brick. Results showed that concrete bricks' thermal performance could be remarkably improved using PCM even under maximum outdoor temperatures. Moreover, the best thermal performance is reported for Brick-D, in which the maximum PTR, HTRc, and TD are reached 156.5%, ∼61%, and ∼133%, respectively, compared with the reference brick under maximum outdoor temperatures.

Research paper thumbnail of Renewable Energy Snapshots 2011

These Renewable Energy Snapshots are based on various data providers including grey data sources ... more These Renewable Energy Snapshots are based on various data providers including grey data sources and tries to give an overview about the latest developments and trends in the different technologies. Due to the fact that unconsolidated data are used there is an uncertainty margin which should not be neglected. We have cross checked and validate the different data against each others, but do not take any responsibility about the use of these data.

Research paper thumbnail of Renewable Energy Snapshots 2012

Penetration and deployment of renewable energies in Europe is analyzed on the basis of the latest... more Penetration and deployment of renewable energies in Europe is analyzed on the basis of the latest available data and statistics.

Research paper thumbnail of Phase change material coupled building envelope for thermal comfort and energy-saving: Effect of natural night ventilation under hot climate

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2022

Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy... more Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into buildings in hot climates is an excellent strategy for better thermal comfort and energy-saving in future smart cities. Nevertheless, PCM elements suffer from adverse temperature behaviour at night due to the dissipation of stored diurnal heat. Night ventilation has been proposed as a promising solution and clean strategy for decreasing indoor building temperature at night and increasing PCM benefits in the following cycle. In this study, the effect of the natural night ventilation (NNV) period on the thermal performance of a room-integrated PCM is investigated experimentally under hot summer conditions in Iraq. Six NNV periods (with 1 h increment) are studied for six consecutive days in terms of average indoor and operative temperature reduction. Moreover, the work is extended to study the average heat gain difference in each day cycle to show the contribution of PCM to energy-saving. The results showed a slight enhancement in the average indoor air temperature of the PCM room compared with another identical no-PCM room regardless of the NNV period due to high outdoor ambient temperature at night. However, NNV for 4 h can reduce the average indoor air temperature by 28.6% compared with 1 h of NNV, whereas a slight extra reduction was achieved for 5 and 6 h. Besides, NNV slightly affected the operative temperature at night against no impact during the day, which was more influenced by the solar radiation and high diurnal ambient temperature. The results further revealed that a total average heat gain difference of 63.1-87.9 W was achieved, in which the roof contributed by more than 44% in each cycle.

Research paper thumbnail of Building envelope-combined phase change material and thermal insulation for energy-effective buildings during harsh summer: Simulation-based analysis

Energy for Sustainable Development

Combined phase change material (PCM) and thermal insulation is a crucial practical opportunity to... more Combined phase change material (PCM) and thermal insulation is a crucial practical opportunity to improve thermal inertia and resistance for energy-effective and nearly-zero energy buildings. To this aim, the current paper quantitatively investigated the role of traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulation of different thicknesses to improve the thermal performance of building envelope integrated PCM under harsh summer months. The improvement in indoor temperature was studied considering the maximum indoor temperature reduction (MITR), time lag (TL), average temperature fluctuation reduction (ATFR) and average operative temperature reduction (AOTR). Thereafter, the average heat gain reduction (AHGR) was introduced to quantify the thermal enhancement of envelope elements. Simulation results revealed that building envelope integrated with PCM-EPS demonstrated better thermal performance than incorporating PCM alone. Compared with the PCM room, the indoor temperature of PCM-EPS rooms was improved by a maximum of 143 %, 177.2 %, 35 % and 8.5 % in terms of MITR, TL, ATFR and AOTR, respectively, along with enhanced envelope resistance by up to 103.8 % concerning the AHGR. Increasing EPS layer thickness by up to 2 cm has increased the PCM room thermal performance during the daytime. However, the EPS thickness of 1 cm showed better performance considering the ATFR and AOTR during full thermal cycles.

Research paper thumbnail of Case study on the optimal thickness of phase change material incorporated composite roof under hot climate conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Selection of phase change material suitable for building heating applications based on qualitative decision matrix

Energy Conversion and Management: X, 2021

Phase change materials (PCMs) are successful thermal energy storage mediums in many thermal syste... more Phase change materials (PCMs) are successful thermal energy storage mediums in many thermal systems, including buildings. Identifying the best PCM candidate is a critical incorporation parameter that influences building thermal performance. This paper discusses the selection of potential PCM candidates that could be applied for building heating applications in cold locations. A qualitative decision matrix (QDM) is applied for several commercial PCMs after an extensive analysis of relevant literature studies. The melting temperature, heat of fusion, thermal conductivity, compatibility, flammability and cost of each PCM are considered in the QDM to find the most suitable candidates with the best effective properties and features. PCM properties/features are assigned with scores and weights in the QDM based on their importance for the application. Three scenarios are investigated in this work, including and excluding the PCM cost with varying and equal weights. Results showed that RT28HC had the highest score in all scenarios, followed by SavE®HS29 in the first scenario (when the cost is included) and PureTemp 32 in the second scenario without considering the cost. The methodology and results presented in this work are believed to be as efficient as logical for future studies compared with the traditional methods that rely on investigating the PCM thermo-physical properties.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of encapsulation area on the thermal performance of PCM incorporated concrete bricks: A case study under Iraq summer conditions

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2021

Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concr... more Abstract In this paper, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) incorporated concrete bricks is studied experimentally. Four concrete bricks (three with macroencapsulated PCM and one without PCM represented the reference) are fabricated, and their thermal performance is tested under hot climate conditions. The study considered the effect of PCM encapsulation heat transfer area on brick's thermal performance at the same PCM quantity. PCM bricks included three different PCM capsule arrangements in which the first brick involved one bulky capsule (Brick-B, 4*4*10 cm3), the second brick had two capsules (Brick-C, 4*4*5 cm3), and the third brick involved five PCM capsules (Brick-D, 4*4*2 cm3). The peak temperature reduction (PTR), the conductive heat transfer reduction (HTRc), and the time delay (TD) were presented and calculated, taking into account the inner and outer brick surface temperatures of PCM bricks compared with the reference brick. Results showed that concrete bricks' thermal performance could be remarkably improved using PCM even under maximum outdoor temperatures. Moreover, the best thermal performance is reported for Brick-D, in which the maximum PTR, HTRc, and TD are reached 156.5%, ∼61%, and ∼133%, respectively, compared with the reference brick under maximum outdoor temperatures.