Investigation of Quantity, Quality and Energy Content of Indigenous Sugarcane Trash in Naoshehro Feroze District, Sindh

Quantity, characteristics, and energy content in sugarcane trash of six different indigenous sugarcane varieties were computed for their possible utilization. Results revealed that the total sugarcane trash weight percentage was 24.0% of the total sugarcane crop. Among all examined varieties, variety 240 produced the highest and the variety HS12 the lowest percentage of sugarcane trash with 28% and 18.6% respectively. Moisture and ash content were found less in brown leaves and more in the tops of sugarcane trash parts. The fixed carbon values in brown leaves, green leaves, and tops of the variety Thatta10 were the highest found, with 18.4%, 15.5%, and 17.3% respectively. Carbon element’s percentage in brown leaves of variety HS12 was the highest with 50.0% and in Thatta10 was the lowest with 43.4%. Highest heating value was found in Thatta10 with 16.0MJ/kg, which is close to the literature reported values

Influence of Temperature on Electrical Characteristics of Different Photovoltaic Module Technologies

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of temperature on electrical characteristics of crystalline and amorphous photovoltaic (PV) modules in outdoor conditions at Nawabshah. The experimental setup was made over the roof of the departmental building. The climatic conditions of site were recorded with the help of HP-2000 Professional Weather Station in three different timings of the day, i.e. morning, noon and evening. The electrical characteristics of the PV modules were recorded with Prova-210 and module temperatures with Prova-830. The maximum intensity of global solar radiation was recorded at noon and ambient temperature in the evening and the relative humidity in the morning hours. It was observed that amorphous module got 0.7°C, 1.0°C and 1.6°C more average temperature than polycrystalline, thin film and monocrystalline modules respectively. The average maximum measured open-circuit voltage was noted from amorphous with 96.7% and minimum from thin film with 81.3% of their respective values on standard conditions, whereas, the average maximum recorded short-circuit current was produced by thin film with 64.9% and minimum by amorphous with 51.4%. The average maximum power was produced by polycrystalline and minimum by amorphous module. It was discovered that the crystalline PV modules gave more fill factor than thin film and amorphous module. Article History: Received January 6th 2018; Received in revised form May 5th 2018; Accepted May 26th 2018; Available online How to Cite This Article: Jatoi, A.R., Samo, S.R. and Jakhrani, A.Q. (2018). Influence of Temperature on Electrical Characteristics of Different Photovoltaic Module Technologies. Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 7(2), 85-91. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.7.2.85-9

Performance analysis of a fabricated line focusing concentrated solar distillation system

A line focusing concentrated solar distillation unit was developed and its techno-economic analysis was carried out using batch flow, continuous flow without and with tracking mechanisms. Physical quality parameters of feed and distilled water samples, water temperature at different points, performance analysis and estimated production of developed unit were examined. The examined quality parameters of distilled water were well below permissible limits. The water temperature inside the concentrated tube was in the range of 107.0˚C to 109.0˚C. The quantity of distilled water was observed to be inversely proportional to the amount of total dissolved solids in the water samples. The measured average daily and estimated lifetime yield from the developed unit during batch flow was 4.0 and 13,621.0 liters, for continuous flow without tracking 5.1 and 19,689.0 liters, and with tracking mechanism 5.7 and 21,758.0 liters, respectively. The continuous flow with tracking mechanism was found as best method for the production of distilled water. The total life cycle cost of the project was estimated to be PKR 62,144.00. The estimated unit cost of the distilled water per liter would be PKR 6.06 for continuous flow with tracking and PKR 9.69 for batch flow technique. ©2019. CBIORE-IJRED. All rights reserve

Effects of Climate Change on Mountain Waters: A Case Study of European Alps

The Alps play a vital role in the water supply of the region through the rivers Danube, Rhine, Po and Rhone while they are crucial to the ecosystem. Over the past two centuries, we witnessed the temperature to increase by +2 degrees, which is approximately three times higher than the global average. Under this study, the Alps are analyzed using regional climatic models for possible projections in order to understand the climatic changes impact on the water cycle, particularly on runoff. The scenario is based on assumptions of future greenhouse gases emissions. The regional model results show the consistent warming trend in the last 30-year span: temperature in winter may increase by 3 to 4.5°C and summers by 4 to 5.5°C. The precipitation regime may also be altered: increasing about 10- 50% in winter and decreasing about 30-60% in summer. The changes in the amount of precipitation are not uninformed. Differences are observed particularly between the North West and South East part of the Alps. Due to the projected changes in alpine rainfall and temperature patterns, the seasonality of alpine flow regime will also be altered: massive rise will occur in winter and a significant reduction in summer. The typical low flow period during winter will also be shifted to late summer and autumn

Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Lignocellulosic and Protein-Containing Biomass: A Comprehensive Review

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermochemical depolymerization technology, also known as hydrous pyrolysis, that transforms wet biomass into biocrude and valuable chemicals at a moderate temperature (usually 200–400 °C) and high pressure (typically 10–25 MPa). In HTL, water acts as a key reactant in HTL activities. Several properties of water are substantially altered as the reaction state gets closer to the critical point of water, which can result in quick, uniform, and effective reactions. The current review covers the HTL of various feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic and high protein-containing feeds with their in-depth information of the chemical reaction mechanisms involved in the HTL. Further, this review gives insight and knowledge about the influencing factors such as biomass pretreatment, process mode, process conditions, etc., which could affect the efficiency of the hydrothermal process and biocrude productivity. In addition, the latest trends, and emerging challenges to HTL are discussed with suitable recommendations