James Spelling
PhD Student
Phone: +46 (0)8 790 8643
Mobile: +46 (0)72 155 9192
E-mail: spelling@kth.se
Visiting address: Brinellvägen 68, 100 44 Stockholm
Research
PhD Candidate at the Heat and Power Division (EKV) of the Energy Technology Department (EGI) at KTH, Stockholm.
Research Field: Thermoeconomic and Environomic Optimisation of Solar Tower Thermal Power Plants
Solar thermal power generation shows great potential for supplying the electricity needs of numerous countries in the Sun-belt regions of the world. In these regions, the absence of significant biomass, hydrological or geothermal reserves makes solar thermal power the most promising solution for meeting that most fundamental of demands: energy.
Curriculum Vitae
A mechanical engineering graduate of the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Lausanne, I have specialised in the field of turbomachinery for solar thermal power plants; both steam- and gas-turbine based solutions. Recent work has focused on the techno-economic optimisation of solar thermal plants, examining cost-effective solutions for solar energy production. My work on the thermo-economic optimisation of combined-cycle solar thermal power plants was awarded the European Talent Award for Innovative Energy Systems in 2010.
I am currently employed as a PhD student at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where my research focuses on the optimisation of steam turbine operation and reduction of water consumption in solar power plants. I am also involved in the teaching of renewable energy technology and thermoeconomics at the Master's level.
2010 - Awarded the European Talent Award for Innovative Energy Systems
2009 - Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, EPFL, Switzerland
Awarded the Robert Zanelli prize for research in sustainable development
Awarded the Bombardier Transportation prize for mechanical engineering
2007 - Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, EPFL, Switzerland
Conference Papers
James Spelling, Matthias Russ, Björn Laumert et al., “A Thermoeconomic Study of Hybrid Solar Gas-Turbine Power Plants”, International SolarPACES Conference, Granada, 2011
James Spelling, Matthias Russ, Björn Laumert et al., “A Thermoeconomic Study of Low-Temperature Intercooled-Recuperated Cycles for Pure-Solar Gas-Turbine Applications”, International SolarPACES Conference, Granada, 2011
Erik Pihl, James Spelling, Filip Johnsson, “Thermoeconomic Optimisation of Solar Hybridisation Options for Existing Combined-Cycle Power Plants”, International SolarPACES Conference, Granada, 2011
James Spelling, Markus Jöcker, Andrew Martin, “Thermal Modeling of a Solar Steam Turbine with a Focus on Start-Up Time Reduction”, GT2011-45686, ASME Turbo Expo, Vancouver, 2011
Torsten Strand, James Spelling, Björn Laumert et al., “On the Significance of Concentrated Solar Power R&D in Sweden”, World Renewable Energy Congress, Linköping, 2011
James Spelling, Daniel Favrat, Andrew Martin et al., “Thermo-Economic Optimisation of Solar Tower Thermal Power Plants”, International ECOS Conference, Lausanne, 2010
James Spelling, Germain Augsburger, Daniel Favrat, “Evaluation of a Combined Cycle Setup for Solar Tower Power Plants”, International SolarPACES Conference, Berlin, 2009
Journal Articles
James Spelling, Daniel Favrat, Andrew Martin et al., “Thermo-Economic Optimisation of a Combined-Cycle Solar Tower Power Plant”, Energy, 2011 (accepted for publication, article in press)
James Spelling, Markus Jöcker, Andrew Martin, “Thermal Modeling of a Solar Steam Turbine with a Focus on Start-Up Time Reduction”, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 2011 (accepted for publication, article in press)
