DCU-Final-Year-Projects-Booklet-2025

97 195. Energy Optimisation in District Heating: ACase Study on Thermal Energy Storage and Solar PV Integration on aHigher Education Campus In the context of rising energy demands, optimising energy consumption in higher education facilities has become increasingly important. This case study investigates a higher education campus experiencing variable heating energy consumption on both daily andmonthly scales. Connected to a local district heating network, the campus presents a unique opportunity to enhance energy efficiency. The study examines the feasibility of integrating a compact thermal energy storage (TES) systemwith solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology. By shifting peak thermal loads to off-peak periods, the project aims to leverage Ireland’s time-of-use tariff structure for commercial consumers. This project seeks to optimise energy use, reduce operational costs, and contribute to lowering carbon emissions. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 5) Project Area Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy Technology, Software Development Project Technology Python Student Name(s) Eoin Tyrrell Email eoin.tyrrell7@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr Mohammad Saffari 196. Developing an AI-Driven Buildings Energy Consumption PredictionModel Using Machine Learning (ML) Techniques for Co-Simulation This project develops an AI-driven model to predict building energy consumption usingmachine learning techniques for co-simulation. The study integrates real-world energy usage data with advanced deep learning architectures, including LSTMs, RNNs, andMLPs, to enhance forecasting accuracy. Preprocessing involves feature engineering, normalization, and sequence generation from time-series data. The models are trained and evaluated based on RMSE and R_ scores to determine predictive performance. This research contributes to sustainable engineering by enabling data-driven energy efficiency strategies in the built environment. The findings aim to support smart buildingmanagement systems in optimizing energy consumption, reducing costs, and improving sustainability in modern infrastructure. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 5) Project Area Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy Technology, Simulation, Software Development, Statistical Analysis Project Technology Excel/VB, Python, Machine Learning Student Name(s) EvanMeegan Email evanmeegan123@gmail.com Supervisor Dr Mohammad Saffari 197. PinPoint PinPoint makes planning and organisingmeetups seamless by combining everything needed tomake plans in one place—finding a suitable location, messaging, and connecting. It acts as a ‘one-stop spot’ for all your social planning needs. At its core, PinPoint is a social networking app centred around amap. Users can “pin” a location and invite others to join them, setting a proposed time, description, or even adding links for more details. Each event generates a group chat, which can be deleted if no longer needed. Users can upload photos to their pins, choosing to keep themprivate or share thempublicly. Attendees will have access to these photos, which can be added to their timeline to capture memories. Whether planning a casual meetup or a big event, PinPoint is your go-to tool for seamless social coordination. Student Programme Computing for Business Project Area Social Networking, Web Application Project Technology CSS, HTML5, JavaScript, Python, SQLite, Django, OpenStreetMaps, Flutter Student Name(s) Michael Beirne-Ponomarev  |  Robert Maloney Email michael.beirneponomarev24@mail.dcu.ie   |  robert.maloney26@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr Sahraoui Dhelim