Dr Nicolas Kelly
Reader
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Area of Expertise
I am a Reader in Energy Systems with over 30 years research, teaching and KE experience in energy and the built environments. My areas of research:
- Building modelling and simulation
- Simulation tool development
- Buildings and the urban environment
- Net Zero buildings and communities
- Energy efficiency in buildings
- Building-integrated photovoltaics
- Novel building integrated wind power devices
- Solar thermal technologies
- Thermal energy storage including phase change materials (PCM)
- Simulation-based control of buildings
- Monitoring of building energy performance and the performance 'gap'
- Modelling and testing of low and zero carbon energy technologies
- Probabalistic modelling of climate, building occupancy and energy use
- Hydrogen and fuel cells
- Decarbonising agricultural energy systems
I have over 100, peer-reviewed technical publications in these areas and am available to supervise related PhD projects.
Current research projects include the UKRI Green Economy Centre on High Density Buildings (CENZ-HighDB), the DESNZ-funded GreenShed project and validating the UK Home Energy Model (HEM).
I deliver classes in Energy Resources and Policy, Electrical Power Systems and Engineering Artificial Environment.
I co-ordinate the Strathclyde Energy Theme, and represent Strathclyde at board level on the International Building Performance Association (IBPSA) and East Ayrshire Council CORE project. I an the current chair of IBPSA-Scotland and sit on the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) Heat Advisory Board.
Prize And Awards
- ICE Baker Medal
- Recipient
- 2011
- Best Paper Award - World Renewable Energy Congress X
- Recipient
- 7/2008
- RCUK Academic Fellowship
- Recipient
- 12/2003
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Publications
- Integrating a multi-segment occupant thermal model with building simulation and computational fluid dynamics for detailed analysis of human-building thermal interactions and thermal comfort
- Rida Mohamad, Kelly Nick
- Journal of Building Performance Simulation, pp. 1-19 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2025.2502800
- Developing a statistical electric vehicle charging model and its application in the performance assessment of a sustainable urban charging hub
- Kelly N J, Flett G H, Hand J W
- Journal of Building Performance Simulation Vol 18, pp. 291-310 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2023.2258843
- Reducing energy consumption in urban office buildings with localised heating and heating set-point temperature reductions
- Rida Mohamad, Kelly Nicolas
- uSIM2024 (2024)
- Feasibility of electricity generation from abandoned oil wells in the Global South
- Usman Fidelis Jonah, Kelly Nicolas
- uSIM2024 (2024)
- Zero Carbon Neighbourhoods : Creating Non-Complex Information from Complex Data
- Ekdi Fatma Pelin, Kelly Nicolas, McElroy Lori Barbara, McQuillan Jonathan, Sharpe Tim, Statt Rowena
- uSIM2024 (2024)
- Forecasting the impacts of the electrification of heat, cooling and mobility in future net zero urban areas
- Kelly Nicolas, Flett Graeme Hamilton, Rida Mohamad
- uSIM2024 (2024)
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Professional Activities
- Strategic Themes - EPSRC (Critical Mass) - IES Workshop
- Participant
- 7/2/2025
- Strategic Themes: EPSRC Critical Mass Programmes to Drive a Sustainable Future
- Participant
- 30/1/2025
- Strategic Themes: Digital Twinning for Decarbonisation of our Cities
- Organiser
- 27/11/2024
- uSIM2024
- Organiser
- 25/11/2024
- Reaching Net Zero – why a focus on equity matters
- Speaker
- 30/10/2023
- East Ayrshire Council (External organisation)
- Advisor
- 5/10/2023
Projects
- Airlock and Cleansing Station Modelling
- Johnstone, Cameron (Principal Investigator) Kelly, Nicolas (Co-investigator)
- 14-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2024
- Energy Assessment Tool Development with PropEco and ESRU
- Kelly, Nicolas (Principal Investigator) McElroy, Lori (Co-investigator) McGhee, Raheal (Co-investigator)
- 22-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2024
- Renewable Energy Microgrid Integration for Remote, Off-grid Cabins in Nunavut (UK -Canada)
- Johnstone, Cameron (Principal Investigator) Kelly, Nicolas (Co-investigator) Ordonez Sanchez, Stephanie Eugenia (Co-investigator)
- 06-Jan-2022 - 05-Jan-2025
- Digital Dairy Value-Chain for South-West Scotland and Cumbria (Strength in Places Fund)
- Michie, Craig (Principal Investigator) Wagner, Beverly (Academic) Wilson, Juliette (Academic) Andonovic, Ivan (Co-investigator) Atkinson, Robert (Co-investigator) Bellekens, Xavier (Co-investigator) Galloway, Stuart (Co-investigator) Kelly, Nicolas (Co-investigator) Lengden, Michael (Co-investigator) Revie, Matthew (Co-investigator) Stewart, Robert (Co-investigator) Tachtatzis, Christos (Co-investigator) Ward, Andrew (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2027
- KTP - Anderson, Bell, Christie Ltd. The project will develop a toolkit to incorporate holistic net zero carbon measures into their design process, enabling creation of net zero carbon communities.
- Sharpe, Tim (Principal Investigator) Kelly, Nicolas (Co-investigator) McElroy, Lori (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2024
- Decarbonising Shipping Utilising Renewable Hydrogen - Supergen Cross Hub Funding
- Ordonez Sanchez, Stephanie Eugenia (Principal Investigator) Kelly, Nicolas (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2022
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Contact
Dr
Nicolas
Kelly
Reader
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Email: nicolas.kelly@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 574 5083