Progress of semitransparent emerging photovoltaics for building integrated applications

With the rapid development of emerging photovoltaics technology in recent years,the application of building-integrated photovoltaics(BIPVs)has attracted the research interest of photovoltaic communities.To meet the practical application requirements of BIPVs,in addition to the evaluation indicator of power conversion efficiency(PCE),other key performance indicators such as heat-insulating ability,average visible light transmittance(AVT),color properties,and integrability are equally important.The traditional Si-based photovoltaic technology is typically limited by its opaque properties for application scenarios where transparency is required.The emerging PV technologies,such as organic and perovskite photovoltaics are promising candidates for BIPV applications,owing to their advantages such as high PCE,high AVT,and tunable properties.At present,the PCE of semitransparent perovskite solar cells(ST-PSCs)has attained 14%with AVT of 22–25%;for semitransparent organic solar cells(ST-OSCs),the PCE reached 13%with AVT of almost 40%.In this review article,we summarize recent advances in material selection,optical engineering,and device architecture design for high-performance semitransparent emerging PV devices,and discuss the application of optical modeling,as well as the challenges of commercializing these semitransparent solar cells for building-integrated applications.

Recent advances in two-dimensional photovoltaic devices

Two-dimensional(2D)materials have attracted tremendous interest in view of the outstanding optoelectronic properties,showing new possibilities for future photovoltaic devices toward high performance,high specific power and flexibility.In recent years,substantial works have focused on 2D photovoltaic devices,and great progress has been achieved.Here,we present the review of recent advances in 2D photovoltaic devices,focusing on 2D-material-based Schottky junctions,homojunctions,2D−2D heterojunctions,2D−3D heterojunctions,and bulk photovoltaic effect devices.Furthermore,advanced strategies for improving the photovoltaic performances are demonstrated in detail.Finally,conclusions and outlooks are delivered,providing a guideline for the further development of 2D photovoltaic devices.

Multi-Time Scale Optimal Scheduling of a Photovoltaic Energy Storage Building System Based on Model Predictive Control

Building emission reduction is an important way to achieve China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.Aiming at the problem of low carbon economic operation of a photovoltaic energy storage building system,a multi-time scale optimal scheduling strategy based on model predictive control(MPC)is proposed under the consideration of load optimization.First,load optimization is achieved by controlling the charging time of electric vehicles as well as adjusting the air conditioning operation temperature,and the photovoltaic energy storage building system model is constructed to propose a day-ahead scheduling strategy with the lowest daily operation cost.Second,considering inter-day to intra-day source-load prediction error,an intraday rolling optimal scheduling strategy based on MPC is proposed that dynamically corrects the day-ahead dispatch results to stabilize system power fluctuations and promote photovoltaic consumption.Finally,taking an office building on a summer work day as an example,the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling strategy is verified.The results of the example show that the strategy reduces the total operating cost of the photovoltaic energy storage building system by 17.11%,improves the carbon emission reduction by 7.99%,and the photovoltaic consumption rate reaches 98.57%,improving the system’s low-carbon and economic performance.

Electro-Optical Model of Soiling Effects on Photovoltaic Panels and Performance Implications

In this paper,a detailed model of a photovoltaic(PV)panel is used to study the accumulation of dust on solar panels.The presence of dust diminishes the incident light intensity penetrating the panel’s cover glass,as it increases the reflection of light by particles.This phenomenon,commonly known as the“soiling effect”,presents a significant challenge to PV systems on a global scale.Two basic models of the equivalent circuits of a solar cell can be found,namely the single-diode model and the two-diode models.The limitation of efficiency data in manufacturers’datasheets has encouraged us to develop an equivalent electrical model that is efficient under dust conditions,integrated with optical transmittance considerations to investigate the soiling effect.The proposed approach is based on the use of experimental current-voltage(I-V)characteristics with simulated data using MATLAB/Simulink.Our research outcomes underscores the feasibility of accurately quantifying the reduction in energy production resulting from soiling by assessing the optical transmittance of accumulated dust on the surface of PV glass.

Analysis for Effects of Temperature Rise of PV Modules upon Driving Distance of Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaic Electric Vehicles

The development of vehicle integrated photovoltaics-powered electric vehicles (VIPV-EV) significantly reduces CO2 emissions from the transport sector to realize a decarbonized society. Although long-distance driving of VIPV-EV without electricity charging is expected in sunny regions, driving distance of VIPV-EV is affected by climate conditions such as solar irradiation and temperature rise of PV modules. In this paper, detailed analytical results for effects of climate conditions such as solar irradiation and temperature rise of PV modules upon driving distance of the VIPV-EV were presented by using test data for Toyota Prius and Nissan Van demonstration cars installed with high-efficiency InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs 3-junction solar cell modules with a module efficiency of more than 30%. The temperature rise of some PV modules studied in this study was shown to be expressed by some coefficients related to solar irradiation, wind speed and radiative cooling. The potential of VIPV-EV to be deployed in 10 major cities was also analyzed. Although sunshine cities such as Phoenix show the high reduction ratio of driving range with 17% due to temperature rise of VIPV modules, populous cities such as Tokyo show low reduction ratio of 9%. It was also shown in this paper that the difference between the driving distance of VIPV-EV driving in the morning and the afternoon is due to PV modules’ radiative cooling. In addition, the importance of heat dissipation of PV modules and the development of high-efficiency PV modules with better temperature coefficients was suggested in order to expand driving range of VIPV-EV. The effects of air-conditioner usage and partial shading in addition to the effects of temperature rise of VIPV modules were suggested as the other power losses of VIPV-EV.

Reliability-BasedModel for Incomplete Preventive ReplacementMaintenance of Photovoltaic Power Systems

At present,the operation and maintenance of photovoltaic power generation systems mainly comprise regular maintenance,breakdown maintenance,and condition-based maintenance,which is very likely to lead to over-or under-repair of equipment.Therefore,a preventive maintenance and replacement strategy for PV power generation systems based on reliability as a constraint is proposed.First,a hybrid failure function with a decreasing service age factor and an increasing failure rate factor is introduced to describe the deterioration of PV power generation equipment,and the equipment is replaced when its reliability drops to the replacement threshold in the last cycle.Then,based on the reliability as a constraint,the average maintenance cost and availability of the equipment are considered,and the non-periodic incomplete maintenance model of the PV power generation system is established to obtain the optimal number of repairs,each maintenance cycle and the replacement cycle of the PV power generation system components.Next,the inverter of a PV power plant is used as a research object.The model in this paper is compared and analyzed with the equal cycle maintenance model without considering reliability and the maintenance model without considering the equipment replacement threshold,Through model comparison,when the optimal maintenance strategy is(0.80,4),the average maintenance cost of this paper’s model are decreased by 20.3%and 5.54%and the availability is increased by 0.2395% and 0.0337%,respectively,compared with the equal-cycle maintenance model without considering the reliability constraint and the maintenance model without considering the equipment replacement threshold.Therefore,this maintenance model can ensure the high reliability of PV plant operation while increasing the equipment availability to improve the system economy.

Analysis and Modeling of Time Output Characteristics for Distributed Photovoltaic and Energy Storage

Due to the unpredictable output characteristics of distributed photovoltaics,their integration into the grid can lead to voltage fluctuations within the regional power grid.Therefore,the development of spatial-temporal coordination and optimization control methods for distributed photovoltaics and energy storage systems is of utmost importance in various scenarios.This paper approaches the issue from the perspective of spatiotemporal forecasting of distributed photovoltaic(PV)generation and proposes a Temporal Convolutional-Long Short-Term Memory prediction model that combines Temporal Convolutional Networks(TCN)and Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM).To begin with,an analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of PV generation is conducted,and outlier data is handled using the 3σ rule.Subsequently,a novel approach that combines temporal convolution and LSTM networks is introduced,with TCN extracting spatial features and LSTM capturing temporal features.Finally,a real spatiotemporal dataset from Gansu,China,is established to compare the performance of the proposed network against other models.The results demonstrate that the model presented in this paper exhibits the highest predictive accuracy,with a single-step Mean Absolute Error(MAE)of 1.782 and an average Root Mean Square Error(RMSE)of 3.72 for multi-step predictions.

Research on the MPPT of Photovoltaic Power Generation Based on Improved WOA and P&O under Partial Shading Conditions

Partial shading conditions(PSCs)caused by uneven illumination become one of the most common problems in photovoltaic(PV)systems,which can make the PV power-voltage(P-V)characteristics curve show multi-peaks.Traditional maximum power point tracking(MPPT)methods have shortcomings in tracking to the global maximum power point(GMPP),resulting in a dramatic decrease in output power.In order to solve the above problems,intelligent algorithms are used in MPPT.However,the existing intelligent algorithms have some disadvantages,such as slow convergence speed and large search oscillation.Therefore,an improved whale algorithm(IWOA)combined with the P&O(IWOA-P&O)is proposed for the MPPT of PV power generation in this paper.Firstly,IWOA is used to track the range interval of the GMPP,and then P&O is used to accurately find the MPP in that interval.Compared with other algorithms,simulation results show that this method has an average tracking efficiency of 99.79%and an average tracking time of 0.16 s when tracking GMPP.Finally,experimental verification is conducted,and the results show that the proposed algorithm has better MPPT performance compared to popular particle swarm optimization(PSO)and PSO-P&O algorithms.

Research on Scheduling Strategy of Flexible Interconnection Distribution Network Considering Distributed Photovoltaic and Hydrogen Energy Storage

Distributed photovoltaic(PV)is one of the important power sources for building a new power system with new energy as the main body.The rapid development of distributed PV has brought new challenges to the operation of distribution networks.In order to improve the absorption ability of large-scale distributed PV access to the distribution network,the AC/DC hybrid distribution network is constructed based on flexible interconnection technology,and a coordinated scheduling strategy model of hydrogen energy storage(HS)and distributed PV is established.Firstly,the mathematical model of distributed PV and HS system is established,and a comprehensive energy storage system combining seasonal hydrogen energy storage(SHS)and battery(BT)is proposed.Then,a flexible interconnected distribution network scheduling optimization model is established to minimize the total active power loss,voltage deviation and system operating cost.Finally,simulation analysis is carried out on the improved IEEE33 node,the NSGA-II algorithm is used to solve specific examples,and the optimal scheduling results of the comprehensive economy and power quality of the distribution network are obtained.Compared with the method that does not consider HS and flexible interconnection technology,the network loss and voltage deviation of this method are lower,and the total system cost can be reduced by 3.55%,which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Experimental Investigation of the Stability of the Performance Characteristics of a Photovoltaic Module in the Face of Environmental and Meteorological Factors

The explosive technological improvement of photovoltaic systems as well as the necessity of populations to come to less expensive energy sources, that have led to an implosion at the level of solar panel manufacturers. This causes a large flow of these equipments to developing countries where the need is high, without any quality control. That conducted an experimental investigation on the performance characteristics of a 250 wp monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic module in other to check the verification and quality control. Most of these PV panels which often have missing informations are manufactured and tested in places that are inadequate for our environmental and meteorological conditions. Also, their influences on the stability of internal parameters were evaluated in order to optimize their performance. The results obtained at maximum illumination (1000 w/m2) confirmed those produced by the manufacturer. The analysis of these characteristics showed that the illumination and the temperature (meteorological factors) influenced at most the stability of the internal characteristics of the module in the sense that the maximum power increased very rapidly beyond 750 w/m2 but a degradation of performance was accentuated for a temperature of the solar cells exceeding 50°C. The degradation coefficients were evaluated at -0.0864 V/°C for the voltage and at -1.6248 w/°C for the power. The 10° inclination angle of the solar panel proved to be ideal for optimizing overall efficiency in practical situations.

Study on Image Recognition Algorithm for Residual Snow and Ice on Photovoltaic Modules

The accumulation of snow and ice on PV modules can have a detrimental impact on power generation,leading to reduced efficiency for prolonged periods.Thus,it becomes imperative to develop an intelligent system capable of accurately assessing the extent of snow and ice coverage on PV modules.To address this issue,the article proposes an innovative ice and snow recognition algorithm that effectively segments the ice and snow areas within the collected images.Furthermore,the algorithm incorporates an analysis of the morphological characteristics of ice and snow coverage on PV modules,allowing for the establishment of a residual ice and snow recognition process.This process utilizes both the external ellipse method and the pixel statistical method to refine the identification process.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through extensive testing with isolated and continuous snow area pictures.The results demonstrate the algorithm’s accuracy and reliability in identifying and quantifying residual snow and ice on PV modules.In conclusion,this research presents a valuable method for accurately detecting and quantifying snow and ice coverage on PV modules.This breakthrough is of utmost significance for PV power plants,as it enables predictions of power generation efficiency and facilitates efficient PV maintenance during the challenging winter conditions characterized by snow and ice.By proactively managing snow and ice coverage,PV power plants can optimize energy production and minimize downtime,ensuring a sustainable and reliable renewable energy supply.

Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of SZ Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Based on AHP-Matter-Element Extension Model

With the introduction of the“dual carbon goals,”there has been a robust development of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects in the promotion of their construction.As part of this initiative,a comprehensive and systematic analysis has been conducted to study the overall benefits of photovoltaic power generation projects.The evaluation process encompasses economic,technical,environmental,and social aspects,providing corresponding analysis methods and data references.Furthermore,targeted countermeasures and suggestions are proposed,signifying the research’s importance for the construction and development of subsequent distributed photovoltaic power generation projects.

Recent Advances and Challenges Toward Application of Fibers and Textiles in Integrated Photovoltaic Energy Storage Devices

Flexible microelectronic devices have seen an increasing trend toward development of miniaturized,portable,and integrated devices as wearable electronics which have the requirement for being light weight,small in dimension,and suppleness.Traditional three-dimensional(3D)and two-dimensional(2D)electronics gadgets fail to effectively comply with these necessities owing to their stiffness and large weights.Investigations have come up with a new family of one-dimensional(1D)flexible and fiber-based electronic devices(FBEDs)comprising power storage,energy-scavenging,implantable sensing,and flexible displays gadgets.However,development and manufacturing are still a challenge owing to their small radius,flexibility,low weight,weave ability and integration in textile electronics.This paper will provide a detailed review on the importance of substrates in electronic devices,intrinsic property requirements,fabrication classification and applications in energy harvesting,energy storage and other flexible electronic devices.Fiber-and textile-based electronic devices for bulk/scalable fabrications,encapsulation,and testing are reviewed and presented future research ideas to enhance the commercialization of these fiber-based electronics devices.

Coordinated planning for flexible interconnection and energy storage system in low-voltage distribution networks to improve the accommodation capacity of photovoltaic

The increasing proportion of distributed photovoltaics(DPVs)and electric vehicle charging stations in low-voltage distribution networks(LVDNs)has resulted in challenges such as distribution transformer overloads and voltage violations.To address these problems,we propose a coordinated planning method for flexible interconnections and energy storage systems(ESSs)to improve the accommodation capacity of DPVs.First,the power-transfer characteristics of flexible interconnection and ESSs are analyzed.The equipment costs of the voltage source converters(VSCs)and ESSs are also analyzed comprehensively,considering the differences in installation and maintenance costs for different installation locations.Second,a bilevel programming model is established to minimize the annual comprehensive cost and yearly total PV curtailment capacity.Within this framework,the upper-level model optimizes the installation locations and capacities of the VSCs and ESSs,whereas the lower-level model optimizes the operating power of the VSCs and ESSs.The proposed model is solved using a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with an elite strategy(NSGA-II).The effectiveness of the proposed planning method is validated through an actual LVDN scenario,which demonstrates its advantages in enhancing PV accommodation capacity.In addition,the economic benefits of various planning schemes with different flexible interconnection topologies and different PV grid-connected forms are quantitatively analyzed,demonstrating the adaptability of the proposed coordinated planning method.

Battery-Free Power Supply for Wireless Sensor Combining Photovoltaic Cells and Supercapacitors

This article exhibits the sizing, modelling, and characterization of a power supply (output 3.3 V, 200 mA max, 11 days full autonomy) dedicated to powering a wireless sensor node without a battery but usable as simply as with a battery. This system is modular for various light levels (indoor and outdoor). It is easily integrable into a sensor node, using only commercial circuits. The choices of the photovoltaic surface (amorphous silicon, η 5%, 35 cm2) and of the supercapacitors value (2x 25F, 2.7 V) are explained for permanent operation, considering the solar potential and the consumption. An original part of the paper is devoted to the issue of the startup, in which we demonstrate that after a particular preload, once installed, the device can start on request at the desired time (within 15 days) using as a trigger any light source, such as the LED of a mobile phone.

Evaluation of the Performance of Lithium-Ion Accumulators for Photovoltaic Energy Storage

In a context of climate change exacerbated by the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels, renewable energies, in particular photovoltaic solar energy, offer a promising alternative. Solar energy is non-polluting, globally available and the most widely distributed resource on Earth. However, the intermittency of this energy source considerably limits its expansion. To solve this problem, storage techniques are being used, in particular, electrochemical storage using lithium-ion batteries. In this article, we will evaluate the performance of lithium-ion batteries when integrated into a photovoltaic grid. To do this, modelling and simulation of a photovoltaic system connected to a lithium-ion battery storage system will be carried out using MATLAB/Simulink software. A diagnostic of the energy consumption of the Kaya Polytechnic University Centre will be carried out, and the data will then be used in the simulator to observe the behaviour of the PV-Lion system. The results obtained indicate that lithium-ion batteries can effectively meet the centre’s energy demand. In addition, it was observed that lithium-ion batteries perform better under high energy demand than the other battery technologies studied. Successive storage systems with the same capacity but different battery technologies were compared. It was found that these storage systems can handle a maximum power of 4 × 105 W for lead-acid batteries, 6.5 × 105 W for nickel-cadmium batteries, 8.5 × 105 W for nickel-metal-hydride batteries, and more than 10 × 105 W for lithium-ion technology.

Solar Photovoltaics Development in Nigeria: Drivers, Barriers, and Policies

Energy access is vital to a nation’s economic growth and its populace’s social well-being. Still, there is a lack of adequate energy in Nigeria, negatively affecting the country’s socio-economic development. Due to the inadequate energy supply, some manufacturing companies shut their operations, and most Nigerians now use backup generators (BUGs) with their attendant health hazards, environmental pollution, and global warming. The need for energy access and a sustainable energy supply through renewable energy (RE) resources necessitates adopting solar photovoltaics (PV) in Nigeria. Studies on Nigeria’s energy accessibility and sustainability are generally on RE development and a few on solar PV applications. This research covers the need for an in-depth analysis of the growth of solar PV in Nigeria, and the research question is: What factors promote or limit the adoption of solar photovoltaics in Nigeria? A method of Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and Thematic Analysis (TA) is employed for the analysis. The research findings are divided into drivers, barriers, and policies. Some identified factors promoting the adoption of solar PV are energy poverty and the urgency to improve electricity supply, the ease of its operation and maintenance, and the Nigerian government’s commitment to clean electricity supply with policy initiatives and increased awareness of solar PV applications. Conversely, some noticed factors mitigating the growth of solar PV are poor tariff systems, dual subsidies of electricity and petroleum, and lack of finance and economic incentives.

Semi-asynchronous personalized federated learning for short-term photovoltaic power forecasting

Accurate forecasting for photovoltaic power generation is one of the key enablers for the integration of solar photovoltaic systems into power grids.Existing deep-learning-based methods can perform well if there are sufficient training data and enough computational resources.However,there are challenges in building models through centralized shared data due to data privacy concerns and industry competition.Federated learning is a new distributed machine learning approach which enables training models across edge devices while data reside locally.In this paper,we propose an efficient semi-asynchronous federated learning framework for short-term solar power forecasting and evaluate the framework performance using a CNN-LSTM model.We design a personalization technique and a semi-asynchronous aggregation strategy to improve the efficiency of the proposed federated forecasting approach.Thorough evaluations using a real-world dataset demonstrate that the federated models can achieve significantly higher forecasting performance than fully local models while protecting data privacy,and the proposed semi-asynchronous aggregation and the personalization technique can make the forecasting framework more robust in real-world scenarios.

Maximum Power Tracking of Photovoltaic Modules Based on Fuzzy Logic Employing Four-Phase Intervaled Boost Converter

Currently, there are significant investments in the study of distributed generation, including solar energy by the photovoltaic conversion method. Basically, a cell directly converts solar energy to electricity. For this, static converters are required. However, relevant issues arise in this process: point of maximum efficiency of module generation, strategy of control of the flow of energy to the network. The aim of this work is to monitor the main variables of a photovoltaic system, specifically the voltage and current module and their derivates. The goal is to implement the maximum power tracking technique using Fuzzy logic. In addition, the energy provided by the cell will be employed in an inverter stage that can operate as an active filter, voltage regulator, or generator of reactive and active power. The feasibility of using Fuzzy logic will also be studied. The first stage of this work involves parameterization and simulation of photovoltaic modules. The initial study examines the compatibility of a commercial module and its catalog data with the results of simulation. The simulated I-V characteristics show almost identical results to the catalog data. In sequence, a boost or lift DC-DC converter is employed to emulate variable load for maximum power transfer.

Feature Extraction and Classification of Photovoltaic Panels Based on Convolutional Neural Network

Photovoltaic(PV)boards are a perfect way to create eco-friendly power from daylight.The defects in the PV panels are caused by various conditions;such defective PV panels need continuous monitoring.The recent development of PV panel monitoring systems provides a modest and viable approach to monitoring and managing the condition of the PV plants.In general,conventional procedures are used to identify the faulty modules earlier and to avoid declines in power generation.The existing deep learning architectures provide the required output to predict the faulty PV panels with less accuracy and a more time-consuming process.To increase the accuracy and to reduce the processing time,a new Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)architecture is required.Hence,in the present work,a new Real-time Multi Variant Deep learning Model(RMVDM)architecture is proposed,and it extracts the image features and classifies the defects in PV panels quickly with high accuracy.The defects that arise in the PV panels are identified by the CNN based RMVDM using RGB images.The biggest difference between CNN and its predecessors is that CNN automatically extracts the image features without any help from a person.The technique is quantitatively assessed and compared with existing faulty PV board identification approaches on the large real-time dataset.The results show that 98%of the accuracy and recall values in the fault detection and classification process.