We report on the field testing datasets and performance evaluation results obtained from a commercial property-based visually-clear solar window installation site in Perth-Australia. This installation was fitted into a refurbished shopping centre entrance porch, and showcases the potential of glass curtain wall-based solar energy harvesting in built environments. In particular, we focus on photovoltaic (PV) performance characteristics such as the electric power output, specific yield, day-to-day consistency of peak output power, and the amounts of energy generated and stored daily. The dependencies of the generated electric power and stored energy on multiple environmental and geometric parameters are also studied. An overview of the current and future application potential of high-transparency, visually-clear solar window-based curtain wall installations suitable for practical building integration is provided.

When solar energy is converted into electricity by photovoltaic modules, only 20% of the incident solar radiation is converted into electricity and the remaining 80% is converted into heat, increasing the temperature of the photovoltaic solar cells. The increase in PV module temperature has a negative impact on open-circuit voltage. This leads to a reduction in electrical efficiency and degradation of the photovoltaic modules. In order to maintain their operating temperature under standard test conditions, it is important to remove the excess heat from the photovoltaic solar cells by cooling. After cooling, the temperature of the PV modules decreases and the electrical efficiency is improved. In this article, air cooling techniques for photovoltaic modules are examined. The disadvantages and prospects of the different approaches to these air-cooling techniques are presented. Understanding the different cooling techniques is important for improving the electricity production of photovoltaic modules and for popularising this technology.

The efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) is influenced by various factors, among which environmental temperature plays a significant role. Previous studies have shown that the thermal stability of these cells can be enhanced by incorporating a third component into their structure. Ternary organic solar cells, in particular, have shown promising results in improving thermal stability. A well-designed electron transport layer (ETL) can significantly bolster thermal stability by facilitating efficient charge transport and reducing charge recombination. In this study, we investigated the effect of temperature on the efficiency of inverted ternary structures, ranging from 300 K to 400 K. The structures examined include FTO/SnO2/PM6:D18:L8-BO/PEDOT: PSS/Ag, FTO/Spiro-OMeTAD/PM6:D18:L8-BO/PEDOT: PSS/Ag, and FTO/PC60BM/PM6:D18:L8-BO/PEDOT: PSS/Ag. Through simulations employing three different electron transport layers—SnO2, Spiro-OMeTAD, and PC60BM—we observed that at 340 K (65°C) these structures maintained 92% of their original high efficiency of ~20% at 300 K, which represents a high level of thermal stability under the high PCE condition.

Alpha emitters like plutonium pose severe health risks when ingested, damaging DNA and potentially causing cancer. Traditional detection methods require proximity within millimeters of the contamination source, presenting safety risks and operational inefficiencies. Long-range detection through alpha radioluminescence (RL) offers a promising alternative. However, most of the previous experiments have been carried out under controlled conditions that preclude the overwhelming effect of ambient light. This study demonstrates successful detection of a 3 MBq alpha emitter in an open environment using a newly developed, lightweight compact alpha camera. This camera incorporates a deep-cooled CCD and a specially designed lens system with a low f-number to maximum the signal intensity. The lens was also designed to minimize blue shift effects of filters. Nighttime imaging was achieved with a dual-filter system using a sandwich filters assembly centered at 337 nm and 343 nm for capturing alpha RL and subtracting background light, respectively. At night, the alpha source was detected from 1 meter away within one minute. The system was also evaluated under simulated urban lighting conditions. For daytime imaging, a stack of tilted 276 nm short pass filters minimized sunlight interference, enabling clear detection of the alpha source at 70 cm within 10 minutes under indirect sunlight. This research not only underscores the viability of long-range optical detection of alpha emitters for environmental monitoring and scientific research but also highlights its ability to enhance nuclear safety and public health in real-world settings.

Quantum machine learning applications have become viable with the recent advancements in quantum computing. Merging ML with the power of quantum computing holds great potential for data-driven decision-making, as well as the development of more powerful models capable of handling more complex datasets with faster processing time. This area offers potential for improving the accuracy of real-time forecasting renewable energy production. However, the literature on this topic is sparse. Addressing this knowledge gap, this study aims to design, implement, and evaluate the performance of a quantum neural network forecast model for solar irradiance up to 3-hours ahead. The proposed model was compared with Support Vector Regression, Group Method of Data Handling, and Extreme Gradient Boost classical models. Using the best quantum neural network configuration found, the proposed framework could provide competitive results when compared to its competitors, considering forecasting intervals of 5- to 120-minutes ahead, where it was the fourth best-performing paradigm. For 3-hours ahead predictions, the QNN was able to overcome its clas-sical counterparts, but the XGBoost. This fact can be an indication that the quantum model may identify and retrieve relevant spatiotemporal information from the input dataset in such a manner not attainable by the current classical approaches.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are vital for their optical and electrical properties, with lead-based PSCs reaching a remarkable efficiency of 26.1%, while tin-based counterparts achieve 18.71%. Due to lead's toxicity, there's a push for alternatives like tin. However, tin-based PSCs suffer from stability issues and high defect density states, necessitating the development of cost-effective, high-performance, and eco-friendly alternatives. In this study, we designed a hetero-junction architecture using MASnI3-based Perovskite, opti-mized with SCAPs-1D. After exhaustive analysis, our device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 24.18%, with enhanced parameters including Voc of 0.09323V, Jsc of 30.8360 mA/cm2, and FF of 84.10%. Recombination rates, particularly Shockley-Read Hall recom-bination, were significantly reduced. Parametric analyses, encompassing absorber layer thickness, band gap, defect density, doping concentration, and operating temperature, in-dicate potential efficiency enhancements. This underscores the viability of Sn-based PSCs as a cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally benevolent alternative to lead-based counterparts, promising advancements in future research and development efforts.

The study conducts a comparative analysis of solar radiation estimation methods, assessing the efficacy of the Heliosat-2 algorithm against ground measurements across seven distinct countries: Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Namibia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and India. To achieve this, it utilizes two distinct satellite data sources—Himawari-8 for Japan and Metosat Second Generation-MSG for the rest of the countries—spanning the years Jan 2022 to April 2024. A robust methodology for determining albedo parameters specific to Heliosat-2 was developed. During cloudy days, the estimates provided by Heliosat-2 generally exceeded the ground measurements in all the countries. Conversely, on clear days, there was a tendency for underestimation, as indicated by the median value of the mean bias (MB) across most of the countries. The Heliosat-2 model slightly underestimates daily radiation values, with a median MB ranging from −27.5 to +10.2 W.m⁻². Notably, the median root mean squared error (RMSE) on clear days is significantly lower, with values ranging from 24.8 to 108.7 W.m⁻², compared to cloudy days where RMSE values lie between 75.3 and 180.2 W.m⁻². In terms of R² values, both satellites show a strong correlation between the estimated and actual values, with a median value consistently above 0.86 on a monthly scale and over 92% of daily data points falling within ±2 standard deviation.

The accurate forecasting of solar power output is essential for ensuring the stable and efficient operation of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems, especially when faced with variable weather patterns. This research focuses on the integration of Machine Learning (ML) methodologies and climatic parameters to predict solar panel energy generation, with a specific emphasis on addressing consumption-production imbalances. Leveraging a dataset sourced from the Kaggle platform, the study is conducted in the context of Estonia, aiming to optimize solar energy utilization in this geographic region. The dataset, obtained from Kaggle, encompasses comprehensive information on climatic variables, including sunlight intensity, temperature, and humidity, alongside corresponding solar panel energy output. Leveraging machine learning algorithms, including XGBoost regression and neural networks, our model aims to identify complex patterns and relationships within the datasets. By tailoring the model to Estonia's climatic nuances, we seek to enhance the accuracy of energy production forecasts and, consequently, better manage the challenges associated with consumption-production imbalances. Furthermore, the research investigates the adaptability of the proposed model to diverse climatic conditions, ensuring its applicability for similar endeavors in other geographical locations. The performance of the forecasting model will be evaluated using error metrics like mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE). This study leverages a comprehensive dataset from Kaggle and utilizes advanced machine learning techniques to generate valuable insights. These insights can inform the development of sustainable energy policies and practices, ultimately leading to a more efficient and reliable renewable energy infrastructure.

The growing urgency for sustainable energy solutions necessitates a deeper understanding of the environmental impacts of renewable technologies. This article aims to synthesize and analyze Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) in this domain, providing a comprehensive perspective. We systematically categorize 2,923 articles into four communities: (1) Photovoltaic systems, (2) Wind energy systems, (3) Materials for auxiliary industry of photovoltaic and wind systems, and (4) Solar thermal systems. A comparative analysis is conducted to identify methodological consistencies and disparities across these communities. The findings reveal diverse methodological approaches and a range of environmental impacts, highlighting the complexities in assessing renewable energy systems. The article underscores the significance of material selection in photovoltaic and wind systems, providing a critical overview of the current state of LCA research in renewable energy and stressing the need for standardized methodologies. It also identifies gaps in recent research, offering insights for future studies focused on integrating environmental, economic, and social considerations in renewable energy assessments.As a case study, an LCA was used to evaluate two energy supply methods for a sensor network: one connected to the public grid and another powered by a photovoltaic panel. The off-grid system, while more environmentally friendly by reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources, posed challenges due to the high environmental impact of battery production and disposal. Integrating environmental assessments provides a robust framework for making informed decisions on sustainable technologies. The findings are critical for projects that balance technological needs with sustainability goals.

A joint analysis of solar wind, geomagnetic field, and earthquake catalog data showed that before the catastrophic M7.8 and M7.5 Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence on February 6, 2023, the closed strong magnetic storm occurred on November 7, 2022, SYM/H=-117 nT. Storm started at 08:04 UT. At this time, the high latitudinal part of Turkey's longitudinal region of future epicenters was located under the polar cusp, where the solar wind plasma would directly access the Earth's environment. The time delay between storm onset and earthquake occurrence was ~91 days. We analyzed all seven strong (M7+) earthquakes from 1967 to 2020 to verify the initial findings. A similar pattern has been revealed for all events. The time delay between magnetic storm onset and earthquake occurrence varies from some days to some months. To continue these investigations, a retrospective analysis of seismic and other geophysical parameters just after preceded geomagnetic storms in the epicenter areas is desirable.

Novel far-red-sensitive symmetric squaraine (SQ) dyes with terminal alkyl-chain modifications were designed, synthesized and characterized aiming towards imparting multifunctionalities such as photosensitization, dye aggregation prevention and source of electrolyte components. The dye sensitizers SQ-77 and SQ-80 with the alkyl chain terminal modifications consisting of iodine and 1-methylimidazolium iodide, respectively, were designed and synthesized as new dye sensitizers for DSSCs based on the symmetric SQ-5 without any terminal modification used as reference. Upon adsorption on the mesoporous TiO2 surface, The SQ-77 depicted an enhanced dye loading and dye aggregation. On the other hand, SQ-80 demonstrated reduced dye aggregation and stronger binding on the TiO2 surface leading to enhanced durability of DSSCs. Apart from the most common photosensitization behaviour, the newly designed dye demonstrated multifunctionality such as aggregation prevention and electrolyte functionality utilizing iodine-based redox electrolyte in the presence and absence of I2 and LiI additives. In the absence of LiI and I2, a mixture of SQ-77 and SQ-80 demonstrated a photoconversion efficiency of 1.54 % under simulated solar irradiation, which was about 6 times higher as compared to reference dye SQ-5 (0.24 %) having no alkyl chai terminal modification.

As the cost of conventional energy continues to rise, and concerns over the environment grow, there is a growing interest in sustainable energy. It is believed that conventional energy will only last for around 50 years, making it essential to find a renewable energy source that is safe and feasible to replace fossil fuels. Solar energy is a superior alternative to conventional energy, as it is renewable and produces green energy that can be used directly. The maritime industry has found itself at the forefront of an evolving environmental consciousness, driven by the imperative to mitigate the carbon footprint left in the wake of ships. In this journey towards sustainability, solar energy has emerged as a beacon of hope, harnessing the boundless energy of the sun to wean vessels off their dependence on fossil fuels. Technological advancements have made solar power more accessible, and we can now see the use of solar panels on large ships and small crafts to reduce fuel usage and emissions. Solar panels are also increasingly used to power homes and businesses, and many countries are implementing policies to encourage their use. Solar energy is a key solution in reducing our dependence on non-renewable energy sources and combating climate change. However, the adoption of solar energy is but a stepping stone towards maritime sustainability, as the integration of CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies promises to amplify the industry's environmental impact to unprecedented heights.

This study aimed to increase the energy independence of buildings by utilizing solar energy to produce renewable energy. The subject of this study was a shading structure installed in an outdoor space to provide solar energy. Solar panels were applied to the shaded structures to generate energy actively. The solar panels were designed to be moved according to the optimal tilt angle each month to produce the optimal renewable energy. The architectural design of the shading structure and the energy simulation of the solar panels were conducted using a parametric design. The results of the energy simulation showed the generation of 31,570 kWh· year−1 of renewable energy. This amount of energy is 10% higher than that produced by fixed solar panels. Thus, the moving solar panel system developed in this study not only increases the energy independence of buildings, but also has the advantage of higher renewable energy production compared with fixed solar panels. Additionally, various types of shading structures can be designed depending on the combination of solar panel modules; in particular, moving solar panels have the potential to facilitate ecofriendly designs when applied to the exterior of buildings.

The perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been significantly improved by utilizing inorganic hole transporting layer (HTL), such as nickel oxide. Despite the promising properties, there are still limitations due to defects. Recently, research on self-assembled monolayers (SAM) is being actively conducted, which show promise in reducing defects and enhancing device performance. In this study, we successfully engineered a p-i-n perovskite solar cell structure utilizing HC-A1 and HC-A4 molecules. These SAM molecules were found to enhance the grain morphology and uniformity of the perovskite film, which are critical factors in determining optical properties and device performance. Notably, HC-A4 demonstrated superior performance due to its distinct hydrophilic properties with a contact angle of 50.3°, attributable to its unique functional groups. Overall, the HC-A4 applied film exhibited efficient carrier extraction properties, attaining a carrier lifetime of 117.33 ns. Furthermore, HC-A4 contributed the superior device performance with its favorable band alignment, achieving the highest device efficiency of 20%.

Perovskite solar cells are an evolving technology owing to self-assembling and highly tunable bandgap properties of materials. In this context, thin films of perovskites have attracted immense attention and witnessed great advancement because of their low manufacturing cost. The key development in these devices is the conversion efficiency, which rose from 3.8% to 28%. The formulation of innovative materials with the proper replacement of lead in perovskites is imperative to mitigate lead toxicity. Here, we analyzed the challenges like material and structural stability, device stability under high temperature and humidity conditions, lifetime, manufacturing cost, etc. faced in the commercialization of perovskite devices. This review shows that challenges such as device engineering, performance stability against the harsh environment, cost-effectiveness, and environmental concern should be taken into consideration for the widespread acceptance of perovskite-based solar devices. In conclusion, we suggested that an enormous scope exists for exploring high-performance and long-lasting perovskites for energy applications.

Rooftop solar (RTS) projects have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable development objectives. In India, grid-connected RTS capacity has been targeted at 40 GW by the end of the year 2022 however, the installed capacity is limited to 8.2 GW only. As a result, the country missed its 2022 target of installing 100 GW of solar power capacity, largely due to inadequate uptake of RTS. The prevailing practices of RTS implementation is observed to be complex, repetitive, tedious, and time-consuming for potential consumers and there is a lack of coordination among implementing agencies. Therefore, even with vast potential, supportive measures, dedicated policies, and regulations the penetration of RTS systems is far below their respective potential. The introduction of information technology (IT) intervention in the RTS sector would integrate key stakeholders at a single platform so as to reduce the administrative burden of implementing agencies, optimization of processing time, handle multiple consumers simultaneously, and connect consumers with authentic vendors, etc. This would help them to understand and perform their shared roles and responsibilities and enhance the RTS implementation across the state. In this study, the scope for IT interventions in the existing RTS implementation process of the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) has been assessed and a simplistic approach has been developed for the execution of the RTS projects in relatively lesser time with the least human interface as well as resources. This approach has been successfully demonstrated with OREDA and a cumulative capacity of around 5 MWp (individual project of 1-2 kWp) residential grid-connected RTS projects implemented through the web platform. Currently, other state nodal agencies are also adopting the model for RTS execution and consumer proliferation through IT interventions.

Microgrids offer flexibility in power generation in a way of using multiple renewable energy sources. In the past few years, microgrids become a very active research area in terms of design and control strategies. Most of the microgrids use DC/DC converters to connect renewable energy sources to the load. In this paper, the simulation model of a DC microgrid with three different energy sources (Lithium-ion battery (LIB), photovoltaic (PV) array, and fuel cell) and external variant power load is built with MATLAB/Simulink and the simulative results show that the stability of DC microgrid can be guaranteed by the proposed maximum power point controller MPPT. The three energy sources are connected to the load through DC/DC converters, one for each. This type of topology ensures protection for each energy source as well as optimum stability at the load.

The shape memory alloys belong to the smart materials thanks to their thermomechanical proprieties' reply to thermal or to mechanical loading. These materials can change shape, stiffness, displacement, natural frequency, and many mechanical characteristics in response to stress or to heat such as conduction, convection or radiation. However, heating by convection or conduction are the most useful and studied methods unlike radiation. Therefore, this paper aims to study the radiation effect on the shape memory alloy behavior

Tomatoes, one of the most appreciated vegetables consumed, are crops well adapted for cultivation in arid and semi-arid conditions, the success of large yields is guaranteed by covering water consumption through irrigation. Solar Pumps - SP are driven by Photovoltaic Panels - PV (SPAPV), eliminating the dependence on electricity or diesel; they are environmentally friendly because they generate carbon-free electricity and the cost of operation and maintenance is lower. In order to preserve the water administered by drip to the tomato crop grown in solariums, mulching is used. In Husasău de Tinca, in the Crișurilor Plain, cultivation of tomato varieties without mulching (WM) and with mulching with black foil (MBF) were studied. To answer the question "How effective are water conservation measures in terms of energy independence?", two variants of SPAPVs, direct pumping (ADP) and storage tank (AST) were simulated. Considering the conditions in the solariums, tomato crops do not benefit from the contribution of precipitation, therefore it is proposed to determine the water consumption of tomatoes (ETRo), using the temperatures inside the solarium. In 2016, the average temperatures during the vegetation period were observed with an insurance of over 20 %, the irrigation norms were 6945.7 m3 ha-1, for the WM variant and 6594.0 m3 ha-1 for the MBF variant, respectively. Specific Investment (SI) is 214,795 Euro ha-1 in case of ADP and respectively 202,990 Euro ha-1 in case of ATS. The payback period (IPT) is between 2.68 years and 2.53 years for the ADP variant and between 1.63 years and 1.54 years for the ATS variant, respectively. The indications for water use and irrigation water use show that in the MBF variant the water administered by localized irrigation is better utilized than in the WM variant. In the conditions of Crișurilor Plain, the best solution for the distribution of water in solariums, with the help of SPAPVs is the mulching system of tomatoes grown in solariums (MBF) and the arrangement of the drip irrigation system with a water storage tank (ATS).

Well-intentioned regulations to protect Canada’s most productive farmland restrict large-scale so-lar photovoltaic (PV) development. The recent innovation of agrivoltaics, which is the co-development of land for both PV and agriculture, makes these regulations obsolete. Burgeoning agrivoltaics research has shown agricultural benefits including increased yield for a wide range of crops, plant protection from excess solar energy and hail, improved water conservation while maintaining agricultural employment and local food supplies. In addition, the renewable electricity generation decreases greenhouse gas emissions while increasing farm revenue. As Canada in general, and Ontario in particular, is at a strategic disadvantage in agricultural without agrivoltaics, this study investigates the policy changes necessary to capitalize on the benefits of using agrivoltaics in Ontario. Land use policies in Ontario are reviewed. Then, three case studies (peppers, sweet corn and winter wheat) are analyzed for agrivoltaic potential in Ontario. These results are analyzed in conjunction with potential policies that would continue to protect the green-belt of the Golden Horseshoe, while enabling agrivoltaics in Ontario. Four agrivoltaic policy areas are discussed: increased research and development, enhanced education/public awareness, mechanisms to support Canada’s farmers converting to agrivoltaics and using agrivoltaics as a potential source of trade surplus with the U.S.

Cadmium telluride (CdTe), a metallic dichalcogenide material, has been utilized as an absorber layer for thin film-based solar cells with appropriate configurations, and the SCAPS-1D structures program has been used to evaluate the results. In both known and developing thin film photovoltaic systems, a CdS thin film buffer layer has been frequently employed as a traditional n-type heterojunction partner. In this study, numerical simulation was used to find a suitable non-toxic material for the buffer layer instead of CdS, among various types of buffer layers (ZnSe, ZnO, ZnS, and In2S3), and carrier concentrations for the absorber layer (NA) and buffer layer (ND) were varied to determine the optimal simulation parameters. carrier concentrations (NA from 2 x 1012 cm-3 to 2 x 1017 cm-3 and ND from 1 x 1016 cm-3 to 1 x 1022 ??−3) have been differed. The results showed that the CdS as buffer layer based CdTe absorber layer solar cell has the highest efficiency (?%) of 17.43%. Furthermore, high conversion efficiencies of 17.42% and 16.27% have been found for ZnSe and ZnO based buffer layers, respectively. As a result, ZnO and ZnSe are potential candidates for replacing the CdS buffer layer in thin-film solar cells. Here, the absorber (CdTe) and buffer (ZnSe) layers were chosen to improve the efficiency by finding the optimal density of the carrier concentration (acceptor and donor). The simulation findings above provide helpful recommendations for fabricating high-efficiency metal oxide-based solar cells in the lab.

The Haar wavelet decomposition technique is used to detect the planetary magnetosphere boundaries and discontinuities. We use the magnetometer data from the CASSINI and MESSENGER spacecraft to identify the abrupt changes in the magnetic field when the spacecraft crossed the magnetospheric bow shocks and magnetopauses of Saturn and Mercury, respectively. The results confirm that the Haar transform can efficiently identify the planetary magnetosphere boundaries characterized by the abrupt magnetic field changes. It is suggested that this technique can be applied to detect the planetary boundaries as well as the discontinuities such as the shock waves in the interplanetary space.

This study addresses the causal links between external factors and the main hydro-climatic variables. There is a gap in the literature on the description of a complete chain in addressing the structures of direct causal links of solar activity on the terrestrial variables. This is why, the present study uses the extensive facilities of the application of information theory in view of recent advances in different fields. Also, by other methods (e.g. neural networks) first are tested the existence non-linear links of solar-terrestrial influences on hydro-climate system. The results are promising related to the solar impact on terrestrial phenomena which is discriminant in space-time domain. The implications prove robust for determining the causal measure of climate variables under direct solar impact which makes it easier to consider solar activity in climate models, by appropriate parametrizations. This study found that hydro-climatic variables are sensitive to solar impact only for certain frequencies (periods) and these have a coherence with the Solar-Flux only for some lags of the Solar-Flux (in advance).

Arctic ozone amount in winter to spring shows large year-to-year variation. This study investigates Arctic spring ozone in relation to the phase of quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO)/the 11-year solar cycle, using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and outputs of a chemistry climate model (CCM) during the period of 1979–2011. For this duration, we found that the composite mean of the Northern Hemisphere high-latitude total ozone in the QBO-westerly (QBO-W)/solar minimum (Smin) phase is slightly smaller than those averaged for the QBO-W/Smax and QBO-E/Smax years in March. An analysis of a passive ozone tracer in the CCM simulation indicates that this negative anomaly is primarily caused by transport. The negative anomaly is consistent with a weakening of the residual mean downward motion in the polar lower stratosphere. The contribution of chemical processes estimated using the column amount difference between ozone and the passive ozone tracer is between 10–20% of the total anomaly in March. The lower ozone levels in the Arctic spring during the QBO-W/Smin years are associated with a stronger Arctic polar vortex from late winter to early spring, which is linked to the reduced occurrence of sudden stratospheric warming in the winter during the QBO-W/Smin years.

Different machine learning models (multiple linear regression, vector support machines, artificial neural networks and random forests) are applied to predict the monthly global irradiation (MGI) from different input variables (latitude, longitude and altitude of meteorological station, month, average temperatures, among others) of different areas of Galicia (Spain). The models were trained, validated and queried using data from three stations, and each best machine model was checked in two independent stations. The results obtained confirmed that the best ML methodology is the ANN model which presents the lowest RMSE value in the validation and querying phases 122.6·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 113.6·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively, and predict conveniently for independent stations, 201.3·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 209.4·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively. Given the good results obtained, it is convenient to continue with the design of artificial neural networks applied to the analysis of monthly global irradiation.

Space vehicles may be propelled by solar sails exploiting the radiation pressure coming from the sun and applied on their surfaces. This work deals with the adoption of Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) elements in the sail deployment mechanism activated by the Joule Effect, i.e. using the same SMA elements as a resistance within suitable designed electrical circuits. Mathematical models were analyzed for the thermal analysis by implementing algorithms for the evaluation of the temperature trend depending on the design parameters. Several solar sail prototypes were built up and tested with different number, size and arrangement of the SMA elements, as well as the type of the selected electrical circuit. The main parameters have been discussed in the tested configurations and advantages discussed as well.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the defining global health and socioeconomic crisis of our time and represents the greatest challenge faced by the world since the end of the Second World War. The academic literature indicates that climatic features, specifically the temperature and absolute humidity, are very important factors affecting infectious pulmonary disease epidemics (e.g., SARS, MERS); however, the influence of climatic parameters on COVID-19 remains extremely controversial. The goal of this study is to quantify the existing relationship between several daily climate parameters (temperature, relative humidity, accumulated precipitation, solar radiation, wind direction and intensity, and evaporation), local morphological parameters, and new daily positive swabs for COVID-19, which represents the only parameter that can be statistically used to quantify the pandemic. The daily deaths parameter was not considered because it is not reliable due to frequent administrative errors. Daily data on meteorological conditions and new cases of COVID-19 were collected for the Lombardy area from March 1, 2020, to April 20, 2020. This region in Italy exhibited the largest number of official deaths in the world per million inhabitants, with a value of approximately 1700 per million on june 30, 2020. Moreover, the apparent lethality was approximately 17% in this area, mainly due to the considerable housing density and the extensive presence of industrial and craft areas. The Mann-Kendall test and multivariate statistical analysis showed that none of the considered climatic variables exhibited statistically significant relationships with the epidemiological evolution of COVID-19, at least in the spring months in temperate subcontinental climate areas, with the exception of solar radiation, which was directly related and showed an otherwise low explained variability of approximately 20%. Furthermore, the average temperatures of two highly representative meteorological stations of Molise and Lucania, the most weakly affected by the pandemic. The temperatures at these stations were approximately 1.5°C lower than that in the cities in Lombardy of Bergamo and Brescia, again confirming that a significant relationship between the increase in temperature and decrease in virology from COVID-19 was not evident, at least in the Italian peninsula.

The characterization of thin-film solar cells is of huge importance for obtaining high open-circuit voltage and low recombination rates from the interfaces or within the bulk of the main materials. Among the many electrical characterization techniques, the two- and four-wire probe using the Cascade instrument is of interest since the resistance of the wires, and the electrical contacts can be excluded by the additional two wires in 4-wire probe configuration. In this paper, both two and four-point probes configuration are employed to characterize the CIGS chalcogenide thin-film solar cells. The two-wire probe has been used to measure the current-voltage characteristics of the cell which results in a huge internal resistance. Therefore, the four-wire connection is also used to eliminate the lead resistance to enhance the characterization’s accuracy. The load resistance in the two-wire probe diminishes the photogenerated current density at smaller voltage ranges. In contrast, the proposed four-wire probe collects more current at higher voltages due to enhanced carrier collection efficiency from contact electrodes. The current conduction mechanism is also identified at every voltage region represented by the value of the ideality factor of that voltage region. It is observed that a long time given to the charge collection results in increased current density at a higher voltage. According to the results and device characteristics, a novel double-diode model is suggested to extract the saturation current density, shunt and series resistances and the ideality factor of the cells. These cells are shown to be efficient in terms of low recombination at the interfaces and with lower series resistance as the quality of the materials is in its most possible conductive form. The measured internal resistance and saturation current density and ideality factor of the two measurement configuration is measured and compared.

A novel solution-processed graphene-based material was synthesized by treating graphene oxide (GO) with 2,5,7-trinitro-9-oxo-fluorenone-4-carboxylic acid (TNF-COOH) moieties, via simple synthetic routes. The yielded molecule N-[(carbamoyl-GO)ethyl]-N’-[(carbamoyl)-(2,5,7-trinitro-9-oxo-fluorene)] (GO-TNF) was thoroughly characterized and it was shown that it presents favorable highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels to function as a bridge component between the polymeric donor poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl] thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) and the fullerene derivative acceptor [6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric-acid-methylester (PC₇₁BM). In this context, a GO-TNF based ink was prepared and directly incorporated within the binary photoactive layer, in different volume ratios (1-3% ratio to the blend), for the effective realization of inverted ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) of the structure ITO/PFN/PTB7:GO-TNF:PC₇₁BM/MoO₃/Al. The addition of 2% v/v GO-TNF ink led to a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.71% that was enhanced by ~13% as compared to the reference cell.

The highest efficiency solar cell won in the efficiency race does not always give the most excellent annual energy yield in the real world solar condition that the spectrum is ever-changing. The study of the radiative coupling of the concentrator solar cells implied that the efficiency could increase by the recycle of the radiative recombination generated by the surplus current in upper junction. Such configuration is called by a super-multi-junction cell. We expanded the model in the concentrator solar cell to non-concentrating installation. It was shown that this super-multi-junction cell configuration was found robust and can keep the maximum potential efficiency (50 % in realistic spectrum fluctuation) up to 10 junctions. The super-multi-junction cell is also robust in the bandgap engineering of each junction. Therefore, the future multi-junction may not be needed to tune the bandgap for matching the standard solar spectrum, as well as relying upon artificial technologies like ELO (Epitaxial lift-off), wafer-bonding, mechanical-stacking, and reverse-growth, but merely uses up-right and lattice-matching growth technologies. We have two challenging techniques; one is the optical cap layer that may be the directional photon coupling layer in the application of the photonics technologies, and another is the high-quality epitaxial growth with almost 100 % of the radiative efficiency.

Traditional phase change composites usually suffer poor mechanical property and easy collapsing in the phase changing process. Herein, a highly flexible phase change composite is fabricated using thermoplastic elastomer as the basic gel and the expanded graphite/paraffin as the filler. This new phase change composite shows a tensile strength of 2.1 MPa and a breaking elongation of 220%. It has a melting enthalpy of 145.4 J•g^-1 and a thermal conductivity of 2.2 W•m^-1•K^-1 with 70% of expanded graphite/paraffin. The thermoplastic elastomer based phase change composite exhibits great reversible property after 200 heating/cooling cycles. This flexible phase change composite demonstrates good photo-thermal energy charging/discharging property and shows great potential to be applied in the solar thermal energy systems.

The increasing use of renewable energies as a source of electricity has led to a fundamental transition of the power supply system. The integration of fluctuating weather-dependent energy sources into the grid already has a major impact on the load flows of the grid. As a result, the interest in forecasting wind and solar radiation with a sufficient accuracy over short time horizons grew. In this study the short-term forecast of the effective cloud albedo based on optical flow estimation methods are investigated. The optical flow method utilized here is TV-L¹ from the open source library OpenCV. This method uses a multi-scale-approach to capture cloud motions on various spatial scales. After the clouds are displaced the solar surface radiation will be calculated with SPECMAGIC NOW which computes the global irradiation spectrally resolved from satellite imagery. Due to a high temporal and spatial resolution of satellite measurements the effective cloud albedo and thus solar radiation can be forecasted from 5 minutes up to 4 hours with a resolution of 0.05°. In the following there will be a brief description of the method for the short-term forecast of the effective cloud albedo. Subsequently evaluation results will be presented and discussed. Finally an outlook of further developments will be given.

Silicon light funnels are three-dimensional subwavelength structures in the shape of inverted cones with respect to the incoming illumination. Light funnel arrays can serve as an efficient absorbing layers on account of their light trapping capabilities associated with the presence of high density complex Mie modes. Specifically, light funnel arrays exhibit broadband absorption enhancement of the of the solar spectrum. In the current study, we numerically explore the optical coupling between surface light funnel arrays and underlying substrates. We show that the absorption in LF array-substrate complex is higher than the absorption in LF arrays of the same height (~10% increase). This, we suggest, imply that a LF array serves as an efficient surface element that imparts additional momentum components to the impinging illumination, and hence optically excites the substrate by near-field light concentration, excitation of traveling guided modes in the substrate and mode hybridization.

Psoriasis is a multifactorial, chronic, and inflammatory disease that severely impacts patients’ quality of life. The disease is caused by genetic irregularities affected by the epigenetic and environmental factors. Some of these factors may include the seasonal changes, such as solar radiation, air pollution and humidity, and changes in circadian rhythm, especially in the temporal and polar zones. Thus, some psoriasis patients report seasonal variability of symptoms. Through a comprehensive review, we aim to delve deeper into the intricate interplay between seasonality, environmental factors, and the genetic and epigenetic landscape of psoriasis. By elucidating these complex relationships, we strive to provide insights that may inform targeted interventions and personalized management strategies for individuals living with psoriasis.

This paper focuses on distributed generation (DG) controller of a PV based Micro Grid. An independent DG controller (IDGC) is designed for PV applications to improve maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in Micro Grid (MG). Extreme learning machine (ELM) based MPPT method exactly estimate the reference input of converter control. They are voltage and current at MPP. Feedback controls employ linear PI schemes or nonlinear, intricate techniques. Here the converter controller, IDGC is improved by measuring directly converter outputs like duty cycle. PWM index in a single DG PV-based MG. It introduces a fast learning Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) using Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse and an online-sequential ridge re method for robust CR estimation. The approach ensures the stability of the microgrid during PV uncertainties. Internal DG control approach (IDGC) improves the strength of the Micro Grid during, three-phase faults at load bus, partial shading, irradiance change, islanding operation and load change. The model is designed and simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK platform and some of the results are validated in hardware in simulation (HIL) platform.

Membrane gas absorption technology and solar-assisted regeneration system are two promising approaches to reduce high energy consumption associated with carbon dioxide capture from coal fired power plants. In the present study, a solar-assisted hollow fiber membrane contactor (SOL-HFMC) power plant is proposed to capture and desorb CO₂ in hollow fiber membrane contactors with the assistance of solar thermal collectors. Techno-economic assessment and sensitivity analysis of the proposed system is carried out in three studied locations with different weather conditions for a 580 MWe pulverized coal power plant. Research results show that, the output capacity and net efficiency of the SOL-HFMC power plant are significantly higher than those of the reference power plant regardless whether TES system is applied or not. In addition, CEI of the SOL-HFMC power plant with TES system is 4.36 kg CO₂/MWh, 4.45 kg CO₂/MWh and 4.66 kg CO₂/MWh lower than that of the reference power plant. The prices of membrane, vacuum tube collector and phase change material should be reduced to achieve lower LCOE and COR values. Specifically for SOL-HFMC power plant with TES system, the corresponding vacuum tube collector price shall be lower than 25.70 $/m² for Jinan, 95.20 $/m² for Xining, and 128.70 $/m² for Lhasa, respectively. To be more competitive than solar-assisted ammonia-based post-combustion CO₂ capture power plant, the membrane price in Jinan, Xining and Lhasa shall be reduced to 0.012 $/m, 0.015 $/m and 0.016 $/m for the sake of LCOE, and 0.03 $/m, 0.033 $/m and 0.034 $/m for the sake of COR, respectively. The findings can provide guidance for decision-making and risk management strategies.

This paper examines the response of the ionosphere to the impact of two moderate geomagnetic storms observed in January 17 and 26-27, 2013 under conditions of strong sudden stratospheric warming. The study uses data from ground-based ionosonde measurements at the Alma-Ata ionospheric station (43.25 N, 76.92 E) combined with optical observation data (The Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager (SATI)). Ionosonde data showed that the geomagnetic storms under consideration do not generate ionospheric storms, but demonstrate some unusual types of diurnal foF2 variations with large (up to 60%) deviations of foF2 from median values observed during the night/morning periods on 13-15 and 20-23 January which do not have any relation to solar or geomagnetic activity. Wave-like disturbances in foF2, h’F and daily averaged foF2 values with quasi-period of 5-8 days and peak-to-peak amplitude from about 1MHz to 2 MHz (from 20% to 40%) and ~40 km are observed during the 9-28 January, after registration the occurrence of the major SSW event on 6-7 January. The observed variations in the OH emission rate are found to be quite similar to those observed in the ionosheric parameters that assume a community of processes in the stratosphere/mesosphere/ionosphere system. The study shows that the F-region of the ionosphere is influenced by processes in the lower ionosphere, in this case by processes associated with sudden stratospheric warming SSW-2013, which led to modification of the structure of the ionosphere and compensation of processes associated with the development of the ionospheric storms.

This study has two main focuses: the first focus is to explore the design and the behavior of a locally built solar dryer during processing henna leaves. This was performed through the determination of the most important parameters that have effect on the drying process. Appropriately, it was found that the outlet air temperature of the solar collector depends entirely on the solar radiation, Moreover, the inlet temperature of the air to the drying chamber has also an important impact on the moisture content of the product. It was found that most of the studies dealing with solar drying do not take into consideration the quality of the final product. Accordingly, the second objective of this study is to present the effect of drying process on the quality of the drier samples. For this purpose, the bioactivity of the samples, in terms of determination of the total phenol content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities was performed. Three different samples: fresh sample, samples dried with the presented solar dryer and open solar dried samples are tested. It was found that samples dried with the solar dryer presented the best results.

he paper offers an innovative cooking utensil design for remote, isolated, and even peri-urban communities at a low price, with high reliability and simple construction. It can alleviate energy poverty and improve food security. This utensil uses only local solar energy directly and allows comfortable indoor cooking. This paper provides the design principles of a solar cooker/frying pan or generic heater, based on a PV panel or a plurality of them, which are directly connected to a plurality of Positive Thermal Coefficient (PTC) resistors to match the power. PTCs are nowadays produced in massive quantities and are widely available at low cost. The proposed device does not require an electronic controller or a battery for its operation. The aim is for family use, although the design can be easily scaled to a larger size or power, maintaining its simplicity. Electric heating inside or attached to the cooking pot, plus the temperature self-limiting effect of PTCs, allows for thermally insulating the cooking pot from its outside using ordinary materials. Insulation en-hances energy efficiency during cooking and keeps cooked food warm for a long time. Clean development would receive a significant impulse with its application. A simple mathematical model describes its functioning and states guidelines for adequate design. The results indicate a successful proof of concept and high efficiency both for water and oil as representatives of cooking.

The utilization of solar energy technology is crucial for generating hydrogen in sustainable energy systems. While traditional methods involving natural gas, coal, and oil have been employed for hydrogen production, this study aims to explore environmentally friendly techniques. Green hy-drogen, despite being a more expensive option compared to fossil fuel-derived hydrogen, has prompted engineers to develop affordable and low-carbon technologies. The microgrid model was developed to showcase a self-contained DC islanded system designed to supply power to an electrolyzer, capitalizing on both a solar array and an energy storage unit. This comprehensive model offers a versatile platform for evaluating the operational dynamics involved in the sustainable production of green hydrogen. Over a span of seven days, it permits the as-sessment of hydrogen generation characteristics through the utilization of solar energy, either di-rectly from a solar array or through an integrated system that incorporates energy storage. The model encompasses a multi-domain framework, encompassing electrical, thermal liquid, and thermal gas aspects, facilitating a holistic exploration of the intricate processes underlying the green hydrogen production system. Through this simulation, the feasibility and efficiency of harnessing renewable energy sources for hydrogen production in an off-grid setting can be comprehensively examined and optimized, contributing to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions.

The global increase in population, the phenomenon of climate change, the issue of water pollution and contamination, and the inadequate management of water resources all exert heightened strain on freshwater reserves. The potential utilization of the interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) system, which utilizes photothermal conversion to generate heat on material surfaces for wastewater purification and desalination purposes, has been successfully demonstrated. Textile materials based ISSG devices, including (woven, nonwoven and knitting) fabrics and electrospinning membranes, exhibit distinct properties such as rough surface texture, high porosity, significant surface area, exceptional flexibility, and robust mechanical strength. These characteristics, combined with their affordability, accessibility, and economic viability for widespread implementation, make them extremely attractive for applications in SSG. In this review, a comprehensive analysis of emerging concepts, advancements and applications of textile materials (woven, nonwoven, and knitting) fabrics and electro-spun membranes in the ISSG for wastewater purification and desalination is highlighted. We also emphasize significant obstacles and potential prospects in both theoretical investigations and real-world implementations, aiming to contribute to future advancements in the domain of textile based materials interfacial evaporation in wastewater purification and desalination. Furthermore, the drawbacks and the challenges of ISSG systems are also highlighted.

The feasibility of replacing the toxic chlorobenzene antisolvent with the environmentally friendly anisole in the fabrication of planar triple cation perovskite solar cells was explored. The successful integration of anisole not only ensures comparable device performance but also contributes to the development of more sustainable and green fabrication processes for next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Nevertheless, to ensure the possibility to achieve well-functioning unencapsulated devices, at any time of the year, with changed temperature and relative humidity, several batches with different cesium concentration were realized. We found that 10% of CsI in the precursor solution makes devices with low hysteresis index and sustained performance stability over a 90-day period both with cholorobenzene and anisole antisolvent. However the use of anisole as a green antisolvent ensures enhanced performance.

The influences of doped hole transporting layer (HTL) on the performances of perovskite solar cells were studied. The influences of electrostatic and surface roughness effect by solvent additive doping were compared. The electrostatic effect of solvent additive doping was compared by addition of 1,8-diiodooctane and 1,8-dichlorooctane to the HTL layer. The surface roughness effect of solvent additive doping was examined using atomic force microscopy. The perovskite crystallinity by doping HTL was studied by X-ray diffraction. The conductivity of HTL was measured using four probe methods and was higher for doped devices. Enhanced conductivity of PEDOT:PSS film was also proved using fluorescence emission quenching. Long-term stability of the device was enhanced by doping HTL. The device with solvent additive exhibited much enhanced stability, retained over 80% of the initial PCE for 400 hours, while PCE of the device without solvent additive decreased to less than 80% after 200 hours. A very weak power microwave treatment was used for post-annealing of the fully fabricated devices. Post-annealing enhanced the lifetime of the device. Comparing different size of cells, the device lifetime was decreased as the cell area increased and as the size of the cell increased, the extent of lifetime enhancement by doping was increased.

The coupled Dirac equations for solar e- and μ-neutrinos are solved in the presence of a small uniform interaction of the e-neutrinos with matter (the Sun). It is shown that the interaction leads to an increase of the amplitude of the neutrinos oscillations and a decrease of the lo- calization probability of the e-neutrinos. However, the strength of this interaction is insufficient to explain the magnitude of the discrepancy between the solar neutrino flux and the neutrino flux measured on the Earth. An alternative interpretation related to a possible superfluid neutrino state is advanced, which may throw some light on the solar neutrino problem.

This paper investigates the hydroelastic responses of offshore floating solar photovoltaic farms (OFPVs) to minimize structural motion. The OFPV usually occupies a large sea space in the order of hectares and due to its huge structural length-to-thickness ratio, the structural deformation under wave action has to be taken into consideration. The flexible deformation of the structure under hydrodynamic loading is termed the hydroelastic response. Due to the relatively long structural length with respect to the encountering wavelength, the diffraction and radiation of waves have to be taken into account to accurately represent the hydrodynamic loadings on the floating platform. The numerical model is first validated by comparing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the OFPV obtained from the proposed numerical scheme with their counterparts obtained from an established finite element software. This is followed by the investigation of the hydroelastic response of various OFPVs designed in varying layout configurations. The various layout configurations are obtained by altering the floating modular units’ dimensions as well as the spacing of the OFPVs when deployed adjacent to each other. The optimal configuration that gives the best performance in terms of the overall smallest response, known as compliance, is then suggested. The results suggest that a longish OFPV layout has a lower hydroelastic response and the motion could be further reduced by increasing the global flexural stiffness via layout arrangement.

Excess energy from photosynthesis can be collected through biophotovoltaic platforms to generate green electrical power. This research evaluated the in-situ performance of different CAM (Crassulaceae acid metabolism) plants from Calama city located in the Atacama Desert for energy recovery as biophotovoltaic cell (BPV) using AISI 316L and Cu as electrodes. The species evaluated were Aloe perfoliata, Cereus jamacaru, Austrocylindropuntia subulata, Agave potatorum, Malephora crocea, and Kalanchoe daigremontiana. The results indicate that K. daigremontiana can be used as in-situ BFV because it has a maximum cell potential of 0.248 V and a minimum of 0.139 V with a recurrence close to 89% in the ranges [0.2 - 0.25] V. This is one of the few investigations that evaluate the potential of native CAM plants as BFV energy sources, providing new knowledge for the development of sustainable alternatives for horticultural crop production systems.

The production of photovoltaic modules is increasing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this results in a significant amount of waste at the end of their lifespan. Therefore, recycling these solar panels is important for environmental and economic reasons. However, collecting and separating Crystalline silicon, Cadmium Telluride, and Copper indium gallium selenide panels can be challenging, especially in underdeveloped countries. The innovation of this work is to develop a process to recycle all solar panel waste. The dissolution of all metals is studied through the leaching process as the main step of the flowchart. In the first step of leaching, silver can be recovered 98% by 0.5 nitric acid. Then, the second and third step involves the use of glycine for base metals dissolution, followed by the leaching of valuable metals with hydrochloric acid. The effect of parameters such as initial pH, acid concentration, solid/liquid ratio, and Hydrogen peroxide concentration are studied. The results show that Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, Cd, In, Ga, and Se can be recovered until about 100% under optimal conditions. The optimal conditions for the dissolution of Cu, Zn, and Cd were the glycine concentration of 0.5 M, Temperature of 25 ˚C, the solid/liquid ratio of 10 gr/l, and 1% of Hydrogen peroxide. The optimized glycine concentration for the leaching of lead and tin was 1.5M. Indium and gallium were recovered to 100% by the use of 5M Hydrochloric acid, S/L=10gr/l, and T=45 ˚C. Separation of selenium and tellurium occurred by 0.5 M HCl at a temperature of 60 ˚C. Additionally, for the first time, a general outlook for the recycling of various end-of-life solar panels is suggested.

This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the optimal planning and design of hybrid renewable energy systems for microgrid (MG) applications at Oakland University. The HOMER Pro platform analyzes the technical economic and environmental aspects of integrating renewable energy technologies. The research also focuses on the importance of addressing unmet load in the MG system design to ensure the university's electricity demand is always met. By optimizing the integration of various renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), energy storage system (ESS), combined heat and power (CHP), and wind turbine energy (WT), the study aims to fulfill the energy requirements while reducing reliance on traditional grid sources and achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed MG configurations are designed to be scalable and flexible, accommodating future expansions, load demands changes, and technological advancements without costly modifications or disruptions. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of technical, economic, environmental factors, and addressing unmet load, this research contributes to the advancement of renewable energy integration within MG systems. It offers a complete guide for Oakland University and other institutions to effectively plan, design and implement hybrid renewable energy solutions, fostering a greener and more resilient campus environment. The findings demonstrate the potential for cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions, providing valuable guidance for Oakland University in its search of energy resilience and environmental surveillance which has a total peak load of 9.958MW. The HOMER simulation results indicate that utilizing all renewable resources, the estimated net present cost (NPC) is a minimum of 30M$, with a levelized energy cost (LCOE) of 0.00274$/kWh. In addition, the minimum desired load will be unmeted on some days of September.

Glacial meltwater has been lifeline of agriculture in Gilgit-Baltistan for centuries which is being effected by the climatic changes and associated challenges. The government line institutions and development agencies have been investing to sustain and further extend the cultivated areas by leveraging the available glacial meltwater source. However, approximately 13% arable land, laying mainly along river banks, has limited access to glacial meltwater. Moreover, already cultivated areas also need alternate and sustainable irrigation water supplies to insurefood security. Hence, there is need to explore more potential options to address these challenges and bringing arable land under irrigation for regional prosperity and environmental gains. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and its partners piloted solutions for aforementioned issues in Gojal, District Hunza. These solutions included river water lifting through solar and Hydraulic Ram Pumps, uphill water storages and application through drip irrigation systems. In order to assess the technical and economical viabilities of these piloted systems, a semi-structured questionnaire survey, field observation visits to collect data and economic assessment studies were carried out in Morkhun and Khyber. Both piloted systems have been proven as climate resilient, adaptable, environment friendly and economically viable. The cost to benefit ratio for solar powered drip irrigation and Hydraulic Ram Pump drip irrigation systems are 2.96 and 4.21 respectively, with payback period of 9.21 and 8.25 years respectively. The drip irrigation systems at Khyber and Morkhun sites have exhibited excellent hydraulic performance with Coefficient of Uniformity 92.61 and 93 % respectively. However, the field application efficiency of drip irrigation systems estimated for Khyber and Morkhun sites are 85.24 and 88.88% which are lower than the optimal value mainly due to lesser water holding capacity. The Hydraulic Ram Pump can lift four times more water to greater height, while comparing to solar pump of approximately similar capacity and higher capital costs. Both water lifting systems have some limitations and requires local customization for sustainable use.

Recently it was found from Cassini data that the mean recession speed of Titan from Saturn is v = 11.3 ± 2.0 cm/yr which corresponds to a tidal quality factor of Saturn Q ≈ 100 while the standard estimate yields Q ≥ 6 · 10⁴ . It was assumed that such a large speed v is due to a resonance locking mechanism of five inner mid-sized moons of Saturn. In this paper, we show that an essential part of v may come from a local Hubble expansion, where the Hubble-Lemaˆıtre constant H0 recalculated to the Saturn-Titan distance D is 8.15 cm/(yrD). Our hypothesis is based on many other observations showing a slight expansion of the Solar system and also of our Galaxy at a rate comparable with H0. We demonstrate that the large disproportion in estimating the Q factor can be just caused by the local expansion effect. [Accepted for publication in "Gravitation and Cosmology". The paper is to appear in Vol. 28, Issue 2 (2022) of the journal Gravitation and Cosmology.]

There is an intense need to optimize agrivoltaic systems. This article describes the invention of a new testing system: the parametric open source cold-frame agrivoltaic system (POSCAS). POSCAS is an adapted gardening cold-frame used in cold climates as it acts as a small greenhouse for agricultural production. POSCAS is designed to test partially transparent solar photovoltaic (PV) modules targeting the agrivoltaic market. It can both function as a traditional cold frame, but it can also be automated to function as a full-service greenhouse. The integrated PV module roof can be used to power the controls or it can be attached to a microinverter to produce power. POSCAS can be placed in an experimental array for testing, agricultural and power production. It can be easily adapted for any type of partially transparent PV module. An array of POSCAS systems al-lows for testing agrivoltaic impacts from the percent transparency of the modules by varying the thickness of a thin film PV material or the density of silicon-based cells, and various forms of optical enhancement, anti-reflection coatings and solar light spectral shifting materials in the back sheet. All agrivoltaic variables can be customized to identify ideal PV designs for a given agricultural crop.

Multilayer absorbers based on Cr2O3 and Cr, designed to improve the Solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency at mid temperatures in high vacuum flat thermal panel, are fabricated via sputtering deposition on bulk copper substrates and characterized by thermal and optical analysis. The refractive index of the single layers has been measured and used to estimate absorber thermal efficiency at the operating temperatures. Multilayers have been produced via sputtering deposition on bulk copper substrates. The absorber multilayers can be 10% more efficient than the commercial alternative at 250 °C operating temperatures, reaching 380 °C stagnation temperature without Sun concentration. The thermal stability has been checked at temperature of 400 °C in vacuum for four hours. High vacuum flat thermal collectors, equipped with the produced selective solar absorbers can obtain unprecedented performances and can give important contribution to the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy for efficient heat production.

One of the important research directions in the field of photovoltaics is integration with construction. The integration of solar cell systems with a building can reduce installation costs and help optimize the used space. One of the interesting types of cells is dye-sensitized solar cells. In addition to their interesting properties, they also have aesthetic value. In the classic arrangement, they are constructed using glass with a transparent conductive layer (TCL). This article describes replacing a classic glass counter electrode with an electrode based on a ceramic tile and nickel foil. This solution makes it possible to expand their construction applications. The advantage of this solution is full integration with construction while simultaneously generating electricity. A dye-sensitized solar cell was built layer-by-layer on ceramic tile and nickel foil. An atomization method was used to deposit fluorine-doped tin oxide, and then a screen printing method was used to deposit a platinum layer. The electrical parameters of the manufactured DSSCs with and without a counter electrode tile were characterized by measuring their current-voltage characteristics under standard AM 1.5 radiation. A dye-sensitized solar cell integrated with ceramic tiles and nickel foil was produced and displayed an efficiency of over 4%.

At present, the world is now passing a very far different time than normal situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The global life-style and human civilization is currently progressing with down-stream that affecting almost every sectors necessary for human civilizations except the current environmental situation. To control the COVID-19 spreading, most of the countries are following lockdown process that reduces human mobility, thus reducing the CO2 emission to the environment. Though the COVID-19 pandemic is a blessing for the present environment, however, the post-COVID world will face a massive thrust of energy and only conventional energy resources may not be enough to mitigate the energy demands. Solar power generation technology mainly the photovoltaic (PV) systems and their advancement can be the leading possibilities to minimize the gap between the power demand and generation. It is now time to think how we can improve the PV power generation in future and the post-COVID world. In this encyclopaedia communication, we report on Nano-technological approach to improve the conversion efficiency of GaAs solar cells. We have designed and optimized several types of nano-structured assemblies that can be implemented to reduce the front surface incident light reflection losses thus can assist to improve the conversion efficiency of GaAs solar cells.

The issue of water and energy crisis have been turned into global matters which need to be tackled jointly. Accordingly, floating solar power plants, in which photovoltaic modules are used on the surface of water infrastructures, has recently been attracting much interest. This system provides some additional advantages over the ground-based system such as conserving the land and the water and increasing the efficiency of the module. This study first reviews the relevant literature comprehensively and then evaluates the potential of using floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) on some of Iran’s water infrastructures which have experienced a large amount of evaporation every year due to high solar radiation. To this end, the five important dam reservoirs are selected as the representatives of the five important watersheds in Iran, and the advantages of the FSPV plant is analyzed in terms of energy generation, evaporation reduction, economic and environmental aspects considering different coverage percentages of reservoir’s surfaces. Considering Iran's vast potential for solar radiation, and, on the other hand, huge energy demand and critical water situation, results indicated that Iran can effectively harness solar energy through FSPV systems which help conserve the water in addition to support sustainable energy production.

Uniform illumination is a key requirement in different research fields. However, this requirement is often difficult to achieve when high intensity is required at the same time. Recent advancements in LED lamps allow nowadays for compact and economical solutions. In this work we present a suitable solution for various laboratory purposes requiring stable, uniform and high intensity illumination. The system is composed of four identical high power white LED arrays of 30 mm diameter each, placed on a supporting and cooling structure having a minimum volume of 26 cm x 26 cm x 8 cm. A numerical model has been developed, based on a ray tracing software, in order to simulate the performances. These have then been experimentally validated with measurements of the power density map, carried out with a 1% uncertainty pyranometer. Data show that the built system is very stable over time and provides an illumination uniformity higher than 98%, on a surface of 50 mm radius, which reduces to 95% on a surface of 75 mm radius. The power density can be adjusted in the 390-1360 W m-2 range, not affecting uniformity.

The origin of the genetic code is the key to revealing the origin of life on Earth, as it is a prerequisite for the existence of life. More than half a century has passed since the discovery of the genetic code, but its origin is still one of the greatest mysteries. Is the origin of the genetic code truly unknowable? Does the code truly require external design? Here, a hypothesis is proposed, according to which ATP is at the origin of the genetic code by its coevolution with the pristine biochemical system. ATP has several properties that make it suitable as a plausible initiator of the genetic code. First, ATP is the only energetic product of photosynthesis. Second, ATP is at the heart of the extant biochemical systems. Third, ATP serves as a carrier of both energy and information. Fourth, ATP could energetically elongate chains of both polynucleotides and polypeptides, thus providing a bridge between these molecules and eventually mediating prebiotic biochemical innovation from energy transformation to informatization. This hypothesis shows how primitive life emerged through a series of processes from energy to information flow mediated by ATP. Informatization (processes for creating and managing information) was inevitably coupled with structuralization (processes for organizing or incorporating cellular structures), cyclizing polynucleotides and polypeptides into a feedback loop of reciprocal causation. The triplet codon might be only for stereochemical handling of amino acids through, e.g., Watson–Crick pairing interactions. It is only the evolutionary completion of the genetic code from RNA to DNA that, contrary to the central dogma, marked the dawn of cellular life, when Darwinian evolution began to operate. The ATP hypothesis sheds light on the origin of life, together with the formation of both photosynthetic and biochemical systems, which remains largely unknown thus far.

We study strong optical coupling of metal nanoparticle arrays with dielectric substrates. Based on the Fermi Golden Rule, the particle-substrate coupling is derived in terms of the photon absorption probability assuming a local dipole field. An increase in photocurrent gain is achieved through the optical coupling. In addition, we describe light-induced, mesoscopic electron dynamics via the nonlocal hydrodynamic theory of charges. At small nanoparticle size (<20nm), the impact of this type of spatial dispersion becomes sizable. Both absorption and scattering cross section of the nanoparticle are significantly increased through the contribution of additional nonlocal modes. We observe a splitting of local optical modes spanning several tenths of nanometers. This is a signature of semi-classical, strong optical coupling via the dynamic Stark effect, known as Autler-Townes splitting. The photocurrent generated in this description is increased by up to 2%, which agrees better with recent experiments than compared to identical classical setups with up to 6%. Both, the expressions derived for the particle-substrate coupling and the additional hydrodynamic equation for electrons are integrated into COMSOL for our simulations.

Depending on human body conditions and environmental conditions, it is sometimes difficult to conduct subject experiments. In such cases, it is effective to use a thermal manikin. There are few studies that investigate the effect of the non-uniform and asymmetric outdoor thermal environment on the mean skin temperature. The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of the non-uniform and asymmetric thermal radiation of short-wavelength solar radiation in an outdoor environment on the calculation of the mean skin temperature. The skin temperature of the front of the coronal surface, which was facing the sun and where the body received direct short-wavelength solar radiation, and the skin temperature of the rear of the coronal surface, which was in the shadow and did not receive direct short-wavelength solar radiation were respectively measured. The feet, upper arm, forearm, hand and lower leg, which are susceptible to short-wavelength solar radiation in a standing posture, had a noticeable difference in skin temperature between sites in the sun and in shade. The mean skin temperature of sites facing the sun was significantly higher than the mean skin temperature of those in the shade.

The sustainability of the planet and its inhabitants is in dire danger and is among the highest priorities on global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). Solar energy -- among other clean, renewable, and sustainable energies -- is seen as essential for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Predicting solar energy accurately is critical to increasing reliability and stability, and reducing the risks and costs of the energy systems and markets. Researchers have come a long way in developing cutting-edge solar energy forecasting methods. However, these methods are far from optimal in terms of their accuracies, generalizability, benchmarking, and other requirements. Particularly, no single method performs well across all climates and weathers due to the large variations in meteorological data. This paper proposes SENERGY (an acronym for Sustainable Energy), a novel deep learning-based auto-selective approach and tool that, instead of generalising a specific model for all climates, predicts the best performing deep learning model for GHI forecasting in terms of forecasting error. The approach is based on carefully devised deep learning methods and feature sets through an extensive analysis of deep learning forecasting and classification methods using ten meteorological datasets from three continents. We analyse the tool in great detail through a range of metrics and methods for performance analysis, visualization, and comparison of solar forecasting methods. SENERGY outperforms existing methods in all performance metrics including Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Forecast Skills (FS), Relative Forecasting Error, and the normalised versions of these metrics. The proposed auto-selective approach can be extended to other research problems such as wind energy forecasting and predict forecasting models based on different criteria (in addition to the minimum forecasting error used in this paper) such as the energy required or speed of model execution, different input features, different optimisations of the same models, or other user preferences.

Modification of canopy architecture is fundamental to productivity in grapevine. This research focused on evaluating the impact of canopy openness on photosynthetically active radiation, photosynthetic activity, and the physicochemical properties of fruit in Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines. A completely randomised design was used to compare open and closed canopies, with ten replicates per treatment (20 trees in total), during the vegetative growth period and after harvest. Key measurements included photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), daily light inte-gral (DLI), photosynthetic rate (PR), stomatal conductance (SC), intercellular CO2 concentration (IC), leaf area (LA), transpiration, ambient CO2 concentration, and temperature. Additionally, we assessed fruit quality parameters such as total soluble solids (TSS), glucose-fructose, total titratable acidity (TTA), pH, TSS/TTA, and total phenols (TP). significantly (p≤0.05) increased PAR, DLI, PR, IC, and LA, while after harvest, only PR and IC showed variation. Closed canopies increased CO2/H2O by 62.5%, while H2O/CO2 and temperature were higher in open canopies. Canopy openness increased contacts, gaps and visible sky and reduced leaf area index. Open canopy fruits showed higher TSS, glucose-fructose, pH, TSS/TTA and TP contents. Canopy openness is essential for improving light interception, photosynthetic efficiency and fruit quality in Cabernet Sauvi-gnon grapevine cultivated in northern Mexico.

Background: Many risk-modifying factors affect cancer incidence and mortality rates. Solar UVB reduces cancer risk by producing vitamin D, which has many mechanisms to reduce risk of cancer incidence, progression, and metastasis. Obesity increases cancer risk through several mechanisms, including increased inflammation. Method and Materials. We present an ecological study (a type of observational study) of incidence and/or mortality rates for cancers during 2007–2016 of 17 anatomical sites with respect to solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) doses and obesity prevalence. Data were averaged for 12 geographical regions. Results: Solar UVB doses were significantly inversely correlated with incidence rates for three types of cancer for males. They were inversely correlated with mortality rates for five cancers for males and four for females. Obesity prevalence was directly correlated with mortality rates for three cancers for males and seven for females. Discussion: The ecological approach has certain limitations, such as its sensitivity only to regional variations in relation to specific risk-modifying factors. In this study, these limitations include numerous factors influencing cancer risk and the fact that the data are averaged across entire regional populations, which may not reflect individual risks. Despite this, the study reveals important correlations. Specifically, it found that solar UVB exposure is linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, while obesity is associated with an increased risk of some cancers in France. These findings are consistent with results from a similar study in the United States on cancer rates between 2016 and 2020. The association between obesity and cancer risk aligns with other observational studies. However, it is uncertain to what extent higher solar UVB exposure or elevated serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels might mitigate the impact of obesity on cancer risk. Reducing cancer mortality in France may be achievable through vitamin D supplementation and efforts to lower obesity prevalence.

Solar radiation corresponds to fundamental parameters for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. Reliable solar radiation prediction became valuable to design solar PV systems, performance, operatively efficient planning, safety operation, grid dispatch and financial characteristics. However, high quality ground-based solar radiation measurements are scarce, especially for very short-term time horizon. Most of the existent studies trained the machine learning (ML) model used dataset with time horizon of 1-hour or day, very fewer studies have been reported using a dataset with a 1-mitute time horizon. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of nine ensemble learning algorithms (ELA) is performed to estimate the solar radiation in Santo Domingo with a 1-minute time horizon dataset collected from a local weather station. The ensemble learning evaluated included seven homogeneous ensembles; Random Forest (RF), Extra Tree (ET), Adaptive Gradient Boosting (AGB), Gradient Boosting (GB), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Light Gradient Boosting (LGBM), Histogram-based Gradient Boosting (HGB) and heterogeneous ensemble named as Voting and Stacking. RF, ET, GB, HGB were combined to develop Voting and Stacking and Linear Regression (LR) was adopted in the second layer of the Stacking. Five technical metrics, Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Coefficient of Determination (R2) were used as criteria to determine the prediction quality of the developed ensemble algorithms. Comparison of the results indicates that the HGB algorithm offers superior prediction performance among the homogeneous ensemble learning and overall, the Stacking provides the best accuracy with metric values of MSE=3218.27, RMSE= 56.73, MAE=29.87, MAPE=10.60, R2=0.964.

Solar radiation impacts diverse aspects of city life, such as harvesting energy with PV panels, passive heating of buildings in winter, cooling loads of air-conditioning systems in summer, and urban microclimate. Urban digital twins and 3D city models can support solar studies in the process of urban planning and provide valuable insights for data-driven decision support. This study examines the calculation of solar incident radiation at the city scale in Sofia using remote sensing data for the large shading context in a mountainous region and 3D vector building data. The building footprints and the terrain are preprocessed using GIS. The solar calculation uses a raytracing algorithm in 3D CAD at the city scale. To evaluate the performance, two cases were considered at the city and district scale, respectively. The total face count of meshes for the simulations constituted approximately 2 000 000 faces. 64379 roofs for the whole city and 4796 buildings for one district were selected. All calculations were performed in one batch and visualized in a 3D web platform. Using a 3D CAD environment establishes a seamless process of updating 3D models and simulations while preprocessing in GIS ensures working with large-scale datasets. The proposed method showed moderate computation time for both cases and could be extended to include reflected radiation and dense photogrammetric meshes in the future.

The spectra and global distributions of the X-ray emissions generated by the solar wind charge-exchange (SWCX) process in the terrestrial magnetosheath are investigated based on a global hybrid model and a global geocoronal hydrogen model. The solar wind O6+ ions which are the primary charge state for oxygen ions in solar wind are considered. The line emissivity of the charge-exchange born O5+ ions are calculated by Spectral Analysis System for Astrophysical and Lab oratory (SASAL). It is found that the emission lines from the O5+ ranges from 105.607 to 118.291 eV with the strong line at 107.047 eV. We then simulated the magnetosheath X-ray emission intensity distributions with a virtual camera at two positions of north pole and dusk at six stages during the passing of a perpendicular interplanetary shock combined with a tangential discontinuity structure through the Earth’s magnetosphere. During this process, the X-ray emission intensity increases with time, and the maximum value is 27.11 keV cm-2 s-1 sr-1 on the dayside, which is 4.5 times that before the solar wind structure reaches the Earth. A clear shock structure can be seen in the magnetosheath and moves earthward. The maximum emission intensity seen at dusk is always higher than that seen at north pole.

The result of the multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers from different areas of knowledge to validate a solar radiation model is presented. The MAPsol is a 3D local-scale adaptive solar radiation model that allows to estimate direct, diffuse and reflected irradiance for clear sky conditions. The model includes the adaptation of the mesh to complex orography and albedo, and considers the shadows cast by the terrain and buildings. The surface mesh generation is based on surface refinement, smoothing and parameterisation techniques and allows the generation of high quality adapted meshes with a reasonable number of elements. Another key aspect of the paper is the generation of a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). This high-resolution DEM is constructed from LiDAR data and its resolution if two times more accurate than the publicly available DEMs. The validation process uses direct and global solar irradiance data obtained from pyranometers at the University of Salamanca located in an urban area affected by systematic shading from nearby buildings. This work provides an efficient protocol for studying solar resources, with particular emphasis on areas of complex orography and dense buildings where shadows can potentially make solar energy production facilities less efficient.

The quiet-time solar wind electrons feature non-thermal characteristics when viewed from the perspective of their velocity distribution functions. They typically have an appearance of being composed of a denser thermal “core” population plus a tenuous energetic “halo” population. At first, such a feature was empirically fitted with the Kappa velocity space distribution function, but ever since the ground-breaking work by Tsallis, the space physics community has embraced the potential implication of the Kappa distribution as reflecting the non-extensive nature of the space plasma. From the viewpoint of microscopic plasma theory, the formation of non-thermal electron velocity distribution function can be interpreted in terms of the plasma being in a state of turbulent quasi equilibrium. Such a finding brings forth the possible existence of a profound inter-relationship between the non-extensive statistical state and the turbulent quasi-equilibrium state. The present paper further develops the idea of solar wind electrons being in the turbulent equilibrium, but unlike the previous model, which involves the electrostatic turbulence near the plasma oscillation frequency (i.e., Langmuir turbulence), the present paper considers the impact of transverse electromagnetic turbulence, particularly, the turbulence in the whistler-mode frequency range. It is found that the coupling of spontaneously-emitted thermal fluctuations and the background turbulence leads to the formation of non-thermal electron velocity distribution function of the type observed in the solar wind during quiet times. This demonstrates that the whistler-range turbulence represents an alternative mechanism for producing the Kappa-like non-thermal distribution, especially close to the Sun and in the near-Earth space environment.

With the popularity of solar energy in the electricity market, demand arises for data such as precise locations of solar panels for efficient energy planning, management, and distribution. However, this data is not easily accessible and in some cases, information such as precise locations does not exist. Furthermore, existing data sets for training semantic segmentation models of PV installations are limited, and their annotation is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, for additional remote sensing (RS) data creation, the pix2pix generative adversarial network (GAN) is utilized, enriching the original resampled training data of varying GSDs without compromising its integrity. Experiments done with the DeepLabV3 model, ResNet-50 backbone, and pix2pix GAN architecture were conducted to find the optimal configuration for an accurate RS imagery segmentation model. The result is a fine-tuned solar panel semantic segmentation model, trained using transfer learning and utilizing an optimal amount – 60% of generated RS imagery for additional training data, increasing model accuracy. The findings demonstrate the benefits of using GAN-generated images as additional training data, increasing the size of small data sets, and improving the capabilities of the segmentation model for solar panel detection in RS images.

The prohibitive costs of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) racks decreases PV adoption velocity. To overcome these costs challenges, an open hardware design method is used to develop two novel variable tilt racking designs. These are the first stilt mounted racking designs that allow manual change of tilt angle from zero to 90 degrees by varying the length of cables. The racks are designed using the calculated dead, wind and snow loads for Canada as conservative design for most of the rest of the world. Structural capacities of the wooden members are then ascertained and resisting bending moment, shear force, tensile force, and compressive force for them is calculated. A structural and truss analysis is performed to ensure that racking design with-stands the applicable forces. Moreover, implications of changing the tilt angle on the wooden members/cables used to build the system are also determined. The systems offer significant economic savings ranging from 1/3rd to 2/3rd the capital expenses of the commercially available alternatives. In addition, the racking designs are easy-to-build and require minimal manufacturing operations, which increases their accessibility. The stilt-mounted designs can be employed for agrivoltaic settings while allowing farm workers shaded ergonomic access to perform planting, weeding, and harvesting.

Solar heating technology is a promising solution to promote China to achieve the “3060 double carbon” target as soon as possible. And seasonal thermal storage (STS) can effectively solve the mismatch problem of solar heating systems between the supply and demand of thermal energy. Due to the instability of solar radiation resources and heat demand, it is necessary to analyze the dynamic response characteristics of the system. Yet, related studies are still scarce. In this study, a solar heating system with a solar tower receiver and STS was introduced in north China. The dynamic performance of the system is analyzed with a dynamic simulated method in a typical day or typical operation modes, and the switch mechanism between multiple operation modes is also revealed. The impact of different heating strategies on system performance was analyzed. Results showed that the solar fraction of the system reached 89.4% in the third year, which was 3.6% higher than the first year. The quality-quantity heating operation strategies can be effective ways to improve the discharge efficiency of STS and the system performance without any heat pump. The electricity consumption of the pump on the heating side could be significantly reduced by 44.6% compared with the quality control.

: Electric air conditioning and heating systems capacity is growing rapidly. So does the nameplate capacity of PV power plants. While demand in cooling has a positive correlation with solar irradiationirradiance, the demand in heating has an opposite relation. In this study, different approaches of to design (aggregation; energy storagethermal, battery and implicit systems storage) and control (frequency conversion; variable and adaptive load) and their effects on the efficiency of an off-grid active thermal stabilisation system based on a solar-powered heat pump are analysed. The case considered is permafrost thermal stabilisation system in Norway. It is shown that proper layout and control of the system with an adaptive load can reduce the capital expenses expenditures and the total cost of ownership by 30-40%. Increase in the efficiency capacity factor and cooling stability of the systems with the aggregated and threshold power consumervariable load due to the principle of aggregation is studied. The downside of that is the increase in compressors operation time by 50% with variable load and by 25% per unit with aggregation which means more frequent replacement in terms of motor-hours. But The the feasibility of this approaches considered are applicable for a wide range of solar-powered facilities, but the results are is quite case sensitive and depends on the prices for low-power heat pumps. The prospects of using the excess refrigerant and soil for thermal energy storage instead of traditional electrochemical batteries are considered.

In this work we explore the utilization of plasmonic resonance (PR) in silver nanowires to enhance the performance of organic solar cells. Plasmonic resonance is a phenomenon in which nanoscale conductive materials exhibit oscillation of conduction electrons, resulting in the creation of an electric field. Enhancing light absorption is crucial for improving organic solar cell efficiency and incorporating metallic nanostructures to induce surface plasmon resonance (SPR) shows promise in achieving this goal. We discuss the two key mechanisms of plasmonic effects: far-field scattering and near-field resonance modes. Far-field scattering extends the optical path of incident light, while near-field plasmonic effects involve localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and plasmonic cavity modes, enhancing absorption by strengthening electric fields near the nanostructures. Silver nanowires are the focus of this study, and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation software is used to investigate their plasmonic resonance behavior in a ZnO/Silver nanowires/ZnO (ZAZ) electrode structure. The simulations reveal the dominance of LSPR in this configuration, with intense electric fields inside the nanowire and propagation into the surrounding medium, offering opportunities for enhanced light absorption in the organic solar cell's active layer.

Integrating numerous renewable resources has been extensively researched and studied to create a dependable energy system. This study investigated the best techno-economical hybrid energy system configuration while using hydrogen energy to keep the system's energy balanced. Additionally, this study aims to determine the best hybrid system configuration for the location under investigation. A novel technique of DBM (Deterministic Balanced Method) was introduced to determine the total annual energy output for the project's lifetime. This approach is used to contrast the outcomes of other HOMER software tools. Then, using HOMER, it is possible to confirm the sizing optimization results for the suggested method by comparing the power ratings and yearly energy output. A detailed comparison between our proposed method and HOMER Pro has been conducted for validation and verification. Our method has been rigorously tested in various hybrid off-grid energy systems, ensuring its applicability and reliability across different scenarios and configurations. The results of our study indicate a high degree of similarity between the proposed approach and HOMER pro for computing annual energy power for the studied energy systems. Specifically, our analysis revealed that the difference between the approaches was within a range of 5%, indicating a high level of consistency and reliability in our method. These findings suggest that our approach can be confidently applied to determine the appropriate size of hybrid energy systems accurately. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the development of effective sizing methodologies for hybrid energy systems. After considering the amount of solar radiation and wind speed gathered by global weather data platforms like NASA and METEONORM, this paper has also included a real case study of the Cairo International Airport's hybrid renewable energy production systems. To guarantee the viability of this study, the system design was founded on an actual load that was researched and simulated. A cluster of distributed networks was finally proposed to use the excess energy and enable energy conversion processes to be used in industry and transportation applications.

Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by increasing the non-emitting share of electricity generation to 90% by 2030. As solar energy costs have plummeted, agrivoltaics (co-development of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and agriculture) provide an economic path to these goals. This study quantifies agrivoltaic potential in Canada by province using geographical information system analysis of agricultural areas and numerical simulations. Systems modeled would enable conventional farming of field crops to continue (and potentially increase yield) by using bifacial PV for single-axis tracking and vertical system configurations. Between a quarter (vertical) to more than one third (single axis tracking) of Canada’s electrical energy needs can be provided solely by agrivoltaics using only 1% of current agricultural lands. These results show that agrivoltaics could be a major contributor to sustainable electricity generation and provide the ability for Canada to render the power generation sector net zero/GHG emission free. It is clear that the potential of agrivoltaic-based solar energy production in Canada far outstrips current electric demand and can thus be used to electrify and decarbonize transportation, heating, expand economic opportunities by powering the burgeoning computing sector, and export green electricity to the U.S. to help eliminate their dependence on fossil fuels.

Solar cell layers technology has achieved global standing in the solar cell layers deposition process, and it covers the innovative methods and techniques in significant applications. Recent solar cell layers technology has an advanced interest in a refined approach to enhance performance and highlights the importance of recent proficient procedures for manufacturing. For example, the application is used to search for novel materials for solar cells' layers to clarify the current energy crisis. The technological process and various types of solar cells depend on climate change. Among them, layers of solar cells and silicon wafer solar cells are very encouraging. Solar cell layers technology has led to solar cells being a more reasonable active option in design and production. The productivities facilitated by new solar cells still need to be enhanced for the various processes involved in the additional enhancement from Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) microfilms to solar cell crystal structure dye-sensitized solar cells. The hydrophobic coating works as an anti-dust coating, enhancing efficiency and decreasing the cost of cleaning solar cells. In Saudi Arabia Majmaah City, most solar projects are in dry regions, where the dusty weather reduces solar cell efficiency. Therefore, combining these two properties and applying an anti-reflective and superhydrophobic coating will increase solar cell efficiency by 20%. Solar cells' crystal structure results are substituted with layers or new materials to balance environmental impact and toxic nature.

Stagnation is the transient state of a solar thermal system under high solar irradiation where the useful solar gain is zero. Both flat-plate collectors with selective absorber coatings and vacuum-tube collectors exhibit stagnation temperatures far above the saturation temperature of the glycol-based heat carriers within the range of typical system pressures. Therefore, stagnation is always associated with vaporization and propagation of vapor into the pipes of the solar circuit. It is therefore essential to design the system in such a way that vapor never reaches components that cannot withstand high temperatures. In this article, a thermal-hydraulic model based on the integral form of a two-phase mixture model and a drift-flux correlation is presented. The model is applicable to solar thermal flat-plate collectors with meander-shaped absorber tubes and selective absorber coatings. Experimental data from stagnation experiments on two systems, which are identical except for the optical properties of the absorber coating, allowed comparison with simulations carried out under the same boundary conditions. The absorber of one system features a conventional highly selective coating, while the absorber of the other system features a thermochromic coating, which exhibits a significantly lower stagnation temperature. Comparison of simulation results and experimental data show good conformity. This model is implemented into an open-source software tool called “THD” for the thermal-hydraulic dimensioning of solar systems. The latest version of THD, updated by the results of this article, enables planners to achieve cost-optimal design of solar thermal systems and to ensure failsafe operation by predicting the steam range under the initial and boundary conditions of worst-case scenarios.

With the development of energy internet, integrated energy system can effectively reduce carbon emissions and improve the utilization of renewable energy. In this paper, a low-carbon optimal scheduling model of integrated energy system considering heat loss of heat network pipeline is proposed. Based on the study of concentrating solar power (CSP) plant and heat storage tank (HS), an optimal scheduling model is established, which takes system operation cost, environmental pollution and penalty cost of abandoning wind and solar energy as objectives. Through the analysis of example results, it is proved that the model proposed in this paper can achieve the goal of reliable, low-carbon and economic operation of the system. At the same time, it shows that CSP unit can reduce the operation cost of system and increase energy coupling and utilization.

NASA’s ICESat-2space-borne photon-counting lidar mission is providing global elevation measurements that will provide significant benefits to a variety of bio-geoscience research applications. Given the novelty of elevation and the derived data products from the ICESat-2 mission, the research community needs software tools that can facilitate photon-level analyses to support product validation and development new analysis methods. Here, we describe PhotonLabeler, a free graphic user interface (GUI) for manual labeling and visualization of ICESat-2 Geolocated Photon data (ATL03). Developed in MATLAB, the GUI facilitates the reading and display of ATL03 Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) files, the manual labeling of individual photons into target classes of choice using a number of point selections tools and enables eventual saving of labeled data in ASCII format. Other capabilities include saving and loading of labeling sessions to manage labeling tasks over time. We expect labeled data generated using the application to serve two main purposes. First, serve as ground truth for validating various products from ICESat-2 mission, especially for study sites around the world that do not have existing reference datasets such as airborne lidar. Second, serve as training and validation data in the development of new algorithms for generating various ICESat-2 data products. We demonstrate the first use case through a validation case study for the land and vegetation product (ATL08), which provides canopy and terrain height estimates, over two sites. For the first site, located in northwestern Zambia, we used ICESat-2 ATL03 data acquired at night and for our second site in Texas, US, we used ATL03 data acquired during the day. The PhotonLabeler application is freely available as a compiled MATLAB binary to enable free access and utilization by interested researchers.

The hybrid system is analyzed and optimized to produce electric energy in Non-Interconnected Zones in the Colombian Caribbean region, contributing both to the improvement in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to the rational use of energy. A comparative analysis of the performance of these systems was carried using a dynamic model in real wind and solar data. The model is integrated by a Southwest Wind Power Inc. wind turbine. AIR 403, a proton exchange fuel cell (PEM), an electrolyze, a solar panel and a charge regulator based on PID controllers to manipulate oxygen and hydrogen flows in the cell. The transient responses of the cell voltage, current, and power were obtained for the demand of 200 W for changes in solar radiation and wind speed for all days of the year 2013 in the Ernesto Cortissoz airport, Puerto Bolívar, Alfonso Lopez airport and Simon Bolívar airport, by regulating the flow of hydrogen and oxygen into the fuel cell. The maximum contribution of power generation from the fuel cell was presented for the Simon Bolívar airport in November with a value of 158,358W (9.45%). A multi-objective design optimization under a Pareto front is presented for each place studied to minimize the Levelized Cost of Energy and CO₂ emission, where the objective variables are the number of panel and stack in the PV system and PEM.

Stabilized un-doped Zinc Telluride (ZnTe) thin films were grown on glass substrates under vacuum using closed space sublimation (CSS) technique. A dilute copper nitrate solution (0.1/100 ml) was prepared for copper doping known as ion exchange process in the matrix of ZnTe thin film. The reproducible polycrystalline cubic structure of undoped and Cu doped ZnTe thin films with preferred orientation (111) was confirmed by X-rays diffraction (XRD) technique. Lattice parameter analyses verified the expansion of unit cell volume after incorporation of Cu species into ZnTe thin films samples. The micrographs of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to measure the variation in crystal sizes of samples. The energy dispersive X-rays was used to validate the elemental composition of undoped and Cu-doped ZnTe thin films. The bandgap energy 2.24 eV of ZnTe thin film decreased after doping Cu to 2.20 eV may be due to the introduction of acceptors states near to valance band. Optical studies showed that refractive index was measured from 2.18 to 3.24 whereas thicknesses varied between 220 nm to 320 nm for un-doped and Cu doped ZnTe thin film respectively using Swanepoel model. The oxidation states of Zn⁺², Te⁺² and Cu⁺¹ through high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses was observed. The resistivity of thin films changed from ~10⁷ Ω-cm for undoped ZnTe to ~1 Ω-cm for Cu-doped ZnTe thin film, whereas p-type carrier concentration increased from to respectively. These results predicted that Cu-doped ZnTe thin film can be used as an ideal, efficient and stable intermediate layer between metallic and absorber back contact for the heterojunction thin film solar cell technology.

In this paper, the forecast horizon and solar variability influences on MHFM model based on multiscale decomposition, AR and NN models, are studied. This article follows the works published in [1] showing the performance of the MHFM using 3 multiscale decomposition methods and a forecast horizon equal to 1 hour. Several forecast horizon strategies and his influence on the MHFM performances are investigated. We show that the best strategy for a rRMSE variying from $4.43\%$ to $10.24\%$ is obtained for forecast horizons from $5$ minutes to $6$ hours. In a second part, the solar variability influence on the MHFM is studied. A classification based on a shows that the best performance of MHFM is obtained for clear sky days with a rRMSE of $2.91\%$ and worst for cloudy sky days with a rRMSE of $6.73\%$.

The main features of the instrumental global mean surface temperature (GMST) are reasonably well described by a simple linear response model driven by anthropogenic, volcanic and solar forcing. This model acts as a linear long-memory filter of the forcing signal. The physical interpretation of this filtering is the delayed response due to the thermal inertia of the ocean. This description is considerably more accurate if El Ni\~{n}o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) are regarded as additional forcing of the global temperature and hence subject to the same filtering as the other forcing components. By considering these as predictors in a linear regression scheme, more than 92\% of the variance in the instrumental GMST over the period 1870-2017 is explained by this model, and in particular all features of the 1998 -- 2015 hiatus, including its death. While the more prominent pauses during 1870 -- 1915 and 1940 -- 1970 can be attributed to clustering in time of strong volcanic eruptions, the recent hiatus is an unremarkable phenomenon that is attributed to ENSO and a small contribution from solar activity.

This paper reports the overall thermal performance of a cylindrical parabolic concentrating solar water heater (CPCSWH) with inserting nail type twisted tape (NTT) in the copper absorber tube for the nail twist pitch ratios 4.787, 6.914 and 9.042 respectively. The experiments are conducted for a constant volumetric water flow rate and during the time period 9:00 h to 15:00 h. The useful heat gain, hourly solar energy collected and hourly solar energy stored of this solar water heater are found higher for nail twist pitch ratio 4.787. The above said parameters are found to be a peak at noon and observed to follow the path of variation of solar intensity. At the starting of the experiment, the value of charging efficiency is observed to be maximum. Whereas the maximum value of instantaneous efficiency and overall thermal efficiency are observed at noon. The key finding is that the nail twist pitch ratio enhances the overall thermal performance of the CPCSWH.

Water borne pathogens present a threat to human health and their disinfection from water poses a challenge, prompting search for newer methods and newer materials. Disinfection of Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and Gram-positive coccal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in aqueous matrix was achieved within 60 and 90 minutes respectively at 35⁰C using solar-photocatalysis mediated by sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The efficiency of the process increased with increase in temperature and at 55⁰C the disinfection could be achieved in 45 and 60 min respectively for the two bacteria. A new ultrasound assisted chemical precipitation technique was used for the synthesis of Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The characteristics of the synthesized material were established using physical techniques. The material remained stable even at 400o C. Disinfection efficiency of the Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed in case of real world water samples from pond, river, municipal tap and was found to be better than that of pure ZnO and TiO2 (Degussa P25). When the nanoparticle based catalyst was recycled and reused for subsequent disinfection experiments, its efficiency did not change remarkably even after three cycles. The sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles have a good potential for application in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water borne pathogens.

Agricultural greenhouse is largely answered in the agricultural sphere, despite the shortcomings it has, including overheating during the day and night cooling which sometimes results in the thermal inversion mainly due to its low inertia. The glasshouse dressed chapel is relatively more efficient than the conventional tunnel greenhouse. Its proliferation on the ground is more or less timid because of its relatively high cost[14-22]. Agricultural greenhouse aims to create a favorable microclimate to the requirements of growth and development of culture, from the surrounding weather conditions, produce according to the cropping calendars fruits, vegetables and flower species out of season and widely available along the year. It is defined by its structural and functional architecture, the quality thermal, mechanical and optical of its wall, with its sealing level and the technical and technological accompanying[12-13]. The greenhouse is a very confined environment, where multiple components are exchanged between key stakeholders and them factors are light, temperature and relative humidity[8]. This state of thermal evolution is the level sealing of the cover of its physical characteristics to be transparent to solar, absorbent and reflective of infrared radiation emitted by the enclosure where the solar radiation trapping effect otherwise called "greenhouse effect" and its technical and technological means of air that accompany. The socio-economic analysis of populations in the world leaves appear especially the last two decades of rapid and profound transformations These changes are accompanied by changes in eating habits, mainly characterized by rising consumption spread along the year[14]. To effectively meet this demand, greenhouse-systems have evolved, particularly towards greater control of production conditions (climate, irrigation, ventilation techniques, CO2 supply, etc ...). Technological progress has allowed the development of greenhouses so that they become increasingly sophisticated and of an industrial nature (heating, air conditioning, control, computer, regulation, etc ...). New climate driving techniques have emerged, including the use of control devices from the classic to the use of artificial intelligence[10-11] such as neural networks and / or fuzzy logic, etc... As a result, the greenhouse growers prefer these new technologies while optimizing the investment in the field to effectively meet the supply and demand of these fresh products cheaply and widely available throughout the year.

This paper presents an economic feasibility analysis for constructing a 100 MW floating solar power plant in Korea, aimed at utilizing idle water spaces to mitigate geographical limitations for large-scale renewable energy projects. Employing both Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis and Real Options Analysis (ROA), the study evaluates the economic viability and strategic flexibility of the project under future market uncertainties. The DCF method reveals an NPV of 11,863 thousand USD and a B/C ratio of 1.1, indicating baseline feasibility. However, the ROA demonstrates the value of adaptive strategies, with real option values showing that plant expansion (to 200 MW) is economically advantageous under favorable conditions. This approach supports strategic decision-making aligned with Korea’s renewable energy targets. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating market uncertainties into feasibility assessments and proposes detailed strategies for expanding renewable energy generation.

Lotions with or without 28% ascorbyl glucoside arginine complex (AGAC) were applied twice daily for 24 weeks in a double‐blind half‐face study of 27 Japanese females with solar lentigos (SLs). Pigmentation scores were evaluated using a photo‐scale and skin colors were assessed using a color difference meter and a Mexameter. Treatment with the test lotion elicited a significant decrease in pigment scores at 24 weeks compared to week 0; with a significant decrease in pigment scores at 24 weeks compared to the placebo lotion‐treated SLs. In the test lotion‐treated SLs; the L values and melanin index (MI) significantly (p<0.0001) increased and decreased; respectively; at 12 and 24 weeks of treatment compared to week 0. Comparisons of increased L (△L) values or decreased MI (△MI) values between test and placebo lotion‐treated SLs demonstrated that the test lotion‐treated SLs had significantly higher △L or △MI values than the placebo lotion‐treated SLs both at 12 and 24 weeks of treatment. The sum of our results strongly indicates that AGAC is distinctly effective in ameliorating the hyperpigmentation levels of SLs at a visibly recognizable level by the subjects without any hypo‐pigmenting effects or skin irritation.

In the field of adaptive building technologies, this research introduces the development of a self-regulating solar shading actuator, that utilizes the thermal shape memory effect. The study places its focus on addressing the actuator’s performance under diverse environmental conditions. Thermal simulations were carried out during the development of the individual components of the actuator and for the prediction of specific switching temperatures. The investigation includes an analysis of the sunshade’s response to varying environmental conditions, emphasizing its effectiveness on clear summer days and identifying challenges during overcast periods. The critical coordination between the solar collector and the shape memory alloy (SMA) wire is examined, shedding light on the impact of SMA temperature dynamics on the actuation performance. Through the integration of simulation data and real-world measurements, the study validates the thermal model for the solar collector, establishing the robustness of the system’s operation. This research work contributes significantly to the development of intelligent actuators and outlines the importance of validation of SMA-based applications under real conditions.

Although solar photovoltaic (PV) system costs have declined, capital cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Do-it-yourself (DIY) system designs can decrease costs by about 50% by reducing labor costs, but if not attached to a building structure demand ground penetration for conventional footings. This is not technically and economically feasible at all sites. To overcome these challenges, this study details systems designed to eliminate drilling holes and pouring concrete. Two different designs for both fixed tilt and variable tilt PV racking are investigated to assess their structural integrity, constructability, and economic cost when fabricated with a ballast-supported foundation. The ballast-supported foundations are analyzed for eight such systems by proposing two separate ballast designs: one for single line of post systems, and one for double line of post systems built on a 4-kW basis. The results of the analysis found that both designs are slightly more expensive than typical in-ground concrete systems by 25%, but the overall DIY systems costs remain economically advantageous. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to show how modifications to the dimensions including clearances and distances between gabions influence the weight of the system and thus change the economic value of the design, so users can trade dimensional freedom for cost-savings, and vice versa. Overall, all the wood-based PV racking system designs provide users with cost-effective and easy DIY alternatives to conventional metal racking, and the novel ballast systems presented provide more versatility for PV systems installations.

In recent years, advancements in rooftop solar panel technology have sparked a revolution in the electricity markets. This has given rise to a new concept of energy exchange - the ability for consumers and producers to trade localized energy. This concept has been made possible by the emergence of blockchain technology, which has gained significant traction in the energy markets. Its unique ability to facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) energy transactions has made it a promising solution for the trilemma of scalability, security, and decentralization. However, while blockchain technology has shown great potential, it is still in its early stages of development and has yet to reach its full potential. To fully understand the potential of blockchain technology in P2P energy trading, it is important to explore the trilemma in depth. This study proposes a blockchain-based scalability solution, with a focus on P2P energy trade. This strategy is supported by empirical modeling, utilizing data gathered from a trial case study. The results of this study demonstrate that the suggested technique outperforms base layer models in terms of scalability, while still maintaining the essential elements of security and decentralization. This proposed solution not only has the potential to revolutionize the energy markets, but also has broader implications. By providing a more secure and decentralized platform for P2P energy trading, it has the potential to address issues of energy distribution inequality and promote the adoption of renewable energy. With blockchain technology, individuals and communities have the opportunity to take control of their energy usage and production, reducing their reliance on traditional centralized energy systems. This not only has the potential to lower energy costs for consumers, but also contributes to the overall goal of reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. The combination of rooftop solar panel technology and blockchain applications has the potential to create a significant shift towards decentralized and sustainable energy systems. This will not only benefit individuals and communities, but also have a positive impact on the environment and the global energy market as a whole. However, for this transition to occur, it is crucial that governments and energy companies continue to support and invest in these advancements.

Modern electrical power systems integrate renewable generation, with solar generation being one of the pioneers worldwide. In Latin America, the greatest potential and development of solar generation is found in Chile through the National Electric System. However, its energy matrix faces a crisis of drought and reduction of emissions that limits hydroelectric generation and involves the definitive withdrawal of coal generation. The dispatch of these plants is carried out by the system operator, who uses a simplified mechanism, called “economic merit list” and which does not reflect the real costs of the plants to the damage of the operating and marginal cost of the system. This inefficient dispatch scheme fails to optimize the availability of stored gas and its use over time. Therefore, a real-time redispatch model is proposed that minimizes the operation cost function of the power plants, integrating the variable generation cost as a polynomial function of the net specific fuel consumption, adding gas volume stock restrictions and water reservoirs. In addition, the redispatch model uses an innovative "maximum dispatch power" restriction, which depends on the demand associated with the automatic load disconnection scheme due to low frequency. Finally, by testing real simulation cases, the redispatch model manages to optimize the operation and dispatch costs of power plants, allowing the technical barriers of the market to be broken down with the aim of integrating ancillary services in the short term, using the power reserves in primary (PFC), secondary (SCF), and tertiary (TCF) frequency control.

Energy demand and consumption in recent times have witnessed a rapid proliferation influenced by technological developments, increased population and economic growth. This has fuelled research trends in the domain of energy management employing tri-generation systems such as the combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems. Furthermore, the incorporation of renewable energy, especially solar energy, to complement the thermal input by fossil fuels has facilitated the effectiveness and sustainability of CCHP systems. This study proposes a new approach to improve the overall efficiency of CCHP systems and compute the optimal design parameters in order to assist decision makers to identify the best geometrical configuration. A multi-objective optimization formulation of a solar-assisted CCHP system was adopted to maximize the net power, the exergy efficiency and minimize the CO2 emission using the greywolf optimization technique. In addition, the effects of the decision variables on the objective functions were analysed. The proposed optimization approach yielded 100 set of Pareto optimal solutions which would serve as options to the decision maker to make a selection in order to improve the performance of a solar-assisted CCHP system. This study demonstrates that the proposed approach is potentially suitable for the optimization of a solar-assisted CCHP system.

Sport centers are significant energy consumers. This article outlines the engineering design for a comprehensive energy performance upgrade of the indoor sport hall in Arkalochori, Greece, and presents the projected results. The indoor sport hall constitutes a major sport facility in the mainland of Crete, hosting a broad cluster of sport municipal activities and the official basketball games of the local team in the 2nd national category. Having being constructed in the mid ‘90s, the facility exhibits very low thermal performance, with considerably high U-factors for all constructive elements (from 4 to 5 W/m2∙K), still use of diesel oil for indoor space heating and domestic heat water production and ineffective, old lamps and luminaries covering the lighting needs of the facility. The energy performance upgrade of the indoor sport hall was holistically approached, through all possibly applicable passive and active measures: insulation of opaque surfaces and replacement of openings, installation of new stone wool panels, installation of heat pumps for indoor space conditioning, elimination of diesel oil for any final energy use, installation of a solar-combi system for domestic hot water production, upgrade of all indoor and outdoor lighting equipment, installation of solar tubes on the main sport hall roof for natural lighting and installation of a photovoltaic plant on the same roof for the compensation of the remaining electricity consumption. With the proposed measures, the indoor sport hall is upgraded to zero energy facility. The payback period of the investment was calculated at 26 years, on basis of the avoided energy resources procurement cost. This work has been funded by the Horizon 2020 project with the acronym “NESOI” and was awarded with the public award of the “Islands Gamechanger” competition of the NESOI project and the Clean Energy for EU Islands initiative.

One-Dimensional Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (1D-SCAPS) and n-i-p planar configuration have been employed for the simulation of the caesium tin iodide (CsSnI₃)-based perovskite solar cell (PSC) with titanium (IV) oxide (TiO₂) and copper thiocyanate (CuSCN) as the electron and hole transport materials respectively. The results obtained for the initially modeled PSC compared well with similar devices in the literature but marred with high recombination rate. As such, the defect density in the CsSnI₃ absorber was varied from 10¹³ cm^-3 to 10¹⁷ cm^-3 and enriched with SnCl₂ (additive) and Br⁻(dopant) respectively. This strategy ensured a reduced concentration of Sn⁴⁺ vacancy (V_Sn) in the CsSnI₃ absorber with improved carrier lifetime and diffusion length beyond 0.05 ns and 1.1µm by a magnitude of the order of 10³ and 10² respectively for the enriched CsSnI₃ –based PSC. For the optimized PSC, we recorded V_OC=1.289 V, J_SC=32.60 mA.cm^-2, FF=83.56% and PCE=35.12%.

This article describes in detail the numerical modeling of a CZTS (copper zinc tin sulfide) based kesterite solar cell. The Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator -one-dimension (SCAPS-1D) software was used to simulate MO/CZTS/CdS/ZnO/FTO structured solar cells. The parameters of different photovoltaic thin-film solar cells are estimated and analyzed using numerical modeling. The effects of various parameters on the performance of the photovoltaic cell and the conversion efficiency are discussed. Since the response of the solar cell is also contingent on its internal physical mechanism, J-V characteristic measures are insufficient to characterize the behavior of a device. Different features, as well as different potential conditions, must be considered for simulation, disregarding the belief in the modeling of a solar cell. With a conversion efficiency of 25.72%, a fill factor of 83.75%, a short-circuit current of 32.96436 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage of 0.64V, promising optimized results have been achieved. The findings will be useful in determining the feasibility of fabricating high-efficiency CZTS-based photovoltaic cells. The efficiency of a CZTS-based experimental solar cell is also discussed. First, the effects of experimentally developed CZTS solar cells are simulated in the SCAPS-1D environment. The experimental results are then compared to the SCAPS-1D simulated results. The conversion efficiency of an optimized system increases after cell parameters are optimized. Using one-dimensional SCAPS-1D software, the effect of system parameters such as the thickness, acceptor and donor carrier concentration densities of absorber and electron transport layers, and the effect of temperature on the efficiency of CZTS-based photovoltaic cells is investigated. The proposed results will greatly assist engineers and researchers in determining the best method for optimizing solar cell efficiency, as well as in the development of efficient CZTS-based solar cells.

Based on measured astronomical position data of heavenly objects in the Solar System and other planetary systems, all bodies in space seem to move in some kind of elliptical motion with respect to each other. According to Kepler’s 1^st Law, “orbit of a planet with respect to the Sun is an ellipse, with the Sun at one of the two foci.” Orbit of the Moon with respect to Earth is also distinctly elliptical, but this ellipse has a varying eccentricity as the Moon comes closer to and goes farther away from the Earth in a harmonic style along a full cycle of this ellipse. In this paper, our research results are summarized, where it is first mathematically shown that the “distance between points around any two different circles in three dimensional space” is equivalent to the “distance of points around a vector ellipse to another fixed or moving point, as in two dimensional space”. What is done is equivalent to showing that bodies moving on two different circular orbits in space vector wise behave as if moving on an elliptical path with respect to each other, and virtually seeing each other as positioned at an instantaneously stationary point in space on their relative ecliptic plane, whether they are moving with the same angular velocity, or different but fixed angular velocities, or even with different and changing angular velocities with respect to their own centers of revolution. This mathematical revelation has the potential to lead to far reaching discoveries in physics, enabling more insight into forces of nature, with a formulation of a new fundamental model regarding the motions of bodies in the Universe, including the Sun, Planets, and Satellites in the Solar System and elsewhere, as well as at particle and subatomic level. Based on the demonstrated mathematical analysis, as they exhibit almost fixed elliptic orbits relative to one another over time, the assertion is made that the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon must each be revolving in their individual circular orbits of revolution in space. With this expectation, individual orbital parameters of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are calculated based on observed Earth to Sun and Earth to Moon distance data, also using analytical methods developed as part of this research to an approximation. This calculation and analysis process have revealed additional results aligned with observation, and this also supports our assertion that the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon must actually be revolving in individual circular orbits.

This paper contains a concise overview of the deployment of scattered solar power plants in Poland, mainly from the perspective of their communication networks, and how the recent development of the Polish 4G networks has a very positive impact for the performance of the whole monitoring system (production control and video-surveillance), with a special emphasis on video-analytics, due to its higher bandwidth demand. All the information will be shown from the point of view of the solar photovoltaics developer I+D Energías, and therefore it constitutes a real user’s experience.

Zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanostructures including nanorods are currently considered as a pioneer research of interest world-wide due to their excellent application potentials in various applied fields especially for the improvement of energy harvesting photovoltaic solar cells (PSC). We report on the growth and morphological properties of zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on the surface of plain zinc (non-etched and chemically etched) plates by using a simple, economical, and environment-friendly technique. We apply hot water treatment (HWT) technique to grow the ZnO nanorods and varies the process parameters, such as temperature and the process time duration. The morphological, and elemental analysis confirm the agglomeration of multiple ZnO nanorods with its proper stoichiometry. The obtained nanostructures for different temperatures with different time duration showed the variation in uniformity, density, thickness and nanonorods size. The ZnO nanorods produced on the etched zinc surface were found thicker and uniform as compared to those grown on the non-etched zinc surface. This chemically etched Zinc plates preparation can be an easy solution to grow ZnO nanorods with high density and uniformity suitable for PSC applications such as to enhance the energy conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) solar cells towards the future sustainable green earth.

In order to reach the theoretical efficiency limits of lead-based metal halide perovskite solar cells, the voltage should be enhanced because it suffers from nonradiative recombination. Perovskite materials contain intrinsic defects that can act as Shockley-Read-Hall recombination centers. Several experimental and computational studies have characterized such defect states within the band gap. We give a systematic overview of compositional engineering by distinguishing the different defect reducing mechanisms. Doping effects are divided into influences on: (1) Crystallization; (2) Lattice properties. Incorporation of dopant influences the lattice properties by: (a) Lattice strain relaxation; (b) Chemical bonding enhancement; (c) Band gap tuning. The intrinsic lattice strain in undoped perovskite was shown to induce vacancy formation. The incorporation of smaller ions, such as Cl, F and Cd, increases the energy for vacancy formation. Zn doping is reported to induce strain relaxation but also to enhance the chemical bonding. The combination of computational studies using (DFT) calculations quantifying and qualifying the defect reducing propensities of different dopants with experimental studies is essential for deeper understanding and unraveling insights, such as the dynamics of iodine vacancies and the photochemistry of the iodine interstitials, and can eventually lead to a more rational approach in the search for optimal photovoltaic materials.

In light of climate changes, technological development and the use of renewable energy sources are considered very important nowadays, both in newly-designed structures and reconstructed historic building, resulting in the reduction of the commercial energy consumption and CO2 environmental emissions. This paper explores the possibilities of improving the energy efficiency of heritage sacred buildings by utilizing photovoltaic systems. As an exceptionally significant cultural good, the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Belgrade shall serve as a case study, with the aim of examining the methods of mounting photovoltaic (PV) panels, by taking into account the fact that the authenticity and the aesthetic value of this cultural monument must remain intact. A comparative analysis of the two options for installing PV panels on the southwestern roof of the church was performed using simulations in PVgis and PVsist V6.84 software, with the aim of establishing the most efficient option in terms of power generation. The simulation results show that photovoltaic panels can produce 151650 kWh (Option 1) and 150894 kWh (Option 2) per year, while the required amount of energy is 42726.77 kWh. The electricity produced exceeds the electricity requirements for the decorative lighting of the Cathedral Church, so it can be used for other purposes in the sacral complex.