Photovoltaic Projects Research Articles

A model to determine soiling, shading and thermal losses from PV yield data

Abstract Apart from being a clean source of energy, photovoltaic (PV) power plants are also a source of income generation for its investors and lenders. Therefore, mitigation of system losses is crucial for economic operation of PV plants. Combined losses due to soiling, shading and temperature in PV plants go as high as 50%. Much of these losses are unaccounted initially, which can jeopardize the economic viability of PV projects. This paper aims to provide a model to determine losses due to soiling, shading and temperature using quantities like irradiance, cell temperature, DC power and current, which are readily available in PV yield data captured by the remote monitoring system, without involving any additional sensors or equipment. In this study, soiling, shading and thermal losses were calculated using PV yield data obtained from a 30-kWp PV plant located in Kharagpur, India. The results showed soiling and shading losses as high as 25.7% and 9.7%, respectively, in the month of December. Soiling loss was verified by measuring transmittance loss of coupon glasses installed in the vicinity of the plant. Shading loss was verified by shadow simulation using an architectural tool (SketchUp). Array thermal loss obtained using the proposed methodology was found to be in line with the estimated value obtained from PVsyst simulation. Additionally, using time-series data, the energy losses corresponding to soiling, shading and temperature effects were calculated by a numerical-integration technique. The monetary loss due to these energy losses thus obtained provides criteria for deciding when to mitigate the sources of these losses.

Open Innovation Using Satellite Imagery for Initial Site Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic Projects

One of the responses to the fight against climate change by the developing world has been the large-scale adoption of solar energy. The adoption of solar energy in countries like India is propagating mainly through the development of energy producing photovoltaic farms. The realization of solar energy producing sites involves complex decisions and processes in the selection of sites whose knowhow may not rest with all the stakeholders supporting (e.g., banks financing the project) the industry value chain. In this article, we use the region of Bangalore in India as the case study to present how open innovation using satellite imagery can provide the necessary granularity to specifically aid in an independent initial assessment of the solar photovoltaic sites. We utilize the established analytical hierarchy process over the information extracted from open satellite data to calculate an overall site suitability index. The index takes into account the topographical, climatic, and environmental factors. Our results explain how the intervention of satellite imagery-based big data analytics can help in buying the confidence of investors in the solar industry value chain. Our study also demonstrates that open innovation using satellites can act as a platform for social product development.

Solar cells: Types, Modules, and Applications–A Review

The basic operating principle of photovoltaic (PV) devices is the conversion of solar irradiation into electricity. There are various applications of this principle in many countries such as Egypt, Nigeria and Denmark. Most of the solar PV projects are designed for street lighting, water pumping and water desalination. However, we hope about wide range of using the appropriate components and best technical procedures, standard PV projects with maximum performance output. The present systems now provide 20% to 40% only of the community's heat or lightness on annual basic needs. These include innovative and alternative ways to reduce material uses and module degradation, and opportunities to reuse and recycle PV panels at the end of their lifetime because of the installations of photovoltaic solar modules which are growing extremely very fast. 
 Keywords: Solar cells; renewable energy; photovoltaic; free energy; solar panel cost; solar battery.

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy footprints of utility-scale solar energy systems

Grid-connected utility-scale solar PV has emerged as a potential pathway to ensure deep decarbonization of electricity in regions with fossil fuel-dominated energy mixes. Research on utility-scale solar PV projects mainly focuses on assessing technical or economic feasibility. Environmental performance assessments of large-scale solar applications are scarce. There is limited information on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy footprints of utility-scale solar energy systems. Earlier studies conducted on small-scale solar systems have limited application in the grid system. We developed a comprehensive bottom-up life cycle assessment model to evaluate the life cycle GHG emissions and energy profiles of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) system with lithium-ion battery storage to provide a consistent electricity supply to the grid with peak load options. We conducted a case study for a fossil fuel-based energy jurisdiction, Alberta (a western province in Canada). The results of the energy assessment show that raw material extraction, production, and assembly of solar panels are the key drivers, accounting for 53% of the total consumption. Energy consumed during battery manufacturing is responsible for 28%. The system shows a net energy production with a mean net energy ratio as high as 6.6 for two-axis sun tracking orientation. The life cycle GHG emissions range from 98.3 to 149.3 g CO2 eq /kWh with a mean value of 123.8 g CO2 eq /kWh. The largest emissions contribution is due to the manufacturing of batteries, 54% of the total emissions. The solar PV system offers a mean energy payback time of 3.8 years (with a range of 3.3 to 4.2 years). The results are highly sensitive to the expected lifetime of the system, the panel’s peak wattage, and process energy consumption at various life cycle stages.

Utility‐scale solar impacts to volant wildlife

AbstractTo reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion, United States government agencies, including those in California, initiated aggressive programs to hasten development of utility‐scale solar energy. Much of California's early development of solar energy occurred in deserts and annual grasslands, much of it on public land. Measurement of solar energy's impacts to wildlife has been limited to mortality caused by features of solar facilities, and has yet to include impacts from habitat loss and energy transmission. To estimate species‐specific bird and bat fatality rates and statewide mortality, I reviewed reports of fatality monitoring from 1982 to 2018 at 14 projects, which varied in duration, level of sampling, search interval, search method, and carcass detection trials. Because most monitors performed carcass detection trials using species of birds whose members were larger than birds and bats found as fatalities, I bridged the monitors' onsite trial results to offsite trial results based on the same methods but which also measured detection probabilities across the full range of body sizes of species represented by fatalities. This bridge preserved the project site's effects on detection probabilities while more fully adjusting for the effects of body size. My fatality estimates consistently exceeded those reported. Projected to California's installed capacity of 1,948.8 MW of solar thermal and 12,220 MW of photovoltaic (PV) panels in 2020 (14,168.8 MW total), reported estimates would support an annual statewide fatality estimate of 37,546 birds and 207 bats, whereas I estimated fatalities of 267,732 birds and 11,418 bats. Fatalities/MW/year averaged 11.61 birds and 0.06 bats at PV projects and 64.61 birds and 5.49 bats at solar thermal projects. Fatalities/km/year averaged 113.16 birds and zero bats at generation tie‐ins, and 14.44 birds and 2.56 bats along perimeter fences. Bird fatality rates averaged 3 times higher at PV projects searched by foot rather than car. They were usually biased low by insufficient monitoring duration and by the 22% of fatalities that monitors could not identify to species. I estimated that construction grading for solar projects removed habitat that otherwise would have supported nearly 300,000 birds/year. I recommend that utility‐scale solar energy development be slowed to improve project decision‐making, impacts assessment, fatality monitoring, mitigation efficacy, and oversight.

Investment Risk Management of Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Based on Wireless Sensor Network

Investment Risk Management of Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Based on Wireless Sensor Network

A CMIP6 assessment of the potential climate change impacts on solar photovoltaic energy and its atmospheric drivers in West Africa

Many solar photovoltaic (PV) energy projects are currently being planned and/or developed in West Africa to sustainably bridge the increasing gap between electricity demand and supply. However, climate change will likely affect solar power generation and the atmospheric factors that control it. For the first time, the state-of-the-art CMIP climate models (CMIP6) are used to investigate the potential future evolution of solar power generation and its main atmospheric drivers in West Africa. A multi-model analyses carried out revealed a decrease of solar PV potential throughout West Africa in the 21st century, with an ensemble mean reduction reaching about 12% in southern parts of the region. In addition, the variability of future solar PV production is expected to increase with a higher frequency of lower production periods. The projected changes in the solar PV production and its variability are expected to be predominant in the June to August season. We found the decrease in the solar PV potential to be driven by a decrease of surface irradiance and an increase of near-surface air temperature. However, the decrease of the surface irradiance accounted for a substantially larger percentage of the projected solar PV potential. The decrease in surface irradiance was further linked to changes in both cloud cover and aerosol presence, although generally much more strongly for the former.

Decision making on investments in photovoltaic power generation projects based on renewable portfolio standard: Perspective of real option

It is now a main global trend to replace the renewable energy feed-in tariffs (FIT) policy with the renewable portfolio system (RPS) policy in the reform of renewable energy policy systems. To solve the practical problem that the current main studies on the decision making about investments by renewable energy enterprises mainly focus on macroeconomic aspects such as government subsidies, renewable energy FIT and carbon taxes, rather than microeconomic aspects such as RPS and the TGC market's influence, a real option model about photovoltaic power generation projects is established to study these projects' sequential decision making about optimal investment opportunity, optimal installed capacity and phased investment. The result shows that phased investment fruit in much higher investment flexibility, longer economic lives and greater project values, and fewer risks for investors as well; lower technical costs and higher TGC prices help acquire the optimal investment opportunities. The conclusions of this study help make better decision making about investments in photovoltaic power generation projects and, from the microcosmic aspect, prove influence of the RPS policy.

Multi-criteria decision making for comprehensive benefits assessment of photovoltaic poverty alleviation project under sustainability perspective: A case study in Yunnan, China

Photovoltaic poverty alleviation is an important way to help people get rid of poverty in China. Evaluating the comprehensive benefits of photovoltaic poverty alleviation project (PPAP) is significant to the closed-loop management of projects and the formulation of future poverty alleviation action. From the perspective of sustainability, this article proposes a comprehensive benefits evaluation framework for PPAP. The 13 sub-criteria are identified and determined from four aspects: economy, technology, society, and environment, forming the evaluation index system. The triangular intuitionistic fuzzy number (TIFN) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) are introduced to calculate the weight of indexes. And the improved matter-element extension method (MEEM) with cloud model is conducted to obtain the final results. With an application in four projects in Yunnan province, the feasibility of the decision framework has been proved. The result shows that the comprehensive benefits of PPAP in Yunnan are generally at a good level, and the PPAPs have the potential for further development. Finally, the specific measures to improve the PPAP's performance are given. The study could state the effectiveness of the project in poverty alleviation and provide management support to its sustainable development in rural revitalization.

The Determinants Factors for Solar Photovoltaic Implementation in Existing Building

Renewable energy contributes to the building sector's current global transition towards a sustainable energy system. Several renewable energy sources and solar photovoltaic have sparked great interest in reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating global warming by harnessing the sun to power the energy. However, the exploitation of solar photovoltaic in an existing building requires various considerations with high uncertainty from the building owner. Thus, this study focuses on investigating determinant factors and their influence on the decision of solar photovoltaic implementation to ensure its success and efficiency. For this purpose, an extensive literature review conducted for the establishment of criteria. Then, a questionnaire survey was designed; and with the help of various stakeholders, consists of green building certified professionals to support the process in choosing the determinant factors. The outcome of the analysis from Exploratory Analysis of Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation reveals that solar photovoltaic implementation is affected by economic, management, environmental, and technical factors. Optimizing the factors discussed in this paper provides insight into adopting renewable sources effectively. This paper also contributed to building knowledge to facilitate more research on factors in implementing solar photovoltaic projects in the future.

The Cost Benefit Analysis of Commercial 100 MW Solar PV: The Plant Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Pvt Ltd.

The energy crisis in Pakistan has crippled the country’s economy with an energy shortfall reaching up to 6000 MW. Fortunately, Pakistan lies close to the Sun Belt and therefore receives very high irradiation. To this end, in the beginning of 2014 the Pakistani government sanctioned a solar photovoltaic project namely Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park which was rated at 1000 MW. In this study, a cost benefit analysis for the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park has been developed. The model uses RETScreen software. In fact, a literature review pointed out that most of the previous research work with reference to cost benefit analysis for solar projects has been mainly carried out on smaller power plants. The outcome of the study shows promising results with the simple payback period coming out at 5.6 years. Furthermore, this analysis can serve as guideline for future solar photovoltaic projects in Pakistan and can help in the development and utilization of the huge solar potential of the country, thus aiding in the reduction of energy shortage. In its proposal, our research is unique and innovative in the Pakistani context. The results aim to serve as a guideline for decision makers and researchers interested in this topic.

The environmental impact of household domestic energy consumption in rural areas: Empirical evidence from China's photovoltaic poverty alleviation regions

China's large-scale renewable energy program, Photovoltaic Poverty Alleviation Projects (PPAP), has been successful in fighting poverty. However, the energy transition, energy consumption and environmental impact of this program on the rural poor are not yet known. We analyzed the environmental impacts of poor residents’ domestic energy consumption (DEC) using an Ecological Footprint (EF) model and a Hierarchical linear model (HLM) model. The results of the study show that: rural electrification is still an important way to improve the rural environment while respecting the survival and development of the residents; the energy and environmental perceptions of poor residents are crucial; PPAP currently does not have a sufficient impact on the ecological footprint. Furthering access to electricity in rural areas, raising environmental awareness among the poor, and focusing on household off-grid PV plants can help improve the performance of PPAP.

Social benefit evaluation of China's photovoltaic poverty alleviation project

Poverty alleviation is an important work of the Chinese government in recent years. According to the international poverty standards of the world bank, China's poverty reduction population accounts for more than 70% of the world. Photovoltaic poverty alleviation is a significant way for regions rich in solar energy resources to transform the advantages of renewable energy resources into the driving force of social and economic development. It is also an effective means for China to implement power poverty alleviation. While promoting emission reduction in these regions, it accelerates economic development and implements targeted poverty alleviation. This paper analyzes the comprehensive benefits of typical market entities of photovoltaic poverty alleviation projects, and establishes the environment, economic and social benefit evaluation models for poor households, the state and government, photovoltaic enterprises and grid corporation. In the model, we creatively put forward an index system to characterize the poverty alleviation effect, and consider the additional industrial benefits brought by photovoltaic poverty alleviation projects. Finally, a typical photovoltaic poverty alleviation project in Haiyuan County, Northwest China is selected to verify the feasibility of this model.

Solar Radiation Components on a Horizontal Surface in a Tropical Coastal City of Salvador

Renewable energy must be prioritized by humankind, mainly if there is an expected increase of 50% in energy consumption by 2030 and climate change scenarios are also confirmed. Urban areas consume 70% of the available energy on the planet. Brazil, the largest country in South America, concentrates more than 85% of its population in urban areas, facing a challenge to increase the renewable power plants in its energy matrix. This work presents the solar radiation components behavior for the city of Salvador to contribute with initiatives for the use of solar energy resource. Firstly, a radiometric platform was implemented to obtain direct measurements of global (EG) and diffuse (EDF) components of incoming solar radiation at the surface. The knowledge of EDF is an important requirement to support photovoltaic system projects, and there is no information on direct measurements of this component in the State of Bahia. The diffuse radiation measurement device (DRMD) was designed and built for this purpose. The measurements of solar radiation components performed in this research were submitted to a specific quality control, statistically analyzed and used to evaluate the performance of different empirical models to represent the behavior of EDF in the tropical coastal city. The results demonstrate the potential to explore solar energy in the city of Salvador, with annual values of sunshine higher than 2200 h year−1 and average daily intensities of EG and EDF equal to 18.7 MJm−2day−1 and 7.35 MJm−2day−1, respectively. The analysis of the diurnal cycle shows that EG in summer reaches a maximum of 4.2 MJm−2h−1 and in the rainy season it reaches a minimum of 3.7 MJm−2h−1, both at noon, and in summer the EDFh is 35% of the EGh and it is 46% in the rainy season.

A Software Application to Support Decision-making in Small-scale Photovoltaic Projects

Electricity generation through photovoltaic technology is the fastest growing in the world. Due to its linear power growth characteristic, small-scale generation on grid is common in several countries. In Brazil, in the context of this study, the small-scale solar PV exponentially grows since the implementation of the Distributed Generation market regulation in 2012. Several installer companies have emerged in the country and many residential, commercial and industrial investors are eager to invest in photovoltaic systems. As much as all installers offer the integration of a photovoltaic system, several peculiarities in service and quality are perceived by customers, which makes their decision difficult. So, the aim of this study is to present a software application to support decision-making in small-scale photovoltaic projects. The modelling and application are presented through a case study with an investor who needed to choose between four projects to invest. With the software application use, the investor can reflect on his preferences and changes in the project to improve his satisfaction. Besides, he can compare different projects budgeted by installers, helping in the decision-making process. In the case study, it was possible to see the difference between the four budgets and choose the one that best met the investor's expectations.

How do individual characteristics, cognition, and environmental factors affect the beneficiaries' satisfaction of photovoltaic poverty alleviation projects?—Empirical evidence of 41 villages in rural China

As a substantial energy policy for poverty alleviation in China, photovoltaic poverty alleviation projects (PPAPs) have achieved a combination of poverty alleviation development, energy conservation and pollution emissions reduction. It is essential to explore how to improve the beneficiaries' satisfaction of the PPAPs, and thus to play a sustainable role in poverty alleviation. Based on the 1000 households' survey data collected in 41 poor villages in rural China. This paper explores the factors influencing beneficiaries' satisfaction using the entropy weight method (EWM), factor analysis, and ordinal regression model. The results indicate that:(1) there are some geographical differences in beneficiaries' satisfaction with PPAPs, and they are positively associated with the economic development performance of the poor areas; (2) beneficiaries' cognitive factors and environmental factors have disproportionate effects on the satisfaction, while the socio-demographic characteristics of beneficiaries have no significant influence on the comprehensive satisfaction.

Financial Viability of a Photovoltaic System: the case of University Hospital at the UFSCar/Brazil

Considering the negative consequences of the excessive use of non-renewable energy and the development of technologies related to photovoltaic energy, the present paper aims to analyze if the photovoltaic systems are economically viable for university hospitals. A photovoltaic system was designed in the parking lot of the University Hospital of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and analyzed the financial viability of its installation. As a result, the photovoltaic system is financially viable, with an expected generation of 194.2 MWh in the first year and a payback of 7 years. Thus, this paper contributes to the feasibility of photovoltaic projects in university hospitals and the reduction of electric energy consumption, reducing its operational costs, reducing the emission of pollution, and diversification of the Brazilian energy matrix. Furthermore, the results can be used as a scientific basis for other fields, such as public and private hospitals and clinics.

Towards a standard approach for annual energy production of concentrator-based building-integrated photovoltaics

A form of building-integrated photovoltaics, luminescent solar concentrators are devices used to enhance solar cell output per unit area through red-shifted, concentrated internal reflection of sunlight. Luminescent solar concentrators have shown promise, but they have yet to achieve commercial success. At present, it is prohibitively difficult for architects and solar engineers to assess their annual energy production and subsequently conceptualize their economic potential. To bridge this gap, this paper provides an approach for annual performance evaluation of luminescent solar concentrators that parallels conventional processes used internationally for existing photovoltaic projects and solar development proposals. The approach starts by following conventional processes to evaluate the plane-of-array irradiance. Then, two metrics are introduced to evaluate the effective irradiance incident on solar cells within an LSC: 1) LSC optical efficiency is employed to determine the proportion of light reaching solar cells relative to the exposed surface; 2) LSC spectral mismatch factor is defined to represent the impact of spectral differences due to absorption and luminescent emission within an LSC. These metrics have never been employed in such a context before. With their addition, the process to produce LSC energy estimates becomes analogous to the conventional process to produce estimates for solar panels. The proposed approach is first validated against the commercial software, PVsyst. Then, case studies in Albany, NY and Phoenix, AZ are conducted to present energy estimates (at the maximum power point) for solar panels, and both planar and wedge-shaped luminescent solar concentrators when mounted vertically on a southern facing surface.

Constructing a Risk Assessment Framework for Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Projects from the Perspective of Four‐Dimensional Risk

Building photovoltaic integration (BIPV) technology can effectively solve the urban energy shortage, environmental damage, and other environmental problems, which is of great significance to the sustainable development of the urban. However, the practical application of BIPV technology has been very slow, and BIPV projects have encountered numerous obstacles and risks in the process of promotion and construction. Although some researchers have conducted qualitative studies on these obstacles and risks, systematic risk assessment methods for BIPV projects are missing. This study aims to systematically develop a framework to assess the risk of BIPV projects to address this gap. First, a comprehensive risk indicator system is established using literature analysis and expert interview methods. Second, DEMATEL (decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory) is used to calculate constant rights. Then, the risk assessment is carried out from the perspective of four‐dimensional risk including severity, possibility, urgency, and uncontrollability. The variable weight theory is used to calculate variable weight. The data fusion and risk level determination are realized by the matter‐element extension model. Finally, a case study is conducted to verify the feasibility and applicability of the BIPV project risk assessment framework. The results show that the comprehensive risk grade of the BIPV project in Qingdao is III, which belongs to medium risk. In addition, some suggestions are made based on the evaluation results. This study can enrich the methods in the field of risk assessment, and the results can provide a valuable reference for BIPV project investors and decision‐makers.

Modeling and Simulation Analysis of Solar Thermal Electric Plants Based on Petri Net

At present, solar thermal power generation is in the demonstration stage, and the large-scale production is affected by many factors. In view of the characteristics of different operating modes of photothermal power generation, it is analyzed that the turbine needs to be started and stopped frequently due to different operating modes, which will lead to the instability of the output energy and the reduction of power generation efficiency. In this paper, the dynamic equation of energy conversion process is established by using the law of conservation of energy and conservation of mass. Combined with the logic switching criterion of the system, the system model was established by using the extended differential Petri net, and the validity and accuracy of the model were verified. Through the Petri net model of the system, the system’s working mode switching and power generation situation are analyzed due to the difference of direct normal irradiation intensity (DNI). Finally, the accuracy of the model is proved by comparing it with experimental data of the photovoltaic and thermal demonstration projects that have been connected to the grid.