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Ensuring the uniformity of solar irradiance distribution on photovoltaic cells is a major challenge in low-concentrating photovoltaic systems based on a small-scale linear Fresnel reflector. A novel sawtooth V-cavity design method based on an optimization algorithm to achieve uniform irradiance distribution on photovoltaic cells is presented. The reliability of the design was verified using the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method and a laser experiment. A prototype was built using 3D printing technology with a biodegradable green polymer material known as polylactic acid. The new cavity was compared to the standard V-trough cavity, keeping the cavity aperture, reflective surface area, and photovoltaic cell width constant. In addition, the focal height, number of mirrors, mirror width, and mirror spacing were also kept constant; so, the cost of the two configurations was the same from the point of view of the primary reflector system. The new design ensured the uniform distribution of solar irradiation and significantly reduced the height of the cavity. The significant decrease in the height of the proposed cavity has the following advantages: (i) a decrease in the dimensions of the fixed structure of the small-scale linear Fresnel reflector, thus reducing its cost, (ii) a significant decrease in the surface area exposed to wind loads, thus reducing the cost of the fixed structure and secondary system structures, (iii) a reduction in the difficulty of the manufacture, maintenance, and transportation of the cavity's reflecting walls, and (iv) an increase in the cooling surface area, which increases the electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is the investigation of the annual performance of a solar power plant with linear Fresnel reflectors in the El-Oued region at Algeria. The solar collectors produce water steam that feeds a turbine to produce electricity. The System Advisor Model (SAM) tool is used for simulation. The mean net daily electricity production rate from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm is 48 MWe, and the respective annual production is 210,336 MWh/year. The mean daily optical efficiency of the solar field was close to 52%, while the mean thermal efficiency was about 39%. The net daily cycle efficiency is found to be 24%. The net capital cost of the examined system is $393 million, and the developer net present value is $47 million; the investor net present value is $15 million, the entire period of capital recovery is 11 years, and the levelized cost of electricity is 0.0382 $/kWh. The solar power plant leads to the yearly avoidance of 420,672 tons carbon dioxide emissions (operational cost savings of $6.1 million). Based on the obtained results, linear Fresnel reflectors can be used to achieve satisfying, energetic, financial, and environmental performance that can lead to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Going forward towards developing and improving renewable energies in Algeria is one of the main objectives of this study, especially, solar energy that is an exceptional and continuous source of energy. Algerian Sahara has a large area suitable for agriculture, but not connected to the electricity network. Therefore, the construction of solar power plants based on the solar energy concentration has been proposed for the electricity production, which is exploited in the rest of the economic sector of the Algerian state. Through the study conducted under real weather data for the day March 16th, 2018, an optical characterization of a solar power plant of parabolic trough concentrator has been convoyed in El-Oued region, Algeria. The geometrical and the optical characteristics of studied solar collector have been determined, such as the optical efficiency, the local concentration ratio, the cosine effect of the incidence angle, the optical losses at the ends of the receiver tube, the shading effect, the blocking effect, and the coefficient of incidence angle modifier and intercept factor. MATLAB code has been used as a program for numerical programming. Of the most important results obtained, it was found that the optical efficiency has exceeded 77.22 %. As for the local concentration ratio, its maximum value is equal to 116.30 in the lower part of the receiver tube at the peripheral receiver angles "ß=91° and 269°", while the minimum values of this important coefficient were recorded at the top of the receiver tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]