Greetings, fellow Nawala! May you always be in good health.
This is the IAES Nawala from the Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. Today we will share news about the development of solar energy technology. Solar energy is a renewable and sustainable resource that comes from solar radiation. This energy can be utilized through various technologies, especially photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar thermal systems. Saadaoui et al. (2023) conducted research to increase renewable energy production using the floating solar energy method, where solar panels are floated above the water surface of dams and reservoirs. The challenge of this approach is to secure the floating solar panels from being blown away by the wind and disturbed by other elements. This study also examined the impact of water flow characteristics on the solar energy output of the floating panels. More details on the research can be found in the following article:
An analysis of the prospects and efficiency of floating and overland photovoltaic systems
Khalil Saadaoui, Kaoutar Senhaji Rhazi, Youssef Mejdoub, Abderraouf Aboudou
The world’s increasing demand for energy coupled with dwindling natural resources has spurred the need for alternative and renewable energy sources. However, one of the biggest drawbacks of renewable energy is its intermittency. Currently, most of the world’s electrical energy comes from thermal power and nuclear energy combined. Despite being heavily reliant on energy imports, Morocco has made progress in developing its solar energy capacity with an installed capacity of 760 MW, 200 MW of which comes from photovoltaics. One way for Morocco to further increase its renewable energy production is through floating solar power, which utilizes the water surface of dams and reservoirs. The challenge with this approach is to secure the floating solar panels to prevent them from being blown about by wind and other elements. Like onshore solar power, offshore solar power also utilizes maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology to maximize energy production. To compare the efficiency of terrestrial and marine solar power systems, the design and simulation of a solar PV system with MPPT through a boost converter was carried out using MATLAB/Simulink models. The study also examined the impact of water flow characteristics on the output of solar energy from floating panels.
Temperature fluctuations can affect the efficiency of solar panels. In a study conducted by Kusuma et al. (2023), they tested the use of cooling systems to reduce temperature fluctuations and power loss in solar panels. The air-cooling system with Peltier showed a reduction in temperature fluctuations by 14.5% and power loss by 4%. The complete research can be seen in the following article:
Vicky Andria Kusuma, Happy Aprillia, Sena Sukmananda Suprapto, Muhammad Nizhom Ramadhani, Aji Akbar Firdaus, Dimas Fajar Uman Putra
This research addresses the problem of temperature fluctuations affecting the efficiency of solar panels. A cooling system has been developed using a Peltier and a combination of air- and water-cooling methods. The air-cooling system involves placing a Peltier coated with a heatsink under the solar panel, while the water-cooling system uses pumped water on the panel’s surface. The study aims to design a solar panel cooling system to reduce temperature and power losses and compare its output to standard solar panels. The system includes a Peltier, DC fan, and heatsink. Results indicate that the air-cooling system reduced temperature losses on the bottom milk of solar panels by 14.5%. However, the surface of solar panels showed no reduction in temperature losses. Additionally, solar panels with cooling systems were able to reduce power losses by 4% compared to standard solar panels. This research suggests that the use of an air-cooling system utilizing Peltier as the cooling medium could be a potential solution to reduce temperature losses and power losses on solar panels.
Does the use of solar energy make expenses more efficient? To answer this question, Guerrero and Ramos (2023) conducted a study related to the efficient use of solar energy. They introduced a new method for evaluating the suitability of solar technology implementation in European hospitals, which emphasized the importance of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency in limiting hospital energy consumption and emissions. In addition, the study highlights the important role of prevailing energy source costs in determining the profitability of solar installations for hospitals. The profitability aspect depends on the solar technology used and the prevailing energy prices. More details about the article can be found on the following page:
Techno-economic assessment of solar technologies to meet hospitals energy needs
Guillem Guerrero, Alba Ramos
Hospitals present one of the highest energy consumptions per surface unit, meaning that on-site renewable energy generation and energy efficiency improvements are key to lower hospitals energy demand, external energy dependence and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. In this work, the feasibility from the techno-economical point of view of the installation of three solar-based energy generating technologies in hospitals in different climate locations in Europe is addressed. The potential of solar energy technologies to cover the energy needs of the hospitals under study is conducted proposing a novel design and sizing optimization methodology for on-roof installations. The profitability of the different solar-based installations will vary depending on the solar technology output (electrical, thermal or both) and on the type of energy needs of the hospital; but in all cases, profitability is mostly influenced by the price of the current energy source supplying the hospital energy needs. Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) values for on-roof photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal (ST), and photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) installations obtained are in the range of 0.028-0.056, 0.051-0.096, and 0.053-0.128 €/kWh, respectively; for locations in latitudes from 37 N (Seville) to 60 N (Oslo) in Europe. Results from this work aim to serve as reference for similar studies in a wide range of climates.
Solar energy plays an important role in the transition to a more sustainable and cleaner energy management progress by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. Advances in solar energy technology continue to make it a more affordable and efficient energy source.
Some of the articles above are a small part of the research on the development of solar energy. To get more information, readers can visit the International Journal of Applied Power Engineering (IJAPE) page and read articles for FREE via the following link: https://ijape.iaescore.com/.