Recent advances in passive cooling methods for photovoltaic performance enhancement

The electrical output performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules are sensitive to temperature variations and the intensity of solar irradiance under prolonged exposure. Only 20% of solar irradiance is converted into useful electricity, and the remaining are dissipated as heat which in turns increases the module operating temperature. The increase in module operating temperature has an adverse impact on the open-circuit voltage (Voc), which results in the power conversion efficiency reduction and irreversible cell degradation rate. Hence, proper cooling methods are essential to maintain the module operating temperature within the standard test conditions (STC). This paper presents an overview of passive cooling methods for its feasibility and economic viability in comparison with active cooling. Three different passive cooling approaches are considered, namely phase change material (PCM), fin heat sink, and radiative cooling covering the discussions on the achieved cooling efficiency. The understanding of the above-mentioned state-of-the-art cooling technologies is vital for further modifications of existing PV modules to improve the efficiency of electrical output

Supervisory control for power management of an islanded AC microgrid using frequency signalling-based fuzzy logic controller

In islanded AC microgrids consisting of renewable energy sources (RES), battery-based energy storage system (BESS), and loads, the BESS balances the difference between the RES power and loads by delivering/absorbing that difference. However, the state of charge (SOC) and charging/discharging power of the battery should be kept within their design limits regardless of variations in the load demand or the intermittent power of the RES. In this paper, a supervisory controller based on fuzzy logic is proposed to assure that the battery power and energy do not exceed their design limits and maintaining a stable power flow. The microgrid considered in this paper consists of a PV, battery, load and auxiliary supplementary unit. The fuzzy logic controller alters the AC bus frequency, which is used by the local controllers of the parallel units to curtail the power generated by the PV or to supplement the power from the auxiliary unit. The proposed FLC performance is verified by simulation and experimental results. IEE

Performance of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plants in the Middle East and North Africa

A conceptual design Study of a solar electrical power system using PV array for a 5.3MW as nominal power required is presented. A Bird model has been used to estimate hourly, daily, monthly and yearly solar radiation amounts. f-f-chart is a design method was chosen to simulate the fraction of the solar energy required for the load given the PV array areas and climatic conditions. Four cities in the Middle East and North Africa representing different locations at southern Mediterranean region are selected Tripoli, Alexandria, Tunisia and Gaza city. Tripoli City has the best performance for 73% of nominal Power followed by Alexandria about 66% and then Gaza around 63%, Tunisia City has lowest solar fraction about 59% according to the Monthly and annual solar fraction Data

A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm to enhance MPPT in the PV array

Due to the growing demand for electrical power, the researchers are trying to fulfill this demand by considering different ways of renewable energy resource as existing energy resources failed to do so. The solar energy from the sun is freely available, and by using photovoltaic (PV) cell power can be generated. However, it depends on rays fall on the PV cell, climatic condition. Thus, to enhance the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) systems, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of the solar arrays is needed.The output of solar arrays mainly depends on solar irradiance and temperature. The mismatch phenomenon takes place due to partial shade, and it causes to the power output, which brings the incorrect operation of traditional MPP tracker. In this shaded condition, PV array exhibits multiple extreme points. In general, under this scenario, the MPPT approaches fail to judge the MPP, and it leads to low efficiency. The conventional approaches of PSO based algorithms can able to track the MPP under shading condition. However, the optimization process leads to issues in tracking speed. Thus, there a need for an efficient MPPT system which can track MPPT effectively in shaded condition? Hence, the proposed manuscript presents a modified Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is introduced to enhance the tracking speed as well as performance. The outcomes of the proposed system are compared with the traditional PSO system and are found that the tracking speed of MPP, accuracy, and efficiency is improved

A cost effective computational design of maximum power point tracking for photo-voltaic cell

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is one of the essential controller operations of any Photo-Voltaic (PV) cell design. Developing an efficient MPPT system includes a significant challenge as there are various forms of uncertainty factors that results in higher degree of fluctuation in current and voltage in PV cell. After reviewing existing system, it has been found that there is no presence of any benchmarked model to ensure a better form of computational model. Hence, this paper presents a novel and very simple design of MPPT without using any form of complex design mechanism nor including any form of frequently used iterative approach. The proposed model is completely focused on developing an algorithm that takes the input of voltage (open circuit), current (short circuit), and max power in order to obtain the peak power to be extracted from the PV cells. The study outcome shows faster response time and better form of analysis of current-voltage-power for given state of PV cells

Comparison analysis of different classification methods of power quality disturbances

Good power quality delivery has always been in high demand in power system utilities where different types of power quality disturbances are the main obstacles. As these disturbances have distinct characteristics and even unique mitigation techniques, their detection and classification should be correct and effective. In this study, eight different types of power quality disturbances were synthetically generated, by using a mathematical approach. Then, continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and discrete wavelet transform with multi-resolution analysis (DWT-MRA) were applied, which eight features were then extracted from the synthesized signals. Three classifiers namely, decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (KNN) were trained to classify these disturbances. The accuracy of the classifiers was evaluated and analyzed. The best classifier was then integrated with the full model, which the performance of the proposed model was observed with 50 random signals, with and without noise. This study found that wavelet-transform was effective to localize the disturbances at the instant of their occurrence. On the other hand, the SVM classifier is superior to other classifiers with an overall accuracy of 94%. Still, the need for these classifiers to be further optimized is crucial in ensuring a more effective detection and classification system

Bringing Business and Societal Impact Together in an Evolving Energy Sector

Source at http://www.jocet.org/. As the challenges associated with sustainability, urbanization, life quality and demography become more imminent, companies are adapting to the changing requirements by means of revised strategic approaches. Thus, enterprises are increasingly deviating from the traditionally absolute priority of maximizing total return for shareholders. While this priority is still important, businesses are also looking at the total societal impact (TSI), which represents a collection of measures and assessments that incorporate the economic, social and environmental impacts of their products and services [1]. This paper focuses on the compound influence that TSI may have within the energy domain. In particular, the business opportunities resulting from the Horizon 2020 funded project INVADE are being discussed but seen from the perspective of a socially responsible corporate strategy. Referring to discussions, analyses and undertaken initiatives this paper concludes that business models which incorporate environmentally friendly, local and social and fair energy are capable of accelerating business growth for the concerned companies

Frequency Control Reserve With Multiple Micro Grid Participation For Power System Frequency Stability

The introduction of this micro grids into the conventional distribution network system forces a new challenge to the system operation. The failure factor of the power system performance essentially due to the limitation of electrical power generation in which could not meet the load demand. In order to maintain the frequency stability of the system, the power sources must be matched instantaneously among all generators and constantly supply to the load demand. A deviation of system frequency from the set-point value will affect the entire stability of power system network. This paper investigates the impact of utilizing multiple micro grids in supporting and facilitating on grid’s frequency. A method called Frequency Control Reserve (FCR) is introduced, with intention to share the excessive power from all available micro grids. These power will be controlled effectively before being injected into the main grid to stabilize the power frequency. Simulation using MATLAB Simulink have been used to simulate the result and shows great potential to be integrated with distributed generation i.e. solar photovoltaic (PV) for Malaysia power system vicinit

Analysis Of An Energy Storage Sizing For Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System

This paper present on the analysis of an energy storage sizing for a small grid-connected PV system. This project is to study the proper sizing of energy storage (battery) in a grid-connected PV system for consumers whom purchase and sell electricity from and to the utility grid. The goal is to minimize the total cost of the operation for a consumer with a PV system with a battery storage system. This is to make sure that minimizing the total annual operating cost while maintaining an efficient system. This study uses typical consumer load consumption, and solar irradiance data throughout a year, while varying the type of battery storage (study lead acid and Lithium ion battery) as an energy storage for a similar system. Since lithium ion is not the main options to be integrated with PV system, this study will then reveal the data in terms of cost on why it is not a popular choic