Search

Motivated by the growing significance of solar energy, the paper presents the findings of the maiden study on the long-term seasonal performance assessment of three PV module technologies—monocrystalline (m-Si), polycrystalline (p-Si), and amorphous silicon (a-Si) housed in a 1 MW solar plant installed at a local steppe climate in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India using the key performance indicators (KPIs), daily power generation, final yield (Y f), reference yield (Y r), total energy loss (T EL) and performance ratio (PR). Notably, the am-Si PV modules were found to be the best performing technology, with an average PR of 71.26% and the lowest average total energy loss of 631 h during the monitored period. Moreover, PV systems have become more popular as a source of green, clean energy; yet, they have low base-load energy sustainability. Explainable AI (XAI) aids in understanding predictions made by the machine learning models. The importance of XAI lies in the comprehension and trust which is embedded into the results of machine learning algorithms. Therefore, the present work builds a comprehensive XAI model for predicting KPIs and assesses the performance of several learning algorithms using R-value, MAE, the number of iterations, and execution time. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm predicts the KPIs for p-Si, am-Si, and m-Si with prediction accuracies of 98.63%, 98.58%, and 90.09%, respectively. In summary, this study not only advances our understanding of PV module performance in a steppe climate context but also contributes to the broader field by integrating an XAI model for transparent and reliable predictions of the KPIs. [Display omitted] • Comparison of m-Si, p-Si, and a-Si PV modules in a 1 MW solar plant, Gandhinagar, India, showed long-term performance. • a-Si PV modules outperformed with a 71.26% PR and the lowest 631 hours energy loss, surpassing m-Si and p-Si technologies. • Study underscores XAI's role in ML predictions, developing a robust model to predict KPIs and evaluate learning algorithms. • Levenberg-Marquardt showed high accuracy: 98.63% for p-Si, 98.58% for a-Si, and 90.09% for m-Si PV modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comparison of the overall efficiencies of the conventional PV and the water based PVT-PCM panels. • Analysis of the yearly useful thermal energy, useful electrical energy and useful equivalent thermal exergy. • Analysis of embodied energy, energy payback time and lifecycle conversion efficiency. • Investigation of the Uniform end -of -year annual Cost and the Cost of DC electrical energy production. An investigation on PVT-PCM/water system has been carried out under the weather conditions at Kottayam (9.5425 °N, 76.8202 °E), India. In the present paper, experimentations have been done to compare the overall performance of PV and water-based PVT-PCM panels. The PVT-PCM/water system has been analysed under various outdoor environmental conditions and it has been recorded that the integration of PCM contributed to an improved thermal and overall efficiency of 26.87% and 40.59% respectively, along with a rise in electrical efficiency by 17.33% compared with conventional PV panel. It has been found that the payback time for the water-based PVT-PCM system is about 6 years on the overall exergy basis, which is 11.26% shorter compared to conventional PV panels. Also, the water-based PVT-PCM system has long-term lifecycle conversion efficiency compared to conventional PV panel by about 27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of acquiring photovoltaic power involves designing, selecting and determining specifications depending on a variety of factors, such as geographical location, weather condition, solar irradiance, and load consumption. In this paper a detailed design of a standalone rooftop solar PV system to provide uninterrupted power supply for a hostel building is presented. It outlines the detailed procedure for specifying each component of the stand-alone rooftop solar PV system and its performance analysis using simulation software. Detailed cost analysis including installation and maintenance of a rooftop solar PV system during its life span has also been carried out. The cost of PV generation and environmental benefit are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) technology refers to the integration of a PV and a conventional solar thermal collector in a single piece of equipment. In this paper we evaluate the performance of partially covered flat plate water collectors connected in series using theoretical modeling. PV is used to run the DC motor, which circulates the water in a forced mode. Analytical expressions for N collectors connected in series are derived by using basic energy balance equations and computer based thermal models. This paper shows the detailed analysis of thermal energy, exergy and electrical energy yield by varying the number of collectors by considering four weather conditions (a, b, c and d type) for five different cities (New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Srinagar, and Jodhpur) of India. Annual thermal and electrical energy yield is also evaluated for four different series and parallel combination of collectors for comparison purpose considering New Delhi conditions. This paper also gives the total carbon credit earned by the hybrid PV/T water heater investigated as per norms of Kyoto Protocol for New Delhi climatic conditions. Cost analysis has also been carried out. It is observed that the collectors partially covered by PV module combines the production of hot water and electricity generation and it is beneficial for the users whose primary requirement is hot water production and collectors fully covered by PV is beneficial for the users whose primary requirement is electricity generation. We have also found that if this type of system is installed only in 10% of the total residential houses in Delhi then the total carbon credit earned by PV/T water heaters in terms of thermal energy is USD $144.5 millions per annum and in terms of exergy is USD $14.3 millions per annum, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mitigation of global energy demands and climate change are the most important factors in the modern days. Development and application of solar energy have been regarded by the government of India and common people, and they thought that solar photo voltaic energy can provide more energy in future compare to other renewable energies. In the last decade, solar photovoltaic energy research and development has supported by the central government and state governments. This paper discusses the progress of current solar photovoltaic energy in India. It highlights the renewable energy trend in India with major achievements, state wise analysis of solar parks and industrial applications. Finally, it discusses the Indian government policies and initiatives to promote solar energy in India. This review on solar photovoltaic energy will help decision makers and various stakeholders to understand the current status, barriers and challenges for better planning and management in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solar dryer integrated with photovoltaic powered DC fan has been designed and installed at Solar Energy Park, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. The dryer has been coupled to a solar air heater having blackened surface of absorber for improved energy collection efficiency and a drying chamber with chimney. An analytical expression for characteristic equation for photovoltaic/thermal mixed mode dryer has been derived as a function of design and climatic parameters. The experiment was carried out for forced mode under no load conditions during April 2008 and validated with theoretical results for New Delhi climatic condition. This paper also shows the detailed analysis of thermal energy, exergy, and electrical energy gain by considering four weather conditions (a, b, c, and d type) for five different cities (New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Srinagar, and Jodhpur) of India. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an optimal off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV)/hydrogen fuel cell (FC) (HFC) based energy system is proposed for renewable energy generation to supply electricity to the end-user load demand in north-east (NE) Indian states. The energy system is modeled and simulated in the HOMER software. The monthly average global horizontal solar radiation (GHSR) and ambient temperature of the NE states are found to be 3.95–4.79 kWh/m2 and 12.9–25.3 °C, respectively. The synthesized typical AC electrical load profile of 10 kWp is assumed to have a scaled daily annual mean value equal to 138 kWh/d and an average base demand value equal to 5.75 kW. With the considered connected load, the available GHSR and ambient temperature, the optimal sizes of renewable energy components for the considered eight geographical locations (latitude: 23° 30′-27° 3′ North, longitude: 88° 37' – 94° 7′ East) are determined based on the minimum levelized cost of energy (COE) and lowest net present cost (NPC). The optimal system architecture range obtained is 110–120 kW PV array, 10–15 kW FC, 30–60 kW electrolyzer, 40–60 kg hydrogen tank capacity and 15 kW converter. Based on optimization results, the levelized COE and NPC range obtained are 0.509–0.689 $/kWh and $ 3,27,557–4,43,004, respectively, which confirm the cost-effectiveness of the proposed optimal energy system. Besides, with a renewable fraction of 100%, the electricity generated by the PV/HFC system satisfied the load demand and produced excess electricity with capacity factor found to be 16.4–31.2% in all the NE Indian states. Moreover, the optimized electrical profile, PV profile, inverter profile, and hydrogen production from an FC are compared and analyzed in terms of monthly average and annualized values for all the NE states. Also, the range of net hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer over the year obtained is 1538–1856 kg/yr. [Display omitted] • Recommended an optimal off-grid PV/HFC energy systems for eight India north east (NE) states. • System profiles are compared, analyzed and discussed for all the NE states. • The levelized COE is 0.509 – 0.689 $/kWh and NPC is $ 3, 27,557-4, 43,004. • Excess electricity produced in NE states ranges from 21.4-41.4%. • Net hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer over the year is obtained as1538-1856 kg/yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides experimental validation of a previously published optimal design theory for photovoltaic (PV)-powered electrodialysis reversal (EDR) desalination systems. The prior work describes the co-optimization of PV and EDR subsystems, and flexible operation to accommodate daily and annual solar irradiance variability, significantly reducing water cost. This study presents the fabrication of a PV-EDR pilot system designed using the co-optimization theory and field testing results from the rural village of Chelluru, India. Testing in the field enabled observation and evaluation of real-world factors on system performance, resulting in updates to the previous theory to include unaccounted factors that affect costs, including: filling and draining of water tanks, salt and water accumulation in tanks from prior batches, unexpected energy losses due to locally purchased converters, and scaling in the ED stack. Therefore, water cost in the PV-EDR pilot system was updated from previous estimates based on field performance. The estimated capital cost and lifetime cost of the Chelluru system are 34% and 45% lower, respectively, than the corresponding costs if the PV-EDR system was designed using conventional design practice. The theory and experimental insights presented in this paper will enable desalination engineers to better design and optimize PV-EDR systems. • This study validated previous published optimal design theory of PV-EDR systems. • A pilot-scale co-optimized PV-EDR system was built and tested in rural India. • Testing in the field enabled accounting real-world factors in future PV-EDR design. • 34% and 45% reductions of LCOW and capital cost are achieved by the pilot system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]