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Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 11348

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tian You

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Interests: ground source heat pumps; solar energy; renewable energy; building energy efficiency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zongwei Han

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Guest Editor

Department of Thermal Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: solar thermal utilization; heat pump technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yang Zhao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: artificial intelligence-based building energy systems; energy efficiency; smart buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the United Nations’ 2019 report, energy consumption in the building and construction industry accounts for more than 40% of total global energy consumption. With the improvement of the global economy, the demand for a comfortable indoor thermal environment has increased. To achieve the objective of energy saving in buildings and indoor comfort improvement simultaneously, effective and reliable applications of renewable energy in buildings should be reasonably promoted.

Solar energy is a widely used renewable energy source to achieve carbon neutrality. Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies have been rapidly promoted in recent years due to their reduced investment and improved performance. In the future, photovoltaic power generation will account for a large proportion of total power generation. In addition to renewable energy, smart building is another effective solution to address global warming. Smart buildings can intelligently predict, control, diagnose and adjust their energy systems to achieve high reliability and energy efficiency. Intelligently utilizing solar energy and other renewable energies in buildings can significantly contribute to energy conservation and CO₂ emission reduction towards a sustainable society.

This Special Issue focuses on recent research on the Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings for Sustainability and aims to provide an international forum for the dissemination of the latest original advances in the related fields.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Solar photovoltaic integration in buildings (BIPV);
Hybrid solar–wind power technologies;
Advanced solar energy technologies;
Advanced energy storage technologies;
Advanced renewable energy systems (solar heating and cooling, PV, PV/T, ground-source heat pump technologies);
Solar energy policy in buildings;
Smart control in low-energy and zero-energy buildings;
Dynamic simulation of building energy systems;
Building energy load prediction;
Building energy system assessment and diagnosis;
Big data analytics for smart energy systems and smart buildings;
Smart building management;
Green construction in smart buildings.

Dr. Tian You
Dr. Zongwei Han
Dr. Yang Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

solar energy
solar heating
solar cooling
PV
PVT
BIPV
smart control
energy efficiency
big data analytics
green construction
low-energy building
zero-energy building

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 9504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of MnWO₄-CNT for Supercapacitor Applications

by Mohammad Bagher Askari, Fatemeh Jamali, Mohammad Taghi Tourchi Moghadam, Sadegh Azizi and Majid Seifi

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su152014910 - 16 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1002

Abstract

This study reveals, for the first time, the excellent capability of MnWO₄-CNT as a supercapacitor electrode compared to MnWO₄. In previous research conducted on this compound, RGO was used to enhance its electrochemical properties. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of CNT on the electrochemical properties of the compound, which also yielded promising results. The physical and morphological analysis of MnWO₄ and MnWO₄-CNT was conducted using Raman, XRD, BET, and SEM-EDX techniques. The electrochemical performance of the samples was assessed through cyclic voltammetry (CV), impedance electrochemical spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD). Notably, MnWO₄-CNT exhibited a significant specific capacitance of 1849.14 F·g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 10 mV·s⁻¹. The stability evaluation of the samples demonstrated a high capacitance retention of 81.2% and 89.4% for MnWO₄ and MnWO₄-CNT, respectively. The substantial specific capacity, along with the favorable stability of MnWO₄-CNT, positions it as a highly promising material for utilization in supercapacitor electrodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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39 pages, 19504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Overview of Sandbox Experiment on Ground Heat Exchangers

by Sihan Zhou, Lijie Zhu, Runan Wan, Tao Zhang, Yongzheng Zhang, Yi Zhan, Fang Wang, Linfeng Zhang and Tian You

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11095; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151411095 - 16 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1252

Abstract

As an energy-efficient and low-carbon technology, ground-source heat pumps are promising to contribute to carbon neutrality in the building sector. A crucial component of these systems is the ground heat exchanger, which has been extensively studied through sandbox experiments. These experiments play a vital role in understanding heat transfer characteristics and validating simulation results. In order to facilitate the improvement of ground heat exchangers and the development of ground-source heat-pump systems, this article provides a comprehensive summary of existing sandbox experiments. The borehole sandbox experiments are classified into the single borehole experiment, borehole group experiment, seepage experiment, and multi-layer soil experiment. It was observed that the heat transfer efficiency of a single spiral tube is only 80% compared to that of a double spiral tube. Moving on to energy-pile sandbox experiments, they are further divided into mechanical performance, thermal performance, and thermal-mechanical coupled performance tests. It was revealed that the heat transfer distance of a single U-shaped energy pile in the radial direction is three times greater than in the vertical direction. For the mentioned sandbox experiments, the sandbox design, experiment conduction, testing conditions, and result analyses are summarized. To improve the sandbox experiments, there are still some difficulties in building a similarity experiment, testing the temperatures in a small error, controlling the boundary conditions accurately, and testing the thermophysical properties of soil accurately. Furthermore, the perspectives of sandbox experiments of ground heat exchangers are also proposed. The sandbox experiments under complex environment conditions or with novel composite energy geo-structures or ground heat exchangers with new materials and new technologies would be further investigated. By addressing these aspects, this review aims to provide guidelines for the design, construction, operation, and optimization of sandbox experiments for different ground heat exchangers, ultimately promoting the wider adoption of ground-source heat pumps in achieving carbon neutrality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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10 pages, 2876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Alkali–Silica Reaction Expansion in Glass Concrete

by Da Huang, Pengliang Sun, Pengfei Gao, Guangyan Liu, Yuanhao Wang and Xuandong Chen

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10618; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910618 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1800

Abstract

The suppression of ASR expansion hazards of glass concrete has always been a key and hot issue in the research of glass concrete. According to the ASTM C1260-14 fast mortar rod method, glass sand and glass powder act as fine aggregate and auxiliary cementing material, respectively. The changes in expansion rate with different amounts of glass sand content and different particle sizes of glass powder in mortar rods were compared, and the effects of glass sand content and the glass powder particle size on the expansion of ASR were analyzed. SEM was used to compare and analyze the microstructure of mortar rods to explore the mechanism of ASR expansion of glass concrete, and the results showed that the addition of glass powder had a certain inhibitory effect on ASR expansion. The larger the particle size of glass powder was, the better the inhibition effect on ASR expansion and the longer its duration. Compared with the three groups of experiments of 0–13 μm, 13–38 μm, and 38–75 μm, it was found that the influence of the glass powder particle size on the expansion of ASR was weaker than that of dosage. The inhibitory effect of glass powder on ASR expansion is related to the fact that glass powder is more involved in pozzolanic reaction in the early hydration process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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24 pages, 6155 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design Optimization and Comparative Analysis of 100% Renewable Energy Systems for Residential Communities in Typical Areas of China When Considering Environmental and Economic Performance

by Zaixun Ling, Yibo Cui, Jingwen Zheng, Yu Guo, Wanli Cai, Xiaofei Chen, Jiaqi Yuan and Wenjie Gang

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10590; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910590 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1724

Abstract

A 100% renewable energy system (RES) satisfies a user’s energy demand using only renewable energy, which is an important energy supply in China given that the government aims to realize carbon neutrality by 2060. The design and operation of 100% RESs in different areas would vary significantly due to the impacts of climates and geographical features. This study aimed to investigate the economic and environmental performance of 100% RESs for residential communities in different areas of China. In total, 30 typical cities were chosen based on the climate characteristics and the availability of renewable energy resources. The genetic algorithm was selected to obtain the optimal design of the 100% RES in each area by taking the minimum total annual cost and the minimum CO₂ emissions as optimization objectives. The results showed that 100% RESs were dominated by solar energy and biomass. The investment could be recovered in 8 years if the economic performance was optimized in most areas, but the payback period became longer when the 100% RES was optimized when considering environmental performance. The emissions could be reduced by 86–99% for CO₂ and 64–97% for NO_x. The results of this study would provide data support for the investment of 100% RESs in rural or suburban areas of China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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14 pages, 50409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Bimetallic Oxides (MCo₂O₄: M=Cu, Mn) on Ordered Microchannel Electro-Conductive Plate for High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitors

by Mai Li, Zheyi Meng, Ruichao Feng, Kailan Zhu, Fengfeng Zhao, Chunrui Wang, Jiale Wang, Lianwei Wang and Paul K. Chu

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9896; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179896 - 03 Sep 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2098

Abstract

AB₂O₄-type binary-transition metal oxides (BTMOs) of CuCo₂O₄ and MnCo₂O₄ were successfully prepared on ordered macroporous electrode plates (OMEP) for supercapacitors. Under the current density of 5 mA cm⁻², the CuCo₂O₄/OMEP electrode achieved a specific capacitance of 1199 F g⁻¹. The asymmetric supercapacitor device prepared using CuCo₂O₄/OMEP as the positive electrode and carbon-based materials as the negative electrode (CuCo₂O₄/OMEP//AC) achieved the power density of 14.58 kW kg⁻¹ under the energy density of 11.7 Wh kg⁻¹. After 10,000 GCD cycles, the loss capacitance of CuCo₂O₄/OMEP//AC is only 7.5% (the retention is 92.5%). The MnCo₂O₄/OMEP electrode shows the specific and area capacitance of 843 F g⁻¹ and 5.39 F cm⁻² at 5 mA cm⁻². The MnCo₂O₄/OMEP-based supercapacitor device (MnCo₂O₄/OMEP//AC) has a power density of 8.33 kW kg⁻¹ under the energy density of 11.6 Wh kg⁻¹ and the cycle stability was 90.2% after 10,000 cycles. The excellent power density and cycle stability prove that the prepared hybrid supercapacitor fabricated under silicon process has a good prospect as the power buffer device for solar cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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9 pages, 1878 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Component Modification of Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag with C₄AF as Target Mineral and Application

by Yanrong Zhao, Pengliang Sun, Ping Chen, Xiaomin Guan, Yuanhao Wang, Rongjin Liu and Jincan Wei

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13126536 - 08 Jun 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1910

Abstract

In this paper, a new method of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag component modification with a regulator was studied. The main mineral was designed as C₄AF, C₂S and C₃S in modified BOF slag, and the batching method, mineral compositions, hydration rate, activation index and capability of resisting sulfate corrode also were studied. XRD, BEI and EDS were used to characterize the mineral formation, and SEM was used to study the morphology of hydration products. The results show that most inert phase in BOF slag can be converted into active minerals of C₄AF and C₂S through reasonable batching calculation and the amount of regulating agent. The formation of C₄AF and C₂S in modified BOF slag is better, and a small amount of MgO is embedded in the white intermediate phase, but C₃S is not detected. With the increase in the CaO/SiO₂ ratio in raw materials, the CaO/SiO₂ ratio of calcium silicate minerals in modified BOF slag increases, the contents of f-CaO are less than 1.0%, and the activity index improves. Compared with the BOF slag, the activity index and exothermic rate of modified BOF slag improved obviously, and the activity index of 90 days is close to 100%. With the increase in modified BOF slag B cement, the flexural strength decrease; however, the capability of resisting sulfate corrode is improved due to the constant formation of a short rod-like shape ettringite in Na₂SO₄ solution and the improvement of the structure densification of the hydration products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings)

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