SolarPub Date : 2024-02-22DOI: 10.3390/solar4010005
Khadija Barhmi, Chris Heynen, S. Golroodbari, W. V. van Sark
{"title":"A Review of Solar Forecasting Techniques and the Role of Artificial Intelligence","authors":"Khadija Barhmi, Chris Heynen, S. Golroodbari, W. V. van Sark","doi":"10.3390/solar4010005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/solar4010005","url":null,"abstract":"Solar energy forecasting is essential for the effective integration of solar power into electricity grids and the optimal management of renewable energy resources. Distinguishing itself from the existing literature, this review study provides a nuanced contribution by centering on advancements in forecasting techniques. While preceding reviews have examined factors such as meteorological input parameters, time horizons, the preprocessing methodology, optimization, and sample size, our study uniquely delves into a diverse spectrum of time horizons, spanning ultrashort intervals (1 min to 1 h) to more extended durations (up to 24 h). This temporal diversity equips decision makers in the renewable energy sector with tools for enhanced resource allocation and refined operational planning. Our investigation highlights the prominence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, specifically focusing on Neural Networks in solar energy forecasting, and we review supervised learning, regression, ensembles, and physics-based methods. This showcases a multifaceted approach to address the intricate challenges associated with solar energy predictions. The integration of Satellite Imagery, weather predictions, and historical data further augments precision in forecasting. In assessing forecasting models, our study describes various error metrics. While the existing literature discusses the importance of metrics, our emphasis lies on the significance of standardized datasets and benchmark methods to ensure accurate evaluations and facilitate meaningful comparisons with naive forecasts. This study stands as a significant advancement in the field, fostering the development of accurate models crucial for effective renewable energy planning and emphasizing the imperative for standardization, thus addressing key gaps in the existing research landscape.","PeriodicalId":517023,"journal":{"name":"Solar","volume":"9 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140439122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SolarPub Date : 2024-02-04DOI: 10.3390/solar4010004
Roberto Jakomin, S. Rampino, G. Spaggiari, Michele Casappa, Giovanna Trevisi, Elena Del Canale, Enos Gombia, M. Bronzoni, Kodjo Kekeli Sossoe, Francesco Mezzadri, F. Pattini
{"title":"Cu-Doped Sb2Se3 Thin-Film Solar Cells Based on Hybrid Pulsed Electron Deposition/Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Growth Techniques","authors":"Roberto Jakomin, S. Rampino, G. Spaggiari, Michele Casappa, Giovanna Trevisi, Elena Del Canale, Enos Gombia, M. Bronzoni, Kodjo Kekeli Sossoe, Francesco Mezzadri, F. Pattini","doi":"10.3390/solar4010004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/solar4010004","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, research attention has increasingly focused on thin-film photovoltaics utilizing Sb2Se3 as an ideal absorber layer. This compound is favored due to its abundance, non-toxic nature, long-term stability, and the potential to employ various cost-effective and scalable vapor deposition (PVD) routes. On the other hand, improving passivation, surface treatment and p-type carrier concentration is essential for developing high-performance and commercially viable Sb2Se3 solar cells. In this study, Cu-doped Sb2Se3 solar devices were fabricated using two distinct PVD techniques, pulsed electron deposition (PED) and radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS). Furthermore, 5%Cu:Sb2Se3 films grown via PED exhibited high open-circuit voltages (VOC) of around 400 mV but very low short-circuit current densities (JSC). Conversely, RFMS-grown Sb2Se3 films resulted in low VOC values of around 300 mV and higher JSC. To enhance the photocurrent, we employed strategies involving a thin NaF layer to introduce controlled local doping at the back interface and a bilayer p-doped region grown sequentially using PED and RFMS. The optimized Sb2Se3 bilayer solar cell achieved a maximum efficiency of 5.25%.","PeriodicalId":517023,"journal":{"name":"Solar","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139896614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SolarPub Date : 2024-01-09DOI: 10.3390/solar4010003
Hussain Al Mahdi, Paul G. Leahy, Mohammad Alghoul, Alan P. Morrison
{"title":"A Review of Photovoltaic Module Failure and Degradation Mechanisms: Causes and Detection Techniques","authors":"Hussain Al Mahdi, Paul G. Leahy, Mohammad Alghoul, Alan P. Morrison","doi":"10.3390/solar4010003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/solar4010003","url":null,"abstract":"With the global increase in the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) modules in recent years, the need to explore and understand their reported failure mechanisms has become crucial. Despite PV modules being considered reliable devices, failures and extreme degradations often occur. Some degradations and failures within the normal range may be minor and not cause significant harm. Others may initially be mild but can rapidly deteriorate, leading to catastrophic accidents, particularly in harsh environments. This paper conducts a state-of-the-art literature review to examine PV failures, their types, and their root causes based on the components of PV modules (from protective glass to junction box). It outlines the hazardous consequences arising from PV module failures and describes the potential damage they can bring to the PV system. The literature reveals that each component is susceptible to specific types of failure, with some components deteriorating on their own and others impacting additional PV components, leading to more severe failures. Finally, this review briefly summarises PV failure detection techniques, emphasising the significance of electrical characterisation techniques and underlining the importance of considering more electrical parameters. Most importantly, this review identifies the most prevalent degradation processes, laying the foundation for further investigation by the PV research community through modelling and experimental studies. This allows for early detection by comparing PV performance when failures or degradation occur to prevent serious progression. It is worth noting that most of the studies included in this review primarily focus on detailing failures and degradation observed in PV operations, which can be attributed to various factors, including the manufacturing process and other external influences. Hence, they provide explanations of these failure mechanisms and causes but do not extensively explore corrective actions or propose solutions based on either laboratory experiments or real-world experience. Although, within this field of study, there are corresponding studies that have designed experiments to suggest preventive measures and potential solutions, an in-depth review of those studies is beyond the scope of this paper. However, this paper, in turn, serves as a valuable resource for scholars by confining PV failures to critically evaluate available studies for preventative measures and corrective actions.","PeriodicalId":517023,"journal":{"name":"Solar","volume":"25 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140511637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SolarPub Date : 2024-01-08DOI: 10.3390/solar4010002
Lisete Fernandes, Pedro B. Tavares
{"title":"A Review on Solar Drying Devices: Heat Transfer, Air Movement and Type of Chambers","authors":"Lisete Fernandes, Pedro B. Tavares","doi":"10.3390/solar4010002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/solar4010002","url":null,"abstract":"Food waste is one of the biggest challenges we are facing nowadays. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, approximately one-third of all food produced in the world is lost at some stage between production and consumption, totaling 930 million tons of food per year. Meanwhile, 10.5% of humanity suffers from malnutrition, 26% are overweight and greenhouse gases derived from the food industry account for between 25 and 30% of total emissions (8 to 10% referring to food waste), exacerbating the current climate crisis. To address these concerns, there has been a growing inclination to seek alternatives to fossil fuels, including the adoption of solar energy across diverse sectors, including the food industry. Actions are needed in order to change these patterns. This review article aims to provide an overview of recent developments in the field of solar food dehydration and the types of dehydrators that have emerged. Extensive research and bibliographic analysis, including other review articles, have revealed a growing focus on investment in this area to develop solar dehydrators that are increasingly effective but as sustainable as possible.","PeriodicalId":517023,"journal":{"name":"Solar","volume":"6 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140512131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}