Power towers, a type of concentrating power tower technology, use a large number of heliostats to concentrate sunlight and produce renewable energy. Optical errors of heliostats can cause drastic losses in the efficiency of power-tower plants. Accurately measuring optical errors is crucial to assessing and improving plant performance. This analysis discusses an innovate non-intrusive optical (NIO)

An innovative, extrudable material with the ability to filter the sun’s energy has been developed for the mass manufacture of high performance swimming pool covers. Solar radiation in the visible spectrum (<750 nm) is absorbed by the material so that minimal visible light enters the pool water which inhibits photosynthesis to prevent algae growth. Furthermore, the material has high transmission properties

Architectural techniques have evolved over the century. Presently, climatic conditions require architecture that is more adaptable to the environment. Coastal regions have been recognised to be the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Thus far, limited research has offered some strategies to mitigate the solar effect on thermal comfort and energy demand in coastal tropical regions. To

Passive radiative cooling has a potential impact on global energy consumption, while it is vulnerable to weather and surroundings, hindering its practical applications. Here, we present a facile pyramidal micro-structure that can be formed on a mid-infrared (MIR) window for achieving non-reciprocal propagation whereby the incoming heat flux from low-transparency atmosphere and/or surrounding high-rise

The use of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) is considered a promising solution for harvesting indoor and outdoor light energy. Despite a multitude of investigations of LSC based photovoltaic (PV) systems, few reports are available on LSCs for emerging PVs, such as third-generation PV technologies. To fill this gap, we develop a novel LSC based PV device by coupling an LSC with a low-cost organic

Metallic nanoshells have attracted more attention compared to their solid counterparts as a result of producing high-yield plasmonic effects, such as large scattering and absorption cross-sections, potent near-field, strong optical trapping and long fluorescence time, during the plasmon hybridization mechanism. However, no focused study has been performed on optimizing this type of nanoparticles to

Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell has been fabricated with a non-toxic buffer layer and Al doped ZnO transparent conducting layer. A detailed material study on each layer of the solar cell has been carried out independently. The precursor films prepared by spin coating were sulphurized at different temperatures to optimize the conditions to obtain phase pure CZTS films. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and

The most promising and feasible approach to achieving high-efficiency silicon solar cells must be passivation contact compatible with current homojunction thermal processes. In this paper, an easy-to-implement carrier-selective passivation contact with doped poly-Si/SiOx for produing p-type passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) was proposed. The passivation contact structure consisted of an ultra-thin

Phase effect of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) nanostructured catalysts for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar water oxidation, removal of toxic organic pollutants from wastewater, and electrochemical storage were reported. The monoclinic (BV-M) and tetragonal (BV-T) crystal structured BiVO4 photocatalysts were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal route without the support of any template. The BV-T

Photovoltaic (PV) system as a vital element in the utilize of solar energy, its optimization, control, and simulation are significant. The performance of the PV system is mainly influenced by its model parameters that are varying and unavailable, thus identifying these model parameters is always desired. However, accurate and robust parameters estimation of PV models brings great challenges to the

The integration of noble metals nanostructures can be an effective method to improve the performance of organic solar cells by scattering the incident light that reaches the active layer. The resulting elongated active optical trail span of the incident photons can enhance the amount of absorbed photons in the active layer. Herein, this article reviews studies on the incorporation of noble metals and

As a promising climate change mitigation technology, radiative cooling presents an economical and environmental-friendly approach to alleviate cities from overheating and urban heat island. Based on the fundamental theory, this study comprehensively reviews the materials composition and nano/microstructures underlying the radiative cooling technology. The study summarizes the primary six properties

Solar air heater (SAH) with semi-cylindrical sidewalls and W-baffles is analyzed for energy and exergy efficiency in the turbulent flow regime. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is carried out for a fixed baffle inclination (β) and varying the relative baffle height (Rh = e/D) and relative baffle pitch (Rp = P/D) in the range 0.046–0.115 and 0.46–1.15, respectively. For Reynolds number (5000 < Re < 17

The high efficiency triple-junction solar cells (TJSC) have received considerable attention in the concentrated PV systems nonetheless the harvested electrical energy generated by TJSC-based system has been reduced under the partial shading conditions. Tracking the global maximum power point in the TJSC-based system characteristics is a main challenge faced the traditional trackers like perturb and

This study presents the comparison of the life cycle performance of two different urban energy systems, applied to a large mixed-use community, in Calgary (Canada). The two systems investigated consist of an energy efficient conventional system, using heat pumps for heating, cooling and domestic hot water; the second design widely deploys solar thermal panels coupled to district heating infrastructure

The use of flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs) is the most common technology to employ solar energy. FPSCs enhance thermal efficiency and, as a result, can reduce both the size and the costs of a system. Surface modification techniques are extensively used to improve the thermal performance of systems. Among such techniques, helically corrugated tubes play an important role in industrial applications

The integration of solar modules into buildings offers a highly attractive area for enlarging the market of commercial solar cells. Therefore, cost-effective industrial approaches to fabricate solar cells and relevant modules with different colors are required. In this work a simple method for applying individual color to Si based solar cells was adapted to the industrially fabricated commercial cells

High operation temperatures in photovolatics (PV) strongly reduce efficiency, reduce panel lifetime, and negatively influence the cost of energy. Here, the convective heat transfer coefficient for a utility-scale solar farm is studied with combined thermal and particle-image-velocimetry measurements in a scaled wind tunnel experiment. Two key factors that have critical roles in modifying the overall

Solar thermal receivers collect and can store concentrated solar radiation using solid particles. Solid ceramic particles have shown to be a practical and efficient heat transfer media in solar-particle receivers, however, their emissivity and absorptivity at high temperatures are scarcely reported. This gap has led to large uncertainties in the assessment of solar thermal receivers’ efficiency. In

Solar thermal energy has often been used as a renewable green energy source. Here we present a design composed of a highly selective solar thermal absorber coating that has been deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. This will consist of four layers: W/AlSiTiNx/SiAlTiOyNx/SiAlOx. The coating that was utilised revealed an excellent average solar thermal absorbance, (α = 95.5%) with very low emittance

The space solar power station is a gigantic power satellite to provide the earth with continuous energy. The front-end system of space solar power station, solar concentrator, has significant influences on the optical performance. Regarding the proposed orb-shaped membrane energy gathering array scheme, this paper deals with the construction strategy of its large-scale spherical concentrator to reduce

Silver doped lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4:Ag) nano-composite was successfully synthesized at various concentrations of silver using wet chemistry. The newly synthesized particles were used in the solar absorber medium of thin-film organic solar cells to assist in photons harvesting. The photoactive layer of the solar cell was composed of poly-3-hexylthiophene(P3HT) and (6–6) phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl

The newly discovered inorganic lead-free double perovskites (A2BB’X6) are comparable to, and suitable replacements to the currently-popular hybrid lead perovskites. These double perovskites demonstrate strong potential for optoelectronic and photo-voltaic applications due to their lead-free low environmental impact, low cost, and reliability. However, this material’s native wide bandgap limits its

Large scale central receiver systems typically deploy between thousands to more than a hundred thousand heliostats. During solar operation, each heliostat is aligned individually in such a way that the overall surface normal bisects the angle between the sun’s position and the aim point coordinate on the receiver. Due to various tracking error sources, achieving accurate alignment ≤1 mrad for all the

Granular flows of sintered bauxite proppants were examined along an inclined plane for solar thermal energy storage applications. Granular flow properties needed to drive numeric granular models were measured for improved numerical model predictions for Carbobead CP 50/140, 40/100, and 30/60 particles. Particle shape and size distributions were determined by coupling optical microscopy to an in-house

The present work is aimed to report a new design of a solar cooker named as Quonset solar cooker (QSC). The cooker provided with transparent, lightweight and durable dome-shape polymeric glaze. The cooker enclosure is divided into dual cooking compartments with internal reflectors. The thermal performance of the cooker is assessed experimentally for low and intermediate temperature cooking activities

The intrinsic poor thermal transport and liquid leakage of organic phase change materials (PCMs) greatly limit their applications in the field of solar thermal energy conversion and storage. Silica porous materials have usually been employed as supporting matrixes to incorporate PCMs and improve their thermal conductivities. However, the starting materials of synthesizing silica matrixes commonly involve

Industrial process air heat applications ranging from 70 to 250 ℃ are crucial for the widespread availability of the solar energy. This study evaluated the overall performance of parabolic trough solar air collector with three different receiver tubes for median temperature heat requirements. A smooth receiver tube and two receiver tubes with internally pin fins were tested in the on-site experiments

Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one of the most capable solar cell devices to transform sunlight directly into electricity. DSSC can revolutionize the solar energy industry due to its unique features and has attracted a lot of attention towards this alternative solar cell technology. DSSC can be manufactured with low-cost materials, easy manufacturing methods, less toxic materials, and most important

Photovoltaic (PV) panels can increase their efficiency and durability by using water-cooled systems. In this paper, the authors present a methodology to establish the degradation rate (DR) of PV panels related to their durability and efficiency under cooled versus no-cooled conditions. A long-term feasibility analysis of PV power plants with some suggested modifications are discussed in detail. A standard

In this study a co-sensitization strategy is utilized for fabrication of a simple type of quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) with high power conversion efficiency. A transparent layer of hydrothermally grown TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) was sensitized with CdS and CdSe QDs layers and applied as the photoanode of the cells. The CdS layer was deposited through a successive ionic layer adsorption and

High penetration of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power, especially large PV power plants consisting of hundreds of units, has significant impacts on dynamic characteristics of power grids. It is increasingly important to develop a dynamic equivalent model for a large PV plant to simulate its responses under large disturbances, especially during the fault ride-through process, by using single or

This paper presents a novel method approaches to simplify refractions on prisms to get the ideal shape of the Fresnel lens. A simplification is about to use one refraction on the upper surface to replace the two refractions on the upper and the lower surfaces. A differential equation that describes the ideal shape of Fresnel lens has been derived out. It shows that the particular solution of the differential

Molten salt is a major heat storage medium for medium–high temperature solar thermal power applications. The heat storage density and heat transfer efficiency of molten salt are important factors of solar thermal power efficiency. Recently, many studies have reported that molten salt nanofluid, which is formed by adding nanoparticles in molten salt, can remarkably enhance the specific heat capacity

The solar trigeneration system based on coupling photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors with an absorption-subcooled compression hybrid cooling configuration has the potential for enhancing solar energy utilization in buildings. Considering time-of-use electricity pricing, the availability of solar cooling often does not coincide with on-peak periods during which electricity prices are high. To benefit

Due to exponential growth of large-scale PV plants, automatic approaches for PV system protection are gaining prodigious importance. Even with the use of standard protection devices, faults in PV arrays may remain undetected. To address such an important issue, this paper focuses on string level monitoring to develop the functionality of automatic fault detection, location and fault type identification

Albedo (solar reflectance) can be measured outdoors with a pyranometer or indoors with a hemispherical reflectometer or a spectrophotometer. The current study evaluates these methods and their applicability to roofing materials by measuring and comparing the ASTM E1918 (pyranometer), non-ASTM E1918A (alternative pyranometer), ASTM C1549 (reflectometer), and E903 (spectrophotometer) albedos of 10 roofing

Vanadium carbide embedded in mesoporous carbon (VC–MC) is prepared using an in-situ synthesis method as hybrid electrode for supercapacitor. The electrochemical performance of the VC and VC–MC electrodes are analyzed and compared through a combination of cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements in 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. The

The present paper echos a recent data article, “A comprehensive dataset for the accelerated development and benchmarking of solar forecasting methods” [J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 11, 036102 (2019)]. The carefully composed dataset by Pedro, Larson, and Coimbra (PLC) presents a rare opportunity for solar forecasters to develop transparent and reproducible algorithms that can bring incremental contributions

Photovoltaic system encounters with some limiting factors such as partial shading that reduces the power output. Partial shading is not predictable; not measurable; and unavoidable. A single partial shaded PV cell limits the power output of the unshaded PV cells connected with it in series. In this paper, a hybrid reconfiguration algorithm has been proposed. The 4 × 4 PV array has connected in Total

The paper summarizes the implementation experiences and lessons learned from the solar water heating (SWH) system mandatory installation policy in China. In-depth interviews, questionnaire surveys and field investigation were conducted to understand the prevailing attitudes of the stakeholders associated with the application of SWH in buildings. Scenario analysis was used to analyze the effect of expanding

Direct expansion solar assisted PVT (photovoltaic/thermal) heat pump is a combination of PVT technology and heat pump technology, which can improve the comprehensive conversion efficiency of solar energy, and it is suitable for solar heating applications. In this paper, the efficiency factor of direct expansion PVT module employing roll-bond panel has been theoretically derived, modified, and validated

Existing Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heaters (ICSSWHs) are typically simple and low-cost devices that combine heat collection and storage functions in one unified vessel. However, during non-collection periods they are affected by higher heat loss characteristics when compared to standard solar collector systems. This paper introduces the design evolution of new horizontal cylindrical

In this work, a comparative experimental analysis of a conventional flat plate solar collector (FPSC) and an identical prototype with thermal storage system by PCM is presented. Thermal performance of the devices was studied from experimental and mathematical approaches. For experimental approach, both collectors were operated and analyzed simultaneously under the same real outdoor conditions. An experimental

High near-infrared (NIR) reflectivity and infrared emissivity are desired in cooling pigments used in exterior coating of buildings. More importantly, controllable infrared emission and NIR reflectivity are needed for the next generation buildings. In this work, tunable NIR reflectivity and infrared emissivity were realized with substitutional iron-doped orthorhombic YMnO3 for the first time. The iron-doped

Due to the tunable optical absorption threshold and several intriguing physical properties, multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structures have been playing a crucial role in achieving ultra-high efficiency in tandem photovoltaic cells and various optoelectronic technologies. However, devices incorporating such nano-structures suffer from poor perpendicular carrier transport, which hinders device performance