Solar PV Energy Research Articles

The decarbonization transition and U.S. electricity markets: Impacts and innovations

AbstractSeveral factors in recent years have converged in the U.S. to spur a focused effort on decarbonizing the electricity sector. First, in response to the threat of climate change, policy at all levels of governance is increasingly promoting and incentivizing the deployment of zero carbon solutions, especially variable renewable energy (VRE) sources such as utility‐scale wind and solar PV, as well as distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar PV and battery energy storage systems. Second, the costs of these technologies have declined to result in major increases in their market penetration. Finally, in response to greater access to cheaper, clean technology solutions, customers have become more engaged and proactive in their energy choices, both as a way to lower energy costs and to be more environmentally responsible. These de‐carbonization dynamics are impacting electricity markets—those where competition has been introduced (restructured markets), as well as those where vertically integrated utilities maintain a monopoly (regulated markets). For example, increasing penetration of VRE has influenced wholesale market prices, and many of the organized wholesale markets have implemented initiatives to add greater flexibility in their market operations to accommodate larger amounts of VRE. In regulated markets, policy makers and regulators in many states are assessing a variety of changes in the existing regulatory framework to adapt to more DERs. This overview identifies the impacts of more VREs and DERs on each market structure, and describes key adaptations and changes in each market to accommodate these de‐carbonization trends.This article is categorized under: Climate and Environment > Net Zero Planning and Decarbonization Energy and Power Systems > Energy Infrastructure Policy and Economics > Energy Transitions

Artificial neural networks for power output forecasting from bifacial solar PV system with enhanced building roof surface Albedo

The main objective of this research study is to evaluate the performance of bifacial solar PV systems (bPV) installed on flat roof buildings with controlled surface albedo and to develop forecasting models to anticipate the power output from bifacial solar PV systems due to the enhancement of surface albedo. The originality of this study and the novelty include integrating innovative bifacial solar PV and cool roof technologies to increase solar PV panel power output and anticipate electricity generation in advance to balance supply and demand. For the methodology, modeling and simulation analysis was used to test the performance of bPV system installed on a building with a surface albedo of 0.2–0.8. An Artificial Neural Network was used as a machine learning approach for bifacial solar PV power and energy forecasting. The significant findings show that an increase in surface albedo from 0.2 to 0.5 and 0.2 to 0.8 will help to boost the annual bifacial solar PV power production by 7.75% and 14.96%, respectively. The predictive models are exceptionally accurate in anticipating the bifacial solar PV power. The monthly power from bPV rose from 10.87 to 21.54%, with a 0.3 (from 0.2 to 0.5) to 0.6 (from 0.2 to 0.8) albedo increase. The coefficient of correlation R values for all of the power data ranges from 0.99145 to 0.99382 for the roof surface albedo, ranging from 0.2 to 0.8. The ANN models illustrate how effectively the model mimics the modeling and simulation data. For the research implications, the developed forecast models will assist the industry in predicting ahead of the power production, building operations and maintenance, demand-side management, and advanced energy purchases.

New Integrated Energy Solution Idealization: Hybrid for Renewable Energy Network (Hy4REN)

A review of different energy components is detailed, as a baseline of fundamentals for the new integrated energy concept idealization. This innovative solution is a Hybrid for Renewable Energy Network (Hy4REN) based on well-studied elements to produce the best final solution. This proposal has the objective of improving energy system sustainability, facing fossil fuel and climate change restrictions, and increasing energy network flexibility. The most mature energy storage technology, pumped hydropower energy storage (PHES), is used to support both the grid connection and stand-alone modes, as an integrated hybrid energy system. The hybrid system idealization is modular and scalable, with a complementary nature among several renewables, using sea water in offshore mode to build an integrated solution. By evaluating a variety of energy sources, complemented with economic analysis, the benefits associated are evidenced using this sustainable methodology based only on renewable sources. Combined production of hydropower, using sea water, with pumped storage and water hammer events to create potential energy to supply hydropower in a water loop cycle, without consuming electrical energy, is explored. Other renewable sources are also integrated, such as floating solar PV energy and an oscillating water column (OWC) with coupled air-venting Wells and wind turbines, all integrated into the Hy4REN device. This complementarity of available sources allows us to improve energy storage flexibility and addresses the energy transition toward net-zero carbon emissions, inducing significant improvements in the sustainability of the energy network as a whole.

Analysis of Smart Meter Electricity Consumption Data for PV Storage in the UK

Solar PV and battery energy storage (BES) costs for domestic consumers are constantly diminishing. On top of this, the end of the Feed-in-Tariff programme has significantly increased interest in combined PV + BES systems. In this paper, we explore the economics of domestic PV + BES systems, extending the current literature on the topic via the use of a large smart meter dataset and a demographic comparison. Predictably, time-varying tariffs and higher electricity prices generally strengthen the economic arguments for PV + BES systems, however our consumption data yields a wide range of Net Present Values for different consumers. In terms of demographics, we find that batteries are more favourable for more affluent households due to their larger consumption levels, though profitability becomes more uniform if the batteries are tailored to individual households. This is an important point for policy, since it indicates that if PV + BES systems become widely profitable this is unlikely to help the financial situation of lower-income households.

Climate Change Impact Assessment for Future Wind and Solar Energy Installations in India

Solar and wind assets are climate-dependent and changes in climate will result in variations in their generation and intermittency. Developers of solar and wind parks in India have observed changes in climate conditions and variability in solar irradiation and wind profiles at the seasonal and year-to-year timescales. Future climate change perturbations, including monsoon shifts, could lead to lower-than-predicted wind and solar energy production and affect the economics of solar and wind assets. Regional climate models (RCMs) are the basis of climate impact assessments and the most trusted source of information to extract knowledge about future trends in climate variables. However, RCM projections are tainted with variability and uncertainty about the future trends. For India as a case study, we use the RCMs generated by the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment West Asia project (CORDEX WAS) to calculate individual wind, radiation, and temperature trends at selected sites; estimate wind and solar PV energy time series; and embed them in portfolio methods to test the impact of combining wind and solar assets on the variability of the total production and the uncertainty about the predicted production. We include a comparison of CORDEX RCMs with the ERA5 reanalysis dataset and conclude that all available RCMs reasonably simulate the main annual and seasonality features of wind speed, surface solar radiation, and temperature in India. The analysis demonstrates that the uncertainty about the portfolio return can be reduced by optimizing the combination of wind and solar assets in a producer portfolio, thus mitigating the economic impact of climate change. We find that the reduction obtained with a mixed portfolio ranges from 33 to 50% compared to a wind only portfolio, and from 30 to 96% compared to a solar only portfolio.

Diffusion of Solar PV Energy in the UK: A Comparison of Sectoral Patterns

The paper applies innovation diffusion models to study the adoption process of solar PV energy in the UK from 2010 to 2021 by comparing the trajectories between three main categories, residential, commercial, and utility, in terms of both the number of installations and installed capacity data. The effect of the UK incentives on adoptions by those categories is studied by analyzing the timing, intensity, and persistence of the perturbations on adoption curves. The analysis confirms previous findings on PV adoption, namely the fragile role of the media support to solar PV, the ability of the proposed model to capture both the general trend of adoptions and the effects induced by ad hoc incentives, and the dramatic dependence of solar PV from public incentives. Thanks to the granularity of the data, the results reveal several interesting aspects, related both to differences in adoption patterns depending on the category considered, and to some regularities across categories. A comparison between the models for number of installations and for installed capacity data suggests that the latter (usually more easily available than the former) may be highly informative and, in some cases, may provide a reliable description of true adoption data.

Renewable Energy-Driven Desalination: New Trends and Future Prospects of Small Capacity Systems

New trends and future prospects for small capacity systems of Renewable Energy-driven DESalination (REDES) are reviewed and assessed in this paper over a nominal desalination capacity range of 3–1000 m3/d. A thorough literature review is reported in order to evaluate current research and developing activities. Outstanding commercial prospects in the near future are identified for two off-grid REDES technologies under development. First, wave energy converters with direct coupling to seawater desalination. Second, solar micro gas turbines with biofuel backup coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) desalination and/or zero liquid discharge water treatment. These systems, as well as mature REDES plants (namely PV/RO and wind turbines/RO), will benefit from forthcoming advances in energy efficiency in the RO process itself. The Closed Circuit RO desalination (CCROTM) concept may be a key configuration for enhancing RE-driven RO desalination. Additionally, opportunities for innovation in seawater RO desalination with variable power consumption are highlighted. On the other hand, our conclusions highlight opportunities for developing novel portable REDES systems based on solar membrane distillation with a portable linear Fresnel concentrator manufactured by SOLATOM. Additionally, the concept of portable systems could foster the commercial development of microbial desalination cells combined with solar PV energy and RO powered by tidal currents.

Comparison of Environmental Impact Assessment Methods in the Assembly and Operation of Photovoltaic Power Plants: A Systematic Review in the Castilla—La Mancha Region

Solar energy is in high demand due to its environmental benefits and economic potential; however, concerns remain about the total impact it holds. In 2020, for Spain, Castilla-La Mancha was the second autonomous community with the highest photovoltaic energy production. Thus, a systematic review on 15 large-scale PV solar energy projects was carried out to assess the industry impacts, through environmental impact assessment (EIA), within the Autonomous Community of Castilla—La Mancha. An estimation of these impacts from a pre-operational approach is presented, based on primary energy needs and emissions discarded during its life cycle due to the manufacture, operation, and recycling of the photovoltaic modules. Based on both the life cycle assessment (LCA) and EIA, the approaches were compared with the results obtained. The obtained results suggest that determining the actual impacts of power plants in this region could provide justified information for the public administration and technicians in the measures for the installation and operation of PV plants and the future benefits of renewable solar technologies. Furthermore, the results indicate the possibility to recognize the relationship between the size of the plant and a high generation capacity, with a shorter time to pay for emissions from the manufacture and recycling of panels, suggesting that it is around 1.66–2.08 years for the Castilla-La Mancha region.

Systematic Modeling and Analysis of On-Board Vehicle Integrated Novel Hybrid Renewable Energy System with Storage for Electric Vehicles

The automobile industry and technology are putting a great significance in improving vehicles to become more fuel economical, but with incremental costs relative to conventional vehicle technologies; these new vehicles are electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). However, their significant capabilities to reduce petroleum consumption and achieve efficiency over their life cycles offer economic benefits for customers, industry, carmakers, and policymakers. In this paper, an HEV concept based on renewable energy resources (RERs) is proposed. The proposed HEV design utilizes solar PV energy, wind energy, fuel cell, and a supercapacitor (PV + WE + FC + SC) which generates electrical energy via a proton exchange membrane (PEM) and an SC to cater for strong torque requirements. The vehicle incorporates a battery pack in conjunction with an SC for the power demands and an FC as the backup energy supply. An alternator connected to turbine blades runs by wind energy while the car is moving forward, which produces electricity through the alternator to charge the battery. The design aims to ensure zero carbon emission and improved energy efficiency, is lightweight, and incorporates in-wheel motors to eliminate the mechanical transmissions. Modeling and simulation were carried out for each subsystem using MATLAB® and Simulink® packages. ANSYS Fluent simulation was used to analyze wind energy. The standard analysis, e.g., pressure, velocity, and vector contour, were also considered while designing the final model. To regulate the power supply and demand, the selection of energy sources was controlled by a rule-based supervisory controller following a logical sequence that prioritizes energy sources with the SC as a source in-vehicle stop-and-go situations while the battery acts as the primary source, FC as a backup supply, and wind and solar power to recharge the battery. Solar charging is switched on automatically once the vehicle is parked, and the controller controls the energy flow from the alternator during that period.

Mathematical Modeling and Evaluation of Performance Characteristics of a Hybrid Solar PV and Wind Energy System

Mathematical Modeling and Evaluation of Performance Characteristics of a Hybrid Solar PV and Wind Energy System

A Novel Approach in Hybrid Energy Storage System for Maximizing Solar PV Energy Penetration in Microgrid

Nowadays, energy storage system is utilized in many countries for energy planning in the future. The changes in solar radiation lead to the overproduction of electricity in a solar photovoltaic generator. A hybrid energy storage system would play an important role in enhancing the reliability of power generation using the solar system. The microgrid is the indispensable infrastructure of the smart grid in photovoltaic systems. In this paper, the energy storage system within the microgrid of the PV system is analysed. The storage system configuration and topologies of the microgrid are analysed with power electronic interference, control scheme, and optimization of the renewable source and energy storage system. A general sizing technique for HESS in a PV system based on pinch analysis and design space. The size of HESS scales that connect generator ratings to storage capacity is created by utilizing the pinch analysis on load and resource data. The design space is a feasible combination of a short-, long-, and medium-sized energy storage system in a PV generator.

Climate Change and Renewable Energy Generation in Europe—Long-Term Impact Assessment on Solar and Wind Energy Using High-Resolution Future Climate Data and Considering Climate Uncertainties

Climate change can strongly affect renewable energy production. The state of the art in projecting future renewable energy generation has focused on using regional climate prediction. However, regional climate prediction is characterized by inherent uncertainty due to the complexity of climate models. This work provides a comprehensive study to quantify the impact of climate uncertainties in projecting future renewable energy potential over five climate zones of Europe. Thirteen future climate scenarios, including five global climate models (GCMs) and three representative concentration pathways (RCPs), are downscaled by the RCA4 regional climate model (RCM) over 90 years (2010–2099), divided into three 30-year periods. Solar and wind energy production is projected considering short-/long-term climate variations and uncertainties in seven representative cities (Narvik, Gothenburg, Munich, Antwerp, Salzburg, Valencia, and Athens). The results showed that the uncertainty caused by GCMs has the most substantial impact on projecting renewable energy generation. The variations due to GCM selection can become even larger than long-term climate change variations over time. Climate change uncertainties lead to over 23% and 45% projection differences for solar PV and wind energy potential, respectively. While the signal of climate change in solar radiation is weak between scenarios and over time, wind energy generation is affected by 25%.

PV Solar Energy Supply in Smart Cities

The application of solar energy and other renewable energy sources (wind, hydro, etc.) enables the connection of low-power electrical energy generation units to the grid. This new concept called distributed energy generation, provides opportunities to separate parts of existing distribution networks into smaller units, i.e., microgrids, which can be self-sufficient and sustainable for shorter or longer periods. In a smart grid environment, efficient usage of energy and better consumer energy supply is possible, especially in cases of failures in the main grid. This paper presents a method for the assessment of possible rooftop PV system power capacity in a smart city. Special attention will be paid to the generation units coming from renewable energy (solar) and the possibility of supplying existing loads. As a case study, the results of a hypothetical project on the possibility of PV solar energy application for the electricity supply in some cities in Serbia are presented.

Performance Analysis of Renewable Energy Based Distributed Generation System Using ANN Tuned UPQC

Emerging trends and advances in techniques in power electronics, Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) has a superior performance compared to other methods. The paper proposes the application of a ANN based UPQC to enhance the power quality of a three-phase Low-voltage network connected to a hybrid distribution generation (DG) system. The proposed work emphases the detailed performance analysis of a distributed generation system that integrates a solar PV and wind energy system by utilizing Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) with an artificial neural network (ANN) controller with respect to proportional-integral (PI) controller. The core objective of the proposed ANN is to offer good steady and dynamic state performance compared to the PID controller. The system called UPQC-ANN-RE feeds energy generated by a photovoltaic array and a wind turbine into the electrical grid and loads attached to a system of 3-phase 4-wire electrical distribution. In addition to inserting active/real power in the utility grid, the system of UPQC-ANN-RE functions as a UPQC, improving power quality signs e.g., voltage and current harmonics and power factor. A detailed analysis of the active-real power flow by converters is carried out to allow a good understanding of the operation of the UPQC-ANN-RE. The simulation outcomes are presented to assess the dynamic and steady state performance of the system of UPQC-ANN-RE connected to an electrical distribution system and to compare the consequences with the PI controller.

Feasibility Study of Using Hybrid Solar Pv and Wind Energy in Australia

Feasibility Study of Using Hybrid Solar Pv and Wind Energy in Australia

A Multifunctional Three-Phase Grid Coupled Solar PV Energy Conversion System Using Delayed µ-Law Proportionate Control for PQ Improvement

This article deals with a multiple function three-phase single-stage solar photovoltaic energy generating (PVEG) grid coupled system using distribution static compensator (D-STATCOM) features with local linear/nonlinear loads. A delayed µ-Law proportionate normalized least mean square (DMPNLMS) control strategy is presented for DSTATCOM. The control technique gives an accurate dynamic response, less steady-state error with the dc-offset rejection. Moreover, in this article, for addressing these issues such as unwanted oscillations in the grid currents, and power quality improvement, the DMPNLMS control technique is proposed. Along with it, solar PV generating system using the voltage source converter has dual capability because at one side it is used to extract the solar power for the load, and remaining power injected into the grid, and on the other side, it is also balancing the grid currents with improved power quality. The control of grid coupled solar PVEG system is validated on a laboratory prototype at the balanced/unbalanced load conditions, and abnormal/ normal grid voltage conditions. The total harmonic distortions of grid currents/voltages are found within the IEEE-519 standard.

Adjoint least mean square control for solar photovoltaic array grid‐connected energy generating system

This study deals with a new control for a double-stage grid-integrated solar photovoltaic array (SPVA)-based energy generation system, which is based on adjoint least mean square (ALMS) control. This ALMS control algorithm has some new features: (1) it provides a fast rate of convergence, (2) harmonics mitigation ability, and (3) ease of implementation. The solar PV energy generating system includes a DC–DC boost converter, a voltage source converter (VSC), a ripple filter, a three-phase grid, and local non-linear loads. The VSC is controlled for feeding the active power from the solar array to the grid and three-phase non-linear loads. Moreover, VSC control is used to improve the grid current quality. A DC–DC boost converter is coupled between the photovoltaic array and the DC-link capacitor, which tracks the maximum SPVA power from the SPV array by using perturb & observe algorithm. Here, the main goals of SPVA generating system are to eradicate power quality problems caused by unbalanced and non-linear loads and to provide sinusoidal grid currents at solar PV array irradiance variation. Moreover, a comparison of ALMS control is made with other control algorithms. Performance of this ALMS control is studied at varying non-linear loads and under different environmental conditions on a developed prototype in the laboratory. The simulated results of the system are validated with test results. Detailed behaviour of the grid-integrated SPV system and harmonics spectrum of grid currents are given here while meeting the IEEE 519 Standard.

(Invited) Design and Testing of a High-Pressure PEM Water Electrolyzer System Test Rig

Renewable energy-based hydrogen production via low temperature water electrolysis is attracting increased interest globally. Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) offer several benefits over the more mature alkaline water electrolysis technology. The PEMWE-technology is particularly suitable for balancing variable power due to its great load-following capability. The PEMWE-technology can also be designed to operate at high current densities and pressures, which can reduce the system footprint and make the technology particularly suitable for distributed hydrogen production using solar PV energy. However, to reach the cost targets for green hydrogen more R&D on PEMWE stacks and systems is required to improve the overall system efficiency, durability, and capital costs.Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) has designed and built a flexible PEM water electrolyzer system platform for testing of small-scale prototype electrolyzers up to 33 kW and 200 bar differential pressure. This PEMWE system laboratory is part of a national research infrastructure on hydrogen and fuel cells in Norway (NFCH Centre) at the IFE Hynor Hydrogen Technology Center (IFE Hynor) at Kjeller. The PEMWE test rig is integrated with a sophisticated power conditioning system which consists of three custom-built DC/DC-converters (for PEMWE, PEMFC, and Li-ion battery systems), all coupled to the same DC-bus. This configuration makes it possible to use the Li-ion battery system to test different hybrid electric topologies for the water electrolyzer system and to emulate different loads (e.g., grid load profiles, solar PV input). IFE has also installed a 16 kWp PV-system on the roof of the IFE Hynor research building, which can be connected to the DC-bus on a need basis.The one-of-a-kind high-pressure PEMWE test facility at IFE is very well suited to study the performances of next-generation PEMWE stacks and systems, and to tailor and test control strategies that safeguard the system and maximizes efficiency and durability when operated using variable power based on renewable energy. The standard delivery pressure of PEMWE systems is today around 30 bar, but to realize H2-generation systems at several hundred bars there are several challenges related to system operability and safety that need to be addressed and solved. The first design of the high-pressure PEMWE test facility at IFE was first presented at a conference two years ago (EFCF 2019). The system has now been completed and commissioned with a state-of-art prototype high-pressure (350 bar) PEMWE stack with a production capacity of 2 Nm3/h. Details of the final design and operational procedures will be presented together with results and data from the first high-pressure PEMWE-stack test campaigns. Figure 1

Recent Improvements of the PV Solar Energy Generation Performance

PV solar energy is the upcoming king of the energy source in the world, which is the fastest growing, most available, sustainable, clean, and environmentally friendly renewable energy. The essential characteristic of PV solar energy is generating the maximum power at mid-day. At the same time, the energy demand is high during the daytime. Due to this, PV solar energy replaces the conventional energy demand at peak periods. The sun is the source of PV solar energy, and it changed into electricity directly by using solar cells, which are made from semiconductor materials called silicon. Therefore, PV solar energy plays a crucial role in providing usable energy, and as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, the solar energy generation systems not achieved the desired efficiency yet, because of many unsolved problems like weather conditions, losses, materials made by and so on. The aims of this paper is to review the current literature on the improvement of the PV solar energy generation system's overall performance. First, to figure out the existing challenges, like environmental factors and natural phenomena that affect the PV solar modules efficiency. Then it presents the techniques that are used to enhance the PV solar modules overall performance. Finally, to propose the best ways and techniques to improve the PV modules efficiency and suggest to further studies.

Barrier analysis of solar PV energy development in the context of Iran using fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS method

The development of renewable energy systems could be facilitated by appropriate energy policies according to the recognition of major barriers. Iran, with over 1,648,000 sq. km of suitable area and 300 sunny days per year, and over 2200 kWh/m2 of irradiation, has one of the highest potentials for utilization of solar energy on the planet. However, achieving the goals of renewable energy development based on Iranian roadmaps encounters various barriers. On the other hand, there is a research gap for conducting a comprehensive study by considering multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods and qualitative methods under uncertainty in investigating the barriers of photovoltaic developments. By combining Fuzzy MCDM methods and qualitative analysis ones, this study aims to respond to this research gap, particularly for the barriers facing Iran’s photovoltaic energy production development. This paper assesses the barriers based on Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) techniques. The Fuzzy-TOPSIS method is also used to determine how it is possible to overcome the challenges. The results imply that “messy economic situation” and “ineffective bureaucracy” are the most barriers hampering the development of photovoltaic energy production in Iran. Moreover, “Economic and financial incentives” and “mitigating bureaucratic efforts for permission approval” are the most effective solutions.