Optimization of performance of PV panels and selection of best site for solar park in Pakistan

To incorporate solar energy efficiently into a country, it is needed to know the optimal tilt and azimuth angle of the solar collectors' location. Also, to build a solar park, it is necessary to know the most suitable and high-energy generating place inside a country, thus saving time and money. This study analyzed collector geometry for Karachi in particular and Pakistan in general. Karachi has the potential of 339.36 kW-hr/m2/annum energy at an annually optimal fixed tilt of 26°. In case collector geometry had to be changed in Karachi, a range of 40° azimuth angle and 20° tilt angle from its maximum value is available. The power produced in this case would only have a difference of 1%. Optimal yearly and monthly tilt of most of the locations of Pakistan (300+) were calculated. Through them, it was revealed that the Optimal Tilt of Pakistan follows the value of latitude closely. Generally, changing the tilt angle monthly is recommended for areas that produce more energy, while fixed annual tilt could be suitable for low energy-producing regions. Effects of temperature were also incorporated while finding the energy produced by the photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Performance Analysis of Integrated Photovoltaic-Thermal and Air Source Heat Pump System through Energy Simulation

The concept of zero energy buildings (ZEBs) has recently been actively introduced in the building sector, globally, to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. For the implementation of ZEBs, renewable energy systems, such as solar collectors, photovoltaic (PV) systems, and ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems, have been used. The system performance of solar collectors and PV systems are dependent on the weather conditions. A GSHP system requires a large area for boring machines and mud pump machines. Therefore, inhabitants of an existing small-scale buildings hesitate to introduce GSHP systems due to the difficulties in installation and limited construction area. This study proposes an integrate photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) and air source heat pump (ASHP) system for realizing ZEB in an existing small-scale building. In order to evaluate the applicability of the integrated PVT-ASHP system, a dynamic simulation model that combines the PVT-ASHP system model and the building load model based on actual building conditions was constructed. The heating and cooling performances of the system for one year were analyzed using the dynamic simulation model. As the simulation analysis results, the average coefficient of performance (COP) for heating season was 5.3, and the average COP for cooling season was 16.3., respectively. From April to June, the electrical produced by the PVT module was higher than the power consumption of the system and could realize ZEB.

Functioning Fuzzy Logic in Optimizing the Solar Systems Work

Fuzzy logic has been used in many fields, either to control a specific movement, improve the productivity of a machine, or monitor the work of an electrical or mechanical system or the like. In this chapter, we will discuss what are the basic factors that must be taken to use the fuzzy logic in the aforementioned matters in general, and then focus on its employment in the field of renewable energy. Three main axes for renewable energy are solar panels, a wind turbine and finally, solar collectors. The key to working and the basis of the static system is the mechanism for selecting the inputs that directly affect the output in addition to the methods and activation functions of the fuzzy logic.

A Novel Dynamic Approach to Cost-Optimal Energy Performance Calculations of a Solar Hot Water System in an nZEB Multi-Apartment Building

This paper presents the methodology for conducting a cost-optimal energy performance calculation of a solar hot water system, used for space heating and domestic hot water needs. The calculation is based on dynamic hourly methods, according to the new Energy Performance of Buildings’ (EPB) set of standards EN 15316:2017, and a revision of the standard EN 15316-5:2017 from the year 2021, dealing with storage-tank water temperature calculations. The paper provides proposals for modifications to these newly introduced standards, in order to overcome the observed ambiguities and shortcomings. The calculation of annual energy performance of a building was performed on an hourly basis over a year for the reference of an nZEB multi-apartment building, for a climate area of the city of Zagreb, taking into account water temperature change in the layers of the storage tank connected to solar collectors and hot water boilers. The cost-optimal solution was then determined by varying individual parameters of the building technical system. The influence of these parameters on the energy efficiency of the building was analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the results were compared against those obtained by the Croatian calculation algorithm based on the previous set of EPB standards, EN 15316:2008, currently used EU-wide for the energy performance certification of buildings. The results indicated that the calculation methods of the present algorithm underestimated the consumption of building primary energy by 12%. The energy delivered by solar collectors was underestimated by 18%.

Numerical Simulation Investigation of a Double Skin Transpired Solar Air Collector

Transpired solar collectors (TSC) are one of the most popular solar thermal technologies for building façades. TSC use solar energy to heat the absorber surface, which transmits thermal energy to the ambient air. A variant of TSC, namely, a double skin transpired solar collector (DSTSC), has been analyzed in this paper, thus providing guide values and a technical point of view for engineers, architects, and constructors when designing such transpired solar collectors. Three important parameters were addressed in this study through numerical simulation: the influence of a separation plate introduced in a TSC, turning it into a DSTSC; the air layer thickness influence on the performance of the collector; and the influence of the used absorber materials for the separation plate material. Greater heat exchange efficiency was noticed for the DSTSC at every imposed airflow rate compared with the TSC. Regarding the thickness of the collector, the efficiency gradually increased when increasing the solar collector thickness until it reached a value of 20 cm, though not varying significantly at a thickness of 30 cm.

Thermal evaluation of an indirect air heating system using solar collectors

One of the current problems is the use of energy obtained from fossil fuels, especially due to the emission of greenhouse gases. An option to replace fossil fuels is the use of alternative energies such as solar or wind energy. The objective of this work is to carry out a thermal and energy analysis of an indirect air heating system that receives energy through solar collectors that operate with water as the thermal fluid used in a food dehydration system, in order to know the efficiency of the system and therefore, make improvements to the circuit, in addition to the characterization of the water storage tank of the system, obtain the amount of energy that can be provided and the behavior of temperatures at different operating flows. According to the methodology, the temperature profile was obtained inside the hot water tank in two modes of operation (heating and energy extraction) reaching temperatures of 50 to 70 ° C, where the optimum temperature for drying is found and in turn reaching an efficiency 84%, compared to a conventional drying system that uses LP gas.