scholarly journals It's not always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Problem with the Pennsylvania Solar Initiatives

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-100
Author(s):  
Christina Alam

For the past several years, the Obama administration has become increasingly vocal with regards to the need to prevent global warming and abandon fossil fuels in favor of clean energy.[1] And solar energy seems like the obvious first choice in furtherance of those goals. However, in the race for solar energy, state lawmakers should not sacrifice efficiency and welfare in favor of speedy results. Pennsylvania authorities made a mistake: by adopting one of the most aggressive solar initiatives in the country, they sacrificed hundreds of people who simply cannot afford solar technologies. Specifically, numerous reports and publications have suggested that Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, including its solar requirement, create cross subsidizing of the owners of solar panels at the expense of all other energy consumers, distorting the energy market and increasing instances of free-riding. The groups most affected are low-income populations. Pennsylvania can still, however, successfully pursue its solar initiatives subject to certain changes in its law and policy that address the negative effects of its current regime.

Author(s):  
Mirela MILITARU ◽  
Elena POSTELNICU ◽  
Mihai CHIŢOIU ◽  
Valentin VLĂDUŢ

Solar energy represents one of the future energy sources with a high potential, used as an alternative to conventional methods, especially during summer. The advantages of using solar energy are multiple, this type of energy being virtually endless and free, and its use has no negative effects on the environment, being regarded as a clean energy source. Solar energy has multiple applications in agriculture, one of its benefits being that it is used for dryers as an alternative energy source, especially in regions with a high solar potential. In this paper different types of fruits and vegetable dryers, nationally and abroad are presented, as well as results obtained from different methods of solar dryers.


Author(s):  
Hilmi Zenk

Renewable energy interest is increasing day by day due to the progressive decline of fossil fuels and negative effects on the environment. As is known, generating energy using solar energy is the most popular of renewable energy source applications. One of the reasons for this is that the sun, which is the source of all the energy in the world, will give energy for a very long time. Another important reason is the rapid developments in semiconductor electronics technology. Direct solar water heating with solar collector, power generation without photovoltaic panels, and even power generation with concentrated parabolic systems. In this research, electricity is generated by solar panels used in a traditional plateau house, photovoltaic solar batteries from solar energy and electricity stored in battery benches and electricity stored in the battery is converted to mains electricity through an inverter if necessary. Saving electric elements at home are selected, and the minimum power required for basic needs is provided. In addition, the economics of the designed system was investigated and efficiency analysis was carried out considering the energy efficiency at the optimum level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (50) ◽  
pp. 336-350
Author(s):  
Maria C. MARTINEZ-RODRIGUEZ ◽  
◽  
Maria C. VERA-MARTINEZ

Conventional energies are directly related to the use of fossil fuels, generating this type of energy entails alarming economic and environmental costs. Based on this, the transition to clean energy, implies modifications in the energy labour market. Specifically, we studied the large labour market that the solar industry can generate in Mexico, with the help of the 3R's methodology, we have adapted it to a circular economy focusing on the solar panels could be the main technology for this sector.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 4456-4464
Author(s):  
S.V.G.V.A. Prasad

In recent years the use of solar energy is found to have grown by a large amount. Solar energy is renewable energy and the demand for it as clean energy shows its growth by nearly 50 percent in the past decade. It is estimated that the sun is able to generate energy within 24 hours that the entire population of the world could consume in 27 years. Solar power is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. The energy harnessed from the sun's rays is used for a variety of applications like electricity generation, to provide light for the interior environment, and many other domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Usage of fossil fuels for electricity production results in increased pollution and this mandates many governments to encourage moving to electricity generation using solar power. The large amount of solar energy that is available is found to be the most appealing source of electricity. Solar panels form a major part of the solar energy setup. Hence in this article let us review the various types of solar panels. This paper also deals with comparing the merits and demerits of the different types of solar panels that are available in the market. A section that presents the efficiency of the different kinds of the solar panel is also present in this paper. The role of temperature coefficient, fire rating, and hail rating in the performance of the solar panel is also addressed in this paper.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Szabó ◽  
P. Enyedi ◽  
Gy. Szabó ◽  
I. Fazekas ◽  
T. Buday ◽  
...  

According to the challenge of the reduction of greenhouse gases, the structure of energy production should be revised and the increase of the ratio of alternative energy sources can be a possible solution. Redistribution of the energy production to the private houses is an alternative of large power stations at least in a partial manner. Especially, the utilization of solar energy represents a real possibility to exploit the natural resources in a sustainable way. In this study we attempted to survey the roofs of the buildings with an automatic method as the potential surfaces of placing solar panels. A LiDAR survey was carried out with 12 points/m2 density as the most up-to-date method of surveys and automatic data collection techniques. Our primary goal was to extract the buildings with special regard to the roofs in a 1 km2 study area, in Debrecen. The 3D point cloud generated by the LiDAR was processed with MicroStation TerraScan software, using semi-automatic algorithms. Slopes, aspects and annual solar radiation income of roof planes were determined in ArcGIS10 environment from the digital surface model. Results showed that, generally, the outcome can be regarded as a roof cadaster of the buildings with correct geometry. Calculated solar radiation values revealed those roof planes where the investment for photovoltaic solar panels can be feasible.


SINERGI ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamzah Eteruddin ◽  
Atmam Atmam ◽  
David Setiawan ◽  
Yanuar Z. Arief

People can make solar energy alternative energy by employing solar panels to generate electricity. The utilization of solar energy on a solar panel to generate electricity is affected by the weather and the duration of the radiation, and they will affect the solar panel’s temperature. There are various types of solar panels that can be found on the market today, including Mono-Crystalline and Poly-Crystalline. The difference in the material used needs to be observed in terms of temperature changes in the solar module. Our study’s findings showed that a change in the temperature would impact the solar panel’s output voltage, and the solar panel’s output voltage would change when it was connected to the load although the measured temperatures were almost the same.


Author(s):  
Junjie Wu ◽  
Hongjuan Hou ◽  
Yongping Yang

With the shortage of fossil fuels and its negative effects on the environment, solar energy as one type of renewable energy has attracted increasing attention both socially and politically. There are two approached to use solar energy for generating electricity, i.e., using solar energy to directly to make work or integrating solar energy into fossil-fueled plant. The solar-aided coal-fired power generation (SACPG) mechanism is proven an effective way to use solar energy efficiently. In this paper, SACPG system and solar-alone parabolic trough CSP plant are modelled respectively. A comparison discussion related to TES system between SACPG system and solar-alone CSP plant is presented. The aim is to find what role of TES system will play in these two different systems. Through analysis, the role TES system plays varies in solar-alone power generation system and SACPG system. For solar-alone power generation system, the main function for TES system lies in storing surplus solar heat. Besides, there exists an optimum loop number with highest annual SEE with a specific TES hour. However, TES system for SACPG system not only stores the surplus solar heat, but also adjusts working condition. With the help of TES system, the working condition could be set as the high-pressure extraction steam could be totally replaced by solar heat. By doing so, annual solar power generation and annual SEE could be improved compared with that without TES system.


Author(s):  
Ramzi Alahmadi ◽  
◽  
Kamel Almutairi ◽  

With the increasing global concerns about greenhouse gas emissions caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels, many countries are investing in the deployment of clean energy sources. The utilization of abundant solar energy is one of the fastest growing deployed renewable sources due its technological maturity and economic competitivity. In addition to report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), many studies have suggested that the maturity of solar energy systems will continue to develop, which will increase their economic viability. The focus of analysis in this paper is countries with hot desert climates since they are the best candidates for solar energy systems. The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is used as the case study due to the country’s ambitious goals in this field. The main purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the stochastic behavior and probabilistic distribution of solar irradiance in order to accurately estimate the expected power output of solar systems. A solar Photovoltaic (PV) module is used for the analysis due to its practicality and widespread use in utility-scale projects. In addition to the use of a break-even analysis to estimate the economic viability of solar PV systems in hot desert climates, this paper estimates the indifference point at which the economic feasibility of solar PV systems is justified, compared with the fossil-based systems. The numerical results show that the break-even point of installing one KW generation capacity of a solar PV system is estimated to pay off after producing 16,827 KWh, compared to 15,422 KWh for the case of fossil-based systems. However, the increased cost of initial investment in solar PV systems deployment starts to be economically justified after producing 41,437 KWh.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-20
Author(s):  
Amadou Dioulde Donghol Diallo ◽  
Ma’an Fahmi Rashid Alkhatib ◽  
Md Zahangir Alam ◽  
Maizirwan Mel

Empty fruit bunch (EFB), a biomass-based waste, was deemed a potential replacement for fossil fuel. It is renewable and carbon neutral. The efficient management of this potential energy will help to deal with the problem associated with fossil fuels. However, a key parameter for evaluating the quality of raw material (EFB) as a fuel in energy applications is the calorific value (CV). When this CV is low, then its potential utilization as feedstock will be restricted. To tackle this shortcoming, we propose to add municipal solid waste to enhance energetic value. Thus, two major issues will be solved: managing solid residues and contributing an alternative energy source. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of mixing EFB and municipal solid waste (MSW) to make clean energy that is conscious of the environment (climate change) and sustainable development. The selected MSW, comprising of plastics, textiles, foam, and cardboard, were mixed, with EFB at various ratios. Proximate analysis was used to determine moisture content, ash, volatiles, and fixed carbon, whilst elemental analysis, is used to determine CHNS/O for MSW, EFB and their various mixtures. The CV of each element was also measured. The research revealed a significant increase in the calorific value of EFB by mixing it with MSW according to MSW/EFB ratios: 0.25; 0.42; 0.66; 1.00 and 1.50 the corresponding calorific values in (MJ/kg) were 19.77; 21.22; 22.67; 27.04 and 28.47 respectively. While the calorific value of pure EFB was 16.86 MJ/kg, the mixing of EFB with MSW promoted the increase in the CV of EFB to an average of 23.83MJ/kg. Another potential environmental benefit of applying this likely fuel was the low chlorine (0.21 wt. % to 0.95 wt. %) and sulfur concentrations (0.041 wt. % to 0.078 wt.%). This potential fuel could be used as solid refuse fuel (SRF) or refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in a pyrolysis or gasification process with little to no environmental effects. ABSTRAK: Tandan buah kosong (EFB), sisa berasaskan biojisim, adalah berpotensi sebagai pengganti bahan bakar fosil. Ia boleh diperbaharui dan karbon neutral. Pengurusan berkesan pada potensi tenaga ini dapat membantu mengatasi masalah melibatkan bahan bakar fosil. Namun, kunci parameter bagi menilai kualiti bahan mentah (EFB) sebagai bahan bakar dalam aplikasi tenaga adalah nilai kalori (CV). Apabila CV rendah, potensi menjadi stok suapan adalah terhad. Sebagai penyelesaian, kajian ini mencadangkan sisa pepejal bandaran ditambah bagi meningkatkan nilai tenaga. Oleh itu, dua isu besar dapat diselesaikan: mengurus sisa pepejal dan menambah sumber tenaga alternatif. Kajian ini bertujuan mengkaji potensi campuran tandan buah kosong (EFB) dan sisa pepejal bandaran (MSW) bagi menghasilkan tenaga bersih dari sudut persekitaran (perubahan iklim) dan pembangunan lestari. Pemilihan MSW, terdiri daripada plastik, tekstil, gabus dan kadbod, dicampurlan dengan pelbagai nisbah EFB. Analisis proksimat telah digunakan bagi mendapatkan  kandungan kelembapan, abu, ruapan, dan karbon tetap, manakala analisis asas telah digunakan bagi mendapatkan CHNS/O bersama MSW, EFB dan pelbagai campuran lain. Nilai kalori (CV) setiap elemen turut diukur. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan penambahan ketara dalam nilai kalori EFB dengan campuran bersama MSW berdasarkan nisbah MSW/EFB 0.25; 0.42; 0.66; 1.00 dan 1.50 nilai kalori sepadan (MJ/kg) adalah 19.77; 21.22; 22.67; 27.04 dan 28.47 masing-masing. Manakala nilai kalori EFB tulen adalah 16.86 MJ/kg, campuran EFB dan MSW menunjukkan kenaikan CV dengan EFB pada purata 23.83MJ/kg. Antara potensi semula jadi lain adalah dengan mencampurkan bahan bakar ini dengan kalori rendah (0.21 wt. % kepada 0.95 wt. %) dan kepekatan sulfur (0.041 wt. % kepada 0.078 wt.%). Bahan bakar ini berpotensi sebagai bahan bakar pepejal sampah (SRF) atau bahan bakar yang terhasil dari pepejal sampah (RDF) melalui proses pirolisis atau proses gasifikasi yang sedikit atau tiada kesan langsung terhadap persekitaran.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Robby Rachmatullah ◽  
Dessyana Kardha ◽  
Dani Triwiyanto

The transfer of electrical energy sources from non-renewable fossil fuels to alternative renewable fuels can be made by utilizing solar energy. The working system of arduino uno solar tracking system for STMIK AUB garden lights is by capturing solar energy through solar panels which are then stored inside the battery where the charging process is controlled by solar charge controller. LDR functions to receive and identify the radiated light quantities which are then forwarded into the arduino uno and processed to drive the DC motor that has become one with the solar panel. If the day begins to darken the LDR will inform the arduino uno and then it will be processed by arduino uno to turn on the DC light.


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