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Processes
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Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology
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Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 5848

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Suvash C. Saha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia
Interests: computational biomechanical engineering; solar thermal energy technology; natural convection heat transfer in buildings and other confined geometries; scale analysis for the transient flow

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the increasing number of technology developments, this is a perfect time for solar thermal systems to be developed as well. Not only new technologies, but also many new materials are developing, which are emerging in the marketplace. Many countries, including in Australasia and Europe, are spending a huge amount of money on technology development for the use of renewable energy such as solar energy. The formation of improved mechanisms must involve technologies, the introduction of large systems engaging new technology, improving market competition, complying with the legislation assisted by tradable certificates based upon environmental performance, and including thermally based environmental benefits to assist solar CHP systems and end-use pure solar thermal systems.

In this SI, high-quality articles are invited to cover the current technologies which are available or are being developed. Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Solar photovoltaic technology
  • Phase change materials for the storage of solar energy
  • Thermal storage and conversion
  • Computational fluid dynamics application to building energy
  • Ray tracing model

Dr. Suvash C. Saha
Guest Editor

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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4941 KiB  
Article
Impact of the New Energy Context on the Feasibility of Solar Water Heating Systems in the Agri-Food Industry
by Alicia Perdigones, Fátima Baptista, José L. García, Rosa M. Benavente and Fernando R. Mazarrón
Processes 2023, 11(6), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061761 - 09 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 708
Abstract
The new energy context since 2021 has led to dramatic increases in the energy bills of agribusinesses, affecting the price of foodstuffs. A considerable part of energy consumption is due to the heating of water at high temperatures. The present study analyzed the [...] Read more.
The new energy context since 2021 has led to dramatic increases in the energy bills of agribusinesses, affecting the price of foodstuffs. A considerable part of energy consumption is due to the heating of water at high temperatures. The present study analyzed the feasibility of using a Solar Water Heating System (SWHS) with an evacuated tube collector. In particular, the required sizing changes, potential savings and cost-effectiveness were analyzed. The results show that the new energy context makes the SWHS investment highly attractive: a payback of less than 4 years in most of the scenarios analyzed; energy savings of more than 60% in the scenarios with higher irradiation; a reduction in total energy expenditure of more than 50% in the favorable scenarios close to the current reality. The new context especially favors cold and temperate climates, with very sharp drops in payback compared to the previous situation. To achieve these values, it is necessary to design an optimized sizing of the SWHS, reducing the risk of future variations in the price of energy. The results of the study should serve as a reference for decision making in the agroindustrial sector to reduce the energy bill and strategic dependence on fossil fuels from third countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology)
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11 pages, 5467 KiB  
Article
Ultrafast Energy Transfer Dynamics in a Cyanobacterial Light-Harvesting Phycobilisome
by Chao Xiao, Na Guo, Zidong Liang, Zhencheng Huang, Wenjun Li, Mingyuan Xie and Fuli Zhao
Processes 2023, 11(6), 1656; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061656 - 29 May 2023
Viewed by 926
Abstract
The phycobilisomes (PBSs) of cyanobacteria and red algae are their primary light-harvesting antennas, which play key role in light harvesting and energy transportation to the photosynthetic reaction center with extraordinarily high efficiency. The mechanism of energy transfer in PBS should be investigated with [...] Read more.
The phycobilisomes (PBSs) of cyanobacteria and red algae are their primary light-harvesting antennas, which play key role in light harvesting and energy transportation to the photosynthetic reaction center with extraordinarily high efficiency. The mechanism of energy transfer in PBS should be investigated with a tight combination between biological structural information and an ultrafast time-resolved dynamic analysis. We recently demonstrated the study of energy transfer in PBSs from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus vulcanus NIES 2134 (T. 2134), with the cryo-EM model resolved at a near-atomic resolution. The time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of the PBS with a sub-picosecond resolution was discovered at 77 K. Deconvolution of the fluorescence decay curve was then used to reveal the energy transfer channels and the associated transfer rates. Except for the fluorescence lifetimes of terminal emitters, four time components, i.e., 9 ps, 13 ps, 23 ps, and 55 ps, were recognized in the energy transfer in the PBSs. The energy transfer dynamics in the PBSs were further analyzed by combining the cryo-EM structure and the spectral properties in detail. The findings from this study aid in our understanding of the energy transfer mechanisms in PBSs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology)
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15 pages, 22931 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Energy Production of Large-Scale Solar Plants Based on Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning) Technique
by Muhammad Abubakar, Yanbo Che, Larisa Ivascu, Fahad M. Almasoudi and Irfan Jamil
Processes 2022, 10(9), 1843; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10091843 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2453
Abstract
Due to the continual fusion reaction, the sun generates tremendous energy. This solar energy is freely available and can be extracted by installing a large-scale solar power plant. Therefore, such PV solar plants are key contributors to cutting the energy deficit in remote [...] Read more.
Due to the continual fusion reaction, the sun generates tremendous energy. This solar energy is freely available and can be extracted by installing a large-scale solar power plant. Therefore, such PV solar plants are key contributors to cutting the energy deficit in remote areas. This study focused on predicting a 10-year performance analysis of a large-scale solar power plant by using 1 year of real-time data from the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park (QASP) situated in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. For the purpose of prediction, the ARIMA model was developed using Python, which is one of the best tools in machine learning. Since ARIMA is a statistical technique for prediction, by using the developed model through Python, we predicted the values of the performance ratio (PR), production amount (MWh), and plan of array (POA) of the solar plant for the next 10 years using 1 year of real-time data. This machine learning prediction technique is very effective and efficient, compared with other traditional prediction and forecasting techniques, for estimating the performance of the solar power plant and the status of the solar power plant in the long-term future. The forecasting/prediction results acquired from the process show that power production during the next ten years increases to approximately 400 MW and that POA will grow from 6.8 to 7.8 W/m2. However, a decline occurred in the performance ratio, which decreased from 76.7% to 73%. Based on these results, the ARIMA model for predicting solar power generation is effective and can be utilized for any solar power plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology)
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14 pages, 4499 KiB  
Article
Unsteady Natural Convection in an Initially Stratified Air-Filled Trapezoidal Enclosure Heated from Below
by Md. Mahafujur Rahaman, Sidhartha Bhowmick, Rabindra Nath Mondal and Suvash C. Saha
Processes 2022, 10(7), 1383; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10071383 - 15 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1372
Abstract
Natural convection is intensively explored, especially in a valley-shaped trapezoidal enclosure, because of its broad presence in both technical settings and nature. This study deals with a trapezoidal cavity, which is initially filled with linearly stratified air. Although the sidewalls remain adiabatic, the [...] Read more.
Natural convection is intensively explored, especially in a valley-shaped trapezoidal enclosure, because of its broad presence in both technical settings and nature. This study deals with a trapezoidal cavity, which is initially filled with linearly stratified air. Although the sidewalls remain adiabatic, the bottom wall is heated, and the top wall is cooled. For the stratified fluid (air), the temperature of the fluid adjacent to the top and the bottom walls is the same as that of the walls. Natural convection in the trapezoidal cavity is simulated in two dimensions using numerical simulations, by varying Rayleigh numbers (Ra) from 100 to 108 with constant Prandtl number, Pr = 0.71, and aspect ratio, A = 0.5. The numerical results demonstrate that the development of natural convection from the beginning is dependent on the Rayleigh numbers. According to numerical results, the development of transient flow within the enclosure owing to the predefined conditions for the boundary may be categorized into three distinct stages: early, transitional, and steady or unsteady. The flow characteristics at each of the three phases and the impact of the Rayleigh number on the flow’s growth are quantified. Unsteady natural convection flows in the enclosure are described and validated by numerical results. In addition, heat transfer through the bottom and the top surfaces is described in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Solar Thermal Energy Technology)
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