Off-grid portable production and distribution of sustainable energy : A product service system solution developed for the energy market

Sammanfattning: Background. At the year of 2021, 770 million people worldwide were living without access to electricity. In parallel with this, electrification of vehicles and other equipment constantly increases which results in a demand for access to reliable off-grid energy to allow for operation in remote locations or places without sufficient energy infrastructure due to external factors such as natural disasters. As the use of fossil fuels is predicted to decrease, the need for sustainable energy production utilizing renewable energy sources has proved to be critical. The combination of these factors results in a need for the development of sustainable off-grid energy systems utilizing renewable energy sources.  Objectives. The objective of this thesis is to highlight needs and present a developed solution to portable off-grid energy production and distribution utilizing renewable energy sources. The goal is to highlight problems within the area of focus and present a potential solution to one, or multiple, of these problems. The presented solution shall be based on a solid engineering foundation and meet the technical requirements developed from needs that arise during the project. Methods. The work presented in this thesis was conducted with the use of DRM, Design Research Methodology, as the choice of research methodology while Design thinking was the choice of design approach. The use of DRM allowed for a structured and efficient research process that allowed for the possibility to validate result. The use of Design thinking as design approach provided methods and tools to support innovation while working with problems that were initially unknown or vaguely defined. Results. The result of the work presented in this thesis provides information regarding multiple problems and critical aspects within the area of focus. A list of requirements for a sustainable energy system to satisfy in order to enter the market is presented, where portability, reliability and redundancy are marked as key requirements. A proposed solution in the form of a portable modular sustainable energy production trailer utilizing different renewable energy sources was developed to allow for off-grid electricity generation. This combined with an energy distribution solution in the form of a energy storage module mounted on the Volvo TA15 system allows for autonomous energy transportation to the location of the energy need.  Conclusions. As the need for sustainable energy constantly increases, development of sustainable energy production and distribution systems that can operate off-grid has proven to be critical. The utilization of renewable energy sources has also been identified as a critical factor in parallel with the phasing out of fossil fuels. The proposed solution has provided evidence of the potential for a portable off-grid hybrid energy system and its potential impact on the global 2030-agenda goals for sustainability.