The solar cooker is a vital device to attain sustainable development goals. Solar concentrating cookers (SCCs) are preferred mostly for intermediate to high-temperature cooking applications. The solar flux reflected and concentrated by the reflecting surface of the collector of a particular design of SCC are mainly responsible for the heating of the cooking pot/receiver. Hence, the quantification of

Molten salts are often used to store thermal energy in concentrating solar power plants. The need for higher temperature thermal energy storage systems has prompted investigation into salts and structural alloys for use at higher temperatures. A eutectic mixture of 68.05 wt% Na2SO4: 31.95 wt% NaCl salt is a potential phase change material for such systems, with low cost and high latent heat of fusion

A Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) reduced-order model for the latent heat storage process in a direct steam generation solar thermal power (DSG-STP) system is established based on the numerical simulation combined with the Lee model and enthalpy-porosity approach. Then, the computational accuracy and speed of the POD reduced-order model are examined by two unsteady-state cases. The research results

Accurate photovoltaic (PV) power forecasts are essential for the grid integration of the technology. Most solar forecasting studies deal only with solar irradiance forecasting, which highlights the importance of the irradiance to power conversion methods to enable the practical utilization of the advanced irradiance forecasting techniques. The PV power output is commonly calculated with physical model

In this paper, Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4(CZTSSe) thin-films with a front-graded band gap were prepared by plasma sulfurization. The method of selenization followed by low-temperature plasma sulfurization was adopted to effectively control the uneven diffusion of S in the absorption layer. By investigating and analyzing the grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and PL spectra, the CZTSSe

We report on the optimized growth of catalyst-free GaN nanowires (NWs)/p-Si by the vapor–solid (V-S) method using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The effect of NH3 gas flow rate on the morphology and photovoltaic behavior of the material has been investigated. The length and the diameter of the NWs decrease as the NH3 flow rate increases. Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses reveal lower internal

An increase of knowledge of the mid- term performance of building integrated bifacial photovoltaic modules in real conditions is required in order to validate their relevance. Thus, in this work, the experimental study during more than one year of an innovative building integrated bifacial photovoltaic ventilated façade developed in the framework of the CONIPHER Life project and mounted on a test cell

Molten chloride salts are considered a promising thermal storage materials because of their high energy storage density and thermal stability. However, the application of molten chloride salts is districted by its the corrosion behavior with metal containers. Encapsulation is one viable method for corrosion prevention. In this study, molten chloride salts as phase change materials (PCMs) were combined

If rooftop-installed solar energy systems generate more energy than locally consumed, the excess is fed into the electricity grid, increasing the voltage. Rising penetration levels of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems increase voltage levels, thereby threatening power quality. The extent to which solar PV cause grid issues in actual, nation-wide distribution grids, and how these issues correlate with

High specific heat molten-salt is essential for sensible heat thermal energy storage. Current scientific researches focus on Molten-salt nanofluid as a potential solution. However, the causality between system parameters introduced in nanofluid preparation and specific heat enhancement is not clearly understood. Since difficulties are associated with identifying the explicit relations due to complex

We report a solar selective coating of W/WAlSiN/SiON/SiO2 fabricated using a Four-Cathode Reactive Unbalanced Direct Current (DC) magnetron sputtering system with high thermal stability, good durability and resistance to outdoor testing conditions. The coating also exhibits superior mechanical properties (Hardness ∼12 GPa). In addition, thermal shock tests at high temperatures and solar accelerated

We have designed two new BODIPY derivatives, denoted as 6a and 6b, substituted with truxene moiety and triphenylamine (TPA) unit groups and have investigated their optical and electrochemical properties. Dyes 6a and 6b were employed as donor along with PC71BM or Y6 as acceptor for the fabrication of binary and ternary organic solar cells. After optimization of the binary and ternary active layers,

The electrophoretic loading of porous perovskite-lanthanum cobaltite (LaCoO3) on bismuth doped g-C3N4 (Bi@g-C3N4) as a novel photoanode was designed for the efficient photoelectrocatalytic water splitting. Before loading cocatalyst, the photoelectrocatalytic oxygen evolution of g-C3N4 was investigated with various amounts of Bi. The photoconversion efficiency enhanced more than 3.7 times for 3.6% Bi

This article investigates the discrepancy between the theoretical and the experimental optical characterisation results of a Fresnel Lens - silicon on glass (SOG), as a primary optical component toward UHCPV of >3000 suns design (Shanks et al., 2018). All the equations were elaborated for single- and multi-junction solar cells, emphasising the performance when the focal spot area is larger or lesser

In this paper, the influence of paraffin/expanded vermiculite-diatomite form stable composite phase change materials (paraffin/EVC-D FSCPCM) on the strength and thermal properties of the mortar was studied through experiments and numerical simulations. The mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and thermoregulation performance of the paraffin/EVC-D FSCPCM integrated mortar were studied in detail

Recently, silver (Ag) substitution for copper (Cu) into Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) films has attracted widespread attention due to the lower synthesis temperature and the enlarge band gap. In this paper, SCAPS simulation is employed to investigate the influence of Ag doped CIGS absorber layer on the lattice defect and band gap gradient. First, the impact of the [Ga]/([In] + [Ga]) (GGI) and [Ag]/([Ag] + [Cu])

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have being used in different solar energy systems for thermal energy storage and performance enhancement. Improving heat transfer from PCMs leads to reductions in charge and discharge durations, which makes them more favorable as storage units. Dispersion of conductive solid materials with nano dimensions is a practical approach to enhance their thermal features. Several

The environmental pollution and growing energy demand necessitate the development of power generation using renewable energy systems, especially solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Despite being an eco-friendly and durable power generation technology, PVs demerit for low conversion efficiency (15–20%). In other meaning, a very low amount of the incident irradiance is converted into electricity, whereas

A big challenge to improve the conversion efficiency of n-type solar cell is the recombination and electrical contacting of boron (B)-doped emitters in n-TOPCon solar cells. This work investigates the emitter dark saturation current density under the passivation layer (J0e, passivated), the metallization-induced recombination current density under the metal contact (J0e, metal), and the I–V parameters

In this paper, we physically modeled a bifacial perovskite/PERT-silicon tandem solar cells for the first time using Silvaco technology computer-aided design simulator (TCAD). The cell model was calibrated with the reported experimental data of perovskite solar cell (PSC) and PERT-silicon solar cell. The effects of perovskite thickness (tpvk) and perovskite bandgap were investigated on the performance

An experimental work is presented on the performance of solar air heater (SAH) has new designed absorber of finned transverse plate of lateral gaps and central holes. Moreover, a complete heat transfer analysis of the radiation and convection and SAH thermal performance are presented and discussed. The performance of this transverse SAH (TR_SAH) is compared with identical conventional flat plate SAH

The application of solar air collector (SAC) in rural residence is beneficial to the realization of clean heating in rural areas and improvement of the thermal comfort in the rural residence, but the available covered area for the SAC on the south wall of rural residence is limited. In this research, a novel triangular solar air collector (TSAC) with a tilted transparent cover plate is proposed. With

This study developed a photo-bioelectrochemical cell based on CNT-chlorophylls to produce photocurrent by lighting electrodes in water-based solutions. The extracted chlorophyll from Chlorella vulgaris microalgae was used to modify carbon nanotube (CNT) as a photo-biocatalyst offering low cost and abundant resources. Furthermore, it is an excellent choice as an alternative bioenergy feedstock compared

The optical analysis of Linear Fresnel Reflectors solar concentrators deals with the calculation of the absorbed flux at the receiver. Due to concentrator discrete and complex geometry ray tracing numerical simulations is the main used method, in parallel with some analytical approaches that have been developed for specific cases. This paper presents an analytical method for Linear Fresnel Reflectors

Green building studies generally focus on singular performance aspects (e.g., energy, waste, water, indoor environment) with few tackling the relationships between each other, particularly the relationship between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and building energy consumption. This study aims to explore the relationship between IEQ performance and energy consumption in National Australian Built

A new model of photovoltaic (PV) panel is proposed. The model precisely replicates sub-cell level degradation, such as cracks and interconnect failures, and reproduces their effect at the panel level I–V characteristic. Moreover, a regression method is proposed, which infers the model’s parameters from combination of electroluminescent (EL) image and degraded I–V characteristic. The combination of

The field of concentrating photovoltaic-thermal (CPV-T) systems based on nanofluid spectral filtering has advanced significantly in the past decade. However, there is still a need to perform economic feasibility analyses for these systems. In this work, an assessment of the cost of implementation of CPV-T power plants using the spectral-splitting technique was performed. Three types of solar power

Advancements in material science and production technologies of solar photovoltaics (PV) system components, have obvious impacts in terms of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) reductions over time. Beside such technologies in physical sciences, digitalization technologies have increasingly positive impacts on the cost efficient operation and investment planning of the solar energy investments and

In this work, a method of focal region flux characterization of Scheffler fixed focus concentrator is presented. Being a fixed focus concentrator, Scheffler dish serves as an ideal focusing unit for on-Sun testing of scaled down high pressure receiver designs under actual boundary conditions. Flux characterization is performed numerically by tracing the ray trajectories from their inception till the

Demand for solar energy is increasing due to its clean nature in contrast to conventional fossil fuel sources and lowering of the cost harvesting solar energy. Consequently, it’s important to assess the spatio-temporal distribution and future projection of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) under future climate scenarios. However, due to the absence of high-quality ground observations, whether related

Kesterite materials Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4, Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnSnSe4 have received considerable attention as absorber layers for photovoltaic cell applications. But they exhibit efficiencies lower than 12%. In this work, different possible loss mechanisms that affect the solar cell performance are analysed. Numerical investigation is made on the influence of different loss mechanisms such as radiative recombination

CdTe thin film solar cells are the most successful thin film photovoltaic devices in terms of production yield. In the last few years, by changing the original solar cell structure, the efficiency was increased from around 17 % up to 22 %. In particular two main innovations have been introduced: a CdSexTe1-x layer, that narrows the band gap of the absorber near the junction, and a large band gap buffer

The aim of this work is to study the photovoltaic performance of a solar cell based on GaSe materials using SCAPS-1D simulator. The novelty of this work consists in the use of GaSe lamellar as a buffer layer, this material has not been used at this part of solar cells before, which makes this new study interesting; we had also used a thin film (CIGS-P+), strongly doped type p as back surface field

Domestic rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems are typically installed without energy storage and power generated in excess of the building electric load must be exported to the grid or curtailed. In this paper the use of excess PV electricity for water heating is investigated, with the hot water storage tank acting as a low-cost thermal battery. A 3.6 kWp PV system installed on a domestic house with a

Accurate hourly clear-sky irradiance (CSI) estimation is a crucial factor for most solar technologies in improving cost competitiveness and ensuring supply–demand balance. Numerous models have been developed to estimate CSI, including Clear-sky Irradiance models (CSIM) and Machine Learning (ML) models. In this study, 61 CSIM and 23 ML models for estimating hourly CSI are evaluated across the land of

In this paper, a three-dimensional turbulent study was carried out on Manzanares (Spain) plant to study the effects of collector inclination angle (θ). Different ranges of θ (30–0°) with more than 15 models were considered for the analysis. An optimized θ has been proposed based on the estimated parameters such as air velocity, pressure drop, absorber and air temperatures, power developed, collector

Traditional P-i-N perovskite solar cells have achieved high efficiency over 25%, but the device structure is relatively complex, and generally requires expensive low-conductivity p-type organic semiconductors as hole transport materials. As a typical semiconductor, it is very important to realize the bipolar doping of methylamine lead iodine (CH3NH3PbI3) that is the light-absorbing layer of perovskite

Concentrating solar power plays a vital role in the transformation of global energy landscape towards sustainable and environmentally sound energy supply. Currently, tower systems with molten salt tubular receivers are most common in commercial scale applications. Operational optimization of such systems necessitates detailed knowledge of operating limits of receiver components exposed to inhomogeneous

Nowadays, new generations of building envelope need to manage the energy exchange between outdoor and indoor environment responsively and save the building energy. A significant amount of solar heat gain in buildings comes through the windows. The transparent envelope also must answer to visual requirements allowing for external vision but guarantying comfort conditions. In this framework, this article

Cable-supported photovoltaic (PV) modules have been proposed to replace traditional beam-supported PV modules. The new system uses suspension cables to bear the loads of the PV modules and therefore has the characteristics of a long span, light weight, strong load capacity, and adaptability to complex terrains. It provides an excellent supplement to traditional structures in special sites such as sewage

The wood drying process consumes a great deal of energy with pollutants carrying bi-products. To preserve tropical and temperate forests and protect the environment, it is important to optimize the use of energy using solar dryers that are less expensive and easy to construct. In this paper, mathematical modeling of a novel solar dryer for firewood has been examined and experimentally validated using

The Photovoltaic/Thermal (PVT) technology has attracted many researchers and scholars in order to increase the level of renewable energy utilization minimizing the issues caused by climate change especially the global warming which has the main roots on the greenhouse emissions produced by nonrenewable energy utilization. A PVT module is a combination of photovoltaic (PV) technology and solar thermal

Steam is used to provide heating and moisture in the curing process for the production of precast concrete (PC) construction elements. The generation of steam requires large amounts of fossil fuels. This study considers the incorporation of solar thermal energy into the steam curing of PC construction elements for reducing the need for fossil fuels and associated CO2 emissions. For this purpose, the

To meet the demand for a high-efficiency, anti-freezing, and building-integrated solar water heating system, a versatile loop heat pipe-based solar thermal façade water heating system has been developed in recent years. To date, a comprehensive summary of evaluation indexes has not yet been reported for assessing the transient and steady-state performance of the loop heat pipe, which deserves to be