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Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 8929

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guiqiang Li

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: photovoltaic; solar energy; solar collectors; electric generators; thermoelectric cooling; coolers; photovoltaic/thermal

Dr. Haifei Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: solar energy; photovoltaic cell; heat pump; energy saving; BIPV; HVAC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Song Lv

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Guest Editor

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China
Interests: electric generators; thermoelectric cooling; coolers; trombe walls; solar chimneys; natural ventilation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solar energy is one of the most important clean energy sources that can meet a significant portion of the energy needed in the world. Researchers are gradually paying attention to solar energy alternatives and technologies, especially solar photovoltaic. Photovoltaic can be applied to any occasion where power is needed, and the application range is very wide. In the photovoltaic systems, the temperature rise generated by the solar cell will cause serious defects in the photoelectric conversion of the system. Research emphasizes that integrated photovoltaic and thermal technology is the most advanced solution. The use of the cooling system has a significant impact on the electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic system. The use of cooling systems has a significant impact on the electrical efficiency of photovoltaic systems, including phase change materials, nanofluids, air cooling, water cooling and thermoelectric cooling, etc.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide the insight of latest researches, development and demonstrations on the thermal performance of PV and PV's applications. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

Photovoltaic cell materials;
Concentrating photovoltaic technology;
Building integrated with photovoltaic;
Photovoltaic/thermal;
Photovoltaic integrated with heat pump.

Prof. Dr. Guiqiang Li
Dr. Haifei Chen
Dr. Song Lv
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

photovoltaic cell materials
concentrating photovoltaic technology
building integrated with photovoltaic
photovoltaic/thermal
photovoltaic integrated with heat pump

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Fuzzy Logic Control for Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm Validated in a Commercial PV System

by Mohamed Derbeli, Cristian Napole and Oscar Barambones

Energies 2023, 16(2), 748; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16020748 - 09 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1730

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) panels are devices capable of transforming solar energy into electricity without emissions. They are still a trending technology in the market not only because of the renewable features but also due to the avoidance of movable parts, which makes them an option with low maintenance. If the output voltage is insufficient or needs to be regulated, a boost converter is commonly connected to a PV panel. In this article, a commercial PV with a boost converter is controlled through a dSPACE platform for a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) task. Due to previous related experience, a fuzzy logic technique is designed and tested in real-time. The results are compared with an incremental conductance (IncCond) algorithm because it is a feasible and reliable tool for MPPT purposes. The outcomes show enhancement (in comparison with IncCond) in the steady-state oscillation, response time and overshoot values, which are 73.2%, 81.5% and 52.9%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems)

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18 pages, 3017 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Acquisition of Solar-Powered Joint-Wing Aircraft Considering Mismatch Power Loss

by Xinzhe Ji, Kangwen Sun, Xiao Guo and Mou Sun

Energies 2022, 15(1), 157; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15010157 - 27 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2092

Abstract

Solar-powered aircraft can perform long-term flights with clean solar energy. However, the energy derived from solar irradiation is influenced by the time of year and latitude, which limits the energy acquisition ability of solar aircraft with a straight-wing configuration. Hence, unconventional configurations based on increasing wing dihedral to track the sun are proposed to improve energy acquisition at high-latitude regions in winter, which may involve power loss caused by mismatch in the photovoltaic system. However, mismatch loss is seldom considered and may cause energy to be overestimated. In this paper, the energy acquisition characteristics of a joint-wing configuration are presented based on the simulation of an energy system to investigate the mismatch power loss. The results indicate a 4~15% deviation from the frequently used estimation method and show that the mismatch loss is influenced by the curved upper surface, the severity of shading and the circuit configuration. Then, the configuration energy acquisition factor is proposed to represent the energy acquisition ability of the joint-wing configuration. Finally, the matching between the aircraft configuration and flight trajectory is analyzed, demonstrating that the solar-powered aircraft with an unconventional wing configuration is more sensitive to the coupling between configuration and trajectory. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems)

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24 pages, 3257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling, Analysis and Optimization of Grid-Integrated and Islanded Solar PV Systems for the Ethiopian Residential Sector: Considering an Emerging Utility Tariff Plan for 2021 and Beyond

by Tefera Mekonnen, Ramchandra Bhandari and Venkata Ramayya

Energies 2021, 14(11), 3360; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14113360 - 07 Jun 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3457 | Correction

Abstract

Currently, difficulties such as the depletion of fossil fuel resources and the associated environmental pollution have driven the rise of other energy systems based on green energy sources. In this research, modeling and a viability study of grid-connected and islanded photovoltaic (PV) power systems for supplying the residential load in Mekelle City, Ethiopia, were carried out considering the country’s emerging utility tariff plan for 2021 and beyond. The technical viability of the proposed supply option was analyzed using PVGIS, PVWatts and HOMER Pro tool, while the economic and environmental optimization aspects were carried out using HOMER Pro. Sensitivity analyses and output comparisons among the three renewable energy simulation tools are presented. The results showed that under the consideration of an incremental electricity tariff plan (up to 2021), the analyzed cost of energy of the grid/PV system is around 12% lower than the utility grid tariff. Moreover, we also found that by taking the continuous global solar PV cost reduction into account, the cost of energy of the modeled islanded operation of solar PV power units totally broke the grid tariff in Ethiopia after 2029 based on the tariff for 2021 and well before with the expected escalation of the grid tariff on an annual basis. The technical performance of the system realized through PVGIS and PVWatts was almost comparable to the HOMER Pro outputs. Thus, this investigation will offer a clear direction to the concerned target groups and policy developers in the evolution of PV power supply options throughout the technically viable locations in the country. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems)

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Review

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29 pages, 5132 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Comprehensive Review of Reduced Device Count Multilevel Inverters for PV Systems

by Abdul Jabbar Memon, Mukhtiar Ahmed Mahar, Abdul Sattar Larik and Muhammad Mujtaba Shaikh

Energies 2023, 16(15), 5638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16155638 - 26 Jul 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1011

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive review of reduced device count multilevel inverter (RDC MLI) topologies for PV systems. Multilevel inverters are widely used in medium-voltage and high-power applications such as wireless power transform applications, flexible AC transmission (FACT), active filters, AC motor drives, high-voltage DC transmission (HVDC), and renewable energy sources due to their high modularity and high-power quality output. Multilevel inverters have the ability to diminish the harmonics content in the output voltage by applying various modulation techniques. The literature in this field showed that the high-power quality and high modularity of the output demand an undeniable need for multilevel inverter topology. Research in this field has identified various multilevel inverter topologies, each possessing their own merits and demerits. The ubiquitous availability of multilevel inverter topologies illustrates the complexity of their accurate selection. To avoid such complexity, this review shows the state of the art of various reduced device count (RDC) multilevel inverter (MLI) topologies. Details of the various RDC MLIs, along with their comparisons, are provided in this paper. This review will be an important reference tool for future work on RDC MLI for photovoltaic (PV) systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems)

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