Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.2
3.0
Journals
Energies
Special Issues
Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition
energies-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition

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: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 4666

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maciej Zajkowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: energy efficiency; lighting technologies; solar energy; daylighting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Adam Idzkowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: robotic sensors; applications of sensors in transportation; wireless sensor networks; signal processing; renewable energy; energy harvesting; metrology; measurement uncertainty
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zbigniew Sołjan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: power theory; power quality; reactive compensation; reactive power; unbalanced load; asymmetrical voltage; currents' physical components (CPC); sinusoidal waveforms; non-sinusoidal waveforms; balancing compensation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stanislav Darula

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Institute of Construction and Architecture Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: energy conservation; daylighting; solar radiation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solar energy technologies are now widely recognized as a greener solution to the serious problems of environmental pollution and energy shortages. In recent years, awareness of climate change, decarbonisation, circular economy and energy efficiency has sparked interest in renewable energy sources, including solar energy and energy management methods. Solar energy is one of the most important aspects of renewable energy and is already widely used in the domestic, industrial, rural and transport sectors.

In general, solar energy is used in the following ways: to generate electricity, heat energy in the form of active and passive systems, and visible light. Among the available technologies, there are solutions in the field of photovoltaics, solar collectors, solar radiation concentrators and systems for acquiring and distributing daylight. The main purpose of the application of these technologies is to obtain a high level of energy efficiency by generating energy at the place of its production, without the need to distribute it over long distances, without losses and with high efficiency.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collate a series of scientific articles on various aspects of solar energy technology and energy efficiency, including current research on various photovoltaic and thermal technologies, solar concentrators, solar transport, solar heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and solar building technology. This scientific area also includes research on the application of such solutions, research on manufacturing systems, design of solar systems and energy efficiency, modelling and simulation, performance, life cycle assessment and optimization. We invite both original research and review articles.

Prof. Dr. Maciej Zajkowski
Dr. Adam Idzkowski
Dr. Zbigniew Sołjan
Dr. Stanislav Darula
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • solar energy
  • energy efficiency
  • solar systems
  • photovoltaic
  • thermal energy
  • solar concentrators
  • daylighting
  • smart grids
  • power energy
  • materials for solar systems
  • measurements of solar systems and energy efficiency systems
  • novel measurement, test, and characterization methods and systems
  • processes and tools for industrialization
  • storage systems
  • power electronics for PV
  • grid integration
  • climate change impact on solar production
  • energy policy
  • economy of solar conversion systems
  • radiation measurement and prediction
  • modelling, yield measurements, forecast, and predictions

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

24 pages, 5869 KiB  
Article
Thermal Analysis of Parabolic and Fresnel Linear Solar Collectors Using Compressed Gases as Heat Transfer Fluid in CSP Plants
by Roberto Grena, Michela Lanchi, Marco Frangella, Vittorio Ferraro, Valerio Marinelli and Marco D’Auria
Energies 2024, 17(16), 3880; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17163880 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1088
Abstract
This study introduces the use of compressed air as a heat transfer fluid in small-scale, concentrated linear solar collector technology, evaluating its possible advantages over traditional fluids. This work assumes the adoption of readily available components for both linear parabolic trough and Fresnel [...] Read more.
This study introduces the use of compressed air as a heat transfer fluid in small-scale, concentrated linear solar collector technology, evaluating its possible advantages over traditional fluids. This work assumes the adoption of readily available components for both linear parabolic trough and Fresnel collectors and the coupling of the solar field with Brayton cycles for power generation. The aim is to provide a theoretical analysis of the applicability of this novel solar plant configuration for small-scale electricity generation. Firstly, a lumped thermal model was developed in a MatLab® (v. 2023a) environment to assess the thermal performance of a PT collector with an evacuated receiver tube. This model was then modified to describe the performance of a Fresnel collector. The resulting optical–thermal model was validated through literature data and appears to provide realistic estimates of temperature distribution along the entire collector length, including both the receiver tube surface and the Fresnel collector’s secondary concentrator. The analysis shows a high thermal efficiency for both Fresnel and parabolic collectors, with average values above 0.9 (in different wind conditions). Th5s study also shows that the glass covering of the Fresnel evacuated receiver, under the conditions considered (solar field outlet temperature: 550 °C), reaches significant temperatures (above 300 °C). Furthermore, due to the presence of the secondary reflector, the temperature difference between the upper and the lower part of the glass envelope can be very high, well above 100 °C in the final part of the collector string. Differently, in the case of PTs, this temperature difference is quite limited (below 30 °C). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 5278 KiB  
Article
In 50 Shades of Orange: Germany’s Photovoltaic Power Generation Landscape
by Reinhold Lehneis and Daniela Thrän
Energies 2024, 17(16), 3871; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17163871 - 6 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
Spatiotemporally resolved data on photovoltaic (PV) power generation are very helpful to analyze the multiple impacts of this variable renewable energy on regional and local scales. In the absence of such disaggregated data for Germany, numerical simulations are needed to obtain the electricity [...] Read more.
Spatiotemporally resolved data on photovoltaic (PV) power generation are very helpful to analyze the multiple impacts of this variable renewable energy on regional and local scales. In the absence of such disaggregated data for Germany, numerical simulations are needed to obtain the electricity production from PV systems for a time period and region under study. This manuscript presents how a physical simulation model, which uses open access weather and plant data as input vectors, can be created. The developed PV model is then applied to an ensemble of approximately 1.95 million PV systems, consisting of ground-mounted and rooftop installations, in order to compute their electricity production in Germany for the year 2020. The resulting spatially aggregated time series closely matches the measured PV feed-in pattern of Germany throughout the simulated year. Such disaggregated data can be applied to investigate the German PV power generation landscape at various spatiotemporal levels, as each PV system is taken into account with its technical data and the weather conditions at its geo-location. Furthermore, the German PV power generation landscape is presented as detailed maps based on these simulation results, which can also be useful for many other scientific fields such as energy system modeling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5075 KiB  
Article
Impact of Stationarizing Solar Inputs on Very-Short-Term Spatio-Temporal Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) Forecasting
by Rodrigo Amaro e Silva, Llinet Benavides Cesar, Miguel Ángel Manso Callejo and Calimanut-Ionut Cira
Energies 2024, 17(14), 3527; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17143527 - 18 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 818
Abstract
In solar forecasting, it is common practice for solar data (be it irradiance or photovoltaic power) to be converted into a stationary index (e.g., clear-sky or clearness index) before being used as inputs for solar-forecasting models. However, its actual impact is rarely quantified. [...] Read more.
In solar forecasting, it is common practice for solar data (be it irradiance or photovoltaic power) to be converted into a stationary index (e.g., clear-sky or clearness index) before being used as inputs for solar-forecasting models. However, its actual impact is rarely quantified. Thus, this paper aims to study the impact of including this processing step in the modeling workflow within the scope of very-short-term spatio-temporal forecasting. Several forecasting models are considered, and the observed impact is shown to be model-dependent. Persistence does not benefit from this for such short timescales; however, the statistical models achieve an additional 0.5 to 2.5 percentual points (PPs) in terms of the forecasting skill. Machine-learning (ML) models achieve 0.9 to 1.9 more PPs compared to a linear regression, indicating that stationarization reveals non-linear patterns in the data. The exception is Random Forest, which underperforms in comparison with the other models. Lastly, the inclusion of solar elevation and azimuth angles as inputs is tested since these are easy to compute and can inform the model on time-dependent patterns. Only the cases where the input is not made stationary, or the underperforming Random Forest model, seem to benefit from this. This indicates that the apparent Sun position data can compensate for the lack of stationarization in the solar inputs and can help the models to differentiate the daily and seasonal variability from the shorter-term, weather-driven variability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

39 pages, 607 KiB  
Review
Geometrical Aspects of the Optics of Linear Fresnel Concentrators: A Review
by Roberto Grena
Energies 2024, 17(14), 3564; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17143564 - 19 Jul 2024
Viewed by 937
Abstract
Linear Fresnel concentrators (LFR) are widely seen by the scientific community as one of the most promising systems for the production of solar energy via thermal plants or concentrated photovoltaics. The produced energy depends on the optical efficiency of the LFR, which is [...] Read more.
Linear Fresnel concentrators (LFR) are widely seen by the scientific community as one of the most promising systems for the production of solar energy via thermal plants or concentrated photovoltaics. The produced energy depends on the optical efficiency of the LFR, which is mainly dictated by the geometry of the plant. For this reason, the analysis of LFR geometry and its effects on optical behavior is a crucial step in the design and optimization of a Fresnel plant. The theoretical and computational tools used to model the optics of a LFR are fundamental in research on energy production. In this review, geometrical aspects of the optics of linear Fresnel concentrators are presented, with a detailed discussion of the parameters required to define the geometry of a plant and of the main optical concepts. After an overview of the literature on the subject, the main part of the review is dedicated to summarising useful formulas and outlining general procedures for optical simulations. These include (i) a ray-tracing procedure to simulate a mirror field, and (ii) a fast quasi-analytical method useful for optimizations and on-the-fly computations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop