Photovoltaic Solar Cells and Systems: Fundamentals and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editor is inviting submissions for a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “Photovoltaic Solar Cells and Systems: Fundamentals and Applications.

The increased demand in the power supply has imposed a stress on the preoccupations regarding the quality of electricity, determining that energy production has to be reliable and stable. The aspects regarding the quality of electricity, based on renewable energy, are not yet favorable to large power systems, raising compatibility issues with the electricity grid. The production of conventional electricity, based on fossil fuels, has managed to maintain a balance between the produced energy and its quality, so far; however, this conventional approach is expected to be eliminated in the near future, both for environmental reasons and due to depletion of resources, determined by oil and natural gas. This has redirected a wealth of studies and research to renewable energy. At the same time, there is a growing awareness of the importance of a clean environment, with major concerns related to global warming and environmental pollution, which have given an additional impetus to new technologies for electricity generation. Thus, it has been possible to move to the exploitation of renewable energy on a larger scale; in particular, the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased. However, the quality of electricity produced by the photovoltaic sector varies in both annual and daily cycles (day–night), depending very much on specific meteorological parameters such as solar irradiance, temperature, and humidity, respectively on spontaneous factors such as clouds, nebulosity, aerosol content, etc. As these issues contribute negatively to the development of PV systems, the field is open to research, with many unsolved issues.

There are concerns regarding increasing the conversion efficiency of solar cells, their numerical modeling and simulation being a priority direction. At the same time, different methods are being considered to improve the electrical efficiency of PV systems, using various techniques and tools, such as maximum power point tracking (MPPT), the implementation of fuzzy logic controller (FLC) algorithms, and the development of intelligent systems for tracking the optimal point of solar energy capture and conversion (tracking system). In the future, the gradual reduction of costs for PV modules and increasing the conversion efficiency of solar energy into electricity will accelerate the process of developing new capacities of PV systems. At the same time, established specific standards have been in the photovoltaic field, namely, Q3 (quality and reliability standards for BOS), Q4 (quality and reliability standards for PV generators), UL1741 (quality and safety standards for inverters, converters, and controllers used in PV applications), T1 and C2 (compatibility/interface standards for PV distributed systems), T2 and C3 (compatibility/interface standards for smart grid), and others.

A very good policy in the standardization of PV components and systems, together with their operational optimization based on numerical modeling, would allow the development of performant elements to be used in the photovoltaic sector.

The focus on PV systems as a renewable energy option represents an innovative technological and mitigation strategy. If future projections hold, renewables will account for over 50% of CO₂ emission reduction by 2050. They also contribute to economic development via an increase in gross domestic product, energy access, secure energy supply, and the reduction of negative impacts on the environment and health.

Hence, this Special Issue looks for participation of international experts dedicated to “Photovoltaic Solar Cells and Systems: Fundamentals and Applications” using strong scientific and multidisciplinary knowledge. We call for contributions from different disciplines on original/innovative approaches based on performant simulation tools, as well as review articles, applicable to analysis and numerical modeling in solar photovoltaic systems.

The main aspects associated with analysis and numerical modelling will be dedicated to:

• advanced solar cells;
• PV systems;
• PV modules;
• Advanced electrical batteries;
• Power electron converters;
• The MPPT method and FLC algorithm;
• Impact on centralized generation.

Topics of interest for publication include but are not limited to:

• Numerical modeling of advanced solar cells;
• Numerical analysis and modeling of PV modules;
• Numerical modeling of PV standalone and grid-connected systems;
• Numerical modeling of power electron converters, including MPPT and FLC tools;
• Numerical modeling of advanced batteries;
• Numerical modeling of hybrid PV/thermal(PV/T) systems;
• Numerical simulation and analysis of the impact of PV systems on centralized generation.

Prof. Dr. Laurentiu Fara
Dr. James Connolly
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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