Special Issue "Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Konstantin Volkov
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kingston University, London KT1 2EE, UK
Interests: energy systems; modeling and simulation; renewable energy; CFD; turbulence; wind turbines; solar energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Production of power with renewable energy systems (RESs) is highly variable and unpredictable, leading to the need for design- and optimization-based planning and operation in order to maximize economies while sustaining performance. The design of stand-alone power systems depends on the appropriate matching of the load and the available renewable energy resources. Optimization allows the improvement of the overall robustness and sustainability, including environmental and economic sustainability, of energy resources through satisfying the objective functions. Design and optimization of RESs in engineering remain challenging problems despite considerable work in these areas and the acceptance of computational methods (finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, and others) as design tools.

The Special Issue aims to cover topics and areas where optimization techniques have been applied to reduce uncertainty or improve results in renewable energy systems (RESs). The scope of this Special Issue includes solar energy, wind energy, hybrid systems, biofuels, energy management and efficiency, optimization of renewable energy systems, and other areas of application. The results will provide potential tools for design, analysis, performance improvement, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The physical and technical principles of promising ways of utilizing renewable energy will be described and reviewed. Examples, engineering applications, and case studies to put theory into practice will also be included in this Special Issue.

This Special Issue intends to provide the following:

(i) A comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art computational methods and techniques used in the design and optimization of energy systems;

(ii) A considerable review of the optimization methodologies employed in sustainability and sustainable development, including sustainable energy and sustainable environment;

(iii) Cutting-edge scientific contributions from computational and applied mathematics, computer science, and engineering focusing on the design and optimization of complex energy;

(iv) A wide range of applications in both large- and small-scale operations, including power systems, power forecasting, and transmission systems;

(v) A new understanding of the system and the process of defining proper objective functions for the determination of the most suitable design parameters for achieving enhanced efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

Numerical analysis and algorithms, software development, CFD/FEA analysis, and multicriteria optimization applied to all kinds of applied and emerging problems in energy systems are welcome.

Dr. Konstantin Volkov
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 papers will be 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. Sustainability 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 1900 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

  • energy systems
  • power systems
  • renewable energy
  • sustainable development
  • energy resources
  • wind energy
  • solar energy
  • propulsion
  • optimization
  • modeling and simulation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Article
Development and Operation Modes of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generation System for Remote Consumers’ Power Supply
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9355; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169355 - 20 Aug 2021
Viewed by 221
Abstract
At the present stage of electric power industry development, special attention is being paid to the development and research of new efficient energy sources. The use of hydrogen fuel cells is promising for remote autonomous power supply systems. The authors of the paper [...] Read more.
At the present stage of electric power industry development, special attention is being paid to the development and research of new efficient energy sources. The use of hydrogen fuel cells is promising for remote autonomous power supply systems. The authors of the paper have developed the structure and determined the optimal composition of a hybrid generation system based on hydrogen fuel cells and battery storage and have conducted studies of its operating modes and for remote consumers’ power supply efficiency. A simulation of the electromagnetic processes was carried out to check the operability of the proposed hybrid generation system structure. The simulation results confirmed the operability of the structure under consideration, the calculation of its parameters reliability and the high quality of the output voltage. The electricity cost of a hybrid generation system was estimated according to the LCOE (levelized cost of energy) indicator, its value being 1.17 USD/kWh. The factors influencing the electricity cost of a hydrogen generation system have been determined and ways for reducing its cost identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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Article
Numerical Evaluation of the Flow around a New Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Concept
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9012; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169012 - 12 Aug 2021
Viewed by 302
Abstract
In order to develop a sustainable economy based on the efficient use of green energy resources, it is necessary to research and innovate systems such as wind turbines. In this paper, a new configuration for vertical axis wind turbines was proposed and numerically [...] Read more.
In order to develop a sustainable economy based on the efficient use of green energy resources, it is necessary to research and innovate systems such as wind turbines. In this paper, a new configuration for vertical axis wind turbines was proposed and numerically analyzed using CFD methods. The concept is based on solving the starting problem of lift-based vertical axis wind turbines. The new concept consists of three blades with different chords, arranged at different radii so that the interaction between the blades is reduced and the operation in the vortex wake is minimal, thus reducing the losses. Through comparing a classic case of an H-Darrieus wind turbine with the new concept, not only were satisfying results regarding the blade-to-blade interaction presented, but an increased efficiency of up to 10% was also observed. Among the presented results is the variation of the vorticity magnitude at different positions of the blades, thus, the concept’s blade-to-blade interaction is reduced. Conclusions drawn after the investigation are in favor of the proposed geometry and the concept should be pursued further. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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Article
CFD Prediction of Performance of Wind Turbines Integrated in the Existing Civil Infrastructure
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8514; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158514 - 30 Jul 2021
Viewed by 328
Abstract
Power generation from wind energy is almost entirely performed in rural locations or at sea, and very little attention has been given to the use of wind turbines in urban locations. Since the re-emergence of wind turbines, the majority of their applications are [...] Read more.
Power generation from wind energy is almost entirely performed in rural locations or at sea, and very little attention has been given to the use of wind turbines in urban locations. Since the re-emergence of wind turbines, the majority of their applications are in large commercial wind farms in rural areas or out at sea, and there is an increasing focus on the use of wind turbines within an urban environment possibly using existing structures, such as bridges and viaducts. There are very few existing buildings which have been designed from the ground-up to include wind turbines in the structure. In order to estimate the wind resources and the performance of a turbine at a particular site, a CFD model is designed and CFD calculations are performed. In order to simplify the modelling of a wind turbine actuator, disc theory is applied. Actuator disc theory is used, as it allows the aerodynamic behaviour of a wind turbine to be analyzed by just considering the energy extraction process without a specific wind turbine design. The power output of wind turbines installed beneath an already existing civil infrastructure is determined and analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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Article
A New Approach for Design Optimization and Parametric Analysis of Symmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrator for Photovoltaic Applications
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4606; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094606 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 620
Abstract
A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is a non-imaging device generally used in PV, thermal, or PV/thermal hybrid systems for the concentration of solar radiation on the target surface. This paper presents the geometric design, statistical modeling, parametric analysis, and geometric optimization of a [...] Read more.
A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is a non-imaging device generally used in PV, thermal, or PV/thermal hybrid systems for the concentration of solar radiation on the target surface. This paper presents the geometric design, statistical modeling, parametric analysis, and geometric optimization of a two-dimensional low concentration symmetric compound parabolic concentrator for potential use in building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaic applications. The CPC was initially designed for a concentration ratio of “2×” and an acceptance half-angle of 30°. A MATLAB code was developed in-house to provoke the CPC reflector’s profile. The height, aperture width, and concentration ratios were computed for different acceptance half-angles and receiver widths. The interdependence of optical concentration ratio and acceptance half-angle was demonstrated for a wide span of acceptance half-angles. The impact of the truncation ratio on the geometric parameters was investigated to identify the optimum truncation position. The profile of truncated CPC for different truncation positions was compared with full CPC. A detailed statistical analysis was performed to analyze the synergistic effects of independent design parameters on the responses using the response surface modeling approach. A set of optimized design parameters was obtained by establishing specified optimization criteria. A 50% truncated CPC with an acceptance half-angle of 21.58° and receiver width of 193.98 mm resulted in optimum geometric dimensions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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Article
Improvement of Self-Starting Capabilities of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines with New Design of Turbine Blades
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3854; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073854 - 31 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 443
Abstract
A lift-driven vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) generates peak power when it is rotating at high tip-speed ratios (TSR), at which time the blades encounter angles of attack (AOA) over a small range from zero to 30 degrees. However, its ability to self-start [...] Read more.
A lift-driven vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) generates peak power when it is rotating at high tip-speed ratios (TSR), at which time the blades encounter angles of attack (AOA) over a small range from zero to 30 degrees. However, its ability to self-start is dependent upon its performance at low TSRs, at which time the blades encounter a range of AOAs from zero to 180 degrees. A novel vented aerofoil is presented with the intention of improving the performance of a lift-driven VAWT at low TSRs without hampering the performance of the wind turbine at high TSRs. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is used to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of a new vented aerofoil based on the well documented NACA0012 profile. Simulations are performed using the SST turbulence model. The results obtained show a reduction in the coefficient of tangential force (the force that generates torque on the wind turbine) at low AOAs (less than 90 degrees) of no more than 30%, while at high AOAs (more than 90 degrees) an improvement in the tangential force of over 100% is observed. Using a simple momentum based performance prediction model, these results suggest that this would lead to an increase in torque generation by a theoretical three-bladed VAWT of up to 20% at low TSRs and a minor reduction in coefficient of performance of up to 9% at TSR of 2 and closer to 1% at higher TSRs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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Article
Optimal Coordinated Planning of Energy Storage and Tie-Lines to Boost Flexibility with High Wind Power Integration
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2526; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052526 - 26 Feb 2021
Viewed by 409
Abstract
Since renewable power is intermittent and uncertain, modern grid systems need to be more elegant to provide a reliable, affordable, and sustainable power supply. This paper introduces a robust optimal planning strategy to find the location and the size of an energy storage [...] Read more.
Since renewable power is intermittent and uncertain, modern grid systems need to be more elegant to provide a reliable, affordable, and sustainable power supply. This paper introduces a robust optimal planning strategy to find the location and the size of an energy storage system (ESS) and feeders. It aims to accommodate the wind power energy integration to serve the future demand growth under uncertainties. The methodology was tested in the IEEE RTS-96 system and the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal sizing strategy. The findings validate the improvements in the power system reliability and flexibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Optimization of Renewable Energy Systems)
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