Deployment Of Solar Photovoltaic Systems Research Articles

The prospect of floating photovoltaic in clean energy provision and net-zero-emissions

AbstractThis study emphasizes the critical role of renewable energy in addressing climate change challenges, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the central importance of solar photovoltaic systems. While recognizing South Africa’s progress in renewable energy deployment, the study notes that substantial efforts are still needed to meet the country’s renewable energy targets. The study’s primary aim is to enhance the understanding and deployment of solar photovoltaic systems by critically examining the photovoltaic potential and performance of different sites. To achieve this, two scenarios—land photovoltaic and floating photovoltaic systems—were considered, focusing on hypothetical 10 MWp-installed capacity systems. The results indicate that the 10-MWp land photovoltaic system has a global tilted irradiance of 2184.7 kWh/m2, an annual total output of 18 GWh, and an average yearly performance ratio of 81%. The economic parameters for the land photovoltaic system include a capital expenditure of $9.0 million, an operational expenditure of $157,500 annually, and a levelised cost of energy of $0.04089/kWh. In contrast, the 10-MWp floating photovoltaic system reports a Global Tilted Irradiance of 1797 kWh/m2, an annual total output of 16 GWh, and a performance ratio of 76%. The economic parameters for the floating photovoltaic system include a capital expenditure of $10.6 million, an operational expenditure of $176,250 annually, and a levelised cost of energy of $0.04936/kWh. Both scenarios’ econo-technical parameters fall within acceptable ranges. However, the land photovoltaic system shows better performance, indicating some efficiency loss in the floating photovoltaic system possibly due to harsher offshore conditions. Based on the data from the reports, the study concludes that the econo-technical feasibility of floating photovoltaic in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is high. Graphical abstract

ТҰРАҚТЫ ДАМУ ЖАҒДАЙЫНДА КҮН ЭНЕРГИЯСЫН ЕНГІЗУ ЕРЕКШЕЛІКТЕРІ

The article examines the content and importance of the introduction of solar energy in the global market in conditions of sustainable development. According to the authors, the growth potential of solar energy directly depends on the electricity consumption in the region, the policy of state support for solar energy or restrictions. The development of solar energy depends on the favorable policies of many countries that contribute to climate change. These measures include electricity tariffs, tax incentives and regulatory reforms to facilitate the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. The authors of the article recommended directions for the introduction of solar energy in the framework of environmental safety and sustainable development. The article proves that when introducing solar energy, it is necessary to take into account such requirements as efficiency, profitability, reliability and government regulation. Keywords: sustainable development, renewable energy sources, solar energy, government support, environmental safety.

A cutting-edge single-stage buck-boost transformer-less inverter for 1- φ grid-tied solar PV schemes

A state-of-the-art single-stage Buck-Boost transformer-less inverter intended especially for one-phase (1-ϕ) grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) schemes is presented in this abstract. This cutting-edge inverter, which represents a major development in solar energy technology, is notable for its effectiveness, small size, and smooth interaction with grid-tied systems. By doing away with the necessity for a transformer, the single-stage architecture simplifies the energy conversion procedure and lowers the overall complexity of the system. The inverter's buck-boost feature allows it to adjust to changing solar conditions, resulting in the best possible energy harvesting from photovoltaic panels. Customized for 1-ϕ grid-connected applications, the inverter improves system performance and makes it simple to integrate into the current power infrastructure. By reducing possible points of failure, the transformer-less design enhances the inverter's compactness and dependability even more. This innovative invention has the potential to enable the deployment of solar PV systems that are both economical and effective, providing a sustainable energy solution appropriate for a variety of environmental conditions. This abstract highlights the importance of the inverter in promoting innovation within the renewable energy field, hence urging additional investigation and implementation.

Techno-Economic Modelling of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Transformers in South Africa

The increasing demand for electricity in South Africa has led to a rise in the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. The integration of these systems requires the installation of power transformers to convert the generated DC power into AC power that can be fed into the grid. However, the high cost of these transformers can hinder the widespread adoption of solar PV systems. Consequently, the primary objective of this work is to introduce a novel service-lifetime loss estimation method that acknowledges the unique requirements of transformers facilitating solar photovoltaic applications. In reality, these transformers are required to facilitate a sporadic energy source, which advocates for an appropriate method to assess the cost of their service-lifetime losses and total ownership cost. Thus far, the energy elements of classical coal-power generation are inadequate, and in conformity with operational and financial considerations of solar PVs, a novel method incorporating the outcomes of a transformer facilitating a solar PV plant is proposed. The proposed approach has been benchmarked with existing methods and the distinction between proposed and existing methods is highlighted. The study further proposes various regression models for estimating the purchase price for transformers specifically intended to exclusively serve in solar PV applications, which are not available in the current South African standards. The percentage errors between the conventional method and the proposed solar PV method are relatively high, ranging from 34.66% to 44.03%. This indicates that the two methods produce significantly different results, and the proposed solar PV method may not be an accurate replacement for the conventional method.

Barrier identification and prioritisation for the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems in dairy farming in India using the ISM–MICMAC approach

ABSTRACT Dairy farming needs a strong foundation of energy security in rural India for its sustainability. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems in dairy farming act as a catalyst to ensure Green Energy Measures (GEMs) and to achieve the various missions of the Indian Government. The deployment of solar PV systems to fulfil energy needs in Indian dairy farming has several issues and barriers. In this investigation, various foremost barriers creating hindrances in deployment of PV systems in Indian dairy farms have been identified. Contextual relationships between identified barriers have been established by Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and classified using Matrice d'impacts croisés multiplication appliquée á un classment (MICMAC). It is used to determine the ranks and types of hindrances and to develop a structural model. The strongest driving force barriers are high initial capital cost, storage devices barrier, policy and regulatory issues, less education and weak affordability in rural and long payback periods. The strongest dependent force barriers include societal acceptance, fewer concerns about ecological and environmental issues, and a lack of entrepreneurs and innovations in the rural sector. Finally, the future roadmap to address the obstacles in exploitation of PV systems in context of dairy sector has been described.

Renewable Energy in Africa: A Discussion of the Feasibility and Socio-Economic Effects of Solar Photovoltaic(PV) System

The development and expansion of the modern world cannot be separated from the support of electricity. The ‘pollution-free’ and unlimited renewable energy plays an increasingly important role in the energy supply market. Started with the interpretation of world energy consumption from 2008 to 2017, this paper takes Africa (primarily rural Africa), which has a shallow electricity connection rate, as an example to discuss the feasibility of deploying solar photovoltaic(PV) systems through analyzing its natural resources, government policies, and other factors. It briefly described both off-grid and grid-connected solar PV systems and their possible technical issues. Moreover, the potential socio-economic effects of the deployment of solar PV systems in the region have been predicted. Solar PV systems can solve the power supply issues for the people who live in rural areas with unsound infrastructure. Further research will quantify the benefits and analyze the impact factors to optimize the utility equation.

WEB-BASED DECISION SUPPORT TOOL FOR BUILDING-INTEGRATED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS

Abstract. A web-based multi-criteria decision support tool is designed to support the planning, control and deployment of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. Solar energy is one of the renewable sources for generating electricity by means of photovoltaic systems, and it offers a viable and expedient means of generating electricity within a short period of time. Nevertheless, there are some impediments to the extensive deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. The most prominent among these are generation potential and the high capital cost of initial set-up. Hence, the location, design and yield of building-integrated photovoltaic systems have to be well thought-out before their deployment. The interactive web-based tool designed utilises JavaScript and Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) to implement a map mashup, which can be queried to retrieve vital information about the solar photovoltaic potential of a building roof. From results generated and the system developed, it becomes possible to remotely and sufficiently evaluate buildings in the city in order to make decisions about solar photovoltaic potentials, designs and installations.

A novel approach to Solar PV cleaning frequency optimization for soiling mitigation

Soiling is a major issue that can be a drawback to the wider deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. In this study, the influence of soiling on energy loss in Muzarabani, Zimbabwe was investigated. The daily and monthly variations in energy generated and soiling were also studied. An empirical soiling loss model was developed based on the experimental studies. It was revealed that soiling is not uniform with each passing day but rather depends on the daily differences in weather conditions. Soiling was observed to be high during the period from July to November and was less in May and June. Particle Swarm Optimisation was employed to minimise the number of days between cleaning events. Cleaning was found to be necessary every 15 days to minimise the losses due to both frequent cleaning as well as losses caused by not cleaning the panels.

The diffusion of climate policies among German municipalities

AbstractThe German government established a funding scheme for local climate policy in 2008. The translation of this programme into climate action varies between municipalities. This article studies the drivers and barriers for the diffusion of the programme among German municipalities. A major aim is to disentangle the diffusion effects across different steps within the policy cycle by employing Event History Analysis and spatial panel autoregressive models. Geographical proximity, party channels and transnational city networks are predictors of the diffusion process. Differences in diffusion effects between policy adoption and substantial policy output indicate that emulation as well as learning influence policy activity. Furthermore, increasing deployment of solar photovoltaic systems in neighbouring municipalities is associated with an intensification of climate policy in the focal municipality. The absence of similar effects for other renewable energy technologies hints at the “conditional nature” of policy learning with respect to the policy-makers’ vote- and policy-seeking behaviour.

Predictors for adoption of local solar approval processes and impact on residential solar installations in California cities

Local governments and policies hold an important role in stimulating the growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. By improving local solar permitting processes, city governments can potentially reduce the “soft” costs of solar PV installations and facilitate the deployment of solar PV systems at the local level. Drawing data from California's annual statewide planning surveys, this paper examines the determinants for the adoption of solar approval processes and the policy impact on residential solar PV installations in California cities. The results demonstrate that cities with large population size, municipal utilities, and high proportions of pro-environment, educated constituents are more likely to adopt solar approval processes. Additionally, the presence of local solar approval processes is found to increase both total capacity and the number of small-scale residential solar PV installations in a city, holding all else equal. The empirical evidence presented in this research confirms the important role of local governments in the deployment of solar PV systems.

Economic feasibility of decentralized hybrid photovoltaic-diesel technology in Saudi Arabia: A way forward for sustainable coastal development

In view of growing concerns of global warming and depleting oil/gas reserves, many nations are considering use of hybrid photovoltaic-diesel technology as an option for power generation The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has higher level of solar radiation and is a prospective candidate for deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in the Kingdom consume about 10-45% of the total electric energy generated. The aim of this study is to analyze solar radiation data in city of Yanbu to assess the technoeconomic feasibility of utilizing hybrid photovoltaic-diesel-battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building. The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.90 kWh/m2 . National Renewable Energy Laboratory?s HOMER software has been used in the study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system, composed of 4 kWp photovoltaic system together with 10 kW diesel system, and a battery storage of 3 hours of autonomy (average load), the photovoltaic penetration is 21%. The cost of generating energy from that hybrid system has been found to be 0.180 $/kWh. With use of this hybrid system, about 2 tons per year of carbon emissions can be avoided entering into the local atmosphere. Also, for a given hybrid configuration, the operational time of diesel generators has been found to decrease with increase in photovoltaic capacity. The investigation examines impact of photovoltaic penetration on: carbon emissions, diesel fuel consumption, net present cost, cost of energy, etc.

Lead emissions from solar photovoltaic energy systems in China and India

China and India are embarking on ambitious initiatives over the next decade to expand solar photovoltaic (PV) power in underserved regions. China proposes adding 1.6GW of solar capacity by 2020, while India plans 12GW in addition to 20 million solar lanterns by 2022. These technologies rely heavily on lead-acid batteries (LABs) for storage. China and India’s lead mining, battery production, and recycling industries are relatively inefficient—33% and 22% environmental loss rates, respectively. Based on the quantity of lead batteries employed in existing PV systems, we estimate environmental lead emissions in China and India for new units installed under their solar energy goals. The average loss rates are 12kg (China) and 8.5kg (India) of lead lost per kW-year of installed PV capacity in these countries. The planned systems added in China and India will be responsible for 386 and 2030kt of environmental lead loss, respectively, over their lifespan—equal to 1/3 of global lead production in 2009. Investments in environmental controls in lead smelting, battery manufacturing, and recycling industries along with improvements in battery take-back policies should complement deployment of solar PV systems to mitigate negative impacts of lead pollution.