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Solar Energy and Resource Utilization—2nd Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 August 2025 | Viewed by 720

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: chemical processes in fluidised bed reactors; thermochemical solar energy storage; reactivation aimed at the re-use of solid wastes of different nature; solids (e.g., traditional and biomass) thermoconversion processes aimed at the production of energy, with removal of pollutants (e.g., CO2, SO2); synthesis of non-traditional binders; liquid–solid and gas–solid adsorption processes; fractal dynamics in heterogeneous processes; design and modelling of chemical reactors and plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council (CNR), 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: combustion, gasification and pyrolysis of solid fuels with a high content of volatile materials; development of new configurations of multiple fluidized bed systems aimed at chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling process; development of new fluidized bed configurations aimed at converting concentrated solar energy into electrical energy and/or materials (chemical storage, solar fuels)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reducing the release of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere is challenging the energy world to decrease CO2 emissions and increase the share of renewable energies, particularly in light of recent geo-social events. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies may play a key role in the rich and diversified portfolio of renewable energy sources. These technologies, coupled with energy storage, can greatly enhance the dispatchability and the exploitation of solar energy in various applications. In this context, for instance, coupling CSP with calcium looping can help to accomplish the following: (a) carbon capture and sequestration or utilisation (CCSU) and (b) thermochemical energy storage (TCES). In the near future, solar TCES is bound to play a major role, as it enables a larger storage density and a virtually unlimited time scale for energy storage and dispatchability, as it is based on the storage of concentrated solar energy in the noble and stable form of chemical bonds.

This Special Issue is open to contributions from the wide and exciting spectrum of topics concerning solar TCES (possibly coupled with means for CO2 capture), from material properties to experimental/modelling investigations, from studies focusing on the design/operation of chemical reactors, to those more devoted to energy/environmental analyses. Please join us on this new journey by contributing your expertise and knowledge to studies in this emerging field.

Prof. Dr. Fabio Montagnaro
Dr. Roberto Solimene
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • solar energy
  • energy and environment
  • renewable energy
  • sustainability energy

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5093 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Solar Thermal Energy Storage via Torsionally Modified TPMS Structures Embedded in Sodium Acetate Trihydrate
by Martin Beer and Radim Rybár
Energies 2025, 18(13), 3234; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18133234 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 258
Abstract
This study focuses on the numerical analysis of the impact of geometric modifications of sheet-gyroid structures on heat transfer in thermal energy storage systems utilizing sodium acetate trihydrate as a phase change material. The aim was to enhance the thermal conductivity of SAT, [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the numerical analysis of the impact of geometric modifications of sheet-gyroid structures on heat transfer in thermal energy storage systems utilizing sodium acetate trihydrate as a phase change material. The aim was to enhance the thermal conductivity of SAT, which is inherently low in the solid phase, by embedding a thermally conductive metallic structure made of aluminum alloy 6061. The simulations compared four gyroid configurations with different degrees of torsional deformation (0°, 90°, 180°, and 360°) alongside a reference model without any structure. Using numerical analysis, the study evaluated the time required to heat the entire volume of SAT above its phase transition temperature (58 °C) as well as the spatial distribution of the temperature field. The results demonstrate that all gyroid configurations significantly reduced the charging time compared with the reference case, with the highest efficiency achieved by the 360° twisted structure. Temperature maps revealed a more uniform thermal distribution within the phase change material and a higher heat flux into the volume. These findings highlight the strong potential of TPMS-based structures for improving the performance of latent heat thermal energy storage systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy and Resource Utilization—2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 2301 KiB  
Article
Unveiling the Hydrogen Diffusion During Degradation of Silicon Solar Cells
by MyeongSeob Sim, Yejin Gu, Donghwan Kim and Yoonmook Kang
Energies 2025, 18(12), 3090; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18123090 - 12 Jun 2025
Viewed by 317
Abstract
We investigated monocrystalline passivated emitter rear contact cells for light- and elevated-temperature-induced degradation. Among the cell performance factors, a short current density results in a significant decrease in the short term. The quantum efficiency is also affected by carrier recombination-active defects, especially in [...] Read more.
We investigated monocrystalline passivated emitter rear contact cells for light- and elevated-temperature-induced degradation. Among the cell performance factors, a short current density results in a significant decrease in the short term. The quantum efficiency is also affected by carrier recombination-active defects, especially in the case of the reference cell, which has a decreased quantum efficiency across the wavelength, unlike the commercial cell. The front side of the cell has a diffuse hydrogen distribution, and it is related to LeTID. We observe how the hydrogen changes during each process and the changes in the profile during the degradation. The hydrogen appears to redistribute within the silicon wafer and saturate at a certain equilibrium state. The hydrogen distribution is correlated with the changes in the lifetime and, finally, short current density. Regeneration occurs depending on the hydrogen concentration within the emitter, and the closer the concentration is to saturation, the less degradation occurs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Energy and Resource Utilization—2nd Edition)
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