scholarly journals Environmental Impacts of Solar-Photovoltaic and Solar-Thermal Systems with Life-Cycle Assessment

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2346 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mahmud ◽  
Nazmul Huda ◽  
Shahjadi Farjana ◽  
Candace Lang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Thermal System ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
Solar Thermal System

The demand for clean energy is strong, and the shift from fossil-fuel-based energy to environmentally friendly sources is the next step to eradicating the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solar energy technology has been touted as one of the most promising sources for low-carbon, non-fossil fuel energy production. However, the true potential of solar-based technologies is established by augmenting efficiency through satisfactory environmental performance in relation to other renewable energy systems. This paper presents an environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a solar-photovoltaic (PV) system and a solar-thermal system. Single crystalline Si solar cells are considered for the solar PV system and an evacuated glass tube collector is considered for the solar thermal system in this analysis. A life-cycle inventory (LCI) is developed considering all inputs and outputs to assess and compare the environmental impacts of both systems for 16 impact indicators. LCA has been performed by the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD), Impact 2002+, Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), Eco-points 97, Eco-indicator 99 and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods, using SimaPro software. The outcomes reveal that a solar-thermal framework provides more than four times release to air ( 100 % ) than the solar-PV ( 23 . 26 % ), and the outputs by a solar-PV system to soil ( 27 . 48 % ) and solid waste ( 35 . 15 % ) are about one third that of solar-thermal. The findings also depict that the solar panels are responsible for the most impact in the considered systems. Moreover, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis has also been carried out for both frameworks, which reveal that Li-ion batteries and copper-indium-selenium (CIS)-solar collectors perform better than others for most of the considered impact categories. This study revealed that a superior environmental performance can be achieved by both systems through careful selection of the components, taking into account the toxicity aspects, and by minimizing the impacts related to the solar panel, battery and heat storage.

scholarly journals Solar Cooling Technologies in Jordan: A Technical Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 220-230
Author(s):  
Younis Badran ◽  
Ishaq Sider
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Solar Cooling ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems ◽  
Solar Thermal System

In the recent years, solar cooling technologies for buildings have garnered increased attention. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of current solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) air-conditioning technologies. Hence, the annual heating/cooling load profile and energy consumption of a reference building in the climate of Aqaba, Jordan were simulated using the TRNSYS software. The solar thermal and solar PV air-conditioning systems were designed and simulated to compensate the cooling demands. It was found that the annual cooling energy accounted for 96.3 % of the total annual energy demand (heating plus cooling) of the reference building. The solar PV and solar thermal air-conditioning systems compensated for direct cooling by 35.8 % and 30.9 %, respectively, and the corresponding compensations of cooling energy by the storage system were 7.3 % and 11.9 %, respectively. Thus, through this comparative study, we found that the storage system significantly contributed in compensating the cooling demands of the solar thermal system; however, the compensation to direct cooling was lower relative to the solar PV system

Grid Parity of Residential Building Rooftop Solar PV in India

2021 ◽  
pp. 19-40
Author(s):  
Rakesh Dalal ◽  
Kamal Bansal ◽  
Sapan Thapar
Keyword(s):  
Residential Building ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Indian Government ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Grid Parity ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
Utility Grid ◽  
Rooftop Solar

Rooftop solar photovoltaic(PV) installation in India have increased in last decade because of the flat 40 percent subsidy extended for rooftop solar PV systems (3 kWp and below) by the Indian government under the solar rooftop scheme. From the residential building owner's perspective, solar PV is competitive when it can produce electricity at a cost less than or equal grid electricity price, a condition referred as “grid parity”. For assessing grid parity of 3 kWp and 2 kWp residential solar PV system, 15 states capital and 19 major cities were considered  for the RET screen simulation by using solar isolation, utility grid tariff, system cost and other economic parameters. 3 kWp and 2 kWp rooftop solar PV with and without subsidy scenarios were considered for simulation using RETscreen software. We estimate that without subsidy no state could achieve grid parity for 2kWp rooftop solar PV plant. However with 3 kWp rooftop solar PV plant only 5 states could achieve grid parity without subsidy and with government subsidy number of states increased to 7, yet wide spread parity for residential rooftop solar PV is still not achieved. We find that high installation costs, subsidized utility grid supply to low energy consumer and financing rates are major barriers to grid parity.

scholarly journals Technical feasibility study of net-zero energy house for Canada - case study of Team North 2009 US DOE Solar Decathlon competition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toktam Saeid
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Thermal System ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Pump System ◽  
Heat Pump System ◽  
Solar Decathlon ◽  
Variable Capacity ◽  
Solar Thermal System

In October 2009, Team North competed in the US DOE 2009 Solar Decathlon competition. Team North's mission was to design and deliver North House, an energy efficient solar-powered home while training Canada's next generation of leaders in sustainable design. In North House, the PV system on the roof was the primary energy generation, complimented by a custom PV cladding system on the south, east and west facades. A solar assisted heat pump system, including a three-tank heat transfer and storage system, the horizontally mounted evacuated-tube solar thermal collectors on the roof and a variable capacity heat pump met the hot water and space heating demands. A second variable capacity heat pump was utilized for space cooling. The solar thermal system was studied using TRNSYS simulation. For the initial assessments the simulations were run for Baltimore. Then, the analyses were extended to different cities across Canada. In all scenarios the same house was linked to the system. The minimum annual solar fraction of the different cities was 64% and it rose up to 81%. Finally, the data measured during the competition were analyzed and compared with the data resulting from the simulation. According to competition measures, during the 10 days of competition in Washington DC, the PV system generated 271.6kWh of electricity and the solar thermal system produced 91.7kWh while the house consumption was 294.1kWh. As a result, North House was evidently a net-positive house.

scholarly journals Solar Concentrators In Malaysia: Towards The Development Of Low Cost Solar Photovoltaic Systems

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firdaus Muhammad Sukki ◽  
Roberto Ramirez Iniguez ◽  
Scott G. Mcmeekin ◽  
Brian G. Stewart ◽  
Barry Clive
Keyword(s):  
Financial Analysis ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Financial Benefit ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Solar Concentrators ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Solar Pv System

Solar energy has become a matter of global attention in the past few years. This paper explores the use and benefit of solar concentrators in the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. First, a short literature review of previous research on the usage of solar concentrators in improving solar PV system performance and reducing the cost of implementation is presented. This is followed by an overview of SolarBrane, an example of a Building Integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system which uses an optical concentrator in the solar PV design. An optimised design of the SolarBrane is also discussed afterwards. A financial benefit study is conducted to compare the average return of investment of using the optimised SolarBrane and traditional solar PV installed in Malaysia’s environment. SolarBrane has proven to be a good alternative to achieve costeffective solar PV system. The financial analysis simulated under the new Malaysian Feed–In Tariff scheme indicates that the optimised SolarBrane could potentially reduce the initial cost of implementation by 40% and generate higher return, close to 20%, when compared to traditional solar PV systems. Key words: Solar photovoltaic; solar concentrator; solarBrane; dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator; financial analysis

scholarly journals Solar Photovoltaic Power Prediction Using Big Data Tools

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13685
Author(s):  
Mariz B. Arias ◽  
Sungwoo Bae
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Solar Irradiance ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Power Prediction ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Generation Planning ◽  
Solar Pv System

Solar photovoltaic (PV) installation has been continually growing to be utilized in a grid-connected or stand-alone network. However, since the generation of solar PV power is highly variable because of different factors, its accurate forecasting is critical for a reliable integration to the grid and for supplying the load in a stand-alone network. This paper presents a prediction model for calculating solar PV power based on historical data, such as solar PV data, solar irradiance, and weather data, which are stored, managed, and processed using big data tools. The considered variables in calculating the solar PV power include solar irradiance, efficiency of the PV system, and characteristics of the PV system. The solar PV power profiles for each day of January, which is a summer season, were presented to show the variability of the solar PV power in numerical examples. The simulation results show relatively accurate forecasting with 17.57 kW and 2.80% as the best root mean square error and mean relative error, respectively. Thus, the proposed solar PV power prediction model can help power system engineers in generation planning for a grid-connected or stand-alone solar PV system.

scholarly journals Feasibility Study of Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System for Primary School in Johor

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Siti Amely Jumaat ◽  
Adhwa Amsyar Syazwan Ab Majid ◽  
Chin Kim Gan ◽  
Mohd Noor Abdullah ◽  
Nur Hanis Radzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institution ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
System Implementation ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
The Cost

This project aims to determine the potential of grid connected solar Photovoltaic (PV) implementation and project planning of solar PV System in school.  Generally, the educational institution used huge amount of electricity to operate so their monthly bills is expensive. Therefore, the project planning is necessary to determine the potential of solar PV system implementation. The project planning consists of the current electricity consumed by the school and the amount of 120W Monocrystalline PV module needed by them. The cost of project are determines to identify the initial cost of this project implementation. Lastly, analysis on the profit collected by SK Pintas Raya after 20 years of solar PV system implementation proved the importance of this project.

scholarly journals Design of Augmented Cooling System for Urban Solar PV System

2021 ◽  
Vol 335 ◽  
pp. 03002
Author(s):  
Chong Jia Joon ◽  
Kelvin Chew Wai Jin
Keyword(s):  
Cooling System ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Electrical Loads ◽  
Temperature Output

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been widely used to convert the renewable energy from the sun to electrical energy to power electrical loads but suffers from relatively low efficiency between 15% to 22%. Typically, the panels have an average lifespan of 25 to 30 years but could degrade quicker due to the panel overheating. Beyond the optimum working temperature of 25°C, a drop of efficiency by 0.4 to 0.5% for every 1°C had been reported. For solar PV applications in urban regions, passive cooling is beneficial due to limited amount of space and lower energy consumption compared to active cooling. A solar PV system with augmented cooling was conducted at a balcony of a condominium from 10am until 2pm. The solar PV system consisted of an Arduino controller, solar panel module, temperature sensor and LCD monitor. Reusable cold and hot gel packs were attached to the bottom of the solar PV. Both setups of solar PV panel with and without the cooling system were placed at the balcony simultaneously for measurement of temperature, output voltage and current. From this research, the outcome of implementing a cooling system to the solar PV increases the efficiency of the energy conversion.

scholarly journals Design and Implementation of Rural Electrification Framework using Photovoltaic

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 434-438
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Electrification ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Solar Pv System

The need to electrify all rural areas in India is quite compelling. However, the focus has now shifted from traditional fuel-based systems to generate electricity to renewable sources for energy generation. Though there are subsidies and policies that encourage the use of solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, there is a need for an appropriate framework. This framework could not only offer substantial directions but it would also act as grounds to enhance rural electrification in India using solar PVs. From this perspective, the current research attempts to structure an innovative framework for solar PV system that could facilitate rural electrification in India. In particular, the district of Damoh in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as there are many villages without electricity in this district. PVsyst software was utilized to simulate the outcomes that included mathematical models and diverse components based on PV, for simulation. Three designs were developed to facilitate the simulation. These included; PVs linked with microgrid devoid of battery, individual PV systems without microgrid link and solar PVs linked to microgrid with battey. The framework for rural electrification using solar PVs will offer policy makers with insights with regards to implementing PV systems. It will also offer inputs as to the feasibility of implementing a specific system on several parameters. These would comprise of; number of households within a village, detached households etc. Nonetheless, research in future is also warranted to explore the scope for other sources of renewable energy.

scholarly journals Incorporating External Effects into Project Sustainability Assessments: The Case of a Green Campus Initiative Based on a Solar PV System

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Shue Teah ◽  
Qinyu Yang ◽  
Motoharu Onuki ◽  
Heng Yi Teah
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Disaster Resilience ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Solar Pv System ◽  
Green Campus ◽  
Project Sustainability

We demonstrated that a green campus initiative can reduce the carbon footprint of a university and improve the disaster resilience of the local community. A project sustainability assessment framework was structured to support the initiative. First, an on-campus solar photovoltaic (PV) system was designed. The project performance in terms of financial cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was assessed using life cycle cost analysis (LCC) and a life cycle assessment (LCA), respectively. Then, we explored the incorporation of positive social impacts on the local community in the context of natural disaster-prone Japan. Indicators for improving the disaster resilience of the residents were defined based on the Sendai Framework. Our results showed that the proposed solar PV system could provide an electricity self-sufficiency rate of 31% for the campus. Greenhouse gas emissions of 0.0811 kg CO2-eq/kWh would decrease the annual emissions from campus electricity use by 27%. Considering the substituted daytime electricity purchase, a payback period of 12.9 years was achievable. This solar PV system could serve as an emergency power source to 4666–8454 nearby residents and 8532 smart city residents. This external effect would encourage stakeholders like local government and developers to participate in the project.

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