Search Results (2,986)

Agrivoltaics is a promising technique, especially in view of the rapid population growth associated with the expansion of cultivated areas to satisfy the food demands of the population, and the increase in solar power plants, which require considerable space to supply the population with energy. Thus, the transition from agricultural to agrivoltaics systems and the transition from PV power plants to agrivoltaics systems can enable more efficient use of land for energy and agricultural production. However, the configuration of agrivoltaics systems, namely panel elevation, spacing between panels and between rows of panels, and panel size, defines the amount of material used. As a result, configuration can have a major impact on the environment. The aim of this study is to highlight the environmental impact from converting 1 ha of land used entirely for agricultural production to 1 ha of an agrivoltaic system, and from converting 1 ha of land used entirely for solar photovoltaic energy production to 1 ha of an agrivoltaic system through a life cycle assessment. Three different configurations of agrivoltaics systems are considered to assess the environmental potential of agrivoltaics configurations. This analysis is performed with SimaPro 9.4 software, using the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) method and the Eco-invent database. The study determined impacts on global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, ionizing radiation, ozone formation, mineral resource scarcity, fossil resource scarcity, water consumption, and land use through the determination of the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). The results show that impacts are highest for PV power plants, followed by the agrivoltaic system with the largest PV panels for all indicators, except for stratospheric ozone depletion, where impacts are highest for agrivoltaics and agricultural use systems. The results of the land evaluation showed that the agrivoltaic system Case 3 gave the best performance, with a Land Equivalent Ratio of 148.7%. Full article

The building sector accounts for nearly 30% of global energy use and 28% of CO₂ emissions, with residential buildings in Canada contributing about 17% of national energy demand. In cold regions such as Labrador, approximately 82% of this consumption is associated with space heating and domestic hot water, making heating the dominant residential load, while fossil-fuel furnaces and electric baseboard heaters remain common. These conditions highlight the need for efficient and sustainable heating alternatives for cold-climate residential buildings. This study examines the design and performance of a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and geothermal heat pump (GTHP) system for a typical detached home in L’Anse-au-Loup, Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (51.52° N, 56.84° W), with the goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing dependence on the electrical grid. Heating and cooling loads were developed using the Hourly Analysis Program (HAP 6.1), while system operation and economic performance were assessed through the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER Pro 3.18.3). The proposed design combines a rooftop PV array, a ground-source heat pump, and second-life lithium-ion batteries repurposed from retired electric vehicles to lower costs and support short-term energy storage. The system is modelled under grid-connected conditions to reflect realistic operation for northern households. Results show that the hybrid system can meet annual electrical and thermal needs while reducing grid consumption by more than half. Annual carbon emissions decrease by roughly 4–5 tonnes, and repurposed batteries offer a cost-effective alternative to new storage. Overall, the study demonstrates that PV–GTHP systems can provide reliable, efficient, and practical energy solutions for cold-climate homes. Full article

This paper presents a bidirectional power flow control strategy for a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV)-based water pumping system employing a brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive. The proposed system enables continuous water pumping operation under varying solar irradiance conditions without the use of phase-current sensors while maintaining the motor at its rated operating speed. A single-phase voltage source converter (VSC) employs a unit vector template (UVT)-based control scheme that regulates bidirectional power flow between the utility grid and the dc-link, thereby supporting both grid-to-load and PV-to-grid power transfer. Excess photovoltaic energy can be exported to the utility grid during periods of reduced pumping demand, improving overall utilization of the available solar power. The voltage source inverter (VSI) driving the BLDC motor employs a PWM_ON_PWM switching scheme to reduce torque ripple while operating at fundamental frequency to minimize switching losses. The proposed system also incorporates maximum power point tracking (MPPT), power factor correction, and harmonic mitigation to improve power quality and ensure compliance with IEEE-519 requirements. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is evaluated through detailed MATLAB/Simulink R2023a simulations under various operating conditions. The simulation results demonstrate stable dc-link voltage regulation, bidirectional power flow capability, continuous pumping operation, and reduced torque ripple, highlighting the suitability of the proposed system for grid-interactive solar water pumping applications. Full article

With the increasing demand for low-carbon energy, automated defect detection using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based thermal inspection has become essential for maintaining the reliability of photovoltaic systems. However, existing methods still suffer from low-contrast thermal imagery, large-scale variations of defects, and subtle thermal anomalies. To address these challenges, this study proposes Grouped-Hypergraph-Modulation DEIM (GHM-DEIM), a robust end-to-end detection framework based on an improved DEIM architecture. Specifically, a grouped multi-scale aggregation attention network is introduced to enhance global thermal perception and recover discriminative features from blurred backgrounds. In addition, an enhanced encoder incorporating a hypergraph-based context encoding mechanism is designed to model high-order non-local relationships and improve feature representation across different defect scales. Furthermore, a modulation fusion module is employed to adaptively refine multi-scale feature responses and suppress environmental noise interference. Extensive experiments conducted on the ThermoSolar-PV and PV-HSD-2025 datasets demonstrate that the proposed method consistently outperforms state-of-the-art detectors, achieving mAP@50 values of 88.6% and 74.2%, respectively, with improvements of 4.7% and 2.9% over the baseline. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of GHM-DEIM for UAV-based PV thermal defect inspection. Full article

Europe’s solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity is expanding rapidly, raising a key question: how much PV can each national electricity system actually absorb? Most existing assessments rely on annual or seasonal averages, which overlook the hour-by-hour match between PV generation and demand that ultimately limits feasible deployment. This study quantifies the demand-constrained PV potential of 38 European countries and how it varies across regions. Hourly PV generation is simulated in PVsyst and matched against national hourly demand from ENTSO-E. Feasible capacity is defined as the largest installation whose output never exceeds demand in any hour of the year. This system-level, time-resolved method yields operationally constrained estimates rather than purely physical potential. The 38 countries could feasibly deploy about 614 GWp of PV, generating around 678 TWh per year without exceeding hourly demand. Regional differences are pronounced: southern Europe benefits from superior solar resources, while northern and eastern regions face seasonal and infrastructural challenges. These findings underline the importance of grid modernization, energy storage, and cross-border integration. The estimates form a conservative baseline; they exclude drivers such as electric-vehicle (EV) deployment, demand-side flexibility, battery energy storage, latent demand growth, power export, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), whose inclusion would expand the feasible potential. This study offers a transparent comparative framework to guide policy, investment, and system planning for Europe’s carbon-neutral energy transition. Full article

The escalating global demand for renewable energy has positioned solar photovoltaics (PV) as a critical technology for achieving net-zero emissions. However, PV efficiency is strictly limited by thermal degradation, where elevated operating temperatures significantly reduce power output and accelerate material aging. This review systematically evaluates the integration of advanced phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive thermal management solution. We analyze the transition from material-level innovations—including nano-enhanced PCMs, 3D conductive frameworks, and shape-stabilization—to system-level hybrid architectures such as liquid—PCM, heat pipe-fin, and thermoelectric generator (TEG) integrations. Synthesis of recent empirical data (2024–2026) demonstrates that optimized PCM composites can achieve PV temperature reductions of up to 32 °C and electrical efficiency enhancements exceeding 19%. Furthermore, techno-economic assessments reveal that these systems can reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by 5–15% and achieve energy payback times as short as 1.5 years. Finally, this paper identifies critical research gaps in long-term outdoor durability, AI-driven predictive modeling, and sustainable bio-based encapsulation, providing a strategic roadmap for the commercialization of next-generation solar thermal management systems. Full article

The rapid electrification of urban freight transport requires new optimization approaches that jointly consider logistics operations and energy system constraints. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model that captures the interdependencies between vehicle operations, battery constraints, charging infrastructure availability and the temporal variability of photovoltaic energy. A multi-objective structure is adopted to minimize total energy costs and CO₂ emissions while maximizing the utilization of locally generated renewable energy. The model is evaluated using scenario-based simulations under three solar integration levels (0%, 30% and 60%). The results demonstrate that integrating solar energy into routing and charging decisions significantly reduces grid dependency, lowers emissions and improves overall system efficiency. Three types of charging stations are considered in the study (S1, S2, and S3), differing in photovoltaic (PV) energy penetration levels, ranging from conventional grid-based charging (S1) to high renewable integration stations (S3). The quantitative analysis reveals a clear resource and emission structure across the simulated scenarios. Incorporating charging stops grid-wide increases the total distance from theoretical routes to real tracks with stops to overcome the 120 kW battery limit. However, the integration of solar energy significantly alters the system’s environmental costs: total CO₂ emissions drop non-linearly by 33.4%, decreasing from 364.64 kg in the ‘Low Sun’ scenario to 243 kg in the ‘High Sun’ scenario. Furthermore, the localized impact shows that utilizing pure grid energy (S1) results in 405 kg of CO₂, while maximizing solar integration up to 60% (S3) reduces emissions to 162 kg. The sensitivity analysis showed how varying the share of solar energy at the two main stations (S2 and S3) affects the total CO₂ emissions, while maintaining the same routes. Three scenarios were examined: low (10% and 30%), base (30% and 60%) and high (50% and 90%) solar energy shares. As the share of solar energy in the system increases, a clear effect of emission reduction and energy cost optimization is observed. Full article

As the search for sustainable energy solutions increases, Photovoltaic (PV) panels have emerged as a crucial technology, harnessing solar energy to meet the growing global demand. These devices require maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for efficient operation as a consequence of their nonlinear electrical behavior. These nonlinearities cause traditional algorithms to be less than fully effective, thus creating room for improvement that can be filled by intelligent algorithm proposals, such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). In this context, a new variant of the PSO algorithm based on evolutionary behavior and voltage window restrictions is presented, implemented, and validated with the aim of developing an advanced control system to operate in a real PV system for MPPT. The study covers several experiments comparing its performance with other PSO variants found in the literature. The proposed algorithm exhibits smoother transitions with fewer power shocks due to a restricted voltage window, ensuring rapid convergence through its evolutionary feature. These improvements lead to a significant reduction in energy losses during the search process, dropping from about 3.76% with the standard PSO to only 2.56%, while also halving the convergence time. Full article

Institutional shuttle fleets with fixed routes and predictable terminal parking are well-suited to charging photovoltaic–battery energy storage system (PV–BESS) charging for sustainable campus mobility. However, siting and sizing are often solved numerically without identifying the physical constraints that determine the optimum. This study develops a sustainability-oriented framework for converting a 10-van diesel shuttle fleet at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna into an electric fleet supported by distributed PV–BESS charging stations. A centralized one-station layout is compared with a distributed two-station layout, and a closed-form active-constraint sizing rule is derived using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) analysis. Results show that the distributed configuration eliminates dead-run travel and provides higher lifecycle value than the centralized case. KKT analysis identifies two binding constraints: the PV rooftop-area limit and the BESS one-day autonomy requirement. Under base-case assumptions, the transition achieves positive lifecycle value and substantial CO₂ reduction relative to the diesel baseline. Monte Carlo analysis confirms financial robustness within the uncertainty ranges, while deterministic stress tests show sensitivity to diesel prices, PV electricity credit values, discount rate, and fleet utilization. The framework provides an interpretable decision-support method for institutional fleet electrification in solar-rich campus settings, contributing to SDGs 7, 11, and 13 through clean-energy adoption, sustainable transportation, and CO₂-emission reduction. Full article

The deployment of rural electrification actions through off-grid mini-grid solutions is one of the most effective approaches to achieving universal access to electricity in an affordable, reliable, and sustainable way. To assess the sustainability of three mini-grid projects (Sembezea, Mawayela, and Dongane), this study applied a framework that integrates different methods (HOMER, LCA based on SimaPro, and Input–Output) and indicators under the economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Data for the analysis were obtained through site visits in the case study areas, a literature review, and the HOMER and ecoinvent databases. Sembezea and Mawayela were assessed based on their operational experience, whereas the Dongane biogas system is analyzed based on a projected household biodigester experience. The results of this study revealed the considerable benefits of biogas in generating local employment (506 employees) compared to wind/solar PV (98 employees) and hydro/solar PV (91 employees), as it is expected to require a considerable number of employees for feedstock collection for the digester, under the assumed scale and conditions. Additionally, in the long term, biogas would present the lowest cost of electricity at $0.22/kWh compared to wind/solar PV ($0.28/kWh) and hydro/solar PV ($0.60/kWh), thereby improving the ability of the local community to pay for electricity. In contrast, this study concluded that, in terms of environmental impact—particularly CO₂ emissions—biogas has relatively poor environmental performance (4.58 × 10⁻² kg CO₂ eq) compared to wind/solar PV (8.50 × 10⁻⁴ kg CO₂ eq) and hydro/solar PV (3.94 × 10⁻⁴ kg CO₂ eq) in the long term. Nevertheless, biogas presents carbon neutrality as an advantage, in the sense that the CO₂ released during its combustion is assumed to be carbon-neutral. By applying the framework to the aforementioned case studies, the extent to which it is possible to provide an integrated overview of the economic, environmental, and social aspects, as well as the impacts of different HRES options in line with the SDGs, is demonstrated. Full article

Transformerless inverters are increasingly becoming essential in renewable energy generation, particularly for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) and other sustainable and alternative energy resources. The transformerless designs offer higher efficiency, compact size, and reduced cost compared to traditional inverters with bulky transformers. These inverters minimize energy losses and enable direct connection to the grid by removing the low-frequency transformer. This paper investigates a highly reliable single-phase common-ground inverter for solar panels and other alternative energy generation. The proposed PV inverter has the benefits of existing non-isolated common-ground PV inverters, including direct connection of an input source’s negative terminal to the AC neutral terminal, eliminating leakage ground currents. The inverter is an enhancement of the dual-buck inverter, incorporating one additional diode and a flying capacitor. The dual-buck structure with the inductor inserted between the inverter phase leg prevents short-circuiting. This increases the reliability of the entire power electronics system. Moreover, using external diodes to freewheel the current, the configuration has no reverse recovery issues, allowing power MOSFETs to be employed with safe commutation at higher DC-link voltage and achieve higher efficiency. Summarily, this design prevents short-circuit issues, enhancing reliability and efficiency, and relaxing pulse-width-modulation dead times. The derivation of the PV inverter is carefully analyzed. A 700 W prototype of power converter hardware has been built. The comparative study validates the operational performance, and the grid-connected experiment confirms its theoretical analysis. Experimental results of the hardware prototype are discussed to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed PV inverter. Full article

This study presents a forecast-driven Advanced Forecasting Model (AFM) and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) framework for a hybrid renewable energy system comprising utility-scale solar PV, wind generation, and a Battery Energy Storage System. Long Short-Term Memory neural networks provide real-time short-term forecasts to dynamically schedule power flows based on battery state-of-charge, grid import limits, and system constraints. Solar irradiance forecasting achieved MAE = 10.674 W/m², RMSE = 16.348 W/m², and MAPE = 14.18%, while wind speed forecasting achieved MAE = 0.880 m/s, RMSE = 1.115 m/s, and MAPE = 22.01%. Two dispatch scenarios were evaluated over a 72 h window: a reactive baseline and the proposed AFM/VPP strategy. The AFM reduced total grid imports by 57.48% (1466.34 MWh to 623.47 MWh), increased renewable utilization, and minimized curtailment. Financial analysis indicates an accelerated break-even (Year 6 vs. Year 9), a higher net present value, and cumulative 20-year profits exceeding R26.01 billion despite marginally higher capital expenditure. Emissions analysis shows annual CO₂ reductions from 123,680 t to 61,841 t, yielding 1.236 million tons of avoided emissions over 20 years. These results confirm that forecast-driven dispatch enhances operational efficiency, economic performance, and environmental sustainability, establishing a scalable approach for VPP operation in renewable-rich energy systems. Full article

This paper presents a comprehensive review of voltage stability challenges in South Africa’s constrained power grid, particularly in the context of rising hybrid renewable energy integration. With the growing deployment of inverter-based resources (IBRs) like solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), especially under programmes through the Independent Power Procurement Office, voltage stability has emerged as a key concern, particularly in weak grid areas like the Northern Cape Province. We highlight how weak grids characterized by low short-circuit capacity, long transmission lines, and limited reactive power support are more susceptible to voltage instability, especially with high penetration of non-synchronous generation. Using a modified IEEE 14-bus system with hybrid generation, the study simulates a weak grid scenario. Findings point to significant reactive power losses and capacitive over-voltages in long and lightly loaded lines, mirroring some of the weak-grid-transmission challenges experiences in an area of the South African power grid. The study underscores the importance of dynamic load modelling (e.g., ZIP and exponential models) and inverter behaviour in stability analysis. It concludes that hybrid systems, when optimally designed and integrated with storage, can help support grid stability. However, proactive planning, advanced modelling, and compliance with evolving grid codes remain essential for securing reliable renewable integration. Full article

One to four million annual premature deaths are associated with household air pollution. This indoor pollution is mainly generated by traditional biomass cookstoves. Thus, solar cooking can significantly reduce this toll. Its proliferation would also mitigate deforestation pressures. Additionally, for developing countries, it would alleviate the fuel collection workload, mainly borne by women responsible for fuel collection. Electric cooking provides a clean and controllable alternative to thermal cookers for indoor food preparation, sterilization and heating. This study presents a minimal, off-grid photovoltaic solar cooker that operates without batteries and power electronics. Such a cooker constitutes a low-cost and high-reliability solution for electrically decentralized locations. The system encompassing the cooker is conceived as an accessible entry point for household-level photovoltaic (PV) adoption. So, it offers the potential to catalyze the uptake of clean-energy technologies and to support sustainable development. The proposed design dissipates PV power into heat using commercial positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistors operating near their Curie temperature. A simplified theoretical model is formulated to easily estimate the thermal power and heat-transfer conductances required for achieving cooking temperatures. An instrumented prototype allows for characterizing the transient temperature evolution during controlled heating and cooling experiments in the laboratory, facilitating development in an initial step avoiding the PV panel. The results demonstrate that the minimal PV configuration is technically feasible, robust, and compatible with low-resource settings. This encourages its adoption in communities experiencing energy poverty. Full article

This study proposes a comprehensive techno-economic methodology to assess the economic viability and optimal sizing of grid-connected residential photovoltaic (PV) self-consumption systems without storage in emerging economies. The model uses net present value (NPV) as the optimization criterion and estimates internal rate of return (IRR) and discounted payback time (DPBT) as complementary profitability indicators. It integrates hourly PV generation, synthesized hourly demand profiles, local tariff structures, surplus-energy remuneration, investment and operating costs, inflation, performance losses, and discount-rate assumptions, while explicitly accounting for context-specific limitations related to data availability, storage-free operation, and financing assumptions. The methodology is applied to 30 Colombian residential scenarios, covering five cities and six socioeconomic strata, and is complemented with a replicability case in Jaén, Spain. In Colombia, PV self-consumption is economically viable in all cases, but profitability is highly uneven: maximized NPV ranges from 2.8 € in the least favorable low-income case to 2816 € in the best high-income case, IRR ranges from 5.0% to 14.7%, and DPBT ranges from 8 to 24 years. From an energy-justice perspective, tariff subsidies improve affordability but may reduce PV attractiveness for low-income users, highlighting the need for capital grants, low-interest loans, or community solar schemes. Full article