Solar energy in a volume and efficiency in solar power generation

Abstract

Solar power received on the surface of any object on the earth could be considered as the power absorbed in the entire volume of that object and hence measured in Watts per unit volume. In this paper, effectiveness of measuring power and energy per unit volume and the impact of height in system efficiency is analyzed. Variations in solar radiation intensity based on the angles of the Sun during the day and the year is briefly reviewed.It is shown how the wide ranges of these variations can affect efficiency of a solar power generating system and its energy delivery. Module of Irradiance and Collectivity Factors are introduced as parameters to estimate power/energy entering a volume and the efficiency of the system. Cost efficiency of the system is discussed considering all high cost items such as land, collector equipment and the supporting structure. A solar powertracking concept is analyzed and shown how it would significantly increase the efficiency of the system. Feasibility of tracker in solar power generation is studied based on Tracking factor as defined here.

Optimising thermal photovoltaic energy system for green and sustainable energy generation

“…The fuel burned from inside an emitting device that radiates the heat intensely and the PV cells captured the radiation and converted it to electricity. The material properties involved had to be defined, as the temperature distributions depend on the materials in general (Yahyavi, et al, 2010). The materials involved for this modelling were: the heater, emitter, PV cell type, the mirrors, the insulation attached to the PV cells, and the prevailing environmental conditions.…”

Incorporating a three dimensional photovoltaic structure for optimum solar power generation – the effect of height

“…Three-dimensional photovoltaic (3DPV) technology is a new technology in PV energy generation that mimics the pattern found in nature of structures that collect sunlight in three dimensions (Suto & Yachi, 2011;Gharghi et al, 2006b;Yuji & Yachi, 2010). Three main physical reasons underlying the advantages of collecting light in 3D are the multiple orientations of the absorbers that allow for the effective capturing of off-peak sunlight, the avoidance of inter-cell shading, and the re-absorption of light reflected within the 3D structure (Suto & Yachi, 2011;Yahyavi et al, 2010;Bernardi et al, 2012). These benefits enable the measured generated energy densities (energy per base area) to be higher by a factor of 2-20 than the stationary flat PV panels.…”

“…Hence, power is measured in Watts per unit volume as against per area measurement as in the planar or two-dimensional system. Furthermore, the impact of height in system efficiency for the 3DPV is remarkable (Aglietti et al, 2009;Yahyavi et al, 2010;Yuji & Yachi, 2010). Some of the research carried out on this technology is briefly discussed in this paper.…”

“…It also requires larger space for operation thereby causing interference with other panels and possible shading and is also subject to occasional maintenance and disruptions. Furthermore, it is not suitable for residential or commercial installations due to its bulky moving parts (Yahyavi et al, 2010;Mafimidiwo & Saha, 2014). However, it is still being used for the fact that its price has reduced considerably (Philipps et al, 2015).…”

“…However, it is still being used for the fact that its price has reduced considerably (Philipps et al, 2015). A tracking system can be more cost efficient if the cost of its tracker is less than total costs of that system by a factor of (T c -1)/T c where T c is the tracking factor, which tends to unity as it improves the output power generated and this varies from location to location (Yahyavi et al, 2010). In addition to this, it can generate more energy with fewer solar panels, lower electrical device ratings and a smaller structure on about the same land area (Yahyavi et al, 2010;Philipps et al, 2015).…”