PV System With Reconnection to Improve Output Under Nonuniform Illumination

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are often nonuniformly illuminated owing to shadows of neighboring buildings, trees, clouds, etc. In order to reduce the effect of shadows on solar panels, we propose the concept of a PV system with reconnection; this system consists of PV arrays that can be reconnected to minimize the mismatch loss, depending on the output of each of its module, measured at regular time intervals. In this study, the relationship between the output improvement with reconnection and the switching interval is shown. For a 3-kW PV system, under conditions of cloudlessness and cloudiness, a sharp difference in the output improvement relative to the switching interval is not observed. However, under the condition of shading, the output improvement sharply decreases relative to the switching interval; the output improvement at a 1-min switching interval is 0.15 kWh·h (+22.4%). For the 90-kW building-integrated photovoltaic system, during the summer solstice, a sharp difference in the output improvement relative to the switching interval is not observed. However, during the vernal equinox and winter solstice, when a large area of the PV system is shaded for a long period of time, the output improvement sharply decreases relative to the switching interval. The output improvement at a 1-min switching interval is 6.5 kWh·d (+2.9%) during the vernal equinox and 2.3 kWh·d (+3.7%) during winter solstice

Prediction Intervals for Day-Ahead Photovoltaic Power Forecasts with Non-Parametric and Parametric Distributions

The objective of this study is to compare the suitability of a non-parametric and 3 parametric distributions in the characterization of prediction intervals of photovoltaic power forecasts with high confidence levels. The prediction intervals of the forecasts are calculated using a method based on recent past data similar to the target forecast input data, and on a distribution assumption for the forecast error. To compare the suitability of the distributions, prediction intervals were calculated using the proposed method and each of the 4 distributions. The calculations were done for one year of day-ahead forecasts of hourly power generation of 432 PV systems. The systems have different sizes and specifications, and are installed in different locations in Japan. The results show that, in general, the non-parametric distribution assumption for the forecast error yielded the best prediction intervals. For example, with a confidence level of 85% the use of the non-parametric distribution assumption yielded a median annual forecast error coverage of 86.9%. This result was close to the one obtained with the Laplacian distribution assumption (87.8% of coverage for the same confidence level). Contrasting with that, using a Gaussian and Hyperbolic distributions yielded median annual forecast error coverage of 89.5% and 90.5%

Review of the Performance of Residential PV systems in Belgium

The main objective of this paper is to review the state of the art of residential PV systems in Belgium by the analysis of the operational data of 993 installations. For that, three main questions are posed: how much energy do they produce? What level of performance is associated to their production? Which are the key parameters that most influence their quality? This work brings answers to these questions. A middling commercial PV system, optimally oriented, produces a mean annual energy of 892 kWh/kWp. As a whole, the orientation of PV generators causes energy productions to be some 6% inferior to optimally oriented PV systems. The mean performance ratio is 78% and the mean performance index is 85%. That is to say, the energy produced by a typical PV system in Belgium is 15% inferior to the energy produced by a very high quality PV system. Finally, on average, the real power of the PV modules falls 5% below its corresponding nominal power announced on the manufacturer's datasheet. Differences between real and nominal power of up to 16% have been detected

Different expressions of trypsin and chymotrypsin in relation to growth in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The expressions of trypsin and chymotrypsin in the pyloric caeca of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were studied in three experiments. Two internal (trypsin phenotypes, life stages) and three common external factors (starvation, feeding, temperatures) influencing growth rates were varied. Growth was stimulated by increased temperature and higher feeding rate, and it was depressed during starvation. The interaction between trypsin phenotype and start-feeding temperature affected specific activity of trypsin, but not of chymotrypsin. Trypsin specific activity and the activity ratio of trypsin to chymotrypsin (T/C ratio) increased when growth was promoted. Chymotrypsin specific activity, on the other hand, increased when there was a reduction in growth rate whereas fish with higher growth had higher chymotrypsin specific activity resulting in lower T/C ratio value. During a rapid growth phase, trypsin specific activity did not correlate with chymotrypsin specific activity. On the other hand, a relationship between specific activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin could be observed when growth declined, such as during food deprivation. Trypsin is the sensitive key protease under conditions favouring growth and genetically and environmentally affected, while chymotrypsin plays a major role when growth is limited or depressed. Trypsin specific activity and the T/C ratio value are shown to be important factors in the digestion process affecting growth rate, and could be applicable as indicators for growth studies of fish in captive cultures and in the wild, especially when food consumption rate cannot be measured

An Updated Review of Tyrosinase Inhibitors

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional, glycosylated, and copper-containing oxidase, which catalyzes the first two steps in mammalian melanogenesis and is responsible for enzymatic browning reactions in damaged fruits during post-harvest handling and processing. Neither hyperpigmentation in human skin nor enzymatic browning in fruits are desirable. These phenomena have encouraged researchers to seek new potent tyrosinase inhibitors for use in foods and cosmetics. This article surveys tyrosinase inhibitors newly discovered from natural and synthetic sources. The inhibitory strength is compared with that of a standard inhibitor, kojic acid, and their inhibitory mechanisms are discussed

Feeding behaviour and digestion physiology in larval fish – current knowledge and gaps and bottlenecks in research

Food uptake follows rules defined by feeding behaviour that determines the kind and quantity of food ingested by fish larvae as well as how live prey and food particles are detected, captured and ingested. Feeding success depends on the progressive development of anatomical characteristics and physiological functions and on the availability of suitable food items throughout larval development. The fish larval stages present eco-morpho-physiological features very different from adults and differ from one species to another. The organoleptic properties, dimensions, detectability, movements characteristics and buoyancy of food items are all crucial features that should be considered, but is often ignored, in feeding regimes. Ontogenetic changes in digestive function lead to limitations in the ability to process certain feedstuffs. There is still a lack of knowledge about the digestion and absorption of various nutrients and about the ontogeny of basic physiological mechanisms in fish larvae, including how they are affected by genetic, dietary and environmental factors. The neural and hormonal regulation of the digestive process and of appetite is critical for optimizing digestion. These processes are still poorly described in fish larvae and attempts to develop optimal feeding regimes are often still on a ‘trial and error’ basis. A holistic understanding of feeding ecology and digestive functions is important for designing diets for fish larvae and the adaptation of rearing conditions to meet requirements for the best presentation of prey and microdiets, and their optimal ingestion, digestion and absorption. More research that targets gaps in our knowledge should advance larval rearing

Life in the fast lane: Revisiting the fast growth—High survival paradigm during the early life stages of fishes

Early life survival is critical to successful replenishment of fish populations, and hypotheses developed under the Growth-Survival Paradigm (GSP) have guided investigations of controlling processes. The GSP postulates that recruitment depends on growth and mortality rates during early life stages, as well as their duration, after which the mortality declines substantially. The GSP predicts a shift in the frequency distribution of growth histories with age towards faster growth rates relative to the initial population because slow-growing individuals are subject to high mortality (via starvation and predation). However, mortality data compiled from 387 cases published in 153 studies (1971–2022) showed that the GSP was only supported in 56% of cases. Selection against slow growth occurred in two-thirds of field studies, leaving a non-negligible fraction of cases showing either an absence of or inverse growth-selective survival, suggesting the growth-survival relationship is more complex than currently considered within the GSP framework. Stochastic simulations allowed us to assess the influence of key intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the characteristics of surviving larvae and identify knowledge gaps on the drivers of variability in growth-selective survival. We suggest caution when interpreting patterns of growth selection because changes in variance and autocorrelation of individual growth rates among cohorts can invalidate fundamental GSP assumptions. We argue that breakthroughs in recruitment research require a comprehensive, population-specific characterization of the role of predation and intrinsic factors in driving variability in the distribution and autocorrelation of larval growth rates, and of the life stage corresponding to the endpoint of pre-recruited life. -- Keywords : critical period ; growth-mortality ; individual characteristics ; larval physiology ; predation ; recruitment endpoint