Solar Energy最新文献

{"title":"Seasonal thermal performance of geopolymer wall with phase change material and green façade: Southern Italy study","authors":"Rosa Francesca De Masi ,&nbsp;Valentino Festa ,&nbsp;Antonio Gigante ,&nbsp;Silvia Ruggiero ,&nbsp;Francesca Villano","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a comprehensive experimental assessment of a full-scale geopolymer wall system enhanced with phase change material (PCM) and a vertical green façade, tested under real-world climatic conditions in Southern Italy. The research focuses on the synergistic thermal behavior of this hybrid passive system across transitional and winter seasons, an area underexplored in current literature. A geopolymer-based panel was monitored in two configurations—standard and PCM-enhanced—on a rotating test cell equipped with high-resolution heat flux and temperature sensors. Additionally, the PCM-enhanced panel was coupled with a modular green façade system using evergreen vegetation. Over a five-month monitoring period (September–January), detailed measurements revealed that the integrated system effectively reduced thermal fluxes by up to 3 W/m² and surface temperature amplitudes by 12% during warmer months, while offering significant thermal inertia and buffering capacity during colder periods—even when the PCM remained inactive. Violin plots and cumulative energy analyses demonstrate that PCM integration reduced heat release into the indoor environment by 16% and enhanced overall energy moderation. The green façade further improved microclimatic conditions by delaying thermal peaks and mitigating surface temperature extremes. A complementary simulation analysis further quantifies the annual energy implications of each façade configuration, extending the experimental evidence. This study contributes rare empirical data supporting the co-deployment of PCMs and green envelopes as a viable, passive, multi-seasonal strategy for energy-efficient building envelopes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114372"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074348","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}

{"title":"Integrating solar driven solutions for food processing and urban environment: : Economic and thermal evaluation of radiofrequency assisted pasteurization and reflective coating technologies for Cooling and Heat Island Mitigation","authors":"Yan Jiang ,&nbsp;RuiXia Zhang ,&nbsp;Yong Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study was aimed at establishing the effectiveness of solar thermal energy, conventional pasteurization techniques, and radiofrequency (RF) pasteurization in the processing of salmeterol, a thick vegetable homogenate in a sustainable and energy-saving process. It was a pilot-scale pasteurization model that was conducted at IRTA premises in China’s agri-food sector, Shandong, China, in 2022. The aim of this study was to compare solar-assisted pasteurization with a conventional system that will utilize an electric steam boiler, and to determine seasonal energy consumption and the percentage of solar achieved during the process. Results established that the energy consumption by the two technologies was reduced by a large margin upon the incorporation of the solar thermal, especially during the summers when the percentage of solar was up to 90. This works to the advantage of Salmeterol which is a seasonal fruit because it is during the summer months that it is produced most. Radiofrequency pasteurization was not restricted by low solar irradiance because it was compatible with renewable energy sources and volumetric heating; thus, when solar levels were low, solar percentages remained high, and the overall energy and thermal efficiency were high. The results of this research reveal that solar-RF hybrid systems are highly promising in reducing the carbon footprint of food processing and achieving higher energy savings. The approach offers a better environmental friendly and resource efficient thermal treatment process on agri-food products especially on those that are sensitive to heat or even on those that are seasonal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114317"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074857","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}

{"title":"Saharan dust and cirrus clouds: Dominating indirect impact of dust events on photovoltaic energy generation in Hungar y (2019–2024)","authors":"György Varga ,&nbsp;Fruzsina Gresina ,&nbsp;András Gelencsér ,&nbsp;Adrienn Csávics ,&nbsp;Ágnes Rostási","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saharan dust outbreaks increasingly affect Europe, yet their full impact on photovoltaic (PV) performance remains insufficiently represented in models. We investigate Saharan dust events over Hungary, a country with the highest share of PV-based electricity generation (2024: 25%). Using 2019–2024 PV production for Hungary, combined with MERRA-2, MODIS and CAMS datasets, we show that the dominant losses arise not from the direct radiative attenuation of dust, but from dust-induced enhancement of cirrus clouds, which substantially increases atmospheric extinction.</div><div>Across the study period, PV performance ratio during high-dust and high-cirrus conditions fell to 46%, compared to &gt; 75% on low-dust days. Cirrus reflectance increased by 55%, and cirrus coverage by 60–85% during high-dust episodes, highlighting a robust aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) signal.</div><div>Seasonal analyses reveal that these indirect impacts peak in the transitional seasons (spring and autumn), when thermodynamic conditions favour heterogeneous ice nucleation. In these seasons, PV performance ratio exhibits a clear sensitivity to dust load (R²≈0.94–0.96), and cirrus optical thickening is most pronounced. Bootstrap-based mediation analysis also demonstrates that the dominant impact of dust on performance operates indirectly through dust-induced cirrus enhancement rather than through direct aerosol attenuation alone.</div><div>This study provides the first quantitative separation of direct dust effects and cirrus-mediated indirect pathways in national-scale photovoltaic performance, revealing that ACI dominate PV losses during dust intrusions. By moving beyond correlation-based analyses, it introduces a transferable, statistically robust framework for diagnosing dust impacts on solar energy systems under real-world operating conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114385"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074859","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}

{"title":"Improving the effectiveness of photovoltaic thermal systems with nanofluids and NePCM in tropical climates","authors":"Singgih Dwi Prasetyo","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This manuscript examines advancements in photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems enhanced with nanofluids and phase change materials (PCMs), with a focus on identifying research gaps and promoting commercial viability. A systematic literature review synthesizes findings from 50 empirical studies, highlighting substantial thermal and electrical improvements associated with the integration of these technologies in diverse operational contexts, particularly in tropical environments. The analysis reveals that thermal efficiency gains range from 5% in minimally optimized configurations to 72% in systems utilizing advanced hybrid nanofluids and conductivity-enhanced NePCM. Electrical efficiency improvements consistently fall between 5% and 12%, primarily attributed to reduced panel temperatures and enhanced heat removal. Notably, tropical regions are shown to achieve average thermal gains exceeding 25%, with peak values surpassing 60% under high-irradiation conditions. The study highlights critical future research directions, including the standardization of nanoparticle synthesis protocols, the expansion of long-term stability assessments, and the optimization of nanofluid formulations that balance heat transfer with pumping power. The integration of hybrid renewable systems and circular economy models for nanoparticle production also warrants further exploration. By outlining these findings and recommendations, this manuscript informs ongoing research efforts and establishes a comprehensive agenda for future investigations aimed at maximizing the performance and sustainability of PV/T systems. Ultimately, the insights provided in this review help bridge the gap between laboratory advancements and real-world applications, thereby fostering the adoption of innovative thermal-enhancement technologies in the energy sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114337"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146024389","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}

{"title":"Machine learning guided optimization of lead free K2TlSbCl6/Na2ScAuI6 dual absorber double perovskite solar cells","authors":"Asadul Islam Shimul ,&nbsp;Bipul Chandra Biswas ,&nbsp;Laboni Rani Keya ,&nbsp;Sahjahan Islam ,&nbsp;Md.Azizur Rahman ,&nbsp;Karim KRIAA ,&nbsp;Mohamed Benghanem ,&nbsp;Noureddine Elboughdiri","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research examines a dual absorber double perovskite layer (DADPL) arrangement that integrates K₂TlSbCl₆ and Na₂ScAuI₆, evaluated by SCAPS-1D simulations. The proposed device incorporates eight electron transport layers (ETLs) and eight hole transport layers (HTLs), which were systematically examined across four device topologies, resulting in a total of 88 unique layer combinations. Findings demonstrate that the integration of HTL significantly improves charge extraction and diminishes recombination losses, resulting in superior photovoltaic performance relative to single-layer perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The impacts of layer thickness, doping concentrations, and defect densities were thoroughly analyzed. The optimized DADPL attained a peak PCE of 27.26 %, whilst single absorbers achieved 23.16 % and 22.58 % respectively. The Al/FTO/WS₂/(K₂TlSbCl₆/Na₂ScAuI₆)/V₂O₅/Ni configuration achieved the highest efficiency of 30.16 %, with a V_OC of 0.99 V, a J_SC of 34.59 mA/cm², and an FF of 87.85 %. A machine learning (ML)-based prediction framework was developed to accurately estimate and anticipate photovoltaic performance, complementing simulation results. Five regression methods were trained and validated using SCAPS-1D datasets. The Random Forest Regressor exhibited superior predictive performance, attaining R² &gt; 0.97 across all evaluation metrics with negligible error margins. Feature importance and SHAP analysis indicated that absorber doping density is the primary factor influencing device efficiency. Additional diagnostic plots and ROC-AUC evaluations validated the model’s little bias, strong classification capability, and excellent reliability across various performance levels. These findings illustrate the capability of combining DADPL perovskites with ML-assisted modeling for the swift enhancement of high-efficiency, economical PSCs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114348"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146024819","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}

{"title":"Grain boundary orientation-dependent performance of polycrystalline thin-film solar cells","authors":"Muzaffar Imam ,&nbsp;Mukul Kumar Das","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carrier recombination at grain boundaries (GBs) has been a crucial factor in determining the performance of polycrystalline material-based thin-film solar cells. In this work, a theoretical model has been developed to investigate the impact of GB orientation on the performance of polycrystalline thin-film solar cells. The developed model considers a Gaussian-distribution of donor- and acceptor-like GB-traps. Moreover, the model considers a single GB interface oriented in the clockwise direction between 0° and 90° within the cell. 2-dimensional TCAD numerical simulations were also conducted to validate the theoretical results. The model has been calibrated against available reported data. The results show that GBs oriented normal to the directed motion of carrier flow has significant impact on the performance of the device. Furthermore, a marked reduction in efficiency is observed when the GB orientation approaches 90° and the trap density reaches 10¹³ cm⁻². These findings suggest that controlling GB orientation through growth kinetics could offer a viable pathway to enhance polycrystalline solar cell efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114350"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146024820","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}

{"title":"A lightweight autoencoder for photovoltaic module defect segmentation from electroluminescence images","authors":"Mohamed Elbahri ,&nbsp;Nasreddine Taleb ,&nbsp;Mahmoud Fahsi ,&nbsp;Fatima Taousser ,&nbsp;Sid Ahmed El Mehdi Ardjoun","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114362","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114362","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The automatic diagnosis of photovoltaic (PV) cells during production or deployment in fields is crucial. In this work, we propose an autoencoder to segment electroluminescence images for enhancing the visibility of defects. The proposed autoencoder replaces the more complex architectures previously used in this domain, such as U-Net or PSP-Net. Our model is relatively shallow and lightweight, making it favourable for deployment in edge devices within IoT diagnostic systems. In addition, we have introduced in this work a custom objective function designed to reduce false positive and false negative detection instead of the traditional loss function used in the segmentation process. The training of the proposed autoencoder is based on a data batching strategy to avoid overfitting and other training issues. We conducted experiments and compared the results with state-of-the-art methods, evaluating the model’s efficiency in terms of parameter count, speed, and accuracy. The proposed autoencoder achieves an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 92 % for defect segmentation while ensuring fast inference (0.076 s per frame, compared to 1.67 s for U-Net). In addition, the model attains 96.6 % accuracy for binary classification of cell state.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114362"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146024385","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}

{"title":"Investigation of various smart switchable double glazing systems for reducing air conditioning expenses and carbon emissions in smart and sustainable buildings","authors":"K.Joel Ashirvadam,&nbsp;Saboor Shaik","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy-efficient measures have gained significant momentum in recent times. Buildings are adapting to this trend by controlling artificial methods of cooling, heating, and lighting. Double-pane glass effectively manages solar radiation in buildings by reducing the cooling loads. Smart switchable PDLC glazing, which adjusts from transparent to translucent based on an electric field, also aids in solar regulation. The spectral properties in the UV-VIS-NIR region were measured for seven samples: clear glass, double-pane glass with 4mm, 8mm, and 12mm air gaps, and PDLC with double-pane glass at the same gaps. The study focused on Lucknow (hot-arid) and Jamshedpur (hot-humid). A real time building model is considered to investigate the heat gains, air conditioning cost reductions, carbon emissions and payback periods. The double pane glazing which is attached by PDLC showed reliable results. For daylighting analysis, the simulation tool Design builder is used. The heat gain is reduced about 31.14% when clear glazing is replaced with double glazing with PDLC-ON and air gap of 12mm.The operating cost of the same is 4.35 $/m² for Lucknow and 5.84 $/m² for Jamshedpur which is very economical. In addition to that, it also mitigates carbon emissions by 21.9 tCO₂/year and 15.41 tCO₂/year, respectively. For this glazing in Lucknow climatic condition, the payback period is less than 14 years. For both climates it provides adequate daylight in all orientations also offering the color rendering index of over 90 which indicates high quality light. The results are useful for designing smart and energy conscious buildings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114374"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074346","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}

{"title":"S-scheme designed CoTiO3/rGO/g-C3N4 nanohybrid for photodegradation of organic pollutants and transformation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol","authors":"Mohammad Saud Athar,&nbsp;Arshi Abad,&nbsp;Mohammad Muneer","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic pollutants owing to their high toxicity and resistance present a significant environmental challenge. To mitigate this issue, a visible-light-responsive perovskite-based metal free graphitic carbon nitride functionalized with rGO was hydrothermally developed. The developed materials were characterized by standard analytical techniques such as UV–Vis DRS, XRD, FTIR, SEM, FESEM, HRTEM, BET, XPS, and EDX-mapping. The characterization results demonstrate the successful construction of nanohybrid photocatalysts with well-integrated interfaces among pristine materials, which results in significantly improved photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic degradation study was evaluated using all the synthesized materials, whereas, 10 wt% CoTiO₃/rGO/g-C₃N₄ (10CGG) nanohybridrevealed superior photocatalytic performance, achieving 95% degradation ofrhodamine B in 30 min and 93.5% degradation of 4-nitrophenol in 125 min under visible light.Additionally, the photocatalytic efficiency of 10CGG nanohybrid was further confirmed by phototransformation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and mineralization study. The mechanistic insights were supported by radical quenching experiments, terephthalic acid versus NaOH and NBT tests. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to more efficient separation of photoinduced electron (e⁻) − hole (h⁺) pairs. Consequently, a direct S-scheme mechanism was proposed to explain efficient charge carrier separation for improved photocatalytic outcomes, which was further supported by PL, EIS, Mott-Schottky and ESR results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114367"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074349","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}

{"title":"Bionic marine seaweed evaporator for effective seawater desalination","authors":"Xinzhe Liu ,&nbsp;Ting Chen ,&nbsp;Tiezhi Wang ,&nbsp;Jinliang Xu ,&nbsp;Ying He ,&nbsp;Guohua Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2026.114327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study proposes the “marine seeding” concept and develops an interfacial evaporator based on it for efficient seawater desalination. polyvinyl alcohol and graphene oxide are uniformly coated on cotton fibers to harden them, and self-floating is achieved with the help of polystyrene foam. The porous interconnected structure of the PVA/GO/cotton composite can shorten the water molecule transport path and achieve rapid water transport to meet the water supply demand during the evaporation process. And the gradient heat distribution formed on the evaporator surface due to photothermal conversion will drive the natural convection of brine, accelerate the diffusion of salt ions into the bulk solution, and effectively avoid surface salt accumulation. The marine seeding evaporator can reach a seawater evaporation rate as high as 2.451 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ and shows no salt crystallization during 6 days long-term test. Moreover, the reduction in the evaporation enthalpy of water in the evaporator and the changes in water state have been confirmed through dark evaporation tests, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and Raman spectroscopy. And the freshwater collection device assembled with the evaporator has a daily freshwater collection of up to 10.18 L·m⁻². This research paves the way for a more efficient and sustainable seawater desalination solution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 114327"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145950106","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}