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Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology
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Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 6341

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132012, China
Interests: solar energy; energy storage; renewable energy; nuclear energy; energy policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tieliu Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering , Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132012, China
Interests: solar energy; energy and power engineering; energy storage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the necessity of achieving carbon neutrality has become the consensus of many countries. The realization of carbon neutrality is bound to be accomplished by vigorously developing new energy sources. As the most abundant renewable resource in the world, solar energy is widely distributed and non-polluting, making it an ideal alternative energy source. Compared with traditional thermal power generation technologies, solar power generation technology has many advantages, but there are still many problems that hinder its development, for instance, system power output instability caused by solar volatility and intermittency, low energy conversion efficiency, high cost, etc. How can we meet these challenges and effectively solve a series of critical issues in the development of solar power generation? Researchers all over the world are working hard in this research field.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers to discuss the critical issues in solar power generation technology, allowing them to present the latest achievements and current problems in solar power generation technology, and to propose corresponding solutions to key technical challenges in solar power, pointing out the directions for the sustainable development of future solar power generation technology to a certain extent. This Special Issue encourages research and development works on solar power generation technologies, with topics including but not limited to:

a) Critical issues in solar photovoltaic power;

b) Critical issues in concentrated solar thermal power;

c) Energy storage issues in solar power generation;

d) Research on solar-based hydrogen production or desalination;

e) Applications of nanofluids and other new materials in solar power field;

f) Research works related to solar energy development policy;

g) Research on other issues related to solar power generation technology.

Prof. Dr. Gang Wang
Prof. Dr. Tieliu Jiang
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. Sustainability 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 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 power
  • solar photovoltaic power
  • CSP
  • energy storage
  • solar energy development policy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 9174 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Thermodynamic Performances of a Linear Fresnel Reflector Photovoltaic/Thermal System Using Ag/Water and Ag-CoSO4/Water Nano-Fluid Spectrum Filters
by Tieliu Jiang, Tianlin Zou and Gang Wang
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12538; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612538 - 18 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 996
Abstract
Renewable energy represented by solar energy has played an important role in the transformation of the energy consumption structure of the world. This study describes and studies a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (HPVT) system using a linear Fresnel reflector concentrator (LFRC) and nano-fluid spectrum filter [...] Read more.
Renewable energy represented by solar energy has played an important role in the transformation of the energy consumption structure of the world. This study describes and studies a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (HPVT) system using a linear Fresnel reflector concentrator (LFRC) and nano-fluid spectrum filter (NFSF). The method of designing the HPVT system is provided. Ag/water and Ag-CoSO4/water NFSFs used for this HPVT system were prepared and experimentally tested. Optical analysing results indicate that the optical efficiencies of the PV cell module (PVCM) and NFSF are 0.7556 and 0.9053 under the condition of 0.3° solar tracking error (STE), demonstrating good adaptable capacity to the STE. Moreover, the operating performances of the HPVT system using different NFSFs are compared. The comparison results demonstrate that compared with the Ag/water NFSF, the introduction of CoSO4 can enhance the thermal performance but decrease the photovoltaic efficiency of the HPVT system. When the Ag-CoSO4/water (1.2 mg–3 g/130 mL) NFSF is used, the photovoltaic and thermal efficiencies of the whole HPVT system are 0.1366 and 0.4259, and the overall exergy efficiency is 0.209. The exergy efficiency of the HPVT system will be improved if the NFSF temperature is increased appropriately or if the external convection heat transfer coefficient and environment temperature are reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology)
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21 pages, 12086 KiB  
Article
Analyzing the Effects of Governmental Policy and Solar Power on Facilitating Carbon Neutralization in the Context of Energy Transition: A Four-Party Evolutionary Game Study
by Yuechao Chao and Gang Wang
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065388 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
For achieving carbon neutralization and promoting the coordinated development of solar and coal-fired power generations in the context of energy transition, this paper develops a public–private partnership project including the government, carbon exchange enterprise, solar thermal power plant and a coal-fired thermal power [...] Read more.
For achieving carbon neutralization and promoting the coordinated development of solar and coal-fired power generations in the context of energy transition, this paper develops a public–private partnership project including the government, carbon exchange enterprise, solar thermal power plant and a coal-fired thermal power plant. Using the four-party evolutionary game theory method, the evolutionary stable strategies are evaluated. The influence estimate results of key factors show that a higher carbon emission penalty and a green electricity subsidy as well as a lower carbon trading tax rate will be beneficial to the carbon trading market, as well as facilitate carbon neutralization. In most instances, the government and carbon exchange enterprise can hold acceptable participating intention. For relatively suitable reference value ranges, the carbon emission quota sale price range of the solar thermal power plant sold to the carbon exchange enterprise is 5.5~6.0 USD/t, that of the carbon exchange enterprise sold to the coal-fired thermal power plant is 5.0~6.5 USD/t, that of the solar thermal power plant sold to the coal-fired thermal power plant is 5.0~5.5 USD/t, that sold to the coal-fired thermal power plant by outside organizations is 9.0~10.5 USD/t, and the carbon trading tax rate range is 6.0~6.2%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology)
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12 pages, 4008 KiB  
Article
A Detailed Numerical Study of a Nanofluid-Based Photovoltaic/THERMAL Hybrid System under Non-Uniform Solar Flux Distribution
by Tieliu Jiang, Mingqi Liu and Jianqing Lin
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4377; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054377 - 1 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1815
Abstract
The concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system (CPVT) adopting spectral beam splitting is a promising field of solar energy research. However, the thermo-electric properties of fluid-based CPVT collectors, which depend strongly on the non-uniform concentrated energy flux, remain unclear. This study aims to fill the gap [...] Read more.
The concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system (CPVT) adopting spectral beam splitting is a promising field of solar energy research. However, the thermo-electric properties of fluid-based CPVT collectors, which depend strongly on the non-uniform concentrated energy flux, remain unclear. This study aims to fill the gap and explore the thermo-electric properties of fluid-based CPVT collectors under non-uniform energy flux based on the finite volume method (FVM) with the Monte Carlo Ray-Trace (MCRT) method. The actual solar flux distribution on the receiver surface is obtained using Tracepro software. Then, the realistic non-uniform energy flux was employed in ANSYS Workbench 2022R1 software as a boundary condition to increase the accuracy of the CFD modeling of the system. The model is validated by comparing the results of the reference data. Moreover, the impact of uniform and non-uniform energy flux on the PV cell temperature is analyzed. In addition, the effects of mass flow rate on the electrical and thermal performance of the system are investigated. The results show that the PVT hybrid system has high conversion efficiency, with a total efficiency of more than 50%. Notably, the extreme non-uniformity of the solar-concentrated energy flux can result in local overheating of the PV cell, which may lead to irreversible damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology)
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17 pages, 65111 KiB  
Article
Effect Evaluation of Filling Medium Parameters on Operating and Mechanical Performances of Liquid Heavy Metal Heat Storage Tank
by Gang Wang and Tong Wang
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14551; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114551 - 5 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1029
Abstract
In order to evaluate the feasibility and performance of liquid lead-bismuth eutectic as the heat transfer fluid for thermocline heat storage tanks in solar power systems, we conducted an effect evaluation of filling medium parameters on the integrated operating and mechanical performances of [...] Read more.
In order to evaluate the feasibility and performance of liquid lead-bismuth eutectic as the heat transfer fluid for thermocline heat storage tanks in solar power systems, we conducted an effect evaluation of filling medium parameters on the integrated operating and mechanical performances of a thermocline tank using liquid lead-bismuth eutectic using the computational fluid dynamics simulation method. Four parameters were evaluated: the porosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and equivalent diameter of the filling medium. The results show that the liquid lead-bismuth eutectic tank operated stably. The total charging and total discharging durations were 5.7 h and 5.3 h, respectively, and the discharging efficiency was 91.94%. The effect evaluation results reveal that the discharging thermocline thickness of the liquid heavy metal tank can be decreased by increasing the specific heat capacity of the filling particles, or by decreasing the porosity, thermal conductivity, and equivalent diameter of the filling medium. The total discharging quantity of the tank increased from 2.19 × 1010 J to 3.34 × 1010 J when the specific heat capacity of the filling particles increased from 610.0 J/(kg∙K) to 1010.0 J/(kg∙K), while the other three filling medium parameters had no obvious effect on the total discharging quantity of the tank. The mechanical performance of the tank wall could be improved by decreasing any one of the four evaluated parameters of the filling medium. The results of this paper may serve as a reference for the design of actual liquid heavy metal heat storage tanks in solar power plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Solar Power Generation Technology)
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