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Solar home systems (SHSs) are the real hope for electrification of the off-grid areas in Bangladesh by utilizing the solar energy in renewable and sustainable basis. This paper demonstrates the solar energy prospect, the present status and dissemination schemes of SHSs in off-grid and coastal areas of Bangladesh by several government and Non-government organizations (NGOs). The country has an average daily solar radiation ranges between 4–6.5 kWh/m 2 . Currently, more than 3.8 million SHSs of capacity range 10–135 Wp (watt peak) with a total capacity of 150 MW have been disseminated in rural and isolated areas in Bangladesh. In this paper, ten case studies of capacity 20 Wp, 30 Wp and 42 Wp were investigated to evaluate economic viability at two randomly selected villages in Sirajgonj district and Jessore district, Bangladesh. The analysis showed that the SHSs for small business enterprise and household with small income generation are economically viable rather than only household lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper examines pathways towards solar energy in China by examining two different solar energy technologies, namely solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heaters (SWH). The paper investigates these two case studies to understand how different pathways for low carbon innovation are promoted and challenged by China's changing financing and policy-making, and how they relate to changing practices among producers and consumers. The paper finds two distinct approaches to solar energy. Chinese solar PV is predominantly produced for the export market, relies on intellectual property-intensive technology and has received much financial and political support from the central and provincial governments. On the other side, solar water heaters are an indigenous Chinese technology that is found everywhere across China, especially in rural areas. They have developed from grass-roots levels to mass products with very little central government support. Although being largely absent from high-level discussions and policies, solar water heaters could contribute a lot to China's low carbon transitions that are driven at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to UNDP Policy Note 2014, only 23% of Yemen rural community have access to electricity – having connected to national grid or use small isolated generating units – while the country is one of the richest in solar energy with over 3000 h per year clean blue sky. The objectives of this paper is to concentrate on the utilization and the cost effectiveness of photovoltaic solar energy for electrification of Yemeni rural and desert communities, which will result in enhancing education, culture, science, medical services, and improve the living conditions in rural areas. Otherwise, energy poverty that is a facet of a multidimensional poverty in Yemen will persists because the possibility of connecting rural communities to the national grid, even in the next ten years, is invisible due to major political and financial problems that the country is facing. Moreover, PV energy is environmentally clean and has proved to be one of the best solutions for rural electrification in many countries worldwide due to noticeable drop of PV systems prices with the advance in PV technology. Accordingly, it should be the best solution for rural electrification in Yemeni as well. The paper demonstrates the cost effectiveness and the design procedure of utilization of solar energy for rural and desert communities in Yemen using a number of subsequent cases typical to Yemeni communities and provides also a practical study to support Bedouin backpackers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the first industrial revolution was based on Steam Engine (coal as energy source), and the second on oil and electricity, where both these revolutions are actually "high carbon" revolutions, it is logical to expect that the third industrial revolution should be based on systems of renewable energy sources (RES), in order to minimize the problems arising from climate changes and to achieve sustainable development. However, the usage of the RES technologies and daily/weekly storage of energy and their connection to smart grids is not enough for the expected third industrial revolution. The start of this revolution would require technologies that have a great potential for further development and ability to supply, at any time, the necessary energy and power to a settlement/city, as well as drinking water, meeting the peak load requirements, continuously throughout the year, and independently of external sources of energy and drinking water. This would be provided from intermittent RES energy (solar, wind, etc.) and sea or other unclean source of water as natural resources. In that context, this paper presents a radically new technological solution: Key Engine which uses only natural resources: the sun, sea and gravity, in order to continuously and simultaneously supply a consumer with energy, power and drinking water. This solution has all the essential features required to start a third industrial revolution. The basic unit of Key Engine consists of the solar thermal (ST) generator with parabolic trough collectors through which sea water flows directly, absorbing thermal energy of solar radiation. After the separation of steam from seawater, the steam drives turbines and generators and produces electricity that is delivered to Pump Storage Hydroelectric (PSH) facility with seawater, which balances the daily and seasonal surpluses and shortages of energy, thus ensuring a continuous supply of electric power and energy to a consumer. At the same time, the water that comes out of the turbine, passes through the water treatment unit and is stored in drinking water reservoir, enabling continuous supply of the same consumer with drinking water. The paper presents theoretical aspects of Key Engine, model for optimal sizing and practical formulas for the calculation of characteristic values of the system, which could be the basis for further scientific research, development and innovative solutions that would help engineers in practice for numerous and diverse applications of Key Engine. In order to verify the derived mathematical relationships and models for optimizing the Key Engine in real conditions, the case study of the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, has been considered, along with total annual irradiance of 1575 kW h/m 2 a, total annual electric energy consumption of 20 GW h and drinking water consumption of 453,382 m 3 . The obtained results: power of ST generator of 52 MW, working volume of the upper reservoir of 7 hm 3 , total annual electric energy production of 62 GW h/a, and drinking water production of 480,754 m 3 /a, clearly show that the new technology can fully meet the needs of the considered consumer for energy and drinking water. As the basic idea of Key Engine relies on the use of natural resources, i.e. RES energy and sea, the paper presents only the starting solution, whereby, apart from the sun, RES can be wind, or other renewable sources, that can perform separation of vapor from seawater and thus produce drinking water, as well as energy simultanously. Also, energy storage may not be performed solely by the PSH technology, but also by any other technology that can provide seasonal balancing of energy. All this suggests that the Key Engine can be understood as an open-source for RES technology development and thus bring changes in all three aspects of sustainable development: economy, society and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption refrigeration technology has established enhanced significance in last three decades, due to its noiseless, non-corrosive and environment friendly operation by the utilization of low grade heat sources, especially solar energy. A plethora of adsorption cooling systems had been developed but still these cooling systems are not ready to compete with the traditional vapor compression cooling systems. This paper aims to provide fundamental knowledge on the adsorption systems and presents a comprehensive literature review of the past efforts in the field of their solar energy utilization. This paper also presents a brief of various related researches conducted in India. A survey of developments in the market trends is also presented in this paper. It shows that a number of attempts have been made by various companies to enhance the performance of adsorption refrigeration systems and maintain their presence in market but limitations regarding their technical and economic aspects seem difficult to overcome. Nevertheless, adsorption cooling systems driven by solar energy not only lowers down the daily electricity consumption but also reduces the global warming potential due to its environment friendly nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the two-phase closed thermosyphons (TPCTs) is increasing for many heat transfer applications. This paper reviews the most recent published experimental and theoretical studies on the TPCT. After a description of the TPCT operating principle and the performance characteristics, the heat transfer analysis in condenser and evaporator sections that depends on the complex two-phase process are described. The influence of the affecting parameters on the performance of TPCTs such as the geometry (diameter, shape and length), the inclination angle, the filling ratio (FR), the working fluid, the operating temperature and pressure analyzed by various researchers is discussed. The various operating limits occurring in a thermosyphon includes viscous, sonic, dryout, boiling and flooding are also analyzed. Considering the application of TPCTs, the paper presents a review of experimental tests and applications. This paper can be used as the starting point for the researcher interested in the TPCTs and their renewable energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing power is used to quickly restore the supply-demand balance in power systems. The need for this tends to be increased by the use of variable renewable energy sources (VRE) such as wind and solar power. This paper reviews three channels through which VRE and balancing systems interact: the impact of VRE forecast errors on balancing reserve requirements; the supply of balancing services by VRE generators; and the incentives to improve forecasting provided by imbalance charges. The paper reviews the literature, provides stylized facts from German market data, and suggests policy options. Surprisingly, while German wind and solar capacity has tripled since 2008, balancing reserves have been reduced by 15%, and costs by 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid depletion of energy resources, increasing energy demand and degeneration of ecological values need an urgent solution in this age. Solar energy as the most important energy resource has become part of the solution to the world’s energy challenges. Solar radiation data that provides the information on how much energy strikes to the earth is needed for utilization, planning and designing of solar power plants. The measurement of solar radiation data is generally available in some specific areas due to difficulty in solar radiation measurements in terms of its initial and maintenance costs. Therefore, solar energy modelling techniques are becoming more and more important due to the increasing need for the design, performance evaluation and improvement of the solar energy applications. The primary aim of this paper is to overview solar radiation modelling techniques to identify optimum models available and to classify research fields in the literature. In this paper, the modelling techniques, data information, accuracy tests of models used in around 90 papers were reviewed and the most accurate models were suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air conditioner should control the building sensible and latent load properly in order to provide the indoor comfort conditions. The conventional mechanical vapor compression system usually controls the latent load by the process of condensation of water vapor in which air is cooled below its dew point temperature and then reheated again up to the required supply conditions. The conditions where latent load is dominant these two processes i.e. overcooling and then reheating again will increase the consumption of electrical energy and emission of CO 2 remarkably. To avoid this wastage of primary energy and emission of harmful gases, desiccant based evaporative cooling system is a good alternative to traditional air conditioning system which is cost effective as well as environment friendly. It can be driven by thermal energy which makes a good use of solar energy which is free as well as clean. In this paper, a review of desiccant based evaporative cooling systems has been presented. The present study is undertaken from variety of aspects including background and need of alternative cooling systems, concept of conventional and desiccant based evaporative coolers, system configurations, operational modes, as well as current status of the desiccant based evaporative cooling technology. The review work indicated that the technology of desiccant based evaporative cooler has a great potential of providing human thermal comfort conditions in hot and humid climatic conditions at the expense of less primary resources of energy as compared to conventional cooling systems. Some modified and modern evaporative coolers have also been introduced in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the positions of some European Union (EU) countries on the development of PV systems. After a review of the main support policies for PV systems in Europe, the specific situations of five representative countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the U.K.) are examined, with the purpose of describing the main differences in their implementation of support policies adopted for PV systems. In particular, comparisons based on economic indexes such as the net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) are carried out for different sized PV systems, showing that in some situations support policies can be inconvenient for the PV system owner. The paper also shows that the best profitability for a PV system owner is obtained in those countries in which there is an active electricity compensation scheme. The comparative analysis carried out in this work could help: – to assess the impact of PV energy policies in European member states; – to predict how the PV market could evolve in the selected EU member states; – to gain an insight into the future of possible energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy economy restructuring at the city level is an essential prong in any strategy that aims to address the dual energy and climate change challenges. Cities form hubs of human activity that are accompanied by high levels of energy consumption and emissions but also contain existing resources and infrastructure to transition to a greener energy economy. This paper reviews efforts to date to define the ‘solar city’ concept and assessment methods for estimating the solar electric potential of an often neglected but vital city resource in energy matters – its rooftop real estate. From this review, an application of the solar city concept is formulated and an assessment method is offered for its investigation. An illustrative case study is provided, using the City of Seoul, South Korea. Representing nearly one-quarter of South Korea’s population and a one-third of its economic activity, the application of the solar city concept to the city can have significant consequences for the future energy development pathway of the municipality and the country (the metropolitan area of Seoul encompasses nearly one-half of the national population). The research demonstrates that a technical potential equivalent to almost 30% of the city’s annual electricity consumption can be supplied by widespread deployment of rooftop-based distributed photovoltaic systems. Using the methodology developed in the paper, we estimate that sixty-six percent of the annual daylight-hours electricity needs of the City of Seoul can be served by distributed solar power systems on a typical day. It is additionally found that considerable peak shaving is possible, lessening the pressure on the city’s electricity grid. These findings can be expected to extend to other large cities when the solar city concept is thoughtfully applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric energy security is essential, yet the high cost and limited sources of fossil fuels, in addition to the need to reduce greenhouse gasses emission, have made renewable resources attractive in world energy-based economies. The potential for renewable energy resources is enormous because they can, in principle, exponentially exceed the world׳s energy demand; therefore, these types of resources will have a significant share in the future global energy portfolio, much of which is now concentrating on advancing their pool of renewable energy resources. Accordingly, this paper presents how renewable energy resources are currently being used, scientific developments to improve their use, their future prospects, and their deployment. Additionally, the paper represents the impact of power electronics and smart grid technologies that can enable the proportionate share of renewable energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a probabilistic pricing which achieves efficient operation of and investment in ramp-service providers in power systems with a large amount of wind or solar generation. The proposed pricing differs from the existing literature in that it focuses exclusively on the efficient dispatch of electrical energy with no exogenous consideration of the need for reserves or balancing services. The proposed optimal dispatch task determines both the efficient level of any preventive actions taken before a contingency event occurs and the efficient response of the power system - i.e., corrective actions - once an event occurs. We show analytically that the efficient dispatch outcome can be achieved in a decentralized market mechanism provided the market participants are profit-maximizers and price-takers. We show how the total economic benefit of an investment can be decomposed into two components (a) the normal dispatch cost benefit and (b) the economic value of the investment in contributing ramp service to the power system. In order to study different aspects of the probabilistic pricing, the IEEE 30-node example system is deliberately modified. The results show the efficiency of the proposed pricing and the use of the investment model to assess the economic value of ramp-service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid increase in energy demand and the limited resources of fossil fuel as well as the environmentally damaging effects, drive the world to find new options for sustainable electricity generation, which is represented by renewable energies. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the most promising technologies in the field of electricity generation to tackle this issue with a competitive cost in the future. This paper presents an investigation of the potential of implementation of CSP plants in Libya. The socio-economic context, current energy situation of the country and different types of CSP plants are discussed. Moreover, an assessment of site parameters required for CSP plants including solar resources, land use and topography, water resources and grid connections are investigated in detail. In addition, thermo-economic simulation of a 50 MW parabolic trough power plant is performed. The simulation is conducted based on meteorological data measured by the weather station installed at the Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies (CSERS) in Tajoura city. The performance results are compared with the reference plant Andasol-1 in Spain. Even though the proposed plant is located on the North coast where solar resources are at their minimum compared with other regions of the country, the outcome of the study proves that Libya is not only suitable but it can be economically competitive in the implementation of CSP technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the production, upgradation and utilization aspects of solar driven pyrolysis products namely bio-oil, biochar, and pyrolytic gas. Scattered literature information on solar thermochemical pyrolysis of different kinds of biomass reviewed holistically and consolidated for a proper insight to enhance the utilization of pyrolysis products in various applications. The major influencing parameters for better yield of pyrolysis products are identified as reaction temperature, heating rate, biomass particle size, reaction catalyst and type of biomass. All the three products (bio-oil, biochar, and pyrolytic gas) could be employed as fuel candidates in various sectors including transportation and industrial heating appliances. It is emerged from the study that the biomass-derived bio-oil must be upgraded for its use in compression ignition (CI) engines. However, the raw bio-oil could directly be used in industrial heating appliances such as furnaces and steam generators. A comprehensive insight is provided with comparative assessment of performance and emission characteristics of pyrolysed bio-oil fueled CI engines in order to address the research challenges and employ the engine's efficiency enhancement technologies in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is increasingly attracting the attention of industry and academia. This heightened focus is mainly motivated by the challenge to contribute to fossil fuels' alternative and to limit the pollution of environment caused by their emissions. The number of researches focusing on solar photovoltaics is continually increasing. The behavior of a photovoltaic (PV) cell/module may be deduced via its current–voltage (I–V) characteristic which depends on its circuit model parameters. Whilst, the extraction of appropriate circuit model DC parameters is crucial to carry out precise performance investigations and control studies on solar PV systems, it remains highly constrained nonlinear non-convex optimization problem. The main objective of this paper is to review the existing research works on PV cell model parameter estimation problem and to assess the performance of the newest approaches. Based on the conducted review of more than 100 methods published over the past 7 years, the recommendations provided for future research are an important goal that will improve the methods of research in this area. In addition, this article implements two real models (single-diode and double-diode) and examines their accuracy to draw the current–voltage (I– V) and power–voltage (P–V) characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar simulators are used to test components and systems under controlled and repeatable conditions, often in locations with unsuitable insolation for outdoor testing. The growth in renewable energy generation has led to an increased need to develop, manufacture and test components and subsystems for solar thermal, photovoltaic (PV), and concentrating optics for both thermal and electrical solar applications. At the heart of any solar simulator is the light source itself. This paper reviews the light sources available for both low and high-flux solar simulators used for thermal applications. Criteria considered include a comparison of the lamp wavelength spectrum with the solar spectrum, lamp intensity, cost, stability, durability, and any hazards associated with use. Four main lamp types are discussed in detail, namely argon arc, the metal halide, tungsten halogen lamp, and xenon arc lamps. In addition to describing the characteristics of each lamp type, the popularity of usage of each type over time is also indicated. This is followed by guidelines for selecting a suitable lamp, depending on the requirements of the user and the criteria applied for selection. The appropriate international standards are also addressed and discussed. The review shows that metal halide and xenon arc lamps predominate, since both provide a good spectral match to the solar output. The xenon lamp provides a more intense and stable output, but has the disadvantages of being a high-pressure component, requiring infrared filtering, and the need of a more complex and expensive power supply. As a result, many new solar simulators prefer metal halide lamps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid electricity generation in Nigeria has been unstable for a long time now. With respect to her continued dependence on oil and gas and seasonal variations on water level for hydropower, immediate reliable and steady electricity generation in the country is not guaranteed. Incorporating alternative source of energy like solar is a solution. Solar Chimney technology is not yet technically and economically mature, as investment on it is still low, thereby posing more financial risks at least at the megawatt capacity. Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal technologies are technically and economically more established, but they can only ensure 24-h power supply with the aid of energy storage systems. Solar thermal value addition is on its propensity for thermal energy storage and hybridization with liquid fuels at commercial capacity. Hence, due to technology advancement and the country's high direct normal irradiation potential, concentrating solar power is the more suitable solar power technology for commercial electricity generation in Nigeria. In this paper, concentrating solar power technologies are analysed under operational, environmental and social conditions in Nigeria using data from desktop survey to determine the most suitable technology for solar thermal electric power plant. It is observed that the technical maturity of parabolic trough concentrator distinguishes it for preference to all other technologies and would exert moderate pressure on land requirement even though, it is the most expensive and water demanding technology. In terms of unit cost of electricity and water usage capabilities, parabolic dish concentrator is least expensive and uses least water but lacks proven commercial application. Solar tower is technically simpler and possesses better thermodynamic properties than the rest but its low installed capacity increases its financing risk. Hence, the trough system is the most suitable for immediate and medium term projects given its proven technology maturity and flexible financing mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Off-grid solar electric power is a promising technology for remote regions in rural Africa where expansion of the electricity grids is prohibitively expensive. Using household data from a target region of an off-grid solar promotion program in the Kénédougou province in Burkina Faso, this paper explores the role of quality-verified branded solar home systems (SHS) versus non-branded ones. We find that the adoption rate of non-branded SHS is considerably higher at 36% compared to 8% for branded SHS. We compare potential quality differences as well as the cost-effectiveness of branded and non-branded solar products. We show that non-branded SHSs offer a similar service level as branded solar, that they do not fall behind in terms of consumer satisfaction and durability, and that non-branded products are more cost-effective. These findings suggest that promotion programs and branded solar products do not seem to be necessary in Burkina Faso and might also not be needed to establish sustainable off-grid solar markets elsewhere provided that non-branded products are available. The challenge however is to reach the very poor who are unable to bring up investment costs for any electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rankine cycle is considered the most common and competitive power generation cycle to produce electricity from solar thermal energy. This paper reviews the work done on the solar Rankine cycle systems for power generation and focuses on the working fluids investigated in the literature and the application of these systems in water pumping and water desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing awareness of environmental and social issues, many practitioners and researchers have paid much attention to the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in recent years. Sustainable supplier selection is one of the most critical activities in the SSCM which can affect supply chain performance. However, the previous literature rarely considers the interrelationships between economic, environmental, and social evaluation criteria in the supplier selection. Moreover, the effect of the criteria importance on the criteria interrelationships is scarcely discussed in previous researches. To deal with these problems, a novel integrated methodology is developed in this paper. The proposed method integrates the merit of pairwise comparison method in determining relative importance, the strength of decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) in manipulating the complex and intertwined problems with fewer data, and the rough number's advantage in flexibly dealing with vague information. A case study in a solar air-conditioner manufacturer is provided to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Shortage of electricity supply and other forms of modern energy is serious in most of the developing countries, contributing to low economic and social development. The situation is worse in rural communities, which are often marginalised from grid-based electricity supply because of economic and technical reasons. Currently, development agencies involved in rural power supply in developing countries recommend microhydropower (MHP) as the most robust and reliable source of off-grid power generation. However, in scholarly articles, MHP technology is not popular compared to other renewable energy technologies. This may have contributed to its limited application in off-grid power supply in some countries. Availability of scholarly literature on MHP as the case with wind and solar energies can therefore help to scale-up the level of discourse on the technology among both technical and non-technical stakeholders. In this paper, the MHP technology has been reviewed in general and the turbines in particular. General description of the technology including challenges and factors for successful implementation of the technology has been given. It has been found that technological issues are among the major challenges and that the turbine is one of the critical technological components of the MHP project. The paper has reviewed common MHP turbines, focusing on their operating principles, merits and demerits with respect to MHP and suitable operating conditions. Factors to consider when selecting suitable turbine for the site and procedure for selecting the turbine have also been outlined in the paper. The paper has been written in a tutorial manner so that the discussions therein, though technical, are shared with stakeholders of different professional backgrounds. It is hoped that the paper provides additional knowledge on MHP technology and in particular on turbines that are used in MHP supply. This can lead to better practical implementation of the technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Greater penetrations of variable renewable generation on some electric grids have resulted in increased levels of curtailment in recent years. Studies of renewable energy grid integration have found that curtailment levels may grow as the penetration of wind and solar energy generation increases. This paper reviews international experience with curtailment of wind and solar energy on bulk power systems in recent years, with a focus on eleven countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. It examines levels of curtailment, the causes of curtailment, curtailment methods and use of market-based dispatch, as well as operational, institutional, and other changes that are being made to reduce renewable energy curtailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical power distribution network in Pakistan is a complex system with many geographical regions suffering from frequent blackouts, limited and intermittent supply. Investment in mega-scale solar energy generation projects could help mitigate these supply related problems and counterbalance the country׳s growing dependence on imported oil. The purpose of this paper is to explore the economic and technical impact of connecting a mega-scale PV plant to the national grid. The area of Kharan in Balochistan province was chosen due to desired solar irradiation (7–7.5 kW h/m 2 /day). The simulations were carried out with existing and planned interconnected transmission system of Pakistan that has not been pre-designed to incorporate such intermittent generation. Load flow studies and short circuit analysis were carried out and it was established that power from this solar power project can be evacuated to the 220 KV system of National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), Pakistan without any transmission constraints. The three phase and single phase short circuit current studies further confirmed reliable grid interconnection in terms of power quality indices. Furthermore recommendations encompassing the economics and technical sides are presented for the successful commissioning of this installation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chile needs to increase its installed electric capacity to support economic growth. Currently, the total demand is 67,564 GW h and an additional 22,508 GW h will be needed by 2020 to meet the energy demand of industrial projects. The Chilean mining industry is a major electricity consumer in the country accounting for one third total consumption over today. Solar energy has the highest potential for growth in northern Chile as the north of the country hosts the highest solar resources of the world. In this paper we present a comprehensive review of the energy supply and demand status, planning and prospects in the country with focus on solar photovoltaic- and solar thermal-projects. As of the end of 2014, a solar capacity of 2384 MW are operational and under construction, and more than 10,000 MW of solar power plants have been proposed; most solar projects are located in northern regions where the mining takes place. Considering a conservative scenario where one half of the proposed solar projects would be operational before 2020, solar technology could cover a great part of the country’s energy requirements. We evaluated eight operating PV plants and three operating solar thermoelectric plants based on a multi-criteria assessment to offer a reference point for assessing future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaic water pumping system (SPVWPS) has been a promising area of research for more than 50 years. In the early 70s, efforts and studies were undertaken to explore the possibility of SPVWPS as feasible, viable and economical mean of water pumping. SPVWPS consists of different components and parts associated with different fields of engineering like mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer, control and civil engineering. The interdisciplinary nature of the system attracted the researchers, in the past, from all these fields of engineering and has been contributed by them to make the system more efficient and cost-effective to meet water-pumping needs of human, livestock and irrigation. The detailed literature available suggests that the research work on SPVWPS is not confined to any particular field of engineering. This review paper is an attempt to give a comprehensive review of the literature available on SPVWPS from the year 1975 to the year 2014. The review work discusses the general classification of SPVWPS, historical background of solar pumping systems, various efforts undertaken by researchers working on the different aspects of SPVWPS and the present status of research on the topic. The literature review of the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) system, different types of pumps and motors and rating of photovoltaic (PV) panel, which affect the performance, efficiency and economy of the SPVWPS system, has been incorporated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to electricity is limited in rural areas of Myanmar, where the majority of the population live. Myanmar׳s rich solar resource and the recent price drop in solar PV modules indicate initial suitability for rural solar electrification systems to meet the electricity demand. In many parts of Myanmar, women are responsible for supporting the family financially. The ability of rural women in Myanmar to take advantage of solar PV powered services to improve their lives depends on concurrent progress towards addressing the many dimensions of gender equality – empowerment, health, education, opportunity, voice, representation, and livelihood-in rural locations. This paper examines the barriers of solar PV applications and the potential for women led solar PV enterprise development in rural Myanmar. Although the entrepreneurial process is the same for men and women in theory, in practice different factors e.g. social/cultural, religion, economic and educational ultimately result in the disadvantaged status of women-led enterprises. Therefore, widespread and long-term eventuation of this potential in Myanmar depends on a government committed to renewable energy resources for rural electrification and to diligently and holistically addressing geographical, political, educational, financial, ethnic and technical barriers to the empowerment of a rural, female population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sichuan Province is one of the most important economic inland areas and is characterized by an abundance of renewable energy resources in the form of solar, wind, biomass, and, in particular, hydropower. After the rapid growth of installed hydropower capacity during the past decade, the non-hydro renewable energy resource development is booming in Sichuan Province. This development is bringing about a series of problems as well. In this paper, we give an overview of Sichuan׳s renewable energy development in the past five years, analyze the existing problems, and examine the underlying causes in terms of environment, market, technology, and policy. On that basis, we propose a method for future renewable energy development in Sichuan and suggest that Sichuan׳s government should improve the pricing mechanism and the mandatory share policy for non-hydro renewable energy. Additionally, R&D on the plateau type of wind turbines and the smart micro-grid should be strengthened. Finally, given the mature hydropower industry in Sichuan, the combined operation of wind–hydro and solar–hydro plants is recommended to improve the stability of renewable electricity generation output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the simultaneous scheduling of electrical vehicles and responsive loads to reduce operation cost and emission in presence of wind and PV powers in microgrid. In the proposed method, the electrical vehicles are used for peak shaving and load curve modification while the responsive loads are employed to supply the reserves needed to compensate the intrinsic uncertainties of wind and PV powers. Furthermore, a developed two-stage model is proposed to determine the expected operation cost of microgrid (energy and reserve). In the first stage, the generation and reserve power costs are minimized while in the second stage, the costs associated with unit scheduling changes resulting from wind and PV power variations are minimized. The proposed model is implemented in a microgrid with various distributed generations. The simulation results have shown that the incorporation of electrical vehicles and responsive loads leads to decrease the system operation costs and emissions while the uncertainties related to wind and PV are compensated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of micro-grid should be in such a way that a safe and secure protection is provided in both grid-connected and stand-alone operation modes. Nevertheless, the function of micro-grid in these two modes creates some new protection problems. During grid-connected operation mode, since micro-grid provides a large short-circuit current to the fault point, the protection can be performed by existing protective devices within the distribution networks, but in islanded mode, fault currents are drastically lower than those of grid-connected mode; hence, the employment of traditional overcurrent-based protective devices in micro-grids is no longer valid. In order to overcome this challenge, different approaches have recently appeared in the literatures. This paper presents a micro-grid protection scheme based on positive-sequence impedance using Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and designed Microprocessor- Based Relays (MBRs) along with a digital communication system. The proposed scheme has the ability to protect radial and looped micro-grids against different types of faults with the capability of single-phase tripping. Furthermore, since the MBRs are capable of updating their pickup values (upstream and downstream equivalent positive-sequence impedances of each line) after the first change in the micro-grid configuration (such as transferring from grid-connected to islanded mode and or disconnection of a line, bus, or DG either in grid-connected mode or in islanded mode), they can protect micro-grid lines and buses against subsequent faults. Finally, in order to verify the effectiveness of the suggested scheme and the designed MBR, several simulations have been undertaken by using DIgSILENT PowerFactory and MATLAB software packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has an active participation in global solar energy contribution through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) and its many states are also walking hand in hand with the national government through individual state solar policies. The state of Gujarat, through the ‘Gujarat Solar Power Policy 2009 (GSPP 2009)’, has been leading the country in solar power generation. The feed-in-tariff based GSPP 2009 is a unique experiment of the state to develop individual solar projects as well as public-private partnership based large-scale ‘solar parks’. Of the about 2700 MW (in September 2014) installed solar energy capacity in India, Gujarat occupies a share of more than 900 MW. This paper, through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with project developers involved in implementation of the Charanka solar park, Gujarat, investigates the industry perspectives on the GSPP 2009. With an installed capacity of 216 MW (in April 2012), the Charanka Solar Park is the Asia׳s largest solar park. Findings from this study indicate that the attractive fixed feed-in-tariff and strong implementation mechanisms are the key strengths of the policy. On the other hand, the key challenges are lack of trust of financial institutions on solar energy projects, and tradability and bankability of the solar power purchase agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy production in a safe and hazard free manner is one of the world׳s greatest concern. Since the inception of Kyoto Protocol, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in February 2005, countries have started to adopt different measures for emission reduction such as electricity generation from renewable energy sources; as the source is free from green house gas (GHG) or CO 2 emission. Legislations and financial incentives have been provided by some governments for encouragement and ensuring good returns to the investors in renewable energy sector. This paper analyzes how a 500 kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system for electricity generation contributes significantly in the GHG emission reduction and also the potential impact of introducing CO 2 emission reduction cost in the solar PV electricity generation. The result shows that the emission reduction is of the order of hundreds of tons of CO 2 and CO 2 emission reduction cost has a positive impact on the cumulative cash flow of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited fossil resources, the continuous increment in fuel prices and severe environmental problems require new sustainable electricity generation options, which utilize renewable energies. Solar photovoltaic generation is a proven renewable energy technology and has the potential to become cost-effective in the future, for it produces electricity from the solar radiation. In Ghana, the electricity demand is rapidly increasing at a rate of 10% annually. In the attempt to change the conventional energy intensive economical development and its negative impact on the environment, the government has begun to support the development of the solar photovoltaic technology strongly. In this paper, the state of solar photovoltaic, the challenges facing the industry, the potential of the technology, the policies and strategies to promote development of the technology have been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews state-of-the-art on wind speed/power forecasting and solar irradiance forecasting with ensemble methods. The ensemble forecasting methods are grouped into two main categories: competitive ensemble forecasting and cooperative ensemble forecasting. The competitive ensemble forecasting is further categorized based on data diversity and parameter diversity. The cooperative ensemble forecasting is divided according to pre-processing and post-processing. Typical articles are discussed according to each category and their characteristics are highlighted. We also conduct comparisons based on reported results and comparisons based on simulations conducted by us. Suggestions for future research include ensemble of different paradigms and inter-category ensemble methods among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to their harmful impact on the environment, air-conditioning applications account for a significant percentage of total energy utilization; thinking about clean resources becomes a world priority. Solar cooling systems using either adsorption or absorption technologies show a great potential since they can use a permanent energy and operate with environmentally safe working pairs. This paper investigates the potential of solar air-conditioning systems in Morocco (enjoying different climates) through a comparative study between conventional and solar closed cycle processes based on economic and environmental indicators. Accordingly, annual simulations in 6 climatic zones were performed to estimate cooling loads for a typical Modern Moroccan House. The major finding of this work is that solar air-conditioning systems in hot climates must be an attractive alternative to mitigate CO 2 emissions and increase energy savings. However, the high installation cost is a main obstacle facing their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, detailed review of the solar thermal power plants based on the available solar concentrator systems like parabolic trough, parabolic dish, central tower, linear Fresnel reflector system are reported. The aim of the paper is to summarize overall research work being carried out worldwide on the thermodynamic performance evaluation of solar and other thermal power generation systems using different thermodynamic cycles. An attempt has also been made to assess as well as compare the energetic and exergetic performance of such thermal power generation systems. It has been observed that the efficiencies of the solar concentrator aided coal fired thermal power plant, and combined-cycle power plants are higher as compared to a solar alone thermal power plants. Furthermore, there is much scope in the areas of solar aided thermal power generation for further research with the aim of quantifying energy and exergy losses, and exergy destructions in the components of the solar thermal power generation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present an up-to-date literature review on employment opportunities associated with the deployment of renewable energy technology. We identified approximately 70 studies and data sources published over the past decade that report analysed or observed employment impacts of renewable energy growth. These publications cover many different countries and several technology options, and present widely varying results derived from distinct methodological approaches. Our first overall conclusion is that there is clear lack of authenticity of findings in this literature, since recursive referencing abounds and relatively few studies yield truly original research. When we omit non-authentic analyses, as well as those that aggregate results in a way that does not allow us to calculate ‘employment factors’ (defined as the number of jobs or amount of work generated per unit of electricity production capacity), the total list of references is brought to 31 independent items. Of these, only 14 references provide separate estimates of the employment factors for the stages of manufacturing and installation, respectively, as opposed to employment factors for these two activities combined. A total of 23 items provide values for operation and maintenance (O&M) employment factors. We observe significant uncertainties in quoted figures for job creation, both across and within publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating variable and non-dispatchable renewable power generation into existing power systems will have consequences for their operation and future expansion. These impacts will depend on two factors: (1) the variability of the total renewable power generation on different time scales and (2) the possibilities of accurately forecasting these fluctuations. In this paper, previous research on variability assessment and forecasting of solar, wind, wave and tidal energy resources is reviewed. The aim is to summarize the state of knowledge in each area and to compare the approaches used for the respective resources. For temporal variability, methods and models used for assessing the variability are surveyed, as well as what is known about the variability at individual sites and for larger aggregates of sites. For forecasting, an overview of forecasting methods for the different resources is made, and selected forecasting methods are compared over different time horizons. An important finding is that it is hard to draw strong conclusions from the existing studies due to differences in approaches and presentation of results. There is a need for further, more coherent studies that analyze the variability for the different resources in comparable ways, using data with the same resolution, and for studies that evaluate the smoothing effect and complementarity of combinations of several renewable energy resources. For forecasting, future research should suggest ways to evaluate forecasts from different renewable energy sources in easily comparable ways, using data from the same locations or regions, with the same temporal and spatial resolution, and with comparable metrics for the forecasting errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is considered to be the most reliable source in the future, and applying solar energy for flight is one of the most promising utilizations of renewables. Since the invention of solar-powered aircraft in 1974, the methods to extract and store energy for it have become the important research points all around the world. Currently, the main methods to do so are photovoltaic cell, rechargeable battery, and component of maximum power point tracking (MPPT). These years, many institutions and scholars have dedicated great efforts to the relative research. Besides, there are also several other methods in consideration, such as to extract energy from wind shear and store energy by gravitational potential. However, it is still not a simple task for the designers of solar-powered aircraft to select a particular technique from a number of existing techniques, since each technique has certain advantages and disadvantages with respect to different performance indices to fulfill the special requirements. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review in detail the working principle of different methods to extract and store energy, and to compare their performances on the basis of desirable features applied on solar-powered aircraft, and to provide some guidance principles for designers to select proper methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper is presented the application of a comprehensive methodology for the prediction of the photovoltaic (PV) potential in building façade surfaces and particularly with an application example for the Greek residential sector. The methodology is based on the determination of typical façade PV installations for Greek multifamily buildings considering architectural and technical aspects. The proposed solutions are then evaluated with dynamic energy simulation to determine the most efficient ones. The results produced in this way are used as baselines for a large scale analysis, which is implemented in the urban area of Greece׳s second largest city, Thessaloniki, by means of Geographical Information Systems. This led to the exploitable PV potential and the solar electricity production as well as the respective CO 2 savings. One of the interesting findings is the discrepancy between the architectural availability and the overall solar suitability of façade surfaces. This discrepancy is based on the following main factors: firstly, the high density of the built environment consisting of street canyons with high Height-Width ratio, secondly the varying orientation of the buildings and, finally, the buildings׳ typology, with the complex geometry due to verandas, erkers and semi-enclosed spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging photovoltaics has gathered much attention in the last years. Among the innovative technologies developed in order to decrease the costs and broaden the applicability of photovoltaics, the dye sensitized solar cells have gained a flourishing interest for their potential as an economically and environmentally viable alternative to traditional devices. With the aim to increase the efficiency, stability and lifetime of dye sensitized solar cells, the research and development activity has been very productive in order to find the proper set of materials and the best architectures. This present paper aims to trace the progress of dye sensitized solar cells from a life cycle assessment perspective in order to draw the environmental profile of this technology for assessing its potential for eco-friendly innovation in the energy sector. The analysis is performed with a cradle-to-gate approach on three different levels: the synthesis of the solar cell main components, the fabrication of modules with different configurations and, finally, the operational phase of a roof-top photovoltaic system. The comprehensive ReCiPe impact assessment method along with the Cumulative Energy Demand, Global Warming Potential and Energy Payback Time indicators were employed to calculate the photovoltaic performances in comparison with other more mature and best-established thin film technologies. Major outcomes, presented along with a statistical analysis, show that dye sensitized solar cells compare similarly and sometimes better than inorganic devices, even for a far-from-optimum industrial fabrication procedure. Such investigation allows pointing out the usefulness of the life cycle assessment methodology to highlight benefits and drawbacks associated with different technical options that have been proposed for the development of the dye sensitized solar cells technology so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery storage is generally considered an effective means for reducing the intermittency of electricity generated by solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, currently it remains unclear when and under which conditions battery storage can be profitably operated in residential PV systems without policy support. Based on a review of previous studies that have examined the economics of integrated PV-battery systems, in this paper we devise a simulation model that investigates the economic viability of battery storage for residential PV in Germany under eight different electricity price scenarios from 2013 to 2022. In contrast to previous forward-looking studies, we assume that no premium is paid for solar photovoltaic power and/or self-consumed electricity. Additionally, we run the model with a large number of different PV and storage capacities to determine the economically optimal configuration in terms of system size. We find that already in 2013 investments in storage solutions were economically viable for small PV systems. Given the assumptions of our model, the optimal size of both residential PV systems and battery storage rises significantly in the future. Higher electricity retail prices, lower electricity wholesale prices or limited access to the electricity wholesale market add to the profitability of storage. We conclude that additional policy incentives to foster investments in battery storage for residential PV in Germany will only be necessary in the short run. At the same time, the impending profitability of integrated PV-storage systems is likely to further spur the ongoing trend toward distributed electricity generation with major implications for the electricity sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of research works and studies carried out in the development of solar cooking in Algerian Sahara. The review is performed in such way to focus on diverse box type solar cookers that have been realized by the solar heating research team at the Research Unit in Renewable Energies in Sahara Medium (URER/MS-Adrar, Algerian Sahara). Research started with the realization of a simple solar box cooker with a tilted absorber-plate, then the construction of a double exposure solar cooker and then the development of a novel non-tracking solar box cooker, which is equipped with a fixed asymmetric compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) as booster-reflector and its absorber-plate, is in a form of a step. The last cooker can be fixed at a south building wall with its rear opening in kitchen; it can be more user friendly. This will allow a freedom of interactive cooking and it does not require the user to go out in the sun during its use. These qualities promote its uptake and made it a socially acceptable device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently fossil sources still dominate the domestic sector, which is the largest primary energy-consuming sector across the globe. Energy for cooking is considered to be the most important end use in the sector, and its demand is continuously increasing [11]. Cooking with solar energy is one of the promising solutions for meeting energy demands. However, its large-scale dissemination and popularization still remain limited. A number of solar energy-based cooking technologies exist all over the world, but a very few are actually in use. Major work on this subject is intended for research purposes only. This paper deals with the recent advances in developments and the performance analysis of a solar cooker's technologies. The meticulous review on such technologies provides an overview on existing solar cookers developed during the past two decades, especially major geometry components that affect their performances such as the booster mirror, absorber tray, insulation, glazing system, cooking vessel, and thermal energy storage materials. The thermal performance parameters, such as figures of merit and cooking power used for testing and evaluating the performance of solar cooking, energy and exergy analysis, have also been addressed. The performance of both single- and double-axis tracking mechanisms applied in the cooker structure is also discussed. Attempt has also been made to summarize the CO2 mitigation potential through such devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]