Nnamdi Nwulu

University of Johannesburg | uj · Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science

Solar radiation data forecasting algorithms are important, especially in developing countries, as vast solar power plants cannot measure reliable and constant solar irradiance. The challenges of solar irradiance prediction may be resolved by machine learning using weather datasets. This study emphasises the daily and monthly global solar radiation...

This chapter explores the four research gaps within the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus frameworks initiated within the last ten years. The chapter explores the concepts of Cleaner Production, Value Chain Analysis, Circular Economy, and Transportation Infrastructure. It provided a conceptual review of the gaps, their principles, and their appro...

This chapter provides comprehensive insights into the theories underpinning the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus. The theories are the securitization theory, Malthusian theory of population, game theory, institutional theory, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT). The chapter dealt with each of these theories,...

The water pumping system is a vital daily operation for a sustainable society. The demand for this essential commodity is progressively growing around the world. Incorporating renewable energy sources (RES) into its operation mitigates adverse environmental effects stemming from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduces associated costs linked to...

The sudden rise in population and the need to sustain natural resources have subjected many researchers to another dimension of an interesting study, such as integrating food, energy and water into a single entity. Tampering with natural resources, especially food, energy, or water, could be an aspect that hinders the requirement to meet the world’...

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a range of 350-420 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent, South Africa, the largest emitter of GHG in Africa, introduced a carbon taxation system in June 2019. However, within just 3 years, it has become evident that the system faces significant challenges, with less...

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus is a paradigm that emphasises the interconnectedness and collaborative effects of water, energy, and food systems. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of South Africa's WEF nexus research landscape between 2011 and 2024 using the Scopus database. The article highlights the interconnectedness of sustainable...

Ensuring reliability and resilience in radial distribution systems (RDS) is essential for consistent electricity delivery and rapid recovery from disruptions, particularly with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs). This study investigates the impact of EV charging stations (EVCS) on RDS performance, focusing on reliability, resilience, power loss, a...

A stable power system is a desirable state for the optimal performance and delivery of electricity to the end-users. This study evaluates the effectiveness of grid contingency support devices in power system stability enhancement. The new voltage stability pointer (NVSP) was employed to optimally infer the flexible alternating current transmission...

The multifaceted nature of human society necessitates the consideration of various indicators when planning and designing energy systems. The success of energy systems is contingent on their ability to reliably meet demands while satisfying different objectives that align with societal needs. This paper presents the multi�objective optimal design a...

This study proposes a synergistic approach that aligns environmental sustainability with economic viability to meet the energy trilemma of energy security, affordability, and sustainability. Employing two qualitative methods-bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review- the research focused on Scopus-based articles related to renewable en...

Undoped titanium dioxide (TiO2) films were successfully doped with cationic cesium (Cs+) at different molar concentrations on a glass substrate via a two-step spin coating method. Undoped and cesium-doped methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) materials were prepared and deposited on the titanium dioxide films via a one-step spin coating process....

Communication systems are greatly hampered by many disruptive noises in powerline communication systems (PLC), which come with strong interference, resulting in the malfunction of PLC systems. Hence, there is a need to model noise and its effect on communication systems. This paper presents noise modelling and mitigation techniques for indoor broad...

The rapid expansion of renewable energy sources (RESs), such as photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), micro turbine (MT), and fuel cell (FC), has presented both opportunities and challenges to power systems, particularly in terms of environmental sustainability and economic feasibility. While RESs offer benefits like reduced environmental pollution...

A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords: resource management sustainability water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus integration energy policy A B S T R A C T In Africa, coping with the growing pressure of resource demand due to the fast population growth and socioeconomic development remains one of the major challenges of the 21st century. By 2050, energy and wat...

This study examines the use of Ethereum-based smart contracts to facilitate peer-to-peer energy trading in decentralized marketplaces. Energy traders submit bids and offers to smart contracts, which oversee the transaction process. Additionally, another smart contract helps energy merchants source energy from prosumers to meet their supply obliga...

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are prone to various faults, including short-circuit, open-circuit, partial shading, and inverter bypass diode issues, which reduce power output and can damage components. This study presents an innovative fault detection and online monitoring technique for grid-connected PV (GCPV) systems, combining Internet of Things (Io...

The rapid global increase in electric vehicle (EV) usage, driven by its low CO 2 emissions, uncomplicated maintenance, and minimal operating costs, has prompted extensive research in the field of electric vehicle charging station (EVCS). The integration of EVCS into the current distribution grid poses challenges due to potential power losses and vo...

The crux to meet the daily exponential growth in power demand and reduce the carbon footprint has seen to rejuvenate the consideration of large-scale renewable energy penetration (LsREP) in the power grid. Conversely, the emergence of the LsREP in the power grid is linked to frequency instability due to the mismatch between the conventional-based s...

The world depends heavily on electrical energy for accessing technologies. For the generation of electricity, technology can utilize renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems occupy space among consumers due to their feasibility, flexibility, cost, and simple implementation procedures. The solar PV...

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of the 2013 privatization of Nigeria’s energy sector on the technical performance of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and its workforce. Design/methodology/approach This study used a questionnaire-based approach, and 196 participants were randomly selected. Analytical tools include...

The steeply rising demand for mobile data drives the investigation of the transmission backhaul network architecture and cost for the fifth generation (5G) of mobile technologies. The proposed backhaul architecture will facilitate high throughput, low latency, scalability, low cost of ownership, and high capacity backhaul for 5G mobile technologies...

One of the ways to increase the participation and penetration of renewable energy resources is to bring down the cost of these abundant resources for easy implementation and affordability. In this paper, a generalized reduced gradient (GRG) non‐linear optimization algorithm is implemented to solve a tri‐objective optimal design and sizing of a low‐...

In recent times, the limited availability of fossil fuels and growing concerns regarding the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have directly impacted the shift from conventional automobiles to electric vehicles (EVs). Additionally, there have been notable advancements in new energy research, which have significantly improved the viability of EVs....

The power loss in the arrays due to non-uniform irradiances in the site is the most common scenario observed in a PV system. The irradiance non-uniformity occurs due to obstacles between actual irradiance and modules caused by dust and shadow of clouds, trees, and buildings in some portions of the array. This results in complications like mismatch,...

The impact of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on power distribution systems has attracted significant research interest. However, integrating large-scale PV systems into low-voltage (LV) networks poses several technical challenges. Hence, penetration limits and hosting capacity are essential for high PV penetration LV networks. This study proposes...

The water, energy, and food (WEF) resources are indispensable for sustainable human development. This chapter meticulously describes the significance of these resources within the context of WEF security definitions. It expounds upon their interdependence, culminating in the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus through the need for determinants. Moreover,...

This chapter provided an overview of the developing economy and stated the state of security paradigms of the three resources. Thereafter, the chapter provided a concise overview and perspective on water, energy, and food resources in developing countries such as Argentina, China, Nigeria, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia. Also, relevant research on the WEF...

This chapter provided a comprehensive conclusion on the preceding twelve chapters, highlighting the digital framework developed and other frameworks and models created throughout the book. The chapter highlighted the contribution and value of the research conducted in the book, focusing on the digital framework, theoretical contribution, and valuab...

This chapter expounds on water, energy, and food resources. It commences by providing a detailed overview of water resources, delineating the various types and sources of water, their volumes, and geographical distribution. The chapter also explores vital terminologies associated with water resources, including water security, desalination, sustain...

The chapter explores twenty-four (24) frameworks depicted across twenty-nine diagrams for managing the water, energy, and food nexus, which cut across different continents. It brought into perspective the various determinants, drivers, and factors that have shaped the WEF nexus in the last ten years. The chapter highlighted nine (9) general attribu...

The chapter espoused the conceptual framework for the water, energy, and food (WEF) Nexus. The chapter established the philosophical paradigms underpinning the book, elucidating Ontological and Epistemological philosophy. In Ontological philosophical perspectives, the chapter explained the alignment of the book with objectivity and constructivism i...

This chapter justified the book's selection of South Africa as a case study. It provided an overview of water resources in the Republic, stating its strategic water sources areas. The chapter also provided the energy landscape for the republic along coal and renewable energy. Furthermore, the chapter gave an insight into the indigenous food crops i...

The chapter espoused the Fourth Industrial Revolution, providing historical context and analyzing its design principles and need for water, energy, and food resources. The chapter provided a comprehensive overview of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytic, Cloud Computing, 3D Printing/Addit...

The chapter provided an overview of the Interview survey and the process of conducting the interview survey with empirical justification. The interview survey included seven (7) experts with an average of 20 years of experience within the field of water, energy, and food (WEF) resources. The interview entails thirteen (13) questions about WEF nexus...

This chapter explores the application of digital technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus. The chapter provided an overview of the digital technologies within the WEF nexus, elaborating on the effect of the technologies on the nexus. The effects include the development of clean technologies...

This chapter provided comprehensive details on different frameworks and outcomes of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. The chapter provided empirical justification for how the WEF nexus leads to the attainment of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Moreover, through a keyword co-occurrence via the Vosviewer, the chapter explored four (4)...

The carbon trading system is a mechanism that employs carbon caps (limits) and taxation to regulate the rate of carbon dioxide emissions produced by human activities. To further strengthen the effectiveness of this mechanism, the United Nations (UN) initiated the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, enabling the trading of carbon emission rights in exchange for...

Hydrogen and electricity derived from renewable sources present feasible alternative energy options for the decarbonisation of the transportation and power sectors. This study presents the utilisation of hydrogen generated from solar and wind energy resources as a clean fuel for mobility and backup storage for stationary applications under economic...

A growing global population uses essential resources such as food, energy, and water to drive economic growth. However, population growth, urbanization, and human activities strain these limited resources, resulting in serious harm, particularly from global warming and climate change. Sustainable resource allocation in the Nexus system is required...

Water, energy, and food are economic resources whose security and sustainability affect human livelihood. This paper is dedicated to exploring the influence of economic indicators on the security and sustainability of these resources within the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. The research employed a quantitative approach, gathering data through a st...

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of technological Innovation in ensuring resource sustainability in the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus, as there exists a shortage of statistical research on the extent of the influence of technological Innovation on the WEF nexus. Design/methodology/approach The study used a quantitative research met...

Storage systems are needed to boost the reliability of intermittent solar and wind resources in power networks. Rather than focus on one storage system or one hybrid energy storage system (HESS), this work models the operation of six HESS configurations in a Renewable Energy (RE) based grid-tied network. The objective is to minimise the daily opera...

The use of graphene oxide (GO) has shown potential in improving the performance of redox flow lithium‐ion batteries (RFLIBs). These types of batteries use a liquid electrolyte containing redox‐active species to store and release energy. Despite being scalable, RFLIBs face limitations, namely, low energy density of the electrolyte and reduced cyclin...

The paper explores the viability of repuposing 18650 lithium-ion cells from consumer electronics at their end of life, collected from local electronics shops in Lagos Nigeria, for second-life application as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The study also characterizes each cell to determine its residual useful capacity and State of Health (So...