Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113994
Dina Shata , Sara Omrani , Robin Drogemuller , Simon Denman , Ayman Wagdy
{"title":"Unlocking solar potential through machine learning techniques for roof geometry prediction- A review","authors":"Dina Shata , Sara Omrani , Robin Drogemuller , Simon Denman , Ayman Wagdy","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113994","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113994","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global transition to renewable energy underscores the necessity of optimising residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Accurate roof geometry prediction is critical for enhancing the efficiency and scalability of rooftop solar installations. This review examines recent machine learning (ML) methodologies designed to enhance roof geometry prediction accuracy. It synthesises recent techniques, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and multi-task learning frameworks, to evaluate improvements in predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. The review also highlights challenges such as data availability, diverse dataset integration (e.g., aerial imagery and LiDAR scans), and geographic generalisation, proposing opportunities for future research. Opportunities for future research include developing robust, scalable ML models and automated data preprocessing frameworks. Furthermore, the review advocates for accessible, open-source tools to accelerate the global adoption of sustainable solar energy. Overall, the findings aim to advance roof geometry predictions, improving the performance and broader implementation of residential solar PV systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 113994"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113964
Adamu Ahmed Goje , Norasikin Ahmad Ludin , Suhaila Sepeai , Mohd Sukor Su’ait , Ubaidah Syafiq , Puvaneswaran Chelvanathan
{"title":"Transparent conductive oxides in flexible perovskite solar cells – material properties and device performance review","authors":"Adamu Ahmed Goje , Norasikin Ahmad Ludin , Suhaila Sepeai , Mohd Sukor Su’ait , Ubaidah Syafiq , Puvaneswaran Chelvanathan","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113964","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113964","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) are promising alternatives to conventional solar cells, particularly for wearable and portable electronic applications that require flexible and lightweight energy sources. The integration of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer is essential to achieve both conductivity and transparency. However, this requirement poses significant challenges related to flexibility, durability, and cost-effectiveness, thereby impeding commercialisation. This study aims to critically assess the limitations of commonly employed TCOs, including aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), indium tin oxide (ITO), and gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO), focusing on their performance in FPSCs. To address the primary challenges of scalability, material costs, environmental degradation, and mechanical integrity, this review synthesises the evaluations of TCO material properties from the existing literature. These findings indicate that indium tin oxide (ITO) remains the most prevalent TCO in the field, owing to its superior optical transparency and electrical conductivity. In contrast, materials such as gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) offer enhanced flexibility, but at the cost of reduced conductivity. Furthermore, challenges related to the uniformity of large-area films, deposition technique methodologies, and uniformity of interfaces between TCOs and charge-transporting layers further complicate the fabrication of FPSCs. Our research identifies critical areas for further investigation and development, including low-temperature deposition techniques, improved encapsulation strategies, and evaluation of alternative TCO materials to enhance the performance and viability of FPSCs. These findings have significant policy implications and underscore the need for additional research and funding in the solar energy sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 113964"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114020
Hari Suthan V., Vikraman H., Suganthi K.S., Rajan K.S.
{"title":"Assessment of the energy storage potential of NaNO3 aided by alumina nanoparticles using discharge kinetics","authors":"Hari Suthan V., Vikraman H., Suganthi K.S., Rajan K.S.","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sodium nitrate (NaNO<sub>3</sub>) is a phase change material (PCM) with high melting temperature and latent heat but has a relatively lower thermal conductivity. Alumina (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles were added to NaNO<sub>3</sub> using ball milling to prepare Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-NaNO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite. The effect of alumina nanoparticle concentration (up to 2 wt%) on phase change transition characteristics and thermal conductivity was investigated. Experiments on the discharge of stored latent heat were performed for NaNO<sub>3</sub> and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-NaNO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite with well-agitated Therminol-55 and air under forced convection as the two heat transfer fluids. Enhancements in thermal conductivity and specific heat were observed with Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles’ addition. The loss in latent heat was attributed to the solid nanoparticles present in the nanocomposite. The Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-NaNO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite containing Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> at the concentration of 1 wt% resulted in a 15 % reduction in solidification time, 11.9 % & 25.1 % enhancements in the PCM side heat transfer coefficient for latent heat recovery using Therminol-55 and air as the coolants, respectively. The corresponding enhancements in the PCM side heat transfer coefficient for solid phase sensible heat recovery using Therminol-55 and air as the coolants were 21.4 % & 198 %, respectively. These results indicate that Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-NaNO<sub>3</sub> nanocomposite can offer significant improvement in the heat transfer performance for about 500 cycles before the latent heat loss becomes significant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114020"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114003
Kailiang Huang , Zhiyi Li , Mingzhi Jiang , Guohui Feng , Xin Liu , Hailun Xie , Qihai Sun
{"title":"Model of transparent heat source tower and its application optimization in the severe cold region","authors":"Kailiang Huang , Zhiyi Li , Mingzhi Jiang , Guohui Feng , Xin Liu , Hailun Xie , Qihai Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Utilizing a heat source tower (HST) to increase the ground temperature has good technical and economic advantages for ground source heat pump system (GSHP) in extremely cold regions. This paper proposes a novel transparent heat source tower (THST), which replaces the conventional shell with a transparent one to harness solar radiation and increase the temperature of the circulating water. The mathematical model as well as the TRNSYS module of the THST were developed and imported into the transient simulation model. Under the meteorological parameters of Shenyang, China and a certain circulating water flow rate in the THST, an experimental platform was established. The proposed new model is applied to the GSHP and simulated in TRNSYS. The results showed that the average solar heat exchange of the THST accounted for 8.6 % of the total heat absorbed, and the average increase of the THST effluent temperature was 0.4°C compared to the ordinary HST. The optimal water vapor ratio of the THST was between 0.55 and 0.6. The COP of the new system in a typical case reaches 3.57, which is 16.2 % higher than that of the GSHP. After 10 years of simulation, the soil temperature with the transparent heat source tower − ground source heat pump (THST-GSHP) is 4.35 °C higher than GSHP, effectively mitigating the soil heat imbalance problem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114003"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114012
Pritam Hait , Rajeev Mehta , Soumen Basu
{"title":"Multifunctional PANI-LDH nanocomposites: from efficient cango red mineralization to high-yield solar hydrogen generation","authors":"Pritam Hait , Rajeev Mehta , Soumen Basu","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a binary nanocomposite comprising polyaniline (PANI) and nickel–aluminum layered double hydroxide (Ni–Al LDH) was synthesized via an oxidative polymerization method, with varying LDH loadings (2, 5, and 7 wt%). Comprehensive physicochemical characterization—including UV–Vis DRS, photoluminescence (PL), XRD, XPS, BET, and EDS—was employed to investigate the optical, structural, compositional, and textural attributes of the materials. From FESEM the porous morphology of PANI and the hierarchical, flower-like morphology of LDH were observed. The photocatalytic performance of the composite was evaluated for Congo red (CR) dye degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. After 120 min, the system achieved 98 % dye removal and approximately 50 % mineralization, as confirmed by total organic carbon analysis. Kinetic studies indicated pseudo-first-order behaviour, with the rate constant exceeding those of pristine PANI, LDH, and TiO<sub>2</sub>-P25 by factors of 6, 8, and 9, respectively, evidencing a pronounced synergistic interaction. Operational parameters such as pH, catalyst loading, illumination area, and the presence of scavengers significantly influenced activity. The composite maintained ∼ 70 % catalytic efficiency over six consecutive cycles. HRMS enabled identification of intermediate and final degradation products. Under methanol-assisted conditions, the composite exhibited a hydrogen evolution AQE of 20 %, with AQEs of 18 %, 21 %, and 16 % in acidic, basic, and neutral media, respectively. These results underscore the composite’s bifunctionality for environmental remediation and solar-driven energy conversion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114012"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113950
K. Milidonis, I. Loghmari, M. Kontopyrgos, W. Lipiński
{"title":"Design, fabrication and testing of a multifaceted adaptive-optics, variable-focal-length heliostat","authors":"K. Milidonis, I. Loghmari, M. Kontopyrgos, W. Lipiński","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113950","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113950","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The heliostat field is the critical component of concentrating solar thermal (CST) tower systems for collection of solar radiation. Traditional heliostat designs used in commercial and research CST tower systems can be classified as single-facet heliostats, which employ a single continuous mirror to direct sunlight, and multifaceted heliostats, which use at least two optically aligned (canted) mirror facets to redirect solar radiation onto a receiver. However, these designs face limitations in maintaining optical performance throughout the day, primarily due to astigmatic aberration losses. These losses directly impact CST tower system efficiency. Furthermore, the heliostat field accounts for a significant portion of overall system cost, largely due to the absence of a standardized heliostat design. Without such standardization, each heliostat must be individually canted with high precision based on its field position to accurately aim at the receiver, significantly increasing complexity and cost. This paper explores the engineering design, development and testing of a multifaceted adaptive-optics heliostat, which, on top of the sun tracking capability, allows each facet to independently adjust its orientation to modify its focal length and correct aberration errors. To maintain cost efficiency, the design leverages advances in the broader Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, including low-cost microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators/drives, along with inexpensive drives and polymer-based component manufacturing. The testing of the heliostat demonstrated effective astigmatic aberration correction, whereas a detailed cost analysis indicated the potential for such heliostat designs to offer a viable and cost-effective solution for next generation CST tower systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 113950"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114005
Mahneema Murtaza , Umar Mukhtar , Nabeeha Gul , Meznah M. Alanazi , Saleem Iqbal , Javed Iqbal
{"title":"Quantum designing of alkyl-silyl benzodithiophene-based hole transport materials for organic and perovskite solar cells","authors":"Mahneema Murtaza , Umar Mukhtar , Nabeeha Gul , Meznah M. Alanazi , Saleem Iqbal , Javed Iqbal","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rational discovery of hole‐transport materials (HTMs) for OSCs/PSCs benefits from prescreening that links molecular structure to energy alignment and intrinsic transport before synthesis. This study reports a computational prescreening of five benzodithiophene (BDT)-based HTMs, BDTP1–BDTP5, obtained by bridging-unit engineering of a reported BDTP scaffold for viable photovoltaics. Comprehensive molecular characterization of the designed HTMs was achieved through DFT/TD-DFT simulations to investigate their structural, electronic, photophysical, and charge transport properties. Computational results show that the molecular design strategy tunes highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) from –5.953 to –5.430 eV and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) from –3.740 to –3.081 eV, maintaining LUMOs well above typical perovskite conduction band maxima and enabling HOMO placement relative to representative valence band maxima by acceptor choice. Band gaps follow BDTP5 (1.69 eV) < BDTP4 (1.89 eV) < BDTP1 (2.17 eV) < BDTP2 (2.35 eV) < BDTP (2.45 eV) < BDTP3 (2.52 eV). In chloroform solvent, BDTP4/BDTP5 exhibit strong, red-shifted bands absorption maxima at 824/899 nm and reduced lower exciton binding energy (0.4207/0.3282 eV), consistent with backbone-spanning HOMO delocalization seen in FMO/TDM analyses. Transport descriptors identify low hole reorganization energy for the new HTMs and corresponding enhanced hole transfer rate of up to 4.85 × 10<sup>12</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, outperforming the BDTP reference and comparing favorably with the Spiro-OMeTAD benchmark under a uniform model. Overall, BDTP4 and BDTP5 emerge as the most promising HTMs by jointly optimizing energy-level alignment, optical response, and intrinsic hole-transport propensity within a single, synthetically modular motif. As a DFT/TD-DFT pre-screen, these results prioritize targets for future experimental synthesis and device testing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114005"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113999
Jiahao Zhang , Zitao Liao , Youzhuo Zheng , Xiao Zhong , Hua Bao , Song Bao , Fozildjon Abidovich Hoshimov , Qiuqin Sun
{"title":"Fault analysis for simultaneous AC-DC power transmission in distribution system integrated with distributed PV generation","authors":"Jiahao Zhang , Zitao Liao , Youzhuo Zheng , Xiao Zhong , Hua Bao , Song Bao , Fozildjon Abidovich Hoshimov , Qiuqin Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of simultaneous AC-DC power transmission can not only increase line capacity, but also alleviate the shortage of power supply in existing distribution system. Moreover, renewable energy is used efficiently by cancelling the energy conversion equipment. Simultaneous AC-DC power transmission in distribution system integrated with distributed photovoltaic generation has a great prospect of application. However, due to the special structure of simultaneous AC-DC power systems, their fault characteristics are very complex, which may render traditional protection strategies ineffective, and existing research on fault analysis for such systems is limited. Unlike existing studies that mainly focus on fault analysis of individual AC and DC systems or VSC-based hybrid AC/DC systems, a comprehensive fault analysis for simultaneous AC-DC power system is presented in this paper, which is essential to relay protection design. Firstly, the structure of system is introduced. Secondly, two types of common faults, i.e., single line-to-ground (SLG) and three-phase-ground (TPG) faults, are analyzed. The fault process is divided into several stages, each stage describing the fault circuit and main equations. The simulation model is built to prove the correctness of the analysis. Then, the factors affecting fault characteristics, including grounding resistance, DC-link capacitance, and initial phase angle of the fault are discussed. Finally, the fault characteristic is studied with various DC injection modes. Furthermore, a method for suppressing overvoltage in DC system under SLG fault is proposed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 113999"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114021
T.M. Razykov , К.M. Kuchkarov , D.Z. Isakov , B.A. Ergashev , R.R. Khurramov , M.A. Makhmudov , L. Schmidt-Mende , Tim Mayer
{"title":"Microstructural, optical, and electrophysical properties of Sb2(SxSe1-x)3 films for solar cells","authors":"T.M. Razykov , К.M. Kuchkarov , D.Z. Isakov , B.A. Ergashev , R.R. Khurramov , M.A. Makhmudov , L. Schmidt-Mende , Tim Mayer","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A new method was developed for fabricating high-quality Sb<sub>2</sub>(S<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>1-x</sub>)<sub>3</sub> solid solution thin films using chemical molecular beam deposition from Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> and Sb<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> compounds. Structural analysis showed that increasing sulfur content (<em>x</em> = 0.1–0.35) reduced grain length and shifted XRD peaks to higher angles, indicating lattice contraction. Raman spectroscopy revealed a decrease in Sb–Se modes (110 and 151 cm<sup>−1</sup>) and an increase in Sb–S modes (280 and 310 cm<sup>−1</sup>). The optical bandgap expanded from 1.15 eV to 1.39 eV due to the smaller atomic radius and higher electronegativity of sulfur. The electrical conductivity (σ) dropped from 2.3 × 10<sup>−5</sup> to 3.4 × 10<sup>−6</sup> (Ω·cm)<sup>−1</sup> with increasing sulfur content. These variations are attributed to bandgap widening and composition-driven phase transitions in Sb<sub>2</sub>(S<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>1-x</sub>)<sub>3</sub> thin films. Acceptor defects with activation energies of 89 meV and 107 meV were observed at lower sulfur ratios, while donor-type traps with energies of 308 meV and 450 meV dominated at higher <em>x</em>. These results demonstrate the tunable structural and electronic properties of Sb<sub>2</sub>(S<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>1-x</sub>)<sub>3</sub> thin films for photovoltaic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114021"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.114006
Uzair Jamil , Md Motakabbir Rahman , Koami Soulemane Hayibo , Linda Alrayes , Eric Fordjour , Raymond Thomas , Joshua M. Pearce
{"title":"Transparency effects in agrivoltaics lettuce cultivation using uniform/non-uniform semitransparent photovoltaic modules in controlled environments","authors":"Uzair Jamil , Md Motakabbir Rahman , Koami Soulemane Hayibo , Linda Alrayes , Eric Fordjour , Raymond Thomas , Joshua M. Pearce","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.114006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agrivoltaic systems offer a dual-use solution to land constraints by integrating food and energy production, yet the influence of light distribution characteristics—particularly uniformity—on crop performance remains poorly understood. This study investigates the physiological and yield responses of lettuce under two contrasting agrivoltaic lighting strategies while maintaining comparable transparency: (1) uniform illumination from cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules and (2) non-uniform illumination from bifacial crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV modules with alternating cell and glass regions. Experiments were conducted using CdTe modules at 40 %, 50 %, and 70 % transparency and bifacial c-Si modules at 44 % and 69 % transparency. Key parameters measured include photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), gas exchange metrics (photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO<sub>2</sub>, transpiration), and morphological traits (plant height, leaf count, fresh weight). Results reveal that 69 % transparent c-Si modules not only preserved lettuce yield relative to open-field controls but achieved a 3.6 % enhancement. Conversely, CdTe modules of similar transparency caused a 6 % yield reduction, underscoring the importance of light non-uniformity in optimizing plant response. These findings demonstrate that spatial light heterogeneity – characteristic of c-Si systems – can enhance crop performance, presenting an opportunity for sustainable intensification. Scaling this technology across Canada’s lettuce-growing regions could generate 1,200 MW of solar power while boosting agricultural revenue by CAD $20 million annually, with an additional CAD $30 million from solar land leasing. This study supports the integration of non-uniform, semi-transparent PV modules as a viable pathway toward synergistic energy-agriculture systems for a sustainable future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 114006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}