This review paper explores the innovative realm of transparent solar panels, investigating their properties, applications, challenges, and recent advancements. Transparent solar panels, designed to harvest solar energy while allowing visible light to pass through, have gained significant attention due to their potential to revolutionize renewable energy technologies. The paper delves into the working mechanisms of various types of transparent solar panels, including Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) panels, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC), Perovskite Solar Cells, and Transparent Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells. It discusses their integration into diverse applications, such as building-integrated photovoltaics, consumer electronics, the automotive industry, and aerospace. The review identifies challenges, including low efficiency, durability concerns, production costs, and integration hurdles, that currently hinder their widespread adoption. Moreover, the paper emphasizes the transformative potential of transparent solar panels in shaping the future of renewable energy, not only as energy generators but also as aesthetically pleasing and multifunctional components of our built environment. Finally, the paper underscores the need for continued research and development efforts to enhance efficiency, improve stability, and address integration challenges, paving the way for transparent solar panels to play a central role in the transition toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient future.

We investigated the liquid water path and global solar irradiance at ground (Q) according to the ICON model, CLOUDNET measurements in Lindenberg, Munich, Jülich, and BSRN observations in Lindenberg. The liquid water path is underestimated, while global irradiance is overestimated. The lower liquid water path is due to liquid water content underestimation practically in all atmosphere layers and lower frequency of liquid clouds occurrence compare to observations. The latter is partly associated with a reduced model’ sensitivity to the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). An increase in CCN from 250 cm-3 (typical background value for the region of interest) to 1700 cm-3 (characteristic of polluted continental clouds) leads to an increase in grid-scale liquid water path by 40% and a decrease in Q under overcast conditions by 12%. However, we also showed that liquid water path is not a key factor of Q overestimation. The main factor is an inaccurate description of the cloud spatial structure, where the correct prediction of the direct to global irradiance ratio as a spatial characteristic of clouds plays the most important role compared to standard cloud fraction.

In Geo Polymer bricks (GPB), fly ash content which is a waste from power plants is converted into bricks by chemical treatment. GPB can be dried by using appropriate curing methods. Conven-tionally electric oven curing is one of the prominent methods. Using solar dryer instead of elec-trical oven gives added advantage of saving high grade electrical energy. So in this work solar dryer with PCM (Phase Change materials) Paraffin Wax and without PCM is used for curing ap-plication. GPB are gaining added advantage when compared to conventional bricks like cement and sand bricks in terms of strength. GPB has been taken as specimen for comparing the com-pressive, tensile split strength and flexural strength by electrical energy based curing and solar energy based curing. It is experimentally observed that solar energy based curing with PCM and without PCM exhibits higher compressive strength, higher tensile split strength and flexural strength when compared to electrical energy based curing. Solar curing with PCM shows higher compressive strength, higher tensile split strength and flexural strength when compared to Solar curing without PCM. Open solar curing is a traditional technique but nowadays aggressive cli-matic conditions can lead to severe damage of Geo polymers. The novelty of this work is to suggest to study the effect of PCM like paraffin wax in solar drying on curing time, mechanical properties of GPB.

High Vacuum Flat Plate Collectors (HVFPCs) are the only type of Flat Plate Thermal Collectors capable of producing thermal energy for middle-temperature applications (until 180 °C). As the trend of research plans to develop new Selective Solar Absorbers to extend the range of HVFPC application until 250 °C, it is necessary to correctly evaluate the collector efficiency up to such temperature to predict the energy production accurately. We propose an efficiency model for these collectors based on the selective absorber optical properties. The proposed efficiency model explicitly includes the radiative heat exchange with the ambient, which is the main source of thermal losses for evacuated collectors at high temperatures. It also decouples the radiative losses that depend on the optical properties of the absorber adopted from the other thermal losses due to HVFPC architecture. The model has been validated by applying it to MT-Power HVFPC manufactured by TVP-Solar, and it has been used to predict the efficiency and energy production of HVFPC equipped with new, optimized selective solar absorbers developed in recent years.

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.

As part of the Earth Climate Observatory space mission concept for the direct observation from space of the Earth Energy Imbalance, we propose an advanced camera suite for the high resolution observation of the Total Outgoing Radiation of the Earth. For the observation of the Reflected Solar Radiation, we propose the use of two multispectral cameras covering the range from 400 to 950 nm, with a nadir resolution of 1.7 km, combined with a high resolution RGB camera, with a nadir resolution of 0.57 km. For the observation of the Outgoing Longwave Radiation, we propose the use of 6 microbolometer cameras, with each a spectral bandwidth of 1 μm in the range from 8 to 14 μm, and with a nadir resolution of 2.2 km.

The objective of the proposal is to find the optimal geometric shape of a photovoltaic panel that maximizes the collection of solar radiation. The optimal shape will be determined based on direct radiation, as it is the most relevant radiation for the photovoltaic process. To achieve this goal, we will use computer simulations to evaluate the performance of different geometric shapes under different conditions of solar radiation. Specifically, we will simulate the behavior of a photovoltaic panel with different shapes and orientations, and we will compare their energy yield over a given period of time. The simulations will be based on a mathematical model that takes into account the incidence angle of solar radiation on the panel, as well as other factors such as the reflection and absorption of radiation, and the temperature of the panel. The simulations will be carried out for different locations, with different solar radiation conditions, and for different periods of time, in order to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the performance of the different shapes. The results of the simulations will be analyzed to identify the optimal shape of the photovoltaic panel. This shape will be compared with the performance of flat panels, both static and with tracking systems, in order to evaluate the potential improvement in energy yield.

Evaluating of long-term satellite-derived ocean color products using in-situ measurements is essential to ensure data quality and integrity. In this study, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) products were evaluated and analyzed by using long-term OC-CCI in-situ data from 2012 to 2021. The results demonstrate that the root mean square difference of VIIRS Rrs product accuracy in most bands is better than 0.002 (sr-1) when considering its average life span of 12 years. However, the VIIRS Rrs products in shorter wavelength bands (e.g., at 412 nm) had significantly lower accuracy in general and a long-term bias over the recent years. The annual precision of VIIRS Rrs products showed a declining trend especially in coastal or eutrophic waters. This accuracy deterioration of the VIIRS Rrs products suggests a strong need for continuous monitoring of its performance and further efforts on improving the atmospheric correction algorithm to specifically deal with satellite records at high SZAs and OZAs.

This work is the first part of a series of papers on a comprehensive analysis of the processes of prebiotic self-organization and protophotosynthesis on the surface of semiconductor minerals and in systems of natural dispersed semiconductors. Comprehensive analysis within the framework of the "semiconductor world" concept allows integrating a variety of models on a single physical basis - from ZnS world and FeS world (based on inorganic semiconductors) to the PAH world and aromatic world (including organic semiconductors). Thus, we do not put forward a new alternative hypothesis of chemical evolution - a new "chemical world", but only integrate the evolutionary and geochemical criteria of different "chemical worlds" into a single "physical world", which gives one the opportunity to reconstruct and predict the directions of chemical evolution according to the uniform principles of physical chemistry. In the first part of this series we consider photoinduced self-organization and "photo-controlled" evolution of the early protobiological systems performing solar energy conversion on the surface of dispersed semiconductor minerals capable of (photo)catalyzing and photosensitizing prebiological processes. The latter include a transition from the elementary cycles of photocatalytic reactions on the surface of semiconductors to protophotometabolic cycles and protophotosynthesis, from photophysical processes on the surface of mineral semiconductors to photoinduced membrane potentials, from photocontrolled sorption on the surface of such minerals to the formation of photosensitive protomembranes and selection of photosynthetic structures. The evolutionary approach to the analysis of protobiological mechanisms and protobioenergetics within the framework of the "semiconductor world" concept provides a new approach to the study of the last common point of divergence of protobiological systems, where the emergence principles of different energy supply schemes (like the energy source-specific photoautotrophy and substrate-specific chemoautotrophy) merge at the physicochemical level. The proposed integrating scheme is consistent with most biological, geological, and physicochemical concepts, which ensures its complete cross-checking and internal consistency.

The adsorption of surfaces exposed to sunlight results in increased temperature that can cause physical damage and increase in energy consumption. The infrared reflective coatings that keep objects cooler have significant benefits in a wide variety of application by reflecting the infrared lights, reducing the operating costs, improving energy efficiency of buildings and vehicles (roofs, walls and windows), extend the objects’ lifespan. Our research focused on the elaboration of coatings with minimum adsorption in the infrared wavelength range. This was achieved by production of coatings that have infrared transparent and infrared reflective ability. The infrared reflection and surface warm up was investigated in the function of concentration and composition of pigments in the coatings. With investigation of different coating compositions the pigments and the binding systems were optimized. The coatings with different compositions were characterized by total solar reflection in the UV, visible and infrared wavelength range as well as by infrared reflection. Different coatings were produced in RAL7016 anthracite green color but with much better infrared reflectance, transparency as well as with heat reflectance.

The presented work studies the processes of synthesis of nitrogen-containing structures of ZnO using atmospheric pressure microwave nitrogen plasma and investigates their photocatalytic activity in the processes of degradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin when irradiated with sunlight. The work proposes an effective method for formation of photosensitive ZnO powders. Due to the features of plasma treatment in the open atmosphere of zinc metal microparticles, ZnO structures are formed with sizes from hundreds of nanometers to several micrometers with various micromorphologies. High photoactivity was demonstrated (rate constants 0.036 min-1 and 0.051 min-1) of synthesized ZnO structures during photo-degradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol and ciprofloxacin, respectively, when exposed to solar radiation. Photo-active structures of ZnO synthesized using microwave nitrogen plasma can find application in processes of mineralization of toxic organic compounds.

This paper defines the two main causes of global warming in the UK and seeks to cut climate change using green hydrogen made from renewable electricity sources. Combustion vehicles powered by fossil gasoline and diesel emit a third of UK climate-warming CO2 while buildings heated by natural gas provide a quarter. First, current UK grid problems are defined: Electricity grid, gas grid and petroleum grid. Then experiments on the private energy community of Keele University allow electrolysis demonstrations producing green hydrogen for buildings and vehicle refueling. Next, the model supply chain is planned and tested. Finally, experiments and calculations are outlined, analyzing the optimum system design criteria proposed. We conclude that economic green hydrogen can displace diesel and gasoline in vehicle transport, while also displacing natural gas for combined heat and power in buildings. In addition, the prospect in 2023 is that profits can now be made all along the green hydrogen supply chain, such that new businesses involved in clean communities can beat the National Grid monopoly and other large dominant fossil grid companies.

This work investigates the influence of ground albedo on the solar radiation obtained by surfaces mounted on fixed-tilt to south, one-axis, and two-axis systems. To do this, estimation of the solar radiation difference is performed by applying real albedo and zero albedo. This is done within Saudi Arabia, at 82 selected sites. Annual, seasonal, and monthly mean solar energy differences are computed as function of the site’s number, latitude, and local near-real ground albedo. The great variation in the ground-albedo values at the 82 sites (0.1 - 0.46) could be thought as having a significant effect on the solar radiation levels received on the 3 tracking modes. The analysis shows quite the opposite; a zero-albedo ground diminishes solar radiation levels by 1.43%, 3.50%, and 3.20%, respectively for the 3 modes. Therefore, in most solar engineering applications a ground albedo of 0.2 (considered as reference) can be used without losing accuracy. This is the main conclusion of the study, which must, however, be applied with caution in areas with snow cover, especially for mode-III tracking systems. In such situations the increase in solar radiation levels may be up to 15% (but ≈3.5% for mode-I and -II systems instead).

Measuring the Sun’s magnetic field is a key component of monitoring solar activity and forecasting space weather. The main goal of the research presented in this paper is to investigate the possibility of reducing the dimensions and weight of a solar magnetograph while preserving its optical quality. This article presents a range of different designs, along with their advantages and disadvantages, and an analysis of the optical performance of each. All proposed designs are based on the Magneto Optical Filter (MOF) technique. As a result of the design study, a miniaturised solar magnetograph is proposed with an ultra-compact layout. The dimensions are 345mm × 54mm × 54mm and the optical quality is almost at the diffraction limit. The design has an entrance focal-ratio of F/17.65, with a plate scale of 83.58 arcsec/mm at the telescope image focal plane and produces a magnification of 0.79. The field of view is 1920 arcsec diameter, equivalent to ±0.27degrees, sufficient to cover the entire solar disk.

Perovskite solar cells have shown significant progress, but their commercialization remains hindered by lead-based toxicity. Many nontoxic perovskite-based solar cells have demonstrated potential such as Cs2AgBi0.75Sb0.25Br6, but their power-conversion efficiency is inadequate. To address this issue, some researchers are focusing on emerging acceptor-donor-acceptor'-donor-acceptor (A-DA'D-A) type non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) for Cs2AgBi0.75Sb0.25Br6 to find effective electron transport layers for high-performance photovoltaic responses with low voltage drops. In this comparative study, four novel A-DA'D-A types NFAs such as BT-LIC, BT-BIC, BT-L4F, and were used as an electron transport layer (ETL) for the proposed devices, FTO/PEDOT: PSS/ Cs2AgBi0.75Sb0.25Br6/ETL/Au. Comprehensive simulations were conducted to optimize the devices. The simulations showed that all optimized devices exhibit photovoltaic responses, with the BT-BIC device having the highest power conversion efficiency (13.2%) and the BT-LIC device having the lowest (6.8%). The BT-BIC as ETL provides fewer interfacial traps and better band alignment, enabling greater open-circuit voltage for efficient photovoltaic responses.

We report on ground-based measurements of the atmospheric electric field (Ez= -Potential Gradient (PG)) and current density (Jz) that were conducted at two locations in Israel. One is the Emilio Segre cosmic ray station located on Mt. Hermon (34.45 N, 2020 m AMSL) located in northern Israel near the Syrian-Lebanon border and at the other at the Wise astronomical observatory in the Negev desert highland plateau of southern Israel (31.18 N, 870 m AMSL). We searched for possible effects of strong, short-term solar events on the potential gradient and the vertical current density, as disruption to the Global Electric Circuit are often observed following strong solar events. The first case study (St. Patrick Day, 17 March 2015) was classified as the strongest event of 2015. The second case study (8 Sep 2017) was categorized as the strongest event of 2017 and one of the twenty strongest events on record to date. The results show that the electrical parameters measured at ground level at both stations were not affected during the two massive proton events and the ensuing geomagnetic storms. The magnetospheric shielding in lower latitudes is strong enough to shield against flux of energetic particles from solar events, obscuring any impact that may be noticeable above the local daily variations induced by local meteorological conditions (aerosol concentrations, clouds, high humidity, and wind speed) which were investigated as well.

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.

A sustainable, scalable source of energy‐dense chemical fuel is urgently needed to ensure the security of our energy supply for future generations. Solar energy is the only renewable energy source of sufficient scale to replace fossil fuels and meet rising environmental demand. Hydrogen is expected to play a key role as an energy carrier in future energy systems of the world. As fossil fuel supplies become scarcer and environmental concerns increase, hydrogen is likely to become an increasingly important chemical energy carrier and eventually may become the principal chemical energy carrier. When most of the world’s energy sources become non-fossil based, hydrogen and electricity are expected to be the two dominant energy carriers for the provision of end-use services. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water by solar energy over semiconductors offers a promising way for clean and renewable production of hydrogen. The TiO2-based materials have received considerable attention in recent years due to their extensive application in photocatalysis for hydrogen evolution. Though TiO2 is the most widely investigated photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution, it still provides low photocatalytic activity due to the wide bandgap that results in photocatalytic activity only under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Modification of TiO2 photocatalysts with several transition metals has been extensively studied to extend the absorbance capacity of TiO2 into the visible range. The effect of different photocatalytic deposition and reaction parameters also play major roles in enhancing the photostability of photoanode and increasing the hydrogen gas output, respectively.

It is important to develop new antibacterial drugs since the emergence of bacterial resistance to available antibiotics. Metal nanoparticles have the potential to combat antibiotic resistance and are effective antibacterial agents. Here, we demonstrate the biogenic production of zinc nanoparticles using Rhododendron arboreum stem bark. The biosynthesized ZnNPs were characterized through different analytical techniques such as UV-vis, FTIR, EDX, SEM, and XRD. Clinical isolates such as E. coli, S. aureus, and K. pneumonia were used to check the antibacterial efficacy of the biosynthesized zinc nanoparticles. The MIC and MBC values against K. pneumonia, S. aureu, and E. coli were found to be 34±0.21 and 11.71±0.47, 47±0.11 and 23.86±0.84 and 94±0.18 and 40.43±0.16 µg/mL, respectively. It dramatically decreased the integrity of the cell membrane and markedly increased the permeability of both inner and outer membranes. The green synthesized ZnNPs have good catalytic activity. It degraded 65% of methyl orange dye within 6h when the mixture was kept in direct sunlight, thus demonstrating good photodegradation potential and can be employed as a good photocatalyst. According to these results, biosynthesized zinc nanoparticles could be a potential therapy option for controlling bacterial pathogenesis and an effective photocatalyst for the elimination of hazardous water contaminants.

The hybridization of conventional thermal power plants by incorporation of renewable energy systems has witnessed widespread adoption in recent years. This trend aims not only to mitigate carbon emissions but also to enhance the overall efficiency and performance of these power generation facilities. However, calculating the performance of such intricate systems using fundamental thermodynamic equations proves to be both laborious and time-intensive. Nevertheless, possessing accurate and real-time insights into their performance is of utmost significance to ensure optimal plant operation, facilitate decision-making, and streamline power production planning. In this paper, we delve into the application of machine learning techniques, particularly hybrid methodologies, to predict the performance of power plants. Specifically, we employ three approaches: the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), the ANFIS optimized via Particle Swarm Optimization (ANFIS-PSO), and the ANFIS optimized through Genetic Algorithm (ANFIS-GA). These techniques are alternatively applied to a complex hybrid thermal power plant, namely an Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Power Plant (ISCCPP). This ISCCPP comprises a steam turbine section, a gas turbine section, and a concentrated solar power system utilizing troughs as collectors. The energy transfer fluid, in conjunction with exhaust from the gas turbine section, heats water within a vessel or steam generator, producing steam to propel the steam turbine's rotor. Electricity generation is facilitated by both gas and steam turbines, which are coupled to a generator. The findings of this study underscore the accuracy and appropriateness of ANFIS-based models in evaluating and predicting the performance of intricate hybrid power plants. The ANFIS model exhibited an impressive overall coefficient of correlation of 0.9991. Notably, the integration of evolutionary algorithms (PSO and GA) into the ANFIS framework elevated model performance, yielding correlation coefficients of 0.9994 for ANFIS-PSO and 0.9997 for ANFIS-GA. It is noteworthy that ANFIS-GA demonstrated superior predictive capability. The modeling framework developed in this research offers valuable support to designers, energy managers, and decision-makers. It provides a robust and dependable tool to assess the performance of hybrid thermal power plants, which are poised for a global surge in numbers amid the ongoing energy transition.

The development of photocatalysts with a wide spectral response and effective carrier separation capability is essential for the green degradation of tetracycline. In this work, a magnetic recyclable Z-scheme ZnO/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction (ZZF) was successfully constructed by the solid phase method using MIL-88A(Fe)@Zn as the precursor. Appropriate band gap width and Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism make ZZF have excellent visible light absorption performance, efficient charge separation and strong redox ability. Under visible light irradiation, the degradation efficiency of TCH for optimal sample ZZF2 can reach 86.3 % within 75 min in deionized water, and achieve 92.9 % within 60 min in tap water, which exhibits superior stability and reusability after five cycles. Moreover, the catalyst in the water can be conveniently recovered by magnetic force. After visible light irradiation for 70 minutes, the temperature of the reaction system increased by 21.9 °C. Its degradation constant (35.53×10-3 min-1) increases 5.1 times that at room temperature (6.95×10-3 min-1). Thermal energy perfects the kinetic driving force of the reactants and promotes carrier migration to produce more •O2- and •OH. This work provides a potential candidate and inspires the design of photocatalyst for tetracycline hydrochloride degradation.

Solar geoengineering (SG) solutions have many advantages compared to the difficulty of carbon removal (CR): SG produces fast results, is shown here to have much higher efficiency than CR, is not related to fossil fuel legislation, and is something we all can participate in brightening the Earth with cool roofs, and roads. SG requirements detailed previously to mitigate global warming (GW) have been concerning primarily because of overwhelming goals and climate circulation issues. In this paper, the advantages of annual solar geoengineering (ASG) to mitigate yearly global warming increases are explored and detailed as it provides higher feasibility in geoengineering applications. ASG area modification requirements found here are generally 50 to possibly higher than 150 times less compared to the challenge of full SG GW mitigation reducing circulation concerns. Results indicate that there are mixed technologies that can help meet annual mitigation Earth brightening goals. As well, results show much higher feasibility for L1 space shading compared to prior literature estimates for full GW mitigation. However, stratosphere injections appear challenging in the annual approach. Because ASG earth brightening area requirements are much smaller than those required for full mitigation, we have concerns that worldwide negative SG would interfere with making positive advances for several reasons. Negative SG currently dominates yearly practices with the application of dark asphalt roads and roofs. This issue is discussed.

Multi-junction solar cells comprised of stacked III-V semiconductor junctions represent the highest-efficiency photovoltaic technology, with recent demonstrations exceeding 47% efficiency . Optimizing the design and thickness of each junction is critical for maximizing performance . This work utilizes Silvaco TCAD tools to systematically optimize a 5-junction cell based on AlInP, AlGaInP, AlGaInAs, GaInP, GaAs, InGaAs, and Ge similar to recent record cells . The junction thicknesses are varied using a predictive profiler to sample the parameter space . For each combination, the spectral absorption and I-V characteristics are simulated to determine the efficiency . Statistical analysis identifies the optimal thickness set that maximizes performance to 26% under 1 sun illumination .

Combining wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation can provide complementary renewable power production, but depends on correlated resources. This study analyzed 10 years of wind data from Naama, Algeria to evaluate the potential for evening wind generation to offset the loss of solar at sunset. Average wind speeds showed a distinct increase during evening hours, coinciding with the decrease in solar irradiance. Wind turbine simulations using a 1.5 MW turbine and the wind data showed sufficient resources for profitable power production after sunset. Statistical analyses confirmed significantly higher wind speeds and simulated power output in evening vs daylight periods (p<0.05). The Pearson correlation coefficient between evening wind speeds and decreasing solar irradiance was 0.63, supporting a strong positive relationship. These findings indicate Naama has adequate wind resources to deploy economically viable wind power capacity that can complement existing solar infrastructure and provide renewable electricity after dark , .

This study presents a cost-effective IoT-based remote monitoring system for solar PV energy systems, along with a machine learning-based PV power estimator. Remote access is crucial for tracking PV systems installed in remote areas. In this system, an open-source and IoT-compatible data logger is employed. The data logger collects important performance data of the PV system and transfers it to a server. Real-time visualization of this data is displayed in the designed web and mobile monitoring interfaces. The measured data includes the current, voltage, and temperature information of the PV generator and battery, as well as environmental parameters such as temperature, radiation, humidity, and pressure. Subsequently, this data is used for PV power estimation using machine learning methods. This enables the identification of maintenance requirements and the prediction of potential issues in the PV system. When a problem occurs in the PV system, the user is alerted through the mobile application. Early detection and intervention prevent power loss and damage to system components. When comparing the results of linear regression, SVM, decision trees, random forests, and KNN machine learning methods for power estimation based on performance evaluation criteria, it was observed that the random forests algorithm provided the best results. In conclusion, the developed monitoring and estimation system, along with web and mobile interfaces, is suitable for large-scale PV energy systems.

The solar cell industry is a part of the green energy sector, and effectively combining the patents of various manufacturers within the supply chain to collectively create sustainable patent market value is of paramount importance. This study aimed to establish a business strategy framework for Project-based licensing through the analysis of solar cell patents and the integration of supply chain manufacturers' patents, with the goal of collectively creating market value for patents sustainably. The research methodology included literature analysis and focus group discussions. Initially, the study analyzed solar cell industry patents from the past decade using the WIPS Global Patent database to identify projects with the highest patent count. Subsequently, through the use of focus group discussions, the feasibility of a patent pool strategy within the supply chain was explored. Finally, a strategy framework was proposed for Project-based patent pool licensing, focusing on the top 15 projects with the highest count of 5,579 patents. The results indicated that adopting this strategy framework for supply chain manufacturer patents can result in higher commercial patent value.

Addressing global environmental problem, water splitting to produce hydrogen fuel by solar energy is getting so much attention. In the water splitting, the essential problem to solve is the development of efficient　catalysts for oxygen production. In this paper, having the prospect for a practical application of photocatalysts to artificial photosynthesis, molecular mechanisms in the current literature are briefly reviewed. At first, recent progress in the function of Mn cluster at the natural photosystem II is briefly described. The kinds of devices in which oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are used were designated; water electrolyzers, photoelectrodes, and photocatalysts. Some methods for analyzing molecular mechanism in OER catalysis, emphasized by FTIR method, are shown briefly. After describing common OER mechanisms, the molecular mechanisms are discussed for TiO2 and BiVO4 photoelectrodes with our novel data, followed by presenting of co-catalysts IrO2, RuO2, NiO2, and other metal oxides for OER catalysts. Recent reports describing OER catalysts of perovskites, layered double hydroxides (LDH), metal-organic frameworks (MOF), single atom catalysts, as well as metal complexes are reviewed. Finally, by comparing with natural photosystem, the requiring factors to improve the activity of the catalysts for artificial photosynthesis will be discussed.

Increasing of renewable energy share in total energy production is a direction that leads towards European Union’s aims of carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as increases energy self-sufficiency and independence. Some of the main challenges to increase renewable energy share while providing efficient and secure energy supply are related to optimization and profitability of de-centralized energy production systems. Integration of energy storage systems in addition to decentralized renewable energy production, for example, by solar panels, leads to more effective electricity supply and smart energy solutions. The modelling of such complex dynamic system can be performed using system dynamics method. The aim of the article is to forecast the practice of electricity storage in Latvia in the coming decades. A system dynamics model predicting the implementation of battery storage in private households was created for the case study of Latvia. Modelling results reveal that under the right conditions for electricity price, investment costs and with the right policy interventions battery storage technologies combined with PV panels have high potential for utilization in household sector. Model results show that in baseline scenario with no additional policies up 21 422 households or 10.8 % of Latvian households could have combined PV and battery system installed in 2050. Moderate subsidy policy can help to increase this number up to 25 118.

Developing low-cost and stable materials for converting solar energy into electricity is vital in meeting the world's energy demand. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained attention for solar cells due to their natural porous architectures and tunable chemical structures. This review commences with an exploration of the synthetic methods of MOFs. Moreover, we discuss the various roles of MOFs, including photoanodes and counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells and interfacial layers and charge carriers in perovskite solar cells. Ultimately, burdensome tasks and possible directions for advancing MOFs-based nanomaterials are provided for solar cells.

Supermarkets in Port Harcourt (PH) city, Nigeria, predominantly rely on diesel electricity generation due to grid instability, leading to high cost of electricity prices. Although solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have been proposed as an alternative, these supermarkets have yet to adopt them, mainly due to high investment costs and a lack of awareness of the long-term financial and environmental benefits. This paper examines the technical and economic practicality of a PV system for these supermarkets using the PVsyst software and a spreadsheet model. Solar resources showed that PH has a daily average solar radiation and temperature of 4.21 kWh/m2/day and 25.73℃, respectively. Market Square, the supermarket with the highest peak power demand of 59.8 kW, and a 561 kWh/day load profile, was chosen as a case study. A proposed PV system with a power capacity of 232 kW, battery storage capacity of 34,021 Ah, a charge controller size of 100 A/560V, and an inverter with a power rating of 60V/75 kW has been designed to meet the load demand. The economic analysis showed a $266,936 life cycle cost, $0.12 per kWh levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), 4-year simple payback time, and a 20.5% internal rate of return (IRR). The PV system is feasible due to its positive net present value (NPV) of $165,322 and carbon savings of 582 tCO2/year.

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.

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.

Copper-nitride (Cu3N) material is attracting much attention as a potential next-generation thin-film solar-light absorber. In this work, polycrystalline Cu3N thin films were prepared using reactive-RF-magnetron sputtering, at room temperature,onto glass and silicon substrates. The optical properties of the Cu3N thin layers were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmission, to achieve a low-cost absorber material to replace conventional silicon. The reactive-RF-sputtered Cu3N films were also investigated by FIB-SEM microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy.

Solar concentration is the ability to harness solar radiation to increase the temperature of a receiver. The receiver is the component into which a heat transfer fluid can be flowed for an ORC system and produce electricity, or it can be used for high-temperature thermal storage, or even to implement thermochemical cycles. The choice of material is critical to ensure optimal performance and long-lasting operation. It is also essential that such material can operate at high temperatures and high thermal gradients. In short, material identification involves high thermal stresses that result in structural deformation. Different metal alloys were used to verify that the yield strength limit was not exceeded due to thermal stress induced by concentrated solar radiation. The problem was implemented in Matlab starting from the general heat equation. The purpose is to test whether thermal stress exceeds the yield strength, which is the condition in which elastic bonds in the material are changed, causing deformation. The best material identified was Inconel 740H, which had a high yield strength value and the lowest temperature difference. Under extreme working conditions, it can withstand thermally induced shocks.

Vertical III-V semiconductor nanowires have shown promising absorption of light for solar cell and photodetector applications. The absorption properties can be tuned through the choice of III-V materials and geometry of the nanowires. Here, we review recent progress in the design of the absorption properties of both individual nanowires and nanowire arrays. Future directions for the research field are proposed.

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.

In this study organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell along with the spiro OMeTAD as a hole transport layer (HTL) and the PDINO as an electron transport layer (ETL) was simulated through the Solar Capacitance Simulator, one dimensional (SCAPS-1D) software to examine the performance of this type of polymer thin film organic solar cells. As an active layer the blend of polymer donor PBDB-T and non-fullerene acceptor ITIC-OE was used. Numerical simulation was performed by varying the thickness of HTL and active layer. Firstly, the HTL layer thickness was optimized to 50 nm, after that the active layer thickness varied up to 80 nm. These results of simulation demonstrated that the HTL thickness has rather little impact on efficiency while in the case of active layer thickness improves efficiency significantly. The temperature effect on the performance of solar cells was considered, by the simulation performed for temperature from 300 K up to 400 K and the efficiency of solar cell decreases with increasing temperature. Generally, polymer films usually are full of traps and defects, the density of defects (Nt) value was also introduced to the simulation, and it was confirmed that with the increasing of defect density (Nt), the efficiency of solar cell decreases. After thickness, temperature and defect density optimization, the reflection coating was also applied on it. It turned out that by introducing the reflection coating on the back side of solar cell, the efficiency increases by 2.5 %. Additionally, the positive effect of HTL and ETL doping on efficiency of this type of solar cells was demonstrated.

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.

Simultaneously with the development of industrial society, wastewater with organic pollutants has caused various environmental problems. The most majority of organic pollutants in water and wastewater are persistent, reason which can cause serious problems for human health, animal health, and for the whole environment. Therefore, efficient treatment methods for wastewater with highly concentration of organic compounds are immediately necessary. During the last years, the prescribed and non-prescribed consumption of antibiotics has grown a lot worldwide. Big quantities of antibiotics are discharged into wastewater because their incomplete absorption by living organisms, but at small concentrations present in aquatic environments represents a major risk for the human health and environment protection. The paper presents the main advantages and disadvantages of advanced oxidation processes, but also current state and new perspectives in the field of environment protection. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are often used in the field of treatment of different types of wastewater. AOPs are based on physicochemical processes that create significant structural changes in chemical species, their commercialization at a wide scale may result in cost reductions that are desirable for environmental applications. The majority of antibiotics may be eliminated using physicochemical processes, such as photo-Fenton, photolysis, ozonation, electrooxidation, heterogeneous catalysis, and other bio processes. In comparison to conventional chemical processes, AOPs provide superior oxidation efficiency, ideal operating costs, and zero secondary pollutants.

In this paper, solar irradiance and wind speed forecasts were performed considering time horizons ranging from 10 min to 60 min, under a 10 min time-step. Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and wind speed were computed using four forecasting models (Random Forest, k-Nearest Neighbours, Support Vector Regression, and Elastic Net) to compare their performance against two alternative dynamic ensemble methods (windowing and arbitrating). Forecasting models and dynamic forecasting ensembles were implemented in Python for performance evaluation. The performance comparison between the prediction models and the dynamic ensemble methods was carried out by evaluating the RMSE, MAE, R² and MAPE, to evaluate whether the dynamic ensemble forecasting method obtained greater. According to the results obtained windowing dynamic ensemble method was the most efficient among the tested. For the wind speed data, by varying its parameter λ (from 1 to 100), a variable performance profile was obtained, where from λ =1 to λ = 74, windowing proved to be the most efficient, reaching maximum efficiency for λ = 19. Windowing was the best method for the GHI analysis, reaching its best performance for λ = 1. The efficiency gain using windowing was 0.56% when using the wind speed model and 1.96% for GHI.

Two gallium porphyrins, a tetraphenyl GaCl porphyrin, termed as (TPP)GaCl, and an octaethylporphyrin GaCl porphyrin, termed as (OEP)GaCl were synthesized to use as electron cascade in ternary organic bulk heterojunction films. A perfect matching of both gallium porphyrins energy levels with that of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) or poly[N-9′-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) polymer donor and the 6,6-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) fullerene acceptor forming an efficient cascade system that could facilitate electron transfer between donor and acceptor was demonstrated. Therefore, ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) using the two porphyrins in various concentration were fabricated, where a performance enhancement was obtained. In particular, (TPP)GaCl-based ternary OSCs of low concentration (1:0.05 vv%) exhibited a ~17 % increase of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared with the binary device due to improved exciton dissociation, electron transport and reduced recombination. On the other hand, ternary OSCs with the (TPP)GaCl of high concentration (1:0.1 vv%) and (OEP)GaCl (1:0.05 and 1:0.1 vv%) showed poorest efficiencies due to very rough nanomorphology and suppressed crystallinity of ternary films when the GaCl porphyrin introduced in the blend, as revealed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The best performed devices exhibited also improved photostability, when exposed to sunlight illumination for a period of 8 h than the binary OSCs, attributed to the suppressed photodegradation of the ternary (TPP)GaCl 1:0.05-based photoactive film.

Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) play a key role in the world energy transition and this is motivating the scientific community to develop innovative electrical and thermal systems, characterized by very high efficiency to specifically address the energy needs of modern buildings. Naturally, the integration on buildings of latest generation PV-systems helps to satisfy this need and, having in mind this objective, an innovative and highly efficient BIPV-system is presented and discussed in this paper. First, the proposed PV-system is purpose-built to be fully integrated into a variety of buildings and, preferably, into their rooftop. It is based on a certain number of innovative rotating and bifacial PV-modules which are specifically made to be installed “under-glass”, within a likewise custom-made transparent casing. Each of the aforementioned PV-module has the form of single row of bifacial PV-cells and is equipped with two special terminations; the PV-modules are then installed inside their transparent casing, side by side and suitably spaced from each other. Thanks to the aforementioned properties, the PV-modules can rotate around their central longitudinal axis, by using a very low-power, reliable and efficient mono-axial solar tracking system. Finally, by the aforementioned way, the proposed PV-system assumes – de facto - the form of a transparent BIPV-generator (PV-skylight), equipped with an innovative “under-glass” single axis solar tracking system. Once the proposed PV-generator is fully integrated into a building, it generates electricity and, additionally, helps to improve both the whole energy performances and the aesthetic appearance of the building. The electricity generation and illuminance performances of the proposed BIPV-generator are experimentally tested by using a low-power home-made prototype driven by different solar tracking logics and under different operating conditions; the most relevant results are summarized and extensively discussed.

Fluorophores with a tetraphenylethylene (TPE) core are attracting increasing interest because of their aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviour, which makes them particularly suitable when dispersed in thin-layer films. We propose the synthesis and use of a novel TPE fluorophore (hereafter called TPE-BPAN) decorated with two dimethylamino push groups and a 4-biphenylacetonitrile pull moiety. In tetrahydrofuran solutions, TPE-BPAN showed a broad absorption spectrum, and an intense emission is observed when a non-solvent as water is added in amounts of 70% and above. We selected and synthetized five different polymer matrices for TPE-BPAN with decreasing polarity: a) poly(methylmetacrylate) homopolymer (PMMA); b), c), and d) three copolymers of methyl methacrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate at different compositions (P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 mol%); e) poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) homopolymer (PCHMA). The presence of a less polar comonomer as cyclohexyl methacrylate appeared to enhance the emission behaviour of TPE-BPAN, which displayed the highest quantum yield (QY) in P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25 in all the range of concentration studied from 0.4 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%. Further reduction in polarity lowered QY to the values of PMMA films; also, lower adhesion to the glass and a marked fragility of the films were observed. Referring to the P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25 films, QY values decreased from over 40% at 0.4 wt.% to about 30% at 2.0 wt.%, which is still helpful for energy harvesting applications such as luminescent solar concentrators (LSC). LSC performances were not significantly affected by the matrix's lower polarity and resulted in around one-third of the state-of-the-art due to the lower QY of TPE-BPAN. The theoretical investigation on density functional theory (DFT) clarified the origin of the observed AIE and the role played by the environment in modulating the photophysical behaviour.

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%.

In this paper, the performance of Cu-(In,Ga)-S2 (CIGS2) solar cells with adjusting composite CGI-ratio absorber is explored and compared through an improved three-stage co-evaporation technique. For co-evaporating CIGS2 absorber as a less toxic alternative to Cd-containing film, we analyse the effect of the CGI-ratio stoichiometry and crystallinity, and explore its opto-electric sensing characteristic of individual solar cell. The results of this research signify the potential of high-performance CIGS2-absorption solar cells for photovoltaic (PV)-module industrial applications. For the optimal CIGS2-absorption film (CGI=0.95), the Raman main-phase signal (A1) falls at 291 cm-1, which is excited by the 532-nm line of Ar+-laser. Using photo-luminescence (PL) spectroscopy, the corresponding main-peak bandgaps measured is 1.59 eV at the same CGI-ratio film. Meanwhile, the best conversion efficiency (=3.212%) and the average external quantum efficiency (EQE=51.1% in the visible-wavelength region) of photo-electric properties were achieved for the developed CIGS2-solar cells (CGI=0.95). The discoveries of this CIGS2-absorption PV research provide a new scientific understanding of solar cells. Moreover, this research undeniably contributes to a major advancement towards practical PV-module applications and can help more to build an eco-friendly community.

In this study, we discuss the thermospheric density response to the solar activity and QBO. By using the wavelet power spectrum method, the thermospheric density from 1967 to 2013 shows ~11-year period, semiannual and annual variations, while the seasonal variation is usually more significant under high solar activity conditions. Importantly, we investigate the possible link between the density and the QBO, with the aid of GAMDM model and different density residual method. As a result, the difference between the measured density and empirical model seemingly has QBO signal, but the ratio of them revels that the QBO signal does not exist in the thermospheric density. Comprehensively, we thought the stratospheric QBO cannot impact on the thermosphere, and more data and numerical modeling are needed for further validation.

Recent years have seen a rapid uptake in distributed energy resources (DER). Such technologies pose a number of challenges to network operators, which can ultimately limit the amount of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) systems that can be connected to a network. The objective of this industry-based research was to determine the potential network effects of forecast levels of customer owned rooftop solar PV on Energy Queensland’s distribution network and formulate functions that can be used to determine such effects without the requirement for detailed network modeling and analysis. In this research, many of Energy Queensland’s distribution feeders were modelled using DIgSILENT PowerFactory and analyzed with forecast levels of solar PV and customer load. Python scripts were used to automate this process and quasi dynamic simulation (QDSL) models were used to represent the dynamic volt-watt and volt-var response of inverters, as mandated by the Australian Standard AS/NZS 4777. In analyzing the results, linear regression was used to form trend equations that represent various network characteristics against the number of PV connections. The trend equations provide a way of approximating network characteristics for other feeders under various levels of customer owned rooftop solar PV without the need for detail modeling.

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.

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.

Load forecasting is an important component of power system and resource planning for electrical grids. The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), behind-the-meter (BTM) solar, and heat pumps will significant change the amount and variability of loads. Electrification adoption and load forecasting in arctic regions and Alaska is limited. This paper provides the first load and electrification adoption forecast for the Alaska Railbelt transmission system, including yearly adoption rates of EVs, BTM solar, and heat pumps and hourly load data. Adoption rates are based on available historical data and compared to other regional and national trends. Two forecasts are created: 1) a moderate adoption forecast based on projections from current adoption rates and comparisons to other projections, and 2) an aggressive forecast, which provides a bookend comparison at the high adoption rate of 90% for all technologies. The results of these forecasts demonstrate a significant increase in both energy, 80% and 116% for moderate and aggressive, respectively and peak load demand, 113% and 219% for moderate and aggressive, respectively. Additionally, the results indicate a maximum hourly load change of 260% and 381% for the moderate and aggressive forecasts, respectively. These findings highlight a need for resource planning, which accounts for increases in demand and suggests that significant demand management is needed to smooth and control the load fluctuations as a result of the adoption of EVs, BTM solar, and heat pumps.

Fluorinated compounds and co-enzymes are being widely researched and employed throughout research community because of their versatile physical, chemical and biological properties. In this work, we synthesized NiS-NiO/S-g-C3N4, a highly effective photocatalyst for C(sp3)-F bond activation and the regeneration of coenzyme (1,4-NADH) employing a new and ecologically acceptable route. The obtained photocatalyst exhibited important photocatalytic properties, such as good solar light harvesting ability, suitability of the optical band-gap, and facilitating efficient charge migrations. As a result, the newly designed NiS-NiO/S-g-C3N4 photocatalyst shows the excellent yield for regenerations of 1,4-NADH (51%). Further, a method of combining C(sp3)-F bond activation with photocatalysis has been demonstrated that represents a very powerful and sustainable approach, that can be a major breakthrough for the field of pharmaceutical.

The prevalence of antiviral drugs (AVTs) has seen a substantial increase in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to heightened concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in wastewater systems. The hydrophilic nature of AVTs has been identified as a significant factor contributing to the low degradation efficiency observed in wastewater treatment plants. This characteristic often necessitates the implementation of additional treatment steps to achieve complete degradation of AVTs. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis has garnered considerable attention due to its promising potential in achieving efficient degradation rates and subsequent mineralization of pollutants, leveraging the inexhaustible energy of sunlight. However, in recent years, there have been few comprehensive reports that have thoroughly summarized and analyzed the application of photocatalysis for the removal of AVTs. This review commences by summarizing the types and occurrence of AVTs. Furthermore, it places a significant emphasis on delivering a comprehensive summary and analysis of the characteristics pertaining to the photocatalytic elimination of AVTs. Ultimately, the review sheds light on the identified research gaps and key concerns, offering invaluable insights to steer future investigations in this field.

The recent happenings in the world such as flood and wild forest fire were as a result of climate effect as being envisaged by scientists. It is urgent now to adopt a source of energy that will eliminate this effect on our universe. Solar energy is the major energy means that is abundant which could be utilized. In this review, the prospects of solar energy exploration were studied in Nigeria which include assessments, economic viability and hybrid systems. Findings show higher potential in the North as compared to the Southern region. Additionally, potential of offshore solar energy system was simulated by considering 2002, 2003 and 2004 data sets from Era5-land base. Their monthly mean, seasonal changes and annual mean value were estimated. The algebraic annual solar radiance for 2002, 2003 and 2004 were 34,914.732 kWh/m2, 33,898.316 kWh/m2 and 34,338.324 kWh/m2. Suggestions were made due to the present status of solar energy utilization that will enhance its maximum usage and development. One of these is the establishment of a functioning financial scheme and the database for all renewable energy systems. When all these are put in place, the energy supply will increase, climate effect will be reduced, and the economy will be boosted.

Solar photovoltaic systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their outstanding environmental, economic, and technical characteristics. To simulate, manage, and control photovoltaic (PV) systems, the primary challenge is identifying unknown parameters accurately and reliably as early as possible using a robust optimization algorithm. This paper proposes a newly developed cheetah optimizer (CO) and improved CO (ICO) to extract parameters from various PV models. This algorithm, inspired by cheetah hunting behavior, includes several basic strategies: searching, sitting, waiting, and attacking. Although this algorithm has shown remarkable capabilities in solving large-scale problems, it needs improvement concerning its convergence speed and computing time. Here, an improved CO (ICO) is presented to identify solar power model parameters for this purpose. Single-, double-, and PV module models are investigated to test ICO's parameter estimation performance. Statistical analysis uses minimum, mean, maximum, and standard deviation. Furthermore, to improve confidence in test results, Wilcoxon and Freidman rank nonparametric tests are also performed. Compared to other state-of-the-art optimization algorithms, the ICO algorithm is proven to be highly reliable and accurate when identifying PV parameters.

Solar pavement technology has numerous benefits for advanced life and environmental protection, including reduced fossil fuel usage, reduction harmful emissions from conventional electricity generation and handy reliable electricity via solar energy. This paper aims to find an alternative for cost effective renewable energy sources is in conjunction with the principles of sustainability. This research studies whether the application of thermal energy harvesting road pavement using sustainable conductive piping such as stainless steel, copper, and aluminium are feasible in Malaysia. The scope of the paper is to optimize the suitable parameters for different materials of thermal energy harvester such as pipe material, pipe depth inserted into pavement, types of pipe arrangement, pipe spacing, and flow rate for maximum thermal energy extraction using numerical simulation. The simulation is testing under engineering software ANSYS Workbench 19.2 (Fluent) and Solidworks 2020 to develop project prototype from optimize thermal energy harvester. Thus, serpentine copper pipe shows the highest heat efficiency which is 32.22% with the temperature outlet of 327.35K (54.21°C) at the pipe located at 50 mm from the surface pavement with the pipe spacing of 80 mm centre-to-centre.

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology offers an alternative to conventional photovoltaic systems, focusing on the concentration of solar radiation through the optics of the system onto smaller and more efficient solar cells. However, the surface on which the solar beam is incident must remain oriented towards the position of the sun, which requires the use of large and heavy external elements known as solar trackers. In addition to their size, these elements must be as accurate as possible to avoid misalignment. To avoid the need of these solar trackers, the concept of tracking-integrated concentrating systems has been developed. This technology has been researched to make CPV systems accessible in places where conventional systems are not viable, such as building roofs or agrivoltaic fields. This review presents a detailed classification of the existing designs in the literature and providing an overview of this type of system. By eliminating the need for external solar trackers, tracking-integrated CPV systems offer a promising solution to increase the adoption of this technology. Therefore, it is expected that these systems will be a viable and effective option for solar power generation.

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.

: 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.

Acetaldehyde decomposition was performed under heating at the temperature range of 25-125oC and UV irradiation on TiO2 doped by the metallic Ni powder and TiO2 supported on the nickel foam. Process was carried out in high temperature reaction chamber “The Praying MantisTM”, with simultaneous in situ FTIR measurements and UV irradiation. Ni powder was added to TiO2 in the quantity of 0.5 to 5.0 wt%. Photothermal measurements of acetaldehyde decomposition indicated, that the highest yield of acetaldehyde conversion on TiO2 und UV irradiation was obtained at 75oC. Doping of nickel to TiO2 did not increase its photocatalytic activity. Contrary to that, application of nickel foam as a support for TiO2 appeared to be highly advantageous, because increased decomposition of acetaldehyde from 31 to 52% at 25oC and then to 85% at 100oC by comparison with TiO2 itself. At the same time mineralisation of acetaldehyde to CO2 increased two times at the presence of nickel foam. However, oxidised nickel foam used as support for TiO2 was detrimental. Most likely, different mechanisms of electrons transfer between Ni-TiO2 and NiO-TiO2 occurred. Application of nickel foam greatly enhanced separation of free carriers in TiO2. As a consequence, high yields of the photocatalytic reactions were obtained.

The present study describes the development and application of a computer model of the national electricity system for the Caribbean dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda to investigate the cost-optimal mix of solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, and in the most novel contribution, concentrating solar power (CSP). These technologies, together with battery and hydrogen energy storage, can enable the aim of achieving 100% renewable electricity and zero carbon emissions. The motivation for this study was that while most nations in the Caribbean rely largely on diesel fuel or heavy fuel oil for grid electricity generation, many countries have renewable resources beyond wind and solar energy. Antigua and Barbuda generates 93% of its electricity from diesel-fueled generators and has set targets of becoming a net-zero nation by 2040 and having 86% renewable energy generation in the electricity sector by 2030, but the nation has no hydroelectric or geothermal resources. The modeled, optimal mix of renewable energy technologies presented here was found for Antigua and Barbuda by assessing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for systems comprising various combinations of energy technologies and storage. Other factors were also considered, such as land use and job creation. It was found that 100% renewable electricity systems are viable and significantly less costly than current power systems, and that there is no single defined pathway towards a 100% renewable energy grid, but several options are available.

The need to address climate change and establish sustainable urban environments has driven increased efforts in Europe to develop climate-neutral cities. This study highlights the importance of integrating solar energy technologies and nature-based solutions as key strategies to achieve climate neutrality. By examining current practices, emerging trends, and case examples, it explores the benefits, challenges, and prospects associated with the integration of solar energy and nature-based solutions in urban contexts. The study presents a pioneering approach to assess the urban heat and climate change mitigation benefits of combining building-integrated photovoltaics and nature-based solutions specifically within the European context. The results emphasize the synergistic relationship between nature-based components and solar conversion technology, identifying effective combinations for different climatic zones. In warmer regions of Southern Europe, strategies like rooftop photovoltaics on cool roofs, photovoltaics shadings, green walls, and urban trees have demonstrated effectiveness. Conversely, mid- and high-latitude European cities have seen positive impacts through the integration of rooftop photovoltaics and photovoltaics facades with green roofs and green spaces. As solar cell conversion efficiency improves, the environmental impact of photovoltaics is expected to decrease, facilitating their integration into urban environments. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating water bodies, cool pavements, spaces with high sky-view factors, and effective planning in urban design to maximize resilience benefits. It also highlights the significance of prioritizing mitigation actions in low-income regions and engaging citizens in the development of social photovoltaics positive energy houses, resilient neighbourhoods, and green spaces. By adopting these recommendations, European cities can lead the way in creating climate-neutral urban environments that prioritize clean energy, nature-based solutions, and the overall well-being of residents. The findings underscore the need for a multidisciplinary approach that combines technological innovation, urban planning strategies, and policy frameworks to effectively achieve climate neutrality in European cities.

The fractal dimension of geomagnetic variations at the Baigazan magnetic station at Russian Altay for 2011-2013 was calculated using the Higuchi method. The daily variation of Higuchi Fractal Dimension (HFD) for the D,H,Z-components of the geomagnetic field has been investigated, its contribution to the variability of HFD is from 30 to 40 percent of the total variance. A correlation analysis of the fractal dimension of the variations of the D,H,Z-components with Auroral Electrojet (AE) index and solar wind characteristics was carried out. A negative correlations with logarithms of AE-index, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and solar wind velocity were found. About 25 percent of the fractal dimension variance is controlled by the variability of these characteristics. Pair and partial correlation coefficients for these parameters were calculated for every month of 2011-2013.

In today's society, mankind is confronted with two major problems: the energy crisis and the greenhouse effect. The artificial photosynthesis can use solar energy to convert greenhouse gas CO2 into high-value compounds, which is an ideal solution to alleviate the energy crisis and solve the problem of global warming. The combination of ZnO and polythiophenes (PTh) can make up for each other's drawbacks, thus improving the photoresponse behavior and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. PTh layer can transfer photogenerated electrons to ZnO, thereby extending the lifetime of photogenerated charges. The production rate of CH4 from photoreduction of CO2 with ZnO/PTh10 is 4.3 times that of pure ZnO, and the selectivity of CH4 is increased from 70.2% to 92.2%. The conductive PTh can absorb photons to induce π–π* transition, the photogenerated electrons can transfer from LUMO to the conduction band (CB) of ZnO, thus more electrons involve in the reduction of CO2.

In this work, we compiled our research on lanthanide-based luminescent materials, prepared down-shifter layers, and studied their effect on photovoltaic (PV) mini-modules. The compounds we have prepared (C1-C17), with formulas [Eu2(phen)2(bz)6] (C1), [Eu2(bphen)2(bz)6] (C2), [Eu(tta)3bphen] (C3), [Eu(bta)3pyz-phen] (C4), [Eu(tta)3pyz-phen] (C5), [Eu(bta)3me-phen] (C6), [Er(bta)3me-phen] (C7), [Yb(bta)3me-phen] (C8), [Gd(bta)3me-phen] (C9), [Yb(bta)3pyz-phen] (C10), [Er(tta)3pyz-phen] (C11), [Eu2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C12), [Gd2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C13), [EuTb(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C14), [EuGd(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C15), [Eu1.2Gd0.8(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C16) and [Eu1.6Gd0.4(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C17), can be grouped into three families based on their composition: Series C1–6 were synthesized using Eu3+ ions and phenanthroline derivatives as the neutral ligands, and fluorinated β-diketonates as the anionic ligands. Complexes C7–11 were prepared with ligands similar to those of compounds C1–6 but were synthesized with Er3+, Yb3+, or Gd3+ ions. Series C12–17 exhibit the general formula [M1M2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2], where M1 and M2 can be Eu3+, Gd3+, or Tb3+ ions, and the ligands are benzoate (bz–), 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (tta–) and 1,10–phenanthroline (phen). All compounds were characterized using X-ray techniques, and their photoluminescent properties were studied. We then examined their impact on the EQE (External Quantum Efficiency) of PV mini-modules and their durability in a climate chamber when embedded in PMMA and EVA films. This review emphasizes the methodology employed and the key findings, including enhanced mini-module efficiency. Additionally, we present promising results on the application of compound C6 in a bifacial solar cell.

Solar energy is a renewable and sustainable source of energy, and it has been used in addition of specified technologies, such as solar cooling. The demand for cooling continues to increase in line with environmental changes and a greater desire for human comfort. This study primarily aimed to analyze the performance of an evaporative cooling system powered by solar energy and assess the economic and environmental impact of this system. In this system, hot, dry incoming air is used to evaporate water, thus transforming part of its sensitive heat into latent heat without any variation in enthalpy or total heat. The outputted air then has a lower temperature and a greater humidity, thus providing a more comfortable, healthier environment for its users. To achieve this study’s objectives, numerical code was developed and implemented in MATLAB. The obtained results reveal that the efficiency of the evaporative cooler exceeds 90%, with maximum efficiency being reached at a high wet-bulb depression, while minimum efficiency was observed when the dry air has a high relative humidity and a low dry-bulb temperature.

Currently there are strong and sustained growth trends observed in multi-disciplinary industrial technologies such as building-integrated photovoltaics and agrivoltaics, where renewable energy production is featured in building envelopes of varying degrees of transparency. Novel glass products can provide a combination of thermal energy savings and solar energy harvesting, enabled by either patterned-semiconductor thin-film energy converters on glass substrates, or by using luminescent concentrator-type approaches to achieve high transparency. Significant progress has been demonstrated recently in building integrated solar windows featuring visible light transmission of up to 70%, with electric power outputs of up to Pmax ~ 30-33 Wp/m2. Several slightly different designs were tested during 2021-2023 in a greenhouse installation at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. The objective of this paper is to report on the field performance of these PV windows in the context of agrivoltaics, and to provide some detail of the performance differences measured in several solar window designs related to their glazing structure materials. Methods for the identification and quantification of long-term field performance differences and energy generation trends in solar windows of marginally different design types are reported. The paper also aims to outline the practical application potential of these transparent construction materials in built environments, focussing on the measured renewable energy figures and seasonal trends observed during the long-term study.

As renewable energy generation prediction system has been introduced into the energy trading market, making a model to accurately predict the quantity of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation has become a significant problem. Moreover, to encourage an accurate prediction of the quantity of energy generation, an incentive system has been implemented for those who predict the quantity of solar PV energy under the error rate of 8%. Therefore, it has become more important to investigate and analyze current prediction technology numerically and develop more advanced prediction system. In this study, we tried to develop a better model to improve the accuracy of solar PV energy generation quantity by comparing three models made with gradient boosting machine (GBM), Model 1, Model 2, Model 3 respectively. Model 1 was built with the whole training data set without any additional preprocessing. After conducting some additional preprocessing procedure to predict solar energy generation more accurately, we made Model 2 with the whole training data set and Model 3 with only upper 10% of energy generation capacity. To compare the accuracy of three models, normalized mean absolute error (nMAE) was used as an evaluation index. The nMAE of Model 1 was 9.64% while the Model 2 showed 8.41%. Also, Model 3, which was constructed with the training set of upper 10% energy generation capacity, outperformed with the nMAE of 8.08%. For further study, to check the effectiveness of models constructed with GBM, a time series model, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), was also built and the nMAE was compared.

Phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as promising solutions for latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems, offering considerable potential for storing energy derived from renewable sources across various engineering applications. The present study focused on optimization of solar cooling system by integrating LHTES with different PCM tank configuration. TRNSYS simulation software was selected for the study and collected experimental data from laboratory system prototype was used for system validation. The results indicate that the use of PCM led to a noteworthy decrease of 6.2% in auxiliary energy consumption. Furthermore, the duration during which the heat carrier temperature flow exceeded 90°C from the storage tank to the auxiliary heater was extended by 27.8% when PCM was utilized, compared to its absence. The use of PCM in LHTES is more effective under variable weather conditions. On the day when changes in weather conditions were observed, around 98% of the cooling load was provided by produced sun energy. The results of the research can be used to optimize the solar cooling system, which will help reduce the environmental impact of cooling systems running on non-renewable fuels.

This paper focuses on the impact of defects density and carrier capture cross-section area in the electron transport material (ETM), hole transport material (HTM), and absorber layers on the performance of perovskite solar cells and quantum efficiency (QE). Furthermore, the impact of defects density at the interface between ETM/absorber and absorber/HTM is also studied. SCAPS-1D software is used in the current study in determining solar cell performance. The proposed perovskite solar cell structure is a planar FTO/TiO2/ CH3NH3PbI3/ Cu2O. The results indicated that increasing the defect density in the absorber layer significantly affects cell performance, while in ETM and HTM layers, the cell parameters remain unaffected. It is also found that the defect capture cross-section has a similar behavior to the defect density in the main layers (ETM, absorber, and HTM). In addition, it is observed that by increasing the defects density in the ETM/absorber and absorber/HTM interfaces layer, the cell parameters FF, Jsc, and PCE have been slightly decreased, with no effect on Voc. Moreover, it is also noted that the quantum efficiency QE is sharply reduced. Finally, this paper introduced the correlation between the defect density and the capture cross-section, which is the first attempt to find such a relationship in perovskite solar cells to the knowledge of the authors.

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.

The physiological characteristics of liquid digestate retrieved from various biogas plants based in northern Greece are presented. Preliminary photocatalysis experiments on inoculated liquid di-gestate sampled showed that disinfection is possible when pre-treated digestate with a combination of centrifuge-flocculation-μFiltration after 5.5 hours of 0.7g/L suspended TiO2 under UVA illumination for the experimental conditions is used. A novel design photocatalytic nanofiltration reactor was implemented for disinfection experiments on pre-treated liquid digestate, giving promising results. This work sets the basis for the efficient operation and engineering application of technology collaboration with photocatalysis as the final step for liquid digestate sanitation and reusable water recovery.

Research on the lead halide-based perovskite solar cells have obtained considerable interest in photovoltaic industry owing to their higher efficiency, easy manufacturing, light-weight and low cost. However, these lead halide-based solar cells are not suitable to manufacture commercially because of the toxicity of lead-based materials. In this context, a lead-free perovskite, cesium-bismuth iodide (Cs₃Bi₂I₉) is considered as a potential alternative to the lead halide-based cell due to their non-toxicity and stability, but this perovskite cannot be matched with random hole transport layer (HTL) and electron transport layer (ETL) materials compared to lead halide-based perovskite because of their crystal structure and band gap. Therefore, in this study, performance comparison of different ideal HTL and ETL materials for Cs₃Bi₂I₉ perovskite layer were studied using SCAPS-1D device simulation on the basis of open circuit voltage, short circuit current, power conversion efficiency (PCE) and fill factor (FF) as well as several novel PSC configuration model were designed that can direct for further experimental research for PSC device commercialization. Results from this investigation reveals that the maximum efficiency of 20.96% is obtained for the configuration ITO/WS₂/Cs₃Bi₂I_9­/NiO/Au with optimized parameters such as thickness 400 nm, band gap 2.1eV, absorber layer defect density 10¹² cm^-3, donor density of ETL 10¹⁸ cm^-3 and the acceptor density of HTL 10²⁰ cm^-3.

Electric energy is one of the driving forces in every country. The supply of electrical energy continues to present various challenges, such as high costs associated with procuring raw materials for generation, sparsely populated areas that are not connected to the main grid, and the need for infrastructure to support generation and network delivery. These challenges have contributed to the growing adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly solar photovoltaics (PV).In this study, we have developed a practical method to assess the spatial PV potential in a selected urban area. The methodology combines data collected from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry, Geographic Information System (GIS), and the energy output from three remote photovoltaic systems installed at different locations. The results obtained from this approach not only provide the energy generated per square meter, per year (kWh m-2 yr-1), but also provides a base to calculate the potential distance that electric cars could travel based on the energy generated. To illustrate the application of this method, two practical cases were selected: Senglea, Malta, and Munxar, Gozo. These examples highlight the versatility and effectiveness of our approach for evaluating and harnessing solar energy through photovoltaic panels in different contexts.

Energy efficiency is, in principle, a simple idea: an output of human value, for example, vehicle-km traveled, divided by the needed input energy. Efficiency improvements are regarded by many as an important means of mitigating not only climate change, but also other environmental problems. Accordingly, many countries have efficiency ratings for appliances and efficiency standards for road vehicles. Despite the vast number of articles published on energy efficiency, few question whether it is a useful or accurate measure in its present form. This review addresses this lack, by a critical review of the literature, not only in energy efficiency, but in other areas of research, such as ‘energy services’, that can help broaden the scope of this idea, both geographically and conceptually. These shortcomings are illustrated in case studies of road passenger transport and buildings. The main findings are that energy efficiency inevitably has an ethical dimension, that feedbacks are more widespread than generally considered, and that conventional efficiency measures omit important energy input items, particularly those concerned with mining of the materials needed for renewable energy plants. Finally, the key results of this review are summarized, and its limitations are discussed, as is the future research needed to overcome these shortcomings.

Accurately predicting the power of solar power generation can greatly reduce the impact of the randomness and volatility of power generation on the stability of the power grid system, which is beneficial for the balanced operation and optimized dispatch of the power grid system, and reduces operating costs. Solar PV power generation depends on weather conditions, which are prone to large fluctuations under different weather conditions. Its power generation is characterized by randomness, volatility and intermittency. Recently, the demand for further investigation and effective use on the uncertainty of short-term solar PV power generation prediction has been getting increasing attention in many application of renewable energy sources. In order to improve the predictive accuracy of output power of solar PV power generation and develop a precise predictive model, the authors worked predictive algorithms for the output power of a solar PV power generation system. Moreover, since short-term solar PV power forecasting is one of the important aspects for optimizing the operation and control of renewable energy systems and electricity markets, this review focuses on the predictive models of solar PV power generation, which can be verified in the daily planning and operation of a smart grid system. In addition, the predictive methods in the reviewed literature are classified according to the input data source used for accurate predictive models, and the case studies and examples proposed are analyzed in detail. The contributions, advantages and disadvantages of the predictive probabilistic methods are compared. Finally, the future studies of short-term solar PV power forecasting is proposed.

Photocatalytic technology based on specific band structure of semiconductors offers a promising way to solve the urgent energy and environmental issues in modern society. In particular, hydrogen production from water splitting over semiconductor photocatalysts attracts great attention owing to the clean source and application of energy, which highly depends on the performance of photocatalysts. Among the various photocatalysts, TiO2 has been intensively investigated and used extensively due to its outstanding photocatalytic activity, high chemical stability, non-toxicity and low cost. However, pure TiO2 has a wide band gap of approximately 3.2 eV, which limits its photocatalytic activity for water splitting to generate hydrogen only under ultraviolet light, excluding most of the inexhaustible sunlight for human beings. Fortunately, the band gap of semiconductors can be manipulated, in which introducing oxygen defects is one of the most effective measures to narrow the band gap of titanium oxides. This review starts out by the fundamentals of photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production over TiO2, discusses the latest progress in this field, and summarizes the various methods and strategies to induce oxygen defects in TiO2 crystals. Then, the next section outlines the modification approaches of oxygen-deficient titanium oxide (TiO2-δ) to further improve its photocatalytic performance. Finally, a brief summary and outlook of the researches on TiO2-δ photocatalysts for water splitting to produce hydrogen were presented.

: The stability of semiconductor catalysts is a very important property in the field of catalytic reactions. Materials necessitate resistance to mechanical abrasion and chemical erosion for better overall performance. In this work, high crystallinity BiOCl nanosheets were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts demonstrate full UV light absorption ability and excellent photocatalytic norfloxacin degradation performance. 84 % of highly toxic norfloxacin were photocatalytically eliminated within 180 min. The internal structure and surface chemical state of BiOCl were analyzed by SEM, TEM, Raman, FTIR, UV-vis, XPS, and other techniques. Such high crystallinity makes BiOCl molecules closely arranged and the molecular chains strongly connected, thus exhibiting a high level of photocatalytic stability and recyclability.

Semiconductor photocatalytic performances can be modulated through morphology modification. Herein porous hierarchical BiOBr microspheres (BiOBr-MS) of ~3 m was firstly self-assembled without the assistance of a template via a facile solvothermal synthesis in triethylene glycol (TEG) at 150 oC for 3 h. KBrO3 was exploited as a bromine source, which slowly provided bromide ions upon reduction in TEG and controlled the growth and self-assembly of primary BiOBr nanoplates. The addition of PVP during solvothermal synthesis of BiOBr-MS reduced the particle size by about three-fold to generate BiOBr sub-microspheres (BiOBr-sMS) of <1 m. BiOBr-sMS exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic activity than BiOBr-MS for aerobic photooxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) to benzaldehyde (BzH) under simulated sunlight irradiation (conversions of BzOH (50 mM) over BiOBr-sMS and BiOBr-MS were respectively 51.3% and 29.6% with 100% selectivity to BzH after Xenon illumination for 2 h at 25 oC). The photogenerated holes and •O2- were found to be main reactive species for the BzOH oxidation over BiOBr spheres by scavenging tests and spin-trapping EPR spectra. The higher photocatalytic activity of BiOBr-sMS was attributed to its more open hierarchical structure, efficient charge separation, more negative conduction band position and generation of larger amounts of •O2-.

The objective of the present work is to investigate the performance of flat-plate solar panels in Greece that continuously follow the daily motion of the Sun. To that end, the annual energy sums are estimated on such surfaces from hourly solar horizontal radiation values at 43 locations covering all of Greece. The solar horizontal radiation values are embedded in the typical meteorological years of the sites obtained from the PV-GIS tool. All calculations use a near-real surface albedo; an isotropic and an anisotropic model are used to estimate the diffuse-inclined radiation. The analysis provides regression equations for the energy sums as a function of time (month, season). The annual energy sums are found to vary between 2247 kWhm−2 and 2878 kWhm−2 under all-sky conditions with the anisotropic transposition model. Finally, maps of Greece showing the distribution of the annual and seasonal solar energy sums under all- and clear-sky conditions are derived for the first time.

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.

The reckless use of non-replenishable fuels by the growing population for energy and the resultant incessant emission of hazardous gases and waste products into the atmosphere insisted scientists to fabricate materials capable of managing these global threats at once. In recent studies, photo-catalysis employed focus on utilizing renewable solar energy to initiate chemical processes with the aid of semiconductors and highly selective catalysts. A wide range of nanoparticles have showcased promising photocatalytic properties. Ultrasmall metal nanoclusters (MNCs) with sizes below 2 nm, stabilized by ligands shows discrete energy levels, exhibits unique optoelectronic properties which are vital to photocatalysis. In this review, we intend to compile information on varying photocatalytic efficiency of metal NCs with respect to changes in their properties. Review discusses about the photocatalytic activity of atomically precise ligand-protected MNCs and its hybrids in the domain of in energy conversion processes like photodegradation of dyes, Oxygen Evolution Reaction (ORR), Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and CO2 Reduction Reaction (CO2RR), and photosensitizer in solar cell.

Electrical power quality is one of the main elements in power generation systems. At the same time, it is one of the most significant challenges regarding stability and reliability. Due to different switching devices in this type of architecture, different kinds of power generators, and non-linear loads are used for different industrial processes. As a result of this, the need to classify and analyze Power quality disturbance (PQD) to prevent and analyze the degradation of the system reliability affected by the non-linear and non-stationary oscillatory nature. This paper presents A Novel Mul-titasking Deep Neural Network (MDL) for the Classification and Analysis of Multiple Electrical Disturbances. The characteristics are extracted with a specialized and adaptive methodology for non-stationary signals, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). The methodology’s design, devel-opment, and various performance tests are carried out with 28 different difficulty levels, such as severity, disturbance duration time, and noise in the 20 dB to 60 dB signal range. MDL was devel-oped with a diverse data set in difficulty and noise, with a quantity of 4500 records of different samples of multiple electrical disturbances. The analysis and classification methodology has an average accuracy percentage of 95% with multiple disturbances. In addition, an average accuracy percentage of 90% in analyzing important signal aspects for studying electrical power quality such as crest factor, Per Unit voltage analysis, Short Term Flicker Perceptibility (Pst), and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), among others.

The emergence of Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) has stimulated the growth and advancement of technological civilization. NIR is ubiquitous; it has helped improve all fields and even deepened democratic processes through the transfer of data and electronic transmission of results etc. A breathtaking part of NIR is its recent application in the treatment of adverse health effects through radiofrequency ablation, phototherapy, etc. as summarized in Table 1. The benefits of NIR are enormous, however, technological civilization has not come without a cost; some of the adverse health effects associated with NIR include skin cancers, sleep disorders, photo-aging, etc. as summarized in Table 2. Therefore, with the rapid and sporadic increase in the sources of NIR from Natural and Artificial sources including fossil fuel burning, Starlink technology, mobile phones, mobile base antennas, etc., background radiation is expected to rise beyond the exposure limit leading to health illnesses. Intrinsically, there is a dare need to marry concerns that evolve with this growth. Hence, this review article aims to congregate the health hazards associated with NIR and the state-of-the-art applications of NIR in medicine and the health sector in Nigeria being a developing country. Part of our recommendations is that the government at all levels should set up enforcement agencies and policies to drive strict adherence to NIR as provided by ICNIRP; frequent-periodic assessments of background radiation in public places should be carried out due to the increasing sources. In addition, further research is needed to ascertain the health hazard from emerging sources of NIR like Starlink technology and to substantiate findings of non-thermal effects.

The aim of the study was to find the effect of polyethylene (PE) coatings on the short-circuit current of silicon photovoltaic cells covered with glass, in order to improve the short-circuit current of the cells. Various combinations of PE films (thicknesses ranging from 9 to 23 µm, number of layers ranging from 2 to 6) with glasses (greenhouse, float, optiwhite and acrylic glass) were investigated. The best current gain of 4.05% was achieved for the coating combining a 1.5 mm-thick acrylic glass with 2 × 12 µm-thick PE films. This effect can be related to the formation of an array of micro-wrinkles and micrometer-sized air bubbles with a diameter of 50 to 600 µm in the films, which serve as micro-lenses and enhance light trapping.

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.

Taking a socio-technical perspective, I focus on solar businesses (niche market actors) in Iran. As one of the key stakeholder groups whose business prosperity is tied to the development of solar PV, they play a crucial role in accelerating the energy transition. Given the incumbent fossil-based electricity sector in Iran and the least enabling policies, I am first interested to find (i) the main drivers and barriers of solar businesses; and (ii) the roles these solar businesses play in bringing solar PV deployment forward in Iran. I collected the data via 20 semi-structured interviews with solar businesses in Golestan, Guilan, Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Eastern Azerbaijan Provinces in Iran. Taking an inductive approach, I considered sustainability transition and social acceptance theories as sensitising concepts to investigate common and specific points of solar business acceptance in Iran. I find ecological awareness, belief in intergenerational justice, and willingness to innovate, as the main intrinsic drivers and socioeconomic opportunity and tackling the energy imbalance as extrinsic drivers; while the lack of a common vision with the energy governors, and the low knowledge of solar PV among the customers, escalating prices, and challenges to accessing good quality solar equipment are the most prior obstacles. Moreover, I understand educating people, driving the innovative deployment of solar PV, and facilitating the diffusion of it, as the major roles of solar businesses in Iran. I find that the sustainability transition literature overlooked the key role of solar businesses specially in fossil-based and developing economies. My findings suggest that the positive intrinsic mechanisms among the solar businesses, in combination with better-enabling policy frameworks and external factors, like lifting the sanctions and joining the global energy market, climate change mitigation commitments and standards, can help solar businesspeople to lead and accelerate solar PV development in Iran.

Near space environment is the airspace at an altitude of 20 km-100 km, where complex conditions such as low temperature, low pressure, high wind speed and solar radiation exist. As one of the important meteorological parameters, temperature is crucial for space activities, but the influence of the complex environment makes the error of conventional temperature measurement methods large. Therefore, a new microbridge temperature sensor was designed that can reduce solar radiation and achieve a fast response. And through simulation analysis, the three factors influencing the temperature errors of Joule heat, solar radiation heat and aerodynamic heat were investigated. And the influence of temperature error is reduced by optimizing the installation position of the sensor. Through the temperature error model, the error value in the actual measurement value is removed, to realize the high accuracy detection of near-space temperature.

Promoting the use of solar energy resources has always faced the challenges of instability and supply-demand mismatch. The key to solving these issues is to efficiently store and utilize solar energy resources using high-performance heat storage devices. This study designed a high-performance shell-and-tube phase change thermal storage device and established a numerical model using ANSYS software to summarize the device's dynamic melting law. To verify the accuracy of the numerical simulation, a performance testing platform for the phase change thermal storage device was built to investigate the impact of factors such as inlet water temperature, inlet water flow rate, type of heat storage, and initial temperature of the device, and to reveal the change law of the device's performance. The results show that the inlet water temperature has the most significant impact on the device's heat storage and release performance. When the device's heat storage or release is used for heating, changing the inlet water flow rate has a weak and limited effect on the device's performance. However, when the device's heat release is used to provide domestic hot water, increasing the makeup water temperature and reducing the inlet water flow rate can significantly improve the device's effective heat release. Furthermore, based on the experimental validation of the model's correctness, this study further simulated and studied the impact of different factors on the device's heat storage process to optimize its structural design and provide technical references for the device's actual operation and installation. The results show that the placement of fins has a negligible effect on the performance of the heat storage device while reducing the fin spacing and increasing the fin thickness can significantly improve the melting efficiency of the phase change material (PCM). Additionally, the heat storage characteristics of the device are significantly better in the vertical installation mode than in the horizontal installation mode. This study provides theoretical guidance and technical references for the design and use of phase change thermal storage devices.

Currently, the Israeli energy industry faces the challenge of a considerable increase in solar electricity production. Being a relatively isolated system, the significant expansion of solar electricity may cause problems with electricity quality. The electrical storage installation can resolve this problem. In Israel's situation, the optimal solution can be the creation of a channel between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. The channel can solve three closely related problems: the increased production of desalinated water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural needs; the prevention of a permanent Dead Sea level decline and its imminent disappearance; the development of hydro-pumping electrical storage stations; and the creation of numerous PV facilities in the Negev area for national electricity generation. However, a detailed analysis should be done for the estimation of the possible increase of solar electric generation with the consideration of a stochastic PV outcome and a potential ability to use the Dead Sea for the brine discharge from electrical hydro-storage plants.

This work investigates how to balance the electricity supply and demand in a carbon-neutral northern Europe. Applying a cost-minimizing electricity system model including options to invest in eleven different flexibility measures, cost-efficient combinations of strategies to manage varia-tions are identified. The results of the model are post-processed using a novel method to map the net load before and after flexibility measures are applied to reveal the contribution of each flexi-bility measure. The net load is mapped in the space spanned by the amplitude, duration, and number of occur-rences. The mapping shows that, depending on cost structure, flexibility measures contribute to reduce the net load in three different ways; 1) by reducing variations of long duration but low amplitude, 2) by reducing variations of high amplitude but short duration and low occurrence or 3) by reducing variations of high amplitude, short duration and high occurrence. It is found that cost-efficient variation management is achieved by combining wind and solar power and by combining strategies (1-3) to manage variations. The cost-efficient combination of strategies de-pends on electricity system context where electricity trade, flexible hydrogen and heat production (1) manage the majority of variations in regions with good conditions for wind power while sta-tionary batteries (3) are the main contributors in regions with good conditions for solar power.

Based on four major cosmological and astrophysical coincidences, it seems possible to develop a new model of Hubble-Hawking Universe having light speed expansion. Considering the analysis of 740 super novae data, it is possible to consider a constant rate of cosmic expansion. As there is no physical reasoning for the observed speed of light and all the cosmological observations are completely based on speed of light-by considering ‘light speed expansion’ as a characteristic nature of the universe, big bang, inflation, dark energy, quintessence and lambda term like ideal and unidentified concepts can be reviewed and relinquished at fundamental level and a practical model of expanding universe can be developed with ease and clarity. In this context, we would like to emphasize the point that, traditional definition of cosmic red shift is absolutely wrong. In terms of energy of photon, true cosmic red shift must be defined as - ratio of loss of energy in photon to the energy of photon at galaxy. We encourage the reader to see Figure 1 and Table 1 pertaining to light travel distances prepared with $\left(\frac{z}{1+z}\right)\left(\frac{c}{H_0}\right)\cong z_{new}\left(\frac{c}{H_0}\right)$. For data comparison, readers are encouraged to visit https://cosmocalc.icrar.org/ and http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/cosmodis.c. It may be noted that, considering 200 million solar masses as a cut off for ordinary gravity, dark matter can be considered as an effect of power law based super gravity of galactic baryonic mass. It is well believed that, Hawking’s findings about black holes are the most important contributions to physics in recent decades. Hence, we appeal the science community to recommend our Hubble-Hawking model for further research and study.

Power generation using renewable technologies has become a primordial option to satisfy the energy demand all over the world, being solar concentrating technologies widely applied for this purpose. A combination of Parabolic Trough Collector with Direct Steam Generation has been considered an excellent option for power generation, due to the economic cost and complexity in the plant are reduced. The thermal evaluation of the solar power plant as well as the PTC in the DSG process is very important in viability and economic analysis. In this sense, as the main objective of this work, a numerical tool for evaluating DSG with PTC technology has been developed. The software SOLEEC is a versatile, reliable, accurate and friendly to the user for thermally evaluating a DSG with PTC technology. The user has the possibility to compare the thermal behavior of different geometrical dimensions for a PTC; and even consider different materials; in order to satisfy the demand of superheated steam by a DSG process. The software has an error less than 5% when compared with literature results and in this paper is used to evaluate a power plant in Mexico obtaining that the change to DSG proposing different PTC could reduce the solar field about 35%.

Solar cosmic rays (SCR) are generated during the primordial energy release in solar flares. This explosive process takes place in the solar corona above the active region. It represents fast release of the magnetic field energy of the current sheet, which is formed near a singular magnetic field line. Solar cosmic rays appear as a result of acceleration of charged particles, mainly protons, by an inductive electric field in the current sheet, equal to the field E=V´B/c near the current sheet. To study the mechanism of solar flares and obtain conditions for stydy SCR acceleration it is necessary to carry out magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of a flare situation in the solar corona above a real active region. The methods of stabilization were developed which made it possible to solve partially the problem of numerical instabilities. MHD simulations showed complicated configuration near the singular line. Comparison of the results of MHD simulations with observations showed a general agreement of the positions of the current sheets with regions of intense flare radiation. However, there are some problems with the details of such coincidences. The results show the possibility of improving the methods of MHD simulation in order to solve the arisen problems.

In this work, the adsorption and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-ZnAl2O4 nanosized composites synthesized by the polymer-salt method have been studied. To evaluate the efficiency of adsorption, experiments were carried out on the decolorization of aqueous solutions of the Chicago Sky Blue diazo dye. The adsorption process is divided into two stages, at the first stage the dye is rapidly adsorbed on the outer surface of the composite particles, at the second stage the dye diffuses into the pores of the material. It was noted that the rate of photocatalytic decomposition of the dye is higher than the rate of the adsorption process, which indicates the occurrence of photocatalytic decomposition of dye molecules both on the surface of the composites and in the liquid phase. With an increase in the light intensity, the photocatalytic process is significantly accelerated, linearly at low intensities, and at high intensities the dependence becomes a power law.

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are distributed and transferred among the four major environmental compartments (air, water, soil, and biota) and have been already found in humans, making crucial to develop remediation technologies to tackle this kind pollution. Photocatalysis can be used to eliminate MPs present in contaminated wastewater effluents before their discharge into waterbodies. In this work, several green TiO2-based semiconductors were prepared using the extrapallial fluid (EPF) of Mytilus edulis sea water mussels as doping precursor. The semiconductors were then used as films or powders to photocatalytically degrade polystyrene (PS) NPs and MPs and polyethylene (PE) MPs. It was found that the obtention of green TiO2-based semiconductors with good characteristics for photocatalytic purposes (anatase crystalline phase, presence of porosity, activity in visible light and high surface area) seems not enough to achieve high degradation efficiency. The operational conditions of the reaction system should be also taken into account. For instance, the convenience of using semiconductors in the form of films can be overcome by their limited exposed surface area or the null adsorption of the semiconductor in the MPs particles. Additionally, crystallinity of the semiconductor can be a more determinant factor to take into account when performing photocatalysis of MPs.

Several studies have shown that combining TiO2 and Cu2O enhances the photocatalytic activity of the material by generating a heterojunction capable of extending the light absorption in the visible and reducing the electron-hole recombination rate. Ball milling has been chosen as an alternative methodology for photocatalyst preparation, among the several techniques documented in the literature review. The results of a previously reported investigation enabled the identification of the most effective photocatalyst that can be prepared for hydrogen generation by combining Cu2O and TiO2 (i.e., 1%wt Cu2O in TiO2 photocatalyst prepared by ball-milling method at 200 rpm and 1 min milling time). To optimize photocatalytic hydrogen generation in the presence of the greatest photocatalyst, the effects of (i) sacrificial species and their concentration, (ii) temperature, and (iii) pH of the system are taken into account, resulting in a light-to-chemical energy efficiency of 8% under the best-tested conditions. Last but not least, the possibility of using the present photocatalytic system under direct solar light irradiation is evaluated: the results indicate that nearly 60% of the hydrogen production recorded under sunlight can be attributed to the visible component of the solar spectrum, while the remaining 40% can be attributed to the UV component.

The term ‘biodynamic’ lighting is proposed as a term to capture the true aspiration of ‘life-centric’ lighting: good human and non-human outcomes for all life-sustaining behaviours on earth driven by good design for phototropism, phototaxis, photoperiodism and circadian entrainment. While future studies are necessary to consolidate this aspiration, it is clear that lighting has immediate potential to better support planetary health. As many aspects of animal, human and plantbehaviour and survival are being perturbed by widespread exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN), lighting professionals are in the middle, attempting to make design decisions that directly affect these life forms. This paper empowers readers with fundamental understandings of how light information is used by these life forms in a way crucial for development, growth and survival. The paper then provides a process for life-centric lighting design by drawing inspiration from an existing process for human-centric lighting design which can dovetail with decision-making processes that are within the workflow of lighting professionals. Holistic consideration of life-centric lighting design should look beyond altruism and romanticism by firmly rooting itself into pragmatism about long-term considerations for planetary health. Key references are consolidated and synthesized with goals of supporting knowledge translation into pragmatic lighting strategies in a manner useful for lighting professionals. While the scientific community remains sceptical about the term ‘biodynamic’ – which is argued to be developed through mysticism instead of scientific methodology – this paper counter argues that with appropriate use, the term has the potential to comprehensively capture this aspiration.

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.

This paper studies pandemic viruses that spread during the period (1759–2020) according to solar activity cycles. Our findings and results include the following: (1) The severity of a pandemic correlates negatively with the strength of solar activity; (2) Pandemic viruses are classified into three types based on their compatibility with solar activity associations. Most of them spread through the quiet Sun, where viruses survive better in cold and rainy weather, and in stable geomagnetic fields without strong disturbances; (3) The emergence of new strains of influenza viruses was manifested in two ways. First, the annual epidemics due to antigenic drift. Second, pandemics recur every 1–12 solar cycles (about 11–120 years) due to viral reassortment of new subtypes, which results in antigenic shifts; (4) Pandemic viruses have two groups according to their recurring period: first, recurring in nine solar cycles; second, recurring in twelve solar cycles. Furthermore, we reassort pandemic viruses from their previous spread in the same periodic classification. Moreover, we derive a periodicity formula for each subtype of the pandemic virus as a spread date.