Exergy based performance evaluation of latent heat thermal storage system: A review

Phase change material (PCM) based latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) systems provide an attractive solution to bridge the gap between energy source and demand, if source is intermittent and time dependent. The optimization of LHTS systems is not necessarily on the basis of performance study through energy analysis, but on the basis of exergy based performance study. The exergy based performance evaluation and subsequent optimization of LHTS units have been a growing interest among the researchers in recent years. This can be seen through the various works reported in the literature. This paper reviews the various procedures adopted for the exergy based performance evaluation of LHTS units. The influence of operating and design parameters on the exergy stored/retrieved and thus, on the optimization is addressed as a main aspect. The need of exergy analysis for the comparative evaluation of LHTS systems with performance enhancement techniques is emphasized. Thermoeconomics methods applicable to LHTS systems are also presented in this paper.Latent heat thermal energy storage Exergy analysis Entropy generation Thermoeconomics

Dissemination of cooking energy alternatives in India--a review

Energy requirements for cooking account for 36% of total primary energy consumption in India. The rural and urban populaces, depend mainly, on non-commercial fuels to meet their energy needs. Diverse urban growth patterns have led to structural changes in economy, and have important ramifications on energy consumption in household sector. It is observed that India follows income-based ladder starting with fuelwood and ending with sophisticated fuels like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity. This paper discusses cooking energy dissemination in the country with an objective of understanding the underlying socioeconomic factors governing the utilization of various fuels/energy carriers in cooking. The diffusion of renewable energy devices is observed to be far below their estimated potential. Policy interventions required for better dissemination of renewable energy based devices are also discussed.Cooking energy Dissemination Solar cookers Renewable energy

A review of wind energy developments in India

Climate change, dwindling reserves of fossil fuels and shortage of electricity have prompted the government to give an impetus to renewable energy sources. Wind energy, with an average growth rate of 30%, is the fastest growing source of renewable energy in the world. India has a potential capacity of over 45,000 MW out of which 1869 MW has been extracted from this eco-friendly source. India stands at fifth position in the world in wind energy development. Policy initiatives and fiscal initiatives for realisation of the estimated potential already exist. This paper discusses an overview of wind assessment, monitoring, development and environmental impact in India. Financial interventions and state policies on commercialisation are also presented with a view to identifying the barriers for further commercialisation.wind monitoring; commercialisation; renewable energy; grid interaction; wind energy; wind power; India; environmental impact.