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This paper addresses the optimal sizing of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRESs), encompassing wind, solar, and battery systems, with the aim of delivering reliable performance at a reasonable cost. The focus is on mitigating unscheduled outages on the national grid in Iraq. The proposed On–off-grid HRES method is implemented using MATLAB and relies on an iterative technique to achieve multi-objectives, balancing reliability and economic constraints. The optimal HRES configuration is determined by evaluating various scenarios related to energy flow management, electricity prices, and land cover effects. Consumer requirements regarding cost and reliability are factored into a 2D optimization process. A battery model is developed to capture the dynamic exchange of energy among different renewable sources, battery storage, and energy demands. A detailed case study across fifteen locations in Iraq, including water, desert, and urban areas, revealed that local wind speed significantly affects the feasibility and efficiency of the HRES. Locations with higher wind speeds, such as the Haditha lake region (payback period: 7.8 years), benefit more than urban areas (Haditha city: payback period: 12.4 years). This study also found that not utilizing the battery, particularly during periods of high electricity prices (e.g., 2015), significantly impacts the HRES performance. In the Haditha water area, for instance, this technique reduced the payback period from 20.1 to 7.8 years by reducing the frequency of charging and discharging cycles and subsequently mitigating the need for battery replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It can be considered that electric generating power from solar energy is an essential topic in the energy field. Several environmental factors affect the energy production of solar cells. Dust accumulation is one of the main factors which significantly negatively influences output energy. However, this topic is not investigated extensively, despite its significant impact, especially in arid areas such as Iraq. In this research paper, both theoretical and experimental techniques were applied to investigate the effect of accumulated dust particles on the efficiency of photovoltaic PV systems. An on-grid photovoltaic system was selected to achieve the experimental work. The results proved the negative effect of dust particles on the performance of the solar cell. Based on the obtained results, a new relationship was introduced between efficiency degradation and the amount of dust that accumulated on the surfaces of cells. This correlation is considered a necessity to find the characteristics of PV solar systems to improve their performance and efficiency. The new correlation introduced in this paper can be considered a promising prediction tool to estimate the characteristics of photovoltaic solar cells under different actual environment working conditions. The output power of the cleaned array system increased by 5-26% compared with the untreated system over the test period. Furthermore, the performance ratio (PR) was enhanced within the cleaned array system by 3 to 6 compared with the uncleaned array. A significant formula introduced the connection between the actual output power of the PV systems and the environmental condition (dust accumulation), where it can be considered as feedback to keep the performance in a steady status, which means obtaining the highest output power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for the electrification of an isolated rural residential area through a decentralized hybrid renewable plus diesel energy system. Solar/wind/diesel power units have been combined to supply continuous electrical power to a small isolated rural community in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The selection of the unit rates for an optimum cost -effective solution is evaluated. The framework activities include wind/solar speed/Radiation data collection via monitoring instruments on the test location and a time-based load forecasting calculation method. Based on the available data for the wind/solar attributes a control system is designed to manage the hourly synchronization of the three units. The system is tested by the MATLAB simulator with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the impact of firms' decision-making, crisis management, and risk-taking behaviors on their sustainability and circular economy behaviors through the mediating role of their eco-innovation behavior in the energy industry in Iraq. Firms are exploring applicable mechanisms to increase green practices. This requires the industry to possess the essential skills to overcome the challenges that reduce sustainable activities. We applied a dual-stage structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to explore the linear relationships between variables, determine the weight of the criteria, and rank energy companies based on a circular economy. The online questionnaire was sent to 549 managers and heads of departments of Iraqi electric power companies. Out of these, 384 questionnaires were collected. The results indicate that firms' crisis management, decision-making, and risk-taking behaviors are significantly and positively linked to their eco-innovation behavior. This study confirms the significant and positive impact of firms' eco-innovation behavior on their sustainability and circular economy behaviors. Likewise, eco-innovation behavior has a fully mediating role. For the MCDM methods, ranking energy companies according to the circular economy can support policymakers' decisions to renew contracts with leading companies in the ranking. Practitioners can also impose government regulations on low-ranked companies. Thus, governments can reduce the problems of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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