Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo

• Nanyang Technological University

Solar PV irrigation system (SPIS) has proven its potential to impact the agricultural sector. It is known for producing zero GHG emissions, and recent studies have proved its effectiveness compared to fuel-based pumps. However, some factors affecting its operations and economic viability that require further study. This study assessed the viability...

Woody and herbaceous biomasses have been utilized as biomass energy plant feedstocks that generate electricity for years. The coconut tree, classified as woody biomass, flourishes throughout tropical regions. Every year, each tree can produce an average of 70 nuts or a maximum of 150 nuts, with each fruit consisting of 15.18% shell. The Philippines...

Electrifying off-grid and isolated islands in the Philippines remains one of the challenges that hinders community development, and one of the solutions seen to ensure energy security, energy access and promote a low-carbon future is the use of renewable energy sources. This study determines the nearshore wave energy resource during monsoon seasons...

Electrifying off-grid and isolated islands in the Philippines remains one of the challenges that hinders community development. One of the solutions seen to ensure energy security, expand energy access and promote a low carbon future in this isolated islands is the use of renewable energy sources. This study wishes to determine the nearshore wave e...

Coconut is a biomass resource that is abundant in tropical countries. In 2020, the Philippines planted 347 million coconut trees that produced 14.7 million tons of coconuts. The coconut shells (endocarp) are considered a waste material, which comprise 15.18% of each fruit and account for 2.2 million tons. The calorific value of raw coconut shells i...

Biomass is biodegradable and non-fossilized organic materials derived from abundant, clean, and carbon-neutral plants, algae, and animals that can potentially be used as a bioenergy resource to replace fossil fuels. Coconut is one of the biomass feedstocks that are plentiful in tropical countries. The 347 million coconut trees planted in the Philip...

The multi-tier framework (MTF) of electricity access defines a continuum of electrification from tier 0, where access is inexistent or very limited, to tier 5 where access is of grid quality. Transitioning households from lower to higher tiers unlocks the potential in meeting more of their energy needs. This study investigates the transition toward...

This is a Position Paper by the Sustainable Energy Association (SEAS) of Singapore Marine Renewables Working Group available from: https://www.seas.org.sg/

Many campuses have adopted the microgrid concept for decades now with backup systems that consist mostly of diesel generators. To help achieve energy sustainability and mitigate climate change, these microgrids are in the forefront in promoting renewables. This paper investigates the possibilities when integrating solar energy into the existing ene...

Energy sustainability and environmental preservation have become worldwide concerns with the many manifestations of climate change and the continually increasing demand for energy. As cities and nations become more technologically advanced, electricity consumption rises to levels that may no longer be manageable if left unattended. The Smart Grid o...

This paper presents preliminary research on ocean renewable energy (ORE) in Southeast Asia (SEA). It gives an overview of the ORE status of the region in terms of its potential and existing policies that support the utilization of ORE as an alternative source of energy. The study argues that there is potential to harness ORE in this region; however...

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for assessing renewable energy potential has been in place for more than a decade now. Recent studies concerning offshore wind potential through GIS evaluations have been carried out for Europe and the United States. This paper presents the development of a web-based marine spatial planning (MSP) tool...

This paper combines site and device suitability approaches into one framework to assist stakeholders in identifying locations fit for Tidal In-Stream Energy (TISE) extraction as well as nominating devices that are matched to the conditions of those locations. A Matlab-based decision support system is developed using the framework. Site-Device match...

Tidal in-stream energy (TISE) resource assessment can be costly and presuppose that areas have already been identified as having potential before simulations and field surveys are done. Macro-level assessment of TISE potential using an energy potential (EP) metric previously proposed based on tide height differences at the channel boundaries. This...

Accurate tidal in-stream energy resource estimation is very important for planning purposes. Hydrodynamic simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is commonly employed in the assessment of candidate sites for tidal energy extraction. The estimated energy of a site using simulations may vary as certain CFD parameters change. This work st...

A preliminary tidal in-stream resource assessment is conducted for four sites in the Philippines. A review of available baseline data is done. Said data reviewed include: simulated tidal current velocities calibrated with actual measurements over a month period; simulated tidal in-stream energy density; bathymetry of the region; proximity to grid i...

This work employs a combinatorial optimization method in selecting the appropriate pair of off-the-shelf generator and gearbox within a rapid evaluation framework for tidal in-stream energy (TISE) systems that allows users to easily vary block/module characteristics. The suitable combination of discretely-paired blocks exhibit desirable performance...

The Philippines, being an archipelagic country, is well known for its relatively strong and persistent currents in its straits and channels. Harnessing these strong currents for tidal in-stream energy will greatly help reduce the dependency of the country to imported oil for power generation. The developed energy potential (EP) metric was validated...

This work presents a novel evaluation tool that provides a rapid and less tedious approach for those involved in tidal energy planning. Site-Device matching, which is the “pairing” of appropriate device(s) to maximize the allowable energy extracted from a given site, is a crucial decision support process. The Tidal Resource Investigation, Device an...

This paper presents preliminary efforts in developing a rapid evaluation tool for tidal in-stream energy (TISE) in the Philippines. We study the possibility of using an energy density metric based on the sea surface elevation (SSE) or tide height difference at the boundaries of a site of interest as a gauge for the TISE potential of that site. Resu...

Numerous coastal communities, existing in archipelagic countries like the Philippines, depend on groundwater for their daily sustenance. Groundwater can be adversely affected by saltwater intrusion and becomes brackish water, with salinity ranging from 0.5ppt to 17ppt. Consumption of brackish water may cause kidney ailments and death to terrestrial...

We study the possibility of using ocean surface drifting buoys (“drifters”) as a low-cost alternative to assess the potential of a tidal channel to deliver useful renewable energy. Instead of using Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) for underwater ocean current measurement, we propose the use of drifters released on localized areas of intere...

We study the classification accuracy of a neural network (NN) classifier for a Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) system that uses an imagined-movements mental task set and compare the performance of the classifier when the user is subjected to a non-moving (static) reference frame (SRF) and to a moving (dynamic) reference frame (DRF) while performing t...

We study the effects of a moving reference frame on the classification of different mental tasks in a brain-machine interface (BMI). We use the band powers and power differences of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from 8 surface electrodes during 5 pre-determined mental tasks as the features for the neural network (NN) mental task classifier....