Solar Energy Technologies Research Articles

Socio-Economic Importance of Solar Energy Application in Poultry Production System

Solar energy is a renewable, inexhaustible and affordable form of energy that could help mitigate climate change in poultry production systems. Its application as an emerging technology in poultry production systems is not common among the Nigerian poultry farmers. This paper presents a survey of poultry farms in Enugu State, Southeast, Nigeria. The purpose of the survey was to ascertain the status of solar energy application in Poultry production systems in the state. A survey was conducted on the methods farmers use in poultry day-old chicks brooding technology. A total of 60 poultry farms were selected at random for the survey. Data was collected using a 25 structured questionnaire items. It was observed that two types of poultry brooding methods were in use by the poultry farmers. These were conventional method (the use of fossil fuel and electric power), and non-conventional method (the use of solar energy) respectively. Survey results showed that out of 60 respondents 25% and 65% used kerosene, and combined electric/kerosene brooding methods in their brooding operations respectively. Only 10% of the respondents have used solar energy technology in their poultry brooding operations. The average mortality rates were 22.38%, 12.17% and 2.97% for kerosene, combined electric/kerosene, and solar energy respectively, while US$474.54, US$2,456.34 and US$49.1, were the respective average energy cost implications for each brooding methods eight times in a year. Solar energy was observed to have the lowest mortality rate and the least energy cost implications among the rest. Further response from the farmers showed inadequate power supply, greenhouse gas emission, fire outbreak and low profit margins characterized kerosene, and the combined electric/kerosene usage while solar energy application was observed to be environmentally and user friendly with low mortality rate and low energy cost. Solar energy utilization therefore appears the most attractive option because of the advantages it has over others. Its use in poultry brooding production will improve and enhance environmental air quality, healthy chicks’ production with higher profit margins. Its wide application in poultry production in Enugu State, Nigeria however, demands sensitization and educational awareness among the stakeholders.

Application of photovoltaic panels in electric vehicles to enhance the range

There is a significant increase in the number of alternative energy sources and electric vehicles. Therefore, there is a growing need for new technical solutions to increase the distance that an electric vehicle can travel on a single charge. The aim of this study is to assess the possibility of mileage increasing of an electric vehicle by means of commercially available solar energy technologies that require minimal investment. The considered electric car can be recharged from solar panels mounted on its roof during parking stages. Photovoltaic modules can contribute to the vehicle's propulsion or energize its accessories, such as ventilation, air conditioner, heated passenger seats, interior lighting. The results demonstrate feasibility of the proposed solutions for both cases with and without sun-tracking adjustments of solar panels. The calculations show that the vehicle-integrated photovoltaic panels can provide energy for up to 6.32% of the range on a full charge of the battery during the sunniest summer months and up to 1.16% of the range during the least sunny winter months, for the given conditions.

An Ecological Context That Scars: Reflections on Three Nature Documentaries of 2020

An Ecological Context That Scars: Reflections on Three Nature Documentaries of 2020

Design of Solar Panel Tracking Control System

This paper analyzes the overall scheme design, circuit design and PLC control program design of the system, and expounds the application research of realizing the conversion of solar energy to electric energy based on PLC control technology. With the development of economy and the progress of society, people put forward higher and higher requirements for energy. Finding sustainable development and green energy is one of the major issues facing mankind in this century and beyond. Developing new energy sources and making full use of existing energy sources have received great attention from scientists all over the world. As an inexhaustible and clean energy, solar power generation will get unprecedented development. With the development and industrialization of solar energy technology, its cost performance and efficiency will be greatly improved. Therefore, this design has high feasibility, practicality and energy conservation and environmental protection value.

An experimental study on thermal efficiency of hybrid GO/MWCNTs nanoparticles suspended in a binary mixture of ethylene glycol and water

Energy consumption has a demand growth across the globe due to modernization. However, the use of fossil fuels is creating a huge impact on climate change and has made it essential to harvest solar renewable energy technology. The heat transfer fluid plays an important role in maintaining the optimum temperature of the panel by removing the heat absorbed and transferring to the thermal energy storage medium. Due to the poor thermal conductivity and thermal degradation of conventional heat transfer fluids such as water, ethylene glycol and oil, these pose limitations to be utilised in solar energy technology systems. Thus, to overcome this problem, a hybrid nanofluid is used to boost the thermal conductivity and degradation temperature. However, the addition of hybrid nanoparticles further enhances the thermo-physical properties of the fluids. In this present study, GO/MWCNTs hybrid nanoparticles (0.01 – 0.2 wt%) were dispersed in hybrid base fluid (EG/water) in the ratio of 40:60. The finding shows that for visual stability, MWCNT sediment was faster compared to GO while, hybrid GO/MWCNT, showed higher stability compared to the single nanoparticle. The TGA results show the higher thermal degradation temperature at 0.05 wt% of pure GO, pure MWCNT and hybrid GO/MWCNT with thermal degradation of 122.74 ℃, 118.93 ℃ and 119.26 ℃ respectively. The use of nanofluids acts as a clean fuel for electricity production and decreases CO2 emission, which can further promote sustainable development goals.

Operation and Control of the Distributed Energy Resources to Improve the Power Quality in Electrical Distribution System Using Hbmo -Ann - A Novel Control Algorithm

Objectives: To propose a novel hybrid control plan to enhance the power quality (PQ) of distributed energy sources (DERs) such as solar energy (SE), wind energy (WE), and battery energy storage system (BEES) technologies. Method: A BEES, a PV farm, and a wind farm are integrated into the grid to supply home loads. The ABMO-ANN control system is a novel method that combines the Hybrid Barnacles Mating Optimization Algorithm (HBMO) and the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) (ANN). The power is balanced by balancing the power consumed by BEES and the power provided by the VSI inverter in this new proposed algorithm. Findings: In this HBMO-ANN control model, the proportional integral (PI) gain parameter controller generates the signals based on the load variation to manage the hybrid RES energy sources optimally. The assumed variables as system parameters in this suggested prediction approach are direct current (DC) voltage and active with reactive power. Novelty: The new HBMO-ANN method creates optimal control, aiming to improve power system damping and sustain line voltage with the reactive power compensation provided. However, when compared to existing control methods, the performance of the HBMO-ANN approach with a PI controller is also justified. The suggested methodology is compared to existing methods in MATLAB/Simulink. Keywords: Power quality improvement; Renewable energy sources; Hybrid Barnacles Mating Optimization Algorithm; Reactive power; Power system

Determinants of household adoption of solar energy technology in Seychelles in a context of 100% access to electricity

Seychelles is among four countries in the African continent with 100% access to electricity, of which over 90% of the energy is generated from fossil fuels. The energy transition is a crucial enabler of sustainable development and climate resilience. Therefore, this study seeks to understand the determinants of solar PV uptake based on a stratified random sample of 130 households on Mahe Island, Seychelles. We applied logistic regression and descriptive statistics to analyze the driving factors of a household decision regarding the adoption of a solar PV system. Results indicated that access to credit and monthly household income influenced the adoption of solar PV systems at the 1% significance level. Independent variables such as gender, age, and education of household heads, including family size that were significant in other studies, were not significant in the current study. Cost-saving (100%), energy security (91.7%), and environmentally friendly perceptions (76.7%), and access to loans (56.7%), were chief among the motivational drivers of the 60 households that had adopted solar PV systems. Whereas, for the non-adopters, the four most essential barriers cited were cheap electricity (82.9%), high initial cost (65.7%), existing loans (52.9%), and long payback time (40.0%). For the communal approach to solar PV systems in Seychelles to be successful, the adoption barriers that occur at the level of households should be considered.

Hourly predictions of direct normal irradiation using an innovative hybrid LSTM model for concentrating solar power projects in hyper-arid regions

Although solar energy harnessing capacity varies considerably based on the employed solar energy technology and the meteorological conditions, accurate direct normal irradiation (DNI) prediction remains crucial for better planning and management of concentrating solar power systems. This work develops hybrid Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models for assessing hourly DNI using meteorological datasets that include relative humidity, air temperature, and global solar irradiation. The study proposes a unique hybrid model, combining a balance-dynamic sine–cosine (BDSCA) algorithm with an LSTM predictor. Combining optimizers and predictors, such hybrid models are rarely developed to estimate DNI, especially in smaller prediction intervals. Therefore, various commonly adopted algorithms in relevant studies have been considered references for evaluating the new hybrid algorithm. The results show that the relative errors of the proposed models do not exceed 2.07%, with a minimum correlation coefficient of 0.99. In addition, the dimensionality of inputs was reduced from four variables to the two most cost-effective variables in DNI prediction. Therefore, these suggested models are reliable for estimating DNI in the arid desert areas of Algeria and other locations with similar climatic features.

Optimal design and performance assessment for a solar powered electricity, heating and hydrogen integrated energy system

Incorporating solar energy technologies into integrated energy systems (IES) plays an increasingly important role to mitigate energy supply shortages and climate challenges. However, the low efficiency of solar energy utilization and land limitation for system deployment greatly restrict the development of the solar powered IESs. In this paper, a solar powered electricity, heating and hydrogen IES based on photovoltaic (PV), photothermal (PT) and photocatalysis of hydrogen production (PH) is proposed and investigated. The system comprises solar radiation spectrum splitting technology, PV, PT, PH, electric heating device, compressive heat pump, solid oxide fuel cell, absorption heat pump and energy storage components. A component sizing method based on a region contraction algorithm is employed to find the system optimal design with minimizing the cost of energy. Two scenarios of the solar powered IES based on solar spectrum splitting unit and independent energy supply unit are analyzed and compared. The results show that the solar powered IES can completely meet the electricity, heating and hydrogen energy demands and achieve cost savings for consumers. Compared to independent energy supply unit-based IES, the use of solar spectrum splitting unit can significantly improve the total energy efficiency by 21.74% and reduce the land area for solar capture by 52.5%, but increase the cost of energy by 27.3%.

Climate action: Prospects of solar energy in Africa

Solar energy has become crucial in providing the world with an opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint, as well as fighting the consequences of climate change. Furthermore, Africa is at the forefront of the regions affected by climate change with a future expectancy of worsening consequences, in addition to being a region with various electricity complications, energy demands, and global greenhouse emissions contributions. Therefore, not only is Africa in major need of adopting efficient renewable energy technologies for their apparent future concerns but also Africa is already considered a region that has significant solar energy potential due to its abundant natural and renewable resources. Solar energy’s potential in Africa could not only be a solution to many of the continent’s complications, but it could also help the continent’s economy thrive The potential of solar energy in Africa as well as techniques to efficiently implement it has piqued literary interest a lot recently however, this paper aims to highlight through literature not only the potential and the technologies available for adoption but also the challenges complicating the implementation. This paper is split into four literary sections, first section puts forward the challenges facing Africa in the uptake of solar energy technologies including financial, technological, human resources, and environmental challenges. Then, in-depth discussions of the various solar energy technologies for potential adoption. Third, the biggest solar energy projects implemented in Africa are put forward. Finally, a thorough study of the aforementioned challenges, their current state, and the actions required to overcome them is presented in order to fully realize the potential of solar energy deployment across the continent.

Understanding the Factors Influencing Consumers’ Intention toward Shifting to Solar Energy Technology for Residential Use in Saudi Arabia Using the Technology Acceptance Model

Over the last few years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps in adopting clean and sustainable energy coming from renewable energy sources. The adoption of solar energy in residential use was one of the main projects in the 2030 Saudi vision of preserving nature reserves, with sustainability as a key pillar. The Saudi government has granted individuals the right to install solar photovoltaic systems in their homes and has taken many steps to encourage this initiative. However, despite all these efforts to bring solar energy into homes, few applications have been received. Therefore, it is important to examine the various factors that influence Saudi society’s perceptions and attitudes toward the acceptance or rejection of new solar technologies. The Technology Acceptance Model is one of the best technology acceptance frameworks. The model examines intentions and attitudes to adopt new technologies based on two constructs: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. In this study, we extend the Technology Acceptance Model by adding new constructs: relative advantages, environmental awareness, and cost of solar photovoltaic systems. These factors were examined by analyzing the intentions of 492 male and female respondents. Data were collected through online surveys. The findings of the study indicated that all the Technology Acceptance Model constructs significantly impact the attitude toward the adoption of solar energy in residential use. These results recommend that the Saudi government should focus on increasing Saudi environment awareness, reconsidering solar PV costs, and putting more emphasis on the relative advantages of solar PV in residential use.

A comprehensive framework for solar panel technology selection: A BWM‐ MULTIMOOSRAL approach

AbstractConcerning the overwhelming advantages of solar energy, controlling and exploiting solar energy by using solar panels is one of the main fields of research in the domain of renewable energy. The choice of solar panel technology is highly significant to exploit as much energy as possible. In this paper, the main goal is to select the best technology for solar panels by investigating nine technologies from the first, second, and third generations of solar panels. Moreover, five sustainable criteria of electrical, mechanical, economic, technical, and climate, and 20 subcriteria are given for making decision analysis. Then, the best–worst method is employed according to the experts' opinions for weighting the criteria and for comparing the ranking of the solar energy technologies a framework based on the MULTIMOOSRAL multiple criteria decision‐making method is proposed. Finally, sensitivity analysis will be conducted on the ranking of the technologies. By exploiting the proposed methodology, CIS/CIGS and Perovskite Solar cell are ranked 1 and 2 as the best solar panel technologies for the selected locations.

Parametric investigation of thermal behaviour of salt-gradient solar pool for climatic conditions

Abstract The use of solar energy is highly welcomed due to its availability everywhere. Among the types of solar energy technologies, the use of this type of energy to produce heat from different aspects is much more common, so in this research we have tried to examine different aspects of producing thermal energy from solar energy to supply the heat required by the pool. For this purpose, numerical modelling of the solar pool has been done by considering the heat-transfer characteristics and validation has been done to ensure the obtained results. In this paper, according to the physical realities facing solar systems in two scenarios, an analysis with shadow and without shadow has been done. One of the important results is that as the surface of the pool increases, the amount of heat absorption by the pool fluid will increase, but the effect of the shadow will decrease.

Jet impingement cooling applications in solar energy technologies: Systematic literature review

• This study aims to fill a knowledge gap in the study of jet impingement patterns and trends. • It aims to provide new knowledge for future scientific endeavours by identifying empirical gaps. • In addition to identifying critical gaps in the literature, this systematic review serves as a foundation for future research in solar energy. • To assist researchers in identifying appropriate solar energy technologies, coolant types, and jet impingement methods for their studies. • This review is essential for determining appropriate research design and performance analysis. Recently, solar energy technologies have been advanced as they have the potential to replace fossil fuels in electricity generation. However, overheating and poor heat transfer within a solar collector are major problems in achieving high performance. Therefore, cooling applications must be used for solar technologies to increase the heat transfer rate to achieve better performance. Jet impingement cooling has been extremely successful in a variety of engineering and industrial applications. This research work aims to fill a knowledge gap in the field of jet impingement research patterns and trends in solar energy technology. A systematic analysis using the ROSES review approach found 32 relevant studies in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. After a thematic analysis, five main topics were selected to be discussed in this study: Solar Energy Technologies, Coolant Types, Jet Impingement Methods, Research Design, and Performance Analysis. The five themes consist of 22 subthemes. The study uncovered research gaps, highlighted research patterns, and revealed developments in jet impingement cooling applications in solar energy technologies. The areas and variables derived from the results of this study can provide additional knowledge for future academic endeavours and have filled empirical gaps in the topic studied. In addition, this systematic review study can provide relevant information to better understand on jet impingement cooling applications in solar energy technologies.

Modeling and Performance of a Buck Converter Based on ‘Fuzzy Logic Soft Computing Technique’ for Low Voltage Operations

This present paper details a ‘fuzzy logic soft computing technique’ of designing a controller for a buck converter operating at low voltages. The dc – dc buck converters find applications in solar energy technologies where they are used in solar control charging systems, battery charging systems, drones, in the automotive industry where there is integration of the engine and dc-dc motor drives resulting in hybrid electric drives or vehicle’s. Conventional controllers that is the proportional derivative control (pid) have dominated the control engineering field from the time of invention, however, these controllers present increased overshoot and a long time to achieve steady-state conditions. In this regard since fuzzy logic has intelligent capabilities, then a fuzzy logic soft computing-based controller is proposed in this paper. A mathematical analysis of the dc-dc buck design is also given and the modeling of the fuzzy logic control algorithms that avoids mathematical analysis is also discussed. Fuzzy control is one of the soft computing tools that consists of the observation made by people and their decision based on non-numerical information is also discussed. The performance analysis of the fuzzy controller is determined under constant load and variable decreasing voltage conditions. The analysis and simulation of the dynamic response in closed-loop frequency response are conducted in the Simulink platform in Matlab. The proposition of control is executed on a dc-dc step down converter for an input of 12V. This proposed fuzzy logic control technique provides a dc – dc buck converter system with increased overall operating efficiency and a very stable output.

Building for the future

Building for the future The IDEAS project is an innovative building-integrated RES utilising solar energy, thermal storage and heat pump technologies to generate electricity, heating and cooling. This hybrid energy efficiency application will benefit multi-purpose public and commercial buildings across a range of urban and rural climatic conditions. This will enable families, communities, and businesses to contribute to creating a low-carbon, sustainable future.

Solar Irradiance Ramp Forecasting Based on All-Sky Imagers

Solar forecasting constitutes a critical tool for operating, producing and storing generated power from solar farms. In the framework of the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program Task 16, the solar irradiance nowcast algorithms, based on five all-sky imagers (ASIs), are used to investigate the feasibility of ASIs to foresee ramp events. ASIs 1–2 and ASIs 3–5 can capture the true ramp events by 26.0–51.0% and 49.0–92.0% of the cases, respectively. ASIs 1–2 provided the lowest (<10.0%) falsely documented ramp events while ASIs 3–5 recorded false ramp events up to 85.0%. On the other hand, ASIs 3–5 revealed the lowest falsely documented no ramp events (8.0–51.0%). ASIs 1–2 are developed to provide spatial solar irradiance forecasts and have been delimited only to a small area for the purposes of this benchmark, which penalizes these approaches. These findings show that ASI-based nowcasts could be considered as a valuable tool for predicting solar irradiance ramp events for a variety of solar energy technologies. The combination of physical and deep learning-based methods is identified as a potential approach to further improve the ramp event forecasts.

Projecting spatiotemporal variations of sunshine duration with regards to climate change in Iran as a step towards clean energy

Iran is a country with great potential for using solar energy. To manage the supply and demand for using solar energy technologies, proper knowledge regarding the areas with homogeneous sunshine duration is essential. Therefore, in this study, the monthly data anomalies were used to determine homogeneous climatic regions over two study periods. The matrix grids were prepared for the base(1981–2018) and future(2041–2080) periods respectively as 456×272 and 480×272 (the number of months and stations). Notably, the future period model was prepared according to two separate Representative Concentration Pathway(RCP) scenarios(4.5 and 8.5). The S-mode input matrix was used to perform principal component analysis(PCA) and Ward’s method was utilized for cluster analysis(CA). Subsequently, the stations were partitioned into different sunshine clusters. Findings showed that 86.6 % of the total variance were involved with seven leading PCs (7clusters for the base period), 67.2 % with four initial RCP4.5 components, and 62.8 % with the first three RCP8.5 components (4 and 3clusters for the future period, respectively). Concerning the sunshine duration, results indicated geographical latitude as the most important factor for the spatial distribution of different clusters. Additionally, global warming was seen to have caused an increase in sunshine hours for 73and 182.5hr/year according to RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 compared to the base period. Therefore, an overview of how climate change could affect sunshine duration in Iran enhances the potential for efficient use of clean solar energy.

Assessment of spatial implications of photovoltaics deployment policies in the Netherlands

Electricity generation with photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology requires significant amounts of space; a particular point of discussion in a densely populated country like the Netherlands. Therefore, we developed a new analytical framework to analyse potential electricity generation for specific PV typologies on 43 different land utilisation and water types. Our results indicate that spatial potentials for PV are substantial compared to current Dutch scenarios and ambitions for its role in a long-term decarbonised energy economy. The spatial potential of PV on rooftop areas is sufficient to largely meet these ambitions; however spatial allocation depends on more factors than the potential alone, e.g. desired implementation speed. Therefore, we have sketched some variants with a more balanced allocation over the various land use types. Innovative options, such as PV within offshore wind parks and on infrastructure, parking spaces and façades offer considerable opportunities for additional generation. Furthermore, we illustrate the considerable impacts on PV potential of (i) current net metering policy, (ii) the upcoming societal preference for lower panel densities in land-based PV parks, and (iii) a focus on cost efficiency instead of spatial efficiency. Policy makers should bear these outcomes in mind when designing support schemes for PV.

Statistical Analysis and Distribution of Global Solar Radiation and Temperature Over Southern Nigeria

The intensity of solar energy that is received by a particular location is affected by most meteorological conditions including, the solar irradiance received by the location, precipitation, extreme heat as a result of the surface or ambient temperature, etc. We obtain the monthly global solar irradiation and ambient temperature for the three (3) eco-climatic zones in the south of Nigeria (17 locations) for 12 years (2005 - 2016) from the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) Satellite. The goal of this study is to understand how regional meteorological conditions affect radiation and temperature reception. Monthly and annual trends were plotted and compared for both variables in each region to show the similarity or dichotomy in their trends. The Mann-Kendall (M-K) trend test has been adopted to reveal that the changes in the variations on an annual basis, and results showed that the trend were not significant for both variables. Box plots have been used to give a better description of the data, and compared to show similarities and differences. Finally, we adopted the Gaussian (normal) distribution to show, understand and compare the data distribution. Linear regression plots for each zone shows that the relationship between the solar irradiation and temperature is high. Results show that the climate and vegetation of a region contributes majorly to the variation of radiation and temperature. Inhomogeneityof data or results for locations in the same zones may be attributed to local meteorological conditions. The results obtained here will prove vital in decision making relating to the adoption of solar energy technologies in the region. Results show that the climate and vegetation of a region contributes majorly to the variation of radiation and temperature. Inhomogeneity of data or results for locations in the same zones may be attributed to local meteorological conditions.