Solar Compass最新文献

Ghana has the potential to deploy solar energy technologies, with its solar irradiation varying between 4 and 6.5 kWh/m²/day. However, the country's dependence on fossil fuels for generating electricity and heat remains prevalent. This study aims to assess the technical and financial feasibility of installing solar water heating (SWH) systems in hotels within Ghana. RETScreen software is used to conduct the technical, financial, and emission analyses of the SWH system for five cities in Ghana, including Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, Tamale, and Wa. The findings show that SWH systems are feasible for Ghanaian hotels, with solar fractions ranging from 61.2% in Kumasi to 78.5% in Wa. Also, installing the SWH system yields a positive net present value for all the cities. The implication is that installing SWH systems in hotels operating in Ghana is financially viable and attractive for investment. In addition, payback periods infer that the SWH systems can generate a return on investment in a reasonable time frame, especially considering the equity payback period. Furthermore, about 58.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions could be avoided annually by installing the SWH system in the selected cities. This study's findings suggest that hotels can achieve long-term financial savings on electricity costs by utilising solar energy to heat water. This, in turn, reduces their reliance on fossil fuel consumption while actively pursuing their sustainability objectives. The study findings are crucial in assisting hotel owners in making informed decisions on SWH systems.

This paper presents a novel generalized model of the PV array, its circuit equation and an algorithm for its global maximum power point (GMPP) estimation in partial shading condition (PSC). A set theory based approach is proposed to develop equations in terms of voltage and current of strings and array of the generalized model of series parallel PV configuration under partial shading condition. Further, a mathematical expression for the iteration voltage is derived based on a generally observed property of local maximum power point (LMPP). The proposed GMPP estimation algorithm converges fast by simultaneous elimination of non-potential sections and subsections of the power-voltage curve of an array. Robustness of the proposed method for GMPP estimation is tested by considering 2000 no. of random shading patterns generated by MATLAB for two different PV array. Comparisons with the other existing methods in terms of accuracy and computational time of the GMPP estimation show the competitiveness of the proposed method. Experimental validation of the proposed method is carried out in the laboratory. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method for the GMPP estimation of a PV array under PSC is better and will be helpful for PV professionals.

In this study, we investigated a scenario where the prediction technology for the total output of distributed photovoltaic power generation over a wide area could be more efficiently disseminated by sharing the costs with society, rather than burdening only specific companies with the costs. To achieve this goal, we not only focused on measuring the amount of solar radiation but also incorporated additional parameters into the solar radiation sensor, which is essential for improving the accuracy of the prediction technology. The fundamental configuration of the developed sensor consists of an organic thin film solar cell (OPV), and the output is utilized to transmit the output data externally. Utilizing the surplus power from the OPV, we examined and produced three types of sensors: 1) a sensor with a CO₂ measurement function, 2) a sensor with a mist spray function, and 3) a sensor with a photography function using a drive recorder. As a result, all sensors met the predetermined functions and target specifications.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency terms are the focus of policymakers to achieve a sustainable energy policy. The concept of sustainability has become a key element in the development of renewable technologies, so both quantitative and qualitative assessments are essential to consider the environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This study presents the results of applying different methodologies to assess the sustainability of the development of solar energy technologies, where the importance of this type of analysis is highlighted to support decision-makers.

The rapid growth in global energy demand in recent years has made global leaders think more about sustainability in the energy sector. Waste-to-energy (WTE) and solar energy are emerging areas in the energy sustainability discourse since terrestrial sustainability is of great concern. The study uses economic indices to evaluate the feasibility of WTE and solar plants at Oti landfill in Kumasi, Ghana, with the core objective of sustainable waste management through electricity production. Three scenarios were considered, (i) waste-to-energy plant alone, (ii) solar PV plant alone and (iii) combination of (i) and (ii) – hybrid. The Oti landfill receives a total volume of 891,000 tons per year of solid waste, which can be used to generate 379 GWh of electricity per year and has the potential to generate 85 GWh of electricity per year from solar with the assumption that one-half of the land surface area used waste to electricity and the other one-half is used for solar PV electricity. The study shows that all three scenarios are worth investing in, but the best investment option is the solar PV plant alone with NPV of mGHs 324.79, DPP of 4 years, IRR of 44% and DPI of 2.7. The WTE alone had NPV, IRR, DPI and DPP of mGHs 1122.11, 16%, 0.47 and 15.2 years, respectively. The WTE and solar PV composite had NPV of mGHs1445.9, IRR of 17%, DPI of 2.02 and the project initial cost recovery of 14.2 years.

This paper describes the processes and initial results for developing a Solar Roadmap for the Republic of Togo, West Africa. The activity followed the IEA/ISA procedure described in the “Solar Energy, Mapping the Road Ahead” document. The roadmap development committee included members from Togo, Europe, Asia, and the United States. The activity was initiated in 2020. The Togo Solar Roadmap development was divided into four Phases: Planning and preparation; Visioning; Roadmap Development; and Roadmap implementation and revision. The first 3 phases have been completed and are reported in this paper. The primary focus of the roadmap is on solar electricity and photovoltaics.

This paper provides a summary of the Annual World Solar Reports on Technology, Markets, and Investments published by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in October 2022. Solar has emerged as the technology of choice to drive the renewable energy transition. This preference for solar has been driven by technology maturity and improvements, cost reductions, and improved methods for grid integration of solar generation. Globally, solar has grown nearly 20 fold in the last decade to reach 920 GW of installed capacity in 2021. As solar approaches and crosses into Terawatt scale of deployment, a number of technological innovations are emerging to continue improving generation efficiency, power output, and material consumption. Additionally, manufacturing capacity is growing rapidly to meet demand for installations. The market for solar installations continues to grow around the world but will need to scale rapidly to meet net zero requirements. The growth in solar markets will also require a significant scale up in solar investments across the world through a wide range of instruments. The deployment of the correct solar related interventions can ensure that the world can achieve multi terawatt scale of solar deployment in the coming decades, thus supporting the global energy transition.

All energy types consumed on Earth emanate from the Sun's photosphere, either directly or indirectly. The maximum potential of solar energy is based on direct normal irradiance from the sun. However, due to differences in the operation and production process of each system, instead of just direct normal irradiance, it is the maximum amount of radiation in any form available for the system. By introducing common platform based upon the concept of long term rating (LTR) and standard solar energy (SSE) platform, defined by the temperatures of the photosphere of the Sun and the average Earth's ambient, three practical solar harvesters were studied and compared in this paper. With such an approach, the efficacy of each solar system is compared meaningfully despite assorted optical and work or heat driven cycles were deployed. Citing the case of solar-powered seawater desalination example, the amount of standard solar energy (SSE) needed per m³ produced by the stationary photovoltaic (PV), concentrated photovoltaic (CPV), and concentrated solar power (CSP) systems are 6.49, 2.36, and 2.99, respectively. Despite the more efficient use of SSE per m³ by the CPV method, which is deemed technologically mature, yet the major trend for the investment of renewable solar systems, either willfully or ignorantly, is the least efficient solar PV. As sunlight availability per m² is finite, a causal approach is needed for sustainable solar desalination.

This short note describes the basics and the process of technology roadmapping and its use to accelerate the deployment of solar technologies, in particular for solar photovoltaic technologies and applications in yet untapped markets, regions and countries. It emphasizes the important role of the roadmapping process itself, namely the crucial relevance of the stakeholder dialogue when establishing the vision and the targets of the solar roadmap.