ENERGY ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE OF A PARABOLIC CYLINDRICAL SOLAR COLLECTOR AIDED BY SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEM

Malaysia and Southeast Asia in general, is a very suitable region for implementing solar technologies because Malaysia is located near the equatorial line, where sunlight remains strong and stable throughout the year. The average solar radiation per month is 400–600MJ/m, so Malaysia should fully utilise solar energy because it is clean and sustainable. Solar energy can be considered as renewable energy that is environmentally friendly and can be continually replenished from time to time. The use of renewable energy is expected to increase exponentially in the future because natural resources could become depleted due to the increasing usage due to growing population in a world hungry for energy consumption for domestic, industrial and leisure purposes. Solar energy can provide infinite amount of energy because the sun can last for another few billions of years from now. So, many advanced nations have developed solar technologies to be implemented in a variety of sectors that include power generation and domestic water heating. The geographical location of Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries has enabled this region to be different from Western European countries that could only utilise solar energy through technology. Malaysia is located near the equatorial line, and so the sunlight in Malaysia remains strong and stable throughout the year. The average solar radiation per month for Malaysia is 400–600MJ/m, and hence the country has a very high prospect to develop large-scale solar power plants. For now, Malaysian government is putting a lot of effort to promote solar energy use in Malaysia. The initial implementation of solar energy in Malaysia is for domestic solar water heaters. Unfortunately, the use of solar water heaters domestically and commercially is still low. According to estimate, around 45,000 buildings in Malaysia are appropriate for solar thermal usage, but 10% of them are not suitable because of roof shadings and structure. Different economic sectors in Malaysia can provide 110,000,000m of building surfaces for solar thermal applications and so about 75GW of power can be produced from this application. The photovoltaic (PV) technology was first built in Malaysia during 1980s in order to provide electricity to rural areas. Tenaga Nasional Bierhad, the national utility company, began to set up grid-connected PV systems as an alternative for national power utility and power production in 1998. One PV system was built at a British Petroleum petrol station along KESAS highway with 8 kWp capacity and another one built at the Solar Energy Research Institute at National University of Malaysia with 5.5 kWp capacity. In 2000, the first Malaysian Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system was built in Port Dickson with 3.15 kWp capacity. Malaysia’s universities are focusing on five majors of R&D for solar technologies, including inverters, PV concentrators, cells fabrications, hybrid systems and energy conversion tracking systems. The funding for the research in PV technologies is provided by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Malaysian government also provides tax incentives so that a portion of the total cost of installing PV system can be deducted. The Feed-InTariffs can be the most promising policy because the utility pays a prestige price for the grid-connected PV electricity generated by system proprietors, and there is a 20-year of guarantee for the price. In short, Malaysia has a huge prospect to implement large-scale solar thermal systems. A solar collector is a type of heat exchanger that converts solar radiant energy into heat energy. Flat plate collector (FPC) is a type of solar thermal collectors. It will require minimal maintenance and is mechanically simple and with low installation cost. Major applications of solar energy like solar water heating, industrial process heating and air conditioning are using FPCs. Thermal performance for FPCs is treated in concise details, and the equations for collector performance can be reduced to simpler forms for performance analysis. Evacuated tube collectors (ETCs) contain heat pipe inside a vacuum-sealed tube. The

A Hybrid Electric and Thermal Solar Receiver

Abstract— The solar energy is the most important type of energy. The parabolic dish solar collector (PDSC) is the best type among other solar collectors because it is always tracking the sun movement. The exergy and the energy performances of a PDS were analyzed experimentally and numerically. The effect of different coil geometries and different mass flow rates of heat transfer fluid (HTF) were investigated. The PDS has parabolic dish and receiver with diameter (1.5) m and (0.2) m respectively. Concentration ratio is 56.25. The parabolic polar dish was supported by a tracking system with two axes. The types of the copper absorber were used which are: (spiral –helical) coil (SHC) and spiral-conical coil (SCC). The results showed that the useful energy and thermal efficiency are varying with solar radiation variation. The useful energy varying between (480-765) W for (SHC), the thermal efficiency varying between (35.2-39.8) % for (SHC). Exergy efficiency varying between (6.9 –8.6) %. It was shown that the higher values of useful energy for (spiral – helical) absorber was 0.1L/min flow rate.
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Solar thermal collector technology is crucial for capturing renewable energy to support sustainable thermal uses. Nonetheless, traditional designs frequently experience optical losses, ineffective thermal storage and variable performance under different levels of sunlight. This review conducts a systematic assessment of the development and categorization of solar thermal collectors, spanning from non‐concentrating to high‐concentration systems. It emphasizes their thermal efficiency, sustainability, and performance based on application, through an in‐depth comparative analysis of their thermal characteristics, optical efficiency, structural progress, and material advancements. This review is unique in its combination of hybrid nanofluids, PCMs, innovative receiver designs, and passive tracking options to emphasize synergistic enhancements. Recent advances in experimental techniques have shown that high‐efficiency solar concentrators, such as refractive secondary systems, can achieve optical efficiencies surpassing 90%. When these are paired with heat transfer fluids enhanced by nanofluids, thermal efficiency can be boosted by approximately 53%. Moreover, fully replacing fossil fuel heating with optimized solar thermal systems can lead to CO 2 emission reduction ranging from 69% to 77%. The results emphasize the crucial role of integrating design to enhance performance. This broader implication serves as a guide for creating compact, affordable and highly efficient solar thermal systems designed for both industrial and decentralized uses.

Solar power occupies a significant position among global renewable energy sources due to its abundant energy potential. Consequently, its contribution to electricity generation is steadily increasing. However, obtaining peak efficiency from fixed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is a formidable task due to their limited ability to consistently tap into solar energy. To tackle this issue and mitigate energy efficiency losses, the utilization of solar tracking systems has emerged as an exceptionally effective solution. These systems enable continuous adjustment of the panels’ position to align with the sun’s trajectory, optimizing energy absorption and enhancing overall performance. This paper presents the performance and cost analysis of three distinct solar panel tracking systems, namely, a fixed system, a single-axis system, and a dual-axis system. The systems are operated under identical coordinates and conditions. The production data are collected over a period of 15 days for comparative analysis. The tracking movements of the systems are controlled using Arduino. The mechanical components are specifically designed for the establishment of each system. The findings of this study indicate that both single-axis and dual-axis solar tracking systems outperformed fixed systems in terms of power generation. The single-axis system demonstrated a 24.367% increase in power production, while the dual-axis system showed a 32.247% increase compared to the fixed system. Moreover, a cost analysis was carried out considering the installation expenses and power production data of the three systems. It was determined that the single-axis tracking system achieved payback in 0.39 years less compared to the fixed system, while the dual-axis system achieved payback in 1.48 years less compared to the fixed system. Overall, this study underscores the advantages of implementing solar tracking systems, particularly in the single-axis and dual-axis configurations, as they contribute to higher power generation and cost-effectiveness compared to fixed systems.

Fossil fuels contribute to global warming and climate change. Solar energy, a renewable and safe energy source, is a promising alternative. Solar thermal energy (STE) can be used in various sectors to produce thermal or electrical energy from the sun. In Malaysia, electricity is cheaper, making it less appealing to switch to renewable energy. This study aims to explore the potential of solar thermal heat systems in industrial processes in Malaysia, focusing on the oil palm refinery Mewaholeo Industries Sdn Bhd. The main challenge is the high capital investment and varying efficiencies of solar thermal systems, which depend on technical specifications and environmental factors. To determine the optimal specifications for solar thermal system installation, this study will examine the process flow, propose a solar thermal system design, collect data, and integrate solar thermal energy. The best collector type, number of collectors, and solar thermal design will be analyzed using an Excel tool called Solar Heat Industry Process (SHIP) for performance and financial evaluation.

Design and construction of sun tracking systems for solar parabolic concentrator displacement

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant form of energy that can be obtained from the Sun. Solar panels convert this energy to generate solar power, which can be used for various electrical purposes, particularly in rural areas. Maximum solar power can be generated only when the Sun is perpendicular to the panel, which can be achieved only for a few hours when using a fixed solar panel system, hence the development of an automatic solar tracking system. Over the years, different solar tracking systems have been proposed and developed, and a few have been reviewed in the literature. However, the existing review works have not adequately provided a comprehensive survey and taxonomies of these solar tracking systems to show the trends and possible further research direction. This paper aims to bridge these gaps by extensively reviewing these time-based solar tracking systems based on axis rotation and drive types. Lessons learned from the comprehensive review have been highlighted and discussed. Finally, critical open research issues are identified and elaborated.

With an expected annual increase of 1.2%, the industrial sector already consumes over 54% of all the energy generated globally. The majority of industrial sectors presently relies on fossil fuels to fulfil their needs for heat energy, but renewable sources, especially solar energy, can be substituted for them. For an underdeveloped country such as Pakistan, its industrial sector is important for the country’s economic development and long-term growth. The use of solar thermal energy potentially offers a significant and cheap alternative to fossil fuels. The current study focuses on a process heating system based on flat-plate solar collectors, developed to provide low to moderate temperature process heat. The innovative model’s thermal efficiency and economic feasibility have undergone a thorough investigation and analysis through TRNSYS simulations. The system portrayed a 79% thermal energy efficiency and 4.31% exergy efficiency during peak hours. The optimized system for three different temperatures of 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C was designed and evaluated. The system presented a total of 82 tons of CO2 prevention annually. The economic analysis consisting of three parameters, NPV, IRR and PBP, also deemed the FPC-based solar thermal system economically profitable.

Performance evaluations and applications of photovoltaic–thermal collectors and systems

The output power produced by high concentration solar thermal and photovoltaic systems is directly related to the amount of solar energy acquired by the system. Therefore, it is necessary to track the sun’s position with a high degree of accuracy. This can be achieved by the system called solar tracking system. Solar tracking system is the most common method of increasing amount of solar radiation from the sun to the solar collectors either Flat plate or concentrated collectors. The main objective of this research is to review different tracking mechanisms for solar tracking system, 18 papers were reviewed. The result showed that solar tracking system can either be dual axis or single axis trackers depending on freedom degree of motion. Dual axis trackers are the best option for places where the position of the sun keeps changing during the year at different seasons. Single axis trackers are a better option for places around the equator where there is no significant change in the apparent position of the sun.

The energy source for electricity generation in Indonesia is mostly supplied from fossil energy, but this energy source will run out in the next 20 years. Various researches are now leading to the development of alternative energy sources such as solar energy. There are two kinds of solar energy utilization technologies, namely solar thermal energy technology and solar photovoltaic energy. Thermal solar energy in Indonesia is generally used for the drying process of agricultural and marine products, while photovoltaic solar energy is used to meet electricity needs, especially in remote areas. Most solar panels are installed permanently at a fixed angle. This causes the solar panels to be unable to absorb solar heat optimally because the sun is always moving. Therefore we need a tool that can move solar panels to follow the direction of the sunlight. The tool used is known as a solar tracker panel. This tool consists of an Arduino Uno as a microcontroller, an LDR (light dependent resistor) as a sensor and a servo motor to drive the solar panels. This tool is double axis, so it can (up and down) as well (to the left and right). The purpose of making this tool is to optimize the absorption of sunlight into the solar panels in order to further reduce the cost of spending electricity PLN. This type of research used in this research is quantitative research with a descriptive approach. The test results proved to be more efficient than the patented on-site solar panels. This tool is applied as a source of energy for water pumps and also for other items such as lamps,.etc

In light of the global crises that the world suffers from, the renewable energy exploitation is a viable solution to remedy the various energy crises, knowing that renewable energy is a source of environmental credibility, as it does not cause any pollution or any emissions harmful to the environment. Among the most important renewable energy sources, solar energy is the most important type as it can be exploited thermally by adopting various solar collectors, especially solar concentrators. This paper has been devoted to illustrate the types of solar concentrators, namely point-focus concentrators (Heliostat Field Collectors and Parabolic Dish Collectors) and linear concentrators (Linear Fresnel Reflectors and Parabolic Trough Collectors), in an attempt to clarify its principle and its multiple uses domestically and industrially, especially in areas that are characterized by the abundance of its direct solar radiation. The solar concentrator is a solar thermal energy concentration system, because its use reduces the consumption of fossil fuels harmful to the environment and directly contributes to climate change. Solar thermal concentrators are an effective alternative to fossil generators for thermal energy, as they have many important uses such as the solar electricity production of solar electricity in power plants, industrial and domestic water heating, and have many other industrial uses.

Thermal energy storage biogel with good biodegradability for solar energy powered heavy oil recovery

Solar energy is one kind of important resource for clean and renewable energy, and is widely investigated in many fields. In order to increase the operating temperature and thermodynamic efficiency, concentrated solar radiation is widely used to heat the working fluid in solar thermal power system (Trieb & Nitsch, 1998) and other industrial engineerings (Klein et al., 2007; Ali et al., 2008). Concentrated solar radiation (Kalogirou, 2004) can be collected by the parabolic trough collector, parabolic dish reflector, heliostat field, etc. The concentrated energy flux has been studied in kinds of solar energy system. Moustafa et al. (1995) measured the solar flux density distribution on a plane receiver due to a flat heliostat. Estrada et al. (2007) proposed a calorimeter to measure the concentrated solar power produced by a point focus solar concentrator. Solar thermal power system based on trough, dish or heliostat field is a very promising and challenging technology for its high operating temperature and thermodynamic efficiency. In solar thermal power plant (Odeh et al., 2003), the heat transfer medium in solar heat receiver is heated by concentrated solar radiation to some high temperature, and then it can be used to operate kinds of heat engine and generate electricity. As a result, the heat receiver (Ortega et al., 2008) is the key problem for the photo-thermal transformation, and the heat transfer performance of solar heat receiver is the hotspot for solar energy research. The basic types of heat receiver in concentrated solar thermal system mainly include heat pipe receiver (Fujiwara et al., 1990), parabolic trough solar receiver (Gong et al., 2010), cavity receiver (Wu et al., 2010), and multistage solar receiver (Taragan, 1999), etc. The dynamical and thermal characteristics of solar heat receiver have been investigated in much literature (Cui et al., 2008; Grena, 2010). In general, the heat losses from solar receiver mainly include three contributions: radiation heat loss, convective heat loss, and conduction heat loss. The radiation heat loss (Melchior et al., 2008; Li et al., 2010) is mainly dependent upon the receiver structure, wall temperature, and emissivity/absorptivity of the receiver walls, while the convective heat loss (Clausing, 1981) is mainly determined by the receiver structure, wall temperature, and wind velocity. The heat conduction loss (Zavoico, 2001) exists in cavity receiver through the insulation wall, and it can be ignored in many solar heat receivers.