Solar Compass最新文献

{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of Ni:ZnO thin films as photoanode for planar perovskite solar cell","authors":"R.K. Pandey,&nbsp;Anjali Vaishnaw,&nbsp;Koushik Ghosh,&nbsp;Pratibha Xalxo,&nbsp;P.K. Bajpai","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thin films of Ni:ZnO were successfully synthesized by sol-gel spin coating system for 0.5 % and 2.5 % Ni doping concentration on FTO coated substrate. The synthesized films were annealed at 540 °C for 4 h. The annealed thin films were characterized for its electrical, optical and chemical characteristics using UV–Vis, Micro Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. The UV–Vis spectra analysis reveals that the energy band gap of deposited films found to be 3.58 eV and 3.51 eV for 0.5 % and 2.5 % Ni:ZnO thin films, respectively. Two significant characteristic peaks identified at 424 cm⁻¹ and 563 cm⁻¹ in Raman spectra. These peaks are attributed to <span><math><msubsup><mi>E</mi><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi>h</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>g</mi><mi>h</mi></mrow></msubsup></math></span> and LO(A₁ and E₁) modes, which confirms the hexagonal wurtzite phase of Ni:ZnO thin films. Furthermore, the absorption peaks observed at 530 cm⁻¹ and 635 cm⁻¹ in the FTIR spectra are attributed to the characteristic stretching vibrational modes of Zn-O and Ni-O bonds, respectively.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100084"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000183/pdfft?md5=013419fe3054faccaae1b0585c748658&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000183-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142084372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opportunities to Enhance sCO2 Power Cycle Turbomachinery with Bearingless Motor/Generators","authors":"Takahiro Noguchi ,&nbsp;WaiYan Chan ,&nbsp;Nathan Petersen ,&nbsp;Logan Rapp ,&nbsp;Eric Severson","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100094","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100094","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermal power cycles using sCO₂ as a working fluid place extreme demands on their turbomachinery components and their electric motors/generators. In this paper, new system topologies for sCO₂ turbomachinery are proposed which take advantage of “bearingless” electric machine technology to improve performance. Bearingless motors/generators are a new type of electric machine which integrate the functionality of active magnetic bearings into the existing hardware of an electric motor/generator. The existing electromagnetic surfaces and materials are reused to enable controllable production of radial forces on the machine shaft. This is envisioned to improve hermetic direct-drive turbomachinery systems by either augmenting existing bearings (i.e., bearing assist) or replacing existing bearings (i.e., bearing removal). The state-of-the-art technologies for several bearing types (gas foil bearings, externally pressurized porous (EPP) gas bearings, and active magnetic bearings) and electric machines are reviewed to motivate the introduction of bearingless technology. Two system designs using bearingless machines are proposed and compared against existing commercial solutions in terms of maximum shaft weight, number of passthroughs into the hermetic environment, cost, and complexity. A case-study bearingless motor/generator is assessed via simulations and a hardware prototype to investigate practical considerations for using bearingless technology in sCO₂ turbomachinery. The proposed bearingless solutions have potential to enable a new generation of sCO₂ turbomachinery with improved reliability, reduced complexity, and lower cost. This paper shows that by transforming the motor/generator already present in turbomachinery into a bearingless motor/generator, the technical challenges involved with sCO₂ can be overcome without adding significant cost.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100094"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142446148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy enhancement of building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal systems: A systematic review","authors":"Hussein A. Kazem ,&nbsp;Miqdam T. Chaichan ,&nbsp;Ali H.A. Al-Waeli ,&nbsp;K. Sopian ,&nbsp;Naser W. Alnaser ,&nbsp;Waheeb E. Alnaser","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In urban areas with limited space, harnessing renewable energy, especially solar energy, can be a challenge. However, we can overcome this obstacle by using building facades to generate energy. Buildings significantly contribute to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. They require energy for various processes, both electrical and thermal. To address this, we can use photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems, which can simultaneously produce electrical and thermal energies. By circulating a working fluid within the system, the surface temperatures of PV panels can be reduced, improving electrical efficiency. Integrating PV/T systems into building facades, known as building-integrated PV/T (BIPV/T) systems, enables efficient energy production and enhances the overall energy consumption of buildings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100093"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142425078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of solar photovoltaics on university buildings: A case study toward campus sustainability","authors":"Antônia Sônia Alves Cardoso Diniz ,&nbsp;Gisele Mol da Silva ,&nbsp;Raphaela E. Alves Nunes ,&nbsp;Vinícius Augusto Camatta Santana ,&nbsp;Daniel Sena Braga ,&nbsp;Cristiana Brasil Maia","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Renewable energy leads Brazil's energy mix at about 82 % of its total, with solar photovoltaics (PV) now the second largest contribution to the electric power sector. The country's target to eliminate carbon emissions provides a significant role for higher-education institutions that shape and influence future societies through energy and education leadership. This paper focuses on the improvement of the sustainability level of the PUC Minas university campus in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, through the assessment and design of a PV system into the existing engineering building structures. The student-led case study provides an implementation roadmap that includes a coordinated methodology of evaluating the campus power and energy consumption, documenting the seasonal solar irradiance, evaluating the solar-available rooftop areas, simulating the daily and seasonal shadowing effects from existing surrounding structures, determining the panel placements following Brazil's codes and standards, and calculating the contributions of the PV to displacing grid-supplied electricity and potential lowering of the University's energy bills. The result is a realistic PV system design that meets the emission and electricity-cost reduction objectives, with a value-added aspect is that the lead team interfaced with ongoing Energy-Engineering course participants for real-time exposure to the research and photovoltaics technology. Additionally, the value analysis of the project is aimed at improving the University's Times Higher Education Ranking by addressing the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) that correlate with the clean energy solar installation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143101351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the economic viability of decentralised solar PV-based green hydrogen for cooking in Ghana","authors":"Flavio Odoi-Yorke ,&nbsp;Agnes Abeley Abbey ,&nbsp;Anthony Kaku ,&nbsp;Stephen Afonaa-Mensah ,&nbsp;Ephraim Bonah Agyekum ,&nbsp;Charles Benjamin Essuman ,&nbsp;John Eshun Davis ,&nbsp;Ransford Opoku Darko ,&nbsp;Lawrence Atepor","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Developing countries, including Ghana, face challenges ensuring access to clean and reliable cooking fuels and technologies. Traditional biomass sources mainly used in most developing countries for cooking contribute to deforestation and indoor air pollution, necessitating a shift towards environmentally friendly alternatives. The study's primary objective is to evaluate the economic viability of using solar PV-based green hydrogen as a sustainable fuel for cooking in Ghana. The study adopted well-established equations to investigate the economic performance of the proposed system. The findings revealed that the levelized cost of hydrogen using the discounted cash flow approach is about 89 %, 155 %, and 190 % more than electricity, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and charcoal. This implies that using the hydrogen produced for cooking fuel is not cost-competitive compared to LPG, charcoal, and electricity. However, with sufficient capital subsidies to lower the upfront costs, the analysis suggests solar PV-based hydrogen could become an attractive alternative cooking fuel. In addition, switching from firewood to solar PV-based hydrogen for cooking yields the highest carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions savings across the cities analysed. Likewise, replacing charcoal with hydrogen also offers substantial CO₂ emissions savings, though lower than switching from firewood. Correspondingly, switching from LPG to hydrogen produces lower CO₂ emissions savings than firewood and charcoal. The study findings could contribute to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable energy solutions, offering practical insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders seeking to promote clean cooking adoption in developing economies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100078"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000122/pdfft?md5=3d10630cf43561e5f6c255bff47cb166&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000122-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141607791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ambient energy for buildings: Beyond energy efficiency","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100076","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The following <strong>Key Messages</strong> comprise the salient findings of this study:</p><p><strong>1. Ambient energy (from sun, air, ground, and sky) can heat and cool buildings</strong>; provide hot water, ventilation, and daylighting; dry clothes; and cook food. These services account for about three-quarters of building energy consumption and a third of total US demand. <strong>Biophilic design (direct and indirect connections with nature) is an intrinsic adjunct to ambient energy systems</strong>, and improves wellness and human performance.</p><p><strong>2. The current strategy of electrification and energy efficiency for buildings will not meet our climate goals,</strong> because the transition to an all-renewable electric grid is too slow. <strong>Widespread adoption of ambient energy is needed.</strong> Solar-heated buildings also flatten the seasonal demand for electricity compared to all-electric buildings, reducing required production capacity and long-term energy storage. In addition, <strong>ambient-conditioned buildings improve resilience</strong> by remaining livable during power outages.</p><p><strong>3. National policies, incentives, and marketing should be enacted to promote ambient energy use</strong>. Federal administrative priorities should reflect the importance of ambient energy for buildings. <strong>Use of ambient energy should be encouraged through existing and new building codes and standards</strong>.</p><p><strong>4. Ambient energy system design tools are needed</strong> for architects, engineers, builders, building scientists, realtors, appraisers, and consumers. PVWatts is used over 100 million times per year for photovoltaic system design. A similar, simple, and accessible tool for ambient design is crucial.</p><p><strong>5. Training on ambient energy is needed throughout secondary, post-secondary, and continuing education</strong> for workforce development. Currently, only about 10% of colleges teach courses on passive heating and cooling systems.</p><p><strong>6. Ambient-conditioned buildings should be demonstrated in all US climate zones</strong>. Performance should be monitored and reported, with quantitative case studies made widely available.</p><p><strong>7. While current technology is sufficient to build high-performance ambient buildings now, research is needed to develop new technologies</strong> to harness ambient energy more effectively and more economically. Such advancements will facilitate adoption of ambient energy technologies in a wider range of buildings, including retrofits. Examples include windows with much lower thermal losses, use of the building shell for thermal storage, alternative light-weight thermal storage systems, sky-radiation cooling systems, automated controls for solar gains and passive cooling, and ground coupling.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100076"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000109/pdfft?md5=61c3fdbf368363694ed38be9e8978f31&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000109-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141398310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A critical perspective and analysis of two-step thermochemical fuel production cycles","authors":"Alon Lidor ,&nbsp;Brendan Bulfin","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100077","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Two-step thermochemical fuel production cycles powered using concentrating solar systems offer a route to convert solar energy to chemical fuels. In this work, we offer a critical assessment of the state of the art, a detailed technical analysis of this technology in terms of theoretical limitations and potential performance, and potential paths forward in the development of these processes. The state of the art for demonstrated reactor systems is analyzed using key performance indicators including energy efficiency, feedstock conversion extent, power output, and volumetric power density. The technical analysis first looks into the theoretical limitations on the cycles’ process conditions and the role of the redox material. This is followed by a detailed thermodynamic analysis of the state-of-the-art <span><math><msub><mtext>CeO</mtext><mn>2</mn></msub></math></span>-based cycle, based on fixed bed mixed flow reactors, which closely represent the reactor designs used in demonstrations. Finally, a scale-up analysis is performed for the <span><math><msub><mtext>CeO</mtext><mn>2</mn></msub></math></span>-based cycle. The results from the theoretical analysis agree well with trends seen in experimental demonstrations of the concept. From the analysis, the low power density of the <span><math><msub><mtext>CeO</mtext><mn>2</mn></msub></math></span>-based cycle is highlighted as a critical design limitation that will seriously restrict further scale-up of this technology. We share perspective on this and other issues, and offer some outlook for future development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100077"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000110/pdfft?md5=d5e11e70eb52f0bce855a6b2d3965272&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000110-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141582579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dr. Morton B. Prince: Remembering a PV pioneer and extraordinary technology leader","authors":"Lawrence L. Kazmerski","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100069","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100069"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000031/pdfft?md5=40445f83d51a0dbf06dcd4070e7bc88a&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000031-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140160811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integration of multiple distributed solar PV (DSP) into the grid: The case of the distribution network in Freetown, Sierra Leone","authors":"Mohamed Osman Mansaray ,&nbsp;Felix Amankwah Diawuo ,&nbsp;Benjamin Bantinge","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100075","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The optimal integration of distributed solar photovoltaic (DSP) is a transformative engineering method that is key in contributing to a sustainable and resilient energy future, especially when countries seek to increase the proportion of renewables in their energy mix to reduce carbon emissions. This paper presents a power flow-based approach that makes use of Newton Raphson's method in the ETAP tool to integrate multiple DSPs into both the existing and expanded Freetown distribution networks. The study determined the network's hosting capacities and optimal points of injection for the reduction of active power loss and improvement of bus voltage profiles. The study showed that the existing Freetown distribution network had a hosting capacity of 34.6 MW with an active power loss reduction of 0.967 MW while the expanded Freetown distribution network had a hosting capacity of 59.57 MW with an active power loss reduction of 5.12 MW. Before the injection of the DSPs into both networks, most of the bus voltages were not within acceptable limits. However, with the intervention of the injected DSPs, bus voltages considerably improve. The study showed that the expanded Freetown distribution network is better for DSPs integration compared to the existing Freetown distribution network. To evaluate the impacts of the injected DSPs and to validate the model used, four network scenarios were considered. The study used an analytical approach, considering future load growth and an evolving grid to integrate DSPs for long-term planning. The study will inform policymakers, utilities, etc., about the potential of integrating DSPs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100075"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000092/pdfft?md5=0fffd759bcc381486b84737e7622ddb8&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000092-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140917772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic indicators evaluation to study the feasibility of a solar agriculture farm: A case study","authors":"Shivani Gautam ,&nbsp;D. Bhagwan Das ,&nbsp;Ajay Kumar Saxena","doi":"10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2024.100074","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The 209 kWp solar agricultural farm at Dayalbagh Educational Institute's Dairy Campus in Agra, India, is the subject of this economic analysis. This study analyzes economic indicators relevant to agriculture food production, such as gross financial margins, farm profits, and cost-benefit ratios. Other measured variables include NPV (net present value), PB (payback period), and LCOE (levelized cost of electricity) of solar power generation to determine the economic viability of this agrivoltaics (production of solar energy and agriculture on the same land) APV project. Farm profit and gross financial margins both are positive values of 161, 907 INR (Indian Rupees) and 316, 907 INR, respectively. The cost-benefit ratio was 1.5.The economic factors of solar energy generation were studied for two systems: surface-mounted or ground-mounted solar systems and an elevated solar system with agriculture production on the same ground (APV or agrivoltaics). Both systems had the same production capacity. Two different hypothetical situations were used for each system. In the first situation (Case Study A), the assumption was that solar power performance would remain constant during operation. In the second situation (Case Study B), the assumption was that annual performance would be reduced by 0.5 %.The results show that APV is better than the surface-mounted system because there is no significant difference between the payback periods of APV and surface-mounted systems; the NPV of APV is greater than the surface-mounted solar system for both the study case A and case B and the LCOE of APV is 55 % less than the LCOE of the surface-mounted solar system.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101173,"journal":{"name":"Solar Compass","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100074"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772940024000080/pdfft?md5=13ef6964481efc6106ca279cbf5258ba&pid=1-s2.0-S2772940024000080-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140910302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}