Search results for: solar chemistry

Authors: Yousef Abdulaziz Almolhem

Abstract:

Geographically, the most Arabic countries locate in areas confined to arid or semiarid regions. For this reason, most of our countries have adopted the seawater desalination as a strategy to overcome this problem. For example, the water supply of AUE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia is almost 100% from the seawater desalination plants. Many areas in Saudia Arabia and other countries in the world suffer from lack of fresh water which hinders the development of these areas, despite the availability of saline water and high solar radiation intensity. Furthermore, most developing countries do not have sufficient meteorological data to evaluate if the solar radiation is enough to meet the solar desalination. A mathematical model was developed to simulate and predict the thermal behavior of the solar still which used direct solar energy for distillation of seawater. Measurement data were measured in the Environment and Natural Resources Department, Faculty of Agricultural and Food sciences, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, in order to evaluate the present model. The simulation results obtained from this model were compared with the measured data. The main results of this research showed that there are slight differences between the measured and predicted values of the elements studied, which is resultant from the change of some factors considered constants in the model such as the sky clearance, wind velocity and the salt concentration in the water in the basin of the solar still. It can be concluded that the present model can be used to estimate the average total solar radiation and the thermal behavior of the solar still in any area with consideration to the geographical location.

Keywords: mathematical model, sea water, distillation, solar radiation

Procedia PDF Downloads 283

Authors: M. Chavez, H. Juarez, M. Pacio, O. Portillo

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PbS chemical bath heterojunction sollar cells have shown significant improvements in performance. Here we demonstrate a solar cell based on the heterojunction formed between PbS layer and PbS:Bi3+ thin films that are deposited via solution process at 40°C. The device achieve an current density of 4 mA/cm2. The simple and low-cost deposition method of PbS:Bi3+ films is promising for the fabrication.

Keywords: PbS doped, Bismuth, solar cell, thin films

Procedia PDF Downloads 553

Authors: T. H. Huang, C. Y. Gao, C. H. Lin, J. L. Kwo, Y. K. Tseng

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The design and reliability of solar photovoltaic modules are crucial to the development of solar energy, and efforts are still being made to extend the life of photovoltaic modules to improve their efficiency because natural aging is time-consuming and does not provide manufacturers and investors with timely information, accelerated aging is currently the best way to estimate the life of photovoltaic modules. In this study, the accelerated aging of different light sources was combined with spectral response measurements to understand the effect of light sources on aging tests. In this study, there are two types of experimental samples: packaged and unpackaged and then irradiated with full-spectrum and UVC light sources for accelerated aging, as well as a control group without aging. The full-spectrum aging was performed by irradiating the solar cell with a xenon lamp like the solar spectrum for two weeks, while the accelerated aging was performed by irradiating the solar cell with a UVC lamp for two weeks. The samples were first visually observed, and infrared thermal images were taken, and then the electrical (IV) and Spectral Responsivity (SR) data were obtained by measuring the spectral response of the samples, followed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results of electrical (IV) and Spectral Responsivity (SR) and material analyses were used to compare the differences between packaged and unpackaged solar cells with full spectral aging, accelerated UVC aging, and unaged solar cells. The main objective of this study is to compare the difference in the aging of packaged and unpackaged solar cells by irradiating different light sources. We determined by infrared thermal imaging that both full-spectrum aging and UVC accelerated aging increase the defects of solar cells, and IV measurements demonstrated that the conversion efficiency of solar cells decreases after full-spectrum aging and UVC accelerated aging. SEM observed some scorch marks on both unpackaged UVC accelerated aging solar cells and unpackaged full-spectrum aging solar cells. Raman spectroscopy examines the Si intensity of solar cells, and XRD confirms the crystallinity of solar cells by the intensity of Si and Ag winding peaks.

Keywords: solar cell, aging, spectral response measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 100

Authors: Khaled A. Madi, Abdulalhakim O. Naji, Hassouna A. Aalaoh, Elmahdi Eldeeb

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Solar energy is one of the cleanest energy sources with no environmental impact. Due to rapid increase in industrial as well as domestic needs, solar energy becomes a good candidate for safe and easy to handle energy source, especially after it becomes available due to reduction of manufacturing price. The main part of the solar inverter system is the inverter where the DC is inverted to AC, where we try to minimize the loss of power to the minimum possible level by the use of microcontroller. In this work, a deep investigation is made experimentally as well as theoretically for a microcontroller based variable frequency power inverter. The microcontroller will provide the variable frequency Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal that will control the switching of the gate of the Insulating Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) with less harmonics at the output of power inverter which can be fed to the public grid at high quality. The proposed work for single phase as well as three phases is also simulated using Matlab/Simulink where we found a good agreement between the simulated and the practical results, even though the experimental work were done in the laboratory of the academy.

Keywords: solar, inverter, PV, solar inverter system

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Authors: Ismail Borazan, Ayse Celik Bedeloglu, Ali Demir, David Carroll

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In this project, PEDOT:PSS layer was treated with formic acid, sulphuric acid, and hydrochloric acid, methanol, acetone, and dichlorobenzene:methanol. The resistivity measurements with 2-probes were carried out and the best-chosen method was employed to make an organic solar cell device.

Keywords: organic solar cells, PEDOT:PSS, polymer electrodes, resistivity

Procedia PDF Downloads 814

Authors: Ahmad Shah Irshad, Naqibullah Kargar, Wais Samadi

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Building an integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system is a new and modern technique for solar energy production in Kandahar. Due to its location, Kandahar has abundant sources of solar energy. People use both monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar PV modules for the grid-connected solar PV system, and they don’t know which technology performs better for the BIPV system. This paper analyses the parameters described by IEC61724, “Photovoltaic System Performance Monitoring Guidelines for Measurement, Data Exchange and Analysis,” to evaluate which technology shows better performance for the BIPV system. The monocrystalline silicon BIPV system has a 3.1% higher array yield than the polycrystalline silicon BIPV system. The final yield is 0.2%, somewhat higher for monocrystalline silicon than polycrystalline silicon. Monocrystalline silicon has 0.2% and 4.5% greater yearly yield factor and capacity factors than polycrystalline silicon, respectively. Monocrystalline silicon shows 0.3% better performance than polycrystalline silicon. With 1.7% reduction and 0.4% addition in collection losses and useful energy produced, respectively, monocrystalline silicon solar PV system shows good performance than polycrystalline silicon solar PV system. But system losses are the same for both technologies. The monocrystalline silicon BIPV system injects 0.2% more energy into the grid than the polycrystalline silicon BIPV system.

Keywords: photovoltaic technologies, performance analysis, solar energy, solar irradiance, performance ratio

Procedia PDF Downloads 371

Authors: Mohammed Ahmed Alghamdi, Hazem Mahmoud Ali Darwish, Mostafa Mohamed Abdelraheem

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Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) possess low resistivity, exhibit good adherence to many substrates, and have good transmission characteristics from the visible to near-infrared wavelengths, which make it useful for various applications. Thin films of transparent conducting oxide (TCO’s) have received much attention because of their wide applications in the field of optoelectronic devices. Advancement of transparent conducting oxides TCO’s may not only lie within the improvement of existing materials in use, but also the development of novel materials. Solar cells are devices, which convert solar energy into electricity, either directly via the photovoltaic effect, or indirectly by first converting the solar energy to heat or chemical energy. Solar power has attracted attention of late as the most advanced of the alternative energy resources. The project aims to access the solar energy in Al-Baha region by search for materials (transparent-conductive oxides (TCO's)) to use in solar cells with highly transparent to the solar spectrum, have low electrical resistivity, be stable under H-plasma, and have a suitable structure in particular for a-Si solar cells. As the PV surface is exposed to the sunlight, the module temperature increases. High ambient temperatures along with long sunlight exposure time increases the temperature impact on PV cells efficiency. Since Al-Baha area is characterized by an atmosphere and pressure different from their counterparts in Saudi Arabia due to the height above sea level, hence it is appropriate to do studies to improve the efficiency of solar cells under these conditions. In this work, some ion change materials will be deposited using either sputtering/ or electron beam evaporation techniques. The optical properties of the synthesized materials will be studied in details for solar cell application. As we will study the effect of some dyes on the optical properties of the prepared films. The efficiency and other parameters of solar cell will be determined.

Keywords: thin films, solar cell, optical properties, electrical properties

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Authors: Nora Arbaoui, Rachid Tadili, Ilham Ihoume

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Climate change and its effects on low external temperatures in winter require great consumption of energy to improve the greenhouse microclimate and increase agricultural production. To reduce the amount of energy consumed, a solar system has been developed to heat an agricultural greenhouse. This system is based on a transfer fluid that will circulate inside the greenhouse through a solar copper coil positioned on the roof of the greenhouse. This thermal energy accumulated during the day will be stored to be released during the night to improve the greenhouse’s microclimate. The use of this solar heating system has resulted in an average increase in the greenhouse’s indoor temperature of 8.3°C compared to the outdoor environment. This improved temperature has created a more favorable climate for crops and has subsequently had a positive effect on their development, quality, and production.

Keywords: solar system, agricultural greenhouse, heating, cooling, storage, drying

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Mazen Zaki, Sherwat E. Ibrahim

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Renewable energy has become a very important and critical topic all around the world due to the limited resources that led to shifting to the trend of renewable energy and its integration with the conventional ones. This paper investigates the adoption of the solar energy technology for up-scale residential sector in Cairo, Egypt. The technology acceptance model uses several stakeholder points’ of views to develop vignettes to be used in examining the intention and attitude of the householders to adopt the solar energy technology.

Keywords: solar energy, technology acceptance model, TAM, stakeholder analysis, vignette, residential sector

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Elmo Thiago Lins Cöuras Ford, Valentina Alessandra Carvalho do Vale

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It presents a heating system using low cost alternative solar collectors to promote the disinfection of water in low income communities that take water contaminated by bacteria. The system consists of two solar collectors, with total area of 4 m² and was built using PET bottles and cans of beer and soft drinks. Each collector is made up of 8 PVC tubes, connected in series and work in continuous flow. It will determine the flux the most appropriate to generate the temperature to promote the disinfection. Will be presented results of the efficiency and thermal loss of system and results of analysis of water after undergoing the process of heating.

Keywords: disinfection of water, solar heating system, poor communities, PVC

Procedia PDF Downloads 478

Authors: Munirah Stapah Salleh, Ahmad Rosly Abbas, Sazalina Zakaria, Nur Iffika Ruslan, Nurfaziera Rahim

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One of the areas that require a massive amount of energy is the airport. Hence, several airports have increased their reliance on renewable energy, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, to solve the issue. The interest regarding the installations of airport-based solar farms caught much attention. This, at the same time, helps to minimize the reliance on conventional energy sources that are fossil-based. However, many concerns were raised on the solar PV systems, especially on the effect of potential glare occurrence to the pilots during their flies. This paper will be discussing both the positive and negative impact of the large scale solar power plant on airports and aviation. Installing the large scale solar have negative impacts on airport and aviation, such as physical collision hazards, potential interference, or voltage problems with aircraft navigational and surveillance equipment as well as potential glare. On the positive side, it helps to lower environmental footprint, acquiring less energy from the utility provider, which are traditionally highly relying on other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment, and, last but not least, reduce the power supply uncertainty.

Keywords: solar photovoltaic systems, large scale solar, airport, glare effects

Procedia PDF Downloads 213

Authors: M. Akhlaque Ahmed, Sidra A. Shaikh, Maliha A. Siddiqui

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Global and diffuse solar radiation on horizontal surface of Lower Sindh, namely Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah were carried out using sunshine hour data of the area to assess the feasibility of solar energy utilization for power generation in Sindh province. The results obtained show a large variation in the direct and diffuse component of solar radiation in summer and winter months in Lower Sindh (50% direct and 50% diffuse for Karachi and Hyderabad). In Nawabshah area, the contribution of diffuse solar radiation is low during the monsoon months, July and August. The K_T value of Nawabshah indicates a clear sky throughout almost the entire year. The percentage of diffuse radiation does not exceed more than 20%. In Nawabshah, the appearance of cloud is rare even during the monsoon months. The estimated values indicate that Nawabshah has high solar potential, whereas Karachi and Hyderabad have low solar potential. During the monsoon months the Lower part of Sindh can utilize the hybrid system with wind power. Near Karachi and Hyderabad, the wind speed ranges between 6.2 m/sec to 6.9 m/sec. A wind corridor exists near Karachi, Hyderabad, Gharo, Keti Bander and Shah Bander. The short fall of solar can be compensated by wind because in the monsoon months of July and August, wind speeds are higher in the Lower region of Sindh.

Keywords: hybrid power system, lower Sindh, power generation, solar and wind energy potential

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Authors: Elison Eduardo Jardim Bierhals, Claudineia Brazil, Francisco Pereira, Elton Rossini

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The use of alternative energy sources to meet energy demand reduces environmental damage. To diversify an energy matrix and to minimize global warming, a solar energy is gaining space, being an important source of renewable energy, and its potential depends on the climatic conditions of the region. Brazil presents a great solar potential for a generation of electric energy, so the knowledge of solar radiation and its characteristics are fundamental for the study of energy use. Due to the above reasons, this article aims to verify the climatic variability corresponding to the variations in solar radiation anomalies, in the face of climate change scenarios. The data used in this research are part of the Intercomparison of Interconnected Models, Phase 5 (CMIP5), which contributed to the preparation of the fifth IPCC-AR5 report. The solar radiation data were extracted from The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) model using the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios that represent an intermediate structure and a pessimistic framework, the latter being the most worrisome in all cases. In order to allow the use of solar radiation as a source of energy in a given location and/or region, it is important, first, to determine its availability, thus justifying the importance of the study. The results pointed out, for the 75-year period (2026-2100), based on a pessimistic scenario, indicate a drop in solar radiation of the approximately 12% in the eastern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Factors that influence the pessimistic prospects of this scenario should be better observed by the responsible authorities, since they can affect the possibility to produce electricity from solar radiation.

Keywords: climate change, energy, IPCC, solar radiation

Procedia PDF Downloads 192

Authors: Nishitha Chowdary, Prabhav Dwivedi

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Solar radiation (or insolation) is responsible for 174 petawatts (PW) of energy reaching the Earth's atmosphere. About one-third of this is reflected in space. Solar energy is by far the most abundant source of energy on Earth. In this study to use solar energy to the fullest in a solar air heater, An analysis of a solar air heater duct roughened with fixed cylindrical ribs in 3-D has been done using CFD. These fixed cylindrical ribs have a uniform circular cross-section and are placed in transverse in-line and staggered arrangements. The orientation of ribs has been fixed and is perpendicular to the in-flow direction. Cylindrical ribs are arranged periodically with fixed pitch; therefore, one pitch length is only considered in the present study. Validation has been done with smooth as well as with roughened duct and is matched perfectly with the developed correlations. Geometric parameters, namely rib height (e), ranges from 1 to 2 mm and pitch ranges from 10 to 40 mm are used in the present investigation. Thermo-hydraulic performance parameters in terms of average Nusselt number and friction factor have been extracted for Reynolds number ranging 5000—18000 to optimize the performance of roughened duct.

Keywords: cylindrical ribs, solar air heater, thermo-hydraulic performance factor, roughened duct

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Intissar Benrhouma, Marta Victoria, Ignacio Anton, Bechir Chaouachi

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Concentrating photovoltaic systems CPV use optical elements, such as Fresnel lenses, to concentrate solar intensity. The concentrated solar energy is delivered to the solar cell from 20 to 100 W/cm². Some of this energy is converted to electricity, while the rest must be disposed of as a residual heat. Solar cells cooling should be a necessary part of CPV modeling because these systems allowed increasing the power received by the cell. This high power can rise the electrons’ potential causing the heating of the cell, which reduces the global module’s efficiency. This work consists of modeling a concentrating photovoltaic module with and without a cooling system. We have established a theoretical model based on energy balances carried out on a photovoltaic module using solar radiation concentration cells. Subsequently, we developed a calculation program on Matlab which allowed us to simulate the functioning of this module. The obtained results show that the addition of a cooling system to the module improves greatly the performance of our CPV system.

Keywords: solar energy, photovoltaic, concentration, cooling, performance improvement

Procedia PDF Downloads 398

Authors: Marcin Kowalski, Tomasz Wiktor, Piotr Ladonski, Krzysztof Bortnowski, Szymon Przybyl, Mateusz Grzesiak

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This paper provides a detailed overview of the so-called smart grid or vehicle-to-grid idea, including a description of our way of implementation. The primary targets of this paper are technical students, young constructors, visionaries, however more experienced designers may find useful ideas for developing their vehicles. The publication will also be useful for home-grown builders who want to save on electricity. This article as well summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of V2G solution and might be helpful for students teams planning to participate in Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

Keywords: solar powered vehicle, vehicle to grid, electric car, v2g, bridgestone world solar challenge

Procedia PDF Downloads 201

Authors: Sheila Shamuganathan, Mageswary Karpudewan

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This study investigated the effectiveness of green chemistry integrated with Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) in enhancing matriculation students’ responsible environmental behaviour. For this purpose 207 matriculation students were randomly assigned into experimental (N=118) and control (N=89) group. For the experimental group the chemistry concepts were taught using the instructional approach of green chemistry integrated with Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) while for the control group the same content was taught using green chemistry. The data was analysed using ANCOVA and findings obtained from the quantitative analysis reveals that there is significant changes in responsible environmental behaviour (F 1,204) = 32.13 (ηp² = 0.14) which favours the experimental group. The responses of the qualitative data obtained from an interview with the experimental group also further strengthen and indicated a significant improvement in responsible environmental behaviour. The outcome of the study suggests that using green chemistry integrated with Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) could be an alternative approach to improve students’ responsible environmental behaviour towards the environment.

Keywords: science writing heuristic, green chemistry, pro environmental behaviour, laboratory

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Authors: Sue-Yi Chen, Wei-Chun Hsu, Jon-Yiew Gan

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Si-based double-junction tandem solar cells have become a popular research topic because of the advantages of low manufacturing cost and high energy conversion efficiency. However, there is no set of calculations to select the appropriate top cell materials. Therefore, this paper will propose a simple but practical selection method. First of all, we calculate the S-Q limit and explain the reasons for developing tandem solar cells. Secondly, we calculate the theoretical energy conversion efficiency of the double-junction tandem solar cells while combining the commercial monocrystalline Si and materials' practical efficiency to consider the actual situation. Finally, we conservatively conclude that if considering 75% performance of the theoretical energy conversion efficiency of the top cell, the suitable bandgap energy range will fall between 1.38eV to 2.5eV. Besides, we also briefly describe some improvements of several proper materials, CZTS, CdSe, Cu2O, ZnTe, and CdS, hoping that future research can select and manufacture high-efficiency Si-based tandem solar cells based on this paper successfully. Most importantly, our calculation method is not limited to silicon solely. If other materials’ performances match or surpass silicon's ability in the future, researchers can also apply this set of deduction processes.

Keywords: high-efficiency solar cells, material selection, Si-based double-junction solar cells, Tandem solar cells, photovoltaics.

Procedia PDF Downloads 115

Authors: Ater Amogpai

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Hydropower and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation are crucial in sustainability and transitioning from fossil fuel to clean energy. Integrating renewable energy sources such as hydropower and solar photovoltaic (PV) into the distributed networks contributes to achieving energy balance, pollution mitigation, and cost reduction. Frequent power outages and a lack of load reliability characterize the current South Sudan electricity distribution system. The country’s electricity demand is 300MW; however, the installed capacity is around 212.4M. Insufficient funds to build new electricity facilities and expand generation are the reasons for the gap in installed capacity. The South Sudan Ministry of Energy and Dams gave a contract to an Egyptian Elsewedy Electric Company that completed the construction of a solar PV plant in 2023. The plant has a 35 MWh battery storage and 20 MW solar PV system capacity. The construction of Juba Solar PV Park started in 2022 to increase the current installed capacity in Juba City to 53 MW. The plant will begin serving 59000 residents in Juba and save 10,886.2t of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.

Keywords: renewable energy, hydropower, solar energy, photovoltaic, South Sudan

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: Viktor Novikov, Yuri Ruzhin

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The studies completed to-date on a relation of the Earth's seismicity and solar processes provide the fuzzy and contradictory results. For verification of an idea that solar flares can trigger earthquakes, we have analyzed a case of a powerful surge of solar flash activity early in September 2017 during approaching the minimum of 24th solar cycle was accompanied by significant disturbances of space weather. On September 6, 2017, a group of sunspots AR2673 generated a large solar flare of X9.3 class, the strongest flare over the past twelve years. Its explosion produced a coronal mass ejection partially directed towards the Earth. We carried out a statistical analysis of the catalogs of earthquakes USGS and EMSC for determination of the effect of solar flares on global seismic activity. New evidence of earthquake triggering due to the Sun-Earth interaction has been demonstrated by simple comparison of behavior of Earth's seismicity before and after the strong solar flare. The global number of earthquakes with magnitude of 2.5 to 5.5 within 11 days after the solar flare has increased by 30 to 100%. A possibility of electric/electromagnetic triggering of earthquake due to space weather disturbances is supported by results of field and laboratory studies, where the earthquakes (both natural and laboratory) were initiated by injection of electrical current into the Earth crust. For the specific case of artificial electric earthquake triggering the current density at a depth of earthquake, sources are comparable with estimations of a density of telluric currents induced by variation of space weather conditions due to solar flares. Acknowledgment: The work was supported by RFBR grant No. 18-05-00255.

Keywords: solar flare, earthquake activity, earthquake triggering, solar-terrestrial relations

Procedia PDF Downloads 143

Authors: A. Kianifar, M. Afzali, I. Pishbin

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In this paper, design details, theoretical analysis and thermal performance analysis of a solar energy concentrator suited to combined heat and thermoelectric power generation are presented. The thermoelectric device is attached to the absorber plate to convert concentrated solar energy directly into electric energy at the focus of the concentrator. A cooling channel (water cooled heat sink) is fitted to the cold side of the thermoelectric device to remove the waste heat and maintain a high temperature gradient across the device to improve conversion efficiency.

Keywords: concentrator thermoelectric generator, CTEG, solar energy, thermoelectric cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 305

Authors: M. Akhlaque Ahmed, Sidra A. Shaikh, Maliha A. Siddiqui, Adeel Tahir

Abstract:

Global and diffuse solar radiation on horizontal surface of southern sindh namely Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah were carried out using sunshine hour data of the area to asses the feasibility of solar Energy utilization at Sindh province for power generation. From the observation, result is derived which shows a drastic variation in the diffuse and direct component of solar radiation for summer and winter for Southern Sindh that is both contributes 50% for Karachi and Hyderabad. In Nawabshah area, the contribution of diffuse solar radiation is low in monsoon months, July and August. The Kᴛ value of Nawabshah indicates a clear sky almost throughout the year. The percentage of diffuse radiation does not exceed more than 20%. In Nawabshah, the appearance of cloud is rare even in monsoon months. The estimated values indicate that Nawabshah has high solar potential whereas Karachi and Hyderabad has low solar potential. During the monsoon months, the southern part of Sind can utilize the hybrid system with wind power. Near Karachi and Hyderabad, the wind speed ranges between 6.2 to 6.9 m/sec. There exist a wind corridor near Karachi, Hyderabad, Gharo, Keti Bander and Shah Bander. The short fall of solar can be compensated by wind because in monsoon months July and August the wind speed are higher in the southern region of Sindh.

Keywords: hybrid power system, power generation, solar and wind energy potential, southern Sindh

Procedia PDF Downloads 235

Authors: T. H. Huang, C. L. Fern, Y. K. Tseng

Abstract:

The design and reliability of solar photovoltaic modules are crucial to the development of solar energy, and efforts are still being made to extend the life of photovoltaic modules to improve their efficiency because natural aging is time-consuming and does not provide manufacturers and investors with timely information, accelerated aging is currently the best way to estimate the life of photovoltaic modules. Bifacial solar cells not only absorb light from the front side but also absorb light reflected from the ground on the back side, surpassing the performance of single-sided solar cells. Due to the asymmetry of the two sides of the light, in addition to the difference in photovoltaic conversion efficiency, there will also be differences in heat distribution, which will affect the electrical properties and material structure of the bifacial solar cell itself. In this study, there are two types of experimental samples: packaged and unpackaged and then irradiated with UVC light sources and halogen lamps for accelerated aging, as well as a control group without aging. After two weeks of accelerated aging, the bifacial solar cells were visual observation, and infrared thermal images were taken; then, the samples were subjected to IV measurement, and samples were taken for SEM, Raman, and XRD analyses in order to identify the defects that lead to failure and chemical changes, as well as to analyze the reasons for the degradation of their characteristics. From the results of the analysis, it is found that aging will cause carbonization of the polymer material on the surface of bifacial solar cells, and the crystal structure will be affected.

Keywords: bifacial solar cell, accelerated aging, temperature, characterization, electrical measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: Moncef Balghouthi, Mahmoud Ben Amara, Abdessalem Ben Hadj Ali, Amenallah Guizani

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Concentrated solar power technology constitutes an interesting option to meet a part of future energy demand, especially when considering the high levels of solar radiation and clearness index that are available particularly in Tunisia. In this work, we present three experimental prototypes of solar concentrators installed in the research center of energy CRTEn in Tunisia. Two are medium temperature parabolic trough solar collector used to drive a cooling installation and for steam generation. The third is a parabolic dish concentrator used for hybrid generation of thermal and electric power. Optical and thermal evaluations were presented. Solutions and possibilities to construct locally the mirrors of the concentrator were discussed. In addition, the enhancement of the performances of the receivers by nano selective absorption coatings was studied. The improvement of heat transfer between the receiver and the heat transfer fluid was discussed for each application.

Keywords: solar concentrators, optical and thermal evaluations, cooling and process heat, hybrid thermal and electric generation

Procedia PDF Downloads 255

Authors: Souhila Boukli Hacene, Djamila Kherbouche, Abdelhak Chikhaoui

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In this work, we elucidate theoretically the effect of defects and temperature on the performance of the organic bulk heterojunction solar cell (BHJ) P3HT: PCBM. We have studied the influence of their parameters on cell characteristics. For this purpose, we used the effective medium model and the solar cell simulator (SCAPS) to model the characteristics of the solar cell. We also explore the transport of charge carriers in the device. It was assumed that the mixture is lightly p-type doped and that the band gap contains acceptor defects near the HOMO level with a Gaussian distribution of energy states at 100 and 50 meV. We varied defects density between 1012-1017 cm-3, from 1016 cm-3, a total decrease of the photovoltaic characteristics due to the increase of the non-radiative recombination can be noticed. Then we studied the effect of variation of the electron and the hole capture cross-section on the cell’s performance, we noticed that the cell obtains a better efficiency of about 3.6% for an electron capture cross section ≤ 10-15 cm2 and a hole capture cross section ≤ 10-19 cm2. On the other hand, we also varied the temperature between 120K and 400K. We observed that the temperature of the solar cell induces a noticeable effect on its voltage. While the effect of temperature on the solar cell current is negligible.

Keywords: organic solar cell, P3HT:PCBM, defects, temperature, SCAPS

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: Elmo Thiago Lins Cöuras Ford, Valentina Alessandra Carvalho do Vale

Abstract:

It presents a heating system using low cost alternative solar collectors to promote the disinfection of water in low income communities that take water contaminated by bacteria. The system consists of two solar collectors, with total area of 4 m² and was built using PET bottles and cans of beer and soft drinks. Each collector is made up of 8 PVC tubes, connected in series and work in continuous flow. It will determine the flux the most appropriate to generate the temperature to promote the disinfection. It will be presented results of the efficiency and thermal loss of system and results of analysis of water after undergoing the process of heating.

Keywords: Disinfection of water, solar heating system, poor communities, bioinformatics, biomedicine

Procedia PDF Downloads 485

Authors: Adenike Boyo Olasunkanmi Kesinro, Henry Boyo, Surukite Oluwole

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Utilizing solar energy in producing electricity can minimize environmental pollution generated by fossil fuel in producing electricity. Our research was base on the extraction of dye from Roystonea regia fruit by using methanol as solvent. The dye extracts were used as sensitizers in Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCs). Study was done on the electrical properties from the extracts of Roystonea regia fruit as Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCs). The absorptions of the extracts and extracts with dye were determined at different wavelengths (350-1000nm). Absorption peak was observed at 1.339 at wavelength 400nm. The obtained values for methanol extract Roystonea regia extract are, Imp = 0.015mA, Vmp = 12.0mV, fill factor = 0.763, Isc= 0.018 mA and Voc = 13.1 mV and efficiency of 0.32%. .The phytochemical screening was taken and it was observed that Roystonea regia extract contained less of anthocyanin compared to flavonoids. The nanostructured dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) will provide economically credible alternative to present day silicon p–n junction photovoltaic.

Keywords: methanol, ethanol, titanium dioxide, roystonea regia fruit, dye-sensitized solar cell

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Authors: Adnan Kedir Jarso, Mesfin Megra Rorisa, Haftom Gebreslassie Gebregwergis, Frie Ayalew Yimam, Seada Hussen Adem

Abstract:

A microgrid is a small-scale power grid that can operate independently or in conjunction with the main power grid. It is a promising solution for providing reliable and sustainable energy to remote areas. The integration of solar and vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in a microgrid can provide a stable and efficient source of renewable energy. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the integration of solar and VAWTs in a microgrid. The paper discusses the design, operation, and control of a microgrid that integrates solar and VAWTs. The paper also examines the performance of the microgrid in terms of efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. The paper highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using solar and VAWTs in a microgrid. The paper concludes that the integration of solar and VAWTs in a microgrid is a promising solution for providing reliable and sustainable energy to remote areas. The paper recommends further research to optimize the design and operation of a microgrid that integrates solar and VAWTs. The paper also recommends the development of policies and regulations that promote the use of microgrids that integrate solar and VAWTs. In conclusion, the integration of solar and VAWTs in a microgrid is a promising solution for providing reliable and sustainable energy to remote areas. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the integration of solar and VAWTs in a microgrid and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using solar and VAWTs in a microgrid. The paper recommends further research and the development of policies and regulations that promote the use of microgrids that integrate solar and VAWTs.

Keywords: hybrid generation, intermittent power, optimization, photovoltaic, vertical axis wind turbine

Procedia PDF Downloads 96

Authors: Abir Hmida, Nihel Chekir, Ammar Ben Brahim

Abstract:

In the present paper, we investigate the feasibility of a thermal solar driven cold room in Gabes, southern region of Tunisia. The cold room of 109 m³ is refrigerated using an ammonia absorption machine. It is destined to preserve dates during the hot months of the year. A detailed study of the cold room leads previously to the estimation of the cooling load of the proposed storage room in the operating conditions of the region. The next step consists of the estimation of the required heat in the generator of the absorption machine to ensure the desired cold temperature. A thermodynamic analysis was accomplished and complete description of the system is determined. We propose, here, to provide the needed heat thermally from the sun by using vacuum tube collectors. We found that at least 21m² of solar collectors are necessary to accomplish the work of the solar cold room.

Keywords: absorption, ammonia, cold room, solar collector, vacuum tube

Procedia PDF Downloads 174

Authors: Ahmed N. Shmroukh, Gamal Tag Abdel-Jaber, Rashed D. Aldughpassi

Abstract:

The feasibility of improving the performance of the proposed solar still unit which operated in very hot climate is investigated numerically and verified with experimental data. This solar desalination unit with proposed auxiliary device as seawater preheating system using petrol based textherm oil was used to produce pure fresh water from seawater. The effective evaporation area of basin is about 1 m². The unit was tested in two main operation modes which are normal and with seawater preheating system. The results showed that, there is good agreement between the theoretical data and the experimental data; this means that the numerical model can be accurately dependable for predicting the proposed solar still performance and design parameters. The results also showed that the fresh water productivity of the solar still in the modified preheating case which is higher than normal case, leads to an increase in productivity of 42%.

Keywords: improving productivity, seawater desalination, solar stills, theoretical model

Procedia PDF Downloads 136