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Electricity can be produced using solar photo.voltaic (SPV) modules. Variable solar energy operational characteristics including irradiance, ambient temperature, wind speed, etc. considerably affect the output voltage and load power of SPV-based systems. DC–DC power converters create extra challenges for the robust design of power converters since they provide a constant voltage to the power line. A more robust control design for the power converter is required due to the characteristics and load patterns of a nonlinear system. This paper explains how to effectively regulate high-order sliding mode (HOSM) in solar photovoltaic isolated flyback converters. Compare the suggested HOSM approach with the usual PI control technique. The proposed HOSM control strategy outperforms conventional PI control techniques in uncertain and perturbed environments. This research also offers a unique technique for avoiding chattering in flyback converters (FCs) through the use of super-twisting sliding modes.

Summary: This paper proposes an advanced power converter setup to charge an electric vehicle battery from a renewable energy source, such as solar photovoltaic. An improved Z‐source DC–DC boost converter (IZSBC) is utilized in the first stage. A synchronous rectifier (SR) of a phase‐shifted full‐bridge converter (PSFBC) with continuous conduction mode (CCM) is employed in the second stage using the zero voltage switching (ZVS) technique to provide isolation between the source and the load. To address the disadvantage of undesirable dynamic characteristics of the PSFBC‐SR, an advanced voltage control using the advanced model predictive controller (AMPC) is suggested to improve the dynamic characteristic of the PSFBC‐SR converter and prevent output voltage overshoot. An AMPC‐based new control method is preferred to eliminate body‐diode conduction for improved efficiency at any load conditions. Simulation and experimental designs of 0.5 kW with a 25 V DC input from the SPV, a boosted output of 100 V for a 60 V, 16 Ah battery bank and switching frequencies of 100 and 250 kHz for IZSBC and PSFBC‐SR, respectively, are produced and evaluated. Results show an efficiency of 93.7% with 31.44 W loss in simulations and 93.94% with 30.25 W loss in hardware tests. The preferred system has fast dynamics and is robust to sudden load impedance changes, thereby improving current tracking and reducing converter losses. The AMPC strategy proposed in this paper can increase conversion efficiency and control the output voltage without additional gain tuning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Solar photovoltaic (SPV) modules are frequently utilised to produce electricity. The output voltage and load power in SPV‐based applications are variable and strongly reliant on the operating conditions of solar energy, such as irradiance and ambient temperature. They offer additional challenges for the robust design of power converters, and DC–DC power converters provide the power bus with a constant voltage. Properties of a nonlinear system and load patterns necessitate a more robust control design for the power converter. This paper gives robust control of high‐order sliding mode (HOSM) control in isolated flyback converters for solar photovoltaic applications. The proposed HOSM technique is contrasted with the conventional PI control technique. The proposed HOSM control approach outperforms traditional PI control strategies under uncertainty and disturbance settings. This paper also presents a method for preventing chattering in flyback converters (FCs) using modified super twisting sliding modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the challenges related to solar photovoltaic (PV) development with a pivotal focus on the impacts of the dynamics of the relevant markets and technological advancements in the solar industry. In this regard, household investments into rooftop solar PV modules as one of the available incentives are investigated based on a conducted experiment in Lithuania for selecting rooftop solar PV systems for the prosumer by measuring the attractiveness of solar PV modules by a categorical-based evaluation technique (MACBETH). While a variety of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods used by scholars have their specifics in terms of application and the divergence of results, the findings of the conducted experiment reveal MACBETH's utility when based upon qualitative judgments about the differences in the attractiveness of offers, quantifying their relative value and accordingly ranking the latter. The findings also confirm MACBETH's potential to be used not only to solve operational and tactical tasks but also for strategic objectives of private and public organizations aiming at competitive and sustainable development in short- and long-term contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control strategy for the solar photovoltaic power system (SPPS). The proposed system adopts two solar photovoltaic modules of 430 W, which are connected to a boost converter and an MPPT controller, since the traditional MPPT algorithm (such as perturbation and observation [P&O] algorithm) can hardly reach maximum power point (MPP) under low irradiance level and partial shading conditions (PSC), which leads to the low efficiency of the SPPS. The speed of light optical path difference measurement (SLOPDM) MPPT control strategy has been developed in this study to overcome this problem. The estimation of the optical path angle difference is used as the basis for the proposed control strategy. This is done by determining the relationship between the optical path angle difference, solar photovoltaic power impedance Rspv and load Ro, and then calculating the duty cycle corresponding to the MPP, which then drives the boost converter to capture the MPP. The experimental results verify the proposed system, which shows the efficiency comparison between the SLOPDM MPPT algorithm, solar angle and horizon (SAH) algorithm, and P&O algorithm under PSC and uniform irradiance conditions (UIC) at irradiance levels of 700 W/m2 and 65 W/m2. It is evident from the comparison that the efficiency of the SLOPDM MPPT algorithm is 99% under both conditions, which is higher than the SAH and P&O algorithms. The SLOPDM MPPT algorithm can precisely, rapidly, and stably be operated at MPP. The contribution of this study is that the proposed MPPT control strategy can help achieve the high−performance of SPPS without changing the hardware circuit design and requiring any additional solar power meter. This reduces the cost and the complexity of the system significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime transport is one of the most important modes of transportation and plays an important role in facilitating world trade. In recent years, the maritime transport industry has been required to comply with "low carbon" policies. To meet the "low carbon shipping" policies, solar energy as a source of renewable energy has attracted more attention in the shipping industry. Photovoltaic solar panels, which to generate ships' electricity, are always vulnerable to wind damage because they are mounted on deck. At present, they do not provide comprehensive guidelines for reducing the impact of wind on photovoltaic structures. The present study contributes to the evaluation of the deformation and robustness of photovoltaic module under ocean wind load according to the standard of IEC 61215 using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The effect of wind on photovoltaic panels is analyzed for three speeds of 32 m per second (m/s), 42 m/s, and 50 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an extension study to the 'Field Analysis of three different Silicon-based Technologies in Composite Climate Condition' wherein, monthly average performance ratio, temperature corrected performance ratio, series resistance and effective peak power of multi-crystalline (mc-si), heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and amorphous silicon (a-si) based photovoltaic modules for three years were presented. The present study attempts to investigate seasonal performance and determine the degradation rates using three statistical tools, i.e. linear regression, classical seasonal decomposition (CSD), and locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) on normalized performance ratio and normalized efficiency for three years. Further, comparative analysis of nine PV modules, i.e. three modules of each technology, and sensitivity analysis of solar irradiance and module temperature on performance ratio have been evaluated. The degradation rates are found to be 1.24%/year, 1.16%/year and 1.16%/year for a-si modules, 0.14%/year, 0.56%/year and 0.11%/year for HIT modules and 1.50%/year, 0.82%/year and 1.46%/year for mc-si modules using linear regression, CSD and LOESS analysis respectively. The average efficiency is found to be 5.17% for a-si, 15.40% for HIT and 10.78% of mc-si modules. Furthermore, the performance of these module technologies during particular season after three years of outdoor operation has also been assessed. • The seasonal analysis of three PV module technologies after three years of outdoor operation. • Normalized PR and efficiency have been calculated and sensitivity of irradiance and module temperature has been presented. • The degradation rates using three statistical tools, i.e. linear regression, CSD and LOESS, have been determined. • The average efficiency is found to be 5.17% for a-si, 15.40% for HIT and 10.78% of mc-si modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combinative use of the photovoltaic modules and roof coating on building was implemented for an institutional hall in Ghana. Computational fluid dynamics simulation was performed for both coated and uncoated roofs to investigate the heat transfer on the roof with regards to the temperature reduction. Numerical results were compared with the field data. The performance of the solar photovoltaic module deployed on the rooftop was evaluated as well. The results demonstrate that the coated roof gives rise to a significant reduction in temperature, which enhances the thermal comfortability in the building. With the participation of the solar photovoltaic module, a total energy of 427.670 MW h/year could be fed into the national grid. The reduction in the power generation cost is accomplished with the joint application of the solar photovoltaic system and the roof coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The light load current-voltage characteristics of a solar photovoltaic module based on amorphous hydrogenated silicon have been studied at different temperatures under conditions of natural solar illumination (Рrad = 870 ± 10 W/m2). It has been found that the temperature dependence of the photocurrent has two slopes due to a change in the generation–recombination mechanism. The increase in the value of the short-circuit current with increasing temperature of the photovoltaic module is explained by a rise in the drift lengths of minority charge carriers due to an increase in the lifetime of minority carriers. In this case, the quasi Fermi level shifts to the conduction band, and the concentration of recombination centers decreases due to recharging of defective levels (D0 → D–). The decrease in the value of the open-circuit voltage with increasing temperature is explained by the exponential increase in the reverse saturation current and decrease in the band gap of the semiconductor. It has been found that the fill factor (FF) of the current–voltage characteristics decreases with increasing temperature, most likely due to a decrease in the shunt resistance (Rsh), which connects parallel to the p–n junction, consists of parasitic resistances, and leads to an increase in leakage currents. The temperature coefficient of the maximum output power has a positive value in the range of 320–332 K, i.e., increases with temperature. It has been revealed that the values of shunt and series resistance decrease with increasing temperature. A large loss of power output (up to 19%) has been observed on the series resistance of the solar photovoltaic module in the temperature range of 320–332 K. With increasing temperature, the loss of generated power on the shunt resistance grows sublinearly. The efficiency of the solar photovoltaic module decreases from 7.95 to 7.65% and has a coefficient of temperature dependence of efficiency, which decreases from ≈ –0.046 to ≈ –0.029%/K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study to develop a convective eco-friendly fixed-bed solar dryer is presented in this article. The aim of this study was to design an efficient eco-friendly fixed bed dryer using solar collector and solar photovoltaic panel with a forced convective system. The design consists of a V-corrugated solar collector, a centrifugal fan, a solar photovoltaic module (100 WP) and a drying unit in the mini-silo model with five layers. The dryer performance test was conducted in September, October, and November 2017 in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The observation showed that the temperature of the solar collector and the first layer of the drying unit could reach 40-70°C on a sunny day and 30-50°C in cloudy/rainy conditions. The efficiency of the daily collector varied from 20% to 50%. Based on a multiple regression analysis, it showed that some variables (solar intensity, voltage of photovoltaic panel, air speed around the blower, air collector velocity, collector relative humidity, ambient temperature and relative humidity temperature) significantly influenced the collector temperature. The result of drying simulation using red pepper showed that the design has a potential to be used as an eco-friendly fixed bed convective drying. Based on the empirical model, the drying time needed to reach 12% of moisture content (wet basis), respectively, was 5-6 days for the first tray, 8-9 days for the second tray and 9-10 days for the third tray in rainy season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional perturbation and observation (P&O) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm of a structure is simple and low-cost. However, the P&O algorithm is prone to divergence under solar radiation when the latter varies rapidly and the P&O algorithm cannot track the maximum power point (MPP) under partial shading conditions (PSCs). This study proposes an algorithm from the P&O algorithm combined with the solar radiation value detection scheme, where the solar radiation value detection is based on the solar photovoltaic (SPV) module equivalent conductance threshold control (CTC). While the proposed algorithm can immediately judge solar radiation, it also has suitable control strategies to achieve the high efficiency of MPPT especially for the rapid change in solar radiation and PSCs. In the actual test of the proposed algorithm and the P&O algorithm, the MPPT efficiency of the proposed algorithm could reach 99% under solar radiation, which varies rapidly, and under PSCs. However, in the P&O algorithm, the MPPT efficiency was 96% under solar radiation, which varies rapidly, while the MPPT efficiency was only 80% under PSCs. Furthermore, in verifying the experimental results, the proposed algorithm's performance was higher than the P&O algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]