Optimal Layout for Façade-Mounted Solar Photovoltaic Arrays in Constrained Fields

A method for optimizing the geometrical layout for a façade-mounted solar photovoltaic array is presented. Unlike conventional studies, this work takes into account the finite height of the façade, which is more realistic. The proposed analytical relationships and optimization routine evaluate the best tilt angle and the number of panels such that the whole layout receives the maximum solar radiation, year-round. This is achieved while ensuring that the panels are at a safe minimum distance to avoid mutual shading issues. Validation was performed by simulating the scenarios and comparing the results with manual measurements taken in a three-dimensional drafting program. The method was then used to evaluate designs for facades with a variety of orientations, hypothetically located in Auckland, New Zealand. For this case study, the per-panel and total year-round energy accumulation associated with the number of panels were determined. The results showed that more panels can be integrated into constrained fields by sacrificing the year-round best value of the tilt angle. Therefore, increasing the number of panels may decrease the energy accumulation performance.

Comparative Analysis of Ground-Mounted vs. Rooftop Photovoltaic Systems Optimized for Interrow Distance between Parallel Arrays

The aim of this research is to perform an in-depth performance comparison of ground-mounted and rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. The PV modules are tilted to receive maximum solar irradiance. The efficiency of the PV system decreases due to the mutual shading impact of parallel tilted PV modules. The mutual shading decreases with the increasing interrow distance of parallel PV modules, but a distance that is too large causes an increase in land cost in the case of ground-mounted configuration and a decrease in roof surface shading in the case of rooftop configuration, because larger sections of roof are exposed to sun radiation. Therefore, an optimized interrow distance for the two PV configurations is determined with the aim being to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) and maximize the energy yield. The model of the building is simulated in EnergyPlus software to determine the cooling load requirement and roof surface temperatures under different shading scenarios. The layout of the rooftop PV system is designed in Helioscope software. A detailed comparison of the two systems is carried out based on energy output, performance ratio, capacity utilization factor (CUF), energy yield, and LCoE. Compared to ground-mounted configuration, the rooftop PV configuration results in a 2.9% increase in CUF, and up to a 23.7% decrease in LCoE. The results of this research show that installing a PV system on a roof has many distinct advantages over ground-mounted PV systems such as the shading of the roof, which leads to the curtailment of the cooling energy requirements of the buildings in hot regions and land cost savings, especially for urban environments.

Spectrum of Light as a Determinant of Plant Functioning: A Historical Perspective

The significance of the spectral composition of light for growth and other physiological functions of plants moved to the focus of “plant science” soon after the discovery of photosynthesis, if not earlier. The research in this field recently intensified due to the explosive development of computer-controlled systems for artificial illumination and documenting photosynthetic activity. The progress is also substantiated by recent insights into the molecular mechanisms of photo-regulation of assorted physiological functions in plants mediated by photoreceptors and other pigment systems. The spectral balance of solar radiation can vary significantly, affecting the functioning and development of plants. Its effects are evident on the macroscale (e.g., in individual plants growing under the forest canopy) as well as on the meso- or microscale (e.g., mutual shading of leaf cell layers and chloroplasts). The diversity of the observable effects of light spectrum variation arises through (i) the triggering of different photoreceptors, (ii) the non-uniform efficiency of spectral components in driving photosynthesis, and (iii) a variable depth of penetration of spectral components into the leaf. We depict the effects of these factors using the spectral dependence of chloroplast photorelocation movements interlinked with the changes in light penetration into (light capture by) the leaf and the photosynthetic capacity. In this review, we unfold the history of the research on the photocontrol effects and put it in the broader context of photosynthesis efficiency and photoprotection under stress caused by a high intensity of light.

Growth, Physiological, and Biochemical Responses of Tung Tree (Vernicia fordii) Seedlings to Different Light Intensities

As a result of its high photosynthetic efficiency, the tung tree (Vernicia fordii) is a fast-growing heliophile, yielding fruit within 3 years. In addition, tung oil extracted from the fruit seeds is an environmentally friendly paint used widely in China. However, mutual shading inside a tung tree canopy leads to a low yield of fruit because of weak or dead lower branches. In this project, a pot experiment was conducted to understand the growth, physiological, anatomical structure, and biochemical responses of tung trees under various shading levels. Tung tree seedlings were subjected to different light intensities—100% sunlight (no cover), L100; 75% sunlight (25% shading), L75; 50% sunlight (50% shading), L50; and 20% sunlight (80% shading), L20—from June to August. Results indicate that the L75 treatment reduced significantly the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gS), transpiration rate (E), total aboveground and root dry weight (DW), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Amax), and maximum rate of electron transport at saturating irradiance (Jmax) compared with the control, although plant height and leaf area (LA) were not reduced. Lower light intensities (L50 and L20) and longer duration of treatment led to greater reduction in growth, leaf thickness, and photosynthetic potential (Amax and Jmax). Chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and total chlorophyll content were increased in the L50 and L20 treatments compared with L100 and L75. There was no significant reduction in the enzyme activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEPC) of the seedlings using the L75 treatment; however, lower light intensities (L50 and L20) and longer duration of shade treatment resulted in a significant reduction in enzyme activity. In summary, the results suggest that tung trees have greater photosynthetic activity under high light intensity. Shading, even at 20%, especially for the longer term, reduced photosynthetic efficiency and growth. To prevent growth reduction, tung trees should be grown under full sun with a daily light integral (DLI) of ≈46 mol·m‒2·d‒1, and mutual shading should be avoided by proper spacing and pruning.

A New Photovoltaic Arrays Fixed Reconfiguration Method for Reducing Effects of One- and Two-Sided Mutual Shading

Low distance between photovoltaic (PV) arrays can lead to the mutual shading between them. This can lead to significant power losses. Usually, these shadows can be seen in PV plants with limited land such as buildings' roof. In this paper, a PV arrays fixed reconfiguration method is presented in order to reduce the effects of one- and two-sided mutual shadings in total cross tied (TCT) arrangements. Two-sided mutual shading appears when the array is shaded in two separate areas, while there is only one shaded part in the array in one-sided mutual shading. In this method, the physical locations of the modules are rearranged without changing the electrical interconnections. To reduce the effects of these shadings, first, their important features are explained. Then, the optimal array rearrangement is determined by considering all possible mutual shadows (MSHs). In mutual shading conditions, the obtained arrangement is capable of equally dispersing shaded modules in different array rows, while there is no need to add any additional switches or sensors. Due to this equal dispersion, there is no need to use the bypass diodes for maximum power extraction in this condition. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of this method.

Simulation of Bidirectional Reflectance in Broken Clouds: From Individual Realization to Averaging over an Ensemble of Cloud Fields

In this paper, we describe the results of simulating the bidirectional reflectance in three-dimensional (3D) cloud fields. For the calculations of reflectance, we use original statistical algorithms that ensure the effects of atmospheric sphericity and molecular absorption in the solar spectral range are accounted for. Cloud fields are simulated on the basis of a Poisson model of broken clouds; clouds are approximated by truncated paraboloids of rotation. The cloud heterogeneity effect on the averaging of reflection functions over an ensemble of cloud fields is estimated using numerical averaging of the stochastic radiative transfer equation, using a randomization. The simulation is performed for a mono-directional receiver with wavelength channels 0.55 and 2.15 µm, different realizations with small and moderate cloud fractions, and a set of sun-view geometries. With the appearance of an isolated cloud in the sky, the reflection function is determined by cloud presence/absence on the line of sight (LS), shading of LS by clouds/non-obscuration directed “toward the Sun,” and illumination of LS by cloud-reflected radiation. Passage to cloud fields gives rise to such additional factors as mutual shading and multiple scattering between clouds, which are mainly determined by cloud elements located near LS and directed “toward the Sun”. Strong fluctuations of reflectance as a function of the relative azimuth angle between sun and view directions in a specific realization are smoothed out after averaging over an ensemble of cloud fields. In interpreting the results of retrieving the cloud characteristics according to measurements of reflected radiation, it should be kept in mind that for fixed illumination conditions, the mean bidirectional reflectance may differ several-fold from bidirectional reflectance in a specific 3D cloud structure.