Solar EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113962
Igor Marques Alves, Cristiana Brasil Maia
{"title":"Thermodynamic assessment of a molten salt solar power tower integrated with a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle under Brazilian solar conditions","authors":"Igor Marques Alves, Cristiana Brasil Maia","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the thermodynamic performance of a 100 MWe solar power tower (SPT) plant using molten salt as the heat transfer fluid and thermal energy storage (TES), integrated with a supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> recompression Brayton cycle. Simulations were conducted for five Brazilian locations with varying solar resources: Chapada dos Guimarães, Januária, Monte Alegre, Petrolina, and Rio Grande. The thermodynamic cycle was validated against literature and optimized for thermal efficiency. A turbine inlet temperature of 565 °C and a thermal input of 206.8 MWt resulted in a cycle efficiency of 48.36 %. Parametric analyses were performed for solar multiples (SM = 1–3) and TES durations (0–15 h). Results show that a 15-hour TES and SM of 3 optimized the capacity factor (CF) in most locations, reaching up to 100 % in Chapada dos Guimarães. The southern site (Rio Grande) required a lower SM (2.5) for optimal performance. Despite regional differences in direct normal irradiance, all configurations demonstrated the feasibility of CSP deployment in Brazil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113962"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145099761","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 : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113997
D. Achouri , A. Aissat , S. Dupont , M.H. Dhaou , F. Saidi , J.P. Vilcot
{"title":"The impact of defect density on a CGS/CIGS tandem solar cell’s performance","authors":"D. Achouri , A. Aissat , S. Dupont , M.H. Dhaou , F. Saidi , J.P. Vilcot","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) solar cells became a leading thin-film photovoltaic device because of their stability, relatively low production costs, and high efficiency, particularly when used in tandem configurations. A monolithic tandem cell is proposed in this paper. Copper Gallium Selenide (CGS) and CIGS structures constitute the two p-n junctions of this cell. The studied tandem cell’s electrical parameters were optimized using a 2D Silvaco-Atlas simulator, considering the variation of the indium concentration, the temperature, and the thickness of the bottom cell’s absorber layer. Comparisons between the performance of the CGS/CIGS tandem solar cell, considering and excluding defect density, were then done for the optimal value of Indium concentration x = 0.81 which corresponds to the minimum value of defect density N<sub>t</sub> = 1.66·10<sup>15</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>. When the density of material defects is considered, the efficiency of the proposed tandem cell attained 20.35 %, with an open-circuit voltage (V<sub>OC</sub>) of 1.58 V, a short-circuit current density (J<sub>SC</sub>) of 16.26 mA cm<sup>−2</sup> and a Fill Factor (FF) of 79.40 %. However, an efficiency of η = 32.58 % is obtained when the defect density is ignored, highlighting the impact of defect density on the overall performance of the monolithic CGS/CIGS tandem solar cell.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113997"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145099762","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":"Integrated modeling of energy generation and water resource management utilizing floating photovoltaic (FPV) technology in semi-arid regions","authors":"Parisa Ranjbaran , Hossein Yousefi , Maryam Javadinia , Nahid Izanloo , Fatemeh Razi Astaraei , Mahmood Abdoos","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113983","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113983","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study proposes an integrated energy-water management framework employing Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) technology for deployment in semi-arid regions, with Chah-Nimeh Lake in Iran as a case study. The system combines Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for dynamic reconfiguration of 9 × 9 PV arrays under partial shading conditions, a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC)-based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interface for stable and efficient power transmission, and the Penman–Monteith model to quantify water evaporation reduction. The PSO-based configuration achieves a peak power output of 14.58 kW and reduces mismatch losses by 46.9 % compared to the Total Cross-Tied (TCT) arrangement. The results show that full FPV surface coverage yields a 75 % reduction in evaporation, which shows the system’s dual benefits for energy generation and water conservation. This work presents a scalable, high-performance solution for sustainable development in water-stressed environments by addressing the energy-water nexus through FPV deployment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113983"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145099765","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113975
Jiasong Li , Peiwang Zhu , Jiaquan Zhang , Xiangyu Xie , Fengyuan Chai , Yiming Bao , Jueyuan Gong , Qingxuan Cui , Gang Xiao
{"title":"Multi-stage fluidized-bed heat exchanger modeling for high-temperature energy storage: Particle transport and heat transfer","authors":"Jiasong Li , Peiwang Zhu , Jiaquan Zhang , Xiangyu Xie , Fengyuan Chai , Yiming Bao , Jueyuan Gong , Qingxuan Cui , Gang Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems, combined with Thermal Energy Storage (TES), enhance stability and reliability of renewable energy. The particle-based approach in CSP offers advantages due to its high-temperature stability and design flexibility. The fluidized-bed particle heat exchanger, provides a high heat transfer coefficient on the particle side, thereby enhancing the overall heat transfer performance. However, because of the randomness of particle motion within the fluidized bed, understanding the thermodynamic parameters at various locations is both challenging and critical for modeling heat transfer process and, in thermochemical particle heat exchangers, chemical reactions. This study developed a fluidized-bed particle transport model based on Computational Fluid Dynamics coupled with Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) and a Markov chain-based statistical model. The unloaded bed startup process can be categorized into three distinct stages, with particles exhibiting favorable transport behavior in the later stages, thereby creating beneficial conditions for enhancing the heat transfer performance. A dynamic heat transfer model in two dimensions was formulated, showing variations in bed temperature that align with experimental observations. The more pronounced variation along the flow direction of working fluid is linked to the distribution differences of particles, while the less pronounced variation along the bed height direction is attributed to the significant particle transport behavior. Finally, a comparison between the dynamic heat transfer model and experiments showed an average Pearson correlation coefficient (r) > 0.93. This work provides a modeling framework and establishes a baseline for creating coupled heat transfer and chemical reaction models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113975"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060485","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113961
C. Oskay , M. Bik , C. Grimme , E. White , S. Auler , M. Kerbstadt , G. Alkan , P. Mechnich , G. San Vicente , A. Morales , F. Sutter , D. Benitez , A.C. González Alves , N. Benameur , S. Merlin , M. Galetz
{"title":"Microstructural stability of coatings with high solar absorptance for ceramic particles during thermocyclic exposure for concentrated solar thermal applications","authors":"C. Oskay , M. Bik , C. Grimme , E. White , S. Auler , M. Kerbstadt , G. Alkan , P. Mechnich , G. San Vicente , A. Morales , F. Sutter , D. Benitez , A.C. González Alves , N. Benameur , S. Merlin , M. Galetz","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spinel-based coatings were deposited on Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-rich ceramic particles to investigate their microstructural stability and optical properties during thermocyclic oxidation at 1000 °C for up to 3000 h. The solar absorptance over time remained stable at a very high level (around 97 %) for the Cu-Cr and Cu-Mn-Co spinel coatings, whereas the Cu-Mn-Fe spinel coating showed a significant increase in its solar absorptance during early stages of exposure and thereafter maintained a stable behavior around 95 %. The microstructural investigations, coupling EPMA analysis with phase mapping via Raman spectroscopy, revealed the formation of complex microstructures consisting of different spinel phases for the coatings due to high temperature interdiffusion between the spinels and the substrate, respectively. Such exchange reactions continued during thermocyclic exposure, but they did not affect the highly promising long-term solar absorptance of the coatings for particle-based CST applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113961"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060453","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113979
Ziqi Zhao, Dan Peng, Cheng Chen, Ziyang Xia, Chengyang Liu, Mengde Zhai, Wenbin Zhang, Xiangyu Ni, Ming Cheng
{"title":"Asymmetric carbazole-based hole transport material for perovskite solar cells","authors":"Ziqi Zhao, Dan Peng, Cheng Chen, Ziyang Xia, Chengyang Liu, Mengde Zhai, Wenbin Zhang, Xiangyu Ni, Ming Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hole transport materials (HTMs) are essential for restricting charge recombination in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Asymmetric HTMs, though rarely reported, have exhibited significantly improved molecular dipolar moment and interesting charge transport properties compared to their symmetrical counterparts. In this work, we report an asymmetric HTM, <strong>MC-ACD</strong>, based on a 9-(4-methoxyphenyl)-9H-carbazole core functionalized with two different donor groups. The designed conjugated planar asymmetric configuration promotes extensive π-electron delocalization and facilitates stronger intermolecular π-π stacking, thereby significantly enhancing charge transport efficiency. As a result, PSCs incorporating <strong>MC-ACD</strong> render a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.2 %, surpassing both fluorene-based analogs (22.96 %) and the widely used Spiro-OMeTAD (22.52 %). This work provides critical insights for developing efficient, structurally simple small molecule HTMs for next-generation solar energy conversion systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113979"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060481","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113878
Jose A. Ruiz-Arias , Enrique Domínguez , Christian A. Gueymard
{"title":"Comparison of conventional and simple artificial neural network models for high-performance separation of global solar irradiance components at minutely resolution","authors":"Jose A. Ruiz-Arias , Enrique Domínguez , Christian A. Gueymard","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113878","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113878","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar radiation components are required by most solar applications, but global horizontal irradiance (GHI) is the only measurement or model output that is usually available. Empirical component separation models separate GHI into its components and are the only practical solution that can ensure the availability of the solar components on a global scale. The growing availability of public observed datasets and the rise of machine learning (ML) have paved the way for a new modeling framework, where conventional and ML-based models now coexist. Many ML techniques have been proposed so far, but they have not been clearly found to improve the best conventional models on a global scale. Moreover, the complexity of some ML approaches is out of the reach of normal users, which is detrimental to their practical adoption in regular applications. This study investigates whether a basic artificial neural network (ANN) with a reduced number of easily accessible input variables can outperform the best conventional separation models on a global scale. Three ANN versions with different input combinations are tested using a global database of 117 radiometric stations, and are evaluated against 13 of the best conventional models. Although two of the ANN models are not conclusively better than the best conventional separation model, proving that ML-based models are not necessarily better than conventional models, the third one is consistently better at nearly all ground sites, reducing the average root mean square error of the predicted direct normal irradiance from <span><math><mo>≈</mo></math></span>16% with the best conventional model to <span><math><mo>≈</mo></math></span>14%.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113878"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060483","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113932
Xiaoqing Gao , Liwei Yang , Zhenchao Li , Dongyu Jia , Shuyuan Ren , Yanhong Ma
{"title":"Influence of urban rooftop photovoltaic deployment on thermal environment during a heatwave event in complex terrain","authors":"Xiaoqing Gao , Liwei Yang , Zhenchao Li , Dongyu Jia , Shuyuan Ren , Yanhong Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the influence of rooftop photovoltaic panels (RPVPs) on the thermal environment during a heatwave event in Lanzhou, a complex terrain city in China. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the Building Effect Parameterization and Building Energy Model (BEP + BEM), we simulate the impacts of RPVPs with varying coverage rates (25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 %) on near-surface temperature, urban heat island (UHI) effect, urban dry island (UDI) effect, and human thermal comfort. The results demonstrate that RPVPs reduce urban temperatures during both daytime and nighttime, exhibiting a more pronounced cooling effect in the eastern part of the city throughout the daytime and in the central area during nighttime. As the coverage rate of RPVPs increases, the UHI intensity (UHII) is significantly mitigated, particularly in the afternoon, with a maximum reduction of 0.71 K. Furthermore, RPVPs also alleviate the UDI effect, especially between 14:00 and 18:00. Finally, RPVPs improve human thermal comfort by lowering the heat index (HI) during peak heat periods, with the more significant benefits in the eastern and southern urban areas. This study highlights the potential of RPVPs as an effective urban climate mitigation strategy in complex terrain cities, providing scientific insights for sustainable urban development in arid and semi-arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113932"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060486","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113929
Mikel Arrubla , Miguel García , Luis Marroyo , Iñigo García
{"title":"On the calculation of the optimum position of a horizontal single axis tracker under any sky conditions","authors":"Mikel Arrubla , Miguel García , Luis Marroyo , Iñigo García","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113929","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113929","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many current PV installations incorporate solar tracking systems that always seek to orient the surface of the modules as perpendicular as possible to the Sun (astronomical tracking). This position of the trackers is easy to calculate and allows to maximize the beam irradiance captured, which is by far the largest component of irradiance on a sunny day. However, under other sky conditions, this positioning strategy does not necessarily maximize the total irradiance captured by the PV modules and other tracking strategies could increase the PV generation at no additional cost. The proper design and evaluation of such strategies requires to know the optimum position of a PV tracker as a function of the sky conditions, but the analytical calculation of that position is still an open question in the state of the art. In this paper, two analytical expressions have been developed to calculate the optimal position of a horizontal single-axis tracker under any sky condition. One of them uses a new isotropic-diffuse transposition factor developed in this paper to consider the influence of adjacent trackers in the diffuse irradiance received by modules. All the expressions proposed here have been experimentally validated in a PV installation specifically designed to measure the optimal position of a horizontal single-axis tracker. The experimental results not only allow to determine which of the proposed expressions better approaches the measured optimal position, but also to properly compare their impact on the total irradiation received by the PV modules.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113929"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060487","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 : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2025.113995
Mohamed Ait oufakir , Rubayyi T. Alqahtani , Younes Chrafih , Abdelhamid Ajbar
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Next-gen solar: revealing the promise of CsPbI3/CsSnI3 tandem cells” [Sol. Energy 298 (2025) 113665]","authors":"Mohamed Ait oufakir , Rubayyi T. Alqahtani , Younes Chrafih , Abdelhamid Ajbar","doi":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solener.2025.113995","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":428,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 113995"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060387","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}