Availability Of Solar Radiation Research Articles

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential Through Clean Energy for Cement Production in India

Abstract A preliminary approach has been made to assess the concentrated solar energy applications in cement production as well as greenhouse gas mitigation potential. The work starts with identification of processes that utilize thermal energy in cement production. Then, a cluster of cement plants located at different locations in the country has been made. Also, the availability of solar radiation and wind speed at each plant location have been identified. Subsequently, the solar industrial process heating systems have been developed for different locations in the country. Further, solar reactor output, number of heliostats, total land area and mirror surface have been estimated. All these estimations are done by considering three types of thermal losses in solar reactors, i.e., 15, 30 and 45%, respectively. Solar energy can provide a total of 738.11 PJ of thermal energy, which is needed to fulfill the process heating requirement of the calcination process for the manufacturing of cement in India. Solar industrial process heating systems for cement production in India can reduce yearly CO2 emissions by 2457–7648 thousand tons.

Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System for Generating Energy to Dairy Farm Activities

Minas Gerais is the leading milk-producing state in Brazil, and many dairy activities are supplied with electricity by the cable aerial network of the electrical energy state company. Given that the Brazilian energy matrix relies primarily on hydroelectric power, studies on the potential of other renewable energy sources in the context of dairy farms are innovative. Additionally, frequent disturbances and interruptions have motivated the installation of solar energy systems on dairy farms. However, the scarcity of technical and scientific studies demonstrating the benefits of electricity generated from photovoltaic panels in Minas Gerais has caused dairy farmers to fear potential financial losses. In this study, grid-connected photovoltaic systems in dairy farms were evaluated, considering three fixed tilt angles for the panels (latitude - 10°, latitude, and latitude + 10°) and electrical energy demands of dairy activities associated with two herd sizes (100 and 150 cows). Meteorological databases and mathematical models were used to predict daily global radiation on tilted panels in dairy farms of two Brazilian municipalities of Minas Gerais State (Lavras and Paracatu). Energy consumption related to dairy activities was monitored for 12 months. For both municipalities, the best results were verified with the tilt angle of panels equal to the local latitude - 10°. The municipality with the lowest latitude (Paracatu) showed higher electricity generation potential. In all simulated scenarios, a greater energy surplus was found from late spring to early autumn (Southern Hemisphere), when the higher electricity generation by the photovoltaic panels met the elevated electrical energy demand of the dairy farms. A high energy surplus was also verified during midwinter, where lower energy consumption by the dairy farms compensated for the reduced availability of solar radiation. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other dairy farms, agricultural and urban buildings.

Solar energy feasibility for power generation in lower shire districts: A case study of Chikwawa District

Background: Electricity availability is an essential part of both economic and non-economic activities in any country. Malawi being one of the developing nations experiences a lot of challenges both in its economic and non-economic activities due to unlimited levels of electric supply in its country. This inadequacy of limited supply has remained a challenge for a longer period of time to the effect that the country Malawi for a longer period of time has an overwhelming record of blackouts and load shedding. Consequently, this has affected in a negative way the economic activities of this nation such as low productivity in the production of goods and services making livelihood a difficult. Similarly, noneconomic activities such social interactions seem to be challenging due to lack of electricity. In this regard an investigation in determining new innovations towards electricity production remained one of the most important aspects in this county of Malawi. Method: This study was conducted in Chikwawa district, Malawi, to assess the feasibility of solar energy production. The methods used include temporal variability, correlation, trend, and spatial analysis to assess solar radiation, sunshine hours, and their distribution in the area. Result: As a result, the study was established with the purpose to assess feasible regions within the country of Malawi to innovate solar energy production to boost high levels of solar energy production. This study was conducted in the lower shire district and to be specific in Chikwawa district. The objectives of the feasibility in Chikwawa district included; assessing solar radiation and sunshine hours towards solar energy production, the spatial distribution of solar radiation and sunshine hours towards solar energy production, the trend of sunshine and solar radiation towards solar production and at the end to map the areas in Chikwawa District where solar energy production could be harnessed. Through the use of temporal variability, correlation analysis, trend analysis, and spatial analysis, the findings of this investigation established that harnessing solar energy is much more possible in areas of the lower shire which is the among others include Chikwawa district of Malawi as most areas currently in this region has less places with solar energy production but with high availability of solar radiation. Conclusion: For the fact that the findings reveal more feasible places to establish solar energy production, this study recommends commitment by government and private sector to greatly establish solar energy production units in this area whilst focusing on identifying other potential areas where solar energy production can be harnessed in Malawi. In this regard, this exposition has achieved its purpose of fostering renewable energy production through innovating and investing in solar energy production. Novelty/Originality of this study: This detailed spatial and temporal analysis study has identified optimal locations for solar energy production, providing a new approach to renewable energy planning in developing countries.

Application of Satellite Data for Estimating Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Potential

Rooftop solar photovoltaics can significantly contribute to global energy transitions by providing clean, decentralized energy without the need for new land, thereby avoiding land-use conflicts. It serves as a valuable complement to other renewable-energy sources and is expected to play a crucial role in future electricity systems. Due to the spatiotemporal variability in the solar radiation on roof surfaces, it is essential to determine the potentials of the rooftop photovoltaics and its variations in specific regions. In Germany, this potential was assessed in 5 km × 5 km zones, as well as at the federal-state and national levels. High-quality satellite and reanalysis data were used to determine the power output of the solar photovoltaics. Additionally, high-resolution (2 m × 2 m) European Settlement Map data, calibrated with solar cadastre data, were utilized to evaluate different scenarios. The results show that the potential is concentrated in larger urban areas and the southwestern part of Germany due to the availability of rooftop space and solar radiation. Overall, the national rooftop areas are substantial across all scenarios, ranging from 2100 to 4500 km2. The applied methods and scenarios provide a straightforward way to reveal the spatiotemporal variability and define realistic ranges of the solar photovoltaic potential without requiring detailed information about each building. However, assessing the rooftop photovoltaic potential remains challenging and uncertain due to the lack of large-scale, high-resolution data on building characteristics and the complexity of the solar radiation distribution in urban environments.

Hydrogen refueling stations powered by hybrid PV/wind renewable energy systems: Techno-socio-economic assessment

Hydrogen is considered as an attractive alternative to fossil fuels in the transportation sector. However, the penetration of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) is hindered by the lack of hydrogen refueling station infrastructures. In this study, the feasibility of a hybrid PV/wind system for hydrogen refueling station is investigated. Refueling events data is collected in different locations including industrial, residential, highway, and tourist areas. Station Occupancy Fractions (SOF) and Social-to-Solar Fraction (STSF) indicators are developed to assess the level of synchronization between the hydrogen demand and solar potential. Then, a validated computer code is used to optimize the renewable system components for off/on-grid cases based on minimizing the Net Present Cost (NPC) and the Loss of Hydrogen Supply Probability (LHSP). For off grid cases, the results show that STSF attains maximum value in the industrial area where 0.62 fraction of refueling events occur during the sunshine hours and minimum NPC is achieved. It is observed that when STSF attains lower values of 0.52, 0.41 and 0.38 for residential, highway, and tourist areas, NPC increases by 8, 16 and 31%, respectively. This is associated with lower level of coordination between the hydrogen demand and solar potential. The same conclusion can be stated for the on-grid cases. Therefore, for green hydrogen production via solar energy utilization, it is recommended that a tariff should be applied to encourage refueling hydrogen vehicles during the availability of solar radiation while reducing the environmental impact, storage requirements, and eventually the cost of hydrogen production.

Solar Energy Potential in Pakistan: A Review

Solar Energy Potential in Pakistan: A Review

Cupric oxide nanofluid influenced parabolic trough solar collector: thermal performance evaluation

ABSTRACT The availability of solar radiation has potential for energy applications, and recently, the parabolic trough collector (PTC) plays a crucial role in heat exchanger applications. The conventional system lacked thermal performance, reducing heat transfer coefficient and thermal efficiency. With this, the main goal of the research is to attempt to enrich the overall thermal capacity of the PTC system by introducing triangular copper fins and CuO nanoparticles (10–20 nm). During the experimental evaluation, the different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%) of CuO blended with water (nanofluid) are permitted to circulate the receiver boundary configured with PTC setup 3.5 m2 at the flow rate of 0.12 kg/s. Effects of CuO nanofluid concentrations on heat gain, heat transfer coefficient, and thermal and exergy efficiency of the system are measured and spot the optimum heat gain of 689.9Wm enriched heat transfer coefficient of 172.3 W/m2K, maximum thermal and exergy efficiency of 70.9% and 37.2% respectively.

Solar-Assisted Heat Pump with Electric and Thermal Storage: The Role of Appropriate Control Strategies for the Exploitation of the Solar Source

In the EU, the building sector is responsible for 40% of the global energy consumption for final uses and 36% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Heat pumps allow for the replacement of conventional systems based on fossil fuels with the perspective of combining PV and solar thermal collectors. In order to rationalize the use of the solar source, this paper examined the self-consumption electricity share, the CO2 equivalent emissions, and the domestic hot water demand covered by renewable sources which were determined in two opposite climatic conditions. These involved both electric and thermal storage systems and considered two different control strategies. The first is commonly used for the management of air-conditioning systems, the second was specifically conceived to maximize the exploitation of the solar source. Results showed that the latter significantly reduced grid dependence in both locations, determining the direct satisfaction of 76% of the thermal and electric loads through the PV self-consumption, determined by 18 kWp of installed PV and a battery capacity of 24 kWh. In terms of equivalent CO2 emissions, when the two control strategies were compared, a remarkable reduction in emissions was registered for the latter, with percentages ranging between 8% and 36% as a function of PV surface and battery capacity. The analysis of domestic hot water supplies revealed disparities between the two localities: the colder first, relied more on heat pumps for water heating, while the warmer second, benefitted from the large availability of solar radiation.

Synthesis and Optimisation of an Integrated Renewable Energy and Greenhouse Network

This paper presents a study on the synthesis and optimisation of a renewable energy and resource supply chain network (SCN) to satisfy agricultural greenhouse resource and energy demands. This is motivated by the high costs and emissions to run greenhouses due to the resources and energy required for optimal growth conditions. The investigation aims to contribute to the growing area of research on circular practices in the agricultural sector. The SCN includes biomass from agricultural waste transported to a utility hub, consisting of water and carbon dioxide (CO2) as resource supplies, as well as a boiler and steam turbine-generator and solar photovoltaic (PV), as energy conversion technologies. The resources and energy are distributed to greenhouses. The objectives are to minimise both the total annualised costs (TAC) and environmental impact (EI), calculated as CO2 emissions of the integrated network. Multi-periodicity accounts for the monthly and daily variation in constraints on the system, such as feedstock and solar radiation availability and energy limitations. The model is applied to a case study of an agro-industrial zone in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) province, South Africa. The network meets greenhouse demands at a minimum TAC and EI of 8.052 ×106\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ imes {10}^{6}$$\\end{document} R/y and 14,370 tCO2e/y, respectively. The biomass supply chain (BSC) contributes most significantly to the TAC at 43.7% while biomass combustion makes up 99.8% of the EI. Additional key results include bagasse and corn stover being selected as the only feedstocks and rail as the transport mode. The 26,560 MWh/y of electricity supplied to the greenhouses is made up by 71.4% from the boiler and turbine-generator with the remainder from solar PV. The potential of solar PV as a clean and low-cost energy source is demonstrated by the model selection at its full capacity. The study confirms that holistic modelling and optimisation of renewable energy SCNs for greenhouses is necessary to meet a trade-off between the network costs and CO2 emissions.

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Novel Solar Dryer Integrated with Thermal Energy Storage System for Drying of Agricultural Products.

Passive solar dryers play a crucial role in reducing postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables, especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa with low electrification rates and limited financial resources. However, the intermittent nature of solar energy presents a significant challenge for these dryers. Passive solar dryers integrated with thermal energy storage (TES) can reduce intermittence and improve the drying efficiency. Currently, phase change materials (PCMs) are popular heat storage materials in dryers, and paraffin wax dominates. The main problem with the use of PCMs is that it is necessary to closely constrain the temperature range of the process during charging and discharging. This can be a difficult condition to meet in simple solar dryers due to the variable availability of solar radiation. Instead, solid-phase materials, such as sand and rocks, are often used. Soapstone is one of the natural rocks with good thermal properties, but it has yet to be used as a TES material in solar dryers for drying agricultural products. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to develop a novel solar dryer integrated with soapstone as a TES material and evaluate its performance. The proximate analysis to examine the quality of dried products using the developed technology was also carried out. The comparative experiments for the developed dryer were conducted in two modes: dryer with TES materials and without TES materials, and the results were compared with open sun drying (OSD) by drying 50 kg of fresh pineapple and carrot at different times. The drying times for pineapples in the dryer with TES, without TES, and OSD were 13, 24, and 52 h, respectively. However, the drying times for carrots in the dryer with TES, without TES, and OSD were 12, 23, and 50 h, respectively. Notably, the dryer integrated with TES materials could supply heat for around 3-4 h after sunset. The thermal efficiency of the dryer, collector efficiency, and storage efficiency of TES materials were calculated and found to be 45, 43, and 74.5%, respectively. Proximate analysis indicated that the dryer integrated with TES materials effectively maintained the quality of the dried products compared to OSD. Solar dryer integrated with soapstone showed great promise as sustainable and efficient solutions for reducing postharvest losses and enhancing food security in resource-constrained regions like sub-Saharan Africa.

Analysis of the solar radiation/atmosphere interaction at a Mediterranean site: The role of clouds

This study is the last of a series of three research papers analysing the solar radiation and its interaction with the atmospheric components spanning an eleven-year period (2008–2018) at a mid-latitude urban site in the Mediterranean basin. During the previous works a detailed characterization of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm), as well as analysis the aerosol and clouds effects on PAR was carried out. This research work addresses an analysis of solar radiation on the total solar irradiance spectrum (TSI; 280–3000 nm) in terms of the effects of different atmospheric conditions on it, considered by the clearness index and the cloud cover, bringing very valuable findings from the long-term comparative analysis of radiative effects of clouds on TSI and PAR wavelength ranges. The average values in the entire period of the study for the global solar radiation in the total solar irradiance (TSIGlobal) found to be 450 ± 100 Wm−2 and 530 ± 110 Wm−2 under all and clear- sky conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, the average values for the diffuse component (TSIDiffuse) are 141 ± 21 Wm−2 and 130 ± 21 Wm−2 (all and clear skies, respectively), with a relatively low interannual variation up to 11% for both global and diffuse TSI, as well as for both sky conditions. Analysis on the total cloud cover (TCC) shows that the clearness index is not a good parameter to discriminate between all and clear sky conditions, since there is a marked overlap in the ranges of the kt values for the different categories of TCC. Additionally, the cloud radiative forcing (CRF) are computed as the difference in solar radiation measured under all and clear sky conditions. A high seasonal variability is found for CRF, where CRFTSI,Global ranges between −37.6 Wm−2 and -137.4 Wm−2, while CRFTSI,Diffuse from 4.4 Wm−2 to 22.6 Wm−2. The positive sign implies increase in solar radiation at the surface, while the negative one implies the opposite, i.e., less availability of solar radiation on the surface. Finally, the analysis of the annual evolution of CRF reveals a downward trend on CRFTSI and CRFPAR, for both global and diffuse This relevant finding implies that clouds are exerting less cooling effects over time at this Mediterranean site.

Numerical Evaluation of the Benefits Provided by the Ground Thermal Inertia to Urban Greenhouses

Communities operating urban greenhouses need affordable solutions to reduce their heating consumption. The objective of this study was to compare the ability of different simple ground-based solutions to reduce the heating energy consumption of relatively small urban greenhouses operated all year round in a cold climate. An urban greenhouse located in Montreal (Canada) and its thermal interactions with the ground were modeled with the TRNSYS 18 software. The following greenhouse scenarios were simulated: partially insulating the walls, partially burying the greenhouse below the ground level, reducing the inside setpoint temperature, and using an air–soil heat exchanger (ASHE) or a ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP). The heat exchangers for the last two cases were assumed to be located underneath the greenhouse to minimize footprint. The results showed that reducing the setpoint temperature by 10 °C and burying the greenhouse 2 m below the surface has the most impact on fuel consumption (−33% to −53%), while geothermal systems with a limited footprint (ASHE and GCHP) can reduce the fuel consumption by 21–35% and 18–27%, respectively, depending on the soil thermal conductivity and ground heat injection during summer. The scenarios do not provide the same benefits and have different implications on solar radiation availability, growth temperature, electrical consumption, and operation that must be considered when selecting a proper solution.

Technical and economic viability of using solar thermal energy for microalgae drying

The solar thermal energy is evaluated to microalgae drying active processes as an alternative more economical and sustainable than conventional methods such as spray-dryer. A case study of microalgae production in a 10,000 m2 raceway reactor was considered where the biomass production capacity per year was calculated based on previously existing models, thus as the heat required. Different designs, configurations and operation modes of solar collectors were studied. Due to the parallel variation of biomass production and solar radiation availability throughout the year, the optimal solution was to design the solar collector for the summer season, the operation mode was optimized, thus the utilization of auxiliary energy systems and air recirculation being analysed. The final design considers the utilization of solar air collectors operating in a recirculation mode. At these conditions, it is possible to completely supply the required heat by using a 200 m2 surface collector, the operation in recirculation mode allowing to save up to 30% of the collectors’s surface required. The techno-economic analysis demonstrates that the utilization of the proposed system avoid the utilization of fossil energy, moreover the cost of the drying step reduces to 1.16 €/kg versus a cost of 2.37 €/kg for conventional spray dryers. Thus, it is demonstrated that the utilization of thermal solar energy is an opportunity to improve sustainability and economy of microalgae drying process.

Availability, sustainability and accessibility of agro crop residue production and solar radiation in Egypt for producing highly chemical products through pyrolysis processes

AbstractThis study examines the large amount of agricultural waste produced in Egypt between 2010 and 2019 by analysing data from various departments within the Agriculture Ministry. It also provides a comprehensive database on the biomass available from agricultural waste in Egypt and its potential applications for producing power, heat and chemical products. When biomass-pyrolysis systems powered by solar energy are used, research demonstrates the potential to convert agricultural waste into a variety of chemical compounds. This approach utilizes solar energy, a clean and renewable source, and has wide-ranging industrial and power generation applications. Despite Egypt’s reliance on agriculture, the country currently utilizes little biomass for energy production and has not previously used it as a source for creating chemical products, which could potentially save on the imported oil used in these industries. The findings of the study are graphically presented using histograms, pie charts, etc. The overall production of residues reached the 30-Mt level in 2019. Because it contains the most rice-cultivated land, Dakahlia (Lower Egypt region) produces the highest percentage of the total residue (37.17%). Qena governorate (Upper Egypt region) produces 1.14 metric tons of residues, with sugarcane accounting for 20.3% of the total.

Temporal Variability of Solar Energy Availability in the Conditions of the Southern Region of Mozambique

The use of photovoltaic solar energy is affected by variations in the availability of solar radiation, which creates stability in solar panels. In our case, the need arose to study the temporal variability of solar energy in the southern region of Mozambique. This was followed by a descriptive sequence, applying the analytical method for the classification of days and the analysis of the day’s variability of clear, cloudy and intermediate skies in the data from three regional stations. The results show that it was mostly on clear sky days (44.64%), enhancing the use of solar energy. Statistical analysis of the frequency density variability shows that days with intermediate skies have a similar behavior, however they present a smooth decrease, because for variation of clear sky index ∆Kt* in the interval [-2,2] it is higher. The values of Kt* vary between 0.3342–1.2764, the minimum is observed in the month of July and the maximum in December and the variations during the daily course of the Kt* determined according to its standard deviation show such suitability to the model adopted for the calculation of global irradiation under the clear sky, as an appropriate choice of time interval and amplitude for the study of variations.

Effects of erect panicle genotype and environment interactions on rice yield and yield components

The dense and erect panicle (EP) genotype conferred by DEP1 has been widely used in the high-yield breeding of Chinese japonica rice varieties. However, the breeding value of the EP genotype has rarely been determined at the plant population level. As such, in this study, we aimed to identify the effect of the interaction of EP genotype and environment at different locations and times on rice yield and its various components. We grew two sets of near-isogenic lines (NILs) of EP and non-EP (NEP) genotypes with Liaojing 5 (LG5) and Akitakomachi (AKI) backgrounds in the field in 2016 and 2017 in Shenyang, China, and Kyoto, Japan. In 2018, these sets were grown only in Kyoto, Japan. The average yields of EP and NEP genotypes were 6.67 and 6.13 t ha−1 for the AKI background, and 6.66 and 6.58 t ha−1 for the LG 5 background, respectively. EP genotype positively affected panicle number (PN) and grain number per square meter (GNPM), mostly resulting in a positive effect on harvest index (HI). In contrast, the EP genotype exerted a negative effect on thousand-grain weight (KGW). The ratio of the performance of the EP genotype relative to the NEP genotype in terms of yield and total biomass correlated positively with mean daily solar radiation during a 40-day period around heading. We found the effectiveness of the EP genotype depends on the availability of solar radiation, and its effect is consistently positive for sink formation, conditional in terms of source capacity, and positive in a high-radiation environment.

Recent Developments in Noble Metal-Free Catalysts for a Photocatalytic Water Splitting Process—A Review

Sustainable hydrogen production is an essential prerequisite of a future hydrogen economy. Compared to other processes such as renewable energy-driven water electrolysis and photoelectrochemical water splitting, direct solar to hydrogen conversion through photocatalytic water splitting gives the simplest system for sustainable hydrogen production. Among the many factors to be considered such as the availability of solar radiation, gas collection mechanism and other infrastructure, a highly active noble metal-free photocatalyst is essential to make the water splitting process more energy efficient and economical. This review highlights the mechanism and factors hindering the efficiency of catalysts in photocatalytic water splitting, while discussing recent research efforts towards the development of highly efficient, noble metal-free photocatalysts, especially at the nanoscale, and their catalytic properties for water splitting. Mainly, catalysts consisting of TiO2, Z-schemed catalytic systems and naval computational approaches are discussed here. Moreover, techniques to enhance their catalytic activities and the developments required for the implementation of these photocatalytic systems at a commercial scale are further emphasized in the discussion section.

Investigations on Solar Powered Vapour Absorption Refrigeration based Air Conditioning

A solar-operated vapor absorption refrigeration cycle is environment-friendly refrigeration system that holds the potential to be used for refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Such a system requires a solar concentrator to run the vapor absorption refrigeration cycle using LiBr-H2O-based refrigeration/air conditioner for small capacity applications. With the solar-powered pumping process, this refrigeration system becomes completely free from electricity requirements. However, the limitations of all time solar radiation availability, low-pressure maintenance requirement of the LiBr-H2O system, low efficiency, and low COP as compared to other vapour compression refrigeration based air conditioning system are the key deterrents. In the present study, the modeling and analysis of various components used in the proposed arrangement of solar vapor absorption refrigeration - air conditioning system has been carried out to improve the performance It is seen that altering the geometrical property of the bubble pump, as well as heat input through a solar concentrating collector, use of hydrogen as a third fluid increases the rate of evaporation which in turn increases the cooling effect as well as COP of the cycle. At 54% concentration of LiBr and 4.5kW heat input, the COP of the proposed layout is found to be 0.61.

A New Approach to Air Conditioning System Using the Photovoltaic System in Combination With Electricity – Driven Heat Pump and Vapor Compression Chiller

Solar cooling systems have the benefit of the correlation between hours of cooling demand and the availability of solar radiation which can help to minimize electricity usage in buildings. Cooling and/or heating are the major requirements in houses, depending on local climatic conditions and construction style. As well as the impacts of global warming and climate change, air conditioning and refrigeration demands have risen. The development of cooling by using green energies, such as solar panels, is also a crucial solution for electricity and environmental problems. In this research, a solar air conditioning system using pv- vapor compression chiller is proposed. The objectives of this research is to design a system structure to reduce the energy consumption and electricity bill, investigate the performance of the proposed structure through simulation software, implement a hardware prototype based on the proposed design, and to evaluate the simulation and implementation data to validate the experimental results. Finally the data will be validating by the results from other works and simulation as well. DOI: 10.7176/JETP/13-1-04 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Study on three transparent hydrophobic coatings for water saving potential

Many of the potential locations around the world with high solar radiation availability lie in semi-arid or arid areas where dust and water scarcity are major concerns. Dust deposition on solar thermal collectors as well as solar photovoltaic (PV) modules results in reduction in efficiency over time. Cleaning of dust from solar systems involves use of large quantity of water, which poses a problem for already water starved areas. Present work focuses on the study of hydrophobic coatings for reduction in dust deposition and saving of water used in cleaning dust. In the present study three commercially available transparent hydrophobic coatings were coated on glass substrates and one uncoated glass substrate was used as reference. The transmittance of the three coated samples was tested through UV–Vis spectrophotometer. Experiments were performed on the samples for dust deposition and cleaning with water. From the experiments it is found that the samples coated with hydrophobic coatings had lesser dust deposition and the water required for cleaning is also less as compared to the uncoated sample. The water savings for the three coatings is in the range 30 to 67% as compared to the uncoated sample.