Maximum Amount Of Solar Energy Research Articles

Single axis solar tracking system using arduino

The future is being built upon the foundation of renewable energy, particularly solar energy. Today, India is the third- largest solar deployment country in the world. Solar energy is an extremely efficient form of energy, making it a popular choice among people. However, the fixed structure of solar panels often limits their productivity. This paper proposes capturing more solar energy using a single-axis solar tracking system designed with an Arduino UNO and LDRs (along with two IR sensors). The proposed system aims to increase the performance of solar panels by continuously tracking the sun. It can receive the maximum amount of solar energy when it is perpendicular to the solar panel. The main controller in this paper is the Arduino UNO, a board based on the Atmega328P microcontroller. Two LDRs are used to detect the position of the sun in the sky, while a mirror rotates the orientation of the solar photovoltaic panels with the help of the L293D motor driver. An Arduino board connects to the sensor and gear drive. The photovoltaic panel and the motor are mechanically connected. The Arduino IDE is used to write the driver program. After the system was assembled, its operation was tested. The tracker intelligently adjusts the angle of the panels based on the direction in which the sun is facing the solar panel.

Reducing Energy Consumption in a Poultry Farm by Designing and Optimizing the Solar Heating/Photovoltaic System

A solar heating system is designed to reduce energy consumption in a poultry farm. According to the physics and conditions of the indoor environment of the poultry building and the effect of the poultry weather conditions, the amount of 1.37 × 108 kJ/h during the year energy is required for heating. Then, by using double-glazed windows and insulation for the exterior walls of the building in the building architecture section, the amount of energy consumption is drastically reduced, and the required annual gas consumption is equal to 11,833 m3. The surface required for the collector is recommended to supply 50% of the energy from the sun with the rest from the hybrid system. The results showed that 26 m2 of a solar collector with an optimal slope of 45 degrees, and a tank volume of 440 L and a pump discharge of 1700 kg/h are required to provide 100% of energy. To receive the maximum amount of solar energy (maximum solar fraction (SF)), a collector surface equal to 30 m2 is required. However, when the economic point of view is considered, the collector surface equivalent to 26 m2 is recommended. To establish a balance, that is, 50% of the energy from the auxiliary system and the rest from the solar system, between the use of solar energy and the use of the auxiliary system, a collector area of 16 m2 is needed. Based on this, 60 photovoltaic modules, which are 10 cells in series in 6 parallel circuits, is the most optimal mode.

Optimal Control of 3.5 MW Solar Hybrid Power Plant of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

The operation of power-generating plants becomes complex when two or more sources of power are combined. The decision of which source should take priority of load demand at various intervals requires sensitive control approaches. The Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM) 3.5 Mega Watts Solar Hybrid Power Plant (SHPP) has one source of renewable system; photovoltaic (PV) array, one source of energy storage system; battery banks, and one source of backup system; diesel generators (DGs), power conversion devices; Photovoltaic inverters (PVIs), power conditioning systems (PCSs) and switchgears were modelled and simulated. The emphasis of the research is to obtain a control technique, which when applied to the PVI would improve the power produced from the PV array system. For a PV module to harvest the maximum amount of solar energy and simultaneously attain higher efficiency, PV systems must be operated at their maximum power point (MPP) under partially shaded conditions (PSC), varying irradiances and temperature. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods are capable of guaranteeing MPP under varying climatic conditions. A control scheme is proposed using Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA)-based MPPT control technique in order to improve the output power of the PV array. The output of the existing system from the PV array is about 1,800 kW, but when the WOA-based MPPT control technique is applied, an output of about 2,800 kW is produced. To validate the choice of the proposed technique, perturb and observe (P and O) algorithm for MPPT was tested on the system, which generated a mean power of 2,300 kW. The results proved that the proposed technique has an efficiency of 55.56% greater than the existing and P and O MPPT- based algorithm, which has 27.78%. The simulation was accomplished via MATLAB/Simulink.

A numerical investigation of optimum angles for solar energy receivers in the eastern part of Algeria

Abstract The need to capture the maximum amount of solar energy and to optimize the panels’ collecting surfaces are among the primary objectives of research in solar engineering. The simplest way to accomplish this is to perform a monthly accurate determination of the solar collector’s proper slope and azimuth angles. Indeed, this is the aim of this article, which consists of a graphical optimization based on the Gueymard’s daily integration model. A Matlab program was developed to predict the hourly solar radiation on a solar receiver using the Gueymard model in conjunction with the Liu and Jordan isotropic, Perez, and HDKR anisotropic models. A comprehensive simulation of the monthly solar irradiation throughout 2018 was executed for the city of Annaba, in north–eastern Algeria. The results indicate that the south-facing surface azimuth angle is the most appropriate. In fact, for maximum sunlight capture, the solar collector inclination must be adjusted each month in the range of [10–40°]. Furthermore, the results show that the gains in the amount of solar radiation received throughout the year by the thermal panel mounted at monthly optimum tilt angles are 15.63% in January and 7.37% in July.

A Novel, eco-friendly combined solar cooling and heating system, powered by hybrid Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector for domestic application

Solar heating and cooling technologies can have a vital role to play in understanding the targets in energy security, economic development, and mitigating climate change. This study aimed to investigate the performance of the combined solar cooling/heating system using a Photovoltaic Thermal collector (PVT) for residential applications. The main advantage of using PVT is the conversion of the maximum amount of solar energy into electricity and thermal energy. In this work, water is used to cool the panel and, consequently, increase the efficiency. The cooling cycle comprises a hybrid ejector-compression refrigeration cycle with two evaporator temperatures. To reduce the effect of the global warming phenomenon, two different refrigerants with lower Global Warming Potential (GWP), such as R600a and R290, are used instead of R134a. The inlet water does not only gain heat from the PVT but also the collector output water is heated in a condenser and heater. The results indicate that increasing the water mass flow rate from 0.011 kg/s to 0.03 kg/s (39–108 Lit/h) at solar intensity (G) of 945 W/m2 results in enhancing the overall efficiency of the PVT system from 66.7% to 75.8%. In terms of the highest Coefficient of performance (COP) and the lowest exergy destruction, R290 shows better performance comparing to the other refrigerants. In more details, using R290, instead of R134a, results in up to 7.5% enhancement in the COP of the cycle. The water mass flow rate is optimized at ṁw=0.013 kg/s to achieve the highest COP and the lowest exergy destruction. Also, it is reported that the temperature of the outlet water from the system varies between 31.72 °C to 46.73 °C during the day. Finally, it is revealed that using R290 for the refrigeration cycle and cooling the panel result in enhancing the COP of the cycle by 11.1%, increasing the temperature of the outlet water from the system by 9.17 °C and decreasing the refrigerant flow rate by 60.17%, in comparison with a system without panel cooling which uses R134a refrigerant.

ОПТИМІЗАЦІЯ РОЗМІЩЕННЯ ПРИЙМАЧІВ СОНЯЧНОЇ ЕНЕРГІЇ РЯДАМИ ДЛЯ КЛІМАТИЧНИХ УМОВ ПІВДНЯ УКРАЇНИ

Максимальне надходження сонячної енергії на поверхню приймачів при їх розміщенні паралельними рядами забезпечується мінімізацією затінення одного ряду іншим. Існуючі методики розрахунку надходження сонячної радіації до приймачів в умовах затінення рядами не дають універсальної відповіді на питання щодо оптимального взаєморозташування рядів сонцесприймальних поверхонь і потребують залучення даних щодо умов сонячної інсоляції для конкретної місцевості. Оскільки методики, що базуються на розрахунку абсолютних показників з надходження енергії до поля приймачів, потребують, окрім енергетичних, додаткових критеріїв оптимізації, то варто орієнтуватися на показники з надходження сонячної радіації на одиницю площі сонцесприймальної поверхні, яка затінюється.
 Метою даної роботи є розрахунок надходження сонячної радіації на одиницю площі сонцесприймальної поверхні частково затіненого ряду та визначення оптимальних параметрів розміщення приймачів паралельними рядами для кліматичних умов півдня України.
 Представлено методику розрахунку надходження сонячної енергії на частково затінені ряди, що враховує пряму, дифузну, відбиту сонячну радіацію від підстилаючої поверхні та нахиленої поверхні приймачів. Для кліматичних умов м. Херсона отримано вирази, що дозволяють в зручний спосіб без проведення громіздких розрахунків визначити річну питому енергію, яка надходить на одиницю площі затіненого ряду при заданому куті нахилу поверхні та відстані між рядами. Показано, що в якості оптимального кута положення, який визначає відстань між рядами приймачів, доцільно прийняти кут висоти Сонця у сонячний полудень 21 грудня. Визначено оптимальний кут нахилу поверхні приймачів, що забезпечує максимальне річне надходження сонячної радіації на одиницю площі сонцесприймальної поверхні затіненого ряду.
 Розраховано параметри розміщення приймачів паралельними рядами для інших міст півдня України та визначено середні значення оптимальних кутів положення та нахилу сонцесприймальної поверхні. Бібл. 8, табл. 8, рис. 4.

High-Efficiency Multiple Quantum Well Triple-Junction Tandem Solar Cell

This work shows the design of a high-efficiency solar cell in an indium-gallium-arsenide/–gallium-arsenide multiple quantum well (MQW) structure. The main concerns regarding the solar cell are its fabrication complexity, design complexity, and efficiency. Tandem solar cells are designed to absorb the maximum amount of solar energy. In a tandem structure, different positive-negative junctions are responsible for absorbing different portions of the solar spectrum. Besides this, the embedded MQW structure also helps to increase the efficiency of the solar cell. The maximum efficiency of the tandem solar cell in the different material structures is reported to be around 45%–46%. Proper matching of different material parameters such as the lattice-matched semiconductor and thickness of the tandem solar cell can increase the efficiency of the solar cell. This paper introduces a tandem solar cell having an efficiency of around 50%. This comparative study shows the improved performance of the proposed solar cell. A graphical user interface is also developed for solar cell simulation.

Design of Solar Tracking System for Capturing Maximum Amount of Solar Energy

This paper proposes a design of solar tracking system for capturing maximum amount of solar energy by rotating the solar panel. From sun rise to sun set, the sun changes its direction several times due to which the static solar panel fails to capture maximum solar energy throughout the day. Therefore, it is required to develop a system that is capable of generating electrical energy by making use of maximum amount of solar energy. This paper discloses about the rotatable solar tracking system capable of rotating along the sun direction for tracking maximum amount of solar energy. This advanced technology not only utilize the solar energy more effectively but also improves the efficiency of whole system.

Photoelectric converters in the power supply system of an atmospheric pseudo satellite

Unmanned aerial vehicles have enormous potential and prospects in expanding the field of application from photo and video to providing cellular communications and relaying signals. An atmospheric pseudo satellite that is expected to function exclusively at the expense of solar energy is being developed at S.P. Korolyov Samara National Research University. A study of the efficiency of using photoelectric converters in the onboard equipment of an atmospheric pseudo satellite based on the unmanned aerial vehicle Foton-601 was carried out. A comparative analysis of various types of photovoltaic converters made of amorphous silicon was performed. A mathematical model was developed and the area of solar cells coating required to generate sufficient power was calculated. The mass of the solar cells for the appropriate coating area was calculated. Also, in order to reduce the mass of an unmanned aerial vehicle and, as a result, its energy consumption, a method of mathematical calculation to determine minimum and sufficient required battery capacity was developed, on the basis of the maximum amount of solar energy that can be converted within 24 hours. The results of flight tests were analyzed and the prospects for the use of photoelectric converters as components of solar cells of atmospheric pseudo satellites were specified.

An investigation of double-glass-covered trapezoidal salt-gradient solar pond coupled with reflector

ABSTRACTIn the present study, a trapezoidal salt-gradient solar pond (TSGSP) has been investigated experimentally. The top surface of solar pond has been covered with double-glass cover in order to reduce the evaporative and convective losses from the top. This results in increase of temperature even in the top zone of the solar pond and leads to more volume utilization for heat storage in the pond. A reflector made of aluminium sheet has been used to enhance the solar intensity on the solar pond during sunny hours. A procedure, to determine optimum tilt angle of reflector in order to utilize maximum amount of solar energy at noon, has been proposed. The use of reflector enhanced the average solar intensity on the top surface of solar pond by 22%. The maximum average temperature of trapezoidal solar pond with glass cover and reflector has been observed to be 70.5°C. The thermal efficiencies of LCZ, NCZ and UCZ for the trapezoidal solar pond with double-glass cover and reflector have been estimated to be 32.73%, 23.22% and 5.30%, respectively. In addition to experimental investigation, the sunny area ratio of TSGSP has been theoretically computed and compared with the cuboid solar pond having same top surface area and depth in order to see the effect of pond shape on sunny area ratio. The average yearly sunny area ratio of trapezoidal solar pond has been determined to be 11% higher than that of cuboid one.

A REVIEW ON - SOLAR CONCENTRATORS, PERFORMANCE OF SOLAR COLLECTORS & ENERGY STORAGE

Parabolic trough concentrators are one type of concentrators which reflects the sunlight on the receiver (Line type) and gives us wet steam for water. It can be tried with any type of fluid. Presently solar collectors are used for residential and commercial use. These solar collectors require high maintenance and high installation cost, solar concentrators help us in these disadvantages. This review paper concentrates on solar concentrators and various fluids that can be used in receiver. It also focuses on surface shape measurement of solar concentrator in solar thermal power application. In order to capture maximum amount of solar energy it is required to orient the concentrator as per the position of the sun i.e. tracking is required .However some of the concentrators do not track and are referred as fixed concentrators. The objective of the project is to track the receiver instead of solar concentrator.

A Novel Global MPP Tracking of Photovoltaic System based on Whale Optimization Algorithm

To harvest maximum amount of solar energy and to attain higher efficiency, photovoltaic generation (PVG) systems are to be operated at their maximum power point (MPP) under both variable climatic and partial shaded condition (PSC). From literature most of conventional MPP tracking (MPPT) methods are able to guarantee MPP successfully under uniform shading condition but fails to get global MPP as they may trap at local MPP under PSC, which adversely deteriorates the efficiency of Photovoltaic Generation (PVG) system. In this paper a novel MPPT based on Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is proposed to analyze analytic modeling of PV system considering both series and shunt resistances for MPP tracking under PSC. The proposed algorithm is tested on 6S, 3S2P and 2S3P Photovoltaic array configurations for different shading patterns and results are presented. To compare the performance, GWO and PSO MPPT algorithms are also simulated and results are also presented. From the results it is noticed that proposed MPPT method is superior to other MPPT methods with reference to accuracy and tracking speed.Article History: Received July 23rd 2016; Received in revised form September 15th 2016; Accepted October 1st 2016; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Kumar, C.H.S and Rao, R.S. (2016) A Novel Global MPP Tracking of Photovoltaic System based on Whale Optimization Algorithm. Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 5(3), 225-232.http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.5.3.225-232

Design and Analysis of Transformerless Grid-Tie Buck-Boost Photovoltaic Inverter with Immittance Conversion Topology

This article introduces the design and analysis of a single-phase single-stage transformer-less grid-tie buck-boost photovoltaic inverter topology for domestic purposes. Functionally, this new inverter can adjust to a wide range of photovoltaic dc variations, higher or lower dc voltages compared to utility line voltage, and in the meantime track the maximum amount of solar energy all in one single power stage. For switching of inverter power circuit, a combination of sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) and square wave signal under grid synchronization condition are used. Moreover, to control SPWM duty cycle and to regulate the inverter’s instantaneous ac output voltage, a closed-loop SPWM control technique is used to stabilize the output as fast as possible. Besides, we also employed immittance conversion circuit topology in the inverter output terminal instead of conventional LC filter. The design and analysis of working principles of the inverter control circuit and grid synchronization methods are described in details. This paper mainly focuses on the analysis of working principles, computer simulation of the operation and design consideration of the inverter for grid-connected applications. The effectiveness of the proposed system is clarified through the following mathematical modeling and simulations.

Impact of shading structure on energy demand and on risk of summer overheating ina low energy building

Designing a low-energy building becomes a challenge for the designer who wishes to achieve solar gains from sunlight in the spring and winter months and reduce the risk of overheating in the summer months. This article is focused on creating an effective shading structure for a given low energy house in order to provide the maximum amount of solar energy in winter and spring months and eliminate overheating in the summer. The solution involved two approaches which were chosen to complement each other. The first is a model of a shading design and optimization model using visualization tools. The second is a graphic which processes the sun's path and subsequent shade proposal for the structure. The result is an optimized shading structure for the particular low energy building according to predefined requirements, taking into account local conditions, building orientation, the purpose of building, investment and construction specifications. The achievement provides a general view into how to design such structures and effectively exploit the potential of solar energy simultaneously. Its use is limited to site specific proposals for each building.

Effect of energy storage medium (black granite gravel) on the performance of a solar still

In this study, a detailed experiment has been conducted on a single-basin solar still which is modified with energy storage medium of black granite gravel. An attempt has been made to utilize the maximum amount of solar energy and to reduce the heat loss from the sides and bottom of the still. The conventional still is modified with an energy storage medium of black granite gravel of 6 mm size which is provided in the basin for different (quantity) depths. The black granite gravel functions as energy storage medium and also as an insulation layer to reduce the bottom and side loss coefficients. The black gravel is used for absorbing the excess heat energy from solar radiation during the noon hours. Due to this, the heat accumulated in the space between the water and glass surface is reduced and hence the temperature difference between the water and glass surfaces increases. The depth (quantity) of the gravel layer in the basin will influence the performance of the still and some of the parameters like basin temperature, water temperature, glass temperature and still productivity. This study deals with the effect of aforesaid parameters on the performance of the still. An attempt has been made to optimize the still performance for the above-mentioned parameters. A mathematical model is developed to estimate the water, gravel, and inside glass temperatures theoretically and to estimate the hourly and daily yield. To show the effectiveness of the modification, its performance is compared with the conventional still under the same climatic condition. It is found that the still yield is increased by 17–20% with almost no cost for this modification as black granite gravel is very cheap. Error analysis was done by comparing the theoretical and experimental results to show the validity of the mathematical model. It is found that the maximum percentage of discrepancy for all the parameters is about ±18%. Theoretical value of yield per day has 8% discrepancy over experimental value. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.