3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45
Browse
Search Results
Item Knowledge management determinants of breakthrough research productivity(2018) Rubin, AsafRecent technological advancements have brought about a wave of drastic change in the global supply and demand of knowledge and subsequently, in the generation of innovation. However, it has been argued that some industries and academic fields do not sufficiently take advantage of new opportunities afforded by the widespread, free and open availability of knowledge. Terms such as the Death of Innovation, Innovation Failure and Academic Failure have been used to describe the market failure of industrial Research and Development (R&D) and certain forms of academic research to sufficiently leverage these new opportunities, particularly with regard to societal problem-solving. An extensive and rapidly growing body of literature pertaining to new modes of knowledge productivity, such as open innovation, crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, through the use of the Internet, has demonstrated evidence that certain new technologies and methodologies may indeed offer significant economies of scope and scale in innovative problem solving. However, misaligned incentives may in some cases prevent the efficient leveraging of these new modes of productivity. These effects may be particularly pronounced in the academic context, which has long been criticised for its strict adherence to tradition and paradigmatic convergence. Despite this body of literature, there is a lack of knowledge as to the extent that academic researchers do indeed take advantage of these new modes of productivity, and furthermore, the extent to which their adoption influences research productivity. Thus, this research seeks to investigate the relationship between a behavioral orientation called ‘technological propensity’, or the extent to which individuals seize opportunities that offer significant economies of scale (such as crowdsourcing) and productivity. This research is undertaken at the individual level of analysis, which necessitates corresponding measurements of proximal, human-resources management determinants which may impact this relationship. These include personality, motivational values, work climate perceptions and human capital investments. Three studies are conducted to ascertain the extent of the relationships between these variables, and to provide a holistic perspective of the relationships between variables. First, a qualitative study, which samples award-winning scientists, academics researchers and innovators from across the world was conducted to develop theory. Amongst these are 3 Nobel Prize winners, 3 Lasker Award winners and 1 Fields Medal winner, among others. Second, a quantitative study, which sampled South African academic researchers, was conducted to test theory. Third and finally, a second quantitative study, which sampled ‘crowd-workers’, or users of an Internet-based crowdsourcing platform known as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, was conducted to provide ii further insights into the relationships under study, in the open knowledge space (i.e. over the Internet). Qualitative data is analysed inductively, using thematic content analysis. Quantitative data is analysed through a series of statistical analyses, including multiple regression, mediation and moderation analyses. The findings of these studies suggest that the relationship between technological propensity and productivity is context-dependent and may only be suitable as a complementary methodology to certain forms of academic research, which is especially constrained by outside influences. Certain new modes of productivity may indeed enhance the rate at which ‘breakthrough’, or radically innovative research outputs are generated. The findings also suggest that differences in certain values-configurations and human capital investments may significantly impact this relationship. Based on the research findings, recommendations are made to improve research productivity in these contexts and recommendations for practice and for further research are made.Item Solar cell device simulations from ab initio data and the implementation of efficiency enhancing techniques(2018) Mokgosi, Itumeleng SiphiweWith the global energy consumption at an all-time high and the demand for energy estimated to triple by 2050, renewable energy sources such as solar are pivotal in an addressing this global energy demand. Solar power generation by photovoltaic cells enjoys several advantages compared to other forms of electricity generation such as a reduced fossil fuel dependence, modularity, easy and flexible installation, and scalability. The development of novel solar cells that offer increased efficiencies is an integral component of the process of addressing the global energy needs. Solar cell device simulations offer a cost-effective means to explore the impact of different material properties on the overall efficiency of the solar cell. The use of ab initio calculated material properties that serve as an import for the device simulations offers a means to easily study and estimate the typical solar cell efficiencies of different types of solar cells. The implementation of new light harnessing features, like frequency conversion layers or plasmonic nanoparticles, and the integration of these futures into existing device simulation codes serves as a useful tool that aids solar cell development. This work explores the theoretical and numerical background for the simulation of solar cell devices. A brief explanation of how ab initio calculated parameters can be used, together with the implementation of frequency conversion techniques in existing simulation codes is given. It is shown that the solar cell performance parameters can be well approximated using ab intio parameters. Also, the positive effect of frequency conversion techniques is demonstrated with examples of how this tool can be implemented in existing solar cell device simulation codes. The approaches discussed in this work can serve as a good framework for the modeling of novel solar cell devicesItem Decentralised electricity generation through rooftop solar photovoltaics (PVs) in Zambia : a case study of the engineering institute of Zambia (EIZ) office building project, Lusaka(2018) Samunete, JosephWhereas there has been significant study and development of national strategic plans on electricity generation from renewable energy in general in Zambia, specific studies and research on decentralised electricity generation via rooftop solar PVs from buildings and their potential to enhance Zambia’s electricity generation goals have not systematically been done. The study applies a case study of the Engineering Institute of Zambia office building that is at construction stage but is determined to incorporate a rooftop solar PV system. Using DesignBuilder and Energyplus simulation software, the building was modelled and analysed for this potential. In addition, based on interview data from various experts and secondary data from national plans, the study evaluated policy, regulatory and market frameworks which could catalyse the increased deployment of such systems in Zambia. Using financial analysis tools of payback period, return on investment and net present value the study undertook a number of business case scenarios in order to conceptualize a responsive business model. The study finds that from the initial estimate, the available roof space had the capacity to net out the baseline annual electricity consumption of 287,707kWh and generate a surplus of 63,519kWh/year before optimisation. Optimisation of the baseline consumption through a combination of two viable energy efficiency interventions reduced the baseline annual consumption by 35% to 186,904kWh with related payback period of nine years, ROI of 518% over a 25 year analysis period and a NPV of 623,344.00 ZMK. Based on these findings, three business case scenarios for the solar PV system were analysed and two out of the three were adopted. One scenario assumed a net-zero building and another one assumed that the surplus electricity generated on non-business days is exported to the grid were adopted. Following this finding, a business model centred on an integrated energy service company (IESCo) was identified as the most appropriate model to respond to the uptake barriers of this technology and thus leverage on the emerging progressive support mechanisms. The overall findings of the study thus support the working hypothesis of the study which deemed that through the framework of a responsive business model, decentralised electricity generation through rooftop solar PV can greatly enhance energy security and mitigate GHG-emission for Zambia.