Despite their simplicity, photovoltaic (PV) modules are often arranged in structures that can be affected by severe and complex wind loads: in this context, the wind flow and the dynamic excitation induced by vortex shedding can introduce unexpected aeroelastic responses. This work introduces a novel wind tunnel application of experimental techniques to address this issue by the use of flow visualisation and video postprocessing, through the optical flow algorithm. Numerical simulations based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier−Stokes (RANS) models are performed and compared against the experimental wind tunnel tests on a PV panel that was also instrumented with pressure taps. A setup with a 65∘ tilt angle was examined because, based on preliminary analyses, it was considered interesting for the free flow−wake transition associated with the dynamic response of the PV panel. The comparison of the experimental and numerical average wind fields supported that the proposed optical flow me... [more]

The multiple uncertainties in a microgrid, such as limited photovoltaic generations, ups and downs in the market price, and controlling different loads, are challenging points in managing campus energy with multiple microgrid systems and are a hot topic of research in the current era. Microgrids deployed at multiple campuses can be successfully operated with an exemplary energy management system (EMS) to address these challenges, offering several solutions to minimize the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, maintenance costs, and peak load demands of the microgrid infrastructure. This literature survey presents a comparative analysis of multiple campus microgrids’ energy management at different universities in different locations, and it also studies different approaches to managing their peak demand and achieving the maximum output power for campus microgrids. In this paper, the analysis is also focused on managing and addressing the uncertain nature of renewable energies, considering the... [more]

The paper deals with the exposition of the main barriers and drivers of renewable energy usage in rural communities. Climate change mitigation is causing governments, policymakers, and international organizations worldwide to embark on policies, leading to increased use of renewable energy sources and improvement of energy efficiency. Climate change mitigation actions, including the Green Deal strategy in the EU, require satisfying the expanding energy demand and complying with the environmental restrictions. At the same time, the prevailing market structure and infrastructure relevant to the energy systems are undergoing a crucial transformation. Specifically, there has been a shift from centralized to more decentralized and interactive energy systems that are accompanied by a low-carbon energy transition. Smart Grid technology and other innovations in the area of renewable energy microgeneration technologies have enabled changes in terms of the roles of energy users: they can act as... [more]

Design strategies for achieving reliable, affordable, and clean electricity are crucial for energy sustainability. Attaining it requires managing the three core factors (TCF) of the energy trilemma (ET) to increase reliability (energy equity), minimize the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) (energy equity), and avoid potential CO2 emission (environmental sustainability) simultaneously. This paper aims to present a design strategy for the hybrid energy system microgrid (HESM) model, consisting of a distributed rooftop solar PV (DRSP), battery, and diesel-generator to meet the increasing demand while balancing the TCF of the ET. The design strategy was applied in a cluster of 11 households in Gilutongan Island, Cebu, Philippines, where there is no open land space for a solar PV microgrid system. This study used PVSyst and HOMER Pro software to perform the techno-enviro-economic (TEE) analysis to select all feasible system configurations (FSCs). To identify the optimal FSC, a scoring me... [more]

The utilization of air conditioning in public and private buildings is continuously increasing globally and is one of the major factors fueling the growth of the global electricity demand. The higher utilization of renewable energy sources and the transition of the electricity-generating industry to renewable energy sources requires significant energy storage in order to avoid supply−demand mismatches. This storage-regeneration process entails dissipation, which leads to higher energy generation loads. Both the energy generation and the required storage may be reduced using thermal energy storage to provide domestic comfort in buildings. The development and utilization of thermal storage, achieved by chilled water, in a community of two thousand buildings located in the North Texas region are proven to have profound and beneficial effects on the necessary infrastructure to make this community independent of the grid and self-sufficient with renewable energy. The simulations show that b... [more]

Due to the rapid changes in the energy situation on a global scale, the amount of RES installed using clean renewable energy sources such as Photovoltaic (PV) and Wind-power Generators (WGs) is rapidly increasing. As a result, there has been a great deal of research aimed at promoting the adoption of renewable energy. Research on Demand-side Management (DSM) has also been important in promoting the adoption of RES. However, the massive introduction of PV has changed the shape of the demand curve for electricity, which significantly impacts the operational planning of thermal generators. Therefore, this paper proposes an Advanced Direct Load Control (ADLC) model to temporarily shutdown the electric connection between the power grid and Smart Houses (SHs). The most important feature of the proposed model is that it temporarily shuts down the electric connection with the power grid. The shutdown is performed twice to increase the load demand during daytime hours and reduce the peak load d... [more]

This article has been developed to assess the economic feasibility of a rooftop photovoltaic installation of industrial self-consumption. Numerical models that enable an interested person to obtain the main expected parameters will be generated, with those models being the article’s main contribution to the field. To do this, a calculation methodology will be developed through which the reader, knowing the location of the facility and dimensions of the roof, will be able to calculate the maximum installable power, the main parameters related to production, the cost of the installation, and the LCOE of the plant. The use of actual costs will be facilitated in case they are known. Still, it will remain possible to apply the major equipment costs (modules, inverter, and structure) considered throughout the article. This developed calculation methodology will also allow a quick comparison of the forecasts of production, CAPEX, and LCOE of plants designed with different inclinations and dif... [more]

Ammonia is gaining popularity around the world due to its advantages as an energy vector over other zero-carbon fuels and has the potential to be a key component for deep decarbonisation of energy systems. However, little is known about public attitudes and concerns about the technology, one of the factors that will determine its successful implementation. This research examined public perception of green ammonia technologies through online surveys conducted in Mexico (n = 563) and the UK (n = 357). The results suggest that most of the participants in the two countries support the development of these technologies, with men being more likely to show support than women. Participants in Mexico and the UK had both negative and neutral associations of ammonia as a chemical, but overall perceptions of green ammonia were surprisingly positive. A multiple regression analysis indicates that support for this technology is highly dependent on the way participants perceive the benefits and the ri... [more]

Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading is gaining attention as a technology to effectively handle already existing distributed energy resources (DER). In order to manage a large number of DER, it is necessary to increase the number of P2P energy trading participants. For that, designing incentives for participants to engage in P2P energy trading is important. This paper describes a user-centric cooperative mechanism that enhances user participation in P2P energy trading. The key components of this incentive for participants to engage in P2P energy trading are described and evaluated in this study. The goal of the proposal is to make it possible to conduct economic transactions while reflecting the preferences of the traders in the ordering process, making it possible to conduct transactions with minimal effort. As a case study, the Higashi-Fuji demonstration experiment conducted in Japan verified the proposed mechanism. In this experiment, 19 households and 9 plugin hybrid vehicles (PHV) we... [more]

The power system responsiveness may be improved by determining the ideal size of each component and performing a reliability analysis. This study evaluated the design and optimization of an islanded hybrid microgrid system with multiple dispatch algorithms. As the penetration of renewable power increases in microgrids, the importance and influence of efficient design and operation of islanded hybrid microgrids grow. The Kangaroo Island in South Australia served as the study’s test microgrid. The sizing of the Kangaroo Island hybrid microgrid system, which includes solar PV, wind, a diesel engine, and battery storage, was adjusted for four dispatch schemes. In this study, the following dispatch strategies were used: (i) load following, (ii) cycle charging, (iii) generator order, and (iv) combination dispatch. The CO2 emissions, net present cost (NPC), and energy cost of the islanded microgrid were all optimized (COE). The HOMER microgrid software platform was used to build all four disp... [more]

We aim to contribute to in-depth comprehension of the factors and preferences behind the reuses of large-scale underused or abandoned former collective farms from the 1950s−1980s for biogas plants and solar photovoltaic power plants. As a case study, three regions in the southern part of the Czech Republic have been selected. Our findings signal that the residents’ attitudes towards the mentioned energy sources are rather negative. Similarly, farmers’ interest in photovoltaic power plants is low. More interest has been detected in the case of biogas production; this is especially true for large agricultural companies and farmers, who own underused or abandoned premises. Biogas plants are frequently located in agricultural areas with warmer or just slightly colder climates as a consequence of the potential to process locally grown maize. On the other hand, photovoltaic power plants are found on more fertile plains with high levels of insolation, but, surprisingly, also in mountain regio... [more]

This paper identifies socioeconomic factors that are supposed to impact the investment decision of private households in Germany regarding small-scale solar PV (photovoltaic) systems. In 2022, the last nuclear power plant will phase out and the end of coal-fired power plants is fixed for 2038. Thus, the legislator is mandated to foster the addition of renewable energy capacities to close the gap fossil fuels and nuclear power leaves. Some share of the renewable energies could be from private households that mainly invest in small-scale solar PV systems. To stimulate investments, it is necessary to identify factors that are important for the investment decisions of private households. Within this paper, secondary socioeconomic data for the period from 2009−2018 was compiled. In order to identify the latent variables, a factor analysis was conducted. The results state five factors that are supposed to impact the investment decisions of the prosumer in Germany.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consumers’ adoption of renewable energy in Poland. The study focused on finding out the factors that influence the adoption of the technology, considering its importance in conserving the environment. The study was conducted using a quantitative method, with primary data collected from 467 households using renewable energy technology in Poland. The research adopted the TAM model. The independent variables of the study included renewable energy initial cost, environmental concern, risk and trust for renewable energy, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage. The dependent variable was renewable energy adoption. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the study hypotheses. The research found out that environmental concerns, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage have a positive and significant influence on adoption of renewable energy technology in Poland. However, renewable energy initial c... [more]

The present study documents a positive market reaction to mergers and acquisition (M&A) deals involving renewable energy companies. Acquirers record positive post-deal cumulative risk-adjusted returns upon taking over a renewable energy target, especially if the former also operates in the renewable energy sector. Such deals often involve purchases of majority equity stakes financed with acquirers’ stock rather than cash. Acquirers of renewable energy firms tend to be more profitable and cash-rich than their industry peers, yet they are less likely to be serial acquirers and channel cash reserves towards M&As. We evidence that the quality of corporate governance in the energy sector may play a substantial role in shaping the choice of targets; a director’s outside affiliations increase the likelihood of takeovers of non-energy firms, while the presence of outsiders on board appears to incentivize diversification into renewable energy. While acquisitions of renewable energy firms featur... [more]

This paper aims to identify a bibliometric profile, presenting the results of research and debates in social media on renewable energy sources (RES). It analyses current scientific publications (2019−2021) and tweets posted in July 2021 by international Twitter users. The subject of the study is an analysis of key words in articles, the results of research, and the content of tweets (hashtags #renewables) related to renewable energy (RE) as well as an assessment of the morphology of content and the degree of its differentiation in the analysed data resources. The conducted analysis facilitates an assessment of similarities of key words in scientific papers and the content of debates in social media—on Twitter, a global platform. In its methodological dimension, the work is based on a bibliometric analysis (articles in both bases) and the analysis of Twitter data. This methodological approach allows for identifying the main trend, profile, and bibliometric characteristics of scientific... [more]

Renewable energy sources are ecological and sustainable solutions accepted with a common consensus under the sustainable development goals. Energy source exploration has enforced the human race to think about sustainable energy production as fossil fuels are non-renewable and are having a negative impact on ecosystem. Consumer needs and wants are the key for acceptance of renewable energy and making production a possibility. The real challenge is with the consumer market for the acceptance of green energy. The current research is based on the concept of GREEN consumer values synergizing with renewable energy sources, and eco innovation for sustainability in India. The crucial point of study is assessing GREEN consumer values which are the determining factor for consumption. All five renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass) have received a higher level of acceptance by respondents which shows that India is on its way to enhancing its capacity for renewable e... [more]

Contemporary agriculture has become very energy-intensive and mainly uses electricity, which is needed for technological processes on livestock farms. Livestock faeces are burdensome for the environment due to the release of methane into the atmosphere. This article presents the concept of a self-sufficient livestock farm as an off-grid energy circuit that is a part of the agricultural process. The key idea is to obtain an energy flow using the concept of a smart valve to achieve a self-sufficient energy process based on a biogas plant, renewable energy sources, and energy storage. During the production process, a livestock farm produces large amounts of waste in the form of grey and black manure. On the one hand, these products are highly harmful to the environment, but on the other, they are valuable input products for another process, i.e., methane production. The methane becomes the fuel for cogeneration generators that produce heat and electricity. Heat and electricity are partly... [more]

Indonesia has an increasing electricity demand that is mostly met with fossil fuels. Although Indonesia plans to ramp up Renewable Energy Technologies (RET), implementation has been slow. This is unfortunate, as the RET potential in Indonesia might be higher than currently assumed given the archipelago’s size. However, there is no literature overview of RET potentials in Indonesia and to what extent they can meet current and future electricity demand coverage. This paper reviews contemporary literature on the potential of nine RET in Indonesia and analyses their impact in terms of area and demand coverage. The study concludes that Indonesia hosts massive amounts of renewable energy resources on both land and sea. The potentials in the academic and industrial literature tend to be considerably larger than the ones from the Indonesian Energy Ministry on which current energy policies are based. Moreover, these potentials could enable a 100% renewables electricity system and meet future de... [more]

The Stirling engine is an alternative solution to produce cleaner energy in order to achieve the reduction of the fossil fuel consumption and the CO2 emissions. It comprises an external combustion engine that can convert any external heat source into mechanical power, through cyclic expansion and compression of a working gas in a closed-regenerative cycle, with or without driving mechanisms. The free-piston Stirling Engine is significantly preferred because of the absence of any mechanical linkage resulting in longer operating life, lower noise pollution, maintenance and vibration free, self-starting and high thermal efficiency. The aim of this paper is to summarize the research works on the free-piston Stirling engine technologies and models. First, the working principles of the free-piston Stirling engine are described, identifying different configurations. Then, several applications are presented. Finally, a detailed review of the models available in literature is given, pointing ou... [more]

The demand for energy has rapidly grown around the world. Solar floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems are an efficient solution to solve the issues from nonrenewable energy sources, such as reduction of CO2 emission, limitation of global warming, environmentally friendly, a great innovation in sustainable aquaculture, and a new ecofriendly technique, along with reducing production costs, especially regarding the scarcity of habitable land. A large number of installation projects using FPV technology have been operated in water bodies such as lakes and dams/reservoirs. However, deployment of FPV offshore is still limited because of the existing characteristics of marine/sea environments that are different from onshore, such as wind loads and wave loads. Despite these difficulties, there are several projects that have been installed in some countries and gained many significant achievements. It opened possibilities to apply FPV systems offshore worldwide. In this review, we present a brief... [more]

Buildings and the mobility sectors are the two sectors that currently utilize large amount of fossil-based energy. The aim of the paper is to, critically analyse the integration of electric vehicles (EV) energy load with the building’s energy load. The qualitative and quantitative methods are used to analyse the nearly/net zero energy buildings and the mobility plans of the Europe along with the challenges of the plans. It is proposed to either include or exclude the EV load within the building’s energy load and follow the emissions calculation path, rather than energy calculation path for buildings to identify the benefits. Two real case studies in a central European climate are used to analysis the energy performance of the building with and without EV load integration and the emissions produced due to their interaction. It is shown that by replacing fossil-fuel cars with EVs within the building boundary, overall emissions can be reduced by 11−35% depending on the case study. However... [more]

In Poland, rapeseed production has been the fastest growing branch of plant production since 2000. Rapeseed yields have increased 2.5 times in the last 20 years. The main reason for this trend was the implementation of obligations resulting from legal acts by Member States relating to increasing the share of RES in the structure of primary energy production, and in particular relating to the share of biofuels in fuels used in transport. In Poland in the years 2010−2020, about 1.0−1.6 million tonnes of rape seeds were used for this purpose annually. Due to the fact that biofuel production competes for raw materials with the food economy, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, many representatives of various circles intensified their voices, calling for withdrawal from the policy supporting the biofuel sector, which may have resulted in a decrease in oilseed plant cultivation areas. As a result of the research conducted here, it was determined that the place of oilseed rape... [more]

Many hydrocarbon-rich countries have recognized the global shift towards renewable energy sources, and Russia is not an exception. Drawing on two strands of literature—technological innovation systems and the advocacy coalition framework—we investigate the roles of actors and coalitions in shaping the Russian renewable energy policy and explore why particular renewable energy sources have progressed more than others, and what the main reasons are for their sudden development. The results show that the more successful renewable energy industries are those that were promoted by influential actors from traditional energy industries. Moreover, these actors also promoted the specific design of support schemes for renewable energy policy in Russia. We discuss the importance of policy process theories for understanding energy transition studies and provide specific policy recommendations for policy creation in the renewables industry.

The rapid growth of aquaculture production has required a huge power demand, which is estimated to be about 40% of the total energy cost. However, it is possible to reduce this expense using alternatives such as renewable energy (i.e., solar energy) instead of non-renewable energy. Solar energy is one of the cleanest energy sources and is touted as a potential renewable energy source for the world with benefits such as reducing CO2 emissions, reversing global warming by being eco-friendly, and bringing innovation to sustainable aquaculture and potential cost-efficiency for manufacturing. In this review, we present an overview of using non-renewable and renewable energy sources for aquaculture by reviewing several articles and applications of solar energy at many companies in the world. Moreover, this review shows potential and future trends using solar energy for aquaculture.

High-temperature latent heat storage (LHS) systems using a high-temperature phase change medium (PCM) could be a potential solution for providing dispatchable energy from concentrated solar power (CSP) systems and for storing surplus energy from photovoltaic and wind power. In addition, ultra-high-temperature (>900 °C) latent heat storage (LHS) can provide significant energy storage density and can convert thermal energy to both heat and electric power efficiently. In this context, a 2D heat transfer analysis is performed to capture the thermo-fluidic behavior during melting and solidification of ultra-high-temperature silicon in rectangular domains for different aspect ratios (AR) and heat flux. Fixed domain effective heat capacity formulation has been deployed to numerically model the phase change process using the finite element method (FEM)-based COMSOL Multiphysics. The influence of orientation of geometry and heat flux magnitude on charging and discharge performance has been eval... [more]