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Experienced Fellow

Fontina Petrakopoulou

Fontina Petrakopoulou

Doctorate from:

Technical University of Berlin, Germany

Department at UC3M:

Thermal and Fluids Engineering

E-mail: fpetrako@ing.uc3m.es

CONEX Fellow from 21/07/15 to 31/05/2018

Project

Summary

OPTIHYP will propose and evaluate novel integrated hybrid-polygeneration systems to support the sustainable energy development of European regions, as well as link strategic energy planning with European policies, social considerations and environmental impacts. Renewable and conventional energy sources will be coupled in advanced systems that incorporate both new and conventional energy conversion technologies. These systems will be optimized using an innovative multi-criteria method focused on efficiency maximization and the minimization of water usage, environmental impacts and costs. Thermodynamic, economic, environmental and water usage estimates will be used to create two original databases. This inter-disciplinary project will produce the first open-access, flexible online tool for regional energy planning based on hybrid-polygeneration systems. This web-based tool will be made available to the scientific community, policymakers and the private sector and will lay the foundation for robust optimization strategies in the energy sector.

CV

Fontina received her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering (Technical University of Crete, 2005) and her Ph.D. in Energy Engineering (Technical University of Berlin, 2010). She conducted her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research activities holding European Fellowships.

Fontina’s work focuses on the energy autonomy of remote areas and the simulation and optimization of biofuel and zero-emission energy conversion processes. She is an expert on exergy-based methods and she is involved in the development of analytical methods for the optimization of complex energy systems.

Fontina has taught courses on heat transfer and the optimization of thermodynamic systems and has supervised a large number of bachelor and master theses. She has been honoured with a best paper award and her Ph.D. thesis was chosen as one the three best in Germany by RWE AG. She is the author of 22 journal articles, 2 book chapters and has participated in various international conferences and workshops.

Collaboration Opportunities

I am looking for motivated, creative and well qualified Ph.D. and postdoctoral students to come work with me and be part of a forward thinking group on the cutting edge of energy and water research. I am open to new ideas and I am willing to support innovative and attractive proposals. If you have any further questions or suggestions related to collaboration possibilities feel free to contact me at fpetrako@ing.uc3m.es. Also, you can find out information on open and future calls of the university on my personal website.

Video Fontina

Scientific publications:

  • Petrakopoulou F., Sánchez-Delgado S., Marugán-Cruz C., Santana D., 2017. “Improving the efficiency of gas turbine systems with volumetric solar receivers”, Energy Conversion and Management 149, 579-592.
  • Yolanda L., Petrakopoulou F., Morosuk T., Boyano A., Tsatsaronis G., 2017. "The Relationship Between Costs and Environmental Impacts in Power Plants: An Exergy-Based Study", Energy 138, 920-928.
  • Petrakopoulou F., 2017. “The Social Perspective on the Renewable Energy Autonomy of Geographically Isolated Communities: Evidence from a Mediterranean Island”, Sustainability 9(3), 327.
  • Petrakopoulou F., 2017. “Economic and environmental considerations for zero-emission transport and thermal energy generation on an energy autonomous island”, European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2(1), 05.
  • González-Gómez P.A., Petrakopoulou F., Briongos J.V., Santana D., 2017. “Cost-based design optimization of the heat exchangers in a parabolic trough concentrating solar power plant”, Energy – The International Journal 123, 314-325.
  • Petrakopoulou F., Robinson A., Loizidou M., 2016. “Simulation and evaluation of a hybrid concentrating-solar and wind power plant for energy autonomy on islands”, Renewable Energy 96 (A), 863-871.
  • Alhammadi M., Alblooshi M., Petrakopoulou F., Dadach Z., 2016. “Effects of summer weather conditions on the environmental impact of a power plant in the UAE”, International Journal of Energy Engineering 6 (2), 29-42.
  • Petrakopoulou, F., 2016. "On the economics of stand-alone renewable hybrid power plants in remote regions", Energy Conversion and Management 118, 63-74.
  • Petrakopoulou, F., Robinson, A., Loizidou, M., 2016. "Simulation and analysis of stand-alone solar-wind and pumped-storage hydropower plant", Energy - The international Journal 96, 676-683.
  • Petrakopoulou, F., Robinson, A., Loizidou, M., 2016. "Exergetic analysis and dynamic simulation of solar-wind power plant with electricity storage and hydrogen generation", Journal of Cleaner Production 113, 450-458.
  • Petrakopoulou, F, Sanz-Bermejo, J., Dufour, j., Romero, M., 2016. "Exergetic Analysis of Hybrid Power Plants with Biomass and Photovoltaics Coupled with a Solid-Oxide Electrolysis System", Energy - The International Journal 94, 304-315.

 

Other dissemination Activities

  • Participation in the Scientific Committee of the European conference on Renewable Energy Systems (Istanbul, Turkey, 2018).
  • Oral presentation and paper: "Investigation of the effect of the cooling water temperature on the thermal efficiency of a nuclear power plant”,Terzi R., Kurt E., Petrakopoulou F.. Sixth European Conference on Renewable Energy Systems, (Istanbul, Turkey 2018).
  • Participation in the organization of the International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (Rhodos-Greece, 2017).
  • Participation in the Scientific Committee of the European conference on Renewable Energy Systems (Istanbul, Turkey, 2017).
  • Oral presentation "On- and off-grid operation of hybrid renewable power plants: When are the economics favorable?" Petrakopoulou, F, Santana D. AGU Fall Meeting (San Francisco, USA December 2016).
  • Invited presentation to Renewable Energy Seminar of the Master in Industrial Mechanics at UC3M (May 2016).
  • Presentation at the CONEX Meeting, Open presentation of the CONEX project: OPTIHYP (April 2016).