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Thermal Performance, Analysis and Application of Solar Photovoltaic Systems

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 11676

Special Issue Editors


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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

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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
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

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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1533 KiB  
Article
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://doi.org/10.3390/en16020748 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2571
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 [...] Read more.
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
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18 pages, 3017 KiB  
Article
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://doi.org/10.3390/en15010157 - 27 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2410
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 [...] Read more.
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
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24 pages, 3257 KiB  
Article
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://doi.org/10.3390/en14113360 - 7 Jun 2021
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4179 | 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 [...] Read more.
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
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Review

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29 pages, 5132 KiB  
Review
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://doi.org/10.3390/en16155638 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1806
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, [...] Read more.
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
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