Solar Compass最新文献

In order to solve the potential safety hazards caused by the fluctuation of photovoltaic (PV) power generation, it is necessary to predict it in advance and take countermeasures as soon as possible. Based on the three models of vanilla Transformer, Informer, and Autoformer, this paper considers three prediction scenarios: zero-cost prediction, low-cost prediction, and high-cost prediction, and realizes the power prediction under two prediction horizons of 4 h and 24 h for a matrix of a centralized PV power station in Hubei Province, China. The results of some configurations meet the industry-recommended metric requirements, and the overall performance of the vanilla Transformer is better than Informer and Autoformer. After comparing the three models and different prediction intervals, and considering the practical industrial demand, this paper gives recommended configurations for both 4 h and 24 h predictions. The practical rolling prediction performance of the recommended configurations demonstrates the applicability and flexibility of the proposed methods.

This scientific study examines the evaluation of photovoltaic power generation projects through the application of multi-criteria decision analysis methods. Two groups of large-scale grid-connected PV power generation system projects with a nominal power of 50 MW and 500 MW respectively were analyzed and evaluated. These systems were designed to be installed in the same wider geographical area in northern Greece, but they were differentiated in the part of the PV circuit. Twelve systems were analyzed in which either monocrystalline silicon panels or poly-crystalline silicon panels or bifacial photovoltaic panels were to be installed. In these systems either central photovoltaic inverters or photovoltaic string inverters were considered for installation. The following criteria were used to evaluate the investment in these projects. These criteria were related to the profitability, the financial cost, the technical level, and the electrical energy production of the systems and these were the initial investment cost, the operation and maintenance cost, the levelized cost of electricity, the net present value, the internal rate of return, the capital recovery or payback period, the technical level of the photovoltaic circuit, the technical maturity of the photovoltaic circuit, and the annual electricity production. The evaluation of these criteria was initially conducted with fixed weighting coefficients followed by a sensitivity analysis of these weighting coefficients. The results of the evaluation using the PROMETHEE, AHP and TOPSIS multi-criteria decision analysis methods showed that the PV power generation systems which should be preferred are those with increased nominal power, where monocrystalline silicon technology panels are employed following the central inverter topology.

Due to technological advancement and modernization, the demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) is rising. In Bangladesh, there is a growing demand for electric vehicles such as auto-rickshaws and easy bikes, and electric automobiles will be familiar soon. The demand for electrically powered vehicles is increasing in response to growing environmental concerns; it helps balance the greenhouse effect and global warming. Solar-based charging systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The CO₂ emissions produced by solar-based EV charging systems are lower than those produced by coal-based chargers. Moreover, the Government of Bangladesh wants to accomplish Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 by 2030 by increasing the proportion of accessible, cutting-edge, renewable energy sources. This study investigates and analyses the technological, economic, and ecological viability of a solar PV power plant in Bangladesh for charging EVs. This study examined solar-based EV charging stations, which generate 36,785.76 MWh of electricity for 20 years of their lifetime and are used to charge EVs. Furthermore, the net present value (NPV) is USD 652,656.80, the initial investment is USD 1,365,300, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is 11.70 %, and the Payback Period (PBP) is 7.2 years. Approximately per day, 250 battery-operated three-wheeler EVs can be charged using the generated electricity. In addition, the project will prevent the emission of 24,013.86 tons of CO₂, 251.25 tons of SO₂, 63.39 tons of NO_x, and 12.55 tons of CO. Eliminating these GHG emissions may also aid Bangladesh in achieving SDG 13.

Utility-scale solar energy project proposals have been accelerating exponentially in the United States (U.S.) as the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables continues to unfold. While the emissions and economic related benefits of deploying large-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) for electricity generation are well documented, relatively less is known about their impact on nearby property values. This paper investigates the location of utility-scale solar facilities in the U.S. Midwest, the average home value in each relevant zip code, and whether the presence of a utility-scale solar project affects nearby property values in any manner. Our study includes 70 utility-scale solar facilities built in the Midwest from 2009 to 2022 using data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Alongside housing value data from Zillow (i.e., Zestimate), we incorporate additional data, including solar project size in installed capacity, rurality, and state. Using the difference-in-differences method, our results indicate that utility-scale solar projects increase nearby property values by roughly 0.5–2.0 %. Moreover, our results show that smaller projects have more of a positive impact on nearby property values than projects that are 20 megawatts or larger. Ultimately, having a better understanding of how these larger-scale solar projects impact property values is essential for a variety of stakeholders – especially local officials and property owners – as they are increasingly faced with making decisions about whether to permit the construction of these facilities in their communities.

This work investigates the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of four solar – wind off grid hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) models to provide electrification for Okorobo-Ile town in Andoni Local Government Area of River State, Nigeria using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables (HOMER) software. In particular, investigation of the possible inclusion of a fuel cell (FC) system is performed. The four considered models are: pv/wind/battery (PWB); pv/wind/battery/gen-set (PWBG), pv/wind/fuel-cell (PWF) and pv/wind/battery/fuel-cell (PWBF). The best cost-effective configuration among the set of systems were examined for the electricity requirement of 677.75 kWh/day primary load with 99.1 kW peak load. Results obtained showed that the net present cost (NPC) are $615,664.95, $679,348.17, $778,834.22 and $3,534,850.54 respectively for the PWB, PWBG, PWBF and PWF. The cost of energy (COE) was lowest for the PWB with a value of $$0.158 and highest for the PWF with a value of $0.964. The renewable options—PWBF and PWF have higher long-term costs but offer cleaner emissions. In contrast, options with the Diesel-Powered Generator is cost-effective but has a high environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. These emissions include 3,758 kg/yr CO₂, 23.7 kg/yr CO and a total of 32.67 kg/yr of unburned hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Based on the results, a stand - alone HRES that consist of 166 kW PV panels, 3 wind turbines 29 batteries and 123 kW converter is found to be the best configuration for the village, as it leads to minimum net present cost (NPC) and COE. The PWB system offers the best choice for the community by balancing financial considerations with sustainability which is crucial when making energy system choices. Results also show that while hydrogen, FC system and the electrolyzer can be used together with or without batteries, inclusion of the FC system resulted in the high NPC due to their high cost of investment.

The use of energy-efficient technologies tends to reduce the overall energy use of a country and foster the energy transition pathways. However, a change in energy can occur either due to a change in activity effect, intensity effect, or structural effect. The objective of the study is firstly to examine and measure the magnitude of change in energy use and identify the factor responsible for the change in energy use in the selected sectors. Secondly, the paper aims to analyze the impact of the Norwegian economy on the three effects of energy use. The study contributes significantly to identifying the sector that experiences a reduction in energy use due to energy efficiency and examining the impact of the economy on energy use. The overall energy use between 1990 and 2017 is decomposed into three different effects for selected energy-intensive sectors by deploying the ‘Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index’ (LMDI) method. Further, the impact of the Norwegian economy is examined on the three effects of energy use. It is observed that in each Phase, the key driver for change in energy use in all three Phases is the transport sector. Post-recession, the energy use in the transport sector was due to structural effects. Consumer behavior and limitations of sources of finance are the challenges for the deployment of electric vehicles even after technological breakthroughs in energy efficiency. Finally, the policies to enhance energy efficiency in energy-intensive sectors, such as the transport, and services sector must be undertaken to efficiently visualize energy efficiency-driven energy transition.

The operation of Distribution Networks (DNs) has been affected by the ongoing energy transition, gradually incorporating more Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), mainly Renewable Energy Sources (RES), as well as Energy Storage Systems (ESS) sustainably enhancing DN’s flexibility. In the case of the non-interconnected island of Ikaria, Greece, with high solar and wind potential, the DN includes conventional generators, Photovoltaic systems (PVs), wind farms and a hydro-pumped ESS. Scope of this study is to assess the possible impact of the PVs expansion considering either: i) fixed, ii) single-axis or iii) dual-axis tracking panels. For this purpose, CERTH’s in-house INTEMA.grid platform is used. Tracking mechanism’s effectiveness is studied considering that the expansion doubles or triples the rated power of the existing, fixed 0.4 MW PVs, following the directions of the Distribution System Operator (DSO). Additionally, a monthly analysis is presented, because Ikaria is an island with extremely higher load during summer months due to tourism. According to the results, if the current PV capacity is doubled or tripled, a dual-axis expansion yields 16.0% or 21.3% yearly production increase compared to fixed panels, respectively, with the single-axis effect though being much higher (14% or 18.7%, respectively) than the incremental effect of the second axis (further comparative 1.8% or 2.3%, respectively). The effectiveness of tracking mechanisms is highlighted during summer months and particularly early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Finally, environmental and economic indicators for the proposed installations are assessed.

This study proposes and utilizes a modified multi-objective particle swarm optimization (M-MOPSO) algorithm for the optimal sizing of a solar-wind-battery hybrid renewable energy system for a rural community in Rivers State, Nigeria. Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on minimizing total economic cost (TEC) and total annual cost (TAC), this research emphasizes minimizing the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The M-MOPSO algorithm introduces a dynamic inertia weight, a unique repository update mechanism, and a dominance-based personal best update strategy, which collectively enhance its performance. Comparative analysis with PSO, NSGA-II, MOPSO and hybrid GA-PSO demonstrates that M-MOPSO consistently achieves a lower LPSP, although its LCOE remains higher. The M-MOPSO optimal configuration when simulated under various climatic scenarios was able to meet the energy needs of the community irrespective of ambient condition.

Thin films of Ni:ZnO were successfully synthesized by sol-gel spin coating system for 0.5 % and 2.5 % Ni doping concentration on FTO coated substrate. The synthesized films were annealed at 540 °C for 4 h. The annealed thin films were characterized for its electrical, optical and chemical characteristics using UV–Vis, Micro Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. The UV–Vis spectra analysis reveals that the energy band gap of deposited films found to be 3.58 eV and 3.51 eV for 0.5 % and 2.5 % Ni:ZnO thin films, respectively. Two significant characteristic peaks identified at 424 cm⁻¹ and 563 cm⁻¹ in Raman spectra. These peaks are attributed to $E_2^{high}$ and LO(A₁ and E₁) modes, which confirms the hexagonal wurtzite phase of Ni:ZnO thin films. Furthermore, the absorption peaks observed at 530 cm⁻¹ and 635 cm⁻¹ in the FTIR spectra are attributed to the characteristic stretching vibrational modes of Zn-O and Ni-O bonds, respectively.