Numerical analysis of using hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar water heater in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Mohammadi Sarduei

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Electrical performance of solar cells decreases with increasing cell temperature, basically because of growth of the internal charge carrier recombination rates, caused by increased carrier concentrations. Hybrid Photovoltaic/thermal (PVT systems produce electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. PVT solar collectors convert the heat generated in the solar cells to low temperature useful heat energy and so they provide a lower working temperature for solar cells which subsequently leads to a higher electrical efficiency. Recently, in Iran, the reforming government policy in subsidy and increasing fossil fuels price led to growing an interest in use of renewable energies for residual and industrial applications. In spite of this, the PV power generator investment is not economically feasible, so far. Hybrid PVT devices are well known as an alternative method to improve energy performance and therefore economic feasibility of the conventional PV systems. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of a PVT solar water heater in four different cities of Iran using TRNSYS program. Materials and Methods The designed PVT solar water system consists of two separate water flow circuits namely closed cycle and open circuit. The closed cycle circuit was comprised of a solar PVT collector (with nominal power of 880 W and area of 5.6 m2, a heat exchanger in the tank (with volume of 300 L, a pump and connecting pipes. The water stream in the collector absorbs the heat accumulated in the solar cells and delivers it to the water in the tank though the heat exchanger. An on/off controller system was used to activate the pump when the collector outlet temperature was higher than that of the tank in the closed cycle circuit. The water in the open circuit, comes from city water at low temperature, enters in the lower part of the storage tank where the heat transfer occurs between the two separate circuits. An auxiliary heater, connected

Integration of photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal technologies for H2 production by the hybrid sulfur cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Liberatore, Raffaele; Ferrara, Mariarosaria; Lanchi, Michela; Turchetti, Luca

2017-06-01

It is widely agreed that hydrogen used as energy carrier and/or storage media may significantly contribute in the reduction of emissions, especially if produced by renewable energy sources. The Hybrid Sulfur (HyS) cycle is considered as one of the most promising processes to produce hydrogen through the water-splitting process. The FP7 project SOL2HY2 (Solar to Hydrogen Hybrid Cycles) investigates innovative material and process solutions for the use of solar heat and power in the HyS process. A significant part of the SOL2HY2 project is devoted to the analysis and optimization of the integration of the solar and chemical (hydrogen production) plants. In this context, this work investigates the possibility to integrate different solar technologies, namely photovoltaic, solar central receiver and solar troughs, to optimize their use in the HyS cycle for a green hydrogen production, both in the open and closed process configurations. The analysis carried out accounts for different combinations of geographical location and plant sizing criteria. The use of a sulfur burner, which can serve both as thermal backup and SO2 source for the open cycle, is also considered.

Thin Film Photovoltaic/Thermal Solar Panels

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

David JOHNSTON

2008-01-01

A solar panel is described.in which thin films of semiconductor are deposited onto a metal substrate.The semiconductor-metal combination forms a thin film photovoltaic cell,and also acts as a reflector,absorber tandem, which acts as a solar selective surface,thus enhancing the solar thermal performance of the collector plate.The use of thin films reduces the distance heat is required to flow from the absorbing surface to the metal plate and heat exchange conduits.Computer modelling demonstrated that,by suitable choice of materials,photovohaic efficiency call be maintained,with thermal performance slishtly reduced,compared to that for thermal-only panels.By grading the absorber layer-to reduce the band gap in the lower region-the thermal performance can be improved,approaching that for a thermal-only solar panel.

Design, modeling and performance analysis of dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal hybrid module in the cold environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Sonveer; Agrawal, Sanjay; Avasthi, D.V.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal modeling of novel dual channel semitransparent PVT hybrid module. • Exergy and carbon credit analysis has been performed. • Annual performance has been evaluated for Srinagar (India). • There are improvements in results for case-I as compared to case-II. - Abstract: In this work, thermal modeling and performance analysis of the dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (DCSPVT) module has been carried out. For extracting heat associated with the lower and upper surface of the solar cell, two channels have been proposed; (i) one is above the solar cell called upper channel and (ii) second is below the solar cell called lower channel. Firstly, thermal modeling of DCSPVT module has been developed. After that, performance analysis of the above system has been carried out for Srinagar, Indian climatic condition. Performance in terms of electrical gain (EG), thermal gain (TG), overall exergy gain (OEG), overall thermal gain (OTG), electrical efficiency (EE) and overall exergy efficiency (OEE) of the DCSPVT module (case-I) have been compared with single channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (SCSPVT) hybrid module (case-II). The average improvement in EG, TG, OEG, OTG of the case-I have been observed by 71.51%, 34.57%, 5.78% and 35.41% respectively as compared to case-II.

Hybrid solar collector using nonimaging optics and photovoltaic components

Science.gov (United States)

Winston, Roland; Yablonovitch, Eli; Jiang, Lun; Widyolar, Bennett K.; Abdelhamid, Mahmoud; Scranton, Gregg; Cygan, David; Kozlov, Alexandr

2015-08-01

The project team of University of California at Merced (UC-M), Gas Technology Institute, and Dr. Eli Yablonovitch of University of California at Berkeley developed a novel hybrid concentrated solar photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) collector using nonimaging optics and world record single-junction Gallium arsenide (GaAs) PV components integrated with particle laden gas as thermal transfer and storage media, to simultaneously generate electricity and high temperature dispatchable heat. The collector transforms a parabolic trough, commonly used in CSP plants, into an integrated spectrum-splitting device. This places a spectrum-sensitive topping element on a secondary reflector that is registered to the thermal collection loop. The secondary reflector transmits higher energy photons for PV topping while diverting the remaining lower energy photons to the thermal media, achieving temperatures of around 400°C even under partial utilization of the solar spectrum. The collector uses the spectral selectivity property of Gallium arsenide (GaAs) cells to maximize the exergy output of the system, resulting in an estimated exergy efficiency of 48%. The thermal media is composed of fine particles of high melting point material in an inert gas that increases heat transfer and effectively stores excess heat in hot particles for later on-demand use.

Photovoltaic. Solar thermal. Solar thermal electricity;Le Photovoltaique. Le solaire thermique. L'heliothermodynamique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

The year 2008 was excellent for solar energy in the European Union. The growth of the installed capacity for photovoltaic was +159% (it means +4747.018 MW) to reach 9689.952 MW and that for solar thermal was +51.5% (it means +3172.5 MW) to reach 19982.7 MW. Worldwide concentrated solar thermal capacity stood at 679 MW in 2009, while this figure may seem low, the sector has a promising future ahead of it. (A.C.)

Thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system analysis using neural networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashhab, S. [Hashemite Univ., Zarqa (Jordan). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2007-07-01

The energy demand in Jordan is primarily met by petroleum products. As such, the development of renewable energy systems is quite attractive. In particular, solar energy is a promising renewable energy source in Jordan and has been used for food canning, paper production, air-conditioning and sterilization. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have received significant attention due to their capabilities in forecasting, modelling of complex nonlinear systems and control. ANNs have been used for forecasting solar energy. This paper presented a study that examined a thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system that was built in Jordan. Historical input-output system data that was collected experimentally was used to train an ANN that predicted the collector, PV module, pump and total efficiencies. The model predicted the efficiencies well and can therefore be utilized to find the operating conditions of the system that will produce the maximum system efficiencies. The paper provided a description of the photovoltaic solar system including equations for PV module efficiency; pump efficiency; and total efficiency. The paper also presented data relevant to the system performance and neural networks. The results of a neural net model were also presented based on the thermal PV solar integrated system data that was collected. It was concluded that the neural net model of the thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system set the background for achieving the best system performance. 10 refs., 6 figs.

Coupled thermal model of photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid panel for sample cities in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rezaniakolaei, Alireza; Sera, Dezso; Rosendahl, Lasse Aistrup

2016-01-01

of the hybrid system under different weather conditions. The model takes into account solar irradiation, wind speed and ambient temperature as well as convective and radiated heat losses from the front and rear surfaces of the panel. The model is developed for three sample cities in Europe with different......In general, modeling of photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV/TEG) hybrid panels have been mostly simplified and disconnected from the actual ambient conditions and thermal losses from the panel. In this study, a thermally coupled model of PV/TEG panel is established to precisely predict performance...... weather conditions. The results show that radiated heat loss from the front surface and the convective heat loss due to the wind speed are the most critical parameters on performance of the hybrid panel performance. The results also indicate that, with existing thermoelectric materials, the power...

Exergy analysis of integrated photovoltaic thermal solar water heater under constant flow rate and constant collection temperature modes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tiwari, A.; Dubey, Swapnil; Sandhu, G.S.; Sodha, M.S.; Anwar, S.I.

2009-01-01

In this communication, an analytical expression for the water temperature of an integrated photovoltaic thermal solar (IPVTS) water heater under constant flow rate hot water withdrawal has been obtained. Analysis is based on basic energy balance for hybrid flat plate collector and storage tank,

The possibility of developing hybrid PV/T solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrnjac, M.; Zivkovic, P.; Babic, V.

2017-05-01

An alternative and cost-effective solution to developing integrated PV system is to use hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar system. The temperature of PV modules increases due to the absorbed solar radiation that is not converted into electricity, causing a decrease in their efficiency. In hybrid PV/T solar systems the reduction of PV module temperature can be combined with a useful fluid heating. In this paper we present the possibility of developing a new hybrid PV/T solar system. Hybrid PV/T system can provide electrical and thermal energy, thus achieving a higher energy conversion rate of the absorbed solar radiation. We developed PV/T prototype consisted of commercial PV module and thermal panel with our original solution of aluminium absorber with special geometric shapes. The main advantages of our combined PV/T system are: removing of heat from the PV panel; extending the lifetime of photovoltaic cells; excess of the removing heat from PV part is used to heat the fluid in the thermal part of the panel; the possibility of using on the roof and facade constructions because less weight.

Theoretical Analysis of Two Novel Hybrid Thermoelectric-Photovoltaic Systems Based on Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzi, Bruno; Contento, Gaetano; Sabatelli, Vincenzo; Rizzo, Antonella; Narducci, Dario

2017-03-01

The development and commercialization of Photovoltaic (PV) cells with good cost-efficiency trade-off not using critical raw materials (CRMs) is one of the strategies chosen by the European Community (EC) to address the Energy Roadmap 2050. In this context Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cells are attracting a major interest since they have the potential to combine low price with relatively high conversion efficiencies. Although a ≈9% lab scale efficiency has already been reported for CZTS this technology is still far from being competitive in terms of cost per peak-power (€/Wp) with other common materials. One possible near-future solution to increase the CZTS competiveness comes from thermoelectrics. Actually it has already been shown that Hybrid Thermoelectric-Photovoltaic Systems (HTEPVs) based on CIGS, another kesterite very similar to CZTS, can lead to a significant efficiency improvement. However it has been also clarified how the optimal hybridization strategy cannot come from the simple coupling of solar cells with commercial TEGs, but special layouts have to be implemented. Furthermore, since solar cell performances are well known to decrease with temperature, thermal decoupling strategies of the PV and TEG sections have to be taken. To address these issues, we developed a model for two different HTEPV solutions, both coupled with CZTS solar cells. In the first case we considered a Thermally-Coupled HTEPV device (TC-HTEPV) in which the TEG is placed underneath the solar cell and in thermal contact with it. The second system consists instead of an Optically-Coupled but thermally decoupled device (OC-HTEPV) in which part of the solar spectrum is focused by a non-imaging optical concentrator on the TEG hot side. For both solutions the model returns conversion efficiencies higher than that of the CZTS solar cell alone. Specifically, increases of ≈30% are predicted for both kind of systems considered.

Solar photovoltaic/thermal residential experiment. Phase I. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darkazalli, G.

1980-07-01

Month-by-month energy transfer data between an occupied residence and its energy supply systems are presented. The data were obtained during the first phase of photovoltaic/thermal residential research conducted at the University of Texas at Arlington/Solar Energy Research Facility. This research was part of the US Department of Energy Photovoltaic/Thermal Project managed by the M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory. Energy transfer data are divided into different categories depending on how the energy is consumed. Energy transfers between some system components are also categorized. These components include a flat-plate thermal collector array, a flat-plate photovoltaic array, a dc-to-ac inverter, thermal storage tanks, and a series heat pump. System operations included directing surplus electrical energy (generated by the photovoltaic array) into the local utility grid. The heat pump used off-peak utility power to chill water during the cooling season.

Exergy analysis of photovoltaic solar collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sopian, K.; Othman, M.Y.Hj.

1998-01-01

The exergy analysis (availability or second law analysis) is applied to the photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Photovoltaic thermal collector is a special type of solar collector where electricity and heat are produced simultaneously. The electricity produced from the photovoltaic thermal collector is all converted into useful work. The available quantity of the heat collected can readily be determined by taking into account both the quantity (heat quantity) and quality ( a function of temperature) of the thermal energy. Therefore, using the concept of exergy allows heat produced from the thermal collector and the electricity generated from the photovoltaic cells to be compared or to be evaluated on the basis of a common measure such as the effectiveness on solar energy collection or the total amount of available energy. In this paper, the effectiveness of solar energy collection is called combined photovoltaic thermal exergy efficiency. An experimental setup of a double pas photovoltaic thermal solar collector has been deigned, fabricated and tested. (author)

Design and Research of the Movable Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lian Zhang

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, with the development of photovoltaic system and photo-thermal system technology, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT technology has been a breakthrough in many aspects. This paper describes the movable hybrid PVT system from the aspects of appearance structure, energy flow, and control circuit. The system is equipped with rolling wheels and the simulated light sources also can be removed so that the system can be used in the outdoor conditions. The movable system is also suitable for the PVT system and its related applications without any external power supply. This system combines two technologies: photovoltaic power generation and photo-thermal utilization. The first part of the power supply is for the systems own output power supply, and the second part is for generating thermal energy. The two separate parts can be controlled and monitored respectively through the control circuits and the touch screens. The experimental results show that the system can generate 691 kWh electric energy and 3047.8 kWh thermal energy each year under normal working conditions. The efficiency of the proposed movable hybrid PVT system is calculated to be approximately 42.82% using the revised equations that are proposed in this paper. Therefore, the movable hybrid PVT system can meet the daily demands of hot water and electricity power in remote areas or islands and other non-grid areas. It also can be used to conduct experiment tests for the PVT system.

Efficiency maximization and performance evaluation of hybrid dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal module using fuzzyfied genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Sonveer; Agrawal, Sanjay

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal modeling of novel dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal hybrid module. • Efficiency maximization and performance evaluation of dual channel photovoltaic thermal module. • Annual performance has been evaluated for Srinagar, Jodhpur, Bangalore and New Delhi (India). • There are improvements in results for optimized system as compared to un-optimized system. - Abstract: The work has been carried out in two steps; firstly the parameters of hybrid dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal module has been optimized using a fuzzyfied genetic algorithm. During the course of optimization, overall exergy efficiency is considered as an objective function and different design parameters of the proposed module have been optimized. Fuzzy controller is used to improve the performance of genetic algorithms and the approach is called as a fuzzyfied genetic algorithm. In the second step, the performance of the module has been analyzed for four cities of India such as Srinagar, Bangalore, Jodhpur and New Delhi. The performance of the module has been evaluated for daytime 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM and annually from January to December. It is to be noted that, an average improvement occurs in electrical efficiency of the optimized module, simultaneously there is also a reduction in solar cell temperature as compared to un-optimized module.

Life cycle energy metrics and CO 2 credit analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal greenhouse dryer

OpenAIRE

P. Barnwal; G. N. Tiwari

2008-01-01

In this paper, life cycle energy metrics, such as energy payback time (EPBT), energy production factor (EPF) and life cycle conversion efficiency (LCCE), and mitigation of CO 2 emissions for a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) greenhouse dryer have been analyzed. The hybrid PV/T greenhouse (roof type even span) dryer, designed and constructed at Solar Energy Park, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi (28°35′N, 77°12′E, 216 m above MSL), India, has a 2.50 m × 2.60 m floor area, 1.80 m ce...

Design and development of hybrid energy generator (photovoltaics) with solar tracker

Science.gov (United States)

Mohiuddin, A. K. M.; Sabarudin, Mohamad Syabil Bin; Khan, Ahsan Ali; Izan Ihsan, Sany

2017-03-01

This paper is the outcome of a small scale hybrid energy generator (hydro and photovoltaic) project. It contains the photovoltaics part of the project. The demand of energy resources is increasing day by day. That is why people nowadays tend to move on and changes their energy usage from using fossil fuels to a cleaner and green energy like hydro energy, solar energy etc. Nevertheless, energy is hard to come by for people who live in remote areas and also campsites in the remote areas which need continuous energy sources to power the facilities. Thus, the purpose of this project is to design and develop a small scale hybrid energy generator to help people that are in need of power. This main objective of this project is to develop and analyze the effectiveness of solar trackers in order to increase the electricity generation from solar energy. Software like Solidworks and Arduino is used to sketch and construct the design and also to program the microcontroller respectively. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the designed solar tracker sytem.

Recent advances in flat plate photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibrahim, Adnan; Othman, Mohd Yusof; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz; Mat, Sohif; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman [Solar Energy Research Institute Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2011-01-15

Flat plate photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collector produces both thermal energy and electricity simultaneously. This paper presents the state-of-the-art on flat plate PV/T collector classification, design and performance evaluation of water, air and combination of water and/or air based. This review also covers the future development of flat plate PV/T solar collector on building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) applications. Different designs feature and performance of flat plate PV/T solar collectors have been compared and discussed. Future research and development (R and D) works have been elaborated. The tube and sheet design is the simplest and easiest to be manufactured, even though, the efficiency is 2% lower compared to other types of collectors such as, channel, free flow and two-absorber. It is clear from the review that for both air and water based PV/T solar collectors, the important key factors that influenced the efficiency of the system are the area where the collector covered, the number of passes and the gap between the absorber collector and solar cells. From the literature review, it is obvious that the flat plate PV/T solar collector is an alternative promising system for low-energy applications in residential, industrial and commercial buildings. Other possible areas for the future works of BIPVT are also mentioned. (author)

Photovoltaic-Thermal New Technology Demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dean, Jesse [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McNutt, Peter [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lisell, Lars [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Burch, Jay [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jones, Dennis [Group14 Engineering, Inc., Denver, CO (United States); Heinicke, David [Group14 Engineering, Inc., Denver, CO (United States)

2015-01-01

Photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) hybrid solar systems offer increased electricity production by cooling the PV panel, and using the removed thermal energy to heat water - all in the same footprint as a standard PV system. GPG's assessment of the nation's first large-scale PV-T system installed at the Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building in Boston, MA, provided numerous lessons learned in system design, and identified a target market of locations with high utility costs and electric hot water backup.

Performance Study of Photovoltaic-Thermal (Pv/T) Solar Collector with ·-Grooved Absorber Plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Yusof Othman; Hafidz Ruslan; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Jin, G.L.

2009-01-01

A hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar collector has been designed, built and its performance has been studied. The advantage of the collector is that it can generate electricity and heat simultaneously. Photovoltaic module SHARP NE-80E2EA with maximum output power of 80 W was used to generate electricity. The module also acts as heat absorber of the collector. Single pass ·-groove collector made of aluminium sheet with 0.7 mm thickness has been used to collect heat generated. Study was conducted under a designed halogen lamps solar simulator with intensities set at 386 ± 8 Wm -2 and 817 ± 8 Wm -2 . The speed of air passing through the collector was set between (69.6 ± 2.2) x 10 -4 kg/s to (695.8 ± 2.2) x 10 -4 kg/s. The objective of the study is to compare the performance of PV/T collector with and without ·-groove absorber. The study found that the PV/T collector with ·-groove absorber plate has higher efficiency than the PV/T without ·-groove absorber. The electrical and thermal efficiencies are also increased when radiation intensity and speed of air increase. (author)

MATLAB Simulation of Photovoltaic and Photovoltaic/Thermal Systems Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Nasir, Farah H. M.; Husaini, Yusnira

2018-03-01

The efficiency of the photovoltaic reduces when the photovoltaic cell temperature increased due to solar irradiance. One solution is come up with the cooling system photovoltaic system. This combination is forming the photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) system. Not only will it generate electricity also heat at the same time. The aim of this research is to focus on the modeling and simulation of photovoltaic (PV) and photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) electrical performance by using single-diode equivalent circuit model. Both PV and PV/T models are developed in Matlab/Simulink. By providing the cooling system in PV/T, the efficiency of the system can be increased by decreasing the PV cell temperature. The maximum thermal, electrical and total efficiency values of PV/T in the present research are 35.18%, 15.56% and 50.74% at solar irradiance of 400 W/m2, mass flow rate of 0.05kgs-1 and inlet temperature of 25 °C respectively has been obtained. The photovoltaic-thermal shows that the higher efficiency performance compared to the photovoltaic system.

Predicting the performance of amorphous and crystalline silicon based photovoltaic solar thermal collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daghigh, Ronak; Ibrahim, Adnan; Jin, Goh Li; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman

2011-01-01

BIPVT is an application where solar PV/T modules are integrated into the building structure. System design parameters such as thermal conductivity and fin efficiency, type of cells, type of coolant and operating conditions are factors which influence the performance of BIPVT. Attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of building-integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT). A new design concept of water-based PVT collector for building-integrated applications has been designed and evaluated. The results of simulation study of amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV/T and crystalline silicon (c-Si) module types are based on the metrological condition of Malaysia for a typical day in March. At a flow rate of 0.02 kg/s, solar radiation level between 700 and 900 W/m 2 and ambient temperature between 22 and 32 o C, the electrical, thermal and combined photovoltaic thermal efficiencies for the PV/T (a-Si) were 4.9%, 72% and 77%, respectively. Moreover, the electrical, thermal and combined photovoltaic thermal efficiencies of the PV/T (c-Si) were 11.6%, 51% and 63%.

Performance investigation of a concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system with transmissive Fresnel solar concentrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Chaoqing; Zheng, Hongfei; Wang, Rui; Ma, Xinglong

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A common design method of a cycloidal transmissive Fresnel solar concentrator was presented. • The gallium arsenide high concentrated solar was used as the receiver. • High efficiency of electric generating could be achieved at noon. • Fresnel solar concentrator was studied and compared in hazy weather and clear weather. - Abstract: A design method of a cycloidal transmissive Fresnel solar concentrator which can provide a certain width focal line was presented in this study. Based on the optical principle of refraction, the dimensions of each wedge-shaped element of Fresnel lens are calculated. An optical simulation has been done to obtain the optical efficiency of the concentrator for different tracking error and axial incidence angle. It has been found that about 80% of the incident sunlight can still be gathered by the absorber when the tracking error is within 0.7°. When the axial angle of incidence is within 10°, it almost has no influence to the receiving rate. The concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system with transmissive Fresnel solar concentrator has been designed in this paper. Take the gallium arsenide high concentrated battery as the receiver, experimental research about cylindrical Fresnel concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system is undertaken in the real sky. Main parameters are tested such as the temperature distribution on receiver, electric energy and thermal energy outputs of concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system, the efficiency of multipurpose utilization of electric and heat, and so on. The test results in clear weather show that maximum electric generating efficiency is about 18% at noon, the maximum heat receiving rate of cooling water is about 45%. At noon time (11:00–13:00), the total efficiency of thermal and electricity can reach more than 55%. Performance of this concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system with transmissive Fresnel solar concentrator is studied and compared in two types typical weather, hazy

Stillwater Hybrid Geo-Solar Power Plant Optimization Analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wendt, Daniel S.; Mines, Gregory L.; Turchi, Craig S.; Zhu, Guangdong; Cohan, Sander; Angelini, Lorenzo; Bizzarri, Fabrizio; Consoli, Daniele; De Marzo, Alessio

2015-09-02

The Stillwater Power Plant is the first hybrid plant in the world able to bring together a medium-enthalpy geothermal unit with solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems. Solar field and power plant models have been developed to predict the performance of the Stillwater geothermal / solar-thermal hybrid power plant. The models have been validated using operational data from the Stillwater plant. A preliminary effort to optimize performance of the Stillwater hybrid plant using optical characterization of the solar field has been completed. The Stillwater solar field optical characterization involved measurement of mirror reflectance, mirror slope error, and receiver position error. The measurements indicate that the solar field may generate 9% less energy than the design value if an appropriate tracking offset is not employed. A perfect tracking offset algorithm may be able to boost the solar field performance by about 15%. The validated Stillwater hybrid plant models were used to evaluate hybrid plant operating strategies including turbine IGV position optimization, ACC fan speed and turbine IGV position optimization, turbine inlet entropy control using optimization of multiple process variables, and mixed working fluid substitution. The hybrid plant models predict that each of these operating strategies could increase net power generation relative to the baseline Stillwater hybrid plant operations.

Model and analysis of solar thermal generators to reduce the intermittency of photovoltaic systems with the use of spectrum splitting

Science.gov (United States)

Ayala, Silvana; Wu, Yuechen; Vorndran, Shelby; Santiago, Raphael P.; Kostuk, Raymond K.

2015-09-01

In this paper we introduce an approach to damping intermittency in photovoltaic (PV) system output due to fluctuations in solar illumination generated by use of a hybrid PV-thermal electric (TE) generation system. We describe the necessary constrains of the PV-TE system based on its thermodynamic characteristics. The basis for the approach is that the thermal time constant for the TE device is much longer than that of a PV cell. When used in combination with an optimized thermal storage device short periods of intermittency (several minutes) in PV output due to passing clouds can be compensated. A comparison of different spectrum splitting systems to efficiently utilize the incident solar spectrum between the PV and TE converters are also examined. The time-dependent behavior of a hybrid PV-TE converter with a thermal storage element is computed with SMARTS modeled irradiance data and compared to real weather and irradiation conditions for Tucson, Arizona.

Design and dynamic simulation of a novel solar trigeneration system based on hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors (PVT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calise, Francesco; D’Accadia, Massimo Dentice; Vanoli, Laura

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Sheet and tube photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) solar collector are investigated. ► PVT is integrated in a novel solar trigeneration system. ► The trigeneration system is dynamically investigated for a mediterranean climate. ► PVT performance is excellent during the summer. ► During the winter PVT thermal energy significantly decreases. - Abstract: In this paper, a Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) system including photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collectors is considered, implementing a novel polygeneration system producing electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water. In particular, PVT collectors operating up to 80 °C are considered. A case study for a university building located in Naples (Italy) is developed and discussed. The system is mainly composed by: PVT collectors, a single-stage LiBr–H 2 O absorption chiller, storage tanks and auxiliary heaters. The system also includes additional balance-of-plant devices: heat exchangers, pumps, controllers, cooling tower, etc. The PVT produces electricity which is utilized in part by the building lights and equipments and in part by the system parasitic loads; the rest is eventually sold to the grid. Simultaneously, the PVT system provides the heat required to drive the absorption chiller. The system performance is analyzed from both energetic and economic points of view by means of a zero-dimensional transient simulation model, developed with TRNSYS. The economic results show that the system under investigation can be profitable, provided that an appropriate funding policy is available. In addition, the overall energetic and economic results are comparable to those reported in literature for similar systems.

Behavior of hybrid concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator under variable solar radiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahmoudi Nezhad, Sajjad; Rezaniakolaei, Alireza; Rosendahl, Lasse Aistrup

2018-01-01

diversely versus changing the solar radiation and module temperature. Moreover, the thermal response of the TEG stabilizes temperature fluctuation of the hybrid module when the solar radiation rapidly changes. In this work, impact of the thermal contact resistance on the temperature profile and system...... and solved by finite volume algorithm. In spite of temperatures profile in the hybrid CPV-TEG module, as results of variation of solar irradiation, power generation and efficiency of the CPV and TEG under the transient condition are presented. The results show that efficiency of the TEG and CPV varies...

Improving Thermal and Electrical Efficiency in Photovoltaic Thermal Systems for Sustainable Cooling System Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Alobaid

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Research into photovoltaic thermal systems is important in solar technologies as photovoltaic thermal systems are designed to produce both electrical and thermal energy, this can lead to improved performance of the overall system. The performance of photovoltaic thermal systems is based on several factors that include photovoltaic thermal materials, design, ambient temperature, inlet and outlet fluid temperature and photovoltaic cell temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of photovoltaic thermal outlet water temperatures and solar cell temperature on both electrical and thermal efficiency for different range of inlet water temperature. To achieve this, a mathematical model of a photovoltaic thermal system was developed to calculate the anticipated system performance. The factors that affect the efficiency of photovoltaic thermal collectors were discussed and the outlet fluid temperature from the photovoltaic thermal is investigated in order to reach the highest overall efficiency for the solar cooling system. An average thermal and electrical efficiency of 65% and 13.7%, respectively, was achieved and the photovoltaic thermal mathematical model was validated with experimental data from literature.

A hybrid solar and chemical looping combustion system for solar thermal energy storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafarian, Mehdi; Arjomandi, Maziar; Nathan, Graham J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A novel solar–CLC hybrid system is proposed which integrates a CLC with solar thermal energy. ► The oxygen carrier particles are used as storage medium for thermal energy storage. ► A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. ► The absorbed solar energy is stored in the particles to produce a base heat load. -- Abstract: A novel hybrid of a solar thermal energy and a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system is proposed here, which employs the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system to provide diurnal thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. In taking advantage of the chemical and sensible energy storage systems that are an inherent part of a CLC system, this hybrid offers potential to achieve cost effective, base load power generation for solar energy. In the proposed system, three reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC system to allow storage of the oxygen carrier particles, while a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for the fuel reactor. The performance of the system is evaluated using ASPEN PLUS software, with the model being validated using independent simulation result reported previously. Operating temperature, solar efficiency, solar fraction, exergy efficiency and the fraction of the solar thermal energy stored for a based load power generation application are reported.

High-Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baechler, M.; Gilbride, T.; Ruiz, K.; Steward, H.; Love, P.

2007-06-01

This document is the sixth volume of the Building America Best Practices Series. It presents information that is useful throughout the United States for enhancing the energy efficiency practices in the specific climate zones that are presented in the first five Best Practices volumes. It provides an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices. Information about window selection and shading is included.

Solar radiation transfer and performance analysis of an optimum photovoltaic/thermal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jiafei; Song Yongchen; Lam, Wei-Haur; Liu Weiguo; Liu Yu; Zhang Yi; Wang DaYong

2011-01-01

This paper presents the design optimization of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system using both non-concentrated and concentrated solar radiation. The system consists of a photovoltaic (PV) module using silicon solar cell and a thermal unit based on the direct absorption collector (DAC) concept. First, the working fluid of the thermal unit absorbs the solar infrared radiation. Then, the remaining visible light is transmitted and converted into electricity by the solar cell. This arrangement prevents excessive heating of the solar cell which would otherwise negatively affects its electrical efficiency. The optical properties of the working fluid were modeled based on the damped oscillator Lorentz-Drude model satisfying the Kramers-Kroenig relations. The coefficients of the model were retrieved by inverse method based on genetic algorithm, in order to (i) maximize transmission of solar radiation between 200 nm and 800 nm and (ii) maximize absorption in the infrared part of the spectrum from 800 nm to 2000 nm. The results indicate that the optimum system can effectively and separately use the visible and infrared part of solar radiation. The thermal unit absorbs 89% of the infrared radiation for photothermal conversion and transmits 84% of visible light to the solar cell for photoelectric conversion. When reducing the mass flow rate, the outflow temperature of the working fluid reaches 74 o C, the temperature of the PV module remains around 31 o C at a constant electrical efficiency about 9.6%. Furthermore, when the incident solar irradiance increases from 800 W/m 2 to 8000 W/m 2 , the system generates 196 o C working fluid with constant thermal efficiency around 40%, and the exergetic efficiency increases from 12% to 22%.

Photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) solar collectors: Features and performance modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atienza-Márquez, Antonio; Bruno, Joan Carles; Coronas, Alberto; Korolija, Ivan; Greenough, Richard; Wright, Andy

2017-01-01

Currently, the electrical efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells ranges between 5–25%. One of the most important parameters that affects the electrical efficiency of a PV collector is the temperature of its cells: the higher temperature, the lower is the efficiency. Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology is a potential solution to ensure an acceptable solar energy conversion. The PV/T technology produces both electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. It is suitable for low temperature applications (25–40 o C) and overall efficiency increases compared to individual collectors. This paper describes an installation in a single-family house where PV/T collectors are coupled with a ground heat exchanger and a heat pump for domestic hot water and space heating purposes. The aim of this work is twofold. First, the features of the PV/T technology are analyzed. Second, a model of a flat-plate PV/T water collector was developed in TRNSYS in order to analyze collectors performance. (author)

A review on photovoltaic/thermal hybrid solar technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, T.T.

2010-01-01

A significant amount of research and development work on the photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) technology has been done since the 1970s. Many innovative systems and products have been put forward and their quality evaluated by academics and professionals. A range of theoretical models has been introduced and their appropriateness validated by experimental data. Important design parameters are identified. Collaborations have been underway amongst institutions or countries, helping to sort out the suitable products and systems with the best marketing potential. This article gives a review of the trend of development of the technology, in particular the advancements in recent years and the future work required. (author)

Feasibility and parametric evaluation of hybrid concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rezaniakolaei, Alireza; Rosendahl, Lasse Aistrup

2017-01-01

Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system integrated with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is a novel technology that has potential to offer high efficient system. In this study, a thermally coupled model of concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelctric (CPV/TEG) system is established to investigate...... feasibility of the hybrid system over wide range of solar concentrations and different types of heat sinks. The model takes into account critical design parameters in the CPV and the TEG module. The results of this study show that for thermoelectric materials with ZT ≈ 1, the CPV/TEG system is more efficient...

Fabrication and performance analysis of concentrated hybrid photovoltaic system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murthy Krishna

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Sun is the most important source of renewable source of energy. During the past few decades there has been an ever-increasing interest in Photovoltaic (PV cells as it directly converts solar radiation into electricity. This paper involves the performance study of photovoltaic system under concentrated solar radiation. The main problem with the concentration solar energy is the drastic increase in temperature of the photovoltaic module resulting in a decrease in performance efficiency of the system. This problem of overheating of the system can be overcome by providing cooling which would ensure operation of the module in the optimal temperature range. Hence, the setup would function as a hybrid model serving the dual purpose of power generation while also utilizing the waste heat for water heating applications. The experimental set up consist of a novel arrangement of concentrator and reflector and the cooling system. The Hybrid Photovoltaic System was repeatedly tested under real time conditions on several days. A comparison was drawn between the results obtained from direct exposure of a standard photovoltaic module to that obtained from the hybrid system in order to better understand the improvement in performance parameters. The study shown a significant improvement of output of standard photovoltaic module under the concentrated solar radiation.

Studies of a photovoltaic-thermal solar during system for rural applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Othman, Y.; Yatim, B.; Bakar, N.A. [Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ., Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia). Center for Applied Physics Studies; Sopian, K. [Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ., Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Mechanical and Material Engineering

2007-07-01

The use of solar drying is increasing in areas where the use of abundant, renewable and clean solar energy is advantageous. Particularly in developing countries and in rural areas, the traditional open-air drying methods are being substituted by the more effective and more economic solar drying technologies. Since the air collector is the most important component of a solar food drying system, improvement of the design of collectors would lead to better performance of the system. This paper presented a new design of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar drying system. In order to achieve an efficient design of an air collector suitable for a solar dryer, the results of an experimental study of PVT solar air collector was conducted and presented. The paper presented the methodology and discussed a series of experiments that were conducted under Malaysian climatic conditions. The paper discussed the design of a double pass photovoltaic-thermal solar air collector with compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and fins. The collector design concept and the collector array were demonstrated. The performance of the collector was examined over a wide range of operating conditions. Results of the test were then presented and discussed. It was concluded that the performance of the solar collector was satisfactory. The quality attributes such as colour, flavour, and taste were significantly improved since it was protected from rain, dust, and insects, in contrast to sun drying. 10 refs., 8 figs.

Performance analysis of a photovoltaic-thermochemical hybrid system prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Wenjia; Ling, Yunyi; Liu, Xiangxin; Hao, Yong

2017-01-01

Highlights: •A modular photovoltaic-thermochemical hybrid system prototype is proposed. •Net solar-electric efficiency up to 41% is achievable. •Stable solar power supply is achievable via convenient energy storage. •The modular design facilitates the scalability of the hybrid system. -- Abstract: A solar photovoltaic (PV) thermochemical hybrid system consisting of a point-focus Fresnel concentrator, a PV cell and a methanol thermochemical reactor is proposed. In particular, a reactor capable of operating under high solar concentration is designed, manufactured and tested. Studies on both kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of the reactor and the system are performed. Analysis of numerical and experimental results shows that with cascaded solar energy utilization and synergy among different forms of energy, the hybrid system has the advantages of high net solar-electric efficiency (up to 41%), stable solar energy power supply, solar energy storage (via syngas) and flexibility in application scale. The hybrid system proposed in this work provides a potential solution to some key challenges of current solar energy utilization technologies.

Transient analysis of the double pass photovoltaic thermal solar collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfegi, Ebrahim M.; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Abakr, Yousif A.

2006-01-01

A mathematical model of a double pass photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) solar collector is reported in this work. It is composed of five couple unsteady nonlinear partial differential equations which are solved by using Gear implicit numerical scheme. That model was validated against experimental data and was found to accurately predict the temperature of the circulated air as well as the temperature distribution of every static elements in a two-pass PV/T solar collector.(Author)

Investigating the Effect of Thermal Annealing Process on the Photovoltaic Performance of the Graphene-Silicon Solar Cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lifei Yang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Graphene-silicon (Gr-Si Schottky solar cell has attracted much attention recently as promising candidate for low-cost photovoltaic application. For the fabrication of Gr-Si solar cell, the Gr film is usually transferred onto the Si substrate by wet transfer process. However, the impurities induced by this process at the graphene/silicon (Gr/Si interface, such as H2O and O2, degrade the photovoltaic performance of the Gr-Si solar cell. We found that the thermal annealing process can effectively improve the photovoltaic performance of the Gr-Si solar cell by removing these impurities at the Gr/Si interface. More interestingly, the photovoltaic performance of the Gr-Si solar cell can be improved, furthermore, when exposed to air environment after the thermal annealing process. Through investigating the characteristics of the Gr-Si solar cell and the properties of the Gr film (carrier density and sheet resistance, we point out that this phenomenon is caused by the natural doping effect of the Gr film.

A review of installed solar photovoltaic and thermal collector capacities in relation to solar potential for the EU-15

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celik, Ali Naci; Muneer, Tariq; Clarke, Peter

2009-01-01

This article analyses the energy statistics of 15 European Union countries (EU-15), giving special emphasis to the installed solar photovoltaic and thermal collector capacity. The installed capacities per capita are analysed in relation to the solar radiation income of respective countries with the view to explore the relationship between the solar income and its utilisation as of the year 2006. In terms of the installed solar thermal collector capacity, Austria leads the statistics amongst the countries studied with 223W th collector capacity per capita, followed by Greece with 207W th . Except for Greece, it is observed that the countries with high solar radiation income are lacking to realise their solar potential. Regarding the installed photovoltaic power per capita, Luxembourg leads the pack by a wide margin with 47W p capacity, followed by Germany with 30W p . Fiscal instruments to invigorate the deployment of solar energy have also been identified in this work. (author)

Anomalous photovoltaic effect in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yongbo; Li, Tao; Wang, Qi; Xing, Jie; Gruverman, Alexei; Huang, Jinsong

2017-03-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have been demonstrated to be highly successful photovoltaic materials yielding very-high-efficiency solar cells. We report the room temperature observation of an anomalous photovoltaic (APV) effect in lateral structure OIHP devices manifested by the device's open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) that is much larger than the bandgap of OIHPs. The persistent V OC is proportional to the electrode spacing, resembling that of ferroelectric photovoltaic devices. However, the APV effect in OIHP devices is not caused by ferroelectricity. The APV effect can be explained by the formation of tunneling junctions randomly dispersed in the polycrystalline films, which allows the accumulation of photovoltage at a macroscopic level. The formation of internal tunneling junctions as a result of ion migration is visualized with Kelvin probe force microscopy scanning. This observation points out a new avenue for the formation of large and continuously tunable V OC without being limited by the materials' bandgap.

The experimental study of a two-stage photovoltaic thermal system based on solar trough concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Lijun; Ji, Xu; Li, Ming; Leng, Congbin; Luo, Xi; Li, Haili

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A two-stage photovoltaic thermal system based on solar trough concentration. • Maximum cell efficiency of 5.21% with the mirror opening width of 57 cm. • With single cycle, maximum temperatures rise in the heating stage is 12.06 °C. • With 30 min multiple cycles, working medium temperature 62.8 °C, increased 28.7 °C. - Abstract: A two-stage photovoltaic thermal system based on solar trough concentration is proposed, in which the metal cavity heating stage is added on the basis of the PV/T stage, and thermal energy with higher temperature is output while electric energy is output. With the 1.8 m 2 mirror PV/T system, the characteristic parameters of the space solar cell under non-concentrating solar radiation and concentrating solar radiation are respectively tested experimentally, and the solar cell output characteristics at different opening widths of concentrating mirror of the PV/T stage under condensation are also tested experimentally. When the mirror opening width was 57 cm, the solar cell efficiency reached maximum value of 5.21%. The experimental platform of the two-stage photovoltaic thermal system was established, with a 1.8 m 2 mirror PV/T stage and a 15 m 2 mirror heating stage, or a 1.8 m 2 mirror PV/T stage and a 30 m 2 mirror heating stage. The results showed that with single cycle, the long metal cavity heating stage would bring lower thermal efficiency, but temperature rise of the working medium is higher, up to 12.06 °C with only single cycle. With 30 min closed multiple cycles, the temperature of the working medium in the water tank was 62.8 °C, with an increase of 28.7 °C, and thermal energy with higher temperature could be output

Numerical model for the thermal yield estimation of unglazed photovoltaic-thermal collectors using indoor solar simulator testing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katiyar, M.; van Balkom, M.W.; Rindt, C.C.M.; de Keizer, C.; Zondag, H.A.

2017-01-01

It is a common practice to test solar thermal and photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectors outdoors. This requires testing over several weeks to account for different weather conditions encountered throughout the year, which is costly and time consuming. The outcome of these tests is an estimation of

Graphene-enhanced thermal interface materials for heat removal from photovoltaic solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Saadah, M.; Gamalath, D.; Hernandez, E.; Balandin, A. A.

2016-09-01

The increase in the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells affects negatively their power conversion efficiency and decreases their lifetime. The negative effects are particularly pronounced in concentrator solar cells. Therefore, it is crucial to limit the PV cell temperature by effectively removing the excess heat. Conventional thermal phase change materials (PCMs) and thermal interface materials (TIMs) do not possess the thermal conductivity values sufficient for thermal management of the next generation of PV cells. In this paper, we report the results of investigation of the increased efficiency of PV cells with the use of graphene-enhanced TIMs. Graphene reveals the highest values of the intrinsic thermal conductivity. It was also shown that the thermal conductivity of composites can be increased via utilization of graphene fillers. We prepared TIMs with up to 6% of graphene designed specifically for PV cell application. The solar cells were tested using the solar simulation module. It was found that the drop in the output voltage of the solar panel under two-sun concentrated illumination can be reduced from 19% to 6% when grapheneenhanced TIMs are used. The proposed method can recover up to 75% of the power loss in solar cells.

Exergetic evaluation on photovoltaic/thermal hybrid panel; Taiyoko netsu hybrid panel no exergy hyoka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwaki, H; Morita, Y; Fujisawa, T; Tani, T [Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

1996-10-27

The photovoltaic/thermal hybrid panel (PV/T) is an energy converter that was designed for the composite use of electricity and heat. In this paper, the validity of PV/T designed for trial was evaluated based on an exergetic theory. As the result of an experiment, the electric exergetic value of PV/T and PV is each 65.8 kWh/m{sup 2} and 58.6 kWh/m{sup 2}. The former is higher than the latter by 11.2%. The total exergetic value of PV/T is also 1.2 and 8.2 times as high as those of a PV and solar collector (SC), respectively. The calculation result of the optimum temperature operation showed that the exergetic value of PV/T is 3.1 times as high as the electric exergetic value. Therefore, the operation must be performed with the electric and thermal exergetic values set in a ratio of 3.1 to 1. In this paper, the operating mode is handled in which importance was more attached to the electric exergy than the thermal exergy. The flow rate of a heating medium on PV/T is not thus the flow control that maximizes the PV/T exergy. In the future, studies including these points will be promoted. 7 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

Study of the development of solar energy in Rhone-Alpes. Presentation of the photovoltaic sector, Presentation of the solar thermal sector, Sunshine mapping, Assessment of installations by the end 2009, Development potential for solar thermal energy, Development potential for solar photovoltaic energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-12-01

A first part proposes a wide presentation of the photovoltaic sector with an overview of largest plants, a market analysis (on the 2001-2009 period in the World, Europe and France, per technology, in terms of industrial tissue and R and D activity in France, evolution per region and per technology), a presentation of the different technologies (from the first to the third generation, in terms of costs, and of perspective for the different sectors), an environmental assessment of the different sectors (CO 2 emissions and avoided emissions), a presentation of the main actors of the photovoltaic sector (silicon producers, cell producers, thin layer producers, developers), a presentation of tracking technologies (trackers gains), and a perspective for the photovoltaic sector in Europe and in the World. In a same way, a second part presents the solar thermal sector: market analysis, active and passive technologies, solar concentration technology, environmental assessment, future perspective in Europe and in the World. A sunshine mapping is then proposed for the Rhone-Alpes region. The next part discusses various stakes: regulation for roof-based installations and for ground-based photovoltaic plants with respect to various issues (land planning, environment, biodiversity, agriculture, landscape, cultural heritage, natural risks). The next part proposes an assessment of solar thermal and photovoltaic installations at the end of 2009

Characteristic on photovoltaic/thermal hybrid collector. Evaluation of excergetic theory; Taiyoko netsu hybrid collector no tokusei. Exergy ni yoru hyoka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwawaki, H; Morita, Y; Fujisawa, T; Tani, T [Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-25

Described herein are characteristics of photovoltaic (PV)/thermal hybrid collectors (PV/Ts), in which a PV module is combined with a plate-shape solar heat collector to simultaneously produce electric power and heat. Their efficiency is assessed by exergy. The test results indicate that the PV/T system gives a 1.07 times higher exergy than the PV system, 86.3 versus 80.7kWh. In terms of energy, the optimum values (OVs) are 5, 44 and 37% lower than the measuring values (MVs) for electrical energy, thermal energy and total exergy. In terms of exergy, on the other hand, OV is 5% lower than MV for electrical energy, but 893 times higher for thermal energy and 1.26 times higher for total exergy. As a result, the exergy level is 26% higher than that of a system which generates power as the main product and heat as the auxiliary product. 3 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs.

Design and simulation of a low concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosell, J.I.; Vallverdu, X.; Lechon, M.A.; Ibanez, M.

2005-01-01

The advantages of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors and low solar concentration technologies are combined into a photovoltaic/thermal system to increase the solar energy conversion efficiency. This paper presents a prototype 11X concentration rate and two axis tracking system. The main novelty is the coupling of a linear Fresnel concentrator with a channel photovoltaic/thermal collector. An analytical model to simulate the thermal behaviour of the prototype is proposed and validated. Measured thermal performance of the solar system gives values above 60%. Theoretical analysis confirms that thermal conduction between the PV cells and the absorber plate is a critical parameter

Hybrid polymer-inorganic photovoltaic cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beek, W.J.E.; Janssen, R.A.J.; Merhari, L.

2009-01-01

Composite materials made from organic conjugated polymers and inorganic semiconductors such as metal oxides attract considerable interest for photovoltaic applications. Hybrid polymer-inorganic solar cells offer the opportunity to combine the beneficial properties of the two materials in charge

Investigation of Solar Hybrid Electric/Thermal System with Radiation Concentrator and Thermoelectric Generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edgar Arturo Chávez Urbiola

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An experimental study of a solar-concentrating system based on thermoelectric generators (TEGs was performed. The system included an electrical generating unit with 6 serially connected TEGs using a traditional semiconductor material, Bi2Te3, which was illuminated by concentrated solar radiation on one side and cooled by running water on the other side. A sun-tracking concentrator with a mosaic set of mirrors was used; its orientation towards the sun was achieved with two pairs of radiation sensors, a differential amplifier, and two servomotors. The hot side of the TEGs at midday has a temperature of around 200°C, and the cold side is approximately 50°C. The thermosiphon cooling system was designed to absorb the heat passing through the TEGs and provide optimal working conditions. The system generates 20 W of electrical energy and 200 W of thermal energy stored in water with a temperature of around 50°C. The hybrid system studied can be considered as an alternative to photovoltaic/thermal systems, especially in countries with abundant solar radiation, such as Mexico, China, and India.

Hybrid tandem photovoltaic devices with a transparent conductive interconnecting recombination layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Taehee; Choi, Jin Young; Jeon, Jun Hong; Kim, Youn-Su; Kim, Bong-Soo; Lee, Doh-Kwon; Kim, Honggon; Han, Seunghee; Kim, Kyungkon

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► This work enhanced power conversion efficiency of the hybrid tandem solar cell from 1.0% to 2.6%. ► The interfacial series resistance of the tandem solar cell was eliminated by inserting ITO layer. ► This work shows the feasibility of the highly efficient hybrid tandem solar cells. -- Abstract: We demonstrate hybrid tandem photovoltaic devices with a transparent conductive interconnecting recombination layer. The series-connected hybrid tandem photovoltaic devices were developed by combining hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and polymer-based organic photovoltaics (OPVs). In order to enhance the interfacial connection between the subcells, we employed highly transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) thin layer. By using the ITO interconnecting layer, the power conversion efficiency of the hybrid tandem solar cell was enhanced from 1.0% (V OC = 1.041 V, J SC = 2.97 mA/cm 2 , FF = 32.3%) to 2.6% (V OC = 1.336 V, J SC = 4.65 mA/cm 2 , FF = 41.98%) due to the eliminated interfacial series resistance.

Combined photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems: overcoming barriers to market acceptance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, M.R.

2005-01-01

Combined Photovoltaic and Solar-Thermal Systems (PV/T Systems) combine Photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies into one system with both electrical and thermal energy output. PV/T systems have several perceived advantages to stand-alone PV or solar-thermal systems. The increased efficiency and dual nature of the systems make suitable for situations where installation space is limited, and for homeowners who are forced to decide between meeting thermal or electrical needs. The financial benefit of the combined system is also significant, as the long payback of PV systems is joined with a relatively short payback of solar thermal systems. A background of PV/T was presented, with details of classifications and the International Energy Association's program to evaluate the technical status of PV/T systems and formulate a roadmap for future development. It was noted that input from the Solar Heating and Cooling Program (SHCP) is needed to help identify market barriers in PV/T systems. This paper reviewed existing and potential PV/T systems and their technical status, and reported on the methodology established by IEA group 35. The systems were grouped according to thermal collector types of unglazed water collectors, glazed water collectors, unglazed air collectors, glazed air collectors, air-flow windows, and concentrating collectors. It was noted that a number of new systems are currently being developed, including concentrating collectors with water and air heating, unglazed air heating systems, and unglazed water heating systems. It was noted that apart from technical barriers, efficient design and performance prediction are also problematic, as tools for predicting performance do not exist. The same tools will be used to optimize PV/T system designs. It was suggested that standardized reporting methods, simulation and sizing tools and demonstration products need to be created and that regional certification issues need to be identified. Environmental

Photovoltaic solar concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson, Gregory N.; Cruz-Campa, Jose Luis; Okandan, Murat; Resnick, Paul J.; Sanchez, Carlos Anthony; Clews, Peggy J.; Gupta, Vipin P.

2015-09-08

A process including forming a photovoltaic solar cell on a substrate, the photovoltaic solar cell comprising an anchor positioned between the photovoltaic solar cell and the substrate to suspend the photovoltaic solar cell from the substrate. A surface of the photovoltaic solar cell opposite the substrate is attached to a receiving substrate. The receiving substrate may be bonded to the photovoltaic solar cell using an adhesive force or a metal connecting member. The photovoltaic solar cell is then detached from the substrate by lifting the receiving substrate having the photovoltaic solar cell attached thereto and severing the anchor connecting the photovoltaic solar cell to the substrate. Depending upon the type of receiving substrate used, the photovoltaic solar cell may be removed from the receiving substrate or remain on the receiving substrate for use in the final product.

Hybrid system power generation'wind-photovoltaic' connected to the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hybrid system power generation'wind-photovoltaic' connected to the ... from Hybrid System, power delivered to or from grid and phase voltage of the inverter leg. ... Renewable Energy, Electrical Network 220 kV, Hybrid System, Solar, MPPT.

Energetic and economic evaluation of solar thermal and photovoltaic cooling system in Cuban hotel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Díaz Torres, Yamile; Valdivia Nodal, Yarelis; Castellanos Molina, Luis Miguel; Torres del Toro, Migdalia; Monteagudo Llanes, José

2015-01-01

The present paper discusses the energetic and economic feasibility of using two configurations of solar cooling in a Cuban Hotel. The air conditioning hybrid system schemes are: conventional system (Chiller) interconnected in parallel with a solar- powered absorption cooling system (SACS); and a photovoltaic cooling system (PCS). There were analyzed by methodologies and thermodynamic principles governing these technologies. The results show that their uses are alternatives for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. (full text)

Optimization of a PV/T (photovoltaic/thermal) active solar still

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeedi, F.; Sarhaddi, F.; Behzadmehr, A.

2015-01-01

In this paper, the optimization of a PV/T (photovoltaic/thermal) active solar still is carried out. Analytical expressions for glass cover temperature, basin temperature, brackish water temperature and fresh water productivity are obtained by writing energy balance for different components of PV/T active solar still. The output electrical power of PV/T active solar still is calculated by four-parameter I–V (current–voltage) model. Objective function in present study is the energy efficiency of PV/T active solar still. A computer simulation program has been developed in order to obtain thermal and electrical parameters, respectively. The simulation results of the present study are in fair agreement with the experimental data of previous literatures. Finally, the optimization of PV/T active solar still has been carried out and the optimized value of mass flow rate, number of PV/T collector and the objective function have been obtained. Furthermore, the effect of various operating parameters on energy efficiency have been investigated. - Highlights: • The comprehensive optimization of a PV/T active solar still is carried out. • Present study is based on numerical simulation. • A modified energy efficiency for PV/T active solar still is obtained. • The effect of design and operating parameters is investigated on energy efficiency

Hybrid solar cells composed of perovskite and polymer photovoltaic structures

Science.gov (United States)

Phaometvarithorn, Apatsanan; Chuangchote, Surawut; Kumnorkaew, Pisist; Wootthikanokkhan, Jatuphorn

2018-06-01

Organic/inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cells have recently attracted much attention in photovoltaic research, due to the devices show promising ways to achieve high efficiencies. The perovskite devices with high efficiencies, however, are typically fabricated in tandem solar cell which is complicated. In this research work, we introduce a solar cell device with the combination of CH3NH3PbI3-xClx perovskite and bulk heterojunction PCDTBT:PC70BM polymer without any tandem structure. The new integrated perovskite/polymer hybrid structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/perovskite/PCDTBT:PC70BM/PC70BM/TiOx/Al provides higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of devices compared with conventional perovskite cell structure. With the optimized PCDTBT:PC70BM thickness of ∼70 nm, the highest PCE of 11.67% is achieved. Variation of conducting donor polymers in this new structure is also preliminary demonstrated. This study provides an attractively innovative structure and a promising design for further development of the new-generation solar cells.

The experimental study of a hybrid solar photo-Fenton and photovoltaic system for water purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Yanchao; Wang, Yiping; Huang, Qunwu; Zhu, Li; Cui, Yong; Cui, Lingyun; Lin, Chunyan

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A new solar photo-Fenton and photovoltaic system was performed for the first time. • Acid Red 26, Malachite Green and Reactive Blue 4 were discolored using the system. • The PV panel of the hybrid system could work under lower temperature. • The system achieved self-sufficient energy and could work autonomously. • Solar spectrum could be made full use for power generation and water purification. - Abstract: A new hybrid system that integrated a photovoltaic (PV) panel with a solar photo-Fenton (SPF) reactor was constructed to treat wastewater and generate electricity for the first time. The decolorization and photovoltaic performances of the hybrid system were tested outdoors by discoloring three dyes: Acid Red 26 (AR26), Malachite Green (MG) and Reactive Blue 4 (RB4). Lab scale experiments also had been done to confirm the impact of temperature on the SPF process. The lab scale results show that SPF process was more efficiency for decoloring the different dyes, compared with dark Fenton. The SPF followed a pseudo-first-order reaction and the reaction rate constant was improved about 3.5, 4.5 and 0.61 times for AR26, RB4 and MG respectively as the wastewater temperature increased from 20 to 50 °C. The decolorization difficulty of the three dyes followed this order: MG > AR26 > RB4. The results of the hybrid systems tested outdoors show that 200 mg/L MG had achieved 98.6% color removal after 3 h of treatment at a low catalyst dose (Fe"2"+ = 5 mg/L) under sunlight. For 100 mg/L MG, 99.3% color removal was observed after 70 min. The treatment time required for decolorization of AR26 and RB4 was more shorter. In the present of the water layer, the wastewater temperature was increased and that of the hybrid system was decreased. The average output power of the hybrid system was more than 12 W and sufficient to drive the system during all of the outdoor experiments. Our results suggest that the system could realize decolorization of different

Studies of a photovoltaic-thermal solar dryi system for rural applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Othman, Mohd Yusof; Yatim, Baharudin; Abu Bakar, Mohd Nazari; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman

2006-01-01

Importance of solar drying in increasing worldwide. especially in areas where the use of abundant, renewable and clean solar energy is essentially advantageous. In developing countries and in rural areas the traditional open-air drying methods should be substituted by the more effective and more economic solar drying technologies. In the present work, a new design of a photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) solar drying system was fabricated. An experimental study of PV/T solar air collector has been performed towards achieving n efficient design of air collector suitable foe a solar dryer. A series of experiments were conducted based on the ASHRAE standard, under Malaysia Climatic conditions. The performance of the collector is examined over a wide range of operating conditions. Results of the test are presented and discussed.(Author)

Flexible thermal cycle test equipment for concentrator solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hebert, Peter H [Glendale, CA; Brandt, Randolph J [Palmdale, CA

2012-06-19

A system and method for performing thermal stress testing of photovoltaic solar cells is presented. The system and method allows rapid testing of photovoltaic solar cells under controllable thermal conditions. The system and method presents a means of rapidly applying thermal stresses to one or more photovoltaic solar cells in a consistent and repeatable manner.

Photovoltaic Performance of a Nanowire/Quantum Dot Hybrid Nanostructure Array Solar Cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yao; Yan, Xin; Zhang, Xia; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-02-23

An innovative solar cell based on a nanowire/quantum dot hybrid nanostructure array is designed and analyzed. By growing multilayer InAs quantum dots on the sidewalls of GaAs nanowires, not only the absorption spectrum of GaAs nanowires is extended by quantum dots but also the light absorption of quantum dots is dramatically enhanced due to the light-trapping effect of the nanowire array. By incorporating five layers of InAs quantum dots into a 500-nm high-GaAs nanowire array, the power conversion efficiency enhancement induced by the quantum dots is six times higher than the power conversion efficiency enhancement in thin-film solar cells which contain the same amount of quantum dots, indicating that the nanowire array structure can benefit the photovoltaic performance of quantum dot solar cells.

Performance Characterisation of a Hybrid Flat-Plate Vacuum Insulated Photovoltaic/Thermal Solar Power Module in Subtropical Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Y. A. Oyieke

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A flat-plate Vacuum Insulated Photovoltaic and Thermal (VIPV/T system has been thermodynamically simulated and experimentally evaluated to assess the thermal and electrical performance as well as energy conversion efficiencies under a subtropical climate. A simulation model made of specified components is developed in Transient Systems (TRNSYS environment into which numerical energy balance equations are implemented. The influence of vacuum insulation on the system’s electrical and thermal yields has been evaluated using temperatures, current, voltage, and power flows over daily and annual cycles under local meteorological conditions. The results from an experiment conducted under steady-state conditions in Durban, South Africa, are compared with the simulation based on the actual daily weather data. The VIPV/T has shown improved overall and thermal efficiencies of 9.5% and 16.8%, respectively, while electrical efficiency marginally reduced by 0.02% compared to the conventional PV/T. The simulated annual overall efficiency of 29% (i.e., 18% thermal and 11% electrical has been realised, in addition to the solar fraction, overall exergy, and primary energy saving efficiencies of 39%, 29%, and 27%, respectively.

Expanding photovoltaic penetration with residential distributed generation from hybrid solar photovoltaic and combined heat and power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearce, J.M.

2009-01-01

The recent development of small scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems has provided the opportunity for in-house power backup of residential-scale photovoltaic (PV) arrays. This paper investigates the potential of deploying a distributed network of PV + CHP hybrid systems in order to increase the PV penetration level in the U.S. The temporal distribution of solar flux, electrical and heating requirements for representative U.S. single family residences were analyzed and the results clearly show that hybridizing CHP with PV can enable additional PV deployment above what is possible with a conventional centralized electric generation system. The technical evolution of such PV + CHP hybrid systems was developed from the present (near market) technology through four generations, which enable high utilization rates of both PV-generated electricity and CHP-generated heat. A method to determine the maximum percent of PV-generated electricity on the grid without energy storage was derived and applied to an example area. The results show that a PV + CHP hybrid system not only has the potential to radically reduce energy waste in the status quo electrical and heating systems, but it also enables the share of solar PV to be expanded by about a factor of five. (author)

The performance analysis of the Trough Concentrating Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, M., E-mail: liming@ynnu.edu.c [Solar Energy Research Institute, Yunnan Normal University, 650092 Kunming (China); Li, G.L. [School of Physics and Electronic Information, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092 (China); Ji, X.; Yin, F.; Xu, L. [Solar Energy Research Institute, Yunnan Normal University, 650092 Kunming (China)

2011-06-15

Research highlights: {yields} A 2 m{sup 2} Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system is built, a single crystalline silicon solar cell array, a polycrystalline silicon cell array, a Super cell array and a GaAs cell array are respectively used in the experiments. {yields} Another 10 m{sup 2} TCPV/T system using the GaAs cell array and a concentrating silicon cell array are also constructed and characterized. {yields} The economic performance analysis show the electricity generating cost of the TCPV/T system with the concentrating silicon cell array can catch up with flat-plate PV system. -- Abstract: The electrical and thermal performance of a 2 m{sup 2} Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system with an energy flux ratio 10.27 are characterized by experiments. A single crystalline silicon solar cell array, a polycrystalline silicon cell array, a Super cell array and a GaAs cell array are respectively used in the experiments. The experimental results show that the electrical performance of the system with the GaAs cell array is better than that of crystal silicon solar cell arrays. The superior output performance of the GaAs cell array mainly benefits from its lower series resistance. But the thermal performances of the system using the single crystal silicon solar cell array and the polycrystalline silicon solar cell array are better. It results from the widths of the two types of cells in the system close to that of the focal line. Another 10 m{sup 2} TCPV/T system with an energy flux ratio of 20 using the GaAs cell array and a concentrating silicon cell array are also constructed and characterized. The experimental results indicate that the photoelectric efficiency of the GaAs cell array is 23.83%, and the instantaneous electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency of the system are 9.88% and 49.84% respectively. While the instantaneous electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency of the system using the low-cost concentrating

The performance analysis of the Trough Concentrating Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, M.; Li, G.L.; Ji, X.; Yin, F.; Xu, L.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → A 2 m 2 Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system is built, a single crystalline silicon solar cell array, a polycrystalline silicon cell array, a Super cell array and a GaAs cell array are respectively used in the experiments. → Another 10 m 2 TCPV/T system using the GaAs cell array and a concentrating silicon cell array are also constructed and characterized. → The economic performance analysis show the electricity generating cost of the TCPV/T system with the concentrating silicon cell array can catch up with flat-plate PV system. -- Abstract: The electrical and thermal performance of a 2 m 2 Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system with an energy flux ratio 10.27 are characterized by experiments. A single crystalline silicon solar cell array, a polycrystalline silicon cell array, a Super cell array and a GaAs cell array are respectively used in the experiments. The experimental results show that the electrical performance of the system with the GaAs cell array is better than that of crystal silicon solar cell arrays. The superior output performance of the GaAs cell array mainly benefits from its lower series resistance. But the thermal performances of the system using the single crystal silicon solar cell array and the polycrystalline silicon solar cell array are better. It results from the widths of the two types of cells in the system close to that of the focal line. Another 10 m 2 TCPV/T system with an energy flux ratio of 20 using the GaAs cell array and a concentrating silicon cell array are also constructed and characterized. The experimental results indicate that the photoelectric efficiency of the GaAs cell array is 23.83%, and the instantaneous electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency of the system are 9.88% and 49.84% respectively. While the instantaneous electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency of the system using the low-cost concentrating silicon cell array are 7.51% and 42

Solar thermal power and photovoltaic energy are both developing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Jannic, N.; Houot, G.

2010-01-01

Thermodynamic solar energy and photovoltaic energy are expected to reach together a quarter of the world electricity production by 2050. In France the development of thermodynamic solar plants is hampered by the high cost of land in the sunny regions. As for photovoltaic energy, France has the potentiality to become an important producer. Since 2006, the French government has supported photovoltaic energy by proposing incentive electricity purchase prices guaranteed for 20 years. In 2006, the Ines research institute was founded, one of its research fields is the development of high yield silicon cells. (A.C.)

Characterization of Air-Based Photovoltaic Thermal Panels with Bifacial Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Ooshaksaraei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic (PV panels account for a majority of the cost of photovoltaic thermal (PVT panels. Bifacial silicon solar panels are attractive for PVT panels because of their potential to enhance electrical power generation from the same silicon wafer compared with conventional monofacial solar panels. This paper examines the performance of air-based bifacial PVT panels with regard to the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Four air-based bifacial PVT panels were designed. The maximum efficiencies of 45% to 63% were observed for the double-path-parallel bifacial PVT panel based on the first law of thermodynamics. Single-path bifacial PVT panel represents the highest exergy efficiency (10%. Double-path-parallel bifacial PVT panel is the second preferred design as it generates up to 20% additional total energy compared with the single-path panel. However, the daily average exergy efficiency of a double-path-parallel panel is 0.35% lower than that of a single-path panel.

Value of solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants to Arizona Public Service Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.A.

1994-01-01

Arizona Public Service Company has performed a study using historical solar radiation and system load data to (1) estimate the effects of six types of solar generation on system reliability, (2) estimate the central station value of each to its system, (3) and to assess the potential of each of those technologies to provide bulk power to its system in the 2000 time frame. Technologies included three solar thermal (central receiver, dish Stirling, and parabolic trough) and three flat plate photovoltaic plants (fixed position, one axis, and two axis tracking)

Simulation of Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar Assisted Loop Heat Pipe/Heat Pump System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nannan Dai

2017-02-01

Full Text Available A hybrid photovoltaic solar assisted loop heat pipe/heat pump (PV-SALHP/HP water heater system has been developed and numerically studied. The system is the combination of loop heat pipe (LHP mode and heat pump (HP mode, and the two modes can be run separately or compositely according to the weather conditions. The performances of independent heat pump (HP mode and hybrid loop heat pipe/heat pump (LHP/HP mode were simulated and compared. Simulation results showed that on typical sunny days in spring or autumn, using LHP/HP mode could save 40.6% power consumption than HP mode. In addition, the optimal switchover from LHP mode to HP mode was analyzed in different weather conditions for energy saving and the all-year round operating performances of the system were also simulated. The simulation results showed that hybrid LHP/HP mode should be utilized to save electricity on sunny days from March to November and the system can rely on LHP mode alone without any power consumption in July and August. When solar radiation and ambient temperature are low in winter, HP mode should be used

A hybrid air conditioner driven by a hybrid solar collector

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Alili, Ali

The objective of this thesis is to search for an efficient way of utilizing solar energy in air conditioning applications. The current solar Air Conditioners (A/C)s suffer from low Coefficient of Performance (COP) and performance degradation in hot and humid climates. By investigating the possible ways of utilizing solar energy in air conditioning applications, the bottlenecks in these approaches were identified. That resulted in proposing a novel system whose subsystem synergy led to a COP higher than unity. The proposed system was found to maintain indoor comfort at a higher COP compared to the most common solar A/Cs, especially under very hot and humid climate conditions. The novelty of the proposed A/C is to use a concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collector, which outputs thermal and electrical energy simultaneously, to drive a hybrid A/C. The performance of the hybrid A/C, which consists of a desiccant wheel, an enthalpy wheel, and a vapor compression cycle (VCC), was investigated experimentally. This work also explored the use of a new type of desiccant material, which can be regenerated with a low temperature heat source. The experimental results showed that the hybrid A/C is more effective than the standalone VCC in maintaining the indoor conditions within the comfort zone. Using the experimental data, the COP of the hybrid A/C driven by a hybrid solar collector was found to be at least double that of the current solar A/Cs. The innovative integration of its subsystems allows each subsystem to do what it can do best. That leads to lower energy consumption which helps reduce the peak electrical loads on electric utilities and reduces the consumer operating cost since less energy is purchased during the on peak periods and less solar collector area is needed. In order for the proposed A/C to become a real alternative to conventional systems, its performance and total cost were optimized using the experimentally validated model. The results showed that for an

Integration of thermal photovoltaic hybrid sensors to the building. Final report july 2004. Integrated research project 6.2; Integration de capteurs hybrides photovoltaiques thermiques au bati. Rapport final juillet 2004. Projet de recherche integre 6.2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

The electricity and the heat are two complementary energies necessary for the accommodation. A thermal solar installation needs the electric power for the coolant fluid flow. This research project concerns the optimization of integrated solutions to the building, providing simultaneously these two energies. This document presents the proposed researches programs: analysis of the socio-economic aspects, the physical phenomena knowledge, simulation of the behavior, experimentation, hybrid components integration, simulation of the photovoltaic modules operating and thermal simulation of an electric converter. (A.L.B.)

Building America Best Practices Series, Volume 6: High-Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baechler, Michael C.; Gilbride, Theresa L.; Ruiz, Kathleen A.; Steward, Heidi E.; Love, Pat M.

2007-06-04

This guide is was written by PNNL for the US Department of Energy's Building America program to provide information for residential production builders interested in building near zero energy homes. The guide provides indepth descriptions of various roof-top photovoltaic power generating systems for homes. The guide also provides extensive information on various designs of solar thermal water heating systems for homes. The guide also provides construction company owners and managers with an understanding of how solar technologies can be added to their homes in a way that is cost effective, practical, and marketable. Twelve case studies provide examples of production builders across the United States who are building energy-efficient homes with photovoltaic or solar water heating systems.

ZnO-based nanocrystalline powders with applications in hybrid photovoltaic cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damonte, L.C. [Dto. De Fisica, UNLP, IFLP-CCT-CONICET, C.C.67 (1900) La Plata (Argentina); Dto. De Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Cami de Vera s/n (46071) Valencia (Spain); Donderis, V. [Dto. De Ingenieria Electrica, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Cami de Vera s/n (46071) Valencia (Spain); Ferrari, S.; Meyer, M. [Dto. De Fisica, UNLP, IFLP-CCT-CONICET, C.C.67 (1900) La Plata (Argentina); Orozco, J. [Dto. de Ingenieria Mecanica y Materiales, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Cami de Vera s/n (46071) Valencia (Spain); Hernandez-Fenollosa, M.A. [Dto. De Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Cami de Vera s/n (46071) Valencia (Spain)

2010-06-15

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development of hybrid photovoltaic cells consisting of new materials, such as devices based on the combination of a wide gap semiconductor and an organic dye (dye-sensitized solar cells, DSSC). In this paper we obtain nano-zinc oxide particles whose optical and electrical properties have been modified by the presence of small amounts of Al or In acting as dopants. The aim of this study is to improve the compatibility of each of the compounds present in the photovoltaic solar cell. The knowledge gained will provide input to guide the processes in the manufacture of hybrid solar cells. (author)

Modeling the thermal absorption factor of photovoltaic/thermal combi-panels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Santbergen, R.; Zolingen, van R.J.C.

2006-01-01

In a photovoltaic/thermal combi-panel solar cells generate electricity while residual heat is extracted to be used for tap water heating or room heating. In such a panel the entire solar spectrum can be used in principle. Unfortunately long wavelength solar irradiance is poorly absorbed by the

Solar cooling for small office buildings: Comparison of solar thermal and photovoltaic options for two different European climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartmann, N. [University of Stuttgart, Institute of Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER), Hessbruehlstr. 49a, 70565 Stuttgart (Germany); Glueck, C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Schmidt, F.P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Fraunhofer ISE, Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg (Germany)

2011-05-15

We present a comparison of solar thermal and solar electric cooling for a typical small office building exposed to two different European climates (Freiburg and Madrid). The investigation is based on load series for heating and cooling obtained previously from annual building simulations in TRNSYS. A conventional compression chiller is used as the reference system against which the solar options are evaluated with respect to primary energy savings and additional cost. A parametric study on collector and storage size is carried out for the solar thermal system to reach achieve the minimal cost per unit of primary energy saved. The simulated solar electric system consists of the reference system, equipped with a grid connected photovoltaic module, which can be varied in size. For cost comparison of the two systems, the electric grid is assumed to function as a cost-free storage. A method to include macroeconomic effects in the comparison is presented and discussed. Within the system parameters and assumptions used here, the grid coupled PV system leads to lower costs of primary energy savings than the solar thermal system at both locations. The presumed macroeconomic advantages of the solar thermal system, due to the non-usage of energy during peak demand, can be confirmed for Madrid. (author)

Solar energy: photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetzberger, A.; Voss, B.; Knobloch, J.

1994-01-01

This textbooks covers the following topics: foundations of photovoltaics, solar energy, P-N junctions, physics of solar cells, high-efficiency solar cells, technology of Si solar cells, other solar cells, photovoltaic applications. (orig.)

Power fluctuations suppression of stand-alone hybrid generation combining solar photovoltaic/wind turbine and fuel cell systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Nabil A.; Miyatake, Masafumi; Al-Othman, A.K.

2008-01-01

In this paper a hybrid energy system combining variable speed wind turbine, solar photovoltaic and fuel cell generation systems is presented to supply continuous power to residential power applications as stand-alone loads. The wind and photovoltaic systems are used as main energy sources while the fuel cell is used as secondary or back-up energy source. Three individual dc-dc boost converters are used to control the power flow to the load. A simple and cost effective control with dc-dc converters is used for maximum power point tracking and hence maximum power extracting from the wind turbine and the solar photovoltaic systems. The hybrid system is sized to power a typical 2 kW/150 V dc load as telecommunication power plants or ac residential power applications in isolated islands continuously throughout the year. The results show that even when the sun and wind are not available; the system is reliable and available and it can supply high-quality power to the load. The simulation results which proved the accuracy of the proposed controllers are given to demonstrate the availability of the proposed system in this paper. Also, a complete description of the management and control system is presented

Enhanced photovoltaic properties of perovskite solar cells by TiO2 homogeneous hybrid structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Pengyu; Fu, Wuyou; Yao, Huizhen; Liu, Li; Ding, Dong; Feng, Fei; Feng, Shuang; Xue, Yebin; Liu, Xizhe; Yang, Haibin

2017-10-01

In this paper, we fabricated a TiO 2 homogeneous hybrid structure for application in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under ambient conditions. Under the standard air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G) illumination, PSCs based on homogeneous hybrid structure present a maximum power conversion efficiency of 5.39% which is higher than that of pure TiO 2 nanosheets. The enhanced properties can be explained by the better contact of TiO 2 nanosheets/nanoparticles with CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 and fewer pinholes in electron transport materials. The advent of such unique structure opens up new avenues for the future development of high-efficiency photovoltaic cells.

Performance analysis of a solar photochemical photovoltaic hybrid system for decolorization of Acid Red 26 (AR 26)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Lingyun; Zhu, Li; Huang, Qunwu; Wang, Yiping; Jin, Yanchao; Sun, Yong; Cui, Yong; Chen, Miao; Fan, Jiangyang

2017-01-01

To reduce the power energy consumption of wastewater treatment and make full use of the solar spectrum, a new water purification system that integrated homogeneous solar photochemical (SPC) and photovoltaics (PV) was constructed to treat wastewater and generate electricity for the first time. Hydrogen peroxide (H_2O_2) and potassium persulfate (K_2S_2O_8) were chosen as oxidants in the system and have a comparative analysis. The results show that solar/K_2S_2O_8 has a higher decolorization efficiency than solar/H_2O_2, the accumulated ultraviolet energy in solar/K_2S_2O_8, needed for complete decolorization, is far lower than in solar/H_2O_2. Also temperature has a positive effect on the dark-K_2S_2O_8 processes especially in the range of 40–60 °C, and it follows pseudo-first-order kinetic relationship. Meanwhile, to investigate the influence of flow channel on PV, the short circuit current (I_s_c) and maximum output power (P_m) were monitored. It indicates that the presence of flow channel effectively decreases the working temperature of PV modules, while the I_s_c and P_m have a different degree reduce. Luckily, the impact is not big. Additionally, P_m in experiment system, though lower than reference system, is sufficient to drive the whole system. - Highlights: • The hybrid system combing homogenous photochemical with photovoltaics was firstly performed. • Solar/K_2S_2O_8 and solar/H_2O_2 is comparative analysis in the decolorization of AR 26. • K_2S_2O_8 can be activated by heat and irradiation simultaneously in the hybrid system. • The PV panel of the hybrid system could work under lower temperature. • Solar spectrum could be made full use for power generation and water purification.

Experimental study of a photovoltaic solar-assisted heat-pump/heat-pipe system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, H.D.; Pei, G.; Ji, J.; Long, H.; Zhang, T.; Chow, T.T.

2012-01-01

A practical design for a heat pump with heat-pipe photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors is presented. The hybrid system is called the photovoltaic solar-assisted heat-pump/heat-pipe (PV-SAHP/HP) system. To focus on both actual demand and energy savings, the PV-SAHP/HP system was designed to be capable of operating in three different modes, namely, the heat-pipe, solar-assisted heat pump, and air-source heat-pump modes. Based on solar radiation, the system operates in an optimal mode. A series of experiments were conducted in Hong Kong to study the performance of the system when operating in the heat-pipe and the solar-assisted heat-pump modes. Moreover, energy and exergy analyses were used to investigate the total PV/T performance of the system. - Highlights: ► A novel PV-SAHP/HP system with three different operating modes was proposed. ► Performance of the PV-SAHP/HP system was studied experimentally. ► A optimal operating mode of the PV-SAHP/HP system was suggested in this paper.

Hybrids of Solar Sail, Solar Electric, and Solar Thermal Propulsion for Solar-System Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Brian H.

2012-01-01

Solar sails have long been known to be an attractive method of propulsion in the inner solar system if the areal density of the overall spacecraft (S/C) could be reduced to approx.10 g/sq m. It has also long been recognized that the figure (precise shape) of useful solar sails needs to be reasonably good, so that the reflected light goes mostly in the desired direction. If one could make large reflective surfaces with reasonable figure at an areal density of approx.10 g/sq m, then several other attractive options emerge. One is to use such sails as solar concentrators for solar-electric propulsion. Current flight solar arrays have a specific output of approx. 100W/kg at 1 Astronomical Unit (AU) from the sun, and near-term advances promise to significantly increase this figure. A S/C with an areal density of 10 g/sq m could accelerate up to 29 km/s per year as a solar sail at 1 AU. Using the same sail as a concentrator at 30 AU, the same spacecraft could have up to approx. 45 W of electric power per kg of total S/C mass available for electric propulsion (EP). With an EP system that is 50% power-efficient, exhausting 10% of the initial S/C mass per year as propellant, the exhaust velocity is approx. 119 km/s and the acceleration is approx. 12 km/s per year. This hybrid thus opens attractive options for missions to the outer solar system, including sample-return missions. If solar-thermal propulsion were perfected, it would offer an attractive intermediate between solar sailing in the inner solar system and solar electric propulsion for the outer solar system. In the example above, both the solar sail and solar electric systems don't have a specific impulse that is near-optimal for the mission. Solar thermal propulsion, with an exhaust velocity of the order of 10 km/s, is better matched to many solar system exploration missions. This paper derives the basic relationships between these three propulsion options and gives examples of missions that might be enabled by

Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy; latest developments in the building integrated and hybrid PV systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahedi, A.

2006-01-01

Environmental concerns are growing and interest in environmental issues is increasing and the idea of generating electricity with less pollution is becoming more and more attractive. Unlike conventional generation systems, fuel of the solar photovoltaic energy is available at no cost. And solar photovoltaic energy systems generate electricity pollution-free and can easily be installed on the roof of residential as well as on the wall of commercial buildings as grid-connected PV application. In addition to grid-connected rooftop PV systems, solar photovoltaic energy offers a solution for supplying electricity to remote located communities and facilities, those not accessible by electricity companies. The interest in solar photovoltaic energy is growing worldwide. Today, more than 3500MW of photovoltaic systems have been installed all over the world. Since 1970, the PV price has continuously dropped [8]. This price drop has encouraged worldwide application of small-scale residential PV systems. These recent developments have led researchers concerned with the environment to undertake extensive research projects for harnessing renewable energy sources including solar energy. The usage of solar photovoltaic as a source of energy is considered more seriously making future of this technology looks promising. The objective of this contribution is to present the latest developments in the area of solar photovoltaic energy systems. A further objective of this contribution is to discuss the long-term prospect of the solar photovoltaic energy as a sustainable energy supply. [Author

Acceleration of the solar-thermal energy development but still some brakes upon photovoltaic conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

France shows today the highest growth rate for solar thermal energy with respect to other European countries. This market is structuring and tries to favour quality. A label for systems certification has been presented in January 2007. Photovoltaic conversion has been tied up for a long time by poorly attractive power repurchase tariffs. It benefits now from a propitious framework for its development even if some financial incentive questions relative to the integration of solar panels to buildings remain unanswered. (J.S.)

Flexible hybrid energy cell for simultaneously harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ya; Zhang, Hulin; Zhu, Guang; Lee, Sangmin; Lin, Zong-Hong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2013-01-22

We report the first flexible hybrid energy cell that is capable of simultaneously or individually harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies to power some electronic devices. For having both the pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, a polarized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film-based nanogenerator (NG) was used to harvest thermal and mechanical energies. Using aligned ZnO nanowire arrays grown on the flexible polyester (PET) substrate, a ZnO-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) heterojunction solar cell was designed for harvesting solar energy. By integrating the NGs and the solar cells, a hybrid energy cell was fabricated to simultaneously harvest three different types of energies. With the use of a Li-ion battery as the energy storage, the harvested energy can drive four red light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Perspectives for solar thermal applications in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Keh-Chin; Lin, Wei-Min; Leu, Tzong-Shyng; Chung, Kung-Ming

2016-01-01

Taiwan has long depended on imported fossil energy. The government is thus actively promoting the use of renewable energy. Since 2000, domestic installations of solar water heaters have increased substantially because of the long-term subsidies provided for such systems. However, data on the annual installation area of solar collectors in recent years indicated that the solar thermal industry in Taiwan has reached a bottleneck. The long-term policy providing subsidies must thus be revised. It is proposed that future thermal applications in Taiwan should focus on building-integrated solar thermal, photovoltaic/thermal, and industrial heating processes. Regarding building-integrated solar thermal systems, the current subsidy model can be continued (according to area of solar collectors); nevertheless, the application of photovoltaic/thermal and industrial heating systems must be determined according to the thermal output of such systems. - Highlights: •The long-term subsidization for solar water heaters has lost effectiveness. •Solar thermal applications include BIST, PV/T and industrial heating process. •A performance-based subsidy policy should be implemented.

Feasibility and parametric evaluation of hybrid concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rezaniakolaei, Alireza; Rosendahl, Lasse Aistrup

2017-01-01

Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system integrated with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) is a novel technology that has potential to offer high efficient system. In this study, a thermally coupled model of concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelctric (CPV/TEG) system is established to investigate...... than CPV-only system. The results indicate that contribution of the TEG in power generation enhances at high sun concentrations. Depending to critical design parameters of the CPV and the TEG, there are optimal values for heat transfer coefficient in the heat sink that offer minimum energy cost....... feasibility of the hybrid system over wide range of solar concentrations and different types of heat sinks. The model takes into account critical design parameters in the CPV and the TEG module. The results of this study show that for thermoelectric materials with ZT ≈ 1, the CPV/TEG system is more efficient...

Influence of Thermal Processing Protocol upon the Crystallization and Photovoltaic Performance of Organic–Inorganic Lead Trihalide Perovskites

KAUST Repository

Saliba, Michael; Tan, Kwan Wee; Sai, Hiroaki; Moore, David T.; Scott, Trent; Zhang, Wei; Estroff, Lara A.; Wiesner, Ulrich; Snaith, Henry J.

2014-01-01

We investigate the thermally induced morphological and crystalline development of methylammonium lead mixed halide perovskite (CH 3NH3PbI3-xClx) thin films and photovoltaic device performance with meso-superstructured and planar heterojunction architectures. We observe that a short rapid thermal annealing at 130 °C leads to the growth of large micron-sized textured perovskite domains and improved the short circuit currents and power conversion efficiencies up to 13.5% for the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. This work highlights the criticality of controlling the thin film crystallization mechanism of hybrid perovskite materials for high-performing photovoltaic applications. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Influence of Thermal Processing Protocol upon the Crystallization and Photovoltaic Performance of Organic–Inorganic Lead Trihalide Perovskites

KAUST Repository

Saliba, Michael

2014-07-31

We investigate the thermally induced morphological and crystalline development of methylammonium lead mixed halide perovskite (CH 3NH3PbI3-xClx) thin films and photovoltaic device performance with meso-superstructured and planar heterojunction architectures. We observe that a short rapid thermal annealing at 130 °C leads to the growth of large micron-sized textured perovskite domains and improved the short circuit currents and power conversion efficiencies up to 13.5% for the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. This work highlights the criticality of controlling the thin film crystallization mechanism of hybrid perovskite materials for high-performing photovoltaic applications. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Solar cooling between thermal and photovoltaic: An energy and economic comparative study in the Mediterranean conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noro, M.; Lazzarin, R.M.

2014-01-01

This paper considers different cooling systems and investigates the most promising alternatives when solar energy is to be used to supply the cooling demand. All the systems are evaluated during a summer cooling season by the energetic and economic point of view by dynamic simulation for two different climates. For Milan (Cfb climate) the highest OSE (overall system efficiency) is reached by LiBr (lithium-bromide) double effect absorption chiller driven by parabolic through collector (0.53). In terms of the collecting surface area, the best systems for Milan feature 0.08 m 2  MJ −1 per day both for electric system (mono-crystalline photovoltaic coupled to water cooled chiller) and thermal system (PTC (parabolic trough collectors) coupled to double effect water-LiBr absorption chiller). Southern latitudes like Trapani (Csa climate) allow a quite better performance for thermal solar cooling solutions. The NPV (net present worths) of electric solar cooling solutions are favorable with respect to the traditional solution and the DPV (discounted payback periods) are all lower than the period of economic analysis above all for water cooled chillers. Finally a sensitivity analysis of the specific investment cost (€ MJ −1 per day) is carried out regarding the investment cost of collectors, the solar ratio and the interest rate. - Highlights: • Solar cooling is obtained with solar thermal or PV (photovoltaic) with easy available equipment. • In the past PV driven systems for solar cooling were not considered as too expensive. • An energy/economic comparison is carried out for the various solar cooling systems. • Sensitivity analyses are carried out varying different parameters

A novel off-grid hybrid power system comprised of solar photovoltaic, wind, and hydro energy sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhandari, Binayak; Lee, Kyung-Tae; Lee, Caroline Sunyong; Song, Chul-Ki; Maskey, Ramesh K.; Ahn, Sung-Hoon

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We propose two hybridization methods for small off-grid power systems consisting solar (PV), wind, and micro-hydro sources. • One of the methods was implemented in a mini-grid connecting Thingan and Kolkhop villages in Makawanpur District, Nepal. • The results can be applied to help achieve Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensuring environmental sustainability. • This is the first implementation anywhere comprising of three renewable energy power, in a single off-grid power system. • This research may be applied as a practical guide for implementing similar systems in various locations. - Abstract: Several factors must be considered before adopting a full-phase power generation system based on renewable energy sources. Long-term necessary data (for one year if possible) should be collected before making any decisions concerning implementation of such a systems. To accurately assess the potential of available resources, we measured solar irradiation, wind speed, and ambient temperature at two high-altitude locations in Nepal: the Lama Hotel in Rasuwa District and Thingan in Makawanpur District. Here, we propose two practical, economical hybridization methods for small off-grid systems consisting entirely of renewable energy sources—specifically solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and micro-hydro sources. One of the methods was tested experimentally, and the results can be applied to help achieve Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensuring environmental sustainability. Hydro, wind, and solar photovoltaic energy are the top renewable energy sources in terms of globally installed capacity. However, no reports have been published about off-grid hybrid systems comprised of all three sources, making this implementation the first of its kind anywhere. This research may be applied as a practical guide for implementing similar systems in various locations. Of the four off-grid PV systems installed by the authors for village electrification in Nepal, one was

Nanotetrapods: quantum dot hybrid for bulk heterojunction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Hybrid thin film solar cell based on all-inorganic nanoparticles is a new member in the family of photovoltaic devices. In this work, a novel and performance-efficient inorganic hybrid nanostructure with continuous charge transportation and collection channels is demonstrated by introducing CdTe nanotetropods (NTs) and CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Hybrid morphology is characterized, demonstrating an interpenetration and compacted contact of NTs and QDs. Electrical measurements show enhanced charge transfer at the hybrid bulk heterojunction interface of NTs and QDs after ligand exchange which accordingly improves the performance of solar cells. Photovoltaic and light response tests exhibit a combined optic-electric contribution from both CdTe NTs and CdSe QDs through a formation of interpercolation in morphology as well as a type II energy level distribution. The NT and QD hybrid bulk heterojunction is applicable and promising in other highly efficient photovoltaic materials such as PbS QDs. PMID:24139059

Comparative analyses on dynamic performances of photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors integrated with phase change materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Di; Jia, Yuting; Alva, Guruprasad; Liu, Lingkun; Fang, Guiyin

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The dynamic model of photovoltaic–thermal collector with phase change material was developed. • The performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector are performed comparative analyses. • The performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector with phase change material were evaluated. • Upper phase change material mode can improve performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector. - Abstract: The operating conditions (especially temperature) of photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors have significant influence on dynamic performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors. Only a small percentage of incoming solar radiation can be converted into electricity, and the rest is converted into heat. This heat leads to a decrease in efficiency of the photovoltaic module. In order to improve the performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collector, we performed comparative analyses on a hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collector integrated with phase change material. Electrical and thermal parameters like solar cell temperature, outlet temperature of air, electrical power, thermal power, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and overall efficiency are simulated and analyzed to evaluate the dynamic performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal collector. It is found that the position of phase change material layer in the photovoltaic–thermal collector has a significant effect on the performance of the photovoltaic–thermal collector. The results indicate that upper phase change material mode in the photovoltaic–thermal collector can significantly improve the thermal and electrical performance of photovoltaic–thermal collector. It is found that overall efficiency of photovoltaic–thermal collector in ‘upper phase change material’ mode is 10.7% higher than that in ‘no phase change material’ mode. Further, for a photovoltaic–thermal collector with upper phase change material, it is verified that 3 cm

Integrated photovoltaic-thermal solar energy conversion systems

Science.gov (United States)

Samara, G. A.

1975-01-01

A combined photovoltaic/thermal collector has been built and is now being tested. Initial tests have concentrated on evaluating the thermal efficiency of the collector before and after the silicon cells are mounted. With likely improvements in bonding between cells and receiver and in the absorptivity of the cells, thermal efficiencies greater than 50% can be expected for the combined receiver operating at 100 C.

Energy and exergy analysis of photovoltaic-thermal collector with and without glass cover

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, T.T.; Pei, G.; Fong, K.F.; Lin, Z.; Chan, A.L.S.; Ji, J.

2009-01-01

In photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) technology, the use of glass cover on the flat-plate hybrid solar collector is favorable to the photothermic process but not to the photovoltaic process. Because of the difference in the usefulness of electricity and thermal energy, there is often no straight forward answer on whether a glazed or unglazed collector system is more suitable for a specific application. This glazing issue was tackled in this paper from the viewpoint of thermodynamics. Based on experimental data and validated numerical models, a study of the appropriateness of glass cover on a thermosyphon-based water-heating PV/T system was carried out. The influences of six selected operating parameters were evaluated. From the first law point of view, a glazed PV/T system is found always suitable if we are to maximize the quantity of either the thermal or the overall energy output. From the exergy analysis point of view however, the increase of PV cell efficiency, packing factor, water mass to collector area ratio, and wind velocity are found favorable to go for an unglazed system, whereas the increase of on-site solar radiation and ambient temperature are favorable for a glazed system

Overall energy, exergy and carbon credit analysis by different type of hybrid photovoltaic thermal air collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agrawal, Sanjay; Tiwari, G.N.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Comparative study of PVT air collectors. ► CO 2 analysis of all type of PVT air collectors. ► Study of thermal energy, exergy gain and exergy efficiency. ► Exergy efficiency of unglazed hybrid PVT tiles air collector is most efficient. - Abstract: In this paper, comparative analysis of different type of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) air collector namely: (i) unglazed hybrid PVT tiles, (ii) glazed hybrid PVT tiles and (iii) conventional hybrid PVT air collectors have been carried out for the composite climate of Srinagar (India). The comparative study has been carried out in terms of overall thermal energy and exergy gain, exergy efficiency and carbon credit earned by different type of hybrid PVT air collectors. It has been observed that overall annual thermal energy and exergy gain of unglazed hybrid PVT tiles air collector is higher by 27% and 29.3% respectively as compared to glazed hybrid PVT tiles air collector and by 61% and 59.8% respectively as compared to conventional hybrid PVT air collector. It has also been observed that overall annual exergy efficiency of unglazed and glazed hybrid PVT tiles air collector is higher by 9.6% and 53.8% respectively as compared to conventional hybrid PVT air collector. On the basis of comparative study, it has been concluded that CO 2 emission reduction per annum on the basis of overall thermal energy gain of unglazed and glazed hybrid PVT tiles air collector is higher by 62.3% and 27.7% respectively as compared to conventional hybrid PVT air collector and on the basis of overall exergy gain it is 59.7% and 22.7%.

Inventory of the solar thermal and photovoltaic energy potential in the Ardennes district

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gal, Henri-Louis

2010-03-01

Based on the use of cartographic tool, the objective of this study was to assess the potential production of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems, social-economic data, regulatory data, and environmental, heritage-related, and urban constraints, and natural risks. For each type of installation, the possible reachable potential has been assessed while taking these constraints, building typology (housing, industrial, heritage, and so on), building orientation, project construction dynamics into account. The report analyses solar resource, housing characteristics, building typology, regulatory constraints related to the protection of the built environment, exploitation constraints (shade), building orientation constraints. It presents an assessment of net resources for both sectors, an assessment of plausible production potentials by 2030. It also presents and discusses environmental (avoided emissions) and financial indicators related to both solar sectors

A hybrid solar photovoltaic-wind turbine-Rankine cycle for electricity generation in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an energy demand model by designing a hybrid solar-wind-thermal power generation system of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a promising substitute for the expensive battery banks. The study models the future energy demand of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus based on the IPCC emissions scenario A1B and A2 by designing a new hybrid solar-wind-thermal power system that satisfies the current and future requirements of firm capacity during peak periods. The study suggests an improvement in a hybrid solar-wind-thermal power system performance by predicting reliable outputs that can integrate renewable energy technologies to conventional power generation. The energy consumption prediction model emphasizes the energy requirement that has a growing demand from 300 to 400 GWh in scenario A1B and 150–450 GWh in scenario A2 from 2010 to 2050. The proposed design can meet 400 GWh of electricity demand in TRNC based on IPCC scenario A1B and 450 GWh of electricity demand in TRNC based on IPCC scenario A2. The percentage contribution of solar, wind and thermal energy for 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2050 are presented along with CO2 emissions and water consumption for each of the years.

Thermal analysis of a hybrid solar energy saving system inside a greenhouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ntinas, G.K.; Fragos, V.P.; Nikita-Martzopoulou, Ch.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A hybrid solar system consisted of water filled polyethylene sleeves was examined. • The thermal behaviour of the system was studied based on the sleeves energy balance. • Water temperature and heat exchanges of the sleeves were dynamically estimated. • Experimental data used to validate the predictions of the mathematical model. • The use of the system led to an energy saving of 23% inside a heated greenhouse. - Abstract: The intensive greenhouse energy requirements are a major operational and economical problem for producers around the world. Energy conservation techniques and innovative applications of solar energy for heating are being employed in greenhouse operation to reduce heating costs during cold periods. The present study investigated the development of a mathematical model to predict the thermal efficiency of a novel hybrid solar energy saving system inside a heated greenhouse. The solar system consisted of a transparent water-filled polyethylene sleeve and two perforated air-filled polyethylene tubes on the top peripheral sides of it. Above the sleeve and between the two tubes, rockwool substrates were placed for hydroponic cultivation of tomato crop. In order to validate this model, experiments were carried out in two identical parts of a polyethylene arched-type greenhouse to obtain data during winter. By comparing the measured and the predicted values, a correlation of 95% was found, indicating that the model can simulate the water temperature inside the hybrid solar sleeves. Moreover, the additional energy provided by the hybrid solar system reached approximately 23% during the examined period, depending on solar radiation levels

Solar Photovoltaic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Mickey, Charles D.

1981-01-01

Reviews information on solar radiation as an energy source. Discusses these topics: the key photovoltaic material; the bank theory of solids; conductors, semiconductors, and insulators; impurity semiconductors; solid-state photovoltaic cell operation; limitations on solar cell efficiency; silicon solar cells; cadmium sulfide/copper (I) sulfide…

Investigation on the effect of thermal resistances on a highly concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jin; Xuan, Yimin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The highly concentrated PV-TE hybrid system is studied. • The performances of different cooling systems are analyzed and compared. • Sandwiching a copper plate between the PV and TE can improve the efficiency. • Four thermal design principles of the system are proposed. - Abstract: A thermal analysis of a highly concentrated photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) hybrid system is carried out in this paper. Both the output power and the temperature distribution in the hybrid system are calculated by means of a three-dimensional numerical model. Three possible approaches for designing the highly concentrated PV-TE hybrid system are presented by analyzing the thermal resistance of the whole system. First, the sensitivity analysis shows that the thermal resistance between the TE module and the environment has a more great effect on the output power than the thermal resistance between the PV and the TE. The influence of the natural convection and the radiation can be ignored for the highly concentrated PV-TE hybrid system. Second, it is necessary to sandwich a copper plate between the PV and the TE for decreasing the thermal resistance between the PV and the TE. The role of the copper plate is to improve the temperature uniformity. Third, decreasing the area of PV cells can improve the efficiency of the highly concentrated PV-TE hybrid system. It should be pointed out that decreasing the area of PV cells also increases the total thermal resistance, but the raise of the efficiency is caused by the reduction of the heat transfer rate of the system. Therefore, the principle of minimizing the total thermal resistance may not be suitable for optimizing the area of PV cells.

Semi-transparent polymer solar cells with excellent sub-bandgap transmission for third generation photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Beiley, Zach M.

2013-10-07

Semi-transparent organic photovoltaics are of interest for a variety of photovoltaic applications, including solar windows and hybrid tandem photovoltaics. The figure shows a photograph of our semi-transparent solar cell, which has a power conversion efficiency of 5.0%, with an above bandgap transmission of 34% and a sub-bandgap transmission of 81%. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Photovoltaic solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson, Gregory N; Okandan, Murat; Cruz-Campa, Jose Luis; Resnick, Paul J

2013-11-26

A photovoltaic solar cell for generating electricity from sunlight is disclosed. The photovoltaic solar cell comprises a plurality of spaced-apart point contact junctions formed in a semiconductor body to receive the sunlight and generate the electicity therefrom, the plurality of spaced-apart point contact junctions having a first plurality of regions having a first doping type and a second plurality of regions having a second doping type. In addition, the photovoltaic solar cell comprises a first electrical contact electrically connected to each of the first plurality of regions and a second electrical contact electrically connected to each of the second plurality of regions, as well as a passivation layer covering major surfaces and sidewalls of the photovoltaic solar cell.

A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Photovoltaic Solar Plant Location Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy H. I. Lee

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Due to decaying fossil resource and increasing environmental consciousness, the demand of renewable energy resources is escalating these days. Photovoltaic solar energy is one of the most popular renewable energy resources in places where sunlight is abundant. The selection of a desirable location for constructing a photovoltaic solar plant is the first and one of the most important stages in the plant construction to provide a long-term energy production. In this paper, a comprehensive multiple-criteria decision-making model, which incorporates the interpretive structural modeling (ISM, fuzzy analytic network process (FANP and VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska OptimizacijaI Kompromisno Resenje in Serbian,meaning multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution, is proposed to select the most suitable photovoltaic solar plant location. The ISM is applied first to determine the interrelationships among the criteria and among the sub-criteria,andtheresults are used to construct a decision-making network. The FANP is applied next to solve the network and to calculate the importance weights of the sub-criteria. Finally, the VIKOR is adopted to determine the ranking of the photovoltaic solar plant locations. The proposed model is applied in a case study in evaluating photovoltaic solar plant locations in Taiwan. By applying the proposed model, decision makers can have a better thinking process and make more appropriate decisions justifiably.

Solar Air Heaters with Thermal Heat Storages

OpenAIRE

Saxena, Abhishek; Goel, Varun

2013-01-01

Solar energy can be converted into different forms of energy, either to thermal energy or to electrical energy. Solar energy is converted directly into electrical power by photovoltaic modules, while solar collector converts solar energy into thermal energy. Solar collector works by absorbing the direct solar radiation and converting it into thermal energy, which can be stored in the form of sensible heat or latent heat or a combination of sensible and latent heats. A theoretical study has be...

A novel solar-assisted heat pump driven by photovoltaic/thermal collectors: Dynamic simulation and thermoeconomic optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calise, Francesco; Dentice d'Accadia, Massimo; Figaj, Rafal Damian; Vanoli, Laura

2016-01-01

This paper presents a dynamic simulation model and a thermo-economic analysis of a novel polygeneration system based on a solar-assisted heat pump and an adsorption chiller, both driven by PVT (photovoltaic/thermal) collectors. The aim of this work is to design and dynamically simulate a novel ultra-high efficient solar heating and cooling system. The overall plant layout is designed to supply electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water for a small residential building. The system combines solar cooling, solar-assisted heat pump and photovoltaic/thermal collector technologies in a novel solar polygeneration system. In fact, the polygeneration system is based on a PVT solar field, coupled with a water-to-water electric heat pump or to an adsorption chiller. PVT collectors simultaneously produce electricity and thermal energy. During the winter, hot water produced by PVT collectors primarily supplies the evaporator of the heat pump, whereas in summer, solar energy supplies an adsorption chiller providing the required space cooling. All year long, solar thermal energy in excess is converted into DHW (domestic hot water). The system model was developed in TRNSYS environment. 1-year dynamic simulations are performed for different case studies in various weather conditions. The results are analysed on different time bases presenting energetic, environmental and economic performance data. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and a thermoeconomic optimization were performed, in order to determine the set of system design/control parameters that minimize the simple pay-back period. The results showed a total energy efficiency of the PVT of 49%, a heat pump yearly coefficient of performance for heating mode above 4 and a coefficient of performance of the adsorption chiller of 0.55. Finally, it is also concluded that system performance is highly sensitive to the PVT field area. The system is profitable when a capital investment subsidy of 50% is considered

Nanocomposite-Based Bulk Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bich Phuong Nguyen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic devices based on nanocomposites composed of conjugated polymers and inorganic nanocrystals show promise for the fabrication of low-cost third-generation thin film photovoltaics. In theory, hybrid solar cells can combine the advantages of the two classes of materials to potentially provide high power conversion efficiencies of up to 10%; however, certain limitations on the current within a hybrid solar cell must be overcome. Current limitations arise from incompatibilities among the various intradevice interfaces and the uncontrolled aggregation of nanocrystals during the step in which the nanocrystals are mixed into the polymer matrix. Both effects can lead to charge transfer and transport inefficiencies. This paper highlights potential strategies for resolving these obstacles and presents an outlook on the future directions of this field.

Investigations on the performance of a double pass, hybrid - type (PV/T) solar air heater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Srinivas, M.; Jayaraj, S. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Calicut-673601 (India)

2013-07-01

A solar hybrid energy system having photovoltaic and thermal (PV/T) devices, which produces both thermal and electrical energies simultaneously is considered for analysis. A double pass hybrid solar air (PV/T) heater with slats is designed and fabricated to study its thermal and electrical performance. Air as a heat removing fluid is made to flow through upper and lower channels of the collector. The collector is designed in such a way that the absorber plate is partially covered by solar cells. The raise in temperature of the solar cell is expected to decrease its electrical performance. Thin metallic strips called slats are attached longitudinally at the bottom side of the absorber plate to improve the system performance by increasing the cooling rate of the absorber plate. Thermal and electrical performances of the whole system at varying cooling conditions are presented. An artificial neural network model is used for forecasting the system performance at any desired conditions. The proposed model can be successfully used for evaluating the effect of different operating parameters under different ambient conditions for predicting the overall performance of the system.

Multi criteria sizing approach for Photovoltaic Thermal collectors supplying desalination plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammous, Mahmoud; Chaabene, Maher

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Concept of reverse osmosis desalination plant supplied by hybrid collectors. • Energy consumption optimization. • Plant modeling. • Sizing approach for a desalination plant supplied by hybrid collectors. - Abstract: Reverse osmosis desalination plants require both thermal and electrical energies in order to produce water. As Photovoltaic Thermal panels are able to provide the two energies, they become suitable to supply reverse osmosis plants mainly while installed in remote areas. Autonomous based desalination plants must be optimally sized to meet the criteria related to the reverse osmosis operating temperature, the plant autonomy, the needed water, etc. This paper presents a sizing approach for Photovoltaic Thermal collectors supplying reverse osmosis desalination plant to compute the optimal surface of Photovoltaic Thermal collectors and the tank volume with respect to the operating criteria. The approach is composed of three optimization consideration steps: the monthly average data, the fulfillment of the water need and a three day of autonomy for the water tank volume. The algorithm is tested for a case of study of 10 ha of tomato irrigation. The results converged to 700 m 2 of Photovoltaic Thermal collector’s surface and 3000 m 3 of water tank volume

Methodological comparison on hybrid nano organic solar cell fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Vairavan, Rajendaran; Hambali, Nor Azura Malini Ahmad; Wahid, Mohamad Halim Abd; Retnasamy, Vithyacharan; Shahimin, Mukhzeer Mohamad

2018-02-01

The development of low cost solar cells has been the main focus in recent years. This has lead to the generation of photovoltaic cells based on hybrid of nanoparticle-organic polymer materials. This type of hybrid photovoltaic cells can overcome the problem of polymeric devices having low optical absorption and carrier mobilities. The hybrid cell has the potential of bridging the efficiency gap, which in present in organic and inorganic semiconductor materials. This project focuses on obtaining an hybrid active layer consisting of nanoparticles and organic polymer, to understand the parameter involved in obtaining this active layer and finally to investigate if the addition of nano particles in to the active layer could enhance the output of the hybrid solar cell. The hybrid active layer have will be deposited using the spin coating technique by using CdTe, CdS nano particles mixed with poly (2-methoxy,5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylvinylene)MEH-PPV.

Solar electric power generation photovoltaic energy systems

CERN Document Server

Krauter, Stefan CW

2007-01-01

Solar electricity is a viable, environmentally sustainable alternative to the world's energy supplies. In support, this work examines the various technical parameters of photovoltaic systems. It analyzes the study of performance and yield (including optical, thermal, and electrical parameters and interfaces).

Performance Analysis of a Photovoltaic-Thermal Integrated System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radziemska, E.

2009-01-01

The present commercial photovoltaic solar cells (PV) converts solar energy into electricity with a relatively low efficiency, less than 20%. More than 80% of the absorbed solar energy is dumped to the surroundings again after photovoltaic conversion. Hybrid PV/T systems consist of PV modules coupled with the heat extraction devices. The PV/T collectors generate electric power and heat simultaneously. Stabilizing temperature of photovoltaic modules at low level is highly desirable to obtain efficiency increase. The total efficiency of 60-80% can be achieved with the whole PV/T system provided that the T system is operated near ambient temperature. The value of the low-T heat energy is typically much smaller than the value of the PV electricity. The PV/T systems can exist in many designs, but the most common models are with the use of water or air as a working fuid. Efficiency is the most valuable parameter for the economic analysis. It has substantial meaning in the case of installations with great nominal power, as air-cooled Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPV). In this paper the performance analysis of a hybrid PV/T system is presented: an energetic analysis as well as an exergetic analysis. Exergy is always destroyed when a process involves a temperature change. This destruction is proportional to the entropy increase of the system together with its surroundings the destroyed exergy has been called energy. Exergy analysis identifies the location, the magnitude, and the sources of thermodynamic inefficiencies in a system. This information, which cannot be provided by other means (e.g., an energy analysis), is very useful for the improvement and cost-effectiveness of the system. Calculations were carried out for the tested water-cooled ASE-100-DGL-SM Solar watt module.

Experimental investigation of an optical water filter for Photovoltaic/Thermal conversion module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Shohani, Wisam A.M.; Sabouri, Aydin; Al-Dadah, Raya; Mahmoud, Saad; Butt, Haider

2016-01-01

Highlights: • New design of Photovoltaic/Thermal system is proposed. • Using the optical water layer as a spectrum splitter is tested experimentally. • Optical rig is developed to study the optical performance of water layer. • Energy conversion under different water layer thicknesses is determined. - Abstract: This paper presents an experimental investigation of a novel optical water filter used for Photovoltaic/Thermal and Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal modules. A water layer is used as a spectrum splitter of solar radiation placed above the photovoltaic cells and as a thermal working fluid simultaneously. The water layer absorbs the ultraviolet and part of infrared, which are not used by the photovoltaic, but transmits the visible and some of infrared to the solar cell surface which are used by the photovoltaic. In this work, the transmittance of the optical water filter was measured for different water thicknesses (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm) and radiation wavelength ranging from 0.35 to 1 μm. Results show that there is a significant effect of the water layer thickness on the transmittance of the spectra where the transmittance decreases as the water layer increases. Moreover, energy conversion rate of photovoltaic with the optical water filter at different water layer thicknesses has been determined.

Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar-Geothermal Air Conditioning System for Residential Application: Energy, Exergy, and Sustainability Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasser Abbasi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the performance of a ground source heat pump that is coupled with a photovoltaic system to provide cooling and heating demands of a zero-energy residential building. Exergy and sustainability analyses have been conducted to evaluate the exergy destruction rate and SI of different compartments of the hybrid system. The effects of monthly thermal load variations on the performance of the hybrid system are investigated. The hybrid system consists of a vertical ground source heat exchanger, rooftop photovoltaic panels, and a heat pump cycle. Exergetic efficiency of the solar-geothermal heat pump system does not exceed 10 percent, and most exergy destruction takes place in photovoltaic panel, condenser, and evaporator. Although SI of PV system remains constant during a year, SI of GSHP varies depending on cooling and heating mode. The results also show that utilization of this hybrid system can reduce CO2 emissions by almost 70 tons per year.

Study of the electrical and thermal performances of photovoltaic thermal collector-compound parabolic concentrated

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahed Hameed Jaaz

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The importance of utilizing the solar energy as a very suitable source among multi-source approaches to replace the conventional energy is on the rise in the last four decades. The invention of the photovoltaic module (PV could be the corner stone in this process. However, the limited amount of energy obtained from PV was and still the main challenge of full utilization of the solar energy. In this paper, the use of the compound parabolic concentrator (CPC along with the thermal photovoltaic module (PVT where the cooling process of the CPC is conducted using a novel technique of water jet impingement has applied experimentally and physically tested. The test includes the effect of water jet impingement on the total power, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency, and total efficiency on CPC-PVT system. The cooling process at the maximum irradiation by water jet impingement resulted in improving the electrical efficiency by 7%, total output power by 31% and the thermal efficiency by 81%. These results outperform the recent highest results recorded by the most recent work. Keywords: Photovoltaic thermal collectors, Electrical performance, Thermal performance, Compound parabolic concentrator, Jet impingement

Nb-TiO{sub 2}/polymer hybrid solar cells with photovoltaic response under inert atmosphere conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lira-Cantu, Monica; Khoda Siddiki, Mahbube; Munoz-Rojas, David; Amade, Roger [Centre d' Investigacio en Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (CIN2, CSIC), Laboratory of Nanostructured Materials for Photovoltaic Energy, Campus UAB, Barcelona (Spain); Gonzalez-Pech, Natalia I. [Centre d' Investigacio en Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (CIN2, CSIC), Laboratory of Nanostructured Materials for Photovoltaic Energy, Campus UAB, Barcelona (Spain); Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada, 64640 Monterrey, N.L. (Mexico)

2010-07-15

Hybrid Solar Cells (HSC) applying Nb-TiO{sub 2} in direct contact with a conducting organic polymer, MEH-PPV, show higher stability than the bare TiO{sub 2}-based HSC when analyzed under inert atmosphere conditions. IPCE analyses revealed that inert atmospheres affect directly the semiconductor oxide in the first stages of the analyses but photovoltaic performance stabilizes after several hours. A 20 wt% Nb-doped TiO{sub 2} presented the highest stability and photovoltaic properties. The behavior has been attributed to the solubility limit of Nb within the TiO{sub 2} beyond 20 wt% doping level where the co-existence of NbO{sub 2} is observed. The HSCs were analyzed under controlled N{sub 2} atmosphere and 1000 W/m{sup 2} (AM 1.5) irradiation. (author)

Numerical investigation of the thermal and electrical performances for combined solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) modules based on internally extruded fin flow channel

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Y. C.; Li, Q. P.; Wang, G. J.

2017-11-01

A solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) module based on internally extruded fin flow channel was investigated numerically in this paper. First of all, the structures of the thin plate heat exchanger and the PV/T module were presented. Then, a numerical model of the PV/T module considering solar irradiation, fluid flow and heat transfer was developed to analyze the performance of the module. Finally, the steady electrical and thermal efficiencies of the PV/T module at different inlet water temperatures and mass flow rates were achieved. These numerical results supply theory basis for practical application of the PV/T module.

Development of a solar-hydrogen hybrid energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sebastian, P.J.; Gamboa, S.A.; Vejar, Set; Campos, J.

2009-01-01

Full text: The details of the development of a PV-hydrogen hybrid energy system is presented. An arrangement of photovoltaic modules (125 W/module) was established to provide 9 kW installed power in a three-phase configuration at 127 Vrms/phase. A 5 kW fuel cell system (hydrogen/oxygen) operate as a dynamic backup of the photovoltaic system. The autonomous operation of the hybrid power system implies the production of hydrogen by electrolysis. The hydrogen is produced by water electrolysis using an electrolyzer of 1 kW power. The electrical energy used to produce hydrogen is supplied from solar panels by using 1kW of photovoltaic modules. The photovoltaic modules are installed in a sun-tracker arrangement for increasing the energy conversion efficiency. The hydrogen is stored in solar to electric commercial metal hydride based containers and supplied to the fuel cell. The hybrid system is monitored by internet and some dynamic characteristics such as demanding power, energy and power factor could be analyzed independently from the system. Some energy saving recommendations has been implemented as a pilot program at CIE-UNAM to improve the efficient use of clean energy in normal operating conditions in offices and laboratories. (author)

Thermal Modeling of a Hybrid Thermoelectric Solar Collector with a Compound Parabolic Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Lertsatitthanakorn, C.; Jamradloedluk, J.; Rungsiyopas, M.

2013-07-01

In this study radiant light from the sun is used by a hybrid thermoelectric (TE) solar collector and a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) to generate electricity and thermal energy. The hybrid TE solar collector system described in this report is composed of transparent glass, an air gap, an absorber plate, TE modules, a heat sink to cool the water, and a storage tank. Incident solar radiation falls on the CPC, which directs and reflects the radiation to heat up the absorber plate, creating a temperature difference across the TE modules. The water, which absorbs heat from the hot TE modules, flows through the heat sink to release its heat. The results show that the electrical power output and the conversion efficiency depend on the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides of the TE modules. A maximum power output of 1.03 W and a conversion efficiency of 0.6% were obtained when the temperature difference was 12°C. The thermal efficiency increased as the water flow rate increased. The maximum thermal efficiency achieved was 43.3%, corresponding to a water flow rate of 0.24 kg/s. These experimental results verify that using a TE solar collector with a CPC to produce both electrical power and thermal energy seems to be feasible. The thermal model and calculation method can be applied for performance prediction.

White butterflies as solar photovoltaic concentrators

Science.gov (United States)

Shanks, Katie; Senthilarasu, S.; Ffrench-Constant, Richard H.; Mallick, Tapas K.

2015-07-01

Man’s harvesting of photovoltaic energy requires the deployment of extensive arrays of solar panels. To improve both the gathering of thermal and photovoltaic energy from the sun we have examined the concept of biomimicry in white butterflies of the family Pieridae. We tested the hypothesis that the V-shaped posture of basking white butterflies mimics the V-trough concentrator which is designed to increase solar input to photovoltaic cells. These solar concentrators improve harvesting efficiency but are both heavy and bulky, severely limiting their deployment. Here, we show that the attachment of butterfly wings to a solar cell increases its output power by 42.3%, proving that the wings are indeed highly reflective. Importantly, and relative to current concentrators, the wings improve the power to weight ratio of the overall structure 17-fold, vastly expanding their potential application. Moreover, a single mono-layer of scale cells removed from the butterflies’ wings maintained this high reflectivity showing that a single layer of scale cell-like structures can also form a useful coating. As predicted, the wings increased the temperature of the butterflies’ thorax dramatically, showing that the V-shaped basking posture of white butterflies has indeed evolved to increase the temperature of their flight muscles prior to take-off.

White butterflies as solar photovoltaic concentrators.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanks, Katie; Senthilarasu, S; Ffrench-Constant, Richard H; Mallick, Tapas K

2015-07-31

Man's harvesting of photovoltaic energy requires the deployment of extensive arrays of solar panels. To improve both the gathering of thermal and photovoltaic energy from the sun we have examined the concept of biomimicry in white butterflies of the family Pieridae. We tested the hypothesis that the V-shaped posture of basking white butterflies mimics the V-trough concentrator which is designed to increase solar input to photovoltaic cells. These solar concentrators improve harvesting efficiency but are both heavy and bulky, severely limiting their deployment. Here, we show that the attachment of butterfly wings to a solar cell increases its output power by 42.3%, proving that the wings are indeed highly reflective. Importantly, and relative to current concentrators, the wings improve the power to weight ratio of the overall structure 17-fold, vastly expanding their potential application. Moreover, a single mono-layer of scale cells removed from the butterflies' wings maintained this high reflectivity showing that a single layer of scale cell-like structures can also form a useful coating. As predicted, the wings increased the temperature of the butterflies' thorax dramatically, showing that the V-shaped basking posture of white butterflies has indeed evolved to increase the temperature of their flight muscles prior to take-off.

Thermodynamic analyses of solar thermal gasification of coal for hybrid solar-fossil power and fuel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Yi Cheng; Lipiński, Wojciech

2012-01-01

Thermodynamic analyses are performed for solar thermal steam and dry gasification of coal. The selected types of coal are anthracite, bituminous, lignite and peat. Two model conversion paths are considered for each combination of the gasifying agent and the coal type: production of the synthesis gas with its subsequent use in a combined cycle power plant to generate power, and production of the synthesis gas with its subsequent use to produce gasoline via the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Replacement of a coal-fired 35% efficient Rankine cycle power plant and a combustion-based integrated gasification combined cycle power plant by a solar-based integrated gasification combined cycle power plant leads to the reduction in specific carbon dioxide emissions by at least 47% and 27%, respectively. Replacement of a conventional gasoline production process via coal gasification and a subsequent Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with gasoline production via solar thermal coal gasification with a subsequent Fischer–Tropsch synthesis leads to the reduction in specific carbon dioxide emissions by at least 39%. -- Highlights: ► Thermodynamic analyses for steam and dry gasification of coal are presented. ► Hybrid solar-fossil paths to power and fuels are compared to those using only combustion. ► Hybrid power production can reduce specific CO 2 emissions by more than 27%. ► Hybrid fuel production can reduce specific CO 2 emissions by more than 39%.

Photovoltaic Solar Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez N, J.C.; Leal C, H.

1998-01-01

A short historical review of the technological advances; the current state and the perspectives of the materials for photovoltaic applications is made. Thereinafter, the general aspects of the physical principles and fundamental parameters that govern the operation of the solar cells are described. To way of the example, a methodology for the design and facilities size of a photovoltaic system is applied. Finally, the perspectives of photovoltaic solar energy in relationship to the market and political of development are mentioned

Performance study of solar cell arrays based on a Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ming; Ji, Xu; Li, Guoliang; Wei, Shengxian; Li, YingFeng; Shi, Feng

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The performances of solar cell arrays based on a Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system have been studied. → The optimum concentration ratios for the single crystalline silicon cell, the Super cells and the GaAs cells were studied by experiments. → The influences between the solar cell's performance and the series resistances, the working temperature, solar irradiation intensity were explored. - Abstract: The performances of solar cell arrays based on a Trough Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal (TCPV/T) system have been studied via both experiment and theoretical calculation. The I-V characteristics of the solar cell arrays and the output performances of the TCPV/T system demonstrated that among the investigated four types of solar cell arrays, the triple junction GaAs cells possessed good performance characteristics and the polysilicon cells exhibited poor performance characteristics under concentrating conditions. The optimum concentration ratios for the single crystalline silicon cell, the Super cells and the GaAs cells were also studied by experiments. The optimum concentration ratios for the single crystalline silicon cells and Super cells were 4.23 and 8.46 respectively, and the triple junction GaAs cells could work well at higher concentration ratio. Besides, some theoretical calculations and experiments were performed to explore the influences of the series resistances and the working temperature. When the series resistances R s changed from 0 Ω to 1 Ω, the maximum power P m of the single crystalline silicon, the polycrystalline silicon, the Super cell and the GaAs cell arrays decreased by 67.78%, 74.93%, 77.30% and 58.07% respectively. When the cell temperature increased by 1 K, the short circuit current of the four types of solar cell arrays decreased by 0.11818 A, 0.05364 A, 0.01387 A and 0.00215 A respectively. The research results demonstrated that the output performance of the solar cell arrays with lower

Characterization of a photovoltaic-thermal module for Fresnel linear concentrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chemisana, D.; Ibanez, M.; Rosell, J.I.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A combined domed Fresnel lens - CPC PVT system is designed and characterized. → Electrical and thermal experiments have been performed. → CFD analysis has been used to determine thermal characteristic dimensionless numbers. - Abstract: An advanced solar unit is designed to match the needs of building integration and concentrating photovoltaic/thermal generation. The unit proposed accurately combines three elements: a domed linear Fresnel lens as primary concentrator, a compound parabolic reflector as secondary concentrator and a photovoltaic-thermal module. In this work the photovoltaic-thermal generator is built, analysed and characterized. Models for the electrical and thermal behaviour of the module are developed and validated experimentally. Applying a thermal resistances approach the results from both models are combined. Finally, efficiency electrical and thermal curves are derived from theoretical analysis showing good agreement with experimental measurements.

Exergy analysis of building integrated semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (BiSPVT system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neha Gupta

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, an exergy analysis of building integrated semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (BiSPVT system has been carried out. In the proposed system, the room below building integrated semitransparent photovoltaic thermal system has been considered as an air-conditioned (constant room temperature. Energy balance equation for each components namely semitransparent photovoltaic roof, floor and room air have been given. Based on energy balance, an analytical expression for room air, solar cell and room floor temperatures have been derived along with solar cell electrical efficiency. Further by considering the day lighting parameters, an overall exergy of the proposed system has been derived for different number of air change between the room and ambient air. It has been observed that there is reduction in room air and solar cell temperatures with an increase of number of air changes. However, solar cell electrical efficiency increases with decrease in temperature of solar cell. Further, it is found that an electrical power and illumination inside the room are more dominating in comparison with thermal exergy. An increase of 1.15% in an overall exergy is observed for the number of air changes varies from 0 to 4. Experimental validation of theoretical model has also been carried out.

Dimensioning and efficiency evaluation of hybrid solar systems for energy production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elia Stefano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays hybrid panels for joint production of thermal and electrical energy are available on the market. The main contribution of this work is to evaluate the performances of hybrid systems and to determine the field of application. Mathematical models of panels are considered to evaluate thermal and electrical behavior of the problem. A software produced by the authors is shown that calculates the energy production of these devices in several operating situations; a comparison to that of photovoltaic and thermal systems is performed. Moreover, the economic validity of a such investment is evaluated. Finally a simplified criterion has been developed to calculate the best subdivision of the available deployment surface among thermal, photovoltaic, and hybrid panels.

Combined photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems: overcoming barriers to market acceptance. Paper no. IGEC-1-136

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, M.R.

2005-01-01

In 1997, the International Energy Association's (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (PVSP) initiated IEA Task 7 to evaluate the technical status of combined Photovoltaic and Solar-Thermal systems (PV/T), and to formulate a roadmap for future development. Because the Task was initiated by the PVSP, however, individuals from the Solar Heating and Cooling Program (SHCP) were not invited to participate, and the Task Group lacked any significant expertise with solar-thermal systems. When the Task submitted its final report in 2002, it consisted of an accounting of existing systems and a list of the perceived market barriers. Without input from the SHCP, however, no move could be made to actually address those barriers. IEA Task 7, however, did recognize that the participation of the SHCP was needed, and in 1999 made an effort to initiate some discussion between the PVSP and the SHCP. The result was IEA Task 35 - PV/T Systems, which met for the first time in January of 2005. The new group intends to reevaluate the findings of Task 7, and to develop the means by which these market barriers can be overcome. The current discussion will provide an overview of existing and potential PV/T systems and their technical status. Further, it will report on the methodology established by the Task 35 work group to overcome the aforementioned market barriers. (author)

THE ANALISYS OF THE PHOTOVOLTAIC AND ELECTRIC PARAMETERS OF A COOLING HYBRID SYSTEM. CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARE R.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the interdependence between photovoltaic and electric parameters of a solar thermoelectric cooler. It emphasises the importance of the solar radiation during two experiments made in the same day, in different weather conditions. Also, it is shown that while the photovoltaic power is directly dependent on the photovoltaic current intensity, the electric power varies along with the voltage. All these have great influence upon the battery – the main component responsible for the operation of the cooling hybrid system.

Solar Thermal Power.

Science.gov (United States)

McDaniels, David K.

The different approaches to the generation of power from solar energy may be roughly divided into five categories: distributed collectors; central receivers; biomass; ocean thermal energy conversion; and photovoltaic devices. The first approach (distributed collectors) is the subject of this module. The material presented is designed to…

Solar photovoltaic power generation system and understanding of green energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Chun Sik

2004-03-01

This book introduces sunlight generation system and green energy, which includes new and renewable energy such as photovoltaic power generation, solar thermal, wind power, bio energy, waste energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy and fuel cell photovoltaic industry like summary, technology trend, market trend, development strategy of the industry in Korea, and other countries, design of photovoltaic power generation system supporting policy and related business of new and renewable energy.

Solar Photovoltaic Technology Basics | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Photovoltaic Technology Basics Solar Photovoltaic Technology Basics Solar cells, also called found in sand) created an electric charge when exposed to sunlight. Soon solar cells were being used to power space satellites and smaller items like calculators and watches. Photo of a large silicon solar

Experimental study on a hybrid photovoltaic/heat pump system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Hongbing; Riffat, Saffa B.; Fu Yu

2011-01-01

Several studies have found that the decrease of photovoltaic (PV) cell temperature would increase the solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency. Different working fluids such as air and water have been used for the cooling of PV modules, but the improvement in energy performance has been found to be small. In this paper, R134a refrigerant was employed to cool the PV modules. With its low evaporating temperature, it was expected to achieve better cooling effect and electrical performance of the PV modules than using air and water working fluids. An experimental rig of a hybrid micro PV panel-based heat pump system was constructed for the performance testing in a laboratory at University of Nottingham. A small PV panel was made of 6 glass vacuum tube - PV module - aluminium sheet - cooper tube (GPAC) sandwiches connected in series, acting as the evaporator. This was coupled with a small heat pump system. The glass vacuum tubes reduced the heat loss from the PV panel to the ambient, resulting in the improvement of thermal performance. Three testing modes were proposed to investigate the effect of solar radiation, condenser water flow rate and condenser water supply temperature on energy performance. The testing results showed that an averaged COP reached 3.8, 4.3 and 4.0 under the three testing modes with variable radiation, condenser water supply water temperature and water flow rate, respectively, but this could be much higher for a large capacity heat pump system using large PV panels on building roofs. The COP increased with the increasing solar radiation, but decreased with the increasing condenser water supply temperature and water flow rate. The electrical efficiency of PV panel was improved by up to 1.9% based on a reference PV efficiency of 3.9%, compared with that without cooling. The condenser water supply temperature and water flow rate had little effect on the electrical performance. - Highlights: → R134a refrigerant was used for cooling of PV modules

Review of Polymer, Dye-Sensitized, and Hybrid Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. F. Mohd-Nasir

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The combination of inorganic nanoparticles semiconductor, conjugated polymer, and dye-sensitized in a layer of solar cell is now recognized as potential application in developing flexible, large area, and low cost photovoltaic devices. Several conjugated low bandgap polymers, dyes, and underlayer materials based on the previous studies are quoted in this paper, which can provide guidelines in designing low cost photovoltaic solar cells. All of these materials are designed to help harvest more sunlight in a wider range of the solar spectrum besides enhancing the rate of charge transfer in a device structure. This review focuses on developing solid-state dye-synthesized, polymer, and hybrid solar cells.

Optimal stochastic short-term thermal and electrical operation of fuel cell/photovoltaic/battery/grid hybrid energy system in the presence of demand response program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majidi, Majid; Nojavan, Sayyad; Zare, Kazem

2017-01-01

Highlights: • On-grid photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell system is considered as hybrid system. • Thermal and electrical operation of hybrid energy system is studied. • Hybrid energy system is used to reduce dependency on upstream grid for load serving. • Demand response program is proposed to manage the electrical load. • Demand response program is proposed to reduce hybrid energy system’s operation cost. - Abstract: In this paper, cost-efficient operation problem of photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell hybrid energy system has been evaluated in the presence of demand response program. Each load curve has off-peak, mid and peak time periods in which the energy prices are different. Demand response program transfers some amount of load from peak periods to other periods to flatten the load curve and minimize total cost. So, the main goal is to meet the energy demand and propose a cost-efficient approach to minimize system’s total cost including system’s electrical cost and thermal cost and the revenue from exporting power to the upstream grid. A battery has been utilized as an electrical energy storage system and a heat storage tank is used as a thermal energy storage system to save energy in off-peak and mid-peak hours and then supply load in peak hours which leads to reduction of cost. The proposed cost-efficient operation problem of photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell hybrid energy system is modeled by a mixed-integer linear program and solved by General algebraic modeling system optimization software under CPLEX solver. Two case studies are investigated to show the effects of demand response program on reduction of total cost.

Exploring the Effects of the Pb2+ Substitution in MAPbI3 on the Photovoltaic Performance of the Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Frolova, Lyubov A; Anokhin, Denis V; Gerasimov, Kirill L; Dremova, Nadezhda N; Troshin, Pavel A

2016-11-03

Here we report a systematic study of the Pb 2+ substitution in the hybrid iodoplumbate MAPbI 3 with a series of elements affecting optoelectronic, structural, and morphological properties of the system. It has been shown that even partial replacement of lead with Cd 2+ , Zn 2+ , Fe 2+ , Ni 2+ , Co 2+ , In 3+ , Bi 3+ , Sn 4+ , and Ti 4+ results in a significant deterioration of the photovoltaic characteristics. On the contrary, Hg-containing hybrid MAPb 1-x Hg x I 3 salts demonstrated a considerably improved solar cell performance at optimal mercury loading. This result opens up additional dimension in the compositional engineering of the complex lead halides for designing novel photoactive materials with advanced optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties.

Organic and hybrid solar cells

CERN Document Server

Huang, Hui

2014-01-01

This book delivers a comprehensive evaluation of organic and hybrid solar cells and identifies their fundamental principles and numerous applications. Great attention is given to the charge transport mechanism, donor and acceptor materials, interfacial materials, alternative electrodes, device engineering and physics, and device stability. The authors provide an industrial perspective on the future of photovoltaic technologies.

Performance investigation of a wind turbine–solar photovoltaic panels–fuel cell hybrid system installed at İncek region – Ankara, Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devrim, Yılser; Bilir, Levent

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A hybrid system with a wind turbine, photovoltaic panels and a fuel cell was studied. • 3 kW wind turbine, 17.97 m 2 photovoltaics, 1.2 kW fuel cell and 4.7 kW electrolyzer was used. • The system can meet the entire demand of a residential house in Ankara, Turkey. • Only exception is in November, when the energy lack can be compensated from the grid. - Abstract: Renewable energy use in the world increases year by year. However, in many cases it is not possible to cover the electrical energy need of even a single house using only one renewable energy resource due to its intermittent nature. At this point, hybrid systems are applied to overcome this problem. This study focuses on the combination of photovoltaic solar panels, a small scale wind turbine, an electrolyzer and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell hybrid system for electrical power generation for an average house of 150 m 2 located at İncek region of Ankara, Turkey. Solar and wind energies were used as primary sources and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is used as the backup power. The hybrid system was modeled and the results indicate that the use of the selected wind turbine with a 3 kW capacity along with photovoltaic panels with 17.97 m 2 area is sufficient to provide the required 5 h operation of the electrolyzer, which in turn provides the necessary hydrogen and oxygen to the fuel cell. Since the daily energy needed by the investigated house was taken as 5 kW h, the fuel cell with a net power output of 1 kW supplies all electrical demand with its 5 h operation. The outcomes show that the hybrid system is capable to provide all electrical need of the house all year round, except November. The electrical energy production of the proposed system is considerably higher than the demand in many months and this surplus electricity can be used in order to support the cooling and heating system of the considered house.

Hybrid Solar Cells: Materials, Interfaces, and Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Mariani, Giacomo; Wang, Yue; Kaner, Richard B.; Huffaker, Diana L.

Photovoltaic technologies could play a pivotal role in tackling future fossil fuel energy shortages, while significantly reducing our carbon dioxide footprint. Crystalline silicon is pervasively used in single junction solar cells, taking up 80 % of the photovoltaic market. Semiconductor-based inorganic solar cells deliver relatively high conversion efficiencies at the price of high material and manufacturing costs. A great amount of research has been conducted to develop low-cost photovoltaic solutions by incorporating organic materials. Organic semiconductors are conjugated hydrocarbon-based materials that are advantageous because of their low material and processing costs and a nearly unlimited supply. Their mechanical flexibility and tunable electronic properties are among other attractions that their inorganic counterparts lack. Recently, collaborations in nanotechnology research have combined inorganic with organic semiconductors in a "hybrid" effort to provide high conversion efficiencies at low cost. Successful integration of these two classes of materials requires a profound understanding of the material properties and an exquisite control of the morphology, surface properties, ligands, and passivation techniques to ensure an optimal charge carrier generation across the hybrid device. In this chapter, we provide background information of this novel, emerging field, detailing the various approaches for obtaining inorganic nanostructures and organic polymers, introducing a multitude of methods for combining the two components to achieve the desired morphologies, and emphasizing the importance of surface manipulation. We highlight several studies that have fueled new directions for hybrid solar cell research, including approaches for maximizing efficiencies by controlling the morphologies of the inorganic component, and in situ molecular engineering via electrochemical polymerization of a polymer directly onto the inorganic nanowire surfaces. In the end, we

Performance Analysis of a Photovoltaic-Thermal Integrated System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Radziemska

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The present commercial photovoltaic solar cells (PV converts solar energy into electricity with a relatively low efficiency, less than 20%. More than 80% of the absorbed solar energy is dumped to the surroundings again after photovoltaic conversion. Hybrid PV/T systems consist of PV modules coupled with the heat extraction devices. The PV/T collectors generate electric power and heat simultaneously. Stabilizing temperature of photovoltaic modules at low level is higly desirable to obtain efficiency increase. The total efficiency of 60–80% can be achieved with the whole PV/T system provided that the T system is operated near ambient temperature. The value of the low-T heat energy is typically much smaller than the value of the PV electricity. The PV/T systems can exist in many designs, but the most common models are with the use of water or air as a working fuid. Efficiency is the most valuable parameter for the economic analysis. It has substantial meaning in the case of installations with great nominal power, as air-cooled Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPV. In this paper the performance analysis of a hybrid PV/T system is presented: an energetic analysis as well as an exergetic analysis. Exergy is always destroyed when a process involves a temperature change. This destruction is proportional to the entropy increase of the system together with its surroundings—the destroyed exergy has been called anergy. Exergy analysis identifies the location, the magnitude, and the sources of thermodynamic inefficiences in a system. This information, which cannot be provided by other means (e.g., an energy analysis, is very useful for the improvement and cost-effictiveness of the system. Calculations were carried out for the tested water-cooled ASE-100-DGL-SM Solarwatt module.

Photovoltaic and thermal energy conversion for solar powered satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Von Tiesenhausen, G. F.

1976-01-01

A summary is provided concerning the most important aspects of present investigations related to a use of solar power satellites (SPS) as a future source of terrestrial energy. General SPS characteristics are briefly considered, early work is reviewed, and a description of current investigations is presented. System options presently under study include a photovoltaic array, a thermionic system, and a closed Brayton cycle. Attention is given to system reference options, basic building blocks, questions of system analysis and engineering, photovoltaic conversion, and the utility interface. It is concluded that an SPS may be cost effective compared to terrestrial systems by 1995.

Cooling design and evaluation for photovoltaic cells within constrained space in a CPV/CSP hybrid solar system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Sheng; Shi, Junxiang; Chen, Hsiu-Hung; Schafer, Steven R.; Munir, Moiz; Stecker, Greg; Pan, Wei; Lee, Jong-Jan; Chen, Chung-Lung

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A practical cooling solution is proposed for a novel CPV/CSP hybrid solar system. • Both passive and active cooling techniques were systematically investigated. • Comprehensive experimental and numerical studies were conducted for optimal design. • Active cooling is in great need for a high waste heat flux of 21.8 W/cm 2 . • Passive cooling becomes attractive for a waste heat flux less than 13.0 W/cm 2 . - Abstract: A hybrid solar energy system has been designed by combining the advantages of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology and high performance concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cells which outperforms either single technology. Thermal management is crucial to CPV cells in this hybrid solar system, as concentrated solar radiation onto the PV cells leads to higher heat flux. If the heat is not dissipated effectively, it can cause obvious temperature rise and efficiency reduction in the cell. In addition, the constrained space available for PV cell cooling in such hybrid solar systems presents more challenges. In this study both passive cooling and active cooling techniques were systematically investigated in both numerical and experimental ways. For the passive cooling method, two different designs from off-the-shelf heat pipes with radial fins or annular fins were proposed and studied under various heat rejection requirements. Results shows that heat pipes with radial fins exhibited narrow capability of dumping the heat, while heat pipes with annular fins presented better performances under the same conditions. Numerical optimal designs of annular fin numbers and fin gaps were then carried out and experimentally validated, indicating a capability of dumping moderate waste heat (∼45 W). For active cooling technique, a comprehensive study of designing plate fin heatsinks were conducted corresponding to high Ingress Protection (IP) rated off-the-shelf fans. Results show that with a less than 2 W fan power consumption, this active

The thermal solar energy - September 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acket, C.

2010-01-01

The author first notices that the use of solar heat to produce electricity is much lesser known than the production of electricity by photovoltaic effect. He also notices that few efforts have been made in France to develop this technology (thermal solar energy, also called helio-thermodynamics). He evokes the Themis project and also some initiatives in Spain and in California. He recalls some data about solar heat, presents the solar concentration technique which either uses a parabolic configuration (point focus concentration) or a cylindrical and parabolic configuration (line concentration system). He briefly presents the different techniques used to transform solar heat into electricity and to store the electricity. He briefly presents different solutions which have been tested over the past years in France, Germany, Spain, California and Israel (tower and air, gas and Stirling cycle, tower and direct vapour production, cylindrical-parabolic collector). He discusses the effect of intermittency and the French context, and questions and discusses the choice between thermal and photovoltaic solar energy (advantages and drawbacks)

Hybrid energy harvesting using active thermal backplane

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Wook; Lee, Dong-Gun

2016-04-01

In this study, we demonstrate the concept of a new hybrid energy harvesting system by combing solar cells with magneto-thermoelectric generator (MTG, i.e., thermal energy harvesting). The silicon solar cell can easily reach high temperature under normal operating conditions. Thus the heated solar cell becomes rapidly less efficient as the temperature of solar cell rises. To increase the efficiency of the solar cell, air or water-based cooling system is used. To surpass conventional cooling devices requiring additional power as well as large working space for air/water collectors, we develop a new technology of pairing an active thermal backplane (ATB) to solar cell. The ATB design is based on MTG technology utilizing the physics of the 2nd order phase transition of active ferromagnetic materials. The MTG is cost-effective conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy and is fundamentally different from Seebeck TEG devices. The ATB (MTG) is in addition to being an energy conversion system, a very good conveyor of heat through both conduction and convection. Therefore, the ATB can provide dual-mode for the proposed hybrid energy harvesting. One is active convective and conductive cooling for heated solar cell. Another is active thermal energy harvesting from heat of solar cell. These novel hybrid energy harvesting device have potentially simultaneous energy conversion capability of solar and thermal energy into electricity. The results presented can be used for better understanding of hybrid energy harvesting system that can be integrated into commercial applications.

Japan's Sunshine Project. 1988 annual summary of solar energy research and development program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1989-07-01

Mentioned in relation to the research and development of photovoltaic power generation systems are fundamental research on solar cells, research on advanced photovoltaic system technologies, research and development of amorphous solar cells, etc. Mentioned in relation to the technical development for the practical use of photovoltaic power generation systems are low-cost SOG(spin on glass)-silicon experimental production and verification, solar cell panel experimental manufacture and verification, technical development of high efficiency cell fabrication, research and development of amorphous silicon solar cells, research and development of evaluation systems for photovoltaic cells and modules, development of support technology for photovoltaic power generation (power generation support technology, interconnection and control of photovoltaic systems), etc. Also discussed are a stand-alone dispersed system, meteorological analysis, centralized solar power system, development of photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar power generation system, etc. In relation to solar thermal energy, a solar thermal power generation system, and an evaluation system are taken up, and the development is discussed of a fixed heat process type system, an advanced heat process type system, and a long-term heat storage system, these for application to industrial processes. Reference is also made to international cooperation. (NEDO)

Characteristics Study of Photovoltaic Thermal System with Emphasis on Energy Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Chuah Yee

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Solar energy is typically collected through photovoltaic (PV to generate electricity or through thermal collectors as heat energy, they are generally utilised separately. This project is done with the purpose of integrating the two systems to improve the energy efficiency. The idea of this photovoltaic-thermal (PVT setup design is to simultaneously cool the PV panel so it can operate at a lower temperature thus higher electrical efficiency and also store the thermal energy. The experimental data shows that the PVT setup increased the electrical efficiency of the standard PV setup from 1.64% to 2.15%. The integration of the thermal collector also allowed 37.25% of solar energy to be stored as thermal energy. The standard PV setup harnessed only 1.64% of the solar energy, whereas the PVT setup achieved 39.4%. Different flowrates were tested to determine its effects on the PVT setup’s electrical and thermal efficiency. The various flowrate does not significantly impact the electrical efficiency since it did not significantly impact the cooling of the panel. The various flowrates resulted in fluctuating thermal efficiencies, the relation between the two is inconclusive in this project.

A novel syngas-fired hybrid heating source for solar-thermal applications: Energy and exergy analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pramanik, Santanu; Ravikrishna, R.V.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Biomass-derived syngas as a hybrid energy source for solar thermal power plants. • A novel combustor concept using rich-catalytic and MILD combustion technologies. • Hybrid energy source for a solar-driven supercritical CO 2 -based Brayton cycle. • Comprehensive energetic and exergetic analysis of the combined system. - Abstract: A hybrid heating source using biomass-derived syngas is proposed to enable continuous operation of standalone solar thermal power generation plants. A novel, two-stage, low temperature combustion system is proposed that has the potential to provide stable combustion of syngas with near-zero NO x emissions. The hybrid heating system consists of a downdraft gasifier, a two-stage combustion system, and other auxiliaries. When integrated with a solar cycle, the entire system can be referred to as the integrated gasification solar combined cycle (IGSCC). The supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycle (SCO 2 ) is selected for the solar cycle due to its high efficiency. The thermodynamic performance evaluation of the individual unit and the combined system has been conducted from both energy and exergy considerations. The effect of parameters such as gasification temperature, biomass moisture content, equivalence ratio, and pressure ratio is studied. The efficiency of the IGSCC exhibited a non-monotonic behavior. A maximum thermal efficiency of 36.5% was achieved at an overall equivalence ratio of 0.22 and pressure ratio of 2.75 when the gasifier was operating at T g = 1073 K with biomass containing 20% moisture. The efficiency increased to 40.8% when dry biomass was gasified at a temperature of 973 K. The exergy analysis revealed that the maximum exergy destruction occurred in the gasification system, followed by the combustion system, SCO 2 cycle, and regenerator. The exergy analysis also showed that 8.72% of the total exergy is lost in the exhaust; however, this can be utilized for drying of the biomass.

Recent progresses and achievements in photovoltaic-phase change material technology: A review with special treatment on photovoltaic thermal-phase change material systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, M.M.; Pandey, A.K.; Hasanuzzaman, M.; Rahim, N.A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Broad summary of phase change materials based cooling for photovoltaic modules. • Compendium on phase change materials that are mostly used in photovoltaic systems. • Extension of heat availability period by 75–100% with phase change material. • Heat storage potential improves by 33–50% more with phase change material. • Future trend and move in photovoltaic thermal research. - Abstract: This communication lays out an appraisal on the recent works of phase change materials based thermal management techniques for photovoltaic systems with special focus on the so called photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system. Attempt has also been made to draw wide-ranging classification of both photovoltaic and photovoltaic thermal systems and their conventional cooling or heat harvesting methods developed so far so that feasible phase change materials application area in these systems can be pointed out. In addition, a brief literature on phase change materials with particular focus on their solar application has also been presented. Overview of the researches and studies establish that using phase change materials for photovoltaic thermal control is technically viable if some issues like thermal conductivity or phase stability are properly addressed. The photovoltaic thermal-phase change material systems are found to offer 33% (maximum 50%) more heat storage potential than the conventional photovoltaic-thermal water system and that with 75–100% extended heat availability period and around 9% escalation in output. Reduction in temperature attained with photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system is better than that with regular photovoltaic-thermal water system, too. Studies also show the potential of another emerging technology of photovoltaic thermal-microencapsulated phase change material system that makes use of microencapsulated phase change materials in thermal regulation. Future focus areas on photovoltaic thermal-phase change

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo

2012-06-13

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Hybrid Silicon Nanocone–Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sangmoo; Garnett, Erik C.; Wang, Shuang; Yu, Zongfu; Fan, Shanhui; Brongersma, Mark L.; McGehee, Michael D.; Cui, Yi

2012-01-01

Recently, hybrid Si/organic solar cells have been studied for low-cost Si photovoltaic devices because the Schottky junction between the Si and organic material can be formed by solution processes at a low temperature. In this study, we demonstrate a hybrid solar cell composed of Si nanocones and conductive polymer. The optimal nanocone structure with an aspect ratio (height/diameter of a nanocone) less than two allowed for conformal polymer surface coverage via spin-coating while also providing both excellent antireflection and light trapping properties. The uniform heterojunction over the nanocones with enhanced light absorption resulted in a power conversion efficiency above 11%. Based on our simulation study, the optimal nanocone structures for a 10 μm thick Si solar cell can achieve a short-circuit current density, up to 39.1 mA/cm 2, which is very close to the theoretical limit. With very thin material and inexpensive processing, hybrid Si nanocone/polymer solar cells are promising as an economically viable alternative energy solution. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Hybrid photovoltaic-diesel-battery systems for remote energy supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bopp, G.; Gabler, H.; Kiefer, K.; Preiser, K.; Wiemken, E. [Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Freiburg (Germany)

1997-12-31

Photovoltaic solar generators combined with diesel engines and battery energy storage are powering isolated mountain lodges, information centres in nature parks, isolated farms or dwellings all over Europe. A total of 300000 buildings in Europe are estimated to be not connected to the public grid. This represents a major market potential for photovoltaics, as often photovoltaic power generation is less expensive than a connection to the electric utility. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has planned, realized and monitored about 30 hybrid remote energy supply systems with PV generators typically around 5 kW for loads typically around 20 kWh per day. More than one hundred years of operational experience accumulated so far, are a sound foundation on which to draw an interim balance over problems solved and technical questions still under development. Room for further technical development is seen in the domain of system reliability and the reduction of operating costs as well as in the optimization of the utilisation of the electric energy produced by the PV generator. (orig.) 8 refs.

Solar energy developments: photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivoththaman, S.

2006-01-01

The annual photovoltaic (PV) energy production crossed the 1 Gigawatt mark a couple of years ago, and continues to grow at rates exceeding 40%. The cost of PV has been continuously dropping due to increased production and also thanks to the technological advances made over the past two decades at the material, device, and system levels. Although PV is still considered expensive, cost-competitiveness is expected to be achieved in the next 5-10 years. With the current PV market 90% dominated by crystalline silicon (Si) material, advances are being made in tackling the Si shortage issue, and new approaches in feedstock refinement are getting shape. On the other hand, progress is being made on thin film-based advanced devices and on novel organic semiconductors. Novel concepts based on quantum physics and nanotechnology do have the ability to improve device performance beyond traditional theoretical limits. The domination of Si is expected to shift when these next generation technologies mature into industry-level scalability. On the system level, advanced back-end electronics provides more efficient power conditioning for modern PV modules. Systems level combinations such as solar thermal/PV hybrids and PV/hydrogen systems are also promising. An overview of recent technology developments will be presented with highlights in the Canadian scenario. (author)

Photovoltaic solar energy; Photovoltaische Solarenergie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

for a renewable power supply? (G. Bopp); (17) Electrochemical energy storage for a stationary intermediate storage - Concepts and perspectives (M. Wohlfahrt-Mehrens); (18) Decentral photovoltaics: Autonomy, own consumption and grid relief by means of local power and heat storage systems (J. Binder); (19) Maximization of the lifetime of electric batteries in PV systems by means of battery hybrid storage systems (V. Spaeth); (20) Possibilities for grid integration of a high amount of photovoltaic power plants in the area of low performance (G. Wirth); (21) Change of load of grid components at the implementation of photovoltaic power into the power distribution system (G. Herold); (22) Feeding management and limitation of the supply of the active power to 70 % according to the new EEG 2012 (A. Umland); (23) Power quality and dynamic grid support: Do the medium voltage regulations correspond to the properties of PV inverters? (G. Doetter); (24) Perspectives of wafer based solar modules, technology and costs (R. Brendel); (25) Why is solar power not climate neutral but still environmentally friendly? Actual ecobalances to photovoltaics (M. Stucki); (26) Are photovoltaic power plants ''highly dangerous''? (H. Laukamp); (27) Power-to-Gas - Storage of renewable energies in the natural gas distribution system (M. Specht); (28) Utilization of own photovoltaic power - Fluctuation of radiation and load (B. Wille-Haussmann); (29) Arc detection in photovoltaic power plants - A system comparison between USA and Europe (A. Haeing); (30) 20 years 1,000 roofs program - Long-term experiences from Saxonia (M. Reiner); (31) Quality assurance of PV inverters - 20 years of field experiences with photovoltaic power plants in grid interconnection (J. Laschinski); (32) Experiences with the installation and operation of photovoltaic storage systems: Field tests of Sol-ion systems in southern Germany, Guadeloupe, Martinique and at research institutes (H.-D. Mohring); (33) Do

Energy performance of water hybrid PV/T collectors applied to combisystems of Direct Solar Floor type

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraisse, G.; Johannes, K. [Laboratoire Optimisation de la Conception et Ingenierie de l' Environnement, Ecole Superieure d' Ingenieurs de Chambery, Campus Scientifique Savoie Technolac, 73376 Le Bourget du Lac Cedex (France); Menezo, C. [Centre de Thermique de Lyon, Domaine Scientifique de La Doua, Bat. Freyssinet, 20, Avenue A. Einstein, 69621 Villeurbanne Cedex (France)

2007-11-15

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) modules in buildings allows one to consider a multifunctional frame and then to reduce the cost by substitution of components. In order to limit the rise of the cell operating temperature, a photovoltaics/thermal (PV/T) collector combines a solar water heating collector and PV cells. The recovered heat energy can be used for heating systems and domestic hot water. A combination with a Direct Solar Floor is studied. Its low operating temperature level is appropriate for the operating conditions of the mono- or poly-crystalline photovoltaic modules which are selected in that study. However, for a system including a glass covered collector and localised in Macon area in France, we show that the annual photovoltaic cell efficiency is 6.8% which represents a decrease of 28% in comparison with a conventional non-integrated PV module of 9.4% annual efficiency. This is obviously due to a temperature increase related to the cover. On the other hand, we show that without a glass cover, the efficiency is 10% which is 6% better than a standard module due to the cooling effect. Moreover, in the case of a glazed PV/T collector with a conventional control system for Direct Solar Floor, the maximum temperature reached at the level of the PV modules is higher than 100{sup o}C. This is due to the oversize of the collectors during the summer when the heating needs are null, i.e. without a heated swimming pool for example. This temperature level does not allow the use of EVA resin (ethylene vinyl acetate) in PV modules due to strong risks of degradation. The current solution consists of using amorphous cells or, if we do not enhance the thermal production, uncovered PV/T collector. Further research led to water hybrid PV/T solar collectors as a one-piece component, both reliable and efficient, and including the thermal absorber, the heat exchanger and the photovoltaic functions. (author)

A hybrid solar chemical looping combustion system with a high solar share

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafarian, Mehdi; Arjomandi, Maziar; Nathan, Graham J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion system is presented. • This hybrid CLC system integrates a CLC plant with a solar thermal energy plant. • The oxygen carrier particles are used for chemical and sensible thermal energy storage. • A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. • The calculations show a total solar share of around 60% can be achieved. - Abstract: A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion (Hy-Sol-CLC) is presented, in which the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system are employed to provide thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. This hybrid aims to take advantage of key features of a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system that are desirable for solar energy systems, notably their inherent chemical and sensible energy storage systems, the relatively low temperature of the “fuel” reactor (to which the concentrated solar thermal energy is added in a hybrid) relative to that of the final temperature of the product gas and the potential to operate the fuel reactor at a different pressure to the heated gas stream. By this approach, it is aimed to achieve high efficiency of the solar energy, infrastructure sharing, economic synergy, base load power generation and a high solar fraction of the total energy. In the proposed Hy-Sol-CLC system, a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for fuel reactor while for the storage of the oxygen carrier particles two reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC. A heat exchanger is also proposed to provide independent control of the temperatures of the storage reservoirs from those of solar fuel and air reactors. The system is simulated using Aspen Plus software for the average diurnal profile of normal irradiance for Port Augusta, South Australia. The operating temperature of the fuel reactor, solar absorption efficiency, solar share, fraction of the solar thermal energy stored within the solar reactor, the fractions of sensible and

Japan's Sunshine Project. 1988 annual summary of solar energy research and development program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1989-07-01

Mentioned in relation to the research and development of photovoltaic power generation systems are fundamental research on solar cells, research on advanced photovoltaic system technologies, research and development of amorphous solar cells, etc. Mentioned in relation to the technical development for the practical use of photovoltaic power generation systems are low-cost SOG(spin on glass)-silicon experimental production and verification, solar cell panel experimental manufacture and verification, technical development of high efficiency cell fabrication, research and development of amorphous silicon solar cells, research and development of evaluation systems for photovoltaic cells and modules, development of support technology for photovoltaic power generation (power generation support technology, interconnection and control of photovoltaic systems), etc. Also discussed are a stand-alone dispersed system, meteorological analysis, centralized solar power system, development of photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar power generation system, etc. In relation to solar thermal energy, a solar thermal power generation system, and an evaluation system are taken up, and the development is discussed of a fixed heat process type system, an advanced heat process type system, and a long-term heat storage system, these for application to industrial processes. Reference is also made to international cooperation. (NEDO)

Solar Trigeneration: a Transitory Simulation of HVAC Systems Using Different Typologies of Hybrid Panels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro del Amo Sancho

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The high energy demand on buildings requires efficient installations and the integration of renewable energy to achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption using traditional energy sources. Usually, solar energy generation and heating loads have different profiles along a day and their maximums take place at different moments. In addition, in months in which solar production is higher, the heating demands are the minimum (hot water is consumed only domestically in summer. Cooling machines (absorption and adsorption allow using thermal energy to chill a fluid. This heat flow rate could be recovered from solar collectors or any other heat source. The aim of this study is to integrate different typologies of solar hybrid (photovoltaic and thermal collectors with cooling machines getting solar trigeneration and concluding the optimal combination for building applications. The heat recovered from the photovoltaic module is used to provide energy to these cooling machines getting a double effect: to get a better efficiency on PV modules and to cool the building. In this document the authors analyse these installations, their operating conditions, dimensions and parameters, in order to get the optimal installation in three different European cities. This work suggests that in a family house in Madrid, the optimal combination is to use CPVT with azimuthally tracking and absorption machine. In this case, the solar trigeneration system using 55 m2 of collector area saves the cooling loads and 79% of the heating load in the house round the year.

Modeling the thermal absorption factor of photovoltaic/thermal combi-panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santbergen, R.; Zolingen, R.J.Ch. van

2006-01-01

In a photovoltaic/thermal combi-panel solar cells generate electricity while residual heat is extracted to be used for tap water heating or room heating. In such a panel the entire solar spectrum can be used in principle. Unfortunately long wavelength solar irradiance is poorly absorbed by the semiconductor material in standard solar cells. A computer model was developed to determine the thermal absorption factor of crystalline silicon solar cells. It was found that for a standard untextured solar cell with a silver back contact a relatively large amount of long wavelength irradiance is lost by reflection resulting in an absorption factor of only 74%. The model was then used to investigate ways to increase this absorption factor. One way is absorbing long wavelength irradiance in a second absorber behind a semi-transparent solar cell. According to the model this will increase the total absorption factor to 87%. The second way is to absorb irradiance in the back contact of the solar cell by using rough interfaces in combination with a non-standard metal as back contact. Theoretically the absorption factor can then be increased to 85%

Mathematical modeling of photovoltaic thermal PV/T system with v-groove collector

Science.gov (United States)

Zohri, M.; Fudholi, A.; Ruslan, M. H.; Sopian, K.

2017-07-01

The use of v-groove in solar collector has a higher thermal efficiency in references. Dropping the working heat of photovoltaic panel was able to raise the electrical efficiency performance. Electrical and thermal efficiency were produced by photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system concurrently. Mathematical modeling based on steady-state thermal analysis of PV/T system with v-groove was conducted. With matrix inversion method, the energy balance equations are explained by means of the investigative method. The comparison results show that in the PV/T system with the V-groove collector is higher temperature, thermal and electrical efficiency than other collectors.

Renewable energy distributed power system with photovoltaic/ thermal and bio gas power generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haider, M.U.; Rehman, S.U.

2011-01-01

The energy shortage and environmental pollution is becoming an important problem in these days. Hence it is very much important to use renewable power technologies to get rid of these problems. The important renewable energy sources are Bio-Energy, Wind Energy, Hydrogen Energy, Tide Energy, Terrestrial Heat Energy, Solar Energy, Thermal Energy and so on. Pakistan is rich in all these aspects particularly in Solar and Thermal Energies. In major areas of Pakistan like in South Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan the weather condition are very friendly for these types of Renewable Energies. In these areas Solar Energy can be utilized by solar panels in conjunction with thermal panels. The Photovoltaic cells are used to convert Solar Energy directly to Electrical Energy and thermal panels can be uses to convert solar energy into heat energy and this heat energy will be used to drive some turbine to get Electrical Energy. The Solar Energy can be absorbed more efficiently by any given area of Solar Panel if these two technologies can be combined in such a way that they can work together. The first part of this paper shows that how these technologies can be combined. Furthermore it is known to all that photovoltaic/thermal panels depend entirely on weather conditions. So in order to maintain constant power a biogas generator is used in conjunction with these. (author)

Thermoelectric cooling in combination with photovoltaics and thermal energy storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skovajsa Jan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the use of modern technologies that can improve the thermal comfort in buildings. The article describes the usage of thermal energy storage device based on the phase change material (PCM. The technology improves the thermal capacity of the building and it is possible to use it for active heating and cooling. It is designed as a “green technology” so it is able to use renewable energy sources, e.g., photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors, and heat pump. Moreover, an interesting possibility is the ability to use thermal energy storage in combination with a photovoltaic system and thermoelectric coolers. In the research, there were made measurements of the different operating modes and the results are presented in the text.

Review on the Recent Developments of Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC Based Hybrid System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zulkepli Afzam

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T system emerged as one of the convenient type of renewable energy system acquire the ability to generate power and thermal energy in the absence of moving parts. However, the power output of PV/T is intermittent due to dependency on solar irradiation condition. Furthermore, its efficiency decreases because of cells instability at high temperature. On the other hand, fuel cell co-generation system (CGS is another technology that can generate power and heat simultaneously. Integration of PV/T and fuel cell CGS could enhance the reliability and sustainability of both systems as well as increasing the overall system performance. Hence, this paper intended to present the parameters that affect performance of PV/T and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC CGS. Moreover, recent developments on PV/T-fuel cell hybrid system are also presented. Based on literates, mass flow rate of moving fluid in PV/T was found to affect the system efficiency. For the PEMFC, when the heat is utilized, the system performance can be increased where the heat efficiency is similar to electrical efficiency which is about 50%. Recent developments of hybrid PV/T and fuel cell show that most of the studies only focus on the power generation of the system. There are less study on the both power and heat utilization which is indeed necessary in future development in term of operation strategy, optimization of size, and operation algorithm.

Proceedings of the IASTED international conference on solar energy : SOE 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamza, M.H. [International Association of Science and Technology for Development, Calgary, AB (Canada)] (ed.)

2009-07-01

This solar energy conference was attended by international researchers and practitioners working with leading edge solar energy technology as well as related areas such as renewable energy and clean energy. The topics of discussion included nanotechnologies for solar energy; photovoltaic energy; solar fuel cells; solar-powered vehicles; solar thermal energy; thin film batteries; desalination systems; solar cooling; clean energy; renewable energy; biomass energy; sustainability; flexible solar cells; hybrid power generation; organic solar cells; remote sensing of solar radiation; solar thermal conversion; sustainable buildings; and thin film silicon solar cells. Some of the presentations discussed the application of solar energy in agriculture, environment, economics and home construction. The sessions were entitled: grid connection and energy conversion; photovoltaic and nanotechnology; solar energy and applications; and solar thermal energy. Seventeen of the 18 presentations have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database.

Hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric system for concentrated solar energy conversion: Experimental realization and modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Beeri, Ofer; Rotem, Oded; Hazan, Eden; Katz, Eugene A.; Braun, Avi; Gelbstein, Yaniv

2015-09-01

An experimental demonstration of the combined photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric conversion of concentrated sunlight (with concentration factor, X, up to ˜300) into electricity is presented. The hybrid system is based on a multi-junction PV cell and a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The latter increases the electric power of the system and dissipates some of the excessive heat. For X ≤ 200, the system's maximal efficiency, ˜32%, was mostly due to the contribution from the PV cell. With increasing X and system temperature, the PV cell's efficiency decreased while that of the TEG increased. Accordingly, the direct electrical contribution of the TEG started to dominate in the total system power, reaching ˜20% at X ≈ 290. Using a simple steady state finite element modeling, the cooling effect of the TEG on the hybrid system's efficiency was proved to be even more significant than its direct electrical contribution for high solar concentrations. As a result, the total efficiency contribution of the TEG reached ˜40% at X ≈ 200. This suggests a new system optimization concept that takes into account the PV cell's temperature dependence and the trade-off between the direct electrical generation and cooling capabilities of the TEG. It is shown that the hybrid system has a real potential to exceed 50% total efficiency by using more advanced PV cells and TE materials.

Organic / IV, III-V Semiconductor Hybrid Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pang-Leen Ong

2010-03-01

Full Text Available We present a review of the emerging class of hybrid solar cells based on organic-semiconductor (Group IV, III-V, nanocomposites, which states separately from dye synthesized, polymer-metal oxides and organic-inorganic (Group II-VI nanocomposite photovoltaics. The structure of such hybrid cell comprises of an organic active material (p-type deposited by coating, printing or spraying technique on the surface of bulk or nanostructured semiconductor (n-type forming a heterojunction between the two materials. Organic components include various photosensitive monomers (e.g., phtalocyanines or porphyrines, conjugated polymers, and carbon nanotubes. Mechanisms of the charge separation at the interface and their transport are discussed. Also, perspectives on the future development of such hybrid cells and comparative analysis with other classes of photovoltaics of third generation are presented.

Energy metrics analysis of hybrid - photovoltaic (PV) modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiwari, Arvind [Department of Electronics and Communication, Krishna Institute of Engineering and Technology, 13 k.m. stone, Ghaziabad - Meerut Road, Ghaziabad 201 206, UP (India); Barnwal, P.; Sandhu, G.S.; Sodha, M.S. [Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110 016 (India)

2009-12-15

In this paper, energy metrics (energy pay back time, electricity production factor and life cycle conversion efficiency) of hybrid photovoltaic (PV) modules have been analyzed and presented for the composite climate of New Delhi, India. For this purpose, it is necessary to calculate (1) the energy consumption in making different components of the PV modules and (2) the annual energy (electrical and thermal) available from the hybrid-PV modules. A set of mathematical relations have been reformulated for computation of the energy metrics. The manufacturing energy, material production energy, energy use and distribution energy of the system have been taken into account, to determine the embodied energy for the hybrid-PV modules. The embodied energy and annual energy outputs have been used for evaluation of the energy metrics. For hybrid PV module, it has been observed that the EPBT gets significantly reduced by taking into account the increase in annual energy availability of the thermal energy in addition to the electrical energy. The values of EPF and LCCE of hybrid PV module become higher as expected. (author)

Volumetric solar thermal receiver principles and technological approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagie, D.; Gruntman, S.; Taragan, E.; Danino, M.; Weiss, S.; Mimon, Y.

1996-01-01

Solar energy has received much interest in recent years, being a clean free of pollution or other environmental dotage), and inexhaustible energy source. It is also considered safer than some other non conventional energy sources (like nuclear energy). The interest in solar energy is motivated mainly by the growing awareness of the environmental problems associated with the use of . conventional keels. However, solar energy may become a serious alternative only if it can be used efficiently in major energy consuming industries (like the chemical industry), or be used for electricity generation. Those facilities are nowadays solely depend on fossil fuels as the prime source of energy . The solar energy, reaches file Earth as radiation, can be utilized either by direct quantum conversion using photo-voltaic solar cells, or by converting the radiation into thermal energy, to be used directly for heating, or to feed a thermal to electric converting cycle. Alter three decades of huge spending on the development of photo-voltaic systems those devices are commercially competitive only on very small energy scale, while solar thermal commercial applications are evident. The prominent examples are the domestic heating water receivers (direct thermal), and LUZ International electricity generation plants which are currently operated on a commercial basis, supplying 80 MWe per plant. Direct thermal exploitation of solar energy is naturally more efficient than converting to electricity but is limited to specific applications and locations especially since thermal storage at high temperature is not commercially viable. Efficient electricity production at competitive price is clearly the biggest opportunity for solar energy. (authors)

Solar Photovoltaic Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrenreich, Henry; Martin, John H.

1979-01-01

The goals of solar photovoltaic technology in contributing to America's future energy needs are presented in this study conducted by the American Physical Society. Although the time needed for photovoltaics to become popular is several decades away, according to the author, short-range applications are given. (Author/SA)

MoO3 Thickness, Thermal Annealing and Solvent Annealing Effects on Inverted and Direct Polymer Photovoltaic Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Wantz

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Several parameters of the fabrication process of inverted polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells based on titanium oxide as an electron selective layer and molybdenum oxide as a hole selective layer were tested in order to achieve efficient organic photovoltaic solar cells. Thermal annealing treatment is a common process to achieve optimum morphology, but it proved to be damageable for the performance of this kind of inverted solar cells. We demonstrate using Auger analysis combined with argon etching that diffusion of species occurs from the MoO3/Ag top layers into the active layer upon thermal annealing. In order to achieve efficient devices, the morphology of the bulk heterojunction was then manipulated using the solvent annealing technique as an alternative to thermal annealing. The influence of the MoO3 thickness was studied on inverted, as well as direct, structure. It appeared that only 1 nm-thick MoO3 is enough to exhibit highly efficient devices (PCE = 3.8% and that increasing the thickness up to 15 nm does not change the device performance. 

Atmospheric effects on the photovoltaic performance of hybrid perovskite solar cells

KAUST Repository

Sheikh, Arif D.

2015-06-01

Organometal trihalide perovskite solar cells have recently attracted lots of attention in the photovoltaic community due to their escalating efficiency and solution processability. The most efficient organometallic mixed-halide sensitized solar cells often employ 2,2′7,7′-tetrakis-(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD) as the hole-transporting material. In this work, we investigated the effect of different atmospheric storage conditions, particularly vacuum, dry nitrogen, and dry air, on the photovoltaic performance of TiO2-CH3NH3PbI3-xClx-spiro-MeOTAD solar cells. We found that spin coating of spiro-MeOTAD in an oxygen atmosphere alone was not adequate to functionalize its hole-transport property completely, and our systematic experiments revealed that the device efficiency depends on the ambient atmospheric conditions during the drying process of spiro-MeOTAD. Complementary incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE), light absorption and photoluminescence quenching measurements allowed us to attribute the atmosphere-dependent efficiency to the improved electronic characteristics of the solar cells. Furthermore, our Fourier transform infrared and electrical impedance measurements unambiguously detected modifications in the spiro-MeOTAD after the drying processes in different gas environments. Our findings demonstrate that proper oxidization and p-doping in functionalizing spiro-MeOTAD play a very critical role in determining device performance. These findings will facilitate the search for alternative hole-transporting materials in high-performance perovskite solar cells with long-term stability.

Influence of thermal annealing-induced molecular aggregation on film properties and photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a squaraine dye

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Pengpeng; Ling, Zhitian; Chen, Guo; Wei, Bin

2018-04-01

Squaraine (SQ) dyes have been considered as efficient photoactive materials for organic solar cells. In this work, we purposely controlled the molecular aggregation of an SQ dye, 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-dibutylamino)-2-dihydroxyphenyl] SQ (DBSQ-(OH)2) in the DBSQ(OH)2:[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend film by using the thermal annealing method, to study the influence of the molecular aggregation on film properties as well as the photovoltaic performance of DBSQ(OH)2:PCBM-based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. Our results demonstrate that thermal annealing may change the aggregation behavior of DBSQ(OH)2 in the DBSQ(OH)2:PCBM film, and thus significantly influence the surface morphology, optical and electrical properties of the blend film, as well as the photovoltaic performance of DBSQ(OH)2:PCBM BHJ cells.

High-performance flat-panel solar thermoelectric generators with high thermal concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer, Daniel; Poudel, Bed; Feng, Hsien-Ping; Caylor, J. Christopher; Yu, Bo; Yan, Xiao; Ma, Yi; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Dezhi; Muto, Andrew; McEnaney, Kenneth; Chiesa, Matteo; Ren, Zhifeng; Chen, Gang

2011-07-01

The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1 kW m-2) conditions. The efficiency is 7-8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment. Our work opens up a promising new approach which has the potential to achieve cost-effective conversion of solar energy into electricity.

High-performance flat-panel solar thermoelectric generators with high thermal concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer, Daniel; Poudel, Bed; Feng, Hsien-Ping; Caylor, J Christopher; Yu, Bo; Yan, Xiao; Ma, Yi; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Dezhi; Muto, Andrew; McEnaney, Kenneth; Chiesa, Matteo; Ren, Zhifeng; Chen, Gang

2011-05-01

The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1 kW m(-2)) conditions. The efficiency is 7-8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment. Our work opens up a promising new approach which has the potential to achieve cost-effective conversion of solar energy into electricity. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

Experimental Performance Investigation of Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV–T System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bakir C.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic solar cells convert light energy from the sun into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are produced by semi-conducting materials to convert the energy into electricity and during this process heat is absorbed by the solar radiation. This heat causes a loss of electricity generation efficiencies.In this study, an experimental setup was designed and established to test two separate photovoltaic panel systems with alone PV and with water cooling system PV/T to examine the heat effect on PV systems. The absorbed heat energy behind the photovoltaic cell's surface in insulated ambient was removed by means of a water cooling system and the tests for both systems were simultaneously performed along the July 2011. It is found that without active water cooling, the temperature of the PV module was higher during day time and solar cells could only achieve around 8% conversion efficiency. On the other hand, when the PV module was operated with active water cooling condition, the temperature dropped significantly, leading to an increase in the efficiency of solarcells as much as 13.6%. Gained from absorbed solar heat and maximum thermal conversion efficiencies of the system are determined as 49% and 51% for two different mass flow rates. It is observed that water flow rate is effective on the increasing the conversion efficiency as well as absorption and transitionrates of cover glass in PV/T (PV–Thermal collector, the insulation material and cell efficiency. As a conclusion, the conversion efficiency of the PV system with water cooling might be improved on average about 10%. Therefore, it is recommended that PV system should be designed with most efficient type cooling system to enhance the efficiency and to decrease the payback period.

Solar thermal energy conversion to electrical power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trinh, Anh-Khoi; González, Ivan; Fournier, Luc; Pelletier, Rémi; Sandoval V, Juan C.; Lesage, Frédéric J.

2014-01-01

The conversion of solar energy to electricity currently relies primarily on the photovoltaic effect in which photon bombardment of photovoltaic cells drives an electromotive force within the material. Alternatively, recent studies have investigated the potential of converting solar radiation to electricity by way of the Seebeck effect in which charge carrier mobility is generated by an asymmetric thermal differential. The present study builds upon these latest advancements in the state-of-the-art of thermoelectric system management by combining solar evacuated tube technology with commercially available Bismuth Telluride semiconductor modules. The target heat source is solar radiation and the target heat sink is thermal convection into the ambient air relying on wind aided forced convection. These sources of energy are reproduced in a laboratory controlled environment in order to maintain a thermal dipole across a thermoelectric module. The apparatus is then tested in a natural environment. The novelty of the present work lies in a net thermoelectric power gain for ambient environment applications and an experimental validation of theoretical electrical characteristics relative to a varying electrical load. - Highlights: • Solar radiation maintains a thermal tension which drives an electromotive force. • Voltage, current and electric power are reported and discussed. • Theoretical optimal thermoelectric conversion predictions are presented. • Theory is validated with experimentally measured data

Building-Integrated Solar Energy Devices based on Wavelength Selective Films

Science.gov (United States)

Ulavi, Tejas

A potentially attractive option for building integrated solar is to employ hybrid solar collectors which serve dual purposes, combining solar thermal technology with either thin film photovoltaics or daylighting. In this study, two hybrid concepts, a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector and a hybrid 'solar window', are presented and analyzed to evaluate technical performance. In both concepts, a wavelength selective film is coupled with a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) to reflect and concentrate the infrared portion of the solar spectrum onto a tubular absorber. The visible portion of the spectrum is transmitted through the concentrator to either a thin film Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar panel for electricity generation or into the interior space for daylighting. Special attention is given to the design of the hybrid devices for aesthetic building integration. An adaptive concentrator design based on asymmetrical truncation of CPCs is presented for the hybrid solar window concept. The energetic and spectral split between the solar thermal module and the PV or daylighting module are functions of the optical properties of the wavelength selective film and the concentrator geometry, and are determined using a Monte Carlo Ray-Tracing (MCRT) model. Results obtained from the MCRT can be used in conjugation with meteorological data for specific applications to study the impact of CPC design parameters including the half-acceptance angle thetac, absorber diameter D and truncation on the annual thermal and PV/daylighting efficiencies. The hybrid PV/T system is analyzed for a rooftop application in Phoenix, AZ. Compared to a system of the same area with independent solar thermal and PV modules, the hybrid PV/T provides 20% more energy, annually. However, the increase in total delivered energy is due solely to the addition of the thermal module and is achieved at an expense of a decrease in the annual electrical efficiency from 8.8% to 5.8% due to shading by

Study of the electrical and thermal performances of photovoltaic thermal collector-compound parabolic concentrated

Science.gov (United States)

Jaaz, Ahed Hameed; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Gaaz, Tayser Sumer

2018-06-01

The importance of utilizing the solar energy as a very suitable source among multi-source approaches to replace the conventional energy is on the rise in the last four decades. The invention of the photovoltaic module (PV) could be the corner stone in this process. However, the limited amount of energy obtained from PV was and still the main challenge of full utilization of the solar energy. In this paper, the use of the compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) along with the thermal photovoltaic module (PVT) where the cooling process of the CPC is conducted using a novel technique of water jet impingement has applied experimentally and physically tested. The test includes the effect of water jet impingement on the total power, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency, and total efficiency on CPC-PVT system. The cooling process at the maximum irradiation by water jet impingement resulted in improving the electrical efficiency by 7%, total output power by 31% and the thermal efficiency by 81%. These results outperform the recent highest results recorded by the most recent work.

ADielectric Multilayer Filter for Combining Photovoltaics with a Stirling Engine for Improvement of the Efficiency of Solar Electricity Generation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

寿春晖; 骆仲泱; 王涛; 沈伟东; ROSENGARTEN Gary; 王诚; 倪明江; 岑可法

2011-01-01

In this Letter we outline a dielectric multilayer spectrally selective filter designed for solar energy applications. The optical performance of this 78-layer interference filter constructed by TiOx and SiO2 is presented. A hybrid system combining photovoltaic cells with a solar-powered Stirling engine using the designed filter is analyzed. The calculated results show the advantages of this spectrally selective method for solar power generation.%In this Letter we outline a dielectric multilayer spectrally selective filter designed for solar energy applications.The optical performance of this 78-layer interference filter constructed by TiOx and SiO2 is presented.A hybrid system combining photovoltaic cells with a solar-powered Stirling engine using the designed filter is analyzed.The calculated results show the advantages of this spectrally selective method for solar power generation.

Solution for Improve the Efficiency of Solar Photovoltaic Installation

OpenAIRE

Petru Chioncel; Cristian Paul Chioncel; Nicoleta Gillich

2013-01-01

This paper present a solution for improving efficiency of solar photovoltaic installation, realized with fixed solar photovoltaic modules, placed in solar parks or individual installations. The proposed solution to increase the radiation on the solar photovoltaic panels is to use some thin plates covered with a reflective blanket, mounted in front of the solar photovoltaic modules, with the possibility of their adjustment.

Concentrating solar thermal power.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller-Steinhagen, Hans

2013-08-13

In addition to wind and photovoltaic power, concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) will make a major contribution to electricity provision from renewable energies. Drawing on almost 30 years of operational experience in the multi-megawatt range, CSP is now a proven technology with a reliable cost and performance record. In conjunction with thermal energy storage, electricity can be provided according to demand. To date, solar thermal power plants with a total capacity of 1.3 GW are in operation worldwide, with an additional 2.3 GW under construction and 31.7 GW in advanced planning stage. Depending on the concentration factors, temperatures up to 1000°C can be reached to produce saturated or superheated steam for steam turbine cycles or compressed hot gas for gas turbine cycles. The heat rejected from these thermodynamic cycles can be used for sea water desalination, process heat and centralized provision of chilled water. While electricity generation from CSP plants is still more expensive than from wind turbines or photovoltaic panels, its independence from fluctuations and daily variation of wind speed and solar radiation provides it with a higher value. To become competitive with mid-load electricity from conventional power plants within the next 10-15 years, mass production of components, increased plant size and planning/operating experience will be accompanied by technological innovations. On 30 October 2009, a number of major industrial companies joined forces to establish the so-called DESERTEC Industry Initiative, which aims at providing by 2050 15 per cent of European electricity from renewable energy sources in North Africa, while at the same time securing energy, water, income and employment for this region. Solar thermal power plants are in the heart of this concept.

Solution for Improve the Efficiency of Solar Photovoltaic Installation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petru Chioncel

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper present a solution for improving efficiency of solar photovoltaic installation, realized with fixed solar photovoltaic modules, placed in solar parks or individual installations. The proposed solution to increase the radiation on the solar photovoltaic panels is to use some thin plates covered with a reflective blanket, mounted in front of the solar photovoltaic modules, with the possibility of their adjustment.

Atmospheric effects on the photovoltaic performance of hybrid perovskite solar cells

KAUST Repository

Sheikh, Arif D.; Bera, Ashok; Haque, Mohammed; Baby, Rakhi Raghavan; Del Gobbo, Silvano; Alshareef, Husam N.; Wu, Tao

2015-01-01

nitrogen, and dry air, on the photovoltaic performance of TiO2-CH3NH3PbI3-xClx-spiro-MeOTAD solar cells. We found that spin coating of spiro-MeOTAD in an oxygen atmosphere alone was not adequate to functionalize its hole-transport property completely

Investigation of Solar and Solar-Gas Thermal Energy Sources

OpenAIRE

Ivan Herec; Jan Zupa

2003-01-01

The article deals with the investigation of solar thermal sources of electrical and heat energy as well as the investigation of hybrid solar-gas thermal sources of electrical and heat energy (so called photothermal sources). Photothermal sources presented here utilize computer-controlled injection of the conversion fluid into special capillary porous substance that is adjusted to direct temperature treatment by the concentrated thermal radiation absorption.

Triphenylamine-Thienothiophene Organic Charge-Transport Molecular Materials: Effect of Substitution Pattern on their Thermal, Photoelectrochemical, and Photovoltaic Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Thi Huong; Dao, Quang-Duy; Nghiêm, Mai-Phuong; Péralta, Sébastien; Guillot, Regis; Pham, Quoc Nghi; Fujii, Akihiko; Ozaki, Masanori; Goubard, Fabrice; Bui, Thanh-Tuân

2018-04-25

Two readily accessible thienothiophene-triphenylamine charge-transport materials have been synthesized by simply varying the substitution pattern of the triphenylamine groups on a central thienothiophene π-linker. The impact of the substitution pattern on the thermal, photoelectrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of these materials was evaluated and, based on theoretical and experimental studies, we found that the isomer in which the triphenylamine groups were located at the 2,5-positions of the thienothiophene core (TT-2,5-TPA) had better π-conjugation than the 3,6-isomer (TT-3,6-TPA). Whilst the thermal, morphological, and hydrophobic properties of the two materials were similar, their optoelectrochemical and photovoltaic properties were noticeably impacted. When applied as hole-transport materials in hybrid perovskite solar cells, the 2,5-isomer exhibited a power-conversion efficiency of 13.6 %, much higher than that of its 3,6-counterpart (0.7 %) under the same standard conditions. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Economics of hybrid photovoltaic power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breyer, Christian

2012-08-16

The global power supply stability is faced to several severe and fundamental threats, in particular steadily increasing power demand, diminishing and degrading fossil and nuclear energy resources, very harmful greenhouse gas emissions, significant energy injustice and a structurally misbalanced ecological footprint. Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are analysed in various aspects focusing on economic and technical considerations of supplemental and substitutional power supply to the constraint conventional power system. To infer the most relevant system approach for PV power plants several solar resources available for PV systems are compared. By combining the different solar resources and respective economics, two major PV systems are identified to be very competitive in almost all regions in the world. The experience curve concept is used as a key technique for the development of scenario assumptions on economic projections for the decade of the 2010s. Main drivers for cost reductions in PV systems are learning and production growth rate, thus several relevant aspects are discussed such as research and development investments, technical PV market potential, different PV technologies and the energetic sustainability of PV. Three major market segments for PV systems are identified: off-grid PV solutions, decentralised small scale on-grid PV systems (several kWp) and large scale PV power plants (tens of MWp). Mainly by application of 'grid-parity' and 'fuel-parity' concepts per country, local market and conventional power plant basis, the global economic market potential for all major PV system segments is derived. PV power plant hybridization potential of all relevant power technologies and the global power plant structure are analyzed regarding technical, economical and geographical feasibility. Key success criteria for hybrid PV power plants are discussed and comprehensively analysed for all adequate power plant technologies, i.e. oil, gas and coal fired power

Economics of hybrid photovoltaic power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breyer, Christian

2012-08-16

The global power supply stability is faced to several severe and fundamental threats, in particular steadily increasing power demand, diminishing and degrading fossil and nuclear energy resources, very harmful greenhouse gas emissions, significant energy injustice and a structurally misbalanced ecological footprint. Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are analysed in various aspects focusing on economic and technical considerations of supplemental and substitutional power supply to the constraint conventional power system. To infer the most relevant system approach for PV power plants several solar resources available for PV systems are compared. By combining the different solar resources and respective economics, two major PV systems are identified to be very competitive in almost all regions in the world. The experience curve concept is used as a key technique for the development of scenario assumptions on economic projections for the decade of the 2010s. Main drivers for cost reductions in PV systems are learning and production growth rate, thus several relevant aspects are discussed such as research and development investments, technical PV market potential, different PV technologies and the energetic sustainability of PV. Three major market segments for PV systems are identified: off-grid PV solutions, decentralised small scale on-grid PV systems (several kWp) and large scale PV power plants (tens of MWp). Mainly by application of 'grid-parity' and 'fuel-parity' concepts per country, local market and conventional power plant basis, the global economic market potential for all major PV system segments is derived. PV power plant hybridization potential of all relevant power technologies and the global power plant structure are analyzed regarding technical, economical and geographical feasibility. Key success criteria for hybrid PV power plants are discussed and comprehensively analysed for all adequate power plant technologies, i.e. oil, gas and

Photovoltaic solar energy. Proceedings; Photovoltaische Solarenergie. Tagungsband

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

and limits (Mike Meinhardt); (17) Washing with the sun - Direct consumption of locally generated PV current by means of directed load shift in private households (Georg Bopp); (18) Efficiency by synergy. Export initiative renewable energies (Berthold Breid); (19) Modular PV power supply in the Empire of the Midth (Michael Wollny); (20) Breakthrough to a new era of PV hybrid systems with the help of standardised components communication? (Michael Mueller); (21) New PV stand-alone supply for frequency variable loads (Wolfgang Hernschier); (22) Characterization of solar batteries in long-term investigations according IEC 61427 (Wolfgang Wiesner); (23) Professional PV plant configuration - the status quo of the PV prpgrams (Mike Zehner); (24) Simulating renewable power projects with greenius{sup Free} (Volker Quaschning); (25) Analysis of the effect of shade and equivalent circuit of PV modules with the simulation software ''Solar Pro'' (Yusuke Mataki); (26) From data sheet values to the system gain - on realistic modelling of small PV generators (Hans Georg Beyer); (27) Form follows function - follows form function? - Ineractions between building functions and photovoltaic (Wolfgang Willkomm); (28) Market chances and technology perspectives for the Swiss facade construction by means of building integrated PV systems (Reto Miloni); (29) Passiv solar office building BIOHAUS Paderborn - architectonic overview and a first energy balance (Willi Ernst, Ralf Zirkler); (30) Building integration and education in Austria (Gernot Becker); (31) Photovoltaic and light (Thomas Herzog); (32) 10 years of test experience with the certification of design of photovoltaic modules (Andreas Cox); (32) Large size solar cells and the IEC 61215 - New challenges for the module junction (Eckehard Hofmueller); (33) Limits of power output optimisation of PV arrays by pre-sorting of PV modules (Werner Herrmann); (34) Coloured and patterned CIS modules (Dieter Geyer); (35) Energy

Terawatt solar photovoltaics roadblocks and opportunities

CERN Document Server

Tao, Meng

2014-01-01

Solar energy will undoubtedly become a main source of energy in our life by the end of this century, but how big of a role will photovoltaics play in this new energy infrastructure Besides cost and efficiency, there are other barriers for current solar cell technologies to become a noticeable source of energy in the future. Availability of raw materials, energy input, storage of solar electricity, and recycling of dead modules can all prevent or hinder a tangible impact by solar photovoltaics. This book is intended for readers with minimal technical background and aims to explore not only the fundamentals but also major issues in large-scale deployment of solar photovoltaics. Thought-provoking ideas to overcoming some of the barriers are discussed.

Solar photovoltaic reflective trough collection structure

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Benjamin J.; Sweatt, William C.; Okandan, Murat; Nielson, Gregory N.

2015-11-19

A photovoltaic (PV) solar concentration structure having at least two troughs encapsulated in a rectangular parallelepiped optical plastic structure, with the troughs filled with an optical plastic material, the troughs each having a reflective internal surface and approximately parabolic geometry, and the troughs each including photovoltaic cells situated so that light impinging on the optical plastic material will be concentrated onto the photovoltaic cells. Multiple structures can be connected to provide a solar photovoltaic collection system that provides portable, efficient, low-cost electrical power.

Metamaterial-based integrated plasmonic absorber/emitter for solar thermo-photovoltaic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Chihhui; Neuner III, Burton; Shvets, Gennady; John, Jeremy; Milder, Andrew; Zollars, Byron; Savoy, Steve

2012-01-01

We present the concept of a solar thermo-photovoltaic (STPV) collection system based on a large-area, nanoimprint-patterned film of plasmonic structures acting as an integrated solar absorber/narrow-band thermal emitter (SANTE). The SANTE film concept is based on integrating broad-band solar radiation absorption with selective narrow-band thermal IR radiation which can be efficiently coupled to a photovoltaic (PV) cell for power generation. By employing a low reflectivity refractory metal (e.g., tungsten) as a plasmonic material, we demonstrate that the absorption spectrum of the SANTE film can be designed to be broad-band in the visible range and narrow-band in the infrared range. A detailed balance calculation demonstrates that the total STPV system efficiency exceeds the Shockley–Queisser limit for emitter temperatures above T e = 1200 K, and achieves an efficiency as high as 41% for T e = 2300 K. Emitter temperatures in this range are shown to be achievable under modest sun concentrations (less than 1000 suns) due to the thermal insulation provided by the SANTE film. An experimental demonstration of the wide-angle, frequency-selective absorptivity is presented

Outdoor performance analysis of a 1090× point-focus Fresnel high concentrator photovoltaic/thermal system with triple-junction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Ning; Ji, Jie; Sun, Wei; Han, Lisheng; Chen, Haifei; Jin, Zhuling

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A high concentrator photovoltaic/thermal (HCPV/T) system based on point-focus Fresnel lens has been set up in this work. The concentrator has a geometric concentration ratio of 1090× and uniform irradiation distribution can be obtained on solar cells. The system produces both electricity and heat. Performance of the system has been investigated based on the outdoor measurement in a clear day. The HCPV/T system presents an instantaneous electrical efficiency of 28% and a highest instantaneous thermal efficiency of 54%, respectively. Experimental results show that direct irradiation affects the electrical performance of the system dominantly. Fitting results of electrical performance offer simple and reliable methods to analyze the system performance. - Highlights: • A point-focus Fresnel lens photovoltaic/thermal system is proposed and studied. • The system presents an instantaneous electrical efficiency of 28%. • The system has a highest instantaneous thermal efficiency of 54%. • Direct irradiation has the dominant effect on the electrical performance. • Fitting results offer simple and reliable methods to analyze system performances. - Abstract: A high concentrator photovoltaic/thermal (HCPV/T) system based on point-focus Fresnel lens has been set up in this work. The concentrator has a geometric concentration ratio of 1090× and uniform irradiation distribution can be obtained on solar cells. The system produces both electricity and heat. Performance of the system has been investigated based on the outdoor measurement in a clear day. The HCPV/T system presents an instantaneous electrical efficiency of 28% and a highest instantaneous thermal efficiency of 54%, which means the overall efficiency of the system can be more than 80%. A mathematical model for calculating cell temperature is proposed to solve difficult measurement of cell temperature in a system. Moreover, characteristics of electrical performance under various direct

A hybrid method for forecasting the energy output of photovoltaic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsami, Pamela; Oree, Vishwamitra

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We propose a novel hybrid technique for predicting the daily PV energy output. • Multiple linear regression, FFNN and GRNN artificial neural networks are used. • Stepwise regression is used to select the most relevant meteorological parameters. • SR-FFNN reduces the average dispersion and overall bias in prediction errors. • Accuracy metrics of hybrid models are better than those of single-stage models. - Abstract: The intermittent nature of solar energy poses many challenges to renewable energy system operators in terms of operational planning and scheduling. Predicting the output of photovoltaic systems is therefore essential for managing the operation and assessing the economic performance of power systems. This paper presents a new technique for forecasting the 24-h ahead stochastic energy output of photovoltaic systems based on the daily weather forecasts. A comparison of the performances of the hybrid technique with conventional linear regression and artificial neural network models has also been reported. Initially, three single-stage models were designed, namely the generalized regression neural network, feedforward neural network and multiple linear regression. Subsequently, a hybrid-modeling approach was adopted by applying stepwise regression to select input variables of greater importance. These variables were then fed to the single-stage models resulting in three hybrid models. They were then validated by comparing the forecasts of the models with measured dataset from an operational photovoltaic system. The accuracy of the each model was evaluated based on the correlation coefficient, mean absolute error, mean bias error and root mean square error values. Simulation results revealed that the hybrid models perform better than their corresponding single-stage models. Stepwise regression-feedforward neural network hybrid model outperformed the other models with root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean bias error and

Solar energy – new photovoltaic technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommer-Larsen, Peter

2009-01-01

Solar energy technologies directly convert sunlight into electricity and heat, or power chemical reactions that convert simple molecules into synthetic chemicals and fuels. The sun is by far the most abundant source of energy, and a sustainable society will need to rely on solar energy as one...... of its major energy sources. Solar energy is a focus point in many strategies for a sustainable energy supply. The European Commission’s Strategic Energy Plan (SET-plan) envisages a Solar Europe Initiative, where photovoltaics and concentrated solar power (CSP) supply as much power as wind mills...... in the future. Much focus is directed towards photovoltaics presently. Installation of solar cell occurs at an unprecedented pace and the expectations of the photovoltaics industry are high: a total PV capacity of 40 GW by 2012 as reported by a recent study. The talk progresses from general solar energy topics...

Solar cell array design handbook - The principles and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Rauschenbach, H. S.

1980-01-01

Photovoltaic solar cell array design and technology for ground-based and space applications are discussed from the user's point of view. Solar array systems are described, with attention given to array concepts, historical development, applications and performance, and the analysis of array characteristics, circuits, components, performance and reliability is examined. Aspects of solar cell array design considered include the design process, photovoltaic system and detailed array design, and the design of array thermal, radiation shielding and electromagnetic components. Attention is then given to the characteristics and design of the separate components of solar arrays, including the solar cells, optical elements and mechanical elements, and the fabrication, testing, environmental conditions and effects and material properties of arrays and their components are discussed.

Performance analysis of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) water collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fudholi, Ahmad; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Yazdi, Mohammad H.; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz; Ibrahim, Adnan; Kazem, Hussein A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Performances analysis of PVT collector based on energy efficiencies. • New absorber designs of PVT collectors were presented. • Comparison present study with other absorber collector designs was presented. • High efficiencies were obtained for spiral flow absorber. - Abstract: The electrical and thermal performances of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) water collectors were determined under 500–800 W/m 2 solar radiation levels. At each solar radiation level, mass flow rates ranging from 0.011 kg/s to 0.041 kg/s were introduced. The PVT collectors were tested with respect to PV efficiency, thermal efficiency, and a combination of both (PVT efficiency). The results show that the spiral flow absorber exhibited the highest performance at a solar radiation level of 800 W/m 2 and mass flow rate of 0.041 kg/s. This absorber produced a PVT efficiency of 68.4%, a PV efficiency of 13.8%, and a thermal efficiency of 54.6%. It also produced a primary-energy saving efficiency ranging from 79% to 91% at a mass flow rate of 0.011–0.041 kg/s

Solar thermal aided power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Eric; Yang, YongPing; Nishimura, Akira; Yilmaz, Ferdi; Kouzani, Abbas

2010-01-01

Fossil fuel based power generation is and will still be the back bone of our world economy, albeit such form of power generation significantly contributes to global CO 2 emissions. Solar energy is a clean, environmental friendly energy source for power generation, however solar photovoltaic electricity generation is not practical for large commercial scales due to its cost and high-tech nature. Solar thermal is another way to use solar energy to generate power. Many attempts to establish solar (solo) thermal power stations have been practiced all over the world. Although there are some advantages in solo solar thermal power systems, the efficiencies and costs of these systems are not so attractive. Alternately by modifying, if possible, the existing coal-fired power stations to generate green sustainable power, a much more efficient means of power generation can be reached. This paper presents the concept of solar aided power generation in conventional coal-fired power stations, i.e., integrating solar (thermal) energy into conventional fossil fuelled power generation cycles (termed as solar aided thermal power). The solar aided power generation (SAPG) concept has technically been derived to use the strong points of the two technologies (traditional regenerative Rankine cycle with relatively higher efficiency and solar heating at relatively low temperature range). The SAPG does not only contribute to increase the efficiencies of the conventional power station and reduce its emission of the greenhouse gases, but also provides a better way to use solar heat to generate the power. This paper presents the advantages of the SAPG at conceptual level.

Development of a syngas-fired catalytic combustion system for hybrid solar-thermal applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Mayank; Pramanik, Santanu; Ravikrishna, R.V.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Syngas-fired combustor concept as hybrid heat source for solar thermal application. • Experimental characterization of catalytic combustor under fuel-rich conditions. • Stable operation, quick startup, and high turn-down ratio demonstrated. • Reacting flow CFD simulations of single channel of catalytic monolith. - Abstract: This paper describes the development and operation of a catalytic combustion system for use with syngas as an important component of a hybrid heating source for solar-thermal power generation. The reactor consists of a cylindrical ceramic monolith with porous alumina washcoat in which platinum is distributed as the catalyst. Two fuel-rich equivalence ratios were studied over a range of flow rates. The fuel-rich conditions permit low temperature combustion without the problem of hotspots likely to occur under fuel-lean conditions with hydrogen-containing fuels. Experimental data of temperature and species concentration at the exit of the reactor have been reported for a maximum fuel thermal input of 34 kW. The system exhibited quick start-up with a light-off time of around 60 s and a steady-state time of around 200 s as determined from the transient temperature profiles. The experimental results have also been complemented with detailed two-dimensional numerical simulations for improved understanding of the combustion characteristics in the reactor. The simulations suggest that the combustion system can be operated at a turn-down ratios far in excess of 1.67, which is the maximum value that has been investigated in the present setup. Stable operation, quick startup, and high turn-down ratio are some of the key features that enable the proposed combustion system to accommodate the transients in solar-thermal applications.

Photovoltaic conversion of the solar energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordillo G, Gerardo

1998-01-01

In this work, a short description of the basic aspect of the performance of homojunction solar cells and of the technological aspects of the fabrication of low cost thin film solar cells is made. Special emphasis on the historical aspects of the evolution of the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices based on crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, Cd Te and CulnSe 2 is also made. The state of art of the technology of photovoltaic devices and modules is additionally presented. The contribution to the development of high efficiency solar cells and modules, carried out by research centers of universities such us: Stuttgart university (Germany), Stockholm university (Sweden), University of South Florida (USA), university of south gales (Australia), by the national renewable energy laboratory of USA and by research centers of companies such us: Matsushita (Japan), BP-solar (England), Boeing (USA), Arco solar (USA), Siemens (Germany) etc. are specially emphasized. Additionally, a section concerning economical aspect of the photovoltaic generation of electric energy is enclosed. In this section an overview of the evolution of price and world market of photovoltaic system is presented

Modeling low cost hybrid tandem photovoltaics with the potential for efficiencies exceeding 20%

KAUST Repository

Beiley, Zach M.

2012-01-01

It is estimated that for photovoltaics to reach grid parity around the planet, they must be made with costs under $0.50 per W p and must also achieve power conversion efficiencies above 20% in order to keep installation costs down. In this work we explore a novel solar cell architecture, a hybrid tandem photovoltaic (HTPV), and show that it is capable of meeting these targets. HTPV is composed of an inexpensive and low temperature processed solar cell, such as an organic or dye-sensitized solar cell, that can be printed on top of one of a variety of more traditional inorganic solar cells. Our modeling shows that an organic solar cell may be added on top of a commercial CIGS cell to improve its efficiency from 15.1% to 21.4%, thereby reducing the cost of the modules by ∼15% to 20% and the cost of installation by up to 30%. This suggests that HTPV is a promising option for producing solar power that matches the cost of existing grid energy. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Photovoltaic characterization of hybrid solar cells using surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles and poly(3-hexyl)thiophene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenes, Serap; Marjanovic, Nenad; Nedeljkovic, Jovan M; Sariciftci, Niyazi Serdar

2008-01-01

We report on the photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells using novel nanoparticles of 6-palmitate ascorbic acid surface modified TiO 2 as an electron acceptor embedded into the donor poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT) matrix. Devices were fabricated by using P3HT with varying amounts of red TiO 2 nanoparticles (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 w-w ratio). The devices were characterized by measuring current-voltage characteristics under simulated AM 1.5 conditions. Incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) was spectrally resolved. The nanoscale morphology of such organic/inorganic hybrid blends was also investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Photovoltaic solar panels of crystalline silicon: characterization and separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diasa, P.R.; Benevita, M.G.; Veita, H.M.

2014-01-01

The search for alternative power generation sources has been intensified in recent years. One of these alternatives is solar energy, since it is a virtually inexhaustible source and generates relatively small environmental impact compared to other traditional generation sources. The collection of solar energy and its conversion into thermal or electrical energy is only possible through the use of photovoltaic panels. These panels have a limited lifespan and will eventually be replaced by new ones. Thus, in the near future, large amounts of solar modules can be discarded as waste electronics. In order to retrieve important raw materials, reducing production costs and environmental impacts, recycling such materials is important. In this paper, photovoltaic module components were characterized through visual inspection, FRX, EDS and AAS. The glass was identified as ordinary glass (soda-lime glass), which allows reuse without any previous treatment and the metallic filaments were identified as tin- lead coated copper. (author)

Design, Construction and Effectiveness Analysis of Hybrid Automatic Solar Tracking System for Amorphous and Crystalline Solar Cells

OpenAIRE

Bhupendra Gupta

2013-01-01

- This paper concerns the design and construction of a Hybrid solar tracking system. The constructed device was implemented by integrating it with Amorphous & Crystalline Solar Panel, three dimensional freedom mechanism and microcontroller. The amount of power available from a photovoltaic panel is determined by three parameters, the type of solar tracker, materials of solar panel and the intensity of the sunlight. The objective of this paper is to present analysis on the use of two differ...

Phonon properties and slow organic-to-inorganic sub-lattice thermalization in hybrid perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Maria; Chang, Angela; Xia, Yi; Sadasivam, Sridhar; Guo, Peijun; Kinaci, Alper; Lin, Hao-Wu; Darancet, Pierre; Schaller, Richard

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite halide compounds have been investigated extensively for photovoltaics (PVs) and related applications. The thermal transport properties of hybrid perovskites, including phonon-carrier and phonon-phonon interactions, are of significance for their PV and solar thermoelectric applications. The interlocking organic and inorganic sublattices can be thought of as an extreme form of nanostructuring. A result of this nanostructuring is the large gap in phonon frequencies between the organic and inorganic sublattices, which is expected to create bottlenecks in phonon equilibration. In this work, we use a combination of ultrafast spectroscopy including photoluminescence and transient absorption, as well as first principles density functional theory (DFT), ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, phonon lifetimes derived from DFT force constants, and non-equilibrium phonon dynamics accounting for phonon lifetimes, to determine the phonon and charge interaction processes. We find evidence that thermalization of carriers occur at an atypically slow 50-100 ps time scale owing to the complex interplay between electronic and phonon excitations.

Photovoltaic assisted solar drying system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruslan, M.H.; Othman, M.Y.; Baharuddin Yatim; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Ali, M.I.; Ibarahim, Z.

2006-01-01

A photovoltaic assisted solar drying system has been constructed at the Solar Energy Research Park, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. This drying system uses a custom designed parallel flow V-groove type collector. A fan powered by photovoltaic source assists the air flow through the drying system. A funnel with increasing diameter towards the top with ventilator turbine is incorporated into the system to facilitate the air flow during the absence of photovoltaic energy source. This drying system is designed with high efficiency and portability in mind so that it can readily be used at plantation sites where the crops are harvested or produced. A daily mean efficiency about 44% with mean air flow rate 0.16 kgs -1 has been achieved at mean daily radiation intensity of 800 Wm -2 . daily mean temperature of air drying chamber under the above conditions is 46 o C. Study has shown that the air flow and air temperature increase with the increase of solar radiation intensity. On a bright sunny day with instantaneous solar intensity about 600 Wm -2 , the temperature of air entering the drying chamber of 45 o C has been measured. In the absence of photovoltaic or in natural convection flow, the instantaneous efficiency decreased when solar radiation increased. The instantaneous efficiency recorded are 35% and 27% respectively at 570 Wm -2 and 745 Wm -2 of solar radiation. The temperature of drying chamber for the same amount of solar radiation are 42 o C and 48 o C respectively. Thus, the solar dryer shows a great potential for application in drying process of agricultural produce

Research Progress of utilization in Solar Photovoltaic and Photothermal%太阳能光伏光热利用的研究进展

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张鹏; 陈林

2015-01-01

Solar is the new renewable energy that we have been trying to develop, the mature solar photovoltaic technology that related to solar energy are mainly photovoltaic power generation and solar water heaters, etc. This paper explained research progress of the utilization of solar photovoltaic solar thermal through the analysis of utilization of solar photovoltaic solar thermal.%太阳能是我们一直在尽力开发的、全新的可再生能源，目前发展比较成熟的、与太阳能有关的主要有太阳能光伏发电技术、太阳能热水器等，通过分析太阳能光伏光热的利用情况，说明太阳能光伏光热利用的研究进展。

Performance of U.S. hybrid distributed energy systems: Solar photovoltaic, battery and combined heat and power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Kunal K.; Mundada, Aishwarya S.; Pearce, J.M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Simulated PV + battery + CHP hybrid systems deployed in three U.S. regions. • Used hybrid optimization model for electric renewable pro microgrid analysis. • Limited size of each sub-module to singe family house size. • Results show that the electricity generated meets residential load demand. • Hybrid systems are technically viable in hot, moderate and cold climates in U.S. - Abstract: Until recently, the relatively high levelized cost of electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) technology limited deployment; however, recent cost reductions, combined with various financial incentives and innovative financing techniques, have made PV fully competitive with conventional sources in many American regions. In addition, the costs of electrical storage have also declined enough to make PV + battery systems potentially economically viable for a mass-scale off-grid low-emission transition. However, many regions in the U.S. (e.g. Northern areas) cannot have off-grid PV systems without prohibitively large battery systems. Small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems provide a potential solution for off-grid power backup of residential-scale PV + battery arrays, while also minimizing emissions from conventional sources. Thus, an opportunity is now available to maximize the use of solar energy and gain the improved efficiencies possible with CHPs to deploy PV + battery + CHP systems throughout the U.S. The aim of this study is to determine the technical viability of such systems by simulating PV + battery + CHP hybrid systems deployed in three representative regions in the U.S., using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) Pro Microgrid Analysis tool. The results show that the electricity generated by each component of the hybrid system can be coupled to fulfill the residential load demand. A sensitivity analysis of these hybrid off grid systems is carried out as a function capacity factor of both the PV and CHP units. The

solar thermal power systems advanced solar thermal technology project, advanced subsystems development

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

The preliminary design for a prototype small (20 kWe) solar thermal electric generating unit was completed, consisting of several subsystems. The concentrator and the receiver collect solar energy and a thermal buffer storage with a transport system is used to provide a partially smoothed heat input to the Stirling engine. A fossil-fuel combustor is included in the receiver designs to permit operation with partial or no solar insolation (hybrid). The engine converts the heat input into mechanical action that powers a generator. To obtain electric power on a large scale, multiple solar modules will be required to operate in parallel. The small solar electric power plant used as a baseline design will provide electricity at remote sites and small communities.

Character of photovoltaic/thermal hybrid collector. Character analysis by numerical calculation; Taiyoko netsu hybrid collector no tokusei. Suchi keisan ni yoru tokusei kaiseki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morita, Y; Iwawaki, T; Fujisawa, T; Tani, T [Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-25

In order to investigate characteristics of photovoltaic (PV)/thermal hybrid collectors (PV/T{sub s}) operating under varying conditions, energy equilibrium equations have been developed for numerical calculation, and the calculated results were compared with the observed ones. The calculated characteristics are close to the observed ones, both for photoelectric conversion and heat collecting characteristics, demonstrating validity of these energy equations. It is found, by comparing characteristics of PV/T{sub A} (covered with glass) with those of PV/T{sub B} (not covered with glass), that these characteristics are greatly affected by glass cover. Maximum overall excergy levels attained are 13.29% with PV/T{sub A} and 11.48% with PV/T{sub B} under the conditions of solar radiation intensity H: 800W/m{sup 2}, ambient temperature: 20degC and wind velocity: 0.5m/s, where flow rates of heat medium are 2.0times10{sup -3} and 4.0times10{sup -3}kg/s, respectively. Thus, the PV/T{sub A} system has a higher maximum excergy efficiency than the PV/T{sub B} system. The PV/T{sub A} gives water of higher temperature, demonstrating that covering the system with glass increases maximum excergy efficiency and optimum temperature. 6 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Modeling of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system under the influence of panel cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chinathambi Gopal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the performance of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system was improved by maintaining the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C. Experiments have been conducted on a laboratory experimental set-up installed with 6.4 m2 solar panel (by providing air cooling either on the top surface or over the beneath surface of the panel to operate a centrifugal pump with a rated capacity of 0.5 HP. The performance characteristics of the photovoltaic panel (such as, cell temperature, photovoltaic panel output, and photovoltaic efficiency, pump performance characteristics (such as pump efficiency and discharge, and system performance characteristics are observed with reference to solar irradiation, ambient temperature and wind velocity. A thermal model has been developed to predict the variations of photovoltaic cell temperature based on the measured glass and tedlar temperatures. The influences of cell temperature and solar irradiation on the performance of the system are described. The results concluded that cooling of photovoltaic panel on beneath surface has maintained the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C and improved the overall efficiency by about 1.8% when compared to the system without panel cooling.

Solar photovoltaics in Sri Lanka: a short history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunaratne, L.

1994-01-01

With a significant unelectrified rural population, Sri Lanka has followed the evolution of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in the West very closely since the 1970s as terrestrial applications for photovoltaics were developed. It was not until 1980 that the Sri Lankan government embarked on the promotion of solar photovoltaics for rural domestic use when the Ceylon Electricity Board formed the Energy Unit. In addition, Australian and Sri Lankan government-funded pilot projects have given the local promoters further valuable insight into how and how not to promote solar photovoltaics. The establishment of community-based solar photovoltaic programmes by non-governmental organizations has developed a novel approach to bridge the gap between this state-of-the-art technology and the remotely located end-users. (author)

Modelling and system analysis of new photovoltaic thermal solar collectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katiyar, M.

2016-01-01

This project report is a deliverable within the scope of WenSDak project, which is being carried out by a consortium of a number of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panel manufacturers and knowledge institutes. This project is financed by RVO (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) – project number

Performance of Polycrystalline Photovoltaic and Thermal Collector (PVT on Serpentine-Parallel Absor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustofa

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the performance of an unglazed polycrystalline photovoltaic-thermal PVT on 0.045 kg/s mass flow rate. PVT combine photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors, forming a single device that receive solar radiation and produces heat and electricity simultaneously. The collector figures out serpentine-parallel tubes that can prolong fluid heat conductivity from morning till afternoon. During testing, cell PV, inlet and outlet fluid temperatures were recorded by thermocouple digital LM35 Arduino Mega 2560. Panel voltage and electric current were also noted in which they were connected to computer and presented each second data recorded. But, in this performance only shows in the certain significant time data. This because the electric current was only noted by multimeter device not the digital one. Based on these testing data, average cell efficiency was about 19%, while thermal efficiency of above 50% and correspondent cell efficiency of 11%, respectively.

Passive hybridization of a photovoltaic module with lithium-ion battery cells: A model-based analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Joos, Stella; Weißhar, Björn; Bessler, Wolfgang G.

2017-04-01

Standard photovoltaic battery systems based on AC or DC architectures require power electronics and controllers, including inverters, MPP tracker, and battery charger. Here we investigate an alternative system design based on the parallel connection of a photovoltaic module with battery cells without any intermediate voltage conversion. This approach, for which we use the term passive hybridization, is based on matching the solar cell's and battery cell's respective current/voltage behavior. A battery with flat discharge characteristics can allow to pin the solar cell to its maximum power point (MPP) independently of the external power consumption. At the same time, upon battery full charge, voltage increase will drive the solar cell towards zero current and therefore self-prevent battery overcharge. We present a modeling and simulation analysis of passively hybridizing a 5 kWp PV system with a 5 kWh LFP/graphite lithium-ion battery. Dynamic simulations with 1-min time resolution are carried out for three exemplary summer and winter days using historic weather data and a synthetic single-family household consumer profile. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the system. The passive hybrid allows for high self-sufficiencies of 84.6% in summer and 25.3% in winter, which are only slightly lower than those of a standard system.

Performance study of heat-pipe solar photovoltaic/thermal heat pump system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Hongbing; Zhang, Lei; Jie, Pengfei; Xiong, Yaxuan; Xu, Peng; Zhai, Huixing

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The testing device of HPS PV/T heat pump system was established by a finished product of PV panel. • A detailed mathematical model of heat pump was established to investigate the performance of each component. • The dynamic and static method was combined to solve the mathematical model of HPS PV/T heat pump system. • The HPS PV/T heat pump system was optimized by the mathematical model. • The influence of six factors on the performance of HPS PV/T heat pump system was analyzed. - Abstract: A heat-pipe solar (HPS) photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) heat pump system, combining HPS PV/T collector with heat pump, is proposed in this paper. The HPS PV/T collector integrates heat pipes with PV panel, which can simultaneously generate electricity and thermal energy. The extracted heat from HPS PV/T collector can be used by heat pump, and then the photoelectric conversion efficiency is substantially improved because of the low temperature of PV cells. A mathematical model of the system is established in this paper. The model consists of a dynamic distributed parameter model of the HPS PV/T collection system and a quasi-steady state distributed parameter model of the heat pump. The mathematical model is validated by testing data, and the dynamic performance of the HPS PV/T heat pump system is discussed based on the validated model. Using the mathematical model, a reasonable accuracy in predicting the system’s dynamic performance with a relative error within ±15.0% can be obtained. The capacity of heat pump and the number of HPS collectors are optimized to improve the system performance based on the mathematical model. Six working modes are proposed and discussed to investigate the effect of solar radiation, ambient temperature, supply water temperature in condenser, PV packing factor, heat pipe pitch and PV backboard absorptivity on system performance by the validated model. It is found that the increase of solar radiation, ambient temperature and PV

Hybrid sunlight/LED illumination and renewable solar energy saving concepts for indoor lighting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuei, Chih-Hsuan; Sun, Wen-Shing; Kuo, Chien-Cheng

2010-11-08

A hybrid method for using sunlight and light-emitting diode (LED) illumination powered by renewable solar energy for indoor lighting is simulated and presented in this study. We can illuminate an indoor space and collect the solar energy using an optical switching system. When the system is turned off, the full spectrum of the sunlight is concentrated by a concentrator, to be absorbed by solar photovoltaic devices that provide the electricity to power the LEDs. When the system is turned on, the sunlight collected by the concentrator is split into visible and non-visible rays by a beam splitter. The visible rays pass through the light guide into a light box where it is mixed with LED light to ultimately provide uniform illumination by a diffuser. The non-visible rays are absorbed by the solar photovoltaic devices to provide electrical power for the LEDs. Simulation results show that the efficiency of the hybrid sunlight/LED illumination with the renewable solar energy saving design is better than that of LED and traditional lighting systems.

Study of applying a hybrid standalone wind-photovoltaic generation system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aissa Dahmani

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is the study of applying a hybrid system wind/photovoltaic to supply a community in southern Algeria. Diesel generators are always used to provide such remote regions with energy. Using renewable energy resources is a good alternative to overcome such pollutant generators. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER software is used to determine the economic feasibility of the proposed configuration. Assessment of renewable resources consisting in wind and solar potentials, load profile determination and sensitivity of different parameters analysis were performed. The cost of energy (COE of 0.226 $/kWh is very competitive with those found in literature.

Performance of double -pass solar collector with CPC and fins for heat transfer enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Alfegi, Ebrahim M. A.; Abosbaia, Alhadi A. S.; Mezughi, Khaled M. A.; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman

2013-06-01

The temperature of photovoltaic modules increases when it absorbs solar radiation, causing a decrease in efficiency. This undesirable effect can be partially avoided by applying a heat recovery unit with fluid circulation (air or water) with the photovoltaic module. Such unit is called photovoltaic / thermal collector (pv/t) or hybrid (pv/t). In this unit, photovoltaic cells were pasted directly on the flat plate absorber. An experimental study of a solar air heater with photovoltaic cell located at the absorber with fins and compound parabolic collector for heat transfer enhancement and increasing the number of reflection on the cells have been conducted. The performance of the photovoltaic, thermal, and combined pv/t collector over range of operating conditions and the results was discussed. Results at solar irradiance of 500 W/m2 show that the combined pv/t efficiency is increasing from 37.28 % to 81.41 % at mass flow rates various from 0.029 to 0.436 kg/s.

Equivalent Circuit Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Hybrid Device with Different TE Module Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haijun Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Combining two different types of solar cells with different absorption bands into a hybrid cell is a very useful method to improve the utilization efficiency of solar energy. The experimental data of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs and thermoelectric generators (TEG was simulated by equivalent circuit method, and some parameters of DSSCs were obtained. Then, the equivalent circuit model with the obtained parameters was used to optimize the structure design of photovoltaic- (PV- thermoelectric (TE hybrid devices. The output power (Pout first increases to a maximum and then decreases by increasing the TE prism size, and a smaller spacing between p-type prism and n-type prism of a TE p-n junction causes a higher output power of TEG and hybrid device. When the spacing between TE prisms is 15 μm and the optimal base side length of TE prism is 40 μm, the maximum theoretical efficiency reaches 24.6% according to the equivalent circuit analysis. This work would give some enlightenment for the development of high-performance PV-TE hybrid devices.

Energy Management and Simulation of Photovoltaic/Hydrogen /Battery Hybrid Power System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tariq Kamal

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This manuscript focuses on a hybrid power system combining a solar photovoltaic array and energy storage system based on hydrogen technology (fuel cell, hydrogen tank and electrolyzer and battery. The complete architecture is connected to the national grid through power converters to increase the continuity of power. The proposed a hybrid power system is designed to work under classical-based energy management algorithm. According to the proposed algorithm, the PV has the priority in meeting the load demands. The hydrogen technology is utilized to ensure long-term energy balance. The battery is used as a backup and/or high power device to take care of the load following problems of hydrogen technology during transient. The dynamic performance of a hybrid power system is tested under different solar radiation, temperature and load conditions for the simulation of 24 Hrs. The effectiveness of the proposed system in terms of power sharing, grid stability, power quality and voltage regulation is verified by Matlab simulation results.

The energetic performance of a novel hybrid solar thermal and chemical looping combustion plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafarian, Mehdi; Arjomandi, Maziar; Nathan, Graham J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A hybrid solar chemical looping combustion power cycle is reported. • The cycle is studied for two configurations, with and without an after-burner. • The oxygen carrier particles are used as storage medium for solar thermal energy. • Total solar shares of 41.4% and 60% are achieved with and without the after-burner. • Efficiencies of 50% and 44.0% are achieved with and without the after-burner. - Abstract: The overall energetic performance of a gas turbine combined cycle powered by a hybrid cycle between a solar thermal and a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system firing methane is reported for two configurations. In one case, the outlet from the air reactor is fed directly to a gas turbine, while in the other an after-burner, also firing methane, is added to increase the gas turbine inlet temperature. The cycle is simulated using Aspen Plus software for the average diurnal profile of normal irradiance for Port Augusta, South Australia. The first law efficiency, total solar absorption efficiency, average and peak fractional power boosts, total solar share, net solar to electrical efficiency, fraction of pressurised CO 2 , incremental CO 2 avoidance and the exergy efficiency for both cycles are reported. The calculations predict a first law efficiency of 50.0% for the cycle employing an after-burner, compared with 44.0% for that without the after-burner. However, this is achieved at the cost of decreasing the solar share from 60.0%, without the after-burner, to 41.4% with it. Also reported is the sensitivity analysis of performance to variations in key operating parameters. The sensitivity analysis shows that further improvements to the performance of the cycle are possible

Numerical study on optical and electric-thermal performance for solar concentrating PV/T air system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2009-01-01

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal(PV/T)system with solar concentrator is an effective way to improve solar energy conversion efficiency.In this work,a single-pass PV/T air system with a three-trough compound parabolic concentrator(CPC)of concentration ratio 2.0 is designed and the solar incident distributions at the solar cell surface are calculated by ray tracing method.Based on energy balance,the heat transfer models of all main components in this system are developed.The effects of some main designing and operational parameters on the electric-thermal performance of the system are analyzed. The results show that the solar radiation intensity can be higher than 1200 W/m 2 at most area of the cell surface.The temperature of the air and cell surface increases along the length of the system.Thus the system efficiency of the CPC is higher than that of the system without the CPC.The thermal efficiency, exergy and electrical efficiency of this CPC system increase with increasing of the air mass flow rate and the length of the system.With increasing packing fraction the electrical efficiency increases,but the thermal efficiency decreases.The exergy efficiency increases slightly with the packing fraction rising.The data obtained in this work are valuable for the design and operation for this kind of solar concentrating PV/T systems.

Experiment Investigation on Electrical and Thermal Performances of a Semitransparent Photovoltaic/Thermal System with Water Cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guiqiang Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Different from the semitransparent building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T system with air cooling, the semitransparent BIPV/T system with water cooling is rare, especially based on the silicon solar cells. In this paper, a semitransparent photovoltaic/thermal system (SPV/T with water cooling was set up, which not only would provide the electrical power and hot water, but also could attain the natural illumination for the building. The PV efficiency, thermal efficiency, and exergy analysis were all adopted to illustrate the performance of SPV/T system. The results showed that the PV efficiency and the thermal efficiency were about 11.5% and 39.5%, respectively, on the typical sunny day. Furthermore, the PV and thermal efficiencies fit curves were made to demonstrate the SPV/T performance more comprehensively. The performance analysis indicated that the SPV/T system has a good application prospect for building.

Interplay of Nanoscale, Hybrid P3HT/ZTO Interface on Optoelectronics and Photovoltaic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Jian-Jhong; Li, Yu-Hsun; Feng, Bo-Rui; Tang, Shiow-Jing; Jian, Wen-Bin; Fu, Chuan-Min; Chen, Jiun-Tai; Wang, Xu; Lee, Pooi See

2017-09-27

Photovoltaic effects in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) have attracted much attention recently. Here, natively p-type doped P3HT nanofibers and n-type doped zinc tin oxide (ZTO) nanowires are used for making not only field-effect transistors (FETs) but also p-n nanoscale diodes. The hybrid P3HT/ZTO p-n heterojunction shows applications in many directions, and it also facilitates the investigation of photoelectrons and photovoltaic effects on the nanoscale. As for applications, the heterojunction device shows a simultaneously high on/off ratio of n- and p-type FETs, gatable p-n junction diodes, tristate buffer devices, gatable photodetectors, and gatable solar cells. On the other hand, P3HT nanofibers are taken as a photoactive layer and the role played by the p-n heterojunction in the photoelectric and photovoltaic effects is investigated. It is found that the hybrid P3HT/ZTO p-n heterojunction assists in increasing photocurrents and enhancing photovoltaic effects. Through the controllable gating of the heterojunction, we can discuss the background mechanisms of photocurrent generation and photovoltaic energy harvesting.

新型PV/T太阳能利用复合系统的实验研究%Experimental Study on A Novel Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal Solar System

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李光明; 刘祖明; 李景天; 廖华; 朱勋梦; 张卫东

2013-01-01

A novel hybrid photovoltaic /thermal solar system,which combining flat stainless steel box as solar heat collectors with aluminum alloy backplane monocrystalline silicon PV components,and using the thermally conductive silica-gel for adhesion,was designed to improve the energy efficiency and to supply hot water and electricity.The system performed good adhesion,insulation and heat conduction between the collector and PV module.The electrical and thermal efficiency of the system are tested through experiments conducted in Kunming area with different water mass and under different conditions.The results show that the total efficiency and general energy efficiency of novel PV/T system is higher in 75kg water mass sunny weather.Its electrical efficiency,thermal efficiency,total efficiency and general energy efficiency are 14％,37％,51％,and 70.72％,respectively.Compared with in 50kg water mass sunny or 75kg water mass cloudy weather,the general efficiency has been enhanced by 11.86％ or 2.09％.Compared with pure PV system or the nature circulation of the solar water collector,The novel PV/T systems has several advantages,including smaller occupied area,higher utilization of solar energy and lower expenditure.%为提高PV/T系统太阳能利用率,同时获得可利用的热水和电力,将铝合金背板型单晶硅光伏组件和自行设计制作的不锈钢扁盒式集热板相结合,用导热硅胶加以粘接制成新型光伏光热一体化(PV/T)复合系统,该系统实现了光伏组件与集热板之间良好的粘接性、绝缘性和热传导,并在昆明地区对系统进行测试,分析了系统在不同水箱水容量及不同天气工况下运行的光电光热性能.结果表明,系统在75kg水箱水容量(m)晴天工况下运行效率更高,系统的平均电效率、热效率、综合效率及综合性能效率分别在14％、37％、51％、70.72％左右,与系统在50kg水箱水容量晴天或75kg水箱水容量多云工况下�

Development and evaluation of a ceiling ventilation system enhanced by solar photovoltaic thermal collectors and phase change materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Wenye; Ma, Zhenjun; Sohel, M. Imroz; Cooper, Paul

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A novel ceiling ventilation system enhanced by PVT and PCMs was proposed. • PCM was used to increase the local thermal mass and to serve as a storage unit. • The proposed system can enhance indoor thermal comfort in winter and summer. - Abstract: This paper presents the development and performance evaluation of a novel ceiling ventilation system integrated with solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors and phase change materials (PCMs). The PVT collectors are used to generate electricity and provide low grade heating and cooling energy for buildings by using winter daytime solar radiation and summer night-time sky radiative cooling, respectively. The PCM is integrated into the building ceiling as a part of the ceiling insulation and at the same time, as a centralized thermal energy storage to temporally store low grade energy collected from the PVT collectors. The performance of the proposed system was numerically evaluated based on a Solar Decathlon house using TRNSYS. The results showed that, in winter conditions, the proposed PVT–PCM integrated ventilation system can significantly improve the indoor thermal comfort of passive buildings without using air-conditioning systems with a maximum air temperature rise of 23.1 °C from the PVT collectors. Compared with the system using PCM but without using PVT collectors, the coefficient of thermal comfort enhancement in the kitchen, dining room and living room of the case building studied using the proposed system improved from almost zero to 0.9823 while the coefficient of thermal comfort enhancement in the study room improved from 0.0060 to 0.9921. In summer conditions, the proposed system can also enhance indoor thermal comfort through night-time sky radiative cooling

An active cooling system for photovoltaic modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teo, H.G.; Lee, P.S.; Hawlader, M.N.A.

2012-01-01

The electrical efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cell is adversely affected by the significant increase of cell operating temperature during absorption of solar radiation. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar system was designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated in this work. To actively cool the PV cells, a parallel array of ducts with inlet/outlet manifold designed for uniform airflow distribution was attached to the back of the PV panel. Experiments were performed with and without active cooling. A linear trend between the efficiency and temperature was found. Without active cooling, the temperature of the module was high and solar cells can only achieve an efficiency of 8–9%. However, when the module was operated under active cooling condition, the temperature dropped significantly leading to an increase in efficiency of solar cells to between 12% and 14%. A heat transfer simulation model was developed to compare to the actual temperature profile of PV module and good agreement between the simulation and experimental results is obtained.

Performance of double –pass solar collector with CPC and fins for heat transfer enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfegi, Ebrahim M A; Abosbaia, Alhadi A S; Mezughi, Khaled M A; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman

2013-01-01

The temperature of photovoltaic modules increases when it absorbs solar radiation, causing a decrease in efficiency. This undesirable effect can be partially avoided by applying a heat recovery unit with fluid circulation (air or water) with the photovoltaic module. Such unit is called photovoltaic / thermal collector (pv/t) or hybrid (pv/t). In this unit, photovoltaic cells were pasted directly on the flat plate absorber. An experimental study of a solar air heater with photovoltaic cell located at the absorber with fins and compound parabolic collector for heat transfer enhancement and increasing the number of reflection on the cells have been conducted. The performance of the photovoltaic, thermal, and combined pv/t collector over range of operating conditions and the results was discussed. Results at solar irradiance of 500 W/m 2 show that the combined pv/t efficiency is increasing from 37.28 % to 81.41 % at mass flow rates various from 0.029 to 0.436 kg/s.

The rural villages electrification with a hybrid photovoltaic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocev, Kiril; Dimitrov, Dimitar; Tugjarov, Gjorgji

2002-01-01

Depending on a daily load demand, distance from the utility grid and the available solar energy, the rural villages electrification with a hybrid photovoltaic (PV) system can be a cheaper solution than the classic electrification, by connecting them to the utility grid. Besides PV generator, the considered hybrid system is consisted of a battery and a diesel genset. For the concrete case - rural village with estimated daily load demand of 15.5 kWh/day, with the computer program PVFORM, which is modified for such hybrid system, were simulated a few hundreds PV systems, with different sizes of the PV generator and of the battery capacity. Analyzing the obtained results, it can be foreseen the influence of the component size on the system functionality. From the mass of possible system combinations, it is chosen one that has 42 % lower initial investment, than the initial investment for connection of the village to the utility grid. (Original)

Photovoltaic characterization of hybrid solar cells using surface modified TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles and poly(3-hexyl)thiophene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guenes, Serap [Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Physics, Davutpasa Campus, 34220, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey); Marjanovic, Nenad [Plastic electronic GmbH, Rappetsederweg 28, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Nedeljkovic, Jovan M [Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 522, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); Sariciftci, Niyazi Serdar [Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells (LIOS), Physical Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, A-4040, Linz (Austria)], E-mail: sgunes@yildiz.edu.tr

2008-10-22

We report on the photovoltaic performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells using novel nanoparticles of 6-palmitate ascorbic acid surface modified TiO{sub 2} as an electron acceptor embedded into the donor poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT) matrix. Devices were fabricated by using P3HT with varying amounts of red TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 w-w ratio). The devices were characterized by measuring current-voltage characteristics under simulated AM 1.5 conditions. Incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) was spectrally resolved. The nanoscale morphology of such organic/inorganic hybrid blends was also investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Industrial application of PV/T solar energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalogirou, S.A.; Tripanagnostopoulos, Y.

2007-01-01

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems consist of PV modules and heat extraction units mounted together. These systems can simultaneously provide electrical and thermal energy, thus achieving a higher energy conversion rate of the absorbed solar radiation than plain photovoltaics. Industries show high demand of energy for both heat and electricity and the hybrid PV/T systems could be used in order to meet this requirement. In this paper the application aspects in the industry of PV/T systems with water heat extraction is presented. The systems are analyzed with TRNSYS program for three locations Nicosia, Athens and Madison that are located at different latitudes. The system comprises 300 m 2 of hybrid PV/T collectors producing both electricity and thermal energy and a 10 m 3 water storage tank. The work includes the study of an industrial process heat system operated at two load supply temperatures of 60 deg. C and 80 deg. C. The results show that the electrical production of the system, employing polycrystalline solar cells, is more than the amorphous ones but the solar thermal contribution is slightly lower. A non-hybrid PV system produces about 25% more electrical energy but the present system covers also, depending on the location, a large percentage of the thermal energy requirement of the industry considered. The economic viability of the systems is proven, as positive life cycle savings are obtained in the case of hybrid systems and the savings are increased for higher load temperature applications. Additionally, although amorphous silicon panels are much less efficient than the polycrystalline ones, better economic figures are obtained due to their lower initial cost, i.e., they have better cost/benefit ratio

The development of a volumetric solar thermal receiver: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagie, D.

1996-01-01

Solar energy has received much interest in recent years, being a clean (free of pollution or other environmental damage) and inexhaustible energy source. It is also considered safer than some other non conventional energy sources (like nuclear energy). The interest in solar energy is motivated mainly by the growing awareness of the environmental problems associated with the use of conventional fuels. However, solar energy may become a serious alternative only if it can be used efficiently in major energy consuming industries (like the chemical industry), or be used for electricity generation. Those facilities are nowadays solely dependent on fossil fuels as the prime source of energy. The solar energy, reaching the earth in the form of radiation, can be utilized either by direct quantum conversion using photo-voltaic solar cells, or by converting the radiation into thermal energy, to be used directly for heating, or to feed a thermal to electric converting cycle. After three decades of huge spending on the development of photo-voltaic systems those devices are commercially competitive only on a very small energy scale, while solar thermal commercial applications are more attractive. Prominent examples are the domestic heating water receivers (direct thermal), and LUZ International electricity generation plants which are currently operated on a commercial basis, supplying 80 MWe per plant. Direct thermal exploitation of solar energy is naturally more efficient than converting to electricity, but is limited to specific applications and locations especially since thermal storage at high temperature is not commercially viable. Efficient electricity production at a competitive price is clearly the biggest opportunity for solar energy . (author)

Study of Micro Grid Hybrid System of Photovoltaic and Diesel Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novitasari Dwi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Indonesia has abundant potentials of new and renewable energy that can be used for electricity generation, especially in rural areas which have no access for grid electricity yet. The energy resources can be from solar, water, biomass or biofuel. Many villagers still use diesel generators to produce electricity in their villages. It is considered expensive because fuel price in rural areas increases 2-3 times than the normal price due to transportation cost. Hybrid system using renewable energy resources is one of the solutions to produce electricity in affordable cost for rural area. The idea is to combine diesel generators and photovoltaic toproduce electricity. Moreover, the diesel engine fuel can be replaced with biofuel. This study will analyze the hybrid system in a small scale which consists of 1kWp photovoltaic and 3 kW diesel engine. Electric load power will vary. The system is controlled by a single bidirectional inverter whichconverts power from DC to AC and vice versa

Investigation of a hybrid PVT air collector system

Science.gov (United States)

Haddad, S.; Touafek, K.; Mordjaoui, M.; Khelifa, A.; Tabet, I.

2017-02-01

The photovoltaic thermal hybrid (PVT) collectors, which simultaneously produce electricity and heat, are an alternative to photovoltaic modules and thermal collectors installed separately. Indeed, the heat extracted from the solar cell is used to heat water or air, thereby cooling the cell, and thus increasing its energy efficiency. This paper deals with a hybrid PVT air collector in which a new design has been proposed and tested. Its principle is based on the return of the preheating air to a second heating. The air thus passes twice under the solar cells before being evacuated to the outside of the collector (for space heating). The system is modular and expandable to cover large spaces to be heated. The experimental results of this novel design are presented and discussed under both normal and forced circulation. This technique of air return shows favorable results in terms of the quality of the heated air and electric power generation.

The performance and applicability study of a fixed photovoltaic-solar water disinfection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Yanchao; Wang, Yiping; Huang, Qunwu; Zhu, Li; Cui, Yong; Cui, Lingyun

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A fixed photovoltaic-SODIS (solar water disinfection) system was constructed. • The system could generate electricity and produce clean water simultaneously. • The daily solar generated electricity was much more than the system consumption. • The system can be used for about 90% of whole year in Lhasa and Chennai. • Temperature enhanced the SODIS process for about 60% days of whole year in Chennai. - Abstract: The objective of the study is to construct and evaluate a fixed PV (photovoltaic) cell integrated with SODIS (solar water disinfection) system to treat drinking water and generate electricity under different climate through experimental and simulation methods. The photovoltaic and disinfection performances of the hybrid system were studied by the disinfection of Escherichia coli. The applicability of the system in Lhasa and Chennai was evaluated by analyzing the daily radiation and predicting the daily water temperature and the system electricity output. The results confirm that the temperature would dramatically enhance the SODIS process and shorten the disinfection time, when the water temperature was above 45 °C. The PV cell in the hybrid system could work under low temperature because of the water layer and the generated electricity was much more than the system consumption. The simulation results show that the days with maximum water temperature above 45 °C were more than 60% of whole year in Chennai. The generated electricity of the hybrid system was 49682.3 W h and 45615.9 W h a year in Lhasa and Chennai respectively. It was sufficient to drive the system of whole year. The number of days which realized drinking water treatment was 324 days in Lhasa and 315 days in Chennai a year.

Hybrid model predictive control of a residential HVAC system with on-site thermal energy generation and storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorentini, Massimo; Wall, Josh; Ma, Zhenjun; Braslavsky, Julio H.; Cooper, Paul

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A comprehensive approach to managing thermal energy in residential buildings. • Solar-assisted HVAC system with on-site energy generation and storage. • Mixed logic-dynamical building model identified using experimental data. • Design and implementation of a logic-dynamical model predictive control strategy. • MPC applied to the Net-Zero Energy house winner of the Solar Decathlon China 2013. - Abstract: This paper describes the development, implementation and experimental investigation of a Hybrid Model Predictive Control (HMPC) strategy to control solar-assisted heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems with on-site thermal energy generation and storage. A comprehensive approach to the thermal energy management of a residential building is presented to optimise the scheduling of the available thermal energy resources to meet a comfort objective. The system has a hybrid nature with both continuous variables and discrete, logic-driven operating modes. The proposed control strategy is organized in two hierarchical levels. At the high-level, an HMPC controller with a 24-h prediction horizon and a 1-h control step is used to select the operating mode of the HVAC system. At the low-level, each operating mode is optimised using a 1-h rolling prediction horizon with a 5-min control step. The proposed control strategy has been practically implemented on the Building Management and Control System (BMCS) of a Net Zero-Energy Solar Decathlon house. This house features a sophisticated HVAC system comprising of an air-based photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector and a phase change material (PCM) thermal storage integrated with the air-handling unit (AHU) of a ducted reverse-cycle heat pump system. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the high performance achievable using an HMPC approach to optimising complex multimode HVAC systems in residential buildings, illustrating efficient selection of the appropriate operating modes

Performance of Polycrystalline Photovoltaic and Thermal Collector (PVT on Serpentine-Parallel Absorbers Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustofa Mustofa

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the performance of an unglazed polycrystalline photovoltaic-thermal PVT on 0.045 kg/s mass flow rate. PVT combine photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors, forming a single device that receive solar radiation and produces heat and electricity simultaneously. The collector figures out serpentine-parallel tubes that can prolong fluid heat conductivity from morning till afternoon. During testing, cell PV, inlet and outlet fluid temperaturs were recorded by thermocouple digital LM35 Arduino Mega 2560. Panel voltage and electric current were also noted in which they were connected to computer and presented each second data recorded. But, in this performance only shows in the certain significant time data. This because the electric current was only noted by multimeter device not the digital one. Based on these testing data, average cell efficieny was about 19%, while thermal efficiency of above 50% and correspondeng cell efficiency of 11%, respectively

Photovoltaic solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson, Gregory N.; Gupta, Vipin P.; Okandan, Murat; Watts, Michael R.

2015-09-08

A photovoltaic solar concentrator is disclosed with one or more transverse-junction solar cells (also termed point contact solar cells) and a lens located above each solar cell to concentrate sunlight onto the solar cell to generate electricity. Piezoelectric actuators tilt or translate each lens to track the sun using a feedback-control circuit which senses the electricity generated by one or more of the solar cells. The piezoelectric actuators can be coupled through a displacement-multiplier linkage to provide an increased range of movement of each lens. Each lens in the solar concentrator can be supported on a frame (also termed a tilt plate) having three legs, with the movement of the legs being controlled by the piezoelectric actuators.

Photovoltaic solar concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson, Gregory N.; Gupta, Vipin P.; Okandan, Murat; Watts, Michael R.

2016-03-15

A photovoltaic solar concentrator is disclosed with one or more transverse-junction solar cells (also termed point contact solar cells) and a lens located above each solar cell to concentrate sunlight onto the solar cell to generate electricity. Piezoelectric actuators tilt or translate each lens to track the sun using a feedback-control circuit which senses the electricity generated by one or more of the solar cells. The piezoelectric actuators can be coupled through a displacement-multiplier linkage to provide an increased range of movement of each lens. Each lens in the solar concentrator can be supported on a frame (also termed a tilt plate) having three legs, with the movement of the legs being controlled by the piezoelectric actuators.

HYBRID INDIRECT SOLAR COOKER WITH LATENT HEAT STORAGE

OpenAIRE

Benazeer Hassan K. Ibrahim *, Victor Jose

2016-01-01

Solar cooking is the simplest, safest, most convenient way to cook food without consuming fuels or heating up the kitchen. All the conventional solar cooker designs have the disadvantage of inability to cook during off-shine and night hours.This disadvantage can be eliminated if the solar cooker is designed with thermal storage arrangement. In this paper, a hybrid solar cooker with evacuated tube collector and latent thermal storage unit and alternate electric heatingsource is simulated. The...

Modeling and control of a small solar fuel cell hybrid energy system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Wei; ZHU Xin-jian; CAO Guang-yi

2007-01-01

This paper describes a solar photovoltaic fuel cell (PVEC) hybrid generation system consisting of a photovoltaic (PV) generator, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), an electrolyser, a supercapacitor, a storage gas tank and power conditioning unit (PCU). The load is supplied from the PV generator with a fuel cell working in parallel. Excess PV energy when available is converted to hydrogen using an electrolyser for later use in the fuel cell. The individual mathematical model for each component is presented. Control strategy for the system is described. MATLAB/Simulink is used for the simulation of this highly nonlinear hybrid energy system. The simulation results are shown in the paper.

Thermal and electrical energy yield analysis of a directly water cooled photovoltaic module

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mtunzi Busiso

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Electrical energy of photovoltaic modules drops by 0.5% for each degree increase in temperature. Direct water cooling of photovoltaic modules was found to give improved electrical and thermal yield. A prototype was put in place to analyse the field data for a period of a year. The results showed an initial high performance ratio and electrical power output. The monthly energy saving efficiency of the directly water cooled module was found to be approximately 61%. The solar utilisation of the naturally cooled photovoltaic module was found to be 8.79% and for the directly water cooled module its solar utilisation was 47.93%. Implementation of such systems on households may reduce the load from the utility company, bring about huge savings on electricity bills and help in reducing carbon emissions.

A thermal model for photovoltaic panels under varying atmospheric conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, S.; Hurley, W.G.

2010-01-01

The response of the photovoltaic (PV) panel temperature is dynamic with respect to the changes in the incoming solar radiation. During periods of rapidly changing conditions, a steady state model of the operating temperature cannot be justified because the response time of the PV panel temperature becomes significant due to its large thermal mass. Therefore, it is of interest to determine the thermal response time of the PV panel. Previous attempts to determine the thermal response time have used indoor measurements, controlling the wind flow over the surface of the panel with fans or conducting the experiments in darkness to avoid radiative heat loss effects. In real operating conditions, the effective PV panel temperature is subjected to randomly varying ambient temperature and fluctuating wind speeds and directions; parameters that are not replicated in controlled, indoor experiments. A new thermal model is proposed that incorporates atmospheric conditions; effects of PV panel material composition and mounting structure. Experimental results are presented which verify the thermal behaviour of a photovoltaic panel for low to strong winds.

Study of an improved integrated collector-storage solar water heater combined with the photovoltaic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziapour, Behrooz M.; Palideh, Vahid; Mohammadnia, Ali

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Simulation of an enhanced ICSSWH system combined with PV panel was conducted. • The present model dose not uses any photovoltaic driven water pump. • High packing factor and tank water mass are caused to high PVT system efficiency. • Larger area of the collector is resulted to lower total PVT system efficiency. - Abstract: A photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) module is a combination of a photovoltaic (PV) panel and a thermal collector for co-generation of heat and electricity. An integrated collector-storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) system, due to its simple and compact structure, offers a promising approach for the solar water heating in the varied climates. The combination of the ICSSWH system with a PV solar system has not been reported. In this paper, simulation of an enhanced ICSSWH system combined with the PV panel has been conducted. The proposed design acts passive. Therefore, it does not use any photovoltaic driven water pump to maintain a flow of water inside the collector. The effects of the solar cell packing factor, the tank water mass and the collector area on the performance of the present PVT system have been investigated. The simulation results showed that the high solar cell packing factor and the tank water mass are caused to the high total PVT system efficiency. Also, larger area of the collector is resulted to lower total PVT system efficiency

Thermal energy storage for CSP (Concentrating Solar Power)

Science.gov (United States)

Py, Xavier; Sadiki, Najim; Olives, Régis; Goetz, Vincent; Falcoz, Quentin

2017-07-01

The major advantage of concentrating solar power before photovoltaic is the possibility to store thermal energy at large scale allowing dispatchability. Then, only CSP solar power plants including thermal storage can be operated 24 h/day using exclusively the solar resource. Nevertheless, due to a too low availability in mined nitrate salts, the actual mature technology of the two tanks molten salts cannot be applied to achieve the expected international share in the power production for 2050. Then alternative storage materials are under studies such as natural rocks and recycled ceramics made from industrial wastes. The present paper is a review of those alternative approaches.

Thermal energy storage for CSP (Concentrating Solar Power

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Py Xavier

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The major advantage of concentrating solar power before photovoltaic is the possibility to store thermal energy at large scale allowing dispatchability. Then, only CSP solar power plants including thermal storage can be operated 24 h/day using exclusively the solar resource. Nevertheless, due to a too low availability in mined nitrate salts, the actual mature technology of the two tanks molten salts cannot be applied to achieve the expected international share in the power production for 2050. Then alternative storage materials are under studies such as natural rocks and recycled ceramics made from industrial wastes. The present paper is a review of those alternative approaches.

An automotive thermoelectric-photovoltaic hybrid energy system using maximum power point tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xiaodong; Chau, K.T.

2011-01-01

In recent years, there has been active research on exhaust gas waste heat energy recovery for automobiles. Meanwhile, the use of solar energy is also proposed to promote on-board renewable energy and hence to improve their fuel economy. In this paper, a new thermoelectric-photovoltaic (TE-PV) hybrid energy system is proposed and implemented for automobiles. The key is to newly develop the power conditioning circuit using maximum power point tracking so that the output power of the proposed TE-PV hybrid energy system can be maximized. An experimental system is prototyped and tested to verify the validity of the proposed system.

A nanophotonic solar thermophotovoltaic device.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenert, Andrej; Bierman, David M; Nam, Youngsuk; Chan, Walker R; Celanović, Ivan; Soljačić, Marin; Wang, Evelyn N

2014-02-01

The most common approaches to generating power from sunlight are either photovoltaic, in which sunlight directly excites electron-hole pairs in a semiconductor, or solar-thermal, in which sunlight drives a mechanical heat engine. Photovoltaic power generation is intermittent and typically only exploits a portion of the solar spectrum efficiently, whereas the intrinsic irreversibilities of small heat engines make the solar-thermal approach best suited for utility-scale power plants. There is, therefore, an increasing need for hybrid technologies for solar power generation. By converting sunlight into thermal emission tuned to energies directly above the photovoltaic bandgap using a hot absorber-emitter, solar thermophotovoltaics promise to leverage the benefits of both approaches: high efficiency, by harnessing the entire solar spectrum; scalability and compactness, because of their solid-state nature; and dispatchablility, owing to the ability to store energy using thermal or chemical means. However, efficient collection of sunlight in the absorber and spectral control in the emitter are particularly challenging at high operating temperatures. This drawback has limited previous experimental demonstrations of this approach to conversion efficiencies around or below 1% (refs 9, 10, 11). Here, we report on a full solar thermophotovoltaic device, which, thanks to the nanophotonic properties of the absorber-emitter surface, reaches experimental efficiencies of 3.2%. The device integrates a multiwalled carbon nanotube absorber and a one-dimensional Si/SiO2 photonic-crystal emitter on the same substrate, with the absorber-emitter areas optimized to tune the energy balance of the device. Our device is planar and compact and could become a viable option for high-performance solar thermophotovoltaic energy conversion.

Sustainability assessment of a hybrid energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afgan, Nain H.; Carvalho, Maria G.

2008-01-01

A hybrid energy system in the form of the Object structure is the pattern for the structure of options in the evaluation of a hybrid system. The Object structure is defined as: Hybrid Energy System {[production (solar, wind, biomass, natural gas)] [utilization(electricity, heat, hydrogen)]}. In the evaluation of hybrid energy systems only several options are selected to demonstrate the sustainability assessment method application in the promotion of the specific quality of the hybrid energy system. In this analysis the following options are taken into a consideration: 1.Solar photo-voltaic power plant (PV PP), wind turbine power plant (WTPP) biomass thermal power plant (ThSTPP) for electricity, heat and hydrogen production. 2.Solar PV PP and wind power plant (WPP) for electricity and hydrogen production. 3.Biomass thermal steam turbine power plant (BThSTPP) and WPP for heat and hydrogen production. 4.Combined cycle gas turbine power plant for electricity and hydrogen production. 5.Cogeneration of electricity and water by the hybrid system. The sustainability assessment method is used for the evaluation of quality of the selected hybrid systems. In this evaluation the following indicators are used: economic indicator, environment indicator and social indicator

solaR: Solar Radiation and Photovoltaic Systems with R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Perpiñan Lamigueiro

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The solaR package allows for reproducible research both for photovoltaics (PV systems performance and solar radiation. It includes a set of classes, methods and functions to calculate the sun geometry and the solar radiation incident on a photovoltaic generator and to simulate the performance of several applications of the photovoltaic energy. This package performs the whole calculation procedure from both daily and intradaily global horizontal irradiation to the final productivity of grid-connected PV systems and water pumping PV systems.It is designed using a set of S4 classes whose core is a group of slots with multivariate time series. The classes share a variety of methods to access the information and several visualization methods. In addition, the package provides a tool for the visual statistical analysis of the performance of a large PV plant composed of several systems.Although solaR is primarily designed for time series associated to a location defined by its latitude/longitude values and the temperature and irradiation conditions, it can be easily combined with spatial packages for space-time analysis.

Photovoltaic: state of the arts in France and in the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jurczak, Ch.; Leclerq, M.

2005-01-01

The author analyzes the photovoltaic world solar market. He discusses the photovoltaic solar electricity production cost and more particularly the photovoltaic solar industry in France and the thermal solar. (A.L.B.)

Potential Evaluation of Solar Heat Assisted Desiccant Hybrid Air Conditioning System

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Thien Nha; Hamamoto, Yoshinori; Akisawa, Atsushi; Kashiwagi, Takao

The solar thermal driven desiccant dehumidification-absorption cooling hybrid system has superior advantage in hot-humid climate regions. The reasonable air processing of desiccant hybrid air conditioning system and the utility of clean and free energy make the system environment friendly and energy efficient. The study investigates the performance of the desiccant dehumidification air conditioning systems with solar thermal assistant. The investigation is performed for three cases which are combinations of solar thermal and absorption cooling systems with different heat supply temperature levels. Two solar thermal systems are used in the study: the flat plate collector (FPC) and the vacuum tube with compound parabolic concentrator (CPC). The single-effect and high energy efficient double-, triple-effect LiBr-water absorption cooling cycles are considered for cooling systems. COP of desiccant hybrid air conditioning systems are determined. The evaluation of these systems is subsequently performed. The single effect absorption cooling cycle combined with the flat plate collector solar system is found to be the most energy efficient air conditioning system.

Numerical study on optical and electric-thermal performance for solar concentrating PV/T air system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SUN Jian; SHI MingHeng

2009-01-01

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermsl(PV/T)system with solar concentrator is an effective way to improve solar energy conversion efficiency.In this work,a single-pass PV/T sir system with a three-trough compound parabolic concentrator(CPC)of concentration ratio 2.0 is designed and the solar incident distributions at the solar cell surface are calculated by ray tracing method.Based on energy balance,the heat transfer models of all main components in this system are developed.The effects of some main designing and operational parameters on the electric-thermal performance of the system are analyzed.The results show that the solar radiation intensity can be higher than 1200 W/m~2 at most area of the cell surface.The temperature of the air and cell surface increases along the length of the system.Thus the system efficiency of the CPC is higher than that of the system without the CPC.The thermal efficiency,exergy and electrical efficiency of this CPC system increase with increasing of the air mass flow rate and the length of the system.With increasing packing fraction the electrical efficiency increases,but the thermal efficiency decreases.The exergy efficiency increases slightly with the packing fraction rising.The data obtained in this work are valuable for the design and operation for this kind of solar concentrating PV/T systems.

Research and Development Needs for Building-Integrated Solar Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2014-01-01

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has identified Building Integrated Solar Technologies (BIST) as a potentially valuable piece of the comprehensive pathway to help achieve its goal of reducing energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings by 50% by the year 2030. This report helps to identify the key research and development (R&D) needs that will be required for BIST to make a substantial contribution toward that goal. BIST include technologies for space heating and cooling, water heating, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal systems (PV/T), active solar lighting, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

Solar radiation on Mars: Stationary photovoltaic array

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, J.; Sherman, I.; Landis, G. A.

1993-01-01

Solar energy is likely to be an important power source for surface-based operation on Mars. Photovoltaic cells offer many advantages. In this article we have presented analytical expressions and solar radiation data for stationary flat surfaces (horizontal and inclined) as a function of latitude, season and atmospheric dust load (optical depth). The diffuse component of the solar radiation on Mars can be significant, thus greatly affecting the optimal inclination angle of the photovoltaic surface.

Silicon nanowires in polymer nanocomposites for photovoltaic hybrid thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Dkhil, S.; Bourguiga, R.; Davenas, J.; Cornu, D.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Hybrid solar cells based on blends of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and silicon nanowires have been fabricated. ► We have investigated the charge transfer between PVK and SiNWs by the way of the quenching of the PVK photoluminescence. ► The relation between the morphology of the composite thin films and the charge transfer between SiNWs and PVK has been examined. ► We have investigated the effects of SiNWs concentration on the photovoltaic characteristics leading to the optimization of a critical SiNWs concentration. - Abstract: Hybrid thin films combining the high optical absorption of a semiconducting polymer film and the electronic properties of silicon fillers have been investigated in the perspective of the development of low cost solar cells. Bulk heterojunction photovoltaic materials based on blends of a semiconductor polymer poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as electron donor and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as electron acceptor have been studied. Composite PVK/SiNWs films were cast from a common solvent mixture. UV–visible spectrometry and photoluminescence of the composites have been studied as a function of the SiNWs concentration. Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) shows the existence of a critical SiNWs concentration of about 10 wt % for PL quenching corresponding to the most efficient charge pair separation. The photovoltaic (PV) effect has been studied under illumination. The optimum open-circuit voltage V oc and short-circuit current density J sc are obtained for 10 wt % SiNWs whereas a degradation of these parameters is observed at higher SiNWs concentrations. These results are correlated to the formation of aggregates in the composite leading to recombination of the photogenerated charge pairs competing with the dissociation mechanism.

Photovoltaic solar energy conversion

CERN Document Server

Bauer, Gottfried H

2015-01-01

This concise primer on photovoltaic solar energy conversion invites readers to reflect on the conversion of solar light into energy at the most fundamental level and encourages newcomers to the field to help find meaningful answers on how photovoltaic solar energy conversion can work (better), eventually contributing to its ongoing advancement. The book is based on lectures given to graduate students in the Physics Department at the University of Oldenburg over the last two decades, yet also provides an easy-to-follow introduction for doctoral and postdoctoral students from related disciplines such as the materials sciences and electrical engineering. Inspired by classic textbooks in the field, it reflects the author’s own ideas on how to understand, visualize and eventually teach the microscopic physical mechanisms and effects, while keeping the text as concise as possible so as to introduce interested readers to the field and balancing essential knowledge with open questions.

GEOTHERMAL / SOLAR HYBRID DESIGNS: USE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FOR CSP FEEDWATER HEATING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Craig Turchi; Guangdong Zhu; Michael Wagner; Tom Williams; Dan Wendt

2014-10-01

This paper examines a hybrid geothermal / solar thermal plant design that uses geothermal energy to provide feedwater heating in a conventional steam-Rankine power cycle deployed by a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. The geothermal energy represents slightly over 10% of the total thermal input to the hybrid plant. The geothermal energy allows power output from the hybrid plant to increase by about 8% relative to a stand-alone CSP plant with the same solar-thermal input. Geothermal energy is converted to electricity at an efficiency of 1.7 to 2.5 times greater than would occur in a stand-alone, binary-cycle geothermal plant using the same geothermal resource. While the design exhibits a clear advantage during hybrid plant operation, the annual advantage of the hybrid versus two stand-alone power plants depends on the total annual operating hours of the hybrid plant. The annual results in this draft paper are preliminary, and further results are expected prior to submission of a final paper.

Performance results of a solar greenhouse combining electrical and thermal energy production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonneveld, P.J.; Swinkels, G.L.A.M.; Campen, J.B.; Tuijl, van B.A.J.; Janssen, H.J.J.; Bot, G.P.A.

2010-01-01

Performance results are given of a new type of greenhouse, which combines reflection of near infrared radiation (NIR) with electrical power generation using hybrid photovoltaic cell/thermal collector modules. Besides the generation of electrical and thermal energy, the reflection of the NIR will

The rural areas electrification with a hybrid photovoltaic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocev, Kiril I.; Dimitrov, Dimitar; Tudzharov, Gjorgji

2001-01-01

Depending on a daily load demand, distance from the utility grid and the available solar energy, the rural villages electrification with a hybrid photovoltaic (PV) system can be a cheaper solution than the classic electrification, by connecting them to the utility grid. Besides PV generator, the considered hybrid system is consisted of a battery and a diesel gen set. For the concrete case - rural village with estimated daily load demand of 15.5 kWh/day, with the computer program PVFORM, which is modified for such hybrid system, were simulated a few hundreds PV systems, with different sizes of the PV generator and of the battery capacity. Analyzing the obtained results, it can be foreseen the influence of the component size on the system functionality. From the mass of possible system combinations, it is chosen one that has 42 % lower initial investment, than the initial investment for connection of the village to the utility grid. (Original)

Semiconductor materials for solar photovoltaic cells

CERN Document Server

Wong-Ng, Winnie; Bhattacharya, Raghu

2016-01-01

This book reviews the current status of semiconductor materials for conversion of sunlight to electricity, and highlights advances in both basic science and manufacturing.  Photovoltaic (PV) solar electric technology will be a significant contributor to world energy supplies when reliable, efficient PV power products are manufactured in large volumes at low cost.  Expert chapters cover the full range of semiconductor materials for solar-to-electricity conversion, from crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon to cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium sulfide selenides, dye sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, and environmentally friendly copper zinc tin sulfide selenides. The latest methods for synthesis and characterization of solar cell materials are described, together with techniques for measuring solar cell efficiency. Semiconductor Materials for Solar Photovoltaic Cells presents the current state of the art as well as key details about future strategies to increase the efficiency and reduce ...

Can hybrid solar-fossil power plants mitigate CO2 at lower cost than PV or CSP?

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Jared; Apt, Jay

2013-03-19

Fifteen of the United States and several nations require a portion of their electricity come from solar energy. We perform an engineering-economic analysis of hybridizing concentrating solar thermal power with fossil fuel in an Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) generator. We construct a thermodynamic model of an ISCC plant in order to examine how much solar and fossil electricity is produced and how such a power plant would operate, given hourly solar resource data and hourly electricity prices. We find that the solar portion of an ISCC power plant has a lower levelized cost of electricity than stand-alone solar power plants given strong solar resource in the US southwest and market conditions that allow the capacity factor of the solar portion of the power plant to be above 21%. From a local government perspective, current federal subsidies distort the levelized cost of electricity such that photovoltaic electricity is slightly less expensive than the solar electricity produced by the ISCC. However, if the cost of variability and additional transmission lines needed for stand-alone solar power plants are taken into account, the solar portion of an ISCC power plant may be more cost-effective.

Demand response impacts on off-grid hybrid photovoltaic-diesel generator microgrids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron St. Leger

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Hybrid microgrids consisting of diesel generator set(s and converter based power sources, such as solar photovoltaic or wind sources, offer an alternative to generator based off-grid power systems. The hybrid approach has been shown to be economical in many off-grid applications and can result in reduced generator operation, fuel requirements, and maintenance. However, the intermittent nature of demand and renewable energy sources typically require energy storage, such as batteries, to properly operate the hybrid microgrid. These batteries increase the system cost, require proper operation and maintenance, and have been shown to be unreliable in case studies on hybrid microgrids. This work examines the impacts of leveraging demand response in a hybrid microgrid in lieu of energy storage. The study is performed by simulating two different hybrid diesel generator—PV microgrid topologies, one with a single diesel generator and one with multiple paralleled diesel generators, for a small residential neighborhood with varying levels of demand response. Various system designs are considered and the optimal design, based on cost of energy, is presented for each level of demand response. The solar resources, performance of solar PV source, performance of diesel generators, costs of system components, maintenance, and operation are modeled and simulated at a time interval of ten minutes over a twenty-five year period for both microgrid topologies. Results are quantified through cost of energy, diesel fuel requirements, and utilization of the energy sources under varying levels of demand response. The results indicate that a moderate level of demand response can have significant positive impacts to the operation of hybrid microgrids through reduced energy cost, fuel consumption, and increased utilization of PV sources.

Performance analysis of hybrid photovoltaic/diesel energy system under Malaysian conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lau, K.Y.; Yousof, M.F.M.; Arshad, S.N.M.; Anwari, M.; Yatim, A.H.M.

2010-01-01

Standalone diesel generating system utilized in remote areas has long been practiced in Malaysia. Due to highly fluctuating diesel price, such a system is seemed to be uneconomical, especially in the long run if the supply of electricity for rural areas solely depends on such diesel generating system. This paper would analyze the potential use of hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/diesel energy system in remote locations. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) HOMER software was used to perform the techno-economic feasibility of hybrid PV/diesel energy system. The investigation demonstrated the impact of PV penetration and battery storage on energy production, cost of energy and number of operational hours of diesel generators for the given hybrid configurations. Emphasis has also been placed on percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions of different hybrid systems. At the end of this paper, suitability of utilizing hybrid PV/diesel energy system over standalone diesel system would be discussed mainly based on different solar irradiances and diesel prices. (author)

Role of bromine doping on the photovoltaic properties and microstructures of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Atsushi; Okada, Hiroshi; Oku, Takeo

2016-01-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid heterojunction solar cells containing CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite compound were fabricated using mesoporous TiO 2 as the electronic transporting layer and spirobifluorence as the hole-transporting layer. The purpose of the present study is to investigate role of bromine (Br) doping on the photovoltaic properties and microstructure of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite solar cells. Photovoltaic, optical properties and microstructures of perovskite-based solar cells were investigated. The X-ray diffraction identified crystal structure of the perovskite layer doped with Br in the solar cell. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed a different behavior of surface morphology and the perovskite crystal structure on the TiO 2 mesoporous structure depending on extent amount of hydrogen doping of Br. The role of bromide halogen doping on the perovskite crystal structure and photovoltaic properties was due to improvement of carrier mobility, optimization of electron structure, band gap related with the photovoltaic parameters of V oc , J sc and η. Energy diagram and photovoltaic mechanism of the perovskite solar cells varied with halogen doping was discussed by experimental results

Photovoltaic. Solar electricity, a sustainable source of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stryi-Hipp, Gerhard; Loyen, Richard; Knaack, Jan; Chrometzka, Thomas

2008-06-01

This German publication outlines that solar energy is now essential to any sustainable energy mix, and describes the operation principle of solar photovoltaic energy production. It describes how it can be applied for the production of electricity in isolated areas, and for individual housing as well as commercial buildings, and presents the concept of ground-based solar plants. The next part discusses the development of the photovoltaic market (its huge potential, its world size) and indicates the different associated arrangements of financial support or subsidy. It also discusses how photovoltaic markets can be developed, and proposes an overview of the German model

Solar energy conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kistler, J.

1981-08-05

The photovoltaic generator is the central part of all solar systems. Flat solar cells embedded in glass are preferred which can also convert diffuse solar radiation. Hybrid modules generate electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. With decreasing generator cost, the cost of energy storage becomes critical. Development activities are mostly directed on the development of stationary lead accumulator batteries and the electronic charging and protective systems. The block diagram of the current converter is presented, and applications of solar systems in domestic heating engineering, transportation technology, communications, and hydrological engineering. Solar villages are recommended which, established in bilateral cooperation with Third World authorities, may demonstrate the advantages of solar energy in heat and electric power generation.

Effects of solar photovoltaic technology on the environment in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Liqiang; Zhang, Yajuan

2017-10-01

Among the various types of renewable energy, solar photovoltaic has elicited the most attention because of its low pollution, abundant reserve, and endless supply. Solar photovoltaic technology generates both positive and negative effects on the environment. The environmental loss of 0.00666 yuan/kWh from solar photovoltaic technology is lower than that from coal-fired power generation (0.05216 yuan/kWh). The negative effects of solar photovoltaic system production include wastewater and waste gas pollutions, the representatives of which contain fluorine, chromium with wastewater and hydrogen fluoride, and silicon tetrachloride gas. Solar panels are also a source of light pollution. Improper disposal of solar cells that have reached the end of their service life harms the environment through the stench they produce and the damage they cause to the soil. So, the positive and negative effects of green energy photovoltaic power generation technology on the environment should be considered.

Can Integrated Micro-Optical Concentrator Technology Revolutionize Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Solar Energy Harvesting?

Science.gov (United States)

Haney, Michael W.

2015-12-01

The economies-of-scale and enhanced performance of integrated micro-technologies have repeatedly delivered disruptive market impact. Examples range from microelectronics to displays to lighting. However, integrated micro-scale technologies have yet to be applied in a transformational way to solar photovoltaic panels. The recently announced Micro-scale Optimized Solar-cell Arrays with Integrated Concentration (MOSAIC) program aims to create a new paradigm in solar photovoltaic panel technology based on the incorporation of micro-concentrating photo-voltaic (μ-CPV) cells. As depicted in Figure 1, MOSAIC will integrate arrays of micro-optical concentrating elements and micro-scale PV elements to achieve the same aggregated collection area and high conversion efficiency of a conventional (i.e., macro-scale) CPV approach, but with the low profile and mass, and hopefully cost, of a conventional non-concentrated PV panel. The reduced size and weight, and enhanced wiring complexity, of the MOSAIC approach provide the opportunity to access the high-performance/low-cost region between the conventional CPV and flat-plate (1-sun) PV domains shown in Figure 2. Accessing this portion of the graph in Figure 2 will expand the geographic and market reach of flat-plate PV. This talk reviews the motivation and goals for the MOSAIC program. The diversity of the technical approaches to micro-concentration, embedded solar tracking, and hybrid direct/diffuse solar resource collection found in the MOSAIC portfolio of projects will also be highlighted.

Analysis of environmental effect of hybrid solar-assisted desalination cycle in Sirdarya Thermal Power Plant, Uzbekistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alikulov, Khusniddin; Xuan, Tran Dang; Higashi, Osamu; Nakagoshi, Nobukazu; Aminov, Zarif

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A hybrid solar-assisted desalination cycle was designed and stimulated. • Maximum of 21,064.00 kW effective solar heat can be achieved. • The use of parabolic-trough collectors in the Multi Effect Distillation is potential. • The cycle can be applied in other regions with high Direct Normal Irradiation. - Abstract: This study was to investigate possible reduction of fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emission in one of energy sectors of Sirdarya Thermal Power Plant (TPP), Uzbekistan. A hybrid solar-assisted desalination cycle has been designed and simulated for partially supplying saturated steam with 200 °C, 8 bar, and 32 t/h parameters to a Multi Effect Distillation (MED) process in the Sirdarya Thermal Power Plant. The outcome of the parental design model stated that maximum, 21,064.00 kW effective solar heat can be achieved, which is equivalent to 31.76 t/h of saturated steam with 200 °C and 8 bar parameters. Total saved fossil fuel in each month proved that it is possible to reduce fossil fuel (heavy oil and natural gas) consumption with 59.64, 95.24, 389.96, and 298.26 tons during available Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) by using parabolic-trough collectors. Moreover, the above-mentioned fossil fuel savings accounted for CO_2 reduction with amounts of 182.50, 255.46, 1045.87 & 799.96 tons per each consistent month. Findings proved that integration of parabolic-trough collectors into the MED process is feasible in terms of high DNI availability and demand for retrofitting old existing heat-consuming facilities in Sirdarya Thermal Power Plant. Besides, the cycle also can be applied in other regions of Uzbekistan with high DNI for generating solar heat. Therefore, conducted study is eligible to be applied on the research site by taking into account of sufficient meteorological data and required steam parameters.

Annual DOE active solar heating and cooling contractors' review meeting. Premeeting proceedings and project summaries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None,

1981-09-01

Ninety-three project summaries are presented which discuss the following aspects of active solar heating and cooling: Rankine solar cooling systems; absorption solar cooling systems; desiccant solar cooling systems; solar heat pump systems; solar hot water systems; special projects (such as the National Solar Data Network, hybrid solar thermal/photovoltaic applications, and heat transfer and water migration in soils); administrative/management support; and solar collector, storage, controls, analysis, and materials technology. (LEW)

Electron transport limitation in P3HT:CdSe nanorods hybrid solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lek, Jun Yan; Xing, Guichuan; Sum, Tze Chien; Lam, Yeng Ming

2014-01-22

Hybrid solar cells have the potential to be efficient solar-energy-harvesting devices that can combine the benefits of solution-processable organic materials and the extended absorption offered by inorganic materials. In this work, an understanding of the factors limiting the performance of hybrid solar cells is explored. Through photovoltaic-device characterization correlated with transient absorption spectroscopy measurements, it was found that the interfacial charge transfer between the organic (P3HT) and inorganic (CdSe nanorods) components is not the factor limiting the performance of these solar cells. The insulating original ligands retard the charge recombination between the charge-transfer states across the CdSe-P3HT interface, and this is actually beneficial for charge collection. These cells are, in fact, limited by the subsequent electron collection via CdSe nanoparticles to the electrodes. Hence, the design of a more continuous electron-transport pathway should greatly improve the performance of hybrid solar cells in the future.

Hybrid solar and hydro-power for Austria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weyss, N

1978-02-01

It is proposed that integrating solar powerplants into the Austrian electricity networks could cost less than conventional thermal plants, and provide a high degree of independence to the country. The following aspects are discussed; the seasonal distribution of sunshine, solar power plants, land requirements, economic feasibility, solar/fossil hybrid operation, integration strategy, Malta-B as a calculating unit, solar-hydraulic baseload throughout the year, concrete requirements, solar-hydraulic possibilities within the next 50 years, cement for solar plants, and energy accounting. (MHR)

Joint energy demand and thermal comfort optimization in photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldi, Simone; Karagevrekis, Athanasios; Michailidis, Iakovos T.; Kosmatopoulos, Elias B.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Energy efficient operation of photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids. • Optimized energy demand for a block of heterogeneous buildings with different sizes. • Multiobjective optimization: matching demand and supply taking into account thermal comfort. • Intelligent control mechanism for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning units. • Optimization of energy consumption and thermal comfort at the aggregate microgrid level. - Abstract: Electrical smart microgrids equipped with small-scale renewable-energy generation systems are emerging progressively as an alternative or an enhancement to the central electrical grid: due to the intermittent nature of the renewable energy sources, appropriate algorithms are required to integrate these two typologies of grids and, in particular, to perform efficiently dynamic energy demand and distributed generation management, while guaranteeing satisfactory thermal comfort for the occupants. This paper presents a novel control algorithm for joint energy demand and thermal comfort optimization in photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids. Energy demand shaping is achieved via an intelligent control mechanism for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning units. The intelligent control mechanism takes into account the available solar energy, the building dynamics and the thermal comfort of the buildings’ occupants. The control design is accomplished in a simulation-based fashion using an energy simulation model, developed in EnergyPlus, of an interconnected microgrid. Rather than focusing only on how each building behaves individually, the optimization algorithm employs a central controller that allows interaction among the buildings of the microgrid. The control objective is to optimize the aggregate microgrid performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the optimization algorithm efficiently integrates the microgrid with the photovoltaic system that provides free electric energy: in

Efficiencies and improvement potential of building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, Adnan; Fudholi, Ahmad; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Othman, Mohd Yusof; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Performances analysis of BIPVT solar collector based on energy and exergy analyses. • A new absorber design of BIPVT solar collector is presented. • BIPVT solar collector is produced primary-energy saving efficiency from about 73% to 81%. • PVT energy efficiency varies between 55% and 62% where as the variation in the PVT exergy efficiency is from 12% to 14%. • The improvement potential is between 98 and 404 W. - Abstract: Building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) system has been designed to produce both electricity and hot water and later integrated to building. The hot water is produced at the useful temperatures for the applications in Malaysia such as building integrated heating system and domestic hot water system as well as many industrial including agricultural and commercial applications. The photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system comprises of a high efficiency multicrystal photovoltaic (PV) module and spiral flow absorber for BIPVT application, have been performed and investigated. In this study, it was assumed that the absorber was attached underneath the flat plate single glazing sheet of polycrystalline silicon PV module and water has been used as a heat transfer medium in absorber. Performances analysis of BIPVT system based on energy and exergy analyses. It was based on efficiencies including energy and exergy, and exergetic improvement potential (IP) based on the metrological condition of Malaysia has been carried out. Results show that the hourly variation for BIPVT system, the PVT energy efficiency of 55–62% is higher than the PVT exergy efficiency of 12–14%. The improvement potential increases with increasing solar radiation, it is between 98 and 404 W. On the other hand, BIPVT system was produced primary-energy saving efficiency from about 73% to 81%

A self-sustaining high-strength wastewater treatment system using solar-bio-hybrid power generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bustamante, Mauricio; Liao, Wei

2017-06-01

This study focuses on system analysis of a self-sustaining high-strength wastewater treatment concept combining solar technologies, anaerobic digestion, and aerobic treatment to reclaim water. A solar bio-hybrid power generation unit was adopted to power the wastewater treatment. Concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV) were combined with biogas energy from anaerobic digestion. Biogas is also used to store the extra energy generated by the hybrid power unit and ensure stable and continuous wastewater treatment. It was determined from the energy balance analysis that the PV-bio hybrid power unit is the preferred energy unit to realize the self-sustaining high-strength wastewater treatment. With short-term solar energy storage, the PV-bio-hybrid power unit in Phoenix, AZ requires solar collection area (4032m 2 ) and biogas storage (35m 3 ), while the same unit in Lansing, MI needs bigger solar collection area and biogas storage (5821m 2 and 105m 3 , respectively) due to the cold climate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar thermal power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnatbaum, L.

2009-01-01

The solar thermal power plant technology, the opportunities it presents and the developments in the market are outlined. The focus is on the technology of parabolic trough power plants, a proven technology for solar power generation on a large scale. In a parabolic trough power plant, trough-shaped mirrors concentrate the solar irradiation onto a pipe in the focal line of the collector. The thermal energy thus generated is used for electricity generation in a steam turbine. Parabolic trough plants can be combined with thermal storage and fossil or biomass fired heat exchangers to generate electricity even when the sun is not shining. Solar Millennium AG in Erlangen has developed the first power plant of this kind in Europe. After two years of construction the plant started operation in Southern Spain in 2008. This one and its sister projects are important steps leading the way for the whole market. The paper also covers the technological challenges, the key components used and the research and development activities concerning this technology. Solar thermal power plants are ideal for covering peak and medium loads in power grids. In hybrid operation they can also cover base-load. The Solar Chimney power plant, another striking technology for the conversion of solar into electric energy, is described briefly. The paper concludes with a look at the future - the import of solar energy from the deserts of North Africa to central Europe. (author)

Thermal and photovoltaic solar system in Urban hotel; Sistema solar termico y fotovoltaico en hotel urbano

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, J.; Perpinan, O.; Ramirez, F.; Eyras, R.; Vega, J.

2004-07-01

The article describes the Solar Energy installations that are being carried out in the Hotel Monte Malaga promoted by the Gabriel Rojas Group. We can consider this project to be pioneer in Spain since it uses Photovoltaic Solar Panels as parasols in facades in order to reduce its frozen load and with the intention of producing electric energy that will be injected to the grid. In addition, solar collectors over roof are being used distributed in a totally integrated way with the building for the preheating of the sanitary hot water producing a saving of around 90% of the natural gas consume. This entire project is carried out in an ultramodern design using different bioclimatic techniques that turns this building into a singular one. (Author)

Hydrogen as the solar energy translator. [in photochemical and photovoltaic processes

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, J. H.

1979-01-01

Many concepts are being investigated to convert sunlight to workable energy forms with emphasis on electricity and thermal energy. The electrical alternatives include direct conversion of photons to electricity via photovoltaic solar cells and solar/thermal production of electricity via heat-energy cycles. Solar cells, when commercialized, are expected to have efficiencies of about 12 to 14 percent. The cells would be active about eight hours per day. However, solar-operated water-splitting process research, initiated through JPL, shows promise for direct production of hydrogen from sunlight with efficiencies of up to 35 to 40 percent. The hydrogen, a valuable commodity in itself, can also serve as a storable energy form, easily and efficiently converted to electricity by fuel cells and other advanced-technology devices on a 24-hour basis or on demand with an overall efficiency of 25 to 30 percent. Thus, hydrogen serves as the fundamental translator of energy from its solar form to electrical form more effectively, and possibly more efficiently, than direct conversion. Hydrogen also can produce other chemical energy forms using solar energy.

Solar energy photovoltaic technology: proficiency and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

Total is committed to making the best possible of the planet's fossil fuel reserves while fostering the emergence of other solutions, notably by developing effective alternatives. Total involves in photovoltaics when it founded in 1983 Total Energies, renamed Tenesol in 2005, a world leader in the design and installation of photovoltaic solar power systems. This document presents Total's activities in the domain: the global challenge of energy sources and the environment, the energy collecting by photovoltaic electricity, the silicon technology for cell production, solar panels and systems to distribute energy, research and development to secure the future. (A.L.B.)

Competing in the Global Solar Photovoltaic Industry: The Case of Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Shan Su

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The top five solar cell supply countries in the world in sequential order are China, Taiwan, the United States of America, Japan, and Germany. The capacity of Taiwanese solar cell production is ranked top two in the globe. The competitive advantage of the Taiwanese electronics firms has facilitated the rapid developments to its solar photovoltaic industry. The Taiwanese solar photovoltaic industry possesses a large size and a complete value chain of upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. In this study, I analyzed the trends and developments of the solar photovoltaic industry in Taiwan and in the globe. And I also investigated the positioning and competitive advantage of Taiwanese firms in the value chain of the global solar photovoltaic industry. I found that Taiwanese firms continue to have an important and indispensable role in the global solar photovoltaic industry by either differentiation or cost advantage.

High Efficiency Nanostructured III-V Photovoltaics for Solar Concentrator Application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hubbard, Seth

2012-09-12

The High Efficiency Nanostructured III-V Photovoltaics for Solar Concentrators project seeks to provide new photovoltaic cells for Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) Systems with higher cell efficiency, more favorable temperature coefficients and less sensitivity to changes in spectral distribution. The main objective of this project is to provide high efficiency III-V solar cells that will reduce the overall cost per Watt for power generation using CPV systems.This work is focused both on a potential near term application, namely the use of indium arsenide (InAs) QDs to spectrally "tune" the middle (GaAs) cell of a SOA triple junction device to a more favorable effective bandgap, as well as the long term goal of demonstrating intermediate band solar cell effects. The QDs are confined within a high electric field i-region of a standard GaAs solar cell. The extended absorption spectrum (and thus enhanced short circuit current) of the QD solar cell results from the increase in the sub GaAs bandgap spectral response that is achievable as quantum dot layers are introduced into the i-region. We have grown InAs quantum dots by OMVPE technique and optimized the QD growth conditions. Arrays of up to 40 layers of strain balanced quantum dots have been experimentally demonstrated with good material quality, low residual stain and high PL intensity. Quantum dot enhanced solar cells were grown and tested under simulated one sun AM1.5 conditions. Concentrator solar cells have been grown and fabricated with 5-40 layers of QDs. Testing of these devices show the QD cells have improved efficiency compared to baseline devices without QDs. Device modeling and measurement of thermal properties were performed using Crosslight APSYS. Improvements in a triple junction solar cell with the insertion of QDs into the middle current limiting junction was shown to be as high as 29% under one sun illumination for a 10 layer stack QD enhanced triple junction solar cell. QD devices have strong

Experimental and numerical results from hybrid retrofitted photovoltaic panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, Cecilia; Tagliafico, Luca A.; Scarpa, Federico; Bianco, Vincenzo

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The experimental study focuses on the feasibility of hybrid PV/T panels retrofitting. • The critical role of a thin layer of air between PV panel and back plate is evidenced. • The benefit of the addition of a conductive paste layer is analyzed via FEM simulations. • The use of wood ribs to stick the back plate represents a cheap effective solution. - Abstract: The aim of present study is to investigate different methodologies to achieve a better contact between a photovoltaic panel and a thermal plate, in order to cool the PV panel by means of water in the perspective of coupling it with a heat pump. It is believed that this kind of system allows to obtain a higher energy efficiency. The analysis is developed both experimentally and numerically, testing different kinds of configurations in different operating conditions. Simulations are employed to analyze the effect of the variations of the contact resistance between the panel and the thermal plates, demonstrating that the use of a conductive paste increases the overall performance of the panel. Results show interesting possibilities in terms of retrofitting of existing photovoltaic panels by employing very simple solutions, such as to fix the thermal plate on the rear of the panel by means of wood ribs

Monocrystalline silicon solar cells applied in photovoltaic system

OpenAIRE

L.A. Dobrzański; A. Drygała; M. Giedroć; M. Macek

2012-01-01

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to fabricate the monocrystalline silicon solar cells using the conventional technology by means of screen printing process and to make of them photovoltaic system.Design/methodology/approach: The investigation of current – voltage characteristic to determinate basic electrical properties of monocrystalline silicon solar cells were investigated under Standard Test Condition. Photovoltaic module was produced from solar cells with the largest short-circuit curren...

Harmonic analysis and suppression in hybrid wind & PV solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Tripti; Namekar, Swapnil

2018-04-01

The growing demand of electricity has led to produce power through non-conventional source of energy such as solar energy, wind energy, hydro power, energy through biogas and biomass etc. Hybrid system is taken to complement the shortcoming of either sources of energy. The proposed system is grid connected hybrid wind and solar system. A 2.1 MW Doubly fed Induction Generator (DFIG) has been taken for analysis of wind farm whose rotor part is connected to two back-to-back converters. A 250 KW Photovoltaic (PV) array taken to analyze solar farm where inverter is required to convert power from DC to AC since electricity generated through solar PV is in the form of DC. Stability and reliability of the system is very important when the system is grid connected. Harmonics is the major Power quality issue which degrades the quality of power at load side. Harmonics in hybrid system arise through the use of power conversion unit. The other causes of harmonics are fluctuation in wind speed and solar irradiance. The power delivered to grid must be free from harmonics and within the limits specified by Indian grid codes. In proposed work, harmonic analysis of the hybrid system is performed in Electrical Transient Analysis program (ETAP) and single tuned harmonic filter is designed to maintain the utility grid harmonics within limits.

Concentrating PV/T Hybrid System for Simultaneous Electricity and Usable Heat Generation: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Longzhou Zhang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic (PV power generation is one of the attractive choices for efficient utilization of solar energy. Considering that the efficiency and cost of PV cells cannot be significantly improved in near future, a relatively cheap concentrator to replace part of the expensive solar cells could be used. The photovoltaic thermal hybrid system (PV/T, combining active cooling with thermal electricity and providing both electricity and usable heat, can enhance the total efficiency of the system with reduced cell area. The effect of nonuniform light distribution and the heat dissipation on the performance of concentrating PV/T was discussed. Total utilization of solar light by spectral beam splitting technology was also introduced. In the last part, we proposed an integrated compound parabolic collector (CPC plate with low precision solar tracking, ensuring effective collection of solar light with a significantly lowered cost. With the combination of beam splitting of solar spectrum, use of film solar cell, and active liquid cooling, efficient and full spectrum conversion of solar light to electricity and heat, in a low cost way, might be realized. The paper may offer a general guide to those who are interested in the development of low cost concentrating PV/T hybrid system.

Hybrid Perovskites: Prospects for Concentrator Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Qianqian; Wang, Zhiping; Snaith, Henry J; Johnston, Michael B; Herz, Laura M

2018-04-01

Perovskite solar cells have shown a meteoric rise of power conversion efficiency and a steady pace of improvements in their stability of operation. Such rapid progress has triggered research into approaches that can boost efficiencies beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit stipulated for a single-junction cell under normal solar illumination conditions. The tandem solar cell architecture is one concept here that has recently been successfully implemented. However, the approach of solar concentration has not been sufficiently explored so far for perovskite photovoltaics, despite its frequent use in the area of inorganic semiconductor solar cells. Here, the prospects of hybrid perovskites are assessed for use in concentrator solar cells. Solar cell performance parameters are theoretically predicted as a function of solar concentration levels, based on representative assumptions of charge-carrier recombination and extraction rates in the device. It is demonstrated that perovskite solar cells can fundamentally exhibit appreciably higher energy-conversion efficiencies under solar concentration, where they are able to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit and exhibit strongly elevated open-circuit voltages. It is therefore concluded that sufficient material and device stability under increased illumination levels will be the only significant challenge to perovskite concentrator solar cell applications.

Effect of electrolytes on the photovoltaic performance of a hybrid dye sensitized ZnO solar cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suri, Poonam; Mehra, R.M. [Department of Electronic Science, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110021 (India)

2007-03-23

The efficiency of dye sensitized solar cell depends on the number of factors such as impedance due to anions in the electrolytes, oxidation-reduction process of anions and size of cations of the electrolyte. This paper reports the effect of electrolytes on the photovoltaic performance of hybrid dye sensitized ZnO solar cells based on Eosin Y dye. The size of the cations has been varied by choosing different electrolytes such as LiBr+Br{sub 2}, LiI+I{sub 2}, tetrapropylammonium iodide +I{sub 2} in mixed solvent of acetronitrile and ethylene carbonate. The impedance of anions has been determined by electrochemical impedance spectra. It is observed that Br{sup -}/Br{sub 3}{sup -} offers high impedance as compared to I{sup -}/I{sub 3}{sup -} couple. The oxidation-reduction reactions of electrolytes are measured by linear sweep voltammogram. It is found that Br{sup -}/Br{sub 3}{sup -} is more suitable than an I{sup -}/I{sub 3}{sup -} couple in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) in terms of higher open-circuit photovoltage production and higher overall energy conversion efficiency. This is attributed to more positive potential of the dye sensitizer than that of Br{sup -}/Br{sub 3}{sup -}. The gain in V{sub oc} was due to the enlarged energy level difference between the redox potential of the electrolyte and the Fermi level (E{sub f}) of ZnO and the suppressed charge recombination as well. (author)

Parallel experimental study of a novel super-thin thermal absorber based photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T system against conventional photovoltaic (PV system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Xu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic (PV semiconductor degrades in performance due to temperature rise. A super thin-conductive thermal absorber is therefore developed to regulate the PV working temperature by retrofitting the existing PV panel into the photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T panel. This article presented the parallel comparative investigation of the two different systems through both laboratory and field experiments. The laboratory evaluation consisted of one PV panel and one PV/T panel respectively while the overall field system involved 15 stand-alone PV panels and 15 retrofitted PV/T panels. The laboratory testing results demonstrated the PV/T panel could achieve the electrical efficiency of about 16.8% (relatively 5% improvement comparing with the stand-alone PV panel, and yield an extra amount of heat with thermal efficiency of nearly 65%. The field testing results indicated that the hybrid PV/T panel could enhance the electrical return of PV panels by nearly 3.5%, and increase the overall energy output by nearly 324.3%. Further opportunities and challenges were then discussed from aspects of different PV/T stakeholders to accelerate the development. It is expected that such technology could become a significant solution to yield more electricity, offset heating load freely and reduce carbon footprint in contemporary energy environment.

Market: why is thermal solar power down?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Jannic, N.

2010-01-01

After a 10 year period of steady growth the French market of the thermal solar power dropped by 15% in 2009. Only 265.000 m 2 were installed instead of 313.000 m 2 in 2008. The main reason of this decrease is the economic crisis: the European market for thermal solar energy dropped by 10%. The second reason is the unfair competition of the photovoltaic power that benefits from very favourable electricity purchase prices, from higher subsidies and from a better image in the public's eye. Another competitor on the market is the new equipment called 'thermodynamic water heater' that involves a heat pump, this equipment is cheaper but only on a short term basis. (A.C.)

Solar collector manufacturing activity, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The Solar Collector Manufacturing Activity 1990 report prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) presents summary and detailed data provided by domestic manufacturers on shipments of solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic cells and modules. Summary data on solar thermal collector shipments are presented for the period 1974 through 1990. Summary data on photovoltaic cell and module shipments are presented for the period 1982 through 1990. Detailed information for solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic cells and modules are presented for 1990

Solar spectrum conversion for photovoltaics using nanoparticles

OpenAIRE

Sark, W.G.J.H.M. van; Meijerink, A.; Schropp, R.E.I.

2012-01-01

The possibility to tune chemical and physical properties in nanosized materials has a strong impact on a variety of technologies, including photovoltaics. One of the prominent research areas of nanomaterials for photovoltaics involves spectral conversion. Conventional single-junction semiconductor solar cells only effectively convert photons of energy close to the semiconductor band gap (Eg) as a result of the mismatch between the incident solar spectrum and the spectral absorption properties...

Photovoltaic solar panels of crystalline silicon: characterization and separation; Paineis solares fotovoltaicos de silicio cristalino: caracterizacao e separacao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diasa, P.R.; Benevita, M.G.; Veita, H.M., E-mail: pablo.dias@ufrgs.br [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (LACOR/UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Laboratorio de Corrosao, Protecao e Reciclagem de Materiais

2014-07-01

The search for alternative power generation sources has been intensified in recent years. One of these alternatives is solar energy, since it is a virtually inexhaustible source and generates relatively small environmental impact compared to other traditional generation sources. The collection of solar energy and its conversion into thermal or electrical energy is only possible through the use of photovoltaic panels. These panels have a limited lifespan and will eventually be replaced by new ones. Thus, in the near future, large amounts of solar modules can be discarded as waste electronics. In order to retrieve important raw materials, reducing production costs and environmental impacts, recycling such materials is important. In this paper, photovoltaic module components were characterized through visual inspection, FRX, EDS and AAS. The glass was identified as ordinary glass (soda-lime glass), which allows reuse without any previous treatment and the metallic filaments were identified as tin- lead coated copper. (author)

Review and summary of Solar Thermal Conversion Program planning assistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1975-06-01

The Solar Thermal Conversion Program comprises a major part of the national solar energy program which must be continuously reviewed and modified where necessary. Modifications are typically required to reflect technical achievements and uncertainties which arise from within the program or from other technical programs, changes in budgets available for supporting the program as well as internal program funding priorities, changing goals such as through acceleration or stretch-out of the program schedule, significant organizational changes involving responsible governmental agencies, the introduction of new project management support contractors, and required budget or schedule changes occurring within individual projects that make up the Solar Thermal Conversion Program. The Aerospace Corporation has provided data to assist in planning, review, coordination, and documentation of the overall Solar Thermal Conversion Program. The Solar Thermal Conversion Program Plan is described in detail. Sections 2.0 through 5.0 cover the discussion and detail planning covering the objectives, justification, basic and alternative plans, budgets, and schedules for the Solar Thermal sub-unit portion of the Solar Electric Applications effort. Appendices B1, B2, and B3 include the March 21, March 28, and April 5, 1975, Program Plan submissions of the complete Solar Electric Applications effort. In Appendix B the Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic, Wind Energy, and Ocean Thermal sub-unit texts have been condensed and formatted for integration in the overall ERDA budget package. (WHK)

Innovative architecture design for high performance organic and hybrid multi-junction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ning; Spyropoulos, George D.; Brabec, Christoph J.

2017-08-01

The multi-junction concept is especially attractive for the photovoltaic (PV) research community owing to its potential to overcome the Schockley-Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells. Tremendous research interests are now focused on the development of high-performance absorbers and novel device architectures for emerging PV technologies, such as organic and perovskite PVs. It has been predicted that the multi-junction concept is able to boost the organic and perovskite PV technologies approaching the 20% and 30% benchmarks, respectively, showing a bright future of commercialization of the emerging PV technologies. In this contribution, we will demonstrate innovative architecture design for solution-processed, highly functional organic and hybrid multi-junction solar cells. A simple but elegant approach to fabricating organic and hybrid multi-junction solar cells will be introduced. By laminating single organic/hybrid solar cells together through an intermediate layer, the manufacturing cost and complexity of large-scale multi-junction solar cells can be significantly reduced. This smart approach to balancing the photocurrents as well as open circuit voltages in multi-junction solar cells will be demonstrated and discussed in detail.

Hybrid solar central receiver for combined cycle power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Bharathan, Desikan; Bohn, Mark S.; Williams, Thomas A.

1995-01-01

A hybrid combined cycle power plant including a solar central receiver for receiving solar radiation and converting it to thermal energy. The power plant includes a molten salt heat transfer medium for transferring the thermal energy to an air heater. The air heater uses the thermal energy to preheat the air from the compressor of the gas cycle. The exhaust gases from the gas cycle are directed to a steam turbine for additional energy production.

Renewable Energy Systems: Development and Perspectives of a Hybrid Solar-Wind System

OpenAIRE

C. Shashidhar; K. Bhanupriya; P. Alluvada; Bandana; J. B. V. Subrahmanyam

2012-01-01

Considering the intermittent natural energy resources and the seasonal un-balance, a phtovoltaic-wind hybrid electrical power supply system was developed to accommodate remote locations where a conventional grid connection is inconvenient or expensive. However, the hybrid system can also be applied with grid connection and owners are allowed to sell excessive power back to the electric utility. The proposed set-up consists of a photo-voltaic solar-cell array, a mast mounted wind generator, le...

Life cycle cost analysis of single slope hybrid (PV/T) active solar still

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Shiv; Tiwari, G.N.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the life cycle cost analysis of the single slope passive and hybrid photovoltaic (PV/T) active solar stills, based on the annual performance at 0.05 m water depth. Effects of various parameters, namely interest rate, life of the system and the maintenance cost have been taken into account. The comparative cost of distilled water produced from passive solar still (Rs. 0.70/kg) is found to be less than hybrid (PV/T) active solar still (Rs. 1.93/kg) for 30 years life time of the systems. The payback periods of the passive and hybrid (PV/T) active solar still are estimated to be in the range of 1.1-6.2 years and 3.3-23.9 years, respectively, based on selling price of distilled water in the range of Rs. 10/kg to Rs. 2/kg. The energy payback time (EPBT) has been estimated as 2.9 and 4.7 years, respectively. (author)

A hybrid desalination system using humidification-dehumidification and solar stills integrated with evacuated solar water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharshir, S.W.; Peng, Guilong; Yang, Nuo; Eltawil, Mohamed A.; Ali, Mohamed Kamal Ahmed; Kabeel, A.E.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Evacuated solar water heater integrated with humidification-dehumidification system. • Reuse of warm water drained from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills. • The thermal performance of hybrid system is increased by 50% and maximum yield is 63.3 kg/day. • The estimated price of the freshwater produced from the hybrid system is $0.034/L. - Abstract: This paper offers a hybrid solar desalination system comprising a humidification-dehumidification and four solar stills. The developed hybrid desalination system reuses the drain warm water from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills to stop the massive warm water loss during desalination. Reusing the drain warm water increases the gain output ratio of the system by 50% and also increased the efficiency of single solar still to about 90%. Furthermore, the production of a single solar still as a part of the hybrid system was more than that of the conventional one by approximately 200%. The daily water production of the conventional one, single solar still, four solar still, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were 3.2, 10.5, 42, 24.3 and 66.3 kg/day, respectively. Furthermore, the cost per unit liter of distillate from conventional one, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were around $0.049, $0.058 and $0.034, respectively.

Solar thermal–photovoltaic powered potato cold storage – Conceptual design and performance analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Dipankar N.; Ganguly, A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Loss of food crop is a huge problem in India due to the shortage of cold storage. • Conceptual design of a power system using solar energy for a potato cold storage. • Integration of flat plate collector and SPV module with suitable operating strategy. • System provides a net energy surplus of about 36 MW h over a calendar year. • Rudimentary economic analysis found payback period of less than four years. - Abstract: Wastage of food crops due to the dearth of proper cold storage facilities is a huge problem in underdeveloped and developing countries of the world. Conceptual design of a potato cold storage is presented here, along with performance appraisal over a calendar year. The microclimate inside the cold storage is regulated using a water–lithium bromide absorption system. Proposed system utilizes both solar thermal and photovoltaic generated electrical energy for its operation. A suitable operation strategy is devised and the performance of the integrated system is analyzed from energy and exergy point of view to identify the required numbers of thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules. The proposed system is found to provide a net surplus of about 36 MW h energy over a calendar year, after meeting the in-house requirements. A rudimentary economic analysis is also performed to check the financial viability of the proposed system. Both the thermal and photovoltaic components are found to have payback periods less than four years.

Rankine-Brayton engine powered solar thermal aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Charles L [Livermore, CA

2009-12-29

A solar thermal powered aircraft powered by heat energy from the sun. A Rankine-Brayton hybrid cycle heat engine is carried by the aircraft body for producing power for a propulsion mechanism, such as a propeller or other mechanism for enabling sustained free flight. The Rankine-Brayton engine has a thermal battery, preferably containing a lithium-hydride and lithium mixture, operably connected to it so that heat is supplied from the thermal battery to a working fluid. A solar concentrator, such as reflective parabolic trough, is movably connected to an optically transparent section of the aircraft body for receiving and concentrating solar energy from within the aircraft. Concentrated solar energy is collected by a heat collection and transport conduit, and heat transported to the thermal battery. A solar tracker includes a heliostat for determining optimal alignment with the sun, and a drive motor actuating the solar concentrator into optimal alignment with the sun based on a determination by the heliostat.

Rankline-Brayton engine powered solar thermal aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Charles L [Livermore, CA

2012-03-13

A solar thermal powered aircraft powered by heat energy from the sun. A Rankine-Brayton hybrid cycle heat engine is carried by the aircraft body for producing power for a propulsion mechanism, such as a propeller or other mechanism for enabling sustained free flight. The Rankine-Brayton engine has a thermal battery, preferably containing a lithium-hydride and lithium mixture, operably connected to it so that heat is supplied from the thermal battery to a working fluid. A solar concentrator, such as reflective parabolic trough, is movably connected to an optically transparent section of the aircraft body for receiving and concentrating solar energy from within the aircraft. Concentrated solar energy is collected by a heat collection and transport conduit, and heat transported to the thermal battery. A solar tracker includes a heliostat for determining optimal alignment with the sun, and a drive motor actuating the solar concentrator into optimal alignment with the sun based on a determination by the heliostat.

Energetic and exergetic performances analysis of a PV/T (photovoltaic thermal) solar system tested and simulated under to Tunisian (North Africa) climatic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazami, Majdi; Riahi, Ali; Mehdaoui, Farah; Nouicer, Omeima; Farhat, Abdelhamid

2016-01-01

The endeavor of this paper is to study the potential offered by the expenditure of a PV/T (photovoltaic thermal) solar system in Tunisian households. This investigation is performed according to two-folded approaches. Firstly, outdoor experiments were carried out during July 2014 for both passive and active mode. An exhaustive energy and exergy analysis was then performed to evaluate the instantaneous thermal and the electrical exergy outputs of the PV/T solar system. The results showed that the maximum instantaneous thermal and electric energy efficiency in active mode are about 50 and 15%, respectively. It was found also that the maximum thermal and electric exergy efficiencies were about 50 and 14.8%, respectively. The second approach is the evaluation of the monthly/annual performances of the PV/T solar system under typical climate area of Tunisia by using TRNSYS program. The results showed that the active mode enhances the electric efficiency and the exergy of the PV/T system by 3 and 2.5% points, respectively. The results showed that the optimized PV/T solar system covert the major part of the hot water and the electric needs of Tunisian household's with an expected annual average gain of about 14.60 and 5.33%, respectively. An economic appraisal was performed. - Highlights: • The present work studies the potential of using PV/T solar collector in Tunisian. • The maximum thermal and electric efficiencies are 50 and 15%, respectively. • The maximum thermal and electric exergy efficiencies were 50 and 14.8%. • The results showed that the expected annual gain are 14.60 and 5.33%. • The PV/T is compared to a high quality commercial solar collectors and a PV panel.

Solar thermal power and photovoltaic energy are both developing; Solaire a concentration et solaire photovoltaique: la main dans la main

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Jannic, N.; Houot, G.

2010-11-15

Thermodynamic solar energy and photovoltaic energy are expected to reach together a quarter of the world electricity production by 2050. In France the development of thermodynamic solar plants is hampered by the high cost of land in the sunny regions. As for photovoltaic energy, France has the potentiality to become an important producer. Since 2006, the French government has supported photovoltaic energy by proposing incentive electricity purchase prices guaranteed for 20 years. In 2006, the Ines research institute was founded, one of its research fields is the development of high yield silicon cells. (A.C.)

Proceedings of the 29. annual national conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Inc.: innovation and application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunger, A.P.; Brunger, G.A.

2004-08-01

The solar energy sector has experienced rapid growth in the past 3 decades in response to energy and environmental concerns. This conference provided a forum to discuss the economic, environmental and socio-economic benefits of solar technology, including the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is expected that the barriers to widespread use of solar energy in Canada will be removed as the issue of climate change is addressed and as the cost of renewable energy technologies decreases. Several presentations proposed action plans to accelerate the deployment of solar energy through the application of innovative building technologies and sustainable energy policies. The conference included technical presentations for all levels of audience. The sessions of the workshop were entitled: sustainable buildings; solar energy in developing countries; energy efficiency; hybrid systems; other renewable energy topics; policy, legislation and infrastructure; photovoltaic applications; grid-connection topics; photovoltaic components and manufacturing; photovoltaics modeling and testing; solar resource assessment; solar thermal applications; solar thermal; design tools and education; and windows. All 52 papers presented at the conference were catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. (author)

Techno economic analysis of a wind-photovoltaic-biomass hybrid renewable energy system for rural electrification: A case study of Kallar Kahar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmad, Jameel; Imran, Muhammad; Khalid, Abdullah

2018-01-01

. The comprehensive resource assessment of wind, biomass and solar energy is carried out for grid integration. Homer Pro software is used to model a hybrid microgrid system. Optimization results and sensitivity analysis is carried out to ensure the robustness and cost-effectiveness of the proposed hybrid microgrid......This paper focuses on the techno-economic feasibility of a grid-tied hybrid microgrid system for local inhabitants of Kallar Kahar near Chakwal city of Punjab province in Pakistan and investigates the potential for electricity generation through hybrid wind, photovoltaic and biomass system...... system. The total load has been optimally shared among generated power through wind, photovoltaic and biomass resources and surplus power is supplied to the national grid in case of low local demand of the load. The results of techno-economic feasibility study show that hybrid power system can generate...

Concentrating photovoltaic solar panel

Science.gov (United States)

Cashion, Steven A; Bowser, Michael R; Farrelly, Mark B; Hines, Braden E; Holmes, Howard C; Johnson, Jr., Richard L; Russell, Richard J; Turk, Michael F

2014-04-15

The present invention relates to photovoltaic power systems, photovoltaic concentrator modules, and related methods. In particular, the present invention features concentrator modules having interior points of attachment for an articulating mechanism and/or an articulating mechanism that has a unique arrangement of chassis members so as to isolate bending, etc. from being transferred among the chassis members. The present invention also features adjustable solar panel mounting features and/or mounting features with two or more degrees of freedom. The present invention also features a mechanical fastener for secondary optics in a concentrator module.

Investigation of solar photovoltaic module power output by various models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakhrani, A.Q.; Othman, A.K.; Rigit, A.R.H.; Baini, R.

2012-01-01

This paper aims to investigate the power output of a solar photovoltaic module by various models and to formulate a suitable model for predicting the performance of solar photovoltaic modules. The model was used to correct the configurations of solar photovoltaic systems for sustainable power supply. Different types of models namely the efficiency, power, fill factor and current-voltage characteristic curve models have been reviewed. It was found that the examined models predicted a 40% yield of the rated power in cloudy weather conditions and up to 80% in clear skies. The models performed well in terms of electrical efficiency in cloudy days if the influence of low irradiance were incorporated. Both analytical and numerical methods were employed in the formulation of improved model which gave +- 2% error when compared with the rated power output of solar photovoltaic module. The proposed model is more practical in terms of number of variables used and acceptable performance in humid atmospheres. Therefore, it could be useful for the estimation of power output of the solar photovoltaic systems in Sarawak region. (author)

Thermal solar energy, towards a sunny interval?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2017-01-01

While its market results are continuously decreasing, the thermal solar sector regains confidence with the perspectives of a new thermal legislation in France, a higher carbon tax and the growing volume of installed equipment. This document contains 5 articles, which themes are: The renewal of the thermal solar energy sector in France, notably for the building market, due to a new regulation and a reduction in costs; Several companies are developing large capacity thermal solar plant for industrial facilities (one of them covers 10000 m 2 ) while another company is developing an all-in-one containerised system (less than 1 MW); Another example is given with a Caribbean chemical company which use thermal solar energy for its processes, with a reduction of the fuel consumption by a 2.5 factor; The return of experience show that hybrid solar panels present some limitations, especially in terms of performances and sizing; A collective building (35 apartments) in the West of France has 100 pc of its heating needs (hot water production and space heating) satisfied with solar energy

Constructal Optimization of Top Contact Metallization of a Photovoltaic Solar Cell

OpenAIRE

Bhakta, Aditya; Bandyopadhyay, Santanu

2010-01-01

A top contact metallization of a photovoltaic solar cell collects the current generated by incident solar radiation. Several power-loss mechanisms are associated with the current flow through the front contact grid. The design of the top metal contact grid is one of the most important areas of efficient photovoltaic solar cell design. In this paper, an approach based on the constructal theory is proposed to design the grid pattern in a photovoltaic solar cell, minimizing total resistive losse...

Ultrafast Thermal Cycling of Solar Panels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wall, T

1998-01-01

Two new cyclers that utilize a novel hybrid approach to perform fast thermal cycling of solar panels have been built and are now operational in the Mechanics and Materials Technology Center at The Aerospace Corporation...

All-Weather Solar Cells: A Rising Photovoltaic Revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Qunwei

2017-06-16

Solar cells have been considered as one of the foremost solutions to energy and environmental problems because of clean, high efficiency, cost-effective, and inexhaustible features. The historical development and state-of-the-art solar cells mainly focus on elevating photoelectric conversion efficiency upon direct sunlight illumination. It is still a challenging problem to realize persistent high-efficiency power generation in rainy, foggy, haze, and dark-light conditions (night). The physical proof-of-concept for all-weather solar cells opens a door for an upcoming photovoltaic revolution. Our group has been exploring constructive routes to build all-weather solar cells so that these advanced photovoltaic technologies can be an indication for global solar industry in bringing down the cost of energy harvesting. How the all-weather solar cells are built without reducing photo performances and why such architectures can realize electricity outputs with no visible-light are discussed. Potential pathways and opportunities to enrich all-weather solar cell families are envisaged. The aspects discussed here may enable researchers to develop undiscovered abilities and to explore wide applications of advanced photovoltaics. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Assessing the potential of hybrid fossil–solar thermal plants for energy policy making: Brayton cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernardos, Eva; López, Ignacio; Rodríguez, Javier; Abánades, Alberto

2013-01-01

This paper proposes a first study in-depth of solar–fossil hybridization from a general perspective. It develops a set of useful parameters for analyzing and comparing hybrid plants, it studies the case of hybridizing Brayton cycles with current solar technologies and shows a tentative extrapolation of the results to integrated combined cycle systems (ISCSS). In particular, three points have been analyzed: the technical requirements for solar technologies to be hybridized with Brayton cycles, the temperatures and pressures at which hybridization would produce maximum power per unit of fossil fuel, and their mapping to current solar technologies and Brayton cycles. Major conclusions are that a hybrid plant works in optimum conditions which are not equal to those of the solar or power blocks considered independently, and that hybridizing at the Brayton cycle of a combined cycle could be energetically advantageous. -- Highlights: •We model a generic solar–fossil hybrid Brayton cycle. •We calculate the operating conditions for maximum ratio power/fuel consumption. •Best hybrid plant conditions are not the same as solar or power blocks separately. •We study potential for hybridization with current solar technologies. •Hybridization at the Brayton in a combined cycle may achieve high power/fuel ratio

Numerical and Experimental Study on Energy Performance of Photovoltaic-Heat Pipe Solar Collector in Northern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongbing Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Several studies have found that the decrease of photovoltaic (PV cell temperature would increase the solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency. Water type PV/thermal (PV/T system was a good choice but it could become freezing in cold areas of Northern China. This paper proposed a simple combination of common-used PV panel and heat pipe, called PV-heat pipe (PV-HP solar collector, for both electrical and thermal energy generation. A simplified one-dimensional steady state model was developed to study the electrical and thermal performance of the PV-HP solar collector under different solar radiations, water flow rates, and water temperatures at the inlet of manifold. A testing rig was conducted to verify the model and the testing data matched very well with the simulation values. The results indicated that the thermal efficiency could be minus in the afternoon. The thermal and electrical efficiencies decreased linearly as the inlet water temperature and water flow rate increased. The thermal efficiency increased while the electrical efficiency decreased linearly as the solar radiation increased.

Enhanced Photovoltaic Properties of Gradient Doping Solar Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Chun-Lei; Du Hui-Jing; Zhu Jian-Zhuo; Xu Tian-Fu; Fang Xiao-Yong

2012-01-01

An optimum design of a-Si:H(n)/a-Si:H(i)/c-Si(p) heterojunction solar cell is realized with 24.27% conversion efficiency by gradient doping of the a-Si:H(n) layer. The photovoltaic properties are simulated by the AFORSHET software. Besides the additional electric field caused by the gradient doping, the enhanced and widen spectral response also improves the solar cell performance compared with the uniform-doping mode. The simulation shows that the gradient doping is efficient to improve the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells. The study is valuable for the solar cell design with excellent performances

Thermal management approaches of Cu(In x ,Ga1-x )Se2 micro-solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Sancho-Martínez, Diego; Schmid, Martina

2017-11-01

Concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) is a cost-effective method for generating electricity in regions that have a large fraction of direct solar radiation. With the help of lenses, sunlight is concentrated onto miniature, highly efficient multi-junction solar cells with a photovoltaic performance above 40%. To ensure illumination with direct radiation, CPV modules must be installed on trackers to follow the sun’s path. However, the costs of huge concentration optics and the photovoltaic technology used, narrow the market possibilities for CPV technology. Efforts to reduce these costs are being undertaken by the promotion of Cu(In x ,Ga1-x )Se2 solar cells to take over the high cost multi-junction solar cells and implementing more compact devices by minimization of solar cell area. Micrometer-sized absorbers have the potential of low cost, high efficiencies and good thermal dissipation under concentrated illumination. Heat dissipation at low (account: absorber area, substrate area and thickness, structure design, heat transfer mechanism, concentration factor and illumination profile. A close study on them will be carried out to determine the best structure to enhance and reach the highest possible thermal management pointing to an efficiency improvement.

Development of a controller based on Fuzzy theory to better use the energy of a hybrid system power generation solar-photovoltaic and wind; Desenvolvimento de um controlador baseado na teoria Fuzzy para melhor aproveitamento da energia de um sistema hibrido de geracao de energia solar-fotovoltaico e eolico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caneppele, Fernando de Lima [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Itapeva, SP (Brazil). Campus Experimental], E-mail: fernando@itapeva.unesp.br; Seraphim, Odivaldo Jose [Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCA/UNESP), Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Fac. de Ciencias Agronomicas. Dept. de Engenharia Rural; Gabriel Filho, Luis Roberto de Almeida [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Tupa, SP (Brazil). Campus Experimental

2010-07-01

The work developed a methodology fuzzy and simulated its use in control of a hybrid system of electric power generation, using solar-photovoltaic and wind energy. Using this control system, we get the point of maximum energy generation and transfer all the energy generated from alternative sources, solar-photovoltaic and wind energy to charge and / or batteries. The model uses three input variables, which are: wind (wind speed), sun (solar radiation) and batteries (charge the battery bank). With these variables, the fuzzy system will play, according to the rules to be described, what is the source of power supply system, which will have priority and how the batteries are loaded. For the simulations regarding the use of fuzzy theory to control, we used the scientific computing environment MATLAB. In this environment have been analyzed and simulated all mathematical modeling, rules and other variables described in the fuzzy system. This model can be applied to implement a control system of hybrid power generation, providing the best use of renewable energy, solar and wind, so that we can extract the maximum possible energy of these alternative sources without compromising the environment. (author)

Modeling and optimization of batteryless hybrid PV (photovoltaic)/Diesel systems for off-grid applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuanyo, David; Azoumah, Yao; Aussel, Didier; Neveu, Pierre

2015-01-01

This paper presents a new model and optimization procedure for off-grid hybrid PV (photovoltaic)/Diesel systems operating without battery storage. The proposed technico-economic model takes into account the variability of both the solar irradiation and the electrical loads. It allows optimizing the design and the operation of the hybrid systems by searching their lowest LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity). Two cases have been investigated: identical Diesel generators and Diesel generators with different sizes, and both are compared to conventional standalone Diesel generator systems. For the same load profile, the optimization results show that the LCOE of the optimized batteryless hybrid solar PV/Diesel (0.289 €/kWh for the hybrid system with identical Diesel generators and 0.284 €/kWh for the hybrid system with different sizes of Diesel generators) is lower than the LCOE obtained with standalone Diesel generators (0.32 €/kWh for the both cases). The obtained results are then confirmed by HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables) software. - Highlights: • A technico-economic model for optimal design and operation management of batteryless hybrid systems is developed. • The model allows optimizing design and operation of hybrid systems by ensuring their lowest LCOE. • The model was validated by HOMER. • Batteryless hybrid system are suitable for off-grid applications

Comparative analysis of concentrating solar power and photovoltaic technologies: Technical and environmental evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desideri, U.; Zepparelli, F.; Morettini, V.; Garroni, E.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Life cycle was assessed for both concentrated solar power and photovoltaic systems. ► The PV plant has a higher environmental impact than the CSP plant. ► The Global Warming Potential is lower for the CSP than for the PV plant. ► The energy payback time is lower for the CSP than for the PV plant. -- Abstract: Solar energy is an important alternative energy source to fossil fuels and theoretically the most available energy source on the earth. Solar energy can be converted into electric energy by using two different processes: by means of thermodynamic cycles and the photovoltaic conversion. Solar thermal technologies, sometimes called thermodynamic solar technologies, operating at medium (about 500 °C) and high temperatures (about 1000 °C), have recently attracted a renewed interest and have become one of the most promising alternatives in the field of solar energy utilization. Photovoltaic conversion is very interesting, although still quite expensive, because of the absence of moving components and the reduced operating and management costs. The main objectives of the present work are: •to carry out comparative technical evaluations on the amount of electricity produced by two hypothetical plants, located on the same site, for which a preliminary design was made: a solar thermal power plant with parabolic trough collectors and a photovoltaic plant with a single-axis tracking system; •to carry out a comparative analysis of the environmental impact derived from the processes of electricity generation during the whole life cycle of the two hypothetical power plants. First a technical comparison between the two plants was made assuming that they have the same nominal electric power and then the same total covered surface. The methodology chosen to evaluate the environmental impact associated with the power plants is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). It allows to analyze all the phases of the life cycle of the plants, from the extraction of

Metal-organic frameworks at interfaces of hybrid perovskite solar cells for enhanced photovoltaic properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Deli; Pang, Aiying; Li, Yafeng; Dou, Jie; Wei, Mingdeng

2018-01-31

In this study, metal-organic frameworks, as an interfacial layer, were introduced into perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for the first time. An interface modified with the metal-organic framework ZIF-8 efficiently enhanced perovskite crystallinity and grain sizes, and the photovoltaic performance of the PSCs was significantly improved, resulting in a maximum PCE of 16.99%.

Thermal analysis of a multi-layer microchannel heat sink for cooling concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells

Science.gov (United States)

Siyabi, Idris Al; Shanks, Katie; Mallick, Tapas; Sundaram, Senthilarasu

2017-09-01

Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology is increasingly being considered as an alternative option for solar electricity generation. However, increasing the light concentration ratio could decrease the system output power due to the increase in the temperature of the cells. The performance of a multi-layer microchannel heat sink configuration was evaluated using numerical analysis. In this analysis, three dimensional incompressible laminar steady flow model was solved numerically. An electrical and thermal solar cell model was coupled for solar cell temperature and efficiency calculations. Thermal resistance, solar cell temperature and pumping power were used for the system efficiency evaluation. An increase in the number of microchannel layers exhibited the best overall performance in terms of the thermal resistance, solar cell temperature uniformity and pressure drop. The channel height and width has no effect on the solar cell maximum temperature. However, increasing channel height leads to a reduction in the pressure drop and hence less fluid pumping power.

Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Power Production - Technology and Benefits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matos, Al [PSE& G; Stuby, Rick [Petra Solar

2011-11-02

As part of its nationally recognized Solar 4 All program, PSE&G has partnered with Petra Solar to deploy the world’s first and largest pole attached solar project. The project, based on Petra Solar’s distributed Smart Solar solution, will create a 40 megawatt solar “virtual power plant.” In deployment as 200,000 individual grid-connected solar power producers on utility poles in PSE&G territory, Petra Solar SunWave® solutions leverage Smart Grid communications and high-tech panel-level inverters to implement a robust system with many technical benefits over traditional solar photovoltaic solutions. The program overview, deployment model, smart grid communications and enabling inverter technology and safety features will be presented, as well the future challenges of, and solutions for, solar power intermittency as photovoltaic penetration on the electric grid increases.

You're a What? Solar Photovoltaic Installer

Science.gov (United States)

Torpey, Elka Maria

2009-01-01

This article talks about solar photovoltaic (PV) installer and features Rebekah Hren, a solar PV installer who puts solar panels on roofs and in other sunny places to turn the sun's power into electricity. Hren enjoys promoting renewable energy, in part because it's an emerging field. In solar PV systems, solar cells--devices that convert sunlight…

Role of bromine doping on the photovoltaic properties and microstructures of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} perovskite solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Atsushi; Okada, Hiroshi; Oku, Takeo [Department of Materials Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, Shiga, 522-8533 (Japan)

2016-02-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid heterojunction solar cells containing CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} perovskite compound were fabricated using mesoporous TiO{sub 2} as the electronic transporting layer and spirobifluorence as the hole-transporting layer. The purpose of the present study is to investigate role of bromine (Br) doping on the photovoltaic properties and microstructure of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} perovskite solar cells. Photovoltaic, optical properties and microstructures of perovskite-based solar cells were investigated. The X-ray diffraction identified crystal structure of the perovskite layer doped with Br in the solar cell. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed a different behavior of surface morphology and the perovskite crystal structure on the TiO{sub 2} mesoporous structure depending on extent amount of hydrogen doping of Br. The role of bromide halogen doping on the perovskite crystal structure and photovoltaic properties was due to improvement of carrier mobility, optimization of electron structure, band gap related with the photovoltaic parameters of V{sub oc}, J{sub sc} and η. Energy diagram and photovoltaic mechanism of the perovskite solar cells varied with halogen doping was discussed by experimental results.

Performance Evaluation of Photovoltaic Solar Air Conditioning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Snegirjovs A.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Information on the electrical-driven solar air conditioning (SAC is rather scanty. A considerable body of technical data mostly concerns large-scale photo-voltaic solar air conditioning (PV-SAC systems. Reliable information about the energy output has arisen only in recent years; however, it is still not easily accessible, and sometimes its sources are closed. Despite these facts, solar energy researchers, observers and designers devote special attention to this type of SAC systems. In this study, performance evaluation is performed for the PV-SAC technology, in which low-power (up to 15 kWp of cooling power on average systems are used. Such a system contains a PV electric-driven compression chiller with cold and heat sensible thermal storage capacities, and a rejected energy unit used for preheating domestic hot water (DHW. In a non-cooling season, it is possible to partly employ the system in the reverse mode for DHW production. In this mode, the ambient air serves as a heat source. Besides, free cooling is integrated in the PV-SAC concept.

Performance Evaluation of Photovoltaic Solar Air Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Snegirjovs, A.; Shipkovs, P.; Lebedeva, K.; Kashkarova, G.; Migla, L.; Gantenbein, P.; Omlin, L.

2016-12-01

Information on the electrical-driven solar air conditioning (SAC) is rather scanty. A considerable body of technical data mostly concerns large-scale photo-voltaic solar air conditioning (PV-SAC) systems. Reliable information about the energy output has arisen only in recent years; however, it is still not easily accessible, and sometimes its sources are closed. Despite these facts, solar energy researchers, observers and designers devote special attention to this type of SAC systems. In this study, performance evaluation is performed for the PV-SAC technology, in which low-power (up to 15 kWp of cooling power on average) systems are used. Such a system contains a PV electric-driven compression chiller with cold and heat sensible thermal storage capacities, and a rejected energy unit used for preheating domestic hot water (DHW). In a non-cooling season, it is possible to partly employ the system in the reverse mode for DHW production. In this mode, the ambient air serves as a heat source. Besides, free cooling is integrated in the PV-SAC concept.

Outdoor Performance Analysis of a Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Collector with Jet Impingement and Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)

OpenAIRE

Ahed Hameed Jaaz; Husam Abdulrasool Hasan; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Abdul Amir H. Kadhum; Tayser Sumer Gaaz; Ahmed A. Al-Amiery

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the effect of jet impingement of water on a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector and compound parabolic concentrators (CPC) on electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and power production of a PVT system. A prototype of a PVT solar water collector installed with a jet impingement and CPC has been designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated. The efficiency of the system can be improved by using jet impingement of water to decrease the temperature of the solar ce...

Efficient photovoltaic conversion of graphene–carbon nanotube hybrid films grown from solid precursors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, Xin; Lv, Ruitao; Bai, Junfei; Zhang, Zexia; Wei, Jinquan; Huang, Zheng-Hong; Zhu, Hongwei; Kang, Feiyu; Terrones, Mauricio

2015-01-01

Large-area (e.g. centimeter size) graphene sheets are usually synthesized via pyrolysis of gaseous carbon precursors (e.g. methane) on metal substrates like Cu using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), but the presence of grain boundaries and the residual polymers during transfer deteriorates significantly the properties of the CVD graphene. If carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be covalently bonded to graphene, the hybrid system could possess excellent electrical conductivity, transparency and mechanical strength. In this work, conducting and transparent CNT–graphene hybrid films were synthesized by a facile solid precursor pyrolysis method. Furthermore, the synthesized CNT–graphene hybrid films display enhanced photovoltaic conversion efficiency when compared to devices based on CNT membranes or graphene sheets. Upon chemical doping, the graphene–CNT/Si solar cells reveal power conversion efficiencies up to 8.50%. (paper)

Enhanced UV photoresponse of KrF-laser-synthesized single-wall carbon nanotubes/n-silicon hybrid photovoltaic devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Borgne, V; Gautier, L A; Castrucci, P; Del Gobbo, S; De Crescenzi, M; El Khakani, M A

2012-06-01

We report on the KrF-laser ablation synthesis, purification and photocurrent generation properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The thermally purified SWCNTs are integrated into hybrid photovoltaic (PV) devices by spin-coating them onto n-Si substrates. These novel SWCNTs/n-Si hybrid devices are shown to generate significant photocurrent (PC) over the entire 250-1050 nm light spectrum with external quantum efficiencies (EQE) reaching up to ~23%. Our SWCNTs/n-Si hybrid devices are not only photoactive in the traditional spectral range of Si solar cells, but generate also significant PC in the UV domain (below 400 nm). This wider spectral response is believed to be the result of PC generation from both the SWCNTs themselves and the tremendous number of local p-n junctions created at the nanotubes/Si interface. To assess the prevalence of these two contributions, the EQE spectra and J-V characteristics of these hybrid devices were investigated in both planar and top-down configurations, as a function of SWCNTs' film thickness. A sizable increase in EQE in the near UV with respect to the silicon is observed in both configurations, with a more pronounced UV photoresponse in the planar mode, confirming thereby the role of SWCNTs in the photogeneration process. The PC generation is found to reach its maximum for an optimal the SWCNT film thickness, which is shown to correspond to the best trade-off between lowest electrical resistance and highest optical transparency. Finally, by analyzing the J-V characteristics of our SWCNTs/n-Si devices with an equivalent circuit model, we were able to point out the contribution of the various electrical components involved in the photogeneration process. The SWCNTs-based devices demonstrated here open up the prospect for their use in highly effective photovoltaics and/or UV-light sensors.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells using TiO2/reduced graphene oxide films as electron transport layers

Science.gov (United States)

Morais, Andreia; Alves, João Paulo C.; Lima, Francisco Anderson S.; Lira-Cantu, Monica; Nogueira, Ana Flavia

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells with the following configuration: fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) |TiO2/RGO|P3HT:PC61BM|V2O5 or PEDOT:PSS|Ag. The TiO2/GO dispersions were prepared by sol-gel method, employing titanium isopropoxide and graphene oxide (GO) as starting materials. The GO concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 wt%. The corresponding dispersions were spin-coated onto FTO substrates and a thermal treatment was performed to remove organic materials and to reduce GO to reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The TiO2/RGO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and microscopy techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the addition of RGO significantly changes the morphology of the TiO2 films, with loss of uniformity and increase in surface roughness. Independent of the use of V2O5 or PEDOT: PSS films as the hole transport layer, the incorporation of 2.0 wt% of RGO into TiO2 films was the optimal concentration for the best organic photovoltaic performance. The solar cells based on TiO2/RGO (2.0 wt%) electrode exhibited a ˜22.3% and ˜28.9% short circuit current density (Jsc) and a power conversion efficiency enhancement, respectively, if compared with the devices based on pure TiO2 films. Kelvin probe force microscopy images suggest that the incorporation of RGO into TiO2 films can promote the appearance of regions with different charge dissipation capacities.

A dynamic model for air-based photovoltaic thermal systems working under real operating conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohel, M. Imroz; Ma, Zhenjun; Cooper, Paul; Adams, Jamie; Scott, Robert

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A dynamic model suitable for air-based photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems is presented. • The model is validated with PVT data from two unique buildings. • The simulated output variables match very well with the experimental data. • The performance of the PVT system under changing working condition is analysed. - Abstract: In this paper a dynamic model suitable for simulating real operating conditions of air-based photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems is presented. The performance of the model is validated by using the operational data collected from the building integrated photovoltaic (PVT) systems installed in two unique buildings. The modelled air outlet temperature and electrical power match very well with the experimental data. In Solar Decathlon house PVT, the average (RMS) error in air outlet temperatures was 4.2%. The average (RMS) error in electrical power was also 4.2%. In the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre PVT, the average errors (RMS) of PV and air temperatures were 3.8% and 2.2%, respectively. The performance of the PVT system under changing working condition is also analysed in this paper. The analysis includes the effect of ambient air temperature, air inlet temperature, air flow rate and solar irradiation on thermal, electrical, first law and second law efficiencies. Both the thermal and the 1st law efficiencies almost linearly increased with the increase of the ambient temperature. However, the PVT electrical efficiency and the second law efficiency decreased with the increase of the ambient temperature. All efficiencies expect the second law efficiency decreased with increase of the PVT air inlet temperature. The second law efficiency first increased and then reduced. With increasing the air flow rate all the efficiencies increased. The electrical and second law efficiencies become less sensitive when the air flow rate exceeded 300 l/s. Both the thermal and the 1st law efficiencies decreased while the electrical

Photo-thermal characteristics of hybrid nanofluids based on Therminol-55 oil for concentrating solar collectors

Science.gov (United States)

Gulzar, Ovais; Qayoum, Adnan; Gupta, Rajat

2018-03-01

Hybrid nanofluids are the new generation efficient heat transfer fluids allowing greater control over the properties of base fluid as compared to mono-nanofluids. In this study, attempt has been made for increasing the efficiency for photo-thermal conversion by heat transfer fluid for high temperature solar collectors. Therminol-55, a high temperature heat transfer fluid is doped with Al2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles with an aim to improve the thermal and optical properties. Effects of concentration and type of nanoparticle on photo-thermal conversion properties and absorbance in Therminol-55 have been studied. Spectrophotometric analysis has been carried for all nanofluids, namely, Al2O3-Therminol-55, TiO2-Therminol-55 and hybrid (Al2O3-TiO2)-Therminol-55 nanofluids with varying concentrations of 0.05, 0.075, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 wt%. It was found that TiO2 nanofluids possess the maximum absorbance with minimal effect of nanoparticle concentration above 0.1 wt% followed by hybrid (Al2O3-TiO2) nanofluid (HNF) with strong dependence of concentration. Al2O3-Therminol-55 nanofluids exhibited least absorbance. The peak values of absorbance are 0.47, 2.15 and 2.144 in the visible region for Al2O3-Therminol-55, TiO2-Therminol-55 and hybrid (Al2O3-TiO2)-Therminol-55 nanofluids, respectively. It was observed that hybrid nanofluids show both bathochromic and hyperchromic shifts. Further, performance testing has been carried out using artificial source of light and it has been observed that hybrid nanofluids provide efficient photo-thermal conversion as compared to TiO2 and Al2O3-Therminol-55 nanofluids. Maximum temperatures of 152.9, 149.6, 158.6 °C were observed for 0.5 wt% Al2O3-Therminol-55, 0.1 wt% TiO2-Therminol-55, and 0.5 wt% hybrid (Al2O3-TiO2) nanofluid, respectively, against 125.8 °C of Therminol-55. Hybrid nanofluids based on Therminol-55 could be a potential candidate for high temperature concentrating collectors based on the superior properties over mono-nanofluids and

Templated assembly of photoswitches significantly increases the energy-storage capacity of solar thermal fuels.

Science.gov (United States)

Kucharski, Timothy J; Ferralis, Nicola; Kolpak, Alexie M; Zheng, Jennie O; Nocera, Daniel G; Grossman, Jeffrey C

2014-05-01

Large-scale utilization of solar-energy resources will require considerable advances in energy-storage technologies to meet ever-increasing global energy demands. Other than liquid fuels, existing energy-storage materials do not provide the requisite combination of high energy density, high stability, easy handling, transportability and low cost. New hybrid solar thermal fuels, composed of photoswitchable molecules on rigid, low-mass nanostructures, transcend the physical limitations of molecular solar thermal fuels by introducing local sterically constrained environments in which interactions between chromophores can be tuned. We demonstrate this principle of a hybrid solar thermal fuel using azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes. We show that, on composite bundling, the amount of energy stored per azobenzene more than doubles from 58 to 120 kJ mol(-1), and the material also maintains robust cyclability and stability. Our results demonstrate that solar thermal fuels composed of molecule-nanostructure hybrids can exhibit significantly enhanced energy-storage capabilities through the generation of template-enforced steric strain.

Solar energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This chapter discusses the role solar energy may have in the energy future of the US. The topics discussed in the chapter include the solar resource, solar architecture including passive solar design and solar collectors, solar-thermal concentrating systems including parabolic troughs and dishes and central receivers, photovoltaic cells including photovoltaic systems for home use, and environmental, health and safety issues

Hybrid utilization of solar energy. Part 2. Performance analyses of heating system with air hybrid collector; Taiyo energy no hybrid riyo ni kansuru kenkyu. 2. Kuki shunetsu hybrid collector wo mochiita danbo system no seino hyoka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshinaga, M; Okumiya, M [Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan)

1996-10-27

For the effective utilization of solar energy at houses, a heating system using an air hybrid collector (capable of simultaneously performing heat collection and photovoltaic power generation). As the specimen house, a wooden house of a total floor area of 120m{sup 2} was simulated. Collected air is fanned into a crushed stone heat accumulator (capable of storing one day`s collection) or into a living room. The output of solar cell arrays is put into a heat pump (capable of handling a maximum hourly load of 36,327kJ/h) via an inverter so as to drive the fan (corresponding to average insolation on the heat collecting plate of 10.7MJ/hm{sup 2} and heat collecting efficiency of 40%), and shortage in power if any is supplied from the system interconnection. A hybrid collector, as compared with the conventional air collector, is lower in thermal efficiency but the merit that it exhibits with respect to power generation is far greater than what is needed to counterbalance the demerit. When the hybrid system is in heating operation, there is an ideal heat cycle of collection, accumulation, and radiation when the load is light, but the balance between accumulation and radiation is disturbed when the load is heavy. 4 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

Evaluation of thermal and photovoltaic solar systems in agricultural production units, Northern Huetar Region, Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomás de Jesús Guzmán Hernández

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The dependence on fossil fuels urges society to seek for clean energy alternatives, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. The objective of this study was to determine the potential of solar energy used for water heating and electricity generation. The study was conducted at the dairy of the Technology Institute of Costa Rica, San Carlos Headquarter, from May 15 to April 2016. The data related to the amount of the electricity produced and the temperature reached by water was obtained from the installed photovoltaic and thermal systems, the data was recorded by a computerized register. The obtained information about electricity production allowed researchers to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent that was not emitted into the atmosphere, and also the acquired economic saving on consumption. The use of these systems allowed the production unit have a self- sufficient source of electrical energy percentage, actually around 30 to 40% of the total electrical consumption. According to the energy production, the solar thermal system was capable to increase water temperature between 20 to 37 °C, temperature that represents more than 70% of the energy needed in order to reach the required water temperature (70 °C for cleaning and sanitizing the milking equipment, and also an economical saving around $90 per month was achieved. The results showed that these systems allow to improve the economical and productive efficiency of agricultural production units in the Northern Huetar Region of Costa Rica.

Photothermally Activated Pyroelectric Polymer Films for Harvesting of Solar Heat with a Hybrid Energy Cell Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Teahoon; Na, Jongbeom; Kim, Byeonggwan; Kim, Younghoon; Shin, Haijin; Kim, Eunkyoung

2015-12-22

Photothermal effects in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)s (PEDOTs) were explored for pyroelectric conversion. A poled ferroelectric film was coated on both sides with PEDOT via solution casting polymerization of EDOT, to give highly conductive and effective photothermal thin films of PEDOT. The PEDOT films not only provided heat source upon light exposure but worked as electrodes for the output energy from the pyroelectric layer in an energy harvester hybridized with a thermoelectric layer. Compared to a bare thermoelectric system under NIR irradiation, the photothermal-pyro-thermoelectric device showed more than 6 times higher thermoelectric output with the additional pyroelectric output. The photothermally driven pyroelectric harvesting film provided a very fast electric output with a high voltage output (Vout) of 15 V. The pyroelectric effect was significant due to the transparent and high photothermal PEDOT film, which could also work as an electrode. A hybrid energy harvester was assembled to enhance photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of a solar cell with a thermoelectric device operated by the photothermally generated heat. The PCE was increased more than 20% under sunlight irradiation (AM 1.5G) utilizing the transmitted light through the photovoltaic cell as a heat source that was converted into pyroelectric and thermoelectric output simultaneously from the high photothermal PEDOT electrodes. Overall, this work provides a dynamic and static hybrid energy cell to harvest solar energy in full spectral range and thermal energy, to allow solar powered switching of an electrochromic display.

Solar photovoltaic: a better tomorrow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Signoret, Stephane

2016-01-01

This article comments statements and works performed by a professional body (Enerplan) and a think tank (FTS, France Territoire Solaire) which describe a glorious future for solar photovoltaic energy even though the present situation is rather dull. They foresee ground-based solar plants of more than 1 MW, and assess the potential production for very large, medium and small sized roofs, for domestic installations

Geothermal Risk Reduction via Geothermal/Solar Hybrid Power Plants. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)