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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 8775

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diogo Canavarro

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Renewable Energies Chair, Polo da Mitra da Universidade de Évora, Edifício Ário Lobo de Azevedo, 7000-083 Nossa Senhora da Tourega, Portugal
Interests: non-imaging optics; numerical modelling; concentrated solar power; solar process heat; thermochemical applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Manuel Collares-Pereira

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Renewable Energies Chair, Polo da Mitra da Universidade de Évora, Edifício Ário Lobo de Azevedo, 7000-083 Nossa Senhora da Tourega, Portugal
Interests: solar energy; energy storage; solar systems and applications
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solar energy conversion systems represent a strong opportunity for low-cost electricity, heat production, and even thermochemical processes. These systems, which are associated with thermal storage systems (latent or sensible heat), are a promising alternative for the electrification of processes and technologies, and could result in immediate technical and technological realization in residential/services sectors, for example, in the non-energy intensive industry, with urban and short-range mobility. Moreover, they could be utilized in the production and distribution of renewable fuels in economic sectors which are difficult to electrify, such as long-distance transport—road, air or sea—or industrial sectors based on high-energy-intensity processes, e.g., metallurgical, chemical, glass, or cement industries.

The range of technologies fitting the scope of such processes is wide (e.g., flat plate collectors, evacuated collectors, CPC-type collectors, linear Fresnel reflectors, parabolic troughs, central tower receivers, etc.), depending upon the desired operating temperature for each process. However, these technologies face a tremendous challenge: improving their overall efficiency conversion to become more competitive in comparison to other technologies. In particular, the use of solar photovoltaic technology for the electrification of several thermal processes is a real alternative, especially for temperatures below 200 °C, due to its current low-cost implementation. Additionally, new trends of thermal energy storage (phase-change material systems, molten salt tanks, etc.) are being developed at a great pace, and the interconnection between them and solar collectors is fundamental to increase these systems’ efficiency, dispatchability and flexibility,

This Special Issue invites original review articles on recent advances in solar energy collection systems concerning the abovementioned topics, with an emphasis on new developments of this technology seeking maximum performance and cost-effectiveness.

Dr. Diogo Canavarro
Prof. Dr. Manuel Collares-Pereira
Guest Editors

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Keywords

solar energy
solar collectors
thermal energy storage
solar energy conversion
cost-competitiveness

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Related Special Issue

Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization, 2nd Edition in Applied Sciences

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1100 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Single-Glazed Vacuum Tube Collector with SnAl₂O₃ Selective Flat Absorber Plate and Gravity Single-Stage Direct Water Flow: A Comprehensive Geometric Optimization

by Aleksandar Nešović and Robert Kowalik

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 1838; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15041838 - 11 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 582

Abstract

This paper continues the mathematical research of the novel glass tube collectors for water heating. The subject of this research is a vacuum solar collector composed of a glass tube and a selective (using the SnAl₂O₃ coating) flat absorber plate. Water heating is performed using gravitational driving force and single-stage direct flow. The thermal performance with the geometric optimization (absorber width and glass tube thickness) of the presented solar collector type was determined using the specially designed iterative calculation algorithm (phase 1) and the double multi-criteria analysis (phase 2). Different operational (absorber temperature, ambient temperature and wind speed), geometric (mass, surface occupation, total surface occupation and volume occupation), economic (manufacturing costs and exploitation costs) and ecological (embodied energy and greenhouse gas emission) indicators were taken into account. The results showed that the useful heat power has an increasing trend if the flat absorber plate width increases, while the thermal efficiency has a decreasing trend. It was also determined that the glass tube thickness and the thermal performance of the solar collector are oppositely dependent. The main conclusion of this paper is that the optimal performance of such non-conventional solar systems is achieved when the absorber plate width is between 85 and 90 mm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization)

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30 pages, 4335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Dual-Adaptive Perspective on PV Array Reconfiguration with Genetic Algorithms Under Partial Shading Conditions

by Özgür Karaduman and Koray Şener Parlak

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 1762; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15041762 - 9 Feb 2025

Viewed by 846

Abstract

Photovoltaic systems are among the most popular renewable energy sources due to their ease of installation and low operating costs. However, they are characterized by low efficiency, non-linear electrical properties, and sensitivity to radiant intensity on the panels. To address these limitations, researchers have focused on improving the efficiency of these systems. The most effective method for enhancing the maximum power point of a PV array is reconfiguration, which involves rearranging the connection structures of the panels. This study presents a method for determining the reconfiguration of panels based on their radiant intensity using a genetic algorithm (GA). The method matches the rows of the PV array to achieve similar radiant intensities, thereby increasing power efficiency. An algorithm was developed to enable the adaptive panels to connect to any row of the fixed section in a PV array divided into dual-adaptive and fixed sections, controlling this connection structure. This GA-based algorithm utilizes short-circuit currents obtained from specific points of the PV array to identify the most suitable connection structure within the solution space and generates control signals for reconfiguration. Simulation results with various array structures and shading scenarios demonstrate that the proposed method increases array efficiency and achieves results within a practically applicable cycle time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization)

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14 pages, 1217 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation of the BIPV System under Şanlıurfa Meteorological Conditions

by Yusuf Can Demir and Mehmet Azmi Aktacir

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11286; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011286 - 14 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1459

Abstract

In this study, under the meteorological conditions of Şanlıurfa, Turkey, some parameter studies were conducted to more efficiently utilize Building Integrated Photovoltaic BIPV systems placed on different facades of a building. For this purpose, one single-sided (monofacial) panel was placed on both the roof and the east facade. As an innovation brought about by this study, both bifacial and monofacial panels with the same production potential were compared under the same conditions on the south facade. In addition, to enhance the production performance of the rear surface of the bifacial panel, a reflector was placed on the wall surface by leaving a gap between the wall and the panel. The experimental study was conducted between February and July. In addition, the building model created experimentally was analyzed monthly using the PVsyst program for a duration of one year. According to the study results, in the 6-month BIPV experimental application, the electrical production of the bifacial panel was found to be 15.1% higher than that of the monofacial panel under the same conditions. In addition, based on the 1-year results in the PVsyst analysis, the bifacial panel demonstrated a 5.86% higher production performance compared with the monofacial panel. This demonstrates that the efficiency of the bifacial panel in the experimental setup was enhanced by placing a reflective surface on the structure wall behind it. According to the complete annual analysis results obtained from the PVsyst analysis, the bifacial panel in the south produced 401.65 kWh, the monofacial panel produced 379.41 kWh, the panel on the eastern facade produced 313.34 kWh, and the rooftop panel, where the highest production was recorded, generated 505.64 kWh of energy. Therefore, it is anticipated that the use of bifacial panels with reflective surfaces on the roof under the meteorological conditions of Şanlıurfa will demonstrate the highest performance for the BIPV system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization)

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17 pages, 17691 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation and Validation of Photovoltaic Potential Based on Time and Pathway of Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle

by Chanwook Park, Haneul Park, Hwanhee Jeon, Kyoik Choi and Jangwon Suh

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021025 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3280

Abstract

This study evaluates and validates the power output potential of using the travel time and driving route of a photovoltaic (PV)-powered electric vehicle (EV). A scenario was constructed wherein a car with modules attached to four sides (roof, rear window, left door, and right door) drove on seventeen road sections with various inclinations and azimuths. The shadow effect of the surrounding terrain and buildings was considered to assess the PV potential. Consequently, it was possible to analyze the differences in the potential of the four modules in the same or two sections with different topographies. It was determined that the car could produce 0.0158 kWh for a single drive (approximately 10 min) and 221 kWh for one year (considering six hours a day). The potential of the roof module was the highest, followed by those of the rear and two doors. The potentials of the modules attached to the rear window and side doors were calculated to be approximately 42% and 27%, respectively, of the roof module potential. Furthermore, the possibility of enhancing the potential of future PV-powered EVs was discussed. The results obtained in this study can be used to develop power-output algorithms and navigation solutions for PV-powered EVs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization)

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17 pages, 3235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Innovative Parabolic Trough Collector Design with a Twin-Cavity Receiver

by Dimitrios N. Korres, Evangelos Bellos, Panagiotis Lykas and Christos Tzivanidis

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12551; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412551 - 7 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1607

Abstract

An innovative parabolic trough concentrator coupled to a twin cavity receiver (PTC-TC) in evacuated tube conditions is investigated thermally and optically. The suggested design is compared with a PTC design with a flat receiver (PTC-F) in order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed configuration. In the very first stages of the study, the optical efficiency was calculated for both collectors, and the optimum design was determined in the PTC-TC case. Then a mass flow rate independency procedure was conducted to ensure accurate results and to make a suitable comparison. The collectors were examined in a wide range of inlet temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 200 °C, and the thermal performance was calculated. Through the comparison process, it was revealed that the proposed collector appears to have higher thermal performance than the typical collector. In particular, there was a mean enhancement of approximately 8%, while the minimum enhancement was found to be greater than 5%. The simulation results regarding both configurations were verified through two models based on theoretical equations. In both geometries, the mean deviations in the verification procedure were lower than 5.6% in both the Darcy friction factor and the Nusselt number. The design and the simulations were conducted with the SolidWorks Flow Simulation tool. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy Collection, Conversion and Utilization)

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