Design of Portable Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger for a Solar Powered Water Distiller

This study presents theoretical considerations and results of a portable shell and tube heat exchanger in a solar water distiller system. The device is composed of a glass heat exchanger, which served as a condenser for vapor condensing which were produced in black paint solar absorber. It was also composed of a tank for water source and a tank for produced distilled water. Shell and tube was designed and simulated using an implicit numerical scheme. Simulation results showed that accumulated mass water greatly depended on the inlet vapor temperature and volume, heat exchanger material, coolant water temperature and volume. Thus, changing the material from stainless steel to glass in the same condition （vapor temperature, vapor volume, coolant temperature and coolant volume）. These inexpensive shell and tube heat exchangers permitted to produce 40 litre/day, distilled water from vapor with 378 K inlet temperature in atmosphere pressure. If inlet pressure increases, vapor temperature will decline and thereupon, heat exchanger＇s efficiency tangibility will increase.

3D Path Planning of the Solar Powered UAV in the Urban-Mountainous Environment with Multi-Objective and Multi-Constraint Based on the Enhanced Sparrow Search Algorithm Incorporating the Levy Flight Strategy

In response to practical application challenges in utilizing solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)for remote sensing,this study presents a three-dimensional path planning method tailored for urban-mountainous environment.Taking into account constraints related to the solar-powered UAV,terrain,and mission objectives,a multi-objective trajectory optimization model is transferred into a single-objective optimization problem with weight factors and multiconstraint and is developed with a focus on three key indicators:minimizing trajectory length,maximizing energy flow efficiency,and minimizing regional risk levels.Additionally,an enhanced sparrow search algorithm incorporating the Levy flight strategy(SSA-Levy)is introduced to address trajectory planning challenges in such complex environments.Through simulation,the proposed algorithm is compared with particle swarm optimization(PSO)and the regular sparrow search algorithm(SSA)across 17 standard test functions and a simplified simulation of urban-mountainous environments.The results of the simulation demonstrate the superior effectiveness of the designed improved SSA based on the Levy flight strategy for solving the established single-objective trajectory optimization model.

Multi-objective performance optimization&thermodynamic analysis of solar powered supercritical CO_(2)power cycles using machine learning methods&genetic algorithm

The present study is focused on multi-objective performance optimization&thermodynamic analysis from the perspectives of energy and exergy for Recompression,Partial Cooling&Main Compression Intercooling supercritical CO_(2)(sCO_(2))Brayton cycles for concentrated solar power(CSP)applications using machine learning algorithms.The novelty of this work lies in the integration of artificial neural networks(ANN)and genetic algorithms(GA)for optimizing the performance of advanced sCO_(2)power cycles considering climatic variation,which has significant implications for both the scientific community and engineering applications in the renewable energy sector.The methodology employed includes thermodynamic analysis based on energy,exergy&environmental factors including system performance optimization.The system is modelled for net power production of 15 MW thermal output utilizing equations for the energy and exergy balance for each component.Subsequently,thermodynamic model extracted dataset used for prediction&evaluation of Random Forest,XGBoost,KNN,AdaBoost,ANN and LightGBM algorithm.Finally,considering climate conditions,multi-objective optimization is carried out for the CSP integrated sCO_(2)Power cycle for optimal power output,exergy destruction,thermal and exergetic efficiency.Genetic algorithm and TOPSIS(technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution),multi-objective decision-making tool,were used to determine the optimum operating conditions.The major findings of this work reveal significant improvements in the performance of the advanced sCO_(2)cycle by 1.68%and 7.87%compared to conventional recompression and partial cooling cycle,respectively.This research could advance renewable energy technologies,particularly concentrated solar power,by improving power cycle designs to increase system efficiency and economic feasibility.Optimized advanced supercritical CO_(2)power cycles in concentrated solar power plants might increase renewable energy use and energy generation infrastructure,potentially opening new research avenues.

Longitudinal Control for Balloon-Borne Launched Solar Powered UAVs in Near-Space

Aiming to improve the pull-up control performance in the process of releasing balloonborne solar powered UAVs(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles),this paper establishes the full flight mechanics equations with flexible modes,and proposes the control method suitable for engineering application.To be specific,the authors first calculate the real aerodynamic force on horizontal stabilizer by comparing the fuselage deformation in ballooning test with that in static loading test.Furthermore,considering fuselage elastic deformation,the pitching moment coefficient is obtained and the influence of airspeed and elevator angle on pitching moment coefficient and control surface efficiency are analysed.Second,the authors establish a complete flight mechanics model,including elastic structural dynamic model and rigid flight dynamic model,by comprehensively considering the aerodynamic data,the relationship between fuselage deformation and load,as well as the ballooning test.Third,the authors perform the numerical simulation and comparison study on control performance between rigid model and flexible model.Moreover,the authors implement model modification based on the low altitude flight test and steady-state point analysing.Finally,a scaled UAV is used to complete the balloon-borne launching test.The results show that the longitudinal control method can analyse the longitudinal aerodynamics and control characteristics accurately,and could be effectively utilized in the pull-up control of the balloon-borne solar powered UAV.

Role of PV-Powered Vehicles in Low-Carbon Society and Some Approaches of High-Efficiency Solar Cell Modules for Cars

Development of highly-efficient photovoltaic (PV) modules and expanding its application fields are significant for the further development of PV technologies and realization of innovative green energy infrastructure based on PV. Especially, development of solar-powered vehicles as a new application is highly desired and very important for this end. This paper presents the impact of PV cell/module conversion efficiency on reduction in CO2 emission and increase in driving range of the electric based vehicles. Our studies show that the utilization of a highly-efficient (higher than 30%) PV module enables the solar-powered vehicle to drive 30 km/day without charging in the case of light weight cars with electric mileage of 17 km/kWh under solar irradiation of 3.7 kWh/m2/day, which means that the majority of the family cars in Japan can run only by the sunlight without supplying fossil fuels. Thus, it is essential to develop high-efficiency as well as low-cost solar cells and modules for automotive applications. The analytical results developed by the authors for conversion efficiency potential of various solar cells for choosing candidates of the PV modules for automotive applications are shown. Then we overview the conversion efficiency potential and recent progress of various Si tandem solar cells, such as III-V/Si, II-VI/Si, chalcopyrite/Si, and perovskite/Si tandem solar cells. The III-V/Si tandem solar cells are expected to have a high potential for various applications because of its high conversion efficiency of larger than 36% for dual-junction and 42% for triple-junction solar cells under 1-sun AM1.5 G illumination, lightweight and low-cost potentials. The analysis shows that III-V based multi-junction and Si based tandem solar cells are considered to be promising candidates for the automotive application. Finally, we report recent results for our 28.2% efficiency and Sharp’s 33% mechanically stacked InGaP/GaAs/Si triple-junction solar cell. In addition, new approaches which are suitable for automotive applications by using III-V triple-junction, and static low concentrator PV modules are also presented.

Optimisation of Electrical Distribution System by Using Solar Thermal Powered Systems and Its Impact on Electrical Distribution Feeders

In this research, the performance of the solar thermal powered systems (STPS) is analyzed with different models (without inserts, with inserts and with Nano fluids with different concentrations) and its impact on the Electric load in a residential/Institutional Electrical Distribution system. For this purpose, the electrical and solar thermal water heater is tested and validated. Solar thermal powered systems and its impact on the Institutional electrical distribution feeders are tested and compared with the energy efficiency (EE) and cost optimization. The goal of this paper is to analyze the impact of solar thermal energy on electrical energy consumption in the electrical distribution feeder level. The electrical system cost and energy consumptions are tabulated and observed that there is a considerable savings.

A Tutorial Review of the Solar Power Curve: Regressions, Model Chains, and Their Hybridization and Probabilistic Extensions

Owing to the persisting hype in pushing toward global carbon neutrality,the study scope of atmospheric science is rapidly expanding.Among numerous trending topics,energy meteorology has been attracting the most attention hitherto.One essential skill of solar energy meteorologists is solar power curve modeling,which seeks to map irradiance and auxiliary weather variables to solar power,by statistical and/or physical means.In this regard,this tutorial review aims to deliver a complete overview of those fundamental scientific and engineering principles pertaining to the solar power curve.Solar power curves can be modeled in two primary ways,one of regression and the other of model chain.Both classes of modeling approaches,alongside their hybridization and probabilistic extensions,which allow accuracy improvement and uncertainty quantification,are scrutinized and contrasted thoroughly in this review.

Weather-Driven Solar Power Forecasting Using D-Informer:Enhancing Predictions with Climate Variables

Precise forecasting of solar power is crucial for the development of sustainable energy systems.Contemporary forecasting approaches often fail to adequately consider the crucial role of weather factors in photovoltaic(PV)power generation and encounter issues such as gradient explosion or disappearance when dealing with extensive time-series data.To overcome these challenges,this research presents a cutting-edge,multi-stage forecasting method called D-Informer.This method skillfully merges the differential transformation algorithm with the Informer model,leveraging a detailed array of meteorological variables and historical PV power generation records.The D-Informer model exhibits remarkable superiority over competing models across multiple performance metrics,achieving on average a 67.64%reduction in mean squared error(MSE),a 49.58%decrease in mean absolute error(MAE),and a 43.43%reduction in root mean square error(RMSE).Moreover,it attained an R2 value as high as 0.9917 during the winter season,highlighting its precision and dependability.This significant advancement can be primarily attributed to the incorporation of a multi-head self-attention mechanism,which greatly enhances the model’s ability to identify complex interactions among diverse input variables,and the inclusion of weather variables,enriching the model’s input data and strengthening its predictive accuracy in time series analysis.Additionally,the experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Peak Shaving Strategy of Concentrating Solar Power Generation Based on Multi-Time-Scale and Considering Demand Response

According to the multi-time-scale characteristics of power generation and demand-side response(DR)resources,as well as the improvement of prediction accuracy along with the approaching operating point,a rolling peak shaving optimization model consisting of three different time scales has been proposed.The proposed peak shaving optimization model considers not only the generation resources of two different response speeds but also the two different DR resources and determines each unit combination,generation power,and demand response strategy on different time scales so as to participate in the peaking of the power system by taking full advantage of the fast response characteristics of the concentrating solar power(CSP).At the same time,in order to improve the accuracy of the scheduling results,the combination of the day-ahead peak shaving phase with scenario-based stochastic programming can further reduce the influence of wind power prediction errors on scheduling results.The testing results have shown that by optimizing the allocation of scheduling resources in each phase,it can effectively reduce the number of starts and stops of thermal power units and improve the economic efficiency of system operation.The spinning reserve capacity is reduced,and the effectiveness of the peak shaving strategy is verified.

Comparative Study of Solar PV Power Plant Dimensionnement Connected to Network Based on Monofacial and Bifacial Modules

This article presents the results of comparative study of two PV solar modules technologies,namely monofacial and bifacial.This study main objective is to identify conditions and parameters that make it possible to obtain better energy and economic efficiency from one or other of two technologies.The study reason lies in revival observed on bifacial module in recent years where all the major manufacturers of PV solar panels are developing them where in a few years,this technology risks being at the same price as the monofacial solar panel with better efficiency.Economic indicator used is energy levelized cost(LCOE)which is function technology type,energy productivity,annual investment and operation cost.To achieve this,a 3.685 MWc solar PV power plant was dimensioned and simulated under Matlab for a 3.5 ha site with a 2,320,740,602 FCFA budget for monofacial installation,against 1,925,188,640 FCFA for 2.73 MWc bifacial installation.The LCOE comparative analysis of two technologies calculated over a period of 25 years,showed that plant with bifacial panels is more beneficial if bifacial gain is greater than 9%.It has further been found that it is possible to gain up to 40%of invested cost if bifacial gain reaches 45%.Finally,a loss of about 10%of invested cost could be recorded if bifacial gain is less than 9%.

A comprehensive review for wind,solar,and electrical load forecasting methods

Wind power,solar power,and electrical load forecasting are essential works to ensure the safe and stable operation of the electric power system.With the increasing permeability of new energy and the rising demand response load,the uncertainty on the production and load sides are both increased,bringing new challenges to the forecasting work and putting forward higher requirements to the forecasting accuracy.Most review/survey papers focus on one specific forecasting object(wind,solar,or load),a few involve the above two or three objects,but the forecasting objects are surveyed separately.Some papers predict at least two kinds of objects simultaneously to cope with the increasing uncertainty at both production and load sides.However,there is no corresponding review at present.Hence,our study provides a comprehensive review of wind,solar,and electrical load forecasting methods.Furthermore,the survey of Numerical Weather Prediction wind speed/irradiance correction methods is also included in this manuscript.Challenges and future research directions are discussed at last.

In-Situ Preparation and Thermal Shock Resistance of Mullite-Cordierite Heat Tube Material for Solar Thermal Power

In order to improve the thermal shock resistance of solar thermal heat transfer tube material, the mullite-cordierite composite ceramic as solar thermal heat transfer tube material were fabricated by pressureless sintering using a-Al203, Suzhou kaolin, talc, and feldspar as starting materials. The important parameter for solar thermal transfer tube such as water absorption （W）, bulk density （Db）, and the mechanical properties were investigated. The phase composition and microstructure of the composite ceramics were analyzed by XRD and SEM. The experimental results show that the B3 sintered at 1 300 ℃ and holding for 3 h has an optimum thermal shock resistance. The bending strength loss rate of B3 is only 2% at 1 100℃ by air quenching-strength test and the sample can endure 30 times thermal shock cycling, and the water absorption, the bulk density and the bending strength are 0.32%, 2.58 g·cm-3, and 125.59 MPa respectively. The XRD analysis indicated that the phase compositions of the sample were mullite, cordierite, corundum, and spinel. The SEM images illustrate that the cordierite is prismatic grain and the mullite is nano rod, showing a good thermal shock resistance for composite ceramics as potential solar thermal power material.

Dynamic modeling and simulation of deploying process for space solar power satellite receiver

To reveal some dynamic properties of the deploying process for the solar power satellite via an arbitrarily large phased array （SPS-ALPHA） solar receiver, the symplectic Runge-Kutta method is used to simulate the simplified model with the consideration of the Rayleigh damping effect. The system containing the Rayleigh damping can be separated and transformed into the equivalent nondamping system formally to insure the application condition of the symplectic Runge-Kutta method. First, the Lagrange equation with the Rayleigh damping governing the motion of the system is derived via the variational principle. Then, with some reasonable assumptions on the relations among the damping, mass, and stiffness matrices, the Rayleigh damping system is equivalently converted into the nondamping system formally, so that the symplectic Runge-Kutta method can be used to simulate the deploying process for the solar receiver. Finally, some numerical results of the symplectic Runge-Kutta method for the dynamic properties of the solar receiver are reported. The numerical results show that the proposed simplified model is valid for the deploying process for the SPS-ALPHA solar receiver, and the symplectic Runge-Kutta method can preserve the displacement constraints of the system well with excellent long-time numerical stability.

Energy conversion materials for the space solar power station

Since it was first proposed,the space solar power station(SSPS)has attracted great attention all over the world;it is a huge space system and provides energy for Earth.Although several schemes and abundant studies on the SSPS have been proposed and conducted,it is still not realized.The reason why SSPS is still an idea is not only because it is a giant and complex project,but also due to the requirement for various excellent space materials.Among the diverse required materials,we believe energy materials are the most important.Herein,we review the space energy conversion materials for the SSPS.

Attitude Control of a Flexible Solar Power Satellite Using Self-tuning Iterative Learning Control

This paper proposes a self-tuning iterative learning control method for the attitude control of a flexible solar power satellite,which is simplified as an Euler-Bernoulli beam moving in space.An orbit-attitude-structure coupled dynamic model is established using absolute nodal coordinate formulation,and the attitude control is performed using two control moment gyros.In order to improve control accuracy of the classic proportional-derivative control method,a switched iterative learning control method is presented using the control moments of the previous periods as feedforward control moments.Although the iterative learning control is a model-free method,the parameters of the controller must be selected manually.This would be undesirable for complicated systems with multiple control parameters.Thus,a self-tuning method is proposed using fuzzy logic.The control frequency of the controller is adjusted according to the averaged control error in one control period.Simulation results show that the proposed controller increases the control accuracy greatly and reduces the influence of measurement noise.Moreover,the control frequency is automatically adjusted to a suitable value.

Effect of Nano-ZrO_2 on Microstructure and Thermal Shock Behaviour of Al_2O_3/SiC Composite Ceramics Used in Solar Thermal Power

The Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramics used in solar thermal power were prepared by micrometric Al2O3,nano-ZrO2 and SiC powders under the condition of pressureless sintering.The bulk density and bending strength of samples with 10vol% nano-ZrO2 sintered at 1480℃ were 3.222 g/cm3 and 160.4MPa,respectively.The bending strength of samples after 7 times thermal shock tests （quenching from 1000℃ to 25℃ in air medium） is 132.0MPa,loss rate of bending strength is only 17%.The effect of nano-ZrO2 content on the microstructure and performance of Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramic was investigated.The experimental results show that the bending strength of samples with above 10vol% nano-ZrO2 content has decreased,because the volume expansion resulting from t-ZrO2 to m-ZrO2 phase transformation is excessive;Adding proper nano-ZrO2 would be contributed to improve the thermal shock resistance of the composite ceramics.The Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramic has promising potential application in solar thermal power.

Effect of SiO_2/B_2O_3 Ratio on the Property of Borosilicate Glass Applied in Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plant

This work aimed to analyze the glass material used for sealing the end of a thermal collector in a parabolic trough solar power plant. Based on matched sealing requirements and application performance of glass and Kovar alloy 4J29, one borosilicate glass material （GD480S）, whose expansion coefficient was similar to that of Kovar alloy 4J29, was studied. Moreover, the effect of the ratio of SiO2 to B203 on the glass properties was explored in detail by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. As the SiO2 to B203 ratio in the glass increased from 4.18 to 5.77, the expansion coefficient showed a decreasing trend from 4.95×10-6/℃ to 4.55℃ 10-6/℃. In addition, the water resistance performance improved, enabling the glass material to seal well with the alloy for application in a trough solar power plant. Thus, the increase in the SiO2 to B2O3 ratio made the glass structure more compact and improved the glass performance to meet the requirements of an industrial tubular receiver.

High-temperature Thermal Properties and Wear Behavior of Basalt as Heat Storage Material for Concentrated Solar Power Plants

The microstructures,components,thermal stability,specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity of basalt sample were studied.Besides,as a comprehensive result of thermal expansion and contraction process,both the friction coefficient and wear rate of the basalt sample were also characterized.Our results indicate that basalt is an excellent candidate to be used as thermal energy storage material for concentrated solar power plants,and also provide a strategy for solar energy utilization in volcanic area with excellent geographical environment.

Economic analysis of solar energy development in North Africa

The economic analysis of solar energy development is the basis of promoting the solar energy planning in north Africa and realizing the clean energy power transmission among continents. In this paper, the cost development trend of photovoltaic(PV) power and concentrating solar power(CSP) generation is analyzed, and the levelized cost of energy(LCOE) of solar power generation is forecasted. Then, taking the development of Tunisian solar energy as an example in the context of transcontinental transmission, PV power with energy storage and PV-CSP power generation are given as two kinds of development plan respectively. The installed capacity configurations of the two schemes are given with production simulation method, and comprehensive LCOE are calculated. The studies show that based on the LCOE forecast value, the LCOE of PV-CSP combined power generation will decrease when the annual utilization hours of transmission channel is increased. It can be chosen as one of important mode of the North Africa solar energy development.

Optimization of solar thermal power station LCOE based on NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm

In view of the high cost of solar thermal power generation in China,it is difficult to realize large-scale production in engineering and industrialization.Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II(NSGA-II)is applied to optimize the levelling cost of energy(LCOE)of the solar thermal power generation system in this paper.Firstly,the capacity and generation cost of the solar thermal power generation system are modeled according to the data of several sets of solar thermal power stations which have been put into production abroad.Secondly,the NSGA-II genetic algorithm and particle swarm algorithm are applied to the optimization of the solar thermal power station LCOE respectively.Finally,for the linear Fresnel solar thermal power system,the simulation experiments are conducted to analyze the effects of different solar energy generation capacities,different heat transfer mediums and loan interest rates on the generation price.The results show that due to the existence of scale effect,the greater the capacity of the power station,the lower the cost of leveling and electricity,and the influence of the types of heat storage medium and the loan on the cost of leveling electricity are relatively high.