Small Solar Power Plant Research Articles

Improvement of solar concentrator structure

Green energy includes solar, wind, geothermal and other types of energy sources generation. The object of this research is solar concentrators. The problem to be solved is related to the development of the structure frame, especially for solar concentrators with flat triangular or square mirrors that approximate a parabolic shape surface. The essence of the investigation is developing and producing several prototypes of solar concentrators that have a low cost of materials but the devices were assembled by hand and therefore the manufacturing cost is sufficiently high. Therefore, it is important to reduce the cost through automation of the solar concentrator production process. To obtain better conditions for future automation, we need to reduce the number of metal structural elements of the solar concentrator. In this case, the automation problem is simpler for its realization. The results obtained are related to the improved solar concentrator structure that can be technologically simpler than the previous one and lighter in weight. The development of improved solar concentrator design and structure can help reduce the cost of assembly and accelerate the solar concentrator assembly process. In the case of mass production, they can be used in practice. The proposed solar concentrators can be used for different applications, for example, green buildings in rural areas, or chemical reactors to accelerate the chemical process of organic waste processing. Another application is to use solar concentrators in combination with agricultural fields. These solar concentrators can be used with small-scale thermal energy storage (TES). Using TES, it is possible to make power plants for green buildings. Small solar power plants can support all the energy demands of residential houses

Influence of small solar power plants on power quality

The solar power plants are usually connected to the distribution network in node with transformer. Small, mini and micro solar power plants are connected as real dispersed production in the middle or at the end of line as consumers. This paper describes measurements, according to standard SIST EN 50160, at 274 m long line, fed at one side from 20/0,4 kV transformer and at the other side from small solar power plant and in between are 15 users (houses).

FEATURES OF THE FUNCTIONING OF SMALL POWER SOLAR GENERATION IN THE IPS OF UKRAINE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE GREEN TRANSFORMATION

Within the framework of the transformation of the energy system in terms of ensuring the further development of small distributed generation from renewable energy sources, a new support model for low-power facilities is proposed, which will facilitate the commissioning of new generation entities. In the paper, research is conducted on the problem of small generation in Ukraine, which is faced by the power system, in the conditions of an increase in the share of distributed generation. An assessment of the impact of small solar power plants on the operation of the electrical network, including rooftop ones installed in households, was carried out. Typical schemes of connection of SPPs to the electrical network are considered and their influence on electrical equipment, elements of power supply systems and principles of operation are determined. It has been established that the integration of new renewable energy entities, including low-power SPPs, causes a number of technical problems that have an impact on the operational characteristics of the network, security of supply, and reliability. The main ways of solving the problems of losses and deviations of the voltage level in distribution networks, when connecting small SPPs, have been formed. In further research, the obtained results will be used to develop proposals for connecting low-power entities to the electric network and their formalization in the form of provisions of regulatory and technical documents.

A New Fractional-Order Virtual Inertia Support Based on Battery Energy Storage for Enhancing Microgrid Frequency Stability

Microgrids have a low inertia constant due to the high penetration of renewable energy sources and the limited penetration of conventional generation with rotating mass. This makes microgrids more susceptible to frequency stability challenges. Virtual inertia control (VIC) is one of the most effective approaches to improving microgrid frequency stability. Therefore, this study proposes a new model to precisely mimic inertia power based on an energy storage system (ESS) that supports low-inertia power systems. The developed VIC model considers the effect of both the DC-DC converter and the DC-AC inverter on the power of the ESS used. This allows for more precise and accurate modeling of the VIC compared to conventional models. Moreover, this study proposes a fractional-order derivative control for the proposed VIC model to provide greater flexibility in dealing with different perturbations that occur in the system. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed fractional-order VIC (FOVIC) is verified through an islanded microgrid that includes heterogeneous sources: a small thermal power plant, wind and solar power plants, and ESSs. The simulation results performed using MATLAB software indicate that the proposed VIC scheme provides fast stabilization times and slight deviations in system frequency compared to the conventional VIC schemes. The proposed VIC outperforms the conventional load frequency control by about 80% and the conventional VIC model by about 45% in tackling load/RESs fluctuations and system uncertainty. Additionally, the studied microgrid with the proposed FOVIC scheme is noticeably more stable and responds faster than that designed with integer-order derivative control. Thus, the proposed FOVIC scheme gives better performance for frequency stability of low-inertia power systems compared to conventional VIC schemes used in the literature.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a Solution for Renewable Energy Gaps: Spatial Analysis for Polish Strategy

The integration of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) into energy systems requires a meticulous assessment of various factors, spanning renewable energy potential, legal frameworks, technical considerations, community engagement, and consumer preferences. This article synthesizes a multifaceted discussion on the subject, focusing on the need for comprehensive analyses before deciding to implement SMRs. Drawing insights from geographic information systems (GIS) and lessons from renewable energy development in Poland, this paper underscores the significance of aligning energy strategies with local needs, emphasizing stakeholder participation. This study examines the factors influencing location attractiveness for various energy technologies, including small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), wind, solar, and hydroelectric power plants, within Poland. Employing 17 indicators sourced from Statistics Poland and URE, coupled with the application of the k-means algorithm, we outline four distinct clusters that delineate the zones of location attractiveness for SMRs and other renewable energy sources. While large and medium-sized cities exhibit optimal location attractiveness, coastal counties in northern Poland emerge as more suitable for renewable energy sources than for SMRs. The study outlines four distinct energy development strategies based on typologies of regions, each tailored to maximize the utility of available resources and minimize environmental impact. The strategies encompass renewable energy utilization, energy efficiency enhancement, energy diversification, and adaptation through innovation. Emphasizing the interplay between renewable energy potential, energy demand, and local conditions, the research suggests the strategic deployment of SMRs as part of an energy mix in areas where renewable energy resources are limited. By leveraging SMRs’ continuous energy production, these reactors can complement intermittent renewables, bolstering energy security.

MODELING A SYSTEM WITH SOLAR CONCENTRATORS AND THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

Global climate change, which has upset the ecological balance, and the rate of population growth, causing an increase in the demand for electricity in the world, are accelerating the gradual transition of states to green energy. Energy generation and energy storage are two important elements in green energy systems. We select parabolic solar concentrators as instrument for energy generation and develop flat facet solar concentrators that approximate a parabolic shape surface. Not only the structure of solar concentrators is proposed, but also the structure of thermal energy storage is described and presented. Using our solar concentrators, small-scale thermal energy storage (TES), it is possible to make power plants for green buildings. Small solar power plants and the air dehumidification system based on solar concentrators have great practical potential, can provide all the energy needs of smart residential buildings in countries with a hot climate, regulate air humidity, improve agricultural productivity in mountainous areas, etc. We describe a small-scale TES and the heater based on a solar concentrator. Water can be used to transfer heat energy. Another variant of TES is based on grave. We describe not only the structure of the system with parabolic solar concentrator and TES but calculate their parameters.

Retractable roof module with photovoltaic panel as small solar power plant

The use of building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) systems in the form of retractable roofs is an alternative option to existing installations without tracking systems (NT) or horizontal single-axis tracking systems (HSAT). This paper presents a retractable roofing module intended for the installation of PV panels. The main objective of this study is to identify modern solutions for these systems in terms of geometry and kinematics, which would allow the displacement of the roof slopes to follow the trajectory of the Sun during the day. This study is based on the parametric modelling and virtual prototyping of engineering objects. A moveable roof module is obtained, which, in addition to its function of shading and protection from rainfall, serves as a small movable solar power plant. The structure of the roof module is based on the construction of a mechanism comprising three revolute kinematic pairs and one prismatic kinematic pair, whose movement is strictly defined. The roof comprised three moving slopes of the same length. One of the slopes is designed for the installation of a PV panel; it moves according to the Sun to obtain maximum energy gains. For an adopted PV panel length of 1.0a, the maximum roof covering space is 2.69a. An analysis of the natural lighting for the panel following the Sun was performed, and the angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal plane was determined. The inclination of the panel ranges from +80º to –75º. In the case analysed, the HSAT delivers approximately 16% more energy than the NT system. The adaptation of retractable roofs with PV panels enables the optimal use of space around buildings, which are occupied by fixed or moveable installations with PV panels.

Design and control of Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy based inverter for power quality improvement in grid-tied PV systems

The addition of solar photovoltaic energy penetration to the electric grid is widely increasing across the world due to the many advantages such as clean energy source, easy to install and improved performance of power converters for the grid synchronization, and so on. Instead of many stages taking place for the grid-tied, a single stage is preferable to avoid the greater number of power electronic converters connected in the system which in turn reduce the cost of the overall system. In general, the DC-to-DC converters are used in the PV systems to track the maximum power point. However, an inverter circuit is needed to synchronize the source to grid and it can be utilized to extract maximum power from PV systems through proper controlling techniques. The proper control of inverter avoids the DC-to-DC power converter usage for the maximum power point tracking purpose. On the other hand, this technology can be used for small scale solar power plants. An irregular irradiance of solar is a bottleneck for the solar systems and to overcome it, a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang Fuzzy (TSKF) controller is designed for controlling the inverter operation in this paper. The TSKF controller responds very quickly to the input rapid changes of solar irradiance than the conventional proportional integral controllers. In this paper, a single stage 1 MW rating solar PV grid system is designed and verified the performance of the proposed controller under different loading conditions. Further, the proposed system is loaded with local loads and their reactive compensation is evaluated through hardware-in-loop on the platform of OPAL-RT software.

Experimental study of different thermal storage system effects on the performance of a small prototype solar chimney power plant

The present work is dedicated to an experimental study of a small SCPP prototype with a thermal storage system. The experimental prototype was designed, built, and set up in the laboratory of YEKARUM of Süleyman Demirel University, SDU, in Isparta, Turkey. It consists of a chimney tower of 4.2 m in height and 0.24 m in diameter and an air collector of 5.93 m in diameter with 1 m in outlet collector height. Different thermal storage systems (TES) were tested to demonstrate their effects on the performance of the prototype of the SCPP. Isparta site is suitable for installing SCPP according to its sunny property where the solar irradiation reaches 1123 W/m2. The collector's efficiency depends strongly on the thermal storage system. It is demonstrated that adding the diffuser to the experimental device increases the SCPP performance by reducing turbulence in the collector. Moreover, the crushed gravel basement is presented as the best thermal storage system, with a collector efficiency reaching 89.73%. Experimental and theoretical data have shown a good agreement. Good consistency was found between the experimental results of this study and those from the literature.

Solar energy development in households: ways to improve state policy in Ukraine and Latvia

ABSTRACT The paper investigates state policy to promote solar energy in Latvia’s and Ukraine’s households. Comparing different approaches to stimulating sectors’ development in both countries, the article evaluates the economic efficiency of solar power plants implementation based on the Levelized Cost of Electricity method and investment projects payback periods. The calculations were performed for solar power plants installed capacities ranging from 1 to 30 kW. The results revealed the fundamental differences in solar energy advancement due to the existing support mechanisms in the countries. While high feed-in tariff rates contribute to the rapid deployment of solar power plants in Ukraine’s, Latvia’s net-metering system hinders solar energy development in households. The research forms recommendations for improving policy by adjusting Ukrainian feed-in tariffs to trends in reducing solar energy costs, introducing solar energy in the Mandatory Procurement Component for Latvia, and applying preferential public financing to solar power plants construction in both states. Highlights State policy to promote solar energy in Ukraine’s and Latvia’s homes is analyzed The economic efficiency of small solar power plants is estimated for both countries Feed-in tariff in Ukraine ensures a quick payback period for solar power projects Net metering in Latvia does not provide investment attractiveness of solar plants Both countries need energy policy changes for balanced solar power development

Investigation of Existence of Steady States of a Solar Power Plant Operating in the Distribution Network of an Electric Power System

The paper presents the results of studies of the steady-state operating modes of solar photovoltaic stations. Using the data obtained, it is possible to significantly increase the efficiency of using solar power generating plants and significantly increase the service life of additional equipment. The relevance of this study is due to the increasing demand for low-power electric power systems, as well as for renewable energy technologies. For the research, materials were taken from relevant international departments and agencies, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. In addition, the sources of data are publications and studies of Russian and foreign scientists on the issues under study. The Federal Law No. 35-FZ “On Electricity”, adopted in December 2019 by the State Duma of the Russian Federation, introduces such a concept as “Micro-generation facility”, thereby simplifying the possibility of installing, connecting to the general network of an electrical system, for example, a small solar power plant (SPP) consumer. Small-scale electric power industry at this stage of its life is an energy-efficient tool in the restructuring of the energy sector of the Russian Federation, contributing to the abandonment of the traditional centralized system based on the use of large sources of electric power production, and the transition to alternative methods of generating electricity based on the use of energy sources, updated for specific natural conditions and requests of potential consumers. Reducing pollutants and emissions that are harmful to human health can reduce the level of the existing burden on the country's economy and give an impetus to the development of its potential due to the freed up resources. reduce the burden on the economy, thereby freeing up resources for its growth. Of course, the transition from traditional economic models to the model of “green growth” can be realized only if significant efforts are made to expand international cooperation in this area. At the same time, there is a need for consistent implementation of events at various levels on the part of all states, as well as maintaining the chosen political course for many years.

Investigation of Existence of Steady States of a Solar Power Plant Operating in the Distribution Network of an Electric Power System

The paper presents the results of studies of the steady-state operating modes of solar photovoltaic stations. Using the data obtained, it is possible to significantly increase the efficiency of using solar power generating plants and significantly increase the service life of additional equipment. The relevance of this study is due to the increasing demand for low-power electric power systems, as well as for renewable energy technologies. For the research, materials were taken from relevant international departments and agencies, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. In addition, the sources of data are publications and studies of Russian and foreign scientists on the issues under study. The Federal Law No. 35-FZ “On Electricity”, adopted in December 2019 by the State Duma of the Russian Federation, introduces such a concept as “Micro-generation facility”, thereby simplifying the possibility of installing, connecting to the general network of an electrical system, for example, a small solar power plant (SPP) consumer. Small-scale electric power industry at this stage of its life is an energy-efficient tool in the restructuring of the energy sector of the Russian Federation, contributing to the abandonment of the traditional centralized system based on the use of large sources of electric power production, and the transition to alternative methods of generating electricity based on the use of energy sources, updated for specific natural conditions and requests of potential consumers. Reducing pollutants and emissions that are harmful to human health can reduce the level of the existing burden on the country's economy and give an impetus to the development of its potential due to the freed up resources. reduce the burden on the economy, thereby freeing up resources for its growth. Of course, the transition from traditional economic models to the model of 'green growth' can be realized only if significant efforts are made to expand international cooperation in this area. At the same time, there is a need for consistent implementation of events at various levels on the part of all states, as well as maintaining the chosen political course for many years.

Alternative Possibilities of Using Electric Cars in Siberia

The ever-increasing demand for electricity requires constant expansion of generation facilities capable of providing the quantity and quality of energy supplied to the consumer. The search for highly efficient and more productive technological solutions in the field of electricity production and storage through distributed generation is one of the main lines in the development of the electric power sector. In turn, the wider use of such technologies, their advancements and improvements in their quality create the need to assess the potentialities and prospects for the use of various types of electrical energy storage and the related technologies required. The paper addresses the possibility of using electric vehicles as a battery for a small solar power plant.

Numerical investigation of a small scale sloped solar chimney power plant

The solar chimney power plant has been admitted as one of the feasible methods for utilizing solar energy. However, the reason why the height of the chimney is limited for conventional solar chimney power plants, in terms of construction and harnessing the solar energy in mountainous and impassable areas, is offered the sloped solar chimney power plant as one of the novel techniques. In this paper, we analyzed velocity and temperature distributions of a prototype of a sloped solar chimney power plant by using a three-dimensional simulation. Furthermore, the simulation was validated by experimental data from the literature. Simulation results indicate that steady state flow was an applicable assumption, for solar radiations above 600 W/m2 from morning to noon in a day. Further, the maximum air velocity in a sloped solar chimney power plant where is the entrance of the chimney was reported 2.73 m/s for solar radiation of 800 W/m2. Last but not least, geometrically, the studies showed by reduction of the height of the chimney by 25% (from 9 to 2.25 m), the maximum air velocity was decreased considerably from 2.73 to 2.07 m/s, and average air temperature at the chimney entrance was went up moderately nearly 1%.

Design of a refrigerated complex for short-term storage of tropical fruits with a solar energy plant

The object of research is a refrigerated complex for short-term storage of tropical fruits in conditions of significant seasonal and daily fluctuations in ambient temperature, that typical for regions with a tropical climate. One of the problems is that the complexes are autonomous small firms for the year-round processing and storage of tropical fruits, located far from the central electric networks. In the presence of solar radiation, the complexes receive energy from small solar power plants. Such complexes are called «trigeneration system». In the course of the study, data on modes were used low temperature heat treatment and preservation of various tropical fruits, ripening times and climatic conditions of Tunisia. It has been established that citrus fruits are stored in chambers with high temperature, olives are frozen and stored for a short time before processing. The total amount of heat entering the citrus chambers is determined by changes in the ambient temperature. The thermal load of the olives chamber is determined by the heat treatment time. It was found that the cargo capacity of chambers with different temperatures differs six times. The thermal load of the olive storage chambers is only four times less. This is due to the peculiarities of the building structure of the complex, technological processes of cooling and freezing. Based on the thermal calculation, the cooling of the chambers is provided by a two-stage booster refrigeration machine with CO2 refrigerant in a transcritical cycle. To ensure the operation of the complex, a solar photoelectric converter is designed. This ensures the environmental safety of the complex and the possibility of obtaining energy savings by regulating the thermal power of the compressors with frequency converters, depending on the ambient temperature. The designed complex can be offered to a private investor for practical implementation.

Analysis of options for small solar power plants for the Republic of Khakassia of the Russian Federation

The analysis of electricity tariffs for consumers of the Republic of Khakassia of the Russian Federation has been performed. Tariffs for the population are quite low. The use of small solar power plants for private residential buildings is inexpedientl due to the long payback period. Tariffs for legal entities and organizations are much higher than for the population and have a steady upward trend. The main consumption of electricity by such consumers occurs during daylight hours. That is much in line with the energy generation by solar panels. It is concluded that calculations are necessary to determine the expedience of using small solar power plants for this group of consumers. The classification of the types of low-power solar power plants is given, their advantages and disadvantages are highlighted, and the area of application is shown. The results of the comparative analysis of three types of small solar power plants for a state facility of the Republic of Khakassia are presented. The expediency of using small network solar power plants without electric storage batteries with a limitation of the power supplied to the network was substantiated.

Тенденції розвитку ринку генерації сонячної енергії України

The research is aimed at analyzing and finding the reasons for the specific development of the solar energy market of Ukraine, defining the interaction on the part of the State and its role, furthermore the role of monopolists-generators and small generating equipment in private households. As result of the research, the following issues are considered: specifics of the formation of a share of the segment of solar power plants among renewable energy sources; the largest companies – solar energy generators in Ukraine; dynamics of changes in the «green» tariff and installed capacity of solar power plants over the past decade; development of the direction of small solar power plants installed by households and the largest generating regions of Ukraine by both the number and the installed capacity of the households’ SPP. Analyzing modern analytical reports on renewable energy generation, it is appropriate to note that a system of indicators, which is being created currently to reflect the real state of development of renewable energy, indicates a certain prospect of scientific research in this direction. Modern problems of development of the generating renewable energy market are defined, among which the following are defined: changes in legislation on the «green» tariff, which leads to changes in the investment climate and attractiveness of generation projects, the conflicting mechanisms of tariff auctions; potential threat of shortage of both storage and transport capacities (due to disproportionate development of generation volumes and its infrastructure support) etc. Based on the analysis of existing development trends, conclusions have been drawn about the future state and development of the solar energy generation market. The need to form a balanced national strategy for the development of renewable energy, taking into account the current conditions for reducing the «green» tariff and the cost of generating equipment, as well as taking into account the national interests of the State, the interests of monopolists and households, has been established.

Yapay Zeka Ağları Kullanılarak Güneş Radyasyonu Değerinin Tahmini

Energy need in our country and in the world is increasing day by day. Due to the limited use of fossil fuels to meet this need, the trend towards renewable energy sources has gradually increased. Solar energy, which is considered as an inexhaustible energy source among renewable energy sources, is the most widely used and studied energy source. In this study, solar radiation value has been modeled by using the data obtained from 10 kW small scale solar power plant established in Selçuklu Region of Konya province. While performing this model, the data recorded over a year from the solar power plant and the data obtained from the general directorate of meteorology were used. In this model, the solar radiation value is estimated by using the temperature value in a small scale solar power plant, the voltage and power values obtained from the PV panel. As a result of the modeling, it was seen that the modeling was performed with 86% accuracy.

Numerical investigation on the performance of a small scale solar chimney power plant for different geometrical parameters

In recent decades, demand for energy has been significantly increased, and considering environmental impacts and the degrading nature of fossil fuels, clean and emission-free renewable energy production has attracted a great deal of attention. One of the most promising renewable energy sources is solar energy due to low cost and low harmful emissions, and from the 1980s, one of the most beneficial applications of solar energy is the utilization of solar chimney power plants (SCPP). A SCPP is a simple and reliable system that consists of three main components; a solar collector, a chimney (tower) and a turbine to utilize electrical energy. Recently, by the advancement in computer technology, the use of CFD methodology for studying SCPP has become an extensive, robust and powerful technique. In light of the above, in this study, numerical simulations of a SCPP through three-dimensional axisymmetric modeling is performed. A numerical model is created using CFD software, and the results are verified with an experimental study from the literature. After ensuring good agreement with the experiments, chimney’s and collector’s geometric parameters effects and different configurations effects on SCPP performance, simultaneously and additively is investigated. The study introduces an insight to the performance enhancement methods and finding the best configuration of a SCPP model, which will be the basis of a detailed prototyping process. Based on the numerical results, the best configuration of the SCPP has been found as the diverging chimney which enhances the generated power. The results of the study showed that the chimney height and collector radius increase has a positive effect on the power output and efficiency of the system, but when construction and material costs are also considered, each has an optimal value. The maximum impact on the performance is found to be by the chimney tower radius and the collector height and inclination are found to have optimum values considering performance. According to the obtained results, the best performance for the SCPP was obtained with 3.5 m chimney height, 30 cm tower diameter, 400 cm of collector diameter with 6 cm height and zero inclination angle. By the correct selection of the dominant performance parameter which can be done by correctly interpreting the results of this study, “the best” design of a SCPP real scale prototype considering maximum power requirement can be done.

Energia szabályozás klímavédelmi szemmel

The purpose of the Article, to make a survey on domestic energy regulation from the prospective of climate protection. The basis of the survey is the new National Energy Strategy published in January 2020, which defines those milestones being the significant climate protection topics of the next decade from economical, technical and regulation perspective. This mean three topics. The greater utilization of solar plants, in connection with I will examine the licensing procedure of small solar power plants, the grid connection process and the first experiences of the METÁR tender. The improvement of the energy efficiency, for that I will pair an inspiring austrian example. Finally, greening transport, within that I will make a fresh regulation analysis which intends to follow the lively development of electromobility.